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06-07-2025 om 18:34 geschreven door peter  

Sprites are large-scale electrical discharges that occur high in the mesosphere, triggered by positive lightning strikes. 

Part of a group of upper-atmosphere events called Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), sprites are still not fully understood, despite decades of research.

A rare red sprite captured from the International Space Station posted on X (formerly Twitter) on June 20, 2024, showing an event earlier in the year. (Image credit: Matthew Dominick/NASA/X)

Sprites like the ones Pettit captured on video occur much higher than regular lightning. Their name is an acronym, short for stratospheric perturbations resulting from intense thunderstorm electrification.

Sprites are created when electrical discharges created by lightning shoot upward, creating bursts of plasma in the ionosphere, found around 50 miles (80 km) above Earth's surface. They were not captured on camera until 1989.

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06-07-2025 om 17:23 geschreven door peter  

A mysterious interstellar object has been caught on camera for the first time as it hurtles through the solar system.

First spotted by NASA on July 1, scientists from around the world have now confirmed that this unexpected visitor has travelled through space from a distant star. 

Officially titled 3I/ATLAS, the rare interloper is 12 miles (20km) long and hurtling towards the sun at 135,000 miles per hour. 

Now, using a powerful telescope in Hawaii, the European Space Agency (ESA) has captured the first video of 3I/ATLAS as it makes its journey through space.

As the short video shows, the object is extremely bright, which means it is either many times larger than any other interstellar object or has another source of illumination. 

Most experts agree that this extra illumination is caused by the fact that 3I/ATLAS is an active comet, producing a glowing 'coma' of ice and gas as it approaches the sun.

However, one Harvard professor claims that this might not be explained by natural means.

Professor Avi Loeb, a physicist at Harvard University, told MailOnline: 'If it is not a comet, then its large brightness would be a big surprise and potentially signal a non-natural origin, perhaps from artificial light.'

The European Space Agency has captured the first video of the interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, currently hurtling through our solar system 

NASA predicts that 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to the sun on October 30, at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km) - passing just within the orbit of Mars

3I/ATLAS was detected as a faint speck of light by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope.

Since then, professional and amateur astronomers around the world have scrambled to gather more data.

Scientists quickly combed older data to find observations of the object that had previously been missed, in a process called precovery. 

Combining these with hundreds of new observations, scientists were able to officially confirm that 3I/ATLAS was an interstellar object. 

Currently 420 million miles (670 million kilometres) away from Earth, 3I/ATLAS's trajectory and incredible speed meant it must be passing through our solar system after being ejected by its own star.

NASA predicts that it will reach its closest point to the sun on October 30, at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km) - passing just within the orbit of Mars.

Thankfully, the object poses no threat to Earth and will pass harmlessly at around 150 million miles (240 million km) away at its closest point.

This is only the third time that scientists have managed to spot an interstellar object passing through the solar system.

Harvard physicist Avi Loeb told MailOnline that the object's intense brightness could be the result of artificial lights, indicating that it is an alien craft 

This graph shows the passage of the interstellar object as seen from Earth as it travels from the Sagittarius constellation through the area of the sky containing Virgo  

The first was 'Oumuamua in 2017, followed by Borisov in 2019.

When 'Oumuamua was first detected, certain irregularities in its spin and velocity prompted Professor Loeb and his co-author, Dr Shmuel Bialy, to suggest that it could be alien in origin.

Professor Loeb says: ''Oumuamua exhibited a large non-gravitational acceleration which was anomalous given its lack of evaporation.'

Similarly, Professor Loeb now suggests that 3I/ATLAS could be a similar type of alien craft. 

While experts say there is no evidence to support this idea, some researchers say we can't rule out the possibility just yet.

Professor Michael Garrett, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, told MailOnline: 'More observations are definitely needed.'

Asked whether the object could be an alien craft, Professor Garret responded: 'Who knows - it could be - that’s why it will be important to make as many different measurements as possible to test all hypotheses.'

'It’s unlikely that it is, but that doesn’t mean to say we shouldn’t check. We don’t know much about these interstellar objects, so we learn more each time we encounter one.'

In 2017, an interstellar object named Oumuamua passed through the solar system, and while most scientists believe it was a natural phenomenon, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb famously argued it may have been of alien origin

NASA and ESA have now confirmed that 3I/ATLAS is a comet due to the presence of a cloud of dust and gases called a coma. These are produced when the ice in a comet is warmed by the light of a nearby star like the sun 

However, Professor Garret adds that there is currently no evidence the object is alien in nature, and it is more likely to be 'an icy body that has escaped from another planetary system and wandered by the solar system by chance'.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of evidence points to the fact that 3I/ATLAS is a comet, a small body made up of frozen gases and ice.

This is because astronomers have spotted a nebulous envelope of gas and dust known as a coma surrounding the object as it is heated by the sun. 

Based on these observations, both NASA and ESA are now confident enough to confirm that 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet. 

This also explains why 3I/ATLAS is so bright, since the material in the coma reflects the sun's light far more than rock or ice alone.  

Dr Mark Norris, an astronomer from the University of Central Lancashire, told MailOnline: 'If there's a coma, it by definition is a comet, because this means that it is outgassing.

'This thing is still quite far from the sun, so you can expect, therefore, as it gets closer, you should get a bigger cloud of material; and that should become clear as we get more observations going forward.' 

However, by the time the comet reaches its closest point to the Earth, it will be hidden behind the sun, so astronomers will need to wait until it reemerges in December to make the best observations. 

Alien hunters at SETI – the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence based at Berkeley University, California said there was a possibility the rock was ‘an alien artefact’.

But scientists from Queen’s University Belfast took a good look at the object and said it appears to be an asteroid, or ‘planetesimal’ as originally thought. 

Researchers believe the cigar-shaped asteroid had a 'violent past', after looking at the light bouncing off its surface. 

They aren't exactly sure when the violent collision took place, but they believe the lonely asteroid's tumbling will continue for at least a billion years.

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

04-07-2025 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

A mysterious object from outside our solar system has just been spotted by astronomers heading towards our planet. 

Harvard physicist Avi Loeb revealed that the object is expected to pass by Earth on December 17, speeding through the solar system at more than 41 miles per second (roughly 150,000 miles per hour).

That means the unidentified object, which scientists are calling A11pl3Z, is moving too fast for it to get caught in the gravitational pull of our sun or any other planet.

A11pl3Z's unusual course and speed were first spotted by astronomer Sam Deen in late June, however, it has just been flagged by the International Astronomical Union after its interstellar origins were confirmed.

Loeb believes A11pl3Z could be a large space rock or a comet, but astronomers are still figuring that out.

It's estimated to be about 12 miles wide. That makes it much larger than the last two otherworldly objects that flew through our solar system, Oumuamua and the comet Borisov.

Oumuamua was only about 300 to 1,300 feet long, and Borisov's core was about half a mile in diameter.

Like Oumuamua in 2017, A11pl3Z could soon start stirring more speculation that the object is man-made and sent here from another solar system with intelligent life.

A11pl3Z (Teal line) is expected to make its closest pass by Earth on December 17. Scientists believe the object comes from a source outside our solar system

In 2017, an interstellar object named Oumuamua passed through the solar system, and while most scientists believe it was a natural phenomenon, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb famously argued it may have been of alien origin

In 2021, Loeb, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard, theorized that Oumuamua could have 'been meant to scan signals from all viewing directions,' looking for sensors from a long-lost receiver previously placed on Earth.

The first recorded interstellar object set off alarm bells among UFO researchers after scientists discovered Oumuamua was not a known comet or asteroid.

'It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin,' Loeb wrote in an article on Medium Wednesday.

If A11pl3Z is a space rock, it's surprisingly massive compared to the other two interstellar objects that have passed by Earth.

However, scientists don't project that the mystery object will get anywhere near Earth. On its current trajectory, it'll come within 2.4 astronomical units of the planet (223 million miles).

An astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun, 93 million miles. Technically, A11pl3Z is already in the solar system, and is currently 3.8 AU away from Earth as of July 2.

In October, the object from outside the solar system is expected to make its closest pass to a planet, coming within 0.4 AU (37 million miles) of Mars.

Scientists don't believe A11pl3Z poses any threat to Earth. At 12 miles in length, that's good news because the object would fall into the category of a 'planet killer' - likely causing an extinction-level event if it struck the Earth.

Scientists believe A11pl3Z is 12 miles long, making it significantly bigger than the last 2 interstellar objects to be tracked as they passed through the solar system

However, there is a chance that A11pl3Z is not as big as it currently appears. Loeb explained that the interstellar visitor could be a comet, just like Borisov in 2019.

The physicist said that it could have a smaller core surrounded by a bright cloud of gas and dust. This would reflect sunlight and make the mass appear larger to our telescopes.

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•  The 'inevitable' US disasters that keep scientists up at night 

A11pl3Z's extreme speed will only give astronomers a short window to study the mysterious object before it leaves the solar system in 2026.

In that time, scientists will look to gather information on its trajectory using telescopes like the Rubin Observatory in Chile, and possibly the James Webb Space Telescope in space. 

They'll hope to confirm A11pl3Z is staying on its expected route, passing the sun in late October, swinging by Earth at a safe distance in December, and then flying past Jupiter in March 2026.

Once it gets closer, scientists should be able to determine what A11pl3Z actually is - an asteroid, a comet, or something else entirely.

Mark Norris at the University of Central Lancashire told New Scientist: 'They really do whip through the solar system at ridiculous speeds. They're really fleeting and you are severely limited in what you can learn about them.'

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

03-07-2025 om 22:07 geschreven door peter  

The object has a preliminary designation on the Near Earth Object Confirmation Page (NEOCP) as A11pl3Z. There should be a formal name within a day or so, and the object will receive an "I' designation for interstellar.

