Convened by Dr.G., a Renegade Illuminati, convening Thee Temple, for knowledge, whimsy, and inspiration! Everything is true, nothing is forbidden!
Broadcast Thursdays at 89.5 FM KZCT in Vallejo, California, to a worldwide audience.
Introductory track: Covenant - Ritual Noise [youtube.com/watch?v=dnlGEQ1NUsk]
Science & Futurism
[futurism.com] [kurzweilai.net] [eurekalert.org]
* "Could ‘alcosynth’ provide all the joy of booze – without the dangers? Scientist David Nutt memorably said alcohol is more dangerous than crack. Now, he is trying to invent a healthy synthetic alternative, and the race is on to get it to market" (2019-03-26, theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/26/an-innocent-drink-could-alcosynth-provide-all-the-joy-of-booze-without-the-dangers) [archive.is/zIiZa]
* "Brace for 'Alcosynth' That Gets You Tipsy But Never Hungover, Scientist Teases; Ever wonder what it's like to enjoy an extra pitcher of margarita without the worry of suffering from a bad hangover the next morning? It may sound too good to be true, but a British professor seems to have come one step closer to making the wildest dream of so many people come true" (2019-03-27, sputniknews.com/world/201903271073585483-alcohol-no-hangover/) [archive.is/gTWZA]
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* "Future is Here: Dubai to Buy Russia-Made Hoverbikes; Hoversurf, a startup from Russia’s Silicon Valley (the Skolkovo Innovation Centre), has designed and built the world’s first flying bike. The Hoverbike S3 is able to reach a maximum speed of 96 km/h and can be used for half an hour without recharging, though at the moment much depends on the driver’s weight" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073556223-hoverbike-dubai/) [archive.is/ljaer]
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* "Israel launches cells, organs 3D bio-printing center" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/28/c_137928537.htm) [archive.is/XhFwB]
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* "It’s Alive: Scientists Announce Breakthrough in Cloning Mammoths; Researchers from Russia and Japan had been working for more 20 years before what they describe as a major development, when cells that had been extracted from a woolly mammoth discovered in Siberia’s permafrost were transplanted into a mouse embryo, which then showed biological activity" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073563077-mammoth-japan-russia-cloning/) [archive.is/GRx1O]
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Space News
[astrobio.net]
* "Dashcams capture meteor blazing through Florida night sky" (2019-03-31, rt.com/usa/455187-meteor-florida-video-dashcam/) [archive.is/dEdFo]
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* "Rare moment ISS passes in front of moon captured in STUNNING PHOTO" (2019-03-27, rt.com/news/454893-international-space-station-moon-photo/) [archive.is/w0kOp]
- photos by Ken Lawson (facebook.com/kenlawsonphotography), a Geraldton based photographer and the lead guide/owner of Astro Star Tour
- Note: This photo is remarkable not only because it shows the ISS passing over the Moon, but also because it shows the true color of the Moon, a reminder that the Moon is not monochromatic, and yields many mysteries worth exploring...
* "Galileo Spacecraft Moon Images in Full Color December 7, 1992" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/02files/Moon_Images_Galileo.html) [archive.is/AuzWL]
- image title: PIA00404: Moon - North Polar Mosaic, Color; image attribution: NASA/JPL/Galileo Spacecraft; full-size image [archive.is/KJbjS]. Original Caption Released with Image (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00404) [archive.is/eeqHE]: During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft surveyed the Moon on December 7, 1992, on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-1997. The left part of this north pole view is visible from Earth. This color picture is a mosaic assembled from 18 images taken by Galileo's imaging system through a green filter. The left part of this picture shows the dark, lava-filled Mare Imbrium (upper left); Mare Serenitatis (middle left), Mare Tranquillitatis (lower left), and Mare Crisium, the dark circular feature toward the bottom of the mosaic. Also visible in this view are the dark lava plains of the Marginis and Smythii Basins at the lower right. The Humboldtianum Basin, a 650-kilometer (400-mile) impact structure partly filled with dark volcanic deposits, is seen at the center of the image. The Moon's north pole is located just inside the shadow zone, about a third of the way from the top left of the illuminated region. The Galileo project is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- image title: PIA00405: Earth's Moon; image attribution: NASA/JPL/Galileo Spacecraft; full-size image [archive.is/zonZS]. Original Caption Released with Image (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00405) [archive.is/bQnBU]: During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft took these images on December 7, 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. The distinct bright ray crater at the bottom of the image is the Tycho impact basin. The dark areas are lava rock filled impact basins: Oceanus Procellarum (on the left), Mare Imbrium (center left), Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis (center), and Mare Crisium (near the right edge). This picture contains images through the Violet, 756 nm, 968 nm filters. The color is 'enhanced' in the sense that the CCD camera is sensitive to near infrared wavelengths of light beyond human vision. The Galileo project is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
* "Clementine Satellite Image Galleries" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Lunar_03.html) [archive.is/dj9dh] [begin excerpt]: When the Navy first release images from Clementine, the data set was only available in low resolution, heavy pixelated .gif format images. For many years this was all that was available, and the images were offered as "the best available". Few people questioned the fact that a 200 million dollar satellite carrying the latest high resolution cameras produced such low quality images. All over the internet clips appear showing image tampering and anomalies, many of which were a result of pixelation, some data lost and others clearly "cover up" [...]
Clementine Satellite Image Galleries Final Version Full Color -
When we were first made aware of these images, they came to us from an anonymous source. The high res. tiff files were stored in a directory at North Western University that we were given access to. Mark Robinson was in charge of these images and other projects at North Western U and subsequently moved to Arizona State University, taking all his files and projects with him. At Arizona State he heads up the LROC program. On the ASU website for the LROC team, Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems is a Co-Investigator. [...]
- "Revealed for the First Time Color Images of the Moon from Clementine Satellite" (2006-12-15, thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/Press_release_01.html) [archive.is/p8sR6], (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/Press_release_02.html) [archive.is/PLNhs]
[...]
The image above is the image that you find on the front page of the Navy Clementine Website (cmf.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/clib/). The image below is the one we now have access to. As you can see it is in FULL COLOR. The copy below is the greatly reduced image. The original that I have is a 31 meg high resolution copy (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/moon.tiff). What you are looking at here is the Moon laid out flat... this is a TOTAL CIRCUMFERENCE of the Moon, front and back.
Below is the Nearside image that makes up the center of the above image.
This one is 61.5 megs (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/nearside.tiff). There are several anomalies present in these images that we will go into detail on the following pages.
Below is the Farside image that makes up the left and right sides of the above full image.
This one is 56 megs (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/farside.tiff).
[end excerpt]
Among the mysteries on the Moon is the glowing Aristarchus crater. Note the square-shaped field adjacent to it...
* Extract from Clementine mission (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/nearside.tiff)
* Extract from Galileo mission (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00405) [archive.is/bQnBU]
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* "Discovery of Ice on the Moon" (1996-12-03, defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=731) [archive.is/DvoO9] [begin excerpt]:
Q: How strong is the indication that you have... We spoke of an indication and a hint from reflective arrays. How active are these readings? How really indicative are they of water, or are they just (inaudible)?
A: We have the one measurement that indicates basically the predicted response. So I would say... We certainly have to have more measurements.
The other thing that's very highly suggestive is, it's very highly correlated with the permanent shadow. So we're saying we're seeing the effect correlated with the permanent shadow.
Q: Does that mean there is ice?
A: There's something that is reflecting radar signals like ice.
