Japan is a land of a rich history of folklore‚ myth‚ legend‚ and tales of mysterious creatures. Yet some of these stories seem to jump out from the realm of pure legend and also seem to imply bizarre alien beings and creatures from beyond the bizarre. Here we will look at a selection of some of the more far-out encounters with beings and entities in Japan that are really hard to fully classify. 

Born and raised in Northeast Philly‚ Pennsylvania‚ and currently residing in Brooklyn‚ New York‚ guitarist Aaron Dugan has impacted many modern rock‚ reggae‚ roots‚ soul‚ and funk records to the tune of two gold records. But that’s not all. Dugan has also crafted two solo records‚ which nestle up quite nicely beside records he’s lent a hand to‚ such as Matisyahu’s Live at Stubbs (2005) and Youth (2006)‚ Trevor Hall’s Chasing the Flame (2010)‚ Lee Scratch Perry’s Rise Again (2011)‚ and more. Indeed‚ with a varied background in jazz‚ rock‚ and reggae‚ Dugan impacts sessions via his open-minded viewpoint and never-ending and relentless nature on guitar. He can The post Aaron Dugan: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

In the age of the Vikings‚ there may have been one surefire way to tell if a man was part of a merchant guild: by looking at his teeth. According to a new analysis of intentional body modifications among Viking skeletons‚ males who entered into the trading profession may have undergone a curious rite of initiation whereby their chompers were marked with horizontal grooves‚ thus signaling their membership to a kind of professional fraternity.The study authors identified a total of 130 skeletons from around Scandinavia sporting these odd furrows in their teeth. While it’s impossible to say with any certainty exactly what this signified‚ the researchers point out that the notched gnashers only appear on “male-gendered individuals”‚ with the vast majority of cases coming from important trading sites on the island of Gotland‚ off the east coast of Sweden.For instance‚ at Gotland’s Viking-Age Kopparsvik cemetery‚ almost all skeletons with modified teeth were found in an area of the graveyard that was possibly reserved for non-local individuals‚ such as visiting traders. The study authors “therefore theorize that the custom of tooth filing might have been linked to trading activities of larger groups of professional merchants.”“According to this theory‚ they might have functioned as a rite of initiation and sign of identification for a closed group of merchants‚ as some kind of precursor to the later guilds‚” they write.Exactly how these early Viking trade unions functioned is unclear‚ but the researchers suggest that flashing a set of modified teeth may have entitled members to certain “commercial advantages‚ protection or other privileges.” Interestingly‚ all of the skeletons identified by the authors predate the late Viking Age‚ by which time these trading communities appear to have become more established in Scandinavia‚ as evidenced by rune stones that explicitly mention “guild brothers”.Even more intriguing‚ some of those with filled teeth are buried in ways that suggest they were ritually killed‚ and could therefore have been slaves or convicts. This indicates that membership to an exclusive merchant brotherhood was not permanent and that even those who had undergone the initiation could still suffer a “dramatic change in their social identity‚” even ending up in servitude.In addition to these ridged-toothed men‚ the study authors also identified the remains of three women whose skulls appear to have been intentionally deformed during infancy. Also located on Gotland‚ this trio pose quite a conundrum‚ since the practice of cranial modification is completely unheard of in the Viking world.The researchers therefore question whether the women were foreigners who had come to live on the island with their male merchant relatives‚ or possibly the daughters of successful Viking traders who were born in far-flung locations where skull alteration was practiced as a means of signifying elite status.Ultimately‚ it’s impossible to say who these women were or why they had their heads deformed‚ although the fact that they were buried in Viking clothing with lavish jewelry suggests that they were welcomed into Gotland society.The study has been published in the journal Current Swedish Archaeology.

