Marnie Chesterton

And here is the question that's come through on WhatsApp this week.

Is there such a place as the Bermuda Triangle and what's the science behind it?

Excellent question.

Phyllis, Tristan, have you both heard of the Bermuda Triangle?

I feel like it's a pop culture phenomenon.

I haven't dived so much into looking at the facts, so I'll stop there.

I feel like this was really, really big in like the 80s for some reason when I was growing up, was like the Bermuda Triangle was like a really big thing.

I don't get enough Bermuda Triangle content actually these days.

So I'm stoked for this.

OK, we are that niche.

So we called up Dr. Simon Boxall, a senior lecturer at the University of Southampton's Department of Oceanography, for the answers.

It turns out that it's just an enormous area of ocean that experiences huge rogue waves and stormy weather.

There's nothing mythical or supernatural about that.

Is there anything else we should know about?

Since we're talking Bermuda, can I share a Bermuda mystery that science has solved recently?

It is, why is the island still above water when it has no active volcanoes to keep pushing it up?

I didn't know this, but a recent study, a Yale study from the end of 2025, found that Bermuda is sitting on top of a massive ancient rock structure formed by volcanic magma about 30 million years ago.

And researchers believe that this layer acts like a giant buoyant raft, helping explain why Bermuda still rises far above the surrounding ocean floor today.

So it's less Bermuda Triangle and more geological bouncy castle.

So there you go.