Mysteries
Pauli
Poisuo August 15, 2013
Some say alien life forms have visited Earth throughout history.
However, such claims are difficult to prove. Most UFO sightings and
abductions are easy to dismiss as hoaxes or simple
misunderstandings.
But what about the times when the little green men actually
leave something behind? Or the artifacts people from ancient times
have constructed to honor what could only be visitors from other
planets? There are many strange objects in the world, both
enigmatic and man-made, that are said to be proof of alien
life.
A Russian man found a strange piece of machinery from Vladivostok, the
administrative capital of the Primorsky Krai area. The object
resembled a piece of tooth wheel and was embedded in a piece of
coal he was using to light a fire. Although discarded pieces of old
machines are not uncommon in Russia, the man became curious and
showed his find to some scientists. Testing revealed that the
toothed object was almost pure aluminum and almost certainly
artificially made.
Also, it was 300 million years old. This raised some
interesting questions, as aluminum of this purity and shape can’t
form naturally and humans didn’t figure out how to make it until
1825. Curiously, the object also resembles parts that are used in
microscopes and other delicate technical devices.
Although conspiracy theorists have been quick to declare the
find a part of an alien spaceship, the scientists researching it
are not willing to jump to conclusions and wish to run further
tests in order to learn more about the mysterious artifact.
In the 1930s, explorers found an enormous, eloquently made sandstone statue in the middle of a
Guatemalan jungle. The face carved in the stone didn’t resemble the
facial features of the Maya or any of the other people known to
have populated the lands. In fact, its elongated cranium and fine
features didn’t seem to belong in the history books at all.
Researchers have claimed that the statue’s unique features
depict a member of an ancient alien civilization that was far more
advanced than any of the pre-Hispanic races of America we know
about. Some even speculated the head might just be a part of a much
larger construct underneath (this was found to be untrue). Of
course, there’s a chance that the statue might be the work of a
more recent artist or even a complete hoax. Sadly, we will probably
never find out for sure: The head was used for target practice by
revolutionary troops and its features have been destroyed to near obscurity.
In 1998, a hiker named John J. Williams noticed a strange
metallic protrusion in the dirt. He dug up a strange-looking rock which, upon cleaning, turned
out to have a weird electrical component attached to it. The
electric device was clearly man-made and somewhat resembled an
electrical plug.
The rock has since become a well-known mystery in UFO enthusiast
circles. It has featured in UFO Magazine and (according to
Williams) Fortean Times, a famed magazine devoted to mysterious
phenomena. Williams, an electrical engineer, says the electronic
component embedded in the stone has not been glued or welded into
the granite. In fact, the rock probably formed around the
device.
Many believe that the so-called Williams Enigmalith is a
hoax, as Williams refuses to break it (but is
willing to sell it for $500,000). Also, the stone device does bear
a certain resemblance to heat rocks that are commonly used to keep tropical
pet lizards warm. Still, geological analysis has apparently
determined that the stone is around 100,000 years old, which (if
true) would mean the device inside can’t possibly be of human
creation. Williams is confident enough to let anyone research the
Enigmalith on three conditions: He must be present, the rock must
remain unharmed, and he will not have to pay for the research.
Incas and other pre-Columbian people left behind some extremely
puzzling trinkets. Some of the strangest are probably the so-called
Ancient Aeroplanes, which are small, golden figures
that closely resemble modern jet planes. Originally thought to be
zoomorphic (meant to resemble animals), the statues were soon found
to have features that look very much like fighter planes’ wings,
stabilizing tails, and even landing gears. They were aerodynamic
enough that when ancient astronaut believers (allegedly) made model
planes with their proportions and fitted them with propellers and
(again, allegedly) jet engines, they flew perfectly. All of this has led to
speculation that the Incas may have been in contact with (likely
extraterrestrial) people who were able to build advanced jet
planes, and who perhaps even possessed the technology
themselves.
Well, that, or these wonderful statuettes might just be artistic
representations of bees, flying fish, or other winged creatures. As
always, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Al Ubaid archeological site in Iraq is a gold mine for
archeologists and historians. It has yielded numerous objects from
a pre-Sumerian time called the Ubaid period (5900–4000 B.C.).
However, some of these objects are quite disturbing. A number of
Ubaid statues depict strange, lizard-like humanoid figures in unique,
unceremonious poses that seem to indicate they were not gods (such
as the animal-headed deities of Egypt), but rather a race of lizard
people.
Of course, the statues have been drawn into stories and theories of reptilian aliens that
used to roam the earth (and perhaps still do, according to
conspiracy theorists). Although this seems unlikely, their true
nature remains a mystery.
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Researchers who analyzed the remains of a meteorite that fell in
Sri Lanka found that their subject was something more than just
pieces of space rock. It was an alien artifact in the most literal
sense: an artifact made of actual aliens. Two separate studies have
found that the meteorite contains fossils and algae that are
clearly of extraterrestrial origin.
Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, the leading researcher on the
first study, says the fossils provide compelling evidence of
panspermia (the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe
and is spread by meteorites and other solid space debris). However,
he is not without his critics. Wickramasinghe just happens to be a
noted panspermia enthusiast with a tendency to claim that almost
everything is of extraterrestrial origin. What’s more, the traces
of life the meteorite contains are actually freshwater species
commonly found on Earth, which seems to indicate the object has
been contaminated during its time on our planet.
The tapestry known as Summer’s Triumph was created in Bruges (the
capital of West Flanders province in the Flemish Region of Belgium)
around 1538. Currently, it resides in the Bayerisches National
Museum.
