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Why does the sky turn green and other discoveries!
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00:00Something interesting has recently happened in South Dakota.
00:04It was all over the internet, so perhaps you already know about it.
00:08In July of 2022, the sky in this state suddenly turned green.
00:14So, what happened there?
00:16Was it caused by a human or by nature?
00:19Let's find out.
00:21Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
00:24Shortly after a heavy storm, the sky over South Dakota in the U.S. was still overcast.
00:31Locals finally went outside and saw that the sky had an intense dark green hue.
00:36And they'd never seen anything like that before.
00:39People said that it looked like something straight up from science fiction or even a horror movie.
00:46Unsurprisingly, South Dakotans immediately started spreading the news all over social media.
00:52People shared their beautiful, yet very eerie pictures on Twitter.
00:57They showed the sky over the city of Sioux Falls and a few other towns.
01:02Even though it may look like something supernatural, in reality, this is not a terrifying phenomenon at all.
01:09It's a simple play of the light and the atmosphere.
01:12Something like this happens quite rarely and usually means that really bad weather is approaching.
01:19And that's also true to what happened in South Dakota.
01:22Just before people started sharing photos, a thunderstorm swept through the town of Sioux Falls.
01:28This was confirmed by the U.S. Weather Service.
01:31This hurricane was terrible.
01:33The wind speed was about 100 miles per hour.
01:36According to the Buford Scale on Wind Speeds, this is the fastest and most destructive storm.
01:41There are only 12 numbers on this scale, and the maximum wind strength starts at 73 miles per hour.
01:49But why isn't this all over the news then?
01:52Well, because it's kind of a usual thing for the residents.
01:58Thunderstorms occur very often in the United States, especially in the warmer months.
02:02And one out of ten such thunderstorms can become something serious, like a tornado.
02:07This one wasn't an exception.
02:10It was the so-called Dereko storm.
02:15Dereko is very widespread and long-lived.
02:18It's actually a combination of a fast-moving group of severe thunderstorms and downpours.
02:24People often say that a Dereko is as strong as a tornado.
02:29Still, there's a difference between them.
02:31A tornado is a vortex, a rotating column of air.
02:35It's usually about 500 feet in diameter.
02:37Although, sometimes its width can reach up to 2.5 miles.
02:42I don't envy those who would stumble upon that.
02:44But the main point is that they rotate.
02:48The wind moves very fast in a circle, near some invisible center.
02:53A Dereko is a strong thunderstorm, or a system of strong thunderstorms with straight-line winds.
03:00In other words, it doesn't spin.
03:03Instead, the Dereko chooses a point somewhere and simply runs to it, like a very motivated marathon runner.
03:12If we compare a Dereko to an ordinary tornado, the latter has six levels of strength, from 40 to 380
03:20miles per hour.
03:21So, a Dereko is kind of like a small, average-level 1 to 2 tornado.
03:27Usually, its speed is within the range of 73 to 113 miles per hour.
03:34And, in both cases, they can be accompanied by severe thunderstorms, lightning, and rain.
03:40But still, these are different things.
03:43A storm becomes a Dereko if the damage trail left by it exceeds 240 miles, and if the wind speed
03:51is at least 58 miles per hour.
03:55It's quite difficult to predict.
03:57It can form even on a clear day, when meteorologists don't even anticipate any storms.
04:03And then, the winds appear suddenly.
04:06It's so surprising that they may even feel explosive.
04:09But, the National Weather Service tries to warn people at least half an hour or an hour before this happens,
04:16so that residents have time to prepare and hide.
04:20It wasn't any different this time.
04:23The storm swept through almost all of South Dakota, as well as the states of Minnesota and Iowa.
04:29The consequences were quite serious.
04:31More than 30,000 people were left without electricity.
04:35Fortunately, people were fine.
04:38That's because the locals are pretty used to Dereko's.
04:43However, the green sky is something different.
04:46It became a very unusual sight for the locals.
04:50Everyone was wondering why it happened.
