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More Japanese Cryptids

 Hibagon

The Hibagon (a.k.a. Hinagon) is a cryptic hominid, similar to Bigfoot, inhabiting the area around Mt. Hiba in northern Hiroshima prefecture. According to numerous eyewitness accounts from the early 1970s, the Hibagon stands about 1.5 to 1.7 meters (about 5 ft) tall, weighs an estimated 80 to 90 kilograms (about 180 lbs), is covered in a thick coat of black or brown fur (sometimes it is reported as having a spot of white fur on its chest or arms), and has an unusually large triangular head and intelligent human-like eyes. The Hibagon received its name from the local animal control board.

The first known Hibagon sighting occurred on July 20, 1970 in the area around Mt. Hiba near the border with Tottori prefecture. Three days after the initial sighting, the furry ape-like creature was seen again walking through a rice paddy in the nearby rural town of Saijo. A total of 12 sightings were reported that year, and mysterious footprints were found in the snow that December.

Numerous Hibagon sightings were reported in areas surrounding Mt. Hiba in the summers between 1971 and 1973, as increased human activity during the hunting season forced the creature down from the mountain. On August 15, 1974, the Hibagon was photographed as it hid behind a persimmon tree. Unusual footprints measuring 20 centimeters (9 in) long were found nearby. After this photo was taken, the Hibagon went back into hiding, only to be seen two more times -- once in 1980 and again in 1982 -- before disappearing forever.

The Hibagon may have disappeared long ago, but the residents of Saijo have not forgotten. The town has adopted the likeness of the creature as its mascot, and souvenir shops sellHibagon Eggs and other cryptid ape-themed sweets. [More]

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- Tsuchinoko

Tsuchinoko -- Reality? Myth? Or mistaken identity?

The Tsuchinoko is a snake-like cryptid found throughout Japan, except in Hokkaido and the Okinawan islands. Reports describe the Tsuchinoko as having a thick, stubby body measuring 30 to 80 centimeters (12 to 30 in) in length, often with a distinct neck, gray, brown or black scaly skin, and venomous fangs. Some accounts suggest the Tsuchinoko has a loud, high-pitched squeak and can jump as far as one meter.

The earliest known written record of the Tsuchinoko dates back to the 7th century, where it appears in the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), the oldest surviving book in Japan. In some legends, the Tsuchinoko can speak, has a tendency to tell lies, and enjoys the taste of alcohol

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Skeptics dismiss Tsuchinoko sightings as simple cases of mistaken identity, suggesting the creatures are nothing more than snakes in the process of digesting large meals, or perhaps even escaped exotic pets such as the blue-tongued lizard.

Regardless, local tourist boards in rural areas frequently organize Tsuchinoko hunts to attract visitors, promising large sums of money to any participant lucky enough to capture one. The town of Itoigawa in Niigata prefecture, for example, has a hunt scheduled for June 8, 2008 and is offering a 100 million yen (about $1 million) reward to whoever brings one back alive. [More]

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- Kusshii

Kusshii is a giant lake monster believed to inhabit Hokkaido's Lake Kussharo, a large freshwater lake located in an environment and climate similar to that of the famed Loch Ness. According to eyewitness accounts, Kusshi is 10 to 20 meters (30 to 60 ft) long and has humps on its back, a long neck and a pair of horns on its head. Reports suggest it can swim as fast as a motorboat. Kusshii's most famous appearances include a 1973 sighting by 40-member team of biologists from Hokkaido University, as well as 15 separate reports by tourists in 1974.

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- Isshii

Isshii, another Japanese cryptid lake monster, is believed to inhabit Kagoshima prefecture's 20,000-year-old Lake Ikeda, the largest caldera lake in Kyushu. The creature is similar in appearance to Kusshii, but larger.

Isshii entered the public consciousness in September 1978, after more than 20 people reportedly witnessed a giant creature moving at a blistering speed through the water. Widespread news coverage of the sighting brought a flood of tourists to the lake, and in December of the same year, a photograph was taken showing what some believe is the back of the creature poking through the water surface. Since 1990, a number of home videos have emerged showing mysterious activity just under the water surface, but none of the videos are widely seen as irrefutable proof of Isshii's existence.

Some theories suggest Isshii could be an unidentified descendant of the Plesiosaur, while others believe it to be some sort of giant eel. Other theories suggest the sightings can be explained as rogue waves generated by winds unique to the lake.

Rogue waves cannot, however, explain what happened in 1961, when a large-scale search was conducted for a US military jet believed to have crashed in the lake. Sonar equipment used in the search reportedly revealed a large rock-shaped object moving through the water below, and records indicate that divers on the lake floor were nearly attacked by a large, unidentified creature.

