This beautiful image of a monkey swimming in the geothermal hot springs, Japan was taken by Will Burrard-Lucas. Click the image to visit his web site and see more of his incredible photography.

Here is the basic hypothesis according to Wikipedia:

As compared to the great apes, their nearest living relatives, humans exhibit many significant differences in anatomy and physiology, including bipedalism, almost hairless skin like some marine mammals, hair growth patterns following water flow-lines, increased subcutaneous fat for insulation, descended larynx, vestigial webbing between the fingers, vernix caseosa, a hooded nose, muscular nostril aperture control and the philtrum preventing water from entering the nostrils, voluntary breath control like marine mammals and birds, and greasy skin with an abundance of sebaceous glands, which can be interpreted as a waterproofing device. It has also been suggested that the abundance of docosahexaenoic acid and iodine in seafood would have been helpful in the development of a large brain. ^{(Read more here…AAH Wikipedia)}

Take a listen to Elaine Morgan as she lays out her case for the Aquatic Ape “Missing Link”, and decide for yourself.  I think she speaks with some authority on the matter, and if her science can’t convince you, she might simply win you over by being incredibly charming

Thanks again to Posthuman Blues for the find.

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I’ve got a tiny scar just beside my left eye, the result of a careless act involving me as a five-year-old jumping around near the front door of my house, stumbling and hitting the side of my head on the door’s lock.

The scar though is nothing compared to the one that now graces the planet Jupiter. In fact, the damn thing is so big it is actually the size of Earth.

Looking like a big black dot (pictured above at the top), it was discovered this week, I am proud to say, by a man from ‘Down Under’, 44-year-old amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley, who then contacted scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

In his Observation Report, Wesley first caught sight of the intriguing spot through his big-ass telescope just before 1am, just as he was about to pull the plug on the night’s planet-gazing to watch a bit of cricket and golf.

He initially thought it was just a “normal dark polar storm”. “However as it rotated further into view, and the conditions improved I suddenly realised that it wasn’t just dark, it was black in all channels, meaning it was truly a black spot,” he wrote.

“My next thought was that it must be either a dark moon (like Callisto) or a moon shadow, but it was in the wrong place and the wrong size.

“Also, I’d noticed it was moving too slow to be a moon or shadow. As far as I could see it was rotating in sync with a nearby white oval storm that I was very familiar with – this could only mean that the back feature was at the cloud level and not a projected shadow from a moon. I started to get excited.

“It took another 15 minutes to really believe that I was seeing something new – I’d imaged that exact region only two days earlier and checking back to that image showed no sign of any anomalous black spot.

Anthony Wesley and his 14.5 inch telescope.

Glen Orton, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told New Scientist, that the spot was most likely the result of a comet or asteroid crashing into the giant gas planet.

NASA collected its own images after being notified by Wesley using its Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii.

“Our first image showed a really bright object right where that black scar was, and immediately we knew this was an impact,” Orton said. “There’s no natural phenomenon that creates a black spot and bright particles like that.”

The discovery came 15 years to the day would you believe after the comet Shoemaker-Levey 9 was seen slamming into Jupiter.

Wesley told The Sydney Morning Herald that we humans should feel fortunate our big Jovian brother was protecting us from receiving our own batterings from object from outer space.

“If anything like that had hit the Earth it would have been curtains for us, so we can feel very happy that Jupiter is doing its vacuum-cleaner job and hoovering up all these large pieces before they come for us.”

SOURCES:
Observation Report
New Scientist
The Sydney Morning Herald

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Doubtless you were reduced to a puddle of tears yesterday when I neglected to do my weekly Extraordinary Thursday Video Post.  Well, I apologize for rocking your world like this, but I actually had a reason for waiting the extra day.  Luckily, I was able to make a clever and subtle change to the above graphic.

The reason for the delay is that today, July 10, is the Birthday of Nikola Tesla, one of the most overlooked yet influential men in modern history.  (It’s also my dad’s birthday, and I think he’s rather awesome as well!)

