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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:05,798 --> 00:00:08,674 WILLIAM SHATNER: World-shattering asteroids 2 00:00:08,759 --> 00:00:11,552 on a collision course with our planet. 3 00:00:14,849 --> 00:00:16,765 Colossal supervolcanoes 4 00:00:16,851 --> 00:00:19,727 that will destroy our atmosphere. 5 00:00:19,812 --> 00:00:23,939 And interstellar black holes 6 00:00:24,025 --> 00:00:26,608 capable of literally swallowing the Earth. 7 00:00:32,366 --> 00:00:34,483 It seems that people have been predicting 8 00:00:34,577 --> 00:00:38,370 how the world will end almost since it began. 9 00:00:38,456 --> 00:00:41,490 And for some reason we can't stop fixating on the notion 10 00:00:41,584 --> 00:00:44,918 that a massive cataclysm 11 00:00:45,004 --> 00:00:48,672 might suddenly erase us from existence. 12 00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:51,333 But is there anything we can do 13 00:00:51,427 --> 00:00:54,336 to protect ourselves and our planet? 14 00:00:54,430 --> 00:00:59,341 Or is an apocalypse that will wipe out life on Earth 15 00:00:59,435 --> 00:01:02,311 simply inevitable? 16 00:01:02,396 --> 00:01:06,982 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 17 00:01:07,068 --> 00:01:09,109 ♪ ♪ 18 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,342 NASA scientists at the Kitt Peak National Observatory 19 00:01:33,427 --> 00:01:36,044 - make a shocking announcement. - (whirring) 20 00:01:36,138 --> 00:01:36,887 (shutter clicking) 21 00:01:37,014 --> 00:01:40,215 A massive asteroid called Apophis 22 00:01:40,309 --> 00:01:43,018 is headed directly towards Earth. 23 00:01:43,104 --> 00:01:46,438 And according to their initial predictions, 24 00:01:46,524 --> 00:01:51,610 it is set to make impact in April of 2029, 25 00:01:51,695 --> 00:01:54,571 on Friday the 13th. 26 00:01:55,699 --> 00:01:59,993 Apophis is approximately 300 meters in diameter. 27 00:02:00,079 --> 00:02:02,070 Put three football fields end to end, 28 00:02:02,164 --> 00:02:04,915 and that would be roughly the-the size of Apophis. 29 00:02:06,001 --> 00:02:08,669 All the objects we had discovered previously 30 00:02:08,754 --> 00:02:12,381 were either too small to represent much of a hazard, 31 00:02:12,466 --> 00:02:14,716 or far enough away from the Earth 32 00:02:14,802 --> 00:02:16,844 to not represent an impact threat. 33 00:02:18,180 --> 00:02:19,421 Apophis was different. 34 00:02:19,515 --> 00:02:21,890 As more and more observations came in, 35 00:02:21,976 --> 00:02:25,352 the chances that it was going to impact the Earth-- 36 00:02:25,437 --> 00:02:29,097 it got to the point where we had roughly a three percent chance. 37 00:02:29,191 --> 00:02:31,933 This was unprecedented at the time 38 00:02:32,027 --> 00:02:34,153 as far as a impact threat. 39 00:02:35,156 --> 00:02:37,105 If Apophis were to hit, 40 00:02:37,199 --> 00:02:40,868 it would be capable of producing an extinction-level event. 41 00:02:41,745 --> 00:02:43,871 SHATNER: An extinction-level event? 42 00:02:43,956 --> 00:02:45,122 It's almost inconceivable 43 00:02:45,249 --> 00:02:48,959 that a chunk of space rock less than a quarter mile long 44 00:02:49,086 --> 00:02:53,213 could wipe out all life on a planet almost 8,000 miles wide. 45 00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:56,842 And yet, according to scientists, 46 00:02:56,927 --> 00:03:00,179 the possibility is very real. 47 00:03:00,264 --> 00:03:01,805 But how? 48 00:03:03,267 --> 00:03:04,966 Apophis is so large. 49 00:03:05,060 --> 00:03:06,643 If it were to impact the Earth, 50 00:03:06,770 --> 00:03:10,814 it would be hundreds of times more destructive 51 00:03:10,941 --> 00:03:13,609 than the largest nuclear device we've ever built. 52 00:03:13,694 --> 00:03:16,820 We know from analysis of these collisions 53 00:03:16,947 --> 00:03:19,239 that the collision takes place in stages. 54 00:03:20,242 --> 00:03:23,652 First, upon impact, you have a flash 55 00:03:23,746 --> 00:03:26,079 that travels at the speed of light-- 56 00:03:26,165 --> 00:03:27,539 infinitely fast-- 57 00:03:27,625 --> 00:03:31,084 and that would blind many animals in the area. 58 00:03:32,254 --> 00:03:36,665 The blast starts to then level objects, crush them. 59 00:03:36,759 --> 00:03:38,717 (explosion) 60 00:03:39,637 --> 00:03:43,555 Then let's say it lands near the ocean 61 00:03:43,641 --> 00:03:46,516 and causes a tsunami that would then be perhaps, 62 00:03:46,644 --> 00:03:49,895 who knows, tens of hundreds of feet tall, 63 00:03:49,980 --> 00:03:54,399 that would inundate the entire area 64 00:03:54,485 --> 00:03:58,946 and cause a scale of destruction not seen in history. 65 00:04:00,074 --> 00:04:01,356 SHATNER: In March of 2021, 66 00:04:01,450 --> 00:04:05,702 NASA released revised orbital calculations for Apophis. 67 00:04:05,829 --> 00:04:08,413 And as it turns out, there's good news. 68 00:04:08,499 --> 00:04:11,333 It is now estimated that Apophis has less than 69 00:04:11,418 --> 00:04:15,837 a one-in-380,000 chance of hitting Earth. 70 00:04:16,715 --> 00:04:20,875 But could there be other colossal asteroids 71 00:04:20,970 --> 00:04:24,388 making their way toward us right now? 72 00:04:25,933 --> 00:04:28,350 The Earth has been hit repeatedly 73 00:04:28,435 --> 00:04:32,271 throughout its history by giant comets and asteroids. 74 00:04:33,232 --> 00:04:36,191 How do you prove it? What evidence do we have? 75 00:04:36,694 --> 00:04:39,394 You see, when a collision takes place, 76 00:04:39,488 --> 00:04:42,731 of course we have the gigantic crater left over. 77 00:04:42,825 --> 00:04:46,618 Take a look at the one in South Africa. 78 00:04:46,704 --> 00:04:51,248 That object is about 200 miles across, 79 00:04:51,375 --> 00:04:54,293 clearly visible from outer space. 80 00:04:55,421 --> 00:04:59,214 There have been at least three world-killing 81 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:02,751 extinction-level event asteroid impacts that we know of. 82 00:05:02,845 --> 00:05:06,430 In South Africa, there was the Vredefort impact. 83 00:05:06,557 --> 00:05:10,058 In Australia, there was the Acraman impact. 84 00:05:10,144 --> 00:05:13,645 In the Gulf of Mexico, there was the Chicxulub impact 85 00:05:13,731 --> 00:05:15,814 that destroyed the dinosaurs. 86 00:05:16,734 --> 00:05:21,320 Now, one might think that these extinction-level events 87 00:05:21,405 --> 00:05:23,104 are a thing of the past, 88 00:05:23,198 --> 00:05:26,107 because these events happened millions of years 89 00:05:26,201 --> 00:05:27,868 apart from each other. 90 00:05:27,953 --> 00:05:30,162 But that's just a blink of an eye to the universe. 91 00:05:30,247 --> 00:05:32,447 We could have an extinction-level event 92 00:05:32,541 --> 00:05:35,283 tomorrow or a million years from now. 93 00:05:35,377 --> 00:05:37,285 SHATNER: If it's true that 94 00:05:37,379 --> 00:05:41,423 a colossal asteroid strike could happen at any moment, 95 00:05:41,508 --> 00:05:44,959 perhaps the question isn't how soon it will hit Earth 96 00:05:45,054 --> 00:05:46,628 but rather whether there's 97 00:05:46,722 --> 00:05:48,797 anything we can do to prevent it. 98 00:05:49,767 --> 00:05:54,135 The value of keeping an eye out for potential global 99 00:05:54,229 --> 00:05:57,689 catastrophe-sized asteroids 100 00:05:57,775 --> 00:05:59,775 is having enough advanced warning 101 00:05:59,860 --> 00:06:01,068 to do something about it. 102 00:06:01,945 --> 00:06:04,780 Congress directed NASA to find 90% 103 00:06:04,865 --> 00:06:07,783 of all the asteroids that were deemed capable 104 00:06:07,868 --> 00:06:10,369 of producing an extinction-level event-- 105 00:06:10,454 --> 00:06:12,954 a global catastrophe. 