Mysterious Giants Could Be a Whole New Kind of Life That No Longer Exists

By Mike McRae

Prototaxites doesn't compare with any other life form we know of. 

(Loron et al., Science, 2025)

Ever since their discovery more than 165 years ago, massive fossilized structures left by an organism known as Prototaxites have proven impossible to categorize.

Researchers in the UK have suggested in a recently published study that there's a very good reason these oddities don't fit neatly on the tree of life – they belong to a branch all of their own, with no modern equivalent.

Some 400 million years ago, the swamps of the late Silurian period would have sprouted a mix of horsetails, ferns, and other prototype plants that look positively alien today.

Related: 

• Stunning Grand Canyon Fossils Reveal Evolution's Weird Experiments

Among them stretched 8-meter (26-foot) tall towers that defy easy identification. Wide and branchless, these organisms may have been a form of algae or ancient conifer, researchers suspect, based on what little evidence remains.

Fossils found on the shores of Gaspé Bay in Quebec, Canada, were initially considered by geologist John William Dawson to be the remains of rotting trees, leading to his naming it 'first conifer' back in the 1850s.

Though the name stuck, confusion over the fossil's classification continued until National Museum of Natural History paleontologist Francis Hueber confirmed in 2001 that Prototaxites was indeed most likely an enormous fungus.

That conclusion was backed up years later in 2017 by a subsequent analysis of a fossil fragment assumed to be from the peripheral region of a smaller Prototaxites species named P. taiti.

The 2017 study claimed to identify textures that resembled the fertile structures of today's Ascomycota fungi.

Not everybody is convinced, however, given the possibility that the distinct fragments might not have even been connected.

Related: 

• Newly Discovered Organism Could Represent a Whole New Branch in The Tree of Life

"In the books and books of anatomy written about living fungi, we never find structures like that," University of Edinburgh paleobotanist Alexander Hetherington told Erik Stokstad at Science Magazine.

Hetherington co-led a study on three different P. taiti fragments, concluding there's insufficient evidence to conclude Prototaxites is a fungus at all.

Through a review of microscopic anatomy and chemical analysis of its tubular structures, the team of researchers systematically eliminated each and every candidate group, leaving no modern organism with which it might share some kind of ancestral relationship.

Fungi? Rejected thanks to the unique way its anatomy connects.

A plant or algae? Not likely given its chemical composition.

A mix of the two, such as a lichen? Not with that anatomy.

Some bizarre animal? Cell walls say no chance.

"Based on this investigation we are unable to assign Prototaxites to any extant lineage, reinforcing its uniqueness," the researchers claim.

"We conclude that the morphology and molecular fingerprint of P. taiti is clearly distinct from that of the fungi and other organisms preserved alongside it in the [Devonian deposit], and we suggest that it is best considered a member of a previously undescribed, entirely extinct group of eukaryotes."

Related: 

• Complex Life May Be a Billion Years Older Than We Thought

What might have happened to this long-dead group of organisms is anybody's guess. Further reviews may even return the mystifying group back to its box among ancient fungi.

Without similar specimens to relate them to, Prototaxites may simply remain a fossil anomaly – a reminder that evolution is a constant experiment, one littered with far more failures than we may ever have realized.

• This research was published in Science.
• An earlier version of this article was published in March 2025 before the research was peer-reviewed.

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{ https://www.sciencealert.com/ }

22-01-2026 om 17:00 geschreven door peter  

Scientists have discovered an entirely new form of LIFE – and it stood at 26ft tall

• READ MORE: Bizarre creature with elongated head caught on doorbell camera

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Scientists have discovered a new form of life, which once stood at a whopping 26ft (eight metres) tall.

Called 'prototaxites', this lifeform lived on Earth around 410 million years ago, before becoming extinct 360 million years ago. 

Until now, it was thought to be a form of fungus. 

However, a new fossil analysis by scientists from National Museums Scotland suggests that prototaxites were neither a fungus nor a plant.

Instead, experts say they belonged to an 'entirely extinct evolutionary branch of life'.

'It's really exciting to make a major step forward in the debate over prototaxites, which has been going on for around 165 years,' said Dr Sandy Hetherington, co–lead author of the study. 

'They are life, but not as we now know it, displaying anatomical and chemical characteristics distinct from fungal or plant life, and therefore belonging to an entirely extinct evolutionary branch of life.

'Even from a site as loaded with palaeontological significance as Rhynie, these are remarkable specimens and it's great to add them to the national collection in the wake of this exciting research.'

Scientists have discovered a new form of life, which once stood at a whopping 26ft (eight metres) tall (artist's impression)

A new fossil analysis by scientists from National Museums Scotland suggests that prototaxites was neither a fungus nor a plant

'It is one of the world's oldest, fossilised, terrestrial ecosystems and because of the quality of preservation and the diversity of its organisms, we can pioneer novel approaches such as machine learning on fossil molecular data.

'There is a lot of other material from the Rhynie chert already in museum collections for comparative studies, which can add important context to scientific results.'

In their new study, the researchers analysed both the chemistry and anatomy of the fossil to understand which group it fits into.

Their results back up the theory that prototaxites were an entirely different form of life, no longer found on Earth.

'As previous researchers have excluded prototaxites from other groups of large complex life, we concluded that prototaxites belonged to a separate and now entirely extinct lineage of complex life,' explained Laura Cooper, co–first author of the study. 

'Prototaxites, therefore, represents an independent experiment that life made in building large, complex organisms, which we can only know about through exceptionally preserved fossils.'

In their new study, the researchers analysed both the chemistry and anatomy of the fossil to understand which group it fits into. Their results back up the theory that prototaxites were an entirely different form of life, no longer found on Earth

The fossil was found in the Rhynie chert – a sedimentary deposit near Rhynie, Aberdeenshire

The fossil has now been added to the collections of National Museums Scotland in Edinburgh.

Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'We're delighted to add these new specimens to our ever–growing natural science collections which document Scotland's extraordinary place in the story of our natural world over billions of years to the present day.

'This study shows the value of museum collections in cutting–edge research as specimens collected over time are, cared for and made available for study for direct comparison or through the use of new technologies.'

WHAT ARE THE OLDEST FUNGI EVER DISCOVERED?

For many years, fungi were grouped with, or mistaken for plants. 

Not until 1969 were they officially granted their own 'kingdom', alongside animals and plants, though their distinct characteristics had been recognised long before that.

Yeast, mildew and molds are all fungi, as are many forms of large, mushroom-looking organisms that grow in moist forest environments and absorb nutrients from dead or living organic matter. 

Unlike plants, fungi do not photosynthesise, and their cell walls are devoid of cellulose.

Geologists studying lava samples taken from a drill site in South Africa discovered fossilised gas bubbles, which contained what could be the first fossil traces (pictured) of the branch of life to which humans belong ever unearthed

Geologists studying lava samples taken from a drill site in South Africa discovered fossilised gas bubbles 800 metres (2,600 feet) underground.

In April 2017, they revealed that they are believed to contain the oldest fungi ever found.

Researchers were examining samples taken from drill-holes of rocks buried deep underground, when they found the 2.4 billion-year-old microscopic creatures. 

They are believed to be the oldest fungi ever found by around 1.2 billion years.

Earth itself is about 4.6 billion years old.

Earth itself is about 4.6 billion years old and the previous earliest examples of eukaryotes - the 'superkingdom' of life that includes plants, animals and fungi, but not bacteria - dates to 1.9 billion years ago. The fossils have slender filaments bundled together like brooms (pictured)

They could be the earliest evidence of eukaryotes - the 'superkingdom' of life that includes plants, animals and fungi, but not bacteria.

The previous earliest examples of eukaryotes - the 'superkingdom' of life that includes plants, animals and fungi, but not bacteria - dates to 1.9 billion years ago. That makes this sample 500 million years older.

It was believed that fungi first emerged on land, but the newly-found organisms lived and thrived under an ancient ocean seabed.

And the dating of the find suggests that not only did these fungus-like creatures live in a dark and cavernous world devoid of light, but they also lacked oxygen.

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

22-01-2026 om 16:36 geschreven door peter  

NASA has dropped a major hint at the medical emergency that triggered a historic evacuation of astronauts from the International Space Station.

During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the astronauts revealed that a portable ultrasound machine was 'super handy' during the crisis.

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, pilot for the ill–fated Crew–11 mission, said that the machine had been used when medical issues arose on January 7.

'Having a portable ultrasound machine helped us in this situation; we were able to take a look at things that we didn't have,' he explained.

While Mr Fincke did not elaborate on the medical emergency, the fact that an ultrasound was used suggests two likely reasons.

Firstly, ultrasound scans are often used to examine how astronauts' cardiac systems are functioning in low gravity. 

The other main use for ultrasound in space is to monitor astronauts' eye health. 

However, ultrasound can also be used as a general diagnostic tool in a vast number of medical cases – so it remains unclear what the medical emergency was, or how ultrasound proved useful. 

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke (pictured), pilot for the ill–fated Crew–11 mission, has shared a major hint as to why the space agency was forced to evacuate the ISS 

The members of Crew–11 were forced to return to Earth a month ahead of schedule due to an unspecified medical emergency. Left to Right: Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, and Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui

During the press conference, Mr Fincke explained that the crew had lots of experience using the ultrasound machine to track changes in the human body, so 'when we had this emergency, the ultrasound machine came in super handy'.

The Crew–11 pilot even went so far as to claim that all future spaceflights should be equipped with portable ultrasound machines. 

'Of course, we didn't have other big machines that we have here on planet Earth,' he said. 

'We do try to make sure that everybody before we fly are really, really not prone to surprises. But sometimes things happen and surprises happen, and the team was ready … preparation was super important.'

The Crew-11 astronautas splashed back to Earth last Thursday, following NASA's first medical evacuation in 65 years of spaceflight, and the first time that the ISS has ever been evacuated.

The medical issue was first reported on January 8, when a planned spacewalk was unexpectedly cancelled. 

Just days later, on January 10, NASA had set the timeline to bring the crew home a month ahead of schedule.   

That crew included NASA astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. 

The ISS is equipped with a modified off–the–shelf ultrasound machine called Ultrasound 2 that is primarily used for cardiac and ocular scans. Pictured: NASA astronaut Mike Fossum uses the Ultrasound 2 to scan the heart of crewmate Satoshi Furukawa

Health issues that can arise on the ISS

• Blood clots
• Bone and muscle atrophy
• Loss of vision 
• Radiation damage
• Circadian rhythm disruption
• Accelerated ageing 
• General health decline 

Prior to their departure, NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr James Polk, said that the astronaut was 'absolutely stable' and that this was not an 'emergent evacuation'.

Dr Polk added: 'We're not immediately disembarking and getting the astronaut down, but it leaves that lingering risk and lingering question as to what that diagnosis is, and that means there is some lingering risk for that astronaut onboard.'

