Scientists observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the Swift ultraviolet space telescope. With the help of this instrument, they found hydroxyl ions, indicating the presence of water on the comet. This allows us to compare it to the “cosmic icebergs” that are constantly present in our Solar System.

Water on comet 3I/ATLAS

Scientists have published a study of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using NASA’s Swift space telescope. This orbital observatory operates in ultraviolet light and is capable of performing spectral analysis for this wavelength range. As a result, scientists learned something interesting about its chemical composition.

In particular, water was found on it. More precisely, the telescope captured ultraviolet light from the hydroxyl ion OH, but it cannot be anything other than the decay product of a water molecule. Thus, a safe assumption is that it is present there.

• Posted in News, Science

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08-10-2025 om 21:02 geschreven door peter  

A new study has refuted the popular theory about the unexpected shortening of Dimorphos’ orbital period. Scientists have discovered that the proposed mechanism would actually have the opposite effect. 

In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) vehicle deliberately collided with Dimorphos, a small satellite of the near-Earth asteroid Didymos. The mission was dedicated to protecting our planet. Scientists wanted to test whether the space ram technique could be used to change the orbit of a celestial body threatening Earth.

The demonstration was quite impressive. The period of Dimorphos’s orbit around Didymos after the impact was reduced by as much as 33 minutes, which far exceeded the scientists’ expectations. However, in the following weeks, something unusual happened: observations revealed an additional reduction in the orbital period of another 30 seconds. This situation has left researchers perplexed as to its causes.

The initial hypothesis suggested a scenario known as binary system hardening. It involves debris ejected as a result of the collision interacting with Dimorphos’ gravity and ultimately being ejected from the system, causing it to lose angular momentum and acquire a tighter orbit. 

However, the results of a recent study conducted by scientists from Université Côte d’Azur have cast doubt on this scenario. Simulation showed that Dimorphos was too weak a “scatterer” to affect the angular momentum of the system. 

If the ejected particles do not disperse, the most likely consequence will be re-accretion, in which the debris falls back onto one of the components of the binary system. Since the collision between DART and Dimorphos was head-on, most of the ejected material entered prograde orbits. This means that they are moving in the same direction as Dimorphos and Didymos in their mutual motion around the Sun. In turn, when material moving in the prograde direction re-accretes, it increases the angular momentum of the binary system. This leads not to a decrease, but to an increase in the orbital period, which contradicts the observed pattern.

• Posted in News, Science

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08-10-2025 om 20:52 geschreven door peter  

The origin of Easter Island's iconic head statues is one of the world's greatest archaeological puzzles.

Now, scientists claim to have solved one important part of the mystery.

Weighing between 12 and 80 tonnes, scientists have long wondered how the island's ancient civilisation could have moved the huge stone statues into place.

Using a combination of 3D modelling and real–life experiments, scientists have confirmed that the statues actually 'walked' to their final destinations.

After studying nearly 1,000 of the heads – known as moai – anthropologists found that the people of Rapa Nui likely used ropes to rock the statues in a zig–zag pattern.

This technique would have allowed small teams of people to move the enormous moai over long distances with relatively little effort.

Co–author of the study Professor Carl Lipo, of Binghamton University, says: 'Once you get it moving, it isn't hard at all—people are pulling with one arm.

'It conserves energy, and it moves really quickly, the hard part is getting it rocking in the first place.'

Scientists say that they have solved the mystery of how Rapa Nui's stone heads reached their destinations. According to a new study, the stone heads 'walked' to their destinations 

The origin of Easter Island's iconic head statues is one of the world's greatest archaeological puzzles

Previously, anthropologists had thought that the moai must have been laid flat and pulled all the way to their destinations.

This would have been an enormously strenuous task requiring a large number of people, and would have been almost impossible for some of the larger heads.

However, there is now mounting evidence to suggest that the people of Rapa Nui had come up with a more elegant solution.

By attaching ropes to either side of the head and pulling back and forth, the moai can be rocked side to side and shuffled forward in a 'walking' motion.

Professor Lipo and his collaborator Professor Terry Hunt, of the University of Arizona, previously tested their walking theory on smaller models, but wanted to see how it would work for larger moai.

First, the researchers created a detailed 3D model of a moai head to investigate which features helped them walk.

They discovered that the moai appear to have been carefully designed with walking in mind.

Their large D–shaped base and forward–leaning position make them more likely to move forward in a zig–zag pattern when rocked side to side.

Scientists used computer modelling to investigate how the moai heads might have moved, and found that they were perfectly shaped to rock forwards in a zig–zag pattern

With a D–shaped base and forward–leaning position, the heads are made more likely to shuffle forward when rocked from side to side. This suggests they were walked rather than pulled 

To test this theory in the real world, Professor Lipo and Professor Hunt constructed a 4.35–tonne replica moai head based on their 3D model.

Just like the real things, this model had a D–shaped base and the distinctive forward–leaning centre of gravity.

With a team of just 18 people, the researchers were able to move the moai 100 metres in just 40 minutes – much faster than previous attempts.

The researchers argue that this is extremely strong evidence that the largest of the moai heads must have been moved by walking.

Professor Lipo says: 'The physics makes sense. What we saw experimentally actually works.

'And as it gets bigger, it still works. All the attributes that we see about moving gigantic ones only get more and more consistent the bigger and bigger they get, because it becomes the only way you could move it.'

This new scientific evidence even aligns with surviving oral traditions on the island, which describe the heads 'walking' from the quarry where they were made to their final positions.

To add even more support for the theory, the study also looked at the network of 'moai roads' which criss–cross the island.

Some moai heads found by the side of transport routes show evidence of attempts to right them by digging under their feet (pictured). The researchers believe these 'moai roads' were also shaped specifically to help support a rocking motion. 

'Every time they're moving a statue, it looks like they're making a road. The road is part of moving the statue,' says Professor Lipo.

These specially prepared paths are believed to have been made specifically to enable the moai heads to be moved over long distances, and their shape is perfect for 'walking'.

Made to be around 4.5 metres wide with a concave profile, the researchers found that the specific shape of these roads helped to stabilise the heads and made them more likely to shuffle forwards.

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• Mysterious underwater 'pyramid' believed to be 12,000 years old reshapes history 

Moai fallen by the side of the road during transport even have signs that people attempted to right them by digging underneath their 'feet'.  

According to the researchers, this is another strong indication that the people of Rapa Nui knew that walking was the best way to move their large statues.

Professor Lipo says: 'It shows that the Rapa Nui people were incredibly smart. They figured this out.

'So it really gives honour to those people, saying, look at what they were able to achieve, and we have a lot to learn from them in these principles.'

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08-10-2025 om 20:41 geschreven door peter  

Earth's largest ocean current is grinding to a halt: Crucial system is now flowing three times slower than it was 130,000 years ago – and the consequences could be disastrous

• READ MORE: Key North Atlantic current is on the brink of COLLAPSING

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Five times stronger than the Gulf Stream and 100 times larger than the Amazon River, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is by far the world's largest ocean current.

But this key system is grinding to a halt, a new study has warned. 

Analysing core samples, scientists from the University of Bonn have found that the ACC has undergone a major slowdown.

In fact, the ocean current is now running three times slower than it was 130,000 years ago.

Worryingly, if it continues, this dramatic slowdown could have disastrous consequences.

The ACC is largely driven by westerly winds, which allow the circling flow to transport heat, dissolved carbon, and nutrients from ocean to ocean.

That makes it essential for sustaining not only regional temperatures, but also the entire global climate and ecosystem.

'If this current "engine" breaks down, there could be severe consequences, including more climate variability, with greater extremes in certain regions, and accelerated global warming due to a reduction in the ocean's capacity to act as a carbon sink,' warned Dr Bishakhdatta Gayen, associate professor at the University of Melbourne, who was not involved in the study. 

Scientists have found that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (illustrated), the world's largest ocean current, was over three times faster 130,000 years ago 

The ACC circles the Antarctic continent from East to West, connecting the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

While it's critical for global heat transport, how it has changed through the years has remained unclear until now. 

To get to the bottom of it, the University of Bonn scientists looked at sediment samples collected by a research vessel in the Scotia Sea north of Antarctica.

This allowed them to work out how the ACC has changed in speed and position over the last 160,000 years.

'The velocity in the second–to–last warm period, roughly 130,000 years ago, was more than three times greater than in the last millennia comprising the current warm period,' said expedition lead Dr Michael Weber.

While the reason for this slowdown remains unclear, the researchers suggest that most of the change can be attributed to the differences in Earth's orbit around the sun.

The Earth orbits the sun in an elliptical pattern that repeats once every 100,000 years.

At the same time, the Earth's axis changes in tilt and rotation once every 21,000 years. 

Using sediment cores gathered by the research vessel Joides Resolution, researchers were able to see how the current has changed its speed and position over the last 160,000 years

This creates a pattern of radiation intensity from the sun that has a strong influence on the speed of winds and, therefore, on the speed of wind–driven currents like the ACC.

This could explain why the current was moving so much faster 130,000 years ago – despite the climate looking largely the same as today.

Those same patterns of radiation likely forced the ACC at least 370 miles (600 km) closer to the south pole during the last warm period than it is today.

Dr Webber explained: 'Both parameters showed a simultaneous, mutually reinforcing maximum exclusively during the last warm period.' 

However, research has also shown that human activity is further slowing down the ACC.

Using Australia's fastest supercomputer, researchers from the University of Melbourne recently simulated how the ACC will respond to a warming climate.

Worryingly, they found that human–caused climate change will likely cause the ACC to slow down by a further 20 per cent by 2050.

Scientists had previously thought that the current would actually get faster as the planet warmed, since warmer air produces faster winds and warm water is less dense. 

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), highlighted here in green, could slow by a further 20 per cent due to the effects of human–caused climate change 

However, these simulations revealed that the impacts of climate change on Antarctica's Ice shelves meant climate change was actually slowing the ACC overall.

As ice melts, it dumps vast quantities of cold, fresh water into the oceans, which fills the deep oceans and counteracts the effects of ocean warming – leading to a slower current.

If the ACC slows down further, it is likely to have dramatic and devastating effects on the global climate.

The ACC helps circulate nutrients around Antarctica that feed fish populations that global fisheries rely on.

The current also acts like a barrier, keeping warm water and invasive species like Southern Bull Kelp out of Antarctica.

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• Earth's strongest ocean current is slowing due to climate change - consequences could be disastrous 

If this barrier weakens, more warm water will reach the Antarctic sea ice, further accelerating ice melt and exacerbating the slowdown effect.

That could lead to widespread disruption of global climate patterns and reduce the oceans' ability to help regulate world temperatures.

The Antarctic Ice Sheet holds around 90 per cent of all the fresh water on Earth and has the potential to cause massive increases in sea levels should it melt.

While researchers don't believe the ice sheet will vanish anytime soon, even modest accelerations in sea level rise could be catastrophic for the 230 million people who live within three feet of the high tide line today.

ATLANTIC OCEAN CIRCULATION PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN REGULATING THE GLOBAL CLIMATE

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role.

This is due to a constantly moving system of deep-water circulation often referred to as the Global Ocean Conveyor Belt which sends warm, salty Gulf Stream water to the North Atlantic where it releases heat to the atmosphere and warms Western Europe.

The cooler water then sinks to great depths and travels all the way to Antarctica and eventually circulates back up to the Gulf Stream.

When it comes to regulating global climate, the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role

This motion is fuelled by thermohaline currents – a combination of temperature and salt.

It takes thousands of years for water to complete a continuous journey around the world.

Researchers believe that as the North Atlantic began to warm near the end of the Little Ice Age, freshwater disrupted the system, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

Arctic sea ice, and ice sheets and glaciers surrounding the Arctic began to melt, forming a huge natural tap of fresh water that gushed into the North Atlantic.

This huge influx of freshwater diluted the surface seawater, making it lighter and less able to sink deep, slowing down the AMOC system.

Researchers found the AMOC has been weakening more rapidly since 1950 in response to recent global warming.

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08-10-2025 om 18:43 geschreven door peter  

Space agency breaks silence on 'foreign' interstellar object soaring past Mars: 'A rare visitor'

• READ MORE: Mysterious interstellar visitor spotted above Mars appears as 'massive cylindrical craft'

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

The European Space Agency (ESA) has finally shared new details about the mysterious interstellar visitor days after its closest approach to Mars.

