BlackHoleNews.net
Space, UFO and Science Digest

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell Claims Alien Cover-up

Dr. Edgar Mitchell is a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission and he was the sixth man to walk on the Moon. Dr. Mitchell also insists that aliens have visited Earth and that governments are actively covering it up. "I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said. "It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it. "I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit." Dr Mitchell, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics claimed Roswell was real and similar alien visits continue to be investigated. He told the astonished Kerrang! radio host Nick Margerrison: "This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction." NASA issued a quick denial. In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe. "Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue." If Dr. Mitchell is correct about a cover-up than this is exactly the type of denial one would expect NASA to make. You can listen to the interview with Dr. Mitchell where he discusses the UFO phenomena here. Permalink | Recent Headlines | News Feeds Read more…

Fossil Discovery Turns Scientific Theory On Its Head

19.12.2006 17:28 Science - Source: ScienceDaily Headlines

An international team led by University of Adelaide palaeontologist Trevor Worthy has discovered a unique, primitive type of land mammal that lived at least 16 million years ago on New Zealand.

Part of the jaw from the fossilised remains of the mouselike creature. (Image courtesy of University Of Adelaide)

The discovery of tiny fossilised bones of a mouselike creature in the Central Otago region is the first hard evidence that New Zealand once had its own indigenous land mammals. The finding could prompt a major rewrite of prehistory textbooks, say scientists.

Mr Worthy, a University of Adelaide PhD student in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, and fellow team members from New Zealand and the University of NSW, discovered fossilised parts of a jaw and a leg from the mammal, unearthed in sediment from the St Bathans lake bed in the South Island. It represents an evolutionary stage that pre-dates the split between pouched marsupials and placental mammals.

The find adds a whole new insight into the evolution of mammals in New Zealand, putting paid to the theory that the country's diverse prehistoric groundbird fauna evolved there because they had no competition from land mammals.

"Scientists have long held the view that New Zealand has this weird and wonderful avian biota that lived on the ground because there were no mammals to impede or compete with birds. It appears that this little mouselike animal was part of the fauna on the ancient Gondwana supercontinent and it got stuck on New Zealand when the latter separated more than 80 million years ago," Mr Worthy says.

The discovery also challenges geological claims that New Zealand was entirely submerged beneath the sea from 25 to 30 million years ago and re-colonised by plant and animal species from nearby land masses like Australia once it re-emerged.

"While a lot of the land disappeared temporarily, there is evidence that some of it was emergent because there are floral pollen records that indicate there were living plants throughout the period. The Tuatara reptiles, also found in New Zealand, have no living relatives in the fossil record until 65 million years ago -- and there is no evidence of them in Australia, so we can only assume they have been in New Zealand all the time."

Mr Worthy and his team expect to unearth more mammal fossils from the St Bathans site, perhaps even other species that pre-date the split between pouched marsupials and placental mammals, surviving for millions of years in isolation in New Zealand.

"The deposition site was a big lake -- 5600km2 -- and the three mammal bones from the mouse were discovered in a 36m2 area, so it's reasonable to believe we will find more. We have already found bats of three families at this site, of which two are new in the world. We have also unearthed 24 kinds of extinct birds from this sediment that were previously unknown."

The Australian Research Council recently awarded the team a $513,902 grant over three years to further explore the St Bathans site. Mr Worthy is organising the next field trip in early January.

Mr Worthy, a world bird expert, joined the University of Adelaide from New Zealand in August 2005.

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University Of Adelaide.