Artificial Intelligence can tell you your blood pressure, age, and smoking status — just by looking at your eye

BY MIHAI ANDREI 

The engineers wanted to see if they could determine some cardiovascular risks simply by looking a picture of someone’s retina. They developed a convolutional neural network — a feed-forward algorithm inspired by biological processes, especially pattern between neurons, commonly used in image analysis.

This type of artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes images holistically, without splitting them into smaller pieces, based on their shared similarities and symmetrical parts.

The approach became quite popular in recent years, especially as Facebook and other tech giants began developing their face-recognition software. Scientists have long proposed that this type of network can be used in other fields, but due to the innate processing complexity, progress has been slow. The fact that such algorithms can be applied to biology (and human biology, at that) is astonishing.

“It was unrealistic to apply machine learning to many areas of biology before,” says Philip Nelson, a director of engineering at Google Research in Mountain View, California. “Now you can — but even more exciting, machines can now see things that humans might not have seen before.”

Observing and quantifying associations in images can be difficult because of the wide variety of features, patterns, colors, values, and shapes in real data. In this case, Ryan Poplin, Machine Learning Technical Lead at Google, used AI trained on data from 284,335 patients. He and his colleagues then tested their neural network on two independent datasets of 12,026 and 999 photos respectively. They were able to predict age (within 3.26 years), and within an acceptable margin, gender, smoking status, systolic blood pressure as well as major adverse cardiac events. Researchers say results were similar to the European SCORE system, a test which relies on a blood test.

To make things even more interesting, the algorithm uses distinct aspects of the anatomy to generate each prediction, such as the optic disc or blood vessels. This means that, in time, each individual detection pattern can be improved and tailored for a specific purpose. Also, a data set of almost 300,000 models is relatively small for a neural network, so feeding more data into the algorithm can almost certainly improve it.

Doctors today rely heavily on blood tests to determine cardiovascular risks, so having a non-invasive alternative could save a lot of costs and time, while making visits to the doctor less unpleasant. Of course, for Google (or rather Google’s parent company, Alphabet), developing such an algorithm would be a significant development and a potentially profitable one at that.

It’s not the first time Google engineers have dipped their feet into this type of technology — one of the authors, Lily Peng, published another paper last year in which she used AI to detect blindness associated with diabetes.

Journal Reference: Ryan Poplin et al. Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Factors from Retinal Fundus Photographs using Deep Learning.  arXiv:1708.09843

{ https://www.zmescience.com/ }

05-01-2018 om 23:07 geschreven door peter  

China will grow potatoes on the dark side of the moon by the end of the year

 BY TIBI PUIU

Credit: Pixabay / rkarkowski.

The moon has been neglected for far too long, and China seems keen on moving fast to cover all the lost lunar ground. The nation’s ambitious space program, among other things, is set on achieving several important milestones.

A trifecta, consisting of a lunar probe, lander, and rover, will be deployed to the moon’s orbit and surface respectively. This will be the first time a man-made contraption makes a soft landing on the far side of the moon, a site of renewed interest for many scientists. The mission will also carry insects and plants that will form a mini-ecosystem on the moon whose response will teach us valuable lessons in preparations for a manned outpost or even a colony.

Potatoes on the dark side of the moon

This remarkable mission is part of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), otherwise known as the Chang’e Program, named so in honor of the Chinese goddess of the moon. Previously, the Chang’e program had already sent two orbiters and one lander to the moon.

In the first half of 2018, Chang’e 4 will initially launch a relay satellite aboard a Long March 5 rocket that will be positioned at the Earth-moon Lagrange point 2 (EM-L2).

Artist impression of the relay satellite slated for launch. Credit: CNSA.

This is where the satellite can essentially remain stationary relative to the bodies, since the Earth and Moon gravities cancel each other out. From this point, the communications satellite will relay data between controllers on Earth and the Chang’e 4 lander and rover slated to touch down on the moon’s far side — also known as the dark side of the moon since it faces away from Earth.

The lander and rover will be launched together six months after the relay satellite is deployed at EM-L2. The lander will be equipped with various instruments designed to study the lunar environment and geology in detail, but also a mini-habitat comprised of insects and plants.

“The container will send potatoes, arabidopsis seeds and silkworm eggs to the surface of the moon. The eggs will hatch into silkworms, which can produce carbon dioxide, while the potatoes and seeds emit oxygen through photosynthesis. Together, they can establish a simple ecosystem on the moon,” Zhang Yuanxun, chief designer of the lunar habitat, told the Chongqing Morning Post. 

Last year, researchers grew potatoes in Mars-like conditions. Pulling the same stunt completely outside of Earth will be a whole different challenge which will be very intriguing to follow.

The Chinese lunar rover which is supposed to land on the dark side of the moon by the end of the year.

Credit: CASC/China Ministry of Defense

The lander and rover will be deployed in the huge South Pole-Aitken Basin. This is the single-largest impact basin on the moon, measuring a staggering 2,500 km (1,600 miles) in diameter and 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) deep. Previously, missions like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and India’s Chandrayaan-1 orbiter confirmed that the basin contains water ice, likely sourced from meteors and asteroids.

This ice can survive in this form because the Aitken Basin is always shadowed. Once this finding was confirmed by NASA, the site has immediately been singled out as an important candidate for a possible lunar base. With this context in mind, the Chang’e 4 mission is valuable in the sense that it can help establish not only what the local terrain in the basin is like but also how the environment will influence organisms. For instance, gravity on the moon is just 16% that of Earth. Plants use gravity to decide the direction of their growth, and a strong or weak gravitational pull will also affect the height of plants.

If all of this sounds exciting, know that once the lunar habitat container is deployed at the end of this year, China plans to live stream the plants’ growth and development. Your message can also be among the 20,000 that will be sent into space via the relay satellite. You can submit it to the WeChat account ‘slecbj’ from Dec. 19, 2017, to March 6, 2018.

{ https://www.zmescience.com/ }

05-01-2018 om 22:57 geschreven door peter  

Researchers working on behalf of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have unearthed an ancient Aztec site unlike anything they’ve found before. The shrine was found at an elevation of 13,000 feet in a volcanic pond near the dormant Iztaccihuatl, or “White Woman” volcano in central Mexico which is central to several Aztec legends. The stone shrine was found lying at the bottom of a shallow pond, and researchers believe the shrine was originally constructed to appear as if it were floating just below the surface of the water. Most fascinating of all, archaeologists believe that this site may be an early ‘map’ of the known universe according to Aztec mythology.

Aerial view of the shrine with water drained.

(INAH).

