This Week's Hot Topics

UFO papers to be made public
Hundreds of pages of secret files on New Zealand UFO sightings will be released by the military this year. — Stuff.co.nz

Lasers to beam energy to Earth from space
Solar energy collected in space and beamed back to Earth by laser could soon be used to power homes and electric vehicles. — The Telegraph

Scientologists 'heal' Haiti quake victims using touch
Church of Scientology "volunteer ministers" claim to use the power of touch to reconnect nervous systems. — Breitbart

Touchscreen merges the real and digital worlds
A new tabletop computer allows designers to take advantage of touchscreens while still using traditional paper and pens. — New Scientist

Widespread antibiotic use in 1960s sparked MRSA

Early use of antibiotics in the 1960s may have given birth to one of the most common strains of MRSA, a study has found. — The Telegraph

Children's 'ghosts' haunt Australian cemetery

Does this photo show the figures of two children, born nearly a century apart, walking in their own paranormal playground? — news.com.au

Earth Not Properly Protected from Asteroids

The U.S. must do more to safeguard Earth against destruction by an asteroid than merely prepping nuclear missiles, a new report has found. — Space.com

Video: Japan's new ‘facial’ security

Japanese company Omron uses walk-through recognition of facial features to determine access. — MSNBC

Electric Icarus: NASA Designs a One-Man Stealth Plane

Could the Puffin, an electric-powered flying suit, change the way we use the sky in war and peace? — Scientific American

Hunt for Earth-Like Worlds Looks in the Mirror

To find Earth-like worlds around other stars, scientists should take a page from our own planet. — Space.com

The Zone of Silence: Unmuted

Magnetic aberrations make radio communications impossible in area known as the Vertice de Trino. — Inexplicata

Humans were once an endangered species

1.2 million years ago, there were probably only around 18,500 individuals capable of breeding.
— PhysOrg.com

Death of UFO expert Paul Vigay 'a mystery'

The 44 year-old, who worked on the 2002 Mel Gibson film Signs, was discovered floating in the sea off the coast of Portsmouth. — The Telegraph

Slime Mold Beats Humans at Perfecting Traffic Networks

A species of gelatinous amoeba could help urban planners design better road systems.
— LiveScience

There's a 'Dark Disk of Material' Hovering Out in Space

Some kind of obstruction is blocking our view of a star in the constellation Auriga.
— io9.com

Toyota Sees Robotic Nurses in Your Lonely Final Years

Manufacturing robotic workers may be a hot new industry. — Gadget Lab

NASA wants your Mars photo target ideas

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will take public photo suggestions. — Layer 8

Tomb of the Saxon Queen: Discovered, Alfred's granddaughter

Crumbling remains have been unearthed more than 1,000 years after her death. — Daily Mail

Dinosaur 'Death Pits' Created by Giant's Footprints?

Death pits might have been created by the wanderings of a massive sauropod dinosaur.
— National Geographic News

Almost-close encounter: Meteorite hits Lorton doctor's office

Three chunks of stone on the floor that together formed a rock about the size of a tennis ball.
— Washington Post

Blind grandmother lands monster catfish

It's the biggest ever freshwater fish caught by a British woman. — Daily Mail

Deathbed Star Gives Sneak Peek of Our Sun's Demise

Chi Cygni, about 550 light-years away, has bloated in size and begun to pulse in and out.
— Space.com

Body With 'Very Long' Fingers Discovered On Plum Island

An alleged mutated human body washed ashore where the U.S. Government studies dangerous animal diseases. — WPIX.com

Poe Toaster tribute is 'nevermore'

No gift of cognac and roses left at poet's grave, ending decades-long tradition.
— Baltimore Sun

Mystery Object Behaves Both Like a Comet and Asteroid

Something awfully curious is happening 250 million miles away in the asteroid belt.
— Discovery News

Yellowstone hit by swarm of earthquakes

More than 250 quakes have struck the park in the past two days. — Denver Post

Glass frog and snail-sucking snake discovered in Ecuador

New species including 30 varieties of frog are among discoveries in threatened rainforest.
— The Guardian

Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Text Suggests

Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing.
— LiveScience