On out-of-body experiences
The idea of an untethered consciousness is something we can understand, even when we don't suppose it is found in nature
I was standing at the urinal in the brightly lit downstairs cloakroom at Lambeth Palace when I realised that to talk about the spiritual dimension of life is perfectly ridiculous – because the spiritual, disembodied dimension is where we live all the time. We can only get out of it with a deliberate effort. The physical dimension comes to us at second hand. Consciousness is the form in which experience comes to us. |  |
Vandals admit muffin-crystal-thingie assault at Serpent Mound
A group of “light warriors” buried what may be hundreds of small muffinlike resin objects, embedded with aluminum foil and quartz crystals, at Serpent Mound with the intent of realigning the energy of the ancient Native American site in Peebles.
The Ohio Historical Society and Adams County Sheriff K.R. Rogers haven’t arrested anybody yet in what they consider a serious vandalism case. But the people who apparently did it made it easy by laying out their actions in an extensive YouTube video where they acknowledge they “did some work” in September at the site in Adams County to help “lift the vibration of the Earth so we can all rise together.”. |  |
Quantum mystery of light revealed by new experiment
Is light made of waves, or particles?
This fundamental question has dogged scientists for decades, because light seems to be both. However, until now, experiments have revealed light to act either like a particle, or a wave, but never the two at once. Now, for the first time, a new type of experiment has shown light behaving like both a particle and a wave simultaneously, providing a new dimension to the quandary that could help reveal the true nature of light, and of the whole quantum world. |  |
People Can Learn to Sense With 'Rat's Whiskers' On Fingers
Rats use a sense that humans don't: whisking. They move their facial whiskers back and forth about eight times a second to locate objects in their environment. Could humans acquire this sense? And if they can, what could understanding the process of adapting to new sensory input tell us about how humans normally sense? At the Weizmann Institute, researchers explored these questions by attaching plastic "whiskers" to the fingers of blindfolded volunteers and asking them to carry out a location task.
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Sex Study: Macaques Avoid Bystanders, Competitors When Copulating
Just like humans, monkeys prefer to keep their private lives private--especially when it comes to sex, according to a new study from scientists at Utrecht University and the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands.
Other animals seem perfectly happy to do the nasty in public, so why exactly would monkeys prefer secrecy? The researchers suggested that the sneaky copulation happens to be opportunistic rather than intentional. That is, as males and females seek sex partners, they have a better chance of hooking up when there's no competition around to get in the way. |  |
When wild beasts roamed the UK
The Victorian period witnessed a huge surge in the number of exotic beasts in the towns and cities of England - as creatures were imported from the far reaches of the British Empire. But Victorians' enthusiasms for wild and dangerous animals had some very unpleasant consequences, says Prof John Simons.
If you were born in rural England in 1837 and never travelled more than a few miles from your home, you would have been surprisingly likely to see a hippopotamus before you died. The reign of Queen Victoria saw a surge in the construction of all manner of places where exotic animals could be viewed. |  |
Elephant personalities revealed by scientists
With their grey skin, mournful eyes and slow plodding gait, you could be forgiven for thinking elephants are uniformly melancholy creatures.
But scientists have now discovered the largest living land animals have personalities to match their size. In a new study of African elephants, researchers have identified four distinct characters that are prevalent with a herd – the leaders, the gentle giants, the playful rogues and the reliable plodders. |  |
Bhutan aims to be first 100% organic nation
NEW DELHI — The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, famed for seeking "happiness" for its citizens, is aiming to become the first nation in the world to turn its home-grown food and farmers 100 percent organic.
The tiny Buddhist-majority nation wedged between China and India has an unusual and some say enviable approach to economic development, centred on protecting the environment and focusing on mental well-being.
The tiny Buddhist-majority nation wedged between China and India has an unusual and some say enviable approach to economic development, centred on protecting the environment and focusing on mental well-being.
Temperatures may rise 6ºc by 2100, says study
The world is destined for dangerous climate change this century – with global temperatures possibly rising by as much as 6C – because of the failure of governments to find alternatives to fossil fuels, a report by a group of economists has concluded.
It will now be almost impossible to keep the increase in global average temperatures up to 2100 within the 2C target that scientists believe might avert dangerous and unpredictable climate change, according to a study by the accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
It will now be almost impossible to keep the increase in global average temperatures up to 2100 within the 2C target that scientists believe might avert dangerous and unpredictable climate change, according to a study by the accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The Climate Change Denier... The Voice Of Hurricane Sandy On Wikipedia
"All I am is a contributor. I have no title, I'm just a Joe Blow," says Ken Mampel, a currently unemployed 56-year-old living in Ormond Beach, Florida. He's also largely responsible for the Wikipedia article about Hurricane Sandy. If it isn't already, that article will eventually become the single most-viewed document about the hurricane. On the entire internet.
In an unpaid but frenzied fit of news consumption, editing, correction, aggregation, and citation, Mampel has established himself as by far the most active contributor to the Wikipedia page on Hurricane Sandy, with more than twice the number of edits as the next-most-active contributor at the time this article was written. And Mampel made sure that the Hurricane Sandy article, for four days after the hurricane made landfall in New Jersey, had no mention of "global warming" or "climate change" whatsoever. |  |
Superstorm Sandy triggers climate blame game
The floodwaters whipped up by Hurricane Sandy have not yet receded but the temperature is rising on one of the toughest questions in modern science: whether we're getting more extreme weather because of global warming.
