Things that go bump in the night...

First up, some thoughts on giant creepy-crawlies from UTI. A lot of good information here, including why it would take a major structural overhaul for bugs and spiders to get big enough to really, er, bug us. The information on oxygen content in the atmosphere is especially interesting.

Check out the corpse flower if you dare! (And if you have a strong stomach for the odor of decaying flesh.

Next up, what could be scarier than a witch in hell? Hmmm... Read the joke for the answer. (Note: some Wiccans despise being called witches, some insist that only Wiccans should be called witches, and some just don't care one way or the other)

For your protection: an important lesson in distinguishing characterists.

And it looks like we don't need to worry about ancient Greek death rays. Two attempts to make an array that would focus sunlight enough to set ships on fire have produced disappointing results.

For some real-life scariness, here is some forthright analysis of the situation in Iraq. It would be nice if they were wrong... It would be even better if we got out of Iraq before we had to find out.

Even scarier, avian flu is confirmed to be infecting wild birds. So far, it doesn't seem to pass from human to human, at least not easily. The problem is that it could mutate to do so, especially in reservoir populations that do not get sick from the virus (i.e. migratory wild birds who are carriers of it).

NEWFOUND BUMPS:
Dark matter or not dark matter? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the galaxy to spin faster than Newton allows or to take nonlinear curves against a sea of unseen particles, and by opposing, end them...

And then we have aliens, or possibly just false memories implanted in a stage of sleep paralysis. Take your pick.