Over the past few years, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs), have been revealed to be a rare variety of Type Ibc supernova (SN Ibc). While all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary Type Ibc SNe by many orders of magnitude. The observed diversity of stellar death corresponds to large variations in the energy, velocity, and geometry of the explosion ejecta. Using multi-wavelength (radio, optical, X-ray) observations of the nearest GRBs, XRFs, and SNe Ibc, I show that GRBs and XRFs couple at least 1048 erg to relativistic material while SNe Ibc typically couple less than 1048 erg to their fastest (albeit non-relativistic) outflows. Specifically, I find that less than 3 percent of local SNe Ibc show any evidence for association with a GRB or XRF. Interestingly, this dichotomy is not echoed by the properties of their optical SN emission, dominated by the radioactive decay of Nickel-56; I find that GRBs, XRFs, and SNe Ibc show significant overlap in their optical peak luminosity and photospheric velocities. Recently, I identified a new class of GRBs and XRFs that are under-luminous in comparison with the statistical sample of GRBs. Owing to their faint high-energy emission, these sub-energetic bursts are only detectable nearby (z

Volume 19 continues the Reviews in Modern Astronomy with invited reviews and highlight contributions which were presented during the International Scientific Conference of the Astronomical Society on the topic "The Many Facets of the Universe - Revelations by New Instruments," held at the University of Cologne, Germany, September 26 - October 1, 2005. The contributions to the meeting published in this volume discuss, among other subjects, astrochemistry, astrobiology, cosmology, star and planet formation, and present overviews on new instruments in the infrared and sub-millimeter wavelength range. Highlight: Karl-Schwarzschild-Lecture by G. A. Tammann (Basel) "The Ups and downs of the Hubble constant."

Supernovae are among the most energetic phenomena in the Universe and - lated to almost all aspects of modern astrophysics including starburst gal- ies, cosmic ray acceleration, neutron star and black hole formation, nuc- osynthesis and ISM chemical enrichment, energy input to the ISM, cosmic distance scale determination, dark energy related cosmological acceleration, gamma-ray bursts, extra-solar system neutrino burst detection, gravity wave generation, and many more. Additionally, the past 15 years have been p- ticularly productive with many new results and new understanding due in particular to the closest SN in 400 years in SN 1987A in the Large M- ellanic Cloud, and the unusually bright and close SN 1993J and SN 1994I in the nearby galaxies M81 and M51, respectively. In addition, the disc- ery of the ?-ray burst GRB 980425 and its related supernova SN 1998bw, and the con?rmation of GRB 030329/SN 2003dh, tied the study of SNe and GRBs inextricably together. With the many developments since the last - jor supernova meeting in La Serena, Chile in 1997, we felt that it was an appropriate time to bring together experts and students interested in the subject for a meeting where SN and GRB properties and interrelationships could be discussed. The tenth anniversary of SN 1993J provided such an - portunity and, appropriately, the meeting was held in Spain where SN 1993J was discovered on the early morning of 28 March 1993 by a Spanish amateur astronomer, Francisco Garc ́ ?a.

Contrary to popular opinion, the story of Adam and Eve is not confined to the book of Genesis. It has roots in prebiblical myth and continued to evolve long after the Bible was completed. Bernard F. Batto traces the development of the Adam and Eve story from its origins in Mesopotamian myth to its reformulation in Genesis and beyond—including its expansion in Jewish epigraphs such as 1 Enoch and the Life of Adam and Eve, and its place in Christian innovations such as the apostle Paul’s thesis that Christ is a second Adam, and in the thinking of church fathers such as Irenaeus, who held that Christ recapitulates all humankind in himself, and Augustine, whose doctrine of original sin interprets the Adam and Eve story. Batto also examines gnostic teachings about a heavenly Adam and an earthly Adam, and surveys rabbinical attempts from the Talmudic period to find hidden meanings in the Genesis story. Islam’s emphasis on Satan’s role in seducing Adam and Eve is also discussed, and the book concludes with Milton’s unforgettable retelling of the Adam and Eve story in Paradise Lost. Batto’s goal is not only to reveal the many faces given Adam and Eve throughout history, but also to understand the divergent cultural and theological factors powering this long, evolving tradition.

