NARRATOR: Tubingen, Germany, 2013.
Scientists at the University of Tubingen
report a landmark event.
They have sequenced and decoded DNA that was extracted
from five Egyptian mummy heads.
Somehow, the way the ancient Egyptians
embalmed the bodies of their dead allowed DNA
to survive for thousands of years.
One of the things that happens in mummification
is that they rapidly extract the water.
And it's thought that water actually
is one of the major contributors to the degradation of the DNA.
So that rapid extraction of water
is believed to protect the mummy from DNA degradation.
NARRATOR: Researchers have not yet
found a complete set of genetic blueprints
to the ancient Egyptian body.
But this material shows them that if they do find
enough DNA, they can, in theory, bring these people back to life
to physically resurrect them.
If we have the physical remains of a corpse,
it might be possible to resurrect
this corpse literally, to regenerate the DNA.
Now, the process would be extremely difficult,
but the technology is on its way.
And that will be amazing.
I mean, they would literally have achieved--
their objective is to be resurrected again.
NARRATOR: Is it possible that scientists
are finally starting to unravel the secrets to resurrection?
And if so, can humanity eventually master this power
so we can bring bodies and souls back into the physical world
whenever we choose?
Some ancient astronaut theorists suggest that many religions
describe the moment when humans reached
this stage of evolution.
It's variously called the rapture, the day of judgment,
end of days, or the apocalypse.
ARIEL BAR TZADOK: According to the legends,
all humanity is to evolve into a higher form.
The proper word would be "transformation," wherein which
we will have achieved the purpose for which we have come
to Earth in the first place.
But that in and of itself is not the end of the road.
Then we evolve beyond that.
This is referred to as the great resurrection.
GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: One thing is crystal clear.
In all of the ancient texts, those gods promised to return,
not just in the Bible, but in many
of the ancient sacred texts.
NARRATOR: Could the end of days that most religions foresee
actually be the time when humanity discovers the secret
to resurrection, allowing everyone
to move between physical and spiritual planes of existence?
And if so, will this realm be the place where we finally
meet the extraterrestrials that ancient astronaut theorists say
visited Earth thousands of years ago?
The idea of a resurrection or rebirth into a new realm
of existence, a new kingdom of heaven,
was central to our interaction with the celestials
or extraterrestrial beings.
You can almost make the argument that that's
why they came here was to teach us how to resurrect ourselves,
our bodies, to transform our bodies into a celestial form,
a light body form.
We find a direct through-line connecting extraterrestrials,
angels, and the near-death experience.
There is a compelling suggestion that at the end of days,
the veil between realities will be parted,
and we will gain the capability of moving directly
between the world of the living and the world of the afterlife.
GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: And I don't think that is anything
that we should look upon with dread,
but with joy, because it means we're not alone.
And, you know, they're there with us.
NARRATOR: Might we really have souls
that exist in a realm that can be accessed
by other worldly beings?
And if so, could stories involving the second coming
of prophets, the reanimation of the dead,
and the close encounters of those on the brink of death
be evidence that extraterrestrials hold
the secret to resurrection?
Perhaps as we come to better understand our own mortality,
we too will uncover the mysteries of the afterlife,
and in the process, discover the truth about our alien origins.