Original subtitles

[ CAMERA WHIRS ]

Narrator: WORLDWIDE, 6 BILLION CAMERAS ARE WATCHING US --

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

THEY CAPTURE THINGS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.

IT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

Man: THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE, MAN.

Narrator: EXPERTS CARRY OUT ANALYSIS

OF THESE UNUSUAL EVENTS.

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M LOOKING AT.

THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON HERE?

[ CAMERA WHIRS ]

Narrator: COMING UP,

IS THIS AN ALIEN PROBE EXPLORING OUR OCEANS?

HOW DANGEROUS IS IT?

STAY AWAY.

Narrator: CAMERAS CAPTURE A BEAST

WITH THE STRENGTH OF AN APE AND THE INTELLIGENCE OF A HUMAN.

IT'S LOOKING RIGHT AT US.

HE JUST TURNS TO ME AND GOES, "GO! GO! GO!

WE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

Narrator: AND IS EXPLODING CEMENT...

RUN, MAN.

...BEHIND THIS NEAR-MISS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY?

[ TIRES SCREECH ]

Narrator: BIZARRE PHENOMENON.

WHOA.

Narrator: MYSTERIES CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

NOW, THAT'S AN EXPLOSION.

Narrator: WHAT IS THE TRUTH BEHIND THIS STRANGE EVIDENCE?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

IN THE DEEP OCEAN, A REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE

HAS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THIS.

COULD THIS BE AN ALIEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE?

THERE'S SOMETHING ALMOST DEMONIC ABOUT THE SHAPE.

Narrator: SUDDENLY, THE OBJECT BEGINS TO TRANSFORM AND FLASH.

IS IT A DROID OR SOMETHING ALIVE?

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S IN ATTACK MODE.

Narrator: THE INDIAN OCEAN,

DOTTED WITH REMOTE TROPICAL ISLANDS.

IT SPANS OVER 27 MILLION SQUARE MILES,

SIX TIMES BIGGER THAN THE UNITED STATES.

MARCH 20, 2013 --

3,000 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE,

A REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE, OR R.O.V., SCANS THE SEA FLOOR.

THE R.O.V. IS ABOUT TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE

ON DATA RECORDING EQUIPMENT

WHEN AN ELABORATELY SHAPED OBJECT COMES INTO VIEW.

Price: IT'S GOT SYMMETRY.

THE TOP HALF AND THE BOTTOM HALF SEEM TO MATCH ALMOST PERFECTLY.

THIS LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE SOME KIND OF ROBOT

OBSERVING THE DEEP.

Narrator: THE SHAPE IS COMPLEX, BEAUTIFUL, AND STRANGE.

EXPERTS CAN'T TELL IF IT'S A CREATURE OR MACHINE,

BUT AS THE R.O.V. APPROACHES TO EXAMINE IT CLOSER,

THE REACTION OF THE OBJECT IS INSTANT AND INCREDIBLE.

Lovell: WHAT ARE THOSE SHINY LIGHTS?

HOW DID IT TRANSFORM?

THIS IS UNLIKE ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN.

♪♪

THE WAY IT SUDDENLY MORPHS IS TOTALLY SHOCKING.

IT COMPLETELY CHANGES SHAPE FROM, LIKE, A 2-D SYMBOL,

AND THEN IT BECOMES THIS 3-D CREATURE

AND SEEMS TO BE ALIVE OR POWERED IN SOME WAY.

Narrator: WHAT LOOKED AT FIRST LIKE A FLAT 2-D PATTERN

IS NOW A STRANGE STRUCTURE OR CREATURE

WITH WHAT LOOKS LIKE A GLEAMING METAL FRAME AND FLASHING LIGHTS.

Moran: IT'S ALMOST AS IF IT'S DEPLOYING

SOME KIND OF WEAPON SYSTEM.

MAYBE IT PERCEIVED THE R.O.V. AND WENT INTO ATTACK MODE.

Narrator: WHATEVER THIS THING IS,

IT'S UNLIKE ANYTHING BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE HAS SEEN BEFORE.

Price: IT'S CLEARLY NOT A SQUID, NOT AN OCTOPUS,

NOT A FISH.

Narrator: IT APPEARS MECHANICAL, BUT NOTHING MAN-MADE

LOOKS ANYTHING LIKE THIS, AND WHY IS IT HERE?

COULD THIS POTENTIALLY BE AN ALIEN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE?

Moran: IS IT SENT IN PEACE

OR CONDUCTING RECONNAISSANCE WITH A DARKER PURPOSE?

Narrator: SHIPS' CAPTAINS AND SUBMARINE COMMANDERS

FREQUENTLY REPORT STRANGE OBJECTS IN THE WATER,

JUST AS PILOTS REPORT UFOs IN THE SKY.

IN 2004, THE U.S. MILITARY RECORDED AN OBJECT

AS LARGE AS A FOOTBALL FIELD IN THE WATERS OFF CALIFORNIA.

IT LOOKED LIKE A BARELY SUBMERGED ISLAND

THAT DESCENDED BACK INTO THE DEPTHS

AS NAVY PERSONNEL WATCHED.

MAYBE ALIENS HAVE SENT THIS PROBE INTO OUR OCEANS.

IT'S A WATER PLANET.

MAYBE THEY'RE STARTING THERE WITH EXPLORATION.

Narrator: BUT FORMER CIA ANALYST LINDSAY MORAN

STUDIES THE FOOTAGE AND SEES THE FINGERPRINTS

OF ONE OF PLANET EARTH'S MAJOR MILITARY POWERS AT WORK.

Moran: MAYBE WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE

IS SOME KIND OF CUTTING-EDGE UNDERWATER DRONE TECHNOLOGY.

COULD IT BE AN UNDERWATER WEAPONS SYSTEM?

THERE'S DEFINITELY AN ARMS RACE TO TRY AND COME UP WITH

AN UNDETECTABLE UNDERWATER VEHICLE.

Narrator: SEARCHING FOR CLUES,

MILITARY CORRESPONDENT CARLO MUÑOZ

DISCOVERS THE CHINESE MILITARY

HAS LAUNCHED A FLEET OF UNDERWATER DRONES.

