Caitlin McCormack reports that Ohio has been a hotbed of Bigfoot sightings of late. Since March of this year, residents of the state have found numerous large prints that could only belong to a biped that was close to 7 feet tall. Actual sightings have been on the rise as well, with witnesses describing large, hair covered creatures that appear to have no neck. It's likely the recent hard winter brought an entire clan of Bigfoot into the area closer to civilization. It's not just in Ohio, either. Woman Stumbles Upon Sasquatch in Louisiana? While retrieving a bale of hay in her property, she surprised a large hairy biped that promptly took off, crashing through the trees and then running through waist-deep water. It seems this likely Bigfoot had been on the property for a while, as the dogs and cats had been unsettled for a number of days prior to the sighting. (CM)

More discoveries coming to light and informing our knowledge about the past include what might seem a non sequitur, but Christopher Plain clarifies how this fact matches with Greek and Egyptian temporal and cultural realities. Micah Hanks is on to something even bigger, as A Mysterious 4000-Year-Old “Lost” Writing System Has Finally Been Decoded, in a Modern “Rosetta Stone” Breakthrough. "An ancient Iranian mystery has finally been solved," says Micah, describing François Desset's process and "eureka" moment in cracking the Linear Elamite script puzzle. It is a remarkable achievement. Joshua Kumbani and Margarita Diaz-Andreu report about Rock Art, Dance and Ritual: What We Learned from Paintings in Zimbabwe. This intriguing article discusses how rock paintings may be classed into "dances for ritual, entertainment or special circumstances" -- such as pure "family fun" for adults and children. Ethnography, psychology, and acoustic engineering experts join with archaeologists in this endeavor. And Oguz Buyukyildirim covers yet another surprise as 10,000-Year-Old Plaster Floors at Motza Reveal a Lost Neolithic Technology Once Thought to Be Roman. In the small settlement of Motza about five kilometers west of Jerusalem, over 100 plastered floors demonstrate a particular kind of technology almost 8000 years before the previously-acknowledged Roman achievement. (WM)

Lesser-known, various possibly-UFO-related events from the Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Duplication of some paragraphs aside, this is a fascinating account of UFOs being associated with harrowing human experiences. Salvador Freixedo's "opening reflections" about how notorious some such occasions are while others don't get publicized are also apt. Something very much "up close and personal"—possessing interesting folkloric elements—is Salvador's Julio and the Magic Box. IHU Director Scott Corrales has a good closing observation about this particular tale. J.M. Garcia Bautista takes us to the Eastern Hemisphere with Spain: A Humanoid at Mazagón (1998). Hard to know what to say of this one. And "staying" in Spain only politically, José Gregorio Jiménez offers from the Canary Islands: Unidentified Objects Over Tenerife (2002). Investigated sightings of differing anomalous celestial displays reported by independent multiple witnesses at two locations on the island from nearly the same time and with some video recording in the second instance enhance this narrative. (WM)

In this episode hosted by Michael Ryan, Bill Birnes covers the genesis of his collaboration with Col. Philip Corso on The Day After Roswell, his thoughts about cattle mutilations, the Biblical Nephilim, and the back story to his taking over UFO Magazine. Perhaps less-discussed is the topic of Does Linda Zimmermann's Research Into Animal Reactions to UFOs Prove They Exist? Now we know animals exist, but Linda makes an excellent argument not only for animals reacting to UFOs, but often before humans do and in likely many instances because their hearing, and other senses, can be much more acute than us poor Homo sapiens. And such information can be added to human and instrumented data to form a clearer sense of truly anomalous experiences. Also, Christine Scott reviews the late Budd Hopkins' Art, Life and UFOs: A Memoir, published by Anomalist Books. Christine grants a full "5/5 Discs" for the memoir of the person who "really popularized the abductee phenomenon." And Dr. Irena Scott Talks About the UFO Flap of 1973 with Michael, along with the Coyne helicopter/UFO encounter and a still-mysterious "thunderclap sound" that extended from Iowa to Washington, D.C. during that year, the last big UFO year so far. Dr. Scott's sleuthing behind her new findings and conclusion that the Hickson/Parker abduction was additionally a military-nuclear-intelligence matter is good promotion for her new book Pascagoula - The Ultimate Close Encounter. (WM)

