Given the potential impact of what we might find in the Venusian atmosphere, any mission designs that allow us to capture a large amount of information about a wide swath of it would be welcome. Dr. Balcerski and his colleagues think they have advanced the LEAVES concept to a Technology Readiness Level of 3-4. However, they haven’t yet received further support for LEAVES, and development appears to be on hold. But, given the increasing interest in exploring the Venusian atmosphere, perhaps it’s time to look at this lightweight, inexpensive way of doing so again.

Learn More:

• Balcerski et al. – LEAVES: Lofted Environmental and Atmospheric Venus Sensors
• UT – There are Mysteries at Venus. It’s Time for an Astrobiology Mission
• UT – Scientists Have Re-Analyzed Their Data and Still See a Signal of Phosphine at Venus. Just Less of it
• UT – The Clouds of Venus Could Support Life

Lead Image:

• Artist’s depiction of several LEAVES falling through Venus’s atmosphere.
  Credit – Balcerski et al.

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 20:50 geschreven door peter  

For ISS Astronauts, Digestive Issues Are Surprisingly Common — And A Very Big Problem

In space, no one can hear your leaky gut.

by Doris Elín Urrutia

 

NASA/Getty Images News/Getty Images

In short, we can’t stomach it.

Biodata from astronauts and rodents in space are revealing that being up there significantly increases a major digestive issue called gut permeability.

Thursday’s lineup at the International Space Station Research & Development Conference in Boston included a presentation from University of Florida PhD student Oluwamayowa Akinsuyi. After looking at several datasets from NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Akinsuyi’s team found a “substantial reduction” in the expression of genes that maintain our intestinal barrier.

“Our findings on this project underscore the critical need to develop effective countermeasures to treat gastrointestinal (GI) health during long-duration spaceflight, “Akinsuyi said in a July 20 presentation about the same work. “And also one key thing our work pointed out is that there is clearly more work that is needed to increase awareness about the problem of leaky gut during space flight.”

It Takes Guts

The human body takes a big risk when we eat. Many times a day, it’s exposed to potentially harmful substances that hitch a ride alongside the good stuff in food and medicine. The gastrointestinal tract operates in a delicately robust fashion consisting of two layers to transport water and nutrients into the rest of the body, secrete other material out, and, all the while, keep out harmful substances like bacteria and toxins.

When the GI tract is in a good groove, that’s intestinal homeostasis. Without homeostasis, when the gut barrier is too permeable, inflammation and a host of diseases can appear. This is called leaky gut.

Akinsuyi analyzed five datasets from the NASA Genelab program. Genetic information from astronauts and rodents that were flown into space seems to suggest that spaceflight alters the gene expression that prevents leaky gut.

The astronauts and rodents experienced an imbalance in their gut microbiome, which is associated with increased intestinal pathogens and decreased beneficial microbes.

“Osteoporosis ... can be worsened by gut microbes and also a weak gut barrier.”

A lack of intestinal integrity could trigger disorders like inflammatory bowel disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and bone loss.

“Osteoporosis is a big problem astronauts experience during spaceflight, and this can be worsened by gut microbes and also a weak gut barrier,” according to Akinsuyi. The inflammatory response from leaky gut can “ultimately alter bone remodeling and result in bone loss,” he added.

Spaceflight is previously known to have an effect on gene expression and bone loss. If astronaut tummies are also connected to these phenomena, research into long-duration missions may have to continue in the few years that the ISS has left in orbit.

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 20:00 geschreven door peter  

Climate Tipping Points Are Unpredictable And Miss The Point, Says New Study

Trying to make precise time estimates for major tipping points may be completely futile.

by Lauren Leffer

 

guenterguni/E+/Getty Images

There are many certainties in climate sciences: It’s certain that climate change is occurring and that it’s having serious negative impacts on Earth’s equilibrium and ecosystems. As human-caused greenhouse gas emissions continue and global warming unfolds, it’s also well-established that we’re getting closer to crossing important thresholds, or tipping points, past which we face inevitable collapse of planetary stabilizing systems like the major forests or ice sheets. At a tipping point, a small change in one variable like atmospheric temperature or precipitation triggers a big fall-out, such as the irreversible changeover of the world’s largest tropical rainforest into dry grassland or unstoppable polar melt and sea level rise. We know that by continuing to burn fossil fuels, we’re increasing the risk that these things could happen.

But what’s far less definite is when, exactly, we’ll plummet off those precipices, according to the new analysis. A subset of recent climate science has focused on developing models to predict the timing of future major events. Yet these projections are subject to too much variance to be meaningful — in large part because of the many assumptions modelers have to make to come to any one number or range.

“The uncertainties are too large to reliably estimate tipping times.”

“Even under the assumption that a given Earth system component has an approaching tipping point, the uncertainties are too large to reliably estimate tipping times,” write the study authors.

The researchers focus in on the particular example of the gulf stream, known to scientists as the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Broadly: the AMOC is a massive marine current that moves cold, deep water south and warm, surface water north on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The thermal conveyor belt helps to equalize global temperatures, rainfall, and sea levels. Without it, Europe would be much colder, the southern hemisphere would be much warmer with longer dry seasons, and parts of the U.S. eastern seaboard would be under water.

Worrying data on sea surface temperature and ocean sediments published in 2018 indicates that AMOC has slowed to a 1,500 year low. Other research indicates AMOC is showing early warning signs of destabilization. Most alarming of all was a 2023 study published in the journal Nature Communications that predicted AMOC would collapse around the middle of this century (i.e. within decades). That paper prompted lots of media coverage and both supportive and skeptical responses from the scientific community.

The new study is, in a way, another response to the 2023 article — but also to the field of tipping point modeling broadly. The researchers identified four uncertainties inherent in current modeling processes, which they say makes homing in on accurate time estimates impossible. First, models are simplified and we don’t have a perfect understanding of all of the variables involved in these systems. Second, models often rely on assuming past warming and emissions will continue following the same pattern as the past, which isn’t reflective of reality. Third, indirect indicators like sea surface temperature might not be 1:1 assessments of the stability of complex systems like AMOC. Finally, sparse historic data or contemporary data from multiple sources often leaves scientists filling in gaps and processing data to align — inevitably introducing errors.

They revisited the models used to come up with that mid-century AMOC collapse prediction published in 2023, and made adjustments in accordance with the above uncertainties, testing how slightly different parameters or inputs would change the outcome. The scientists found that, under certain scenarios, their altered models predict AMOC collapse by 2050. But in others, their timing predictions stretched more than 6,000 years in the future to an AMOC collapse forecast in the year 8065.

“The conclusions of this study are certainly in line with my understanding of the current state of the art,” says Gavin Schmidt, a climate scientist and professor at Columbia University and the director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Schmidt was not involved in the new work, but has extensively researched climate variability and systems like AMOC. “I have not been impressed by previous or recent efforts to predict upcoming tipping points in either AMOC or ice sheets — there is more going on than just patterns in time series and we still don’t have sufficiently complex and calibrated models to have a robust idea of what will happen,” he tells Inverse.

“I have not been impressed by previous or recent efforts to predict upcoming tipping points,” says Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s GISS

Additional research and longer-term data collection could improve modeling moving forward, the study authors note, but there will always be some degree of uncertainty. And in the present, models that can tell us an Earth-changing tipping point will come tomorrow or in 6,000 years aren’t particularly useful.

“Our research is both a wake-up call and a cautionary tale,”said Maya Ben-Yami, lead study author and a doctoral researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, in a press statement. “There are things we still can’t predict, and we need to invest in better data and a more in-depth understanding of the systems in question. The stakes are too high to rely on shaky predictions.”

At the base of climate modeling is the idea that, if we could know for sure we’re headed towards imminent catastrophe, we might redouble our efforts to shift course. Yet we already know plenty to understand that moving away from fossil fuels is critical to avoid ever-worsening consequences.

The new study doesn’t mean that AMOC won’t collapse this century, nor that the Amazon rainforest isn’t on track to become a savannah, nor that Greenland and Antarctica aren’t headed towards runaway melting. All it means is that any of those things could happen and we aren’t able to know when.

