Science Special News

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Music hall confirmed haunted

A group of intrepid ghost-hunters have confirmed that the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is haunted. The Louisiana Spirits, a paranormal investigation club, spent the night in the famous auditorium and recorded four hours of spooky footage with digital cameras, video cameras, and sound-recording equipment. They were out to capture video of glowing orbs and audio recordings of Electronic Voice Phenomena, which skeptics describe as "the alleged communication by spirits through tape recorders and other electronic devices." The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium was once home to the Louisiana Hayride, a radio program that hosted country legends Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Tex Ritter, as well as Elvis Presley.But people used the auditorium for more than just musical hoedowns. A nuclear fallout shelter and the city morgue once occupied the basement.

In addition to catching muddy recordings of background noise, the Spirits also caught a whiff of flowers and baby powder that quickly came and left."If any building here in this town has spirits," commented Johnny Wessler, executive director of the Friends of the Municipal Auditorium, "this one does."Another group, ORION Paranormal, visited the auditorium after the Louisiana Spirits to record footage for an upcoming documentary.

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Pope warned against study of universe origins

Famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking said Thursday that the late Pope John Paul II once told scientists they should not study the beginning of the universe because it was the work of God. The British author _ who wrote the best-seller "A Brief History of Time" _ said that the pope made the comments at a cosmology conference at the Vatican.Hawking, who didn't say when the meeting was held, quoted the pope as saying, "It's OK to study the universe and where it began. But we should not enquire into the beginning itelf because that was the moment of creation and the work of God."The scientist then joked during a lecture in Hong Kong, "I was glad he didn't realize I had presented a paper at the conference suggesting how the universe began. I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo."The church condemned Galileo in the 17th century for supporting Nicholas Copernicus' discovery that Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.But in 1992, Pope John Paul II issued a declaration saying that the church's denunciation of Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."Hawking is one of the best-known theoretical physicists of his generation. He has done groundbreaking research on black holes and the origins of the universe. He proposes that space and time have no beginning and no end.His hourlong lecture to a sold-out audience at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was highly theoretical and technical. During the question-and-answer session, Hawking was asked where constants like gravity come from and whether gravity can distort light.But there were several light, humorous moments.

Hawking _ who must communicate with an electronic speech synthesizer _ said he once considered using a machine that gave him a French accent but he couldn't use it because his wife would divorce him.The astrophysicist is wheelchair-bound and uses an electronic voice because he has the neurological disorder called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.Hawking was asked why his computerized voice has an American accent."The voice I use is a very old hardware speech synthesizer made in 1986," he said. "I keep it because I have not heard a voice I like better and because I have identified with it."But Hawking said he's shopping for a new system because the hardware he uses is large and fragile. He also said it uses components that are no longer made.

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DNA test to clear up Confucius confusion

Chinese claiming Confucius for an ancestor can now use a genetic test to prove a direct blood connection to the grandfather of Chinese social mores, a state newspaper said on Friday. The fifth-century BC social philosopher's ideas of filial piety and deference to elders influence Chinese society and politics even today.Now his countrymen can establish a genetic link in a test that will cost more than 1,000 yuan ($125), according to the Shanghai Morning Post."We would like to help these unconfirmed claimants to test their DNA and to establish a Confucius-DNA database," it quoted Deng Yajun, a DNA expert from Beijing Institute of Genomics at the Chinese Academy of Science, as saying.How the scientists had obtained a sample of Confucius's DNA was not explained."One of the most difficult things in the project is to confirm the blood connections of these numerous claimants," said Kong Dewei, one of the editors of the new family tree, who has the same Chinese surname of Confucius, "Kong" in Chinese.

Association with Confucianism was fatal during the tumult of the Cultural Revolution, when "old China" and its traditions were condemned as reactionary by fervent Communist Red Guards.But since the 1990s, Beijing has been encouraging Confucianism as part of celebrating traditional Chinese culture -- and of pushing a message of obedience to those in power.

