Posts Tagged ‘Unexplained Phenomena’
Are Algae Mass Murderers?
David Biello writes in Scientific American:
Algae seem harmless enough. These precursors to plants thrive throughout the world’s waters. But these single-celled plants have global consequences. We can thank them for oxygen in the atmosphere, oil in the lithosphere as well as dead zones in the oceans and now even a dead horse in France.
That’s right. The fumes from decomposing algae on a French beach killed a horse and rendered its rider unconscious this past summer. And poisonous tides caused by algal blooms make eating shellfish dicey at times as well as causing mass die-offs of fish, birds and even sea-going mammals. Plus, according to a new theory, that might just be a small taste of the plants’ killing ability.
James Castle and John Rodgers of Clemson University think that such algal blooms…
Does Jesus Save Aliens?
Hannah Devlin writes in the Times:
Four hundred years after Renaissance philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for his belief in the “plurality of worlds” (aliens), scientists and religious leaders gathered this week at a seemingly more open-minded Vatican for a conference on astrobiology (aliens).
The meeting focussed on current science, rather than the theological quandaries thrown up by the possibility of other life forms beyond this planet. But that hasn’t stopped debate spilling over outside the conference.
Yesterday I spoke to Paul Davies, a cosmologist from Arizona State University, just after he addressed the conference. In his view, the possibility of other civilisations — potentially more intelligent than our own — puts Christians “in a real bind”. Specifically, he says that nobody’s satisfactorily addressed the question of whether aliens get saved.…
Did Meteors Cause Life On Earth?
David Shiga writes on New Scientist:
Life may have been built on a foundation of cyanide formed in the fiery wakes of asteroids plunging through Earth’s atmosphere, high-speed impact experiments suggest.
Earth was probably not born with much in the way of organic material – the complex molecules containing carbon that life requires. It formed too close to the sun for such compounds to condense from the swirling primordial disc of gas and dust.
One possibility is that organic matter formed on Earth after the planet coalesced, for example in chemical reactions induced by lightning arcing through the atmosphere, as experiments by Stanley Miller at the University of Chicago in the 1950s suggestedMovie Camera. But the chemical reactions in this process could happen only in an early atmosphere full of methane and hydrogen,…
Friday The 13th Extra Freaky
NEW ORLEANS (Wireless Flash) — Today (Nov. 13) is going to be an extra freaky Friday the 13th.
This is the third Friday the 13th in 2009 — a strangely high number of bad luck days to have in one year — and paranormal researcher Gina Lanier suspects it spells disaster.
Though it’s hard to say what will actually happen, she recommends wearing a talisman or carrying holy water all day to avoid any mishaps.
The 13th might mean bad luck for folks walking by ladders or black cats, but witches have an opportunity for fun. Lanier says today is a great day to “gather a coven” of witches — which requires 13 spell casters — to practice good or malevolent magic, depending on what they’re into.
She also says it’s prime time to sacrifice…
Vatican Looks to Heavens for Signs of Alien Life
VATICAN CITY — E.T. phone Rome. Four hundred years after it locked up Galileo for challenging the view that the Earth was the center of the universe, the Vatican has called in experts to study the possibility of extraterrestrial alien life and its implication for the Catholic Church.
“The questions of life’s origins and of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe are very suitable and deserve serious consideration,” said the Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, an astronomer and director of the Vatican Observatory.
Funes, a Jesuit priest, presented the results Tuesday of a five-day conference that gathered astronomers, physicists, biologists and other experts to discuss the budding field of astrobiology — the study of the origin of life and its existence elsewhere in the cosmos.
Funes said the possibility…
UFO Crashes Finally Revealed
LAS VEGAS (Wireless Flash) — Roswell isn’t the only UFO crash to ever happen on Earth.
Today (Nov. 6) through Sunday (Nov. 8), UFO researcher Ryan Wood will gather with peers in Las Vegas for the 7th Annual UFO Crash Retrieval Conference.
The event showcases hard evidence of UFO crashes on Earth, from newspaper clippings and eyewitness reports to actual pieces of flying saucer wreckage.
Wood estimates there have been more than 300 UFO crashes on Earth over the years. He’s personally aware of about 100 of them.
He says the lesser-known incidents — like a mysterious crash in Mexico that the CIA covered up by killing witnesses and hiding evidence — are usually the most credible.
However, he can also see why aliens would gravitate to the highly-publicized site in Roswell, New Mexico. Since…
Will E.T. Look Like Us?
