1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hey guys, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: This is Alison that her Milk, the science editor at 4 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: how staff works dot com, and this is Robert Lamb, 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: science writer at how stuff works dot com. Today we 6 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: will be helpfully instructing you on how to get lost 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 1: in the Bermuda Triangle. Yeah. Have you ever been to 8 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: the Bermuda Triangle? I have traveled to it. Yeah, a 9 00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: few years back. I was on my way from New 10 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: York City to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a fun weekend. Um, 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: and I didn't really think too much about it. I 12 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 1: was actually just so excited to be out of the 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: cold city for a weekend and sunny and warm Puerto 14 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 1: Rico that it didn't even cross my mind. So nothing happened. 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: I'm still here. I didn't get lost. What about you? Um? 16 00:00:55,480 --> 00:01:00,240 Speaker 1: I went on a Carnival Cruise Lines trip with my family. Yeah, 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: how was that it was? I remember eating a lot 18 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: of pizza off of the uh the Limitless Pizza Bar. 19 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: I remember playing a lot of Street Fighter versus X 20 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: men in the little arcade area. So did you go 21 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: to any midnight buffers? Yes? I did, and uh, and 22 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: actually it was kind of spooky and that I remember 23 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: after I left the cruise, I had gained like twenty pounds. 24 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: But you also did not disappear into the form me 25 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,960 Speaker 1: to triangle. No, no, not only did I not disappear, 26 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: more of me came back than then went on the 27 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: set out. So yeah, we both survived. I lived to 28 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: tell the tale, which is uh not something that can 29 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: be said for everybody that's flown or sailed into these waters. Yeah. 30 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: So where are these waters again? Well, it's a triangle. 31 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: The northern point of the triangles Bermuda. The western point 32 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: is Miami, Florida, and the eastern point is San Juan, 33 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico, and all the waters in between that super 34 00:01:57,760 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: me to triangle. Well, so where did the legend come 35 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: for and why do we think that ships and plans 36 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: are going to go missing in this area? Well? Uh, 37 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: the actual term Bermuda Triangle comes from nineteen sixty four 38 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: issue of our Ghosie magazine, which is just an American 39 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: pulp fiction magazine. But they had this article making the 40 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: case that something weird was going on here because over 41 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 1: the past century they're saying, like, you know, a hundred 42 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: ships and planes have disappeared. Maybe a thousand lives have 43 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: been lost. So a fiction magazine is making the case, right, Yeah, 44 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: that's where that's what kicked it all off. Yeah. And 45 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: it also has other names like the Devil's Triangle if 46 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: you know, if you want to make it sound extra creepy. 47 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: And some of these instances are are are pretty fascinating. Um. 48 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: Like there's the U. S. S cyclops um uh set 49 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: out set out from Brazil in the early nineteen hundreds. Um. 50 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: And then it had one stop off in Barbados before 51 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: disappearing just forever. Three six passengers and crew vanished without 52 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: a trace yep. Uh. Then the night this is the 53 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: big one. This is yeah, this is flight nineteen. You 54 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: have five U. S. Navy t BF avengers got kind 55 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: of lost and turned around and then uh uh they 56 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: talked to him on the radar, trying to forget where 57 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: they were. You know what, what's this island they're flying over? 58 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: And then they've never heard from him again. They sent 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: out two planes to try and find them. One of 60 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: those blew up in the air, and ever since, we 61 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: we keep finding avenger wreckage out in the ocean. Um 62 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: and it's never one of these five Avengers. It's always 63 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: uh you know, like at one point they found five 64 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: different wrecks and people are like, all right, this is it, 65 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: and then the Navy I chimed in and said, no, 66 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: that's just five different Avengers from five different situations. Uh So, 67 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,440 Speaker 1: so remind me never to fly an avenger airplane. Probably 68 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: not a big risk, but yeah, never fly one. So 69 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: if you think about examples like that, I mean, it's 70 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: easy to see why the Ramina Triangle gets such a creepy, 71 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: mysterious reputation. But he turned to the many, like the U. S. 72 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: Coast Guard, and they're saying, no, no, no, the area 73 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: doesn't have an unusual number of incidents. Yeah, because this 74 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: is a especially compared to other areas that are also 75 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: