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Most Distant "Icy Planetoid" in Our Solar System Has A Most Baffling Orbit - "How it got there in such an eccentric orbit that comes as close as 76 astronomical units to our sun and goes all the way out to nearly 1000 astronomical units away is a complete mystery! There might still be something else out there causing this object's peculiar orbit." Brian Marsden, Director, Minor Planet Center, Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory The new "icy planetoid" or comet object, is unofficially called "Sedna," the Inuit goddess who created Arctic sea creatures. It is very red in color and estimated to be 3/4 the size of Pluto. It travels in a very bizarre elliptical orbit that takes it from about 8 billion to 84 billion miles from Earth beyond the Kuiper Belt of icy objects and near the edge of the Oort Cloud, the source of comets. At those distances, the planetoid takes at least 10,500 years to complete one revolution around the sun. Image credit: Graphics courtesy of NASA and Cal Tech and Michael Brown. Full Story at Earthfiles.com
War of the Words: Scientist Attacks Alien Claims - Astronomer Philip Plait is tired of radio personality Richard Hoagland's claims. He's had enough of Hoagland's assertions that NASA is covering up evidence of extraterrestrial life, that the infamous Face on Mars was built by sentient aliens and, of late, that otherworldly machine parts are embedded in the red planet's dirt And then there's the mile-long translucent Martian worm. On Hoagland's web site, there are several images from various space probes said to possibly show evidence for ET. Recent Mars rover photos include not just rocks, Hoagland and other contributors maintain, but common objects that might tell of alien civilization -- a bowl, a stove, a piston. Hoagland has since 1983, he says, led "an outside scientific team in a critically acclaimed independent analysis of possible intelligently-designed artifacts" on other worlds, using spacecraft data from NASA and other missions. Plait, author of "Bad Astronomy" (Wiley & Sons, 2002), which debunks space myths and common factual misconceptions, had for years not countered Hoagland directly, because he did not want to give a man he calls a "pseudoscientist" the "air time that he so desperately seeks." But last week Plait took his intellectual gloves off. Full Story
Cures for the Pharaoh - The Sakakini Palace in Cairo is currently undergoing restoration prior to being turned into a medical museum. Jill Kamil traces Egypt's medical heritage The idea of turning the palatial home of a pasha into a Medical Museum was initiated when a grandson of the original owner, himself a doctor, donated his inherited share of the Sakakini Palace to the Ministry of Health. Following lengthy deliberations it was decided to convert it into a museum devoted to the development of medicine from the time of the pharaohs through to the present day. This project is now underway and a book by one of Egypt's most distinguished physicians, Nabil I Ebeid, goes a long way towards explaining what can be expected. Egyptian Medicine in the Days of the Pharaohs, published five years ago by the General Egyptian Book Organisation, is a valuable compendium. A comprehensive yet concise study of pharaonic medicine, it reveals the art of healing in early times and the high levels of perfection it reached. As we shall see, it concerns much more than just mummies. Full Story
Early UK springs become 'normal' - The effects of climate change mean there is increasing acceptance by Britons of spring arriving early, scientists say. They believe people are more and more accustomed to seeing spring flowers at the New Year, and other signs of warm weather several weeks before usual. Launching National Science Week, they said the premature arrival of spring displayed Nature's growing confusion. They also urged scientists to reach out to people and invite them to discuss the issues which were worrying them. The Woodland Trust and the British Association for the Advancement of Science are together running one project linked to the week, Spring into Science. Full story
New artificial blood shows promise - Numerous past attempts to develop synthetic blood have failed because doctors got the basic science wrong, claim a handful of researchers. This week it was announced that a blood substitute based on their alternative theories is looking promising in an early trial. Developing a suitable blood substitute for people has been a major effort for decades. An artificial blood would relieve shortages and prevent patients being infected by contaminated supplies. Ideally, it could be given to anyone without triggering rejection, so accident victims could be given transfusions immediately without testing to see what blood group they are. And a long-lasting form that does not need to be kept cold would be ideal for use in disasters, wars and remote areas. But company after company has worked on substitutes only to abandon their efforts because of safety concerns. Most blood substitutes are based on various forms of haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in most animals. The guiding principles are that artificial blood should be thinner than real blood, so that it circulates easily, and have a low affinity for oxygen, so that it releases oxygen easily. In the past decade, initial trials of several substitutes looked promising. But it turned out many had a disastrous effect - they made capillaries collapse, shutting off the oxygen supply to tissues. Full Story
