- 2 days ago
Embark on a thrilling journey with these two captivating videos that will take you to places where time and mystery collide.
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00:01As you take your first step off the plane, an eager crowd of emperor penguins surrounds you, pushing and shoving,
00:08all wanting your autograph.
00:09No, wait. It's worse. You're hit with a chill like you've never felt before.
00:15Even though you're equipped with over 20 pounds of gear, the icy wind still finds you.
00:20The blinding sunlight obscures your view, but it doesn't help you to warm up at all.
00:25Yep, this is your first day at the South Pole, and it wasn't easy to get here.
00:30You meet your coordinator, ready to begin your new life in the most remote place in the entire world.
00:36Grabbing your luggage from the plane, you look around at your companions.
00:40You all went through the same rigorous physical and psychological testing to prepare you for this uniquely challenging environment.
00:47The program had to make sure that you all had what it takes to handle months of isolation, freezing temperatures,
00:54and unfamiliar night cycles.
00:56Researchers need a clean bill of health when they set off because there's usually only one doctor on the base.
01:03You hesitate at first, seeing nothing before you but an endless icy desert.
01:08But it isn't long before you notice a large building in the distance.
01:12This is the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
01:14After a long walk through the deep snow, you reach it.
01:18One step through the doors, and you immediately stop shivering.
01:22It's so warm that everyone is walking around in t-shirts.
01:26You almost forget that you are in the coldest place on the planet.
01:30It surprises you to see how many people come to greet you.
01:33And they're not penguins.
01:35These researchers are stationed for the entire summer, studying things in the South Pole's extreme climates.
01:41You're officially welcome with an introductory slideshow in the conference room.
01:46The basic ground rules can help you in case things go, you know, south.
01:50Everything is organized from provisions to waste management.
01:54The station recycles everything it can, even different kinds of batteries.
01:59Anything that can't be recycled is sent on a voyage all the way across the ocean to a dump in
02:05America.
02:06Once you're finished, the coordinator escorts you to your dorm, the place you'll call home for the duration of your
02:12stay.
02:13You're excited to tell your family and friends how amazing it is at the South Pole.
02:18And luckily, the station comes equipped with Internet access.
02:21As soon as you open up YouTube and click on a video, though, you're greeted with a buffering sign.
02:27The lack of satellites over Antarctica means you'll need to get used to slow Internet for a while.
02:34From your window, you can see the snowscapes spreading out before you.
02:38Unlike the area around the coast of the continent, the South Pole is completely devoid of life.
02:44No plants or animals are able to brave the conditions this far inland.
02:48Other than the occasional bird blown off course by the wind, the entire area is just a deserted sea of
02:55ice.
02:55The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station stands alone in this desert.
03:00The base camp needs all kinds of people so it can survive in the unique environment.
03:05Cooks, plumbers, electricians, medics, and other staff are all required to keep things working, so the scientists can do their
03:13research.
03:14You might be surprised at how nice the living conditions are for all these workers.
03:18Sure, you'd find the usual research facilities and the laboratories, but there are also many rooms set aside for fun
03:26activities.
03:27The base has its own basketball court, where different departments can regularly compete.
03:32There are even whole rooms set aside for music and arts.
03:36Most importantly, there's a dentist who can make sure your teeth aren't damaged from all that chattering.
03:42Let's not forget the cafeteria that serves dishes from all over the world.
03:47Craving a delicious green salad?
03:49Then, you head down to the internal greenhouse to pick some fresh fruits and veggies.
03:54You'll find tomatoes, avocados, lettuce, and even tropical fruits.
03:58The greenhouse might also be the most humid place on the entire continent.
04:03Amazingly, it's so effective that it can produce around 20 pounds of goodies per week.
04:08There won't be any water shortages, either.
04:11The base is planted on an almost infinite supply of fresh water.
04:15The crews simply feed Antarctic ice into their specially designed generators that melt and filter it into clean drinking water.
04:23If the stress of the extreme climate ever gets to you, you can just hop into the sauna.
04:29Detoxing in the South Pole is a one-of-a-kind experience.
