Top 10 Mysteries Surrounding Ancient Aliens

by Bryan Johnson
Imagination is one of the most powerful tools in humanity's evolutionary struggle for survival. As a race, we are hardwired to consider important concepts, such as the creation of life on Earth and the history of people on this planet. At some point, we are all presented with various explanations and theories regarding the expansion of human life on Earth. In the long history of mankind, the majority of these concepts have followed religious teachings, and the power of a spiritual God or Gods. In modern times, many people have come to challenge these claims.

The idea of evolution has been used to describe the gradual change of traits that living organisms undergo over time, which is related to the environment, but it doesn't explain how the biological cells of human's first ancestor were spawned. Because of the fact that everyone is interested in the creation of life on Earth, and concurrently we have been taught to believe in the power of religion and the impossibility of alien life, the idea that this article will be examining is controversial. It will be based around some concepts that have been labeled absurd by the scientific community, but let your imagination go, and have some fun with the list.

Ancient Aliens

The idea surrounding ancient aliens is a basic one. It states that the human population was influenced by a group of extraterrestrials that visited Earth in the past. The aliens were directly involved in the evolution of primates, including humans. It has been suggested that this was accomplished by way of genetic engineering, cross-breeding, or a combination of both, ultimately helping in the development of human cultures, technologies and religion. The idea first gained widespread exposure with the 1968 publication of Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken, but the concept has been around since the middle of the 19th century. A common variant of the idea includes proposals that deities from most, if not all, religions, including angels and demons, are actually extraterrestrials whose advanced technologies were taken by people as evidence of a divine status.

This concept is related to the religious practice of a cargo cult, which can be seen in modern day pre-industrial tribal societies. Especially during World War II, when indigenous people were contacted by soldiers with advanced equipment, such as guns and tanks. The cults subsequently attempted to obtain wealth through magic and religious rituals and practices. The ancient alien theory states that extraterrestrials purposely tricked the human population into believing they were Gods, creating religion to help people evolve more efficiently. The Fermi paradox is the apparent contradiction between high estimates of the probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence for, or contact with, such civilizations.

It has been proposed that, with the current age of the universe and its vast number of stars, if the Earth was typical, extraterrestrial life should be common. In response to this paradox, the zoo hypothesis has been suggested. It states that aliens generally avoid making their presence known to humanity, or avoid exerting an influence on development, somewhat akin to zookeepers observing animals in a zoo, or experimental scientists observing a study of life. Adherents of the hypothesis feel that the Earth and humans are being secretly surveyed using equipment located on Earth, or elsewhere in the Solar System. Charles Fort's unpublished 1915 manuscript, novel X, describes how Martian beings or Martian events control life on Earth. Fort ultimately burnt the manuscript, but one surviving quote from it is "The Earth is a farm. We are someone else's property."

Angels and Demons

The idea of ancient astronauts has spawned a UFO religion named Raëlism. The Raelian Movement teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim. Members of the Elohim appeared human and were mistaken for angels, cherubim or gods. The Bible is full of accounts of angels and demons. The text mentions millions of angels and their experiences on Earth and in the heavens. In Christian tradition, demons are similar to angels. They are spiritual, immutable and immortal. The individual demon owns a specific knowledge, sometimes on only one subject. The apocryphal Book of Enoch recounts that a group of 200 rebellious angels, or Watchers, left heaven and came down to Earth to marry human women and have children with them.

The Quran depicts a story of angels that are given minds of their own, found in verse [2:34]. One of the angels was Iblis (Satan/Lucifer), who rebelled and was therefore banished on earth to create mischief amongst mankind. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, angels were all created as good beings, but some decided to become evil. It was written that angels do not need faith as they already have the knowledge of celestial things, which means that their action constitutes unforgivable sin. The idea of alien intervention on Earth can be found in the modern religious philosophy of Thelema. Thelema was developed by the early 20th century British writer, Aleister Crowley.

