by Abigail Kent

The Denver International Airport has caused a lot of ruckus in the extraordinary beliefs world since day one. The airport is seen as a lot of things other than just means to travel. I am a frequenter to Colorado, and The DIA is always an interesting experience. These theories started before the airport was even built. People heard there was a new airport being built, but it was unnecessary, for there was already a fully functional, working airport just miles in to the city. A lot of people found it very unnecessary, and this is when the eyebrows started to raise. Not only was there a new airport being put in, but the airport itself is absolutely gigantic. There are a lot of people out there who believe the Nazi group the New World Order built the airport as a cover up for something much larger that hides underneath. Another big theory is that it is a building built by the Illuminati group, and then made into their headquarters. There are Masonic squares and other symbols throughout that relate to the Illuminati. There are also just a lot of weird statues and artwork in general around the airport, the most well known being the big black stallion out front with glowing red eyes, but also including gargoyle statues, pictures and artwork that include the devil or other weird, dark depictions. The information is easy to find. There are a lot of articles covering the topics, lots of newspaper articles, websites, and other good reads about the theories and possibilities that lie beneath the airport. As stated earlier, this airport has been rumored with a lot of potential conspiracies before it even went up. This means in 1995, the theories started coming out. It is still talked about today. It is important and extraordinary because there is a lot of interesting evidence or clues that very much hint towards very possible outcomes, but there is really no way for us to know for sure! This is one of those theories that a very random and big amount of people may believe in. A lot of people travel in and out of that airport, and are faced with these clues that could lead to potential belief or recognition of one of these theories. There really is not a group or anything very organized for believers, it is more a myth that runs through the minds and mouths of travelers.

There is a lot of evidence that people have found for these theories. First of all, the theory of the New World Order Group stems from some big question marks. One of these is the fact that the airport and runways are in a clear shape of a swastika. Another very weird fact is that there are a lot of plaques with “New World Airport Commission” on them. If you look up or try to find anything on New World Airport Commission, you will find nothing, because it seems to not exist. Some clues to the Illuminati theory include the classic Masonic square and compass symbol. Also, the date of the airport dedication was March 19th, 1994. If you add the numbers together (1+9+1+9+9+4) you get 33. The number 33 is considered to be perfect, and is the highest level of Masonry one can reach. There is not too much evidence against these theories, mainly because there are unexplained things like “New World Airport Commission”. There are reports that this Comission did exist back in 1994 when the airport was opened. Evidence against the Illuminati theory includes the fact that the Mason symbols are on the plaques, because they made them! It is apparently common to see them for them to be involved with something big like an airport opening. One bit of interesting evidence with no real proof against it, is the $2 billion they went over budget with. There were five building made that all individually got messed up somehow, so instead of removing them, they buried the buildings. This sounds like the means to a very nice hidden underground area.

I do not believe that the people are totally misinformed. I see this situation as more of a lack of evidence deal, so people are kind of left to fill in the blanks and wonder. This is when the thoughts can go as far as possible. With all the weird oddities, artwork, unexplained things like the budget going over so much, etc., the human mind almost naturally just gets curious and wonders. Even with evidence disproving all of the potential theories, there are still just a lot of unexplained things that leave people thinking. It is not so much misinformed as it is curious and solution seeking. All of the things in the airport, the apocalyptic artwork, the horse with red glowing eyes, the gargoyles, symbols, all contribute to this belief system. These are all weird and somewhat unusual things to find in an airport of all places. A lot of the believers are from all over the world, seeing as the place of interest is a heavily trafficked international airport. Social influences that help to sustain these beliefs are the fact that the artwork and symbolism remain, and new or old travelers come to the airport, either being introduced or reminded of the oddities there.

The Denver international Airport is home to some intense conspiracy theories. Travelers from all over the world go through this airport and are faced with oddities that you usually would not see elsewhere. At first glance, the airport seems to just have some funky decor, but to others who look closer, they see potential hidden meaning or clues to something far more than just an airport. With unexplained reasoning as to why they needed an new airport, to the $2 billion over budget, the weird apocalyptic and satanic paintings, people often leave scratching their heads over one of the many extraordinary beliefs about the place. People believe things anywhere from the airport being built by the Nazi group, to there being satanic meaning behind things, but with no concrete evidence, or even with it, people still fill in those blanks and came up with some pretty insane possibilities.

by Sarah Hutchinson 

Belief in the Loch Ness Monster dates back nearly 1500 years, holding global fascination and drawing a large fan base even today as people continue to watch for the creature affectionately nicknamed “Nessie.” The belief, which has many variations, is that there is a large, elusive creature living in the murky depths of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Many theories have been given, including those that this creature may be a still-existing prehistoric animal such as a plesiosaur, an elephant squid, or a beast so unique that it has no comparison. There are Nessie believers spanning the globe, with many websites and Loch Ness watcher groups dedicated to proving in the monster’s existence. Nessie has been featured in countless newspaper articles, as well, and several documentaries have been made featuring the search for the truth.

