Narrator: THERE ARE GLOBAL PHENOMENA THAT SCIENCE CANNOT EXPLAIN --
TRUE STORIES THAT DEFY RATIONAL EXPLANATION.
IN SRI LANKA, A TROPICAL VILLAGE IS STAINED BY BLOOD-RED RAIN --
A FREAK MONSOON?
OR COULD EACH DROPLET HARBOR A DANGEROUS NEW LIFE-FORM,
A CONTAGION FROM BEYOND OUR ATMOSPHERE?
Wickramasinghe: THERE COULD BE A PANDEMIC THAT MIGHT WIPE OUT
THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.
Narrator: ALONG THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA,
MYSTERIOUS BOOMS SHATTER THE PEACE.
DO THESE DEAFENING SOUNDS COME FROM DEEP INSIDE THE EARTH
OR FROM FAR ABOVE IT?
YOU THINK AN EXPLOSION HAS TAKEN PLACE RIGHT NEARBY.
Narrator: AND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,
A CRYPTIC MANUSCRIPT IS BROUGHT INTO THE LIGHT
AFTER CENTURIES IN HIDING.
Kennedy: THERE'S SOMETHING PROFOUND ABOUT IT,
BUT IT'S JUST SO BIZARRE.
EACH PAGE IS A RIDDLE WRITTEN IN AN ESOTERIC CODE
THAT DEFIES LOGIC.
A MEDIEVAL HOAX?
OR DO UNTAPPED SECRETS FROM ANOTHER WORLD LIE INSIDE?
NEW INVESTIGATIONS QUESTION UNEXPLAINED HAPPENINGS
AND OTHERWORLDLY EVENTS.
Woman: WHAT IS TH-- OH, MAN!
IT'S HOVERING! IT'S NOT AN AIRCRAFT!
Narrator: FIRSTHAND TESTIMONY AND FRESH EVIDENCE BUILD
NEW POSSIBILITIES.
Man: NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE.
AND IT JUST DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR.
IT WASN'T FROM THIS PLANET.
MY ARMS WERE JUST ON FIRE.
Narrator: RETHINK EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
THE MONSOON SEASON DESCENDS ON THE VILLAGE OF SEVANAGALA
IN EASTERN SRI LANKA ONCE AGAIN.
THE RAIN IS TYPICALLY TORRENTIAL.
BUT THIS YEAR,
SOMETHING IS STRIKINGLY DIFFERENT.
[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: COULD THIS BE A SIMPLE TRICK OF THE EYE --
LIGHT AND SHADOWS CREATING HUES THAT AREN'T REALLY THERE?
Silawathi: [ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: FOR RESIDENTS OF SOUTH ASIA,
MONSOON RAINS SIGNIFY LIFE AND RENEWAL,
BUT THIS DOWNPOUR IS DIFFERENT.
IT SUGGESTS BLOOD AND DEATH.
Gurusinghe: [ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: THE DELUGE CONTINUES, OFF AND ON,
FOR 60 TERRIFYING DAYS.
PEOPLE BARRICADE THEMSELVES INSIDE
AND WAIT FOR THE RED RAIN TO PASS.
[ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: SOON, THE GOVERNMENT IS FORCED TO INTERVENE.
WELL, A TEAM OF SIX SPECIALIST DOCTORS
HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
TO INVESTIGATE THE RED RAIN EXPERIENCED
IN THE SEVANAGALA AREA.
Narrator: THEIR FIRST QUESTION -- HOW DANGEROUS IS THIS WATER?
IS IT SAFE TO DRINK OR EVEN GET ON YOUR SKIN?
INVESTIGATORS NEXT CHECK TO SEE IF THE STRANGE PHENOMENON
IS HAPPENING ELSEWHERE.
SIMILAR CASES ARE SOON DISCOVERED.
IN 2009, SYDNEY RESIDENTS AWAKE TO FIND
AN AMBER FOG ENGULFING THEIR CITY.
Man: HOW BIZARRE IS THIS?
Narrator: IT BLANKETS THE COAST FOR 375 MILES
AND LINGERS FOR 48 HOURS.
BUT THERE'S ALSO AN EXPLANATION.
THE COLOR IS DUE TO RICH, DENSE DUST BLOWN
FROM DRAUGHT-AFFECTED DESERTS INLAND.
IN 2001 IN KERALA, SOUTHERN INDIA,
MUDDY RED RAINFALLS FOR TWO MONTHS.
FINE DUST ONCE AGAIN SEEMS TO BE THE CULPRIT --
THIS TIME FROM THE ARABIAN DESERT.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE SRI LANKAN RED RAIN IS
NOTHING MORE THAN HARMLESS DESERT DUST?
INDIAN PHYSICIST PROFESSOR GODFREY LOUIS ANALYZES
SAMPLES OF THE RAIN TO FIND OUT.
Louis: IT'S VERY CLEAR FROM THE IMAGES
THAT THEY ARE NOT DUST PARTICLES.
DUST PARTICLES WILL NOT HAVE THIS REGULAR SHAPE.
THEY WILL NOT BE SMALL BALLS LIKE THIS,
AND THEY'RE NOT TRANSPARENT LIKE THIS.
Narrator: PROFESSOR LOUIS DISCOVERS
SOMETHING FAR MORE MYSTIFYING THAN DUST.
IN HIS EYES, THESE PARTICLES APPEAR TO BE ALIVE.
Louis: YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY HAVE A THICK CELL WALL
WITH RED COLOR.
THERE IS SOME MATERIAL INSIDE THE CELL,
SO IT IS VERY CONVINCING THAT THEY ARE BIOLOGICAL CELLS.
Narrator: SO, WHAT ARE THESE FOREIGN CELLS?
AND IS IT POSSIBLE FOR LIVING CELLS
TO SOMEHOW GET INTO THE RAIN?
A RED RAINFALL IN COLOMBIA, SOUTH AMERICA,
IN 2008 MAY PROVIDE THE ANSWER.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Narrator: A LOCAL SCIENTIST ASSERTS
THE RAIN REALLY DID CONTAIN BLOOD.