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02-07-2025 om 22:55 geschreven door peter  

Tracking Macroplastics Leeching Into Rivers from Space

By Mark Thompson 

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02-07-2025 om 00:44 geschreven door peter  

Is THIS how the world will end? The universe has a 'self-destruct button' that could WIPE OUT life in an instant, scientists warn

• READ MORE: Scientists say that the universe could end with a Big Crunch  

By WILIAM HUNTER

From the Big Crunch to the heat death of the universe, it seems that science is always finding new ways the cosmos might come to an end.

But physicists have now revealed the most devastating doomsday scenario possible.

Experts believe the universe may have a built-in 'self-destruct button' called false vacuum decay.

If this was ever triggered, every planet, star, and galaxy would be wiped out and life as we know it would become impossible.

The basic idea is that our universe isn't currently in its most stable state, meaning we are in what scientists call a 'false vacuum'.

If any part of the universe is ever pushed into its stable state, a bubble of 'true vacuum' will expand through the universe, destroying everything it touches.

Professor Ian Moss, a cosmologist at Newcastle University, told MailOnline that the universe is like 'a table-top with many dominoes standing on their side.'

Professor Moss says: 'They can stay upright unless some small disturbance topples one, and triggers all of them to fall.'

Scientists say that the universe has a 'self-destruct button' called false vacuum decay. The idea is that the cosmos is not at its most stable state, if it is ever pushed into this state a vast sphere of energy will consume everything in existence (AI-generated impression) 

What is a false vacuum?

All objects contain a certain amount of energy and the amount of energy it contains is called its 'energy state'.

The lower the energy state, the more stable the object becomes.

If you think about a lump of coal, it has a very high energy state because it contains lots of potential energy, which means it's unstable and could catch on fire.

Once that coal has been burned and the energy released as heat, the remaining ash has a very low energy state and becomes stable.

Everything in the universe, from lumps of coals to stars, wants to get to its most stable state and so always tends towards the lowest energy state possible.

We call the lowest energy state an object can have its 'vacuum' state, but sometimes objects can get trapped in something called a 'false vacuum'.

Dr Louis Hamaide, a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Naples, told MailOnline: 'A good analogy for a field in a false vacuum is a marble in a bowl on top of a stool.

Professor Ian Moss, a cosmologist at Newcastle University, told MailOnline that the universe is like 'a table-top with many dominoes standing on their side.' It is stable for now but could collapse at any moment if pushed

'The marble cannot leave the bowl unless it is given some energy in the form of a push, and if it does it will fall all the way to the ground.'

Being on the ground is what we would call the vacuum state, whereas the bowl is merely a false vacuum which prevents the marble from falling to the ground.

What makes this idea worrying is the possibility that a fundamental part of the universe's structure could be stuck in one of these false vacuums.

All it needs is a little push, and the structure of reality itself will come crashing down to the ground.

The universe's self-destruct button

The idea of a false vacuum gets really scary when we apply it to our current model of reality.

The universe and everything in it is made of subatomic particles such as electrons, photons, and quarks.

But according to quantum field theory, all of these particles are actually just disturbances in an underlying field.

Scientists say that the quantum field which creates the Higgs Boson, the mysterious particle that the Large Hadron Collider (pictured) was built to find, could be in a 'false vacuum state'

Dr Alessandro Zenesini, a scientist at the National Institute of Optics in Italy, told MailOnline: 'The basic idea of quantum field theory is to represent reality only with fields.

'Think of a water surface. When flat, it is an empty field. As soon you have a wave, this wave can be seen as a particle which can interact with another wave.'

Just like everything else, these fields have energy states, and want to get to their lowest energy state possible like a body of water becoming flat and calm.

In the first few seconds of the Big Bang, so much energy was released that it pushed all the fundamental fields down into their vacuum states.

But scientists now think that one of the fields might have gotten stuck along the way.

Some researchers believe that the Higgs field, the field which makes the elusive Higgs Boson, is stuck in a false vacuum state.

This essentially means that the entire universe could be rigged to blow at any moment.

What would happen if a false vacuum collapsed?

If the data from the Large Hadron Collider (pictured) is correct, the Higgs field is not in its most stable state. This means it could suddenly move into that new state like a domino toppling over

If the Higgs field is ever pushed down to its true vacuum, the resulting 'phase shift' will release a vast amount of energy.

This energy is so concentrated that it will force nearby areas of the field out of their false vacuum, dropping their energy level and releasing even more energy.

The resulting chain reaction would spread through the universe like the flames from a match dropped into a lake of petrol.

A bubble of true vacuum would then spread out in a sphere from the starting point until it consumes the entire cosmos.

At its edge, between the true and false vacuum, the energy would collect into a thin wall of incredible power.

Dr Hamaide says: 'That kinetic energy of the wall is so high, even though the Higgs carrying this energy is a very heavy particle, it would move at the speed of light.

'So we would never see the wall coming, because light couldn't reach us before the wall did.'

If the wall hit the solar system, Dr Hamaide says it would have so much energy that 'it would instantaneously destroy any star or planet its path'.

The Higgs field fills the entire known universe, if it is ever pushed out of its 'false vacuum' the resulting chain reaction would spread through the entire field. Pictured: The DESI map of the universe 

The expanding bubble of true Higgs vacuum would spread like a wave, pushing a wall of energy powerful enough to tear apart stars

(stock image) 

However, what would be left behind after the initial destruction is perhaps even more terrifying.

The interaction between the fundamental fields is what gives particles their properties and determines how they interact.

This, in turn, determines everything from the physics that holds planets together to the chemical reactions taking place inside our cells.

If the Higgs field suddenly takes on a new energy level, none of the physics we are familiar with would be possible.

Dr Dejan Stojkovic, a cosmologist from the University at Buffalo, told MailOnline: 'As a consequence, electrons, quarks and neutrinos would acquire masses different from their current values.

'Since the structures that we observe around us are made atoms, whose existence depends on the precise values of the parameters in the standard model, it is likely that all these structures would be destroyed, and perhaps new ones would be formed.'

Scientists have no idea what the world left behind by false vacuum decay would be like.

But we do know that it would be absolutely incompatible with life as we now know it.

If the Higgs field does change its energy level, the world that is left behind will have entirely different rules of physics to the ones we know now. That will make life as we know it impossible (AI-generated impression) 

What could trigger the end of the world?

To trigger false vacuum decay, you would need an extremely powerful force to pack a huge amount of Higgs particles into a tiny space.

In the current universe, places with this much energy might not even be possible but the bad news is that the early universe might have been violent enough to do it.

In particular, scientists think that dense regions of matter might have been crushed into tiny primordial black holes in the first few seconds of the Big Bang. 

These are ultra-dense points of matter no larger than a single hydrogen atom but containing the mass of an entire planet.

As these black holes evaporate through Hawking radiation, some researchers believe they could trigger false vacuum decay.

Professor Moss says: 'Condensation is a similar process to vacuum decay, the condensation of water vapour into clouds is triggered by tiny grains of dust or ice crystals.

'Tiny black holes seed vacuum decay in the same way.'

Scientists say that tiny primordial black holes left over from the Big Bang could 'seed' false vacuum decay like grains of dust seed rain to condense 

Is the world already over?

Perhaps one of the strangest implications of false vacuum decay is that it might have already started somewhere in the universe.

Dr Hamaide says: 'Under some very specific assumptions, we showed these bubbles are 100 per cent likely to occur.'

According to some calculations, one primordial black hole in the universe would be enough to trigger the universe's self-destruct process.

Likewise, due to small fluctuations at the quantum level, known as quantum tunnelling, it is possible that the parts of the universe might randomly jump into the lower energy state at any time.

That could mean that a bubble of true vacuum is already out there somewhere in the cosmos, racing towards us at the speed of light and annihilating everything it encounters.

The comforting news is that, even at the speed of light, it could take billions of years for a true vacuum bubble to reach us.

If the bubble starts far enough away, the expansion of the universe might even mean it never reaches us at all.

Some scientists think that this has already happened and that the Big Bang was really just a decay from one false vacuum to another

Dr Hamaide and Professor Moss suggest that the fact we aren't already dead is evidence that there aren't any primordial black holes out there in the first place.

We also don't know what effects dark matter and dark energy could have on the energy state of the universe.

It might be possible that these mysterious substances reverse any bubble expansions as soon as they occur to keep the universe stable.

However, until a bubble of true vacuum does tear our reality apart, there might not be any way to know who's right.

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

30-06-2025 om 21:20 geschreven door peter  

Mars rover captures first close-up photos of giant 'spiderwebs' on the Red Planet

"The bedrock below these ridges likely formed when groundwater trickling through the rock left behind minerals that accumulated in those cracks and fissures, hardening and becoming cementlike," NASA representatives wrote in a statement. "Eons of sandblasting by Martian wind wore away the rock but not the minerals, revealing networks of resistant ridges within."

New images from NASA's Curiosity rover show a series of "boxwork" ridges, which looks like large spiderwebs when viewed from above.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The web-like features should not be confused with the infamous "spiders on Mars" — a geological feature created by carbon dioxide ice on the planet's surface, which was recently recreated on Earth for the first time.

Related: 

• 32 things on Mars that look like they shouldn't be there

Curiosity is currently exploring a patch of boxwork on the slopes of the 3.4-mile-tall (5.5 kilometers) Mount Sharp at the heart of Gale Crater, where the wandering robot touched down in 2012. The rover set out for the area in November 2024 and arrived earlier this month. The features are a priority target for mission scientists because the ridges do not appear anywhere else on the mountain — and experts have no idea why.

On June 23, NASA released the first close-up images of the faux spiderwebs, along with an interactive video on their YouTube channel (see below), which enables you to explore the site in 3D.

