autism, an alien cosmic visitor

8/14/2019 Autism, An Alien Cosmic Visitor

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In loving memory to my father, the late Prof. M.J. Toerien, who did groundbreaking work in the field of Embryology before he passed away in 1977. His

research was aimed at establishing whatdefects in the embryo lead to what birth

defects. Despite the more than threedecades since he passed away, a verylong period in terms of advances inmedical research, researchers still oftenquote from his work when presenting

papers.When preparing this paper it was an idealto also be able to quote something frommy fathers research, despite our studyfields being light years removed. We did

have something in common, though, as my father was first trained as geologist,

before specializing in Palaeontology, acquiring a doctorate, before focussing onEmbryology, and I also majored in Physical Geography, thus sharing somegeomorphology.

My quotes from his work are in the field ofembryology, however.I also acknowledge the support of mywife, Joan, who apart from running a fulltime home business to look after ourautistic son, Jandr, and also handles hishome schooling.We also thank the Lord that Jandr has asupporting brother, Nic.We also thank the Lord that Jandr is so

good natured and has so much art talent, and for the progress made with hisdevelopment.

Photos: The late Prof. (M.J.)Jan Toerien with his wifeJohanna, Jandr who fallssomewhere on the autisticspectrum, with his brother Nic,and an earlier family photo(Jandr is now taller than bothhis parents), Nic, mother Joan,Jandr and the compiler of thisdraft paper, Herman Toerien.


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Electromagnetic fields: Friend or foe for autism and genetic relatedconditions

Autism, a cosmic alien visitor?

SummaryThe occurrence of autism saw a dramatic increase in the past few decades, withmore and more evidence that there is often a link between gene mutations ordefects. Simultaneously the earths electromagnetic field is becoming weaker atan increasing pace. The electromagnetic field shields us from harmful cosmicrays.

Electromagnetic fields: Friend or foe for autism and genetic relatedconditions

Autism, a cosmic alien visitor?

Note: This is an updated preliminary report, and it is aimed to focus the article onone of my study fields, geomorphology. This draft is still in the early stages andthe listing of data as it is not intended to be plagiary, and will be properly wovenin and sourced. As this draft paper touches on fields outside my field of expertiseand training, I plan to submit it for input to experts. In the mean time I will be mostgrateful for any input [email protected] and all contributionsincluded will be acknowledged in the final paper.Herman Toerien

Introduction

The Autism Knowledge Revolution, writes Newsday.com, is picking up the paceand seems at times to be adding to our knowledge of autism on a daily basis. Anew study offers a genetic mutation model of autism acquisition which thescientists involved suggest may help unify some of the current disparate theoriesof autism.

That some conditions may be traced back to the gene defects had been knownfor decades. Prof. M.J. Toerien, my late father who was then professor inAnatomy at the Free State University, after studying the characteristic defects ofthe human Cyclops produced by a direct or indirect lesion of the anteriorcranial neural crests, came to the following conclusion in a 1974 paper: The realcause for Cyclopia is unknown, although genetic (chromosome) defects can bepointed out in a number of Cyclops. If the cause of Cyclops development isgenetic in nature, the genetic effect must be sought in insufficient amniondevelopments.1

1 SA Medical Journal, 7 December 1974, 2443


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Newsweek proceeds: The theory involves mothers acquiring and passing onautism related genetic mutations to their children. The mutations arespontaneous, arising from assaults to chromosomes. The assaults can arise froma wide range of unspecified environmental facts including naturally occurringcosmic rays and environmental toxins and contaminants. In addition to maternal

transmission of the autism related genetic mutation older moms are indicated asbeing more likely to have an autistic child according to this study by geneticists atCold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Scientists from the Kennedy Krieger Institute andthe Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx collaborated in the study.The data network developed by iancommunity.org also assisted the researchersin the study.. Environment versus genetics as competing and conflictingtheories of autism causation seems to be giving way to environment and geneticsas a unified theory of how autism develops.

Geneticists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have been on a genome-wide huntto pinpoint the genes that cause autism.

Electromagnetic fields

When reading on electromagnetic fields, two major different types of fieldscrystallise the earths electromagnetic field (mostly referred to only as theearths magnetic field), and the electromagnetic fields generated by electricappliances.

Over four billion years ago, Mars had an atmosphere. It was a living planet withwater and possibly even some manner of life. However, four billion years agoMars lost its magnetosphere, the electromagnetic field that protects the planetfrom solar wind and other cosmic radiations. Without that electromagnetic fieldthe planet slowly died. Now four billion years later the lush and thriving planetEarth is witnessing a drastic decrease in the strength of its own magnetosphere.According to some scientists it has dropped as much as 10% over the last 300years.2

With both versions, autism frequently pop up in the case of the earthselectromagnetic field in a positive sense, and in the case of electric appliances even those designed as electromagnetic therapeutical appliances, in an alarmistsense.

It is common knowledge that the earths electromagnetic field, together with theozone layer, plays a crucial role in protecting terra based life as we know it fromharmful cosmic rays. Just an interesting sideline remark, Alpha waves are thehome of the window frequency known as the Schuman Resonance, which is the-resonant frequency of the earths electromagnetic field. Alpha wavesrangebetween 7-12 HZ.

2Charissa Starr, Which way does your compass point?


