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Friday, August 31, 2012

Economic shock: global food prices jump 10%

Economic shock: global food prices jump 10%: "August 31, 2012 – FOOD – Global food prices have leapt by 10% in the month of July, raising fears of soaring prices for the planet’s poorest, the World Bank has warned."

The Gold Standard Goes Mainstream

Seth Lipsky: The Gold Standard Goes Mainstream - WSJ.com: "In the ferment within today's Republican Party, there's a growing realization that America's system of fiat money is part of the economic problem."

They're everywhere! Nasa discovers millions of new 'supermassive black holes' - and thousands of new galaxies

They're everywhere! Nasa discovers millions of new 'supermassive black holes' - and thousands of new galaxies | Mail Online: "Nasa has discovered a 'bonanza' of supermassive black holes - as well as some extreme galaxies called 'Hot DOGs', otherwise known as dust-obscured galaxies."

Doctor Who's Sonic Screwdriver becomes reality as a TV remote

Doctor Who's Sonic Screwdriver becomes reality as a TV remote (just in time for the new series) | Mail Online: "Doctor Who is back this Saturday - and if you are quick (or have access to a suitable Tardis), you might just be able to change the channel to BBC1 like a true Time Lord.

Doctor Who's faithful Sonic Screwdriver - a science-fiction gizmo which the time-travelling doctor uses as a lock pick, a medical scanner and even a weapon- has become reality

For the Doctor's faithful Sonic Screwdriver, which can operate on pretty much any object in the Universe except wood, is now available to the humans of Earth, in the form of a humble television remote."

Bionic eye breakthrough as Australian woman receives radical world first implant

Bionic eye breakthrough as Australian woman receives radical world first implant | Mail Online: "Scientists have taken an important step towards helping visually impaired people lead independent lives after a bionic eye gave a blind Australian woman partial sight.

A prototype of the bionic eye created by Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), who said today they had successfully implanted the 'world first' bionic eye prototype

Dianne Ashworth, who has severe vision loss due to the inherited condition retinitis pigmentosa, was fitted with a prototype bionic eye in May at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital."

Why Is West Nile Virus So Bad This Year?

Why Is West Nile Virus So Bad This Year? : Discovery News: "At least 1,118 people in the US so far have gotten sick this year after getting bit by an infected mosquito."

Nanoparticle Safety Still Unknown

Nanoparticle Safety Still Unknown : Discovery News: "Two nanomaterials stunt the growth of soybean plants, but absolute risk remains unknown."

Friendship in Strange Places: A Mysterious Chilean UFO Story

Friendship in Strange Places: A Mysterious Chilean UFO Story | Mysterious Universe: "It was 1984, someplace near the Southern coast of Chile, and a mysterious distress signal had just buzzed across the receiver of ham radio operator Octavio Ortiz. A business agent who operated a small 27-megacycle CB station in his pastime, Ortiz, who went by the ham operator’s handle Lucero or “bright star,” was mystified by what he was hearing, as it seemed to have to do with a bright celestial object of an entirely different kind.



The captain of a ship called the Mitilus II had been sending these strange messages Otriz had intercepted, which pertained to an object in the sky it had been following… or perhaps, had been followed by. The Mitilius II was tasked under the Department of Oceanography for the nearby University of Chile, and had been in an approach for the Mitague lighthouse when a strange, bright object had appeared in the sky, then slowly began to descend. By the time Ortiz had come across the messages from Alberto, this strange object was now hovering directly over the distressed captain’s ship."

Ufological Shades of Gray: Poles, Power Plants and Political Protests

Ufological Shades of Gray: Poles, Power Plants and Political Protests | Mysterious Universe: "Has Earth been visited by intelligent life from outer space? If so, what is their purpose for coming here… are they studying life on our planet, or are they merely trying to utilize resources that may exist here? Or, thinking about it logically, would any civilization advanced enough to be able to reach Earth even need the kinds of resources our planet can offer?"

Drought and SuperBugs Devastate U.S. Corn Crop

Drought and SuperBugs Devastate U.S. Corn Crop: "In yet another instance of "unintended consequences," a recent study has determined that this year’s drought damage to corn crops is even worse because of Bt corn, and failure to rotate crops."

Russia announces enormous finds of radioactive waste and nuclear reactors in Arctic seas

Russia announces enormous finds of radioactive waste and nuclear reactors in Arctic seas - Bellona: "Enormous quantities of decommissioned Russian nuclear reactors and radioactive waste were dumped into the Kara Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia over a course of decades, according to documents given to Norwegian officials by Russian authorities and published in Norwegian media."

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The amazing video that shows 14 billion years of the universe evolving in just 78 seconds

The amazing video that shows 14 billion years of the universe evolving in just 78 seconds | Mail Online: "Astrophysicists have created the most realistic computer simulation of the universe's evolution to date, tracking activity from the Big Bang to now -- a time span of around 14 billion years -- in high resolution."

Low-flying helicopters over Berkeley are measuring radiation levels

Low-flying helicopters over Berkeley are measuring radiation levels | Berkeleyside: "Many Berkeley residents have been in touch with us today asking about the helicopters that have been flying overhead, across the city and also into Oakland. A call to Berkeley Police Department confirms that the choppers are out measuring baseline radiation levels."

6 New GMO Crops that May Soon Hit Your Dinner Table

6 New GMO Crops that May Soon Hit Your Dinner Table: "Remember when the USDA gave Monsanto’s new GMO crops the fast track to approval? Regardless of the numerous accounts of organ damage, pesticide-resistant weeds, and unintentionally mutated organisms like resistant insects, our own government is manipulating the game to let “biotech bullies” like Monsanto get speedier regulatory reviews. Consequently, the environment, livestock, and consumers will be exposed to even greater danger."

geneticallymodifiedapple 235x147 6 New GMO Crops that May Soon Hit Your Dinner Table

Sugar Found In Space: A Sign of Life?

Sugar Found In Space: A Sign of Life?: "Astronomers have made a sweet discovery: simple sugar molecules floating in the gas around a star some 400 light-years away, suggesting the possibility of life on other planets."

Two 'Tatooine' Alien Planets With Twin Suns Found

Two 'Tatooine' Alien Planets With Twin Suns Found | Space.com: "Astronomers have for the first time discovered two alien planets whirling around a pair of stars: a complete solar system with twin suns just like Luke Skywalker's fictional home world Tatooine."

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

As Google prepares to launch its smart glasses, one filmmaker shows a chilling vision of what could happen if they go wrong

As Google prepares to launch its smart glasses, one filmmaker shows a chilling vision of what could happen if they go wrong | Mail Online: "They have been billed as the future of the way that we will interact with computers.

But a new science fiction film suggests that augmented reality glasses actually have a far darker side - and might allow us to control one another.

The lenses are able to turn an entire wall into a virtual TV

‘Sight’ shows how virtual reality can take over from normal life to the extent that we can’t exist without it."

Prenatal whole-gene sequencing raises thorny ethical questions

Prenatal whole-gene sequencing raises thorny ethical questions | Fox News: "Someday, a pregnant woman is going to walk into the office of a doctor or genetic counselor, and plop a thick folder on the desk. The contents will be the entire genome of the fetus the woman is carrying -- every gene and chromosome -- and the parent-to-be will ask what it will all mean for the baby she is about to have.

The sequencing will provide information on what the child will be like and in some cases, what will happen during the teenage and adult years. All it would take is a simple blood test.

If parents don’t like the results, options can include abortion or maybe genetic manipulation.

The test, what scientists call prenatal whole genome sequencing, eventually will cost less than $1,000, according to experts. Perhaps millions of people will think it a good investment. A huge industry will likely grow up around it."

Artificial Universe Created Inside a Supercomputer

Artificial Universe Created Inside a Supercomputer : Discovery News: "A simulation of our evolving universe is the most accurate yet, producing spiral galaxies not too dissimilar to the Milky Way."

Second person dies after contracting rare rodent-borne disease at Yosemite

Second person dies after contracting rare rodent-borne disease at Yosemite | Fox News: "YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA –  A second person has died of a rare, rodent-borne disease after visiting Yosemite National Park earlier this summer and park officials are warning past visitors to be aware of some flu-like aches and symptoms as fears of a possible outbreak mount."

Ancient Builders Created Monumental Structures that Altered Sound and Mind, Say Researchers

Ancient Builders Created Monumental Structures that Altered Sound and Mind, Say Researchers: "The results of recent research suggests that ancient, or prehistoric, builders of the monumental structures found in such diverse places as Ireland, Malta, southern Turkey and Peru all have a peculiarly common characteristic — they may have been specially designed to conduct and manipulate sound to produce certain sensory effects."

