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WILLIAM SHATNER:
A deadly pathogen
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delivered from outer space,
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a mysterious illness
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brought on by an
unidentified flying object
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and an alien affliction
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that creates strange fibers
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under the skin.
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Since the dawn of time,
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the human body has had to learn
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how to combat
countless microorganisms
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that attack our muscles
and organs and cells.
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And while modern
science has stopped
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many dangerous earthborn viruses
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and bacteria from killing us,
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there's a growing concern
that even deadlier strains
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are on their way,
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traveling to us from
the farthest reaches
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of outer space.
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Will Earth's next pandemic
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come not from
here on this planet,
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but instead from another world?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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? ?
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SHATNER: Here in
this former mining town,
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where people spent decades
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digging for precious
metals below ground,
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researcher Robert Ward
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is the owner of
a rock collection
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unlike anything
else found on Earth.
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Because these
pockmarked specimens,
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with their dazzling patterns
and unusual compositions,
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originated in outer space.
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ROBERT WARD:
Over the past 30 years,
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I've built one of
the world's largest
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private meteorite collections.
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We have some of
the finest samples
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of some of the most important
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meteorite classes on display.
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We have rocks
from the Moon, Mars.
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We have a vast
diversity of meteorites
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from all over the solar system.
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SHATNER: Despite the remarkable
origins of Robert's collection,
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there is one meteorite
that is quite extraordinary.
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It is known as a chondrite,
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which means that it formed
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in the earliest days
of the solar system.
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And the reason Robert's
meteorite is so special
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is that, unlike most
other chondrites,
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which are so fragile that
they typically break apart
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and explode as they
enter Earth's atmosphere...
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...this one remained intact
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even after it impacted
on the ground
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at 28,000 miles per hour.
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WARD: So, this is an actual
piece of the meteorite itself
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that I recovered
essentially intact.
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And you can
see, it's fairly soft,
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and it comes apart easily.
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And it's not a dense
object like an iron meteorite,
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so when it enters
the atmosphere,
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it's supposed to break
apart according to physics,
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and this one didn't.
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SHATNER: Why
didn't the meteorite
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in Robert Ward's collection
explode before it hit the Earth
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like other chondrites?
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Perhaps a clue may be found
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by examining the
story of its impact
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and what happened
in the aftermath.
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High in the Andes mountains,
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residents of this tiny village
are distressed by the presence
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of a mysterious light
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that appears suddenly
in the noonday sky
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and begins racing towards
them at an alarming speed.
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WARD: In the skies
over this tiny village
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of Carancas in Peru,
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a small asteroid actually
entered the atmosphere,
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and these people
saw what they thought
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was a star in the sky falling.
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And the object tore
through the atmosphere.
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And this is a pretty big thing,
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it was probably the
size of a compact car,
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and it's penetrating
the atmosphere
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at 28,000 miles an hour.
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And then, bam,
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it impacts like a nuclear bomb
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pretty much right at
the edge of their village.
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And they see this ejecta cloud
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go into the sky.
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There was a smoke
trail in the sky.
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It terrified them.
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SHATNER: Despite their fear,
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curious locals begin to
gather around the impact site.
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What they discover
is a 20-foot-deep
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by 100-foot-wide crater
that is flooded with water.
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And buried deep in the
Earth is a 12-ton meteor.
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While the massive crater
was a remarkable site to see,
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many local villagers
found themselves overcome
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by a mysterious illness.
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HUGH NEWMAN: When
this meteor strike happened,
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a lot of people were
trying to get a glimpse of it,
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trying to get a
sample of it, even.
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But what happened was
there was a toxic reaction to it,
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and loads of people
became incredibly sick.
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ANDREW COLLINS:
They started to suffer
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from what might be
described as radiation sickness.
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And in addition to
this, their own animals
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started suffering
in a similar way.
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So, what was going on here?
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Was this simply a meteorite
that had landed at Carancas,
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or was there something more?
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SHATNER: More than 200 people
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were admitted to the hospital
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after being exposed
to the Carancas meteor.
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According to reports, they
suffered from symptoms
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ranging from severe
headaches, dizziness, nausea,
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to skin rashes and
respiratory problems.
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(speaking Spanish)
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SHATNER: While many of the
villagers believed their sickness
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was a punishment from God...
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MAN: Se�or Jesus...
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SHATNER: ...doctors
began to suspect
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that the meteor had
released a deadly toxin
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from deep underground.
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One of the theories about
why people actually got sick
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is when the
meteor hit the Earth,
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it created this
100-foot-wide crater.
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And so, people have now
believed they may have got poison
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simply from what was
coming from the Earth,
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and it being hit by this meteor.
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COLLINS: It is a fact that,
in the area of Carancas,
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there is a high level of
arsenic in the ground,
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and almost certainly,
this was vaporized as well.
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And this was one of the
things that was making
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both the people and
the animals so sick.
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SHATNER: Is it possible that
the impact of the Carancas meteor
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released arsenic
into the environment,
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poisoning those who
came into contact with it?
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Or did it deliver an
unidentified contagion
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from outer space?
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WARD: There's always been
questions within the scientific community
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about whether there
could actually be biologics
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on a meteorite.
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So, you know, some kind of
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alien microbe or
whatnot in a meteorite.
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Meteorites contain
amino acids, sugars, water.
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All the building blocks for
life are on these asteroids.
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So is it possible? Absolutely.
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GRAHAM LAU: This is an idea
that has been around in science fiction
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for a very long time, this
idea that there could be
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viruses or-or some kind of
pathogenic bacterium or cell
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that could come from
space and fall onto the planet,
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maybe coming down
in a cometary impact
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or coming down with
some of these grains
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of dust and material.
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SHATNER: Is there any
evidence that toxic pathogens
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were delivered to
Carancas from the cosmos?
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While Robert Ward and his team
secured a small meteor sample
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from the impact site,
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the answer to just what
biologics may have landed
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on Earth remains
buried deep underground.
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WARD: Well, our ultimate
goal was obviously to find
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this large meteorite
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that we presumed was
in the bottom of the crater.
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We were literally
standing on the crater rim,
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and the water's being pumped
out and we are so close.
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We were literally within
feet of uncovering this large,
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possibly multi-ton meteorite
in the bottom of the crater
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when all work was brought
to a stop by the mayor.
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The excavation wasn't
gonna come to fruition,
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which was very disappointing.
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SHATNER: Could
the Carancas meteor
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have actually contained
evidence of alien germs?
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Perhaps we'll never know,
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but the sheer possibility
is truly frightening.
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For me, the biggest fear is
actually germs and diseases
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from outer space via an asteroid
or something hitting the Earth.
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Once the virus is
here, by definition,
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it looks like all
our other viruses.
