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Lightning that follows you into
your home...
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rain that falls like blood...
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...and a single house spared
total destruction.
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History is filled with tales
of strange weather phenomena.
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Frogs falling from the sky.
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00:00:27,379 --> 00:00:33,000
Hail so large that it can
crush an automobile.
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And storms so savage they erase
all traces of mankind.
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Can science help us to find out
why these things happen?
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Or could unseen forces
be at work,
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and if so, could we possibly
harness these forces
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to serve our own needs?
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Well, that is what
we will try and find out.
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โช
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Scientists at Florida State
University publish the results
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of a study on the destructive
power of tornadoes.
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Their conclusion:
tornadoes, which are already
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capable of generating
200-miles-per-hour winds
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are getting five percent
more powerful every year.
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And there doesn't appear to be
a limit as to how strong
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they will become in the future.
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Tornadoes have so much
energy in them.
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The-the energy in a...
in a large tornado,
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like an EF4 or 5,
is more energy
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than is in a nuclear weapon.
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The base of these things are
sometimes a mile wide,
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and they go all the way up
to 30, 40, 50,000 feet high.
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This is a very large structure.
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A skyscraper is teeny-tiny
in comparison to a tornado.
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SHATNER:
If scientists are correct,
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and tornadoes are getting
even stronger,
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how are we supposed to
keep ourselves safe
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from their awesome power?
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Especially considering
we still have no idea
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how to predict when and where
they'll appear.
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The thing that's hardest
to explain about tornadoes is
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why the tornado forms,
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and when is it triggered
to come to the surface?
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The problem with tracking
tornadoes is they're only
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for just a very few minutes.
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They form, a warning goes out.
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Only 13 minutes elapses
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before, most times,
the tornado is on the ground.
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So, we don't have a whole lot
of research
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as far as looking at those.
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There is almost an infinite
number of moving parts
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in a tornado.
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There's atmospheric turbulence,
there's moisture,
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there's pressure changes.
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There's electromagnetic discharges
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and charging going on.
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There's so many phenomena
that you can't even
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make the list complete.
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MICHIO KAKU:
When we think of the laws
of physics,
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we think of firing a bullet.
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Moves in a straight line,
never deviates.
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But the weather, what a headache
for a physicist.
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Remember the butterfly effect?
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That is, even the flapping
of the wings of a butterfly
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can cause a ripple effect, which
could lead to a tipping point
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initiating a thunderstorm.
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So even small vibrations here
can cause
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massive distortions
of the weather over there.
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That's why predicting
the path of a tornado
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is virtually impossible.
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SHATNER:
After a long, hard week,
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the Coffelt family is
looking forward to spending
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a Sunday relaxing
in the comfort of their home.
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But it isn't long before they
realize their plans
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are going to be interrupted.
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- [alarm chiming]
- COREY COFFELT: We, uh,
started getting
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all these notifications
on our phones.
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Like, "Tornado Warning."
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And then we started getting
a little bit concerned.
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All right.
And we looked outside.
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- The weather's getting
kind of bad.
- [thunder crashing]
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It was, like, dark clouds.
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It's-it's hard to describe
because it was just, like,
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coming toward the house.
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It was-- It was getting
really dark.
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COREY:
I started walking
towards the door,
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and it just almost went
pitch black.
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[wind whooshing]
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My wife yelled, "Go to the
bathroom, go to the bathroom!"
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All of us--
my wife and two daughters--
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went in the bathroom.
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A minute or two went by,
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and you heard the tornado
coming in.
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- [house creaking]
- [wind whistling]
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It started with a small whistle,
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and then it got louder
and louder.
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And then it just kind of sounded
like a train coming in.
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Like a... [whistles]
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And it just, boom,
hit the house.
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When we were in there,
it was so confusing
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because-because you didn't know
what was going to happen.
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Especially when we start hearing
stuff happen around us.
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And, you know, we're all just
in that tight space.
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And I was screaming.
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[screaming]
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Everything just started shaking,
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- and you could hear the little
snaps going on outside.
- [window shatters]
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And then it stopped.
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[Corey panting]
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And then it happened again.
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- [glass shattering]
- [house rumbling]
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SHATNER:
When the violent shaking
finally subsides,
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the frightened family
cautiously leaves
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the safety of the bathroom
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to assess the damage
to their house.
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But to their shock
and disbelief,
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there's none.
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We came out,
we walked out the front door
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and, uh, looked,
saw everything.
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Heh, it was just overwhelming.
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COREY:
An F4 tornado comes across and
destroys everything around you,
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except for your house,
and you and your family
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still, still standing.
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We were just completely overwhelmed.
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We could barely breathe,
and just
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couldn't believe the destruction
that was out there.
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It was just breathtaking.
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It can't be explained.
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The emotions and the feelings
that go through, really just,
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uh, it's mind-blowing.
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SHATNER:
Despite sitting directly
in the tornado's savage path,
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the Coffelt house was
somehow spared
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when nearly everything else
in sight was leveled.
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Aside from some minor
superficial damage,
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barely a shingle had been
knocked out of place.
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But how?
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TAYLOR:
There are so many variables
with a tornado
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and why it hits this house
and not that one,
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it's really hard to say.
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00:07:06,172 --> 00:07:08,206
There could be little pockets
of pressure,
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00:07:08,310 --> 00:07:10,862
little pockets of temperature,
little pockets of moisture.
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Who knows what it is?
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00:07:12,724 --> 00:07:17,965
But it could be little pockets
that change the statistics
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of the debris field such that it
just happens to miss that spot.
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MICHAEL DENNIN:
Tornadoes never travel in very
straight, regular paths.
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When you picture the video,
it's an interesting path
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to avoid the house.
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But you could imagine
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a tornado circling back
on itself.
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That is not inconceivable.
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This house could have
been lucky to have the tornado
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come down the right side,
turn around,
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destroy the forest
on the other side,
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turn around again
and then go off.
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SHATNER:
Could it be that the Coffelts
and their house
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survived simply because of luck?
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Or was it the result of
some kind of
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deliberate intervention?
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After all, from Zeus,
the Greek god of thunder,
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to Set,
the Egyptian god of storms,
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ancient cultures believed
weather was not
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a random force of nature,
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but a power wielded by the gods.
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Major ancient cultures
saw the Earth itself as a god.
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More accurately, a goddess.
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The Greeks had a name, Gaia.
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The ancient Hindu tradition
also saw the planet
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as a feminine divinity.
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So we are in relationship
with the planet.
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There are weather patterns
that are caused
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by planetary energies.
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And this is a living
relationship which can help
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our way of looking
at our relationship
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to the ground we live on.
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All stemming back to some of
the most ancient cultures
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and religious practices
that have been
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with us on this planet.
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SHATNER:
A living, conscious planet.
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If this is true, does it mean
that the Coffelts' house was
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deliberately spared by some act
of divine mercy?
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Or was it left standing
to serve as a warning
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that nature must be respected?
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As far as the Coffelts
are concerned,
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the answers hardly matter.
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If there is some miracle
about all this...
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because it's not a miracle.
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'Cause getting hit by a tornado,
that... that sucks.
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You know, I probably shouldn't
be sitting here today.
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I definitely do have
a new respect for the weather.
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It-it really can-- It can take
everything away from you
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in the blink of an eye.
