Original subtitles

Narrator: WORLDWIDE, SIX BILLION CAMERAS ARE WATCHING US,

ON OUR STREETS, AT WORK, AND IN OUR HOMES.

THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.

IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Man: OH, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, MAN.

Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY OUT FORENSIC ANALYSIS

OF THESE UNUSUAL EVENTS.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ EXPLOSION ]

[ SCREAMING ]

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING AT.

THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON HERE?

Narrator: COMING UP, A LANDSLIDE AND THEN A FLOOD NOT SEEN

SINCE THE DAYS OF THE BIBLE.

Kourounis: WITNESSING THAT MUST HAVE FELT LIKE

WATCHING THE EARTH CRACK IN HALF.

Narrator: WHO'S LAUNCHING SECRET SPACE SHOTS FROM OKLAHOMA?

WAS THIS A ROCKET THAT WAS LAUNCHED

WITHOUT ANYBODY KNOWING AND EXPLODING?

Narrator: AND DID THIS HIDEOUS EGYPTIAN BEAST

INSPIRE MODERN-DAY SATANISM?

[ GROWLS ]

IT'S ASSUMED IT WAS SOME SORT OF DIABOLIC, SATANIC HEAD

WITH HORNS THAT RESEMBLED A GOAT.

Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENA...

WHOA.

...MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

NOW THAT'S AN EXPLOSION.

WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ RUMBLING ]

Narrator: NOW, A QUIET VALLEY

COLLAPSES INTO A SCENE OF EPIC CARNAGE.

THIS IS A CATASTROPHE UNFOLDING.

Narrator: ROCK AND EARTH CRUMBLE.

A TSUNAMI OF WATER FOLLOWS.

THIS IS MASSIVE DESTRUCTION ON A GRAND SCALE.

Narrator: BUT INCREDIBLY, THERE IS NO WRITTEN RECORD

OF THIS EARTH-SHATTERING EVENT.

LOOKS ALMOST APOCALYPTIC. IT'S LIKE THE GREAT FLOOD.

IF YOU MESS WITH MOTHER NATURE...

OH!

...SHE'S GOING TO WIN EVERY TIME.

[ WHIRRING, TRILLING ]

Narrator: PANTAI REMIS, MALAYSIA --

THIS TROPICAL PARADISE IS A HOT SPOT FOR TOURISM.

SIGHTSEERS ENJOY PRISTINE BEACHES,

LUSH RAIN FORESTS, AND BREATHTAKING SUNSETS.

OCTOBER 21st, 1993 --

A MAN FILMS ON A CLIFF EDGE AS THE EARTH BEGINS TO CRUMBLE.

[ RUMBLING ]

THE LANDSLIDE IS FOLLOWED BY A HUGE TORRENT OF WATER.

PEOPLE SHOULD BE TERRIFIED.

Narrator: THE MAN WITH THE CAMERA CONTINUES TO FILM

WHILE ELEMENTAL FORCES SMASH THE LANDSCAPE AROUND HIM.

Shapiro: WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S MASSIVE,

AND THIS GUY LOOKS LIKE HE'S IN SERIOUS DANGER.

Kourounis: STANDING THERE WITNESSING THAT MUST HAVE FELT

LIKE WATCHING THE EARTH CRACK IN HALF.

Narrator: THE FOOTAGE IS TIME-STAMPED OCTOBER 21st, 1993,

BUT DESPITE THE EPIC DESTRUCTION IN THIS INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE,

THERE IS NO OFFICIAL WRITTEN REPORT ON THE EVENT

TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED.

EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS WONDERS

IF THIS MYSTERIOUS FOOTAGE COULD BE OF AN EVENT UNSEEN

SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES.

ONE THING THAT HAPPENED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

WAS THAT THE SEA FLOODED INTO WHAT IS NOW KNOWN

AS THE BLACK SEA.

Narrator: THE AREA OCCUPIED TODAY BY THE BLACK SEA

WAS ONCE FERTILE LAND INHABITED BY STONE AGE FARMERS

WITH A SMALL FRESHWATER LAKE IN THE MIDDLE.

THAT ALL ENDED AROUND 5,000 B.C.

WITH ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE EVENTS EVER WITNESSED BY MAN.

McMahon: WE'VE SEEN TSUNAMIS IN OUR OWN TIME,

AND THEY'RE TERRIBLE EVENTS, BUT THEY'RE OVER IN A DAY.

BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WENT OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.

Narrator: THE EARTH BETWEEN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE LOWLAND

OF WHAT IS NOW THE BLACK SEA SUDDENLY COLLAPSED.

TEN CUBIC MILES OF WATER PER DAY FLOODED IN FOR 300 DAYS,

TRANSFORMING THE LAND INTO A NEW 170,000-SQUARE-MILE SEA.

THE FORCE OF THE FLOODWATER MADE NIAGARA FALLS

LOOK LIKE A DRIPPING TAP.

WE'RE TALKING 200 TIMES MORE WATER,

AND THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN A VIOLENT, CATASTROPHIC,

CATACLYSMIC EVENT.

Narrator: MANY HISTORIANS BELIEVE THAT THIS EVENT

INSPIRED THE STORY OF THE GREAT FLOOD IN THE BIBLE.

THE RECORDS SHOW THAT AN EVEN MORE CATACLYSMIC EVENT

HAPPENED 5 MILLION YEARS AGO, WHAT WE CALL THE ZANCLEAN FLOOD,

AND THIS IS WHEN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BURST

THROUGH THE STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR

AND FLOODED INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN.

SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT THIS HUGE VOLUME OF WATER

CASCADED DOWN ABOUT 1/2 MILE

WITH 1,000 TIMES THE FORCE OF THE AMAZON RIVER.

IT EFFECTIVELY SEPARATED EUROPE FROM NORTH AFRICA FOREVER.

Narrator: SCIENCE JOURNALIST JOHN FARROW WONDERS IF THE FOOTAGE

MIGHT HAVE CAPTURED A SIMILAR TYPE OF EVENT.

Farrow: LOOKING AT ALL THIS WATER RUSHING IT,

IT'S ALMOST BIBLICAL.

IT'S LIKE THE GREAT FLOOD.

Narrator: PLANETARY SCIENTIST SIAN PROCTOR SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE

TO SUPPORT FARROW'S GREAT FLOOD THEORY.

THIS COULD BE A MASS FLOOD THAT WE'RE SEEING,

BUT I DON'T THINK IT IS.

THE RECORDS SHOW THAT THERE WAS NO FLOODING

HAPPENING IN THE REGION AT THAT TIME,

SO SOMETHING ELSE MUST BE HAPPENING HERE.

Narrator: EARTH SCIENTIST ALAN SHAPIRO JOINS THE INVESTIGATION.

HE EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE, AND HIS FOCUS IS DRAWN

TO THE CONTOURING OF THE WALL OF EARTH MOMENTS

BEFORE IT COLLAPSES.

YOU CAN SEE THIS STEPPING PATTERN

WHICH LOOKS LIKE AN OPEN-PIT MINING OPERATION.