Q: The geologist said it was ice.
A: Highly likely that it's ice. There may be other stuff mixed in with it. Carbon dioxide and things like that.
Q: What other things would give the polarization effect that you're reading now as possible water?
A: We looked at the possibility that it could be a funny arrangement of rocks and other things, but again, it really was so highly correlated with that angle and so highly localized with the South Pole, that the most likely explanation is something that is low loss, and ice is the most likely thing.
Q: Can you go over the one to ten percent again? I don't understand the difference between that and what's in the bottom of the crater and where the one to ten percent...
A: What we could measure, as far as the abundance of it, is we have the radar footprint in a certain area. What we can show is basically the amount of signature we get back, assuming that the ice on the moon reflects the way the ice on Mercury does which has been measured. We can estimate a percentage of the area that is "pure ice". We estimated that to be less than three- tenths of a percent of the area that we illuminated, so that's like 100 square kilometers.
Q: So the area that you illuminated, is that in the bottom of this crater?
A: We illuminated the whole area, this whole area was illuminated. So of the area we illuminated, we estimated about a third of the area was permanently shadowed. This is all in the paper, by the way, it's in the Science paper. So that percentage is reflecting like ice.
Q: So it's incorrect to talk of one pond or one lake...
A: Right.
Q: You really see what could be a variety of...
A: In fact if you look over at one of the images, this is actually hinted at from the ground. People actually had measured this on the ground and seen little speckly areas. They couldn't go through the angle because you can't measure the angle from the ground because you're all at one point. They see little speckly areas all around this crater. This is right at the South Pole. So what was suggested is by doing this bistatic measurement we saw the very highly angular dependence of it, and that is very characteristic of something like ice.
[...]
Q: What do you think this would look like if you could go right down and see it? Would you see a fairly large pond here, other ponds all over the place, some ice in crevices and rocks?
A: You would probably see... First of all you wouldn't see anything because you'd be in the dark. But if you had a flashlight and you illuminated the surface, you would see a surface that looked not unlike any place else on the moon, but if you were to dig down into that and pull it up, you would find that there would be ice crystals contained in the interstices between the dust grains. So it's not a sheet or a pond. It's not an ice rink on the moon. It's basically ice mixed into the dirt.
Q: What's the presumptive volume of it then, and how did you discern that?
A: As I mentioned, what we can tell from looking at the radar return is roughly the area that is covered by this. Assuming it reflects ice like ice on Mercury -- making that assumption. That's been well looked at. Then in order to see this back scatter effect, this roadside reflector effect; it's estimated that we have to see some number of wavelengths of our radar into the ice. In reviewing the paper, several of the reviewers posited we probably need to see somewhere between 50 and 100 wavelengths. So our wavelength is about six inches. So at the thickest case, it's roughly 50 feet.
Q: That translates to what in volume?
A: We were very conservative in the press release, but if you take basically 100 square kilometers by roughly 50 feet, you get a volume of something like a quarter of a cubic mile, I think it's on that order. It's a considerable amount, but it's not a huge glacier or anything like that.
Q: Can you compare that with something you know?
A: It's a lake. A small lake.
Q: But it's a dirt lake.
A: Right, mixed in. (Laughter) A dirty lake.
Q: If the existence of water and microlife is eventually confirmed, when do you predict we can start the first colony on the moon in the future?
A: We have a long way to go before we start living on the moon. What this is an indication that living on the moon might be possible. So the first thing you'd want to do is, first of all, confirm this, that we are indeed making the right conclusion from the data; secondly to assess is our estimate right? How much is there? What is its physical state? How much rock is mixed in? Can we get at it? To me, that implies a whole sequence of robotic missions before you actually send people there. But ultimately, I would think, certainly within the next 50 years, someone could be there using this material. [end excerpt]
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* "The Glass Biosphere" (livingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Lunar_08.html) [archive.is/43ndQ] [begin excerpt]:
The image above is taken from the USGS Planetary mapper and is at the highest resolution available.
Comments:
The most obvious features that jump out at you are the reflection and curved effect of that reflection. Also you can see light reflected from the anomaly onto the surrounding area.
When you look "inside" the "biosphere" you see a distortion of the objects consistent with looking through a glass bubble. [...]
The image above shows the angle of the sun and where the seperation line is of the image patches. The scan took several weeks and the moon and satellite changed constantly with each snapshot, resulting in totally opposite angles of light in some sections.
[end excerpt]
* "Moon ~ Reiner Gamma Magnetic Anomaly Near Side" (thelivingmoon.com/41space_geology/03files/Reiner_Gamma.html) [archive.is/t9db0], full-size image [archive.is/FKX7g]
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* "Evidence of Life on Mars?" press release (2019-03-29, journalofastrobiology.com/LifeonMarsPressRelease.html) [archive.is/uhMAX], full paper (journalofastrobiology.com/EvidenceofLifeonMars.html) [archive.is/I3Dzf] [begin excerpt]:
7. Evidence of Lichens and Fungi on Mars?
Four independent investigators, after examining photos taken by NASA's Mars Rovers Opportunity and Curiosity, have observed hundreds of specimens resembling fungi, mushrooms, and lichens on the surface (Dass 2017; Joseph 2014; Rabb 2018; Small 2015). In 2016, Joseph devised a computerized system coded and programmed to quantify, validate, and statistically analyze expert judgments and developed a research-study website which was quantitatively coded and programmed to enable experts to link their computers to that website and examine and rate 25 separate photos of Martian specimens, type in the names of the specimens, and determine the probability these are living organisms. This methodology has been demonstrated to yield scientifically valid and reliable results (Dommeyer et al. 2004; Hewson & Stewart, 2016; Richardson 2005; Watt et al. 2002). The study website was also programmed to link all 25 ratings and responses of each individual expert, to that expert's computer IP address.
Next, Joseph and his research assistants searched the faculty rosters of every university in the English-speaking world and located over 1000 scientists who had been identified by their universities as experts in fungi, algae and lichens, and over 1000 experts identified as experts in geomorphology and mineralogy, all of whom were invited to participate. Therefore, the "life on Mars" study was based on the judgments of two homogeneous "closed populations" of exerts in subfields of biology and geology (Joseph 2016). Samples from "closed populations" have a high degree of reliability and validity and accurately represent the views of other scientists belonging to those homogenous populations (Dommeyer et al. 2004; Hewson & Stewart, 2016; Richardson 2005; Watt et al. 2002).
Seventy scientists--40 biologists and 30 geologists--completed the invitation-only, computerized-study which enabled each expert to view; examine; type in the name of each specimen; and to judge, utilizing a computerized four-point probability scale, the likelihood each of these specimens photographed by NASA on Mars, are living organisms:
1 (0% Probability) - 2 (33% Probability) - 3 (66% Probability) - 4 (100% Probability).
Each of the participants were informed these specimens were photographed on Mars. Examination of the raw data indicated geologists and biologists agreed on five of their top seven choices and this data was analyzed. Chi-square analyses indicated a significant difference between scientists choosing "1" vs "2" but no difference between those choosing "2" vs "3" and "4," meaning that a significant majority of experts believe there is a high probability these are living organisms.
