Invisible force

At the South Pole, the harshest environment on Earth, astronomers try to unravel the mystery of dark matter, a force greater than gravity that will determine the fate of the cosmos.

For thousands of years our species has studied the night sky and wondered if anything else is out there. In 2009, we celebrated the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s answer: Yes. Galileo trained a new instrument, the telescope, on the heavens and saw what no other person had seen before: hundreds of extra stars, mountains on the Moon, satellites of Jupiter.

Since then, we have found more than 400 planets around other stars, 100 billion stars in our galaxy, over 100 billion galaxies beyond our own, even the faint radiation that is the echo of the Big Bang.

"Now scientists think that even this extravagant census of the universe might be as out-of-date as the five-planet cosmos that Galileo inherited from the ancients. Astronomers have compiled evidence that what we’ve always thought of as the actual universe – me, you, this magazine, planets, stars, galaxies, all the matter in space – represents a mere 4% of what’s actually out there.

The rest they call, for want of a better word, dark: 23% is something they call dark matter, and 73% is something even more mysterious, which they call dark energy.

“We have a complete inventory of the universe,” Sean Carroll, a California Institute of Technology cosmologist, has said, “and it makes no sense.”

Scientists have some ideas about what dark matter might be – exotic and still hypothetical particles – but they have hardly a clue about dark energy. In 2003, the U.S. National Research Council listed “What Is the Nature of Dark Energy?” as one of the most pressing scientific problems of the coming decades.

The head of the committee that wrote the report, University of Chicago cosmologist Michael S Turner, goes further and ranks dark energy as “the most profound mystery in all of science.”

The effort to solve it has mobilised a generation of astronomers in a rethinking of physics and cosmology to rival and perhaps surpass the revolution Galileo inaugurated on an autumn evening in Padua. They are coming to terms with a deep irony: it is sight itself that has blinded us to nearly the entire universe.



Human brain has been 'shrinking for the last 20,000 years'

For two million years it is believed our brains got increasingly larger but over the last 20,000 years it appears that the opposite has been happening - they've been shrinking instead. Some scientists believe our brains, like new computer chips could be shrinking in size because it is becoming more efficient while others subscribe to the idea that we are actually getting less intelligent. But which is the more likely 'Over the past 20,000 years, the average volume of the human male brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimetres to 1,350 cubic centimetres, losing a chunk the size of a tennis ball,' Kathleen McAuliffe writes in Discover magazine.

'The female brain has shrunk by about the same proportion.'

She was reporting on comments made by Dr John Hawks, an anthropologist from the University of Wisconsin, who argues that the fact the size of the human brain is decreasing doesn't necessarily mean our intelligence is in decline as well.

Some paleontologists agree with this diagnosis, that our brains may have become smaller in size, but increasingly efficient.But others believe that man has indeed become steadily more stupid as he has evolved.
Several theories have been advanced to explain the mystery of the shrinking brain. One is that big heads were necessary to survive Upper Paleolithic life, which involved cold, outdoor activities.
A second theory is that skulls developed to cope with a chewy diet of rabbits, reindeer, foxes and horses.
As our food has become easier to eat, so our heads have stopped growing, according to supporters of this theory.
Other experts say that with high infant mortality, only the toughest survived - and the toughest tended to have big heads. Therefore a gradually decreasing infant mortality rate has led to a proportionate decrease in the size of our brains.
A recent study conducted by David Geary and Drew Bailey, cognitive scientists at the University of Missouri, explored how cranial size changed as humans adapted to an increasingly complex social environment between 1.9million and 10,000 years ago.
They found that when population density was low, such as during the majority of our evolution, the cranium increased in size. But when a certain area's population changed from sparse to dense, our cranium size decreased.They concluded that as increasingly complex societies emerged, the brain grew smaller because people didn't have to be as smart to stay alive.
But Dr Geary warns against stereotyping our ancestors as being more intelligent than us.
He said: 'Practically speaking, our ancestors were not our intellectual or creative equals because they lacked the same kind of cultural support.
'The rise of agriculture and modern cities based on economic specialisation has allowed the very brightest people to focus their efforts on the sciences, the arts and other fields.
'Their ancient counterparts didn't have that infrastructure to support them. It took all their efforts just to get through life.'