106 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:15,990 NASA's Near-Earth Object Observation Program 107 00:06:16,085 --> 00:06:20,295 funds astronomers to find asteroids, 108 00:06:20,381 --> 00:06:23,298 but finding and tracking near-Earth asteroids 109 00:06:23,384 --> 00:06:25,634 really is an international effort. 110 00:06:26,178 --> 00:06:27,386 SHATNER: It's certainly comforting to know 111 00:06:27,471 --> 00:06:32,307 that astronomers are on alert for apocalyptic asteroids. 112 00:06:32,393 --> 00:06:35,227 But this concern for the survival of the human race 113 00:06:35,312 --> 00:06:36,561 is not new. 114 00:06:37,398 --> 00:06:39,689 In fact, humanity has been fixated 115 00:06:39,817 --> 00:06:43,568 on the threat of an apocalypse since ancient times. 116 00:06:46,281 --> 00:06:50,283 We have been fascinated with the end-times, 117 00:06:50,369 --> 00:06:52,828 the end of reality, the end of the gods 118 00:06:52,913 --> 00:06:56,081 since we've been fascinated with anything. 119 00:06:57,167 --> 00:07:01,795 For example, Ragnarok in the Norse tales 120 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,756 was the end of the world. 121 00:07:04,842 --> 00:07:07,008 In Buddhism, the Lord Buddha gave 122 00:07:07,094 --> 00:07:09,177 a little sermon on the end days. 123 00:07:09,263 --> 00:07:11,138 "And the rain shall cease, 124 00:07:11,223 --> 00:07:13,849 "and the oceans will dry up 125 00:07:13,934 --> 00:07:17,978 "until the Earth is baking as if it were in an oven. 126 00:07:18,063 --> 00:07:21,055 And that will be the end of all things." 127 00:07:21,150 --> 00:07:24,726 It's one of the things that human beings have in common is, 128 00:07:24,820 --> 00:07:27,729 how are we gonna deal with the future, particularly 129 00:07:27,823 --> 00:07:31,032 when there is no more future and everything ends? 130 00:07:32,035 --> 00:07:34,953 Why would humans even have predictions 131 00:07:35,038 --> 00:07:36,788 of apocalypses to begin with? 132 00:07:36,874 --> 00:07:41,242 Part of me thinks that a lot of that has to do 133 00:07:41,336 --> 00:07:43,578 with a point in time where we could have actually 134 00:07:43,672 --> 00:07:45,797 been listed as an endangered species. 135 00:07:46,383 --> 00:07:50,585 Because there's been actually key points in time 136 00:07:50,679 --> 00:07:55,015 where humans have nearly gone extinct. 137 00:07:55,976 --> 00:07:59,728 One of them was 1.2 million years ago, 138 00:07:59,813 --> 00:08:03,815 but we don't know what happened at that point in time. 139 00:08:03,901 --> 00:08:07,319 It could have been the beginning of an ice age. 140 00:08:07,404 --> 00:08:09,237 It could have been changes in environment. 141 00:08:09,323 --> 00:08:13,107 - (insects trilling) - But within that time period, 142 00:08:13,202 --> 00:08:16,611 humans were down to population numbers 143 00:08:16,705 --> 00:08:21,208 between maybe 6,000 and 26,000 individuals. 144 00:08:21,293 --> 00:08:26,287 The second point was about 150,000 years ago. 145 00:08:26,381 --> 00:08:29,174 We are in the middle of an ice age. 146 00:08:29,259 --> 00:08:31,301 Animals go extinct, 147 00:08:31,428 --> 00:08:35,222 and we're down to nearly 600 individuals. 148 00:08:37,434 --> 00:08:41,970 The third close call that we have for extinction 149 00:08:42,064 --> 00:08:45,482 is about 75,000 years ago. 150 00:08:45,609 --> 00:08:46,983 And during that time, 151 00:08:47,110 --> 00:08:50,645 we see this massive volcanic eruption. 152 00:08:50,739 --> 00:08:53,615 It blows apart the island of Sumatra. 153 00:08:55,410 --> 00:09:00,038 And expels ash and debris into the atmosphere. 154 00:09:01,041 --> 00:09:06,253 It dims the sunlight, and so we get down to roughly 155 00:09:06,338 --> 00:09:09,548 1,000 to maybe 10,000 individuals. 156 00:09:10,509 --> 00:09:14,302 And the near extinction of humans could be 157 00:09:14,388 --> 00:09:18,339 why there are these constant predictions 158 00:09:18,433 --> 00:09:22,394 of apocalypses throughout the ancient world. 159 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:26,314 In some sense we have been lulled to sleep. 160 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,066 You see, human history, 161 00:09:28,151 --> 00:09:32,020 recorded history, only goes back 5,000 years. 162 00:09:32,114 --> 00:09:37,534 And before that period of time, we have no direct experience 163 00:09:37,661 --> 00:09:40,495 with catastrophes on a planetary scale 164 00:09:40,581 --> 00:09:43,865 that threaten the very existence of human life. 165 00:09:43,959 --> 00:09:47,294 And that's why we have to change our perspective. 166 00:09:47,379 --> 00:09:51,840 But the real reality is there could be an apocalypse. 167 00:09:51,925 --> 00:09:55,710 So, perhaps history will repeat itself one day, 168 00:09:55,804 --> 00:09:59,931 and humanity will meet its end when a gigantic asteroid-- 169 00:10:00,017 --> 00:10:03,051 that's hurtling towards us at this very moment-- 170 00:10:03,145 --> 00:10:05,687 finally reaches Earth. 171 00:10:05,772 --> 00:10:10,775 But while we wait for that possible date with destiny, 172 00:10:10,861 --> 00:10:14,863 there's another potential apocalypse 173 00:10:14,948 --> 00:10:16,731 looming much, much closer. 174 00:10:16,825 --> 00:10:20,327 In fact, it's lurking 175 00:10:20,412 --> 00:10:23,955 right beneath our feet. 176 00:10:33,175 --> 00:10:38,303 SHATNER: At approximately 11:00 a.m., than earthquake, measuring 5.0 177 00:10:38,388 --> 00:10:41,514 on the Richter scale, sends great shock waves 178 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:43,516 through the island's most active volcano: 179 00:10:43,602 --> 00:10:45,927 Mount Kilauea. 180 00:10:46,021 --> 00:10:48,429 The ground cracks open 181 00:10:48,523 --> 00:10:52,433 and 2,000-degree magma boils to the surface. 182 00:10:52,527 --> 00:10:55,695 As residents who live in the area flee for their lives, 183 00:10:55,781 --> 00:10:58,365 a torrent of molten lava gushes from the broken earth, 184 00:10:58,450 --> 00:11:01,201 destroying everything in its path. 185 00:11:03,372 --> 00:11:06,915 BENJAMIN McGEE: It was a massive volcanic eruption. 186 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:08,950 We're used to looking at volcanoes that look dormant 187 00:11:09,044 --> 00:11:12,045 and assuming that there's no threat. 188 00:11:13,882 --> 00:11:15,456 But if there's one thing 189 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:19,127 that the geologic history of the Earth warns us about, 190 00:11:19,221 --> 00:11:21,129 over and over and over again, 191 00:11:21,223 --> 00:11:24,057 it's that there's unintended consequences 192 00:11:24,142 --> 00:11:25,809 of the Earth being alive, 193 00:11:25,936 --> 00:11:28,812 and Kilauea proved that in 2018. 194 00:11:31,274 --> 00:11:33,817 Kilauea is a large volcano 195 00:11:33,944 --> 00:11:35,652 that sits in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 196 00:11:35,779 --> 00:11:38,363 And it is generally known 197 00:11:38,448 --> 00:11:40,240 for these lava flows that it puts out, 198 00:11:40,325 --> 00:11:43,317 that unfortunately got into a populated area. 199 00:11:43,412 --> 00:11:45,120 And this very large eruption 200 00:11:45,205 --> 00:11:47,664 unfortunately destroyed over 700 homes. 