Narrator: PREVIOUSLY ON
"ALIEN ENCOUNTERS"... ...A MONSTER SPACESHIP
IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. OUR BIGGEST FEAR
IS THAT THEY'LL ENSLAVE US. THEY COULD KNOW AS MUCH ABOUT US
AS WE OURSELVES DO. Narrator:
ALIEN EMISSARIES DEPOSITED THOUSANDS OF MYSTERIOUS,
MULTIPLYING SPHERES... [ WARBLING ] ...THAT HAVE BEEN USING US
TO MOVE. PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS AFRAID OF
WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. [ PEOPLE SHOUTING ] Narrator: THE HOPES
OF OUR ENTIRE SPECIES ARE PINNED ON
AN UNMANNED VEHICLE THE SIZE OF A STATION WAGON DEEP IN THE BOWELS OF
THE ALIEN MOTHER SHIP... LOOKING FOR SIGNS OF LIFE. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS THE UNMANNED ROVER
NAMED<i> AMBASSADOR</i> HAS BEEN SLOWLY WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH A STERILE,
METAL LABYRINTH. Foster: IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT THERE'S
NOBODY ON THE MOTHER SHIP. THAT'S A HUMAN-CENTRIC THING,
TO SEE THE BIG SHIP AS A TRANSPORT VESSEL
FOR A BIOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE. THE MOTHER SHIP
MIGHT BE NOTHING MORE THAN AN ELABORATE,
ALIEN FedEx PACKAGE. Narrator:
36 HOURS INSIDE A SPACESHIP
THE SIZE OF A MEGA CITY, THE ROVER FINDS
NOTHING BUT METAL. BUT AT THE HEART OF THIS MACHINE IS A CHAMBER
WITH A TANGLE OF PULSING TUBES, GIVING OFF OXYGEN,
CARBON DIOXIDE, AND HEAT -- SIGNS OF LIFE. I THINK IT'S VERY LIKELY
THAT AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION WOULD COMBINE
THE ADVANTAGES OF MACHINES WITH THE ADVANTAGES OF
BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. Gerrold: YOU USE
WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE. THERE ARE THINGS WHERE
ORGANIC LIFE IS THE ANSWER, AND THERE ARE THINGS WHERE A TECHNOLOGICAL SITUATION
IS THE ANSWER. THERE ARE PLACES
WHERE YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER. Narrator: THE BIOLOGY WE KNOW IS ILL-SUITED
FOR MOST OF THE UNIVERSE. IF YOU'RE A SPACECRAFT DESIGNER, THE MOST DIFFICULT THING
TO PLAN FOR IS AN ASTRONAUT. ASTRONAUTS REQUIRE FOOD,
WASTE DISPOSAL, ENTERTAINMENT. THEY REQUIRE ALL SORTS OF THINGS THAT A MACHINE
JUST DOESN'T REQUIRE. Foster: MACHINES
CAN BE STRONGER, BIGGER, CAN EXIST OUTSIDE OF CONSTRAINTS
LIKE THE WEATHER. Narrator: THE NOTION THAT THIS
MACHINE HAS A BIOLOGICAL HEART GIVES HOPE THAT IT ALSO HAS
A SENSE OF MORALITY. BUT IT COULD
JUST BE MORE EFFICIENT. Maciver: BIOLOGY
HAS TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGES OVER TECHNOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS. THE MOST POWERFUL SUPERCOMPUTER REQUIRES
MANY THOUSANDS OF WATTS. OUR BRAIN TAKES ONLY 20 WATTS -- LESS THAN A TYPICAL LIGHT BULB. AND YET THE HUMAN BRAIN OUTPERFORMS
THESE SUPERCOMPUTERS. Gerrold: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
BIOLOGY AND MACHINE IS AN ARTIFICIAL DICHOTOMY
THAT HUMAN BEINGS HAVE MADE UP. YOU KNOW, THE HUMAN BRAIN
IS A COMPUTER MADE OUT OF MEAT. WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS A BLENDING WHERE ORGANIC AND MECHANICAL
BECOME ONE. HUMANS MIGHT NOT ONLY MERGE
WITH MACHINES IN THE FUTURE. WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT NOW. FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE
A TITANIUM SCREW IN MY SHOULDER THAT KEEPS MY SHOULDER ATTACHED. Narrator: IT'S ONE THING TO AUGMENT THE HUMAN BODY
WITH TECHNOLOGY, BUT SOME SAY
WE'RE FAST APPROACHING A DAY WHEN TECHNOLOGY TAKES OVER. COULD THIS ALIEN SPECIES HAVE GONE THROUGH
THE SAME TRANSFORMATION? DID THIS GREAT, LIVING MACHINE
HAVE ORGANIC ORIGINS? THE SINGULARITY REFERS TO
THE POINT WHERE MACHINES BECOME MORE INTELLIGENT THAN
THE HUMANS THAT CREATED THEM. Shostak: COMPUTERS ARE DOUBLING
IN CAPABILITY EVERY TWO YEARS. BY 2020, YOUR LAPTOP COMPUTER WILL HAVE THE SAME COMPUTE POWER
AS A HUMAN BRAIN. DOESN'T MEAN THAT
IT'S GONNA BE ABLE TO THINK, BUT MAYBE BY 2040,
IT WILL BE ABLE TO THINK. SO MACHINES MIGHT DEVELOP
THEIR OWN SENSORY AWARENESS, THEIR OWN AGENDAS