highly highly trafficked, right, I mean, do you have a 76 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: lot of ships, a lot of planes going through uh 77 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: through these waters and why are they going to be 78 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: going through Well, you know, it's it's a pretty popular 79 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: destination spots like Puerto Rico. Somebody wants to jet off 80 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: for a sunny weekend. Yeah, it's been a popular trade 81 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: trade route over time. But then I think some people 82 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:29,119 Speaker 1: are going to point out that that the that maybe 83 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: the Coast Guard just doesn't want to acknowledge, say the 84 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:36,559 Speaker 1: existence of Atlantis or the presence of UFO activity, no doubt, 85 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: no doubt. So, um, yeah, there are a lot of 86 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: reasons the people site for all these disappearances, and a 87 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: lot of them are pretty pretty out there. So we're 88 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,560 Speaker 1: not going to really dwell on the sunken city of 89 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: Atlantis and it's space crystals that are drawing ships down 90 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: to their icy depths, and we're not really going to 91 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: get into the UFO abductions, et cetera. But we are 92 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: going to talk of out some of the pretty solid 93 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: scientific theories that may be contributing to, uh to some 94 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: of these losses, and then some of the quasi scientific 95 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: theories that might be coming into play. Um, so why 96 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: don't you kick it off tell us about hurricanes and 97 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 1: crazy weather. Yeah, that's the big thing to keep in 98 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: mind is that this is an area of the world 99 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: that's subject of violent and unexpected storms. All Right, one second, 100 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: you've got you've got some you know, clear open open sea, 101 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 1: and then dam suddenly you've got maybe water spouts which 102 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: are um basically u sea tornadoes. You know, big columns 103 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: of violent water. Um. And you know those can can 104 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 1: take out a boat. They can also take out a plane. Um. 105 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: Or maybe or maybe suddenly there's a hundred foot high 106 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: rogue wave generated by a sea floor earthquake. Alright, Um. 107 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: The thing is that stuff in spring up really quickly. Uh, 108 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 1: and then and then it's gone before it can actually 109 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 1: even really pop up on radar. Right. Well, there's a 110 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,160 Speaker 1: lot of speedy activity going on in there. We which 111 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: leads us to our next factor in that, which is 112 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,239 Speaker 1: the Gulf Stream. And you guys know the Gulf Stream 113 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:09,280 Speaker 1: as the very strong oceanic boundary current that starts up 114 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: in the Gulf of Mexico, heads north along the coast 115 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: of North America, the eastern coast of North America, and 116 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: then shoots on over to western Europe. It's like a 117 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: river in the sea, right, Yeah, it is a river 118 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,200 Speaker 1: in the sea, like you mentioned. And within that, within 119 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: the span of the current, um, that crazy weather is intensified. 120 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: But but the main thing about the current is that 121 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: it's it's moving fast right. So Um. The National Oceanic 122 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 1: Atmospheric Administration actually has some good stats on us, and 123 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 1: they're saying that it flows about three hundred times faster 124 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: than the Amazon. So that's pretty fast. And how fast 125 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: exactly about one to three knots um and then it 126 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:50,360 Speaker 1: kind of trickles down and slows down as it moves north. Well, 127 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 1: what's the point of all the speed? But this the 128 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: point is is that if you, if you're gonna wrack, 129 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: if you're gonna you know, disappear in the ocean, this 130 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: would be a great place to do it, because bam, 131 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 1: all the evidence disappears pretty as thanks to that swiftness 132 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: of the current. The other thing to keep in mind 133 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: when you think about the Gulf Stream is that it's 134 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 1: flowing right over some pretty crazy oceanic topography, and some 135 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: of that topography is seriously seriously deep. We're talking about 136 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: like nineteen thout. So if you want to go missing, 137 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: this would be a great spot. Yeah, you're not just 138 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,520 Speaker 1: going to be lost, I mean, if you're just gone, 139 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: if you if you if you're down at these debts, 140 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 1: I think this is a cool up point to uh 141 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: to bring up another interesting lost ship, and that's Sudden 142 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three SS Marine Sulfur Queen. Of course. Yeah, Now, 143 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: there are several factors playing into this one, disappearing. First 144 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: of all, I had a molten sulfur cargo, so it's 145 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,600 Speaker 1: pretty volatile, and people tend to think that this ship 146 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: probably exploded, all right, um. And then uh uh, this 147 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,040 Speaker 1: is pretty deep water, like you said, so all this 148 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: debris is going to sink and uh potentially get covered 149 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: up by sediment. Um, So there's not really gonna be 150 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: any evidence. And then the third thing, um, is that 151 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: they when they were looking for the ship, they did 152 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: find like bits of clothing, bits of life jacket, etcetera. 