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ONE-WAY TRIP TO MARS

Sick and tired of your home planet? Looking for a permanent vacation, perhaps of the off-world variety? You’re in luck! Say bon voyage to humanity and set sail with Mars One, a Dutch organization that is seeking volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars for colonization purposes.

Yes, I said “one-way trip” with no promise of returning to the big blue planet. One might think that this would be a bit discouraging to potential stellar jet-setters, but no! According to an article on the BBC News, Mars One has already received thousands of applications. Unlike organizations like NASA, which will only fund a mission if the astronauts have a safe and reliable way to return home, Mars One is ready to cannon a spacecraft of willing individuals towards the Red Planet to found its very first human settlement. The problem with this venture is just how the colony would survive once they got there amidst such harsh conditions such as a lack of natural resources and the intense cosmic radiation called solar wind.

Minor details, minor details.

Mars One will be broadcasting all aspects of their project via a reality TV format with hopes of encouraging fellow independent companies to become investors. The timeline for this epic adventure is a mere ten years from now with the mission launching into space in 2023. As far as what lofty qualifications an applicant must possess, the standards seem a bit generic with the basics being “resilient, adaptable, resourceful and must work well within a team.” This sounds more like a job posting for a sales associate position rather than an off-world colonist. But what do I know? I’m just a writer…

According to Mars One’s co-founder Bas Lansdorp, one of the main reasons a return to Earth would be next to impossible for the explorers is due to the fact that the seven to eight month journey, combined with Mars’ weaker gravitational field, would severely alter their bone density and muscle mass. A reentry into Earth’s atmosphere would most likely kill the astronauts. Billions of years ago, when Mars once had a strong magnetic field to protect it, the story may have been different. Ah, but humanity was yet to be even a twinkle in the eye of primordial sludge.

All of these obstacles aside, Mars One is ready to accept your application today! And, don’t worry about being lonely up there on the Red Planet with just a rover and your madcap companions to keep you company. Mars One plans on sending new supplies and additional colonists every two years. Until the launch of this mission, keep an eye out on Dutch reality TV for developments.

Maybe we could even send the Kardashians?

Interested in tossing your astronaut’s helmet into the proverbial ring? Visit http://applicants.mars-one.com/.

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DECOMPOSING BIGFOOT FOOT DISCOVERED

Two boys in Massachusetts have stumbled upon what could possibly be a defining piece of evidence in the great hunt for Bigfoot. On March 29th the partially decomposed foot of large, unidentified mammal was discovered just off Pantheon Road in Lakeville. Local authorities were called to the scene to investigate after a report was filed by the boys. There they confirmed the report but were unable to come to a definitive conclusion regarding the nature of the limb. Seeking an expert opinion, Lakeville Police Chief Frank Alvilhiera sent the foot to the local medical examiner who determined the foot to be “non-human.” One possibility presented by Henry Paterson at GhostTheory.com is that the foot is actually a bear’s paw. The final verdict on the sasquatch paw is currently still pending.

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NEW DINOSAUR SPECIES DISCOVERED IN MADAGASCAR

_67099219_farke_dahalokely_bigOn the tiny secluded island of Madagascar, the remains of an undocumented dinosaur species have been discovered. The Dahalokely tokana, whose name means “lonely small bandit”, was a meat-eating dinosaur, paleontologists have determined, that thrived approximately 90-million years ago when India and Madagascar were still one landmass, isolated from the rest of the world. This discovery marks the first new prehistoric species unearthed in Madagascar in nearly a decade and assists with the connection between evolutionary points of animals in both countries.

“The most intriguing thing for me is that it fills a major gap in what we know about the history of dinosaurs in Madagascar,” said paleontologist Andrew Farke. “It shortens it by about 20 million years. It would have been a meat-eater, walking on two legs about the size of a large cow, with a tail.”

Joe Sertich, the curator of the dinosaur exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science was the one to make the exciting discovery. According to Sertich, the Dahalokely tokana was a close relative of a group of dinosaurs known as the Abelisauridae, which resided in the southern continents of the age.

“This just reinforces the importance of exploring new areas around the world where undiscovered dinosaur species are still waiting.” Sertich told BBC News.

**Photo credit: BBC News

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GIANT UFO HEADING TOWARD OUR SUN

Today the NASA/SOHO ipad app reported the sighting of an unusually large, triangular object heading for our sun. The images posted by UFO Sightings Daily are remarkable to behold and beg the question: Just what exactly is traveling towards the center of our solar system?