Nikola Tesla at age 40

When we think of electricity, we think of Thomas Edison.  But who we really should be thanking is Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current.  Tesla is also the man to thank for radio, not to mention all wireless communications.  In fact, Nikola Tesla may be the mad genius behind many inventions of the future, such as particle beams and weather modification.  Then there is the fact that he claimed to know a way to split the entire planet in half. He was truly a great mind, and a personal hero of yours truly.

In honor of the accomplishments of Nikola Tesla, I am devoting this week’s post to his works.  I sincerely hope that you will take a look at one or two or all of these vids, and learn a little more about this incredible man who has been maligned, unfairly belittled, and nearly forgotten by history.

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla, wherever you are.

Nikola Tesla – The Lost Wizard. This is a phenomenal short biography of Tesla that aired on the History Channel. If you only watch one, this is the one.

Nikola Tesla – The Genius Who Lit the World.  This one is a little dry, but provides a very detailed account of Tesla’s life, and defends his contributions to science in a very thorough manner.  Must see to really appreciate Tesla’s work.

The Missing Secrets Of Nikola Tesla. This one is great.  There used to be this really interesting show called Phenomenon – The Lost Archives, hosted by Dean Stockwell.  This is an episode that was dedicated to the more advanced claims made by Tesla.  Fascinating!

Holes in Heaven – Advances in Tesla Technology. This one focuses on HAARP.  If you don’t know what HAARP is, this video is for you, because it lays it out precisely.  Or just ask an Alaskan.  This is where the weather modification I mentioned earlier comes into play. It’s a well produced documentary, and well worth your time.

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In my frustration, I’ve turned to searching for natural remedies.   I’ve had suggestions ranging from Vitamin C to grapefruit seed extract to sticking a clove a garlic in my ear.  But the one suggestion that keeps popping up is Colloidal Silver.

The benefits and risks of taking colloidal silver are difficult to pin down.  One side says that it is a miraculous curing agent that has been used for decades.  Others say it is a dangerous substance that can cause all manner of problems to your body.

So what is the truth?  I’ve embarked on a quest to find the answer.

Colloidal Silver is a compound that consists of silver particles suspended in liquid.  It is sold in a variety of solutions with varying degrees of silver to liquid ratios, and is also frequently created at home with devices that can be purchased online built by the user.

Advocates of Colloidal Silver make claims that range  from its antibiotic capabilities to its ability to cure cancer and AIDS.  The truth may fall somewhere inbetween.

In the early 1900s, Colloidal Silver was prominantly used as a “cure-all” for its antibiotic qualities.  With the advent of drugs like penicillin and sulfamilinide, CS took a back seat.   Starting in the early 90s, CS began to see a resurgance in popularity.  The FDA roundly refutes any claims made by those selling or recommending the compound, but it is still legal to sell.

It is illegal, however, for manufacturers to make claims about its curing properties. CS advocates claim that this is part of a concerted effort on the part of the Governemnt and the Pharmaceutical companies to oppress the medicinal silver market, promoting instead FDA approved antibiotics.  While the FDA claims there is no evidence to support the medicinal qualities of silver, it did not stop them from approving Curad bandages from placing silver in its product.  Curad uses the silver as a topical inhibitor of infection.

As we look at Colloidal Silver, I’d like to simply present both cases.  Admittedly, it is difficult to find web sites that advocate CS without promoting a specific brand, which causes some question regarding claims.  I’ve done my best to find sites that are neither beholdent to the FDA nor a particular brand of CS.

COLLOIDAL SILVER: PROS

According to HerbalRemedies.com:

Contemporary Studies
Laboratory tests in 1988 by Larry C. Ford, M.D., UCLA School of Medicine, and other researchers showed that destructive bacteria, virus and fungus organisms are killed within minutes of contact with simple metallic silver. While studying regeneration of limbs, spinal cords and organs in the late 1970s, Robert O. Becker, M.D., author of The Body Electric, discovered that silver ions promote bone growth and kill surrounding bacteria he recognized a correlation between low silver levels and sickness. He said silver deficiency was responsible for the improper functioning of the immune system. Dr. Becker’s experiments conclude that silver works on the full spectrum of pathogens without any side effects or damage to the body. He also states that silver does more than kill disease-causing organisms. Burn patients and even elderly patients notice more rapid healing. All strains of pathogens resistant to other antibiotics are killed by silver. The March 1978 issue of Science Digest, in an article, “Our Mightiest Germ Fighter,” reported: “Thanks to eye-opening research, silver is emerging as a wonder of modern medicine. Resistant strains fail to develop. Moreover, silver is virtually non-toxic. “The article ended with a quote by Dr. Harry Margraf, a biochemist and pioneering silver researcher who worked with the late Carl Moyer, M.D., chairman of Washington University’s Department of Surgery in the 1970s: “Silver is the best all-around germ fighter we have.”