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Unless you catch
a meteor in the act
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of delivering the virus,
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there's not gonna
be a real signature
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that it came from space.
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Now, it's still
fairly improbable.
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It's a little more likely
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that you just get
viruses on the Earth,
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but the idea of a
virus that's stuck
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in an asteroid and
then lands on Earth,
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it's not as crazy
as people think.
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SHATNER: Greek
philosopher Anaxagoras
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is conducting
astronomical observations
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when he spots a bright object
approaching in the western sky.
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This fortuitous event
is believed to be
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the first recorded
sighting of Halley's Comet,
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and the inspiration
for Anaxagoras
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to propose an idea so incredible
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that it shocked
the ancient world.
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He suggested that life on Earth
first originated in outer space.
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It is a fascinating theory
known as panspermia.
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Panspermia is the basic idea
that some key building blocks
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for life, chemical-wise,
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came from meteors or
asteroids hitting the Earth.
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And then, once those hit
Earth, they're dispersed,
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and that can be a key
chemical step in the start of life.
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KAKU: At first, the panspermia
theory was laughed at, but not anymore,
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because more and
more evidence indicates
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that life started on the
Earth relatively soon
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after the conditions
were ripe enough
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to create germs that could
survive on the planet Earth.
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SHATNER: Is it
possible that life on Earth
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sprung from germs that
came from outer space?
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And if it did happen before,
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could it happen again?
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Well, at the dawn
of the space age,
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NASA considered it
such an alarming prospect
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00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:08,199
that they took
extreme precautions
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to protect humanity
from accidental exposure
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to deadly alien microbes.
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ROD PYLE: As early as the
Apollo program for Apollo 11,
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there were concerns in
the scientific community
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about some potentially
dangerous pathogen
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00:11:23,370 --> 00:11:24,630
coming back from the Moon.
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PYLE: And they were
concerned enough
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that when the
astronauts came back,
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they had to go into
quarantine for 21 days.
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Because we don't
want germs to come out
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that could've interacted with
something on planet Earth.
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SHATNER: Today, fears of alien
contagions seem to be growing.
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In 2024, researchers
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00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,000
at the Bipartisan
Commission on Biodefense
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have warned NASA that
they must seriously enhance
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current safety protocols
to defend our world
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against potential
alien illnesses.
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And with more
exploratory missions
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deeper into our solar system,
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those precautions
could mean the difference
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between life and death.
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DENNIN: I think one of
the slightly scary things
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are germs coming in
through the astronauts,
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because y-you don't know
necessarily what the life cycle
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of either the virus
or bacteria might be.
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That could mess up
our ability to catch it,
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00:12:36,790 --> 00:12:39,700
quarantine it or deal with it.
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Could astronauts
unwittingly bring
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extraterrestrial viruses
and bacteria back to Earth?
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00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:50,910
Well, some believe a
recent discovery suggests
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that it may be a
very real possibility.
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Outside the crew's
living module,
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cosmonaut Anton Sklaplerov
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makes a shocking discovery.
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00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:14,040
There's a colony
of unknown bacteria
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00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,000
living on the outside
surface of the spacecraft.
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DENNIN: He discovered
basically a bacteria
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on the outside of the ISS
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that he felt pretty clearly
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00:13:24,621 --> 00:13:26,369
must have come from
outer space somehow,
255
00:13:26,370 --> 00:13:29,120
whether just debris
or floating in the dust.
256
00:13:29,121 --> 00:13:32,619
And this obviously would
be very, very important
257
00:13:32,620 --> 00:13:34,540
to know or understand
whether or not
258
00:13:34,700 --> 00:13:37,000
it came from
outside or from Earth.
259
00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,700
SHATNER: Even Russia's
space agency Roscosmos
260
00:13:40,870 --> 00:13:44,950
concluded that the bacteria
discovered on the ISS
261
00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,870
did originate from
somewhere in outer space.
262
00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,500
While other scientists
remain skeptical,
263
00:13:51,660 --> 00:13:54,330
the possibility
does cause concern.
264
00:13:54,450 --> 00:13:56,160
Just what would happen
265
00:13:56,330 --> 00:13:59,540
if a dangerous
bacteria of alien origin
266
00:13:59,700 --> 00:14:02,330
were to ever reach Earth?
267
00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:07,330
It's possible that if
an alien pathogen
268
00:14:07,500 --> 00:14:10,500
finds itself on the Earth,
it would very quickly adapt
269
00:14:10,660 --> 00:14:12,530
and evolve to our
local environment
270
00:14:12,540 --> 00:14:15,080
and start invading us,
271
00:14:15,250 --> 00:14:18,290
because it's just
how life works.
272
00:14:18,291 --> 00:14:21,039
SHATNER: While the
notion of an alien bacteria
273
00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,790
infecting life on Earth
may sound far-fetched,
274
00:14:23,910 --> 00:14:27,120
some experts claim
it's not only possible
275
00:14:27,290 --> 00:14:30,500
but that it's already happened.
276
00:14:35,450 --> 00:14:37,830
The normal daily activity
of humans on Earth
277
00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:39,790
is stopped in its tracks.
278
00:14:39,791 --> 00:14:42,249
Alarming numbers of
people all around the world
279
00:14:42,250 --> 00:14:46,950
are sick and dying from a
pandemic called COVID-19.
280
00:14:49,950 --> 00:14:53,660
Many scientists believe
this contagious virus
281
00:14:53,830 --> 00:14:57,870
originated in diseased
bats in Wuhan, China.
282
00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:02,330
But in July 2020, a
scientific paper is published
283
00:15:02,540 --> 00:15:05,910
that proposes that the
virus was carried on a meteor
284
00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,870
which flew over the
city of Songyuan, China
285
00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,620
on October the 11th, 2019,
286
00:15:12,750 --> 00:15:16,870
sending viral debris
down to Earth.
287
00:15:16,871 --> 00:15:20,499
KAKU: This article
comes out of left field
288
00:15:20,500 --> 00:15:23,120
saying that maybe these
germs come out of space,
289
00:15:23,250 --> 00:15:25,290
people raised an
eyebrow and said,
290
00:15:25,291 --> 00:15:27,199
this sounds like
science fiction.
291
00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,000
It doesn't sound like
real solid science.
292
00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,250
Well, let's be honest,
you can't rule it out
293
00:15:33,251 --> 00:15:36,119
that certain organisms
can actually exist and thrive
294
00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,120
in the vacuum of outer space.
295
00:15:38,121 --> 00:15:41,249
SHATNER: The idea that
our next pandemic may arrive
296
00:15:41,250 --> 00:15:44,330
from outer space is
profoundly disturbing.
