Search This Blog

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Space Angels: Aliens or Sign of the Apocalypse?

In the summer of 1984, six highly trained cosmonauts claimed to have had an unbelievable encounter with a group of gargantuan “celestial beings” of unknown origin in the star filled expanse above our world. Were these colossal beings the result of a mass delusion, a sign of something miraculous, or the heralds of unimaginable doom?

Scores of UFOs and other unidentified airborne objects have been spied by astronauts and their ilk since the earliest days of manned spaceflight. Major Gordon Cooper, Dr. Edgar Mitchell and dozens of other NASA and Russian space explorers harbor no doubt that the Earth is being visited and observed by non-human intelligences with access to technology far in advance of our own, but as fascinating as this phenomenon surely is, the bulk of these sightings pale before a bizarre series of encounters allegedly reported by cosmonauts aboard the Salyut 7 in July of 1984.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/04/space-angels-aliens-or-sign-of-the-apocalypse/

Recent UFO footage over LAS VEGAS BLVD (Warning – Explicit Language)

The First Transhumans, or Why Doc Savage Lost His Superpowers

The First Transhumans, or Why Doc Savage Lost His Superpowers: "Transhumanism is a popular movement to convert ordinary humans into superhumans, using technology. For 20 years, transhumanism has been a favored topic of futurists, who see it as a possible salvation for humanity.But we've already seen one attempt at transhumanism, and it failed - badly."

The First Transhumans, or Why Doc Savage Lost His Superpowers

A Saucer at Sedona

Some 120 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona, in the northern Verde Valley, is Sedona, a small, tranquil city of barely 10,000 people that has become legendary in New Age circles for its enigmatic energies, vortexes, Native American legends of supernatural entities roaming the surrounding countryside, and much more of a paranormal and strange nature. Sedona is also home to the famous Red Rocks, large and stunning formations of sandstone that glow an eerie and captivating red and orange when the sun both rises and sets, and which add even further to Sedona’s reputation as a place of deep mystery and wonder.

And then there are Sedona’s UFOs…

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/03/a-saucer-at-sedona/

The Imaginary Monsters of U.S. Cities - Neighborhoods

The Imaginary Monsters of U.S. Cities - Neighborhoods - The Atlantic Cities: "If you want to catch a cryptid doing its thing in America, common sense would deem you drive far out into the woods where humankind rarely ventures. After all, it's typically hunters and hikers who wind up having awkward run-ins with Bigfoot or the Flatwoods monster. But city dwellers who want a taste of the supernatural ought not to despair. A deep riffling through the musty archives of American folklore reveal several beasties who have given up their woodsy pad for the fast-paced life of the big city."

Doomsday 2012: Thousands queue for UFO rescue at Pic de Bugarach

Doomsday 2012: Thousands queue for UFO rescue at Pic de Bugarach: "Bugarach - Thousands of "New Agers" are flocking to the village of Bugarach in France to prepare for the end of the world on December 21. The people are expecting that aliens will come to save them from doomsday apocalypse by beaming them aboard their spaceships."

Friday, March 30, 2012

A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Ever Dare To Imagine

A Cashless Society May Be Closer Than Most People Would Ever Dare To Imagine: "Most people think of a cashless society as something that is way off in the distant future.  Unfortunately, that is simply not the case.  The truth is that a cashless society is much closer than most people would ever dare to imagine.  To a large degree, the transition to a cashless society is being done voluntarily.  Today, only 7 percent of all transactions in the United States are done with cash, and most of those transactions involve very small amounts of money."

The Genetic Social Network: Facebook has your Personal Information; Now Google wants your DNA

The Genetic Social Network: Facebook has your Personal Information; Now Google wants your DNA | Old-Thinker News: "Facebook has amassed a gigantic database of human intelligence from its millions of users. This information has been used by police in the arrest of suspects, and is milked by marketers. What if a similar system gathered genetic information?"

God Wars and the World Religion

God Wars and the World Religion | Old-Thinker News: "Religion is a hot topic today in many sectors of society. “God Wars” are taking place between atheists and Christians, while the war on terror targets so called Islamic extremism. Every major monotheistic religion has been spotlighted with examples of “extremism” to be denounced. Is there an ultimate synthesis in this process? Will a new paradigm emerge from the ashes of the traditional beliefs of the world?"

Would you want to be a Freemason?

BBC News - Would you want to be a Freemason?: "Dogged by conspiracy theories, Freemasons insist theirs is a modern, open organisation. But can this male-dominated body cast off its secretive image and win over a sceptical public?"

Clockwise from top left: Egyptian room inside Freemasons' Hall, London; facade of the same; Benjamin Franklin on US note; detail of worshipful master; Masonic founding constitution (images courtesy of Thinkstock and Getty images)

New layer of genetic information helps determine how fast proteins are produced

New layer of genetic information helps determine how fast proteins are produced: "ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2012) — A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside living cells -- including the speed with which proteins are made."

Live Augmented Reality-National Geographic

White House 'Big Data' Push Means Big Bucks for Drone Brains

White House 'Big Data' Push Means Big Bucks for Drone Brains "The military has a data problem. More specifically, it has a too-much-data problem. Analysts have to sort through massive amounts of information collected by orbiting surveillance drones and satellites, or finding the data trails left behind by spies inside defense networks. Sorting through all this data is also necessary for making unmanned vehicles more autonomous."

Einstein proved right over universe: General theory of relativity correctly measures the rapid expansion of space driven by mysterious 'dark energy'

Einstein proved right over universe: General theory of relativity correctly measures the rapid expansion of space driven by mysterious 'dark energy' | Mail Online: "Albert Einstein has been proved correct in his view of how the universe is expanding, according to a scientific study released today. The new test of Einstein's view of the universe has proved him right with ‘incredible accuracy’ and is helping scientists to understand the mysterious acceleration of the universe."

New Milky Way photo captures 1 billion stars

New Milky Way photo captures 1 billion stars: ""This incredible image gives us a new perspective of our galaxy, and illustrates the far-reaching discoveries we can make from large sky surveys," Nick Cross, of the University of Edinburgh, said in a statement. "Having data processed, archived and published by dedicated teams leaves other scientists free to concentrate on using the data, and is a very cost-effective way to do astronomy.""

Milky Way star forming region

Teddy bear-faced robot is built for battlefields

Teddy bear-faced robot is built for battlefields | Fox News: "Six feet tall, made of aluminum and bench-pressing 500 pounds, this isn’t your average teddy bear."

One Person Adds 37 Million Bacteria to a Room

One Person Adds 37 Million Bacteria to a Room : Discovery News: "Just one person in a room adds 37 million bacteria to the air every hour, according to a study published in the journal Indoor Air."

Robotic Sand Flea Jumps 30 Feet

Robotic Sand Flea Jumps 30 Feet : Discovery News: "Robot designs have been inspired by cheetahs (for speed), dogs (to carry things) and even humans. Boston Dynamics, which gave us all three, has now turned to the lowly flea for inspiration, making a robot that can jump 30 feet into the air and land safely."

Read the FBI Memo: Agents Can 'Suspend the Law'

Read the FBI Memo: Agents Can 'Suspend the Law' | Danger Room | Wired.com: "The FBI once taught its agents that they can “bend or suspend the law” as they wiretap suspects. But the bureau says it didn’t really mean it, and has now removed the document from its counterterrorism training curriculum, calling it an “imprecise” instruction. Which is a good thing, national security attorneys say, because the FBI’s contention that it can twist the law in pursuit of suspected terrorists is just wrong."