A Fisher's exact statistical test was performed and demonstrated that a majority geologists and biologists agreed there is a high probability (vs no probability) of life on Mars, as based on the comparisons of the top five specimens chosen by biologists (p = <0.0008) and geologists (p = <0.0004); and the same is true of the top seven specimens, biologists (p = <0.0001) and geologists (p = <0.0001). Dozens of experts also identified these specimens as "puff balls," "Basidiomycota," "mushrooms," and "lichens." Therefore, a statistically significant majority of experts agree there is a high probability fungi and lichens may have colonized the Red Planet (Joseph 2016). Similarity in morphology, however, is not proof.
8. Evidence of Lichens on Mars?
Lichens are composite life forms comprised and consisting of a symbiotic relationship involving algae/cyanobacteria (photobiont) and fungi (mycobiont), the latter of which is largely responsible for the lichens' thallus, mushroom shape, and fruiting bodies (Armstrong 2017; Brodo et al. 2001). The specimens observed on Mars and identified by experts as lichens (Dass 2017; Joseph 2016) closely resemble Dibaeis baeomyces, a fruticose lichen belonging to the Icmadophilaceae family--characterized by stalks which may grow to 6 mm topped by a bulbous apothecia, 1-4 mm in diameter and a crustose granular thallus attached to a substrate (Brodo, et al. 2001; Seminara et al. 2018). Dibaeis baeomyces have been found growing on rocks, in desert sand, dry clay, and in the arctic (Brodo et al. 2001; Jonsson et al. 2008; Platt & Spatafora 2000; Ryan et al. 2002; U.S. Department of the Interior 2010).
The Martian specimens depicted in Figures 1 and 2 resemble Dibaeis baeomyces in morphology, shape, growth patterns, and size. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Figure 1. Sol 88, photographed by Opportunity's "left" Panoramic Camera "eye." A significant majority of experts in fungi, lichens, geomorphology, and minerology agreed these may be lichens (Joseph 2016). These lichen-like specimens are estimated to be approximately 2 mm to 6 mm in size/length (based on bore hole specs) and are similar to terrestrial lichens (see text for details). Although there is no known geological process which commonly produces mushroom shaped rocks with stems, it is unknown if these are in fact living organisms. Similarities in morphology are not proof.
* "Here's The Truth About That Photo of 'Mushrooms' Growing on Mars" (2019-03-29, sciencealert.com/here-s-the-truth-about-that-photo-of-mushrooms-growing-on-mars) [archive.is/1Fiu0]
* "Biogenic? Mars Rover Takes Photos of 'Mushrooms' Growing on Red Planet’s Rocks; The finding, along with the pictures themselves, has been subjected to an extensive peer review, and the majority of researchers appear to support the hypothesis" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073556291-mars-rover-photos-mushrooms/) [archive.is/x7Pq7] [begin excerpt]: An array of new snapshots purporting to sport “Martian mushrooms” have assured scientists that there is life on the Red Planet, with the 15 images by NASA’s Curiosity Rover becoming central in a new study published in the Journal of Astrobiology.
The photos from the two-year mission are said to show the potential life forms in the making, as they emerge from Mars’s red sand dunes – from what looks like algae to mushroom and lichen.
According to Dr Regina Dass, a microbiologist from Pondicherry University in India, no non-living force, known to humans, could have shown the obvious growth in size and volume “in just three days”.
"There are no geological or other abiogenic forces on Earth which can produce sedimentary structures, by the hundreds, which have mushroom shapes, stems, stalks and shed what looks like spores on the surrounding surface”, she was quoted by The Express as saying.
Meanwhile, NASA hasn’t yet commented on the research, although the majority of experts that engaged in a peer review tend to agree with the hypothesis. Three of six independent scientists and eight senior editors, who subjected the report to scrutiny, rejected the evidence outright, saying the specimens featured in the images are not biological ones, but more likely hematite, a form of iron oxide.
The journal’s official position reads that “evidence is not proof and there is no proof of life on Mars”, adding that “abiogenic explanations for this evidence can't be ruled out”. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Scientists believe Curiosity Rover may have captured images of mushrooms
* "Life on Mars? Growing ‘FUNGI’ spotted in Mars Curiosity Rover photos - SHOCK CLAIM; ALIEN life-hunters have received a boost after spotting huge mushroom-like objects on Mars, the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science has announced" (2019-04-03, express.co.uk/news/science/1104520/life-mars-nasa-scientists-fungi-evidence-in-mars-curiosity-rover-photos) [archive.is/Lhr4f] [begin excerpt]: What appears to be algae, lichens and "Martian mushrooms" have all been photographed by the NASA Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers.
And photos of 15 mushroom-shaped specimens purport to show them growing and even emerging from beneath the red sands of Mars. [...]
And Dr Vincenzo Rizzo, a National Research Council biogeologist also points to the seasonal fluctuations in Martian methane as additional evidence of life.
He said: ”As we detail in our article, 90 percent of terrestrial methane is biological in origin and seasonal fluctuations in atmospheric methane are directly correlated with plant growth and death cycles.
“The cyclic fluctuations in Martian methane is reflective of active biology which is also depicted in before and after pictures of specimens photographed by NASA."
However the evidence is so controversial, the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science Reviews subjected the article to extensive peer review by six independent scientists and eight senior editors.
And while three of these rejected the evidence, the remaining eleven recommended publication, after certain revisions. [...]
Some scientists believe the circular specimens photographed emerging from beneath the Martian soil, are not mushrooms but hematite, a form of iron oxide, which NASA affectionately refers to as "blueberries."
Dr Rizzo said: ”We are not disagreeing with NASA. NASA has some of the greatest scientists and engineers in the world.
"However, hematite is also a product of biological activity.
"Just as stromatolites are fashioned together via the action of cyanobacteria, fungi and bacteria also help to cement terrestrial hematite together.
“We should expect that the same biological processes helped fashion hematite on Mars."
Dr. Dass added: "Hematite also does not take the shape of lichens.
"These Martian specimens have mushroom-shapes, stalks and stems and are the same height and have the same growth patterns as terrestrial lichens." [end excerpt]
- image caption: Life on Mars: Algae,stromatolites and microbial mats appear to exist on the Martian surface
- image caption: Life on Mars: The NASA Opportunity's left panoramic eye captured specimens resembling puffballs
- image caption: Life on Mars: Experts identified these white specimens as fungi
* "Strange Mystery Spheres on Mars Baffle Scientists" (2012-09-15, space.com/17620-mars-rover-strange-photo-martian-rocks.html) [archive.is/hNX9z] [begin excerpt]: The new Mars photo by Opportunity shows a close-up of a rock outcrop called Kirkwood covered in blister-like bumps that mission scientists can't yet explain. At first blush, the formations appear similar to so-called Martian "blueberries" — iron-rich spherical formations first seen by Opportunity in 2004 — but they actually differ in several key ways, scientist said.
"This is one of the most extraordinary pictures from the whole mission," said rover mission principal investigator Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in a statement. "Kirkwood is chock full of a dense accumulation of these small spherical objects. Of course, we immediately thought of the blueberries, but this is something different. We never have seen such a dense accumulation of spherules in a rock outcrop on Mars." [...]
Opportunity has seen Martian blueberries at many of its science sites during its Red Planet exploits, but the bumpy, spherical formations on the Kirkwood rock represent something new, researchers said. In Opportunity's new photo, many of the strange features are broken, revealing odd concentric circles inside.