Jack Mintz: U.S. worse than Europe

Jack Mintz: U.S. worse than Europe | FP Comment | Financial Post: "At a European conference on the sovereign-debt crises that I ­attended this week, my overwhelming conclusion, after listening to many experts, is that the U.S. is in far more trouble than Europe."

Egypt prof: Israel will be gone by next year

Egypt prof: Israel will be gone by next year | The Times of Israel: "Ex-MP Gamal Zahran tells Iranian TV station that, Allah willing, Jewish state will be annihilated"

Machines Making Machines: Robotics Expert Says 3-D Printing the Missing Link

Machines Making Machines: Robotics Expert Says 3-D Printing the Missing Link | Txchnologist: "For more than a decade, Dr. Hod Lipson has been working on technologies that, when successful, will fundamentally change human society—creative machines that can design and build other machines."

Cyborg Tissue Developed, Half Alive Half Electronics

Cyborg Tissue Developed, Half Alive Half Electronics: "They beat like real heart cells, but the rat cardiomyocytes in a dish at Harvard University are different in one crucial way. Snaking through them are wires and transistors that spy on each cell’s electrical impulses. In future, the wires might control their behaviour too. Versions of this souped-up, “cyborg” tissue have been created for neurons, muscle and blood "

Bloodlines of the Nephilim - A Biblical Study

Bloodlines of the Nephilim - A Biblical Study | Beginning And End: "In our original article on the Nephilim, we detailed the Biblical origin of the half-angelic, half-human hybrid giants, known as Nephilim, who were the product of illicit relations between evil fallen angels and human women in the time before the Flood and Noah’s Ark. The flood wiped out the giants but shortly after the flood they returned and spread all throughout the Promised Land. As this article will show, not only did the giants return after the flood, they were major enemies of God and His chosen nation, Israel for centuries. This article will show that for a time Nephilim were all over the ancient Middle East wreaking havoc, attacking God’s people and creating spiritual practices to lure humanity in worshiping Satan and his angels."

Nephilim Giants | Genesis 6 Days of Noah Watchers Book of Enoch

Flaming UFO buzzes the ISS

Flaming UFO buzzes the ISS - Allentown Paranormal | Examiner.com: "An amazing UFO video was posted to YouTube on Saturday showing what looks like a flaming, unidentified flying object zooming perilously close to the International Space Station (ISS)."

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The real-life 'Inception' helmet that can fool people into thinking fake scenes are real

The real-life 'Inception' helmet that can fool people into thinking fake scenes are real | Mail Online: "Researchers have developed an Inception-style helmet which makes the human mind unable to tell what is real and what is a fake."

Cyborgs Awake! Scientists reveal new method to 'grow' electronic sensors inside human tissue

Scientists reveal new method to 'grow' electronic sensors inside human tissue | Mail Online: "Cyborgs melding human and robotic technology together have finally come a step closer to reality. Researchers at MIT in Boston have revealed a new technique that can place sensors inside human tissue. To control the three-dimensional shape of engineered tissue, researchers grow cells on tiny, sponge-like scaffolds."

Cyborgs such as Robocop have long been a staple of sci-fi films. Now researchers at MIT have made a big step towards making them reality.

Scientists genetically modify bacteria to turn household waste into fuel

Scientists genetically modify bacteria to turn household waste into fuel | Mail Online: "It is a breakthrough that almost perfectly echoes the plot of a Hollywood classic. Researchers have created a genetically modified bacteria has that can turn carbon dioxide or waste products into fuel. It could lead to cars refilled using household waste - exactly as seen on screen in the classic Back to the Future."

Crop Circles: The Human Angle

Crop Circles: The Human Angle | Mysterious Universe: "Matthew Williams – a former special-investigator with the British Government’s Customs & Excise agency – holds the distinction of being one of the very few people in the world arrested, charged and convicted for making a Crop Circle – although the actual crime was of causing damage to the field in which the formation was made.



I will be the first to admit that Matthew is a good friend of mine, and a great deal has been written about his reasons for making crop-formations that is either misleading or downright untrue. And, more importantly, the notion that people such as Matthew can be dismissed as mere hoaxers is an utter failure to understand and appreciate the philosophy and experiences of the human circle-makers."

It Is Not Just Your Imagination – American Families ARE Getting Poorer

It Is Not Just Your Imagination – American Families ARE Getting Poorer: "Did you know that median household income in the United States is lower today than it was when the last recession supposedly ended?  If we are in the middle of an “economic recovery”, how can this possibly be happening?"

Legality Of DNA Collection

Legality Of DNA Collection - Business Insider: "U.S. courts will soon decide whether Americans can have the expectation of privacy over their DNA, reports Kate Moser at the Recorder."

Monday, August 27, 2012

Taking the pulse of Armageddon as Israel-Iran showdown looms

Taking the pulse of Armageddon as Israel-Iran showdown looms: "HAIFA, ISRAEL –  It is just an 18-mile journey from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in luxurious Caesarea on the shores of the Mediterranean, to Har Megiddo - Armageddon, the hilltop ancient ruins of one of King Solomon’s palaces from where the Bible suggests the final battle between good and evil will be viewed."

Radical Islamic Attacks in Moderate Region Unnerve Kremlin

Radical Islamic Attacks in Moderate Region Unnerve Kremlin - NYTimes.com: "KAZAN, Russia — A string of violent attacks by Islamic militants has shattered this city’s reputation as a citadel of religious tolerance and unnerved federal officials in Moscow, who have worked for decades to prevent the spread of radical Islam out of the southern borderlands and into places like this city 500 miles east of Moscow."

Extreme conditions threaten power grid

Extreme conditions threaten power grid | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com: "Extreme weather is putting America's power grid to the test, with a yearlong run of violent storms and record heat battering a system built for fairer skies."

U.S. Spies Summon Star Wars for 3D Hologram Displays

U.S. Spies Summon Star Wars for 3D Hologram Displays | Danger Room | Wired.com: "The Synthetic Holographic Observation (SHO) effort is supposed to produce these full-color “3D workstation display-systems that are simultaneously viewable by multiple people with the unaided eye,” the agency adds in its description of the program."

Hacking your BRAIN: Scientists reveal they can find out your PIN number using a cheap scanner

Hacking your BRAIN: Scientists reveal they can find out your PIN number using a cheap scanner | Mail Online: "It sounds like something out of a futuristic sci-fi blockbuster, but scientists today demonstrated how they can 'hack' someone's brain to find out their pin number - using a cheap headset."

Meet the planet's 'vampire' bugs which spend every waking moment looking for ways to extract blood

Meet the planet's 'vampire' bugs which spend every waking moment looking for ways to extract blood | Mail Online: "From our comfortable spot near the top of the food chain, it is easy to forget that we are still prey for numerous animals.

A crab louse normally lives on the pubic region of humans - and can also be found in eyelashes

But now, thanks to the wonders of modern micro-photography, it is possible to get up close and personal with the 'vampires' of the animal kingdom and, if you can hold your nerve, take a peek at some of the creepy teeth and feeding equipment of the small insects, ticks and mites that want nothing more than to suck our blood.

From asian tiger mosquitos, that carry the West Nile virus and the Dengue fever virus, to the huge-bloated blood-filled body of a tick just after eating, meet the creatures that see humans as nothing more than giant vats of sweet nectar that need drinking."

The space elevator to the lunar surface that 'could be built today'

The space elevator to the lunar surface that 'could be built today' | Mail Online: "A space elevator capable of taking robots and humans back to the surface of the moon can be built today, a California firm has claimed.

Go Planet Trekking For Alien Earths

Go Planet Trekking For Alien Earths : Discovery News: "Astronomers Stephen Kane and Dawn Gelino at NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech are giving scientists and the public a chance to explore potentially habitable extrasolar planets in a way once described only in the imaginations of science writers.




For example, in the Star Trek universe characters often talked of worlds categorized as "Class M" planets; Earth-like places inhabited by various aliens. Today, exoplanets have become reality and big business for budding astronomers. New detection techniques, better sensitivity, atmospheric measurements and new theoretical modeling have unveiled a host of planet more diverse that imagined in science fiction."

Top 10 Reasons We Should Fear The Singularity

Top 10 Reasons We Should Fear The Singularity: "Well, let me give you what I believe are the top 10 most popular reasons: 1. Extinction -- Extinction is by far the most feared as well as the most commonly predicted consequence of the singularity..."

Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists

Food shortages could force world into vegetarianism, warn scientists | Global development | The Guardian: "Water scarcity's effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050"

San Antonio NISD Schools Tracking Kids with RFID pilot program

Welcome to NISD's Student Locator Program | NISD Student Locator Program: "Northside ISD is harnessing the power of radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to make schools safer, know where our students are while at school, increase revenues, and provide a general purpose “smart” ID card."