Michael Shermer asks an imponderable question in Scientific American Magazine:
What are the odds that intelligent, technically advanced aliens would look anything like the ones in films, with an emaciated torso and limbs, spindly fingers and a bulbous, bald head with large, almond-shaped eyes? What are the odds that they would even be humanoid? In a YouTube video, produced by Josh Timonen of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, I argue that the chances are close to zero:
Richard Dawkins himself made this interesting observation in a private communication after viewing it:
I would agree with [Shermer] in betting against aliens being bipedal primates, and I think the point is worth making, but I think he greatly overestimates the odds against…
Town’s Alien Rumor Has Lived 112 Years
From ABC:
With alien themes coming back to television, the folks in one tiny Texas town will be watching the shows — and the skies — even closer.Legend has it that residents of Aurora, TX, had their own alien encounter more than 100 years ago. Just north of Fort Worth, Aurora has a population of 376. Something about it is different — mysterious, and some say, down-right weird. “It’s just a legend,” said Barbara Brammer, Aurora Historian.
April 19, 1897 would change this town’s identity forever. “They said, ‘Have you heard of the Martian that crashed his aircraft into a well site in Aurora?,’” Brammer said. “And I said, ‘No.” A former mayor, Brammer first heard the story of the UFO crash shortly after her arrival in the 1950s “I kept the…
To Spot an Alien, Follow the Pollution Trail
David Shiga writes in New Scientist:
Do aliens pollute their planets? Let’s hope they do, as this would give us a promising way of spotting where they live.
Radio noise may be too short-lived to help us find aliens, if our own activity is any guide. During most of the 20th century, our television transmission antennas leaked a lot of their energy into space. More recently, they have begun to be supplanted by satellites that beam their transmissions at the ground, as well as by cable. Inquisitive aliens searching for signs of intelligent life on Earth may soon have to look elsewhere.
Light pollution from cities might still give us away. “Observed over interstellar distances, they would reveal to the observer the presence of a technology,” say a team of astronomers led by…
Islamic Stigmata?
I know that Catholics have been all over this for centuries, but don’t know much about occurrences in the Islamic world. Definitely am curious. Thanks to Joe Nolan for suggesting the link.
Paranormalia writes:
… I’ve been interested in the baby in Dagestan who is apparently running a sort of Koranic slide show on his skin. Ali Yakubov is said to have exhibited the word ‘Allah’ in Arabic on his chin at a few weeks of age, and subsequently entire Koranic verses have been appearing on various parts of his body, before fading and being replaced with new ones. Initially the parents did not talk about it, but then the phrase, “Show these signs to people” came into view, and now their household is being inundated with pilgrims from all over the region. Performances are…
Why Do Some People See Ghosts And Others Don’t?
Science Blog writes:
People seeing ghosts? There may be a genuine mind-body foundation for such anomalous perceptions, according to two researchers, Michael Jawer and Marc Micozzi, MD, PhD. Their book, The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion, suggests that sensing a presence, seeing an apparition, or feeling energy around a person or place may be related to the workings of the limbic system — the “emotional brain” — as well as a personality type that rapidly registers feelings.
As surveys consistently show that anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the public say they’ve had an extra-sensory experience — with nearly 25% of respondents stating they’ve actually seen or felt a ghost — anomalous perceptions are nothing to shrug off. “People have had these experiences down the ages and across all cultures,” comments Micozzi, a physician…
Disinformation World News: More Hollow Earth, Return of the Popobawa
Disinformation World News – Return of the Popobawa
California’s green initiative, the second half of our report on the Hollow Earth, and the return of the Popobawa, this week on Disinformation World News.
Also, Happy Halloween from the Disinformation Podcast Crew!
Popobawa Action Figure
Conspiracy Theorist-o-lantern!
Man Finds ‘Missile Launcher’ in His Backyard
John Tedesco writes on the San Antonio Express-News:
Jarrette Schule was cutting down trees on his rural property Tuesday in Comal County when he noticed a green metallic tube on the muddy ground. “I had never seen it before,” said Schule, a 34-year-old Web developer. “I looked at it, and it kind of looked like a missile launcher.”
Schule took a closer look. It was a long, forest-green metal tube. A decal on it read: “Guided Missile and Launcher, Surface Attack.” The discovery was the start of a surreal journey for Schule. Somehow, an unarmed anti-tank weapon — or a very good fake — wound up on his land at Beck Road and Kirk Lane in the Hill Country, miles away from a military installation.
The launcher was deep in the wooded property…