According to several Mesoamerican creation myths, the primeval sea monster Cipactli floated on primordial waters until it split itself in two, creating the heavens and Earth in the process.. In a statement, INAH archaeologists claim the flow of water within this tetzacualco, or shrine, could have been controlled using nearby springs, creating a visual effect meant to evoke the Cipactli creation myth:

The existence of a tetzacualco in the middle of a natural pond and the optical effect that occurs when the water mirrors, from which it seems that the structure emanates, suggests that the place is the representation of a primeval time and space, a miniature model of the universe.

Evidence of a temple which once housed the site has been found along with numerous other artifacts including blades, pottery, and stone tools. Several finds suggest the site also could have been a site of worship for the Aztec rain god Tlaloc.

Excavations of the site are still underway. (INAH).

While far from proving any ancient astronaut theories, the discovery of this mythological representation of the known universe adds to a growing body of evidence which suggests Aztec civilization and technology may have been more advanced than we currently know. Plus, a floating crocodile-god shrine sure is a lot cooler than that creation museum in Kentucky. I wonder what future archaeologists are going to have to say about that one.

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

05-01-2018 om 22:26 geschreven door peter  

Aerospace watchdog sites reported last year on a mysterious, highly secretive rocket launch scheduled by SpaceX.

NASASpaceFlight.com noticed a last-minute addition to SpaceX’s launch calendar, adding a mission known only as “Zuma.” An issue with the Falcon 9 rocket nose cone caused the launch to be delayed, but SpaceX has now announced that the Zuma mission could be its first launch of 2018, set to blast off on Friday, January 5th.

SpaceX launched 18 rockets in 2017, all of which were successful.

As of now, SpaceX meteorologists predict a 90% chance of “go” conditions at the scheduled launch time. Despite several months of wait time between the last scheduled launch, little is still known to the public about the mysterious Zuma mission. What is known are two facts: one, that the rocket is launching an object into a low-Earth orbit; and two, that SpaceX’s client for the launch is aerospace and defense contractor Northrop Grumman. You might know Northrop Grumman from such top-secret black-ops projects as the B-2 stealth bomber and a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicles.

Aside from war machines, Northrop Grumman also develops technologies for use in space telescopes.

Given Grumman’s extensive pedigree in some of the most high-tech and clandestine examples of military engineering, many outlets have taken to wondering just what exactly might be aboard the Zuma rocket. For its part, Northrop Grumman has stated only that Zuma is carrying a “restricted payload.” Some sources have claimed the National Reconnaissance Office is behind the launch, but the NRO has denied any part in the mission – but then again, why would they want to admit to launching some new type of spy technology if its purpose is to remain in the shadows?

While it’s hard to hide a massive rocket launch, the contents of those rockets are not always public record.

Given all of the recent weirdness surrounding so-called “killer” satellites and what appears to be a burgeoning arms race taking place in low-Earth orbit, chances are high that this launch could be a test of some new space weapon or other defensive technology. Telecommunications and live data from satellites are key to modern-day military operations, and many nations are already testing methods of attacking or hijacking other nations’ satellites. Could the Zuma mission hint that SpaceX getting in on the defense contractor market while competition is still scarce? Some sources claim SpaceX could launch close to 40 rockets for U.S. military and intelligence clients in 2018. I mean, Elon’s gotta find funding to send his car into space by whatever means necessary.

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

05-01-2018 om 22:14 geschreven door peter  

Due to several recent discoveries, much of the conversation surrounding the search for alien life has turned to wondering if we might discover microbial life long before we find green, three-breasted alien women. Microbes have been discovered here on Earth which can survive on air alone, or even by ‘eating’ radiation in some cases. Microbes have even been sustained in a simulated Martian atmosphere and Russian state media claims microbes were found on the outside of the ISSlast year. Are macroscopic, walking, talking life forms such as us hairless apes an anomaly? Could the rest of the universe be filled with microscopic forms of life? Who knows. However, if that possibility becomes a reality, a new experimented conducted aboard the International Space Station lends hope to our own ability to identify any potential alien life forms we may encounter in space.

Russia’s reports of extraterrestrial “biomatter” on the ISS are still unconfirmed.

According to a NASA press release, scientists on the ISS successfully sequenced the genomes of mystery microbes found inside the space station. The microbes were found earlier last year clinging to various surfaces inside the space station. While it’s well-known that astronauts bring all sorts of creepy crawly contaminants with them when they enter the space station, the identity of these space bugs has never been identified – particularly not while aboard the space station itself. In the press statement, NASA claims this groundbreaking experiment could pave the way for being able to identify any potential lifeforms found during our future exploration of the cosmos:

The ability to identify microbes in space could aid in the ability to diagnose and treat astronaut ailments in real time, as well as assisting in the identification of DNA-based life on other planets.  Being able to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of microbiology and space exploration.

Of course, it would have been much more exciting had the microbes actually been from space and not from the dead skin cells and other effluvium that surrounds astronauts’ bodies like the dust cloud floating around Pig-Pen from Peanuts. Still, now that scientists have the ability to sequence DNA in space, that opens the doors for much faster identification of alien DNA in the future. The only question now is if that discovery will happen in our lifetimes.

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

05-01-2018 om 22:02 geschreven door peter  

On several occasions at Mysterious Universe, I have mentioned an intriguing operation of the U.S. Government called Project Moon Dust (which, in some of the documents that have now been declassified, is referred to as Moondust). Here’s one such example of the articles on Moon Dust you can find at MU: on the extremely controversial saga of Moon Dust and Marilyn Monroe. It’s quite clear from examining the now-many pages of official documentation on Moon Dust that have been declassified by the U.S. Air Force, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Department of State, that the vast majority of Moon Dust recoveries were of earth-based technology such as Soviet satellites, rocket-boosters, etc. That’s not to say the incidents were not of deep interest. They certainly were. Consider the quote from the following from Moon Dust files of 1960:

“On 30 September 1960, a TWX report was sent to the Pacific Air Forces on a sighting of an unidentified object that entered the water near the village of Ctaru. The report originated with the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force (GSDF) headquarters and was relayed to us by the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF). According to the report, a fiery object fell from the sky and into the sea, making a fountain of water which was described as looking like a ‘geyser.’ Technical intelligence personnel from Tokyo took over the case, but were unable to locate or reclaim the object.”

Perhaps, more than 40 years on, it still lies dormant deep below the Pacific, its secrets still waiting to be plundered. Then, there are these, quoted from the Air Force’s records:

“1. The White Saucer: On 18 October 1960, a pilot of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Squadron reported that he had seen an object as large as a saucer about eight inches in diameter. The object was white, and it had a white tail about 16 to 20 times as long as the diameter of the object. It appeared from about 30 degrees above and 20 degrees to the right of the aircraft and passed by the aircraft’s right side, disappearing towards the rear of the aircraft in a downward arc.

