Dallas Couple's Nanny Cam Captures Ghostly Lights

Using a night vision 'nanny cam', David Devine of Dallas, Texas keeps an eye on his 2 year old son asleep in his crib.  David's camera has picked up something else that seems to be keeping a watchful eye on the toddler, as well.

Lights flash and drift across the child's room, suggesting that someone, or something, has an interest in the boy.

Sometimes the two-year old appears to see something. When David sits in the rocking chair, reading a book to his son, the toddler will point at things around the room but no one knows what the child is pointing at.  Is the child seeing spirits?

Read story and see video on CBS11TV, then decide for yourself.
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33 Chilean Miners Await Rescue

One of the 33 trapped miners awaiting rescue, which could take up to 4 months.
Guardian.co.uk-The 33 miners trapped deep underground in a mine in Chile will need to spend the next four months participating in their own rescue before being pulled out by rope, it emerged today.

Rescue workers were tonight set to begin lowering capsules of glucose, hydration gels, liquid nutrients, communication equipment and medicine down a 2,257ft bore hole to the bottom of the San José mine, where the men have been trapped inside a mine shaft for the last 18 days. The rescue work continued as questions began to emerge about the safety record of the mine, with relatives asking why it was allowed to operate.

The men's miraculous tale of survival was communicated to the world yesterday when they attached a note to a probe sent into the shaft. It read: "All 33 of us are well inside the shelter."

The news, confirmed by the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, prompted celebrations across the country and jubilant scenes on the surface of the mine, where the men's relatives had established a week-long vigil as they awaited signs of life.

Officials have described the bore hole – which is just 8cm wide – as an "umbilical cord" for the miners. It will attempt to keep them healthy while officials begin drilling a far bigger hole as an escape route for the men, who are trapped in a shelter around 52 sq metres – the size of a small apartment. Rescuers also plan another shaft to ensure ventilation for the miners, who are thought to be enduring temperatures as high as 32C.

Widening the existing hole is also an option, although officials said excavating the rescue tunnel – which will be around 65cm wide – would take between three and four months.

Read more and watch the video.

Note:  I decided to post this, as it is an example of the human strength of will.  They have already survived many days and those miners must survive for the next few months of rescue efforts.  Oxygen, food and water aren't all that is necessary to do so.  One must remember that these men are entombed, deep underground.  It will take courage, faith and a tremendous will to live, to survive their long ordeal. 
Our prayers are with them...
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Spirit Orb in Breckenridge farm photo

On July 18, 2010, I took some flash photos near our home on our farm outside of Breckenridge, Texas. Something quite odd turned up in the very first photo I took.

It appears that there is some sort of fog, or ectoplasm surrounding me (the camera attempted to focus on it), and in the background an orb appeared. 

When examining the orb, I find that it is emitting it's own light, a light that I did not see with my eyes at the time the photo was taken.  The colors purple and gold stand out from the bright white light.

I have often taken photos on our farm at night.  The camera has picked up images of some strange lights and other objects unseen to the naked eye.  I seem to attract these 'spirits' and though I cannot see them, I can sense their presence.

I might also add that we have a pet cemetery on our property and many times I sense one or more of our beloved, yet deceased pets...

Another Lake Monster?

Last week, Darlene Thompkins and her daughter were wading in the waters near the Ootsa Lake spillway, when she saw a large creature in the water.

"It looked like a huge snake head ... and it was a dark grey colour," she said.

Read the complete story.

Photo Courtesy canadafishingonline.net

Weird News & Scientific Wonders From Around The World

Rare 'white' elephant captured in Burma

A rare "white elephant", a traditional symbol of good fortune and power in south-east Asia, has been captured in Burma, state media reports.

Reports say the 2m (6.5ft) female elephant was tracked down in Maungdaw in the west of the country.

White elephants are only nominally white - they often look reddish-brown in the sun, and light pink when wet.

Analysts say the animal is likely to be brought to the capital, Naypyidaw, for the military ruler, General Than Shwe.

Read More

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Goce satellite views Earth's gravity in high definition
 

It is one of the most exquisite views we have ever had of the Earth.

This colourful new map traces the subtle but all pervasive influence the pull of gravity has across the globe.

Known as a geoid, it essentially defines where the level surface is on our planet; it tells us which way is "up" and which way is "down".

It is drawn from delicate measurements made by Europe's Goce satellite, which flies so low it comes perilously close to falling out of the sky.

Scientists say the data gathered by the spacecraft will have numerous applications.

One key beneficiary will be climate studies because the geoid can help researchers understand better how the great mass of ocean water is moving heat around the world.

The new map was presented here in Norway's second city at a special Earth observation (EO) symposium dedicated to the data being acquired by Goce and other European Space Agency (Esa) missions.

Europe is currently in the midst of a huge programme of EO development which will see it launch some 20 missions worth nearly eight billion euros before the decade's end.

The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (Goce) is at the front of this armada of scientific and environmental monitoring spacecraft.

Imaginary ball

Launched in 2009, the sleek satellite flies pole to pole at an altitude of just 254.9km - the lowest orbit of any research satellite in operation today.

The spacecraft carries three pairs of precision-built platinum blocks inside its gradiometer instrument that sense accelerations which are as small as 1 part in 10,000,000,000,000 of the gravity experienced on Earth.
   
GRAVITY - A MOVING TARGET

The 'standard' acceleration due to gravity at the Earth's surface is 9.8m per second squared
In reality the figure varies from 9.78 (minimum) at the equator to 9.83 (maximum) at the poles

This has allowed it to map the almost imperceptible differences in the pull exerted by the mass of the planet from one place to the next - from the great mountain ranges to the deepest ocean trenches.

Read More

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'Sex' drove fossil animal traits

Several prehistoric creatures developed elaborate body traits in order to attract members of the opposite sex, according to new research.

The purpose of the exaggerated crests and sails found in many fossil animals has long been controversial.

Some scientists said sails helped to regulate body temperature and that head crests helped flying reptiles steer during flight.

Now a study say these traits became so big because of sexual competition.

The findings, by an international team of researchers, is published in the journal American Naturalist.

