>> NORTH CAROLINA STATE AEROSPACE AND MECHANICAL
ENGINEER PROFESSOR LARRY SILVERBERG IS A LEADING
RESEARCHER INTO THE FIELD OF SANTA CLAUSE SCIENCE.
HE CALCULATES, THEORIZES AND DREAMS
ABOUT HOW SANTA AND HIS ELVES COULD DELIVER ALL
THOSE TOYS FROM THE UNINHABITABLE NORTH POLE.
>> WE THINK THEY LIVE UNDERGROUND.
THERE MUST BE SOPHISTICATED SYSTEMS FOR GROWING FOOD,
FOR AIR CIRCULATION, FOR ALL THE THINGS
THAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO ENDURE HARSH CONDITIONS.
I THINK IT'S SIMILAR TO WHAT NASA HAS TO -- IS TRYING TO DO
WHEN WE GO TO THE MOON TO SURVIVE THOSE HARSH CONDITIONS.
>> WHY DO YOU THINK SANTA WOULD PICK THE NORTH POLE,
WHY NOT THE BAHAMAS?
>> IT'S A REMOTE LOCATION.
IT'S ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD.
IT PROTECTS THEM FROM SOME OF THE DANGERS THAT YOU HAVE
IN THE WORLD.
>> DR. SILVERBERG BELIEVES SANTA LEFT NORWAY CENTURIES AGO JUST
TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL.
NOW, ONCE HE AND HIS ELVES PERFECTED NORTH POLE LIVING,
THEY SAT DOWN AND PROMISED IN WRITING TO MAKE AND DELIVER TOYS
TO ALL GOOD BOYS AND GIRLS.
>> IT IS THE ELF CONSTITUTION, NORTH POLE CONSTITUTION.
EXPLAIN THIS.
>> IT'S THE NORTH POLE CONSTITUTION.
WE BELIEVE AFTER REACHING THE NORTH POLE AND SURVIVING THE
HARDSHIPS OF LIVING UNDERGROUND, GROWING FOOD UNDERGROUND AND ALL
OF THAT, THEY EVENTUALLY CAME TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WANTED TO
GIVE BACK TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.
>> SILVERBERG RELEASED A SCIENTIFIC PAPER ON SANTA'S
SUPER SECRET OPERATIONS.
>> ON THE TECHNICAL OPERATION, HOW DEEP DOES THIS GET WHILE YOU
WERE RESEARCHING IT?
>> WE HAD A DOZEN PEOPLE RESEARCHING IT.
WE SPENT MONTHS DEVELOPING ALL SORTS OF THEORIES AND WE'VE
CONTINUED TO PERFECT THOSE THEORIES AND DISCUSSED THEM WITH
DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO REALLY NAIL THIS DOWN.
>> DR. SILVERBERG BELIEVES SANTA SPENDS MOST OF THE YEAR
COLLECTING OUR BRAIN WAVES WITH SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT WITH
GIFT IDEAS AND TO GAUGE OUR BEHAVIOR.
>> WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, LITTLE BOY?
>> THE WAY SANTA CLAUS KNOWS WHAT YOU WANT IS HE HAS A LARGE
ANTENNA UNDERNEATH THE GROUND UP AT THE NORTH POLE.
WE THINK IT SPANS A COUPLE MILES BY A COUPLE MILES WITH A
MILLIMETER SIZE GRID.
IT'S NOT A PERFECT SCIENCE.
SOMETIMES SANTA MAKES MISTAKES.
SOMETIMES HE DOESN'T GET WHAT HE WANTS.
THAT'S WHY WE RECOMMEND THAT CHILDREN STILL SEND LETTERS.
>> AND THAT'S HOW HE WOULD KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN NAUGHTY OR NICE?
>> THAT'S HOW HE WOULD KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN NAUGHTY OR NICE.
HE CAN TELL GENERALLY FROM THOSE BRAIN WAVES WHETHER A CHILD IS
THINKING GOOD THOUGHTS OR NOT.
>> SANTA CAN START DELIVERIES ONCE HE'S CHECKED HIS LIST
TWICE, OF COURSE.
>> IN A SINGLE NIGHT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT 75 MILLION HOMES
THAT YOU HAVE TO VISIT. WELL OVER 3 TIMES THAT MANY
CHILDREN THAT HAVE TO RECIEVE PRESENTS.
>> DR. SILVERBERG THEORIZES SANTA USES ADVANCED PHYSICS,
WHICH STRETCH OUR CURRENT COMPREHENTION OF RELATIVITY.
ESSENTIALLY, SANTA HAS LEARNED TO SQUEEZE MONTHS OF WORK INTO
ONE NIGHT BY SURROUNDING HIS SLEIGH BY A RELATIVITY CLOUD
THAT CAN WARP TIME.
SO SANTA CLAUS CAN STOP TIME OR SLOW IT DOWN?
>> ABOUT SIX SANTA MONTHS CORRESPONDS TO A WINK OF THE EYE
FOR THE REST OF US WHEN WE'RE WATCHING WHAT HAPPENS.
SO WHEN WE SEE -- WHEN YOU HAVE THESE SPOTTINGS OF SANTA CLAUS
AND THEY'RE JUST FOR JUST A SPLIT SECOND, IN SANTA'S
REFERENCE FRAME, MONTHS COULD BE GOING BY.
>> SCIENCE MAY ALSO ALLOW SANTA TO MAKE HIS TOYS INSIDE THE HOME
INSTEAD OF HAULING THAT GIANT SACK YOU SEE IN THE PAINTINGS
AND THE PHOTOS.
DR. SILVERBERG BELIEVES OLD ST. NICK MAKES HIS TOYS FROM
MOLECULES JUST LIKE SNOWFLAKES OR CRYSTALS FORM, BEGINNING WITH
A SINGLE PARTICLE AND EXPANDING FROM THERE.
>> FROM SOOT THAT MIGHT BE IN THE CHIMNEY OR BASIC MATERIALS
OUTSIDE, HE CAN PUT THAT TOGETHER AND THROUGH
NANOTECHNOLOGY GROW THE PRESENTS UNDER THE TREE,
WRAPPING AND ALL.
>> WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE IN THE BALLPARK IF NO ONE KNOWS
WHAT SANTA DOES?
>> IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY FOR SURE HOW SANTA CLAUS GETS THE
PRESENTS TO EVERYBODY, AND IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF OUR
THEORIES, THAT WE'RE OFF.
SO IT DOES BRING UP A DEBATE.
WE HAVE OTHER FOLKS WHO HAVE OTHER IDEAS HOW SANTA CLAUS
DOES IT.
>> SANTA'S TECHNOLOGY IS BELIEVED TO BE AT LEAST 500
YEARS AHEAD OF OUR OWN SO WHEN THE SCIENTISTS TRY TO PIN DOWN
SANTA'S OPERATIONS, THEY ADMIT IT'S ALL THEORY RIGHT NOW.