201 00:11:47,791 --> 00:11:50,250 Destroyed some really pristine areas of the island. 202 00:11:51,253 --> 00:11:54,671 McGEE: You have very kind of soupy, watery lava 203 00:11:54,798 --> 00:11:57,132 that was racing at incredible speeds. 204 00:11:57,217 --> 00:12:01,669 And the problem is, Hawaii is populous. 205 00:12:01,763 --> 00:12:04,672 We have folks, many of them, who live there, 206 00:12:04,766 --> 00:12:06,599 and there is nowhere to run. 207 00:12:07,978 --> 00:12:10,228 I think the Kilauea eruption is 208 00:12:10,313 --> 00:12:12,397 one of nature's great warnings. 209 00:12:12,482 --> 00:12:13,648 So long as the Earth is alive, 210 00:12:13,734 --> 00:12:17,652 we will face the threat of major volcanic eruptions. 211 00:12:18,530 --> 00:12:21,239 SHATNER: In 2018, Mount Kilauea topped 212 00:12:21,324 --> 00:12:23,491 the U.S. Geological Survey's ranking 213 00:12:23,577 --> 00:12:27,328 of the most dangerous volcanoes in the United States. 214 00:12:27,414 --> 00:12:28,872 But according to experts, 215 00:12:28,999 --> 00:12:31,532 even Kilauea's cataclysmic power 216 00:12:31,626 --> 00:12:35,128 pales in comparison to others 217 00:12:35,213 --> 00:12:36,880 that could potentially pose great threats 218 00:12:37,007 --> 00:12:41,426 to not only cities but the entire world. 219 00:12:41,511 --> 00:12:45,013 They're simply known as supervolcanoes. 220 00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:48,725 Nuclear weapons, yeah, we track them. 221 00:12:48,852 --> 00:12:50,059 We know who has them. 222 00:12:50,187 --> 00:12:52,395 Global warming, we have computer programs 223 00:12:52,522 --> 00:12:54,022 that simulate global warming. 224 00:12:54,107 --> 00:12:57,725 And meteors from outer space, we track asteroids. 225 00:12:57,819 --> 00:13:00,153 But when it comes to supervolcanoes, 226 00:13:00,238 --> 00:13:02,238 we know almost nothing. 227 00:13:02,365 --> 00:13:07,235 A supervolcano could be 1,000 times more deadly, 228 00:13:07,329 --> 00:13:09,070 leaving destruction on a scale 229 00:13:09,164 --> 00:13:12,073 that we haven't seen in modern civilization. 230 00:13:13,043 --> 00:13:15,668 POLAND: A super eruption is meant to describe 231 00:13:15,754 --> 00:13:18,713 a truly extraordinary explosive eruption 232 00:13:18,799 --> 00:13:23,251 that's about 1,000 cubic kilometers in volume. 233 00:13:23,345 --> 00:13:25,253 That's how much material gets ejected. 234 00:13:26,306 --> 00:13:28,723 SHATNER: According to volcanologists, there are-- 235 00:13:28,809 --> 00:13:31,425 at this very moment-- between 12 and 20 236 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,271 active supervolcanoes scattered across the Earth. 237 00:13:36,191 --> 00:13:38,733 We've all seen the devastation of volcanoes. 238 00:13:38,819 --> 00:13:42,603 We see this catastrophe with all the gas coming out 239 00:13:42,697 --> 00:13:46,950 of the volcano, with all the debris and all the dirt. 240 00:13:47,994 --> 00:13:52,539 But supervolcano eruptions can disrupt the atmosphere itself, 241 00:13:52,624 --> 00:13:56,584 sufficient to affect the weather of the entire planet. 242 00:13:57,712 --> 00:13:59,838 You've got sulfur dioxide, you've got particles 243 00:13:59,923 --> 00:14:01,589 which are reflecting sunlight 244 00:14:01,675 --> 00:14:04,843 and that bounce or trap sunlight and thermal radiation. 245 00:14:04,928 --> 00:14:08,555 - (wind whistling) - And that completely changes the planet's heat balance. 246 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,599 You can cripple ecosystems from the bottom up 247 00:14:11,685 --> 00:14:13,268 by darkening the world. 248 00:14:14,271 --> 00:14:17,272 POLAND: These gases can also poison agriculture, 249 00:14:17,357 --> 00:14:19,732 poison plants, and that of course will have 250 00:14:19,818 --> 00:14:22,193 a chain reaction down the food web. 251 00:14:23,238 --> 00:14:25,655 So, these eruptions can really cause 252 00:14:25,782 --> 00:14:28,032 a huge impact, even if the lava only affects 253 00:14:28,118 --> 00:14:30,785 one small area, they can have a global impact. 254 00:14:30,871 --> 00:14:33,454 Even thousands and thousands of miles away 255 00:14:33,540 --> 00:14:34,989 from where the eruption occurred. 256 00:14:35,083 --> 00:14:36,657 SHATNER: It's hard to imagine 257 00:14:36,751 --> 00:14:39,827 a supervolcano causing a worldwide cataclysm. 258 00:14:39,921 --> 00:14:43,497 But one such event is believed to have already occurred 259 00:14:43,592 --> 00:14:46,000 long before humans walked the Earth. 260 00:14:46,094 --> 00:14:50,972 An apocalypse that is referred to as the Great Dying. 261 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:55,560 The Great Dying was a mass extinction of plants and animals 262 00:14:55,645 --> 00:14:57,511 that occurred about 250 million years ago. 263 00:14:57,606 --> 00:15:00,348 The largest that occurred in the history of Earth. 264 00:15:01,318 --> 00:15:04,777 McGEE: Geologists call it the Permian-Triassic extinction. 265 00:15:04,863 --> 00:15:07,906 It's the largest mass extinction in the geologic record 266 00:15:07,991 --> 00:15:11,525 across all time, and this is related 267 00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:14,329 to a major volcanic eruption in northern Siberia 268 00:15:14,414 --> 00:15:16,864 that injected so much CO2 into the atmosphere 269 00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:20,126 that we lost 80% of all marine life. 270 00:15:20,211 --> 00:15:23,463 We lost 70% of all vertebrate land animals. 271 00:15:23,548 --> 00:15:26,007 This was so bad, even the bugs got taken out. 272 00:15:26,927 --> 00:15:31,596 So, the Great Dying is one of geologic history's 273 00:15:31,681 --> 00:15:35,383 great warnings, that large volcanism can pose 274 00:15:35,477 --> 00:15:39,187 a true existential threat to all life on Earth. 275 00:15:48,657 --> 00:15:50,531 SHATNER: This body of water is one of 276 00:15:50,617 --> 00:15:52,733 the most popular tourist destinations in the country 277 00:15:52,827 --> 00:15:55,736 due to its natural beauty. 278 00:15:55,830 --> 00:15:58,706 But deep below the lake's surface lies 279 00:15:58,792 --> 00:16:01,084 an active supervolcano. 280 00:16:02,212 --> 00:16:03,077 Taupo's a beautiful place. 281 00:16:03,171 --> 00:16:04,921 It's serene, it's got a lovely lake, 282 00:16:05,048 --> 00:16:07,799 mountains, geysers and hot springs. 283 00:16:07,884 --> 00:16:08,925 Absolutely gorgeous. 284 00:16:10,220 --> 00:16:13,054 McGEE: These nice low-lying areas that tend to fill up 285 00:16:13,139 --> 00:16:17,016 with water and be very beautiful often indicate 286 00:16:17,102 --> 00:16:19,394 lurking underneath you is 287 00:16:19,479 --> 00:16:22,271 an emptied former super eruption. 288 00:16:22,399 --> 00:16:26,434 The irony is, the beauty of a lake often goes hand in hand 289 00:16:26,528 --> 00:16:30,604 with the lurking threat of volcanic systems ready to go. 290 00:16:31,574 --> 00:16:34,492 POLAND: The last super eruption of the Taupo volcano 291 00:16:34,577 --> 00:16:36,995 occurred about 26,500 years ago. 292 00:16:37,998 --> 00:16:40,540 We know Taupo is restless. 