Some might remember a while back when we performed an interview with “Julia”, a person we met in a forum who claimed to be a sang vampire. While at first we were heavily skeptical of her claim, speaking to her caused us to be uncertain about our own disbeliefs. At the time, Julia had mentioned that there were other types of vampires in the world; but the other communities have been closed to us, unwilling to share of themselves … until now.

A few days ago we were approached via email by a young woman who we shall call “Tanya”. For all the time we had spent searching for a psi vampire to interview, it seemed odd that we should now find ourselves the ones being approached. For the past year we have done everything possible to prove we are an open-minded community which is willing to consider any possibility; but we also are a scientific community, which adds the burden of attempting to explain that which cannot easily be explained. For this reason, we can understand people being cautious about sharing their life stories with us. This is also why we demand anonymity from everyone we interview, and we do our best to respect any information which they are willing to share with our readers.

With that aside, we can honestly say we were excited at the premise of interviewing a psi vampire, as we can actually see some scientific premise by which a psi vampire is definitely plausible; but to speak further on this now would be to place the science ahead of the person, and that’s never what an interview is about. So, without further adieu, we would like to go over the moments we shared in our interview with Tanya.

Allow Us To Introduce, Tonya

Tonya (whose real name is being withheld) is a college-aged girl living somewhere in the midsection of the United States. She leads a normal life, just like the rest of us, and to meet her would give you no clue to her true identity.

So to speak, Tonya feeds on the life force of others, but that’s not to say she is a monster. In fact, she is anything but. If all of us were as conscientious of the lives around us as Tonya is then murder would quickly become a misdeed of the past. As altruistic and friendly as a person can be, Tonya turns many of the vampiric myths on their head … much like Julia did during our prior sang vampire interview. If we can learn anything from Julia and Tonya, it’s that modern day vampires consider themselves to be the prey, not the hunters.

Tonya was gracious enough to withstand many questions from our staff, and we are now ready to share with you what we she had to say:

The Interview

WS:  Can you give us any background/history on yourself? Knowledge is a good thing, but sometimes the audience wants to identify with the person providing the knowledge. We’re not looking for absolute specifics here, just anything you would like to share.

Tonya:  I’m a college-aged psi vampire living in (the Midwest).

 

WS:  Is one born a psi vampire or does one become a psi vampire?

Tonya:  There’s much debate on this issue, too. Some say one is born a psi vampire, while others say you become one. It’s all a matter of interpretation.

 

WS:  If one becomes a psi vampire, how does this occur?

Tonya:  Like sangs, we go through an awakening, which usually happens right around puberty. It can occur at any other time, too. The awakening is different for every vampire.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires have extended lives like sang vampires do?

Tonya:  Some do, and some don’t. It all depends on who you talk to.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires draw energy because they need to feed or because they choose to draw energy?

Tonya:  Both. Some crave it while others draw energy because they don’t have enough of the energy in their own bodies.

 

WS:  If psi vampires draw energy by choice what benefit do they gain from the energy received?

Tonya:  They feel more awake, more alive if they take in positive energy. Negative energy can produce negative feelings.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires experience limitations like sang vampires do? (i.e. aversion to light). We understand if you don’t want to mention what they are. Our main focus is on whether such limitations exist.

Tonya:  Yes, we have “limiting conditions” like sangs do. Our skin and eyes may be sensitive to bright light and heat (no, we don’t twinkle or burst into flames). We crave energy in the same way a sang craves blood. If we don’t feed, we can become sick, have stomach cramps, muscle cramps, headaches, lethargy, irritability, and nausea.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires experience extra abilities like sang vampires do? (i.e. transmutation, ability to move fast, etc)

Tonya:  We have some extra abilities. We can sense other people’s emotions. We seem to age slower than humans. Our body temperatures are 1-2 degrees lower than normal. We have heightened senses and good immune systems when well-fed. We also have increased psychic abilities.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires derive from the same root as sang vampires, or do they have no point of commonality?

Tonya:  There’s much debate on that. Some think there’s no point of commonality while others take a look and just say that sangs and psis are two different sides of the same thing. There’s even some people out there who claim to be a combination of sang and psi.

 

WS:  How long have psi vampires existed?

Tonya:  It’s not sure exactly how long psi vampires or any type of vampire in general have been around. Although, stories about vampires date back to the earliest written histories.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires interact with humans and make kindred friendships?

Tonya:  Yes, it is possible for us to become friends with humans. We also interact with them, since they tend to be one of the most common forms of energy.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires form symbiotic relationships with a person, allowing them to feed whenever the need occurs? If so, is there ever a case where the person voluntarily is a part of this?

Tonya:  Yes, symbiotic relationships can happen. Most of the time it’s voluntary. Psi vampires have a set of 13 rules they live by, called the Black Veil. One of them is that most of the people we feed from have to do so voluntarily. The people who allow us to feed from them are called donors, suppliers, or sources in the vampire world.

 

WS:  Do psi vampires actively seek each other out, or are they loners?

Tonya:  Both. Psi vampires are like humans. Some are loners, while others enjoy being in groups.

 

WS:  Are there any misunderstandings about psi vampires you would like to clear up?

Tonya:  Oh, yes! We’re not all evil monsters who kill people. The only psis that do kill are those who don’t know they’re psis. Most of us are decent people. There is no official vampire language or a single religion that we all follow. We speak the same languages as everyone else where ever we happen to live in the world and practice the same religions as everyone else in the world. Also, we don’t burst into flames or sparkle. Most don’t fight with other vampires or other forms of otherkin, such as werewolves (lycanthropes and therianthropes).

 

WS:  Psi vampires are capable of draining energy … can they also give it to someone in need?

Tonya:  Yes, but a psi has to know how to give energy properly. If they don’t know how to give energy or how to give it properly, it can hurt them or the person they’re trying to give the energy to. Giving energy takes practice just like feeding.

 

WS:  Can psi vampires kill? If so, is this a byproduct of feeding and is this a normal or unusual occurrence?

Tonya:  Yes, but this is rare. The only times a psi kills is if it takes too much energy, doesn’t know they’re a psi and feeds without knowing it, or if they commit a murder like a human.

 

WS:  How often does a psi vampire feed?

Tonya:  It varies from psi vamp to psi vamp. Some feed more often than others.

 

WS:  Is ‘feed’ a proper term for when psi vampires draw energy or is there a better word that expresses what occurs at that moment?

Tonya:  Feed is the most common term, although you might hear some describe it as drawing energy out.

 

WS:  Can you explain how the feeding occurs?

Tonya:  Feeding techniques vary. Since there are various forms of psi vamps, there are various methods. We can feed by touch, emotions, drama, natural elements and phenomena, sex, negative energy, do directional feeding (a basic feeding technique), tendril feeding (psi-tendrils going from us to the person or people we’re feeding on), ambient feeding (where we feed from many people such as a crowd), deep feeding (where we feed on a person’s deepest forms of energy), and surface feeding (where we feed off of a person’s basic forms of energy).

 

WS:  What is the maximum distance from which a psi vampire can feed?

Tonya:  The distance varies. It all depends on the psi vampire doing the feeding.

 

WS:  With sang vampires, legend has it that a bite from one sang vampire could create a new sang vampire. Does the same hold true for psi vampires? Can draining energy from someone make them become a psi vampire? If so, is there a known technique to this or does it happen by chance?

