Delve Report - 1999 07 - July

Magazine Overview

This issue of the DELNE REPORT, dated July 1999, is a quarterly newsletter of unusual reports on various subjects, published as an exchange with others of like nature. The cover features a headline about the cost of chasing a comet and a brief mention of a P.3 article. The main focus of the issue appears to be the connection between sleep paralysis and reports of supernatural events and alien abductions, alongside articles on astronomy, space exploration, and cosmic phenomena.

Sleep Paralysis and Supernatural Events

The lead article, "When Aliens Steal Your Sleep" by Nicholas D. Kristof, explores the phenomenon of sleep paralysis and its potential to explain reports of supernatural events. Jean-Christophe Terrillon, a Canadian physicist in Japan, describes experiencing weekly episodes of sleep paralysis, characterized by a sense of a threatening presence, inability to move or make sound, intense head pressure, and sometimes out-of-body experiences or tunnel sensations. This condition, known as 'kanashibari' in Japan, is described as a disconnect between the brain and body during the fringe of sleep.

Kazuhiko Fukuda, a professor of psychology at Fukushima University, suggests that sleep paralysis can explain claims of witchcraft and alien abduction. He notes that in North America, where the concept is less known, people experiencing these episodes might interpret them as alien abductions if they have been exposed to such ideas. In Newfoundland, the condition is called 'old hag,' associated with visions of an old witch.

Al Cheyne, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Waterloo, explains that people interpret these experiences based on their cultural repertoire. While ancient cultures saw assaults by witches or ghosts ('gui ya' in China, 'kokma' in the West Indies), modern interpretations may involve aliens and teleportation to spaceships. Cheyne's survey of over 2,000 people found hundreds described experiences similar to alien abduction, including sensed presence, gibberish, shadowy creatures, immobility, crushing pressure, and painful sensations, which he equates to 'probing by alien experimenters.'

Recent studies suggest about half of all people have experienced sleep paralysis at least once, with numbers over 60% in Newfoundland. Research also indicates that people reporting alien abductions are not more fantasy-prone than the general population and may have slightly higher intelligence. Simon Sherwood, a researcher in England, noted a case where a sleep paralysis sufferer hallucinated 'little blue aliens' inserting a metal probe after watching an alien film.

However, some scholars are hesitant to study this connection, and proponents of alien abductions, like Harvard professor John E. Mack, argue that sleep paralysis doesn't fit all abduction evidence, citing cases from remote areas and occurring in daylight with awake witnesses.

Sleep paralysis is defined as occurring when the body is in REM sleep while the brain is awake or semi-awake. This is a safety mechanism to prevent people from acting out dreams, but in sleep paralysis, the brain emerges from sleep while the body remains paralyzed. The experience typically lasts a minute or two before the brain and body reconnect.

Emmanuel Mignot, director of the Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford University Medical School, clarifies that in the classic definition, a person is awake, but there's a gradient between awake and REM sleep. While the person feels awake and sees their surroundings, Japanese experiments show some individuals experiencing sleep paralysis do not even open their eyes.

The growing research in sleep paralysis is reassuring to sufferers, demonstrating they are not alone. Terrillon expresses relief that he didn't live in earlier times when such experiences might have led to being institutionalized.

New Telescope Promises Detection of Earth-Like Planets

An article by Andrew Quinn, "New telescope may hold promise of detecting Earth-like planets," reports on a NASA conference in California where scientists discussed new technologies for searching for extraterrestrial life. The planned deployment of the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) telescope by 2010 is highlighted. This telescope is expected to provide images 100 times clearer than the Hubble Space Telescope and perform spectroscopic analysis of distant planetary atmospheres to detect signs of life, such as oxygen, methane, and ozone.

David Des Marais, a biogeochemist at NASA's Ames Research Center, notes the technological opportunity to determine if humanity is alone in the universe. The conference, part of NASA's Astrobiology Institute initiative, aims to hunt for extraterrestrial life. Scientists are hopeful that planetary systems are common, with James Kasting, an atmospheric chemist from Penn State University, suggesting that the roughly 21 discovered extra-solar planets, which are mostly 'big hot Jupiters,' might not represent the norm. He posits that 95% of systems may be more like our own, with smaller, Earth-like planets in a 'habitable zone.'