Crowley's system of Thelema begins with The Book of the Law, which he claims was a direct dictation from an entity named Aiwass. Crowley later identified Aiwass as his own Holy Guardian Angel. The religion is founded upon the idea that the 20th century marked the beginning of the Aeon of Horus, in which a new ethical code would be followed; "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." The famed American rocket propulsion researcher, Jack Parsons, was one of the first Americans to take a keen interest in the writings of Aleister Crowley. Parsons research into rocket propulsion was some of the earliest in United States history. His pioneering work in the development of solid fuel, and the invention of Jet-fuel Assisted Take Off units for aircraft was of great importance to the start of humanity's space age. The work of Parsons and his peers helped people usher in the age of space travel. Jack Parsons was largely self-educated.

Men in Black

The extraterrestrial hypothesis is the theory that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are best explained as being extraterrestrial life or non-human aliens from other planets. The idea sounds simple to modern day humans, but it a relatively new concept that originated out of the saucer sightings and close encounters of the 1940s-1960s. Thousands of UFO sightings have been reported in the last 50 years, and one of the emerging themes in these events is the Men in Black. The Men in Black are men, or aliens, dressed in black suits who have been reported to harass or threaten UFO witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. In most cases, the men claim to be government agents, but it is often suggested that they may be aliens themselves.

People who have reported an encounter with the Men in Black often describe them as men of short stature with a deeply tanned and dark complexion. According to the accounts, Men in Black always seem to have detailed information on the person they contact, as if the individual had been under surveillance for a long period of time. They have been described as seeming confused by the nature of everyday items such as pens, eating utensils or food, as well as using outdated slang. Those who have encountered them say they produce identification, but when verification is later sought, the people described do not exist or have been dead for some time. Another defining characteristic of the Men in Black is wide grins and disconcerting giggles.

The phenomenon has been frequently reported since the 1950s and 1960s, but some researchers, including John Keel and others, have suggested similarities between the Men in Black reports and earlier demonic accounts. Keel suggests that the beings are a modern-day manifestation of the same phenomena that was earlier interpreted as the devil, or encounters with fairies. The term "the black man" has been used for centuries in reference to the Devil. In history, the Black Man was often reported as meeting with the accused and having sexual intercourse with them. Old Scratch or Mr. Scratch is another folk name for The Devil that is used in the local legends of New England and pre-Civil War America.

During the Middle Ages, the black man was not a person with African features, but rather a man colored black and dressed in black. In modern times, another phenomenon known as the Grinning Man has become associated with the Men in Black, and various reports of paranormal activity. These creatures are larger and characterized by a wide grinning face. In most cases, people describe a strange sensation of not being able to focus in on the Grinning Man. It has been suggested that the smile is an attempt by the aliens to conform to society and keep humans feeling safe, but in all reports the figure is described as extremely creepy. In the Half-Life series of first-person shooter video games, there is a mysterious character named G-Man that parallels some of the Men in Black descriptions.

Modern Technical Advancement

During WWII, the term foo fighter was used by Allied aircraft pilots to describe the various UFOs and mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over both the European and Pacific Theater of Operations. In the wake of the war, the world entered an era of substantial achievement and technical advancement. One such example is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which is a United States aircraft that was developed in the early 1960s. The SR-71 Blackbird is a strategic reconnaissance aircraft that currently holds the air speed record. In 1903, Wilbur Wright set the aircraft speed record going 6.82 mph (10.98 km/h). In 1976, the SR-71 Blackbird went 2,193.2 mph (3,529.6 km/h). The craft was manned by Eldon W. Joersz during the record flight, but is highly capable of taking off and landing unassisted.

In modern times, organizations have been developed, such as the Disclosure Project, which have alleged the existence of a world government cover-up of information relating to unidentified flying objects and alien encounters. People argue that the technical advancements humans have experienced since WWII have been achieved with the help of extraterrestrial life and equipment. Proponents of the ancient alien theory have suggested that the development of nuclear weapons sparked an increased interest in humanity's evolutionary path, ultimately leading to an era of mass abductions and close encounters. Some others point to the current global climate disruption and apocalypse predictions, identifying them as a precursor for the secret extraterrestrial involvement and intervention on Earth, ensuring the survival of life.

