All language subtitles for The.Proof.Is.Out.There.S04E14.Classic.UFO.Headless.Zombie.Fish.and.Crying.Virgin.Mary.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

Tonight, on The
Proof Is Out There.

A reconnaissance plane
captures an image

that makes UFO history.

Some people have called this
the best UFO photo of all time.

Was a deaf
nun miraculously cured

by this weeping statue?

The Our Lady of Akita
statue has been puzzling us

for more than half a century.

Look out above.

Are aliens targeting
SpaceX missions?

This could be an explicit
declaration of war.

And there's no way
this video is real, right?

The thing is missing its head,
but there it is swimming around.

Like, how could that be true?

Around the
globe are videos.

What
are those things?

It's moving.

Photos and sounds
that defy explanation.

We don't know
where they come from,

who made them, or
how they operate.

What are they?

Some sort of
bizarre mutation.

What's exciting
is nobody really knows.

Extraordinary claims
need extraordinary proof.

I'm Tony Harris

and as a journalist
for more than 30 years,

I've followed the facts
where they take me.

Now, I'm bringing that
spirit of investigation

to the world's strangest
sounds and images.

We'll analyze each
one with top experts.

It's a credible case,
it's a credible video.

And pass a
verdict on what it is.

This video was clearly faked.

The proof starts now.

Good evening and welcome
to The Proof Is Out There.

Our first story tonight
takes us back to 1979

when Jimmy Carter was president,

disco ruled the pop charts,

and I had hair.

It was in that same year

that one of Italy's most famous
UFO incidents took place,

and more than four
decades later,

we're still talking about it.

It's June 18th, 1979.

Pilot Marshall Giancarlo Cecconi

is flying his Fiat G.91
reconnaissance aircraft

outfitted with four cameras.

They're about to come in handy.

Around 11:30 a.m.,

Cecconi receives a
radio transmission

indicating the radar
crew at Istrana Airfield

has detected an unidentified
object at low altitude.

When Cecconi
encounters the object,

he uses the aircraft's cameras

to capture some of the most
puzzling UFO photos ever taken.

It's this strange,
cylindrical-shaped object.

He says it sort of looks
like a semi-squashed cigar.

The sides of it are black.

However, the middle
section and the top

are a slightly lighter color

and it seems to just
be floating in the air.

Now, this object is
reportedly 20 to 25 feet long

and around 10 feet wide
with a dull, dark surface.

And importantly,
the alleged craft

seems completely unaffected
by the turbulence thrown

from the plane's
formidable jet wash.

When the object begins
climbing, Cecconi pursues,

speeding past it as he
sets up another photo run.

But when he returns, the object
has vanished into thin air.

Strange, sure, but this
is nothing new for Italy.

Italy has a long
history of UFO reports.

Pentagon
whistleblower David Grusch

has recently reiterated
Italian claims

that Mussolini had
a secret UFO program

which recovered at
least one downed craft.

Grusch says that when the
Axis fell to Allied forces,

the Allies confiscated
the alien craft

and shipped it stateside.

Sound incredible? How
about another incident

with a few thousand
eyewitnesses?

One of the most famous
cases in Italian UFO history

occurred in 1954.

There was a big soccer
match in Florence

and a crowd of 10,000
people looked up

and saw these strange objects
flying over the stadium.

Some accounts
claimed the objects dropped

a glitter-like substance

and others describe the
objects as looking like,

you guessed it, a Cuban cigar.

But as MJ Banias points out,

this cigar-shaped sighting
has something others may lack.

This case has a
lot going for it

from a credibility perspective.

One, you have a fighter
pilot who knows the sky.

He knows what should and
shouldn't be up there.

All pilots are trained to
be aware of their surroundings

and to be on the lookout
for something unusual.

Plus, the pilots who flew the
Fiat G.91 reconnaissance plane

had very specialized training

to observe, record, and
report with critical detail.

Could we have a better witness?

Let's see how our
experts do with this one.