NASA has remained extremely reticent to discuss any of the details of the medical emergency or which member of the crew it might have affected.

However, this latest update from Mr Fincke is the first clue as to what might have happened.

Ultrasound imaging sends a beam of soundwaves into the body and records how they bounce back to a receiver.

As the sound moves at different speeds through different types of tissue, you can 'see' inside the body without using any invasive methods. 

Since 2011, the ISS has carried a modified off–the–shelf ultrasound machine called Ultrasound 2 that is used in both biomedical research and routine health checkups.

On Earth, sound has a huge array of uses, ranging from diagnosing gallbladder diseases and kidney stones to checking the health and gender of unborn babies.

One of the main uses for the ultrasound scanner is to monitor the cardiac and vascular health of astronauts, who are more at risk of conditions like blood clots, hardening arteries, and changes in blood pressure.

Pictured: NASA astronaut Kevin Ford (right) trains with the Ultrasound 2 on Earth

However, on the ISS, Ultrasound 2 is generally used for two main medical issues - cardiac and ocular problems. 

In a constant state of free–fall induced microgravity, blood tends to drift up from the astronauts' feet and collect around their head and chest.

This creates a significantly increased risk of developing blood clots that can be life–threatening if they migrate into the heart or lungs.

In 2020, a NASA astronaut developed a large clot in their internal jugular vein during spaceflight and was forced to stretch the station's dwindling supply of blood thinners to last more than 40 days until supplies could be sent. 

The other main use for ultrasound in space is to monitor astronauts' eye health.

As fluids build up in the head, they can cause swelling that triggers a collection of changes in the eye and brain called 'spaceflight–associated neuro–ocular syndrome'.

Increased pressure around the optic nerve causes swelling in the connection between the eye and the brain, and flattening of the back of the eye.

This can lead to blurred vision and long–term damage to an astronaut's vision. 

NASA also uses the ultrasound scanner for monthly ocular health checks to ensure astronauts' vision is not being damaged by the buildup of fluids in the head. Pictured: NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao performs an ultrasound examination of the eye on cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov

Once a month, astronauts on the ISS are required to use Ultrasound 2 to perform ocular scans to keep track of this condition.

Read More

• Once bitten, twice shy? NASA astronaut who spent 9 months stuck in space dramatically RETIRES 

NASA's Zena Cardman, who commanded the crew's early return flight with SpaceX, said that the space station is set up as well as it can be for medical emergencies.

She added that NASA 'made all the right decisions' in cancelling the spacewalk, which would have been her first, and prioritising the crew's well–being. 

Likewise, Japan's Kimiya Yui said he was surprised how well all the preflight training paid off in dealing with the health concerns.

Mr Yui said: 'We can handle any kind of difficult situation. This is actually very, very good experience for the future of human spaceflight.'

The Daily Mail has contacted NASA for comment.  

EXPLAINED: THE $100 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SITS 250 MILES ABOVE THE EARTH

The International Space Station (ISS) is a $100 billion (£80 billion) science and engineering laboratory that orbits 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.

It has been permanently staffed by rotating crews of astronauts and cosmonauts since November 2000. 

Crews have come mainly from the US and Russia, but the Japanese space agency JAXA and European space agency ESA have also sent astronauts. 

The International Space Station has been continuously occupied for more than 20 years and has been expended with multiple new modules added and upgrades to systems 

Research conducted aboard the ISS often requires one or more of the unusual conditions present in low Earth orbit, such as low-gravity or oxygen.

ISS studies have investigated human research, space medicine, life sciences, physical sciences, astronomy and meteorology.

The US space agency, NASA, spends about $3 billion (£2.4 billion) a year on the space station program, with the remaining funding coming from international partners, including Europe, Russia and Japan.

So far 244 individuals from 19 countries have visited the station, and among them eight private citizens who spent up to $50 million for their visit.

There is an ongoing debate about the future of the station beyond 2025, when it is thought some of the original structure will reach 'end of life'.

Russia, a major partner in the station, plans to launch its own orbital platform around then, with Axiom Space, a private firm, planning to send its own modules for purely commercial use to the station at the same time. 

NASA, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are working together to build a space station in orbit around the moon, and Russia and China are working on a similar project, that would also include a base on the surface. 

LIVE: NASA's ISS change of command ceremony goes ahead early for medical evacuation

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

22-01-2026 om 15:38 geschreven door peter  

Slachtoffers van 'UFO-ontvoering' zijn echt ziek

GERELATEERDE VIDEOS'S - SCHETSEN DIE GEEN ANDER BEELD?

{ https://www.nu.nl/ }

22-01-2026 om 15:16 geschreven door peter  

An investigative journalist has claimed Australia is a 'hotbed' of UFOs after bizarre, unidentified objects were spotted hovering over military bases.

Former 60 Minutes Australia star Ross Coulthart told businessman and podcast host Mark Bouris that UFO sightings date back decades in Australia.

'I'm currently in touch with people from the RAAF Base Tindal in northern Australia, who tell me that there's been a spate of sightings of anomalous craft,' he said.

'These people are telling me that they're seeing UFOs. They're seeing anomalous objects. Nobody's been able to explain to them what they are.

'Everybody's in a complete flummox about it, but I suspect it's because the Americans have actually got nuclear weapons on Australian soil.'

Coulthart said sources inside Australia's military and intelligence community 'admit there are regularly breaches of the airspace over sensitive military facilities'.

'Recently, there was one over Richmond in Sydney. There was an object... I won't call it a drone, that sat there and hovered for over an hour and a half,' he said.

'It was recorded. It was reported to the relevant authorities, but they couldn't do anything to bring it down.

Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart (pictured) has claimed sources from an air force base in northern Australia have spotted anomalous aircraft

It comes just weeks after a group of workers have reported seeing an unidentified object in the sky near Fortescue Metals Group's Solomon mine site in Western Australia's Pilbara region

'We've allowed ourselves to become Fortress Australia for America, and we've got, I suspect, nuclear weapons on northern soil in Australia. Nobody's talking about this.

'A lot of these UFO sightings seem to cluster around nuclear and strategic assets, and that's not a coincidence.'

Coulthart said there was a history of UFO sightings in Australia that goes back decades, citing witness and former head of the Defence Department's Joint Intelligence Organisation Nuclear Branch Harry Turner. 

Mr Turner saw intelligently controlled craft hovering over secretive British nuclear weapon tests in the South Australian desert at Maralinga during the 1950s and 1960s, according to the National Archives of Australia.

'As a senior scientist in the Defence Department, Turner actually pushed for Australia to set up its own UFO Flying Squad investigative team,' Coulthart said.

'He wanted a plane on standby so that we could scramble and go and investigate UFO incidents.

'There's a wonderful one where they had an outdoor cinema, and everybody at the outdoor cinema looked up and saw a craft - a structured, metallic craft - hovering overhead, with windows, silently cruising with no visible means of propulsion.

'These are reports that sit in our National Archives.'

A mystery object baffled residents in Alexander Heights, north of Perth, in 2019

Coulthart told businessman Mark Bouris (pictured) that Australia is a 'hotbed' for UFOs

The Department of Defence Defence does not have a protocol for reporting or recording of UAP or Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO).

The comments come weeks after a group of miners shared disturbing photos of a 'UFO' in the remote region of Western Australia during an early-morning drive.

The six workers were stunned when they saw the airborne object near Fortescue Metals Group's Solomon mine site in the Pilbara region at about 5am on December 7.

The group spotted the 'UFO' while driving from their laboratory worksite to catch a bus back to camp in the Hamersley Ranges.

Last year, a bizarre object was found on fire in remote WA with no visible signs to indicate how it got there.

Police coordinated a multi-agency response after the item was found in October close to a mining site near the small town of Newman.

The large black object was similar to other known space re-entry debris, WA Police said in a statement.

A month earlier, there were reports of strange lights in the sky near Point Moore in Geraldton, 420km north of Perth.

Perth Observatory received several reports of lights across a widespread area, which a spokesperson described as 'very confusing'.

At the time, the Department of Defence said there were no military training activities in the area on the night of the sightings.

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

21-01-2026 om 22:08 geschreven door peter  

By: Katherine Neer & Nicole Antonio 

Key Takeaways

• The Chupacabra, a blood-sucking vampire beast, is a legendary creature that has sparked fear and curiosity in Latin America and the southwestern United States.
• Reports of livestock killings with telltale puncture wounds on their necks have fueled the Chupacabra myth, with sightings dating back to the 1950s and ongoing reports in South America.
• Expert findings attribute alleged Chupacabra sightings to animals with skin diseases like mange.

What lurks in the shadows, bearing red eyes and a thirst for blood? The name "Chupacabra," or "goat sucker" in English, may sound whimsical, but for many in Latin America and the southwestern United States, it's a word that evokes fear, curiosity and disbelief.

With the bloodsucking monster's mysterious origins, conflicting descriptions and the chilling consistency of its telltale attacks, the Chupacabra has transcended urban legends like that of La Llorona to become a symbol of the unknown. But is it merely a figment of the imagination, or is there something more tangible lurking behind the myth?

Contents

1. Why Is the Chupacabra Called 'Goat Sucker'?
2. Alleged Evidence of Chupacabra Attacks
3. The Location of the Alleged Beast
4. Characteristics and Origins of the Urban Legend
5. The Unfortunate Reality of Skin Disease
6. Expert Findings
7. Fact or Fiction?

1. Why Is the Chupacabra Called 'Goat Sucker'?

The name "Chupacabra" comes from two Spanish words: "chupar," which means "to suck," and "cabra," meaning "goat." So, "Chupacabra" can be literally translated as "goat sucker."

Many reports of attacks and incidents perpetrated by the Chupacabra legend involve livestock killings, including goats and slain domestic animals or wild prey with telltale puncture wounds on their necks, indicating a blood-sucking vampire beast roaming the night. This is how the famed cryptid got its namesake.

2. Alleged Evidence of Chupacabra Attacks

• Historical Chupacabra Sightings

Originally, owners of the victims thought the Chupacabra to be a half-human, half-vampire beast. Stories around the original Chupacabra began in newspapers dating back to the 1950s.

In fact, the first reported case in North America was in Arizona sometime around 1956, which means this heavy creature has been on the radar of cryptozoologists (scientists who study animals that may or may not be real) in North and South America for nearly 70 years.

This menacing entity was first introduced to the realm of mythical creatures in 1975, following the brutal killings of numerous farm animals in the small town of Moca Puerto Rico. It gained notorious prominence in the 1990s as the attacks escalated in both occurrence and magnitude and was called "el vampiro de Moca" or the 'the vampire of Moca' in english.

Many trace the tale back to a Puerto Rican woman named Madelyne Tolentino, whose description of the creature seen outside of her window in San Juan in 1995 became the basis for most other accounts of the cryptid. Some accounts detail incidents where hundreds of animals were massacred at once—including goats, chickens, ducks, and dogs—indicating the Chupacabras' voracious appetite for diverse prey.

