Did Florida's Oldest Tree Spontaneously Combust?

Investigators ruled-out arson as a possible cause for the fire that claimed Florida's The Big Tree, saying that the fire that lead to its demise was caused from the inside. This mind-boggling predicament has some suggesting that a weeks-old lightning strike might have caused the fire, or that the swaying of the branches in the wind could have ignited a spark. The truth is that no one knows for certain what burned down The Big Tree, but it does not appear that it was a malicious attack by a human being.

The Big Tree was estimated to be 3500 years old. It has left a literal financial hole in the community where it resided, as it provided most of their tourism. A memorial is being considered.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Party Attacked by Polar Bear, Boy Dies

A 17-year-old boy died in Norway and four others were injured when a polar bear attacked their campsite. The five were part of a larger British party camping on the Von Postbreen glacier. Polar bears had been sighted and reported in nearby areas and officials say at least three are killed every year.

Two of the four survivors who were attacked are in serious, but stable, condition. The rest of the expedition to explore the glacier has been canceled in light of the tragedy. The polar bear was identified and killed.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011

Popcorn - Fresh from the Field

A Kentucky farmer sent samples of corn he says popped on the stalk to the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service for examination. The samples do appear to be partially-popped corn kernels, though an agent of department said he had never heard of such a phenomenon.

The outer coat of a kernel may sometimes explode after the ears have been pollinated, due to extreme heat, however. Temperatures in fields are sometimes as much as 10º hotter than surrounding areas, due to the plants' energy production.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Mephedrone Facing Ban

Drugs, including alcohol, and mind-altering substances have been used in religious rites since time immemorial, but they have also been used recreationally - arguably for about as long. These days though, most drug use is specifically recreational and price is a factor. This is how a plant food has recently become one of the more popular club drugs in the UK and is now facing probable banning.

Mephedrone, aka M-Cat, Meow, MC, et.al., is actually plant fertilizer. The side effects when ingested include rapid heartbeat and mild euphoria, but the product has led to the deaths of several young people in recent weeks, forcing UK authorities to consider classifying Mephedrone as a Class B substance. Some experts assert it is simply amphetamine by another name.

Mephedrone can be procured in pill or tablet form, but is often powdered for snorting.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

Angel's Trumpet

A plant which grows wild across several states in America is dangerous to ingest, yet kids are eating it up because the flowers and seeds produce hallucinations. Angel's Trumpet grows wild in California, as well as Rhode Island (clear across the country on the East Coast) and many places in-between. The flower resembles an upside-down trumpet and displays in many colors, but make no mistake: Angel's Trumpet is poisonous. It is related to Jimson Weed, another poisonous plant which is said to produce hallucinations.

Ingesting Angel's Trumpet does produce hallucinations - "at toxic levels," according to one expert - and, according to users, a sense of calm and even slight euphoria, but it also sends people to the hospital! Authorities say the practice is becoming more widespread and warn those with Angel's Trumpet to cut the plant, or at least deflower it to a height most people cannot easily reach.

Pharmacologist, David Nicholls of Purdue University warns, "Drugs like LSD or marijuana will never kill you. But angel's trumpet can."

© C Harris Lynn, 2010

A Pond No More

When George Terry Dinnie left his home to walk his dog, his 2500-gallon water pond was full. When he returned some 90 minutes later, it was absolutely empty! Dinnie managed to save some of the expensive fish, but many died. "They pumped the water out faster than I can fill it up again. It's as weird as weird can be," Dinnie told reporters.

However, a swale on his lawn appeared moister than usual and neighbors said they saw water spraying from it while Dinnie was away with his dog. He filled the pond up again and replaced the fish and plants he managed to save. But where his pond went remains unknown.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Lost World Discovered on Google Maps

Some years back, a team of scientists was looking for a new area to explore at least 5000 feet above sea level.  They were astonished when they discovered a patch of forest in Africa not on any map.  How?  Google Earth, of course!

The forest surrounding Mt. Mabu had been overlooked for years by wildlife experts and cartographers alike, largely due to decades-long war in the region.  While few Mozambiqueans are even aware of the 27 acres of lush forest growth (or Mount Mabu), those who are have kept it secret as they use it for refuge when the fighting becomes too intense.  Researchers note that, while it may be on some maps under another name, Mt. Mabu is basically unknown.

Once discovered, a team of researchers from several countries (including Mozambique, Switzerland, Britain, and more) made the trip to discover a lush Eden, filled with rare and exotic species of butterflies (including three new species), giant snakes (including a new adder), and colonies of rare birds.  They returned home with some 300 samples of flora, and more discoveries have yet to be made.

The Mail Online has more on the trip, including pictures.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Vanilla Fungus

A deadly and incurable fungus outbreak has hit Madagascar, the world's main vanilla-producing region. The farmers have had to "radically change" farming methods to combat the outbreak, which has infected some 80% of their crop in two of their major stations.

As most of Madagascar's vanilla is exported to the United States, look for already high prices to increase.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Help Gilligan Get Off the Island!

Scientists from the Ivory Coast are trying to sell a rare, multi-headed coconut tree for $1 million.

While the multiple heads is extremely rare, it is usually due to insect attack or other damage done to the tree in its youth, but this particular plant shows no signs of damage, suggesting the rarity may be genetic. The scientists have multiplied the tree about 150 times to see if the mutation will be duplicated, but it will take about 20 years to find out.

The tree was brought in from Malaysia some 40 years ago and produces about 150 fruits a year, as opposed to the usual 30-60 from single-headed varieties. The money is to fund the Marc Delorme research station, which has been around since the 1940s and is struggling in the wake of the Ivorian civil war.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Extinction Could Come at a Price

Scientists and doctors are once again warning us about the dangers of extinction and how it could keep us from discovering new medical cures.

