Despite our natural reluctance to assume that our senses are not sensitive to the majority of the reality around us, there is a very strong arguement from basic principles that the universe (even in our immediate surroundings) could be far more complex than we can imagine. One has only to compare the amount of man's knowledge obtained (or which could have been obtained) by his unaided senses with the enormous increase provided by the development of such devices as telescopes, microscopes, radio receivers and X-ray machines, to realize how very limited we are. Note that the purpose of each of these is to receive energy which is too weak or of the wrong form to be detected by any of the senses, and to amplify or convert the information in that energy to a form or level which is within the capacity of one of them. Study of a list of such artificial aids shows that they can be separated into two distict categories. Telescopes, microscopes and similar "magnifying" techniques form a continuous and open-ended chain of development. The urge to see farther and smaller has always existed, and is fundamental to the extent of being instinctive. No matter how powerful an instrument is built, there will always be some object of interest which is barely visible, and so an awareness of things still beyond its range and an incentive to improve it. This has encouraged the development of the necessary technology (lenses, etc.).

On the other hand, such developments as radio communication and X-ray examination required the positive discovery of radio waves and X-rays before they could even be contemplated. Only then could the requisite technology be developed so that they could be used to gain further knowledge. One would expect any "extra" dimensions to come into this category, and there could well be other equally fundamental "unknowns." Until an initiating discovery is made, it is extremely difficult to conceive of their existence, speculate on their characteristics or imagine the consequences.

The particular case of radio waves and X-rays are also excellent examples of the limitations of our senses in other ways, since they are two examples of electromagnetic radiation. Such waves have been used or studied with wavelengths extending over a range of 10^16 (10,000,000,000,000,000) although our senses respond only to visible light, which covers a range of barely 2:1 in wavelength, and outside this range we must rely entirely on aids. On a dark night, it is possible to see the light from a small torch bulb (radiating about a fiftieth of a watt of energy of visible light) at a range of about half a mile. On the other hand, you could stand within a few feet of an aerial radiating over a million watts of radio-frequency energy and be unaware that the transmitter is switched on.

John Ralphs, Exploring the Fourth Dimension

:: po§ted by valis @ 29.10.02 :: §end :: ::

An American biotechnology company has developed a way of keeping brain tissue alive for weeks, which will allow scientists to test new drugs for a range of psychiatric diseases including Alzheimer's and schizophrenia.

Using brain cells from rats and mice, scientists at Tensor Biosciences of Irvine, California have devised brain-on-a-chip technology that could speed up the development of new treatments.

"We are building stripped-down mini-brains, if you will, directly on a chip," a spokesman for the company told New Scientist magazine Wednesday.

The so-called mini-brain, which can survive for weeks at a time, will allow scientists to monitor the impact of drugs on brain networks instead of just individual cells.

The glass chips contain thousands of interconnected animal brain cells suspended in a solution of artificial cerebral fluid.

"An array of 64 electrodes on the chip's surface monitors the overall electrical activity of the brain tissue, just like an electroencephalogram (EEG), to show the effect the drugs have on the tissue," according to the magazine.

An EEG is a record of the brain's activity.

The company, which says the technology has been used to find a drug for anxiety with fewer side effects than existing treatments, will present its findings to a conference in the United States next week, the magazine added.

:: po§ted by valis @ 20.10.02 :: §end :: ::

"Now anyone who has lived for any time in countries like Morocco where magic is widely practiced has probably seen a curse work. I have. However, the curses tend to be hit or miss, depending on the skill and power of the operator and the susceptibility of the victim.

And that isn't good enough for the CIA or similar organization: "Bring us the ones that work not sometimes but every time." So what is the logical step forward? TO DEVISE MACHINES THAT CAN CONCENTRATE AND DIRECT PSYCHIC FORCE WITH PREDICTABLE EFFECTS. (See the chapter in the Iron Curtain book on PSYCHIC GENERATORS.)

I suggest that what the CIA is or was working on at the top secret Nevada installation may be described as COMPUTERIZED black magic. If curse A doesn't make it, Curse Program B automatically goes into operation and so on." (via incuBLOGula)

:: po§ted by valis @ 18.10.02 :: §end :: ::

Huge buildings could be conjured up in space using nothing more than focused radio waves to push individual components into place. Radio-controlled construction would get around one of the obstacles to colonising space - the need to ferry heavy construction equipment into orbit and support the people who will operate it.

:: po§ted by valis @ 13.10.02 :: §end :: ::