One of the prehistoric animals looked at by the researchers were pterosaurs - flying reptiles which became extinct at the time of the dinosaurs.

The study suggests the relative size of the head crest compared to the body of the pterosaur was too large for it to have been dedicated to controlling the animal's body temperature or its flight.

They also looked at mammal-like creatures called Eupelycosaurs, which lived before the time of the dinosaurs.

This group, which included the animals Dimetrodon and Edaphosaurus, carried large elaborate "sails" along their backs.

By using known relationships between body size and metabolic activity - the process behind heat generation - in living organisms, the scientists concluded that the features were "too exaggerated" to have played a role in the control of body temperature.

Co-author Dr Stuart Humphries, from the University of Hull said: "One of the few things that haven't changed over the last 300 million years are the laws of physics.

"So it has been good to use those laws to understand what might really be driving the evolution of these big crests and sails."

His colleague, Dr Joseph Tompkins, from the University of Western Australia, commented: "The sails of the Eupelycosaurs are among the earliest known examples of exaggerated secondary sexual traits in the history of vertebrate evolution.

"Indeed, the sail of Dimetrodon is one of the largest secondary sexual traits of any animal."

Co-author Dr Dave Martill from the University of Portsmouth said: "Pterosaurs put even more effort into attracting a mate than peacocks whose large feathers are considered the most elaborate development of sexual selection in the modern day.

"Peacocks shed their fantastic plumage each year, so it's only a burden some of the time, but pterosaurs had to carry their crest around all the time."

Read More

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UFO News

UFO Researcher Dennis Whitney quits after alleged threat

Mysterious new crop circles at UFO capital of Britain in Wiltshire

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A seeing-eye dog for a blind dog

Blind Dog Has Her Own Seeing-Eye Dog

These two dogs are more than just best friends, they share a rare bond.

Ellie, a young cavalier King Charles spaniel in England, is almost completely blind. While her owner and a local animal organization are working to raise money for a vision-restoring operation, a German shepherd named Leo has taken matters into his own paws, and is protecting and guiding her.

"Ellie has cataracts on both eyes and is only aware of shadows," explains Jean Spencer, manager of Rochdale's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in an interview with the Manchester Evening News. "But Leo, who's an absolutely massive dog, has become her eyes. It's touching to watch them together. She follows him around and snuggles up to him."

Ellie was part of a litter of five puppies rescued from harsh conditions by the RSPCA, says Julie Lander, an RSPCA volunteer and Leo and Ellie's owner. "As well as having cataracts, Ellie's eye muscles haven't developed as they should have as she'd been kept in the dark. The puppies had no light or heating. I felt so sorry for her when she arrived, and knew she'd need a special home. But I also knew she would be all right with Leo, as he just loves little dogs and they took to one another straight away," Lander tells the Manchester Evening News.

Lander goes on to explain how Leo's almost 90 pounds of bulk helps keep his new charge safe. "I take them for walks in the park and Leo guides Ellie around. He is so protective and herds the more boisterous dogs away from her," Julie says.

No one has commented on whether Leo can actually tell that Ellie is disabled or if he is caring for her based solely on her size. If Ellie's problem is ever fixed, it will be interesting to see whether she will continue to share the same bond with Leo.

Although they already have had at least one fundraiser, the RSPCA does not yet have enough money to pay for Ellie's operation. If you would like to donate, go to www.rspca-rochdale.org.uk.

Source
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Ghost Hunters Photograph UFO?

Update!
Object isn't what it seems.  Read story at
Phantoms & Monsters

                                   Photo of object.

                                Cropped version, enhanced.

                           Photo taken before object appeared.

Original Post:

Three ghost hunters were conducting an investigation at a cemetery in Richland, Missouri, when they captured something quite unique and 'ghostly', though not the Bob Marley type.

It's also rare that ghost hunters report to the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), though it has happened before.

Here is that report (as is), in it's entirety. To see the original report and photos, click on the links provided.


MUFON case 23649
06-05-2010 at 22:39
Richland, Missouri

On the evening of Saturday June 5th our paranormal group decided to do a investigation in a cemetery near Richland Missouri in Pulaski County. It was just the group leader, his wife, and myself that night. We were having the usual investigation and were at first glance getting a lot of orbs, with a couple of really cool face pictures. While at the cemetery I saw a shooting star shoot straight down. The night was clear with some clouds in the distance producing heat lightning. My friend was using a camera that had an infra red attachment. He has a better camera then I do that is 10megapixel. We spent about 45 minutes at this place then moved on to the next cemtery down a series of dirt roads. While there all three of us noticed a constant humming noise at this cemetery. It was not the interstate as when you live by a road there are occasional breaks in the noise. We finished up the investigation at the second investigation and headed back to the group leader's house. We uploaded our pictures to our respective computers and procedded to go through the evidence right then and there. About approximately ten minutes into the review of evidence. I hear "What the hell is that?!?" coming from the group leader. I got up and, his wife got up from the computer desk and headed over to his desk and looked at an unusual object hanging in the sky among the trees. This was unlike anything I had ever seen before. We realized that this photo was taken in the first cemetery. The picture that was taken in the same spot and in the general same direction before had no such object in it. It was invisible to us. While we were in that spot we had to be no more then 25 feet from the object and the group leader speculates that the object was hovering about in the tree tops. Observing us. Also noticed in other photographs are humanoid looking faces with two black stripes painted upon their cheeks. It is also worth noting that the group leader and his wife did a previsit to the graveyard about two weeks ago. When we arrived he commented that their looked to be several dirt patches that were not there previously. Were the aliens investigating us investigating the cemetary? Did they follow us to the other cemetary and was that the contant humming we heard? We may never know the true answer.

Original Photo 1
Original Photo 2

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Note: I have cropped the original photo and enhanced the object.
If you look closely, it appears to be behind some trees in the foreground, yet partially "in" the background trees.
The object also appears to be semi-transparent.  Perhaps a double exposure, or stranger still, something trans-dimensional?
It looks vaguely like a "cement bucket" but I'd appreciate feedback on this.  Please email me if you have any idea as to what this object could be.
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Virginia Man Seeks Sasquatch

True believer on trail of Sasquatch in Va., claims 14 sightings

Billy Willard holding a plaster cast that he made of a suspicious footprint. (Bill O’Leary/Washington Post)






Boston.com - THORNBURG, Va. — Billy Willard says he’s on the verge of a major discovery that could change the way humans think about the natural world, not to mention their need for a creature-proof home security system.