2,600-Year-Old Brain Found in England, in Remarkably Fresh Condition

2,600-Year-Old Brain Found in England, in Remarkably Fresh Condition : US/World : Medical Daily: "Found by UK researchers, the brain was found in a decapitated skull aged 2,684 years. The brain is the oldest found brain in Europe or Asia, and is thought to be the best-preserved in the world."

Fabled 'Chupacabra' or mutant fox poisoned by radiation? Russian hunters baffled by dog-like animal

Fabled 'Chupacabra' or mutant fox poisoned by radiation? Russian hunters baffled by dog-like animal | Mail Online: "Vets in Ukraine are struggling to identify a 'mutant' animal shot by hunters in a remote area of the former Soviet republic. Locals say it is a mystery 'Chupacabra' -  allegedly sighted a few times in recent years - that preys on rabbits, goats and house animals."

Mystery: The discovery of the strange animal in Ukraine has baffled experts

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Scientists Successfully ‘Hack’ Brain To Obtain Private Data

Scientists Successfully ‘Hack’ Brain To Obtain Private Data « CBS Seattle: "BERKELEY, Calif. (CBS Seattle) – It sounds like something out of the movie “Johnny Mnemonic,” but scientists have successfully been able to “hack” a brain with a device that’s easily available on the open market."

An actual human brain displayed inside a glass box, as part of an interactive exhbition (Photo Credit: MAURICIO LIMA / AFP / Getty Images)

Could We Ever Accept Cloned Humans With Duplicated Minds?

Bruce Hood: Could We Ever Accept Cloned Humans With Duplicated Minds?: "Science often inspires science fiction writers to explore fantastic scenarios that may be just round the corner. However, sometimes, science fiction can also be an inspiration for science."

Is the Biological, Darwinian Phase of Human Evolution Over? Hawking Says "Yes"

Is the Biological, Darwinian Phase of Human Evolution Over? Hawking Says "Yes": "In the past decade, we’ve examined our Solar System’s orbit through the Milky Way to ask whether there may be clues to periodic mass extinctions on our planet. We've launched missions seeking out habitable Alien Earths and the existence of dark energy and have migrated from wondering if there's life on Mars to searching out and studying myriads of exo planets in the Milky Way and infinite galaxies beyond.

Physicist Stephen Hawking believes that we have entered a new phase of evolution. "At first, evolution proceeded by natural selection, from random mutations. This Darwinian phase, lasted about three and a half billion years, and produced us, beings who developed language, to exchange information.""

Source Of Loud Boom In Foothills A Mystery

Source Of Loud Boom In Foothills A Mystery « CBS Sacramento: "EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS13) – People from all over El Dorado County say they’re hearing loud booms several times a week, but there are many theories on what is causing them."

China bubble in 'danger zone' warns Bank of Japan

China bubble in 'danger zone' warns Bank of Japan - Telegraph: "China risks a repeat of Japan’s boom-bust disaster 20 years ago as exorbitant property prices combine with a demographic tipping point, a top Japanese official has warned."

Indonesia’s Tangkubanperahu volcano awakens from dormant sleep after 20 years: alert level raised | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond

Indonesia’s Tangkubanperahu volcano awakens from dormant sleep after 20 years: alert level raised | The Extinction Protocol: 2012 and beyond: "August 25, 2012 – INDONESIA – An increase in seismic activity at Tangkubanperahu volcano near Bandung, the capital of West Java, has been detected since 13 August and promted the Indonesian Volcanological survey (PVMBG) to increase the alert level of the volcano from 1 (normal) to 2 (alert) on 23 August. "

On a windless day, the fumes produced by the fountains of the lake rise vertically and is illuminated by the intense glow of the lava. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

NIH superbug outbreak highlights lack of new antibiotics

NIH superbug outbreak highlights lack of new antibiotics - The Washington Post: "As doctors battled a deadly, drug-resistant superbug at the National Institutes of Health’s Clinical Center last year, they turned to an antibiotic of last resort. But colistin, as it’s called, is not a fancy new creation of modern biotechnology. It was discovered in a beaker of fermenting bacteria in Japan — in 1949."

Obama asks eurozone to keep Greece in until after election day

Obama asks eurozone to keep Greece in until after election day - Europe - World - The Independent: "US officials are worried that if Greece exits the eurozone, it will damage President's election hopes"

Lair of the Beasts: A Monster on the Mountain

Lair of the Beasts: A Monster on the Mountain - Mania.com: "It was at this point that Larsen’s mind became flooded by fear and panic: there was no man in his midst, after all. What was in his full midst for a second or several was a bulky, black-hair-covered monstrosity that stunk like rotting meat and stood at around a towering seven and a half feet."

Twilight Language: Of Moon, Masons & Men: Neil Armstrong Dies

Twilight Language: Of Moon, Masons & Men: Neil Armstrong Dies: "Neil Alden Armstrong, the first human being on the Moon, has died. He stepped on the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System from Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969, a date most recently linked to the Aurora shootings."

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Curiosity finds Mars 'teeming with UFOs'

Curiosity finds Mars 'teeming with UFOs' - Technology & science - Science - LiveScience - NBCNews.com: "From flying saucers to fossilized human fingers, people takes some leaps of logic"

Men, Who Needs Them? - NYTimes.com

Men, Who Needs Them? - NYTimes.com: "MAMMALS are named after their defining characteristic, the glands capable of sustaining a life for years after birth — glands that are functional only in the female. And yet while the term “mammal” is based on an objective analysis of shared traits, the genus name for human beings, Homo, reflects an 18th-century masculine bias in science."

Hubble's hidden treasures unveiled

The last XXIV hours of Pompeii retold on Twitter: Catastrophe relived (almost) exactly 1,933 years after eruption of Vesuvius

The last XXIV hours of Pompeii retold on Twitter: Catastrophe relived (almost) exactly 1,933 years after eruption of Vesuvius | Mail Online: "The final 24 hours of the Roman city of Pompeii are being relived on Twitter today - exactly 1,933 years after an eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the city beneath a blanket of ash.

Cataclysmic: The eruption of Vesuvius as imagined by BBC documentary Pompeii: The Last Day. The volcano erupted in 79AD burying the city totally beneath 20ft of ash

The minute-by-minute reconstruction of the city's destruction is based on the tale of Pliny the Elder, the Roman scholar and admiral who took command of the city's evacuation."

Animals Are as With It as Humans, Scientists Say

Animals Are as With It as Humans, Scientists Say : Discovery News: "A prominent group of scientists signs a document stating that animals are just as "conscious and aware" as humans are. This is a big deal."

The list includes all mammals, birds, and even encephlopods.

The National Security Agency’s Domestic Spying Program - NYTimes.com

The National Security Agency’s Domestic Spying Program - NYTimes.com: "It took me a few days to work up the nerve to phone William Binney. As someone already a “target” of the United States government, I found it difficult not to worry about the chain of unintended consequences I might unleash by calling Mr. Binney, a 32-year veteran of the National Security Agency turned whistle-blower. He picked up. I nervously explained I was a documentary filmmaker and wanted to speak to him. To my surprise he replied: “I’m tired of my government harassing me and violating the Constitution. Yes, I’ll talk to you.”"

American Incomes Are Falling And Near-Retirees Are Getting Crushed

American Incomes Are Falling And Near-Retirees Are Getting Crushed: Study | Daily Ticker - Yahoo! Finance: "Annual incomes in the United States have dropped sharply in recent years, and near-retirees are getting hit the worst."

Now even TAP WATER isn't safe! Brain-eating amoeba fatal in 99% of cases 'could come from your own faucet'

Now even TAP WATER isn't safe! Brain-eating amoeba fatal in 99% of cases 'could come from your own faucet' | Mail Online: "There could be a deadly killer in your home – the kitchen tap."

Growth process: The single-celled amoeba is also called a brain-eating amoeba; later symptoms can include hallucinations and seizures

Germany: "Islamists Want to Bring Jihad to Europe"

Germany: "Islamists Want to Bring Jihad to Europe" :: Gatestone Institute: "German Intelligence Chief Gerhard Schindler has issued a warning saying that Europe is at great risk of terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists."

From Bug Drones to Disease Assassins, Super Weapons Rule U.S. War Game

From Bug Drones to Disease Assassins, Super Weapons Rule U.S. War Game | Danger Room | Wired.com: "CARLISLE, Pennsylvania — A rogue state is on the verge of developing a deadly biological weapon against which the rest of the world has no defense. Through its connections to extremist groups and smugglers, the regime could be planning to launch bio attacks on U.S. allies and interests."

Nanoparticle Pollution Could Stunt Crop Growth

Nanoparticle Pollution Could Stunt Crop Growth | Wired Science | Wired.com: "Metallic nanoparticles are ingredients in everything from sunscreen and cosmetics to diesel fuel and odor-eating socks. They may also end up in soil, with uncertain but potentially troublesome consequences."