Believers use mainly the sheer volume of reported sightings as the main evidence for the validity of their case. Averaging 20 sightings per year since the 1960s, and dating back hundreds of years in stories, legends, and accounts, it is a staggering amount of attention that has been paid to this particular area. Some of the most convincing comes from the Picts, a tribe that occupied the Highlands in the 1st century A.D. Known for their love of animals and attention to detail when representing them, they are responsible for stone carvings in the area. All of their carvings are of recognizable animals, except on, which represents a strange creature resembling our current image of the monster. On the other hand, critics often cite the lack of concrete evidence as proof that the creature does not exist. Of the many photos submitted of the monster, all can be explained a way as an ordinary object mistaken for the legend or a hoax. If fact, there have been many altered photos of the creature, severely discrediting the reputations of Nessie believers, and the most iconic photo of the Loch Ness Monster, submitted by R. Kenneth Wilson, a respected surgeon, was proven to be a hoax in the 90s. Even footprints have been faked using a hippopotamus foot. Another factor both for and against the claim is the ecology of the loch itself. Large and murky, the body of water is hard to explore and offers low visibility. Despite sonar explorations, other than a few more enhanced photographs and ambiguous sonar readings, nothing has ever been found searching the loch. However, one could also argue that it would be quite easy to conceal the beast in those conditions.

The main cognitive contribution to this belief is pareidolia. Defined as seeing patterns in random data, pareidolia is a way to describe the phenomenon of misinterpreting a log as a monster floating in the water. Often perception can be distorted, especially if the loch is giving off steam on a cold day or if the water is choppy, and pre-existing beliefs or ideas, such as the concept of the monster lurking in the water, can affect how one’s brain interprets the data it is taking in. In poor conditions or if one is not paying close enough attention, a swimming animal, floating debris, or another unexpected object can look like the hump of a sea serpent.

Cultural aspects of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster make it unlikely that the legend will ever completely die. Because the legend has been around for so long, it has become permanently tied to Loch Ness, and Scotland in general. It is tied to the culture and is an important part of the area’s history. Because of this, it is likely that sightings will continue to be reported as a result of pareidolia and a persisting belief in the monster. Furthermore, Nessie believers often come from respected communities, such as doctors or engineers, giving more perceived weight to their testimonials. These people are fascinated with the idea of a mystery to be uncovered, which is half the fun of a belief of this type. Because of this, despite a lack of concrete evidence, their insistence that it is possible that the Loch Ness Monster exists isn’t likely to be dampened.

Overall, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster is a fun one. It offers little harm to society and a lot of intrigue to a large body of water, and while it has sparked a lot of debate, it remains somewhat of a cultural icon. It is an interesting example of folklore brought into the modern era, and of the effects of storytelling on the mind. Sightings will continue to take place, and so will hoaxes; the question is whether Loch Ness really does have uncovered secrets in its depths.

Websites Used in Research:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41997932/2017-has-been-a-record-year-for-sightings-ofthe-loch-ness-monster

https://www.history.com/topics/loch-ness-monster

http://www.visitinvernesslochness.com/explore/myths-and-legends.aspx

http://www.nessie.co.uk

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/photos-of-the-loch-ness-monster-revisited/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/04/google-joins-the-search-for-the-lochness-monster/390906/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/legend-loch-ness.html

by Thang Tran

Throughout history there have been several great monument or structures built all over the world where the fact that it exists is worthy enough of praise. These are things such the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, The pyramids, and the Colossus of Rhodes. However, these monuments have stood the test of time and are stable enough to visit or examine closely with major detail. The subject of this blog post is about a far lesser feat of Crop Circles. Crop circles are flattened parts of crops fields that make a shape where from a distance, makes a strange pattern that are believed to be landing sites for alien life or messages sent to us. These started when two men in the 1970s were inspired by flying saucer sighting and decided to make their interpretation of that to fool he masses (Margry and Roodenberg, 2007). Information can be found about these circles can be found in several interviews with the ones who’ve made them and are documented in pictures from all around the world. People that may believe in these circles being other worldly may be tourist, alien enthusiasts, and spiritual people that may think these circles have abilities. These circles have been showing up in several fields since this time and have grown more complicated as the years progressed.

The facts have shown that these circles are real and do exist from time to time. It is their origin that is up for debate for some individuals. The main reason why people do not believe that they could have been made by human is because of their complexity and the scale of how large they are to see their whole pattern. However, time and time have shown that no matter how complex some of these circles are, there are ones that do show up and claim credit to what they did and how did it like the original hoaxers did it in the 1970s and have been known to have copycats across the years.

The major cognitive factor that plays into people that legitimately believe that crop circles are otherworldly are most likely people just not taking into Occam’s razor and believing forces outside our grasp are making them rather just people making them with careful planning and tools. There are also people that look for circles just for the intricacies of the circles and do not believe in the alien aspect and love the art of the circle itself. They may not be misinformed, just not believing of the human ability to try to trick others. There are some people who just do not believe in simple logic vs. other worldly powers.