Angel Hair

Angel hair is a substance that is said to be dispersed from UFOs as they fly overhead. It has been described as being like a cobweb or a jelly. Angel hair has been reported at sightings of the Virgin Mary. This fact has intrigued ancient alien believers, and has been used as a possible indication of extraterrestrial influence at reported sightings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Historical reports of angel hair show that the substance disintegrates, or evaporates, within a short time of forming. One publicized theory of UFO believers is that the substance is "ionized air sleeting off an electromagnetic field" that surrounds a craft. The most reported incident of angel hair occurred in Oloron, France, in 1952. The event was characterized by a large amount of unexplained aircraft sightings.

On November 2, 1959, in the Portuguese city of Évora, angel hair was collected and analyzed by armed forces technicians and scientists of the University of Lisbon. Conclusions stated that the substance was so advanced that it could be a single-celled organism of some kind, a vegetable product, not animal. People have connected references in the Bible to the phenomenon of angel hair. Pixie dust is said to be related. Beginning in the 14th century, humans began to mention a gelatinous substance named star jelly.

Star jelly is described as a translucent or grayish white gelatin, which tends to evaporate shortly after falling. In the past, the substance was connected with meteor showers. Angel grass is a related phenomenon that occurs when short metallic threads fall to the ground in intertwined loosed masses. However, angel grass is an explained occurrence and comes from certain military aircraft. It is a type of Chaff, used as a radar counter-measure.

Greys

Greys are a proposed alien species that is most widely associated with the alien abduction phenomenon. It has been alleged that Greys are intelligent extraterrestrials who visit Earth and secretly perform medical experiments on humans. Paranormal claims surrounding the Greys are different in many ways, including their nature, moral dispositions, intentions and physical appearances, some having a different skin color. A composite description derived from overlap claims would have Greys as small bodied, sexless beings with smooth grey skin, an enlarged head and large eyes. They are described as humanoid beings that possess reduced forms of, or a completely lack of, external human organs such as noses, ears or sex organs.

Their bodies are usually depicted as being elongated, having a small chest, and lacking in muscular definition. According to a 1995 study among reports of alien encounters, Greys make up approximately 50% in Australia, 43% in the United States, 90% in Canada, 67% in Brazil, 20% in Continental Europe, and around 12% in Great Britain. It has been proposed that the home planet of these beings is located in the Zeta Reticuli star system. Greys are therefore sometimes known as Zeta Reticulans. People have reported two distinct groups of Greys, with one being much taller. This had led to the suggestion that the smaller Greys are not biologically alive, but instead an artificially constructed robot or cyborg servant.

People have described the Greys as staring into their eyes when conducting mental procedures. This staring, which is performed directly in your face, is claimed to induce hallucinogenic states or directly provoke different emotions. According to English reproductive biologist Jack Cohen, the typical image of a Grey, given that it would have evolved on a world with different environmental and ecological conditions from Earth, is too physiologically similar to a human to be credible as an alien species. This brings us to the theory that these extraterrestrial beings had some influence on the evolution of life on Earth in the distant past, or that they are an ancient race of humans that was forced to abandon Earth, but still watches over the planet.

Animal Mutilation

Cattle mutilation is a term that has been adopted to describe the apparent killing, and then mutilation, of cattle under unusual or anomalous circumstances. Sheep and horses have also been mutilated, and the phenomenon is not specific to cattle. A hallmark of these incidents is the surgical nature of the mutilation. The creatures are often found completely drained of blood, with missing internal organs. There is no obvious point of entry, and the surgically precise removal of the animal's reproductive organs and anal coring is consistent. Another strange occurrence surrounding the mutilations is that the animal's bodies are found dumped in an area where there are no marks or tracks leading to or from the carcass, even when the body is found in soft ground or mud. The surgical-type wounds observed appear to be made by intense heat and a very sharp/precise instrument.

Often flesh will be removed to the bone in an exact manner and location, such as around the jaw exposing the mandible. The first largely reported case of mutilation occurred near Alamosa, Colorado, in 1967. The event involved a horse named Lady, who was discovered with her head and neck skinned. The cuts on the horse were very precise and no blood was found. According to Lady's owner, there was a strong medicinal odor in the air that surrounded the corpse. At the scene, fifteen tapering, circular exhaust marks were punched into the ground. This evidence was discovered over an area of some 5000 square yards. Similar to other cases of animal mutilation, the area surrounding Lady showed an increase in radiation levels. By the mid 1970s, mutilated cattle were reported in 15 US states and in many other areas all over the world.