Hundreds of racing pigeons vanish in 'Bermuda triangle' of birds

Hundreds of racing pigeons vanish in 'Bermuda triangle' of birds - Telegraph: "Pigeon racers are mystified after hundreds of birds disappeared in an area they have now dubbed the Bermuda Triangle."

THE TOP TEN PARANORMAL BEASTS IN BRITAIN

ShukerNature: THE TOP TEN PARANORMAL BEASTS IN BRITAIN - HORSE-MEN, HORNED CATS, AND OTHER HORRORS!: "In modern times, Britain – reputedly the world’s most haunted country – has seen more than even its fair share of monstrous creatures reported, beasts assuredly more supernatural than natural. So here, in no particular order, is my own personal Top Ten paranormal terrors of the zooform kind (i.e. seemingly preternatural entities superficially resembling corporeal creatures). Encounter them at your peril!"

Friday, August 24, 2012

Odds of Global Recession Are 100%

Odds of Global Recession Are 100%: Marc Faber - US Business News - CNBC: "There’s still a 100 percent chance the world heads into recession, Marc Faber, publisher of “The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report,” told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” on Thursday, echoing a call he made in May."

These will make you starry-eyed! Photographers look to the night sky for dazzling displays | Mail Online

These will make you starry-eyed! Photographers look to the night sky for dazzling displays: "The rich colours, dusting of stars, smattering of bright lights and ethereal patterns look almost like they are a work of fiction."

UFOs: A Mixed Bag Of Theories

UFOs: A Mixed Bag Of Theories | Mysterious Universe: "For most people, any mention of UFOs inevitably conjures up imagery of spaceships from other worlds, and alien abductions. However, the theory that UFOs originate in far-away galaxies is simply that – a theory. In reality, numerous suggestions have been made to explain the UFO presence that has, for decades, fascinated generations of saucer-seekers everywhere. Indeed, the fact of the matter is that, like it or not, we’re still very much in the dark when it comes to understanding the true nature of what it is that is amongst us, and which, for so long, has interacted with us. Let’s take a look at those theories…



One of the most thought-provoking theories offered in an attempt to provide an explanation for aspects of the UFO presence on our world suggests that the aliens are, actually, a very ancient and advanced body of people, closely related to the Human Race, who have lived alongside us in secret – possibly deep underground – for countless millennia. Granted, it’s a highly controversial theory, but it’s one I delved into deeply just a few days ago right here.…"

Open Your Mind: Skepticism and Preconception in Paranormal Studies

Open Your Mind: Skepticism and Preconception in Paranormal Studies | Mysterious Universe: "Nine times out of ten, when I’m approached by somebody about my interest in subjects like ufology and the supernatural, I can expect a fairly typical response: “Oh, so you’re a believer, huh?” While I obviously believe there is something going on out there when it pertains to UFOs, or any other variety of so-called “paranormal” or unexplained occurrence, I certainly don’t conform to the general sorts of time-tested preconceptions that exist with regard to most strange phenomena."

First Milky Way Galaxy 'Twins' Found

First Milky Way Galaxy 'Twins' Found | Space.com: "Our home galaxy may be special, but it's not one of a kind. For the first time, astronomers have discovered two far-flung galaxies that are a near-perfect match of our own Milky Way."

Zombie-proof architecture: When the dead start to walk you'd better start building

Zombie-proof architecture: When the dead start to walk you'd better start building | The Economist: "THE streets are full of lurching, brain-hungry zombies and humanity faces extinction. Should you run for your life or stand your ground? Luckily, bespectacled men and woman who stare at blueprints have already started thinking about it. Architects are designing zombie-proof housing for Zombie Safe House, a design competition, now in its third year."

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Facebook, the CIA, DARPA, and the tanking IPO

Facebook, the CIA, DARPA, and the tanking IPO: "The company is too important as a data-mining asset of the intelligence community to let it fall into disrepair and chaos. The CIA and its cutouts will save it and gain more power over it. It's what they've wanted all along."

US government developing ultimate cyber weapon; Prime-factoring quantum computing makes encryption obsolete

US government developing ultimate cyber weapon; Prime-factoring quantum computing makes encryption obsolete | Pakalert Press: "The U.S. government is making steady progress on a game-changing technology that would give it the most powerful weapon ever devised in the realm of cyber warfare and information dominance. The weapon is called a “prime-factoring quantum computer,” and a small-scale version of the game-changing technology has already been demonstrated by researchers at UC Santa Barbara, where qubits — quantum bits of computational potential — factored the number 15 into its prime factors three and five."

All-in-one magic makeup camouflages soldiers, repels mosquitoes AND protects against bomb blasts

All-in-one magic makeup camouflages soldiers, repels mosquitoes AND protects against bomb blasts | Mail Online: "Scientists have developed camouflage makeup that not only helps soldiers hide from the enemy, but also shields them from the searing heat of bomb blasts – and it’s thinner than a sheet of paper."

Government adviser in fight to 'save Earth' against devastating solar storms expected to knock out National Grid in 2013

Government adviser in fight to 'save Earth' against devastating solar storms expected to knock out National Grid in 2013 | Mail Online: "A space professor from Oxfordshire is battling 'to save Earth' from a solar storm that experts fear will wreak worldwide chaos next year."

Precursors to Solar Eruptions Created in the Lab

Precursors to Solar Eruptions Created in the Lab : Discovery News: "The sun could seriously mess with your day. All it would take is an unexpected surge in X-rays or a blast of solar plasma and we could see our high-technology civilization brought down to its knees."

Location of the mind remains a mystery

Location of the mind remains a mystery - life - 22 August 2012 - New Scientist: "Where does the mind reside? It's a question that's occupied the best brains for thousands of years. Now, a patient who is self-aware – despite lacking three regions of the brain thought to be essential for self-awareness – demonstrates that the mind remains as elusive as ever."

Mental functions might not be tied to fixed brain regions <i>(Image: Hattie Ellis/Flickr/Getty Images)</i>

Are these our Martian overlords ... or just 'dead pixels' of a camera? Images beamed back from Curiosity lead to talk of UFOs on Mars

Are these our Martian overlords ... or just 'dead pixels' of a camera? Images beamed back from Curiosity lead to talk of UFOs on Mars | Mail Online: "When Curiosity first touched down on Mars, Internet pranksters were quick to mock up photographs of alien life on the alien landscape. But it seems Nasa has itself captured something very strange on camera, including a strange white light dancing across the horizon of the red planet, and four blobs hovering in the sky"

10 Extraordinary Questions With… Ron Morehead of ‘Bigfoot Sounds’

10 Extraordinary Questions With… Ron Morehead of ‘Bigfoot Sounds’ | Extraordinary Intelligence: "We’ve discussed a wide variety of strange phenomena on Extraordinary Intelligence over the years.  Very few things rattle me anymore, but when I heard Ron Morehead’s story on L.A. Marzulli’s Acceleration Radio, the hair on the back of my neck stood up."

Stone Age people may have battled against a zombie apocalypse

Stone Age people may have battled against a zombie apocalypse: "The zombie apocalypse may be much more than a plot device exploited by modern horror movies. In fact, fears about the walking dead may go back all the way to the Stone Age.

Zombie arm

Archaeologists working in Europe and the Middle East have recently unearthed evidence of a mysterious Stone Age "skull-smashing" culture, according to New Scientist. Human skulls buried underneath an ancient settlement in Syria were found detached from their bodies with their faces smashed in. Eerily, it appears that the skulls were exhumed and detached from their bodies several years after originally being buried. It was then that they were smashed in and reburied separate from their bodies."

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Next Horrible Virus Outbreak Might Be Our Fault

The Next Horrible Virus Outbreak Might Be Our Fault: "SARS feels like as much a distant memory of the 2000s as Sean Paul songs, but it's very much alive. In fact, it's breeding in labs around the world—and our own research could trigger the next epidemic."

West Nile outbreak largest ever in U.S.

West Nile outbreak largest ever in U.S. - CNN.com: "(CNN) -- The recent West Nile virus outbreak is the largest ever seen in the United States, according to new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Iran's supreme leader orders fresh terror attacks on West

Iran's supreme leader orders fresh terror attacks on West - Telegraph: "Iran's Supreme Leader has ordered the country's Revolutionary Guards to intensify its campaign of terror attacks against the West and its allies in retaliation for supporting the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria."

Star Wars gets real: The hoverbike you can control with your mind

Star Wars gets real: The hoverbike you can control with your mind | Mail Online: "It is every Star Wars fan's dream mode of transport. An American firm has finally made a working 'hoverbike'. Made famous by 'Return of the Jedi,' where it flew through woods piloted by Stormtroopers, the real life version has been tested in the rather safer surrounding of the Mojave desert."