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KAKU:
Predicting the path,
the precise path
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of a tornado is beyond
our computational ability.
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So when I look at
these videotapes of a tornado
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where a houses basically
dodges the bullet,
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I say to myself,
"What's happening here?
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Was it an act of God?"
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I don't know.
I'm a physicist.
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I say it's the non-linearity
of the laws of physics
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applied to the weather.
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SHATNER:
Are tornadoes and other forms
of extreme weather
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not scientific problems
to be solved,
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but rather messages sent to us
by Mother Nature herself?
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- It's an intriguing notion.
- [loud thunder]
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Perhaps if we can learn
to decipher these messages,
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00:10:31,241 --> 00:10:33,551
we'll be able to understand
lots of other
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bizarre weather phenomena,
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00:10:36,103 --> 00:10:40,275
like the one known as
ball lightning.
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Lightning is one
of nature's most powerful
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and incomprehensible forces.
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There are places in the world,
like Lake Maracaibo,
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that are constantly being struck
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in what seems to be
a never-ending storm.
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But there's another type,
called ball lightning,
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and nobody seems to know
what it is
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or why it happens.
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While out
for an afternoon stroll,
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a local student spots something
that stops him in his tracks.
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SHATNER:
Pulling out his cell phone,
he captures incredible footage
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of an eerie ball of what looks
like pure energy,
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floating and bobbing,
as if alive.
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Later analysis reveals
that the video may be evidence
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00:11:39,862 --> 00:11:44,413
of one of the most mysterious
weather anomalies in the world:
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00:11:44,517 --> 00:11:46,689
ball lightning.
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DENNIN: Any video of ball
lightning is exciting
220
00:11:48,793 --> 00:11:50,724
and interesting to me
because they're rare.
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I-It's hard to see it.
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And it does confirm the idea
that what you're really trying
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00:11:56,379 --> 00:12:01,172
to look at is some sort
of contained plasma-like object.
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00:12:01,275 --> 00:12:03,344
TAYLOR:
Looking at this video,
what's happening
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00:12:03,448 --> 00:12:05,724
is this ball lightning
is probably traveling along
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00:12:05,827 --> 00:12:09,000
the electromagnetic field line
of the power lines.
227
00:12:09,103 --> 00:12:11,310
And then when it hits
the, uh, transformer,
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00:12:11,413 --> 00:12:13,310
it's just too much power
for the transformer to handle
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and it explodes.
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And you can see that
in the video.
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00:12:17,931 --> 00:12:20,620
SHATNER:
Unlike normal lightning,
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00:12:20,724 --> 00:12:22,758
which follows well-defined laws
of physics,
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00:12:22,862 --> 00:12:27,448
ball lightning is much more
erratic in its behavior.
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00:12:27,551 --> 00:12:29,620
Even after centuries
of research,
235
00:12:29,724 --> 00:12:32,620
scientists still don't
really know what causes it.
236
00:12:32,724 --> 00:12:38,103
Or where this incredible energy
comes from.
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00:12:38,206 --> 00:12:40,310
When we think of a lightning
bolt, we think of electricity
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00:12:40,413 --> 00:12:44,000
shooting from the heavens,
just crackling with energy...
239
00:12:46,931 --> 00:12:50,172
...which is totally different
than ball lightning.
240
00:12:50,275 --> 00:12:53,275
Ball lightning is basically
a sphere a few feet across
241
00:12:53,379 --> 00:12:57,620
that seems to hover slowly
and then dissipates.
242
00:12:57,724 --> 00:12:59,862
So how can that be?
243
00:13:02,344 --> 00:13:05,482
Ball lightning is essentially
lightning in a bottle,
244
00:13:05,586 --> 00:13:06,793
but there's no glass bottle,
245
00:13:06,896 --> 00:13:08,862
there's an electromagnetic bottle.
246
00:13:08,965 --> 00:13:11,862
So you get these electromagnetic
field lines that form
247
00:13:11,965 --> 00:13:16,965
the shape of a sphere and
it traps the lightning inside.
248
00:13:18,137 --> 00:13:21,034
It can range in size
from pea size to dime size,
249
00:13:21,137 --> 00:13:23,758
baseball size, grapefruit size.
250
00:13:25,482 --> 00:13:28,206
And the uniqueness
of ball lightning is it lasts
251
00:13:28,310 --> 00:13:30,034
from 20 to 30 seconds,
252
00:13:30,137 --> 00:13:31,724
unlike a regular bolt
of lightning,
253
00:13:31,827 --> 00:13:34,379
which is just a flash.
254
00:13:34,482 --> 00:13:37,000
Ball lightning has been
mysterious for so long
255
00:13:37,103 --> 00:13:39,551
because it's hard to capture.
256
00:13:39,655 --> 00:13:41,206
'Cause when it happens,
257
00:13:41,310 --> 00:13:42,827
the ball is skittering
and moves around crazy.
258
00:13:42,931 --> 00:13:44,689
It doesn't just
sit there in one spot,
259
00:13:44,793 --> 00:13:46,689
so you can't walk up to it
and look at it.
260
00:13:47,896 --> 00:13:49,827
SHATNER:
Is it possible that sightings
261
00:13:49,931 --> 00:13:53,448
of ball lightning
are just a trick of the eye?
262
00:13:53,551 --> 00:13:56,241
An optical illusion?
263
00:13:56,344 --> 00:13:59,758
Or could ball lightning be
responsible for everything
264
00:13:59,862 --> 00:14:04,413
from mysterious UFO sightings
to strange accounts
265
00:14:04,517 --> 00:14:08,896
of phenomena known
as spontaneous combustion?
266
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,586
EVANS:
Ball lightning
was first discovered
267
00:14:10,689 --> 00:14:14,068
in the 1600s in a European
church when the ball lightning
268
00:14:14,172 --> 00:14:17,068
came right through the window
and into the sanctuary.
269
00:14:17,172 --> 00:14:20,793
KAKU:
There are many documented
eyewitness accounts--
270
00:14:20,896 --> 00:14:22,896
not just one but scores of them
through history--
271
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,241
of ball lightning entering
people's homes
272
00:14:26,344 --> 00:14:30,896
and being cited
by reputable witnesses.
273
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,413
The most famous sighting
was done in Russia,
274
00:14:33,517 --> 00:14:35,620
by Czar Nicholas II.
275
00:14:35,724 --> 00:14:40,241
He had an eyewitness right
in front of the royal family.
276
00:14:40,344 --> 00:14:45,137
A ball lightning went whizzing
right by and he wrote about it.
277
00:14:45,241 --> 00:14:47,896
People just say,
"Oh, no, I was standing there
278
00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,413
"after this thunderstorm
in my living room,
279
00:14:50,517 --> 00:14:53,103
"and this ball of light
came across the field,
280
00:14:53,206 --> 00:14:55,620
"right through the picture
window, into my room,
281
00:14:55,724 --> 00:14:59,862
and touched the steam radiator
and popped like a firecracker."
282
00:14:59,965 --> 00:15:04,551
And I have not read
an explanation for that behavior
283
00:15:04,655 --> 00:15:06,758
that I consider plausible.
284
00:15:06,862 --> 00:15:08,103
EVANS:
It's believed that glass
285
00:15:08,206 --> 00:15:10,931
actually enhances
ball lightning.