THAT ESCAPE THE HUMAN AGENDA. Narrator: HUMANITY
MAY SOON CROSS A THRESHOLD INTO AN ERA
OF THINKING MACHINES. PERHAPS THE MYSTERIOUS HYBRID
IN OUR SKIES IS A VISION OF OUR FUTURE. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN ON THE OTHER SIDE. IT CAN'T BE PREDICTED. WE WILL EITHER HAVE THE POWERS THAT THE GREEKS
USED TO ASSOCIATE WITH GODS OR WE'LL BE REALLY,
REALLY SORRY WE TOOK THAT PATH. Narrator: 500 MILES
BELOW THE MOTHER SHIP, THE ALIEN SPHERES DEMONSTRATE
SOME FORM OF INTELLIGENCE, USING US AS HOSTS. [ MONITOR BEEPING ] WHAT DO THEY NEED FROM US? WHEN THE SPHERES DIVIDE,
THEY SHED MICROPARTICLES. WE ARE WITNESSING THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE
OF AN ALIEN. IF YOU WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH
TO COME ACROSS SOMETHING THAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT BE ALIVE,
BUT NOT OF THIS PLANET, WELL, YOU WOULD TRY
AND KEEP IT ALIVE. BUT, OF COURSE,
YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY ALIVE. I USED TO TRY AND KEEP BUGS
ALIVE IN MY ROOM, AND, YOU KNOW,
THEY ALMOST ALWAYS DIED. Davies: THERE IS NO AGREED
DEFINITION OF LIFE. LIFE LOOKS ALMOST MIRACULOUS. ITS PROPERTIES ARE
SO VERY WEIRD, VERY DIFFERENT. BUT IF WE'RE TRYING TO THINK IN THE MORE ABSTRACT WAY
OF OUR LIFE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF
DIFFERENT FORMS OF LIFE, THEN IT'S REALLY HARD
TO PUT YOUR FINGER ON EXACTLY WHAT IT IS
THAT MAKES LIFE DIFFERENT. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT REALLY HAS
TWO ESSENTIAL FEATURES. ONE IS THE ABILITY TO REPRODUCE, AND THE OTHER IS THE ABILITY TO
TAKE ENERGY FROM THE ENVIRONMENT AND USE THAT TO DO THINGS, LIKE HAVE A CONVERSATION
LIKE WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW. YOU THINK "OKAY,
IF IT MEETS ALL THOSE CRITERIA, BOB, IT'S ALIVE." BUT, OF COURSE, THAT'S NOT TRUE. THERE ARE
ALL SORTS OF COUNTEREXAMPLES -- THINGS LIKE FIRE. IT REPRODUCES. IT CONSUMES
STUFF, AND IT LEAVES ASH. IT EXCRETES STUFF.
BUT IT'S NOT ALIVE. Narrator: NOT LONG AGO,
THE CONTENTS OF THE UNIVERSE WERE NEATLY DIVIDED
INTO LIVING AND NONLIVING. BUT IN LABS EVERYWHERE,
SCIENTISTS ARE REALIZING THAT LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
ISN'T THE ONLY LIFE POSSIBLE. I THINK WE'D ALL HOPE
THAT WE COULD RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S LIFE SOMEHOW
BY WHAT IT'S MADE UP OF, BUT LIFE THAT'S TRULY ALIEN MIGHT NOT BE BASED ON
THOSE SAME MOLECULES, OR EVEN ON THE SAME
MIXTURE OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS. Narrator:
AS THE ALIEN SPHERES REPRODUCE, MICROBIOLOGISTS ARE ABLE
TO EXAMINE THE DUSTY RESIDUE. THE ALIEN PARTICLES
CONTAIN CELL MEMBRANES. THESE MEMBRANES
MOVE AND INTERACT LIKE LIVING ORGANISMS... EXCEPT THE MEMBRANES
AREN'T ORGANIC. THEY'RE MADE OF METAL. ANY NONLIVING MATTER THAT
REPLICATES, THAT SOLVES PROBLEMS MIGHT AS WELL BE CALLED LIFE,
JUST NOT AS WE KNOW IT. Narrator:
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW, CHEMIST LEE CRONIN
IS DEVELOPING A SUBSTANCE MEANT TO BRIDGE THE DIVIDE
BETWEEN NONLIFE AND LIFE. HIS RESEARCH COULD REDEFINE HOW WE LOOK FOR LIFE
IN THE UNIVERSE. LIFE ON PLANET EARTH IS MERELY AN EXPRESSION
OF THE AVAILABLE CHEMISTRY SET. AND SO I WONDER,
IF WE GO TO ANOTHER PLANET WHERE THE CHEMISTRY SET
IS DIFFERENT, WHETHER DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIFE
WOULD EMERGE. Narrator:
CRONIN HAS DEVELOPED ARTIFICIAL BUILDING BLOCKS
OF LIFE, CALLED iCHELLs,
OR "INORGANIC CHEMICAL CELLS." WELL, I WONDERED IF WE COULD USE
METAL OXIDES OR OTHER ELEMENTS TO SEE IF WE COULD MAKE A CELL THAT COULD LOOK LIKE
A BIOLOGICAL CELL, BUT BE MADE OUT OF
TOTALLY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS. BECAUSE ONCE WE'VE DONE THAT, MAYBE WE COULD CALL THIS
A NEW TYPE OF LIFE. Narrator: CRONIN'S iCHELLs
CAN ALREADY MIMIC KEY BEHAVIORS OF LIVING CELLS, ALLOWING
SEPARATE CHEMICAL PROCESSES TO OCCUR INSIDE THEM. Cronin: WHAT WE WANT iCHELLs
TO BE ABLE TO DO IS EVOLVE. THAT WOULD BE
A FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT BECAUSE IT WOULD TELL US THAT BIOLOGY IS POSSIBLE
OUTSIDE OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY AND THAT ALMOST CERTAINLY THERE IS LIFE
ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE, AND THAT WE SHOULD REDEFINE
THE PARAMETERS FOR THE SEARCH FOR LIFE. [ METAL GRINDING ] Narrator: TO BE TRULY ALIVE,
AN ORGANISM MUST EVOLVE. WE ARE ALIVE
BECAUSE WE CAN CHANGE. LIFE IS AN ENTITY
THAT REPRODUCES IMPERFECTLY AND THEN
ADAPTS TO ITS SURROUNDINGS. A BIOLOGICAL ENTITY
EXISTS AS ITSELF, BUT AS ITSELF AS AN EXTENSION OF 4 BILLION YEARS
OF EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY. Narrator:
RIGHT NOW THE SPHERES ARE
CHANGING BEFORE OUR EYES. IN EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD,
ALL AT ONCE, MILLIONS OF SPHERES LET GO. THEY JUST STOP CLINGING. FOR THE FIRST TIME
SINCE THE ALIENS SHOWED UP, BILLIONS OF US
BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF. BUT SOME SUSPECT THIS ISN'T
THE END OF THE ALIEN LIFE CYCLE. IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING. Narrator: THERE IS A NEW REALITY
ON PLANET EARTH. EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK,
EVERYWHERE YOU GO, ALIEN SPHERES,
DUBBED "BURDOCKS" BY THE MEDIA, ARE JUST THERE... IN THE BILLIONS. Foster: WE ARE A SPECIES THAT
TENDS TO GET BORED VERY EASILY. IF THEY DIDN'T DO
ANYTHING HARMFUL, YOU'D JUST BEGIN TO IGNORE THEM. "WELL, THERE'S ANOTHER
ALIEN CAPSULE." Man:
$5. GET YOUR BURDOCK TEES. Foster: "IT'S NOT HURTING ME, "AND I REALLY
HAVE TO GO GET THE KIDS, AND I HAVE TO GET
TO THE GROCERY STORE." IT WOULD BE LIKE
HAVING HOUSEFLIES. Narrator: OUR CASUAL ATTITUDES ARE ROCKED
BY A STUNNING ANNOUNCEMENT. THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL HAS FOUND A PATTERN
IN THE MOVEMENT OF THE BURDOCKS. BY ATTACHING TO PEOPLE
AND THEIR OBJECTS, THEY'VE USED US TO MIGRATE AND ARE NOW CONGREGATING
WORLDWIDE IN POPULATION CENTERS. Foster: THE SABER-TOOTHED TIGER
IS BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN YOU. IF YOU CAN OUTPOPULATE
THE SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS, YOU'RE EVENTUALLY
GOING TO WIN AS A SPECIES. Narrator: PARANOIA
AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES MULTIPLY ALMOST AS FAST
AS THE BURDOCKS. IN NORTH AMERICA, CANADA
THREATENS TO CLOSE ITS BORDERS AS THOUSANDS LINE UP TO CROSS. Foster: THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN SURVIVALISTS
FOR MOST OF THEIR ADULT LIVES WHO WILL SIMPLY SAY,
"I TOLD YOU SO," AND RUN TO THEIR SHELTERS
AND THEIR CAVES AND HIDE. Narrator: BIOLOGISTS PENETRATE
THE METALLIC, ALIEN CELLS, AND SUSPICIONS ARE CONFIRMED. JUST LIKE OUR OWN CELLS,
THESE CONTAIN GENETIC MATERIAL. IT LOOKS LIKE DNA. Foster: DNA CONNECTS
EVERY LIVING THING ON EARTH. WE'RE JUST A BUNCH OF STRANDS THAT ARE ARRANGED
IN A CERTAIN WAY. Maciver: DNA -- IT'S AN ALPHABET
THAT CAN BE RELIABLY READ. IT IS CENTRAL TO LIFE. IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE
REPLICATION OCCURRING WITHOUT SOME KIND OF CODE
LIKE THIS. Narrator: THE ALIEN DNA
LOOKS REMARKABLY LIKE OUR OWN EXCEPT FOR
ONE CRITICAL DIFFERENCE -- IT'S CONSTRUCTED OF
DIFFERENT CHEMICALS. Chaput:
HOW DID LIFE CHOOSE DNA? WAS DNA
THE FIRST GENETIC MATERIAL? ARE THERE OTHER
GENETIC MATERIALS THAT MAY HAVE ONCE EXISTED
ON THIS PLANET, OR COULD OTHER GENETIC MATERIALS
EXIST ELSEWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE? Gerrold: LIFE IS GOING TO EVOLVE
DIFFERENTLY IF IT'S GOING TO EVOLVE AT ALL. SO IF YOU'RE GONNA GO
TO ANOTHER PLANET, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE
TO ADAPT YOURSELF. E.T. IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE
BIO-DESIGNED TO SURVIVE ON THAT NEW WORLD. Cronin: IF A VISITOR HAD TO
ADAPT ITSELF TO OUR CONDITIONS, HOW WOULD IT DO THAT? WHY NOT MAKE
A MINIMAL UNIT OF MATTER THAT CAN ADOPT ITS ALGORITHM OR ADOPT
ITS APPROACH TO THE PLANET ACCORDING TO
THE ELEMENTS AVAILABLE? Narrator: THIS MAY BE EXACTLY
WHAT THE ALIENS HAVE DONE -- ENGINEERED A LIFE-FORM