Narrator: MINING IS ONE OF THE MAIN INDUSTRIES IN MALAYSIA,

AND MUCH OF THIS IS LARGE-SCALE OPEN-PIT MINING.

Shapiro: ONE OF MALAYSIA'S MAJOR EXPORTS IS TIN,

AND THERE ARE TIN MINES ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE,

BUT HOW DO WE GO FROM A TIN MINE

TO A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE AND FLOOD?

Narrator: OPENCAST MINING OPERATIONS OFTEN INCLUDE A DAM

TO KEEP RIVER WATER FROM ENTERING THE EXCAVATED PIT.

DAM FAILURES OFTEN LEAD TO MINING TRAGEDIES.

ON NOVEMBER 5th, 2015, A DAM AT AN IRON MINE

IN BRAZIL CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED,

UNLEASHING OVER 52 MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF WATER,

MUD AND IRON ORE SLUDGE.

IT WAS BRAZIL'S WORST EVER ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER,

WITH THE TORRENT ANNIHILATING 375 HOMES AND KILLING 19 PEOPLE.

BUT THE SHEER AMOUNT OF LIQUID IN THIS FOOTAGE

IS WAY BEYOND ANY NORMAL DAMMED-UP RIVER.

KOUROUNIS SEES A CLUE IN THE COLOR OF THE WATER

THAT LIES BEYOND THE MINE'S EARTH WALL.

LOOKING AT THE HORIZON ON THE VIDEO,

YOU CAN SEE THE OCEAN.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING, BUILDING AN OPEN-PIT MINE

SO CLOSE TO THE OCEAN?

HOW DO YOU NOT SEE THIS COMING?

Shapiro: AS MINE FAILURES GO,

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST EPIC EVER CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

Narrator: DETAILS OF THIS MINE FAILURE REMAIN SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

ASIDE FROM THIS INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE,

THERE IS NO KNOWN WRITTEN RECORD OF THIS TITANIC FLOOD EVENT.

IT IS STILL NOT KNOWN IF ANYONE WAS INJURED OR KILLED.

THE ONLY OTHER EVIDENCE IS A 1/2-MILE-WIDE COVE

WHERE THE MINE USED TO BE,

A TESTAMENT TO THE INCREDIBLE FORCE OF WATER.

WE DUG OUT THIS GREAT BIG PIT NEXT TO THE OCEAN,

AND GUESS WHAT?

MOTHER NATURE IS TAKING IT BACK.

[ WHIRRING, TRILLING ]

Narrator: NOW, A CRACK OF LIGHT SPLINTERS THE NIGHT SKY.

[ EXPLOSION ]

CHANCES ARE, WHATEVER IT'S DOING IS NOT GOOD.

Narrator: IS SOMEONE LAUNCHING AN ILLEGAL ROCKET ON AMERICAN SOIL?

IF I WAS LIVING IN THE AREA, I WANT TO KNOW IF IT'S DANGEROUS.

Narrator: OR IS A NEW WEAPON BEING UNLEASHED?

IF YOU WERE ON THE GROUND NEAR WHERE THIS WAS TAKING PLACE,

YOU COULD BE DEAD IN AN INSTANT.

[ WHIRRING, TRILLING ]

♪♪

Narrator: TULSA, OKLAHOMA, KNOWN AS THE BUCKLE OF THE BIBLE BELT.

TULSA WAS THE CAPITAL OF THE U.S. OIL INDUSTRY FOR 60 YEARS,

AND THE MODERN CITY GREW UP AROUND THAT WEALTH.

AUGUST 20th, 2007 --

AS A HOT SUMMER'S DAY DRAWS TO A CLOSE IN THE CITY,

RESIDENTS RETURN TO THEIR HOMES IN THE SUBURBS

UNAWARE THAT AN UNMANNED SURVEILLANCE CAMERA

IS ABOUT TO RECORD A FRIGHTENING EVENT

IN THE SKIES ABOVE THEM.

[ EXPLOSION ]

YOU REALLY GOT TO WONDER, WHAT KIND OF POWER

IS BEING RELEASED ON THE HORIZON?

Kutcher: IT'S BEAMING STRAIGHT BACK UP INTO THE SKY.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, THIS IS A HUGE EVENT.

IS THIS A DANGER TO SOCIETY?

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: THE FOOTAGE REMINDS SCIENCE JOURNALIST JEFF WISE

OF A 1957 EXPERIMENT THAT COULD HAVE LOOKED VERY SIMILAR.

Wise: DURING AN UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR TEST IN THE AMERICAN WEST,

THIS UNDERGROUND TEST CHAMBER WAS TOPPED BY A MANHOLE COVER.

THEY BLEW UP A NUCLEAR BOMB.

THERE WAS SO MUCH ENERGY FROM THIS NUCLEAR BLAST

CONCENTRATED ON THIS ONE LITTLE MANHOLE COVER

THAT IT WAS PROJECTED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE

WITH SUCH TREMENDOUS VELOCITY THAT IT NOW

IS CURRENTLY IN EARTH ORBIT.

Narrator: THE MANHOLE COVER ACCELERATED

TO AN INCREDIBLE 125,000 MILES PER HOUR,

MAKING IT THE FASTEST MAN-MADE OBJECT EVER RECORDED.

IT REPORTEDLY BEAT SPUTNIK BY MORE THAN 2 MONTHS,

BECOMING THE FIRST MAN-MADE OBJECT

TO GO IN TO EARTH'S ORBIT.

WISE WONDERS IF A SIMILAR TEST COULD HAVE CAUSED

THE STRANGE EXPLOSIONS WITNESSED IN THE SKIES ABOVE TULSA.

OKLAHOMA IS OUT THERE ON THE ARID GREAT PLAINS,

WHICH IS A PLACE WHERE THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

COULD WELL HAVE SOME EXPERIMENTAL FACILITIES

PERHAPS OPERATING COMPLETELY UNDER THE RADAR.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: BUT WISE FINDS NO SPIKES

IN LEVELS OF RADIOACTIVITY IN THE AREA

AND CONSIDERS IF ANOTHER EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERIC EVENT

COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS STRANGE PHENOMENON.

IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPLOSIVE RELEASES

OF ENERGY IN THE SKY,

MAYBE WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING LIKE A FAILED ROCKET LAUNCH.

ROCKETS, YOU KNOW, NOT INFREQUENTLY EXPLODE.

THE PROBLEM IS IT TAKES AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY

TO GET SOMETHING INTO ORBIT.

WE GET THAT ENERGY BY BASICALLY CONTROLLED EXPLOSIONS.

THAT'S WHAT'S PROPELLING A ROCKET FORWARD.

THE CONSTANT DANGER, IN THAT CASE,

IS THAT YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE EXPLOSION,

AND THEN IT GOES A LITTLE TOO FAST

AND BLOWS EVERYTHING INTO PIECES.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, LOCALS PANIC

AS A GLOWING GREEN RIVER RACES THROUGH CANADA.

