More words are hitting the page on the final instalment of the 'Martians Return' books. I've included some of them at the end of this newsletter. They might survive into the final version, or they might change completely; either way, I hope you enjoy them.

In other news, once again the weather is trying to break me. Today's not meant to be too outrageous, warm and muggy, but bearable. However a heat-wave across Europe is threatening us with some very dangerous weather. It might not get as hot as it is over there (42C /107.6F where my parents used to live!) but the humidity and overnight temperatures remaining high have led to an amber warning of heat being issued.

I know some of you live in places where 35C is a typical summer day, but for the UK it used to be very unusual. We still talk about the 'sweltering summer' of 1976, when it hit 35.6C in June. That record might well tumble this week. And very few homes have air conditioning, and many offices also lack it, so this will be very unpleasant for some.

Of course, it won't last, and we'll be complaining about the rain again before you know it.

Space News

Alien hunters update guidance on sharing news of possible intelligent life

If you've read the book 'Contact' by Carl Sagan, or seen the film, you're probably familiar with the idea of how scientists would report any evidence of extra-terrestrial life. It boils down to 'make sure, then tell everyone'. This new advice focuses much more on the 'make sure' part of that process.

Social media has changed the landscape somewhat. Any rumour of a detection would travel around the world so much faster than any explanation or debunking could, so scientists want to be as certain as possible before sharing their discovery.

It does also focus on the 'telling everyone' part, of course. More and more people believe the governments are already hiding evidence, so scientists are keen to point out that they will be as open and honest as we would expect. And unfortunately they also have to take into account whether an individual scientist might be put at risk by revealing the existence of aliens, and so offer advice on support from their educational or research institution.

There have been intriguing signals already (and more than a few hoaxes) so while these guidelines are not enforceable, it's hoped that this will mean that if & when the signal does arrive, it can be shared with the world without causing alarm or conspiracy theories to ride its coat-tails.

Source: The Guardian

Book Recommendations

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Strange News

Solstice-aligned 5,000-year-old monument 'once in a lifetime find', say archaeologists

If you're going to build Stonehenge, you want to be pretty sure you've lined it up correctly. If it's vital (for whatever reason) that your altar stones and pathways align with the summer sunrise, you'd hate to drag them all the way from Wales just to find out you were off.

So you build a test version. Pop a few posts in, wait for midsummer, and check if you got your angles right. And now that prototype has been found.

Well, it might have been a prototype, as always archaeologists don't want to be drawn beyond the unassailable facts. And in fact they almost missed it altogether.

the Bulford monument consisted of two wooden poles 120 metres apart, which had left only two large post pits in the ground surrounded by a jumble of smaller rubbish pits.

It was only when they drew a few lines on the map after the excavations that they realised the alignment was precise enough not to be a coincidence. I love one idea they speculate about, that this was the campsite of the Stonehenge builders. Perhaps they put up these posts to remind themselves what they were doing?

Source: The Guardian

Miscellany

• Elusive dwarf fox feared extinct photographed for the first time on island off Yucatan
• Hat-wearing sponge crab among nearly 150 new animals discovered
• North Sea 'lost world' had habitable forests during the last Ice Age, study shows

Recent Reads

And Finally

As promised, an extract of the latest bit of writing. A supply driver has had a nasty run-in with a patrolling Martian, and is enjoying his moment of fame.
(There are no spoilers in this extract)

“So there I was,” he was saying, “trapped on the narrow road, ditches either side so I couldn’t turn off, and the bugger coming over the fields as quick as you like. You know how they move, legs whirling around to make you dizzy, and I’ve got my foot to the floor, driving for my life. I can see I’m not getting out of it, so I’m praying and calling on God himself to strike this monster down, I’ve not lived the best life, but He’s seen fit to keep me safe so far, maybe he’s got a purpose for me, I don’t know. But there’s no bolt of lightning, no ground opening up and sending that Martian to Hell, just him getting closer and closer. I swear I can see a door opening in the front, and he’s reaching in with one of those tentacles, I reckon he’s going for his heat ray to set me aflame, and I’m hoping it’s going to be quick.”

The crowd was silent, hanging on his every word. This was the most entertainment they had seen in months, and the driver was milking his moment in the sun for everything he could. I saw the right side of his face was indeed red, in the manner of a sunburn, and his hair appeared singed on the same side.

“That’s when I see the tree line up ahead. Now it’s a proper race; am I going to get to the woods before he gets to me? Or are my days up? I stop praying to God and start begging the lorry to keep going, just a bit faster, a bit more, a little’s all I ask…” He stopped and flicked his eyes over the crowd. They were absolutely spellbound, and I confess I was also taken up with his storytelling. He had a natural flair, and held the audience’s attention well. Just as there were some stirrings among his audience, and I thought I might hear a call of ‘what happened next?’, he continued in a calmer tone. “I’m flat out, and so is he. He’s got some contraption in his awful snake-hand, and I swear to you on my own life I see a deep cherry glow inside it. The heat-ray! It’s warming up, glowing red, then orange, then yellow, and then… flash!”