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The irony is that the electromagnetic fields of electric appliances are alleged tocreate similar effects as the harmful effects the earths electromagnetic fieldprotect us from. Strahler writes on this as follows: Since man is also a producerof ionising radiation at intensity levels potentially much higher than natural levels,

the total production of ionising radiation is a subject of great importance inenvironment science.3

In short, the earths electro magnetic field and the ozone layer and the ozonelayer protect us from harmful cosmic rays that may, amongst others, stimulategene mutations, some of which may be associated with autism and other geneticconditions such as cancer.

Electromagnetic fields of electric appliances

Allegations are made that the electromagnetic fields of electric appliances cause

similar conditions. On this, however, the debate is open with the manufacturersof electric appliances such as cell phones, radios and computers insisting thatthis is not true.

Those sounding the alarm bells argue that even if the evidence is stillinconclusive, they can not be dismissed either. The example of industrysinsistence that cigarette smoking was not harmful until eventually scienceeventually proved otherwise, and the damage already done, is often used.An argument thus of: What if?

There is no arguing that electric appliances do generate electromagnetic fields.The following graph indicates the wave lengths of some appliances, as takenfrom a paper in 2000 of Dr. Nabeel Kouka:

3StrahlerA.N. Introduction to Physical Geography, p. 48


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The National Council of Radiation Protection Measurements (NCRP) draft reportpublished in the July/August 1995 issue of Microwave News states the following10 mG (1 micro Tesla) human exposure limit by Section 8.4.1.3 Option 3.An exposure guideline of 10 mG and 100V/m: A considerable body ofobservations has documented bioeffects of fields of fields at these strengths

across the gamut from isolated cells to animals, and in man. Although themajority of these reported effects do not fall directly in the category of hazards,many may be regarded as potentially hazardous. Since epidemiological studiespoint to increased cancer risks at even lower levels, a case can be made forrecommending 10 mG and 100V/m as levels not to be exceeded in prolongedhuman exposures. Most homes and occupational environments are within thesevalues, but it would be prudent to assume that higher levels may constitute ahealth risk. In the short term, a safety guideline set at this level would havesignificant consequences, particularly in occupational settings and close to highvoltage transmission and distribution systems, but it is unlikely to disrupt thepresent pattern of electricity usage. These levels may be exceeded in homes

close to transmission lines, distribution lines and transformer substations, insome occupational environments, and for users of devices that operate close tothe body, such as hair dryers and electric blankets. From a different perspective,adoption of such a guideline would serve a dual purpose: first, as a vehicle forpublic instruction on potential health hazards of existing systems that generatefields above these levels, as a basis for prudent avoidance, and second, as apoint of departure in planning for acceptable field levels in future developments inhousing, schooling, and the workplace, and in transportation systems, both publicand private, that will be increasingly dependent on electric propulsion.

Appliance 6 1 2 4

HairdryerLowestHighest

1700

-70

-10

-1

Microwave OvenLowestHighest

100300

1200

130

-20

RefrigeratorLowestHighest

-40

-20

-10

-10

Toaster

LowestHighest

510

-7

--

--

Color TVLowestHighest

--

-20

-8

-4

Washing MachineLowest 4 1 - -


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Highest 100 30 6 -

Vacuum CleanerLowestHighest

100700

20200

450

-10

Analog ClockLowestHighest

--

130

-5

-3

Window Air ConditionerLowestHighest

--

20-

6-

4-

DrillLowestHighest

100200

2040

36

--

Power SawLowestHighest

501000

9300

140

-4

Electric Blanket (Conventional)Avg.Peak

221.839.4

--

--

--

Electric Blanket (Low Mag Fld)Avg.Peak

0.92.7

--

--

--

We thus ask again: What if?

In the case of cigarette smoke people, in general, can protect or shield them formcoming in contact with smoke. Countries, in general, are instituting stricter andstricter laws, assisting people to avert being exposed to smoke.

But electromagnetic fields are more difficult to avert. They go through almost anymaterial except iron plates. To shield one from the electromagnetic radiation ofones computer offer a few problems.

In fact, very often, one may find that you serve as antenna for electromagneticradiation as the body is an excellent conductor.


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Earths Electromagnetic field the Magnetosphere

But the problems offered by electric appliance originated electromagnetic fieldsare insignificant to what happens to us when the earths electromagnetic fielddiminishes or disappears, especially with the ozone layer stretched and

punctured. Yet, earlier catastrophic predictions such as near extinction of lifeseem to be over exaggerated.

The electromagnetic field of the earth is created by convection streams in themolten, metallic core of the earth, and it is related to the fact that the earth isrevolving around its axel. This is demonstrated by the magnetic poles wanderingaround not to far from the geographic poles. This is what makes compasses topoint in a northerly direction.

The effective limit of the external magnetic field lies probably 64 000 to 130 000kilometres above the earths surface, and the region within this outer boundary is

called the magnetosphere.

4

Despite the reaching distance of themagnetosphere, the higher the altitude the higher the radiation intensity. Atapproximately 10 000 meter above the surface the radiation level is 30 timeshigher than at the surface.

The cosmic particles arriving from elsewhere in the universe, on entering theearths atmosphere impacts the nucleus of an atom of gas, giving rise to acomplex chain of disintegration and energy dissipations, collectively called acosmic shower. Products of a cosmic shower are neutrons, protons and gammarays.

The term ionising radiation is used for radiation capable of tearing off electronsfrom atoms that intercept that radiation. Gamma rays and X rays are sources ofionising radiation. Since cosmic particles penetrate the atmosphere with muchgreater energy than X-rays, the effects of cosmic radiation are important at theearths surface and make up an important part to the background ionising towhich life forms are exposed.

