PARADOXA PH EN OMENA
e
EXLIBRIS
PARADOX noun par·a·d ox | \ ˈper- -ˌdäks , ˈpa-r ə- \ e
Definition of paradox 1: a tenet contrary to received opinion 2a: a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true 2b: a self-contradictory statem ent that at first seems true 2c: an argument that apparently derives self-contradictory conclusions by valid deduction from acceptable premises 3: one (such as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
Spontaneo Combu
#1
ous Human ustion
Ανθρώ πινη αυτανάφλεξη
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 1
S
sive, additional fuel sources were involved, such as chair stuffing, floor coverings, the flooring itself, and the like. The investigators described how such materials helped to retain melted fat, which caused more of the body to be burned and destroyed, yielding still more liquified fat, in a cyclic process known as the “wick effect” or the “candle effect”. According to Nickell and Fischer’s investigation, nearby objects often remained undamaged because fire tends to burn upward, but burns laterally with some difficulty. The fires in question are relatively small, achieving considerable destruction by the wick effect, and relatively nearby objects may not be close enough to catch fire themselves (much as one can closely approach a modest campfire without burning). As with other mysteries, Nickell and Fischer cautioned against “single, simplistic explanation for all unusual burning deaths” but rather urged investigating “on an individual basis”.
Scientific investigations have attempted to analyze reported instances of SHC and have resulted in hypotheses regarding potential causes and mechanisms, including victim behavior and habits, alcohol consumption and proximity to potential sources of ignition, as well as the behavior of fires that consume melted fats. Natural explanations, as well as unverified natural phenomena, have been proposed to explain reports of SHC. Current scientific consensus is that most, and perhaps all, cases of SHC involve overlooked external sourcNeurologist Steven Novella has said that es of ignition. skepticism about spontaneous human comAn extensive two-year research project, bustion is now bleeding over into becominvolving thirty historical cases of alleged ing popular skepticism about spontaneous SHC, was conducted in 1984 by science combustion. investigator Joe Nickell and forensic analyst John F. Fischer. Their lengthy, two- A 2002 study by Angi M. Christensen of part report was published in the journal of the University of Tennessee cremated both the International Association of Arson healthy and osteoporotic samples of huInvestigators, as well as part of a book. man bone and compared the resulting colNickell has written frequently on the sub- or changes and fragmentation. The study ject,appeared on television documentaries, found that osteoporotic bone samples “conconducted additional research, and lec- sistently displayed more discoloration and tured at the New York State Academy of a greater degree of fragmentation than Fire Science at Montour Falls, New York, healthy ones.” The same study found that when human tissue is burned, the resulting as a guest instructor. flame produces a small amount of heat, inNickell and Fischer’s investigation, which dicating that fire is unlikely to spread from looked at cases in the 18th, 19th and 20th burning tissue. centuries, showed that the burned bodies were close to plausible sources for the ignition: candles, lamps, fireplaces, and so on. Such sources were often omitted from published accounts of these incidents, presumably to deepen the aura of mystery surrounding an apparently “spontaneous” death. The investigations also found that there was a correlation between alleged SHC deaths and the victim’s intoxication (or other forms of incapacitation) which could conceivably have caused them to be careless and unable to respond properly to an accident. Where the destruction of the body was not particularly extensive, a primary source of combustible fuel could plausibly have been the victim’s clothing or a covering such as a blanket or comforter. However, where the destruction was exten-
Spontaneous Human Combustion
pontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the concept of the combustion of a living (or recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. In addition to reported cases, descriptions of the alleged phenomenon appear in literature, and both types have been observed to share common characteristics in terms of circumstances and the remains of the victim.
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
SLOPE
#2
POINT
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
SLOPE
# 2 POINT
SLOPE
POINT
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
BALL LIGHTN ING
#3
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 3
Ball lightning is an unexplained atmospheric electrical phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the phenomenon is said to last considerably longer than the split-second flash of a lightning bolt. Some nineteenth century reports describe balls that eventually explode and leave behind an odor of sulfur. Descriptions of ball lightning appear in a variety of anecdotes over the centuries, but most scientists have treated reports of ball lightning skeptically. An optical spectrum of what appears to have been a ball-lightning event was published in January 2 014, and included a video at high frame-rate. Laboratory experiments have produced effects that are visually similar to reports of ball lightning, but how these relate to the supposed phenomenon remains unclear. Scientists have proposed a number of hypotheses to explain reports of ball lightning over the centuries, but scientific data on ball lightning remains scarce. The presumption of its existence has depended on reported public sightings which have produced inconsistent findings. Owing to inconsistencies and to the lack of reliable data, the existence of ball lightning as a phenomenon remains unproven.
Other hypotheses Several other hypotheses have been proposed to explain ball lightning: • Spinning electric dipole hypothesis. A 1976 article by V. G. Endean postulated that ball lightning could be described as an electric field vector spinning in the microwave frequency region. • Electrostatic Leyden jar models. Stanley Singer discussed (1971) this type of hypothesis and suggested that the electrical recombination time would be too short for the ball lightning lifetimes often reported. • Smirnov proposed (1987) a fractal aerogel hypothesis. • M. I. Zelikin proposed (2006) an explanation (with a rigorous mathematical foundation) based on the hypothesis of plasma superconductivity. • H. C. Wu proposed (2016) that ball lightning arises when a “relativistic electron bunch” forming at the tip of a lightning stroke excites “intense microwave radiation” under
certain conditions. As the microwaves ionize the surrounding air, their associated pressure may then evacuate the resulting plasma to form a bubble that “stably traps the radiation”. • A. Meessen presented a theory at the 10th International Symposium on Ball Lightning (June 21–27, 2010, Kaliningrad, Russia) explaining all known properties of ball lightning in terms of collective oscillations of free electrons. The simplest case corresponds to radial oscillations in a spherical plasma membrane. These oscillations are sustained by parametric amplification, resulting from regular “inhalation” of charged particles that are present at lower densities in the ambient air. Ball lightning vanishes thus by silent extinction when the available density of charged particles is too low, while it disappears with a loud and sometimes very violent explosion when this density is too high. Electronic oscillations are also possible as stationary waves in a plasma ball or thick plasma membrane. This yields concentric luminous bubbles.
BALL LIGHTING
LOU C L
DS R O
LL
RO S D L
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
CL O U
#4
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 4
RO
DS
L
LOU C L
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
#5
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 5
LAKE HILLIER
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
EARTHQUAKE LIGHT
#6
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 6
EARTHQUAKE LIGHT
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
U
#7
. .O .F U
Paradoxa Phenomena Παράδοξα Φαινόμενα
# 7
Unidentified Flying Object