A part of the social contribution to the belief might be the general belief of alien invader or visitors inspiring the shape of their vessels and the shapes of the circles as well. The time of the original crop circles in the 1970s could have been context as to why the news of the circles spread around like wildfire. Even if it was proven multiple times that pranksters have done them, it gives attention to the farmlands in general so the farmers benefit from them.

Over the recent years the focus of the crop circles being made by aliens have died down throughout the years. Most crop circles have just been spectacles and works of art rather than the supernatural. There are also cultural reasons that are associated with other crop circles in countries outside the United States, these reasons may come from old stories, religion or other myths of the land that aren’t aliens. People in the United States in particular deal overcomplexity with the matter and that is where most of the modern believers of the source of crop circles are.

References

Peter Jan Margry; Herman Roodenburg (2007). Reframing Dutch Culture: Between Otherness and Authenticity. Progress in European Ethnology (illustrated ed.). Ashgate Publishing. pp. 150–51.

by Tyea Miller-Ruble

Some people believe the U.S. moon landings either weren’t real or happened later than NASA and our government claim. These people think that rather than actually go to the moon the United States filmed a fake moon landing in a movie studio and made it look like the real thing. The United States supposedly landed on the moon in 1969 when many scientists worked hard to get us to the moon before Russia. Due to the race between Russia and the United States over who would make it to the moon first some people think the United States faked our first moon landing so we could win the space race. Other people take this a little farther in believing that the United States didn’t just fake the first moon landing but that all moon landings claimed by the United States since then are also fake. Some reasons for this belief other than the space race are that NASA was worried about losing its reputation and funding and also to distract the public from the Vietnam War which was very unpopular at the time. Theories about the moon landing being faked started in the 1970s and are still popular theories today. While only about 6% of Americans believe the moon landing was fake this still translates into millions of people who believe that a man has never walked on the moon. This 6% also only includes people who totally deny the moon landing every happened, there are plenty more people who have their doubts about the landing but are unsure of whether it happened or not.

People who believe the moon landing was fake give several explanations for why they believe the landing wasn’t real. One of the reasons that is often brought up is that astronauts couldn’t have made it through the Van Allen belts due to the radiation that is omitted. There is a lot of radiation coming from these two belts and it was thought that there was no way a spaceship could make it through here on the way to the moon without being fried by the radiation. While this theory does make sense, during the Apollo 11 moon landing NASA timed the voyage so that the radiation was at its lowest, allowing the ship to pass through the belts with little radiation. Another claim people make to prove that the moon landing was fake is that the flag in the video clip from the moon is waving which should be impossible since there is no air on the moon. Again, this claim makes sense since the flag shouldn’t be waving on the moon but if you look closely at the video it isn’t waving. The flag actually stays stationary in the moon landing video, it appears to be moving because there is a horizontal stick stuck into the top of the flag to make it stick out so you can see the whole flag. While people make interesting points as to why the moon landing is fake there is a decent amount of evidence saying otherwise. Many people have pointed out that while it may not seem that way it actually would have been harder for NASA to fake the moon landing then to actually go to the moon. In 1969 there wasn’t the technology to fake a moon landing and have it look as realistic as it did. Not only did they not have the technology to fake the landing but they also would have had to keep thousands of people quiet about it. There were thousands of people working on the moon landing and if it would have been faked they would have had to somehow keep all of those people from telling anyone about it which would have been nearly impossible. On top of this we have sent unmanned space crafts to the moon to take pictures since the landing and you can still see the astronauts footprints and the American flag on the moon.

Some research has been done on why people don’t believe the moon landing really happened and why people believe other conspiracy theories. This research found that a lot of these people believe this without having a lot of information to back it up because their lack of trust in authority. These people tend to just not want to believe what their being told by the government. Conspiracy theory belief has also been linked to the rejection of science. Studies found that people who reject science such as climate change also tend to believe in conspiracy theories. I think both of these things play a role in why people don’t believe the moon landing really happened. Many people who believe the moon landing was faked seem to nit pick at the video of the landing trying to find things that could cause it to be fake and ignore contradictory evidence when presented to them. It seems like despite being presented with scientific evidence showing that the landing did in fact happen that the idea is still rejected possibly because these people don’t believe in our government to give us truthful information. It’s also possible that people have trouble believing the moon landing was real because it was such a major accomplishment for the United States at the time, it was something no one had ever managed to do before and it may have seemed unreal that we actually did it.

I think part of the reason that this belief has continued to be around since the 70s is because of the media. Since the moon landing there have been many documentaries made about how the moon landing is fake. There have even been stories on news channels such as Fox News showing videos and presenting theories about how it’s possible that the moon landing never really happened. When major news outlets are showing things like this on television I think its easy for people to keep believing that they’re true and for new people to start believing them. Its actually been shown that there are many young people who weren’t even alive for the moon landing that don’t believe it was real due to the things they’re hearing on television and reading on the internet.

