Ancient Text Continues to Surprise

In 1906, a prayer book from the 14^th-Century was discovered to contain older text beneath the newer.  Researchers were stunned when they found that the earlier text belonged to mathematician, Archimedes, and politician, Hyperides.

But the prayer book, scribed by one John Myronas and called "The Archimedes Palimpset," had one more historical figure's musings to bear: It is most likely the writings of Alexander of Aphrodisias, writing on Aristotle's Categories.  Aristotle's Categories is the foundation of the study of logic in the Western world.

The reuse of writing materials was not uncommon in these times.  It is done by a process of literally rubbing the old text away and writing over it.  The most recent discovery was made through the use of "multispectral imaging."

This one book has revealed fundamental information on math, politics, and now philosophy!

Copyright C Harris Lynn, 2007-2008

Out of This World! - Super-Earth, France Releases X-Files, Hawking Flies

There's been a flurry of activity in and around our atmosphere this week and I didn't have the time to document it all as it happened, so I collected me a buncha these bookmarks and now I'm gonna lay it all down for you:

• Scientists have discovered a "super-Earth" near the Gliese star about 20.5 light-years from the Libra Constellation.  This is unrelated to the planet recently discovered in the Pegasus Constellation which they claim may also have water.  According to researchers, models suggest the planet should either be mountainous or oceanic.  The exoplanet is the smallest they've discovered yet and has been given the name, Gliese 581 C.
• France launched a website on which it has organized some 50+ years' worth of UFO (called ONVIs in France) reports, including scanned police reports.  The server crashed hours after the announcement due to high traffic.  The CNES handles over 1500 UFO or ONVI cases annually.  About 25% of these are labeled "Class D," meaning there is no official explanation.  About 10% of the total cases result in on-site investigations.
• Science maven, Stephen Hawking, went 0-G for up to 4 minutes yesterday in the "vomit comet."  He is hoping to go into space in 2009, when Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic starts.   It will take private citizens into space for a hefty sum -- about $200k!

© C Harris Lynn, 2007-08

Ancient Rainforest Discovered Underground

Coal miners in Danville, IL, are used to seeing a stray plant fossil here and there on the ceilings of their mines, but what they uncovered this time was far more than that.  Once the discovery's importance became obvious, they called in a revered paleobotanist from the UK and a curator of fossils from the Smithsonian.

All were astonished to find miles of ancient, fossilized rainforest, perfectly preserved in the coal mine.  Something they describe as "an artist's canvas painted in flat gray."  The rainforest existed about 300 million years ago and its remains cover approximately 4 square miles.   It's like looking at a snapshot of one of the world's first rainforests.

Scientists believe an earthquake about 300 million years ago dropped the rainforest under sea level and buried it with mud, preserving it forever, probably in a matter of months.  One of the scientists said some of the tree trunks were buried "in a flash."

Rise of the Machines

UK-based researchers are upset over a report which alluded to "robot rights" and claimed that one day, robots might demand the same rights as human workers -- such as housing and "robot health care."  Robotics engineers and other scientists called it "sensationalistic," where some in government roles say the reports were specifically commissioned to spark debate.

As autonomous, "decision-making" robots are increasingly used in ever more capacities, scientists warn about their militaristic and health care uses.  Already, a robotic sentry with a machinegun patrols the border between North and South Korea, and autonomous, robotic machines are used to monitor elderly patients' blood pressure and other vital signs.  Autonomous robots are already in use in homes, as well, with vacuum cleaners that decide on their own whether to clean a room or back to a base to recharge.

As one scientist put forth: Right now, we would blame the creator of a robot if it killed someone, but as the use of this technology increases and the manufacture of such machines becomes more and more automated in its own right (mass production), where will the responsibility lay in the future? 

And how far away is that future?

Ghost Ship Found

Authorities discovered an apparently abandoned yacht floating off the coast of Australia over the weekend.  Onboard, they found the engine running, a laptop computer still on, and place settings and food on the table, ready to be eaten.

What they didn't find was any sign of the crew.