[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
Narrator: COULD THE RED-RAIN PLAGUE IN COLOMBIA, INDIA, AND SRI LANKA
ACTUALLY CONTAIN BLOOD?
AND IF SO, WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
Man: WHOA! LOOK AT THAT!
IT'S KNOWN THAT FROGS AND FISH CAN BE
SUCKED UP FROM THE SEA BY TORNADOS
AND FALL BACK TO THE EARTH WITH RAIN.
FISH RAIN IS ACTUALLY RECORDED IN SRI LANKA
A MONTH AFTER THE RED RAIN IN 2012.
BUT COULD THE BLOOD CELLS OF THESE ANIMALS DISSOLVE
WITHIN THE CLOUDS AND FALL AS BLOOD RAIN?
WHEN PROFESSOR LOUIS EXAMINES THE LIFE-FORMS
IN BOTH THE INDIAN AND SRI LANKAN RAIN,
HE DETERMINES THAT THE CELLULAR STRUCTURE HAS
VERY LITTLE IN COMMON WITH BLOOD.
THE BLOOD CELLS AND THE RED-RAIN CELLS
MAY HAVE SOME SUPERFICIAL SIMILARITY,
BUT THIS IS THE IMAGE OF THE RED CELL CROSS SECTION,
AND YOU CAN SEE A VERY THICK CELL WALL AND, AT THE SAME TIME,
IF YOU LOOK AT THE RED BLOOD CELLS,
THEY DON'T HAVE THIS KIND OF A CELL WALL,
SO STILL, THE CELLS REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS ARE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE CELLS FOUND
IN THE RAINWATER.
FIRST DUST AND THEN BLOOD HAS BEEN RULED OUT.
NOW INVESTIGATORS AT SLINTEC,
ONE OF SRI LANKA'S MOST STATE-OF-THE-ART LABS,
BECOME INVOLVED.
THEY PLAN TO TEST AN ALTERNATIVE THEORY.
COULD PIGMENTATION FROM ALGAE SPORES BE TO BLAME?
CYCLONES AND TORNADOS MAY HAVE SUCKED UP ALGAE
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE AS THEY TEAR ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE.
IF IT'S NOT ALGAE, THEN WHAT IS IT?
AND CAN IT REALLY BE ALIVE?
PROFESSOR DE SILVA SETS OUT TO TEST IF THE RAIN IS CARRYING
THE GENETIC CODE PRESENT IN ALL KNOWN LIFE -- DNA.
DNA IS THE ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCK
FOR ALL LIFE ON EARTH.
IT ALLOWS CELLS TO REPLICATE.
BUT PROFESSOR LOUIS DISCOVERS
THESE CELLS ARE REPLICATING WITHOUT DNA.
THESE CELLS MULTIPLY,
SO THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF THIS ORGANISM IS DIFFERENT.
IT IS A NEW KIND OF LIFE-FORM.
THIS IS SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
WE ARE DEALING WITH AN ORGANISM WHICH HAS COME FROM SPACE.
Narrator: SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATING
A SERIES OF UNEXPLAINED RED RAINFALLS
MAKE A STARTLING DISCOVERY.
WHATEVER IS IN THE RAIN IS REPLICATING
EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NO DNA.
MORE PUZZLING -- IT'S DOING SO IN CONDITIONS
THAT WOULD KILL ALL OTHER KNOWN LIFE-FORMS.
I HAVE HEATED THESE CELLS FOR 15 HOURS
AT 300 DEGREES CENTIGRADE.
THAT WOULD KILL ANY NORMAL ORGANISM.
WE FOUND, TO OUR SURPRISE, THAT THEY DON'T JUST SURVIVE --
THEY'RE GROWING HAPPILY AT THAT TEMPERATURE.
Narrator: PROFESSOR LOUIS' EXAMINATION OF THE RED-RAIN CELLS LEADS HIM
TO AN UNORTHODOX CONCLUSION.
THIS IS POTENTIALLY AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORGANISM.
Narrator: COULD THESE TINY CELLS BE ALIEN LIFE?
PROFESSOR CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE
IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LEADING ASTROBIOLOGISTS.
HE'S A CONSULTANT FOR THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY
AND IS AN OUTSPOKEN ADVOCATE
ON THE POSSIBILITY OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE.
THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE OUTSIDE THE EARTH IS
AMAZINGLY REGARDED AS AN EXTRAORDINARY HYPOTHESIS.
BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE EXTRAORDINARY HYPOTHESIS IS
TO SAY THAT THIS TINY, MINUTE BIT OF DUST
THAT WE CALL THE EARTH IS
THE CENTER OF LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
AND THAT NO LIFE EXISTS EVEN NEXT DOOR TO IT.
Narrator: FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS,
HE'S BEEN TEACHING AT BRITISH UNIVERSITIES,
BUT HE'S VISITING HIS NATIVE SRI LANKA
TO HELP INVESTIGATE WHETHER THE RED RAIN COULD BE
HARBORING ALIEN LIFE-FORMS.
HOW DID YOU COLLECT THE RAIN?
YOU COLLECTED SOME?
YEAH. I COLLECTED THAT BASKET.
IN THAT BUCKET THERE? OKAY.
THIS WAS A SAMPLE?
YEAH, A SAMPLE.
OH, MY GOD. THIS IS REALLY RED, ISN'T IT?
AND THAT BUCKET WAS FULL OF THIS RED RAIN --
RED-COLORED LIQUID?
THAT'S AMAZING.
[ HORNS HONKING ]
HE SUSPECTS THERE MAY BE A CONNECTION
TO A MYSTERIOUS EVENT THAT OCCURRED
ONE WEEK BEFORE THE RED RAIN FELL.
Man: WHAT ARE THESE UNIDENTIFIED LIGHTS?
Woman: SRI LANKA AIR FORCE STATES THAT IT IS KEEPING
A 24-HOUR VIGIL REGARDING THE UNIDENTIFIED LIGHTS
THAT WERE WITNESSED IN THE SKIES
OVER SEVERAL PARTS OF THE ISLAND.