153 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:12,280 Speaker 1: And they think sharks may have eaten any survivors. So 154 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: that's the other thing to keep in mind. These are 155 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: living waters. This is a like a vibrant and dangerous 156 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: ecosystem at times. You know, it's a competitive community, right, 157 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: so if there are survivors, there's a good chance they'll 158 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: be eaten. Um. And that actually flows right into the 159 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: next potential suspect in ship and Plaine destruction in the 160 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: Bermuda triangle, and that's methane gas hydrates Okay, which also 161 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: goes by the name of what I like, this one 162 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: happened was oceanic flashman. Don't believe that. I think you're 163 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: just making that up. But I'm not aspect keep going anyway. 164 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: So this revolves around some stuff that scientists at Cardiff 165 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: University discovered, and it's large concentrations of methane gas trapped 166 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,320 Speaker 1: on the sea floor. And this is due to, like 167 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: I said, vibe an ecosystem. So you have a lot 168 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: of dying and decomposing sea organisms, right, and then you 169 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: have some bacteria feasting on this buffet down there, and 170 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: these bacteria are the flatuating uh parties here all right, 171 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 1: it's creating all this methane gas. Alright, it gets trapped 172 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,320 Speaker 1: down there, It gets trapped in this methane ice which 173 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: acts like a cap. All right. So it's just concentrated 174 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: and um and volatile. Right, So something disturbs that um. 175 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:30,559 Speaker 1: It can it can actually cause a lot of damn. 176 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: It can cause basically underwater landslides. That can that that 177 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: that has they believe in the past, results in tsunamis. 178 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 1: But it can also cause this uh, this bubble, this 179 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: big burp of methane gas to rise up from the 180 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 1: ocean floor. All right, and let's say you're in a 181 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,280 Speaker 1: ship underneath that rising bubble. Well, they say that this 182 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,559 Speaker 1: bubble will will actually make the water less dense, like 183 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: basically turn it to foam so that the ship can 184 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,959 Speaker 1: actually float the more. And it's just gets swallowed up, right, 185 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: So then the ship is kind of lower than the 186 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 1: surrounding waters. Right, it just basically opens up like a 187 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: big foamy mouth and just swallows it whole. And then 188 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: there's a lot of sediment stirred up by this uh 189 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 1: taking place. So that would end up just covering up 190 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: any wreckage as well, possibly hiding the evidence all right. Um, 191 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:21,959 Speaker 1: And of course if you're in a plane flying over 192 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: that sinking boat. Um, some people theorized that this rising 193 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:29,679 Speaker 1: column of gas could actually end up setting the plane 194 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: on fire. Oh yeah, So how often does this happen? Um? Well, 195 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:40,199 Speaker 1: there's a lot of it out there. They scientists belief 196 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: that this stuff occurs throughout the world. Uh, and in 197 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 1: the amounts we're talking about it, like trillions of cubic feet, 198 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: Like they're talking about using this as a potential energy source. 199 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: So there is a lot of it. Um. Now, when 200 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: you get into how often it occurs, um, like to 201 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,040 Speaker 1: do it U S Geological Survey says that this is 202 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:01,200 Speaker 1: definitely a possible occurrence that could definitely take out a 203 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: boat but they're less certain about it having occurred in 204 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: this region of the Bermuda Triangle in the last fifteen 205 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:14,160 Speaker 1: thousand years. However, Um, there are myths in the Black 206 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: Sea about these things taking out ships or rigs, and 207 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,680 Speaker 1: in tooth and a year two thousand of sunken fishing 208 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: trawler was found at the center of a huge gas 209 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 1: eruption site in the North Sea. You know, this has 210 00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: reminded me a lot of that article, Um, but we 211 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: wrote on exploding links. Yes, yeah, it reminds me a 212 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: lot of that too. The idea that you have this, uh, 213 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: this volatile gas at the bottom of buried underneath all 214 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:40,120 Speaker 1: this water and stuff gets disrupted just right, it rises 215 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: up and that's a lot of gas to come surging 216 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: back up to the surface. So where would you rate 217 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:46,760 Speaker 1: this as a contributing factor. It seems kind of on 218 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:51,720 Speaker 1: a if you scale. Yeah, it's like a very good theory, 219 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 1: but whether or not the scientists seem a little uncertain 220 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 1: about whether or not it's actually happening, or if it's happening. 