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A History of Hamilcar: The Legend of Cardosa and a Lost Carthaginian City – Part I


Deep in the heart of the Portuguese arid interior lies a city. It is the regional capital of the lands known as Beira Baixa and is strategically well-placed near the grand Tejo river, the superhighway of ancient times. The city has a name but with an unknown origin: Castelo Branco. Although attempts have been made to explain the name, none have ever really proved satisfactory. The city’s origins have been lost to time, just like the two character-defining hallmarks for which Castelo Branco is known: the famous ‘bordado’ (embroidery) of Castelo Branco and the beautiful and unique gardens called ‘Jardim do Paco’.
There is no hiding this lack of identity. The city council admits to it in their official website; “Little is known about the origins of Castelo Branco” are the official words. Yet there is a general awareness that Castelo Branco had a distant past, even if unknown. It is an ancient city, the mishmash of stones and the successive rebuilding attests to that and, more importantly, everyone here believes it is so. Then there is the legendary nickname about which there is no denying, the name which according to legend identifies the ancient roots from which Castelo Branco came: Castraleuca . Nobody knows exactly how to pronounce it, nor spell it. Ask any senior citizen about the origin of their city, however, and they will probably reply using this word, even though they have no idea what it means or from where it came. The word Castraleuca, just like the bordado and the gardens, belongs to this city.
Searching for a City’s Origins Nineteenth century historian Porfirio de Silva in 1853 quoted a contemporary document which was very specific about the origins of the city: “Seven hundred years before the time of Christ, time of the Carthaginians, Goths, Saracens, there existed on Cardoso hill the ancient Castraleuca, and from its ruins of Castelo Branco was built.” The name Cardoso, according to Portuguese historian Augusto Leal, was said to have come from the thorns and thistles (cardos) which grew amongst the ruins of Castraleuca.
A little-known historian who worked in the famous Torre de Tombo and directly for the King confirmed this. His name was Gaspar Alvares de Lousada. He was highly respected in his time both here and abroad, and was known to have been well acquainted with the ‘antiquities of Portugal’. He said Castelo Branco had been rebuilt by the Knights Templars from the ruins of Castraleuca. He evidently had seen ‘cippos’ (marker stones) which identified Castelo Branco as being the ancient Castraleuca. Knights Templar This is confirmed by the city foral (a royal document) written by Knights Templar Pedro Alviti in 1213. The wording is important:
Volumus restaurare atque populare castelbranco . Translated this gives “we wish to restore and populate Castelo Branco”. So, Castelo Branco already existed, including its name, otherwise they could not restore these things— the city and its name. It seems that the name Castello Branco had already become the commonly used name at the time of the Templar’s rebuilding of Castraleuca. Nineteenth century historian Herculano rejected both the idea of Castelo Branco as being Castraleuca and Lousada (whom he discredited), calling Herculano and others ‘impostors’. His arguments were based upon the work of Ptolemy the Greek Geographer, who in the first centuries AD placed Castraleuca south of the Tejo. However, Ptolemy’s work was and is known to be flawed. He also significantly did place Castraleuca on Lusitanian soil and near the Tejo river. Ptolemy wrote from Alexandria in Egypt and had never placed foot on Lusitanian soil, and even today it is advised when reading his work not to rely on his coordinates. Lousada, a man highly respected by other contemporary historians throughout Europe, was soon forgotten. This was a great error. Instead of checking out the foral and comparing the city to see if it really was a rebuilt ancient city, the Castraleuca version was relegated to a fairy tale. In actual fact, what happened was that opinion became divided. On one hand, there were the academics who, having rejected outright the story of Lousada and his Castraleuca, and being ignorant of the significance of the word, were left chasing their tails as to a new plausible explanation of the city’s ancient history. On the other hand, there were the ordinary Albicastrenses, who simply continued believing what they had always believed. Castelo Branco is known for its ‘subterranean city’ as it is sometimes referred to by the locals. There are tunnels and, legend says, underground vaults. These have been closed-off by the local town council because they have become dangerous.

Top 10 Most Beautiful Places To Visit Before You Die!


10.Whitehaven Beach – Australia

Whitehaven Beach is known for its white sands. The Beach is a 7 km stretch along Whitsunday Island. The island is accessible by boat from the mainland tourist ports of Airlie Beach and Shute Harbour, as well as Hamilton Island. The Beach was named the top Eco Friendly Beach in the world by CNN.com. Dogs are not permitted on the beach and cigarette smoking is prohibited.

9.Westin Maui Resort & Spa Hawaii

A fantastic lobby with waterfalls and pools greets visitors to this lush Kaanapali resort where the impressive scenery, friendly service, fabulous spa and awesome swimming pools are the highlights. The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali is located along a breathtaking stretch of the gorgeous, white-sand Ka’anapali Beach.

8.The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye – Scotland

If you are backpacking in Scotland generally or are planning a trip to the Isle of Skye then I heartily recommend that you visit the so-called Fairy Pools.The Fairy Pools is located in Cuillins Hills, Isle of Skye, Scotland. The Fairy Pools are a series of clear, cold pools and waterfalls formed as Allt Coir’ a’ Mhadaidh tumbles down from the foothills of the Black Cuillins into Glen Brittle.

7.Marble Caverns of Carrera Lake – Chile

Azure temple, Lake General Carrera in Patagonia, Chile, A natural wonder that could be the world’s most beautiful cave network. An Azure Temple created by nature, the walls of this network of water-filled marble caverns show just how magnificent the precious geography of our planet can be.

6.The Shahara Bridge – Yemen

This bridge was constructed in 17th century to connect towns at the tops of mountains in the state of Yemen. Shahara Bridge built to fight against Turkish invaders. It’s a scary bridge and a popular tourist attraction.

5.Havasu Falls – Grand Canyon National Park

Havasu Falls is paradise on Earth. This is an absolutely amazingly beautiful waterfall located in a remote canyon of Arizona. The spectacular waterfalls and isolated community within the Havasupai Indian Reservation attract thousands of visitors each year. The Havasupai are intimately connected to the water and the land. This blue- green water is sacred to the Havasupai.

4.Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon – Iceland

Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in south east Iceland which is up to 100 m deep and about 2 kilometres long, with the Fjaðrá river flowing through it. It is located near the Ring Road, not far from the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur.The canyon was created by progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers through the rocks and palagonite over millennia.

3.Arang Kel, Neelum Valley – Kashmir, Pakistan

A Breathtaking, Lush Green Village In Neelum Valley, Kashmir. Situated at the hill top near Kel, about 1500 feet ascend from River Neelam. It is also a village full of beautiful sceneries. It is a piece of utmost beauty, one can find in Kashmir. Visit Neelum Valley for Arang Kel, a worth visiting place.

2.The Dark Hedges – Northern Ireland This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century. The Dark Hedges is one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland and a popular attraction for tourists from across the world. It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors.

1.Coast near Marsa Matruh – Egypt

Mersa Matruh is a major Egyptian tourist resort and serves as a getaway resort for Europeans as well as Cairenes eager to flee the capital in the sweltering summer months. It is served by Mersa Matruh Airport. The city is known for its white soft sands and calm transparent waters.

10 Female Cult Leaders You’ve Never Heard Of


Cult leaders are fascinating with their charming personalities and strange beliefs. But the ones who tend to come to mind first are usually men. That might lead you to wonder: Are there even female cult leaders? Yes, there are . . . and they are gruesome.

