Wednesday, February 29, 2012



The Most Dangerous Places in the Solar System
By Ron Miller,, 27 February 2012.

There are some swell places to visit in the Solar System, but there are also a few places that it might be best to avoid. There are some grand vacation places - the rim of Mariner Valley on Mars comes to mind, or the ice fountains of Enceladus - but there are some places that you might be better off just reading about.

The Himalayas of Venus, the view of Jupiter from Io, being able to see the entire solar system in one glance from Pluto - all of these places have some pretty nasty price tags attached. Here are the seven most dangerous places in the entire Solar System.

1. Io
In spite of boasting a spectacular view of the giant planet Jupiter, constant volcanic eruptions and huge flows of molten sulphur would make trekking around the landscape a little dicey. Even without the possibility of being blown up or fried, you would have to deal with a deadly radiation field that would be pouring 3600 rems into you every day. You get about 0.1 rem per year on earth, so you work out the figures.

2. Venus
Crushing pressure, sulphuric acid rain, 700-degree temperatures. If you want to see Venus' towering Maxwell Mountains you better look fast - because it would be a race to see whether you would be crushed, incinerated or dissolved first.

3. Just about any comet
In addition to an unstable, perpetually erupting surface, it possesses an "atmosphere" consisting largely of gravel. Being on a comet that is "calving" - or disintegrating into big chunks like a glacier - would be worse. Even worse yet: a sun-grazing comet that is disintegrating like - well, like a snowball in hell, as it zooms through the outer atmosphere of the star.

4. The surface of Pluto
A surface containing oxygen frozen hard as steel with lakes of liquid neon. On a clear day, the sun provides about as much heat and light as a full moon does back on earth. With Pluto's surface temperature at -378 to -396 F (-228 to -238 C) you would freeze solid in a nanosecond, so at least it probably wouldn't hurt.

5. Inside the rings of Saturn
Playing dodge-em with 40 zillion icebergs probably sounds like more fun than it really would be.

6. The hydrogen sea of Jupiter
You just don't want to be anywhere near there, trust me. Somewhere far beneath Jupiter's clouds and the core of the planet may lie a sea of liquid hydrogen, lit only by the glow of titanic bolts of lightning. Below this the pressure continues to rise until ordinary liquid hydrogen is compressed into liquid metallic hydrogen, of all things.

7. Titan
Intense cold and a dense, poisonous atmosphere...and if you needed any more reason to keep the windows and doors shut, it's an atmosphere which would be explosive if accidentally mixed with oxygen!

[Source: Edited. Top image added.]



Top 10 Cures That Didn't Work
Science Discovery.

Doctors don't always get it right and, what's more, they've been getting things wrong for thousands and thousands of years now.

Mixed in with all the successes and the cures and the vaccines and smiling patients are an awful lot of treatments that just didn't quite hit the mark.

Here are some highlights, ranging from the silly and ancient to the dangerous and frighteningly recent.

10. Sacrifices

It's not exactly clear how this approach was really supposed to work, but sacrifice was all the rage back in the day across a wide variety of cultures, from Judeo-Christian to African to pagan traditions.

It's pretty straightforward: if you were ill, it must have been because some god or deity was angry at you or because you had sinned. Killing an animal was supposed to appease an angry god, perhaps by offering up some kind of life force or energy. The deity would then appreciate the gift (perhaps better described as a bribe) and grant you good health.

The dead animal might even take on your burden. You know, pretty straightforward.

9. Dung

The ancient Egyptians loved dung (they used crocodile dung as a contraceptive); in 17th-century England, doctors advised chicken dung as a cure for baldness; and in India, cosmetics and potions laced with cow dung have been as cures for everything from cancer to acne.

Who knew poop was so popular?

The why is not really clear, since it harbours bacteria, which can cause disease itself, smells pretty foul and is just all-around disgusting in general...but never mind that.

8. Cigarettes

Yeah, what with the surgeon general's warnings all over the box and the tireless anti-smoking campaigns, it's pretty clear to just about anyone that smoking isn't going to do much for your health.