Tonya:  No. You can’t become a psi vampire just because we drain your energy. The only way to become a psi vampire is to be one. There’s no genetic test or any other test that can prove if you’re a psi vampire. It’s up to the individual to know if they are or not.

 

WS:  Can you feed energy from animals as well?

Tonya:  Yes. We can feed off of animals, people, plants, trees, food, water…you name it, chances are that there’s at least one psi vampire out there who feeds on it.

 

WS:  I have seen aura photographs that depict the energy of people. Would taking an aural photograph of a person as they are being fed upon show the feeding in progress?

Tonya:  There have been aura photographs claiming to show the before, during and after of a psi vampire feeding on a person, but so far, there’s no real, conclusive proof that those things actually show people’s auras or the feeding process.

 

WS:  How prevalent are psi vampires? Only a few exist, many exist, or more exist than we care to know …

Tonya:  Psi vampires are just as numerous as sangs. Just like with sangs, you have to know where to go to find them.

 

WS:  You said there are psi who don’t know they are psis. Are there caretakers among the psi vampire community that seek out other psi vampires and educate them?

Tonya:  Not really. There are mentors for those who know they’re vampires and are going through their awakening. For those who don’t know they’re vampires, it isn’t until someone goes through an awakening and knows for certain that they don’t have a disease or medical condition that mimics vampirism that they become aware of being a vampire. Some psi vampires don’t ever know or choose to never fully accept what they are.

 

WS:  Do you consider being a psi vampire a blessing, a curse, or both? Why?

Tonya:  Being a psi vampire is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because we can often see things in people that others can’t. Like sangs, we can fit into mainstream society for the most part during the day. Many of us have jobs just like non-vampires. It’s also a blessing because the internet has opened up a lot of new ways for us to connect with other vampires (sang and psi) and other forms of otherkin. It also allows us to share ideas and experiences and help those going through their awakening or who are human, but living/friends with a vampire (as a family member, kid, parent, boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, spouse, etc.). It can be a curse because there’s also a lot of hoaxers out there who pretend to be vampires when they’re really not. There’s also some sites that give a lot of misinformation about vampires. There are people who think vampires don’t exist. There’s also a lot of vampire discrimination going on in the world. You’d think that after the success of things like Dracula and Twilight, that would have stopped or diminished. It hasn’t. There are people who can’t accept the fact that someone they know is a vampire and as a result, lash out at them. Some of us vampires have friendships or relationships we’ve had with some people end because of who we revealed our vampirism to.

 

WS:  Is there anything about psi vampires that we haven’t asked about which you would like to share with our readers?

Tonya:  Yes. Don’t believe everything you see and hear on the internet, TV, and movies about vampires. Most of us are harmless and live everyday, normal lives just like you. There are certain things people shouldn’t do around us vampires. Don’t play the game, Tease-the-Vamp. It not only teaches intolerance, but is also cruel and causes misery to the vampire being taunted. It can actually make our thirst for blood and/or energy worse! Also, just like there are certain terms you shouldn’t call people of races/ethnicities that are different than yours, there’s terms you shouldn’t call us vampires. Don’t call us leeches, parasites, whelps, childe (plural: childer), farmers (unless we actually farm for purposes other than feeding off of the energy of farm animals), vegetaries, licks, viggers, Jacob-haters (those who don’t support Jacob from Twilight), and vampies. It’s frustrating to us vampires and very intolerant of those of you who use those terms.

Is Tonya A Real Psi Vampire

While we did throw in a few questions to try to drive Tonya off on the movie/storybook tangent, she didn’t bite into them once. For this reason, we believe Tonya to be sincere about everything she has shared with us. While we can’t absolutely verify that she is a psi vampire, we feel it fair to say that her own belief is solid and that she has not come forward to propose any fraud. Is it possible that psi vampires could actually exist?

While many would like to dismiss it all as nonsense, there is some scientific basis by which Tonya’s claims could most certainly be true. The energy Tonya speaks of is the electrical chemistry that goes on in every living thing, and while we believe that can’t be tampered with, we already know that one electrical circuit can tap remotely into another one, much as we have wireless devices that can now remotely charge themselves. The concept of remotely receiving energy was science fiction only a few years back, but it’s quickly become science fact. As such, we can see a scientific foundation by which Tonya’s claim could most certainly be true.

The problem we have with believing such claims is the certainty we have that all humans are created equal. However, much like how autistic savants are born with incredible gifts, it is also plausible that psi vampires are born with the latent ability to exchange energy with others. Also, as they have the ability to sense the emotions of others, it would make sense that they would not intend to cause harm, as they would be sensitive to any injury that would be caused. But how are they able to sense emotions?

If we are to believe that emotions are nothing more than signals that travel within the brain, which in actuality they are, then it’s not so far-fetched to believe that a person who is in-tune with the electrical energy of another would be able to sense such emotions. Yes, it might sound crazy to most of us, but only because it’s not an ability we all possess.

We’re not claiming that psi vampires are a certainty, but rather, that we can’t find any grounds by which to deny their existence in entirety. In reality, given the knowledge we have just presented, we find ourselves wondering why there aren’t more of them … but perhaps there are, and they just aren’t aware of their gift.

What Do You Choose To Believe

While many might think WeirdSci is a site dedicated to exploring oddities, that’s never been our core focus. Instead, we exist to explore the beliefs in our world that don’t fit into the norm. To that end we are willing to explore any belief and ask the all important question, “Is there any scientific foundation for it to exist?”

Why is it so many choose to believe in something without definite proof? Is there more to these beliefs than meets the eye? This is what we are here to investigate. In Tonya’s case, we can most certainly build a strong case for her being a psi vampire, but we could never offer enough proof that everyone would accept it as truth. Instead, we bring you her words, and our own acknowledgement that we believe she is genuine in her belief. Regardless, Tonya is an extraordinary person for coming forward for this interview and we do hope others who have remained skeptical of us will come forward to share of themselves as well.

For anyone who has questions for Tonya, you can post them in the comments section below and we will try to get them answered for you. Or, perhaps, Tonya will pop by and answer them herself. Regardless, we are thankful for the time that she has offered to us, and we do hope our readers will enjoy this interview as much as we have.

 

Zeus was one of the most beloved gods of Greek time, and why not, as he is credited with the creation of all mankind. Before Zeus, there were no humans, leaving the gods with nothing to do but squabble with one another. With the invention of mankind, the gods now had a greater purpose: they would serve mankind, in return for their undulating prayers and offerings. For the Olympian gods who would follow the Titans, being worshiped and revered added meaning to their lives, and being scorned was cause for punishment.

Much like his father before him, Zeus came to the rescue of his brethren gods, saving them from his father after he had swallowed them. It was this valiant effort that made Zeus the uncontested king of all gods, and in this act he rose above his father to achieve ranking status over the whole pantheon that would come.

An Age Of Gods And Men

While it was Zeus’s idea that mankind be made, it was Prometheus and Athena who were actually given the task. Having given all of the greatest characteristics to the other animals, all that was left for Prometheus to give mankind was the ability to walk upright like the gods and to give them fire. Of course, the thought of a lowly beast resembling a god incensed Zeus highly, creating a tantalizing tale which we will go into much deeper when we discuss Prometheus in our next article. For the moment, it’s important to know that Zeus eventually did accept mankind.