The object, dubbed 3I/ATLAS, came within 18.6 million miles of the Red Planet on October 3, and while NASA quickly uploaded images captured by its Perseverance rover on the Martian surface, ESA had remained quiet until now. 

The ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) captured images of the object, appearing as a tiny, blurry white dot in a series of images.

The object's icy nucleus and its surrounding halo of gas and dust, called a coma, could not be distinguished separately, but the faint glow was clearly visible against the blackness of space. 

Scientists were initially unsure whether either orbiter's cameras would detect the comet at all. Both are designed to photograph Mars' bright, rocky surface from just a few hundred to a few thousand miles away, not to capture a dim object tens of millions of miles distant.

'This was a very challenging observation for the instrument,' said Nick Thomas, principal investigator of the CaSSIS camera. 

'The comet is around 10,000 to 100,000 times fainter than our usual targets.'

The visible coma suggested that 3I/ATLAS is beginning to heat up as sunlight reaches its surface, causing ice to vaporize and release dust, which gives comets their ghostly appearance. 

The European Space Agency finally released images 3I/ATLAS, captured by a Mars orbiter 

Originating from outside our Solar System, 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar comet ever seen, following 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.

'These comets are absolutely foreign,' the ESA shared on Tuesday, referring to 3I/ATLAS as a 'rare visitor.'

'Every planet, moon, asteroid, comet and lifeform in our Solar System shares a common origin. 

'But interstellar comets are true outsiders, carrying clues about the formation of worlds far beyond our own.'

ExoMars TGO captured the series of images with its Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS), which was unable to distinguish the nucleus from the coma due to 3I/ATLAS being too far away.

However, the device was able to image the coma that spanned thousands of miles across. 

'The full size of the coma could not be measured by CaSSIS because the brightness of the dust decreases quickly with distance from the nucleus,' the ESA report shared.

'This means that the coma fades into the noise in the image.'

3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Mars on October 3 and is set to continue through our Solar System

NASA was quick to release images of the object snapped by its Perseverance rover on Mars. The agency uploaded them over the weekend 

Typically, material from the coma is swept into a long tail that can stretch for millions of miles as the comet moves closer to the sun. 

'The tail is much dimmer than the coma. We can’t see the tail in the CaSSIS images, but it may become more visible in future observations as the comet continues to heat up and release more ice,' shared the ESA. 

The images have flooded X, where one user posted: 'ESA Finally Releases Images of 3I/ATLAS. After days of silence, ESA finally broke the blackout.'

The ESA's report comes days after NASA released its view of the visitor.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who has been convinced that the object could be an alien craft or probe, analyzed the Perseverance rover's photos by calculating its distance, speed, and camera settings.

According to his initial study, Loeb was not convinced 3I/ATLAS is actually a massive cylindrical object, noting that the strange shape might have been a trick of the rover's camera stretching out its shape.

He explained that the apparent cylinder from the rover's 'Navcam' was likely caused by the camera stacking hundreds of images of 3I/ATLAS over a period of about 10 minutes, making it look more like a log than a ball.

The professor added that 3I/ATLAS is likely smaller and rounder, but still massive, with a potential diameter of more than 28 miles across.

Dr Horace Drew, a retired senior researcher at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), noted that the mysterious green glow seen in some images could be a result of the object being an interstellar spacecraft coated in nickel.

Color-enhanced images shared by multiple social media users revealed a strange green glow around 3I/ATLAS

Drew explained that humans use the same practice on Earth-made space technology on a much smaller scale.

'It is not a 'comet,'' Drew declared on a post on X Monday morning.

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• Scientists issue the clearest image yet of mysterious object racing through our solar system 

Drew disagreed with Loeb's conclusion that the cylindrical shape was a result of the Mars rover sending back a stretched image over several minutes, claiming that an amateur astronomer on Earth captured a similar shape with their telescope.

'We can see an extended white shape, with a green coma outside. Not a small white ball,' Drew explained in a post about the astronomer's photograph.

Drew, who earned his PhD in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, added that previous images of the interstellar object were allegedly from a 'head-on view' and didn't capture its shape from the side, like the new photos from Mars.

Loeb said he's excited about another image taken by a different Mars camera, called HiRISE, which has better resolution and could show 3I/ATLAS more clearly.

That image is being sent back to Earth by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and has yet to be released by NASA.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

08-10-2025 om 18:27 geschreven door peter  

Brits have been left in awe after spotting what is believed to be a 'meteor' glowing through the night sky. 

Lucky stargazers in Northfields and Ealing, west London, have reported seeing a blue-ish green blob race through the city's sky on Tuesday. 

One onlooker described seeing the 'streak' of light dash through the clouds at around 8.10pm to 8.30pm, and initially believed it was fireworks.  

'I'm used to seeing planes coming and going to Heathrow, and also helicopters coming and going; this was not that,' they wrote on Reddit. 

'My next thought was fireworks but I'm 90% sure it wasn't that, and there was no explosion.

'For reference it was about the same size as the full-ish moon tonight, visible through the clouds, but as a much brighter blue-green color and, again, moving quite fast.

'It was a very odd combination of speed, size and brightness and didn't look like anything I've ever seen in the sky here before.'

Others claimed to have seen the unusual sighting from Wimbledon and Hampstead Heath, with some even catching a glimpse as far afield as Brighton and Grantham.

Lucky stargazers in Northfields and West Ealing, west London, and further afield, have reported seeing a blue-ish green blob race through the city's sky on Tuesday night

It has not yet been confirmed what the colourful 'streak' in Tuesday's sky was, however, the Daily Mail has approached the Met Office for comment. 

It comes as earlier this week Jessica Lee, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich also said sky gazers could expect the Draconid meteor shower today. 

But, the meteor shower, which is expected to peak Wednesday night may be difficult to see due to the moonlight, Ms Lee warned. 

'The Draconids meteor shower is named after the constellation of Draco the dragon,' Ms Lee said.

'This is because, although meteors appear all over the sky, they all appear to emerge or radiate from a single point that lies within this constellation.

'The meteor shower is visible from the 6th until the 10th of October this year.

'The best time will be from around 8pm on the 8th of October.

'At this time, that radiant point within Draco will be in the north-west of the sky, slowly getting lower in the sky until sunrise.

'The moon will be almost full on this night, however, so it could make the meteors tricky to see.'

The Draconids are caused when debris from the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner burns up in the Earth's atmosphere, Ms Lee added.

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'Most of this debris will burn up at a height of around 80km above the ground, so this is not a dangerous event,' she said.

'For the best chances to spot them, find a dark area of clear sky and allow around 20 minutes to let your eyes adapt to the dark.

'It may also be advisable to lie down as you may be looking up for a long time.'

In September, walkers were urged to keep an eye out for meteorite fragments scattered over Scotland after a shooting star was spotted in the early hours of July 3. 

The meteor is believed to have exploded over northern Scotland, with the 'fall zone' straddling Loch Treig in Lochaber, Highland. 

The aerial event was captured on some cameras and shared on social media, showing a big yellow spark soaring through the dark sky.

Members of the public have since been tasked to look for the fragments, which should appear 'black, glassy and shiny'.

Meteorites – rocks from outer space and have fallen to the surface of a planet – may have delivered essential compounds facilitating the evolution of life as we know it.

Professor Luke Daly, a planetary geoscientist and space rock hunter at the University of Glasgow, called them 'time capsules of the early solar system'.

'They hold a wealth of information about how our solar system formed and developed,' he said.

'This is a very exciting opportunity to learn more about where this rock came from and where it has been and fill in a bit more of the jigsaw of our solar system's history.' 

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08-10-2025 om 18:14 geschreven door peter  

Bob Lazar Reveals What He Saw Inside the UFO at S-4

In one of the most discussed interviews on The Joe Rogan Experience, physicist and whistleblower Bob Lazar detailed his extraordinary claim of having seen the interior of an alien spacecraft during his time working at a secret U.S. facility known as S-4, near Area 51. Lazar’s account remains one of the most detailed and controversial depictions of non-human technology ever shared publicly.

An Unworldly Interior

Lazar recalled being allowed inside the craft on only one occasion, primarily to examine how its internal components were arranged. According to him, the layout was crucial, since the craft’s systems operated without any visible wiring or connections.

The moment he stepped inside, he said the environment felt profoundly alien. Everything was one uniform color — a dark, pewter-like tone — with no sharp angles or seams. It appeared, he said, as if “someone had molded the interior from wax and then heated it just enough to let everything melt slightly together.” Every surface flowed into another, giving the sense that the structure was fused or grown, rather than built.

Designed for Smaller Beings

Inside the craft, Lazar found it too small for an average human. At 5’10”, he could not stand upright except at the very center. The seats were tiny, clearly made for beings about half his height — roughly three feet tall.

There were no familiar features such as control panels, lights, or decorations. The space was minimal and utilitarian — only a few seats, a central reactor, and several rectangular components positioned symmetrically around it. “There was nothing you could recognize as human technology,” Lazar said.

Advanced Materials and ‘Smart’ Surfaces

While exploring, Lazar noticed archways that became transparent at times. He observed another team working on one of these archways as it shifted from opaque metal to see-through material. The phenomenon reminded him of “smart glass”, a real-world technology that changes opacity, but far beyond anything publicly known.

He described the craft’s material as cold to the touch, suggesting it was metallic or perhaps a form of advanced ceramic. The smooth, continuous design reinforced his belief that the entire object was a single integrated system, not assembled from parts.

Three Levels of Technology

Lazar stated the craft contained three internal levels:

1. Main Deck: Contained the reactor and three seats arranged evenly around it.
2. Lower Level: Housed “gravity amplifiers” and “emitters” — cylindrical devices resembling trash cans attached to pipes. These, he said, were responsible for the craft’s propulsion.
3. Upper Level: Believed to include navigation or control systems, with dark, sensor-like panels on the outer surface used for orientation in space.

He physically entered the main deck and leaned into the lower level to observe the positioning of the gravity amplifiers firsthand.

According to Lazar, the craft he entered was one of nine extraterrestrial vehicles stored and studied at S-4. Each had a different design, suggesting they came from different origins or time periods. One, he said, looked like a “Jell-O mold” with rippled sides, while another resembled a flat disc “like a straw hat.” At least one of them showed visible damage, possibly from being shot down or recovered after a crash.

The Enduring Mystery

Bob Lazar’s story has inspired decades of debate, skepticism, and fascination. Critics question his scientific background and lack of physical evidence, while supporters argue that his detailed technical descriptions of gravity manipulation and element 115 propulsion predate modern discussions of exotic energy physics.

Whether seen as revelation or fabrication, Lazar’s account remains one of the most vivid and technically specific portrayals of an alleged alien craft interior — a description that continues to shape popular culture’s image of reverse-engineered extraterrestrial technology.

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08-10-2025 om 16:59 geschreven door peter  

Whatever caused the sudden deaths of dozens of cattle in northwestern Colorado late last year 2022 remains elusive, according to officials who ended their investigation into the matter last month.

The unexplained incidents received widespread media attention, giving rise to speculations involving everything from wolf depredation and soil based pathogens, to stirring—but unfounded—claims of a mysterious “creature” that “left no tracks” responsible for the killings.

However, an investigation by The Debrief based on documents obtained through Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests, as well as interviews with investigators who probed the mysterious deaths, have revealed new details about the incidents that perplexed state officials and local cattle farmers on Colorado’s Western Slope last year.

An Unsettling Discovery

THE ORDEAL BEGAN in early October 2022, with the discovery of several calf carcasses strewn about the 13,000 contiguous deeded acres that comprise the family-owned and operated LK Ranch, located eight miles southeast of Meeker, Colorado.

Bordering Colorado’s scenic White River National Forest, one of the country’s most-visited national parks, the ranch is operated by the Klinglesmith family, a well-known and respected mainstay of the Meeker community and past recipients of a Wildlife Landowners of the Year recognition by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

“The Klinglesmiths are the epitome of the rural, hard-working cattle rancher,” said Baily Franklin, Meeker District Wildlife Manager at the time of the family’s recognition, “and they serve as tremendous role models in northwestern Colorado.”

On October 4, 2022, the family discovered a total of 19 calf carcasses on their property, along with the remains of one adult cow. Eighteen of the calves were all located within just 1.5 miles of one another, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services were quickly notified.