WHATEVER WAS IN THE RIVER, OUR CONCERN WAS, WAS IT TOXIC?

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

Narrator: CHAINS WEIGHING 40 POUNDS

APPEAR TO SWING BY THEMSELVES IN A HAUNTED MINE.

Kourounis: CHAINS ARE INANIMATE OBJECTS.

THEY DO NOT MOVE ON THEIR OWN.

Narrator: AND, IS SOMEONE LAUNCHING ILLEGAL ROCKETS

IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT?

THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT CUB SCOUTS.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REALLY BIG ROCKETS.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: MASSIVE TERRIFYING EXPLOSIONS

APPEAR OVER THE SKIES OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

EXPERTS INVESTIGATE IF A CATASTROPHIC

ROCKET LAUNCH FAILURE COULD BE RESPONSIBLE.

SCIENTIST GREG SZULGIT RESEARCHES

STORIES OF EXPLODING ROCKETS.

THERE ARE 90 KNOWN LAUNCHES

IN JUST 2017 ALONE OF ROCKETS AROUND THE WORLD.

SIX OF THOSE FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY.

THAT'S ONE IN 15.

IN 2015, THERE WAS A SPACEX ROCKET THAT MADE IT OFF THE PAD

AND BLEW UP MID-FLIGHT.

Narrator: IS IT POSSIBLE THAT A ROCKET WAS LAUNCHED IN SUBURBAN OKLAHOMA?

IN THIS PART OF OKLAHOMA,

THERE ARE NO COMMERCIAL SPACE LAUNCH FACILITIES.

Szulgit: THERE ARE LOTS OF AMATEUR ROCKETEERS AROUND,

AND THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT CUB SCOUTS.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REALLY BIG ROCKETS.

COULD SOMEBODY HAVE LAUNCHED ONE

WITHOUT TELLING ANYBODY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator: ON JANUARY 12th, 2018,

A COMPANY CALLED SWARM TECHNOLOGIES

LAUNCHED FOUR SATELLITES INTO ORBIT

WITHOUT GOVERNMENT PERMISSION.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME U.S.-BASED ROGUE SATELLITES

HAD EVER BEEN LAUNCHED.

THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION DESCRIBED THEM

AS A RISK.

THIS COULD BE SOMEONE TRYING TO LAUNCH A NEW TYPE OF ROCKET

THAT NO ONE ELSE REALLY KNOWS ABOUT.

YOU GOT TO HOPE IT ISN'T DANGEROUS.

Narrator: THE FCC ADMITTED THAT IT'S NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE

TO STOP ILLEGAL LAUNCHES

OR TO POLICE WHAT POTENTIALLY NEFARIOUS GROUPS

ARE TRYING TO SEND INTO ORBIT.

SZULGIT WANTS TO SEE IF A FAILED

ILLEGAL ROCKET LAUNCH COULD PRODUCE A MIDAIR EXPLOSION

THAT RESEMBLES THE FOOTAGE.

Szulgit: WE'RE GOING TO DO AN EXPERIMENT HERE TODAY,

THE EXPLODING ROCKET, AND COMPARING THEM,

SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL IF THE VIDEO

IS ACTUALLY AN EXPLODING ROCKET.

SO STANDING BACK AT A SAFE DISTANCE,

WE'RE GOING TO ELECTRICALLY IGNITE THE PROPELLANT,

AND IT'S GOING TO SHOOT SOME FIRE OUT THE BOTTOM

WHICH CATCHES THE FUSE THAT GOES UP THE SIDE OF THE ROCKET.

THAT FUSE IS GOING TO BE TIMED PERFECTLY TO HIT THE FLARE,

WHICH IS GOING TO EXPLODE OUT THE SIDES.

Narrator: THE FLARES WILL SIMULATE BURNING DEBRIS

FROM A ROCKET EXPLOSION FALLING BACK TO EARTH.

Szulgit: AND SEE IF THE PATTERN THAT THEY MAKE

IS GOING TO BE THE SAME AS WE SEE IN THE VIDEO.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S DO THIS.

♪♪

ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE READY TO GO, THIS ELECTRICAL LAUNCH.

YEP. SO PUT THE KEY IN. TURN IT TWICE.

[ BEEPING ]

ARMED...

OKAY!

...THE BIG RED BUTTON.

THREE, TWO, ONE, DO IT.

YEAH!

[ BURSTS ]

WOW!

Narrator: THE ROCKET LAUNCHES, IGNITING THE FUSE

AND EXPLODES AT 200 FEET.

SZULGIT ANALYZES THE DEBRIS PATTERN TO COMPARE IT

WITH THE BLAST IN THE FOOTAGE.

FLARES BURSTING OFF TO THE SIDES IN PARABOLIC ARCHES.

IF SOMETHING WERE TO EXPLODE,

IT WOULD LEAVE FLAMING PIECES FLYING OFF TO THE SIDE,

AND IT WOULD BE ESPECIALLY VISIBLE IN THE NIGHT SKY,

THESE HOT GLOWING BITS.

DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING LIKE WHAT WE SEE IN THE VIDEO.

WE DON'T SEE ANY OF THAT.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT SIMPLY DISAPPEARS.

I THINK THAT THE VIDEO DEFINITELY IS NOT A ROCKET.

[ TRILLING ]

Narrator: FORENSIC IMAGE ANALYST CONOR McCOURT

EXAMINES THE CLIP.

WHEN WE SLOW IT DOWN IMAGE BY IMAGE, WE CAN SEE TWO STAGES.

THERE'S A FLASH OF LIGHT FOLLOWED BY A SMALL EXPLOSION.

Narrator: McCOURT'S BACKGROUND AS AN NYPD SERGEANT LEADS HIM TO BELIEVE

THAT THIS COULD BE THE SIGNATURE

OF SOME KIND OF BALLISTIC WEAPON.

IT WOULD BE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO A SHOTGUN SPRAY.

Narrator: BUT McCOURT EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE

AND REALIZES THE SCALE IS MUCH BIGGER THAN A SHOTGUN.

McCourt: WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THIS IS A HUGE EVENT.

IT'S SOMETHING LIKE A MILITARY GUN, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE.

Narrator: MILITARY ANALYST CARLO MUÑOZ KNOWS OF ONE GIANT MILITARY GUN

THAT COULD FIT THE PROFILE.

THE U.S. NAVY HAS BEEN POURING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

INTO RESEARCHING AN ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL GUN

FOR THEIR WARSHIPS.

IF THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL, IT WOULD REVOLUTIONIZE NAVAL WARFARE

AS WE KNOW IT.

Narrator: THE RAIL GUN, LONG THOUGHT OF AS SCIENCE FICTION,

HAS NOW BECOME A TERRIFYING SCIENCE FACT.

THIS IS BASICALLY A WEAPON THAT SHOOTS A PROJECTILE

BUT NOT POWERED BY GUNPOWDER OR SOMETHING SORT OF EXPLOSION.

IT'S POWERED BY MAGNETIC ENERGY.