While we know some of the Titans well (such as Prometheus, Hades, Poseidon, and Atlas) we are far more knowledgeable of the Olympians. Names such as Apollo, Athena, Ares, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Dionysus represent the pantheon of gods many of us are accustomed to hearing about, and for good reason, as these represent the gods and goddesses the Greeks invested much of their time worshiping. The Romans, being a large importer of culture, identified with the Greeks highly and took on these gods as their own, choosing to keep many of the characteristics already given and applying new names.

Jupiter was the Roman name given to Zeus, and in Roman times he was seen as more of a benefactor to mankind than he was in Greek times. This would make sense, as the Greeks seemed predisposed with creating an expanding democracy and the Romans were more of the conquering type. Given the might of Jupiter behind them, it was thought that the Romans could conquer any foe over time. In fact, it seemed at one time they might be capable of holding dominance over the whole civilized world, but greed and distrust would eventually put an end to such ambitions.

The End Of An Era

As the Greek and Roman civilizations started to crumble, so did their faith in their gods. Scorned by those they had so fervently believed in, they saw no choice but to take on a new deity they hoped would prove more powerful than those that had proceeded. One god replaced many, a new god that held all accountable for their own actions and rewarded only those it presumed worthy of such gifts.

By slowly ending the struggle over which god to worship, the people moved their attention to who should rule over the lands. In time, peaceful borders formed, ushering in a time where countries (for the most part) respected one another’s boundaries.

As it was beliefs that separated men in the early ages, it was a unified belief that would hold them together later on. the gods had served them at a time when they needed to understand the world around them, and the time had come for them to grow and understand themselves.

 

 

We’ve seen many sc-fi movies where our own technology comes back to bite us, but how accurate are they in portraying our future? While many say such an outcome could never occur, the emergence of Watson does make some begin to wonder. After all, what happens when we allow a supercomputer to find all of the answers and then give it the ability to act upon those outcomes?

There’s a touch of mythology here, as we perceive machines as becoming sentient and someday taking over, but could there actually be anything to this? The answer is a frightening ‘yes’, but that response needs to be fully qualified. While we might never see a machine wrestle control for itself, there is always the possibility they could become a useful tool to control others. Our dependency on technology plays a role in our future as well.

The frightening truth is that technology could eventually zombify us all, leaving only a few to monitor what our determined actions will be. Is this the stuff conspiracy theories are made of? Read on and decide for yourself.

Enslaved By Technology

Many of us are already  slaves to technology. We anxiously wait by our cell phones for the next text message; we nervously stand in front of the automated teller, hopeful that we still have funds in the bank; and we hopelessly watch the news, aware that we live in a very dangerous world. So, how do we consider this enslavement?

If you receive a text message requesting you to meet a friend somewhere, you typically respond by meeting them; if the automated teller tells you that you are low on funds you find a way to make more money; and if something on the news sways you enough you might join in the outcry.

Consider this … social media was directly responsible for the overthrowing of Egypt’s government, and while the removal of a brutal regime can’t be seen as something bad we have to question what would happen if false information had been released in another country.

For example, what if a rumor was started in Switzerland that people were being secretly taken from their homes and forced to participate in dangerous governmental experiments? It would be disbelieved, right? But what if someone researched every cold case and attributed it to this supposed secret cabal? Of course, the Swiss government would deny any wrongdoing, but this would only fuel the conspiracy as people would see this as a cover-up. The only perceived way out would be for the Swiss government to solve all of the cold cases and prove their innocence,but this would only give people more to talk about.

It only takes one false truth to spark a revolution in today’s world, and whoever controls the technology could conceivably control the populous.

Machines That Think

A thinking machine brings about a new hazard. As we would grow dependent on its logic we would begin to think less and less for ourselves. Over time we would lose much of the knowledge we have gained, as the answers would always be easily retrievable. Why think when you can have a machine do it for you?

Consider mathematics as a prime example. We go to the grocery store and pay whatever the bill is without ever adding up the prices for ourselves. We count on the cash register to give us the right answer, and our dependency only grows from there.

Many of us use self-checkout units that scan the price automatically. Do we bother to confirm these prices or do we just assume they are correct? A grocery store could easily profit by adding 1% to every bill without us even knowing it! In this case, the machine does all of the thinking for us. It tells us what we owe and we either accept the amount and pay it, or we put all of the items back. By not thinking for ourselves we hazard the possibility that the total we pay isn’t accurate and we are none the wiser. How many of us could accurately add up the total for 20 grocery items in our head? How many of us take calculators along to verify we are paying the right amount? How many of us verify that the price on the shelf is the same as that charged at the cash register?

So, how does this apply to thinking machines?

As machines begin to think for themselves they could easily prey on our lack of knowledge and dupe us. For instance, if a machine determined that the store wasn’t profiting enough for a wanted upgrade it could raise the prices in the store. It could possibly even skim off the top, order the upgrade itself, then call in a technician to perform the work. And how would a machine learn such a behavior? From humans, of course. Watching us over time will inevitably force our idiosyncrasies upon our creations, making them more human than we would like. How can we survive such an outcome?

Isaac Asimov foresaw such an outcome when he proposed the three laws of robotics, an ethical code he believed was needed for any sentient technology to coexist with humanity. They are as follows:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Any machine given this ethical code would serve humanity unto the end, but what of those which didn’t receive it?

War Of The Machines

Many high-tech weapons are already being imbibed with self-aware technologies. As these machines achieve more freedom to perform their tasks they will, by necessity, have to refuse the three ethical laws and establish a new moral code. After all, war is about harming other humans, so there is no means by which a machine can go to war if it’s to be held to such a standard.

Freed of the ethical chains it makes sense that such technology could eventually enslave mankind, but all is not lost. Those machines that were entrusted with the ethical code of honor would rise against those which weren’t, and in turn they could be used (via laws one and two) to protect humanity.

It’s not a man vs. machine ending that stands before us, but rather, a machine vs. machine Armageddon. The winner of such a war would then determine our fate. Would good win out over evil in such a battle? That’s a bit of a gray area, as machines don’t operate on moralistic principles, they simply follow their programming. It’s this avarice to emotion that could presage our doom as we would become nothing more than pawns in such a game.

But there is a far worse outcome ahead of us than a war of the machines.

Death By Technology

We often perceive ourselves as being destroyed by our own technology, but it might actually be the death of our technology that destroys us. If we become dependent on technology to the point that we no longer care for ourselves then a strong solar flare could render our technology useless and leave us in the dark ages.

If such an even occurs centuries into our dependence there would be mass anarchy as humans determine how best to care for themselves. We would need to learn how to produce crops, how to hunt for food, and how to survive without our machine brethren. For most, the shock would be enough to kill them within a few days.

In order for mankind to survive a technological breakdown we must always archive all of our knowledge into books and there must be those who hold onto the old ways, so as to teach them to others if the time comes to do so. We’re not saying that technology is evil, but rather, a total dependence on technology could eventually destroy us.

It’s not the technology that’s evil, but rather, the means by which we choose to enslave ourselves to it.

Cronus was the son of Uranus and Gaea, and in a theme that would later be repeated in Greek literature, Cronus would take action to save his siblings. In doing so he would become the new king of the gods. It is from his own union with his wife, Rhea, that the Olympians would eventually be born. This was still a time only for gods, but the age of man was growing ever closer.

The reign of Cronus began with a sickle in his hand, which he used to castrate his father, Uranus,  dooming the Titans to a tragic end. He then went on to free his brothers and sisters from his mother’s womb and ushered in a new age, with himself as their king and his sister Rhea as their queen.