Initial encounters with this three-foot-tall creature, characterized by its sharp teeth and fiery eyes, originated in Puerto Rico but soon proliferated to Central America and the Southern United States. It has been predominantly sighted in South America, with ongoing reports, especially in Chile, maintaining its presence in contemporary folklore.

• Recently Claimed Sightings

• 2023 - A cryptic entity has been reportedly observed in Bolivia, coinciding with instances of livestock found lifeless, seemingly drained of blood, leading to heightened concerns of a legendary demon wreaking havoc in the vicinity. The eerie drone footage, captured near Oru city, reveals a shadowy figure, wandering through a field. This enigmatic appearance aligns with the demise of multiple cows, llamas, and alpacas in the region, their unique neck injuries prompting local speculation of an attack by a Chupacabra.
• 2022 - A perplexing "object" was recorded by security cameras at the Amarillo Zoo in Texas, prompting the city to seek public assistance in identifying it. The unusual image was captured around 1:25 a.m. on May 21, within the zoo's perimeter fence. The city is left wondering whether the entity was a nocturnal individual donning an odd hat, a large coyote standing on its hind legs, or possibly a Chupacabra, leaving the identification of this mysterious figure an open question for the residents of Amarillo to resolve.
• 2019 - An individual observed a peculiar entity roaming around the west side corridor of Houston. The creature, captured on film, remains unidentified definitively, but some speculate that it bears resemblance to the legendary, though mythical, Chupacabra.
• 2014 - In 2014, a family from Ratcliffe, Texas, reported that they had trapped what they believed to be a Chupacabra in a cage.

3. The Location of the Alleged Beast

Although incidents have been reported in Arizona, Oregon, Michigan, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, Florida, and parts of Chile, Brazil and Mexico, the majority of activity has occurred in Puerto Rico. A rash of alleged attacks plagued various regions of Puerto Rico in 1995 — in Canovanas alone, several hundred livestock fatalities were attributed to the Chupacabra.

With reported sightings in various regions of Latin America and the United States, this is one well-traveled beast. The Chupacabra was at its height of notoriety in the 1990s, even surpassing such longtime favorites as Nessie (the Loch Ness monster) and Bigfoot.

4. Characteristics and Origins of the Urban Legend

Reported incidents of these sorts of monsters vary somewhat, but there are several basic characteristics that pop up over and over again. In most cases, the eyewitnesses describe a beast that is 4.5 to 5.5 feet (137 to 168 cm) tall, allegedly the size of a small bear. It was said to have an oval-shaped head bearing glowing eyes with an alien-like shape. Most descriptions claim that the creature has long, sharp spines that run from the back of its head down the spine, ending at the rump.

 

Many eyewitnesses report a strong, unpleasant, sulfur-type odor, but others say that the creature has no smell. Some say the skin is similar to a frog's — green in color with mottled specks; others claim that it has the appearance of furry lizard with scaly skin.

Although the bipedal creature generally ambles on two legs, it has been known to run on all four. Many assert kangaroo-like qualities, saying that the Chupacabra uses its strong hind legs to jump rather than walk. Others suggest a more ape-like quality to the creature's gait.

The origins of the Chupacabra are a subject of debate, as well. Some people believe that this creature is the left-behind pet of visitors from outer space — hence their uncanny resemblance to space aliens known as "grays." Both reportedly have large, oval heads with enormous eyes.

The alien theory doesn't end there, however. Others speculate an alien-animal crossbreed created by scientists at NASA, suggesting that the creatures are escaped experiments gone awry. One veterinarian in South America believes that the Chupacabra is a genetically modified vampire bat.

Whatever the case, it's interesting to witness people's reactions to phenomena like this. People are particularly interested in the Chupacabra for the same reason they are fascinated by humanoid extraterrestrials: We are drawn to the idea of human-like creatures, with human-like intelligence, because it means that we are not alone in the universe.

5. The Unfortunate Reality of Skin Disease

So far geneticists and wildlife biologists have identified all of the alleged Chupacabra carcasses as those of known animal species — mostly dogs with allergic reactions causing hair loss, and coyotes with severe cases of sarcoptic mange which gived their skin a grey scaly look and may make the remaining hair appear spikey like noted in prior sightings.

If you think you've found one, be careful as severe mange can be highly contagious. While mange is not as prevalent in humans, it has the potential to be transmitted to people and is referred to as scabies in humans. Though dead animals were reported to have been drained of blood when professionally autopsied, they were revealed to contain plenty of blood.

6. Expert Findings

If there ever was an expert in Chupacabras it would likely be Benjamin Radford who spent five years tracking down the beast and wrote a book about it called: "Tracking the Chupacabra (unmpress.com)" back in 2011. After his investigation he determined that the monster sightings were influenced by the 1995 movie "Species," and that these accounts were further fueled by unreliable eyewitness testimonies, a deficiency in forensic understanding, and collective hysteria for lost livestock.

In 2010, Barry O'Connor, a biologist from the University of Michigan, deduced that Chupacabra reports in the U.S. were likely coyotes afflicted with the Sarcoptes scabiei parasite. The symptoms of this infection—sparse fur, thickened skin, and a distinct odor—align with typical Chupacabra descriptions. O'Connor suggested that these weakened animals might attack livestock, like goats, as it's easier than pursuing wild prey like rabbits or deer. Both dogs and coyotes can sometimes kill without eating their prey, due to inexperience, injury, or challenges during the hunt. The prey might endure the initial attack but later succumb to internal injuries or shock. The characteristic two puncture marks on the prey's neck align with the canine teeth of predators, a common method used by many carnivores to seize their prey.

7. Fact or Fiction?

So according to the few experts on Chupacabras, they do not exist however it is important to note that some creatures, once deemed to be cryptids, proved to be real new species. Indiana University Bloomington for example, found a minimum of seven species, once categorized as cryptids, have since been confirmed real. These include the now-familiar Komodo dragon, giant squid, and kangaroo.

Whether the Chupacabra is a real animal or only a product of hoaxes and imagination, its effect on human beings is the same. If somebody does finally prove the existence of Chupacabras, the legend surrounding them will die out, replaced by scientific analysis. But if the creatures remain a mystery, there will always be believers.

{ https://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos }

21-01-2026 om 21:51 geschreven door peter  

By: Robert Lamb & Desiree Bowie 

You glimpse a light in the night sky. It's not a star or an airplane — but something radically different. It moves with baffling speed, pulsates with radiance beyond anything you've witnessed. Three letters immediately enter your mind: U-F-O. And you likely have Hollywood to thank for this line of thinking.

These mysterious objects have played a prominent role in pop culture, captivating imaginations and fueling speculation. From classic films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" to TV shows like "The X-Files," UFOs have become symbols of mystery and the unknown and mainstays in literature, music and art.

We know what Hollywood has to say about these mystery objects, but what are UFOs actually doing up in the sky in real life? And is there a massive government cover-up surrounding their existence? In this article, we'll take a closer look at these airborne objects, their potential link to extraterrestrial life and popular conspiracies about them.

Contents

1. What Is a UFO?
2. The Scientific Stance on Unidentified Flying Objects
3. Fire in the Sky
4. Evaluating UFO Reports and Alien Abductions
5. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: A New Term Emerges
6. UAPs and the Government

Most Unbelievable UFO Encounters Ever | The Proof Is Out There | History

1. What Is a UFO?

Technically, an unidentified flying object (UFO) can be anything when you get right down to it, but the term has become synonymous with spacecraft of extraterrestrial origin.

Alleged sightings became a popular topic of conversation in the mid-20th century and continue to this day. Exact descriptions of alien spacecraft vary with each telling, but witnesses and UFO enthusiasts often describe a lighted object capable of hovering silently and zigzagging in midair.

The technology for such a craft and the ability for a living passenger to survive its g-forces are well beyond humanity's modern technology. Additionally, given the massive distance between habitable star systems, such craft would have to travel at impossible speeds or with patience that staggers the imagination.

Alien Science: UFOs and UAPs Examined

2. The Scientific Stance on Unidentified Flying Objects

For decades, scientists didn't have much to say about these unidentified objects. From a scientific standpoint, there was never enough sufficient evidence in UFO records to make a case for alien visitation. Most UFO sightings depend on fallible human accounts, imperfect footage and conspiracy theory.

All of this tends to crumble under the scrutiny of the scientific method, humanity's best sieve for separating reality from fantasy.

In recent years, the field has begun to approach UFOs with a stance of curiosity and skepticism. NASA, guided by administrator Bill Nelson, now aims to play a more prominent role in this research, emphasizing the importance of scientific methodology and instruments to gather data.

This shift signifies a desire to move beyond sensationalism and tabloid speculation, toward a more rigorous scientific approach.

3. Fire in the Sky

The sky has always teemed with sights to stir the imagination: atmospheric anomalies, wildlife, optical illusions, aurora borealis, shooting stars and distant supernovae, just to name a few. Even in our scientifically informed age, countless phenomena escape our understanding.

As Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung pointed out, these sights have no intrinsic meaning, but even the earliest humans jumped at the chance to project their hopes, dreams and nightmares into the vastness of the sprawling void. They personified the sun and moon as deities and poured their belief systems into the wheeling movements of the stars. And when they glimpsed strange lights, they read them as omens.

Just as the emotional resonance of a UFO sighting falls to the observer, so too does the explanation. Humans have always experienced brushes with the unknown, and they've always fished for explanations in the waters of their cultural worldview. In the absence of science, they turned to their religious beliefs, folktales and myth.

• Religious Interpretations

Consider the UFO encounter that took place in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. In what has subsequently been explained as everything from stratospheric dust to mass hallucination, thousands of witnesses in the predominantly Catholic town claimed to see an aerial event brought on by the Virgin Mary.

During this event, known as "the Miracle of the Sun," witnesses say the sun appeared to dance, change colors and spin.

Before the advent of Christianity, the same event would have likely been viewed through the lens of a pagan belief system. How do you think such an event would be interpreted in the entirely different world we know today?

By framing a bizarre occurrence within the context of a belief system or worldview, an individual attributes both a "what" and a "why" to the phenomenon. Such a view also helps sanction the experience and allow the individual to feel like they are both special for having experienced it and normal for sharing such experiences with others. Perform an online search for "UFO support group," and see for yourself.

4. Evaluating UFO Reports and Alien Abductions

Accounts of alien abduction often factor into UFO sightings, and this is also an area where one's worldview, belief system and culture play a vital role in framing an extraordinary experience.

Fortunately, alien abduction accounts generally provide more room for serious evaluation, typically by medical doctors or psychiatrists.

Doctors believe that sleep paralysis and waking, hypnopompic hallucinations factor into many abduction experiences. This is a kind of temporary paralysis accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations, which are often charged by the person's sexual fantasies, belief system and pop culture.