[ RUMBLING, WHOOSHING ]

Narrator: THE PROTOTYPE RAIL GUN SHOOTS

23-POUND ROUNDS FROM ITS BARREL

AT A HYPERSONIC SPEED OF MACH 7,

AROUND FOUR TIMES FASTER THAN THE CONCORDE.

WITH AN EFFECTIVE RANGE OF 100 MILES,

THE KINETIC ENERGY IS SO GREAT THAT THESE ROUNDS CAN SLICE

THROUGH 6-INCH-THICK STEEL ARMOR PLATING LIKE IT WAS PAPER.

WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE VIDEO HAS A LOT OF SIMILARITIES

TO WHAT AN ELECTROMAGNETIC RAIL GUN SHOT WOULD LOOK LIKE.

WHAT WE COULD BE SEEING HERE IS THE ELECTROMAGNETIC CASING

SURROUNDING THE BULLET FALLING OFF TO THE SIDE

AS THE PROJECTILE ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE.

Narrator: EACH RAIL GUN ROUND COSTS JUST $25,000,

A FRACTION OF THE COST OF A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR MISSILE.

THEY'RE ALSO SMALLER, FASTER, AND IMPOSSIBLE TO INTERCEPT.

Muñoz: WHOEVER PERFECTS THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL ESSENTIALLY

BE ABLE TO OWN THE SEAS ACROSS THE GLOBE.

Narrator: BUT WISE NOTES A PROBLEM WITH THE RAIL GUN THEORY.

THE THING ABOUT A RAIL GUN IS THAT THEY'RE NAVY WEAPONS.

THEY'RE USED ON THE OCEAN. TULSA IS NOWHERE NEAR THE OCEAN.

SO EITHER THE NAVY HAS DECIDED TO RELOCATE IN SECRET

ONE OF ITS TEST FACILITIES TO OKLAHOMA,

OR THERE'S SOME OTHER EXPLANATION.

[ TRILLING ]

Narrator: METEOROLOGIST ANGELA FRITZ INVESTIGATES IF THE FOOTAGE

COULD BE SHOWING SOME KIND OF EXPLOSIVE ACT OF NATURE.

Fritz: IT APPEARS INSTANTLY, AND IT DISAPPEARS INSTANTLY.

IT MAKES ME THINK THAT IT MIGHT SOMEHOW BE RELATED

TO LIGHTNING, ACTUALLY.

Narrator: THERE ARE 100 LIGHTNING STRIKES

ON EARTH EVERY SINGLE SECOND,

EACH DELIVERING UP TO 1 BILLION VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY.

THE AVERAGE AMERICAN HAS A ONE IN 5,000 CHANCE

OF BEING STRUCK DURING THEIR LIFETIME.

BUT THE CAPTURED IMAGES DON'T SHOW LIGHTNING

AS IT NORMALLY BEHAVES.

WE THINK OF LIGHTNING EITHER KIND OF SPREADING ACROSS THE SKY

OR COMING DOWN TO THE GROUND.

NORMALLY, LIGHTNING DOESN'T GO UP.

[ EXPLOSION ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

IS A VOLCANO SPEWING A DEADLY CHEMICAL

TOWARDS A SMALL CANADIAN TOWN?

THIS IS A COLOR THAT VOLCANIC LAKES COULD HAVE

WHEN IT'S FILLED WITH SULFURIC ACID.

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

Narrator: IS A SINISTER FORCE SWINGING CHAINS

IN AN ABANDONED MINE SHAFT?

Price: I DON'T BELIEVE IN GHOSTS,

BUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO EXPLAIN IT.

Narrator: AND A MYSTERIOUS FLASH FROM NOWHERE STRIKES IN OKLAHOMA.

YOU NEED, OBVIOUSLY,

THE THUNDERSTORM TO GET THE LIGHTNING,

SO HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: NIGHT BLASTS OVER OKLAHOMA

POINT TOWARDS A MYSTERIOUS

AND EXPLOSIVE WEATHER PHENOMENON.

METEOROLOGIST ANGELA FRITZ RESEARCHES A TYPE OF LIGHTNING

THAT SHOOTS INTO THE HEAVENS INSTEAD OF TOWARDS THE GROUND.

WE HAVE HAD REPORTS FROM AIRLINE PILOTS

TALKING ABOUT STRANGE LIGHTNING THAT JUMPS UP FROM THE CLOUDS,

SO THAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT WE SHOULD INVESTIGATE.

Narrator: ELECTRICAL ENGINEER STEVEN CUMMER BELIEVES

THAT THIS COULD BE AN EXTREMELY RARE EVENT CALLED GIGANTIC JETS.

GIGANTIC JETS ARE ACTUALLY LIGHTNING CHANNELS

THAT SHOOT UPWARD OUT OF THE CLOUD,

AND THEY SIMPLY CONTINUE MOVING UP AND UP TO THE EDGE OF SPACE.

THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING ABOVE THUNDERSTORMS

FOR MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF YEARS,

AND YET WE'VE REALLY ONLY KNOWN ABOUT IT FOR 15 YEARS,

AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE AVAILABILITY

OF GOOD LOW-LIGHT CAMERA TECHNOLOGY.

Narrator: MOST SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THE FOOTAGE SHOWS GIGANTIC JETS,

BUT NOT ALL WEATHER EXPERTS AGREE.

THE STRANGE THING HERE IS THAT IN TULSA,

THE WEATHER REPORTS ARE SAYING CLEAR, YOU KNOW?

THERE'S NO THUNDERSTORM, NOT A DROP OF RAIN.

AND YOU NEED, OBVIOUSLY,

THE THUNDERSTORM TO GET THE LIGHTNING,

SO HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?

Narrator: SCIENTISTS AREN'T SURE WHAT CAUSED

THE MYSTERY FLASHES OVER OKLAHOMA,

BUT SINCE THAT NIGHT, LOCALS ARE WATCHING THE SKIES.

WHATEVER THIS IS, IT'S BIG. IT'S EXPLOSIVE,

AND CHANCES ARE WHATEVER IT'S DOING IS NOT GOOD.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: NOW, A WILDERNESS RIVER TURNS A DISTURBING GREEN.

SOMETHING WEIRD IS GOING ON IN THIS RIVER.

Shapiro: GREEN IS A COLOR I ASSOCIATE WITH NATURE,

BUT THIS LOOKS FAR MORE SINISTER.

Narrator: LOCALS WORRY THAT A CHEMICAL DISASTER IS UNFOLDING.

WHATEVER WAS IN THE RIVER, OUR CONCERN WAS, WAS IT TOXIC?

Narrator: BUT COULD A LETHAL AGENT BE THE CAUSE?

THE TOXINS CAN CAUSE YOUR LIVER TO SHUT DOWN.

[ WHIRRING, TRILLING ]

Narrator: DECEMBER 29th, 2010 --

GOLDSTREAM PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

LOCATED ON VANCOUVER ISLAND,

THIS AREA OF UNSPOILED WILDERNESS

OFFERS AN ESCAPE FROM CITY LIFE.