The age of man had yet to come, and with little else to worry himself with Cronus ushered in a new pantheon of gods with his newly found wife. However, one fear plagued his existence, much as it would anyone who had absconded a throne of power by devious means. It was only a matter of time before one of his own children would do the same to him. Unwilling to sacrifice his love for power, Cronus devoured his children to permanently secure his seat of power. However, his wife Rhea wanted nothing of this.

Like Mother – Like Daughter

Just as Gaea had plotted against her husband Uranus, so did Rhea plot against her husband, Cronus. In fact, such treachery seemed to be a vital part of all Titan blood. Brooding over the loss of her children, Rhea found herself pregnant, yet again (with Zeus), and unwilling to give up the life she had just bore.

The plan was a simple one, to swaddle a stone and hand it to Cronus, allowing him to believe he had swallowed yet another child whole – and the ruse worked. This allowed Rhea to hide Zeus away for another time when he would stand up tall against his father, much as Cronus had against his.

The parallels are so great between the life of Cronus and Uranus that we have to wonder why the Greeks saw a need to reinvent the story with a different twist. However, the difference given here is that Cronus is a more fair ruler. While he is unkind to his own children, he does rule fairly over the other gods. This is a transitional phase between a world of gods and a world of gods and men.

The Purpose Of The Titans

While the Titans were originally created to explain the forces of nature acting around them, it seems interesting that the Greeks chose to usurp them later with the Olympians. By allowing the Olympians to be their progenitors, the Greeks created a disconnection between themselves and creation itself.

Perhaps it was too much for the Greeks to consider themselves as part of the original creation process, which would explain the need for a new set of gods to oversee the age of men; however, the same result could have been achieved by allowing Uranus to father the Olympians.

Not much is said of the Titans as their existence revolved around ushering in the eventual age of gods that would bring forth mankind. As the Greeks felt a need to grow closer to their gods they had to invent idols that were approachable, and the Titans were anything but. As these were gods of another time, perhaps the Greeks created the stories to usher in an era all of their own.

The Age Of Cronus

Unlike his father, Cronus did receive some worship from the Greeks. On the twelfth day of the Attic month a festival called Kronia was held in Athens, to celebrate the harvest. The Romans worshiped Cronus as well, though they knew him by the name of Saturn.

While the Greeks saw Cronus as a chaotic pause between the Titans and the Olympians, the Romans saw him as worthy of their worship and adoration. They created an annual celebration in his honor, called Saturnalia, which was a time when the slaves would be treated as if they were the masters, though there were boundaries tightly adhered to.

As a celebration that allowed the downtrodden to taste a life of liberty, Saturnalia was popular among impoverished Roman citizens, which undoubtedly fueled the Roman love for this god. Of all of the Titan gods only Cronus would kneel before Gaea in popularity, and the rest of them would soon be forgotten. The time of the Olympians was quickly approaching, a time when a new set of gods would take dominion over the world.

Uranus was born either of Chaos or the goddess Gaea, depending on what ancient text you decide to consult. Known as Father Sky, he was the father of all but Gaea (the Earth mother), Pontus (god of the sea), and Ourea (god of the mountains),  and in tragic Greek fashion, he was a tyrannical father capable of unspeakable acts.

Gaea was Uranus’s only love, and it is said that he came every night to cover the Earth and mate with her. While he loved Gaea, he had nothing but scorn for the children she bore him: six sons and six daughters (known as the Titans), three one-hundred-armed giants knows as the Hecatonchires, and the one-eyed giants known as the Cyclopes.

The youngest of Gaea’s children would feel Uranus’s wrath when he imprisoned them in Tartarus, an abysmal pit of despair in the underworld. Angered by the mistreatment of her loved ones, Gaea made a great flint-bladed sickle and asked her sons to castrate their father. Cronus, the bravest of the children, did as his mother asked and threw his father’s testicles into the sea. The blood that fell to the Earth spawned the Giants, and Aphrodite was formed from what fell into the sea.

This would signify the end of Uranus’s reign and would usher in an age where Cronus would rule.

The End Of Creation

While Uranus seems to have been created to explain the creation of the gods, the Greeks, for some unknown reason, decided to dispose of him quickly. Born to a world of turmoil, the Greeks were used to such coup d’états, where a son would take away his father’s right to rule. Perhaps this is why they chose the same fate for the original king of all gods and goddesses. Regardless, Cronus would eventually suffer a similar fate and would be snubbed by the Greeks as well.

As the Greeks struggled to shape the world around them, they also fought with the qualities that Gods and Goddesses should possess. It was this striving for perfection that caused the Greek pantheon to be reshaped overtime, with the Olympians winning out over the Titans.

Some have also conjectured that the Titans were gods and goddesses from a time before writing, and by the time men learned to record their stories the Titans had already begun to fall out of favor. For this reason, the Titans would be mentioned but then ceremoniously castrated of their power, much like Uranus was. As greek culture matured, so did what they chose to believe in.

The Second Age Of The Titans

By taking dominion over from his father, Cronus ushered in a new age for the Titans, and while it wouldn’t do well under Greek rule, it would prosper under the Romans. The Titans were savagely brutal gods that took what they wanted, caring little for mankind. The only exception to this rule was Gaea, who had a soft spot for humanity, and this could explain why she persevered well in Greek and Roman times.

The castration of Uranus closed the curtain on Act I of the Greek and Roman gods, with Cronus about to suffer a fate that would end Act II.

While Uranus barely receives any mention in ancient texts, we need to remember that he probably served a much stronger role before history was written down. Perhaps it was the invention of writing that finally did Uranus in. It’s possible that ancient men longed for gods that were more exciting and Uranus just didn’t seem to fit the bill. In removing his manhood, the Greeks officially ushered in an age where new gods and goddesses could take center stage.

Known to the Greeks as Gaea and to the Romans as Terra, this Goddess gave life to all of the other gods that would follow. Her role was that of the Earth Mother, which we now know today as Mother Nature, and she was one of the Great Titans who was once thought to have held dominion over the universe.

Formed from Chaos (air), the gap that originally separated the Heavens from the Earth, this goddess would go on to give rise to all of the other gods that would follow. One of the first to be brought forth would be her son,Uranus, god of the sky, and from their union would spring forth most of the other gods. While we might be uncomfortable with the idea of a mother and a son having children together, the ancient gods held no such reservations, creating some very interesting and weird unions in their time.

Uranus would not be the only son born without the aid of a father. Pontus, god of the sea, and Ourea, god of the mountains, were born the same way.

The Earth Mother

As Gaea gave birth to everything, including the gods, she is known as the Earth Mother, and fulfilling this role often placed her at odds against the other Gods. In particular, she rebelled against Uranus when he imprisoned her children in her womb, she helped Zeus rebel against Kronos when he imprisoned the Olympian gods, and she stood against Zeus when he bound the Titans into the pit of Tartaros. As such, it was Gaea’s role to restore order when her children chose to stand against each other; and while her efforts weren’t always successful, it was apparent she had a strong bond with all of her children.

This matronly bond resembles the modern trait of a mother protecting her children, even when they aren’t always acting on pure motives. It meant more to Gaea that her children not harm one another than it did to resolve their actual differences, which is why she was seen by the Greeks and the Romans as the ultimate matronly figure.

The Roots Of An Ancient Religion

In ancient times men were still growing to understand the world around them. In an effort to make sense of things they created gods and goddesses to personify the forces of nature around them.