“We were first notified about October 4 of a livestock producer that had found some dead cattle,” said CPW Northwest Region Manager Travis Black in an interview with The Debrief. Black said a local CPW District Wildlife Manager and the USDA Wildlife Services control specialist were accompanied by another local officer from a neighboring region during an initial visit to the location where the remains were located.

“Several carcasses had tails missing and marks consistent with canine teeth,” the Klinglesmith family would later report in an update on the investigation that appeared on November 28, 2022. While the carcasses appeared to display hemorrhaging in locations where CPW investigators are trained to look for signs of depredation by canines, the possibility that wolves might have been involved presented unique challenges for investigators trying to determine whether an animal was responsible for some of the killings.

Two days later, on October 9, another carcass was discovered at West Miller Creek, and over the course of the next two weeks, the total number of dead calves would climb to 42, excluding two additional deaths resulting from sick calves found by the Klinglesmith family on October 9 believed to have been suffering from Brisket disease, a condition found in cattle residing at high altitudes that sometimes results in heart failure.

However, as the investigation continued and additional cattle remains were discovered, one perplexing common trait began to emerge: only a handful seemed to show what CPW officials believed to be signs of wolf depredation.

“The three individuals involved, along with the landowner, decided that there were some injuries on a handful of these calves,” Black told The Debrief. “And I’m talking about four or five of them, not all eighteen.”

“A lot of those dead calves didn’t show any physical marks on the outside, but there were a handful of them that they determined were consistent with wolf depredation,” Black said.

“That does not mean that we said wolves did it.”

However, as investigators worked to understand what factors—or combinations of them—were behind the cattle deaths, the question over wolf involvement only promised to further aggravate a brewing storm that Colorado officials had long been dreading; one with roots that extend all the way back to the early 19th century, and the era of government-sanctioned wolf hunting in America.

Of Wolf and Man

DURING THE MIDDLE of the nineteenth century, beavers and other animal populations were in acute decline due to a demand for their pelts. As a result, many professional hunters turned their attention toward a new quarry that was capable of demanding comparable prices in the burgeoning fur trade.

Employing poison traps baited with elk, bison, or other natural prey of the canine predators to help ensure their pelts could be retrieved intact, between the years of 1870 and 1877 as many as 100,000 wolves were killed annually.

The era of the “Wolfers” had begun.

More than two centuries earlier, the first bounty systems on wolves were instituted in European settlements in America. A cash reward of a penny for each of the animals killed was instituted in Massachusetts Bay Colony as early as 1630, and by 1818 with the declaration of the “War of Extermination” against wolves and bears in Ohio, several more states began adopting bounty systems against wolves.

Shortly before its establishment as a state on August 1, 1876, a bounty system was established in what would become the State of Colorado in 1869. Similar bounty systems were established in Wyoming, Montana, and other states during the ensuing decades. By the turn of the century, wolf populations had declined significantly in many parts of America. In 1915, the first official government wolf hunters were hired, remaining in action until June 30, 1942. During this period, more than 24,132 wolves were killed under the direction of the United States government.

Artist’s depiction of former Presdient Theodore Roosevelt engaging in a wolf hunt in 1907

(public domain).

By the 1960s, wolf populations in the contiguous 48 states had reached record-low numbers, with scattered pockets of the remaining 350 to 750 animals existing in parts of extreme northeastern Minnesota. With the passing of the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1966, the timber wolf became the first species of American wolf that officially became recognized as endangered under federal law.

The protection of this single wolf species didn’t stop the animals from being killed, however. Between 1969 and 1974, in response to ongoing depredation of livestock, a Directed Predator Control Program conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources still resulted in the killing of an average of 64 wolves each year, with $50 incentives offered to designated trappers in various parts of the state who harvested wolves. It wasn’t until the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was enacted by Congress and implemented under the direction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that gray wolves and subspecies like the eastern timber wolf and Rocky Mountain wolf finally saw federal protection.

Recovery plans to help re-establish the decimated American wolf populations began in the late 1970s in various states, mostly undertaken by the USFWS, although the reinstatement of trapping resulting from the depredation of livestock continued for short periods in several states.

By the end of the century, work to manage wolf populations in various states continued. Throughout the early 2000s, the reclassification of gray wolf populations into three distinct population segments, as well as the proposed delisting of wolf species and other developments related to wolves in America, resulted in several legal controversies (an entire timeline of events detailing these events can be found at the website of the International Wolf Center).

In October 2020, the gray wolf was removed from the Endangered Species Act list of endangered animals in the contiguous 48 United States. In November of that same year, Proposition 114, a ballot initiative that sought to reintroduce wolves west of the continental divide in Colorado, went to vote and was passed. Now recognized as state statute 33-2-105.8, it directs the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to develop a gray wolf reintroduction and management plan no later than December 31, 2023. It also allocates state funding to aid livestock owners “in preventing conflicts with gray wolves and pay fair compensation for livestock losses.”

Then, in October 2022 as dozens of dead calves were being found on the LK Ranch southeast of Meeker, Colorado, CPW officials realized they had a real problem on their hands.

That would especially be the case if wolves were found to be responsible.

Cattle Deaths and Conspiracy Claims

AS THE INVESTIGATIONS continued, Colorado officials remained baffled by the strange cattle deaths. Despite the questions that remained, a handful of the incidents did appear to present indications of canine activity. On October 7, 2022, CPW issued a news release revealing to the public that investigations into possible wolf depredations on U.S. Forest Service Land in the Meeker area were underway.

“This is an active investigation and CPW is working closely with the livestock producer to collect additional evidence, including looking for scat and tracks in the area,” the release stated. “If the depredations are confirmed as being caused by wolves, CPW will work in partnership with the livestock producer to implement approved hazing methods and respond to any damage claims submitted.”

“It is important to note,” the release added, “that no wolf reintroductions have taken place yet in Colorado and recent depredation incidents are not related to or a result of wolf reintroduction efforts in Colorado.”

Despite its careful wording, pushback following the CPW’s October news release came almost immediately.

“I received emails, mostly from wolf advocates, that were concerned that misinformation was being provided to the public and to ranchers,” Black told The Debrief, who said he became an easy target for parties who believed CPW was siding with local livestock producers worried about how the reintroduction of wolves could potentially impact their business.

“I was accused of collusion,” Black said, “and cooperation with livestock producers to try and stir up, you know, fear of wolves.”

“And it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Black said of the allegations. “We were just trying to follow an investigative process and figure out exactly what happened in a very unusual case.”

According to a copy of a livestock depredation guide produced for internal use by CPW officials that The Debrief obtained, wolf depredation is usually indicated by wounds inflicted to the hindquarters, flanks, throat, and front legs of large animals like cattle. Wolves also prefer most often to feed on the viscera and hindquarters of large livestock first, although large bones “may be chewed or broken while smaller bones may be consumed,” and such feeding patterns “are not always obvious on prey killed by packs.”

Screenshot from a depredation guide detailing signs commonly associated with wolf depredation

(Credit: Colorado Parks and Wildlife).

The guide also provides details on the spacing of puncture wounds left by canine teeth, noting the difference between those of wolves and coyotes generally involves a wider width when wolf depredation is involved. The spoor left by wolves is also larger than that of coyotes, with adult wolf tracks generally around 4.75 to 5 inches in length and 4 inches wide.

A Colorado Parks and Wildlife wolf support work summary dated October 24, 2022, states that biologists from the White River National Forest set up ten wildlife cameras in the area on October 11, 2022, just days after the initial group of dead calves were found.

“Reconyx cameras were used and placed on trees 7-9 meters across from another tree scented with a lure attractant,” read a copy of the document obtained by The Debrief. Additionally, a pair of howling stations were established along Forest Road 217 on the same day the cameras were installed.

“We removed all cameras on October 21st,” the document states. “No wolves were photographed on our cameras during the deployment window of October 11-21.”

Additionally, howling surveys conducted during the same period the cameras remained in use produced no audio recordings of wolves, and investigations along muddy areas near where one recently deceased calf body had been discovered “showed no canine tracks,” and “no scat was noted.”

At least a few scat samples collected and analyzed at other locations by CPW investigators “did not provide any DNA amplification,” according to emails reviewed by The Debrief, although a total of 14 hair samples were also collected during this period. One of the hair samples provided no amplification, and 12 were identified as bovine. Intriguingly, the final sample was determined to belong to a “wild canid,” although the research molecular biologist who performed the analysis said it had “a messy analysis and indicated coyote,” but added that “not much should be read into that as the sample was very degraded.”

The Debrief reached out to the biologist who provided these results, although the individual declined to comment further based on their limited involvement with the CPW’s investigation.

The question remained, then, as to what had been responsible for the deaths of more than 40 cattle around Meeker, Colorado, within a few short weeks. By now, with little evidence to support the presence of wolves in the area, some investigators were leaning toward the possibility that a very different kind of killer might have been involved.

A killer of the unseen kind.

On the Track of an Invisible Killer

AS THE DAYS wore on and more dead calves continued to be found, investigators were becoming convinced that the evidence in hand simply did not support the conclusion that wolves could have had any significant involvement. Eventually, a new possible explanation came to their attention: a soil-based pathogen called clostridium chauvoei associated with a condition called black leg, known to sometimes occur in both cattle and sheep.

“As we researched this clostridial disease and outbreaks in other regions of the world with large casualties, some similarities to this situation were recognized,” the Klinglesmith family wrote in their November 2022 update. Still, one of the prevailing questions involved what circumstances might have caused a large number of cattle to suddenly fall victim to this unseen pathogen.

According to one study cited in the family’s November update, “when the oxygen tension drops in areas of muscle in which spores are present, usually as a consequence of blunt trauma and associated tissue hemorrhage, degeneration, and necrosis, the spores germinate, proliferate, and produce toxins that are responsible for most clinical signs and lesions of black leg.” Such conditions would also seem to be consistent with the small number of initial cattle deaths around Meeker that displayed evidence of canine depredation.

Another possible factor involved a management decision among producers in the area to change the normal vaccination schedule, which usually entailed a spring and fall dose of 8-way vaccine, and instead administer a pair of fall doses. “The 8-way vaccine contains and protects against eight clostridial strains,” the Klinglesmith family wrote in their November update. “This change in vaccine protocol allowed us to focus spring immune responses on the four main respiratory viruses, and Pasteurella.”

“Our goal in changing vaccine protocol was to administer fewer antibiotics throughout the summer months for respiratory sicknesses,” the family wrote, “and we were successful in this aspect.”

However, the change in vaccine protocol may have also left several cattle that season susceptible to any forms of clostridium that might be present. In their update, the Klinglesmiths noted that “if in fact a clostridial was triggered by an attack, with a return to our original vaccine protocol we should be able to avoid the heavy casualties,” thereby reducing “our losses to a few depredation casualties,” and maintaining a strategy that “fits the research and experience consistently reported in the Northern Rockies.”

Ultimately, the results from pathology tests for the presence of clostridium chauvoei would be the final say in the matter. But before those tests could be completed, the sobering number of unexplained cattle deaths occurring around Meeker had already become the subject of significant attention from the media, which only further complicated an already uneasy situation for CPW officials.

It certainly didn’t help that among the speculations now in circulation were new claims of a “mysterious creature” that could have been responsible for the killings.

Mysterious Mutilations and Killer Creatures

THROUGHOUT THE EARLY 1970s, a wave of unsettling livestock deaths and mutilations captured the attention of people across the nation, deaths the likes of which Colorado had its fair share.

“Given the rate of human slaughter in any large American city, it might not seem too important that between April and September of this year 129 cattle were mutilated in the state of Colorado,” read an article by Alexander Cockburn in the December 1975 issue of Esquire. Similar stories appearing around the time drew attention from politicians like U.S. Senator from New Mexico Harrison Schmitt, as well as U.S. Senator Floyd Haskell of Colorado, who began to appeal to then-Attorney General Griffin B. Bell and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for help in the matter.

One of several FBI documents detailing cattle mutilation incidents reported in the U.S. during the 1970s

(Credit: FBI).

“If the FBI will not enter the investigation of mysterious livestock deaths in Colorado and some adjacent states, then Sen. Floyd Haskell, D-Colo., should take the matter to Congress for resolution,” read a Denver Post article on September 3, 1975. The FBI, citing the absence of “interstate transportation” that would warrant attention from federal authorities, advised that “Our jurisdiction was explained to Senator Haskell and he said that he understood our statutory limitations,” according to a September 12, 1975 memorandum (the FBI’s entire collection of files related to animal mutilations can be read online here).