THIS NATURAL PARADISE AND THE TOWN OF LANGFORD

BELOW IT ARE FED BY THE GOLDSTREAM RIVER.

LOCAL FIRE CHIEF BOB BECKETT KNOWS THESE WATERS WELL.

Beckett: THE RIVER, AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW, IS CRYSTAL CLEAR.

IT'S ALWAYS CRYSTAL CLEAR, SO ANYTHING THAT WOULD

DISCOLOR IT WOULD BE OF A REAL CONCERN TO US.

Narrator: THEN, ON A CHILLY DECEMBER AFTERNOON,

LOCAL RESIDENT LIDA SIMONSBERGEN IS CONFRONTED

BY A NOXIOUS NIGHTMARE.

IT WAS AN ORDINARY DAY, BUT IT WAS AFTER LUNCH

AND SUDDENLY THERE'S GREEN -- IT WAS FLUORESCENT GREEN.

I MEAN, IT WASN'T A NATURAL COLOR AT ALL.

WHERE COULD IT BE COMING FROM? WHEN IS IT GOING TO STOP?

IT WAS SCARY.

♪♪

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: BIOCHEMIST STACY RAMKISOON ANALYZES THE COLOR

AND MATCHES IT TO A TERRIFYING LIQUID

PRODUCED BY SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

THIS IS A COLOR THAT VOLCANIC LAKES CAN ACTUALLY HAVE

WHEN IT'S FILLED WITH SULFURIC ACID.

Narrator: THE INVITING GREEN WATERS OF THE CRATER LAKE

ON THE KAWAH IJEN VOLCANO ON THE ISLAND OF JAVA, INDONESIA,

HIDE A DEADLY SECRET.

THIS IS THE MOST ACIDIC LARGE LAKE ON EARTH,

REGISTERING A PH OF LESS THAN 0.3.

THAT'S SO ACIDIC THAT IT CAN MELT A COKE CAN.

Narrator: THE ACIDITY OF THE LAKE IS CAUSED BY SULFUR

COMING UP FROM THE VOLCANO.

SULFUR DIOXIDE FROM VOLCANIC ACTIVITY

COMES UP AND MIXES WITH WATER, AND THEN YOU GET SULFURIC ACID.

Narrator: THESE LAKES ARE LETHAL TO HUMANS.

A BROTHER AND SISTER DUO WERE HIKING IN YELLOWSTONE PARK,

AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A HOT SPRING TO SOAK IN.

Narrator: THE BROTHER, COLIN SCOTT,

GOES TO INVESTIGATE A PROMISING-LOOKING POOL

WHILE HIS SISTER, SABLE, LOOKS ON.

HE SLIPS, FULLY CLOTHED, BENEATH ITS SURFACE

AND ONLY THEN DISCOVERS

THAT IT IS A BOILING LAKE OF SULFURIC ACID.

HE IS KILLED ALMOST INSTANTLY,

BUT THAT ISN'T THE END OF THE HORROR.

IT WAS SO ACIDIC THAT HE MELTED.

Narrator: CONCENTRATED SULFURIC ACID

CAN UTTERLY DISSOLVE FLESH AND BONE IN A MATTER OF HOURS.

Ramkisoon: THEY WENT BACK TO RETRIEVE HIS BODY THE NEXT DAY.

ONLY A FEW PIECES OF CLOTHING WERE LEFT.

Narrator: RAMKISOON KNOWS THAT THIS PART OF CANADA

LIES ON THE PACIFIC'S RING OF FIRE.

Ramkisoon: THERE ARE OVER 100 VOLCANOES IN CANADA,

AND BRITISH COLUMBIA IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

Narrator: GEOLOGIST BILL MENKE INVESTIGATES

EYEWITNESS REPORTS FROM THE EVENT

FOR ANY TELLTALE SIGNS OF A VOLCANIC LINK

TO THE WEIRD GREEN LIQUID.

Menke: WITH SULFURIC ACID IN LAKES AND RIVERS,

THERE WILL BE THIS TERRIBLE STENCH OF SULFUR,

AND NONE WAS REPORTED.

I WOULD BE LOOKING FOR ANOTHER PHENOMENA TO EXPLAIN IT.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP, A DARK PRESENCE

HAUNTS AN ABANDONED MINE.

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

Price: THERE HAD TO BE SOMETHING IN THAT MINE

TO MAKE THAT CHAIN SWING.

Narrator: WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS GOAT?

I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

REALLY UGLY.

[ SNORTS ]

Narrator: AND EXPERTS INVESTIGATE IF A TOXIC SPILL

HAS MADE THIS RIVER DEADLY.

Shapiro: EXPOSURE CAN CAUSE ANYTHING FROM ACUTE POISONING

TO LONG-TERM LIVER DAMAGE AND EVEN DEATH.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING, RUMBLING ]

Narrator: A RIVER ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA, TURNS A BRIGHT GREEN.

LOCAL FIRE CHIEF BOB BECKETT INVESTIGATES THE INCIDENT.

HE SUSPECTS A POSSIBLE SOURCE FOR THE CONTAMINATION.

THE TRANS-CANADA HIGHWAY RUNS ALMOST PARALLEL

TO THIS PORTION OF THE RIVER.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S NUMEROUS TRUCKS GOING UP AND DOWN,

CARRYING DANGEROUS GOODS.

[ SIREN WAILS ]

Narrator: THE HIGHWAY IS A NOTORIOUS SPOT FOR ACCIDENTS.

EXPERTS LOOK FOR CLUES ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF CHEMICAL

COULD SPILL FROM A TANKER

AND TURN THE RIVER LUMINOUS GREEN.

♪♪

Shapiro: I'VE SEEN A CHEMICAL SPILL THIS COLOR BEFORE,

AND IT WAS CHROMIUM,

AND SO A LOT OF CONCENTRATION OF THAT METAL

CAN BRING OUT THAT VIVID GREEN COLOR.

IN 2016, RESIDENTS OF A CITY IN RUSSIA FOUND GREEN SNOW.

IT WAS CHROMIUM AND A VERY SIMILAR COLOR

TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THIS FOOTAGE.

Narrator: AND SIMILAR HORRIFIC INCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED CLOSER TO HOME.

IN A SMALL TOWN IN AMERICA CALLED HINKLEY,

ERIN BROCKOVICH BROUGHT A COMPANY TO COURT

FOR LEAKING CHROMIUM-6 INTO THE WATER SUPPLY OF LOCAL RESIDENTS.

Narrator: OVER 600 RESIDENTS OF HINKLEY, CALIFORNIA,

HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO MORE THAN 370 MILLION GALLONS

OF THIS DANGEROUS CHEMICAL.

Shapiro: CHROMIUM IS VERY TOXIC.

EXPOSURE OVER TIME CAN CAUSE ANYTHING FROM ACUTE POISONING

TO LONG-TERM LIVER DAMAGE, KIDNEY DAMAGE, AND EVEN DEATH.

Narrator: BROCKOVICH BROUGHT A LAWSUIT

AGAINST THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE.

