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USS Nimitz and the 2004 "Tic Tac": a strange object at sea, or the limits of sensors?

11/08/2026
4,881

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - In November 2004, the USS Nimitz carrier group tracked radar contacts off the coast of California. The pilot David Fravor and his colleagues reported a white, pill-shaped object operating over an ar ..

The Hessdalen lights: a natural UFO laboratory in a Norwegian valley

10/08/2026
4,849

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - The Hessdalen valley has recorded white, yellow and red balls of light, sometimes hovering and sometimes moving for minutes at a time. A peak in the early 1980s led to a measurement campaign in 1984 ..

The Marfa Lights: Texas desert orbs and the test by spectroscopy

09/08/2026
4,887

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - From the viewing area east of Marfa, people see points of light that change colour, split and merge, or glide across Mitchell Flat. Many of the everyday lights have been shown to be headlights on Hi ..

The Min Min lights: the glow that follows travellers across the Australian outback

08/08/2026
4,701

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - People crossing the outback describe a white, yellow or green orb that quietly follows a vehicle, retreats when chased and disappears without a trace. Min Min stories carry their own meanings in man ..

Ball lightning: the glowing sphere through a window, and a plasma problem with no agreed answer

07/08/2026
4,894

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - Ball lightning is described as a glowing sphere from a few centimetres to tens of centimetres across, lasting far longer than a lightning stroke, drifting sideways and then fading or exploding. Thou ..

St Elmo's fire: the blue flame on the mast that sailors both feared and welcomed

06/08/2026
5,017

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - In an electrical storm, the top of a mast, an aircraft wing or any sharp object can emit a blue-violet glow accompanied by a hissing sound. Old sailors saw it as a sign of protection from Saint Eras ..

The Brown Mountain Lights: ghost lights on the Blue Ridge and the USGS investigation

05/08/2026
5,053

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - From viewpoints in North Carolina, people describe white, red or yellow points of light appearing near Brown Mountain, rising and then vanishing. After the flood of 1916 cut the power and the railwa ..

The green fireballs of New Mexico: what did Project Twinkle see over the nuclear sky?

04/08/2026
4,924

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - In late 1948, pilots and scientists around Los Alamos and Sandia reported brilliant green fireballs crossing the sky, seemingly low and silent. Because they appeared near nuclear facilities, the mil ..

Trans-en-Provence 1981: does a circular ground mark prove a UFO landed?

03/08/2026
4,816

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - On 8 January 1981, Renato Nicolai at Trans-en-Provence heard a whistling sound, saw a small lead-coloured object leave his plot of land, and then found a circular mark. The police took samples and G ..

Shag Harbour 1967: a glowing object fell into Canadian waters and vanished

02/08/2026
4,660

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - On the evening of 4 October 1967, residents of Shag Harbour saw a string of lights descend and apparently touch the surface of the water. The RCMP took the report, treated it as a possible aircraft ..

Socorro 1964: what did officer Lonnie Zamora see in a New Mexico gully?

01/08/2026
4,990

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - On the afternoon of 24 April 1964, police officer Lonnie Zamora broke off a car chase to check a bang and a flame in a gully. He described a white oval object standing on legs, two small human figur ..

How to cook bun bo Hue: deep flavour, lemongrass aroma and a broth that stays clear

14/09/2026
4,670

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bun bo Hue has a broth that is reasonably clear but deep in flavour, fragrant with lemongrass, with the shrimp paste melting into the base rather than standing out on its own, and an orange-r ..

How to cook chicken braised with ginger: warm and fragrant, tender meat and skin that stays put

11/09/2026
4,890

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Chicken braised with ginger is an easy home dish, but three things go wrong very easily: the meat dries out, the skin turns flabby, or the ginger is sharply hot without being fragrant. The trick lie ..

Southern Vietnamese sour fish soup: no fishy smell, vegetables still crisp

10/09/2026
4,675

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good canh chua ca loc has a clean sourness from tamarind, a gentle sweetness that is nothing like sugar water, fish that is tender but still in whole steaks, and vegetables that are fresh and cris ..

How to cook bo kho: tender beef, a clear glossy sauce and deep flavour

16/09/2026
4,693

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good bo kho has beef that is tender without falling apart, sinew that has turned just translucent, carrots that keep their shape, and an orange-red broth fragrant with lemongrass, star anise and c ..

How to make com tam with grilled pork chop: tender, fragrant, neither dry nor burnt

17/09/2026
4,944

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - An appealing plate of com tam needs rice that is loose but not dry, a golden-brown chop with just enough charred edge and flesh that is still moist, a clear sweet-and-sour fish sauce, and green, fra ..

How to make southern banh xeo: thin, crisp for longer and not greasy

22/09/2026
4,869

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - A good southern banh xeo has a thin shell with a crisp, lacy edge and a middle firm enough to hold the prawns, pork and bean sprouts without being as thick as a pancake. The yellow comes from turmer ..

How to make Hanoi bun cha: deeply fragrant, tender meat and a balanced dipping sauce

24/09/2026
4,856

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Good bun cha needs two kinds of pork: belly slices with fragrant charred edges that are not dry, and soft, juicy patties, sitting in a bowl of warm dipping sauce with crisp green papaya. This recipe ..

How to cook mi Quang with chicken: deep flavour, noodles that hold and just enough broth

27/09/2026
5,094

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Mi Quang is not a noodle dish swimming in broth. A proper bowl has chewy noodles, chicken infused with turmeric and shallot, and just enough strongly flavoured broth to come halfway up the noodles, ..

How to make fresh spring rolls with prawn and pork: neat, firm and without tearing

02/10/2026
5,068

Culture & Cuisine - Cooking guides - Fresh spring rolls work because of the balance between soft, chewy rice paper, prawns and pork cooked just right, well-drained noodles and crisp vegetables. Roll them too tightly and they tear, too ..

SCP-173 The Sculpture: the concrete killer that only moves when you blink

20/06/2026
5,019

World - Mysteries & the bizarre - In the dark of a concrete containment cell, a sculpture stands silently waiting. It does not breathe, it makes no sound, and it stays absolutely still — as long as you are looking straight at it. Bu ..