ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2010) — For the first time, astronomers have directly observed the mysterious dark companion in a binary star system that has puzzled skywatchers since the 19th century.
Using an instrument developed at the University of Michigan, scientists have taken close-up pictures of Epsilon Aurigae during its eclipse, which happens every 27 years. "Close up" in this case is a relative term, but the images zoom in enough to show the shape of the dark object's shadow.
"Seeing is believing," said John Monnier, an associate professor in the U-M Department of Astronomy who is an author of a paper about the research findings published in the April 8 edition of Nature. Researchers from the University of Denver and Georgia State University were involved as well.
Epsilon Aurigae is the fifth brightest star in the northern constellation Auriga. For more than 175 years, astronomers have known it is dimmer than it should be, given its mass. They also noticed its brightness dip for more than a year every few decades. They surmised that it was a binary system in which one companion was invisible. But what type of object was the companion?
Because astronomers hadn't observed much light from it, the prevailing theory labeled it a smaller star orbited edge-on by a thick disk of dust. The theory held that the disk's orbit must be in precisely the same plane as the dark object's orbit around the brighter star, and all of this had to be occurring in the same plane as Earth's vantage point. This would be an unlikely alignment, but it explained observations.
The new images show that this is indeed the case. A geometrically thin, dark, dense, but partially translucent cloud can be seen passing in front of Epsilon Aurigae.
"This really shows that the basic paradigm was right, despite the slim probability," Monnier said. "It kind of blows my mind that we could capture this. There's no other system like this known. On top of that, it seems to be in a rare phase of stellar life. And it happens to be so close to us. It's extremely fortuitous."
The disk appears much flatter than recent modeling from the Spitzer Space Telescope suggests, Monnier said.
"It's really flat as a pancake," he said.
Monnier led the creation of the Michigan Infra-Red Combiner (MIRC) instrument that was used to produce these images. MIRC uses a process called "interferometry" to combine the light entering four telescopes at the CHARA array at Georgia State University and amplify it so that it seems to be coming through a device 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope.
MIRC allowed astronomers to see the shape and surface characteristics of stars for the first time. Previously, stars were mere points of light even with the largest telescopes.
"Interferometry has made high resolution imaging of distant objects a reality," said Fabien Baron, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Astronomy who helped with the imaging in this study. "It most probably will solve many mysteries but also raise many new questions."
How to Hunt for Exoplanets
ScienceDaily (Mar. 3, 2010) — A new report launched by the Institute of Physics (IOP) Exoplanets -- The search for planets beyond our solar system explains how new technological advances have seen the discovery of more than 400 exoplanets to date, a number expected to rise to thousands in the next few years.
The report details how new techniques and instruments are providing growing observational evidence that our home galaxy -- the Milky Way with its 100 billion stars -- could contain millions of solar systems.
Discovering a distant exoplanet should be almost impossible but astronomers have used their understanding of physics, combined with sophisticated instrumentation and data analysis, to detect signals indicating the presence of a planet.
The first exoplanets were discovered in 1991 using radial velocity measurements, the detecting and measuring of the gravitational tug that expolanets exert on their parent stars, which causes the stars to wobble.
Other detection methods include transit observation (measuring the dimming of a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it) or nulling interferometry (where light waves received by several telescopes are combined to give a proportionately higher-resolution image).
Today, direct detection of the visible and infrared light from giant planets in wide orbits is becoming increasingly possible.
In particular, UK researchers have been heavily involved in a new adaptive optics system, the Gemini Plant Imager, which will enable vastly more sensitive searches for fainter planets in closer orbits -- and take us one step closer to discovering a second Earth.
Dr Robert Kirby-Harris, chief executive at IOP, said: "This report outlines exciting developments in detecting planets which might -- just might -- be able to support life in distant solar systems. It provides yet another illustration of how the techniques and knowledge provided by physics which help us to further our understanding of the universe."
The report details how new techniques and instruments are providing growing observational evidence that our home galaxy -- the Milky Way with its 100 billion stars -- could contain millions of solar systems.
Discovering a distant exoplanet should be almost impossible but astronomers have used their understanding of physics, combined with sophisticated instrumentation and data analysis, to detect signals indicating the presence of a planet.
The first exoplanets were discovered in 1991 using radial velocity measurements, the detecting and measuring of the gravitational tug that expolanets exert on their parent stars, which causes the stars to wobble.
Other detection methods include transit observation (measuring the dimming of a star's brightness as a planet passes in front of it) or nulling interferometry (where light waves received by several telescopes are combined to give a proportionately higher-resolution image).
Today, direct detection of the visible and infrared light from giant planets in wide orbits is becoming increasingly possible.
