Science Special News

[Rasputin]

Bookies slash odds of Extraterrestrial life

British bookmakers wasted no time slashing the odds on aliens being discovered after astronomers announced Wednesday that they had discovered an Earth-like planet. William Hill cut the odds on proving the existence of extra-terrestrial life from 1,000-1 to 100-1."We felt we had to react to the news that an Earth-like planet which could support intelligent life had been discovered -- after all, we don't know for sure that intelligent extra-terrestrial life has not already been discovered, but is being hushed up," said spokesman Graham Sharpe.Astronomers reported they they had found a "super-Earth" more than 20 light years away, the most intriguing world found so far in the search for extra-terrestrial life.For William Hill to pay out on an aliens bet, the prime minister has to confirm officially the existence of intelligent extra-terrestrial life within a year of the bet being placed.

"We have come a cropper before when, in the early 1960s, we offered 1000/1 about man walking on the moon before 1970," said Sharpe.About five times the mass of Earth, the planet orbits a cool, dim "red dwarf" star in the constellation of Libra, the team from the European Southern Observatory said in a press release."Because of its temperature and relative proximity, this planet will most probably be a very important target of the future space missions dedicated to the search for extra terrestrial life," said Xavier Delfosse, a team member from France's Grenoble University.

[Rasputin]

Pilot spots 'UFO' over Guernsey

A commercial airline pilot has reported seeing two unidentified flying objects in the sky near Guernsey. The bright yellow flat disc shapes, estimated to be twice the size of a Boeing 737, were spotted on Monday, 12 to 15 miles north east of the island. Captain Ray Bowyer was flying an Aurigny plane from Southampton to Alderney when he saw the objects through binoculars. Mr Bowyer said he was "pretty shook-up" by the sighting. "This is not something you see every day of the week - it was pretty scary," he said. At first he thought it was the sun reflecting from greenhouses in Guernsey. He said the objects were bright like the sun, but did not hurt his eyes when he looked at them. The stationary objects were also observed by other aircraft and the passengers on the plane. John Spencer, deputy chairman of the British UFO Research Association, said: "These types of sightings have been reported by pilots - generally accepted to be reliable and sensible observers - since the 1940s and they have excited attention to this day. "Such light effects are often popularly thought to represent alien visitors but many UFO researchers believe they more likely represent natural, atmospheric, phenomena not yet fully understood by science.

"However, a similar encounter in 1978 over the Bass Straits in Australia, where the pilot was in radio contact with the ground throughout, resulted in the pilot never being heard from again, so these phenomena are important to study." Nick Pope, who used to investigate UFOs for the Ministry of Defence said: "While no witnesses are infallible, pilots are trained observers and less likely than most people to misidentify something mundane.

[Rasputin]

VA allows Wiccan symbols on headstones

The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemeteries and on goverment-issued headstones of fallen soldiers, according to a settlement announced Monday. A settlement between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Wiccans adds the five-pointed star to the list of "emblems of belief" allowed on VA grave markers.Eleven families nationwide are waiting for grave markers with the pentacle, said Selena Fox, a Wiccan high priestess with Circle Sanctuary in Barneveld, Wis., a plaintiff in the lawsuit.The settlement calls for the pentacle, whose five points represent earth, air, fire, water and spirit, to be placed on grave markers within 14 days for those who have pending requests with the VA."I am glad this has ended in success in time to get markers for Memorial Day," Fox said.The VA sought the settlement in the interest of the families involved and to save taxpayers the expense of further litigation, VA spokesman Matt Burns said. The agency also agreed to pay $225,000 in attorneys' fees and costs.

The pentacle has been added to 38 symbols the VA already permits on gravestones. They include commonly recognized symbols for Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Judaism, as well as those for smaller religions such as Sufism Reoriented, Eckiankar and the Japanese faith Seicho-No-Ie."This settlement has forced the Bush Administration into acknowledging that there are no second class religions in America, including among our nation's veterans," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which represented the Wiccans in the lawsuit.

