Fingerprint-Like Forest + 50 Mysterious Places on Earth

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Transcript

00:00:00As with many other crazy Internet discoveries, it all kick-started on Reddit with a wild

00:00:05post about wicked forest designs.

00:00:08Just take a gander on Google Earth and hit up the History tool to watch epic transformations

00:00:13from barren valleys to densely populated areas teeming with lush green tree plantations.

00:00:19Currently, Uruguay has approximately 2.7 million acres of artificial forests.

00:00:25To put that into perspective, it would take you around 15 to 20 minutes to walk across

00:00:30one acre, depending on how fast your pace is.

00:00:33You could spend a lifetime just walking around those artificial Uruguayan forests.

00:00:39But how did they emerge, and how did they reach this scale?

00:00:42So there's this process called afforestation, where trees are planted in previously non-forested

00:00:48areas.

00:00:49This initiative was implemented as part of a larger plan to increase the country's

00:00:54forest cover, resulting in Uruguay now exporting an impressive $2 billion worth of wood pulp

00:01:00annually.

00:01:01Despite native forests only covering 5% of the country, these artificial forests occupy

00:01:06a significant 6%.

00:01:09Another cool thing about these forests is that they have special trees that originally

00:01:13couldn't be found in Uruguay.

00:01:15It was decided to plant eucalyptus trees there, as they show impressive results in terms of

00:01:20how fast they grow.

00:01:21A tree can get through a whole cycle, from a little plant to one ready to be harvested

00:01:26in as little as 10 years.

00:01:28Yeah, not as impressive as bamboo that grows a couple of feet a day, but still faster than

00:01:33a common Uruguay tree called the Tree of Heaven, which takes about 25 years to get full size.

00:01:39By the way, it's considered pretty fast too.

00:01:43This funky forest in Japan is literally turning heads.

00:01:47In the Miyazaki Prefecture, there's a group of Japanese cedar trees that are causing a

00:01:52buzz with their unique concentric circles reaching toward the sky.

00:01:56A recent aerial photo captured these crop circles, and now everyone is scratching their

00:02:00heads trying to figure out how they came to be.

00:02:04But fear not, there's no extraterrestrial invasion involved.

00:02:08It turns out, this cool formation was actually a carefully planned project from almost half

00:02:13a century ago.

00:02:15Back in 1973, researchers planted these trees in specific radial increments to create these

00:02:21mesmerizing circles.

00:02:22I mean, 50 years ago, Google Earth was nowhere around.

00:02:26But looking at that forest, you might think that the Japanese have been preparing to boast

00:02:30their forest on the Internet for half a century.

00:02:33What's even more fascinating is how the trees grew in a curved shape, spreading out in an

00:02:39unexpected way.

00:02:40Originally, meant to be harvested after 5 years, there's now talk of preserving this

00:02:45circular forest because of all the newfound interest.

00:02:50But look at this portal in the forest.

00:02:52There's no way it could've emerged naturally, right?

00:02:55If your first guess was that it was a piece of contemporary art, you were right.

00:03:00So this portal is located in southern Estonia, and it was created by Finnish artist, uh,

00:03:05this guy.

00:03:06This portal is far from being his only creation.

00:03:09He's had other crazy projects too.

00:03:12Like he once sailed to Estonia in a boat made of barn.

00:03:15He also chopped down a forest plot, sorted all the materials for months, and then made

00:03:20an installation the same size as the original plot.

00:03:23There was even a time when he cut a line in ice with a chainsaw and ended up in a freezing

00:03:28swamp.

00:03:29This guy definitely knows how to surprise people.

00:03:32Most of his works are nature-related, so you probably shouldn't be surprised that this

00:03:36forest portal is yet another creation of his.

00:03:40What do you think the artist wanted to convey through this portal?

00:03:43Let us know in the comments!

00:03:46Trees are something that are definitionally straight, right?

00:03:50Not as long as you're in the crooked forest in Poland.

00:03:53Near the ground, the trees there bend sharply to the north, then magically straighten back

00:03:57up after a little detour of 3 to 9 feet.

00:04:01It's like they're doing the limbo, but with trees.

00:04:04The mystery of how these trees ended up swerving like they're on a roller coaster is still

00:04:08unsolved.

00:04:10Some people think humans might've intervened to create some funky furniture or boat-building

00:04:14material, while others blame it on a wild snowstorm.

00:04:17Nobody knows for sure.

00:04:19Regardless of how they got this way, the crooked forest is a hot spot for tourists and nature

00:04:24lovers.

00:04:25If you ever come to Poland, make sure to visit this nature's wonder!

00:04:30Welcome to the Goblin Forest, a magical section of East Egmont that will make you feel like

00:04:35you've stepped into a fairy tale.

00:04:37This enchanting forest, also known as the Kamahi Walk, is famous for the abundance of

00:04:42gnarly Kamahi trees that give the whole place an eerie yet stunning vibe.

00:04:47As you hike through the Goblin Forest, you'll be surprised by lush greenery, moss-covered

00:04:51trees, and falling rays of sun that create a truly enchanting atmosphere.

00:04:57It's a photographer's dream come true!

00:04:59While you might not find real goblins or mythical creatures in the forest, you will still encounter

00:05:07a variety of native bird species.

00:05:09Bird watchers will be in heaven spotting all the feathered friends flitting about, and

00:05:14all that alliteration.

00:05:15Plus, if you're lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of glowworms lighting up the trails!

00:05:21With a network of well-maintained hiking trails suitable for all fitness levels, the Goblin

00:05:26Forest is the perfect destination for adventurers looking for a magical experience in nature.

00:05:32So grab your hiking boots and get ready to explore this enchanted forest of wonders!

00:05:38Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica is not your typical forest adventure.

00:05:43Think of high-flying suspension bridges and trails above the treetops.

00:05:47On foggy days, you can wander through misty clouds for a mystical vibe.

00:05:52This nature reserve is called a cloud forest, and it's a real scientific definition.

00:05:57Cloud forests differ from your average ones in several aspects.

00:06:01First, there are usually evergreen forests that are like tropical oases, with a constant

00:06:06veil of low-level clouds covering the canopy.

00:06:09The next thing that's different is moss.

00:06:11It's so abundant there that these places are sometimes even nicknamed mossy forests.

00:06:16Going back to Monteverde Cloud Forest, however, it's more impressive if you visit it on

00:06:21a foggy day.

00:06:22But even on clear days, the views of the lush greenery are absolutely stunning.

00:06:29If a regular forest sounds a bit boring to you, our planet has something more fun to

00:06:33offer.

00:06:34How about an underwater forest?

00:06:36Whether you're a local Oregonian or just passing through, Clear Lake is definitely

00:06:41a dive spot you've got to check out.

00:06:44True to its name, Clear Lake lives up to its reputation, with crystal-clear waters boasting

00:06:48up to 100 feet of visibility.

00:06:51It's like swimming in a massive pool.

00:06:53But brace yourself, because it's a chilly 38 degrees Fahrenheit all year round.

00:06:58Nah, I wouldn't venture in there.

00:07:00It's more adapted for penguins, I guess.

00:07:02Well, never mind.

00:07:03This lake is special because of its history.

00:07:06It was formed over 3,000 years ago by volcanic activity that redirected a river, preserving

00:07:12ancient trees that you can still see standing tall underwater today.

00:07:17There's this section known as Underwater Forest where you can see ancient trees deep

00:07:22down.

00:07:23An underwater forest walk sounds fancy, doesn't it?

00:07:27And in Madagascar, there's not a forest, but an avenue of trees.

00:07:31But the trees are so majestic, this avenue can rival with the coolest actual forest.

00:07:37I'm talking about these awesome gigantic baobab trees.

00:07:41Picture this, an 850-foot stretch of road lined with 20 to 25 massive baobabs, towering

00:07:48at about 100 feet tall.

00:07:50In terms of height, it's as if this alley was packed with many Rio's Christ the Redeemer

00:07:55statues.

00:07:56Even a 6-foot guy would feel insecure there.

00:07:59And if you venture just 4 miles away, you'll find the Baobab Amaru, two baobabs that grew

00:08:04twisted together like a love story.

00:08:07Legend has it that they represent an impossible love between two young villagers who dreamt

00:08:11of a life together.

00:08:13Now they stand there, intertwined for eternity.

00:08:21Welcome to the spooktacular tale of the John Lawson House in New Hamburg, just 80 miles

00:08:28north of New York City.

00:08:31This 150-year-old home is known for its creepy mannequins that used to magically change outfits

00:08:38and poses on the front porch.

00:08:41Some say these mannequins were haunted by spirits from tragic events that happened nearby

00:08:46in the 19th century.

00:08:50Back in the day, the Lawson family built this historic home in a bustling river port village.

00:08:56Tragedy struck when a train accident and a destructive fire occurred near the house in

00:09:01the 1870s, causing chaos and taking many lives.

00:09:07The mysterious mannequins appeared without explanation, dressed in old-timey clothes

00:09:12and accessories.

00:09:14The homeowner was unknown when that creepy stuff was first noticed.

00:09:18Sometimes, mannequins would hold something in their hands, like books.

00:09:22Also, it seemed like those spine-chilling figures didn't fancy bad weather.

00:09:28They would vanish during storms and even face the sight of the lethal train accident.

00:09:34But suddenly, in 2016, the mannequins vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mystery

00:09:40that still haunts the John Lawson House to this day.

00:09:45Will they ever return?

00:09:47Only time will tell.

00:09:49Venice, the one in Italy, not a neighborhood in California, may be considered the city

00:09:55of love and all, but Poveglia Island has a fishy reputation.

00:09:59Made up of two natural islands and one human-made one with wooden pillars and layers of earth,

00:10:05this place is like a creepy puzzle waiting to be solved.

00:10:10One island is covered in greenery, another has the main buildings and the smallest is

00:10:15basically a fort.

00:10:16The island is now deserted with just a few lonely structures left standing.

00:10:21Rumor has it that about half of the land on the island is made up of human ashes.

00:10:28Yikes!

00:10:30According to stories, when a plague hit, the hospital had to figure out what to do with

00:10:34all the bodies.

00:10:36Supposedly, they ended up burning them, but some say that over 100,000 victims were actually

00:10:41buried in mass graves, called plague pits.

00:10:45The details about how all these bodies were disposed of are sketchy at best, leaving room

00:10:50for spooky speculation about what went down on the island.

00:10:54Whether they were torched or buried, the sad truth is that thousands of lives were lost

00:10:59and left behind on Poveglia Island.

00:11:02Another creepy tale involves a crazy asylum director who supposedly jumped off the clock

00:11:07tower after being swallowed up by a mysterious fog.

00:11:11But this story may have originated from shows like Ghostbusters, with no actual proof that

00:11:16this dude even existed.

00:11:19There are also whispers of patients seeing ghosts within the psychiatric hospital, adding

00:11:24to the island's spooky vibe.

00:11:27While these stories might be a bit out there, they definitely add to the mystery surrounding

00:11:32Poveglia Island.

00:11:34Despite all the exaggerated stories and urban legends, one thing remains true.

00:11:39Poveglia Island has a dark history filled with tragedy.

00:11:43This place has seen it all.

00:11:45The empty buildings and abandoned landscapes are like sad reminders of the sorrowful past

00:11:50that haunts this eerie island.

00:11:52Hush, don't move.

00:11:55We're in the clearing at Hoia Baciu, Transylvania, which has a funky reputation for being one

00:12:02of the creepiest places in the world.

00:12:06The trees there wouldn't grow in a clearing that has a perfect oval shape.

00:12:12Soil scientists have been unable to explain this anomaly.

00:12:16The area attracts a variety of people, from Romanian witches to sword-wielding Americans

00:12:22attempting to cleanse the forest through yoga.

00:12:26Hoia Baciu gained international attention in 1968 when someone captured a photograph

00:12:32of a mysterious flying object hovering over the clearing.

00:12:36Some people are sure those must have been guests from another planet.

00:12:42This event, along with the alleged paranormal occurrences reported by visitors, has added

00:12:47to the forest's enigmatic reputation.

00:12:51Local guides also share other anecdotes linked to this forest.

00:12:55For example, some time ago, a group of 60 people from Bucharest attempted to open a

00:13:00gate into another dimension there.

00:13:03If a paranormal forest doesn't send shivers down your spine, maybe this place will.

00:13:09Yep, there's a whole settlement at the bottom of Lake Lanier, Georgia's biggest lake,

00:13:17and it's filled with a secret American horror story.

00:13:20Terror, ghosts, and other paranormal stuff.

00:13:23The whole shebang.

00:13:25There are many spooky tales about Lake Lanier.

00:13:29Women have reported seeing ghostly kayaks, and stories circulate about women with no

00:13:34hands haunting the Jerry D. Jackson Bridge.

00:13:37Plus, the lake has a dark side, with over 500 demises since it was created and more

00:13:43than 200 since 1994.

00:13:47People talk about good swimmers getting snatched under the water, mysterious boating accidents,

00:13:52and vehicles crashing into the lake for no reason.

00:13:57Stories will straight up tell you, don't go to Lake Lanier.

00:14:00And with the lake's stats, it's hard to argue.

00:14:03Some say the lake is cursed, but it's up to you to decide.

00:14:08The Poison Garden is a misleading, beautiful place where danger lurks behind every leaf.

00:14:15It's tucked away behind spooky black gates at the Alnwick Garden.

00:14:20There you'll discover a collection of over a hundred plants that are not just toxic,

00:14:25but downright lethal.

00:14:27If you don't have to worry about accidentally poisoning yourself, just keep your hands to

00:14:31yourself.

00:14:32No sniffing or nibbling allowed.

00:14:35Venture through ivy-covered tunnels and fiery-shaped beds as you dive into the history of poison

00:14:41and hear some thrilling tales of infamous cases.

00:14:45Prepare to meet some dangerous flora, like Laburnum atropa belladonna, and even the infamous

00:14:51jimpy-jimpy plant that's rumored to be able to hurt you as nothing else.

00:14:56By the way, there are many wild stories about this dreaded plant.

00:15:01Some are a bit exaggerated, like the one about using the leaves as toilet paper.

00:15:05Ouch!

00:15:06But others are no joke, like horses getting stung and going bonkers.

00:15:12There's even a tragic tale of a person passing away from its sting in New Guinea back in

00:15:161922.

00:15:18So come on, take the plunge in the poison garden if you dare.

00:15:23Just remember to steer clear of any plants that could lead to a seriously bad day.