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- Giant Snake of Mt. Tsurugi

Mt. Tsurugi, the second highest peak on the island of Shikoku, is steeped in mystery. According to one local legend, the mountain is actually a giant man-made pyramid, and another legend says that a hoard of King Solomon's secret treasure lies buried within. A giant snake believed to be guarding that treasure has been sighted on many occasions.

In May 1973, a group of 4 forestry workers reportedly encountered a 10 meter (33 ft) long snake as big around as a telephone pole. The creature was described as having shiny black scales, and it reportedly made a loud chirping sound. In the months that followed, local officials organized a large-scale hunt for the snake, enlisting the help of hundreds of volunteers. While the creature was not apprehended, the searchers did find what appeared to be giant snake tracks that measured 40 centimeters (16 in) wide and passed alongside fallen trees.

A local history museum has in its collection a large jawbone measuring 34 centimeters (13 in) across, which many believe belongs to the giant snake. Others speculate it belongs to a shark.

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- Takitaro

The Takitaro is a type of giant fish measuring up to 3 meters (10 ft) long, which is found in Yamagata prefecture's Lake Otoriike. Located nearly 1,000 meters above sea level, the remote mountain lake was created ages ago when an earthquake triggered a massive landslide that dammed up a mountain stream.

The Takitaro appears in a number of stories throughout the 20th-century. In 1917, for example, a pair of men are said to have captured a 1.5 meter (5 ft) long fish that was large enough to feed 20 floodgate construction workers for 4 days. In 1982, a group of mountain climbers above the lake observed a fish over 2 meters (6.5 ft) long in the clear water below. This sighting grabbed headlines nationwide.

Three years later, in 1985, a team of scientists went to the lake in search of the Takitaro. Sonar equipment revealed the presence of giant fish, and the scientists identified some smaller specimens as relatives of ancient salmon that likely became trapped in the lake when it was formed long ago. The true identity of the giant Takitaro, however, remains a mystery, but some believe it is a mutant descendant of these ancient fish.

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 Kappa

Kappa (river imps) have appeared in countless stories and folk legends for centuries, and they rank among Japan's most well-known cryptids. While most people nowadays regard the amphibious child-sized troublemakers as pure myth, stories of kappa encounters still crop up from time to time, such as the following two reports from Japan's southern island of Kyushu.

  

Report 1 -- Slimy Footprints at the River's Edge: At around 11 PM on August 1, 1984 in the town of Tsushima in Nagasaki prefecture, a squid fisherman named Ryu Shirozaki was walking home from the local pier after work. As he passed near the Kuta river, he came upon a small group of children playing at the water's edge. While it was not entirely uncommon to encounter people fishing in the river at night, it was rather surprising to see youngsters there.

As Shirozaki approached the children, he was struck by how bizarre they appeared in the moonlight. He could make out swarthy faces, unusually spindly arms and legs, and glistening skin. Suspicious, Shirozaki called out to them as he neared, but they seemed startled and quickly disappeared into the water.

The next morning when he returned to the same spot, Shirozaki discovered a set of moist, teardrop-shaped footprints on the nearby pavement. The prints, which appeared to consist of a slimy substance that had begun to coagulate under the hot morning sun, stretched for about 20 meters. Each footprint measured 22 centimeters (about 10 in) long and 12 centimeters (5 in) wide, and they were spaced about 50 to 60 centimeters (about 2 ft) apart.

Shirozaki and a few curious onlookers immediately suspected the footprints belonged to a kappa. People began to gather around as the news spread quickly through town, and all agreed the prints belonged to a kappa. In the minds of many residents, the footprints confirmed the existence of the river imps they knew through local legends.

When police forensic investigators arrived on the scene, they determined that the slimy footprints consisted of an unknown secretion. They took a sample to the lab for analysis, but the results unfortunately turned out to be inconclusive because the sample was too small. The police eventually dropped their investigation, and the mystery of the slimy footprints was never solved.

Report 2 -- The Unclean Guest: Another recent kappa encounter occurred on June 30, 1991 in the town of Saito in Miyazaki prefecture, when an office worker named Mitsugu Matsumoto and his wife Junko returned home for the evening. Upon opening the front door, the Matsumotos were confronted with a strange smell inside their home. Inside, they found dozens of small, wet footprints around the front door and in the hallway, bathroom, and two tatami rooms. At first they suspected a burglar, but they soon realized nothing had been stolen.

The police briefly surveyed the house, but found nothing except a floor soiled by 30 footprints, each measuring about 7 centimeters long and 6 centimeters wide, and having 4 or 5 toes. To Matsumoto, the footprints did not look human, nor did they appear to belong to any animal he could imagine.