Rich Hoffman of the Scientific
Coalition for UAP Studies

begins his evaluation
of Cecconi's sighting.

Nobody's had craft that
are cylindrical like this

without wings, without
any typical structures

that we normally
see on aircraft.

But it has positive lift.

There's no propulsion
system on it

and yet, it's up in the air.

And as
astrophotographer

Andrew McCarthy points out,

it did manage quite
a disappearing act.

One of the most peculiar
things about this object,

it went from being
stationary in midair

to vanishing without a trace.

In order to accelerate out
of this area that quickly,

it would've to have
some kind of propulsion

that didn't exist in 1979

and certainly doesn't
still exist today.

Some have speculated

it could be a secret
military test craft,

but McCarthy doesn't
see the logic.

You would think if this was
some secret military craft,

they would've known what it was

and not sent a fighter
pilot to go document it.

So we turn
to another theory,

that this object
was a solar balloon.

This actually
really closely resembles

a solar balloon.

Solar balloons are made
with black materials

so that they can
absorb the sun's energy

so that they heat up the
air and begin to float.

As Hoffman points out,

the balloon theory
does also explain

the sudden disappearing act.

When it disappeared off radar,

was that because the balloon
blew up and disintegrated?

But one piece
of the balloon puzzle

just doesn't fit.

The object's stability

in the face of Cecconi's
roaring jet wash.

In order to not be affected
by the aircraft's turbulence,

this object would've
had to be tethered

from at least three
different locations.

That way, it would be
stationary in the sky

and not move at all.

Despite being photographed
from multiple angles,

not a single tether is visible

in these photographs
of this object.

It's really hard
to say for sure.

Our verdict? Genuine UFO.

At first glance, everything
about these pictures indicates

we are looking at some
kind of massive balloon.

But the pilot's testimony

about the object's bizarre
stability in the jet wash

poses far more questions
than we have answers for.

Now, let's move from
the sky to heaven.

Statues of the Virgin
Mary that appear to cry

have become pilgrimage
sites for true believers.

Are these real acts of
God or underhanded hoaxes?

When it comes to our next story,

even official investigators
have been left befuddled.

It's the summer of 1973 in
the outskirts of Akita, Japan.

42-year-old novice nun
Sister Agnes Sasagawa

has just joined a
Catholic convent.

When she arrives, the former
Buddhist is totally deaf.

That June, she reportedly
sees brilliant lights

suddenly coming
from the tabernacle

where the chapel's
Eucharist is stored.

A couple of weeks later, a
cross-shaped wound showed up

on the inside left
palm of her hand,

bleeding profusely and
causing her a lot of pain.

Then, on July 6th, she
actually heard a voice

coming from the
Virgin Mary statue.

And how she heard
it was profound.

The voice said, "Be patient.

Your deafness will
soon be healed."

Later, on the
same day that Sister Agnes

miraculously hears the
voice with her deaf ears,

the nuns notice what
they believe to be blood

flowing from a wound on
this three-foot-tall statue

of the Virgin Mary.

On four different occasions,

the act of blood
flow repeated itself

from the Virgin Mary
statue's right hand.

On September 29th, the day
that the blood disappeared,

what the sisters then noticed
was sweat that started to emerge

from the forehead and
neck of the statue.

It also began to give off
this scent of sweet roses.

In Catholicism,

red roses represent
Christ's passion

and white roses symbolize
the Virgin Mary's purity.

More than a year
later, in January 1975,

is when the statue
begins to weep.

It's seen crying
around 100 times

over the next 6.5 years.

Many Catholics across
the world believe

that the tears that come
from the Virgin Mary

are said to be crying over
the sins of the world.

This is Mary's way
of having empathy

for the sins and the sinners.

As Our Lady of
Akita had promised,

in 1982, Sister Agnes
suddenly and permanently

was cured of her deafness.

What's more, after eight years
of in-depth investigations,

the local bishop recognized
the supernatural character

of the mysterious events
that happened at the shrine.

The entire diocese now
venerates the statue.

So, was this all
truly an act of God,

or was this something
else entirely?