“The large uncertainties imply that we need to be even more cautious than if we were able to precisely estimate a tipping time,” said Niklas Boers, study co-author and a professor of Earth system modeling at the Technical University of Munich, in the press release. “We still need to do everything we can to reduce our impact on the climate, first and foremost by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Even if we can’t predict tipping times, the probability for key Earth system components to tip still increases with every tenth of a degree of warming.”

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 19:51 geschreven door peter  

 Augustus MUFON eNewsletter- met de maandelijkse waarnemingsstatistieken!!

NATIONS OF THE WORLD UNITED STATES 327 CANADA 19 UNITED KINGDOM 13 GERMANY 11 FRANCE 10 AUSTRALIA 7 ITALY 2 SLOVENIA 2 MEXICO 2 IRELAND 2 INDIA 2 BRAZIL 2 INDONESIA 1 ARGENTINA 1 NETHERLANDS 1 PHILIPPINES 1 POLAND 1 ROMANIA 1 GIBRALTAR 1 SWEDEN 1 AUSTRIA 1 VIRGIN ISLANDS, U.S. 1 YEMEN 1   TOTAL:410 SHAPE Circle 69 Sphere 60 Other 32 Triangle 29 Unknown 28 Oval 25 Disc 24 Cigar 17 Tic Tac 15 Star-like 13 Square/Rectangular 12 Cylinder 10 Diamond 7 Bullet/Missile 6 Boomerang 6 Flash 5 Chevron 4 Fireball 4 N/A 3 Teardrop 2 Cone 2 Egg 1 Cross 1 Blimp 1 STATES OF THE USA California 36 Texas 23 Florida 22 Arizona 15 Pennsylvania 13 New York 13 Michigan 13 Colorado 12 Virginia 10 Ohio 10 Nevada 10 Missouri 9 Wisconsin 9 Georgia 9 New Mexico 8 Massachusetts 8 Minnesota 8 Tennessee 7 New Jersey 7 Indiana 6 Washington 5 North Carolina 5 Illinois 5 Oregon 5 Kentucky 5 Utah 5 Alabama 4 Oklahoma 4 South Dakota 4 Idaho 4 New Hampshire 3 South Carolina 3 Nebraska 3 Montana 3 Maryland 3 Iowa 3 West Virginia 2 Arkansas 2 Maine 2 Louisiana 2 Alaska 1 Connecticut 1 Rhode Island 1 Delaware 1 Mississippi 1 Kansas 1 DISTANCE < 100 ft 55 101-500 ft 39 501 ft - 1 Mile 82 Over 1 Mile 75 Unknown 59 NO VALUE 9 Most impressively there were 11 Landings, Hovering, or Takeoffs reported and 25 Entities observed.

{  https://mufon.com }

05-08-2024 om 19:37 geschreven door peter  

Video Appears To Show ‘UFO’ Flying By Air Force One At Los Angeles International Airport

Kay Smythe - News and Commentary Writer

A report published Thursday claims a UFO was spotted in the skies above President Joe Biden while he flew into LAX on Air Force One on October 10.

A video shared on social media in December apparently shows a silvery white object flying extremely close to Air Force One as Biden landed in LAX for a fundraiser back in October, according to the Daily Mail. The outlet published several still photographs of the object, which whizzes past the President

{ https://dailycaller.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 19:24 geschreven door peter  

Two Major UFO Mysteries May Have Been ‘Solved’ After Decades

A British UFO researcher claimed Monday that he had finally “solved” two of Great Britain’s biggest mysteries.

UFO researcher Mark Christopher Lee told the Express he believes the Rendlesham UFO incident and Calvine UFO photographs may be the result of early prototype aircraft used by both British and U.S. military, despite Ufologists describing them as two shining examples of unexplained events.

“From going through all these documents there seems to have been a lot of sightings of diamond shaped crafts since the 1970’s and especially around UK military bases,” Lee told the outlet, claiming he’s gone through some other dude’s UFO files, so … yeah … reliable (not really). “There seems to be a connection — is the Calvin UFO a secret military technology either of ours or an adversary that has been kept secret? Why is this diamond shaped craft seemingly accompanied by military jets?”

The Calvine UFO incident is literally just six photographs taken by two hikers in Scotland in 1990 of a diamond-shaped craft hurtling through the skies, followed closely by two Harrier jets. The photos entered UFO lore after the hikers sent them to the Scottish Daily Record, which never published them. The photos only reach public knowledge in 1996 after former Ministry of Defense civil servant Nick Pope revealed them.

“Calvine was only about a hundred miles from the secretive RAF base at Machrihanish, on the Kintyre Peninsula, and this was where a US spy plane codenamed Aurora was rumoured to be operating,” Pope said of the photographs. “It’s noteworthy that the Calvine UFO was spotted just two days after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, so that may be a big clue.”

“Here are just a few examples of this diamond-shaped craft that started appearing in the late 1970s into the 1980s and was maybe the same craft or type of craft that was photographed at Calvine in Scotland,” Lee continued. “Are we dealing with our technology that is still secret or is it extra terrestrial but the MOD and the military know about it?” 

• (RELATED: Expert Claims NASA ‘Quietly Funding’ Theological Conferences Over Fears Of ‘Demonic’ UFOs)

Here’s the issue, though: There are no real reports of a diamond-shaped craft during the Rendlesham UFO incident.

Rendlesham UFO Encounter

The story of Rendlesham is basically that a bunch of military personnel working at the Twin Bases in the U.K., most of whom were actually American troops, allegedly saw a UFO. In all likelihood, British soldiers who were bored over the Christmas holidays in 1980 pranked the troops.

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“He said there was a sighting prior to [Rendlesham] by two men standing on the seafront at night in Suffolk about 20 miles from RAF Coltishall when they sighted what appears to be the same diamond shaped craft fly over the coast and this too was silent. Their sighting was about 12 months after mine,” said British police officer Brett Lyne, who witnessed what he believes was a diamond UFO just before the Rendlesham incident. 

• (RELATED: UFOs Showed Up During The Solar Eclipse)

In all likelihood, the diamond-shaped UFO was almost definitely just prototypical military tech. Most UFO sightings are probably linked to global militaries. And until the little green men come on down, I’ll remain a skeptic about it all.

{ https://dailycaller.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 18:21 geschreven door peter  

That makeup explains why DART’s impact made such a such a surprising change in Dimorphos’ orbital period, decreasing it by about 34 minutes. A collection of boulders is easier to shift than a solid object.

Several DART researchers published five papers in Nature Communications, looking at the geology and geophysics of Didymos and Dimorphos as seen by DART.

“These findings give us new insights into the ways that asteroids can change over time,” said Thomas Statler, lead scientist for Solar System Small Bodies at NASA Headquarters in Washington, in a NASA press release. “This is important not just for understanding the near-Earth objects that are the focus of planetary defense, but also for our ability to read the history of our Solar System from these remnants of planet formation. This is just part of the wealth of new knowledge we’ve gained from DART.”

In “The geology and evolution of the Near-Earth binary asteroid system (65803) Didymos,” Olivier Barnouin, Ronald-Louis Ballouz, also of APL, and their team were able to determine the disparate ages of Didymos and Dimorphos. They also found that both objects have weak surface characteristics, which very likely contributed to DART’s significant impact on the moonlet’s orbit.

“The images and data that DART collected at the Didymos system provided a unique opportunity for a close-up geological look at a near-Earth asteroid binary system,” said Barnouin, in a press release from APL. “From these images alone, we were able to infer a great deal of information on geophysical properties of both Didymos and Dimorphos, and expand our understanding of the formation of these two asteroids. We also better understand why DART was so effective in moving Dimorphos.”

Images captured by DART and its cubesat companion the LICIACube – contributed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI)  — showed Dimorphos’ topography covered with boulders of varying sizes, while the larger asteroid Didymos was smoother at lower elevations, though rocky at higher elevations. It also had more craters than Dimorphos. The authors inferred that Dimorphos likely spun off from Didymos in a large mass shedding event.

This was confirmed in another paper, “Evidence for multi-fragmentation and mass shedding of boulders on rubble-pile binary asteroid system (65803) Didymos.” Maurizio Pajola, of the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Rome, and team show how both Didymos and Dimorphos are mainly comprised of a collection of boulders. This team concluded that the formation of Dimorphos likely came as Didymos shed material, creating a new asteroid moonlet.