Scott C. Warring, the gentleman who posted the news about the UFO stated, “I was looking at the still photos of the sun on the official NASA/SOHO app and noticed a triangle UFO of massive proportions that was far from the sun but heading towards its center at 12:42 (photo below in blue). Then the this same triangle UFO was caught in a SOHO photo at 12:48 that same day, but this time it was even closer to the sun which is in the photo above. Look at the massive amount of space this UFO has crossed in just 6 minutes. No planet, asteroid or meteor could do that!”

Take a look at these images and tell us what you think in the comments below…

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GERMANS ENGINEER ALGAE-POWERED HOUSE

German engineering firm Arup is taking “green building” to an exciting new level. At the recent International Building Exhibition the firm revealed their latest innovation, installed in the BIQ building, which utilizes the energy generated by the growth and decomposition of algae to power an entire house through a process called “adaptive shading.” The “algae house” was designed in collaboration with Austrian design firm Splitterwerk Architects and German consultancy SSC Strategic Science Consult,

During “adaptive shading” the algae are fed a constant stream of liquid nutrients and carbon dioxide through a water circuit running through the exterior of the building. When they reach maturity and are ready to be harvested the algae are then transferred to a “technical room” inside the building and fermented in a biogas plant. The heat absorbed by the exterior of the building is used to warm the hot water tank, which encourages the algae’s growth. Increased algae growth also provides additional shade for the building’s occupants during sunny weather.

“To use bio-chemical processes for adaptive shading is a really innovative and sustainable solution, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario,” said Jan Wurm, a research leader at Arup, in an interview with DeZeen.com.

“As well as generating renewable energy and providing shade to keep the inside of the building cooler on sunny days, it also creates a visually interesting look that architects and building owners will like,” he added.

HafenCity and the International Building Exhibition, the two major urban development projects featured as topics of the IBA conference in Hamburg, address issues facing modern European cities. These concerns include the questions: how can metropolises embrace progress and growth in a specifically European manner, preserving their traditions, developing new qualities and yet responding appropriately to future social needs and community requirements?

Until this year, algae-powered buildings have been merely concepts, such as the modular algae pod-covered building and the biofuel-powered skyscraper in London. The Arup design is a remarkable leap forward towards the realization of a self-sustainable building that harnesses and utilizes the inherent power of nature.

The International Building Exhibition will remain on display until November 3, 2013 in Hamburg, Germany.

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**Photo by DeeZeen.com

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NEW CHUPACABRA SIGHTINGS IN GUAYAMA

chupacabraOn Wednesday, April 17th, the Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU) posted an article on their blog about a recent chupacabra sighting in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The post details an account reported by José Pérez, a field researcher with a “wide range of unpublished experiences in Puerto Rican ufology”, regarding one Mr. Rey D. Rodríguez and his encounter with the enigmatic creature known as the “chupacabra.”

In early April Rodríguez, also known as “Chaka”, was in the process of herding cattle toward his barn when he spied something otherworldly lurking in the dark. The night was clear and illuminated by a full moon, giving him a keen view of the landscape around their pickup truck as he and his nephew drove after the cattle. They were also equipped with a high-powered LED flashlight used to identify cattle from a distance. As they neared a field known as the Medianía sector, used primarily for rounding up the livestock in a game of “gotcha”, they spied what appeared to be eyes reflecting red in the beams of their headlights across the property. Assuming what they had seen had been one of Chaka’s cows, they drove across the clearing, but found nothing.

Turning the truck around to return to the rest of the herd, they spied the glowing red eyes again as something darted through the underbrush. According to the report, Chaka yelled, “Stop right there! Look at that!”

Just beyond a small mound of dirt, they spied “a short-statured man who appeared to be crouching” with glowing eyes and quills along its head and back. Chaka demanded that his nephew give him his machete and gave chase to the creature, which fled into darkness beyond the undergrowth. Chaka and his nephew continued to pursue the creature as it ran parallel to a barbed wire fence. The chupacabra leapt over the fence and disappeared into the night.

Chaka and his nephew did not see the creature again after that. However, a week later, two mares and two calves were slaughtered by an unidentified “animal.” So far, no concrete evidence has been gathered from either the Medianía sighting or the slain livestock. The search for the illusive chupacabra continues…

**Illustration by Clee Barker

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AMAZING WASHINGTON UFO SIGHTING

A spectacular piece of photographic UFO evidence was spotted this week on the MUFON Reporting Database by Scott McMan, a contributor for the website Ghost Theory.