[Rasputin]

Ancient caves, paintings discovered in Nepal

Explorers have discovered a series of caves decorated with ancient Buddhist paintings, set in sheer cliffs in Nepal's remote Himalayan north, leaving archaeologists excited and puzzled. An international team of scholars, archaeologists, climbers and explorers examined at least 12 cave complexes at 14,000 feet (4,300 metres) near Lo Manthang, a mediaeval walled city in Nepal's Mustang district, about 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Kathmandu.The caves contain paintings that could date back as far as the 13th century, as well as Tibetan scripts executed in ink, silver and gold and pre-Christian era pottery shards."Who lived in those caves? When were they there, when were (the caves) first excavated and how did the residents access them, perched as they are on vertical cliffs?" asked Broughton Coburn, an American member of the survey team."It's a compelling, marvellous mystery."Explorers from the United States, Italy and Nepal used ice axes and ropes to climb to the caves, cutting steps in the cliff face as they went."These findings underscore the richness of the Tibetan Buddhist religious tradition of this area -- stretching back nearly a millennium -- as well as the artistic beauty and wide geographical reach of Newari artists," said Coburn, an expert in Himalayan conservation and development.

Newaris are ethnic Nepalis renowned for skills in wall paintings and other forms of mostly Buddhist art.The cave complexes are several hours walking distance apart. Some chambers were thought to have been used for burials, and there were also mounds archaeologists hope may hide further treasures.There are about 20 openings in each complex, and their multiple floors are connected by vertical passages with rudimentary handholds or footholds, requiring some climbing skill to negotiate.They contained stupas, decorative art and paintings depicting various forms of the Buddha, often with disciples, supplicants and attendants.

[Rasputin]

Castle hosts ghost 'interviews'

Paranormal investigators at a 15th century castle want volunteers to help them 'interview' resident ghosts. Bodelwyddan Castle in Denbighshire is said to have a number of spooks who make their presence known. But as castle records were destroyed by fire in the 1920s, no-one knows if the spirits are from a former school in the grounds or a wartime military hospital. Paranormal investigation team member Laura Whitley said: "We use various divination methods, like an interview." She added: "Once we establish there is someone there, we use the various methods to try and get a conversation going. "We use a series of "yes - no" questions to establish who's there and what their story is. "We don't necessarily have the records to attach names to whoever comes through, so there's a lot to find out." The castle, set in 260 acres (105 hectares), has one verified gruesome incident to its name - the discovery in 1829 of human bones set into a wall near one of the chimneys. The find was noted in the diary of Sir John Hay Williams, whose family owned the castle for around 200 years.

During World War One, the estate was used as a recuperation hospital and was last used as a private girls' school for more than 60 years. The venue's marketing officer, Viccie Beech, said volunteers for the paranormal investigation team would help out with evening and overnight vigils attended by the public. She claimed using an upturned glass - not an Ouija board - had proved the most successful method of allowing spirits to communicate. However, other techniques were also used include dowsing rods, spinning crystals and an electronic detector.

[Rasputin]

Gene therapy trial to restore human sight

The first clinical trial using gene therapy to treat a vision disorder has begun, involving 12 patients with an inherited condition that causes childhood blindness. The treatment, which is taking place in London, UK, hopes to restore vision in patients who have a genetic defect that causes degeneration of the retina.Robin Ali at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and colleagues are treating adults and children with Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA), caused by an abnormality in the RPE65 gene. This gene is important in recycling retinol, a molecule that helps the retina detect light. People with LCA usually lose vision from infancy. Ali's team are inserting healthy copies of RPE65 into cells in the retina, using a viral vector. Previously, dogs with LCA have had their vision restored in this way, allowing them to walk through a maze for the first time without difficulty.

Leonard Seymour, who leads the Gene Delivery Group at the University of Oxford in the UK, and is not involved in the current trial, says the retina is a good place for gene therapy because it can be accessed by injection to overcome the problem of delivery. "The retina is also good because it is relatively immune-privileged, meaning that the vector (in this case a virus) should not be neutralised immediately upon administration," he says.

