NASA Science News for September 21, 2007

NASA’s Mars orbiters have spotted “skylights” apparently leading to cavernous underground spaces on Mars. The discovery is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/21sep_caves.htm?list43262

Subject: Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic in the US
Date: Wed, September 19, 2007 11:26 pm

“Some vitamin D researchers… say levels that are considered normal in the United States are one-fifth of the levels of 10,000 years ago.  Dr. Cedric F. Garland, a cancer prevention specialist at the University of California, San Diego, said some cancers — rare in agrarian times — can be blamed on vitamin D deficiencies, something researchers have just begun to understand in the past few years.”

 

Can you hear the Ta-Dah in the background?  The sun is our friend!!!!

VITAMIN D MIGHT BE FACTOR IN LONGER LIFE
ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH HINTS MODERATE DOSE LOWERS RISK OF DEATH
By Stephanie Desmon
Baltimore Sun
September 11, 2007

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.hs.vitamind11sep11,0,4937265.
story?coll=bal_news_local_baltimore_county_util

Vitamin D is good for your bones, doctors have said for years, but new
research suggests that taking a vitamin pill a day might extend your life.

The findings, published yesterday in the journal Archives of Internal
Medicine, add to the growing medical literature about the benefits of what
is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it is produced by the
skin in response to sunlight. Recent studies have linked vitamin D
deficiencies to higher risk of cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. It
could play a role in reducing heart disease and preventing pre-eclampsia in
pregnant women.

“It’s very new to see [the effects of] vitamin D on organs different than
the bones,” said Dr. Philippe Autier, a co-author of the study. “These are
very ordinary doses. You don’t need four or five pills a day. …

“You should probably get rid of all the other” vitamins in the medicine
cabinet, Autier said by phone from Lyon, France, where he is a researcher at
the International Agency for Research on Cancer. “At this point, that’s
where we are. This is quite real.”

Consumers are getting used to being told about new benefits of vitamins.

Yesterday, a team led by Johns Hopkins scientists reported that vitamin C
inhibits the growth of some tumors in mice. In recent years, vitamin E,
beta-carotene and other antioxidants were praised as having miracle
properties but when more research was done, they lost some of their luster.
One trial last year showed that patients with neck cancer who received large
doses of vitamins C, E and beta carotene experienced fewer side effects of
cancer treatments, but in the end they died at twice the rate of those who
didn’t get vitamins.

Past experience means there “is some need to be cautious” about vitamins,
said Edgar Miller, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and an
antioxidant researcher:

“I think there is enough evidence to recommend vitamin D supplements in most
women, certainly who are older and have dietary deficiencies. How high a
dose? We don’t know. Is there a threshold of benefit beyond which there’s
harm? That’s something that needs to be studied.”

Still, he said, “everything seems to be lining up very well with vitamin D.”

Autier’s analysis looked at 18 trials involving vitamin D supplements that
included more than 57,000 patients and evaluated doses ranging from 300
international units to 2,000 international units. Most commercially
available supplements contain 400 to 600 IU. Over an average of nearly six
years, those who took vitamin D had a 7 percent lower risk of death from all
causes than those who did not.

Some scientists say more years of study would give better clues as to how
large a role vitamin D plays in decreasing mortality. Others point out that
while there was a statistically significant 7 percent drop in mortality in
Autier’s analysis, because of the size of the study that only accounted for
a difference of 117 people who died in the control groups as compared with
those who took vitamin D supplements.

Some vitamin D researchers believe that as people have spent more and more
time indoors, as opposed to the long stretches spent outdoors and uncovered
in agrarian times, they have developed serious vitamin D deficiencies. They
say levels that are considered normal in the United States are one-fifth of
the levels of 10,000 years ago.

Dr. Cedric F. Garland, a cancer prevention specialist at the University of
California, San Diego, said some cancers — rare in agrarian times — can be
blamed on vitamin D deficiencies, something researchers have just begun to
understand in the past few years.

“We just never realized the deficiency was there,” he said.

