9. Present
Now it’s time for you to get creative!
You’re going to read or listen to a description of a mysterious phenomenon, and craft an explanation for why it exists. This explanation can be a harmless urban myth, or a wild conspiracy theory, as you prefer.
If you’re studying together in a class, take 20-30 minutes to prepare, then present your idea to the other students. At the end, vote on the most believable story.
If you’re studying alone, why not write your answer in the comments box at the bottom of this page?
Tip: Using passive voice really helps to make conspiracy theories sound more scientific, for example Studies have shown… or It’s widely accepted by experts that… are good phrases for sounding serious without actually providing any serious proof 😉
Here are links to the unexplained phenomena. Some are texts and some are videos. Pick one and let’s go!
1. The stone spheres of Costa Rica
2. The labyrinths of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, Russia
3. The weird artworks at Denver Airport, USA
5. This 15th-century painting of the Madonna and Saint John
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Further Reading
For some lists of other phenomena, try these:
https://www.thetravel.com/25-strange-places-around-the-world-that-are-straight-out-of-the-x-files/
https://www.farandwide.com/s/mysterious-museum-artifacts-14f6b06ba0544d2b
And on the other side, sceptics have debunked some of these mysteries:
https://ahotcupofjoe.net/2017/04/8-mysteries-ancient-world-arent-mysterious/
Finally, an article from the New Scientist on why conspiracy theories gain followers:
https://www.newscientist.com/definition/conspiracy-theories/