[Rasputin]

New hunting party goes after Nessie

Evidence that the Loch Ness Monster exists could be produced next week — even if the mysterious creature decides to eat the camera technology which could discover it. Up to 15 shoebox-sized metallic submarines — called “VideoRays” — will enter the loch as part of a “Monster Gathering” arranged by Aberdeen company Buccaneer, which sells the equipment for £3500 to £20,000.The remote-controlled boxes have cables leading to a control box on the surface, with at least one able to drop to 300 metres — close to the bottom of the loch.The firm’s managing director Ian MacDonald explained the boxes would beam images to monitors which would record everything seen underwater on Wednesday and Thursday next week.“I’m fairly confident that we will be left with a question mark, as these things always do,” said Mr MacDonald, when asked about Nessie, the recently heralded Highland 2007 icon.He explained that even if The Loch Ness Monster was feeling peckish and ate the equipment there would still be a chance to see something.“Until the cable was broken we would be able to get pictures,” said Mr MacDonald.“We have a colleague in the United States who had one half way down the throat of an alligator and he had an excellent view of the alligator’s teeth right up until the bite closed.”

Around 20 of the company’s workers and customers will be joined by colleagues from the US and stay next to the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre and Drumnadrochit Hotel. Mr MacDonald, who opened the business almost five years ago, has a history in electronics.“We’ve played up the monster side of it a bit perhaps, but there is some serious science we want to go and look at,” he added.The group aims to investigate a 50-metre patch on the bed of the loch known as the “Monster’s footprint” — and try to discover if there are any remaining parts of the Second World War Wellington bomber which was raised from the loch in the 1980s.

[Rasputin]

Culture in the cosmos

As SETI scientists plan for their first contact with other worlds, who better to consult with than anthropologists, who specialize in encounters with exotic cultures? And thus, over the past several years the SETI Institute has repeatedly brought together anthropologists and scholars from other disciplines, in an attempt to bridge the gap between humans and extraterrestrials. The task of these savants, who met most recently in San Jose, California, is twofold: to try to uncover any universals of culture, and then apply these insights to constructing messages that might be intelligible to independently evolved civilizations. “Although it is impossible to predict the nature of extraterrestrial intelligence,” admitted NASA’s Chief Historian, Steven Dick, “the one certainty is that, if it exists, it will have undergone cultural evolution.”

For SETI researchers, the dizzying variety of societies that might evolve on other worlds becomes manageable for one simple reason: if extraterrestrials can build a radio transmitter or high powered laser beacon, we and they already have something vital in common. Indeed, there may be dolphin-like forms of intelligence in the oceans of other planets, but unless they can erect transmitters to send signals across interstellar space, we may never know of their existence. And to build the technology that makes such contact possible, it has often been argued, extraterrestrials would certainly need to know some of the same mathematics that we do. Extraterrestrials might not understand English or Chinese or Swahili, but they’d certainly be familiar with algebra and geometry.Or would they?

[Rasputin]

Rocket carrying ashes is lost in mountains

A rocket containing the ashes of Star Trek actor James Doohan has not yet been found, two weeks after it returned from the edge of space. A portion of Doohan's ashes, along with 200 others, were launched from a site in New Mexico on 28 April. The rocket reached its planned altitude of 72.7 miles (117 kms) before coming down in a mountainous area. Operator Space Services Inc said the craft had locator beacons, but that bad weather had hampered the search. Doohan played Scotty, the Enterprise's straight-talking engineer, in the original TV series and several movies. He died aged 85 in 2005 after suffering from Alzheimers for several years. Also on the flight were the ashes of astronaut L Gordon Cooper, one of the first men into space. Space Services offer several types of memorial flights, including putting remains into orbit or sending them into space before returning them to earth.

A company spokesman said: "The terrain is very mountainous; it's not somewhere that you can walk or drive to. My understanding is that it will take some time to get up there." "They know the general location, and we have the utmost confidence that they will recover it."

