Emily: You celebrated Darkness Radio's second birthday in January — for those who have yet to tune in, what is Darkness Radio and how did it all start?

Dave: Darkness Radio, we're a paranormal radio show that covers every aspect of the paranormal from ghosts to demons to UFOs, Bigfoot, Bermuda Triangle and beyond. We started two years ago at a small radio station in Minnesota. My co-host Tim knew a producer he worked for and said 'they're looking for some contents for a new station, do you have any show ideas?' — I said, "Well, why don't we do a paranormal show?" We put together a show and Jason Hawes was our first guest. Rosemary Ellen Guiley, John Zaffis [and] Annie Wilder all rounded out the first month for us. We were able to come at them with big names like that; they gave us a shot to do the show right away. So we put it out and we've been going strong ever since. We moved to two hours after about a month of being on the air for an hour a week. We moved to a two-hour time slot from 10 to midnight every Sunday night.

In the heart of Cornwall, England lies the Bodmin Moor, a sweep of flat, boggy land treacherous to cross even under the best of conditions. The moor has claimed many lives, and the ghosts of the unhappy dead drift about it at night. One of the most haunted places is Roche Rock, a huge jutting stone pinnacle flanked by two smaller outcroppings near Roche, south of the town of Bodmin.

Roche Rock is haunted by demonic spirits, mine spirits, a phantom monk and the ghost of a leper hermit. Its most famous ghostly resident is Jan Tregeagle, a thieving Cornishman who, according to legend, tried to outsmart the Devil and failed.

The rock is spooky enough in appearance but it is also unusual in composition, a factor that may contribute to its haunted nature. It was formed millions of years ago out of gray quartz and black tourmaline, distinctly different from other granite rocks in the area. Perhaps Roche Rock became a giant magnet for paranormal phenomena and supernatural lore.

Here's a round-up of recent paranormal news:

• The 1930 discovery of what may have been a dinosaur carcass in Alaska recently made the news in Cordova, AL.

• A recently opened firehouse museum in Pueblo, CO may be haunted.

• Images of aliens have appeared on the side of a home in Calgary, Alberta. (The fact that these light-based images only appear on sunny days may indicate they're nothing more than reflections off nearby windows.)

• A video of what witnesses say appeared to be a flying woman-like figure has surfaced, and has been verified by Mexico's leading researcher, Ana Luisa Cid.

• More than 35 UFO sightings have occurred in recent weeks in Australia's Northern Territory. More than 15 have been reported in the UK so far this year.

• And at least one researcher fears that Earth "noise" could invite an alien invasion someday.

Circle. Square. Star. Circle...

You've seen them flashed on episodes of the X-Files and on the covers of Time Life Books. They're a deck of simple shapes, black against white, five images total. Some people know them as Rhine cards, after Dr. JB Rhine, the founder of the Rhine Institute and a pioneer in modern parapsychology. However, Dr. Rhine himself originally named them after his assistant, Karl Zener.

Zener cards are designed to test psychic abilities. Telepathy, clairvoyance, and even presentience can be measured with this deck — or at least, statistical anomalies in an individual's mean accuracy can strongly suggest that something more than random chance is going on.

According to a 2006 study, higher education seems to align itself with a higher tendency to believe in the paranormal. The researchers conducting the study expected the opposite and were surprised with the results. The study, conducted by Bryan Farha at Oklahoma City University and Gary Steward, Jr. of the University of Central Oklahoma, found that the numbers of college students that believed in the paranormal rose with higher levels of education. For instance, 23 percent of college freshman, 31 percent of seniors and 34 percent of graduate students acknowledged a belief in the paranormal.

Some of the paranormal categories that researchers polled students on included a belief in spiritual healing, a belief in witches, communication with the dead, telepathy, astrology and reincarnation.

Our latest reader submission comes from DH.

I belong to a group of paranormal researchers here in Oklahoma and the Fort Reno site is a frequent spot we visit. The fort was begun in 1874 and was a part of the Indian Wars era — it supported cavalry and infantry of the Buffalo Soldiers. It is also a part of the Chisholm Trail and in later years was an internment camp for German POW soldiers. I was with the group, touring the fort, and happened to be attracted to an area beside one of the old barracks. Several of the buildings are original to the fort and have been maintained to some degree. With recorder and camera in hand I asked, "Is there anyone here that would like to speak to me?" In my left ear, as clearly as listening to a friend talk, I heard, "Howard." Thinking it was one of the group playing a joke on me, I turned around quickly and everyone was quite some distance away. Every time I go into that same area I have a very physical reaction, chills and all my hair stands up, plus the sensation of someone standing by me. When I have the same physical reactions I usually get a photo or EMF activity.

I have picked up paranormal vibes for years. During one visit to the old schoolhouse at Ft. Reno we encountered very active EMF response in one room and the sudden smell of strong pipe tobacco. When one of the people said, "That's some cheap tobacco, it smells awful!" the EMF meter went nuts, almost as if someone was agreeing! I also captured a form in the basement of the commissary that has not been explained:

I also had my last two fingers held by "someone," in the manner of a small child, in the same building. Anyone interested in the paranormal should check out Ft. Reno, a place that delivers the chills!

A Capuchin, a Franciscan, and Jesuit go to an exorcism ...

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but in seventeenth century France it was a deadly serious business for Urbain Grandier. Grandier was a parish priest in Loudun, France, accused of sending demons to possess a convent of Ursuline nuns. A worldly priest, Grandier was tall and attractive with a reputation for not exactly upholding his vow of celibacy to the letter. He had made a lot of enemies both through his sexual indiscretions and his political leanings. In 1618, he penned a sarcastic little piece criticizing Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu was not a man easily trifled with, and he was to become one of the most powerful political figures in France at the time. Known for his skills at intrigue and subterfuge, Richelieu may very well have been the driving force behind a scheme to destroy Grandier, using the wide-spread belief in demons and witchcraft to shatter Urbain's reputation.