The biological effect of ionising radiation is to produce changes in geneticmaterials within cells or organisms.5

The strength of the magnetic field varies much over time, but as a rule onlyswitches around when the levels are very low or depleted. The periods betweenflips also vary largely.

4 Strahler, A.N.: Introduction to Physical Geography, Third edition, p. 46, 19735 Ibib 47 - 48


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The field last flipped over about 780,000 years ago (0.78 million years); previousreversals occurred about 0.99, 1.07, 1.19, 1.2, 1.77 and 1.95 miilion years ago.The following graph indicates the flips of the past two million yers, to which thisstudy is mostly limited.

The following graph, dating back to 150 million years, is to point out how muchthe periods between flips can vary. The period between about 85 and 125 millionyears ago are especially noteworthy.

Tot try and find some link between cosmic radiation and autism, the study needs

to focus on the time span of human existence, especially Homo sapiens sapiens.

Homo Sapiens sapiens appeared on the scene approximately a 100 000 yearsago, well within the period of approximately 780 000 years of the presentorientation. The earlier forefather, Homo Sapiens, backdates to approximately500 000 to 130 000 years. A contemporary version, but not an ancestor as


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thought earlier, existed between 90 000 to 35 000 years ago. 6This is all coveredin the period of the present orientation of the earths magnetic field.

What is the current position with the earths electromagnetic field?

Earth's magnetic field:4 000 years ago = 2.5 GaussToday it is . . . . = 0.5 Gauss(Varies by location and time)That is a decrease of 80%

According to NASA, at the present time, Earth's fieldis decliningin strength by5% every century and other put it at 10 % over the past 150 years. Scientists saythe Earth's magnetic fieldshows signs that it is about to flip upside-down. It iscontinuing to drop at an increasing rate. So the evidence would suggest that asour Electromagnetic field continually decreases, that the Earth is preparing to

make just such a reversal. At the current rate ofdecline it would take 1500 to2000 years to disappear. Others point out that this switch around is long overdue.

It is not all that simple however. Within a period of the same orientation, manyfluctuations may occur, as is demonstrated in the following graph:

Apart from the present low (not reflected in this graph) there had been twoperiods of low magnetic field, one just more than half a million years ago, andone approximately 200 000 years ago. Another interesting notion is that theearths magnetic field had on average been stronger than in the previous switcharound periods. During this period, considering that cosmic radiation wouldnormally have been well shielded, one would expect a more stable genetic

history than during the period of more magnetic field switching and lower levels

6 Van den Heever en G. Bunce, Prehistoriese lewe, Struik Uitgawers, 2000 andJ. Jelnek, The Evolution of Man, Hamlyn, 1976.


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of magnetic fields as witnessed between 780 000 approximately 1,5 million yearsago.7

Yet, without making any sound correlation, it seems as though early HomoSapiens developed soon after the magnetic field dip of just more than 500 000

years ago. Homo Sapiens sapiens and Neanderthal came on the scene whenthere was another dip, but somewhat lesser than the previous, some 100 000years ago.

Approximately 300 000 years ago when the FOXP2 gene indicating possiblespeech was first present within Homo Sapsiens and Neanderthal, there was alsoa significant dip.

Much more data need be uncovered before a fixed correlation between humandevelopment and dips in the magnetic field can be established. Yet, at present itcould not be ruled out.

One needs to pint out some misconceptions about human development oftenherd, which may confuse the subject. Critics of evolution often argue in terms ofthe notion that evolution always implies development in n positive inclined linereplacing older forms. In reality, evolution may go in any direction if generated orassisted by cosmic radiation, but less successful of springs would unlikely havesurvived. Secondly, only the descendants of the person carrying the mutated ordamaged gene will have the new characteristics, not an entire population. If themutated version is in competition with the original version, and more successful,the older version may well in time be replaced.

Jeremy Hsu, staff writer of Science Line, writes something beneath the surface ischanging Earth's protective magnetic field, which may leave satellites and otherspace assets vulnerable to high-energy radiation.

The gradual weakening of the overall magnetic field can take hundreds and eventhousands of years. But smaller, more rapid fluctuations within months may leavesatellites unprotected and catch scientists off guard, new research finds.

A new model uses satellite data from the past nine years to show how suddenfluid motions within the Earth's core can alter the magnetic envelope around ourplanet. This represents the first time that researchers have been able to detectsuch rapid magnetic field changes taking place over just a few months.

"There are these changes in the South Atlantic, an area where the magnetic fieldhas the smallest envelope at one third [of what is] normal," said Mioara Mandea,

7 Geoblogosphere latest, Chris Rowan, 5 February 2009.


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a geophysicist at the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences inPotsdam, Germany.

Even before the newly detected changes, the South Atlantic Anomalyrepresented a weak spot in the magnetic field a dent in Earth's protective

bubble.

Bubble bobbleThe Earth's magnetic field generated from the spinning effect of the electrically-conductive core that acts something like a giant electromagnet. The field createsa tear-drop shaped bubble that has constantly shielded life on Earth againstmuch of the high-energy radiation flowing from the sun. and the universe.

A flip in the north and south poles typically involves a weakening in the magneticfield, followed by a period of rapid recovery and reorganization of oppositepolarity. Some studies in recent years have suggested the next reversal might be

imminent, but the jury is out on that question.