04:52Was it a bad sign?
04:53Or a normal weather phenomenon?
04:57Well, to be honest, scientists don't have an exact explanation.
05:01But, although there are only assumptions, they sound pretty convincing.
05:07A green sky is a very rare phenomenon.
05:11Most scientists think that this happens when a powerful storm approaches the area before sunset or sunrise.
05:17Then, the sky will turn green in this area.
05:22NBC meteorologist Bill Karens, who once faced a similar event himself,
05:27suggests that the green sky appeared because of the huge hail before the storm.
05:33First, let's talk about why the sky looks blue, or any other shade, depending on its mood.
05:40In short, the sun simultaneously carries all the rays of the color spectrum.
05:45It may seem white to us in total, but it actually has all the colors at the same time.
05:52However, these color waves all have different lengths.
05:56For example, blue rays are shorter than the other ones.
05:59They jump away from the air molecules better than the red waves, so they reach us faster.
06:06Because of this, on a regular clear day, the sky seems blue.
06:12At the same time, red and orange color waves are very long and move slower,
06:17so they're usually left behind.
06:20But when the sun goes below the horizon, or rises,
06:24the rays' directions change, and these waves reach us better.
06:29It all means that even if the sunrises and sunsets seem red and orange to us,
06:35in fact, there are still blue and green waves among them.
06:39But they have to bounce off something to reach us faster,
06:42and become stronger than the red rays.
06:46Have you guessed what I'm getting at?
06:49This is where the water comes into play.
06:52Clouds are made up of water droplets.
06:55When they become large enough, but don't fall yet,
06:58for example, due to strong winds,
07:00they affect how the light behaves in the sky.
07:04Large, heavy storms mostly consist of water and hail.
07:08And water reflects blue and green rays best of all.
07:12That's exactly the reason why the water in rivers and lakes seems bluish-green to us.
07:17Although in reality, it's transparent.
07:20And, yeah, algae matter too.
07:24So, there are a couple of key factors why the sky may turn green.
07:29First off, the sun should be at the horizon level.
07:33Another factor is that while the storm clouds are approaching,
07:36they shouldn't cover the sky completely.
07:39There still must be a little room for the sun rays.
07:42Then, fairly noticeable blue rays jump up to storm clouds.
07:46They're repelled by water droplets and hail.
07:50Mixing with the red sunset,
07:52they turn into a bright green light.
07:54And this green light is spreading all over the sky.
07:59That's why, in most of these cases, when the sky turns green,
08:03people can only see it in the evenings.
08:06Yeah, it can also happen in the middle of the day.
08:08But since the conditions are already quite specific,
08:12seeing something like that during the day is even rarer.
08:16Still, if you see a green sky, you don't need to panic.
08:20It doesn't necessarily mean that a terrible storm is approaching.
08:24The chances are high, though.
08:27But still, it's not a rule.
08:29It can be just heavy rain or a heavy hail.
08:33In other words, if you see a green sky,
08:36then you'd better hide and hide your car.
08:39However, if you were lucky enough to see the stunning sky
08:42from the comfort of your own home,
08:44it's indeed very exciting.
08:46If you get a glimpse of something like that,
08:48just know that you had a chance to experience
08:51something very rare and special.
08:54Some people said it was the most incredible thing
08:56they had ever seen.
08:59The Moai statues have been standing tall and proud
09:02for hundreds of years.
09:04Once, people put an enormous effort
09:06into carving these grand sculptures.
09:08And then, they just suddenly stopped making them.
09:11But why?
09:12Let's figure out this mystery.
09:14Easter Island, located 2,500 miles east of Tahiti,
09:19has an area of 63 square miles.
09:22To this day, it's one of the most isolated islands in the world.
09:26Once, it was covered with forests,
09:28filled with different trees and ferns.
09:30But when the first humans came to the island,
09:33around 400 CE,
09:36the forest slowly began to disappear.