“2. The Bubble: On 11 October 1960, a pilot over the beach east of Kisawa observed an orange flash on the horizon. He described the phenomenon as being distinct and looking like a great bubble. The area in which the phenomenon could be observed was along the southern coast of the Soviet Kuril Islands.

“3. The Green Pea: On 14 September 1960, a pilot was flying an F-86D between an overcast above and below him when a greenish-white object appeared from the overcast above him. The object fell straight down, and disappeared in the overcast below. The object was described as looking like a green pea. Preliminary investigation could not identify any balloons or other known objects in the area which could have accounted for the sighting.”

By the mid-1960s, Moon Dust was still receiving interesting reports. One of them was a 1965 document declassified by the CIA, a copy of which is in the Moon Dust files. Titled, “Fragment, Metal, Recovered in the Republic of the Congo, Origin Believed to be an Unidentified Flying Object,” it states: “The purpose of this report is to present the results of the exploitation of a metallic fragment recovered near the town of [illegible] in the Republic of the Congo. Fragment recovery was the result of a ground-level search which was coordinated after an unidentified flying object exploded and fell to earth in the area. The sighting and recovery took place sometime between 10 and 15 October 1965. Other than a reported east-to-west direction of flight for the UFO, specific observation and recovery details are lacking.”

Two years later, Project Moon Dust personnel were still active. Two Defense Intelligence Agency reports in particular conclusively make this point. The first report, titled “UFO Sighting at Kasba Talda, Morocco,” states: “This report forwards a translation of an article which appeared in the Potit Morocain[newspaper], 2 April 1967. This item was not carried in the other daily newspapers, but is significant as it indicates continued local interest in the subject of UFOs.”

The second report, also from Morocco, and also dated 1967, states the following with regard to an event over Agadir: “This report forwards translations of two articles which appeared in the Potit Morocain [newspaper]. Each article is separately identified as to source. Although the two articles are very contradictory, the page one coverage afforded this sighting demonstrates a high level of interest in the subject of UFOs, and presages future reporting which could be valuable in pursuit of Project Moon Dust.”

Moon ufos

Then, there is a Department of State telegram of August 1967 from the American Embassy at Khartoum to Washington. It states: “Local press 17 Aug 1967 reported that a satellite, cube shaped, weighing approximately three tons discovered 3 August 50 miles from Kutum. Satellite described as made of soft metal presumably light aluminum in oblong cubes measuring two inches by one inch tightly fastened together and covered by a silky material. Nationality not identified as no inscriptions evident on outer surface. Local authorities in El Fasher have photographs and with difficulty cut samples.”

It’s unfortunate that many of the Moon Dust-based documents are brief in content and description, but it should not be forgotten that – as the Moon Dust files note – “UFO” does not necessarily mean “alien spacecraft.”

{ http://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

05-01-2018 om 21:53 geschreven door peter  

05-01-2018 om 21:35 geschreven door peter  

05-01-2018 om 21:24 geschreven door peter  

Deze 6 uitvindingen zullen de wereld veranderen (volgens Bill Gates)- HLN.be

Tine Kintaert 

Bron: TIME Magazine

1. MetaFridge

Vaccinaties redden talloze levens, maar ze zijn ook vrij fragiel. Worden ze niet op de juiste temperatuur opgeslaan, dan kan je ze weggooien. Een groep uitvinders van Global Good in Seattle hebben nu een nieuwe soort koelkast ontworpen: de MetaFridge. Die houdt de vaccins lange tijd koud, ook als de elektriciteit uitvalt. Momenteel werken ze ook aan een draagbare versie van hun uitvinding, zodat ook mensen in de meest afgelegen gebieden gevaccineerd kunnen worden.

2. Genetische manipulatie

Gates beseft dat de technologie van genetische manipulatie nog in de kinderschoenen staat, en dat er ook heel wat prangende ethische vraagstukken rond het onderwerp hangen. Toch heeft hij een goed oog in de mogelijkheden. “Stel je een toekomst voor waarin we het DNA van zieke mensen kunnen wijzigen, of bijvoorbeeld de genen kunnen verwijderen die het muggen mogelijk maakt om malaria te verspreiden.”

3. Zonnebrandstof

Gates is geen ontkenner van de opwarming van de aarde. “Als we dat willen inperken, moeten we afstappen van fossiele brandstoffen en een andere methode zoeken.” Hij kijkt vol vertrouwen naar Caltech, waar ze in hun labo’s zoeken naar een manier om zonne-energie om te zetten in brandstof. “We zijn nog ver van het moment waarop je zonnebrandstof in je auto kan gooien, maar ik hoop in de nabije toekomst op een energiemirakel.”

4. mRNA vaccins

Momenteel wordt een vaccin ontwikkeld aan de hand van verzwakte of inactieve vormen van het virus in kwestie. Je lichaam g5.aat dan antilichamen produceren, waardoor je beschermd bent tegen de ziekte. Momenteel bekijkt de wetenschap echter hoe we genetisch materiaal kunnen aanwenden om een vaccin te maken, wat het proces een stuk goedkoper en sneller maakt. Zo kan je een lichaam leren om vanzelf natuurlijke antilichamen aan te maken.

5. Betere inname van medicijnen

Van insuline tot de anticonceptiepil: sommige medicijnen moet je op gezette tijden innemen. Niet altijd even gemakkelijk, want je durft dat wel eens vergeten. Het bedrijf Intarcia wil de manier waarop we medicatie nemen nu veranderen. Ze hebben een piepklein apparaatje ontwikkeld dat je onder de huid kan inplanten. Daar geeft het de medicijnen op de gewenste tijdstippen af. Gates vindt vooral de bescherming tegen HIV erg veelbelovend. “Eén implantaat kan een mens tot een jaar lang beschermen tegen het virus.”

6. Artificiële intelligentie

Van al deze ontwikkelingen is artificiële intelligentie degene waarvan Gates zeker is dat het de wereld voor altijd zal veranderen. “Ook al zal AI nieuwe uitdagingen creëren - zoals het heropleiden van mensen die hun job zullen verliezen - denk ik dat het ons leven veel productiever, efficiënter en makkelijker zal maken.”

{ https://www.hln.be/ }

05-01-2018 om 21:16 geschreven door peter  

Human Hybrids - Scientists Admit Humans ARE Getting Alien DNA Upgrades

If aliens are our creators then of course they are still interacting and monitoring us.

Astounding DNA evidence suggests there are extraterrestrial humans on earth today, they are inhabiting a human body. New data suggests humans are being altered and transformed on many levels by alien intervention.

Evidence suggests extraterrestrial encounters are a global phenomenon and this is evident in the new race of human beings referred to as star children or Indigo children.