“The size-frequency distribution of boulders larger than 5 meters on Dimorphos and larger than 22.8 meters on Didymos confirms that both asteroids are piles of fragments produced in the catastrophic disruption of their progenitors,” the team wrote. “This finding supports the hypothesis that some asteroid binary systems form through the spin up and mass shedding of a fraction of the primary asteroid.”

In another paper, “Fast boulder fracturing by thermal fatigue detected on stony asteroids” Alice Lucchetti, also of INAF, and colleagues found that the size and distribution of boulders on Dimorphos is consistant with thermal fatigue, which is the gradual weakening and cracking of a material caused by heat. This could rapidly break up boulders on the surface of Dimorphos, generating surface lines and altering the physical characteristics of this type of asteroid more quickly than previously thought. The DART mission was likely the first observation of such a phenomenon on this type of asteroid.

Thermal fatigue could also have a bearing on what happens if this type of asteroid would need to be deflected for planetary defense.

“The presence of boulder fields affected by thermal fracturing on near-Earth asteroid surfaces may contribute to an enhancement in the ejected mass and momentum from kinetic impactors when deflecting asteroids,” the authors wrote.

Another paper, “The bearing capacity of asteroid (65803) Didymos estimated from boulder tracks” led by students Jeanne Bigot and Pauline Lombardo of ISAE-SUPAERO in Toulouse, France show that the bearing capacity — the surface’s ability to support applied loads of asteroid Didymos’ surface is only 0.1% that of dry sand on Earth. NASA said that this is considered an important parameter for understanding and predicting the response of a surface, including for the purposes of displacing an asteroid.

Finally, “Mechanical properties of rubble pile asteroids through surface boulder morphological analysis” by Colas Robin, also of ISAE-SUPAERO, and co-authors analyzed the surface boulders on Dimorphos, comparing them with those on other rubble pile asteroids, including Itokawa, Ryugu and Bennu. The researchers found “stiking similarities” the boulders on all four asteroids, suggesting they all formed and evolved in a similar fashion, and were also changed by impacts. This data, too, informs future planetary defense missions or attempts at impactor missions.

“Planetary defense efforts rely on estimates of the mechanical properties of asteroids, which are difficult to constrain accurately from Earth,” the team wrote. “The mechanical properties of asteroid material are also important in the interpretation of the DART impact.”  

All the DART researchers team will continue to observe and study DART’s impact. Additionally, another spacecraft will launch in 2024 to study Dimorphos even closer. ESA’s Hera mission should arrive at Didymos and Dimorphos in December 2026. Hera will undertake a detailed study of Dimorphos to understand more deeply how the impact affected it.

• The Geology and Evolution of the Near-Earth Binary Asteroid System (65803) Didymos
• Evidence for Multi-Fragmentation and Mass Shedding of Boulders on Rubble-Pile Binary Asteroid System (65803) Didymos
• Fast Boulder Fracturing by Thermal Fatigue Detected on Stony Asteroids
• The Bearing Capacity of Asteroid (65803) Didymos Estimated from Boulder Tracks
• Mechanical Properties of Rubble Pile asteroids (Dimorphos, Itokawa, Ryugu, and Bennu) Through Surface Boulder Morphological Analysis

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 17:38 geschreven door peter  

Bell-Shaped UFO Spotted Over Götzis, Austria 1-Aug-2024

In an intriguing development for UFO enthusiasts, a bell-shaped UFO was reportedly sighted over Götzis in Vorarlberg, Austria, on August 1, 2024. The sighting has sparked curiosity and discussion, adding another entry to the growing list of UFO sightings worldwide.

Witness Account of the UFO Sighting

The witness, a local resident, initially thought the object might be a hot air balloon, which is not uncommon in the area. However, upon closer inspection, they noticed distinct differences. “It didn’t look like a hot air balloon because it was too straight on the sides and not really round,” the witness explained. “I’m no expert, but I just thought it was interesting.”

Despite being unable to capture footage due to a prior engagement, the witness described the object as bell-shaped, a form not typically associated with traditional aircraft or known aerial phenomena. This unique shape adds to the mystery, prompting questions about the object’s origins and purpose.

A Closer Look at the Sighting

UFO sightings in Austria, particularly in Vorarlberg, are relatively rare, making this event noteworthy. The area is known for its scenic landscapes and tranquil environment, not for unexplained aerial phenomena. This latest sighting over Götzis contributes to the ongoing global conversation about the existence of extraterrestrial life and unidentified flying objects.

Public Reaction and Speculation

The sighting has led to widespread speculation among UFO enthusiasts and skeptics alike. While some suggest it could be a misidentified aircraft or drone, others believe it might be evidence of extraterrestrial activity. The bell-shaped design is reminiscent of past UFO sightings, further fueling debates and theories.

Local residents have expressed mixed reactions. Some are intrigued and hopeful for more information, while others remain skeptical, attributing the sighting to a more conventional explanation. The lack of additional reports or video evidence adds to the enigma, leaving room for various interpretations.

VIDEO:

• https://youtu.be/dtLNWiM_nDE

As this story continues to unfold, the UFO sighting over Götzis, Austria, remains an exciting topic for UFO enthusiasts and researchers. Whether it’s a case of misidentification or a genuine extraterrestrial encounter, the sighting adds to the ever-growing list of UFO sightings worldwide. As we await further details and potential corroboration, this incident serves as a reminder of the vastness and mystery of our skies.

Be sure to watch the accompanying video to witness the account firsthand and join the conversation about this fascinating sighting. Keep your eyes on the skies, as the truth might just be out there.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

05-08-2024 om 17:36 geschreven door peter  

They also allow for the possibility of meteorite impacts, which are also known to create high-temperature and high-pressure environments similar to volcanic activity. As they state in their paper:

“Graphene is embedded as individual flakes or formed as part of a carbon shell enclosing the mineral particles. Our result reveals one typical structure of indigenous carbon in the Moon and its formation mechanism has been proposed. This finding may reinvent the understanding of chemical components, geography episodes and the history of the Moon.”

These findings could also have a tremendous impact on research here on Earth, where graphene is being investigated for applications ranging from electronics and mechanics to materials science. As they indicate in their study, this study could lead to new methods for inexpensively producing the material and offer additional opportunities for lunar exploration:

“The identification of graphene in the core–shell structure suggests a bottom-up synthesis process rather than exfoliation, which generally involves a high-temperature catalytic reaction. Therefore, a formation mechanism of few-layer graphene and graphitic carbon is proposed here…

“In turn, the mineral-catalysed formation of natural graphene sheds light on the development of low-cost scalable synthesis techniques for high-quality graphene. Therefore, a new lunar exploration program may be promoted and some forthcoming breakthroughs can be expected.”

These findings could also prove useful for future missions that will lead to the development of permanent infrastructure on the lunar surface. This includes NASA’s Artemis Program, which aims to create a “sustained program of lunar exploration and development.” There’s also the ESA’s Moon Village initiative and China and Russia’s plan for an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). In addition to exploration and scientific research, these programs could conduct experiments on the properties and uses of graphene, which could include the manufacture of lunar habitats!

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

05-08-2024 om 16:56 geschreven door peter  

Story by Ashley Hamer

 

The Milky Way is just a speck in a universe filled with an untold number of galaxies. But if we had to take an educated guess, how many galaxies are in the universe?

That sounds like a simple question, but it's anything but. The first problem is that even with our most powerful telescopes, we can see only a tiny fraction of the universe.

"The observable universe is only that part of the universe from which the light has had time to reach us," astrophysicist Kai Noeske, now outreach officer at the European Space Agency, told Live Science.

The universe is 13.8 billion years old, but the observable universe stretches more than 13.8 light-years in every direction. That's because the universe is expanding and light got a head start early on, when the universe was smaller

That's much smaller than even our smallest estimates of the entire universe. "We see at most 3% of the universe," Pamela Gay, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, told Live Science.

Related: 

• Why are galaxies different shapes?

• https://youtu.be/LxCD4FYcvBo

The second problem is that there are so many galaxies that we can only make estimates of the total number based on what we can observe in small regions of the universe.

"You look at a small patch of the sky, and you count everything in that small patch and then multiply over the size of the sky," Gay said.

