For decades, the Bermuda Triangle has been the go-to scapegoat for everything from vanishing ships to AWOL pilots.
Somewhere between Florida, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles lies the birthplace of dozens of conspiracy theories involving sea monsters, time portals, and the lost city of Atlantis. But according to one Australian scientist, this patch of ocean presents more of a mathematical problem than a supernatural one.
Popular Mechanics reports that scientist Karl Kruszelnicki has been publicly calling BS on every conspiratorial aspect of anything related to the Bermuda triangle since at least 2017. He, along with our very own National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, wants you to stop blaming a ship’s disappearance on aliens and start blaming it on basic math and bad planning.
This Scientist Thinks He Cracked the Bermuda Triangle Mystery
Kruszelnicki says the Bermuda Triangle isn’t unusually deadly; it’s just busy. It’s one of the most heavily trafficked maritime areas on the planet, meaning the odds of accidents naturally go up. Kruszelnicki points out that, proportionally, just as many vessels go missing in other parts of the world.
NOAA and, as reported by The Independent, even Lloyd’s of London (a massive insurance market that makes money from risk) support this idea. Since the 1970s, they’ve maintained that there’s nothing statistically unusual, let alone supernatural, about the Bermuda Triangle.
NOAA also notes that the Gulf Stream’s volatile weather and the challenging navigation through island-dotted waters explain nearly all the supposed mysteries. Add good old-fashioned human error on top of the already difficult conditions, and you have a recipe for nautical and aerial disaster.
There are no interdimensional sea demons or aliens sucking up World War II pilots. When the weather in this area isn’t gorgeous, shining bright and glimmering with tropical beauty, it can be terrifying and deadly, with massive thunderstorms that seem to come out of nowhere.
Aliens and Atlantis are more fun to imagine, and believing these explanations brings some people more comfort than the less interesting truth.
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