New Species of Large Cats Discovered

Large Cat Species Discovered : Scientists have discovered that two populations of tigrina previously thought to be one species do not, in fact, interbreed and thus are distinct, according to results published today in Current Biology.

“So much is still unknown about the natural world, even in groups that are supposed to be well-characterized, such as cats,” says the study’s lead author, Eduardo Eizirik of Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

“In fact, there are many basic aspects that we still don’t know about wild cats, [including] their precise geographic distribution and their diets.”

Eizirik’s results have implications for conservation efforts—particularly laws about poaching and the designation of national parkland. Such measures are often focused on individual species.

Recognizing the northeastern tigrina as distinct means that biologists will have to assess its conservation status and determine what steps need to be taken so that both species of tigrina can be adequately protected.

Ancient Interbreeding

Eizirik and colleagues weren’t looking to discover a new species. Instead, they were looking to understand the evolutionary history of what were thought to be three species of cat from the genus Leopardus:

The Pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) looks like a large, heavy-set, long-haired house cat. It lives in the grasslands and scrublands of South America, from southern Argentina and Chile up through Peru and Ecuador along the western third of the continent.

Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) is roughly the same size as the Pampas cat, with a brownish-yellow or gray coat, black spots on its trunk, and dark bands across its tail and limbs. Like the Pampas cat, Geoffroy’s cat likes scrublands and lives throughout Argentina.

The tigrina (Leopardus tigrinus), also known as the oncilla or little spotted cat, lives throughout much of Central and South America. With a yellow-brown coat and black rosettes, the tigrina looks like a house cat-sized leopard. Scientists had previously identified four sub-populations of tigrina, including the southern tigrina, which lives primarily in Brazil’s mountainous forests, and the northeastern tigrina, which lives in savannahs and grasslands. The coat of the northeastern tigrina is slightly lighter, and the rosettes are sightly smaller, than those of its southern relative. 

Eizirik and colleagues obtained DNA samples from a total of 216 different Leopardus cats across their ranges. Analysis of the DNA sequences found in the mitochondria, the cell’s power plant, revealed ancient interbreeding between the Pampas cat and the northeastern tigrina.

Since an individual only inherits mitochondrial DNA from its mother, researchers could peer into the ancient history of these two felines, and found that they mated together frequently before the two cats split into separate species.

Although the Geoffroy’s cat and the southern tigrina divided into separate species over a million years ago, they began to mate together in the more recent past in the areas of southern Brazil and Bolivia where their habitats overlap. While the two cats interbreed regularly at this contact zone, the mating doesn’t extend to farther areas and the two species remain distinct.

"Gate to Hell" Guardian Statues Found

Guardians of the "Gate to Hell" Found: Archaeologists digging in Turkey have found the guardians of the "Gate to Hell" -- two unique marble statues which once warned of a deadly cave in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, near Pamukkale.

Known as Pluto's Gate -- Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin -- the cave was celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology and tradition. It was discovered in March by a team led by Francesco D'Andria, professor of classic archaeology at the University of Salento.

"The statues represent two mythological creatures," D'Andria told Discovery News. "One depicts a snake, a clear symbol of the underworld, the other shows Kerberos, or Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of hell in the Greek mythology."

The sculptures were found as archaeologists further excavated the area where in March they unearthed the remains of the Plutonium, which included an inscription dedicated to the deities of the underworld -- Pluto and Kore.

The dig revealed the source of the thermal springs, which produce the famous white travertine terraces.

"Pamukkale's springs originate right from this cave," D'Andria said.

PHOTOS: The Hunt for Lost Cities

Believed to have healing properties, the hot springs made the Roman city of Hierapolis -- now a World Heritage Site -- a popular destination for pilgrimages.

Both marble statues emerged from the thermal water, leaving little doubt that the site was indeed Pluto's Gate. The cave was described in historic sources as filled with lethal mephitic vapors.

"This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Any animal that passes inside meets instant death," the Greek geographer Strabo (64-63 B.C. to about 24 A.D.) wrote about the site.

"I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell," he added.

NEWS: Ancient City Found Beneath Biblical-Era Ruins

"They were instantly killed by the carbon dioxide fumes," D'Andria said.

Strabo's account was confirmed during the excavation, as D'Andria and colleagues found several dead birds and insects near the opening.

In the previous excavation, the archaeologists also found the remains of a temple, a pool and a series of steps placed above the cave -- all matching the descriptions of the site in ancient sources.

The site represented an important destination for pilgrims. People watched the sacred rites from steps above the cave opening, while priests sacrificed bulls to Pluto. The ceremony included leading the animals into the cave, and dragging them out dead.

