"God Helmet"

In the University of Sudbury, Canada, there is a device that reportedly synthesizes paranormal experiences by manipulating the brain by using electromagnetic stimulation at specific and complex frequencies and patterns. Test subjects report with relative consistency that their experiences using the "God Helmet" are so profoundly spiritual that they feel absolutely real. But does this make illegitimate the experiences of those who simply had the experiences outside of Dr. Michael Persinger's lab?

It's a deeply important and prevalent question. Is the paranormal an internal or an external force? And would the discovery of an internal source for consistent paranormal activity cause said activity to lose its paranormal "edge" and immediately cause it to become mundane? To examine the subject, let's take a look at the concept of near death experiences. Throughout time, near death experiences have manifest to people of all religious backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles with some regularity. Often these experiences are seen as sharing several themes in which the subject appears to see concepts and objects beyond their understanding along with strong emotions that either trigger inescapable fear and dispair or equally dramatic peace and understanding with the universe around them. It is the intensity of these emotions that often give them cause to change their entire lives (generally in a way they would consider to be better) and give hope to not only them, but those with whom they communicate. And there has been an incredibly thorough study of what exactly causes this going on since the 1970's. And Dr. Michael Persinger thinks he has the answer. Unfortunately, it is not one many want to hear.


An out of body experience is one where a person who is near death perceives themselves leaving their body and stepping outside of it into a room where they quickly find themselves drawn to a tunnel with a light at the end of it. As they travel down this tunnel, they are often met with spiritual imagery that is significant to them. Usually it's positive and hopeful, but occasionally it is negative and terrifying. As they go through the experience they often are told at the end that they must return to Earth for reasons beyond the understanding of the patient having the experience, and they awaken shortly thereafter. Is this a Jungian concept of death and transformation manifest into a dream state brought on by incredible trauma and stress? Or is the brain perceiving an external world which is triggered by this stress and trauma?


Dr. Persinger's study has shown that those wearing the "god helmet," a motorcycle with electrodes attached to it that bombard areas of the brain with specific magnetic frequency, can manifest any number of hallucinations ranging from speaking with dead relatives to seeing ghosts to actually feeling death and the experiences that follow.


But to say the god helmet can consistently explain the paranormal as a hallucination would be comparable to claiming that a television proves that the people on it were fictional. Is it not possible for the experiences to parallel real experiences without necessarily proving or disproving the existence of these concepts outside of the self?

Exorcism Via Internet

A Brazilian man claiming to be possessed by a dybbuk, or spirit, sought the spiritual guidance of Rav Chaim Kanievsky through friends of his. What he received was the first documented case of an exorcism performed via the internet telephone program Skype. It was a far different scene from exorcisms performed in films and was the first such "remote" exorcism performed by a Rabbi using the internet.

When Rav Chaim first heard the pleas of a small group of friends who said their friend was possessed, he asked several questions in order to ascertain whether this was indeed a dybbuk or merely mental illness manifesting as some form of supernatural oppression complex. When he ascertained that the demon appeared to be real, he recommended they speak with a more expert Rabbi on the subject of dybbuks. He recommended Rav Shteinman who forwarded them to Rav Dovid Batzri who is a well respected expert in the field of exorcisms. Unfortunately Rav Batzri was in Israel far from the Brazilian man's home. The solution? Patch Rav Batzri in through a live Skype feed and attempt the exorcism remotely.


As the exorcism began through live video, they did not connect with the entity and the exorcism failed. Of course this was no surprise to Kanievsky, who declared that remote exorcism would not be more successful via video phone as the person's presence was required for the ritual to succeed. Curently the Brazilian man is recovering from the exorcism, but it is unknown if the ritual was a success. After the Skype experiment failed, his friends arranged for him to travel to Israel where the exorcism took place under the guidance of myriad Rabbis, but including Kanievsky and Shteinman.


The inability of Rabbis to perform an exorcism may sound like bad news, but consider this: If an exorcism fails through an internet connection it would stand to reason that evil spirits (using a generalized editorial term) cannot travel directly via information but require some form of vessel in order to transport themselves. This may be good news for those who genuinely believe themselves afflicted by the ghosts of haunted websites or email chain letters. So this would put to rest the concept of spectral negative energy traveling through email altogether.


It may sound laughable, but the sheer number of chain letters traveling through the information superhighway at any given moment driven by superstition is absolutely staggering. If the experiment performed by Rav Batzri was any indicator of ghostly transferal through the electronic medium then these were sent out of false fears "just to be safe."


On the other hand, every medium throughout history that developed also evolved mystically. First it was images, hieroglyphs, and runes that were magically imbued or likewise cursed. Then it was the spoken word, incantations, and chants that held magical power. After that it was books, such as the Egyptian book of the dead. Film has now been likewise magically imbued, but it is now the internet that appears to become an almost haunted spectral place. How do we know the images of ghosts we so casually transmit from one place to another and the texts we have running through the very space around us and encompassing everywhere a wireless internet port is available isn't likewise haunted somehow?