The profiles of these children share the same attributes or are strikingly similar. They are highly intelligent, creative, psychic, telepathic and posses healing and clairvoyant abilities.

Some of the latest DNA research could qualify how this upgrading may occur.

This involves downloads of data such as our true genetic origins, using our psi skills with advanced technology, manipulation of matter, astrophysics and healing, all coupled with genetic and spiritual programs for awakening of human consciousness, to assist humanity to evolve into a fully functional multidimensional human.

  

{ http://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

05-01-2018 om 14:51 geschreven door peter  

China is preparing for a groundbreaking 2018 mission to land on the far side of the Moon

China is preparing its Chang’e 4 mission, which if successful, would mark the first time a country has landed on the far side of the moon. The Chinese space agency even wants to try and grow plants and insects on the moon, paving the way for future human colonies on Earth’s natural satellite.

According to reports from China, the nation’s space agency is set for a groundbreaking 2018 mission to the far side of the moon. China aims to land on the far side of the moon and will even try to grow plants and insects on the surface of the moon.

The mission is considered as one of the most complicated and difficult missions to space, China has ever attempted.

The mission to the far side of the moon will see China’s Chang’e 4 spacecraft launched into space on a Long March 4C rocket.

In 2013, China’s Chang’e 3, successfully deployed the Jade Rabbit rover, marking the first soft landing on the moon since 1976.

Image Credit: CLEP/CNSA

Chang’e 4 will land on the far side of the moon, and if the mission succeeds, China will become the first country to successfully land a controlled spacecraft on the far side of the moon. The Chinese Space Agency wants to land on the so-called South Pole-Aitken Basin, a vast area on the moon, located in the southern hemisphere of the far side which extends from the South Pole to Aitken crater.

The Rover will carry a ‘space-gardening kit’ which will ‘pave way for a human outpost’ by exploring the lunar surface and examining the feasibility of growing plants on the surface of Earth’s natural satellite.

“The Chinese are pushing back the frontier with such a technically challenging mission,” said Brian Harvey, a space analyst, and author of China in Space: The Great Leap Forward, in an interview with the Guardian.

Furthermore, the Chinese space agency also plans to send another mission to the moon which would take samples of the surface and bring them back to Earth for further analysis.

China’s Rover on the surface of the moon. 

Image Credit

The mission which will land on the moon, and return samples to Earth is the Chang’e-5 lunar probe which is currently

undergoing a final round of tests and is expected to be on standby for launch from August,

China’s huge interest in space exploration is being called out as a competition between the Asian country and the United States after President Donald Trump made it clear he wants to revitalize US space exploration.

But China doesn’t only want to go to the far side of the moon.

The Chinese space agency claims that in a series of different missions is one that would see a spacecraft reach Mars.

This mission would take place in the year 2020, and its objective would be to collect samples of the red planet for further analysis on Earth.

China’s president Xi Jinping wants his country to become a global power in space exploration.

“Not long ago, the United States’ Trump Administration revealed an ambition to return to the moon. Our country also announced a series of deep space exploration plans,” said the official Science and Technology Daily.

“The moon is the first stop for humanity’s march toward deep space,” the paper said.

{ https://www.ancient-code.com/ }

05-01-2018 om 00:30 geschreven door peter  

One of the greatest conundrums to face humanity is the question of extraterrestrial life. Many explanations have been posited over the years to explain why we have yet to make first contact, some better than others. Here are seven of the weakest solutions to the vexing problem known as the Fermi Paradox.

1) Aliens Haven't Had Enough Time to Reach Earth.

Actually, they have. This is one of the most common excuses for the Great Silence, but it's also one of the weakest. As a solution, it belies a complete misunderstanding of the paradox's central assertion — that time is not a factor. Fermi's paradox is driven by three rather powerful premises: 1) our galaxy has been around for a very, very long time — about 13.2 billion years (or 13,200 million years), 2) intelligent life was capable of emerging when the galaxy was still very young, and thus, 3) aliens have had plenty of time to visit, colonize, and reshape every portion of the Milky Way. Yet it doesn't appear that any civilization has done so. As time passes, and as our view of the cosmos comes clearer into focus, the Fermi Paradox as a problem is getting worse and not better. Earlier this year, astronomers came to the realization that terrestrial, Earth-like planets began to emerge as long as 11.2 billion years ago, a mere two billion years after the Milky Way formed. At the same time, we're also learning that the quantity of potentially habitable planets — both in the past and in the present — is exceptionally massive. A recent calculation predicts hundreds of billions of Earth-like planets in our galaxy alone.

2) The Stars Are Too Far Apart

As Douglas Adams once said: "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space." Yup, space is big, no doubt. But it is this really the reason we haven't seen any signs of extraterrestrial life? For this solution to work, it would mean that all alien civilizations would have to find space too big to bother with, or that interstellar space travel is technologically unfeasible. Neither is likely true. Take a look at us. We've already got an interstellar space traveler in the form of the Voyager probe, and there's no shortage of visions as to how we might embark on such missions. And indeed, the first generation of interstellar space explorers will likely come in the form of self-replicating von Neumann probes. This would involve an exponentially expanding bubble of probes that could, in theory, colonize the galaxy in as little as 10 million years. Cosmologically speaking, that's not a lot of time. A single civilization could have colonized the galaxy 1,120 times over the course of the past 11.2 billion years — and that's just one civilization. Alternately (or in conjunction), there's also the potential to "transmit" streams of uploaded minds at the speed of light from star system to star system. As Charles Stross once said, starships are a myth. So no, the stars are not too far apart — not when you have billions of years to work with and the power of exponential growth at your disposal.

3) Aliens Are Honoring the Prime Directive

Back in 1972, astronomer John Ball came up with the Zoo Hypothesis, a proposed scenario in which advanced extraterrestrials deliberately resist making contact with humans in favor of watching us from a safe distance. As Ball noted, "they have just set us aside as part of a wilderness area or zoo." Reasons for doing so include the fear of biological and/or sociological cross-contamination, i.e. a "Prime Directive," or simply for studying us for scientific and/or entertainment purposes. There are a number of problems with this solution. First, it's completely untestable and even a bit conspiratorial. Second, it's anthropocentric; the Zoo Scenario assumes that all aliens have the same motivations we do in terms of ethics, scientific inquiry, and recreation. It's also arrogant. What could we possibly offer alien intelligences in terms of our science? An extraterrestrial civilization at this stage in its development would very likely be post-biological in nature and in the possession of artificial superintelligence (actually, it probably would be an artificial superintelligence). To them, we'd be as interesting as microbes. It's also worth pointing out that the Prime Directive is ethically dubious. It would be incumbent upon a post-Singularity, space-faring civilization to intervene in our affairs to save us from ourselves, eliminate suffering, and uplift us into the broader galactic community. Lastly, this theory (and many of the other solutions on this list) violates non-exclusivity. While some aliens might put us in a zoo and/or honor the Prime Directive, it cannot speak to all alien civilizations. All it would take is just one to ruin the show.