A detailed study of the richest haul of Paleolithic wooden tools has provided unmatched insight into the lifestyles of Neanderthals living a little over 300‚000 years ago in what is now northern Germany.Hominins have been using stone tools for at least 3 million years‚ and probably noticed wood could do some useful things about the same time. Unlike stone‚ wood seldom survives the ages so it’s rare we have direct evidence of this‚ although the discovery of a 476‚000-year-old wooden structure certainly sent shockwaves through archaeology last year.One exception is at Schöningen‚ where an astonishing 187 wooden artifacts have been found preserved in what is known as the “Spear Horizon”. The horizon dates to around the point where early Neanderthals were replacing Homo heidelbergensis in Europe. These items have already transformed our view of these early humans‚ showing them to have been sophisticated hunters‚ rather than the scavengers once imagined. The remnants remain possibly the best guide we have to how this branch of the human family tree lived‚ and more generally how hunter-gatherers thrived in Europe during interglacial periods. The same site has also revealed other items such as sabre-toothed cat bones turned into tools.The Spear Horizon was discovered in 1994‚ but finding all it has to offer and analyzing these precious discoveries has proven a slow process.In a newly published study‚ Dr Dirk Leder of the Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage and colleagues provide the first comprehensive report on the items found there up to 2008. While the site’s spears are its most famous items‚ the authors report only 20-25 were hunting weapons. Split woods with pointed or rounded ends used for domestic purposes provided a larger part of the sample. These resemble items used by more recent hunter-gatherers to process animal hides‚ which at the site were mostly horse. Many other items’ purposes cannot be identified.Spears and throwing sticks are a minority of the items at the site‚ but their size makes them stand out.Image Credit: Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (NLD)The analysis reveals the site’s inhabitants were willing to go a long way for the right tools. Woods found at the site are primarily spruce‚ willow‚ and pine‚ although a range of other types are also found there. However‚ most of these show no sign of having been processed by humans. The tools overwhelmingly came from spruce trees‚ with almost a quarter having been pine. Besides providing a guide on which woods to use if you’re ever stuck in the wilderness‚ the finding is significant because neither spruce nor pine were available at the lakeside site. Instead‚ they would have been collected 3-5 kilometers (2-3 miles) away on a nearby mountain‚ or even further afield.Leder and co-authors identify two sets of processes to make the items. In one‚ a spruce or pine tree was cut down so its branches and bark could be removed‚ and its trunk turned into a spear or throwing stick. Some split woods appear to have been recycled from these items when they were no longer up to their original purpose.The second process turned knot-free wood from near the base of spruce trees directly into split woods for domestic uses.Part of the spear point of Spear V‚ showing the tree's annual rings and the work done to create surface facets and a flattened knot.Image Credit: Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege (NLD)The complexity of the processing provides an important data point in the development of Pleistocene technology‚ which became increasingly sophisticated over millennia. “Increasing technological complexity‚” the authors note‚ “has been interpreted as a proxy of cognitive abilities and increasing reliance on social learning.” The careful choice of the best woods‚ even though it meant a long round trip to reach and process them‚ speaks to this.The items survived when so many other tools have decayed in part because the lakeshore expanded as a result of the retreating ice sheet‚ water-logging the soil and preserving organic material.The study is open access in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Scientists have developed a solar-powered technology that converts saltwater into clean drinking water free of dangerous waterborne diseases. If their claims are true‚ then this may represent a massive step towards providing reliable and safe water to developing countries and others.Access to clean water is something we take for granted in the developed world. Most of us barely think about whether the water flowing from our taps‚ water that appears nearly instantly‚ is safe or not. However‚ this is not the case for everyone. In fact‚ around 40 percent of the global population does not have access to sufficient clean water. Worse still‚ UN-Water estimates that around 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year. And‚ with the growing climate crisis‚ this issue is only going to get worse.As such‚ the need for new methods to provide clean‚ reliable water to at risk countries and regions continues to grow. But the latest research from King’s College London may offer some measure of hope in this effort.The team‚ working in collaboration with MIT and the Helmhotz Institute for Renewable Energy Systems‚ has created a new system that produces consistent levels of water using solar power. According to their new study‚ the process is more than 20 percent cheaper than traditional methods and can be used in rural locations across the world. This is quite a powerful claim and sounds like an act of modern alchemy.“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones‚" Dr Wei He‚ Senior Lecturer in Engineering at King’s College London said in a statement‚ “and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources‚ may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted‚ for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia."So how does it work? The new system uses specialized membranes to channel salt ions into a stream of brine. This can then be separated from the water‚ leaving it fresh and drinkable.What’s more‚ the team have developed a way to flexibly adjust the voltage and rate at which saltwater flows through the system. This allowed them to adjust for whatever sunlight is available while not compromising the overall amount of drinking water it produced.The team initially gathered information in the village of Chelleru‚ near Hyderabad‚ India. They then used this information to recreate the same conditions in a village in New Mexico‚ where they successfully converted up to 10 cubic meters (353 cubic feet) of fresh water – enough to provide for 3‚000 people a day. The process continued regardless of whether the Sun was obscured by clouds or rain.“By offering a cheap‚ eco-friendly alternative that can be operated off the grid‚ our technology enables communities to tap into alternative water sources (such as deep aquifers or saline water) to address water scarcity and contamination in traditional water supplies‚” He added.“This technology can expand water sources available to communities beyond traditional ones and by providing water from uncontaminated saline sources‚ may help combat water scarcity or unexpected emergencies when conventional water supplies are disrupted‚ for example like the recent cholera outbreaks in Zambia.”Across the world‚ around 56 percent of the available groundwater is saline and unsuitable for drinking. This issue is particularly severe in places like India where 60 percent of the land contains saline water. So this new system offers hope for efforts to desalinate water sources safely and affordably.Most desalination technologies use expensive batteries in off-grid systems or use a lot of energy through grid systems to remove salt content from water. This is expensive and unreliable‚ especially in rural areas in developing countries. Here‚ fossil fuels are often used to power generators‚ which are damaging for the environment.This new low-cost system‚ which is “battery-like”‚ offers new and sustainable ways to desalinate water which takes the pressure off individual consumers to maintain.He added: “Traditionally‚ desalinating water has been energy-intensive and costly‚ confining its use to areas with stable power and financial resources. By removing the need for a grid system entirely and cutting reliance on battery tech by 92 percent‚ our system can provide reliable access to safe drinking water‚ entirely emission free onsite and at a discount of roughly 22 percent to the people who need it compared to traditional methods.”Outside of developing areas‚ the new system could help compensate for future issues posed by climate change‚ especially for agriculture. Although the aim should be to limit the effects of climate change all together‚ the ability to produce clean fresh water from saline water could help with irrigation.“Fresh water for irrigation is a large problem in across the globe‚ including North America‚ the Middle East‚ and Sub-Saharan Africa‚” He explained. “Drought and cost are major draws on an industry which relies on unstable reserves of water to survive‚ and climate change will further exacerbate these challenges.”“By providing a sustainable way for farmers to produce freshwater for irrigation at a cut price without its volume being compromised‚ we can help them reduce costs‚ mitigate carbon emissions‚ and ensure agriculture production and eventually pass those benefits onto consumers."Places like the UK and the US have more stable and diversified grids than most other countries‚ but they still rely on fossil fuels to power them. As such‚ the new desalination system could help remove the need to rely on these fuels and may contribute to our efforts to achieve Net Zero.“The next step for us is to apply this low-cost technology to other sectors‚ including wastewater treatment‚ and producing alkaline to make the ocean more alkaline to help it absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere‚” He concluded. “By taking this approach not only can we decarbonise agriculture‚ but wider environmental and climate benefits as well.”The paper is published in Nature Water.