Quite unlike the cattle deaths that occurred near Meeker, Colorado, last Autumn, the cattle mutilation incidents that peaked during the mid-1970s reportedly involved animals found dead with selected organs and other body parts removed, and often blood drained from their carcasses. Between 1973 and 1976 alone, more than 1500 alleged cattle mutilations in 22 U.S. states were reported, prompting speculations about everything from satanic cults and secretive government research efforts to UFOs.

Although many of the cattle mutilation incidents from throughout the decades remain unsolved, nothing that conclusively links them to cultists, government agencies, or aliens with a flavor for filet mignon has ever surfaced. However, the persistence of such stories throughout the decades—tales now legendary among many Colorado cattle producers—did little to help the situation when dead calves started appearing around Meeker last October.

Black recalled one phone call he received from a family member who “asked if we had aliens or something.”

“There were a lot of kinda wild theories thrown out there,” Black told The Debrief.

By the end of November 2022, characterizations of the Meeker cattle deaths as having involved an “elusive predator” or a “mystery killer” began appearing after the publication of an article in the New York Post which, although correct in most of the details about what was known at the time about the evolving investigations by CPW and other Colorado officials, built intrigue by attributed dozens of the cattle deaths to an unknown predator “that has left no tracks.”

Based on emails from officials obtained by The Debrief through Colorado Open Records Act requests, the sensational media coverage of the situation did not go unnoticed by CPW investigators, who were growing increasingly frustrated by the elusive source behind the cattle deaths.

I’m sure you’re aware of the consternation about the deaths of Lenny Klinglesmith’s cattle, and it seems to be getting worse,” read one email reviewed by The Debrief, where an official referred to an article by one news outlet as “not very good in multiple ways.”

“I’m sure you can appreciate that the press will write a story (both good and bad), and that is out of our control,” another email message read.

“If some want to jump to conclusions, that is their prerogative,” it continued. “Yes, the speculation isn’t helping,” the official wrote. “Neither will pushing for a final answer without due diligence.”

Another email exchange on November 30, 2022, noted that “The media continues to twist this story how they see fit,” adding that “One side wants to downplay wolf involvement. The other wants to blame wolves.”

Speaking with The Debrief, Black recalled his own frustrations over the media coverage the CPW’s investigation generated.

“We can’t control what the media says,” Black told The Debrief. “We tried to provide as detailed information as we could during this event, and they tend to pick and choose pieces of that or take some of it out of context and develop their own story.”

However, the details of that story would only become more complicated once the results of pathology tests for possible clostridium infection finally returned.

Inconclusive Analysis  

ON OCTOBER 20, 2022, results from the Colorado State University Diagnostic Laboratory returned with pathology results from samples collected at the scene of several of the Meeker cattle deaths. While noting the presence of “significant autolysis in the skeletal muscle sections which makes interpretation difficult,” the results of the analysis nonetheless concluded that “there is no evidence of necrosis or active inflammation to suggest Black Leg,” the infectious bacterial disease associated with clostridium chauvoei.

Another series of samples tested by the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory yielded similar results on October 21, 2022, indicating “no microscopic lesions in the tissues examined that explain the cause of death in this animal.”

“This is frustrating,” Black wrote in an email to another CPW official dated Wednesday, November 30, 2022. “Initial assessments made by [District Wildlife Managers] and Wildlife Services staff said there were multiple injuries consistent with wolf depredation. I’ve seen some of the photos… I understand why they made that assumption. However, there is no other supporting evidence.”

“Then the possibility of Clostridium bacteria came up,” Black’s email continued. “This seemed to answer a lot of questions. Then samples and lab analysis failed to positively point to this as [the] cause of death.”

“It also creates a lot of room for conjecture,” Black wrote. “Did wolves chase the cattle or attack them initially and cause a low oxygen environment within tissue that exacerbated the bacteria and created a toxin? Or is this natural progression of the disease?”

“Nobody can seem to give us a definitive answer.”

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

07-10-2025 om 22:34 geschreven door peter  

Whatever caused the sudden deaths of dozens of cattle in northwestern Colorado late last year 2022 remains elusive, according to officials who ended their investigation into the matter last month.

The unexplained incidents received widespread media attention, giving rise to speculations involving everything from wolf depredation and soil based pathogens, to stirring—but unfounded—claims of a mysterious “creature” that “left no tracks” responsible for the killings.

However, an investigation by The Debrief based on documents obtained through Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests, as well as interviews with investigators who probed the mysterious deaths, have revealed new details about the incidents that perplexed state officials and local cattle farmers on Colorado’s Western Slope last year.

The Investigation Ends, and Questions Remain

ON FEBRUARY 7, 2023, four months after the first dead calves were discovered near Meeker, CPW announced that it was closing its investigation, despite there being no conclusive explanation that could account for all the cattle deaths.

“CPW investigators could not determine the exact cause of death for a few calves with hide damage and trauma consistent with a canine attack,” the news release stated.

According to the CPW release, the discovery of a pack of nine dogs seven miles from where the cattle deaths occurred that were blamed for harassing wildlife, “cast doubt on whether wolves were in the area.”

“CPW is working with the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s office on a call-by-call basis and will deal with any domestic dog issues according to legal processes,” the release added.

Black was quoted in the release saying that while some cattle displayed wounds that were “consistent with injuries from large canines,” there had been “no confirmation of wolves in the area,” adding that “we do not have specific evidence to determine what species of canid caused the depredations.”

In Colorado, a 90-day window is allotted for producers to present proof of loss when deaths suspected to be the result of animal depredation occur. Following last October’s cattle deaths, the investigation by CPW was officially closed after the expiration of this window period.

“The Klinglesmith family would like to thank the local DWMs and veterinary staff for the many hours spent in the field and in the office investigating this incident,” Lenny Klinglesmith was quoted saying in the release, which added that his family did not plan to pursue compensation for the losses “Due to lack of evidence of wolves in the area.”

One week later on February 14, The Humane Society of the United States reported that wolves had been ruled out as a cause behind the Meeker cattle deaths, admonishing CPW officials for assessments they said “led to anti-wolf hysteria” among residents and certain stakeholders on the Colorado Western Slope.

“A wildlife expert who examined photos of dead cows obtained by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in an open records request has concluded that wolves are not to blame for the deaths of 41 cattle whose bodies were found near Meeker, Colorado in 2022,” the press release read.

According to a report based on a review of CPW documents provided by the HSUS, Carter Niemeyer, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture District Supervisor and Wolf Management Specialist wrote that there wasn’t any evidence that supported wolf involvement in the cattle deaths in Colorado last year.

“Based on the evidence in these photos,” Niemeyer wrote in his report, “it [is] my opinion that wolves had nothing to do with the death of Meeker cattle. I don’t really see any evidence of dog bites either. Although they can be less damaging, dogs can inflict serious injuries to the legs of cattle or even the faces/nose.”

“I believe the cattle died fairly quickly where they were standing,” Niemeyer continued, “and the cause had nothing to do with predation of any sort.” Niemeyer also raised the question of whether Brisket disease might have played a more significant role in the deaths, based on communications that referenced a pair of cattle deaths that were believed to have been caused by this condition.

“My question would be – If a couple of cattle died this way, it is reasonable to assume others did too,” Niemeyer wrote. “Brisket disease is a well-known and recognized condition in cattle that graze at high elevations in Colorado.”

“In conclusion, I did NOT see any evidence of wolf predation in any of the images provided,” Niemeyer wrote.

Lingering Questions

FOR TRAVIS BLACK, what began as an investigation into how more than 40 cattle died in his home state last year blossomed into a controversy that eventually made its way into headlines around the world. At the heart of the investigation had been the concerns of a respected ranch family in Meeker, who felt an obligation to communicate with their neighbors in the region about the unsettling situation that had invaded their lives.

It is a situation that, even today, remains unresolved.

“It was Mr. Klinglesmith that first reached out to the media about this,” Black told The Debrief. “And I understand where he was coming from. I’d probably have made the same decision if I’d been that producer.”

However, those initial efforts to provide clear and reliable information to the public about the investigation also drew media attention, which eventually gave rise to misperceptions about the investigation that would further hamper efforts to get to the bottom of the deaths.

“That certainly caused the media to start inquiring,” Black said. “It put CPW in a position where we had to put something out, right? To let them know, yes, something happened. We’re investigating it.”

Yet those investigations seemed to have only left people like Black and his coworkers with more questions than answers about what factors might have caused the bizarre deaths.

“I go back to the drum I keep beating,” Black maintains. “We saw injuries consistent with wolf depredations.”

“But never once did we say it was wolves.”

Black says the headlines that played up the mysterious aspects of the deaths, characterizing them as “slayings” by some unidentified “creature” had likely only fed into the misperception that wolves, or perhaps some other animal, were to blame.

“It did make managing the situation difficult,” Black said, noting that the media coverage and resulting rumor mill prompted CPW to hold a commission meeting on November 17, 2022, where Black attempted to update the public and “put to rest some of the rumors that were flying out there.”

However, as the end of the three-month period allotted to producers like the Klinglesmith family to provide evidence of loss steadily approached, it became evident to all parties that a resolution was unlikely to be found before the deadline arrived.

“We coordinated with the landowner, and he agreed,” Black told The Debrief. “In consultation with Klinglesmith, we agreed to close the investigation.”

Throughout the duration of CPW’s inquiry, Black says that there was no clear evidence of wolves uncovered during the 90-day investigation period. However, equally frustrating to investigators had been that in addition to the scant evidence of canine depredation, there had also been no clear evidence that any of the other potential causes CPW had explored were to blame.

“We couldn’t say [definitively] that it was clostridium. We couldn’t say for certain that it was dogs [or] other canines that harassed the cattle.”

“There just wasn’t enough evidence to support any of the above,” Black said.

The question remains as to what the actual cause behind the deaths of so many cattle around Meeker last year had been, although several possibilities exist. Perhaps some yet-to-be-determined pathogen had been to blame, which might explain why tests for any of the suspected strains of clostridium turned up empty-handed. It also seems plausible—if not likely—that the changes to the vaccination schedules that occurred earlier in 2022 had been related to the deaths in some way.

Another alternative is Brisket disease, a condition that is recognized for affecting mostly high-altitude cattle populations like those in northwestern Colorado but can sometimes manifest in cattle dwelling as low as 3000 feet. Brisket disease was also confirmed in at least two of the incidents reported by the Klinglesmiths last year early in the investigation and perhaps should not be ruled out as having been a potential factor in more of the cattle deaths.

Still another possibility might involve a form of toxin present in the environment, which calves could have been exposed to either through ingestion of vegetation or other food sources or through contaminated water. Presently, although there is no evidence of contaminants in the environment known to have been detected by CPW investigators, examples of bovine deaths resulting from toxicity have occurred elsewhere in recent years. These include cattle deaths in Ontario in 2007 that were later attributed to the consumption of Senecio jacobaea, a plant more commonly known as Tansy ragwort.

In the aftermath of the strange ordeal, there is at least one thing that seems very clear to Travis Black, although it offers little consolation in light of the mysterious incidents that pushed his community into the international spotlight last year.

“The only thing I could say,” Black told The Debrief, “is that there was zero evidence of wolves.”

• 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 Twitter: @MicahHanks. 

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

07-10-2025 om 22:26 geschreven door peter  

Pilots and crews from more than 15 commercial aircraft say they have encountered unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) in American airspace in recent weeks, according to eyewitness testimony and videos that detail the unusual events.

According to witnesses, the rash of incidents occurred over a seven-week period and involved sightings of bright luminous aerial objects in airspace from the American Midwest to as far west as the Pacific. The Debrief has learned that several of the objects were reportedly observed performing unconventional tight-circling maneuvers, which pilots and others involved said defied simple explanation.

The objects, which have since garnered the nickname “Racetrack UAPs” for the descriptions of their odd circular flight paths, were first reported by researcher and television personality Ben Hansen on social media and his YouTube channel, where he has featured several videos detailing the pilot encounters.

While several of the incidents were reported to air traffic controllers, no official investigations are known to have taken place, although The Debrief has learned that the events were reported to at least one Federal Aviation Administration unit tasked with responding to potential threats to American airspace.