Anyone following the topic of Nessie for any length of time has likely heard the theory that the dark waters of Loch Ness are hiding a channel to the ocean, allowing the orm(s) to pass undetected. Roland Watson pulls this theory apart strand by strand and asks the intelligent questions. For example, if Loch Ness is connected to the ocean somehow, why isn't the water brackish? Why hasn't sonar detected these channels, or turbulence at their mouths (if they exist at all)? Why on earth would Nessie traverse the purported channel at all? And would such a discovery give rise to a new legend? (CM)

Paul Screeton was a key figure in the earth mysteries movement and the editor of The Ley Hunter between 1969 and 1976. Most recently he posted items of interest on Facebook at Folklore Frontiers, which had been the title of his long running newsletter. "I was always a folklorist at heart and contemporary legend fitted my journalistic career like a glove," he said in an interview with Art Cornwall: Paul Screeton on Leys, The Ley-Hunter and the Earth Mysteries Movement. He was introduced to the notion of a link between UFOs and ley-lines by John Michell; Paul himself was a UFO witness: "Myself, a daylight disc seen at close quarters in Wensleydale turned me on UFOs and I have since become a repeater witness. However, I regard the enigma as being earthbound and human at core." After Michell died Paul wrote From Atlantis to Avalon, a review of Michell's writings and philosophy more than a standard biography. Among Paul's 15 other books, which he wrote after retirement as a journalist, were Haunted Hartlepool & East Durham, Quest for the Hexham Heads, Who Hung the Monkey? and I Fort the Lore. Sadly, we've lost another true Fortean. RIP, Paul Screeton. (PH)

The latest confusing UFO News for your early work week. Cristina Gomez has pointed remarks about VP Vance and a long-continuing tussle between "UFOs-as-Demonic" and "UFOs-as-Other-Including-Ours," with—wait for it—Dr. Steven Greer explaining all with new whistleblowers in a May 8th National Press Club Disclosure event. But the House Majority Leader Steve Scalise acknowledges a briefing that was...interesting. So Sentinel News' Lucianna Henry takes us into The Murky World of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena in Congress. Scalise questioner Matt Laslo unsurprisingly figures in this ambitious piece as well, which has excellent portraits of some of the Cast of Relevant Characters pushing "transparency." There's also a discussion regarding the weakness of National Defense Authorization Acts ("imminent domain" should probably be "eminent domain"), a Ross Coulthart interview about perhaps the most-recent sensational revelation: former serviceman Ronald Bilak's information concerning 2024 incursions over Louisiana's highly-sensitive Barksdale AFB, and some partisan bickering. The personal bickering of the moment gets treated in Pavel Ibarra's Tim Phillips Chimes in on the Tim Gallaudet vs Sean Kirkpatrick Confrontation. And here things get even murkier. So we go to Ross Coulthart Q&A: NHI Briefings in Congress and Disinformation Campaigns, whose first section deals with the Sean Kirkpatrick/ Tim Gallaudet Confrontation. With this topic, the other two main Coulthart "Chapters" here, and the looming Greer extravaganza, looks like an interesting week ahead! (WM)

Michael Bohlander, the Chair in Global Law and SETI Policy at Durham (England) Law School, and others respond to an article by Daniel Lavelle previously published in The Guardian. Bohlander takes a measured approach to this example of "gonzo-style" journalism. Citing serious omissions in Lavelle's article, another reader finds it "a biased skeptical account of what is now a formal matter of congressional and international concern." And a third remarks that multi-sensor data and "a significant constitutional crisis" in the US was missed by Lavelle's article. Lavelle's article, The Pentagon Released Its UFO videos – So I Went to the US to Chase Aliens. This is What I Found, has remained in my queue for some time, as I didn't know—even given the reputation of The Guardian—exactly whether to cover it in a "serious" category or not. John Greenewald reports that NASA Documents Show Renewed Internal Planning on How to Announce Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life. These from a successful FOIA covering "a 2025 meeting convened to outline a formal communications protocol." Admittedly, this is far away from ET UAP, so let's access NewsNation's Docs Show Feds Met about UFOs in the 1990s: Researcher. Of course, this piece in part is a "promo" for controversial Jeremy Corbell, but his claim apparently will be checkable, and we have gradually come to learn there's often more than a bit of fire under Corbell's seeming "smoke." (WM)

This recent episode features Lyle Blackburn, cryptozoologist and author. Host Richard Syrett centers the discussion around the similarities and patterns between close encounters with creatures detailed in Lyle's sold-out latest book Terrifying Encounters Vol. 1: Bigfoot, Dogman, Devil Monkeys and Other Mysterious Manimals. After this you'll be craving more information about Lyle Blackburn's Terrifying Encounters! and it's right here in this episode of Bigfoot & Beyond with Cliff Barackman and James "Bobo" Fay. Lyle's grounded, calm  and intelligent approach to the phenomenon is well worth a listen. (CM)