Dr. Ed Hope considers that
these strange incidents

could have a natural,
biological explanation.

There have been findings
that crying Virgin Mary statues

are happening through natural

rather than supernatural events.

Like the materials used
to create these statues

may build up condensation

which might cool and then
look like tears or even sweat.

There's also been
instances of fraud

where people would
actually put tears

or blood on themselves.

And Hope adds,

there's also another,
more sophisticated way

to pull off a hoax.

One of the other
methods to fake this

would be to make a
duct system behind

where fluid would
be drawn through.

And by making a small incision

near where the tear
duct would open up,

it gives the impression

that the tears are
coming from the eyes.

But Catholic miracle
researcher Michael O'Neill

says a thorough investigation
of Our Lady of Akita

has eliminated some
of these fraudulent

or accidental explanations.

When investigators
looked at this statute,

they tried to rule out internal
duct work or a leaky pipe

or somebody sneaking
in with an eye dropper

and dropping these
tears on the statue.

But this tear
started and stopped

with witnesses from
the very beginning

at the end of these occurrences.

In addition, the
sculptor has confirmed

the statue was made from one
solid piece of dry hard wood,

so there are no joints
where piping could be added.

O'Neill says scientists also did

a thorough examination
of the statue.

Here's a closeup of
this weeping statue

of the Virgin Mary.

Scientists have validated
as them being human tears

coming from this wooden statue.

O'Neill adds
that the other fluids

have also been tested.

They tested the tears,
the blood, and the sweat

emanating from the statue.

They found that it was from
group AB, group B, and group O.

And in doing so they also
identified that it didn't match

that of Sister Agnes Sasagawa,

the mystic who was
claiming these experiences.

O'Neill believes it
only leads to one conclusion.

I personally consider
the supernatural events

that are claimed with Our
Lady of Akita in Japan

to be perhaps one of the
greatest instances of miracles

that the Catholic Church
has ever examined.

Our verdict? We are going to
call this a possible miracle.

The obvious explanations
have been eliminated.

The local bishop and the
estimated 2,000 people

who witnessed the
Lady of Akita's tears

certainly think God
is involved here.

What about you?

Since its first rocket
achieved orbit in 2008,

SpaceX has continued to innovate

and push the boundary
of space exploration.

And while CEO Elon Musk
hopes to bring humans to Mars

as soon as 2029,

video from one SpaceX
mission has raised concerns

about what might await
us in the final frontier.

Eject and liftoff.

It's April 23rd, 2021.

SpaceX's spacecraft Endeavour

is on its way to the
International Space Station.

12 minutes after liftoff,

the capsule containing
four astronauts

separates from the
rocket's second stage.

But as the crew back at NASA

applauds the
successful uncoupling,

the livestream camera captures
something truly shocking.

A foreign object can be seen
floating through the gap,

missing the craft
by mere seconds.

The object is round, though
not a perfect sphere,

and it appears to
be black in color

but its details are
shrouded in shadow.

It looks like if
they hadn't separated

in the nick of time, it would've
impacted the spacecraft.

And no one knows what it is.

It's not an object anyone
was tracking in orbit,

so no one knew that it
was going to be there.

One theory
that gains traction

is that the object is
some sort of scout UFO

that originally came
from a larger UFO.

Basically, the idea
is that alien craft

are exploring our planet

and instead of landing
with the mothership,

they're launching these small
reconnaissance vehicles,

which is not that dissimilar

to how we've explored
our own solar system.

Think
that's too out there?

Consider that Sean Kirkpatrick,

former Head of the
Pentagon's UFO Office,

and Harvard
astrophysicist Avi Loeb

wrote a paper to
support the theory.

But what could be drawing
the interstellar attention?

Our use of space used to be
just scientific exploration,

but now we've got space tourism,

we've got early militarization.

In fact, 2022 saw a
record 180 rocket launches.

Some might wonder

whether extraterrestrials
are getting concerned

that we're starting to really
encroach on their territory.

