Author Archives: marcia

New Solar Eruption

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ANOTHER ERUPTION: For the past few days, magnetic filaments have been rising and snapping all around the sun. The latest eruption occured during the late hours of April 7th, shown here in an extreme UV video from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

A CME hurled into space by this eruption might deliver a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field on or about April 9th. Like a CME observed two days ago, this one was visually confused by two other clouds leaving the sun from other blast sites at about the same time: movie.

fr/spaceweather.com

April 8-14

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Overall Color for the Week:   Dark Blue-Green

This is a week for lessons, lots of them large, some hard, some easy.  And it is equally a time for no regrets.  When things come your way, step back and take a look at them.  You may find that your perspectives are shifting.  In the new light, you can see things that were not obvious before.  Accept what is happening as it is a way to move you forward.  There is a lot of stuckness that has been going on, and a major shakeup, even a complete reversal, is often the thing that can take you out of what was, turn you around, and open up new ways.  Events that are happening now are exactly what need to happen, and while you may question, blame, angst and whine, know that this is part of the process and the very fact that you are in this place means that you are being given the opportunity for change.  It is easy to take things for granted, accept that they cannot be changed, even to give our power away.  This week gives you the opportunity to step back and see what is going on in your life, while giving you the option to deal with them in a way that is most acceptable to you.  Choices made this week will last.  You are in control of all of this, and decisions made now will be affecting you as the shift moves forward.  Good luck.

On the larger scale, there are lessons to be learned also.  They will come in all areas, politics, economics, travel, medicine, energy, spirituality, etc., etc., etc.  There are some surprises, but mostly confirmations of things that have been going on for quite some time.  The Earth shifts and shudders.  Things in that area will be out of character.  There will be a sense that something is gong to happen, and then there will be nothing.  Some interesting things will be coming to the surface.

Sunday, April 8:    Blue Grey

Easter Sunday:    There is something new on the horizon here today.  You can see it if you wish to.  The last few weeks, have brought you face to face in many ways with people, places, and thing that have been causing you some turmoil.  The current energy is somewhat rough and it is leading you to attempt to deal with these feelings in such a way as to reinstate your comfort level.  Take a look at what it is that is most obvious in the all of this.  Then step back and place it into the larger perspective.  Now is the important moment,  Now is made up of many prior and future nows, You have the ability to set the trajectory for the next moment.  Take time to meditate, create, go within, journal, whatever it is that allows you to reach a new point of comfort.  That will be the basis for tomorrow.

Crystal Vibe:    Hematite — This stone brings grounding and connection.  Resonates with the Root and Crown Chakras

Monday, April 9:    Dark Violet

Things can be a bit rough today.  Be prepared to deal with changes of plan, reversals, setbacks, and delays.  When these things happen, do not react, rather step back and see the opportunities they are presenting to you.  There are new perspectives out there.  It is time to look in other directions for solutions.  A lot of the stuff you have done in the past, relied on in the past, is not longer workable,  And that is okay.  Old lessons and old solutions are no longer applicable in the new energies,  The dimensions are moving and shifting and, guess what….., there is magic in the air.  Truly.  Many things that may cause you concern, anger, whatever, actually are openings to some pretty incredible results.  You must be accepting and allowing, stay grounded in your true heart’s knowing, and in tune with the Universal Consciousness, of which you are a part.  Much can come of this.

Crystal Vibe:    Cathedral Quartz—-The energy of this stone brings together that which is of Earth and that which is of the Universe.  It can bring balance and open to new revelations.  Resonates with the Root and Crown Chakras.

Tuesday, April 10:    Dark Orange

There are questions to be asked today.  Not all of them will get answers.  Some do not need answers.  Some do not deserve answers.  And some answers are not yet ready.  There is an instability in the air today, and it can lead to uncertainty on all levels.  This is not a good time for making decisions, plans, or commitments.  All things are subject to change.  The current energy favors stepping back and observing all that is going on around you. but also how things are moving in relation to what is there.  Patterns are beginning to take form, and you are going to want to know where you stand in the midst of them.  It is advisable to take some time today to go within, to go to your Core, and to discover the power of WHO you are.

Crystal Energy:    Green Sapphire—-The energy of this stone brings hope and comfort in the midst of the storm.  It allows you to go within and know the inner power that can get you through.  Resonates with the Heart Chakra.