THIS CASE WAS SETTLED OUT OF COURT FOR $333 MILLION.

THAT'S THE LARGEST DIRECT-ACTION SETTLEMENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

Narrator: A CHROMIUM SPILL COULD WRECK THE LIVES OF THOSE LIVING

BY THE GOLDSTREAM RIVER AND THE TOWN OF LANGFORD.

THE EFFECTS COULD BE DEVASTATING.

Narrator: BUT BECKETT'S FURTHER INVESTIGATION

REVEALS NO OBVIOUS SOURCE FOR THE CHROMIUM.

THERE WERE NO INCIDENTS AT ALL

INVOLVING ANY KIND OF SPILLED PRODUCT.

SO WE CONCLUDED IT DID NOT COME FROM A MOTOR-VEHICLE INCIDENT.

IT HAD TO COME FROM SOME OTHER ACTION OR SOURCE.

♪♪

Narrator: THE CAUSE OF THE STRANGE GREEN COLOR IS STILL NOT UNDERSTOOD.

RESIDENTS WORRY THAT SOMETHING WORSE COULD COME IN THE FUTURE.

IT WOULD BE DEVASTATING TO THE REGION,

DEVASTATING TO THE COMMUNITY.

Simonsbergen: YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, YOU KNOW?

WE HAD NO IDEA.

THINKING ABOUT IT ALMOST BRINGS TEARS TO YOUR EYES.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: NOW, A CAVER ENTERS AN ABANDONED MINE.

Man: VERY DARK, FOREBODING TUNNEL, THAT'S FOR SURE.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS PLACE SCREAMS "DO NOT ENTER."

Narrator: AN INVISIBLE FORCE STARTS VIOLENTLY SWINGING A CHAIN.

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

Man: I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT ONE CHAIN IS SWINGING BACK THERE.

Kourounis: CHAINS ARE INANIMATE OBJECTS.

THEY DO NOT MOVE ON THEIR OWN,

BUT SOMETHING IS CAUSING IT TO MOVE.

AND THEN COME THE VOICES.

[ INDISTINCT ECHOING ]

Man: [ PANTING ] I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE.

[ WHIRRING, TRILLING ]

♪♪

Narrator: NEVADA --

GOLD WAS FIRST FOUND HERE IN 1870,

AND TODAY THE STATE PRODUCES NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS

OF ALL THE GOLD EXCAVATED IN THE UNITED STATES.

ITS LANDSCAPE IS LITTERED WITH ABANDONED MINES.

♪♪

SUMMER 2013 -- A CAVER DECIDES TO WANDER

INTO THE ABANDONED HORTON GOLD MINE,

FILMING HIS ADVENTURE AS HE EXPLORES.

HE IS THE ONLY PERSON INSIDE THE OLD MINE,

WHICH HASN'T BEEN OPEN SINCE 1969.

HE IMMEDIATELY FEELS THERE IS SOMETHING OFF

ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SHAFT.

Man: YEAH, THIS MINE DEFINITELY HAS A VERY SPOOKY VIBE TO IT.

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

[ MAN PANTING ]

I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT ONE CHAIN IS SWINGING.

MAYBE THIS MINE ISN'T AS ABANDONED AS HE THINKS.

Price: THERE HAD TO BE SOMETHING IN THAT MINE

TO MAKE THAT CHAIN SWING.

I DON'T BELIEVE IN GHOSTS, BUT IF THIS ISN'T A HOAX,

I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO EXPLAIN IT.

[ MAN PANTING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: GEOGRAPHER GEORGE KOUROUNIS STUDIES

MINING'S HISTORY OF GRISLY DISASTERS.

Kourounis: MINES ARE ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS WORKPLACES ON EARTH.

PEOPLE DIE IN MINES ALL THE TIME.

THERE'S, OF COURSE, THE FAMOUS STORY OF THE 33 CHILEAN MINERS

THAT WERE TRAPPED DEEP UNDERGROUND

BECAUSE OF A COLLAPSE.

LUCKILY, THEY WERE ALL RESCUED

THROUGH SOME INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY AND HEROIC EFFORTS.

[ CHEERING ]

Man: AFTER A RECORD 69 DAYS UNDERGROUND,

THE MEN WERE HOISTED TO SAFETY IN AN OPERATION

THAT LASTED LESS THAN 24 HOURS.

Narrator: TRAGICALLY, MOST MINING ACCIDENTS

DO NOT HAVE SUCH HAPPY ENDINGS.

IN 2006, A METHANE EXPLOSION

TORE THROUGH THE PASTA DE CONCHOS MINE IN MEXICO.

65 MINERS SUFFOCATED SLOWLY

IN THE DARK, DEEP UNDERGROUND.

ONLY TWO BODIES HAVE EVER BEEN RECOVERED.

Kourounis: CAVE-INS, OLD MACHINERY, LOW OXYGEN ENVIRONMENTS,

DEADLY GASSES --

THERE ARE A MILLION WAYS TO DIE INSIDE AN OLD MINE.

♪♪

Narrator: COMING UP, A SATANIC BEAST OR A MAN-MADE HORROR?

SORT OF LOOKS LIKE DR. DOLITTLE TURNED INTO DR. FRANKENSTEIN.

Narrator: AND THE GOLD MINE GETS EVEN SPOOKIER.

[ INDISTINCT ECHOING ]

GOSH, THAT ALMOST SOUNDED LIKE VOICES.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A CAVER ENTERS AN ABANDONED NEVADA GOLD MINE.

HE ENCOUNTERS A MYSTERIOUS FORCE THAT MOVES A RUSTY CHAIN.

INCREDIBLY, THE SWINGING CHAIN

IS ONLY THE START OF THE WEIRD PHENOMENON IN THE FOOTAGE.

FOLKLORIST HEIDI HOLLIS WATCHES AS THE CAVER MOVES DEEPER

INTO THE TUNNEL.

[ INDISTINCT ECHOING ]

Man: WHAT'S THAT SOUND?

[ ECHOING CONTINUES ]

GOSH, THAT ALMOST SOUNDED LIKE A CB COMMUNICATION.

IT SOUNDED LIKE VOICES, BUT THERE'S NOBODY THERE.

THAT IS WHAT IS MIND-BLOWING.

Narrator: ANALYZING THE AUDIO,

HOLLIS TRIES TO DECIPHER WHAT IS BEING SAID.

[ INDISTINCT ECHOING ]

Man: WHAT --

WHAT'S THAT?

[ ECHOING CONTINUES ]

HOLLIS WONDERS IF THESE VOICES

COULD BE SOME KIND OF MEMORY OF A MINING TRAGEDY.

WAS IT A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT THAT CAUSED THEM TO BE STUCK THERE?

IS THERE A SEARCH FOR HELP?

WAS SOMETHING COVERED UP?

Narrator: SCIENCE JOURNALIST JEFF WISE

INVESTIGATES THE MYSTERIOUS AUDIO.

ANALYSIS INDICATES THE SOUNDS WERE RECORDED IN THE MINE

AND NOT DUBBED OVER LATER,

WHICH MAKES A HOAX SEEM UNLIKELY.

