Science Special News

[Rasputin]

Lost city of Atlantis discovered?

An Iranian-American architect who claims to have discovered the site of Atlantis says he now has additional evidence that the legendary city sank beneath the waves between Cyprus and Syria.

Robert Sarmast, who first said he had found Atlantis in November, told reporters that enhanced side-scan sonar images of the east Mediterranean seabed showed the "unmistakable remains of man-made structures at a depth of 1 mile, 50 miles from the south-eastern corner of Cyprus.".

Sarmast showed a news conference on Thursday colour slides of what he said were the ruins of the Atlantis acropolis, surrounded by the remains of a defensive wall that runs for 2 miles before turning a right angle and continuing for an equal distance.

"The new images will silence any remaining scepticism that modern Cyprus is what remains of a much larger and now partly sunken land mass, a land mass that fits Plato's description of Atlantis perfectly," said Sarmast, referring to the ancient Greek philosopher.

[Rasputin]

Space and Astronomy

Hidden black holes finally found

A host of hidden black holes have been revealed in a narrow region of the sky, confirming astronomers' suspicions that the universe is loaded with many undetected gravity wells. Black holes cannot be seen directly, because they trap light and anything else that gets too close. But astronomers infer their presence by noting the behavior of material nearby: gas is superheated and accelerated to a significant fraction of light-speed just before it is consumed.The activity releases X-rays that escape the black hole's clutches and reveal its presence. The most active black holes eat so voraciously that they create a colossal cloud of gas and dust around them, through which astronomers cannot peer. That sometimes prevents observations of the region nearest the black hole, making it impossible to verify what's actually there.

These hyperactive black holes are called quasars. They can consume the mass of a thousand stars a year and are thought to be precursers to large, normal galaxies. The exist primarily at great distances, seen as they existed when the universe was young. A few quasars have been identified, but many more are thought to await discovery, based on the total number of X-rays detected in broad sky surveys. "From past studies using X-rays, we expected there were a lot of hidden quasars, but we couldn't find them," said study leader Alejo Martínez-Sansigre of the University of Oxford, England.New observations with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope cut through dust to spot quasars blocked by their own clouds, as well as other quasars hidden inside galactic dust.

[Rasputin]

The UFO Phenomenon

New Hampshire UFO investigators say the objects probably exist, but a recent sighting on the state's Seacoast highlights how most such reports don't fly.Peter Geremia of Rye, Mutual UFO Network director for New Hampshire, says 80 percent of such instances can't be substantiated.Geremia, who works in the electronics industry and instructs people in UFO investigation, said he recently spoke to an Exeter man who claimed to have seen a strange craft on the afternoon of July 20. Geremia was unable to schedule an on-site investigation."That to me raises a red flag," said Geremia, who, along with Kathleen Marden of Stratham, appeared on an Aug. 1 History Channel show on UFO investigation. Marden is the N.H. director of field investigator training for the Mutual UFO Network in New HampshireGeremia said anyone can call in a sighting to a UFO clearinghouse, but investigation and corroboration lend credibility. No one else reported the July 20 sighting, and many should have seen an object that big, reported to be twice the size of an aircraft carrier, he said.The only other report so far has come from an East Kingston woman who said she saw a similar looking object at a later date.

The Exeter man, who lives on Louisburg Circle off Brentwood Road, reported his sighting to the National UFO Reporting Center in Washington. The man, who has not released his name to the public, also spoke about the sighting to the "The Exeter News-Letter," which arranged to have an artist draw a picture of the craft. The artist, 20-year-old Angela Gram, said in an interview with Foster's Daily Democrat that she visited the retired Navy man and sketched what he said he saw from his yard. She said he described the UFO's angle, how it moved slowly and changed color from metallic-silver to orange-yellow with flamelike colors below it. Before disappearing, the object stretched to about twice its size.