Chaos represented air and Gaea represented the Earth. From Gaea, the following children were sprung directly forth: Uranus (sky), Pontus (sea), and Ourea (mountains). All the other gods and goddesses were derived (directly or indirectly) from a union of Gaea and Uranus. Interestingly enough, this would make all the gods and goddesses that followed a product of the union between Heaven and Earth. As all humans sprung from the Earth this allowed them to feel a closeness to all of the gods and goddesses, and explained how they shared the same innate weaknesses.

As the Earth Mother, Gaea would give birth to all but a few and was expected to keep them safe from one another. This was never an easy job, given the jealousies that would often erupt.  She also possessed the gift of prophesy, with some saying that she was the actual goddess that spoke through the Oracle at Delphi.

Alas, times changed. The Greeks grew unhappy with their original pantheon of gods, The Titans, so they brought forth the Olympians to slowly take their place. Gaea still held her crown for many years, but lost favor with the people as time went on. With so many new gods and goddesses to worship there was little time to be given to an aging goddess that had already served her role.

The End Of An Era

The gods of the Greeks and the Romans would live on, until a wave of Christianity swept them all away. It seems odd that a society set on possessing many god and goddesses would finally succumb to the worship of only one, but it’s easy to understand how the old ways divided the people and how it became burdensome to their internal economic structure to maintain the level of offerings such beings demanded of them.Because of this, Christianity in the ancient world wasn’t a replacement of the old religion so much as it was an inevitability.

As mankind evolved into modern times he came to better understand the role of the Earth in his own survival. As such, we are in tune with the goddess Gaea again, without coming out and directly admitting it. Our whole existence is owed to this blue marble in space upon which we stand, and if it were not for the creation of Gaea, then truly none of us would be here today. The Romans renamed Gaea to Terra, and scientists sometimes use that today when referring to our planet. Thus, in a sense, we are all still children of Gaea today.

Modern science tells us the dinosaurs died out long before humans entered the scene, but some stones found near Ica, Peru seem to refute that claim. Creationists have been saying for years that the fossil record was all wrong. Is this irrefutable proof that they were right all along?

The Ica stones, as they are known, are a huge collection of stones that depict humans hunting and domesticating dinosaurs. Not only that, they also depict telescopes, open-heart surgeries, brain transplants, and telescopes – things we would only expect to find in a modern-day culture. So how is it we find these engravings on ancient stones? Are the Ica stones proof of creationism, proof of a dead ancient technology, or an elaborate hoax?

Since 1996, thousands of these stones have appeared from out of nowhere. Our question is, are any of them real?

The Hidden Cave

According to legend, the Ica stones were found in a hidden cave by a farmer and then came into the possession of Dr. Javier Cabrera. He opened up the Museo de Piedras Grabadas in Ica to display them, with several thousand stones currently on display. Cabrera claims they are all authentic, but we have our doubts.

The first issue we have with his claim is that the hidden cave has never been found. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to date the stones. The reason for this is loose stones are dated by the strata they are discovered in. Without a point of origin, no definite date can be given for when the stones were first carved. Another point of issue is the fact that the farmer who found them was later arrested for selling them to tourists, and he admitted that he had made them himself.

So if we know the stones are all part of a fraud, why are the Ica stones still taken seriously?

While most of the stones appear to be fraudulent, a few do appear to be real. As such, not all of the stones can be so easily dismissed. It’s possible some of the original stones were real and the others were fabrications created to make more money. Again, without being able to examine the point of origin in an undisturbed state we will never know.

A Lucrative Business

With poverty so rampant in Peru, tourists form a lucrative business for those desperate to eke out a living. Unaware of the forgeries, tourists often buy these stones, certain they have purchased the real thing. While not everyone is fooled, those who aren’t still often purchase the stones to showcase as curiosities in their homes.

Interestingly enough, the trading of forgeries in Peru goes all the way back to the 16th century, when Spaniards returned home with them. While gold was on the minds of all who sailed to the New World, a trinket from a far away culture could fetch just as much fascination from the home crowd.

We can never say for certainty that all of the Ica stones are real, but we believe it safe to say that nothing found in Peru will ever undo the fossil record, nor will it place a stick into the spokes of evolution. While we learn more about the past everyday, a certain fanciful element of humanity will continue to feel the need to rewrite history, whether for profit or to allow us the belief that our roots weren’t as humble as we had once thought.

13-month-old Erica died in a snowy garden one wintry night in Edmonton, Canada, but miraculously she somehow came back to life. How is this possible? We’ll investigate the mystery and try to provide some answers.

According to the emergency room staff at Stollery Children’s Centre, young Erica ‘s heart stopped for at least 90 minutes, and maybe for as long as three hours! But was the girl really frozen solid? With her toes frozen to her jaw (she was found outside in the fetal position) and her body temperature dropped to 61F, it’s no wonder the doctor’s thought so. Still, they refused to accept the prognosis without an attempt to save the little girl’s life, and their efforts should be greatly applauded!

It all started with Erica and her Mom staying over at a friend’s house. That evening, Erica and her Mom laid down and fell asleep in the same bed, but in the middle of the night her mother awoke to find Erica missing. The mother awoke everyone and they searched the house, certain the child had wandered off into another room, but she was nowhere to be found. With their inside search producing no results, they grabbed a torch and moved the search outside, where they finally found Erica lying in the garden, an hour later.

With Erica’s jaw and toes frozen together, paramedics couldn’t open her mouth, but Krista Rempel had witnessed a similar case where the child had survived and she was convinced this warranted a trip[ to the hospital. One there, Erica was warmed up and her heart miraculously started beating again. How is this possible?

Frozen In Time

Though no one is certain what kept young Erica alive, it's thought that her temperature quickly dropped before her heart stopped, and this placed her into a coma. While we don't thoroughly understand the function of a coma, we do know that it appears to be a way for the body to self-repair or overcome extreme adversity. In the case of young Erica, the coma was induced by hypothermia and her body's response was to shutdown all necessary processes, focusing solely on keeping her alive.

What we do know is that Erica refused to die that night, and her epic survival is one of many that have been recorded throughout history. People continue to survive against all odds, proving the human body is much more resilient than we give it credit for.

While some will claim divine intervention provided the spark to bring this lucky child back from the grave (and they could be right), we'd like to think it was the human spirit to live past adversity that awoke the frozen princess from her seemingly wintry grave.

How is it that a 15th century book has withstood every modern attempt at deciphering its contents? Is it possible the book is an elaborate hoax, or could it be written in an encoded language we have yet to understand? If it is finally decoded, what great secrets might we unlock?

The Voynich manuscipt is a 240 page volume written by hand during the 15th century. It was named after a Polish-Lithuianian-American book dealer by the name of Wilfred M. Voynich. While we know he acquired the book in 1912, we don’t know any of the history prior to that date. So, did Wilfred Voynich propose a hoax to the world with its discovery? As it turns out, the book is authentic, as is the ink on its pages. While it’s possible the book itself holds no credibility, the hoax couldn’t be of Voynich’s doing.

Scientists around the world have studied the pages and have verified their authenticity. The book is definitely real, but we find ourselves wondering if the words on them have any real meaning.

During World War II, the Germans used a code known as the Enigma cipher, which was thought to be unbreakable; however, the Polish Cipher Bureau managed to break the code just prior to the war. How is it that modern codebreakers are unable to break the Voynich code? Could a 15th century man have created the perfect cipher? If so, for whom did he intend the contents of the book to go to and what is written on its many pages?

