Giant Moths Have Descended on Malaysia, And No One Knows Why
The moths, Lyssa Zampa, are startlingly large. Their wingspans can grow up to six inches. They aren't poisonous, and they aren't known to carry diseases. But, in Malaysia and Singapore, there are a lot of them—an unusually heavy presence. There are so many giant moths swarming parts of these countries that thousands of them managed to disrupt a soccer match.
For the most part, they’ve been welcomed as curiosities by people living in the region. But there are superstitions about the moths, as Malaysian newspaper The Star reports:
“Old people say someone is visiting,” said Olivia Airine Sue, alluding to the myth that moths were physical manifestations of departed loved ones.
“Not a good omen,” said user Tom Said, while Vivien Wong wrote that it “must be a sign that bad things are going to happen soon”.
The moths usually appear in the summer, but rarely in such large numbers. They haven't been active en masse like this for almost a decade now, since 2005.
It's clear that the moths are attracted to the lights of the city, and but the reason for this year's influx is still a mystery. Some experts think that the large numbers this year are due to a lack of predators and parasites. Others say that weather conditions this year might have been particularly good for caterpillars. - SmithsonianMag
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3 UFO Sightings Recorded in Declassified NSA Document
The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) recorded several sightings of unidentified flying objects [UFOs] in a top secret report. In 1980, a civil action suit was brought against the NSA by a group called Citizens Against Unidentified Flying Objects Secrecy.
Since that time, the NSA has declassified many reports on UFOs.
Here’s a look at four of the incidents in one of the declassified documents. Information has been redacted, making it difficult at times to piece together the findings. The reports often conclude the objects could be propaganda balloons or satellites.
1. Radar Detects Multiple UFOs Same Time Daily
NSA UFO Report
Multiple UFOs were detected on radar usually between the time of 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. traveling against the wind, according to the NSA report. The largest number observed at one time was eight, and they were estimated to be flying at a height of 50,000 feet. The objects were described as yellow or green and as drifting over the area (the location is not given).
Military electronics experts were sent to investigate, along with a civilian meteorologist and a civilian scientist.
It seems one person thought the UFOs could be sophisticated devices of some sort, though it is unclear who held this opinion or what specific kind of devices they could be. The report states: “Possibility that UFO’s some kind of sophisticated [redacted] device appears remote though this is what [redacted] suspects.”
“Possibly these are reflections of [word redacted] and/or [word redacted] propaganda balloons, depending on wind direction at UFO’s altitude.”
The report states that four reliable Americans spotted them and said they may be satellites or space debris. One of the observers had spent years professionally observing satellites. Though the sentence specifically describing this observer’s opinion is partially redacted or illegible, it seems to indicate he thought the object he saw was similar to a satellite: “He indicated this observation, made from [redacted] outside [redacted] was of [illegible] nature, a yellowish object on a steady course.”
2. 33 Yellow or Green UFOs Spotted
NSA UFO Report
As in the previous report, another report states that UFOs described as yellow or green seem to drift over an area (again unspecified). A total of 33 were sighted in the area.
The chances that the UFOs are “some kind of sophisticated [redacted] device appears remote,” the report states. “Unless amplifying [illegible] received, most plausible explanation of UFOs is that they are either [redacted] or [redacted] propaganda balloons.”
3. A Ball of Light Splits Into 3
NSA UFO Report
It is common for people who report seeing UFOs to describe multiple, smaller UFOs coming out of one large one.
In one of the NSA reports, it seems the original object disappeared, however, becoming three separate objects.
“[Redacted] saw an elongated ball of fire moving … [redacted] … high rate of speed. After covering some distance, it split into three balls of fire,” the heavily redacted report states.
Again propaganda balloons or satellites are posited as explanations. Read more at EpochTimes
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
UFO Briefing Document: The Best Available Evidence
Dreamland: Travels Inside the Secret World of Roswell and Area 51
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This is what you get when you slap a porcupine
After confusing a porcupine with an opossum, Antonio Rodrigues Mororó, 50, from Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was left with almost 400 porcupine quills stuck in his hand.
During a party at Mr Mororó's home, one of his son's said that his pregnant wife was afraid to enter the house because the animal was sitting on a wall by the entrance stairs.
So, in a bid to remove it, Mr Mororó slapped the animal, resulting in him receiving a handful of quills. He was taken to the Emergency Unit of the local hospital and despite three shots of anaesthetic, the pain continued.
Following a tetnus jab and a course of antibiotics, Mr Mororó is recovering, albeit with a hand full of holes. Neighbours have reported that the porcupine is still living in the neighbourhood.
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Babirusa (hog-deer) is a member of the pig family mostly found in Wallacea. It is unique in the way that if it doesn’t grind its tusks, they will eventually grow so much that they will penetrate the animal’s own skull
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Here's a New Method to Sniff Out Aliens
The powerful new model can help detect life on extrasolar planets more effectively than ever before.
Developed by researchers from the University College London, the technique works by analyzing the absorption of different colored light by an extrasolar planet's atmosphere and then comparing it to a predetermined spectrum to find out which molecules may be present there.
The new model will focus primarily on finding methane, the simplest organic molecule that is often used as an indicator for the presence of life.
"Current models of methane are incomplete, leading to a severe underestimation of methane levels on planets," said Professor Jonathan Tennyson. "We anticipate our new model will have a big impact on the future study of planets and 'cool' stars external to our solar system, potentially helping scientists identify signs of extraterrestrial life."
If all goes well then the new technique could soon be used to analyze the atmospheres of planets discovered around distant stars in an effort to determine whether life may have developed there. NDTV
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Several weeks ago, commentator Sean Forker announced he would be leaving Beyond The Edge Radio. Eric and I are pleased to announce that Amy Perry will now become the new commentator on the show. Welcome aboard, Amy!
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