THESE HIGH-TECH ROBOTS, KNOWN AS THE HAIYI, OR "SEA WINGS"

BOAST CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY

DESIGNED TO LEAVE THE U.S. NAVY DEAD IN THE WATER.

THE CHINESE HAIYI IS PROBABLY THE MOST ADVANCED

UNDERWATER DRONE THAT WE KNOW ABOUT.

IT'S VIRTUALLY UNDETECTABLE.

THESE COULD ACTUALLY BE USED TO TRACK

UNITED STATES NUCLEAR SUBMARINES

AND LEAVE THEM VULNERABLE TO ATTACK.

IF SOMEONE COULD TRACK AND DISABLE

OUR BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBS,

THIS COULD REALLY ALTER THE BALANCE OF POWER

AND POSE A REAL THREAT.

THE US NAVY HAS A FLEET OF 14 BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES

THAT PROVIDE A PROTECTIVE NUCLEAR SHIELD.

♪♪

BIOLOGIST GREG SZULGIT EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE

AND DOUBTS IT SHOWS A MACHINE.

AS SOON AS I SAW IT TURN SIDEWAYS,

THOSE BRILLIANT, SHIMMERING LINES COME UP.

I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THIS MUST BE BIOLUMINESCENT.

Narrator: TO ATTRACT PREY IN THE DARK,

MANY DEEP SEA CREATURES ARE BIOLUMINESCENT.

THEY'RE ABLE TO PRODUCE THEIR OWN LIGHT

THROUGH AN INTERNAL CHEMICAL REACTION.

OVER 80 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S OCEANS ARE UNMAPPED,

UNOBSERVED AND UNEXPLORED.

PRICE TAKES ANOTHER LOOK AT THE VIDEO AND CONSIDERS

IF THIS IS A BIOLOGICAL CREATURE UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE.

THE OCEAN IS INCREDIBLY VAST, SO THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS CREATURES

THAT LIVE DEEP DOWN BELOW

THAT WE HAVEN'T EVEN ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.

IS THIS ONE OF THEM?

THE CREATURE IS SWIMMING IN THE BATHYAL OR MIDNIGHT ZONE,

A REGION OF ALMOST PITCH DARKNESS UP

TO 13,000 FEET BELOW THE WAVES.

WE KNOW MORE ABOUT THE MOON THAN WE KNOW

ABOUT LIFE IN THE BATHYAL ZONE.

NEW SPECIES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED HERE.

THE WEIRD-LOOKING YETI CRAB WAS ONLY FOUND IN 2005,

AND STRANGEST OF ALL, IN 2018,

AN R.O.V. RECORDED THESE IMAGES OF WHAT APPEAR TO BE FOOTPRINTS

ON THE SEABED 2 1/2 MILES BENEATH THE WAVES.

IN TOTAL, RESEARCHERS COUNTED 3,500 PRINTS,

WHICH AVERAGE A MASSIVE 8 FEET IN LENGTH.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT MADE THEM.

IT'S NOT UNREASONABLE THAT THIS COULD BE

SOME SORT OF NEW SPECIES

THAT'S JUST NEVER BEEN DESCRIBED BEFORE.

IF THIS METALLIC ALIEN-LOOKING OBJECT IS A SEA CREATURE,

THEN IT'S NOTHING SCIENTISTS HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT OTHER MAGICAL CREATURES

ARE DOWN THERE THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT.

I REALLY WANT TO GO EXPLORE.

Narrator: NOW ON A BUSY HIGHWAY IN THAILAND,

A BRIGHT WHITE FLASH,

AND OUT OF NOWHERE, A HUGE DISK SLAMS INTO THE ROAD.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS CONJURED OUT OF THIN AIR.

Narrator: IS IT A BATTLE BETWEEN SOLDIERS AND MONKS

WITH SOME VERY PECULIAR POWERS?

THE TEMPLE HAS BEEN UNDER SIEGE BY ALMOST 3,000 TROOPS.

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE DEFINITION OF DEATH FROM THE SKY.

APRIL 18, 2018, BANGKOK, THAILAND.

A NORMAL RUSH HOUR AFTERNOON IS SUDDENLY INTERRUPTED BY THIS.

[ BRAKES SCREECH ]

THIS PIECE LOOKS INCREDIBLY HEAVY.

DID IT JUST FALL FROM THE SKY?

I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM, BUT MOREOVER,

WHAT PROPELLED IT ALL THE WAY OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD?

Narrator: 24,000 PEOPLE DIE ON THAI ROADS EACH YEAR,

BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY ACCIDENT.

HE'S LUCKY HE DIDN'T GET KILLED.

Narrator: AND EVEN MORE BIZARRELY,

IT OCCURS NEXT TO A MONASTERY

WHERE THE MONKS, ACCORDING TO LOCALS,

HAVE SUPERNATURAL POWERS.

Sanford: MAYBE THE FLASH IS THE WORK OF THESE MONKS

MAKING THE DISK MATERIALIZE INTO THE REAL WORLD.

Narrator: COMING UP, AN APE MAN IN A FLORIDA SWAMP

TERRIFIES CAMPERS...

Narrator: ...A HUGE OBJECT FALLS FROM THE SKY AND VANISHES...

IT LITERALLY DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR.

Narrator: ...AND EXPERTS WONDER IF A SECT OF MONKS

ARE MANIPULATING QUANTUM PHYSICS.

THE QUANTUM WORLD IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.

♪♪

[ BRAKES SCREECH ]

♪♪

Narrator: IN THAILAND, A HUGE OBJECT APPEARS OUT OF NOWHERE

AND CRASHES ONTO A HIGHWAY.

THAT FLASH AT THE BEGINNING,

IT MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT IS HAPPENING.

WHAT DOES THE FLASH HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Narrator: WHAT MAKES IT EVEN STRANGER

IS THAT IT HAPPENS NEAR TO ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL

AND MYSTERIOUS TEMPLES IN THE WORLD.

IT HAS A WEIRD EXTERIOR LIKE A SPACESHIP.

Beaty: THIS TEMPLE IS ACTUALLY

EIGHT TIMES LARGER THAN VATICAN CITY,

WITH A HUGE CENTRAL DOME, LIKE A FLYING SAUCER.

Narrator: INSIDE, THERE ARE REPORTS OF MIRACLES APPEARING.