00:15:29You're having your vacation in Finland, the happiest country in the world.

00:15:33You rent a car and drive to see the lakes.

00:15:36What could go wrong?

00:15:38Suddenly, you come face to face with over a thousand eerily still figures.

00:15:43These guys are dressed to impress in colorful outfits, but there's something… off about

00:15:48them.

00:15:49Their heads are featureless, their bodies, wooden, and they all seem to be staring in

00:15:53the same direction.

00:15:55It's like they were playing a giant game of freeze tag, but nobody remembered to yell

00:16:00tag, you're it!

00:16:03These silent sentinels are known as the silent people, and they've been scaring people

00:16:07since 1988.

00:16:10They're the brainchild of dancer and choreographer Reijo Kila.

00:16:15Originally hanging out in La Silla near Helsinki, they've traveled around a bit before settling

00:16:20in their current spot on the side of the road.

00:16:23Why did they move?

00:16:24Maybe they were tired of big city traffic and wanted a quieter place to chill.

00:16:30No one really knows what these peat-headed, straw-haired guys are all about.

00:16:34Some folks find them creepy, like they're watching your every move.

00:16:38Others think they're kinda sad, like a group of friends waiting for a bus that never comes.

00:16:44But hey, that's art for you, open to interpretation and open to jokes about scarecrows having

00:16:49better fashion sense than most humans.

00:16:52Bonus here, there's a cafe with traditional Finnish crepes, so you may get scared there,

00:16:57but not hungry.

00:16:59In Australia's far north, there's a spooky granite mountain known as the Bermuda Triangle.

00:17:05Black Mountain, also known as Kalkajaka by the indigenous owners, has been the backdrop

00:17:10for some seriously strange disappearances dating back to 1800s.

00:17:17It's pretty close to Cooktown, so it has some legendary tales attached to it.

00:17:22They say Black Mountain was once a fierce battlefield for opposing ancestral clans.

00:17:27The whole place is littered with massive granite boulders stacked in a chaotic manner, where

00:17:32explorers, horses, and cattle seemingly vanished into thin air.

00:17:38For many years, people were scared by the bad reputation of this place until recent

00:17:42research shed some light on the dark mystery of Black Mountain, leaving no room for further

00:17:47speculation.

00:17:48Turns out, the reason for the disappearances may not be as supernatural as we thought.

00:17:53Lack of swimming skills, crocodiles, or just some good old-fashioned tomfoolery could have

00:17:58been the real culprits.

00:18:02Crocodiles have three hearts.

00:18:04Two of them pump blood to the gills, while the bigger heart circulates blood to the rest

00:18:08of their body.

00:18:09They also have nine brains.

00:18:11There's the large central one, but also, each of their eight arms has a mini-brain

00:18:16of its own, which is why they can act independently.

00:18:19Since each arm has its own brain, the central brain only needs to send a higher-level signal

00:18:24to the arm, things like, move to that nearby crevice, there might be a crab hiding inside.

00:18:30In the case of humans, the brain would guide and take control of each movement of our legs

00:18:34and arms.

00:18:35And with an octopus, arms act almost independently on their way to the crevice.

00:18:41It also tastes and feels with the suction cups on it.

00:18:44Since their arms are so independent, an octopus doesn't actually know where they are unless

00:18:50it sees them.

00:18:51The human body has an ability called proprioception.

00:18:55Thanks to it, we know where our arm is even if we hold it, let's say, behind our back.

00:19:001816 is known as the year when summer didn't come.

00:19:05In April 1815, there was a massive explosion on Mount Tambora in Indonesia.

00:19:11It sent enormous clouds of volcanic ash up into the atmosphere.

00:19:15The majority of the northern hemisphere got covered with a shroud of dust and dirt and

00:19:20kinda refused to settle.

00:19:22In June of the following year, the cold winter didn't just come to an end.

00:19:27Frost damaged crops, and snow and rain persisted during the whole summer.

00:19:32In Iceland, you'll find some of the most breathtaking sceneries on our planet.

00:19:37Jagged mountains, fjords, hot geysers, ice fields carved into the landscape, stunning

00:19:42yet intriguingly black sand beaches, such as Reynisfjara beach.

00:19:47Most of the sand on beaches is generally formed from rocks that have broken down because of

00:19:53weather changes and erosion through thousands or even millions of years.

00:19:57And on Reynisfjara, the sand is a striking black color, and that's because of volcanic

00:20:02activity.

00:20:03Lava came out of an erupting volcano, got to the surface, cooled, and then hardened

00:20:08in the Atlantic Ocean, creating such a fascinating black hue.

00:20:12This beach is so magically stunning, but it's also very dangerous because of its sneakier

00:20:17waves.

00:20:18That's when a few smaller waves join together into a single really big one.

00:20:23This phenomenon can happen when ocean currents force waves together, or in the case of Reynisfjara,

00:20:29when such waves come from an offshore underground cliff and get an even stronger pulling effect.

00:20:35Considering the ocean's low temperatures too, it's definitely better to just take

00:20:40pictures from a safe spot.

00:20:42Some trees talk to each other, not the way we do of course, but, for example, acacia

00:20:47trees that grow over the African savanna can warn each other if there's something

00:20:52dangerous coming.

00:20:54When some animals such as antelopes gobble up its leaves, the tree immediately starts

00:20:58producing more tannin, which is toxic to animals.

00:21:02They also emit a special type of gas that travels through the air and warns other trees

00:21:07they should protect themselves too.

00:21:09You're stargazing, such a chill night, and then a flash of bright light streaks through

00:21:15the night sky.

00:21:16A shooting star, so cool!

00:21:18But what we see is not actually a star, although we call it that way.

00:21:23They're meteors, which are basically small chunks of dust and rock moving through space.

00:21:28As they're passing through our atmosphere, they cause something called friction when

00:21:32one thing rubs against another, and that's why they glow.

00:21:36Also, the friction causes heat.

00:21:38Dust and rocks get extremely hot as they fly through the atmosphere, and the heat makes

00:21:42them glow until the moment they burn out and turn into what we call the shooting star.

00:21:49Sunsets in deserts are extremely beautiful because of the spectacular colors they produce

00:21:53a bit more than elsewhere.

00:21:56Sunlight consists of various shades of the color spectrum.

00:21:59When the sun is high in the sky, these colors mix together and our eyes see them as white.

00:22:05But as the sun gets lower, its rays have to go through a thicker layer of atmosphere before

00:22:10they get to us.

00:22:11The atmosphere then scatters shorter wavelengths of light, like blue and purple, before we

00:22:16can even see them.

00:22:18That's why the longer orange and red wavelengths stand out.

00:22:21In urban environments, air pollution can make sunset colors duller than everywhere.

00:22:26The clean air in deserts allow the vivid colors coming from the sun to shine through at twilight.

00:22:32Also, the moisture, water vapor, and rain engorge clouds and mute the sunset's hues.

00:22:38Since there's no rain, clouds are thin and wispy, so they filter and reflect sunlight

00:22:43instead of blocking it.

00:22:46Bamboo grows really fast.

00:22:48It's actually the fastest-growing plant on Earth, sometimes growing about 3 feet in just

00:22:52one day.

00:22:53You can find it in dense forests, where only a little light gets to the ground.

00:22:58Which means bamboo is under strong pressure to reach the sunlight as quickly as it can.

00:23:03There's an underground stem that connects bamboo shoots to their parent plant, so the shoot

00:23:08doesn't really need leaves of its own until it gets to its full height.

00:23:12Also, bamboo grows faster than other plants because it doesn't waste its time and energy

00:23:17on growing rings that thicken the stalk.

00:23:19It's just a thin hollow stick that grows straight up.

00:23:24You'll notice some of the big trees have shallow root systems, sometimes even 10 inches

00:23:29deep in the ground.

00:23:30The roots generally need access to oxygen and water, and they can mostly find it in

00:23:35special underground pockets called soil pores.

00:23:38When a tree has ideal moisture and soil conditions, it can send roots deeper down under the surface

00:23:44and get what it needs.

00:23:45But most of the time, conditions are not perfect, considering bedrock, stones, and compact soil

00:23:51that physically prevents the roots from going down.

00:23:54Such obstacles also prevent the roots from getting the needed oxygen.

00:23:58So when life gets tough, the tree will take an easier option.

00:24:02Its roots will stay close to the surface and spread out in different directions.

00:24:07Drought conditions are another reason trees can have shallow root systems.

00:24:11By staying closer to the surface, they can take most of the rainfall collection.

00:24:16Plants are exposed to the sunlight most of the time, but they still don't get sunburned.

00:24:21They appeared on land about 700 million years ago, and one of the key things they needed

00:24:25to survive was something that would protect them against the ultraviolet rays coming from

00:24:30the sun.

00:24:31Trees in the sea had seawater as protection.

00:24:34UV radiation is mostly responsible for sunburn, so land plants developed a special protein

00:24:40that detects it.

00:24:42This protein sends signals to the cells to protect the plant from the damage and effects

00:24:47of UV radiation.

00:24:48Basically, it's like they produce their own natural sunscreen, but this still doesn't

00:24:53mean they're 100% protected.

00:24:56You know that common belief that if you water plants in the midday sunshine, this can cause

00:25:00their sunburn?

00:25:02Some think droplets of water act as tiny lenses and then focus the sunlight onto the leaf

00:25:07surface, but they're not strong enough to actually focus sunlight from a water droplet

00:25:12onto the surface of a leaf.

00:25:14It's just that their natural sunscreen doesn't mean total protection.

00:25:18Too much exposure to UV radiation damages cells in the leaves and bark of the majority

00:25:23of plants.

00:25:25Earth's core is as hot as the surface of the sun.

00:25:29You'd think it could easily melt our entire planet, especially since the core is only

00:25:331,800 miles away from the surface.

00:25:36If the sun were so close, we'd be like French fries.

00:25:39But we're alive because the center of the sun is surrounded by a mantle of rock that's

00:25:44mostly solid.

00:25:45The crust we walk on actually floats on that mantle and protects us.

00:25:50If the sun was close, we'd only have empty space to protect us, and you and I wouldn't

00:25:55be talking.

00:25:56Also, to melt the entire planet, you'd need way more energy than the heat in its core.

00:26:02The sea.

00:26:03This unrelenting water beast has been defying all attempts to tame it for centuries.

00:26:09Many ships driven by the wind have gone through the harshest parts of the world.

00:26:14Some have survived the struggle with the sea, and many have come off second best.

00:26:19It's the year 1834.

00:26:22A ship called the Pilgrim is setting a course to sail from California to Boston.

00:26:27The journey will venture around South America and then past Cape Horn of Chile.

00:26:34Richard signs up as a merchant seaman aboard the Pilgrim.

00:26:37This is his first voyage at sea.

00:26:39The crew tells Richard stories of the Drake Passage off Cape Horn, a route that's legendary

00:26:44for its dangers.

00:26:46Countless ships and sailors have disappeared in those waters.

00:26:51Since Cape Horn's discovery in 1526, it's quickly become known to all those that have

00:26:56sailed around it as the ultimate test of any mariner's skill, and of any ship's strength.

00:27:03Those that have survived the journey call Cape Horn a sailor's nightmare.

00:27:09Jack the Helmsman, a salty veteran, steers the ship towards this most dangerous of all

00:27:14routes.

00:27:15Jack has been aboard the Pilgrim since it was first commissioned in 1825.

00:27:20He's passed by the Horn many times, each time learning a different lesson from the

00:27:24tests provided by the sea.

00:27:26The Pilgrim has been refitted since its past voyage a year ago.

00:27:31Richard values Jack's experience, given that it's his first journey at sea.

00:27:36Jack assures Richard of his confidence in the Pilgrim, even though it's just a small

00:27:40wooden brig with two masts.

00:27:44Jack's aware that wooden vessels are gradually becoming outdated, replaced by new steam-powered

00:27:50ships.

00:27:51But, Jack prefers the maneuverability of the Pilgrim, and will take it over the steel ships

00:27:55any day.

00:27:58Richard is excited to be aboard.

00:28:00There's so much to explore in life as a merchant seaman, but the guy struggles to acquire his

00:28:05sea legs on the boat.

00:28:08Forceful winds make the Pilgrim move faster, providing Richard with a quick introduction

00:28:12to life at sea.

00:28:14At the same time, nothing can prepare him for what is to be experienced at Cape Horn.

00:28:20It's the southernmost point of land before Antarctica.

00:28:24The gap between the icy continent and Cape Horn holds the infamous Drake Passage, approximately

00:28:31700 miles between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula.

00:28:36Strong winds provide an uninterrupted, steadfast journey toward the Horn.

00:28:41But as Jack tells Richard, the winds are more concentrated at the Drake Passage.

00:28:46They create a funneling effect, becoming stronger and more unpredictable.

00:28:51Richard is unsure of what this might mean for the Pilgrim, but understands that there's

00:28:55no easier route to travel around South America.

00:28:59A few days pass.

00:29:02The Pilgrim sails by the many islands that make up the western coast of Chile.

00:29:07Although the sea has been relatively calm, Richard continues to deal with his lack of

00:29:11sea legs.

00:29:13His movements are still not very graceful.

00:29:16The constant, ever-swaying deck rises and falls, and Richard finds it hard to get used

00:29:21to the motion.

00:29:23Random large waves hit the Pilgrim from every angle.

00:29:26The ship is quickly approaching Cape Horn.

00:29:29Richard looks towards great thunderous black clouds in the distance.

00:29:33Welcome to the Horn, Jack says, half laughing.

00:29:37A wry smile upon his face soon disappears.

00:29:41The man gets serious, knowing what awaits them all.

00:29:45Stronger winds start blowing the sails as the crew scrambles to hang onto the ropes.

00:29:50Richard desperately sets to adjust the aft sails, adjusting for the constant change in

00:29:55strong southerly winds.

00:29:57Jack holds firm at the helm, knowing the importance of his role.

00:30:01He's wary of the swell.

00:30:02It can build very quickly the further south they travel.

00:30:06It's crucial the Pilgrim doesn't venture too close to the Horn when they approach.

00:30:11The great darkness that was in the distance is now all around them, filling the sky in

00:30:16every direction.

00:30:18Blackened clouds throw rain and hail down at the crew as they try to resist the enraged

00:30:23weather.

00:30:24Jack is directed by the captain at the helm, changing the direction of the vessel.

00:30:28The temperature has dropped significantly.