TO SURVIVE ON OUR WORLD OR TAKE IT OVER. [ WARBLING ] THE CLOSEST THING HUMANS HAVE
TO ALIEN DNA IS AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, WHERE A TEAM OF RESEARCHERS
HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH THEIR OWN
SYNTHETIC GENETIC MATERIAL, XNA. Chaput: THE "X" IN XNA
STANDS FOR "XENO," THE GREEK WORD THAT MEANS
"FOREIGN" OR POSSIBLY "ALIEN." Narrator: TO MAKE XNA, SCIENTISTS REPLACE
THE NATURAL SUGARS IN THE DOUBLE-HELIX BACKBONE WITH AN ARTIFICIAL SUGAR
CREATED IN THEIR LAB. SO INSTEAD OF DEOXYRIBOSE,
WHICH IS THE "D" IN DNA, WE'VE GOT AN "X" FOR WHATEVER
THAT "X" MIGHT BE, AN UNNATURAL SUGAR. Narrator: SOMEDAY,
THIS XNA COULD SAVE LIVES. WITH DISEASES IN CERTAIN CASES, YOU HAVE GENES
THAT ARE GETTING MADE THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO BE MADE, SO YOU CAN CREATE
AN XNA MOLECULE THAT COULD FOLD INTO A SHAPE THAT COULD PREVENT
THE EXPRESSION OF THAT MESSAGE, SO "SILENCE THE MESSAGE." Narrator:
SILENCE A LETHAL MESSAGE AND YOU'VE EFFECTIVELY CURED
A DISEASE. THE ALIENS HAVE BUILT THEIR DNA
ON A TYPE OF SUGAR THAT ONLY EXISTS
AS A SYNTHETIC IN OUR LABS. IT COULD BE NATURAL
TO THEIR WORLD, OR THEY COULD HAVE
DESIGNED IT FOR OURS. Foster:
I WOULD BE MUCH MORE UNSETTLED BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH ALIEN LIFE
THAT LOOKED LIKE US THAN I WOULD WITH ONE
THAT LOOKED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM US. <i> YO, IT'S YOUR BOY SAGE,</i> <i> YOUR NUMBER-ONE
CONSPIRACY THEORIST.</i> IF COLUMBUS HAD SOMEONE ON BOARD WHO LOOKED LIKE
THE CARIB INDIANS, PERHAPS THE CARIB INDIANS WOULD HAVE REACTED MORE CALMLY
TO COLUMBUS' ARRIVAL. THE ALIENS MIGHT TRY
THE SAME THING. IF THERE WERE ALIEN
MICRO-ORGANISMS IN OUR MIDST, CHANCES ARE, IT WOULDN'T BE
A GOOD OUTCOME FOR US. THOSE MICRO-ORGANISMS
WOULD BE AN INVASIVE SPECIES THAT WE WOULD NOT HAVE
ANY IMMUNITY TO BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE NEVER
ENCOUNTERED THEM BEFORE. Narrator:
THESE TINY, ALIEN DUST PARTICLES COULD CARRY AN UNKNOWN,
DEADLY DISEASE OR A PARASITE, LIKE TOXOPLASMA GONDII, NOW CARRIED BY AN ESTIMATED
HALF OF ALL HUMANS. RESEARCHERS HAVE SHOWN IT CAN
MAKE PEOPLE MORE NEUROTIC, MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A CAR CRASH, AND MAY EVEN CAUSE
SCHIZOPHRENIA. [ ELECTRICITY CRACKLING ] THE SHIP GIVES UP
NO CLUES TO ITS INTENT. THEN, ALL AT ONCE... THE SHIP DISINTEGRATES INTO
BILLIONS OF FRACTAL FRAGMENTS. AFTER 40 DAYS
CIRCLING 500 MILES ABOVE EARTH, THE MOST AMAZING THING
WE'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED IS GONE. Narrator:
PIECES OF THE MOTHER SHIP
SCATTER IN LOW EARTH ORBIT. WAS THERE AN ACCIDENT
ON BOARD... ...OR IS IT THE NEXT PHASE
OF A SILENT TAKEOVER? THIS MIGHT BE
AN ALIEN INTELLIGENCE'S WAY OF DISTRIBUTING ITSELF
THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY. THIS IS WHAT THEY DO. ONCE THE SALMON
HAVE DEPOSITED THEIR EGGS AND FERTILIZED THEIR EGGS,
THEY ALL DIE. Woman: [ Echoing ]<i> YOU ARE SAFE.</i> <i> YOU ARE SECURE.</i> THIS IS THEIR SWIMMING UPSTREAM. THEY FIND A WORLD LIKE OURS. THEY DELIVER WHAT
THEY HAVE TO DELIVER AND DIE. [ Echoing ]<i> BREATHE IN.</i> <i> BREATHE OUT.</i> <i> IMAGINE A BRIGHT-YELLOW AURA
ALL AROUND YOU.</i> Narrator:
INSTEAD OF EASING OUR FEARS... THE DESTRUCTION
OF THE MOTHER SHIP ONLY MAKES US MORE PARANOID. CHINA HAS BUILT
SOME SORT OF DARK-ENERGY DEVICE BY FOLLOWING ALIEN INSTRUCTIONS. [ COMPUTER BEEPING ] SOME ALLEGE
THE MACHINE IS A SUPERWEAPON. <i> THEY'RE LYING TO YOU.</i> <i> THEY'RE LYING TO YOUR FAMILY.</i> <i> THEY'RE LYING TO YOUR DOG.</i> FRINGE VOICES EVEN ACCUSE
THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OF DESTROYING THE MOTHER SHIP TO KEEP E.T.'S SECRETS
TO THEMSELVES. <i> CHINA HAS BLOWN UP
THE MOTHER SHIP.</i> Gerrold:
HUMAN BEINGS WILL WEAPONIZE WHATEVER
WE COME IN TO CONTACT WITH. LASERS WERE A LAB TOY, AND NOW WE HAVE BEAMS THAT CAN
KNOCK DRONES OUT OF THE SKY. Narrator:
OLD TERRORS, LIKE ECONOMIC
COLLAPSE OR EVEN WORLD WAR, CAN'T COMPARE