"They seem to be crunchy on the outside, and softer in the middle," Squyres said. "They are different in concentration. They are different in structure. They are different in composition. They are different in distribution. So, we have a wonderful geological puzzle in front of us." [end excerpt]
- image attribution: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./ USGS/Modesto Junior College
* "Hilarious 'Mars Fungus' Lawsuit Filed Against NASA" (2014-02-03, space.com/24529-mars-mystery-rock-nasa-lawsuit.html) [archive.is/4XwNO]
- image caption: This before-and-after pair of images of the same patch of ground in front of NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity 13 days apart documents the arrival of a strange, bright rock at the scene. The rock, called "Pinnacle Island," is seen in the right image on Jan. 8, 2014. The image at left was taken on Dec. 26, 2013.
(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ. )
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* " ‘Hot Saturn’ exoplanet 60 times bigger than Earth discovered" (2019-03-30, rt.com/news/455146-saturn-like-exoplanet-tess/) [archive.is/FMsR7]
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* "Is Earth Quarantined? Researchers Meet to Try Shed Light on Alien Riddle; With arrays of new galaxies and their stars being discovered every day, it still remains unresolved if there is anyone, or anything, super-intelligent in control, and though the probability of the existence of extra-terrestrial civilizations is considered to be incredibly high, the evidence is a far cry from sufficient" (2019-03-27, sputniknews.com/science/201903271073586287-earth-quarantined-researchers-alien-riddle/) [archive.is/RzlEA]
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* "Scientists search for ripples in time, space to unlock universe mysteries" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/27/c_137926741.htm) [archive.is/kvJnR]
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Ancient News
* "Resourceful and Intelligent, Unidentified Hominins Flourished in Arabia Using “Old School” Stone Tools" (2018-12-01, ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/stone-tools-0011080) [archive.is/FAeBz]
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* "Egypt unearths ancient river port used for shipping temple stones in Aswan" (2019-03-26, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/26/c_137925401.htm) [archive.is/evb2q]
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* "Israel discovers 2,600-year-old stone seal with Biblical name" (2019-03-31, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/01/c_137938855.htm) [archive.is/5nyDf]
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* "What’s Special About Golan Heights? These 5 Fabulous Recent Archaeological Discoveries For a Start!" (2019-03-28, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/golan-heights-0011673) [archive.is/dlmzU] [begin excerpt]:
A gigantic monument at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, as well as several mysterious structures, including a gigantic stone wheel and a moon-shaped monument, were found in and near the Golan Heights. The prehistoric stone monuments of Gilgal Refaim, Jethro Cairn, and the circular structure found in the Sea of the Galilee went unnoticed for centuries in the disputed regions of the Golan and archaeologists don't know who built them, or why.
Theories have gone wild and include ancient calendars, ceremonial structures, or 'sky burial' sites in which dead bodies were placed on top of stone mounds to be picked apart by vultures. Even more eluding is that that are no archeological evidence of a city near them, and some have therefore posited that the structures is in fact a huge monument carrying symbolic significance. The possible age of the structures ranges anywhere from 3,000 to 12,000 years old. The only thing we can say with certainty is that they are there and they are huge. [end excerpt]
- image caption: This circular structure was first detected in a sonar survey of part of the sea in the summer of 2003.
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* "World’s longest salt cave discovered at spot where Lot’s wife was transformed" (2019-03-28, rt.com/news/454990-longest-salt-cave-lots-wife/) [archive.is/tD9RV]
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* "Etruscan tomb in Corsica may yield secrets on civilization's decline" (2019-03-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e77636a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/eCJtN]
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* "Italy's Pompeii offers new glimpses of life before calamity" (2019-03-30, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d33497a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/gEA6t]
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* "Is there truth to the Bedouin Legend of the Great River in the Desert?" (2015-09-11, ancient-origins.net/news-ancient-places-asia/there-truth-bedouin-legend-great-river-desert-003810) [archive.is/1o67c] [begin excerpt]:
Apart from the oral legend itself, the evidence for an ancient river in the desert is persuasive. Firstly, the earliest maps of the Arabian Peninsula clearly show two major rivers draining the Rub al Khali, one flowing north into the Persian Gulf, the other south into the Arabian Sea. Although drawn in the 15 th century, these maps were based on one by Ptolemy made around 150 AD, so essentially reflect the situation 2,000 years ago.
- image caption: Early map of Arabian Peninsula dated 1467 based on Ptolemy’s Cosmographia of 150 AD, showing two rivers flowing out of the Rub al Khali desert, north and south. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Secondly, explorers starting with Philby in 1932 as well as more recent geological surveys have found numerous prehistoric dried lake beds deep in the desert which have been dated to between 13,000 and 7,000 years ago, accompanied by the bones of gazelle, long-horned cattle and wild goats, animals that have not been seen there in living memory. So the desert was clearly a much wetter place, thousands of years ago.
Perhaps most persuasive, the ghostly remnants of the river appear to still be visible on satellite images and on the ground in the form of the Sabkha Matti, a salt flat which extends several hundred kilometers into the desert. The sabkha is quite treacherous to walk on, being covered with a crust of salt which men and camels can easily break through into a kind of quicksand below. It is thought to have originally followed the course of an ancient river, but now gets its moisture from the water table below, as it is only 40 meters (131 feet) above sea level.
- image caption: The ancient traces of the Great River: the Sabkha Matti runs 300 km inland. Radar images trace it much further. Photo: Google Earth
[end excerpt]
---
* "Archaeologist Claims that King Arthur Was Not a Real Person But a Fictional 'Celtic Superhero' " (2017-10-09, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/archaeologist-claims-king-arthur-was-not-real-person-fictional-celtic-021652) [archive.is/2oi3c]
---
* "Viking Dogs Followed Their Masters to Valhalla" (2017-10-11, ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/viking-dogs-followed-their-masters-valhalla-008944) [archive.is/EQiFe]
---
* "Shock Findings In Ancient Garbage Mound Indicate Byzantine Empire Was In Major Decline BEFORE the Rise of Islam" (2019-03-27, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/byzantine-empire-decline-0011668) [archive.is/Wl3ks]
* "Truth behind fall of Byzantine city unearthed from 1,500 year old garbage dump" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/27/c_137927194.htm) [archive.is/nts9d]
---
* "Unbroken "thousand-year eggs" found in Chinese tomb" (2019-03-26, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/26/c_137924976.htm) [archive.is/1HdVs]
---
* "Technology, tourism freeze time on Hani rice terraces, SW China's Yunnan" (2019-03-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d77676a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/jbo0d]
---
* "Secrets Of Maya Ruins: Archaeologists explore the ancient city of Chichen Itza" video page (2019-03-31, news.cgtn.com/news/794d544d33494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/index.html) [archive.is/l5KUl]
* "Discovery of Balamku Cave may rewrite the history of Maya" (2019-03-31, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e314d7a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/rPUMW]
---
* "Hundreds of Ancient Artifacts and Human Remains Discovered in Subterranean Tombs in Bolivia" (2018-11-19, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/burial-tombs-bolivia-0011020) [archive.is/sivsu]
===*===*===
Science & Futurism
[futurism.com] [kurzweilai.net] [eurekalert.org]
* "Could ‘alcosynth’ provide all the joy of booze – without the dangers? Scientist David Nutt memorably said alcohol is more dangerous than crack. Now, he is trying to invent a healthy synthetic alternative, and the race is on to get it to market" (2019-03-26, theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/26/an-innocent-drink-could-alcosynth-provide-all-the-joy-of-booze-without-the-dangers) [archive.is/zIiZa]
* "Brace for 'Alcosynth' That Gets You Tipsy But Never Hungover, Scientist Teases; Ever wonder what it's like to enjoy an extra pitcher of margarita without the worry of suffering from a bad hangover the next morning? It may sound too good to be true, but a British professor seems to have come one step closer to making the wildest dream of so many people come true" (2019-03-27, sputniknews.com/world/201903271073585483-alcohol-no-hangover/) [archive.is/gTWZA]
---
* "Future is Here: Dubai to Buy Russia-Made Hoverbikes; Hoversurf, a startup from Russia’s Silicon Valley (the Skolkovo Innovation Centre), has designed and built the world’s first flying bike. The Hoverbike S3 is able to reach a maximum speed of 96 km/h and can be used for half an hour without recharging, though at the moment much depends on the driver’s weight" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073556223-hoverbike-dubai/) [archive.is/ljaer]
---
* "Israel launches cells, organs 3D bio-printing center" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/28/c_137928537.htm) [archive.is/XhFwB]
---
* "It’s Alive: Scientists Announce Breakthrough in Cloning Mammoths; Researchers from Russia and Japan had been working for more 20 years before what they describe as a major development, when cells that had been extracted from a woolly mammoth discovered in Siberia’s permafrost were transplanted into a mouse embryo, which then showed biological activity" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073563077-mammoth-japan-russia-cloning/) [archive.is/GRx1O]
===*===*===
Space News
[astrobio.net]
* "Dashcams capture meteor blazing through Florida night sky" (2019-03-31, rt.com/usa/455187-meteor-florida-video-dashcam/) [archive.is/dEdFo]
---
* "Rare moment ISS passes in front of moon captured in STUNNING PHOTO" (2019-03-27, rt.com/news/454893-international-space-station-moon-photo/) [archive.is/w0kOp]
- photos by Ken Lawson (facebook.com/kenlawsonphotography), a Geraldton based photographer and the lead guide/owner of Astro Star Tour
- Note: This photo is remarkable not only because it shows the ISS passing over the Moon, but also because it shows the true color of the Moon, a reminder that the Moon is not monochromatic, and yields many mysteries worth exploring...