00:30:31Barely keeping the water from his eyes, he turns toward the port side bow to provide

00:30:36his face a brief break from the torment of the wind.

00:30:39Looking out into the distance, the man sees the Horn standing alone, surrounded by mist.

00:30:45It's a haunting sight.

00:30:49He steers the Pilgrim along the face of the Horn, the distance getting shorter.

00:30:54The waves shrink in height since the depths become shallower, but these waves are much

00:30:59steeper and their angle can cause more damage to the wooden vessel.

00:31:04Jack's unsure how much of these waves the Pilgrim can take before the hull is breached.

00:31:09Richard, still posted at the aft sails, watches the water and icebergs floating by.

00:31:15He's unsure how large they actually are, since they're mostly hidden underwater.

00:31:20But he knows to alert Jack if any get too close.

00:31:24Just one iceberg hitting the Pilgrim will be all that the hull can withstand.

00:31:29Dutifully, he watches over the side and into the distance.

00:31:33Icebergs aren't the only thing to look out for.

00:31:36Rogue waves are common in these seas as well.

00:31:39The connecting Antarctic and Pacific oceans, mixed with stormy weather, form waves together.

00:31:45This creates much larger rogue waves.

00:31:49Such waves have been known to reach up to 100 feet tall.

00:31:53They can destroy most vessels in their path.

00:31:56This will surely be the end of the Pilgrim if it comes across a rogue wave.

00:32:01Strong current suggests the route of the Pilgrim, as though the Horn is trying to lure the ship

00:32:06toward its rocky shallows.

00:32:08Slowly, they are getting pulled closer toward the Horn.

00:32:13Jack is fighting the current at the helm.

00:32:15Spinning the wheel, he strains his body as much as he can.

00:32:19Grunting, he plunges the wheel from the port side to starboard and back again.

00:32:24The captain keeps yelling directions.

00:32:27To a novice, they are extremely confusing.

00:32:29But Jack, a hardened veteran, continues to interpret the directions with ease, steering

00:32:35to readjust their course away from the Horn.

00:32:38The captain orders Richard to assess the hull below the decks.

00:32:42With the level of pounding the Drake Passage has provided so far, it's surely harmed the

00:32:46ship in some way.

00:32:48Richard runs to the deck as another sailor yells something at him, but the noise of the

00:32:52sea makes it difficult to hear.

00:32:55A wave hits the side, flowing onto the deck.

00:32:59Richard manages to hang onto the mast before he's almost swept overboard.

00:33:03The entire front deck seems to be underwater.

00:33:06Hanging on as the water rolls off the sides of the ship and waiting for it to clear, Richard

00:33:11watches the Horn slowly go past.

00:33:14Still, it beckons toward the Pilgrim, as though asking for its dues from the crew.

00:33:20The currents are still pulling the ship while the storm is raging on.

00:33:24With no end of the struggle in sight, the storm is growing ever larger and fiercer.

00:33:30Richard gathers himself to head below and assess the damage.

00:33:35After a slow descent to the lower decks, Richard can finally look over the hull from the ship's

00:33:39quarters.

00:33:40There's no damage from what he can gather.

00:33:43But he's shocked by the depth of the water inside.

00:33:46It's now at waist depth.

00:33:48Cups, amongst other things, float in the water.

00:33:52Even inside the ship, the guy can't escape the waves.

00:33:56Unable to make sense of it all, he stands frozen, listening to the almighty power of

00:34:00Mother Nature outside.

00:34:03The sea roars even more wildly, waves constantly thudding against the hull.

00:34:09It sounds like a somber drumbeat, a slow countdown to the demise of the Pilgrim.

00:34:16Richard forces himself back to the terrors of the above decks, grasping onto the rails

00:34:20to carefully walk the slippery stairs.

00:34:23He leaves the disturbing creaks of the wooden decks.

00:34:26They're soon replaced with the strained sounds of the ropes, the yells of other sailors,

00:34:31and the deafening roar of the sea crashing all around him.

00:34:35Jack is at the helm, focused on his role, still fighting the wind and the waves, even

00:34:40with the addition of ice and frost.

00:34:42It seems that the world around him has set its heart to distract the man from his duty,

00:34:47but Jack pushes on determinedly.

00:34:51For nine days, the Pilgrim fights the constant changes in stormy weather, facing all kinds

00:34:56of obstacles, but the ship manages to make it through.

00:35:01As they leave the storm behind, the crew sets their course north for their final destination.

00:35:07The sight of the sun peeking through the dark clouds is the most relieving thing Richard

00:35:11has ever experienced.

00:35:13Unfortunately, Richard lost his rations at some stage during the storm.

00:35:18At sea, if your rations are lost, it's your own bad luck.

00:35:22Luckily, Jack is kind enough to share some of his.

00:35:29Puna Grasslands, Peru.

00:35:31A bare desert, rocky land, and one big nothing.

00:35:35Oh no, wait, there's ureta.

00:35:39Ureta is a flowering plant that looks so unique, you might actually think it's photoshopped.

00:35:45That's how different it is from the rest of the desert.

00:35:48At first sight, it looks like some rocks covered in moss, but we're talking about a 3,000-year-old

00:35:54plant found in the freezing Puna Grasslands of the Andes.

00:35:59This plant grows in packs, and they're so dense you could stand on top of a ureta shrub,

00:36:05and it'd take your weight without problems.

00:36:09Polka Dotted Lake, Canada.

00:36:11They call it the most magical spot in Canada.

00:36:14In winter and spring, this is just a regular lake that looks like any other.

00:36:19But try going there in the summer, when the water starts to evaporate, it'll feel as if

00:36:24you've entered a different world, a polka-dotted landscape with blue, green, and yellow spots.

00:36:31Over the summer, there are over 300 pools there, and they look magical.

00:36:37Over the centuries, people believed each of them had different healing properties.

00:36:41Oh, and the explanation for the vibrant colors is pure science.

00:36:46Each of them has a high concentration of different minerals.

00:36:51Rio Tinto, Spain.

00:36:54For more than 5,000 years, the Red River has been surrounded by mines full of copper, silver,

00:37:00gold, and other minerals.

00:37:02They give the river its unique reddish color.

00:37:06People were mining that area for centuries until the whole industry started to fade out.

00:37:11The mines remained abandoned until they were rediscovered in the 18th century.

00:37:17The river is quite impressive, but it's also very dangerous for people because of its high

00:37:22acidity.

00:37:24The bacteria in the water create similar conditions that can be found in some other places in

00:37:29our solar system.

00:37:31For example, scientists believe there's something similar on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa.

00:37:37An acidic ocean is hidden underneath the moon's surface.

00:37:43Toyama Bay.

00:37:45If you're walking along the shore of Toyama Bay in Japan, you might be lucky to see mystical

00:37:51neon blue light.

00:37:53It's coming from underneath the water and lighting up the night sea.

00:37:57There aren't many places where you can see a phenomenon like this.

00:38:01It's the firefly squid that's responsible for the breathtaking show.

00:38:05The creature lives at a depth of more than 650 feet under the surface.

00:38:10But in spring, they gather near the coast.

00:38:13Sometimes, waves even wash them ashore.

00:38:16The light these animals emit is actually camouflage, which helps them to hide and protect themselves.

00:38:23During the day, the squids go back to the deep, but they come back to party near the

00:38:28shore at night.

00:38:29The light they produce isn't so bright you could read a book in the dark, but it's still

00:38:34quite impressive.

00:38:37Fly Geyser, Nevada, USA.

00:38:39Imagine you're in a space rocket.

00:38:42At one point, you realize you've entered the atmosphere of some unknown planet.

00:38:47You haven't even realized it's there.

00:38:49The planet's gravity starts to pull your rocket down.

00:38:52Soon, it crash lands on the surface.

00:38:56Luckily, your spacecraft is sturdy enough to stay intact.

00:39:00So you pull on your spacesuit and crawl outside.

00:39:03Right in front of you, there's something you've never seen before.

00:39:08Incredible nature, unbelievable colors, and a bizarre mountain-like thing.

00:39:13And suddenly, it spews out a column of boiling water.

00:39:17You shake your head, ah, this vivid imagination of yours.

00:39:21You're actually in Nevada, looking at Fly Ranch Geyser.

00:39:25Don't get disappointed, it's still marvelous.

00:39:28The geyser appeared in the 1960s when a geothermal power company drilled a hole.

00:39:34This allowed the groundwater to escape.

00:39:36And the colors, similar to those you can see in Yellowstone National Park, all because

00:39:41of algae.

00:39:43Speaking of Yellowstone, that's another place that looks as if it's been imported from another

00:39:48galaxy.

00:39:49On an area bigger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, there are more

00:39:54than 10,000 hydrothermal features, 500 geysers, and incredible waterfalls.

00:40:01Singi de Bemaraha, Madagascar.

00:40:05Now here's the place where you can easily imagine meeting some ancient animals.

00:40:09You can almost see them hiding somewhere among the pointy rocks going up to 330 feet.

00:40:16Half of this national park is covered in forest.

00:40:19And the other half is rocky, formed by the erosion of water.

00:40:23The place is home to many animals, like chameleons, iguanas, frogs, and lots of different lemur

00:40:29species.

00:40:32Vatnajökull Glacier, Iceland.

00:40:35On your quest for the extraterrestrial wonders of our planet, don't forget to drop by Iceland.

00:40:40There, you'll find the biggest glacier in all of Europe.

00:40:44In some places, the ice can be more than 3,000 feet thick.

00:40:49Vatnajökull has 30 outlet glaciers ready to be explored.

00:40:53Those are channels of ice that once flew out of an ice cap, but remain stuck within

00:40:58the borders of the valley.

00:41:00As for famous Icelandic ice caves, they're formed when meltwater runs through a glacier

00:41:05trying to get to the surface.

00:41:07This usually happens in the summer, when temperatures are higher and the water flow is more turbulent.

00:41:13When the temperatures go down, the water freezes.

00:41:16That's how the caves are shaped.

00:41:19Staffa, Scotland, UK.

00:41:22Staffa is an uninhabited island that looks like a place from a different planet.

00:41:27Once you see it, you can't shake off the feeling it hides plenty of secrets.

00:41:32In reality though, it's a calm spot almost completely taken over by seabirds and seals.

00:41:39Even so, no one can argue that the incredible rock columns give this place a unique and

00:41:44mysterious look.

00:41:46It's always encouraged local people to spread legends about the unusual cave.

00:41:51The columns themselves formed millions of years ago, mostly because of volcanic eruptions.

00:41:58Glowworm Caves in New Zealand.

00:42:00Imagine finding an entrance to a magical cave.

00:42:04You row your boat, eager to sneak a peek inside, and get rewarded with one of the most beautiful

00:42:10views ever.

00:42:11You see a closed cave that looks as if it's under a magnificent starry sky.

00:42:16You don't need to travel all the way around the Milky Way to find something like that.

00:42:21Glowworm Caves in New Zealand are there for you.

00:42:25The caves started forming millions of years ago, and now they have an impressive collection

00:42:30of stalagmites and stalactites.

00:42:32But what makes them really special is glowworms.

00:42:36The caves are home to thousands and thousands of luminescent larvae.

00:42:41Worms need to attract insects and potential partners.

00:42:44To do that, they use their tails that glow in the dark.

00:42:48There are lots of caves like this in the area, and people have been exploring them for over

00:42:53100 years.

00:42:56Wuling Yang Scenic Area, Zhangjiajie, China.

00:43:01This amazing place has breathtaking sceneries and more than 3,000 sandstone pillars.

00:43:07They look as if nature decided to make its own version of skyscrapers.

00:43:11Some of them are half as tall as the Empire State Building.

00:43:15Usually, you can't even figure out where the pillars start.

00:43:19All you see when you try to make out what's there at the bottom is endless mist.

00:43:24Two natural stone bridges seem to be floating among the pillars, lost in the clouds.

00:43:30The Eye of the Sahara.

00:43:33That's a mystery that's remained hidden for millennia.

00:43:36This geologic formation is difficult to spot when you're standing on the ground.

00:43:41That's why it wasn't discovered until people started to explore space.

00:43:45For some time, scientists thought it was an impact crater created by some space object

00:43:51hitting Earth's surface.

00:43:53But after doing the research, they found out the origin of the eye was entirely Earth-based.

00:44:00These days, geologists believe the eye's formation started over 100 million years ago, when plate

00:44:06tectonics were pulling apart the supercontinent Pangaea.

00:44:10Molten rock, which was rising toward the surface, created a massive dome made up of

00:44:15different layers.

00:44:17Later on, volcanic activity and erosion finished the eye's look.

00:44:23Baikal Lake, Russia.

00:44:26The deepest, the oldest, and one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world is bound to

00:44:31have some secrets of its own.

00:44:34The lake is frozen from early January to May.

00:44:37In the summer, the water is so clear you can see up to 130 feet down.

00:44:43That's because melted ice from the Siberian mountains is incredibly pure.

00:44:48There are also no mineral salts in Baikal.

00:44:52Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia.

00:44:55It's one of the most extreme places in South America.

00:44:58The world's biggest salt flat stretches for over 4,000 square miles.

00:45:03It appeared when prehistoric lakes evaporated thousands of years ago.

00:45:08A thick, salty crust extends beyond the horizon.

00:45:12At one point, you're not even sure where the land ends and the sky begins.

00:45:18The Atacama Desert, Chile.

00:45:22The world's driest desert is all about rocky landscapes, salt lakes, dunes, and extreme

00:45:28temperatures.

00:45:29In some parts of the desert, there's been no rain for almost 500 years.

00:45:34With no water or nutrients from the ground, there are no plants.

00:45:39That's one of the reasons why you might feel as if you're on another planet, like Mars.

00:45:44But wait for the night to fall.

00:45:46An infinite sky full of stars looks like a window to the universe and its mysteries.

00:45:54If you're a fan of Dr. Pimple Popper, you're probably freaking out right now, itching to

00:45:58squeeze out every little blackhead from those lip contours.

00:46:02But this is actually a hill formation that you can find in Garb, Sudan.

00:46:07Knowing that perhaps makes it all the more creepy because it looks like the crack in

00:46:11the middle is swallowing up everything around it.

00:46:15This black hole scenario brings to mind our next stop, Bostock Island.

00:46:21This eerie spot is a 59-acre coral atoll situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

00:46:27About 400 miles northwest of Tahiti.