221 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: I don't think it's happening enough to be a major 222 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 1: contributor to any ship or air blank disappearances in the 223 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: Bermuda Triangle. Though, Okay, well, I have one that may 224 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:08,320 Speaker 1: have been a factor in the past, but it is 225 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: not a factor anymore, and that is magnetic abnormalities. Right, 226 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: So supposedly, if you travel through the Bermuda Triangle in 227 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century, your compass would just go berserk, possessed spinning, spinning, spinning. 228 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,560 Speaker 1: So magnetic abnormalities used to be a problem in the 229 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: Bermuda Triangle, but they're not anymore. And the idea behind 230 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: this is that you have something called magnetic north and 231 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: you have something called true north, and the difference between 232 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: the two is called magnetic declination. You guys probably don't 233 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: need to know this because nowadays your fancy navigational equipment 234 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: are gonna help you out and you really you don't 235 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: even need to know about it. But back in the 236 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: days of the nineteenth century, say, if your compass was 237 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: pointing toward true north as as opposed to magnetic north, 238 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,440 Speaker 1: you're gonna get lost, right, you have a false compash 239 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,199 Speaker 1: reading and yeah, and you're gonna wind up, of course, 240 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: and you're gonna be lost, and maybe you're gonna wind 241 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: up on somebody's Bermuda Triangle. List of disappeared chips. But 242 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: here's the thing, this is no longer a valid theory 243 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 1: because the Earth's magnetic field is always changing, right, so 244 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: modern chips are not getting lost due to this. Basically, 245 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,079 Speaker 1: well not only that, but your compass isn't kind to 246 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,559 Speaker 1: point towards you north anymore. In the bringing to triangles, say, 247 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: if you had to rely on some really old school equipment, 248 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: but if you were operating with one of these old 249 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 1: fashioned compasses, you might find yourself at the side of 250 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 1: a blue hole blue hole. When the heck is a 251 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: blue hole, Well, the blue hole is is very real. Um, 252 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: it's basically an underwater sinkhole, a vertical cave just sending down, um, 253 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,320 Speaker 1: into into the earth. Um. If you do like just 254 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: a Google search on this, you'll find some really stunning 255 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 1: images because you'll have just like crystal clear kind of 256 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: blue light blue waters, you know, beautiful Caribbean setting. And 257 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: then they'll be the circle of just dark you know, 258 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,439 Speaker 1: dark blue because there's this pit just just sending down, uh, 259 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: you know for um, you know, hundreds and hundreds of feet. 260 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: I believe the Yeah, the deepest one in the world 261 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,439 Speaker 1: is Dean's blue Hole. Dean Dean's Blue Yeah, you think 262 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: it would. They have some other name for it, like 263 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: you know, like the Blue Pit or you know something, 264 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: but it's six sixty three feet deep. Um And then 265 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: there's a really cool one on the black the Black 266 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: Hole of South Andros. And this was actually on land 267 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: like this little island area. But the theory here not 268 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: and this is this is where we leave the factual 269 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: and get more into the fanciful. But some Bermuda Triangle 270 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: junkies theorized that these uh, these blue holes are caused 271 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: by micro wormholes. Yeah, so you know, I guess the 272 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: ideas that you're flying or you're sailing along and then 273 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: you're stuck into a micro wormhole and you show up, 274 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: you know, in the past or another dimension or on 275 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 1: an episode of the Twilight Zone. Who knows, um u 276 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: instant instant. Incidentally, the Black Hole of South Andros actually 277 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: is a kind of of a wormhole into the past 278 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: because they say that the oxygen oxygen free water there 279 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: has similar properties to water found in the oceans three 280 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: point five billion years ago. There's like toxic bacteria down there. 