Science • AIPT

AIPT

AIPT Science isn’t just the physics of Superman – we like the methods of science, too. So come to check out the reality behind your favorite fantasies, but stay for the skeptical angle on pop culture, from box office to Bigfoot.

Conspiracy Cruise

Conspiracy Cruise

Movies

[CFF 2020]: ‘Conspiracy Cruise’ Review: Spreading the truth – for a price

How much would you pay to learn the truth?

By Nathaniel MuirMay 24, 2020

spinosaurus swimming

spinosaurus swimming

Science

Spinosaurus swam, but it wasn’t the first dinosaur to get its toes wet

You see, there are these things called 'trace fossils' ....

By Robert ReedMay 21, 2020

Carlyn Beccia's children's book, Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters, includes chapters on pop culture superstars like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and Godzilla, but the major focus is the "Science of the Monstrous," which the author relates to fear. Starting with the introduction, Beccia explains how we think fear developed, and says it's (basically) a good thing.

Carlyn Beccia's children's book, Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters, includes chapters on pop culture superstars like Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, and Godzilla, but the major focus is the "Science of the Monstrous," which the author relates to fear. Starting with the introduction, Beccia explains how we think fear developed, and says it's (basically) a good thing.

Books

‘Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters’ — children’s book review

A surprisingly in-depth appraisal of monster science.

By Marcus SedaMay 21, 2020

For each little graph on the top two rows of this image, there’s a Y and an X axis, right? The Y (vertical) axis is “number of virus particles” (measured in a way that would take a long time to explain, so just assume it says "virus particles." The X (horizontal) axis is “time from initially smearing this virus mix on the surface.” On the first row, the red lines, they’ve smeared SARS-CoV-2, which causes CoVID-19. On the second row, the blue lines, they’ve smeared SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong that spread to various places, including Toronto.

For each little graph on the top two rows of this image, there’s a Y and an X axis, right? The Y (vertical) axis is “number of virus particles” (measured in a way that would take a long time to explain, so just assume it says "virus particles." The X (horizontal) axis is “time from initially smearing this virus mix on the surface.” On the first row, the red lines, they’ve smeared SARS-CoV-2, which causes CoVID-19. On the second row, the blue lines, they’ve smeared SARS-CoV-1, which caused the 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong that spread to various places, including Toronto.

News

CoVID-19: You’ve got questions, virologist Jim Duehr has answers

The first in a continuing series.

By Jim DuehrMay 12, 2020

Bigfoot on Adventures in Movies! podcast

Bigfoot on Adventures in Movies! podcast

Adventures in Movies!

Adventures in Movies! Episode 66: Brandon Christensen Interview & Conspiracy Talk

The boys may have gone too far.

By Nathaniel MuirMay 9, 2020

“I don’t know how you want to handle this. The marks on the wall were probably made by a right-handed person, most likely M but maybe someone else, I suppose. The fact that they first appeared on Halloween isn’t surprising. It’s not uncommon for ‘ghost’ events to occur in households with teenagers, and many are done for attention by teenagers. I don’t have enough information to know 100% if that’s what’s going on here but it’s very likely. I understand how a family would not want to think that a teen is faking it, and I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just telling you what the most likely explanation is based on my research and experience.

“I don’t know how you want to handle this. The marks on the wall were probably made by a right-handed person, most likely M but maybe someone else, I suppose. The fact that they first appeared on Halloween isn’t surprising. It’s not uncommon for ‘ghost’ events to occur in households with teenagers, and many are done for attention by teenagers. I don’t have enough information to know 100% if that’s what’s going on here but it’s very likely. I understand how a family would not want to think that a teen is faking it, and I’m not accusing anyone, I’m just telling you what the most likely explanation is based on my research and experience.

Pop Culture

Establishing the strange — why can’t ghost hunters get results?

‘Wow, this could be huge! Oh well, I’m gonna nap.’

By Benjamin RadfordMay 8, 2020

A core tenant of cryptozoology is the euhemerist belief that all legends possess a grain of truth; that stories of confrontations with fantastic beasts echo encounters with real animals. And while such legends do occasionally produce new animals, sometimes they yield a whole lot more.

A core tenant of cryptozoology is the euhemerist belief that all legends possess a grain of truth; that stories of confrontations with fantastic beasts echo encounters with real animals. And while such legends do occasionally produce new animals, sometimes they yield a whole lot more.