293 00:16:40,625 --> 00:16:43,284 It has lots of seismicity. The ground goes up and down. 294 00:16:43,378 --> 00:16:46,462 And scientists in New Zealand have tied that 295 00:16:46,589 --> 00:16:48,673 to magma moving in the subsurface. 296 00:16:50,552 --> 00:16:51,959 There's geothermal activity in the region, 297 00:16:52,053 --> 00:16:54,795 which indicates that the system's not dead. 298 00:16:54,889 --> 00:16:55,763 It's alive. 299 00:16:55,849 --> 00:16:59,467 It's on an active tectonic plate boundary. 300 00:16:59,561 --> 00:17:02,186 So there are massive earthquakes that can be caused 301 00:17:02,272 --> 00:17:04,972 by a supervolcano getting ready to blow 302 00:17:05,066 --> 00:17:09,110 on a scale that we've never seen before or since in geology. 303 00:17:09,195 --> 00:17:11,312 Where Taupo is, 304 00:17:11,406 --> 00:17:15,316 large eruptions will eventually happen. 305 00:17:15,410 --> 00:17:17,785 Volcanoes are something that humanity has always 306 00:17:17,871 --> 00:17:19,871 had to live with and always will have to live with. 307 00:17:20,915 --> 00:17:23,657 We can study these things, try to understand 308 00:17:23,752 --> 00:17:25,793 how an eruption might occur. 309 00:17:25,879 --> 00:17:28,171 But we don't have a way to stop a volcanic eruption. 310 00:17:28,298 --> 00:17:29,172 We're not going to stop 311 00:17:29,299 --> 00:17:31,674 something that the Earth wants to do. 312 00:17:32,594 --> 00:17:35,344 Is it possible that the Earth itself 313 00:17:35,472 --> 00:17:37,430 will bring about the apocalypse? 314 00:17:37,515 --> 00:17:38,681 (groans) 315 00:17:38,808 --> 00:17:41,434 It's a terrifying notion, 316 00:17:41,519 --> 00:17:44,729 but not so terrifying as another primal force of nature. 317 00:17:44,814 --> 00:17:48,015 One that has the power to end our existence 318 00:17:48,109 --> 00:17:50,860 by swallowing the Earth whole. 319 00:17:54,532 --> 00:17:56,532 - (whirring) - (indistinct chatter over radio) 320 00:17:59,788 --> 00:18:02,288 SHATNER: In collaboration with NASA, 321 00:18:02,373 --> 00:18:05,333 an international team of astronomers accomplishes 322 00:18:05,418 --> 00:18:08,503 something once thought to be impossible. 323 00:18:08,588 --> 00:18:11,038 They capture the first ever image 324 00:18:11,132 --> 00:18:13,874 of a region of space where gravity is so strong 325 00:18:13,968 --> 00:18:16,803 that not even light can escape from it. 326 00:18:16,888 --> 00:18:21,599 These mysterious areas are more commonly known as... 327 00:18:21,684 --> 00:18:23,384 black holes. 328 00:18:23,478 --> 00:18:25,386 McGEE: Imaging a black hole for the first time 329 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:27,721 answers a challenge that seems like it has no answer. 330 00:18:27,816 --> 00:18:29,723 How can you possibly take a picture of something 331 00:18:29,818 --> 00:18:31,442 that swallows up all light? 332 00:18:31,528 --> 00:18:35,029 What they did was network radio telescopes together 333 00:18:35,115 --> 00:18:37,865 all across the Earth, making an effective telescope 334 00:18:37,951 --> 00:18:39,367 the size of our planet. 335 00:18:41,579 --> 00:18:44,405 It was called the Event Horizon Telescope. 336 00:18:44,499 --> 00:18:46,740 And using that, they were able to peer 337 00:18:46,835 --> 00:18:50,503 into the heart of nearby galaxy M87. 338 00:18:50,588 --> 00:18:53,297 And there's a supermassive black hole 339 00:18:53,383 --> 00:18:57,260 25 billion miles across at its core. 340 00:18:59,681 --> 00:19:01,681 DAVIES: The problem about black holes is that they're black 341 00:19:01,766 --> 00:19:02,590 and they're very small. 342 00:19:02,684 --> 00:19:04,559 And so you can't directly see them. 343 00:19:04,644 --> 00:19:05,643 You have to infer their existence 344 00:19:05,728 --> 00:19:09,689 from what they do to their, uh, surroundings. 345 00:19:10,608 --> 00:19:13,943 And so, it was an image constructed 346 00:19:14,070 --> 00:19:17,363 from many, many observations around the world, 347 00:19:17,448 --> 00:19:19,440 put together in a clever way 348 00:19:19,534 --> 00:19:21,442 with a lot of sort of computer enhancement. 349 00:19:21,536 --> 00:19:22,451 And so you see this... 350 00:19:22,579 --> 00:19:24,829 (electrical whirring) 351 00:19:24,914 --> 00:19:27,582 ...black object against a glowing background. 352 00:19:30,420 --> 00:19:33,171 SHATNER: Since 1915, when Albert Einstein's 353 00:19:33,256 --> 00:19:37,925 famous theory of relativity first proposed their existence, 354 00:19:38,011 --> 00:19:41,137 black holes have sparked intense fascination. 355 00:19:41,264 --> 00:19:45,141 But just what are these mysterious cosmic forces? 356 00:19:46,269 --> 00:19:49,312 DAVIES: Black hole is an object where gravity is so intense 357 00:19:49,439 --> 00:19:51,138 that even light can't escape. 358 00:19:51,232 --> 00:19:53,357 And seeing as nothing can go faster than light, 359 00:19:53,443 --> 00:19:55,359 it means anything that falls into a black hole 360 00:19:55,445 --> 00:19:56,810 can't get out again. 361 00:19:56,905 --> 00:19:59,238 McGEE: A black hole is formed 362 00:19:59,324 --> 00:20:03,868 - under intense pressure of a collapsing star. - (explosion) 363 00:20:03,953 --> 00:20:05,319 And the pressure is so intense 364 00:20:05,413 --> 00:20:09,165 that it pushes the atoms inside each other 365 00:20:09,292 --> 00:20:11,250 until the whole thing is collapsed down to a point. 366 00:20:11,336 --> 00:20:12,835 And they call that a singularity. 367 00:20:12,962 --> 00:20:15,296 And if you get too close to it, 368 00:20:15,381 --> 00:20:17,298 it'll trap you with its gravity, and then you're stuck. 369 00:20:18,301 --> 00:20:21,510 DAVIES: As you get closer and closer to the black hole, 370 00:20:21,638 --> 00:20:23,554 the gravity gets more and more intense. 371 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,508 So, supposing I'm falling into a black hole feet first, 372 00:20:27,602 --> 00:20:30,228 imagine this, then my feet are a bit closer 373 00:20:30,313 --> 00:20:31,604 to the black hole than my head. 374 00:20:31,689 --> 00:20:35,483 And so gravity's a bit stronger on my feet than my head. 375 00:20:35,568 --> 00:20:37,026 So I'm gonna be stretched this way, 376 00:20:37,153 --> 00:20:39,487 but my shoulders, each shoulder's trying 377 00:20:39,572 --> 00:20:40,947 to fall to the center of the black hole, 378 00:20:41,032 --> 00:20:42,949 so I'm gonna be squeezed this way. 379 00:20:43,034 --> 00:20:45,326 If it's a star, for example, 380 00:20:45,411 --> 00:20:47,528 it wouldn't just sort of go straight down the black hole. 381 00:20:47,622 --> 00:20:50,498 It would spiral around and get ripped to pieces. 382 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,961 SHATNER: Ripped to pieces? 383 00:20:55,046 --> 00:20:57,538 Since a black hole has the power to destroy 384 00:20:57,632 --> 00:21:01,300 anything that comes near it, then it begs the question... 385 00:21:02,136 --> 00:21:05,972 What if the unimaginable happened, 386 00:21:06,057 --> 00:21:10,718 and a black hole crossed paths with Earth? 387 00:21:11,771 --> 00:21:14,522 DAVIES: If a black hole enters the solar system, 388 00:21:14,607 --> 00:21:17,441 the gravitational field is so intense that 389 00:21:17,527 --> 00:21:20,987 Earth will be ripped to shreds when it came close enough. 