The rover also drilled and analyzed some samples of rocks surrounding the web-like ridges and found that they contained veins of calcium sulfate, a salty mineral that is also left behind by groundwater. This particular mineral hasn't been seen so far up Mount Sharp before, so its discovery here is "really surprising," Abigail Fraeman, Curiosity’s deputy project scientist based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in the statement.

Researchers hope that by studying boxwork up close, they can learn more about Mars' watery past, before the planet's oceans were stripped away by solar radiation. Future findings could also shed light on the giant subsurface ocean that was recently discovered deep below the Martian crust.

Some experts also think that the ridges could finally help settle the debate around whether Mars once harbored extraterrestrial life.

"These ridges will include minerals that crystallized underground, where it would have been warmer, with salty liquid water flowing through," Kirsten Siebach, a Curiosity mission scientist at Rice University in Houston who has been studying the area, previously said. "Early Earth microbes could have survived in a similar environment. That makes this an exciting place to explore."

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30-06-2025 om 18:03 geschreven door peter  

10 Interesting Facts About The Only Animals, The Tardigrades, That Can Survive In Outer Space

Introduction

Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears or moss piglets, are microscopic, eight-legged animals renowned for their extraordinary resilience. These tiny creatures, measuring less than a millimeter in length, inhabit diverse environments worldwide—from moss and lichen to freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Their resilience has captivated scientists for decades, especially their ability to survive extreme conditions that would be lethal to most life forms. Notably, tardigrades are the only animals known to endure the vacuum of outer space and high levels of radiation. This essay explores ten fascinating facts about tardigrades, emphasizing their unique adaptations that enable them to survive in the harsh environment of space.

Fact 1: Tardigrades Can Survive the Vacuum of Outer Space

Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are microscopic creatures renowned for their incredible resilience. One of their most astonishing abilities is surviving the vacuum of outer space. In 2007, the European Space Agency conducted a groundbreaking experiment using its FOTON-M3 mission. During this mission, tardigrades were exposed to the harsh conditions of space, including the vacuum, intense solar radiation, and extreme temperatures, for more than a week. The results were remarkable: about 68% of the tardigrades survived the exposure. When brought back to Earth and rehydrated, many of these resilient creatures regained their mobility, showcasing their extraordinary ability to recover from such extreme conditions.

The secret behind their survival lies in their ability to enter a state called cryptobiosis. In this state, tardigrades suspend their metabolic processes, effectively shutting down all biological activity. This allows them to withstand environments that would normally be lethal, such as extreme cold, dehydration, and high radiation levels. Cryptobiosis acts as a protective mechanism, enabling tardigrades to endure conditions in space that are inhospitable to most other forms of life. Their resilience has fascinated scientists and expanded our understanding of life's potential to survive in extraterrestrial environments. Overall, tardigrades are a testament to the extraordinary adaptability of life and continue to be a subject of scientific research into resilience and survival in extreme environments.

Fact 2: Tardigrades Enter a State of Cryptobiosis to Survive Extreme Conditions

Tardigrades, often called water bears, are tiny, resilient creatures known for their extraordinary survival skills. One of their most remarkable abilities is entering a state called cryptobiosis, which allows them to survive extreme and unfavorable environmental conditions. Cryptobiosis is a reversible, ametabolic state, meaning the tardigrades' metabolic processes almost completely shut down, and they become virtually dormant. This process is triggered by stressful conditions such as dehydration, intense heat or cold, high levels of radiation, or the vacuum of space.

In order to survive these harsh environments, tardigrades undergo specific physiological changes. They lose almost all of their water content, shrinking into a dehydrated, desiccated form. Simultaneously, they produce special protective molecules, including trehalose sugar and vitrification proteins. Trehalose acts as a stabilizer, replacing water in cells and preventing damage to cell membranes and proteins. Vitrification proteins facilitate the formation of a glass-like state inside their bodies, effectively immobilizing cellular components and preventing structural damage during dehydration and extreme conditions.

While in cryptobiosis, tardigrades' cellular activities are halted, essentially freezing their biological clock. This state can last for decades, enabling them to withstand environments that would typically be lethal. When conditions become favorable again—such as through rehydration—they rehydrate and reanimate, resuming normal biological functions. Their ability to survive space vacuum, intense radiation, and other environmental extremes has fascinated scientists, highlighting their potential for understanding biological resilience and inspiring advances in medicine, biotechnology, and space exploration.

Fact 3: Tardigrades Can Survive Temperatures Close to Absolute Zero and Above Boiling Point

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are among the most resilient creatures on Earth, capable of surviving extreme temperature conditions that would be lethal to most other forms of life. They can endure temperatures as low as -458°F (-272°C), which is just above absolute zero—the theoretical limit where all molecular motion ceases. Conversely, they can survive temperatures as high as 300°F (149°C), significantly above the boiling point of water. This extraordinary temperature tolerance is made possible by their unique survival strategies. When exposed to cold, tardigrades enter a state called cryptobiosis, during which their cellular components become stabilized, and ice crystal formation is prevented, thus avoiding cell damage.

At high temperatures, protective proteins and antioxidants are produced to shield their cells from heat-induced harm. These adaptations allow tardigrades to endure environments like the icy depths of glaciers, where temperatures plummet to near absolute zero, and the scorching surfaces of hot springs or deserts, where extreme heat prevails. Their ability to survive such temperature extremes highlights their incredible level of adaptability, making them one of the most resilient animals on Earth.

This resilience not only fascinates scientists but also provides insights into biological survival mechanisms, potentially informing future research in cryopreservation and space exploration. Tardigrades’ survival in such harsh conditions exemplifies nature’s astonishing ability to adapt and thrive in environments that are inhospitable to most other life forms.

Fact 4: Tardigrades Can Survive High Levels of Radiation

Radiation is generally deadly to living organisms because it causes severe damage to DNA and other vital cellular components. Yet, tardigrades, often called water bears, exhibit an extraordinary ability to withstand ionizing radiation, including gamma rays and X-rays. Scientific studies have demonstrated that tardigrades can survive radiation doses up to 1,000 times higher than the lethal amount for humans. This remarkable resilience is due to several specialized adaptations.

Firstly, tardigrades possess highly efficient DNA repair mechanisms. When their DNA is damaged by radiation, they can quickly and accurately repair the breaks and mutations, preventing cell death. Additionally, they produce protective molecules such as trehalose, a sugar that stabilizes cellular structures and prevents damage caused by radiation-induced oxidative stress. Another crucial adaptation is their ability to enter cryptobiosis, a state of suspended animation where metabolic processes nearly come to a halt. During cryptobiosis, cellular components are shielded from environmental stressors, including radiation, allowing tardigrades to survive extreme conditions that would be lethal to most other life forms.

This extraordinary radiation resistance has significant scientific implications. Researchers are interested in understanding how tardigrades achieve such resilience, as it could inform the development of new radioprotective agents or strategies for humans exposed to radiation, such as astronauts or cancer patients. Their ability to survive space exposure has already been demonstrated in experiments where tardigrades endured the vacuum and radiation of outer space. This resilience makes tardigrades valuable models in astrobiology, the study of life's potential to survive in extraterrestrial environments, and radiobiology, the study of radiation effects on living organisms. Ultimately, studying tardigrades may contribute to advancements in human space travel, radiation shielding, and understanding life's limits under extreme conditions.

3D image of a Tardigrade taken during a microscope scan.

Credit: NPS/Diane Nelson

Fact 5: Tardigrades Are Capable of Surviving in Extreme Salinity.

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic creatures renowned for their extraordinary resilience in a variety of extreme environments. One remarkable aspect of their adaptability is their ability to survive in conditions of extreme salinity. These tiny animals can thrive in habitats ranging from freshwater lakes to hypersaline bodies of water, which contain salt concentrations that would be lethal to most other forms of life.

Their capability to tolerate such high salinity levels is primarily due to specialized osmotic regulation mechanisms. Osmotic regulation is the process by which organisms control the movement of water and solutes across their cell membranes to maintain cellular integrity. Tardigrades produce compatible solutes, such as trehalose and glycerol, which help balance osmotic pressure between their internal environment and their surroundings. These solutes act as cellular protectants, preventing dehydration caused by high salt concentrations and stabilizing vital cellular components like membranes and proteins.

In environments with fluctuating or extremely high salt levels, tardigrades can adjust their internal osmotic balance by regulating the production and retention of these solutes. This adaptation prevents cellular swelling or shrinking, which could otherwise damage their cells. Consequently, tardigrades can survive in hypersaline lakes and other saline habitats where few other animals can endure.

This remarkable salinity tolerance not only enables tardigrades to occupy diverse ecological niches but also contributes to their widespread distribution across the planet. Their ability to withstand such harsh conditions allows them to survive in some of Earth's most extreme terrestrial environments, including salt flats and saline deserts. Their resilience to salinity variations exemplifies their overall adaptability and underscores their status as one of the most hardy and versatile creatures on Earth.

Fact 6: Tardigrades Have a Unique Protein That Protects Their Cells from Damage

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic creatures renowned for their extraordinary survival skills. One of their most fascinating biological features is a unique protein called Dsup, short for “damage suppressor.” This protein plays a crucial role in protecting tardigrades’ cells from damage caused by radiation and oxidative stress, making them some of the most resilient organisms on Earth.

Dsup functions by binding directly to the DNA within the tardigrades’ cells. This binding creates a protective shield around the genetic material, preventing damage from harmful radiation. When exposed to radiation or oxidative stress, free radicals—unstable molecules that can cause strand breaks in DNA—are generated. Dsup acts as a safeguard against these free radicals, effectively absorbing or deflecting their harmful effects. As a result, the DNA remains intact, ensuring the survival of the organism even under extreme conditions.