The real-life hoverbike created by California firm Aerofex being tested in the Mojave desert


The camera that can take a TRILLION pictures in a second - making it fast enough to watch beams of light travelling in slow-motion

The camera that can take a TRILLION pictures in a second - making it fast enough to watch beams of light travelling in slow-motion | Mail Online: "MIT researchers have created a camera which can take images so fast - one trillion of them in just a second - that it can capture light as it travels across objects."

Aliens or Ancient Humanoids?

Aliens or Ancient Humanoids? | Mysterious Universe: "Of the many and varied, multifaceted theories that have been advanced to try and explain what lies at the heart of the UFO puzzle, one of the most controversial suggests that rather than representing bug-eyed intruders from far-away star-systems, the assumed aliens are really nothing of the sort. So, what, then, might they be, if not extraterrestrials?



Well, according to some researchers of the UFO phenomenon, our elusive visitors may be the last, possibly even the waning, vestiges of a very ancient, but very terrestrial, race of advanced entities that originated right here on Earth in our distant past. They have chosen – or have been forced – to live outside of human society, and within huge, cavernous underworlds far below the surface of our planet. Yes, it does sound just like wild fantasy. But, incredibly, maybe it is not."

Researchers demonstrate first backdoor "hack" into the human brain

Researchers demonstrate first backdoor "hack" into the human brain: "Once the preserve of science fiction, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have advanced to the point where they can even be found in novelty headwear, which only makes an achievement of an international team of scientists more frightening. Using an off-the-shelf Emotiv BCI costing only a few hundred dollars, the team has shown that it's possible to "hack" a human brain and pull things like bank details straight out of your skull."

Future Shock: IARPA, CIA Looks To Forecast Future Major World Events

Future Shock: IARPA, CIA Looks To Forecast Future Major World Events | StratRisks: "DARPA’s sister agency — the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, which funds experimental projects for the U.S. intelligence community — is running a four-year, $50-million program that pays people willing to predict major world events, including wars and terrorist strikes."

Future Shock: IARPA, CIA Looks To Forecast Future Major World Events

Satanic Message Reaches Four Billion Through Great Britain Olympics

Paul McGuire -- Satanic Message Reaches Four Billion Through Great Britain Olympics: "During the recent Olympics in Great Britain, the Illuminati communicated, through Satanic rituals and symbols, an occult message to a global audience. According to Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide (approximately 70% of the global population) viewed it. Although, the vast majority of the audience did not consciously understand the symbols and rituals, many sensed something ominous, disturbing and dark. Once people are informed as to what the symbolism and rituals were all about, they were both scared and horrified that these powerful and elite groups exist and the dark plans they have for mankind."

Grinders: the cult of the man machine

Grinders: the cult of the man machine | Technology | The Guardian: "The people who are making cyborgs a thing of the present"

Tiny Factory Could Make Solar Panels Anywhere

Tiny Factory Could Make Solar Panels Anywhere | Solar Pocket Factory | LiveScience: "Making clean energy fit into a person's pocket would be a neat trick, and two inventors have begun working on the solution. They envision tiny automated factories that make solar panels as small as a person's fingers."

Robot learns to recognise itself in the mirror

Robot learns to recognise itself in the mirror - tech - 22 August 2012 - New Scientist: "NICO spends a lot of time looking in the mirror. But it's not mere vanity - Nico is a humanoid robot that can recognise its reflection - a step on the path towards true self-awareness."

One day all robots will be aware <i>(Image: Phillip Inger/Getty Images)</i>

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Yetis in the lab: The search for mythical beasts

BBC - Future - Science & Environment - Yetis in the lab: The search for mythical beasts: "The controversial project that could decide once and for all whether these mythical beasts really do exist."

Forget bulky e-books: Scientists find a way to encode novels in DNA - and 70 billion copies could fit on your thumbnail

Forget bulky e-books: Scientists find a way to encode novels in DNA - and 70 billion copies could fit on your thumbnail | Mail Online: "e-Books could be on the way out just as they are getting started, after scientists found a way to encode information within a DNA sequence. Harvard geneticists used the novel strategy to encode 70 billion copies of a single tome - a book published by their own team - into DNA, fitting all the contents into the space the size of a thumbnail."

Aussie scientists challenge 'Big Bang' theory and say the Universe 'froze' its way into existence in a Big Chill

Aussie scientists challenge 'Big Bang' theory and say the Universe 'froze' its way into existence in a Big Chill | Mail Online: "The traditional image of the birth of the universe suggests that all matter sparked into existence in a cataclysmic Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago. But this model is now being challenged by a theory which suggests the universe froze its way into existence in what has been deemed a 'Big Chill'."

Skull Resets Human Migration Clock

Skull Resets Human Migration Clock : Discovery News: "Fragments of a human skull found in Laos suggest humans had a single, rapid migration to Asia."

Symbolism, Simulacra, and the Mirror of Humanity

Symbolism, Simulacra, and the Mirror of Humanity | Mysterious Universe: "Sometimes it takes no more than an odd word to inspire unique ways of thinking about the strange and unusual. For me, words the likes of metamorphosis, esoteric, hermeticism, or psychomanteum have proven in the past to yield favorable and interesting new lines of thought in terms of what directions my interests may begin taking at any time. I often begin to wonder whether there might actually be times when our human perceptions of reality, especially in terms of the symbolism we attribute to objects we encounter, might not be partially (if not even wholly, at times) dependent on the names we give those objects. In other words, knowing that the name something is given will influence how we tend to perceive it, we could argue that language plays a far deeper role in the study of meaning and perception."

Exoplanet Haul: 41 New Alien Worlds Found

Exoplanet Haul: 41 New Alien Worlds Found | Space.com: "Astronomers have discovered 41 new alien planets in one sweep by analyzing how each world gravitationally yanks on its neighbors."

Monday, August 20, 2012

The new totalitarianism of surveillance technology

The new totalitarianism of surveillance technology | Naomi Wolf | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk: "If you think that 24/7 tracking of citizens by biometric recognition systems is paranoid fantasy, just read the industry newsletters"

Minority Report

Monsanto buys leading bee research firm after being implicated in bee colony collapse

Monsanto buys leading bee research firm after being implicated in bee colony collapse: "(NaturalNews) Amid all the controversy over genetically-modified (GM) crops and their pesticides and herbicides decimating bee populations all around the world, biotechnology behemoth Monsanto has decided to buy out one of the major international firms devoted to studying and protecting bees."

Bank of England deputy governor Paul Tucker warned banks they could collapse 'before Christmas'

Bank of England deputy governor Paul Tucker warned banks they could collapse 'before Christmas' - Telegraph: "Bank of England officials were so concerned about the potential for a financial crisis late last year they took the extra­ordinary step of warning the entire banking system could collapse “before Christmas”.

Netanyahu 'determined to attack Iran' before US elections, claims Israel's Channel 10

Netanyahu 'determined to attack Iran' before US elections, claims Israel's Channel 10 | The Times of Israel: "Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is determined to attack Iran before the US elections,” Israel’s Channel 10 News claimed on Monday night, and Israel is now “closer than ever” to a strike designed to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive."

'via Blog this'

Cyborg America: inside the strange new world of basement body hackers

Cyborg America: inside the strange new world of basement body hackers | The Verge: "With the advent of the smartphone, many Americans have grown used to the idea of having a computer on their person at all times. Wearable technologies like Google’s Project Glass are narrowing the boundary between us and our devices even further by attaching a computer to a person’s face and integrating the software directly into a user’s field of vision. The paradigm shift is reflected in the names of our dominant operating systems. Gone are Microsoft’s Windows into the digital world, replaced by a union of man and machine: the iPhone or Android."




'Artificial tendons' could bring the agonising and long recovery period of sports injuries to an end

'Artificial tendons' could bring the agonising and long recovery period of sports injuries to an end | Mail Online: "Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created a novel approach to replacing broken tendons, building on previous research which tries to rebuild the scaffolding of damaged areas."

This is the Navy in 2021: MoD unveils vision for the 'flagships' of the future

This is the Navy in 2021: MoD unveils vision for the 'flagships' of the future | Mail Online: "The latest design of the Royal Navy’s next generation of warships has been unveiled today by the Ministry of Defence."

Atom-smashing scientists reach highest ever recorded man-made temperature - 100,000 TIMES hotter then the Sun's interior

Atom-smashing scientists reach highest ever recorded man-made temperature - 100,000 TIMES hotter then the Sun's interior | Mail Online: "Physicists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider have broken a record by achieving the hottest man-made temperatures ever - 100,000 times hotter than the interior of the Sun."

Hacking the human brain: researchers demonstrate extraction of sensitive data via brain-computer interface

Hacking the human brain: researchers demonstrate extraction of sensitive data via brain-computer interface | End the Lie – Independent News: "As hard as it is to believe, what many might think is the last bastion of total privacy, namely, the human mind, is quickly becoming just as vulnerable as the rest of our lives with the invention of mind-reading helmets and other ways to “hack” the mind."

