Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids

Episode: Hoax Hunters: What is the Bermuda Triangle

Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Molly Bloom
Co-Hosts: Marc Sanchez & Sandon Taunton ("The Hoax Hunters")
Kid Co-Host/Question Contributor: Kai from Honolulu

Overview

This episode dives into the legend and reality of the Bermuda Triangle—a mysterious area in the Atlantic Ocean claiming a reputation as a hotbed for missing ships, planes, and people. With the “Hoax Hunters” (Marc and Sandon), the episode uncovers the true stories behind famous disappearances, sorts fact from myth, and explains how folklore can grow from real-life events… all with the Brains On! signature mix of fun, skepticism, and science for curious kids.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Bermuda Triangle

• The Bermuda Triangle is “an area of water in the Atlantic Ocean. But it isn’t an official place. You won’t find it on a map.” (Mark, 05:21)
• The triangle is roughly formed by connecting Miami (Florida), Bermuda, and San Juan (Puerto Rico). (Sandon & Mark, 05:29-05:42)
• It’s rumored that “boats, planes, and people mysteriously disappear, leaving no trace.” (Mark, 05:46)
• Notable listener question: Kai from Honolulu asks, “Why do ships and planes disappear in the Triangle?” citing rumors about things stopping working and being hard to escape. (Kai, 04:51-05:04)

2. The Story of Flight 19

• In December 1945, five Navy planes (“Flight 19”) disappeared during a routine training mission after losing their sense of direction and experiencing equipment malfunctions. (Sandon & Mark, 06:08-08:21)
  • One pilot radios:

    “Both of my compasses are out and I’m trying to find Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’m over land, but it’s broken.” (Flight 19, 07:03)

  • Final message:

    “All planes close up tight. We’ll have to ditch unless landfall. When the first plane drops below 10 gallons, it will all go down together.” (Flight 19, 08:06)

• The rescue plane dispatched also disappeared—fueling the mystery. (Sandon, 08:25)
• Transition: This story becomes a foundation for the Bermuda Triangle legend.

3. How the Legend Grew

• Years later, a Miami Herald article collects Bermuda Triangle disappearance stories, highlighting lost planes and ships—emphasizing that it happens “despite improving technology.” (Sandon, 12:38-13:15)
• Sensationalist magazines like Fate magazine amplify the mystery with paranormal explanations and even add fake quotes (e.g., “We can’t find West. Everything is wrong... Don’t come after us. They look like they’re from outer space.”) (14:00)
• The story goes viral and spawns theories:
  • Alien gateways/portals to other galaxies
  • The Lost City of Atlantis causing navigation failures
  • Time vortexes sending travelers to the past or future

4. Skeptical Investigation: Facts vs. Fiction

• Hoax Hunters emphasize: “Show me the proof.”
• Actual evidence for aliens, Atlantis, or time travel is lacking.
  • “There are lots of ships and planes and satellites that watch the Bermuda Triangle… if UFOs were popping in and out willy-nilly, we probably would have spotted them.” (Mark, 15:34-15:50)
  • “We also have no proof of Atlantis... From everything we have seen, we’ve got no reason to think there’s a lost city.” (Mark, 15:50)
  • “Time travel is super cool, but seems super unlikely given everything we know about time and physics.” (Sandon, 16:04)

5. The Rational Explanations

• Most disappearances have straightforward causes:
  • Disorientation and pilot error (especially in Flight 19—lead pilot confused Bahamas for the Florida Keys, which led them further out to sea). (Sandon & Mark, 19:31-20:21)
  • Mechanical failures and running out of fuel.
  • Severe storms and the deep ocean making wreckage hard to recover.
• The search plane likely exploded due to a mechanical fault, not supernatural causes. (Sandon, 20:41)
• The Bermuda Triangle is “no more dangerous than the rest” of the ocean. (Mark, 21:38; Molly, 22:52)
• Confirmation bias explains why only the mysterious disappearances get attention, while thousands of routine trips across the area go unnoticed. (Mark & Sandon, 21:50-22:13)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Defining the Triangle

• “If you drew a line connecting San Juan, Puerto Rico to the island of Bermuda... then down to Miami, Florida... and then back to San Juan... it makes a triangle.”
  — Sandon, 05:29-05:42

Chilling Radio from Flight 19

• “Both of my compasses are out, and I’m trying to find Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’m over land, but it’s broken.”
  — Flight 19 pilot, 07:03

• “All planes close up tight. We’ll have to ditch unless landfall. When the first plane drops below 10 gallons, it will all go down together.”
  — Flight 19 (final message), 08:06

Inventing the Paranormal

• “We can’t find West. Everything is wrong... Don’t come after us. They look like they’re from outer space.”
  — Fake magazine quote, 14:00

Skepticism and Science

• “As we’ve mentioned in other episodes, we don’t have any proof of aliens. Plus, there are lots of ships and planes and satellites that watch the Bermuda Triangle....”
  — Mark, 15:34

• “The Bermuda Triangle isn’t mysteriously dangerous. It’s just a normal patch of ocean.”
  — Mark, 21:38

• “If you collect all [the accidents] in one story, it might look like a lot… but the Bermuda Triangle wouldn’t even be the most dangerous part of the ocean.”
  — Mark, 21:25

• “Part of what happened here is likely something called a confirmation bias. That’s where you look for examples that confirm or agree with your bias or your opinion… and ignore all the many, many, many cases where nothing weird happened at all.”
  — Mark & Sandon, 21:50-22:13

Fun & Interactive Segments

Mystery Sound

• [09:05-11:20 & 23:33-25:08]
  Regular segment where listeners guess the source of a strange sound.
  • Guesses: shoveling gravel, corn, cleaning out a fish tank, outdoor noises.
  • Answer: “The sound of us putting birdseed in the feeder.” (Rosemary & Nora, 25:10)

Mailbag & Fan Art

• [16:50] Molly describes a listener’s creative alien and eclipse-themed fan art from Bangalore, India.

Key Timestamps

• 05:01: Listener Kai asks about the Bermuda Triangle.
• 06:08-08:25: Dramatic recreation of the Flight 19 disappearance.
• 12:17-14:15: How news, magazines, and fake quotes built the legend.
• 15:17: Wild theories (aliens, Atlantis, time vortexes) discussed.
• 19:31-21:11: Rational explanations for disappearances.
• 21:50: Explanation of confirmation bias.
• 25:10: Mystery sound revealed as birdseed being poured.

Conclusion

The Bermuda Triangle is a story born from tragedy, confusion, incomplete information, and lots of creative storytelling. The real lesson? Mysteries are fun, but when you look at the facts, there are usually logical, scientific explanations behind even the most baffling stories—and it’s important to stay curious but skeptical.

Speaker Attribution Guide:

• Molly Bloom — Host
• Mark Sanchez & Sandon Taunton — Hoax Hunters co-hosts
• Kai — Listener/kid co-host (question contributor)
• Guest/Caller — Pilots in dramatizations or fake quotes
• Rosemary & Nora — Mystery Sound contributors

Want more? You can submit your own questions, art, or mystery sounds at brainson.org, and check out the next episode, all about raspberries!