[Rasputin]

Da Vinci Code could spell disaster for Rosslyn

Record crowds of tourists being drawn to Rosslyn chapel by the incredible success of the bestseller The Da Vinci Code could "spell the end" of the historic building, a former curator has warned. Judith Fisken, curator of the 15th century chapel from 1981 to 1996, warned that interest generated by the Dan Brown novel, coupled with a forthcoming Hollywood movie of the book starring Tom Hanks, would lead to unmanageable numbers of people packing into the building. In a letter to The Scotsman, Mrs Fisken said predicted estimates of 120,000 visitors next year touring a chapel measuring just 69ft by 35ft would create a situation "nothing short of madness". However, the trust that runs the chapel responded by signalling there could be a move to control the huge visitor numbers expected in the wake of the film's release, with pre-booking for visits as one option. In her letter published today, Mrs Fisken warns: "The headache will not simply be crowd control and concern of footfall through the building. "It will be souvenir hunters removing pieces of stone, taking rubbings, carving their initials and generally leaving litter, all of which is part of living in the 21st century." The ex-curator, who has also worked for the National Trust for Scotland, said a balance needed to be struck between earning income from the huge interest in Rosslyn Chapel and safeguarding the fabric of the building through measures like capping visitor numbers and banning coach parties. "The Rosslyn Chapel Trust has to decide whether it has money or conservation at its heart," she said.

The chapel, six miles south of Edinburgh at Roslin, has seen visitor numbers almost double from 38,000 in 2003 to over 68,000 in 2004 due to its portrayal in The Da Vinci Code as "the Cathedral of Codes". The chapel is to get a new entrance and will recruit more staff to cope with the anticipated flood of extra visitors. Stuart Beattie, the chapel's director, said the protection of the building was "always under review" and discussed with organisations like Historic Scotland. "We are constantly looking at risk management," he said. He said the famous carvings were largely shielded by pews and the problems encountered in the building had related more to the environment, for example, condensation, rather than damage to its fabric.

[Rasputin]

A night in Edinburgh's haunted undercity

Derry Kiernan: "Are you a sceptic?" asks the tour guide in the stone lobby, opening the door to Edinburgh’s infamous underground vaults. I smile thinly."You're on the fence then," he guesses optimistically, shifting the door with an eerie creak. I don't believe in ghosts. As we descend the two flights of stairs, a breeze whispers past by my face and plays a haunting melody down my spine. If I was less level-headed I would find it all a bit unsettling, as if someone was warning me to turn back.The six-hour Vaults Vigil, operated by Mercat Tours, leads a few daring individuals down into the depths of a dismal past, where the spirits of the dead live on to bother the living.Candles and small lanterns light the vaults and create a subtly sinister ambience that at once alarms and allures. Leaking walls bleed damp, cold water onto the dirty and uneven floor. The temperature remains constant – until it plummets chillingly - which I am assured is a sign of a ghostly presence.

Everyone is given recorders that allow us to gauge the frequency of the surrounding energy. Ghosts can be detected at the push of a button. But here in the gloom, if I stop long enough, I don't feel the need of an electronic monitor to sense the spidery filaments of other lives.Built in 1788, the vaults were storage compartments, jewellers, pubs and fabric stores that were evacuated a mere seven years later as the premises began to flood. Brothels and gambling flourished in this vacant area, but by 1820 the leaking became so severe that even the illegitimate enterprises dissolved. Before the vaults permanently closed in 1830, squatters and criminals moved in and turned the place into a disease-ridden slum.

[Rasputin]

The stories they tell may seem haunting, but Kathie Lee and J. Neal Gray consider them part of the human experience. Sounds of unknown footsteps are heard on the stairs, water faucets turn on by themselves, and ghostly visitors occupy the homes of nearby neighbors. It might sound scary, but theres nothing to be afraid of, say Lee and Gray, authors of a new book Raising Scituates Spirits. The co-authors want their readers to see the normal within what is known as the paranormal. "This is not folklore," said Lee about the collection of first-hand accounts. "These are actual experiences." Although their book was nearly a 9-year effort, Lee and Gray really began to collect their ghostly content within the last year or two, chronicling haunted happenings all over town -from Country Way and Surfside Road, to the West End, the historical Mann House and the Scituate Yacht Club. Their interest in penning a book on local ghost stories began with their own experiences. After meeting years ago at an Irish Ceilidhe ceremony in Duxbury, telling tales and singing songs with a Gaelic group, Lee and Gray exchanged some of their most memorable ghost stories. Gray said he encountered the spirit of a deceased co-worker while working at an engineering company in Boston in 1974.

"Sure enough it's him coming in," he said about seeing his former fellow employee walking around the office bringing with him a feeling of cold air and a smell of cigarettes. "I was standing on the table I was so scared." Lee, who believes all Irish people are "mystic," smiled when she though back to when the spirits of young children used to inhabit her Scituate home. She even named a song after the sound they made when frolicking through her home.

[Rasputin]

Japan Embraces Space Tourism

Space Adventures of Arlington, Virginia has sealed the deal on an exclusive marketing partnership with the Tokyo-based travel agency, JTB Corporation.