Dr Hawks, on the other hand, believes that the decrease in the size of our brains may actually show we are getting more intelligent.

The brain, he says, uses up to 20 per cent of all the fuel we consume. Therefore a bigger brain will require more energy and take longer to develop.

Dr Hawks notes that a boom in the human population between 20,000 and 10,000 years ago led to an unusual advantageous mutation to take place.

He believes this could have resulted in the brain becoming more streamlined, our neurochemistry shifting to boost the capacity of our brains.

But it seems the size of our brains could be on the increase again.

A recent study by anthropologist Richard Jantz of the University of Tennessee found that our brain size is on the increase again.

He measured and compared the craniums of Americans of African and European descent from late colonial times to the 20th century and found that our brain size is on the move again.

Dwapara Yuga

According to Puranic sources, Krishna's disappearance marks the end of Dvapara Yuga and the start of Kali Yuga, which is dated to February 17/18, 3228 BCE. Vaishnava teachers such as Ramanujacharya and GaudiyaVaishnavas held the view that the body of Krishna is completely spiritual and never decays as this appears to be the perspective of the Bhagavata Purana. Krishna never appears to grow old or age at all in the historical depictions of the Puranas despite passing of several decades, but there are grounds for a debate whether this indicates that he has no material body, since battles and other descriptions of the Mahabhārata epic show clear indications that he seems to be subject to the limitations of nature. While battles apparently seem to indicate limitations, Mahabharatha also shows in many places where Krishna is not subject to any limitations as through episodes Duryodhana trying to arrest Krishna where his body burst into fire showing all creation within him.Krishna is also explicitly told to be without deterioration elsewhere.

• 3800 BC (Descending Treta 2900) and before - High Vedic Age, the Rig-Veda 3100 BC (Descending Dwapara 0)   - Mahabharata War, Kurukshetra, Gita, Canonization of the Vedas by Vyasa
• 1900 BC (Descending Dwapara 1200)   - Drying up of the  Sarasvati river and end of the Vedic Age

Thus from a Yuga perspective we can see that the High Vedic Age was part of Descending Treta Yuga. It fell, right at the beginning of Descending Dawpara Yuga and collapsed mid-way through.

The book's authors argue that earlier Sanskrit scholars were unduly influenced by a) Colonial interests, for example Max Muller being in the pay of the British, b) "Aryan" racial theories and c) Fundamentalist Christian time-lines with comparatively recent dates for the origins of the world. To this day in Glen Rose, TX there are parallel museums, one for dinosaur tracks set in stone and another for creationism.

The ruins of one of the last cities associated with the Vedic Age are at Mohenjo-daro in modern Pakistan.

Built in 2600 BC (Descending Dwapara 500) and abandoned in 1500 BC (Descending Dwapara 1600), it was not rediscovered until 1922 AD (Ascending Dwapara 222).

Much as for Ancient Egypt, earlier strata at the site show higher civilization, descending as we move forward in time. Extreme radioactivity suggests that nuclear attack may have marked the end of the city. Much as for all facts prior to Ascending Dwapara Yuga, competing theories and dates mar definitive conclusions and can lead to unflattering comparisons with literature of the style popularized by Dennis-Weatley, the devil rides out (a bit). Such comparisons are perhaps a constrictive reflex, an unwillingness to accept higher civilization in the past by peoples today in underdeveloped nations and dismissing their cultural heritage as just so much '’Mumbo-Jumbo’.

When reading books of ancient history or archeology, it's helpful to have a quick Yuga-calculater to situate the dates and provide new insight. It can hardly be a mere coincidence that the Mahabharata War falls right at the boundary of Treta and Dwapara, or that Einstein discovered matter and energy are interchangeable right at the boundary of Dwapara and Kali, just at the same time that Sri Yukteswar corrected the Kali era misinterpretation of the ancient Yuga calculations found in the Vedas.