286
00:15:11,034 --> 00:15:13,379
The trace elements in glass,
including lead,
287
00:15:13,482 --> 00:15:17,034
is very attractive
and a conductor of lightning.
288
00:15:17,137 --> 00:15:20,517
And we always say stay away
from water and glass windows
289
00:15:20,620 --> 00:15:22,655
when there's lightning,
because those are conductors.
290
00:15:22,758 --> 00:15:25,758
And it seems that ball lightning
is very attracted to glass
291
00:15:25,862 --> 00:15:27,896
and will actually
pass through it
292
00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:32,068
and then can create
a lot of damage.
293
00:15:32,172 --> 00:15:34,068
Ball lightning can be
very dangerous.
294
00:15:34,172 --> 00:15:38,206
It's started fires,
it has put buildings on fire.
295
00:15:38,310 --> 00:15:41,000
It has caused
a lot of destruction
296
00:15:41,103 --> 00:15:43,896
just in and of itself.
297
00:15:46,655 --> 00:15:51,068
SHATNER:
If it sounds impossible
for a primal force of nature
298
00:15:51,172 --> 00:15:55,000
to be contained indoors,
well, you'd be wrong.
299
00:15:55,103 --> 00:15:59,965
Because, as it turns out,
scientists have done just that.
300
00:16:03,034 --> 00:16:07,000
In 2006, Professor Eli Jerby
301
00:16:07,103 --> 00:16:09,310
and researchers
at Tel Aviv University
302
00:16:09,413 --> 00:16:13,758
used powerful microwave beams
to generate a tiny sphere
303
00:16:13,862 --> 00:16:16,448
of plasma for fractions
of a second.
304
00:16:16,551 --> 00:16:20,896
It was the first time anything
resembling ball lightning
305
00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,724
was reproduced in a laboratory.
306
00:16:24,827 --> 00:16:27,896
TAYLOR:
It took scientists a long time
to reproduce ball lightning
307
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:29,379
in the laboratory.
308
00:16:29,482 --> 00:16:31,724
Ball lightning needs
a lot of energy.
309
00:16:31,827 --> 00:16:33,724
And the way
you would create that
310
00:16:33,827 --> 00:16:37,689
is you have really strange
high electromagnetic fields
311
00:16:37,793 --> 00:16:41,620
that are wrapped around each
other that traps and squeezes
312
00:16:41,724 --> 00:16:45,172
the air molecules until they're
so hot that they become ionized
313
00:16:45,275 --> 00:16:48,000
and literally are like
a big ball of plasma,
314
00:16:48,103 --> 00:16:51,517
like a little mini-star.
315
00:16:51,620 --> 00:16:57,206
SHATNER:
Could ball lightning actually be
some kind of miniature star,
316
00:16:57,310 --> 00:17:00,586
one that exists here on Earth?
317
00:17:00,689 --> 00:17:02,206
According to some scientists,
318
00:17:02,310 --> 00:17:05,241
the notion is not
as far-fetched as it sounds.
319
00:17:05,344 --> 00:17:09,551
Which could also mean that
ball lightning has the potential
320
00:17:09,655 --> 00:17:11,862
to develop into one of the most
destructive forces
321
00:17:11,965 --> 00:17:14,068
in the known universe.
322
00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:17,517
TAYLOR:
Some people suggest
323
00:17:17,620 --> 00:17:22,172
that ball lightning could be
primordial black holes.
324
00:17:22,275 --> 00:17:25,896
Primordial black holes are very
small microscopic black holes
325
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,862
that, uh, would have formed
326
00:17:27,965 --> 00:17:31,344
at the beginning of the big bang
or just after.
327
00:17:31,448 --> 00:17:34,551
And it's possible
there's still some of them--
328
00:17:34,655 --> 00:17:38,620
remnants of the big bang--
floating around in the universe.
329
00:17:39,862 --> 00:17:41,517
[thunder crashes]
330
00:17:41,620 --> 00:17:43,862
DENNIN:
When I look at ball lightning,
it just seems such a clear
331
00:17:43,965 --> 00:17:47,172
ion electromagnetic effect
332
00:17:47,275 --> 00:17:50,172
that it's probably not even
necessary or likely
333
00:17:50,275 --> 00:17:53,344
to be connected to something
like micro black holes.
334
00:17:53,448 --> 00:17:55,586
But it-- there's nothing
necessarily in physics
335
00:17:55,689 --> 00:17:59,310
that tells you it's impossible
to have it happen.
336
00:17:59,413 --> 00:18:02,965
SHATNER:
Could ball lightning really be
337
00:18:03,068 --> 00:18:06,551
some type of black hole
in disguise?
338
00:18:06,655 --> 00:18:09,655
If so, it's probably best
to study something like it
339
00:18:09,758 --> 00:18:11,275
from a comfortable distance.
340
00:18:12,965 --> 00:18:15,000
Not unlike
another weather phenomenon
341
00:18:15,103 --> 00:18:18,137
that has made people
run inside to avoid it
342
00:18:18,241 --> 00:18:20,000
for thousands of years...
343
00:18:21,103 --> 00:18:23,551
...blood rain.
344
00:18:32,482 --> 00:18:35,482
SHATNER:
In the skies above this forested
region of rolling hills
345
00:18:35,586 --> 00:18:37,965
in the southwestern state
of Kerala,
346
00:18:38,068 --> 00:18:40,896
storm clouds begin to gather.
347
00:18:42,241 --> 00:18:45,379
Not so unusual
in this part of the country.
348
00:18:45,482 --> 00:18:47,206
[thunder cracks]
349
00:18:47,310 --> 00:18:49,068
But when the rain starts,
350
00:18:49,172 --> 00:18:52,758
no one is prepared
for what falls from the sky.
351
00:18:52,862 --> 00:18:57,827
Something that appears
to be blood.
352
00:18:57,931 --> 00:19:02,379
And it lasts not for hours
or days or even weeks,
353
00:19:02,482 --> 00:19:05,068
but for months.
354
00:19:06,689 --> 00:19:08,827
If I put myself in the shoes
of these people
355
00:19:08,931 --> 00:19:11,862
that experienced this blood rain
coming from the sky,
356
00:19:11,965 --> 00:19:14,586
I can only imagine
how terrifying that must be
357
00:19:14,689 --> 00:19:17,689
and how that must make
those people question
358
00:19:17,793 --> 00:19:19,896
their own existence and question
the forces of nature
359
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:21,965
that are at work in the world.
360
00:19:22,068 --> 00:19:25,448
That must be earth-shattering
for these people.
361
00:19:27,551 --> 00:19:30,689
You have to think that
that's sent from the heavens.
362
00:19:30,793 --> 00:19:33,241
For some reason,
some mystical reason,
363
00:19:33,344 --> 00:19:36,034
this happened because
it's sent from the gods.
364
00:19:36,137 --> 00:19:39,793
It's sending out a signal
or a message for some reason.
365
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,758
SHATNER:
After months of wondering
whether the apocalypse
366
00:19:44,862 --> 00:19:48,620
was at hand, residents sighed
in relief as, suddenly,
367
00:19:48,724 --> 00:19:51,896
the scarlet deluge stopped.
368
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:56,172
And just like every other time
this strange phenomenon
369
00:19:56,275 --> 00:20:00,931
happened throughout history,
the skies returned to normal.
370
00:20:01,034 --> 00:20:03,172
CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE:
Similar stories of red rain
371
00:20:03,275 --> 00:20:08,413
have essentially spanned history
over thousands of years.
