Tag: science

Your consciousness could travel multiverse when you dream, claim scientists

Scientists have suggested that dreams sometimes act as portals to alternate realities, connecting a person to another version of themselves in a parallel world. 

“Dreams have been historically perceived as mirrors reflecting our conscious waking life, laden with symbolic representations of our desires, fears, and experiences,” they claimed in their research article. 

“Conversely, a riveting conjecture exists that dreams might also function as conduits to alternative dimensions or elevated states of consciousness, suggesting a more profound and expansive role than traditionally conceived,” they added.

This hypothesis takes inspiration from the “many worlds interpretation of quantum theory,” which is sometimes also referred to as the multiverse theory. 

It suggests that for a quantum event, there are multiple possibilities or outcomes. Each of these outcomes plays out in separate universes. So, for example, if you played a football match, your team may have won in this universe, but in some other universe, your team may have lost the game. 

The authors suggest that in dreams, one can travel to these other universes. However, this isn’t the the primary scientific basis they used to support their hypothesis.

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Scientists Uncover a Hidden “Sixth Sense” in Geckos, Prompting Questions About Human Extrasensory Potential

Researchers at the University of Maryland have uncovered a hidden and unexpected auditory “sixth sense” in geckos. 

In a study published in Current Biology, scientists revealed that geckos use a specialized part of their inner ear, known as the saccule, to detect low-frequency vibrations—a trait previously unrecognized in reptiles. 

Researchers believe other species could have a similar sixth sense. This would offer new insights into how animals perceive their environment and could have significant implications for evolutionary biology.

“The ear, as we know it, hears airborne sound. But this ancient inner pathway, which is typically linked to balance, helps geckos detect vibrations that travel through mediums like the ground or water,” study co-author and Professor of Biology at UMD, Dr. Catherine Carr, said in a press release. “This pathway exists in amphibians and fish, and now it’s proven to be preserved in lizards as well. Our findings shed light on how the auditory system evolved from what you see in fish to what you see in land animals, including humans.”

Typically associated with balance, the saccule is a part of the inner ear that allows geckos to sense vibrations through mediums like the ground or water rather than through airborne sounds like traditional hearing. 

The saccule’s sensitivity to vibrations between 50 and 200 Hz complements the gecko’s regular auditory system. This finding is significant when considering other reptiles, such as snakes or different species of lizards. 

Traditionally, many reptiles are believed to be “deaf” or “mute” because they do not vocalize sounds or respond well to airborne noise. However, the ability to detect vibrations offers a new explanation. Reptiles may communicate through vibrational signals, challenging long-held assumptions about their sensory perception.

“A lot of snakes and lizards were thought to be ‘mute’ or ‘deaf’ in the sense that they do not vocalize sounds or hear sounds well,” lead study author and PhD candidate Dawei Han explained. “But it turns out they could potentially be communicating via vibrational signals using this sensory pathway instead, which really changes the way scientists have thought about animal perception overall.”

This “sixth sense” in geckos also offers fresh insights into the evolution of hearing mechanisms across species. The saccule, present in both amphibians and fish, now shows its role in reptiles, suggesting that auditory systems may have developed more gradually and with greater complexity than previously believed. These findings highlight how hearing mechanisms likely adapted during the shift from aquatic to terrestrial environments, revealing a more nuanced evolutionary pathway than was once assumed.

The surprising discovery of an auditory “sixth sense” in geckos also raises intriguing questions about the potential for unexplored sensory abilities in humans. It opens the door to new research into the human auditory system, prompting scientists to consider whether we have similar undiscovered pathways that contribute to our perception of the world.

“Think about when you’re at a live rock concert,” Dr. Carr said. “It’s so loud that you can feel your whole head and body vibrate in the sound field. You can feel the music rather than just hearing it.”

“That feeling suggests that the human vestibular system may be stimulated during those loud concerts, meaning our sense of hearing and balance may also be linked closely.” 

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AI scans RNA ‘dark matter’ and uncovers 70,000 new viruses

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover 70,500 viruses previously unknown to science1, many of them weird and nothing like known species. The RNA viruses were identified using metagenomics, in which scientists sample all the genomes present in the environment without having to culture individual viruses. The method shows the potential of AI to explore the ‘dark matter’ of the RNA virus universe.

Viruses are ubiquitous microorganisms that infect animals, plants and even bacteria, yet only a small fraction have been identified and described. There is “essentially a bottomless pit” of viruses to discover, says Artem Babaian, a computational virologist at the University of Toronto in Canada. Some of these viruses could cause diseases in people, which means that characterizing them could help to explain mystery illnesses, he says.

Previous studies have used machine learning to find new viruses in sequencing data. The latest study, published in Cell this week, takes that work a step further and uses it to look at predicted protein structures1.

The AI model incorporates a protein-prediction tool, called ESMFold, that was developed by researchers at Meta (formerly Facebook, headquartered in Menlo Park, California). A similar AI system, AlphaFold, was developed by researchers at Google DeepMind in London, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry this week.