But even that requires a cutoff. "What do we define [as] a galaxy?" Noeske said. "We have really giant galaxies that have to have a factor of 10 more" the mass of our galaxy, "and we have a lot of small galaxies, from lower-mass galaxies that have about 10 times less mass … down all the way to dwarf galaxies."

At some point, scientists need to define a minimum mass for a galaxy to make estimates possible.

"If we set a mass cutoff and try to make this conservative, like a million solar masses, we end up with an average number of galaxies in the universe from the beginning to today of about 1 to 2 trillion," Noeske said. Scientists think there were more galaxies earlier in the universe's history than there are today, which is why galaxy estimates are an average over time.

"But those results come from the Hubble [telescope] — the James Webb Space Telescope is starting to speak to these results — which are near Earth, inside of our solar system, and are limited on what they can see by all the stuff in our solar system that adds light to the sky," Gay said. "We do have one spacecraft with a camera that has gotten beyond all the garbage within our solar system, and that's the New Horizons spacecraft."

A 2021 study used the camera aboard New Horizons to measure the total amount of light in various patches of sky and estimated how many galaxies would be needed to create that much light.

"And suddenly, as they're outside of all the light sources in our solar system, they realize we don't need as many galaxies as we thought," Gay said. "And so their estimates put us at, like, 200 billion, maybe even 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe.

"So somewhere between 2 trillion galaxies at the top edge and 100 billion at the lower edge is the number of galaxies in our observable universe," she said.

If you assume that's 3% — at most — of our universe, you can multiply that range of galaxies to get the total number of galaxies in the universe. If we're seeing less of the universe than we think, there will be a smaller total number of galaxies.

But considering we don't actually know the size of the universe, those estimates are murky. "If it's an infinite universe, you're going to have infinite galaxies," Gay said.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/topic/Science/ }

05-08-2024 om 01:35 geschreven door peter  

©NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Evidence of Ancient Life on Mars Confirmed by NASA Rover
A discovery made by NASA’s Perseverance rover may have just confirmed ancient life on Mars.

Because of the rover’s Mars exploration, scientists have discovered an extremely exciting rock. This rock has evidence suggesting the presence of ancient tiny martians!

©NASA / JPL / MSSS

A Necessary Clarification
The NASA scientists working on the Perseverance rover mission wish to clarify that they are not claiming to have definitely found life on Mars. However, the rover has just found a rock that is very likely to have fossilized remains of microbial martians within it.

Kathryn Stack Morgan, the mission’s deputy project scientist, explains, “What we are saying is that we have a potential biosignature on Mars.”

©NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

What is a Biosignature?
According to Morgan, a biosignature is a structure, composition, or texture in a rock that has the potential of being of biological origin.

The rock that Perseverance has just discovered is being dubbed Cheyava Falls by scientists. Cheyava Falls was likely part of an ancient martian river delta. It has features left behind from microbes—from when the area was wet and warm several billion years ago.

©Getty Images via Canva / buradaki

The Possibility of Finding Life on Mars
Martian rocks could hold important clues about ancient life on Mars. Scientists have long-wondered if there was life on the planet when it had flowing water and a dense atmosphere.

Kenneth Farley, the mission’s project scientist and a professor of geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, said that the Cheyava Falls discovery “is, for me at least, the most compelling rock that we have collected so far.” The scientists hope to bring the rock to Earth for study. According to Dr. Farley, if a sample is successfully brought back home, “it has the potential to really get at the question.”

©Pexels / Rudy Kirchner

Finding Organic Compounds
Organic compounds provide the building blocks for life. Perseverance’s instruments detected organic compounds within Cheyava Falls.

Mineral deposits of calcium sulfate in the rock appear to have been deposited by flowing water. Liquid water is another necessary component for life as we know it.

©NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Leopard Spotted Rocks
Another interesting find on the rock are small leopard-spot-like shapes. These rock spots are small whitish splotches—about a millimeter in size—that have black rings around them.

The spots’ black rings contain iron phosphate. Additionally, the ancient chemical reactions that created the leopard spots could also have provided energy for microbes.

©Pixabay / BlenderTimer

The Importance of Organic Compounds
Molecules that contain carbon and hydrogen are called organic compounds. The detection of organic compounds means that the presence of life is likely.

However, the presence of organic compounds in the Cheyava Falls rock could have many possible explanations. For example, organic compounds can also be created by geological processes like hydrothermal events, which are not connected to the presence of life.

©NASA / Perseverance Mars Rock Samples

Collecting Rock Samples

An important part of Perseverance’s mission is to drill samples of a variety of interesting Mars rocks. Then, a future mission is planned to bring samples back to Earth for scientists to study.

The variety of rocks that have been collected by Perseverance have the potential to answer a wide variety of questions about the Red Planet. Dr. Farley made sure to note that just because they hadn’t found biosignatures until now, it doesn’t mean that the mission had been a disappointment.

©NASA / Goddard Space Flight Center

A Long and Costly Trip Home
Unfortunately, getting the samples back to Earth is turning out to be a herculean task. The Mars sample return mission has hit major developmental and cost difficulties. It is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.

Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator, explained, “The bottom line is that $11 billion is too expensive… and not returning samples until 2040 is unacceptably too long.” What NASA chooses to do about the sample return mission will affect the future of Mars exploration. “We’re all in the same holding pattern waiting to see what might transpire,” Dr. Farley said.

©NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

Eventual Further Research
The Perseverance rover’s movements are limited, so scientists cannot give a more definite answer about the presence of life on Mars… until they are able to get the samples back to Earth. However, Perseverance is continuing to traverse Mars.

This discovery of a potential biosignature is very exciting, and the Perseverance rover’s findings may have just changed what we know about Mars. Alas, until the NASA scientists come up with a plan to get the samples back to Earth, we’ll just have to wait for upcoming updates.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/topic/Science/ }

05-08-2024 om 01:19 geschreven door peter  

Along with interdisciplinary dialogue, Eghigian told The Debrief that another aim of the Society’s event involves another of the subject’s most enduring problems.

“Speculation about UAP is often unmoored from any empirically sound and self-critical research,” Eghigian said. “The conference seeks to address this shortcoming by placing multidisciplinary scholarship about the subject center stage.”

Along with Peters and Eghigian’s workshop, several others that address various approaches toward studying UAP will be featured, including a session that focuses on the application of citizen science.

“The UAP Citizen Science Workshop is bringing together scientists from the UAP field and surveying the available resources and best practices for citizen science in general,” said Dan Williams, who coordinates the Society’s official Citizen Science Working Group.

Williams, who will lead the workshop, says such resources include SciStarter, Zooniverse, the NASA Citizen Science Seed Funding Program, commercial satellite Earth Observation imagery and analytics, ground-based instrumentation, smartphone apps, and self-supervised machine learning, or what he calls “needle-in-a-haystack” technologies.

“We hope the workshop participants can then author a paper on best practices and identify several citizen science projects of general interest. We have several members from the recent National Science Foundation’s ASTRO-ACCEL-sponsored UAP workshop participating, and we hope our workshop also advances their goal of forming a UAP citizen science working group,” Williams told The Debrief.

“The study of UAP deals with incomplete, inaccurate, and even at times deceptive information,” said Joshua Pierson, D.S.S., a career investigator who is also an advisor to the Society for UAP Studies. “The beauty of having a conference and an organization that focuses on bringing the social sciences and the humanities to bear is really where we start being able to assess what is inaccurate and incomplete,” Pierson said.

“Except now, instead of taking a practitioner’s approach, we have people who can think deeply on the subject to help inform some of the best models and methods to approach the information that we get on UAP,” Pierson told The Debrief.

Pierson says that in addition to applying the best models and research methods, a collective aim of academic groups like the Society for UAP Studies is also to define the phenomena more accurately. However, along with framing the phenomenon in academic terms, part of the aim of studying UAP from a humanities perspective also involves recognizing how people relate to UAP experiences and what overall impact the subject has on individuals, as well as at the societal level. 

“UAP have profound effects on the lives of those who witness them, and they also stimulate important questions about the nature of knowledge itself and the limitations of ourselves as knowers,” said Dr. Kim Engels, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University who is also on the Society’s Advisory Board. “Our conference is offering a space for philosophers and theologians to weigh in on these important dimensions of the UAP conversation.”

