I knew those cattle ranchers in the 1800's out west hated sheep rancher's for more than just raising sheep. It was that round, mutten head! Too much mutten in the daily diet!

Moderators: MichelleH, Minimalist, JPeters
Healthy skepticism, it seems, has curdled into paranoia. Wild conspiracy tales are peddled daily on the Internet, talk radio and in other media. Blurry photos, quotes taken out of context and sketchy eyewitness accounts have inspired a slew of elaborate theories: The Pentagon was struck by a missile; the World Trade Center was razed by demolition-style bombs; Flight 93 was shot down by a mysterious white jet. As outlandish as these claims may sound, they are increasingly accepted abroad and among extremists here in the United States.
To investigate 16 of the most prevalent claims made by conspiracy theorists, POPULAR MECHANICS assembled a team of nine researchers and reporters who, together with PM editors, consulted more than 70 professionals in fields that form the core content of this magazine, including aviation, engineering and the military.
In the end, we were able to debunk each of these assertions with hard evidence and a healthy dose of common sense. We learned that a few theories are based on something as innocent as a reporting error on that chaotic day. Others are the byproducts of cynical imaginations that aim to inject suspicion and animosity into public debate. Only by confronting such poisonous claims with irrefutable facts can we understand what really happened on a day that is forever seared into world history.
Another article on the skulls, in our news section.NEW research based on digs at a deserted medieval village near Sledmere have cast doubts over the evolution of the human skull in medieval times.
Findings based on hundreds of skeletons recovered from Wharram Percy, which have been documented in a new book, have shown heads becoming rounder, rather than longer and narrower, between the 11th and 13th centuries.
Past explanations for the change had focused on immigration introducing different characteristics. But Simon Mays, human skeletal biologist for English Heritage, said the work questioned that view.