Narrator: PREVIOUSLY
ON "ALIEN ENCOUNTERS"... [ FREQUENCIES MODULATING ] A MYSTERIOUS RADIO SIGNAL
CONFIRMED -- WE ARE NOT ALONE
IN THE UNIVERSE. Sagan: A SIGNAL FROM
AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL WOULD BE LIKE KNOCK ON THE DOOR
ON A DARK NIGHT WHEN YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING
ANYONE. Drake:
THE EFFECT IS GOING TO BE TO CHANGE OUR CIVILIZATION
COMPLETELY. IT'S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
FOR ALL OF US. Narrator: FOR MONTHS, SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN
FEVERISHLY DECODING THEIR FINAL MESSAGE... BLUEPRINTS
FOR A MYSTERIOUS MACHINE. BY THE TIME THEY HAVE
THE TECHNOLOGY TO COME HERE, THEY HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY
TO DO ANYTHING. Narrator:
WHOEVER THESE BEINGS ARE, THEY
ARE LIGHT-YEARS MORE ADVANCED. BUT THEY'RE NOT
LIGHT-YEARS AWAY. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS THE ALIENS MOVE INTO FORMATION, WRAPPING THE GLOBE
IN A PERFECTLY SYMMETRICAL NET. BUT IF THIS IS AN ARMY,
WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE. THE LAST ALIEN MESSAGE
WE RECEIVED CONTAINED BLUEPRINTS
FOR SOME NEW KIND OF MACHINE. ITS FUNCTION
IS BECOMING CLEAR... [ COMPUTER BEEPS ] ...TO STUDY THE GREATEST FORCE
IN THE UNIVERSE, DARK ENERGY. WHAT IS DARK ENERGY? THAT'S THE BILLION-DOLLAR
QUESTION, ISN'T IT? IF I COULD ANSWER THAT, SIGN ME UP FOR NEXT YEAR'S
NOBEL PRIZE TODAY. Carroll: DARK ENERGY IS THE
COOLEST PART OF THE UNIVERSE. DARK ENERGY
ISN'T EVEN A PARTICLE. IT'S A TRULY NEW KIND OF STUFF. WHAT IT DOES
IS PUSH THINGS APART RATHER THAN PULL THEM TOGETHER. Shostak: THE GALAXIES ARE MOVING
APART FROM ONE ANOTHER. WE'VE KNOWN
THAT FOR 100 YEARS, RIGHT? BUT WE ASSUMED THEY WOULD KIND
OF SLOW DOWN AS THEY EXPANDED -- GRAVITY WOULD SEE TO THAT. BUT IT TURNS OUT
IT'S JUST THE OPPOSITE. THEY'RE SPEEDING UP. SO, EVERY NIGHT, YOU GO OUT, AND YOU SEE LESS OF THE UNIVERSE
THAN YOU DID THE NIGHT BEFORE. Narrator:
IS THIS DARK-ENERGY MACHINE
A GIFT OR A TROJAN HORSE? WORLD POWERS HAVE SHOWN
A VESTED INTEREST IN THE SCIENTISTS' FINDINGS
FOR GOOD REASON. BREAKING AND UNDERSTANDING
THE DARK-ENERGY PROBLEM WILL ALLOW US TO UNLOCK
THIS SECRET OF THE UNIVERSE. THINGS LIKE WARP DRIVE AND TELEPORTATION
MAY BECOME A REALITY. WE CAN'T EVEN ANTICIPATE
WHAT'S GONNA COME OUT OF THAT. Narrator: INTERNET CHATTER
HINTS THAT CHINA HAS ALREADY BROKEN GROUND ON A $10-BILLION
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT AND MAY BE ON THE VERGE
OF TESTING A PROTOTYPE DETECTOR WELL AHEAD OF THE U.S. WHILE BEIJING STAYS
TIGHT-LIPPED, RUMORS CLAIM THEIR APPARATUS
LOOKS FAR MORE ADVANCED THAN EVEN EARTH'S
MOST CUTTING-EDGE DARK-ENERGY TELESCOPE,
THE DECam. Oluseyi:
HERE'S WHAT'S COOL ABOUT
THE DARK ENERGY CAMERA PROBE. BIG TELESCOPES
ARE RARE IN THE WORLD. A BIG TELESCOPE
THAT'S ABLE TO SEE A VERY LARGE REGION OF THE SKY
IS EVEN MORE RARE. Narrator: PERCHED
ON A MOUNTAINTOP IN CHILE, THE DECam WILL SURVEY
300 MILLION GALAXIES IN 5,000 SQUARE DEGREES OF SKY. IT WILL HUNT FOR SUPERNOVAE AND MEASURE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
GALAXIES OVER TIME AND SPACE. THE DARK ENERGY CAMERA
IS GOING TO HELP US TO MEASURE HOW MUCH DARK ENERGY THERE IS
IN THE UNIVERSE AND MAYBE WHAT
THE DARK ENERGY IS. Narrator: THE DECam
WILL BE ABLE TO MONITOR THE INDIRECT EFFECTS
OF DARK ENERGY, NOT THE STUFF ITSELF. BUT THESE ALIEN PLANS
COULD ALLOW US TO VIEW AND POSSIBLY HARNESS THE SUBSTANCE
THAT MAKES UP DARK ENERGY. SO IT'S ONLY NATURAL
WORLD POWERS WANT IN. BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, DIPLOMATS MANEUVER
TO CURRY FAVOR WITH CHINA. IT IS THE WORST POSSIBLE MOMENT FOR A SPIKE
IN INTERNATIONAL TENSION. I'D LIKE TO THINK
THAT THE DISCOVERY OF SOME PRACTICAL APPLICATION
FOR DARK ENERGY WOULD BRING COUNTRIES
AND PEOPLE CLOSER TOGETHER. UNFORTUNATELY,