The Excavator: Why People Reject Conspiracy Theories

The Excavator: Why People Reject Conspiracy Theories: "The mocking of conspiracy theories in the American press and Western media is based on the simplistic argument that reason is on the side of the government and officialdom, not on the fringe of society and civilization."

Study finds microbes manipulate your mind

Study finds microbes manipulate your mind | The Raw Story: "“The thought of parasites preying on your body or brain very likely sends shivers down your spine. Perhaps you imagine insectoid creatures bursting from stomachs or a malevolent force controlling your actions. These visions are not just the night terrors of science-fiction writers—the natural world is replete with such examples."

Human brain image via Shutterstock

First evidence for photosynthesis in insects

First evidence for photosynthesis in insects : Nature News & Comment: "The biology of aphids is bizarre: they can be born pregnant and males sometimes lack mouths, causing them to die not long after mating. In an addition to their list of anomalies, work published this week indicates that they may also capture sunlight and use the energy for metabolic purposes."

Nasa's Curiosity rover zaps Mars rock called Coronation

BBC News - Nasa's Curiosity rover zaps Mars rock called Coronation: "Nasa's Curiosity rover has zapped its first Martian rock. The robot fired its ChemCam laser at a tennis-ball-sized stone lying about 2.5m away on the ground. The brief but powerful burst of light from the instrument vaporised the surface of the rock, revealing details of its basic chemistry."

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Are biometric ID tools evil?

Are biometric ID tools evil?: "Fingerprint readers, iris scanners, palm vein scanners, facial recognition systems and more -- biometric ID tools are going mainstream. But will the mainstream go biometric?"

Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ Described As A Mad Max-Style Warrior

Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Noah’ Described As A Mad Max-Style Warrior: "Darren Aronofsky isn’t a director who likes to keep it simple. This is the guy who’s most well-known for his mind-trip movies like Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain and Black Swan. So, when Paramount announced that his version of Noah would be a “close adaptation of the biblical story of Noah’s ark,” we weren’t buying it. Now, some clues have surfaced making this more clear than ever: Noah will not be the biblical story you learned about in Sunday school."

Posthuman: The Endgame?

Posthuman: The Endgame?: "What does the word “post-human” actually mean? Of course, we’ll be merging with machines, but what’s the final product? Do we need focus? Is this worrisome?"

Ayatollah: We will burn Tel Aviv ‘into ashes’

Ayatollah: We will burn Tel Aviv ‘into ashes’: "'The shout of 'Death to Israel' was loud and clear among the people"

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin: "A team of engineers today announced a discovery that could change the world of electronics forever. Called an "epidermal electronic system" (EES), it's basically an electronic circuit mounted on your skin, designed to stretch, flex, and twist — and to take input from the movements of your body."

Breakthrough: Electronic circuits that are integrated with your skin

Economist: "This Is Going To Be A Lot Worse Than 2008"

Economist: "This Is Going To Be A Lot Worse Than 2008" - Money Morning: "Noted expert Peter Schiff says the U.S. economy is on the verge of an economic collapse worse than 2008 and is warning investors to take immediate steps to protect themselves."

5 Things You Should Know About West Nile Virus

5 Things You Should Know About West Nile Virus : Discovery News: "Ten people have died so far this year from the virus, here are some facts."

3D printed meat: It's what's for dinner

3D printed meat: It's what's for dinner | Cutting Edge - CNET News: "3D printing has been used to create running shoes, medical implants, and, to the delight of firearm enthusiasts, a .22 caliber handgun. So why not a 3D-printed steak for the grill?"

What The Threat Of A Global Food Crisis Means For World Markets

What The Threat Of A Global Food Crisis Means For World Markets - Business Insider: "The global food crisis of 2007-2008 is threatening to repeat in the coming months, as the worst drought in 50 years devastates the US corn crop, with 51% of the crop rated "Poor/very poor" by the US Department of Agriculture."

Sea Serpent Spotted In Norway Lake, Witnesses Say

Sea Serpent Spotted In Norway Lake, Witnesses Say: "They're calling it a sea serpent, but whatever it is that raised its head and humps in a Norwegian lake, the eyewitnesses are holding fast to their story."

Sea Monster

'Wow': Humans tweet response to 'aliens'

'Wow': Humans tweet response to 'aliens' - Technology & science - Space - Space.com - NBCNews.com: "Because the radio signal was 30 times more powerful than the average radiation from deep space, a volunteer astronomer named Jerry Ehman who was watching the telescope data scrawled "Wow!" on a computer printout, leading to the signal's moniker. No evidence ever arrived actually linking the transmission to an alien civilization, and no repeat message from the same direction has ever been detected, and the Wow! Signal remains a mystery."

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Astronomers find record-breaking galaxy cluster

Astronomers find record-breaking galaxy cluster | Reuters: "(Reuters) - A massive so-called galaxy cluster, one of the largest structures in the universe, has been discovered about 5.7 billion light years from Earth and credited with setting several important new cosmic records, U.S.-based researchers said."

Particle inside a protein makes us more intelligent than all other creatures

Particle inside a protein makes us more intelligent than all other creatures | Mail Online: "A minute particle within a protein allowed humans to become the most intelligent creatures on the planet, say scientists."

Text Book Encoded In DNA

Text Book Encoded In DNA : Discovery News: "Imagine a future where the amount of data on the Web could be saved to a thumb drive. A storage medium already exists that can hold this amount of information. It's call DNA."

Dna-encoded-book-622

The modern-day virgin birth

The modern-day virgin birth - Telegraph: "Emmimarie Jones knew her daughter had been conceived without a father; in 1956, she almost convince the world she was right"

Meet squid-bot, a robot that camouflages itself

Meet squid-bot, a robot that camouflages itself: "Scientists have devised a rubbery robot, inspired by the squid and octopus, which can crawl, camouflage itself and hide from infrared cameras. The Pentagon-backed gadget is the latest type of a so-called soft machine, meaning silicone-based robots that are made from squidgy, translucent polymers."

This flexible robot can change colours to blend in or stand out in its environment.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Arab Spring run amok: ‘Brotherhood’ starts crucifixions

Arab Spring run amok: ‘Brotherhood’ starts crucifixions: "The Arab Spring takeover of Egypt by the Muslim Brotherhood has run amok, with reports from several different media agencies that the radical Muslims have begun crucifying opponents of newly installed President Mohammed Morsi."

Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel backs a company aiming to create 3D printed meat

Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel backs a company aiming to create 3D printed meat | Mail Online: "Artificial, lab-grown steaks that taste and feel just like the real thing could be round the corner thanks to a generous grant from Paypal's co-founder. Billionaire investor Peter Thiel has backed an American startup to develop its 3D bioprinting technique and create a juicy steak."

Modern Meadow are hoping their lab-grown steaks will appeal to vegetarians who reject meat for ethical reasons

Sun dominates space weather concerns for next decade

Sun dominates space weather concerns for next decade | Fox News: "A new report based on input from the science community outlines the most pressing objectives over the next decade for studying the sun and the far-reaching effects of solar activity."

Magic, Spells, and Sorcery: High Strangeness, or Hocus-Pocus?

Magic, Spells, and Sorcery: High Strangeness, or Hocus-Pocus? | Mysterious Universe: "It has been an art employed by some of the greatest minds and practitioners of the sciences over the centuries, as well as many of the more nefarious names in history as well. From scholars like Pythagoras in Ancient Greece, to medieval wizards like John Dee and, much later on, the controversial occultist Aleister Crowley, magic has been heralded as a force by which man can connect with the parts of reality beyond which most mortal men could otherwise reach."

Everything You Need to Know About TrapWire, the Surveillance System Everyone Is Freaking Out About

Everything You Need to Know About TrapWire, the Surveillance System Everyone Is Freaking Out About: "The internet has been freaking out all weekend over an ominously-titled surveillance program called "TrapWire," after it showed up in some leaked Wikileaks emails. If you've listened to the hype, you might think TrapWire was an evil omniscient spy robot that runs off the fumes of our burning Constitution. But What is TrapWire, really?"

Genetically engineering 'ethical' babies is a moral obligation, says Oxford professor

Genetically engineering 'ethical' babies is a moral obligation, says Oxford professor - Telegraph: "Genetically screening our offspring to make them better people is just 'responsible parenting', claims an eminent Oxford academic."

Hunt Is On for Gravity Waves in Space-Time

Hunt Is On for Gravity Waves in Space-Time | LIGO | LiveScience: "Because black holes are impossible to see, one of scientists' best hopes to study them is to look for the ripples in space-time, called gravitational waves, that they are thought to create."