10 Anne Hamilton-Byrne

What do you do when you’re convinced that you’re the reincarnation of Jesus Christ? You gather a small following on a remote estate and start a sadistic cult. That’s what Anne Hamilton-Byrne did in Australia in the 1970s and ’80s.

There, she projected herself as a motherly Christlike figure, but looks can be deceiving. In actuality, Hamilton-Byrne was beating children for not showing devotion to her. She was also preparing them for the coming apocalypse by bleaching their hair and giving them identical, creepy haircuts. She adopted many of these children—often illegally and likely through some kidnappings. In total, she kept 28 children on her property as she prepared them for the apocalypse. In reality, she was on LSD most of the time and forcefully injected the children with LSD, too. As punishment, she would starve and beat the children viciously, scaring them into submission. She was caught after some children escaped and alerted the authorities, who then rescued the other children.

9 Clementine Barnabet

In the early 1900s, life could not have been easy for a black woman in Lafayette, Louisiana, which is why Clementine Barnabet sought solace in voodoo. As a teenager, she became the leader of a voodoo cult named the Church of the Sacrifice, which quickly gained a following. Her preaching became deadly when her followers began murdering people with axes as they slept—40 in total. Her followers did this to show their devotion to her as high priestess of the Church of the Sacrifice. Apparently, they believed that immortality could be gained through human sacrifice. None of them committed these crimes mercifully, either. The victims were all brutally slaughtered and dismembered. Barnabet herself is responsible for 17 axe murders and is considered to be the first black female serial killer.

8 Aimee Semple McPherson

Aimee Semple McPherson was one of the first celebrity preachers. She rose to popularity in the 1920s because she was a beautiful preacher who looked as glamorous as a movie star. She also made her church services seem theatrical, much like some “megachurches” today. McPherson promoted herself at Foursquare Church as a healer who spoke in tongues and could allegedly cure the blind. She was groundbreaking in her efforts to evangelize as many people as possible by having a popular radio broadcast and doing several on-camera sermons (which you can find online). Her personality was charming, but she is often criticized for loving her celebrity status a little too much. All of that came to an end when she took a swim in 1926 and did not return. She was found a month later in Mexico claiming to have been kidnapped.

It was a hoax, of course, and McPherson was brought back to the US on criminal charges. She continued preaching in Echo Park until her death in 1944.

7 Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi is a spiritual leader who is the face of a growing modern meditation cult that is structured a bit like Scientology. The smiling guru seems harmless, but the sari-clad founder of the Sahaja Yoga Movement has been criticized for brainwashing followers and disrupting families. Her empire is growing, however, with an estimated 30,000–100,000 followers worldwide. Her followers meditate to a picture of her. Although the movement claims that followers are only meditating and are free to go about their daily lives however they want, most followers devote their free time to evangelizing and promoting their great guru. Former followers claim that they were encouraged to break off ties with family members who disagreed with their newfound enlightenment. Furthermore, children born into the religion are considered “soldiers of Sahaja Yoga.” Parents are asked to send their kids to a Sahaja school in Rome at the tender age of four and then to a school in India. These practices are currently going on and continue to grow daily as Shri Mataji opens Sahaja centers around the world.

6 Bonnie Nettles

Bonnie Nettles cofounded Heaven’s Gate with Marshall Applewhite, whom she met at a theater school. But she died two years before the cult’s mass suicide. The cult believed in Christianity with a curious mix of alien paranoia. They believed in UFOs and killed themselves to reach a spaceship that was supposedly following the Hale-Bopp comet. Sadly, Nettles developed cancer. But she believed that it was impossible for her to die because she and Applewhite would ascend to space together. Nettles died from cancer, but Applewhite told his followers that she simply left her Earthly form.

5 Ching Hai

Ching Hai is a spiritual leader who is often depicted in portraits of glowing light. Her estimated 500,000 followers worldwide adore her for starting the Quan Yin Method, which is a meditation cult that promotes inner lightness and peace. The Quan Yin Method is often praised for its promotion of the self, advocating for women to be independent and seek light from within rather than guidance from a man. Women are also encouraged to seek guidance from Ching Hai herself. As with most meditation cults, it sounds perfectly harmless from the outside. But Ching Hai has also found a way to monetize the Quan Yin Method’s peaceful practices: by creating a chain of vegan restaurants called the Loving Hut. You can find a Loving Hut location in several places around the globe, giving vegan goodness to anyone who wants to pay for it. But that’s not all. Ching Hai is also cashing in on her spiritual lifestyle through a clothing line, a jewelry line, and countless books and CDs.

4 Hak Ja Han

Remember the Moonies? Well, they didn’t go anywhere. Reverend Moon may be dead, but the Unification Church (aka the Moonies) was handed down to his wife, Hak Ja Han, and she is making sure things run smoothly. She changed the name of God from Heavenly Father to Heavenly Parents and revised her own narrative to seem as important as her husband’s. She claims that Satan tried to kill her when she was born and that God chose her specific lineage, the “Han” family, as the chosen people to fight against Satan.

3 Brigitte Boisselier

Brigitte Boisselier may be an unusual choice for this list as her leadership role in Raelianism is more cooperative than others. But she still holds the unusual distinction of being a director of the cloning division of Raelianism, the belief that humans were descended from aliens.

Boisselier is a chemist who claims to have overseen the first project to clone a human with the Raelian project called Clonaid. The current leader of Raelianism was so impressed by Boisselier that he declared her to be next in line to lead the entire cult after he passes. As the group’s spokesperson, she travels to do speaking engagements about the group’s progressive Raelian beliefs . . . as well as the coming doom of humanity and the salvation that only the aliens will bring.

2 Valentina De Andrade

Brazilian cult leader Valentina de Andrade founded the Superior Universal Alignment cult, which believed she was receiving messages from aliens in space. One message she claimed to receive was that anyone born after 1981 was evil and had to be killed. That’s when Valentina and her followers began their horrific practice of killing children. They ultimately tortured, raped, and mutilated 13 children. She escaped authorities and managed to find freedom in Argentina, where she continued to preach her beliefs.

1 Silvia Meraz Moreno

Silvia Meraz Moreno is perhaps the most notorious woman on this list because her crimes were so heinous. She was the coleader of the very violent cult of La Santa Muerte (“Saint Death”) in Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico, which made human sacrifices to appease the gods. But these were not willing sacrifices. Their first victim was Cleotilde Romero Pacheco, Moreno’s 55-year-old friend. Soon, the cult killed two children. Silvia even killed her own grandson by beheading him. The cult buried the bodies outside the city. But the police discovered the bodies while investigating an unrelated crime in 2012.

Top 10 American Festivals You Need to Attend Once in Your Life


The typical holiday season in America comes during the Summers although people chasing the American dream try to find some time off the daily grind during other months. You can sample some jazz, don up a cowboy hat or enjoy the extreme weather changes as you travel from Florida to Massachusetts. American festivals will present the frenzy, excitement and energy that you need. Ranging from exhibits to food festivals. America is the land which has everything for everyone; a sandwich at 4 a.m OR a horse ride along a ranch in the evening. There is a variety of fun across the land.

Americans can be fat, they appear to eat a lot probably because they have upsize food and free coke refills, but the fact is that their food is much more and beyond hamburgers and fries. They invented salads, and as you enjoy Amish pie as you drive through Virginia and get your lunch special at Pierce’s BBQ. You will see that beyond the urban cities the country is quite different than it is perceived to be. The following festivals show that America is more than a nation of super sized meals! Top 10 American Festivals

10. Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans

Although bands play in New Orleans’ clubs all year round, what you witness during this festival is hard to beat. The easy going rhythm and the colourful culture of the South are more explicit during this time of the year. The festival is held in April/May every year so if you are looking for some time away from the disco pop and heat of the city clubs, you could head to New Orleans now.

