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• Soviet war veteran found in Afghanistan after 33 years, living as a nomad and practicing herbal medicine.
• Lockheed's Skunk Works promises fusion power in four years. Easy to promise when you've had the alien technology since 1947 dudes.
• Want to find aliens? Look for the interstellar garbage trail.
• New radiation belt observed around the Earth, until a solar shock wave wiped it out.
• FBI investigates UFO drone sighting over New York City.
• This wireless brain implant could make telekinesis a reality.
• Ancient Egyptian pyramid boat hreatened by sewage burst. I bet Khufu never imagined his boat would be sailing on a sea of poo 5000 years in the future.
• Grotesque mummy head reveals advanced medieval science. Hopefully not by suddenly talking.
• Inside Sony’s research into possible business uses for E.S.P.
• Arxiv.org paper: "Probing the statistical properties of unknown texts: application to the Voynich Manuscript.
• Our established picture of the universe is supremely successful – maybe because most of it is completely made up.
• Letter to the Editor: James Randi, and the skeptic religion.
• Why 'survival of the fittest' is wrong. Just in case Randi is reading…
• New scientific paper: "Signs of increased cortical hyperexcitability selectively associated with spontaneous anomalous bodily experiences in a nonclinical population".
• Does a reading From a psychic medium help relieve grief?
• Psychic clairvoyant found guilty of sexually assaulting eight women and children.
• Hubble spots a space invader.

Quote of the Day:

We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance.

John Wheeler

I'm getting great feedback on my primer exploring the topics in the next Dan Brown book, Inside Dan Brown's Inferno. Grab a copy for $2.99 and help this site keep its head above water.

• Archaeological evidence of previously unknown ancient civilisation in Saudi Arabian desert.
• For rent: three bedroom house, solid construction, glorious hallway, large Sphinx on the front porch, situated on the edge of Cairo.
• Panel of scientists say a comet didn't kill Clovis culture in the Americas 15,000 years ago.
• Are popular scientists becoming modern day preachers?
• Locust plague in Egypt. I think we all know how this ends.
• Did adorable little bunnies kill off Neanderthals?
• American bees suffer colony collapse as well.
• Consciousness signature warns of awareness during surgery.
• New book suggests return from death is possible.
• The positive impact of dreams of the dead upon the bereaved.
• Are floating airships the future of aviation? But how will we tell them from the genuine UFOs?
• Sending postcards for aliens. "Wish you were here (please don't farm us)!"
• "Elves Blew His Mind". Mike Jay reviews Oliver Sacks' Hallucinations.
• Cottingley fairy cottage sold.
• This week's Binnall of America podcast interview is with Ardy Sixkiller Clarke, who shares her research into American Indian experiences with UFOs and ETs.
• How the occult fueled innovation in music and art.
• How safe is transcranial magnetic stimulation?
• James Randi responds to Social Darwinism controversy.
• James Randi and Social Darwinism revisited.
• Burning the mean and disparaging Skeptic straw man.
• Why the Pope really quit: 'The Filth' that inhabits the Vatican.

Thanks BadEye and RPJ.

Quote of the Day:

Oh dear Pan and all the other Gods of this place, grant that I may be beautiful inside. Let all my external possessions be in friendly harmony with what is within.

Plato

I'm not sure what I expected of Amazon, but it certainly wasn't this.

• Shoes deliberately hidden in an ancient Egyptian temple leave archaeologists baffled.
• The Holocaust just got more shocking.
• The true-life horror that inspired Moby Dick.
• The lost tribes of the Amazon.
• Amazon rainforest tribe at centre of new cultural storm.
• The shocking savagery of America's early history. The Barbarous Years by Bernard Bailyn is available at Amazon US/Kindle & UK/Kindle.
• In the 1890s, an Illinois naturalist collected 109 species of wild bees. Today's scientists can only find 54.
• Could disappearing wild insects trigger a global crop crisis?
• Crawl space: Invasive ant armies clash on US soil.
• World's sexiest octopus - and its 1991 discoverer - ostracized by biologists.
• Hearing voices.
• Most common psychiatric disorders share genetic roots.
• Melbourne researchers uncover HIV's genetic hiding place.
• The US spends more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined: Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain and Australia. Why exactly are the bills so high?
• Cosmic Fuggedaboudit: Dark Matter May Not Exist At All.
• Asteroid behind Russian blast crossed Earth's orbit regularly for thousands of years, but its most-recent approach couldn't have been detected by ground-based optical telescopes.
• Spyware installed on computers leased from furniture renter Aaron's Inc. secretly sent 185,000 emails containing sensitive information — including photos of nude children and people having sex — back to the company's corporate computers.
• Amazon's human robots.

Quote of the Day:

'The real power, the power we have to fight for night and day, is not power over things, but over men.' He paused, and for a moment assumed again his air of a schoolmaster questioning a promising pupil: 'How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?'

Winston thought. 'By making him suffer,' he said.

'Exactly. By making him suffer. Obedience is not enough. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery is torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always -- do not forget this, Winston -- always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- for ever.'