Disney Developing ‘Physical Face Cloning’

Disney Developing ‘Physical Face Cloning’ « CBS Tampa: "LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (CBS Tampa) – Scientists employed by the Walt Disney Company have developed technology that allows them to replicate, with near perfect accuracy, the very versatile human face"

Unidentified Fluid Object baffles Scots boffins

Unidentified Fluid Object baffles Scots boffins | The Sun |Features: "BAFFLED hillwalkers fear ALIENS have landed — after mysterious slime started appearing in the countryside. They have discovered a strange jelly... and some experts believe it’s landed from space."


Al-Odeh also perpetuates ‘blood libel’ against Jews

Al-Odeh also perpetuates ‘blood libel’ against Jews | Washington Free Beacon: "A prominent Saudi Arabian religious cleric declared that the Holocaust is an “exaggeration” and that Jewish people consume the blood of children during a wide-ranging interview with an Arabic television station."

Iran: Israel's existence 'insult to all humanity'

Iran: Israel's existence 'insult to all humanity' - Yahoo! News: "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Israel's existence is an "insult to all humanity," Iran's president said Friday in one of his sharpest attacks yet against the Jewish state, as Israel openly debates whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said confronting Israel is an effort to "protect the dignity of all human beings.""

Virginia vintners taste the police state

Virginia vintners taste the police state | WashingtonExaminer.com: "While the Obama administration is busy eviscerating private property rights at the federal level, Republican-controlled Fauquier County, Va., has decided to follow suit in its own way. Fauquier's Board of Supervisors recently passed a winery ordinance that tramples private property rights and some fundamental civil liberties."

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Stealthy, Tiny, Deadly, Global: The Drone Revolution’s Next Phase

Danger Room - What's Next in National Security | Wired.com: "Today's unmanned robotic planes only seem advanced. A decade after the CIA and the Air Force tucked a Hellfire missile under the wing of a Predator drone, much hasn't actually changed: pilots in air-conditioned boxes remotely control much of the armed drone fleet; the robo-planes are easy for an enemy to spot; the weapons they fire weigh about the same; as much as they love the skies, they take refuge on dry land; and they're built around traditional airframes like planes and helicopters. Yawn.

Taranis

All this is starting to change. Drones are moving out to sea -- above it and below it. They're growing increasingly autonomous, no longer reliant on a pilot with a joystick staring at video feeds from their cameras. They're getting stealthier; the payloads they carry are changing; and they're going global. They're pushing humans out of the gondolas of blimps. And the laboratories of the drones of the future aren't only owned by American defense contractors, they're in Israel and China and elsewhere, too."

This 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Could One Day Turn You Into a Cyborg

This 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Could One Day Turn You Into a Cyborg | Danger Room | Wired.com: "For years, the military has worked on exoskeletons to help turn soldiers into heavy-lifting cyborgs. Now with the first civilian exoskeleton manufactured using a 3-D printer, the budding robosuit industry may someday get a little more DIY. If the military gets in on the trend, it means that soldiers could one day make their own combat exoskeletons using desktop computers."

Military's Mach 5 Missile Fails, Again

Military's Mach 5 Missile Fails, Again | Danger Room | Wired.com: "A crucial test for the Air Force’s experimental Mach 5 missile has ended in failure, according to the Air Force. Tuesday’s test is also the third time the hypersonic X-51A Waverider cruise missile has fallen short. But this time could be the last."




The tiny robot space bugs developed for space station maintenance that led to a new blood monitoring system

The tiny robot space bugs developed for space station maintenance that led to a new blood monitoring system | Mail Online: "Tiny robot space bugs sound like the last thing you would want anywhere near your blood, but they may offer a breakthrough in testing patients being treated for blood clots."

Ancestor of Sharks, Humans Had Sixth Sense

Ancestor of Sharks, Humans Had Sixth Sense : Discovery News: "Detecting electrical fields under water gave this predator an edge on hunting, but humans shed this trait long ago."

Top Transhumanism CEO Says AI Singularity Will Go 'Very Badly For Humans'

Top Transhumanism CEO Says AI Singularity Will Go 'Very Badly For Humans': "Promises of ‘immortality’ and a disease-free life have led many individuals to long for the hope of artificial intelligence and what is known as Singularity. It is essentially a merging of man and machine, the development of a ‘new species’ — a ‘borg’ of sorts. The subject recently made headlines when a major Russian scientist promised Singularity to the wealthy elite and ruling class by 2045 through the 2045 program, with artificial bodies available as early as 2015."

22 Stats That Show How The Emerging One World Economy Is Absolutely Killing American Workers

22 Stats That Show How The Emerging One World Economy Is Absolutely Killing American Workers - BlackListedNews.com: "For decades our politicians have promised us that the “free trade” agenda would bring us greater prosperity than ever before.  They insisted that merging our economy into the emerging one world economy would cause millions upon millions of new jobs to be added to the U.S. economy.  Unfortunately, it was all a giant lie.  Trading with other countries is not a bad thing as long as the level of trade is fairly equal on both sides."

Scottish Sailor Claims To Have Best Picture Yet Of Loch Ness Monster - ABC News

Scottish Sailor Claims To Have Best Picture Yet Of Loch Ness Monster - ABC News: "Legend has it that the Loch Ness Monster was first sighted in the sixth century by an Irish monk while preaching by the lake. Now, a Scottish sailor who has spent the last 26 years of his life searching for the elusive creature, says he has the best picture yet of “Nessie.”"

ht loch ness creature inset nt 120814 wblog Scottish Sailor Claims To Have Best Picture Yet Of Loch Ness Monster

Multiple births on cosmic scale in distant galaxy

Multiple births on cosmic scale in distant galaxy - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have found a cosmic supermom. It's a galaxy that gives births to more stars in a day than ours does in a year."

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Dallas mayor declares emergency over West Nile virus

Dallas mayor declares emergency over West Nile virus | Reuters: "(Reuters) - The mayor of Dallas declared a state of emergency in the ninth largest U.S. city on Wednesday to combat the spread of West Nile virus infections, which have been more prevalent than usual in Texas and other states this year."

Khamenei: The Zionist regime will disappear from the map

Khamenei: The Zionist regime wil... JPost - Iranian Threat - News: "Iranian officials ramp up rhetoric ahead of anti-Israel event, Al-Quds Day; Israeli gov't official: The fact that Iran makes such comments despite increased int'l pressure shows they really believe it."

Remains of Hundreds of Ancient Warriors Found in Bog

Remains of Hundreds of Ancient Warriors Found in Bog | LiveScience: "For almost two months so far, excavators in Denmark have been uncovering the remains of hundreds of warriors who died violently about 2,000 years ago."

A jumbo embryo: Meet the first baby elephant created with frozen sperm

A jumbo embryo: Meet the first baby elephant created with frozen sperm | Mail Online: "Scientists in Austria are celebrating after successfully impregnating an elephant with frozen sperm for the first time."

The Strange Saga of Kenneth Goff

Born in Delavan, Wisconsin in 1914, Kenneth Goff was a strange character with intriguing links to the early years of Ufology that many have either forgotten about, or simply have no awareness of at all. Which is a pity, since the Goff saga is  one of truly intriguing and conspiratorial proportions! It’s also a subject that – as a little bit of a teaser – I’m heavily into for a forthcoming book, so any and all comments, observations and information would be very welcome and appreciated!

Described in now-declassified FBI files of May 6, 1955 as “a self-styled freelance Evangelist who for the past number of years has been speaking around the U.S. regarding the threat of communism to the U.S.,” Goff routinely delivered lectures to interested parties that included: Treason in our State Department; Should we use the Atom Bomb?; Red Secret Plot for Seizure of Denver; and Do the Reds Plan to Come by Alaska?

Read More: http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/08/the-strange-saga-of-kenneth-goff/

Mainstream Doctors Say Supporting the 2nd Amendment is a Mental Disorder

Mainstream Doctors Say Supporting the 2nd Amendment is a Mental Disorder: "The medical industry in conjunction with Big Pharma want to classify the right to keep and bear arms as a mental disorder in another power grab to circumvent and eventually destroy our Constitutional 2nd Amendment."

Eco-Fascists Say Test Tube Meat Will Replace Livestock to Save the Planet

Eco-Fascists Say Test Tube Meat Will Replace Livestock to Save the Planet: "Agriculture is under attack by the climate change alarmists who do not support the expansion of burgeoning countries like China and India. In response to working toward total elimination of animals raised for consumption, scientists have been tasked to work toward growing artificial meat . The ramification to our bodies is being subverted in the name of environmentalism. As we have seen with genetically modified crops, these scientific concoctions are dangerous to our overall health; not to mention the negative impact they pose to the environment."