Scientists have conducted experiments where they introduced the Dsup protein into human cells. The results were promising: the modified human cells exhibited increased resistance to radiation exposure. This discovery suggests that Dsup could have significant applications in medicine and biotechnology, especially in fields where radiation exposure is a concern, such as cancer radiotherapy or space travel. For astronauts venturing into deep space, where radiation levels are much higher than on Earth, Dsup could potentially offer protective benefits.

The protein’s unique ability to shield cells from radiation damage is a key factor behind tardigrades’ resilience in extreme environments, including the vacuum of space and high-radiation settings. Ongoing research aims to better understand Dsup’s properties and explore ways to harness its protective effects for human health and technological advancements. Ultimately, this tiny protein holds great promise for improving our ability to protect living organisms from radiation-induced damage, opening new doors in medicine and space exploration.

Fact 7: Tardigrades Can Survive Dehydration for Decades

Tardigrades are tiny, resilient creatures renowned for their extraordinary survival skills. One of their most remarkable abilities is to withstand complete dehydration for extremely long periods, sometimes spanning decades. This feat is achieved through a process called cryptobiosis, where tardigrades enter a state of suspended animation to survive harsh environmental conditions.

During dehydration, tardigrades produce special molecules such as trehalose and vitrification proteins. Trehalose is a sugar that replaces water in cells, helping to stabilize cellular structures and prevent damage caused by ice crystal formation during freezing. Vitrification proteins, on the other hand, help form a glass-like state within cells, further protecting the organism’s internal components. These adaptations prevent oxidative stress and physical damage, allowing tardigrades to remain in a dormant state without harm.

When environmental conditions improve, tardigrades can rehydrate rapidly by absorbing water, which triggers the resumption of their metabolic functions. They then return to active life, capable of reproduction and normal activity. This ability to endure prolonged periods of dryness and extreme environmental stresses allows tardigrades to survive droughts, cold seasons, and other challenging conditions that would be lethal to most other organisms.

Scientists are deeply interested in the resilience of tardigrades because their mechanisms for surviving desiccation could inform new preservation techniques for biological materials. For example, understanding how they protect their cells could lead to advances in the storage of vaccines, tissues, and other delicate biological samples, reducing reliance on cold storage and refrigeration. Overall, tardigrades exemplify nature’s ingenuity in adaptation and resilience, inspiring innovations in biotechnology and cryopreservation.

Fact 8: Tardigrades Can Reproduce After Surviving Space Conditions

Tardigrades are microscopic creatures renowned for their extraordinary resilience. Not only can they survive extreme conditions on Earth, but recent experiments have demonstrated that they can also endure the harsh environment of outer space. When exposed to the vacuum of space, intense radiation, and temperature fluctuations, many tardigrades did not perish. Instead, they survived these extreme conditions and, crucially, were able to reproduce once back on Earth. This remarkable ability underscores the resilience of their cellular and reproductive systems, which can withstand and recover from environments that are lethal to most forms of life.

The survival and reproductive success of tardigrades in space have profound implications for our understanding of life's endurance beyond Earth. Their resilience suggests that life might be capable of existing and spreading in extraterrestrial environments, supporting the hypothesis of panspermia—the idea that life can be transferred between planets via space debris or meteorites. If simple organisms like tardigrades can survive the vacuum and radiation of space and still reproduce, it raises the possibility that microbial life could potentially travel between planets, establishing new ecosystems elsewhere in the universe.

This discovery fuels ongoing scientific discussions about the potential for life beyond our planet and the robustness of Earth's earliest life forms. It also highlights the importance of studying extremophiles like tardigrades to better understand the limits of life and the possibilities for extraterrestrial habitability. As research continues, tardigrades serve as a compelling example of life's tenacity and the potential for life to endure and propagate in environments previously thought inhospitable.

Fact 9: Tardigrades Have a Simple but Effective Nervous System

Tardigrades are microscopic creatures renowned for their remarkable resilience. Despite their tiny size, they possess a surprisingly simple but highly effective nervous system. This system consists of a dorsal brain, located at the top of their body, and paired ventral nerve cords running along their underside. These neural structures work together to process environmental information and coordinate responses, allowing tardigrades to survive in extreme conditions.

Their nervous system enables them to detect various environmental stimuli, such as light, temperature fluctuations, and humidity levels. For example, when conditions become unfavorable, tardigrades can enter a state of suspended animation called cryptobiosis, during which their neural activity diminishes significantly but remains capable of reactivation. Studies have demonstrated that even after exposure to extreme environments—such as high radiation, vacuum, or intense heat—their nervous system remains largely intact. This neural resilience is crucial for their ability to reanimate and behave normally once conditions improve.

This robustness of their nervous system has fascinated scientists, as it offers insights into how neural tissues can withstand and recover from extreme stress. Understanding the mechanisms behind tardigrade neural resilience could inform the development of protective strategies for human neural tissues and inspire innovations in neurobiology. Furthermore, their ability to survive in space and other hostile environments underscores the potential for studying their nervous system to unlock new knowledge about neural durability and adaptation. Overall, tardigrades exemplify how a simple neural architecture can be highly effective in ensuring survival under the harshest conditions on Earth and beyond.

Fact 10: Tardigrades Are Ecosystem Engineers and Bioindicators

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are tiny, resilient creatures that play an essential role in their ecosystems as both decomposers and bioindicators. As decomposers, they help break down organic material, contributing to nutrient cycling in moss, lichen, and soil habitats. Their presence often signals a healthy environment because they are sensitive to environmental changes. Scientists frequently study tardigrades to assess ecosystem health and environmental stressors such as pollution, radiation, and climate change. Their remarkable resilience makes them ideal bioindicators, providing early warnings about ecosystem degradation or contamination.

In addition to their ecological significance, tardigrades are important in scientific research due to their ability to survive extreme conditions. They can withstand high levels of radiation, desiccation, freezing, and even the vacuum of space. This extraordinary resilience has made them valuable models in astrobiology, where researchers explore the possibilities of life beyond Earth. Studying tardigrades helps scientists understand how life might endure harsh extraterrestrial environments, informing planetary protection protocols and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Furthermore, their survival capabilities suggest that tardigrades could potentially survive future colonization efforts beyond our planet. Their ability to endure extreme environments grants insights into the possibilities of life surviving on other planets or moons. Overall, tardigrades serve as vital indicators of environmental health and as models for understanding life's resilience under extreme conditions, providing valuable knowledge for ecology, astrobiology, and planetary science.

Conclusion

In conclusion, tardigrades are remarkable creatures whose extraordinary resilience sets them apart from most other forms of life. Their ability to withstand the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures, high radiation levels, dehydration, and salinity demonstrates their incredible adaptations for survival in the harshest environments.

The discovery of protective proteins such as Dsup highlights the biological mechanisms that enable them to endure such extreme conditions. Furthermore, their capacity to recover and reproduce after space exposure provides valuable insights into biological resilience and resilience mechanisms. These findings have significant implications for various scientific fields, including biotechnology, medicine, and astrobiology.

Tardigrades may inspire innovative solutions for radiation protection, preservation techniques, and understanding life's limits on Earth and beyond. Their resilience not only broadens our understanding of the boundaries of life but also fuels the hope of discovering extraterrestrial life. As tiny water bears, they exemplify nature’s incredible capacity for adaptation and survival in the most inhospitable environments. Overall, tardigrades serve as a powerful reminder of nature’s ingenuity and the potential for discovery that still lies ahead in understanding life's resilience and possibilities in the universe.

{ PETER2011 }

30-06-2025 om 16:42 geschreven door peter  

The Oceans on Enceladus Are Highly Alkaline

By Laurence Tognetti, MSc  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

30-06-2025 om 14:00 geschreven door peter  

It's not the Wardenclyffe Tower but fans of Nikola Tesla will recognize the similarity in a new announcement from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) that its Persistent Optical Wireless Energy Relay (POWER) program has “absolutely obliterated all previously reported optical power beaming demonstrations for power and distance" by beaming a laser carrying more than 800 watts of power across a distance of 5.3 miles (8.6 km); according to Paul Jaffe, the POWER program manager, a 30-second laser beam pulse arrived at the receiver, passed through a small aperture, bounced off a parabolic mirror onto solar cells, and still had 20% of its power, which was used to (we are not making this up) pop popcorn; while that is a valuable benefit, the next goal is to use the wireless beam to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Tesla would probably be underwhelmed, but still more impressed by this than by the accomplishments of the EV company bearing his name.

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters explains how researchers used data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to analyze HD 100453, a young star about 330 light-years from Earth with about 1.6 times our sun's mass, and found isotopes of methanol – alcohol - in the planet-forming dust ring around the star; according to the researchers, these isotopes methanol “gives essential insight into the history of ingredients necessary to build life here on Earth"; these same isotopes have been found in comets in our solar system, suggesting that these frozen particles in protoplanetary disks could eventually clump together to form comets loaded with complex organic molecules that could be deposited on planets via collisions; co-author Milou Temmink, a doctoral candidate who studies protoplanetary disks at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said that the presence of alcohol in this star’s dust ring “may be the reason why life, including us, was able to form here". Forget ashes to ashes – our life is actually alcohol to alcohol.

