Secrets in the Jungle

Episode 1

Secret Structures of Guatemala

Sun, Jul 31, 2022

Deep in the heart of the Guatemalan lowlands, with the aid of LiDAR technology, archeologists identify an ancient site made up of a previously unknown series of structures. These structures include what appear to be a temple, a palace and housing platforms that are similar to the other Maya ruins in the area. However, scans reveal a network of stone walls, ditches and towers in the surrounding area that are entirely unfamiliar to Maya experts. If it wasn't the Maya, then who built these structures and why? In the middle of the South Pacific, in the heart of a deserted tropical island, is a lake that is home to millions of jellyfish. In fact, the lake ¬- known to the locals as Ongeim'l Tketau, the fifth lake ¬- has the highest concentration of jellyfish in a body of water anywhere in the world. Jellyfish are normally salt water creatures found in seas and oceans in all corners of the world - lakes are not their preferred habitat. Where did all the jellyfish come from? In the remote reaches of Argentina's northern jungles, on the border with Paraguay, sits the provincial park of Teyú Cuaré. A group of archaeologists are examining a series of three stone structures, hidden beneath dense undergrowth. Although they are in a state of disrepair, the ruins are unmistakably built to house people. When the archaeologists examine further, they are shocked to find a swastika engraved on one of the walls. Could this have been a place inhabited by Nazis fleeing prosecution in Germany? A group of biologists conducting field research in the remote rainforest of Maninjau in Indonesia's western Sumatra become aware of a putrid stench enveloping them. Thinking that there is probably a dead animal, or worse, a dead human, they investigate. They are shocked to discover that the smell is emanating from a flower. But not just any flower, an enormous flower, measuring some four feet in diameter. What kind of flower is this? And why does it give off such an awful smell?