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Meet the "baby mind reader"

There is nothing guaranteed to keep a mother on her toes than introducing her baby to someone who claims they are able to read her wee one's mind. With Derek Ogilvie, the psychic who is also known as The Baby Mind Reader, about to arrive on my doorstep, I was on my best behaviour in front of my ten-month-old son. "Talk me up, Junior," I told him. "Tell the Mind Reader I'm a perfect parent and don't mention the time I dropped you on your head. Say everything's great and there's an extra feed in it for you, OK?" Reading babies' thoughts is Ogilvie's speciality. We are not talking reading body language, child psychology or any of the other ways of working out what our wee ones are thinking which are backed by scientific study. We are talking thoughts. A respected Scottish medium for several years, Ogilvie some time ago discovered another unusual gift while giving a young mother a private reading. Ogilvie realised that her three-week-old baby was sending him strong telepathic messages about the family's life together. Passing on information from child to parent, he explained why the baby was having trouble feeding.

Once the parents understood, they made changes and a difficult situation was eased. Soon, Ogilvie began to believe that "it was pretty obvious that many babies had this ability. Babies could communicate telepathically if the conditions were right and they had something to say." So, he started helping children with medical problems and sleeping, eating or crying issues, and, according to reports, had a good level of success. Boy, was I was ready for his visit.

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Dan Akroyd: unplugged on UFOs

UM review: We were lucky enough to get our mitts on a copy of the new UFO DVD "Dan Akroyd: unplugged on UFOs". The DVD features an 80-minute interview with well known actor and UFO researcher Dan Akroyd and is presented by UFOlogist David Sereda. Akroyd discusses in depth every aspect of the UFO phonemenon, including the origins of UFOs, the technologies behind them, conspiracies by governments to conceal the truth and how the human race as a whole should strive to better understand and benefit from contact with an advanced extraterrestrial race. The DVD also features many photographs and clips of UFOs, including recent footage such as the infrared footage taken in Mexico in 2004 and STS clips taken from the space shuttles. Also in there are testimonials from astronaut Gordon Cooper, NASA engineer John F. Schuessler and some fascinating footage of recent tests with experimental anti-gravity technologies.

Anyone with an interest in UFOs will find this DVD extremely interesting, Dan Akroyd is fascinating to listen to and is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the phenomenon. In the interview he also covers his own experiences with the unknown, giving some insight into the origins of his interests in the subject. Interviewer David Sereda also does a good job of presenting the programme and the discussions between Sereda and Akroyd make for compelling viewing. Recommended.

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Soldier denied Pentacle symbol on grave

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Ballard believes the Veterans Affairs Department is denying him a right by not permitting him to have the pentacle - his Wiccan faith's symbol - engraved on his government-issued tombstone when he dies. "I serve my country and I live my religion and both are very dear to me," said Ballard, the acting lay leader for Wiccans at Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. "I feel like I should be represented as both - as an active duty military person and as a Wiccan."Roberta Stewart also is upset with the VA for not allowing a pentacle - a circle with an inscribed five-pointed star - to be used on a memorial plaque for her husband, Nevada National Guard Sgt. Patrick Stewart, who was killed in action in Afghanistan last year.She was told the symbol was not among the 38 "emblems of faith" officially recognized for use on VA headstones and memorials."Our pentacle represents our spirit and our soul," she said.

"It's my eternal connection to my husband."Wiccans have been fighting nine years for VA recognition of their nature-worshipping faith.The VA recognizes symbols for Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Native Americans, Sikhs - even the atheist's capital "A" surrounded by an atomic whirl. In 2003, the VA approved the American Humanist Association's emblem of spirit - a stylized human figure with arms stretched upward.

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Walking ghost caught on tape?

Valentown is a Historical Museum located in Victor, New York, containing local historical artifacts of Victor and Rochester, New York. Originally built in 1879 as a shopping plaza and community center by Levi Valentine, today Valentown stands as a monument to Valentine's inspiration for building a town on top of his own family farm land.Valentine built Valentown with the hope for the railroad to be its lifeblood. Unfortunately, the company building the railroad ran out of funds and tracks before they could reach Valentown. Eventually, Valentown was vacated and left untouched. In 1940 historian J. Sheldon Fisher turned Valentown into a Historical Museum. Over the years, many unexplained happenings were being experienced by the staff and volunteers at the Valentown Museum.

Footsteps and voices coming from locked rooms, inside a glass display case magazine pages turning by themselves, suitcases moving underfoot, a shadowy figure passing right through a closed door, spontaneous tinkling of an old-fashioned bell hanging on the General Store entry door and the binging of its security sensor counterpart when the door never opened, a white shadowy presence in a neighboring house, a man dressed in period clothing appearing in either the front or rear windows depending on whether one is coming or going, oil lanterns swaying, lights turning on and off on their own - all are just a few of the accounts documented.

