Things Worth Noting
3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) is the third confirmed interstellar comet, discovered July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey in Chile. Traveling on a hyperbolic trajectory with eccentricity >1, it reached perihelion at 1.4 AU on October 30, 2025, and will exit the Solar System. The 10–20 km nucleus shows strong CO₂ and CO outgassing, low water, […]
Operation MKOFTEN was a secret CIA and DoD program (1968–1973) that tested drugs like LSD and experimental compounds on humans and animals to develop mind control and interrogation tools. Run at Edgewood Arsenal and Holmesburg Prison, it focused on behavioral and toxicological effects, creating databases of drug impacts for espionage use. Led by Sidney Gottlieb, […]
Project 4.1 was a secret U.S. medical study launched after the 1954 Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll unexpectedly spread radioactive fallout over Rongelap, Utirik, and Ailinginae Atolls in the Marshall Islands. Instead of immediate evacuation, 239 Marshallese and 28 Americans were monitored for radiation effects. The 15-megaton blast caused acute radiation sickness—nausea, […]
The Stargate Project was a secret U.S. Army program launched in 1977 at Fort Meade, Maryland, to test psychic abilities like remote viewing, ESP, and clairvoyance for military intelligence. Run by the DIA and CIA, it aimed to close a perceived psychic warfare gap with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Key figures included […]
Operation Sea-Spray was a secret 1950 U.S. Navy test that sprayed Serratia marcescens and Bacillus globigii over San Francisco to study bioweapon vulnerability. From September 20–27, a ship offshore released aerosol clouds, exposing nearly all 800,000 residents to thousands of particles. No one was informed. Soon after, Stanford Hospital saw 11 rare urinary tract infections; […]
Project ARTICHOKE was a CIA covert program launched in 1951 to develop mind control and advanced interrogation techniques during the Cold War. Evolving from Project BLUEBIRD, it focused on using LSD, hypnosis, mescaline, morphine addiction, and sensory deprivation to induce amnesia, compliance, and involuntary actions—like the “Manchurian Candidate” assassin concept. Subjects included POWs, defectors, CIA […]
Gerrymandering is the manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one party or group, often using census data during redistricting led by state legislatures. Named after Elbridge Gerry’s 1812 salamander-shaped district, it undermines fair representation and voting rights, especially for communities of color. Common tactics include packing (concentrating opponents into few districts) and cracking (spreading […]
The pineal gland, a small pine cone-shaped endocrine gland in the brain’s epithalamus, produces melatonin—a serotonin-derived hormone that regulates sleep, circadian rhythms, and light-dark cycles. Located near the third ventricle and connected by the pineal stalk, it lacks a blood-brain barrier as a circumventricular organ. Pinealocytes synthesize melatonin, peaking at night under sympathetic control from […]
Cristiano Ronaldo, born February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal, is a forward and captain for Al-Nassr and Portugal. Nicknamed CR7, he is one of football’s greatest players, holding records for most UEFA Champions League goals (140), international goals (143), and over 950 career goals in 1,200+ appearances. He has won 5 Ballon d’Or, 4 European […]
Taylor Swift, born December 13, 1989, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, is a singer-songwriter known for country, pop, and indie folk music. Rising from Nashville teen star with debut Taylor Swift (2006), she broke through with Fearless (2008), winning Grammy Album of the Year. Albums like Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, The […]