TO THIS NEW THREAT -- ALIEN INVASION. BILLIONS
OF HYBRID-MACHINE ORGANISMS SWARM OUR
MAJOR POPULATION CENTERS. Foster:
YOU'RE GOING TO FIND PEOPLE UTTERLY FEARFUL OF THESE THINGS, EVEN IF THEY HAVEN'T
DEMONSTRATED HOSTILE INTENT. THE MERE FACT
THAT THEY'RE MOVING WOULD REPRESENT A THREAT
TO A LOT OF PEOPLE. IF PEOPLE KNEW THAT A LIFE-FORM
WERE ENGINEERED, PEOPLE WOULD
BE MORE AFRAID OF IT. WE ARE AFRAID OF WHAT HUMANS DO
WITH HUMAN TECHNOLOGY. FRANCIS CRICK,
WHO WAS PART OF THE FAMOUS TEAM OF FRANCIS CRICK
AND JAMES WATSON, WHO WERE THE FIRST TO FIGURE OUT
THE STRUCTURE OF DNA, HAD THIS IDEA
THAT ADVANCED BEINGS ELSEWHERE MIGHT SPREAD LIFE
THROUGHOUT THE GALAXY BY ESSENTIALLY
PACKAGING IT UP, PUTTING IT IN A ROCKET, AND SENDING IT
TO DISTANT PLANETS. IT'S KIND OF DARWINIAN. YOU CAN SAY IF ANY RACE
OUT THERE IN THE GALAXY WANTED TO DO THAT AND THEY HAD
THE RESOURCES TO DO IT, THEN THEY'RE THE SURVIVORS. Narrator: ALIEN GENETIC MATERIAL
WILL DO US NO HARM UNLESS IT CAN INTERACT
WITH OUR OWN. BIOLOGISTS HAVE ONE HOPE LEFT -- THE CHIRALITY OF
THE ALIEN GENETIC MATERIAL. Bada: CHIRALITY IS
THE HANDEDNESS OF A MOLECULE. IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR HANDS, THEY'RE MIRROR IMAGES
OF ONE ANOTHER. AND THE WAY
SOME ORGANIC COMPOUNDS CAN ASSEMBLE
IN THEIR ARCHITECTURE ALLOWS THEM TO HAVE THIS LEFT-
AND RIGHT-HANDED CONFIGURATION. Narrator:
HUMAN DNA IS RIGHT-HANDED. IF THE CHIRALITY
OF THE ALIEN DNA IS LEFT-HANDED, IT CAN'T INTERACT WITH US. AND IF IT CAN'T
INTERACT WITH US, IT POSES NO THREAT TO US
OR ANY LIFE ON EARTH. Davies:
I LIKE TO TELL THE PARABLE OF DRIVING ON THE LEFT- OR
THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD. HERE, PEOPLE DRIVE ON THE RIGHT, BUT WHERE I COME FROM, BRITAIN,
THEY DRIVE ON THE LEFT. OF COURSE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER YOU DRIVE
ON THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT AS LONG AS EVERYBODY
DOES THE SAME. Narrator:
THIS LAST ROLL OF THE DICE COMES UP AS YET ANOTHER PAIR. THE ALIEN DNA MOLECULE
IS A MATCH -- RIGHT-HANDED, JUST LIKE OURS. AS RUMORS
CIRCLE THE GLOBE LIKE LIGHTNING, EVERYONE HAS A THEORY. THE COINCIDENCE
OF CELLS FROM SPACE THAT CAN INTERACT WITH OURS
IS TOO GREAT. THE ALIENS DESIGNED IT
WITH US IN MIND... OR WE'VE MET THESE ALIENS
BEFORE. WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING
SO COMPLEX AND SO SIMILAR, THEN IT'S JUST POSSIBLE
IT'S GOT A COMMON ORIGIN. Narrator:
AN INVASION WITHOUT BLOODSHED. AN OCCUPATION WITHOUT
A CLEAR MOTIVE BY A FORM OF LIFE THAT SHARES
OUR GENETIC MATERIAL. MAYBE THIS ISN'T AN INVASION. JUST A REUNION. WE'RE PRETTY SURE THAT LIFE
HAD ESTABLISHED ITSELF ON EARTH BY 3 1/2 BILLION YEARS AGO. BUT THE QUESTION
ALREADY CONCEALS AN ASSUMPTION, WHICH IS THAT LIFE ON EARTH
BEGAN ON EARTH. WE DON'T KNOW THAT'S SO. IT COULD BE THAT LIFE,
FOR EXAMPLE, BEGAN ON MARS
AND THEN CAME TO EARTH. Shostak: THIS IDEA THAT WE MIGHT
BE LIFE THAT CAME FROM MARS -- THIS IS CALLED PANSPERMIA,
FOR OBVIOUS REASONS, OKAY? THE IDEA THAT LIFE MIGHT SOMEHOW
GET KICKED OFF ON A ROCK AND COMES OVER TO ANOTHER PLANET SO LIFE COULD SPREAD THROUGHOUT
THE SOLAR SYSTEM -- THERE'S NO REASON
THAT COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED. Narrator:
AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, THOUSANDS OF METEORITES
HOLD CLUES ABOUT THE GENESIS
OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AND MAYBE EVEN
THE ORIGIN OF LIFE WITHIN IT. METEORITES ARE COOL
FOR SEVERAL REASONS, BECAUSE THEY TELL US A STORY
WHERE WE CAME FROM, AND EVERY METEORITE TELLS US
A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT STORY. Narrator: ONE OF THE MOST
CELEBRATED STORYTELLERS IS THE MURCHISON METEORITE, WHICH FELL TO EARTH IN AUSTRALIA
IN 1969. THE MURCHISON METEORITE WAS COLLECTED
SOON AFTER THE FALL. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE INSIDE? EVERY SINGLE CHIP OF THIS CONTAINS AROUND 40,000
DIFFERENT ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. WHAT WAS MOST INTERESTING WAS THE FACT THAT THEY FOUND