Investors Preparing for Collapse of the Euro

Investors Preparing for Collapse of the Euro - SPIEGEL ONLINE: "Banks, companies and investors are preparing themselves for a collapse of the euro. Cross-border bank lending is falling, asset managers are shunning Europe and money is flowing into German real estate and bonds. The euro remains stable against the dollar because America has debt problems too. But unlike the euro, the dollar's structure isn't in doubt."

Study predicts imminent irreversible planetary collapse

Study predicts imminent irreversible planetary collapse - Public Affairs and Media Relations - Simon Fraser University: "Using scientific theories, toy ecosystem modeling and paleontological evidence as a crystal ball, 21 scientists, including one from Simon Fraser University, predict we’re on a much worse collision course with Mother Nature than currently thought."

Drought Rises in Historical Rankings

Drought Rises in Historical Rankings - weather.com: "The 2012 drought disaster continued to expand and deepen in July, placing it among the six largest droughts in modern record keeping, according to a monthly drought report to be released Wednesday by the National Climatic Data Center."

Largest Droughts Since 1895

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

H+ from Bryan Singer: Web TV series explores transhumanism

H+ from Bryan Singer: Web TV series explores transhumanism. "In the slick new Web video series H+, from X-Men producer Bryan Singer, the iPhone has been rendered obsolete by the H+, a small implant that allows for a smartphone-like experience inside your head. Ads for the H+ promise those who are not yet implanted, “You’re always online. You’re always connected.” But that isn’t just a marketing slogan—it’s also a threat. In accordance with the grand tradition of science fiction warning us that technology may doom humankind (or at least remove a bit of our humanity), a virus released in the implant kills off one-third of the world’s poulation."

Dozens of Dead Birds Fall From the Sky in NJ

Dozens of Dead Birds Fall From the Sky in NJ | NBC 10 Philadelphia: "Residents in a Cumberland County community were left wondering Tuesday morning what caused dozens of birds to drop dead from the sky."

We're watching: The camera that can recognise you from your Facebook picture every time you walk into a shop

We're watching: The camera that can recognise you from your Facebook picture every time you walk into a shop | Mail Online: "Shoppers could soon be automatically recognised when they walk into a shop using a controversial new camera.

Called Facedeals, the camera uses photos uploaded to Facebook to recognise people as they walk in.

Facedeals - a new camera that can recognise shoppers from their Facebook pictures as they enter a shop, and then offer them discounts

Shoppers who agree to use the system, which has not been developed with Facebook, will be offered special deals."

Entering the matrix: Computer games will be indistinguishable from reality within a decade, says experts

Entering the matrix: Computer games will be indistinguishable from reality within a decade, says experts | Mail Online: "It is not long since they were clunky eight-bit images moving on a screen. But in 10 years time computer graphics will be so advanced they will be indistinguishable from reality. A leading visual effects artists has said that by 2022 we will be unable to tell what has been filmed in real life and what has been created by a computer."

Heart disease breakthrough as researchers reveal they can grow new blood vessels INSIDE the body

Heart disease breakthrough as researchers reveal they can grow new blood vessels INSIDE the body | Mail Online: "Scientists have found a way of growing new blood vessels inside the body. They used cells derived from skin, that when injected into a damaged leg in massive numbers, moulded into the shape of a small blood vessel."

UFO spotted over Antarctica?

UFO spotted over Antarctica?: "A video taken of the Antarctic research station Neumayer-Station III appears to show what some are calling a UFO over the South Pole."

Signs of the Times: Time Travel, Mind Travel, or Mere Perception?

Signs of the Times: Time Travel, Mind Travel, or Mere Perception? | Mysterious Universe: "It has become a recurring theme in science fiction movies over the last half century; ever since George Pal’s film adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic, The Time Machine, the incredible notion of lapsing epochs through space and time has riddled our sciences and the best fictional representations of both future and past. In fact, the theme of  is so often used today that, after decades of spin on the silver screen, it’s hard to imagine what time travel might really be like in the absence of aliens, robots, and dudes with laser blasters and the like, returning to the present from some post-apocalyptic future era to save the unsuspecting past from a future robotic hell."

Roswell? No. Close? Maybe…

Roswell? No. Close? Maybe… | Mysterious Universe: "Whenever anyone wants to talk about a reported UFO crash outside of the United States, it always seems to be touted as the “British Roswell,” the “Canadian Roswell,” the “Australian Roswell,” the…well, you get it, right? Yes, I know that whatever happened outside of Roswell, New Mexico in the summer of 1947, it was an event of deep significance. I know! I really do! But, can we please stop with the Roswell comparisons just once in a while when discussing other alleged UFO crash cases?"

Genetically Modified Humans Won't Need Food, Sleep

Genetically Modified Humans Won't Need Food, Sleep: "The next frontier of genetic modification is not centered around a certain fruit or vegetable, but humans. More specifically, military personnel. Genetically modified humans is the next venture for biotechnology companies working with the United States military, with the admitted goal of producing a ‘super soldier’ that does not require food or sleep to perform Olympic-style physical feats.

geneticallymodifiedhumans 235x147 US Army: Super Soldier Genetically Modified Humans Wont Need Food, Sleep

The genetically modified humans, or ‘super soldiers’, will even be able to regrow limbs that were destroyed by enemy fire and live off of their fat stores for extreme lengths of time."

Scientists Create Genetically Modified Plants to Produce Pharmaceutical Drugs

Scientists Create Genetically Modified Plants to Produce Pharmaceutical Drugs: "Re-creating the world one genetic manipulation at a time. For centuries, humankind has been utilizing the naturally occurring medicinal and healing compounds of plants to overcome illness and disease. But scientists just don’t seem to be happy with what nature has to offer."

Ancient seal may add substance to the legend of Samson

Ancient seal may add substance to the legend of Samson: "Tel Aviv University researchers recently uncovered a seal, measuring 15 millimetres (about a half-inch) in diameter, which depicts a human figure next to a lion at the archaeological site of Beth Shemesh, located between the Biblical cities of Zorah and Eshtaol, where Samson was born, flourished, and finally buried, according to the book of Judges. The scene engraved on the seal, the time period, and the location of the discovery all point to a probable reference to the story of Samson, the legendary heroic figure whose adventures famously included a victory in hand-to-paw combat with a lion."

Ancient seal may add substance to the legend of Samson

Blind Mice Given Sight After Device Cracks Retinal Code

Blind Mice Given Sight After Device Cracks Retinal Code - Bloomberg: "Blind mice had their vision restored with a device that helped diseased retinas send signals to the brain, according to a study that may lead to new prosthetic technology for millions of sight-impaired people."

Monday, August 13, 2012

Shrunken Head DNA Proves Horrific Folklore True

Shrunken Head DNA Proves Horrific Folklore True : Discovery News: "Genetic analysis of a shrunken head verifies anecdotal accounts of violent head-hunting in South America."

Further proof of extraterrestrial origin of quasicrystals

Further proof of extraterrestrial origin of quasicrystals - physicsworld.com: "An international team of researchers has found nine new samples of naturally occurring quasicrystals. The work also provides further proof that quasicrystals were delivered to the Earth by a meteorite. The team's discovery challenges our understanding of both crystallography and solar-system formation."

'Severe abnormalities' found in Fukushima butterflies

BBC News - 'Severe abnormalities' found in Fukushima butterflies: "Exposure to radioactive material released into the environment has caused mutations in butterflies found in Japan, a study suggests."

Skeptical of the Ideas Proposed by Transhumanists?

Skeptical of the Ideas Proposed by Transhumanists?: "“But what… is it good for?” - Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.



“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977"

Bored Immortals Can Commit Suicide

Bored Immortals Can Commit Suicide » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: "Every once in a while I like to check in on the machinations of the transhumanists and their immorality materialist eschatology.  I oppose transhumanist theory because of its inherently eugenic premises and proposals, it’s anti human exceptionalism, and most especially, its presumption of the right to genetically engineer progeny to fulfill their own purposes–in essence, a robbing of the children’s freedom.  Plus, it is a new ubermenschen project–and those never end well.  And understand, transhumanist values are what I am primarily concerned about.  Immortality?  Not gonna happen on this plane of existence."

Neumayer UFO spawns new conspiracy theory

Neumayer UFO spawns new conspiracy theory - Allentown Paranormal | Examiner.com: "A UFO spotted on a webcam recording daily activities at the Neumayer Station research complex at the South Pole may have spawned the fastest conspiracy theory ever to begin on the Internet. If records are being kept, this one clocks in at well under 24 hours."

Hidden History: America's Secret Drone War in Africa

Hidden History: America's Secret Drone War in Africa | Danger Room | Wired.com: "More secret bases. More and better unmanned warplanes. More frequent and deadly robotic attacks. Some five years after a U.S. Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle flew the type’s first mission over lawless Somalia, the shadowy American-led drone campaign in the Horn of Africa is targeting Islamic militants more ruthlessly than ever."