M.J. Rose

We love it when such incredibly unusual and well preserved ancient specimens are uncovered. It’s really the only thing we can think of that’s not terrible about global warming…

Incredibly Preserved Frozen Cave Lions Found In Siberia

“In remote and icy Siberia, bodies of long extinct ancient animals are often found preserved within the thick permafrost, from woolly mammoths to ancient horses. These carcasses have been so well preserved, that some reports suggest that the meat is often fresh enough to eat, and can even contain liquid blood. In another stunning find, The Siberian Times reports the “sensational” discovery of two almost perfectly preserved cave lion cubs.

Thought to be at least 10,000 years old, the lions were found earlier this summer in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic of Siberia, famed for many other striking discoveries of ice age animals. The creatures lived during the Pleistocene, when the world was gripped by repeated ice ages as glaciers expanded and retracted. All that had been previously found of cave lions in the area were some skulls and fragments of teeth and bones…”

For the rest, click here to go to IFLS.

Have you experienced sleep paralysis? If so, imagine for a moment that you are living in ancient times, with no scientific explanation for such terror. To what or whom would you attribute the experience? Demons? Witches? Angry souls of the dead? The hallucinations are often accompanied by a distinct sense of impending doom – a dread so palpable that you are absolutely positive you are about to die.

Could it be possible that the science we have now is merely attempting to explain the more sinister or paranormal nature of these experiences?  Do scientists really know the answer?

If you’ve ever had sleep paralysis, one thing is for certain, it feels as real as real can get.

Here is one of the best articles we’ve seen on the phenomenon in terms of offering a scientific explanation:

Understanding Sleep Paralysis: A Terrifying But Unique State Of Consciousness
by Dan Denis (ifls)

“I awake in bed … In the corner of the room there are two men. I cannot see them but I know that they are there, and what they look like. I can hear them talking. They are talking about murder. I cannot move. One of the men comes and stands directly above me … He spits, and his spit lands in the socket of my closed eye. I can feel the impact, the wetness, the trail of slime.”

This may sound like a scene from the X-Files, but it is actually a personal account of a real experience – told as part of a project on sleep paralysis. This is an unusual condition where one wakes up in the night, unable to move, and often experiences a wide range of bizarre and terrifying hallucinations.

On October 9 a new documentary, The Nightmare, directed by Rodney Ascher, is being released in the UK. The film tracks eight people’s experiences of sleep paralysis, brilliantly recreating their terrifying visions on screen. However, it does not touch on the increasing amount of scientific study into the condition. This is a shame, as researchers are slowly getting closer to unravelling its mystery….”

For the rest, click here.

Click here for a very fascinating video on the subject.

We’re always excited when science investigates the stuff of legends.  Sometimes the feeling we are left with after these investigations is that some mysteries are just not possible to unlock, and some of the greatest mysteries of all are found in the pages of our most ancient texts…

On NOVA: Secrets of Noah’s Ark

Aired: 10/07/2015

A team attempts to build the flood boat using inscriptions from an ancient clay tablet.

For the complete episode, click here to go to PBS.