Mark Hulsey, a former F-18 pilot, was one of the principal witnesses during the August 18, 2022, incident

(Credit: Ben Hansen).

One of the earliest known incidents in the recent spate of sightings occurred on August 18, 2022, involving a Gulfstream 650 private jet flow by former Navy F-18 pilot Mark Hulsey, along with a second pilot identifying himself only by his first name, “Keith,” while traveling between Florida and Hawaii. Passing over Los Angeles, the pilots observed between 4 and 7 luminous objects at an estimated 5000 to 10,000 feet above them performing odd, circular maneuvers.

Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) was contacted to determine whether the objects represented potentially conflicting traffic, although radar controllers at the facility had been unable to detect any primary targets operating near their aircraft at that time. The two pilots watched as ATC personnel attempted to paint the objects on their scopes as the UAPs maintained their peculiar, revolving flight paths above them.

Nearby, an American Airlines flight passing through the area also reported seeing the objects over the radio. Later, the Gulfstream pilots learned that calls were made to the Los Angeles ARTCC by at least two more airlines that saw the objects. Neither of the principal witnesses believed that the objects they observed were any kind of conventional aircraft, based on their odd maneuvering and the speed they exhibited.

Los Angeles Air Traffic Control Center

(Credit: John Murphy, Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0).

The Debrief independently obtained transcripts of radio communications recorded on the night of the August incident with the help of researcher Dave Beaty, who filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents related to the incident. A portion of the transcript Beaty provided to The Debrief, which identifies the Gulfstream as “Twighlight (sic) 670”, reads as follows:

Twighlight 670 (04:58): LA Center Twighlight 670 Uh, Go Ahead, We’ve got a few aircraft here, Going around in circles. higher altitude than us. Any idea what they are?

LA Center (05:06): No, I do not. OK Strange. Gulf 41. Stand by and Twighlight 670. Say the last part again.

Twighlight 670 (05:23): Yeah, they look to be, you know, much higher than we are, They’re going around in circles so, maybe three aircraft.

LA Center (05:32): Roger. Um, yeah, I don’t know. You’re not entering any military or space or anything? I’m not sure.

Speaker 3 (05:38): Roger that

LA Center (05:39): Delta 41 go.

Twighlight 670 (05:42): Uh, Delta 41. Uh, yeah, we’re just wondering if uh, we needed a frequency. Change.

The day after the August 18th incident, the Gulfstream pilots told Hansen that a closed-door meeting occurred at Los Angeles Center, where data about the incident was reviewed and forwarded to the Joint Air Traffic Operations Command (JATOC), the FAA’s response unit for events that either represents a potential threat or are otherwise capable of impacting the National Airspace System (NAS) or national security.

According to Hansen, the meeting was in response to a phone call placed to JATOC by Hulsey, who had been provided contact details by one of the air traffic controllers he had spoken to the previous night.

“He didn’t tell him what the number was,” Hansen told The Debrief in a phone call. “He was kinda cloak and dagger with it.”

“This is the number that doesn’t exist,” the pilot was reportedly told. Hansen says the pilot was not certain which agency he had contacted at that point.

“They told him they were a government agency that was set up after 9/11,” Hansen says, who asked for the number from the pilot and performed a reverse search online.

“It came back to JATOC,” Hansen was able to confirm. During his call with an official from the agency, Hulsey told Hansen he was informed that information about the incident would be forwarded for review as a part of the Department of Defense’s UAP investigations.

“They told him they had already received the tapes and data from the previous night, and that they would be forwarding that on,” the pilot told Hansen, adding that “They were working with some efforts [related to] the new UFO hearings and task forces.”

Following the August 19 meeting, Hulsey initiated contact with Hansen and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) about his experience. Upon receiving the pilot’s report and conducting follow-up interviews, Hansen posted a video on his YouTube channel (see below) on October 6, 2022, providing details about the incident.

Where Was the Data Sent?

Despite Hansen’s confirmation that JATOC had been in communication with the pilot who contacted him, additional inquiries about the August 18 incident have only resulted in more questions.

“My FOIA request for all information and communications between L.A. Center and JATOC, or any other agency—I asked for email communications and any other data to show that they were forwarded to another agency—and it said that there were no such records,” Hansen told The Debrief.

It came back that they didn’t have any communication,” Hansen added. “So they’re denying that they talked to JATOC, and we know that JATOC did from our pilot; we already have that information. So there’s a lack of transparency.”

Hansen told The Debrief that he did not know whether the information was sent to any other agencies, but that recordings he obtained of communication between the pilots and air traffic controllers seemed at times to imply that this occurred.

“I don’t know if it went to any other agencies,” Hansen said. “At least in this case [they] had kicked it up to the higher-ups, and you can hear it in the audio. In fact, the radar controller said that the higher-ups were asking if there were any more reports of this as she’s reaching out to other airlines. And that’s when American Airlines reported.”

“The fact that LA operations reported the sighting to the Domestic Events Network suggests they also took the report seriously,” Beaty told The Debrief in an email. 

Additional UAP Witnesses Come Forward  

After the story appeared on social media, Hansen says that other pilots began reaching out to him with similar encounters.

“These events took place both before and after the Los Angeles event,” Hansen told The Debrief. One of the incidents, which occurred on August 10, 2022, involved observations by a dozen crew members from six different airlines en route between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. A pair of Hawaiian Airlines pilots who spoke with Hansen reported the objects they witnessed “were visible for hours” and appeared to pace their aircraft while remaining at relative positions in the sky. However, unlike celestial objects, the purported UAPs were seen intermittently changing their luminosity and moving in circuitous patterns resembling those reported during the August 18 incident over California.

“Onboard TCAS radar assisted the pilots in determining the position of other known aircraft around them and the distance between each observing airline,” Hansen says. Based on the radar information, all of the pilots determined that the objects they observed were inconsistent with conventional aircraft, celestial phenomena, flares, or other known objects.

Another incident Hansen learned of reportedly occurred within 24 hours of the events of August 18, involving a UAP observation near Springfield, Missouri. Shortly after midnight on August 19, a report was received by Memphis ARTCC from a UPS flight, whose pilots observed a series of unusual lights to the north of their aircraft. The UPS pilots similarly queried Memphis ARTCC about whether they had flown into military airspace; however, no military activity notifications had been issued, and air traffic controllers could detect no aircraft on their radars.

Within minutes of the initial observation, pilots with a United Airlines and a Southwest Airlines flight also contacted Memphis ARTCC to report observations of these objects. One of the pilots, the captain of Southwest Airlines flight 549, had served for two decades as a Navy helicopter pilot prior to entering commercial aviation. According to an account of his observations provided to Hansen, the pilot described seeing two or three objects moving “in an orbital pattern” as their luminosity became “intensely bright” before dimming. The pilot also dismissed the possibility that the objects he observed were satellites, and that their intensity was like nothing he had seen before, including observations with the aid of night vision equipment during Navy missions. The pilot and first officer said the objects were observed for close to half an hour. (Update 10/20/22: A plausible explanation for the August 19, 2022, observations near Springfield, Missouri, described above has been presented by user Flarkey on the Metabunk forum, and can be read here. H/T to Mick West.)

In the weeks that followed, several similar UAP reports from commercial pilots began to come to the attention of civilian researchers through social media channels.

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

07-10-2025 om 21:37 geschreven door peter  

Mark Harris; The History channel (Elizondo); U.S. Navy/Public Domain (gimbal); National archives (Report)

Elizondo Visited Govt. Facility Where Extraterrestrial Craft Was Stored; Sheehan Told Dr. Greer

Following the revelation surrounding the David Grusch incident, the United States Senate is under immense pressure to address the unfolding circumstances. Alongside Grusch, another individual of paramount significance, Lue Elizondo, holds a wealth of concealed information pertaining to the Pentagon’s covert UFO program. Elizondo is widely regarded as the cornerstone of this entire UFO disclosure endeavor.

David Grusch & Elizondo have provided credence to Italy’s UFO crash incident, which plays a significant role in the whole UAP subject as it superseded the famous Roswell crash. Moreover, Elizondo has said many times in various interviews that we have evidence of highly advanced crafts that are perhaps not made by humans.

Did Elizondo See an Extraterrestrial Craft in a Government Facility?

Speculation surrounds Lue Elizondo’s claim of witnessing an extraterrestrial craft in a government facility. Despite constraints due to nondisclosure agreements, Elizondo has hinted at the existence of unidentified debris in interviews. He emphasized the importance of collecting evidence, including material science analysis, to discern engineered or natural origins.

In a blog post from May 2021, UFO researcher Joe Murgia discusses the possibility that Elizondo may have witnessed an extraterrestrial craft in a government facility. Murgia highlights an interview where Dr. Steven Greer shares information from Daniel Sheehan, stating that Elizondo had informed him about personally encountering an actual extraterrestrial vehicle stored in a facility. This revelation aligns with Elizondo’s previous statements on the matter.

“Daniel Sheehan has also shared, and this is even more explosive, that Luis Elizondo has informed him that he in fact has been in a facility, where an actual extraterrestrial vehicle was stored. Now, why is that important? Because he’s all over the news… saying we don’t know what these are,” Dr. Steven Greer said.

Elizondo appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in May 2019, where he cautiously acknowledged the existence of debris from unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) in the possession of the U.S. government. When pressed further, Elizondo expressed his limitations due to non-disclosure agreements, but he confirmed the presence of such materials.

Tucker Carlson: “Do you believe, based on your decade of serving in the U.S. government, on this question, that the U.S. government has in its possession any material from one of these aircrafts?”

Luis Elizondo: “Woe. Umm…I do, yes.”

Tucker Carlson: “You think the U.S. government has debris from a UFO in its possession right now?”

Luis Elizondo: “Unfortunately, Tucker, I really have to be careful of my NDA. I really can’t go into a lot of…more detail than that.”

Tucker Carlson: “Okay.”

Luis Elizondo: “But… simply put, yes.”

Another instance occurred in February 2021, when Elizondo participated in an interview on “Spaced Out Radio.” During the interview, Dave Scott asked Lue Elizondo if he had ever encountered a gray being with distinct features such as big, black eyes, silverish or brown skin tone, a slit mouth, barely any nose, and three fingers. In response, Elizondo acknowledged that he had witnessed extraordinary things in his life, but he was cautious not to influence the audience’s perception.

Elizondo emphasized that he had encountered compelling situations where he required more data to draw conclusions. Although Scott probed further by asking if such encounters scared him, Elizondo clarified that fear was not primarily associated with this topic. Instead, he expressed greater concern about being prevented from asking questions or lacking the freedom to inquire.

Elizondo asserted that the ability to engage in conversations about potentially existential matters for our species was vital, and he considered the inability to ask questions a more significant threat than uncomfortable answers. For Elizondo, the pursuit of knowledge and understanding outweighed any personal fears or anxieties, unless faced with physical harm.

Elizondo’s discussions regarding evidence and analysis continued during an interview with Steve Greenstreet in May 2021. Drawing an analogy to investigating a car accident, Elizondo expressed the significance of examining the physical properties and molecular composition of material evidence to determine whether it was engineered or naturally occurring. This emphasis on material science as a gold standard indicates the desire to collect comprehensive data under the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).

Steven Greenstreet: “In your analogy, you said the vehicle itself is part of the evidence. You go up to it, you look at it, you examine it. Was that happening with AATIP?”

Luis Elizondo: “Wow, great question. I’ve gotta be careful how I answer this. That certainly would be preferred. The intent of AATIP was to try to collect as much and any information and evidence as possible, period. Whether it was electro-optical or electromagnetic or whatever. And certainly, material science is certainly a gold standard. If you can get a piece of material and you can look at, not just its physical properties, but its molecular, chemical properties and ultimately its atomic properties, you can ascertain whether or not something has been engineered or manufactured or it’s a part of the natural environment.”

Finally, Elizondo appeared as a guest on Tucker Carlson’s show in May 2021, where he advocated for transparency and truthfulness in discussing UFO-related matters. Elizondo affirmed the existence of physical evidence pertaining to these objects and stressed the importance of further analysis. He acknowledged the possession of exotic materials by the U.S. government, which necessitates thorough examination and involvement of specialized expertise. Elizondo expressed concern about potential reprisals and highlighted the existence of individuals within certain government circles who are willing to conduct honest investigations and fulfill their patriotic duty.