Measuring interactions between the magnetic field and the molten iron core3 000 km down has proven difficult in the past, but the constant observations ofsatellites such as CHAMP and Orsted have begun to bring the picture into focus.

Electric stormMandea worked with Nils Olsen, a geophysicist at the University of Copenhagenin Denmark, to create a model of the fluid core that fits with the magnetic fieldchanges detected by the satellites. However, the rapid weakening of themagnetic field in the South Atlantic Anomaly region could signal future troublesfor such satellites. Radiation storms from the sun could fry electronic equipmenton satellites that suddenly lacked the protective cover of a rapidly changingmagnetic field.

"For satellites, this could be a problem," Mandea told SPACE.com. "If there aremagnetic storms and high-energy particles coming from the sun, the satellitescould be affected and their connections could be lost."

The constant radiation bombardment from the sun blows with the solar wind toEarth, where it flows against and around the magnetic field. The effect createsthe tear-drop shaped magnetosphere bubble, but even the powerful field cannotkeep out all the high-energy particles.

Topsy-turvy historyA large sunspot set off a major radiation storm in 2006 that temporarily blindedsome sun-watching satellites. Astronauts on the International Space Stationretreated to a protected area as a precaution to avoid unnecessary radiationexposure.


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The Earth's overall magnetic field has weakened at least 10 percent over thepast 150 years, which could also point to an upcoming field reversal.Mandea and Olsen hope to continue refining their model with updatedobservations, and perhaps to eventually help predict future changes in theEarth's magnetic field.8

As the electromagnetic field fields orientate metal particles in newly formed rock,analysing the age of the rock and the orientation at that stage, one can makeseveral useful deductions such as tracing the routes of continents duringcontinental drifting.9

Other sciences also make use of this data, such as the relatively new science ofcosmoclimatology. Comparative studies between climatic changes and sun flareshave revealed consistent interaction, to the extent that climatologists believe thatthe interaction between more, or less, sun activity with the earthselectromagnetic field at least contributed to periods of climatic change such as

ice ages or hotter periods.

Carissa Starr writes that scientists found that theelectromagnetic switching has happened throughoutthe Earth's history approximately every 250 000years (as opposed to the last 780 000 years ago).

How do they know this? According to the NOVASpecial "Magnetic Storm", scientists have beenusing Hawaii for decades to study the Earth's coreand it's Electromagnetic Field. Hawaii's perpetualvolcanic flow is a 5.5million year record of the Earth'sElectromagnetic field. The lava from the corecontains particles called Magnetite which, as the

lava cools, align themselves with 'Magnetic North.' By examining layers of lava,which date back hundreds of years, they have learned just how dramatically"Magnetic North" has changed over time. It was learned that the weakest recordsof the electromagnetic field always preceded one of the Magnetic PoleReversals, a decline of as much as 80-90%.

But what happens when the earth loses its electromagnetic field?

8Sloshing Inside Earth Changes Protective Magnetic Field, Jeremy HsuStaff Writer, Science Line, posted: 18 August 2008

9H. H. Read and J. Watson, Introduction to Geology, Volume 1, pp 646 647,1970


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The more responsible scientist shy away from an apocalyptic approach,indicating that the realconcern will be when thepolar switch over occurs,and by then, it is argued,

science will know haw tohandle it. For all practicalpurposes our concern is notthe switching of occurrence,but the declining level,coupled with unpredictablevery strong bursts of cosmic

rays. Cosmic ray, by the way, is a misnomer as they are individual particles, nota ray or beam. (Graphic from a paper by Carissa Starr)

Dec. 16, 2008: NASA's five THEMIS spacecraft have discovered a breach in Earth'smagnetic field ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist. Solar wind

can flow in through the opening to "load up" the magnetosphere for powerful

geomagnetic storms. But the breach itself is not the biggest surprise. Researchersare even more amazed at the strange and unexpected way it forms, overturning

long-held ideas of space physics.

"At first I didn't believe it," says THEMIS project scientist David Sibeck of theGoddard Space Flight Center. "This finding fundamentally alters our understanding of

the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction."

Some play the horn of what they call Magnetic Field Deficiency Syndrome, but

our interest lies with a possible link to autism.

Sources of cosmic rays

Just as a side line note. Not all cosmic radiation effecting earth originates fromthe sun. A significant amount originates extra terrestrial from major events suchas quasars.

Nearly 100 years ago, scientists detected the first signs of cosmic rays --subatomic particles (mostly protons) that zip through space at nearly the speedof light. The most energetic cosmic rays hit with the punch of a 98-mph fastball,

even though they are smaller than an atom. Astronomers questioned whatnatural force could accelerate particles to such a speed. New evidence from theVERITAS telescope array shows that cosmic rays likely are powered byexploding stars and stellar "winds."

The rarest cosmic rays carry over 100 billion times as much energy as generatedby any particle accelerator on Earth. ("Cosmic ray" is a historical misnomer, since


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they are individual particles, not a ray or beam.) Astronomers have devisedingenious methods for detecting cosmic rays that hit Earth's atmosphere.

Cosmic Explosion Among the Brightest in Recorded History - NASA

Scientists have detected a flash of light from across the Galaxy so powerful that itbounced off the Moon and lit up the Earth's upper atmosphere. The flash wasbrighter than anything ever detected from beyond our Solar System and lastedover a tenth of a second. NASA and European satellites and many radiotelescopes detected the flash and its aftermath on December 27, 2004. Twoscience teams report about this event at a special press event today at NASAheadquarters. A multitude of papers are planned for publication.

