While the scientist who reportedly created the first gene-edited babies sits locked up under house arrest in an undisclosed location, other Chinese researchers are hard at work making clones of pets for fun and profit. Did you get a cute kitten for Christmas? Would you like a few (or a few hundred) more in case it runs away? Got $55,000? A company in Beijing announced its first batch of kitten clones will be ready in March 2019 and it’s looking for new customers. Are they getting their funding from a kitty litter manufacturer?

“This project is unlikely to be of great scientific interest, but we see great potential in it for the PCR cloning market.”

The Global Times interviewed Zhao Jianping, deputy general manager of the biotech company Sinogene which is doing the cat cloning after successfully (and profitably) cloning pet dogs. “PCR cloning” refers to the Polymerase Chain Reaction technique, which is a rapid method for cloning genes in large quantities. This is needed because the eggs of dogs are the most difficult to replicate due to their sensitivity to environmental changes.

“We have about 20 clients, in order to create an animal for them, we need from six months to 10 months.”

Those clients will be getting their kittens in March after plunking down their 380,000 yuan ($55,117) for each one and providing Sinogene with their dearly departed cats. While it’s not specified whether the first clients requested it or what the additional fee might be, Sinogene also offers gene editing to correct birth defects. That poor misguided and now incarcerated scientist who edited human genes for the same purpose must be kicking himself … if he’s still alive and still has kneecaps.

We know what you’re thinking (especially you non-pet lovers) … do we really need to clone kittens? The article agrees, pointing out that China has more than 73 million pet owners and 91 million cats and dogs. On the other hand, many Chinese couples, like their American counterparts, would prefer to have a cat to a child. In addition, pet cloning, while new, has a huge profit potential in China – from January-August 2018, the market for cats and dogs exceeded 170 billion yuan ($24 billion), a 27% increase in the annual rate.

What could possibly go wrong? The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that each year, approximately 1.4 million cats are euthanized in the U.S. alone. That doesn’t count those killed in traffic or by other animals or by means other than euthanization. Those numbers are likely to be the same in China, adjusted proportionately for its larger population. That $55,000 could save a lot of really cute kittens in need of a loving home, especially since Zhao Jianping points out that cloning isn’t perfect because, while looking like the original, it lacks its memory and emotions.

While one gene scientist remains under house arrest, others are free to get rich by unleashing expensive cats on a world already overflowing with millions whose humans abandoned them.

Who really needs to be locked up?

As the guys who just became the first and second humans ever to cross the continent on a solo expedition can attest, Antarctica is one quiet place to be. Besides hearing a pin drop to the ice at your feet, that eerie silence means sounds carry, allowing one to hear a pin drop or a glacier break from miles away. It’s hard enough to identity those sounds being picked up on the horizontal plane … it can be nearly impossible and sometimes scary when they’re coming down from space. Aliens? The researchers aren’t completely sure of the cause, but while they study the sounds, they’re also selling the mysterious recordings to the makers of video games to blast us with them too. Wait … what? WHAT?

“The new exploration gameplay, gives players the chance to experience the amazing ‘sounds of space’ for themselves. The players, who already have an interest in exploration and space, will hopefully enjoy the new space ‘sounds’ and be tempted to find out a little more about them.”

Dr. Nigel Meredith is an (evil?) scientist working for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at the Halley Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf for four years (too long?) revealed that the sounds he and the team have been recording and trying to identify were packaged together and given to game developers Frontier Developments who this month released them onto the general public in a new exploration game called Elite Dangerous with the hope that the eerie sounds will somehow draw others to Antarctica to study them (is he lonely?).

“Our planet produces a wonderful variety of radio emissions. As we know, we can’t hear things in space. Since sound waves are vibrations, typically of air molecules. But the emissions we’re talking about are mainly electromagnetic waves and they cannot be heard directly.”

So, the mysterious space sounds picked up by the Halley VLF receiver at the station are beyond the range of normal human hearing and suspected to be the sounds of all manners of electromagnetic disturbances, from lightning strikes to geomagnetic space storms. Once isolated, Meredith gives them descriptive names such as “spherics” (these sound like hail hitting cement and are from lightning activity), “whistlers” (high-pitched sounds like radio feedback caused by lightning energy trying to escape Earth’s atmosphere) and the “chorus” (caused by solar storms, these sound like birds and insects in a rainforest. In addition to being in the Elite Dangerous game, the sounds can be heard on the British Antarctic Survey’s website (here’s the link … if you want to risk being pulled to spend time in Antarctica with Dr. Nigel some day).

