Speculation about “missing scientists” has recently been circulating—but to even call this a conspiracy theory is far too kind, Daniel Engber argues. The mystery “began with a Silver Alert,” Engber explains: “In late February, a retired Air Force major general named Neil McCasland left his house in New Mexico for a walk and never returned. Rumors spread on social media that the elderly former astronautical engineer had been abducted or killed.” McCasland’s wife did her best with a post on Facebook to address what she called the “misinformation circulating about Neil and his disappearance,” but “wild notions only multiplied,” Engber writes. The list of scientists who have recently either died or gone missing has now grown to include 10 additional names—and the case, Engber argues, has “ascended to the highest levels of U.S. politics and media.” Last week, President Trump told a reporter from Fox News that he’d just been in a meeting to discuss the matter. “No comprehensive theory has been floated to explain the pattern of events,” Engber writes. “But then, even the phrase ‘pattern of events’ is imprecise, because there is no pattern here at all.” Barring any dramatic new disclosures, he argues, “the mystery of the missing scientists has the dubious honor of being a sham in every way at once.” “The people on the list of missing scientists have no common area of expertise. Sure, many happen to be physicists or engineers; some are or were affiliated with government labs,” Engber writes—but “the bigger problem with the story is this: Their deaths and disappearances aren’t really unexplained.” One person on the list went missing while hiking, two more people on the list may have died of natural causes, one person was murdered, and several people on the list appeared to be suffering from personal distress. “The loss of life is real, and families are mourning,” Engber writes. “But nothing sinister is going on. The ‘mystery’ is just a p-hacked panic and a waste of everybody’s time.” Read more at the link. 🎨: The Atlantic. Source: Getty.
Speculation about “missing scientists” has recently been circulating—but to even call this a conspiracy theory is far too kind, Daniel Engber argues. The mystery “began with a Silver Alert,” Engber explains: “In late February, a retired Air Force major general named Neil McCasland left his house in New Mexico for a walk and never returned. Rumors spread on social media that the elderly former astronautical engineer had been abducted or killed.” McCasland’s wife did her best with a post on Facebook to address what she called the “misinformation circulating about Neil and his disappearance,” but “wild notions only multiplied,” Engber writes. The list of scientists who have recently either died or gone missing has now grown to include 10 additional names—and the case, Engber argues, has “ascended to the highest levels of U.S. politics and media.” Last week, President Trump told a reporter from Fox News that he’d just been in a meeting to discuss the matter. “No comprehensive theory has been floated to explain the pattern of events,” Engber writes. “But then, even the phrase ‘pattern of events’ is imprecise, because there is no pattern here at all.” Barring any dramatic new disclosures, he argues, “the mystery of the missing scientists has the dubious honor of being a sham in every way at once.” “The people on the list of missing scientists have no common area of expertise. Sure, many happen to be physicists or engineers; some are or were affiliated with government labs,” Engber writes—but “the bigger problem with the story is this: Their deaths and disappearances aren’t really unexplained.” One person on the list went missing while hiking, two more people on the list may have died of natural causes, one person was murdered, and several people on the list appeared to be suffering from personal distress. “The loss of life is real, and families are mourning,” Engber writes. “But nothing sinister is going on. The ‘mystery’ is just a p-hacked panic and a waste of everybody’s time.” Read more at the link. 🎨: The Atlantic. Source: Getty.
