Ghost sightings may be caused by sounds you can’t hear

Audio

Adaptation for avoiding natural disasters basis of creepy feeling

CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 3:17 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013 3:17 PM ET

The science behind that creepy ghost feeling 6:58

The science behind that creepy ghost feeling 6:58

Science now has a plausible explanation for ghost-sightings, hauntings and the ghoulish work of the evil spirits — a phenomenon called infrasound.

Infrasound is made up of sound waves so low that our human ears cannot detect it, science columnist Torah Kachur told CBC Radio West .

CBC science columnist Torah Kachur

"But our bodies still interpret it, and it makes that bone-chilling, hair-stand-on-end kind of feeling."

Infrasound has been found to cause physiological effects such as heart palpitations and respiratory change, and can distort the eyeballs to such a degree that "apparitions" can be observed, Kachur says.

She explains how infrasound was discovered, what scientists have learned about it since and how being able to detect infrasound may be an biological adaptation to avoid natural disasters. Also, how it might explain paranormal phenomena.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

How to see today's rare hybrid solar eclipse

A rare "hybrid" solar eclipse will take place this morning starting at sunrise and will be visible as a partial eclipse in Eastern Canada.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and casts its shadow on the Earth.

A hybrid eclipse is an unusual eclipse that morphs between a total eclipse — in which the moon completely covers the sun — and an annular eclipse, in which a brilliant halo of sunlight is still visible around the moon. The moon's apparent change in size is caused by the fact that its orbit around the Earth is elliptical, and it appears bigger when it is closer to the Earth.

'Even more unique'

Typically, a hybrid eclipse starts and ends as an annular eclipse but appears as a total eclipse in the middle.

However, today's eclipse is "even more unique," reports NASA, because it starts as an annular eclipse and ends as a total eclipse.

The eclipse will only be visible as annular or total along a narrow part of the path of the moon's shadow, and West Africa will get the best view.

In many other parts of the world, including Eastern Canada, it will appear as a partial eclipse, in which only part of the sun is covered by the moon.

"We're just going to see a little chunk taken out of the sun," said Colin Haig, vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in an interview Friday. "Maybe 25 per cent of sun will be nicked out by the moon, like a piece of pie where somebody took a big bite out of it."

Viewing tips

The eclipse will only be visible about as far west as London, Ont., and for most of Eastern Canada, it will be well underway at sunrise.

In Canada, the eclipse will be a partial one, with the moon covering only part of the sun. It will look similar to the solar eclipse this past May, as viewed from Bali, indonesia. (The Associated Press)

The one exception is in eastern Newfoundland, which will get the longest view.

Haig recommends that Canadians wishing to see the eclipse choose a vantage point with a clear view of the eastern horizon and look to the sky "as soon as you see the glow of the sun" before dawn.

According to predictions by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada:

• In Toronto, the eclipse will peak at 6:58 a.m. and end at 7:11 a.m.
• In Ottawa, it will peak at 6:47 a.m. and end at 7:12 a.m.
• In Montreal, it will peak at 6:35 a.m. and end at 7:12 a.m.
• In Halifax, it will peak at 7:16 a.m. and end at 8:15 a.m.
• In St. John's, it will start at 7:02 a.m., peak at 7:42 a.m. and end at 8:49 a.m.

Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can harm your eyesight and isn't recommended. Instead, eclipses can be viewed:

• By projecting an image of the sun onto a piece of paper through a lens such as a telescope or a pinhole in a piece of cardboard
• Through welder's goggles using Number 14 glass or higher or other special filters designed to protect the eyes from the sun's light.

Total eclipse streamed online

While Canadians will not be able to see the event as an annular or total eclipse directly, the eclipse will be streamed online by Slooh, an organization that has been connecting ground-based telescopes to the internet for public access since 2003.

Slooh will be streaming the event, along with commentary from astronomers, from Kenya, Gabon and the Canary Islands between 6:45 a.m. ET and 10:15 a.m. ET.

According to NASA, the greatest eclipse will take place about 330 kilometres southwest of Liberia at 12:47 UT (same as local time), lasting one minute and 39 seconds. It will get shorter as it moves west, last just one second during its final minutes in Somalia.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

10-year-old N.S. boy likely the youngest ever to spot Supernova

Nathan Gray points to his supernova find. He lives in the Valley. (CBC)

A 10-year-old boy in Nova Scotia has become the youngest person to discover a supernova, trumping his sister's record.