390 00:21:21,072 --> 00:21:25,116 It would spiral around as the material was shredded, 391 00:21:25,201 --> 00:21:27,401 whirling down and down faster and faster and faster, 392 00:21:27,495 --> 00:21:29,069 as the Earth and all the people on it 393 00:21:29,163 --> 00:21:31,372 eventually go down the black hole. 394 00:21:31,457 --> 00:21:33,457 A truly apocalyptic event. 395 00:21:33,543 --> 00:21:37,244 I'm reassured by the fact that our solar system has been around 396 00:21:37,338 --> 00:21:39,088 for four and a half billion years 397 00:21:39,215 --> 00:21:43,551 and no black hole has ventured this way before. 398 00:21:43,636 --> 00:21:45,303 But of course that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. 399 00:21:47,181 --> 00:21:49,390 SHATNER: Fortunately, the nearest black hole is 400 00:21:49,475 --> 00:21:53,936 1,500 light-years away, but that may be about to change. 401 00:21:54,063 --> 00:21:55,929 Because there are those who believe that 402 00:21:56,024 --> 00:21:59,817 black holes could be created right here on Earth. 403 00:21:59,902 --> 00:22:02,194 And as evidence, they point to a series 404 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:05,105 of experiments being conducted by physicists 405 00:22:05,199 --> 00:22:07,575 at the largest particle accelerator on Earth: 406 00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:10,944 the Large Hadron Collider. 407 00:22:11,039 --> 00:22:13,289 McGEE: The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland 408 00:22:13,416 --> 00:22:15,616 is the largest particle accelerator 409 00:22:15,710 --> 00:22:17,284 humanity has ever constructed. 410 00:22:17,378 --> 00:22:19,754 16 miles in diameter. 411 00:22:19,839 --> 00:22:23,457 A particle accelerator is a machine designed 412 00:22:23,551 --> 00:22:27,470 to make subatomic particles go near to the speed of light 413 00:22:27,597 --> 00:22:28,804 to break matter down 414 00:22:28,931 --> 00:22:31,131 into its fundamental building blocks 415 00:22:31,225 --> 00:22:32,475 and see what they are. 416 00:22:33,436 --> 00:22:37,104 DAVIES: The LHC takes protons and whirls them around 417 00:22:37,190 --> 00:22:38,972 inside a ring-shaped tube, 418 00:22:39,067 --> 00:22:42,318 and then they smash them together at enormous energies, 419 00:22:42,445 --> 00:22:44,153 recreating the conditions 420 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,647 just a trillionth of a second after the big bang. 421 00:22:46,741 --> 00:22:48,991 So some people have conjectured 422 00:22:49,118 --> 00:22:51,702 that maybe the LHCs could create 423 00:22:51,788 --> 00:22:54,822 a microscopic black hole at energies far in excess 424 00:22:54,916 --> 00:22:55,989 of anything that had been reached before. 425 00:22:56,084 --> 00:23:00,160 Now, our best understanding of black holes is 426 00:23:00,254 --> 00:23:03,923 that if you make one by colliding particles, 427 00:23:04,008 --> 00:23:06,500 then it would disappear almost immediately, 428 00:23:06,594 --> 00:23:08,344 so it really wouldn't pose a threat. 429 00:23:09,347 --> 00:23:12,515 McGEE: Some physicists actually raised legal battles 430 00:23:12,642 --> 00:23:14,975 trying to shut down the LHC 431 00:23:15,061 --> 00:23:17,845 over fear that they might accidentally create 432 00:23:17,939 --> 00:23:21,148 one of these black holes, and it would start to swallow up 433 00:23:21,234 --> 00:23:24,351 everything around it and maybe doom the Earth in the process. 434 00:23:24,445 --> 00:23:27,187 Ultimately those objections were tossed out, 435 00:23:27,281 --> 00:23:28,864 and the LHC is still running. 436 00:23:29,784 --> 00:23:32,526 But as we probe farther and farther 437 00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:34,862 into the deepest reaches of the laws of physics, 438 00:23:34,956 --> 00:23:38,198 and we use the largest tools we have in our toolbox to do it, 439 00:23:38,292 --> 00:23:40,709 there's the chance that we will get 440 00:23:40,837 --> 00:23:42,795 into territory we didn't expect, 441 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,873 and that could pose a threat of a scale that would pose 442 00:23:45,967 --> 00:23:47,174 a threat to humanity. 443 00:23:51,305 --> 00:23:53,213 While black holes may be 444 00:23:53,307 --> 00:23:55,558 the most destructive force in the universe, 445 00:23:55,685 --> 00:23:57,643 there are those who believe that there's 446 00:23:57,728 --> 00:23:59,887 a different threat from outer space 447 00:23:59,981 --> 00:24:02,723 that we should be even more concerned about. 448 00:24:02,817 --> 00:24:05,401 One that even our best telescopes 449 00:24:05,528 --> 00:24:07,236 may not be able to see coming. 450 00:24:08,823 --> 00:24:11,490 Because there's a very good chance 451 00:24:11,576 --> 00:24:13,826 it's already here. 452 00:24:19,584 --> 00:24:22,585 SHATNER: Astronomers at the Carl Sagan Institute 453 00:24:22,712 --> 00:24:25,579 release the findings of a groundbreaking study. 454 00:24:25,673 --> 00:24:30,342 By using a highly-detailed 3D map of the Milky Way galaxy, 455 00:24:30,428 --> 00:24:32,136 they conduct observations 456 00:24:32,221 --> 00:24:35,181 of more than 2,000 nearby star systems. 457 00:24:36,225 --> 00:24:37,016 After analyzing the data, 458 00:24:37,101 --> 00:24:40,093 they come to a shocking conclusion: 459 00:24:40,188 --> 00:24:43,898 we may not be alone in the universe. 460 00:24:44,984 --> 00:24:47,067 The findings show that there are potentially 461 00:24:47,153 --> 00:24:50,938 29 advanced extraterrestrial civilizations 462 00:24:51,032 --> 00:24:53,774 located within 50 light-years of Earth, 463 00:24:53,868 --> 00:24:57,945 and it's possible they've been observing us. 464 00:24:58,956 --> 00:25:04,543 The idea that there might be other life out there is 465 00:25:04,629 --> 00:25:06,337 as old as recorded history. 466 00:25:06,422 --> 00:25:09,173 And also, of course, there has always been 467 00:25:09,258 --> 00:25:12,843 this idea that if there are other life-forms out there, 468 00:25:12,929 --> 00:25:17,464 that extraterrestrials may take the view that it is logical 469 00:25:17,558 --> 00:25:21,393 to eliminate any potential threat to their own existence, 470 00:25:21,479 --> 00:25:26,106 and emerging civilizations like humanity might be that threat. 471 00:25:26,192 --> 00:25:27,775 And there's the idea that 472 00:25:27,860 --> 00:25:30,310 these super predator civilizations would 473 00:25:30,404 --> 00:25:33,572 comb the universe looking for the first signs 474 00:25:33,658 --> 00:25:36,650 of emerging spacefaring civilizations 475 00:25:36,744 --> 00:25:38,819 and then exterminating them. 476 00:25:39,789 --> 00:25:41,914 KAKU: Some scientists want to reach out 477 00:25:41,999 --> 00:25:45,668 and advertise our existence and say, "Here we are. 478 00:25:45,795 --> 00:25:46,827 "This is our location. 479 00:25:46,921 --> 00:25:50,464 This is our state of technology. Come visit us." 480 00:25:50,550 --> 00:25:54,001 I think that's a catastrophically bad idea. 481 00:25:54,095 --> 00:25:56,178 History shows that 482 00:25:56,305 --> 00:25:59,181 when civilizations encounter each other, 483 00:25:59,308 --> 00:26:01,308 the outcome is often tragic. 