FEMA chief says agency bracing for 'maximum' disaster

FEMA chief says agency bracing for 'maximum' disaster - Houston Chronicle: "Recent hurricanes Ike and Katrina may rank among the three costliest storms in U.S. history, but in preparing for disasters the federal government must think bigger still, says America's top emergency planner."

Thursday, March 29, 2012

US Immigration Agents Are Loading Up On As Many As 450 Million New Rounds Of Ammo

US Immigration Agents Are Loading Up On As Many As 450 Million New Rounds Of Ammo: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office is getting an "indefinite delivery" of an "indefinite quantity" of .40 caliber ammunition from defense contractor ATK.
U.S. agents will receive a maximum of 450 million rounds over five years, according to a press release on the deal. The high performance HST bullets are designed for law enforcement and ATK says they offer "optimum penetration for terminal performance.""

Bigfoot Calling….?

Close Encounters at Crop Circles: Mysterious Blond Men, the Man in the Brown Suit From Another Planet

Close Encounters at Crop Circles: Mysterious Blond Men, the Man in the Brown Suit From Another Planet | DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts - DBKP: "Can Crop Circles be used as a reference points for time travel, one of the theories of crop circles in a fascinating article published by Earth Chronicles Russia. Space portals used by extraterrestrials from another planet to create crop circle “messages” to mankind? Tall, blond Extraterrestrials who look human with Scandinavian-type accents?"

What Ion Propulsion Means for Boeing—And Our Future in Space

What Ion Propulsion Means for Boeing—And Our Future in Space - Popular Mechanics: "Boeing recently announced it would deploy a satellite powered completely by ion propulsion, with no chemical propellant, while in orbit. Electric propulsion has long been seen as a bright hope for future space travel. So does this move means that future has gotten a little closer?"

NASA UFO Files Revealed On Science Channel Special

NASA UFO Files Revealed On Science Channel Special: "Since the 1960s, when NASA astronauts first left the confines of Earth to begin exploration above and beyond our planet, their cameras have captured some amazing sights. Some of those moments will be revealed Tuesday night on "NASA's Unexplained Files," the final episode of the Science Channel's month-long "Are We Alone?" series."

New Google 'Account Activity' page reveals exactly what you've searched, who you've emailed and even where you've been

New Google 'Account Activity' page reveals exactly what you've searched, who you've emailed and even where you've been | Mail Online: "Google unveiled a new 'Account Activity' page this week which sums up who you've emailed, what devices you've used to access Google - and even where you've been.

It's an alarming insight into how much information a signed-in Google user actually hands to the company - with the report offering a summary of what machines you use, who you email most, and even your location via Google Latitude.

The report even tells you 'how you spend your time per week' based on location information gleaned from GPS signals."

Marine Monster Mystery on S.C. Beach

Marine Monster Mystery on S.C. Beach : Discovery News: "A bizarre creature that washed ashore last week in Folly Beach, S.C., sparked speculation in the area and on the Internet that a dead sea monster might have been discovered. The tan-brown animal with greenish patches was strange enough, but what really baffled beachgoers was its massive size and the dinosaur-like bony plates on its sides. It's not clear just how long it was, but photos suggest it exceeded 10 feet."

FUTURE EYE-TRACKING SYSTEMS WILL READ YOUR MIND

Eye-tracking-622

The eyes are the window to the soul, so says the old adage. And for companies developing eye-tracking technology, they're becoming the ultimate Peeping Toms.

Front-facing cameras are certain to become standard on all devices, and they'll be equipped to not only monitor what we read online, but how we read it. They'll watch how long you linger on a word or image, how your pupils dilate, how fast you blink. Why? Because those details provide a wealth of important information about their favorite customer: you. And that means big bucks for them in terms of advertising revenue.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/tech/future-eye-tracking-120328.html

Scientists Build Living Human Gut on a Chip

Scientists Build Living Human Gut on a Chip : Discovery News: "Investigating intestinal disorders is sometimes difficult because the environment in a person's gut is complicated; damaging it during analysis could interfere with how the body digests food. Researchers at Harvard University's Wyss Institute decided to find a better way to investigate intestinal disorders. They built a biologically inspired computer chip that simulates the environment of the human gut."

NASA: "Enceladus a Lifezone Hotspot --90 Geyser Jets Spewing Water Vapor & Organics"

5228356966_04da0a42db_z

In a series of tantalizingly close flybys to Saturn's moon "Enceladus," NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed watery jets erupting from what may be a vast underground sea. These jets, which spew through cracks in the moon's icy shell, could lead back to a habitable zone that is uniquely accessible in all the solar system.

"More than 90 jets of all sizes near Enceladus's south pole are spraying water vapor, icy particles, and organic compounds all over the place," says Carolyn Porco, an award-winning planetary scientist and leader of the Imaging Science team for NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. "Cassini has flown several times now through this spray and has tasted it. And we have found that aside from water and organic material, there is salt in the icy particles. The salinity is the same as that of Earth's oceans."

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/03/nasa-enceladus-a-lifezone-hotspot-90-geyser-jets-spewing-water-vapor-organics.html

One of Japan’s damaged reactors has high radiation, little water, renewing stability concerns

One of Japan’s damaged reactors has high radiation, little water, renewing stability concerns - The Washington Post: "The data collected from the probes showed the damage from the disaster was so severe, the plant operator will have to develop special equipment and technology to tolerate the harsh environment and decommission the plant, a process expected to last decades."

Gigantic Solar Tornado Is 5 Times the Size of Earth

Gigantic Solar Tornado Is 5 Times the Size of Earth | Wired Science | Wired.com: "This enormous tornado erupting from the surface of the sun is big enough to swallow the Earth. In fact, it could swallow five Earths."

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

A Quarter-Century Later, Stealth Fighter Finally Ready for Combat

F-22

After nearly 20 years of development and $65 billion, the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2005. But it wasn’t until this month that the first squadron of Lockheed Martin-built F-22s was fully combat-ready with ground-mapping radars and a flexible bomb payload — standard equipment on most Air Force strike jets. The cost to bring the roughly 150 front-line Raptors up to this normal level of capability: an extra $8 billion, boosting the per-jet cost from $350 million to almost $400 million.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/raptor-combat-finally/

So how DID the moon get there? Moon rocks show no evidence of the space rock supposed to have 'knocked' bits off Earth

So how DID the moon get there? Moon rocks show no evidence of the space rock supposed to have 'knocked' bits off Earth | Mail Online: "A huge space rock called Theia smashed into our planet more than four billion years ago, knocking a clump of material into space, creating the moon - at least that's the theory. There's just one problem: there's no evidence that Theia was there at all."

Formation of high-speed laser-armed 'fighter' satellites in development - could they be our best hope against asteroids?

  • 'Squadron' of laser satellites would 'chip away' at large asteroid
  • Previous research focused on large craft with equally large lasers
  • Solar-powered satellites would 'fly in formation' with deadly space rocks
  • New approach could also help destroy space debris

Could a swarm of formation-flying satellite drones defend Earth against asteroids?

Until now, research into an 'asteroid shield' for our planet has focused on huge satellites carrying equally vast weapons.

But Strathclyde researchers think that smaller 'fighter' satellites could work together to destroy a huge asteroid - and are researching a squadron of laser satellites to do the job.

Previous asteroid defence systems focused on large satellites wielding equally large laser weapons - but could a smaller 'fleet' of fighter satellites chip away at the asteroid and do the job more effectively?

Previous asteroid defence systems focused on large satellites wielding equally large laser weapons - but could a smaller 'fleet' of fighter satellites chip away at the asteroid and do the job more effectively?