Here in Spotsylvania County, in the forests around Lake Anna, Willard contends there have been 14 sightings in the past decade of that most fabled of cryptozoic beasts: Bigfoot.

Or Sasquatch, as the elusive, apelike brute is referred to in other circles — and on the side of Willard’s blue pickup. The decal on the truck reads “Sasquatch Watch of Virginia,’’ of which Willard is chief pooh-bah (when he’s not earning a living installing and removing underground home oil tanks).

Go ahead, call him a loon, a flake, a huckster. He’s heard it all. But Willard knows what he knows, which is that three people from this area — a woman, her husband, and their granddaughter — told him they saw a shaggy, super-sized figure on two legs gallivanting across their wooded property.

Last month, Willard led a weeklong expedition to the site, where he installed five motion-sensor cameras that will snap photos if and when the big galoot wanders by again.

Willard, 41, says he’d like to lead a tour of the property and introduce the witnesses, really he would. But the woman who says she saw what she believes could have been Bigfoot fears an avalanche of ridicule, which is why Willard is left to deliver his version of what happened a few miles away, in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen.

“We believe we may be close to some kind of major discovery,’’ he said. “All the things they would need are here, fresh water, shelter in the woods. The high concentration of sightings tells me they’re here.’’

He interrupts his monologue to answer his cellphone, the ringtone to which is the country tune “People Are Crazy.’’

Ever since humans began telling stories, they have spun yarns involving life forms that tower above mere mortals, whether it’s the giant of “Jack and the Beanstalk’’ fame, or Goliath, or Frankenstein.

Bigfoot has been a perennial for generations, with hundreds of purported sightings (many of them of supposed footprints), most prevalent in the Pacific Northwest but also popping up in states as disparate as Rhode Island, Illinois, and Alabama.

The myth grew in popularity in 1967, when two men in California filmed what appeared to be a huge and hairy biped walking into the woods, at one point turning its head to glance dramatically at the camera.

In Bigfoot circles, the footage is referred to as the “Patterson-Gimlin film,’’ named for its makers.

In less admiring circles, the short, fuzzy clip is cited as nothing short of poppycock.

Willard knows about the film, and most everything else Bigfoot-related, all of which he’s happy to share at any time, sometimes to the annoyance of his wife, Jeanean, who is prone to blurt out, “Okay, the conversation will have to change.’’

Continued...

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Large bat-like creature sighting in California

Normally, only UFO and extraterrestrial sightings are reported to MUFON but this one was. It is a report of a bat-like creature, purported to have been seen near Lodi, California and it is interesting.


"Bat Creature" by SW

MUFON Case 23617
2010-05-14 at 02:45
Lodi, California

I had taken my dogs for a run early in the morning - about 2:30 on May 14th 2010. I was southeast of Lodi on Live Oak Road where the road to the winery intersects. There are outside lights and I saw something crouched in the road which I thought at first was a coyote eating something. Then it stood up and was about 4 1/2 feet tall so I knew it wasn't a coyote. It stooped back down and appeared to gather up whatever it had been eating; gave a little hop and soared away over the grapevines in an up down, up down motion. The wings sort of glistened in the light and did not seem to have feathers. I thought it looked like a gigantic bat, but have never heard of a bat that big. The dogs seemed to be frightened and jumped into the car. I was so amazed at what I saw.

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Related article:



CAVE DEMON
(Bat People; Night Flyers)

GIANT BAT PEOPLE: Sightings of mysterious human-sized bats have been reported in all corners of the world. They are described as having black or gray fur, a monkey-like face, clawed feet and a 10-15 foot wingspan. In Brazil they are called "bat people." In Mexico, an ancient Mayan cult worshiped the "death bat." The rainforests of Java echo the cries of a bat creature called the "Athol" because of its distinct "a-hool" vocalization. In Vietnam they are known as "night flyers." These winged humanoids are generally 5 feet tall with eerie feminine features. They are known to swoop down on their victims and attack several times.

AFRICAN CAVE DEMONS: The continent of Africa has reported many sightings of bat-like beasts. In Cameroon, it is called the "Olitiau," an immense bat creature that was seen by famed naturalist Ivan T. Sanderson in 1932 while on expedition. In Senegal, the creature is called "Guiafairo." In Ghana, the bat-like creature is called "Sasabonsam." A similar creature exists in Madagascar and is called the "Fangalabolo," and in Indonesia, tales of the "Organ-Bati" abound where the creature is said to roost in an extinct volcano and snatch children.

Source

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New Hampshire College Class Seeks Ghosts

Class Investigates Things That Go Bump in the Night

Newswise - When Mark Henn was in high school, he and one of his pals decided that a particularly foggy patch of swamp land on a particularly curvy road near a particularly creepy cemetery was the perfect place to invent a ghost. On one particularly dark night later, the story of the ghost of Dead Man’s Curve was born.

As Henn, who teaches psychology at the University of New Hampshire, and his friend recounted their frightening tale to classmates, an interesting thing happened. Although there had never been reports of ghost sightings there before, some of their friends started reporting that they, too, had seen the ghost of Dead Man’s Curve. And then more classmates experienced sightings. By the time Henn’s younger brother graduated from high school a few years later, spending the night at the cemetery to record sightings of the ghost had become a rite of passage.

What Henn experienced as a teenager demonstrates how people can come to believe something that does not exist. This summer, UNH students will study this psychological event in Henn’s class, “Scientific Perspectives on Belief in the Paranormal Phenomena.”

“Inventing a ghost is one thing. Having others see it is another thing. In this class, we will look at how to approach belief in something, especially when we want to believe it. In these instances, the easiest person to fool is yourself,” Henn says.