“One of the most important things I think the humanities supplies—at least the philosophy of science, my own tradition—is a sort of critical perspective on the ways in which people have come to interpret and study UAP,” Professor Cifone told The Debrief.

“I think we’re at an interesting moment here in terms of the science of UAP. There’s a kind of a turning point right here that I think we’re witnessing, and a science is forming out of a history of kind of abortive and failed attempts to bring to bear some kind of systematic scientific engagement with the question,” Cifone said.

If Cifone is correct, and the efforts by organizations like his, as well as those currently being undertaken by other academic groups and government agencies, are pointing to the emergence of a new area of study in the sciences, then groups like the Society may be some of the best-equipped to help guide the process.

“You know, there’s this in-between space that I think the humanities is really good at negotiating,” Cifone told The Debrief, adding that academics like those who will participate in the Society’s forthcoming conference could be particularly well suited to help the scientific community navigate the various challenges presented by such a complex field of study.

“This is, I think, where humanists can bring the scientists together,” Cifone said, “to discuss that kind of a difficult aspect to the phenomenon.”

The Society for UAP Studies will hold its online Summer Conference 2024, titled “Varieties and Trajectories of Contemporary UAP Studies,” from August 16 to August 18, 2024. Registration details and other information about the event can be found on the Society’s website.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/uap/ }

05-08-2024 om 00:34 geschreven door peter  

US Military Recovered UFO That ‘Distorted Space-Time’ & Craft Able To ‘Alter Our Reality’ As Mentioned In Bizarre Navy Docs

Physicist Michio Kaku proposes the existence of other dimensions, also known as parallel universes, coexisting alongside our own reality. Within these dimensions, it is plausible that there are beings or entities living alongside us, despite our inability to perceive them. While the concept of alternate dimensions or universes may seem far-fetched to some, it is intricately connected to the subject of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs), commonly referred to as UFO phenomena.

We live in a four-dimensional world (if time is included), but scientists propose there are more dimensions. However, they do not believe there can exist more than 11 dimensions because conditions become unstable and particles naturally collapse back down into 10 or 11 dimensions. The 12th dimension, for example, introduces a second time.

“Our understanding of reality is not complete, by far,” says Stanford University physicist Andrei Linde. “Reality exists independently of us.” If they exist, those universes are separated from ours, unreachable and undetectable by any direct measurement (at least so far). And that makes some experts question whether the search for a multiverse can ever be truly  scientific.

In the realm of  science, our quest for understanding alternate or higher dimensions remains ongoing. However, within the field of UFOlogy, intriguing cases have emerged suggesting the existence of not just other dimensions, but also the presence of entities residing within them. These beings seem to possess the ability to manipulate a bridge connecting their realm to ours, enabling them to embark on regular visits to our world.

Crashed UFO that ‘distorted space and time’

A very strange UFO case has been shared by American attorney Daniel Sheehan with Daily Mail. Sheehan involved in bringing UFO whistleblowers to Congress, claimed that a whistleblower told him a mind-boggling tale about a recovered crashed UFO. He revealed that a crashed UFO recovered by the US military had distorted space-time and was “bigger on the inside.” The whistleblower has reportedly briefed Senate Intelligence Committee staff on the matter.

According to Sheehan, one of the alleged recoveries described by the insider involved a 30-foot saucer partially embedded in the earth. When attempts were made to remove it using a bulldozer, the craft exhibited unusual behavior. As it was being pulled out, it seemingly detached in a pie slice-shaped section, suggesting that it was constructed in a unique way.

The anonymous whistleblower then entered the craft and was astonished to find that the interior was as large as a football stadium, while the exterior was only about 30 feet in diameter. The experience inside caused disorientation and nausea due to the vast size discrepancy. Furthermore, upon exiting the craft in a few minutes, the whistleblower found that four hours had passed outside, indicating time distortion as well.

Sheehan mentions that the craft’s distortion of space and time is consistent with the theories proposed by physicists regarding advanced propulsion systems. These theories suggest that warping space-time could be used to counteract the effects of gravity and achieve advanced forms of propulsion. However, Sheehan does not provide further specific details, such as the location or date of the incident, and admits to being unable to provide concrete evidence to support these claims.

Read also:

• Man Worked In Antarctica Saw Powerful Machines To Contact Alien Crafts In Deep Space
• Las Vegas UFO Crash Is Real, Claims Man Worked For NYPD: 10-Foot Alien Terrified Witness
• Ex-CIA Officer Encountered With Reptilian Alien; Says Reptilian Race Walking Among Us
• Whitley Strieber’s Alien Abduction & Stranger Who Told Him ‘Mankind Is Trapped

Moreover, on Jesse Michels’ show, astronomer and UFO researcher Jacques Vallee discussed another UFO case that includes experiencing another dimension by the witness. Valle said: “There was one case in San Jose. A woman had seen something over her house. It was a big disc, and I say, ‘How big was it?’ And she says, ‘Well, it was about the same size as her house. It was, you know, just like that.’ Then I say, ‘Well, when you went inside, you said, uh, you know, there was this being, and the being took you on a staircase.’ I say, ‘Where did the staircase go?’ Well, the staircase went up the side of this big round room. I say, ‘How would you compare it?’ Well, like a movie house, you know, like an M5 theater. I said, ‘That’s bigger than your house.’”

Luis Elizondo, the man who managed the UFO program inside the Pentagon, explains how space-time distortion works and hints that we can manipulate this physics for technological advancement. In an interview with George Knapp in 2018, Elizondo explains:

“Space-time is something we observe in the natural world all the time, especially in relation to gravity and GPS satellites. The clocks on these satellites need constant calibration. Even though the clocks on the satellites are identical to the ones on the ground station, they still require regular calibration. The reason for this is the effect of Earth’s gravity on space-time. The clocks on Earth run slightly slower compared to the clocks on the platforms above Earth.

How is this possible if the clocks are the same? Well, it’s because the closer you are to a massive object, like Earth, the more space-time warps. This phenomenon is explained by the theory of general relativity, which boils down to using the equation E=mc². Essentially, it means that a significant amount of mass or energy warps space-time. When you approach a supermassive object like the sun, the distortion becomes even greater. In fact, near a black hole, time becomes so distorted that it virtually stops.

We have observed this phenomenon through gravitational lensing when studying distant galaxies. We can actually see the effects of gravity on space-time with our own eyes, so it’s a  scientific fact, not fiction. The question now is how we can manipulate this physics for technological advancement. Potentially, we could warp space-time in a way that allows us to travel from point A to point B more quickly.”

Is it possible that an advanced extraterrestrial civilization has already accomplished this kind of technology and has been using it to visit our world? Or perhaps we already have such technology?

In 2021, leaked documents revealed that the US Navy had conducted experiments on various far-fetched technologies, including a “space modification weapon.” These documents, disclosed by The War Zone, detailed the research carried out by the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) between 2017 and 2019. The most interesting thing is that the technology written in those documents discusses propulsion system that defies gravity, or to devastating weapons that bends the laws of physics and craft that alters the fabric of time and space.

The man behind all the patents is Dr. Salvatore Cezar Pais, who is an aerospace engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD). He has four patents registered in his name that contain the source of technology that would change the world. In these patents, a “Spacetime Modification Weapon” (SMW, a weapon that can make the Hydrogen bomb seem more like a firecracker, in comparison) is mentioned.

Are these patents a cover for the reverse-engineered extraterrestrial technology? The Navy’s objective in testing this conceptual system was to keep pace with similar programs being developed in China. The researchers believed that the space modification weapon could revolutionize power and propulsion systems. The technology was based on the “Pais effect” aimed to push the boundaries of  science.

Pais made ambitious claims about the potential of this technology, suggesting that it could lead to a propulsion system defying gravity or devastating weapons that bend the laws of physics. He even outlined plans for a “hybrid aerospace-underwater craft” capable of altering the fabric of time and space.

The Navy’s aerospace research enterprise supported Pais’s patents, stating that they filed them to keep up with similar technological advancements being pursued by the Chinese military. The “space modification weapon” described in the documents was envisioned to release extremely high energy levels, surpassing the destructive power of a Hydrogen bomb.