484 00:26:02,228 --> 00:26:06,063 I think we should keep our identity a secret for now. 485 00:26:07,108 --> 00:26:10,526 TAYLOR: It's a mathematical likelihood 486 00:26:10,653 --> 00:26:13,696 that we will encounter other life-forms, 487 00:26:13,823 --> 00:26:18,200 other intelligences, within this universe at some time. 488 00:26:18,327 --> 00:26:19,785 It's not a matter of if. 489 00:26:19,870 --> 00:26:22,162 It really is just a matter of when. 490 00:26:22,248 --> 00:26:26,166 It's just as likely that any interaction with aliens 491 00:26:26,252 --> 00:26:30,504 might end the world in a huge apocalyptic-type event. 492 00:26:31,340 --> 00:26:34,133 So, while we're prepared to know 493 00:26:34,218 --> 00:26:37,044 that aliens are there and want to talk to them, 494 00:26:37,138 --> 00:26:39,221 I don't think we are prepared for an invasion. 495 00:26:40,224 --> 00:26:42,683 SHATNER: For some, the idea that extraterrestrials 496 00:26:42,768 --> 00:26:46,604 would travel across the galaxy to wipe out humanity 497 00:26:46,689 --> 00:26:49,732 may sound like something out of science fiction. 498 00:26:50,818 --> 00:26:55,395 But there are others who believe that this doomsday scenario 499 00:26:55,489 --> 00:26:59,199 is well within the realm of possibility, 500 00:26:59,285 --> 00:27:04,705 because they claim there is evidence which suggests 501 00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:09,209 that extraterrestrials are already here. 502 00:27:12,548 --> 00:27:15,716 After decades of public speculation, 503 00:27:15,801 --> 00:27:19,803 the Pentagon finally releases a report corroborating 504 00:27:19,889 --> 00:27:22,181 what many have long suspected: 505 00:27:22,266 --> 00:27:25,976 unidentified aerial phenomena-- otherwise known as UAPs-- 506 00:27:26,062 --> 00:27:29,930 do, in fact, exist. 507 00:27:30,024 --> 00:27:33,600 The government has a track record of saying 508 00:27:33,694 --> 00:27:36,612 as little as possible about UFOs. 509 00:27:36,739 --> 00:27:40,407 The Office of the Director of National Intelligence 510 00:27:40,493 --> 00:27:44,995 delivered a report to Congress about UFOs. 511 00:27:45,081 --> 00:27:47,373 It was a preliminary assessment, 512 00:27:47,458 --> 00:27:52,452 and it essentially says that this phenomenon is real. 513 00:27:53,422 --> 00:27:56,957 What it said basically was, a lot of events happened 514 00:27:57,051 --> 00:28:00,886 and many of them have no explanation as of yet. 515 00:28:00,971 --> 00:28:04,431 And that is very interesting that the government is 516 00:28:04,517 --> 00:28:07,467 actually telling the general public that 517 00:28:07,561 --> 00:28:09,469 "Hey, there's something in our skies 518 00:28:09,563 --> 00:28:11,972 that we don't what they are." 519 00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:16,026 POPE: UFOs are an existential threat. 520 00:28:16,112 --> 00:28:20,313 Those sorts of civilizations with maybe millions of years' 521 00:28:20,408 --> 00:28:22,866 head start on us in terms of 522 00:28:22,952 --> 00:28:25,318 their scientific understanding, their technology. 523 00:28:25,413 --> 00:28:27,830 They could wipe up us out in an instant. 524 00:28:27,957 --> 00:28:30,157 They probably have technology 525 00:28:30,251 --> 00:28:31,992 that could crack this planet open 526 00:28:32,086 --> 00:28:34,086 like a nut, if they wanted to. 527 00:28:35,089 --> 00:28:37,664 SHATNER: The Department of Defense has also confirmed 528 00:28:37,758 --> 00:28:40,167 that a classified program known as AATIP 529 00:28:40,261 --> 00:28:43,003 had obtained actual video evidence 530 00:28:43,097 --> 00:28:47,007 of encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena. 531 00:28:47,101 --> 00:28:49,393 And according to experts who have seen the tapes, 532 00:28:49,478 --> 00:28:54,231 we have every reason to be very, very worried. 533 00:28:55,234 --> 00:28:59,853 AATIP was a Pentagon program looking at UFOs, 534 00:28:59,947 --> 00:29:02,740 and they were studying the technologies 535 00:29:02,825 --> 00:29:05,701 that UFOs would need to travel here. 536 00:29:07,163 --> 00:29:10,372 They revealed that there had been videos taken 537 00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:13,533 through forward-looking infrared cameras 538 00:29:13,627 --> 00:29:17,204 mounted on F-18 Super Hornets, 539 00:29:17,298 --> 00:29:21,341 and they show the pilots tracking 540 00:29:21,427 --> 00:29:24,878 and in some cases getting hugely interested, 541 00:29:24,972 --> 00:29:28,056 concerned, excited about the speeds, 542 00:29:28,184 --> 00:29:30,601 the maneuvers, the acceleration. 543 00:29:35,191 --> 00:29:36,356 (chuckles) 544 00:29:36,442 --> 00:29:40,778 Sometimes they can evade our air defenses altogether. 545 00:29:40,863 --> 00:29:45,032 Sometimes they show up on radar but other times not. 546 00:29:45,117 --> 00:29:49,569 The best aircraft we have are left standing by these things. 547 00:29:49,663 --> 00:29:53,499 The technology is greater than anything we have. 548 00:29:53,584 --> 00:29:56,794 And therefore, you have to say, "Yeah, this is a threat." 549 00:29:57,755 --> 00:29:59,913 SHATNER: In an interview with the Washington Post 550 00:30:00,007 --> 00:30:01,581 conducted shortly before the release 551 00:30:01,675 --> 00:30:03,634 of the Pentagon's UFO report, 552 00:30:03,719 --> 00:30:05,427 the former director of AATIP, 553 00:30:05,554 --> 00:30:08,055 U.S. Army Special Agent Luis Elizondo, 554 00:30:08,140 --> 00:30:11,258 made an unsettling claim. 555 00:30:11,352 --> 00:30:13,560 Unidentified flying objects have been seen 556 00:30:13,646 --> 00:30:17,430 observing U.S. nuclear launch sites around the world. 557 00:30:18,609 --> 00:30:22,602 TAYLOR: Lou Elizondo has suggested that a lot of sightings occur 558 00:30:22,696 --> 00:30:25,605 near nuclear power plants, nuclear missile sites, 559 00:30:25,699 --> 00:30:29,076 nuclear submarines, nuclear ships. 560 00:30:29,161 --> 00:30:32,454 The question is, if that's true, why are they doing that? 561 00:30:32,581 --> 00:30:35,374 What is the motivation to look at the nuclear locations? 562 00:30:36,252 --> 00:30:38,502 These UFOs, for whatever reason, 563 00:30:38,587 --> 00:30:40,787 are interested in nuclear sites. 564 00:30:40,881 --> 00:30:44,124 There are few things about this whole UFO mystery 565 00:30:44,218 --> 00:30:48,178 more potentially dangerous than this. 566 00:30:48,264 --> 00:30:50,797 There have been briefings to the president 567 00:30:50,891 --> 00:30:53,133 at top secret level. 568 00:30:53,227 --> 00:30:55,635 And a fuller assessment will be 569 00:30:55,729 --> 00:30:57,855 delivered to Congress in due course. 570 00:30:58,899 --> 00:31:02,734 There's a great logic that governments need 571 00:31:02,820 --> 00:31:05,645 a plan on first contact-- 572 00:31:05,739 --> 00:31:09,316 what to do if aliens arrive and are hostile. 573 00:31:09,410 --> 00:31:11,285 Because the point is, 574 00:31:11,370 --> 00:31:14,154 this is going to be an existential threat. 575 00:31:14,248 --> 00:31:18,292 It's far better in any situation 576 00:31:18,377 --> 00:31:21,661 to have a contingency plan and not need it, 577 00:31:21,755 --> 00:31:24,381 than to need it and not have it. 578 00:31:26,427 --> 00:31:31,305 Are the AATIP videos evidence of extraterrestrials spying 579 00:31:31,390 --> 00:31:33,840 on us and our defense installations 580 00:31:33,934 --> 00:31:36,435 in order to plan an attack? 581 00:31:37,479 --> 00:31:39,521 We simply don't know. 582 00:31:39,648 --> 00:31:41,348 But if they are, 583 00:31:41,442 --> 00:31:44,151 it could spell humanity's certain doom. 584 00:31:44,236 --> 00:31:47,520 Just like another potential apocalypse. 