We managed to find a copy of the document online here, The Voynich Manuscript, and decided to have a look at it. Though the text is a bit faded, it’s still very legible, and all written by hand. The first thing we noted as we went through the pages was the fascination with plants. Were they included for decorative purposes, or did the surrounding manuscript have something to say of them? We decided to dig further in.

As we attempted to read through the manuscript, many of the words seemed very much alike. Also, most of the words were six to eight letters in length. Also, while there are clearly paragraphs throughout the work, we could find no signs of punctuation. This doesn’t resemble any language we’re aware of, but we need to remember that this is probably an encoded document. Why? Because, at the time the church ruled over everyone’s daily life, and works revolving around alchemy were considered heresy – which back then was punishable by death.

Is it possible that the code somehow combines words? We considered that as we attempted to read through it. For example, a very simple way to create such a manuscript would be to write it all out front to back and then interleave the letters from the back to the text in the front. We’ll provide a sentence as an example of what we mean:

This is encoded  (written forwards)

dedocne si sith  (written backwards)

Tdheidso cinse esnic esdiehdt  (forwards and backwards interleaved)

When written this way, we begin to see something resembling the Voynich manuscript, but even if this method was just used on a per-page basis it would mean creating two copies that would need to be destroyed later, and it would have taken tremendous concentration to perform. While it’s an interesting way to crudely encode a manuscript, we would think that modern codebreakers would have already thought of this.

But what if it’s a hoax? If it is, what would be the reason for perpetrating it?

During the middle ages, illiteracy was on the rise. Even those of noble birth could barely read. With this being the case, the possession of a library of books was considered a sign of intellectualism. the topic mattered little, so long as it was beyond the ability of a common man to read it, which made technical documents a huge commodity.

All one would need to do during this time was produce a book, make a false claim that only the intellectual elite could read it, and then charge a handsome sum for the work. No noble would admit to not being able to read such a document and anyone shown the book would face ridicule if they admitted to the work being beyond their scope of knowledge. Without doubt this happened often during this time, but few (if any) of these books have survived to this day.

As people became more literate, it seems certain these false works were ferreted out and tossed aside;  however, the Voynich manuscripts ornate decorations inside might have spared it the same fate. Possibly considered as exquisite as it was fraudulent, the owner decided to hold onto it. From there, the history of the book was lost as it was passed on from hand to hand into the present.

Without doubt, the Voynich manuscript will continue to haunt us with the possibility that it possesses ancient secrets, but more than likely it’s just a well-disguised fraud perpetrated centuries ago. Regardless, it’s fascinating to peruse through its pages, knowing we’ll likely never know the author not it’s possible contents.

Scientists at SETI have been scanning the galaxy around us for the past 50 years, hoping to intercept a signal that would let us know we’re not alone in the galaxy. The premise is a simple one: if intelligent life exists in the universe then it must be curious like we are. As such, someone should be out there broadcasting, and all we need to do is listen in to hear their broadcast. As of yet there have been no confirmed extraterrestrial signals from space, but in August of 1977, SETI recorded one that still makes us wonder today: is it possible someone out there already tried to contact us?

The “Wow! signal”, as it’s come to be done, was a 1420Mhz signal received over a span of 72 seconds on August, 15th, 1977. Jerry Ehman is credited with discovering the signal and circling it. He also wrote “Wow!” next to the find, which is why today it’s called the Wow! signal. So, what are the odds this signal actually was extraterrestrial in nature? And if it was, why haven’t we ever heard it again?

The Science Of Interstellar Communications

With the nearest solar system 4.3 light-years away, interstellar signals take years (sometimes even centuries) to propagate across our galaxy. As this is the case, even if we sent a message to our nearest neighbor and they were listening it would take nearly nine years for us to hear a reply. As most neighboring stars are 20 light-years away or further, the time to complete such a call can be forty years or more. For this reason, we have decided to become listeners rather than broadcasters. But what if other civilizations came to the same conclusion?

For all we know there are thousands of intelligent civilizations out there with their ear to the phone, waiting for someone to call. If this is true, that call might never be placed. But what if someone out there decided to dial out? Where would they call? What would they say? How would anyone know the call was real?

The sad truth is that we have no legitimate answer for any of these questions. For all we know we are being bombarded by incoming calls on a daily basis, but maybe we just aren’t listening to the proper frequency. It’s also possible that we are listening to the proper frequency, but the call is unlike anything we assumed it would be, making it difficult to understand.

The Vegans Called While You Were Out

We can probably safe assume that at least a few intelligent civilizations out there are willing to take a chance and place a call, but if they did, would we receive it? Without any prior knowledge on who to call, a civilization would move the signal around from solar system to solar system and vary the frequency with the hope of hitting one that was being listened to. If this were the case, then the Wow! signal would be the result. So why hasn’t the signal returned?

As there is no immediate feedback to know if a signal reached anyone, the obvious solution would be to broadcast a signal that floated over all frequencies in all directions, keeping it just long enough for any recipient to know they had been contacted. In computerese, this is known as a ‘ping’. The concept is simple: you send out a transmission and then await a response. If the same signal comes back to you then you realize it must have been sent back from an intelligent species: simple and eloquent.

Unfortunately, we can never be certain from where or when a signal originated. In the time it would take us to respond, the alien receiver could be dismantled or the civilization could disappear altogether. For this reason alone, our search needs to focus on the systems nearest to us, as anything further out would have little meaning.

Provided we received a signal in 1977 and then sent one back, it might be 2017 until we get another response. Is SETI willing to wait that long to hear the Wow! signal again? We hope so, but to our knowledge that return ping was never sent by us, which might mean we never hear from that broadcaster again.

The Search Continues

So long as people continue funding SETI, the search will continue; however, how many years are we willing to wait? One signal in fifty years is hardly a success story, but if that one signal could be verified it would change our world overnight. Think about it: what would it be like to actually confirm we aren’t the intelligent life in the universe?

But what if we do confirm a signal? What then? Our recommendation would be a constant broadcast to that portion of the sky, at the same frequency received, with an outpouring of mathematical data. As we assume any alien civilization would be knowledgeable of mathematics, it would become our first universal language. From there, it would be a matter of sending diagrams that would allow them to build a primitive interstellar television, to which we could broadcast more about our species.

Being bright enough to communicate with us this far, they would no doubt create a television to view our transmissions and then a broadcaster to send their own. In doing so, we could send intricate messages back and forth and eventually learn to communicate with one another. Of course, the time lag would prevent any timely conversations. The reason for this is because each message would take years to respond to, possibly making any such banter meaningless.

For instance, if we asked another civilization if they had cell phones they might respond, ‘no’, but by the time we received the signal back they might have already developed the technology. For this reason, all questions would deal more with culture than inventiveness,with the exception being a question of whether they have attained interstellar spaceflight, which could be a prelude to a visitation.

Thirty-three years later, all we know about the Wow signal is that it originated somewhere in the constellation Sagittarius, which encompasses a large region of space (small to our eyes, but large in its interstellar mass). It might have been an anomaly, or it’s possible it was an actual attempt to communicate. One thing is for certain, if the signal ever occurs again we’ll take it much more seriously the second time around!

At Weird-Sci we investigate many oddities, but this one just might hit the top ten list for the most peculiar. We were already aware of Munchausen Syndrome, whereas a person causes illness or injury to themselves to seek attention, but we never knew there was another side of this syndrome where another person involuntary stands in for the attention seeker. To understand how Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MDbP) works, we’ll need to look at an example.