The agreement announced today opens wide the door for the Japanese to buy commercial treks into space and related experiences from Space Adventures.

JTB will market a wide array of programs available from Space Adventures, including the recently announced Deep Space Expeditions (DSE-Alpha) mission to the Moon -- the first in a series of lunar missions being offered. That mission could liftoff as early as 2008, according to a Space Adventures press statement.

The cost of trekking to the Moon, rounding it, and heading back to Earth is priced at a “circum-spectacular” cost of $100 million a seat, in U.S. dollars. Two commercial seats per would be available. More good news: A third seat is occupied by a pilot cosmonaut.

The mission would utilize a Russian-supplied, but beefed up Soyuz spacecraft, a design thoroughly shaken out via piloted and unpiloted testing.

Future DSE missions plan to include lunar-orbit and lunar-surface missions. Among Space Adventures’ portfolio of projects is a suborbital program, currently in development, that consists of a four-day training period and a 90-minute spaceflight that gives a passenger up to five minutes of microgravity.

Space Adventures notes that suborbital spaceflights are expected to start in the 2007-08 timeframe. The current price for that activity is $102,000.

Currently, U.S. space tourist, Gregory Olsen of New Jersey, is finishing his orbital spaceflight preparations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.

Olsen is forking up $20 million for a 10-day visit to the International Space Station. His Space Adventures brokered departure is scheduled for Oct. 1, 2005.

[Rasputin]

The fear of sleep paralysis

Michele Mclean: The sound of footsteps comes up the stairs as I lie in bed. Someone is in my house. The creaking of the stair floorboards is a familiar sound, as the footsteps grow closer. I tell myself to wake up, but I cannot move. I lie helpless on my back. My legs, arms, even my head feel like dead weight. I struggle to even open my eyes but nothing happens. The stranger is now at the top of the stairs and starting down the hallway. I again tell myself to wake up. I try to scream. I try to make any noise, but like the rest of my body, my voice doesn't work. As the footsteps enter my room and walk toward my bed I am able to force my eyes open. No one is there! I didn't know it at the time, but what I had experienced was sleep paralysis. Al Cheyne, a retired professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo has been researching sleep paralysis for 10 years.

"It's a dream hallucination," Cheyne said. "It's an intrusion of dream-like imagery into your waking life. That's why it tends to occur around times of falling asleep or waking up and waking up in the middle of the night in this state where you can't move." People report a sense of something or someone in the room, and a sense of terror is common, he said. Some people will wake up and not be able to move for a few seconds, he said.

[Rasputin]

Did huge volcanic blast snuff out the dinosaurs ?

A buildup of gases caused by huge volcanic eruptions may have killed off the dinosaurs, according to new research from one the largest lava flows in Earth's history. Known as the Deccan Traps, the massive lava deposits in west-central India are over a mile (two kilometers) thick and span an area comparable to Oregon and Washington State combined. The geologic formation appeared 65 million years ago—around the time of the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction that wiped out some 85 percent of Earth's species. A team of French and Indian geologists recently reported that the Deccan Traps lava might have piled up so quickly that climate-altering sulfuric gases from the eruptions could have made Earth's environment deadly to many species. New tests reveal that one 2,000 foot-thick (600 meter-thick) lava section could have accumulated in just 30,000 years. That's lightning-fast by geologic standards. "Our working hypothesis is that the majority of the total volume of lava might have been erupted in only a few major events spread over only a small fraction of millennia," said Anne-Lise Chenet of the Paris Geophysical Institute's paleomagnetism laboratory.

"Volcanic eruptions can inject large amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. If [little] time passes between different volcanic processes, you change the climate and have a big impact on the environment," she said. "That's why we began the study, because we wanted to know how many different volcanic processes [were] necessary to produce the volume of lava [at Deccan Traps]."

[Nushabeh]

cheh jaleb

[Rasputin]

'Out-of-body' experiences may come from within


Psychologists at The University of Manchester are investigating the idea that out-of-body experiences, commonly thought of as paranormal phenomena, may in fact have their roots in how people perceive and experience their own bodies. Around 10% of the population have an out-of-body experience (OBE) at some time, typically involving a sensation of floating and seeing the physical body from the outside. It isn't uncommon for people to have more than one OBE, and they may also occur as part of the wider near-death experience some report experiencing in life-threatening circumstances.Despite the high incidence of OBEs however, there is still a great deal scientists don't know about the phenomenon. The University of Manchester study, funded by the Portuguese Bial Foundation which supports the scientific study of the physical and spiritual nature of Man, will use an online questionnaire on body perceptions and experience to examine differences between those who have and have not experienced OBEs. The survey will also gather details on the different kinds of OBEs people have, to categorise these experiences more precisely.David Wilde, the researcher running the project, said, "There are several theories as to why people have OBEs. A common link between them is the idea that in certain circumstances the brain somehow loses touch with sensory information coming in from the body. This triggers a series of psychological mechanisms which can lead to someone having an OBE.