Wednesday, April 11:    Lavender

Things will not be as they seem today.  Look through the obvious to what lies beneath.  There are hints of truths that are shaping these times.  This is a day for knowing what it is that you are truly wanting to manifest in your life.  This is a day for recognizing WHO you truly are, in all your strengths and weakness.  Then know that each and every weakness is merely a strength in disguise.  There will be some synchronicities today that are going to assist with a number of issues that you have been trying to resolve.  These events will allow you to see things differently, even open you to some facts about yourself that you have hidden.  Look for an interesting remark from an unexpected source.  It can be revealing.

Crystal Energy:    Strawberry Agate—-This mineral assists in transformative points in one’s life by opening to possibility while closing down a lot of those nagging voices in the head.  It works through the heart.  Resonates with the Solar Plexus and Heart Chakras.

Thursday, April 12:    Dark Green

Things that are happening today are largely under the surface.  If you are trying to figure something out, you will need to look deep within the obvious.  The hints are there, as always, but they are at best small glimmers.  The best option here is to step back and let the day be.  That which is hidden will not show itself until the time is right.  The current energy calls for what is out in front, in your face.  It is a good time to deal with big issues that you may have been putting on hold.  As you do this, you can discover that they are not as big as you had thought them to be.  This will assist in changing your perspective and shifting your focus.  Take some time this evening to ground and relax.  Find the quiet center of your core and find the peace that lies within.

Crystal Frequency:    Galena—-This metallic element walks into the middle of the physical and spiritual and creates a bridge and balance.  It can bring healing and a new way of looking at things.  Resonates with the Third Eye and Solar Plexus Chakras, as well as the eleventh.

Friday, April 13:    Light Magenta

Things will be up and down today, and most of it will not be what it seems.  Take time in conversations and situations to be aware of just what is going on.  Also be sensitive to what is happening at the periphery.  The current energy is bringing in a lot of new and unusual strands.  you can find yourself feeling a bit overwhelmed or even on unfamiliar ground.  If this happens, go in and ground.  It is a good idea to keep a grounding stone or mineral with your today, such as hematite, obsidian, black jade or amber.  This can help with brief moments of vertigo.  There is much shifting and slipping right now, and the openness of the dimensions in the current energy will allow those who are sensitive to be affected by it.  It is a good day for connecting with WHO you are on this plane as well as the WHO you are as part of Universal Consciousness.

Crystal Vibe:    Rainbow Fluorite—-This stone also assists with grounding.  It brings into a matrix the various energies that are swirling around and lines them up for easier understanding.  It resonates with all the lower seven Chakras, while connecting with the higher ones.

Saturday, April 14:    Silver-White

There is a sense of unreality about the day.  This will allow for unusual events and occurrences.  You can find yourself meeting with strange people, and then wondering whether that really happened.  There is also that sense of longing and melancholy.  Do not let it get you down, rather see it a s a gift from the past to the present bringing those various times and events together and into focus.  There is a possibility of some significant happening today.  You will not need to plan or anticipate.  It will come as it must.  And you can see in it anew reflection of WHO you are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiet Hurricane Season Expected

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fr/Dr. Jeff Masters:

CSU: expect a quiet 2012 Atlantic hurricane season; EF-3 tornado confirmed in Texas
Posted by: JeffMasters, 2:47 PM GMT on April 05, 2012 +29
Expect one of the quietest Atlantic hurricane seasons since 1995 this year, say the hurricane forecasting team of Dr. Phil Klotzbach and Dr. Bill Gray of Colorado State University (CSU) in their latest seasonal forecast issued April 4. They call for an Atlantic hurricane season with below-average activity: 10 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 2 intense hurricanes. An average season has 10 – 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 intense hurricanes. The 2012 forecast calls for a below-average chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S., both along the East Coast (24% chance, 31% chance is average) and the Gulf Coast (24% chance, 30% chance is average). The Caribbean is forecast to have a 34% chance of seeing at least one major hurricane (42% is average.) Four years with similar pre-season March atmospheric and oceanic conditions were selected as “analogue” years that the 2012 hurricane season may resemble: 2009, 2001, 1965, and 1957. These years all had neutral to El Niño conditions during hurricane season. The average activity for these years was 9.5 named storms, 4.8 hurricanes, and 2.3 major hurricanes.