Photo :FRANCESCO D’ANDRIA

Sea Monster 'Kraken' Real?

Kraken Sea Monster : A recent fossil find is renewing interest in the search for the ancient giant cephalopod known as the kraken.

The idea of a kraken was originally proposed a couple of years ago at the meeting of the Geological Society of America by Mount Holyoke College palaeontologist Mark McMenamin.

Now he has returned to the annual meeting with what he believes is more evidence of the kraken, including what could be the tip of its tooth-like beak, another example of a potential kraken murder case, and the earliest-known fossil of a scavenger crustacean that is today among those found devouring whale carcasses in the ocean depths.

The initial evidence for the kraken was very indirect.

In 2011, McMenamin found signs that the remains of 14-metre ichthyosaurs at Nevada's Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park were arranged in patterns that resembled the work of a modern-day octopus - which are known to fiddle and arrange bones as well as attack and kill sharks.

He also asserted then, as now, that the Nevada rocks in which the ichthyosaurs were found are incorrectly interpreted as being made from shallow ocean sediments, when they are actually from much much deeper.

The kraken hypothesis was not warmly embraced by his colleagues, and McMenamin was going to let the matter drop until he came across an old issue of a journal in which there were photos of a museum display of the ichthyosaurs skeletons that had been removed from the park.

"It was laid out exactly as found in the field and there were rib cage constrictions," says McMenamin. "It was very strange. I'd never seen anything like it before. It looked like something had pulled bones out of place and placed them to one side."

So McMenamin returned earlier this year to Nevada with students in search of additional evidence. What they found was a small rock that they later realised might be part of a giant cephalopod beak - a kraken's maw.

"It's the densest thing on the body of a cephalopod," says McMenamin. And so it's the most likely thing to be preserved in the fossil record. "We obtained a beak of a giant Humboldt squid and compared. That actually worked pretty well. We have direct comparison to modern Humboldt squid. They had very similar fractures and converging straia (lines)."

Doubts linger

These are just more pieces in the kraken case, which is a tough one, as there are other explanations for the evidence.

"The problem with the kraken argument is it does not take into account all the other ways those vertebrae could have been re-arranged," says Spencer Lucas, palaeontologist and curator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.

"For example, the body of the ichthyosaur had to decompose and collapse, and scavenging by various animals could have taken place. These processes could have rearranged vertebrae."

Several experts in the area were also asked to comment, but said they preferred not to. Still even Lucas isn't ruling a kraken out.

"I suppose the kraken argument is a possibility, but one of many, and a highly unusual one. What we need here is a more rigorous analysis that excludes the many alternatives to the kraken idea."

On the other hand, there is that scavenger fossil - what's called an amphipod - that was found by one of McMenamin's students. He's giving a second presentation about that find at the same meeting, arguing that it's the earliest known and a supergiant version of today's small crustaceans.

That's a much easier case to make, and important to palaeontologists, if not as racy as a kraken.

"The amphipod is an important addition to our knowledge of a group with a limited fossil record," says Lucas.

Underwater pyramid in the Azores

Underwater Azores Pyramid Discovered : Is this remnants of Atlantis? The Azores are located outside of the Pillars of Hercules as described by Homer. An underwater pyramidal structure was identified at a depth of 40 meters off the coast of Terceira Island. The perfectly squared structure was sighted by a private yacht owner, Diocleciano Silva, during a recreational trip.

Is this Atlantis : Remember the city of Troy was thought to be make believe until discovered using Homers notes. 

Estimated to be approximately 60 meters high, the enigmatic structure was recorded through GPS digital technology. “The pyramid is perfectly shaped and apparently oriented by the cardinal points,” Silva toldDiário Insular, the local newspaper.

Most recently, archaeologists from the Portuguese Association of Archaeological Research (APIA) have identified archaeological evidence on Pico island that supports their belief that human occupation of the Azores predates the arrival of the Portuguese by many thousands of years.

The evidence comprises of a great variety of protohistoric pyramidal rock structures, some of them 13 meters tall. The structures may have been built according to an oriented plan, aligned with the summer solstices, which suggests they were built with an intended purpose.

The Azorean archipelago was discovered uninhabited by the Portuguese around 1427.

Last year, archaeologists claimed to have found rock art on the island of Terceira, which they believe to be many thousands of years old.

In the last three years, a variety of ancient archaeological remains have been identified on all the nine islands of the Azorean archipelago. They include an epigraph from Roman times, Carthaginian sanctuaries, cave art, and megalithic structures.

