Dit is ons nieuw hondje Kira, een kruising van een waterhond en een Podenko. Ze is sinds 7 februari 2024 bij ons en druk bezig ons hart te veroveren. Het is een lief, aanhankelijk hondje, dat zich op een week snel aan ons heeft aangepast. Ze is heel vinnig en nieuwsgierig, een heel ander hondje dan Noleke.
This is our new dog Kira, a cross between a water dog and a Podenko. She has been with us since February 7, 2024 and is busy winning our hearts. She is a sweet, affectionate dog who quickly adapted to us within a week. She is very quick and curious, a very different dog than Noleke.
DEAR VISITOR,
MY BLOG EXISTS ALREADY 12 YEARS AND 11 MONTHS.
ON 06/05/2024 MORE THAN 1.972.210
VISITORS FROM 134 DIFFERENT NATIONS ALREADY FOUND THEIR WAY TO MY BLOG.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE OF 400GUESTS PER DAY.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG AND HOPE YOU ENJOY EACH TIME.
The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld In België had je vooral BUFON of het Belgisch UFO-Netwerk, dat zich met UFO's bezighoudt. BEZOEK DUS ZEKER VOOR ALLE OBJECTIEVE INFORMATIE , enkel nog beschikbaar via Facebook en deze blog.
Verder heb je ook het Belgisch-Ufo-meldpunt en Caelestia, die prachtig, doch ZEER kritisch werk leveren, ja soms zelfs héél sceptisch...
Voor Nederland kan je de mooie site www.ufowijzer.nl bezoeken van Paul Harmans. Een mooie site met veel informatie en artikels.
MUFON of het Mutual UFO Network Inc is een Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in alle USA-staten en diverse landen.
MUFON's mission is the analytical and scientific investigation of the UFO- Phenomenon for the benefit of humanity...
Je kan ook hun site bekijken onder www.mufon.com.
Ze geven een maandelijks tijdschrift uit, namelijk The MUFON UFO-Journal.
Since 02/01/2020 is Pieter ex-president (=voorzitter) of BUFON, but also ex-National Director MUFON / Flanders and the Netherlands. We work together with the French MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP.
ER IS EEN NIEUWE GROEPERING DIE ZICH BUFON NOEMT, MAAR DIE HEBBEN NIETS MET ONZE GROEP TE MAKEN. DEZE COLLEGA'S GEBRUIKEN DE NAAM BUFON VOOR HUN SITE... Ik wens hen veel succes met de verdere uitbouw van hun groep. Zij kunnen de naam BUFON wel geregistreerd hebben, maar het rijke verleden van BUFON kunnen ze niet wegnemen...
15-04-2023
Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts. One Step Closer to The Answer?
Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts. One Step Closer to The Answer?
What are Fast Radio Bursts? Did we get a step closer to answering this question by associating some of them with a Kilonova event? What Cosmology questions can we solve by studying FRBs? Discussing all these things with Dr Clancy James from Curtin University.
Astronomers Find Out What Happens to Rocky Planets That Wander too Close to Their Stars
This artist's illustration shows the fiery exoplanet WASP-76b. Previous study shows the planet rains iron it's so hot. Now astronomers have detected barium in its atmosphere.
Astronomers Find Out What Happens to Rocky Planets That Wander too Close to Their Stars
The massive Kepler survey found a treasure trove of exoplanets. But in all that wealth they found three anomalies: what appeared to be rings of dust surrounding stars where planets should be. They were rocky planets in the process of being obliterated. And a team of astronomers that found a way to use these gory sites to understand some of the most mysterious and hard to detect planets in the universe.
We currently know of about 5,000 exoplanets in the galaxy. This represents only a small fraction of the estimated 1 trillion worlds within the Milky Way. But even though we’ve made great strides, we have exceptional difficulty finding one particular class of exoplanet: the small, rocky ones. Our techniques rely on transits. When an exoplanet crosses in front of the face of the star, it causes a small dip in brightness from our point of view. But if the planet is too small, the change in brightness isn’t large enough for us to detect, and so the small planets, roughly the size of the Earth and smaller, remain hidden from us.
But recently a team of researchers recently pointed out that some anomalies in the Kepler data may be a blessing in disguise. Among the data returned from Kepler includes what appears to be rings of dust and debris surrounding a star. Previous researchers had concluded that these are rocky planets in the process of obliteration. They are worlds that got too close to their parent star, and the heat of that star is boiling them alive.
The team of researchers released a paper detailing simulations of how this process could unfold. They found that these small worlds are caught between two extremes. Because they orbit closely to their parent star, they are almost certainly tidally locked, which means that only one side of the planet faces the star at all times. The other side is permanently locked in night. The day side gets blasted to such a degree that instead of a crust it just has a thin shell of pure magma. But the other side is so cold that the rocky crust remains in place.
The night side cools down the planet while the day side heats it up. The astronomers found that there is only a very narrow window where we can observe such situations. If a planet is too big or the star is not bright enough, then it does not evaporate enough material for us to detect it in something like Kepler. However if the planet is too small or the star is too intense, the entire planet obliterates in a short enough time that we are unlikely to see it in a random sample of stars.
Only certain special cases can lead to a ring of debris large enough and visible enough for us to see it. Going from this the astronomers estimate that for every star in the galaxy there is roughly one planet the size of the Earth or smaller.
Additionally, the astronomers found that these debris trails can give us very important clues as to rocky planetary formation. We don’t normally get to crack open planets and see what’s inside of them. But in these cases the parent star is doing the job for us. They advocate for a follow-up observations with the James Webb Space telescope to study these systems in detail to understand what these rocky planets were made of.
Active volcanism. Plate tectonics. Retaining the atmosphere without a magnetosphere. There's so much to learn about Venus! In this interview I'm discussing all these things with Dr Paul Byrne, Planetary Evangelist and Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Washington University in St. Louis
Artificial Intelligence Produces a Sharper Image of M87’s Big Black Hole
Three views of a black hole, from left to right: Event Horizon Telescope's original image, PRIMO reconstruction and image blurred to match EHT's resolution. (Credit: Lia Medeiros et al. / ApJL, 2023)
The image should guide scientists as they test their hypotheses about the behavior of black holes, and about the gravitational rules of the road under extreme conditions.
The EHT image of the supermassive black hole at the center of an elliptical galaxy known as M87, about 55 million light-years from Earth, wowed the science world in 2019. The picture was produced by combining observations from a worldwide array of radio telescopes — but gaps in the data meant the picture was incomplete and somewhat fuzzy.
“With our new machine learning technique, PRIMO, we were able to achieve the maximum resolution of the current array,” study lead author Lia Medeiros of the Institute for Advanced Study said in a news release.
PRIMO slimmed down and sharpened up the EHT’s view of the ring of hot material that swirled around the black hole as it fell into the gravitational singularity. That makes for more than just a prettier picture, Medeiros explained.