4) God Created the Universe Just For Us

This religious argument works to resolve the Fermi Paradox by suggesting that human beings were deliberately created by God to be alone. This idea goes back to Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, who both argued that humans are unique to God's plan. It's an idea that's still around today, as witnessed by Pat Robertson's recent rant in which he stated that NASA should stop its efforts to explore the cosmos because it contains "nothing but gaseous balls and barren rocks," adding that "This planet [Earth] is where God has got an experiment in what he wants to have accomplished." But as noted by Carl Sagan, "The universe is a pretty big place. If it's just us, seems like an awful waste of space." Indeed, if God created the Universe just for us, why such elaborate digs? Why would there be trillions upon trillions of stars in the cosmos and not just one? What's more, why create such a seemingly biophilic Universe, one that appears to be cosmologically consistent throughout? Simply put, it's an untestable argument that defies both logic and common sense. It is possible, of course that we are alone in the Universe, but if that's the case, there are much better explanations than invoking God.

5) Aliens Were Here, But Then They Left

Some people argue that aliens visited our Solar System in the past and moved on and/or left traces of their existence, such as the Face on Mars, or the pyramids and other archaeological remnants. Of course, the Face on Mars has been debunked as being extraterrestrial in origin, and we have perfectly good explanations for how the pyramids were built. Explanations that attempt to bring aliens into the discuss are often sensationalistic, completely without foundation, and in violation of Occam's Razor. Others contend that aliens visited Earth long ago, but then moved on without a trace. This is unlikely for several reasons. First, an advancing wave of extraterrestrial intelligence, likely in machine form, would reconstitute practically everything in its wake, converting matter from inert substances into something more useful, such as computronium. Alternatively, they could — and probably would — have uplifted and integrated any life into their civilization. What's more, given the age of the Galaxy and its apparent biophilic constitution, our Solar System could have been visited time and time again by a plethora of different civilizations. Yet according to this proposed solution, not one of them stayed behind or left any kind of discernible trace. Highly unlikely.

6) They're Actually Here Right Now!

So-called UFOlogists would have us believe that aliens are here right now, tormenting us puny humans with their exceedingly primitive flying saucers, strangely anthropocentric physical forms, and a rash of abductions. In a word, no. The late Carl Sagan said these claims are almost entirely anecdote: Someone says something happened to them, and people can say anything. The fact that someone says something doesn't mean it's true. Doesn't mean they're lying, but it doesn't mean it's true. To be taken seriously, you need physical evidence that can be examined at leisure by skeptical scientists: a scraping of the whole ship, and the discovery that it contains isotopic ratios that aren't present on Earth, chemical elements from the so-called island of stability, very heavy elements that don't exist on Earth. Or material of absolutely bizarre properties of many sorts—electrical conductivity or ductility. There are many things like that that would instantly give serious credence to an account. But there's no scrapings, no interior photographs, no filched page from the captain's log book. All there are are stories. There are instances of disturbed soil, but I can disturb soil with a shovel. There are instances of people claiming to flash lights at UFOs and the UFOs flash back. But, pilots of airplanes can also flash back, especially if they think it would be a good joke to play on the UFO enthusiast. So, that does not constitute good evidence. Indeed, the rash of crop circles and apparent accounts of flying saucers have not stood the test of time, and are a projection of contemporary notions of technological wonder.

7) We Haven't Been Searching for Aliens Long Enough

It's true that we only started the search for ETIs in earnest with the advent of Frank Drake's Project Ozma in the 1960s followed by the subsequent rise of more formal SETI radio searches. We've only been scanning the heavens for 55 years, and there's still plenty of territory to cover. There's the possibility, of course, that no one is broadcasting. We ourselves are currently debating the pros and cons of Active SETI — the deliberate attempt to get ET's attention. It's quite possible that all aliens are xenophobic and radio silent. If that's the case, then SETI is pretty much doomed to failure. But if aliens are truly interested in getting our attention, they should have no difficulty doing so. Most logically, they could pepper the Milky Way with Bracewell probes — communication beacons that are parked in every star system just waiting for the first sign of intelligent life to emerge (such as a radio signal). The Bracewell probe would in turn communicate with us, while transmitting a confirmation signal back home via a series of communication way-stations, likely other Bracewell probes. Alternately, aliens could broadcast an exceptionally strong and directed radio or optical signal that couldn't possibly be missed, even by a seemingly primitive technological civilization like our own. That said, this only applies to civilizations far more advanced than ours. SETI should continue to search for civilizations that are similar to our own in terms of their technological development. Given the Fermi Paradox, this may be as far as any civilization gets.

Source: gizmodo

05-01-2018 om 00:19 geschreven door peter  

We May Be Receiving Signals From Alien Civilizations, Just Not In The Form We Would Expect.

In my writing, I have never pulled any punches in regards to my disdain for our modern incarnation of S.E.T.I. On the surface S.E.T.I. seems logical and possibly successful. But if you devote more clock cycles to ponder the Universe and the vast unknown. The dynamics of deep time, the nearly infinite possibilities of how communication could occur a thinking person must by logic realize that S.E.T.I is doomed to failure from the start.

Don’t worry your tax dollars are not paying for Shostak’s folly. S.E.T.I has not been publicly funded since the 1990’s.

S.E.T.I makes too many assumptions that are based on our Earth centrist bias. Even listening to millions of frequencies simultaneously is infinitesimal in breadth. I understand the scientific reasoning for how and why they operate. You can only look for what you know. They have to try (I guess).

SETI had outlived its usefulness given modern knowledge, the success metric was that a civilization more than 400 light years away – because we know there is no good candidates closer – would have to have sent low-tech radio signals to a planet that lacked the technology to receive radio signals when they sent them. The aliens basically would have needed to know the future, which means they didn’t need radio waves.

If communicating with other civilizations takes and must take centuries then it will be interesting and may have value over time but it will lose immediacy.  Time waits for no one and no being.  Doesn’t matter how long you live… a lot of things happen in between intergalactic tweets.  While I’m sure we answer we’d not sit waiting on the phone for the next word.

I think that if there is real dialogue going on between civilizations it has to have a purpose.  Knowledge is one…  if we can talk back and forth then we can exchange meaningful knowledge.  If we can talk back and forth then the communication is functionally travelling faster than light.