SpaceX is reportedly involved

in over half of all
near misses in space.

Many of all SpaceX's
Starlink project,

an unmanned satellite
internet network.

But a near miss
with a spacecraft

carrying four astronauts?

Now we're talking
about human lives.

So is something
targeting our spacecraft?

Our experts are on a collision
course with the truth.

Before we embrace an exotic
theory like alien space probes,

we first ask Tim McMillan if
this could be a hostile act

from a rival human military.

As Sci-Fi as it sounds,

he says multiple
countries have considered

placing weapons in space.

In the late 1970s,

the Soviet Union
did a experiment

with something called the Almaz,

which was putting a
23-millimeter cannon

on one of their
satellite systems

to give it an
offensive capability.

And in the 1980s,

as part of President
Reagan's Star Wars initiative,

was a classified program
called Brilliant Pebbles

and the idea behind it was

to place various
missile systems in orbit

as a defensive and
offensive capability.

But McMillan
doesn't think

this foreign object is
from a foreign power.

If someone had fired
a weapon at the capsule,

we would know,

because a satellite
system that's firing

some type of projectiles
would certainly be noticeable

to the other space-based
sensor systems

that are already in place.

What about another
manmade object, a satellite?

It's got none of the
physical characteristics

of a satellite, like
the large solar sail,

in addition to the fact
that satellite systems

are on known trajectory paths

and you certainly
wouldn't have run the risk

of an impact from a satellite.

So it's definitely
not a satellite.

Taking
into consideration

this object's organic shape,

we ask astronomer Marc D'Antonio
if it could be a meteor.

This might actually be about
the right size for a meteor.

The only problem is that
meteors hit the Earth

at thousands and thousands
of miles per hour,

and this thing is just lazily
floating through the view,

so that wouldn't be the case.

Then could it
simply be space junk?

Scientists estimate
orbiting the Earth

are about 13,000
pieces of debris

bigger than a soft softball,

100,000 bigger than a penny,

and tens of millions of
pieces even smaller than that.

Space is cluttered.

There could come a time when
it will be very dangerous

for us to try and
leave our planet.

But in this particular case,
probably not space junk,

and the reason comes
down to the fact that

you can see it passing
in front of this,

which is part of
the rocket itself.

Phew, that means this
is a small, tiny object

that got loose, probably from
the inside of the rocket

during the staging process,

where this stage moves
away from this stage.

And McMillan
says this would explain

the radar omission.

That's one reason that you
wouldn't have picked it up

as any type of space junk

is because it actually traveled
with the rocket into space.

Our verdict? We are
leaning toward rocket debris

that broke off from
the second stage,

though we can't say for certain

which piece of
the rocket it was.

It's sad to hear that pollution

is becoming a problem in
space like it is on Earth.

Thankfully, NASA is well
equipped to help spacecraft

dodge most of the debris

with a meticulous
catalog of 27,000 objects

in Earth's orbit.

We have all heard
the expression,

"running around like a chicken
with its head cut off."

But what about swimming around
like a fish with no head?

Haven't heard that one?

Well, it might catch on
after our next video.

November 2021, Oxbow
Lake, Bangladesh.

Recent college grad Rayyan Rafat

is getting ready to go
fishing with his family

when he spots something
horrifyingly strange

swimming towards him.

He pulls out his camera
and records this.

A fish swimming
gracefully in the water

completely devoid of its head.

Surprisingly, the
creature's acting naturally

and seems to be perfectly fine,

other than the fact that
it's been decapitated.

It was quite shocking
because we never saw

a headless fish
ever in our lives.

Neither did the locals.

How is this fish still alive?

This absolutely creeped us out.

Field researcher
Cliff Barackman

takes a look at this
baffling footage

that's been viewed over
three million times

on social media.

So people would
automatically wonder, like,

is this some sort of
strange mutant fish

that can live without its head?

There are a lot of
different fish in the world

and a lot of these
species of fish

can do some pretty
amazing things.