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2121162/Could-formation-fighter-satellites-defend-planet-huge-asteroid.html

4,000-year-old stone monolith likely an astronomical marker

4,000-year-old stone monolith likely an astronomical marker: "An ancient stone monolith in England was likely an astronomical marker, according to new archaeological evidence."

Nuclear Fusion Is a Real Possibility

Nuclear Fusion Is a Real Possibility : Discovery News: "The method is different from the controversial cold fusion in that temperatures go well above room temperature"

An Invisibility Cloak For Heat

An Invisibility Cloak For Heat : Discovery News: "Infrared sensors are able to peer into the night and see people in complete darkness because people give off body heat. But what if a person could wear clothing that makes their body heat silhouette invisible to infrared lenses?

Scientists in France are working on an invisibility cloak for heat and have reported their research in a recent issue of Optics Express. The technology could be used for military purposes to hide soliders from infrared detectors, but it could also work to thermally isolate circuits in computer chips, which would keep them cool."

MOST ANCIENT, 'IMPOSSIBLE' ALIEN WORLDS DISCOVERED

Ancient-exoplanets

As we discover more worlds orbiting distant stars, we are finding that "conventional thinking" doesn't seem to apply to the growing menagerie of exoplanets. And this most recent exoplanetary discovery is no different.

In fact, the two exoplanets found to be orbiting a star 375 light-years away shouldn't exist at all.

The two gas giant planets were spotted during a survey of "metal poor" stars. When focusing on a star called HIP 11952, researchers from the Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, discovered a slight wobble in the star's position.

The wobble is being caused by the gravitational tug of two exoplanets -- one is nearly the size of Jupiter and orbits the star every seven days, the other is approximately three-times the size of Jupiter and has an orbital period of 290 days.

Read More: http://news.discovery.com/space/most-ancient-impossible-alien-worlds-discovered-120327.html

Billions of Habitable Worlds in Our Galaxy?

Billions of Habitable Worlds in Our Galaxy? : Discovery News: "There could be tens of billions of planets in the Milky Way that exist within the habitable zones of their parent red dwarf stars."

Comets Bombarding Early Earth Delivered the Amino Acids Needed for the Origins of life

Halebop2

Jennifer G. Blank, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute at the NASA/Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., set out to check whether amino acids could remain intact after a comet's descent through Earth's atmosphere. Previous analyses of comet dust samples returned to Earth by a NASA spacecraft eliminated any doubt that amino acids do occur in comets.

The team created xxperiments with powerful laboratory "guns" and computer models that replicated the conditions that existed inside comets that hit Earth's atmosphere at almost 25,000 miles per hour and crashed down upon the surface. The research is part of a broader scientific effort to understand how amino acids and other ingredients for the first living things appeared on a planet that billions of years ago was barren and desolate. Amino acids make up proteins, which are the workhorses of all forms of life, ranging from microbes to people.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/03/-comets-bombarding-early-earth-delivered-the-building-blocks-for-the-origins-of-life.html

World leaders: Nuclear terrorism a 'grave threat'

BBC News - World leaders: Nuclear terrorism a 'grave threat': "World leaders have called for closer co-operation to tackle the threat of nuclear terrorism at a summit on nuclear security in Seoul."

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Inside Hezbollah's Terror Tech Museum

Inside Hezbollah's Terror Tech Museum | Danger Room | Wired.com: "Hassan Nasrallah would like to welcome you to Mleeta, one of Lebanon's more unusual tourist destinations. The unsmiling face of Hezbollah's leader greets visitors in a slickly produced 10-minute video shown in a modern theater, telling them: "I'm honored to be with you in this tourist landmark.""

'It will change how we understand the universe': World's most powerful telescope to be built in 2016

  • It will gather so much data that a super-computer equivalent to one billion PCs will be needed to process it
  • Will cover 1,900 square miles
  • Project to meet in early April to discuss location
  • Will be in South Africa or Australia
  • Telescope will start building in 2016

Fundamental unanswered questions about our universe could finally get answered – thanks to a £1.3bn telescope called the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

The directors of the project are to meet in Amsterdam on 3 April to discuss the location of the huge telescope, scattered across 1,900 square miles of Earth's surface. It will start building in 2016.

'It will have a deep impact on the way we perceive our place in the universe and how we understand its history and its future,' says Michiel van Haarlem, interim director general of the SKA project.
'We know we are going to discover things.'

Numbers game: The SKA will use 3,000 dishes to scan space for electromagnetic radiation - and hopefully reveal the universe's secrets

Numbers game: This artist's impression shows the SKA's dishes, which will scan space for electromagnetic radiation - and hopefully reveal the universe's secrets

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2120680/Square-Kilometre-Array-Worlds-powerful-telescope-SKA-built-2016.html

The man machines? Scientists develop plastic skin that BLEEDS red liquid - and can even heal itself

Bloodied but unbowed: Scientists have created a plastic 'skin' that oozes red blood to warn engineers when a machine needs repaired

Bloodied but unbowed: Scientists have created a plastic 'skin' that oozes red blood to warn engineers when a machine needs repaired

Robots that 'bleed' like Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator have come one step closer to reality.

Scientists have created a plastic 'skin' that oozes red blood when cut.

It can also 'heal' itself, building tiny molecular bridges inside in response to damage.

The red 'blood' might sound like a pointless Halloween novelty - but the idea is that the 'skin' can warn engineers that a structure such as an aicraft wing has been damaged.

The material could provide self-healing surfaces for a multitude of products ranging from mobile phones and laptops to cars, say researchers.

When cut, the plastic turns from clear to red along the line of the damage, mimicking what happens to skin.

It reacts to ordinary light, or changes in temperature or acidity, by mending broken molecular ‘bridges’ to heal itself.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2120657/The-man-machines-Scientists-develop-plastic-skin-BLEEDS-red-liquid--heal-itself.html

Anomalous Affliction: Curses of the Curious Kind

Throughout history, there have been a number of curious afflictions that show up repeatedly in various stories and traditions. These range from the common varieties that involve hexes, spells, and charms, to the more incredible types that incorporate transformation into ghastly forms and incredible creatures. Occasionally, we even see such things as affliction with odd ailments and dark states such as vampirism, zombification, or soul-slavery that arise from the use of wicked spellcraft and black magic aimed at the unsuspecting.

These are all themes we expect to see in literature, and the wealth of pages adorning fiction tomes spanning the centuries incorporate such odd instances into their various mythologies. But pursuing the mysteries surrounding witchcraft, black arts, and ill fortune a bit more deeply, there occasionally arise a few curiosities that defy rationale altogether, ceasing to conform even to the typical precepts of spells and sorcery. Such things, at times, may involve how looks (or more specifically, certain kinds of staring) can kill, and even the use of magical practices to incite fear, paranoia, and even the disappearance of one’s unmentionables.

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/03/anomalous-affliction-curses-of-the-curious-kind/

The Lurking Shadow People

“This scares me and I don’t know what it is. I have been seeing them since I was a little girl. Always outta the corner of my eye a tall black shadow. I always feel like something or someone is by me. Last night I went down to my bedroom. There it was. Standing next to my dresser. I ran upstairs crying to my mom. She went down and looked saying it was only ’cause I was overtired. But I KNOW what I saw. It was so scary. I don’t know what it is. I need all the help I can get!” – Jessica’s cry for help, 10, January 2010.

Tales of walking Shadows come from across the world. Some of these Shadow People wander through the periphery of our lives; others stay for years. People can rarely make out features of these darker-than-night, human shaped entities other than an occasional set of blazing red eyes. Shadow People often appear dressed as a Medieval monk, wearing a fedora, or bald and sexless. These entities may simply trek through our bedroom at night never to be seen again, while others may lurk in doorways, just watching, day after day. Still others attack with energy-draining fear. What are they?