Image/animation: Image 1: Artistconception of the December 27,2004 gamma ray flare expanding

from SGR 1806-20 and impactingEarths atmosphere.

The scientists said the light camefrom a "giant flare" on the surfaceof an exotic neutron star, called amagnetar. The apparentmagnitude was brighter than a fullmoon and all historical star

explosions. The light was brightest in the gamma-ray energy range, far more

energetic than visible light or X-rays and invisible to our eyes.

Such a close and powerfuleruption raises the question ofwhether an even larger influx ofgamma rays, disturbing theatmosphere, was responsible forone of the mass extinctionsknown to have occurred on Earthhundreds of millions of years ago.Also, if giant flares can be thispowerful, then some gamma-raybursts (thought to be very distantblack-hole-forming starexplosions) could actually be from

neutron star eruptions in nearby galaxies.


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Image/animation: Image 2: An artist conception of the SGR 1806-20 magnetarincluding magnetic field lines. After the initial flash, smaller pulsations in the data

suggest hot spots on the rotatingmagnetars surface. The data alsoshows no change in the

magentars rotation after the initialflash.

NASA's newly launched Swiftsatellite and the NSF-funded VeryLarge Array (VLA) were two ofmany observatories that observedthe event, arising from neutronstar SGR 1806-20, about 50,000light years from Earth in the

constellation Sagittarius.

"This might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for astronomers, as well as for theneutron star," said Dr. David Palmer of Los Alamos National Laboratory, leadauthor on a paper describing the Swift observation. "We know of only two othergiant flares in the past 35 years, and this December event was one hundredtimes more powerful."

Image/animation: Image 3: Radio data shows a very active area aroundSGR1806-20. The Very Large Array radio telescope observed ejected materialfrom this Magnetar as it flew out into interstellar space. These observations in theradio wavelength start about 7 days after the flare and continue for 20 days. They

show SGR1806-20 dimming in the radio spectrum.

Dr. Bryan Gaensler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics inCambridge, Mass., is lead author on a report describing the VLA observation,which tracked the ejected material as it flew out into interstellar space. Other keyscientific teams are associated with radio telescopes in Australia, The

Netherlands, United Kingdom,India and the United States, aswell as with NASA's High EnergySolar Spectroscopic Imager(RHESSI).

A neutron star is the core remainsof a star once several times moremassive than our Sun. When suchstars deplete their nuclear fuel,they explode -- an event called asupernova. The remaining core is


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dense, fast-spinning, highly magnetic, and only about 15 miles in diameter.Millions of neutron stars fill our Milky Way galaxy.

Image/animation: Image 4: SGR-1806 is an ultra-magnetic neutron star, calleda magnetar, located about 50,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation

Sagittarius.

Scientists have discovered about a dozen ultrahigh-magnetic neutron stars,called magnetars. The magnetic field around a magnetar is about 1,000 trilliongauss, strong enough to strip information from a credit card at a distance halfwayto the moon. (Ordinary neutron stars measure a mere trillion gauss; the Earth'smagnetic field is about 0.5 gauss.)

Four of these magnetars are also called soft gamma repeaters, or SGRs,because they flare up randomly and release gamma rays. Such episodes release

about 10^30 to 10^35 watts forabout a second, or up to millionsof times more energy than ourSun. For a tenth of a second, thegiant flare on SGR 1806-20unleashed energy at a rate ofabout 10^40 watts. The totalenergy produced was more thanthe Sun emits in 150,000 years.

Image/animation above: Image

5: Swift is a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicatedto the study of gamma ray burst

(GRB) science. Its three instruments will work together to observe GRBs andafterglows in the gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavebands. Swift isdesigned to solve the 35-year-old mystery of the origin of gamma-ray bursts.Scientists believe GRB are the birth cries of black holes."The next biggest flare ever seen from any soft gamma repeater was peanutscompared to this incredible December 27 event," said Gaensler. "Had thishappened within 10 light years of us, it would have severely damaged ouratmosphere. Fortunately, all the magnetars we know of are much farther awaythan this."

A scientific debate raged in the 1980s over whether gamma-ray bursts were starexplosions from beyond our Galaxy or eruptions on nearby neutron stars. By thelate 1990s it became clear that gamma-ray bursts did indeed originate very faraway and that SGRs were a different phenomenon. But the extraordinary giantflare on SGR 1806-20 reopens the debate, according to Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou


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of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, who coordinated the multiwavelengthobservations.

Image/animation: Image 6:NASA's Swift satellite was

successfully launched Saturday,November 20, 2004 from theCape Canaveral Air Force Station,Fla.A sizeable percentage of "short"gamma-ray bursts, less than twoseconds, could be SGR flares,she said. These would come fromgalaxies within about a 100 millionlight years from Earth. (Long

gamma-ray bursts appear to be black-hole-forming star explosions billions of light

years away.)

"An answer to the 'short' gamma-ray burst mystery could come any day now thatSwift is in orbit", said Swift lead scientist Neil Gehrels. "Swift saw this event afteronly about a month on the job."

Image left: High resolution, wide-field image of the area around SGR1806-20 asseen in radio wavelength, without a location arrow. Credit: University of Hawaii.Image right: A high resolution, wide-field image of the area around SGR1806-20as seen in radio wavelength. SGR1806-20 can not be seen in this imagegenerated from earlier radio data taken when SGR1806-20 was radio quiet.The arrow locates the position of SGR1806-20 within the image. Credit:University of Hawaii.

