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.