372
00:20:08,517 --> 00:20:12,620
It's been repeatedly reported,
first in mythology
373
00:20:12,724 --> 00:20:14,724
and then in historical accounts.
374
00:20:14,827 --> 00:20:18,931
It goes back maybe
to the sixth century BC.
375
00:20:19,034 --> 00:20:21,931
TAYLOR:
We have stories in our theology
and mythologies
376
00:20:22,034 --> 00:20:24,034
that see this phenomena happening,
377
00:20:24,137 --> 00:20:27,068
so it must be one of the signs
of the coming apocalypse.
378
00:20:27,172 --> 00:20:30,551
But it's a phenomena
that occurs in weather
379
00:20:30,655 --> 00:20:32,896
around the planet all the time.
380
00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,827
EVANS:
You never know where red rain
is going to occur.
381
00:20:35,931 --> 00:20:38,275
It's all depending
on weather systems.
382
00:20:38,379 --> 00:20:40,206
All over the world
there's been rain like this,
383
00:20:40,310 --> 00:20:41,896
even in the United States.
384
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,758
Even in the Ukraine and Russia,
this has taken place.
385
00:20:49,655 --> 00:20:53,241
SHATNER:
It's not surprising that
ancient people regarded blood
386
00:20:53,344 --> 00:20:57,517
falling from the sky
as a sign of impending doom.
387
00:20:57,620 --> 00:20:59,931
But today we tend not to believe
388
00:21:00,034 --> 00:21:02,310
in such far-fetched nonsense.
389
00:21:02,413 --> 00:21:05,896
Especially because, as I'm sure
you'll be relieved to know,
390
00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:10,379
blood rain isn't
actually made of blood.
391
00:21:12,275 --> 00:21:16,034
Scientists did analysis of this
red rain and did not find things
392
00:21:16,137 --> 00:21:19,620
like copper or iron,
things that we think of as red
393
00:21:19,724 --> 00:21:22,137
that would cause
this water to be red.
394
00:21:22,241 --> 00:21:24,137
So why was it red?
395
00:21:24,241 --> 00:21:26,310
What else could have
been in the water
396
00:21:26,413 --> 00:21:28,068
that made a blood-red rain?
397
00:21:29,586 --> 00:21:30,620
EVANS:
What scientists thought
398
00:21:30,724 --> 00:21:33,793
is that it is caused by spores
399
00:21:33,896 --> 00:21:37,758
that are on trees,
grassy areas, rocks,
400
00:21:37,862 --> 00:21:39,827
all over the terrain there
in India.
401
00:21:39,931 --> 00:21:44,172
And those spores blast all
of that into the atmosphere.
402
00:21:44,275 --> 00:21:45,689
And that's carried
up into the clouds
403
00:21:45,793 --> 00:21:47,689
and it kind of hangs there.
404
00:21:47,793 --> 00:21:49,689
Oftentimes spores
are produced prolifically.
405
00:21:49,793 --> 00:21:51,448
You know, billions of millions
of spores, right,
406
00:21:51,551 --> 00:21:53,068
go all over the place.
407
00:21:53,172 --> 00:21:55,068
And so you can imagine
that it would be transported
408
00:21:55,172 --> 00:21:57,655
up in the atmosphere,
associate with rain,
409
00:21:57,758 --> 00:22:01,586
and then come down
as-as a red color as well.
410
00:22:01,689 --> 00:22:07,000
SHATNER:
The theory that red algae spores
can and do create red rain
411
00:22:07,103 --> 00:22:10,241
is believed by most scientists
to be a sound one.
412
00:22:10,344 --> 00:22:14,551
But, believe it or not,
there's another theory.
413
00:22:14,655 --> 00:22:17,206
One which proposes
that blood rain
414
00:22:17,310 --> 00:22:22,344
is caused by something extraterrestrial.
415
00:22:22,448 --> 00:22:25,689
If you look at the red rain
under the microscope,
416
00:22:25,793 --> 00:22:28,241
what we found was
absolutely staggering,
417
00:22:28,344 --> 00:22:32,344
because we found
that there were red living cells
418
00:22:32,448 --> 00:22:34,379
dispersed in the rain.
419
00:22:34,482 --> 00:22:37,413
That was the cause
of the red color in the rain.
420
00:22:37,517 --> 00:22:42,206
And these cells were in the
process of actually reproducing.
421
00:22:43,931 --> 00:22:47,827
And when examined under
the highest magnification,
422
00:22:47,931 --> 00:22:50,034
these cells didn't look
like anything
423
00:22:50,137 --> 00:22:52,482
that we had seen on the Earth.
424
00:22:55,793 --> 00:22:58,413
SHATNER:
Life unlike any on Earth?
425
00:22:58,517 --> 00:23:01,896
Could it be that the real cause
of blood rain
426
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,241
is far more profound
than previously thought?
427
00:23:07,793 --> 00:23:09,172
WHITEHEAD:
Coincidentally,
428
00:23:09,275 --> 00:23:11,517
there was also a meteor
explosion in the area.
429
00:23:11,620 --> 00:23:15,344
So the question is: could
those two events be linked?
430
00:23:15,448 --> 00:23:18,689
WICKRAMASINGHE:
What I think happened
was that a fragment
431
00:23:18,793 --> 00:23:21,724
of a comet exploded...
432
00:23:21,827 --> 00:23:25,310
in the high stratosphere,
433
00:23:25,413 --> 00:23:28,137
and this comet had living
entities, alien life,
434
00:23:28,241 --> 00:23:30,068
in the form of these red cells.
435
00:23:30,172 --> 00:23:35,137
And they became the seeds,
the nuclei of raindrops.
436
00:23:35,241 --> 00:23:39,103
TAYLOR:
We've found plankton organisms
437
00:23:39,206 --> 00:23:42,241
on the solar panels of the
International Space Station.
438
00:23:42,344 --> 00:23:46,137
So it's possible that this
meteor that exploded over India
439
00:23:46,241 --> 00:23:48,827
had some sort of red organic
material in it
440
00:23:48,931 --> 00:23:51,413
that came from space.
441
00:23:51,517 --> 00:23:56,586
SHATNER:
If the source of blood rain is,
in fact, extraterrestrial,
442
00:23:56,689 --> 00:23:58,241
might it help explain how life
443
00:23:58,344 --> 00:24:02,172
could have started
here on Earth?
444
00:24:04,241 --> 00:24:05,965
TAYLOR:
One theory
445
00:24:06,068 --> 00:24:08,517
of how life can propagate
from one planet to another
446
00:24:08,620 --> 00:24:11,413
and even one star system
to another is panspermia.
447
00:24:13,137 --> 00:24:15,103
KAKU:
Panspermia is the idea
448
00:24:15,206 --> 00:24:19,275
that life on the Earth
started in outer space.
449
00:24:19,379 --> 00:24:23,103
And, sure enough, when we look
at meteorites on the Earth,
450
00:24:23,206 --> 00:24:27,172
we find some from Mars,
some from the Moon,
451
00:24:27,275 --> 00:24:29,517
and maybe even some from Venus.
452
00:24:29,620 --> 00:24:34,482
And so, if meteors can go
back and forth, why not DNA?