* "Galileo Spacecraft Moon Images in Full Color December 7, 1992" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/02files/Moon_Images_Galileo.html) [archive.is/AuzWL]
- image title: PIA00404: Moon - North Polar Mosaic, Color; image attribution: NASA/JPL/Galileo Spacecraft; full-size image [archive.is/KJbjS]. Original Caption Released with Image (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00404) [archive.is/eeqHE]: During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft surveyed the Moon on December 7, 1992, on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-1997. The left part of this north pole view is visible from Earth. This color picture is a mosaic assembled from 18 images taken by Galileo's imaging system through a green filter. The left part of this picture shows the dark, lava-filled Mare Imbrium (upper left); Mare Serenitatis (middle left), Mare Tranquillitatis (lower left), and Mare Crisium, the dark circular feature toward the bottom of the mosaic. Also visible in this view are the dark lava plains of the Marginis and Smythii Basins at the lower right. The Humboldtianum Basin, a 650-kilometer (400-mile) impact structure partly filled with dark volcanic deposits, is seen at the center of the image. The Moon's north pole is located just inside the shadow zone, about a third of the way from the top left of the illuminated region. The Galileo project is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- image title: PIA00405: Earth's Moon; image attribution: NASA/JPL/Galileo Spacecraft; full-size image [archive.is/zonZS]. Original Caption Released with Image (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00405) [archive.is/bQnBU]: During its flight, the Galileo spacecraft returned images of the Moon. The Galileo spacecraft took these images on December 7, 1992 on its way to explore the Jupiter system in 1995-97. The distinct bright ray crater at the bottom of the image is the Tycho impact basin. The dark areas are lava rock filled impact basins: Oceanus Procellarum (on the left), Mare Imbrium (center left), Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis (center), and Mare Crisium (near the right edge). This picture contains images through the Violet, 756 nm, 968 nm filters. The color is 'enhanced' in the sense that the CCD camera is sensitive to near infrared wavelengths of light beyond human vision. The Galileo project is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
* "Clementine Satellite Image Galleries" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Lunar_03.html) [archive.is/dj9dh] [begin excerpt]: When the Navy first release images from Clementine, the data set was only available in low resolution, heavy pixelated .gif format images. For many years this was all that was available, and the images were offered as "the best available". Few people questioned the fact that a 200 million dollar satellite carrying the latest high resolution cameras produced such low quality images. All over the internet clips appear showing image tampering and anomalies, many of which were a result of pixelation, some data lost and others clearly "cover up" [...]
Clementine Satellite Image Galleries Final Version Full Color -
When we were first made aware of these images, they came to us from an anonymous source. The high res. tiff files were stored in a directory at North Western University that we were given access to. Mark Robinson was in charge of these images and other projects at North Western U and subsequently moved to Arizona State University, taking all his files and projects with him. At Arizona State he heads up the LROC program. On the ASU website for the LROC team, Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems is a Co-Investigator. [...]
- "Revealed for the First Time Color Images of the Moon from Clementine Satellite" (2006-12-15, thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/Press_release_01.html) [archive.is/p8sR6], (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/Press_release_02.html) [archive.is/PLNhs]
[...]
The image above is the image that you find on the front page of the Navy Clementine Website (cmf.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/clib/). The image below is the one we now have access to. As you can see it is in FULL COLOR. The copy below is the greatly reduced image. The original that I have is a 31 meg high resolution copy (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/moon.tiff). What you are looking at here is the Moon laid out flat... this is a TOTAL CIRCUMFERENCE of the Moon, front and back.
Below is the Nearside image that makes up the center of the above image.
This one is 61.5 megs (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/nearside.tiff). There are several anomalies present in these images that we will go into detail on the following pages.
Below is the Farside image that makes up the left and right sides of the above full image.
This one is 56 megs (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/farside.tiff).
[end excerpt]
Among the mysteries on the Moon is the glowing Aristarchus crater. Note the square-shaped field adjacent to it...
* Extract from Clementine mission (ser.sese.asu.edu/MOON/CLEM_COLOR/nearside.tiff)
* Extract from Galileo mission (photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00405) [archive.is/bQnBU]
---
* "Discovery of Ice on the Moon" (1996-12-03, defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=731) [archive.is/DvoO9] [begin excerpt]:
Q: How strong is the indication that you have... We spoke of an indication and a hint from reflective arrays. How active are these readings? How really indicative are they of water, or are they just (inaudible)?
A: We have the one measurement that indicates basically the predicted response. So I would say... We certainly have to have more measurements.
The other thing that's very highly suggestive is, it's very highly correlated with the permanent shadow. So we're saying we're seeing the effect correlated with the permanent shadow.
Q: Does that mean there is ice?
A: There's something that is reflecting radar signals like ice.
Q: The geologist said it was ice.
A: Highly likely that it's ice. There may be other stuff mixed in with it. Carbon dioxide and things like that.
Q: What other things would give the polarization effect that you're reading now as possible water?
A: We looked at the possibility that it could be a funny arrangement of rocks and other things, but again, it really was so highly correlated with that angle and so highly localized with the South Pole, that the most likely explanation is something that is low loss, and ice is the most likely thing.
Q: Can you go over the one to ten percent again? I don't understand the difference between that and what's in the bottom of the crater and where the one to ten percent...
A: What we could measure, as far as the abundance of it, is we have the radar footprint in a certain area. What we can show is basically the amount of signature we get back, assuming that the ice on the moon reflects the way the ice on Mercury does which has been measured. We can estimate a percentage of the area that is "pure ice". We estimated that to be less than three- tenths of a percent of the area that we illuminated, so that's like 100 square kilometers.