Is that possible?  Well, maybe.  Since inflation did and does occur… And/if entangled particles started in the proximity of each other and have ended up evenly distributed across the universe they might be useful for communication.  Instant chat across the universe. But of course, you would need to know which particles to fiddle with. Beyond our current scientific knowledge.

Any method of faster than light (FTL) communication that an advanced technology develops would likely become their preferred method of communicating over interstellar distances, and would be beyond our ability to detect at present.

Maybe that is why we don’t hear anything.  They are all talking over our heads. Not to mention that fact that we will never understand the meaning of the message. Just hearing anything artificial would be a winning outcome.

There are undoubtedly forms of energy that our primitive science has not yet discovered. We could be in complete alignment with a galactic telephone trunk line and never know it. Maybe they do something analogous to our Internet packet switching. Their discreet packets may not look like anything unusual unless you intercept the whole message. All the cosmic background radiation may be packets of data appearing as normal energy until the message is reassembled. Just an idea but it illustrates the futility of our understanding.

Our science is a powerful weapon to be used to wipe away ancient superstitions and beliefs but it is still in its infancy. We, humans, are the new minds on the block. Anybody that is reasonably aware of the current state of Universal understanding must conclude that we already have enough reliable data to make a well educated guess that we are not alone in the Universe. As more and more life-sustaining earth-like planets are found our certainty of our non-uniqueness is confirmed.

We are not special in the Universe, we are just one among many. Humans may someday get past the emotional need to think that we are more than we actually are. At that time we may not need to look for extraterrestrial life it may come to us.

Knowledge is simply cool beans.

[/responsivevoice]

{ http://www.theangryufologist.us/}

04-01-2018 om 23:52 geschreven door peter  

The Mysterious Disappearance of Frederick Valentich

One of the most intriguing cases of potential alien abduction is the strange tale of a young pilot by the name of Frederick Valentich. In the late 1970s he had an arial encounter with a UFO while performing a flight down the Australian coast. There are several compelling pieces of evidence that were left behind: radio transmissions, eyewitness accounts and a photograph of an unknown craft.

On October 21st, 1978 Frederick Valentich embarked on a 125 mile flight along the shores of Bass Strait. Valentich, a member of the Air Training Corps, had been flying for over two years and accumulated over 150 hours of solitary trips. He was employed by an airline company and aspired to become a commercial pilot. At 6:19 pm Valentich took off in his Cessna 182 from an airport just outside of Melbourne. The journey was routine and followed a route that the twenty-one year old pilot had travelled many times before. Unbeknownst to Valentich, this would be his final departure.

Just over halfway through the uneventful flight things began to take a bizarre turn. An unidentified flying object was hovering about 1,000 feet above his plane. The craft was described as being a long metallic object with four bright lights and flew at speeds that seemed unbelievable. Valentich told air traffic controllers that something was approaching him and seemed to be playing some sort of game. It would remain stationary then quickly orbit closer. His final words were: “It is not an aircraft.”

Here is the actual transcript of the final communication between Frederick Valentich and the Melbourne Flight Services, as released by the Australian Department of Transport (the original audio recording is also available):

1906:14 DSJ Melbourne, this is Delta Sierra Juliet. Is there any known traffic below five thousand?

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, no known traffic.

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, I am, seems to be a large aircraft below five thousand.

1906:44 FS Delta Sierra Juliet, What type of aircraft is it?

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, I cannot affirm, it is four bright, it seems to me like landing lights.

1907 FS Delta Sierra Juliet.

1907:31 DSJ Melbourne, this is Delta Sierra Juliet, the aircraft has just passed over me at least a thousand feet above.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger, and it is a large aircraft, confirmed?

DSJ Er-unknown, due to the speed it’s traveling, is there any air force aircraft in the vicinity?

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, no known aircraft in the vicinity.

1908:18 DSJ Melbourne, it’s approaching now from due east towards me.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet.

1908:41 DSJ (open microphone for two seconds.)

1908:48 DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, it seems to me that he’s playing some sort of game, he’s flying over me two, three times at speeds I could not identify.

1909 FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger, what is your actual level?

DSJ My level is four and a half thousand, four five zero zero.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, and you confirm you cannot identify the aircraft?

DSJ Affirmative.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger, stand by.

1909:27 DSJ Melbourne, Delta Sierra Juliet, it’s not an aircraft it is (open microphone for two seconds).

1909:42 FS Delta Sierra Juliet, can you describe the -er- aircraft?

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, as it’s flying past it’s a long shape (open microphone for three seconds) cannot identify more than it has such speed (open microphone for three seconds). It’s before me right now Melbourne.

1910 FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger and how large would the – er – object be?

1910:19 DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, Melbourne, it seems like it’s stationary. What I’m doing right now is orbiting and the thing is just orbiting on top of me also. It’s got a green light and sort of metallic like, it’s all shiny on the outside.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet

1910:46 DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet (open microphone for three seconds) It’s just vanished.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet

1911 DSJ Melbourne, would you know what kind of aircraft I’ve got? Is it a military aircraft?

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, Confirm the – er – aircraft just vanished.

DSJ Say again.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, is the aircraft still with you?

DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet; it’s (open microphone for two seconds) now approaching from the south-west.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet

1911:50 DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet, the engine is rough-idling. I’ve got it set at twenty three twenty-four and the thing is coughing.

FS Delta Sierra Juliet, roger, what are your inten

FS Delta Sierra Juliet.

1912:28 DSJ Delta Sierra Juliet. Melbourne (open microphone for seventeen secondstions?

DSJ My intentions are – ah – to go to King Island – ah – Melbourne. That strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again (open microphone for two seconds). It is hovering and it’s not an aircraft.).

During the final seventeen seconds there is an eerie metallic scraping that can be heard. A NASA researcher as well as the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have analyzed the transmission. Neither were able to identify the source of these sounds and to this day it remains a mystery.

After Valentich’s disappearance a massive search ensued. For four days a fleet of shipping vessels scoured the ocean. There were no signs of a crash or traces of any wreckage despite the Cessna’s design to float in the event it hit water. A witness who wished to remain anonymous approached investigators. He stated that on the evening of October 21st, while out with his family, they saw a bright green light flying above a small plane. Both of the crafts got closer to one another before they flew out of their view. Eleven other eyewitnesses came forward with observations that were all identical. Interestingly, in the month prior to Valentich’s incident, there had been a massive spike in UFO sightings in that area.

Roy Manifold, an amateur photographer, was at Cape Otway on the evening that Valentich vanished. He wanted to capture the sunset with his camera settings on an automatic exposure. During the shoot six photographs were taken in succession using the time-lapse setting. Once they were developed a puzzling anomaly was seen in the last picture: a strange object in the upper right corner. At first Manifold thought it might have been a developing error so it was sent in for analysis. There was neither dirt nor damage on the original negative. Other experts made a startling determination and concluded that the image showed a metallic object about a mile from the camera.

