The Greatest Backcountry Mystery of All Time Finally Gets an Explanation

Ural Mountains in Russia

Ural Mountains in Russia

In the 1960s, a group of Russian college students went for a backcountry trip in the Ural Mountains. When their bodies were discovered a few weeks later, they were in various states of undress, spread out over a few hundred yards, mutilated (tongue and eyes cut out) and ... wait for it ... radioactive! 

Did American spies murder them? Was the Russian army covering up a secret military base? Was it a yeti? Aliens? Hundreds of theories emerged over the years, but it looks like they finally figured it out and the answer is ... well you just have to read to find out! 

READ NEW YORKER STORY