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Chemists rips ‘feminism’ STEM class proposal

An academic journal article about “feminism” and “dysconscious racism in STEM” never should have been published, according to two chemistry professors.

Professors John Landrum and Joseph Lichter questioned why the Journal of Chemical Education allowed a paper that vaguely touched on “white supremacy” to be published.

“Overlooking the obligation to provide clear definitions and valid evidence for such terms, especially ‘White Supremacy’ which was deemed sufficiently important to include in the abstract, is hard to rationalize for a journal that ascribes to upholding reasonable standards of scientific rigor,” the two Florida International University professors wrote.

They also called the paper a “deeply flawed work of scholarship.” Only two academic publications cited the paper – the Landrum (pictured, left) and Lichter (pictured, right) reply, and a subsequent response from the original author to these criticism.

The 2022 paper argued for “teaching science with a feminist framework.” “This article presents a pedagogical model for implementing a special topic class on science and feminism for chemistry students at East Carolina University,” Professor Michelle Reyes originally wrote. She teaches at ECU.

Landrum and Lichter criticized the proposed topics, saying they “have little to do with chemistry and more to do with medical or STEM-related historical events dealing with racial and gender inequality.”

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Insights into Early Modern Human Activity in the Jungles of Southeast Asia

Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pà Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of Flinders University archaeologists and their international colleagues further insights into some of the earliest evidence of  Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia.

The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years by a team of Laotian, French, American and Australian scientists, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia.

Now a new study, led by PhD candidate Vito Hernandez and Associate Professor Mike Morley from the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.

“Using a technique known as microstratigraphy at the Flinders Microarchaeology Laboratory, we were able to reconstruct the cave conditions in the past and identify traces of human activities in and around Tam Pà Ling,” says Hernandez. “This also helped us to determine the precise circumstances by which some of the earliest modern human fossils found in Southeast Asia were deposited deep inside.”

Microstratigraphy allows scientists to study dirt in its smallest detail, enabling them to observe structures and features that preserve information about past environments and even traces of human and animal activity that may have been overlooked during the excavation process due to their minuscule size.

The human fossils discovered at Tam Pà Ling were deposited in the cave between 86,000–30,000 years ago but until now, researchers had not conducted a detailed analysis of the sediments surrounding these fossils to gain an understanding of how they were deposited in the cave or the environmental conditions at the time.

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Scientists Unveil Haunting Soundscape of Mysterious 41,000-Year-Old Magnetic Field Reversal Event

Close to 41,000 years ago, Earth underwent a magnetic field reversal where, for a short period, the planet’s natural magnetic protective shield diminished to just 5% of its current strength.

During this sudden and extreme magnetic field reversal event, the temporary weakness of Earth’s magnetic barrier allowed a significant influx of cosmic rays to penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. Now, for the first time, a team of scientists have produced a sound visualization of this mysterious ancient occurrence.

The Laschamp Event

Between 42,200 and 41,500 years ago, Earth’s magnetic field underwent a sudden and dramatic decrease in the intensity, along with a shift in pole orientation by about 45 degrees.

Known as the Laschamp event, this was a type of geomagnetic excursion—an anomaly in Earth’s magnetic field and the first of its kind to be identified. During geomagnetic excursions, the weakened magnetic field provides less protection from cosmic radiation, which researchers believe may have caused significant effects on Earth including extreme changes to Earth’s biosphere.

Scientists are able to identify periods of heightened cosmic ray bombardment by examining radionuclides found in places that include marine sediment cores and ancient ice deposits. The isotopes produced by the interaction between Earth’s atmosphere and cosmic radiation serve as markers for times when cosmic rays were able to penetrate more easily and reach the planet.

Now, scientists at the Technical University of Denmark and the German Research Centre for Geosciences have used Laschamp event data, including new information obtained by the ESA’s Swarm mission, to create the first visualization of the mysterious event with sound.

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Academic teases announcement about discovery of alien life

Two groups of rival astronomers are allegedly vying to publish confirmed evidence of an intelligent alien civilization.Various news outlets this week have picked up on the story that British academic Professor Simon Holland is claiming that an announcement about intelligent alien life is imminent.

Holland, who has previously produced documentaries for NASA-funded projects, claims to have received a tip-off from an insider with the Breakthrough Listen project – an alternative to SETI that aims to scour the cosmos for signs of extraterrestrial communications.

“We have found a non-human extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy, and people don’t know about it,” Holland told The Mirror. “They found the evidence of a non-human technological signature a few years ago, using the Parkes telescope in Australia.”

Holland maintains that a second group of astronomers in China have also discovered the same evidence and that there is now some sort of race behind the scenes to publish the information.

“This is breaking news, as of yesterday, but the Chinese might be pipping them to the post, with their, FAST [Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope] program,” he said.

“It’s the largest telescope in the world since Arecibo.”