Overall, it raises intriguing questions about Elizondo’s possible encounters with extraterrestrial crafts within government facilities, while also emphasizing the importance of transparency and comprehensive analysis in understanding these phenomena.

Additionally, Elizondo confirmed that there is photographic and video evidence of UFO and its occupants. In 2020, during an interview on Coast to Coast AM radio with investigative journalist George Knapp, former AATIP head Elizondo stated that the current UAP Task Force obtained images of multiple unknown aerial objects, including a clear image of a mysterious triangle emerging from the ocean, recorded by military pilots. (Click here to read the full article)

The object was described as a large triangle with “blunted” edges and spherical white “lights” on each corner, and the encounter is said to have occurred off the East Coast of the US. The pilots who encountered the object are believed to have been operating from either the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower or the USS John C. Stennis, both of which are Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarriers, which further deepens the apparent links between UFOs and man’s nuclear capabilities.

It is really shocking and weird that nobody paid attention to Luis Elizondo’s statement about “UFO Occupancy and biological samples.” With Curt Jaimungal on his Theories of Everything (TOE) podcast in 2021, Elizondo carefully hinted that “potentially” the U.S. government acquired otherworldly biological samples. He also suggested that the government has images of UAPs that appear to show beings inside them. (Click here to read the full article)

Elizondo resigned from the Pentagon in 2017, and has made several bold statements since then. In 2021, he stated to have seen the UFO footage, describing it as showing unidentified floating objects for 23 minutes. He made this revelation while talking to the YouTube channels Fade to Black and Witness Citizen UAP. During the talk, Elizondo revealed that the UFO video was extremely compelling. (Click here to read the full article)

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

07-10-2025 om 21:12 geschreven door peter  

Whitley Strieber’s Alien Abduction & Stranger Who Told Him ‘Mankind Is Trapped’

Strieber’s writings have been adapted into various movies and TV shows, contributing to his global acclaim as a best-selling author. However, his popularity soared after the publication of “Communion” in 1987, a non-fiction novel detailing his encounter with non-human intelligent beings. The book became a major success, reaching the No. 1 spot on The New York Times’ non-fiction bestseller list.

In 1989, a film adaptation of “Communion” was released, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lindsay Crouse. The author’s real encounter with aliens happened on December 26, 1985, when he was sleeping alone in his cabin in the woods, upstate New York. That night, Strieber was awakened by an unusual noise. When he opened his eyes, he saw a small alien creature approaching his bed.

“Throughout the world, there is a certain type of face, a being that’s seen again and again and again. With a long, thin face and big black eyes, sometimes the head seems quite big, as in the Betty Andreas case. In others, like in my case, they seem smaller, and the beings are taller. But that basic configuration, that basic sort of non-human configuration, seems to be repeated again and again and again in experiences all over the world,” Strieber said.

The next thing Strieber remembered was finding himself sitting in the surrounding woods with fragmented memories of what had transpired. To uncover the truth and regain his memories, he decided to undergo regressive hypnosis administered by Dr. Donald F. Klein. He recalled he had been abducted and physically assaulted by someone whom he designated as “Visitors” to keep the possibility of extraterrestrials’ involvement low.

Under hypnosis, Strieber recalled being “floated” out of his bedroom and taken aboard a UFO. During this experience, he encountered four different types of alien beings: a small robot-like being, a short and stocky type, a slender one, and a weak-looking being. Whatever he had recalled in the hypnosis became the story of his best-selling novel. Since that night, he was full of curiosity about the unknown visitors.

Read also:

• Pentagon Has Clear Image Of Triangle UFO Rising Out Of Ocean, Elizondo Confirmed
• Karla Turner Claimed She Found Evidence That Aliens Are Manipulating Human Reality
• Stanford Top Scientist Claims ‘100%’ Aliens Are On Earth; He Himself Saw Grey E.T.s
• Jacques Vallee On Footage Of UFO Landing At Holloman AFB: Occupant Carried Vertical Staff With Spiral Antenna

Strieber described that one of the beings had captivating black slanted eyes, while the last being had black button eyes. He further said that he underwent medical experiments conducted by those extraterrestrial beings. The experiments included a needle being inserted into his brain and an object being inserted into his rectum. Additionally, the beings extracted a blood sample from him by making an incision in his finger, indicating a series of invasive procedures.

As a result of the bizarre incidents described, Dr. Klein diagnosed Strieber with “temporal lobe epilepsy,” a condition known to cause hallucinations. However, Strieber did not accept this diagnosis and continued to claim that his abduction was a real experience. In fact, he went on to establish a foundation to provide support for other individuals who claimed to have been abducted by aliens, forming a support group for alien abductees.

In 1998, Strieber had another strange encounter at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. He was awakened at 2:30 in the morning by a knock at the door, expecting room service, but instead found a mysterious man. Stieber told the Huffington Post: “I got up to open the door, thinking it was the room service waiter. It was not. It was a man I described as about 5 and a half feet tall, older-looking, like someone in his 70s. He wore dark-colored clothing, a turtleneck, and charcoal slacks.”

Strieber described this encounter in his book “The Key: A True Encounter,” published in 2000. The stranger engaged Strieber in a conversation about life lessons, science, and ethics. He expressed a desire to help humanity escape from a cycle of violence and self-destruction. When asked about technology, the stranger mentioned that an intelligent machine would continually seek to enhance its intelligence for survival. The conversation touched upon various topics, including the existence of multiple universes and catastrophic events in Earth’s history.

During the 45-minute conversation, Strieber grew increasingly curious and asked many questions. However, at one point, the stranger offered him a drink, which caused him to fall asleep immediately. The stranger’s true identity remains unknown, leaving Strieber contemplating the future of humanity and the undiscovered realms of science.

While many people remain skeptical about Strieber’s claim of alien abduction, John B. Alexander, a former Green Beret Commander and weapons developer, has regarded Strieber as an intelligent and thoughtful researcher in the field.

Author Whitley Strieber approached the subject of alien abductions differently than his contemporaries in the 1980s. While others focused on the idea that extraterrestrial scientists were stealing human DNA, Strieber delved into the controversial aspects of his own experiences with what he called the Visitors. He used this term because he was not sure if his captors were truly alien in the conventional sense. Strieber believed they might represent something beyond human comprehension.

In his book “Transformation,” a sequel to “Communion,” Strieber explored traumatic encounters of abductees who believed the Visitors (also known as Greys) had the ability to extract the immortal human soul from the physical body. He received a response from the Visitors, explaining that they recycled souls and that Earth was like a school where souls learn, grow, and evolve through successive reincarnations.

Strieber’s realization that the abduction phenomenon was stranger than initially thought was shared by Harvard professor John E. Mack. Mack encountered abductees who believed the entities they encountered were soul-stealers. In Mack’s book “Passport to the Cosmos,” he recounted the story of an abductee named Greg who feared being separated from his soul, believing it would lead to the end of his consciousness and existence.

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{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

07-10-2025 om 20:49 geschreven door peter  

New Study Reveals The Biggest Hot Spots For UFO Sightings In The United States And Canada

by Douglas Charles

As every good UFOlogist knows, aliens have two places where they prefer to construct their bases: deep underwater and inside of active volcanoes. We also know that there are certain sites around the world that seem to draw UFOs like bees to honey.

With that in mind, as part of World Space Week, a new study was conducted to determine where the biggest UFO sighting hot spots are in the United States and Canada. Using data from the National UFO Reporting Center, along with digital media coverage, Casino.ca was able to determine which states, provinces, and territories have reported the most unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

Hot spots for UFO sightings in the United States

Not surprisingly, two of the top four states with the most active volcanoes in the United States were also the states with the most UFO sightings. The state of Washington tops the list with one reported UFO sighting for every 1,021 residents. This is nothing new though. Since 1974, Washington has had 7,625 reported sightings.

The state of Oregon comes in second on the list with one UFO sighting for every 1,105 people. Oregon also has a long history of UFO sightings with 3,838 being reported since 1974.

The third state on the list, Florida, has slightly less UFO sightings per capita, but far more sightings overall. The Sunshine State has had 20,078 UFO sightings over the year, or around one for every 1,108 residents.

Delaware with one UFO sighting per 1,178 people and New York with one for every 1,236 residents come in fourth and fifth.

On the flip side, the state with the least amount of UFO sightings in America is Louisiana. Down in the Bayou State, there has been only one UFO sighting for every 3,583 people. Mississippi with one sighting for every 3,403 people and Alabama with one per 3,238 are the second and third least on the list of UFO sightings.

Hot spots for UFO sightings in Canada

In Canada, the province of Alberta is the UFO sighting capital with one sighting for every 568 people. Ontario is the second most likely Canadian province or territory where people have spotted a UFO, one for every 639 people. Manitoba (one per 853 people) and Quebec (one for every 527 people) round out the top five. Meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador is the Canadian province/territory where one is least likely to see a UFO at just one for every 7,451 people.

However, when it comes to the total number of UFO sightings, Ontario dominates the list with 22,860 reported encounters. British Columbia, which came in third on the list per capita (742) has had 7,927 reported UFO sightings. Not surprising considering the many active volcanoes in the province.

{ https://brobible.com/category/culture/ }

07-10-2025 om 20:32 geschreven door peter  

Sneaky asteroid zooms past Antarctica closer than a satellite — and astronomers didn't catch it until hours after

A small asteroid zoomed past Earth closer than most satellites last week — and astronomers didn't notice it until hours later.

The surprise asteroid encounter occurred at 8:47 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 30 (Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 0047 GMT) when the roughly giraffe-size space rock flew over Antarctica at just 265 miles (428 kilometers) above Earth's surface, according to newly released data from the European Space Agency (ESA). Astronomers first spotted the sneaky space rock — now officially named 2025 TF — a few hours later, using observations from the Catalina Sky Survey, a NASA-funded mission to track near-Earth objects.

Measuring an estimated 3.3 to 9.8 feet wide (1 to 3 meters), the asteroid posed no serious threat to Earth, ESA added, and likely would have burned up as a bright fireball had it reached Earth's atmosphere. However, even small asteroids can cause big problems for spacecraft — and this one happened to whip by at around the same altitude where the International Space Station usually orbits. Fortunately, no spacecraft were in the space rock's path.

Space agencies like NASA and ESA track thousands of known near-Earth objects, carefully monitoring which ones pose the greatest risk of colliding with Earth. (Currently, no known objects pose a significant threat to our planet for at least 100 years). For an asteroid to be considered "potentially hazardous," it must measure at least 460 feet (140 m) in diameter, and follow an orbit that comes within 4.65 million miles (7.48 million km) of Earth — or roughly 20 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. Asteroid 2025 TF falls far short of that size threshold, which may also explain why it evaded detection until after it had passed.

Astronomers at ESA's Planetary Defence Office observed the asteroid shortly after it was discovered, ESA officials reported. NASA, which has paused all public communications during the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, did not make any announcements about the asteroid — however, an entry for the asteroid has been updated on NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies website. The tiny space rock is not expected to fly by our planet again until April of 2087, according to NASA.

Earth may have dodged a "fireball" with this near-miss asteroid encounter, but skywatchers can expect more fiery lights this week. The Draconid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday (Oct. 8) — and while the display of shooting stars will be somewhat dampened by the light of the full Harvest Moon, the appearance of bright fireball meteors is possible. No asteroids play a part in this annual sky show; the Draconids come from icy debris left by the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, which blazes through the inner solar system every 6.5 years.

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

07-10-2025 om 20:14 geschreven door peter  

That was close! Huge asteroid comes within 300 miles of hitting Earth – and NASA only noticed AFTER the close encounter

• READ MORE: British walkers are urged to look out for meteorite fragments

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

A huge asteroid came within 300 miles of hitting Earth, and scientists only noticed after it had already skimmed past the planet.

The 9.8-foot (three metre) space rock, dubbed 2025 TF, flew over Antarctica in the early hours of October 1.

Passing at an altitude of just 265 miles (428 kilometres), the rock came closer to the Earth's surface than the orbit of the International Space Station.

However, space agencies only realised the near-miss had occurred when the asteroid was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey a few hours later.

While a miss this close might sound alarming, the European Space Agency (ESA) claims there was never any serious danger.

Based on its estimated size, 2025 TF would have most likely burned up or exploded in the atmosphere rather than slamming into the surface.