Later that night, as Mrs. Matsumoto was putting laundry away, she discovered an unusual orange stain on some clothing. The next morning, as Matsumoto inspected the house more closely, he discovered a deposit of orange liquid on the portable stereo in the tatami room. He took a sample to the local public health center for analysis, and the results indicated the liquid had an extremely high iron content and a chemical composition resembling spring water.

Troubled by the incident, Matsumoto decided to visit a shaman. After listening to Matsumoto's story, the shaman encouraged him not to worry, explaining that the kappa indigenous to the nearby swamp enjoyed playing the occasional prank on local residents. The kappa were harmless, the shaman told him.

Harmless, perhaps, but Matsumoto found the kappa difficult to clean up after. He tried using detergent, paint thinner and gasoline to remove the footprints and orange stains, but nothing seemed to work.

[Note: This post includes information from Shin-ichiro Namiki's Nippon No Kaiki Hyaku, 2007 (published in Japanese)]

The Mysterious Cryptid Relics of Japan

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Japan is home to thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines too numerous to list. These shrines and temples are renowned by tourists from all over the world, who come to enjoy their serene beauty and cultural heritage. They can be found everywhere, from deep in the remote mountains, to craggy coastlines, to wedged between skyscrapers and crowded shopping streets, bizarrely melding the modern with the ancient. Practically every municipality in Japan has at least one temple or shrine, with historical cities such as Kyoto boasting several thousand.


Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

More than just places of tranquil beauty or places of worship, the shrines and temples of Japan are also often places tasked with the housing of sacred relics. These can be important historical artifacts, irreplaceable national treasure, or priceless items of cultural heritage, yet on occasion there can be far stranger things locked away from the bustling tourists. Some temples and shrines in Japan have become known for harboring the remains of bizarre creatures, monsters, and supposedly long extinct animals, all of which potentially hold great crypozoological significance.

What mysteries can we find past the rock gardens, ornate gates, and within the lacquered wood halls of these ancient temples? Here we will look at some of these cryptid relics that have found their way to Japan’s temples and shrines.

Many of the alleged remains of strange creatures are of cryptids that have strong folkloric ties. One such creature is the legendary Kappa of Japan’s waterways. One of the most well known cryptids of Japan, the Kappa is a mysterious, bipedal water dwelling creature said to inhabit Japan’s rivers and streams. They are typically described as being the size of a child of 6 to 10 years of age and resembling a cross between a turtle, monkey, and lizard. Kappa are often depicted as having a shell on their backs, similar to a turtle’s, and having a beak like mouth. Some reports have made mention of patchy, scraggly hair covering the body.



Several temples in Japan are purported to have the remains of Kappa. Zuiryūji temple in Osaka, Japan, is one such place, thought to have a full Kappa mummy which it reportedly came into its possession in 1682. The mummy is around 70 centimeters long and looks vaguely humanoid. It has thin arms, a mouth full of needle like teeth, and a crown of scraggly hair atop its head. The alleged Kappa is not on public display, and it is not uncommon to have requests to view it denied.


Zuiryūji temple Kappa mummy

Another temple somewhat well-known for its Kappa remains is Sogen-ji, located in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, a popular and crowded area known for its various temples and historical attractions that attract droves of tourists from all over the world. The area around Sogen-ji is steeped in Kappa lore, and is said to have once been infested by the creatures. Kappa were known to be mischievous and even downright hostile on occasion, so the temple is said to have been built to appease them. Sogen-ji is so entwined with Kappa folklore that it is often referred to as “Kappa Dera,” or “Kappa Temple.”

Within Sosen-ji’s grounds one can find statues, murals, and elaborate drawings of Kappa, as well as piles of cucumber, said to be the Kappa’s favorite food, left as offerings by guests. Of course the main attraction is the supposed Kappa hand, encased in glass within one of the temple’s halls. The hand is mummified and cut off at the wrist, with bone exposed. The hand has long, bony fingers that end in claws. It is not clear what the exact origins of the hand are, and it is often dismissed as a mere mummified monkey hand, yet since no one is allowed to handle the relic it is hard to say for sure.


Sosenji Kappa hand

Another area with strong Kappa lore is the city of Tono, located in Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Like the Sosen-ji temple area, Tono has long been said to be inhabited by Kappa and it is thought they still can be found in the area to this day. The city boasts a few temples purported to be in the possession of various mummified Kappa remains, some that are reportedly hundreds of years old.

Other creatures well known from Japanese folklore are the Tengu and Raijū. The Tengu are legendary winged, avian humanoids that were seen as protectors of the mountains. The creatures were often sighted in feudal Japan, where they were seen as almost godlike entities with magical powers such as telepathy and shape shifting. Many people of the time considered the Tengu to be very real, and shogun were even said to have the creatures moved out of areas before important visits due to their often mischievous or aggressive behavior.