09:41And starting from 1250 CE,
09:44Moai statues began appearing all over the place.
09:47People made them from different types of rock,
09:50compressed volcanic ash,
09:52basalt,
09:53trachyte,
09:53and red scoria.
09:55As it's a volcanic island,
09:56these were all the ingredients
09:58the creators of the statues had to use.
10:00And once the builders completed their work,
10:03they covered the statues with pumice.
10:05The faces of the statues are different.
10:07But they all have distinct expressions,
10:10with heavy brows and large noses.
10:12Their arms are carved into the body.
10:14Some have hats on top of their heads.
10:17There are nearly 900 statues all over the island.
10:20They differ in size.
10:22The average height is 13 feet tall.
10:24And the largest ones reach 33 feet in height
10:27and weigh up to 82 tons.
10:29Because the statues have so many different faces,
10:32there are theories that they represent
10:34and honor ancestors,
10:36chiefs,
10:36and other important people
10:37who lived on the island.
10:39But without any clear evidence,
10:41it's almost impossible
10:42to figure out the true purpose of the Moai.
10:45Once they stood beautifully along the coast,
10:48watching over people in settlements.
10:50And their backs faced toward
10:52the spirit world of the sea.
10:53When Europeans first discovered
10:55the Moai statues in the 1700s,
10:58many of them had already toppled over.
11:00And the construction of statues
11:02had stopped way earlier than that.
11:04Huge amounts of effort
11:05were put into making these things.
11:07Expert craftspeople spent a great deal of time
11:10slowly carving the statues with basic picks.
11:13A team of up to six people
11:15would work hard for an entire year
11:17to make just one statue.
11:18Then they often had to transport it
11:21to its special place on the island,
11:23as far as 11 miles.
11:25With the help of carbon dating,
11:27experts have managed to figure out
11:29that the statues started to appear
11:31in 1250 CE.
11:33And then, suddenly,
11:34in 1500 CE or so,
11:36the process just stopped.
11:38The creators of the statue
11:40just left their stone chisels
11:42where they were last used.
11:43And only a quarter of all the statues
11:45were actually placed
11:47where they were supposed to be.
11:48Half of them still remained in the quarry,
11:51while others were left on the ground
11:52mid-transit.
11:54Something happened on the island,
11:55and it caused everyone
11:57to just lose interest in the statues.
11:59There are many theories
12:01around why it could happen,
12:02and they mostly relate to deforestation.
12:05Islanders may have used wood
12:07to move the statues across the island.
12:09They possibly did this
12:10with the help of sleds and ropes,
12:12or even used logs
12:13to roll the statues
12:15or canoes to float them.
12:16The wood started to deplete eventually.
12:19Trees on the island
12:20took very long to grow,
12:22and rats ate most seeds.
12:23People had many uses for wood,
12:26and they needed it
12:27not only for practical things,
12:28but also to create other statues.
12:31Another reason why the inhabitants
12:33of the island
12:34could have stopped building the statues
12:35might be that they were busy
12:37with other projects.
12:38Specialized rock gardens
12:40were becoming more common
12:41with a growing population.
12:43They were great for the soil,
12:44keeping it warm
12:45and fertilizing it at the same time.
12:47Islanders spent much time
12:49and effort making these rock gardens,
12:51and there simply wasn't enough time
12:53to focus on building
12:54and moving the statues.
12:55Another theory suggests
12:57that what people believed in
12:58changed over time.
13:00Supposedly, the islands
13:01once saw the statues
13:03as a connection to their ancestors.
13:05After some time, though,
13:07rituals depicting a show of strength
13:09and endurance
13:09became more widespread.
13:11And with these rituals,
13:13islanders started to carve images
13:15related to seabirds.
13:17Seabirds became the main animal
13:19on the island.
13:19People started to believe
13:21that their ancestors
13:22looked over them
13:23through birds
13:24instead of the statues.
13:25So there was no longer
13:27a reason to build the moai.
13:29Anyway,
13:30these theories might be true.