Imagine waking in your bed, unable to move and experiencing sexual hallucinations colored by your subconscious. The exact nature of the hallucinations would likely depend, like dreams, on the nature of your belief system and cultural literacy. You might experience the visitation of an angel or ghost. Likewise, you just might experience a transcendent walk through an alien spacecraft or endure uncomfortable probing at the hands of extraterrestrials.

Consider the case of science writer and Skeptic magazine editor Michael Shermer, who himself experienced an alien abduction. Or rather, he collapsed from sleep deprivation and exhaustion following an 83-hour bike ride in a transcontinental race.

As Shermer's support team rushed over to him, the bicyclist saw them through the filter of a waking dream and perceived them as aliens from a 1960s TV series [source: Shermer].

• Other Potential Causes

Researchers may attribute abduction experiences to a host of additional causes, including schizophrenia, organic brain syndrome, bipolar disorder, delayed post-traumatic stress disorder or even food allergies.

Neuroscientist Michael Persinger points the finger to the brain's temporal lobe. Persinger believes that temporal lobe anomalies, when combined with certain cultural expectations (such as beliefs in aliens or angels) can mislabel imagined experiences as actual experiences.

Even without the aid of neurological misfiring, human memory is a complex and fallible thing. Every day, we experience something new and turn that experience into an imperfect narrative. We can convince ourselves of nearly anything — especially when it fulfills a need.

So why do humans need visiting alien spacecraft and alien encounters? Perhaps Jung put it best in a 1958 interview: "In our world, miracles do not happen anymore, and we feel that something simply must happen which will provide an answer or show the way out. So now these UFOs are appearing in the sky."

In the late 1990s, psychologists Roy F. Baumesiter and Leonard S. Newman furthered this viewpoint by arguing that abduction encounters are essentially subconscious attempts to rid oneself of self-awareness through masochistic fantasy. In lieu of mystic conviction, our minds staff these fantasies with aliens.

In addition, our cultural frame of reference continually changes. Some observers have even equated the recent decline in UFO sightings to the rise of the internet. Cultural critic Ziauddin Sardar suggests that instead of projecting our hopes and fears into space, we project them into cyberspace.

So what are UFOs really? You might not find the answer amid the stars after all, but rather in the labyrinthine chambers of the human mind.

5. Unidentified Aerial Phenomena: A New Term Emerges

Breaking news: The term "UFO" is on its way out. Well, for the U.S. government, that is.

The feds began making the shift from "unidentified flying object" to "unidentified anomalous phenomena" (UAP) in 2020 when the UAP Task Force was established to encourage pilots to report sightings without fear of stigma or career repercussions. The scientific community is actively seeking better data on UAPs to gain a deeper understanding.

NASA also gathered a panel of 16 experts to assess how data on UAPs is collected across government and private sectors. Their final report, released in September 2023, found no evidence of extraterrestrial origins for UAPs but acknowledged that a small subset of encounters defies explanation.

Government officials discuss UAPs, alien life in new documentary

6. UAPs and the Government

During a 2023 congressional hearing on UAPs, three military veterans testified about their experiences and concerns. One former Air Force intelligence officer alleged the existence of a secret government program for decades, involving the reverse engineering of recovered UFOs and the retrieval of non-human biological materials from alleged crash sites.

However, much of the discussion during the hearing focused on improving the reporting process for UAPs. The veterans called for destigmatizing UAP reporting and ensuring government program oversight. The Defense Department stated that it had not found any verifiable information supporting claims of extraterrestrial material possession or reverse engineering.

Retired Maj. David Grusch, a whistleblower who had been part of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, claimed to know the exact locations of UAPs in U.S. possession but couldn't provide further details publicly. He stated his information came from reliable sources and shared evidence kept secret from Congress.

The hearing also featured testimony from former Navy fighter pilot Ryan Graves, who described encountering unusual aircraft off the coast of Virginia Beach, and retired Cmdr. David Fravor, who witnessed a mysterious "Tic Tac"-shaped flying object in 2004. Both emphasized the need for transparency and acknowledged the superior technology of the encountered objects.

The hearing aimed to pressure intelligence agencies for greater transparency on UAPs, citing potential national security threats. Lawmakers, witnesses and advocates called for a centralized reporting system to encourage reporting and eliminate stigma, emphasizing the importance of understanding these phenomena for both safety and scientific reasons.

• This article was updated in conjunction with AI technology, then fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.

Lots More Information

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

• How Aliens Work
• How Dreams Work
• How Ghosts Work
• How UFOs Work
• Is the brain hardwired for religion?
• Top 5 Unsolved Brain Mysteries
• What makes graveyards scary?

More Great Links

• The Skeptic Society and Skeptic Magazine
• The James Randi Educational Foundation

Sources

• Blackmore, Susan. "Alien abduction." New Scientist. Nov. 19, 1994. (Nov. 8, 2010)http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk/journalism/ns94.html
• Kaku, Michio. "Prof Michio Kaku on the science behind UFOs and time travel." March 20, 2008. (Sept. 30, 2010)http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/3337049/Prof-Michio-Kaku-on-the-science-behind-UFOs-and-time-travel.html
• Patry, Alain L. and Luc G. Pelletier. "Extraterrestrial Beliefs and Experiences: An Application of the Theory of Reasoned Action." The Journal of Social Psychology. 2001.
• Radin, Dean. "The Enduring Enigma of the UFO." Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness. 2009.
• Rayl, A. J. S. "Anatomy of an abduction." Omni. February 1995.
• Sardar, Ziauddin. "Close encounters of the fourth kind." New Statesman. Sept 3, 2007.
• Shermer, Michael. "Abducted." Scientific American. February 2005.
• Shermer, Michael. "I want to believe." Scientific American. July 2009.
• Tucker, Elizabeth. "Extraordinary sky and Weather phenomena, Motif F790." Archetypes & Motifs in Folklore & Literature: A Handbook. 2005.

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{ https://science.howstuffworks.com/space/aliens-ufos }

21-01-2026 om 21:24 geschreven door peter  

By: William Harris & Patrick J. Kiger

When we were kids, we were amazed that Superman could travel "faster than a speeding bullet." We could even picture him, chasing down a projectile fired from a weapon, his right arm outstretched, his cape rippling behind him. If he traveled at half the bullet's speed, the rate at which the bullet moved away from him would halve. If he did indeed travel faster than the bullet, he would overtake it and lead the way. Go, Superman!

In other words, Superman's aerial antics obeyed Newton's views of space and time: that the positions and motions of objects in space should all be measurable relative to an absolute, nonmoving frame of reference [source: Rynasiewicz].

In the early 1900s, scientists held firm to the Newtonian view of the world. Then a German-born mathematician and physicist by the name of Albert Einstein came along and changed everything. In 1905, Einstein published his theory of special relativity, which put forth a startling idea: There is no preferred frame of reference. Everything, even time, is relative.

Two important principles underpinned his theory. The first stated that the same laws of physics apply equally in all constantly moving frames of reference. The second said that the speed of light — about 186,000 miles per second (300,000 kilometers per second) — is constant and independent of the observer's motion or the source of light. According to Einstein, if Superman were to chase a light beam at half the speed of light, the beam would continue to move away from him at exactly the same speed [source: Stein, AMNH.org].

These concepts seem deceptively simple, but they have some mind-bending implications. One of the biggest is represented by Einstein's famous equation, E = mc², where E is energy, m is mass and c is the speed of light.

According to this equation, mass and energy are the same physical entity and can be changed into each other. Because of this equivalence, the energy an object has due to its motion will increase its mass. In other words, the faster an object moves, the greater its mass. This only becomes noticeable when an object moves really quickly. If it moves at 10 percent the speed of light, for example, its mass will only be 0.5 percent more than normal. But if it moves at 90 percent the speed of light, its mass will double [source: LBL.gov].

As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass rises precipitously. If an object tries to travel 186,000 miles per second, its mass becomes infinite, and so does the energy required to move it. For this reason, no normal object can travel as fast or faster than the speed of light.

That answers our question, but let's have a little fun and modify the question slightly.£

What If We Could Travel Faster Than Light?

Almost As Fast As the Speed of Light?

We covered the original question, but what if we tweaked it to say, "What if you traveled almost as fast as the speed of light?" In that case, you would experience some interesting effects. One famous result is something physicists call time dilation, which describes how time runs more slowly for objects moving very rapidly. If you flew on a rocket traveling 90 percent of light-speed, the passage of time for you would be halved. Your watch would advance only 10 minutes, while more than 20 minutes would pass for an Earthbound observer [source: May]

You would also experience some strange visual consequences. One such consequence is called aberration, and it refers to how your entire field of view would shrink down to a tiny, tunnel-shaped "window" out in front of your spacecraft. This happens because photons (those exceedingly tiny packets of light) — even photons behind you — appear to come in from the forward direction.

In addition, you would notice an extreme Doppler effect, which would cause light waves from stars in front of you to crowd together, making the objects appear blue. Light waves from stars behind you would spread apart and appear red. The faster you go, the more extreme this phenomenon becomes until all visible light from stars in front of the spacecraft and stars to the rear become completely shifted out of the known visible spectrum (the colors humans can see). When these stars move out of your perceptible wavelength, they simply appear to fade to black or vanish against the background.

Of course, if you want to travel faster than a speeding photon, you'll need more than the same rocket technology we've been using for decades.

In a March 2021 paper published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity, astrophysicist Erik Lentz of the University of Göttingen in Germany proposed the idea of rearranging space-time to create a warp bubble, inside which a spacecraft might be able to travel at faster-than-light speeds.

What Is Hyperspace? Exploring the Science Behind FTL

Speed of Light FAQ

• Is there anything faster than the speed of light?

No, there isn’t. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass rises steeply - so much so that the object’s mass becomes infinite and so does the energy required to make it move. Since such a case remains impossible, no known object can travel as fast or faster than the speed of light.

• How fast is the speed of light in miles?

The speed of light in a vacuum is 299,792 kilometers per second, which translates to 186,282 miles per second. Hypothetically, this means that if an object could travel at the speed of light, it could go around the Earth 7.5 times in one second.

• Why is "c" the speed of light?

In Einstein's equation, the speed of light in a vacuum is represented by a lowercase “c” for "constant" or from the Latin term “celeritas”, which means "speed" to the power of two (squared).

What is the speed of light on Earth?

The speed of light can slow depending on what it’s traveling through. Light bends when it comes in contact with any matter - even dust - causing a slight decrease in speed. That said, light traveling through Earth's atmosphere moves almost as fast as the speed of light in a vacuum.