This year Valentich would have been celebrating his sixtieth birthday. Nearly four decades later there are still far more questions than answers. While many theories as to the pilot’s ultimate fate have been proposed they all remain mere speculation. Whatever happened during that final flight will remain one of Australia’s greatest aviation mysteries. What do you think happened to Frederick Valentich? Might it be possible that he may one day resurface? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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04-01-2018 om 23:40 geschreven door peter  

Nimitz UFO-Video: Alleged Trace to German Film Production Company Leads to a Mysterious Dead End

Posted by: Andreas Muller 

Saarbrucken (Germany) – While the media interest in the unveiling of a secret UFO research program by the US Department of Defense through the “New York Times” is still unbroken, independent researchers are investigating the information and videos presented. Especially for the alleged UFO-encounter of the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Combat Group in November 2004, which was actually well confirmed by at least two military eyewitnesses, the trace of the accompanying video leads to a German film production company, whose specialties are also 2- and 3D animation and special effects. The leading German newsblog on frontier science and the paranormal Grenzwissenschaft-Aktuell.de (GreWi) investigated. The result is all the more mysterious…

As GreWi already reported last October, the circumstances of the incident have been known at least since 2015 through an article on the US-American aviation and military website “FighterSweep.com”.

Furthermore a video of the on-board camera and tracing system (ATFLIR) of one of the fighter interceptors involved in the USS-Nimitz UFO-encounter is supposed to show the object and have been available online since 2007.

– Please find a full documentary with further information and discussion of the video HERE
– Please find another documentary HERE

In fact, since 2007 the so-called “WaybackMachine” of the internet archive “Web.Archive.org” shows a download-option for the video under the name “f4.mpg” via the website or server of the German film production company “Vision Unlimited” (VU) based at the town of Uhingen. VU’s specialties include 2- and 3D animations as well as special effects.

Understandably, this fact still raises doubts among many observers, investigators and skeptics about the authenticity and origin of the video, which is described by the “New York Times” and the “To The Stars Academy” as “officially released by the US government”.

GreWi-Editor Andreas Muller asked the manager of “Vision Unlimited”, Mr. Philip Schneider about the above described situation and he explains:
“Unfortunately, I can’t help at all. We don’t know where the file came from and can only say that it hasn’t been on the server for a long time since. Because the case is so strange, we also wanted to investigate. But quickly this showed to be fruitless because the file was on an old server and all data (LOGs etc.) are no longer available. I’ve also talked to former employees who had access to the server, but no one could tell me anything about it.” On a further inquiry to clarify that the video in question is NOT a product of “Vision Unlimited”, Schneider summarizes the situation again from VU’s point of view: “Yes correct – we have nothing to do with the video!

The search for the origin of the video through “Vision Unlimited” not only leads to a dead end, but also raises more questions than answers: Where does the video came from and how, why and by whom was it placed to the server of the VU-website?

Ultimately, only the publication of the videos raw data through an official channel of the US-Government could answer questions of origin and authenticity of the video as allegedly being of the on-board camera and tracing system on board the Nimitz-Super-Hornet. These data could then also answer critical questions about what the object actually is – or at least what it is not.

Raytheon’s “Advanced Targeting Forward Look Infrared” (ATFLIR) sensor, like the one used to track a possible UFO in a 2004 incident, is carried under the wing of this fighter jet.
Copyright/Source: Raytheon.com

While even Raytheon, the company producing the ATFLIR-system, is currently advertising that it could be their own system that “caught the first evidence of E.T. out there”, at the same time they also point out that “even so, the video images are not definitive proof that the jet pilots were chasing an actual UFO. To really be sure, we would need the raw data.”

An U.S. Navy ATFLIR, designated AN/ASQ-228, mounted under a fighter jet.

Copyright/Source: Raytheon.com

What is interesting about Raytheon’s statement, however, is that they seem to have no doubt from their side that the recordings are taken from one of their military-used ATFLIR-systems.

This article was reprinted with permission from www.grenzwissenschaft-aktuell.de.

{ http://www.openminds.tv/ }

04-01-2018 om 23:09 geschreven door peter  

Nimitz UFO-Video: Alleged Trace to German Film Production Company Leads to a Mysterious Dead End

Posted by: Andreas Muller 

Saarbrucken (Germany) – While the media interest in the unveiling of a secret UFO research program by the US Department of Defense through the “New York Times” is still unbroken, independent researchers are investigating the information and videos presented. Especially for the alleged UFO-encounter of the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Combat Group in November 2004, which was actually well confirmed by at least two military eyewitnesses, the trace of the accompanying video leads to a German film production company, whose specialties are also 2- and 3D animation and special effects. The leading German newsblog on frontier science and the paranormal Grenzwissenschaft-Aktuell.de (GreWi) investigated. The result is all the more mysterious…

As GreWi already reported last October, the circumstances of the incident have been known at least since 2015 through an article on the US-American aviation and military website “FighterSweep.com”.

Furthermore a video of the on-board camera and tracing system (ATFLIR) of one of the fighter interceptors involved in the USS-Nimitz UFO-encounter is supposed to show the object and have been available online since 2007.

– Please find a full documentary with further information and discussion of the video HERE
– Please find another documentary HERE

In fact, since 2007 the so-called “WaybackMachine” of the internet archive “Web.Archive.org” shows a download-option for the video under the name “f4.mpg” via the website or server of the German film production company “Vision Unlimited” (VU) based at the town of Uhingen. VU’s specialties include 2- and 3D animations as well as special effects.

Understandably, this fact still raises doubts among many observers, investigators and skeptics about the authenticity and origin of the video, which is described by the “New York Times” and the “To The Stars Academy” as “officially released by the US government”.

GreWi-Editor Andreas Muller asked the manager of “Vision Unlimited”, Mr. Philip Schneider about the above described situation and he explains:
“Unfortunately, I can’t help at all. We don’t know where the file came from and can only say that it hasn’t been on the server for a long time since. Because the case is so strange, we also wanted to investigate. But quickly this showed to be fruitless because the file was on an old server and all data (LOGs etc.) are no longer available. I’ve also talked to former employees who had access to the server, but no one could tell me anything about it.” On a further inquiry to clarify that the video in question is NOT a product of “Vision Unlimited”, Schneider summarizes the situation again from VU’s point of view: “Yes correct – we have nothing to do with the video!

The search for the origin of the video through “Vision Unlimited” not only leads to a dead end, but also raises more questions than answers: Where does the video came from and how, why and by whom was it placed to the server of the VU-website?