00:46:30If you check it out on Google Earth today, it looks like it's been totally blacked out,

00:46:35sparking all sorts of wild theories.

00:46:38People keep saying that this place is some top secret base or even a fictional island

00:46:43straight out of Lost.

00:46:44But what we see here is actually just a dense, dark green forest made up of Pisonia trees.

00:46:50Since nobody lives there and hardly anyone ever visits, the island is pretty much untouched

00:46:56by humans.

00:47:00This massive star, or mandala, is situated just outside Beatty, Nevada.

00:47:05It has got the internet all puzzled with people trying to figure out if it's evidence of some

00:47:10kind of extraterrestrial activity.

00:47:13To add to the mystery, this spot is right by the Taunapau Test Range, which is also

00:47:18known as the famous Area 52.

00:47:22Despite its creepiness, it's probably just one of the thousands of crop circles that

00:47:26gained fame after Google Earth came along.

00:47:29This spiral formation right here is also located in Nevada, and it definitely looks like another

00:47:35chilling crop circle.

00:47:37But things get even stranger if you use the street view option.

00:47:41As you zoom in closer and closer, you'll notice that it's made up of carefully arranged rocks.

00:47:47This labyrinth, so to speak, is part of an open-air museum situated in the ghost town

00:47:52of Reolite.

00:47:54And if that's not creepy enough, take a look around, and you'll see dozens of eerie men

00:47:58in white cloaks.

00:48:01Despite their lifelike appearance, these silhouettes are actually statues from an installation

00:48:05created by a Belgian artist in the 80s.

00:48:12Even stranger than stumbling upon a large circle on the ground is finding a bunch of

00:48:16them.

00:48:17Our next location in Wyoming is filled with peculiar circle structures to the point where

00:48:22it's hard to count them all.

00:48:25During the 20th century, this US state shifted from a farming economy to an industrial one,

00:48:30dominated by the extraction of oil, gas, and coal.

00:48:35So these circles are likely remnants of a tank farm.

00:48:38I mean, places where oil storage tanks used to be located.

00:48:45If you want to avoid nightmares, I highly recommend not searching for the mausoleum

00:48:50of Emil Becker in Poland.

00:48:52If you happen to find it by using the street view mode, prepare yourself to face an abandoned

00:48:57place with the most terrifying sculpture there is.

00:49:00Oh, the creeps!

00:49:03Keeping on the spooky side, let's head to an isolated corner of Kazakhstan, where you

00:49:07can find a pentagram etched into the earth's surface.

00:49:11This formation is huge, measuring roughly 1,200 feet in diameter.

00:49:17Before you jump to conclusions about this formation being related to some kind of underworld

00:49:23deity worship, it's worth noting that the pentagram actually turns out to be the outline

00:49:27of a park designed in the shape of a star.

00:49:31The star shape is marked by roadways, which are now lined with trees, making the star

00:49:35shape even more distinct in aerial photos.

00:49:38You can spot this peculiar symbol from quite a distance.

00:49:42At first glance, it might even resemble an otherworldly alphabet, as if a highly intelligent

00:49:48civilization is trying to send us an alert message.

00:49:52This mystery is already solved.

00:49:55We are in Dahoga Valua, a Dutch national park located in the province of Gelderland.

00:50:01And these lines are actually part of the park's logo.

00:50:08Search for these coordinates to find what looks like a land formation straight out of

00:50:12an extraterrestrial landscape, or perhaps a set from Avatar.

00:50:17This place, located in Inner Mongolia, China, is believed to be a granite mine.

00:50:22But it's a bit of a mystery why it has such a striking blue tone on Google Earth.

00:50:28If you check it out on Microsoft Bing Maps, for example, the same location appears in

00:50:32a much more natural tone.

00:50:35In the Australian outback lies a massive geoglyph known as the Maury Man.

00:50:41Discovered in the late 90s, it appears to represent an indigenous Australian man hunting

00:50:46with a boomerang or stick.

00:50:49The figure stretches for more than 2 miles in length and about 1.6 miles wide.

00:50:54It has deep furrows carved into the ground, which adds to the complexity of its formation

00:50:58and origin.

00:51:00Despite efforts to uncover its purpose, its origin is still a mystery.

00:51:08This is Desert Breath, located in the Sahara.

00:51:12Like many things you have seen in this video, this formation also sparked speculation about

00:51:16it being created by extraterrestrial beings.

00:51:20But a quick Google search clears up that mystery.

00:51:22It turns out this is an art installation created by a group of three Greek artists back in

00:51:281997.

00:51:30They went all out, moving around a whopping 280,000 square feet of sand and even creating

00:51:35a large pool in the middle of it.

00:51:38Egypt still holds many mysteries, and you can explore them yourself with Google Earth.

00:51:44That's how some people stumbled upon this striking triangular-shaped plateau and immediately

00:51:49jumped to the conclusion that they'd discovered a hidden pyramid.

00:51:53However, experts quickly dashed their hopes.

00:51:55They believe there's no plausible explanation for a pyramid to exist in this area, located

00:52:008 miles west of the Nile Valley edge in Upper Egypt.

00:52:04This discovery is likely nothing more than a hill that has suffered the effects of erosion,

00:52:09combined with a heavy dose of wishful thinking.

00:52:15In some cases, nature itself is responsible for creating frightening sculptures, like

00:52:20the Badlands Guardian in Alberta, Canada.

00:52:23If you look at it from above, you'll notice not one, but two human heads emerging from

00:52:28the landscape.

00:52:30These gigantic beings were sculpted by rainwater erosion on layers of clay-rich soil.

00:52:36Ironically, additional human-made structures give the impression that this one is wearing

00:52:40wired headphones.

00:52:43It seems that deserts are a prime spot for discovering strange images on Google Earth,

00:52:48so our next stop is China.

00:52:51In the Gobi Desert, you'll come across zigzagging white lines that look kind of random.

00:52:57The first challenge for armchair experts was figuring out what these structures were

00:53:01made of, as it's hard to tell if they're painted on or dug into the landscape.

00:53:06There's still a lot of speculation about it on the internet, but the most plausible explanation

00:53:11is that this structure is used for calibrating satellites.

00:53:15This way, satellite cameras can focus on these large grids to orient themselves in space.

00:53:23Check out this intact plane that seems to have sunk beneath the ocean off the coast

00:53:28of Crooked Island, Bahamas.

00:53:30Some viral videos claim it's a crashed plane belonging to the infamous Pablo Escobar.

00:53:36The truth is that something lying on the bottom of the ocean can't be that visible, so it's

00:53:40more likely that it's a plane that was actually flying when Google captured these images.

00:53:45However, there is a strong belief that Pablo Escobar did have a plane that crashed nearby,

00:53:52but it was in another part of the Bahamas known as Norman's Cay.

00:53:56You can still spot it in shallow turquoise waters.

00:53:59Just search for Norman's Cay sunken plane, and there it is.

00:54:04If you're convinced that extraterrestrials are already among us, then go ahead and type

00:54:09in these coordinates on Google Earth.

00:54:12Explore the area using Street View, and wow, what is it?

00:54:16Of course, we're not talking about visitors from other planets, but this shadow of a gigantic

00:54:21creature still gives me the creeps.

00:54:24Turns out, it's just a person lugging around one of those 360-degree Street View cameras

00:54:29tucked away in a trekker backpack.

00:54:32So hey, if you take a good look around Google Earth, you might stumble upon more of these

00:54:36elongated necked beings walking around the globe!

00:54:42So, we might be getting closer to finding a massive icy planet beyond Neptune's orbit.

00:54:49Sorry, Pluto, still not you.

00:54:52Recently, some universe mapping using data from a telescope in Hawaii eliminated about

00:54:5778% of the possible locations for this mysterious Waldo from space.

00:55:03Some people call it Planet Nine, while others prefer Planet X.

00:55:07Either way, it's been causing controversy since its existence was first proposed.

00:55:13And that is mainly because no study so far can answer the big question – does it really

00:55:19exist?

00:55:20If discovered, Planet Nine would rank as the 5th largest planet in our solar system, with

00:55:25a mass 10 times that of Earth.

00:55:27It's also theorized to be gaseous, like Uranus.

00:55:31The initial study on Planet Nine, dating back to 2016, suggests that this colossal new planet

00:55:38orbits the Sun 29 times farther out than Neptune, which sits at about 2.8 billion miles.

00:55:45As a result, the Planet Nine would take between 10,000 and 20,000 years to complete a single

00:55:51orbit around the Sun.

00:55:53If confirmed, this yet-to-be-understood world would dominate a region larger than any other

00:55:58known planet in our cosmic neighborhood.

00:56:02These are all intriguing hypotheses, but without a single piece of evidence or observation

00:56:07to back them up.

00:56:09Before dismissing this as a wild guess, it is important to note that these researchers

00:56:14relied on complex mathematical modeling and computer simulations to speculate about the

00:56:20planet's characteristics, because that's what they do.

00:56:23The hypothetical presence of this planet would explain various mysterious features located

00:56:29beyond Neptune.

00:56:30We are specifically talking about the Kuiper Belt, a huge donut-shaped region filled with

00:56:36icy debris left over from the formation of the solar system, including comets and dwarf

00:56:41planets like Pluto.

00:56:44What happens is that the six farthest objects in the Kuiper Belt exhibit elliptical orbits

00:56:49that are all oriented in a similar direction within physical space, and tilted approximately

00:56:5530 degrees downward relative to the orbital plane of our eight known planets.

00:57:00What's strange here is that despite their distinct orbital velocities around the solar

00:57:04system, they maintain this alignment.

00:57:07The likelihood of such alignment occurring randomly is extremely low, around 0.007%.

00:57:15So here comes Planet Nine, a hypothetical massive celestial body that offers a plausible

00:57:21explanation for this strange phenomenon, potentially exerting gravitational influence to shape

00:57:27these orbits.

00:57:30The initial theory didn't hold up for long, facing accusations of observational bias and

00:57:35calculation errors.

00:57:37Then in 2017, another study popped up, sparking back the idea that maybe Planet Nine is out

00:57:44there after all.

00:57:46This time, Spanish astronomers tried a novel approach, focusing on observing extreme trans-Neptunian

00:57:52objects.

00:57:54These celestial bodies orbit the Sun in highly stretched elliptical paths, with average distances

00:57:59exceeding 13 billion miles.

00:58:02The research suggests that the distances between these objects' nodes and the Sun

00:58:07might provide clues to Planet Nine's location.

00:58:10You see, these nodes are the points where a celestial body's orbit intersects the

00:58:15solar system's plane.

00:58:17When these objects reach these points, they're more likely to interact with other solar system

00:58:22bodies, potentially causing significant changes in their orbits, or even collisions.

00:58:27So if the trajectory of these extreme trans-Neptunian objects remains stable, everything's fine.

00:58:34But if it's not, well, that's a sign that something else, something big, is messing

00:58:39with their path.

00:58:41And that's exactly what the research found.

00:58:44There is something unseen out there, throwing these objects off course.

00:58:48And that something could be a planet, chilling at a distance between 300 to 400 times farther

00:58:54from the Sun than Earth.

00:58:56To this day, the study of the extreme trans-Neptunian objects is the strongest evidence we've

00:59:02got for Planet Nine's existence.

00:59:04And if you're still not convinced by this theory, know that strange motions like these

00:59:10have led to planetary discoveries before.

00:59:12Neptune, for instance, was spotted because Uranus' motion didn't quite agree with

00:59:17the predictions of Newtonian gravity.

00:59:20But the deflection of its orbit could be explained if it was caused by a pull of an undiscovered

00:59:26And just like that, we discovered Neptune.

00:59:32Now the year is 2021, and there's all this buzz about Planet Nine again.

00:59:37After correcting some old guesses, studies are now leaning towards the idea that this

00:59:42mystery world follows an epic loop around the Sun every 7,000 years.

00:59:47That is massive news, because it means this planet might be closer than we ever thought,

00:59:53making it easier for our telescopes to spot it.

00:59:56The paper also suggests there is a whopping 99% chance that the funky orbits of these

01:00:01distant objects are all because of this unseen planet, not just some cosmic coincidence.

01:00:08Now the odds of this whole situation being a fluke are down to a 1 in 250 chance, which

01:00:14is much better than the 1 in 10,000 chance back in 2016.

01:00:20All these optimistic numbers have brought us to where we are today, keeping our hopes

01:00:25and working on better equipment to continue the mission of spotting Planet Nine.

01:00:30As mentioned earlier, researchers in Hawaii created some kind of treasure map utilizing

01:00:35the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System to eliminate 78% of its locations.

01:00:42This is great news, considering how challenging it is to find a planet-sized needle in a cosmic

01:00:48haystack.

01:00:49Unfortunately, Planet Nine's presence remains a ghost in the dark outer reaches of our solar

01:00:55system.

01:00:57Enthusiasts are still convinced of its existence and believe it is only a matter of time before

01:01:02we celebrate the discovery of Earth's new cosmic cousin.

01:01:06They're putting their hopes on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is currently under

01:01:10construction in Chile and is scheduled to begin science operations in late 2025.

01:01:17Over the course of 10 years, this observatory will scan the entire Southern Hemisphere sky

01:01:22every few nights with a 27-foot, fast-moving telescope equipped with the largest digital

01:01:28camera in the world.

01:01:30The idea is to catalog everything in the solar system, reaching out to and beyond Neptune,

01:01:36and tracking the movements of millions of celestial objects, including space junk, asteroids,

01:01:41comets, and stars.

01:01:43If Planet Nine is indeed out there, this next-generation telescope could be the one to find it.

01:01:51The existence of this mysterious planet is far from being universally accepted in the

01:01:55scientific community.

01:01:57That is simply because Planet Nine isn't the only explanation for the strange phenomenon

01:02:03occurring beyond Neptune.

01:02:05One theory suggests that a group of distant objects, such as dwarf planets, comets, and

01:02:10moons might be collectively influencing the orbits of the extreme trans-Neptunian objects.

01:02:17Others believe that a black hole is behind all this.

01:02:20These compressed masses are some of the densest objects in the universe, potentially capable

01:02:25of affecting the orbits of other masses, like how this supposed ghost Planet Nine is believed

01:02:30to be doing.

01:02:33Another bold perspective suggests that our current understanding of the laws of gravity

01:02:37is flawed, actually incomplete.

01:02:41This theory, known as Modified Newtonian Dynamics, proposes that these distant icy objects exhibit

01:02:47strange behavior not due to influence from another planet, but rather because the immense

01:02:53gravitational field of the Milky Way is influencing them.