Garland said the link between the sunshine vitamin and cancers can be seen
in new data released by the United Nations, which show cancer incidence
rates in 177 countries in the world. As you move farther from the Equator,
cancer levels rise, he said.

“Sunny latitudes have markedly lower incidences of cancer of the colon,
breast, ovary,” he said. “It’s such a powerful association with both
hemispheres. It leaves no other logical explanation.”

The most severe vitamin D deficiencies are associated with rickets, a
disease that weakens the bones, though it is not common as it was before
scientific advances were made in the early 20th century. In 1922, a Johns
Hopkins researcher isolated the rickets-fighting compound in cod liver oil,
a fairly new treatment at the time, and labeled it vitamin D.

Getting enough vitamin D isn’t easy. About 10 minutes in the sun during peak
hours — hold the sunscreen — should be more than enough to produce the
currently recommended level. But many fear the sun’s harmful rays or are
stuck behind desks during the heat of the day. African-Americans might need
even more exposure, as the pigmentation in their skin makes it harder to
process sunlight into vitamin D and leaves them more vulnerable to
deficiencies.

Fish, liver and egg yolk are the only foods that naturally contain vitamin
D, though some other foods are fortified with it. Still, to get 800 IU of
vitamin D from fortified milk you would have to drink two quarts a day.

“It’s impossible to get enough in your diet,” said Dr. Elizabeth Streeten,
an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine who
runs the metabolic bone disease program there.

She has long been telling her patients to take 1,000 IU or more daily. And
her relatives, too.

Alongside their other gifts, she said. “I’ve been trying to give bottles of
vitamin D to my family for holidays for years.”

There is little evidence of vitamin D toxicity at levels under 10,000 IU a
day, several said. The upper limit recommended by the National Academy of
Sciences is 2,000 IU, and Garland said there might be a push to extend that
to 4,000 IU. He expects to see even more good news because the research “is
rapidly accelerating.”

“It seems like each month or two there’s something new that’s found,” he
said.

Dr. Joan Lappe is an osteoporosis researcher at Creighton University in
Omaha, Neb. She is studying the effects in 1,200 rural postmenopausal women
of calcium and calcium plus vitamin D supplements on osteoporosis-related
fractures. In a study published this summer, she and her colleagues found
that after four years, those who took calcium and vitamin D had a 60 percent
lower risk of developing cancer, compared with the placebo group. The
calcium-only group had a 47 percent reduced risk.

Most studies have been done in older women, often unhealthy women. Lappe
said she wants to see further studies — in men, in younger people — but
right now, she thinks the “data strongly suggest vitamin D [is helpful] in
preventing cancer.”

“It’s such a simple thing,” she said. “Imagine taking a vitamin to prevent
cancer. It’s almost too good to be true.”

————

RELATED NHNE NEWS LIST ARTICLES:

VITAMIN D CUTS CANCER RISK (6/9/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13087

TWO NEW STUDIES BACK VITAMIN D FOR CANCER PREVENTION (2/6/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12557

SUNSHINE MAY BEAT WINTER ILLNESSES (11/6/2006):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/12084

SURVIVING EPIDEMICS WITH NATURAL TREATMENTS (5/30/2006):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/11323

THE PILL THAT PREVENTS CANCER (12/28/2005):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/10578

SUNSHINE MAY PREVENT CANCER (5//22/2005):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/9208

EDITOR’S COMMENT:

I included the wrong Ecowatts website in the article I sent out yesterday
about the U.K. energy invention:

U.K. INVENTION CREATES MORE ENERGY THAN IT USES (9/16/2007):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/13475

The company’s correct website can be found here:
http://www.ecowatts.co.uk/

— David Sunfellow

Subject: 12INCH MIRACLE TUBE COULD HALVE HEATING BILLS
Date: Sun, September 16, 2007 12:47 pm

“Even the makers of the device are at a loss to explain exactly how it works
– but skeptical independent scientists carried out their own tests and
discovered that the 12in x 2in tube really does produce far more heat energy
than the electrical energy put in.