However, it wasn't so long ago that tobacco was marketed like it was a medicinal product, with doctors extolling the virtues of cigarettes. And that trend goes back a long way.

When Europeans came across the plant, right around the same time they happened upon the Americas, it was already being used by Native Americans for ritualistic and medicinal purposes. Tobacco's active ingredient, nicotine, is a stimulant that can, among other things, induce a mild euphoria and provide both an alert and relaxed feeling; it's also a bit addictive, as you may have heard.

Maybe that's why, by the 16th century, European doctors were extolling the virtues of tobacco for things like, get ready: asthma, shortness of breath, bad breath and even cancer. Huh.

7. Sex

Sex has all kinds of wonderful effects on the body, but one of those effects is not "moving the womb."

Why would the womb need to be moved, you ask?

Well, the ancient Greeks believed that a woman's womb could move around the body, causing a woman to feel generally distressed or nervous. Their cure? Get her pregnant! Then the womb would know where it should be.

If this sounds like an excuse to have sex with and impregnate vulnerable and troubled women, well, it probably was.

What's more, the mentality behind this diagnosis lingered on well into more modern times, with 19th-century treatments for "hysteria" (a condition that made women "nervous" or "irritable") involving "pelvic massage" by a doctor or midwife. Interesting.

6. Bloodletting

Back in the day, bloodletting was kind of your cure-all for everything.

Performed in the Western world by barber-surgeons (cutting hair, cutting's all the same, right?), the practice was supposed to rid the body of imbalances and was used to treat just about everything.

It almost never did much good, more often weakening an already ill person than curing them. Still, it persisted well through the 19th century and was practiced widely throughout much of the world and many cultures, from ancient Egypt and Greece, to India, to America.

For the record, bloodletting is occasionally (albeit, rarely) worth something. The practice of controlled phlebotomy is still occasionally used for a couple of rare diseases, such as hemochromatosis, where the body retains too much iron...only nowadays, they take a pint of blood with a syringe, as opposed to a few pounds with a lancet.

5. Mercury

Famed cure for syphilis, indigestion, old age and almost everything else, mercury was once the most popular medicinal metal.

Maybe it was the hypnotic allure of the flowing silver-coloured liquid that made it such a hot commodity; the metal found its way into the bloodstreams of some very important people, including Abraham Lincoln, whose fits of rage may have resulted from the mercury in a then-popular blue pill, and the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, who likely died from the mercury-laden pills that he thought would grant him immortality.

Once you've got mercury in your bloodstream, good luck getting rid of it: the neurotoxic element accumulates over multiple doses. At its worst, mercury poisoning can cause paralysis, insanity, loss of motor control and death...and it never really did much to cure either syphilis or mortality either.

4. Lobotomies

If the brain wasn't working right, why not just take part of it out? That was kind of the logic behind lobotomies, a practice that came of age in the middle of the 20th century.

Doctors were just beginning to understand how the brain worked and had zeroed in on the frontal lobe as the source of all kinds of problems - most notably, schizophrenia. From there, they took things one step (or maybe 20) too far.

While the first attempts at lobotomies date back to the 1890s, the technique didn't become popular until the 1930s and '40s. One of the more famous lobotomists was Walter Freeman, who travelled the country, ice-pick in hand, ready to plunge it through an eye socket and into the brain.

It's gruesome, terrifying stuff, particularly since many of the lobotomized patients were being treated for things like "youthful defiance." What's more, the technique wasn't much of a success among patients who were genuinely suffering from serious mental illnesses: many of the once erratic-acting patients were in fact calmer, but they were also rendered completely non-reactive and devoid of memories, their intellects and a normal range of emotions.

That doesn't sound like a mentally well person.

3. Trepanation

You need it like a hole in the, really, you do, because this cure is, literally, a hole in the head.

Actually, the hole is in your skull, to be precise, cutting right up to the brain matter. Used to combat a range of ailments, from epilepsy to mental illness, trepanation was once popular among ancient Europeans, Egyptians and Africans.