Related Articles

• Data Sent via Infrared Light Could Make WiFi Hundreds of Times Faster
• How Light Propulsion Will Work
• How Light Works

SOURCES

• American Museum of Natural History. "A Matter of Time. " Amnh.org. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/time/a-matter-of-time
• Brandeker, Alexis. "What would a relativistic interstellar traveler see?" Usenet Physics FAQ. May 2002. (Feb. 16, 2022J) http://www.desy.de/user/projects/Physics/Relativity/SR/Spaceship/spaceship.html
• Carl Sagan's Cosmos. "Travels in Space and Time." YouTube. Video uploaded Nov. 27, 2006 (Feb. 16, 2022 ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t8hUaaZVJg
• Hawking, Stephen. "The Illustrated Brief History of Time. " Bantam. 1996. (Feb. 16. 2022) https://bit.ly/367UGpZ
• EurekAlert! "Breaking the warp barrier for faster-than-light travel. " Eurekalert.org. March 9, 2021. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/642756
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Mass, Energy, the Speed of Light – It's Not Intuitive! " Lbl.gov. 1996. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://www2.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/teachers/massenergy.pdf
• Lemonick, Michael D. "Will We Ever Travel at the Speed of Light?" Time. Apr. 10, 2000. (Feb. 16, 2022), 2011) http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,996616,00.html
• May, Andrew. "What is time dilation? " LiveScience. Nov. 17, 2021. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://www.livescience.com/what-is-time-dilation
• NOVA Physics + Math. "Carl Sagan Ponders Time Travel." NOVA. Oct. 12, 1999. (Feb. 16, 2022) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/Sagan-Time-Travel.html
• Ptak, Andy. "The Speed of Light in a Rocket." NASA's Imagine the Universe: Ask An Astrophysicist. Jan. 2, 1997. (Feb. 16, 2022) http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970102c.html
• Rynasiewicz, Robert, "Newton's Views on Space, Time, and Motion."Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Summer 2014. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi?entry=newton-stm
• Stein, Vicky. "Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. " Space.com. Sept. 20, 2021. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://www.space.com/36273-theory-special-relativity.html
• Van Zyl, Miezam (project editor)."Universe: The Definitive Visual Guide." Dorling Kindersley Limited. 2020. (Feb. 16, 2022) https://bit.ly/33q5Mpm.

What if We Could Travel Faster than Light Speed?

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21-01-2026 om 20:53 geschreven door peter  

The internet has once again become a battleground for science fiction. At the beginning of the year, a rumor spread rapidly online: allegedly, on August 12, 2026, Earth will completely lose its gravity for seven seconds. This, they say, will lead to mass casualties. What’s more, NASA is already spending an astronomical $89 billion of taxpayer money on the mysterious Project Anchor to combat the consequences. The conspiracy theory became so widespread that people even stopped listening to scientists who claimed that it was impossible. Therefore, the space agency was forced to intervene to calm the audience.

Official denial

A NASA representative gave a comprehensive response to fact-checkers, calling this theory complete nonsense. “The Earth will not lose its gravity because it is directly related to the planet’s mass,” the spokesperson said.

For gravity to disappear, Earth would have to suddenly lose all its mass — from its core to its atmosphere. If this were to happen, problems would begin well before the hypothetical date, and they would be much more serious long before gravity was completely lost.

Where do such myths come from?

The rumor seems to have arisen from a combination of two facts: a real astronomical phenomenon — the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026 — and a misunderstanding of physics. The Sun and Moon actually create tidal forces, but these have a minimal effect on the Earth’s surface and are entirely predictable. These forces cannot possibly “turn off” the planet’s global gravity.

What should you really pay attention to?

So, we won’t be experiencing seven seconds of weightlessness. But a total solar eclipse is a real and exciting event. NASA emphasizes that it is important to observe it as safely as possible. You can only look at the Sun without special protective glasses for a brief moment during the total phase, when the Moon completely covers the solar disk. As soon as even the smallest edge of the Sun appears, you must immediately use eye protection.

This story is a vivid example of how confusion over basic scientific concepts can give rise to large-scale hoaxes. Gravity is a fundamental and constant property of our planet, and the main cosmic show in August is not its disappearance, but an impressive eclipse that is well worth watching.

Earlier, we reported on the top five absurd space myths that people still believe in.

• According to ladbible.com

• Posted in News, Science

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

21-01-2026 om 20:36 geschreven door peter  

Astronaut Sunita Williams is now best known to the general public as one of the two crew members of the Starliner spacecraft who, due to its malfunction, were stuck on the ISS for almost a year. In fact, she has flown into space three times, but is now ending her career as a space traveler.

Circumstances of the astronaut’s resignation

Sunita Williams is retiring. The NASA astronaut has been in the news over the past couple of years mainly because she and Barry Wilmore were stranded on the International Space Station after significant technical problems were discovered on their Starliner spacecraft.

The space agency announced the news on Tuesday, saying her resignation took effect at the end of December. Williams’ partner on the failed Boeing capsule test flight, Barry Wilmore, left NASA last summer.

Williams and Wilmore flew to the space station in 2024, becoming the first people to travel on Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule. Their mission was supposed to last only a week, but it stretched out to more than nine months due to problems with Starliner. They finally returned home in March last year on a SpaceX spacecraft.

In the next few missions, Boeing’s Starliner will transport cargo to the ISS, not people. NASA wants to make sure that all of the capsule’s engine problems and other technical issues are resolved before putting anyone on board. A test launch is planned for later this year.

Sunita Williams’ achievements in space

In fact, Williams’ resignation cannot be called a failure. After all, she is already 60 years old, and even before her career at NASA, she managed to rise to the rank of captain in the US Navy as a combat helicopter pilot. She participated in several military missions.

This was followed by 27 years at NASA and three space flights totaling 608 days. At one point, Williams held the record for the longest time spent in space by a woman. She also made 10 spacewalks totaling 60 hours and 19 minutes.

Thus, Williams’ mission on Starliner was originally intended to be the culmination of her career. New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called her “a trailblazer in human spaceflight.” “Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement,” he added in a statement.

In fact, it is quite possible that Sunita Williams will fly into space again. Only not as a NASA astronaut, but as an employee of some private space company. At least, that’s what happened to her colleague Peggy Whitson.

• According to phys.org

• Posted in Launches, News

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

21-01-2026 om 17:54 geschreven door peter  

Once bitten, twice shy? NASA astronaut who famously spent 9 months stuck in space dramatically RETIRES less than a year after returning to solid ground

• READ MORE: NASA's astronauts stun the world with their healthier appearance 

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Suni Williams, a NASA astronaut who famously spent nine months stuck in space, has dramatically retired, less than one year after returning to solid ground. 

Ms Williams and fellow astronaut, Butch Wilmore, returned to Earth on March 19 last year, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule which splashed down off the coast of Florida.

The pair had left Earth in June 2024, planning to undertake an eight–day test flight of the new Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station (ISS).

However, after the Starliner capsule developed numerous technical issues during the flight, the astronauts were forced to wait until the next crew rotation to return to Earth.

In total, the pair spent 286 days in space – 278 days more than they had initially planned.

Despite the traumatic experience, Ms Wiliams maintains that 'space is my absolute favourite place to be'. 

'It's been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times,' she said.

'The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe–inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier.'

Suni Williams, a NASAastronaut who famously spent nine months stuck in space, has dramatically retired, less than one year after returning to solid ground

The unexpectedly long visit to space appeared to take its toll on the 60–year–old. As the days rolled by, health experts and NASA insiders began to raise concerns that Ms Williams was rapidly losing weight

In total, Ms Williams spent 27 years in service, completing three missions aboard the ISS. 

'Suni Williams has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight, shaping the future of exploration through her leadership aboard the space station and paving the way for commercial missions to low Earth orbit,' said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

'Her work advancing science and technology has laid the foundation for Artemis missions to the Moon and advancing toward Mars, and her extraordinary achievements will continue to inspire generations to dream big and push the boundaries of what's possible. 

'Congratulations on your well–deserved retirement, and thank you for your service to NASA and our nation.' 

Ms Williams' 286–day stint on the ISS saw her total days logged in space skyrocket to 608 – second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut.  

However, the unexpectedly long visit to space appeared to take its toll on the 60–year–old. 

As the days rolled by, health experts and NASA insiders began to raise concerns that Ms Williams was rapidly losing weight. 

Photos showed her looking gaunt upon returning to Earth, although Ms Williams maintained that she didn't actually lose any weight.

Ms Williams and fellow astronaut, Butch Wilmore, returned to Earth on March 19 last year, aboard a SpaceXCrew Dragon capsule which splashed down off the coast of Florida

'I think things shift around quite a bit, you probably heard of a fluid shift,' she said.

'Folks in space you know, their heads look a little bit bigger because the fluid evens out along the body.'

Her retirement comes just months after her fellow astronaut, Butch Wilmore, announced his own retirement.  

At the time of his announcement, several users on X speculated that the exended stint in space may have sparked the retirement.

'Smart move if you stranded me in space for 9 months I would not fly for you either,' one user tweeted.

Another added: 'Well hell can you blame him.

'They were stuck in space for damn near a year. I'd never take another mission after that.'

And one wrote: 'I bet he was no longer capable of passing physical from his extended sojourn.' 

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

21-01-2026 om 17:22 geschreven door peter  

As we delve into the mysterious events surrounding extraterrestrial encounters, we find ourselves confronted with unexplained phenomena that challenge our understanding of reality. These incidents, often documented across different locations and times, present compelling evidence that something beyond our comprehension may indeed be visiting Earth.

The testimonies of ordinary people who experienced these extraordinary events share striking similarities. From hovering objects witnessed by multiple observers to personal encounters resulting in physical effects, these accounts deserve serious consideration rather than dismissal as mere imagination or misidentification of common occurrences.

Key Takeaways

• Multiple credible witnesses have reported mysterious hovering objects that defy conventional explanation.

• Physical evidence, including unexplained effects on the human body, often accompanies close encounter reports.

• Patterns emerge across different encounters suggesting organized visitation rather than random phenomena.

RELATED 

• Unexplained UFO Encounters: Bizarre Human Interactions That Defy Explanation

The Fleetwood Elementary School Encounter

In late 1959, residents of Lethbridge, Alberta witnessed an unusual phenomenon in their community. An elliptical-shaped object appeared in the sky above Fleetwood Elementary School, returning for six consecutive nights. Both children and at least one adult observed this strange aerial visitor.

The object made another appearance on November 23, 1962, at approximately 10:30 PM. Local excitement grew quickly, prompting student Miles White, his mother, and Miles's friend Mike Williams to investigate. On November 30, 1962, their curiosity was rewarded when they spotted a shining object with a bluish light hovering briefly over the school's bell tower before vanishing.

The following evening, December 1st, Miles and his mother returned to the school grounds around 9:00 PM. This time, they observed the object hovering approximately 20 feet above the schoolyard. It appeared semi-transparent or ghost-like, earning the nickname "sky ghost" from the witnesses.

Feeling bold due to the object's proximity, they threw stones at it. What happened next defied explanation: instead of the stones falling normally, they seemed to disappear into the object. Moments later, the stones were heard landing on the roof of the one-story school annex behind them—in the opposite direction from where they had been thrown.