According to the report, submitted by an anonymous source, the person was in Swift Forest Camp, located in Swift Lake Reservoir, Skamania County in Washington State on July 25, 2011. At 8:45pm the person was sitting beside the lake watching the sun set. They went to retrieve their camera in order to capture the view. Upon reviewing the photos they noticed a bright white light in the upper center of the frame. Using a graphics program to enlarge and enhance the images’ clarity they discovered that the object was rectangular in form. The person claims that the shape was not visible through the viewfinder or to the naked eye and only noticed it upon reviewing the film. The UFO appears to be moving upwards due to its position and relation to the mountain range. In the three photos below, the object also appears to be moving toward the viewer.

Scott McMan is a diligent debunker of falsified sightings and has stated, “I have mandated myself to do as much media analysis as possible prior to posting on anything from MUFON. That’s not to say I didn’t do my due diligence before, but in past years my access to certain tools was limited. Of course I can’t catch everything, but at least I can eliminate examples, which are suspect.”

McMan took it upon himself to run the submitted photos on MUFON through a variety of error correction programs and has made the final analysis that the images are 100% genuine and have not been altered in any way, shape, or form. The evidence is fascinating to behold.

Do you have a follow-up to this sighting? We would love to hear about it! Leave a comment below.

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GIANT SNAIL INVASION

giant-african-land-snailThis is the type of story the best B-horror films are made of! Move over “Night of the Lupine!” It’s time for the Giant African Land Snail to slime… I mean shine!

Florida is under siege from an invasion of Giant African Land Snails. These gargantuan mollusks that can grow to the size of a large rabbit, are reported to be able to mow through everything from the hardiest form of vegetation to the siding on your house! Their epic, if slow, path of slimy destruction has thrown Florida officials into panic as they scurry to contain the epidemic.

When one pictures a creature with the capability to cause mass panic, the snail is not necessarily the first to come to mind. As you can see in the picture below, they are not exactly the image of environmental catastrophe. Or… are they?

Someone might want to tell all of the people on the internet holding these creatures without gloves like pets that they also carry a human parasite called rat lungworm, which is a form of meningitis and potentially deadly. Suddenly, the Giant African Land Snail is slightly more menacing than I had originally pictured. The snails have also been sited as the cause of car crashes as shards from their shells can puncture tires. Steer clear of the mighty Land Snail, literally.

These snails can also reproduce quickly, producing up to 1,200 eggs per year. The young snails reach full maturity in a year’s time and have a lifespan up to nine years. Each week over 1,000 snails are caught and removed from the Miami-Dade county area, and since first discovered in 2011 over 117,000 snails have been successfully terminated.

One theory held by experts on how the mollusks came to live in the United States is that they “hitched a ride” on overseas luggage, bidding bon voyage to Africa. The search is on in Florida to contain this epidemic before the snails migrate to other states. Countries such as Ecuador and Barbados have now run out of ways to contain their own infestations. The Giant African Land Snail continues to slowly terrorize the planet.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuHaHmKYylU&hl=en_US&version=3]

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MILLION DOLLAR BIGFOOT

We could all use a million dollars. However, if you’re looking to retire anytime soon, you might want to stick to your state lottery for better chances of winning such a jackpot. For dedicated Bigfoot hunters, though, keep hunting! Unless someone offers you a higher bid, you can rely on Olympia Beer and Pabst Brewing Company to pay you $25,000 a year for forty years for either a captured live Bigfoot or “irrefutable proof that the creature exists.”

“We have been sharing the same backyard for over a century and we believe it’s time to do what has never been done, and that is to offer a one million dollar reward to anyone who can ensure the safe capture of Bigfoot,” Evan and Daren Metropoulos stated in an official press release from the company. They continue, “When we say safe capture that means Bigfoot has to be alive and breathing folks, with no wounds.”

You heard it, folks. Bigfoot has to be alive and ready for his close-up when the exchange happens!

According to the official rules of the contest, “Evidence may include, but is not limited to DNA Evidence. DNA Evidence may include hair, blood, tissue or saliva that proves the DNA sequence of the donor shows that said donor resides in the primate evolutionary family tree, among other apes or hominids, but does not have the same genetic markers and DNA sequence as any known species.”

For more information visit http://olympiabigfoot.com/. Be the first to submit a photo or video to their site!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gl3H_KGC_8&version=3&hl=en_US]

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