AMINO ACIDS. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT EXTRATERRESTRIAL
AMINO ACIDS HAD BEEN DISCOVERED. AMINO ACIDS ARE VERY IMPORTANT
FOR LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. ANY TIME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CELLS TAKING IN MATERIALS
FROM OUTSIDE AND DOING SOME KIND OF CHEMICAL
PROCESSING TO RELEASE ENERGY, AT THE HEART OF THAT PROCESS
ARE GONNA BE AMINO ACIDS. Davies: WHAT WE'RE TRYING
TO ANSWER IN ASTROBIOLOGY IS THE ULTIMATE QUESTION, THAT IS LIFE SOMETHING
THAT IS EASY TO MAKE, OR IS IT A BIZARRE FLUKE THAT
MIGHT BE RESTRICTED TO EARTH? AND, OF COURSE,
IF LIFE HAS HAPPENED TWICE, THEN SURELY IT'S HAPPENED
MANY, MANY TIMES ALL AROUND THE UNIVERSE. <i> THIS IS AN INVASION, PEOPLE.</i> <i> Y'ALL WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH
ABOUT E.T.?</i> <i> RIGHT HERE, Y'ALL.</i> Narrator:
THERE ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE
THE ALIENS ARE PUPPETEERS, ENGINEERING LIFE TO DOMINATE... OR, AT LEAST, SURVIVE HERE. ARE YOU FEELING WARM? MM-HMM. IS EARTH BEING USED
AS A GIANT LAB EXPERIMENT? AND ARE WE THE GUINEA PIGS? HUMANS HAVE LONG PUZZLED OVER
THE ORIGINS OF LIFE. [ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS ] 60 YEARS AGO, WE DISCOVERED IT MIGHT NOT BE
THAT COMPLICATED. YOU LOOK AT THIS,
AND YOU JUST THINK IT'S AN AD-HOC ASSEMBLY OF
GLASS AND TUBES AND EVERYTHING, BUT IT'S NOT. Narrator: IN 1953, THIS APPARATUS WAS USED
BY CHEMIST STANLEY MILLER TO MIMIC THE CHEMICAL KITCHEN
OF EARLY EARTH. HIS EXPERIMENT COOKED UP
A GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERY. THIS FLASK HERE
IS TO SIMULATE THE OCEAN AND EVAPORATION FROM THE OCEAN. THIS IS TO SIMULATE
THE ATMOSPHERE, WHERE YOU HAVE GASES LIKE
METHANE, AMMONIA, AND HYDROGEN, 'CAUSE THAT WAS
WHAT THE COMPOSITION OF THE EARLY ATMOSPHERE
WOULD BE. Narrator: ONCE MILLER SET UP
HIS MODEL OF ANCIENT EARTH, HE ZAPPED THE PRIMORDIAL BREW
WITH SIMULATED LIGHTNING. A WEEK LATER,
THE BREW TURNED BROWN. AND THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. SHOWED YOU IT MADE SOMETHING. Narrator: WHAT HE HAD MADE
WAS AMINO ACIDS -- A HALF-DOZEN OF THEM. Anbar: THIS WAS A BIG DEAL,
BECAUSE NO ONE HAD SHOWN BEFORE THAT YOU COULD CREATE
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE WITHOUT HAVING LIFE
ALREADY AROUND. Shostak: ALL IT TAKES IS JUST
A LITTLE BIT OF DIRTY CHEMISTRY, SOME GASES YOU FIND EVERYWHERE,
AND SOME LIGHTNING BOLTS, AND YOU MAKE
THE MOLECULES OF LIFE. Narrator: WHAT BIOLOGICAL
CHEMISTRY COULD A CIVILIZATION A THOUSAND YEARS MORE ADVANCED
THAN OURS COOK UP? AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,
TO WHAT END? BIOLOGISTS TEST
THE ALIEN MATERIAL AGAINST A VARIETY OF
LIVING CELLS -- BACTERIA, ANIMAL SKIN CELLS,
HUMAN BLOOD CELLS. EVENTUALLY, THEY GET A REACTION. THE ALIEN DNA QUICKLY ATTACHES
TO HUMAN SOMATIC STEM CELLS. IT USES THEM
TO MAKE NEW COPIES OF ITSELF. THERE'S NOTHING NEW OR EXOTIC
ABOUT THIS BEHAVIOR. WE'VE SEEN IT MANY TIMES... BECAUSE THE ALIEN LIFE FORM
IS A VIRUS. Narrator: TWO MONTHS AGO,
OUR GREATEST FEAR WAS A MASSIVE, ALIEN MOTHER SHIP
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT. BUT EVERYONE KNOWS IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
THAT GET YOU. IT BEGINS WITH ONE PERSON -- A SLIGHT FEVER, A SORE THROAT,
SOME ACHES AND PAINS. THEN THERE ARE TWO. AS THE SPHERES DIVIDE, THEIR MICROPARTICLES
CAN GET INTO CUTS OR BE INHALED. THE ONE VIRUS
THAT WE HAVE ELIMINATED IS THE SMALLPOX VIRUS. THAT IS REALLY THE ONLY ONE. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT TAKES
MORE THAN SCIENCE TO GET RID OF VIRUSES. IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH. Narrator: ONCE WORD GETS OUT THAT THE ALIEN SPHERES
ARE MAKING PEOPLE SICK, THE ONLY THING THAT SPREADS
FASTER THAN THE VIRUS IS WORLDWIDE PANIC. [ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ] Foster: PEOPLE WILL TRY ANYTHING TO KEEP THINGS
OUT OF THEIR PERSONAL SPACE. THEY'LL TRY BUG SPRAY.