THAT'S THE SORT OF DISCOVERY THAT TENDS TO BECOME
PROPRIETARY. THIS WAS THE PROBLEM WITH
THE DISCOVERY OF NUCLEAR ENERGY. IT DIDN'T BRING PEOPLE
CLOSER TOGETHER. IF ANYTHING,
IT DROVE THEM FURTHER APART. Narrator: IF THE ALIENS
HAVE MASTERED DARK ENERGY, THEY COULD USE IT AGAINST US. ARE THE ALIENS OVERHEAD
PREPARING TO OBLITERATE US? ALL OVER THE WORLD... THE VESSELS MAINTAIN
BREATHTAKING ALIGNMENT. IT MAY NOT BE THAT WE'RE TALKING
TO SPECIFIC BEINGS WITH ENCAPSULATED INTELLIGENCE. MUCH MORE LIKELY IN MY VIEW THAT IT WOULD BE
SOME SORT OF HIVE OR SOME SORT OF DISTRIBUTED OR
COLLECTIVE TYPE OF INTELLIGENCE. Foster:
HIVE MIND IS AN INTELLIGENCE WHERE THE WHOLE IS GREATER
THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS. EVERYTHING IS DEVOTED TO
THE SUCCESS OF THE COLLECTIVE. IT'S COMMUNISM
WITHOUT THE CORRUPTION. Narrator: FOR SURVIVAL
OR WARFARE ON A GRAND SCALE, FEW THINGS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE
THAN HIVE INTELLIGENCE. IT TURNS FISH INTO
ULTRA-EFFICIENT HUNTERS, STARLINGS INTO STEALTH BOMBERS, AND ANTS INTO ARCHITECTS. AND THE ARMY OF MACHINES
SWARMING OUR PLANET SEEMS TO POSSESS SIMILAR POWERS. IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE
THAT A HIVE MIND COULD DEVELOP
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL MUCH MORE QUICKLY THAN WE COULD. YOU WOULDN'T HAVE A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE
DIFFERENT SCIENTISTS, DIFFERENT ENGINEERS COMPETING
WITH DIFFERENT IDEAS. THERE'S NO DISSENSION. Narrator: NO MATTER
WHERE PEOPLE ARE ON EARTH, THEY ALL SEE
THE SAME SYNCHRONIZED DISPLAY. MANY OF THEM RECORD IT
TO THE CLOUD. SOMETIMES WHEN I'M SITTING
ON THE BUS, AND I SEE ALL THE YOUNG FOLKS
WITH THEIR CELLPHONES TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER,
TEXTING TO ONE ANOTHER, I SAY, "THE HIVE MIND IS HERE." WE'RE SHARING INFORMATION, BUT
WE'RE ALSO SHARING EXPERIENCES. SO, IN SOME SENSE,
WE'RE INTERCONNECTING OURSELVES IN A WAY THAT WASN'T
EVEN CONCEIVABLE A CENTURY AGO. Shostak: I DON'T KNOW
WHAT YOU WOULD CALL GOOGLE. GOOGLE IS SOME SORT OF GIGANTIC,
THROBBING MEGA-BRAIN, THOUGH IT'S NEITHER LIVING
NOR NON-LIVING. Brin: SMART MOBS ARE GROUPS
OF INDIVIDUALS ALL OVER THE PLANET
POOLING THEIR RESOURCES SUDDENLY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM
OR TO INVENT SOMETHING. THESE AD HOC GROUPS MAY BE
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. Narrator: OR A SIGN
OF WHAT'S ALREADY HERE. AT USC's POLYMORPHIC
ROBOTICS LAB, DR. WEI-MIN SHEN AND HIS TEAM
ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH A NEW GENERATION
OF MULTIPURPOSE ROBOTS CAPABLE OF WORKING ALONE
OR IN A SWARM. ONE DAY, THESE BOTS
MAY HELP PREPARE NEW WORLDS FOR HUMAN COLONIZATION. EACH INDIVIDUAL MODULE -- YOU CAN VIEW
THAT'S A SINGLE-CELL ORGANISM. AND THEN WHEN THEY GET TOGETHER, THEY BECOME A MULTICELL
ORGANISM. THEY SUDDENLY BECOME
MUCH MORE POWERFUL. Narrator: IN NATURE,
AN ANT SWARM IS BRILLIANT. AN ANT ON ITS OWN --
NOT SO MUCH. THESE ROBOTS
CAN THINK FOR THEMSELVES OR FOR THE COLLECTIVE. THEY HAVE THEIR OWN BRAINS. IF YOU CUT IT IN HALF,
EVERY ONE OF THEM, WHEREVER YOU CUT, THAT FIRST ONE
WILL BECOME THE BRAIN. TODAY, WE SEE ENGINEERS
BUILDING SYSTEMS THAT CAN GO AROUND AND DO THINGS
ALL ON THEIR OWN, ACT INDIVIDUALLY,
THEN THEY CAN COME TOGETHER TO FORM A COLLECTIVE
THAT'S EVEN MORE POWERFUL. Narrator:
SWARMS OF SMART ROBOTS MAY
SOON BECOME VERY USEFUL TO US AS SCOUTS OR EVEN COLONISTS
ON DISTANT PLANETS. THEY'LL MAP THE TERRAIN,
PLANT SEEDS, THEN TURN THEMSELVES
INTO GREENHOUSES TO PROTECT THOSE SEEDS. TODAY THEY GO OUT
TO EXPLORE THE ENVIRONMENT. TOMORROW, THEY DIG,
LOOKING FOR MATERIAL, AND MAYBE, THE DAY AFTER,
THEY BUILD HOUSES OR SHELTERS. SUCH ACTIONS WOULD BE PEACEFUL
ON AN UNINHABITED PLANET, BUT EARTH IS ALREADY OUR HOME. WHAT DO THE ALIENS WANT
WITH OUR PLANET? DO THEY WANT TO MEET US