3300-3400BC First Sumerian and Egyptian writings are the oldest known, prior to that, i.e. looking back into fully developed Treta and Satya Yugas, we enter into pre-history 3100 B C pre-history-descendingTreta-Yuga closes, Descending  Dwapara-Yuga begins. 3100 Mahabharata-war. 700BC Classical Antiquity - Descending Dwapara Yuga closes, Descending Kali Yuga Begins
700BC The Greek poet Heseod described the last Golden Age of man, presided over by King Chronus of Atlantis. Vases found in South America and identical vases unearthed in Troy, by the archaeologist Schliemann, bore the inscription, "From the King Chronus of Atlantis."

The Shankaracharya Temple, also known as the Jyesteshwara temple or Pas-Pahar, It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The sacred temple of Shankaracharya occupies the top of the hill known as Takht-I-Sulaiman in the south-east of Srinagar. The site dates back to 250BC. The Saint Shankaracharya stayed at this place when he visited Kashmir ten centuries ago to revive Sanatan Dharma.

The temple was originally built by Sandiman, who reigned in Kashmir from 2629 to 2564 BC. It was repaired by King Gopaditya (426 – 365 BC) and by King Lalitaditya (697–734). Its roof was also repaired by Zain-ul-Abidin after an earthquake; later, its dome was repaired by Sheikh Ghulam Mohiuddin, a Sikh Governor (1841–1846).

The Catholic Church tradition about the death of Mother Mary is called "The Dormition" [The Sleep]

She went into a deep sleep from which she never woke. The location of her death is not known, and has variously been given as Jerusalem, Ephesus (Turkey) and France. Little mention is ever made of the grave on the Old Silk Road. Yet the evidence is mounting that this was the birthplace of Abraham Sarah, that Tocharians and Pashtuns are an integral part of Biblical history, and Kashmir was the Camelot of many Biblical Patriarchs.

Joseph the Patriarch's grave  near Palestine was destroyed in the summer of 2000. The grave of Yuz Asaf is in imminent danger of being wiped out through "remodeling". Each week in some large way or small, the world loses another great piece of history. It doesn't always happen with a big bang o Sometimes the destruction consists  of a few  small stolen  relics  to sell on E-Bay every few months What if there was just one chance in a million? Or one chance in a billion  this could be her final resting place? Surely we owe it ourselves, and to her, to find out. How hard would that be? A few archaeolo get to the truth in a matter of days. The site has already been twice attacked and bombed.  The grave of Joseph, , is a few miles away. legends connected with the popular tourist resort side of the Queen’s mountain; the word Mary means ‘Queen’. In recent years the name evolved from Mary de Astan (Resting place of Mary) to Mary, and now the town is known as Murree. was  covered in candle wax, and prayer flags were everywhere among the alpine wild flowers, flowi mountain often glowed with  strange auras of  light at night. People traveled from far and wide to  bring their sick here for healing, or sit quietly beside the grave. The site has been maintained and honored as far back as anyone can remember. Its importance can be judged from the fact that the surrounding country is named after the supposed gravesite.

According to an old legend, the name 'Murree' is derived from 'Marium' or Mary. Among locals it is know as Mai Mari da Asthan ("

Resting Place

of Mother Mary"). Indeed, when the British first arrived here in 1850s to establish a new hill-station in India, Murree was still known as Mari. The spelling was later changed to the present one in 1875.

The exact origin of the shrine has become obscured by the waves of time. Since an ancient period, Hindus had worshipped it, and the Muslims paid their homage on Thursdays by lighting earthen lamps filled with oil.
views over forest-clad hills into deep valleys, studded with villages and cultivated fields, with the snow-covered peaks of Commanding, as one book puts it, "magnificent Kashmir in the background" and overlooking the plains of Punjab, it stood naturally eligible to be selected by the British for defensive purposes, and they built a watchtower at the site.
According to old records, "in 1898, Richardson, the Garrison Engineer, wished to demolish the tomb at the time of the construction of the defense tower. Shortly afterwards he died in an accident, and the locals connect the incident with his evil intentions towards the tomb.
The grave was thereafter promptly repaired.