04:32Now that you're familiar with the facilities and can get around with ease, it's time to work.
04:38The base is mainly dedicated to astronomy because the crystal-clear Antarctic sky allows researchers to capture amazing images of
04:47space.
04:48Antarctica is perfect for these pictures because it's the driest place on Earth.
04:52There's almost no water vapor in the atmosphere.
04:55You're here for another reason, though.
04:58The station is also used to study volcanic activity.
05:01Scientists have discovered 91 volcanoes buried underneath the Antarctic ice sheet.
05:07And it's your job to collect samples from one of them.
05:10Back out into the frigid cold, your teeth begin to chatter again.
05:15Luckily, this is nowhere near as bad as the lowest temperature ever recorded here.
05:20The South Pole has been as cold as minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
05:24That's so cold that if you threw a glass of boiling water into the air, it would turn to ice
05:30before it hit the ground.
05:32It would be almost impossible to even leave the station at that temperature.
05:36The warmest the South Pole has ever been was 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
05:40And that was at the peak of summer.
05:43As you approach the digging site, you start to notice changes in the scenery.
05:48There are hilltops and steep ledges all around.
05:50As you get closer to the coast, you begin to see more animal life.
05:55You can even see a colony of penguins out in the distance.
05:59You scout the area around the site, perhaps expecting to see an enormous mountain spewing lava from its tip.
06:06In fact, there's nothing inside at all.
06:09That's because the volcano is right beneath your feet.
06:12It's part of the enormous landmass below the ice that the continent is famous for.
06:18Antarctica might just look like a giant field of ice, but there's actually a huge continent underneath.
06:24That means it has volcanoes, mountains, and valleys, like any other continent.
06:29Scientists have recently discovered that the Antarctic landmass has the lowest point on the planet, as well as huge mountain
06:36ranges.
06:37If any of the numerous volcanoes were to erupt, it would melt a huge part of the surface ice and
06:44increase the spill of ice into the ocean.
06:46The sea level would rise and flood coastal areas around the world.
06:50The ocean waters would also be disrupted, putting marine life at risk.
06:54You can count yourself lucky, though.
06:56All of these volcanoes are dormant at the moment, so you can begin your work.
07:01You begin to unpack your equipment and start digging.
07:05You and your team set up a small tent to try to stay warm while you monitor the progress on
07:11some portable screens.
07:12Your stomach rumbles, and your team rummage for the sandwiches they brought with them.
07:17There was no need to carry them in a cooler for obvious reasons.
07:21Smelling the food, Antarctic birds begin to circle above you as you eat.
07:25As you lay down to sleep, your three layers of clothes begin to feel like nothing more than a t
07:31-shirt.
07:32You put even more on and zip the tent up so you can finally get some rest.
07:37Strong wind buffets the tent, and you think you hear a growling outside.
07:41You panic, but then you remember there are no polar bears in Antarctica.
07:46In fact, there are no large predators at all.
07:49So you can sleep easy.
07:51You wake up, and the sky looks the same as it did all night.
07:56Each day lasts six months on this continent.
07:59Your work is done, so you can pack up and begin the long journey back to the station.
08:04Hours later, you get back to the more familiar flatlands of the South Pole,
08:09and eventually, the warmth of the research station.
08:12Your first few days on the station were a great success.
08:16You might have helped us to understand just a little bit more about this mysterious continent.
08:21There are sure to be many more surprises hidden under the ice sheet, though.
08:25Who knows what we might find in the future?
08:31In the northeast of Thailand, a family of enormous stone whales swim through a forest.
08:37These aren't real whales, of course.
08:39They're actually a part of a 75-million-year-old rock formation.
08:43A long time ago, this part of Thailand was just a desert.
08:47The movements of the Earth's crust push sandstone up to create these fascinating mountains.
08:53Reachable by anyone willing to spend a day hiking up the network of trails,
08:57this landmark is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.
09:01Once you reach the back of one of the whales and look down on the endless sea of green below,
09:06you'll know why.
09:07On these hikes, you'll find waterfalls, a wide variety of exotic plants and animals,
09:13and from the very top, you can even look straight across to the neighboring country of Laos.