The yacht left with a crew of three Sunday before last (April 15) and was destined for Townsville.  The radio still worked and all the sails were up, though one was badly torn.

Reports like this, while rare, are not unheard of.  The torn sail would seem to suggest bad weather or turbulence, but if it was enough to rip the sail and throw all three men overboard, it seems logical that it would have caused more damage.  It could mean that the mast tore loose, striking the entire crew and throwing them overboard in a tragic mishap, or (more likely) that all three were working on the torn sail when tragedy struck.

Rescue workers ended their search for the men yesterday (Sunday the 22^nd) due to medical experts' assertions that no man could survive that long in the open sea.

Perhaps not ironically, the History Channel ran a report on USOs (Unidentified Submerged Objects) earlier tonight.

One rescue worker spokesman said of the investigation that, "It was a bit strange."

Church Reverses Limbo Thinking

For years, Catholics have been taught that children are born with Original Sin and those babies who are not baptized go to Hell or exist perpetually in Limbo - a state of grace but without God. The new Pope has finally changed these teachings.

I'm not Catholic, but I've always disagreed with these sorts of guilt-ridden teachings so capitol to their beliefs. Speaking personally, if God is in fact like the one Catholicism teaches, I'm not sure I would follow Him. Catholicism teaches that He is hard and unforgiving - in short, they make Him sound rather cold, calloused, even cruel - why would you want to follow such a being?

At any rate, I completely agree with this decision. I suppose we are all born with Original Sin, but I also believe in a Father that Christ taught us about: forgiving and kind, wise and even-tempered. Sure, He can be angered and bring down His wrath upon those He deems deserving, but He is otherwise a kind of laid-back cat who understands that, as men, we mere mortals are fallible - even prone to making mistakes and Sin, in general.

Smart Dust

Scientists and others have discussed "smart dust" throughout the years and suggested many applications -- such as mixing them into concrete to monitor structure health, battlefield reconnaissance, and now planetary exploration.

Dr. John Barker of the University of Glasgow presented details to attendees of the National Astronomy Meeting.  By using an electronic charge, polymer sheathings over dust-sized circuitry could change shape, allowing the controller to "steer" or direct it to certain points.  The particles would be carried on the wind and by wrinkling or smoothing their covering, they could be steered and even "swarmed," which would allow them to pass information to one another and even make formations which could broadcast the data back to another point (such as the space station or Earth).

This reminded me of the many UFO reports of smaller UFOs which come together to form one object.  Obviously, these reports involve objects much larger than dust particles and the objects are far more directional than suggested here for "smart dust."  These UFOs also suggest some independent means of propulsion, but the concept of "swarming" made me think of this first-off.

Fewer Leaves Led to Frogs' Decline

Now We Know What Happened to Pepe!

Scientists working in Costa Rica have come to a startling conclusion as to the decline of the frogs' species in the region after studying 35+ years' worth of data: Fewer leaves on the ground seem to be the cause.

A fungal infection was previously assumed to be the culprit, but scientists noticed that the population of lizards who were immune to the infection were also in decline.  Amphibians have declined by up to 75% since 1970, yet scientists insist there is no human cause-effect relationship -- such as the destruction of their habitat by encroaching industrial efforts.  This percentage in decline directly correlated with the decline in leaf litter on the ground, which provides the creatures with both food and shelter.

The new suspect?

Global warming.

UPDATE:  "Global Warming" or -- as we Old Folk were taught to call it --"The Greenhouse Effect," is a very real, and very direct, by-product of Industrial pollution -- specifically, fossil fuel consumption and the eradication of millions of miles of trees and foliage (especially in tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon).  The "Scientific Community" refuses to acknowledge this because they are intellectually dishonest, and corrupt to the core; they would rather soak-up "free" grant money (that we taxpayers are forced to provide to further such MISO) than stand-up to the corporate giants responsible.  The few who do often wind-up featured on this blog as dead or missing.