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/03/the-lurking-shadow-people/

Is A “Breakaway Civilization” Behind The Mysterious Secret Space Program?

Is A “Breakaway Civilization” Behind The Mysterious Secret Space Program? | UFO Digest provides video proof of ufos, alien abduction and the paranormal.: "It has long been theorized that there exists a secret space program, an enormously complex program to conquer the nearby solar system with manmade spaceships that have been hidden from public view perhaps since the late 19th century. Timothy Beckley, the editor of “The Conspiracy Journal” and the Global Communications publisher, has recently released a new book called “The Secret Space Program: Who Is Responsible?” that covers this arcane subject most thoroughly."

Monday, March 26, 2012

Moon's Creation Questioned by Chemistry

Moon's Creation Questioned by Chemistry : Discovery News: "The origin of the moon has been challenged, creating a new puzzle as to how the moon formed."

Keys Battle Cat-Sized Rats' Invasion

Keys Battle Cat-Sized Rats' Invasion | NBC 6 Miami: "The Florida Keys' battle with an invasive species of giant rats isn't over yet.

Keys Battle Cat-Sized Rats' Invasion

On Grassy Key, a glut of Gambian giant pouched rats — originally bred and released by a local — have been foiling conservation officials' efforts to eradicate them, KeysNet reported Sunday.

Officials worry that if the hungry cat-sized rats make it to the mainland, they could wipe out some crops and upset delicate ecological balance."

UFO Sighting - Himalayas - 03/25/2012

The Watchers - About Geomagnetic reversal and Poleshift

The Watchers - About Geomagnetic reversal and Poleshift: "A growing number of scientists are starting to worry that it is the magnetic pole shift that seems to be underway that is the real culprit behind climate change. Not man made air pollution, not the sun, not the underground volcanic activity heating up the oceans, but the slow beginning of a pole shift that has been thought to destroy entire civilizations in the past and be one major factor in mass extinctions. NASA recently discovered and released information about a major breach in the earth’s magnetic field."

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Prepare for the Singularity

Prepare for the Singularity | SmartPlanet: "Every day we are learning about new technologies and scientific breakthroughs that can reduce aging and enhance human intelligence and physical strength. And the transhumanists are ready for it.

Transhumanism is a philosophical movement that strives to move intelligent life beyond the limitations of its current human form with the use of science and technology. The movement focuses on the well-being of our species to help humans become better than they are."

The Death Valley Giants

Located within California’s Mojave Desert, Death Valley is a most apt name for a place that resembles the rugged surface of some far away, battle-scarred planet and which holds the dubious honor of being home to the highest recorded temperature in the western world. An incredible 136° Fahrenheit, it was recorded on July 10, 1913, in the very appropriately named Furnace Creek.

It is somewhat ironic that, although Death Valley got its memorable moniker during the famous Gold Rush of 1849, only one death among all the prospectors eager to seek out gold was actually reported during that turbulent period. And although the name may be relatively new, the history of the area is most definitely not. For more than a thousand years the Timbisha Native Americans have lived in the harsh environs of Death Valley. And, in times both past and present, so have a whole range of things undeniably weird.

One of the strangest of all sagas relative to the mysteries of Death Valley erupted in the summer of 1947, the very same period in which the era of the Flying Saucer took the entire world by storm. In early August of that year, Howard E. Hill, of Los Angeles, spoke before the city’s Transportation Club and told a sensational story.

It was an extravagant tale that described the work of a certain Dr. F. Bruce Russell, a retired Cincinnati, Ohio physician, who claimed to have discovered, in 1931, a series of complex tunnels deep below Death Valley. Well, you may justifiably ask, so what?

After all, caves, caverns and underground grottos exist all around the world. They most certainly do. But, there was something very special and unique about these particular tunnels beneath Death Valley. According to the story told to Hill by Russell, the caves contained the skeletons of several gigantic men, each in the region of around nine feet in height, which Russell stumbled upon with a colleague, Dr. Daniel S. Bovee, who Russell had worked with on archaeological excavations in Mexico several years earlier.

And “stumbled upon” is highly apt terminology. Russell reportedly fell headlong into one of the caves when the surface soil gave way beneath him as he was in the middle of busily sinking a shaft for a mining claim. In Hill’s own words, spoken before the amazed and hushed audience of the Transportation Club, he said:

“These giants are clothed in garments consisting of a medium length jacket and trousers extending slightly below the knees. The texture of the material is said to resemble gray dyed sheepskin, but obviously it was taken from an animal unknown today.”

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/03/the-death-valley-giants/

UFOs Filmed Over Amsterdam, Netherlands And Dallas

UFOs Filmed Over Amsterdam, Netherlands And Dallas, USA ~ UFOs 2012|UFO Sightings|Alien UFO Pictures|What Are UFOs|2012 Solar Strom|Mexico UFO: "According to eyewitness testimonial,"on our way from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Dallas on March 17, 2012 on KLM flight, we caught an UFO right after departure. I filmed it with my iPhone but first noticed the UFO one day later when I played the video at home.""

Blog: 'Something big happened in Beijing'

Blog: 'Something big happened in Beijing': "In a one party dictatorship, there is no smooth transfer of power to the next generation of leaders. The aging Central Committee was set to hand off power to a younger group of leaders later this year. That is now up in the air as it appears possible that the old guard is not quite ready to step aside yet. For what it's worth, this unsettling news from China has triggered a sharp jump in credit default swaps on Chinese government bonds. Some smart money is betting on big changes coming soon."

'Hunger Games' Exposes Myth of Technological Progress

'Hunger Games' Exposes Myth of Technological Progress : Discovery News: "The blockbuster movie appears to have "missing" futuristic technologies -- but these probably aren't plot holes"

Blasting a Mountain Peak in Chile as the Site for Earth's Most Advanced Telescope

Giant_magellan_telescope_rendering

Astronomers have begun to blast 3 million cubic feet of rock from a mountaintop in the Chilean Andes to make room for the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the world's largest telescope when completed near the end of the decade. The GMT will help astronomers probe the nature of dark matter and dark energy - mysterious forms of matter and energy that allow galaxies to form while the expansion of the Universe accelerates.

The GMT will have unprecedented capabilities, allowing it to peer back to the dawn of time, witnessing the birth of the first stars, galaxies and black holes, while also exploring planetary systems similar to our own around nearby stars in the Milky Way.

Read More: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/03/newsflash-blasting-a-mountain-peak-in-chile-as-the-site-for-earths-most-advanced-telescope.html

Solar Storm Dumps Gigawatts into Earth's Upper Atmosphere

Solar Storm Dumps Gigawatts into Earth's Upper Atmosphere - NASA Science: "March 22, 2012:  A recent flurry of eruptions on the sun did more than spark pretty auroras around the poles.  NASA-funded researchers say the solar storms of March 8th through 10th dumped enough energy in Earth’s upper atmosphere to power every residence in New York City for two years."

Titanoboa returns! Smithsonia recreates world's biggest snake - a 48-foot monster which ruled Earth after the dinosaurs

A terrifying 48-foot, 2,500lb predator that slithered through rainforests 60 million years ago has been brought back to life by the Smithsonian.

In the wake of the dinosaurs, other predators battled for supremacy. Titanoboa was the biggest - a huge snake that would dwarf any anaconda, and which is the undisputed largest in history.

The Smithsonian has recreated the terrifying beast in a new TV show which explores a question that puzzled scientists - why the snake grew so large.