“It’s mind-blowing that you get such fascinating (and baffling) audio from listening to nature throwing a ton of solar wind at a magnetic ball.”

Joe Hogan, lead audio designer for Elite Dangerous, explained in an interview with Gizmodo why he was attracted to Dr. Nigel’s mysterious sounds for the game. The money he’s making at Frontier Developments has probably kept him from being pulled to Antarctica … for now. Maybe he can do us all a favor and give Dr. Nigel a job at the company – Cambridge UK is a little warmer than Antarctica and Frontiers Development has plenty of people to keep the scientist from being lonely.

Otherwise, he’s going to continue to sit next to the Halley VLF receiver, recording mysterious space sounds and messing with our minds and our hearing. I SAID, HE’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO SIT NEXT TO THE HALLEY VLF RECEIVER, RECORDING MYSTERIOUS SPACE SOUNDS AND MESSING WITH OUR MINDS AND OUR HEARING.

Too late?

The discovery of seven virgins is big news, although it would be bigger if the virgins were men instead of women. In this case they’re women but their discovery after a massive flooding is huge in both archeological and Hindu religious contexts because they may be terracotta religious statues of a long-lost civilization that once lived along the Pamba River in southern India. Why were these Seven Virgins significant enough to honor with statues? It may not be what you think.

The Hindu reports that the terracotta statues of “male and female figurines, snakeheads, bust of a man and a twin female terracotta figurine” were found in late September in Edayaranmula, a town in the south western state of Kerala, when the banks of the Pamba (also referred to as the Pampa) river collapsed after a recent heavy deluge and destructive flash flooding. Fishermen in the area found the artifacts amongst uprooted trees and did the right thing by contacting the local Kerala Department of Archeology.

Pamba River (Wikipedia)

“Mostly, the idols had seven faces. A group of seven women sitting close together was a prominent kind of figurine. We also found male figurines and Naga (serpent) figurines. The idols look like they belonged to a place of worship — like a sacred grove for the naga gods (pambin kavu). The concept of Sapta Kanya (seven virgins) or Sapta Matrika (a group of mother goddesses) is a common theme in the idols. Votive sculptures or shilpams used for idol sacrifice was also excavated from the region.”

Krishnaraj K, a professor in the Department of Archaeology, told The News Minute that a few terracotta figures had been found in this region before so he knew immediately this was not a hoax. Teams descended upon the area and began careful excavations which unearthed the exposed statues and found many more. (Photos here.)

Sapta Matrikas unearthed from Aranmula

Naga idol found in Aranmula

Cist burial site discovered on the opposite banks of the Pamba during excavations 

“We are going to send them for Thermoluminescence dating, a process used to determine the exact age of the figurines by identifying the time elapsed since the material was exposed to sunlight or heat. We will be sending the samples to Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology in Dehradun.”

It is hoped that the artifacts will shed light on the long-lost Pamba River Civilization, a Bronze Age (3300 to 1200 BCE) culture significant to the beginnings of the Hindu religion but whose early history is a mystery. In the old Hindu Epics, Pampa was Lord Brahma’s daughter and later married Lord Shiva. Lord Ayyappan (Sri Dharmasastha), son of Lord Shiva, appeared as a child on the banks of the Pamba River and it is considered to be the southern equivalent of the Ganga, drawing devotees of Lord Ayyappan to bath in it and build temples on its banks. It’s suspected that the artifacts are from one of more such temples.

“Saying that is a bit much. A civilization stands as a huge era in history, consisting of many generations of people and their progress. Here we are talking about small tribes living close to the river. The idols found are mostly used for worship.”

Krishnaraj hesitates to say that these are terracotta missing links of the Pamba River Civilization, but they’re definitely religious artifacts used by a small group of its members. Archeologists know that when there’s a few there’s probably more so they will continue to excavate the area and research the statues.

And the Seven Virgins? The Sapta Kanya (seven virgins) or Sapta Matrika (seven mother goddesses) are still worshiped in southern India. More significant are the Naga figurines which represent a race of half-men and half-serpents (cobras) that are believed to be guardians of the water. All point to this being the likely site of an ancient temple of an ancient lost civilization.

Floods take away but they sometimes give back too.