Later that night, Miles exhibited unusual symptoms. While attending a late movie with Mike, Miles's speech became slurred and incoherent. He complained of a "buzzing" sensation in his head and fell asleep during the film.

An investigator from APRO (Aerial Phenomena Research Organization), W.K. Allen, interviewed the witnesses. They described how the stones seemed to be "swallowed up" by something, then expelled moments later behind them, contrary to their expected trajectories. The phenomenon resembled the stones passing through some kind of portal, entering at one point and exiting at another.

The witnesses initially hesitated to share their experience publicly, fearing ridicule. Local newspapers eventually published brief accounts of the incident, preserving this remarkable case that might otherwise have been lost to history.

RELATED 

• Unexplained Military Encounters: Bizarre Paranormal Cases That Challenge Reality

The Mysterious Hovering Object of 1962

In late 1962, a peculiar phenomenon captured the attention of residents in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. An elliptical object was spotted hovering over Fleetwood Elementary School for six consecutive nights in 1959, and then mysteriously reappeared in November 1962.

Miles White, accompanied by his mother and friend Mike Williams, decided to investigate these rumors on November 30, 1962. Their curiosity was rewarded when they witnessed a shining object with a bluish light briefly hovering over the school's bell tower before disappearing.

The following evening, December 1st, Miles and his mother returned to the school at approximately 9:00 PM. This time, they observed the object hovering merely 20 feet above the schoolyard. The object appeared almost transparent, earning it the nickname "sky ghost" from witnesses.

In a bold move, Miles and his mother threw stones at the hovering object. Instead of hitting the target or falling to the ground, something extraordinary occurred. The stones were heard falling on the roof of the one-story school annex building behind them—in the opposite direction from where they had been thrown. It was as if the stones had been teleported through some kind of portal.

After the encounter, Miles exhibited unusual symptoms. While attending a late movie with Mike that night, his speech became slurred and incoherent. He even fell asleep during the film, having earlier complained about a "buzzing" sensation in his head.

APRO investigator W.K. Allen later interviewed the witnesses, who were initially reluctant to discuss their experiences for fear of ridicule. They described how the stones seemed to be "swallowed up" by the object before being expelled behind them moments later.

Similar Unexplained Incidents:

Date Location Witness Observation May 3, 1967 Shukil Expressway, PA Ruth S. Smith Disc-shaped object, gunmetal gray with darker band May 2012 Columbia, MO "Bradley" Bright light, missing wisdom tooth after encounter August 7, 1967 Caracas, Venezuela Dr. Luis Sanchez-Vega Small humanoid visitor less than 4 feet tall

The Smith incident included a peculiar physical effect—she experienced a severe toothache that disappeared seconds after the object vanished into the clouds. The craft was moving at approximately 65-70 mph at an altitude of about 150 feet when it suddenly shot upward after emitting cherry-red sparks.

"The craft was like nothing I have ever seen in the air or on the ground. I shall never forget it," Smith reported afterward.

RELATED 

• Alien Encounters: UFO Sightings & Strange Paranormal Cases Documented

The Unexplained Phenomena of Stones and Portals

Strange occurrences at Fleetwood Elementary School in Lethbridge, Alberta began in 1959 when an elliptical object hovered above the building for six consecutive nights. The phenomenon returned in November 1962, attracting local attention. Miles White, his mother, and friend Mike Williams decided to investigate on November 30th, witnessing a bluish shining object briefly hovering over the school's bell tower.

The next evening, Miles and his mother returned to find the object hovering approximately 20 feet above the schoolyard. They described it as almost transparent or ghost-like. When they threw stones at the object, something extraordinary happened - the stones didn't fall normally but instead were heard landing on the school annex roof behind them, in the opposite direction they were thrown.

This peculiar incident suggests some type of portal phenomenon where the stones were "swallowed" and then expelled elsewhere, essentially teleporting the objects. Following this encounter, Miles experienced unusual symptoms including slurred speech, difficulty making sense, and what he described as a "buzzing" in his head.

Another portal-like incident occurred near Philadelphia in May 1967. Ruth S. Smith was driving on the Shukil Expressway when she spotted a disc-shaped craft following a Greyhound moving van. The gunmetal gray object had these characteristics:

• 35-40 feet in diameter

• About 20 feet thick

• Revolving top section

• Row of window-like portholes

• Thin vapor stream from an exhaust pipe

• No visible wings or fins

When Smith slowed to observe it better, the vapor changed to cherry-red sparks as the craft shot straight upward into the clouds. At that precise moment, Smith experienced an intense toothache that disappeared seconds after the object vanished.

Tooth-related phenomena appear in multiple accounts. A man identified only as Bradley reported that beings he believed were non-human apparently removed his impacted wisdom tooth following his casual wish for relief. He described experiencing missing time during a bright light encounter, only realizing the next day that his problematic tooth was completely gone.

In Venezuela, Dr. Luis Sanchez-Vega encountered a visitor under four feet tall who appeared mysteriously in his office in August 1967. Speaking perfect Spanish, the entity requested a physical examination and warned the doctor not to be alarmed by its abnormally high body temperature, explaining it was "not from Earth." Dr. Vega was certain from the being's appearance that it was not human or someone with a deformity.

RELATED 

• Shadowy Encounters: Documented Cases of Paranormal Phenomena That Defy Explanation

Mrs. Ruth S. Smith's Encounter on the Schuylkill Expressway

On May 3, 1967, around 6:30 a.m., Ruth S. Smith experienced an unusual encounter while driving westbound on the Schuylkill Expressway. She was approximately six miles outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, following a Greyhound moving van at about 58-60 miles per hour.

Smith noticed a disc-shaped object hovering slightly above and ahead of her car. The weather had been rainy earlier but had cleared, leaving a heavy overcast sky. The object appeared to be following the moving van ahead of her.

The craft had several distinct features:

• Color: Gunmetal gray with a darker gray band around its middle

• Shape: Disc-shaped, approximately 35-40 feet in diameter and 20 feet thick

• Movement: Top section was revolving on a central axis

• Details: Row of unlighted "porthole" windows around the darker band

• Height: Approximately 150 feet in the air

• Speed: Pacing the moving van at 65-70 miles per hour

Smith observed no wings or fins on the craft, but noticed a thin stream of vapor coming from what resembled an exhaust pipe. The object had a solid, metallic appearance. As she dropped back to get a better view, something remarkable happened.

The vapor trail suddenly changed to cherry red sparks, and the object shot straight upward into the overcast sky, vanishing from sight. At that precise moment, Smith experienced what she described as "the worst toothache she has ever had in her life." Strangely, the pain disappeared completely just seconds after the object vanished.

When interviewed by an APRO investigator, Smith explained that the pain affected the entire upper right side of her jaw. Curiously, the most intense pain centered on a spot where she had no tooth. She later expressed her profound curiosity about the craft, stating, "The craft was like nothing I have ever seen in the air or on the ground. I shall never forget it. I must know where it came from, why it was here, who or what was operating it."

RELATED 

• UFO Contact Experiences: Documented Encounters with Extraterrestrials & Paranormal Entities

Toothache and the Vanishing UFO

Strange UFO sightings often coincide with unusual physical effects on witnesses. In one notable case from 1967, Ruth S. Smith experienced a peculiar dental phenomenon during a close encounter. While driving on the Schuylkill Expressway outside Philadelphia on May 3rd at approximately 6:30 a.m., Smith observed a metallic disc-shaped object following a Greyhound moving van.

The object exhibited several distinctive features:

• Gunmetal gray color with a darker band around its middle

• Revolving top section

• Row of window-like openings around the central band

• Approximately 35-40 feet in diameter and 20 feet thick

• Positioned about 150 feet in the air

• Moving at 65-70 mph

• Emitting a thin vapor trail

When Smith slowed her vehicle to observe the craft better, the vapor suddenly changed to bright cherry-red sparks. The object shot straight upward into the overcast sky and vanished. At that precise moment, Smith developed what she described as "the worst toothache of her life" - affecting her entire upper right jaw but concentrated where she had no tooth. Remarkably, the severe pain disappeared completely within seconds after the UFO vanished.

Another dental-related UFO incident involved a man identified only as Bradley from Columbia, Missouri. In 2012, Bradley had been suffering from an impacted wisdom tooth when he jokingly expressed a wish that the strange beings he'd previously encountered might remove it. Days later, while sitting in his backyard around 4:00 a.m., he noticed the cloudy sky suddenly clear. A bright light appeared approximately 300 feet overhead, moving away into the remaining clouds while illuminating the entire field behind his home.

The next day, Bradley discovered his problematic wisdom tooth was mysteriously gone. He believed he might have experienced missing time during the moment when "everything got brighter." While such accounts might seem implausible, researcher Preston Dennett has documented hundreds of alleged extraterrestrial healing cases in his book "UFO Healings."

RELATED 

• Unusual UFO Encounters: Car Lifting Phenomena & Unexplained Cases

Bradley's Close Encounter and Missing Tooth

Bradley experienced a strange incident while visiting Moberly, Missouri. He encountered beings he believed were not human, resembling the typical "grey" entities with large heads and oversized eyes.

A few years later, around May 2012, Bradley found himself in Columbia, Missouri, suffering from an excruciating toothache. While discussing his previous encounter with his mother, he jokingly expressed a wish that those beings would return to remove his painful wisdom tooth.

Remarkably, a couple of days after this conversation, Bradley sat in his backyard around 4:00 AM enjoying the night air. Despite the cloudy conditions, he could see the moon above the trees. Suddenly, everything brightened significantly. Looking up, he noticed the previously overcast sky had cleared almost entirely.

A bright light caught his attention approximately 300 feet above ground, moving away from him and ascending into one of the few remaining clouds. Bradley observed the field behind his home was completely illuminated, though he couldn't identify the light source. The light in the sky receded into the clouds and disappeared, plunging the field back into darkness.

The next day, Bradley discovered his problematic wisdom tooth was gone. He had no explanation for its disappearance, as he hadn't felt it come out naturally. "When your wisdom teeth have been impacted for years, you know when one is gone," he stated. He concluded that during the moment when everything brightened, he must have lost a few minutes of time.

While the concept of advanced beings extracting someone's tooth upon request seems absurd, Preston Dennett's book "UFO Healings" documents hundreds of similar cases involving extraterrestrial healing interventions. It's possible Bradley's tooth fell out naturally or was dislodged without his awareness, and he merely attributed it to extraterrestrial involvement.

RELATED

• Unexplained Cryptid Encounters: Terrifying Monster Sightings That Defy Explanation

The Curious Visit to Dr. Luis Sanchez-Vega's Office

On August 7, 1967, an extraordinary incident occurred at the medical office of Dr. Luis Sanchez-Vega, a respected general practitioner in Caracas, Venezuela. The doctor received an unexpected visitor who stood less than four feet tall.