Scientists around the world have been following the December 27 event.RHESSI detected gamma rays and X-rays from the flare. Drs. Kevin Hurley andSteven Boggs of the University of California, Berkeley, are leading the effort toanalyze these data. Dr. Robert Duncan of the University of Texas at Austin andDr. Christopher Thompson at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics(University of Toronto) are the leading experts on magnetars, and they areinvestigating the "short duration" gamma-ray burst relationship.


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Brian Cameron, a graduate student at Caltech under the tutorage of Prof. ShriKulkarni, leads a second scientific paper based on VLA data. Amateurastronomers detected the disturbance in the Earth's ionosphere and relayed thisinformation through the American Association of Variable Star Observers

(http://www.aavso.org).

Image: SGR 1806-20 is a "magnetar": a rapidly spinning neutron star that notonly has an incredible density, trillions of times greater than than ordinary matter,

but an incredibly strong magneticfield. Tens of thousands of yearsago, a "starquake" fractured themagnetar's surface. The resultwas an explosive release ofenergy, which sent a pulse ofgamma rays racing across thecosmos at the speed of light.Behind them came the explosion'sfireball, expanding in a lopsidedfashion at roughly one-third thespeed of light. The gamma rays

swept past the Earth on December 27, 2004, when they were detected byNASA's Swift satellite. That initial signal faded away within minutes. But thencame a steady stream of radio waves from the fireball. Astronomers rushed toground-based radio telescopes such as NSF's Very Large Array outside Socorro,New Mexico, where they have been studying the information-rich signal eversince. -10

A few years later an even more powerful explosion, 12 billion light years away,was reported

Most Powerful Cosmic Explosion SpaceDailyby Staff WritersHuntsville AL (SPX) Feb24, 2009

Adam Goldstein's first dayon the job tending the

Gamma-ray Burst Monitor(GBM) instrument onNASA's Fermi Gamma-raySpace Telescope was a doozy. A graduate physics student at The University ofAlabama in Huntsville, Goldstein was still learning the ropes the evening of Sept.

10Nasa

The first significant gamma-rayburst detected by the LAT(Fermi was lifted into orbit inJune), this burst bursts withsuperlatives. When the analysisof spectral data collected by atelescope on the ground was

finished in November, theburst's "red shift" put its point oforigin about 12 billion light yearsfrom Earth.


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16, 2008, nearing the end of his 12-hour on-call shift when the GBM called hiscell phone to signal that a burst had been detected.

That in itself wasn't remarkable: GBM detects about one burst a day and it keepsGoldstein's cell phone number handy, along with those of the other GBM team

members.

This burst, however, lasted 23 minutes - almost 700 times as long as the two-second average for high-energy gamma-ray bursts. And that was just for starters."I was in class the next morning when Alexander (van der Horst, a NASA post-doctoral fellow) called me up and told me the LAT (Fermi's Large AreaTelescope) had found photons from that same burst," Goldstein recalls."At the time, when you get a burst you oooh and aaah but it's not until you can sitdown and do the spectral analysis that you know what you've found. And ifanother instrument looked at it, then you've got the chance to do some realscience."

The first significant gamma-ray burst detected by the LAT (Fermi was lifted intoorbit in June), this burst bursts with superlatives. When the analysis of spectraldata collected by a telescope on the ground was finished in November, theburst's "red shift" put its point of origin about 12 billion light years from Earth.(Seen from Earth it came from just below the star Chi Carinae in the southernsky.)

When that distance is factored with the burst's brightness at the Fermi sensors, itbecomes the most powerful gamma-ray event ever detected - four times aspowerful at the source as the second strongest burst ever detected, said Dr.Valerie Connaughton, a scientist in UAHuntsville's Center for Space Plasma andAeronomic Research (CSPAR) and a member of the GBM team.

"This is the most spectacular burst ever seen at high energy," she said. "If theevent that caused this blew out in every direction instead of being a focusedbeam, it would be equivalent to 4.9 times the mass of the sun being converted togamma rays in a matter of minutes."This theory-bruising burst is the subject of research published in "ScienceExpress," the on-line scientific journal of the American Association for theAdvancement of Science.

A collaborative effort by more than 250 scientists around the world, it is the firstgamma-ray burst findings to be reported from the Fermi telescope.The day after the burst, when Goldstein learned that his first burst wasnoteworthy, he called his parents in Pineville, Missouri, to share the news that hisdreams were coming to fruition.

"The next day I talked to them when I found out what a big deal it was," saidGoldstein, who is completing a catalogue of gamma-ray burst data from an


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earlier orbiting detector as part of his thesis research. "I have always wanted towork with NASA, so for me this is an ideal place to be."

Goldstein's enthusiasm has spread to his family. One of the "honors" accorded ascientist when a burst is seen on his or her shift is the responsibility of writing a

circular describing the burst's coordinates and characteristics for the Gamma-rayburst Coordinates Network (GCN).

Since posting his description of the Sept. 16 burst, Goldstein said, his fatherScott has taken to routinely checking the GCN to see if his son has postedanything new.