297
00:15:44,500 --> 00:15:46,830
But perhaps even
more frightening
298
00:15:46,831 --> 00:15:48,909
is the fact that,
according to some studies,
299
00:15:48,910 --> 00:15:52,160
bacteria that
develop in outer space
300
00:15:52,370 --> 00:15:55,830
have the capacity to
become supercharged.
301
00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:57,950
One of the interesting
experiments
302
00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,370
that scientists are
doing aboard the ISS
303
00:16:00,540 --> 00:16:02,530
is to grow different
types of bacteria
304
00:16:02,700 --> 00:16:04,140
and see how they grow in space.
305
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,330
And shockingly,
salmonella specifically
306
00:16:07,540 --> 00:16:09,950
have been shown
to be more virulent
307
00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,290
and reproduce
faster, grow faster.
308
00:16:13,450 --> 00:16:16,330
One of the slightly scary
things is when bacteria,
309
00:16:16,331 --> 00:16:18,449
and particularly
salmonella, was tested,
310
00:16:18,450 --> 00:16:20,870
it basically turns on a
whole bunch of genes
311
00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,330
in the bacteria that
are self-defense genes.
312
00:16:23,540 --> 00:16:26,870
And it becomes tougher.
It can resist antibiotics.
313
00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,660
And what you get from
space is a super bacteria.
314
00:16:30,870 --> 00:16:33,830
SHATNER: The
possibility that outer space
315
00:16:33,831 --> 00:16:36,199
can cause bacteria to
become supercharged
316
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,330
is nothing short of terrifying.
317
00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:41,000
And if an astronaut
did become infected
318
00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,000
with a strain of super bacteria,
319
00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,410
is there anything
we could do about it?
320
00:16:47,580 --> 00:16:50,830
Any alien
pathogen, if it's alive,
321
00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,540
it needs the same basic things
322
00:16:53,750 --> 00:16:55,620
that Earth-based life does.
323
00:16:56,870 --> 00:16:59,830
Our planet may have
the wrong temperature,
324
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:01,870
the wrong pressure,
325
00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,580
the wrong mixture of
gases in the atmosphere,
326
00:17:04,750 --> 00:17:06,500
the wrong chemicals in our soil.
327
00:17:06,660 --> 00:17:09,290
Any of that could be a
threat to this pathogen
328
00:17:09,450 --> 00:17:12,000
and simply snuff it out
the moment it arrives.
329
00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,000
But the honest truth is,
330
00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,000
we wouldn't know
it until it's too late.
331
00:17:18,250 --> 00:17:20,830
While one can hope
that Earth's atmosphere
332
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,040
would be inhospitable
to alien germs,
333
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:27,160
many experts believe that
microorganisms from space
334
00:17:27,290 --> 00:17:30,000
can make themselves right
at home here on our planet.
335
00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,330
In fact, there's one
infectious pathogen
336
00:17:33,500 --> 00:17:37,000
that was contracted
in a Canadian forest
337
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:38,830
and is almost certain
338
00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:42,160
to be of
extraterrestrial origin.
339
00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,830
SHATNER: 51-year-old
Stefan Michalak
340
00:17:52,910 --> 00:17:55,000
is prospecting for
silver and quartz
341
00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:57,200
in a remote corner of Manitoba,
342
00:17:57,370 --> 00:18:01,040
when he suddenly witnesses
an event so remarkable,
343
00:18:01,250 --> 00:18:04,410
that it is considered the
best documented UFO case
344
00:18:04,580 --> 00:18:06,330
in Canadian history.
345
00:18:06,540 --> 00:18:11,370
It is called the
Falcon Lake Incident.
346
00:18:11,540 --> 00:18:14,370
My dad, uh, going off to
Falcon Lake that weekend,
347
00:18:14,540 --> 00:18:17,080
he was off on another
one of his rock hunts.
348
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,250
And the part where he was
prospecting at Falcon Lake,
349
00:18:20,410 --> 00:18:22,790
there was several
gold mines there.
350
00:18:22,950 --> 00:18:24,510
So, eventually he makes his way
351
00:18:24,660 --> 00:18:27,200
to a relatively high
piece of ground
352
00:18:27,410 --> 00:18:29,370
and that's when he looks up,
353
00:18:29,540 --> 00:18:32,000
and coming out of
the southwest sky
354
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:33,750
are two objects,
355
00:18:33,870 --> 00:18:37,450
and they're a sort of an
orangey, reddish color.
356
00:18:37,451 --> 00:18:39,369
They were giving
off a lot of light.
357
00:18:39,370 --> 00:18:41,500
He's wearing goggles,
358
00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:44,830
they have welder's
glass that flips down.
359
00:18:44,831 --> 00:18:46,869
The only reason he had them
was so that when he's chipping rock
360
00:18:46,870 --> 00:18:49,660
he wouldn't hurt his eyes.
Now, this will come in handy.
361
00:18:49,870 --> 00:18:52,790
The first UFO lands
362
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:56,120
about 140 feet away from Dad
363
00:18:56,250 --> 00:18:58,870
and it's making all kinds
of clanking and spitting
364
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:00,450
and hissing sounds.
365
00:19:00,620 --> 00:19:04,830
So, when Dad turns his
attention to the one that landed,
366
00:19:04,831 --> 00:19:06,249
the next time he looks up,
367
00:19:06,250 --> 00:19:08,180
the other one's on
its way up, and gone.
368
00:19:08,181 --> 00:19:10,749
SHATNER: At first
Michalak thinks the UFO
369
00:19:10,750 --> 00:19:14,120
might be an experimental
NASA or Soviet spacecraft,
370
00:19:14,290 --> 00:19:16,790
but the longer he observes it,
371
00:19:16,950 --> 00:19:19,040
the stranger it becomes.
372
00:19:19,041 --> 00:19:20,699
MICHALAK: Dad's
looking at this craft
373
00:19:20,700 --> 00:19:22,750
and he doesn't know
what to make of it.
374
00:19:22,870 --> 00:19:26,910
It's a mirror metal craft.
375
00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:28,370
There are no seams.
376
00:19:28,540 --> 00:19:30,910
There's no rivets,
there are no screws.
377
00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:33,120
There's a sort of
a dome on the top
378
00:19:33,290 --> 00:19:35,290
and it's got slits in it.
379
00:19:35,370 --> 00:19:38,830
So, he's wearing
gauntlets, long gloves,
380
00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:43,160
and he reaches
out to touch the craft,
381
00:19:43,370 --> 00:19:46,790
-and the fingertips all melt.
-(exclaims)
382
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,830
Now, suddenly...
(imitates whoosh)
383
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,160
out comes this
blast of something,
384
00:19:54,370 --> 00:19:58,200
lights his shirt on fire
and sends him back.
385
00:19:58,370 --> 00:20:00,200
He falls to the ground,
386
00:20:00,410 --> 00:20:03,410
he's busily trying to put out
this fire that's on his chest.