THE MONKS ARE ALSO REVERED FOR STANDING UP

TO THE COUNTRY'S MILITARY DICTATORSHIP.

BUDDHISM TALKS ABOUT DIFFERENT SPIRITUAL PLANES,

AND THERE'S RUMORED TO BE A CRACK SQUAD OF MEDITATORS

IN THE TEMPLE.

BUT CAN THE WHITE FLASH AND FLYING DISK THAT APPEARS FROM IT

BE LINKED TO SOME OF THE LEGENDARY SUPERHUMAN POWERS

OF MONKS?

MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT KIND OF STRANGE ACTIVITIES

COULD BE GOING ON INSIDE.

Narrator: INCREDIBLY, SOME BUDDHIST MONKS CLAIM TO BE ABLE

TO MANIPULATE THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

IN ORDER TO PERFORM SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE SUPERHUMAN FEATS.

24-YEAR-OLD ZHAO RUI CLAIMS INTENSE MEDITATION

ALLOWS HIM TO REACH A SPIRITUAL PLANE WHERE HE CAN DEFY PHYSICS.

A FEW ELITE MONKS EVEN SAY THEY HAVE MASTERED

THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE AT A QUANTUM LEVEL,

ENABLING THEM TO PERFECT

THE MYSTERIOUS ART OF LEVITATION.

QUANTUM MECHANICS IS THE CRAZIEST THEORY

KNOWN TO SCIENCE.

IT'S BASED ON FANTASTIC PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS

THAT THE WORLD IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.

Beaty: COULD PSYCHIC CONCENTRATION

BY THAT NUMBER OF RELIGIOUS PRACTITIONERS

CONJURE SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO FALL OUT OF THE SKY?

MATERIAL SCIENTIST KISHORE HARI STUDIES THE FOOTAGE

AND SEES AN EXPLANATION FOR THE WHITE FLASH

BASED ON CONVENTIONAL PHYSICS.

WHEN I SAW THE FLASH, I NOTICED THE ELECTRICAL LINES

RUNNING DOWN THE HIGHWAY.

MORE THAN LIKELY, THE METAL CAUGHT AN EDGE

OF ONE OF THOSE POWER LINES AND CREATED AN ARC,

AND THAT ARC IS THAT BRILLIANT WHITE FLASH THAT WE SEE.

AVIATION EXPERT MARNA KAGELE

ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY THE FALLING OBJECT.

THE SPEED AT WHICH IT'S DROPPING DOES MAKE IT SEEM LIKE IT

HAS FALLEN FROM A VERY HIGH HEIGHT.

ONE THING WE MIGHT THINK ABOUT IS,

DID IT COME FROM AN AIRCRAFT OF SOME KIND?

KAGELE STUDIES AVIATION RECORDS.

SHE DISCOVERS THAT SO MANY ITEMS FALL FROM PLANES,

THERE'S AN ACRONYM FOR IT --

T.F.O.A., OR THINGS FALLING OFF AIRCRAFT.

AND THAILAND HAS ONE

OF THE WORST AVIATION SAFETY RECORDS IN THE WORLD.

IN THE LAST 12 YEARS,

THERE HAVE BEEN 10 SERIOUS INCIDENTS IN THAI AIRSPACE,

THE WORST RESULTING IN 90 DEATHS

WHEN A 12GO AIRLINES FLIGHT FROM BANGKOK CRASH-LANDED

AND BURST INTO FLAMES AT PHUKET AIRPORT.

LOOKING CLOSELY AT

THE MYSTERIOUS SAUCER-SHAPED OBJECT,

KAGELE WONDERS IF IT MIGHT HAVE FALLEN OFF A MILITARY AIRCRAFT.

ONE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT THAT HAS SOMETHING OF A SIMILAR SHAPE

ARE AIRCRAFT WITH A RADAR DOME.

THOSE AIRCRAFT ARE USED

FOR SURVEILLANCE TYPES OF ACTIVITIES.

Narrator: BUT WHEN SCIENCE JOURNALIST STEVE POTVIN

ANALYZES HOW THE OBJECT BREAKS UP AS IT LANDS,

HE SEES A PROBLEM WITH THE THEORY.

THOSE RADAR DOMES THAT YOU SEE ON SPY PLANES,

THEY'RE MADE FROM FIBERGLASS, AND IF THIS WAS FIBERGLASS,

IT WOULD HAVE SHATTERED AS SOON AS IT HIT THE FLOOR.

THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT WHAT WE ARE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: HARI REEXAMINES THE VIDEO.

BASED ON HOW THE DISK CRUMPLES AS IT HITS THE GROUND,

HE CONCLUDES IT'S MADE OF METAL.

LOOKING AT MAPS OF THE AREA, HE FINDS THERE ARE

BIG INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES NEAR THE HIGHWAY.

MANY HAVE STORAGE SILOS, THE METAL TOPS OF WHICH BEAR

A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO THE STRANGE OBJECT.

WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING THAT LEADS TO AN EXPLOSION?

IS CEMENT THE CAUSE?

IN CUTTING-EDGE EXPERIMENTS TO MAKE CEMENT STRONGER,

SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE STARTED USING A RISKY NEW INGREDIENT --

CALCIUM CARBIDE.

CALCIUM CARBIDE IS PRETTY SAFE AS LONG AS IT'S A DRY POWDER,

BUT AS SOON AS IT'S EXPOSED TO WATER,

IT UNDERGOES A CHEMICAL REACTION THAT GENERATES ACETYLENE GAS.

Narrator: ACETYLENE GAS IS USED TO WELD AND CUT METAL.

COMBINED WITH OXYGEN, IT BURNS AT OVER 6,000 DEGREES.

IT'S EXTREMELY UNSTABLE.

IT'S EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE.

THE SLIGHTEST SPARK AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A HUGE EXPLOSION.

Narrator: THE CEMENT FACTORY HAS MULTIPLE STORAGE SILOS,

THE METAL TOPS OF WHICH BEAR A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

TO THE STRANGE OBJECT.

MATT KUTCHER IS A PYROTECHNICS EXPERT

WHO HAS WORKED ON OVER 20 HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS,

INCLUDING "PATRIOTS DAY" AND "LOGAN."