In particular, UK researchers have been heavily involved in a new adaptive optics system, the Gemini Plant Imager, which will enable vastly more sensitive searches for fainter planets in closer orbits -- and take us one step closer to discovering a second Earth.
Dr Robert Kirby-Harris, chief executive at IOP, said: "This report outlines exciting developments in detecting planets which might -- just might -- be able to support life in distant solar systems. It provides yet another illustration of how the techniques and knowledge provided by physics which help us to further our understanding of the universe."
Our Universe at Home Within a Larger Universe? So Suggests Physicist's Wormhole Research
ScienceDaily (Apr. 7, 2010) — Could our universe be located within the interior of a wormhole which itself is part of a black hole that lies within a much larger universe?
Such a scenario in which the universe is born from inside a wormhole (also called an Einstein-Rosen Bridge) is suggested in a paper from Indiana University theoretical physicist Nikodem Poplawski in Physics Letters B. The final version of the paper was available online March 29 and will be published in the journal edition April 12.
Poplawski takes advantage of the Euclidean-based coordinate system called isotropic coordinates to describe the gravitational field of a black hole and to model the radial geodesic motion of a massive particle into a black hole.
In studying the radial motion through the event horizon (a black hole's boundary) of two different types of black holes -- Schwarzschild and Einstein-Rosen, both of which are mathematically legitimate solutions of general relativity -- Poplawski admits that only experiment or observation can reveal the motion of a particle falling into an actual black hole. But he also notes that since observers can only see the outside of the black hole, the interior cannot be observed unless an observer enters or resides within.
"This condition would be satisfied if our universe were the interior of a black hole existing in a bigger universe," he said. "Because Einstein's general theory of relativity does not choose a time orientation, if a black hole can form from the gravitational collapse of matter through an event horizon in the future then the reverse process is also possible. Such a process would describe an exploding white hole: matter emerging from an event horizon in the past, like the expanding universe."
A white hole is connected to a black hole by an Einstein-Rosen bridge (wormhole) and is hypothetically the time reversal of a black hole. Poplawski's paper suggests that all astrophysical black holes, not just Schwarzschild and Einstein-Rosen black holes, may have Einstein-Rosen bridges, each with a new universe inside that formed simultaneously with the black hole.
"From that it follows that our universe could have itself formed from inside a black hole existing inside another universe," he said.
By continuing to study the gravitational collapse of a sphere of dust in isotropic coordinates, and by applying the current research to other types of black holes, views where the universe is born from the interior of an Einstein-Rosen black hole could avoid problems seen by scientists with the Big Bang theory and the black hole information loss problem which claims all information about matter is lost as it goes over the event horizon (in turn defying the laws of quantum physics).
This model in isotropic coordinates of the universe as a black hole could explain the origin of cosmic inflation, Poplawski theorizes.
Poplawski is a research associate in the IU Department of Physics. He holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics from Indiana University and a M.S. in astronomy from the University of Warsaw, Poland.
Such a scenario in which the universe is born from inside a wormhole (also called an Einstein-Rosen Bridge) is suggested in a paper from Indiana University theoretical physicist Nikodem Poplawski in Physics Letters B. The final version of the paper was available online March 29 and will be published in the journal edition April 12.
Poplawski takes advantage of the Euclidean-based coordinate system called isotropic coordinates to describe the gravitational field of a black hole and to model the radial geodesic motion of a massive particle into a black hole.
In studying the radial motion through the event horizon (a black hole's boundary) of two different types of black holes -- Schwarzschild and Einstein-Rosen, both of which are mathematically legitimate solutions of general relativity -- Poplawski admits that only experiment or observation can reveal the motion of a particle falling into an actual black hole. But he also notes that since observers can only see the outside of the black hole, the interior cannot be observed unless an observer enters or resides within.
"This condition would be satisfied if our universe were the interior of a black hole existing in a bigger universe," he said. "Because Einstein's general theory of relativity does not choose a time orientation, if a black hole can form from the gravitational collapse of matter through an event horizon in the future then the reverse process is also possible. Such a process would describe an exploding white hole: matter emerging from an event horizon in the past, like the expanding universe."
A white hole is connected to a black hole by an Einstein-Rosen bridge (wormhole) and is hypothetically the time reversal of a black hole. Poplawski's paper suggests that all astrophysical black holes, not just Schwarzschild and Einstein-Rosen black holes, may have Einstein-Rosen bridges, each with a new universe inside that formed simultaneously with the black hole.
"From that it follows that our universe could have itself formed from inside a black hole existing inside another universe," he said.
By continuing to study the gravitational collapse of a sphere of dust in isotropic coordinates, and by applying the current research to other types of black holes, views where the universe is born from the interior of an Einstein-Rosen black hole could avoid problems seen by scientists with the Big Bang theory and the black hole information loss problem which claims all information about matter is lost as it goes over the event horizon (in turn defying the laws of quantum physics).