Narrator: CHANDRA TRACKS DOWN AN EYEWITNESS
WHO REPORTED SEEING THE PECULIAR LIGHTS.
Banda: [ SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
Narrator: TAIKIRI BANDA CLAIMS TO HAVE SEEN THE LIGHTS CRASH TO EARTH.
THE NEXT DAY, HE DISCOVERS OBSCURE DEBRIS IN HIS FIELD.
THIS IS A LARGE PIECE.
DID YOU FIND MANY LARGE PIECES?
OH, YES. YES.
YOU SAW THE FIREBALL,
AND YOU SAW THIS ACTUALLY FALLING FROM THE SKIES?
YES.
THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT.
CHANDRA'S NOW CONVINCED HE KNOWS WHAT FELL TO EARTH THAT NIGHT.
ON THAT EVIDENCE ALONE,
I THINK ONE HAS TO SAY THAT IT IS A METEORITE.
EVERY YEAR, SOME 30,000 METEORITES HIT THE EARTH.
NO ONE HAS EVER FOUND LIVING CELLS
ON THESE SPACE ROCKS,
BUT CHANDRA BELIEVES
HE'S ON THE BRINK OF A NEW DISCOVERY.
Wickramasinghe: I THINK THE CELLS IN THIS RED-RAIN SAMPLE
MAY WELL HAVE COME FROM THE METEORITE.
Narrator: BACK IN BRITAIN, CHANDRA BRINGS TOGETHER
THE RAINWATER SAMPLE AND METEORITE FRAGMENTS.
BOTH FELL TO EARTH IN THE SAME PLACE
AND JUST A WEEK APART.
COULD THE METEORITE BE HOSTING THE SAME CELLS AS THE RAIN?
TO FIND OUT, CHANDRA USES A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE
100 TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN A CONVENTIONAL ONE.
[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
IF I FOCUS IN HERE, WE SHOULD SEE...
TRYING TO LOCATE THE TINY CELLS
JUST 1/8,000 OF A MILLIMETER ACROSS IS
A PAINSTAKING TASK.
IS THERE ANY ONE YOU'D LIKE TO --
HOW ABOUT THIS ONE HERE?
THIS RIGHT IN HERE.
OKAY. SHOULD WE ZOOM IN ON THAT ONE?
AS THEY SEARCH DEEP INSIDE THE METEOR ROCK,
CHANDRA SPOTS SOMETHING.
THAT'S A POTENTIAL RED RAIN THERE.
IT'S A WHOLE FIELD OF SPHERICAL CARBON STRUCTURES
THAT LOOK LIKE RED-RAIN CELLS.
I THINK THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING DISCOVERY
THAT WE MADE RIGHT NOW, HERE.
Narrator: CHANDRA BELIEVES HE'S IDENTIFIED THE SAME MYSTERIOUS CELLS
FOUND IN THE RED RAIN INSIDE THE METEORITE.
Wickramasinghe: WE ARE FINDING THESE CELLS
RIGHT IN THE DEEP INTERIOR OF THE METEORITE,
SO IT MEANS THAT THEY ARE NOT CONTAMINANTS.
Narrator: IF CHANDRA HAS FOUND MATCHING CELLS
INSIDE THE METEORITE,
IT PROVES THE RED RAIN DIDN'T SIMPLY DEPOSIT THE CELLS
ON THE ROCK AFTER IT HIT LAND.
THEY MUST HAVE BEEN INSIDE THE METEORITE
AS IT HURLED TOWARDS EARTH AND EXPLODED INTO TINY PIECES.
Wickramasinghe: THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A HUGE NUMBER
OF THESE RED-RAIN CELLS,
AND THE TOTAL WEIGHT WOULD HAVE BEEN TONS.
Narrator: IF SO, THE RED CELLS MAY HAVE SETTLED INTO THE CLOUD LAYER,
WHERE THEY STAYED FOR WEEKS, GRADUALLY FALLING AS RED RAIN.
IF HIS ANALYSIS IS CORRECT,
IT WOULD NOT ONLY EXPLAIN THE RED RAIN.
IT COULD PROVE THAT LIFE EXISTS BEYOND THE EARTH.
Wickramasinghe: IF THE RED-RAIN CELLS CAME FROM SPACE,
IT ESSENTIALLY BELONGS TO ANOTHER WORLD.
BUT IF IT IS FROM OUTER SPACE, HOW SAFE IS IT?
COULD WE BE CONSUMED
BY A CONTAGION THAT CAN'T BE STOPPED?
THERE COULD BE A SERIOUS RISK OF A PANDEMIC
THAT MIGHT EVEN WIPE OUT THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.
Narrator: SINCE 2012, PROFESSOR CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE
HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF BLOOD-COLORED RAINS
THAT HAVE PLAGUED SRI LANKA.
OH, MY GOD. THIS IS REALLY RED, ISN'T IT?
THAT'S AMAZING.
HIS RESEARCH MAY PROVE
THAT THE RAIN CONTAINS ALIEN ORGANISMS --
ORGANISMS HE BELIEVES FIRST ENTERED
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE INSIDE A METEORITE.
THE RED-RAIN CELLS CAME FROM SPACE,
AND THE METEORITES ARE JUST CARRYING THEM TO OUR PLANET.
Narrator: CHANDRA APPROACHES NASA
WITH HIS BOLD DECLARATION OF ALIEN LIFE.
BUT THE AGENCY REMAINS WARY.
NASA TELLS US IT IS NOT FUNDING RESEARCH IN THIS AREA.
REPRESENTATIVES DECLINE AN INTERVIEW.
CONVERSELY, THE SRI LANKAN GOVERNMENT IS
INTRIGUED AND EMBRACES THE THEORY.
FOR SAMARANAYAKE, WHAT'S MOST TROUBLING IS
THAT THESE CELLS SEEM TO BE MULTIPLYING,
AND HIS LATEST TESTS SUGGEST
THEY COULD BE DANGEROUS TO HUMANS.