Overall I believe most of the people that deny the moon landing are people who don’t typically believe in science and that don’t have respect for authority. Some people that don’t believe in the moon landing may also be misinformed but a few google searches and you can find a decent amount of information proving that the moon landing did in fact happen. What’s been shown by research and what I believe to be true is that people who choose not to believe in the moon landing do so because they distrust our government and scientists and therefore don’t want to believe what they tell them. It’s easy for them to continue believing these things when they can find other likeminded individuals online that back up their beliefs and also when documentaries and news outlets are reaffirming their beliefs.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories

http://news.gallup.com/poll/3712/landing-man-moon-publics-view.aspx

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moon-landing-faked-why-people-believe-conspiracy-theories/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/news/a28814/moon-landing-faking/

https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/know-moon-landing-really-happened/

by Julia Strand

Essential Oil therapy, also known as aromatherapy, is a form of therapy that uses natural essences that are taken from plants in an aromatic form. Aromatherapy is believed to be used for multiple purposes such as physiological and psychological factors. Aromatherapy became popular in 1937 when Rene-Maurice Gatteforsse, who was a French perfumer and chemist, set the foundation for the term “Arimatherapie”. Arimatherapie is a term that references the therapeutic application of the essential oils that are used for holistic purposes in the form of healing. India, France, England and the United States are the most common countries to find aromatherapy practiced in, as well as many other countries. Information for aromatherapy is readily available in multiple forms considering its history and commonality. Aromatherapy is considered important because of both the physiological and psychological healing benefits that people claim come from the process. Aromatherapy is considered extraordinary because of the explanations of why the essential oils are considered to be healing.

In addition to essential oils, aromatherapy also consists of carrier oils, absolutes, herbal distillates, vaporizer oils, and phytocides. Because of the additional factors that partake in aromatherapy, it leads more people to believe in greater effects. The people who believe in aromatherapy claim to have improved moods, change in cognitive states, and even supplement for medicine. Although aromatherapy is not scientifically supported, the difference that individuals feel in their overall health is what carries the support for aromatherapy. Aromatherapy not being scientifically supported carries a huge weight, as that affects it not being accessible in a lot of medical aspects. Although there are ways around it, and not every medical field agrees, aromatherapy can only be looked at to a certain point because of its lack of scientific evidence.

A major cognitive contribution to the belief of aromatherapy would be the placebo effect. People who use aromatherapy want to believe that it actually works, therefore, they are going to feel as though positive outcomes are because of the aromatherapy. People who come to believe in aromatherapy can be misinformed as well as misinterpreting evidence. Depending on the individual need, an aromatherapist can recommend a single oil or a blend of oils to such individual. The person relaying the information could misinform the individual. The individual could also be getting their evidence from all sorts of websites and resources and self-diagnosing themselves. In that sense, misinterpreting what they are reading could easily mislead them into what they are believing.

There are many social and contextual factors that contribute to the belief of aromatherapy. Social factors like religion and income could contribute to this belief. In terms of religion, being opened to aromatherapy benefiting you spiritually makes a difference. Aromatherapy is also a lot cheaper than other medications, therefore, lower income individuals could contribute to the idea of aromatherapy as an alternative medicine. The setting also greatly contributes to this belief. Being in a doctor’s office, partaking in massage therapy, to being in a store that sells aromas. Taking into considerations that the belief of aromatherapy is so wide spread, the community of believers come from all over the world. Aromatherapy has made itself attractive to a vast community of people, which also helps its social influences. With it being worldwide and commonly used, it is easy to keep it going and up to date.

Aromatherapy is a psychologically appealing idea to others in the way it offers comfort to the discomfort they are experiencing. It gives them something to hope for, something to put the unknown in. The more people who use aromatherapy, and the more people who see others partake in it, the more it is going to influence the people around them. Aromatherapy is also something that is a fad right now, which also makes people feel as though they are fitting in and are on top of the cultural ways.

Works Cited:

https://naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/about-aromatherapy/what-is-aromatherapy

https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/benefits-of-aromatherapy.html

https://draxe.com/what-is-aromatherapy/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10884.php

by Joy Pan

When you think of famous celebrities, politicians, and leaders of the world it’s hard to believe that they are normal human beings like us; they just seem to be bigger and better than the average person. But what if they weren’t humans at all? What if they were actually fifteen-feet tall reptilian-like shape shifters from outer space who came to Earth and took slowly took over our governments and entertainment industry for the sole purpose of enslaving the human race? These reptiles control us by creating wars and mindless entertainment to keep us distracted. Famous reptiles include Queen Elizabeth II, the Bush Family, CEOs, global banking leaders, and even celebrities like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry. These reptiles also are believed to make up the Illuminati and can take on human forms by creating vibrations that give us the illusion that they are human. It seems like something that would be in a science-fiction movie, but in reality many people actually believe this wild conspiracy theory. This theory first become popular in 1998 after a man named David Icke published his book called The Biggest Secret and remains popular today. Along with the book information about this theory is also widely available on the Internet from YouTube videos to conspiracy theory forums and news articles. What makes this belief extraordinary is that it suggests that there are alien shape-shifters roaming our planet and controlling us normal humans.