Doctors drilled into the skull to release demons or increase brain volume or maybe just to freak people out. The scariest thing? In addition to being practiced in limited ways in Africa today, trepanation still has a minor following among a group looking to raise their consciousness, find enlightenment or combat depression.

There are plenty out there who will gladly help you drill skull-deep with, no kidding, a power drill. No thanks.

2. Radium Water

In case you needed a reminder that really bad ideas for cures don't have to come from thousands of years ago, let us remind you of radium water.

Maybe the reason this bad idea didn't show up until the 20th century was because we didn't know about radioactivity until then...but once we discovered it, we sure did move fast.

Never mind the cancer, the falling out hair and teeth, the decaying bones, the fatigue or any of the other signs of radiation poisoning - the makers of a whole variety of radioactive cures, including Radithor radium water, insisted that the, um, high-energy water could cure everything from arthritis to high blood pressure to acne.

Geiger counters everywhere clicked out their applause.

1. Exorcism

Well, without a doubt, if demonic possession is your trouble, exorcism really might be the answer.

But think seriously now: could your ailment be caused by something OTHER than a rogue agent of Satan? If you answered "maybe," then you could probably do without the beatings and screaming that occasionally go with an exorcism.

Kid misbehaving? Therapy might be a better answer.

Excessive mood swings or debilitating depression? We've come a long way with modern psychoactive drugs.

But if you lived in the Middle Ages, back before we understood anything about brain chemistry (or moody teenagers), you might have turned to the church for answers and the prescription for exorcism actually might very well have solved your problem - even if it was only by scaring the victim into a long life of careful submission.

[Source: Science Discovery.]

Tuesday, February 28, 2012



Top 10 Strange and Unique Forests
by Bryan Johnson,
Listverse, 28 February 2012.

Forests cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth’s surface. However, they once covered over 50%. Most people identify forests with trees, but the concept of the forest ecosystem reaches much further and includes many species, such as smaller plants, fungi, bacteria, insects, animals, as well as energy flow and nutrient cycling. Luckily, a large percentage of people on Earth are still able to enjoy the tranquillity of an ancient forest. However, some people have never had the chance to enter one of these majestic plant communities. In fact, almost 80% of Europe’s forests are owned by Russia.

As you step foot into an old growth forest, the rush of fresh air fills your lungs. Your senses perk up and you become aware of the life that surrounds you. In the forest, you never know what is waiting around the corner. In the forest, you will discover and witness new things for the first time. In the forest, you will come to peace with nature. In the forest, you will escape the world of technology and learn what it was like to live off the land. This article will examine ten strange and unique forests.

10. North Sentinel Island Forest

Northsentinel Island Iss006-E-33376 Sat




Their agricultural practices and methods for producing fire are currently unknown. The Sentinelese weaponry consists of javelins and a flat bow, which has an extremely high accuracy against human-sized targets up to nearly 10 meters (32.8 feet). The Sentinelese has even been known to use untipped arrows for warning shots. There food consists primarily of plant stuffs gathered in the forest, coconuts which are frequently found on the beaches, pigs, and presumably other wildlife (which apart from sea turtles is limited to some smaller birds and invertebrates).


9. Crooked Forest

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8. Red Forest

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The Red Forest or the Worm Wood Forest is located within the 10 kilometre (6.2 mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat, Ukraine. After the Chernobyl nuclear accident on April 26, 1986, the Worm Wood Forest turned a ginger-brown colour and died. In the clean-up effort, most of the trees were bulldozed and buried in a collection of “waste graveyards.” The trenches were covered with a carpet of sand and planted over with new pine saplings. Today, the Red Forest remains one of the most contaminated areas in the world. It holds a mixture of old growth pine, along with the new saplings planted in 1986. More than 90% of the radioactivity of the Red Forest is concentrated in the soil.