In addition to such stories, there are various relics concerning Tengu contained within temples. There is a scroll at a temple in Shizuoka prefecture which allegedly contains a written apology penned by a Tengu. It is told that the creature was captured in the 17th century by the high priest of the temple and forced to write the apology after harassing travelers in the area.

The Hachinohe Museum in Aomori prefecture houses the alleged mummified remains of a Tengu. The skull of these remains is humanoid, while the body is covered with feathers and the feet are like that of a bird. Another temple in Saitama prefecture keeps what is said to be the talon of a Tengu, while still another supposedly has the beaked skull of one.



Another creature of legend with such remains is the Raijū, or literally “Thunder Beast,” who were said to be the mighty servants of the Shinto god of thunder. These creatures were most often described as looking something like a badger, weasel, cat, or fox, although they were sometimes said to look like a wolf or monkey as well, often with wings or multiple tails. They are quite often depicted as being wreathed in crackling lightning, and their voices were the boom of thunder. During storms, these creatures would become very agitated, frantically dashing about and leaping from tree to tree, tearing up the bark in the process with their formidable claws. In Japanese folklore, it was said that trees scored by lighting had been the work of Raijū claws. They were also known to swoop down and slash at passerby.



Occasionally living specimens were captured and displayed. One such Raijū allegedly fell into a well in Izumo province, where it became hopelessly entangled in ropes and was captured alive. The creature was subsequently exhibited within a cage of brass in the court of the Tenjin temple.

The animal was said to resemble a badger, yet with a longer tail and oversized claws. When the weather was clear, the Raijū was quite docile, sleeping quietly in its cage most of the time. However, during storms it would become a ferocious, hissing beast, and its eyes were said to flicker and flash as if filled with lightning. The creature refused to eat or drink during its captivity and eventually died. Its body is said to have been preserved and kept on the premises for some time before they were reportedly destroyed in a fire.

Besides this account of a living specimen, there are some other temples said to have the mummified remains of Raijū. One such mummy is kept at Yuzanji temple in Iwate prefecture. The mummy looks very much like a cat, only misshapen and with longer legs. It was allegedly received in the 1960s as a donation from a parishioner, although the exact origin of the mummy is not known. Another similar looking Raijū mummy is kept at Saishoji temple in Niigata prefecture.


Yuzanji Temple Raiju mummy

Another bizarre relic is the teeth of a supposed sea serpent kept at a temple along the rugged coast of Western Japan. Legend has it that a priest was strolling along the beach contemplating matters of faith when he came across a large, terrifying sea creature, described as “a dragon,” washed up on the beach. The priest took this as a sign of sorts, and wanted to acquire the beast for the temple, yet it was much too large to take back with him so he removed some of the teeth instead. The priest then took his prize back to the temple where the “dragon teeth” supposedly remain to this day, although apparently not available for viewing by the public.

Still other temples and shrines in Japan hold the remains of other very famous Japanese cryptids. One temple in Okayama prefecture has what is said to be a preserved specimen of a tsuchinoko, which is a type of cryptid snake believed to inhabit the remote mountains of Japan. The tsuchinoko resembles a viper, but with a bulging body thicker than the head. It is reported to make a wide range of vocalizations and is known for its unusual methods of locomotion, such as jumping or even rolling along like a wheel. It is such a popular cryptid in Japan that some rural areas hold regular tsuchinoko hunts and offer sizeable rewards for a specimen.


Tsuchinoko mummy

Another cryptid in Japan is a creature that actually is known to have existed. The supposedly extinct Honshu wolf was the world’s smallest species of wolf, standing just a little over a foot at the shoulder. They were once common throughout their former range of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku Islands, and were often worshipped as forest protectors. Sadly, their numbers declined due to rabies and hunting brought upon by changing attitudes towards the wolves. The last Honshu wolf is widely believed to have died in 1905, although they are still reportedly sighted in many isolated regions to this day.


Honshu wolf

However, in 1994, one shrine in Tottori prefecture was found to possess a specimen of the Honshu wolf that is thought to have possibly died as recently as the 1950s. If these remains are the real deal, then it would significantly push back the accepted extinction date and give more fuel to the idea that the wolves could still survive somewhere in the mountains of Japan. Unfortunately, the remains are considered sacred by the shrine, and as such requests to test them have been denied.

Even more remains can be found throughout the temples and shrines of Japan. Mermaids, demons, and two-headed monsters also count among some of the more fantastical and bizarre examples of these.


