Science Special News

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Ice geysers 'discovered on Mars'

Geysers spewing sand and dust hundreds of feet into the air have been discovered on Mars, scientists say. Images from a camera orbiting Mars have shown the 100mph jets of carbon dioxide erupt through ice at the planet's south pole, Arizona State University says. The orbiting camera, called the Thermal Emission Imaging System (Themis), is on the Mars Odyssey probe. The geyser debris leaves dark spots, fan-like markings and spider-shaped features on the ice cap. The scientists said geysers erupted when sunlight warming the ice turned frozen carbon dioxide underground into high-pressure gas. "If you were there, you'd be standing on a slab of carbon dioxide ice," said the university's Dr Phil Christensen. "All around you, roaring jets of CO2 gas are throwing sand and dust a couple of hundred feet into the air."

Dr Christensen said the process was "unlike anything that occurs on Earth". His team discovered the jets through examining more than 200 Themis visible and infrared images. The findings were published in the latest edition of the journal Nature.

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Man's bid for Holy Grail search

Submitted by Callum Jenson: An author believes he could have unveiled the final resting place of the Holy Grail - buried within the grounds of Lincoln Cathedral. Local man Callum Jensen, 50, who has written two books based on the Da Vinci Code mysteries, believes he has decoded a parchment which reveals its location. He has now requested permission to carry out a search of the grounds using a penetrative radar scan. A cathedral spokesman said the request was currently being processed. Roy Bentham, chief executive and chapter clerk for the cathedral, said: "All we can say at the moment is that Mr Jensen's request is now going through the relevant committees. "A decision is expected to be made by the end of the year." Mr Jensen said he has always had an interest in the legends of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail. He was inspired to find out if the mysteries raised by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code could have any local relevance in April 2005, after an anomaly was found on one of the cathedral's windows. "A glazier was working high up on the east window when he spotted something strange in a stained glass depiction of the last supper," he said. "What he spotted was that instead of a cup or loaf being on Christ's plate, there is actually a dog."

Mr Jensen said he then found further anomalies in the cathedral. This prompted him to look at the Rennes-le-Chateau parchment, a coded document, which enthusiasts believe provides the clues to the resting place of a secret treasure. He decoded the clues, which has led him to a spot near the south east corner of the cathedral. "I decoded the parchments in quite a short space of time and was excited to find it led me to a specific spot at the cathedral.

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Joint mission to collect Martian soil sample

China and Russia are planning a joint mission to Mars that will bring back samples to earth and land on one of the red planet's tiny moons, state media quoted a Chinese scientist as saying Wednesday. Ye Peijian, of the Chinese Research Institute of Space Technology, made the announcement at a forum on the nation's space technology development, Xinhua news agency said. Ye said Russia will launch the spacecraft in 2009 and it will carry China-made survey equipment. The mission will collect samples on Mars and the planet's nearest moon, according to Xinhua. Sun Laiyan, of the China National Space Administration, said in June that China would focus on the moon and Mars in its deep space exploration program over the next five years.

The program calls for stepping up international cooperation, he said. China has previously said it hopes to launch a lunar exploration satellite next year as part of a program that aims to place an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2010.

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Perpetual motion machine claim probed

Sean McCarthy believes his small Irish high-tech company has overturned one of physics' most fundamental laws. It happened by accident, he says. His company Steorn was looking for an efficient way to power closed-circuit TVs that spy on ATMs, and instead stumbled on a technique they think produces more energy than it consumes.The company hasn't released specific details about the process, other than to say it involves magnetic fields configured in precisely the right way. Using the magnets results in a motor that's more than 100 percent efficient -- essentially creating energy, McCarthy says.For scientists and engineers, this is the equivalent of a perpetual motion machine, and is almost unanimously viewed as flat-out impossible. McCarthy, an affable former energy company engineer, knows just how preposterous his claims sound. So, he advertised in this week's Economist for a panel of the "most cynical possible" physicists to help validate them."If we're right, that will come out in due course," McCarthy says. "If we're wrong, that will come out. It's such a big claim that it has to be validated by experts."A big claim it may be, but hardly original. The clamor of voices saying they've invented revolutionary new "free energy" technologies has grown tumultuous in recent years, driven perhaps by the internet's capacity to connect and inspire would-be tinkerers, or simply a that lay people are more fascinated with science.