THEY'LL TRY GUNS. THEY'LL TRY DITCHES,
FENCES, CLOROX. Slonczewski:
IN THE CASE OF THE POLIO VIRUS
EPIDEMICS IN THE 20th CENTURY, THE VIRUSES
SEEMED TO TARGET CHILDREN, AND SO AMERICAN TOWNS
WOULD PUT UP SIGNS SAYING, "CHILDREN NOT ALLOWED
IN THIS TOWN." Narrator:
THE MOST PARANOID SEEK SAFETY
IN UNDERGROUND BOMB SHELTERS OR ON REMOTE, TROPICAL ISLANDS. EDITORIALS CLAMOR FOR A VACCINE OR A NEW ANTIVIRAL DRUG
TO INHIBIT INFECTION. VIRUSES ARE BASICALLY
NOT ALIVE ON THEIR OWN, BUT WHEN THEY'RE IN A CELL, THEY ARE SYMBIOTICALLY ALIVE
WITH THE CELL. WHEN THEY GET EMBEDDED
IN A CELL, THEY HIJACK THE CELL, AND THE CELL THEN PRODUCES
MORE OF THE VIRUS. Slonczewski:
IN ORDER TO INFECT A CELL, A VIRUS HAS TO INTERACT
LIKE A JIGSAW PUZZLE, SO THE VIRUS TRICKS THE CELL INTO MAKING
COPIES OF THE VIRUS DNA. SOME VIRUSES, WHEN THEY INSERT
THEIR GENETIC MATERIAL, THE GENETIC MATERIAL
BECOMES INTEGRATED WITH THE GENETIC MATERIAL
OF THE HOST, AND THEN IT JUST REPRODUCES
ALONG WITH THE HOST CELL. Narrator: EVERYONE YOU SEE,
EVERYONE YOU MEET IS A POTENTIAL CARRIER
OF AN ALIEN FLU OR SOMETHING EVEN WORSE. Maciver: IT'S POSSIBLE
IT COULD TAKE A VERY LONG TIME FOR A MUTATION TO MANIFEST. THE MECHANISMS OF DELAY
COULD BE SOMETHING LIKE THE WAY IN WHICH A VIRUS GOES INTO HIBERNATION
IN THE BODY, WHICH WE SEE WITH H.I.V. IT'S NOT CLEAR WHY
IT COULDN'T BE MUCH LONGER, WHY IT COULDN'T BE DECADES
AS OPPOSED TO YEARS. [ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ] Narrator:
HOSPITALS ARE INUNDATED. THE CDC WORKS TO TRACK
THE PATTERN OF INFECTION. SO FAR, THE SYMPTOMS ARE SO MILD THAT FIGURING OUT
WHO'S ACTUALLY INFECTED AND WHO HAS THE COMMON COLD
PROVES NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. THOSE WHO'VE HAD DIRECT CONTACT
WITH ALIEN SPHERES ARE AT A GREATER RISK. BUT WE DON'T KNOW IF AND HOW CONTAGION CAN SPREAD
THROUGH HUMANS OR HOW DANGEROUS
THIS VIRUS ACTUALLY IS. Slonczewski:
VIRUSES GET A BAD RAP. UNDERSTANDABLY, THE VIRUSES
THAT WE'RE MOST AWARE OF ARE THE ONES
THAT KILL LOTS OF PEOPLE. BUT MANY VIRUSES HAVE ALREADY BECOME
ESSENTIAL PARTS OF OUR GENOMES. THERE ARE CERTAIN VIRUSES THAT PRODUCE ESSENTIAL PROTEINS
IN THE PLACENTA, WITHOUT WHICH
WE COULDN'T HAVE BABIES. THERE ARE EVEN PEOPLE
WHO BELIEVE THAT THE INTELLIGENCE BREAKOUT THAT MADE US DIFFERENT FROM
THE DOLPHINS AND THE CHIMPS AND THE PRAIRIE DOGS MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED
BECAUSE OF A DISEASE, SOME DNA THAT GOT EMBEDDED
INTO OUR GENOME BY A VIRUS. Narrator: FULLY 8% OF THE HUMAN
GENOME WAS DELIVERED BY VIRUSES THAT LONG AGO COPIED
THEIR GENETIC CODE INTO OURS AND LEFT TRACES BEHIND. VIRUSES ARE ABLE TO MOVE GENETIC INFORMATION
BETWEEN ORGANISMS THAT WOULDN'T OTHERWISE
EXCHANGE GENES, AND THAT'S PERHAPS A VERY NICE
WAY OF EXCHANGING DATA ON THE BIOLOGICAL INTERNET,
AS IT WERE. Narrator: WHAT GENES
ARE BEING DELIVERED TO US BY THIS ALIEN VIRUS? COULD THEY AFFECT OUR BRAINS... GIVE US BETTER EYESIGHT? WILL THIS VIRUS
TRANSFORM OUR SPECIES INTO AN ALIEN/HUMAN HYBRID? WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT LIES AHEAD. BUT AS THE SPHERES
CONTINUE TO DIVIDE, THEY DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR,
CHANGE, AIRBORNE. THERE IS NO ESCAPE. Narrator:
THE VIRUS-BEARING SPHERES
CONTINUE TURNING TO DUST. IT SEEPS THROUGH EVERY CREVICE,
COVERS EVERY SURFACE. IN THE NATION'S CAPITAL, CONGRESS ACTIVATES
A COLD WAR RELIC -- A NUCLEAR-FALLOUT BUNKER
IN THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS. THE HUMAN POPULATION
DIVIDES INTO CAMPS -- THOSE WHO CAN GET
TO AN ALLEGEDLY VIRUS-FREE ZONE AND THOSE WHO CAN'T... OR CHOOSE NOT TO. Foster:
COULD WE EXIST IN A STATE OF