Nathan Gray spotted the possible exploding star on Wednesday night, with some help from his father. Former Royal Astronomical Society of Canada president Dave Lane took the astronomical images.

Nathan is just 33 days younger than his sister Kathryn was when she found her supernova.

"I was feeling kind of excited inside, really excited and kind of happy that I found one and knowing that I'm able to maybe find another one sometime," he said, mentioning that he had been trying to find one for the last six months.

"It kind of looks like a blinking star," said the young astronomer in a CBC Radio interview.

While the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada confirmed the discovery, astronomers with the International Astronomical Union will have to use their large telescope in order to officially verify Gray's finding. There's no word yet when that may happen.

"I'm going to keep searching for more," declared Nathan.

Click on the audio file to hear Nathan's story.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Google barge revealed to be marketing showroom

The mysterious barge docked in San Francisco Bay that has been fuelling intense speculation the past week will serve as a luxury showroom for Google products and a floating, modular venue for the company's private events, a local television station has revealed.

One of the Google products that will be displayed in the company's new floating marketing space will be Google Glass, which allows users to access the internet and call up a variety of information about what they're seeing around them. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

CBS affiliate KPIX 5 reported Friday that several sources confirmed that the large structure built out of shipping containers that sits on top of the barge will be used to market Google Glass, the much-hyped augmented reality headgear Google unveiled this year, and other products and to host invitation-only events and parties for clients.

The barge has been moored at Treasure Island, a former military base in San Francisco Bay, and was first noticed by media around September. A similar barge is docked on the other side of the country in Portland Harbour in Portland, Maine.

Some observers had speculated that the barges would be used as floating data centres that would use ocean water to cool the company's servers, pointing out that Google had received a patent for such a project in 2009.

Project thought up at Google[x]

Sources familiar with the project told KPIX Google's floating showroom has been a year in the making and was thought up at Google[x], the tech giant's secret ideas lab located near its corporate headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. 

A second barge almost identical to the one in San Francisco, is docked in Portland, Maine. A coast guard spokesman told the Portland Press Herald newspaper that work on the barge will begin after its San Francisco counterpart is complete. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald/Associated Press)

The Google[x] facility is run by company co-founder Sergey Brin and is where engineers, programmers and other company employees work on a list of 100 dream projects that Google hopes to make a reality. It's where slightly more far-out technologies are tested, such as driverless cars, Google Glass or the Project Loon balloons that Google launched into the stratosphere earlier this year as a way of connecting remote areas to the internet.

KPIX reported that a source who has been aboard the barge said the first three floors are designed to be impressive showrooms "that can be outfitted with chrome features and floor lighting." 

"There is an upper party deck meant to feature bars, lanais and other comforts so Google can fete its upscale customers," the station said.

The source told KPIX that the structure is constructed of interchangeable 12-metre high shipping containers that can be assembled and disassembled and transported by road, rail or ship anywhere in the world. 

Inspected by coast guard

The launch of the floating showroom has reportedly been delayed because the U.S. Coast Guard had to inspect it to ensure it had the necessary safety features required of a floating vessel and complied with marine environmental protection laws.

The local coast guard confirmed Thursday that it had inspected the vessel but would not give any further details.

Reporters first spotted the west coast barge during the September opening of a new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, but speculation about who owned it and what it was for heated up in recent weeks. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press)

​

"Regardless of the company or entity involved, the coast guard has an obligation to protect sensitive proprietary information, as a company's competitive posture and business interests depend on it," it said in a statement.

Google has so far refused to comment or even acknowledge the vessels belong to the company.

Reporters trying to trace the origin of the barges have found there are four registered in total to a Delaware corporation called By and Large LLC, an apparent nod to the fictitious company Buy and Large from the animation film WALL-E.

The barges have been registered under the names  BAL0001, BAL0010, BAL0011 and BAL0100, seemingly puns on binary code. Barge BAL0011 is the one in Portland; BAL0010 is the one housing the showroom structure in San Francisco; BAL0001 is also docked at Treasure Island but doesn't seem to have a structure built on it; and BAL0100 is so far unaccounted for.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

How to see Sunday's rare hybrid solar eclipse

A rare "hybrid" solar eclipse will take place on Sunday morning starting at sunrise and will be visible as a partial eclipse in Eastern Canada.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth and casts its shadow on the Earth.

A hybrid eclipse is an unusual eclipse that morphs between a total eclipse — in which the moon completely covers the sun — and an annular eclipse, in which a brilliant halo of sunlight is still visible around the moon. The moon's apparent change in size is caused by the fact that its orbit around the Earth is elliptical, and it appears bigger when it is closer to the Earth.