The American Physical Society was worried enough about the trend a few years ago that its executive board put out a statement in June 2002, warning against such claims."(We are) concerned that in this period of unprecedented scientific advance, misguided or fraudulent claims of perpetual motion machines and other sources of unlimited free energy are proliferating," the group said. "Such devices directly violate the most fundamental laws of nature, laws that have guided the scientific progress that is transforming our world."

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Boiled bones show Aztecs ate invaders

Submitted by Kratos: Skeletons found at an unearthed site in Mexico show Aztecs captured, ritually sacrificed and partially ate several hundred people traveling with invading Spanish forces in 1520. Skulls and bones from the Tecuaque archaeological site near Mexico City show about 550 victims had their hearts ripped out by Aztec priests in ritual offerings, and were dismembered or had their bones boiled or scraped clean, experts say.The findings support accounts of Aztecs capturing and killing a caravan of Spanish conquistadors and local men, women and children traveling with them in revenge for the murder of Cacamatzin, king of the Aztec empire's No. 2 city of Texcoco.Experts say the discovery proves some Aztecs did resist the conquistadors, led by explorer Hernan Cortes, before the Spaniards attacked the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City.History books say many indigenous Mexicans welcomed the white-skinned horsemen in the belief they were returning gods but turned against the Spaniards once they tried to take over the Aztec seat of power in a conflict that ended in 1521.

"This is the first place that has so much evidence there was resistance to the conquest," said archaeologist Enrique Martinez, director of the dig at Calpulalpan in Tlaxcala state, near Texcoco."It shows it wasn't all submission. There was a fight."The caravan was apparently captured because it was made up mostly of the mulatto, mestizo, Maya Indian and Caribbean men and women given to the Spanish as carriers and cooks when they landed in Mexico in 1519, and so was moving slowly.The prisoners were kept in cages for months while Aztec priests selected a few each day at dawn, held them down on a sacrificial slab, cut out their hearts and offered them up to various Aztec gods.Some may have been given hallucinogenic mushrooms or pulque -- an alcoholic milky drink made from fermented cactus juice -- to numb them to what was about to happen.

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Team finds 'proof' of dark matter

US astronomers say they have found the first direct evidence for the mysterious stuff called dark matter. Dark matter - which does not emit or reflect enough light to be "seen" - is thought to make up 25% of the Universe. By contrast, the ordinary matter we can see is believed to make up no more than about 5% of our Universe. Until now, astronomers have only been able to infer the existence of this dark material through the gravitational effects it has on ordinary matter. The researchers have discovered what is effectively the gravitational signature of dark matter. This signature was created by dark matter and ordinary matter being wrenched apart by the immense collision of two large galaxy clusters. "The kinetic energy of this collision is...enough to completely evaporate and pulverise planet Earth ten trillion trillion times over," said team member Maxim Markevitch of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US.

Study leader Doug Clowe, from the University of Arizona, said: "This provides the first direct proof that dark matter must exist and that it must make up the majority of the matter in the Universe." Astronomers have known since the 1930s that these galaxy clusters have far too much gravity to be explained by the amount of visible matter in them alone. This extra gravity has two possible explanations. One is that most matter in the clusters is in a form we cannot see, because it does not absorb or emit light. A second explanation is that gravity does not behave the same way in galaxy clusters light years in size as it does on Earth.

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It's official: Pluto is no longer a planet

A fierce backlash has begun against the decision by astronomers to strip Pluto of its status as a planet. On Thursday, experts approved a definition of a planet that demoted Pluto to a lesser category of object. But the lead scientist on Nasa's robotic mission to Pluto has lambasted the ruling, calling it "embarrassing". And the chair of the committee set up to oversee agreement on a definition implied that the vote had effectively been "hijacked". The vote took place at the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) 10-day General Assembly in Prague. The IAU has been the official naming body for astronomy since 1919. Only 424 astronomers who remained in Prague for the last day of the meeting took part. An initial proposal by the IAU to add three new planets to the Solar System - the asteroid Ceres, Pluto's moon Charon and the distant world known as 2003 UB313 - met with considerable opposition at the meeting.