453
00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,482
WHITEHEAD:
We tend to think of ourselves
454
00:24:38,586 --> 00:24:41,551
as something that grew
out of some primordial soup
455
00:24:41,655 --> 00:24:44,482
from a random one-time accident
that took place on this planet
456
00:24:44,586 --> 00:24:46,379
millions and millions
of years ago.
457
00:24:46,482 --> 00:24:50,793
But could it be
that we actually, us humans,
458
00:24:50,896 --> 00:24:53,758
are the aliens on this planet?
459
00:24:53,862 --> 00:24:55,965
SHATNER:
Blood rain.
460
00:24:56,068 --> 00:24:59,827
A weather phenomenon so strange
and so unexplained
461
00:24:59,931 --> 00:25:03,862
that it calls into question
everything we think we know
462
00:25:03,965 --> 00:25:05,827
about who we are
and where we come from.
463
00:25:05,931 --> 00:25:08,689
Not unlike another type of rain.
464
00:25:09,896 --> 00:25:11,517
One that carries life
465
00:25:11,620 --> 00:25:14,137
of a very different kind.
466
00:25:26,793 --> 00:25:29,034
Residents awake
to a flash of lightning
467
00:25:29,137 --> 00:25:33,482
and what sounds like hail
falling from the sky.
468
00:25:33,586 --> 00:25:37,793
But, surprisingly, what is
really raining down on the city
469
00:25:37,896 --> 00:25:42,827
is not hail but fish.
470
00:25:42,931 --> 00:25:45,931
EVANS:
The images are so bizarre,
when you first see them,
471
00:25:46,034 --> 00:25:49,137
you think this must be
some kind of a hoax.
472
00:25:49,241 --> 00:25:52,482
Fish falling from the sky.
And they're everywhere.
473
00:25:52,586 --> 00:25:54,931
TOK THOMPSON: If you're out
in the middle of a small village
474
00:25:55,034 --> 00:25:57,620
and all of a sudden
it's raining fish on you,
475
00:25:57,724 --> 00:26:00,172
most people will wonder,
you know, why?
476
00:26:00,275 --> 00:26:01,413
What does this mean?
477
00:26:10,137 --> 00:26:12,724
SHATNER:
I'm sure you're all familiar
with ancient stories
478
00:26:12,827 --> 00:26:16,448
that tell of frogs
raining from the sky.
479
00:26:16,551 --> 00:26:18,172
Most consider them myths.
480
00:26:18,275 --> 00:26:20,413
But in actuality,
481
00:26:20,517 --> 00:26:25,068
the phenomenon of live creatures
showering down from the heavens
482
00:26:25,172 --> 00:26:27,862
is all too real.
483
00:26:27,965 --> 00:26:30,931
When you think about it,
it's really mysterious.
484
00:26:31,034 --> 00:26:34,482
How could it possibly
be raining fish?
485
00:26:34,586 --> 00:26:36,275
Since the tenth century,
486
00:26:36,379 --> 00:26:39,517
there's been records
of fish falls from the sky.
487
00:26:39,620 --> 00:26:43,896
Small fish from all over the
world have fallen from the sky.
488
00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,965
I know a-a story
my dad tells me.
489
00:26:46,068 --> 00:26:48,241
When he was a kid,
about ten years old,
490
00:26:48,344 --> 00:26:50,620
that it rained so many fish
in his front yard
491
00:26:50,724 --> 00:26:52,413
that they picked them up
in wheelbarrow loads
492
00:26:52,517 --> 00:26:54,068
and had a big fish fry.
493
00:27:03,724 --> 00:27:06,482
KAKU:
When you look at anecdotal data,
494
00:27:06,586 --> 00:27:10,275
there are many instances in the
past where it's raining fish,
495
00:27:10,379 --> 00:27:12,793
and you say to yourself,
how can that be?
496
00:27:12,896 --> 00:27:14,827
That seems to violate
everything we know
497
00:27:14,931 --> 00:27:16,965
about storms and common sense.
498
00:27:17,068 --> 00:27:21,034
DENNIN:
The reality is, tornadoes
are regularly taking stuff
499
00:27:21,137 --> 00:27:25,482
from one place and dropping them
somewhere else.
500
00:27:25,586 --> 00:27:27,931
But they're over land and
they're definitely moving things
501
00:27:28,034 --> 00:27:30,896
that are typically land-based,
so obviously they're not gonna
502
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,000
drop fish
'cause they're over land.
503
00:27:33,103 --> 00:27:36,896
But, basically, a waterspout
or a tornado over water
504
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,482
is conceivably gonna have
the same effect.
505
00:27:40,586 --> 00:27:42,724
It can suck things
out of the water.
506
00:27:42,827 --> 00:27:44,517
And then, as that object
continues to move,
507
00:27:44,620 --> 00:27:46,103
it moves across land.
508
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:49,827
At some point those will fall
back out of the tornado
509
00:27:49,931 --> 00:27:52,068
and it will look
like raining frogs or fish.
510
00:27:52,172 --> 00:27:54,068
FISHER:
It's not implausible.
511
00:27:54,172 --> 00:27:56,896
I don't think it's a coincidence
that most of the animal rains
512
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,931
that we experience
are-are aquatic animals, right?
513
00:28:00,034 --> 00:28:02,517
'Cause those are probably the
ones that are easiest to suck up
514
00:28:02,620 --> 00:28:05,068
in a waterspout
and then deposit on the Earth.
515
00:28:05,172 --> 00:28:07,689
SHATNER:
The notion that a waterspout
516
00:28:07,793 --> 00:28:10,172
could siphon tons of fish
from the sea
517
00:28:10,275 --> 00:28:12,206
before raining them down
miles away
518
00:28:12,310 --> 00:28:15,413
is one that is supported
by many scientists.
519
00:28:15,517 --> 00:28:21,103
But if it sounds far-fetched
to you, you're not the only one.
520
00:28:21,206 --> 00:28:24,827
People have watched waterspouts
over lots of places,
521
00:28:24,931 --> 00:28:28,655
but they never seem to see
anything being scooped up
522
00:28:28,758 --> 00:28:30,344
out of the ocean by waterspouts
523
00:28:30,448 --> 00:28:33,827
that we've actually watched
for a long time.
524
00:28:33,931 --> 00:28:38,344
These occurrences are random
and they're out of place
525
00:28:38,448 --> 00:28:39,896
and they make no sense
526
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,413
and there's really no good
explanation for them.
527
00:28:42,517 --> 00:28:46,103
How does that school of fish,
which are far heavier than air,
528
00:28:46,206 --> 00:28:49,931
traverse hundreds of miles, in
some cases, to be distributed,
529
00:28:50,034 --> 00:28:53,517
deposited over land
and on top of people?
530
00:28:53,620 --> 00:28:56,689
Whatever this phenomena is,
it happened very quickly.
531
00:28:56,793 --> 00:29:00,689
You take a fish out of water,
it is fighting for breath.
532
00:29:00,793 --> 00:29:02,517
It's going to, uh, suffocate,
533
00:29:02,620 --> 00:29:04,965
and that suggests that-- is
there some other thing at play?
534
00:29:05,068 --> 00:29:06,448
Like, could there be
535
00:29:06,551 --> 00:29:09,413
some strange physics
we don't know yet?
536
00:29:09,517 --> 00:29:12,344
EVANS:
What's really strange
about the fish fall in Yoro
537
00:29:12,448 --> 00:29:15,551
is that it happens about
the same time every year.
