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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…

Neurons Targeted By Dementing Illness May Have Evolved For Complex Social Cognition

26.12.2006 19:45 Science - Source: ScienceDaily Headlines

Science Daily — Von Economo neurons (VENs) are uniquely shaped brain cells that seem to have evolved in a select group of socially complex species: great apes, humans, and, as reported last month, whales. Across species, VENs are localized to frontal brain regions associated with cognition, emotion and social behavior. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a common neurodegenerative condition, is characterized by early breakdown in social and emotional awareness and is accompanied by atrophy and dysfunction in the brain areas where VENs are located.

A new study published in the December 2006 issue of Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association, examined brain tissue acquired at autopsy and found that VENs were devastated in FTD.

Led by William W. Seeley, M.D., of the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, researchers quantified anterior cingulate cortex VENs in seven patients with FTD, five with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and seven control subjects who were not demented. All FTD patients had prominent changes in social behavior and emotion, sometimes accompanied by deficits in cognitive function. In contrast, AD patients had an array of cognitive symptoms, including memory and language impairment, with little change in social behavior.

The researchers found early, severe, and selective loss of VENs in FTD, which showed a 69% reduction compared to AD and controls after controlling for overall neuronal loss. "Our findings suggest that selective VEN loss is a defining feature of FTD but does not apply to AD," the researchers state, adding that future research should explore how VEN loss relates to specific social/behavioral deficits in FTD and other disorders where such deficits are a defining feature.

VENs receive chemical signals from dopamine, serotonin, and vasopressin systems that play important roles in social and emotional bonding. These functions are disrupted early in FTD but spared in AD, the authors note. While drugs aimed at preserving VEN function may help curtail FTD symptoms, basic studies of VEN biophysical and molecular properties are needed to clarify the mechanisms that cause VENs to degenerate in FTD.

"Distinctive functions of these unique cells may prove invaluable in health, yet may also expose us to specific forms of developmental or later-life illness," the authors conclude. "The link forged here between VENs and FTD should spawn further studies of how human brain evolution relates to human brain disease."

Article: "Early Frontotemporal Dementia Targets Neurons Unique to Apes and Humans," William W. Seeley, Danielle A. Carlin, John M. Allman, Marcelo N. Macedo, Clarissa Bush, Bruce L. Miller, Stephen J. DeArmond. Annals of Neurology, December 2006, (DOI: 10.1002/ana.21055).

Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by John Wiley & Sons, Inc..