9. Burning Man, Nevada

Burning Man is an annual festival that was first held in 1986. It is a festival that encourages self expression and attracts thousands of participants every year. You can enjoy a week of sojourn and leave the area without a trace. Black Rock City- a temporary city in the Black Rock Desert is erected every year for the event that is described as something that experiments with art and community. Based on ten principles that include civic responsibility, community cooperation, self-reliance and self-expression. The event is held between the last week of August and the first week of September every year.

8. Groundhog Day, Pennsylvania

The Groundhog Day is the nation’s one of the most family-friendly and quirky celebration. The festival is all about weather lore and in the former coal mining town, families find the perfect setting for watching weather predictions that are covered live by many channels and are attended by over 20,000 people every year. The event takes place in February every year. The GHC Headquarters, The gobbler’s Knob Tail and the Phil’s Burrow are exciting attractions while you are in the area.

7. The marriage marathon, New York

Every year on 14th February, wedding couples tie the knot at 1377 feet above the ground in a specially constructed wedding chapel that lies on the 110th story of the Empire State building. It is not a drive thru like Vegas although something like this could only happen in America. Why they chose the Valentine’s Day for this occasion speaks for itself. Only those who are willing to make their wedding extra memorable for even the rest of the world choose the venue and place for the purpose.

6. Happy Harry’s Ribfest

Talk about food festivals in America and you don’t mention Happy Harry’s Ribfest- that is not possible! The food festival takes place in the second week of June every year. And if you find yourself in North Dakota- make sure you treat yourself with the extravaganza of All-American food including slow-cooked chicken (a break from the fast food) and beef on the bone. It is held in the state’s biggest city, Fargo and has been feeding visitors since 1996. They say that it is a great place to be for foodies and should you find yourself up to it. In addition don a bib!

5. Boston Seafood Festival

Every year in August, the capital of the state of Massachusetts sets itself up for the seafood festival where you can enjoy a carnival of crustaceans, chowder and fish. There are cooking demonstrations, contests for cooking oyster and various food stalls that offer everything from lobster delicacy to sushi. The Boston Fish Pier is literally taken over by fish for one whole day. Seafood is healthy and light and despite eating to your fill, you can keep the calorie count very low.

4. Film festival, Utah

Utah presents the largest independent film festival in the US every year in January. New work by independent filmmakers from all over the world is presented at this premier showcase. Independent film has high potential as per the belief of this event’s organizers and that is what they mean to prove every year in the festival that is chaired by Robert Redford. Officially called the Sundance Film Festival. It is held by the Sundance Institute and was attended by little less than half a million people in 2016.

3. Eat Drink SF

Besides the San Francisco bridge, there is another SF attraction that deems nationwide popularity- the Eat Drink SF Festival. There are August moments of foodie fascination in the festival that shines because of the participation of around 120 restaurants from the city. It is largely concentrated at the Fort Mason Center (keeping Alcatraz in view) and pitched on the waterfront. The restaurants lay out their most exquisite dishes and 70 wineries from California. They also play their due part in this food festival that has been specially designed in SF. So that it does not lose to its east-coast cousin! It is held during the last week of August each year.

2. Great American Foodie fest

It was the Americans who introduced the whole world to fast food. It was the Americans who introduced the whole world to the concept of dieting. Now it is the Americans that host big food festivals that appear to be so yummilicious. Travelers and tourists from all over the world visit the country to enjoy its festivities. Las Vegas is a city that hosts the country’s largest casinos and clubs. It is a place that is popular for clubbing and playing. They say that you could get married in Vegas at 12 p.m in the night and go separate ways the next morning. The chic restaurants in the city present haute cuisine all through the year. But, from October 6 to October 9 each year – A four day bonanza offers “food truck” food and is primarily stationed around the Sunset Station. Even then, you may expect delicacies and imaginative food to come your way. There are long hot dogs, slivers of meat prepared in delicacy as well as humongous burgers. Because, there is no lack of imagination in the Vegas food festival.

1. New Orleans October’s music and black magic fest

The Voodoo Music and Art Experience at New Orleans ranks top on our list of festivals in America this year. The city flaunts its ranking as no. 1 in people-watching anyway, so you could head over to the place in order to enjoy a festival on every other weekend. That is the plus point of being there. With over 65 bands performing in the festival, Voodoo is not just a festivity- it is an experience. It stirs together music, art and community and presents to you exotic nights with happenings that you would remember for long. Cuisine, mystery and adventure all conjure up in the city as the Halloween weekend approaches. Everything is fresh and made by the best chefs in town. If you own a pack of Nyx matte lipsticks that have blue, black and silver colors- it is time to get those out! America is great for tourism for all the right reasons. Although most people have seriously misguided notions about Americans as people and the country as a nation-state, there is kindness and beauty in the place that needs to be explored. Instead of believing in stereotypes, it would be best if we learnt about the place ourselves.

10 Animals Launched Into Space


On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. But he was far from the first living creature to journey outside Earth’s atmosphere. In the past century, humanity has celebrated a grand tradition of strapping rockets onto animals and firing them at the stars. Some of them were meant to be recovered, but others were never intended to see Earth again.

10 Cats

Housecats were a bit late to the space party compared to some other animals; the French first sent a cat into space on October 18, 1963. Whether it was a stray named Felix or his female equivalent Felicette remains a matter of contention. Felix’s (or Felicette’s) journey went well, but a subsequent flight a week later spelled doom for the poor kitty. Fifty years later, the government of Iran, which has begun to expand its horizons into space, has claimed they want to launch a Persian cat into space in the first few months of 2014.

9 Rodents

Rodents have a long history in space: Mice, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs have all been sent up over the years. Several experiments have been undertaken with rodents in space. In 2001, biomedical engineer Ted Bateman, working in conjunction with NASA and biotech company Amgen, used mice to test a protein called osteoprotegerin. They believed the protein might be useful in halting bone loss associated with aging, and since space accelerates the aging process, it was the perfect environment to conduct the study. Sure enough, the protein worked, and subsequent experiments may go a long way toward preventing bone diseases like osteoporosis in the future.

Another experiment, which featured rats, was conducted by Jeffrey Alberts, a professor of psychology at Indiana University. By subjecting pregnant rats to zero-gravity conditions and studying their offspring, he was able to observe the behavior of animals that had never experienced the limitations of gravity, which displayed a vastly more complex range of movement.

8 Fish

In 2012, the Japanese HTV-3 supply ship docked with the International Space Station. They had an aquarium filled with fish called “medaka” onboard. They conducted various experiments on the fish, which were ideal for this purpose due to their quick breeding habits and transparent skin. This allowed the researchers to observe their organs with ease. Like other animals, they were checked for bone degradation and muscle atrophy. Although they are in water, the fish are also subjected to microgravity and behaved oddly in it, swimming in loops instead of straight lines.

7 Chimpanzees

As the closest living relative of humans, the contribution of chimpanzees to the space program has proved invaluable. The first chimp in space was Ham, a wild ape caught in Cameroon in 1959. He was trained in brutal fashion at Holloman Air Force Base through a system of positive and negative reinforcement. If Ham did what his trainers wanted, he was given a banana pellet. If he defied commands, he received mild electric shock. Ham’s test flight was dubbed Mercury-Redstone 2 and took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1961. There were several malfunctions during the flight, but Ham performed well, and his space suit protected him. He would go on to live at Washington, D.C.’s National Zoo and the North Carolina Zoo. He died at the age of 26. Ham was succeded by Enos, a better-trained animal who went on to orbit the planet twice. He returned to earth alive, delighted to see his human friends. Unfortunately, his story had a sad ending. Enos died of dysentery (almost assuredly unrelated to his space adventure) about 11 months later.

