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GLOBAL NEWS CHINA GROWS GIANT VEGETABLES FROM "SPACE SEEDS" hile most governments are reacting to the global food shortage by growing more food, China's government has decided to grow the same amount of fruits and vegetables but with a twist: giant versions of standard food staples—210 lb (95.3 kg) pumpkins, 2 lb (0.9 kg) tomatoes, and cucumbers over two feet (61 cm) long—which are currently feeding families in 22 of China's provinces. Governments in Europe, Japan and elsewhere are taking notice. This weird, believe-it-or-not scenario becomes even more fantastic as it turns out that the reason these foods can grow so huge is because they've been sent into outer space. The seeds get blasted into outer space, and, after they return, they transform into enormous eatables—but no one knows why. The Chinese Academy of Sciences started looking at the benefits of growing seeds in space in 1987, working with the then Soviet Union. Two years ago, the Shijian-8, the first recoverable satellite designed solely to carry "space seeds", was blasted into outer space on a Chinese Long March rocket. On board were more than 2,000 seeds. Scientists have yet to offer a definitive explanation as to why space causes the seeds to mutate, but they believe that cosmic radiation, microgravity and magnetic fields may play a part. Beyond that guesswork, there seems to be no reason why seeds sent into space should grow into "miracle" foods back on Earth. Once the seeds are returned from space they are cultivated, and only fruit or vegetables that show improvements in size, taste or vitamin and mineral content are selected. The seeds from these plants are then bred over at least another three generations to ensure they remain stable. The Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Science, 50 miles (80.5 km) from Guangzhou, could be the taste of things to come as China struggles to feed its population of 1.3 billion. Vast farms are already being used to cultivate these crops, as "space fruit and vegetables" are put on dinner tables across China. The program is being coordinated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Futuristic greenhouses in southern China give birth to pumpkins 10 times their normal size, 160 lb (72.6 kg) Chinese winter melons, 14 Ib (6.35 kg) aubergines, and chilli plants the size of small trees with fiery, nine-inch-long (22.8-cm-long) fruit that look more like exotic peppers. Chinese scientists claim that some "space fruit and veggies" are better than the originals. The vitamin C content in some vegetables is nearly three times higher and there is a marked increase in trace elements such as zinc. Yields of "space rice" are 25 per cent higher. Research also shows that certain "space breeds" use proportionately less water than their more traditional counterparts, so they could be perfect for growing in arid areas. To date, China has bred more than 50 new species of "space plants" and has plans to produce more than 200 new species. "A lot more space-seed products are going to be coming on the market in the next two to three years, with sweet pepper, tomato and cucumber breeds on sale," said Chinese expert Lo Zhigang. "Some of China's space-seed products are already exported to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan. These include breeds of cucumber, sweet pepper, tomatoes and broccoli." And that's exactly what worries environmentalists. In the same way that genetically modified foods may present an as-yet-unknown danger to our health, the same may be true of "food from space". (Sources: MINA, http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/1986/56; Sunday Mirror, UK, 11 May 2008, http://www.mirror.co.uk/sunday-mirror/2008/05/ 11/will-giant-vegetables-help-solve-world-food-shortage-98487-20413648/) from the Atlantic, the jungle or inside the continent," Gonzalez said. The three other skeletons excavated in the caves have been given a date range of 11,000 to 14,000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating. Gonzalez has also found remains of elephants, giant sloths and other ancient fauna in the caves. (Source: National Geographic.com/ news, 3 September 2008) MIND CONTROL BY MOBILE PHONES? an the electrical signals coming from a phone affect certain brainwaves operating in resonance with cellphone/mobile phone transmission frequencies? Two studies provide some revealing news. The first, led by Rodney Croft of the Brain Science Institute at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, tested whether cellphone/mobile phone transmissions could alter a person's brainwaves. The data showed that when the cellphone was transmitting, the power alpha waves in the person's brain were boosted significantly. If cellphone signals boost a person's alpha waves, does this nudge them subliminally into an altered state of consciousness or have any effect at all on the workings of their mind that can be observed in a person's behaviour? In the second study, James Horne and colleagues at Loughborough University's Sleep Research Centre in England found that not only could the cellphone signals alter a person's behaviour during the call, but the effects of the disrupted brainwave patterns continued long after the phone was switched off. "This was a completely unexpected finding," Horne said. This research shows that cellphone transmissions can affect a person's brainwaves, with persistent effects on behaviour. (Source: Scientific American, 7 May 2008) NEXUS ¢ 9 OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2008 www.nexusmagazine.com