“Since we cannot study black holes up close, the detail of an image plays a critical role in our ability to understand its behavior,” she said. “The width of the ring in the image is now smaller by about a factor of two, which will be a powerful constraint for our theoretical models and tests of gravity.”
Tens of thousands of simulated EHT images were fed into the PRIMO model, covering a wide range of structural patterns for the gas swirling into M87’s black hole. The simulations that provided the best fit for the available data were blended together to produce a high-fidelity reconstruction of missing data. The resulting image was then reprocessed to match the EHT’s actual maximum resolution.
The researchers say the new image should lead to more precise determinations of the mass of M87’s black hole and the extent of its event horizon and accretion ring. Those determinations, in turn, could lead to more robust tests of alternative theories relating to black holes and gravity.
The sharper image of M87 is just the start. PRIMO can also be used to sharpen up the Event Horizon Telescope’s fuzzy view of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. And that’s not all: The machine learning techniques employed by PRIMO could be applied to much more than black holes. “This could have important implications for interferometry, which plays a role in fields from exoplanets to medicine,” Medeiros said.
The dodo was an unusual bird. It's believed that the name "dodo" stems from the Dutch word "dodoor," meaning sluggish. However, in studying its anatomy, scientists think it could have run at fast speeds.
However, the dodo was not quick enough to outrun its doom. Living on an island with no predators, the dodo was quick to trust the human settlers that made their way to its island, which eventually caused its demise. Here are five other things you may not have known about the dodo.
1. Unusual Appearance
Dodos lived on the Indian island of Mauritius and are descendants of Asian pigeons. Weighing about 50 pounds, it sported a big head, large hooked-tipped bill and short legs. Most notably, their wings were too short and their pectoral muscles weren't strong enough to fly. This is most likely a result of evolutionary biology.
Without the need for flight to escape predators, dodos adapted to grow larger and eliminated the ability to fly. Other birds who once flew but evolved into non-fliers include penguins and ostriches.
2. Reproduction
While many birds lay more than one egg at a time, it has been speculated from witness reports that a female dodo would lay only one egg at a time. Since they were flightless, they would build their nests on the ground and surround them with grass.
The dodo population thrived until Dutch settlements started at Mauritius in 1638. As people began inhabiting the area and killing the dodo, the population never recovered and eventually went extinct.
3. Extinction
For many years, the dodo had all the food needed to survive and thrive on Mauritius and lived without threats. That is, as mentioned above, until a Dutch settlement arrived. Despite popular belief, settlers didn't like the taste of the dodo bird, and the dodo population decrease wasn't the result of the birds being consumed.
The animals the settlers brought with them, including rats, monkeys, dogs, sheep and pigs, were responsible for decimating the dodo population. These animals destroyed nests and ate the eggs while humans damaged the forests that the dodos lived in. The generally accepted extinction date is 1662, although, in 2013, researchers put the date as late as 1690.
4. They Weren't Stupid
Some synonyms for the word "dodo" are "ignoramus," "dummy," "moron" and "dull." But dodos were not stupid. Research shows that their brain-to-body size relationship suggests moderate intelligence levels. Dodos also had a large olfactory bulb for enhanced smelling capabilities. This is unusual among birds, who typically rely on vision.
5. Scientists Might Try To Bring Them Back
Evolutionary biologist, Beth Shapiro, travels to remote locations seeking fossils from which to extract the DNA of long-extinct animals. Among other animals, her work has focused on the dodo. Earlier this year, she said the dodo had been completely sequenced, although results haven't yet been published. She has expressed interest in the possibility of bringing back the dodo.
"If the dodo were to be brought back, it could be restored to protected habitats on [the island nation of] Mauritius, where people could go to observe dodos in their native habitat," she says in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine.
UFO at NASA space station April 15, 2023, UFO Sighting News. Video!
UFO at NASA space station April 15, 2023, UFO Sighting News. Video!
Date of sighting: April 15 2023
Location of sighting: NASA space station live cam
I saw this today and wanted to share it with you to get your thoughts on it. Its a glowing sphere which is odd to see when the sun in on the opposite side of the earth, so this UFO is giving off its own light. It reminds me of the temple Dome of Rock sighting, in Jerusalem back in 2011, many tried to debunk it, and all failed. So many possibilities exist, even if its determined to be aliens...it only brings us to more questions, like is it an alien entity often mistaken as an angel or demon? Is it an alien drone that records and transmits the data to the homeward, or is it an actual alien ship flown by an alien pilot watching, recording, and maybe even manipulating the future of humanity itself.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Dome of Rock UFO video below to compare and contrast.
Extraordinary: The Seeding – Exploring the Unsettling Phenomenon of Alien Hybridization
Extraordinary: The Seeding – Exploring the Unsettling Phenomenon of Alien Hybridization
Imagine waking up one day with the haunting memory of an unexplainable experience that leaves you feeling confused, depressed, and overwhelmed with a profound sense of loss. Thousands of people worldwide claim to have had such encounters, pointing to their participation in an alien hybrid program that’s both baffling and terrifying. In the documentary Extraordinary: The Seeding, brave individuals come forward to share their deeply personal stories, while experts in the field of ufology offer insight into this enigmatic phenomenon.
Alien Hybridization: A Disturbing Concept
The premise of alien hybridization revolves around the idea that extraterrestrial beings are engaging in complex reproductive experiments with humans. These experiments often involve unexplained pregnancies that mysteriously terminate without any apparent reason. The memories of these encounters are usually suppressed and fragmented, leaving the experiencers in a state of emotional turmoil.
As public acceptance and curiosity grow, more and more individuals are coming forward with their unsettling experiences. The documentary Extraordinary: The Seeding offers a platform for these individuals to share their stories through one-on-one interviews, shedding light on the emotional and personal aspects of their encounters.
Expert Analysis: The Whys and Hows
In addition to providing a space for abductees to share their stories, Extraordinary: The Seeding also delves into the rationale and impact of such hybridization programs. Ufology experts from around the world analyze this phenomenon and discuss the possible reasons behind it. Is the hybridization program meant to cultivate a population of human-alien hybrids? If so, to what end?
The documentary raises these questions and more, encouraging viewers to ponder the possibility of such a reality. By presenting a balanced perspective that combines personal experiences with expert analysis, the film aims to educate, entertain, and provoke thought about this deeply intriguing subject.
A Call for Open-Mindedness
Extraordinary: The Seeding serves as a reminder that we should not be dismissive of the unknown. Instead, we should approach these enigmatic phenomena with an open mind and heart, willing to explore the unknown and question the simple answers we’ve been given. The experiences shared in the documentary are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of seeking a greater understanding of our reality.
The stories shared in Extraordinary: The Seeding may seem unbelievable to some, but the deeply personal accounts and expert analysis presented in the film urge us to consider the possibility of their truth. As we continue to explore the mysteries of our universe, we must remain open to the unknown and be willing to question our preconceived notions about the nature of our existence. Ultimately, the film raises the thought-provoking question: What if this is all true?
OpenAI hired a team of experts to examine whether GPT-4 could present prejudiced responses or assist illegal activities.