6 Monkeys

Several species of monkey have been sent into space, including squirrel monkeys, macaques, and rhesus monkeys. Well-known for their contributions to medical research, the rhesus is highly intelligent and received the honor of being the first primate ever cloned. Albert II, a rhesus, was the first monkey in space after his predecessor (Albert) suffered a grim fate when he suffocated during a flight. The subsequent line of Alberts—III, IV, V, and VI—also died (Albert IV died a couple of hours after his return to Earth). Several other nations, including Argentina, France, and Russia, have also used monkeys for spaceflights. Unfortunately, many of them did not survive.

5 Amphibians

Amphibians, such as frogs, toads, and newts, have been used by scientists for a long time to gauge the health of an environment. Occupying both water and land, amphibians are almost always the first to succumb to even the most subtle developments, including climate change, pollution, and the introduction of disease. Dozens of frogs have been sent to space, and at least one poor frog was caught in the (likely deadly) crossfire of a flight he didn’t even get to go on. Pictures of NASA’s Minotaur V rocket blasting off in Virginia made headlines, an airborne frog in the foreground. Iberian ribbed newts have also made several space flights, beginning with the USSR’s Bion 7 in 1985. Scientists were interested in how the environment of space might affect the newt’s ability to regenerate.

4 Nematodes

Nematodes, or roundworms, are mostly parasitical (they’re responsible for the trichinosis disease and infest our pet dogs as heartworms) and attract little sympathy—even from otherwise-dedicated animal lovers. These little buggers have also made several trips into space, and they accompanied the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated when it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. The seven astronauts aboard were killed, but all was not lost. A locker containing a nematode experiment was recovered from the wreckage, and despite insurmountable odds, the worms were still alive. These nematodes revealed that their species suffered some of the same effects as humans when traveling in space, including muscle deterioration and diabetic symptoms.

3 Water Bears

It’s almost impossible to comprehend how hostile an environment space can be: a near vacuum devoid of oxygen, alternately blistering hot and glacially cold, and with enough radiation to melt your bones. Without the benefit of a space suit, a human could endure no more than a few seconds before losing consciousness. But passing out would be merciful, since you wouldn’t be awake to feel yourself freeze to death or your lungs rupture from the pressure of that last lungful of air you took. Water bears are some of the toughest creatures on the planet, capable of surviving conditions that would destroy almost any other living thing. Resembling microscopic, bloated caterpillars, water bears seem nearly invulnerable. When confronted with harsh circumstances, the water bear enters a stasis where its biological functions almost entirely shuts down, allowing it to live for years without eating or drinking—in temperatures both broiling and verging on absolute zero. In 2007, about 3,000 of these creatures were taken on the European Space Agency’s Foton-M3 mission, and were shown to be able to withstand the vacuum of space.

2 Spiders

Although they’re easily among the most hated and feared creatures on Earth, spiders have been the subject of several space projects. In 2011, two golden orb spiders, named Gladys and Esmerelda, were housed on the International Space Station where they spun webs and hunted in microgravity. The golden orb was used because it has a habit of dismantling its web every night and building a new one (this would allow the scientist to study more web constructions, if nothing else). A jumping spider named Nefertiti also lived on the ISS during 2011. She didn’t spin a web, instead choosing to pounce on her prey. Zero gravity seemed to have little effect on her hunting technique. Nefertiti was retired to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s insect zoo upon returning to Earth.

1 Dogs

The USSR was well-known for sending a series of dogs into space. The natural assumption would be that the Soviets used purebred, laboratory-raised specimens, but the dogs were actually stray mutts, chosen because the scientists believed that they would have tougher constitutions than lab animals or house pets. Canines were selected because of the ease in training them and their comfort with confined spaces. All of the dogs used were female, as it was easier to design a space suit to collect waste from females.

The most famous space dog was Laika, a stray found on the streets of Moscow. Laika was the first animal ever sent into orbit, a suicide mission aboard Sputnik 2. While most of the animals sent into space were intended to be later retrieved, Laika was never meant to survive. After a set period of days, they would feed her a meal of poisoned food to avoid the agonizing fate of starving to death. However, the craft took on excessive heat, and Laika’s vital signs ceased between five and seven hours after the launch. In 1960, two dogs named Belka and Strelka became the first animals to survive a trip into orbit. The next year, Strelka had puppies. As a gesture of goodwill, Soviet premier Nikita Khruschev gave one of the puppies, named Pushinka, to John F. Kennedy’s daughter Caroline as a gift. Pushinka would go on to have a litter of her own with Kennedy’s Welsh terrier, Charlie, and JFK would jokingly call their offspring “pupniks.”

10 Strange Secrets Of The Moon


The Moon is humanity’s nearest companion in our travels in space and the only celestial body that we have had the chance to actually visit. Still, despite its relative closeness and familiarity, our satellite continues to hold many interesting secrets. From its scientific strangeness to the many ways it affects our lives, the Moon is a mystery that is definitely worth a closer look.

10 Moonquakes

Despite being a dead hunk of rock with very little geological activity, the Moon is prone to shaking fits. These earthquake-like tremors are called moonquakes, and there are four different kinds of them. The first three types—deep quakes, vibrations from meteorite impacts, and thermal quakes caused by the Sun’s heat—are relatively harmless. The fourth one, however, can be quite unpleasant. These “shallow” moonquakes can register up to 5.5 on the Richter scale—enough to move large furniture around—and last for a remarkably long 10 minutes. According to NASA, these quakes also have the effect of making the Moon “ring like a bell.” The frightening thing about moonquakes is that we have no real idea of what causes them. Earth’s earthquakes are usually caused by the movement of tectonic plates, but the Moon doesn’t have any active plate tectonics. Some researchers think they may have some link to Earth’s tidal activity, which is caused by the Moon’s pull. However, this theory is inconclusive, as the tidal forces affect the entirety of the Moon, but moonquakes are usually localized.

9 The “Twin Planet”

Most people think the Moon is, well, a moon, but there is some talk that it should actually be classified as a planet. For one, it’s far too big to be a “true” moon. Being about one-fourth of the diameter of Earth, it is easily the biggest moon in relation to its planet in our solar system. (Pluto has a moon called Charon that is half its diameter in size, but since Pluto isn’t a real planet anymore, it doesn’t count.) Because of its large size, the Moon doesn’t actually orbit Earth at all. Instead, Earth and Moon orbit each other, around a point between them. This point is called a barycenter, and the illusion the Moon is actually orbiting Earth comes from the fact that the barycenter is currently located inside the Earth’s crust. The fact that the barycenter remains inside the Earth is pretty much the only reason Earth and Moon aren’t classified as a twin planet, instead of a planet and its satellite. However, this may change in the future.

8 Moon Trash

Everybody knows that man has been on the Moon, but not everyone is aware that he treated the place like a picnic area. Over time, the astronauts who visited the Moon managed to leave quite a bit of trash behind. It is estimated that there’s 181,437 kilograms (about 400,000 lbs) of man-made materials lying around the Moon.

Don’t worry, though—it’s not as if the astronauts have been purposely littering the place and throwing sandwich wrappers and banana peels everywhere. Most of that garbage is debris from various experiments, space probes and lunar rovers. Some of it is, in fact, still functional today. There is also some real trash, however, such as astronaut poop containers. Gross.