Regeneration

Scientists have discovered that there is a gene within us all that prevents fast healing and limb regeneration, and that it can be turned "off" in some mice.  The discovery hopes to harbor in a new age where organ donation will not be required for patients to recover from damaged tissue, and we could grow our arms and legs back even if they were crippled beyond repair or removed entirely.

The P21 Gene, as it is called, was first discovered in creatures such as flatworms, which can turn from one organism into two if cut in half.  Could scientists one day sever an arm and hope to recover an entire human from the tissue?  Academics from the Wistar Institute have many speculating that this science fiction theory may one day soon become a reality.

The primary difference between a damaged animal with typical healing associated with those with the P21 gene and those lacking the gene has to do with how cell tissue forms after the damaged tissue begins the healing process.  Traditionally, the P21 gene results in damaged tissue turning into a scar, and closing up a wound in the simplest way possible.  The P21 gene, when turned off, allows for the development of a blastema, which is a source of rapid cellular development.  The structure allows all cells of damaged animals to behave more like embryonic stem cells than typical cells of adult humans.  The embryonic cells have within them the blueprints for the greater whole and move to make that whole more like the original.  Scientists hope to be able to deactivate the P21 gene after birth temporarily and be able to allow for a cellular re-growth of damaged limbs and organs that could result in life long after normal cellular regeneration would stop.

Imagine losing a finger in a carpentry accident.  Normally the wound would have to be cauterized and/or succored, then the area where the wound was would eventually close up leaving scar tissue.  But you would in the end be minus a finger.  With the P21 cellular regeneration, DNA from the healing cells would regenerate the finger slowly and re-grow it complete with bones, nerve endings, and all other required elements into what would eventually become a new digit just like the first.

There is, however, a downside to creatures with an inactive P21 gene.  The P21 gene is used largely to prevent cancer.  Luckily, mice with reported inactive P21 genes have not reported any increase in cancer.  Hopefully this trend will continue as research is done on humans.  Cellular division on this scale is virtually unprecedented in humans.  If scientists can find a way to render the P21 inactive, it could revolutionize the medical industry forever.  As with most things, however, many people fear that the technology will not be developed if there is no money in it.  But there are incredibly potent avenues for research to become quite profitable, as the process itself would no doubt be a very expensive one.  In the future, we may no longer have to worry about losing organs and/or limbs if this research becomes as fruitful as scientists hope.

James Cameron to direct Black Eyed Peas 3D movie

Avatar director James Cameron will make a 3D tour documentary with Black Eyed Peas, according to will.i.am.

The singer says the film will be shot in South America, and is scheduled for release in 2011.

Speaking to Vibe magazine he said: "We have the biggest director, because we are the biggest group on the planet.

"People will be able to see us in the theatre with the 3D glasses and everything."

Further details

Further details of the documentary remain under wraps but will.i.am said that along with footage of the band playing live, the film will have a "dope" storyline, devised by Cameron.

Currently midway through their The E.N.D world tour, the foursome have shows scheduled in Europe, Canada and north America.

Last month Black Eyed Peas reached the digital landmark of being the first artists to sell a million downloaded singles in the UK with their track I Gotta Feeling.

As for James Cameron, Avatar is the fastest film ever to reach $1 billion (£625.6 million) in ticket sales following its release in December 2009.

Google enters travel market with flight data purchase

Search engine giant Google has entered the travel market after acquiring flight information firm ITA Software.

ITA provides software that organises fares, flight and journey times that are used by airlines, travel agents and flight comparison sites such as Orbitz.

Google said it may well expand the scope, enabling users to search directly for flight destinations.

Google paid $700m in cash for the US-based company, founded in 1996 by a team of MIT computer scientists.

"What we're going to do is build new flight search tools that focus on end users," said Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.

However, he said that the firm would not be selling airline tickets to consumers and that it would honour "all existing agreements that ITA has with its partners".

Those partners include some of Google's direct competitors - such as Microsoft's own flight comparison website, Bing Travel.

Other firms which had been bidding for ITA included Travelport, Expedia and Kayak, many of which are also dependent on ITA for their flight data.

A spokesman for Kayak told that, for now, they were not concerned.

"In the short term, it's not an issue, because Google said it's honouring existing agreements," he said.

However, there are fears within the travel industry that Google could have an excessive influence. Google says the acquisition is "pro-competitive" and "pro-consumer" but said regulators were likely to examine the deal.

"I would expect that it would be a significant review," said Mr Schmidt.

The Independent's travel editor, Simon Calder, told the biggest loser may be the old legacy booking systems, should Google expand ITA's remit.

"If anything, the airline industry used a system that you could describe as the forerunner to the internet," said Mr Calder.

"The aviation industry used GDS - the Global Distribution System - for decades, because there were computers in travel agents, airports and airlines across the globe.

"Now it consolidates around Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo and World Span and these still have legacy aspects. For example, if you book a flight from London to Mexico City via Dallas, you will still have to pay $3 for each segment.

"If Google can do something to rival that, it would be very interesting and exciting.

"But, as with all things to do with Google, the issue of market domination comes up," he added.

