# What do you make of the "rods" phenomenon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2000, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-make-of-the-rods-phenomenon/23063 "2000-06-21T02:04:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clatterton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@clatterton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clatterton)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-make-of-the-rods-phenomenon/23063/1 "2000-06-21T02:04:38Z")
Cecil, What do you make of the “rods” phenomenon? If you don’t know already, filmmaker Jose Escamilla claims to have discovered an odd new life form (apparently) that moves very fast (100+ mph) and can only be seen with a video camera. His website is [http://www.roswellrods.com](http://www.roswellrods.com). He’s tried to recreate the “rod” phenomenon with normal objects like birds, bugs, even crossbow bolts, but nothing looks quite like a rod. Channel 8 in San Diego was able to capture a few of these critters on videotape outside their studio. If you have RealPlayer you can view that news story at: [http://www.kfmb.com/invest/rods.htm](http://www.kfmb.com/invest/rods.htm) Later they sent an crew to a cave in Mexico where “rods” had been videotaped in large numbers. They found dozens. You can view that story here: [http://www.kfmb.com/special\_assignment/rods\_feb.htm](http://www.kfmb.com/special_assignment/rods_feb.htm) They also found many more rods on news footage they’d already shot, or broadcasted on other channels. Channel 9 in Oklahoma City captured the same sort of object on a weather camera, reportedly moving against the wind during a storm in 1999 (though it’s hard to tell on streaming media). You can see that video here: [http://www.kwtv.com/wx/wxcenter.htm](http://www.kwtv.com/wx/wxcenter.htm) A coworker of mine studied some of his old videotapes and found a rod on one of them. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-make-of-the-rods-phenomenon/23063/2 "2000-06-21T02:28:39Z")
This topic has been done a few times already. I remember seeing something about the “rods” on the Discovery Channel. They interviewed an entomologist who said that he witnessed the same effect in his films of insects. No speciman exists in the fossil record, and nobody has ever displayed one, living or dead. It can, therefore, reasonably be assumed that the “rods” are mearly an effect of rapidly beating insect wings on the imperfect medium of film. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-make-of-the-rods-phenomenon/23063/3 "2000-06-21T03:13:26Z")
It’d be really nifty to come up with a new life form with high-speed airborne motive capability, but I’ve seen nothing yet (and it’s been about two years now that I’ve been seeing stuff about them) to indicate that the Rods are anything but bugs on videotape. Catch one and we’ll talk some more. ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2000, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-make-of-the-rods-phenomenon/23063/4 "2000-06-21T03:22:19Z")
Adam summed it up. _Exploring the Unknown_ (on the Fox Family Channel) also did a piece on this a little while back, and pretty well showed it to be insects. You might want to check Great Debates, where I know we’ve had this discussion a couple times.