Article Courtesy Of: MSNBC News

An ocean exploration team led by Swedish researcher Peter Lindberg has found what some are suggesting is a crashed flying saucer.

Lindberg's team, which has had success in the past recovering sunken ships and cargo, was using sonar to look for the century-old wreck of a ship that went down carrying several cases of a super-rare champagne. Instead, the team discovered what it claims is a mysterious round object that might (or might not) be extraterrestrial.

Lindberg explained to local media that his crew discovered, on the 300-foot-deep ocean floor between Finland and Sweden, "a large circle, about 60 feet in diameter. You see a lot of weird stuff in this job, but during my 18 years as a professional I have never seen anything like this. The shape is completely round."

Adding to the mystery at the bottom of the Gulf of Bothnia, Lindberg said he saw evidence of scars or marks disturbing the environment nearby, suggesting the object somehow moved across the ocean floor to where his team found it.

It's not clear what to make of this report, or the video of the sonar scan that shows the object, but Swedish tabloids and Internet UFO buffs have had a field day. Some suggest the object is a flying saucer of extraterrestrial origin (and the seafloor scars were dug up when it crashed), though of all the things that might create a round sonar signature, that seems to be among the more outlandish. It might be a natural feature formation, or possibly a sunken, round human-made object.

Lindberg's claim that the object "is perfectly round" may or may not be accurate; while it looks round from the information so far, the resolution of the sonar image was not high enough to verify that it is indeed round. And while the lines that appear to be leading to (or from) the feature may suggest some sort of movement, it's also possible they have nothing to do with the object.

Lindberg himself did not suggest that it was of extraterrestrial origin, though he did speculate that it might be a "new Stonehenge." This is not the first time a sunken object has been presented as the solution to a mystery. Take, for example, the famous underwater mystery of the "Bimini Road," a rock formation in the Caribbean near the Bahamas that resembles a road or wall. Many New Agers and conspiracy theorists claimed that the rocks were too perfectly shaped to be natural, and that they were either made by an unknown civilization or left behind by the lost city of Atlantis. In fact, geologists have identified the blocks as unusually shaped but perfectly natural weathered beach rock.

It's also worth noting that UFOs may not be saucer-shaped. The famous "flying saucer" description of the first UFO has since been revealed as a reporting error. Lindberg said his team has neither the interest nor the resources for further investigation of the anomaly. Deep ocean research is time-consuming and expensive. If the object were indeed a flying saucer, recovering it could be worth millions or billions of dollars. If it's a natural formation, on the other hand, it would probably be a waste of time and money.

The term “cryptozoology” is said to have been coined in 1959 by Lucien Blancou, a former game inspector in Likouala, a department of the Republic of the Congo, but Blancou used the term in reference to the work of Belgian-French zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans. Cryptozoology is defined as the science of hidden animals, combining three words: kryptos for hidden, zoon for animal and logos for discourse.

In his 1999 book, Unexplained: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena, author Jerome Clark quotes Heuvelmans as saying he originated the term himself, that he wanted to “give a name to the totally new discipline in zoology my research implied. That is how I coined the word 'cryptozoology,' the science of hidden animals.” To further complicate the matter, in his book, In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents, Heuvelmans credits Scottish explorer and adventurer Ivan T. Sanderson with originating the term.

Sanderson, who earned a B.A. in zoology from Cambridge University, as well as a Masters degree in botany and geology became well known during the 1960s, for his eye-witness account of a Kongamato, a reportedly pterodactyl-like creature. Sanderson shot a fruit bat over water, went to retrieve it and was attacked by something he called “the Granddaddy of all bats.” He described the creature as being the size of an eagle and with a “lower jaw hung open and bore a semicircle of pointed white teeth set about their own width apart from each other.” Heuvelmans reported that Sanderson use the term cryptozoology in a 1948 Saturday Evening Post article, “There Could be Dinosaurs.”

Whatever the true origin of the term, Heuvelmans earned his title, "the father of cryptozoology,” writing many books and articles on the subject. In 1975, he created the Center for Cryptozoology in France, where his own library is currently housed. He helped found the International Society of Cryptozoology in 1982. A donation to the Museum of Zoology in Lausanne in 1999 contained over 50,000 specimens, photographs and documents.

The International Society of Cryptozoology maintains the possibility of known animals existing in areas where they are not generally believed to inhabit, and that presumed extinct animals persist in the present or the recent past. Cryptozoologists point to cases where species that are now accepted were initially disbelieved, such as the mountain gorilla, giant squid and American tapir. The komodo dragon, koupey and coelacanth are other cited examples.

Henry Gee, editor of the journal Nature, stated that the 2003 discovery of Homo floresiensis fossil remains was possible evidence that famous cryptid like yetis were founded on grains of truth, adding that cryptozoology could now “come in from the cold.”

The popularity of the Discovery Channel television series “Sasquatch Odyssey” and “Monster Hunters” indicate that cryptozoology is attracting more attention. While some people will may be too easily swayed into believing anecdotal accounts, others will never be convinced, no matter what amount of scientific evidence is put before them.

In the field of paranormal research, there are many tools that make it possible to record ghostly sightings and provide proof of a haunting. These special tools often provide visual or audio recordings made by supposed spirits, and are then studied more thoroughly after the scene has been left to authenticate the recording's accuracy.

One of the most popular methods used for proof of a ghostly haunting is through a recording device called an EMF Detector. These tools are capable of reacting to electro-magnetic frequencies. A sudden spike in EMF fields is a common occurrence that tells of the presence of a ghost in the immediate area.

Another popular tool used to catch ghosts is Non-Contact IR Thermometer. These special infrared thermometers are designed to measure the temperatures of your surrounding environment without having to make physical contact with the desired target. This means that when the (generally) lower temperature of a spirit is within the immediate vicinity, the non-contact IR thermometer will be able to immediately pick up the change. This not only provides evidence of a supernatural occurrence happening in real-time, it can also make it easier to determine where the spectral being is located exactly.

A must have for any avid ghost hunter is a digital voice recorder. These sensitive recording devices have often been used by paranormal researchers to record the ghostly voices heard in a haunted area. Often these recorders have the ability to pick up sounds and voices that the researchers themselves couldn’t even hear while on location. Many investigations have been conducted with little evidence of a haunting presenting itself at the time of the study- only to find after they’ve left that the digital recorders they had running during the visit picked up all kinds of ghostly voices. Many of these voices can even be heard clearly enough to understand what they are saying perfectly.

The mother-load of all conclusive proof regarding the existence of ghosts is always going to be a visual recording. Unfortunately, spirits are notoriously difficult to capture in a still frame, such as through the use of a regular camera. Often the flash ruins the image of a translucent being, or they simply can’t be seen at all. The best option is going to be a low lux camcorder. This is a video camera that allows you to film relatively well in an area with very low lighting conditions. With a video camera capable of filming in these conditions, you not only have the possibility of capturing a ghost’s image on film- but you will also be able to record and document any other supernatural happenings. Ghosts are well known to move objects, open or close doors, slam things, or speak. All of these things can be captured on film through the use of a low lux camcorder.

When used in conjunction or together these tools make up the foundation for proper investigation into the paranormal. It is through these devices that investigators are able to document and record supernatural events or hauntings. Most of these tools are relatively easy to purchase and to use. With some basic background info anyone should be able to operate all of these items. The most important part of catching a ghost is recording and documenting the evidence gathered through these tools. Happy hunting!