The Antarctic
toothfish, for example,

can swim through freezing
cold water and not die

because they have some
sort of natural antifreeze

in their blood.

And the black swallower
can actually swallow prey

10 times their size.

So could this be some
kind of amazing, undead fish

that can function
without a head?

Chickens, cockroaches,
snakes, and even turtles

have all been documented to
live moments past decapitation.

Well, as crazy as it sounds,

Barackman says the idea
that we are looking

at some type of zombie fish

has gained significant
popularity online.

Zombies have just really
infiltrated our culture

in a lot of ways.

Anything that lives
beyond its seeming death,

of course, nowadays,
we would say,

"Oh, that's very zombie-like."

According to Barackman,

the fantastical concept that
a zombie could be created

by a virus that
animates dead flesh

has some roots in reality.

He points to one specific
zombie-inducing parasite

that starts its possession
cycle in the water.

Euhaplorchis californiensis
is a saltwater parasite

that lives in marshes.

It finds a fish and
it goes into the brain

and then changes its behavior

to make it swim
more erratically.

The fish, which is
now under the physical control

of the parasite, makes
these erratic movements

in the hope that it will
attract a hungry bird

and be swallowed up,

a necessary step for
the parasite to spread.

And now the parasite is
living inside the bird.

The bird will eventually poop

and the poop will
be eaten by snails,

a new host in which to breed.

The snails' offspring
finds another fish,

and that is how
these animals live.

On a previous episode,

we took a look at a
fish's severed head

that was still actively biting

long after it was
separated from its body.

Could we be looking at a similar
phenomenon but in reverse?

Let's see what's swimming
around in our experts' heads.

We first checked in

with our video forensic
analyst, Michael Primeau,

to make sure what we're
looking at here is real.

We weren't able to
identify any particular tool

that had manipulated it

or any evidence that
it was manipulated.

From a general point of view,
this file appears to be genuine.

There are no inconsistencies
or evidence of CGI

that I'm alarmed with.

According to Primeau,
whatever this is, it's real.

So we went to biologist Floyd
Hayes to see if he thought

we could be looking at some
parasite-controlled zombie fish.

This cannot be an example
of a parasitic infection

because there's no head
for a parasite to infect.

What I think happened is the
head was severed by a predator,

or by the propeller
blade of a boat,

and it's still able to swim
for a while before it dies.

Marine biologist Shea
Steingass agrees with Hayes

that this fish definitely
encountered some mishap.

But there might be a little
more here than meets the eye,

or in this case, eyes.

It appears to
be a plecostomus.

Plecostomus, or plecos,
are very tough.

We can actually see
what appear to be

the eye sockets of this fish.

The brainstem of these
animals is actually located

behind the eye sockets,

so as long as it has
basic parts of its brain

and central nervous
system in place,

it can survive for
quite a period of time

until it essentially runs
out of calories from eating.

And it still has gills
and it still has muscles,

but it probably won't
live too much longer

based on what I'm seeing here.

Our verdict?
Natural phenomenon,

although a rather macabre one.

Thanks to an intact brainstem,

this fish is still
able to swim normally

for a finite amount of time.

And while our friend here

may have become a
viral internet star,

it doesn't look like
he'll be getting

ahead in life anytime soon.

In July of 2023,

a former military officer
testified to Congress

that the US has long had

a secret UFO crash
retrieval program.

If true, it means
that aliens exist

and that at least one
country's military

has access to their technology.

Is there an alien tech arms
race going on right now?

Some people think this
next video could be proof.

June 12th, 2015.

Quade Mott from
Greenwood, Indiana

is taking a leisurely
afternoon bike ride.

But when he looks up
at the overcast sky,

what he sees shocks him.

Emerging from the clouds
is a strange beam of light

that seems to shift erratically.

Let's take a closer look.

The beam doesn't seem to
emanate from the ground.

Instead, it seems to
be coming from the sky.

The beam ominously pulses
and changes direction,

leaving Quade unnerved.

I've never seen
anything like it before

and the way it kept
moving back and forth,

it looked like almost
like a lightning,

but it wouldn't go away,

it just kept moving and
stayed like in the same spot.