585 00:31:47,615 --> 00:31:50,857 One that could pull the plug on our existence... 586 00:31:50,951 --> 00:31:52,659 like that. 587 00:31:55,414 --> 00:31:57,289 SHATNER: According to researchers, 588 00:31:57,374 --> 00:31:59,458 recent advancements in computer graphics 589 00:31:59,543 --> 00:32:01,368 may soon give us the ability 590 00:32:01,462 --> 00:32:04,671 to create simulations so lifelike 591 00:32:04,757 --> 00:32:06,539 that they're nearly indistinguishable 592 00:32:06,634 --> 00:32:08,375 from reality itself. 593 00:32:08,469 --> 00:32:11,544 And such realism has actually caused many experts 594 00:32:11,639 --> 00:32:16,049 to ponder a profound and disturbing possibility: 595 00:32:16,143 --> 00:32:21,271 what if we're actually living in a simulation 596 00:32:21,357 --> 00:32:22,889 right now? 597 00:32:23,901 --> 00:32:28,895 Simulation theory is the idea that we live in a video game. 598 00:32:28,989 --> 00:32:31,531 That the reality that we see around us, 599 00:32:31,617 --> 00:32:34,910 the reality that we think is real and hard, 600 00:32:35,037 --> 00:32:36,536 is actually a fake. 601 00:32:37,623 --> 00:32:41,124 It's a software program running in virtual reality. 602 00:32:41,210 --> 00:32:42,334 (electrical whirring) 603 00:32:42,419 --> 00:32:46,088 And concocted perhaps by a more advanced civilization 604 00:32:46,215 --> 00:32:48,548 that's running us as a video game. 605 00:32:49,718 --> 00:32:52,928 VIRK: The biggest argument against simulation theory is 606 00:32:53,055 --> 00:32:55,138 that the idea just seems absurd. 607 00:32:55,224 --> 00:32:57,590 But if you were inside a video game, 608 00:32:57,685 --> 00:33:01,478 the walls and the objects would appear to be real. 609 00:33:01,563 --> 00:33:04,264 And if there was a good enough physics engine, 610 00:33:04,358 --> 00:33:07,317 pretty soon we would be unable 611 00:33:07,403 --> 00:33:11,571 to distinguish between physical reality and virtual reality. 612 00:33:11,657 --> 00:33:15,108 KAKU: If we live in a simulation, that we're just puppets, 613 00:33:15,202 --> 00:33:18,161 dancing according to somebody's PC screen, 614 00:33:18,247 --> 00:33:21,832 then the question is, who's watching the screen? 615 00:33:22,626 --> 00:33:24,710 Who is in charge of this thing? 616 00:33:24,795 --> 00:33:29,089 Who set up the ground rules to create this fantastic universe 617 00:33:29,174 --> 00:33:31,958 that we think is reality but actually 618 00:33:32,052 --> 00:33:34,461 it's a figment of somebody else's imagination? 619 00:33:34,555 --> 00:33:37,848 Well, your guess is as good as mine. 620 00:33:38,767 --> 00:33:41,768 SHATNER: Could we actually be living 621 00:33:41,854 --> 00:33:45,480 within a sophisticated computer simulation? 622 00:33:45,607 --> 00:33:49,976 And if so, perhaps the more important question is, 623 00:33:50,070 --> 00:33:53,447 what happens if whoever's running the simulation 624 00:33:53,532 --> 00:33:56,324 decides to shut it off? 625 00:33:57,453 --> 00:33:58,985 VIRK: The biggest threat is 626 00:33:59,079 --> 00:34:02,789 that the simulation will have to be shut down. 627 00:34:02,875 --> 00:34:04,991 Uh, which means that it would be the end 628 00:34:05,085 --> 00:34:07,827 of our simulation and that it has served its purpose. 629 00:34:08,881 --> 00:34:12,883 To us, it would basically mean the end of the world. 630 00:34:12,968 --> 00:34:15,168 In other words, it's game over. 631 00:34:15,262 --> 00:34:20,006 Somebody has pulled the plug on what we call "reality." 632 00:34:20,100 --> 00:34:23,518 An intelligence that advanced 633 00:34:23,645 --> 00:34:25,896 that can simulate reality itself, 634 00:34:25,981 --> 00:34:29,399 make it indistinguishable from reality, 635 00:34:29,485 --> 00:34:33,779 would be extremely advanced, almost godlike in their powers. 636 00:34:35,115 --> 00:34:39,025 SHATNER: A simulation controlled by godlike beings? 637 00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:40,193 (electrical whirring) 638 00:34:40,287 --> 00:34:42,996 While the idea may seem far-fetched to some, 639 00:34:43,082 --> 00:34:45,198 religious traditions from around the world 640 00:34:45,292 --> 00:34:48,368 have long held that our reality is controlled 641 00:34:48,462 --> 00:34:52,872 by a higher power that we don't fully understand. 642 00:34:52,966 --> 00:34:54,883 YOUNG: Since the beginning of shamanism, 643 00:34:55,010 --> 00:34:57,677 spiritual teachers of all kinds have been telling us 644 00:34:57,763 --> 00:35:02,057 there is more to reality than what we see or think. 645 00:35:03,143 --> 00:35:05,102 The simulation theory is 646 00:35:05,187 --> 00:35:07,646 the very real statistical possibility that 647 00:35:07,731 --> 00:35:11,558 - somebody greater than us has invented all this. - (praying in foreign language) 648 00:35:11,652 --> 00:35:13,059 We wouldn't know, would we? 649 00:35:13,153 --> 00:35:15,728 Unless the gods-- that is, the programmers-- 650 00:35:15,823 --> 00:35:17,531 decided to let us in on it. 651 00:35:18,534 --> 00:35:20,951 Of course, that's what religions tell us anyway. 652 00:35:21,036 --> 00:35:22,902 They tell us there are more realities, 653 00:35:22,996 --> 00:35:23,954 greater realities, 654 00:35:24,039 --> 00:35:26,706 and that there are powers greater than ours 655 00:35:26,792 --> 00:35:31,244 - who have made things that we walk around in. - (indistinct chatter) 656 00:35:31,338 --> 00:35:32,212 I think the simulation theory is 657 00:35:32,297 --> 00:35:34,714 just science catching up to religion. 658 00:35:35,676 --> 00:35:37,917 One thing we don't know about is, 659 00:35:38,011 --> 00:35:41,087 who were the programmers and why did they do it? 660 00:35:41,181 --> 00:35:43,256 One particular reason is 661 00:35:43,350 --> 00:35:45,425 to see how civilizations rise and fall. 662 00:35:45,519 --> 00:35:47,435 That would be quite apocalyptic 663 00:35:47,563 --> 00:35:50,930 and could lead to bad events for us. 664 00:35:51,859 --> 00:35:54,067 SHATNER: Could we actually be test subjects 665 00:35:54,153 --> 00:35:56,027 in a computer simulation? 666 00:35:56,113 --> 00:35:58,271 Like rats in a virtual maze? 667 00:35:58,365 --> 00:36:01,274 There are many who believe that to be the case. 668 00:36:01,368 --> 00:36:03,109 And as evidence they point to the fact 669 00:36:03,203 --> 00:36:05,945 that we're using advanced computer simulations right now 670 00:36:06,039 --> 00:36:10,709 to prepare for earthquakes and other catastrophic threats. 671 00:36:17,384 --> 00:36:21,178 Scientists at the Earthquake Research Institute 672 00:36:21,263 --> 00:36:23,054 conduct an unusual experiment. 673 00:36:23,140 --> 00:36:25,798 Using the powerful microprocessor 674 00:36:25,893 --> 00:36:28,134 known as the K supercomputer... 675 00:36:28,228 --> 00:36:32,397 - (beep) - they build an incredibly detailed virtual simulation 676 00:36:32,482 --> 00:36:35,975 of the city of Tokyo, down to the last detail. 677 00:36:36,069 --> 00:36:37,310 And then... 678 00:36:37,404 --> 00:36:40,113 - (beep) - ...they destroy it. 679 00:36:42,618 --> 00:36:46,244 The K supercomputer was one of the, 680 00:36:46,330 --> 00:36:48,821 if not the fastest, supercomputer on Earth. 681 00:36:48,916 --> 00:36:52,325 And a team of scientists in Japan 682 00:36:52,419 --> 00:36:55,253 used it to try to simulate what would happen 683 00:36:55,339 --> 00:36:59,049 to Tokyo if there was a major earthquake. 