The device seems to break the fundamental physical law that energy cannot be
created from nothing — but researchers believe it taps into a previously
unrecognised source of energy, stored at a sub-atomic level within the
hydrogen atoms in water.

The system — developed by scientists at a firm called Ecowatts
<http://www.ecowatts.com> in a nondescript laboratory on an industrial
estate at Lancing, West Sussex — involves passing an electrical current
through a mixture of water, potassium carbonate (otherwise known as potash)
and a secret liquid catalyst, based on chrome.“

 

12INCH MIRACLE TUBE COULD HALVE HEATING BILLS

AMAZING BRITISH INVENTION CREATES MORE ENERGY THAN YOU PUT INTO IT — AND
COULD SOON BE WARMING YOUR HOME

Daily Mail
September 125, 2007

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in
_article_id=481996&amp;in_page_id=1965

It sounds too good to be true — not to mention the fact that it violates
almost every known law of physics.

But British scientists claim they have invented a revolutionary device that
seems to ‘create’ energy from virtually nothing.

Their so-called thermal energy cell could soon be fitted into ordinary
homes, halving domestic heating bills and making a major contribution
towards cutting carbon emissions.

Even the makers of the device are at a loss to explain exactly how it works
– but sceptical independent scientists carried out their own tests and
discovered that the 12in x 2in tube really does produce far more heat energy
than the electrical energy put in.

The device seems to break the fundamental physical law that energy cannot be
created from nothing — but researchers believe it taps into a previously
unrecognised source of energy, stored at a sub-atomic level within the
hydrogen atoms in water.

The system — developed by scientists at a firm called Ecowatts
<http://www.ecowatts.com> in a nondescript laboratory on an industrial
estate at Lancing, West Sussex — involves passing an electrical current
through a mixture of water, potassium carbonate (otherwise known as potash)
and a secret liquid catalyst, based on chrome.

This creates a reaction that releases an incredible amount of energy
compared to that put in. If the reaction takes place in a unit surrounded by
water, the liquid heats up, which could form the basis for a household
heating system.

If the technology can be developed on a domestic scale, it means consumers
will need much less energy for heating and hot water — creating smaller
bills and fewer greenhouse gases.

Jim Lyons, of the University of York, independently evaluated the system. He
said: “Let’s be honest, people are generally pretty sceptical about this
kind of thing. Our team was happy to take on the evaluation, even if to
prove it didn’t work.

“But this is a very efficient replacement for the traditional immersion
heater. We have examined this interesting technology and when we got the rig
operating, we were getting 150 to 200 per cent more energy out than we put
in, without trying too hard.

“We are still not clear about the science involved here, because the physics
and chemistry are very different to everything that has gone before. Our
challenge now is to study the science and how it works.”

The device has taken ten years of painstaking work by a small team at
Ecowatts’ tiny red-brick laboratory, and bosses predict a household version
of their device will be ready to go on sale within the next 18 months.

The project, which has cost the company £1.4million, has the backing of the
Department of Trade and Industry, which is keen to help poorer families
without traditional central heating or who cannot afford rocketing fuel
bills.

Ecowatts says the device will cost between £1,500 and £2,000, in line with
the price of traditional systems.

The development of the groundbreaking technology results from a chance
meeting between Ecowatts chairman Chris Davies, his wife Jane and an Irish
inventor, Christopher Eccles, while the couple were on holiday near Shannon
in 1998.

After the inventor showed the couple his laboratory experiments, Mrs Davies,
immediately signed a £20,000 cheque on the bonnet of her car and handed it
over to Mr Eccles.

He later became chief scientist of Ecowatts’ parent company Gardner Watts,
but has since left after “falling out” with the company, according to
insiders. Sadly, Mrs Davies died three years ago, so she will be unable to
share in the success of her husband’s development of the idea.

Mr Davies, now 75, of Dedham, Essex, was unavailable for comment last night.

