Australian  scientist Ragbir Bhathal believes he has detected extra-terrestrial signals by monitoring light from the stars. Many scientists attempt to detect alien life by monitoring radio signals, but Bhathal’s method has made even Arthur C. Clarke stand up and take notice.

His findings this past September are exactly what he’s been looking for since he started the OZSETI project. Unlike most people making claims of finding alien communications he is encouraging physicists to analyze his findings and find flaws with them. Barring peer review, it’s possible this bearded man from Oz may make history by detecting the first actual signs of alien life.

[VBS Blog]

Scientists say that the 510-meter in diameter (101955) 199 RQ36 astroid could strike Earth in a scant 172 years.

While there is no pressing need to build a spaceship to save your great-great-great-great grandchildren, the article does mention a similar asteroid that narrowly missed a collision with Terra firma in 2004. Probably best not to think about it too much.

[Discovery News]

Inspired by the film Inception. What mysteries lie behind the cats eyes?

A hybrid zebra/donkey was born this past week at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega, Georgia.

According to the Preserve’s staff, “zedonks” (as the hybrids are known) are very rare. Turns out zebras usually find donkeys “out of their league.” Darn prissy zebras! You know they always settle for a donkey after they turn 30.

[Gainsville Times]

The world’s first successful face transplant patient has revealed his improved face in Barcelona this week.

Known only as ‘Oscar,’ the patient thanked the hospital and the face-doner’s family for the medical breakthrough that will eventually allow him to regain up to 90% of his facial functions.

Unfortunately, ‘Oscar’ looks nothing Nicholas Cage OR John Travolta. See, kids? Sometimes even movies lie.

[BBC News]

Start off your week with this video of an ant trying to chug a massive raindrop. He’s going to feel that in the morning!

A wooden version of Stonehenge was found less than a kilometer away from the original landmark Thursday. Using sophisticated equipment researchers have uncovered a very similar structure buried in the earth.

The new site is thought to be a complementary site to the original Stonehenge. While they have only just begun to analyze the data and have no plans of actually digging up the new find it is believed that the two structures were built around the same time.

Whether this new structure has anything to do with the wooden Stonehenge in Cincinnati we reported on yesterday remains to be seen.

[Reuters]

Check out this UFO spotted in the skies over Fresno, CA over the 4th of July weekend. The news station covering the story got several confirmations  of the lights in the sky, and even some amateur video. So, what do you think? UFO, airplanes flying in formation, or sparklers tied to balloons? Let us know in the comments!

In 1994 62 schoolchildren from England with no prior exposure to portrayals of Aliens & UFOs in the media say they had an extra-terrestrial encounter. Watch this fascinating investigation and let us know what you think in the comments!

[Part 1]

[Part 2]

A ship from South Korea was refused port when thousands of large spiders were discovered throughout the ship’s cargo.

The local Department of Agriculture deemed the arachnids “too numerous to destroy or contain.” Officials  are unsure of why the spiders are on board, or even what species they are.

Considering the cargo was meant to build housing for U.S. military contractors it’s safe to say that “War On Ugly-Wugly Creepy Crawlies” is imminent.

[Stars and Stripes]

Japanese scientists have created the world’s first touchable holograms. Using 2 Wiimotes and a wave emitter to create pressure on the user’s hands Researchers at Tokyo University have developed the technology to be used from everything from basic computing to light switches and doorknobs. Who would have thought the world of Minority Report would be brought to you be Nintendo. I’m pretty sure Google will be the first with pre-cogs though.

Construction workers at the site where the World Trade Center once stood unearthed a ship from the 18th Century in New York City yesterday.  Crews rushed in to get as much data about the ship recorded before the heat of the sun turn it dust, as well as to ensure that worked continued at the historical site.

So did they build the WTC over a pirate’s hideaway, or did Revolutionary New Yorkers find a creative way to dispose of those darn Redcoats? Let us know your craziest theories in the comments!

[New York Times]

We get pretty cocky here in the 21st Century with our internets and World Wide Web Highway pages, but did you know that the idea for the Internet is four years older than Superman?

In the video above you can check out Belgium inventor Paul Otlet’s idea for a windowed display system that hooked up to other systems “over the telephone.” He also called word processing, a file system, and the multimedia CD-Rom craze all the way back in 1934.

How would the Internet be different today if we had made it then? Let us know your alternative Internet history in the comments!

Check out Paul Otlet’s Wikipedia page

Check out this creepy full-motion x-ray of a human being speaking. The human being in question is Christine Ericsdotter and she recorded herself speaking to study how the different parts of our mouths work together to make words. You can read more about the study here and watch a full video here (Quicktime required).

In honor of his birthday this past Saturday, enjoy this brief History of Nikola Tesla and learn why he was the weirdest inventor this side of Fred MacMurray.

Related Story: Reason #99,912 Why Nikola Tesla Rules: He Knew Mobile Phones Were Coming

Tinkerers from the Site3 coLabratory have discovered how to make fire… with your mind!

The PK4A Project uses a headset to read brain patterns and a small homemade computer to increase or decrease the flame based on the user’s cerebral input.

The headset is called the NeuroSky MindSet and uses four sensors to detect two of the eight energy bands the brain produces. The computer interprets the brainwaves using a custom algorithm and reflects the level of activity with a massive propane flame.

Safety is obviously a concern so the inventors use a ‘dead-man switch,’ which constantly has to be pressed for the device to function.

While there are no plans to put the item up for sale basic specs are available on the project site.

If you can’t wait to see this thing in action, here’s a video of them using it at Firefly 2010.