BUT WISE BELIEVES THERE MUST BE A RATIONAL EXPLANATION

FOR THE EERIE VOICES IN THE RECORDING.

PERHAPS THIS GUY WAS PICKING UP SIGNALS FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE,

SOMEHOW, BECAUSE OF THE METAL CONTENT OF THIS MINE,

OR SOMETHING THAT SCRAMBLES ELECTROMAGNETIC SIGNALS.

[ INDISTINCT ECHOING ]

Narrator: HE THINKS THIS COULD ALSO EXPLAIN

THE MINE SHAFT'S SWINGING CHAIN.

COULD THERE BE SOME KIND OF MAGNETIC ANOMALY OR SOMETHING?

Narrator: MAGNETIC FIELDS CAN PLAY HAVOC WITH ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

AND ALSO ATTRACT ANYTHING MADE OF FERROUS METAL.

Kourounis: THESE RUSTY CHAINS ARE CLEARLY MADE FROM IRON STEEL,

AND A MAGNET IN THE ROCK COULD ABSOLUTELY ATTRACT THESE CHAINS.

Narrator: KOUROUNIS INVESTIGATES WHICH ROCKS COULD HAVE

SUCH POWERFUL MAGNETIC PROPERTIES.

MAGNETITE IS A TYPE OF ROCK THAT CAN,

UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, BECOME MAGNETIC.

Narrator: TO UNLOCK MAGNETITE'S MAGNETIC POTENTIAL,

YOU HAVE TO EXPOSE IT

TO ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FORCES IN NATURE.

WHEN A LIGHTNING BOLT HITS THE GROUND,

IT BURNS FIVE TIMES HOTTER THAN THE SURFACE OF THE SUN

BUT IT ALSO GENERATES AN ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD.

THAT FIELD CAN CHARGE THE MAGNETITE,

TURNING IT INTO A LODESTONE.

SUDDENLY YOU HAVE A NATURALLY-OCCURRING MAGNET.

Narrator: BUT PHYSICIST PETER ERBACH DOESN'T BELIEVE

THAT LODESTONES CAN EXPLAIN THE PHENOMENON IN THE FOOTAGE.

Erbach: TO MAKE THAT CHAIN MOVE THAT WAY,

YOU EITHER NEED A TIME-VARYING MAGNETIC FIELD

OR A MAGNETIC PULSE,

AND A LODESTONE IS A CONSTANT MAGNET.

IT JUST WOULDN'T DO THAT, SO IT COULDN'T HAPPEN.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: BIOLOGIST DANNI WASHINGTON IS SENT THE FOOTAGE.

SHE AMPLIFIES THE AUDIO AND IS STRUCK BY A NOISE

IN THE BACKGROUND.

Washington: SO WHAT IS THAT NOISE, THE SCREECHING?

ARE THEY BATS?

Narrator: BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE HAS EXPERT KNOWLEDGE

OF THE BAT SPECIES ENCOUNTERED IN NORTH AMERICA.

WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE 23 SPECIES OF BAT IN NEVADA,

AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THEY LOVE MAKING OLD MINES THEIR HOME.

Washington: THE IDEA OF WALKING AROUND A DARK, ABANDONED MINE

WITH BATS SWOOPING IN AROUND YOU IS NOT AN IDEAL SITUATION.

BATS DO CARRY RABIES, WHICH DESPITE MODERN MEDICINE,

CAN STILL KILL PEOPLE.

Washington: IF THERE ARE BATS IN THAT ABANDONED MINE,

COULD IT BE A POSSIBILITY THAT A BAT STRIKING THE CHAIN

WOULD CAUSE IT TO SWING LIKE THAT?

Narrator: PRICE ANALYZES THE WEIGHT OF THE CHAIN IN THE FOOTAGE

TO WORK OUT HOW MUCH FORCE WOULD BE NEEDED TO MAKE IT SWING.

NOW, A LARGE BAT IS PROBABLY ABOUT 3 POUNDS,

AND WE KNOW THE CHAINS ARE 40 POUNDS.

SO EVEN NEVADA'S LARGEST BAT FLYING AT FULL TILT

INTO THAT CHAIN

MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE MUCH OF A DENT IN IT AT ALL,

AND YET THAT CHAIN IS CLEARLY SWINGING ON QUITE A LARGE ARC.

Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE UNABLE TO EXPLAIN THE STRANGE EVENTS

IN THE HORTON MINE.

UNTIL A NEW EXPEDITION RETURNS TO THIS SEEMINGLY HAUNTED SHAFT,

ITS MYSTERIES WILL REMAIN UNSOLVED.

SINCE WE NEVER SAW WHAT IT WAS THAT MOVED THE CHAIN,

WE MAY NEVER FIND OUT.

♪♪

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: NOW, A HIDEOUS BEAST CAPTURED ON CAMERA.

WHY DOES IT HAVE THAT GROWTH ON ITS HEAD?

Narrator: THIS IS NO ORDINARY FARMYARD ANIMAL.

I KNOW WHAT IT SHOULD BE,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY WRONG.

Narrator: COULD THIS BE EVIDENCE OF GENETIC EXPERIMENTATION?

SORT OF LOOKS LIKE DR. DOLITTLE TURNED INTO DR. FRANKENSTEIN.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: EGYPT, HOME OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S

MOST INCREDIBLE ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS,

WHERE A DYNASTY OF POWERFUL PHARAOHS RAISED

ASTONISHING STATUES, TEMPLES, AND TOMBS

AND WORSHIPPED GODS WITH THE BODIES OF MEN

AND THE HEADS OF BEASTS.

♪♪

[ GROWLS ]

MARCH 22nd, 2018 --

A MAN FILMS A STRANGE CREATURE

THAT SEEMS TO COME STRAIGHT FROM THESE ANCIENT LEGENDS.

Lovell: THIS IS A REALLY CREEPY IMAGE.

IT LOOKS LIKE A GOAT,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH ITS HEAD.

I DON'T KNOW, I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.

IT'S HARD TO EVEN TELL WHAT PARTS OF ITS HEAD ARE WHAT.

TRADITIONALLY, GOATS HAVE BEEN REPRESENTED

AS SATANIC IN CHRISTIANITY,

AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS GOAT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHY.

Narrator: THE IMAGE OF THE BAPHOMET, THE SATANIC GOAT,

ORIGINATES FROM DARK STORIES TOLD ABOUT THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

AND THEIR GOAT GODS.

McMahon: THE PEOPLE OF MENDES IN ANCIENT EGYPT WORSHIPPED GOATS.

CHRISTIANS WHO FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS

THROUGH THE GREEK HISTORIAN HERODOTUS

WERE SO APPALLED THAT THE GOAT BECAME ALMOST A SYMBOL OF EVIL.

Narrator: COMING UP, WHAT DARK FORCES CREATED THIS CREATURE?

[ BLEATING ]

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS

SOME SORT OF GENETIC EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG.