387
00:20:03,580 --> 00:20:07,370
He's wearing a strappy,
uh, cotton undershirt.
388
00:20:07,540 --> 00:20:11,580
So he pulls that off and
throws it to the ground.
389
00:20:13,370 --> 00:20:16,140
Meanwhile, this craft is
continuing to rise and leave.
390
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:18,080
And then...
391
00:20:18,250 --> 00:20:19,580
gone.
392
00:20:19,790 --> 00:20:22,330
Just right back in
the direction it came.
393
00:20:22,450 --> 00:20:24,910
SHATNER: According
to official documents,
394
00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,030
in the immediate aftermath
of his distressing encounter
395
00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:30,000
with the unidentified craft,
396
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:32,700
Michalak becomes disoriented,
397
00:20:32,870 --> 00:20:34,250
severely burned,
398
00:20:34,450 --> 00:20:37,370
and suddenly very ill.
399
00:20:37,371 --> 00:20:39,369
MICHALAK: He hasn't
taken more than two steps
400
00:20:39,370 --> 00:20:41,700
and he's on his knees
and he's throwing up.
401
00:20:42,790 --> 00:20:44,000
He's been burned.
402
00:20:44,001 --> 00:20:46,039
But that's just, you
know, regular burns,
403
00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:47,450
thermal burns.
404
00:20:47,540 --> 00:20:50,290
But this is, this is
doing something to him.
405
00:20:50,410 --> 00:20:52,120
Then he's sweating.
406
00:20:52,290 --> 00:20:54,700
Then he's- his
head starts to go,
407
00:20:54,870 --> 00:20:56,120
and now he's spinning.
408
00:20:56,290 --> 00:20:58,660
He realizes if he
doesn't get out of here,
409
00:20:58,830 --> 00:21:00,000
he's gonna die here.
410
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:04,290
SHATNER: By sheer force of
will, Michalak somehow managed
411
00:21:04,450 --> 00:21:07,750
to stagger back to town,
and eventually makes his way
412
00:21:07,870 --> 00:21:10,200
back to a hospital
where he is immediately
413
00:21:10,370 --> 00:21:11,950
put under observation.
414
00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:13,660
Doctors discovered
415
00:21:13,870 --> 00:21:16,000
that Michalak's
white blood cell count
416
00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,120
had dropped to very low levels.
417
00:21:18,290 --> 00:21:20,580
He was feverish and confused.
418
00:21:20,750 --> 00:21:24,450
No one was sure what to
make of his unusual symptoms.
419
00:21:25,450 --> 00:21:27,790
But what truly
confused doctors on call
420
00:21:27,910 --> 00:21:30,250
were the strange burn marks
421
00:21:30,370 --> 00:21:32,790
found on Michalak's
chest and abdomen.
422
00:21:34,620 --> 00:21:36,660
The examining doctors found
423
00:21:36,790 --> 00:21:40,750
a grid-like pattern
of, uh, red burns.
424
00:21:40,870 --> 00:21:44,410
It was described as a
checkerboard pattern,
425
00:21:44,580 --> 00:21:48,620
and these were
somehow thermal burns,
426
00:21:48,750 --> 00:21:52,040
chemical burns, as if
something in the gas
427
00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,160
from the UFO was very hot
428
00:21:54,370 --> 00:21:57,160
and conformed to the appearance
429
00:21:57,330 --> 00:21:59,950
of the grid with all
these little dots on it.
430
00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:03,830
Whatever experience had
occurred to him definitely happened.
431
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:09,290
It was real, and the
evidence was on his own body.
432
00:22:10,370 --> 00:22:12,410
SHATNER: Despite numerous tests,
433
00:22:12,540 --> 00:22:15,410
no one could diagnose
Michalak's mysterious ailment.
434
00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:20,040
In the official police report
following his close encounter,
435
00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,160
officers noted that Michalak
suffered from headaches,
436
00:22:23,290 --> 00:22:24,660
blackouts,
437
00:22:24,870 --> 00:22:26,500
and severe weight loss.
438
00:22:27,500 --> 00:22:31,370
Could Stefan Michalak have
caught some type of infection
439
00:22:31,540 --> 00:22:34,910
from his contact with the
unidentified flying object?
440
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,830
Or might his symptoms be
the result of being poisoned?
441
00:22:43,370 --> 00:22:44,700
Stan Michalak arrives
442
00:22:44,870 --> 00:22:47,370
at the University of
Manitoba's Archives
443
00:22:47,540 --> 00:22:49,330
and Special Collections
444
00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:52,200
to examine the
surviving artifacts
445
00:22:52,370 --> 00:22:54,000
of the Falcon Lake Incident.
446
00:22:55,540 --> 00:22:57,080
It's been a while.
447
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:58,450
Oh, my goodness.
448
00:23:00,540 --> 00:23:03,450
So this is the undershirt that
he was wearing on the day.
449
00:23:03,620 --> 00:23:05,330
He did rip it off himself.
450
00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:08,330
It was torn up quite a bit.
451
00:23:08,500 --> 00:23:10,830
You can still see...
452
00:23:10,950 --> 00:23:13,160
on the front of the shirt,
453
00:23:13,290 --> 00:23:16,500
the pattern left behind
454
00:23:16,700 --> 00:23:19,080
when the craft burnt his skin.
455
00:23:20,250 --> 00:23:23,120
I want to know what
caused that burn.
456
00:23:23,121 --> 00:23:26,079
SHATNER: To this
day, no one knows
457
00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,660
what mysterious substance
burned Stefan Michalak
458
00:23:29,830 --> 00:23:31,660
or if some kind of alien germ
459
00:23:31,830 --> 00:23:33,910
triggered his sudden illness.
460
00:23:33,911 --> 00:23:36,659
But during an
official examination
461
00:23:36,660 --> 00:23:38,500
of the alleged landing site,
462
00:23:38,620 --> 00:23:41,830
high levels of radiation
were discovered in the area.
463
00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,830
And some suggest it
could at least explain
464
00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,500
some of Michalak's symptoms.
465
00:23:48,501 --> 00:23:52,539
RUTKOWSKI: When
the site was first examined
466
00:23:52,540 --> 00:23:55,450
by military and
government investigators,
467
00:23:55,660 --> 00:23:58,330
the presence of high
levels of radiation
468
00:23:58,331 --> 00:24:01,039
were of such significance
that there was a concern
469
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,370
that it might be a
public health hazard.
470
00:24:03,580 --> 00:24:06,660
And yet everything that
they found at the site,
471
00:24:06,830 --> 00:24:09,700
could not produce
any satisfactory
472
00:24:09,870 --> 00:24:12,540
explanation for what
caused this incident.