URANIUM IS RADIOACTIVE AND TOXIC IF INGESTED OR INHALED.
IT'S CANCER-CAUSING,
AND EXPOSURE TO HIGH DOSES CAN LEAD TO FATAL KIDNEY DAMAGE.
THESE CELLS, IF THEY INTERACT WITH LIVING CELLS ON THE EARTH,
MIGHT PRODUCE SOME HARMFUL EFFECTS.
NEARLY 100 TONS OF SPACE ROCK HIT THE EARTH EVERY YEAR.
COULD SOME OF IT BE CARRYING MICROSCOPIC CELLS
SIMILAR TO THE ONES CHANDRA BELIEVES
HE FOUND IN THE RED RAIN?
I THINK WE HAVE TO ACCEPT
THAT LIFE-FORMS WOULD ARRIVE ON THE EARTH
THAT WOULD CAUSE DISEASES AND WOULD AFFECT ECOLOGIES
OF EXISTING PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE,
SO THERE COULD BE A SERIOUS RISK OF A PANDEMIC
THAT MIGHT EVEN WIPE OUT THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.
Narrator: DESPITE THE PROFESSOR'S THEORY,
NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE THE STRANGE RED CELLS CAME FROM,
WHAT THEY ARE, AND IF THEY POSE A THREAT.
UNTIL THEN, ANOTHER MONSOON SEASON DRAWS NEAR,
AND RESIDENTS OF SRI LANKA WATCH THE GATHERING CLOUDS
AND PRAY FOR COLORLESS RAIN.
ACROSS OUR PLANET, EXTRAORDINARY HAPPENINGS
TEASE THE BOUNDARY
OF WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE POSSIBLE.
9,000 MILES AWAY, MYSTERIOUS, TERRIFYING BOOMS ARE
SHAKING RESIDENTS ALL ALONG THE EAST COAST
OF THE UNITED STATES.
CLAUDETTE AND MIKE HUSSEY HAVE JUST MOVED INTO THEIR NEW HOME
IN A PEACEFUL SEASIDE TOWN NEAR CAPE FEAR.
THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO LIFE IN THEIR QUIET NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.
BUT THEN SOMETHING SHATTERS THEIR PEACE.
I WAS SITTING AT MY DESK IN MY OFFICE,
WORKING AWAY AT THE COMPUTER,
AND I FELT THIS LARGE BOOM.
[ BOOM ]
IT WAS JUST SO LOUD THAT THE WINDOWS SHOOK.
IT WAS VERY LOUD.
I JUST GOT UP, AND I RAN OUTSIDE
TO SEE WHAT HAD HIT THE HOUSE.
I WAS LOOKING FOR DAMAGE.
MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS SOMETHING FELL FROM THE SKY.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS A METEOR
OR A PART OF AN AIRPLANE OR SOMETHING.
Narrator: THE HUSSEYS HAVE JUST LEARNED WHAT LOCALS ALREADY KNOW --
THIS ISN'T AN ISOLATED EVENT.
SEVERAL TIMES A YEAR,
EARTH-SHATTERING BOOMS RATTLE CAPE FEAR RESIDENTS.
I HEARD THIS BOOM.
THAT'S WHEN I TOOK OFF
AND I HEADED FOR INSIDE THE HOUSE.
COMES OUT OF THE BLUE, OBVIOUSLY.
IT'S JUST "BOOM!" AND IT SCARES YOU TO DEATH.
[ RATTLING ]
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, 10, 20 FRIENDS ARE ALL LIKE,
"WHOA! DID YOU GUYS -- ANYBODY ELSE FEEL THAT?
ANYBODY ELSE'S HOUSE SHAKE?"
YOU THINK AN EXPLOSION HAS TAKEN PLACE
SOMEWHERE RIGHT NEARBY.
WHEN YOUR HOUSE RATTLES OR WHEN YOUR HOUSE VIBRATES
OR WHEN YOUR OFFICE SHAKES,
OF COURSE YOU'RE GONNA BE SCARED.
Narrator: CAPE FEAR ISN'T THE ONLY PLACE
ROCKED BY THESE SOUNDS.
THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF ALARMING EXPLOSIVE BOOMS
THAT NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN.
IN ITALY, THEY CALL THEM THE BRONTIDI,
IN JAPAN, THE UMINARI,
AND IN THE PHILIPPINES, RETUMBOS.
THE TERRIFIED CAPE FEAR RESIDENTS CALL
THE SHOCKING RUMBLE SENECA GUNS,
AFTER LAKE SENECA IN UPSTATE NEW YORK,
WHERE SIMILAR BOOMS ARE HEARD.
AFTER YEARS OF ENDURING THESE SHATTERING BOOMS,
RESIDENTS HAVE BEGUN TO ASK THEMSELVES,
"ARE THE NOISES COMING FROM ABOVE?"
Byrd: SOMETIMES, I FEEL THE BOOMS,
AND I'LL SEE ORANGE, GLOWING BALLS OUT OVER THE SEA.
SOME PEOPLE THINK THE ORANGE, GLOWING BALLS ARE UFOs.
Narrator: THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST IS
RACKED BY DEADENING, EXPLOSIVE SONIC BOOMS.
PERPLEXED LOCALS CALL THEM THE SENECA GUNS.
SOMETIMES, THEY SOUND LIKE FIREWORKS,
BUT THE STRONGEST CAN MAKE THE EARTH RUMBLE.
COULD THIS BE A HANGOVER FROM POWERFUL STORMS?
DENISE BRADLEY IS DETERMINED TO FIND OUT.
Bradley: EVERY TIME I HEAR THE SENECA GUNS
OR I FEEL THE SENECA GUNS, I MAKE SURE I JOT DOWN THE TIME.
I JOT DOWN ALL OF THE WEATHER FOR THE DAY.
"THIS IS THE DAY IT HAPPENED ON. IT WAS SUNNY, NOT CLOUDY."
OR, "IT WAS CLOUDY, NOT RAINY."
I KEEP A LOG OF EVERYTHING.
WE HAVE HERE MARCH 2nd AND 3rd OF OUR LAST SENECA GUN EPISODES.
