Category:
Unsolved Mysteries

Repo Chick

Remember one of the weirdest films ever made, REPO MAN? This month marks the start of filming for a sequel titled REPO CHICK. Let's hope it can live up to its predecessor.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jan 20, 2009 - Comments (2)
Category: Aliens, Armageddon and Apocalypses, Business, Death, Movies, Paranormal, Pop Culture, Unsolved Mysteries, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, 1980s, Cars

Unsolved Mystery: Lumps from the sea

Mystery lumps are washing ashore in New Zealand. What they are: large, barrel-shaped lumps of grease ("like rancid fat or lard") covered in barnacles. Where they come from: nobody knows. The theory that they could be ambergris from whales was quickly disproven. Some entrepreneurs are carving them up and selling the stuff as moisturizing sunblock. Link: stuff.co.nz.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Sep 25, 2008 - Comments (10)
Category: Nature, Unsolved Mysteries

Wire Woman

A 40-year-old Indonesian woman named Noorsyaidah is growing metal wires out of her stomach. Apparently this is "big news" in Indonesia. The problem has been plaguing her for almost seventeen years. From the Phantoms & Monsters blog:

During the first week wires kept falling off from her body and were gone. A month later, the wires grew back again and from that time onward the wires did not fall. They kept growing! One of her sisters said that she tried to help by trimming the wires. Alas, whenever she trimmed the wires, the wire retreated as if it were hiding and then popped up in another part of Noorsyaidah’s body.

And we've got video of wire woman:



If these "wires" are more like bony growths, then it might be a real medical condition. But if the wires are actually metal, then it's b.s.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 27, 2008 - Comments (1)
Category: Body Modifications, Medicine, Unsolved Mysteries

Six Faces of FATE

Please enjoy this imagery from one of the spiritual ancestors of WEIRD UNIVERSE, FATE MAGAZINE.






More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 21, 2008 - Comments (11)
Category: Art, Eccentrics, Forteana, Magazines, Paranormal, Pop Culture, Unsolved Mysteries, 1950s, Yesterday’s Tomorrows

Pyramid Power

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In this confusing postmodern age, when fresh cults come and go with head-spinning rapidity, it's a comfort to see one with staying power--such as Pyramidology. Perhaps you too feel you could benefit from a stay inside the mystic interior of a large pyramid, but don't have one readily accessible. Well, visiting this popular Russian site might involve a little extra travel for most of us, but surely the benefits would outweigh the expense.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 18, 2008 - Comments (5)
Category: Eccentrics, Fads, Frauds, Cons and Scams, New Age, Paranormal, Unsolved Mysteries, Foreign Customs, Russia

13 Things That Don’t Make Sense

I just read this breezy yet well-researched pop-sci book to write it up for THE BARNES & NOBLE REVIEW, and my essay will appear there soon. But for now, I can heartily recommend it to WU readers interested in the many unexplained weirdnesses lurking beneath the tidy coverlets of science.

Posted By: Paul - Sun Aug 10, 2008 - Comments (3)
Category: Science, Technology, Unsolved Mysteries, Books

Unsolved Mystery: The Disappearing Gourmet

Pascal Henry, a Swiss motorcycle courier, had planned the trip of a lifetime. Over the course of 68 days he was going to eat at every three-star Michelin-rated restaurant in the world -- all 68 of them.

By June 12 he had reached #40 on his list, El Bulli in Spain. He had finished his dessert, but had not yet paid his bill, when he excused himself from his table to go outside to his car to get one of his business cards to give to the couple at the next table. He hasn't been seen since.

What happened to him? The most popular theory is that he must have run out of money and decided to go into hiding. But there's also the possibility he may have wandered off a nearby cliff (though no body has been found) or that foul play is involved. Supporting the theory that he went into hiding are "reports that he is divorced and deeply secretive and went missing for several months as a teenager." Links: Times Online, Independent.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Aug 05, 2008 - Comments (0)
Category: Unsolved Mysteries

Home Intruder

I have no explanation for this video. But it seemed to belong on WEIRD UNIVERSE.

You have been warned.

ADDENDUM: Clear-headed and far-sighted reader Fitz identifies the URL touted onscreen here as totally NSFW. I found the video itself on YouTube.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Aug 04, 2008 - Comments (8)
Category: Animals, Buildings and Other Structures, Domestic, Unsolved Mysteries

Mystery Bug Invades Britain

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This sounds like something out of a horror novel. A mysterious red and black insect has been found in parts of London, baffling experts who have no idea what it is. Ominously, it is spreading rapidly. From BBC News:

The tiny red and black bug first appeared in the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden in March 2007. Since then it has become the most common insect in the garden and has also been spotted in Regent's Park and Gray's Inn. The bug appears to be harmless, but there is potential for it to spread throughout the UK, said experts...

Despite containing more than 28 million insect specimens, the museum failed to find an exact match for the new bug. Experts said it closely resembles the rare species Arocatus roeselii that is usually found in central Europe. But the roeselii bugs are brighter red than this new bug and they are usually associated with alder trees. The National Museum in Prague discovered an exact match to the mystery insect but experts there have also failed to determine exactly what it is. "It seems strange that so many of these bugs should suddenly appear," said Mr Barclay.

Sure, it appears to be harmless for now, but what are the odds it'll remain that way? Haven't they read The Day of the Triffids?

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 30, 2008 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Horror, Unsolved Mysteries, Science Fiction

Unsolved Mysteries: The Fermilab Puzzle

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The Chicago Tribune reports on a mysterious cryptogram received by Fermilab:

The enigma began last year when a plain envelope with no return address arrived at the world-famous physics laboratory outside Chicago, addressed simply to "Fermilab." Inside was a single sheet marked by pen with a bizarre series of hash marks, numbers and alien-looking symbols. No one at the lab could make sense of the letter. Was it a joke? A threat? A hint at some exotic new theory?

The lab eventually posted the puzzle on its website, and the online community within days had partially solved it. The first part says, "FRANK SHOEMAKER WOULD CALL THIS NOISE." (referring, apparently, to a physicist who used to work at Fermilab). The bottom part reads: "EMPLOYEE NUMBER BASSE SIXTEEN." The middle section remains unsolved.

Unfortunately, these messages are as cryptic as the code itself. If you like puzzles, see if you can be the one to shed light on this enigma.

Posted By: Alex - Mon Jul 14, 2008 - Comments (1)
Category: Science, Unsolved Mysteries

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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