Bigfoot sighted in Northern Quebec

Bigfoot Evidence from Quebec : A hunter in the Cree village of Wemindji in Northern Quebec claims he sighted a Bigfoot recently and has the photographs to prove it.

Melvin Georgekish says he spotted a pair of the mythic creatures, also known as Sasquatch, while he was driving his pick-up truck along a road in a wooded area near his town.

He said he saw two sets of red eyes staring at him from the forest.

He drove on, then turned around, returning to the spot and flashing his lights, but the red-eyed beasts were gone.

At home, he tossed and turned all night.

"I was thinking and thinking, and there's no animal that has red eyes over here," Georgekish said. "I am a hunter, and I've never seen something like that."

Giant footprints in the moss

He returned to the same spot the next day and found giant footprints in the moss, the likes of which he had never seen before.

He described the footprints as big and wide.

"You can see the toes, too. It's like a human foot, but way bigger than a human foot. Wider, too."

Protectors of the Crees

Legends of Bigfoot are part of Cree oral history, according to Bradley A.J. Georgekish, also of Wemindji — a community of 25 hundred on the east coast of James Bay, 1,400 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Bradley Georgekish said they are regarded as protectors of the Crees. There have been many stories of sightings but not much proof to date.

He said Melvin Georgekish's photographs have caused quite a stir.

UFO Conference this Weekend

Contact in the Desert : A UFO convention/conference is going on this weekend in Joshua Tree! Aug 9-11th 2013 UFO's, Aliens, Crop Circles and more! A must see event for all paranormal fans!

This will be a signature event for the UFO community in 2013. Scheduled for Joshua Tree, California, a UFO contact point, CITD is headlined by George Noory of Coast to Coast radio fame. This conference is committed to a serious, academic look at the UFO phenomenon and how it has impacted us as a race and what it means to us going forward in time.

A weekend of exploration into ancient aliens, human origins,
crop circles, UFO sightings, and the need to know.

Buy Tickets

FEATURING

George Noory, Steven Greer, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, David Wilcock, Graham Hancock [Live Stream from London], Jim Marrs, Michael Tellinger, William Henry, Michael Salla, Jason Martell, David Sereda, Richard Dolan, Marshall Klarfeld, Michael Cremo, Carol Rosin, Travis Walton, William Brown, Laura Eisenhower, James Gilliland, Roger Leir, George Filer, Alfred Webre, Byron Belitsos, Paola Harris, Yvonne Smith, Suzanne Taylor, Celeste Yarnall, Douglas Taylor, Mark "Dr Dream" Peebler, Barbara Harris, Michael C. Luckman (Live Stream from New York City) and many, many more...http://contactinthedesert.net/

Paranormal UFO Webcam

UFO Webcam Carlsbad :The Paranormalistics UFO webcam is located in the heart of Carlsbad Village. Carlsbad, CA has many UFO sightings and is probably due much in part to the close proximity of the Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base. A large part of UFO sightings occur near military installations and along the coast as well. Check out paranormalistics.com for all your supernatural needs and follow our blog for the latest in paranormal news. 

See any interesting craft flying by? Right click over the screen and send us the pic! info@paranormalistics.com or social@calicams.com

Carlsbad UFO Webcam (click the link)

http://www.calicams.com/ufocam.html

Hosted by www.Calicams.com your source for live ghost webcams from Haunted Preston Castle, lone CA !!! Check it out!!!!

Hikers in Canada Capture Video of 'Bigfoot' ?

Bigfoot in Canada : This figure caught on camera by hikers in the Canadian wilderness is actually the legendary Bigfoot, or just a man in an ape suit, is all a matter of opinion.

Either way the sighting of the figure, which appears covered in thick black hair and is seen lumbering across the mountain top, has sparked plenty of excitement among Bigfoot fans.

In the footage the figure walks from the trees into the open, pausing briefly before disappearing back into the trees.

It remains unclear exactly where the video was shot but it is believed to have been filmed on a trail near Mission, in British Columbia.

The footage has been viewed thousands of times on YouTube with believers claiming it is evidence that the ape-like creature, known as sasquatch, actually exists.

But scientists have dismissed the Bigfoot theory, claiming it is a mixture of a hoax, folklore and incorrect identification.

Poltergeist Activity Caught on Camera?

Poltergeist  Caught on Camera : A U.K. video which appears to show a poltergeist in a Whitstable shop is proving an internet sensation. 

Poltergeist : The term comes from Germany and translates to "noisy ghost". This type of paranormal activity has often been blamed on evil ghosts or spirits. However, more recent theories show a connection to psychokinesis.

