Science Special News

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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[Nushabeh]

cheh jaleb

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'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

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'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.

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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.

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