Not too long ago, we reported on a similar warning concerning flora, but this time, researchers are discussing fauna. They mention a particular type of toad which raised its young in the females' stomach; researchers said studies were being conducted on them to develop treatments for stomach ulcers and similar conditions, but the last time the toad was recorded in the wild was 1981.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Medicinal Plants Face Extinction

Another one of those that got shuffled into the wrong bookmark folder and lost, until now...

Researchers from the Botanical Gardens Conservation International surveyed 600 (earlier this year) of its members and identified at least 400 species of plant that are facing extinction. The group represents botanic gardens from over 120 countries. This is incredibly dangerous to Man, as some of the plants are those from which important medical drugs are culled, including the yew tree, which is used in the manufacture of one of the most widely-used cancer drugs!

While many of the other plants on the list are not medicinally-related, as the researchers say, who knows what the future may bring? There exists the very real possibility that, should these plants go extinct, we may lost the cure for any number of diseases before we even discover them!

Many of the chemicals garnered from plants are now made synthetically, but over-harvesting and deforestation of the plants' indigenous areas are the leading threats.

As many as 5 million people worldwide depend on flora-based medicines.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Was Moses ON DOPE!?

An Israeli professor of cognitive psychology has forwarded the theory that Moses may have been under the influence of hallucinogens when he saw the burning bush and received the Ten Commandments atop Mt. Sinai.

Benny Shanon mentioned his own psychedelic experiences, taken as part of religious ceremonies, which led to religious-based hallucinations and allowed him to "see sound."  He also noted that the use of psychedelics in religious ceremonies is a time-honored tradition in many religions around the world.  In fact, concoctions made from the bark of the acacia tree, oft-mentioned in The Bible, have hallucinogenic effects comparable to those of ayahuasca, an hallucinogen still in use in religious ceremonies in the Amazon.

Like the acacia, ayahuasca is a plant with hallucinogenic properties.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Mt. Sinai is listed as "E 101st St, New York, NY 10029, USA" because Israel's current borders are rightfully unrecognized by the entire world outside of the US MIC (and Israel).  This may be the address of AIPAC/religious -backed, legal representatives.  Mt. Sinai absolutely never existed in North America; it is located in disputed areas in the Middle East.  I just had to include this to point-out the incredible overreach of the US military industrial complex (operating in this case under the name Google, Ltd.) and its continued terrorist activities.  That is fucking crazy. - 2018

New Species of Palm Suicidal!

Two vacationers in Madagascar were strolling along the beach when they noticed a large and unusual palm. Turns out, it was an entirely new family of species which continues to bloom until it dies!

The palm had remained hidden for centuries because it resides in an area only accessible by air. One scientist called it a "mind-blowing discovery." In fact, the tree is an actual botanical wonder.

The palm stands around 70' tall and blooms only once in its life. When its flowers and pollen have been shed, its nutrients are completely exhausted and it collapses and dies. While the one-time fruiting is fatal, no one knows how long the plant lives.

Plans to cultivate the palm under controlled circumstances are being floated.

Ancient Rainforest Discovered Underground

Coal miners in Danville, IL, are used to seeing a stray plant fossil here and there on the ceilings of their mines, but what they uncovered this time was far more than that.  Once the discovery's importance became obvious, they called in a revered paleobotanist from the UK and a curator of fossils from the Smithsonian.

All were astonished to find miles of ancient, fossilized rainforest, perfectly preserved in the coal mine.  Something they describe as "an artist's canvas painted in flat gray."  The rainforest existed about 300 million years ago and its remains cover approximately 4 square miles.   It's like looking at a snapshot of one of the world's first rainforests.

Scientists believe an earthquake about 300 million years ago dropped the rainforest under sea level and buried it with mud, preserving it forever, probably in a matter of months.  One of the scientists said some of the tree trunks were buried "in a flash."

Fewer Leaves Led to Frogs' Decline

Now We Know What Happened to Pepe!

Scientists working in Costa Rica have come to a startling conclusion as to the decline of the frogs' species in the region after studying 35+ years' worth of data: Fewer leaves on the ground seem to be the cause.

A fungal infection was previously assumed to be the culprit, but scientists noticed that the population of lizards who were immune to the infection were also in decline.  Amphibians have declined by up to 75% since 1970, yet scientists insist there is no human cause-effect relationship -- such as the destruction of their habitat by encroaching industrial efforts.  This percentage in decline directly correlated with the decline in leaf litter on the ground, which provides the creatures with both food and shelter.

The new suspect?

Global warming.

UPDATE:  "Global Warming" or -- as we Old Folk were taught to call it --"The Greenhouse Effect," is a very real, and very direct, by-product of Industrial pollution -- specifically, fossil fuel consumption and the eradication of millions of miles of trees and foliage (especially in tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon).  The "Scientific Community" refuses to acknowledge this because they are intellectually dishonest, and corrupt to the core; they would rather soak-up "free" grant money (that we taxpayers are forced to provide to further such MISO) than stand-up to the corporate giants responsible.  The few who do often wind-up featured on this blog as dead or missing.

However, there are some (too few) within the scientific community who refuse to be terrorized into silence and submission.  They never receive "mainstream" coverage but, once again, they do receive coverage on The OddBlog.  Then they wind-up dead or missing (so we get two posts out of the deal).

Fewer leaves on the ground means fewer trees, not "Global Warming."  That's common sense -- which is why mainstream "scientists" can't seem to figure that out.  We hope they enjoy cashing the checks we (and the oil companies) provide. - 2018