7 The Moon Is A Burial Ground

Eugene “Gene” Shoemaker, a famous astronomer and geologist, was something of a legend in his field. He invented the scientific research of cosmic impacts and came up with the methods and techniques that Apollo astronauts used to research the Moon. Shoemaker wanted to be an astronaut himself, but was turned down because of a minor medical issue. Throughout his life, this remained his biggest disappointment. Still, hoping against hope, Shoemaker kept on dreaming that he would some day visit the Moon. When he died, NASA fulfilled his most precious wish and sent his ashes to the Moon with the Lunar Prospector in 1998. His ashes remain there, scattered among moon dust.

6 Lunar Anomalies

Some of the pictures taken by the various vessels that have visited it show some very strange things on the Moon’s surface. Many of these images seem to show artificial constructs that range from tiny canister-like shapes to the “Shard,” which appears to be a towering structure that could be at least 1.6 kilometers (1 mi) tall. According to paranormal enthusiasts, there’s even a large castle that is suspended high above the surface of the Moon. All of this seems to point toward an advanced civilization that has lived on the Moon and built complicated structures. NASA has never really bothered to debunk these strange theories. This may be because the images showing these “signs of life” have almost certainly been doctored by the conspiracy theorists.

5 Moon Dust

One of the Moon’s most surprising dangers is lunar dust. As everyone knows, sand gets everywhere even on Earth, but on the Moon, it is downright hazardous. Lunar dust is as fine as flour, yet extremely rough. Thanks to this texture and the Moon’s low gravity, it clings absolutely everywhere. NASA has experienced numerous problems caused by moon dust. It has eroded astronauts’ boots almost completely through and sandpapered their visors. It has traveled inside the ships with the space suits and caused “moon hay fever” in the poor astronauts that have inhaled it. It’s thought that prolonged exposure to the stuff could even cause airlocks to fail and space suits to break down. And in case you were wondering: Yes, of course this devilish substance smells like spent gunpowder.

4 Difficulties With Low Gravity

Although the gravity on the Moon is only one-sixth of that on Earth, moving on its surface is by no means an easy feat. Buzz Aldrin says the Moon was actually an extremely difficult environment to move in. The space suits were clumsy and their feet sank in the moon dust for up to 15 centimeters (6 in). Despite the low gravity, a person’s inertia (resistance to changes in movement) on the Moon is high, so things got difficult if they wanted to move fast or change directions. If the astronauts wanted to go any faster than slow walking, they had to move in clumsy kangaroo-like bounds. This presented another problem, because the terrain is full of craters and other tripping hazards.

3 The Moon’s Origin

Where did the Moon come from? The short answer is that we don’t really know. However, science is able to hazard a few educated guesses. There are five main theories about the origin of the Moon. The Fission Theory argues that the Moon used to be a part of our planet that was separated at some very early point of Earth’s history. This would make the Moon part to what is currently the Pacific Ocean basin. The Capture Theory says that the Moon was just wandering the universe until our gravitational field caught it. Other theories say our satellite was either condensed from a bunch of asteroids or the remains of Earth’s collision with an unknown Mars-sized planet. Currently, the most likely candidate for the Moon’s origin story is the Ejected Ring Theory, which is better known as Giant Impact Theory. According to this version, a protoplanet (a planet that is forming) called Theia collided with Earth. The ensuing cloud of debris eventually condensed into the Moon.

2 The Moon And Sleep

The Moon’s effects on Earth and vice versa cannot be denied. However, its effects on humans remain a source of constant debate. Many believe that the full moon brings out the strangest behavior in people, although science hasn’t been able to offer conclusive proof about this. There is one thing science has been able to confirm, though: There’s a very good chance that the moon could disturb our sleep cycle. According to a volunteer-based experiment by the University of Basel in Switzerland, the phases of the moon affect—and disturb—human sleep cycles in a clearly measurable way, and the absolute worst night’s sleep is usually had during the full moon. If accurate, this find could very well explain the whole full moon madness theory: If no one can catch a good night’s sleep during the full moon, it makes sense that time would see quite a lot more strange things than your average night.

1 Moon Shadows

When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked the alien landscape of the Moon, they soon made a jarring discovery: The shadows of the Moon were far darker than those on Earth due to the lack of atmosphere. Everything the Sun didn’t shine directly on was pitch black. Once their foot stepped in a shadow, they could not see it anymore despite the fact that the Sun was blazing in the sky.

Although they soon found they could adjust to the shadows, the constant contrast between dark shadowy areas and sunny ones remained a challenge. Things got even stranger when they noticed that some of the shadows—namely, their own—had halos. They later learned eerie experience was caused by the opposition effect, a phenomenon that makes certain dark, shadowed areas appear surrounded by a bright aureole when they’re viewed in a certain angle to the Sun. The shadows of the Moon caused mischief on many Apollo missions. Some astronauts found their maintenance tasks impossible because their own hands blocked out what they were doing, while others thought they were landing on a steep slope because of the deep shadows that seemed like a cavern.

10 Traits Aliens Must Have According To Science


If you believe what Hollywood tells us about alien life forms you’ll probably assume they’d be giant, slimy and really, really anti-human. As scientists don’t make a lot of movies, and movie producers aren’t typically awesome at science, this isn’t a very accurate portrayal of the interstellar life that’s at all likely to ever reach Earth. Don’t get me wrong, it probably still won’t go well for us, but the faces of the creatures that would change our world forever will look very different to how we’ve imagined them. To set the record straight, great minds like Stephen Hawking and his contemporaries have given their opinions on what traits an alien race would have to possess in order to make it across the galaxy and pay a visit to the human homeworld.

10 Aggressiveness

What separates humans from other species on the planet in terms of evolution comes down to a simple principle: aggression. For any species to thrive within a given habitat it has to confront adversity and overcome it. These struggles drive evolutionary adaptation. The dominant life form on a planet (which aliens would almost certainly have to be) must have been able to master their environment.

A paper published by the University of Missouri suggests this means they would be aggressive—they would populate and conquer their surroundings in order to progress. If they are more intelligent than we are, they will likely see us as a resource, the way we view farm animals and their habitats.

9 Explorers

Any life form that reaches Earth will, by definition, be an explorer. Looking to our own culture for clues, we immediately see how unexplored territories are targeted for their resources. We wonder what lands might possess that can help further our causes. Look at Columbus and the Americas, Marco Polo and the East Indies, the Vikings and most of Europe. According to Stephen Hawking, aliens are likely to seek out other planets in order to colonize them or mine them for resources. Aliens may not come to destroy our planet, but they will in all likelihood seek to exploit what they find to increase their race’s reach, as again this is the hallmark of a developed species.

8 Viral And Bacterial Immunity

It’s a common trope in Science Fiction that aliens, having never encountered Earth bacteria before, will succumb to simple diseases which they have no immunity to. Just look at the pilgrims and conquistadors, and the havoc smallpox and typhus wreaked on unexposed native populations. But conquistadors and Aztecs were both human. According to Seth Shostak, senior engineer from SETI, bacteria are limited to the life forms they are biochemically related to. Our germs have evolved to survive on our unique DNA. Even viruses and bacterial infections that infect one species on our planet will only rarely spread to another. Dogs don’t routinely get the ‘flu, for example. Any alien life form that invaded earth will likely be immune to earthly diseases, so don’t expect a War of the Worlds solution.