01:02:57However, even supporters of this theory acknowledge that it is too early to draw firm conclusions,

01:03:03and much more extensive research is still required.

01:03:08While we continue our relentless hunt for Planet Nine, some astronomers have taken it

01:03:13a step further, suggesting the existence of a hypothetical Planet Ten.

01:03:19This world has a mass and size like that of Mars or Earth, and is located on the edges

01:03:24of the Kuiper Belt.

01:03:26But the thing is, if this alleged Planet Ten is indeed as small as scientists believe,

01:03:31it might not have enough gravity to clear its orbit of debris.

01:03:35And that is pretty similar to what happens with Pluto, being one of the reasons why it

01:03:39got into trouble back in 2006.

01:03:43So yeah, it's better not to get too excited.

01:03:45This supposed Planet Ten might end up classified as another dwarf planet.

01:03:51Rikhat's structure is a giant formation in the Sahara that looks exactly like a giant

01:03:56bullseye.

01:03:57It's so wide that you can see it from space.

01:03:59Even the CIA got interested in it.

01:04:02In 1965, they planned a flyover looking for geomagnetic anomalies.

01:04:06The findings are still classified.

01:04:09Perhaps the theories are true, and this place is truly the lost city of Atlantis.

01:04:14Now Atlantis supposedly sank beneath the waves, but recent discoveries are pointing us in

01:04:19a different direction.

01:04:20This is an ancient story that goes far back in time, and Plato was the first to mention

01:04:25it.

01:04:26Atlantis had loads of greenery and a curious structure – three concentric circles of

01:04:30land surrounding two circles of water.

01:04:33Two key quotes from Plato's writing suggest that Atlantis might not have been a typical

01:04:38island in the middle of the ocean.

01:04:40Plus, Atlantis had a major influence from Africa and Europe, challenging the idea of

01:04:45it being in the Atlantic.

01:04:47It turns out that the Eye of the Sahara and Atlantis look alike.

01:04:52When astronauts saw the Eye of Sahara from above, they initially suspected a meteorite

01:04:56impact crater.

01:04:58But the rings of the structure matched the layout described of Atlantis.

01:05:02More importantly, the Sahara wasn't always a desert.

01:05:05It turned from a tropical region into a desert around 11,000 years ago.

01:05:11Researchers found evidence of a massive river called the Tamarasset that could've sustained

01:05:15a community.

01:05:16This river flowed toward the Ricketts structure, aligning with Plato's description.

01:05:23The trans-Saharan seaway ran through the Sahara 50 to 100 million years ago.

01:05:28The sea allegedly destroyed Atlantis around 11,500 years ago, likely due to a rapid rise

01:05:34in sea level caused by the end of the Ice Age.

01:05:37NASA's worldview imagery shows patterns consistent with this theory.

01:05:42Those concentric rings might be a key to unlocking the secrets of our planet's evolution

01:05:47over millions of years.

01:05:49They're shaped by erosion on resilient rock layers, creating a spooky pattern of ridges

01:05:54and troughs.

01:05:55The central peak stands proud at 1,300 feet.

01:05:59The central part has undergone a significant erosion makeover, revealing a circular structure

01:06:04with a raised peak.

01:06:06Unlike impact craters, the Eye of the Sahara flaunts a striking balance and symmetry.

01:06:11Some say it results from rock uplift, sculpted by wind and water.

01:06:15Others think it's an ancient anticline, eroded to reveal its concentric glory.

01:06:20Then there's a salt diapyr theory, suggesting that salt's buoyancy sculpted this beauty.

01:06:26Digging techniques have proved that it formed 541 to 252 million years ago, give or take

01:06:33a million or two.

01:06:35Ancient tools are scattered around the outer rings of the structure near riverbeds.

01:06:39Some older stone tools have also been spotted in the same areas.

01:06:43And still, even though some spear points from the Neolithic period have been found, there

01:06:47aren't many signs that people were living there back then.

01:06:51The area seems to have been used for short-term activities like hunting and making tools.

01:06:58There are other unearthly mysteries that haunt our world.

01:07:01One such enigma is in Norway.

01:07:03The ominous Hessdalen Light Phenomenon, also known as the Valley of Lights, leaves scientists

01:07:09confused.

01:07:11This valley is 10 miles wide.

01:07:12It's quite isolated, but a peculiar blue box sits high on the hillside, equipped with

01:07:18cameras scanning the valley.

01:07:20The unsettling saga began in the 1980s, when the night sky over Hessdalen erupted with

01:07:25burning fireballs, a recurring spectacle that sent shivers down the spines of those who

01:07:30witnessed it.

01:07:31This wasn't a fleeting occurrence.

01:07:33Rather, it became a regular thing.

01:07:36Terrified locals reported encounters with these unexplained luminous phenomena, some

01:07:41of which happened near their homes.

01:07:43Unease spread like wildfire.

01:07:45At its peak, there were about 20 sightings every week.

01:07:49The phenomenon made its way into newspapers, magazines, and media worldwide.

01:07:53Soon, people flocked to the valley, hoping to see the lights themselves.

01:07:58In 1984, experts joined the fray, armed with sophisticated instruments like magnetometers,

01:08:04radiometers, and other-ometers.

01:08:06What they encountered was mind-bending – lights that defied explanation.

01:08:11Some moved at a leisurely pace, while others raced through the sky at an astonishing 19,000

01:08:16miles per hour.

01:08:18People tried to explain these lights – airplanes, distant reflections, ball lightning, satellites,

01:08:23planets, meteors.

01:08:25But the speed and how these lights danced ruled out all those theories.

01:08:30We're slowly approaching another mysterious place.

01:08:35This is the greatest subglacial lake among Antarctica's 675 known lakes.

01:08:41It can easily hide unknown lifeforms.

01:08:44This lake is beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

01:08:47Dive about 2.5 miles under the ice, and there you'll see Lake Vostok, located at 1,600

01:08:54feet below sea level.

01:08:55This lake is 155 miles long and 31 miles wide at its broadest point.

01:09:02With an average depth of 1,400 feet, it's also the world's 6th largest by volume.

01:09:07It's like an underwater city with lofty pillars and deep bases.

01:09:11The secret lake was discovered in 1993, yet it had been waiting to be found down there

01:09:16for over 2,000 years, collecting ancient secrets.

01:09:21In 2012, scientists drilled through the ice, creating the longest ice core ever.

01:09:26They pierced the ice all the way to the lake's surface.

01:09:29The year 2013 brought an unexpected twist when the tranquil waters erupted during the

01:09:35extraction of an ice core, mixing with drilling fluids.

01:09:38Then they got a pristine water sample in 2015.

01:09:42Some believe there might be previously unknown lifeforms down there, since it's a fossil

01:09:47water reserve that's been untouched for millions of years.

01:09:50It could be a lot like those speculated ice-covered oceans on moons like Europa and Enceladus.

01:09:57It all started with a theory in the 19th century, suggesting fresh water lurking under Antarctic

01:10:02ice sheets.

01:10:03Then, in 1955, seismic soundings hinted at a subglacial lake.

01:10:08And by the 90s, satellite data confirmed Lake Vostok's existence.

01:10:13Lake Vostok isn't alone.

01:10:15In 2005, they found an island in the middle of the lake.

01:10:19Then two smaller lakes joined the party.

01:10:21They suspect that a secret network of subglacial rivers might link these lakes.

01:10:27Now, very far away from Antarctica, in Venezuela, Catatumbo lightning presents a sinister light

01:10:34show at the junction of the Catatumbo River and Lake Maracaibo.

01:10:39This unsettling lightning phenomenon happens at about 140 to 160 nights a year, going on

01:10:46for 10 hours a day, and can flash up to 280 times in a single hour.

01:10:51The frequency of this lightning show changes with the seasons and from year to year.

01:10:56There was a break between January to March in 2010, causing a bit of worry that it might

01:11:01vanish forever.

01:11:03As the sun sets, winds from the east start picking up speed.

01:11:07This strong wind is called a nocturnal low-level jet, like what you see in the Great Plains

01:11:12of North America.

01:11:13These winds bring moisture, mostly from the Caribbean and the lake itself.

01:11:18This humid air hits high mountain ridges, causing thunderstorms to form over the mountains.

01:11:23Thanks to the ongoing wind situation, more thunderstorms appear as the night goes on.

01:11:28This pattern repeats itself, and is why this area has the highest annual lightning rate

01:11:33globally.

01:11:37The next place scientists cannot explain is in China, that is, the Longyou Caves.

01:11:42They have lofty, slanted roofs and sturdy pillars.

01:11:45The spot remained hidden for centuries.

01:11:48These human-made caverns, built around 2,000 years ago, decided to reveal themselves only

01:11:53in the 90s.

01:11:55Local farmers drained some ponds and unveiled five massive caverns.

01:11:59Further digging exposed an additional 19 smaller caves.

01:12:03They ranged from 60 to 110 feet in width and 26 to 50 feet in height.

01:12:10Scientists found historical relics from the reign of Emperor Zhuang of Han, dating back

01:12:15to over 2,000 years ago.

01:12:17Now how did these caves survive for more than two millennia without falling apart?

01:12:22No ancient records explain the way they were crafted either.

01:12:25The walls show chisel marks, hinting at some layer-by-layer chiseling action, but the exact

01:12:30construction process is still a head-scratcher.

01:12:34Antarctica.

01:12:36It was once a green land full of dinosaurs, but now it's a frozen continent bigger than

01:12:41that of the U.S. that doesn't belong to anyone.

01:12:44It isn't hard to find – wherever you go, just go south until you get to the big icy

01:12:48thing at the south pole of our planet.

01:12:51It lies within the Antarctic Circle, and it's the largest single mass of ice on Earth.

01:12:56The continent is bigger than the U.S. and even bigger than all of Europe.

01:13:00But still, Antarctica was officially discovered recently.

01:13:04Scientists hadn't known of its existence until 1820.

01:13:08After the discovery, it took another two decades to confirm it was a whole new continent, and

01:13:13a few more decades after that to decide on a name.

01:13:16In Antarctica, anti- means the opposite.

01:13:20So Antarctica literally means the opposite of the Arctic.

01:13:25Even before scientists discovered the land, ancient Greeks already theorized that there

01:13:30must be a southern continent to balance out the Arctic in the north.

01:13:34Also, some scientists who studied Polynesian artwork and oral history believe that Polynesians

01:13:40found the continent over a millennia before the Europeans did.

01:13:44Anyways, today we all know of this icy land at the south pole.

01:13:48Because of its location, there are just two seasons there – summer and winter – and

01:13:53both last six months.

01:13:54In summer, it's a bit warmer, and the continent exists in pure daylight.

01:13:59And in winter, it's dark all day long.

01:14:0398% of Antarctica is ice.

01:14:06This continent alone stores 60% of the planet's fresh water.

01:14:10And yet, despite all those water reserves, Antarctica is the biggest desert in the world.

01:14:16By definition, a desert is an area with sparse vegetation and little snow or rain.

01:14:22Notice that plenty of sand isn't a necessary condition here, even though the continent

01:14:26does have some sand and even sand dunes.

01:14:29It also gets a lot of wind – Antarctica is the windiest continent on Earth.

01:14:33And wind speeds can reach 200 mph – that's even faster than hurricane winds!

01:14:40The little snow the land gets never melts – it just builds up over time, for centuries

01:14:45and millennia.

01:14:46So, there's a thick, thick ice layer there.

01:14:49This makes Antarctica full of hidden secrets – there's a whole new world underneath

01:14:53its ice.

01:14:54For example, there are a lot of mountains on the continent that are like 9,000 feet

01:14:59tall.

01:15:00It's taller than three Burj Khalifas stacked on top of each other, if we must.

01:15:04And that's currently the tallest skyscraper in the world.

01:15:07But we don't see all those mountains because they're all hidden under the ice sheet that's

01:15:11almost 16,000 feet thick.

01:15:14There's also a lake down there, beneath over 11,000 feet of snow.

01:15:18The lake is called Lake Vostok, named after Vostok Research Station, under which it's

01:15:24Originally, it was just a hypothesis.

01:15:28Over a century ago, a scientist suggested that the huge pressure created by tons of

01:15:32ice could decrease the melting point of ice in the lowest layers of the ice sheet, creating

01:15:37liquid water, which could form a lake.

01:15:40He didn't prove his ideas in his lifetime, but others continued his work and confirmed

01:15:45that this theory was true.

01:15:47There's also a canyon in Antarctica, hidden underneath huge masses of snow too.

01:15:53It's deeper than the Grand Canyon we have in Arizona.

01:15:57There is a mountain range that divides the continent into two parts, East Antarctica

01:16:01and West Antarctica.

01:16:03The western part of the continent is experiencing higher temperatures and is starting to melt.

01:16:08If West Antarctica melts and releases its stored water, it will raise the average global

01:16:13sea level by about 16 feet.

01:16:16That will be enough for some cities all over the world to completely disappear.

01:16:21Perhaps the first to turn into a water world will be Thailand's capital Bangkok, which

01:16:26is just 5 feet above sea level.

01:16:29Then it will be Amsterdam in the Netherlands, followed by Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Cardiff

01:16:34in the UK, and New Orleans in the US.

01:16:38People do a lot of work in Antarctica now, residing there for many months at a time to

01:16:43study this mystery of a continent.

01:16:45Over the years, even a few children were born there.

01:16:49It's not a country, and the land doesn't belong to anyone.

01:16:52It's governed by the Antarctic Treaty System, an agreement of peaceful research and collaboration

01:16:58that suspends all territorial claims.

01:17:00It was first signed by 12 nations, and now there are 59 supporters, half of whom have

01:17:06decision-making powers.

01:17:08The continent is occupied all year round by researchers from all over the world.

01:17:12There are about 5,000 people living there in summer and about 1,000 in winter.

01:17:17But no one is a permanent resident there.

01:17:20People come and go, and the scientists take turns spending time there.

01:17:25The average yearly temperature there is negative 30 degrees.

01:17:29But there was a time when Antarctica was about as warm as Melbourne, Australia is today.

01:17:34It was about 40 to 50 million years ago.

01:17:37I wasn't around then.

01:17:39But the continent had green forests and dinosaurs roaming its land, chilling in the sun in a

01:17:4463-degree Fahrenheit environment.

01:17:47That was before penguins.

01:17:50In our age, it's so cold that you won't even find any trees or bushes in Antarctica.