NASA Announces 10th Planet "Sedna"- It was first seen by astronomers using California's Mount Palomar Observatory, and has been given the name "Sedna" after the Inuit goddess of the ocean. Observations show it measures about 1,180-2,360km (730-1,470 miles) across, making it similar in size to Pluto. Astronomers now say they have evidence that Sedna has its own moon, although this needs to be confirmed, and is also very red in colour. There is likely to be some debate about whether it qualifies as a true planet, but some scientists are already saying it re-defines our Solar System. Sedna, or 2003 VB12, as it was originally designated, is the most distant object yet found orbiting our Sun. It is three times further away than Pluto (average distance to the Sun is 5.9 billion km or 3.6 billion miles). It was discovered using the Mt Palomar facility in November by astronomers from the California Institute of Technology, Yale Observatory and the Gemini Observatory. Dr Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, US, leader of the research team that found the body, said he did not believe it was a true planet. Veiw the Press Release at Spitzer.com More Images and information at Spitzer.com & Source: NASA.gov BBC
FBI adds to wiretap wish list - A far-reaching proposal from the FBI, made public Friday, would require all broadband Internet providers, including cable modem and DSL companies, to rewire their networks to support easy wiretapping by police. The FBI's request to the Federal Communications Commission aims to give police ready access to any form of Internet-based communications. If approved as drafted, the proposal could dramatically expand the scope of the agency's wiretap powers, raise costs for cable broadband companies and complicate Internet product development. Legal experts said the 85-page filing includes language that could be interpreted as forcing companies to build back doors into everything from instant messaging and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) programs to Microsoft's Xbox Live game service. The introduction of new services that did not support a back door for police would be outlawed, and companies would be given 15 months to make sure that existing services comply. Because the eavesdropping scheme has the support of the Bush administration, the FCC is expected to take it very seriously. Last month, FCC Chairman Michael Powell stressed that "law enforcement access to IP-enabled communications is essential" and that police must have "access to communications infrastructure they need to protect our nation."Full Story
Whitley Strieber speaks out on his latest experience- Journey to Another World
As evening fell last February 16, we were driving across west Texas toward San Antonio, still about four hundred miles out. We were at a point where we could stay on IH-10 or turn off and take the old road, Highway 90, into the city.
At that point, a sequence of events began that would end with a close encounter experience, or rather, a meeting, in the tiny town of Marathon, Texas, some time after midnight on the 17th. I will start out by saying that I still donÂ’t know what the visitors are. In fact, this experience has probably raised more new questions than it has closed old ones. But it was an extraordinary experience that left me in a phenomenal state that, while it lasted, was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Read it at Unknown Country
Hunt for 'dinosaur' on volcanic island - Port Moresby: Reports a live dinosaur had been sighted on a volcanic island of Papua New Guinea prompted the deployment of heavily-armed police in search of the mystery creature. Villagers in the superstitious island province of East New Britain this week said they fled in terror after seeing a three-metre tall, grey-coloured creature with a head like a dog and a tail like a crocodile. They said the creature was living among thick green plants in a mosquito-ridden marsh just outside the provincial capital Kokopo, near the devastated town of Rabaul which was buried by a volcanic eruption in 1994. Eyewitness Christine Samei told reporters she ran for her life after seeing a three-metre tall, grey creature with a head like a dog and a tail like a crocodile which was as fat as a 900-litre water tank. Although police found no trace of the creature, Senior Sergeant Leuth Nidung warned villagers to take extra precautions when going about their daily business, amid reports it had eaten three dogs. Full Story
Bizarre Therapy Leads To $7.35M Malpractice Settlement - CHICAGO -- A woman who alleged she was put under drug-induced hypnosis and then convinced she was part of a satanic cult has settled her medical malpractice lawsuit, her attorney said.A Cook County judge approved the settlement Tuesday in Gale's lawsuit against psychiatrist Dr. Bennett Braun, two of his colleagues and two Chicago area hospitals, said Todd Smith, Gale's attorney. The settlement brings closure to the "almost two decades of her life consumed by this extraordinarily bizarre therapy," he said.But no amount of money will bring back nearly 12 years of Gale's life that she says were completely ruined by her psychiatrist. Over the course of those 12 years, Gale was hospitalized 18 separate times but only got worse. "I can never get back those years," said Gale, 52. She was admitted to Rush North Shore Medical Center (pictured) in 1986 and placed under Braun's care for a common depression. "I tried different antidepressants; I was just getting more and more depressed," Gale said. But rather than fixing the problem, Gale says Braun and his team made it worse. They reportedly convinced Gale during drug-induced hypnosis that she was repressing abuse from her childhood, that she had killed a young boy and that she would die if she contacted her family. Gale says Braun told her that her family was involved in a cult and that one of her personalities was participating in it. "I was convinced I was what was called a breeder, that my job was to have babies for their use," Gale said.Full Story