However, the experiments conducted between 2017 and 2019 were inconclusive. The elusive Pais effect was neither observed nor disproven during this period. The Pais effect refers to a theoretical physics concept that involves the controlled movement of highly electrically charged matter. If proven possible, it could enable the creation of powerful energy fields capable of fundamentally engineering the fabric of reality.

It is unclear whether the US Navy is continuing its experiments on the Pais effect or if the project has been discontinued entirely. None of the futuristic technologies described in the leaked UFO patents were developed, leaving the ultimate fate of the space modification weapon and related concepts uncertain.

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

04-08-2024 om 23:54 geschreven door peter  

Vreemde formaties ontdekt op Antarctica onder een 350 meter hoge gletsjer: “het lijken wel kunstwerken”

door Janine

Anna Wåhlin/University of Gothenburg

Ondanks tientallen jaren onderzoek blijft Antarctica een van de meest mysterieuze plekken op aarde en tegelijkertijd de sleutel tot een beter begrip van bepaalde fenomenen die onze planeet beïnvloeden. Een van de meest bestudeerde kwesties betreft het smelten van de Antarctische gletsjers en de mogelijke stijging van het zeeniveau. Onlangs nog is een wetenschappelijke expeditie erin geslaagd om het onderwatergedeelte van een 350 meter dikke ijsplaat te onderzoeken en daarbij onverwachte formaties te vinden die “op kunstwerken lijken”. Laten we eens kijken wat dat betekent!

Meer dan 1000 kilometer onder een ijsplaat

Filip Stedt/University of Gothenburg

Er zijn verschillende redenen om een ijsplaat op Antarctica van dichterbij te bekijken, en dan met name de Dotson-ijsplaat. Deze enorme drijvende ijsmassa, ongeveer 350 meter dik en met een diepe holte eronder, is al bekend bij onderzoekers, vooral vanwege de invloed die het kan hebben op de zeespiegelstijging. Toch is de meest recente verkenning eerder uniek dan zeldzaam: wetenschappers gebruikten een onbemande onderzeeër en reisden meer dan 1.000 kilometer in de holte. Met verbazingwekkende resultaten.

Dankzij de verkenning van de Dotson-ijsplaat bevestigden de onderzoekers hypotheses over het smelten van ijs, dat veel sneller gaat waar er meer onderwaterstromingen zijn. Wat het team van wetenschappers echter verbaasde, was een andere ontdekking met betrekking tot de basis van de gletsjer: in plaats van er glad uit te zien, zijn er verschillende formaties te zien die lijken op reliëfs, valleien en zandduinen. Maar waar hangt dat van af?

Het bestuderen van het smelten van gletsjers op Antarctica

Anna Wåhlin/Science Advances

In afwachting van meer informatie over de formaties op de bodem van de Dotsonijsplaat, kunnen onderzoekers alleen maar speculeren. Niemand had ooit een basis verwacht die zo rijk is aan details en bijzonderheden, zoals Karen Heywood, co-auteur van de studie gepubliceerd in Science Advances, ook erkent:

Het was een spannend project om aan te werken. Toen Anna [Wåhlin] de eerste afbeeldingen van de onderkant van de Dotson-ijsplaat stuurde, waren we enthousiast: niemand had het ooit eerder gezien. Maar we waren ook verbijsterd: er zaten scheuren en draaikolken in het ijs die we niet hadden verwacht. Het leek meer op een kunstwerk!

Op dit moment wordt gedacht dat deze formaties afhankelijk kunnen zijn van de onderliggende waterstromen, die op hun beurt worden beïnvloed door de rotatie van de aarde, maar het is nog te vroeg om daar uitspraken over te doen. Tegelijkertijd hebben onderzoekers enkele antwoorden gevonden over de Antarctische ijsplaten en hoe smeltende gletsjers hun veranderingen beïnvloeden.

Toekomstperspectieven

Filip Stedt/University of Gothenburg

Dankzij de kartering uitgevoerd door de onbemande onderzeeër Ran erkenden onderzoekers de behoefte aan nieuwe hypothesen over het smelten van gletsjers. Antarctische ijsplaten spelen een overheersende rol in deze verschijnselen, maar ze doen dit op basis van nog onbekende processen. Dankzij de verkenning van de Dotson-ijsplaat zijn er al veel gegevens verzameld, maar het zal noodzakelijk zijn om te wachten met het verzamelen van nieuwe: tijdens een missie raakte Ran verdwaald op de bodem van de holte. Volgens Anna Wåhlin, hoofdauteur van het onderzoek,

we hebben niet alles gekregen waar we op hoopten. Deze wetenschappelijke vooruitgang werd mogelijk gemaakt dankzij de unieke onderzeeër Ran. Dit onderzoek is noodzakelijk om de toekomst van de Antarctische ijskap te begrijpen, en we hopen Ran te vervangen en dit belangrijke werk voort te zetten.

Tot op de dag van vandaag blijft Antarctica een van de meest mysterieuze gebieden van onze planeet en toch een fundamentele plek voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Resultaten zoals die door wetenschappers dankzij Ran zijn verkregen, vertegenwoordigen een ongelooflijk eindpunt, maar laten tegelijkertijd zien wat het te volgen pad is. En die moet worden afgelegd op ijsplaten... of zelfs daaronder.

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

04-08-2024 om 23:18 geschreven door peter  

Researcher Jean Ward, while analyzing a Mars image acquired by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on March 2, 2010, discovered an unusual anomaly in Noachis Terra, a region of Mars north of Asimov, also known as the "Land of Noah." 

Using Topaz Labs' Gigapixel to upscale the image for better detail, Ward observed the anomaly, measuring approximately 250 to 300 meters in length, resembles what looks like an artificially created structure with multiple right angles. Ward suggests it could outline a 'tanker-shaped' anomaly. 

Some suggest that the anomaly could be part of an ancient road with a wall and might be part of a longer route that has been partially covered by landslides or other natural occurrences but others say that it is only the wall that stands out supporting the theory that it could be the upper part of an underground base built at/inside the rim of a crater. 

Just imagine if it is an underground Mars base, the location would be suitable for UFOs to take off or land on landing pads inside the crater, which are connected to the base. This would not be the first time UFOs have been observed descending into or taking off from craters. 

Whatever its origin, this anomaly does not appear to be a natural formation. 

• Topaz Labs' Gigapixel image. 
• Original MRO image (CTX: B19_016868_1344_XN_45S355W). 
• Jean Ward's video analyze of the anomaly.

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

04-08-2024 om 22:26 geschreven door peter  

Object Sighted Over City in Brazil Riles Up UFO Fans

Two videos show a triangular object in the skies over the city of Curitiba, a hot spot for UFO sightings.

By Jose Antonio Lanz

Image created by Decrypt using AI

A bizarre aerial phenomenon captured on video over Curitiba, Brazil is the latest to capture the attention of “ufologists,” people who track sightings of unidentified flying objects as evidence of alien visitors. A pair of videos uploaded to YouTube shows a triangular object hovering in the sky above the southern Brazilian city from different angles.

The first, shot by Zona Desconhecida, has garnered over 31,000 views since it was uploaded on July 21. As the camera zooms in, the object appears to sport a chassis-like landing gear that vanishes later in the clip. The videographer initially dismissed it as a drone, but the lack of visible propellers and its peculiar trajectory quickly dispelled that notion.

A second video provides an even clearer view of the enigmatic craft, revealing seemingly transparent or shiny sides and a shape that subtly morphs mid-flight. The footage has racked up over 25,000 views on YouTube and spread like wildfire across other social media platforms, with some breathlessly declaring it "the clearest UFO video in history."

Armchair analysts have pored over every frame, noting how the object appears to inflate and deflate as it moves. This observation has sparked wild speculation, with some suggesting it could be a biological ship, a multidimensional living entity, or—of course—an alien spacecraft.

But some internet sleuths claim the object is simply a massive star-shaped balloon, attributing the "landing gear" to image distortion caused by the camera angle. Skeptics also counter that the video quality—however lauded by some—is insufficient to draw definitive conclusions.

The object's shape and movement certainly bear a striking resemblance to oddly shaped balloons that have been launched in Brazil before. A video from January 11, 2013, shows Brazilians releasing similar balloon-like objects into the sky.

According to local media, the Brazilian Air Force has reportedly been unable to verify the images. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comments from Decrypt.