7 They Won’t Eat Humans

What if they want to feed on us? While a scary thought, it’s unlikely. A race advanced enough to achieve space travel surely will have conquered its need to prey on living animals. The journey to earth from any potentially life-supporting planet is incredibly long, and for any species to attempt it they would have to have sustainable food production methods already in place. Further, the digestive setup of a creature that evolved in a different sector of the universe is not very likely to be compatible with the kinds of proteins found on our planet. It would be inconceivable that the minimal nourishment resources found on our planet would ever justify the energy spent to obtain it. An alien race would already be adept at harnessing energy by that point. So we won’t be cattle.

6 Impersonal Killers

How many people have ever moved into a new home and found a colony of bugs as an extremely unwelcome surprise? How many of those people then squished each and every offender by hand, swinging the shoe of death over and over again until the job was done? No, most people would call an exterminator to gas the home and lay down poisons for the survivors. Aliens, like any advanced species, will make use of technology to their advantage. They will probably eradicate the life forms on a planet they are considering for their own uses before landing. Forget skies filled with single-pilot saucers firing laser beams at the Capitol Building. Expect a quick and efficient, probably biological, end to our existence.

5 Not Giant Insects

While it’s scary as crap to picture aliens as giant forms of the animals that give us the creeps on Earth, it isn’t scientifically plausible. This concept is born more out of a fear of losing our dominance on this planet combined with an evolved disgust response to disease-carriers. In reality, the body structure of an insect only functions on a small scale. As they do not have oxygenated blood, they cannot take in enough oxygen from our atmosphere to grow larger than they do. In prehistoric times, when the atmosphere was much more oxygen rich, they did grow to distressing sizes, but we’re talking around a meter long. The image of roach-like creatures towering over us is pure fantasy. Sorry Heinlein.

4 Super Intelligence

This is a given. However, in a ton of movies, alien races are depicted as feudal, territorial beings that destroy everything in their paths. This doesn’t make sense. In order to organize the kind of effort needed to achieve interstellar travel, a highly advanced intelligence will need to be present. While the species may be, as noted before, aggressive towards other life forms they encounter and even their own race, the chances of them being intergalactic warlords are considerably low.

It is more likely that they will be calculating, controlled beings making precise decisions—more like playing chess than dodge ball. Species based in aggression with lower intelligence tend to focus their energies towards one another and survival. For a race of beings to advance beyond the levels we have seen in our own civilization would suggest the need to lay individual differences aside in favor of mutual interests. The skills necessary for long-distance travel and exploration coincide with the key signs of intelligence in nature. Memory, self-awareness, cognition of motives, and creativity must be present before a considerable level of scientific proficiency could ever be achieved.

3 Non-Humanoid

It happens in countless TV shows and movies. Aliens appear on screen that resemble normal humans in face paint (I’m looking at you Darth Maul and every Star Trek character ever). This is convenient from a prop standpoint but not very likely at all in the realm of science. Humans developed as the result of specific environmental conditions. We stood erect to cover greater distances and free our hands to manipulate tools. We formed thumbs as a response to our early tree-dwelling lives. But if a planet doesn’t have trees, it is going to be unusual to develop an appendage adept at manipulating them. There’s no way to tell exactly what an alien species will look like but most likely they will be fast, enabling their early survival and the ability to hunt for prey. They will have very well-developed sensory organs. One would expect (but cannot guarantee) rudimentary traits present in most earth-based life forms: mouths, eyes, a form of hearing and an efficient form of locomotion, such as legs. They must have been predators and will likely possess vestigial traits to indicate this.

2 Speech And Writing

For a civilization to develop it must communicate. A long-distance form of communication will have to be present in order to organize in large numbers and disseminate information, which is crucial to social development. Like humans, aliens would need the ability to communicate complex theories with one another, and record them, thereby assisting the next generation through learning. Without some form of writing, it is unlikely we would have ever passed beyond the barrier of individual generational limitations. The type of speech employed by interstellar travellers, and how it might be recorded, is somewhat of a mystery, however. Depending on their environments, sound waves may not be the most effective approach. Perhaps they will use vibrations that are received via specialized sensory organs, or maybe they will, as Hollywood would have us believe, speak telepathically. Telepathy has yet to be proven in any other species however, so that would more likely be a secondary development or the result of technology.

1 No Super Strength

Aliens will not be super strong. Once reaching the level of technological proficiency required to be space explorers, the need for brute strength should be several thousand years removed from its usefulness. These creatures will be lean and efficiently designed beings, using minimal energy to power their bodies. Energy consumption dictates survival on a large scale. Larger muscles use more energy and require more upkeep, which diverts energy away from evolutionary progress. A scientifically advanced culture would no longer require physical strength to manipulate its surroundings, and a species that has put its evolutionary chips on complex social bonds, abstract thinking and communicating, and fine motor skills and tool manipulation, all of which are necessary to develop interstellar travel, will probably not have the resources left to devote to physical strength or speed.

10 Reasons That We Still Haven’t Found Aliens


The Fermi Paradox, first introduced by physicist Enrico Fermi, asks the question, “Where is everybody?” Or, more specifically, “Where are all the aliens?” When we factor in the size of the universe, the number of Earth-like planets, and a range of other variables (as outlined in the Drake equation), there should be tens of thousands or more extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy. And with the galaxy being around 10 billion years old, scientists say that intelligent worlds have had plenty of time to contact one another. So if aliens should statistically exist, why haven’t we encountered any yet?

10 Earth Is Special

The Rare Earth Hypothesis suggests that the chain of events that created life on this planet was so complex that only a biological perfect storm could recreate it elsewhere. While there may be Earth-like planets, none of them have exactly what it takes for intelligent life to develop. In other words, we haven’t met any aliens, because none are out there, or they are so few and far between that contact is highly improbable. The major factor that makes Earth so hospitable to life is its long period of relatively stable climatic conditions, which is due to the planet’s unique orbit and position. Without our precise distance from the Sun and Moon, the planet would likely be too hot or cold, have too little oxygen, and be too unstable to support any life beyond bacteria. Paleontologist Peter Ward and astronomer Donald Brownlee were the first to introduce the Rare Earth Hypothesis. Even though nearly 15 years have passed since they publicized the theory, and Earth-like planets have since been detected, they are still confident that the odds of those worlds having life are extraordinarily low.

9 All Intelligent Life Hits A Stumbling Block

According to the Great Filter theory, alien life does exist, but intelligent life is incapable of technologically advancing enough for long-distance space communication or travel. Although our modern spaceships, satellites, and radios may make it seem like we’re getting closer, we’ll inevitably reach a barrier or catastrophe that will either wipe us out or cause technology to devolve. We know cataclysmic natural disasters periodically strike Earth, so it’s possible that these types of events hit worlds everywhere, sending intelligent life back to the Stone Age before technology can adequately develop. Or, maybe we annihilate ourselves, such as through nuclear war. Whatever the filter is, it seems to mean nothing but bad news for humans. Not only will we never communicate with space beings—we’ll probably die trying. However, there is one possible bright side. Some think that we are the first individuals to make it past the filter, so we’ll eventually be the first super-intelligent beings to roam space.