7. Chestnut Hills







6. Sea of Trees






5. Trillemarka – Rollagsfjell Forest





4. Dark Entry Forest

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3. Ardennes






2. Hoia-Baciu Forest






1. Ancient Wuda Forest


In February of 2012, scientists in northern China announced that they had finished reconstructing an ancient forest that was found buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash near the Mongolian district of Wuda. The 20 square kilometre (12.4 mile) forest was completely preserved after a large volcano erupted 298 million years ago and dropped a large amount of lava and ash on the site. The discovery was reminiscent of the destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii in A.D. 79. It was determined that the blast came from a large volcano around 100 kilometres away. The destruction left a layer of ash that is now 66-cm (about 40 inches) thick. The blast ripped leaves from branches, knocked down trees, and buried the forest.


Selected Quote: “All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man.” Henry David Thoreau.

+ Yellowwood State Forest

640Px-Gobbler Rock

Yellowwood State Forest is located in Brown County, Indiana. The name of the forest is derived from the yellowwood, a tree seldom found this far north in the U.S. The Yellowwood State Forest preserve was established in the 1930s. In 1939, a 133-acre (54 ha) lake, Yellowwood Lake, was created in the area. One major mystery surrounds the forest. A collection of large sandstone boulders, estimated to weigh about 400 pounds (180 kg), have been found in the tops of three trees. The mystery began in the 1990s, when a turkey hunter, scouting in a remote area of the 23,000-acre forest, discovered a large boulder in a chestnut oak tree. The boulder was eventually dubbed Gobbler’s Rock.

Gobbler’s Rock sits high on a south-facing slope overlooking a ravine near Tulip Tree Road in western Brown County. Officials can’t explain how the boulders got wedged into the branches. Some of the theories include a fraternity prank, tornadoes, high winds, or floods. The strange phenomenon is now the focus of several UFO websites. On Yellowwood State Forest’s Wikipedia page it claims that the rocks were placed there by a U.S. helicopter doing a training exercise from nearby Camp Atterbury during World War II. However, the provided reference for the claim is broken and no further information can be found on the training exercise or why such a task would be undertaken.

Selected Quote: “Geologists have a saying, rocks remember.” Neil Armstrong.

[Source: Listverse. Edited. Top image added.]


The following is a report from the British paper Daily Mail. As per its title, it appears self-explanatory. But my immediate reaction:

1. The part about the “secret Bible” may be new and could be a significant discovery, but only if proven to be not only genuine but also to contain new revelations, rather than reiteration of old news such as references to Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the Gospel of Barnabas. Even if it’s true, any discovery that question the very foundation of Christianity would, needless to say, be immediately criticized or even hidden from public scrutiny. Hence it’s no surprise that the Daily Mail put a damper on the news.

2. The part about “Jesus predicts coming of Prophet Muhammad” is nothing new as many Muslim scholars have already written about it. Notable examples include the late Ahmad Deedat’s books, What the Bible Says About Muhammad and Muhummed – The Natural Successor to Christ, which are one of the earliest accounts about the prediction. Google “Muhammad in the Bible” and you will find loads of articles on this matter.

Here’s the full report (with comments where appropriate)…
Daily Mail, 24 February 2012.


Comment: No surprise the Pope is interested as it concerns the very foundation of Christianity. But is it the original Gospel of Barnabas? There have been reports that the original Gospel has survived to this day and its copies are in the custody of the British Museum and the Library of the Congress, Washington - despite claims of forgery by Christian scholars. The Gospel can be viewed in the website The Gospel of Barnabas, which is dedicated to exposing the truth about the Gospel (read the page How the Gospel of Barnabas Survived; the entire Gospel can also be read or downloaded there). In this survived Gospel, many explicit references were made to Prophet Muhammad (saw). This is nothing new; it has been told and retold countless times, now even more so with the advent of internet.