This model in isotropic coordinates of the universe as a black hole could explain the origin of cosmic inflation, Poplawski theorizes.
Poplawski is a research associate in the IU Department of Physics. He holds an M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics from Indiana University and a M.S. in astronomy from the University of Warsaw, Poland.
Moral Judgments Can Be Altered: Neuroscientists Influence People’s Moral Judgments by Disrupting Specific Brain Region
ScienceDaily (Mar. 30, 2010) — MIT neuroscientists have shown they can influence people's moral judgments by disrupting a specific brain region -- a finding that helps reveal how the brain constructs morality.
To make moral judgments about other people, we often need to infer their intentions -- an ability known as "theory of mind." For example, if a hunter shoots his friend while on a hunting trip, we need to know what the hunter was thinking: Was he secretly jealous, or did he mistake his friend for a duck?
Previous studies have shown that a brain region known as the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is highly active when we think about other people's intentions, thoughts and beliefs. In the new study, the researchers disrupted activity in the right TPJ by inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp. They found that the subjects' ability to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions -- for example, a failed murder attempt -- was impaired.
The researchers, led by Rebecca Saxe, MIT assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study offers "striking evidence" that the right TPJ, located at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, says Liane Young, lead author of the paper. It's also startling, since under normal circumstances people are very confident and consistent in these kinds of moral judgments, says Young, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," she says. "To be able to apply (a magnetic field) to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
How they did it: The researchers used a non-invasive technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to selectively interfere with brain activity in the right TPJ. A magnetic field applied to a small area of the skull creates weak electric currents that impede nearby brain cells' ability to fire normally, but the effect is only temporary.
In one experiment, volunteers were exposed to TMS for 25 minutes before taking a test in which they read a series of scenarios and made moral judgments of characters' actions on a scale of 1 (absolutely forbidden) to 7 (absolutely permissible).
In a second experiment, TMS was applied in 500-milisecond bursts at the moment when the subject was asked to make a moral judgment. For example, subjects were asked to judge how permissible it is for someone to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knows to be unsafe, even if she ends up making it across safely. In such cases, a judgment based solely on the outcome would hold the perpetrator morally blameless, even though it appears he intended to do harm.
In both experiments, the researchers found that when the right TPJ was disrupted, subjects were more likely to judge failed attempts to harm as morally permissible. Therefore, the researchers believe that TMS interfered with subjects' ability to interpret others' intentions, forcing them to rely more on outcome information to make their judgments.
Next steps: Young is now doing a study on the role of the right TPJ in judgments of people who are morally lucky or unlucky. For example, a drunk driver who hits and kills a pedestrian is unlucky, compared to an equally drunk driver who makes it home safely, but the unlucky homicidal driver tends to be judged more morally blameworthy.
To make moral judgments about other people, we often need to infer their intentions -- an ability known as "theory of mind." For example, if a hunter shoots his friend while on a hunting trip, we need to know what the hunter was thinking: Was he secretly jealous, or did he mistake his friend for a duck?
Previous studies have shown that a brain region known as the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is highly active when we think about other people's intentions, thoughts and beliefs. In the new study, the researchers disrupted activity in the right TPJ by inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp. They found that the subjects' ability to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions -- for example, a failed murder attempt -- was impaired.
The researchers, led by Rebecca Saxe, MIT assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences, report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study offers "striking evidence" that the right TPJ, located at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, says Liane Young, lead author of the paper. It's also startling, since under normal circumstances people are very confident and consistent in these kinds of moral judgments, says Young, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences.
"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," she says. "To be able to apply (a magnetic field) to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."
How they did it: The researchers used a non-invasive technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to selectively interfere with brain activity in the right TPJ. A magnetic field applied to a small area of the skull creates weak electric currents that impede nearby brain cells' ability to fire normally, but the effect is only temporary.
In one experiment, volunteers were exposed to TMS for 25 minutes before taking a test in which they read a series of scenarios and made moral judgments of characters' actions on a scale of 1 (absolutely forbidden) to 7 (absolutely permissible).
In a second experiment, TMS was applied in 500-milisecond bursts at the moment when the subject was asked to make a moral judgment. For example, subjects were asked to judge how permissible it is for someone to let his girlfriend walk across a bridge he knows to be unsafe, even if she ends up making it across safely. In such cases, a judgment based solely on the outcome would hold the perpetrator morally blameless, even though it appears he intended to do harm.
In both experiments, the researchers found that when the right TPJ was disrupted, subjects were more likely to judge failed attempts to harm as morally permissible. Therefore, the researchers believe that TMS interfered with subjects' ability to interpret others' intentions, forcing them to rely more on outcome information to make their judgments.