The basis the “Reptilian Elite” theory is that in ancient times a group of advanced reptiles from the Alpha Draconis star system came to Earth and infiltrated the governments of the ancient civilizations in order to control all the humans and enslave them and became their rulers and bred with other humans to form crossbreeds so that their DNA can infiltrate the minds of humans. With their DNA inside our systems they can control us by making us dumber, slower, and weaker and therefore easier to control. Evidence for this reptilian DNA in us comes from the fact that in the early stages, developing embryos look a lot like reptiles and could be classified as such. Furthermore, the oldest parts of our brain which control the most primal functions and instincts is called the “reptilian brain” because it is made of of the structures that the reptilian brain consists of which are the brainstem and cerebellum. However, these could just be the result of the fact that we originally evolved from reptiles as they were the first animals that existed on earth so naturally we would have parts of our body that are similar to theirs. Another piece of evidence for this theory comes from the fact that many religions in ancient civilizations depict some sort of reptilian god or goddess which supports David Icke’s theory that these reptilian beings once ruled in the open and created impossible structures such as the Pyramids of Egypt. Although this may make sense at first, it is easily debunked because ancient civilizations also had gods that took form of other animals aside from reptiles such as the ancient Egyptian god Anubis who is depicted as a man with a jackal head. A more recent piece of evidence for this theory comes from a video of Justin Bieber in which his eyes seem to shift and turn reptile-like. Believers of this conspiracy explain that this is because it is hard for these reptiles to keep their true selves hidden through the camera, but if this was the case and the influence of the Reptilian Elite was so pervasive then we could see many more instances of celebrities shape-shifting on camera. This could have simply been the result of a glitch or camera malfunction.

Although there is no real scientific evidence or much evidence at all for this theory; there is an incredible amount of people who actually believe that this is true – 12 million Americans to be exact and even more people worldwide. How can so many people really believe something that seems so ridiculous? Once reason could stem from extreme cognitive dissonance: these people want to believe that human beings are inherently good and just, but with all the wars and destruction and evil in the world is causes cognitive dissonance because it shows that people aren’t really good but instead of accepting that fact, they blame it on some other species, “we humans wouldn’t do something like this, it must be the evil reptiles that are controlling us making us do such evil things.” Another factor in sustaining this belief is the fact that believers of this theory can retreat to the supernatural when people challenge it. When people ask for evidence for the existence of these reptilians, theorists can simply say that we can’t see them because they have the ability to control our minds to make them think that they are humans making this claim unfalsifiable so that they essentially cannot be disproved. Furthermore, confirmation bias plays a large role in sustaining these beliefs because they will interpret anything that could potentially be evidence as hard proof in their beliefs.

Many believers of this theory come from groups of conspiracy theorists who believe in many other conspiracy theories. When people believe one crazy conspiracy theory it becomes easier and easier for them to believe in more theories, because once someone has accepted the possibility of one irrational belief then it is easier to rationalize other ones. Social influences that could help them sustain this belief come from the abundance of science fiction novels, movies, and TV shows which open people up to the possibility of other worldly creatures that they may not have had before.

This theory is probably one of the most extreme and far out conspiracy theories that exist and it seems impossible for people to actually believe in something like this, but such an incredibly large amount of people do. This can be explained by some cognitive contributions such as cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias, but it seems that these people since they many of them also believe in many other conspiracy theories it seems like they have an extreme sense of paranoia about the world and the government that could be caused by some underlying psychological problem.

Sources:

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1860871_1860876_1861029,00.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilians

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/12-million-americans-believe-lizard-people-run-our-country/316706/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awMdxKB5s1Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLop4NUxsQs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4POCqi-1jM

by Meg Suttle

The Skull of Doom is one of the more infamous, well-known crystal skulls that exists. For those of you who don’t know, crystal skulls are stone carvings of human skulls that are said to have originated from the lost city of Atlantis, and the skulls possess various magic powers. Skulls known as “skull masks” or “death heads” are often what these skulls are modeled after, and these artifacts typically were products of cultures like the Aztecs. The true believers claim that while there are infinite replicas of these crystal skulls in various types of stone, the powerful crystal skulls have no known creators and are one of a kind. The Skull of Doom is considered “the most famous crystal skull” (Carroll skeptic’s dictionary). Mitchell-Hedges wrote in his book, Danger My Ally, the skull of doom is said to have been used in a death ritual that could be cast upon a victim by the high priest of the indigenous people. The story behind the Skull of doom is that in 1927, (this date differs depending on the website) a man by the name of F.A. Mitchel-Hedges was adventuring through the “Mayan ceremonial center at Lubaantun, Belize” (Haughton) also known as the place of the fallen stones. While exploring the grounds, Mitchel-Hedges and his daughter found the skull under what appeared to be sacrificial alter. According to Brian Haughten’s article, The Crystal Skull of Doom, no news was given about the skull until after the skull’s jaw had been found months later. Mitchell-Hedges claims that after the missing jaw piece was located, he unveiled his original finding to the native people and they gifted him the part of the jaw because of his amazing discovery. Mitchell-Hedges also claims that the skull of doom was 3,600 years old and took over 150 years to create even though there is no evidence of this ancient creation.