'Even more unique'

Typically, a hybrid eclipse starts and ends as an annular eclipse but appears as a total eclipse in the middle.

However, Sunday's eclipse is "even more unique," reports NASA, because it starts as an annular eclipse and ends as a total eclipse.

The eclipse will only be visible as annular or total along a narrow part of the path of the moon's shadow, and West Africa will get the best view.

In many other parts of the world, including Eastern Canada, it will appear as a partial eclipse, in which only part of the sun is covered by the moon.

"We're just going to see a little chunk taken out of the sun," said Colin Haig, vice-president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in an interview Friday. "Maybe 25 per cent of sun will be nicked out by the moon, like a piece of pie where somebody took a big bite out of it."

Viewing tips

The eclipse will only be visible about as far west as London, Ont., and for most of Eastern Canada, it will be well underway at sunrise.

In Canada, the eclipse will be a partial one, with the moon covering only part of the sun. It will look similar to the solar eclipse this past May, as viewed from Bali, indonesia. (The Associated Press)

The one exception is in eastern Newfoundland, which will get the longest view.

Haig recommends that Canadians wishing to see the eclipse choose a vantage point with a clear view of the eastern horizon and look to the sky "as soon as you see the glow of the sun" before dawn.

According to predictions by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada:

• In Toronto, the eclipse will peak at 6:58 a.m. and end at 7:11 a.m.
• In Ottawa, it will peak at 6:47 a.m. and end at 7:12 a.m.
• In Montreal, it will peak at 6:35 a.m. and end at 7:12 a.m.
• In Halifax, it will peak at 7:16 a.m. and end at 8:15 a.m.
• In St. John's, it will start at 7:02 a.m., peak at 7:42 a.m. and end at 8:49 a.m.

Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can harm your eyesight and isn't recommended. Instead, eclipses can be viewed:

• By projecting an image of the sun onto a piece of paper through a lens such as a telescope or a pinhole in a piece of cardboard
• Through welder's googles using Number 14 glass or higher or other special filters designed to protect the eyes from the sun's light.

Total eclipse streamed online

While Canadians will not be able to see the event as an annular or total eclipse directly, the eclipse will be streamed online by Slooh, an organization that has been connecting ground-based telescopes to the internet for public access since 2003.

Slooh will be streaming the event, along with commentary from astronomers, from Kenya, Gabon and the Canary Islands between 6:45 a.m. ET and 10:15 a.m. ET.

According to NASA, the greatest eclipse will take place about 330 kilometres southwest of Liberia at 12:47 UT (same as local time), lasting one minute and 39 seconds. It will get shorter as it moves west, last just one second during its final minutes in Somalia.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ghost sightings may be caused by sounds you can’t hear

Audio

Adaptation for avoiding natural disasters basis of creepy feeling

CBC News Posted: Nov 01, 2013 3:17 PM ET Last Updated: Nov 01, 2013 3:17 PM ET

The science behind that creepy ghost feeling 6:58

The science behind that creepy ghost feeling 6:58

Science now has a plausible explanation for ghost-sightings, hauntings and the ghoulish work of the evil spirits — a phenomenon called infrasound.

Infrasound is made up of sound waves so low that our human ears cannot detect it, science columnist Torah Kachur told CBC Radio West .

CBC science columnist Torah Kachur

"But our bodies still interpret it, and it makes that bone-chilling, hair-stand-on-end kind of feeling."

Infrasound has been found to cause physiological effects such as heart palpitations and respiratory change, and can distort the eyeballs to such a degree that "apparitions" can be observed, Kachur says.

She explains how infrasound was discovered, what scientists have learned about it since and how being able to detect infrasound may be an biological adaptation to avoid natural disasters. Also, how it might explain paranormal phenomena.

Comments on this story are pre-moderated. Before they appear, comments are reviewed by moderators to ensure they meet our submission guidelines. Comments are open and welcome for three days after the story is published. We reserve the right to close comments before then.

Submission Policy

Note: The CBC does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comments, you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that comments are moderated and published according to our submission guidelines.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

1st Earth-sized rocky planet found beyond solar system

Kepler-78b circles its star every eight and a half hours. (David A. Aguilar/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

Astronomers have found the first roughly Earth-sized planet outside our solar system that seems to be made of the same stuff as Earth: rock and iron.