Next steps: Young is now doing a study on the role of the right TPJ in judgments of people who are morally lucky or unlucky. For example, a drunk driver who hits and kills a pedestrian is unlucky, compared to an equally drunk driver who makes it home safely, but the unlucky homicidal driver tends to be judged more morally blameworthy.
Stress Hormone, Depression Trigger Obesity in Girls, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2010) — Depression raises stress hormone levels in adolescent boys and girls but may lead to obesity only in girls, according to researchers. Early treatment of depression could help reduce stress and control obesity -- a major health issue.
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
"This is the first time cortisol reactivity has been identified as a mediator between depressed mood and obesity in girls," said Elizabeth J. Susman, the Jean Phillips Shibley professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State. "We really haven't seen this connection in kids before, but it tells us that there are biological risk factors that are similar for obesity and depression."
Cortisol, a hormone, regulates various metabolic functions in the body and is released as a reaction to stress. Researchers have long known that depression and cortisol are related to obesity, but they had not figured out the exact biological mechanism.
Although it is not clear why high cortisol reactions translate into obesity only for girls, scientists believe it may be due to physiological and behavioral differences -- estrogen release and stress eating in girls -- in the way the two genders cope with anxiety.
"The implications are to start treating depression early because we know that depression, cortisol and obesity are related in adults," said Susman.
If depression were to be treated earlier, she noted, it could help reduce the level of cortisol, and thereby help reduce obesity.
"We know stress is a critical factor in many mental and physical health problems," said Susman. "We are putting together the biology of stress, emotions and a clinical disorder to better understand a major public health problem."
Susman and her colleagues Lorah D. Dorn, professor of pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and Samantha Dockray, postdoctoral fellow, University College London, used a child behavior checklist to assess 111 boys and girls ages 8 to 13 for symptoms of depression. Next they measured the children's obesity and the level of cortisol in their saliva before and after various stress tests.
"We had the children tell a story, make up a story, and do a mental arithmetic test," said Susman. "The children were also told that judges would evaluate the test results with those of other children."
Statistical analyses of the data suggest that depression is associated with spikes in cortisol levels for boys and girls after the stress tests, but higher cortisol reactions to stress are associated with obesity only in girls. The team reported its findings in a recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
"In these children, it was mainly the peak in cortisol that was related to obesity," Susman explained. "It was how they reacted to an immediate stress."
The National Institutes of Health supported this work.
Cina cea de taina isi dezvaluie noi secrete!
Este vorba, poate, de cel mai studiat, analizat, uneori satirizat, si, cu siguranta, cel mai cunoscut tablou creat vreodata... Cina cea de taina a lui Leonardo de Vinci. Cercetatorii Olivier Bauer, Nancy Labonte, Jonas Saint-Martin and Sebastien Fillion de la Universitatea de Teologie din Montreal sustin ca au gasit noi mistere ascunse in imaginea creata de Da Vinci in urma cu peste cinci secole.
"Ne-am intrebat de ce Da Vinci a ales un anumit tip de mancare, si asta pentru eqa nu corespunde textelor biblice", sustine Bauer. "De ce a ales painea, pestele, sarea, citricile si vinul? De ce solnita este varsata in fata lui Iuda? De ce painea este dospita cand se stie ca evreii din acea perioada nu foloseau decat paine nedospita?"
Cei patru savanti sustin ca nu vor sa dea apa la moara unor noi ipoteze precum cele induse de scriitorul Dan brown in deja celebra sa lucrare "Codul lui Da Vinci", dar sunt de acord, la unison, ca pictura contine simboluri contradictorii si, de multe ori, cu dublu inteles. Spre exemplu, imaginea unei solnite este un simbol al ghinionului. Dar, se intreaba cercetatorii, ea nu ar putea sugera reabilitarea, indicand faptul ca Iuda fusese ales pentru rolul sau si, implicit, absolvit de vina? Si de ce este el singurul personaj a carui farfurie este goala? Ar putea insemna acest lucru ca, in loc sa fie singurul personaj malefic din imagine, el este singurul care si-a inteles menirea?
Pestele care apare in imagini este, evident, un simbol al crestinismului si al faptului ca Iisus si-a ales discipolii dintre pescarii ce traiau pe malul lacului Tiberias. Dar nu este clar daca pestele din imagini este tipar sau hering. Exista voci care sustin ca tipar, in limba italiana, se pronunta aringa, cuvint care pronuntat arringa, inseamna indoctrinare. Acelasi cuvant, in nordul Italiei, se pronunta renga, insemnand cel ce neaga religia.