Figure 1. Departure of sea surface temperature (SST) from average for April 5, 2012, as computed by NOAA’s NESDISbranch. SSTs in the hurricane Main Development Region (red box) were near average to below-average.

Why the forecast of a quiet season?
The CSU team cited two main reasons why this may be a quieter than average hurricane season:

1) La Niña has weakened rapidly over the tropical Eastern Pacific over the past month, and is expected to be gone by the end of April. In its wake, El Niño conditions may develop in time for the August – September – October peak of hurricane season. If El Niño conditions are present this fall, this will likely bring about a quiet Atlantic hurricane season due to increased upper-level winds over the tropical Atlantic creating wind shear that will tend to tear storms apart. The CSU team is leaning towards putting their trust in the ECMWF model, which is predicting that a weak El Niño event will be in place by fall.

2) Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Main Development Region (MDR) for hurricanes from the Caribbean to the coast of Africa between 10°N and 20°N were near average to below average in March 2012. Virtually all African waves originate in the MDR, and these African waves account for 85% of all Atlantic major hurricanes and 60% of all named storms. When SSTs in the MDR are much above average during hurricane season, a very active season typically results (if there is no El Niño event present.) Conversely, when MDR SSTs are cooler than average, a below-average Atlantic hurricane season is more likely. This year’s SSTs in the MDR are among the coolest we’ve seen since our current active hurricane period began in 1995. The cool temperatures are largely due to strong surface winds that blew during the winter over the tropical Atlantic in response to the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO.) The strong winds stirred up the water, bringing up cooler waters from the depths.

How good are the April forecasts?
The forecasters are using a new statistical model developed last year for making April forecasts, so we don’t have a long enough track record to judge how good the new model is. The new model correctly predicted a more active than average season for last year, though called for more activity than was actually observed. However, April forecasts of hurricane season activity are low-skill, since they must deal with the so-called “predictability barrier.” April is the time of year when the El Niño/La Niña phenomenon commonly undergoes a rapid change from one state to another, making it difficult to predict whether we will have El Niño, La Niña, or neutral conditions in place for the coming hurricane season. Correctly predicting this is key, since if El Niño, conditions are present this fall, this will likely bring about a quiet Atlantic hurricane season due to increased upper-level winds over the tropical Atlantic creating wind shear that will tend to tear storms apart.

CSU maintains an Excel spreadsheet of their forecast errors ( expressed as a mathematical correlation coefficient, where positive means a skilled forecast, and negative means they did worse than climatology) for their their April forecasts. For now, these April forecasts should simply be viewed as an interesting research effort that has the potential to make skillful forecasts. The next CSU forecast, due by June 1, is the one worth paying attention to. Their early June forecasts have shown considerable skill over the years.

to read more, go to:    http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2067

New CME

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INCOMING CME: NOAA forecasters estimate a 25% chance of strong geomagnetic storms around the poles on April 8-9 when a CME delivers a glancing blow to Earth’s magnetic field. The cloud was propelled in our direction by a solar filament, which erupted on April 5th (movie). High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.

from: spacewweather.com

Link: Midwest Earthquakes & Oil & Gas Production?

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Oil and gas production linked to spike in Midwest earthquakes: study

A six-fold increase in earthquakes since the late 20th century is “almost certainly man-made,” the report concludes

BY 

Saturday, April 7, 2012,
Peak oil theory warns that once the fossile fuel is depleted, we'll be headed back to the stone age.

FERRARI/AP

A new study links a rise in Midwest earthquakes to oil and gas production.

NEW YORK — Oil and gas production may explain a sharp increase in small earthquakes in the nation’s midsection, a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey suggests.

The rate has jumped six-fold from the late 20th century through last year, the team reports, and the changes are “almost certainly man-made.”

