500m planets in our galaxy could support life

Data from NASA's Kepler telescope suggests there are 50 billion planets in the Milky Way.

To date Kepler has discovered 1,235 planets with 54 of those falling within the 'Goldilocks zone' in which life could potentially exist. Scientists have determined that one in every two stars has at least one planet and that one in 200 stars has a planet thought to be able to sustain life as we know it.

Scientists have estimated the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy and the numbers are astronomical: at least 50 billion planets in the Milky Way. At least 500 million of those planets are in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold zone where life could exist. The numbers were extrapolated from the early results of NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope.(from unexplained-mysteries.com)  
                                                               
                            Image credit: NASA/ESA 

Pear-shaped UFO spotted in Scotland

By Hissie Sola, Staff News Writer
A motorist has reported seeing a mysterious object flying low over East Kilbride.

On Sunday, January 8th, a motorist on the East Kilbride Expressway spotted a pear shaped object in the sky. The witness, George King, explained; "I was sitting in my car, facing west, when I noticed two orange lights, one smaller than the other, flying low. I thought it was a police helicopter but it kept coming with no noise and suddenly shot up skywards right in front of me. I jumped out of (my) car to phone my son and to the left of me I saw a large, pear-shaped, bubble type thing heading towards Hamilton/Strathaven." UFO expert Ron Halliday says that there have been several other sightings over the years in the East Kilbride area and that it is "somewhat of a hotspot for UFO activity."

A motorist on the East Kilbride Expressway has reported spotting a mysterious object in the sky. George King reported the mystery on the UK UFO Sightings website, following his unexplained sighting on Sunday, January 2 at around 8pm.(from unexplained-mysteries.com)

 Image credit: sxc.hu

Paul the Octopus

Paul the Octopus (reportedly hatched January 2008; died 26 October 2010) was a common octopus from Weymouth, England. Paul lived in a tank at a commercial attraction, the Sea Life Center in Oberhausen,Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behaviour was used to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football team's seven matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the outcome of the final.
The prediction process was designed so that Paul was presented with two boxes containing food in the form of a mussel, each box marked on the outside with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. His choice of which mussel to eat first was interpreted as indicating his prediction of a win for the country whose flag was on that box. Selections by the octopus were correct in four of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and were correct in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup. The octopus also correctly selected a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World cup final on 11 july by eating the mussel in the box with the spanish flag on it. These predictions were 100% (8/8) correct for the World Cup and 86% (12/14) correct overall.
However, the keeper at the aquarium stated that Paul was not the same octopus that predicted the results for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championships.Octopus Paul was retired after the 2010 World Cup, and died the following October.(From wikipedia the free encyclopedia)

Boy in Serbia claimed to be magnetic

7-year-old Bogdan is able to make a host of different metal objects and even plates stick to his skin.

Demonstrating his talent in front of a film crew the young Serbian was unphased by the attention or by the selection of household objects that seemed to miraculously stick to his chest. According to his family Bogdan is unable to go near anything electrical as he seems to have an adverse effect on televisions, computers and other devices.

A seven-year-old boy in Serbia is attracting worldwide attention after his family claim he is magnetic. To prove their claim, the family paraded the boy in front of an camera crew, with a variety of objects stuck to his chest. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

                         Image credit: sxc.hu

Schoolgirl with magnetic hands

A schoolgirl from Serbia has astounded medics by being able to stick objects magnetically to her hands.

Nearby Nis University has called for scientists to investigate the phenomenon. Department head Pavle Premovic stated "I'd say this is a kind of unknown bio-magnetism. More experts would need to join me and research what this is all about."

Ten-year-old Jelena Momcilov has been picking up cutlery, coins and even metal furniture by just touching them at her family home in Zeljusa, since she first discovered her powers five years ago. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Image credit: sxc.hu

Malaysian home plagued by ghosts

                                       Image credit: stockxpert

A home in Malaysia has been plagued by paranormal activity and a series of mysterious fires.

Several paranormal experts have attempted to rid the home of Zainab Sulaiman of "evil" spirits said to be responsible for a series of disturbances and fires. In the latest attempt a group of muslim ghostbusters known called Darul Shifaq spent half the night there but failed to exorcise the spirits. "We have come across this sort of paranormal activity before, and her an­cient belongings may be the cause of the fires," said the group's leader Zakaria Ya.

There seems to be no end to Zainab Sulaiman's woes despite several attempts by paranormal experts to rid her of spirits believed to be behind over 200 mysterious fires which have broken out in her home. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Being haunted through your mobile ?

                                   Image credit: sxc.hu

Paranormal investigator Phil Hayes has claimed that a third of hauntings take place via mobile phone.

Such "haunted calls" usually involve heavy static and faint, distant voices coming through the receiver. Whether such calls are down to paranormal activity or simply to technical issues however remains a matter of debate.