FAIRLY VIOLENT.
Narrator: ACCORDING TO DENISE'S LOG, MARCH 2 AND 3, 2013,
WERE SUNNY, CLOUDLESS DAYS WITH NO THUNDERSTORMS IN SIGHT.
BUT THUNDER CAN BE HEARD A FULL 12 MILES
FROM THE EYE OF A STORM,
SO COULD GIANT, OFFSHORE THUNDERHEADS
BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SENECA GUNS?
[ GULLS CRYING ]
[ RADIO CHATTER ]
METEOROLOGIST STEVE PFAFF'S JOB IS MONITORING THE WEATHER
ALONG THE EAST COAST.
HE REVIEWS THE RADAR SCANS FOR MARCH 2 AND 3, 2013.
Pfaff: WELL, GIVEN THAT THERE WAS NO THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY
WITHIN ANY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE WILMINGTON AREA,
IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THUNDERSTORMS PLAYED A ROLE
IN THE SOUNDS THOSE DAYS.
Narrator: THERE IS A REMARKABLE ATMOSPHERIC EFFECT
KNOWN AS A TEMPERATURE INVERSION.
THIS OCCURS WHEN COOL AIR IS TRAPPED UNDER WARMER AIR
IN THE LAYER NEXT TO THE EARTH'S SURFACE.
THE COOL AIR ACTS AS A TUNNEL, CHANNELING THE SOUND,
MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO HEAR THINGS HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY.
COULD DENISE'S RECORDS OF SENECA GUNS
ON MARCH 2nd AND 3rd BE ATTRIBUTED
TO THE SAME ATMOSPHERIC ABERRATION?
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
[ THUNDER CRASHES ]
PFAFF CHECKS HIS RADAR
FOR THUNDERSTORMS FURTHER AWAY FROM CAPE FEAR.
Pfaff: THIS IS THE RADAR DATA FOR MARCH 3rd OF 2013.
AS THAT RADAR GOES OUT,
WE SEE NO RADAR RETURNS OF A THUNDERSTORM
WITHIN 200 NAUTICAL MILES OF OUR RADAR SYSTEM.
Narrator: FROM THIS DATA, IT'S CLEAR
THAT TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS ARE NOT TO BLAME.
ANOTHER THEORY SUGGESTS
THAT THE SOUNDS ARE DUE TO SOMETHING MANMADE.
COULD THE SOURCE BE MORE COVERT --
PERHAPS EXPLOSIONS FROM MILITARY EXERCISES AT SEA?
JAMIE MONCRIEF HAS LIVED IN THE AREA FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE.
Moncrief: THE MOST POPULAR THEORY IS THAT IT'S JUST SONIC BOOMS.
NORTH CAROLINA HAS GOT A VERY RICH MILITARY HISTORY,
AND ALL OF THOSE GUYS HAVE SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT, OBVIOUSLY,
AND DO A LOT OF TRAINING OFFSHORE.
I GREW UP ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.
A SUPERSONIC BOOM IS A VERY ABOVE-THE-HEAD EXPERIENCE.
YOU FEEL IT FROM ABOVE. IT'S A PERCUSSION.
IT'S A VERY DRAMATIC BOOM.
A SENECA GUN IS MORE OF A RUMBLE AND A GRUMBLE AND A ROLL.
IN MY OPINION, THEY SIMPLY JUST ARE NOT SONIC BOOMS.
Narrator: THE LOCAL MILITARY BASES CATEGORICALLY DENY
THAT THEIR JETS ARE RESPONSIBLE.
Bradley: THIS IS HAPPENING.
IT'S HAPPENING FREQUENTLY ENOUGH
WHERE SOMEBODY SHOULD HAVE AN ANSWER,
AND ALL THE WHILE, THE MILITARY'S SAYING,
"IT WAS NOT US.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO WE NEED TO TELL YOU?
WE DID NOT BREAK THE SOUND BARRIER."
Narrator: IN FACT, THE SENECA GUNS WERE REPORTED
LONG BEFORE AIRPLANES WERE INVENTED.
JAMES FENIMORE COOPER DESCRIBED THEM
IN A LAKE SENECA-SET NOVEL IN 1850.
THE EVIDENCE DOESN'T SUPPORT DISTANT THUNDER,
TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS, OR SONIC BOOMS.
MANY IN CAPE FEAR ARE CONVINCED THE SOUNDS DON'T COME
FROM THE SKY AT ALL
BUT FROM SOMEWHERE FAR BENEATH THEIR FEET.
IT FEELS AS THOUGH IT COMES FROM BELOW
AND RESONATES FROM THE GROUND AND COMES UP.
EVEN WHEN YOU'RE IN A BOAT,
IT TRULY FELT LIKE IT HAD COME UP FROM UNDERNEATH US.
Narrator: IF THE TRUE SOURCE IS ROOTED DEEP IN THE EARTH,
WHAT'S THE CAUSE,
AND HOW SAFE ARE THE RESIDENTS LIVING ON TOP OF IT?
Narrator: RESIDENTS OF CAPE FEAR, NORTH CAROLINA,
ARE RATTLED BY EARTH-SHATTERING AND UNEXPLAINED SONIC BOOMS.
INVESTIGATIONS SHIFT FOCUS TO SUBTERRANEAN ACTIVITY.
PROFESSOR JACK HALL IS A GEOLOGIST
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
WELL, HERE WE HAVE THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES,
AND HERE'S THE LOCATION OF WILMINGTON.
THESE RED LINES INDICATE LARGE FAULT ZONES
ALONG THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES.
FAULT ZONES ARE A SERIES OF CRACKS IN THE EARTH'S CRUST.
AND WHEN THEY DO MOVE,
THEY WILL GENERATE AN EARTHQUAKE.
THERE IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE HERE
FOR THE GENERATION OF EARTHQUAKES
AND THE GENERATION OF, POTENTIALLY, SOUND.
Narrator: LOOKING AT THE SEISMIC DATA FOR THE AREA,
PROFESSOR HALL COMES TO AN UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION.