684 00:36:59,134 --> 00:37:02,552 Then we're able to simulate the routes people might take 685 00:37:02,638 --> 00:37:05,672 through the city to try to escape the devastation 686 00:37:05,766 --> 00:37:07,599 that could be caused by the earthquake. 687 00:37:07,684 --> 00:37:11,010 We create simulations in order to mimic 688 00:37:11,104 --> 00:37:12,845 these disasters taking place, 689 00:37:12,940 --> 00:37:16,849 and so perhaps that's why this advanced civilization, 690 00:37:16,944 --> 00:37:20,153 playing this cosmic video game, created humanity-- 691 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:22,364 to see what happens during an apocalypse. 692 00:37:23,659 --> 00:37:26,326 VIRK: Some people say that the problem they have with simulation theory 693 00:37:26,411 --> 00:37:29,788 is that we cannot prove we're not in a simulation. 694 00:37:29,873 --> 00:37:31,998 But of course humans have been pondering 695 00:37:32,084 --> 00:37:35,702 the nature of reality for many thousands of years. 696 00:37:35,796 --> 00:37:39,172 So, I think it's an innate part of who we are, 697 00:37:39,258 --> 00:37:42,217 to try to figure out the world around us. 698 00:37:42,344 --> 00:37:44,344 So that we can survive. 699 00:37:45,305 --> 00:37:49,307 Could our existence really end with the flip of a switch? 700 00:37:50,477 --> 00:37:52,385 Your guess is as good as mine. 701 00:37:52,479 --> 00:37:54,887 But if the fate of our world 702 00:37:54,982 --> 00:37:59,058 really does lie at the mercy of forces beyond our control, 703 00:37:59,152 --> 00:38:02,445 what, if anything, can we do about it? 704 00:38:03,573 --> 00:38:08,326 Well, there are those who are taking steps right now 705 00:38:08,412 --> 00:38:13,039 that just might allow us to escape. 706 00:38:17,546 --> 00:38:19,504 SHATNER: The threat of a sudden apocalypse 707 00:38:19,589 --> 00:38:23,049 that wipes out life on Earth is certainly concerning. 708 00:38:23,135 --> 00:38:26,011 But on the other hand, we know that change 709 00:38:26,096 --> 00:38:28,263 is inevitable on our planet. 710 00:38:28,390 --> 00:38:31,433 And the prospect of a potential doomsday 711 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,093 is inspiring scientists and engineers 712 00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:36,104 to develop new technologies 713 00:38:36,231 --> 00:38:40,692 and plans that will ensure humanity's survival. 714 00:38:45,782 --> 00:38:47,699 It is a law of physics practically 715 00:38:47,784 --> 00:38:51,119 that one day we will have to leave the planet Earth. 716 00:38:52,039 --> 00:38:54,497 There are a number of catastrophes 717 00:38:54,583 --> 00:38:58,710 that could definitely collapse civilization as we know it. 718 00:38:58,795 --> 00:39:03,840 Faced with these planetary threats, we have to have plan B. 719 00:39:03,925 --> 00:39:07,460 We have to have a way to save humanity itself. 720 00:39:08,472 --> 00:39:12,307 The way to ensure the survivability of humanity is 721 00:39:12,434 --> 00:39:14,517 by spreading out to the planets and the stars. 722 00:39:15,562 --> 00:39:19,972 If we move humanity to another planet location, 723 00:39:20,067 --> 00:39:21,941 an extinction-level event is not going to occur 724 00:39:22,027 --> 00:39:24,444 on both of those at the same time. 725 00:39:25,614 --> 00:39:28,031 KAKU: How come there are no dinosaurs in this room? 726 00:39:28,116 --> 00:39:29,148 How come there are no dinosaurs 727 00:39:29,242 --> 00:39:32,243 witnessing all these great shots into outer space? 728 00:39:32,329 --> 00:39:35,321 Because the dinosaurs did not have a space program. 729 00:39:35,415 --> 00:39:37,749 We have to make sure that we don't go 730 00:39:37,834 --> 00:39:39,084 the way of the dinosaurs. 731 00:39:40,629 --> 00:39:44,923 SHATNER: Is it possible that we might one day escape an apocalypse 732 00:39:45,008 --> 00:39:47,092 by moving to another planet? 733 00:39:47,177 --> 00:39:48,718 Perhaps. 734 00:39:48,804 --> 00:39:51,504 But even if catastrophe strikes 735 00:39:51,598 --> 00:39:53,890 before humans can escape to another world, 736 00:39:53,975 --> 00:39:59,562 history suggests we will find a way to endure. 737 00:39:59,648 --> 00:40:03,525 MICHAEL DENNIN: When we think about the luck of avoiding mass extinction, 738 00:40:03,652 --> 00:40:07,353 or apocalypses, I think, for humans, 739 00:40:07,447 --> 00:40:09,864 we've shown an amazing resilience 740 00:40:09,991 --> 00:40:11,408 and ability to respond. 741 00:40:11,493 --> 00:40:14,077 So things that could have been local apocalypses, 742 00:40:14,162 --> 00:40:16,413 we've already been able to mitigate in our history. 743 00:40:16,498 --> 00:40:19,866 And the hope is, these other larger ones, 744 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:24,537 as tragic as they'll be for large segments of society, 745 00:40:24,631 --> 00:40:28,383 hopefully society as a whole will be able to navigate. 746 00:40:29,553 --> 00:40:31,544 THOLEN: Some people estimate Homo sapiens have been around 747 00:40:31,638 --> 00:40:34,213 for perhaps as long as 200,000 years. 748 00:40:34,307 --> 00:40:36,716 And over that course of time, 749 00:40:36,810 --> 00:40:38,935 the species has managed to survive. 750 00:40:39,020 --> 00:40:43,055 And that gives me some confidence that 751 00:40:43,150 --> 00:40:47,560 the species will continue to adapt to the environment. 752 00:40:48,655 --> 00:40:52,115 PAUL J. SPRINGER: Extinction-level events, apocalyptic catastrophes, 753 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,492 they're interesting to think about. 754 00:40:54,578 --> 00:40:56,736 But the likelihood of them occurring 755 00:40:56,830 --> 00:40:58,830 is astronomically small. 756 00:40:58,915 --> 00:41:02,074 Humans are programmed to continue. 757 00:41:02,169 --> 00:41:03,626 And so you don't want to give them 758 00:41:03,712 --> 00:41:05,578 outsized influence in your mind. 759 00:41:05,672 --> 00:41:07,747 You don't want to constantly worry 760 00:41:07,841 --> 00:41:10,008 about the worst possible scenarios... 761 00:41:10,093 --> 00:41:13,344 - (cheering) - because they're so unlikely to occur, 762 00:41:13,430 --> 00:41:15,972 that you'll really miss out on a lot of life 763 00:41:16,057 --> 00:41:18,591 and the day-to-day affairs that make being human 764 00:41:18,685 --> 00:41:19,851 such a special thing. 765 00:41:21,396 --> 00:41:23,771 Well, what do you think? 766 00:41:24,691 --> 00:41:27,358 Just like other species before us, 767 00:41:27,444 --> 00:41:29,569 are we facing the threat of extinction 768 00:41:29,654 --> 00:41:31,771 with the next apocalypse? 769 00:41:31,865 --> 00:41:35,441 Or is humanity actually resilient enough 770 00:41:35,535 --> 00:41:40,121 that no matter what comes at us, or explodes beneath us, 771 00:41:40,248 --> 00:41:42,081 or attempts to push our buttons, 772 00:41:42,167 --> 00:41:44,501 we'll survive and evolve and prepare 773 00:41:44,586 --> 00:41:47,620 for the next cataclysmic event? 774 00:41:47,714 --> 00:41:50,289 Only time will tell. 775 00:41:50,383 --> 00:41:52,091 But until it does, 776 00:41:52,177 --> 00:41:57,296 the question of what fate may hold for us remains... 777 00:41:57,390 --> 00:41:59,298 unexplained. 778 00:41:59,392 --> 00:42:01,017 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS 62865

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