A little further down the ridge, the British built a convent and named it the Convent of Jesus and Mary. Today, it is one of the best girls’ boarding schools in Pakistan
More recently, in 1968, two towering antennas were added adjacent to one another on 'Pindi Point,' the new name given to the location. One of them arises from the same place where Mary is believed to rest.
A crude-looking cement structure marks the spot nowadays where the alleged grave exists. The area is closed to the general public due to security concerns for the safety of the television boosters. Barbed wire surrounds the antennas to prevent anyone from getting near, and civil guards keep a vigil on the installations night and day.
Various superstitions surround the story of the tomb. Local residents have reported occasional sightings of unexplained lights in the vicinity of the grave at night. Others describe rare encounters with a ball of light condensing into a fuzzy apparition of a veiled female form. Most of the eyewitnesses questioned, believed that the images were genuine and connected to the woman buried on the hilltop who many also regard as a saint.

It has been learned that a low-key investigation by a team of archaeology experts from Islamabad was carried out a few years ago to validate the tomb claim. However, their findings were never made public.
Skeptics from the field argue that regardless of the outcome of the team’s findings, it cannot be accepted as the final verdict on the issue. One authority figure, who did not wish to be named, stated: "While serious research of this nature requires extensive excavation, the visit by those archaeologists in the past was merely a superficial survey."
Among Christians, there is a group that believes in a post-Resurrection life of Jesus Christ. They insist that Christ traveled to Kashmir with his mother and died there. They believe that Mother Mary was also laid to rest in the same region.


 

Jesus in Kashmir: The Lost Tomb

Jesus survived the crucifixion, and lived and died in Kashmir many years later. The Bible cites twelve incidents after the crucifixion when Jesus was speaking with others, making a fire, and eating real food.

In AD 45, 12 years after the crucifixion, written records from the court of King Gonophores at Taxila (now in Pakistan)reveal the presence of the apostle Thomas with someone resembling Jesus. Mother Mary was with them on this journey and died along the way. Her grave is in Murree (Mari) Pakistan,near the grave of Jesus just across the border in Kashmir.

Was Jesus' resurrection actually resuscitation? Could it have been a recovery from a near-death experience? Would this change anything about him or his teachings? Christianity is the largest religion on the planet. Any changes in our perceptions will profoundly impact upon the entire world.

Jesus taught that life does not end after our bodies die.  He made this startling claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.” According to the eyewitnesses closest to him, Jesus then demonstrated his power over death by rising from the dead after being crucified and buried for three days. It is this belief that has given hope to Christians for nearly 2000 years.

Jesus’ followers wrote that he appeared alive to them after his crucifixion and burial. They claim not only to have seen him but also to have eaten with him, touched him, and spent 40 days with him.

The Science of Christmas: the First Noel

Virgin birth, the star over Bethlehem

Upon Christ’s birth, legend has it, a star appeared in the sky over Bethlehem, leading the three magi to the manger where Jesus lay. The question of whether it had a non-miraculous astronomical explanation - was there really an extra bright star that night? - has been debated for some time.

Two possible explanations are: a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, which would have taken place about 2BC, and would have appeared as a single bright star; and a supernova, which was recorded by Chinese astronomers in 5BC. Since it turns out that King Herod, in whose reign Christ was supposed to have been born, died in the spring of 4BC, we can probably rule out the planetary conjunction theory.So, you heard it here first: the Star of Bethlehem, if it really happened, was, probably, a supernova. Or a divine miracle, obviously.

Jesus's birthday

If the planetary-conjunction hypothesis is correct (we know we're suggesting it's not, but bear with us), we can put an exact date on Jesus's birth - 17 June, 2BC. Which would make Jesus a Gemini. Unfortunately, as we've seen, King Herod, who plays a significant part in the story, was almost certainly dead by then. The more plausible supernova hypothesis places Christ's birth in March or April 5BC, making Jesus either Pisces, Aries or Taurus.

Virgin birth (parthenogenesis)

The thing that needs explaining here is not a virgin giving birth. It’s the fact that it doesn’t happen more often. It’s the whole strange sexual reproduction business that’s confusing: various theories have been put forward to explain it, but none has been fully accepted. The most widely held seems to be that it is an advantage in the evolutionary arms race against parasites.