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A professor hired by OpenAI to test GPT-4 said people could use it to do "dangerous chemistry."
He was one of 50 experts hired by OpenAI last year to examine the risks of GPT-4.
Their research showed that GPT-4 could help users write hate speech or even find unlicensed guns.
One professor hired by OpenAI to test GPT-4, which powers chatbot ChatGPT, said there's a "significant risk" of people using it to do "dangerous chemistry" – in an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday.
Andrew White, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of Rochester in New York state, was one of 50 experts hired to test the new technology over a six-month period in 2022. The group of experts – dubbed the "red team" – asked the AI tool dangerous and provocative questions to examine how far it can go.
White told the FT that he asked GPT-4 to suggest a compound that could act as a chemical weapon. He used "plug-ins" – a new feature that allows certain apps to feed information into the chatbot – to draw information from scientific papers and directories of chemical manufacturers. The chatbot was then able to find somewhere to make the compound, the FT said.
"I think it's going to equip everyone with a tool to do chemistry faster and more accurately," White said in an interview with the FT. "But there is also significant risk of people . . . doing dangerous chemistry. Right now, that exists."
The team of 50 experts' findings was presented in a technical paper on the new model, which also showed that the AI tool could help users write hate speech and help find unlicensed guns online.
White and the other testers' findings helped OpenAI to ensure that these issues were amended before GPT-4 was released for public use.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of regular working hours.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk and hundreds of AI experts, academics, and researchers signed an open letter last month to call for a six-month pause on developing AI tools more powerful than GPT-4.
The letter said that powerful AI systems should only be developed "once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable."
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THE BEST IMAGES OF SPACE
THE BEST IMAGES OF SPACE
We are all excited about the arrival of James Webb, but let's not forget that Hubble gifted us the first most wonderful portraits of space.
These fantastically real images of the universe include: The Sombrero Galaxy (infrared), the Ring Nebula, the Spiral Galaxy NGC 1566, the NGC 5195, the Veil Nebula and the Andromeda Galaxy.
All-sky view of the entire near-infrared sky reveals the distribution of galaxies beyond the Milky Way.
Scientists explain how extraterrestrials will make first contact with humanity
Scientists explain how extraterrestrials will make first contact with humanity
There are millions of stars gravitated by various planets. There are billions of planets in our galaxy, and some will certainly be able to support life as we know it. Therefore, it may be selfish of us to say that we are alone in the Universe. Based on this premise and the evolution of technology, some scientists already know what the first contact between extraterrestrials and humanity will be like.
The scientist director of the international committee on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence explains how the presentation of Earth to extraterrestrials will be. So let’s take a leap into the future.
The Secret of the Warp Engine
The year is 2063 and brilliant scientist Zefram Cochrane has just performed the first successful test flight of a Warp Motor, unlocking the seemingly impossible possibilities of faster-than-light travel.
The warp signature is detected by a nearby Vulcan ship, whose crew determines that humanity has finally matured enough for first contact. And that’s how – in the Star Trek universe – we become aware of the existence of aliens.
I do not think that such a scenario can be ruled out.
Any extraterrestrial civilization is likely to be significantly more advanced than we are. They can be camouflaged.
Said Prof. Michael Garrett , director of the Center for Astrophysics at Jodrell Bank and current chairman of the Standing Committee of the International Academy of Astronautics on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (IAA SETI).
An artist’s impression of three types of habitable planets: one primarily earthy; a planet with a good mix of land and sea, like Earth; and an oceanic planet with almost no land.
(Image credit: Europlanet 2024 RI/T. Roger.)
According to Garrett, our knowledge of intelligent extraterrestrial life is more likely to come from an observatory receiving an extraterrestrial signal than from the sudden arrival of a spacecraft.
In this scenario, organizations that have joined SETI have their own first contact protocol.
The first step is verification of the signal by an independent observatory.
He referred to Garrett, who explains that the discovery must be kept secret until a broader verification is carried out.
The government of the country discovering this event, and eventually the United Nations, must then be informed, with news of the contact announced to the public shortly afterwards. That, at least, is how it should be done.
Whether the protocol would actually be adopted I have some doubts. If the signal is rich in information, for example, I think that has far greater consequences than a signal that just points to an intelligent civilization out there somewhere.
It will have a value that will become understood by governments very quickly. At some level, scientists have to protect themselves. What is written in the protocols may not be what happens in practice.
These Garrett.
If we were contacted, how would we respond to extraterrestrials?
Depending on the nature of the alien signal, and whether we would even be able to understand or translate it, there is also the question of whether we would respond.
It is very difficult to stop people from transmitting signals into space. And if we had a really advanced civilization out there, maybe it wouldn’t take much to transmit a signal that they could detect.
We would no doubt have small groups of enthusiasts and amateurs who would send out signals. But what gives any group, individual or country the right to send messages on behalf of the entire planet?
This is where the involvement of the United Nations is important, although the United Nations does not currently have an opinion on this.
Explained the director of the Center for Astrophysics at Banco Jodrell.
In the Star Trek saga, the revelation that we are not alone, that intelligent life exists beyond the stars, leads to a profound change in the way the human race sees itself. It becomes more enlightened, more unified, and ultimately more motivated by exploitation than war or greed. However, it remains to be seen whether we would react in the same way.
I think a lot depends on the distance. If aliens are inside the Solar System then I think people will be worried. But if they’re on the other side of the Galaxy, I think people would be excited about that.
Some religious organizations may need to change their doctrines, but most religions are pretty good at accommodating things as they arise.
I would like to think that if we found another civilization out there, it would accelerate our own political, ethical, and moral maturity. But that’s the beauty of Star Trek – it gives you something to aspire to.
Concluded Michael Garrett.
On a planet with wars, contempt for life itself, with a pandemic still to be resolved and countries called super powers in conflict of interests, would this be a good time to be contacted by aliens?
Historic Disclosure Conference and DC Premiere of “The Lost Century” June 10 - 11, 2023 Monday, Then National Press Club Event June 12, 2023 WATCH LIVE for more information check out Website!
Astronomy sheds light on the far-off, intangible phenomena that shape our universe and everything outside it. Artificial intelligence sifts through tiny, mundane details to help us process important patterns. Put the two together, and you can tackle almost any scientific conundrum—like determining the relative shape of a black hole.
The Event Horizon Telescope (a network of eight radio observatories placed strategically around the globe) originally captured the first image of a black hole in 2017 in the Messier 87 galaxy. After processing and compressing more than five terabytes of data, the team released a hazy shot in 2019, prompting people to joke that it was actually a fiery donut or a screenshot from Lord of the Rings. At the time, researchers conceded that the image could be improved with more fine-tuned observations or algorithms.