The Sept. 16 burst is a theory bender because theories developed to explaingamma-ray bursts - believed to be the most powerful explosions since the BigBang - don't "allow" some of the behaviors seen by the Fermi instruments.This includes the 23-minute duration. Roaring through space for 12 billion years

tends to s-t-r-e-t-c-h waves of electromagnetic energy. Accounting for thatstretching means the burst was a solid four minutes in duration when it wascreated.

"It is difficult to imagine keeping a central gamma-ray 'engine' active for thatperiod of time," said Dr. Michael Briggs, a CSPAR scientist and GBM teammember.

Another problem is in the energy itself. Most gamma-ray bursts start hot withhigh-energy gamma rays, then fade to progressively weaker rays. The Sept. 16burst started "cool," with the high-energy gamma rays showing up almost fiveseconds later. That wasn't expected.

And the burst had both high and low energy photons at the same time for about200 seconds (also not expected), said Briggs. "It means everything that createdboth sets of rays happened in the same space at the same time, which is verydifficult to explain."

After not quite three and a half minutes the cooler gamma rays became too weakto detect, but the high-energy rays continued for at least 20 more minutes. (It wasstill going when the burst moved out of the LAT's field of view.)

If the cataclysmic cosmic event that caused the burst was fading away, whywould the weaker gamma rays disappear while the strong ones stick around?Gamma rays are at the highest end of the energy spectrum, with as much as onemillion times as much energy per photon as X-rays. Gamma-ray bursts arebelieved to come from dying stars that explode or collapse, potentially releasingas much energy in a few seconds (or minutes) as our sun will generate in billionsof years.


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Goldstein was the first (and is still the only) UAHuntsville graduate student to jointhe GBM team but several post-doctoral students have joined since the successof his first night, swelling the team to about ten. While the GBM instrumentnotifies team members and other scientists around the world when it detects aburst, someone has to be on-duty tending the instrument at all times.

This responsibility is rotated in 12-hour shifts between the team in UAHuntsville'sCramer Hall and scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. 11

Palaeontologists studying life forms before and after switch offs and ons claimthat life almost disappeared, and when becoming abundant again, look quitedifferent. Naturally, subterranean and sea life, especially deep sea life, are lesseffected than surface life.

For now, the question is whether the sharp increase of the past few decades incases of autism, and also cancer, can be provably linked to the dwindling

electromagnetic field?

No one doubts that exposure to cosmic rays are harmful. In fact, to find moresuitable yeasts that can do more comprehensive fermentation of sugars yeastswere exposed to fluorescent light to cause indiscriminate mutations. The morebeneficial are then selected, and so on until a suitable yeast is developed to beeconomically viable to the ethanol industry.

Whether the link can be drawn beyond a trace of doubt between a sevenhundred percent increase in new cases of autism, of which apparently some 17% can be attributed to better diagnostic methods and an expanded definition forconditions included on the autism spectrum, and the decreasing electromagneticfield falls outside the field of the geomorphologist.

There are some questions that need to asked though. For instance, in Belgiumthe line to the south of which skin cancer occurs more frequently, had beengradually moving further north. The impact is that budgets, such as the budgetsof hospitals, have to be constantly adjusted further north to accommodate themore cases of skin cancer requiring treatment. In the Netherlands skin cancer isalso on the increase, and each summer it seems as though the number of dayson which ultraviolet warnings are issued, are on the increase.

Generally, the increased number of warning days are linked to global heating, butas we saw earlier cosmoclimatologists believe global heating is at least partiallyaffected by the interaction of the electromagnetic field and sun activity.

11Space Daily, 24 Feb 2009.


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Genes and autism

Available literature, if combined, indicate a wide range of gene defects andmutations, as well as chromosome problems such as deletions, to be associatedwith conditions on the autistic spectrum. Some pop up in older literature, and

others in later literature.

In the year 2000 it was reported that a mutation of the HOXA1 gene in the 7 thchromosome was detected in 40 percent of those on the autistic spectrum whowere tested. This gene plays an important role in the early phase of braindevelopment. Researchers believe however that this mutation, on its own, doesnot cause autism.It is interesting that Chromosome 7 is also the home for Williams Syndrome, andthat both autism and Williams have cases of Savantism reported. Cases,however, where the same person has Williams end autism seem to be extremelyrare.

In contrast to Retts Syndrome, more boys than girls are effected by autism thangirls. In 2005 a genetic mutation was detected in the 17Q21 area of the 17 thchromosome, causing autism with boys, but apparently not effecting girls.Two years later a group of scientists from the University of California in LosAngeles announced the identification of a group of genes associated with autism.The variations noted were slight genome variations and deletion. Neurexin 1 onthe 11th chromosome was amongst others implicated. Neurexin 1 is associatedwith the communication taking place between brain cells.In announcing the findings the hope was expressed that this may contribute tobeing addressed by gene therapy, noting successes with gene therapy onmousse with Retts Syndrome.

In the report of 2000, the possibility of gene therapy for addressing the mutationsof the HOXA1 was rules out, unless some other conditions were met concerningthe understanding of how this effects the functioning of the brain.The latest available research indicates that most genetic variations associated

with autism are to be found in the 15th chromosome, but they are also found inthe 5th, 11th and 16th. Earlier findings, such as those of the 17th and 22 q deletion13.3 on the 22nd are not mentioned in this report.

A gene associated with speech as compared between humans, Neanderthal(not a direct ancestor of modern man but with a common origin) andchimpanzees, FOXP2, is also under investigation as a non autistic related causefor speech problems, but research is still in early stages. This may indicate thathumans had the ability to speak s far back as 300 000 years, and not 50 000years as previously thought.