OR DESTROY US? WHEN THE LIGHT DISSIPATES,
THE VESSELS ARE GONE. BUT THEY HAVE LEFT
SOMETHING BEHIND. Narrator: OUR FIRST CONTACT
WITH AN ALIEN SPECIES ENDS WITH QUESTIONS... IN THE FORM OF THOUSANDS
OF SHINY, JAGGED SPHERES STREWN ALL OVER THE PLANET. [ PEOPLE SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY ] PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS AFRAID
OF WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS
BE SOME FOOL WHO WILL PICK UP A LIT BOMB
AND SAY, "THIS IS INTERESTING," AND IT WILL GO OFF
IN THEIR HANDS. BEYOND THE NOTION
OF ACTUAL ALIEN VISITORS, THERE ARE
SO MANY OTHER POSSIBILITIES LIKE ALIEN PROBES,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES. WE WOULD HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS. Narrator:
ALL OVER THE GLOBE, GOVERNMENTS STRUGGLE
TO CONTROL THE SITUATION. THE STREETS OF AMERICA
LOOK LIKE A WAR ZONE AS THE NATIONAL GUARD, CDC, AND LOCAL POLICE SEARCH OUT
AND SEIZE THE ALIEN OBJECTS. Foster: GOVERNMENTS
LIKE TO CONTROL THINGS, BUT THE GREAT THING ABOUT HAVING
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF OBJECT DISPERSED
ALL OVER THE PLANET IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY
THESE CAN BE CONTROLLED. PERHAPS THAT'S WHY
THE ALIENS DO IT THAT WAY. Narrator: EVEN IF THE SPHERES
AREN'T INTENDED TO HARM US, THEY COULD UNLEASH DEVASTATION. THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING
INFECTED BY ALIEN MICROBES. NASA HAS A PLANETARY PROTECTION
OFFICE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. Narrator: 40 YEARS AGO,
THE PLANETARY PROTECTION OFFICE QUARANTINED
THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS FOR THREE WEEKS AFTER THEIR TRIP
TO THE MOON JUST IN CASE. BUT TODAY, THERE IS NO PROTOCOL
FOR THE THREAT WE FACE. Oluseyi: IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY
TAKE GIANT LASERS AND BOMBS. MICROORGANISMS
WOULD PROBABLY BE THE BEST WAY OF WIPING OUT LIFE
ON THE PLANET. ANY ALIEN SPECIES
THAT DEVELOPS THE ABILITY TO GO FROM STAR SYSTEM
TO STAR SYSTEM -- IT WOULD BE REALLY EASY FOR THEM
TO DEVELOP MICROORGANISMS THAT COULD TARGET
WHATEVER SPECIES THEY WISH BASED ON THAT
OWN SPECIES' BIOLOGY. Narrator:
IN A STERILE LAB, BIOLOGISTS FIND NO SIGN
OF TOXINS OR RECOGNIZABLE,
DANGEROUS MICROBES -- AT LEAST ON THE OUTSIDE. FIGURING OUT WHAT'S ON
THE INSIDE IS ANOTHER STORY. SCIENTISTS CAN'T PENETRATE
THE SPHERE'S OUTER SHELL. THEY RUN EVERY TEST THEY KNOW. ONE IMPORTANT TEST
WOULD BE MASS SPECTROSCOPY THAT HELPS IDENTIFY
ALL THE MOLECULES. THIS COULD TELL YOU THINGS
LIKE, IS THE MATERIAL ORGANIC? DOES IT HAVE BIOCHEMICALS? IS IT MADE
OF A METALLOID SUBSTANCE? Narrator:
BASED ON TECHNIQUES LIKE THIS, BIOLOGISTS DETERMINE
THE SPHERE'S SHELL IS MADE OF AN ULTRA-HARD, YET
LIGHTWEIGHT, CARBON COMPOSITE, A SUBSTANCE FOUND
NOWHERE ON EARTH. BUT IT MIGHT BE A SIGN
OF THINGS TO COME, THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF OUR FUTURE. WE RUN
INTO AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION THAT HAS AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT IS GOING TO BE A ROADMAP
OF WHERE OUR TECHNOLOGY CAN GO. Narrator:
THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY, WE'VE INVENTED MATERIALS
AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT COULD BE USED
FOR HARM OR FOR GOOD. THE CHINESE HAD GUNPOWDER
AND USED IT FOR FIREWORKS. WHEN THE EUROPEANS
GOT HOLD OF IT -- CANNONS. YES, WE'VE INVENTED WEAPONS
AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT COULD BE VERY DELETERIOUS
TO OUR FUTURE, BUT, YOU KNOW, AT THE SAME TIME
WE DID THAT, WE ALSO INVENTED THINGS
LIKE ROCKETS THAT, WITHIN 100 YEARS
OR 200 YEARS, WILL ALLOW SOME OF US
TO GET OFF THE PLANET. Man:<i> LIFTOFF! LIFTOFF.</i> <i> AMERICANS RETURN TO SPACE
AS DISCOVERY CLEARS THE TOWER.</i> Narrator:
SCIENTISTS SUSPECT THEY
MAY BE LOOKING AT A MATERIAL ADVANCED ENOUGH TO CHANGE
