Scientists "see" ghosts
The reason that apparitions, bogeymen and phantoms like to lurk in the shadows may have been revealed by scientists. A team from University College London finds that when we gaze around in a poorly-lit context, it can fool our brains into seeing things that are not really there. Although no one has done a systematic study of ghosts, neuroscientists are convinced they are "all in the mind" and, in the light of the new work, it does not seem so surprising that they seem most often glimpsed in "spooky" dimly-lit circumstances...
Amazing memory man never forgets
For as long as he can remember, Brad Williams has been able to recall the most trifling dates and details about his life. News anchor Brad Williams is believed to have a "superior autobiographical memory." For example, he can tell you it was August 18, 1965, when his family stopped at Red Barn Hamburger during a road trip through Michigan. He was 8 years old at the time. And he had a burger, of course...
Elmo doll threatens to kill toddler
Elmo has a dark side, one Florida family says. It sounds like something the talking doll Chucky from the movies might say: "Kill James!" Instead, a Florida family says the threat to their toddler is coming from a talking Elmo doll...
Alien artifacts: writings
In the early 1920's a copper coin-like artifact was dredged up from a well digging at Lawn Ridge, Illinois. The strata this object came from was about 114 feet underground and the Illinois State Geological Survey confirmed that the surrounding deposits were from between 200,000 to 400,000 years old. A drawing of the "coin" was made before the actual artifact was sent to the Smithsonian Institute for safekeeping. Regrettably this object, as well as many other objects that do not fit the "official" version of history, has since vanished from the Smithsonian's care and all that is left is the drawing made of it...
Mysterious haze found on Venus
"Phantom ship" spotted by visitor
When Mathieu Giguere looked across Tatamagouche Bay in mid-January and saw a brightly lit ship it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. The 17-year-old was used to viewing late night harbour cruises on the St. Lawrence River near his home in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec but soon he realized the bay was blocked by ice causing him to question what he was staring at. "It was bright white and gold and looked like a schooner with three masts, like the Bluenose," he said...
Are Arizona firefighters trained for UFO, alien contact?
For centuries people have looked to the skies for answers. Is there life outside our solar system? Have UFO's visited our planet? Events like the March 1997 mass-sighting of strange night lights above the Valley, popularly dubbed "Phoenix Lights", have generated questions and turned skeptics into believers. A 600-page guide may lend credibility to UFO believers...
7,000-year old city found in Egypt
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) have announced the discovery of a 7,000-year-old city in the Faiyum Oasis in northern Egypt. The discovery, made public on Tuesday, comes from a team of US archaeologists working close to the Birket Qarun lake, the Lake Moeris of antiquity. This was the site of the magnificent Labyrinth, which rivalled that of Crete, according to the fifth-century BC Greek writer Herodotus...
The myth of the Million Dollar Challenge
For ten years, the modern skeptical movement has wielded a cudgel against claims of the paranormal: the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge. In many debates over the possibility of psi abilities, the Challenge provides a final word for one side..."has so-and-so applied for the Challenge?" The financial reward offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation is seen by many skeptics as providing an irresistible motivation for anybody with paranormal ability - after all, if someone could genuinely exhibit such powers, surely they would step forward to take the million?..
Mothman revisited: a tribute to John Keel
John Keel is the very definition of an UFO investigator. He didn't wait for sightings to come to him. He traveled the world in search of them. He journeyed to Egypt, the Himalayas and to India? He investigated the southeast? But his home was in New York. He loved the city but when not there he went to the far reaches of the globe in search of mystery and the unexplained...
Was giant UFO from another dimension?
The following strange intriguing story stems from numerous emails and letters I've received from readers of this column over a space of five years. Stephen Hodges now runs a successful business in Yorkshire, but he was 22 years of age in March 1977, unemployed, and squatting in a flat with no gas or electricity, atop of the St George's Heights tower-block, Everton...
Was this a close encounter with a thunderbird?
Stan Gordon: It is now approaching 49 years that I have been researching and investigating mysterious encounters in Pennsylvania. While I have an interest in all types of anomalies, I have focused on the UFO phenomena, and sightings of Bigfoot, black panthers, mountain lions, and other mystery animals. Over the years I have had some reports of what were described as huge birds with gigantic wingspans...
Lake Norman has own monster myth
Scotland is home to the world-famous Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie. But could nearby Lake Norman have a monster named Normie? Some people living along the shores of North Carolina's biggest lake suspect that some kind of strange, large creature exists beneath the surface. For years, they have told strange stories about a monster in the lake...
Never captured a bigfoot? Not so fast.. the story of Jacko reconsidered