From the “I’m not saying it’s aliens but I’m not saying it’s not aliens” file comes a revelation from astronomers studying a short (less than 30 nanoseconds) fast radio burst (FRB) detected by the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder in June 2024 which was so strong that it was assumed to have come from deep space and led many to hope it was evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence; while it was indeed created using intelligence, the researchers determined that the signal came from the Relay 2 – a communications satellite launched by NASA in 1964 that went dead in 1967 and has been stuck in orbit ever since - that suddenly came to life and blasted a signal so strong that astronomers mistook it for a fast radio burst from a distant galaxy; as they explained in their study, the zombie satellite most likely had a buildup of static electricity that suddenly discharged a pulse of energy over Earth; however, it could also have been caused by a collision with a micrometeorite that released a very small cloud of plasma in front of a real FRB signal, magnifying it so that it seemed stronger. We saw Zombie Satellites open for Foo Fighters.

The so-called ‘Pharaoh’s Curse’ – the alleged spell bringing death and destruction upon anyone disturbing the final resting place of a king – has been blamed for deaths to tomb explorers occurring soon after the openings of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt and Casimir IV’s tomb in Poland, but scientists eventually determined that at least some of those deaths were due to Aspergillus flavus, a fungus that can cause serious lung infections; now, a new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania reveals that the Pharaoh’s Curse might actually be a Pharaoh’s ‘Cure’ for cancer – the scientists isolated and purified four RiPPs (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides) from Aspergillus flavus and found that they cursed and killed leukemia cells; the fungi are difficult to purify and don’t work on other kinds of cancer, but it is hoped that there are more fungal RiPPS to be discovered. All we need are more curses and scientists brave enough to study them.

If you’ve ever wondered who would win a drinking contest between Hercules and Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, you need to get a hobby – but before you do, you may be interested in the recent discovery in Israel of a sarcophagus decorated with a depiction of what appears to be a drinking contest between Hercules and Dionysus; according to the press release posted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on its Facebook page, the marble Roman sarcophagus was discovered during excavations in Caesarea on the northwest coast of Israel by IAA archaeologists Nohar Shahar and Shani Amit; the scene shows Hercules lying on a lion skin and holding a cup in his hand across from Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, in what can only be described as an ancient Roman drinking contest; while these bouts have been found before in ancient art, this is the first between Hercules and Dionysys; if you’re wondering who won, the archeologists say: “Hercules' condition, depicted on the sarcophagus as someone who is no longer able to stand, points to the obvious answer: Dionysus”. Which part of ‘god of wine’ did Hercules not understand?

The so-called Buga sphere – the mysteriously engraved metallic orb tracked and retrieved in Colombia and now being ‘inspected’ in Mexico by controversial journalist and UFO researcher Jaime Maussan - continues to dominate the international UFO news with a statement by Maussan that men disguised as police tried to steal the Buga sphere; this was confirmed by UFO researcher Dr. Stephen Greer who, after he, US Congressman Eric Burlison and other US officials listened to a report from Maussan, said that “fake policemen” attempted to enter the vault in Mexico City where the orb was secured and warned that “Those scientists and their information have been provided to the top law enforcement... Any sort of attempts to interfere with this examination will be known, and the people and perpetrators will be held to account for it”; Burlison said that he believed governments and other groups were working to suppress the public's knowledge of UFOs and alien life but “We have too many people reporting and too many videos to ignore it’”. It would be nice if UFO research looked more like science and less like theater.

April Newton of Texas had a lifelong dream of visiting loch Ness and looking for its monster, so it was understandable that when she finally got tot her wish recently she immediately booked a boat tour with her traveling companion; what she didn’t expect was that soon after the boat left the dock, she’d be standing in the back when suddenly she’d see “Several serpent-like humps appeared one at a time”; as she described it to The Scottish Sun, “They caused rings of water to ripple out like something was rising from below”; Newton managed to take some photos which convinced her that "The shapes I saw are Nessie"; others on the tour boat were looking in the wrong direction to see her brief encounter, but she showed the photos to the captain and guide and “He told me he had been doing this for years and hadn’t seen anything like them before”; they were on the Jacobite Warrior boat to Urquhart Castle and the photos have not yet (as of this writing) been accepted by the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. Perhaps the monster can pick and choose to reveal itself to those it thinks are worthy of a sighting?

Stonehenge 'Joker' Crop Circle | 10 June 2025 | Crop Circles From The Air

Those who believe crop circles are messages left by aliens may see this a sign aliens have a sense of humor – a crop circle in the shape of a creepy clown face was discovered in a field near Bush Barrow, a few hundred yards from Stonehenge; crop circle researcher Hugh Newman said, "It’s a new one for me. It’s different from the usual designs”; however, some skeptical researchers saw something familiar about the clown and traced it to a painting by British artist Harry Pack; meanwhile, other doubters pointed out that the hole at the center of the clown’s nose was left by a pole used to attach a rope and served as the radius for the human making the circular face in the field’s crop. Steve Miller fans look at it and see a joker, a smoker and a midnight toker who don’t want to hurt no one.

The clown face has appeared in a field near Bush Barrow, just a few hundred yards from Stonehenge 

(Image: Jam Press/Crop Circles From The Air)

Rocky Mountain Sasquatch Organization (RMSO) posted a video of an alleged Bigfoot sighting on the Ammonoosuc River in northwestern New Hampshire near Mt. Washington; the witness shot a video of the woods and river where the sighting occurred and included a separate photo of the creature which Rocky Mountain Sasquatch magnified and analyzed, noting that what the witness thought was a baby on the back of the creature was probably just a large shoulder on a muscular back; RMSO also said the creature did not look like a human in a costume and pointed out that this spot was 60 miles from a location in Vermont where another Bigfoot was seen a few years ago. Keep your camera ready and steady and practice holding your breath so you can get a good clear photo and then yell for help.

In a recent podcast, John Ramirez, who spent 25 years as a CIA analyst, revealed that he had access to classified information confirming the existence of a secret program designed to track alien DNA in humans and analyze how genetic markers in children could indicate hybridization with non-human beings; after collecting the DNA, Ramirez claimed that “There were human traits in the alien DNA and vice versa. Hybrids are real. This is not a conspiracy”; he did not know how the hybridization occurred but speculated that they were altered, manipulated or “enhanced” by aliens; in the podcast, he also claimed he saw classified documents describing “UFO propulsion systems” but did not have the security clearances to actually see them; however, Ramirez claimed he did have an encounter with a reptilian being heard of incidents related to implants and the monitoring of individuals with lower genetic ancestry than human. What we need now is a test to determine if a whistleblower is a government plant trying to distract us or a shapeshifting alien doing the same thing.

He claims quantum AI linguists believe this signal may represent a non-human communication protocol

(Image: Getty Images)

This week’s psychic news comes from Brazilian prognosticator, Athos Salomé, who calls himself ‘The Living Nostradamus’; Salomé says his latest proclamations are backed by military documents, declassified reports, and high-level leaks and they connect quantum AI, extraterrestrial life, and what he calls "humanity's psychic transition" that "cannot be dismissed as conspiracy"; he first describes a covert project codenamed Sentient Atlas that is backed by "credible sources from US and UK intelligence" and designed to intercept and decode anomalous gravitational signals which have caused atmospheric disturbances in Patagonia, Nevada, and Mongolia, and are being analyzed by private AI firms and a ‘stealth startup’ in Dubai whose technical documents referring to ‘reverse gravitational engineering’ and ‘interdimensional non-human intelligence’ are locked in encrypted digital vaults with military-grade security; Salomé also claims that at least nine nations have initiated covert social conditioning programs in anticipation of public disclosure of alien life which he predicts will culminate in 2030. While his predictions are definitely more detailed and current than the real Nostradamus, the Living Noz needs some winning predictions before he is replaced by the Living Nostradamus 2.0.

After a Bigfoot sighting in Monroe, Michigan, a marijuana dispensary there offered a free rolled joint to anyone who brought in a clear photograph of a Sasquatch; this was not the hairy one’s only link to Michigan marijuana as another pot shop, the  Higher Love cannabis dispensary in Menominee just across the border from Wisconsin, is causing a local uproar by advertising the business with a menacing 14-foot tall Sasquatch statue at the entrance; locals attending a council meeting said they feared the Bigfoot will make children believe marijuana is OK and endorsed by the “big gorilla by the bridge", while the dispensary’s management points out that the Bigfoot as depicted is big and mean; however, it also admitted that the chain is considering adopting Bigfoot as its mascot (there are a number of Bigfoot-related strains) and putting statues at all locations. Does Bigfoot have an obligation to humans to avoid being associated with controversial products? (Yes, even beef jerky is controversial to vegans.)

The theory that there is a huge structure, or even an entire city, buried underneath the Giza pyramid complex and in particular the Pyramid of Khafre jut got deeper with a scientific presentation by Professor Filippo Biondi of the Khafre Project at its first international conference held recently in Malta; Biondi described the SAR-Doppler technology used to map the underground area, but the most important revelation was details on how the researchers on the project translated the electromagnetic response of the ground into physical vibration patterns in a radical technique developed by them which he likened to using “a stethoscope on rock”; this allowed them to detect differences in mass, shape and resonance below the surface; he then noted that the signals then interpreted not by generative artificial intelligence, but by human experts who reconstruct three-dimensional models based on probabilities calculated by algorithms; based on their analysis, Biondi said that  “The detected signatures do not resemble natural formations or geological fissures. Their orientation is almost perfect in relation to the cardinal points, and the symmetry leaves no doubt: someone built them”; and because the technology and engineering involved to build them does not match what is known of the period, they believe the structure predate them; a researcher at the conference let this comment: “If this is validated, we will have to rewrite part of Egypt’s history”. That’s a big ‘if’ which will only be resolved with excavation and the list of approvals needed to do that is as tall as the pyramid.