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APA, ADA Double Down on Water Fluoridation Pseudoscience, Defy Federal Court Ruling

“Trust the experts” … to cling bitterly to their Malthusian dogmas even in the face of overwhelming empirical data to the contrary and unambiguous rulings from the sacrosanct “institutions” they otherwise cite as unquestionable authorities.

Via Children’s Health Defense (emphasis added):

“The Association of American Pediatricians (AAP), the American Dental Association (ADA) and other pro-fluoridation groups rushed to confirm their staunch support for community water fluoridation after a California federal judge last month ruled that fluoridation at current U.S. levels poses an “unreasonable risk” of reduced IQ in children.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen also ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to enact a regulation that will eliminate the risk…

The ADA said it “remains staunchly in support of community water fluoridation at optimal levels to help prevent tooth decay.” It said the court ruling, “provides no scientific basis for the ADA to change its endorsement of community water fluoridation as safe and beneficial to oral health.”…

The decision didn’t sway the AAP. “There is nothing about the current decision that changes my confidence in the safety of optimally fluoridated water in the U.S.,” said Dr. Charlotte W. Lewis, a member of the AAP Section on Oral Health.

“Oral health should not be a luxury; it’s essential,” ADA President Linda J. Edgar said in a statement. “Optimally fluoridated water is accessible to communities regardless of socioeconomic status, education or other social variables.”*

*In other words: “shut your filthy mouth, racist! We fluoridate the water because we love the baby POCs and want them to be happy! [picks up phone] DHS? Yes, hi, Linda Edgar here, ADA President. Listen, I have a domestic terrorist here hatecriming minority children. Send backup.”

In related developments, Children’s Health Defense also reports that Cochrane Review has just run a comprehensive meta-analysis of the purported benefits of water fluoridation for children’s dental health.

It concluded that, at best, all deleterious effects and costs and ethical violations of informed consent to the side, the practice maybe reduces dental issues in kids by a grand total of by “one-quarter of one tooth.”

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Project Cyclops: Efforts in Hurricane Modification Showed Promising Results in 1961

In 1961, the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) conducted a groundbreaking experiment aimed at modifying hurricanes, a project known as “Project Cyclops.” This initiative involved an attempt to influence the behavior of hurricanes through cloud seeding, using a specially developed silver iodide dispersal system. The project’s most notable test took place on Hurricane Esther in September 1961.

The primary objective of Project Cyclops was to disrupt the structure of hurricanes by releasing silver iodide into their cloud systems. Silver iodide acts as a nucleating agent, encouraging the formation of ice crystals from supercooled water droplets within storm clouds. In theory, this process could alter the thermodynamics of a storm, potentially reducing its intensity.

The experiment was a joint effort between NOTS scientists and the Weather Bureau (now known as the National Weather Service, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA]). A critical component of the experiment was the Cyclops device, designed to disperse silver iodide into the clouds from an aircraft. The first test was conducted over Hurricane Esther from a U.S. Naval Station in Puerto Rico. Eight Cyclops units were dropped into the northeast quadrant of the hurricane’s wall cloud.

The results were significant, with a “dramatic and radical change in the thermodynamics of the hurricane” observed for approximately one and a half hours following the seeding. The project report noted that the seeded area of the storm experienced a rapid conversion of supercooled water droplets into ice crystals. This led to the formation of a “cup-like” shape in the hurricane’s eye, with the wall cloud appearing to spread outwards. In the words of the report, “the changes in the form of the eye continued for at least an hour and a half,” during which time the eye’s shape oscillated and even resembled a figure 9 before returning to its original circular structure.

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Lucid Dreaming Breakthrough: Startup Claims First-Ever Two-Way Dream Communication

In a development that sounds straight out of science fiction, REMspace, a California and Russia-based neurotech startup, claims to have achieved the first two-way communication between individuals during lucid dreaming.

Using specially designed equipment, participants reportedly exchanged a message while asleep—an extraordinary claim that has yet to be peer-reviewed.

This milestone, if validated, could mark a turning point in dream research, with REMspace suggesting applications from mental health therapies to skill training.

Communication While Dreaming

REMspace is a neurotechnology company specializing in sleep enhancement and lucid dreaming. Using specially designed equipment, REMspace claims that two individuals successfully induced lucid dreams and exchanged a simple message with each other.

In May 2023, REMspace founder Michael Raduga made headlines after reportedly drilling into his own skull to implant a microchip in an attempt to control his dreams. Raduga, who shared details and graphic images on social media, claims the chip was designed to stimulate his brain’s motor cortex during REM sleep. Despite nearly dying from blood loss, he remains optimistic about the experiment’s potential.

It is important to highlight that while Raduga describes his self-administered procedure as groundbreaking, Raduga is not a qualified neurosurgeon.

Lucid dreaming, according to WebMD, is the state of being aware that you are dreaming while asleep. While around 50 percent of people report experiencing at least one lucid dream, the idea of communication within such a state is still in its early stages of research.

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