But Ecowatts chief executive Paul Calver said: “When Jane Davies whipped out
her cheque book, it turned out to be a very good investment indeed.

“She and Chris were always interested in ecology and now it looks as if our
heat exchanger system is ready to go on sale soon. We’re producing a device
in the next nine months to heat radiators.

“Most British homes rely on gas, and the Government has admitted there is a
problem getting a substitute. Our device will help solve that.”

Sustainable energy expert Professor Saffa Riffat, of Nottingham University,
has also led a team investigating the system.

He said: “The concept is very interesting and it could be a major
breakthrough, but more tests are required. We will be doing further checks.”

Subject: Great New Mexico Fireball
Date: Fri, September 14, 2007 10:01 am

Space Weather News for Sept. 14, 2007
http://spaceweather.com

On Sept. 13th a remarkable fireball split the skies over New Mexico. Witnesses say it “turned night into day” and reminded them of a full Moon hurtling across the sky. In fact, it was brighter than a full Moon. At least two all-sky cameras captured the event while one amateur astronomer recorded radio echoes from the fireball’s ionized trail. What was it? Probably a piece of reentering space junk, but this is not yet certain. Visit http://spaceweather.com for updates plus sights and sounds of the Great New Mexico Fireball.

If a friend sent you this alert and you would like to subscribe, click here: http://spaceweather.com/services/

To unsubscribe click here: http://www.spaceweather2.com/u?id=578491S&n=T&l=spaceweather
or send a blank email to leave-spaceweather-578491S@www.spaceweather2.com

DESPITE MANY CHALLENGES, WORLD FACES BRIGHTER FUTURE: REPORT
AFP
September 10, 2007

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=07
0910152808.tbbnpymq&cat=null

Despite daunting challenges posed by global warming, water, energy,
unemployment and terrorism, the world faces a brighter future with fewer
wars, higher life expectancy and improved literacy, according to a report
released Monday.

“Although great human tragedies like Iraq and Darfur dominate the news, the
vast majority of the world is living in peace, conflicts actually decreased
over the past decade,” says the 2007 State of the Future report published by
the American Council for the Tokyo-based United Nations University, a global
think tank.

It noted that the number of African conflicts fell from a peak of 16 in 2002
to five in 2005 and that the number of refugees around the world is falling.

HIV/AIDS in Africa has begun to level off and could begin to actually
decrease over the next few years, although it continues to spread rapidly in
Eastern Europe and in Central and South Asia, it said.

Among other global bright spots, the report cited higher life expectancy,
lower infant mortality, increased literacy and increases in gross domestic
products per capita and in the number of Internet users.

On the negative side, it pointed to hikes in CO2 emissions, terrorism,
corruption, global warming and unemployment and a decrease in percentage of
voting populations.

Persistent inequality was illustrated by figures showing that two percent of
people own 50 percent of the world’s wealth while the poorest 50 percent own
only one percent.

The income of the richest 225 people in the world equals that of the poorest
2.7 billion or 40 percent of the global population, the report said.

It warned that unless key transnational challenges, including the gap
between rich and poor, new or reemerging diseases and organized crime, are
met, “the future could be bleak, marred by lack of water and arable land,
mass migrations, turbulent climates, economic chaos and other disasters.”

Solutions, it noted, include a “global energy development program led by the
United States and China, breakthroughs in water desalination and the
restructuring of educational systems to boost both individuals and
collective intelligence.”

More than 2,400 policy-makers, academics, futurists and creative minds from
around the world have contributed to State of the Future reports over the
past 11 years.

“This is the most vetted, longest lasting, cumulative integrated futures
research project in history,” said Jerome Glenn, head of the Millennium
Project, which each year updates and expands the State of the Future.

“Done on a global basis on behalf of the globe, it (the report) offers
collective intelligence for the planet,” he added.