The clip on YouTube films security footage apparently taken at the Whitstable Nutrition Centre.

As a shopper browses, a box emerges from the shelf behind him and hovers in the air.

Another box then falls to the floor, startling him.

Since it first when online, it has attracted more than 10,000 views.

It appears to be mobile phone footage of security cameras at the shop.

A man giving a running commentary to the girl tells her: “This guy here, watch behind his head. Keep watching – just look at the shelf. It’s the weirdest thing.”

As the package emerges, she says repeatedly “Oh, my God” and adds: “What is that?”

He tells her: “I don’t know” and she helpfully suggests: “It might be a poltergeist or something like that. I don’t like it.”

Poltergeist Video Link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SCvZf0cdgx0

Mayan "Snake Queen" Tablet Discovered

The Snake Queen : A tablet discovered beneath the main temple of the ancient Mayan city El Perú-Waka’ in northern Guatemala has revealed secrets of what archaeologists describe as a “dark period” in Mayan history. 

The intricate hieroglyphics are still being deciphered by archaeologists - and tell the violent story of a 6th-century “snake queen”.

The tablet dates from AD 564, a time when two royal dynasties were battling for power - centuries before the “collapse” of the Mayan civilisation, which remains one of the biggest mysteries in archaeology. 

Stone tablets carved by the ancient Mayans have been crucial to our understanding of their civilisation - and have been discovered in dozens of other Mayan ruins.


“Great rulers took pleasure in describing adversity as a prelude to ultimate success,” said research director David Freidel, PhD, a professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. “Here the Snake queen, Lady Ikoom, prevailed in the end.”

The stone tablet stood exposed to the elements for a hundred years - before being buried as an offering in a funeral for another queen. 

Epigrapher Stanley Guenter, who deciphered the text, believes that the tablet was originally dedicated by King Wa’oom Uch’ab Tzi’kin, a title that translates roughly as “He Who Stands Up the Offering of the Eagle.”

“The information in the text provides a new chapter in the history of the ancient kingdom of Waka’ and its political relations with the most powerful kingdoms in the Classic period lowland Maya world.”

Lady Ikoom was a predecessor to one of the greatest queens of Classic Maya civilization, the seventh-century Maya Holy Snake Lord known as Lady K’abel who ruled El Perú-Waka’ for more than 20 years with her husband, King K’inich Bahlam II. 

She was the military governor of the Wak kingdom for her family, the imperial house of the Snake King, and she carried the title “Kaloomte,” translated as “Supreme Warrior,” - higher in authority than her husband, the king.

Around A.D. 700, Stela 44 was brought to the main city temple by command of King K’inich Bahlam II to be buried as an offering, probably as part of the funeral rituals for his wife, queen Kaloomte’ K’abel.

A Woman With Visions Helps Police Find a Body

A few weeks ago police in California were aided by a woman who claimed to have visions of a missing person they had been searching for. 

Prosecutors in Southern California will file a murder charge against the teenage half brother in the death of an 11-year-old boy who was the subject of an intense search.

Riverside County District Attorney spokesman John Hall said Friday that the 16-year-old suspect will make a court appearance Monday in juvenile court.

The Associated Press is not identifying the suspect because of his age.

Prosecutors are asking a judge to determine if the case should be transferred to adult court.

Terry Dewayne Smith Jr.'s body was found after a four day search Wednesday in a shallow grave under a tree behind the house he shared with his mother, half brother and other family. 

A woman who told authorities she'd had visions led authorities to the body, a detective in the case said Thursday. 

Riverside County Sheriff's Detective John Powers told KFI-AM radio that Pam Ragland found the body matching the description of Smith. 

Powers said Ragland called a tip line to say she was envisioning a location, and was invited to join the search. 

Ragland and her children came to the house without knowing it was the boy's, walked on to the property and right to the partially buried body, according to the detective.

Powers said he searched the area previously without seeing it. He said the situation is "extremely bizarre" and he's "blown away."

On Thursday, the bereaved father said he had been expecting his son to fly home this summer to live with him in West Virginia after two years with his mom in Southern California.

"All I want to do is get Terry Jr. back here because that was the last thing he told me on the phone," said Smith Sr., a 62-year-old retired truck driver. "He wanted to come home."

Initial reports from the mother, relayed by law enforcement, described Terry Jr. as an autistic boy who took special medication and answered only to his nickname, "JuJu." His father, however, insisted that his son was not autistic.