538
00:29:15,655 --> 00:29:20,000
It happens so often, they have
a name for it: lluvia de peces,
539
00:29:20,103 --> 00:29:22,724
which means "raining of fish."
540
00:29:22,827 --> 00:29:25,275
So it couldn't be a waterspout.
541
00:29:25,379 --> 00:29:27,655
It has to be something
more to it.
542
00:29:27,758 --> 00:29:33,448
NARRATOR:
If lluvia de peces can't be
explained by random waterspouts,
543
00:29:33,551 --> 00:29:34,965
then what could it be?
544
00:29:35,068 --> 00:29:36,931
According to some scientists,
545
00:29:37,034 --> 00:29:40,620
the answer could be
even stranger than, well,
546
00:29:40,724 --> 00:29:44,068
fish falling
out of a clear blue sky.
547
00:29:44,172 --> 00:29:47,724
BARA:
There are places on Earth,
like the Bermuda Triangle
548
00:29:47,827 --> 00:29:50,034
in the Caribbean,
where you do have
549
00:29:50,137 --> 00:29:52,896
these very, very strange
occurrences that happen.
550
00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,689
People talk about flying
into these electronic fogs.
551
00:29:55,793 --> 00:30:01,137
BRANDENBURG:
I think you have to have
some new physics involved
552
00:30:01,241 --> 00:30:03,137
besides just a waterspout.
553
00:30:03,241 --> 00:30:06,482
Matter is inherently electromagnetic.
554
00:30:06,586 --> 00:30:10,482
And so, if you have a bunch
of moving gas o-or liquid,
555
00:30:10,586 --> 00:30:15,310
then you are actually creating
a flow of electromagnetism,
556
00:30:15,413 --> 00:30:17,758
which could create
a vortex disturbance
557
00:30:17,862 --> 00:30:21,206
that may have allowed
this phenomenon.
558
00:30:21,310 --> 00:30:24,379
It's as if you can create
some kind of space-time portal
559
00:30:24,482 --> 00:30:27,620
that, uh, transports
these fish or frogs.
560
00:30:27,724 --> 00:30:33,068
Just the waterspout explanation
seems barely plausible to me.
561
00:30:33,172 --> 00:30:37,275
SHATNER:
Could interdimensional portals
be what causes fish
562
00:30:37,379 --> 00:30:40,310
to suddenly appear in Yoro
every year?
563
00:30:40,413 --> 00:30:42,068
Perhaps.
564
00:30:42,172 --> 00:30:44,793
But for the people of Yoro,
the question is academic.
565
00:30:44,896 --> 00:30:48,275
As far as they're concerned,
the fish are a welcome sight,
566
00:30:48,379 --> 00:30:51,758
no matter what brings
about their arrival.
567
00:30:51,862 --> 00:30:54,206
If you look
at the people of Yoro,
568
00:30:54,310 --> 00:30:56,517
they go outside and they pick up
all this fish for dinner.
569
00:30:56,620 --> 00:30:58,517
They put it into buckets.
570
00:30:58,620 --> 00:31:00,586
It's a positive thing.
571
00:31:00,689 --> 00:31:03,551
So if we look at it like this,
we take something
572
00:31:03,655 --> 00:31:07,620
that's out of our sphere of
knowledge and we deal with it.
573
00:31:20,896 --> 00:31:26,344
EVANS:
In ages past, fish falling from
the sky was the wrath of God.
574
00:31:26,448 --> 00:31:28,310
I don't think
we're afraid anymore.
575
00:31:28,413 --> 00:31:31,068
But I also think that there
are some things about weather
576
00:31:31,172 --> 00:31:34,586
that we may not understand,
we may never understand.
577
00:31:34,689 --> 00:31:36,275
But that's okay.
578
00:31:36,379 --> 00:31:39,379
SHATNER:
Until we're able to verify
whether animal rain
579
00:31:39,482 --> 00:31:44,137
is due to waterspouts,
or something more exotic,
580
00:31:44,241 --> 00:31:47,310
it seems all we can do is either
keep searching for answers
581
00:31:47,413 --> 00:31:49,931
or grab a bucket.
582
00:31:50,034 --> 00:31:52,172
But imagine how differently
we might feel
583
00:31:52,275 --> 00:31:54,862
if we had the power
to actually harness
584
00:31:54,965 --> 00:31:56,862
the forces of nature
585
00:31:56,965 --> 00:31:59,586
and control the weather.
586
00:32:04,758 --> 00:32:07,068
Beautiful, isn't it?
587
00:32:07,172 --> 00:32:09,172
But what if I told you
that the St. Louis Arch
588
00:32:09,275 --> 00:32:12,517
is more than just
an impressive monument
589
00:32:12,620 --> 00:32:15,103
or a tourist attraction?
590
00:32:15,206 --> 00:32:19,448
What if I told you that there
are people who actually believe
591
00:32:19,551 --> 00:32:21,620
it can control the weather?
592
00:32:21,724 --> 00:32:23,310
[thunder crashes]
593
00:32:23,413 --> 00:32:24,655
Sounds preposterous, huh?
594
00:32:24,758 --> 00:32:27,620
Well, we shall see.
595
00:32:27,724 --> 00:32:30,000
[thunder crashes]
596
00:32:32,689 --> 00:32:38,620
Standing 630 feet tall
and 630 feet wide,
597
00:32:38,724 --> 00:32:40,655
the St. Louis Arch is
the world's tallest
598
00:32:40,758 --> 00:32:42,793
freestanding arch.
599
00:32:42,896 --> 00:32:45,931
Memorializing Thomas Jefferson,
Lewis and Clark,
600
00:32:46,034 --> 00:32:49,275
and other great pioneers,
the arch has been nicknamed
601
00:32:49,379 --> 00:32:51,620
"the Gateway to the West."
602
00:32:51,724 --> 00:32:55,758
Each leg of the arch is sunk
in almost
603
00:32:55,862 --> 00:33:00,103
24,000 tons of concrete,
60 feet deep,
604
00:33:00,206 --> 00:33:03,586
enough to withstand earthquakes
and winds as strong as
605
00:33:03,689 --> 00:33:05,413
150 miles an hour.
606
00:33:05,517 --> 00:33:11,241
The exterior is comprised of
2,000 tons of stainless steel.
607
00:33:11,344 --> 00:33:14,931
The most ever used for
any single project in history.
608
00:33:15,034 --> 00:33:19,413
It is, in short,
a modern engineering marvel.
609
00:33:19,517 --> 00:33:23,068
But that's not even the most
incredible thing about it.
610
00:33:25,551 --> 00:33:29,000
Heavy, dark, dangerous
thunderstorms have been known,
611
00:33:29,103 --> 00:33:32,517
on many occasions, to head
directly for the city
612
00:33:32,620 --> 00:33:34,275
of St. Louis.
613
00:33:34,379 --> 00:33:36,137
And as they get closer,
they seem to split
614
00:33:36,241 --> 00:33:39,551
right down the middle,
go out and around the city,
615
00:33:39,655 --> 00:33:43,241
and reconnect after they've
passed the city of St. Louis.
616
00:33:43,344 --> 00:33:45,827
People have said
for years and years and years
617
00:33:45,931 --> 00:33:48,724
that it has to do
with the St. Louis Arch.
