NARRATOR: Zurich, Switzerland. December, 2019. Scientists Yaniv Erlich and Robert Grass announce an incredible technological breakthrough. One that takes the unassuming form of a small plastic bunny. This seemingly mundane object hides an incredible secret. Just like a living creature, the bunny has its own DNA. But how? By binding negatively charged molecules of biological DNA with positively charged particles or protective silica, Erlich and Grass were able to create the world's first synthetic DNA. While biological DNA is relatively fragile, this synthetic DNA can last potentially for eons. In the case of the bunny, the scientists encoded the digital files used to create the 3D-printed object into the plastic. With even just a tiny snippet, they can decode the information inside, and print a new copy of the bunny, which will carry the same synthetic DNA. What makes this breakthrough particularly significant is the fact that it has the ability to store massive amounts of data. Digital computers that you have in your cell phone and everywhere in our world today... ...deals with digital information. Zeros and ones, zeros and ones. And that's how it makes calculations. Now, Mother Nature is more sophisticated. On a DNA molecule, Mother Nature computes in base four. A, T, C, G, rather than zero, one, zero, one, zero, one. And we can actually compute by hijacking this base four mechanism that Mother Nature has created, and putting our programming on A, T, C, G, A, T, C, G. NARRATOR: Experts say that once this technique is scaled up, massive amounts of data can be stored in any object, retrieved and replicated, presumably forever. TEITEL: These are great alternatives of storing data because they don't need any energy for storage. They can just sit on a shelf and not degrade. SPIVACK: Once you actually encode data into DNA, it's very cheap to replicate. So you can put petabytes of data into a droplet of DNA, and then make a billion copies of it very inexpensively. And if you have a redundancy strategy, lots of copies is a good thing. DNA is also very compact. The amount of space it takes to store the Wikipedia is just a few drops of liquid, and those could actually just be embedded into fabric or paper and take up almost no space. NARRATOR: Although DNA data storage is still in its infancy, ancient astronaut theorists believe it presents an intriguing possibility. Is it possible that many out-of-place artifacts discovered around the world have much more to offer than what meets the eye? Might they contain information within them about whatever civilization left them behind? There are lots of natural materials that conduct and can contain information today: crystals, various types of stones, even living organisms. So, is it possible that extraterrestrials have embedded ancient, sacred knowledge in some type of material that, if we were able to extract this information, there could be a wealth of information ready, waiting at our fingertips? NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists suggest that by examining out-of-place artifacts, we might discover clues as to what information is contained within them and how to access it. As support for this notion, they point to the artifacts that humanity recently sent to the Moon. When the Arch Mission Foundation created the Lunar Library, they included analog layers that could be read without a computer. SPIVACK: The idea of the Lunar Library was to make it something which recipients who find it in millions to billions of years could see that it has data on it. And the analog layers teach everything you need to know to build a computer and get the digital information off the deeper layers. By trying to store information for thousands or millions of years, you end up going to the same solutions that the hypothetical ancient aliens may have also figured out how to use. CHILDRESS: So, we have to ask ourself if these artifacts didn't, perhaps, have a technological purpose that we still do not understand NARRATOR: Alatri, Italy, June 2019. Ancient astronaut theorist Giorgio Tsoukalos is in the heart of the Italian peninsula, about 50 miles southeast of Rome. He is here to investigate the astronomical alignment of the finest megalithic construction in Italy, the city's acropolis. TSOUKALOS (chuckles): All right. Giulio. -Hello, Giorgio. How are you? -Good to see you again. -Yeah. Nice to see you again. -How are you? -Fine. -What a fantastic place. -I cannot wait to see all of this. -Yeah. Yeah. -Yeah. -I've been waiting for years to see this. Amazing. NARRATOR: For expert insight, he has enlisted the help of Dr. Giulio Magli, a professor of archaeoastronomy from the Polytechnic University in Milan, Italy. Dr. Magli has spent years studying this massive structure. This is incredible. Mm-hmm. TSOUKALOS: 26 tons. I mean, this is absolutely insane. Right. So you're suggesting that they had to have had a compelling reason to do this, 'cause nobody in their right mind would do something like this without a reason. Yes. NARRATOR: The imposing megalithic citadel was built on top of a hill and is defined by six huge walls. The shape of the acropolis, when viewed from the sky, has led some to suggest that it was built to create a lasting commemoration of the site's connection to the stars. Giorgio has brought a drone with him to get an aerial view of the ancient acropolis. -All right, let's launch this rocket. -Yes. TSOUKALOS: All right, so what do we see here? -Okay. -And... TSOUKALOS: Right. So, are you saying that this mount here was cut artificially? That is incredible. TSOUKALOS: Yeah. Mm-hmm. TSOUKALOS: So, we are looking at the outline of Gemini here? -Wow. -May well be. What's really interesting here is that the entire mountaintop has been artificially shaped so that it is in the shape of the constellation of Gemini. And then you have to wonder, why was it built in this shape? Because something of significance happened here a long time ago. NARRATOR: In Greek mythology, the Gemini constellation depicts twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, the offspring of a god and a human. HENRY: In the story, we're told that Zeus shape-shifted or disguised himself as a swan and impregnated this human female, Leda, leading to the birth of Castor and Pollux. NARRATOR: While mainstream historians consider the story purely mythological, ancient astronaut theorists point out that these gods were considered very real by the Greek people of the time, and they propose that the story of the twins could be an account of an extraterrestrial encounter. In one version of the story, we're told that the egg containing Castor and Pollux came down out of the