THE WAY WE ENGINEER OUR WORLD, FROM COMPUTERS TO SKYSCRAPERS, OR EVEN TAKE US TO THE STARS. IT'S THE KIND OF MATERIAL HUMANS
ARE TRYING TO INVENT TODAY. Kaner: SPACE TRAVEL IN THE
FUTURE WILL BE MADE POSSIBLE BY NEW MATERIALS THAT ARE EXTREMELY LIGHT
AND EXTREMELY STRONG. WE STILL BUILD STUFF
OUT OF NATURAL MATERIALS -- IRON, STEEL, WOOD, WHATEVER -- BUT WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE
WE CAN ENGINEER NEW MATERIALS 100 TIMES STRONGER,
1,000 TIMES STRONGER THAN STEEL. WE NOW HAVE MATERIALS THAT CAN DO THINGS
THAT WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. THESE NEW MICROLATTICE
STRUCTURES, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE VERY STRONG,
AND THEY'RE VERY LIGHT. SOME OF THESE NEW MATERIALS
CAN GENERATE ENERGY. FOR EXAMPLE,
A TYPE OF CLOTHING THAT, JUST BY
YOUR VERY MOVEMENT, COULD POWER YOUR CELLPHONE
OR YOUR WATCH. THESE THINGS ARE THINGS
THAT ARE BEING MADE RIGHT NOW. Narrator: AT THE CALIFORNIA
NanoSystems INSTITUTE AT UCLA, DR. RIC KANER
IS SPEARHEADING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST,
MOST ADVANCED MATERIALS, THE KIND OF MATERIALS THAT COULD SOMEDAY
REVOLUTIONIZE SPACE TRAVEL. SO, OUR MATERIAL
IS TUNGSTEN TETRABORIDE. THIS IS THE HARDEST
SYNTHETIC METAL -- OR THE HARDEST METAL, FOR THAT
MATTER -- KNOWN TO MAN. Narrator:
THIS SUPER-METAL CAN SCRATCH THE HARDEST NATURAL
SUBSTANCE WE KNOW OF, DIAMOND. IT'S A REALLY OLD METHOD
FOR MIXING, KIND OF LIKE THE ALCHEMY
OF THE 1700s. BUT USING
THIS SUPER-SIMPLE METHOD, WE'RE MAKING
A SUPER-HARD MATERIAL. Narrator:
A 5,400-DEGREE FLAME FUSES THE TUNGSTEN AND BORIDE
POWDERS INTO A SUPER-METAL. SO, WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS THE HARDEST METAL
KNOWN TO MAN. ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS
ABOUT SPACE TRAVEL IS THE WEIGHT. AND SO, AS YOU MAKE STRONGER
AND LIGHTER MATERIALS, IT TAKES LESS ENERGY
TO PUT THEM INTO SPACE, AND IT MAKES SPACE TRAVEL
MORE LIKELY. Narrator: AS WE STARE UP
AT THE MOTHER SHIP, ARE WE PEERING
INTO OUR OWN FUTURE? IS THE MATERIAL
ENCASING THE SPHERES A BRIGHT GLIMPSE
OF WHAT'S TO COME, OR A HARBINGER OF THE END? STILL, SILENT,
AND SEALED TIGHT... ...THE SPHERES
OFFER NO CLEAR ANSWER. PEOPLE CONTINUE DISCOVERING THEM
IN NEW LOCATIONS. IF THEY'RE BOMBS,
WHY HAVEN'T THEY BLOWN UP? IF EGGS, WHEN WILL THEY HATCH? AND THEN, SUDDENLY,
THEY START TO COME APART. WHERE BEFORE
THERE WAS ONE SPHERE, SUDDENLY THERE ARE SEVERAL. IT HAPPENS IN A SPLIT SECOND. THE SHELLS SHATTER
INTO DUST AND FRAGMENTS, REVEALING TWO TO FOUR SMALLER
SPHERES INSIDE, LIKE SEEDS. THIS MECHANISM MIMICS
CERTAIN PLANTS ON EARTH, LIKE THE HIMALAYAN BALSAM, WHICH EXPLODES OPEN
IN ORDER TO SOW ITS SEEDS. DISPERSION IS A FUNDAMENTAL
PRINCIPLE OF LIFE BECAUSE WITHOUT DISPERSING, THEN YOU'RE LIMITED TO WHAT
YOU HAVE IN A GIVEN PLACE. ALL LIFE-FORMS HAVE TO DISPERSE
IN SOME WAY IN ORDER TO GAIN ACCESS
TO NEW RESOURCES. Narrator: UNLIKE THE SEEDS
OF AN EARTH PLANT, EACH OF THESE ALIEN SEEDS
CONTAINS MORE SEEDS, AND ON...AND ON. EACH NEW SPHERE IS A SMALLER,
IDENTICAL VERSION OF THE ONE THAT SPAWNED IT. THE PATTERN ECHOES A PHENOMENON THAT'S INTRIGUED MATHEMATICIANS
FOR CENTURIES -- FRACTALS. Maciver: FRACTALS ARE
MATHEMATICAL OBJECTS THAT HAVE
THE INTERESTING PROPERTY OF WHEN YOU ZOOM UP ON THEM,
THEY LOOK THE SAME AS WHAT THEY DID
BEFORE YOU ZOOMED UP ON THEM. Brin: THEN YOU TAKE
ONE SMALL PART OF THAT PATTERN, BLOW IT UP, AND WHAT YOU GET IS
A MAGNIFICENTLY ENDLESS UNIVERSE THAT YOU CAN DIVE INTO AND FIND SELF-REPEATING SYSTEMS
OF INFINITE VARIETY. Narrator: THESE SPHERES
COULD BE LIKE NIGHTMARES THAT JUST DON'T END, BECAUSE ONE THING'S CLEAR -- IN THEIR SMALLER FRACTAL STATE, THE SPHERES ARE MAKING IT EASIER
TO MOVE, TO PICK UP SPEED, TO SPREAD. Maciver: THESE ARE ENTITIES
THAT HAD TO GO THROUGH HIGHLY COMPETITIVE,