ESA said in a statement: 'Objects of this size pose no significant danger.

'They can produce fireballs if they strike Earth’s atmosphere, and may result in the discovery of small meteorites on the ground.'

A huge asteroid passed within 300 miles of Earth, but astronomers only realised the close encounter had happened when telescopes picked up the asteroid hours later. Pictured: Image of the asteroid taken by the Las Cumbres Observatory

After the asteroid passed, astronomers at the ESA's Planetary Defence Office observed it using the Las Cumbres Observatory in Australia.

This allowed for a more accurate estimate of the object's size and worked out that it had reached its closest point to Earth at exactly 01:47:26 BST.

ESA says: 'Tracking down a metre-scale object in the vast darkness of space at a time when its location is still uncertain is an impressive feat.

'This observation helped astronomers determine the close approach distance and time given above to such high precision.'

While it might not have done much damage to the planet, even a small space rock could have caused serious damage to a spacecraft.

This is particularly concerning since 2025 TF passed within the orbit of the ISS.

However, there were thankfully no spacecraft or satellites in the way as this asteroid passed.

Although NASA has paused all public communication during the government shutdown, the space agency has created an entry for 2025 TF on its Center for Near-Earth Object Studies website.

The asteroid, dubbed 2025 TF, passed 265 miles (428 kilometres) above Antarctica in the early hours of October 1. This put it at roughly the same altitude as the International Space Station (stock image) 

According to this entry, the asteroid will next return to Earth in 2087 when it will pass within 3,710,795 miles (5,971,946 km) of the planet.

However, to be classed as a 'potentially hazardous' asteroid, a space rock must have a diameter of at least 460 feet (140 metres) and follow an orbit that will take it within 4.65 million miles (7.48 million km) of Earth.

Although 2025 TF's orbit takes it well within this distance, it is simply too small to be considered a hazard.

This small size also makes it extremely difficult to spot, which likely explains why it wasn't noticed until it had already passed Earth.

Each year, space agencies around the world discover thousands of so-called near-earth asteroids (NEAs).

These range from relatively harmless space rocks like 2025 TF to enormous 'city-killers' like the asteroid 99942 Apophis.

As of October 4, there were 39,585 known NEAs, including 11,453 asteroids larger than 460 feet (140 metres) in diameter.

Of these, about 2,500 are considered potentially hazardous, according to the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Minor Planet Center.

2025 TF measures up to 9.8 feet (three metres) in diameter. Even though its orbit (illustrated) took it close to Earth, it is too small to be considered a potentially hazardous object 

Each year, astronomers find thousands of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs), many of which are over 460 feet (140 metres) in diameter. However, there are currently no objects that pose a risk to Earth in the next 100 years 

These hazardous space rocks are subject to a much higher level of scrutiny, and their orbital paths are carefully calculated to see if they will hit Earth.

But, as this near miss demonstrates, even the world's most sophisticated planetary defence systems can't capture anything.

While scientists expect that almost all city or planet-killer asteroids will be detected long before they arrive, small but dangerous asteroids can still slip through.

In January last year, NASA's Scout impact hazard assessment system alerted authorities to a six-foot (two metre) asteroid heading towards Berlin just 95 minutes before it impacted.

Most famously, in 2013, residents of the Russian town of Chelyabinsk witnessed a 66-foot (20 metre) asteroid explode less than 19 miles (30 km) above the surface.

Scientists hadn't seen the asteroid at all since it was approaching from the direction of the sun and couldn't be seen during the day.

However, the blast released 30 times more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, destroying 7,200 buildings and sending 1,500 people to the hospital.

Since this time, planetary defence systems have greatly improved, but many scientists still think more work needs to be done to ensure similar asteroids aren't missed in the future.

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

07-10-2025 om 17:51 geschreven door peter  

On October 3, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS flew past Mars at a distance of 30 million km. NASA and ESA deployed spacecraft studying the Red Planet to photograph a visitor from another star system. The Perseverance rover was among them. It took a series of images of the Martian sky in an attempt to capture the comet.

Due to the US government shutdown, NASA is currently unable to make any official statements regarding the results of its observations of the comet. However, amateur astronomer Simeon Schmauß used publicly available images of Perseverance to find it. To do this, he processed and stitched together twenty images taken with a 30-second exposure set on the rover’s Mastcam-Z camera.

In the final image, you can see a faint cloud of 8th magnitude. This is the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Despite its relative proximity to Mars, it cannot be seen from its surface with the naked eye. This is because the vicinity of Mars receives 2.5 times less sunlight than Earth. Therefore, the activity of 3I/ATLAS is much lower than it could be if the comet were closer to the Sun. Furthermore, contrary to speculation by ufologists, its core is not particularly large.

It is also worth noting that many online resources have begun publishing images taken by Perseverance’s navigation camera, which show a bright elongated object, claiming that this is the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, and that the absence of a tail means that it is of artificial origin. However, this is a deception. In reality, these images show Phobos, which was captured in the frame at the moment of shooting. It is bright and moves at high speed across the Martian sky, which creates a “smeared” effect.

Just a reminder that comet 3I/ATLAS will reach the perihelion of its orbit on October 29. At that moment, it will not be visible from Earth. However, it will be observable by the European JUICE spacecraft, which will be in a suitable position for this.

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

07-10-2025 om 17:34 geschreven door peter  

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

07-10-2025 om 17:19 geschreven door peter  

WAT IS DE LANGSTE TIJD DAT IEMAND KLINISCH DOOD WAS - EN DAARNA TERUG TOT LEVEN GEWEKT?

Kunnen mensen echt uit de dood terugkeren nadat ze minuten of zelfs uren lang geen hartslag hebben gehad?

(Afbeeldingscredit: Halfpoint Images via Getty Images)

Wat is de langste tijd waarin iemand klinisch dood is geweest en daarna weer tot leven is gebracht? Die vraag lijkt op een paradox: hoe kan iemand die niet ademhaalt, geen polsslag heeft en mogelijk geen hersenactiviteit vertoont, later weer opduikt alsof er niets is gebeurd? Wetenschappelijk gezien gaat het om grenzen tussen klinische dood, hersendood en levende toestand, en om de manieren waarop het menselijk lichaam kan worden teruggebracht tot leven wanneer de condities gunstig blijven. In dit essay verken ik wat “klinische dood” precies betekent, welke voorvallen de geschiedenis sieren, en waarom sommige mensen na lange perioden van stilstand toch weer kunnen opveren. Daarbij geef ik voorvallen en voorbeelden met de meest betrouwbare details die in de medische literatuur terug te vinden zijn. Ik sluit af met wat deze verhalen ons leren over genezende technologieën, ethiek en de menselijke veerkracht.

1. Klinische dood en de grenzen van leven en dood

Klinische dood is de toestand waarin iemands hart en ademhaling zijn gestopt, wat doorgaans ook leidt tot afwezigheid van hersenactiviteit. In de literatuur wordt vaak gesproken over de “noodrem” waar medische ingrepen nog mogelijk zijn: reanimatie, beademing, en een reeks lifesaving-technieken zoals defibrillatie en later mogelijk extracorporale membraanoxygenatie (ECMO). Cruciaal is de korte periode waarin het lichaam kan worden gekoeld of de stofwisseling kan worden afgeremd, zodat cellen minder snel beschadigd raken vanwege gebrek aan zuurstof. Dit fenomeen—waarbij de hersenen en het lichaam lange tijd zonder stroom en zuurstof kunnen overleven als de temperatuur laag genoeg daalt of de stofwisseling tijdelijk wordt teruggebracht—wordt hypothermie genoemd. Hypothermie kan als een soort “verzamelaar” fungeren van tijd: het lichaam vertraagt de inwendige processen en houdt organen in leven, zelfs terwijl de ademhaling en hartslag ontbreekt.

2. Het helderste en meest betrouwbare geval:

Anna Bagenholm Het meest bekende en vaak aangehaalde geval van een extreem lange periode van klinische dood die eindigde in herstel met opmerkelijk goede neurologische uitkomsten, is dat van Anna Bagenholm, een Zweedse arts. In 1999, tijdens een ski-ongeluk in de bergen nabij Åre, raakte zij door een sneeuwlawine of het openen van een geultje onder de sneeuw zo ondiep dat ze in koud water terechtkwam. Haar lichaamstemperatuur daalde naar een recordlage waarde voor een mens die nog leefde: ongeveer 13,7°C (56,7°F). De totale tijd waarin haar lichaam onder extreme onderkoeling verkeerde, werd pas later bestuderd in rapporten van de medische teams en omvatte een lange periode waarin de hartslag en ademhaling afwezig waren. Uiteindelijk werd zij gered; haar hart kwam terug op gang en ze werd met functionele neurologische uitkomsten uit het ziekenhuis ontslagen.

Waarom dit geval zo prominent is, gaat verder dan de toevallige duur van de onderkoelde toestand. In Anna Bagenholms geval speelde een combinatie van factoren een rol: buitengewone onderkoeling verlengt de periode waarin hersenen kunnen overleven bij gebrek aan zuurstof, een snelle medische interventie na redding, en geavanceerde reanimatietechnieken. Dit incident werd uitvoerig gedocumenteerd in de medische literatuur en heeft geleid tot een verhoogde interesse in onderkoeling als een therapeutische strategie in sommige gevallen van hartstilstand. Het geeft ook aan hoe menselijk herstel mogelijk is, zelfs wanneer de klokken lijken te hebben stilgestaan.

3. Andere bekende en gedocumenteerde voorbeelden 

Hoewel Anna Bagenholm een schijnbaar besteendrecord blijft in termen van onderkoelde toestand met herstel, zijn er nog enkele opmerkelijke gevallen waarin mensen na langere perioden van klinische dood weer tot leven kwamen, vaak onder vergelijkbare omstandigheden van onderkoeling of intense medische zorg.

• Prolonged cardiac arrest op het gebied van onderkoeling: Er zijn meerdere gevallen uit de literatuur waarin personen na tientallen minuten tot meer dan een uur van klinische dood herwonen met minimale of matige neurologische schade. In sommige van deze gevallen werd de toestand vergezeld door diepe onderkoeling en door onmiddellijke, agressieve reanimatiemaatregelen. De conclusies uit deze gevallen zijn vaak afhankelijk van de totale duur van hartstilstand, de temperatuur van het lichaam bij redding, en de snelheid en kwaliteit van de medische zorg, inclusief cardiopulmonale reanimatie (CPR) en later ECMO (extracorporale membraanoxygenatie).

• Hypothermie als “levensverlengende truc”: De centrale wetenschappelijke les uit deze gevallen is dat hypothermie de metabole behoeften aanzienlijk verlaagt. Hersencellen gebruiken zuurstof en glucose, maar bij lagere temperatuur vertraagt de biochemische snelheid van celprocessen considerably. Daardoor kan hersenschade tijdelijk worden beperkt, zelfs als de zuurstoftoevoer is gestopt. Dit biedt een kans dat, wanneer de bloedtoevoer en ademhaling worden hersteld, de hersenen nog kunnen terugkeren tot functioneel niveau van activiteit.

• Berichte gevallen met lange CPR- en bewuste perioden: Er zijn gevallen waarin personen na tientallen minuten CPR weer een polsslag en spontane ademhaling kregen, en sommigen vertrokken met geringe neurologische beperkingen, terwijl anderen herstellen tot vrijwel volledig functioneren. Dergelijke gevallen zijn echter zeldzaam en worden met voorzichtigheid geïnterpreteerd vanwege de afhankelijkheid van bijschrijvingen, de definitie van “klinische dood” en de manier waarop volgzwaarte van neurologische uitkomsten wordt beoordeeld.

4. Wat maakt deze verhalen complex en soms controversieel?

• Definities variëren: Klinische dood kan anders geïnterpreteerd worden afhankelijk van de bronnen. In sommige definities is het de afwezigheid van hartslag en ademhaling voor een korte tijd, in andere definities gaat het om het ontbreken van geen hersenactiviteit of een lange-termijn hersendood. Moderne geneeskunde maakt vaak onderscheid tussen reversible en irreversibele dood. Eigenlijk is de vraag: wanneer is herstel niet meer mogelijk vanwege onherstelbare hersenbeschadiging? Hypothermie kan deze grens tijdelijk verschuiven, maar het blijft een raadsel hoe lang en onder welke omstandigheden herstel volledig of nabij volledig kan plaatsvinden.