This latest incident adds another chapter to Curitiba's history with unexplained aerial phenomena. The city, with a population of 1.7 million people, holds the distinction of having the most UFO sightings in Brazil, according to declassified government records. Between 1952 and 2022, at least 861 UFO sightings were logged across Brazil, with Curitiba accounting for a whopping 80 of those reports.

One of Brazil's most infamous UFO encounters occurred on May 19, 1986, when multiple sightings were reported across several locations in a single night.

The event was significant enough to prompt the Brazilian Air Force to hold a press conference, during which a Brigadier famously stated, "It's not a question of believing or not [in aliens]. We can only give technical information. There are several hypotheses. Technically, I would tell you that we have no explanation."

{ https://decrypt.co/emerge }

03-08-2024 om 23:47 geschreven door peter  

Study: Dinosaur-Killing Mass Extinction Triggered Rapid Evolution of Bird Genomes

About 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, a 10-km-wide asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. The impact eradicated roughly 75% of the animal and plant species on Earth, including whole groups like non-avian dinosaurs and ammonites. New research has identified important changes in birds’ genomes sparked by this end-Cretaceous mass extinction, ultimately contributing to the incredible diversity of living birds.

This painting depicts an asteroid slamming into tropical, shallow seas of the sulfur-rich Yucatan Peninsula in what is today southeast Mexico. The aftermath of this immense asteroid collision, which occurred approximately 65 million years ago, is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species on Earth. Shown in this painting are pterodactyls, flying reptiles with wingspans of up to 50 feet, gliding above low tropical clouds.

Image credit: Donald E. Davis / NASA.

“By studying the DNA of living birds, we can try to detect patterns of genetic sequences that changed just after one of the most important events in Earth’s history,” said University of Michigan’s Dr. Jake Berv.

“The signature of those events seems to have imprinted into the genomes of the survivors in a way that we can detect tens of millions of years later.”

A living organism’s genome comprises four nucleotide molecules, referred to by the letters A, T, G and C. The order of these nucleotides in a genome defines the blueprint of life.

The DNA code can sometimes evolve in a way that shifts the overall composition of DNA nucleotides across the whole genome.

These compositional changes are crucial in determining what kind of genetic variation is possible, contributing to an organism’s evolutionary potential, or its ability to evolve.

Dr. Berv and colleagues found that the mass extinction event sparked shifts in nucleotide composition.

They also found that these shifts seem to be connected to the way birds develop as babies, their adult size and their metabolism.

For example, within approximately 3 million to 5 million years of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, surviving bird lineages tended to develop smaller body sizes.

They also changed how they developed as hatchlings, with more species becoming ‘altricial.’

“This means they are still very embryonic when they hatch, need their parents to feed them, and can take weeks to fledge,” Dr. Berv said.

“Birds that hatch ready to fend for themselves, like chickens and turkeys, are called ‘precocial’.”

“We found that adult body size and patterns of pre-hatching development are two important features of bird biology we can link to the genetic changes we’re detecting.”

“One of the most significant challenges in evolutionary biology and ornithology is teasing out the relationships between major bird groups — it’s difficult to determine the structure of the tree of life for living birds.”

Over the past 15 years, researchers have been applying increasingly large genomic data sets to try to solve the problem.

Previously, they used genomic data to study the evolution of birds’ genomes using statistical models that make strong assumptions.

These traditional models allow researchers to reconstruct the history of genetic changes, but they typically assume that the composition of DNA, its proportion of A, T, G and C nucleotides, does not change across evolutionary history.

The study authors developed a software tool to more closely track DNA composition over time and across different branches of the tree of life.

With this tool, they were able to relax the assumption that the composition of DNA remains constant.

“This allowed the model of DNA evolution to vary across the evolutionary tree and identify places where there was likely a shift in DNA composition,” said University of Michigan’s Professor Stephen Smith.

“For this new research, these shifts were concentrated in time, within about 5 million years of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction,” Dr. Berv added.

This approach also allowed the team to estimate which bird traits were most closely associated with these shifts in DNA composition.

“This is an important type of genetic change that we think we can link to the mass extinction event,” Dr. Berv said.

“As far as we know, changes in DNA composition have not been previously associated with the end-Cretaceous mass extinction in such a clear way.”

“We know that mass extinction events can dramatically affect biodiversity, ecology and organismal form,” said University of Cambridge’s Professor Daniel Field.

“Our study emphasizes that these extinction events can actually influence organismal biology even more profoundly — by altering important aspects of how genomes evolve.”

“This work furthers our understanding of the dramatic biological impacts of mass extinction events and highlights that the mass extinction that wiped out the giant dinosaurs was one of the most biologically impactful events in the entire history of our planet.”

By relaxing the typical assumptions used in evolutionary biology, the researchers are building more nuanced insight into the sequence of events that occurred in the early history of birds.

“We have typically not looked at the change in DNA composition and model across the tree of life as a change that something interesting has happened at a particular point of time and place,” Professor Smith said.

“This study illustrates that we have probably been missing something.”

• The study was published in the journal Science Advances.
• Jacob S. Berv et al. 2024. Genome and life-history evolution link bird diversification to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Science Advances 10 (31); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adp0114
• This article is a version of a press-release provided by the University of Michigan.

LINK VIDEOS

• https://youtu.be/sBCwKeXnA0A

• https://youtu.be/yqINf3buJNo

• https://youtu.be/7TQqLUUmt7A

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

03-08-2024 om 22:46 geschreven door peter  

VIDEO! AI Focuses 8 Foot Alien In Taitung, Taiwan Seen By Police Officer! UFO UAP Sighting News.

In a recent intriguing incident, a police officer in Taitung, Taiwan, reported capturing a photo of what he claimed was an alien. The photo was taken in the mountainous region of Taitung, a location requiring a government permit to access due to its remote and protected status. The officer was convinced that the blurry figure in the image was evidence of extraterrestrial life.

To verify this claim, I employed advanced AI technology designed for image enhancement and clarification. The AI tool focused on the blurry section of the photo, analyzing the shapes and patterns to bring out finer details. After the AI processing, the result was surprising: the supposed alien figure was revealed to be a tilted tree in the distance. The AI had clarified the image to show the distinctive bark texture and foliage, debunking the initial claim of an extraterrestrial encounter.

This incident highlights the power of AI in distinguishing between genuine anomalies and misinterpreted natural occurrences, providing a more rational explanation to sightings that often fuel public fascination with aliens.

Five Other Notable Alien Sightings

1. Roswell Incident (1947): Perhaps the most famous UFO incident, where an alleged flying saucer crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, sparking widespread conspiracy theories and interest in alien life.

2. Rendlesham Forest Incident (1980): A series of reported sightings of unexplained lights near RAF bases in Suffolk, England, often referred to as "Britain's Roswell."

3. Phoenix Lights (1997): Thousands of people reported seeing a V-shaped formation of lights over Phoenix, Arizona, which remains unexplained despite official explanations attributing it to military flares.

4. Belgian UFO Wave (1989-1990): Numerous sightings of large, silent, low-flying black triangles over Belgium, witnessed by civilians and tracked by radar.

5. Stephenville Lights (2008): Residents of Stephenville, Texas, observed a series of bright lights moving erratically in the sky, with some witnesses claiming to see a massive craft.

These incidents continue to capture public imagination, driving ongoing debates and investigations into the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

03-08-2024 om 21:32 geschreven door peter  

De eerste complexe levensvorm op aarde verscheen mogelijk veel eerder dan verwacht: de studie

door Janine

Abderrazzak El Albani/ Université de Poitiers

Een nieuwe studie heeft de opvattingen over de ontwikkeling van de eerste vormen van complex leven omvergeworpen: dit was veel eerder dan werd gedacht.

Het verschijnen van de eerste vormen van leven op aarde

Wat wordt bedoeld met complexe levensvormen? Onder deze wezens zijn er ook wezens die we tot nu toe als de eenvoudigste beschouwen. Deze laatste zijn in feite heel ingewikkeld en ondanks enorme ontwikkelingen op wetenschappelijk gebied is het nog steeds onmogelijk om ze helemaal opnieuw in het laboratorium te creëren. We hebben het over de allereerste levensvormen waarvan tot nu toe werd aangenomen dat ze lang na de vorming van de planeet zelf op aarde verschenen.