Q: So the area that you illuminated, is that in the bottom of this crater?
A: We illuminated the whole area, this whole area was illuminated. So of the area we illuminated, we estimated about a third of the area was permanently shadowed. This is all in the paper, by the way, it's in the Science paper. So that percentage is reflecting like ice.
Q: So it's incorrect to talk of one pond or one lake...
A: Right.
Q: You really see what could be a variety of...
A: In fact if you look over at one of the images, this is actually hinted at from the ground. People actually had measured this on the ground and seen little speckly areas. They couldn't go through the angle because you can't measure the angle from the ground because you're all at one point. They see little speckly areas all around this crater. This is right at the South Pole. So what was suggested is by doing this bistatic measurement we saw the very highly angular dependence of it, and that is very characteristic of something like ice.
[...]
Q: What do you think this would look like if you could go right down and see it? Would you see a fairly large pond here, other ponds all over the place, some ice in crevices and rocks?
A: You would probably see... First of all you wouldn't see anything because you'd be in the dark. But if you had a flashlight and you illuminated the surface, you would see a surface that looked not unlike any place else on the moon, but if you were to dig down into that and pull it up, you would find that there would be ice crystals contained in the interstices between the dust grains. So it's not a sheet or a pond. It's not an ice rink on the moon. It's basically ice mixed into the dirt.
Q: What's the presumptive volume of it then, and how did you discern that?
A: As I mentioned, what we can tell from looking at the radar return is roughly the area that is covered by this. Assuming it reflects ice like ice on Mercury -- making that assumption. That's been well looked at. Then in order to see this back scatter effect, this roadside reflector effect; it's estimated that we have to see some number of wavelengths of our radar into the ice. In reviewing the paper, several of the reviewers posited we probably need to see somewhere between 50 and 100 wavelengths. So our wavelength is about six inches. So at the thickest case, it's roughly 50 feet.
Q: That translates to what in volume?
A: We were very conservative in the press release, but if you take basically 100 square kilometers by roughly 50 feet, you get a volume of something like a quarter of a cubic mile, I think it's on that order. It's a considerable amount, but it's not a huge glacier or anything like that.
Q: Can you compare that with something you know?
A: It's a lake. A small lake.
Q: But it's a dirt lake.
A: Right, mixed in. (Laughter) A dirty lake.
Q: If the existence of water and microlife is eventually confirmed, when do you predict we can start the first colony on the moon in the future?
A: We have a long way to go before we start living on the moon. What this is an indication that living on the moon might be possible. So the first thing you'd want to do is, first of all, confirm this, that we are indeed making the right conclusion from the data; secondly to assess is our estimate right? How much is there? What is its physical state? How much rock is mixed in? Can we get at it? To me, that implies a whole sequence of robotic missions before you actually send people there. But ultimately, I would think, certainly within the next 50 years, someone could be there using this material. [end excerpt]
---
* "The Glass Biosphere" (livingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Lunar_08.html) [archive.is/43ndQ] [begin excerpt]:
The image above is taken from the USGS Planetary mapper and is at the highest resolution available.
Comments:
The most obvious features that jump out at you are the reflection and curved effect of that reflection. Also you can see light reflected from the anomaly onto the surrounding area.
When you look "inside" the "biosphere" you see a distortion of the objects consistent with looking through a glass bubble. [...]
The image above shows the angle of the sun and where the seperation line is of the image patches. The scan took several weeks and the moon and satellite changed constantly with each snapshot, resulting in totally opposite angles of light in some sections.
[end excerpt]
* "Moon ~ Reiner Gamma Magnetic Anomaly Near Side" (thelivingmoon.com/41space_geology/03files/Reiner_Gamma.html) [archive.is/t9db0], full-size image [archive.is/FKX7g]
---
* "Evidence of Life on Mars?" press release (2019-03-29, journalofastrobiology.com/LifeonMarsPressRelease.html) [archive.is/uhMAX], full paper (journalofastrobiology.com/EvidenceofLifeonMars.html) [archive.is/I3Dzf] [begin excerpt]:
7. Evidence of Lichens and Fungi on Mars?
Four independent investigators, after examining photos taken by NASA's Mars Rovers Opportunity and Curiosity, have observed hundreds of specimens resembling fungi, mushrooms, and lichens on the surface (Dass 2017; Joseph 2014; Rabb 2018; Small 2015). In 2016, Joseph devised a computerized system coded and programmed to quantify, validate, and statistically analyze expert judgments and developed a research-study website which was quantitatively coded and programmed to enable experts to link their computers to that website and examine and rate 25 separate photos of Martian specimens, type in the names of the specimens, and determine the probability these are living organisms. This methodology has been demonstrated to yield scientifically valid and reliable results (Dommeyer et al. 2004; Hewson & Stewart, 2016; Richardson 2005; Watt et al. 2002). The study website was also programmed to link all 25 ratings and responses of each individual expert, to that expert's computer IP address.
Next, Joseph and his research assistants searched the faculty rosters of every university in the English-speaking world and located over 1000 scientists who had been identified by their universities as experts in fungi, algae and lichens, and over 1000 experts identified as experts in geomorphology and mineralogy, all of whom were invited to participate. Therefore, the "life on Mars" study was based on the judgments of two homogeneous "closed populations" of exerts in subfields of biology and geology (Joseph 2016). Samples from "closed populations" have a high degree of reliability and validity and accurately represent the views of other scientists belonging to those homogenous populations (Dommeyer et al. 2004; Hewson & Stewart, 2016; Richardson 2005; Watt et al. 2002).
Seventy scientists--40 biologists and 30 geologists--completed the invitation-only, computerized-study which enabled each expert to view; examine; type in the name of each specimen; and to judge, utilizing a computerized four-point probability scale, the likelihood each of these specimens photographed by NASA on Mars, are living organisms:
1 (0% Probability) - 2 (33% Probability) - 3 (66% Probability) - 4 (100% Probability).
Each of the participants were informed these specimens were photographed on Mars. Examination of the raw data indicated geologists and biologists agreed on five of their top seven choices and this data was analyzed. Chi-square analyses indicated a significant difference between scientists choosing "1" vs "2" but no difference between those choosing "2" vs "3" and "4," meaning that a significant majority of experts believe there is a high probability these are living organisms.
A Fisher's exact statistical test was performed and demonstrated that a majority geologists and biologists agreed there is a high probability (vs no probability) of life on Mars, as based on the comparisons of the top five specimens chosen by biologists (p = <0.0008) and geologists (p = <0.0004); and the same is true of the top seven specimens, biologists (p = <0.0001) and geologists (p = <0.0001). Dozens of experts also identified these specimens as "puff balls," "Basidiomycota," "mushrooms," and "lichens." Therefore, a statistically significant majority of experts agree there is a high probability fungi and lichens may have colonized the Red Planet (Joseph 2016). Similarity in morphology, however, is not proof.