Pop Culture

Dragon, legend, or cryptid? The legacy of the Lambton Worm

A case study in folklore development.

By Justin MullisMay 1, 2020

When most people think of the dark, powerful beast, their mind wanders to America's west coast. But just as another, watery creature resides in my own, northeastern locale, so do there come reports of the stout, fragrant being in New York. Previous sightings had put it in Whitehall, near the state's capital region, but are we better off Finding Bigfoot at Port Crane, by Binghamton?

When most people think of the dark, powerful beast, their mind wanders to America's west coast. But just as another, watery creature resides in my own, northeastern locale, so do there come reports of the stout, fragrant being in New York. Previous sightings had put it in Whitehall, near the state's capital region, but are we better off Finding Bigfoot at Port Crane, by Binghamton?

Lifestyle

Beer Tree Brewing Co’s Finding Bigfoot — a mystery is something out of place

A hint of something BIGGER in the beer world?

By Russ DoblerApril 26, 2020

Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Floods. Tornadoes. Wildfires. Epidemics. What do all these things have in common? No, it isn't, "Things I'm already sick of and it's only April." They're all natural disasters with a knack for leaving death and mass destruction in their wake. Have you ever thought about what really makes a natural disaster, though?

Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Floods. Tornadoes. Wildfires. Epidemics. What do all these things have in common? No, it isn't, "Things I'm already sick of and it's only April." They're all natural disasters with a knack for leaving death and mass destruction in their wake. Have you ever thought about what really makes a natural disaster, though?

Books

Survival of the choosiest? ‘Disaster by Choice’ by Ilan Kelman

A choose-your-ending book for grown-ups facing a world full of real-life monsters.

By Kendra ReedApril 15, 2020

You've probably heard a lot about the "Skinwalker Ranch" lately. Between swirling blue lights, cattle mutilations, Bigfoot stepping through a dimensional door, and just about every weird/paranormal trope ever supposedly occurring on the nearly 500-acre Utah property, you might wonder why it's taken this long.

You've probably heard a lot about the "Skinwalker Ranch" lately. Between swirling blue lights, cattle mutilations, Bigfoot stepping through a dimensional door, and just about every weird/paranormal trope ever supposedly occurring on the nearly 500-acre Utah property, you might wonder why it's taken this long.

Television

History Channel’s ‘Project Blue Book’ time travels to tackle the Skinwalker Ranch

I guess corporate synergy trumps historical accuracy.

By Russ DoblerApril 13, 2020

It seems like there is less mystery about UFOs now than there was a few decades ago. That makes sense considering the amount of knowledge we now possess. Quite simply, the things that were once mysterious no longer are. Still, with all the advances in technology, it seems like there would be more people talking about how close we are to discovering extraterrestrial life. Of course, it is those same advancements that tell us how we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

It seems like there is less mystery about UFOs now than there was a few decades ago. That makes sense considering the amount of knowledge we now possess. Quite simply, the things that were once mysterious no longer are. Still, with all the advances in technology, it seems like there would be more people talking about how close we are to discovering extraterrestrial life. Of course, it is those same advancements that tell us how we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

Movie Reviews

‘Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind’ Review: The thinking person’s UFO documentary

'Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind' is a more realistic UFO documentary.

By Nathaniel MuirApril 7, 2020

There is a renewed interest among film scholars in the German Expressionist horror cinema of Weimar Germany (1918-1933). Spurred by the recent passing of the 100th-Anniversary of the First World War – an event which was key in fomenting many of the dark themes which preoccupied these early filmmakers – a slew of new home video releases, documentaries, and books on these landmark movies that once flickered across Germany’s Haunted Screen are currently being released.

There is a renewed interest among film scholars in the German Expressionist horror cinema of Weimar Germany (1918-1933). Spurred by the recent passing of the 100th-Anniversary of the First World War – an event which was key in fomenting many of the dark themes which preoccupied these early filmmakers – a slew of new home video releases, documentaries, and books on these landmark movies that once flickered across Germany’s Haunted Screen are currently being released.

Books

The Nosferatu Story: New Book Explores the Occult History of Classic Vampire Movie

A must read book for fans of (vampire) film.

By Justin MullisMarch 30, 2020

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