Days of heated debate followed during which four separate proposals were tabled. Eventually, the scientists adopted historic guidelines that see Pluto relegated to a secondary category of "dwarf planets". Dr Alan Stern, who leads the US space agency's New Horizons mission to Pluto and did not vote in Prague, told BBC News: "It's an awful definition; it's sloppy science and it would never pass peer review - for two reasons.

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Do demons really exist ?

LeAnne Miller: "In England, where the Old Ways were more harshly stamped out than in other parts of the British Isles, most of the faery and pagan lore (tales and oral stories put into words on paper in some type of written form) was forced into hiding among faery tales and Mother Goose rhymes. (from pages 27-28 of A Witch's guide to Faery folk by Edain McCoy) And the following is from Merlin: the shooting script; which belongs to Hallmark Productions. 119. Int. Mab's Sanctuary-Day. Mab sits brooding on her throne, whilst Frik, looking like an ancient scholar, writes in a large book.

MAB// What are you doing?
FRIK// Writing fairy stories...So you'll be remembered.
MAB// I don't need to be remembered, Frik, I won't be forgotten.
FRIK// (sounding doubtful) Hmmmmm..... (p. 92)

" From England comes several unique faery protection charms. One of the most well-known protections is also an ancient one, and that is to discover a faery's (or demon spirit's) true name. Recall the German tale of Rumplestiltskin, the baneful faery who wished to take the son of a queen whom he had helped; or of the English, Tom-Tit-Tot, who cheated a miller's daughter. When the heroines of these stories discovered the true names of their tormentors, the earth opened up and swallowed the faeries. The belief that knowing someone's true name will give you power over them goes deep in Pagan history. Additionally, as another form of protection, if one fears he or she is being pursued by a fairy, or ANY ill-meaning Spirit, one should cross over running water. The water acts like a grounding element and diffuses the baneful power. (Like a vacumn hose strongly sucking up water from out of a fish tank).

This concept is annually illustrated by tv shows and films around and on Halloween, in the Wash- ington Irving tale: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." (McCoy, p. 64) And if a faery you don't want around and does not live with you makes an appearance, you can sometimes get it to leave by chanting this common nurs- ery rhyme---which is actually an ancient spell of faery banishment; Ladybug, Ladybug Fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children have gone. McCoy goes on in the introductory chapters of her book that: " One way to explore the subtle world of faeries and learn more about them is by reading faery tales which feature them. Some of these include: Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Much Pagan lore, especially concerning gods, goddesses, and Nature Spirits-- and even malevolent demonic spirits, is also hidden among these old tales and legends (McCoy 53). A perfect example of showing differences between Nature Spirits (for example-Elves) as helpers (to humans) and the Master Demon, Satan (as chaos oppressor)--and major Adversary of the Nature Spirits, is clearly (and most cleverly) illustrated and viewed through the animated film version of Cinderella (as produced by Walter Disney) from the original fairy tale. Especially when reading Edain McCoy's description of Elves, in her work, A Witch's guide to Fairy Folk. McCoy describes the following: Elves can spin cloth and make shoes and are known for aiding deserving humans in need. They have few enemies, the most noted being CATS. Occasionally, elves appear in nursery rhymes and fairy tales disguised...... as mice.