George Orwell, 1984

"Time is nature's way to keep everything from happening all at once."

• From matter to antimatter.
• The edge of the universe.
• Planetary birth, witnessed.
• X-rays reveal secrets of black hole.
• Black hole hits speed of light.
• Radiation belt around earth intrigues lab-coats.
• Wilbur offers evidence of telepathy. More.
• World War Sea?
• World War Bee?
• You monkeys only think you’re running things.
• Taking the piss out of climate change.
• An Inconvenient Truth gains traction thanks to new study.
• The next pandemic?
• Sahara sands linked to Sierra Nevada snow.
• Surviving T-Rex.
• One hat to spell them all.
• Printable cars.
• Scannable tattoos.
• Invention removes oreo creme… Proof some people just want to watch the world burn.
• The elegance of space telescopes.
• This week’s proof of the pending robo-revolution... 4D ‘bots ‘make themselves’.

Quote of the Day:

“In order to more fully understand this reality, we must take into account other dimensions of a broader reality.”

Raymond K. Cummings and John A. Wheeler

Pope resigns, Bigfoot turns out to be Chewbacca, and Dennis Rodman starts his career as a diplomatic ambassador. Somebody had better stop messing with the Irony algorithm in the Matrix!

• The Honey-martians: Millionaire Dennis Tito plans to send woman & man to the Red planet.
• Monster black-hole's spin revealed for the 1st time. Here's the appropriate soundtrack for this sort of news.
• Retired Montreal psychology professor is pretty convinced aliens --as in UFOs-- exist. UFOs, ETs, and Alien Abductions: A Scientist Looks at the Evidence [Amazon US & UK]
• "When you see this again, you will know it is time." Abdcutee Lucretia Heart shares some of her memories.
• Randall Carlson on Red Ice Radio, talking about cosmic patterns & sacred architecture.
• Stéphane Hessel, writer and inspiration behind Occupy movement, dies at 95. May he found no more cause for outrage at the other side.
• Behold! The 3d-printed car.
• Frankensparrow: Dead bird 're-animated' with off-the-shelf robotics.
• Carnivorous plants glow to attract prey. Why am I thinking of NDEs right now?
• Dark Matters Radio interview with Jerry Wills: Ingo Swann, psychic healing & giant mummies.
• Almost 40 years ago, the discovery of Mungo Man radically rewrote Australian aboriginal history.
• Melba Ketchum's paper cites April fools' joke as reference. That's a big-ass Sasquatch nest she's made, & sooner or later she's gonna have to sleep in it.
• Alleged screens from the secretive Erickson project show 'clearest face of Bigfoot yet'. So now we know: Patterson shot first.
• Frost shadows is Nature's way to keep you cheerful during the winter.
• Titanic replica could set sail by 2016. You know why it's gonna be a success? Because by then there won't be any icebergs left!
• Red Pill of the Day: Beware of good-will sweaters, for they may contain foul demons!

Thanks to Susan, Bojan & Rick.

Quote of the Day:

"To create is to resist, to resist is to create."

~Stéphane Hessel (1917-2013)

Enjoy.

• The Society for Psychical Research celebrates 130 years of parapsychology.
• Eben Alexander's Proof of Heaven: The Movie, coming soon (Amazon/Kindle). Hopefully in 3D!
• Long cloaked in mystery, the owls are exactly what they seem.
• Ardy Sixkiller Clarke discusses Native American encounters with star people (Amazon/Kindle).
• Soviet X-Files exposed: telepathic communication with extraterrestrial visitors?
• The Science Channel's new series Are We Alone? looks at how we'd react to an alien invasion. It'll be more Paul than Independence Day.
• In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed there are hidden flying saucers at Nevada's Papoose Dry Lake.
• Retired psychology professor convinced 'beyond a reasonable doubt' that aliens exist.
• Gods of the Hunt: legends of mysterious slant-eyed giants in America.
• Evolution of the Werewolf Archetype, from Ovid to JK Rowling.
• Robert Tindall on The Shamanic Odyssey: visionary experiences in Homer & Tolkien (Amazon/Kindle).
• Hidden for 400 years, secret chamber inside a cupboard leads to a masonic Narnia.
• Dream tigers in the cathedral: is isomorphy a better term than synchronicity?
• The Shadow of Ecstasy: why the Wildwood Tarot's Five of Cups is a wee bit different (US/UK).
• Psychedelic Science 2013: MAPS aims high with a conference in April.
• Wade Davis: gorgeous photos of a backyard wilderness worth saving.
• Cattus Ite Domum! 2000-year-old brick made in Roman Britian has cat paw imprints.

Cheers RPJ & David Metcalfe.

Quote of the Day

All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.

Victor Hugo

Take a sneak peek at the topics in Dan Brown's next book. Renaissance and Florence and mystery schools, oh my!