Many of the accounts include unexplained lights, sounds and UFOs. It has been noted that mutilated cattle are avoided by large scavengers, such as coyotes, wolves, foxes, dogs, skunks, badgers and bobcats for several days after death. Similarly, domestic animals are reported to be visibly agitated and fearful of the carcass. According to Dr. Howard Burgess, nearly 90% of mutilated cattle are between four and five years old. Laboratory reports carried out on some of these animals have shown unusually high or low levels of vitamins or minerals in tissue samples, and the presence of chemicals not normally found in animals.

In one case involving a 1978 mutilated cow in New Mexico, samples from the animal's liver were found to be completely devoid of copper and to contain four times the normal level of zinc, potassium and phosphorus. As you would suspect, a government cover-up has been offered as an explanation for the deaths. This is often fueled by the reported presence of black helicopters near mutilation sites. Various hypotheses have been written, suggesting that cattle mutilations have been committed by aliens who are gathering genetic material for unknown purposes. Proponents of the ancient alien theory suggest that, as cows make up a significant part of the global human diet, a study is being carried out on this element of the human food chain.

Spaceship Moon Theory

Over the years, it has been scientifically observed that the Earth's Moon holds some strange characteristics. The Moon is the 5th largest natural satellite in the Solar System. It is believed to have been created by a giant impact between the young Earth and a Mars-sized body. After examination, it has been noted that the Moon is apparently in the wrong orbit for its size, according to its current assumed density. Astronomy data indicates that the internal regions of the Moon are less dense than the outer, giving rise to the inevitable speculation that it could be hollow. Some of these claims come from the fact that when meteors strike the Moon, it rings like a bell.
More specifically, when the Apollo crew, on November 20, 1969, released the lunar module, after returning to the orbiter, the module impact with the Moon caused their seismic equipment to register a continuous reverberation like a bell for more than an hour.
In July of 1970, members of the then Soviet Academy of Sciences, Michael Vasin and Alexander Shcherbakov, proposed the Spaceship Moon Theory. The pseudoscientific theory claims that the Earth's moon may actually be an alien spacecraft. Vasin and Shcherbakov's thesis was that the Moon is a hollowed-out planetoid created by unknown beings with technology far superior to any on Earth.

Huge machines would have been used to melt rock and form large cavities within the Moon. The Moon would, therefore, consist of a hull-like inner shell and an outer shell made from metallic rocky slag. The "Spaceship Moon" was then placed into orbit around the Earth. Proponents of this theory point to the increased reports and pictures of UFOs taken by NASA on their missions to the moon. It has been found that asteroids and meteors not only create shallow craters on the Moon's surface, but produce a convex floor to the crater instead of concave as expected, supporting the idea of a rigid shell.

The moon is far older than previously expected, maybe even older than the Earth or the Sun. The oldest age for the Earth is estimated to be 4.6 billion years old, while Moon rocks were dated at 5.3 billion years. The chemical composition of the dust upon which the rocks sit is remarkably different from the rocks themselves. This indicates that the lunar surface may have been moved from somewhere else and placed on the Moon. Some of the Moon's craters originated internally, yet there is no indication that the Moon was ever hot enough to produce volcanic eruptions. Hundreds of moonquakes are recorded each year that cannot be attributed to meteor strikes. Some of the quakes seem to follow a specific schedule.

The moon's crust is much harder than originally presumed. When NASA was recorded drilling down a few inches into the Moon's surface, it appeared that metal shavings were visible. Earth's moon is the only natural satellite in the Solar System that has a stationary, near-perfect circular orbit. How does one explain the coincidence that the moon is just the right distance, coupled with just the right diameter, to completely cover the sun during an eclipse? Professional astronomers have been gradually discouraged from investigating a phenomenon that has been reported on the Moon for 1,000 years. It is short-lived light, color, or other changes in the appearance of the lunar surface, referred to as Transient Lunar Phenomena.

