Close Encounters Of The Delusional Kind

And here they are: the top ten Close Encounters of the Third Kind, disproved, debunked and refuted:

Myth 10: Aliens Constructed the Great Pyramids

Fact: Construction methods used by the ancient Egyptians are well documented in National Geographic, as well as other places. Those ancients had a lot more on the ball than we often give them credit for.

Myth 9: – Cattle Mutilations Are The Work Of Extra-Terrestrials

Fact: These types of predation been going on for thousands of years. It is only in the last thirty that people have thought to attribute them to extra-terrestrials. In fact, close and objective study shows that these “mysterious” features can be attributed to natural decay and scavengers.

Myth 8: The U.S. Government is Hiding Alien Bodies and Technology In Area 51

Fact: The U.S. Government – especially recently – is secretive by nature. This is near the site of several old nuclear tests, and media reporter Leslie Stahl suggests it may be a dumping ground for toxic waste as well – a good enough reason to stay away.

Myth 7: The Mysterious “Crop Circles” Are Actually Alien Spacecraft Landing Sites

Fact: Like the Pacific Northwest’s bigfoot, this has been proven to be a hoax perpetrated by people with too much time on their hands.

Myth 6: The Face On Mars Was Built By an Alien Civilization

Fact: Close-up photos from different angles show that it is no more than a natural rock formation. Geology and wishful thinking can play strange tricks on the eyes.

Myth 5: The Alien Autopsy Film

Fact: See #7. The Special Effects artist who created this film confessed earlier this year.

Myth 4: Flying Saucers Are Alien Space Vehicles

Fact: This is the result of a misprint. The original reporter described what he saw as a “crescent shaped” that “flew erratic, like a saucer if you skip it across the water”—not that what he saw resembled an actual saucer. Unfortunately, the description stuck, and (see #6) people see what they want to see…

Myth 3: Alien Implants

Fact: According to Joe Nickell, who writes for the Skeptical Inquirer: “Since 1994 alleged implants have been surgically recovered but theyÂ’ve become remarkably diverse: one looks like a shard of glass, another a triangular piece of metal, still another a carbon fiber, and so on. ” See #6.

Myth 2: Alien Abductions

Fact: False memories are sometimes created in therapy by psychologists who are careless. Other research have shown that a psychological process called “sleep paralysis” can also lead to strange delusions.

Myth 1: The Roswell Incident

Fact: In the years between the end of World War II and the 40-year period of paranoia known as the “Cold War,” there was a spy program called Project Mogul. The scraps recovered by the Air Force were that of a weather balloon, and eyewitness descriptions are consistent with this. The stories of alien bodies appeared much later, and seem to be related to local folklore going back a century.

Via Space.com

And here they are: the top ten Close Encounters of the Third Kind, disproved, debunked and refuted:

Myth 10: Aliens Constructed the Great Pyramids

Fact: Construction methods used by the ancient Egyptians are well documented in National Geographic, as well as other places. Those ancients had a lot more on the ball than we often give them credit for.

Myth 9: – Cattle Mutilations Are The Work Of Extra-Terrestrials

Fact: These types of predation been going on for thousands of years. It is only in the last thirty that people have thought to attribute them to extra-terrestrials. In fact, close and objective study shows that these “mysterious” features can be attributed to natural decay and scavengers.

Myth 8: The U.S. Government is Hiding Alien Bodies and Technology In Area 51

Fact: The U.S. Government – especially recently – is secretive by nature. This is near the site of several old nuclear tests, and media reporter Leslie Stahl suggests it may be a dumping ground for toxic waste as well – a good enough reason to stay away.

Myth 7: The Mysterious “Crop Circles” Are Actually Alien Spacecraft Landing Sites

Fact: Like the Pacific Northwest’s bigfoot, this has been proven to be a hoax perpetrated by people with too much time on their hands.

Myth 6: The Face On Mars Was Built By an Alien Civilization

Fact: Close-up photos from different angles show that it is no more than a natural rock formation. Geology and wishful thinking can play strange tricks on the eyes.

Myth 5: The Alien Autopsy Film

Fact: See #7. The Special Effects artist who created this film confessed earlier this year.

Myth 4: Flying Saucers Are Alien Space Vehicles

Fact: This is the result of a misprint. The original reporter described what he saw as a “crescent shaped” that “flew erratic, like a saucer if you skip it across the water”—not that what he saw resembled an actual saucer. Unfortunately, the description stuck, and (see #6) people see what they want to see…

Myth 3: Alien Implants

Fact: According to Joe Nickell, who writes for the Skeptical Inquirer: “Since 1994 alleged implants have been surgically recovered but theyÂ’ve become remarkably diverse: one looks like a shard of glass, another a triangular piece of metal, still another a carbon fiber, and so on. ” See #6.

Myth 2: Alien Abductions

Fact: False memories are sometimes created in therapy by psychologists who are careless. Other research have shown that a psychological process called “sleep paralysis” can also lead to strange delusions.

Myth 1: The Roswell Incident

Fact: In the years between the end of World War II and the 40-year period of paranoia known as the “Cold War,” there was a spy program called Project Mogul. The scraps recovered by the Air Force were that of a weather balloon, and eyewitness descriptions are consistent with this. The stories of alien bodies appeared much later, and seem to be related to local folklore going back a century.

Via Space.com