Ultimately, only the publication of the videos raw data through an official channel of the US-Government could answer questions of origin and authenticity of the video as allegedly being of the on-board camera and tracing system on board the Nimitz-Super-Hornet. These data could then also answer critical questions about what the object actually is – or at least what it is not.

Raytheon’s “Advanced Targeting Forward Look Infrared” (ATFLIR) sensor, like the one used to track a possible UFO in a 2004 incident, is carried under the wing of this fighter jet.
Copyright/Source: Raytheon.com

While even Raytheon, the company producing the ATFLIR-system, is currently advertising that it could be their own system that “caught the first evidence of E.T. out there”, at the same time they also point out that “even so, the video images are not definitive proof that the jet pilots were chasing an actual UFO. To really be sure, we would need the raw data.”

An U.S. Navy ATFLIR, designated AN/ASQ-228, mounted under a fighter jet.

Copyright/Source: Raytheon.com

What is interesting about Raytheon’s statement, however, is that they seem to have no doubt from their side that the recordings are taken from one of their military-used ATFLIR-systems.

This article was reprinted with permission from www.grenzwissenschaft-aktuell.de.

{ http://www.openminds.tv/ }

04-01-2018 om 23:09 geschreven door peter  

Etoile Tabby: la thèse d'une structure extraterrestre définitivement écartée

Les fortes variations de luminosité perçues auprès d'elle avaient pu laisser penser à la communauté scientifique qu'une étoile était environnée par une structure extraterrestre. Mais, après plusieurs mois de recherches, les experts expliquent dans des travaux publiés mercredi le mystère par des nuages de poussières. 

Des scientifiques ont définitivement écarté la thèse d'une infrastructure extraterrestre géante autour de la mystérieuse étoile "Tabby" pour expliquer ses fortes variations de luminosité, parfois soudaines et prolongées, qu'ils attribuent désormais à des nuages de poussières. L'astronome américain Jason Wright, de l'université d'Etat de Pennsylvanie, avait fait sensation en octobre 2015 en suggérant que cet étrange phénomène pourrait peut-être s'expliquer par la présence d'une sphère de Dyson, une mégastructure construite par une civilisation extraterrestre pour capter l'énergie de l'étoile.

Il a fallu plusieurs mois d'observations pour qu'une équipe de plus de 200 astrophysiciens rejette cette hypothèse. "La poussière est la cause la plus probable de ces variations de luminosité de l'étoile", explique ainsi Tabetha Boyajian, professeure adjointe à l'université d'Etat de Louisiane et principale auteure de ces travaux publiés mercredi dans The Astrophysical Journal Letters. "Les nouvelles données recueillies pendant les observations révèlent différentes couleurs de lumière bloquées à différentes intensités. Cela signifie que ce qui passe entre l'étoile et nous n'est pas opaque, écartant de ce fait une mégastructure extraterrestre ou un corps planétaire", précise Mme Boyajian, dont le prénom a inspiré le surnom de l'étoile, à savoir "Tabby" mais connue scientifiquement comme KIC 8462852.

"L'étoile la plus mystérieuse de l'univers" 

Cette étoile, qualifiée par les scientifiques de "plus mystérieuse de l'univers", se situe à plus de 1.000 années-lumière de la Terre. Environ 50% plus grosse que notre Soleil, elle est également 1.000 degrés plus chaude. Même si les scientifiques ont écarté l'hypothèse d'une structure géante extraterrestre, "les dernières observations pourraient aussi être la signature d'autres phénomènes naturels", pointe Jason Wright, qui a participé à cette étude.
    
Plus de 1.700 personnes ont donné au total 100.000 dollars sur la plateforme de financement participatif Kickstarter pour étudier davantage cette étoile.

{ http://www.bfmtv.com/ }

04-01-2018 om 22:58 geschreven door peter  

THE REALITY OF ANCIENT ATLANTIS & “EXTRATERRESTRIAL” CONTACT – A DISCUSSION THAT’S GAINING MORE CREDIBILITY

04-01-2018 om 22:45 geschreven door peter  

Get ready, Earth’s moon is about to do something it hasn’t done in more than 150 years

On January 31st, when you look up in the sky, you’ll notice a moon unlike any other you’ve probably ever seen.

Three celestial events that have not coincided in more than 150 years will affect the appearance of the next full moon on which will take place on January 31, an event which has been described as a super blue blood moon eclipse. So, call it whatever you wish, a red moon, a blue moon, or a supermoon, the event we are about to witness hasn’t been seen in more than 150 years according to experts.

So what exactly is happening?

First of all, the January 31 supermoon will feature a total lunar eclipse, with a totality visible all the way from western North America up through the Pacific and eastern Asia.

The orbit of the Moon around our planet is tilted, so it usually falls above or below the shadow of the Earth.

According to scientists from NASA, almost twice a year, a full Moon tends to be perfectly aligned with the Earth and the Sun causing the shadow of the Earth to blocks the Sun’s light, which would normally be reflected in the Moon.

This means that in the above-mentioned areas, on January 31, the Moon will lose its brightness and acquire a mysterious glow, weaker than normal, mostly caused due to the scarce sunlight that crosses the Earth’s atmosphere.

This mysterious appearance, which is often emitted in a reddish hue due to the way the atmosphere doubles the light, is why totally eclipsed moons are sometimes referred to as ‘blood moons.’

But that’s not all. Interestingly, the supermoon of January 31 will also be the second full moon of the month.

A super ‘blue Moon’ is said to occur on January 31st.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.

“The lunar eclipse on January 31 will be visible during moonset. Folks in the Eastern United States, where the eclipse will be partial, will have to get up in the morning to see it. But it’s another great chance to watch the Moon,” notes Noah Petro, a research scientist from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Some people tend to call the second Full Moon in a month a Blue Moon, which makes this phenomenon a super ‘Blue Moon’.

Blue Moons happen every two and a half years, on average.

With the total eclipse, it will be a ‘super blue blood’ moon.

So get your telescopes ready, grab a pack of beer and sit tight and witness a phenomenon that hasn’t been witnessed in more than 150 years.

“We’re seeing all of the Earth’s sunrises and sunsets at that moment reflected from the surface of the Moon,” Sarah Noble, a program scientist at NASA headquarters, said in a release.

“Anything that keeps people interested in science and makes them realize science is important is a good thing,” she added.

---

Reference: NASA

Source: Phys.org

Featured image credit: Shutterstock

{ https://www.ancient-code.com/ }

04-01-2018 om 22:18 geschreven door peter  

What’s happened to the Sun? Video shows rare phenomenon in the sky

{ https://www.ancient-code.com/ }

04-01-2018 om 21:41 geschreven door peter