So, is the discovered secret Bible just another copy of the original Gospel of Barnabas? Or, given the Pope’s interest, is it something else – something new and more earth-shaking? The report further states:

Secret Bible: The 1,500-year-old tome was is said to contain Jesus' early teachings and a prediction of the Prophet's comingSecret Bible: The 1,500-year-old tome was is said to contain Jesus' early
teachings and his prediction of the Prophet's coming
Ancient: The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000Ancient: The leather-bound text, written on animal hide, was discovered by
Turkish police during an anti-smuggling operation in 2000






the recently re-discovered Bible

Historic: The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome is penned in Jesus' native Aramaic languageHistoric: The £14million handwritten gold lettered tome is penned in Jesus' native
Aramaic language

Comment: Again the current Bible references to the rejection of Jesus as God and of the Holy Trinity have already been cited by Muslim writers and are generally well known. Read, for example, Ahmad Deedat’s Crucifixion Or Cruci-fiction. The report adds:

Comment: Here a direct reference is made in the secret Bible to the name “Muhammad” and that he is an “Ishmaelite” (descendant of Prophet Ismail as). As per my comment above, the name “Muhammad” is also contained in the survived Gospel of Barnabas which can be read in the website The Gospel of Barnabas. In Ahmad Deedat’s books and those of other Muslim writers, the allusions to Prophet Muhammad (saw) came from such words as “Paraclete”, “Land of Kedar”, and “Paran” in the Old Testament, which could only be related to the Prophet and no one else. Read Ahmad Deedat’s books linked above for further explanation.

But then the Daily Mail immediately doused cold water over the news, stating:


Protestant pastor İhsan Özbek said it was unlikely to be authentic.





Comment: Yes, only a scientific scan and further meticulous study can reveal the truth. More importantly, the results of the study must be open to public scrutiny and not hidden, even if its contents as reported above turn out to be true or it is itself not the Gospel of Barnabas but is something else.

But given the controversial nature of this subject, I remain sceptical… And until the truth is known, I would not want to dip further my hands into it.

Monday, February 27, 2012



Endangered languages have been in the news for past few years with the launch in February 2009 of UNESCO’s electronic edition of its Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger. According to UNESCO, more than half of the world's 7,000 languages spoken today are in danger of disappearing before the century ends.


Copy of New Picture

In the last 500 years, an estimated half of the world's languages, from Etruscan to Tasmanian, have become extinct. But researchers say the languages of the world are now vanishing faster than ever in recorded history. More than 500 languages may be spoken by fewer than ten people. Some are being spoken only by a single person. Some tongues have disappeared instantly, with small, vulnerable communities wiped out by natural disasters. But in most cases, languages die a slow death, as people simply abandon their native tongues when they become surrounded by people speaking a more common language.

This critical situation has led members of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages in Oregon, USA to travel the world to interview the last speakers of critically endangered languages as part of the National Geographic Society's Enduring Voices Project (NGSEVP). On 17 February 2012, a "Talking Dictionary" Project was announced. This latest project's online repositories will allow just about anyone to hear disappearing tongues being spoken by some of what may be their last speakers.

The fact however remains that hundreds of languages have already died, some of these long ago and with no fanfare, but sometimes the death of a language is recorded and we know exactly who last spoke it. It is these people that the author of one of the articles referenced in this post, would like to honour. This list (of the first 12 languages) is in no particular order and is not an exhaustive list, but he thinks it is representative and shows that language death is not restricted to one part of the world. The people listed came from all walks of life and, some seemed indifferent or unaware of their status, while others became campaigners and tried to pass their knowledge onto others. It is interesting that many of those in the latter category lived long lives, almost defiantly trying to battle the inevitable.

The last three languages listed represent the dying ones and are part of the NGSEVP initiatives. Like the dead languages listed, the list is not exhaustive and is not ranked in the order presented.

1. Soma Devi Dura (circa 1926)

Soma Devi Dura, last known speaker of the Dura language.



2. Marie Smith Jones (1918 – 2008)

Marie Smith Jones, last known speaker of the Eyak language.



3. Ishi (1860 – 1916)

New Picture
Ishi, last known speaker of the Yana language (and last member of the Yahi).



4. Armand Lunel (1892 –1977)

Armand Lunel, the last known speaker of Shuadit (Judeo-Provençal) language.

Writer, librettist, philosopher and teacher, Lunel was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, where his family had lived for centuries, but later moved to Monaco. His writings were in French and he wrote about everyday Jewish life in Provence. In 1968, a recording was made of Lunel singing in his language but he died before another recording could be made.