This claim is surrounded by so much doubt, for multiple reasons. No writings, newspaper articles, or journal entries were written about the skull of doom until 1954, which is twenty-seven years after the fact. According to publication of the Archaeological Institute of America, a gallery owner by the name of Sidney Burney went on record saying she sold Mitchell-Hedges the skull and that’s why there is no written evidence of the skull since the 1930’s. Anna Mitchell-Hedges continued her father’s life work by displaying the skull of doom and spreading its story. She even went so far as to have a crystal carver named Frank Dorland examine the skull to prove its authenticity. After examination, Dorland said that the skull had the power of scrying, so its onlookers could gaze into the crystal and see the past, present, and future, and could emit light depending on the earth’s orbit. Another examination at the Hewlett-Packard lab supports their claim that the crystal was cut “against the grain” and to do so would make the crystal shatter (Haughton). The lack of microscopic scratches from a metal tool provides further evidence true believers say, because the best guess as to how it was cut, was through a silicon, sand, and water solution that would take “up to 300 years for a man to complete” (skeptics Dictionary). The Skull of Doom isn’t the only of its kind to surface with claims of magical powers and ancient origins. Researchers at the Smithsonian have examined over thirteen crystal skulls, including the Skull of Doom, and have concluded the skulls were made in Germany within the last 150 years explaining they couldn’t have been made with tools available to the indigenous people thousands of years ago (skeptics dictionary.)

With all of the evidence against the Skull of Doom, it’s hard to believe how true believers can really get behind this belief. People, like Mitchell-Hedges and his daughter Anna, had a lot to gain by believing in the Skull of Doom’s mystical powers. Along with the notoriety, Mitchell-Hedges was able to get multiple books and papers published about the topic. After his passing, his daughter Anna made some money off of the belief that this ancient artifact possessed magical and deadly powers (Carroll). I believe that people other than the Mitchell-Hedges fall victim to believing in the Skull of Doom’s powers due to appeals to authority. Some believe that if you are published, your writing has to be true. Mitchell-Hedges had written a book and published articles about his findings, so some of the general public and “New Agers” could fall victim more easily. The Frank Dorland examination could also be an appeal to authority because the average person wouldn’t know anything about the process of cutting a crystal. If one was told by a crystal carver that a crystal shouldn’t be able to be cut in the way that it is, and it should take someone hundreds of years to cut, they are probably going to be more likely to believe it given the novelty of the subject. Given the right circumstances, anyone can believe an extraordinary belief, even one as crazy as this one.

The group of people that qualify as true believers for this extraordinary belief are known as “New Agers”. The All About Spirituality website defined the term “New Ager” as a big blanket label for a grouping of eastern influenced western beliefs. “New Agers” tend to detest the label of being a religion and prefer to be thought of as a collection of theologies and a mind body connection. Their mission is to bring peace and enlightenment to all of the earth’s people and are often connected to mythical and magical beliefs such as the crystal skulls. Many of the “New Agers” believe the crystal skulls were created by aliens in the lost city of Atlantis and dispersed throughout the world (Carroll).

Due to factors like retreats to authority and the passing of traditions, the legend of the skull of doom lives on. I definitely think this is an extraordinary belief that is continuously losing followers due to the overwhelming amount of evidence against it. “New Agers” continue the belief on as a means of supporting their other beliefs like the existence of the lost city of Atlantis. No matter how much evidence exists to the contrary, true believers will insist the skull of doom is ancient and have the power to cause enemies to die.

http://brian-haughton.com/crystal-skull-of-doom/

https://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/mitchell_hedges/facts.html

http://skepdic.com/crystalskull.html

https://www.allaboutspirituality.org/new-age.htm

by Sara Pierce

In short, UFO phenomenon has only grown in its popularity. With how it has impacted so many communities all across the world as a way to explain our seemingly mysterious experiences, in many ways, it can be thought of as a new, modern religion. Through government mistakes, the embracing of recovering false memory as a legitimate therapeutic tool, and through developments of media, it is no wonder why these phenomenon has such a tight grasp on so many people.  

i Kripal, J. J. (2018, April 5). Biological Gods: Science (Fiction) and Some Emergent Mythologies. Lecture presented at Taking the UFO Phenomenon Seriously, that is, Religiously in OH, Columbus.

ii Pasulka, D.W. (2018, April 5). The Incarnational Technological Sacred: The Case of the Crashed UFO Artifact. Lecture presented at Taking the UFO Phenomenon Seriously, that is, Religiously in OH, Columbus.