Scientists at the Smithsonian have recreated Titanoboa in a video aimed at exploring why the snake grew to its huge 48-foot length and 2500lb bulk

The skull of Titanoboa was used to reconstruct the fearsome predator

The skull of Titanoboa was used to reconstruct the fearsome predator

‘This is a find that seems so fantastic that it may appear to be an object of fantasy. A creature that has sprung from a Spielberg-imagined past and yes, it has a name that evokes a giant and mythic monster. It is called Titanoboa,’ David Royale, the Smithsonian Channel's head of programming, announced.

The Smithsonian Channel has created a film that chronicles the discovery of the 48 foot long and 2,500 pound snake that existed more than 60 million years ago - and recreates what the predator might have looked like.

The film has been promoted with a life-size statue which was on show in New York's Grand Central.

Dr. Jonathan Bloch, a paleontologist and curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History was part of the team that unearthed Titanoboa's fossils.

The snake vertebrae were discovered in an area that is believed to have been an ancient rainforest from the Paleocene epoch.

Snake skulls are almost never found as they are extremely fragile and they usually disintegrate.

‘One of the questions we had was why did it get so large and we think that the answer is because it was much warmer in the tropics during that time.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119181/Titanoboa-comes-life-Smithsonian-recreates-worlds-biggest-snake--48-foot-monster-largest-predator-age-dinosaurs.html

Hippies head for Noah’s Ark: Queue here for rescue aboard alien spaceship

Hippies head for Noah’s Ark: Queue here for rescue aboard alien spaceship - Europe - World - The Independent: "Thousands of New Agers descend on mountain they see as haven from December's apocalypse"

Saturday, March 24, 2012

400 Chernobyls: Solar Flares, Electromagnetic Pulses and Nuclear Armageddon

400 Chernobyls: Solar Flares, Electromagnetic Pulses and Nuclear Armageddon: "There are nearly 450 nuclear reactors in the world, with hundreds more being planned or under construction. There are 104 of these reactors in the United States and 195 in Europe. Imagine what havoc it would wreak on our civilization and the planet's ecosystems if we were to suddenly witness not just one or two nuclear meltdowns, but 400 or more! How likely is it that our world might experience an event that could ultimately cause hundreds of reactors to fail and melt down at approximately the same time? I venture to say that, unless we take significant protective measures, this apocalyptic scenario is not only possible, but probable."

Serbian gangsters killed rival, ate him and disposed of body using a MEAT GRINDER before dumping remains in river

Serbian gangsters killed rival, ate him and disposed of body using a MEAT GRINDER before dumping remains in river | Mail Online: "Sadistic mafia bosses tortured and killed a treacherous gang member then turned him into a stew, police believe. Serbian gangsters beat Milan Jurisic, 37, to death with a hammer, skinned and boned him with a sharp knife then put him through a meat grinder at a flat in Madrid. They made a macabre face mask from his skin, cooked his flesh and ate him for lunch."

3D-Printer with Nano-Precision: Ultra-high-resolution 3D Printer Breaks Speed-Records at Vienna University of Technology

Printing three dimensional objects with incredibly fine details is now possible using “two-photon lithography”. With this technology, tiny structures on a nanometer scale can be fabricated. Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) have now made a major breakthrough in speeding up this printing technique: The high-precision-3D-printer at TU Vienna is orders of magnitude faster than similar devices (see video). This opens up completely new areas of application, such as in medicine.

A 285 µm racecar, printed at the Vienna University of Technology

Read More: http://www.tuwien.ac.at/en/news/news_detail/article/7444/

Tales from the Morgue: UFOs are real

Tales from the Morgue: UFOs are real: "Tales from the Morgue returns with a tale about a University of Arizona professor who was quite curious about Unidentified Flying Objects. He believed that some UFOs were really extraterrestrial in origin, perhaps probes from another intelligent species."

Genetically Modified Organisms; What you should know about GMO's

Genetically Modified Organisms; What you should know about GMO's - MyABC50.com... Start Here: "Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are defined as plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology. This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.  In simpler terms, this is like trying to get an almond to cross-pollinate with a tomato.  It simply wouldn’t happen under normal conditions in nature.  Through genetic modification, a scientist could create this scenario in a laboratory by inserting the desired genes from the almond into the tomato, resulting in a breed of tomatoes that would never occur in nature."

Magnetic cloak: Physicists create device invisible to magnetic fields

Magnetic cloak: Physicists create device invisible to magnetic fields: "Autonomous University of Barcelona researchers, in collaboration with an experimental group from the Academy of Sciences of Slovakia, have created a cylinder which hides contents and makes them invisible to magnetic fields. The device was built using superconductor and ferromagnetic materials available on the market. The invention is published this week in the journal Science."

Seeing around corners may become next 'superpower'

Seeing around corners may become next 'superpower' | Fox News: "Superman had X-ray vision, but a pair of scientists has gone one better: seeing around corners."

Mysterious cloud spotted on Mars

Cosmic Log - Mysterious cloud spotted on Mars: "Amateur astronomers are puzzling over a seemingly anomalous cloud that has shown up on images of Mars taken over the past few days. Is it really a cloud, or a trick of the eye? Does it really extend 150 miles up from the surface, as some of the observers suggest? And what churned up all that stuff, anyway? The amateurs and the pros will be trying to resolve those questions before the phenomenon fades away."

USGS Can't Explain Clintonville Strange Sounds

USGS Can't Explain Clintonville Strange Sounds | Gather: "USGS officials confirm that Clintonville, Wisconsin was hit by a minor earthquake early Tuesday, but that doesn't explain why the town has been plagued by strange sounds since Sunday night."

Friday, March 23, 2012

Inception becomes reality? Scientists implant 'false memories' into mice

Inception becomes reality? Scientists implant 'false memories' into mice | Mail Online: "Two teams of scientists have found ways to create false memories, and implant them into the brain at will - although for now, the technique only works in mice.

Memories are stored in a surprisingly small number of brain cells - and the teams could 'control' the cells to create 'synthetic memories.'"

'King of Wasps' found in Indonesia: Two-and-a-half inch monster has jaws longer than its legs

A new species of wasp discovered on the Indonesian island Sulawesi is two-and-a-half inches long, and has jaws so vast that its discoverer admits, 'I don't know how it can walk.'

Lynn Kimsey, professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, says ‘Its jaws are so large that they wrap up either side of the head when closed. When the jaws are open they are actually longer than the male’s front legs.'

The male wasp has such enormous jaws that its discoverer admits, 'I don't know how it can walk'

The male wasp has such enormous jaws that its discoverer admits, 'I don't know how it can walk'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119343/King-Wasps-Indonesia-Two-half-inch-monster-jaws-longer-legs.html

Could governments recognise ANYONE instantly via CCTV? Japanese camera can scan 36 million faces per second

Could governments recognise ANYONE instantly via CCTV? Japanese camera can scan 36 million faces per second | Mail Online: "A new camera technology from Hitachi Hokusai Electric can scan days of camera footage instantly, and find any face which has EVER walked past it.

Its makers boast that it can scan 36 million faces per second.

The technology raises the spectre of governments - or other organisations - being able to 'find' anyone instantly simply using a passport photo or a Facebook profile."

Time to Air Muslim Violence Against Christians

RealClearPolitics - Time to Air Muslim Violence Against Christians: "Did you read about Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, and his call this month to "destroy all the churches of the region?""

Resistance to antibiotics could bring "the end of modern medicine as we know it"

Resistance to antibiotics could bring "the end of modern medicine as we know it", WHO claim - Telegraph: "The world is entering an antibiotic crisis which could make routine operations impossible and a scratched knee potentially fatal, the head of the World Health Organisation has claimed."