***Most hospital burn units use silver compounds as a primary source to combat germs and infection.

***As previously mentioned, some companies selling adhesive bandages are now using silver in their gauze as infection inhibitors.

***Claimed to be effective in treating Acne, Athlete’s Foot, Blood Poisoning, Burns, Candida, Colitis, Conjunctivitis, Dermatitis, Dysentry, Excema, Gastritis, Gonorrhea, Herpes, Hepatitis, Infantile Diseases, Impetigo, Keratitis, Leprosy, lesions, lyme disease, Pymphagitis, Malaria, Pluerisy, Phneomonia, Psoriasis, Pruritis Ani, Ophthalmia, Ringworm, Rhiritis Rosacea, Scarlet Fever, Seborrhea, Septicemia, Shingles, Staph Infection, Strep Infections, Stomach Flu, Toxemia, Herpes Virus, Ulcers, Strep, Tonsillitis, Trenchfoot, Tuberculosis, Virus Warts, Whooping Cough, Yeast Infections.

***Non addictive with little or no side effects (see cons for a rebuttal of this statement)

***silver is a natural trace element already found in all organically grown fruits and vegetables.

***can be purchased easily from any health food store, or made at home.  Watch the video below on how to make colloidal silver yourself. (We do not necessarily endorse the instructions below. This video is simply shown as an example of how colloidal silver is home brewed by some people.)

The Web Site Colloidalsilversecrets.blogspot.com sites an interesting study:

COLLOIDAL SILVER: CONS

There are many sites dedicated to debunking the healing claims of Colloidal Silver.  The opponents, not the least of whom being the FDA, say that there is no scientific evidence whatsoever that CS has any disease fighting qualities.

In 2002, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) claimed that there were no legitimate medical uses for colloidal silver and no evidence to support its marketing claims. Given the associated safety risks, the TGA concluded that “efforts should be made to curb the illegal availability of colloidal silver products, which is a significant public health issue.

Opponents also point to the misleading claims by CS merchants that most people suffer from a “silver deficiency”.  The truth is, silver is not an essential nutrient for the human body.

While anti-silver claimants do admit that studies have proven CS has anti bacterial qualities, they maintain that there is a big difference between a culture in a lab and the human ingestion of a substance.

The biggest case made against Colloidal Silver, however, is its ability to cause a disease known as argyria,  a condition in which silver salts deposit in the skin, eyes, and internal organs, and the skin turns ashen-gray or blue.  There are a few real life cases of people suffering from this disease due to their use of silver.  In fairness, I must add that CS advocates claim that this side effect is extremely rare, and usually only appears in people who partake in way too much CS, far beyond the recommended dosages.  Nevertheless, argyria is a real condition, as evidenced in the following video of the “blue man”.

There is also the story of Rosemary Jacobs, who started taking Colloidal Silver at age 11 via nose drops for allergies.  By the age of 14, her skin had noticeably begun to change colors.  She attempted to remove the coloration with dermabrasion, but maintained her gray skin tone.  She is now a staunch advocate against the use of silver products.  You can see her entire story here: http://rosemaryjacobs.com/

Conclusion:

At the end of my research, I can honestly say that I am completely torn.  I cannot say which argument satisfies me more.  With the thousands or perhaps millions of people who are currently taking colloidal silver without incident, I am fairly certain that cases like “the blue man” must be from over consumption as well as topical usage.  However, I am leary of some claims of CS in its somewhat opportunistic usage of emerging diseases to sell more product.  This blame lies mostly with the manufacturers, but as I made clear at the beginning of this post, it isn’t easy to find a web site that isn’t in some way promoting a specific brand.