iii Drinkwater, K., & Dagnall, N. (2017, February 04). Science might be able to explain UFO sightings and alien abductions. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from http:// http://www.newsweek.com/science-can-explain-ufos-sighting-alien-abductions-550149

iv Pasulka, D. W. (2016). “The Fairy Tale is True”: Social Technologies of the Religious Supernatural in Film and New Media. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 84(2), 530-547. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfw018

by Ashton Schneider

Spontaneous human combustion is a phenomenon where a living or deceased person suddenly begins to catch fire and burn from the inside out, despite the supposed lack of an ignition source. Most often, only the person themselves appears to be consumed by the fire, with the exception of the hands and feet, which remain behind unburned. The rest of the room in which the event occurs, as well as most of the objects in it, are untouched by the flames. In the cases in which the victim was presumed to be alive at the moment of ignition, it appears that the fire started so quickly that they were simply unable to escape the blaze.₃,₅

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) has been around for hundreds of years. It is first mentioned as an explanation for the death of an italian knight in the 1400’s, who suddenly burst into flames after consuming alcohol.₇ In fact, alcoholism or intoxication as well as being elderly and female are common factors in many SHC cases.₅ Several explanations have been proposed in order to articulate how this phenomenon might occur. One such explanation was proposed by a man named Larry E. Arnold, engineer and director of ParaScience International*, and suggests that the cause must be a new subatomic particle called the pyrotron that somehow interacts with human tissue to cause an explosion.₁

If this explanation isn’t setting off your baloney detector, you might want to get that recalibrated. The assertion of the existence of an entirely new particle with no evidence whatsoever of said existence seems like a bit much to me. The pains that physicists go through to establish the existence of particles is no trivial matter. The total estimated cost of finding the Higgs boson was somewhere in the ballpark of 13.25 billion dollars.₆ If a new particle really does exist this would be of great interest not only to physicists but also to each and everyone of us as these particles are responsible for a fair number of deaths; the most recent of which that I was able to find happened in 2015.₄

The circumstances surrounding SHC are very peculiar, the lack of an ignition source as well as the relatively contained nature of the blaze itself make it seem reasonable to assert that something strange must be going on. It’s easy to imagine that some type of chemical reaction that takes place within the body might be responsible for the ignition or could, at the very least, make a person more flammable. It could certainly explain why the fire was so localized. Despite statements about there being a lack of an ignition source many cases referred to as SHC cases actually do have an ignition source. The most common culprits are things like lit cigarettes, lamps, or candles. These details are simply conveniently left out of the story as it is passed on.₅ Afterall, a mysterious fire makes for a much more impressive story than an easily explained one. Arnold combats this little factoid with an entirely new assertion that the bodies still burn much faster than a body should. He claims that the body’s cells somehow enter a state of increased flammability termed “preternatural combustibility”.₂ A claim that also is asserted with no scientific evidence to back it.

The most popular explanation that is grounded in science is referred to as the “wick effect” theory. This theory posits that when something like a cigarette falls onto clothing worn by the intoxicated or already dead victim it will catch the clothing on fire and scorch a small section of skin exposing the fat underneath. This fat then melts and soaks into the fabric of the clothing creating a sort of wick, thus turning the persons body into a candle of sorts. Because hands and feet have less fat, these don’t provide enough fuel to allow for their consumption by the flame so they are all that is left behind.₅

Multiple cognitive and social factors are at play in the creation and maintenance of this belief. First and foremost, Arnold is a mechanical and electrical engineer and as such is educated in areas such as physics and occupies a position of authority. This higher social position may be something that believers find convincing when evaluating his explanation. Secondly, reliance on information from anecdote as opposed to the original case files when evaluating the stories of these deaths, certainly plays a role in the maintenance of this belief. In a similar vein, confirmation bias also plays its role as well. As stories of SHC are passed on details such as there actually being an ignition source present are left out and reasonable explanations ignored because they don’t agree with what people already believe. In cases where an ignition source is actually not found to be present, instead of allowing these cases to be mysteries, the ambiguous information is twisted to be evidence of an entirely new particle. And finally, Arnold himself uses post hoc explanations when confronted with evidence that refutes an earlier explanation of his. This can be seen in his use of the new concept of “preternatural combustibility” to explain that something strange must still be going on even though there was in fact an ignition source in many of these cases.

In conclusion, as interesting as Arnold’s explanation might be, and as much as we all love a good mystery, spontaneous human combustion appears to have a much more parsimonious explanation. We don’t really need to resort to pseudoscience to explain the mysteries of the world, no matter who presents them to us. Authority and a degree are not sufficient in the absence of good scientific evidence. If nothing else the strange cases of SHC can be a good lesson in the concept of parsimony: When given two theories that both explain the same phenomenon equally well, the simpler of the two is preferred.₉

*ParaScience International is a group that studies phenomena that seem to contradict traditional science.