DARWINIAN PROCESSES THAT WE HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH. WERE THEY NOT CREATURES
OF SUCH A PROCESS, WE LIKELY WOULDN'T EVEN
ENCOUNTER THEM. IT'S THIS IMPULSE TO GO BEYOND, WHICH IS, I THINK, AN EXPRESSION
OF COMPETITIVE DRIVE. Narrator: AS THE SPHERES
CONTINUE TO MULTIPLY FASTER AND FASTER, IT'S GETTING HARDER
TO ESCAPE THE TRUTH... ...EARTH IS UNDER SIEGE. Narrator: THREE DAYS
AFTER AN ALIEN MOTHER SHIP DEPOSITED ENIGMATIC SPHERES
ON EARTH, THE PLANET HAS BEEN OVERRUN. THERE WERE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM. NOW THERE ARE MILLIONS. THESE MYSTERIOUS OBJECTS ARE 20 TIMES SMALLER
THAN WHEN THEY ARRIVED AND GETTING SMALLER
EACH TIME THEY REPRODUCE. THE SMALLER THEY GET, THE HARDER IT IS
TO CONTROL THEM. HOW SMALL WILL THESE SPHERES BE
WHEN THEY'RE DONE SPLITTING? THE GREAT NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING
SCIENTIST RICHARD FEYNMAN SAID, "THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM
AT THE BOTTOM." WHAT HE MEANT
IS THAT GETTING SMALL WAS GOING TO MAKE
A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE FUTURE. NANOTECHNOLOGY IS NOW
ONE OF THE MAJOR FRONTIERS. Narrator: A NANOMETER
IS ONE BILLIONTH OF A METER, THE WIDTH OF A FEW ATOMS
PLACED SIDE BY SIDE, OR ABOUT 100,000 TIMES THINNER
THAN A HUMAN HAIR. SO, IT'S CONCEIVABLE
THAT YOU COULD BUILD MACHINERY IN THE FUTURE
SO SMALL THAT THEY'RE LIKE DUST. Brin: PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT EMULATING VIRUSES WHERE THE NANOMACHINES
WOULD THEN GO INTO THE CELL AND POSSIBLY REPAIR THE DAMAGE
TO DNA SO THAT THE DNA IN OUR CELLS
WILL LIVE LONGER, EXTENDING HUMAN LIFE-SPAN
INDEFINITELY. Kaner:
BECAUSE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY, OUR COMPUTERS WILL ALL BE BUILT
INTO EVERYTHING AROUND US. FROM OUR CLOTHING
TO OUR GLASSES, WE'LL BE COMPLETELY
INTERCONNECTED WITH OUR SURROUNDINGS. Narrator: BUT RIGHT NOW, ALIEN TECHNOLOGY
IS CONNECTING WITH US. THE FRAGMENTING SPHERES HAVE STARTED TO ATTACH
THEMSELVES TO THINGS AND PEOPLE. AND THEY'RE NOT LETTING GO. [ PEOPLE SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ] Brin:
SAY YOU'RE A LIVING CREATURE, AND YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF
IN A NEW ENVIRONMENT. WHAT ARE YOUR OPPORTUNITIES? YOU COULD DIG IN,
ATTACH YOURSELF, OR INVADE. Foster:
WE DON'T LIKE OTHER HUMAN BEINGS
INVADING OUR PERSONAL SPACE. IF AN ALIEN OBJECT
WERE TO DO IT, I THINK YOU WOULD HAVE
A LOT OF PEOPLE PANIC, EVEN THOUGH THE OBJECT
HADN'T DONE ANYTHING. Narrator: THE FRAGMENTS
DON'T PENETRATE THE SKIN. THEY ONLY CAUSE HARM WHEN PEOPLE
PANIC AND TRY TO REMOVE THEM. AND WHEN THEY DO FALL OFF,
THEY LEAVE NO MARK BEHIND. IN LABS AROUND THE WORLD, BIOLOGISTS RECOGNIZE
THE GRIP OF THESE OBJECTS. IT'S ODDLY SIMILAR
TO ONE OF NATURE'S MOST REMARKABLE ADHESIVES,
THE FOOT OF A GECKO. THE AVERAGE GECKO
WEIGHS ABOUT 5 OUNCES, BUT THE STICKING POWER
OF ITS TINY FEET IS ENOUGH TO CARRY
A 9-POUND WEIGHT UP A WALL, ABOUT THE SAME AS A 160-POUND
MAN SCALING A PLATE-GLASS WINDOW WITH 8 GRAND PIANOS
STRAPPED TO HIS BACK. PERHAPS THE BEST DESIGNER OF ALL
IS NATURE ITSELF. AND WE HUMAN BEINGS
DO WELL TO MIMIC NATURE IN ORDER TO BUILD TECHNOLOGIES
FOR OURSELVES. Narrator:
INSPIRED BY THE GECKO'S ANATOMY, RESEARCHES AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS CREATED A FABRIC
CALLED GECKSKIN. THE MATERIAL IS SO STRONG, AN INDEX-CARD-SIZED PIECE
CAN LIFT 700 POUNDS. Shostak: THERE ARE LESSONS
TO BE LEARNED FROM NATURE, AND YOU SORT OF THINK,
"WELL, WHY IS THAT? NATURE ISN'T AN ENGINEER." BUT NATURE<i> IS</i> AN ENGINEER. THE EARTH IS
A 3.8 BILLION-YEAR LABORATORY... [ THUNDER RUMBLES ] ...OF WHAT WORKS
AND WHAT DOESN'T. Maciver:
THE FIRST BATTERY WAS INSPIRED BY A DRAWING OF
THE ELECTRIC ORGAN OF A FISH. I CAN IMAGINE
AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION THAT MERGED MACHINE AND BIOLOGY IN WAYS THAT ARE INCREDIBLY