3 faced demon mummy at Zengyoji Temple

What all of these cases have in common is that they offer the tantalizing possibility of something all cryptozoologists strive for, which is concrete physical evidence. What would we find if we were to be allowed access to these remains with our modern DNA testing techniques? Would we find the proof we are looking for, or the creative taxidermy many claim these remains really are? Would we not learn something either way?

Unfortunately, these remains are considered sacred relics and not available for our attempts at answers. Many of them are locked away and not even available for viewing, let alone proper scientific analysis. As much as we would like to crack open these mysteries and pull away the curtains of uncertainty, it seems that some mysteries will forever be out of our grasp. In the case of these mysterious temples of Japan, it seems that we must resign ourselves to being satisfied with their architectural magnificence and historical value, while only allowing our curiosity to approach further as we wonder at and ponder what mysteries may lie beyond their doors.

Duke University Students Discover a Way to Charge Cell Phones With Wi-Fi Read more: Duke University Students Discover a Way to Charge Cell Phones With Wi-Fi

Keeping your power-hungry smartphones charged with cables and portable batteries may be a thing of the past as two engineering students have figured out a way to charge them with Wi-Fi. Allen Hawkes and Alexander Katko from Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering have developed a device with metamaterials that captures energy waves from wireless Internet and converts them into electrical current. The students say the power-harvesting device is even more efficient than a USB charger and it has similar output to modern solar panels.

Duke engineering students Alexander Katko (left) and Allen Hawkes show a waveguide containing a single power-harvesting metamaterial cell.

The device can wirelessly convert Wi-Fi’s microwave signals into direct current voltage to recharge a cell phone battery or other small electronic devices. Key to this power harvester are the metamaterials, which are engineered structures that can capture various forms of wave energy and tune them for useful applications. These energy sources could include satellite signals, sound signals or Wi-Fi signals.

In an age when we are swimming in a sea of wireless broadband and cellular networks, this device could allow us to keep charging our phones no matter where we are. What’s more, it is actually more efficient than plugging in your device. In their tests, Hawkes and Katko wired together a series of five fiberglass and copper energy conductors on a circuit board to convert microwaves into 7.3 volts of electricity, whereas USB is limited to 5 volts. 

It also has an energy conversion efficiency of 36.8 percent—comparable to a solar cell.

The researchers say the material could also be applied to make our homes more energy efficient. A metamaterial coating could be applied to the ceiling of a room to redirect and recover a Wi-Fi signal that would otherwise be lost. However, the technology is still in progress. Hawkes and Katkoare are working on perfecting the technology to make the metamaterials operable inside of a cell phone.

+ Duke University

via Daily Mail

Read more: Duke University Students Discover a Way to Charge Cell Phones With Wi-Fi | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

MōVI MOVI - This New Camera Stabilizer

Power From Urine

1. Urine is put into an electrolytic cell, which separates out the hydrogen.

2. The hydrogen enters a water filter for purification, which then gets pushed into a gas cylinder.

3. The gas cylinder pushes hydrogen into a cylinder of liquid borax, which is used to remove the moisture from the hydrogen.

4. This purified hydrogen gas is pushed into the generator.

Stuxnet - The Nuclear Malware Virus

Human Giants Of The Old Earth

This presentation was banned from ted talks because it was "debunked"

Jim Viera then easily debunked the debunk.

He provides data on some amazing discoveries including Ancient Giants of North America.

Well worth a watch.

This is a text of his explanation of suppression of this subject.

He also only claims that the "giants" were 7 to 11 feet.  Probably more around 7 feet.

Stonemason and historical detective, Jim Vieira, discussed the ceremonial stone structures of North America as well as how the archaeological evidence for giants in America has been covered up.” There are structures of earth and stone, thousands of years old, in every part of the United States,” Vieira marveled. While he has found over 10,000 stone mounds around Massachusetts alone, he lamented that many great works were dismantled during colonial times as settlers used the materials for their roads and bridges. For instance, Vieira cited an archaeologist’s report of a 55-foot high stone pyramid in Illinois that had been plundered by colonists, who removed “tens of thousands of cartloads of stone.”

Regarding giants in America, Vieira explained that, while searching through old town histories in Massachusetts for information on stone structures, he stumbled upon remarkable accounts of anomalous human skeletons being discovered. According to the reports from the time, the skeletons ranged from 7 to 11 feet tall and had skulls which sported double rows of teeth. “There are thousands of these accounts,” Vieira said, “by doctors, scientists, anthropologists, archaeologists, farmers and over decades and decades of time all around the country.” These skeletons, he added, were often found within the mysterious stone mounds and, sometimes, were sometimes buried amongst great treasures.