The Story Begins In The Seventh Century During The Region Of The King Harshavardhna. Bhikku Sariputta, The Head Of The Buddhist Vihar At Sthanvishwar Is A Keen Observer Of The Star-Studded Heavens. His Pet Student Rohit Witnesses A Remarkable Sight In The Sky And Rushes To His Teacher For Guidance. Sariputta Suspects That The Event Is Of Such Great Significance That He Immediately Reports It To The King. At The KingýS Behest With RohitýS Help Sariputta Prepares Meticulous Records Of The Event Which The Buried Underground For Posterity. It Is In The Twentieth Century That The Records In The Form Of Brass Plates Are Accidentally Unearthed. Tatyasaheb Bhagvat, A Scholar On Ancient Indian Studies And The Astrophysicist Avinash Nene Together Find Might Have Momentus Implications For The Earth And Its Inhabitants. Did The Event Records By Sariputta Spell Doom? The Final Part Of The Novel Tells Us What Happened Several More Centuries Later...

Ife` Kenyatta is the first in her bloodline in over 400 years to carry on the traditions of her ancestors, unaware of a destiny to be fulfilled and a cosmological prophecy she is plagued by savage dreams that literally draw blood; driving her to West Africa to seek answers. While traveling the interior of Nigeria at a secluded check point she is stopped and harassed. Escaping from the soldiers she is pursued by them for the mysterious death of one of their comrades. Fleeing from them she encounters a land bewitched with terrifying mirage-like barriers that protect the village where she must go; a village shrouded in mystery populated with spiritually advanced Seers and Shaman. There her only hope is to survive a deadly rites of passage that will empower her with the ability to command the elements, invoke the spirits of the dead and reside in two worlds; that of the living, and that of the dead. There she learns of the war in heaven before the creation of the human race so that she may prepare for an inevitable confrontation. Meanwhile the H20 Command Advanced Technologies vessel captained by Captain Fatima Jatari commissioned specifically for the investigation of unexplainable anomalies, accidents and incidents off the coast of Nigeria she and her crew stumble across the wreckage of what they perceive as a horrible shipping accident, until further investigation reveals the unspeakable; the unbelievable, a horror unimaginable. A thousand miles out in the Atlantic in the middle passage deep beneath the ocean's surface a four hundred year old abomination raises every full moon tormenting Nigeria's coast driving its citizens to the edge of madness. Somehow these two women must join forces to eliminate a common enemy and fulfill an ancient prophecy.

The diversity of stellar death is revealed in the energy, velocity and geometry of the explosion debris ("ejecta''). Using multi-wavelength observations of gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows I show that GRBs, arising from the death of massive stars, are marked by relativistic, collimated ejecta ("jets'') with a wide range of opening angles. These results suggest that various cosmic explosions are powered by a common energy source, an "engine'' (possibly an accreting stellar-mass black hole), with their diverse appearances determined solely by the variable high velocity output. On the other hand, using radio observations I show that local type Ibc core-collapse supernovae generally lack relativistic ejecta and are therefore not powered by engines. Instead, the highest velocity debris in these sources, typically with a velocity lower than 100,000 km/sec, are produced in the (effectively) spherical ejection of the stellar envelope. The relative rates of engine- and collapse-powered explosions suggest that the former account for only a small fraction of the stellar death rate. Using the first radio and submillimeter observations of GRB hosts, I show that some are extreme starburst galaxies with the bursts directly associated with the regions of most intense star formation. I suggest, by comparison to other well-studied samples, that GRBs preferentially occur in sub-luminous, low mass galaxies, undergoing the early stages of a starburst process. If confirmed with future observations, this trend will place GRBs in the forefront of star formation and galaxy evolution studies.