thescientificevidence

x-ray diffraction study

A comprehensive X-ray diffraction study was published by the BLT Research Team in 2004, an examination of clay minerals in soil from the Edmonton, Alberta formation in 1999, showing evidence of an increase in crystallization similar to that seen before only in sedimentary rock; the effects found would normally require exposure of the soil to a minimum of 600-800 degrees C for many hours... significant node length increases and expulsion cavities were also found in this formation.

corn formations growth study

Another research project by the BLT Research Team, Inc. / CCCRN features growth studies being done with samples of hybrid cattle corn (maize) from the two large formations at Abbotsford and Agassiz, British Columbia in 2003. Both formations exhibited significant physical anomalies including multiple expulsion cavities (sometimes in single nodes), often with up to seven or eight affected nodes on one stalk (entire length of stalk), something never seen before. Both of the large, geometric formations, 91 metres (300 feet) and 45 metres (147 feet) long respectively, were in 2.75-3.05 metre (9-10 foot) tall cattle corn. Similar anomalies were also later found in the cattle corn formation at Matsqui, British Columbia in 2004. A full BLT / CCCRN report documenting these findings will be published soon.

other anomalies

Other anomalies sometimes found in crop formations include twisting of stems below seed heads, dehydrated / shrunken seeds and significant changes in seed germination and growth rate (either faster or slower than normal). In some cases, otherwise normal seed pods are found to be empty (no seed development at all). In 1998, several formations in England were found to contain dead flies adhered to the plant stalks, which were dehydrated as if they had been "baked," consistent again with the possible involvement of some form of microwave-type energy. Smaller insects inside the seed pods were also dead. Flies and other insects outside of the formations were normal.

Interestingly, many formations, including in England, Canada and other countries, have been found to occur over areas of underground limestone deposits and aquifers. The reason for this apparent geological correlation remains as-yet unclear.

studies in objectivity

An update on the BLT Research Team website provides a good case example of objectively studying the available evidence at hand; regarding an examination of blackened cattle corn stalks from the larger of the two formations at Mission, British Columbia in 2002, which analysis showed to be a common opportunistic fungus called Ustilago, not charring as had been speculated. While a "negative" result, it underscores the need for serious and objective scientific studies of all possible anomalies.

blt research team, inc.

The BLT Research Team, Inc. was founded in 1992 by Nancy Talbott, John Burke and biophysicist W.C. Levengood (Pinelandia Labs, Michigan, USA) to coordinate the laboratory analysis work of plant samples from crop circle formations worldwide, started by Levengood in 1989; it became a formally incorporated non-profit research organization in 1999 and now involves the work of a growing number of other scientists and labs in the USA (although Levengood is now working independently).

A comprehensive preliminary report entitled "Anatomical Anomalies in Crop Formation Plants" was published in October, 1994 by Levengood, in Physiologia Plantarum 92, a respected international scientific journal published in Denmark.

An in-depth overview of the scientific evidence is also on the BLT Research Team, Inc. web site.

scientific consultants

CCCRN also now has it's own scientific consultants (continually under development) as well as working with the other consultants via the BLT Research Team, Inc.. This is a listing of professional consultants, in a variety of scientific disciplines. As more scientists offer their expertise to the research efforts, they will be added to the list.

Mervyn Erb

Agricultural Consultant

Brucefield, Ontario

Education: Applied Science and Agricultural Business Management (AS) - Centralia College of Agricultural Technology (1970); Field Crop Integrated Pest Management - Michigan State University (1983); Field Crop Scouting Techniques - Michigan State University (1985); Land Stewardship - Centralia College of Agricultural Technology (1989); Integrated Pest Management For Agribusiness - Michigan State University (1993); Nutrient Management Strategy / Plan Development - Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food (2003 / 2004)

Experience and Background: ECMS Inc., Agri-Solve Inc., Certified Professional Crop Consultant - Independent (CPCC-I) - National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants; Certified Agricultural Consultant (CAC) - Canadian Consulting Agrologists Association; Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) - American Registry of Certified Professionals in Agronomy, Crops and Soils; agricultural consultant since 1988; independent certified professional crop consultant, providing comprehensive nutrient management planning, integrated pest management and full service production advice on corn, soybeans, white beans, kidney beans, wheat, canola, small grains, mustard, forages and cover crops; accepted by Ontario Court as an Expert Witness

Professional Associations: member - National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (USA); member - Canadian Consulting Agrologists Association; member - Canadian Phytopathological Society; member - American Phytopathological Society; member - American Society of Agronomy

Associations / Affiliations: member - Huron County Soil & Crop Improvement Association; member - Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario; member - Michigan Agri-Business Association

Honours: "Twenty People Making A Difference In Ontario Agriculture and Their Community", Rural Voice magazine (1994); Huron County Soil & Crop Improvement Association Booster Award for outstanding support (1985)

Nicholas Reiter

Materials Science Technologist

Gibsonburg, Ohio, USA

Education: Engineering Technology Degree (AAS) - Terra Technical College (1983)

Experience and Background: technician and engineer for industrial technology and process instrumentation, solar photovoltaic energy, thin semiconductor films. vacuum technology, thin film PV, material science, materials analysis, glass, high temperature chemistry, electrical machinery and energy conversion, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) for compositional analysis, X-ray diffraction, gamma ray spectroscopy, radiological surveying, analysis of magnetic properties and chemical-agricultural analysis; scientist for First Solar LLC (Toledo, Ohio) and Solar Fields LLC (Toledo, Ohio); name on two US patents; author / co-author of several papers in peer-reviewed solar PV journals

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node anomalies

Some of the most pronounced physical anomalies found in crop formations worldwide have been deformities to the nodes, in all types of crops including wheat, barley, canary seed and even cattle corn. These deformities include varying degrees of swelling, elongation and rupture-type holes, often referred to as "expulsion cavities." The leading current hypothesis as to their cause relates to the rapid heating of internal moisture inside the plant stalks, which tries to escape at the nodes. Interestingly, the only semi-successful attempts at duplicating these effects manually so far have involved microwaves.

They have not been reproduced yet by conventional hoaxing methods (ie. stomping boards, rope, etc.), and have been found in simple circles as well as some of the more complex patterns. Test circles made by researchers for comparison purposes, including by CCCRN teams, and known man-made formations have not shown these kinds of pronounced changes. Slight swelling and elongation can be caused by these mechanical methods, but so far these methods have never been demonstrated to cause the degree of change seen in some formations (up to 200-300% node elongation in some cases!).

It should also be noted that the node deformities are sometimes found on still-standing stalks of crop inside a formation or around its perimeter that were never flattened to begin with (such as at Matsqui, British Columbia in 2004 for example, see below), and are therefore not simply the result of mechanical flattening of the plants with boards or the plants bending at the nodes back up to the sun (phototropism, a natural response of flattened plants to start growing upwards back toward the sunlight, often observed in crop formations or any region of flattened crop).

See also the Corn Formations Growth Study below, a good case example and research project which includes these kinds of anomalies in hybrid cattle corn from formations at Abbotsford and Agassiz, British Columbia in 2003.

Samples of large expulsion cavities in cattle corn stalk nodes inside the Abbotsford formation in 2003

Sample of normal cattle corn stalk node outside the Abbotsford formation in 2003

Sample of expulsion cavities in barley stalk nodes inside the Edmonton #2 formation in 1999

the scientific evidence