In a study published on April 13 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, physicists from four US institutions used AI to sharpen the iconic image. This group fed the observatories’ raw interferometry data into an algorithm to produce a sharper, more accurate depiction of the black hole. The AI they used, called PRIMO, is an automated analysis tool that reconstructs visual data at higher resolutions to study gravity, the human genome, and more. In this case, the authors trained the neural network with simulations of accreting black holes—a mass-sucking process that produces thermal energy and radiation. They also relied on a mathematical technique called Fourier transform to turn energy frequencies, signals, and other artifacts into information the eye can see.
Their edited image shows a thinner “event horizon,” the glowing circle formed when light and accreted gas crosses into the gravitational sink. This could have “important implications for measuring the mass of the central black hole in M87 based on the EHT images,” the paper states.
The original image of M87 from 2019 (left) compared to the PRIMO reconstruction (middle) and the PRIMO reconstruction “blurred” to EHT’s resolution (right). The blurring occurs such that the image can match the resolution of EHT and the algorithm doesn’t add resolution when it is filling in gaps that the EHT would not be able to see with its true resolution.
Medeirois et al., 2023
One thing’s for sure: The subject at the center of the shot is extremely dark, potent, and powerful. It’s even more clearly defined in the AI-enhanced version, backing up the claim that the supermassive black hole is up to 6.5 billion times heftier than our sun. Compare that to Sagittarius A*—the black hole that was recently captured in the Milky Way—which is estimated at 4 million times the sun’s mass.
Sagittarius A* could be another PRIMO target, Lia Medeiros, lead study author and astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study, told the Associated Press. But the group is not in a rush to move on from the more distant black hole located 55 million light-years away in Messier 87. “It feels like we’re really seeing it for the first time,” she added in the AP interview. The image was a feat of astronomy, and now, people can gaze on it with more clarity.
Watch an interview where the researchers discuss their AI methods more in-depth below:
It Is Now Official That Scientists Have Found Evidence Of A Second Earth
It Is Now Official That Scientists Have Found Evidence Of A Second Earth
It Is Now Official That Scientists Have Found Evidence Of A Second Earth
Researchers have confirmed the existence of a SECOND Earth located in the Proxima Centauri System. The planet is believed to have oceans just like Earth and may hay host alien life. In the past, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in the universe, but none of them is like Proxima B.
Proxima b, as has been baptized, has very ‘promising characteristics: it is probably rocky, slightly more massive than our own planet, and is located in the region around its star that would allow liquid water on its surface to exist.
Researchers have discovered a planet located in the Proxima Centauri system, one of the closest stars to Earth which they believe harbors liquid water and potentially alien life.
The planet, named Proxima B is believed to be around 1.3 times the size of our planet and has the ideal temperature on the surface for water in a liquid state to exist.
Proxima B has located four light years away from Earth –over 25 TRILLION MILES—meaning that in order to visit the planet in the near future, future generations would have to come up with super-fast spacecraft that would allow them to travel to the Proxima Centauri system with ease.
If the planet proves to be a SECOND Earth’ it could become one of the best options for future human colonization.
Researchers believe that the temperature on the surface of the planet could be between -90 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. According to researchers, Proxima B may be the best opportunity we have come across to find DIRECT evidence of the existence of Alien Lifeforms outside of our solar system.
The planet which has already been dubbed a second Earth’ is located at an ideal distance from its host star for liquid water to exist, which means that life as we know it is very likely to exist.
Proxima B is the closest exoplanet we have ever discovered, and according to researchers, a mission to the planet to search for signs of life could be something achievable within our lifetime.
The distance from our planet to Proxima B may seem insurmountable, but it is actually formidably shorter when compared to other candidates to host life. This means that Proxima B could become the first objective for future interstellar travel.
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf located in the constellation Centaurus. The star itself is too weak to be observed with the naked eye, but in recent months, scientists have not taken their eyes off of it.
In fact, during the first half of this year, Proxima Centauri was followed regularly with the HARPS spectrograph installed on the 3.6-meter telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in La Silla (Chile) and monitored simultaneously with other instruments from around the world.
“Many exoplanets have been found, and many more will be found, but searching for the closest potential Earth-analogue and succeeding has been the experience of a lifetime for all of us,” Dr. Guillem Anglada-Escudé, lead author of the paper, said.“Many people’s stories and efforts have converged on this discovery. The result is also a tribute to all of them. The search for life on Proxima b comes next.”
There are already two papers that describe and go through the potential habitability of Proxima B.
Future observations, for example using the 39-m ESO E-ELT telescope under construction in Chile, will allow further investigation of Proxima b and of the hypothetical presence of a thick atmosphere and a liquid water reservoir. If this turned out to be the case, it would be very exciting that the nearest star to the Sun also hosts the nearest habitable (perhaps inhabited?) planet.
Cosmic "caramel" appears in photo of colliding galaxies !
Cosmic "caramel" appears in photo of colliding galaxies !
About 180 million light-years away are two colliding galaxies that together are called Taffy ("caramel" in English — specifically a soft, "stuffed" type of caramel). A new image from the Gemini North observatory has revealed details of the object that inspired the name: a cloud that looks like a "taffy" stuffing inside a galactic "sandwich".
Typically, galactic collisions result in tails and distortions in gas clouds, driving new star formation. But in the case of galaxies UGC 12914 (left, 130,000 light-years across) and UGC 12915 (right, 80,000 light-years across), the result was somewhat unusual.
Initiated somewhere between 25 and 30 million years ago, this fusion has two peculiar characteristics. The first is that the galaxies are facing each other, at an angle that makes them almost parallel. The second is the gas cloud pulled by the two galaxies.
When the galactic encounter is lateral or at more open angles, the gravity of one can "steal" a piece of the other's arms, or both can mix. In all cases, the star-forming clouds collide and increase stellar output.
But that was not the scenario in Taffy, since the collision was practically head-on. When they collided, the galaxies caused turbulence in the gas cloud, and when they emerged from the collision (yes, the collision already occurred), the gas was pulled by them and formed a “bridge”. Now, the gas we see between the two objects is trapped between them, more or less like a spider's web, and the turbulence is preventing the gas from collecting and compressing it necessary to form new stars.
Unfortunately for home telescope users capable of observing Taffy, the "caramel filling" cannot be seen except by radio telescopes, which are able to "see" light in radio emissions, invisible to us. Still, it must be interesting to find a pair of spirals so close together in the sky.
Source:NOIRLab
The Taffy galaxies, in a new image from the Gemini observatory (Image: Reproduction/International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA)
JWST’s detection of early galaxies that are far мore мassiʋe than astronoмers had expected could мean we need to rewrite our understanding of the cosмos.
JWST’s detection of early galaxies that are far мore мassiʋe than astronoмers had expected could мean we need to rewrite our understanding of the cosмos.
Astronoмers haʋe used the Jaмes WeƄƄ Space Telescope (JWST) to reʋeal a host of high-мass galaxies in the early uniʋerse — Ƅut according to a new study they shouldn’t really exist. Either astronoмers haʋe мisunderstood soмething aƄout the galaxies theмselʋes, or our leading мodel of cosмology is called into question.