Vieira attributed the suppression of information on the ancient American giants to the Smithsonian Institute, specifically their first director of anthropology Ales Hrdlicka. Described by Vieira as a “pre-Nazi eugenicist,” Hrdlicka allegedly censored reports of giants and marginalized them from the historic record in order to depict Native Americans as “unsophisticated and uninspiring.” Additionally, Vieira reported that there are many accounts of Smithsonian representatives traveling around the country to where these anomalous remains were discovered and “taking the giant skeletons away, never to be seen again.” Ultimately, he contended that the cover up continues to this day and claimed that a video presentation on his findings was pulled from the Internet because it threatened the scientific orthodoxy.

Biography:
Stonemason and historical detective, Jim Vieira, studies the ancient ceremonial structures of North America including mounds, walls and star cities, as well as the archeological evidence for giants that existed in ancient America.

Raffaello D'Andrea: The astounding athletic power of quadcopters

The VASIMR Plasma Rocket: Bridging the Gap in Space Travel

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Plasma rocket technology was first introduced to the scientific community in 1977 by Franklin Chang Díaz, a Costa Rican scientist and astronaut. The idea has been developed since then and is now at the stage where it can be implemented into future projects. The technology allows for considerably faster space travel than what the technologies currently employed by organizations such as NASA can do.

What is the VASIMR Plasma Rocket?
VASIMR stands for Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket, which makes use of argon gas (one of the most stable gasses known to man) and a renewable source of energy found in space, radio waves in the form of light. The main difference with this type of rocket is being able to use mostly renewable energy in the propulsion system, which gives the rocket a greater lifespan than similar, modern-day rocket technologies. The plasma technology has multiple applications such as the cleaning and coating of surfaces in a plasma coating system at nano-level. The uses of plasma, the 4th state of substances, are just being touched on now with recent advances in science.

The new plasma rocket is able to heat the argon gas, creating the plasma which is then focused out electromagnetically to give the rocket its propulsion. A shield protects the machinery from what is known as electrode erosion, which is a major cause of general wear and tear on a plasma rocket.

VASIMR’s Impact on Space Travel
Over the last 36 years, the various shortcomings of the propulsion system have been ironed out. Problems such as wear and tear as well as the total velocity it can achieve have been improved dramatically. This new form of thrust is said to cut space mission times by up to six times. With the use of the plasma rocket, it will be possible to make quick surveys to other planets or even asteroids that may be on a collision course with Earth.

The thing that excites most scientists about the applications of the new rocket is a mission to Mars. The main problems in previous missions to Mars were that it would take too much fuel to allow the spaceship to reach the red planet and make a return journey. Deep space is another area that opens up to space explorers with the abilities of the plasma rocket. Travels to the areas of space that have remained inaccessible are back in the realm of possibility for scientists. Space debris removal as well as in-space resource recovery are also said to be possible with the new plasma rocket technology. Additionally, the magnetic field created by the rocket is thought to create a protective shell for the spaceship, which would help protect it against the radiation in space.

The 39-Day Mission to Mars
The rocket will allow for a mission to Mars with a travel period of just 39 days, which is almost 6 times faster than current methods. With speeds estimated at 35 miles a second, the rocket system will make quick work of the distance between Earth and Mars. NASA rates a new system on a scale of one to ten based on its readiness to be deployed. The VASIMR system is at a six currently, which means that it is ready to be tested in space. It would seem that it won’t be much longer before the new rocket system is employed in all space missions.

UFOs - The Black Knight Satellite

Published on Jun 1, 2013

What is the "Black Knight" satellite? It is a mysterious satellite, of unknown origin, discovered in 1960 which shadowed Sputnik. It is believed to have been of extraterrestrial origin, and signaled back old radio waves from the 1920s and 1930s before it disappeared. In short wave patterns analyzed by astronomer Duncan Lunan, it revealed its origin as Epsilon Boötes (or the star system as it was 13,000 years ago).
Based on reports, The Black Knight satellite has returned. Photos of the Black Knight satellite, and its sudden reappearance around the orbit of Earth, were available on NASA's website up until January 2013, until they disappeared. This video contains the photos from NASA's archives.

In March of 1960, another mysterious satellite was discovered orbiting earth. This mystery satellite was in polar orbit feat that neither the US nor Russian were capable of at that time. The soviet satellites were inclined at 65 degree angle with the equator. It was calculated that the weight object to about 15 tons, which is far too heavy for rocket of that era. It also traveled twice as fast as any known satellite at the time. The object was sighted and studied by many of the astronomers across the country. This is what Robert L. Johnson, director of the Adler Planetarium had to say about the object,

“ ‘THE OBJECT,’ JUDSON SAID, ‘DOESN’T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO MAINTAIN A REGULAR SCHEDULE,LIKE ANY OTHER HEAVENLY OR MAN MADE OBJECT HE’S EVER SEEN.’ ‘WE DON’T KNOW WHEN TO WATCH FOR IT.’ he says.” It appears some nights, and some nights it doesn’t.