473
00:24:13,580 --> 00:24:16,000
The presence of
radiation has suggested to
474
00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:19,450
some people that this
craft was nuclear powered,
475
00:24:19,540 --> 00:24:23,160
uh, perhaps was leaking
radiation when it landed.
476
00:24:23,370 --> 00:24:28,410
Perhaps this case has some
clues as to the true nature of UFOs.
477
00:24:28,411 --> 00:24:32,199
PAIGE: You're
putting yourself at risk
478
00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,500
if you try to
approach these craft
479
00:24:34,501 --> 00:24:37,079
because you don't know
what kind of contamination
480
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:38,870
is on these ships.
481
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,660
Whatever they're using
for a means of propulsion
482
00:24:41,830 --> 00:24:44,790
could possibly be
carrying some sort
483
00:24:44,910 --> 00:24:47,000
of radioactive
material on board.
484
00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,660
Maybe they use that as part
of their propulsion systems.
485
00:24:50,750 --> 00:24:53,000
But they also could
be carrying bacteria
486
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:54,720
and fungus and things like that
487
00:24:54,750 --> 00:24:57,700
that can harm us inadvertently.
488
00:24:59,870 --> 00:25:02,950
It's terrifying to think
that a brief encounter
489
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:04,840
with an extraterrestrial object
490
00:25:04,910 --> 00:25:06,830
could make someone
dangerously ill.
491
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:10,160
But perhaps more concerning
492
00:25:10,330 --> 00:25:13,160
is a bizarre ailment
493
00:25:13,330 --> 00:25:15,000
that some consider alien
494
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:17,950
simply due to the fact
that we have absolutely
495
00:25:18,120 --> 00:25:19,870
no clue where it came from.
496
00:25:28,540 --> 00:25:30,750
SHATNER: Founded
in the late 1880s,
497
00:25:30,870 --> 00:25:33,450
the NIH has become
one of the foremost
498
00:25:33,580 --> 00:25:35,700
medical research
centers in the world.
499
00:25:36,830 --> 00:25:39,660
Here, experts study more
than 10,000 rare diseases
500
00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:42,450
identified across the globe.
501
00:25:42,620 --> 00:25:44,450
And, in recent years,
502
00:25:44,620 --> 00:25:47,620
there is one emerging illness
503
00:25:47,790 --> 00:25:50,950
that has proven more
confounding than the rest
504
00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:54,500
called Morgellons disease.
505
00:25:54,620 --> 00:25:57,030
Morgellons disease is
an interesting disease
506
00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,290
that scientists don't
know a lot about.
507
00:25:59,291 --> 00:26:03,039
But for a few hundred years,
there have been cases of people
508
00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,200
reporting fibers growing
inside open wounds.
509
00:26:07,750 --> 00:26:09,620
Red, blue, black fibers.
510
00:26:09,750 --> 00:26:11,790
What are the fibers?
511
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:14,870
It's not entirely clear.
512
00:26:15,870 --> 00:26:18,410
PAIGE: When we look at
a disease like Morgellons,
513
00:26:18,580 --> 00:26:19,960
we have to ask the question,
514
00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:21,790
where did this
disease come from?
515
00:26:21,830 --> 00:26:23,940
We don't have
explanations on how people
516
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:25,620
are getting infected by this.
517
00:26:25,621 --> 00:26:28,699
It could be on your
face, on your torsos,
518
00:26:28,700 --> 00:26:30,330
anywhere on your body.
519
00:26:30,540 --> 00:26:33,500
And I couldn't even imagine
having something like this.
520
00:26:33,501 --> 00:26:36,039
But they feel like there's
something crawling
521
00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:37,580
under their skin.
522
00:26:37,700 --> 00:26:41,080
Bugs or worms or, I mean,
can you even imagine?
523
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:42,250
It's horrible.
524
00:26:43,370 --> 00:26:47,250
HERNANDEZ: I contracted
Morgellons disease in 1999.
525
00:26:48,660 --> 00:26:51,750
You have a lot of
sores and weird feelings
526
00:26:51,870 --> 00:26:53,830
where things are
moving on your body.
527
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:57,370
I actually started with a
little itch here and there.
528
00:26:57,540 --> 00:26:59,660
I kept going to the dermatology
529
00:26:59,750 --> 00:27:02,660
to actually get some
cream for the itch.
530
00:27:02,870 --> 00:27:04,790
And then it got very bad.
531
00:27:04,910 --> 00:27:08,910
Bad enough that
a couple of times
532
00:27:09,120 --> 00:27:11,890
I drove to the emergency
room in the middle of the night
533
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,830
because I felt a huge
blob moving up my back.
534
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,000
And they told me, "No,
no, no, no, it's nothing."
535
00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:22,660
I actually was
bedridden a few times,
536
00:27:22,790 --> 00:27:25,330
and I actually
couldn't even get up.
537
00:27:25,540 --> 00:27:27,000
Once it gets bad enough,
538
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,250
it actually starts
affecting your mind.
539
00:27:29,370 --> 00:27:30,870
You can't think.
540
00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:34,450
You're gonna have
chills, headaches,
541
00:27:34,620 --> 00:27:36,200
itching like crazy,
542
00:27:36,410 --> 00:27:38,660
sores popping up everywhere.
543
00:27:38,830 --> 00:27:42,330
What it feels like is
basically the fibers have
544
00:27:42,450 --> 00:27:44,750
grown throughout the whole body.
545
00:27:44,870 --> 00:27:47,620
It is a living organism
that keeps multiplying.
546
00:27:48,580 --> 00:27:49,870
Those threads are alive.
547
00:27:49,871 --> 00:27:53,869
SHATNER: If you think a
disease in which people's skin
548
00:27:53,870 --> 00:27:56,330
begins sprouting
multicolored fibers
549
00:27:56,410 --> 00:27:58,160
sounds far-fetched,
550
00:27:58,330 --> 00:28:00,330
well, you're not alone.
551
00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:02,790
And at first, Professor
Randy Wymore
552
00:28:02,950 --> 00:28:05,040
of Oklahoma State University
553
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:08,830
thought Morgellons disease
was a figment of the imagination.
554
00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,750
But after studying
the strange condition
555
00:28:11,870 --> 00:28:14,000
for more than 15 years,
556
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:18,790
he's come to the
realization that it is very real.
557
00:28:21,830 --> 00:28:25,080
Morgellons disease is
a very unusual condition.
558
00:28:25,250 --> 00:28:28,750
The population has,
uh, lesions in their skin
559
00:28:28,910 --> 00:28:30,620
that are very slow to heal.
560
00:28:30,790 --> 00:28:33,120
They have fibers associated
561
00:28:33,290 --> 00:28:35,790
with those lesions
emanating from their skin.