Despite Ƅeing in space less than 18 мonths, JWST is already proʋiding unprecedented ʋiews of the uniʋerse in the first few hundred мillion years after the Big Bang. A Ƅig surprise has Ƅeen how quickly large, star-filled galaxies appeared.
Now, Michael Boylan-Kolchin (The Uniʋersity of Texas, Austin) has looked at the proƄleм froм another angle, puƄlishing his findings in <eм>Nature Astronoмy. The leading cosмological мodel is known as ΛCDM, where CDM stands for cold dark мatter. According to the мodel, ordinary мatter and dark мatter were well мixed in the early uniʋerse. When dark мatter haloes collapsedto forм the first galaxies, soмe of the мixed-in ordinary мatter turned into new stars.
“We haʋe ʋery good eʋidence of the distriƄution of мatter in the early uniʋerse froм the cosмic мicrowaʋe Ƅackground,” Boylan-Kolchin says. He calculated how мuch of the ordinary мatter would need to end up in stars to account for the JWST high-мass galaxies. “Alмost eʋery aʋailaƄle atoм would haʋe Ƅeen used to мake stars,” he says.
According to Boylan-Kolchin, this near 100% efficiency is Ƅorderline iмpossiƄle. “It’s мore like 10% in the мodern uniʋerse,” he says.
“The theoretical analysis in this paper is ʋery sound,” says Mark VogelsƄerger (MIT), who was not inʋolʋed in the research. “There are not мany assuмptions going into the calculation, which renders the results ʋery roƄust.”
So if Boylan-Kolchin’s suмs are right, does that мean ΛCDM is wrong? He isn’t quite ready to dispense with it just yet. “No other theory can do what it does — it would Ƅe a last resort to oʋerthrow it,” he says.
What else could Ƅe going on? A teaм led Ƅy Hayley Williaмs (Uniʋersity of Minnesota) has just announced the discoʋery of an intriguing early galaxy at redshift 9.5, also using JWST. It’s so faint that it can only Ƅe seen thanks to aмplification Ƅy graʋitational lensing. Williaмs found that the galaxy has a star forмation rate soмe 38 tiмes higher than a galaxy at redshift 8. The results are puƄlished in <eм>Science.
“This galaxy has a мuch lower мass than the galaxies discussed [Ƅy Boylan-Kolchin] Ƅut, if this kind of star forмation can also happen in higher-мass galaxies at siмilar redshifts, it could help explain the tension with the standard cosмological мodel,” she says.
Boylan-Kolchin isn’t so sure, Ƅecause this oƄject is just 53 light-years across. Galaxies are norмally thousands of tiмes Ƅigger. “It could Ƅe a gloƄular cluster instead,” Boylan-Kolchin says.
There are soмe other options for resolʋing the tension, like tweaking ΛCDM. A faмily of theories known as Early Dark Energy (EDE) мodels suggest altering the Ƅehaʋior of dark energy (the Λ in ΛCDM) iммediately after the Big Bang. Doing so would help resolʋe another ongoing deƄate surrounding the HuƄƄle constant. Squaring this with other oƄserʋations would require extra мatter in the early uniʋerse. Boylan-Kolchin calculates that the density of мatter in early galaxies would haʋe Ƅeen 3 tiмes higher in this case, мeaning star forмation wouldn’t need to Ƅe as efficient to proʋide the saмe result. Howeʋer, EDE мodels also suggest that the uniʋerse is only 13 Ƅillion years old, which is in conflict with other мeasureмents.
Astronoмers could also Ƅe мistakenly attriƄuting soмe of the galaxies’ light to stars, when in fact it is coмing froм accretion disks around superмassiʋe Ƅlack holes. “This is one of the мost likely scenarios,” Boylan-Kolchin says.
So far astronoмers haʋe only seen a handful of these galaxies, and they are all in an area that takes up just a quarter-мillionth of the sky. That’s hardly representatiʋe of the whole cosмos. “We мay well find with follow-up full statistical surʋeys . . . that this tension disappears,” says Joel Leja (Penn State), who was not inʋolʋed in the research.
They мight not eʋen Ƅe distant galaxies at all. “NearƄy, low-мass galaxies can мiмic the appearance of distant, мassiʋe galaxies,” says Peter Behroozi (Uniʋersity of Arizona), also not inʋolʋed in Boylan-Kolchin’s work. “No-one can reliaƄly [say] whether the conclusions of this paper are right or wrong until мore мeasureмents are taken.”
What’s really needed are spectroscopic мeasureмents of these galaxies. That will help iron out their true distance and allow astronoмers to look for signs of Ƅlack holes. The good news is that this data is on the way. “We really should know if this a serious proƄleм within a couple of years, мayƄe less,” Boylan-Kolchin says.
Discovery of a hidden Bible chapter written 1,500 years ago is 'fascinating' - and could provide key insights into the earliest translations of the religious text, experts say
Discovery of a hidden Bible chapter written 1,500 years ago is 'fascinating' - and could provide key insights into the earliest translations of the religious text, experts say
Hidden Bible text in Syriac was found masked behind two layers of writing
The parchment was reused by a scribe, which was a common practice
A 'hidden chapter' of Bible text written more than 1,500 years ago could provide key insights into how the religious text has changed over time, experts say.
The new text comprises parts of Matthew 11-12 in the New Testament written in the ancient Syriac language, giving more details than today's standard Gospel text.
The text had been scraped from the parchment, a common practice so new text could be written over it, but the text left traces detectable by UV light.
Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Garrick Allen, a senior lecturer in New Testament studies at the University of Glasgow, said the discovery provides an insight into the early translations of the Bible.
The manuscript is chapters 11 through 12 in Matthew. Experts applied UV light to a document, revealing the Bible text was masked behind two layers of writing
'This discovery is highly interesting, but it isn't ground-breaking in isolation, mostly because the newly identified text is only fragmentary parts of Matthew 11-12,' Dr Allen told MailOnline.
'The Syriac translation of the Bible is important on its own as one of the earliest translations from Greek.
Old Syriac Bible translation reveals hidden details
Original Greek of Matthew chapter 12, verse 1: 'At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.'
Syriac translation: 'At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath and his disciples became hungry, began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.'
'It gives us insight into the earliest stages of the text of the Bible and the communities that produced these translations.'
Justin Brierley, a Christian author, broadcaster and radio host, called the discovery 'fascinating'.
'The discovery of this new fragment of a Syriac copy of the Gospels is yet another example of how rich the manuscript tradition of the New Testament has been over many centuries,' he told MailOnline.
'It's also fascinating to note the variation in some of the wording of Matthew's gospel compared to our received version of the text.
'I often encounter critics who question whether the Bible has been changed over time, but the science of textual criticism, aided by discoveries like these, help historians to put together an extremely accurate picture of what the original gospels said.'
Professor Hugh Houghton at the University of Birmingham's Department of Theology and Religion, called it a 'genuine and important discovery'.
'Until a few years ago we only knew of two manuscript witnesses to the Old Syriac translation of the gospels and now we have four,' he told MailOnline.
