Dry quicksand suspected in mysterious vanishings

Could people and vehicles that have mysteriously vanished in the desert have been swallowed up by shifting sands?

Dutch scientists believe their research, showing how very fine, aerated sand can turn into dry quicksand capable of sucking in objects, could offer a possible explanation for puzzling disappearances in the desert.

"The simple fact that we can create a state of sand which does not support weight at all in the laboratory ... means that it could also exist in the real world," said Devaraj van der Meer, of the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

"In this sense it could explain the disappearance of people in the desert."