“After years of denial, the British government admits it conducted a thorough scientific study of UFOs, which concluded that unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, do exist, but not flying saucers.

The secret Ministry of Defence study, unearthed through a Freedom of Information request, dismissed most reported UFOs as man-made objects, natural phenomenon or hoaxes.

But it also found that some sightings were possibly of rare atmospheric phenomena — pockets of electrically charged plasmas forming in the atmosphere. The plasmas would appear as bright, fast-moving UFOs to observers, but be invisible to radar.

‘It proves that the (Ministry of Defence was) prepared to look into this subject and it could galvanize science into studying this aspect of the subject out in the open,’ said British UFO expert and author Philip Mantle.” (Wired News)

…and Rather Liking the Change: “Since time immemorial the Nukak-Makú have lived a Stone Age life, roaming across hundreds of miles of isolated and pristine Amazon jungle, killing monkeys with blowguns and scouring the forest floor for berries.

But recently, and rather mysteriously, a group of nearly 80 wandered out of the wilderness, half-naked, a gaggle of children and pet monkeys in tow, and declared themselves ready to join the modern world.” (New York Times )

NSA Collected Phone Records in U.S.: “The U.S. National Security Agency has obtained the phone records of millions of Americans in an effort to stop terrorists, a Senate Intelligence Committee member confirmed.

News of the program, first reported by USA Today, sparked demands by lawmakers that executives from AT&T Inc., BellSouth Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc. testify before Congress. The disclosure also might make it more difficult for the former NSA chief, Air Force General Michael Hayden, to win confirmation to direct the Central Intelligence Agency.” (Bloomberg)

“The fact that young guys are having a rough time with erectile dysfunction is well worth investigating and I was happy to see a long reported piece about it in the Post. But imagine my surprise at learning that antidepressants, alcohol and stress aren’t the real story here. (They get mentioned several paragraphs into the piece, along with explanations like anxiety, recreational drug use and overconsumption of Red Bull, so as not to rob the piece of its backlash-y punch.) No, according to the Washington Post, the factor that’s making boys go limp is … (drum roll) … women who want to have sex with them! That’s right, folks. Apparently nothing can make a dude lose a stiffie like the feeling that a girl is horny. You following? No, me neither. But here’s how the story, by Laura Sessions Stepp, lays it out.” (Salon)