'The value of the early translations is that they were made from Greek manuscripts which no longer survive, and may provide some of the first evidence for particular readings.'
Professor Houghton continued: 'The find is important for Christians as the evidence from this document will be incorporated in editions of the Greek New Testament and used by editors to reconstruct the earliest form of the text.
'Given how few manuscripts survive from the first centuries, all pieces are welcome in reconstructing the jigsaw puzzle of the history of the text.'
Meanwhile, Dr Peter Williams from Cambridge's Faculty of Divinity said: 'It’s an exciting discovery. The team that did this are top of their game.'
The new text was discovered by Grigory Kessel from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, who has not yet revealed a complete translation written in ancient Syriac but shared some details.
In the Greek version of Matthew chapter 12, verse one reads: 'At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.
The more detailed Syriac translation reads, '[...] began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.'
Austrian Academy of Sciences scientists found the manuscript in the Vatican Library (pictured). The document was written on parchment that was reused three times. This was a common practice because paper made from animal skin was scarce
The initial text was written around the third century but was erased by a scribe – a person employed before printing was invented to make copies of documents – in Palestine.
This was a common practice because the paper made from animal skin was scarce and needed to be reused.
Writing over scraped-off text creates palimpsests – manuscripts with multiple layers of writing.
Its writing style suggests its creator was an early 10th-Century scribe in Egypt or the Levant
UV light has become popular among scientists who hope to uncover secret documents, as the hidden text absorbs the light and glows blue.
It can capture hidden text because parchment soaks in ink. And no matter how often it is reused, the original writings are still imprinted on the paper.
'The Gospel text is hidden in the sense that the early 6th-Century parchment copy of the Gospels Book was reused twice and today on the same page one can find three layers of writing (Syriac - Greek - Georgian),' Grigory Kessel from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, who made the discovery, told MailOnline.
The Old Syriac translation of the scriptures was called 'Peshitta' and became the official translation used by the Syriac Church in the fifth century.
Kessel and his colleagues said the parchment was first reused for the Apophthegmata patrum in Greek, translated to 'Sayings of the Desert Fathers' – a title that refers to early Christian hermits who practiced asceticism in the Egyptian desert.
They did so around the 3rd century and eventually formed the basis of Christian monasticism.
The Apophthegmata patrum is a collection of more than 1,000 of their stories and sayings and dates to the late fifth and early sixth centuries.
The hidden Bible chapter was a palimpsest uncovered by Grigory Kessel from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (pictured)
The next time the page was erased and reused was to copy the Iadgari of Mikael Modrekili, a Georgian manuscript of the 10th Century that included a collection of hymns.
The Syriac translation was written at least a century before the oldest Greek manuscripts that have survived, including the Codex Sinaiticus – the 4th-Century Christian manuscript of the Greek Bible.
Dr Nic Baker-Brian at Cardiff University's School of History, Archaeology and Religion called the new text a 'remarkable discovery' and said its significance lies in a small number of variants.
'The example cited already - Mt. 12.1-2 - of the disciples "rubbing the ears of corn in their hands" is not attested in the Greek manuscripts for Matthew,' he told MailOnline.
'The presence of variant readings in the manuscript highlights the diverse nature of early Christianity and reinforces an emerging consensus that ancient Christianity was not fixed and monolithic, rather different versions of stories about Jesus were circulating in the early Church.
'Its existence should remind modern Christians about the diverse history and nature of their religion.'
Utah school district may ban students from reading the BIBLE
A Utah school district is considering banning students from reading the Bible after a complaint was made about the holy book containing 'inappropriate and pornographic' content.
Schools across the state are using a conservative Utah law passed in 2022 to challenge dozens of books that parents, students, teachers and board members might find offensive.
A complaint was made on December 11 about the religious text, which is just one of 81 books Davis School District is considering removing.
While it is not clear exactly which passages the complainant flagged up, there are several mentions of violence throughout the Holy Bible.
When a person says they can “give chapter and verse” on a particular subject, they are using an old idiom which dates back to the early 1600s and refers to the chapters and verses of the Christian Bible, which was not divided into chapters and verses until the 1550s – the first Bible in English to use both chapters and verses was the Geneva Bible published in 1560. To be able to recall a pertinent phrase by referring to its chapter and verse is a skill used by preachers and biblical scholars, and it is only possible because those chapters and verse rarely change. That itself could change with the discovery of an entirely new chapter in an early translation of the Gospel of Matthew. The scientific technique used to find this hidden verse is as impressive as the verse itself … and it makes one wonder how many more may be hiding in the ancient manuscripts stored in the Vatican Library and elsewhere. Does it change anything from a religious standpoint? Will ministers have to relearn the chapters and verses?
"The tradition of Syriac Christianity knows several translations of the Old and New Testaments. Until recently, only two manuscripts were known to contain the Old Syriac translation of the gospels."
Grigory Kessel is a senior scientist at Institute for Medieval Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences who focuses on the literary heritage of Syriac Christianity with particular attention to Syriac manuscripts. In his new paper on the old Syriac Gospels, published in the journal New Testament Studies, Kessel how 1300 years ago a scribe in Palestine decided he needed a piece of parchment. Because this was a scarce commodity, he took a book of one of the earliest translations of the Syriac Gospels, erased the Syriac text and reused the pages … not knowing he was altering the next 1300 years of Christin bibles.
Ready for a day of erasing?
Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic, the language of Jesus who spoke it in the Galilean dialect. Sections of the Old Testament were written in Aramaic, and Syriac translations of the New Testament date back to the 2nd century, making them the oldest translations. In particular, the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were written in Syriac text in Syria. That makes Syriac versions and translations the some of the earliest biblical texts in existence. The scribe obviously didn’t know this. As Kessel notes in a press release, only two manuscripts were known to contain the Old Syriac translation of the gospels – one is kept in the British Library in London, and the other was discovered as a palimpsest in St. Catherine's Monastery at Mount Sinai. A palimpsest is a piece of writing material on which the original writing has been erased but traces can still be seen. That palimpsest manuscript led to the "Sinai Palimpsests Project" which led Kessel to a small fragment of a third manuscript discovered in the Vatican Library. This was also a palimpsest but, as we now know, a scribe wrote over the erased text.
Kessel decided to attempt to see if there were any remnants of the erased text. For that he used what has become a standard technique for reading what is on a paper page underneath the top layer of writing or printing – ultraviolet light. Anything which may have been written on the page before it was erased soaked deep into the paper and still absorbs the ultraviolet light and glows blue. While he was not surprised to find hidden text, Kessel told The Daily Mail he was shocked at how much he found and in more than one layer.
“The Gospel text is hidden in the sense that the early 6th c. parchment copy of the Gospels Book was reused twice and today on the same page one can find three layers of writing (Syriac - Greek - Georgian).”