Subject: UFO sightings bring British town to a standstill
Date: Wed, July 25, 2007 6:42 pm

Dear fellow UFO-ofiles (say that 3 times really fast!),

 

Wow,
it’s really starting… the revelations (ie the revealings of
themselves) are happening in more and more urban areas.  People are
becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea that we are being
watched by friends.

http://www.nhne.org/news/NewsArticlesArchive/tabid/400/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3355/Default.aspx

 

love,

Joanie

ps bold is my emphasis

UFO sightings bring town to a standstill

Last updated at 11:27am on 25th July 2007

 

A
crowd of 100 stunned stargazers brought a town centre to a standstill
when five mysterious UFOs were spotted hovering in the sky.

 

Drinkers
spilled out of pubs, motorists stopped to gawp and camera phones were
aimed upwards as the five orbs, in a seeming formation, hovered above
Stratford-Upon-Avon for half an hour.

The
unidentified flying objects lit up the otherwise clear night sky above
Shakespeare’s birthplace in Warwickshire on Saturday.

 

Read more…

• Exclusive: Watch the extraordinary UFO footage here

Although Air Traffic Control reported no unusual activity, some witnesses were convinced they were witnessing an extra-terrestrial spectacle.

 

Crowds gathered to gawp at the strange lights that hovered silently over Stratford for 30 minutes

The
strange episode started just after 10.30pm, when the lights were seen
hovering slowly over the town before three of them formed a triangular
shape with one positioned just to the right.

A
few minutes later a fifth came into view travelling towards the others
at breakneck speed before slowing down and stopping a short distance
away.

Skeptics
dismissed the UFOs as nothing more than hot air balloons, fireworks or
even lanterns which had broken loose from a local rugby club.

Others,
however, claimed the speed and agility of the objects was unlike any
known aircraft and said the odd movement, lack of noise and the length
of time in the air discounted any man-made explanation.

Tom
Hawkes, who captured these amazing images, spotted the lights during
his girlfriend Kate Lyall’s birthday at the One Elm pub.

He and the 15 other revellers were in the bar when they spotted some commotion outside.

Tom,
30, said: “We walked outside and there was at that time a growing crowd
of about 60 people looking up at something in the sky.

“I
saw this light appear, then three others. They came over our heads in
formation but then manouvered into different positions.

“Three
had formed a triangular shape and one was to the right. Then another
one came hurtling towards the rest at what looked like a very fast
speed. But as it neared them it suddenly slowed and stopped altogether.

“By
this time more people had poured out onto the street. Two pubs had
emptied, some people had come out of their houses and drivers slowed
their cars.

“The
objects were there for about half an hour. It was very eerie because
they didn’t make any sound and they stayed still before moving slowly
beyond the horizon. There were no stars in the sky, just them.

“It
was the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen and the way in which
everyone gathered in the street to watch them reminded me of a scene
from Independence Day.”

The extraordinary scenes were also witnessed by some of the staff of the One Elm pub.

Chef
Kern Griffiths, 26, said: “I saw five lights, we all thought they were
hot air balloons at first because the glowing spheres looked like a
burst of flames. But I couldn’t see any outline of the balloon itself
and they were travelling far too fast.

“Suddenly someone shouted ‘look’ and there were these bright dots fizzing across the sky.

“It
was weird, they way they moved did look alien. Some people reckon
they’re fireworks but they were lit up in the sky for far too long, the
local rugby club say they were lanterns that blew loose over the
weekend but these objects were far too fast and too high up.

“They were unlike any aircraft I’ve seen. It’s a mystery.”

Hillary Potter from The British Earth Aerial Mystery Society (BEAMS) said
they were being inundated with similar calls from across the country
but said it was rare for such phenomena to be witnessed by so many
people.

She said: “Such incidents have been on the increase recently. There are reports at the moment coming in from all over the country.

“We’ve
had many reports of people seeing quite large unidentified objects in
the skies. It’s not going away, It seems these incidents are becoming
more bold.

“People
don’t know what to do when they witness such sights and that’s what
we’re here for. We take the reports very seriously.”