HE SETS UP AN EXPERIMENT...

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THE CALCIUM CARBIDE NOW

AND PUT IT WITHIN -- INTO THE WATER.

...TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN ACETYLENE EXPLOSION

REALLY COULD BLOW THE TOP OFF A SILO.

WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF MAKING ACETYLENE.

WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. IT'S A VOLATILE GAS.

YOU CAN SEE THE WATER GASSING OFF.

IT'S BUILDING ACETYLENE QUITE RAPIDLY.

Narrator: PLACING THE BARREL

OVER THE TOP OF THE CALCIUM CARBIDE

CAUSES ACETYLENE TO BUILD UP INSIDE.

WE GIVE IT A BIT OF IGNITION.

WE SHOULD ALL STEP AWAY.

RUN, MAN.

I THINK THAT BARREL IS GOING TO FLY.

THREE, TWO, ONE. HIT IT!

Narrator: WHEN IGNITED, EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT

OF CALCIUM CARBIDE PRODUCES ENOUGH ACETYLENE GAS

TO SEND THE BARREL 40 FEET INTO THE AIR.

IT'S TAKEN A GNARLY HIT.

I THINK CALCIUM CARBIDE OR ACETYLENE,

THE BYPRODUCT, COULD CERTAINLY BE BEHIND THIS EXPLOSION.

Narrator: MATT'S EXPERIMENT PROVES AN ACETYLENE EXPLOSION

DOES HAVE ENOUGH FORCE TO BLOW A STORAGE SILO DOME

FLYING INTO THE SKY.

BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.

SCIENCE AUTHOR LINDA ZIMMERMAN DISCOVERS THIS CHEMICAL

IS NOT BEING WIDELY USED IN THAILAND.

CALCIUM CARBIDE IS STILL VERY MUCH IN THE EXPERIMENTAL STAGE.

IT IS NOT AVAILABLE TO GENERAL INDUSTRY

AND CONSTRUCTION AT THIS POINT.

WHAT THE MASSIVE SAUCER-SHAPED OBJECT IS

AND WHY IT FELL OUT OF THE AIR REMAINS UNEXPLAINED.

LOOK UP, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S FALLING OUT OF THE SKY.

[ BRAKES SCREECH ]

Narrator: NOW, DEEP IN THE FORESTS OF FLORIDA...

IT'S A MONSTER FROM YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE.

...A NIGHT VISION CAMERA CAPTURES THE SKUNK APE.

IT COULD JUST PINCH YOUR HEAD RIGHT OFF.

Narrator: TERRIFIED CAMPERS RUN FOR THEIR LIVES.

IS THE FOOTAGE PROOF OF AN ABOMINATION?

THESE CREATURE ARE REAL, AND YOU DON'T EVER WANT TO PISS ONE OFF.

Narrator: FLORIDA, THE SUNSHINE STATE.

BEHIND THE BEACHES,

80% OF THE LAND IS WILDERNESS, FOREST, OR WETLAND.

MAY 8, 2012 --

DEEP IN TORREYA STATE PARK, STACY BROWN JR.

IS CAMPING WITH HIS FATHER, A FORMER ARMY RANGER.

SO WE'RE JUST COOKING OUT, HAD SOME RIBS ON THE GRILL,

AND AS WE'RE STANDING THERE, WE START HEARING KNOCKS,

AND I WAS LIKE, "THAT AIN'T THE WIND, YOU KNOW?"

AND I SAID, "WE'LL FIND OUT WHAT THIS IS."

Narrator: THE MEN HEAD INTO THE WOODS

USING A NIGHT VISION CAMERA

TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE DARKNESS.

ALL RIGHT.

WE'RE HEARING THE KNOCKS AND A GROWL RIGHT OVER HERE.

Narrator: THE STRANGE NOISES SEEM TO FOLLOW THEM.

WE'RE HEARING NOISES TO OUR LEFT.

WE'RE HEARING NOISES TO OUR RIGHT.

WE DON'T HEAR THE KNOCKING ANYMORE,

BUT WHAT WE DO HEAR IS SOMETHING WALK.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

[ Whispers ] DO YOU HEAR THAT?

Narrator: FATHER AND SON PAUSE.

STACY SR. POINTS HIS NIGHT VISION CAMERA INTO THE DARKNESS.

I STOPPED, AND WE PANNED AROUND.

WHAT HE SEES NEXT IS A VISION OF HORROR.

OUT WALKED THIS BIG THING, AND I JUST FROZE.

THE HANDS ARE JUST ENORMOUS.

IF THEY GRABBED SOMEBODY BY THE THROAT,

IT COULD JUST PINCH YOUR HEAD RIGHT OFF.

COME ON. WE GOT IT.

I REALLY JUST LOST IT.

I WAS SCARED.

Brown Jr.: SEEING MY DAD, AN ARMY RANGER,

FLIP OUT LIKE THAT, IT MADE MY STOMACH DROP.

WE ARE OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

AND THERE'S NOBODY COMING TO SAVE US.

I'VE BEEN IN SOME SITUATIONS THAT WERE SCARY,

BUT I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS FRIGHTENED BEFORE IN MY LIFE.

THIS IS THE MONSTER STORIES YOU HEAR ABOUT

WHEN YOU'RE A KID,

AND THEN YOU GROW UP, AND YOU FIND OUT THEY'RE TRUE.

Narrator: COMING UP, A MYSTERIOUS SHADOW CLIMBS

BENEATH A BRIDGE IN UKRAINE...

IT'S SOMETHING BIG, SOMETHING BIG AND VERY STRONG.

...AND EXPERTS CONSIDER

IF THE BROWNS HAVE CAPTURED ON CAMERA...

...A HUMAN-APE HYBRID.

THEY COULD HAVE THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH OF THE CHIMPS

AND THE APES, BUT YET THE INTELLIGENCE OF A HUMAN.

♪♪

Narrator: CAMPING DEEP IN A FLORIDA FOREST,

A FATHER AND SON CAPTURE NIGHT VISION VIDEO

OF A TERRIFYING APE MAN.

SUDDENLY, IT STEPS OUT AND TAKES THIS REALLY LARGE STEP.

IT HAS BROAD SHOULDERS, VERY LONG ARMS,

AND IT'S GOT A STRANGE, "UNHUMAN" GAIT.