"In this study we aim to take the theory a stage further, by looking at the way people see and experience their bodies, and how - through perfectly ordinary psychological processes - these images and experiences may create the impression of seeing their bodies from the outside."The research team hopes to capture data from at least 500 members of the public from anywhere in the world. Both people who have had an OBE and those who have not are encouraged to take part

[Rasputin]

Source of Cosmic Dust Found

Researchers believe they have identified the main source of the cosmic dust that gets dumped on Earth – meteoroids. A new study shows that grains of dust left in meteoroid trails are larger than previously thought.

Meteoroids are chunks of rocky debris – ranging in size from a grain of sand to a boulder – that zip through the solar system. Some make their way to Earth and buzz through the atmosphere, leaving fiery streaks known as shooting stars, along with clouds of dust particles.

For a long time, scientists thought that these particles were just a few nanometers in size. Now, Andrew Klekociuk of the Australian Antarctic Division and his colleagues have studied the dust cloud from a recent large meteoroid and determined that the dust particles are actually 10 to 20 micrometers – a thousand times larger than previously thought.

On Sept. 3, 2004 a large meteor – estimated to have an original mass of a million kilograms – crashed through the Earth's atmosphere, releasing more energy than a 15 kiloton nuclear bomb.

Not only did this meteor leave bright streaks of fire as it tore through the atmosphere, it left behind a trail of meteoritic ‘smoke' or dust. The dust cloud stretched across altitudes from 35 to 11 miles (56 to 18 kilometers) and hung in sky for weeks.

"There is some uncertainty in the total influx of meteoric matter, but it is probably on the order of 40 +/- 20 thousand tons per year," Klekociuk told SPACE.com. "Our event represented a mass influx of about one thousand tons."

[Rasputin]

'Proof' our brains are evolving

University scientists say they have found strong proof that the human brain is still evolving. By comparing modern man with our ancestors of 37,000 years ago, the Chicago team discovered big changes in two genes linked to brain size. One of the new variants emerged only 5,800 years ago yet is present in 30% of today's humans, they believe. This is very short in evolutionary terms, suggesting intense selection pressures, they told Science.Each gene variant emerged around the same time as the advent of so called "cultural" behaviours. The microcephalin variant appeared along with the emergence of traits such as art and music, religious practices and sophisticated tool-making techniques, which date back to about 50,000 years ago. It is now present in about 70% of humans alive today.

The other, called the ASPM variant, originated at a time that coincides with the spread of agriculture, settled cities and the first record of written language. Researcher Dr Bruce Lahn said the big question was whether the genetic evolution seen had actually caused the cultural evolution of humans or was merely chance. Their hunch is that it might have something to do with the important role that these genes play in brain size, but stressed that did not necessarily mean better intelligence. "Just because these genes are still evolving doesn't necessarily mean they make you any smarter," said Dr Lahn.

[Rasputin]

Dream team ready to probe Loch Ness for monster

A dream team of experts, who have explored the ocean depths from the tropics to the dark waters below the Polar ice caps, has assembled at Loch Ness for what is being hailed as the definitive expedition to uncover its secrets. The experts, who are all volunteers and include one member who flew in from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, will be using the most up-to-date equipment available - among them Sonar systems which convert soundwaves into a near photographic image of the loch bed and a self-piloting underwater vehicle only recently declassified for civilian use.

In charge of the expedition is veteran Nessie-hunter Robert Rines who has been involved in scientific expeditions on Loch Ness since 1970 and had his own sighting of a mysterious large animal in the loch two years later.In 1974, his US Academy Of Applied Sciences investigation team captured the underwater image of a flipperlike object which was shown on television and in newspapers around the world, but 31 years on he feels the latest expedition has the best ever chance of bringing to light the loch's mysteries.

