[extropy-chat] Earth to New Scientist ...

[Ian Goddard]

This week the New Scientist is still pushing the
theory that red rains that fell in Kerala, India may
have been colored by extraterrestrial cells. [*] The
scientist they quote, Chandra Wickramasinghe, also
argues that bird flu is an ET virus. [**] About the
red particles in the rain NS says: "their identity
remains a mystery." Earth to New Scientist!

I just sent the following email to colleagues of
Wickramasinghe at the Cardiff Center for Astrobiology
(I emailed him the official study some time ago):

*****************************************************

Subject: Red Rain - Official Report


Hello, I'm contacting you about preexisting research
on the red rains of Kerala that's being overlooked.

Attached is the study commissioned by the Department
of Science & Technology, Government of India. It was
completed in November 2001 and was conducted at the
Center for Earth Science Studies [1] and the Tropical
Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Kerala. [2] 

The study concluded that the red particles in the rain
were algae spores that were successfully grown in
culture. The findings were then published in:

Kumar, V.S., Sampath, S., Mohanan, C.N., & Abraham, T.
K. (2002). Colored rain falls in Kerala, India. Eos,
Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 83(31), 335.

And in:

Indian National Report for the International Union of
Geodesy and Geophysics 23rd General Assembly, July
2003. Indian National Science Academy. See pages 31-2:
http://www.iugg.org/members/nationalreports/india.pdf

Hope this helps in your research. ~Ian

[1] http://www.cessind.org/
[2] http://www.tbgri.org/


*****************************************************

[*] "Red rain puzzle is still up in the air"
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19025453.100-red-rain-puzzle-is-still-up-in-the-air.html
[**] http://www.astrobiology.cf.ac.uk/newsD.htm
Also: http://www.astrobiology.cf.ac.uk/redrain.html

http://IanGoddard.net/redrain.htm

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