THIS IS NOT AN ELK. THIS IS NOT A MOOSE.

THIS IS NOT A DEER.

WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT SOME KNOWN, ORDINARY ANIMAL.

Narrator: BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE'S FIRST REACTION

IS THAT IT'S A HOAX.

I WOULD PUT ODDS ON THIS BEING A MAN

ABOUT 6 FOOT TALL IN A FURRY SUIT.

Narrator: THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS APE MAN HOAXES

ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.

IMAGE ANALYST BEN RADFORD TAKES A CLOSER LOOK

AT THE INFRARED NIGHT VISION TO DETERMINE

IF THIS CREATURE IS FAKE AND SPOTS AN INTRIGUING DETAIL.

WHATEVER THIS THING IS, TO SEE A HEAT SIGNATURE LIKE THIS,

IT WOULD MOST LIKELY BE NAKED.

THE DARKER PARTS WOULD BE WHERE THE EXPOSED SKIN IS.

THIS COULD BE SOME UNKNOWN CREATURE.

Narrator: IF THIS IS A HOAX, IT'S A CLEVER ONE.

STACY JR. AND HIS FATHER RETRACE THE CREATURE'S STEPS

TO DETERMINE ITS SIZE.

IT TOOK ONE AND A HALF,

AND THEN MINE TAKES, WHAT, AT LEAST 3?

TO WORK OUT THE LENGTH OF THE CREATURE'S STRIDE,

THEY MEASURE THE DISTANCE CROSSED IN THE FOOTAGE.

GOING TO BE ABOUT, WHAT?

ABOUT 10 FEET, GIVE OR TAKE A FEW INCHES.

THAT'S GOING TO GIVE HIM A STRIDE

OF A LITTLE OVER 6 FEET, MAYBE?

Narrator: EVEN THE WORLD'S TALLEST HUMAN,

8-FOOT-2 SULTAN KOSEN FROM TURKEY

ONLY HAS A STRIDE OF AROUND 3 1/2 FEET,

WHICH IS TINY WHEN COMPARED TO THE STRIDE

OF THE BEAST IN THE FOOTAGE.

♪♪

INVESTIGATIVE JOURNAL CHRISTOPHER O'BRIEN

DIGS INTO PUBLISHED SIGHTINGS OF GIANT APES IN THE UNITED STATES.

HE LEARNS THAT REPORTS OF BIGFOOT ENCOUNTERS

ARE MAINLY CLUSTERED IN THE REMOTE FORESTS

OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,

BUT HIS RESEARCH ALSO REVEALS EVIDENCE

OF ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS HUMANOID CREATURE,

ONE THAT IS NATIVE TO FLORIDA --

THE SKUNK APE.

A SKUNK APE IS NOT AS STOCKY AS THEIR LARGER COUSINS,

THE BIGFOOT OR SASQUATCH,

AND THEY LIVE PREDOMINATELY DOWN IN THE DEEP SOUTH

IN THE SWAMPLANDS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA.

IF THESE CREATURES ARE REAL,

AND YOU DON'T EVER WANT TO PISS ONE OFF.

BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE HAS A TERRIFYING THEORY

FOR THE APE MAN'S ORIGINS.

THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS TO CROSSBREED HUMANS

AND CHIMPANZEES

BY INSEMINATING A FEMALE CHIMPANZEE WITH HUMAN SPERM.

THE MONSTER MIGHT NOT BE ONE SPECIES AT ALL

BUT A NIGHTMARE HYBRID OF TWO.

♪♪

PRICE CONSIDERS IF AMERICAN RESEARCHERS

HAVE BEEN CONTINUING THE WORK OF RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS

WHO CONDUCTED BIZARRE GENETIC EXPERIMENTS IN THE 20th CENTURY.

THE RUMORS WERE THEY WERE TOYING WITH GOD'S CREATIONS.

THEY WERE BREEDING HUMANS AND APES TOGETHER.

THEY WERE TRYING TO MAKE A HUMAN-ZEE.

Narrator: IN THE NIGHTMARE THAT WAS STALIN'S RUSSIA,

BIOLOGIST ILYA IVANOV IS REPORTED TO HAVE ATTEMPTED

TO CROSSBREED A CHIMP AND A HUMAN.

COULD THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAVE ATTEMPTED SOMETHING SIMILAR

AND CONDUCTED SECRET EXPERIMENTS IN FLORIDA?

MAYBE ONE OF THOSE EXPERIMENTS WAS SUCCESSFUL.

THESE HYBRID CREATURES COULD HAVE ENHANCED INSTINCTS.

THEY COULD HAVE THE AGGRESSIVE STRENGTH OF THE CHIMPS

AND THE APES,

BUT YET THE INTELLIGENCE OF A HUMAN.

BUT MONTEITH DOUBTS IT'S A HUMAN-ZEE

WE SEE IN THE FOOTAGE.

WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

HAS THIS SECRET PRIMATE LAB

DOING ALL SORTS OF EXPERIMENTATIONS

BETWEEN HUMANS AND APES.

[ GROWLS ]

Narrator: COMING UP, IS AN ANCIENT MAP OF THE ZODIAC

CONNECTED TO A WEIRD OBJECT PLUMMETING TO EARTH?

THINGS JUST DON'T FALL OUT OF THE SKY.

HAS SOMEBODY ANGERED THE GODS?

Narrator: AND EXPERTS INVESTIGATE IF THE SKUNK APE

COULD BE AN EARLY HUMAN LONG CONSIDERED EXTINCT.

COULD IT BE A LIVING FOSSIL?

♪♪

Narrator: BIOLOGIST KELLY PRICE IS INVESTIGATING

A SIGHTING OF AN APE MAN

IN THE FORESTS OF NORTHERN FLORIDA.

FOOTPRINTS FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE

SHOW THE CREATURE COULD HAVE WEBBED FEET.

IN THE 1960S, A BIOLOGIST BY THE NAME OF SIR ALISTER HARDY

POSED A THEORY THAT HUMANS HAD ACTUALLY EVOLVED IN THE WATER

AND WE ORIGINALLY WERE AQUATIC APES WITH WEBBED FEET.

COULD THE SKUNK APE BE ONE OF THESE AQUATIC APES?