Sources:

1. Larry E. Arnold’s Website: (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2018, from http://www.parascience.com/ablaze.htm

2. Not-So-Spontaneous Human Combustion (Joe Nickell): Nickell, J. (n.d.). Not-So-Spontaneous Human Combustion. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.csicop.org/si/show/not-so-spontaneous_human_combustion

3. Video: Spontaneous Combustion. (2017, June 26). Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKgi_ikYOQw

4. Most recent case: Gander, K. (2015, November 10). Spontaneous Human Combustion:

5 apparent instances that no one can explain. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/spontaneous-huma n-combustion-woman-who-suffered-burns-in-germany-spurs-debate-about-controversiala6722166.html 5. Wiki page: Spontaneous human combustion. (2018, April 10). Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_human_combustion

6. Knapp, A. (2012, July 11). How Much Does It Cost To Find A Higgs Boson? Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/05/how-much-does-it-cost-to-find-a-hig gs-boson/#7fbc819b3948

7. Inglis-Arkell, E. (2011, November 04). 10 Cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://io9.gizmodo.com/5855700/10-cases-of-spontaneous-human-combustion

8. Watson, S. (2018, March 08). How Spontaneous Human Combustion Works. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/shc1.htm

9. Occam’s razor. (2018, April 11). Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam’s_razor

by Halima Mohamed

Pizzagate is a conspiracy that grew in popularity during the 2016 presidential race and it suggested that a Pizzeria in Washington DC known as Comet Ping Pong was the home of a child sex ring run by Hillary Clinton along with her campaign manager John Podesta and many other democrats. There are many variations of this conspiracy, but it is centered around many people involved in the Democratic Party being responsible for a large governmental child sex ring which intends to sexually abuse small children and sell them into sex trafficking as part of the New World Order.

This conspiracy gained significant media attention after a man named Edgar Welch travelled from North Carolina to Washington DC with an assault rifle, in order to confront the employees of the store. The origins of the conspiracy are unknown but they seem to have began in October of 2016 after several Twitter users claimed that former democratic congressman Anthony Weiner’s computer was recovered by the FBI and that there is evidence on that laptop that Weiner was involved in a child sexual abuse. Weiner was under investigation for sexting a child at the time.It was reported that many supporters of Donald Trump suggested that Weiner was not the only one committing these acts and that many other democrats were involved.

The conspiracy continued to gain momentum, after emails from the Democratic National Committee were leaked by WikiLeaks one month before the election. When the emails were published, users of popular forum sites including a reddit forum dedicated to  Donald Trump, began searching for evidence of the child sex ring in the emails, and suggested that the emails were written in a code.Many participants began commenting on what some words might be code for by connecting words like “cheese pizza” for example, as code for “child poronography” becuase the initials for both were “c.p.”, or the word “pizza” being code for “girl”. Once pizza was connected to the theory, believers began to focus all their attention on potential locations in Washington DC where the sex ring might be taking place, and they zeroed in on Comet Ping Pong after discovering an email exchange between John Podesta and James Alefantis, the owner of the pizzeria and concluded that the crimes were taking place in the basement of the restaurant.

Following this discovery a number of people began harassing the restaurant’s employees along with several other businesses in that area and on December 4th 2016 , Edgar Welch who brought a military style rifle and a handgun to the restaurant, and fired the rifle inside the pizzeria. Luckily, no one was hurt but the incident led to the conspiracy gaining significant attention from the media, and a number of media outlets debunking the conspiracy.

A lot of the evidence for the conspiracy came from James Alefantis and John Podesta’s social media profiles, many claimed that there was a “secret kill room”, in reference to a picture that Alefantis posted on his social media, but the picture was of a walk in freezer for a property Alefantis was considering purchasing. There was also a side by side comparison of John Podesta and his brother Tony Podesta to a police sketch of a person wanted for the abduction of Madeleine Mccann,  theorists suggesting that they were responsible for her abduction. A number of organizations have discredited the theory including the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and most major new sites, but theorists believe that these organizations are also involved in the sex ring.

This conspiracy is extraordinary because it is completely baseless and there is no physical evidence of any of the claims. There seems to be political motivations for this theory, especially since it is so close to the election, and because the many of the creators of the theory were from an extreme fringe of the right wing, the theory might have confirmed some other things that people already believe about liberal elites. It also largely relies on people’s distrust of the government and leans on many already existing theories surrounding the government such as the New World Order and conspiracy theories the Clinton family.

It is thought that people tend to believe conspiracy theories due to a lack of control over their life or finding new ways to blame others for their issues. According to a 2017 study, published in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology journal, around 42% of people without a high school diploma believe in conspiracies and only 23% of people who have a postgraduate degree, it was also found that the household income on average for people who tend to believe in conspiracies was around $47,193, while people who did not believe in them had an average income of $63,834. This disparity could explain why many people tend to believe in extreme and unusual theories.

Work Cited:

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/pizzagate-what-is-it-explained-hillary-clinton-paedophile-conspiracy-gunman-fake-news-a7456681.html

http://time.com/4965093/conspiracy-theories-beliefs/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/10/business/media/pizzagate.html