• Neurologische uitkomsten zijn onvoorspelbaar: Zelfs in gevallen waarin lichamelijk leven kan worden hersteld, is de uitkomst voor de hersenen verre van gegarandeerd. Sommige patiënten herstellen tot bijna normaal functioneren, terwijl anderen ernstig cognitief of motorisch beperkt blijven. Dit maakt de verhalen zowel hoopvol als tragisch en roept ethische vragen op over welke interventies wel of niet gepast zijn.

• Publicatie- en verhalingsbias: Populaire media slurpen vaak de meest spectaculaire gevallen op en herhalen ze als “recorden” of “ondenkbare reddingen”, waardoor het publieke begrip scheefgroeit ten opzichte van de statistische realiteit. Wetenschappelijke artikelen geven doorgaans een meer genuanceerde kijk, maar het bereik van de verhalen blijft beperkt. Het is belangrijk om onderscheid te maken tussen een geval met extreem gunstige omstandigheden en de gemiddelde patiënt.

5. Technologische en medische factoren die invloed hebben op herstelkansen

• Snelle CPR en defibrillatie: De koppeling van snelle borstcompressies en anti-ritmische defibrillatie kan de kans op terugkeer van spontane ademhaling en circulatie vergroten. Hoe eerder deze ingrepen starten, hoe groter de kans op behoud van hersenfunctie.

• Onderkoeling (therapeutische hypothermie): In sommige gevallen wordt gecontroleerde onderkoeling toegepast na terugkeer van circulatie om hersenbeschadiging te beperken. Dit wordt soms toegepast bij mensen die na hartstilstand een redelijke kans hebben om te herstellen maar een verhoogd risico op hersenschade hebben.

• ECMO en geavanceerde reserve-vormen van zuurstofvoorziening: ECMO geeft artsen de mogelijkheid om de bloedcirculatie en zuurstoftoevoer kunstmatig te leveren terwijl de onderliggende oorzaak van de hartstilstand wordt aangepakt. Dit kan vooral belangrijk zijn wanneer borstcompressies alleen niet voldoende zijn om de organen te beschermen.

• Neurorevalidatie: Herstel is niet alleen een medische of operationele zaak; het omvat ook uitgebreide neurologische zorg. Fysiotherapie, ergotherapie, en cognitieve revalidatie zijn cruciaal voor het terugkrijgen van functies en het terugwinnen van onafhankelijkheid.

6. Leringen en bredere implicaties

• Medische schattingen zijn altijd schattingen: Zelfs met de beste moderne technieken blijven de uitkomsten probabilistisch. Elke case draagt bij aan wat we weten over de grens tussen leven en dood en de mogelijke genezende kracht van het lichaam wanneer de omstandigheden gunstig zijn. Het leren van deze gevallen helpt bij het verbeteren van protocollen voor reanimatie, onderkoelsector, en post-resuscitatiezorg.

• Ethiek en besluitvorming: Familie, zorgverleners, en juristen raken in deze arena betrokken bij moeilijke keuzes. Wanneer moet men doorgaan met reanimatie? Welke uitkomsten zijn acceptabel of gewenst? Daarnaast komen er vragen op over wat “kwaliteit van leven” betekent als de kans op neurologische normalisatie laag lijkt. Dit soort gesprekken is niet alleen medisch maar ook menselijk, cultureel en ethisch van aard.

• Publieke perceptie en hoop: Verhalen van reddingen die lijken te trotseren wat mogelijk is, geven hoop aan patiënten en families, maar kunnen ook misleidend zijn als ze uit meer algemene statistieken worden gehaald. Het is essentieel om realistisch te blijven: de meerderheid van hartstilstanden wordt niet gered met volledig herstel, en elk geval moet door de lens van wetenschappelijke kans en individuele variabiliteit worden bekeken.

7. Wat betekent dit vandaag voor jou en voor toekomstige generaties?

• Voor medische professionals: Het blijft van vitaal belang om reanimatieprotocollen bij te houden, kennis van hypothermie te verdiepen, en te investeren in geavanceerde ondersteunende technologieën zoals ECMO en post-reanimatiezorg. Ook de ethische dimensie van besluitvorming vraagt voortdurend om dialoog en scholing.
• Voor de samenleving: Draagvlak voor medische onderzoeksfinanciering, betere data-infrastructuur over uitkomsten na reanimatie en betere voorlichting aan het publiek over wat wel en niet realistisch is in termen van hervatting van leven is belangrijk. Dit helpt families te helpen maken wat voor hen de beste keuzes zijn in tijden van crisis.
• Voor toekomstige onderzoekers: De intrinsieke vraag blijft bestaan: hoe lang kan een mens onder kritieke omstandigheden in leven blijven en toch hersenfunctie behouden? Geavanceerde bewakingssystemen, betere definities van hersenfunctie, en de combinatie van hypothermie met andere neuroprotectieve strategieën zullen naar verwachting de overleving en functionele uitkomsten blijven verbeteren.

8. Reflecties op wat het ons vertelt over menselijkheid en wetenschap

Deze verhalen van herstel herinneren ons aan twee tegengestelde maar harmonieuze ideeën: ten first, de menselijkheid van de genezende artsen die met ruim hart en verstand opereren onder extreme druk; ten seconde de wonderbaarlijke veerkracht van het menselijk lichaam, dat in staat kan zijn tot herstel onder omstandigheden die ooit als onmogelijk werden beschouwd. De grens tussen leven en dood is minder strikt dan men soms denkt. Door de combinatie van snelle interventie, hypothermie, geavanceerde technologie en onwrikbare menselijke wil lukt het in zeldzame gevallen toch om te genezen wat ooit als definitief werd beschouwd.

Conclusie Hoewel er geen eenvoudige of eenduidige antwoorden zijn op de vraag “wat is de langste tijd dat iemand klinisch dood was en daarna weer tot leven kwam?”, is het duidelijk dat er in de annalen van de moderne geneeskunde bemoedigende voorbeelden bestaan van opmerkelijke redingen. Anna Bagenholm blijft een van de krachtigste illustraties van wat mogelijk is wanneer een combinatie van extreme onderkoeling, snelle en doeltreffende medische zorg, en sterk klinisch inzicht samenkomen. Haar verhaal en die van andere gelijkaardige gevallen geven hoop en richting aan artsen, patiënten en families die met de onzekere realiteit van hartstilstand en reanimatie te maken hebben.

Maar ze herinneren ons ook aan de grenzen van wat we weten. Elk herstel is een complex samenspel van factoren, en neurologische uitkomsten kunnen variëren van volledig herstel tot aanzienlijke beperkingen. Het veld blijft zich ontwikkelen, met de hoop op betere overlevingskansen en eerlijkere verwachtingen in elk individu dat te maken krijgt met een hartstilstand en de kans op terugkeer van ademhaling en circulatie. In die zin vertellen deze verhalen een verhaal over de menselijke veerkracht, de grenzen van wetenschap en de voortdurende zoektocht naar betere zorg voor iedereen die ooit “klinisch dood” lijkt te zijn geweest en toch ergens verder aandrong in het pad naar herstel.

{PETER2011}

06-10-2025 om 21:58 geschreven door peter  

First Human Face Carved on Ancient T-Pillar Discovered at Karahantepe

Gary Manners

A groundbreaking archaeological discovery at Karahantepe has shattered expectations about Neolithic symbolic expression, as researchers uncovered the first T-shaped pillar ever found with a distinctly carved human face. This historic find, announced by Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, represents a revolutionary moment in understanding how our ancestors first began depicting themselves in stone over 12,000 years ago.

The discovery was made during ongoing excavations as part of the Taş Tepeler (Stone Mounds) Project, which explores the earliest known monumental sites in human history across southeastern Turkey. Located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of the more famous Göbekli Tepe, Karahantepe has emerged as a rival to its more celebrated neighbor, potentially offering even more sophisticated examples of Neolithic architecture and artistry reports Turkey Today.

• New Statues and Fresh Insights from Karahan Tepe
• Did Megalithic Sites in Turkey and Peru Share the Same Architects?

Revolutionary Leap from Abstract to Realistic Representation

For decades, archaeologists have recognized that the massive T-shaped pillars found throughout the Taş Tepeler sites symbolized human figures, evidenced by the carved arms and hands visible along their shafts. However, this new discovery at Karahantepe marks the first instance where a pillar directly portrays recognizable human facial features, transforming abstract symbolism into direct representation.

The newly unearthed monolith features sharply defined facial contours, deep-set eye sockets, and a broad, flattened nose. These artistic elements closely mirror the stylistic characteristics found in other human sculptures previously discovered at the site, suggesting a shared cultural and symbolic language among early Anatolian communities around 12,000 years ago.

A close-up view of the 12,000-year-old T-shaped pillar featuring a human face discovered at Karahantepe in southeastern Turkey.

(Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

Experts describe this development as a major cognitive leap in understanding the emergence of self-awareness and identity in the prehistoric mind.

"This artistic style closely resembles other human statues previously found in Karahantepe, suggesting a shared cultural and symbolic language among early Anatolian communities around 12,000 years ago," according to the archaeological report, relates Arkeonews.

• Hidden Geometric Pattern Reveals Deeper Complexity of Göbekli Tepe
• Agriculture First Versus Göbekli Tepe: Prehistory Revisited

Karahantepe Emerges as Archaeological Superstar

Located in the heart of southeastern Turkey's archaeological treasure trove, Karahantepe is rapidly establishing itself as one of the most significant Neolithic sites ever discovered. The site forms part of the ambitious Taş Tepeler Project, which encompasses 12 interconnected Neolithic locations representing the earliest known monumental architecture built by hunter-gatherer societies before the advent of agriculture.

Current excavations at Karahantepe have revealed more than 250 T-shaped pillars arranged within enclosed communal structures, along with intricately carved sculptures depicting both humans and animals. Archaeological evidence suggests that Karahantepe offers a more advanced architectural layout than even Göbekli Tepe, with clear indications of early forms of settlement and sophisticated social organization.

Some of the other T-shaped pillars at Karahantepe.

(Vincent Vega/(Vincent Vega/CC BY-SA 4.0)

The newly discovered human-faced pillar reinforces the growing understanding that these ancient communities possessed not only remarkable technical skills but also profound spiritual and symbolic comprehension of their world. The find provides tangible evidence of how early humans began representing themselves and their beliefs through art, architecture, and ritual practices that would influence human civilization for millennia to come.

Window into Humanity's Symbolic Awakening

The Taş Tepeler Project continues to reshape our understanding of the Neolithic Revolution - the crucial period when humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to permanent settlements. This human-faced T-shaped pillar represents potentially one of the earliest known depictions of humanity itself, bridging the evolutionary gap between abstract symbolism and portrait-like representation.

This discovery reinforces theories that southeastern Turkey served not only as a cradle of agricultural development but also as the birthplace of symbolic thought—the foundation upon which all subsequent human artistic and religious expression would be built. The human face gazing out from this 12,000-year-old pillar represents nothing less than one of humanity's first attempts to see itself reflected in stone, marking a pivotal moment in our species' journey toward self-awareness and cultural expression.

• Top image: A 12,000-year-old T-shaped pillar featuring a carved human face discovered at Karahantepe in southeastern Turkey, representing the first such find in archaeological history.
• Source: Republic of Türkiye, Ministry of Culture and Tourism

By Gary Manners

References

• Kayra, O., 2025. Historic Discovery in Karahantepe: The First T-Shaped Pillar with a Human Face Unearthed. Arkeonews. Available at: https://arkeonews.net/historic-discovery-in-karahantepe-the-first-t-shaped-pillar-with-a-human-face-unearthed/?fbclid=IwY2xjawNQr3BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhvEDexygRvibO2QdBM2geDCfu3omNIHpyzK09T4HTiA_8lki2mc1VIhlkd8_aem_yBgdNPW7H3hiSKEdaVzOUg
• Erdogan, K., 2025. 12,000-year-old human-faced pillar unearthed in Karahantepe marks a new chapter in archaeology. Turkey Today. Available at: https://www.turkiyetoday.com/culture/12000-year-old-human-faced-pillar-unearthed-in-karahantepe-marks-a-new-chapter-in-arc-3208024

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-}

06-10-2025 om 21:24 geschreven door peter  

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