It was then photographed by the Grumman Aircraft Corporation.

The military attached so much importance to this mystery satellite that they created special committee to gather information and study the mystery satellite. The committee’s findings were kept secret and the sightings were forgotten. That is still HAM operator intercepted a strange signal from this mystery satellite. The signal was later studied by Scottish astronomer Duncan Lunan. The decoded massages show a star map centered on Epsilon Boštes as seen from the earth. . . years ago.

In 1953, four years before the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik I, a the blip of unknown origin was sighted by Dr Lincoln La Paz of the University of New Mexico. As more reports of sightings trickled in from around the world, the U.S. Department of Defense appointed distinguished astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh to run a search for the mystery object. He had discovered Pluto in 1930. The blip became known as black knight.

The Pentagon never formally released the results of Dr Tombaugh’s study. And no more was heard about the object until December, 1957, when Dr Luis Corralos of the Communications Ministry in Venezuela photographed it. The first modern satellite, Sputnik I, had been launched two months earlier. Dr Corralos was taking pictures of Sputnik II as it passed over Caracas.

In 1957 black knight the blip of unknown origin was discovered in 1960 by a satellite. It was detected shadowing the sputnik 1 craft It was in a polar orbit, something that neither the Americans or Soviets were capable of at the time. This object was dubbed “The Black Knight. It was several times larger and several times heavier than anything capable of being launched with 1960 rockets. It shouldn’t have been there, but it was.

Time Magazine published this article on Monday, March 7th, 1960;
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,894745,00.html


1960, February – North American Air Defense System (NORAD predecessor) detects object with a mass of 15 metric tons in Polar orbit. It is several times larger than anything the US or Soviets are capable of launching into orbit. The object, dubbed “Black Knight,” is tracked for three weeks and abruptly disappears. Ham radio operators once again report LDE phenomenon during this period.



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The World's Tallest Tree Is Hiding Somewhere In California

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by ROBERT KRULWICH
April 08, 201110:34 AM


Woah, this is one very tall tree. Nine years ago, it was the tallest known plant in the world. (See if you can spot the three people, blue shirted, hanging at different points on the trunk).



Credit: Photo by James Balog

It's 369 feet high. That's about twice the size of the Statue of Liberty (minus the foundation). I like this tree. The people who discovered it have never revealed its true location, which is somewhere in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. And though it's got a nickname, "Stratosphere Giant," it is no longer the giant. It's been trumped.

After its short four-year reign as World's Tallest, two hikers, Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor, were deep in another section of another park, Redwood National Park (purchased in 1978 during the Carter administration) when they came across a new stand of trees, taller than anyone had ever seen before. The tallest of the tall is 379 feet 4 inches, 10 feet taller than the Giant. It's now called "Hyperion."

We have the precise measurements because after Chris and Michael announced their discovery, a team of scientists, led by Humboldt State University ecologist Steve Sillett, climbed to the top of the tree and dropped a tape down to the ground. Some things are still that simple. Steve's colleague, Jim Spickler (check out his biceps! scary), repeated the climb and brought a camera, so we can go with him. This video, which comes with dramatic music in all the right places, is, to use a much overused word, but I'll use it anyway..."awesome":



Once again, no one is telling where the new champ is located. People will want to see it, photograph it, climb it, carve little souvenirs out of it. Trees, says Steve Sillett, are not like people. They "cannot run away from paparazzi." He asked us not to even mention the nickname, "Hyperion," but I figure the nickname gives away nothing. Anyway, the Who's Biggest title keeps changing.

For example, if you like wood, Hyperion is not the biggest tree in the world. By volume, there are bigger hunks of living wood in the California forest. A REALLY big one, by volume, is this guy ...



Del Norte TitanDavid Mickelson/groveoftitans.com

According to Nalini Nadkarni, a professor at Evergreen State College, there is so much wood in this tree, called Del Norte Titan (discovered by the same Steve Sillett who climbed Hyperion), "its mass is equivalent to 15 adult blue whales, the largest animal on earth. Each year, this tree produces enough new wood to make a 90-foot-tall tree with a trunk 12 inches in diameter. If all of Del Norte Titan were cut into boards one foot wide, 12 feet long and one inch thick, the line of planks laid end to end would stretch over a hundred miles and could build 120 average-sized houses."

But nobody's going to be chopping up Del Norte Titan. Donald Trump can drool all he likes, but these 15 blue whales' worth of lumber will stay vertical somewhere in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in California, breathing like trees do, pulling CO2 out of the air and giving us back oxygen.

