Last week I asked you all to tell me your favorite cryptid — which means it’s just a short walk around the block before we start swapping the names of beloved dinosaurs like we’re in Step Brothers.

But cryptozoology, the study of creatures that may not exist outside of old episodes of In Search of.., is a field that aligns wonderfully with sci-fi. We all dream of visiting imaginary worlds, but what about the strangeness that (possibly) lives among us?

Your responses were terrific, and not quite what I expected. The Loch Ness Monster? The Abominable Snowman? No one picked them! Too wet and too cold, I guess.

Luckily Bigfoot, the old reliable, got a few votes. The best comment came from Claudio A., writing from Chile, who said he believed Bigfoot and his cohort to be inter-dimensional beings. He argued that “you always find one or two footprints... and the other footprints? Where are they? If they eat... where do they leave their droppings? Where are their bones when they die?” Claudio went on to say that, as explored in Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, perhaps we and the Sasquatch exist in the same space but a different time. I feel like I need a stint alone in the woods to ponder this before I comment further.

Another one with several votes: Fresno Nightcrawlers. Now, when it comes to localized cryptids, I am far more familiar with The Jersey Devil, but F.N.s are pretty remarkable, and also fairly new to the scene, having made their debut in 2007. They look a little like pairs of white pants out for a stroll, just visible enough for a security camera to get some creepy-looking images.

The Flatwoods Monster, Loveland Frogman, and Mothman all got a shout-out, and if you do a little searching on each you’ll see why. One reader, Kevin in Colorado, voted for the Chupacabra, because that was the only one he’d personally seen. When I asked where, he fired back with the precise latitude and longitude, which suggests that he may be going back.

To my dismay, no one mentioned K'uk’ulkan, the Mayan deity similar to the Aztec Quetzalcoatl. No matter the name, this flying creature made quite an impression on me via some top notch sci-fi during my youth. As Quetzalcoatl, he wreaked havoc on New York City after nesting atop the Chrysler Building in Q: The Winged Serpent, and K’uk’ulkan caused problems for Captain Kirk in one of the more bonkers episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series.

The good news is that we don’t have to choose. Whether based on actual (but misunderstood) science or the shared dreams from diverse cultures, there are enough fearsome critters out there to keep us up nights. Luckily I’m investing in a Ring camera soon.

Jordan Hoffman, Communications Officer

The best, though, is how STARLOG knew its audience was hardcore enough to remember that The Thing was a remake, and they tracked down Kenneth Tobey, the lead actor from 1951’s The Thing From Another World. Just you wait until you hear the common sense way in which they made their breath look steamy without shooting in the freezing cold.

You can hear our plunge into the archive by hitting the “Listen” button below, and by subscribing to The STARLOG Podcast on any podcasting platform.

We at STARLOG think a lot about visiting Mars. One woman has gotten closer than almost anyone else. Not in terms of distance, but in environment.

That woman is Ariel Waldman, whose PBS series Life Unearthed is one of the great wins of 2026. In it you’ll see how she and her self-contained filmmaking rig visited rarely-seen areas in Antarctica whose conditions are quite similar to our neighboring red planet. Also, she went to rural Illinois, but you’ll have to listen to have that explained.

In our conversation she schools us on mundane matters, like how to use the restroom while hitching a ride aboard an old military plane, and why sleeping alone in the Antarctic hinterlands isn’t scary. (There are no predators, plus if you go at the right time it never gets dark.) She also marvels at the world around us, and the varied forms of life we can’t see with the naked eye.

Ariel’s travels are truly inspiring, even if I personally find footage of nematodes to be a little gross. (My wife thinks I’m being dramatic.)

The new episode of The STARLOG Podcast, like the ones before it, are on whatever podcasting platform you prefer. Or you can just click the little “listen” button below.

SCI-FI

William Gibson’s Neuromancer was published in 1984 and there really was no turning back. Though it inspired countless other projects, it’s never been directly adapted for film or television. Until now. The teaser trailer for January’s Apple TV + release is out. Jack in.

SCIENCE

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CULTURE

Earlier this year Star Trek, celebrating its 60th anniversary, created a 20-odd second stinger showcasing evolving Federation spacecraft. This of course merits a near half-hour video of intense scrutiny. Let’s let the hardcore nerds at Trekyards take it from here.

ETHICS

Museums and places of higher learning are rife with human remains taken for educational purposes, but without asking permission. And it will not surprise you that it’s mostly from minority communities. Science News explores how some institutions are working to find a just solution. Read more.