COMPLICATED AND SOPHISTICATED. Narrator:
ARE THE FAST-SPREADING FRACTALS A MELDING OF NATURE
AND TECHNOLOGY? THE MEDIA DUBS THEM "BURDOCKS," A NAME FOR A TYPE OF THISTLE
THAT GRABS ONTO SURFACES IN ORDER TO DISPERSE ITS SEEDS
FAR AND WIDE. Shostak: THE CAPSULES
MIGHT BE A FORM OF TEST. AND THEY MIGHT NOT
DO ANYTHING AT ALL. HOW WE REACT TO THIS INVASION COULD DETERMINE FOR THE ALIENS
WHETHER WE'RE WORTH TALKING TO, WHETHER THERE'S ANY POINT IN
RETURNING TO THIS PLANET AT ALL. Narrator:
WE WILL INEVITABLY MAKE MISTAKES
WITH THESE SILENT OCCUPIERS, AS HUMANS DO EVERY DAY. RIGHT NOW, ALL WE CAN DO IS TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEMS
WE KNOW HOW TO FIX. IT SENT US MESSAGES ON ITS WAY FROM THE EDGE
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, BUT SINCE ITS ARRIVAL, THE MOTHER SHIP HAS BEEN
RADIO-SILENT. EARTH WANTS ANSWERS. [ WASHER BUZZES ] IT'S TIME TO BREACH
THE MOTHER SHIP. Narrator: THOUSANDS OF
SELF-DIVIDING, ALIEN SPHERES HAVE BECOME MILLIONS... WHILE, 500 MILES AWAY, THEIR MOTHER SHIP
REMAINS SILENT. IF IT SEEMS TO BE A DERELICT,
CAN WE CLAIM IT? IF IT SEEMS
NOT TO BE RESPONDING, COULD IT BE
THAT SOMEONE ABOARD NEEDS HELP? Narrator: SATELLITES MONITOR
THE GIANT SHIP'S EVERY MOVE. SCIENTISTS BEAM
MESSAGE AFTER MESSAGE. WE STRAIN FOR A RESPONSE,
A SIGN, A CLUE. NOTHING. WHAT IF THE ALIENS
DON'T WANT TO TALK? MAYBE IF THEY JUST WANT TO HAVE
A LOOK AROUND AND LEAVE -- THAT WOULD BE ALMOST
HEART-RENDING. WE WOULDN'T KNOW
WHERE THEY WERE FROM. WE WOULDN'T KNOW HOW
TO CONTACT THEM. WE MIGHT SPEND THE REST
OF OUR EXISTENCE AS A SPECIES TRYING TO FIND
THE ALIEN INTELLIGENCE THAT ONCE CONTACTED US AND NEVER
BOTHERED TO CONTACT US AGAIN. Narrator: WE NEED ANSWERS. TELESCOPES WILL ONLY GET US
SO MUCH, SO IN THE NEXT STAGES, WE SEND OUR TECHNOLOGY,
OUR SPACECRAFT. Narrator:
THE DECISION IS MADE TO MOUNT AN
EXPLORATORY MISSION IMMEDIATELY. THE ROVER'S NAME
IS "THE AMBASSADOR." ITS MISSION IS TO PENETRATE
THE MOTHER SHIP AND GATHER DATA
ABOUT THE BEINGS WITHIN. IT IS MODELED AFTER NASA's
MOST RECENT TRIUMPH,<i> CURIOSITY.</i> Grazier:
THE MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY,
OR<i> CURIOSITY,</i> AS IT'S NOW KNOWN, IS THE LATEST INSTALLMENT
OF THE HUMAN INVASION OF MARS. THE MARS<i> CURIOSITY</i> ROVER
IS AN AMAZING EXPERIMENT. IT HAS TO LOOK
AT A TEMPERATURE EXTREME THAT GOES FROM MINUS-200 DEGREES
FAHRENHEIT TO PLUS-100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. IT HAS ADVANCES IN MOBILITY. IT CAN GO PLACES
THAT PREVIOUS CRAFTS COULD NOT. Narrator:
IT TOOK YEARS TO PREPARE
TOOLS FOR MARTIAN EXPLORATION. THE INSTRUMENTS ON<i> CURIOSITY</i>
CAN BE BASICALLY BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE DIFFERENT
CATEGORIES -- CAMERAS, SPECTROMETERS
THAT HELP US DETERMINE COMPOSITION OF THE ROCKS
AND SOIL, AND RADIATION DETECTORS. [ CLICKS, WHIRS ] Narrator:<i>
CURIOSITY</i> USES ITS CAMERAS TO PICK OUT MARTIAN ROCKS
AND SOIL SPECIMENS, THEN ITS SPECTROMETERS
ZAP THE SOIL WITH LASERS. THE BURNING DUST CREATES LIGHT,
LIGHT THAT CAN BE READ. THE WAY WE LOOK
AT THE ABUNDANCES OF ELEMENTS IN THE UNIVERSE
IS WE LOOK VERY CAREFULLY AT THE COLOR OF THE LIGHT. BY ANALYZING THAT LIGHT,
WE CAN SAY QUITE A LOT ABOUT THE CHEMICAL MAKEUP
OF STARS AND EVEN THE SURFACES
OF OTHER PLANETS. Narrator: ROVERS ARE DESIGNED
FOR PLANETS, NOT MOTHER SHIPS. SO SCIENTISTS SCRAMBLE
TO RIG OUR ROBOT AMBASSADOR WITH A DIVERSE SET OF THE MOST
SENSITIVE INSTRUMENTS, STATE-OF-THE-ART MOTION SENSORS, TEMPERATURE AND GAS GAUGES, ELEMENTAL ANALYZERS
AND INFRARED CAMERAS, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW
WHAT ALIEN LIFE WILL LOOK LIKE UNTIL WE CONFRONT IT. WE CAN'T BE BLINDED BY DETECTING THINGS
THAT RESEMBLE LIFE ON EARTH. Grazier:
YOU CAN LOOK FOR SOMETHING
THAT HAS A BIT OF METABOLISM. YOU CAN LOOK FOR STRUCTURES. THAT WOULD BE ANOTHER INDICATION