Outside experts were split in their opinions about the report, which is not yet published but is due to be presented at a meeting later this month.
The study said a relatively mild increase starting in 2001 comes from increased quake activity in a methane production area along the state line between Colorado and New Mexico. The increase began about the time that methane production began there, so there’s a “clear possibility” of a link, says lead author William Ellsworth of the USGS.
The increase over the nation’s midsection has gotten steeper since 2009, due to more quakes in a variety of oil and gas production areas, including some in Arkansas and Oklahoma, the researchers say.
It’s not clear how the earthquake rates might be related to oil and gas production, the study authors said. They note that others have linked earthquakes to injecting huge amounts of leftover wastewater deep into the earth.
There has been concern about potential earthquakes from a smaller-scale injection of fluids during a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which is used to recover gas. But Ellsworth said Friday he is confident that fracking is not responsible for the earthquake trends his study found, based on prior studies.
The study covers a swath of the United States that lies roughly west of Ohio and east of Utah. It counted earthquakes of magnitude 3 and above.
Magnitude 3 quakes are mild, and may be felt by only a few people in the upper floors of buildings, or may cause parked cars to rock slightly. The biggest counted in the study was a magnitude-5.6 quake that hit Oklahoma last Nov. 5, damaging dozens of homes. Experts said it was too strong to be linked to oil and gas production.
The researchers reported that from 1970 to 2000, the region they studied averaged about 21 quakes a year. That rose to about 29 a year for 2001 through 2008, they wrote, and the three following years produced totals of 50, 87 and 134, respectively.
The study results make sense and are likely due to man-made stress in the ground, said Rowena Lohman, a Cornell University geophysicist.
“The key thing to remember is magnitude 3s are really small,” Lohman said. “We’ve seen this sort of behavior in the western United States for a long time.”
Usually, it’s with geothermal energy, dams or prospecting. With magnitude 4 quakes, a person standing on top of them would at most feel like a sharp jolt, but mostly don’t last long enough to be a problem for buildings, she said.
The idea is to understand how the man-made activity triggers quakes, she said. One possibility is that the injected fluids change the friction and stickiness of minerals on fault lines. Another concept is that they change the below-surface pressure because the fluid is trapped and builds, and then “sets off something that’s about ready to go anyway,” Lohman said.
But another expert was not convinced of a link to oil and gas operations.
Austin Holland, the Oklahoma state seismologist, said the new work presents an “interesting hypothesis” but that the increase in earthquake rates could simply be the result of natural processes.
Holland said clusters of quakes can occur naturally, and that scientists do not yet fully understand the natural cycles of seismic activity in the central United States. Comprehensive earthquake records for the region go back only a few decades, he said, while natural cycles stretch for tens of thousands of years. So too little is known to rule out natural processes for causing the increase, he said

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/oil-gas-production-linked-spike-midwest-earthquakes-study-article-1.1057905#ixzz1rP2VMaOU

Herbicide Causes Shape Changes in Vertebrate Animals

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Herbicide Can Induce Morphological Changes in Vertebrate Animals: Tadpoles Change Shape

ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2012) — The world’s most popular weed killer, Roundup®, can cause amphibians to change shape, according to research recently published in Ecological Applications

Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and director of Pitt’s Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, demonstrated that sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup® caused two species of amphibians to alter their morphology. According to Relyea, this is the first study to show that a herbicide can induce morphological changes in a vertebrate animal.

Relyea set up large outdoor water tanks that contained many of the components of natural wetlands. Some tanks contained caged predators, which emit chemicals that naturally induce changes in tadpole morphology (such as larger tails to better escape predators). After adding tadpoles to each tank, he exposed them to a range of Roundup® concentrations. After 3 weeks, the tadpoles were removed from the tanks.

“It was not surprising to see that the smell of predators in the water induced larger tadpole tails,” says Relyea. “That is a normal, adaptive response. What shocked us was that the Roundup® induced the same changes. Moreover, the combination of predators and Roundup® caused the tail changes to be twice as large.” Because tadpoles alter their body shape to match their environment, having a body shape that does not fit the environment can put the animals at a distinct disadvantage.

Predators cause tadpoles to change shape by altering the stress hormones of tadpoles, says Relyea. The similar shape changes when exposed to Roundup® suggest that Roundup® may interfere with the hormones of tadpoles and potentially many other animals.