heavens. TSOUKALOS: When the legends say that the Gemini twins were born of an egg that descended from the sky, it actually says that they were born of a so-called cosmic egg. And what are these cosmic eggs? They're always described as having either a silver or a bronze-colored shell, and sometimes they're also described as having a lot of smoke, fire and noise. CHILDRESS: And interestingly, many UFOs are sometimes seen as eggs. So, is it possible that the egg of Castor and Pollux is some extraterrestrial vehicle that looks like an egg and lands on Earth, and then two twins step out? It's quite possible. NARRATOR: If the Alatri acropolis was purposely built to resemble the Gemini constellation, could it be commemorating an alien visitation? And considering the incredible size of the stones it was built with, is it possible that the extraterrestrials themselves had a hand in the wall's construction? Do we have any records, written records at all, -about this place from ancient times? -We don't. Okay. What is your speculation how old this place really could be? Okay, uh... TSOUKALOS: Because you can clearly see the different construction styles. Giulio, thank you very much for sharing this with me, and I can't wait till we see each other again. NARRATOR: New York City. Located in Midtown Manhattan is the busiest train station in the United States, Grand Central Terminal. Three-quarters of a million people come through here each day, and when they do, they pass under an enormous star chart, one whose origins date back some 5,000 years. When commuters walk into Grand Central, they see an epic, magnificent mural of the zodiac wheel. It is one of the largest zodiac murals in the modern world. NARRATOR: Although most visitors are not aware of the mural above their heads, if they were, they might be astounded, because as far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, it depicts the evolution of the Earth in extraterrestrial terms. The most interesting fact about this portion of the zodiac wheel is that it demonstrates what is called the precession of the equinoxes. What we call the spring equinox is the first day of spring. Back when the principles of astrology were first put together, the first day of spring was in Aries. During the age of Christ, the first day of spring was in Pisces. The fish is associated with Pisces. Christ was considered the fisher of men. And nowadays, the spring equinox occurs when the Sun rises in the constellation of Aquarius. That's why we are said to be in the Age of Aquarius, which is supposed to be an age of spiritual understanding, mystical awareness and world peace. NARRATOR: While there is no consensus as to an exact date, many believe that the Age of Aquarius was set by ancient astrologers to begin in February 1962 and believed that it would trigger the rapid development of new technology. Ironically, it began just seven years before man landed on the Moon. NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. I guarantee you that when our ancestors spoke about these gods descending from the sky, they were not referring to the constellations themselves descending from the sky, but, in my opinion, people coming from those areas up in the night sky. HENRY: As we are entering into the new Age of Aquarius, according to the Sumerians, it was Enki, is the original man of Aquarius, an otherworldly, even extraterrestrial being. We are returning to a time when Enki himself may return. That's perfectly consistent with this idea that the zodiac, in fact, is a sort of a clock that tells not just about the Sun's journey, but also about the journey of extraterrestrials and their return to Earth. JASON MARTELL: We're now in the Age of Aquarius, and there is a quickening effect taking place with our technological advances. It's very possible that we are now in the age when we are going to reconnect with our ancient alien ancestors. NARRATOR: Could our ancestors have been aware of the zodiac's powerful message thousands of years ago? And might the signs of the zodiac provide the key to understanding both humanity's past and future? There's a prophecy in the Glastonbury Zodiac relating to the coming Age of Aquarius. It's going to be a time where our minds begin to think radically differently in a way that can transform life on this planet for the better. In many ways, we are becoming more enlightened, we are becoming more connected with the cosmos, we understand more about our roots and our origins. NARRATOR: Amboise, France. 1513. At Château du Clos Lucé, a 61-year-old Leonardo da Vinci begins work on what will be his final painting. Three years later, he completes his portrait of an androgynous figure emerging from a shadowy background-- Saint John the Baptist. Picture this painting in a dimly lit chapel. Before lighting the candle, you don't see anything. -Right. -You light the candle, and the light of the flame illuminates the painting, and there emerges, against a dark background, Saint John the Baptist. And the pointing upward to heaven, saying: I'm from the light, I'm witnessing to the light. He's pointing to another realm. KWAKKELSTEIN: Oh, yes. This is where divine wisdom comes from. This is the source of everything. The first words of Saint John are, "I saw the light. -I will come to this Earth." -Wow. PICKNETT: Leonardo was encoding extraordinary secrets in his paintings. He wanted to imbue his work for the future generations with his own private message. His paintings are like portals to another world, where the<i> real</i> Leonardo inhabits. But whether we're big enough to accept what he has to say is quite another matter. Investigators have recently found some pretty astonishing things about Leonardo da Vinci's painting<i> John the Baptist.</i> And they mirror the image to create a double image, and then through an enhancement process, they are able to bring out what seems to be the face of an extraterrestrial. It's a pretty unusual thing, and we know that da Vinci did use this mirroring technique. And so this isn't something that is so farfetched that he would do. Da Vinci is one of a long line of artists who have told us, beginning with the ancient Egyptians and running through the early Christians and Tibetans, that art is a medium, it's a conduit through which ordinary people can connect with higher-dimensional beings, even extraterrestrials. NARRATOR: Did Leonardo da Vinci experience an extraterrestrial encounter, one that opened his mind to what was once considered forbidden knowledge? Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and believe that da Vinci encoded his works in such a way that future generations could learn the truth about mankind's origins.