618
00:33:48,827 --> 00:33:50,551
BRANDENBURG:
It's very strange,
619
00:33:50,655 --> 00:33:52,862
but there does seem
to be an effect
620
00:33:52,965 --> 00:33:56,896
where thunderstorms tend
to kind of break apart
621
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,551
when they get near this thing,
and they reform afterwards.
622
00:33:59,655 --> 00:34:02,586
It doesn't mean that St. Louis
doesn't have thunderstorms.
623
00:34:02,689 --> 00:34:04,103
It does.
624
00:34:04,206 --> 00:34:06,965
But it doesn't seem to have
as many thunderstorms
625
00:34:07,068 --> 00:34:08,896
in the area of that arch.
626
00:34:11,034 --> 00:34:14,000
SHATNER:
The St. Louis Arch's
alleged power
627
00:34:14,103 --> 00:34:16,034
to redirect thunderstorms
has led some
628
00:34:16,137 --> 00:34:20,379
to give this phenomenon a name:
the arch effect.
629
00:34:24,758 --> 00:34:26,137
Some people believe
that the St. Louis Arch
630
00:34:26,241 --> 00:34:27,931
is changing the flow of the air
631
00:34:28,034 --> 00:34:31,034
that's causing weather patterns
to occur or not.
632
00:34:31,137 --> 00:34:37,344
But a storm cloud top is
10,000 to 50,000 feet high.
633
00:34:37,448 --> 00:34:40,758
The arch is only gonna be
a few hundred feet high at best.
634
00:34:40,862 --> 00:34:42,862
So how is this affecting something
635
00:34:42,965 --> 00:34:46,000
that is so much larger?
636
00:34:46,103 --> 00:34:48,034
DENNIN:
I think we all are well aware
637
00:34:48,137 --> 00:34:51,344
of the way structures
certainly impact airflow,
638
00:34:51,448 --> 00:34:52,965
air currents and winds.
639
00:34:53,068 --> 00:34:56,068
And the arch is certainly
very large and very geometric,
640
00:34:56,172 --> 00:34:58,413
and I think it does have
what we might call
641
00:34:58,517 --> 00:34:59,931
local micro effects.
642
00:35:00,034 --> 00:35:02,896
But what kind of influences
could that have
643
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,413
on sort of larger weather
systems, particularly storms,
644
00:35:05,517 --> 00:35:08,896
either attracting or
not attracting thunderstorms?
645
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,965
That's harder to kind of really
wrap your head around.
646
00:35:14,206 --> 00:35:16,931
SHATNER:
If the shape of the St. Louis
Arch isn't the reason
647
00:35:17,034 --> 00:35:18,793
it's capable
of affecting the weather,
648
00:35:18,896 --> 00:35:20,172
then what is?
649
00:35:20,275 --> 00:35:22,551
According to some scientists,
650
00:35:22,655 --> 00:35:25,482
it's not how the arch
was designed
651
00:35:25,586 --> 00:35:27,724
but what it's made of.
652
00:35:27,827 --> 00:35:31,172
Now, as you look at the design
of this thing,
653
00:35:31,275 --> 00:35:32,689
it's a stainless steel structure.
654
00:35:32,793 --> 00:35:34,344
It's completely unique architecturally.
655
00:35:34,448 --> 00:35:37,586
It's basically a ring
made of metal.
656
00:35:37,689 --> 00:35:39,137
Metal is a conductor.
657
00:35:39,241 --> 00:35:41,517
The various stainless steels
and other metals that are in it
658
00:35:41,620 --> 00:35:44,068
conduct electromagnetic energy.
659
00:35:44,172 --> 00:35:46,379
You could, you know,
connect a battery
660
00:35:46,482 --> 00:35:49,586
to one side of the arch
and light a flashlight
661
00:35:49,689 --> 00:35:50,620
on the other side of it.
662
00:35:50,724 --> 00:35:52,931
And that's-that's fairly unique.
663
00:35:53,034 --> 00:35:55,103
You can't do that
with most skyscrapers.
664
00:35:55,206 --> 00:35:59,172
So, one mechanism where it could
affect the local weather
665
00:35:59,275 --> 00:36:04,517
is to short out the Earth's
electric field in that vicinity.
666
00:36:04,620 --> 00:36:06,275
[thunder crashing]
667
00:36:06,379 --> 00:36:09,793
In a weird way, it's kind of an
oddly shaped big lightning rod.
668
00:36:09,896 --> 00:36:11,344
And normally we think
of lightning rods
669
00:36:11,448 --> 00:36:13,586
as being sharp and pointed,
and there's a clear
670
00:36:13,689 --> 00:36:15,965
ion electromagnetic effect.
671
00:36:16,068 --> 00:36:18,482
[thunder crashes]
672
00:36:18,586 --> 00:36:22,310
It has been proven by Nikola
Tesla and other scientists
673
00:36:22,413 --> 00:36:24,827
that you can use
electromagnetic fields
674
00:36:24,931 --> 00:36:26,931
to create holes
in the atmosphere
675
00:36:27,034 --> 00:36:28,827
to manipulate the weather.
676
00:36:28,931 --> 00:36:33,655
SHATNER:
Could generating a powerful
enough electromagnetic field
677
00:36:33,758 --> 00:36:36,862
actually make it possible
to manipulate something as vast
678
00:36:36,965 --> 00:36:40,310
and unpredictable as weather?
679
00:36:40,413 --> 00:36:43,620
It's an intriguing
and somewhat unnerving notion.
680
00:36:43,724 --> 00:36:46,034
But believe it or not, in 1990,
681
00:36:46,137 --> 00:36:49,000
the United States military
conducted a series
682
00:36:49,103 --> 00:36:52,965
of experiments designed
to do just that.
683
00:36:55,103 --> 00:36:58,758
There was a secret program
by the military called HAARP,
684
00:36:58,862 --> 00:37:03,931
which was instituted to try
to understand the ionosphere.
685
00:37:04,034 --> 00:37:06,379
This is a matter
of national security.
686
00:37:06,482 --> 00:37:10,517
Communications go through
the upper atmosphere
687
00:37:10,620 --> 00:37:13,758
called the ionosphere,
and we have to study it.
688
00:37:13,862 --> 00:37:19,000
So HAARP shot radio frequency
radiation into the ionosphere
689
00:37:19,103 --> 00:37:23,344
to see how it was distributed
around the planet Earth.
690
00:37:23,448 --> 00:37:25,862
If you look, there have been
many direct correlations
691
00:37:25,965 --> 00:37:29,241
between major storms
and HAARP being active.
692
00:37:29,344 --> 00:37:32,241
It could be that the hurricanes
and superstorms
693
00:37:32,344 --> 00:37:35,068
and tornadoes that are created
while HAARP is working
694
00:37:35,172 --> 00:37:37,655
are actually just
a-a side effect.
695
00:37:37,758 --> 00:37:40,206
But the people that are
operating this device
696
00:37:40,310 --> 00:37:42,448
understand and know
its potential for use
697
00:37:42,551 --> 00:37:44,344
as a weather weapon.
698
00:37:44,448 --> 00:37:49,034
SHATNER:
Is the St. Louis Arch not only
an impressive national monument
699
00:37:49,137 --> 00:37:51,482
but also evidence of
the United States government's
700
00:37:51,586 --> 00:37:54,517
ongoing attempts
to control the weather?