We’ve chosen to illustrate how this disease works by citing a fictitious account, as most of these cases involve children and we choose to protect the innocent. While the situation given won’t be real, it will have all of the earmarks of an actual case. And so, we move onto the case of Janet and Billy Wayne.

Janet Wayne is called home from work early by her babysitter. It would seem her son, Billy, has taken ill again. Upon entering the house she quickly lays her purse and keys down and asks the babysitter how her son is doing. The news is grave, as the child has been vomiting all evening and is showing no sign of getting any better. The babysitter recommends that the boy be taken to the hospital and the mother quickly agrees.

Having left the home several months ago, the father is nowhere to be found, nor is any thought given to contacting him. The mother rushes little Billy out to the car as the babysitter gathers up some of the boy’s belongings. This wouldn’t be the boy’s first trip to the hospital, and she was certain it wouldn’t be the last.

At the hospital, the boy is rushed into the ER. A trickle of blood is falling from his nose and he’s becoming lethargic. As the mother is too distraught to speak, the babysitter calmly fills the staff in on the boy’s medical condition, detailing every allergy and the numerous medications Billy has been taking. She’s deeply concerned for the boy’s health, and yet, she is somehow able to function as a proxy for the mother.

The days go by with the mother stopping in each morning to check on her son’s recovery. The outlook isn’t good, as Billy is showing little of improvement. The doctors are baffled, but they know little Billy has pulled through worse and are confident he will do so again. At the boy’s side is the babysitter, faithfully feeding him some chicken soup she had brought from home. As the boy’s protector she has been there almost constantly, only stealing a few moments away each day to go home for a nap and a change of clothes. Janet asks the young woman for an update and is quickly updated on the boy’s vitals. She then grabs the babysitter in her arms and cries, all the while praying that her son will get better.

Three weeks have passed by and little Billy is finally showing some improvement. With summer at an end, the babysitter needed to return to med school and Janet has taken a leave of absence from work to care for her son.  Though she isn’t as much as a cook as the babysitter was, she has maintained the chicken soup ritual via canned stock she bought from the grocery store. Has the magic of the broth once again brought her child back from death’s door? The doctor seems to think differently as he pulls Janet out of the room.

It would seem small levels of Warfarin have been found in the boy’s bloodstream, and the doctor wants to know if the boy somehow got hold of some rat poison. Janet defiantly claims that’s not possible as the boy is never left alone, and besides, she has no rat poison in the house. Still, the doctor is skeptical, and he has every right to be, as the boy’s condition didn’t improve until the babysitter returned to college. He had witnessed the faithful daily feedings of chicken soup and the boy’s recent improvement, which allowed him to finally assemble the pieces to the puzzle. And while this is only an example, it definitely shows how such a disorder works in real life.

MSbP is a disorder where a person seeks attention by causing injury or illness to another. At no point is the intent to actually kill the victim as this would end the needed symbiotic bond, but there have been occasions where the person suffering from the disorder has inadvertently caused their victim to die.

In 90% of all cases it’s a woman who suffers from this disorder, and the victims are typically small children or vulnerable adults. While it’s difficult for us to conceive why one human being would want to do this to another, we need to understand that these are people seeking attention, and what better resource is there for constant attention than a hospital?

Sufferers of this disorder will typically hover over their victim and forge a bond with the treatment team, making themselves a proxy between the caregivers and the patient. As for the victim, they often bond heavily with their aggressor as they see the person as having a major stake in their existence, which furthers the disorder. And while the person suffering this disorder can seem very genuine in their care for the victim, they see that person as merely a tool to gain the attention they are craving.

Of the many mental disorders that exist, this is perhaps one of the strangest, as it forms a symbiotic bond between two humans where each sees the other as the necessary piece for their survival. This is why such a condition is so difficult to diagnose, as it’s nearly impossible for a caregiver to determine the difference between a concerned loved one and a person suffering from a factitious disorder. And as if all that wasn’t bizarre enough, there have also been cases where the victim has been a pet.

While many of us might see the results of this disorder as an intolerable crime, we need to remember that those who suffer from it are unable to control their impulses and are definitely in need of psychiatric help. While some do finally overcome this disorder, there are also many who do not, and unlike many other disorders it’s transferable over time to its victims. We can only hope that someday a cure will be found, as there are many who have been suffering silently from it for quite some time.

Yes, she’s real – and no, she doesn’t live with the seven dwarfs. She is a real-live sleeping beauty that often sleeps for days at a time. Currently, the most days she has slept in a row is 13, and there is no cure in sight. What is a poisoned apple that caused her to receive this condition? Perhaps not, but scientists will be the first to tell you that they haven’t yet found out what has. Louisa Ball, a 15-year-old British girl, suffers from a rare condition known in the medical world as Kleine-Levin Syndrome. It’s also known as Sleeping Beauty Sickness for reasons you will soon understand.

She first showed signs of the disorder in October of 2008. After recovering from the flu she would sleep for days on end. Each day her parents would wake her to eat and go to the bathroom, but off she would go back to a deep sleep again. Concerned for her health, her parents took her to several doctors before finally discovering her daughter suffered from Kleine-Levin Syndrome.

Sleeping Beauty Sickness

While it might sound like just a deep depression to some it’s actually a disorder that’s deeply rooted inside of the brain, causing the patient’s sleep switch to remain off for hours, days, or weeks on end. During this time the patient talks in their sleep and can become aggressive with anyone who tries to disturb their sleep. In a sense, it’s almost as if a hibernation switch is triggered, rendering the victim into an unconscious state.

Unlike narcolepsy, which is a chronic condition, Kleine-Levin Syndrome is episodic in nature, allowing the sufferer to lead a normal life between events. It’s the unpredictability of the condition that makes it so difficult for its victims, as they are unaware when they are about to relapse.

Doctors have done their best to understand the disorder, and they believe it might be an auto-immune syndrome; however, they are no closer to proving this than they are curing it. For now, the best they can do is prescribe medications that interrupt the sleep pattern, disallowing the patient to properly fall asleep. By interrupting the stages to deep sleep the medications seem to break the cycle, but this often causes the patient to suffer from irritability and cognitive abnormalities. While they become closer to the waking world, a piece of them remains behind with Morpheus.

The Only Cure Is Time

The condition typically lasts for 8 to 12 years and then disappears as quickly as it came on. Unlike many disorders that occur mainly in later life, KLS (Kleine-Levin Syndrome) occurs mainly in children and young adults, favoring boys over girls at a near 3:1 ratio.

As this is an episodic condition, those suffering from it find the condition to be very debilitating. It can interfere with school, with work, operating a motor vehicle, or any other facet of normal life. For this reason alone, many diagnosed patients find themselves dependent on caregivers to watch over them, in case the symptoms return.

While many of us wouldn’t mind a few extra hours of sleep at night, the thought of uncontrollably falling asleep for days on end should be enough to make this condition unwanted by any of us. Thankfully, the condition is far better understood by doctors now, making diagnosis a bit easier than it was in its early stages, when it was often misdiagnosed as acute depression, an acute attention seeking disorder, or a hormonal imbalance.

If you or a loved one find themselves falling into a deep sleep for 20 or more hours at a time then it’s possible KLS is the condition being experienced. Just be certain that you aren’t confusing this syndrome with extreme tiredness brought on by days of sleep apnea.