Dincolo de aceste intrebari, pictura continua sa fascineze, mai ales dupa restaurarea complexa ce a avut loc intre anii 1979-1999, restaurare ce a readus in lumina detalii necunoscute de secole.
A fost prins primul chupacabra viu?
Misterul care inconjura asa numitul chupacabra pare sa se fi apropiat de final, odata cu capturarea unui exemplar, nu in America Centrala sau de Sud, asa cum probabil va asteptati, ci in China, in satul Suining, provincia Sichuan.
In cazul de fata, animalul nu exsanguina caprele satenilor ci pasarile de curte ale acestora. De altfel, zgomotul facut de gainile unui localnic a si dus la prinderea creaturii. Speriat, sateanul a incercat sa goneasca animalul folosindu-se de un bat dar, conform martorilor oculari, setea de sange a animalului l-a determinat sa nu paraseasca adapostul pasarilor de curte si sa continue sa le ucida . Alarmati, vecinii sateanului au reusit, intr-un final, sa captureze creatura si sa o inchida intr-o cusca metalica.
Animalul pare, la prima vedere, un mix intre cangur si caine, cu gheare deosebit de mari si de puternice. Are aproape 60 de centimetri lungime si o coada lunga de 30 de centimetri. Localnicii sustin ca este extrem de agresiv si ca poate consuma atat carne cat si vegetale.
Cea mai mare parte a blanii i-a cazut, doar cateva smocuri de par maroniu ramanand vizibile pe spate. In prezent, animalul se afla in atentia specialistilor de la Departamentul Forestier al Provinciei Sichuan, acolo unde analizele vor stabili natura misterioasei creaturi.
Uitate pe nedrept, trecute sub tacere de dezinteresul majoritatii cercetatorilor, pe teritoriul Romaniei exista nenumarate zone unde realitatea este invinsa de paranormal si unde taramurile se contopesc in soapte de legende, mistere si povesti incredibile. O parte a acestora sunt amintite mai jos. Ordinea in care sunt prezentate este absolut intamplatoare, nu am incercat sa alcatuim un top. La urma urmei, nu exista termen de comparatie intre locurile tainice cu care a fost binecuvantat sau blestemat pamantul romanesc.
Uitate pe nedrept, trecute sub tacere de dezinteresul majoritatii cercetatorilor, pe teritoriul Romaniei exista nenumarate zone unde realitatea este invinsa de paranormal si unde taramurile se contopesc in soapte de legende, mistere si povesti incredibile. O parte a acestora sunt amintite mai jos. Ordinea in care sunt prezentate este absolut intamplatoare, nu am incercat sa alcatuim un top. La urma urmei, nu exista termen de comparatie intre locurile tainice cu care a fost binecuvantat sau blestemat pamantul romanesc.
Polovragi – Adevarata pestera a lui Zamolxis?
Pe malul Oltetului, intr-o ambianta de vis, in mijlocul naturii ne priveste ochiul negru al unei pesteri in care a fiintat odinioara insusi Zamolxis, Zeul-Om atat de iubit de daci. Numita printre altele, pestera lui Zamolxis, Pestera lui Pahomie sau Pestera Polovragi, formatiunea carstica din muntii Olteniei ascunde taine nebanuite. Profesorul Nicolae Simionescu dezvaluie o parte din denumirea de Polovragi, sugerand ca se trage din existenta unei campii “Poleo” unde se adunau vracii si initiatii dacilor. Ermitii daci erau capabili sa vindece toate bolile vremurilor cu ajutorul plantei magice numita Polovraga, planta disparuta in zilele noastre. Polovragi este, de asemenea, pestera descrisa de Mihai Eminescu in poemul “Memento mori”.
Conform legendelor, Zamolxis era detinator al unor puteri uluitoare, fiind capabil sa-si schimbe dupa dorinta infatisarea din tanar in batran. Prin pestera Polovragi, zeul suprem al geto-dacilor intra in adancuri pentru a iesi peste munti la cetatea Sarmizegetusei. Cand speologii au cercetat pestera in premiera, acum circa 100 de ani, au fost uluiti sa descopere urme de picioare umane incaltate, vechi de 2.000 de ani, fara indoiala urme de daci.
Zvonurile despre comorile dacice ascunse in Polovragi au atras sumedenie de rauvoitori si aventurieri lacomi. Toti acestia au avut parte de morti tragice in incercarile lor nesabuite de a tulbura linistea locului. Se spune ca blestemul lui Zamolxis inca vegheaza locul . Stau marturie zecile de cazuri, povestite in popor, despre ciobani carora le-au disparut oile, vacari care au ramas fara vacile din fata ochilor, nuntasi carora le disparea de pe mese bautura si mancarea - lasandu-i muti de spaima si bolnavi de nebunie.
