Blog 6

This week, I read something very interesting about several mysterious things that had always been presented to me in a way that made me believe something supernatural or paranormal was going on. But..here they are... 3 modern mysteries easily explained by science...

1) Corpse Lights.
                           Corpse Lights often appear in marshy or swampy areas as small, glowing balls of fire. The people who try to get close, possibly due to too much alcohol in their system, find out that the little balls of fire go away from them, no matter how hard they try. Also, some people who have managed to get up close and personal to them say that they are cool to the touch. These are often attributed to ghosts, or wandering spirits that like to roam around causing mischief in the physical world. However, there is a much more reasonable scientific explanation.
                           The science behind marsh lights is basically marsh gas. AKA methane. In marshes and swamps, where there is a large amount of decomposing organic matter, methane is let off as a by product of decomposition, as well as the element phosophine. And since phosophine ignites on contact with air, it takes a quite small amount to set off the highly flammable methane in the surrounding area.

2) Cattle Mutilation
                      For many years, random cows having been turning up extremely mutilated and extremely dead at strange times and places. Theories such as aliens, demons, and Satan worshippers have abounded, fueled especially by the prime days of "The X-Files". However, the scientific explanation is quite simple and quite accurate.
                     The appearance of almost surgical cuts can be attributed to the bloating of the animal after it dies. After it dies, it swells up and sometimes bursts, causing the surgical appearing cuts. The blood and internal organs are eaten by maggots, which gives the cow a disconcerting look to them.

3) The Nazca Lines
                      The Nazca Lines are lines drawn in Nazca, Peru, and seem to be created by someone who can see far from above, possibly by flying, which no one at that time was able to do. People say that it could have to do with aliens, wizards, or gods telling the creators of the lines what to do.

                        Spikes dated from that time period show that properly placed spikes can account for the straight lines.

Blog (for 0 in gradebook)

This blog is about time travel.
For many years, time travel has been a fairly constant source of material for science fiction writers, who would write about some hero going back in time to change the world, or just to see how the world had changed by jumping into the future. The realistic views of time travel though are much more complex than many people might realize, definitely more complicated than a definite "yes" or "no" that time travel is or is not possible. There are several possibilities about time travel, but one that seems to be most universally accepted is that it is almost certainly impossible to travel back in time in our current dimension, but it IS possible to go back in time into a parallel universe. However, it seems that many people believe that time travel into the future is possible. One question that seems to be asked quite often is "If time travel is possible, why are we not consistently visiteed by travelers from the future?" There are many answers to this, but honestly, I don't really want to discuss them on here because they make my brain hurt. Suffice it to say that it seems to be possible, but don't ask me how.

Blog 3: Weirdest diseases

This science article was found on oddee.com and is the 10 weirdest diseases.
They are...
Elephantitis: Grossly enlarged limbs due to infection of a parasitic worm
Progeria: where children's life processes speed up and they have the same body at 13 as most 80 year olds
"Werewolf" Syndrome: People with thick hair all over their entire body.
Blue Skin Disorder: A trait where people have blue skin, passed from generation to generation with no harmful lasting effects
Pica: The urge to eat non-food substances such as dirt, glue, clay, and crayons. Possibly related to a mineral defiency
Vampire Disease: People who have such sensitive skin that they blister from exposure to sun (not actually vampires)
AIWS (Alice In Wonderland Syndrome): Where the brain distorts what the eye sees, making objects appear strangely sized. Examples include thumb tacks the size of a refridgerator or a dog the size of a mouse.
WCS (Walking Corpse Syndrome): Related to depression, where the sufferer believes he/she is dead
JFOMD(Jumping Frenchmen of Maine Disorder): rare psychological disorder where if given suddenly enough, the sufferer would obey any command given.

Some of these dieases are interesting, some are deadly, but all share the trait of being some of the weirdest possible diseases ever known to man. Something that I did not know about or had any idea existed was Pica and Jumping Frenchman Syndrome. I always knew that kids did that, but I didnt realize it affected adults just as much as kids. Another thiing about all of these illnesses is that most are EXTREMELY rare. Most have under 100 cases worldwide, which may be part of the reason that they are so obscure.

 Blue People of Troublesome Creek.