The boy lived with him until 2011, when he went to live with his mother, and was a normal kid who loved video games and baseball, he said.

"He was a very bright, well-adjusted child, at least he was when he left here," said Smith Sr. "He pushed buttons and would aggravate you. But, other than that, it was just the typical way ... of a typical boy trying to get his way."

Smith Sr. also helped raise the half brother accused in the case, he said. The teen moved from West Virginia to California after his mother abruptly pulled him out of school, he said.

"I taught him how to walk. I helped him when he was on the baseball team here," he said, recalling that he called the half brother "little Spider-Man."

A phone listing for the boy's mother, Shawna Smith, was disconnected. Messages left at a second number associated with her address were not returned.

Investigators told Smith Sr. that Terry Jr. died after a hit to the head but declined to say more, citing a request from police who are still working the case.

Paranormal Places in San Diego

San Diego's Paranormal Places : San Diego is known for it's many paranormal and haunted places. Below, a list of some of the most famous paranormal places around San Diego!

 
San Diego - Bonita - Bonita rd - Reports of an older man appears in the backseat of the witnesses’ cars. He is said to be the ghost of a man that was run over here.


San Diego - Bonita Vista High School - In the boys locker room, showers sometimes turn off and on by themselves. The boy's bathroom in the gym's front room has been reported to have loud whispering coming from it when no one is inside, and a malevolent force is often felt in the bathroom. In the gym, cold spots are often felt on the bleachers, and at times you can feel a hand grab your ankle or shoulder, even if you are alone.


San Diego - Brooklyn Elementary School - Janitors claim to see children running throw the hallways at night. and When the Janitors try to go home after there shift is over the doors wont open they say it feels like someone is on the other side pushing the door. They also say there’s cold spats and hear children crying


San Diego - El Cajon - One of the Mobil home spaces - In one of the spaces There is said to be an old man that appears occasionally in the house where 2 old people live; a women and a man. Once when the man who lived there was saying a prayer the ghost would get really mad and start throwing stuff off the shelf. Then when the man was out of the house the woman thought that he was back and she heard the doorknob starting to twist but not open so she went to look and no one was there. Another time was when the man was fixing up his car he saw the ghost and said hi because he thought that it was a person who lived in there park. He put his screwdriver down looked back at it and it wasn't there he looked down the street and up the street and the ghost was nowhere in sight. Still to this day they see the ghost he is very pale and you can only see his upper body.


San Diego - El Cajon - Rios Canyon - The ghosts of two cowboys can be seen at the back end of the canyon on the old dirt road. Some say "they’re looking for the lost gold".


San Diego - El Fandango Restaurant - a woman in white appears at a dark table in the corner.


San Diego - Horton Grand Hotel - Located in downtown San Diego has 1 or more haunted rooms. Temperature changes and sightings


San Diego - The Hotel Del Coronado - Kate Morgan reportedly killed herself. Her body was found on the steps leading to the beach. It was also thought it may have been murder. She is seen not only in her room, (which is now room 3312) but other areas of the hotel and grounds as well.


San Diego - Lake Morena Campground - Across from one of the campsites, in a wooded area, there appears the ghost of a young woman in a long white dress. There is a cold and eerie presence near the boulders that lie beneath the trees, and her apparition has been seen on two occasions by two different men. The first sighting occurred on a warm July night around 9:00 p.m. A group was setting up camp when one of the men ventured over to the dark area and found the young lady looking at him. He was startled and turned away. When he turned back, she had vanished but he could still feel her presence. The second sighting occurred around 3:00 a.m., a couple of days later. Another man from the same group of campers got out of his tent after being awakened from a deep sleep by an unknown presence. He looked over his tent and saw the lady pacing. She stopped, looked right at his face, then continued to pace as if she were waiting for someone. The man went to wake up his friends, but by the time he woke anyone she had vanished. Not being able to sleep after the sighting, he decided to stay awake with another camper and start a campfire. In the distance, they could hear the voice of a woman laughing and singing. There seemed to be no explanation for it at that time of the morning. On other occasions the same campers have heard heavy footsteps around their tents during the night that do not fade as if someone were walking away, but simply lift and disappear. In a photo taken of one of the campers in this area, there appears a large orb floating right next to him.


San Diego - McDonalds on Miramar Rd. - Strange things would happen during the dead of night while McDonald workers would be closing and preparing for the next day. Tubs of Mustard, straws, etc. would be thrown across and scattered the next morning. In one of the bathroom stalls, there would be a picture of the devil create from the wood grains of the stall door. The door has been replaced due to too many visitors wanting to see the "face".