01:17:55Just the snow.

01:17:57The only plants that can thrive in such extreme temperatures are lichens, moss, and algae.

01:18:02People can't stand such freezing conditions for lengthy periods of time either.

01:18:06So the continent has never had any indigenous population.

01:18:10Well, that is, if we don't count penguins, seals, whales, and a few other types of birds

01:18:15that live there now.

01:18:18Antarctica's fauna is the scariest and least diverse on the planet because only a few organisms

01:18:23can withstand its harsh conditions and because non-natives aren't allowed to be brought there.

01:18:28So if you decide to travel to Antarctica with your cat, well, you can't.

01:18:33Hey, I don't make the rules.

01:18:35But those few species that live on the South Pole totally own the place.

01:18:40There are no more than 5,000 people there, and around 20 million penguins.

01:18:46They are a kind of settlers, though.

01:18:48Penguins' first ancestors lived in Australia and New Zealand.

01:18:51There are still a few penguin species there, including the smallest penguin on Earth that

01:18:56is just one foot tall.

01:18:57Still, most of the penguins migrated to Antarctica at some point.

01:19:02Possibly because they were attracted by the greater food supply there.

01:19:05It's not the cold that made them like the land.

01:19:08It turns out, most penguins leave the continent when the summer ends.

01:19:12The only ones that stay there are male emperor penguins, and they do it to warm and protect

01:19:17eggs left by their mates.

01:19:19But where do all the other penguins go?

01:19:22At first it was a big mystery even to scientists.

01:19:25But then they attached some tiny location devices to the legs of a few of these animals

01:19:29and figured it out.

01:19:31Penguins go to live in the southern oceans, while it's too cold in Antarctica.

01:19:35None of them go ashore for half a year until they get back to the continent.

01:19:40When they come back, it's when those eggs, left for male penguins to nurture, start hatching.

01:19:46And so, penguin families can be together when it happens.

01:19:50Penguins eat different fish, and the ocean is full of those despite its cold temperature.

01:19:54In some areas, water can reach below freezing temperatures because it's salty.

01:19:59But fish don't freeze there because they have antifreeze proteins in their bodies.

01:20:05Then there are also about a million seals in Antarctica.

01:20:08They like fish too, and they can hold their breath underwater for two hours.

01:20:13They see way better underwater than in the bright light of the day, and they also use

01:20:17their whiskers to locate food.

01:20:19Their breathing holes in the ice can freeze while seals are away, and they must use their

01:20:23teeth to make a new one.

01:20:25Seals can even sleep underwater, and then resurface occasionally to get some air without

01:20:30waking up.

01:20:31I can appreciate that.

01:20:37It's the middle of the night.

01:20:39Suddenly, you see a snowy owl outside your window.

01:20:43It has a letter for you.

01:20:45Has your Hogwarts acceptance letter finally arrived?

01:20:48Well, not really.

01:20:50You open it and start reading.

01:20:52Dear reader, we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected by the Hogwarts

01:20:57School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as the greatest Potterhead there is.

01:21:02To show our gratitude for your dedication, we've decided to share 8 Wizarding World

01:21:06Secrets with you.

01:21:08And don't worry, we won't obliviate any of them later.

01:21:14Professor McGonagall was a Quidditch pro too!

01:21:18Harry's broom riding and Quidditch skills are recognized early on during his time as

01:21:23a Hogwarts student when he retrieves Neville's Remembrall from Malfoy.

01:21:29Despite going against Madame Hooch's instructions in doing that, his rebellious yet heroic act

01:21:35helps Professor McGonagall spot his talent.

01:21:38The thing is, she is able to do so because she herself has some skills of her own.

01:21:45Chris Columbus, the director of the first two movies, placed an easter egg about it

01:21:49in the movie that was very easy to miss.

01:21:52When Harry starts feeling anxious and starts doubting his skills, Hermione reminds her

01:21:57that he needn't worry because it's in her blood as she shows him his father's award

01:22:02in the Hogwarts trophy display.

01:22:05Now if you take a closer look, you'll see McGonagall's smaller plaque to the right

01:22:10of James Potter's.

01:22:13Newt Scamander visited Hogwarts when Harry was a student there.

01:22:17Back in 2016, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them introduced us to one of the nicest

01:22:23and loveliest wizards, Newt Scamander.

01:22:26But did you know that this was not really his first appearance in the Wizarding World

01:22:30movies?

01:22:32In the third movie, Fred and George Weasley gift Harry with one magical GPS, aka the Marauder's

01:22:39Map, that shows where every witch and wizard within Hogwarts limits is located.

01:22:45As they show him how to use the map, Newt Scamander's name can actually be seen walking

01:22:50the halls of the school.

01:22:52If you take a closer look at the map, you can see his name in the center right area.

01:22:58That means he was at Hogwarts when the Prisoner of Azkaban events were taking place.

01:23:06Another Marauder's Map easter egg for you!

01:23:09The map is actually misspelled in the movie.

01:23:12We see the cover of the map for the first time when Fred and George hand it to Harry.

01:23:17And the nicknames of all its creators are written on it.

01:23:21Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

01:23:24But careful viewers might have caught one big mistake there.

01:23:28The name Moony in the book is spelled like this, whereas in the movie there is an extra

01:23:34E here.

01:23:35However, apparently that's done by the filmmakers on purpose.

01:23:39They wanted to pay a tribute to the movie's visual effects supervisor, Carl Moony, as

01:23:44well as have some fun.

01:23:49It wouldn't be so wrong to say that all Potterheads have at least once fantasized about how awesome

01:23:56it would be flying on Buckbeak, like Harry did in Prisoner of Azkaban.

01:24:01One detail about the majestic hippogriff you might have missed in the movies is that right

01:24:06before meeting the students, Buckbeak actually relieves himself.

01:24:11Since no real hippogriffs were used during filming and Buckbeak was all CGI, this was

01:24:16obviously a choice made by the creative team.

01:24:20It's safe to assume they did it to make the mythological creature seem more realistic,

01:24:25but that doesn't change the fact that it's hilarious.

01:24:29Dial this number and maybe you can access the Ministry of Magic too!

01:24:35Mr. Weasley has always been fascinated by the creativity of muggles.

01:24:40As Harry navigates him through the normal side of London in Harry Potter and the Order

01:24:44of the Phoenix, he marvels at all the different inventions such as bicycles and public transport.

01:24:51But when it's time to head to the magical side, it's Mr. Weasley who guides Harry this

01:24:55time.

01:24:57Once they're in one particular red telephone booth, Mr. Weasley puts some money and dials

01:25:0262442.

01:25:05And it turns out, this is how visitors enter the Ministry of Magic, and these numbers are

01:25:10not chosen randomly.

01:25:13They actually spell out the word MAGIC on a telephone's number pad.

01:25:20With Fantastic Beasts, we were introduced to new fascinating and adorable Wizarding

01:25:25World creatures.

01:25:27And one thing's for sure, Newt Scamander treats each and every one of them with love and respect.

01:25:33Unlike the dragon handlers in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

01:25:37However, the director Mike Newell left a little message to assure the fans that all the magical

01:25:44creatures were actually treated right.

01:25:46If you wait until the end of the credits, you'll see it.

01:25:50No dragons were harmed in the making of this movie.

01:25:56There are plenty of number 7 references throughout the movies.

01:26:01In the series, it's established that the number 7 is a magical number that holds great

01:26:06power.

01:26:07And one of the biggest uses of it is Voldemort's 7 Horcruxes.

01:26:12When talking to Slughorn in Half-Blood Prince, Tom Riddle questions if having 7 Horcruxes

01:26:17instead of 1 will make 1 more powerful.

01:26:21However, that's not the only sign that foreshadows what comes next.

01:26:25When we see Tom Riddle's childhood bedroom, there are 7 rocks on the windowsill, which

01:26:30also indicates what's to come.

01:26:34One thing to mention here though, after the series ended, JK Rowling released information

01:26:39about an 8th Horcrux.

01:26:41Since Professor Quirrell temporarily contained part of Voldemort's soul, he acted as a temporary

01:26:47Horcrux.

01:26:49There are some other appearances of number 7 throughout the series that you might have

01:26:53missed.

01:26:55There are 7 Weasley siblings.

01:26:58There are 7 core magical classes.

01:27:02The prophecy stated that the hero would take down the Dark Lord, who would be born as the

01:27:077th month dies.

01:27:10In Deathly Hallows, when the Order is trying to take Harry from the Privet Drive safely,

01:27:15their escape plan includes 7 different Harrys.

01:27:19There are 7 different obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone in the book.

01:27:24Hogwarts Castle consists of 7 floors.

01:27:287 is the age by which magic will show itself if it is present.

01:27:337 Muggles saw Harry and Ron flying in the car.

01:27:39The Basilisk attacked 7 entities, including Harry during the events of Chamber of Secrets.

01:27:45In Goblet of Fire, there are 7 keyholes on Professor Moody's trunk.

01:27:51In Order of the Phoenix, during Harry's trial for using magic outside of school, he was

01:27:56found innocent thanks to the Clause 7, which stated that magic could be used before Muggles

01:28:02in life-threatening situations.

01:28:05How many of them were you able to spot before?

01:28:09Hogwarts is a real place, well, kind of.

01:28:13You must have heard about the Harry Potter Studio Tour and maybe even got a chance to

01:28:17experience it.

01:28:19Several movie scenes were actually shot in real-life locations.

01:28:23Here are a couple of them you might want to visit next time you're in the UK.

01:28:29Remember the first time Harry realizes that he can understand snakes?

01:28:33The scene was shot inside London's Zoo Reptile House, so you can head there to test your

01:28:38parcel tongue skills!

01:28:41In the books, Hogwarts is set in the Scottish Highlands, and many of the movie's exterior

01:28:46shots were filmed in Scotland as well.

01:28:49Loch Shield was one of those places, and it was used as the location for Black Lake.

01:28:55But we don't suggest that you go for a swim in it like Harry did in the Goblet of Fire.

01:29:00There's no risk of merpeople bothering you, but there is a risk of hypothermia, since

01:29:05Scottish lochs can be freezing cold, even in summer.

01:29:09In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Yorkshire County's Gowthlin Station was used

01:29:14as the film location for Hogsmeade Station, where the students depart from Hogwarts at

01:29:19the end of the movie.

01:29:23Another Yorkshire one here, Malham Cove, the large curved limestone formation, which definitely

01:29:28has an otherworldly look to it, was one of the sites where Harry and Hermione were camping

01:29:34in part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

01:29:39Well that's all.

01:29:41Now you've finished reading your letter, we'd appreciate it if you'd send us a muggle

01:29:44chocolate bar or two back with our owl, because our frogs keep jumping away.

01:29:50Yours sincerely, Brightsiders of Hogwarts.

01:29:56They say this place is swarming with money.

01:29:59It's been stored there for centuries, but no one managed to take it away from this island.

01:30:04Treasure hunters have been bewitched with this place since 1795.

01:30:11Many people have tried their luck looking for the treasure that could be hidden there

01:30:15by the Spanish pirates or even by the Knights Templar.

01:30:19But today it's impossible to get there, as it's a private place, so all you can do is

01:30:24book an ocean tour around this island.

01:30:26Otherwise, you can take a peek at it in a TV reality show starring the Lagina brothers,

01:30:32Rick and Marty, who are a team of enthusiasts looking for the treasures of Oak Island in

01:30:37Nova Scotia, Canada.

01:30:38Yeah, seems like there's no place where TV producers can't get to.

01:30:44One of the most famous discoveries out there was the so-called Money Pit.

01:30:49Despite the promising name, it wasn't full of money.

01:30:52Now we have to jump to 200 years ago.

01:30:55The Money Pit was first found by a 16-year-old kid in 1795.

01:31:00One day, Daniel McGinnis went fishing at Oak Island.

01:31:04He saw a tree there.

01:31:05Unsurprisingly, it was an oak, and it had weird markings.

01:31:09They didn't seem to be natural, so Daniel decided to check the area.

01:31:14He then saw a sunken patch of ground and started digging immediately.

01:31:18His two friends helped him out, but instead of treasures, the guys only found logs placed

01:31:23underground at regular intervals.

01:31:26It looked like a place where someone could hide money or jewels, but nothing precious

01:31:30was found.

01:31:32However, there was something curious down that pit.

01:31:36Someone found a granite stone there, and it had an engraved inscription on it.

01:31:41There were many attempts to decode it, but most of them ended up in failure.

01:31:46There's one translation, though, and it says, 40 feet below, 2 million pounds are buried.

01:31:53Yeah, McGinnis and his friends should have dug harder.

01:31:57The next fun thing about the Money Pit is the coconut fiber found down there.

01:32:02They say that large amounts of this fiber were found at a depth of 60 feet.

01:32:07It may not surprise you, but I have to remind you of one thing.

01:32:11Oak Island is in Nova Scotia, Canada.

01:32:14Coconut trees do not grow there.

01:32:16The nearest one is about 1,500 miles from Nova Scotia, which makes it obvious that someone

01:32:22brought this fiber purposefully.

01:32:24Researchers came up with an idea that coconut fiber could have been used to make ropes and

01:32:29lower all the treasures down the pit.

01:32:34Next up, we have not one, but two mysteries.

01:32:38In the late 1800s, the Oak Island Treasure Company was thoroughly inspecting and excavating

01:32:43the island.

01:32:44Everyone believed something enormous was hidden there.

01:32:48These guys managed to drill 153 feet underground.

01:32:51It's like 15 stop signs stacked one on top of the other.

01:32:55You might have guessed that they didn't find pounds of gold and diamonds, but they found

01:33:00a manuscript.

01:33:01There's a theory claiming that it's one of Shakespeare's lost manuscripts.

01:33:05Some scientists believe that it was hidden there by the writer and scientist Francis

01:33:09Bacon, the true author of Shakespeare's works.

01:33:13Yeah, rumor has it it was Francis and not William who wrote all the plays and sonnets,

01:33:19but there's no proof it was really so.

01:33:22The Money Pit may be the most popular shaft on Oak Island, but it's not the only one,

01:33:27and it's not the first.

01:33:28Before the Money Pit discovery, treasure hunters were drilling at Smith's Cove.

01:33:33While damming there, they found a wooden piece.

01:33:36It was a U-shaped formation that had Roman numerals.

01:33:40After a more thorough inspection, the specialists realized it was supposedly dated to 1769.