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There is an abundance of evidence that not only proves the existence of UFOs, but the government has been hiding classified documents for decades, an expert told students last night.Robert Hastings, independent UFO researcher who claims to have first spotted UFOs at Malstrom Air Force Base in 1967, spoke last night in Memorial Hall at a lecture entitled, "UFOs: The Hidden History." The event marked the last installment of Theoretical Thursdays, hosted by the Student Activities Board.Since 1981, Hastings has spoken at more than 500 universities, presenting a great deal of documents and evidence many people have never seen."Many citizens are led to believe that the unidentified objects are nonsense," he said.Hastings mentioned an organization called NICAP, which helps to distribute information about UFOs with the help of the Freedom of Information Act. Since 1973, Hastings has interviewed military personnel who have confirmed undisclosed reports."What the documents indicated beyond reasonable doubt that these unidentified flying objects exist," Hastings said, citing that 100,000 documents were obtained by FOIA.

Hastings presented a 25-minute slide show that documented the history of UFOs from 1947 to 1985. One of the highlights of the video included a cover up of aircrafts that circulated the White House in 1952, in which the Pentagon called the incident a "temperature inversion". In addition to that, observers were told not to disclose any information under a military order called AFR 200-2. The slideshow even mentioned a UFO that malfunctioned with a Canadian relay that caused the infamous Northeast Blackout in the late 60s."Scientists had been informed no more or less than the average citizen," said Hastings.

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The science of Superman

Superman Returns" is having its invitation-only world premiere on Wednesday, leading up to the movie's nationwide release on June 28. Over the next week or so, we're likely to be inundated with articles analyzing the superhero's human side. But what is Superman if not a Space Alien of Steel? From the start, the creators of the Superman saga clothed their hero's superpowers with an astrobiological explanation. For example, Superman is supposed to be so much stronger than mere humans because his anatomy is supposedly accustomed to the much stronger gravity of his home planet, Krypton. That's what makes Seth Shostak eminently qualified to give the Superman saga a reality check. As senior astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., Shostak helps direct the real-life search for extraterrestrial intelligence - and also muses on the shape of aliens to come in books such as "Sharing the Universe." Shostak sees Superman as a great example of what not to look for in the search for alien life: "The fact that he's very humanoid in his appearance and behavior is of course a conceit that's adopted not only by the comic books, but also by Hollywood. ... If Superman looked like a typewriter, you'd end up having very little sympathy for his inner torment."

Some scientists, such as Simon Conway Morris, assert that the same basic body plan that has served so well on Earth would probably turn up on other planets where life takes root. If this sort of cosmic evolutionary convergence is the norm, it may well be that intelligent life elsewhere would look more like the fictional Superman than like Shostak's typewriter. But even then, Shostak sees plenty of reasons why Superman couldn't live up to his superpowers.

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UFOlogy's generation now: Nick Pope

Nick Pope is the most articulate spokesperson for the reality of the UFO phenomenon around today. Unlike some people, he isn't burdened by an affiliation with a particular theory - he is therefore well-positioned to make the case to the mainstream. Of all of the people I have interviewed about the UFO phenomenon, including Stan Friedman, Nick is the best at understanding how to make the case to the media, and through them the general public.Is Nick the best researcher alive today? No, although sometimes his good work doesn't get enough credit.But there are plenty of researchers around, some very good, many not so good. What ufology lacks is someone who can bring the good research to the public. That requires media savvy, and a certain presence. Nick has both - not to mention the experience and credibility that comes from his role within government. No, he wasn't the UK's "Fox Mulder", but he was posted to a division of the Ministry of Defence called Secretariat (Air Staff) from 1991 to 1994, where he was given the job of researching and investigating the UFO phenomenon. He has continued his research in the years since, even as he has moved on to other positions within the MOD.

Nick has written four books: Open Skies, Closed Minds details his official UFO work, while The Uninvited deals with alien abductions; Operation Thunder Child and Operation Lightning Strike are science fiction novels.Nick isn't the most popular guy within ufology, especially in the United Kingdom, where some people seem to be a bit jealous of his success, and the fact that he is often the first person contacted by the media when the subject of UFOs pops up (Stan Friedman, the de facto public face of ufology for the past thirty years or so, has encountered similar criticism throughout his career). But so what? The number of people who actually care about what ufologists think about other ufologists can be counted in the hundreds (to be generous - I suspect it is really more like a few dozen). That kind of stuff doesn't matter to the general public.