AI uncovers an ancient climate catastrophe - that might happen again

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]These symbols might not look like much, but this is a 3,000-year-old warning of disaster. Although we've been able to read them for years, only now are we realizing what they were really telling us. Using AI and physics-based modeling, scientists have revealed a series of ancient catastrophes that might just be about to happen again.

[00:00:21]Oracle bone script is one of the oldest forms of written Chinese. Instead of paper, people carved these symbols into animal bones. Over 150,000 have been found. And it turns out these were an ancient form of divination used by Shang Dynasty rulers to ask questions about the future. Questions like, "Will it rain? Should we go to war? Will the harvest be good? Will the king recover from illness?" Then, they would heat the bone, read the cracks, and record the outcome, hoping for a useful prophecy.

[00:00:54]Weather was one of the most important topics because it affected crops, survival, and political stability.

[00:01:02]And when you look at thousands of questions, all from a specific time period, all concerned with what the weather might bring, a pattern emerges.

[00:01:12]Researchers studying over 50,000 inscriptions, combined with modern climate modeling, found evidence of extreme rainfall and flooding linked to intensified [music] typhoons, powerful storms reaching far inland. And at the same time, populations fell, settlements were abandoned, and societies began to change. And today, we're also seeing a cascade of extreme climate events, and scientists are warning of something even bigger.

[00:01:42]Climate models suggest a powerful warming phase may be developing in the Pacific, sometimes called a super El Niño or a Godzilla El Niño. Events like this can disrupt weather across the entire planet, bringing drought to some regions and severe flooding to others.

[00:02:00]Some scientists estimate it could temporarily push temperatures up by as much as 3° warning 2027 may become the hottest year on record. [music] In the distant past, powerful weather events may have brought Bronze Age China to its knees. The question is, are we prepared to deal with the same?