The diminutive figure had somehow entered Dr. Sanchez-Vega's office without the doctor's knowledge. Speaking fluent Spanish, the visitor requested a physical examination and provided an unusual warning to the physician.

"Do not be surprised at my abnormally high temperature," the small being told Dr. Sanchez-Vega, explaining that he was "not from Earth." The doctor later reported that he could immediately discern that this was not simply a person with a physical deformity or condition.

Dr. Sanchez-Vega was convinced that whatever—or whoever—stood before him in his examination room was not human. The being's appearance, manner, and physical characteristics all indicated something beyond ordinary human variation.

The unexpected medical consultation represents one of many unusual encounters documented in UFO literature that received limited attention despite their remarkable nature.

{ https://www.tvi.show/ }

21-01-2026 om 17:02 geschreven door peter  

Why haven’t humans walked on the moon again?

The question is simple: why haven’t humans returned to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972? The main reason is money. After the first Moon landing in July 1969 with Apollo 11, there were only six more missions with the same goal.

Only five of those missions actually landed on the Moon. What once looked like a steady effort to explore the Moon is now seen, in 2026, as an unfinished goal with many cancelled missions. Apollo 17 is still the last time people went to the Moon, and that is likely to stay true for a while.

The Royal Museums Greenwich website also looked into this question and came to a similar answer: cost is the main reason for no new Moon landings. As they put it, "Going to the Moon in 1969" was "extremely expensive".

At first, the Kennedy administration planned to spend about $7 billion on the Moon program. But as the same website explains, the final cost ended up being $20 billion.

Today, most governments are not willing to spend so much money on a Moon mission that, for now, would mostly just make news and be remembered in history books. In the end, money matters most, and the world’s priorities have changed.

Shift in priorities

Another reason for fewer Moon missions is a change in thinking. In the 1960s and 1970s, countries competed and showed their ambition through space exploration. Now, most goals are closer to home, and money goes to more immediate needs.

More money is now spent on military technology, while research, education, and NASA’s budget in the United States have all been cut. This has also led to fewer new images of people walking on the Moon.

The next step in exploring the Moon may involve sending robots instead of astronauts. An article in the Encyclopedia Britannica says robotic landings are being considered. Robots need fewer supplies than people, who require "water, oxygen, food, and other essentials to survive."

Also, several countries and private companies are already working on robotic Moon projects that could help future missions with people, as the same article notes.

They won't land on the moon, but...

Still, in 2026, NASA astronauts will orbit the Moon again, but they won’t land. In late December 2025, Telemundo reported on the Artemis II mission, which could launch in early February 2026 if everything goes as planned. This 10-day trip around the Moon will be "the closest approach of humans to the Moon in over half a century."

This mission will test NASA’s Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. Both have had major delays and gone over budget in the United States during the past decade.

{ The Daily Digest }

21-01-2026 om 16:33 geschreven door peter  

Discovering the Moon: Unveiling Apollo's UFO Mysteries

Overview

The Apollo program, carried out by NASA between 1961 and 1972, remains a landmark in human spaceflight, delivering the first crewed landings on the Moon and returning over 380 kg of lunar rocks for scientific study. While the missions’ primary legacy is geological—mapping the lunar surface, confirming the presence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters, and refining models of the Moon’s formation— they have also become a focal point for UFO and UAP (unidentified aerial phenomena) speculation. Recent discussions on social media platforms, especially Twitter, have revived the claim that Apollo astronauts may have encountered “extraterrestrial artifacts” while on the Moon, prompting renewed scrutiny of the original mission footage and reports.

Apollo Data and Scientific Findings

The Apollo missions produced a robust data set that continues to underpin contemporary lunar research. Apollo 11’s historic landing in July 1969 yielded the first lunar samples, while Apollo 12’s precision touchdown near Surveyor 3 allowed engineers to retrieve components of an earlier unmanned probe for comparative analysis. Apollo 17, the program’s final crewed flight in December 1972, conducted extensive geological sampling across the Taurus‑Littrow valley, providing the most diverse collection of lunar material to date. These missions confirmed the Moon’s basaltic composition, identified a complex history of volcanic activity, and verified the existence of water ice in permanently shadowed regions, findings that have guided recent commercial and governmental plans for lunar bases. No official NASA documentation records the discovery of any non‑natural structures, anomalous devices, or unexplained aerial phenomena during any of the missions.

Reported UFO Sightings Near the Moon

Throughout the 20th century, reports of unidentified flying objects often coincided with heightened public interest in space exploration. The Moon, as Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor, has been cited in numerous anecdotal accounts of bright lights or moving objects appearing near its limb. A 2025 blog post on Alienated Media compiled several of these claims, noting that “numerous reports claim to have observed unidentified flying objects in the vicinity of the Moon.” However, the post also acknowledges that the majority of such sightings lack corroborating data and are typically based on amateur observations or misinterpretations of astronomical phenomena such as satellites, meteoroids, or atmospheric reflections.

Expert Assessment of the Evidence

Scientists and former NASA officials consistently emphasize the rigorous verification processes applied to Apollo telemetry, photographs, and sample analysis. Dr. Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief scientist, has stated that “the Apollo archives have been examined repeatedly for anomalies, and none have stood up to scientific scrutiny.” Independent researchers who have reviewed the publicly released mission footage report that the visual artifacts often cited as “UFOs” can be explained by camera lens flares, optical reflections, or the motion of the spacecraft’s own equipment. Moreover, the U.S. Department of Defense’s recent UAP task force, while acknowledging unexplained aerial observations in Earth’s atmosphere, has not linked any such phenomena to lunar operations.

Context and Outlook

The persistence of UFO narratives surrounding the Apollo missions reflects a broader cultural fascination with the unknown and a tendency to reinterpret historic events through contemporary lenses. While the allure of “alien artifacts on the Moon” makes compelling headlines, the available evidence remains firmly rooted in conventional scientific interpretation. As NASA prepares for the Artemis program and commercial partners plan sustained lunar presence, the focus is shifting from conjecture to concrete research objectives—such as in‑situ resource utilization and expanded geological surveys. Future missions equipped with higher‑resolution imaging and real‑time data transmission may finally put lingering questions to rest, offering definitive answers about both the Moon’s natural history and the origins of any anomalous sightings.

{  https://usubjects.com/ }

20-01-2026 om 23:20 geschreven door peter  

Christina Gomez -NEW INFORMATION JUST DROPPED ABOUT UFO CRASH!

Overview

A blog post published on Astronutter.com on January 18 2026 claims to reveal “new whistle‑blower‑style information” about an alleged UFO crash. Authored by self‑identified researcher Christina Gómez, the entry—titled “NEW INFORMATION JUST DROPPED ABOUT UFO CRASH!”—has quickly circulated through online UFO forums and social‑media channels, accompanied by hashtags such as #UFOCrash, #Whistleblower, and #UFODisclosure. While the post itself offers only brief statements and no verifiable documentation, its emergence has reignited debate over decades‑long claims of extraterrestrial craft recoveries.

New Claims Presented by Gómez

According to the blog excerpt, Gómez alleges that a previously classified incident involving a downed unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) was “recently de‑classified” and that “key witnesses” are now prepared to speak. She references “internal memos” and “photographic evidence” purportedly obtained from a source within a federal agency, but the post does not provide links, file names, or any visual material that can be independently examined. The narrative suggests the crash occurred on U.S. soil, though no specific location, date, or operational details are disclosed. Gómez emphasizes that the information is “whistle‑blower‑like,” implying personal risk for the source, and urges readers to “stay tuned for full documents” in upcoming updates.

Wonderful conversation with Cristina Gomez on the UFO topic, 3I/ATLAS, Transient objects, etc. Cristina Gomez Youtube ...

Community Reaction

Within the UFO‑enthusiast sphere, the post has generated a surge of discussion. Reddit’s r/UFOs and the Facebook group “UFO Disclosure Network” posted threads quoting the blog’s headline and sharing the aforementioned hashtags. Some members have expressed cautious optimism, noting that “every new claim pushes the conversation forward,” while others remain skeptical, pointing out the absence of corroborating evidence and the blog’s history of speculative posts. The rapid spread of the story illustrates how digital platforms amplify unverified claims, a pattern observed in prior incidents such as the 2020 release of the Navy’s “Gimbal” and “GoFast” videos.

Expert and Official Perspective

UFO researchers and government‑affairs analysts caution against drawing conclusions from a single, unverified source. Dr. Jacqueline Miller, senior fellow at the Center for Aerospace Policy, remarked, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Until the alleged memos or photographs are made public and authenticated, the claim remains anecdotal.” Similarly, a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) declined to comment on the specific blog post but reiterated the agency’s commitment to transparency, noting that the 2023 UAP Report acknowledged “limited data” on many incidents and that any newly de‑classified material would be released through official channels.

Context and Historical Background

The notion of a secret UFO crash is not new. The most famous example, the Roswell incident of 1947, has been repeatedly examined, debunked, and mythologized over the decades. More recent government acknowledgments—such as the Pentagon’s 2021 admission of a UAP task force and the 2022 release of classified videos—have lent credibility to some aspects of the UFO discourse, yet they have not confirmed any recovered craft. Gómez’s claim therefore fits within a broader pattern of whistle‑blower‑styled revelations that surface intermittently, often lacking the documentation needed for rigorous verification.

What Comes Next?

The blog author promises to release the purported documents “in the coming weeks.” Observers advise that any forthcoming material should be subjected to forensic analysis, chain‑of‑custody verification, and cross‑referencing with existing government disclosures. Until such steps are taken, the story remains a rumor in the public domain, albeit one that underscores the persistent public appetite for answers about unidentified aerial phenomena. Researchers, journalists, and policymakers will likely monitor the situation closely, ready to assess any new evidence against the stringent standards required for credible disclosure.

{  https://usubjects.com/  }

20-01-2026 om 23:00 geschreven door peter  

20-01-2026 om 22:13 geschreven door peter  

Sun unleashes powerful X-flare, CME hits Earth sparking severe geomagnetic storm

By Daisy Dobrijevic 

Aurora alert! The colossal solar storm could impact and trigger impressive northern lights.

Aurora alert! The colossal solar storm could impact and trigger impressive northern lights.

 (Image credit: Image inset left: NASA SDO, right: NOAA SWPC, graphic made in Canva Pro.)

The sun sure has woken up this week, unleashing a powerful X-class solar flare on Jan. 18 that hurled a colossal, fast-moving coronal mass ejection (CME) directly toward Earth. That CME has now arrived, triggering severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions far earlier than initially forecast.

The shock wave from the CME struck at 2:38 p.m. EST (1938 GMT) on Jan. 19, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, which confirmed that G4 storm levels were reached shortly after impact. The storm is ongoing, and space weather forecasters say CME passage will continue through the evening, keeping the door open for more aurora activity tonight.