Entuziastii fenomenelor paranormale numesc zona “Triunghiul Bermudelor din Oltenia". O intamplare demna de retinut este acea care vizeaza cunoscutul obicei al lui Tudor Valdimirescu de a reveni pentru rugaciune in preajma zidurilor Manastirii Polovragi. O iscalitura a sa ramasa in manastire se adauga variantei neoficiale in care o sosie a sa ar fi fost ucisa de eteristi, pe cand Domnul Tudor, un initiat al vremii, a ramasa in manastire pentru a trai deghizat in calugar pana la sfarsitul vietii.
Sinca Veche & enigmele bisericii din stanca
Situat in frumoasa Tara a Fagarasului, Sinca Veche este un fascinant si stravechi sat romanesc care a avut candva patru biserici, trei de lemn si una din piatra; in prezent pastrandu-se doar biserica de piatra, care este si cea mai veche. Aceasta a fost construita pe locul unui strabun loc sacru despre care cercetatorii spun ca are o vechime uluitoare de circa 7.000 de ani. Cu toate ca exista numeroase voci care afirma ca biserica a fost unul dintre primele locuri de cult crestin din Dacia, o parte a specialistilor atrage atentia asupra inscriptiilor ne-crestine de pe unul dintre peretii altarului. Conform preotului Silvestru Popovici din Sinca Veche, acest perete face parte din biserica interioara, din pestera, care a fost in mare parte distrusa de catre cei care au sapat de-a lungul veacurilor in cautare de comori.
Incarcatura subtila a acestui loc se manifesta uneori prin aparitii inexplicabile de sfere de lumina, cruci si semne stranii . Pe unul dintre pereti se mai poate observa o sculptura a unui cap de dac cu barba, plete si cusma. Zona mai este celebra in randul initiatilor deoarece aici, in prejma marilor sarbatori religioase, unii oameni spun ca aud coruri care canta cantece de o frumusete nelumeasca. Toti cei care au auzit corul din alta lume au fost frapati de faptul ca, desi muzica parea bisericeasca, iar cuvintele se auzeau clar, nu reuseau sa retina sensul lor. Termenii nu sunau romaneste si totusi nu pareau straini de limba romana arhaica. Sa fi fost cantece in limba daca?
Despre sacralitatea acestui loc vorbesc numeroase intamplari, precum povestea lui Gheorghe Moldovan, un localnic urmarit de Securitate in anul 1953 pentru colaborare cu Rezistenta Anticomunista din Fagaras. Moldovan viseaza niste fiinte de lumina care-l avertizeaza si-l sfatuiesc unde sa se ascunda pentru a nu fi gasit. 43 de ani mai tarziu, in 1996, reporterul TVR Lucian Babeanu a intrat in pestera dorind sa traga cateva cadre si cu aceasta pentru o emisiune cand, spre stupoarea cameramanului, camera video a inceput sa porneasca si sa se opreasca singura, neraspunzand la comenzi. Crezand ca aparatul de filmat este defect, echipa a parasit pestera, iar in studiouri, cand au vizionat ceea ce se inregistrase, au avut surpriza sa observe sfere de lumina stralucitoare care roiau in adancul bisericii…
Blestemul comorilor din Baragan
Pentru majoritatea romanilor, Baraganul nu este altceva decat o campie nesfarsita unde iarna musca viscolul, iar vara soarele arde ucigator. Insa, foarte putini oameni cunosc suita de mistere care invaluie oceanul de campie dintre Marea Neagra, Carpati si Dunare, un taram evocat deseori de Panait Istrati si Fanus Neagu. Conform legendelor locale, in pamanturile campiei se afla ingropate numeroase comori pazite de blesteme crunte. Undeva intre Calarasi si Lehliu se gaseste satul Dor Marunt, celebru nu demult pentru frumosii armasari care alcatuiau cea mai mare herghelie de cai de rasa din Baragan. Aici se afla, insa, ingropate si comori stravechi strajuite de flacari ireale, de un albastru nelumesc care danseaza in puterea noptii pe necuprinsul campurilor.
Celebru in acest sens este locul denumit La Movila, unde, inainte de Revolutia din 1989, un satean a descoperit in timp ce ara, un ulcior plin cu bani de aur. Fire marinimoasa, localnicul i-a impartit frateste cu ceilalti sateni. Nu a durat mult pana cand despre aceasta isprava a aflat si Militia, care s-a autoinfintat si a confiscat taranilor toate monedele gasite.