Robert Chatfield, an atmospheric chemist at Ames, explains that the TPF will focus on atmospheric readings, looking for gases that interact with light to create 'pure, simple fingerprints' visible from great distances. The challenge is that any 'pale blue dot' would likely be outshone by its star, making gas signatures a key method for detection.

Big Blasts in Space and Mass Extinctions

An article by Knight Ridder, "Big blasts in space could provide clues to mass extinctions," discusses the discovery of a new class of staggeringly powerful cosmic explosions called hypernovas. Astronomers at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, using the Hubble Space Telescope, observed the remains of two such explosions in the galaxy M-101. These hypernovas are estimated to be about 100 times more powerful than average supernovas.

Bohdan Paczynski, a Princeton University professor, proposed that hypernovas occur when a super-dense neutron star collides with a black hole or a rapidly rotating star collapses. These events release devastating barrages of X-rays and shock waves. One observed hypernova, MF83, emitted a shell 500 light-years across. While hypernovas are rare in our galaxy (perhaps once every million years), an explosion within 3,000 light-years of Earth could produce radiation 100 times the fatal dose for humans, potentially explaining mass extinctions. You-Hua Chu, an astronomer at the University of Illinois, stated that such an event would 'bake' a planet.

Canadian Astronaut Believes in Life on Other Planets

An article by Marina Jiménez and Luiza Chwialkowska, "Canadian astronaut believes in life on other planets," features insights from Canadian astronaut Julie Payette, who recently returned from a space mission. Payette believes the existence of intelligent life beyond Earth is statistically probable due to the vastness of the universe, stating, "The chances that we're alone is almost nil." She notes that this is a prevalent scientific thought, though proof of extraterrestrial visitation to Earth is lacking.

Her views are shared by other scientists and astronauts, including Thomas McDonough, an astrophysicist with the Planetary Society, who attributes this perspective to their cosmic view and ability to imagine life beyond our solar system. He mentions supporters of SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) include former astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Arthur C. Clarke, and that Steven Spielberg has donated to SETI.

While scientists have found molecules in space that are basic ingredients for life, Mr. McDonough states that no radio or light signals from other civilizations have been detected. He emphasizes that it is presumptuous to believe other life forms will visit Earth, but if they do, "we will all know."

Payette's space journey broadened her horizons, allowing her to appreciate the beauty and fragility of Earth. Dr. Roberta Bondar, the first female Canadian astronaut, also supports the idea of life elsewhere, stating that the probability of life existing is very high, even if not yet identified.

Europe to Launch Space Mission

An article from the Financial Times reports that Europe is launching its most ambitious space project: the Rosetta mission. This one billion euro unmanned mission aims to chase a comet and land a probe on its nucleus to provide clues to the origins of life on Earth. The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission is scheduled for launch in 2003, with the spacecraft reaching Comet Wirtanen in 2011 after a 5.3-billion-kilometre journey. The craft will fly alongside the comet for two years, observing its activity with 12 instruments. This mission was announced shortly after NASA cancelled a similar, cheaper comet landing mission.

Ancient Stellar Blast

An article by Reuters, "Ancient stellar blast would have lit up the night sky," discusses evidence of a stellar explosion that occurred 700 years ago, bright enough to have lit up the night sky, yet unrecorded by medieval stargazers. Readings from X-ray scans revealed radioactive titanium and aluminum from a star 15 times the mass of the sun, located 500 light-years away. Wan Chen and Neil Gehrels of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center noted that this supernova would have been as bright as the moon. The mystery remains why no written records exist.

UFO Sightings in Scotland

An article from the Financial Post, "MCUFOS & SCOTTISH SIGHTINGS," details extraterrestrial weekend packages offered in Falkirk, Scotland, for those interested in UFO sightings. Since 1992, about 350 UFO sightings have been recorded in the area, with Bonnybridge claiming half its town has seen a UFO. One 68-year-old woman reportedly recorded a pulsating, half-moon-shaped object in the sky that was not an airplane or helicopter. The weekend packages include lectures, personal accounts, and a night visit to Bonnybridge.