That's the real gift of trees. Yes, we live under roofs made of wood, surround ourselves with woody things, but — basically, what we breathe out, they breathe in.

As the poet Bill Yake writes:

Trees are our lungs turned inside out
& inhale our visible chilled breath.

Our lungs are trees turned inside out
& inhale their clear exhalations.
Some things are still that simple.

The photo collage of the Stratosphere Giant was created by photographer James Balog; Nalini Nadkarni's book on trees is "Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees (University of California Press, 2008); Bill Yake's poem is called "Inside Out."

Mokèlé Mbèmbé Dinosaur

Software Makes 3-D Models From Any Photo

5 Crazy New Man-Made Materials That Will Shape The Future

Forget Mother Nature: when it comes to all matters matter, the sheer ingenuity of the human mind can give rise to some of the most insane — and useful — new materials you’ve ever encountered. Here are five crazy new man-made materials whose uses could be practically limitless.

Aluminium Bubble Wrap

Imagine your favourite packing-based stress reliever — made of metal. OK, metallic bubble wrap might not be quite as easy to pop, but it could be a hell of a lot more useful. A team of engineers from North Carolina State University have developed a new form of aluminium bubble wrap, which they claim could revolutionise packaging and protective equipment.

The scientists take a thin sheet of aluminium, then use a studded roller to form small indents in the sheet. Unlike its polyethylene counterpart, these voids are then filled with a foamed material like calcium carbonate, before being sealed with another flat sheet of metal. The result: a series of bubbles that absorb masses of energy, weigh 30 per cent less than regular sheet metal, and yet are nearly 50 times stronger. It’s easy to make, not too expensive — and could soon be used in everything from shipping containers for fragile goods to bike helmets. Just don’t be tempted to try and pop it.

Titanium Foam

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Forget expanded polystyrene and spongey elastomers: the foam you want to get your hands on is made out of titanium. By saturating a humble polyurethane foam with a solution of titanium powder and binding agents, it’s possible to force the metal to cling to the shape of the simple foam and then vaporise the underlying structure away. The result is a titanium lattice in the shape of the original foam, which can be heat-treated to tweak its material properties.

The exact properties depend on the porosity of the foam, but the results are strong and — most importantly — incredibly light. In fact, the material is just perfect for replacing bone: it has incredibly similar mechanical properties and, because it’s porous, new bone can grow and around its structure, truly integrating the implant within the skeleton. Anything that gets us that much closer to a real-life Wolverine is ok in our book.

Graphene Aerogel

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If the phrase graphene aerogel sounds to you like someone combined the two buzziest of materials buzzwords then… you wouldn’t be far wrong. In fact, this graphene aerogel snatched the title of the world’s lightest material just a few of months ago — with a density lower than that of helium and just twice that of hydrogen at 0.16 mg/cm3. This stuff practically floats.

The material was actually created using a new technique which involves freeze-drying solutions of carbon nanotubes and graphene to create a kind of carbon sponge. The resulting material is both strong and elastic, as well as incredibly light; it can even absorb up to 900 times its own weight in oil. When — or if — it becomes affordable, that means it could be used to mop up massive oil spills with ease, or even as an incredibly efficient version of humble old insulation.

Artificial Spider Silk

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Silk is Nature’s very own homespun wonder material but it’s tough to make in bulk — which is why a Japanese startup called Spiber has been working out how to produce it synthetically. It’s managed to decode the gene responsible for the production of fibroin in spiders, which is they key protein used to create the super-strong strands of silk.

Having cracked that key component, the company has gone on to create bioengineered bacteria that can make silk extremely quickly — and the company can create a new type of silk in just 10 days, from scratch to to finished product. The bacteria feed on sugar, salt and other micronutrients, and quickly produce the silk protein — which is turned into a fine powder, spun and processed to create fibres, composites, solid block… anything. A single gram of fibroin produces 5.6 miles of silk, and by 2015 the company hopes to be produce 10 metric tons of the stuff. That’s a lot of silk, without a spider in sight.

Molecular Superglue

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If you’ve ever stuck your fingers together with superglue, you know pain — but imagine sticking them together with glue that bonds materials at the molecular level: that’s real pain. In fact, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford has created a molecular glue inspired by Streptococcus pyogenes — the flesh-eating bacteria.

They considered a single protein from the bacterium — the one it uses to bind to human cells — and from there developed a molecular glue which forms covenant bonds when it comes into contact with a partner protein. The bonds it forms are so strong that, when researchers tested a sample, the equipment used to measure the strength broke before the glue did. All that remains is to develop ways of incorporating the proteins into other molecular structures in order to create insanely strong, selective glues.

Strange Sea Creature Carcass

An Iranian Navy Ship came across this creature in the Persian Gulf when they noticed a terrible smell