Soarta blestemata a comorilor este intarita de povestea lui Gheorghe Prepelita, un satean care a descoperit peste 100 de monezi de aur. Prepelita nu a suflat un cuvant, dar satenii vedeau cum neamul lui isi construieste case si grajduri noi, se imbraca scump, isi cumpara turme de oi si vite. Blestemul comorii nu dormea: la 7 luni de la descoperirea averii, nevasta lui Prepelita se arunca fara motiv intr-o fantana. La cateva saptamani dupa, ginerele sateanului are aceeasi soarta, pentru ca, peste un an de zile, fiica lui Prepelita sa se spanzure de aceeasi fantana.
La fel de sinistru este - spun legendele - si blestemul comorii lui Pintecan, un alt satean care a gasit un butoias cu galbeni de aur ingropat la radacina unui nuc. In noaptea imediat urmatoare, “norocosul” Pintecan aude in vis o voce care-i porunceste sa construiasca o biserica pe locul unde a descoperit banii sau il va ajunge blestemul comorii. Dimineata, Pintecan a ignorat visul, grabit sa se imbogateasca. Si-a impartit comoara in familie si s-a apucat de afaceri prospere. La doi ani de la eveniment, cand se intorcea acasa si-a gasit baietelul de doi ani spanzurat intre gratiile de la patut. In noaptea nenorocirii, a visat din nou aceeasi voce care l-a avetizat ca daca nu face biserica, va fi lovit de necazuri si mai mari. Socat, omul a construit cea de-a doua biserica a satului, care este vizibila si astazi.
Fantomele de pe Dealul Luncanilor
Undeva in inima Moldovei, intre orasele Iasi si Pascani, se fla satul Sarca din care se poate ajunge in comuna Luncani. Faptele stranii petrecute aici avertizeaza orice drumet care vrea sa plece la ceas de seara spre Luncani. Mai ales daca drumetul este un om bun cu inima curata, deoarece fantomele pripasite in aceste locuri, pandesc in special pe cei cu suflet bun. Stau marturie in acest sens, intamplarile inspaimantatoare prin care au trecut destul de recent oameni precum Elena Surugiu, Petruta Muscalul, Maria Piper si altii.
Salasul fantomelor din zona este cantonat undeva la captul unui iaz secat, unde - conform povestilor - oamenilor le apar stafii care-i urmaresc cale de 3 kilometri pana in satul Goesti. Batranii povestesc ca in locul blestemat au fost ingropati fara imparatasanie si lumanare multi soldati ucisi in 1917, in decursul primului Razboi Mondial. Astfel se explica de ce zeci de drumeti spun ca au vazut odata cu caderea noptii, siluete translucide, albe si tacute care pluteau alaturi de ei, intotdeuna pe partea dreapta a drumului. Batranii spun ca soldatii-fantome, care acum sunt prinsi intre lumi, stafiile lor aparandu-le in special oamenilor cu suflet bun si copiilor, asteapta ca pe dealul Luncanilor sa se faca o slujba de pomenire a sufletelor si o sfintire a locului.
Costesti, locul unde duhurile dau cu pietre
Localitatea Costesti din judetul Arges a figurat acum cativa ani in toiul dezbaterilor specialistilor in paranormal. Cazul in sine a fost observat si filmat de numerosi martori oculari, ceea ce-i da un plus de credibilitate. Totul a inceput in noaptea zilei de 20 martie 1997, cand asupra casei familiei Panait Draghici s-a abatut din senin o ploaie de pietre de diferite dimensiuni, in urma careia atat proprietarii, cat si vecinii lor s-au ales cu o spaima sora cu moarte, precum si cu acoperisurile distruse si ferestrele sparte. Dupa prima seara “paranormala”, ploaia de pietre a continuat a doua zi, tot la lasarea serii. Pana in noaptea de 24 martie, inainte de sarbatoarea de Bunavestire, intamplarea s-a repetat consecutiv in fiecare seara, politia locala din Costesti rezumandu-se la a observa ciudatul fenomen alaturi de tot satul, dupa care a intocmit un raport de pagube si distrugere fara faptas. Dupa Bunavestire, ploaia de pietre a incetat brusc. Linistea a durat doar pana pe 29 august 1997, cand tirurile de pietre aruncate de maini invizibile au reinceput mai violent decat in primavara. Oamenii au apelat la Georgica Cretu, preotul paroh din Costesti care a venit in casa lor chiar in timpul unei ploi de pietre pentru a citi cu glas tare Moliftele Sfantului Vasile cel Mare. Spre surprinderea tuturor, pe intreaga durata a slujbei atacul a incetat, pentru a reincepe insa la scurt timp dupa aceea…