13:32But the main problem
13:33was that the small island
13:35couldn't support
13:35a growing population.
13:37What was once
13:38a lush land
13:39covered in forests
13:40quickly became
13:41a barren landscape.
13:42For the first few centuries,
13:44people relied on
13:45forest resources.
13:46But agriculture
13:48became more important
13:49sometime after 1550
13:51when forests disappeared.
13:53Tribes that once
13:54worked together
13:54to build the fantastic monoliths
13:56focused on competing
13:58against one another instead.
14:00During the struggle
14:00for land and resources,
14:02the moai statues
14:03were toppled over
14:04because people wanted
14:05to reduce their significance.
14:07Over the following centuries,
14:09all the statues
14:10were pushed over,
14:11but not all of them
14:12deliberately.
14:13Many fell naturally
14:14after being neglected
14:15for so long.
14:16Some even ended up
14:18in the ocean waters
14:19surrounding the island.
14:20And there,
14:21they sat for a while.
14:22But there was some good news
14:24for these statues.
14:25They were re-erected,
14:26providing a great experience
14:28for visitors
14:28from all over the world.
14:30If you make a journey
14:31all the way
14:32to this isolated island,
14:34the first question
14:34you'll probably ask
14:35will not be
14:36how the statues were made
14:38or how they were moved.
14:39It will be
14:40how on earth
14:41did anyone
14:42even make it here
14:43in the first place?
14:44It was one of the most
14:45amazing feats ever.
14:47The Polynesians
14:48sure did some
14:48pretty extraordinary things.
14:50From as early as
14:511500 BCE,
14:53these boat-faring people
14:54began to explore
14:55their world.
14:56They used the most
14:57advanced marine
14:58inventions of their time.
15:00They sailed across the ocean
15:01in catamarans
15:02and outrigger boats,
15:04starting in Southeast Asia
15:05and inhabiting many more places
15:07throughout the Pacific.
15:08They lived as far north
15:10as Hawaii in 900 BCE,
15:12and all the way
15:13to the south
15:14in New Zealand
15:15by 1200 BCE.
15:16And the farthest journey
15:18to the east
15:18was, of course,
15:20Easter Island.
15:21In only a few hundred years,
15:23these early sailors
15:24inhabited an area
15:25of thousands
15:26of square miles.
15:27They simply memorized
15:28where they had already been
15:30and, this way,
15:31managed to navigate
15:32the ocean.
15:33They used a wide range
15:35of techniques.
15:36They watched the sun
15:37as it rose
15:37and set during the day.
15:39Stars helped them
15:40at night.
15:41If it was overcast
15:42and sailors couldn't
15:43figure out direction
15:44visually,
15:45they used other
15:46brilliant methods.
15:47They watched the movements
15:48of ocean currents
15:49and wave patterns
15:50and paid attention
15:51to bioluminescence
15:52in the water.
15:53These patterns
15:54helped them find
15:55where specific islands
15:56were located.
15:57These seafarers
15:58even understood
15:59how islands
16:00and atolls
16:00in the distance
16:01caused air
16:02and sea interference patterns.
16:04Birds provided them
16:05with certain signs, too.
16:07Some of them
16:07migrated long distances
16:09from one island
16:10to another,
16:11which gave travelers
16:12some kind of a visual
16:13connection for their route.
16:15Other types of birds
16:16had specific feeding times.
16:18Sailors knew
16:19when and where
16:20they hunted
16:20and directed their boats
16:21depending on
16:22where these birds fed.
16:24Vikings certainly
16:25get way too much credit
16:26for their seafaring abilities.
16:28Where they used
16:29a sun compass,
16:30the early Polynesians
16:31relied purely
16:32on the knowledge
16:33of how nature itself
16:34could guide them.
16:35Their skills
16:36were so advanced
16:37that in 1769,
16:39Captain James Cook,
16:41an English explorer,
16:42even hired
16:43a Polynesian navigator
16:44because of his
16:45extensive knowledge
16:46of the seas.