“I chose paranormal belief for the subject of this class because it is, on its face, so unbelievable and yet upwards of 80 percent of people in the United States do believe in some version of the paranormal. If we can see why we would believe in something like that, it’s a lot easier for us to understand why we believe in other things,” he says.

Henn’s course will examine open-mindedness and skepticism, with the benefit of the psychological perspective and the use of the scientific method. In the class, students will learn about the long history of the interaction between psychology and the supernatural, definitions of science and commonalities among sciences, methodology and experimental controls, and how to have an open mind and be skeptical.

Students will look at various toolkits used for critical examination, such as Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit. Using these toolkits and a deeper understanding of why people hold on to extraordinary beliefs, students will evaluate various conspiracy theories and the belief in the paranormal.

Finally, students will learn how the field of psychology has contributed to the study of belief by investigating reconstructive and recovered memories, sensation and perception, physiological psychology, social cognition, and the contributions of personality, developmental psychology, and behaviorism.

“We are designed psychologically to see patterns to help us live and survive. Sometimes we see patterns where there aren’t any, and that’s what gets us in trouble,” Henn says.

“There are people who have irrational beliefs that are not backed up by evidence. We have parents who are not vaccinating their children based on an irrational belief and as a result, they are putting their children’s health at risk,” he says.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

VIDEO
Prof. Mark Henn discusses why he chose paranormal belief as the subject of his class.
http://vimeo.com/11742204

Prof. Mark Henn discusses why we sometimes see patterns in life.
http://vimeo.com/11742363

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Gaga for Ghosts!

Haunted Lady Gaga Ghostbuster

newsoxy-Lady Gaga admits that she bought a Ghostbuster kit. Gaga uses the Ghostbuster device for regular sweeps to fend off evil spirits that are haunting her. Gaga admits that the problem started a few weeks ago and is convinced that she needs the Ghostbuster kit to fight against negative forces.

"When I took the order for the kit I had no idea who it was for. But then I checked the listings and saw who was playing the O2. Her aide said the gear had to be robust as they were taking it on the road. So they must be doing this everywhere [...] Gaga is performing," Ghostbuster firm owner Dan Webb said in a statement. The kit she bought includes electro-magnetic field readers.

Gaga, 24, is terrified of "bad energy" and hired Dan Webb's firm to do a complete cleansing behind the stage at London's O2 Arena. Gaga originally thought she was experiencing a mental breakdown, or hallucinations, that usually come with skitzophrenia. However, she is still convinced that unseen forces are haunting her.

If the reports are true, Gaga wouldn't be the first celebrity to admit ghost sightings. Several Hollywood legends have their own story to tell after experiencing similar paranormal activity. While the subject is always up for debate, the activity is still unexplained and why it happens in the first place.

Making the big "C" a thing of the past

New blood test to spot cancer before it's development

Topnews-UK: A new testing method can be used to detect accurately the indications sent out by an individual's immune system to be something as cancerous.

Early research is of the suggestion that the indications can be detected up to five years prior to a tumor is spotted, offering doctors and patients a fundamental headstart in treating the sickness.

The test, which has been developed by clinicians in Nottingham and Kansas over a period of 15 years, is to be introduced in America in the later part of this month.

It initially had been devised, in order to detect lung cancer and is put in usage alongside conventional screening.

The technology had been developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham and Oncimmune, a medical research corporation.

The test works by recognising how the immune system reacts to the first molecular signs of cancer development.

Cancerous cells generate little amounts of protein material named as antigens, which prompts the immune system to generate great amounts of auto-antibodies.

Professor John Robertson, a Breast Cancer Specialist who led the research, said that the earliest cancer that has been seen by him and his team has been detected and yet biologically, that proved to be quite late in the road of cancer development.

Photo
Spot-Cancer.jpg
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Researchers develop nanorobots to detect and kill cancer cells

Eureka-UK: Researchers are developing a molecular sized 'DNA robot' to detect disease markers on a cell, diagnose it and deliver a 'cargo of cancer killing drugs'.

Prof Milan Stojanovic at Columbia University, New York, developed the molecular sized robot to resemble a spider, with the ability to use its 'tentacles' for self propulsion. During its early development, it was capable of 'walking' though a field of DNA molecule, cutting and bonding with them to propel itself. By programming the environment with 'breadcrumbs', the robot was able to follow an established trail.

At such tiny scales, proteins like the DNA itself remained the best bet for creating such a trail. The team found the material it needed in the work of CalTech Prof Paul Rothemund, who had invented what he named DNA origami. Using 'sequence-recognition in base pairs', DNA origami are 'folded' from a long single strand of DNA, with several shorter helper strands that 'staple' the long strand into the desired shape.

Stojanovic's team made its own DNA origami bread crumbs, each measuring 2nm thick and 100nm long, programmed with a specific instruction to any walker that happens by. Together, the DNA origami bread crumbs were formed into a path that allowed Stojanovic's team to lead their DNA robots to a goal.

Continue reading

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OUHSC scientists seek vaccine that may prevent HIV, cancer

Oklahoma Daily: Examining different parts of the immune system, OU Health Sciences Center and Washington University in St. Louis researchers are creating a new vaccine using a protein instead of creating antibodies.

Using T-cells in the immune system, the T-cell vaccine can potentially treat and prevent applications for cancer, tuberculosis, HIV and several other viral diseases, according to a press release from OUHSC.

“No one has ever done this with a T-cell vaccine, so we’re learning; but now we are starting to get some traction. We are finding that a T-cell vaccine can work,” said William Hildebrand, the lead researcher on the project and microbiology and immunology professor.

Until now, vaccines have focused on generating antibodies in the immune system to prevent illness. Over time, the dependence on antibodies has prompted some viruses to evolve past the antibody immunity, lessening the effective of the vaccine to some viruses, according to the press release.

To develop the vaccine, Hildebrand and his team began by determining how the immune system distinguishes between a virus-infected or cancerous cell and a healthy cell.

“What are T-cells using to discriminate the healthy cell from a diseased cell? That is what we want to know in my lab,” he said.

Unlike antibody vaccines, a T-cell vaccine would be able to activate another arm of the immune system to target a specific virus in the body and kill it, as they are responsible with killing virus-infected cells in the body and can kill cells that become cancerous.