We close the work week with a status quo on "UFO D/disclosure" from mainstream US sources, beginning with Associate Editor Anna Skinner who gives a fair though basic treatment to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's determined efforts, though Luna's definite dislike for AARO doesn't get highlighted. Partially against a background from the April 29th White House presser showcasing the Artemis II astronauts where Donald Trump repeated that a document doling out will be soon, Christopher Mellon "stars" in the Presidentially Promised UFO Info Release Not a 'Nothingburger': Ex-Defense Official. Mellon has sensible comments about national security constraints and what will be released, as well as the mystery of the "Missing/Dead UFO Insiders." USA Today’s Trump Says Administration Will Release 'A Lot Of Things' on UFOs doesn't say much, but its video of the POTUS press conference contains the one relevant Q&A item. And SFL Media states UAP Sightings Surge Across the United States as Government Moves Closer to Disclosure. This ambitious article is decently grounded, though one might like more information supporting the "surge." The voluminous linked Guide To The Upcoming Alien Disclosure begins innocently enough, with a CBS video of the landmark July 2023 House hearing with David Grusch, David Fravor, and Ryan Graves. But rapidly the Guide moves into an informative and really fun text and video aggregation of just about every conspiracy and/or exotic theory imaginable, before concluding with two solid sections really worth pondering. (WM)

Scientists have been investigating the effect of low frequency sounds on humans, and their findings are fascinating. Apparently these infrasounds cause humans to experience ear pressure, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, and a feeling of being watched. And what, you may ask, produces infrasound? Many things, but notably aging pipes and boilers in old, creepy houses. Low frequency sound waves can also make our eyeballs vibrate, causing visual distortions like grey blobs, shadow figures and hallucinations. Not to throw shade on ghost busters, but maybe they should start partnering up with good plumbing and HVAC businesses. And speaking of evidence to the contrary, The Missing Thunderbird Photo Mystery (Are Any of These Real?). Allegedly, the original photo—if there was one—appeared in the Tombstone Epitaph in the 1880s or 1890s. Since that time a good deal of effort has gone into attempts to recreate the photo, but no one has actually located it. This episode of American Strangeness looks more closely at this phenomenon, examining what makes the Thunderbird Photo seem so real, when there seems to only be evidence to the contrary. (CM)

There are plenty who would agree with Michael Tymn’s belief that this landmark novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe “came to her by means of automatic writing.” Tymn, however, looks no further than ChatGP for sources, which will not impress those of us who learned at the age of seven how to perform “automatic writing” as a party trick. Meanwhile, Rupert Sheldrake ponders, in a rather byzantine manner, what he believes to be the Seven Ways in Which Minds Extend Beyond Brains. Citing among other examples, the phantom limb phenomena, which is certainly proven, he reckons that our brains are not so much receivers, as transmitters of sensory information. He invites readers to visit the included link to Experience a Widely Felt, Little-Understood Phenomenon and test his theories for themselves with a phone app called EyeSense Training. (LP)

Dr. Russell Moul inaugurates our look at key controversies in UFO history with a skeptical deconstructive invalidation of one of its wilder conspiracy theories. Notably, included is a link to Canadian Serge Monast's 1994 publication "Project Blue Beam: Revival of the Fake Alien Invasion Technology" for those wishing to evaluate Dr. Moul's historical points. One of the more famous of US controversies is examined in The ONLY Man Who Stood Up Against the Grays at Dulce Base (and How They Silenced Him). "New World Order," "earthquake machines," and "mysterious" deaths resonate with Moul's constructs (H/T Rich Reynolds). Our next headline might at first glance seem only moderately interesting. But Uncanny Expert Claims To Have Solved Mystery of White Mountains UFO Case refers to the 1961 Barney and Betty Hill abduction. We'll grant Ciaran O'Keefe's reconstruction of that incident seems very novel to us! "Westall '66 - The Prehistory of Its Investigation Leading Up to the 2006 Reunion" is a look at some of the treatments about the 1966 events, the evident "cover-up" of what actually happened, and thankfully is absent from mysterious deaths or such. But the historical materials Bill Chalker has assembled and the magnitude of the witness testimony—though not always perfectly aligned, as might be expected—underscore the fact that those still living deserve some resolution to their life-altering experiences. (WM)