01:33:46The Money Pit was discovered 26 years later.

01:33:49This fact created many speculations that this structure might have been part of the real

01:33:54shaft with treasures everyone was looking for.

01:33:57Now, look at this Templar coin.

01:34:00It wasn't the first discovery on the island, but it was crucial in some way.

01:34:05Even if it may not sound like a big deal today, in medieval times, those coins would amass

01:34:10an insane amount of wealth.

01:34:12They were typically stored in European fortresses.

01:34:15For the treasure hunters, this coin was a sure sign there was more to be found on the

01:34:20island.

01:34:21The logic is simple.

01:34:23If there's one coin of that kind, there must be something else.

01:34:26And they were right!

01:34:27It wasn't the only Templar discovery.

01:34:30On the southwest shore of the island, a crossbow bolt was found.

01:34:35Experts say it dates back to the 13th century.

01:34:38But once again, that wasn't something the treasure hunters were after.

01:34:42Some more coins were found on the island.

01:34:45Rick and Marty Lagina retrieved this precious piece from a swamp.

01:34:49The coin is made of copper, and this time, it originated from Spain.

01:34:53When it was found, the Lagina brothers could only see the number 8 engraved on it.

01:34:58But later on, some experts studied this coin and claimed it was made sometime around the

01:35:0317th century.

01:35:05They managed to clean it well and saw the date 1652 engraved on the back of this coin.

01:35:11There's a theory stating that Spanish explorers found some treasure, but hid it instead of

01:35:16taking it to the king.

01:35:18So maybe this coin just dropped out of the chest full of coins and jewels, and is part

01:35:23of the treasure everyone was after.

01:35:26Or someone could have accidentally lost it while looking for the treasure.

01:35:30Who knows?

01:35:32One more famous treasure hunter is Gary Drayton.

01:35:35Gary and his team, together with Rick Lagina, came across two coins while metal detecting

01:35:40the island.

01:35:41Those were 17th century King Charles II Britannia coins.

01:35:46One of them had a very clear inscription on it, stating that the coin was minted back

01:35:51in 1771.

01:35:54Another swamp treasure of possibly Spanish origin is also here.

01:35:59This time, it's a silver ring.

01:36:01A specialist studied it closely and reported that it had been repaired twice.

01:36:06The ring was once made bigger, and it was also made smaller once.

01:36:11It's decorated with a floral design, which was popular in Europe in the 1730s.

01:36:17Among all the other curious things, Rick and Marty Lagina found a silver button at Isaac

01:36:23Point.

01:36:24The button's pretty old.

01:36:25It supposedly dates back to the middle of the 18th century, and the notorious money

01:36:30pit was discovered later.

01:36:32This is why it wasn't a big deal of a find.

01:36:35It could simply belong to some farmer peacefully raising livestock on the island.

01:36:40There's no official record of any chest full of gems and coins found on Oak Island, but

01:36:45enthusiasts did find some jewels there.

01:36:49First off, the team found a brooch with a magnificent red gem.

01:36:53They mistakenly thought it was a ruby, but a professional gemologist stated it was a

01:36:58garnet.

01:36:59The piece was made of silver, and it's pretty old.

01:37:02Experts believe it was made around the 1500s or 1600s.

01:37:06Another brooch they found didn't have any gems on it, but it had an intricate design.

01:37:11It's a brooch with a leaf design and an ornate rope.

01:37:15There are 13 branches of the leaf, which instantly created more mystery to the whole treasure

01:37:20hunting.

01:37:21First off, there's a carving with a 13-branched tree on a rock on the north shore of this

01:37:27island.

01:37:29What's more, many people believe that the number 13 is important to the Knights Templar.

01:37:35The enthusiasts also found a brooch not far away from the place where Daniel McGuinness,

01:37:40the guy who found the money pit, lived.

01:37:42The brooch was shown to a professional gemologist, Charles Luton Brain.

01:37:47He had to break it to the team that there were no gems adorning this piece of jewelry.

01:37:51In fact, the stone that seemed to be a gem was just a piece of glass.

01:37:56It was processed using a special technique, though, so it was leaded glass.

01:38:01The enthusiasts decided to study the brooch even more and found out that part of the brooch

01:38:06was made of gold.

01:38:08The specialists claim that the brooch dates back to the 14th century.

01:38:12Was it the treasure everyone was looking for?

01:38:17The conditions on this mysterious island might teach us how we can live on Mars one day.

01:38:24Devon Island is, to this day, the largest uninhabited island on our planet.

01:38:30It's located in the Canadian Arctic archipelago, and it's easy to see why people find it impossible

01:38:36to make a home here.

01:38:38The soil stays frozen throughout the seasons.

01:38:41The eastern part of the island is covered by a thick ice cap all year round.

01:38:45Summers here last for less than 50 days, and by summer, I mean that the ground is snow-free

01:38:52and the temperatures are slightly over 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:38:56Since almost no plants are growing here, there are no animals that could have adapted to

01:39:00these conditions.

01:39:02That's why scientists compare this island to what it would be like to live on Mars.

01:39:07In 2001, a project started here on Devon Island, looking to discover how people might live

01:39:13and work on other planets, particularly on Mars.

01:39:17It's called the Houghton Mars Project, and offered NASA scientists some unique studying

01:39:22opportunities.

01:39:23There are few options here in terms of logistics and transportation, and communicating with

01:39:28people living outside the island is also a bit more difficult.

01:39:33Specialists believe that if we can find solutions to live here, we might be able to do it on

01:39:38Mars too.

01:39:40Think of it as a home-based outer space boot camp.

01:39:45The Pitcairn Islands can be found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

01:39:49If you're a fan of adventures and remote places, this is the place to be.

01:39:54But you'll need to buckle up for quite the ride, since no plane has ever reached this

01:39:59place.

01:40:00The only way to reach the Pitcairn Islands is to take a 32-hour yacht ride.

01:40:07No wonder only 50 people are known to live here.

01:40:10Its history is really interesting too.

01:40:12A group of people settled here in the 18th century after a failed marine mission.

01:40:17To this day, all the residents of the island are descending from that initial group.

01:40:23Life's not easy here though.

01:40:25If they need to see a doctor, for example, they need to travel either to the island of

01:40:29Fiji or to New Zealand.

01:40:33Now let's head over to Mexico, where recent technology has allowed scientists to explore

01:40:38some fascinating cenotes, which were previously unknown.

01:40:43Cenotes are also called sinkholes, and allow us to see subterranean water bodies.

01:40:49A team of archaeologists, cave divers, underwater photographers, and biologists came together

01:40:55to explore and document the extensive network of sinkholes located in the Yucatan Peninsula.

01:41:02One of the hotspots is located under the main pyramid at the Chichen Itza archaeological

01:41:07site.

01:41:08In total, scientists are looking to explore about 6,000 cenotes stretched across this

01:41:14whole region.

01:41:16The whole project is important not only because of the geological discoveries, but also because

01:41:21of its connection to the Mayan people and their culture.

01:41:26These recent discoveries revealed that for the Mayans, these cenotes weren't simple water

01:41:31sources.

01:41:32They dictated the way they built their constructions, and had a huge impact on their spiritual lives

01:41:38too.

01:41:40The tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest, sure, but it's been explored by scientists

01:41:45and tourists alike, and doesn't hold many secrets.

01:41:49The mysterious Ganghar Puinsum, on the other hand, is the tallest unclimbed mountain on

01:41:54our planet.

01:41:55The reason behind this unusual situation is not because of its remoteness or harsh conditions.

01:42:01Rather, because it's against local legislation to climb it.

01:42:05It's located in the South Asian territory of Bhutan, and the name of the mountain translates

01:42:10to the White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers.

01:42:14Local tradition dictates that mountain peaks shouldn't be available to humans, and need

01:42:18to be left to the higher spirits.

01:42:21Mountains in this region can only be climbed up to 3.7 miles, but Ganghar Puinsum tops

01:42:274.7 miles.

01:42:29For this reason, there's no official record of any human reaching the peak.

01:42:34Almost all of the previous expeditions have been inexplicably stopped at the midpoint.

01:42:40The next unusual spot should be on any travel enthusiast's bucket list, the island of Madagascar.

01:42:47For starters, it's estimated that about 90% of the species of plants and animals that

01:42:52are found here can't be seen anywhere in the world.

01:42:55But there's one small portion of the island that has baffled both tourists and scientists,

01:43:00the Stone Forest.

01:43:02It belongs to the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, and features some unique limestone formations.

01:43:09They look like thousands of spiky towers that stretch hundreds of feet into the air.

01:43:14The distance between these formations can be anywhere from a few inches to the length

01:43:18of a city street.

01:43:20As beautiful as it is, it's really hard to get here.

01:43:23It'll take you a few days to get there from the nearest city.

01:43:26Once you get to the park, it becomes really difficult to explore, too.

01:43:31It can take a whole day to go across as little as half a mile.

01:43:36The word Tsingis itself translates to, where one cannot walk barefoot.

01:43:43To visit the remotest village in the whole world, you'll need to prepare yourself for

01:43:47quite the journey.

01:43:49From the United States, for example, the easiest route involves a 15-hour flight to

01:43:54Cape Town, South Africa, followed by a six-day boat ride to reach Tristan da Cunha.

01:44:00Or you could take a month-long cruise through the South Atlantic Ocean.

01:44:04Whatever works better.

01:44:06Planning in advance is a must, since only nine boat visits are made to the island yearly.

01:44:12It's just seven miles long and right in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, stretching

01:44:17a mere 37.8 square miles.

01:44:20There are slightly over 200 residents, and they all farm for a living.

01:44:25They do have internet service, but it's really slow.

01:44:28The people living here speak a dialect of English that is used by the fewest number

01:44:33of people in the world.

01:44:36The town of Coober Pedy in Australia is partially underground.

01:44:40It all began back in 1915, when opal deposits were found in the area.

01:44:46To this day, the town is still the biggest opal mine in the world.

01:44:51People living here figured out that it would be more comfortable for them to stick to the

01:44:54underground, as temperatures above ground can reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

01:44:59So the establishment now has underground stores and galleries.

01:45:04Coober Pedy is also home to the world's first four-star underground hotel.

01:45:11North Sentinel Island, located near India, is another pretty remote place.

01:45:16Not because of the time it takes to get there or the climate, but because it's home to the

01:45:20world's most mysterious tribe.

01:45:23The population living here is estimated to be between 50 to 400 people, and isn't known

01:45:29to have any contact with the outer world.

01:45:32This is mostly because locals don't really enjoy visitors and tend to scare them away,

01:45:37even harming tourists.

01:45:39So to protect them and their obvious wishes, the island is monitored by the local Indian

01:45:44authorities.

01:45:45It's believed the tribe's people don't have any immunity from modern diseases, so being

01:45:50in contact with foreign people might actually be fatal for the locals.

01:45:56On these French islands, there are no native inhabitants.

01:46:00The Kerguelen Islands are part of the Antarctic lands, and are home to just scientists that

01:46:05visit on rotation.

01:46:08At any given time of the year, there are no more than 100 people here, and they're mostly

01:46:13engineers and researchers.

01:46:16There's no plane to get you to these islands, and few tourists are known to have visited

01:46:20them.

01:46:22The island is covered in glaciers, and the soil here isn't friendly to plants or animals.

01:46:27But if you're curious about what this place looks like, you'll need both the money and

01:46:31the time to complete the trip.

01:46:34You can only reach the island by ship, which reaches the shores of Kerguelen only four

01:46:38times a year.

01:46:40It isn't cheap to stay in these islands, and you definitely won't find five-star hotels

01:46:45here.

01:46:46The trip departs from Réunion, and it takes about 28 days to reach the first island.

01:46:52Half of the time will be spent at sea, so be prepared to cover over 5,600 miles of the

01:46:58Indian Ocean.

01:47:02Wow, talk about noisy!

01:47:06Toadfish have a unique ability.

01:47:07They can greet a very strong sound.

01:47:10The human ear usually can't hear it, especially if only one fish is making the sound.

01:47:15But if many fish are making the sound at the same time, well, it's going to be hard to

01:47:19forget, and you may not be able to stop hearing it.

01:47:23Toadfish are a common part of the fauna off the coast of Sausalito in California.

01:47:28And every year, thousands of them gather in the shoals to party and… scream?

01:47:32Together, they create a collective sound that can be easily heard by those in the houses

01:47:38near the shore.

01:47:39The noise, which can be described as a low hum, can even penetrate into the city center.

01:47:45Some people get bothered by this constant humming.

01:47:47This is a unique natural phenomenon, but there's a catch.

01:47:51At some point, the fish swim away from the shore, but the sound remains.

01:47:55Also, scientists have proven that this fish-made noise can't spread through the city.

01:48:00And many residents of the coastal areas don't hear it.

01:48:03But still, some people continue to hear this strange hum.

01:48:08In a similar case, imagine that you've moved to a small village in Scotland.

01:48:13You rent a house, have dinner, and go to bed.

01:48:16As you're settling into sleep, a strange hum permeates your room.

01:48:20It sounds like someone started their truck somewhere in the distance.

01:48:24The sound is similar to the sound of a low, loud bass that comes from a speaker.

01:48:29The hum keeps you awake.

01:48:30You get migraines and even feel nauseous.

01:48:33In the morning, you find out that some other locals also hear this terrible buzzing.

01:48:38They tell you about a huge factory located nearby.

01:48:41Machines, engines, steam boilers, big air vents, and generators emit a loud, heavy hum

01:48:47that passes through the air.

01:48:49Sound waves spread throughout the village and annoy people with a sharp sense of hearing.

01:48:54You've been hearing this sound for several days and suffering from insomnia.

01:48:58Then, one day, the factory goes bankrupt.

01:49:02All the workers leave their positions and turn off all the engines and fans.

01:49:05Great, you'll finally sleep in peace.

01:49:08But you know what?

01:49:09The sound doesn't disappear.

01:49:12It follows you wherever you are.

01:49:13And it's not about the factory or the fish or the truck engine.

01:49:18Imagine that you're walking down the streets of a small English town.

01:49:22There are a lot of planes flying right above you.

01:49:24The hum they make follows you.

01:49:26Even in bed, you can hear it.

01:49:28You wonder if there's an airport nearby.

01:49:30You ask the locals and find out there's not even a runway here.

01:49:34But where does this sound come from?

01:49:36You raise your head to look up and see a clear sky.

01:49:39There are no planes, but there's noise.