562
00:28:37,580 --> 00:28:40,450
So I went ahead and asked
for some fibers to look at.
563
00:28:42,410 --> 00:28:47,080
And they didn't exactly
look like textile fibers to me.
564
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,160
So then I collected
fiber samples from
565
00:28:51,330 --> 00:28:53,790
just everywhere I
could think of to compare
566
00:28:53,870 --> 00:28:55,700
with the Morgellons fibers.
567
00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,160
Well, basically,
the bottom line was,
568
00:28:59,370 --> 00:29:02,950
the Morgellons fibers don't
look anything like cotton
569
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,750
or nylon or anything like that.
570
00:29:05,870 --> 00:29:09,290
So I sort of was puzzled
571
00:29:09,450 --> 00:29:12,080
by that, being a scientist.
572
00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:14,000
So, in my own mind,
573
00:29:14,001 --> 00:29:17,369
I was convinced that there was
a biological component to this,
574
00:29:17,370 --> 00:29:18,500
and not a delusion.
575
00:29:19,750 --> 00:29:23,250
My initial hypothesis
was: there has to be
576
00:29:23,370 --> 00:29:25,160
a bacterial, fungal,
577
00:29:25,290 --> 00:29:28,000
some sort of agent
that's triggering these,
578
00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,040
that could be
producing the fibers.
579
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,970
It actually looks now like
whatever the microorganisms
580
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,500
are that are causing
Morgellons disease,
581
00:29:38,700 --> 00:29:41,160
they sort of cause the person's
582
00:29:41,370 --> 00:29:44,000
cells to actually
produce these fibers.
583
00:29:44,091 --> 00:29:49,039
SHATNER: The Morgellons
Research Foundation estimates
584
00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,290
that more than 14,000
people worldwide
585
00:29:52,450 --> 00:29:54,250
are afflicted with the disease.
586
00:29:55,660 --> 00:29:57,650
The bizarre condition
made headlines
587
00:29:57,700 --> 00:29:59,620
when folk singer Joni Mitchell
588
00:29:59,790 --> 00:30:01,500
announced that she suffers
589
00:30:01,660 --> 00:30:04,040
from Morgellons'
debilitating effects.
590
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,870
And even suggests
that it may have
591
00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,160
originated in outer space.
592
00:30:10,330 --> 00:30:14,080
We know from stories
of alien abductions,
593
00:30:14,250 --> 00:30:16,910
from stories of alien
contact, that there are
594
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:19,660
effects that people
are experiencing
595
00:30:19,830 --> 00:30:21,330
from those contacts.
596
00:30:21,450 --> 00:30:24,830
The question is whether
there is a relationship
597
00:30:24,950 --> 00:30:27,040
between Morgellons disease
598
00:30:27,250 --> 00:30:30,450
and contact with aliens
or an alien presence.
599
00:30:30,451 --> 00:30:35,749
SHATNER: While some have
suggested that Morgellons disease
600
00:30:35,750 --> 00:30:37,860
has come from outer
space, due to the fact
601
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:40,410
that there's nothing
else like it on Earth,
602
00:30:40,540 --> 00:30:42,450
the reality is
603
00:30:42,620 --> 00:30:44,330
no one really knows
604
00:30:44,500 --> 00:30:47,450
what causes the presence
of these strange fibers
605
00:30:47,580 --> 00:30:51,200
or how the malady
is transmitted.
606
00:30:51,201 --> 00:30:54,079
And for those afflicted
with the agonizing condition,
607
00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:57,000
finding the origins
of this disease
608
00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:00,830
isn't nearly as important
as finding a cure.
609
00:31:00,950 --> 00:31:05,000
Too many people that I
talked to, people are crying
610
00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,500
because they can't get help.
611
00:31:07,700 --> 00:31:10,410
The doctors tell
them they're crazy.
612
00:31:10,540 --> 00:31:13,950
And it is a bad feeling
to actually be told that.
613
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,700
If you don't start treating it,
614
00:31:16,870 --> 00:31:19,330
it's gonna get worse
for a lot of people.
615
00:31:19,500 --> 00:31:21,950
And this is not good.
616
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:26,700
Whether Morgellons
disease is caused by a fungus,
617
00:31:26,870 --> 00:31:29,370
something from outer
space, or something
618
00:31:29,540 --> 00:31:31,160
yet to be determined,
619
00:31:31,330 --> 00:31:33,860
the idea of being infected
with an alien organism
620
00:31:33,950 --> 00:31:37,330
is profoundly unnerving.
621
00:31:37,540 --> 00:31:42,410
But it's not as terrifying as
another mysterious ailment
622
00:31:42,580 --> 00:31:45,870
that causes the
body to act as if it is...
623
00:31:46,830 --> 00:31:48,870
...possessed.
624
00:31:55,830 --> 00:31:59,910
SHATNER: Preeminent
neuropsychiatrist Dr. Kurt Goldstein
625
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:03,500
publishes a shocking
report on the first known case
626
00:32:03,620 --> 00:32:06,500
of a truly bizarre disease.
627
00:32:07,700 --> 00:32:09,950
With this rare
medical condition,
628
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,120
patients lose complete
control of one of their hands.
629
00:32:13,290 --> 00:32:16,870
The hand acts independently,
630
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,160
as if possessed by
an otherworldly force.
631
00:32:21,330 --> 00:32:25,410
It's known as alien
hand syndrome.
632
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:31,450
Alien hand syndrome was
discovered as early as 1908,
633
00:32:31,620 --> 00:32:34,120
uh, by Dr. Kurt Goldstein,
634
00:32:34,330 --> 00:32:38,830
uh, when he was examining
a 57-year-old woman.
635
00:32:38,831 --> 00:32:41,409
And this was something
that, up until that time,
636
00:32:41,410 --> 00:32:44,660
was probably put down
to some kind of madness,
637
00:32:44,870 --> 00:32:49,500
and today, it is considered
to be a very important subject
638
00:32:49,700 --> 00:32:52,350
to try and understand
within the medical community.
639
00:32:52,450 --> 00:32:56,080
Alien hand syndrome
is something where
640
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,000
people's hands,
generally the left hand,
641
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,450
takes on a life of its own
642
00:33:02,660 --> 00:33:04,370
and can quite literally
643
00:33:04,580 --> 00:33:08,620
act independently to
your conscious thoughts.
644
00:33:08,750 --> 00:33:12,660
One example would be,
you go and turn on a light,
645
00:33:12,750 --> 00:33:16,790
but then your other hand
reaches up and turns it off.
646
00:33:16,910 --> 00:33:20,000
But more
disturbingly is the fact
647
00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:22,620
that these hands can
also be quite malevolent.