• How the CIA used a fake sci-fi movie to rescue Americans from Tehran (and has now spawned a real-life Oscar-winning movie). The 2007 Wired article that started it all. Also: Argo artefacts.
• But former President Jimmy Carter disputes the historical accuracy of the film, and goes into bat for Canada, saying 90% of the credit for the operation should go to them.
• Could a comet hit Mars in 2014?
• 1 kilogram piece of the Russian meteorite discovered.
• How to measure the power of an alien civilisation using the Kardashev scale.
• You've been saucer-spied.
• Next-generation tattoos let you control objects with your mind.
• Body suit gives you real-life 'spidey sense'. And hopefully attracts Kirsten Dunst in a wet t-shirt as well...
• Are you in danger of spontaneously combusting?
• Loch Ness Monster hunt continues, 80 years on.
• Spanking the skeptics.
• Moscow psychic detained by police over photo-model serial killings.
• Is World War II responsible for our fascination with the zombie apocalypse?
• Seven obscure, remote and super-geeky military bases. Thule Air Base would be a great starting title for a World War II/Nazi alternative history novel.
• Eight unforgettable examples of land art.
• Holy Jesus in a bird dropping!
• Image of the Day: A fly wearing spectacles. Eat your heart out Bono.

Quote of the Day:

Science and religion are not at odds. Science is simply too young to understand

Dan Brown

Help keep this site running, and get yourself a fun book for just $2.99. Everybody wins!

• Long-lost continent found under the Indian Ocean.
• Bees can sense the electric fields of flowers.
• Could human language have evolved from birdsong? And does Twitter therefore complete the cycle?
• Dan Brown encodes Pi into the release date of his new book.
• Does fear drive children's paranormal experiences?
• Does prophecy work?
• Attack of the Martian tree spiders.
• Declassified: America's secret flying saucer.
• Bigfoot DNA researcher uses April Fools Joke paper as a reference.
• Human skulls found near Mexico City baffle archeologists (video).
• Claims of possible burial tomb discovered in Machu Picchu.
• Ancient chompers were healthier than ours.
• All DNA leads to Rome: one million Brits are descended from ancient Romans.
• David Lynch is back…as a guru of transcendental meditation.
• What our brains can teach us.
• Mass fainting: eleven people faint during Catholic Mass.
• Japan's suicide volcano.
• The amazing story of the $300 glasses that correct colour-blindness.
• 130 years of parapsychology.
• Dalek designer (not Davros) dies aged 84.
• Relics of the Knights Templar.
• New analysis of Genesis reveals 'death sandwich' literary theme.

Quote of the Day:

I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.

Michelangelo

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders."

• Testing the limits of space-time.
• The beginning of time, redefined.
• Not to burst your bubble…
• In search of the fifth force of nature.
• Massive sunspot takes shape.
• Nebulas go 3-D.
• Meteor strikes woman... in 1954.
• A spoonful of sugar helps Martian soil go down.
• New sentinel takes to the skies.
• India prepares first Mars mission.
• Siberia prepares for potential permafrost meltdown.
• Humans on Mars-- At what cost? Just ask the millionaires.
• Making it plasma rain.
• When mosquitoes became self-aware.
• Dinosaurs vs. binary asteroids…
• The asteroid that didn’t hit Earth.
• Methane on the rise.
• Bees get a charge from flowers.
• Deepest undersea vents offer hostile, welcoming environment.
• The touchscreen laptop has arrived.
• Learning to speak via song?
• Lego creationist myth, demystified.
• This week’s evidence of the looming robo-pocalypse… the cyborg heart.

Quote of the Day:

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading…”

Lau Tzu

Ay olita del alta mar

Díme si algún día tú volverás...

• Thanks to last year's discovery of the Higgs, scientists can now predict how we'll get wiped out by an alternative universe. Well that was money well spent!
• 'Big news' concerning dark matter coming soon, scientists say. Because those LHC dudes can't have all the fun.
• Scorching tiny exoplanet discovered. I propose we name it planet Yo-mama & lighten up astronomer students the world over.
• Curiosity ready to eat Martian dust after successful drilling. What's the binary code for Om Nom Nom?
• Colleges offering courses in Droning. Would it get you extra-credits if you ace Flight Simulator?
• This is what it looks like when you wear Google's augmented reality eyeglasses.
• Dolphins may call each other by name. I'm sure they also bully each other with nicknames like 'Mackerel breath' or 'Flabby fin.'
• No love for the jackalope in the US Senate.
• Chilean chupacabras startles suburban couple.
• Memento Monster: Minnesota Ice Man for sale.
• Watch Who Forted?'s documentary Bigfoot Hunter: Still Searching online for free!
• Chris Carter on Skeptiko: Scientific evidence for life after death is overwhelming.
• The Mystical Math of Rock. And that's the magic numbeeeer....
• Man who died in fire may have spontaneously combusted.
• The MIB at Edgar Allan Poe's grave.
• Red Pill of the Day: Muscovite crows frolic in the snow.

Thanks to Rick, Susan & Johnny Walker

Quote of the Day:

"Will you be able to sidle up next to a Google Glass wearer and say "ok glass, show me midget porn" or are they tied to wearer's voice?"

~Jason Kottke