Narrator: WHEN OUR ANCESTORS MIGRATED OUT OF AFRICA,

THEY WEREN'T ALONE.

HUMANS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

BUT WE WEREN'T THE ONLY HOMO SPECIES.

UNTIL JUST 40,000 YEARS AGO,

HUMANS SHARED THE PLANET WITH OTHER HOMININ SPECIES

SUCH AS NEANDERTHALS AND HOMO FLORESIENSIS.

STACY JR. WONDERS IF THE CREATURE IN THE FOOTAGE

IS ANOTHER CLOSE RELATIVE OF HUMANS THAT HAS SURVIVED

IN THE VAST FLORIDA WILDERNESS TO THE PRESENT DAY.

WE COULD POSSIBLY BE LOOKING AT A RELIC HOMINID

THAT JUST DIDN'T GO EXTINCT.

THEY WOULD BE EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT,

SO AVOIDING PEOPLE FOR YEARS AND YEARS WOULDN'T BE SOMETHING

THAT WOULD BE OUT OF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY.

Narrator: BUT ENGINEER LISA LAZARECK-ASUNTA

FINDS IT INCREDIBLE THAT AN AGGRESSIVE RELIC APE MAN

COULD SURVIVE UNDETECTED IN MODERN AMERICA.

IF THERE WAS ANOTHER HOMINID SPECIES,

THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE SOMEWHAT SEPARATED FROM EVERYBODY ELSE,

AND RUNNING AROUND IN THE WOODS DOESN'T REALLY FEEL LIKE

THAT'S ENOUGH OF A SEPARATION TO HAVE SUCH A DIVERSE SET

OF TWO HOMINID SPECIES IN ONE PLACE.

FOR NOW, EXPERTS ARE UNABLE TO EXPLAIN EXACTLY

WHAT IT WAS THE FATHER AND SON CAPTURES ON THEIR CAMERA,

BUT STACY BROWN JR. AND HIS DAD

WILL NEVER GO BACK AT NIGHT TO TORREYA STATE PARK.

SERIOUSLY, I MEAN, I WOULD NOT COME BACK OUT HERE

IN THESE WOODS AT NIGHT.

Narrator: NOW, IN A PLACE SAID TO CONNECT

THE EARTH AND THE STARS,

SOMETHING PLUNGES TO THE GROUND.

IT JUST APPEARS TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE.

STORMS DON'T JUST RAIN DOWN SOLID OBJECTS.

TO SOME, THIS IS BEYOND SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING.

TO ME, THAT'S PROOF THAT THINGS PASS BETWEEN THE DIMENSIONS.

♪♪

APRIL 21, 2018 -- ONE OF THE MOST ANCIENT HOLY SITES

IN ENGLAND, KNOWN AS GLASTONBURY TOR.

NEARBY, STUDENT MEGAN TAYLOR IS STUDYING FOR AN EXAM

WHEN AN EPIC STORM BREAKS.

SPECTACULAR ANVIL LIGHTNING FORKS ACROSS THE SKY.

THE HEAVENS ARE PUTTING ON A VIOLENT DISPLAY.

IT WAS QUITE A EERIE ATMOSPHERE FROM THE SKY.

THE FLASHES FROM THE LIGHTNING WERE BIG AND FREQUENT.

MEGAN RECORDS THE STORM ON HER PHONE.

WHEN SHE WATCHES THE FOOTAGE BACK,

MEGAN NOTICES A HUGE OBJECT FALLING FROM ABOVE.

IT WAS QUITE BIG, AND IT WAS DARK AND FALLING VERY FAST,

AND IT MADE ME FEEL QUITE NERVOUS.

WHAT COULD IT BE?

EXPERTS ARE BAFFLED BY THE EERIE FOOTAGE.

IT'S PRETTY FREAKY.

THINGS JUST TYPICALLY DO NOT FALL OUT OF THE SKY.

ARE WE SEEING SOME KIND OF JUST ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA

THAT'S HAPPENING, OR IS THERE SOMETHING MORE THAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: THE TOR IS A STRANGELY SHAPED HILL,

FORMED IN THE EARLY JURASSIC PERIOD,

ON WHICH THERE ARE PAGAN AND EARLY CHRISTIAN RUINS.

THE HILL IS REGARDED AS BOTH A HOLY AND A MAGICAL SITE.

THIS IS AN AREA STEEPED IN WEIRD ASTROLOGICAL OCCURRENCES.

Narrator: THE HILL IS REGARDED AS ONE POSSIBLE LOCATION

OF THE HOLY GRAIL.

IT IS CONNECTED TO THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR,

AND IT IS ARGUED THAT A GIANT ZODIAC

IS CONCEALED IN THE LANDSCAPE AROUND IT.

WE'RE HERE RIGHT IN THE VERY HEAD OF THE PHOENIX

OR THE EAGLE THAT REPRESENTS AQUARIUS IN THE ZODIAC.

TWELVE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC ARE MAPPED OUT ON THIS LAND.

IT'S IN A 10-MILE-WIDE RADIUS,

AND THIS AREA IS CALLED THE TEMPLE OF THE STARS.

Narrator: THOSE WHO BELIEVE IT

SAY THAT THIS GIANT ZODIAC TEMPLE

WAS CREATED OVER 4,500 YEARS AGO

USING NATURAL FEATURES IN THE LANDSCAPE,

LIKE HILLS, RIVERS, HEDGEROWS, AND DITCHES

TO FORM A CHART OF THE CONSTELLATIONS.

THEN YOU HAVE THE FISH, ONE OF THE FISH, PISCES, THERE.

BEYOND IT, THAT'S ARIES, THE RAM.

Narrator: THIS SITE HAS SUCH A POWERFUL REPUTATION

THAT EARLY CHRISTIANS SAID THAT EVEN JESUS CHRIST

VISITED AS A YOUNG MAN.

LOCAL HISTORIAN JEREMY WHITE

BELIEVES THAT IN THIS DEEPLY MYSTICAL SITE,

SOMETHING SPIRITUAL MAY HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

AS I SAW THIS IMAGE IN THE SKY, IT MADE ME THINK OF SOMETHING

COMING FROM ONE OF THE OLDER, OTHER DIMENSIONS

THAT SURROUND US,

AND WE MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT ON CAMERA

SOMEBODY CROSSING THROUGH THE VEIL.