The goal is to create viable targets for vaccines that activate T-cells in the immune system, said Hildebrand.

“In the past, vaccine development hasn’t been extremely systematic or well-defined,” he said. “Vaccines have worked to raise protective T-cells but we don’t know how.”

Researchers started working with West Nile virus affect on the immune system since it doesn’t change like the flu or develop resistance like cancer or HIV. After developing the target, researchers at the HSC worked with colleagues at Washington University to create a vaccine, the release stated.

“We found a target, we put it into a vaccine and we got protection,” Hildebrand said. “Is it going to save everybody from West Nile Virus? No, but it saves maybe half the people.”

The process is now being repeated in other areas, such as cancer, where activating T-cells can be difficult.

“Now that we have demonstrated the feasibility of developing a T-cell-specific vaccine, we intend to use the same process to discover other reliable targets, validate them and develop additional vaccines,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand said there is still a lot of room to grow in this research area.

“I think it’s still version 1.0,” he said. “The final version will be version five or six.”

The research appears in the latest issue of The Journal of Immunology and is funded by grants and contracts totaling $15 million from the National Institutes of Health, according to the release.

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True Ghost Story from Scotland

I received this email from a lady in Scotland, with an intriguing story of an apparition, that she and her mother saw, while driving on a snowy December night. Name withheld for privacy.

Hi. I live in central Scotland UK and would like to share this story which happened to myself and my mother about 10 or so years ago whilst driving in Scotland. It was the creepiest thing that has ever happened to me and my mother is a complete skeptic and even she had to admit that this was something really odd!

It was only about 7/7.30pm one really cold December wintery night, it had been snowing heavily and, although my parents had lived in that area for many years, she got lost and we were going down all these little winding roads and just basically going round in circles! We got to this little road and there was a huge pile of snow and the tyres of the car were just skidding and we felt as though we were stuck and there was not one single vehicle or house nearby!

Anyway, as my mother kept trying to forward and reverse the car (it was so bad outside that we didn't want to get out the car to push it etc.), we both glanced to the left, a large field with a few trees and nothing much else. We both kind of gasped as we saw this 'thing' floating about and at first I thought it was a large while plastic bag, however, it had thin legs and arms and a definite body and face! It looked like a young girl, very fragile and she was actually dancing about in that field, in and out of the trees, we were both literally staring for about 10 minutes or so at this amazing sight which I think we both knew was not 'human'. It must have been about 20ft away and it was almost luminous in the almost dark field, we were mesmerized. However we started to panic and my mother was really worried we were going to be stuck (no mobile phone back then, no AA membership etc.) and no-one about except for this weird apparition.

Anyway, after about 20 minutes (it seemed much longer) we were moving backwards and getting out of the snow pile but still watching this 'girl-thing' prancing about - it was fascinating yet extremely creepy as I swear she looked straight at us in the car a couple of times and was coming closer and closer.

At that point, we got moving, turned the car around and 'got out of there as fast as possible'!! We were both cold, shaken and quite frankly really petrified.

When we got to my parents' house and told my dad, he just dismissed it as our imagination etc. but we both knew what we saw and it was NOT imagination, the only explanation we have is that we saw some kind of entity, not from this world, why it was there and for what purpose I couldn't tell you but I have never forgotten it and probably never will!!

I have experienced other strange phenomena throughout my lifetime and been told many things about strange goings-on but I felt I had to share this story as it was really strange and real!!

Regards.

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UFO Hunter Tells of Ghost Encounter

MUFON State Director reports strange encounter at his home

Examiner.com- According to a statement made on April 25, Pennsylvania Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) State Director John Ventre reported that his daughter had a strange encounter with possibly multiple entities, at his Greensburg home on April 24, 2010.

In his statement, Ventre said that his daughter was visiting his home, as were his son and his son's girlfriend.

His daughter woke him up at 4 a.m. to explain to him that she could not sleep earlier in the evening and had paced around the home, feeling as though a presence was watching her, following her.

At 2:00 a.m., she retieived a water bottle from a basement refrigerator, the whole time feeling as though something was following her arounf the home.

She finally turned off her bedroom light at 3:00 a.m., then laid down in an attempt to sleep.

"Lying as stiff as a board under the covers, with her eyes pinned open gazing at the ceiling, she felt an extremely intense pressure in her body," Ventre stated. "It felt as though someone had lain on top of her and absorbed into her body."

During the next hour, the daughter recounts how possibly two entities entered her body. She also visually saw a figure in the room.

"My daughter further explained that she could see a dark shadow circling above her like a whirlpool. When she looked to her dresser mirror, the shape of a male figure was in the left corner. For one whole minute, she watched the shadow carelessly moving, trying to figure out how she could escape from the room."

Read the unedited statement that Ventre provided.

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Note: Ventre's home is located near a cemetery, so it sounds a lot like a haunting with attempted "possession".

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Strange places in the U.S., Part I

The mysterious hand-print of the Carbon County Jail


There is a permanent marker on the wall of cell 17, of the Carbon County Jail, in the town of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Each day, a hanged man proclaims his innocence, by the imprint of his hand. The permanent marker on the cell wall has resisted all efforts to clean, repaint, and even re-plastering. Not long after each attempt to cover it up, the hand-print becomes visible again.

Alexander Campbell, a recruiter for the Molly Maguires, said, "I am innocent, I was nowhere near the scene of the crime." Then he slapped his hand against the wall of his cell, and continued, "There is proof of my words. That mark of mine will never be wiped out. It will remain forever to shame the county for hanging an innocent man."

And indeed, that mark remains.

Read more here and here.





The Ghosts of Robbers Cave

Unexplained voices, cries, screams, and unintelligible laughing and talking can be heard in "Robber's Cave". Below the summit of Pahuk Bluff, near Lincoln, Nebraska, this network of caves is said to be haunted by the spirits of Pawnee tribes-people, runaway slaves and escaped prisoners, all long dead.

The cave passages are said to have connected the local penitentiary and the State Hospital for the Insane. One story claims that this tunnel was used as an escape route for prisoners, until it was finally sealed off.

