Earth: The New Voice of Terror

By Lee Vander Boegh -

Looking for another reason to check your closet for monsters before you go to bed? Check this sound out.

That shrilly, scary squeal is actually coming from the Earth itself. Scientists say it’s the result of certain scientific-sounding things interacting with other scientific things. What’s more, they say that eavesdropping extra-terrestrials could easily hear this, as it is continuously broadcast throughout space.

That’s just great. As if Earth doesn’t have enough problems, we’re perpetually giving advanced beings the “We’re sorry, your call can not be completed as dialed” line. So much for state-of-the-art alien technology, we’ll be lucky to get the occasional E.T. prank phone call.

Then again, even with a vast assortment of ray guns and flying saucers you’d be hard pressed to get me to visit a planet that constantly sounds like a haunted grain auger. I’d be too afraid. I’d assume the Earth is inhabited by an assortment of chainsaw killers, hacksaw slingers and politicians.