01:49:41And you're not the only one who hears it.

01:49:44Some locals assure that the hum comes from high-speed traffic on the highway.

01:49:48Thousands of cars drive in two directions and leave massive sound waves behind.

01:49:53But at night, there are no cars there, and the sound remains.

01:49:57Maybe you're going mad.

01:49:59People's stories about the hum save you from this madness.

01:50:02And it's not just the residents of this town that know about it.

01:50:05About 4% of people on the planet hear the hum.

01:50:10Strangers tell each other about the hum that prevents them from sleeping and concentrating

01:50:14on something.

01:50:15The sound follows them everywhere and doesn't stop.

01:50:18Some people hear it in certain places, so they move to other cities.

01:50:22Maybe you're hearing it right now and not paying attention.

01:50:26But be careful.

01:50:27If you recognize it once, you won't be able to stop hearing it.

01:50:31There's a website and a forum on the Internet dedicated to the hum.

01:50:35People from all over the world put geolocations in places where they heard this mysterious

01:50:40phenomenon.

01:50:41You can find thousands of these coordinates on the site and even add your own.

01:50:46People describe different levels of noise and share their sources.

01:50:50Some theories say that the hum is the sound of our planet, coming from the core.

01:50:55Someone else is sure that it comes from the atmosphere.

01:50:58Scientists have even been consulted, but they also don't know the reason for this phenomenon.

01:51:04People use high-frequency microphones and amplifiers to record the hum.

01:51:08Almost everywhere, they detect a low-frequency vibration that is practically impossible for

01:51:13the human ear to catch.

01:51:14It mixes with the sound of cars, printers in the office, and subway trains.

01:51:19Sometimes people stop hearing it, but the hum increases when they lie in bed.

01:51:24Many records about the hum say that people hear it in industrial cities.

01:51:29Sometimes these sound-seekers manage to find the source.

01:51:31They ended up being factories with running generators where the sound was getting into

01:51:35the ventilation system and where the fans spread it outside the building.

01:51:40When the generator stopped working, the sound disappeared.

01:51:43But these are rare cases.

01:51:45More often, no one can find the source of hum.

01:51:48One of the most famous places where you can catch it is in the city of Taos in New Mexico.

01:51:53About 2% of locals hear a strange buzzing every day.

01:51:58Some tourists experience it too.

01:52:00Scientists came to the city to study this mystery but found no explanation.

01:52:04Some theories say the usual acoustics of this place cause the hum.

01:52:09Some folks think it's just a hallucination or the power of suggestion.

01:52:13Everyone talks so much about the hum that the brain creates an illusion of a sound that

01:52:17doesn't exist.

01:52:19Locals believe the nature of the buzzing is mystical and associated with bad spirits.

01:52:24Whatever it is, no one has found out the truth yet.

01:52:28The hum that people hear all over the world may be the result of seismic activity in the

01:52:32tectonic plates under the ocean waters.

01:52:35Huge chunks of the Earth's crust are slowly moving and colliding with each other.

01:52:40This creates a noise that reaches us in the form of a hum.

01:52:44But why do only a few people hear it?

01:52:46Perhaps, about 4% of the world's population has a unique sense of hearing.

01:52:51In any case, scientists haven't been able to confirm the tectonic plate theory either.

01:52:56Some researchers point to submarines as the reason.

01:52:59They use low-frequency radio signals to communicate around the world.

01:53:03These signals spread over the surface and can affect the human body.

01:53:07When the ear catches these sound waves, it reacts and causes vibrations similar to humming.

01:53:12This happens because low-frequency sound energy collides with the soft tissues of the skull

01:53:17and stimulates the auditory nerve.

01:53:20In fact, it's not even a sound.

01:53:22It's a hallucination that is created by your brain.

01:53:25But still, no one can confirm this theory either.

01:53:29Perhaps thunderstorms can create the hum phenomenon.

01:53:33About 8 million lightning strikes hit the Earth every day.

01:53:36Some impact creates a powerful electromagnetic charge.

01:53:40Lightning penetrates the air and makes it resonate between the Earth's surface and the

01:53:44ionosphere.

01:53:45Hmm, yeah, it sounds complicated, but the principle is simple.

01:53:49Imagine that you're blowing onto the neck of a bottle.

01:53:52Hear this low hum?

01:53:54Lightning works similarly with air.

01:53:56And that's just one hit.

01:53:58Imagine millions of these strikes.

01:54:00The sound waves spread all over the planet, and some people hear them.

01:54:04Lightning constantly strikes all the time, so the hum never stops.

01:54:09In 1973, scientists put forward a theory that the reason for the hum is the jet stream shearing

01:54:15against slower-moving air.

01:54:17In simple words, wind and fast air flows intersect slower ones.

01:54:21As a result, a whistling sound appears, and electric towers and power lines amplify it.

01:54:26By the way, the first reports of the hum appeared in the 70s.

01:54:30People learned about this phenomenon from the small British city of Bristol.

01:54:34Dozens of residents heard this strange noise in different parts of the town.

01:54:38In the beginning, they ignored it.

01:54:40Then the sound became increasingly more irritable.

01:54:43It prevented people from working and living their everyday lives.

01:54:47They couldn't sleep and couldn't concentrate on anything.

01:54:50There was a warehouse with industrial fans in a neighboring town.

01:54:54The locals were sure that this was the reason for the hum.

01:54:57The warehouse stopped working a few years later, but the sound remained.

01:55:02You may even be able to hear it right now if you visit the city.

01:55:06There are many theories about the hum, but you can reduce almost half of them thanks

01:55:10to one factor.

01:55:12Tectonic plates, seismic activity, lightning strikes, the Earth's crust, and resonating

01:55:16air are logical explanations.

01:55:19But look at all the records about the noise.

01:55:22People hadn't mentioned this until the 70s.

01:55:24If this phenomenon had appeared earlier, many newspapers would have written about it.

01:55:29Apparently, the hum is not a mystery of nature.

01:55:32Perhaps this is a consequence of all of our technological achievements.

01:55:36Factories, power lines, airplanes, cars, ships, trains, microwaves, and generators create

01:55:42an imperceptible background noise that most people ignore.

01:55:46We're so used to all these noises that we have forgotten what silence is.

01:55:51Perhaps our brain made the hum inside our heads to respond to our noisy world.

01:55:56If you start to listen carefully right now, what kind of sounds will you hear?

01:56:00Where are they coming from, and is there the hum among them?

01:56:06You look out the window and see the trees moving uncontrollably.

01:56:10The winds are so powerful, they're practically tearing down anything in the street.

01:56:15There are also tons of water raining down on you.

01:56:18You're driving as fast as you can, but suddenly your car stops.

01:56:22You've heard the terms typhoon, cyclone, and hurricane, but you most likely don't know

01:56:27how they're different.

01:56:29The official scientific term for all three of them is a tropical storm.

01:56:33While they're practically the same thing, and they form the same way, they're different

01:56:37depending on where they occur.

01:56:41Cyclones are the ones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the eastern Pacific Ocean.

01:56:46Tropical cyclones act as giant engine turbines powered by warm, moist air and form only over

01:56:52warm bodies of ocean water near the equator.

01:56:55The warm and moist air surrounding the ocean rises and leaves low-pressure air close to

01:57:00the surface.

01:57:01In turn, the air below becomes moist and warm and also rises.

01:57:06The cycle goes on, with warm air pushing up and squeezing the low pressure near the

01:57:11surface, only to rise as warm, moist air.

01:57:15When the warm, moist air cools off, it forms clouds.

01:57:19These clouds create the tropical storms we all fear.

01:57:22The storms spin the same way as the Earth is rotating.

01:57:26So storms to the south of the equator rotate clockwise, and storms north of the equator

01:57:31spin counterclockwise.

01:57:33The eye of the storm happens when the storm spins so fast that it actually becomes visibly

01:57:38clear in the center, with low air pressure.

01:57:41But you'd have to look at it from above, which is super risky.

01:57:46Tropical storms normally move at around 39 mph.

01:57:50Tropical cyclones are way faster, around 74 mph.

01:57:54They're also known as hurricanes.

01:57:57If you're standing at the tip of the north or south pole, the Earth's rotation will appear

01:58:02to stand still, even though the rest of the Earth is experiencing day and night like everyone

01:58:06else.

01:58:07In the poles, you have really long nights and days that last for months.

01:58:13Over at the equator, time moves along with the distance around the planet, which is around

01:58:1725,000 miles long.

01:58:20The Coriolis effect makes wind patterns traveling long distances around Earth appear to move

01:58:25in a curve rather than a straight line.

01:58:28And because of the planet's unique shape, the speeds are different.

01:58:32It affects the Coriolis force and hurricanes as well.

01:58:36Because there's no curving of the object's path, as measured relative to Earth's surface

01:58:40at the equator, the Coriolis force equals zero.

01:58:44A hurricane's starter pack includes deep, warm ocean water.

01:58:49It all happens in the moist middle layers of the atmosphere, with a chilly atmosphere

01:58:53on top.

01:58:54It also takes some low wind and some surface disturbance.

01:58:58And it can stretch around 300 miles away from a large body of water where the center of

01:59:03a large hurricane is.

01:59:05The good thing is that hurricanes get weaker when they hit the land, because the warm water

01:59:10in the middle of the ocean isn't giving it the juice it needs to stay pumped.

01:59:15But it'll still carry a sustainable amount of damage with the strong winds and rain.

01:59:20In 1900, one of the biggest hurricanes struck near Central America and in the Gulf of Mexico.

01:59:26It then went as far as Florida and Texas, and is considered to be the most devastating

01:59:31hurricane in the United States' history.

01:59:34They first detected it on August 27th, and it lasted for many days.

01:59:38By the time it reached the Texas coast, the storm had turned into a Category 4 hurricane.

01:59:44Hurricanes are categorized on wind speed and intensity, using something called a Saffir-Simpson

01:59:49scale.

01:59:50There are five different categories from 1 to 5, with 1 being the weakest and 5 being

01:59:56the strongest.

01:59:58A Category 1 storm has winds moving at between 74 to 95 miles per hour.

02:00:03You can expect some trees to be uprooted and mobile homes destroyed.

02:00:08It can take out some home exterior and cause major power outages.

02:00:12Category 5 hurricanes speed up to over 155 miles per hour and leave nothing in their path.

02:00:20They can even wipe out some buildings right off their foundation.

02:00:23And because the winds are faster, there is more damage around its radius.

02:00:28Another thing to expect is lots and lots of flooding.

02:00:32The people of Galveston had less than four days to prepare for the arriving storm that

02:00:36even stretched out to Oklahoma and Kansas with 20-foot flash floods.

02:00:41The Great Hurricane then made its way to the Great Plains and turned towards the Great

02:00:46Lakes, New England, and reached southeastern Canada.

02:00:49The storm was so bad that more than 3,600 homes were damaged even though they were sturdy

02:00:55enough to withstand the storm.

02:00:57Given the population numbers back then, it was equivalent to hundreds of thousands of

02:01:01houses destroyed, if not millions.

02:01:05The total property damage was around $30 million then, which would be a lot more now because

02:01:10of inflation.

02:01:12After the devastating storm, the people of Galveston built a three-and-a-half-mile seawall

02:01:17and raised the whole city level by as much as 16 feet.

02:01:20Eventually, they raised the seawalls to 10 miles just in case.

02:01:25If a storm like the one in Galveston struck in modern times, there wouldn't be enough

02:01:30places for everyone to hide.

02:01:32The population has increased significantly all over the areas where the storm struck

02:01:37back in 1900.

02:01:39So imagine yourself sitting in your car and getting the breaking news.

02:01:43It says a storm has just hit the Gulf of Mexico, and east of it, near Cuba.

02:01:48No biggie, since you're all the way in Texas.

02:01:51So you drive back home.

02:01:53There's plenty of people at gas stations and in supermarkets.

02:01:56The news now states that the storm will likely gain momentum and strike right where you live.

02:02:01Okay, now it's time to panic.

02:02:04You want to get some stuff to prepare for the incoming storm, but all the shelves are

02:02:08empty by now.

02:02:10Everyone is pushing and shoving like at a rock concert.

02:02:13You grab whatever you can find and make your way back to your car.

02:02:17You're lucky enough to purchase some extra gallons of gasoline, just in case.

02:02:21You drive from supermarket to supermarket to try and get some stuff, but you're out

02:02:25of luck.

02:02:27Finally, you find a place that still has some essentials.

02:02:31You start stocking up your shopping cart when the local news urges everyone to evacuate.

02:02:36You only have a matter of hours to leave, but you left your dog at home.

02:02:41You rush against the traffic to get there.

02:02:43Your entire neighborhood is completely empty.

02:02:45You fetch your precious pooch and grab some important things before leaving.

02:02:50There's just a little time left, and you can already start to feel the winds picking up

02:02:54and the ocean nearby.

02:02:56The news tells you the hurricane has already struck Florida.

02:02:59You get in the car, but it won't start.

02:03:03Since you were driving so fast, you didn't realize that you emptied your gas.

02:03:08Good thing you got those extra gas cans on the way.

02:03:10With half a tank, you can get out of your city and into a safe place where everyone

02:03:15is going.

02:03:16The winds are getting stronger.

02:03:18There's no way you're going to outrun this storm.

02:03:20There's no one in sight, since they all left early.

02:03:23It starts raining heavily.

02:03:25You can see some trees swaying like crazy.

02:03:28Finally, you find something that looks like a large shelter.

02:03:31You reach it to find out that it's just an abandoned mall.

02:03:35And then the worst happens.

02:03:37You realize you've been going in the wrong direction all this time.

02:03:41You get out of the car for a bit to stretch out and see which road to take.

02:03:45The winds are so strong that you go back to the car only to find out that your dog ran

02:03:50off.

02:03:51You can't find her anywhere.

02:03:53You drive around and call out her name, but she doesn't respond.

02:03:56You see her standing behind some bushes barking.

02:03:59You run down to her and discover that she has found a cool underground abandoned shelter.

02:04:04The winds have now reached a dangerous point where you can't drive anymore.

02:04:09You gather your stuff and head down.

02:04:12It's complete with everything and even has a bed.

02:04:15You can hear the winds and rain above you, but you're snuggled up with your dog.

02:04:20The next day, you get up and see that your car has been tossed over to another road.

02:04:25And there's not a single tree in sight.

02:04:27Hey, you can at least be happy you survived one of the strongest storms in the world!

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