Collision course

Google confirmed it was also working on a project that would enable users to search for hotels, with the results displayed on Google Maps. That could put put it on a collision course with firms like Expedia, Travelocity and Opodo.

Mr Calder said that while he could see merit in Google running a flight information firm, he was not convinced that it should launch a travel comparison website of its own.

"While there is great competition when it comes to transatlantic flights, from smaller airports, the choice for a passenger is more limited," he said.

"There are plenty of price comparison sites already and for someone booking flights, the system is almost perfect, so I don't see how Google is going to get a slice of that."

All About New Quantum Object

Scientists have created the largest "quantum state" object so far.  The object is a quantum computer that breaks the conventional law of larger physics that one thing cannot occupy two different spaces at the same time.  The machine is being hailed as the first principle component for what could become the first feasible quantum computer.  While not a feasible computer in itself, the "quantum resonator," could replace ones and zeros with far faster computing capabilities that could result in a new generation of incredibly small, energy efficient computers with far more processing power than anything we currently have.

Previously quantum computers were considered too small to be feasible in the quantum realm, due to the fact that scientists naturally assumed it had to happen on the quantum level.  Thanks to a worldwide collaboration of scientists working for years, this new form of computing proves once again that the world

What they've shown here is a mechanical oscillator as a completely new quantum system," Markus Aspelmeyer from the University of Vienna told reporters, "and I personally think it's a really important one"  In addition to the quantum resonator being incredibly fast, it will be able to give a higher output of memory with less energy put into it.  And considerably less at that.

As the system is frozen to one thousandth of one degree above absolute zero, researchers shocked the system with one quantum of electrical energy (known as a quanta) and found that the device oscillated, turning the electrical energy into an equal amount of kinetic vibration energy.  As the device oscillated it contained both one and zero quanta of energy.  Originally, size was the biggest problem with quantum computers, since the quantum effects were never seen larger than a device composed of sixty atoms.  Thanks to this new system, scientists have been able to increase the size of a potential resonator up to around one trillion atoms.

The next technological revolution will come when the superpositions are able to be read using the same circuit that created them, and a sort of memory will be created for quantum based storage systems.  The previous largest device ever created was the "buckyball," but it wasn't pursued as a means of computing due to its incredibly small size and volatile state, and the inability for such a device to record memory.

The new field of computers based on quantum physics will be known as quantum information science.  Eventually, Professor Andrew Cleland said that different systems would be more effective if they used photons rather than vibrations.  While it's difficult to fathom now, a photon based system could in theory even be reversed to make incredibly sensitive detection methods that were previously thought impossible.  Imagine a world where a history of shadows is played out on a single wall based on the tiny photons left behind by residual light effects.  Essentially everything in the universe could be played back visually using such a detection method.

The Next Superbug Coming ??

In recent years our planet has seen a number of close calls with diseases that could have potentially seen a great number of casualties. But while media outlets give a lot of attention to these very specific outbreaks of disease, there are many epidemics that receive very little attention. But the reality of the most devastating diseases throughout history contends that these diseases will likely appear just as mysteriously as they ever did. But where are some places it could it start?

In 2002 the SARS virus first appeared in China when a farmer contracted it and subsequently died. It went unchecked for three months before authorities caught on and reported that a new disease was making the rounds. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was contained due to intervention of world governments and soon the world relaxed. Shortly after this Avian Influenza appeared and gave people a scare as birds began dropping from the sky. One thing rarely mentioned was that the disease could only be contracted from direct contact with birds. Then came the Swine Flu H1N1 which was transmissible between humans, but was largely survivable with a fatality rate of around one out of every one thousand. These diseases were all viral in nature. Some of the most damaging diseases in history, including the bubonic plague which claimed some 200 million lives were bacterial diseases and not the product of viruses. Is it only a matter of time before these types of diseases make a comeback?


With the creation of antibiotics, many bacterial diseases were easy enough to fight off. Penicillin, discovered first in 1928 by Alexander Fleming would allow humans a chance at eradicating many diseases that had previously crippled entire civilizations and claimed millions of lives. But as it became used more and more, the diseases got stronger through natural selection. The weaker strains were killed off and only those able to survive contact with weaker antibiotics were able to survive. As a result stronger antibiotics were constantly being created. And yet the diseases were not only interacting inside the body with the ill, but also mingling in the waters as the flushed antibiotics entered the streams. The bacteria survived and entered plants which were surviving in Lakes and rivers will eventually find itself in the stomachs of sharks, according to National Geographic which if they are eaten can mean the bacteria has license to enter our bodies as we are the top of the food chain.


Is it possible the next big disease could happen as a result of these increasingly resistant diseases ultimately finding their way into our population by the very virtue of eating the most dangerous creature in the sea? The horrifying scenario pits man against his own ingenuity, attempting to find away to shield the antibiotic resistant bacteria from evolving fast enough to wipe him out. And after the quelling of SARS and the Plague, surely humankind could resist this as well, but only with the same level of perseverance. And tragically there would be a period before a new antibiotic was made where the bacteria would be able to wreak havoc.