Science vs. the Paranormal

Don't wanna take up too much room here, so I'll make this quick:

I posted an article at my Examiner page and it caused a bit of controversy in the comments section. It's called "Science vs the Paranormal." It's about the far too common problem of science looking the other way when it comes to paranormal phenomena. Feel free to check it, or any of my articles out, over at:

http://surf.to/paranormalexaminer

Did Charles Darwin Kill the Werewolf?

Fascinating!

Our pal and yours, Nick Redfern, has posted a link on his There's Something in the Woods blog to a brief ScienceDaily.com article that focuses on the topic of Darwin and Werewolves.

How are they linked, you ask?

This piece focuses on an upcoming thesis to be delivered by Brian Regal, who is the assistant professor of the history of science at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. The article reads, in part:

From the late 19th century onwards, stories of werewolf encounters tailed away significantly, says Regal. “The spread of the idea of evolution helped kill off the werewolf because a canid-human hybrid makes no sense from an evolutionary point of view,” he says. “The ape-human hybrid, however, is not only evolutionarily acceptable, it is the basis of human evolution.”

Do yourself a favor and check it out. I think he is onto something. Share your opinions below!

Feral Pigs Over at Raven's Haven

I just read a post over at our pal Raven's Mysterious Haven blog about the increasing problem of feral pigs in the state of Michigan where she lives.

Do yourself (and me) and favor and check out her story HERE. Be sure to leave her a comment with opinions on just what should be done about this porky problem.

And for an added bit of zest, she recently wrote about some strange footprints she came across while on a leisurely stroll with her daughter. Just what could these prints be from?

More on the Olsen "Champ" Video

From The Anomalist:

Vermont writer Willem Lange uses a number of cryptids in his discourse on the recent footage taken by Eric Olsen of something mysterious swimming near the shore on Lake Champlain. Many think the creature in Olsen's footage is the legendary Champ, a creature Lange says deserves better images than the cartoonish creations manufactured to depict it thus far. READ MORE...

Also:

Loren Coleman observed earlier that we should have been able to come up with a ballpark figure for the length of the creature filmed by Eric Olsen on Lake Champlain. Now, with new enhanced footage that shows the wave distribution and disturbance patterns, an estimate is available. With images and several videos. READ MORE...

Have thoughts? Post below!

Hey, Ghosts are Fortean Too, Right?

If you are interested in ghosts, would like to see video of a purported apparition, or have heard the recent story emanating from Anderson, S.C., you may find the recent post made over at our blog, "Ghosts and Haunts," intriguing.

Read the story, see the video, and come to your own conclusion. Feel free to share your opinions!

Giant Snakes in the Amazon!

Over at Raven's Mysterious Haven, she has recently posted a blog about a father and son who claim they have unearthed definitive proof that verifies Giant Snakes living in the Amazon. It may be too good to be true, but it has certainly got our attention.

Head on over to her blog, read the story, and let her know your thoughts! And I do recommend that you check back often, as Raven always has something cooking up on over at the Haven!

Cryptozoology, Zooform & Fortean phenomena

Cryptozoology is a term which was coined in the 1940’s by Ivan T. Sanderson. When breaking the term down you get “Crypto” which means hidden, “zoo” which means living being or animal and “logy” which means the study of, so the term cryptozoology simply means the study of unknown animals. So when it comes to a cryptid “the unknown animal” there is a lot of controversy on what that actually constitutes. Many believe a cryptid includes feral animals, out of place animals, mythological creatures and ghostly apparitions, but some believe this is not true. For years people have been mixing up or combining in some opinions 3 totally different phenomena, which I will get into later. Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman states that there is 3 primary subdivisions of cryptozoology.

1.) Hominology - This is the study of unknown hominoids. A hominoid is a creature that belongs to the superfamily Hominoidia, which includes apes and humans. This term also includes pongids which means pertaining to or being a great ape. We know these creatures to be Bigfoot, Yeti, Sasquatch, etc.

2.) Draconology - which is the study of lake monsters. Loren Coleman states that today this may include sea serpents and marine cryptids but by strict definition it only recognizes lake monsters.

3.) Cryptocetology - which is the study of cryptid cetaceans. A cetacean is chiefly marine mammals such as whales and dolphins.

However Loren Coleman also states that there are other categories of cryptozoology such as cryptoprimatology which is the study of unknown primates, cryptornithology which is the study of unknown birds and cryptentomology which is the study of unknown insects.

Now what a lot of people do not know is that there is another phenomena called Zooform. Zooform phenomena is a term that was coined by Jonathan Downes in the 1990’s. There is some debate if Zooform phenomena is part of cryptozoology, and I do not feel I am one that can make the call if it is or isn’t. Zooform are not even animals but entities or ghosts that resemble some sort of animal form. Creatures such as the Dover Demon, Mothman, Jersey Devil, Werewolves, etc. would be classified in this category.

Finally we come to Fortean Phenomena. This term was named after author Charles Fort, who researched and wrote about anomalous phenomena. Some of this phenomena includes fish and frogs falling from the sky, spontaneous human combustion, ball lightning, poltergeist activity, levitations, OOPArts which means out of place artifacts, etc. However there is something called Fortean Zoology. Like cryptozoology this term references unconfirmed animals. The most common sighting within Fortean Zoology are the reports of Phantom Cats aka ABC’s which means Alien Big Cats. ABC’s are large cats such as cougars which are seen in areas there are not indigenous to. Unfortunately this phenomena is still rejected by scientists because of breeding, and food source factors. They make the claim that there wouldn’t be enough ABC’s in one area to mate and reproduce, and there wouldn’t be a reliable food source for these felines to obtain. Yet despite what those magnificent scientist say the fact of the matter is on March 29th a wild cougar was spotted in Chicago Illinois. It was finally cornered close to an elementary school by police officers where is was shot and killed April 15th 2008. DNA confirmed that this ABC was from Wisconsin.

So whether or not one believes in Bigfoot, the Mothman or animals falling from the sky, I think this research deserves more respect then it gets. From 1997 to 2007 there were 1,068 new species identified and confirmed. One being a rat thought to be extinct for 11 million years, I don’t know about you but I think that’s a classic example of when a cryptid becomes recognized.

Is "Champ," the Lake Champlain Creature, Real?

Perhaps by now you are aware of the May 31st Olsen video purported by some to be the mysterious Lake Champlain creature known simply as "Champ." If not, check out the actual video, recorded by cell phone camera, by Eric Olsen HERE.

What is this moving through the water? A swimming dog? Another animal altogether? Video comparisons are available online of different animals in water. Is this a piece of driftwood floating along? Or is it indeed Champ?

For the record, Olsen himself has never attached the name Champ to his video, instead saying only that he recorded what he saw because he felt it was strange and interesting to him.

So what are your thoughts? Is this a terrific piece of video that could possibly be a huge step forward in cryptozoology and causes the history of marine biology to be rewritten? Or just another in a long line of footage that has gotten people's hopes up for nothing?

You tell us.

North American Fortean Society; Ohio Chapter

Hello friends!

We would like to inform you of some exciting news...the creators of this blog, Jason Korbus and Bobby Nelson, are the new Ohio Chapter Chairmen/Directors of the North American Fortean Society (NAFS).

In addition to their work with Phase 3 Paranormal, they will also be doing cryptozoological investigations in Ohio, as well as in the surrounding areas such as Michigan and West Virginia.

This blog will be their official reporting center, so stay tuned here and to the Official Twitter page for the NAFS Ohio branch.

Also, be sure to check out the North American Fortean Society Ohio Chapter page online.

Thanks everyone!