8 They’ve Moved Out Of The Universe

According to futurist John Smart’s Transcension Hypothesis, intelligent alien life once existed in our universe, yet it became so advanced that it moved on to greener pastures. More specifically, aliens became so evolved that they stopped looking at outer space and instead focused on inner space. The concept can be compared to the miniaturization we’ve experienced in computers. What initially began as an enormous, room-filling technology progressively became smaller (even pocket-sized) while simultaneously growing in complexity and power. To Transcension supporters, intelligent life evolves in much the same way, constantly working toward a denser, more efficient use of space, time, energy, and matter (“STEM compression“). Eventually, we’ll be living and operating at the nano-scale until we become so small that we create and exist in a black hole outside this space-time continuum. To Smart and others, black holes are the ultimate destination. They allow for ideal computing and learning, time travel, energy harvesting, and more. Civilizations that don’t achieve this destiny are failures. Other cosmic beings may be working toward their own transcendence. Like humans, they might emit space broadcasts, but these types of signals are supposedly the work of immature civilizations and are unlikely to be successful. Also, based on Moore’s Law (that computing power doubles every two years), these beings would likely reach transcendence before exploring the cosmos.

7 Earth Isn’t As Great As We Think

Perhaps it’s hubris to think that aliens would even have an interest in us or our planet. Worlds far more interesting and life-supporting may exist, and intelligent beings would much rather spend their time focusing on super-habitable places rather than Earth. This theory is the complete opposite of the Rare Earth theory—Earth isn’t special at all. An alien race capable of traveling or communicating across light years would no more care about chitchatting with us than a human would converse with a fly. Likewise, they’d undoubtedly have their own superior technologies and would not require any of our measly resources. If, however, they did need to harvest minerals or elements, they wouldn’t have to visit Earth. Those things are found floating all over space. Furthermore, no matter how intelligent the beings, traveling across light years is no easy feat. What are the odds they’d invest all that energy coming here when there are 8.8 billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way? For followers of this theory, to think Earth is everyone’s destination is to suffer from the same geocentrism that led to Galileo’s erroneous persecution.

6 We’re Living In A Virtual Reality

Arguably one of the most difficult to accept explanations to the Fermi Paradox is the Planetarium Hypothesis. Our world is a “form of virtual reality ‘planetarium,’ designed to give us the illusion the universe is empty.” We haven’t discovered any extraterrestrial life because those extraterrestrials haven’t designed that into the program. The fundamentals of this theory date back to Descartes, who asked, “How can we know that the world around us is real—are we just a brain in a vat, which thinks it’s living in the real world?” Instead of being brains in a vat, however, most modern supporters of this notion think we’re in a computer simulation designed by advanced aliens. These aliens are capable of harnessing enough energy to manipulate matter and energy on galactic scales. Why would the aliens want to watch us like ants in a farm? Maybe just for fun, or maybe they just made us to see if they could. As unlikely as the Planetarium Hypothesis may sound, professional philosophers and physicists are serious about this idea. They say that we’re more likely to be artificial intelligences in a fabricated world than to have our own minds. Furthermore, we will likely discover the simulation, since we’ll inevitably notice a glitch in the system or devise an adequate test to prove the theory.

5 We Live In The Cosmic Boonies

Although intelligent alien life might exist, our planets may be too far apart to make communication practical or purposeful. Earth may be so far away from other inhabited planets that we’ve simply been overlooked. If that doesn’t feel lonely enough, some claim most other worlds exist relatively close together in clusters and are interacting with each other, while we’re off in cosmic no-man’s-land missing out on the party. The roots of this idea come from a mathematical theory known as percolation, which describes how things clump in a random environment. Based on the percolation theory, the universe naturally formed with areas of large clustered growth and a few smaller areas of growth in outlier positions. Other intelligent beings are in the big cluster, and Earth is an isolated outlier. Instead of trying to make contact with these faraway beings, some, like Stephen Hawking, suggest that we continue to lie low. Hawking says that if we pick up on an alien signal, “We should be wary of answering back, until we have evolved.” Otherwise, we may suffer a fate akin to the Native Americans after Columbus arrived.

4 We Haven’t Spotted Their Signals (Yet)

Scientists like Frank Drake and the late Carl Sagan have argued the “absence of evidence is very different from evidence of alien absence.” Alien hunting has been held back by lack of government funding, which is necessary to afford extensive alien-tracking equipment and resources. Historically, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) programs have had to rely on borrowed radio telescopes and other equipment, which they could only use for a limited time. These hindrances have made it virtually impossible to make any real progress. Still, there is some good news—at least for those who think making alien contact is a good idea. The Allen Telescope Array, a radio telescope array specially designed to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, became operational in 2007. This mega-telescope (consisting of 42 individual 6-meter-wide (20 ft) telescopes) was largely funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. After numerous setbacks, it finally seems ready to begin doing some serious space exploration. If anything on Earth is capable of picking up alien signals, this is the device.

3 We Can’t Recognize Their Signals

Even if other planets are hospitable to life, would the beings there evolve similarly to living things on Earth? Maybe they are so different that neither of us would recognize a signal from the other. Comparable to how bats visualize sound waves while we only see light, it’s possible that humans and aliens operate with entirely different senses. As cosmologist and astrophysicist Lord Rees pointed out, “They could be staring us in the face, and we just don’t recognize them. The problem is that we’re looking for something very much like us, assuming that they at least have something like the same mathematics and technology. I suspect there could be life and intelligence out there in forms we can’t conceive.” Things get especially tricky when trying to connect with a highly advanced race because they might use communication methods (such as neutrinos or gravitational waves) beyond our technological understanding. Likewise, our primitive radio emissions might look like nothing more than white noise to them. If aliens and people are indeed extremely unalike, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever make contact and solve the Fermi paradox—especially so long as we’re anthropomorphizing aliens and expecting them to communicate as we do.

2 Super-Organisms Are Inherently Suicidal

The Medea Hypothesis, coined by paleontologist Peter Ward, is the notion that humans and other super-organisms carry within themselves the seeds of self-destruction. In this way, it very much ties in with the Great Filter theory, since it suggests that we end up dying before evolving enough to make alien contact. The hypothesis is named after the murderous Medea from Greek mythology, who killed her own children. In this case, the planet is Medea, and all living things are her offspring. We don’t want to die, but Mother Earth made us destined to kill ourselves. Extinction is built into our biology to ensure that we are eliminated before we create too much of an imbalance on Earth. Once humans become an incurable plague on the planet, we will do something to guarantee our own demise. Ward believes that almost all previous mass extinctions were brought on by living organisms. For instance, he blames the two Snowball Earth periods from millions of years ago on plants that proliferated so wildly that they absorbed excessive amounts of CO2. This brought about global cooling and consequently the plants’ demise. Similarly, if humans really are the root of today’s climate change, we may be well on the way to guaranteeing that our own species can’t survive on the planet. In short, our internal suicidal clock will run out long before we get the chance to connect with aliens.

1 They Walk Among Us

It sounds like science fiction, yet people in prominent positions are confident that aliens live and work all around us. For example, former Canadian defense minister Paul Hellyer gave an interview in 2014 in which he claimed that 80 different species of alien life live on Earth. Some of them (including Nordic blondes) look nearly identical to humans. Another group, the “Short Greys,” appear more like stereotypical aliens and stay relatively hidden from the general population. Hellyer is not alone in his claims. Physicist Paul Davies from Arizona State University and Dr. Robert Trundle from Northern Kentucky University have similar opinions about the existence of aliens on the planet. To Hellyer, Davies, Trundle, and those who share their beliefs, the Fermi paradox has already been answered—aliens do exist, and whether humans realize it or not, they interact with us on a daily basis. Despite experiencing a great deal of criticism from their peers and the public, these men continue to be outspoken in their opinions.

10 Discoveries That Show Our Ancestors’ Obsession With Astronomy


Our ancestors were incredibly intelligent, and many discoveries over the years have turned up evidence of what they studied and observed. One subject that they especially focused on was astronomy. Some of our ancestors’ most impressive feats were related to what they saw in the heavens.

