00:00When we see a rainbow, it is often interpreted as a foretaste of luck.
00:05Conversely, the vision of an abyss fish is generally considered as the sign of imminent misfortune.
00:11Let's explore together these ancient legends and the meaning they could have in modern life.
00:19In August 2024, the Californians began their day as usual.
00:24The radiant sun encouraged them to go to the beach to enjoy the beautiful weather.
00:28They went kayaking and diving, when one of them suddenly noticed something unusual.
00:34A very bad-luck fish.
00:37The creature, measuring nearly 4 meters, was a regalec.
00:41A fish of which only about twenty specimens have failed on the Californian coast since 1901.
00:47Inhabiting the dark depths of the ocean, they are often associated with an imminent disaster.
00:52But why?
00:54According to Japanese folklore, these creatures would be announcers of disasters.
00:59Once considered as sea snakes, they are nicknamed the messengers of the palace of the seabed.
01:05They would leave this majestic place only to warn humans of the ravages to come.
01:10And this is why regalecs are perceived as sinister signs.
01:13Their appearance is often followed by a tsunami or an earthquake.
01:17The oceanographers themselves recognize the reputation of this disturbing association.
01:23This is where things take a strange turn.
01:26The regalec failed near the coast of San Diego on August 10.
01:30Two days later, on August 12, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles.
01:36And this phenomenon is not new.
01:38In 2011, in Japan, about 20 regalecs were found to have failed along the beaches and coasts of Tohoku.
01:44Shortly after, a magnitude 9 earthquake and a tsunami hit the region.
01:49A similar incident occurred in the Philippines.
01:52On February 8, 2017, a regalec was spotted.
01:56And two days later, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook the city and neighboring provinces.
02:02Of course, it is impossible to prove that these events are truly related.
02:06The Seismological Society of America insists that it is only superstition.
02:11And a recent study, having analyzed these coincidences,
02:14concluded that this association had no statistical foundations.
02:19But can we say that there is really no causal link?
02:23For centuries, humans have observed that animals adopted strange behaviors just before natural disasters,
02:30whether they are earthquakes, floods or even tsunamis.
02:34It is as if animals perceive signs that are invisible to us.
02:37In reality, this theory is supported by many scientific studies.
02:42These show that animals are able to perceive subtle environmental changes,
02:47such as fluctuations in the terrestrial electromagnetic field or infrasons.
02:52Elements that humans cannot discern.
02:54This is explained by the fact that most animals have a more extensive auditory range
02:59and particularly refined senses that allow them to detect gases emitted by the earth.
03:05This theory became popular after the devastating 2004 tsunami,
03:09which ravaged several cities and villages in Indonesia.
03:12Most of the alarm systems designed by humans have ceased to work,
03:16failing to warn the population of the imminent disaster.
03:20Some sensors were out of service due to maintenance work,
03:24while other coastal areas were devoid of any tsunami alarm system.
03:28A very sad competition of circumstances.
03:31However, in the minutes and hours before the arrival of the 9-meter wave,
03:35some animals perceived the danger and fled.
03:39Witnesses report that elephants rushed to the heights,
03:43pink flamingos left their nests at low altitudes,
03:46and dogs refused to leave.
03:48A resident observed a herd of buffalos turning their ears to the sea
03:52before launching into the top of a hill.
03:55Many survivors of the tsunami relied on animal reactions as warning signals.
04:00And it was not the first time that man had used animals to save his life.
04:04The first official account dates back to 373 BC.
04:08Although we were not there to see it,
04:11the Greek historian Thucydides reports that rats, fowls and snakes
04:15were seen fleeing the city before a massive earthquake occurred.
04:19So what can animals perceive and humans do not detect?
04:23To find out more, scientists set up biologging beacons
04:27on cows, sheep and dogs living in Italy.
04:31For about six months, they followed these animals.
04:35During this period, more than 18,000 earthquakes were recorded in the region.