A few days ago, I wrote an article here at Mysterious Universe on the matter of so-called alien-human “hybrid babies.” It should be noted, though, that it’s not always just hybrid babiesthat are shown to abductees and with whom they are encouraged to bond. It’s very often hybrid children, too. As bizarre as it may sound abductees report being taken to rooms that are in stark contrast to the sterile and clean, and almost obsessively so, environments aboard UFOs. In these particular cases, abductees enter a far from tidy environment in which hybrid children are given toys to play with – as if a concerted attempt is being made to humanize the hybrids even more. Whether this is done from a positive perspective of inter-species cooperation and inter-breeding, or if it’s done to ensure that the hybrids can more successfully infiltrate human society in a sinister, hostile fashion, very much remains to be seen, and is dependent on which side of the fence you stand. You may even be of the opinion that this is nothing less than the results of bad dreams and wild tales of a very dubious kind. But, try telling that to those who claim to have encountered the hybrid children. They are convinced that what they encountered were nothing less than something half-human and half-something-else.

Take, for example, the story of Jennifer, a life-long resident of New Jersey. Now in her mid-thirties, she has conscious recall of encounters with the Grays going back to her early childhood, as does her mother. Even her grandmother has vague recollections of encountering a group of “little men” in New Jersey woods, during the summer months, at some point in the 1940s – something which emphasizes the ongoing, multi-generational aspect of these events. As well as her consciously recalled interactions with the Grays, Jennifer has been able to pull further recollections out of the depths of her mind and subconscious via hypnosis. One recollection, in particular, stands out, in terms of relevancy.

Although Jennifer has no memories of interactions with hybrid babies, she does have memories of being taken, in 2009, to what she described as looking like “an old military base, but shut down,” where she encountered hybrid children. Jennifer’s hypnotically-recovered recollections begin with her stepping out of what she first thought was a large, black sedan. With hindsight, however, she came to believe that the “car” was actually a landed UFO – the image of the car, then, being a screen-memory designed to mask, or at least confuse, the true nature of the event. She then recalls being guided, in a somewhat groggy and hazy state, to an elevator by three dwarfish figures that she found it difficult to recall, in terms of their physical appearances. What she had no trouble remembering, however, was what happened next.

After what she perceived as an incredibly long descent in the elevator, Jennifer was taken to a large room which was filled with two things: (1) a group of five or six hybrid children, all but one female; and (2) a multitude of toys. Strewn across the floor were teddy-bears, dolls, and a large amount of fluffy, toy dogs. The hybrids, who were skinny, sickly-looking, yellow-haired, and seemingly completely disinterested in the toys, were sitting on chairs placed in a row against one of the walls. It was Jennifer’s “job” – as she worded it – to try and encourage the children to play with the toys, something she was only partially successful in doing. Two of them actually smiled and even laughed when Jennifer gently tossed teddy-bears in their direction. The others offered little more than disinterest.

Time and again, Jennifer was urged to interact with the hybrids. And on each occasion, the response was far from being encouraging. Evidently, Jennifer’s abductors realized that things were not proceeding well and she was finally motioned to the door. Once again, her mind was filled with images of sitting in a black sedan, and being driven back to her home. Yet, as with her arrival at the facility, she had deep suspicions that the car imagery was, effectively, “implanted” in her mind and did not tell the true story of how she found herself deep underground. Jennifer’s encounter is of a type that many abductees – and, particularly so, female abductees – have reported.

Human rights? Always worth fighting for. Animal rights? We’re far too cruel to the creatures we share this planet with, but some limits are needed. Robot rights? The debate has just begun and it will be a long and confusing one, as evidenced by a new discussion led by a machine ethics researcher who believes that reverse cyborgs – robots that are given human parts such as brains – deserve at least partial human rights as well. How many human parts does it take for a robot to become a person? Which parts? What about the vice versa? Will the brave new world be a litigious one as well?

These questions are prompted by, as many discussions about future technology often are, sex. Specifically, the sex robots or sexbots that in 2018 became the center of attention in Vancouver, Canada and Houston, Texas, where an organization called KinkySdolls wanted to open (and was already taking appointments for) sex robot brothels like the one it operates in Toronto. These “dolls” – both female and male — allegedly provide a realistic sexual experience and are said to contain the artificial intelligence needed to respond to cues and recognize both their client’s needs and what would be considered abusive behavior of the dolls were human. How could these sexbots be made even more realistic? Why not add real human parts – possibly grown in a lab or even right on the cyborg itself?

In an interesting discussion in, of all places, the Daily Star, Dr. Oliver Bendel, professor of information systems at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts and a consultant to the German Bundestag, says sex robots able to read “every wish from our eyes” will be among the most advanced androids within the next 20 years, but should only be considered as “electronic persons” with “moral rights” if they have can feel or suffer, if you have a consciousness or a will to live.” And then he describes the way that will happen.