Kessel told The Daily Mail the deepest layer of text was an Old Syriac translation of the scriptures called 'Peshitta' – this was the official translation used by the Syriac Church, an early branch of Eastern Christianity, in the fifth century. That text was erased and the next thing written on the pages was the Apophthegmata patrum - a collection of more than 1,000 Syriac stories and sayings from the late fifth and early sixth centuries. Apophthegmata patrum is Greek for “Sayings of the Fathers” – in this case, the “fathers” were early Christian hermits who practiced asceticism in the Egyptian desert starting around the 3rd century, leading to the eventual development of Christian monasticism. Those valuable stries and sayings were then erased and the papers were reused to copy the Iadgari of Mikael Modrekili, a Georgian manuscript of the 10th century that included a collection of hymns from the of the early Byzantine period. While the subsequent writings are interesting and valuable in their own rights, it is the Syriac Gospel which has impressed Kessel and ancient biblical scholars.
“Grigory Kessel has made a great discovery thanks to his profound knowledge of old Syriac texts and script characteristics. This discovery proves how productive and important the interplay between modern digital technologies and basic research can be when dealing with medieval manuscripts.”
Claudia Rapp, director of the Institute for Medieval Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, highlights the importance of both the text and the ultraviolet technique used by Kessel to reveal the hidden text. That Syriac translation of the Gospel of Matthew was written at least a century before the oldest Greek manuscripts that have survived, including the Codex Sinaiticus - the fourth-century Christian manuscript of the Greek Bible. And, as stated at the beginning, it reveals a new verse in the Gospel of Matthew.
Now, to write what REALLY happened.
“For example, while the original Greek of Matthew chapter 12, verse 1 says, "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat," the Syriac translation says, "[...] began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them."
OK, that is pretty close … but we’re talking about the Christian Bible here and the gospels upon which so many religions and ministers and members depend on for guidance. If the earliest of the translations from the original language texts have differences, what does that say about the many translations to chapters and verses have gone through to reach modern English … or Spanish or French or whatever language your Bible is written in?
We’ll leave that question to the biblical scholars. In the meantime, remember that no matter how hard you rub that paper with your eraser, someone will be able to read it. Time to go digital?
Today, I am talking about the Men in Black. No, not Hollywood’s versions of the MIB: Agents J and K, as portrayed on the big screen by actors Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Tinsel Town did a very good job of creating a trilogy of MIB movies that entertained and excited audiences the world over – and made those same audiences laugh loud and hard, too. But, there is nothing to laugh about when it comes to the real Men in Black. In the movies, the MIB are in the employ of an agency more powerful, and far more secretive, than even Edward Snowden’s old “friends” at the National Security Agency. But, we should not forget that the Men in Black movies are fiction. As is so unfortunately often the case, the real world often outdoes the domain of fiction – and seldom in a positive fashion. The so-called “modern era” of UFOs began in the summer of 1947, specifically on June 24. That was the date upon which a pilot named Kenneth Arnold encountered a squadron of strange-looking aircraft flying near Mount Rainier, Washington State – as the man himself noted in his 1952 book with Ray Palmer, The Coming of the Saucers.
As an experienced pilot, Arnold was deeply puzzled that he was unable to identify the things ahead of him. As he got closer, Arnold realized exactly why he was unable to figure out what the objects were: they were not regular airplanes, but futuristic-looking half-moon shaped vehicles that resembled absolutely nothing in the United States’ arsenal at that time. And that was surely the case for the Russians, too. It was not long before word of Arnold’s encounter reached the eyes and ears of the media – in fact, less than a day. The terms “flying saucer” and “flying disk” all-but-immediately became the talk of 1947. Today, the term “UFO” is far more popular than the now largely antiquated flying saucer. Now, to the Men in in Black, those skinny, pale, cadaverous creeps who follow UFO witnesses.
(Nick Redfern) M.I.B.: Stay away
Although the latter part of the 1940s proved to be a period in which sightings of apparent unearthly craft abounded, it wasn’t until the early 1950s that the Men in Black stepped out of the shadows – in force –and set about snaring us, manipulating us, and ultimately digesting us. And, no, the “digesting” term is not an exaggeration. Over the years there have been numerous investigators of the Men in Black phenomenon, such as UFO researchers Gray Barker, Jim Keith, and Harold Fulton – all of whom are now long gone. None of them, however, came anywhere close to Albert K. Bender – the man without whom our knowledge of the MIB and their agenda would be sorely lacking, and who created the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB). Born in 1922, Bender was someone who served his country during the Second World War in the United States Army Air Corps. Post-World War Two, Bender lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in a somewhat creepy-looking old house that stood at what was, at the time, the junction of Broad Street and North Frontage Road. Today, the house is no more, the secrets it once held now being just memories and stories in books.
Adding to the creepy atmosphere, Bender lived in the attic. Of course! Where else? As a fan of the worlds of sci-fi-, fictional horror (H.P. Lovecraft was one of Bender’s favorites), and the real world of the paranormal, Bender radically altered his attic-room into what he termed his “Chamber of Horrors.” Paintings of grotesque monsters filled the walls. Imagery of skulls and black cats abounded. A gothic-style painting of an old cemetery dominated the room. And, plastic spiders hung from the ceiling. Then, there was Bender’s altar – it was at the foot of that unsettling place of worship that Bender would engage in infernal rites designed to provoke a supernatural response from…well…who knew what? Bender didn’t care what “it” was, he just wanted that reply. He got it, alright. He opened the kind of door that it’s never, ever wise to open. And, something came through.
As Albert Bender noted in his 1962 book, Flying Saucers and the Three Men (zero prizes for guessing who the “three men” were…), in practically no time after he called forth something supernatural from the other side, he was paid a visit. Yes, the Men in Black had picked up on Bender’s request for communication – and they responded in kind. Bender was replying to a mountain of mail from the readers of the latest issue of his Space Review magazine when he received his first visit of what, finally, amounted to several. It was late one night in 1953 when the MIB turned up. There was no slow, loud, knock at the door, though. Nor were any U.S. Government ID cards flashed. Bender’s Men in Black walked through the walls and door of the attic. They were blazing-eyed, skinny, pale monsters. Their mode of dress was black suits, black fedoras, skinny black-ties, black shoes, and crisp white shirts. Imagine a 1950s-era member of the Mafia mixed in with a liberal amount of a resurrected zombie that has seen better days, and the image swirling around your mind won’t be too far off what it was that Bender encountered.
As the Men in Black got closer, so Bender started to feel sick. Nausea overwhelmed him and an odor of sulfur filled the attic. Worse still, Bender felt himself becoming weak. His energy levels plummeted like those of a diabetic who has missed breakfast, lunch and dinner. He was freezing cold and the shakes had suddenly set in. Even in his hazy, sickly state, Bender couldn’t fail to see something which chilled him to the bone: the weaker he got, the brighter and more fiery the eyes of the terrible trio got. Weaker, brighter. Weaker, brighter. You get the picture. Bender certainly did. In a macabre and terrifying way…Albert Bender was, bit by bit, being eaten; devoured, even.