648
00:33:25,450 --> 00:33:30,290
REUBEN: Sometimes, people are
forced to have their hands restricted
649
00:33:30,450 --> 00:33:33,330
because, otherwise,
that hand could
650
00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:36,910
start to strangle them or
attack them in some way.
651
00:33:37,910 --> 00:33:41,120
Scientists still don't know what
causes alien hand syndrome
652
00:33:41,121 --> 00:33:42,949
and whether there's
anything that can be done
653
00:33:42,950 --> 00:33:44,290
as a cure for it.
654
00:33:44,450 --> 00:33:47,540
Alien hand syndrome
is a very scary
655
00:33:47,700 --> 00:33:50,700
and, at this point, completely
unexplained disease.
656
00:33:50,701 --> 00:33:54,499
SHATNER: Since it was first
discovered over a century ago,
657
00:33:54,500 --> 00:33:59,700
there have been 424 published
cases of alien hand syndrome.
658
00:33:59,870 --> 00:34:02,040
Patients report
hands that seem to be
659
00:34:02,250 --> 00:34:05,370
under the control of an
independent intelligence.
660
00:34:05,500 --> 00:34:08,330
In fact, it has
led some patients
661
00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:11,620
to give their hand
a name of its own.
662
00:34:12,540 --> 00:34:14,950
While a singular
cause of this affliction
663
00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:16,910
has not been identified,
664
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,580
most doctors
believe a brain injury
665
00:34:19,790 --> 00:34:22,370
may trigger these
bizarre symptoms.
666
00:34:23,700 --> 00:34:27,910
The human brain is
composed of two hemispheres,
667
00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,540
left and a right.
668
00:34:29,700 --> 00:34:34,250
Usually, the logic part is
on your left hemisphere.
669
00:34:34,450 --> 00:34:36,800
The artistic part is on
your right hemisphere.
670
00:34:36,870 --> 00:34:41,660
The two hemispheres are
connected by a bundle of tissues
671
00:34:41,790 --> 00:34:44,870
called the corpus callosum.
672
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,790
We know that head injuries
673
00:34:47,950 --> 00:34:51,250
that damage the corpus callosum
674
00:34:51,410 --> 00:34:55,290
caused one part of the
body to operate independently
675
00:34:55,410 --> 00:34:57,410
from another part of the body.
676
00:34:57,580 --> 00:35:01,250
There are medical
examples of this dating back
677
00:35:01,410 --> 00:35:04,120
all the way from the
beginning of the 20th century.
678
00:35:04,121 --> 00:35:07,829
SHATNER: The possibility
of losing control of your body
679
00:35:07,830 --> 00:35:09,750
due to a problem
inside the brain
680
00:35:09,910 --> 00:35:12,200
is undoubtedly terrifying.
681
00:35:12,370 --> 00:35:15,750
But some experts point out
that a similar phenomenon
682
00:35:15,870 --> 00:35:18,040
also occurs in nature.
683
00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:22,500
It's a bizarre infection
caused by an invasive fungus
684
00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,580
that takes over an
organism's mind,
685
00:35:25,700 --> 00:35:29,750
transforming them
into real-life zombies.
686
00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,120
There are strange
accounts of insects,
687
00:35:34,250 --> 00:35:38,330
and ants specifically,
who kind of get overtaken
688
00:35:38,540 --> 00:35:41,450
by this fungus called
Ophiocordyceps.
689
00:35:42,450 --> 00:35:44,620
And it goes into their
system and it drills
690
00:35:44,660 --> 00:35:46,290
through the exoskeleton.
691
00:35:46,450 --> 00:35:48,500
It kind of gets into
their bloodstream,
692
00:35:48,700 --> 00:35:52,000
and it creates a
kind of nerve toxin,
693
00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:54,390
and it eventually kind
of controls the ants.
694
00:35:54,450 --> 00:35:56,830
Almost to the point
where some of the ants
695
00:35:56,910 --> 00:35:58,530
will then go and kill themselves
696
00:35:58,540 --> 00:36:02,450
or climb up a tree and
become completely useless.
697
00:36:02,620 --> 00:36:05,200
We don't really
understand exactly how
698
00:36:05,370 --> 00:36:08,750
the fungus is manipulating
the insects to want to do things
699
00:36:08,751 --> 00:36:10,619
that is not in
their best interest,
700
00:36:10,620 --> 00:36:12,910
but it's clearly
what's happening.
701
00:36:14,040 --> 00:36:18,330
Insects are relatively simple
organisms compared to a human.
702
00:36:18,410 --> 00:36:20,700
And so, we can
kind of write this off
703
00:36:20,870 --> 00:36:23,580
as "just something that
happens in the insect world."
704
00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:27,700
But it does raise the question
of, if a human was ever infected
705
00:36:27,870 --> 00:36:30,700
with something similar,
what would that look like?
706
00:36:30,870 --> 00:36:33,290
There's an analogy
that can kind of be drawn
707
00:36:33,410 --> 00:36:37,290
between zombie insects
and alien hand syndrome.
708
00:36:38,660 --> 00:36:41,490
COLLINS: What's so worrying
about alien hand syndrome
709
00:36:41,540 --> 00:36:44,290
is that the hand
itself seems to be
710
00:36:44,450 --> 00:36:46,410
a separate personality
711
00:36:46,580 --> 00:36:49,450
and is working
against the individual,
712
00:36:49,580 --> 00:36:52,000
almost as if it's possessed.
713
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,910
And if it can be
possessed, is it possible
714
00:36:56,080 --> 00:37:02,160
that this could be due to some
kind of outside interference?
715
00:37:02,290 --> 00:37:04,450
Could we possibly be taken over
716
00:37:04,580 --> 00:37:06,950
by some kind of
alien intelligence?
717
00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,540
PAUL HYNEK:
There's an outside force
718
00:37:09,750 --> 00:37:12,870
controlling part of their
biology, part of their body.
719
00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,750
This may seem very strange,
720
00:37:16,751 --> 00:37:19,699
but I'm inclined to believe
that there are other forces
721
00:37:19,700 --> 00:37:22,950
that affect our behavior that
we really haven't discovered yet.
722
00:37:22,951 --> 00:37:26,249
SHATNER: What will we
learn about bizarre illnesses
723
00:37:26,250 --> 00:37:28,750
that continue to
defy explanation?
724
00:37:28,870 --> 00:37:32,160
Some believe the answer
has already been found.
725
00:37:32,330 --> 00:37:35,700
Because according to a
recent report, organizations
726
00:37:35,701 --> 00:37:38,449
around the world appear
to take the threat of potential
727
00:37:38,450 --> 00:37:42,080
alien contagions very seriously,
728
00:37:42,250 --> 00:37:46,200
including the United
States government.
