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An increasing number of scientists are reading the myths and legends of ancient peoples with renewed interest, as they search for any sign that might lead to an important discovery, such as the unearthing of a cache of alien artifacts several millions years old. And passages such as this one, translated from the Sanskrit of 2,000 years ago, are being valued for more than their poetic symbolism: "When dawn broke, Rama climbed aboard the aircraft, which was called Pushpaka and stood ready to depart. The craft was large, brightly painted, and self-propelled. It had two decks, many windows, and cabins. As it lifted majestically into the air and leveled off, it gave forth a melodious hum." 6. Flying Saucers and Disappearing People Twelve-year-old Raimunda da Silva of Diamantina, Brazil has never heard of flying saucers, bug-eyed monsters, or Buck Rogers. He has never read a Flash Gordon comic book - because he is illiterate - or watched Lost in Space on a TV set - because he is unaware of electricity, not to mention radio or television. Yet it was this same unsophisticated boy who ran hito police headquarters on August 20, 1962 and told the incredulous officers that his father had been taken away by two giant balls that sparked fire and puffed out yellow smoke. It had been shortly after dawn when Raimunda had first seen the weird shadow of the being that had observed him, his father, Rivalino de Silva, and his two brothers, Fatimo, six, and Dirceu, two. The creature "was not shaped like a human being," Raimunda told the authorities, and it seemed to float rather than walk. As the creature had glided out of the bedroom Raimunda shared with his father, the boy swore that he had heard it say: "Rivalino is in here. He must be destroyed." Rivalino de Silva had begun to move as if he were entranced. He opened the front door and Raimunda saw him begin to walk toward two large globes that floated about six or seven feet above the ground. The objects had made a humming sound and flickered a strange kind of fire. The boy called to his father, but Rivalino continued to draw closer to the hovering discs. Then, before Raimunda's horrified eyes, the globes emitted a heavy yellow smoke, that completely enveloped his father's body. When the smoke cleared, the balls had disappeared and so had Rivalino da Silva. Police began an immediate investigation. At the da Silva hut, the officers found a strange, cleanly swept area in the dust that was about 16 feet in diameter. There were no footprints or tracks of any kind in the