Space physicist Agnit Mukhopadhyay of the University of Michigan says his field can be used to explain the extinction of Neanderthals and the survival of homo sapiens; he starts with the shift in the Earth's magnetic poles around 41,000 years ago known as the Laschamp event and suggest that it caused an extreme weakening of the Earth's magnetic field which allowed for greater penetration of cosmic and ultraviolet radiation that created aggressive environmental conditions that Neanderthals could not withstand – because their clothes were too loose; that’s right, Mukhopadhyay proposes that homo sapiens used needles to make better and tighter-fitting clothes which covered more of their bodies and both blocked harmful rays and kept them warmer; he also suggests that homo sapiens used ochre on their skin for decoration, therapy, cosmetics, healing, and as an insect repellent, and that same ochre was also an effective sunscreen against the harmful radiations; archeologists dispute this theory, pointing out that there is no evidence humans in other areas wearing loose-fitting and no ochre died from radiation to the point of extinction like the Neanderthals. Does having Neanderthal DNA preclude one from becoming a tailor?

The question of whether journalists with secret information leaked to them by inside sources have an obligation to reveal the info has now been applied to the psychic world, as spoon-bending prognosticator Uri Geller claimed that he had read the mind of U.S. President Donald Trump and found out what Trump would do in the Israeli-Iran conflict - this was days before Trump authorized the bombing of three Iraqi nuclear facilities; Geller said he did not reveal what was on Trump’s mind,  explaining that “I cannot say because I will not compromise US-Israel secrecy... but remember even Golda Meir famously said Uri Geller read her mind!"; however, Geller, who lives in Tel Aviv, did tweet what he called “A vital message for Donald Trump: You MUST use your B52s to bomb Fordo! It is the ONLY way to end Iran's nuclear threat. Don't leave a single piece intact. This is a pivotal moment in history and I am urging you with all my energy to do it for the sake of mankind!"" Did Geller give a hint of what Trump would do? Are psychics morally obligated to tell what they know – or are they morally obligated to keep it a secret in order to avoid causing mass panic – especially if they’re wrong?

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

29-06-2025 om 20:32 geschreven door peter  

First images from Biomass mission show vibrant Earth

• The Biomass mission from the European Space Agency is taking images of Earth to acquire data about forest biomass and how it changes over time.
• The mission’s goal is to aid scientists understand the role forests play in the Earth’s carbon cycle.
• The first images from Biomass show a vibrant Earth, revealing details of the landscape through the forest canopy down to the floor.
• ESA published this original article on June 23, 2025. Edits by EarthSky.

Biomass mission delivers vibrant Earth images

On June 23, 2025, the European Space Agency (ESA) revealed the first stunning images from its groundbreaking Biomass satellite mission at the Living Planet Symposium. It marks a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth’s forests are changing and exactly how they contribute to the global carbon cycle. But these inaugural glimpses go beyond forests. Remarkably, the satellite is already showing potential to unlock new insights into some of Earth’s most extreme environments.

Biomass – an Earth explorer research mission developed within ESA’s FutureEO programme – was launch less than two months ago. This new mission is, therefore, still in the process of being commissioned, but its first set of images are stunning none the less.

ESA’s Biomass Project Manager, Michael Fehringer, commented:

As is routine, we’re still in the commissioning phase, fine-tuning the satellite to ensure it delivers the highest quality data for scientists to accurately determine how much carbon is stored in the world’s forests.

Biomass is equipped with novel space technology, so we’ve been closely monitoring its performance in orbit, and we’re very pleased to report that everything is functioning smoothly and its first images are nothing short of spectacular. And they’re only a mere glimpse of what is still to come.

More about Biomass

Biomass is the first satellite to carry a P-band synthetic aperture radar. Its signal is capable of penetrating forest canopies to measure woody biomass: trunks, branches and stems. These measurements serve as a proxy for carbon storage, the assessment of which is the mission’s primary objective.

While it settles into its life in orbit, ESA’s pioneering Biomass mission is already returning data. The satellite, its instrument and systems are still being calibrated. So researchers cannot yet use these first data to quantify carbon or support scientific advances. But they do show that Biomass is well on track to achieving its goals.

Simonetta Cheli, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, said:

Looking at these first images, it’s clear to see that our Earth Explorer Biomass satellite is set to deliver on its promise.

We fully expect that this new mission will provide a groundbreaking leap in our ability to understand Earth’s forests. It will combine cutting-edge radar technology with the scientific excellence that will unlock vital insights into carbon storage, climate change and the health of our planet’s precious forest ecosystems.

Bolivian forests

Biomass’ first image (at top) features part of Bolivia. Bolivia has experienced significant deforestation, ranking among the highest globally for primary forest loss. Although there are complex reasons at play, this is primarily driven by forest clearance for agricultural expansion.

This vibrant image is from the radar instrument’s different polarization channels. Each color reveals distinct characteristics of the landscape. For instance, green hues mainly represent rainforest, red hues forested floodplains and wetlands, and blue–purple is indicative of grasslands. Meanwhile, black areas are rivers and lakes.

In the Amazon basin, some rivers run wild. Unhindered by dams, they are free to meander, but some more dramatically than others. The image captures one such wanderer, the Beni River, which flows from the Andes Mountains across the Bolivian lowlands northeast toward Brazil.

The true strength of the Biomass mission lies not in identifying features from a single image, but in its unique sampling technique and ability to combine multiple observations of the same area to reveal forest height and biomass. This enables scientists to accurately quantify forest carbon stocks and better understand the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle.

Biomass mission vs. Copernicus-Sentinel 2

The second image, an image in two parts, is the same capture of Bolivia from Biomass but featured below an image of the same area from Copernicus Sentinel-2.

Although the images appear visually similar, the Biomass image offers significantly more information for quantifying forest carbon stocks. This is primarily thanks to its long-wavelength radar, which can penetrate the canopy and characterize the entire forest structure. In contrast, the optical Sentinel-2 image captures only the top of the canopy.

Northern Brazil

This third image is actually the very first acquisition Biomass returned. It offers another striking view of the Amazon rainforest, but this time over northern Brazil.

In the southern part of the image, pink and red hues reveal the presence of wetlands. This highlights Biomass’ ability to penetrate dense vegetation and detect features down to the forest floor. The dominance of red tones along the river indicates forested floodplains. Meanwhile, the northern area, depicted in rich green, reveals more rugged topography and dense, continuous forest cover.

Volcanoes of Indonesia

The fourth image features tropical forests on islands in Indonesia. This is the Halmahera rainforest, situated in mountainous terrain, much of which has volcanic origins. Several volcanoes remain active in the area, including Mount Gamkonora, visible near the northern coast in this image.

This particular image clearly demonstrates that, beyond providing insights into rainforests, the Biomass P-band radar also reveals topographic features, as its long wavelength can penetrate down to the forest floor.

Biomass sees Gabon in Africa

The fifth capture features Gabon in Africa. The Ivindo River, which is vital to the health of the rainforest, is clear to see in this striking image. Other than the river and tributaries, the image is predominantly green, representing dense forest. The visibility of distinct topographical features in this image further underscores the radar’s capability to image through forest canopies to the terrain underneath.

Examining other aspects of Earth from the Biomass mission

Biomass also offers opportunities to explore other aspects of our planet, as the last two images below demonstrate.

The radar should be able to penetrate through dry sand by as much as 16 feet (five meters). Data can, therefore, be used to map and study sub-surface geological features in deserts, such the remains of ancient riverbeds and lakes. This will help understand the past climate and also help prospect fossil water resources in desert regions.

Indicating that this can indeed be achieved, the sixth image, below, shows the stunning structure of part of the Sahara Desert in Chad. This image covers part of the Tibesti Mountains, a mountain range in the central Sahara, mainly located in the extreme north of Chad.

The last image shows a portion of the vast Antarctic Transantarctic Mountains with one of the large ice streams, Nimrod Glacier, flowing into Ross Ice Shelf.

The long wavelength of Biomass’ radar allows for deeper penetration into ice. This enables the retrieval of valuable information on ice velocity and the internal structure of the ice. These are capabilities that shorter wavelength radars cannot achieve effectively. And this image indicates that this could be a possibility.

Bottom line: The Biomass mission has revealed its first images! See vibrant pics of Earth from space, highlighting forests and more.

• Via ESA
• Read more: 1st photo of Earth from space, 78 years ago

{ https://earthsky.org/space/ }

28-06-2025 om 21:56 geschreven door peter  

Door de prachtige foto’s die telescopen en satellieten van planeten, sterrenstelsels en nevels hebben gemaakt, zou je bijna vergeten hoe mooi onze eigen planeet is. Maar ESA’s gloednieuwe Biomass-satelliet steekt daar nu een stokje voor.

De Biomass-satelliet is nog geen twee maanden geleden gelanceerd en moet gaan onderzoeken hoe onze bossen eraan toe zijn en hoe ze door de tijd heen veranderen. Daarnaast hopen onderzoekers dat de satelliet meer inzicht kan geven in de rol die bomen spelen in de koolstofcyclus (zie kader).

Bomen en koolstof
Bossen worden ook wel de longen van de aarde genoemd. Ze geven zuurstof af en halen koolstofdioxide (CO2) uit de atmosfeer. Die koolstof slaan de bomen op, tot ze worden omgehakt; als de bomen sterven en vergaan, komt de CO2 weer vrij. Tot zover is het een vrij helder verhaal. Minder duidelijk is echter hoeveel CO2 de bossen wereldwijd op dit moment hebben opgeslagen en hoe de mate waarin bomen koolstof opslaan nu precies verandert onder invloed van stijgende temperaturen en hogere CO2-concentraties in de atmosfeer. De Biomass-satelliet moet daar meer inzicht in geven. De satelliet is daartoe onder meer uitgerust met een radarsysteem dat deze in staat stelt om dwars door het bladerdak heen te kijken en de zogenoemde ‘biomassa’ – de stammen en takken – van bossen te meten. Omdat bomen het leeuwendeel van de koolstof die ze opnemen in die stammen en takken opslaan, kan uit die metingen worden afgeleid hoeveel koolstof er op dit moment in bossen zit opgeslagen – en hoe die hoeveelheid door de tijd heen verandert.