Miracle of the Sun

Starting in May of 1917, something happened to three shepherd children in the town of Fátima, Portugal. The events have become known as Our Lady of Fátima. Starting on May 1, 1917, the children began to describe seeing a woman "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal ball, pierced by the burning rays of the sun." The being was reported to have appeared to the children on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13. According to ten year old Lúcia Santo, in the course of her encounters, the woman confided to the children three secrets, now known as the Three Secrets of Fátima.

Thousands of people flocked to Fátima and Aljustrel in the ensuing months, drawn by reports of visions and miracles. On three separate occasions before the Miracle of the Sun, the children reported that the Lady had promised to them that she would, on October 13, 1917, reveal her identity and provide a miracle "so that all may believe."

On October 13, 1917, the Miracle of the Sun was witnessed and reported by 50,000 to 100,000 people in the Cova da Iria fields near Fátima, Portugal. The people in attendance had assembled to observe the publicized event. According to many statements, after a downfall of rain, the dark clouds broke and the sun appeared as an opaque, spinning disc in the sky. It was said to be significantly duller than normal, and to cast multicolored lights across the Earth, the people and the surrounding clouds. The sun was then reported to have careened towards the earth in a zigzag pattern. It was said that the people's previously wet clothes became "suddenly and completely dry," as well as the wet and muddy ground that had been previously soaked because of the rain. According to the reports, the event lasted approximately ten minutes.

The Miracle of the Sun was marked by a large amount of angel hair over the land. On July 13, 1917, the lady is said to have entrusted the children with three secrets. These secrets have been highly controversial in the Catholic Church, and have been revealed to the public at different time periods, with the final one coming out in 2000. The First Secret was allegedly a vision of Hell. The Second Secret was a statement that World War I would end and goes on to predict World War II. The second half of the secret includes information about Russia and requests that it become consecrated to the Immaculate Heart. It should be noted that the Second Secret wasn't revealed until 1941, after World War II had already began.

The majority of the controversy is with the Third Secret. It was revealed in 2000 and includes information about the persecution of Christians in the 20th century that culminated in the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. However, historical references to the Third Secret indicate something else entirely, with information regarding Apocalypse, a great apostasy, and satanic infiltration of the Catholic Church. If you are unfamiliar, apostasy is the formal disaffiliation from, or abandonment of, a religion by a person, basically, criticism of a person's former religion. In 1980, John Paul II was quoted on the Third Secret. "It should be sufficient for all Christians to know this much. If there is a message, it is said that the oceans will flood entire sections of the Earth and from one moment to the other, millions of people will perish."

Solway Firth Spaceman

Val Camonica, Italy, is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy. It is the location of a set of ancient paintings that are believed to depict forgotten deities. The pictures resemble modern day astronauts, despite being painted around 10,000 BC. I can see the resemblance to a space suit, but I am more impressed with the modern day photographic evidence that was captured by the Solway Firth Spaceman photograph. On May 23, 1964, Jim Templeton, a firefighter from Carlisle, Cumberland, took three pictures of his five-year-old daughter while on a day trip to Burgh Marsh, situated near Burgh by Sands and overlooking the Solway Firth in Cumbria, England.

The only other people reported on the marshes that day were a couple of old ladies, and although cows and sheep would have normally been plentiful, they were huddled together at the far end of the marsh. In the second image captured by Templeton, a white figure can be seen in what looks like a space suit. Templeton insists that he did not see the figure until after his photographs were developed, and analysts at Kodak confirmed that the photograph was genuine. To this day, the picture remains unexplained and a source of international fascination. When the picture was taken, in 1964, human space suits were in their extreme infancy. It has been suggested by some people that the figure is merely someone with their back to the camera, perhaps wearing a hat or helmet.

Upon the national release of the photograph, Jim Templeton claimed that he was visited by two men who, he says, came from Her Majesty's Government. The men tried to make Templeton admit that he had photographed a person, but he refused. In the same time frame that the picture was taken, a Blue Streak missile launch at the Woomera Test Range, using Cumbrian-built weaponry, was aborted because of two large men who were witnessed on the firing range. The technicians reported that the figures resembled the Solway Firth Spaceman. Ufologists have used the photograph as evidence that extraterrestrial life has influenced the modern day space program, including space suits.