A Scientist Says He's Solved the Bermuda Triangle, Just Like That
An Australian scientist says probabilities are the leading cause of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. And he's not the only one.
Add in suspect weather, and iffy plane and boat piloting, and Karl Kruszelnicki believes there's no reason to believe in the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon.
While the conspiracy of the Bermuda Triangle has existed for decades, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Lloyd's of London has long championed the same ideas.
Pick any one of the more than 50 ships or 20 planes that have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle in the last century. Each one has a story without an ending, leading to a litany of conspiracy theories about the disappearances in the area, marked roughly by Florida, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles.
Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki doesn't subscribe to the Bermuda Triangle's supernatural reputation. Neither does the United States' own National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Both have been saying for years that there's really no Bermuda Triangle mystery. In fact, the loss and disappearance of ships and planes is a mere fact of probabilities.
'There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean,' NOAA wrote in 2010.
And since 2017, Kruszelnicki has been saying the same thing. He told The Independent that the transparent volume of traffic—in a tricky area to navigate, no less—shows 'the number [of ships and planes] that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.' He says that both Lloyd's of London and the U.S. Coast Guard support that idea. In fact, as The Independent notes, Lloyd's of London has had this same theory since the 1970s.
NOAA says environmental considerations can explain away most of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances, highlighting the Gulf Stream's tendency towards violent changes in weather, the number of islands in the Caribbean Sea offering a complicated navigation adventure, and evidence that suggests the Bermuda Triangle may cause a magnetic compass to point to true north instead of magnetic north, causing for confusion in wayfinding.
'The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea,' NOAA says. 'Their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction.'
Kruszelnicki has routinely garnered public attention for espousing these very thoughts on the Bermuda Triangle, first in 2017 and then again in 2022 before resurfacing once more in 2023. Throughout it all, he's stuck to the same idea: the numbers don't lie.
Even with some high-profile disappearances—such as Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers lost in 1945—pushing the theory into popular culture, Kruszelnicki points out that every instance contains a degree of poor weather or likely human error (or both, as in the case of Flight 19) as the true culprit.
But culture clings to Bermuda Triangle conspiracy theories. The concepts of sea monsters, aliens, and even the entirety of Atlantis dropping to the ocean floor—those are fodder for books, television, and movies. It sure does sound more exciting than poor weather and mathematical probabilities, anyway, even if the 'boring' story holds more water.
Get the Issue
Get the Issue
Get the Issue
Get the Issue
Get the Issue
Get the Issue
Get the IssueGet the Issue
Get the Issue
You Might Also Like
The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Scientists find blue whales suddenly going silent. Why they think it's happening.
Changing ocean conditions making whale prey scarce are causing the mammals to stop singing, a recent study has found. Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Cascadia Research Collective and other national institutions spent six years monitoring the acoustic sounds of blue, fin and humpback whales off the California coast from July 2015 to June 2021, according to a study published in February. Researchers set out to determine whether the frequency of whale songs changed seasonally and whether that frequency was indicative of changes within marine ecosystems. As a result, scientists found the levels of whale songs among different species correlated with their ability to locate and consume prey. Marine biologists began the research in 2015, when a marine heatwave dubbed "The Blob" caused a large percentage of krill — teeny, shrimp-like creatures — to disappear. Humpback, blue and fin whales largely depend on krill as a primary food source. The heatwave disrupted ocean circulation patterns, which impacted the number of cold, nutrient-rich waters that support the small crustaceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This led to a scarcity of food supplies for fish, seals, penguins and whales. Additionally, increasing temperatures contributed to the spreading of a toxic algae bloom between 2015 and 2016 in the northeastern Pacific, leading to the most widespread poisoning of marine mammals ever documented. In 2015, NOAA confirmed a then-record 53 instances involving whales getting caught in fishing gear. The following year, the agency found 55 instances in which whales became entangled. As humpback whales can switch between feeding on krill and fish, like sardines and anchovies, they experienced the most positive song detection trend throughout the six-year study. However, blue and fin whales, which are larger than humpback whales, did not exhibit the same positive trend. The two species are more specialized in foraging for krill. With the declining prey population, they were forced to spend more time hunting, leaving little time for singing, researchers found. There is concern for similar patterns to continue as ocean temperatures continue to increase over time. Marine heatwaves also occurred in 2018 and 2019 during the summer months, when whales fatten up on krill to prepare for the rest of the year, according to NOAA. In a report issued in June, the agency revealed a steep decline in Pacific gray whales. A new count suggests there are about 13,000 gray whales, the lowest number since the 1970s. In 2019, there were about 20,500 gray whales. From 2019 to 2023, the species suffered from an Unusual Mortality Event that scientists say stemmed from localized ecosystem changes in Subarctic and Arctic feeding grounds. Gray whales rely on prey in the area but changes in the ecosystem caused widespread malnutrition, reduced birth rates and increased mortality. In other parts of the United States, there are signs that similar issues might be occurring. Earlier this month, a boat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, struck a 26-foot-long minke whale that ventured into shallow waters. Preliminary necropsy findings indicated the mammal was thin with an empty gastro-instestinal tract and little digestive material present, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the organization that conducted the testing, found.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Scientists find blue whales suddenly going silent. Why they think it's happening.