16:47But even more surprising
16:48was the fact
16:49that he drew a map
16:50from memory.
16:51It covered an area
16:53that was 2,000 miles wide.
16:55In this region,
16:56there were 130 islands
16:58and the navigator
16:59knew 74 of those islands
17:01by name.
17:02At the beginning
17:03of their voyage,
17:04Captain Cook
17:04often disregarded
17:05the navigator's advice.
17:07But toward the end
17:08of their journey,
17:09he was very impressed.
17:11He also recognized
17:12the Polynesians
17:13as possibly the most
17:14widespread nation
17:15on Earth.
17:16So, imagine you're 15
17:18and you get bored
17:19of playing video games.
17:21Instead,
17:22to pass the time,
17:23you decide to give
17:24some attention
17:24to an old hobby of yours,
17:26tracking down
17:27lost Mayan cities.
17:29You've heard
17:29that some ancient civilizations
17:31are said to have built
17:32entire cities
17:33based on constellations.
17:35So, you decide
17:36to check out
17:37whether that was true
17:38for the Mayans.
17:39You find a book
17:40containing all
17:41the constellations
17:42the Mayan civilization
17:43believed to exist.
17:44You open good old
17:46Google Maps
17:46and map every ancient
17:48Mayan city
17:49discovered to date.
17:50You start seeing
17:51that this information
17:52actually matches.
17:54And truly,
17:55the biggest ancient
17:56Mayan cities
17:57correspond to the brightest
17:58and biggest stars
17:59of the Mayan constellations.
18:01Okay,
18:02this is getting interesting.
18:04You manage to map out
18:05over 100 ancient cities
18:07when you suddenly notice
18:09something strange.
18:10There's an area
18:11in the Yucatan Peninsula
18:13in Mexico
18:13where archaeologists
18:15have unearthed
18:16two Mayan cities.
18:17But on the constellation map,
18:19there are three stars.
18:21Could this mean
18:22there is a long-lost city
18:23waiting to be discovered nearby?
18:26You might think
18:27this sounds too daydreaming,
18:29but the story
18:30is actually true.
18:31The previous account
18:32happened to a Canadian teenager
18:34named William Gaddery.
18:36The boy is known
18:37as a science genius
18:38and had even won an award
18:40for the constellation theory
18:41we presented just now.
18:42When he noticed
18:43that a third city
18:45was missing
18:45from the 23rd constellation
18:47he was examining,
18:48he began to scour
18:49the internet
18:50for satellite pictures
18:51that could help him
18:52solve this mystery.
18:53He looked into images
18:55from NASA,
18:56JAXA,
18:57a Japan-based satellite company,
18:58and Google Earth.
19:00These images
19:01were still insufficient
19:02to answer his questions.
19:04So, he reached out
19:05to a friend
19:06inside the Canadian
19:07Space Agency.
19:08His friend provided him
19:10with state-of-the-art
19:10satellite imagery
19:11that gave him
19:12the answer
19:13he was looking for.
19:14According to the images,
19:16there is a large square area
19:18right on the border
19:19of Mexico and Belize,
19:20which looks like
19:21the remains of a city.
19:23William took the images
19:24to a remote sensing expert
19:26known as Dr. Armin LaRocque
19:28from the University
19:29of New Brunswick.
19:30They studied the images
19:32thoroughly
19:32and concluded
19:33that the area
19:34could be housing
19:3530 buildings
19:36and even a large pyramid.
19:38The scientific
19:39and archaeological community
19:41went crazy
19:42with the 15-year-old's discovery.
19:44Could this really be true?
19:46Some background.
19:48Lost Mayan cities
19:49began to be unearthed
19:50in the mid-20th century.
19:52Since then,
19:53ruins from cities
19:54such as Tikal,
19:55Palenik,
19:55and Uxmal
19:56have been rediscovered.