Culmea manifestarilor bizare din Costesti s-a inregistrat pe 4 septembrie 1997. In acea zi, mobilele au inceput sa se miste prin casa dintr-o camera in alta, mutate parca de niste carausi invizibili. Peste doar cateva zile, crestinii urmau sa sarbatoreasca Nasterea Prea Sfintei Fecioare Maria. Linistea s-a asternut de atunci asupra gospodariei familiei Draghici. Entuziastii fenomenelor paranormale sunt de parere ca atacul s-a datorat unor demoni sau unor furtuni magnetice. Altii inainteaza ipoteza unui fenomen evident de Poltergeist. Faptasa ar fi fost Achilina Marciuc, o femeie care pe parcursul intregii sale vieti s-a certat cu familia Draghici. Mai mult, in timpul acceselor sale de furie, batrana Achilina arunca cu pietre in casa vecinilor sai. Achilina Marciuc a murit singura intr-o mizerie crunta pe data de 11 august 1987. Se pare ca spiritul neadormit al batranei i-a urat atat de mult pe membrii familiei Draghici, incat a dat cu pietre in casa vecinilor atat in lumea acesta, cat si de pe lumea cealalta…
Poeni, satul blestemat de lupi…
Satul Poeni de la poalele Muntilor Poiana Rusca ascunde niste intamplari care ar face cinste oricarui roman de groaza marca Stephen King. Cazul cuprinde o serie de atacuri ale lupilor indreptate asupra mai multor sateni. O femeie, Maria Sarbu, a fost chiar omorata si devorata de ceea ce, la prima vedere, pare un lup. Insa toti zoologii afirma ca, de obicei, lupii nu ataca oamenii decat daca sunt turbati, ceea ce in povestea de fata este putin probabil. Totodata, in nicio circumstanta lupii nu devin mancatori de oameni, fenomen care se intalneste doar in cazul tigrilor, leilor si leoparzilor. Misterul de la Poeni se adanceste si mai mult daca luam in calcul faptul ca in zona respectiva nu mai existau lupi de peste o suta de ani.
Batranii satului sunt de parere ca faptasul nu a putut fi in ruptul capului un lup obisnuit, ci ca animalul care a atacat oamenii din Poeni a fost un lup necurat, un strigon, cum se spune in aceste parti strigoiului. Cei care au scapat povestesc ca fiara din alta lume arata precum un caine mare, negru cu blana zburlita, care nu lasa urma pe zapada sau prin praf atungi cand fuge, ca si cum ar fi plutit. De asemnea, povestile spun ca aratarea disparea instantaneu daca oamenii apucau sa-si faca semnul crucii sau sa roasteasca o rugaciune. Drac sau suflet neadormit de strigoi, nu se stie exact ce a atacat satul Poeni. Oamenii sunt de parere ca povestea neamului muscat de fiara necurata incepe acum peste doua sute de ani, cand cineva din familia respectiva ar fi omorat un alt satean pentru a-i fura o arma foarte valoroasa. Cel ucis era unicul fiu al unei batrane care in ziua inmormantarii ar fi aruncat in cimitir un greu blestem asupra neamului ucigasului fiului sau.
Balta Vrajitoarelor
Satul Boldesti. Padurea Boldu-Creteasca. Langa Bucuresti, la doar 30 de minute distanta de padurea Cernica, exista o balta blestemata, recunoscuta si temuta inclusiv in prezent de localnici. Ascunsa in mijlocul padurii Boldu-Creteasca, balta este la prima vedere un banal ochi de apa de dimensiuni mai mult decat modeste, cu un diametru de doar 5 metri. In ciuda aparentei obisnuite, se spune ca peticul de apa este inconjurat de forte din alte lumi si este loc de manifestari inexplicabile.
Faima baltii este demult cunoscuta de vrajitoarele tiganci care se aduna din lumea intreaga aici, in prejma noptilor de Sfantul Gheorghe, Sanziene si Sfantul Andrei, atunci cand se spune ca se deschid temporar portile spre celelalte taramuri. Balta este un loc al puterii transmis din generatie in generatie in randul vrajitoarelor. Se pare ca orice vraja, blestem sau dezlegare spuse pe malul acestei mici balti ascunse la marginea Bucurestilor se indeplineste negresit. Parca pentru a adauga un miez de adevar in povestea vrajitoarelor, exista oameni care au observat in preajma baltii o serie de fenomene ciudate precum fulgere globulare si furtuni iscate din senin in perimetrul restrans al baltii. De asemenea, numeroase animalele (cai, vite, oi, capre, caini sau pisici) refuza sa bea apa de aici, preferand parca sa moara de sete decat sa se adape din balta.
Balta, care are o adancime de doar un metru si jumatate, nu seaca, nu se mareste, nu se micsoreaza niciodata - indiferent daca este seceta sau ploua abundent. Cu toate acestea, conform legendelor, balta pare a nu avea fund: oamenii din zona spun ca au aruncat in ea un bolovan greu de 20 de kilograme. Acesta ar fi disparut fara urma in doua saptamani…
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