The cave is no longer in existence, as the site was filled in and a business constructed on top of what was once the cave entrance. If you can find the location, you might still hear the sounds of the past.

Read more here.

More Photos



The Devil's Tramping Ground


According to those that seem to know, no one has ever been able to spend the night in the circle, tramped out by the Devil himself, as he eternal paces, pondering new evils for mankind.

Known as the Devi's Tramping Ground, the 40 foot x 40 foot barren circle in the midst of the forest near Siler, North Carolina lies cold and infertile, yet beckons the fool-hearty soul to camp in it's dark center.

Compass readings change in and out of the circle, showing there is some type of disturbance in and around the Devi's Tramping Ground, causing even the birds and bugs to be silent. Soil testing gives no particular reason as to it's apparent 'dead state'.

Animals refuse to tread across it, birds won't land on it's ashen surface. What is it, what created it so long ago? Settlers of the 1700s knew of it and the local Native Americans claim it is a sacred place.

Is it a landing spot for UFOs, or a vortex, a paranormal doorway to alternate realities? Objects placed in the circle will be moved or gone by morning and no one will spend the entire night in the circle. Would you?



Read more here and here.

Click on any image for larger view.
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Spooked by a Peeping Tom

Click on any image for larger view.

Recently I took a photo of a summer weight bread spread my daughter had given me this past Christmas and I wanted her to see how it looked. I snapped off a couple of photos and quickly left the room, suddenly feeling 'spooked'.

For some unknown reason, I deleted one of the photos, which I rarely do. I always save my original photos and then copy to other folders for use. The one I deleted was at an angle more towards the window, the first photo I had taken. It might have shown more of what I found.

I was going through my photos several days later and my eyes were immediately drawn to the window in the photo. I did some highlighting of the whole window area and that is when what I was seeing really showed up.

The rectangular screen pull tab can be clearly seen but it is the "object" above the tab that has my attention. There were no lights outside, no moon and completely dark, except for a few lights in the distance. I live on a farm.

Now if that doesn't creep someone out, I don't know what will!

Note: I live in a rural area on a farm. There have been numerous sightings of unidentified flying objects in our area. I am also an 'experiencer' and an 'intuitive'.
All my life I have been able to see, hear and/or sense things that others don't want to. We all have the ability but some of us are more willing to accept our gifts and not bury them in fear and skepticism.

I've always accepted my gifts but being chosen as a lab rat for aliens is not something I'd wish on anyone! And I certainly don't appreciate being spied upon.
-SW
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UFO Hotspots

Best places to spot UFOs
Go beyond Area 51: UFO-spotting hotbeds around the globe

By Adrien Glover

msnbc.com- It was just another winter night in Stephenville, Texas, when Steve Allen, a 30-year aviation veteran, saw something that defied all logic—an eerily silent, mile-wide craft ringed in lights that would “rearrange themselves” racing across the sky at what he estimated to be 3,000 miles per hour.

“I don’t know if it was a biblical experience or somebody from a different universe, but it was definitely not from around these parts,” Allen told a reporter from the Empire-Tribune after the sighting on Jan. 8, 2008. Similar reports poured in from across Erath County.

The Stephenville Lights incident wasn’t a onetime event—another mass sighting followed in October 2008, and individual reports from the area still trickle in. This corner of Texas along with the eastern Nevada desert are fast emerging as the U.S.’s newest UFO “hot spots”—places with the best odds of a spotting. Similarly active places exist around the globe, with some even attracting a new kind of tourist.

These days, it seems people can’t get enough of the UFO phenomena. Television shows such as the History Channel’s UFO Hunters and alternative radio programs like Coast to Coast AM—where an estimated three million listeners tune in each night to hear from hardworking UFO investigators, among other thought-provoking interviewees—are more popular than ever.

Believing the time is right, even the famed SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute is conducting its first-ever public conference this year devoted to the age-old question: are we alone? SETIcon, slated for Aug. 13–15, in Santa Clara, Calif., will also unveil the institute’s newest scientific advances in its ongoing search for intelligent life from other planets.

“Using radio telescopes, we hope to trip across a planet with inhabitants clever enough to build radio transmitters,” says senior SETI astronomer Seth Shostak. “If we do so, then the proof won’t be limited to fuzzy photos, secret government documents, or personal anecdotes. It will be up in the sky—where anyone can check it out.”

But what if you can’t wait for SETI’s antenna array to detect a signal from another planet and want to seek out your own proof? We’ve identified active places across the globe where UFOs like to show themselves.

Mexico City, for example, has been a near-constant sky-watch since the solar eclipse of 1991, when a UFO was captured on video among the cloud shadows. Since then, whole fleets—literally hundreds of unexplained lights—have appeared over the world’s largest city. Or take Warminster, England, near Stonehenge, where for the past 50 years nighttime overhead visitations and mysterious booming noises have been considered ho-hum normal.

And with earthling tourists on the verge of travel into the Milky Way, thanks to Sir Richard Branson’s soon-to-be-introduced Virgin Galactic vehicle, perhaps UFO hunters will soon be able to explore the ultimate hot spot of all—space.

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Africa's Living Dinosaur

Living Dinosaurs; the Mokele Mbembe

Jurassic Albatross- The Mokele Mbembe, known by different names around Africa is a large dinosaur like monster said to be aggressive, but not carnivorous. It has a long neck and mainly lives in rivers, hibernating in caves during the dry season. With the small head and big body it seems to resemble a sea serpent, but no sea serpent has for columnar legs capable of supporting its weight on dry land. Is the Mokele Mbembe a living Sauropod dinosaur?

The first references to the Mokele Mbembe; the one who stops the flow of rivers, can be found in French missionary Abbé Lievain Bonaventure's 1776 book where he describes animals of the Congo. One passage describes a set of footprints possible referable to this cryptid; "must have been monstrous: the marks of the claws were noted on the ground, and these formed a print about three feet in circumference."