19:58The Mayans
19:58were one of the biggest
19:59pre-Columbian civilizations
20:01living in the Americas.
20:03They began to settle
20:04in the area
20:05as early as 1500 BCE.
20:08Experts believe
20:09that at its height,
20:10the Mayan civilization
20:11consisted of over 40 cities
20:13with a population
20:15of millions of people.
20:16That's a crowd.
20:18And their cities
20:18were pretty interesting.
20:20Their civilization
20:21spanned over Mexico's
20:22Yucatan Peninsula,
20:24Guatemala,
20:24and Belize.
20:25They survived
20:26mainly on agriculture,
20:27so they developed
20:29a complex irrigation system
20:31in most of their cities.
20:32They built a series
20:33of ceremonial buildings,
20:35pyramids,
20:35plazas,
20:36and even courts
20:37for ball games.
20:38The Mayans
20:39were keen pyramid builders,
20:41but they also developed
20:42an advanced
20:43astronomical system.
20:45With whatever
20:46ancient technology
20:47they had,
20:47they were able
20:48to predict
20:49the exact location
20:50of planets,
20:51such as Venus and Mars,
20:53and they were able
20:54to predict
20:54the exact dates
20:55of eclipses.
20:56That's why
20:57the methodology
20:58William used
20:59to discover
20:59this long-lost Mayan city
21:01was unusual,
21:02but not completely surreal.
21:04The Mayans
21:05were keen astronomers,
21:06so it wouldn't be
21:08too strange
21:08that they built
21:09their major
21:10architectural feats
21:11in relation to the sky,
21:13would it?
21:13And they wouldn't be
21:15the first ones
21:16to be doing so.
21:17There is a famous
21:18fringe of Egyptology
21:19dedicated to studying
21:21how the Giza pyramids
21:22were built
21:23in perfect alignment
21:24with the Orion constellation,
21:26meaning that each pyramid
21:28was purposely built
21:29to align
21:30with one of the major
21:31stars of Orion's belt.
21:33According to William,
21:35he first had the idea
21:36to look at the Mayan
21:37constellations
21:38because he couldn't
21:39understand why
21:40the Mayans built
21:41their cities
21:41where they built them.
21:43Most major cities,
21:44such as Chichen Itza
21:45and Uxmal,
21:46aren't near any rivers
21:47or significant bodies
21:49of water.
21:49Instead,
21:50they're built
21:51on marginal lands
21:52and on top of mountains,
21:53which confused
21:54the 15-year-old.
21:55His next thought
21:56was that it might
21:57have something
21:58to do with astronomy.
22:00William named
22:00the new city
22:01he discovered
22:02Mouth of Fire,
22:03which is also
22:04my nickname,
22:05and he even won
22:06a merit award
22:06for his hard work.
22:08However,
22:09his theory was
22:09very much contested
22:11inside the
22:11archaeological community,
22:13and many Mayan
22:14experts worked
22:15to debunk
22:16William's findings.
22:17Some archaeologists
22:18say that
22:19constellation theories
22:20are too
22:20unscientific.
22:22Anthony Aveni,
22:23a renowned
22:24anthropologist
22:25and astronomer,
22:26referred to
22:26William's methodology
22:28as an act
22:28of creative
22:29imagination.
22:31He explained
22:31that there is
22:32no way to be sure
22:33what the Mayan
22:34constellations really
22:35were.
22:36It's all just
22:37hypothetical.
22:38Another debunking
22:40of William's findings
22:41came from
22:42Mayanist David Stewart,
22:43who said that
22:44the object identified
22:45on the satellite
22:46imagery is nothing
22:47but an old
22:48cornfield.
22:49His claim was
22:50supported by an
22:51expedition that
22:52took place near
22:53the area in
22:532021,
22:55when the
22:55archaeologists
22:56present reported
22:57there was nothing
22:58at all in this
22:58area.
22:59Still,
23:00a 15-year-old
23:01boy almost found
23:02a long-lost
23:03Mayan city,
23:04which is pretty
23:05exciting if you
23:06ask me.