04:39What is most surprising is that animals began to change their behavior
04:43up to 20 hours before an earthquake occurred.
04:47Before an earthquake, a phenomenon called a positive hole occurs.
04:51An electric charge rises from the earth's crust to the surface.
04:55This phenomenon alters air molecules in affected areas
04:59and animals seem to be able to detect these signals.
05:02Indications also suggest that animals could detect changes in the phreatic naps.
05:07Before earthquakes, the pressure on the fault lines can release radon,
05:12a gas capable of modifying the chemical composition of underground waters.
05:16Animals dependent on these resources could thus perceive these variations
05:20and react accordingly.
05:23Birds are also particularly sensitive to magnetic field fluctuations
05:28that can occur just before an earthquake.
05:31Another study was carried out near Mount Etna,
05:34one of the most active volcanoes in the world, located in Sicily.
05:37In 2002, a violent eruption destroyed a TV set,
05:41two hotels and several shops near Etna.
05:44Over the years, a group of researchers has undertaken
05:47to monitor the behavior of the goats living on the edge of the volcano.
05:50Their great discovery came in 2012,
05:53when the goats began to behave erratically
05:56about six hours before a new lava eruption.
05:59Scientists have thus been able to predict, retrospectively,
06:02nearly seven disasters in two years.
06:04And all thanks to goats.
06:06In 2014, a group of researchers studying the golden-winged parrots of Tennessee
06:11observed a singular phenomenon.
06:14The birds had suddenly deviated from their usual nesting sites.
06:18These little migrators have traveled 700 km since the Cumberland Mountains,
06:22where they had just arrived after a journey of more than 4,800 km
06:26from South America.
06:28Shortly after the departure of the parrots,
06:30a series of more than 80 tornadoes fell on the region,
06:34causing damage of more than a billion dollars.
06:37The researchers qualify this behavior as evacuation migration.
06:41The birds would have perceived the tornadoes at more than 400 km away.
06:45Infrasounds are key indicators of natural disasters.
06:49Storms and tornadoes generate extremely powerful infrasounds,
06:52capable of traveling over thousands of kilometers.
06:55These are very low frequencies, located below 20 Hz.
06:59Human hearing does not allow us to capture these sounds.
07:02Indeed, our hearing is located between 20 and 20,000 Hz.
07:06This means that we can perceive very low sounds,
07:09such as a deep bass,
07:11up to high-pitched sounds,
07:12such as the buzzing of a mosquito near our ear.
07:16Elephants, for their part, can hear frequencies below 20 Hz,
07:20which makes them experts in disaster detection.
07:24Scientists also believe that the ability to perceive infrasounds
07:27helps birds to avoid storms during their oceanic crossing.
07:32The Pacific Ocean, far from deserving its name,
07:35often reserves violent storms to the brave navigators
07:38who dare to cross it,
07:40and that their satellite instruments can not always detect.
07:43The National Museum of Natural History of Paris
07:46is currently working on a project to follow more than a hundred birds
07:49during their annual crossing of the Pacific.
07:52With the support of the International Space Station,
07:55researchers are trying to understand how these birds react
07:58to natural disasters along the way.
08:00But this idea is not unanimous.
08:02Some scientists say that,
08:04although animals are sensitive to environmental variations,
08:08it would be risky to predict disasters
08:10based on their behavior.
08:12The Institute for Geological Studies of the United States
08:15notes that the majority of observations of unusual behavior
08:18before disasters remain anecdotal,
08:21and that large-scale studies have not yet established direct links.
08:25Although we do not have extraordinary abilities
08:28to anticipate disasters,
08:30some clues may nevertheless warn us of the danger.
08:33For example, if you find yourself in an area where lightning is imminent,
08:37your hair may warn you while standing up.
08:40This phenomenon indicates that lightning is heading straight at you.
08:43So do not waste time and run to shelter.
08:46Enter a building, if possible.
08:48It is the best reaction to adopt in such a situation.
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