# Unsolved mysteries that aren't nightmare fuel **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 21, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538 "2015-05-21T19:07:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/61 "2015-05-24T02:44:29Z")
Who are [The Residents](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Residents)? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/62 "2015-05-24T05:02:01Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > That’s because pious forgeries aren’t mysterious. Except it wasn’t a pious fraud. It was done for profit. There’s a letter from the bishop who was sent to investigate it in 1390, and interviewed the artist who made it. The first time Geoffroi de Charny exhibited it, he had medals struck with images of the shroud, and sold them to pilgrims who came to view it; there are quite of few of them still in existence. The exhibition is pretty well-documented, and we know that de Charny made quite a lot of money off of it. The shroud remained in de Charny’s family for a century, in spite of requests by the church to turn it over. It was deeded to the House of Savoy, IIRC, in payment of a debt, and Savoy finally turned it over to the church. I’ve read several books on it, including Joe Nickell’s excellent work. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/63 "2015-05-24T15:53:08Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > [The Sailing Stones of Death Valley.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racetrack_Playa#Sailing_stones) I’ll second this one. I know they’ve done tests and simulations but some aspects still can’t be explained to my mind. It’s one thing to freeze a couple of pebbles in a sheet of ice in a lab but to move a 500 pound rock in the desert by the same method is quite another. Also iirc some of the trails move in different directions at apparently the same time. I’m not ruling out the ice/wind explanation, but there sure have been a lot of attempts to catch one of them moving with no luck so far. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/64 "2015-05-24T16:14:29Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > I’m not ruling out the ice/wind explanation, but there sure have been a lot of attempts to catch one of them moving with no luck so far. From **Peter Morris** ’s link: [QUOTE=Wiki] In a study released in August, 2014, researchers observed rock movements using GPS and time-lapse photography. [/QUOTE] [Article with time lapse footage of one moving.](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mystery-of-death-valley-s-wandering-stones-explained-video/) From the [main Wiki article on sailing stones:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones) [QUOTE=Wiki] However, as of August 2014, timelapse video footage of rocks moving has been published, showing the rocks moving at low wind speeds within the flow of thin, melting sheets of ice. The scientists have thus identified the cause of the moving stones to be ice shove. [/QUOTE] Sounds like mystery solved to me. Unless I’m missing something? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/65 "2015-05-24T17:00:27Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > From **Peter Morris** ’s link: > > [Article with time lapse footage of one moving.](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mystery-of-death-valley-s-wandering-stones-explained-video/) > > From the [main Wiki article on sailing stones:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailing_stones) > > Sounds like mystery solved to me. Unless I’m missing something? Is that _really_ the answer, or is it just what they want us to believe like ice quakes being responsible for Bloop and Julia instead of a underwater animal bigger than a blue whale? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/66 "2015-05-24T17:01:06Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > Sounds like mystery solved to me. Unless I’m missing something? Many “mysteries” are in this category. Some people _want_ to believe in the unknown or parnormal so much that they can’t accept that it is no longer a mystery. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2015, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/67 "2015-05-24T17:26:06Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Is that _really_ the answer, or is it just what they want us to believe like ice quakes being responsible for Bloop and Julia instead of a underwater animal bigger than a blue whale? BTW, why is that noise called that? “Julia”, I mean. “Bloop” I get. 'Cause I’ve known a couple of Julias, and none of them sounded anything like a weirdly amplified blue whale. So I don’t think that is a typical Julia thing. And I’ve listened to the clip, and it doesn’t sound like a blue whale saying “Julia”, either. Unless you’re very high. Just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/68 "2015-05-25T14:36:56Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Many “mysteries” are in this category. Some people _want_ to believe in the unknown or parnormal so much that they can’t accept that it is no longer a mystery. Jump to conclusions much? I have no belief in the paranormal. The wiki page was updated since I last read it. If it’s been solved, fine but the last I’d read, and I didn’t remember being that long ago, no one had actually seen them move and studies with small rocks seemed unconvincing. But I do appreciate your arm-chairing my mental state. It provided a good chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/69 "2015-05-25T14:56:33Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > That’s because pious forgeries aren’t mysterious. Carbon dating does trace it back to the 13th century, which is when the shroud first showed up in historical records. However the people who made it made it before any kind of scientific testing was available, and they did a damn good job of it. The shroud had dirt particles and plant particles in it that can be traced back to Jerusalem. So whoever did it really put some effort into it. > **[Shroud of Turin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin#Scientific_perspective)** > > This is an accepted version of this page > > The Shroud of Turin (Italian: Sindone di Torino), also known as the Holy Shroud (Italian: Sacra Sindone), is a length of linen cloth that bears a faint image of the front and back of a man. It has been venerated for centuries, especially by members of the Catholic Church, as the actual burial shroud used to wrap the body of Jesus of Nazareth after his crucifixion, and upon which Jesus's bodily image is miraculously imprinted. The human image on the shro... ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/70 "2015-05-25T15:01:29Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Many “mysteries” are in this category. Some people _want_ to believe in the unknown or parnormal so much that they can’t accept that it is no longer a mystery. > [@White SIFL](#): > > Jump to conclusions much? > > I have no belief in the paranormal. The wiki page was updated since I last read it. If it’s been solved, fine but the last I’d read, and I didn’t remember being that long ago, no one had actually seen them move and studies with small rocks seemed unconvincing. > > But I do appreciate your arm-chairing my mental state. It provided a good chuckle. Don’t take it so personally. I think Musicat makes a valid point, if you look at the comment broadly. People have confessed to making crop circles, yet there are still people who insist that aliens made them. The guy who faked the “surgeon’s” photo of the Loch Ness Monster confessed, but people still go looking for a giant creature in the lake. The guy who made the “Patterson” Bigfoot film confessed, and so did the guy who faked the footprints that set off the whole thing, yet people are still out there looking for something in the woods, and some people even insist that the Patterson film is real, and the confession is fake. Better pictures of the face on Mars came out years ago, showing the “face” was just a coincidence of shadows, but I still see articles on the ancient aliens who must have built some kind of face-shaped temple, before they had to abandon their dying planet. I could list several more hoaxes that people have confessed to, and yet still have believers, and that’s just for starters. Then there are the people for whom “unknown” automatically = supernatural. Person disappears? must be aliens, or ghosts, or something. Livestock attacked? must be a chupacabra, and not a coyote. Person with grim prognosis recovers? must be miraculous intervention by a deity-- can’t be that when an illness has a 90% fatality rate, some people still get to be in the 10% who survive, and this person got lucky (and maybe an early diagnosis). I have encountered these attitudes plenty of times to know that there are lots of people who really, really want to believe in the supernatural, and grasp at anything to support their beliefs. You may not be one of them, but I don’t see that Musicat used you name when making the comment. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/71 "2015-05-25T16:11:27Z")
Flight MH370 seems to be a pretty “solved” unsolved mystery by now. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/72 "2015-05-25T21:03:07Z")
I was given this book as a child and it seriously freaked me out, its still in a book-shelf at my parents house and now that the internet is available I’m going to have to pick it up again and check some of the stories against their wikipedia entries. > **[Mysteries of the Unexplained: Amazon.co.uk: Reader's Digest: 9780276380037:...](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mysteries-Unexplained-Readers-Digest/dp/0276380037)** > > Buy Mysteries of the Unexplained by Reader's Digest (ISBN: 9780276380037) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I recommend it to the OP, though some of the entries really _are_ nightmare fuel. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/73 "2015-05-26T05:08:36Z")
Spontaneous Human Combustion. I just cannot see how it is possible. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/74 "2015-05-26T07:14:42Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > I was given this book as a child and it seriously freaked me out, its still in a book-shelf at my parents house and now that the internet is available I’m going to have to pick it up again and check some of the stories against their wikipedia entries. > > [Mysteries of the Unexplained: Amazon.co.uk: Reader's Digest: 9780276380037: Books](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mysteries-Unexplained-Readers-Digest/dp/0276380037) > > I recommend it to the OP, though some of the entries really _are_ nightmare fuel. I had a similar book as a kid, it may have been that book, but even as a kid some of the so called mysteries were a bit laughable. I remember one that was nothing more than a farm worker somewhere relating how female aliens abducted him and well used him for oddly direct hybrid experiments. No physical evidence, no witnesses, just farmer meets sexy aliens for sex in a dark field and returns. I was like that isn’t a mystery, thats just bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/75 "2015-05-26T12:43:49Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > [Why did Favell Lee Mortimer write such a terribly insulting travel guide for children?](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/books/08grim.html?_r=0) > > [Who was the Poe Toaster?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe_Toaster) > > [Who was Kaspar Hauser and why was he killed?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaspar_Hauser) Mortimer seems pretty spot on on Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/76 "2015-05-26T13:47:11Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Carbon dating does trace it back to the 13th century, which is when the shroud first showed up in historical records. However the people who made it made it before any kind of scientific testing was available, and they did a damn good job of it. > > The shroud had dirt particles and plant particles in it that can be traced back to Jerusalem. So whoever did it really put some effort into it. > > [Shroud of Turin - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin#Scientific_perspective) There’s a chance that the carbon date might be a case of sloppy forensic work. The Shroud has been repaired several times over the years, and patches of new material have been inserted because of damage from fires. Some people have suggested that perhaps the carbon dating was done on a sample of patch material, giving inaccurate results. ---
**Author:** ![hotflungwok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@hotflungwok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hotflungwok)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/77 "2015-05-26T14:57:38Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Spontaneous Human Combustion. I just cannot see how it is possible. [The Wick Effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wick_effect) allows the body to burn over a period of time in a small localized fire. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/78 "2015-05-26T16:05:04Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > BTW, why is that noise called that? “Julia”, I mean. “Bloop” I get. Betty would be better. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/79 "2015-05-26T17:23:09Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Spontaneous Human Combustion. I just cannot see how it is possible. Spontaneous Human Combustion is pretty unlikely. Someone falling asleep with a cigarette or candle, managing to set a portion of their clothes/furniture on fire, and having a very localized burn (as **hotflungwok** points out) is quite possible. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538/80 "2015-05-26T18:06:30Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > I know exactly what you mean, but I take the opposite view: I find it _more_ wonderful, not less, that there are fewer unexplained things out there. It means one of the oldest tasks humanity has set itself to is _paying off_. > […]It isn’t just a paper moon anymore: it’s real, and we know it’s real, because we’ve been there. Well, yeah, I’d rather live in a society where the big mysteries are Dark Matter and the relationships of various Archaea than one where we’re all in fear of unpredictable eclipses. And, there’s plenty of wonder and awe in considering that we can even ask the question about Dark Energy… I mean, yeah, holy cow, we’re figuring out the origin of the universe and we haven’t even left our planet (except for a trip to the moon. And speaking of wonder and awe… Holy Crap, we went to the moon!) But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a tiny bit of sadness that some of the more minor mysteries of my youth aren’t really mysterious at all any more; even the unsolved ones are less mysterious and just mundane unknowns. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsolved-mysteries-that-arent-nightmare-fuel/720538.md?page=5)