Changing ocean conditions making whale prey scarce are causing the mammals to stop singing, a recent study has found. Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Cascadia Research Collective and other national institutions spent six years monitoring the acoustic sounds of blue, fin and humpback whales off the California coast from July 2015 to June 2021, according to a study published in February. Researchers set out to determine whether the frequency of whale songs changed seasonally and whether that frequency was indicative of changes within marine ecosystems. As a result, scientists found the levels of whale songs among different species correlated with their ability to locate and consume prey. More time hunting, less time singing Marine biologists began the research in 2015, when a marine heatwave dubbed "The Blob" caused a large percentage of krill — teeny, shrimp-like creatures — to disappear. Humpback, blue and fin whales largely depend on krill as a primary food source. The heatwave disrupted ocean circulation patterns, which impacted the number of cold, nutrient-rich waters that support the small crustaceans, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This led to a scarcity of food supplies for fish, seals, penguins and whales. Additionally, increasing temperatures contributed to the spreading of a toxic algae bloom between 2015 and 2016 in the northeastern Pacific, leading to the most widespread poisoning of marine mammals ever documented. In 2015, NOAA confirmed a then-record 53 instances involving whales getting caught in fishing gear. The following year, the agency found 55 instances in which whales became entangled. As humpback whales can switch between feeding on krill and fish, like sardines and anchovies, they experienced the most positive song detection trend throughout the six-year study. However, blue and fin whales, which are larger than humpback whales, did not exhibit the same positive trend. The two species are more specialized in foraging for krill. With the declining prey population, they were forced to spend more time hunting, leaving little time for singing, researchers found. Pattern may continue as ocean temperatures rise There is concern for similar patterns to continue as ocean temperatures continue to increase over time. Marine heatwaves also occurred in 2018 and 2019 during the summer months, when whales fatten up on krill to prepare for the rest of the year, according to NOAA. In a report issued in June, the agency revealed a steep decline in Pacific gray whales. A new count suggests there are about 13,000 gray whales, the lowest number since the 1970s. In 2019, there were about 20,500 gray whales. From 2019 to 2023, the species suffered from an Unusual Mortality Event that scientists say stemmed from localized ecosystem changes in Subarctic and Arctic feeding grounds. Gray whales rely on prey in the area but changes in the ecosystem caused widespread malnutrition, reduced birth rates and increased mortality. In other parts of the United States, there are signs that similar issues might be occurring. Earlier this month, a boat in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, struck a 26-foot-long minke whale that ventured into shallow waters. Preliminary necropsy findings indicated the mammal was thin with an empty gastro-instestinal tract and little digestive material present, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the organization that conducted the testing, found. Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Scientist Says He's Solved the Bermuda Triangle, Just Like That
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: An Australian scientist says probabilities are the leading cause of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances. And he's not the only one. Add in suspect weather, and iffy plane and boat piloting, and Karl Kruszelnicki believes there's no reason to believe in the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon. While the conspiracy of the Bermuda Triangle has existed for decades, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and Lloyd's of London has long championed the same ideas. Pick any one of the more than 50 ships or 20 planes that have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle in the last century. Each one has a story without an ending, leading to a litany of conspiracy theories about the disappearances in the area, marked roughly by Florida, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles. Australian scientist Karl Kruszelnicki doesn't subscribe to the Bermuda Triangle's supernatural reputation. Neither does the United States' own National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Both have been saying for years that there's really no Bermuda Triangle mystery. In fact, the loss and disappearance of ships and planes is a mere fact of probabilities. 'There is no evidence that mysterious disappearances occur with any greater frequency in the Bermuda Triangle than in any other large, well-traveled area of the ocean,' NOAA wrote in 2010. And since 2017, Kruszelnicki has been saying the same thing. He told The Independent that the transparent volume of traffic—in a tricky area to navigate, no less—shows 'the number [of ships and planes] that go missing in the Bermuda Triangle is the same as anywhere in the world on a percentage basis.' He says that both Lloyd's of London and the U.S. Coast Guard support that idea. In fact, as The Independent notes, Lloyd's of London has had this same theory since the 1970s. NOAA says environmental considerations can explain away most of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances, highlighting the Gulf Stream's tendency towards violent changes in weather, the number of islands in the Caribbean Sea offering a complicated navigation adventure, and evidence that suggests the Bermuda Triangle may cause a magnetic compass to point to true north instead of magnetic north, causing for confusion in wayfinding. 'The U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard contend that there are no supernatural explanations for disasters at sea,' NOAA says. 'Their experience suggests that the combined forces of nature and human fallibility outdo even the most incredulous science fiction.' Kruszelnicki has routinely garnered public attention for espousing these very thoughts on the Bermuda Triangle, first in 2017 and then again in 2022 before resurfacing once more in 2023. Throughout it all, he's stuck to the same idea: the numbers don't lie. Even with some high-profile disappearances—such as Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers lost in 1945—pushing the theory into popular culture, Kruszelnicki points out that every instance contains a degree of poor weather or likely human error (or both, as in the case of Flight 19) as the true culprit. But culture clings to Bermuda Triangle conspiracy theories. The concepts of sea monsters, aliens, and even the entirety of Atlantis dropping to the ocean floor—those are fodder for books, television, and movies. It sure does sound more exciting than poor weather and mathematical probabilities, anyway, even if the 'boring' story holds more water. Get the Issue Get the Issue Get the Issue Get the Issue Get the Issue Get the Issue Get the IssueGet the Issue Get the Issue You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