In Disney's version of Cinderella, she is constantly and consistently degraded, overworked (to exhaustion), and always promised something by her malevolent (and jealous) step-mother; yet Cinderella is used and abused by her step mother and step sisters (who can Only ever be described as yapping harpies), all the verbal promises offered to Cinderella are always recanted and used as a means to an end by her so called-family- to pull the proverbial rug out from beneath her. And The mother and sisters show no sort of remorse (or true compassionate humanity) which can be viewed as Disney showing they are ( or even worse) as nothing but baneful, vain, monsters. So, to go back the Edain McCoy's description of the symbolisms for the elves in fairy tales, it is clear for one to see that all of the kind and helpful mice are distinctly aiding the good hearted and genteel Cinderella all throughout the story. At the same time, however, Disney depicts the step- mother as having a cat companion. Under general audi- ence thought, most people would think, " Oh, she has a pet cat. That makes her an okay person...." But wait! When the cat is first introduced, what name does Disney give him? The Big, Lazy, Black, rebellious cat is called Lucifer. So, not only is the cat (figuratively) shown as the Adversary of the 'elvin' mice helpers of Cindrella; he is labeled distinctly as the Master Adversary of the entire Human Race. As well, Disney cleverly used the cat, Lucifer, in a more subtle (yet still insiduous) context within the film. By naming the cat Lucifer, Disney shows he means the cat to be a figure of chaos and rebellion, on and towards the 'helper' mice. Though also, in Disney's act of naming the cat after the Adversarial Angel, Lucifer--who rebelled against God--and was cast out of Heaven to be thrown down to the Earth, Disney also shows the black cat as a 'familiar' spirit who is companion and evil cohort to the step-mother of Cinderella. This appearance of cat, Lucifer as companion/cohort to the step-mother clearly depicts the puritanical image that any woman who was compan- ioned by a cat, dog, frog, ( or other strrange and unfamiliar animal), was instantly viewed as being a witch--and therefore-- "in league with the Devil, Lucifer."

It is interesting to note, however, that for subtly depicting the step-mother as witch, cat as the Devil, elves as mice, and even giving Cinderella a 'fairy godmother,' it could be presumed that for Disney, the mysterious and unexplained permeated his entire life; even from his family's historical, ancestors who lived (and died) during the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1600's. This intriguing part of the Disney family legacy can perhaps be significant in understanding Disney's creative bent in depicting creatures and magical beings in a number of film projects he gave approval for production on. The discovery is that the Disney family ancestors go back in history to the early 1600's (at least) to the infamous Judge of Salem, Mass; the Rev- erand, George Burroughs. Reverend/Judge George Burroughs was among those accused, By the Putnam family, of being in league with the Devil and practiced witchcraft; Burroughs was labeled and persecuted with public hanging on Gallows Hill, in 1692. (Biography Magazine, Page 49, 2004). So, it seems strange (and mysteriously unexplain able) that after eons and eons up to this present day, that Walter Disney would be a major public icon and philanthropist in his life time; and that his legacy to the world is known as: "The Magic Kingdom." Even today, such tv shows as Charmed, Smallville, Buffy the vampire slayer, and Supernatural have tip-toed into the world of fairy tales (and urban legends) and have focused on the very real idea that Spirits and demonic entities utilize the medium of such tales to reach out and connect with humans who grant them tentative belief (even if it's to perform an urban legend mythic ritual in jest as a practical joke). The concept of demons using fairy tales to gain strength from human victims is especially emphasized in the Buffy: the vampire slayer episode entitled: "Gingerbread." (season 3, episode 11).

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2500-year-old mummy found in Mongolia

An international group of archaeologists has unearthed a well-preserved, 2,500-year-old mummy frozen in the snowcapped mountains of Mongolia complete with blond hair, tattoos and a felt hat. The president of the German Archaeological Institute, Hermann Parzinger, hailed the "fabulous find" at a press conference to present the 28-member team's discovery in Berlin. The Scythian warrior was found in June at a height of 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) in the Altay Mountains in an intact burial mound or kurgan. Parzinger said the tomb was practically untouched when the team discovered it. "We just had to sweep away some dust and could begin," he said. Researchers said the most striking feature about the man was his light blond hair, which Parzinger acknowledged may have yellowed after his death. The man, who was apparently well-off, was cloaked in a beaver-skin coat with sable trim and sheep's wool lining that was in remarkably good condition, and still intact skin on his upper body revealed tattoos.

Two horses with elaborately decorated saddles and bridles, weapons and wooden, clay and animal horn vessels were placed in the tomb alongside the corpse to accompany the warrior into the next life. The recovered items are currently in storage in Ulan Bator. Parzinger said even the contents of the horses' stomachs would be examined to offer insights into the region's vegetation two centuries before Christ.