SYMBIOSIS WITH AN ALIEN SPECIES? I'M NOT SURE WE'RE MATURE ENOUGH TO HANDLE SOMETHING LIKE THAT
AT THIS POINT. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY
CAN'T STAND THAT THOUGHT. THEY REACT WITH REVULSION. Narrator: THERE ARE BILLIONS
OF FLU VICTIMS WORLDWIDE, BUT NO FATALITIES. WITH EACH DAY THAT PASSES, A REALIZATION GROWS. THIS ALIEN INVASION
MIGHT NOT BE COMPLETE UNTIL FUTURE GENERATIONS
ARE BORN. Maciver: IS THIS VIRUS
INJECTING A CODE INTO OUR CELLS THAT SLOWLY, COMPLETELY,
RADICALLY CHANGES OURSELVES? BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE NO BASIS TO KNOW
THAT WE'RE BEING CHANGED, 'CAUSE WE'RE ALL BEING CHANGED
IN THIS WAY. Bada:
IT ONLY TAKES A FEW GENERATIONS TO START
CHANGING AND INCORPORATING A MUTANT DNA INTO AN ORGANISM THAT HAS A BETTER CAPACITY
TO SURVIVE. Narrator: IF ALIEN GENETIC
MATERIAL MERGES WITH OURS, WHAT WILL THAT LOOK LIKE? WILL OUR PROGENY
HAVE GREEN SKIN AND 14 FINGERS? POSSIBLY. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT CHANGES
MAY HAPPEN<i> UNDER</i> THE SKIN. I DO THINK
WE'RE A SPECIES WORTH SAVING AND WORTH FIGHTING FOR. EVERYTHING FROM OUR EMOTIONS,
OUR ABILITY TO BE COMPASSIONATE, OUR FIVE SENSES
ARE WONDERFUL THINGS. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT SENSES
THESE ALIENS MIGHT HAVE, AND HOW NEAT WOULD IT BE IF THERE WAS SOME SORT OF
SIXTH OR SEVENTH SENSE THAT THE ALIENS POSSESS? Narrator:
FOR MONTHS, WE HAVE FEARED BEING WIPED OUT
BY AN ALIEN ORGANISM. BUT MAYBE THE LONG GAME
ISN'T DOMINATION. MAYBE IT'S COOPERATION
ON A MOLECULAR LEVEL. Slonczewski: WE THINK OF
COOPERATION AS A MORAL IDEA, BUT, IN FACT, COOPERATION
IS AS ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE AS COMPETITION. COOPERATION IS THE OTHER SIDE
OF DARWINIAN EVOLUTION. MULTICELLULAR LIFE
AROSE AS A RESULT OF SINGLE-CELLULAR LIFE
CLUMPING TOGETHER, GIVING UP
THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITIES TO GAIN THE POWER
THAT A COLLECTIVE HAS. COMPLEXITY HAS
A SURVIVAL ADVANTAGE, RIGHT? A BIGGER ORGANISM HAS AN ABILITY TO OCCUPY CERTAIN NICHES
IN THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS
CAN'T EXPLOIT QUITE AS WELL. Narrator: PERHAPS
THE ALIENS ARE OFFERING US A GREAT LEAP FORWARD. DO WE EVEN HAVE A CHOICE? Foster: THERE'S NO POINT IN
FIGHTING A SUPERIOR TECHNOLOGY. THE NATIVE SPECIES
INVARIABLY EITHER DIES OUT OR IS ASSIMILATED. Maciver:
350 MILLION YEARS AGO, PRIOR TO EMERGING
OUT OF THE WATER, WE ESSENTIALLY SENSED THINGS JUST A FEW BODY LENGTHS
AHEAD OF US, SORT OF LIKE DRIVING IN THE FOG. BUT ONCE WE EMERGED ONTO LAND, WE SUDDENLY ARE ABLE TO PERCEIVE
A LONG DISTANCE AHEAD OF US. WHAT I THINK IS GONNA HAPPEN IS THAT THOSE SPACES
OVER WHICH WE'RE AWARE WILL GET LARGER AND LARGER
OVER TIME. Foster: AS HUMAN BEINGS, ALL WE CAN SEE
IS OUR OWN TIME SPAN. HUMANKIND WOULD BE
MUCH BETTER OFF IF WE COULD LOOK A THOUSAND YEARS
INTO THE FUTURE. Narrator: ONE BY ONE, THE REMAINING BURDOCKS
DISSOLVE INTO AIR, AS IF THEY WERE NEVER HERE. JUST BY BREATHING, BILLIONS OF PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD STEP INTO THE UNKNOWN. THE ALIENS
WHO TAKE OVER THE EARTH COULD BE OUR OWN CHILDREN. WE PASS ON OUR LEGACY
TO OUR CHILDREN. THEY CARRY IT FORWARD. THEY SPEAK OF US
TO THEIR CHILDREN. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE THAT THIS
MIGHT HAPPEN ACROSS THE GALAXY, AT WHICH POINT
EVEN THE DEATH OF THE SUN WOULDN'T END YOUR CIVILIZATION. WHAT A GREAT DESTINY. Narrator: ONLY TIME WILL REVEAL
OUR FUTURE AND OUR FATE. FOR NOW,
MOST THINGS WILL NOT CHANGE. THE SUN WILL RISE. EVERY DAY,
SOME PEOPLE WILL PASS AWAY... ...WHILE OTHERS ARE BORN... TO TAKE THEIR PLACE. CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS.
IT'S AMAZING.