IF WE TURN THIS OVER, THE YELLOW DOTS ON HERE INDICATE
THE LOCATION OF SEISMOGRAPHS.
THEY WILL PICK UP EARTH MOVEMENTS
THAT WE CAN'T EVEN FEEL.
THE RED DOTS ON HERE ARE THE LOCATION OF EPICENTERS
WHERE EARTHQUAKES ACTUALLY OCCURRED
FROM 1973 TO PRESENT, SO THIS IS THE PAST 40 YEARS.
WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IS PARTICULARLY AROUND WILMINGTON,
THERE'S VIRTUALLY NOTHING IN THIS AREA.
SO THESE BOOMS AND EARTHQUAKES THAT ACTUALLY OCCUR
DON'T MATCH UP.
Narrator: WITH NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE SUBTERRANEAN THEORY,
ATTENTION TURNS TO THE POSSIBILITY
OF ANALYZING THE BOOM ITSELF TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY.
THOUGH REPORTED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
THERE IS NO KNOWN RECORDING OF THE EXPLOSIVE SOUNDS.
IN APRIL 2012, PAUL GLASER SETS OUT TO CHANGE THAT.
HE BECOMES FIXATED ON RECORDING THE NOISE
THAT'S BEEN SHAKING HIS PARENTS' HOUSE AND NERVES FOR YEARS.
I WAS SO INTERESTED IN IT,
I BASICALLY JUST SET MY PHONE UP,
POINTED IT WITH THE SPEAKER OUT, AND I WOULD JUST HIT RECORD.
AND THEN I'D SIT INSIDE, KIND OF LIKE A FISHERMAN.
AND IT TOOK ME A COUPLE WEEKS, BUT I HEARD THEM.
I'VE GOT IT RIGHT INSIDE. I'LL SHOW YOU.
[ BOOM ]
HEAR THAT?
[ BOOM ]
THAT WAS ON THE QUIETER SIDE.
IT DIDN'T SHAKE THE HOUSE OR RATTLE THE WINDOWS,
BUT IT DEFINITELY -- I MEAN, IT WAS LOUD ENOUGH
THAT I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN IT HAPPENED.
Narrator: PAUL HAS SINCE PLAYED THIS SOUND FOR OTHER CAPE FEAR RESIDENTS.
[ BOOM ]
EVERY PERSON THAT HAD HEARD THEM THAT I PLAYED IT FOR
WAS LIKE, "YEAH. THAT'S THEM. THAT'S EXACTLY THEM."
Narrator: UNFORTUNATELY, THE SOUND IS SO GENERAL
THAT IT OFFERS UP FEW NEW CLUES TO ITS ORIGIN.
WITH NO OBVIOUS SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION,
COULD THERE BE ONE THAT DEFIES RATIONAL UNDERSTANDING?
LIKE MANY CAPE FEAR RESIDENTS,
IVY BYRD IS UNSETTLED BY THE TERRIFYING BOOMS.
Byrd: IF THERE'S SOMETHING UNEXPLAINED
THAT CAN SHAKE YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE,
LET ALONE A CITY, THAT'S REALLY SCARY.
Narrator: BUT OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS,
IVY AND HER NEIGHBORS HAVE WITNESSED SOMETHING STRANGE
THAT OCCURS AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BOOMS.
SOMETIMES, AT NIGHT, IF I FEEL THE BOOMS,
I'LL LOOK OUTSIDE, AND I'LL OCCASIONALLY SEE
ORANGE, GLOWING BALLS OUT OVER THE SEA.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. THEY JUST STAY THERE.
THEY'RE IN A LITTLE PACK,
BUT IT'S NOT A PLANE OR ANYTHING,
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T BLINK.
IT'S JUST AN ORANGE, GLOWING BALL.
ONE NIGHT, THERE WERE SO MANY OUT THERE,
MY NEIGHBORS AND MY FAMILY, WE ALL GATHERED OUT THERE
AND JUST WATCHED THEM.
Narrator: IVY SAYS SHE ONLY SEES THESE LIGHTS
WHEN THE SENECA GUNS OCCUR.
Byrd: IT DOES FEEL LIKE THE BOOMS ARE COMING FROM THE SAME DIRECTION
AS THE ORANGE BALLS.
Narrator: IF THEY ARE RELATED, WHAT COULD THEY BE?
SOME PEOPLE THINK THE ORANGE, GLOWING BALLS ARE
UFOs OR ALIENS.
IF IT'S SOMETHING UNEXPLAINED,
I GUESS YOU JUST MAKE UP YOUR OWN OPINION.
Moncrief: I THINK THE FEAR OF IT IS THAT IT'S SIMPLY NOT KNOWN.
WHY CAN'T IT BE UFOs? WHY CAN'T IT BE ALIENS?
Narrator: AS THE THEORIES BECOME MORE OUTLANDISH,
THE SENECA GUNS CONTINUE
TO SHOCK THE RESIDENTS OF CAPE FEAR.
IT WAS VIOLENT,
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE SHOOK UP HERE.
Narrator: AND THE DEEPER SCIENCE DIGS
INTO THE CAUSE,
THE MORE PERPLEXING THE PHENOMENON BECOMES.
Mike: WE WERE AFRAID. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT THEORIES
ABOUT WHAT IT IS,
BUT NO ONE CAN EXPLAIN WHAT THEY ARE.
[ BOOM ]
Narrator: PERHAPS ONE DAY,
SCIENCE WILL CATCH UP WITH THE SENECA GUNS
AND THE MYSTERY OF THEIR CAUSE WILL BE REVEALED.
[ RATTLING ]
UNTIL THEN, RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO DOCUMENT
THE STRANGE BOOMS ON THEIR OWN
AND HOPE THAT ALL THEIR OBSESSIVE WORK
PAYS OFF WITH AN ANSWER AND A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET.
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IS
A BOOK THAT HAS BAFFLED GENERATIONS
OF SCHOLARS AND LAYMEN.
NOW MODERN SCIENCE IS FINALLY PUTTING IT UNDER THE MICROSCOPE.
