Bigap News

Magazine Overview

Title: Bigap News
Issue Date: February 1978
Issue Number: 4
Price: 15p

This issue of Bigap News features two main articles: a report on a local UFO sighting and a scientific discovery regarding a new life form. The cover highlights the UFO incident with the headline 'BOYS PANIC AT SIGHT OF UFO OVER MYTCHETT'.

Boys Panic at Sight of UFO Over Mytchett

This article, written by Omar Fowler, details an encounter experienced by two 15-year-old Mytchett schoolboys, Ron Hills and Ian Hoole, on the evening of Wednesday, January 11, 1978. While returning home around 9:35 pm after a youth club visit, they decided to run home for exercise. As they ran over a railway bridge along Mytchett Road, they noticed a large object flying overhead. Initially thinking it was an aircraft, they observed two headlights illuminating the clouds and two red lights flashing alternately on the underside of the object.

The object began to descend, and they could discern a large dark shape and hear a faint noise. They concluded it could not be an aircraft because it was flying too low for the noise not to be tremendous. The object then moved into the distance, leaving the boys speechless and scared. As they continued home, approximately half a mile away, they spotted the lights again between rooftops, moving from side to side. Stepping into the road for a clearer view, they heard the object's noise again, which seemed to be getting louder and appeared to be following them. They stopped about 100 metres further on, describing this as the most frightening incident of their experience.

A diagram illustrates 'Ron and Ian's sighting' on January 11, 1978, in Mytchett, Surrey, with a note indicating 'Below: Surrey and Hampshire, 1974'.

A Classic Pilot Sighting

This section recounts an incident reported by Donald Keyhoe of the Washington-based National Investigation Committee on Aerial Phenomena, originally published in 'True Magazine' in August 1950, and translated from the Danish magazine 'UFO Nyt'.

The sighting occurred on the evening of April 27, 1950, at 20:25 hours, when a Transworld DC3 aircraft was flying 140 kilometres east of Chicago, over Gosham, Indiana, at an altitude of 600 metres. Captain Manning and co-pilot Captain Robin Addicks, a ten-year veteran with TWA, observed a peculiar red light approaching. The DC3 was flying at 280 kph, but the light kept pace with them. It then changed to orange, resembling a fireball, burning clearly on top but not at the bottom. Captain Manning initially questioned his sanity, recalling UFO reports from other pilots.

Captain Addicks contacted TWA Chicago, reporting a 'remarkable object', but the air traffic controller could offer no assistance. The pilots estimated the object to be 800 metres from them. They maintained their course and speed. Manning considered veering closer, but the object receded and returned on several occasions. Other passengers, including two Boeing engineers, were asked to observe the phenomenon and were described as 'amazed'. The sighting was widely reported in newspapers.

Research Uncovers 'New' Life Form

This article reports on a significant discovery made by biologists working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US National Science Foundation. They have identified a 'new' form of life on Earth, which may date back to the planet's first billion years.

Previously believed to be ordinary bacteria, this new form is a methane-producing organism. It represents a distinct evolutionary line, separate from the traditionally recognized lines of animals, plants, and bacteria. These organisms are considered the oldest life forms, predating not only plants and animals but also bacteria.

The research team was headed by Dr. Carl Woese, Professor of Genetics and Development at the University of Illinois, an expert in genetic code. Methane-producing organisms are thought to be well-suited to Earth's primitive atmosphere. They can obtain all their food and energy from simple compounds like carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and do not require complex chemicals like sugars and amino acids. They can grow at high temperatures, between 65-70°C. Currently, they are found only in oxygen-free environments, such as deep within hot springs at Yellowstone.

The researchers expressed optimism that this discovery will greatly enhance our understanding of the origin of life on Earth.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine appears to focus on unexplained phenomena, particularly UFO sightings, and significant scientific discoveries. The editorial stance seems to be one of reporting on these events and findings with a degree of seriousness, presenting witness accounts and scientific research without overt skepticism. The inclusion of a local sighting alongside a historical pilot report and a major scientific breakthrough suggests an interest in both the extraordinary and the cutting-edge of research.