8. Evidence of Lichens on Mars?
Lichens are composite life forms comprised and consisting of a symbiotic relationship involving algae/cyanobacteria (photobiont) and fungi (mycobiont), the latter of which is largely responsible for the lichens' thallus, mushroom shape, and fruiting bodies (Armstrong 2017; Brodo et al. 2001). The specimens observed on Mars and identified by experts as lichens (Dass 2017; Joseph 2016) closely resemble Dibaeis baeomyces, a fruticose lichen belonging to the Icmadophilaceae family--characterized by stalks which may grow to 6 mm topped by a bulbous apothecia, 1-4 mm in diameter and a crustose granular thallus attached to a substrate (Brodo, et al. 2001; Seminara et al. 2018). Dibaeis baeomyces have been found growing on rocks, in desert sand, dry clay, and in the arctic (Brodo et al. 2001; Jonsson et al. 2008; Platt & Spatafora 2000; Ryan et al. 2002; U.S. Department of the Interior 2010).
The Martian specimens depicted in Figures 1 and 2 resemble Dibaeis baeomyces in morphology, shape, growth patterns, and size. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Figure 1. Sol 88, photographed by Opportunity's "left" Panoramic Camera "eye." A significant majority of experts in fungi, lichens, geomorphology, and minerology agreed these may be lichens (Joseph 2016). These lichen-like specimens are estimated to be approximately 2 mm to 6 mm in size/length (based on bore hole specs) and are similar to terrestrial lichens (see text for details). Although there is no known geological process which commonly produces mushroom shaped rocks with stems, it is unknown if these are in fact living organisms. Similarities in morphology are not proof.
* "Here's The Truth About That Photo of 'Mushrooms' Growing on Mars" (2019-03-29, sciencealert.com/here-s-the-truth-about-that-photo-of-mushrooms-growing-on-mars) [archive.is/1Fiu0]
* "Biogenic? Mars Rover Takes Photos of 'Mushrooms' Growing on Red Planet’s Rocks; The finding, along with the pictures themselves, has been subjected to an extensive peer review, and the majority of researchers appear to support the hypothesis" (2019-03-26, sputniknews.com/science/201903261073556291-mars-rover-photos-mushrooms/) [archive.is/x7Pq7] [begin excerpt]: An array of new snapshots purporting to sport “Martian mushrooms” have assured scientists that there is life on the Red Planet, with the 15 images by NASA’s Curiosity Rover becoming central in a new study published in the Journal of Astrobiology.
The photos from the two-year mission are said to show the potential life forms in the making, as they emerge from Mars’s red sand dunes – from what looks like algae to mushroom and lichen.
According to Dr Regina Dass, a microbiologist from Pondicherry University in India, no non-living force, known to humans, could have shown the obvious growth in size and volume “in just three days”.
"There are no geological or other abiogenic forces on Earth which can produce sedimentary structures, by the hundreds, which have mushroom shapes, stems, stalks and shed what looks like spores on the surrounding surface”, she was quoted by The Express as saying.
Meanwhile, NASA hasn’t yet commented on the research, although the majority of experts that engaged in a peer review tend to agree with the hypothesis. Three of six independent scientists and eight senior editors, who subjected the report to scrutiny, rejected the evidence outright, saying the specimens featured in the images are not biological ones, but more likely hematite, a form of iron oxide.
The journal’s official position reads that “evidence is not proof and there is no proof of life on Mars”, adding that “abiogenic explanations for this evidence can't be ruled out”. [end excerpt]
- image caption: Scientists believe Curiosity Rover may have captured images of mushrooms
* "Life on Mars? Growing ‘FUNGI’ spotted in Mars Curiosity Rover photos - SHOCK CLAIM; ALIEN life-hunters have received a boost after spotting huge mushroom-like objects on Mars, the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science has announced" (2019-04-03, express.co.uk/news/science/1104520/life-mars-nasa-scientists-fungi-evidence-in-mars-curiosity-rover-photos) [archive.is/Lhr4f] [begin excerpt]: What appears to be algae, lichens and "Martian mushrooms" have all been photographed by the NASA Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers.
And photos of 15 mushroom-shaped specimens purport to show them growing and even emerging from beneath the red sands of Mars. [...]
And Dr Vincenzo Rizzo, a National Research Council biogeologist also points to the seasonal fluctuations in Martian methane as additional evidence of life.
He said: ”As we detail in our article, 90 percent of terrestrial methane is biological in origin and seasonal fluctuations in atmospheric methane are directly correlated with plant growth and death cycles.
“The cyclic fluctuations in Martian methane is reflective of active biology which is also depicted in before and after pictures of specimens photographed by NASA."
However the evidence is so controversial, the Journal of Astrobiology and Space Science Reviews subjected the article to extensive peer review by six independent scientists and eight senior editors.
And while three of these rejected the evidence, the remaining eleven recommended publication, after certain revisions. [...]
Some scientists believe the circular specimens photographed emerging from beneath the Martian soil, are not mushrooms but hematite, a form of iron oxide, which NASA affectionately refers to as "blueberries."
Dr Rizzo said: ”We are not disagreeing with NASA. NASA has some of the greatest scientists and engineers in the world.
"However, hematite is also a product of biological activity.
"Just as stromatolites are fashioned together via the action of cyanobacteria, fungi and bacteria also help to cement terrestrial hematite together.
“We should expect that the same biological processes helped fashion hematite on Mars."
Dr. Dass added: "Hematite also does not take the shape of lichens.
"These Martian specimens have mushroom-shapes, stalks and stems and are the same height and have the same growth patterns as terrestrial lichens." [end excerpt]
- image caption: Life on Mars: Algae,stromatolites and microbial mats appear to exist on the Martian surface
- image caption: Life on Mars: The NASA Opportunity's left panoramic eye captured specimens resembling puffballs
- image caption: Life on Mars: Experts identified these white specimens as fungi
* "Strange Mystery Spheres on Mars Baffle Scientists" (2012-09-15, space.com/17620-mars-rover-strange-photo-martian-rocks.html) [archive.is/hNX9z] [begin excerpt]: The new Mars photo by Opportunity shows a close-up of a rock outcrop called Kirkwood covered in blister-like bumps that mission scientists can't yet explain. At first blush, the formations appear similar to so-called Martian "blueberries" — iron-rich spherical formations first seen by Opportunity in 2004 — but they actually differ in several key ways, scientist said.
"This is one of the most extraordinary pictures from the whole mission," said rover mission principal investigator Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., in a statement. "Kirkwood is chock full of a dense accumulation of these small spherical objects. Of course, we immediately thought of the blueberries, but this is something different. We never have seen such a dense accumulation of spherules in a rock outcrop on Mars." [...]
Opportunity has seen Martian blueberries at many of its science sites during its Red Planet exploits, but the bumpy, spherical formations on the Kirkwood rock represent something new, researchers said. In Opportunity's new photo, many of the strange features are broken, revealing odd concentric circles inside.
"They seem to be crunchy on the outside, and softer in the middle," Squyres said. "They are different in concentration. They are different in structure. They are different in composition. They are different in distribution. So, we have a wonderful geological puzzle in front of us." [end excerpt]
- image attribution: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./ USGS/Modesto Junior College
* "Hilarious 'Mars Fungus' Lawsuit Filed Against NASA" (2014-02-03, space.com/24529-mars-mystery-rock-nasa-lawsuit.html) [archive.is/4XwNO]
- image caption: This before-and-after pair of images of the same patch of ground in front of NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity 13 days apart documents the arrival of a strange, bright rock at the scene. The rock, called "Pinnacle Island," is seen in the right image on Jan. 8, 2014. The image at left was taken on Dec. 26, 2013.