Other documents of footprints show consistency in having been large, at around 3 feet wide and three toed;
1919-1920, expedition into Africa conducted by the Smithsonian Institution; "African guides found large, unexplained tracks along the bank of a river" (Field Guide To Lake Monsters by Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe) ***
1927; Alfred Aloysius Smith, a trader working in Gabon during the 1800's wrights in his memoir Trader Bon where he refers to an unknown creature that leaves round three clawed footprints.
1966; Yvan Ridel photographs a set of three toed footprints near Laubomo.

Sightings showing the Mokele Mbembe to be long necked and large bodied;
1909; Lt Paul Gratz refers to a native legend in Zambia of a Sauropod like creature.
1909; Big game hunter Carl Hagenbeck in his autobiography Beasts and Men refers to multiple sources including other big game hunters and natives in the Congo area informing him of a creature "half elephant, half dragon" or "some kind of dinosaur, seemingly akin to the brontosaurs".*
1913; German Captain Freiherr von Stein zu Lausnitz includes descriptions of a beast sighted by natives in Cameroon; "The animal is said to be of a brownish-gray color with a smooth skin, its size is approximately that of an elephant; at least that of a hippopotamus. It is said to have a long and very flexible neck and only one tooth but a very long one; some say it is a horn. A few spoke about a long, muscular tail like that of an alligator."**

1939; in the German Colonial Gazette (Angola) a letter by Frau Ilse von Nolde describes encounters with a long necked monster called "coye ya menia" ("water lion").****
1976; botanical expedition into Zaire lead by James Powell, monster called the "n'yamala" described to him by natives. When they were shown pictures of animals alive and extinct the natives said that of the long necked Diplodocus dinosaur most resembled the creature.*****

Read more

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New Species of Lizard Found In Philppines

Dragon-sized lizard eluded science, until now
Spectacularly colored new species of monitor lizard found in the Philippines

MSNBC- A giant, spectacularly colored new species of monitor lizard has just been revealed to scientists in the Philippines.

The reptile, which is roughly 6 feet long (1.8 meters), is kin to Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards. Named Varanus bitatawa, this newly discovered species, decorated in stripes of gold flecks and armed with huge, curved claws for climbing trees, is one of only three fruit-eating monitor species in the world.

New to science, not residents
As humans continue to explore the last uncharted regions of the planet, discoveries of previously unknown species of large vertebrates have become rare. It remains doubly surprising this reptile managed to escape the attention of the many biologists that work on the heavily populated island of Luzon.

"I am most impressed that such a large, conspicuous, brightly colored species of monitor lizard escaped the notice of biologists for the past 150 years," said researcher Rafe Brown, a field herpetologist at the University of Kansas.

Still, remarkably few surveys have explored the reptile diversity of the island's northern forests. The reptile also seems highly secretive and dislikes traversing open areas.

"At the same time, we are humbled because the species is not really new — it is only new to us as Western scientists," Brown said. "In fact, resident indigenous communities — the Agta and Ilongot tribes — have known about it for many generations. If only scientists had listened to them earlier!"

Discovering the giant
Rumors of the lizard's existence floated among biologists for the past 10 years, Brown explained.

"People had taken photographs of hunters from the resident tribespeople as they were carrying the reptiles back to their homes to feed their families in 2001," Brown said.

In 2005, two different groups procured juvenile specimens. "However, both of those efforts didn't collect genetic samples, so we couldn't yet prove that it was genetically distinct and didn't just look different," Brown said. "Also, we wanted a full-sized adult to see how big it got in life."

Last summer, the researchers set out on a two-month expedition to scour the forests for the animal. "We began in July, and the rainy season began early that year, so we were just working in a deluge the whole time," Brown recalled. "Getting up those mountains with a big team of 20 people and all their equipment and gear in those muddy conditions was difficult."

"We knew it was there in the forests around us," he added. "We had seen its scratch marks on trees, we had seen its footprints along stream banks, and we had found its scat."

Near the very end of their complicated, exhausting trip, when they were low on food and out of money, they got a large adult male specimen, captured by the snares of a tribal hunter. "It was like a prize at the end of a marathon," Brown said.

The Agta and Ilongot tribes call the reptile "bitatawa," which the new scientific name for it reflects, and rely on the animal for its meat.

"I have not tasted it myself — the specimen we caught was too important for us to just try," Brown said. "I only know the hunters report it as better tasting and less smelly than the other monitor lizard in the area, a scavenger."

Science of the lizard
Although closely related to the slightly smaller Gray's monitor lizard (Varanus olivaceus), it remains separated from its cousin by a more than 90-mile (145 km) stretch that includes at least three river valley barriers. Genetic analysis confirms V. bitatawa is a new species, as do its coloration, scales, body size, and reproductive anatomy.

"Lizards keep their male reproductive organs inverted inside their bodies like a sock turned inside out, and when it's time to use them, they evert them, flipping them out of their body and filling them with fluid so they can rigidly protrude for reproduction," Brown said. "We call this a hemipenis, and lizards have two of them. They have elaborate structures that we assume are unique to each species — we think they have to fit like a lock and key, preventing hybridization between species."

Both males and females seem to possess golden stripes. "In general, reptiles are very visual, so the different coloration may serve as a signal to other members of its own species," Brown said. "Bright coloration often helps reptiles find and attract mates."

The new species is a keystone in its environment. It eats the fruit of the palm-like Pandanus trees, "and as the seeds travel through its gut, it helps remove their coats so they germinate faster, thus promoting forest growth," Brown said. "You see these trees growing in little circles like fairy rings, evidence that this lizard came by, spreading the seeds around the forest by dropping a bunch of scat."

The researchers expect the lizard to instantly become a flagship species for conservation.

"Given that rapid deforestation in the major threat to many Philippine species, especially the ones restricted to areas with tree cover, we suspect that the new species is a major conservation priority," Brown said. "We need to know the size of its home range, exactly what it eats, how long it takes to mature, how often it breeds, and details of its ecology and population structure."

Efforts to defend the lizard's forested habitat could help protect many hundreds to thousands of unrelated animals and plants as well, they added.

"It is a Philippine national treasure," Brown said.