“This discovery highlights the fact that pesticides, which are important for crop production and human health, can have unintended consequences for species that are not the pesticide’s target,” says Relyea. “Herbicides are not designed to affect animals, but we are learning that they can have a wide range of surprising effects by altering how hormones work in the bodies of animals. This is important because amphibians not only serve as a barometer of the ecosystem’s health, but also as an indicator of potential dangers to other species in the food chain, including humans.”

from:    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402144938.htm

Guerrero, Mexico Strong Aftershock

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Very strong dangerous earthquake / aftershock in Guerrero, Mexico – severe shaking for 17,000 people

Last update: April 2, 2012 at 8:33 pm by By 

Most important Earthquake Data:
Magnitude : 6.3
UTC Time : Monday, April 02, 2012 at 17:36:43 UTC
Local time at epicenter : Monday, April 02, 2012 at 12:36:43 PM at epicenter
Depth (Hypocenter) : 12 km
Geo-location(s) :
27 km (17 miles) SSE (148°) from Ometepec, Guerrero, Mexico

Update 20:28 UTC :  The authorities in Puebla, one of the major Mexican cities and approx. 250 km from the epicenter,  have reported NO injures or damage. Good news which we expected at this distance.
Earthquake-report.com calls an area with a radius of about 35 km around the epicenter at high risk for additional damage (to the already damaged houses during the March 20 mainshock).

Update 19:44 UTC :  USGS has increased his intensity mapping prediction. The new estimate mention 17,000 people having felt a severe MMI VIII shaking (damaging environment), 180,000 people a VII MMI very strong shaking.
The new values are bad news and will make this aftershock almost certain a damaging one.
Until now we have No details yet on damage and injuries. As said earlier it will take another 2 to 6 hours to have see first serious assessments of the epicenter area

Update 19:42 UTC :  Intensity report in the most important cities in the greater epicenter area :
VII    Cuajinicuilapa    9,000 people
VII    San Juan Cacahuatepec    4,000  people
VII    Ometepec    18,000  people
VII    San Pedro Amuzgos    4,000  people
VI    San Pedro Jicayan    4,000  people
VI    Santiago Pinotepa Nacional    26,000  people
MMI VII : very strong shaking
MMI VI : strong shaking

Update 19:16 UTC :  Mexican authorities are reporting the strongest shaking in the Costa Chica region. Until now, we have no reports of damage, but we are almost sure that they will appear in 4 to 8 hours.

Update 18:38 UTC :  Helicopters were dispatched 5 MINUTES after the earthquake. The only damage seen was a billboard that fall causing NO injuries. (we are confirming the very swift reaction of the authorities in DF)

Update :  The Mexican seismological agency has increased his initial Magnitude to 6.0. Since the mainshock today, 2 aftershocks of resp. 4.6 and 4.7 have been listed (normal)

Update :  Read also the many felt reports at the bottom of this page

Update 18:29 UTC :  Last time, damage was only reported after several hours or even a couple of days in the epicenter area (one of the poorest areas in Mexico). Most houses are made from brick or in adobe in the greater epicenter area.

Update:
– Security secretary of Mexico City reports that there is NO damage.
– Communications are still working.
– Subway is still working.
Such reports are mostly based on the capital Mexico City or DF.

Update :  Intermediate report from Carlos Robles : Servicio Sismologico Nacional is upgrading the earthquake to 6.0. Saldo blanco (no deaths) is reported. There aren’t reports of damage.

Update 18:23 UTC :  There are NO Nuclear plants or Hydrodams in the greater epicenter area

Update :  EMSC (Seismology Europe) reports now a magnitude of 6.1 at a depth of 10 km

Update 18:18 UTC :  NO tsunami danger as the epicenter of the earthquake is below the Mexican mainland

Update :  Evacuation were held at Mexico city.It was felt strong in some parts of Mexico city.In Coyoacan there are only reports of scared people. (source : Carlos Robles)

I Have Felt It map courtesy USGS – blue lighter, yellow strong shaking

Update : USGS predicts a very strong shaking for 3,000 people in the epicentral area. 164,000 people will have experienced a strong MMI VI shaking and 289,000 people a moderate shaking. As this earthquake is also felt in DF,  the earthquake will have been noticed by millions of people.

Update : As this is an aftershock from the March 20 M 7.4 earthquake,  these aftershocks, even at the current magnitude are very normal !

Update : The president of DF is flying by helicopter over DF areas to overview the situation. He reports that so far no serious damage can be seen from the air

Update : The Mexican media including the local seismological agency are not reachable because of too many connections

for more information and updates, go to:    http://earthquake-report.com/2012/04/02/very-strong-dangerous-earthquake-aftershock-in-guerrero-mexico/

Nevado fel Ruiz Volcano Nearing Eruption?