(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell Univ./Arizona State Univ. )
---
* " ‘Hot Saturn’ exoplanet 60 times bigger than Earth discovered" (2019-03-30, rt.com/news/455146-saturn-like-exoplanet-tess/) [archive.is/FMsR7]
---
* "Is Earth Quarantined? Researchers Meet to Try Shed Light on Alien Riddle; With arrays of new galaxies and their stars being discovered every day, it still remains unresolved if there is anyone, or anything, super-intelligent in control, and though the probability of the existence of extra-terrestrial civilizations is considered to be incredibly high, the evidence is a far cry from sufficient" (2019-03-27, sputniknews.com/science/201903271073586287-earth-quarantined-researchers-alien-riddle/) [archive.is/RzlEA]
---
* "Scientists search for ripples in time, space to unlock universe mysteries" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/27/c_137926741.htm) [archive.is/kvJnR]
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Ancient News
* "Resourceful and Intelligent, Unidentified Hominins Flourished in Arabia Using “Old School” Stone Tools" (2018-12-01, ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/stone-tools-0011080) [archive.is/FAeBz]
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* "Egypt unearths ancient river port used for shipping temple stones in Aswan" (2019-03-26, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/26/c_137925401.htm) [archive.is/evb2q]
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* "Israel discovers 2,600-year-old stone seal with Biblical name" (2019-03-31, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-04/01/c_137938855.htm) [archive.is/5nyDf]
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* "What’s Special About Golan Heights? These 5 Fabulous Recent Archaeological Discoveries For a Start!" (2019-03-28, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/golan-heights-0011673) [archive.is/dlmzU] [begin excerpt]:
A gigantic monument at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, as well as several mysterious structures, including a gigantic stone wheel and a moon-shaped monument, were found in and near the Golan Heights. The prehistoric stone monuments of Gilgal Refaim, Jethro Cairn, and the circular structure found in the Sea of the Galilee went unnoticed for centuries in the disputed regions of the Golan and archaeologists don't know who built them, or why.
Theories have gone wild and include ancient calendars, ceremonial structures, or 'sky burial' sites in which dead bodies were placed on top of stone mounds to be picked apart by vultures. Even more eluding is that that are no archeological evidence of a city near them, and some have therefore posited that the structures is in fact a huge monument carrying symbolic significance. The possible age of the structures ranges anywhere from 3,000 to 12,000 years old. The only thing we can say with certainty is that they are there and they are huge. [end excerpt]
- image caption: This circular structure was first detected in a sonar survey of part of the sea in the summer of 2003.
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* "World’s longest salt cave discovered at spot where Lot’s wife was transformed" (2019-03-28, rt.com/news/454990-longest-salt-cave-lots-wife/) [archive.is/tD9RV]
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* "Etruscan tomb in Corsica may yield secrets on civilization's decline" (2019-03-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674e77636a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/eCJtN]
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* "Italy's Pompeii offers new glimpses of life before calamity" (2019-03-30, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d674d33497a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/gEA6t]
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* "Is there truth to the Bedouin Legend of the Great River in the Desert?" (2015-09-11, ancient-origins.net/news-ancient-places-asia/there-truth-bedouin-legend-great-river-desert-003810) [archive.is/1o67c] [begin excerpt]:
Apart from the oral legend itself, the evidence for an ancient river in the desert is persuasive. Firstly, the earliest maps of the Arabian Peninsula clearly show two major rivers draining the Rub al Khali, one flowing north into the Persian Gulf, the other south into the Arabian Sea. Although drawn in the 15 th century, these maps were based on one by Ptolemy made around 150 AD, so essentially reflect the situation 2,000 years ago.
- image caption: Early map of Arabian Peninsula dated 1467 based on Ptolemy’s Cosmographia of 150 AD, showing two rivers flowing out of the Rub al Khali desert, north and south. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Secondly, explorers starting with Philby in 1932 as well as more recent geological surveys have found numerous prehistoric dried lake beds deep in the desert which have been dated to between 13,000 and 7,000 years ago, accompanied by the bones of gazelle, long-horned cattle and wild goats, animals that have not been seen there in living memory. So the desert was clearly a much wetter place, thousands of years ago.
Perhaps most persuasive, the ghostly remnants of the river appear to still be visible on satellite images and on the ground in the form of the Sabkha Matti, a salt flat which extends several hundred kilometers into the desert. The sabkha is quite treacherous to walk on, being covered with a crust of salt which men and camels can easily break through into a kind of quicksand below. It is thought to have originally followed the course of an ancient river, but now gets its moisture from the water table below, as it is only 40 meters (131 feet) above sea level.
- image caption: The ancient traces of the Great River: the Sabkha Matti runs 300 km inland. Radar images trace it much further. Photo: Google Earth
[end excerpt]
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* "Archaeologist Claims that King Arthur Was Not a Real Person But a Fictional 'Celtic Superhero' " (2017-10-09, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/archaeologist-claims-king-arthur-was-not-real-person-fictional-celtic-021652) [archive.is/2oi3c]
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* "Viking Dogs Followed Their Masters to Valhalla" (2017-10-11, ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/viking-dogs-followed-their-masters-valhalla-008944) [archive.is/EQiFe]
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* "Shock Findings In Ancient Garbage Mound Indicate Byzantine Empire Was In Major Decline BEFORE the Rise of Islam" (2019-03-27, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/byzantine-empire-decline-0011668) [archive.is/Wl3ks]
* "Truth behind fall of Byzantine city unearthed from 1,500 year old garbage dump" (2019-03-27, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/27/c_137927194.htm) [archive.is/nts9d]
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* "Unbroken "thousand-year eggs" found in Chinese tomb" (2019-03-26, xinhuanet.com/english/2019-03/26/c_137924976.htm) [archive.is/1HdVs]
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* "Technology, tourism freeze time on Hani rice terraces, SW China's Yunnan" (2019-03-28, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d77676a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/jbo0d]
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* "Secrets Of Maya Ruins: Archaeologists explore the ancient city of Chichen Itza" video page (2019-03-31, news.cgtn.com/news/794d544d33494464776c6d636a4e6e62684a4856/index.html) [archive.is/l5KUl]
* "Discovery of Balamku Cave may rewrite the history of Maya" (2019-03-31, news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d414e314d7a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html) [archive.is/rPUMW]
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* "Hundreds of Ancient Artifacts and Human Remains Discovered in Subterranean Tombs in Bolivia" (2018-11-19, ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/burial-tombs-bolivia-0011020) [archive.is/sivsu]
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* "A Ship in the Desert? Searching for a Lost Viking Ship in California" (2017-02-13, ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-americas/ship-desert-searching-lost-viking-ship-california-007539) [archive.is/pDAmO]
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* "John Lenard Walson found to be a hoaxer" (2008-02-12, aliencases.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=ufo&;action=display&num=1202851535, via liveleak.com/view?i=d8a_1268333835) [archive.is/6FIT9]
* "Interstellar - The Movie" video trailer page (2007-09-11, Jose Escamilla, youtube.com/watch?v=SWP_-a1P5hA) [archive.is/YabxS]: Interstellar is a film to be long remembered for generations to come. You are immediately made aware of the fact these things are in orbit in deep space yet not so far away. As you view this film, you might be surprised how many of them resemble things depicted in some of the more recent blockbuster feature films.
* "The Secret Spacecraft, John Lenard Walson" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Spacecraft_01.html) [archive.is/V5DPF]
* "The Secret Spacecraft, John Lenard Walson: Biggest discovery ever?" (thelivingmoon.com/43ancients/41Group_Lunar_FYEO/02files/FYEO_Spacecraft_01a.html) [archive.is/LmiEn]
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