281 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 1: It's you know, extreme aphiles living in this really kind 282 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: of an alien environment. So it's like a water artifact 283 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,480 Speaker 1: from an ancient time. That's pretty neat that the ocean 284 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: is full of amazing things, just probably not the city 285 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: of Atlantis. Well, it may not be as exciting as 286 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: blue holes, but there is definitely one contributing factor that 287 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,960 Speaker 1: we haven't talked about yet or too. But they're both 288 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: on the people's side and human error and pirates. Let's stry. 289 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: Let's tackle the human error first. So the idea here 290 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: is if you have a lot of people passing through 291 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 1: an area, eventually you're gonna have an accident. So basically, 292 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: the numbers are on your side here. If you get 293 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: if you have enough humans going through an area like 294 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: for me to Triangle or any other area, one of 295 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: them is going to have an accident. One of them 296 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:53,360 Speaker 1: is going to have an off day. One of them 297 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: is going to be what were those pilots doing who 298 00:15:55,560 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: wound up going two hours past their destination playing video games? 299 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: Do you remember the North Coast Airline? I missed this one. Well, anyway, 300 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 1: you get a pilot who has an off day and 301 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: you're going to have an accident. So I mean the 302 00:16:08,360 --> 00:16:10,360 Speaker 1: theory here is human erran that's an off day when 303 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: you're playing video games when you should be piloting the airplane. 304 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:16,240 Speaker 1: I don't know what they were doing. I cannot actually 305 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: say that they were still. Yeah, people people screw up. 306 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: People can be kind of stupid, and there's a lot 307 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: of people traveling through this area, so some of them 308 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: are going to screw up, and any of things like pirates. 309 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: And I know we think of most modern pirates hanging 310 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: out stay over in the waters off Somalia or maybe 311 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: an Indonesia or something like that. But if I were 312 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: a pirate and I'm not, why not head on over 313 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,360 Speaker 1: to the Breminia Triangle because then you can say, well, hey, 314 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: it was the mysterious for me to triangle that you know, 315 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: objected the ship and plundered all the contents. So well, 316 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: let's get to let's get to the question here. How 317 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:55,400 Speaker 1: do you get lost in the Bermuda Triangle? Like, if 318 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: you you really wanted to set out and insure that 319 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: you got lost, and if you're listening to this, you know, 320 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: and you do decide to get lost, do tell us 321 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,359 Speaker 1: what happens, you know, shoot us an email. Um, But 322 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: but what would you need to do? I think the 323 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: first thing would be make sure that you're you're you're 324 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: carrying some sort of volatile cargo, preferably volatile valuable cargo, 325 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: so that it'll either wind up stolen or exploding. Right. 326 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: Make sure that you have a pilot who's maybe you 327 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,439 Speaker 1: know a little hungover or something, or you know a 328 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: captain who's just kind of, you know, thinking about personal 329 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: troubles or something. Somebody who's who's really just not kind 330 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: of having his mind on the job. Yeah, try dragging 331 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 1: an anchor something. Try and stir up some methane hydrates. Yeah. Yeah, 332 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: make sure you're passing straight through the Gulf stream, right. Yeah. 333 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:48,200 Speaker 1: In fact, do some loops through the Gulf stream. Look 334 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: for extreme weather. Yes, yeah, try and go during hurricanes 335 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 1: this season, and you know, hang out around some blue 336 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 1: holes just in case that wormhole thing pans out. Yeah, 337 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: and we think maybe maybe you might be able to 338 00:17:58,320 --> 00:17:59,840 Speaker 1: get lost and through me to try and go that way. 339 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: Go for it. Yeah, And if you like to say, 340 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: if you get lost, shoot us an email tell us 341 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: what happens. So if you wind up lost in the 342 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: Bermena Triangle but you have computer access, send us an 343 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: email to side stuff at how stuff works dot com. 344 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,080 Speaker 1: Oh and while you're in the computer in the Bermuda Triangle. 345 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: Check out some us some good articles we have. You know, 346 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: I found one about that Christian Conger wrote about the 347 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: Bermena Triangle, only it's in the Alaskan Wilderness. It's called 348 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: why has part of the Alaskan Wilderness been called the 349 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: Bermuda Triangle? So you gotta read it to find out? Uh? 350 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:33,600 Speaker 1: And also come come take a look around the blog 351 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: the blogs dot how suff works dot com, where you 352 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 1: can read about everything from girls with guns to tequila diamonds. 353 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. For more on this and thousands of 354 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: other topics, is that how stuff works dot com. Want 355 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: more how stuff works, check out our blogs on the 356 00:18:54,560 --> 00:19:09,720 Speaker 1: house stuff works dot com home page.