However, there are some (too few) within the scientific community who refuse to be terrorized into silence and submission.  They never receive "mainstream" coverage but, once again, they do receive coverage on The OddBlog.  Then they wind-up dead or missing (so we get two posts out of the deal).

Fewer leaves on the ground means fewer trees, not "Global Warming."  That's common sense -- which is why mainstream "scientists" can't seem to figure that out.  We hope they enjoy cashing the checks we (and the oil companies) provide. - 2018

Sea Lion Attacks Surfer Girl

A sea lion leapt from the sea and attacked a 13-year old girl who was surfing behind a speedboat. The girl is in stable condition, but suffered a broken jaw and lost three teeth in the attack, which was apparently unprovoked.

Sea lions are known to be dangerous if provoked, but are not known to attack humans. In fact, they are known to generally avoid humans altogether, unless their territory is trespassed; sea lions are fiercely territorial. The animals can grow up to 800 pounds.

Some experts think the sea lion might have been trying to play with the girl, but I think not. There was a spate of sea lion attacks last year and I believe the reason is very simple: as their living areas are being industrialized and growing smaller, they are coming to see humans as trespassers and enemies to be attacked.

I'm still unclear as to how exactly the attack occurred if the girl was surfing behind a speedboat, unless it was going extremely slow. Witnesses said it was a "full-on frontal attack" and experts called the incident "bizarre."

Explanation of Absence

I realize that I don't post here as often as I should, but let's face it: the mainstream press rarely covers the paranormal and a lot of the cases I could delve into have been covered in depth elsewhere. I have a lot to talk about still, but it comes in waves. My interest in the subject never changes, but it wanes from time to time and here lately, too much IRL has kept me busy.

If you read any of the other blogs, you know that The Wording got hacked about a week ago and I lost literally everything on there. Everything. I had to go through Google cache to copy and paste the posts I'd made and then edit the timestamp to reflect the date on which they were originally posted. Google may have the blog listed as having duplicate content now, since the links have changed, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. This has taken basically all week and I'm nowhere near finished yet. I haven't even started in on customizing the template!

But the good thing that came of this is that it got me back into what it is I'm supposed to be doing. While there have been a lot of setbacks along the way, I know that no matter whatever else is going on, something's always going to come up...

The modem goes down, the new one doesn't work. I get one that works, but the driver keeps crashing my box. I can go to the library to get online, but my car won't start. I get my car working, but the library has changed their hours. The list goes on.

And while these are real things and not just excuses, the simple fact of the matter is that something is always going to go on that can keep me from my goal(s) - if I let them. And I'm just not going to anymore.

So do me a favor and check this here little blog into your bookmarks and tell your friends. At the very least, you can expect at least 3-4 posts a week from here out. There will be gaps of course, but I think that's a pretty good pace and one I can stick to.

Also, if you like what you see here, make sure to add us to your blog, website, personal profile, and so on. Help us get the word out and that'll bring more interaction, which we'll all enjoy!

Water on Distant Planet

Scientists are ecstatic over having discovered what they think is evidence of water on a distant planet. The planet, termed HD209458b, resides in the Pegasus constellation, some 150 light years from Earth. Many planets assumed to possess water are simply too close to the sun to be studied.

Telescopic technologies under development seek to determine whether or not water actually does exist on this, and other, planets. They work by measuring the lightwaves and other phenomena scientists hope will help them prove that water, gases such as Oxygen and Methane, and even Chlorophyll (need for plants and vegetation) actually exist on this and other planets.

HD209458b, along with other planets, belongs in a categorization of planetary bodies known as "hot Jupiters," which are very close to their stars.

More Korean Cloning Claims

A South Korean scientific team led by Lee Byeong-Chun, a former collaborator of disgraced scientist, Hwang Woo-suk, claims to have cloned wolves. They claim to have cloned two wolves - one named Snuwolf and another named Snuwolffy. The matter is being investigated by authorities from the university which sponsors the team.