A
Mod Spokesman said: “The MoD does not have any expertise or role in
respect of UFOs or flying saucer matters or to the question of the
existence of extra terrestrial life forms, about which we remain
totally open minded.

“I
should add that to date the MoD knows of no evidence which
substantiates the existence of these alleged phenomena. The MoD
examines any reports of unidentified flying objects it receives solely
to establish whether what was seen might have some defence
significance.

“Namely
whether there is any evidence that the UK air space might have been
compromised by hostile or unauthorised foreign military activity.

“Unless
there is evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom from an
external military source, and to date no UFO report has revealed such
evidence, we do not attempt to identify the precise nature of each
sighting reported to us.

“We
believe that rational explanations such as aircraft lights or natural
phenomena could be found for them if resources were diverted for this
purpose but its not the function of the MoD to provide this kind of
aerial identification service.”

Frankie
Spray, from Wellesbourne Airfield, just outside Stratford, added: “The
lights were nothing to do with us. None of our aircraft fly at night at
this time of year.

“It’s very bizarre but I’ve got no explanation as to what the lights were.”

Birmingham
Air Space which covers the skies over the town said they had not heard
of any unusual activity showing up on the radar.

PHYSICISTS HAVE ‘SOLVED’ MYSTERY OF LEVITATION
By Roger Highfield
The Telegraph
August 8, 2007

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/06/nlevitate106
.xml

Levitation has been elevated from being pure science fiction to science
fact, according to a study reported today by physicists.
    
Beijing saleswoman demonstrates toy which levitates by magnetic force;
Physicists have ’solved’ mystery of levitation
In theory the discovery could be used to levitate a person

In earlier work the same team of theoretical physicists showed that
invisibility cloaks are feasible.

Now, in another report that sounds like it comes out of the pages of a Harry
Potter book, the University of St Andrews team has created an ‘incredible
levitation effects¹ by engineering the force of nature which normally causes
objects to stick together.

Professor Ulf Leonhardt and Dr Thomas Philbin, from the University of St
Andrews in Scotland, have worked out a way of reversing this pheneomenon,
known as the Casimir force, so that it repels instead of attracts.

Their discovery could ultimately lead to frictionless micro-machines with
moving parts that levitate But they say that, in principle at least, the
same effect could be used to levitate bigger objects too, even a person.
advertisement

The Casimir force is a consequence of quantum mechanics, the theory that
describes the world of atoms and subatomic particles that is not only the
most successful theory of physics but also the most baffling.

The force is due to neither electrical charge or gravity, for example, but
the fluctuations in all-pervasive energy fields in the intervening empty
space between the objects and is one reason atoms stick together, also
explaining a ³dry glue² effect that enables a gecko to walk across a
ceiling.

Now, using a special lens of a kind that has already been built, Prof Ulf
Leonhardt and Dr Thomas Philbin report in the New Journal of Physics they
can engineer the Casimir force to repel, rather than attact.

Because the Casimir force causes problems for nanotechnologists, who are
trying to build electrical circuits and tiny mechanical devices on silicon
chips, among other things, the team believes the feat could initially be
used to stop tiny objects from sticking to each other.

Prof Leonhardt explained, ³The Casimir force is the ultimate cause of
friction in the nano-world, in particular in some microelectromechanical
systems.

Such systems already play an important role — for example tiny mechanical
devices which triggers a car airbag to inflate or those which power tiny
‘lab on chip¹ devices used for drugs testing or chemical analysis.

Micro or nano machines could run smoother and with less or no friction at
all if one can manipulate the force.² Though it is possible to levitate
objects as big as humans, scientists are a long way off developing the
technology for such feats, said Dr Philbin.

The practicalities of designing the lens to do this are daunting but not
impossible and levitation ³could happen over quite a distance².

Prof Leonhardt leads one of four teams — three of them in Britain - to have
put forward a theory in a peer-reviewed journal to achieve invisibility by
making light waves flow around an object — just as a river flows
undisturbed around a smooth rock.