Engineer and rogue Egyptologist Robert Bauval discussed his extensive research on the mysteries of the Giza Pyramids, and ancient Egypt. We should look outside the box of conventional Egyptology when studying monuments such as the Great Pyramid-- rather than seeing it as a tomb, "what if this site is in fact some sort of invitation for the human race to start looking into a direction which scientists and Egyptologists in particular, have felt very uncomfortable to look at?" he pondered. The Valley Temples or mortuaries at the Giza complex also puzzle Bauval, in that they are composed of 50-100 ton blocks that are much larger than they need to be, and show signs of age and erosion that indicate they are older than the Pyramids, possibly dating to the time that the Sphinx points to-- 10,500 BC.

Another mystery he touched on are the giant granite sarcophagi kept in lowered pits in Saqqara, south of Cairo, some dating back 5,000 years. Granite rocks would have to have come a fair distance to arrive at this location, and some of them weigh 60-70 tons, he noted. The sides of the sarcophagi are carved so precisely and smoothly, it's hard to fathom how they could have been done by hand, he added. "My bet is we're going to find that our human civilization is much, much older; that it has a much higher pedigree; that we had a very advanced knowledge in very ancient times...like 15,000 or 20,000 years ago or more...and we're going to find we have a mysterious origin," he remarked.

Bauval spoke about the history and heritage of modern Egypt, as well, and what factors are contributing to its current strife. Zahi Hawass, Egypt's former Minister of Antiquities, has been back in the news, on a lecture tour in Canada, he reported. Bauval also commented on the recent mystery of the Egyptian statue that seems to move on its own, hypothesizing that if the fluorescent light is old in the case the statue is displayed in, it might create vibrations that could cause the movements.

Head Transplants & Postponing Death

First hour guest, expert on the scientific study of death, and near-death experiences, Dr. Sam Parnia, talked about the feasibility of head or brain transplants-- a recent press release cites a project in the works by an Italian neurosurgeon. While Parnia doubted that a head transplant procedure was achievable at this time, he noted there are now methods available that can keep a body viable for resuscitation for a number of hours after death. This involves cooling the brain down to preserve brain cells, and connecting people to an ECMO device, which is like a heart and lung bypass, and provides oxygenated blood to the body's organs, and time for doctors to work on the patient.

News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Catherine Austin Fitts