10 The Dresden Codex

The Dresden Codex is a Mayan manuscript that was given to the Royal Library in Dresden, Germany, sometime in the 1730s. The manuscript didn’t get any real attention until the late 1800s, when Ernst Forstemann, a German mathematician, concluded that much of the book was related to the planet Venus, although no one could read Mayan hieroglyphics at the time. Finally, in the 1920s, John Teeple, a chemical engineer, said that the text was a complex system that tracked the movements of Venus. The manuscript dates back to the tenth century and was written by an astronomer who dutifully tracked Venus over a 25-year period. All of this occurred 500 years before Copernicus recorded the movements of the planets. Venus’s path was tracked and measured because the Maya timed certain large-scale ceremonies to the planet.

9 The Seasonal Monolith

Located on a ridge known as Gardom’s Edge in Manchester, England, a 2.1-meter-tall (7 ft), 4000-year-old monolith stands. The monolith is triangular in shape, and its north-facing side is flat. Other Neolithic-era discoveries nearby suggest that the site had some sort of special meaning. While we don’t know the significance the area had to ancient peoples, we know that the monolith had an ingenious use—marking the seasons. Based on how the monolith was illuminated, the seasons could be distinguished. During winter, the slanted side of the monolith would cast a shadow. During summer, there would only be shadows in the morning and afternoon. In midsummer, the stone would shine brightly all day.

8 Babylonian Astronomical Geometry

Astronomical geometry, the system of calculation used to predict the movements of heavenly bodies, was long believed to have first been developed by medieval mathematicians at Oxford University in the 14th century. However, a Babylonian clay tablet bearing almost indistinguishable marks disproves that notion. The deciphered tablet shows what is believed to be the earliest system of astronomical calculation and dates to at least 1,400 years earlier than the developments at Oxford. The Babylonian system was developed somewhere between 350 and 50 BC and was used to track the movements of Jupiter, or the “white star,” as they referred to it. The tablet was one of four others known to deal with geometry, but they couldn’t be read until 2015, when a sort of Babylonian Rosetta Stone was discovered, allowing for the tablets to be understood. All of the tablets were complex sets of calculations that were themselves abbreviated from another, more complete table of geometric formulations.

7 The Antikythera Mechanism

The Antikythera Mechanism, named for the Greek island it was discovered near, was found in 1901 in the wreckage of a ship dating back to the first century BC. Over the years, historians have puzzled over the artifact’s use, and it was soon discovered to be a mechanical device that served as a calendar to measure the positions of the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. However, we only recently learned who the device was meant for—philosophers and students. According to a 3,500-character fragment (only a quarter of the original text) found inside the device, it wasn’t meant to be used as a research tool or for calculations but for teaching philosophy students about the cosmos and man’s place in the universe. It was a sort of textbook that taught what the ancients knew about astronomy and its implications for their lives.

6 The Stargazing Tombs

In Portugal, 6,000-year-old tombs made of stone slabs were discovered in 2016. The tombs may have had a significant use—viewing Aldebaran, the red star which is brightest in the Taurus constellation. Like a telescope without a lens, many of the tunnels are aimed to give an unobstructed view of Aldebaran that is enhanced by the structures. The star may have been important to shepherds, who led their flocks to summer grazing grounds in the mountains. Viewing Aldebaran would have been an important event that would have coincided with its appearance in the morning twilight. The tombs weren’t just for burial; they were for rites of passage. Many such ceremonies involved entrusting an astronomical secret to initiates, in this case, Aldebaran.

5 The ‘Demon Star’ Calendar

The Cairo Calendar, also known as the “Demon Star” Calendar, dates between 1237 and 1163 BC. The “demon star” is a flickering star known as Algol, which is one of the calendar’s focuses. The Cairo Calendar tells which days were supposed to be “lucky” or “unlucky,” and astronomers began to notice a pattern in the calendar. This pattern was detected every 2.85 days, which matches the regular dimming of Algol. “Algol” comes from the Arabic phrase ra’s al-ghul, which means “the demon’s head,” but the Egyptians called it Wadjet or the “Eye of Horus.” To the Egyptians, when the Eye of Horus was bright, it meant that Horus was raging and angry, but when it was closed, it meant he was pacified. The significance to us, however, of the Egyptians tracking Algol comes from the fact that it is the first recorded instance of observations on a variable star. Before the discovery of the Cairo Calendar, the first instance of anyone tracking a variable star didn’t occur until 3,000 years later.

4 The Greek Constellation Wine Cup

For many years, historians thought that an ancient two-handled Greek wine cup, now held at Lamia Archaeological Museum in Greece, was decorated with nothing more than innocuous depictions of animals. However, after closer examination, the cup was found to possibly illustrate images of star constellations. The actual artifact dates to 625 BC and received no real attention when first discovered. While many Greek objects were decorated with hunting scenes, this wine cup was different: Several animal species were out of place. For instance, dolphins are depicted alongside land animals, while scorpions are featured prominently at a time when they were rarely shown alongside other animals. Why would the Greeks create such a peculiar artifact? To serve as a calendar. The cup was a simple display of constellation positions throughout the seasons, a subject that the ancient Greeks took seriously and studied dutifully. Putting such images on the cup was a way of instilling the constellations into whoever used it.

3 The Great Circles At Orkney

“The Great Circles” is the name given to an extensive Neolithic-era site that is the oldest group of standing stones in Britain, dating back 5,000 years. For many years, it was believed that the Great Circles corresponded in some way to the Sun and Moon; what we didn’t know is just how intricate the Circles actually are. Using cutting-edge 2-D and 3-D construction models, researchers were able to see the precise relationship between the Great Circles and the skies. It seems that not only were the Great Circles in line with several different arrangements of the Sun and Moon, but they were also in line with the landscape and horizon and the movements of the Sun and Moon in that area. It seems that the Circles’ builders knew of the connection between the sky and the Earth and would continue the practice of aligning standing stones for the next 2,000 years.

2 The Oldest Mayan Calendar

In 2012, an excavation of the ninth-century Xultun ruins in Guatemala uncovered a crumbling wall with a mural. When the mural was examined, a room, partly exposed by looters, was found to bear numerals, figural paintings, and most importantly, lunar glyphs. The presence of lunar glyphs suggested that the walls were related to astronomy in some way. The Maya were known to meticulously record astronomical information, so researchers began to look into the theory. After decoding the glyphs and numerals, the walls were found to bear the oldest Mayan calendar ever discovered. The Xultun numerical tables show how extensive Maya knowledge of astronomy was: They created their own system of time measurement based off lunar movements, and some charts even suggest that they observed and studied planetary motions, like the lunar cycles of Jupiter.

1 Celestial Petra

Petra was the capital of the little-known Nabatean civilization, which existed from the third century BC to the first century AD. Petra was, among many things, a bustling center of commerce, a religious hot spot, and a city built specifically for celestial deities. The Nabateans worshiped the Sun, and most of the structures built in Petra specifically correspond with it. In fact, on certain times of the year, like the winter solstice, many of the important buildings were brilliantly illuminated by the Sun’s rays. The winter solstice held great importance to the Nabateans, as they believed it marked the birth of their main god, Dushara. In their monastery, Ad Deir, the sacred podium has the effect of creating a sort of light and shadow show during the winter solstice. The extreme dedication that the Nabateans had in order to build their city in complete harmony with the heavenly bodies makes it one of the most impressive feats of man on Earth.