Other News
YOU'LL KNOW IT'S TRUE WHEN IT HAPPENS TO YOU - "Next week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case to decide whether or not all Americans must have identification on them at all times. The case has been brought by a cowboy in Nevada who was asked to show ID while leaning against his pickup truck on the side of the road near his ranch. The police officer did not offer any specific reason why he demanded proof of identity. Having committed no crime, Dudley Hiibel, the cowboy, refused -- and was arrested. He was later convicted for "Delaying a Peace Officer." In America, still a free country, citizens should not be required to provide identification papers at any whim of the authorities. " ("Your Papers, Please", published February 23, The Washington Times.) Full Story
Agency initiates steps for selective draft - WASHINGTON -- The government is taking the first steps toward a targeted military draft of Americans with special skills in computers and foreign languages. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is adamant that he will not ask Congress to authorize a draft, and officials at the Selective Service System, the independent federal agency that would organize any conscription, stress that the possibility of a so-called "special skills draft" is remote. Nonetheless, the agency has begun the process of creating the procedures and policies to conduct such a targeted draft in case military officials ask Congress to authorize it and the lawmakers agree to such a request. "Talking to the manpower folks at the Department of Defense and others, what came up was that nobody foresees a need for a large conventional draft such as we had in Vietnam," said Richard Flahavan, a spokesman for the Selective Service System. "But they thought that if we have any kind of a draft, it will probably be a special skills draft." Full Story
In the face of medical naysayers, Crohn’s sufferer takes different treatment - NORCROSS In November 2000, Norcross attorney Thomas Lenzer had only one goal — to live through Christmas. Today, he feels fine, and attributes it all to drinking water. Lenzer, 48, was diagnosed 20 years ago with Crohn’s disease, an incurable illness that causes chronic intestinal inflammation. Most of the time, it affected his immune system, and going outside during the high-pollen spring and summer months would trigger massive allergic attacks. But that Thanksgiving, his symptoms had flared out of control. He could hardly eat, he couldn’t get out of bed, his weight dropped to 105 pounds and his intestines had inflamed to the size of a cantaloupe. “I knew at that point I was dying,” Lenzer said. “I was trying to survive through Christmas, because I thought it would be a terrible thing for my family to deal with at Christmas.” With nothing to lose, Lenzer turned to alternative treatments. He cut red meat out of his diet, went to an acupuncturist and started drinking a gallon or more of water each day. And more than three years later, his Crohn’s disease symptoms are gone. He attributes his rapid turnaround mostly to a book he heard about on a late-night radio show, “Coast to Coast AM,” which regularly features guests like the director of the Office of Paranormal Investigation and crop circle researchers. Full Story
Pagans Banished From Australian Pub- POSTED: 10:28 a.m. EST March 11, 2004 UPDATED: 10:51 a.m. EST March 11, 2004 SYDNEY, Australia -- You expect a few spills in a bar -- but not spells. An Australian pub owner has given a group of pagans the boot for casting spells in his joint. Tony Green owns the Greenwood Hotel in Sydney. He said the PaganPages would come to his place once a month and even bring a small cauldron with them. According to Green, other drinkers accused the pagans of casting spells. But Suzanne Maxim, the pagans' organizer, said they weren't practicing any magic, black or otherwise, in the bar.Source: WFTV
Do we really use only 10 percent of our brains?-Whenever I venture out of the Ivory Tower to deliver public lectures about the brain, by far the most likely question I can expect as the talk winds up is, "Do we really only use 10 percent of our brains?" The look of disappointment that usually follows when I say it isn't so strongly suggests that the 10-percent myth is one of those hopeful shibboleths that refuses to die simply because it would be so darn nice if it were true. I'm sure none of us would turn down a mighty hike in brainpower if it were attainable, and a seemingly never-ending stream of crackpot schemes and devices continues to be advanced by hucksters who trade on the myth. Always on the lookout for a "feel-good" story, the media have also played their part in keeping the myth alive.Full Article