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Cloaked image seen running across the road

Friday, April 2, 2010- We were on our way to Abilene, from our home in Breckenridge. At approx. 7:30 a.m., it was just before we reached the bridge over Hubbard Lake on 180, west bound.

My spouse was driving and I was just looking around, when my eyes locked onto the road ahead of us. We were coming upon a small rise in the road, visibility very clear. Suddenly I see something run across the road from left to right (South to North), right on top of the crest of the rise. It was like seeing small feet and partial legs in a fast trot across the road. It was almost like something mirroring the road surface, but visible above the road by about 10 inches or so.

It reminded me of the Predator in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. I could not see above the calf area of the legs, except the rippled, distorted sky behind the object, about the size of a body.

As we passed that area, I looked to my right into the bar-ditch area and there was nothing there, no animal, nothing. I couldn't see anything on the side of the road, or near the trees but I had the feeling that something watched us go by.

I remember telling my spouse immediately when I saw this thing cross the road, "Oh wow! Did you see that thing cross the road?" He hadn't noticed but I described to him what I saw. For the rest of the trip I kept watching to see if maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me but I never saw anything like that again, during the trip.

Below is a depiction I drew of what I saw.

What was it I saw? Was it a cloaked entity, a trick of light, or possibly heat waves off the pavement? I ruled out the later, as the evening before was quite cool and the morning sun had not yet warmed up the air, or pavement enough to cause that effect.

I don't believe it could have been miniature dust devils, as whatever it was, it was moving across a light southeast breeze. As for a trick of the light, the sun was directly behind us and barely above the eastern horizon. The only thing I have to go on, is the fact that I felt a presence as it crossed in front of us and then as we passed where it crossed. It still gives me chills.

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Jesus on what?!

Jesus on a potato chip.

People can see faces in just about everything and whose face is most popular? Jesus, of course.

From potato chips to toast, and from gaseous space clouds to kitty cat butts, Jesus is popping up everywhere. Say what?

I wonder what "He" has to say about that.

In the spirit of Easter, and to see 20 of the funniest, most ridiculous Jesus sightings, wander on over to Ranker. You'll be amazed. Some eggs were laid there, darn tootin'.

20 funniest sightings of Jesus' face on things

I'll never look at my Cheetos™ quite the same, ever again.
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The Goat Woman

Chinese grandmother, 101, grows mystery horn on forehead


An elderly Chinese woman has stunned her family and fellow villagers by growing from her forehead a horn than resembles a goat’s.

Grandmother Zhang Ruifang, 101, of Linlou village, Henan province, began developing the mysterious protrusion last year.

Since then it has grown 2.4in in length and another now appears to emerging on the other side of the mother of seven’s forehead.

The condition has left her family baffled and worried.

Her youngest of six sons, Zhang Guozheng, 60, said when a patch of rough skin formed on her forehead last year ‘we didn't pay too much attention to it’.

‘But as time went on a horn grew out of her head and it is now 6cm long,' added Mr Zhang, whose eldest brother and sibling is 82 years old.

‘Now something is also growing on the right side of her forehead. It’s quite possible that it’s another horn.’

Although, it is unknown what the protrusion is on Mrs Zhang’s head, it resembles a cutaneous horn.

This is a funnel-shaped growth and although most are only a few millimetres in length, some can extend a number of inches from the skin.

Cutaneous horns are made up of compacted keratin, which is the same protein we have in our hair and nails, and forms horns, wool and feathers in animals.

They usually develop in fair-skinned elderly adults who have a history of significant sun exposure but it is extremely unusual to see it form protrusions of this size.

The growths are most common in elderly people, aged between 60 and the mid-70s. They can sometimes be cancerous but more than half of cases are benign.

Common underlying causes of cutaneous horns are common warts, skin cancer and actinic keratoses, patches of scaly skin that develop on skin exposed to the sun, such as your face, scalp or forearms.

Cutaneous horns can be removed surgically but this does not treat the underlying cause.

Article Link

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Strange News - March 27, 2010

Police report attempt to revive flattened opossum

CNN- A Pennsylvania man attempted to resuscitate "a road-killed opossum," state police say.

But this was one possum who wasn't playing possum -- the ugly creature remained dead.

Troopers responding to the scene in Oliver Township on Thursday determined that Donald J. Wolfe, 55, of Brookville, was drunk, according to the police report.

Several witnesses observed Wolfe's failed resurrection of the flattened marsupial, police said. It was not immediately clear how he endeavored to restore the possum's life.

The arresting officer in the incident was unavailable for comment Friday. Attempts to reach Wolfe were also unsuccessful.

Wolfe will be charged with one charge of public drunkenness, police said.

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'Mystery Monkey' Remains at Large

abcnews- Known as the "Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay," a rhesus macaque has run amok in the Tampa Bay area for nearly a year, eluding state wildlife officials and capturing the hearts of locals.

Home video shot by Tampa residents and broadcast on local TV stations shows the macaque rummaging through trash bins, scaling walls in a single bound, even hanging out poolside and swiping fruit.

On at least a dozen occasions Florida Fish and Wildlife officials shot the plucky primate with tranquilizer darts. Increasingly large doses barely fazed him. One professional trapper, hunting the monkey, wondered whether the monkey had become a "drug addict."

Buoyed by his successive escapes fans have championed the 20 pound monkey as a local hero. A Facebook fan page "Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay," already boasts 43,000 fans and is growing by 15,000 fans a day. His location has been listed as "all over."

You can even buy a "Mystery Monkey" T-shirt for $18.00.

Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, understands the humor, but warns the rhesus macaque is dangerous.

Depicting him as the Rambo of primates he told ABC News "That animal is so much quicker and more powerful than people perceive."

Untrained professionals trying to capture him could be seriously hurt he added, since "he's perfectly capable of doing damage to a human."

And his germs may be even more potent than his bite: Morse said the monkey could infect a potential fan/captor with Hepatitis B or Simeon Herpes.

No one is certain of the ape's origin, but Morse believes he may be an outcast from a troop of rhesus macaque's living on a preserve near Ocala Florida, about 100 miles away. He said that troop is a relic of the half dozen Tarzan flicks shot there in the 1930s and 1940s.



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