Radical film-maker Michael Moore put it with characteristic bluntness. In a Tweet, he wrote: "Stop w/ the disaster porn and tell the America people the bitter truth: We have f***** up the environment & we are now paying the price." The governor of New York state, Andrew Cuomo, expressed it more politely: "Anyone who thinks there isn't a change in weather patterns is denying reality.". |  |
Laos approves Xayaburi 'mega' dam on Mekong
Laos has given the go-ahead to build a massive dam on the lower Mekong river, despite opposition from neighbouring countries and environmentalists.
A formal ceremony marking the start of full construction at Xayaburi would be held on Wednesday, the government said. Countries downstream from the $3.5bn (£2.2bn) dam fear it will affect fish stocks and the livelihoods of millions. |  |
Did Lucy Walk Too Slow for Her Taller Group Mates?
If you’re on the shorter end of the height spectrum, you know how frustrating it can be to take a stroll with someone who’s tall. At times, you might have to remind your companion to slow down, that your shorter legs can’t keep up. This might have been an even bigger problem for our famous ancestor, Lucy. Within the species Australopithecus afarensis, there was considerable variability in height and limb length, and different members of the species may have had vastly different preferences for walking speeds, new research suggests. How did our ancestors cope with such a dilemma?
The problem really became apparent in 2010 with the discovery of a partial A. afarensis skeleton, nicknamed “Big Man,” in Ethiopia. As his name suggests, the five-foot-tall Big Man was big, at least for an early hominid, and compared to the three-and-a-half-foot-tall Lucy. Big Man’s shin, for instance, was about 50 percent longer than that of Lucy’s—the sort of length difference you see today between a six-year-old child and a six-foot-tall man. But in Lucy and Big Man’s case, both individuals were adults, suggesting there was a large range of heights for A. afarensis. The variation might have been related to sex, with males being significantly taller than females. Or there might have been regional differences in A. afarensis size. Lucy and Big Man were both found in Ethiopia but at different sites. |  |
The Evolution of Creationism
Throughout history, people have sought to understand how the world came to be and how it has changed over time. This curiosity has produced a rich legacy of science and philosophy and impacted and influenced religion and theology. In the November 2012 issue of GSA Today, David Montgomery of the University of Washington examines both the history of geology and of biblical views regarding Earth's origins.
Montgomery's main premise is that throughout most of the past several hundred years, scientists and theologians engaged in extensive collaboration regarding issues like Earth's age and origin. The common bond that sustained this rich exchange of ideas was a respect for reason and a trust in the scientific process.
Montgomery's main premise is that throughout most of the past several hundred years, scientists and theologians engaged in extensive collaboration regarding issues like Earth's age and origin. The common bond that sustained this rich exchange of ideas was a respect for reason and a trust in the scientific process.
Seventh Century Eclipse marked the end of Mesoamerican Temple Site
During excavations at Pañhú, in Hidalgo Tecozautla, Mexico archaeologists uncovered a burned stucco floor. What they had found was evidence that the main pyramid had been deliberately ‘de-consecrated‘ and destroyed approximately 1350 years ago.
A global disaster
This deliberate act coincides with an astronomical occurrence which may have been interpreted by the Otomi people as warning of a global cataclysmic event.
One of the early complex cultures of Mesoamerica, the Otomi are suspected to be the original inhabitants of the central Mexican Altiplano before the arrival of Nahua people around 1000 CE.
A global disaster
This deliberate act coincides with an astronomical occurrence which may have been interpreted by the Otomi people as warning of a global cataclysmic event.
One of the early complex cultures of Mesoamerica, the Otomi are suspected to be the original inhabitants of the central Mexican Altiplano before the arrival of Nahua people around 1000 CE.
Missing gamma rays were abducted by light from the first stars
The first stars in the Universe were evidently cosmic hooligans, knocking electrons off atoms, making much of the hydrogen gas in interstellar space ionized. This reionization happened between the formation of the first atoms (about 380,000 years after the Big Bang) and some point roughly a billion years later. However, observations of this era are challenging, so the precise conditions of reionization are not well understood.
No methane, but evidence for a far thicker Martian atmosphere
The first tests for methane performed by Curiosity have come back negative. At least during the rover's first weeks on Mars, any methane present in the air above Gale Crater was at levels lower than five parts-per-billion. But the scientists studying the Martian atmosphere haven't come away disappointed. Detailed measurements of the isotopes present in the first samples indicate that the Martian atmosphere was once much thicker, which may help explain the past existence of liquid water on its surface.
UFO enthusiasts admit the truth may not be out there after all
For decades, they have been scanning the skies for signs of alien activity.
But having failed to establish any evidence for the existence of extraterrestrial life, Britain’s UFO watchers are reaching the conclusion that the truth might not be out there after all. Enthusiasts admit that a continued failure to provide proof and a decline in the number of “flying saucer” sightings suggests that aliens do not exist after all and could mean the end of “Ufology” – the study of UFOs – within the next decade. |  |
Idaho scientist seeks to launch aerial Bigfoot search with blimp
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - An Idaho scientist shrugging off skeptical fellow scholars in his quest for evidence of Bigfoot has turned his sights skyward, with plans to float a blimp over the U.S. mountain West in search of the mythic, ape-like creature.
Idaho State University has approved the unusual proposal of faculty member Jeffrey Meldrum, an anatomy and anthropology professor ridiculed by some peers for past research of a being whose existence is widely disputed by mainstream science.
Idaho State University has approved the unusual proposal of faculty member Jeffrey Meldrum, an anatomy and anthropology professor ridiculed by some peers for past research of a being whose existence is widely disputed by mainstream science.
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