Narrator: COMING UP,

SOMETHING WEIRD IS CROSSING A RIVER UPSIDE DOWN.

IT'S CLIMBING UNDER THAT BRIDGE SO FAST.

WHAT KIND OF CREATURE CAN DO THAT?

Narrator: AND A MESSAGE FROM THE GODS

OR AN ENGINE OF DESTRUCTION?

GET OUT OF THE WAY. THAT THING IS MOVING FAST.

IT'S GOING TO CRUSH YOU.

♪♪

Narrator: IN AN ANCIENT BRITISH TEMPLE OF THE STARS,

A STRANGE OBJECT PLUMMETS FROM THE SKY

DURING A POWERFUL ELECTRICAL STORM.

ANALYSIS REVEALS THE OBJECT IS AT LEAST 8 FEET LONG,

TOO BIG TO BE A BIRD, AND FALLING AT 190 MILES PER HOUR.

INVESTIGATOR RE MONTEITH EXAMINES THE FOOTAGE.

IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE SOMETHING IS SPIRALING DOWN OUT OF CONTROL.

COULD IT BE AN AIRCRAFT

THAT IS CATASTROPHICALLY FALLING FROM THE SKY?

IF THAT'S A PLANE, THEN A LOT OF LIVES ARE GOING TO BE LOST.

Narrator: AMERICANS TRAVELING TO AND FROM EUROPE

FLY RIGHT OVER THIS PLACE.

NO FEWER THAN 350 FLIGHTS A DAY CROSS THESE SKIES.

AVIATION EXPERT MARNA KAGELE INVESTIGATES

IF THE FOOTAGE SHOWS A HORRIFIC PLANE CRASH.

BIG COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT ARE DESIGNED TO BE RESILIENT

AGAINST ANY KIND OF LIGHTNING STRIKE.

Narrator: ON AVERAGE,

COMMERCIAL JETS ARE HIT BY LIGHTNING

ONCE A YEAR AND SURVIVE,

BUT LIGHT AIRCRAFT ARE NOT SO LUCKY.

SMALLER AIRCRAFT ARE NOT NECESSARILY

DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND LIGHTNING STRIKES.

SO IF ONE WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, IT MIGHT CRASH.

Narrator: FIVE AIRCRAFT CRASH EACH DAY IN THE US,

KILLING AROUND 500 PEOPLE PER YEAR.

BUT WHEN MEGAN TAYLOR AND HER MOTHER RUSH TO THE SCENE

TO SEE WHAT HAS FALLEN,

THE STORY TAKES AN EVEN STRANGER TURN.

WE WALKED AROUND FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS,

GRIDDED IT KIND OF THING,

AND WE COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING THERE.

Megan: WHEN I LOOKED, THERE WAS NO SIGN OF ANYTHING,

SO IT LITERALLY DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR.

Narrator: DAVID WALLACE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY'S

HIGH VOLTAGE LAB DISCOVERS THE OBJECT FELL JUST 20 MILES

FROM YEOVILTON ROYAL NAVAL AIR STATION,

WHERE TOP-SECRET TEST FLIGHTS ARE CARRIED OUT.

THIS IS SOME DRONE. IT'S GOT STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

AND NOW IT'S DOING A DEATH PLUNGE TO THE EARTH.

Narrator: WALLACE BELIEVES THE FALLING OBJECT

COULD BE A LARGE MILITARY DRONE UNDERGOING COVERT TESTING.

TO TEST HIS DRONE-STRIKE THEORY,

WALLACE HAS DEVISED AN EXPERIMENT.

HE PLANS TO STRIKE A DRONE

WITH AN ARTIFICIAL LIGHTNING BOLT

TO SEE WHETHER THE FORCE IS STRONG ENOUGH

TO KNOCK IT OUT OF THE AIR.

ALL RIGHT, BOYS, LET'S GET FLYING.

SO LET'S FIRE THIS BAD BOY UP, SEE WHAT WE CAN KILL TODAY.

[ WHIRRING ]

READY? TWO. ONE.

FIRE. YEAH!

WE GOT IT!

YO, YO, YO, THAT DRONE IS GONE.

Narrator: THIS PROVES THAT A LIGHTNING STRIKE

COULD HAVE DOWNED A DRONE.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE IT FRIED EVERYTHING INSIDE THE CONTROL.

Narrator: IF THE UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT

WAS A TOP-SECRET DRONE,

THE MILITARY WOULD HAVE BEEN QUICK TO CLEAR AWAY THE WRECKAGE

BEFORE EYE WITNESSES LIKE MEGAN TAYLOR

AND HER MOTHER, CLAIRE, COULD GET TO THE SCENE.

I'VE LIVED HERE FOR OVER 10 YEARS,

AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING THIS STRANGE OR AS WEIRD

AS SOMETHING FALLING FROM THE SKY.

Narrator: NOW, AN INVERTED ENIGMA

CLIMBS IN THE SHADOWS.

IT'S A REAL-LIFE SPIDER-MAN.

Narrator: EXPERTS FEAR A BEAST IS LOOSE IN THE URBAN JUNGLE.

IT SEEMS UNLIKELY IT'S HUMAN.

IS IT DANGEROUS?

WHAT CAN DO THAT?

KIEV, CAPITAL OF UKRAINE,

JUNE 1, 2016.

AS THE SUN SETS OVER THIS ANCIENT CITY,

DANCER ANNA HULIAIEVA SPOTS A SHADOWY FORM

SCALING THE SMOOTH UNDERSIDE OF THE CITY'S PARK BRIDGE.

THIS SINISTER SHAPE SEEMS TO DEFY GRAVITY.

COMING UP, EXPERTS WONDER IF THIS IS PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF

OF A NIGHTMARISH LOCAL LEGEND.

THEY ARE THE EPITOME OF UGLY MONSTERS.

♪♪

Narrator: UNDER A BRIDGE IN KIEV, UKRAINE,

A SINISTER SHADOW DEFIES GRAVITY AND EXPLANATION.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN ANIMAL

WALKING ON FOUR LEGS UPSIDE DOWN.