23:07Similar techniques
23:08as those used
23:09by William are
23:10actually being used
23:11to unearth
23:11lost civilizations
23:13all over the
23:13world.
23:14According to
23:15space archaeologist
23:16Sarah Parquet,
23:17satellite imagery
23:18has been a key
23:19player in discovering
23:20ancient cities in
23:21Egypt and other
23:22places.
23:23Sarah herself
23:24spends most of
23:25her days scouring
23:25images for any
23:27sign of where
23:27there could have
23:28been cities long
23:29ago.
23:30What happens,
23:31she says,
23:32is that any time
23:33you have something
23:33buried,
23:34it's going to be
23:35covered either by
23:36vegetation,
23:37soil or sand,
23:38or some other
23:39modern construction
23:40on top of it.
23:41In order to assess
23:42whether there is
23:43something hidden
23:44under large canopies
23:45of vegetation or
23:46not,
23:47she uses infrared
23:48technology,
23:49for instance.
23:50A major recent
23:51discovery in Brazil
23:52was done in a
23:53similar way.
23:54Satellite imagery
23:55detected a network
23:56of trenches
23:57dating back to
23:58200 to 1200 CE.
24:00These suggest
24:02settlements that
24:03could have supported
24:04around 60,000
24:05people.
24:06But in this case,
24:07the satellite imagery
24:08did indeed correspond
24:10to what was on
24:11the ground.
24:11researchers from
24:12the University
24:13of Florida
24:14found several
24:15mountains that
24:15were accompanied
24:16by ditches
24:17and geoglyphs.
24:18Archaeologists
24:19also found
24:20remnants of
24:21carefully designed
24:22walls centered
24:23around closets,
24:24much like the
24:25type of construction
24:26done by the
24:27ancient Mayans.
24:28Advances in
24:29satellite tech
24:30have also shed
24:31new light on
24:32long-discovered
24:33ancient Mayan
24:33cities,
24:34such as Tikal.
24:35Located in the
24:36heart of the
24:37Guatemalan jungle,
24:38Tikal is believed
24:39to have been the
24:40capital of the
24:41ancient Mayan
24:41empire.
24:42At its height,
24:43it was comparable
24:44in importance to
24:45cities such as
24:46London or New York
24:47in today's world.
24:49It was composed of
24:50a series of
24:51complex monuments,
24:52many of them
24:53believed to have
24:54been the resting
24:54places of kings
24:55and chiefs.
24:57Tikal is already
24:58known to have
24:58been big,
24:59but recent
25:00discoveries show
25:01it could have
25:02been even three
25:03times larger than
25:04what scientists
25:04originally believed.
25:05The main discovery
25:07revolves around a
25:08fortification on
25:09the outskirts of
25:10the city,
25:11indicating how far
25:12the original city
25:13stretched.
25:14And new discoveries
25:15still take place.
25:17In 2017,
25:18researchers also
25:19unearthed new
25:20clues regarding the
25:21potential causes of
25:23the decline of the
25:23Mayan civilization.
25:25Using data from
25:26a site in
25:26Seawal,
25:27located 62 miles
25:29southwest of
25:30Tikal,
25:30scientists analyzed
25:32radiocarbon data
25:33from ceramics
25:34and archaeological
25:35excavations to
25:36extract new
25:37information about
25:38the sudden demise
25:39of this great
25:40civilization.
25:41The information
25:42shows that,
25:43instead of a
25:44sudden collapse,
25:45the Mayans most
25:46likely collapsed
25:47in waves of
25:48social instability
25:49and political
25:50crises.
25:50These events are
25:52believed to have
25:52deteriorated Mayan
25:54city centers and
25:55began causing the
25:56dispersion of the
25:57Mayan population.
25:58Well, it seems like
26:00it's a prime time to
26:01uncover ancient
26:02ruins.
26:02What do you say?
26:03Will you give it a
26:04try as well?