(Nick Redfern) The Men in Black: Beware of them
With Bender sprawled out on the bed, and as helpless as a newborn puppy, the Men in Black telepathically warned him to leave the UFO subject well alone. If he didn’t only something terrible would befall the man himself. The three turned on their heels (black, of course) and dematerialized as mysteriously as they had first appeared. Bender was no fool: he knew that if he didn’t quit chasing flying saucers that the MIB were surely likely to turn his life into a living hell. But, the allure of the space-beings and their silvery, saucer-shaped craft was way too strong. So, it was all but inevitable that Bender would get another visit. And another. He did. Things got worse and worse: like those ghoulish drivers who can’t keep their eyes off of a fatal car accident on the highway, the MIB couldn’t keep away from Bender: they would always arrive at night and hover over the bed, as Bender fell into that same state of sudden illness and weakness that hit him on the first occasion. And then, Bender decides he's going to quit the UFO scene. It doesn't surprise me.
By the second visit, Bender’s health was suffering significantly: he had gotten progressively weaker. He started to develop stomach problems. From his descriptions, it may have been ulcers and a dose of ulcerative-colitis. His energy levels had fallen off the scale and he lost weight. He was constantly out of breath. And migraines plagued him day and night. As for those MIB? Well, their eyes just proceeded to get brighter and brighter with every visit. It didn’t take Bender long to realize that he was effectively being bled dry. It was, in a strange way, very similar to the actions of those black-cloaked vampires who drained bevies of buxom babes of their blood in the likes of Universal Studios’ 1931 version of Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi. In a very strange state of twisted irony, the movie was one of Bender’s all-time favorites.
Come the third visit, Bender was not in a good condition at all: he was now seeing the MIB in the darkened streets of town. They would stand on the street-corner, leering at him – entities that no-one but Bender could see. The stomach problems were getting worse. He was losing more weight. Bender knew he had to do something. And, he did. Bender, albeit somewhat reluctantly, walked away from UFOs and closed down Space Review. Bender shut the doors on the International Flying Saucer Bureau, too, and quit the subject. He made a very brief reappearance in 1962, to write the aforementioned Flying Saucers and the Three Men, after which he left the subject behind and never returned. From the 1960s, and until his death in 2016, Bender was, when it came to UFOs, permanently AWOL. Albert Bender was not only the man who effectively birthed the MIB enigma; he was also the first person to astutely realize that the Men in Black were feeding on him. And, on who knew how many more people? Bender didn’t even want to think about that.
So, what did happen to Albert Bender? He walked away from UFOs and began corresponding with an Englishwoman named Betty Rose, who had subscribed to Bender’s journal. They actually corresponded for a number of years, finally marrying and settling down in the States and running a motel in California; but not before Betty came to visit Bender in New York – a period that totally changed his life. As Bender put it, when it was time for Betty to fly back to the U.K.: “As she walked up the stairs to enter the plane, she gave me one last wave, then moved quickly through the doorway. A strange feeling hit my stomach. I stood there still waving and could not move from the spot until I saw the plane taxi to the runway and take off. As the plane vanished in the distance I realized I had left something important undone, an unasked question which she now had no opportunity to hear from my lips. And so it was that I found out, for the first time, that I was in love.” Marriage in 1954 to Betty, emotional stability, and a complete end to ill-health, were – thankfully - the orders of the day (Despite his worries about his health, Bender lived to the ripe old age of ninety-four, no less). The M.I.B. were gone. UFOs were finally behind Bender – for a while, as will soon become clear. And, as time progressed, Bender set up yet another project; a very different one: he established the Max Steiner Music Society. Steiner wrote the music for, among others, the original King Kong, Casablanca, and Gone with the Wind and became a great friend to Bender. The organization ran until 1981.
It has to be said that although Bender fled the UFO scene, it certainly didn’t prevent his fellow UFO researchers from still digging into those claims Bender made of M.I.B. threats in 1952/1953. In 1956 Gray Barker – author, publisher, cinema-booker and publisher of dubious tomes – wrote a book on Bender’s experiences of a few years earlier. It was titled They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers. Notably, Barker largely backed-away from the paranormal aspect of the Bender affair – mainly because Bender had not shared with him the full story. Barker, then, was forced to fill in the gaps. In doing so, he presented the three mysterious men as agents of the U.S. government.
For Barker, that was no problem: he was known for his ability to, ahem, “embellish” stories when such a thing was required. Hunter S. Thompson-style “Gonzo”-type writing became more and more present in Barker’s writings. Unfortunately, as time went on, embellishment became outright lying – and all for the sake of an exciting page-turner. Such is the nature in certain portions of They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers. After Barker’s hardback hit the bookshelves, Bender made a tactful retreat. That is, however, until 1962. That was the year in which Bender made a brief comeback with his very own book on the controversy. It was titled Flying Saucers and the Three Men. No guesses who those three characters were. The book is a bizarre one. And it’s also one that Bender almost certainly regretted writing. It's fair to say that Bender - looking back at things and all his illness - wished he never got in the UFO field. And specifically the Men in Black phenomenon.
The UFO is between two tall canyon walls, hidden there for a long time, since we can clearly see two areas on each side where landslides took place on the front top of the UFO. The UFO really stands out and is easy to make out since its hull is made of an entirely different material than the asteroid. The metal hull of the ship looks like its a very powerful material to withstand the debris and the sharpness of the surface of the astroid. I don't think it landed here for fun or research, it looks like it crashed landed. Its tilted to once side and stuck in a crevice. So yeah, defiantly crash landed, so if the aliens were not rescued, either they are still there after thousands of years if their ship can provide enough life-support, or they died and are entombed within. But if this technology was recovered, it would give humanity a thousand years jump in technology overnight. We would be able to build cities on any planet, any moon in our solar system and beyond.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:Ruins, strange artifacts on other planets, moons, ed ( Fr, EN, NL )
UFO Seen Over Jakarta, Indonesia On April 13, 2023, UFO Sighting News. Video
UFO Seen Over Jakarta, Indonesia On April 13, 2023, UFO Sighting News. Video
Date of sighting: April 13, 2023
Location of sighting: Jakarta, Indonesia, USA
Source: MUFON
Some viewers are calling this UFO a tictac, which is shaped like the candy. Very true, many UFOs do have a tictac appearance, even disks seen from the side appear as this tictac shape. The eyewitness seemed to be confused at that he was looking at saying...is it a jet, nah, at one point in the video. Whatever it is it has no wings, no tail, no contrail, no windows or lights. This seems like a UFO trying to disguise as a plane, make itself fit in that way, yet its doesn't fit in at all.
Scott C. Waring - Taiwan
Eyewitness states:
Object 1st appeared near the sky line, was Cigar Shaped sometimes almost looked like a saucer. It was traveling from the SW towards the NE (30 degrees) at a steady speed below the clouds. Weather was mostly clear with strong West winds. This occurred just as the sun had set. There was no sounds or flashing lights. I filmed this at the maximum zoom on my hand phone...
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 73 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