"A new study suggests the supposed cognitive gap between Neanderthals and modern humans may have been wildly overstated." So says Luis Prada on the results and implications of a new US-Chinese research paper. The research team has therefore fashioned a theory for Neanderthal decline based more upon their societal structure. Popular Mechanics' Caroline Delbert reports that Archaeologists Found 115,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Where They Shouldn't Be. And "They might just rewrite the history of human migration." This northern Saudi Arabian treasure shows that mud—given the right conditions—can make a difference! A 12,000-Year-Old Discovery at Karahan Tepe, “The World's First Village,” Reveals an Ancient Key to Human Survival. Turns out, according to Micah Hanks, that "dating from Karahan Tepe reveals evidence of structures that predate the construction of those at its famous sister site" [Göbekli Tepe], long regarded as the first human village. Also, the Karahan Tepe diet may have been superior to the fare once served at its more famous associated site! And not to forget "The New World," A New Big Database of DNA From Indigenous Americans Shakes Up Scientists' Theories About Human Settlement of South America. That's from Smithsonian's Sarah Kuta, who writes "Human settlement of South America may have been more complex and dynamic than previously thought, new research suggests." We're talking here about a third wave of immigration, by groups resident in Mexico relocating into the Caribbean and South America. The new study addresses a serious gap in genomic research and even "could improve medical research and promote more equitable health care" for current Indigenous populations. (WM)

Early in the morning of May 2, 2025, six-year-old Lilly Sullivan and four-year-old Jack Sullivan disappeared from their home in Lansdowne Station, Nova Scotia. This was not the sort of place where children are snatched and held for ransom. It was a secluded, intensely private location that was once a bustling mining town. Authorities and volunteers combed the area looking for the children, coming up with nothing other than a small bootprint and a shred of something that appeared to be a favorite blanket of Lilly's. There were no signs of abduction, nor any clues to indicate foul play. The case remains unsolved and open. Here's another missing persons case that's still cold after 75 years: The Enduring Mystery of a Plane That Vanished in the Icy Canadian Wilderness With 44 People On Board. En route from Alaska to Montana, the flight crew reported some turbulence, low visibility, and some ice on the wings, but those conditions were to be expected from that flight path. They were never heard from again.  The fact the plane itself was not pressurized and could therefore not exceed a flight altitude of 10,000 feet through the mountainous area may have played a role in its disappearance. Sadly, after a ten-day search, the air force decided it had other more pressing issues to deal with and the plane with 44 souls aboard remain lost to time (and neglect). (CM)

Next month, from May 28th to the 31st, the 4th Annual Loch Ness Quest will take place in Drumnadrochit. Led by volunteers, the event is organized by the Loch Ness Centre in partnership with the Loch Ness Exploration Research Group, and will for the first time be joined by marine exploration company Deep Sea Vision. This means cutting-edge underwater drones capable of imaging far beyond any technology used in the past. Say "Cheese" Nessie...Speaking of which, who or what is Scotland’s ‘Real’ Nessie? Orkney’s Forgotten Sea Monster Emerges as the Stronsay Beast, whose remains first washed up on the shore of Orkney Beach in 1808. It was reportedly 55 feet in length and rumored by some to be a plesiosaur. You can decide for yourself now as the remains have gone on exhibition at the Stromness Museum, possibly for the first time ever. The Sea Stories exhibit runs from 25 April 2026 to 17 April 2027 and includes marine objects that have rarely if ever been on display. (CM)

This generally-favorable look at the UFO-related career of D. J. Allen Hynek is nonetheless flawed by some textual inaccuracies and an impression that later ufology was dominated by conspiratorial individuals. There's no mention of serious-minded groups like the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization (APRO) and National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP) and in particular for the very organization Hynek started, the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS), founded in 1973 and continuing to execute Hynek's vision. Incidentally, the papers of these three seminal organizations now reside along with a numerous and growing number of other important collections at the National UFO Historical Records Center (NUFOHRC) in Rio Rancho, NM, whose founder and Executive Director David Marler is a CUFOS Board Member. CUFOS President and Scientific Director Dr. Mark Rodeghier is also a member of NUFOHRC's Board. The biography about Dr. Hynek's life is Mark O'Connell's The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs—see, among others, the treatment in the Journal of Scientific Exploration The Close Encounters Man: How One Man Made the World Believe in UFOs. The wider history of US governmental collisions with the UFO subject remains UFOs and Government: A Historical Inquiry, from Anomalist Books. More on Hynek and CUFOS may be found at cufos.org, including hundreds of freely-downloadable articles and even books; for NUFOHRC, see nufohrc.org. (WM)