What do you think?  Have you taken colloidal silver?  Heard any stories, good or bad?  Please leave your comments regarding your own experience with colloidal silver.

sources:

http://www.gordonresearch.com/Presentations/GRI_mar07/articles/promising_cure.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloidal_silver

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“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations — to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

This is where it all began. The Original Star Trek Series running roughly from 1966 through 1969, for a total of three seasons and 78 episodes – but my how we’ve grown.

The show was only a minor hit and was threatened with cancellation after its second year, but a strong letter-writing campaign from fans convinced the network to keep the show.

But with even less spectacular ratings Star Trek was terminated with little hope of any future. 

Or so they thought!

Fortunately, after three years enough episodes were produced that the show could enter syndication, and it was in the after-school market during the early 1970’s that the show found its audience.

Fan conventions sprang up, merchandising blossomed, an animated series with the original cast was produced, and it became apparent that Star Trek was a force that would refuse to die.

Today, the franchise first conceived by Gene Roddenberry over 40 years ago has spawned four more television series, 10 theatrical movies, hundreds of books and magazines, and innumerable Internet fan sites.

So – open the pandora’s box  . . . who is your favourite Star Trek character?

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An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet “extraordinary.” (Nice!)

This is an important revelation, as most planets discovered outside our solar system tend to be around the size of Jupiter, which dwarfs the Earth by huge measures.  It is said that Jupiter could swallow the Earth over 1,000 times.

While this new planet, called Gliese 581 e,  sits too close to its sun to support life (it is simply far too hot), it is a major discovery in that researchers now know that nature does make planets roughly the size of Earth. Therefore, it is likely that there could be another planet in the galaxy that could support life.

An artist’s impression of ‘Planet e’ , forground left, released by the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere Tuesday April 21, 2009. Exoplanet researcher Michel Mayor announced Tuesday the discovery of the lightest exoplanet found so far. The planet, ‘e’, in the famous system Gliese 581, in the constellation of Libra and 20.5 light years (192 trillion km or 119 trillion miles) away, is only about twice the mass of Earth. The team also refined the orbit of the planet Gliese 581 d, (coloured blue in image) first discovered in 2007, placing it well within the habitable zone, where liquid water oceans could exist. These discoveries are the outcome of more than four years of observations using the most successful low-mass-exoplanet hunter in the world, the HARPS spectrograph attached to the 3.6-metre ESO telescope at La Silla, Chile. (AP Photo/ European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere)

According to the AP:

Geoff Marcy of the University of California, Berkeley, praised the find of Gliese 581 e as “the most exciting discovery” so far of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system.

“This discovery is absolutely extraordinary,” Marcy told The Associated Press by e-mail, calling the discoveries a significant step in the search for Earth-like planets.

While Gliese 581 e is too hot for life “it shows that nature makes such small planets, probably in large numbers,” Marcy commented. “Surely the galaxy contains tens of billions of planets like the small, Earth-mass one announced here.”

Gliese 581 e is located in the constellation Libra and orbits around the star Gliese 581.  Like other planets circling that star — scientists have discovered four so far — Gliese 581 e was found using the European Southern Observatory’s telescope in La Silla, Chile.

The telescope has a special instrument which splits light to find wobbles in different wavelengths. Those wobbles can reveal the existence of other worlds.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090421/ap_on_sc/eu_britain_new_planet

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The Chinese are coming … just like legendary author Arthur C. Clarke predicted 27 years ago.

In his 1982 book ‘2010: Odyssey Two’ – the follow-up to his mega hit novel, and movie by Stanley Kubrick, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ – Clarke envisioned China entering, and then leaping ahead of both the US and the then USSR, in a prolonged Space Race.

While the makers of the ‘2010′ film adaptation – released in 1984 – chose to leave them out of their version, the Chinese in fact played a pivotal role in Clarke’s earlier novel.

The story obviously takes place nine years after the Discovery’s disastrous mission to Jupiter to investigate a giant monolith that had parked itself near one the planet’s moons, the icy Europa. The on-board computer HAL went a little nuts and crew member Dave Bowman became a ‘Star Child’ after disappearing into the monolith.

It is hoped a joint American-Soviet rescue mission will shed light on what happened, but not if the Chinese get there first.