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Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia May Erupt in “Days to Weeks”

The small steam plume from Nevado del Ruiz, seen on March 27, 2012. Image from INGEOMINAS Colombia.

Some news brought to my attention by Eruptions reader Sherine merited a quick Saturday post. Thedeveloping volcanic crisis at Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia looks like it is continuing to escalate. INGEOMINAS, the Colombian geological survey, released a “special bulletin” this afternoon elevating the alert status at Nevado del Ruiz to Orange Level (II). This means that the signs of activity at the volcano suggest that an eruption is likely in the days to weeks timescale. Marta Calvache from INGEOMINASmentioed that over the past few days the volcano has experienced tremor related to “fluid motion” (likely magma), rock fracture earthquakes at the summit have been increasing in pulses and sulfur dioxide emissions continue to be high.

 

So far, INGEOMINAS thinks any potentially eruption will be smaller than the activity seen during Ruiz’slast eruptive period between 1985-1989. The major hazard from Ruiz is the lahars that can be generatedas ash and other volcanic material mix with melted snow and ice at the summit. There is also the potential for ash fall (especially hazardous for those with respiratory problems) on towns and cities in the area, including Manizalez and Pereira, both of which are less than 50 km from the volcano, and Bogotá, only ~120 km from Ruiz. If you live in the area around Ruiz, be sure to examine the INGEOMINAS volcanic hazard map to see the places with the highest probability of lahars and pyroclastic flows. Taking a look at the INGEOMINAS Azufrado webcam for Ruiz, a plume can be seen coming from the summit area (see below) while the webicorder shows the increasing seismicity as well. You can also get a glimpse of the volcano from an INGEOMINAS webcam in Manizalez.

Webcam capture from March 31, 2012 showing a small plume from Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia.

from:    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/nevado-del-ruiz-in-colombia-may-erupt-in-days-to-weeks/

 

Your Brain and Light

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How to Use Light to Control the Brain

Stephen Dougherty, Scientific American
Date: 01 April 2012 Time: 09:38 AM ET

 

Scientists can use light to switch on a neuron.
Scientists can use light to switch on a neuron.
CREDIT: iDesign, Shutterstock

In the film Amèlie, the main character is a young eccentric woman who attempts to change the lives of those around her for the better. One day Amèlie finds an old rusty tin box of childhood mementos in her apartment, hidden by a boy decades earlier. After tracking down Bretodeau, the owner, she lures him to a phone booth where he discovers the box. Upon opening the box and seeing a few marbles, a sudden flash of vivid images come flooding into his mind. Next thing you know, Bretodeau is transported to a time when he was in the schoolyard scrambling to stuff his pockets with hundreds of marbles while a teacher is yelling at him to hurry up.

We have all experienced this: a seemingly insignificant trigger, a scent, a song, or an old photograph transports us to another time and place. Now a group of neuroscientists have investigated the fascinating question: Can a few neurons trigger a full memory?
In a new study, published in Nature, a group of researchers from MIT showed for the first time that it is possible to activate a memory on demand, by stimulating only a few neurons with light, using a technique known as optogenetics. Optogenetics is a powerful technology that enables researchers to control genetically modified neurons with a brief pulse of light.

To artificially turn on a memory, researchers first set out to identify the neurons that are activated when a mouse is making a new memory. To accomplish this, they focused on a part of the brain called the hippocampus, known for its role in learning and memory, especially for discriminating places. Then they inserted a gene that codes for a light-sensitive protein into hippocampal neurons, enabling them to use light to control the neurons.

With the light-sensitive proteins in place, the researchers gave the mouse a new memory. They put the animal in an environment where it received a mild foot shock, eliciting the normal fear behavior in mice: freezing in place. The mouse learned to associate a particular environment with the shock.

Next, the researchers attempted to answer the big question: Could they artificially activate the fear memory? They directed light on the hippocampus, activating a portion of the neurons involved in the memory, and the animals showed a clear freezing response. Stimulating the neurons appears to have triggered the entire memory.