San Diego - Mission Valley - Taco Bell - employees have reported whispers coming from the bathroom. Trash doors swinging one time at closing there was three closers one manager and two crew one of the crew members was washing dishes he seen some one who he thought was a employee walk behind him and go in the walk-in freezer" so the employee thought he would play a joke on the employee as he held the door tightly the door was moving like there was some one in there when three minutes went by then the employee let go of the door. he went to go see if the manager was coming but he was shocked to see both the manager and the employee was working he was really scared he had goose bumps.


San Diego - Montgomery High School - Floating lights can be seen late at night in the football stadium .Witnesses have heard screaming and then saw balls of floating lights came towards them. chasing them until they got to the front of school near the main office. Reports of voices in the bathrooms as well.


San Diego - Muirlans Middle School - The school was built in the early 50's. There was a girl that once went to the school in the 60's who died by bumping her head during a PE class. Ever since people have said of strange noises from behind them only to see that no one is there.


San Diego - NAS Miramar - Hangar 1 is haunted by the crew of a F-8 Crusader that crashed there in the late 60's.


San Diego - Nijiya Market - In this small Japanese grocery store an elderly customer suffered a heart attack and died in the store. Sometimes objects fall from the shelves on their own and with no explanation; one manager while there in the middle of the night heard strange noises and his name whispered several times.


San Diego - El Campo Santo Cemetery - Formerly posted as "Old Town Cemetery" - This was partially paved over with a road. It is said ghosts appear to be crossing that section of the road at night. - February 2004 Correction: The proper name of the "Old Town Cemetery" in San Diego is "El Campo Santo Cemetery." Among the numerous other spirits sighted at the location (including the paved portions under the adjacent sidewalk and streets), psychics claim that the site is to this day overseen by the spirit of the gravedigger whose own grave is near the cemetery's SE corner.


San Diego - Point Loma National Cemetary - just north of the city of san diego is a normandy-sized cemetary that was a favorite place for marines awaiting to leave for westpac ground forces.the marines used to go there on short liberties to lay amongst the grave stones,smoke and get drunk and near midnight witness souls rising from their graves to walk near the one thousand foot cliffs and look out over into the pacific ocean to see if their country was secure and then they would return to their graves.not to many young marines wanted to talk about this experience back at the old mainside of camp pendleton as the cemetary is the location of thousands of buried marines from the first and fifth marine divisions killed in action durring world war two.


San Diego - Presidio Hill (Old Town San Diego) - Locals call it witches tower. Its the "storage shed" in the parking lot adjacent to the mission. yet it has a huge pentagram built into cobblestones atop of this shed. Well the shed was used as a "cell" to hold prisoners. Visitors have seen apparitions such as, a guardian to the tower that looks like he is dressed in druidic clothing or a black cloak with glowing eyes. Reports of possession, & strange darting figures.


San Diego - Presidio Park - A little white dear can be seen running around but then it vanishes when it is spotted.


San Diego - Ramona High School - Students in the band room have reported instruments in cases being ejected out of lockers (locked with combination locks) And their cases being flung open during private tutoring sessions


San Diego - Screaming Tree - In the suburb of Lakeside, at the end of Willow Road, there is a narrow dirt road, down this road some distance (and after passing a slaughterhouse of some sort) there is a clearing with a tree, supposedly if one blasts one's car horn three times a ghost of a girl will start screaming. Mostly this area is a hangout for dubious characters so it may not be a good idea to go alone.


 San Diego - The Star of India, originally named 'The Euterpe' is a mysterious ship with a long dark history. Built in Ramsey on the Isle of Man, England in 1863, it was one of the first ships made of iron as well as one of the fastest. On its maiden voyage it suffered a collision and a mutiny. On her second voyage in 1865, The Euterpe was forced to cut her masts in a gale and barley made it to Trincomalee and Calcutta for repair. Captain Story died and was buried at sea during the return voyage to England. In 1873 alone, the ship had 8 passenger deaths from various causes. On 1884 a young stowaway that was put to work on the ship was showing off and climbed up the rigging and fell 100 feet. The young stowaway died 3 days later of his injuries. Shortly after, passengers and crew started to report the ghost of the boy touching them near the mast where he fell, making 'S' shapes on their bodies. This was how the game of tag was played during that period and was a favorite pastime on the long voyages. Many report hearing the giggling of a boy as well, along with cold spots. Another ghost of the Star of India, is reported to be of a Chinese crew member who was slowly crushed to death in the anchors chain locker. The chain locker is reported to have a cold spot when the ghost makes its presence known. There is a tale of a captain who slit his own throat in a drunken, frenzied state. The ships physician stitched up the distraught gentleman, but he later pulled out his stitches and bled to death in the First Mate’s Cabin. This area of the ship is reported to have a dark presence felt and guests that sleep in the room are usually awoken by something touching them or ripping the sheets off in the middle of the night. Other ghostly encounters have been reported on the lower deck of the ship where many sailors and passengers have died from diseases and injuries throughout its long history at sea. Some visitors report smells of freshly baked bread coming from the galley as well.