[Rasputin]

Inca leapt canyons with fiber bridges

Conquistadors from Spain came, they saw, and they were astonished. They had never seen anything in Europe like the bridges of Peru. Chroniclers wrote that the Spanish soldiers stood in awe and fear before the spans of braided fiber cables suspended across deep gorges in the Andes, narrow walkways sagging and swaying and looking so frail.Yet the suspension bridges were familiar and vital links in the vast empire of the Inca, as they had been to Andean cultures for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish in 1532. The people had not developed the stone arch or wheeled vehicles, but they were accomplished in the use of natural fibers for textiles, boats, sling weapons — even keeping inventories by a prewriting system of knots.So bridges made of fiber ropes, some as thick as a man's torso, were the technological solution to the problem of road building in rugged terrain. By some estimates, at least 200 such suspension bridges spanned river gorges in the 16th century. One of the last of these, over the Apurimac River, inspired Thornton Wilder's novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey."Although scholars have studied the Inca road system's importance in forging and controlling the pre-Columbian empire, John A. Ochsendorf of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology here said, "Historians and archaeologists have neglected the role of bridges."

Ochsendorf's research on Inca suspension bridges, begun while he was an undergraduate at Cornell University, illustrates an engineering university's approach to archaeology, combining materials science and experimentation with the traditional fieldwork of observing and dating artifacts. Other universities conduct research in archaeological materials, but it has long been a specialty at MIT.Students here are introduced to the multidisciplinary investigation of ancient technologies as applied in transforming resources into cultural hallmarks from household pottery to grand pyramids. In a course called "materials in human experience," students are making a 60-foot-long fiber bridge in the Peruvian style. On Saturday, they plan to stretch the bridge across a dry basin between two campus buildings.

[Rasputin]

NASA's golden gift to the aliens

In a few months, NASA scientists and the press will note the passing of the 30th anniversary since the launches of Voyagers I and II. By now, both interstellar probes have passed beyond Pluto's orbit and are speeding out toward neighboring star systems, carrying with them copies of the Golden Record, a phonograph record full of images, music and recordings of life on Earth intended for any extraterrestrials who might happen upon the probe and wonder who sent it. It's the same idea behind the plaque that was bolted onto the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft, both of which are currently gliding out of the solar system behind the Voyager probes.While many Americans have heard of the record, most probably don't remember just what was on it. Fortunately, you can find the amazing images, which were chosen over the course of six months by a committee headed by Carl Sagan, compiled here.Today it's unlikely that we would choose to include this gee-whiz shot of the U.N. headquarters; or this greenhouse gas nightmare in India to portray ourselves.

Not that we'd do so much better now than we did then; the aliens would probably be just as confused by a photo of President Bush, or an image of a kid using a laptop, or a YouTube video of Dancing with the Stars.It was the late '70s when these pictures were chosen, and Carl Sagan was probably smoking a lot of grass, but that doesn't quite explain some of the stranger images. What is this picture, exactly, and who let Archie Bunker in?

[Rasputin]

Woman with no sign of pregnancy gives birth

Baffling her husband and others, Sriyani (32), a woman without the normal signs and characteristics of pregnancy, has given birth to a baby in the bathroom of her house near here. Her husband, Indra Agus Wahyudi (35) was shocked and perplexed to find that his wife, who still had a normal monthly period, gave birth to a fourth son weighing three kgwith 48 cm long all by herself early Monday morning.The night before giving birth, Sriyani 48 kg in weight and 156 cm tall, still played badminton, Indra said, adding that she was in a normal health.However, at 4 am the woman after defecating, had to return to the toilet because of pain in her belly, where she gave birth to the baby boy.Sriyani already has three children -- Sintia Juliani (11), Yuda Prasetyo (10) and Silvi Devani (7). According to Indra, he and his wife had never experienced anything out of the ordinary. Sriyani said, although she had been taking contraceptive pills for the last eight months, her monthly period was normal.