Not long before the spacecraft the Leonov blasts off, a Chinese space station orbiting Earth reveals itself to be a rival craft named the Tsien, which rockets away to Jupiter, and ultimately reaching everyone’s destination first.

The fact that the Chinese mission meets a rather untimely demise after the Tsien lands on Europa and is attacked by an indigenous life-form is not important … well, to this post anyway.

Now we only a year out from 2010, don’t expect to see any Chinese missions to Jupiter, or any other planet in our solar system for that matter, in the very near future.

But do expect them to target another heavenly body a little closer to our own, the Moon, in the next decade – according to the experts.

While debate might still rage over whether that famous moon-landing by the US – in particular Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – in 1969 did in fact happen or whether it was faked (and for this post let’s suppose it did), the US is keen to get back up there.

And just like they famously wanted to beat the Russians almost 40 years ago, this time they want to outdo the Chinese.

It has been 27 years since the 12th and last American, Eugene Cernan – as part of the sixth and last NASA Apollo mission – achieved the feat.

During that time, no other country has made an attempt.
The Space Race was won. Competition over.

Until now.

Last September an amazing milestone was reached when Zhai Zhigang carried out China’s first ever space walk.

The country follows just the US and Russia to achieved such a technological accomplishment, and came five years after China first sent a man into space.

No doubt the Chinese are setting their sights a little higher – or a little further away – the moon.

With that in mind the American Aerospace Industries Association came out strongly earlier this year when it urged the US Government to step up its space exploration campaign.

Speaking at the Reuters Aerospace and Defense Summit in Washington, Marion Blakey, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, said “It has been a long time since we’ve had anyone breathing down our necks. Now we do.”

And then, with a touch of arrogance, I might add, said, “The idea that the next boots on the moon are probably going to be Chinese is something that the public has not realized.”

Professor Alan Smith, head of the UK’s Moonlite Mission to the Moon, one of a growing number of scientific programmes to send probes to the lunar surface, spoke to BBC News and raised some great points.

“The Apollo missions left the Moon unfinished. The programme was scrapped after the public lost interest in it in the early 1970s,” he said. “However, the science was barely touched, so we need to go back and complete the science.

“Now, the US plan, unlike Apollo, is to have a semi-permanent base on the Moon – that involves a much more elaborate infrastructure being established.”

Former US president George W. Bush said as much during a 2004 speech outlining a bid to return to the moon in 2020.

“We can use our time on the Moon to develop and test new approaches, technologies and systems,” he said, before adding, “We will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration. He stated that these included “missions to Mars” and to “worlds beyond”.

It was probably one of the most intelligent things he has said during his eight-year reign as president.

While Bush has departed the White House, new president  Barack Obama looks like focussing some of his own attention on the growing space race.

It was reported recently by bloomberg.com, that Obama will “probably tear down long-standing barriers between the US’s civilian and military space programs to speed up a mission to the moon amid the prospect of a new space race with China”.

That means the Pentagon and NASA linking up for the first time.

NASA chief Michael Griffin, who is believed to be against the idea, visited the Chinese Space program in 2006, and according to bloomberg.com he believes the countrywill put a man on the moon before the US does.

“Chinese state-owned companies already are assembling heavy-lift rockets that could reach the moon, with a first launch scheduled for 2013. All that would be left to build for a manned mission is an Apollo-style lunar lander,” the article says.

It later adds, “China plans to dock two spacecraft in orbit in 2010, a skill required for a lunar mission”.

Let the race begin…

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This is an exciting announcement for WorldBlogosphere.com. People are busy, and can’t sit n front of the computer all the time (like me). Those people who are out and about can now access the site from anywhere on their cell phones and mobile devices.

All WorldBlogosphere.com blogs will be loaded with the program that makes this possible by default from now on.

I tested it out today and it worked well.

Readers can access our network sites in two ways on their mobile devices now. They can view sites as they traditionally appear on any computer – or they can can view the sites optimized for better and faster use on their mobile devices. Sites appear as a list that uses the titles of posts as a link to your actual post in the mobile optimized view.

So tell all your “techie” friends that love to surf the web on their IPhones and Blackberries all about this great news.

A Real “Tech-Head”

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