CAN IT CRACK A 400-YEAR-OLD CODE?
AND IF SO, WHAT WILL IT REVEAL ABOUT OTHER CIVILIZATIONS?
GERRY KENNEDY, A DESCENDENT OF THE MAN
WHO FOUND THIS EXTRAORDINARY BOOK,
IS DETERMINED TO DECIPHER THE MANUSCRIPT.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO GET HOOKED,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO BIZARRE.
IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THERE'S SOMETHING PROFOUND ABOUT IT,
BUT NOTHING IN IT HAS EVER MADE ANY SENSE.
IT IS THE MOST MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT IN THE WORLD.
THE BOOK IS FIRST DISCOVERED IN 1912
BY GERRY'S ANCESTOR WILFRID VOYNICH,
A DEALER IN ANTIQUE BOOKS.
HE FOUND THE MANUSCRIPT THAT CAME TO BEAR HIS NAME
IN A JESUIT LIBRARY ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF ROME.
THE MANUSCRIPT IS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY AND BIZARRE.
IF YOU JUST LEAF THROUGH THIS FACSIMILE WE HAVE HERE --
IT'S WRITTEN ON VELLUM, WHICH IS ANIMAL SKIN,
AND IT'S ROUGHLY COLORED AND RATHER AMATEURISH.
Narrator: VOYNICH FINDS A TATTERED LETTER TUCKED INSIDE THE MANUSCRIPT.
THE LETTER REVEALS THAT THE JESUITS HAD OWNED
THE MANUSCRIPT FOR 250 YEARS
AND HAD BEEN TRYING TO DECIPHER THE STRANGE TEXT
AND IDENTIFY THE BIZARRE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Kennedy: THE MANUSCRIPT WAS SENT TO A SCIENTIST AND LINGUIST,
ATHANASIUS KIRCHER, HOPING THAT HE WOULD
THROW SOME LIGHT ON WHAT THE MANUSCRIPT WAS ABOUT.
Narrator: KIRCHER WAS A LEADING JESUIT SCHOLAR,
ONE OF THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME, AND THE JESUITS,
WHO COUNT THE CURRENT POPE AMONG THEIR NUMBER,
ARE RENOWNED AS THE INTELLECTUALS
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH,
DETERMINED IN THEIR PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE.
IT'S A MYSTERIOUS BOOK.
IT'S THE TYPE OF THING
THAT WOULD HAVE ENTHRALLED KIRCHER.
HE WAS FASCINATED BY EVERYTHING.
HE WROTE ON EVERYTHING. HE INVESTIGATED EVERYTHING.
HERE IS A MYSTERY OF THE UNIVERSE
WHICH HAS TO BE OPENED
BECAUSE IT WILL REVEAL SOMETHING MORE ABOUT GOD.
Narrator: BUT IT APPEARS GOD NEVER SPOKE TO KIRCHER
THROUGH THE MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT.
HE WAS UNABLE TO MAKE SENSE OF IT.
WITH ITS CONTENTS A MYSTERY, PERHAPS EVEN HERESY,
THE JESUITS KEPT THE MANUSCRIPT LOCKED AWAY
UNTIL WILFRID VOYNICH REDISCOVERED IT IN 1912.
BUT WHAT WAS THERE TO FEAR?
COULD IT HOLD A CLUE TO WORLDS BEYOND OUR OWN?
THE WORD "ALIENS" COMES TO MIND.
Narrator: IN 1912, WILFRID VOYNICH DISCOVERS
AN ANCIENT MANUSCRIPT WRITTEN IN AN INDECIPHERABLE CODE.
HE ALSO DISCOVERS A LETTER INSIDE THE BOOK.
WRITTEN IN 1666,
IT REVEALS ONE OF THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAD
A THEORY ABOUT ITS AUTHOR,
A POTENTIALLY VITAL CLUE TO THE BOOK'S MEANING.
Kennedy: THE SAID BOOK BELONGED TO THE EMPEROR RUDOLPH.
HE BELIEVED THE AUTHOR WAS ROGER BACON, THE ENGLISHMAN.
ROGER BACON WAS A 13th CENTURY MONK
WITH A FASCINATION FOR ALCHEMY --
A MIX OF MAGIC AND SCIENCE
ATTEMPTING TO TURN ORDINARY METALS INTO GOLD.
THE CHURCH CONSIDERED IT HERESY.
Kennedy: ROGER BACON WAS ALWAYS TREADING IN THAT AREA.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE WHOLE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT IS
SECRETS OF ALCHEMY.
SO, THE ASSUMPTION WAS, FOR VOYNICH,
THAT BACON MIGHT WELL HAVE HAD TO MASK ANY OF HIS RESEARCHES
AND THEREFORE PUT IT INTO CIPHER.
Narrator: BUT CRYPTOGRAPHER GORDON RUGG,
WHO HAS A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF MEDIEVAL CIPHER TECHNIQUES,
IS NOT CONVINCED.
Rugg: LEADING MODERN CODE BREAKERS HAVE RUN THE TEXT
OF THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT THROUGH SOFTWARE
AND THEN THEY'VE LOOKED FOR PATTERNS
EVERY 10, 20, 40 CHARACTERS.
AND THEY'VE FOUND NOTHING.
Narrator: IF THE BOOK IS WRITTEN IN CODE,
IT IS A MORE ADVANCED ONE THAN ANYTHING MODERN COMPUTERS
OR EXPERT CODE BREAKERS CAN UNLOCK.
BUT WHAT IF THERE'S ANOTHER EXPLANATION --
THAT THE TEXT IS NOT A CODE AT ALL
BUT SIMPLY HAS NO MEANING?
GORDON RUGG BELIEVES THERE IS A POWERFUL MOTIVE
TO DO JUST THAT.
Rugg: IN THE MIDDLE AGES,
BOOKS OF WONDERS WERE WORTH A LOT.
I THINK IT'S ALMOST CERTAINLY A HOAX.
HOAXING THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT FOR MONEY
WOULD MAKE EXCELLENT SENSE.