[Rasputin]

Is Necropolis the key to Freemasonry secrets?

Conspiracy theorists see them everywhere, from the paintings of Da Vinci to the humble dollar bill. Real or imagined, the symbols of Freemasonry through the ages have beguiled and tantalised. Now their biggest secret may have been exposed in the heart of Scotland's biggest city.Research has suggested Glasgow Necropolis is a giant masonic symbol, fully 37 acres of landscaped metaphor.Historian Ronnie Scott has unearthed previously unseen patterns in the design of the early 19th-century cemetery. His theory, to be formally unveiled at the world's first conference on the history of Freemasonry in Edinburgh later this month, would turn upside down the history of one of Scotland's best-known landmarks. It would also make the Necropolis one of the biggest masonic sites on the planet."The more I looked, the more I saw," Mr Scott explained yesterday after years of painstaking study at Glasgow University.

"I began to see a pattern emerge and the Necropolis began to look like a very large and very solid representation of masonic ideals and symbolism."The Necropolis is clearly a symbolic landscape and my research indicates that we should start to think of it as a freemasonic landscape, one that has been planned and modelled as the moral teachings of the Craft, made solid and very visible. Hidden in plain sight, you could say."

[Rasputin]

Black magic in Great Britain

Ed Boyle: England is positively crawling with witches, warlocks, wizards and water diviners. There is a hardly a village in the Kingdom where you will fail to find someone gazing into a crystal ball, offering to tell your fortune, or getting involved in close encounters with aliens. Forget Salem, when it comes to the occult, we've cornered the market. Harry Potter isn't just a best seller and an international movie hit - it is real life for many of us. There are parts of England where one in ten of the people believe they have the power to teleport their neighbors - pick them up and spirit them away, literally. The northern county of Yorkshire, for example, is packed with telepathists, time-travelers, enchanters, mediums and astrologers. Essex - to the east of London - contains the highest number of people subscribing to ancient pagan customs and rituals, and my own home county, Kent - just south of the capital - has three times the national average of psychic healers.

This isn't just mumbo jumbo. It is the result of detailed academic research overseen by a leading cleric of the Church of England which normally has a vested interest in playing such things down. But even the Church can't disguise the extent of this occult revival. The survey found only two places in the land where it fails to flourish - the industrial Midlands of England - which is a bit short of the open green spaces most witches prefer (nowhere safe to land your broomstick), and parts of Western Scotland, which is far too cold and bleak for anything.

[Rasputin]

Uri Geller sued over YouTube video battle

The San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation this week jumped into a legal battle involving efforts by self-described psychic Uri Geller - who is famous for claiming to bend spoons by mental forces -- to censor video clips of him posted on YouTube. The foundation, which bills itself as the first line of defense in digital free speech issues, sued Geller's company in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, claiming that the psychic used "baseless copyright claims" to silence critics. The foundation filed suit Tuesday, just one day Geller and his company, Explorogist Ltd., sued a critic of the psychic who had posted a 13-minute video on YouTube. Geller's suit, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, claims that the video posted by Brian Sapient had a three-second excerpt of copyrighted material. YouTube took down the video after complaints by Geller. But the foundation said that the excerpt of only three to 10 seconds should legally be considered fair use. The suit accuses Geller of misusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by misrepresenting a copyright claim in order to prod YouTube to remove the video and suspend Sapient's ability to upload more critical videos. "Uri Geller may not like it when people question his paranormal abilities.

However, he is not allowed to stifle public criticism by misusing the law," said foundation attorney Marcia Hoffman. "If the publication of a video does not infringe his copyright, then he cannot block its use -- it's as simple as that." Sapient belongs to a group called the Rational Response Squad, which is dedicated to debunking what it calls irrational beliefs, such as psychics. Sapient had lifted the material from a 1993 Public Television Service NOVA program called "Secrets of the Psychics" that challenged Geller's techniques. The host of the NOVA program, magician James Randi, asserted that Geller's feats were clever but simple magic tricks.