In werkelijkheid lijkt dit helemaal niet het geval te zijn: de eerste levende wezens zagen het licht toen onze aardbol zich nog in een vroeg stadium bevond, 300 miljoen jaar na zijn ontstaan 4,5 miljard jaar geleden. Dit betekent dat de aarde in zo'n korte tijd omstandigheden heeft ontwikkeld die haar gastvrij maakten voor leven. Hoewel er in de allereerste dagen van haar ontstaan geen omstandigheden op onze planeet waren die geschikt waren voor de ontwikkeling van leven, dan veranderde dat in geologische termen relatief snel.

Complexe levensvormen: ze kunnen dateren van 2,1 miljard jaar geleden

Abderrazzak El Albani

Dankzij de studie van het genoom van moderne organismen weten we nu dat de eerste vorm van leven op aarde 4,2 miljard jaar geleden ontstond. Het gaat om LUCA, Last Universal Common Ancestor, de voorouder die alle levende wezens op aarde gemeen hebben.

Nu heeft nieuw onderzoek uitgewezen dat de eerste complexe levensvormen mogelijk 1,5 miljard eerder in onze oceanen zijn ontstaan ​​dan eerder werd aangenomen. Wetenschappers dachten namelijk dat de vroegste dierlijke levensvormen dateerden van 635 miljoen jaar geleden en evolueerden tot wezens met zachte lichamen in het tijdperk Ediacarium, naar schatting tussen 635 en 541 miljoen jaar geleden, als gevolg van het stijgende fosforgehalte in de zeeën. De nog niet gepubliceerde studie suggereert echter dat de vroegste vorm van complex leven veel ouder is en rond 2,1 miljard jaar geleden in het tijdscontinuüm ligt: de auteurs van de ontdekking, waaronder wetenschappers van de Cardiff University in het Verenigd Koninkrijk, vermoeden de aanwezigheid van primordiale gefossiliseerde levensvormen in sedimentafzettingen in Franceville, Gabon, Centraal-Afrika.

Geïsoleerd oceaanreservaat: was het de thuisbasis van complex leven?

Volgens het team zouden deze archaïsche levensvormen zijn uitgestorven voordat ze zich in de rest van de wereld vermenigvuldigden en ontwikkelden. De afzettingen zijn ongeveer 2,5 km dik en daarin zouden deze mysterieuze, oeroude gefossiliseerde wezens verborgen liggen. De auteurs onderzochten deze primordiale rotsformaties op tekenen van mogelijk leven in het verleden, waaronder fosfor en zuurstof: de resultaten toonden aan dat een plotselinge en grote golf geladen met fosfor een geïsoleerd deel van de oceaanbodem bereikte, waardoor een omgeving ontstond die geschikt was voor het ontstaan van primitieve levensvormen.

De concentratie van fosfor en zuurstof in de rotsen van dit oceanische reservaat zou volgens wetenschappers veroorzaakt zijn door de botsing tussen continentale platen onder water en door de activiteit van vulkanen. Dit kan een soort zee in de zee hebben gegenereerd die ondiep is en rijk aan voedingsstoffen die nuttig zijn voor de vorming van complex leven, zoals “koloniale macrofossielen”. De isolatie van de rest van de oceaan heeft echter de toegang tot verdere voedingsstoffen verhinderd, waardoor de ontwikkeling van deze levende wezens en hun mondiale verspreiding worden geblokkeerd.

{ https://www.curioctopus.nl/ }

03-08-2024 om 21:20 geschreven door peter  

Lue Elizondo’s UFO Book Leak: Shocking Revelations and Uncovered Secrets

In a world where the mysteries of the universe continue to captivate the human imagination, Lue Elizondo’s upcoming book, “Imminent: Inside the Pentagon’s Hunt for UFOs,” has taken center stage. The recent leak of details from this highly anticipated book has sent ripples through the UFO community and beyond. With revelations about historic UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) crashes, recovery of non-human bodies, and groundbreaking insights into the consciousness connection, Elizondo’s work promises to challenge our understanding of the universe.

• Pre-Order Lue Elizondo’s Shocking UFO Book here: Amazon link

Background on Lue Elizondo

Lue Elizondo, a former intelligence officer and director of the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), has been at the forefront of UFO research within the Pentagon. His dedication to uncovering the truth about UAPs has earned him a reputation as a credible and influential figure in the field. His new book is expected to provide unprecedented insights into the government’s exploration of these mysterious phenomena.

Key Revelations from the Leak

1. Historic UAP Crashes and Non-Human Bodies

One of the most shocking aspects of the leak involves Elizondo’s claims about historic UAP crashes. According to Elizondo, credible sources, including those involved with AATIP, have confirmed multiple incidents where the United States recovered non-human bodies from UAP crash sites.

• Roswell and Beyond: While the Roswell incident of 1947 is the most famous, Elizondo’s book suggests that there have been other significant recoveries. For instance, a crash in Cadereyta, Mexico, in 1950 reportedly resulted in the recovery of a non-human body. Additionally, a 1989 incident in Kazakhstan involved the alleged retrieval of four non-human bodies from a large “Tic Tac” shaped craft.

These claims, if substantiated, could rewrite our understanding of human history and our place in the cosmos.

2. Technological Discoveries and Implants

Another intriguing revelation involves the discovery of implants in individuals who have encountered UAPs. Elizondo describes handling an implant removed from a U.S. military service member. The implant, resembling a microchip encased in a slimy, translucent tissue, appeared to possess its own metabolism.

• Implants and Advanced Technology: These implants may represent one of the most direct pieces of evidence of non-human technology. The book discusses how such discoveries challenge our scientific understanding and suggest a level of sophistication beyond current human capabilities.

3. UAPs as a Potential Threat

Elizondo emphasizes the potential threat posed by UAPs. Drawing on evidence from credible witnesses, videos, and performance data verified by AATIP, he argues that these phenomena could pose a real danger.

• Electromagnetic Vulnerability: Elizondo suggests that UAPs might be susceptible to electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), raising questions about how nations might respond to potential threats. However, he warns that any action against these objects could be perceived as an act of war by the entities controlling them.

Consciousness and UAPs: A Deeper Connection?

One of the most thought-provoking aspects of Elizondo’s book is the exploration of consciousness and its connection to UAPs. The book delves into the possibility that consciousness might be a fundamental force of the universe, intricately linked to these phenomena.

• Consciousness as a Universal Force: Elizondo posits that understanding UAPs may require a deeper comprehension of human consciousness. This perspective suggests that our consciousness might be part of a greater collective, interacting with UAPs on a subconscious level.
  

• Implications for Human Understanding: The idea that UAPs could be engaging with humans through consciousness opens new avenues for exploration. It raises questions about the nature of reality and our understanding of the universe.

Challenges Faced by the UFO Community

The leak of Elizondo’s book highlights broader challenges within the UFO community. Unauthorized leaks can significantly impact the reception and sales of such works, affecting authors and filmmakers dedicated to uncovering the truth.

• Industry Struggles: Filmmakers like Ron James and James Fox have faced difficulties with production companies, reflecting broader struggles in promoting UFO-related content. These challenges underscore the need for support and collaboration within the community.

Conclusion: A Call to Explore the Unknown

Lue Elizondo’s “Imminent” is set to be a landmark contribution to the field of UFO research. The leaked details offer a tantalizing glimpse into the mysteries and possibilities that lie ahead. As we approach the book’s official release, it’s clear that Elizondo’s work will continue to spark debate and inspire exploration into the unknown.

For those intrigued by the mysteries of the universe and the potential for discovering extraterrestrial life, Elizondo’s revelations serve as a call to delve deeper into the unexplained. As we stand on the brink of new discoveries, “Imminent” invites us to question our assumptions and embrace the pursuit of knowledge in the quest to understand the cosmos.

VIDEO:

• Lehto – Lue Elizondo’s Shocking UFO Book Leak! What You Need to Know!

• https://youtu.be/_XakLhaszGk

As we anticipate the release of Elizondo’s book, it’s crucial to support efforts to bring these revelations to light. Purchasing the book not only aids in continuing this important work but also contributes to the broader conversation about humanity’s place in the universe.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

03-08-2024 om 20:54 geschreven door peter