The latest season of Lost Cities Revealed with Albert Lin, one of the most captivating National Geographic series around, is set to enthrall audiences with its premiere on November 23, 2023. This groundbreaking series, featuring six episodes, showcases the adventurous spirit and scientific acumen of Albert Lin as he journeys to the most remote corners of our planet. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, Lin masterfully peels away the layers of time to uncover and bring to light the mysteries of ancient lost cities.

Albert Lin, the series’ star explorer, set aside a little time to discuss the new season.

What initially sparked your interest in exploring lost cities, and how did this passion lead to the creation of Lost Cities Revealed With Albert Lin?

This goes way back to my childhood, I think I was always looking for my roots.  When I was going through grad school for engineering I would take any chance I could to travel.  I quickly realized that I felt like there were parts of my own internal humanity in any culture I encountered, that I was part of a shared humanity.  Then I realized all civilizations through time have also been experiments in our human experience and can reveal more about who we are, no matter where we are from.  So right after grad school I sold everything I had and moved into my car and gave myself one year to raise money to launch my first high tech expedition into a search for the tomb of Genghis khan in Mongolia with satellites, drones. Radar, and Virtual Reality. That was the project that started it all 15 years ago.  The same approach has now taken me around the globe, and from our origins to today.    

Can you share one of the most surprising discoveries you made while filming the series and how it impacted your perspective on ancient civilizations?

On the expedition to Mexico I was able to enter into the ancient tomb of Pakal, in the heart of a Maya pyramid.  In there  I was shown glyphs that described a mythical origin city, and followed clues that described a watery world with a split mountain.  As we went deeper into the jungle our team connected with a community of living Maya.  Connecting with them I realized in their stories perspectives of their relationship to nature that felt born from ancient wisdom.  They said that everything had a soul, the trees, the rocks and the animals of the jungle.  I think much of modern civilization tries to separate humanity from nature, but from the Maya I realized in that their ancient truth was that we are a part of nature. 

The series uses some groundbreaking technology to uncover hidden ruins. Could you explain how this technology works and how it’s changing the field of archaeology?

LiDAR for archaeology is like what Xray was for medical science.  It allows us to strip away the trees and see what’s on the forest floor.  It does this by using lasers attached to planes or drones and mapping everywhere the light touches.  The trick is to take the bottom most layer and remove the rest. We also use tools like radar to look beneath the sands, and 3d modeling to rebuild the worlds in our imagination. I think years from now people will look back on this time and realize that technologies like this created a moment in history that could be thought of as a great age of discovery.    

Throughout your journeys in the series, you’ve encountered various cultures and histories. How do you ensure that you’re portraying these stories with respect and accuracy?

This is central to the heart of the show.  We spend years in research, and team up with the leading archaeologists in the world who have spent their lives dedicated to this quest.  But most importantly we work with indigenous communities and cultures for whom these are living stories.  

It’s difficult to underestimate the importance of some of the discoveries made in this series. In particular, the significance of discoveries of old Nubian Kingdom structures in Sudan extend beyond academia and are so meaningful to the country itself. Can you discuss that?

Working in active conflict zones was tricky, we got tear gassed and flash bombed in Sudan just months before war broke out there.  But working with archaeologists (both international and Sudanese) we were able to reveal a story of identity in elements of an ancient capital city buried understand that was deeply moving in a time of struggle.  Seeing it reflected in the tearful eyes of our Sudanese partners made me realize how strongly these stories impact the people whom they are from.  And in a way, I’ve come to realize we are all part of a shared humanity, so really we all share these stories.

In one of the most memorable and terrifying incidents in this series, you narrowly avoid being on the wrong end of a falling boulder. What were you thinking then and do incidents like those ever make you second-guess exploring potentially risky terrains?

Yea, that was intense,  it actually did end up crushing my leg but thankfully I already lost it in a rollover accident years ago and now have a prosthetic so I had a spare.  It was scary for sure, but so can be getting in a car to go to the store if you really think about it.  I think that these stories and these expeditions are not really a TV show for me, they are part of a long life quest to seek answers of what it means to be human.  Experiences like that do that as well at a very individual level, and what I found through it is one insight.  In life we don’t get to always choose what happens, but we do get to choose how we respond.  And I choose to dust myself off, learn, adapt, and keep exploring because its part of who I am as a human..  

Looking forward to future explorations, are there specific lost cities or regions you are eager to investigate, and what do you hope to uncover there?

 I think after almost one and a half decades of expeditions around the globe and through time I have started to see connections in our ancient humanity that feel fundamental.  I hope to start to truly connect the dots… Follow me on @exploreralbert on socials and go to www.exploreralbert.com to sign up for updates and follow what’s coming next.

IMAGE CREDIT: National Geographic for Disney/Solomon Taan

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