After
seeing the footage,

author Jason MartelL
says one theory

is that it's some kind of
advanced government tech.

Some people think
what we're seeing here

is some type of perhaps
a directed energy weapon.

Directed energy
weapons are usually

some type of a
high-powered system

that allows for sets of energy

to be focused on their target,

completely destroying the target

that it focuses its energy on.

There are
three main types

of directed energy
weapon systems.

Laser-based, which
date back to the 1960s,

radio frequencies such as
high-powered microwaves,

and particle beams, which
are still in development.

What they all have in common
is an ability to attack

with nothing but energy.

However, others have speculated
that what we're seeing

is actually extraterrestrials

attempting to
communicate with us

using the pulses
of the light beam

as a sort of
interstellar Morse code.

An author from NASA by
the name of Douglas Vakoch

theorized that our
first encounter

with some type of an
extraterrestrial civilization

would be utilizing some
type of a messaging system.

Even Albert Einstein suggested
that light rays might be used

as some easily
controllable method

to communicate with
some type of a non-human

or extraterrestrial
intelligence.

These aren't the first
strange energy pulses

to have been recorded
emerging from cloud cover.

Check out this 2011
video from Singapore.

Watch these pulses here.

Are they random and erratic,

or is it proof of
something intentional?

Is this some new
terrifying military tech,

or a signal from above?

Let's see what signals
our experts sent us.

But first, astronomer and
VFX artist Marc D'Antonio

investigates the theory

that we're looking at a
powerful directed energy weapon.

A directed energy weapon
shoots a beam of particles

in one direction.

They won't necessarily make
a beam like you see here.

This is because

the pulses created by
directed energy weapons,

like radio frequency systems,

use non-visible types of
energy such as microwaves.

You'd see a source and then
a result down at the bottom.

You may not see
anything in between

of a directed energy weapon.

So this doesn't have
the characteristics

of one of those
directed weapons.

Some speculate that
this could be a searchlight,

like the high-powered spotlights
found on police helicopters.

But D'Antonio isn't so sure.

Where would the source
of the searchlight be?

It'd be here in the
middle of a thundercloud.

If you're flying your
helicopter in a thundercloud,

you risk getting
your license pulled

because that's a dangerous,
irresponsible act.

According to our
meteorologist Juan Hernandez,

inside the
thundercloud is exactly

where we need to
search for answers.

Anytime there is a change
in the electrical charges

in the storm, particles
of ice that are on top

of the storm are
switching back and forth,

causing the light
being reflected

to change direction as well.

What we're looking at
here is a crown flash.

It's a meteorological
optical illusion.

Think of it as a
meteorological disco ball.

As the reflective ice moves,
so does the reflected light.

The reason we see
it wiggling back and forth

is because those ice platelets
that are on top of the storm

are changing quite
rapidly in direction.

Now, if they shift
one way or the other,

the light beam is
gonna change direction.

Hernandez looks
at the weather in Indiana

from that day and confirms
the conditions were perfect

to create a crown flash.

It was a hot, humid day,

which was perfect for
thunderstorm development.

Taking a look at the
satellite view, we see

those strong thunderstorms
across southern Indiana.

Now, all these thunderstorms

likely have crown
flashes ongoing.

It's just a matter of
whether somebody's there

to see them or not.

Our verdict? Gotta
go with crown flash.

No enemy military tech
or alien overtures,

just nature putting
on an incredible show.

But keep your eye on the skies.

If we do get a pulsing instant
message from another galaxy,

we don't wanna miss it.

Some people like to listen
to the sounds of nature

in order to calm down and relax,

but I'm pretty confident the
forest sounds in our next story

will have quite the
opposite effect.

It's September 2018 in
the Great Smoky Mountains.

A bird enthusiast is making
his way along the trail

when he suddenly hears this.

At first, many listeners
assume it's a buzz saw

starting and stopping.

However, there are no
known logging operations

happening in the area,

so another theory emerges.