Eclipse fever is mounting‚ but it might deflate like a flan in a cupboard for some. The path of totality stretches from the west coast of Mexico all the way to Newfoundland. Millions already live on the path of totality‚ with many more expected to travel to the relatively thin – at most 200 kilometers (124 miles) wide – strip of darkness. Unfortunately‚ clouds and storms are predicted to make the best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gloomier. Accuweather reports that cloud coverage is high risk in parts of East Texas‚ Oklahoma‚ and Arkansas‚ with a medium risk elsewhere. It’s only in the East Coast states that the cloud coverage risk looks low. It might be good for people trying to see the event in Niagara and on the Great Lakes‚ or in Canada. In Mexico‚ the situation is mixed‚ with great variability from location to location."Most places in the vicinity of the path of totality will have to deal with some level of clouds‚ whether high or low. Some high clouds may streak across the Great Lakes during the 8th‚ reaching northwest Pennsylvania in the afternoon‚" AccuWeather lead long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok said in an article about the current long-range prediction. "Another area AccuWeather forecasters are watching is southern California and southeast Arizona‚ where some clouds may develop from a system in that area."However‚ “This far out‚ any forecast of anything as specific as cloud cover is difficult to sort out‚ if not impossible‚” Chris Buonanno‚ a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Little Rock‚ told CNN.There are several areas not on the path of totality that might have much better conditions‚ so you will be able to see a partial solar eclipse there. But use appropriate eyewear – sunglasses are not good enough. Only proper solar glasses‚ with certified filters‚ can protect your eyes. Eye safety is important. Only at totality can you look at the eclipse without glasses. Please wear appropriate eyewear before and after.Totality will start on the west coast of Mexico just after noon local time. There‚ the path of totality will be about 200 kilometers (124 miles) across‚ shrinking to 160 kilometers (100 miles) by the time it gets to Newfoundland. Many major cities are on the path of totality including Dallas and Indianapolis. About 31 million people already living in the path of totality. And we hope that many of them will have clear skies next Monday.There are many warnings issued about the eclipse‚ so please be smart about it. 

Wednesday Morning Minute

NASA's sun-kissing Parker Solar Probe peered into the depths of a coronal mass ejection (CME) for the first time‚ revealing new details within the violent solar phenomenon.