The following conditions are said to be associated with gene variations ormutations:


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Angelman syndrome Fragile X syndrome Isodicentric Neurofibromatosis type 1

Prader/Willi/Angelman syndrome Rett-syndrome Smith-Lemli-Optiz syndrome Sotos syndrome Subtelomere

While we, as parents of autistic children are seeking answers, there are a host ofparents who are looking for answers along similar lines.

At this stage the news, as far as gene therapy as treatment for autism is notencouraging.

Possible non-cosmic causes

There may be host of other factors which influence gene mutations as well, andone should not blindly stare to the sun and cosmos to seek answers. At this stagenot al answers are found in the genes as well, and one should not rule out thatsome other trauma, socio-economic factor or diet may combine with the genedefects to cause autism related conditions.

Another possible source for genetic deviations may be traced back to pollution.Some time ago, a paper by Dr, Anthony Turton, then of the CSSIR in South Africawas banned. As he read this same paper at some occasions previously, it wasalready on the internet and widely circulated. Among his references was theoccurrence of deformities of animals born in areas of severe water pollution.More recently, it was reported that people with gender dualism were to be found inareas where malaria was combated by using DDT. The athlete around whosehead a gender storm broke out after she won the World Championships 800 metertitle for women also comes from such an area.

For now, it seems, as though a cure for autism is some distance away, andnothing can be done to stop the earths electro magnetic field from stopping. Wemay compensate by doing our bit to keep the ozone layer intact, and we, ashumankind, may stop pollution.

With autism already having increased by 700 percent, and this increasedgeneration now heading for adult care centers, most certainly. Which country canafford 1 in 150 or even, as in the case of Britain, 1 in less than a hundred, in adultcare centers only counting those on the autistic spectrum?


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But do we have leverage to somehow force the governments of the world to investin cleaner air and water, to assist in developing early diagnostic measures and thefunding of early intervention programs? On average the cost to a government of aperson who had no early intervention is around $10 million, but one third with earlyintervention. But very few parents can afford the required $50 000 for early

intervention.

Conclusion

If autism can not significantly be prevented and it can not be cured in theforeseeable future, surely the daunting costs justify massive state assistance forearly diagnosis (if not at birth through genetic tests at least before the age of two)and affordable access to early intervention programs. Many governments will notbe able to even remotely cover these costs, and a special UN fund should beconsidered.

Planet AutismIn the year 2030 governments on earth realized that far too little planning hadbeen done to accommodate the mass influx of the new adult generation ofpeople living with autism. Systems could not cope with the 700 percent increasein just over a decade, and budgets were totally insufficient. In fact, the economiesof governments on earth were on the verge of collapsing because of theincrease.A heartless decision was taken, more expected from what is generally regardeda typical autistic person. A new inhabitable planet was discovered in n nearbysolar system, and all autistic people will be transported there with as muchmeans to survive as possible.In total 20 million autistic people, ranging from two year old babies to agedpeople, were bundled into the space ships and dropped of on the lone planet.Three out of four were male, some were brothers, some were cousins, but mostlytotally unrelated.Five years later the family and therapists could no longer bear the loneliness feltby the departure of their special children or brothers and sisters, and anotherexpedition was sent.Would they find any relative still alive? If they are still alive, what will they find?Those sent away ranged from middle aged men and women still in nappies toauditors living a near normal life. Earth had been stripped of some of its mostamazing people. Today the internet, computers and advanced search enginessuch as Google bring virtually all information one needs on Planet Autism thereare quite a few who have almost all that information in their heads, like oneknowing the total contents of his countrys state archives by heart. One also knows that most family members and therapists would never leavePlanet Autism again.Earth had been stripped of some of its best scientists, some of the best artistsranging from music to painting to sculpturing.


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But are these, mostly Aspergers, with Savantism enough to some how salvagesome sustainable society so that there will be survivors? It is impossible to tell. But what one knows for sure: If there is society it will benear crime free.Buildings next to streets would probably have soft material at head height against

the walls so that those who whish to, can bang their heads at will. And there will be millions heartbroken with longing to family they are attachedto some will storm closer when the space ships land and hug their family,smiling from ear to ear, some will show little more than a flicker in the eye, asthey find it impossible to express feelings the same way others do. But they willbe just as happy as the rest.There will, despite autistic people generally having good memories, be aremarkable lack of resentment as the tantrums to express this had beennumerous, but not now. Now is now.But where is this Planet Autism?It is hard to tell. With only a hand full of the probable 8 000 thousand cases in the

Free State out in the open, Planet Autism may be in back yards, in dark roomsstripped of material that can be broken during tantrums. It may be institutionswhere wrong diagnosis and treatment created a living dead.Often the parents take the trip to Planet Autism with the children, sometimestaking the rest of the family along, and so totally withdraw from social life.Planet Autism may be the home or flat next door. It does not exist in anotherdimension invisible from our range of sight, but it is blocked by some mentalcondition called denialism.But it is real.And it is often visited by angels, if they are let in. Angels who take care of thesepeople, care for them with their entire hearts, and build very, very strongrelationships. They may be simple people angels offering only the mostimportant: love, but they may be therapists, doctors, hairdressers, teachers.They are all a very special kind of angel and they would so dearly like to live onor regularly visit Planet Autism.Herman Toerien

autism, an alien cosmic visitor

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