Ghosts are trying to make contact with living friends using mobile phones, a paranormal expert claims. The number of mystery calls to mobiles attributed to spooks has rocketed by 43 per cent in the last four years, a study found. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Ghost-hunters to check out the Titanic

                            Image credit: Willy Stöwer

A paranormal group are planning on investigating the wreck of the Titanic for ghosts.

The group are looking to find out whether the spirits of some of the people who died in the disaster are still around. "There is a working theory that areas of extreme trauma can imprint the actions and emotions," says Titanic expert William Brower.

A group of ghost hunters is planning a titanic mission in order to see whether the spirits of the folks who drowned on the Titanic are still haunting the site of the wreck. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Man-eating elephant reported in India

An elephant responsible for killing 17 people was found to have human flesh in its stomach.

An increase in aggressiveness from animals in India is becoming a significant concern, in another part of the country reports suggest that tigers were responsible for the deaths of 14 people from a single village last year. The problem is thought to be due at least in part to human encroachment on their territories.

After a rogue elephant killed 17 people in India, locals knew it had to be stopped. Once the animal was killed, DNA tests on the contents of its stomach revealed something even more terrifying: the elephant had consumed human flesh. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

                                      Image credit: Sandra Fenley

Eeyore, world's oldest living donkey at 54 ?

Eeyore the donkey is something of a rarity - at 54 he is thought to be the world's oldest living donkey.

Born in 1957 he now holds a Guiness World Record for his longevity, donkeys usually live only 25-30 years. He's looked after by animal lover Selwyn Demmy who runs an animal sanctuary in Cheshire.

He was born the same year Tommy Steele was topping the charts and the Russians sent Sputnik into space. Like his famous namesake, he's been around for donkey's years - but at the age of 54, Eeyore is being hailed as the oldest living donkey in the world.(from unexplained-mysteries.com)

                              Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Paul Hellyer claims UFO cover-up

                                Image credit: Anonymous

The former Canadian defence minister claims he's seen UFOs and that aliens have visited Earth.

Hellyer has also stated that he believes that the US are in possession of secret technologies including weapons designed to target UFOs and that such operations are being conducted by a 'shadow government'. "We lived too long in a sense of isolation, thinking that Earth was the centre of the cosmos, that we were the only species and, therefore, probably the most advanced," he said. "And when we come to the realisation that we're not any of those things, then I think we should be aware of it (and) learn to live with it."

Mr Hellyer is presenting his views on UFOs this week at the International UFO Congress in Scottsdale, Arizona, and says he is ‘convinced’ of their existence. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Mystery lights sighted in New Zealand

                  Image credit: Lloyd McFadden

Peculiar lights have been spotted over New Zealand in the past few days in three different locations.

In one case a graphics tutor witnessed four orange lights flying soundlessly in formation over Napier and in a remarkable coincidence the cameraman who filmed the 1978 Kaikoura UFO also reported seeing the same lights half an hour later.

Mysterious "orangey and reddish lights" spotted in skies above Napier, Taranaki and Christchurch were a day too late to be Santa's sleigh but could they be UFOs? Reports of strange objects in the sky on Boxing Day have been made in three separate locations, with the first sighting of the moving orange lights in Taranaki on Sunday night.(from unexplained-mysteries.com)

Planet discovery rekindles ET life debate

By Scáthach, Staff News WriterRecent discoveries of planets outside our solar system make finding alien life seem more and more likely.

NASA's Kepler telescope has detected over 1200 planets orbiting distant stars and at least 54 of those are thought to be similar enough to the Earth to be candidates for finding alien life. Recent studies have suggested that as many as 500 million such habitable planets could exist within our own galaxy alone.

Data from Nasa's Cassini probe revealed the complex chemistry on the surface of Titan, which experts say is the only moon around the planet to have a dense atmosphere. Experts suggested that life forms may have been breathing in the planet’s atmosphere and also feeding on its surface’s fuel. (from unexplained-mysteries.com)

                                    Image credit: NASA

UK survey: almost 50% believe in aliens

                                    Image credit: iStockPhoto
A poll conducted in the UK has revealed that nearly half the population believes alien life exists.

Conducted by the prestigious Royal Society it was found that men were more likely to believe in aliens than women and that 28% of those polled believed that alien life didn't exist at all and that we were alone in the universe.

A poll of 2,000 adults concluded that 44 per cent were convinced of the existence of extra-terrestrial life. Men were more likely to believe with 46 per cent answering the survey saying humans are not alone.(from unexplained-mysteries)

Why haven't we found aliens yet?

                                  Image credit: DerrickT
Many people believe that we are not alone in the universe but if that's the case then where are all the aliens ?

Frank Drake has been pondering the possibility of extraterrestrial life for decades. "It's probably the most important question there is," he said. "What does it mean to be a human being? What is our future? Are there other creatures like us? What have they become? What can evolution produce? How far can it go?"

The question of whether or not we are alone in the galaxy is one that has fascinated everyone from mathematicians to conspiracy theorists. But, if extra-terrestrial life forms are abundant in the Universe - as some people believe - why have they not been in contact?(from unexplained-mysteries.com)