Prehistoric proteins: Raising the dead

Prehistoric proteins: Raising the dead : Nature News & Comment: "Thornton is a leader in a movement to do for proteins what the scientists in Jurassic Park did for dinosaurs: bring ancient forms back to life, so that they can be studied in the flesh."

A Second Roswell?

A Second Roswell? | TDG - Science, Magick, Myth and History: "It’s probably the most discussed UFO event of our time, and has been a source of ongoing controversy even amongst UFO researchers through the years. But is it possible the now-famous incident at the Roswell Air Force Base in July of 1947, where witnesses claimed to have encountered the wreckage of one or more crashed UFO's in the New Mexico desert, was followed just a few months later by a similar incident? As unlikely as that might seem, I’d simply invite the reader to consider the following facts before making up their mind."

Are we one Step Closer to Fusion Energy?

Are we one Step Closer to Fusion Energy?: "Nuclear fusion might be achieved in a preheated cylindrical container immersed in strong magnetic fields.  A series of computer simulations performed at Sandia National Laboratories show the release of output energy that was, remarkably, many times greater than the energy fed into the simulation."

Spring greenery sprouts in the sky

A mosaic of five images by Daniel Lopez (who managed to get into the picture just right of center) shows a panoramic view of Iceland's Vatnajokull Glacier.

As the season officially turns from winter to spring, there's still plenty of snow on the ground in the Arctic — but there's plenty of greenery up in the sky, thanks to an exceptional succession of northern lights.

The past month's brighter-than-usual auroras were pumped up by spurts of solar activity. When outbursts of electrically charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's magnetic field, they can create a green glow in the night sky. If the outbursts are too powerful, they can disrupt communication systems and electrical grids as well. Fortunately, the recent solar storms had minimal impact on earthly infrastructure.

Read More: http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/21/10798985-spring-greenery-sprouts-in-the-sky

Human invasion ended reign of Australia's 'giants'

Human invasion ended reign of Australia's 'giants' | Fox News: "Humans landed on the shores of Australia more than 45,000 years ago. The land they encountered was full of huge plant-eating animals, such as the 6,000-pound rhinoceros wombat and giant kangaroo. Sadly, things would soon change."

Completely menthol? Scientists claim trees give off electricity - especially eucalyptus

Completely menthol? Scientists claim trees give off electricity - especially eucalyptus | Mail Online: "Trees give off electricity, scientists say - especially eucalyptus. Scientists in Australia found the area round trees was filled with charged particles - ions - both positive and negative. Levels were twice as high in wooded areas as they are in open, grassy areas, and deep-rooted trees such as eucalyptus were even higher."

'If you lived on one, you'd be in for a wild ride': Our Milky Way galaxy hurls planets out into space at 30 million miles per hour

When galaxies wander too close to the huge black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, planets can be 'fired' off into space at up to 30 million miles per hour.

The planets are 'slingshotted' to a significant fraction of light speed by the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, 26,000 light years from Earth.

‘If you lived on one of them, you'd be in for a wild ride from the center of the galaxy to the universe at large,’ said astrophysicist Avi Loeb of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

A 'runaway planet' hurled into space from our galaxy: Eventually, such worlds will escape the Milky Way and travel through the lonely intergalactic void

A 'runaway planet' hurled into space from our galaxy: Eventually, such worlds will escape the Milky Way and travel through the lonely intergalactic void. A glowing volcano on the planet¿s surface hints at active plate tectonics that may keep the planet warm

‘Other than subatomic particles, I don't know of anything leaving our galaxy as fast as these runaway planets,’ added lead author Idan Ginsburg of Dartmouth College.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119160/Our-Milky-Way-galaxy-hurls-planets-space-30-million-miles-hour.html

Throwable Robots to Join Battle in Afghanistan

Throwable Robots to Join Battle in Afghanistan : Discovery News: "At dusk, a platoon of soldiers in Afghanistan approach a building. It's surrounded by a low wall, and looks empty, but the wooden front gate is shut. A soldier pulls a small robot out of his backpack that shaped something like a dumbell and throws it over the wall. The little robot rights itself and starts rolling around the grounds, transmitting pictures via it's camera. An infrared scan shows nobody inside, but there's a bomb behind the gate. The platoon calls up its bomb disposal team."

Did Belief in Gods Lead to Mayan Demise?

Did Belief in Gods Lead to Mayan Demise? : Discovery News: "Scientists have long thought environmental catastrophes led to the end of the Mayans but was something else going on?"

Thursday, March 22, 2012

"Destroy All the Churches"

"Destroy All the Churches": "Imagine if Pat Robertson called for the demolition of all the mosques in America. It would be front-page news. It would be on every network and cable news program. There would be a demand for Christians to denounce him, and denounce him they would -- in the harshest terms. The President of the United States and other world leaders would weigh in, too. Rightly so.

So why is it that when Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, declares that it is “necessary to destroy all the churches in the Arabian Peninsula,” the major media do not see this as even worth reporting? And no one, to the best of my knowledge, has noted that he said this to the members of a terrorist group."

Majic Men Movie to Cover the Majestic 12 Mystery

Warning for USA -- Major Earthquake in North America Imminent

Scientists Warn of Ethical Battle Concerning Military Mind Control

A future of brain-controlled tanks, automated attack drones and mind-reading interrogation techniques may arrive sooner than later, but advances in neuroscience that will usher in a new era of combat come with tough ethical implications for both the military and scientists responsible for the technology, according to one of the country's leading bioethicists.

"Everybody agrees that conflict will be changed as new technologies are coming on," says Jonathan Moreno, author of Mind Wars: Brain Science and the Military in the 21st Century. "But nobody knows where that technology is going."

Read More: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/03/20/scientists-warn-of-ethical-battle-concerning-military-mind-control

UFO information disappears from UK Ministry of Defense

UFO information disappears from UK Ministry of Defense - again: "One of the best poster-size images of a 1990 UFO mysteriously disappeared from the wall of Britain's Ministry of Defense somewhere between 1991 to 1994, along with other UFO originals and negatives."

8 Ways Magnetic Levitation Could Shape the Future - How Maglev Technology Works

8 Ways Magnetic Levitation Could Shape the Future - How Maglev Technology Works - Popular Mechanics: "Magnetic levitation (maglev) can create frictionless, efficient, far-out-sounding technologies. Here are some of the craziest uses that engineers and designers have dreamed up."

Could life 'spread' through solar systems? Scientists probe distant 'super Earth' to find if life can hop from world to world

Could life 'spread' through solar systems? Scientists probe distant 'super Earth' to find if life can hop from world to world | Mail Online: "Could life 'hop' between worlds in a solar system in the form of living microbes carried through space on rocks?

Scientists have simulated rocks hurtling through the distant Gliese 581 system - the solar system thought most likely to harbour life, due to its 'super Earth', planet D, which falls in a habitable zone where liquid water could exist.

‘One of the big scientific questions is how did life spread,’ says professor Jay Melosh. ‘In our solar system a lot of exchange that takes place - it's quite possible life started on Mars and came to Earth.'"

Unseen Titanic Pics –National Geographic

Photo: The ghostly bow of the Titanic

At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the “unsinkable” R.M.S. Titanic disappeared beneath the waves, taking with her 1,500 souls. One hundred years later, new technologies have revealed the most complete—and most intimate—images of the famous wreck.

Read More: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/titanic/titanic-photography

World’s most powerful laser fires most powerful laser blast in history

World’s most powerful laser fires most powerful laser blast in history | Fox News: "The largest laser in the world was turned on for a fraction of a second last week -- and it unleashed the most powerful laser blast in history."