09:19Their shapes look just like whales swimming together.
09:22No wonder this place is called Three Whale Rocks.
09:26What a way to see Thailand on the back of a giant stone whale!
09:30While digging in a Canadian mine in March 2011, a worker made a shocking discovery.
09:37They found a nearly perfectly preserved nodosaur specimen.
09:41This extinct dinosaur weighed in at around 3,000 pounds and grew to 18 feet.
09:47Despite being over 110 million years old, the nodosaur was so well-preserved
09:52that you can clearly see the heavy body armor and scaly skin that covered it.
09:58It took almost an entire year of painstaking work to uncover the incredible find.
10:04The fossil was finally unveiled in a Canadian museum in 2017.
10:10Unexpectedly, analysis of the skin showed shading that the nodosaur may have been capable of camouflage,
10:17like modern-day geckos and moths.
10:19This is in addition to the spines and scales that already make it a walking tank.
10:24Still being studied today, this nodosaur could go down as one of the most important fossils discovered in a long
10:32time.
10:33Its detail could help us to uncover even more of the mysteries of the past.
10:38The Voynich Manuscript is the world's most mysterious document.
10:43Since its discovery in 1912, the manuscript has been a complete mystery to everyone that comes across it.
10:49It is heavily illustrated with strange pictures of alien plants, unknown objects, and the zodiac symbols.
10:57But the most interesting aspect of it is the writing.
11:00The language used in the text is completely indecipherable.
11:04No one knows what it says, who wrote it, or where it was written.
11:09We don't even know if it was a real, functional language or if it was just created for this one
11:14text.
11:15The drawings of different plants are equally intriguing.
11:18Most of the plants in the manuscript are identifiable as plants, but they don't match up with any known species.
11:25If you're ever going to head down under, don't forget to pay a visit to the mystery craters in Queensland.
11:32Halfway between Bundaberg and Jinjin is one of Australia's most baffling finds.
11:37And that's saying quite a lot for Oz.
11:40In 1971, the site belonged to a farmer growing zucchini and potatoes.
11:45As the farmer tried to expand his farm, he kept hitting large rocks in the fields while plowing.
11:52When he took a closer look at the rocks in his way, he found marine fossils in some strange craters.
11:59The farmer passed his finds on to geology professors, who set out to research the formations.
12:04When the geologists began digging around the area, they uncovered a huge layer of sandstone and ochre stain that was
12:13completely covered with craters.
12:15There were 35 craters in total, and the layer of rock is estimated to be around 25 million years old.
12:22The scientists studying this mystery believe that hot springs, former ocean activity, and meteors are the prime suspects behind the
12:31craters.
12:32And I'd like to know about the characters who named those towns Bundaberg and Jinjin.
12:37What fun names!
12:39Now, the Antikythera Mechanism is an ancient computer of sorts that's still baffling scientists with its extraordinary design.
12:48Around 2,000 years ago, a Greek ship sank off the coast of the island of Antikythera.
12:55The wreckage was discovered in 1900, and divers salvaged some of its ancient artifacts.
13:01When archaeologists started sorting out the discoveries from the wreckage, they came across an object that didn't seem to fit
13:08with anything else.
13:09The wreckage was ancient, but they found an incredible device that seemed far too technologically advanced.
13:16The machine functioned as a calculator, allowing its user to follow time, the movement of stars, eclipses, moon phases, and
13:25even countdowns to events like the Olympics with amazing precision.
13:30This level of technology is almost impossible to explain coming from an ancient Greek wreckage.
13:36No mechanism would come close to the machine until the 14th century, when geared clocks began to be built in
13:43Europe.
13:44How was the device created so long ago, 1400 years before its time?
13:50Could the sinking of the Antikythera and the loss of the calculator have held the development of technology back by
13:57hundreds of years?
14:00Meanwhile, the Caucasus Mountains near the Black Sea are one of the few areas of Europe that haven't experienced much
14:07human impact.
14:08Even though most white-skinned people in the world are referred to as Caucasians.