Testen
Op dit moment is de Biomass-satelliet nog niet in bedrijf; ESA is druk bezig om de systemen aan boord van de satelliet te testen en goed af te stellen. Dat is allesbehalve saai. Zo resulteert het onder meer in de eerste beelden van Biomass en die zijn volgens projectmanager Michael Fehringer “niet minder dan spectaculair”.

Bolivia
En daar is weinig aan gelogen. Zo heeft Biomass bijvoorbeeld bovenstaande afbeelding afgeleverd. We zien hier een stukje van Bolivia – waar ontbossing een groot probleem is. Op de levendige afbeelding zien we regenwoud (in groentinten), beboste uiterwaarden en wetlands (in roodtinten), graslanden (in blauwpaarse tinten) en rivieren en meren (in zwart). De wild slingerende rivier de Beni springt daarbij met name in het oog.

Brazilië
Nog zo’n mooie opname zie je hieronder (links), van het Amazonewoud in Brazilië. De opname laat mooi zien dat Biomass dwars door het bladerdak kan kijken, tot op de bosbodem. Zo zie je onderin rode en roze tinten die op de aanwezigheid van wetlands wijzen. In het noorden zijn dan weer heuvels te vinden die – afgaand op de groentint – heel dicht bebost zijn.

Gabon
Ook de foto die je hier rechtsboven ziet, gemaakt in Gabon (Afrika) is prachtig. De Ivindo-rivier springt er duidelijk uit. Deze rivier is van levensbelang voor het omringende regenwoud waar Biomass dus ook weer dwars doorheen gluurt, zodat de topografische kenmerken van het gebied aan het licht komen.

Woestijnen
Maar Biomass kan nog meer, zo onthult de foto hieronder. Het radarsysteem waarmee de satelliet is uitgerust kan namelijk niet alleen dwars door bladeren heen kijken, maar ook dwars door tot wel vijf meter droog zand heen ‘gluren’. En daarmee is de satelliet bijvoorbeeld in staat om ondergrondse structuren – zoals de restanten van oude rivierbeddingen en meren – in woestijnen op te snorren. Die restanten kunnen onder meer onthullen welk klimaat de woestijn in het verleden kende en hoe de woestijn er onder dat klimaat precies uitzag.

IJs
En daar blijft het niet bij. Want het radarsysteem aan boord van Biomass kan ook vrij diep in ijs gluren en zo meer inzicht geven in de interne structuur daarvan. Om dat te demonstreren, maakte Biomass de foto hieronder, met daarop een stukje van het enorme Transarctisch Gebergte en de Nimrod-gletsjer (beiden te vinden op Antarctica).

De beelden zijn prachtig om te zien, maar onthullen bovenal dat Biomass in staat is om de hoge verwachtingen waar te maken en ons een ongeëvenaard inkijkje te geven in bossen – en en passant ook in woestijnen en ijsmassa’s – op onze eigen prachtige planeet. “We verwachten dat deze nieuwe missie een baanbrekende sprong voorwaarts betekent in ons begrip van de bossen op aarde,” aldus Fehringer. “En essentiële inzichten zal opleveren als het gaat om koolstofopslag, klimaatverandering en de gezondheid van de kostbare bosecosystemen op onze planeet.”

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{ https://scientias.nl/}

28-06-2025 om 21:33 geschreven door peter  

A cosmic ray-like signal was recorded, seeming to come from below the Antarctic ice. 

(Westend61/Getty Images)

Two Anomalous Radio Signals Detected Coming from Antarctic Ice

The unusual radio pulses were detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, a range of instruments flown on NASA balloons high above Antarctica that are designed to detect radio waves from cosmic rays hitting the atmosphere. The goal of the experiment is to gain insight into distant cosmic events by analyzing signals that reach the Earth. Rather than reflecting off the ice, the radio signals appeared to be coming from below the horizon, an orientation that cannot be explained by the current understanding of particle physics and may hint at new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science.

ANITA was placed in Antarctica because there is little chance of interference from other signals; to capture the emission signals, the balloon-borne radio detector is sent to fly over stretches of ice, capturing what are called ice showers.

Image credit: Stephanie Wissel / Penn State.

“The radio waves that we detected were at really steep angles, like 30 degrees below the surface of the ice,” said Dr. Stephanie Wissel, a physicist at Penn State.

“By our calculations, the anomalous signal had to pass through and interact with thousands of km of rock before reaching the detector, which should have left the radio signal undetectable because it would have been absorbed into the rock.”

“It’s an interesting problem because we still don’t actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are, but what we do know is that they’re most likely not representing neutrinos.”

Usually emitted by high-energy sources like the Sun or major cosmic events like supernovas or even the Big Bang, there are neutrino signals everywhere.

The problem with these particles, though, is that they are notoriously difficult to detect.

“You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don’t really interact,” Dr. Wissel said.

“So, this is the double-edged sword problem. If we detect them, it means they have traveled all this way without interacting with anything else.”

“We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable Universe.”

“Once detected and traced to their source, these particles can reveal more about cosmic events than even the most high-powered telescopes, as the particles can travel undisturbed and almost as fast as the speed of light, giving clues about cosmic events that happened light-years away.”

“Teams of researchers around the world have been working to design and build special detectors to capture sensitive neutrino signals, even in relatively small amounts.”

“Even one small signal from a neutrino holds a treasure trove of information, so all data has significance.”

“We use radio detectors to try to build really, really large neutrino telescopes so that we can go after a pretty low expected event rate.”

ANITA is one of these detectors, and it was placed in Antarctica because there is little chance of interference from other signals.

To capture the emission signals, the balloon-borne radio detector is sent to fly over stretches of ice, capturing what are called ice showers.

“We have these radio antennas on a balloon that flies 40 km above the ice in Antarctica,” Dr. Wissel said.

“We point our antennas down at the ice and look for neutrinos that interact in the ice, producing radio emissions that we can then sense on our detectors.”

These special ice-interacting neutrinos, called tau neutrinos, produce a secondary particle called a tau lepton that is released out of the ice and decays, the physics term referring to how the particle loses energy as it travels over space and breaks down into its constituents. This produces emissions known as air showers.

“If they were visible to the naked eye, air showers might look like a sparkler waved in one direction, with sparks trailing it,” Dr. Wissel said.

“We can distinguish between the two signals — ice and air showers — to determine attributes about the particle that created the signal.”

“These signals can then be traced back to their origin, similar to how a ball thrown at an angle will predictably bounce back at the same angle.”

The recent anomalous findings, though, cannot be traced back in such a manner as the angle is much sharper than existing models predict.

Stephanie Wissel/Penn State

By analyzing data collected from multiple ANITA flights and comparing it with mathematical models and extensive simulations of both regular cosmic rays and upward-going air showers, the researchers were able to filter out background noise and eliminate the possibility of other known particle-based signals.

The scientists then cross-referenced signals from other independent detectors like the IceCube Experiment and the Pierre Auger Observatory to see if data from upward-going air showers, similar to those found by ANITA, were captured by other experiments.

The analysis revealed the other detectors did not register anything that could have explained what ANITA detected, which led the authors to describe the signal as anomalous, meaning that the particles causing the signal are not neutrinos.

The signals do not fit within the standard picture of particle physics, and while several theories suggest that it may be a hint of dark matter, the lack of follow-up observations with IceCube and Auger really narrow the possibilities.

“Our team is currently designing and building the next big detector,” Dr. Wissel said.

Stephanie Wissel/Penn State

“The new detector, called PUEO, will be larger and better at detecting neutrino signals, and it will hopefully shed light on what exactly the anomalous signal is.”

“My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don’t fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven’t been able to find any of those yet either.”

A rendering of what PUEO will look like once deployed.

(Christian Miki/University of Hawaii)

“So, right now, it’s one of these long-standing mysteries, and I’m excited that when we fly PUEO, we’ll have better sensitivity.”

“In principle, we should pick up more anomalies, and maybe we’ll actually understand what they are.”

“We also might detect neutrinos, which would in some ways be a lot more exciting.”

• The team’s paper was published in the journal Physical Review Letters.
• A. Abdul Halim et al. (Pierre Auger Collaboration). 2025. Search for the Anomalous Events Detected by ANITA Using the Pierre Auger Observatory. Phys. Rev. Lett 134, 121003; doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.134.121003
• This article is based on a press-release provided by Penn State.

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{ https://www.sci.news/ }

28-06-2025 om 21:06 geschreven door peter  

Time, not space plus time, might be the single fundamental property in which all physical phenomena occur.

Image credit: M. Weiss / Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

“These three time dimensions are the primary fabric of everything, like the canvas of a painting,” Dr. Kletetschka said.

“Space still exists with its three dimensions, but it’s more like the paint on the canvas rather than the canvas itself.”

“These thoughts are a marked difference from generally accepted physics, which holds that a single dimension of time plus the three dimensions of space constitute reality.”

“This is known as spacetime, the concept developed more than a century ago that views time and space as one entity.”

Dr. Kletetschka’s mathematical formula of six total dimensions — of time and space combined — could bring scientists closer to finding the single unifying explanation of the Universe.

Dimensions of time beyond our everyday forward progression are difficult to grasp. Theoretical physicists have proposed many variations.

The new work adds to a long-running body of research by theoretical physicists on a subject outside of mainstream physics.

“Earlier 3D time proposals were primarily mathematical constructs without these concrete experimental connections,” Dr. Kletetschka said.

“My work transforms the concept from an interesting mathematical possibility into a physically testable theory with multiple independent verification channels.”

