For the past few weeks, residents in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have been worried about supernatural forces visiting them in their homes at night, leaving strange scratches on household stones. Thankfully, science has found a more of-this-world explanation.
After consistently waking up to unexplained white or grey marks on household stonework, residents in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh feared supernatural beings were creating havoc in their homes, according to Hindustan Times.
The unexplained scratches have been found on household mortar and pestle (sil and batta) and grinding stones (chakki). These specific stone choices helped scientists to uncover the real culprits behind the scratches - beetles. As these stones often have remnants of food, they have been attracting the beetles.