While it's been speculated that other small planets found circling other stars are rocky, Kepler-78b is the first one confirmed to have a density almost identical to that of Earth, suggesting a similar composition, reported two studies published this week in the journal Nature. One was led by Andrew Howard at the University of Hawaii and the other by Francesco Pepe at the University of Geneva.

Kepler-78b is about double Earth`s mass and located about 400 light years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered earlier this year using NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, launched in 2009. The spacecraft has since gone out of service after its positioning system broke.

While it has some key similarities to Earth, one thing makes the two planets starkly different from one another — the distance between Kepler 78b and its star is just a hundredth of the distance between the Earth and the sun.

Hotter than 2,000 C

Because of that, Howard`s team estimates the temperature on the day side of the planet, facing the star, is between 2,000 and 2,800 C, making it uninhabitable.

"Any gaseous atmosphere around Kepler-78b would probably have been lost long ago to photoevaporation by the intense starlight," said the paper co-authored by Howard, assistant astronomer from the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Institute for Astronomy.

The planet's orbit, which takes it around its star just once every 8½ hours, has astronomers scratching their heads about how it ended up so close to its star, which used to be much bigger and would once have engulfed the orbit of Kepler-78b.

"It [Kepler 78-b] couldn't have formed in place because you can't form a planet inside a star," said Dimitar Sasselov, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who co-authored Pepe`s paper.

"It couldn't have formed further out and migrated inward, because it would have migrated all the way into the star. This planet is an enigma."

Measuring mass is tricky

While scientists have already confirmed the discovery of more than 150 planets by Kepler, including many that are roughly Earth-sized, it has been more difficult to confirm that some of them are rocky like Earth. Determining a planet`s composition requires astronomer`s to calculate its density, which requires them to know its mass and radius.

Measuring a planet`s mass is not easy. But the two research teams did it using a technique called ultra-high-precision Doppler spectroscopy.

Using an instrument on the 10-metre Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, Howard`s team observed subtle changes in the colour of starlight caused by the wobbling of the star. The wobbling is caused by the orbiting planet`s gravity. The data was used estimate the planet`s mass at 1.7 times that of Earth and its density as 5.3 to 5.6 grams per cubic centimetre.

University of Geneva astronomer Pepe and his colleagues did a similar calculation by using data from an instrument on the European Southern Observatory`s 3.6-metre telescope in La Silla, Chile, and came up with similar numbers — they estimated Kepler-78b has 1.9 times the mass of Earth and a density of 5.6 grams per cubic centimetres.

The Earth`s density is 5.5 grams per cubic centimetre, and a similar density implies a similar planetary composition.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

California driver to fight ticket for wearing Google Glass

An early adopter of Google's Internet-connected eyeglasses plans to fight a citation for wearing the device while driving in California, saying the technology makes navigation easier than smartphones and GPS devices.

Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding Tuesday, and a California Highway Patrol officer noticed she was wearing Google Glass and added a citation usually given to drivers who may be distracted by a video or TV screen.

A challenge to what may be a first-of-its-kind citation could force authorities to consider how best to regulate evolving gadgetry that will one day become mainstream.

The eyeglasses, which are not yet widely available to the public, feature a hidden computer and a thumbnail-size transparent display screen above the right eye. Users can scan maps for directions — as well as receive web search results, read email and engage in video chats — without reaching for a smartphone.

Abadie, a software developer, told The Associated Press that she was not using her Google Glass when she was pulled over.

It's unclear whether a citation for Google Glass has been issued before.

Abadie said she is surprised that wearing the glasses would be illegal and that she's "pretty sure" she will fight the ticket.

"The law is not clear, the laws are very outdated," Abadie said, suggesting that navigating with the device could be less distracting than with a GPS unit or phone.

Though Google Glass users can continue looking ahead, by glancing at the screen they still divert attention from the roadway and that can make the headgear dangerous, according to David Strayer, director of the University of Utah's Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving.

Legislators in at least three states — Delaware, New Jersey and West Virginia — have introduced bills that would ban driving with Google Glass.

A spokesman for Google did not reply to a request for comment. On its website, Google says this about using the headgear while driving: "Read up and follow the law. Above all, even when you're following the law, don't hurt yourself or others by failing to pay attention to the road."

About 10,000 units of the glasses have been distributed so far in the United States to "pioneers," and this week Google announced another 30,000 would be available for $1,500 apiece.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

China's Canadian designed high-tech man cave

IMAX says it will begin installing luxury home theatres in China at a cost of $250,000 and up. (David Gray/Reuters)

China's newly minted rich can now get up close and personal to the movies after mega-screen maker IMAX Corp signed a deal to produce luxury home theatres in the company's second largest market.