Narrator: EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THIS THEORY.
IN THE LETTER VOYNICH FINDS WITH THE MANUSCRIPT IS
A REFERENCE TO ONE VERY WEALTHY OWNER OF THE BOOK.
Kennedy: THE SAID BOOK BELONGED TO THE EMPEROR RUDOLPH,
AND THAT HE PRESENTED
TO THE BEARER WHO BOUGHT THE BOOK 600 DUCATS.
Narrator: RUDOLPH II WAS THE HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR
IN THE LATE 16th CENTURY.
HE WAS OBSESSED WITH THE OCCULT
AND A TEMPTING TARGET FOR HOAXERS.
FOR HIM, 600 DUCATS -- $80,000 TODAY --
WOULD BE A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR THE MANUSCRIPT
IF HE BELIEVED IT CONTAINED
THE ENCRYPTED SECRETS OF ALCHEMY.
PRIME SUSPECTS IN THIS HOAX THEORY ARE
JOHN DEE AND EDWARD KELLY,
TWO ENGLISHMEN INVOLVED IN THE SCHEME
TO TURN COPPER INTO GOLD.
KELLY LIVED IN PRAGUE,
THE CAPITAL OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
IN THE 1590s, WHEN RUDOLPH REIGNED.
COULD HE AND DEE HAVE FABRICATED THE MANUSCRIPT
TO SELL TO THE EMPEROR?
TO FIND OUT, SCIENTISTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
CARBON-DATED SAMPLES OF THE ANIMAL SKIN, OR VELLUM,
THE MANUSCRIPT IS WRITTEN ON.
BY MEASURING THE DECAY OF RADIOACTIVE CARBON-14,
IT CAN DETERMINE THE AGE OF ORGANIC MATTER,
LIKE THE VELLUM OF THE MANUSCRIPT.
WILL THE CONFIRMED DATE OF THE MANUSCRIPT ADD WEIGHT
TO THE THEORY THAT IT IS A 1590s HOAX?
WELL, WE DATED FOUR VELLUM PAGES
DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK
AND FOUND THAT ALL FOUR OF THOSE PAGES
HAD VERY TIGHTLY CLUSTERED RADIOCARBON DATES.
AND THE RADIOCARBON AGE IS 1404 A.D. TO 1438 A.D.
AT 95% CONFIDENCE.
Narrator: THIS CARBON-DATING EVIDENCE BLOWS AWAY THE IDEA
THAT DEE AND KELLY HOAXED THE MANUSCRIPT.
IT WAS WRITTEN OVER 100 YEARS BEFORE THEY WERE BORN.
IF THE BOOK IS A HOAX, IT DID NOT ARISE
OUT OF RUDOLPH II's OBSESSION WITH THE OCCULT.
SO THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT REMAINS A 600-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY.
IN HIS MISSION TO DECIPHER IT,
GERRY KENNEDY TRIES ONE FINAL APPROACH.
CAN THE OBSCURE ILLUSTRATIONS TELL US ABOUT THE AUTHOR?
Kennedy: THE BIGGEST SECTION IS RARE-LOOKING PLANTS,
BUT THEY ARE INCREDIBLY BIZARRE, VERY STRANGE-LOOKING THINGS.
Narrator: GERRY TAKES A COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT
TO KEW GARDENS IN LONDON.
AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED CENTER OF BOTANICAL RESEARCH,
IT HAS OVER 30,000 LIVING PLANTS --
THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTION.
IF KEW'S SCIENTISTS CAN IDENTIFY THE PLANTS IN THE MANUSCRIPT,
IT MIGHT REVEAL CLUES TO ITS MEANING AND ORIGIN.
Simpson: THIS ALMOST LOOKS LIKE
IT'S GRAFTED ONTO THE BASE OF THE PLANT,
BUT YOU WOULDN'T, IN NATURE,
SEE ANYTHING HAPPENING LIKE THAT.
SO I THINK YOU CAN SAFELY SAY THAT THESE ARE
PLANTS OF INVENTION RATHER THAN REAL PLANTS.
LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH?
LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH.
THERE'S ALSO A SECTION WHICH ONE WOULD WANT TO CALL
SORT OF COSMOLOGICAL OR ASTROLOGICAL.
THERE'S A SPIRAL THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID
CLEARLY MUST BE ANDROMEDA.
Narrator: ANDROMEDA IS A SPIRAL GALAXY.
IT'S THE CLOSEST ONE TO EARTH'S
AND BEARS A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO THE VOYNICH DIAGRAM.
YET IT IS MILLIONS OF LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
ITS SPIRAL SHAPE IS ONLY VISIBLE
WITH MODERN, HIGH-POWERED TELESCOPES.
IF IT DOES REPRESENT THE GALAXY,
A FAR MORE PUZZLING QUESTION IS RAISED.
HOW COULD ANYONE ON EARTH DRAW SOMETHING
WE HAD YET TO DISCOVER?
IT APPEARS AS IF THERE MUST BE SOME UNDERLYING SENSE TO IT.
AND THE MOST AMAZING THEORY IS THAT IT'S A CODE
BEEN SENT DOWN FROM WAY OUT.
THE WORD "ALIENS" COMES TO MIND.
Narrator: FOR KENNEDY AND OTHERS, THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS
THAT THE MANUSCRIPT IS AN INTRODUCTION TO A WORLD
NONE OF US CAN YET IMAGINE -- ONE SO REMOTE AND UNEARTHLY
THAT EVEN ITS SYMBOLS, WORDS, AND SIMPLE PLANT LIFE
BAFFLE OUR BRAINS.
THE TRUTH OR WILD IMAGININGS?
WE'LL NEVER KNOW.
BUT EVEN THE MOST REMOTE POSSIBILITY
THAT ANOTHER SPECIES IS TRYING TO TELL US
ABOUT THEIR WORLD IS
TOO TEMPTING A RIDDLE TO GO UNRESOLVED,
AND SO THE MAGNETISM
OF THE MYSTERIOUS MANUSCRIPT ENDURES.