The researchers performed several key tests to confirm that it was really the original memory recalled. They tested mice with the same light-sensitive protein but without the shock; they tested mice without the light-sensitive protein; and they tested mice in a different environment not associated with fear. None of these tests yielded the freezing response, reinforcing the conclusion that the pulse of light indeed activated the old fear memory.

In 2010, optogenetics was named the scientific Method of the Year by the journal Nature Methods. The technology was introduced in 2004 by a research group at Stanford University led by Karl Deisseroth, a collaborator on this research. The critical advantage that optogenetics provides over traditional neuroscience techniques, like electrical stimulation or chemical agents, is speed and precision. Electrical stimulation and chemicals can only be used to alter neural activity in nonspecific ways and without precise timing. Light stimulation enables control over a small subset of neurons on a millisecond time scale.

Over the last several years, optogenetics has provided powerful insights into the neural underpinnings of brain disorders like depression, Parkinson’s disease, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Now, in the context of memory research, this study shows that it is possible to artificially stimulate a few neurons to activate an old memory, controlling an animals’ behavior without any sensory input. This is significant because it provides a new approach to understand how complex memories are formed in the first place.

Lest ye worry about implanted memories and mind control, this technology is still a long way from reaching any human brains. Nevertheless, the first small steps towards the clinical application of optogenetics have already begun. A group at Brown University, for example, is working on a wireless optical electrode that can deliver light to neurons in the human brain. Who knows, someday, instead of new technology enabling us to erase memories á la Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we may actually undergo memory enhancement therapy with a brief session under the lights.

This article was first published on Scientific American. © 2012 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved. Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs. VisitScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news.   

frohttp://www.livescience.com/19413-mind-control-light.html:

Iwaki Japan Earthquake

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Strong earthquake in Iwaki, Japan

M 5.9      2012/04/01 14:04    Depth 50.0 km     JAPAN – Fukushima-ken Oki
JMA intensity max. 5- (earthquake-report.com considers 5+ as possibly damaging)
The intermediate depth of the epicenter was luckily weakening the impact
Magnitude data provided by JMA Japan
– Epicenter only 9 km (6 miles) NE (53°) from Iwaki, Honshu, Japan
– JMA 5- in Naraha-machi Kitada and Tomioka-machiMoto-oka
– JMA 4 in Koriyama-shi Kaisei*, Shirakawa-shi Shin-shirakawa*, Shirakawa-shi Higashi*, Shirakawa-shi Omotego*, Sukagawa-shi Iwase-shisho*,Nihommatsu-shi Yui*, Nihommatsu-shi Harimichi*, Kawamata-machi Gohyakuta*, Ten-ei-mura Shimomatsumoto*, Nakajima-mura Nametsu*, Ishikawa-machi , Shimoizumi*, Tamakawa-mura Otaka*, Hirata-mura Nagata*, Asakawa-machi Asakawa*, Furudono-machi Matsukawa*, Ono-machi Ono-niimachi*, Tamura-shi Funehikimachi, Tamura-shi Ogoemachi*, Tamura-shi Tokiwamachi*, Tamura-shi Miyakojimachi*, Tamura-shi Takinemachi*, Iwaki-shi Onahama, Iwaki-shi Taira-yotsunami*, Iwaki-shi Nishikimachi*, Iwaki-shi Taira-umemoto*, Soma-shi Nakamura*, Fukushima Hirono-machi Shimokitaba-oyachihara*, Fukushima Hirono-machi Shimokitaba-nawashirogae*, Kawauchi-mura Shimokawauchi, Kawauchi-mura Kamikawauchi-koyamadaira*, Kawauchi-mura Kamikawauchi-hayawata*, Katsurao-mura Ochiai-ochiai*, Shinchi-machi Yachigoya*, Iitate-mura Itamizawa*, Minami-soma-shi Haramachiku-takamicho *
– The earthquake occurred at 23:04 (11:04 PM) local time
– The earthquake was very well felt in Tokyo, although Tokyo was at a distance of 196 km from the epicenter
– The epicenter was following local JMA Japan a little in the Ocean, what surely has weakened the impact.
NO tsunami risk
– The damaged nuclear power plant of Fukushima has been hit by JMA 4 shaking (MMI V to VI), which is reasonable and should not lead to further damage

http://earthquake-report.com/2012/03/31/major-earthquakes-list-april-1-2012/