San Diego - The Whaley House - haunted by Thomas Whaley & it is believed there are others. This house was once the city's courtroom. The haunting extend beyond Thomas Whaley and to a man hanged just outside the house. He was hung for stealing a boat. One visitor strongly felt the presence of a woman while touring the house, in one of the upstairs bedrooms. “It was not frightening...the presence was actually welcoming. There are tours in this place.


San Diego - U.S Grant Hotel - This hotel was built in 1910, and apparently a man walks the hallways of the hotel, and at times goes into the rooms and makes noises.


San Diego - Vagabond Motel near 5 Freeway & Garnet - Tangible feeling of dread, oppression, and sadness in room 325 and nearby hallway. Occasional glimpses of spirit of "Amanda", a tall blonde or red-haired young woman. Apparently, she was a former beauty queen and model who, depressed over her inability to conquer a drug habit, slit her own throat in that room. Apparently, she wants your prayers praying replaces the air of dread with an air of calm and peace and scent of jasmine, and you can feel her saying "thank you".


San Diego - Villa Montezuma - On K Street, near Barrio Logan. Built in 1887 for a musician named Jesse Shepherd. The house has a very dark, heavy feeling. After Jesse Shepherd’s death, the house went through a succession of owner's, all of which claimed bad things happened to them while in possession of the house. Shepherd had once enjoyed wealth and fame, but at the end of his life, he was very poor and emotionally unstable. The house is said to be haunted by Shepherd himself and an elderly widow who previously owned the house. She is seen looking out of the window in one of the towers. Reason for Shephard's haunting said to be the fact that Shephard was known for being able to "channel" famous piano players while playing and was once reported to be playing Mozart with one hand and Chopin with the other. It is believed that while channeling the great composers, he channeled some negative energy into the house. Beautiful stained glass portraying pictures of famous composer, writers, and artists. In some of these, hair seems to be turning gray and beards seem to be growing. Strong presence is felt, and reports of seeing scenes the past (1800s some time). It feels like something was actually looking out the window, through your eyes. It was a very uncomfortable, evil feeling. There are tours in this place.

New Zealand Sea Monster

 Sea Monster in New Zealand : Did a sea monster wash ashore in New Zealand last month?

The bizarre-looking corpse washed ashore last month, fuelling speculation that it is the remains of a prehistoric sea monster washed up ashore from the deep. The 9-metre-long corpse has basic flippers and a gaping jaw with long, sharp teeth.

A video posted to YouTube showed the 9-metre long corpse on Pukehina Beach in the Bay of Plenty. Calling it a “strange marine creature”, the narrator added: “can anyone help us identify it?”.
The video sparked a flurry of speculation that the carcass was some prehistoric ‘sea monster’.
Discovery News said the latest “monster” carcass find in New Zealand was part of a long history of discoveries of mysterious sea creatures. The bizarre, rotting corpses are often mistakenly identified as sea monsters or dinosaurs, or even just mysterious “blobsters”.


In 1896, a 2-metre tall sea creature corpse washed ashore in St Augustine, Florida. Scientists eventually determined it was a new type of giant octopus.


In 2003, the bizarre 12-metre, 13-tonne “Chilean blob” shocked the world when it washed ashore on Los Muermos beach, BBC News reports. Puzzled marine biologists speculated the blob could be a type of giant squid, but DNA tests on the blubbery mass eventually determined it was the remains of a sperm whale.


Marine mammal expert Anton Van Heldon examined the latest ‘monster’ carcass in New Zealand and believes it is a killer whale, based on the fin structure. Killer whales, or orcas, are sometimes spotted in the Bay of Plenty.

Robots Thinking With Real Brains

Building Robots With Real Brains : The next frontier for the robotics industry is to build machines that think like humans. Scientists have pursued that elusive goal for decades, and they believe they are now just inches away from the finish line. 