[Nushabeh]

living forever

In 1998 a scientist at the California Institute of Technology discovered a gene that could extend the life of fruit flies by 30%. He dubbed it the Methuselah gene after the Biblical prophet who lived to 969.
Now a self-taught gerontologist believes our mortality could one day be similarly extended.

At a conference at Queens' College, Cambridge, this week, Aubrey de Grey, a 41-year-old Cambridge computer scientist, told a research audience that there was no reason why people should not live to 1,000.

It sounds like science fiction, but for all that Dr de Grey has been dismissed as a crank, his papers continue to be published in peer-reviewed journals and scientists continue to flock to his meetings.

The editor of the MIT Technology Review has gone so far as to offer a $20,000 (£11,000) prize to any gerontologist who could put together a serious argument refuting his claims. So far there have been no takers.

According to Dr de Grey, such attacks are to be expected. "Traditionally, mainstream gerontologists have preferred to talk about compressing morbidity, but longevity is becoming impossible to avoid," he says.

Dr de Grey, whose day job includes investigating the fruit fly genome, says it is simply a matter of living long enough to take advantage of biotechnology therapies which promise to reverse the tissue damage that comes with age.

He calls his doctrine Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, or Sens for short. He has identified seven deadly aspects of ageing, ranging from frayed DNA molecules to tangled proteins that interfere with neurons, sparking Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, to defects in mitochondria, the intracellular structures that power the cell and are vital to the control of free radicals involved in neuromuscular and other diseases.

Some of Dr de Grey's solutions, such as using stem cells to engineer new tissues, organs and nerve cells, are already in the works. But his most inventive contribution has been to propose radical solutions. One of these is a body-wide rubbish removal program that would clean up the junk that tends to accumulate inside cells by implanting in people genes from soil bacteria that have the ability to metabolise waste.

But to get to the stage where such interventions are feasible will require a huge research commitment. That is why, in a bid to convince the world that he is really on to something, Dr de Grey is offering a Methuselah Mouse prize of $160,000 to the first scientist who succeeds in extending the lifespan of an adult mouse from two to five - the equivalent, in human terms, of going from 80 to 150.

"At the moment the public and many gerontologists tend to put increased longevity in the same bracket as transponder beams - in other words, science fiction," admits Dr de Grey. "But once we meet the robust mouse test I predict scientists will fall in behind my theories and the public will insist politicians make these therapies available to everyone."

Millions are poured into research each year to counter the deleterious effects of ageing, with some scientists hoping that stem cells hold the key. However far-fetched Dr de Grey's theories, others at the conference were also offering solutions to the effects of ageing.

Michael West, the chief executive of the US biotech company Advanced Cell Technology and a world authority on human therapeutic cloning, presented a paper on how in the near future human somatic cells could be reprogrammed to treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

And Ronald Kahn, professor of medicine at Harvard and the director of the Joslin diabetes research centre, described how his team were zeroing in on the secrets of the Klotho gene, yet another anti-ageing gene that has been shown to keep mice alive 30% longer than normal.

Others are more cautious of the grand sweep of Dr de Grey's claims.

"There's no doubt that Aubrey is an interesting guy but I don't buy a lot of his hyperbole," says David Finkelstein, the program director of the US National Institute of Ageing.

"Some of the extrapolations from animal experiments are frankly silly. Just because something works for a mouse that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for us."

Five bars to immortality

Signs of ageing and their solutions or cures, according to Aubrey de Grey

1 Cell depletion This happens in important tissues, including the heart and brain

Cure Treat primarily by introducing growth factors to stimulate cell division or by periodic transfusion of stem cells engineered to replace the types that have been lost

2 Unwanted cells In later years fat cells proliferate and replace muscle, sparking diabetes and heart disease

Cure Receptors on surface of such cells are susceptible to immune bodies that scientists will learn how to generate

3 Chromosome mutations Immortality of cancer cells is related to the behaviour of the telomere, the caplike structure found on the end of every chromosome, which decreases in length each time the cell divides

Cure Engineer cells so they no longer carry the gene for telomeres, thus stopping tumour from dividing. De Grey would also replace a person's stem cells every 10 years

4 Mitochondria mutations Mitochondria are the tiny machines that power the cell

Cure Copy genes from the mitochondrial DNA and put them into the DNA of the nucleus, where they will be safer from mutation-causing influences

5 Accumulation of 'junk' within the cell

As cells digest large molecules, the waste accumulates in intracellular structures called lysosomes. Atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, is biggest manifestation.

Cure De Grey proposes inserting genes from soil bacteria, which break down waste, into the lysosomes