Exiled Planets Might Support Life

An article by Deborah Zabarenko, "Exiled planets might be capable of supporting life," reports on a theory by David Stevenson that Earth-like planets ejected from our infant solar system could support life. These planets, wrapped in dense hydrogen atmospheres, might trap internal heat from radioactivity, keeping them warm enough for liquid water, even without a sun-like star. Stevenson theorizes that volcanoes and lightning could create temperature variations fostering life, though the available energy would be significantly less than on Earth. He acknowledges that detecting such interstellar planets is currently impossible, making the theory difficult to test.

Message to Alien Life Contains Errors

An article by Corbin Andrews, "Message to alien life contains errors," discusses a mistake made by Canadian scientists Yvan Dutil and Stéphane Dumas of the Defence Research Establishment Valcartier when attempting to send a cosmic message to alien life. The 23-page document contained two mathematical errors, and the transmission was sent using an incorrect coded system of symbols. The Ukrainian observatory that handled the transmission reportedly lacked an internet connection, preventing the correction of the errors. Paul Houx, a Dutch computer programmer, expressed concern that the mistake might give extraterrestrials the impression that Earthlings are a "sloppy species."

Robin Corbet, an astrophysicist, suggests that finding evidence of alien communication is as simple as using common sense, pointing to gamma ray bursts as potential indicators. He notes that gamma ray bursts occur when two super-dense stars collide, creating ripples in the universe. Critics, such as Carl Ak-erlof, a physicist at the University of Michigan, and Seth Shostak, suggest that discovering life on other planets is inevitable. Robert Shapiro, a New York University chemistry professor, believes it is only a matter of time before we find evidence of creatures living on other planets.

Internet on its Way to Becoming Interplanetary

An article by David Williams, "Internet on its way to becoming interplanetary," details plans for the World Wide Web to extend to Mars within 10 years. Vint Cerf, co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols, outlined plans for an interplanetary "gateway system" that would allow future missions to support each other. A test mission between Earth and the moon is planned for 2001, with seven satellites orbiting Mars by 2008, creating a two-planet Internet. This system is necessary to overcome communication delays of up to 40 minutes one way between Earth and Mars. A manned landing on Mars is expected by 2030.

New Planet May Sustain Life

A brief report, "New planet may sustain life," mentions an international team of scientists discovering an Earth-size planet in the Milky Way believed to have the potential to support life. Researcher Ian Bond stated the planet has a probable mass between Earth and Neptune and is located at the right distance from its nearest star to sustain life.

Nessie Seen on Internet

An article titled "Nessie Seen on Internet" reports that the Loch Ness Monster was spotted via the Internet from Galveston, Texas, by Nora and Mike Jones. They observed a head and neck appear on live pictures from a fixed camera on the shore of Loch Ness, followed by a large white hump. Scotland Online, which runs the website, stated this was the first time Nessie had been seen on the Internet. Experts believe this sighting aligns with past incidents occurring during the longer days of June.

Bad-Boy Star Stumps Scientists

An article by Dan Falk, "Bad-boy star stumps scientists," discusses the unusual behavior of the star Eta Carinae, located about 7,500 light years from Earth. The star has doubled in brightness over the past year and a half, a phenomenon that astronomers do not understand. Kris Davidson of the University of Minnesota described the brightening as an "extraordinary event." The star's spectrum, analyzed by the Hubble Space Telescope, shows changes unlike any known star, indicating unusual temperature variations. Astronomers speculate that Eta Carinae, one of the most luminous stars in the galaxy, could eventually explode in a hypernova.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of DELNE REPORT include the intersection of scientific phenomena with anecdotal reports of the unusual, particularly in the realm of sleep paralysis and potential alien encounters. There is a strong emphasis on scientific inquiry and the search for extraterrestrial life, with articles detailing advancements in telescope technology, space missions, and the discovery of exoplanets. The magazine also touches upon broader astronomical events like hypernovas and the mysteries of stellar behavior. The editorial stance appears to be one of open-mindedness towards unusual phenomena, while grounding discussions in scientific research and exploration. The inclusion of diverse topics, from the psychological to the cosmological, suggests a broad interest in the unexplained and the frontiers of scientific discovery.