Summer’s Triumph is famous (or infamous) among conspiracy
theorists because it clearly depicts a number of distinctly
UFO-like objects flying in the skies. Although their presence is
baffling, some speculate they may have been added in the tapestry
(which depicts a victorious ruler’s ascension to power) in order to
connect the UFOs to the ruler as a symbol of divine intervention. This, of course,
raises more questions than answers, such as: Why would the
16th-century Belgians recognize flying saucers and mentally connect
them with divinity?
An Italian painter named Ventura Salimbeni is responsible for
one of the most mysterious altar paintings in history. “Disputa
of the Eucharist,” a 16th-century painting also known as “The
Glorification of the Eucharist” (Eucharist is an alternate term for
the Holy Communion), is a three-part work. The bottom two parts are
relatively normal: They depict a number of religious authorities
and an altar. However, the top part shows the Holy Trinity (Father,
Son, and a dove depicting the Holy Ghost) looking upon
them . . . and holding what seems to be a space
satellite. The object is large and spherical, with a metallic
finish, telescopic antennas, and strange lights. In fact, it
heavily resembles an old Sputnik satellite.
Although UFO enthusiasts and ancient astronaut theorists have
often claimed the Disputa as proof of extraterrestrial life (or
perhaps time travel), experts have been quick to debunk such
notions. According to them, the orb is a Sphaera Mundi, a globe-like representation of
the universe that used to be common in religious art. The strange
lights on the “satellite” are merely the sun and the moon, and its
antennas are actually scepter wands that act as symbols of
authority for the Father and the Son.
The story goes like this: In 2012, the Mexican government
released a number of Maya artifacts they had been protecting for 80
years as state secrets. These objects were retrieved from an
unexplored pyramid that was found under another pyramid in
Calakmul, the site of one of the most powerful ancient Maya cities.
A government-sanctioned documentary by Raul Julia-Levy (the son of
famous actor Raul Julia) and financier Elisabeth Thieriot (ex-wife
of a former publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle)
featured a number of these finds, most of which clearly depict UFOs
and alien visitors.
The case may seem fairly enticing, but once you look closer, a
strange pattern of fraud begins to emerge. Both of the
documentarians seem to be lying about something.
Julia-Levy doesn’t appear to be who he claims to be—Raul Julia’s
widow has publicly called out a con man named Salvador Alba
Fuentes. According to her, Salvador is attempting to ride on her
late husband’s fame and is going around telling everyone his name
is, yes, Raul Julia-Levy. Meanwhile, Thieriot has shut down the
production of the documentary and sued her partner, accusing
“Julia-Levy” of stealing her documentary and misusing filming
equipment (a statement “Julia-Levy” vehemently opposes). What’s
more, there seems to be very little scientific proof of the
authenticity of the artifacts, and the pictures that have emerged
online are less than concrete evidence.
Perhaps the artifacts were cheap fakes manufactured by a local
artisan. Perhaps the officials had second thoughts about the
documentary and ordered Thieriot to shut it down by any means
necessary. Whatever the truth behind these strange artifacts is,
their case is far from convincing.
When the Betz family was examining the damage of a strange fire
that had decimated 88 acres of their woodland, they made a strange discovery: a silvery sphere,
about 20 centimeters (eight inches) in diameter, completely smooth
except for a strange, elongated triangle symbol. Initially thinking
it might be a NASA gadget or even a Soviet spy satellite, they
eventually decided it was most likely just a souvenir. On a
moment’s whim, they decided to take it with them.
Two weeks later, the family’s son was strumming a guitar in the
same room as the sphere. Suddenly, the sphere started reacting to
his tunes, emitting a strange throbbing sound and a resonance that
deeply disturbed the family’s dog. Soon, the Betz family found the
orb had other strange properties. It could stop and change
directions when pushed across the floor, eventually returning to
the person who pushed it like a faithful dog. It seemed to draw
power from solar energy, becoming noticeably more active on bright
days.
It started looking like something (or someone) was controlling
the sphere: It would occasionally emit low-frequency rattling and
vibrations, like there was a motor running inside. It seemed to
avoid falling and crashing at all costs, as if to protect something
inside it. It even managed to completely defy the laws of gravity
and climb up a slanted table to avoid falling.
A media frenzy ensued. Respected papers such as the New York
Times and the London Daily sent reporters to witness
the miracle sphere, which repeated its tricks to countless people.
Even scientists and representatives of the military were impressed,
although the Betz family wouldn’t let them take the sphere for
closer examination. However, that soon changed as the sphere took a
turn for the worse. It started exhibiting poltergeist–like
behavior: Doors started slamming shut at night and strange organ
music would fill the house out of the blue. At that point, the
family decided to find out what the sphere really was. The Navy
analyzed it and found it was . . . a perfectly
ordinary (if high-quality) stainless steel ball.
To this day, it’s not entirely clear what the mysterious alien
sphere is. However, there have been many
theories attempting to explain its possible nature. The most
plausible of these is, incidentally, the most mundane: Three years
before the Betz family found the orb, an artist named James
Durling-Jones was driving in the area where it was found. On the
luggage rack on his car roof were a number of stainless steel balls
meant for a sculpture he was making, some of which dropped off
during the bumpy ride. These balls matched the exact description of
the Betz sphere, and were balanced enough to roll around at the
slightest provocation (the Betz family lived in an old house with
uneven floors, so such a ball would appear to behave erratically).
These balls could even emit a rattling sound, thanks to tiny metal
shavings stuck inside during the manufacturing process.
Although this doesn’t explain all of the reported phenomena, it
certainly casts a shadow over all the “mysterious ghost ball from
outer space” rhetoric.