IT'S SOMETHING BIG, SOMETHING BIG AND VERY STRONG

TO BE ABLE TO CLING ONTO

THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE LIKE THAT.

IT SEEMS UNLIKELY IT'S HUMAN, BUT IF NOT, THEN WHAT IS IT?

Narrator: AUTHOR LINDA GODFREY STUDIES THE VIDEO TO TRY

AND IDENTIFY THE CREATURE.

IT WAS ABLE TO GRASP WITH ITS FOUR LIMBS,

IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE, HANDS OR PAWS,

AND WITH ITS FEET.

ANNA BELIEVES THE MYSTERIOUS SHADOW COULD BE A CHORT,

A UKRAINIAN DEMON THAT SCURRIES AROUND CITIES AT NIGHT,

CARRYING OFF SOULS TO HELL.

Narrator: BELIEF IN THE CHORT IS STILL STRONG ACROSS UKRAINE.

IN 2016, RESIDENTS IN THE VILLAGE OF RUKSHEN

CLAIMED TO HAVE KILLED ONE

THAT WAS SUCKING THE BLOOD OUT OF THEIR LIVESTOCK.

THEY ARE SORT OF THE EPITOME OF UGLY MONSTERS.

IT HAS JUST HORNS, JUST THESE LARGE EYES,

TEETH THAT LOOK FEARSOME.

Narrator: THE REMARKABLE FOOTAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF SCIENCE JOURNALIST STEVE POTVIN.

GIVEN THE LOCATION, HE CONSIDERS WHETHER THE SINISTER SHADOW

IS USING THE ENCROACHING DARKNESS TO TRY AND STAY HIDDEN.

HE WONDERS IF THE BRIDGE IS ABOUT TO BE BLOWN UP.

COULD THIS BE SOME SORT OF RUSSIAN OPERATIVE

OR SPY WHO'S CLINGING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE?

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE HAVE HAD A DIFFICULT PAST,

AND SO WHEN YOU SEE SOMEBODY CLIMBING UNDER A BRIDGE,

WHAT COMES INTO MIND IS,

MAYBE IT'S SOMEBODY DOING RECONNAISSANCE,

OR MAYBE IT'S SOMEBODY ACTUALLY SABOTAGING THE THING.

Narrator: THE RUSSIAN MILITARY REGULARLY USE MASKIROVKA,

A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE AGGRESSIVE ACTS

CARRIED OUT USING DECEPTION AND DENIAL.

WHEN RUSSIAN FORCES SNEAKED INTO UKRAINE IN 2014

AND SEIZED THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA,

THEY USED UNMARKED TRUCKS AND SOLDIERS

WITHOUT INSIGNIA ON THEIR UNIFORMS.

POTVIN EXAMINES HOW A RUSSIAN AGENT

COULD CLIMB THE SMOOTH UNDERSIDE OF THE BRIDGE.

HE FINDS THAT ENGINEERS OFTEN LOOK TO DESIGNS

PERFECTED BY NATURE FOR INSPIRATION.

IT'S A TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS BIOMIMICRY.

TAKING A LOOK AT HOW GECKOS' FEET WORK,

WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO MAKE OUR OWN KIND OF GLOVES

BASED OFF OF A GECKO'S FOOT,

SO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD BE ABLE TO GRIP

THE UNDERSIDE OF A VERY SLIPPERY BRIDGE.

Narrator: THE GLOVES ARE COVERED IN TINY FIBERS,

JUST LIKE GECKOS' TOES,

WHICH ARE ABLE TO GRIP ONTO MICROSCOPIC IMPERFECTIONS

ON SURFACES THAT APPEAR SMOOTH TO THE HUMAN EYE.

BUT EVEN IF THIS WOULD-BE SPIDER-MAN IS

WEARING GECKO GLOVES,

NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH THE RUSSIAN COVERT OP THEORY.

IF THIS WAS A COVERT OPERATION, IT WAS A MASSIVE FAILURE.

ONE, NOTHING WAS BLOWN UP,

AND TWO, IT'S NOT COVERT, IT'S CAUGHT ON CAMERA.

SZULGIT NOW CONSIDERS WHETHER ANOTHER RUSSIAN GROUP

ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MYSTERIOUS CLIMBER.

IN RUSSIA, THERE IS THIS ESPECIALLY BIG TREND OF CLIMBING

ONTO REALLY DANGEROUS STRUCTURES AND TAKING A PHOTO OF YOURSELF.

Narrator: FREE-CLIMBERS SCALE BUILDINGS

WITHOUT SAFETY EQUIPMENT.

IN 2012, VITALIY RASKALOV, ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS,

SCALED THE SECOND-TALLEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD,

THE 1,053-FEET-TALL RUSSKY ISLAND BRIDGE

IN VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA, AND IN 2017, HE REACHED THE TOP

OF THE 2,073-FEET-HIGH SHANGHAI TOWER IN CHINA.

THEY'RE JUST DOING THIS FOR FUN,

AND THEY DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE GOING TO DIE

OR JUST GET A GREAT PICTURE OUT OF IT.

IT'S A DEADLY HOBBY.

IN MOSCOW, A 14-YEAR-OLD SCHOOLBOY PAID WITH HIS LIFE

WHEN HE SLIPPED FROM A RAILWAY BRIDGE

ONTO A 30,000-VOLT ELECTRICITY CABLE.

BUT WHEN ENGINEER LISA LAZARECK-ASUNTA

EXAMINES BLUEPRINTS FOR THE BRIDGE,

SHE CONCLUDES THIS IS A FEAT THAT WOULD ONLY BE ATTEMPTED

BY THE MOST FEARLESS FREE-CLIMBER.

THE UNDERSIDE OF THAT BRIDGE, IT'S SMOOTH,

SO IF IT'S A CLIMBER,

THEY ARE USING SOME TYPE OF EQUIPMENT TO HELP THEM.

Narrator: THE EXPERTS' BEST THEORY IS

THAT THE FOOTAGE SHOWS AN ILLEGAL FREE-CLIMBER

WHO EVADED CAPTURE BY THE AUTHORITIES.

Samuel: WHATEVER THIS THING IS,

IT JUST KIND OF DISAPPEARED INTO THE NIGHT,

So THIS MYSTERY IS STILL UNSOLVED.