Austin Burgess clearly explains the thinking behind a new concept in the search for extraterrestrial life. Relying upon the ideas of panspermia and that "life modifies planets in ways that create detectable correlations between a planet’s properties and its location," patterns across planets might be more likely signs of what a research team calls "agnostic biosignatures." And while this hypothesis cannot yet be tested, new telescopes should enable, even expedite, that time-and-cost-consuming search. Meanwhile, The Debrief's Chrissy Newton reports the SETI Institute Launches Discovery and Futures Lab To Explore Humanity's Response To Life Beyond Earth. Newton's exposé reveals a project that's sorely-needed to prepare the world as well as scientists for an eventual discovery such as the planetary pattern research model might facilitate—or a more in-your-face meetup with another galactic intelligence. Avi Loeb tackles the issue of incorporating witness testimony in novel ways with "hard science" in High-Quality Data is Worth a Thousand LLMs in Resolving Ambiguities About UFOs. This may discomfit initiatives by major learned groups attempting to factor in both human and instrumented sources. American professional football, basketball, and even now increasingly baseball utilize such combinations. Journeying to Whitley Strieber's Unknown Country we find a good analysis of Loeb's recent enthusiasm in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Shows Unusual Behavior—What Does It Mean? (WM)

Adding to current worries about US security, David Freeman says "the FBI's counterterrorism division is now running the investigation" about industrial spray drones that "walked out of a warehouse in Harrison, New Jersey." Freeman starkly notes the tremendous danger from these drones, their relatively easy employment, and the surprising dearth of regulation covering a situation that's been understood but not commonly remarked for thirty years. Also disturbing, though on a different tack, is that New Emails Reveal Pentagon Effort to Align Messaging on AATIP and Luis Elizondo. This from John Greenewald, who analyzes May 2019 communications demonstrating attempts to "control the narrative." But "messaging management" seems to have missed this from Whistleblower David Grusch: "The US Government Understands It Represents a Form of Sentient Non-Human Intelligence". Sentinel News Editor Baptiste Friscourt Leaves no doubt as to Grusch's allegations, and also presents Jeremy Corbell's important Space Symposium panel discussion. And a rather more vitriolic exchange is covered in Pavel Ibarra's Tim Gallaudet Calls Out Sean Kirkpatrick to His Face in a Recent Heated Exchange—a very personal example of "information control." (WM)

In 1997 the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration detected an anomalous sound in the South Pacific. The sound came to be known as the Bloop, and was eventually attributed to crumbling ice off the coast of Antarctica. However, the truth was that the Bloop had more in common with animal sounds than ice sounds. It was just much louder than any known animal, which meant whatever made it was bigger than any whale. Did that mean the Bloop originated with a deep sea monster? Speaking of leviathans, check out The Surprising History of the Sea Monsters That Destroyed Alexandria. This intriguing story by Jason Colavito tells of construction efforts that were thwarted nightly by strange sea creatures. It wasn't until gargoyles were erected in the images of these creatures that the vandalizing stopped. In another, a shepherd falls in love with a creature that emerged from the ocean, only to have his heart broken in the morning when she returned to the waters. These tales became templates for later folktales, wherein the watery creatures became more monstrous in the retelling. (CM)

The "Missing/Deceased UFO-related Persons" story won't go away, and Liberation Times Editor Christopher Sharp instances a name and tragedy perhaps more justifiably on that list than some others. Representative Eric Burlison (as others) avers Matthew Sullivan "was scheduled to come in for an interview. Within two weeks, he had suspiciously committed suicide." That Burlison found this death "suspicious" seems reinforced by Shane Galvin of the New York Post. Galvin's Would-be UFO Whistleblower Died Of Accidental Drug Overdose After Agreeing To Testify to Congress covers what caused Sullivan's death and links to an obituary for the remarkable man. Newsweek's Didi Kirsten Tatlow informs that Chinese Scientists Have Been Dying Mysterious Deaths Too. The batch of Chinese experts' deaths seems tighter in chronology, areas of study, and even perhaps causes of death. And back to Galvin as a Trove of Leaked Documents Prove US Lab Where Missing Scientists Worked Was Studying UFOs, Documentary Claims. That site is Los Alamos National Laboratory, where Melissa Casias and Anthony Chavez, who weren't scientists, but had security clearances, had been employed. And it turns out that the new documentary Sleeping Dog about Jeremy Corbell's UFO investigations features documents once held by a "deceased ex-cybersecurity chief at the highly secretive New Mexico lab." (WM)