The fifty-fifty joint venture with Shenzhen-based TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Ltd will give Chinese the chance to watch IMAX-enhanced Hollywood blockbusters in the comfort of their homes, maybe even on the day of their world premieres.

The price? At least $250,000. The joint venture is targeting wealthy homeowners in Hong Kong, Russia, and the Middle East, but the main focus, IMAX Chief Executive Richard Gelfond said, is China.

"China now is our second largest market in the world, and our fastest growing market," Gelfond told Reuters on Friday. "We spend a lot of time concentrating on the Chinese market."

Mississauga, Ont.-based IMAX earns 16 percent of its revenue in China, and now has 131 screens installed there.

Like other global brands, IMAX is betting on the appetite of ultra-rich Chinese for luxury goods and unique experiences, which is also helping the sales of retailers like LVMH and Tiffany & Co.

The number of Chinese millionaires rose by more than 14 percent last year to 643,000, the most recent wealth survey by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management shows. The country is now home to the fourth largest number of high net-worth individuals in the world.

Neither IMAX nor TCL Multimedia Chief Financial Officer Edmond Chen would forecast how many home systems the company expects to sell when it kicks of production in 2015. The deal was signed this week.

TCL estimates annual growth for home theatre sets is likely to exceed 20 percent in the next five years. It said the market for home theatres may be about 2,000 sets now.

In July, IMAX announced an agreement with local conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group Corp to build up to 120 new theaters in China. The deal would raise the number of IMAX theaters to about 400, with Wanda running around half.

Gelfond in September helped Dalian Wanda launch a $8 billion production, entertainment and real estate project in the coastal city of Qingdao, surrounded by stars including Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Parasites seize control over animal and human behaviour

Parasites can invade animals, including humans, and control their behaviour from the inside. But this also means parasites may be able to teach us how to control our own brains and treat neurological diseases, a new documentary shows.

An ant from the rainforests of Brazil that has been overcome by a lethal fungus. The fungus grows a tall stalk out of the ant's head so that its spores can be spread to the rest of the colony. (David Hughes/CBC)

​"If a parasite can hijack a rat or a caterpillar because it knows what to do with the brain chemistry, or it knows what to target, it can do that to us too," said David Wells, producer of Invasion of the Brain Snatchers, which airs on CBC-TV's The Nature of Things tonight at 8 p.m.

"As we start to understand our brains as biochemical machines, and that we're not any different than other creatures, it is very unsettling to a lot of people."

Guided by scientists from North America and Europe, Wells portrays the effectiveness of animal mind-control by parasites.

In the coastal estuaries of California, a small flatworm forms cysts on the brain of a tiny killifish and forces the fish to turn its white belly up towards the sky in order to attract hungry birds. After all, the flatworm wants to end up in the bird so that it can finish its life cycle.

'We want the ick factor to trigger people's curiosity.'- David Wells, producer of Invasion of the Brain Snatchers

Ants in the Brazilian rainforest climb up the stalks of plants over their colony when they are infected by a fungus, latch on to the underside of leaves, and die. When the fungus matures, a large mushroom grows out the back of the ant's head and spreads fungal spores over the ant colony.

A rat that loses its fear of cats on busy city streets puts its own life in great danger. Infection by Toxoplasma gondii causes a "fatal feline attraction" in rats, according to Joanne Webster at Imperial College in London, England. This parasite not only removes fear from rats, but they become strongly attracted to the smell of a cat.

The really surprising revelation is that Toxoplasma gondii can, and does, infect humans as well. 

"As many as a billion adults are (currently) infected with Toxoplasma," said Wells.

This parasite may be causing people to be a little bit more impulsive or spontaneous, but its effects are hard to characterize.

The filmmakers push the boundaries of the ick factor in this film, said Wells, enticing you to keep watching and asking viewers, "You think that was something? Wait until you see what we've got next." 

The black spots on the brain of a killifish are cysts that are caused by a parasitic flatworm. (Kelly Weinersmith/CBC)

The film isn't intended to be alarmist, he added.

"We wanted the 'ick factor' to trigger people's curiosity," said Wells. "These parasites are doing things (with the brain) that we just can't do."

This film reminds us that parasites have co-evolved with humans, and that they might already have the key to unlocking the secrets of the brain and the key to treatments for neurological disorders like depression.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More