THAT THERE'S LIFE THERE. THERE AREN'T GONNA BE
ANY SIMPLE ANSWERS. THERE'S GONNA BE
A LOT OF AMAZING SURPRISES. Narrator: FOUR DECADES AGO, 500 MILLION PEOPLE
WATCHED THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS LAND ON THE MOON. TODAY, FIVE BILLION TUNE IN, HOVERING AROUND
ANY AVAILABLE SCREEN... Man:<i>
T-MINUS 10, 9, 8...</i> ...TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. <i> ...5, 4, 3, 2, 1, ZERO.</i> <i> AND LIFTOFF.</i> Narrator:
FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS, WE'VE LIVED WITH AN ALIEN
MOTHER SHIP IN OUR SKIES... ...WHILE IT'S PROGENY SPREAD
LIKE A PLAGUE ACROSS OUR PLANET. NOW WE'RE SEIZING
THE INITIATIVE, SENDING AN UNMANNED PROBE TO PRY ANSWERS
FROM THE MONSTROUS CRAFT. AT HIGH NOON
ON A COOL, SPRING MORNING, BEFORE BILLIONS
OF TRANSFIXED EYES, <i> THE AMBASSADOR</i> LIFTS SKYWARD. <i> THE AMBASSADOR</i> ONLY HAS TO
TRAVEL A LITTLE OVER 500 MILES INTO LOW-EARTH ORBIT. IT'S A MODEST DISTANCE,
BUT A GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND. THINK ABOUT THE EARLY EXPLORERS
OF PLANET EARTH, PEOPLE LIKE MAGELLAN,
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. THESE PEOPLE SET OUT
INTO THE UNKNOWN. IF WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE ON
INTO THE FUTURE INDEFINITELY, WE HAVE TO DO THIS. OUR SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON IT. Narrator:
THE MOTHER SHIP'S MASSIVE SAIL IS AS WIDE
AS THE STATE OF TEXAS. SOLAR SAILS
ARE VERY, VERY, VERY THIN, MADE PERHAPS
OUT OF SPUN METAL OR POLYMERS, THE IDEA BEING THAT YOU USE
THE PRESSURE OF THE SUN'S RAYS TO PROVIDE PROPULSIVE ENERGY. AND THAT ENERGY IS FREE. Narrator: THE ROVER SENDS BACK
STUNNING VIEWS OF THE SHIP AS IT HURDLES OVER 17,000 MILES
AN HOUR IN ORBIT ABOVE US. THEN A FRIGHTENING DISCOVERY. MOUNTED ON THE SHIP'S SIDE ARE TWO SIX-MILE-LONG TUBES
THAT LOOK LIKE CANNONS. Brin:
THEY MAY HAVE WEAPONS CONSIDERABLY MORE ADVANCED
THAN OURS, WEAPONS THAT COULD DESTROY
A PLANET. IT COULD RAPIDLY EXPLAIN WHY THERE ARE SO FEW EARTHLIKE
PLANETS IN THE GALAXY NOW -- BECAUSE OF EARLIER WAVES
OF WARFARE. THE FACTS ARE THAT ANY SOCIETY
THAT ACTUALLY COULD COME HERE -- WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO,
THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT. TO THINK OTHERWISE
WOULD BE TO ASSUME THAT THE NEANDERTHALS
COULD HAVE DEFENDED THEMSELVES AGAINST THE U.S. AIR FORCE. THEY COULD HAVE TRIED. Narrator:
BUT THESE APPARENT CANNONS ARE
AIMED AT THE SAILS, NOT EARTH. Foster: ONCE YOU GET A CERTAIN
DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE SUN, WHAT DRIVES THE SOLAR SAIL? THERE ARE THEORETICAL DESIGNS
FOR SOLAR CRAFT THAT CAN BE POWERED BY LASERS
THAT ARE ON BOARD THE CRAFT. Narrator: AT THE MOMENT, THERE
ARE NO LASERS POINTED AT US. SCIENTISTS BEGIN PHASE TWO --
LANDING ON A MOVING TARGET. WHEN LANDING THE<i> CURIOSITY</i> ROVER
ON THE RED PLANET, NASA's ENGINEERS
HAD TO AIM FOR AN OBJECT ORBITING THE SUN
AT OVER 53,000 MILES PER HOUR. Grazier: THINK OF A QUARTERBACK
TRYING TO HIT HIS RECEIVER. IF YOU THROW THE BALL
WHERE THE RECEIVER IS, YOU MISS HIM
BECAUSE THE RECEIVER'S MOVED ON. SO, YOU HAVE TO KNOW
WHERE THE PLANET'S GOING TO BE AND LEAD THE PLANET
WITH YOUR SPACECRAFT. Narrator:
FOR<i> THE AMBASSADOR</i> ROVER, THE CHALLENGE OF STICKING
THE LANDING ON THE MOTHER SHIP WILL BE EVEN TOUGHER. A SPACECRAFT DOESN'T HAVE
THE GRAVITY OF MARS. IT DOESN'T HAVE AN ATMOSPHERE
TO DISSIPATE VELOCITY. SO YOU WOULD LITERALLY HAVE TO
MATCH SPEEDS WITH THE SPACECRAFT AND THEN SOMEHOW PHYSICALLY
AFFIX YOUR SPACECRAFT TO IT AND THEN GO ABOARD. Narrator:
THE WORLD WATCHES BREATHLESSLY AS<i> THE AMBASSADOR</i> MATCHES
THE SPEED OF THE MOTHER SHIP AND POSITIONS ITSELF
ALONG THE FLANK. IT SCOUTS FOR A PLACE TO LAND
AND ATTACH ITSELF. Narrator: THE SPRAWLING
ALIEN MOTHER SHIP HAS INVITED EARTH'S EMISSARY,<i>