701
00:37:54,620 --> 00:37:57,310
Perhaps the answer lies
not by examining
702
00:37:57,413 --> 00:37:59,827
the design of the St. Louis Arch
703
00:37:59,931 --> 00:38:02,965
but by investigating
the extraordinary career
704
00:38:03,068 --> 00:38:06,137
of the man who designed it.
705
00:38:14,931 --> 00:38:18,206
SHATNER:
As World War II rages
across several continents,
706
00:38:18,310 --> 00:38:21,379
acclaimed architect
and eventual designer
707
00:38:21,482 --> 00:38:24,620
of the St. Louis Arch,
Eero Saarinen,
708
00:38:24,724 --> 00:38:27,103
is secretly enlisted
by the United States military
709
00:38:27,206 --> 00:38:30,379
to work for a new
clandestine organization.
710
00:38:30,482 --> 00:38:35,482
It's name, the OSS:
Office of Strategic Services.
711
00:38:35,586 --> 00:38:40,068
Or, as it is known today,
the CIA.
712
00:38:42,862 --> 00:38:45,793
The fact that Eero Saarinen
was in the OSS designing
713
00:38:45,896 --> 00:38:48,103
weapons systems
during World War II,
714
00:38:48,206 --> 00:38:51,448
and at a time when the OSS
was looking into
715
00:38:51,551 --> 00:38:53,413
ways to "weaponize weather,"
716
00:38:53,517 --> 00:38:54,758
makes his whole connection
717
00:38:54,862 --> 00:38:56,448
to the design
of the St. Louis Arch
718
00:38:56,551 --> 00:38:58,275
extremely interesting.
719
00:38:58,379 --> 00:39:01,689
Now, that isn't to say I believe
it can control the weather,
720
00:39:01,793 --> 00:39:03,793
but it does open the door
to the idea
721
00:39:03,896 --> 00:39:05,241
that it might have been
one of the things
722
00:39:05,344 --> 00:39:06,758
Saarinen was out to achieve.
723
00:39:08,241 --> 00:39:11,068
SHATNER:
While at the OSS,
Saarinen designed buildings
724
00:39:11,172 --> 00:39:13,344
and weapons systems,
many of which were never
725
00:39:13,448 --> 00:39:15,241
completed or built.
726
00:39:15,344 --> 00:39:18,379
Is it possible he later used
these secret plans
727
00:39:18,482 --> 00:39:20,689
to engineer the St. Louis Arch,
728
00:39:20,793 --> 00:39:23,931
creating something
that can actually control
729
00:39:24,034 --> 00:39:27,896
or perhaps harness the weather?
730
00:39:29,448 --> 00:39:32,241
Controlling the weather is
the ultimate superweapon.
731
00:39:32,344 --> 00:39:34,724
It's even more powerful
than the atomic bomb.
732
00:39:34,827 --> 00:39:39,172
So, if Eero Saarinen
was involved in analyzing
733
00:39:39,275 --> 00:39:41,896
and studying the possibility
of weather modification,
734
00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:44,275
and you put
all those factors together,
735
00:39:44,379 --> 00:39:46,965
and I think you have a guy
that basically conducted
736
00:39:47,068 --> 00:39:50,344
a big, giant weather
modification experiment
737
00:39:50,448 --> 00:39:51,758
with the St. Louis Arch.
738
00:39:52,896 --> 00:39:55,137
SHATNER:
Weather as a weapon?
739
00:39:55,241 --> 00:39:57,724
There are some who think
the idea is not as preposterous
740
00:39:57,827 --> 00:40:00,000
as it seems.
741
00:40:00,103 --> 00:40:03,413
Especially when considering
that even today,
742
00:40:03,517 --> 00:40:06,965
many world governments are
pouring millions of dollars
743
00:40:07,068 --> 00:40:11,413
into research designed
to manipulate weather.
744
00:40:11,517 --> 00:40:14,241
I think weather modification
has definitely been
745
00:40:14,344 --> 00:40:18,586
an ongoing endeavor of
governments all over the world
746
00:40:18,689 --> 00:40:19,965
for decades.
747
00:40:21,344 --> 00:40:23,206
The St. Louis Arch appears to be
an experiment
748
00:40:23,310 --> 00:40:24,586
in weather modification.
749
00:40:24,689 --> 00:40:26,344
The HAARP device appears to be
an experiment
750
00:40:26,448 --> 00:40:27,827
in weather modification.
751
00:40:29,413 --> 00:40:31,551
Who knows what the Russians or
the Chinese are doing?
752
00:40:31,655 --> 00:40:34,413
There's some sort of technology
out there.
753
00:40:34,517 --> 00:40:38,103
There's been lots of work
in the field of weather control.
754
00:40:38,206 --> 00:40:42,413
Using silver iodide
inside of thunderstorms
755
00:40:42,517 --> 00:40:44,068
to decrease the size of hail.
756
00:40:44,172 --> 00:40:45,655
That goes on in many parts
of the world to
757
00:40:45,758 --> 00:40:47,275
alleviate that problem.
758
00:40:47,379 --> 00:40:51,344
They're always firing rockets
into the atmosphere in China
759
00:40:51,448 --> 00:40:52,758
to manipulate the weather.
760
00:40:52,862 --> 00:40:54,379
But is this a good idea?
761
00:40:54,482 --> 00:40:57,344
TAYLOR:
You wonder, if you could
steer a tornado,
762
00:40:57,448 --> 00:41:00,137
what would it take?
763
00:41:00,241 --> 00:41:04,137
Even a nuclear weapon might just
nudge it, if even that.
764
00:41:05,379 --> 00:41:06,896
DENNIN:
One challenge with that is,
765
00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:09,448
your shockwave is gonna be hard
to focus, perhaps,
766
00:41:09,551 --> 00:41:11,000
and it might cause the damage
767
00:41:11,103 --> 00:41:13,103
you were hoping to avoid
with the tornado.
768
00:41:13,206 --> 00:41:16,448
I would be looking at how much
can I control or change
769
00:41:16,551 --> 00:41:18,310
local pressures
in the atmosphere
770
00:41:18,413 --> 00:41:20,103
near and around the tornado.
771
00:41:20,206 --> 00:41:23,758
These are forces at work that
could wipe out major cities.
772
00:41:23,862 --> 00:41:26,482
And we're finding out
every day new things
773
00:41:26,586 --> 00:41:29,000
that we've never seen before.
774
00:41:29,103 --> 00:41:31,620
So maybe the lesson
learned here is:
775
00:41:31,724 --> 00:41:33,620
we shouldn't meddle with forces
776
00:41:33,724 --> 00:41:36,620
that we don't really understand.
777
00:41:36,724 --> 00:41:39,620
Because we may not like
the result.
778
00:41:39,724 --> 00:41:42,000
[thunder crashes]
779
00:41:44,758 --> 00:41:49,896
Weather. At its best
it can cleanse and renew,
780
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,379
but at its most extreme
it can destroy
781
00:41:54,482 --> 00:41:56,620
everything in its path.
782
00:41:56,724 --> 00:41:58,896
No matter how much time
and money we spend
783
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,379
trying to control it
and predict it,
784
00:42:01,482 --> 00:42:05,137
it remains, as many things
in our world, among
785
00:42:05,241 --> 00:42:07,758
the unexplained.
64140
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