The origins of Judeo Provencal are something of a mystery to linguists; documents in the language go back to the 11th century. Its use declined rapidly after the French Revolution.

5. Shanawdithit (1801-1829)

Shanawdithit, last known speaker of the Beothuk language (and last member of the Beothuk).



6. Big Bill Neidjie (circa 1920 – 2002)

Big Bill Neidjie, last known speaker of the Gagudju language.



7. Tuone Udaina (died 1898)

Tuone Udaina, the last known speaker of the Dalmatian language.



8. Fidelia Fielding (1827 – 1908)

Fidelia Fielding, last known speaker of the Mohegan Pequot Language.



9. Alf Palmer (circa 1891 – 1981)

Alf Palmer (left), last known speaker of the Warrunga language.



10. Tevfik Esenç (1904 – 1992)

Tevfik Esenç, last known speaker of the Ubykh language.



11. Ned Maddrell (circa 1878 – 1974)

Ned Maddrell, the last known speaker of traditional Manx.



12. Dolly Pentreath (died 1777)

Dolly Pentreath, last known speaker of the traditional Cornish language.



13. Matukar Panau Community, Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea picture: speaker of dying language Matukar Panau
John Agid (pictured on the left in an interview with linguist Gregory Anderson (right) is one of only about 600 speakers of the endangered Matukar Panau language in Papua New Guinea. Photograph by Chris Rainier, National Geographic.

The Matukar Panau language is spoken in two villages in the Madang province of Papua New Guinea. Native speakers of Matukar call their language "Panau," which means "give me" and is said to refer to the words of their ancestors when they first came to the island. That their ancestors were more recent migrants than speakers of other Papua New Guinea languages in that area may be supported by the fact that Matukar is unlike the Papuan languages on the isle. It is an Oceanic language of the Austronesian family and shares cognates and similar structure with languages found on surrounding Melanesian islands, such as Samoan.

There are currently about 430 speakers of Matukar. Although this number includes both young children and experienced elders, the effects of the spreading of English and the dominance of Tok Pisin, the national pidgin, puts Matukar at risk for extinction. However, through local language revitalization efforts and projects such as the Matukar Talking Dictionary, there is hope that Matukar will become popularized among younger generations.

Matukar Panau is one of eight endangered languages featured in a "talking dictionary" project announced on 17 February 2012. Until the project team began documenting it three years ago, Matukar Panau had never been recorded or written. (Search the full Matukar Panau talking dictionary.)

14. Chamacoco Community, Paraguay

Shaman picture: speaker of dying language Chamacoco in Paraguay
Tito Perez (above), a shaman from the Chamacoco community in Puerto Diana, Paraguay, is dressed in traditional garb, including a feathered necklace and head gear. Photograph by Chris Rainier, National Geographic.

The Chamacoco language is spoken by the Ishir people of the Gran Chaco region of northern Paraguay. Chamacoco is a Zamucoan language spoken in Paraguay and maybe Brazil by the Chamacoco people. There is relatively little information about the Zamucoan language family. It is spoken by a traditionally hunter-gatherer society that has now turned to agriculture. Its speakers are of all ages, and generally do not speak Spanish or Guarani well.

Now preserved in the talking dictionaries, Chamacoco is still spoken by about 1,200 people but is highly endangered. Their language is threatened by the general shift to Spanish that is happening across most of Latin America. (Search the full Chamacoco talking dictionary.)

15. Bonda Community, India

India picture: speakers of dying language Remo in India
Speakers of India's Remo language in traditional attire. Photograph by Chris Rainier, National Geographic.

Remo, also known as Bondo or Remosam, is an Austro-Asiatic language of the Munda family spoken by an estimated 9,000 people in the Bondo Hills of Orissa province in eastern India. It is an endangered tribal language due to the pressures and influences of Oriya and other languages like Hindi and English.

Also featured among the talking dictionaries, India's Remo language is of particular interest to scholars because its linguistic roots are very old, going back to pre-Hindu India. (Search the full Remo talking dictionary.)

[Edited. Some images added.]