729
00:37:52,331 --> 00:37:56,619
SHATNER: Here you'll
find the headquarters
730
00:37:56,620 --> 00:38:00,330
of the Mutual UFO
Network, or MUFON,
731
00:38:00,540 --> 00:38:05,370
the largest and oldest civilian
UFO organization in the world.
732
00:38:05,540 --> 00:38:08,620
As part of its mission,
MUFON has compiled
733
00:38:08,790 --> 00:38:11,500
thousands of reports
on UFO sightings
734
00:38:11,660 --> 00:38:14,200
dating as far back as 1873.
735
00:38:14,370 --> 00:38:17,330
And according to
MUFON's investigators,
736
00:38:17,500 --> 00:38:19,830
the data they've
collected reveals
737
00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:22,410
something quite shocking.
738
00:38:22,580 --> 00:38:25,500
A significant number
of people have reported
739
00:38:25,620 --> 00:38:27,700
becoming seriously ill
740
00:38:27,870 --> 00:38:32,450
immediately following a
close encounter experience.
741
00:38:33,700 --> 00:38:36,160
PAIGE: Being an
investigator with MUFON
742
00:38:36,330 --> 00:38:38,140
and talking with
countless people
743
00:38:38,141 --> 00:38:39,829
and conducting
a lot of interviews,
744
00:38:39,830 --> 00:38:42,790
there are some commonalities
between these people
745
00:38:42,950 --> 00:38:47,120
dealing with anomalies, or
if people have encounters.
746
00:38:47,330 --> 00:38:50,500
The obvious one is like
the PTSD symptoms.
747
00:38:50,700 --> 00:38:53,000
Just the feeling of isolation.
748
00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,500
You'll often have
a lot of symptoms
749
00:38:55,620 --> 00:38:58,370
that are, uh, attached to
maybe a radiation burn,
750
00:38:58,500 --> 00:39:00,250
a radiation sickness.
751
00:39:00,370 --> 00:39:03,160
Headaches is a
big one. Hair loss.
752
00:39:03,250 --> 00:39:04,660
Rashes.
753
00:39:04,870 --> 00:39:07,410
Vomiting. Um, not
being able to sleep.
754
00:39:07,580 --> 00:39:09,580
Weight loss.
These kind of things.
755
00:39:09,581 --> 00:39:13,289
SHATNER: While MUFON
investigates the connection
756
00:39:13,290 --> 00:39:16,120
between UFO encounters
and bizarre illnesses,
757
00:39:16,290 --> 00:39:17,950
they are not alone
758
00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:20,540
because this phenomenon
759
00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:24,870
has also caught the attention
of the U.S. government.
760
00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:30,080
In 2022, a FOIA request
revealed a shocking document
761
00:39:30,290 --> 00:39:32,870
from the U.S. Defense
Intelligence Agency
762
00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:37,500
titled "Anomalous Acute
and Subacute Field Effects
763
00:39:37,700 --> 00:39:40,790
on Human Biological Tissues."
764
00:39:40,791 --> 00:39:43,699
And according to the report,
the United States government
765
00:39:43,700 --> 00:39:47,790
is actively tracking
mysterious illnesses
766
00:39:47,910 --> 00:39:52,080
in people who've
encountered anomalous crafts.
767
00:39:52,250 --> 00:39:56,000
The U.S. Defense Intelligence
Agency had this secret report
768
00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,790
that was released with some
rather astonishing revelations.
769
00:39:59,950 --> 00:40:03,370
Revelations that people
that have claimed to have
770
00:40:03,580 --> 00:40:06,540
come down with diseases
and malfunctions of the body,
771
00:40:06,700 --> 00:40:09,830
have registered
all sorts of illnesses
772
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:12,660
that seem to come out
of encounters that people
773
00:40:12,830 --> 00:40:15,660
have claimed with
aliens from outer space.
774
00:40:16,700 --> 00:40:19,950
REUBEN: This Defense
Intelligence report is 1,500 pages long,
775
00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:22,620
and it described
ailments like headaches,
776
00:40:22,790 --> 00:40:25,000
brain damage, nerve damage,
777
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:28,830
and something that's described
as an unexplained pregnancy.
778
00:40:28,950 --> 00:40:30,580
And so,
779
00:40:30,581 --> 00:40:32,659
it makes sense that the
Defense Intelligence Agencies
780
00:40:32,660 --> 00:40:35,120
would want to know more
about what could happen
781
00:40:35,250 --> 00:40:38,870
when humans interact with
organisms from someplace else.
782
00:40:39,910 --> 00:40:42,700
PAIGE: I think it's
important that this is studied
783
00:40:42,870 --> 00:40:45,040
and looked at and
taken seriously because
784
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,290
we're talking about the
health of people here.
785
00:40:48,500 --> 00:40:52,660
Disease, sicknesses,
mental health, physical health.
786
00:40:53,700 --> 00:40:56,000
And when you have
this much evidence
787
00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:59,290
and body of people that
are suffering these ill effects,
788
00:40:59,450 --> 00:41:02,500
then it needs to be
taken very seriously.
789
00:41:02,700 --> 00:41:05,750
So, if you look at the
idea of aliens coming,
790
00:41:05,751 --> 00:41:07,869
we have to imagine
that the greatest threat
791
00:41:07,870 --> 00:41:09,660
would be a disease they bring.
792
00:41:09,870 --> 00:41:12,450
It could be a pathogen
on their spaceship.
793
00:41:12,620 --> 00:41:15,160
It could be
something else entirely
794
00:41:15,290 --> 00:41:16,790
that they were traveling with.
795
00:41:17,540 --> 00:41:20,750
Even if they're super
friendly, if we don't notice that
796
00:41:20,910 --> 00:41:23,380
and take care of that,
we could still be wiped out.
797
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,450
Obviously, it's pretty
disturbing to think
798
00:41:27,620 --> 00:41:30,160
that people are getting
sick from interactions
799
00:41:30,370 --> 00:41:33,450
with unidentified
aerial phenomena.
800
00:41:33,580 --> 00:41:35,660
And if it's true that
the U.S. government
801
00:41:35,830 --> 00:41:38,500
is tracking alien illnesses
among the population,
802
00:41:38,700 --> 00:41:41,410
let's think about the
pressing question it raises,
803
00:41:41,540 --> 00:41:45,910
should we be
comforted or concerned
804
00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:47,380
by what they've learned?
805
00:41:47,540 --> 00:41:49,910
Either way, it's a
stark reminder that,
806
00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:52,000
even in the age of
modern medicine,
807
00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,160
we are vulnerable to a
variety of maladies that,
808
00:41:55,290 --> 00:41:58,120
for the time being, remain...
809
00:41:58,290 --> 00:41:59,950
unexplained.
810
00:41:59,951 --> 00:42:02,169
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