A Pentagon-funded team of researchers has constructed a tiny machine that would allow robots to act independently. Unlike traditional artificial intelligence systems that rely on conventional computer programming, this one “looks and ‘thinks’ like a human brain,” said James K. Gimzewski, professor of chemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Gimsewski is a member of the team that has been working under sponsorship of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on a program called “physical intelligence.” This technology could be the secret to making robots that are truly autonomous, Gimzewski said during a conference call hosted by Technolink, a Los Angeles-based industry group.

This project does not use standard robot hardware with integrated circuitry, he said. The device that his team constructed is capable, without being programmed like a traditional robot, of performing actions similar to humans, Gimzewski said.

Participants in this project include Malibu-based HRL (formerly Hughes Research Laborary) and the University of California at Berkeley’s Freeman Laboratory for Nonlinear Neurodynamics. The latter is named after Walter J. Freeman, who has been working for 50 years on a mathematical model of the brain that is based on electroencephalography data. EEG is the recording of electrical activity in the brain.

What sets this new device apart from any others is that it has nano-scale interconnected wires that perform billions of connections like a human brain, and is capable of remembering information, Gimzewski said. Each connection is a synthetic synapse. A synapse is what allows a neuron to pass an electric or chemical signal to another cell. Because its structure is so complex, most artificial intelligence projects so far have been unable to replicate it.

A “physical intelligence” device would not require a human controller the way a robot does, said Gimzewski. The applications of this technology for the military would be far reaching, he said. An aircraft, for example, would be able to learn and explore the terrain and work its way through the environment without human intervention, he said. These machines would be able to process information in ways that would be unimaginable with current computers.

Artificial intelligence research over the past five decades has not been able to generate human-like reasoning or cognitive functions, said Gimzewski. DARPA’s program is the most ambitious he has seen to date. “It’s an off-the-wall approach,” he added. 

Studies of the brain have shown that one of its key traits is self-organization. “That seems to be a prerequisite for autonomous behavior,” he said. “Rather than move information from memory to processor, like conventional computers, this device processes information in a totally new way.” This could represent a revolutionary breakthrough in robotic systems, said Gimzewski.

It is not clear, however, that the Pentagon is ready to adopt this technology for weapon systems. The Obama administration’s use of drones in “targeted killings” of terrorist suspects has provoked a backlash and prompted the Pentagon to issue new rules for the use of robotic weapons. “Autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon systems shall be designed to allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force,” said a Nov. 2012 Defense Department policy statement. Autonomous weapons, the document said, must “complete engagements in a timeframe consistent with commander and operator intentions and, if unable to do so, [must] terminate engagements or seek additional human operator input before continuing the engagement.”

Cryptozoology News - Giant Spider Discovered in Sri Lanka

Giant and Deadly Spider Discovered in Sri Lanka : For some, Poecilotheria rajaei, a giant tarantula discovered recently in Sri Lanka, is the stuff of nightmares. It's huge, fast, venomous and the size of a human face. 

But for wildlife advocates, the spider might represent another cause for conservation: The tree-dwelling spider is threatened by habitat destruction.

"They are quite rare," Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of the Sri Lankan organization Biodiversity Education and Research, told Wired. "They prefer well-established old trees, but due to deforestation the number have dwindled and due to lack of suitable habitat they enter old buildings."

The scientists suspected the dead arachnid was a previously unknown type and confirmed the theory after setting off to find its living relatives.

‘Days of extensive searching in every tree hole and bark peel were rewarded with a female and, to our satisfaction, several juveniles too,’ said researcher Ranil Nanayakkara.

The tarantulas – part of the tiger spider genus – have distinctive markings including daffodil-yellow colouring on their legs and a pink band around their stomachs.

Habitat encroachment could mean the spider comes into more regular contact with humans. A dead specimen of Poecilotheria rajaei was found by a villager in 2009, and live spiders were recently discovered in an old hospital, among other places, Wired notes.

Deforestation is one of Sri Lanka's chief environmental concerns. According to a 2009 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, about 80 percent of Sri Lanka was once covered by closed canopy natural forest. By 1994, forest cover had decreased to 24 percent. The report linked deforestation to reduction of the island nation's biodiversity, among other issues.

Although some experts would like to conduct DNA sampling to determine whether the giant tarantula is in fact a new species, taxonomical evidence strongly suggests that it is a member of the genus Poecilotheria.

Poecilotheria are tree-dwelling tarantulas that known for their bright coloring and potent venom.

In 2010, biophysicists at the University of Buffalo identified a protein in tarantula venom that showed promise as a possible treatment for muscular dystrophy.

According to National Geographic, the goliath birdeater tarantula of South America may be the largest spider in the world, with a leg-span that can reach up to a foot in diameter.