Could it be the
trees themselves?

For centuries, stories
of living or magical trees

can be found all over the world.

You can find examples
in Greek mythology,

where you have creatures
like the dryads

who are forest spirits
that inhabit every tree.

And even in Arab folklore,

you can find examples of
djinns living in trees.

Recent
scientific discoveries

have revealed that these
legends of vocalizing trees

may have some actual
roots in reality.

Recent experiments in
Tel Aviv have even shown

that plants that are exposed
to painful pressures,

such as damage or dehydration,

can emit sounds.

The results of this experiment

could alter the way that we
think about the plant kingdom,

which has, up until now, often
been thought of as silent.

In the Smoky Mountains,

hemlock trees are under
attack from an invasive pest,

the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Some suggest that perhaps
out of desperation,

these plants are
attempting to create sounds

for human attention.

Is it possible that this
area is trying to communicate

and say, "Help"?

Scientists believe the Smoky
Mountains to be somewhere

between 200 and 300
million years old.

Some of the
full-grown trees there

are older than
half a millennium.

I would imagine if a
tree that old could talk,

it would have some pretty
fascinating things to say.

But for now, let's
listen to our experts.

NASA geologist Bob
Anderson confirms

that the hemlock trees
in the Smoky Mountains

may actually be
screaming for help.

There's research going on

that plants can
actually make sound.

The research recently happened
in Tel Aviv University

where they recorded
a tomato plant

in ultrasonic frequencies.

About up to 16 feet away,

they were still hearing this
clicking or popping sound.

It's not a rhythmic sound.

It usually happens when
the plant is low on water

or it has stem damage.

Some
scientists theorize

that these sounds are
being made by air bubbles

forming and bursting in the
plant's vascular systems.

And while plants and
certain other animals

may hear these sounds,
unfortunately, humans can't.

Most plant sounds

are into what we call
the ultrasonic rage,

which means that they're
very, very high pitched.

Humans cannot hear in
the ultrasonic spectrum.

And so if the trees
or if any plants

were making that kind of sound,

humans would not be
able to pick it up.

And as far
as a mechanical sound

such as a buzz saw,

Anderson says no way.

With a manmade sound like
a drill or construction,

the sounds are much
more consistent

and have a very narrow
frequency range.

This sound starts, stops,

goes up in pitch, it
goes down in pitch.

The most obvious thing would
be that it is biological.

And while
Anderson is a geologist

and not a wildlife biologist,

he has an educated guess
about which local creature

might be making this noise.

In the video, you can see
what appears to be a female elk.

Male elk can make a sound that's
very deep and very hollow

that comes out during
the mating season.

So I can almost come
to the conclusion

that there is a male
elk in the area.

Is it possible
that this otherworldly sound

is just a mating
call from a male elk?

We checked with forensic audio
analyst professor Rob Maher.

When the male elk are
trying to attract females,

they emit a sound that's
referred to as bugling,

and here's an example.

The frequency range
of the most energy

in these cases is very similar,

and then the duration
is very similar.

And that leads me
to the conclusion

the unknown sound
that we're hearing

is actually a bull elk bugling.

Making this sound
that they would make

to attract the females
in that season.

Our verdict? Bull
elk mating cry.

So no screaming trees
desperate for help this time,

just an obnoxiously loud
male elk desperate for love.

Renaissance artist
Leonardo da Vinci once said,

"The eyes are the
window of the soul."

But there's a man in Turkey

who's been challenging that
notion since he was 12,

and he just might be
able to teach Leonardo

a thing or two about painting.

March 2009, Ankara, Turkey.

Artist Esref Armagan is
at work in his studio.

He may look like an
ordinary painter,

but as the camera
films him working,

Esref reveals something
extraordinary

about his background.

Astonishingly,
Esref's work,

which he's shown painting
with his fingers on camera,

seems to display an
advanced understanding

of depth and perspective
using shading.

He also uses an impressive
array of vibrant colors

as seen in these
landscapes and still lives.