Related: Northern lights may be visible in 24 states tonight as a massive CME slams into Earth

Why the CME's impact depends on its magnetic orientation

CME arrivals are notoriously difficult to forecast. Their speed, direction of travel and — most importantly — their magnetic orientation all determine how strongly (if at all) they will interact with Earth's magnetic field.

If the CME's magnetic field is oriented southward, a component known as the Bz, it can more easily link up with Earth's northward-pointing magnetic field, allowing energy to pour into our planet's magnetosphere and trigger geomagnetic storm conditions.

If the Bz is instead oriented northward, Earth's magnetic field largely deflects the incoming energy, effectively "closing the door," and what looked like a promising space weather event can end up being a bit of a nothing burger.

Some CMEs contain a mixture of southward and northward magnetic fields, which can lead to stop-start or fluctuating geomagnetic activity. These events keep space weather forecasters and aurora chasers very much on their toes.

Even now, after the CME has arrived, we won't fully understand its magnetic orientation until it's sampled in real time by solar wind monitoring spacecraft like DSCOVR and ACE, positioned upstream of Earth.

What's an X-class solar flare?

Solar flares are ranked in ascending strength from A, B, C and M up to X, with each letter representing a tenfold increase in intensity. X-class flares are the strongest eruptions and the number following the X indicates how powerful the event is. Today's flare was measured at X1.9, putting it in the upper tier of solar outbursts.

The powerful flare from sunspot region AR4341 peaked at 1:09 p.m. EST (1809 GMT), according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. The eruption triggered strong (R3) radio blackouts across the sunlit side of Earth, with the most severe disruptions concentrated over the Americas.

What is a CME and how can it affect Earth?

A CME is a massive expulsion of plasma from the sun that carries a magnetic field. If a CME hits Earth's magnetosphere — the protective magnetic "bubble" generated by our planet — it can trigger a geomagnetic storm.

These geomagnetic storms vary in intensity and are therefore classified on a scale from minor (G1) to extreme (G5). Current forecasts from the U.K. Met Office suggest the incoming CME could produce strong (G3) to severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions.

Storms of this magnitude can disrupt satellite operations, degrade GPS navigation and increase atmospheric drag on spacecraft. They can also supercharge auroral activity, potentially pushing the northern lights far beyond their usual high-latitude haunts and into mid-latitude regions near 45° latitude.

• Editor's note: This article was updated on Jan. 19 at 4:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT) to reflect that the coronal mass ejection (CME) has arrived and triggered G4 (severe) geomagnetic storm conditions, according to NOAA. Forecasts and visibility potential may continue to evolve as the storm progresses.

{ https://www.space.com/space-exploration }

20-01-2026 om 21:52 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious 'vehicle of unknown origin' hidden at US Navy Base raises questions about secret UFO program

• MORE:  Mystery over strange crash near Area 51 deepens as FBI opens investigation

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

A mysterious UFO has been allegedly stored at a little-known US Navy base on the East Coast for decades as the military continues to reverse-engineer its secrets. 

A new report has claimed that Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, better known as Pax River, has kept an 'exotic vehicle of unknown origin' secretly housed there, possibly since the 1950s.

According to anonymous sources tied to Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), which is headquartered at Pax River, certain military programs at the base have been involved in analyzing and exploiting technology recovered from non-human craft for years.

NAVAIR is a major part of the US Navy, which handles everything related to naval aircraft, weapons, and aviation systems. It designs, builds, tests, buys, repairs, and keeps Navy and Marine Corps aircraft ready for use.

Speaking to the Liberation Times, the unnamed sources claimed that two types of aircraft have been trying to spy on what the US has at Pax River. One is allegedly drones from China, and the other are non-human UFOs.

Recently, this spying activity has allegedly increased and moved closer to land, including right around the Navy base on the Chesapeake Bay.

Although the claims could not be confirmed by the Daily Mail, UFO whistleblower Luis Elizondo stated in written testimony to Congress that a specially built hangar was constructed at Pax River specifically for the transfer of extraterrestrial technology.

Under oath, Elizondo described a plan where this hangar would help major defense contractor Lockheed Martin move non-human technology to another company called Bigelow Aerospace for further study and analysis.

Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland (Pictured from space) has allegedly been used to store and study 'non-human' technology, including a craft of 'unknown origin'

UFO whistleblowers have continued to claim to Congress that the US military is in possession of advanced extraterrestrial technology it is working to reverse-engineer

The Daily Mail has reached out to Lockheed Martin for comment. Bigelow Aerospace went dormant as a company in 2020, laying off its entire workforce during the Covid pandemic. 

According to the sources who spoke to Liberation Times, the US government allegedly has a secret contingency plan for moving the unidentified craft if its specific location at Pax River becomes publicly known or is threatened by further spying.

The report added that some of the activity seen taking place near the base is believed to be linked advanced drones or aircraft that use technology that's been copied and developed from the supposed exotic materials.

Although Elizondo claimed that a new facility was built at Pax River just for these UFO transfers, the anonymous sources said none of them took place after the CIA's former director of science and technology blocked companies from gaining access.

Elizondo is a former senior intelligence official who worked at the Pentagon, where he led a secret government program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP).

AATIP studied unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the new name for UFOs, determining if they were a possible threat to national security.

Elizondo, a whistleblower since 2017, testified under oath in 2024 to Congresswoman Nancy Mace that the government maintains secret programs to recover crashed spacecraft. 

Additionally, Elizondo's testimony noted that these programs have successfully reverse-engineered some of this technology and that the US was now in possession of advanced non-human equipment, including at bases like Pax River.

Pax River (Pictured) is the headquarters for NAVAIR, a major part of the US Navy that designs, builds, and tests, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft

Luis Elizondo (Pictured) led the government's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program and has knowledge of America's UFO crash recovery missions

'These facilities included locations in the Las Vegas area and a newly built hangar at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (“PAX”),' Elizondo said in his testimony.

'Specifically, the PAX River hangar was designed to facilitate the transfer of future materials via air and river.'

The Maryland base has been home to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) since 1992, a group that conducts research, development, testing, and evaluation of new aircraft and weapons, including advanced and experimental projects.

Although the US military has said there has never been any physical evidence of UFOs recovered, multiple former government employees and scientists have come forward to claim that several vehicles have been recovered since the 1940s.

Last year, Dr Hal Puthoff, a physicist and electrical engineer who worked on the government's psychic spy and UFO research programs, revealed on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that the US military has recovered more than 10 spacecraft since the infamous Roswell incident.

Although there was no evidence to confirm it, Puthoff claimed that some of these craft were actually fully intact craft that had been 'gifted' to humans by extraterrestrials.

Thousands of reports of large, silent drones (Pictured) over New Jersey and sensitive sights along the East Coast started in November 2024 and carried into 2025

The unverified claims about Pax River and potential spying overhead come just one year after hundreds of unidentified drones and UFOs were spotted flying over the East Coast by both the military and the American public. 

The bizarre drone swarms appeared to focus on US military installations as well as other key sites, including President Trump's property in New Jersey.

Many Americans described them as 'car-sized drones', making no noise as they flew closely overhead of residential neighborhoods from November 2024 until early 2025. 

To this day, the origin of the drones, their targets over New Jersey and the rest of the East Coast, and their research remain a mystery.

However, an unnamed private firm contracted by the US military eventually took responsibility for the drone swarms, claiming they were conducting tests of their advanced aerial craft, according to off-the-record comments at an Army summit in August 2025.

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

20-01-2026 om 21:29 geschreven door peter  

“Based on our interviews, and this has been something that you can go back and watch with the congressional hearings, but I was actually able to ask some of the witnesses, ‘What are these things?'” Luna told Rogan. “And they keep saying interdimensional and then when you talk about the interdimensional aspect of ‘are these things pre-existing maybe outside of what we currently know as our own dimension?’…”

Rogan was obviously curious and asked Luna to elaborate. The congresswoman, who earlier this year introduced legislation to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore, then tried to explain and seemed to suggest that these “interdimensional beings” were found in the Bible. Or at least they would’ve been, if the Bible hadn’t been censored.

Rep. Luna: Well, they call them interdimensional beings. I think that they can actually operate through the time-spaces that we currently have. And that’s not something that I came up with on my own. That’s based on stuff that we’ve seen, that’s based on information that we’ve been told. And then also too, I think that there’s this historical aspect of, you know, this gets into the deeper theories and concepts of religion and I think the history that we currently know. And that kind of spins off into another topic of, you know, you have the modern day Bible, you have this aspect of books of the Bible that have been removed that explain and kind of touch on these topics. And I think that we’re in a time and age where you have such a vast amount of information that we have access to via social media, via your cell phone, via the internet. And so it’s really changing the way that we understand, you know, the origins of life and the spiritual reality that we know.

Luna had a knack for rambling without saying much or providing evidence. So Rogan pressed her on what evidence there might be to prove that UAPs are actually beings from another dimension. She kept giving vague answers, but insisted that she’s seen evidence. Sadly, she just can’t tell you what it is.

Rep. Luna: Yeah, so look, have I seen a portal open? No. Have I seen a spaceship? Personally no. Have I seen evidence of this? Yes. Have I seen photo documentation of aircraft that I believe were not made by mankind? Yes. Is there historical significance to this? Yes. multiple events that go back to, I would argue, maybe even before the time of Christ that have documented this in text? Yes.

Luna acknowledged throughout the interview that the U.S. government may have advanced technology that could explain some of the UAP sightings, but she kept coming back to this idea that there was something supernatural about it all. And she floated conspiracy theories about how these kinds of beings had been censored in the editing of the Bible, specifically invoking the idea that the Book of Enoch had not been included as part of the Bible for shadowy reasons.

Luna, who said she’s read the Book of Enoch “multiple times,” insisted that she wasn’t saying these mysterious beings were angels, but noted there were “other creations that God made,” according to her understanding of Christianity.

Luna said she’s seen classified photos in a SCIF that she can’t talk about, something that clearly frustrated Rogan. “I’m very confident that there’s things out there that have not been created by mankind,” Luna said.

The congresswoman made other wild claims during the interview about the CIA discovering the Ark of the Covenant in the 1980s and strongly suggesting that remote viewing is a reality. She also mentioned that some autistic people had telepathic abilities, a reference to a popular podcast called the Telepathy Tapes. And everything she mentioned was cloaked in this conspiratorial thinking as she insisted that powerful people were hiding the truth from the American people.

“It seems crazy that people have access to information that shows that there’s something outside of us that is more intelligent, at least more capable than we are. And they hide it from everybody else,” Rogan said.

Crazy indeed, Mr. Rogan. Crazy indeed. Did you guys hear about those Epstein files?

{ https://gizmodo.com/tech/tech-policy }

20-01-2026 om 21:14 geschreven door peter  

20-01-2026 om 20:56 geschreven door peter