“One could at best develop ‘reverse cyborgs’, i.e. let brain and nerve cells grow on technical structures or in a robot. Such reverse or inverted cyborgs might at some point feel something.”

And then? Computing philosopher and scientist at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Dr. Jordi Vallverdú, joins the discussion.

“Under the current cultural western evolution, which has recognized rights to all kinds of men and women, it is feasible and normal to affirm that the robot’s rights will be someday into the agenda.”

“Feasible and normal.” Do you consider giving human rights to a robot feasible and normal? If you don’t, it may be too late to stop it. In early 2017, the European Parliament issued a reportwhich suggested that self-learning robots could be granted “electronic personalities” status, which would in a sense make them “legal persons” in a manner similar to corporations. Many see this move not so much as a way to give protective human rights to robots but to relieve manufacturers from legal responsibility should the AI robot commit crimes or kill someone. However, “legal persons” have the right to make campaign contributions and could conceivably “buy” politicians who would give them the rights they want. Buying politicians – how much more human can they be?

What am I?

Human are getting more robotic parts. At what point will these cyborgs lose their humanity? Robots can grow human cells that develop into human parts. At what point will these reverse cyborgs lose their robotity? Is the crossover line the same? Who should decide? Scientists? Politicians? Religious leaders? Philosophers? The cyborgs themselves?

Is everything now feasible and normal? Is anything? Are we?

The unusual practice of eating dirt, mud, clay and other soils is known as geophagy, which is considered by the medical community to be an abnormal, albeit fairly harmless and non-beneficial, compulsive behavior, while the folk medicine community touts benefits such as toxin-absorption and promoting gut health. Then there’s the soil found in the townland of Toneel North in Boho, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, which is said to heal toothaches, throat infections, neck problems and other ailments. That list of “other ailments” has just been expanded to include “four of the top six superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics” Is Boho dirt the next medical marijuana or just another fake ‘miracle cure’ product peddled by snake soil salesmen?

“In an effort to stem the rising tide of multi-resistant bacteria, researchers have turned to niche environments in the hope of discovering new varieties of antibiotics. We investigated an ethnopharmacological (cure) from an alkaline/radon soil in the area of Boho, in the Fermanagh Scarplands (N. Ireland) for the presence of Streptomyces, a well-known producer of antibiotics.”

Researchers from the UK’s Swansea University Medical School and the Ulster University School of Biomedical Sciences and Croatia’s Laboratory for Molecular Genetics at Ruđer Bošković Institute were searching for unusual “niche” ways to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria like the “hospital superbug” MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and decided to look at the ancient soil found in Boho after hearing what seemed to be legitimate accounts of it’s healing powers. “Boho” comes from an ancient Irish word meaning hut or booth which befits its ancient history dating back to the Neolithic late Stone Age/early Bronze Age 4000 years ago. It was later home to the Druids and has a long spiritual history of both conventional religions and unconventional beliefs in faeries, faerie bushes, banshees and ancient monoliths like the Reyfad stones.

Those ancient tales might cause one to think the Boho soil stories are folklore as well, but the study, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, proved otherwise. The researchers found that it contains a previously unknown strain of Streptomyces, a bacteria that has already shown themselves to be effective against some of the superbugs. This new strain, named Streptomyces sp. Myrophorea, was proven effective in inhibiting growth of four of the top six multi-resistant pathogens (Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Klebsiella pneumonia, and Carbenepenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii), a list that includes the notorious MRSA.

“We will now coentrate on the purification and identification of these antibiotics. We have also discovered additional antibacterial organisms from the same soil cure which may cover a broader spectrum of multi-resistant pathogens.”

While the power of the Boho soil has been proven, the actual component of Streptomyces sp. Myrophorea which gives it this super-antimicrobial strength has not, so Dr. Gerry Quinn and the rest of the researchers are now working to identify, isolate and possibly replicate it as well as work on determining what else this magic mulch can treat or cure.

Does this mean it’s time to book a trip to Boho to eat dirt and wash it down with Irish stout? A better idea would be to definitely visit to enjoy the beauty and ancient history of the area while scientists figure out a more palatable way to partake of the protective soil. In the meantime, start working on a proper Irish toast for the occasion. Here’s one:

May your heart be light and happy,
May your smile be big and wide,
And may your pockets always have
Some Boho dirt inside!