Esref's many
wondrous works of art

raise the question,

how can someone who
was born without sight

draw and paint objects
they've never seen?

Journalist Erin McCarthy says
it has long been established

that blind people can compensate
for their lack of sight

with enhanced hearing,
smell, taste, or touch.

One example of
sensory compensation

is when blind individuals master
the skill of echolocation.

There's a blind man
named Brian Bushway

who uses echolocation.

He will make these
clicking noises

and then use the
sound bouncing back

to orient himself within space.

Echolocation is used by
animals like dolphins and bats,

so the fact that a human can
do this too is pretty cool.

Another theory, could
the theoretical third eye,

also known as the mind's
eye, be at play here?

The third eye is
the sixth chakra

and it is said to be in the
middle of the brow or forehead.

In some
Eastern religions

like Buddhism and Hinduism,

chakras are thought
to be focal points

for different types of
energy throughout the body.

The third eye chakra is
sometimes referred to

as our sixth sense

and is said to be linked
to perception, awareness,

and communication
with the spirit world.

Opening up the third eye is
said to increase intuition,

spiritual perception, and
universal connection,

and helps you access information

beyond what we see
with our own eyes.

More than 300 years ago,

philosopher William Molyneux
pondered whether a blind person

who was suddenly able to see

would be able to
visually identify objects

which they previously
knew only by touch.

A study finally answered
the question in 2011.

No, blind patients
who gained vision

through cataract surgery

could not identify
such objects by sight.

So, what can explain
Esref's ability?

Let's get our
experts' perspective.

First up, Dr. Ed Hope explains
why the third eye theory

doesn't pass the test.

We all, in fact,
have a third eye,

and this is a small gland right
in the center of your head

called the pineal gland.

And it's called the third eye

because it actually
has some cells in it

that are very similar
to the photoreceptors

at the back of your eye.

Now, the pineal gland's
function has nothing to do

with it being a sensory organ.

In fact, it secretes melatonin

to regulate your
sleep-wake cycle.

It has no sensory
function within humans.

This doesn't rule out

that some people can activate
a spiritual third eye.

Yet, Hope believes
Esref isn't employing

any extra sensory abilities,

but he's instead just
using the senses

that most humans are born
with in exceptional ways.

The sensitivity of our
touch sensors in our fingers

are second only to
our tongue and lips,

and he uses that to feel
exactly what he's about to draw.

And then he uses an ability
called stereognosis,

which is the idea that we can
build pictures in our mind.

And then he's able to translate
that through the paint.

In 2004, Harvard
University scientists

ran brain and eye
scan tests on Esref.

They discovered that his
brain's visual cortex

became activated whenever he
began painting or drawing,

which theoretical physicist,
Dr. Michio Kaku, identifies

as an astonishing example
of human adaptation.

When I saw evidence of
what this person can do,

I said to myself,

"It must be an example
of neuroplasticity."

The brain basically
rearranges itself

so the visual areas
are being hijacked

and the sensory areas
of touch are expanding.

So this person is using
the sense of touch

to compensate for the fact

that the person has
no visual instincts.

But what about
those realistic colors

and his ability to use shading
to portray depth perception?

Kaku says practice
makes perfect.

He has to be
trained as a child

to understand that the sky is
blue and white with clouds.

That this paint here
represents yellow.

Yellow in turn represents
the color of the sun.

Perspective requires your
movement in the third dimension.

For example, the farther you
are away, the smaller you are.

Somebody has to teach him that,

and of course it takes time,

but eventually he
became a master of both.

Colors are all correct

and the perspectives are all
in the right proportions,

and that's how he's able to
make these fantastic paintings.

Our verdict? Esref's
artistic ability

seems to be the product
of neuroplasticity.

He has also managed
to hone his skills

with decades of trial
and error and training.

But even though he puts
his hands on his paintings,

if you ever see one,
please don't touch.

And that's our show for tonight.

We always have so much fun
putting these episodes together.

Thank you so much for watching,

and altogether now...

Keep those
cameras rolling!