Is That a Rectangular (Borg-like) Galaxy?

Is That a Rectangular (Borg-like) Galaxy? : Discovery News: "In my eternal effort to link everything in space to a "Star Trek" storyline, when Discovery News Tech Producer Tracy Staedter emailed me this little cube-shaped nugget, I could barely keep my cool. "It's the Borg home galaxy!" I replied. (I'm certain Tracy was as excited as I was.)

Sure, I may have had one too many coffees, but the discovery of a galaxy that appears to be rectangular in shape not only kick-started my sci-fi geek, it contradicts what we know about the formation of large collections of stars."

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

We Just Built Skynet in the Desert, Now What?

We Just Built Skynet in the Desert, Now What? | Endless Innovation | Big Think: "Ten years after 9/11, the National Security Agency (NSA) is close to putting the finishing touches on what will be the single biggest spy center in the country. According to James Bamford of WIRED, this new one million-square foot spy complex in the Utah Desert will actually be capable of monitoring, intercepting and de-encrypting just about any message sent over any communication network in the country. It will be capable of keeping tabs on any civilian in the U.S. or any foreigner visiting the USA. And it will all be hooked up to federal computers in Washington, giving it access to the records and databases of the most powerful government agencies in the country. If all this is starting to sound a lot like Skynet in the Terminator movies, that’s because, well, it is - minus the Schwarzenegger robots, of course."

Military Wants to Implant Tiny 'Doctors' in Soldiers' Bodies

Military Wants to Implant Tiny 'Doctors' in Soldiers' Bodies | DARPA Nanosensors Medicine | LiveScience: "Disease has stalked battlefields since the dawn of war and continues to plague even the ranks of the modern U.S. military. That's why the Pengaton's scientists want to implant tiny particles inside the bodies of soldiers that could diagnose or even treat illness from within."

Pentagon’s Iran Buildup Call for Adding Laser Weapons - Bloomberg

Pentagon’s Iran Buildup Call for Adding Laser Weapons - Bloomberg: "The U.S. Central Command plans to bolster military capabilities against Iran by fielding new laser target-trackers for machine guns, enhanced sensors for underwater vehicles, improved protection against drone attacks and upgrades of U-2 spy planes."

Amazing 3D printer in action: Watch a working wrench being made from powder

We’re going to need a lot of tools as we expand into space – to build and maintain space stations and craft.

However, the problem of how to replace tools should they break has always been a worry. After all, it’s quite an undertaking to fly them into orbit.

But now scientists believe astronauts will be able to build unlimited replacements – simply by printing them.

Hi-tech: The Z Corporation's 3D printer can make just about anything

Image is everything: The wrench is scanned into a computer

Image is everything: The wrench is scanned into a computer

It sounds like science fiction, but a YouTube video made by National Geographic shows that the remarkable process is actually science fact.

Theoretical physicist David Kaplan, from Johns Hopkins University, visits a company called Z Corporation in Burlington, Massachusetts, which specialises in 3D printers that can make almost anything – even with moving parts.

In the amazing film a huge adjustable wrench is first of all scanned into a computer, down to the accuracy of 40 microns – slightly less than the width of a human hair.

Remarkable: The finished wrench is pulled out of the powder tray

Remarkable: The finished wrench is pulled out of the powder tray

Robust: The printed wrench is even strong enough to undo a nut

Robust: It's even strong enough to undo a nut

The image is then sent to a printer that doesn’t use ink, but a ‘specially engineered composite material’ that starts out as a powder and is then bound together with a type of resin.

This is what the printed wrench is made from.

Within 90 minutes Dr Kaplan is shown a fully working, robust copy of the original wrench that even features the adjustable head.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2117570/Amazing-3D-printer-action-Watch-working-wrench-printed-powder.html

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water: American scientists unleash robotic jellyfish

Its name is Robojelly - and the mass of carbon nanotubes and smart materials can swim under its own power, with a 'pulsing' movement that looks just like the real thing.

More worryingly for robophobes, the robot jellyfish also never runs out of batteries.

Thankfully, it's here to help mankind - at least in theory. The blob-like machine is designed to help with underwater rescues.

Diagrams of the robotic jellyfish as it was constructed: Robojelly is made from carbon nanotubes around a 'smart material' which pulses to send the fish through the water

Diagrams of the robotic jellyfish as it was constructed: Robojelly is made from carbon nanotubes around a 'smart material' which pulses to send the fish through the water

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2117626/Just-thought-safe-water-American-scientists-unleash-robotic-jellyfish-runs-power.html

The future home of 2025

The future home of 2025 | Fox News: "The domicile of the future won’t look much like our suburban abode of today: Every gadget, TV, appliance, and even broom closet will be outfitted with a wireless chip. Read on to see future innovations that will be coming soon to a front door near you."

Engineered Viruses Could Kill Cancer

Engineered Viruses Could Kill Cancer : Discovery News: "The last thing you need is a dangerous viral infection -- unless you have cancer. Cancer cells divide like mad, crowding out their neighbors and causing tumors, the complications from which eventually kill. But the vigor has a price: cancer cells aren't as good at fighting off viral infections, and theoretically a virus could kill cancer cells without harming the patient."

Neutrino Beam Sends Message Through Solid Rock

Neutrino Beam Sends Message Through Solid Rock : Discovery News: "Fermilab's Tevatron may have ceased operation, but the various other experiments on-site are still going strong. Case in point: a Fermilab team have made use of a pulsed neutrino beam source at the accelerator's Main Injector to transmit a coded digital message to a detector located about a kilometer away (0.6 miles)."

As Sweden Goes, So Goes the World: The Beginning of the End of Cash

As Sweden Goes, So Goes the World: The Beginning of the End of Cash - Megan Garber - Technology - The Atlantic: "Sweden could be pointing the way to a (nearly) cash-free economy."

Ancient sites spotted from space, say archaeologists

BBC News - Ancient sites spotted from space, say archaeologists: "Thousands of possible early human settlements have been discovered by archaeologists using computers to scour satellite images."

Area 51 Exhibit To Feature Russian Roswell UFO Artifact At National Atomic Testing Museum

Area 51 Exhibit To Feature Russian Roswell UFO Artifact At National Atomic Testing Museum: "Area 51 has been called the most secret place on Earth that never existed. And for a long time, that was true.

On March 26, the Smithsonian-affiliated National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas plans to unveil the first-ever Area 51 exhibit, and it will be loaded with UFO and possible extraterrestrial-related items.

The exhibit, dubbed "Area 51: Myth or Reality," will present the historical records of a place that has long been shrouded in mystery."

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

How to Become the Engineers of Our Own Evolution

The "transhumanist" movement says better technology will enable you to replace more and more body parts—even your brain

$Alt

The reports regularly come in from around the world: U.S. engineers unveil a prototype bionic eye, Swedish surgeons replace a man’s cancerous trachea with a body part grown in a lab, and a British woman augments her sense of touch by implanting self-made magnetic sensors in her fingertips.

Adherents of “transhumanism”—a movement that seeks to transform Homo sapiens through tools like gene manipulation, “smart drugs” and nanomedicine—hail such developments as evidence that we are becoming the engineers of our own evolution. Enhanced humans might inject themselves with artificial, oxygen-carrying blood cells, enabling them to sprint for 15 minutes straight. They could live long enough to taste a slice of their own 250th birthday cake. Or they might abandon their bodies entirely, translating the neurons of their brains into a digital consciousness.


Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/How-to-Become-the-Engineers-of-Our-Own-Evolution.html

When Death Becomes Optional

When Death Becomes Optional | World Future Society: "The year is 2032. You have just celebrated your 80th birthday and you have some tough decisions ahead. You can either keep repairing your current body or move into a new one."

Mysterious Objects at the Edge of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope is finding hundreds of new objects at the very edge of the electromagnetic spectrum. Many of them have one thing in common: Astronomers have no idea what they are.

Futurist: We'll someday accept computers as human

Futurist: We'll someday accept computers as human - CNN.com: "Austin, Texas (CNN) -- Any author or filmmaker seeking ideas for a sci-fi yarn about the implications of artificial intelligence -- good or bad -- would be smart to talk to Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil, the acclaimed inventor and futurist, believes that humans and technology are blurring -- note the smartphone appendages in almost everyone's hand -- and will eventually merge. "We are a human-machine civilization. Everybody has been enhanced with computer technology," he told a capacity crowd of more than 3,000 tech-savvy listeners Monday at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. "They're really part of who we are."

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Replicate

What We Have Here Is A Failure To Replicate: "Scientific research is difficult to do well, and people are flawed and biased. As Carl Sagan noted, science is not just an ideal abstraction, but is very much a human endeavor, and as such is messy and imperfect. Nature itself is random and quirky and doesn’t always cooperate with our desires to penetrate its secrets."

The gadgets of 2025: Frog unveils vision of the future

EXCLUSIVE: The gadgets of 2025: Frog unveils vision of the future | Fox News: "For three days, FoxNews.com met with Frog, the global design and innovation firm in San Francisco that helped shape the original Mac computers and many of the most popular gadgets we use. Here are the concepts for the future that Frog developed after "frogthink" with their most brilliant brains."

Man Looking for Cat Finds Buried 'UFO'

Man Looking for Cat Finds Buried 'UFO' : Discovery News: "An Austrian farmer finds a round hole in his field and assumes it's made by extraterrestrials."

Is Jupiter Evil?

Is Jupiter Evil? : Discovery News: "The gas giant is widely regarded as Earth's protector -- but this may only be half of the story."

Navy Opens 'Hunger Games' Arena for Military Robots

Navy Opens 'Hunger Games' Arena for Military Robots : Discovery News: "Man-made survival games are being built to challenge robots."

U.S. accelerating cyberweapon research

U.S. accelerating cyberweapon research - The Washington Post: "The Pentagon is accelerating efforts to develop a new generation of cyberweapons capable of disrupting enemy military networks even when those networks are not connected to the Internet, according to current and former U.S. officials."

Global Intelligence & Information Grid Goes Online: DI2E framework aims for streamlined intelligence sharing

Global Intelligence & Information Grid Goes Online: DI2E framework aims for streamlined intelligence sharing | StratRisks: "If everything goes according to plan, sometime in the next few years the Defense Department and intelligence community members will begin reaping the benefits of a common cross-agency environment that’s designed to help users access and use a wide range of essential intelligence resources."

Global Intelligence & Information Grid Goes Online: DI2E framework aims for streamlined intelligence sharing

Monday, March 19, 2012

Sweden moving towards cashless economy

Sweden moving towards cashless economy - CBS News: "(AP) STOCKHOLM - Sweden was the first European country to introduce bank notes in 1661. Now it's come farther than most on the path toward getting rid of them."

President Obama signs Executive Order allowing for control over all US resources

President Obama signs Executive Order allowing for control over all US resources - National Finance Examiner | Examiner.com: "On March 16th, President Obama signed a new Executive Order which expands upon a prior order issued in 1950 for Disaster Preparedness, and gives the office of the President complete control over all the resources in the United States in times of war or emergency.

The National Defense Resources Preparedness order gives the Executive Branch the power to control and allocate energy, production, transportation, food, and even water resources by decree under the auspices of national defense and national security.  The order is not limited to wartime implementation, as one of the order's functions includes the command and control of resources in peacetime determinations."

World News - Honeybee die-offs linked to insecticide, study says

World News - Honeybee die-offs linked to insecticide, study says: "A newly published study draws a stronger link between mass die-offs of honeybees and an insecticide widely used on corn."

'Atomic bomb' asteroid will definitely miss us this time ... but it comes back every year

Watch out for 2012: Luckily, the asteroid is just doing a fly-by this time...

Watch out for 2012: Luckily, the asteroid is just doing a fly-by this time...

An asteroid with the destructive power of an H-bomb is scheduled to sweep past the Earth at a distance closer than commercial satellites.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 circles the Earth once a year - and when it flies by next February, it will be just 24,000km away.

Luckily, it is not going to hit us this time round - but be warned that this is just one of just 500,000 rocks circling in a close orbit.

Scientists say there is no chance of an impact in 2013, but such a possibility cannot be ruled out during the asteroid's yearly approach .

If it did enter the Earth's atmosphere and explode, the force would be enough to destroy an area the size of Greater London.

The asteroid was spotted last month by a team operating from the La Sagra Sky Survey observatory near Granada in Spain. The observatory uses automated telescopes to track small asteroids and comets.

2012 DA14 was discovered after the astronomers decided to search areas of the sky where asteroids are not usually seen.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2115943/Atomic-bomb-Asteroid-2012-DA14-visits-Earth-annually-miss-time--maybe-time-after.html

Glow in the dark sushi made from genetically modified fish becomes the latest food craze to hit America

Sushi that glows in the dark has become the latest must try food craze across America.

Inspired by genetically modified fish first bred for scientific research, a video showing how to make the glowing sushi has become a huge hit online.

The recipes use glofish, a brand of genetically modified (GM) fluorescent zebrafish sold by Yorktown Technologies, which are available to buy in pet shops.

glow in the dark sushi

Lights: The modified fish were originally bred to help detect environmental pollutants

The modified fish were originally bred to help detect environmental pollutants.

By adding a natural fluorescence gene to the fish, scientists planned to create fish that glowed when rivers became contaminated.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2116218/Glow-dark-sushi-genetically-modified-fish-latest-food-craze-America.html

Prometheus - Official FULL Trailer

Stanford researchers create exotic electrons that may lead to new materials, devices

Stanford researchers create exotic electrons that may lead to new materials, devices: "The handcrafted, honeycomb-shaped structures were inspired by graphene, a pure form of carbon widely heralded for its potential in future electronics."

Spies could use your TV to snoop on you

Spies could use your TV to snoop on you | The Japan News.Net: "Spies could now snoop on you through your TV, dispensing with the necessity of planting bugs in your room, according to CIA director David Petraeus.

The CIA says it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home, Petraeus added.

Everything from remote controls to clock radios can now be controlled via apps - and chip company ARM recently unveiled low-powered, cheaper chips which will be used in everything from fridges and ovens to doorbells, according to the Daily Mail.

Petraeus said that web-connected gadgets will transform the art of spying - allowing spies to monitor people automatically without planting bugs, breaking and entering or even donning a tuxedo to infiltrate a dinner party."

Video from Chile stirs up UFO buzz

Is this truly the video that UFO skeptics have been dreading? Actually, a compilation of 17-month-old video clips from a Chilean military air show is stirring up predictable responses from both sides of the UFO debate, but no dread.

For those who are inclined to believe that some unidentified flying objects exhibit characteristics beyond what our technology seems capable of, the El Bosque case could represent the latest, greatest evidence for flying saucers.

"This is a very, very unusual case, and I'm hoping that this case will help move forward the recognition that there really is something here that's worthy of further study. ... It has the possibility of being a breakthrough case," said investigative journalist Leslie Kean, the author of the book "UFOs: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record."

Read More: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/15/10704801-video-from-chile-stirs-up-ufo-buzz