A few years back, Hwang Woo-suk, something of a scientific "rock star," claimed to have successfully cloned a dog. His claims, research, and program were discovered to be fake and he was publicly disgraced. The wolf cloning team is suspected of using false data to inflate their claims. The team gave incorrect details in a table analysing the mitochondrial DNA sequence of the wolves and their surrogate mother dogs. Seoul National University's Committee on Research Integrity has secured blood and cell samples from the animals for testing. The university says it was notified about the possible fraud by a source they refused to identify.

Lee's team has successfully cloned dogs in the past, so there may be room for inadvertent errors in the data, even if that data inflates their success rate. Hwang is facing fraud, embezzlement, and ethics charges.

Century-Old Fish Caught off Alaskan Coastline!

A Seattle-based trawler pulled up 70 tons of pollack and 10 rock fish back in March. One of the latter was 44" long and weighed in at 60 pounds. Scientists estimate her age at between 90 and 115 years. But while she may be the oldest, she's not the largest; the largest on record was 47" long.

They determined the age by removing an earbone, known as the otolith, which contains growth rings similar to those in tree trunks. The contents of the fish's stomach were also examined, and one scientist said, "The belly was large. The ovaries were full of developing embryos."

Mystery Illness Psychological?

About 600 of the 1400 girls who attend the Villa de las Ninas school outside Mexico City have been stricken by a mysterious disease authorities say is "80% psychological." The girls apparently complained of harsh treatment and heavy discipline. The most significant symptoms include nausea and difficulty walking.

Authorities seem to insist this strict environment is what is causing this "mystery illness." Mother Superior Margie Cheong denied the allegations, but admitted she should have informed parents of the illness earlier. It first started appearing in the students last October. She said she would take responsibility if authorities decide this strict discipline is the crux of the matter.

Now, when I was a kid, the principal of my elementary school put a stoplight in the cafeteria. True story. It was wired for sound. See, the cafeteria had become really, really loud and the teachers and at least some of the students were constantly complaining about the noise, so this was his solution. Unfortunately for me, I happened to be blamed for talking two days in a row when I honestly was not! I forget what the punishment was, but it was based on a three-strikes rule and I'm pretty sure the result was corporal in nature. Of course, my stomach - quite literally - got tied in knots. It was so bad that I couldn't even go to school for a few days! So the idea that this mystery illness is psychological in nature holds some water.

But in a totally unrelated article, Japanese scientists have determined that some strains of flu are showing amazing resistance to powerful, and widely-used, anti-flu drugs. This got me to wondering if maybe these young women weren't being afflicted by something of that nature. Of course, I have no idea what the other symptoms are, nor any other details aside from those I gave you, but it's food for thought.

Rare Striped Rabbit Spotted

The Sumatran striped rabbit - one of the rarest species in the known world - has been captured on film for the first time since 2000. The species, also known as nesolagus netscheri, has only been spotted three times in the last 35 years. It was photographed in the Bukit Barisan National Park on the island of Sumatra in January.

Back in 1999, a second species of striped rabbit was discovered in the mountains between Laos and Vietnam. They named the species the Annamite Striped Rabbit. Samples revealed that while the species were distinct, they were related and probably separated about 8 million years ago.

Joan of Arc Remains Fakery

Tests have shown that remains found in a Parisian Pharmacy attic in the early 1900s, purported to hold the remains of Joan of Arc, are faked. The remains actually came from mummified remains far older than the 15^th-Century (when Joan of Arc lived and was burned at the stake for heresy and witchcraft).

The mummified remains were of Egyptian mummies from the 3^rd to 6^th -Centuries, including a mummified cat bone. It was common practice for people to throw black cats into the pyres of supposed witches. The remains were recognized as sacred by the Church, but new tests have shown they could not have belonged to France's heroine, canonized in 1920.

Mummies were often used in medicines in Europe from Medieval times onward, generally to combat long periods, blood-related problems, and stomach pains. No one knows why the remains were considered to be from Joan of Arc - whether it was an honest mistake or (most likely) a hoax - but money is not thought to be the issue; actually, the most popular theory is that it was faked for religious purposes, possibly to increase the importance of beatification.