THE AMBASSADOR</i> ROVER, INSIDE. Foster: I'M ALWAYS AMAZED
IN SCIENCE FICTION WHERE THE ALIEN SPACESHIP
IS ENORMOUS AND CONSISTS
LARGELY OF EMPTY SPACE. AND OF ALL
THE IMPRACTICAL THINGS TO PUT IN AN INTERSTELLAR CRAFT,
EMPTY SPACE IS PROBABLY THE LEAST PRACTICAL
AND USEFUL THING. Slonczewski:
IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE THE TUNNELS
AND BURROWS OF A GROUNDHOG, OR IT MIGHT HAVE HEXAGONAL,
HONEYCOMB SPACES. THAT WOULD BE A VERY EFFICIENT
WAY OF DIVIDING UP SPACE. Gerrold:
THE INTERIOR OF AN ALIEN SHIP -- WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE
TO UNDERSTAND IT, AND IT MIGHT WORK
IN A WHOLE OTHER WAY THAT WOULD BE
MIND-BOGGLING TO US. THAT'S THE REAL ADVENTURE
OF DISCOVERY. Narrator:
AS THE FIRST IMAGES COME IN, WE
SEE A GIANT, MECHANICAL PUZZLE. DOES IT CARRY PASSENGERS? DID IT ONCE? ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE WHEN WE SEND ROVERS TO OTHER
WORLDS HOPING TO FIND LIFE IS THAT IT'S VERY HARD TO SAY
WHAT LIFE IS, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT'S LIFE
AS YOU DON'T KNOW IT. Narrator:
IS THE ENTIRE SHIP A SINGLE MACHINE
OF GIANT PROPORTIONS CONTROLLED BY ITSELF? Maciver: I THINK IT IS POSSIBLE,
AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, TO GROW ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES RATHER THAN TO
HAVE TO BUILD THEM. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE
OUR BUILDINGS SMART, RESPONSIVE, AND ACT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH OUR PRESENCE. IN MANY WAYS, WHAT WE'RE
LOOKING FOR IS AN ANIMAL THAT COOPERATES WITH US
THAT WE CAN LIVE IN. SO, WHY NOT CUT TO THE CHASE AND JUST MAKE THAT BUILDING
AN ANIMAL? Narrator: IN HERE, THE
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS ZERO. THE TEMPERATURE
IS 100 BELOW ZERO. NOTHING UNUSUAL THERE, IF YOU'RE
IN YOU'RE IN OUTER SPACE. BUT ONE READING STUNS
SCIENTISTS. THE MOTHER SHIP'S GRAVITATIONAL
FIELD IS HIGHER THAN THE MOON'S, HIGHER THAN THAT OF MARS. THE INTERIOR OF THE SHIP HAS FULLY 54% OF EARTH'S
GRAVITATIONAL FORCE. GRAVITY IS SOMETHING
WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH, SO IT KEEPS US
DOWN HERE ON THE EARTH. SOME THINGS ABOUT GRAVITY
ARE VERY WELL UNDERSTOOD, AND SOME THINGS ARE MYSTERIOUS. Narrator:
HUMANS HAVE NO IDEA HOW
TO CREATE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY, WHICH WOULD TRANSFORM
SPACE FLIGHT AS WE KNOW IT. SOMEHOW, THIS RADICALLY ADVANCED
SPECIES HAS MANAGED TO DO IT. CAN WE GET BEYOND
OUR PRIMITIVE FEARS, NOT JUST OF ALIENS,
BUT OF THEIR DEVICES, OF WHATEVER THEY LEAVE BEHIND, OF WHAT MIGHT BE A GIFT
OR MIGHT BE POISON? WE HAVE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. WE MIGHT ONLY GET ONE CHANCE
TO DO IT. TO ME, THAT'S THE SCARIEST THING
OF ALL. WE DON'T GET A CHANCE
TO MAKE MISTAKES WITH AN ALIEN VISITATION. Narrator: AS THE ROVER
PROGRESSES THROUGH THE SHIP, AN ANNOUNCEMENT
COMES FROM CHINA. THEY ARE TRAINING THEIR NEW
DARK-ENERGY DETECTOR ON THE MOTHER SHIP AND ARE WITNESSING ACTIVITY
CHURNING AROUND THE PERIMETER. AS BILLIONS OF EYES WATCH, THE
ROVER'S SENSORS SUDDENLY SPIKE. [ BEEPING ] THERE'S OXYGEN IN THIS PART OF
THE SHIP -- CARBON DIOXIDE, TOO. ONE WALL IS WARMER
THAN ALL THE OTHERS. AMBASSADOR DISCOVERS WHAT LOOKS
LIKE A CHAMBER SHOT THROUGH WITH ARTERIES,
A RHYTHMIC BEATING. THE REST OF THE SHIP
MAY BE A MACHINE. THIS PLACE IS CLEARLY MORE. [ HEART BEATING ] ON THE NEXT "ALIEN ENCOUNTERS," A HYBRID BEAST
DOMINATES OUR SKIES... THERE'S NO POINT IN FIGHTING
A SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY. Narrator: ...WHILE ITS SEEDS
DON'T JUST INVADE OUR STREETS, THEY INVADE OUR BODIES. WHEN THEY GET EMBEDDED
IN A CELL, THEY HIJACK THE CELL. WE'RE ALL BEING CHANGED. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN ON THE OTHER SIDE. IT CAN'T BE PREDICTED. Narrator:
A GREAT CHANGE IS COMING. WILL WE SURVIVE?
