Carl Sagan’s Two Warnings For Humanity In His Very Last Interview

Carl Sagan was an astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, skeptic and critical thinker. He was the Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University. He played a leading role in the American space program and was a consultant and adviser to NASA since the late 1950′s. He was also responsible for briefing the Apollo astronauts before their flights to the Moon. Many of you might know him from some of his bestselling books, like Cosmos, which was in fact the bestselling science book ever published in the English language.

Sagan was responsible for assisting humanity in their knowledge of concepts that are outside of the box, these include multiple dimensions, quantum physics, wormholes, and a wide variety of ideas and concepts about space, science, technology and more. He did so with a great amount of enthusiasm, cheer, and an uplifting type of energy.  In his very last interview he left us with words that might give you goosebumps,he issued two warnings  to the human race.

His first concern was with regards to science and technology. Sagan expressed great concern that“if the general public doesn’t understand science and technology, then who is making all of the decisions about science and technology that are going to determine what kind of future our children live in, some members of congress? There are only a handful who have any background in science at all, and some of them don’t even want to know about it.” – Carl Sagan

Newly Discovered 8th grade exam from 1912 shows how 'dumbed down' Americans have become

Have you ever seen the movie “Idiocracy”?  It is a movie about an “average American” that wakes up 500 years in the future only to discover that he is the most intelligent person by far in the “dumbed down” society that is surrounding him.  Unfortunately, that film is a very accurate metaphor for what has happened to American society today.  We have become so “dumbed down” that we don’t even realize what has happened to us.  But once in a while something comes along that reminds us of how far we have fallen. 

Ancient Egyptian Papyrus Harbors a Shocking Secret

“In the medical realm, Egypt far surpassed that of their time.”

(Image: Smith Papyrus)

In 1862 an extraordinary papyrus was discovered by Edwin Smith, an American Egyptologist in Luxor, Egypt. This unique papyrus, named the Smith papyrus, has caused commotion around the world. It is the oldest known medical document written in the Middle Egyptian hieratic script and harbors 377 lines of text on the front and 92 on the back. It is currently kept under lock and key at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Creepy Medical Photos from the Past

Masks worn during the plague

Children in iron lung before polio vaccinations were invented

Woman with artificial leg

Wooden prosthetic hand

Neurological exam with electric device

At Walter Reed, 1920's

Italy, 1700's tool used to teach about childbirth

Radiology nurse

Treatment for insanity.  Wrapping in wet sheets

dentist tool   OMG

Root Beer, health drink

15 Creepy Old Timey Pictures

Creepy Picture

This Creepy Photo was takin in 1919.   It was first published in 1975 by Sir Victor Goddard, a retired R.A.F. officer.  the photo is a group portrait of Goddard's squadron which had served in WW1 aboard the HMS Daedalus.  An extra ghostly face appears in the photo.  At the back of the airman positioned on the top row fourth from the left can clearly be seen the face of another man.  It is said to be the face of Freddy Jackson an air mechanic who had been accidentally killed by an airplaine propeller two days earlier.  His funeral had taken place on the day this photograph was snapped.  Members of the squadron easily recognized the face as Jackson's.  It has been suggested that Jackson, unaware of his death, decided to show up for the group photo.  In case you don't notice the ghost - look behind the head in the inset on the left of the picture.

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Abandoned Places

FATEHPUR SIKRI, INDIA Built by Emperor Akbar to be the most beautiful city in the world, it was widely thought this goal was achieved - until people realized the city lacked access to water. It was abandoned as the capital of the Mughal Empire after just 10 years and is today a perfectly preserved 16th-century town. Picture: Flickr user Sikri Goove2007   DECEPTION ISLAND, ANTARCTICA A regular stop on Antarctic sailings, Deception Island was a popular place for scientific outposts until several volcanic eruptions destroyed the bases in the 1960s. Today you can see their remains, plus swim in hot springs. Picture: Flickr user Wili Hybrid  

 KOLMANSKOP, NAMIBIA Travellers seeking a quiet place need look no further than the numerous towns around the world that have been abandoned for one reason or another. Travel review website IgoUgo.com has compiled a list of the top 10 ghost towns around the world based on recommendations from its readers. Before you enter this abandoned mining town in the Namib desert, you'll need to stop in nearby Luderitz for a permit - a holdover from the days when Kolmanskop was a free-for-all for diamond hunters. The town was at its heyday in the 1920s but abandoned in 1956. It has since been partly restored. Picture: Flickr user Coda

  OATMAN, ARIZONA, US Of the Arizona ghost towns, quirky Oatman has to be among IgoUgo members' favourite. It's here where wild burros roam the streets and $60,000 bills decorate the walls of the local hotel, where, incidentally, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their wedding night. Picture: Flickr user Caveman 92223   ARTLUNGA, AUSTRALIA A favourite part of this old Outback mining town (and early European settlement) is the "loneliest pub in the scrub," also known as the Arltunga Hotel. It's an ideal place for lunch or a cold beer before or after exploring Arltunga which was born out of a gold rush. Picture: Page Lovelace    GRAFTON, UTAH, US Founded for its fertile land and abandoned largely due to conflicts with Native Americans and flooding, Grafton is most famous as the set of the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The last residents left in 1944. Picture: Flickr user Respres