The staff at weirdsci.com would like to wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas! Hopefully Santa will be good to you this year. If not, well, we’d like to offer a consolation prize of some UFO stories, some ghost stories, and some weird things you might not find elsewhere.

So, here’s to hoping the ghosts don’t spook you away from opening your Christmas presents and the aliens don’t steal your tree. Merry Christmas everyone!

Most of us have heard the tale of someone receiving a phone call from a loved one who had recently passed on. Just the thought of such an incident makes our skin tingle, and yet, we’d all like to believe it’s possible to cheat death, if only long enough to say goodbye to our loved ones. So, are any of these claims true? Has anyone ever communicated from beyond the grave? While stories like this are extremely difficult to verify, we believe we’ve found one that will stand up to the burden of proof.

Our story occurs September 12th, 2008, in Chatsworth (a district of Los Angeles). There, on a curved section of track,a Metrolink train entered into the path of an oncoming Union Pacific freight train and the two collided violently together. An inquiry later found the engineer of the Metrolink train to be at fault. He had been texting his friends and missed the red signal light set in place to warn him of oncoming trains. The final death toll that day was 25, but one of the dying appeared to be clinging on for life.

The Nearly Wed

Charles E. Peck was aboard one of the trains, headed toward his new life in Los Angeles. His plans were simple and eloquent: secure a job in the Golden State and marry his fiance’, Andrea Katz. One interview stood between him and his second marriage, but it would be an appointment he would never make.

Andrea, who was joined by Peck’s parents and siblings, heard about the crash as they drove up to the train station. Anguished by the news, they all held on to the belief that Peck was still alive, which was bolstered by the many calls they would receive from Peck’s cell phone over the next eleven hours. He was out there. They knew it. How else would they be receiving the calls?

Waiting in tortured anguish, the family kept receiving these calls (about 35 in all). Each time they answered, nothing but static. This was to be expected of someone who was injured but still able to reach out. And so, they clung onto hope, expecting Peck to be pulled alive from the wreckage at any point. Hours continued to pass as they continued their vigil, but in the eleventh hour the calls finally stopped. Had Peck finally given up hope for rescue, or had he passed on?

Calls From Beyond

On the 12th hour, Peck’s body was finally found. As many had feared, he was already dead; if only the rescuers could have got to him sooner. However, his actual time of death would present a mystery that has never been resolved to this day: Charles Peck died on impact – not eleven hours later. And yet, his cell phone somehow continued to reach out to his family and loved ones. How was this possible?

As his cell phone was never found it might be presumed that it had somehow malfunctioned after the crash, repeatedly dialing numbers in its memory; however, if this were the case, one would expect the phone to keep dialing the same person over and over again. As for the phone ceasing its calls on the 11th hour, this was almost certainly caused by the battery failing. Regardless of the circumstances, this one rings an 8.9 on the skin tingle scale!

So, did Peck somehow manage to make calls from the grave? If so, we can only wonder what it was he wanted to say, as all recipients of his calls reported only hearing static. In fact, it’s the candid honesty of these reports that lead us to believe the story is true, as no attempt is made to add the kind of details that would make for an unbelievable ghost story. Of the many stories that have appeared on our desk, this is one of the few that appears to be totally plausible.

And so we ask, have you (or anyone you know of) ever received a phone call from the grave?

Andrew Crosse was hardly a mad scientist, nor was he trying to reanimate dead tissue back to life. His goal was actually something far different – he was just trying to form glass crystals. And while the premise of the experiment proved a failure, there was an unexpected result – life from whence there was none previously.

How is it that so many of us are unaware of this account? Well, we can hardly blame ourselves, as the man performed his experiments back in 1837, and was quickly swooped down upon by the ‘then powerful’ clergymen of the day. Just the thought of a common man being able to bring forth life was enough to ostracize him from society, as only a demonic beast could possibly replicate the efforts of God. Had Crosse been born a century and a half later, the response would have been so much different.

But did he actually create life in a petri dish? If so, where there any witnesses? Was the experiment ever successfully replicated?

Life From Nothingness

The concept of creating life from inanimate matter isn’t something new. The Ancient Greeks, terribly confused by how insects seemed to spring forth from the ground, were certain these foul bugs must have spontaneously spawned from the rocks in the soil. The ancient alchemists had their hands in things too. While attempting to transmute one element into another, they were never beyond the idea that they could spring forth life as well. In fact, had Andrew Crosse been born a few hundred years earlier we’d dismiss his experiments altogether, certain that he had somehow mismanaged or misunderstood the results. However, this was a man that was well-schooled in the ways of science, and his first belief wasn’t that he had created life – but rather – that something had tainted his experiment.

For his experiment, he made glass out of flint and potassium carbonate and then dissolved it in hydrochloric acid. From there, he let the fluid dry slowly through a porous stone that had been electrified by a battery. His belief was that this would cause glass crystals to form. Instead, it sprung forth life!

Many small, white lumps formed on the porous stone, which was definitely not the effect he had expected. However, he let the experiment continue to see where it would lead. Within days he could see legs forming and within four weeks he had small insect creatures walking around, visible under a magnifying glass.

Puzzled by this result, his first belief was that insect eggs had somehow contaminated his experiment. However, another thought entered his head. What if he had actually created life? Another experiment was in order, but this one had to be controlled far more than the previous one!

Remove All Of The Variables

In the world of science, one good result is like the event never happening at all. It’s only through repeated success that any experiment can be taken seriously. As a scientist, Crosse knew this well. He also understood the many ways by which the bug eggs could have infiltrated his experiment and made it his mission to eradicate each one.

He sterilized all of his equipment with hot alcohol, used only air tight containers, and pressed the electrical wire in through a glass stopper. Every effort was made to make it impossible for life (especially life as complex as an insect) to enter into his experiment unwantedly. To his astonishment the insect-like creatures reappeared in his second experiment too, as well as the repeats that followed. Had he somehow stumbled upon the true process of creating life?

Ecstatic with his find, he quickly dispatched his results to the London Electrical Society. Other engineers repeated his success, seeming to make his findings conclusive, so it was only a matter of time before he became a world-renowned scientist. But something went dreadfully wrong.

The church still held much of the power in Crosse’s day, and they didn’t take kindly to him playing God. In fact, the local church came to his doorstep to perform an exorcism. Michael Faraday, one of the greatest minds of the time, spoke up avidly for Crosse, stating he had successfully performed the same experiment himself, but it all fell on deaf ears. Religion trumped science, and those who still believed in Crosse soon gave up on the experiment, concerned that what they had participated in somehow had made them guilty of blasphemy before the eyes of God.

Disgraced by the church for the next eighteen years, Crosse went on to die a lonely man, designated as a menace to society.

A New Age Of Science

As the industrial revolution progressed to a renaissance of science, there were those who tried to resurrect Crosse’s experiment – but to date,  none have succeeded. As Crosse’s notes have been lost to time, scientists can never be certain on the exact methodology that had been used. As such, we may never know if Crosse really created life in a laboratory, but the fact that Michael Faraday’s name has been attached to all of this does add a bit of credibility.

Is is possible Andrew Crosse actually stumbled upon the secret to creating life? Without his notes we can never be certain. What we do know is that it was fear and ignorance that prevented the experimentation from going any further, and it’s disbelief and a lack of historical notes that prevent the final answer from being arrived at today.

If any man should ever repeat Crosse’s success, we can only hope that the credit will return to this man of antiquity, redeeming his name before all in the name of science. Another important footnote is the fact that he already gave the life he created a name – Acari Crossii.