14:14Despite this, archaeologists have found many ancient megalithic structures in the area.
14:20The house-like structures, known as dolmens, contain jewelry, bronze tools, and assorted pottery.
14:27Archaeologists don't know who built them, why they built them, or what their true purpose is.
14:33The stones were either two stones held together by a large stone as a roof, or smaller stones, stacked as
14:40walls with a hole only on one side.
14:43There have even been stone plugs found that to seal whatever is inside.
14:47What's even stranger about these stone formations is that they aren't just found in the Caucasus.
14:53They're found all over the planet, in Australia, South Korea, Colombia, Africa, and even France.
15:00Their purpose is unknown, so all scientists can do is speculate.
15:06The discovery of the tomb of the first emperor of China in 1974 is well-documented.
15:13Who could forget the finding of 8,000 terracotta warriors protecting the entrance?
15:19Most of the statues are warriors, each with their own unique facial expressions.
15:24There are even full-size terracotta horses and chariots too, just for extra protection.
15:29What isn't well-known is that some areas of the tomb haven't ever been entered yet.
15:36Archaeologists are very reluctant to open the site because the whole area is unstable.
15:41There might be something amazing inside, but no one wants to risk losing an amazing piece of history.
15:48Eventually, researchers will send tiny robots into the unopened tombs to give a better idea of what's inside.
15:55Until then, archaeologists have to wait a little bit longer for the secrets.
16:01In southern Costa Rica, people have discovered a collection of mysterious stone spheres.
16:07There are over 300 scattered around the landscape, and some are almost 7 feet across.
16:13No one knows their purpose or how they were produced.
16:16One thing we do know is the material they were made from – gabbro, a volcanic rock.
16:23Carving the stones into their perfect spherical shapes would have taken a lot of time and effort.
16:28Researchers think they might have been made by a now-extinct group, using barely any tools.
16:34The best theory is that they use small stones to chisel away at the edges of boulders, before using sand
16:41to smooth the sides.
16:43Some think that they may have an astronomical purpose, or even used as markers to point the way towards something.
16:50But no one knows anymore.
16:52Their significance is lost with the civilization that created them.
16:57Off the southern tip of Japan, and 75 miles from Taiwan, lies the Yanaguni Formation.
17:04A local diver first noticed these formations in 1986, while searching for new dive sites to take tourists.
17:11Seeing the large steps that resembled a pyramid, he thought he discovered an underwater city.
17:17Some archaeologists believe that the structures could have been signs of a fabled Pacific civilization, like Atlantis, that vanished beneath
17:26the waves thousands of years ago.
17:29There are also reports of marks in the stone, suggesting quarry work.
17:33Some people even claim that there were faded images of humans and animals carved into the stone.
17:39None of this is backed with much evidence, though.
17:42Most experts believe that the formation is natural, and the symmetry of the rocks has been overstated.
17:49They are not as straight as reported, and it appears to be solid natural rock, rather than carved blocks.
17:55In other words, the resemblance to a sunken civilization is just a coincidence.
18:01In Turkey, archaeologists believe they might have found the oldest known architecture in the world, over 10,000 years old,
18:09according to experts.
18:10Found in an area that used to be home to ancient farming communities, these monoliths, which stood up to 18
18:18feet high, were likely used for social events and rituals.
18:22Not much is known about them, though.
18:24These large stone structures seem to be human-shaped, with images of animals carved into them.
18:30Nearby, researchers have found signs of domestic housing, suggesting that these amazing monuments might have signaled the start of the
18:38move towards modern civilization.
18:41The Kimbaya artifacts are some of the most interesting artifacts ever found.
18:46The most curious thing about them is how closely they seem to resemble modern airplanes.
18:52They're so aerodynamic, that modern scientists believe they might even be able to be used as blueprints for a functioning
18:59aircraft.
19:01In 1994, two aeronautical engineers created larger-scale models of these artifacts.
19:07They proved that the designs fly, with a little help from modern engines.
19:12What's really astonishing is that these objects are possibly thousands of years older than the first airplane by the Wright
19:19brothers.
19:20Just another one of our world's fascinating mysteries.
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