Is this the world’s oldest secret code?

When I was a child I would often sit and doodle, drawing interconnected geometric shapes, zig-zags and squiggles, until I had filled an entire sheet of paper with amazingly intricate patterns.  Often, when I see a new discovery of some ancient art, cave painting, rock or wood carving, a specialist is called upon to “decipher the meaning” and typically the meaning deciphered has a spiritual or religious tone. “It’s an ancient code!!!” or “It’s a message from/to the gods” and the like.  Why, I wonder, do “experts” never say “Hey, maybe they were doodling.”?  Don’t get me wrong, these a fascinating windows into our ancient past, but I often think to myself, “If some archaeologist in the distant future were to come across my childhood doodles, what would they attribute them to?

Is this the world’s oldest secret code?.

Bee, scorpion and snake venom may hold cancer cure – CNN.com

It’s ancient medicine with a sci-fi-sounding twist.A scientist at the University of Illinois, Dipanjan Pan, and his team say they may have found a way to stop cancer cell growth, according to a paper presented at the American Chemical Society conference this week

via Bee, scorpion and snake venom may hold cancer cure – CNN.com.

The Mysterious Blue Holes of the Bahamas | Mysterious Universe

The island of Andros in the Bahamas is a mystical place. It is a tropical, sun-kissed land of clear blue seas and pristine, white sand beaches. Possessing immense biological and geographical diversity, with a wide range of habitats across an area approximately the size of the state of Delaware, many of which are unique on Earth, Andros is not only a tropical paradise but also a marvel of the natural world. This idyllic island getaway is also a place steeped in mystery, legend, and myth.

via The Mysterious Blue Holes of the Bahamas | Mysterious Universe.

Neanderthals were not less intelligent than modern humans, scientists find | Science | The Guardian

Scientists have concluded that Neanderthals were not the primitive dimwits they are commonly portrayed to have been.

The view of Neanderthals as club-wielding brutes is one of the most enduring stereotypes in science, but researchers who trawled the archaeological evidence say the image has no basis whatsoever.

via Neanderthals were not less intelligent than modern humans, scientists find | Science | The Guardian.

What is our crime that separates us from God?

Jim Palmer

“Sin,” “repent,” and “eternal life” are among the top words and phrases that have taken on a meaning in pop-Christianity that Jesus would have never endorsed or taught. It just underscores the power of groupthink – that if enough people believe something, they will reason that it must be correct.

What is our crime that separates us from God? As the pop-Christian theory goes, our crime is being human. We are told that we are born “sinners.” Insert the misinterpretation of the word “sin.” According to the theory, before we do anything… we are born as babies “in sin.” In other words, we don’t get a choice; by virtue of being born human, we are at the core, “sinners.” The theory further says that this state is disgusting and revolting to God, which is why God rejects and condemns us, has nothing to do with us, and sends us to…

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Mysterious illness killing off starfish on both US coasts

(Phys.org) —A mysterious illness is killing starfish, or sea stars, on both U.S. coasts in unprecedented numbers, and marine scientists have no idea what it is or how to help the creatures survive. In a News Focus article published in the journal Science, Erik Stokstad describes the symptoms of the illness and the efforts that are underway to learn more about what is causing it, and more importantly, to figure out if there is something we humans can do to help starfish survive.

via Mysterious illness killing off starfish on both US coasts.

BBC News – Spain: Endangered hamster-sized deer born in zoo

The newborn deer is “no bigger than a hamster” and weighs about 100 grams, staff at Bioparc Fuengirola tell the El Pais newspaper. Adult Java mouse-deer are rarely bigger than rabbits or weigh more than 1kg (2.2lb). They are also known to be fiercely intelligent, and the species represents wisdom in many local legends in its native Java, says The Local website.

via BBC News – Spain: Endangered hamster-sized deer born in zoo.

Yellowstone Volcano Eruption in 2014? Are Animals Are Fleeing Park As ‘An Alert’?

A number of bloggers are posting videos that show bison and other animals allegedly leaving Yellowstone National Park, prompting theories that as earthquakes ramp up the seismic activity will set off the Yellowstone supervolcano.

Two of the main bloggers behind the discussion stress that there’s no way to know when the supervolcano will go off but note that the 4.8 magnitude earthquake that hit on March 30 seemed to set off a reaction from the animals, who are moving for a reason

via Yellowstone Volcano Eruption in 2014? Are Animals Are Fleeing Park As ‘An Alert’?.

Entering the 103rd dimension: Scientists reveal quantum breakthrough | Mail Online

Researchers have a made a major step forward in the development of quantum computers that can run at speeds far faster than current systems.

A Spanish team claims to have created a pair of particles with 103 dimensions.

The experiment smashes the previous record of 11 dimensions, and mean quantum computers are one step closer to becoming commonplace.

via Entering the 103rd dimension: Scientists reveal quantum breakthrough | Mail Online.

Primordial gravitational wave discovery heralds ‘whole new era’ in physics | Science | theguardian.com

Scientists have heralded a “whole new era” in physics with the detection of “primordial gravitational waves” – the first tremors of the big bang.

The minuscule ripples in space-time are the last prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1916 general theory of relativity to be verified. Until now, there has only been circumstantial evidence of their existence. The discovery also provides a deep connection between general relativity and quantum mechanics, another central pillar of physics.

via Primordial gravitational wave discovery heralds ‘whole new era’ in physics | Science | theguardian.com.