[ BRAYING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: A CAMERA CAPTURES FOOTAGE OF A STRANGE BEAST

IN AN EGYPTIAN ANIMAL ENCLOSURE.

[ BLEATING ]

SCIENCE JOURNALIST JEFF WISE

BELIEVES THE GOAT'S ABOMINABLE APPEARANCE

MIGHT BE EVIDENCE OF ITS EXPOSURE

TO SOMETHING HIGHLY TOXIC.

Wise: IT LOOKS LIKE A MUTANT. ITS DNA SOMEHOW IS MESSED UP.

NORMALLY, ANIMALS THAT SUFFER THIS KIND OF DAMAGE WILL DIE.

BUT THOSE THAT DO SURVIVE, WELL, IT'S A SIGHT TO BEHOLD.

Narrator: CATALYSTS FOR MUTATIONS CAN BE FOUND

IN OUR EVERYDAY ENVIRONMENT.

THERE'S LOTS OF TOXINS THAT ARE WHAT'S CALLED MUTAGENIC.

THEY ATTACK THE DNA AND CAUSE A MUTATION,

AND THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT CAUSES THINGS LIKE CANCER.

Washington: WHEN A PREGNANT MOTHER IS EXPOSED TO THESE,

THE RESULTS CAN BE REALLY UNFORTUNATE.

THE FETUS CAN HAVE CERTAIN DEFORMITIES

AND THEN THE BABY IS BORN WITH ALL KINDS OF WEIRD THINGS

HAPPENING TO ITS BODY.

EXPOSURE TO NUCLEAR WASTE

IS PROBABLY THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO.

Narrator: IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE CHERNOBYL

NUCLEAR DISASTER IN 1986,

A LARGE NUMBER OF MUTATIONS WERE REPORTED IN UKRAINE AND BELARUS.

BELARUS WAS DOWNWIND OF THE DISASTER WHEN IT HAPPENED

AND GOT 70 PERCENT OF THE NUCLEAR FALLOUT.

[ CRACKLING ]

Narrator: THE STRONTIUM-90

RELEASED IN THE CHERNOBYL BLAST

HAD A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON UNBORN FETUSES.

EIGHT-LEGGED LAMBS WERE BORN,

AND COWS WITH MASSIVE JAW DEFECTS.

Lovell: IF WE COMPARE THIS GOAT TO OTHER ANIMALS THAT ARE DEFORMED

BY NUCLEAR WASTE, THEN THIS COULD FIT THE BILL.

Narrator: EGYPT HAS RECENTLY RESTARTED ITS LONG-DORMANT

NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM WITH SUPPORT FROM RUSSIA.

EGYPT DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME SAFETY STANDARDS

ARE WE DO IN THE WEST, SO THESE DEFORMITIES COULD BE

AS A RESULT OF A LOCAL RADIATION LEAK.

Narrator: BIOLOGIST DANNI WASHINGTON REEXAMINES THE FOOTAGE

AND NOTICES SOMETHING ODD ABOUT THE OTHER GOATS.

THERE ARE A WHOLE SET OF GOATS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS,

AND IT'S NOT JUST ONE GOAT.

THIS WASN'T A ONE-OFF CASE OF SOME RANDOM DEFORMITY

OR EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS.

THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS PASSED ON GENETICALLY.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: NEUROSCIENTIST JADE LOVELL INVESTIGATES WHETHER SOMEONE

COULD HAVE DELIBERATELY MEDDLED WITH THIS GOAT'S DNA.

WITH GENETIC MODIFICATION TECHNOLOGY

AND PARTICULARLY WITH CRISPR,

IT'S POSSIBLE TO CREATE ANIMALS THAT DON'T EXIST IN NATURE.

Ramkisoon: CRISPR-CAS9 IS ESSENTIALLY GENE EDITING,

AND IT ALLOW US TO CREATE

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS VERY QUICKLY.

SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS SOME SORT OF

GENETIC EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG.

Narrator: RECENT ADVANCES IN GENE SPLICING

HAVE ALLOWED SOME TRULY BIZARRE ANIMALS TO BE CREATED.

THERE ARE ANIMALS THAT GLOW IN THE DARK.

THEY REALLY EXIST.

Narrator: THESE EERILY GLOWING ANIMALS

HAVE HAD JELLYFISH GENES SPLICED INTO THEIR DNA.

USING GENETIC MODIFICATION,

IT HAS ALLOWED US TO CREATE MICRO PIGS

AND SPIDER SILK AND GOAT'S MILK.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE BELIEVES

THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE VIDEO,

DESPITE ITS GRUESOME APPEARANCE,

MIGHT NEVERTHELESS BE JUST A GOAT.

THIS ISN'T ACTUALLY A CASE OF CROSSBREEDING.

IT'S A CASE OF INBREEDING WHERE TWO ANIMALS WITH VERY DISTINCT,

SIMILAR FEATURES ARE BRED TOGETHER

TO MAGNIFY THAT FEATURE.

Narrator: FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

HUMANS HAVE BRED ANIMALS TO ENHANCE SPECIFIC TRAITS.

WE HAVE MINIATURE DOGS. WE HAVE HAIRLESS CATS.

CLEARLY, HUMANS LIKE TO PLAY

WITH THE GENETICS OF OTHER CREATURES.

Narrator: BUT SUCH INTENSIVE INBREEDING CARRIES

RISKS FOR THE SPECIES BEING MODIFIED.

INBREEDING CAN ACTUALLY BE DANGEROUS

BECAUSE YOU CAN MAGNIFY OTHER DETRIMENTAL FEATURES.

FOR EXAMPLE, BULLDOGS OFTEN HAVE TROUBLE BREATHING.

SO I DON'T KNOW IF THIS GOAT HAS ANY TROUBLE

DUE TO ITS INTERESTING FACIAL FEATURES, BUT I HOPE NOT.

Narrator: WASHINGTON INVESTIGATES AND STUMBLES

UPON A SURPRISING ANSWER.

WE'RE LOOKING AT A DAMASCUS GOAT,

AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS IS A SELECTIVE-BREEDING PROGRAM

WHERE THE OWNERS HAVE CHOSEN TO MAKE THEIR GOATS LOOK LIKE THIS.

THIS PARTICULAR GOAT IS REALLY A PRIZED POSSESSION

FOR THEIR OWNERS.

ONE HAS BEEN SOLD FOR UP TO $67,000.

Narrator: IN 2018, A GOAT LOOKING LIKE THIS

WAS NAMED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GOAT IN THE WORLD

AT A GOAT BEAUTY CONTEST IN SAUDI ARABIA.

Wise: WE MAY LOOK AT SOMETHING

AND FEEL LIKE THIS IS A HORRIBLE MONSTER,

AND SOMEONE COULD LOOK AT THE SAME ANIMAL AND THINK,

"OH, WOW, LOOK HOW BEAUTIFUL THAT GOAT IS."

I GUESS BEAUTY REALLY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.

ONLY A MOTHER CAN LOVE THAT GOAT.

[ SNORTS, BLEATING ]