“The theory could be used to predict currently unknown particle properties and aid in pursuing the origin of mass — and, ultimately, helping solve one of the biggest questions in physics.”

Three-dimensional time is a theory in which time, like space, has multiple independent directions — typically imagined as three axes of time motion, similar in concept to the spatial X, Y and Z axes.

Imagine you are walking down a straight path, moving forward and therefore experiencing time as we know it. Now imagine another path that crosses the first one, going sideways.

If you could step onto that sideways path and remain in the same moment of regular time, you might find that things could be slightly different — perhaps a different version of the same day.

Moving along this perpendicular second path could let you explore different outcomes of that day without going backward or forward in time as we know it.

The existence of those different outcomes is the second dimension of time. The means to transition from one outcome to another is the third dimension.

“This theory overcomes some of the problems with earlier three-dimensional time theories that are based on traditional physics,” Dr. Kletetschka said.

“Those earlier theories, for example, describe multiple time dimensions in which cause-and-effect relationships are potentially ambiguous.”

“The new theory ensures that causes still precede effects, even with multiple time dimensions, just in a more complex mathematical structure.”

In three-dimensional time, the second and third dimensions are thought by some researchers, notably theoretical physicist Itzhak Bars of the University of Southern California, to become apparent, or unfold, at levels of extreme energy such as during the early Universe or in high-energy particle interactions.

The new approach might even help resolve the grandest of all unresolved physics challenges: unifying quantum mechanics — the behavior of particles at the smallest scales — and gravity into a single quantum theory of gravity.

A quantum theory of gravity could lead to, or become, a grand theory of the Universe — the so-called theory of everything.

The elusive unifying theory would unite the four fundamental forces of nature — electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force and gravity.

The Standard Model of particle physics unites the first three. Gravity is explained through Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

The two are incompatible, so physicists have been searching for that theory of everything to unite them. Finding the origin of particle masses is central in that pursuit.

Dr. Kletetschka believes his theory of three-dimensional time can help.

The framework accurately reproduces the known masses of particles such as electrons, muons and quarks and also explains why these particles have these masses.

“The path to unification might require fundamentally reconsidering the nature of physical reality itself,” Dr. Kletetschka said.

“This theory demonstrates how viewing time as three-dimensional can naturally resolve multiple physics puzzles through a single coherent mathematical framework.”

• His paper was published in the journal Reports in Advances of Physical Science.
• Gunther Kletetschka. 2025. Three-Dimensional Time: A Mathematical Framework for Fundamental Physics. Reports in Advances of Physical Sciences 9: 2550004; doi: 10.1142/S2424942425500045

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{ https://www.sci.news/ }

28-06-2025 om 17:00 geschreven door peter  

The idea of an entire continent tearing in half sounds like a plot from the latest apocalyptic blockbuster - but scientists say that it could soon become a reality in Africa. 

A massive crack is ripping through Earth's second-largest continent, from the north east to the south. 

Eventually, the entire continent could split apart - leaving eastern Africa with its own coastline, separated from the rest of Africa. 

In a new study, researchers uncovered evidence of rhythmic surges of molten rock rising from deep within the Earth's surface, beneath Ethiopia. 

These pulses are gradually tearing the continent apart and forming a new ocean, according to researchers from Swansea University. 

'The split will eventually go all the way down Africa,' lead author Dr Emma Watts told MailOnline. 

'It has already begun and is happening now but at a slow rate – 5-16 mm per year – in the north of the rift.

'Regarding timescales, this process of Africa being torn apart will take several million years before it is completed.' 

Scientists say a massive crack has started ripping through Africa, from the north east to the south, starting at the Afar region in Ethiopia. Pictured, active lava flows spilling out of the Erta Ale volcano in Afar, Ethiopia

Scientists at the University of Southampton uncovered evidence of rhythmic surges of molten mantle rock rising from deep within the Earth beneath Africa. These pulses are gradually tearing the continent apart and forming a new ocean

The split has already started at the northeast of Africa off the coast of Ethiopia, where the Red Sea flows into the Gulf of Aden. This image shows the hypothesized hot upwelling of mantle over the next few millions of years 

Dr Watts and colleagues point to the Gulf of Aden, a relatively narrow body of water separating Africa in the south and Yemen in the north. 

Like a small tear in a piece of clothing, the gradual separation event could start at the Gulf of Aden and gradually spread downwards. 

As it does so, it would split through the middle of enormous bodies of water in East Africa, such as Lake Malawi and Lake Turkana. 

By the time the split is complete, perhaps five to 10 million years from now, Africa will be made up of two landmasses.

There will be the larger landmass in the west featuring most of the 54 modern-day African countries, such as Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana and Nambia. 

Meanwhile, the smaller landmass to the east will include Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and a large portion of Ethiopia. 

'The smaller part that breaks away towards the east will be approximately 1 million square miles in area and the remaining larger landmass will be just over 10 million square miles,' Dr Watts told MailOnline.

For the study, the team collected more than 130 volcanic rock samples from across the Afar region. 

The Gulf of Aden (pictured) is a relatively narrow body of water separating Africa in the south and Yemen in the north - and this is where the split has already begun

The Afar region is a rare place on Earth where three tectonic rifts meet - the Main Ethiopian Rift, the Red Sea Rift, and the Gulf of Aden Rift - together known as a triple junction. Pictured, fresh basaltic lava flows in the region of Afar, Ethiopia

This region is characterized by high volcanic activity. Pictured, a succession of volcanic deposits at Boset Volcano in the Main Ethiopian Rift

In this region, three tectonic plates meet, called the Main Ethiopian Rift, the Red Sea Rift and the Gulf of Aden Rift, which are 'divergent', meaning they're moving away from each other. 

The experts used these samples, plus existing data and advanced statistical modelling, to investigate the structure of the Earth's crust and the mantle below it.

The mantle, the planet's thickest layer, is predominantly a solid rock but behaves like a viscous fluid. The divergence (moving apart of the plates) aids the rising of the mantle. 

'We found that the mantle beneath Afar is not uniform or stationary – it pulses,' said Dr Watts. 

'These ascending pulses of partially molten mantle are channelled by the rifting plates above.' 

Over millions of years, as tectonic plates are pulled apart at rift zones like Afar, they stretch and thin almost like soft plasticine, until they rupture, marking the birth of a new ocean. 

Geologists have long suspected a hot upwelling of mantle, but until now, little was known about the structure of this upwelling, or how it behaves beneath rifting plates.

The team say the pulses appear to behave differently depending on the thickness of the plate, and how fast it’s pulling apart.

Earth is made up of three layers – the crust, the mantle and the core, which was later separated into 'inner' and 'outer'. A recent study suggested the existence of an 'innermost core' too 

For the study, the team collected more than 130 volcanic rock samples from across the Afar region. Pictured, microscope image of a thin sliver of one of the volcanic rocks from Afar, Ethiopia

At the Afar region, the entire rift valley floor is covered with volcanic rocks, which suggests that, in this area, part of the Earth's crust has thinned almost to the point of complete break up.

When this happens, a new ocean will begin forming by the solidification of magma in the space created by the broken-up plates.

Eventually, over a period of tens of millions of years, seafloor spreading will progress along the entire length of the rift.

The study, published in Nature Geoscience, shows that the mantle plume beneath the Afar region is not static, but dynamic and responsive to the tectonic plate above it.

'We have found that the evolution of deep mantle upwellings is intimately tied to the motion of the plates above,' said co-author Dr Derek Keir, associate professor in earth science at the University of Southampton and the University of Florence.

'This has profound implications for how we interpret surface volcanism, earthquake activity, and the process of continental breakup.' 

The Earth is moving under our feet: Tectonic plates move through the mantle and produce Earthquakes as they scrape against each other

Tectonic plates are composed of Earth's crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle. 

Below is the asthenosphere: the warm, viscous conveyor belt of rock on which tectonic plates ride.

The Earth has fifteen tectonic plates (pictured) that together have moulded the shape of the landscape we see around us today 

Earthquakes typically occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates, where one plate dips below another, thrusts another upward, or where plate edges scrape alongside each other. 

Earthquakes rarely occur in the middle of plates, but they can happen when ancient faults or rifts far below the surface reactivate. 

These areas are relatively weak compared to the surrounding plate, and can easily slip and cause an earthquake.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

28-06-2025 om 01:11 geschreven door peter  

Life on Mars? Mysterious 'mushroom' is spotted on the Red Planet in photo snapped by NASA's Curiosity rover

• READ MORE: Mysterious 'flying saucer' in the Sahara Desert is discovered 

By WILIAM HUNTER

Scientists have spent decades scouring the Martian surface for any signs of life.

Now, a photo snapped by NASA's Curiosity rover has sparked speculation that the hunt might finally be over.

A picture taken from the Martian surface appears to show a 'mushroom' growing on the Red Planet.

The strange discovery has led some alien hunters to declare: 'Life...has been found!'

The photo was taken by the Curiosity rover on September 19, 2013, but was spotted in the archives by UFO hunter Scott Waring.

Mr Waring says: 'This object has a curved bottom part of a stem, same as those on Earth.

'I'm not sure how or why NASA could overlook such a thing... since NASA's mission is to find life on other planets and moons.'

However, scientists say there is a much simpler explanation.

A photo taken by NASA's Curiosity rover has sparked speculation after appearing to capture a mushroom growing on the Red Planet 

Alien hunters have seized on the strange structure, claiming it as evidence of life on Mars 

NASA's Curiosity rover was launched to Mars in 2011 with the goal of discovering whether the planet had the right conditions to support microscopic life.

To help this search, the rover is equipped with multiple cameras, a drill to gather rock samples, and sets of tools to analyse the chemical compositions of samples.

However, despite a decade of searching, Curiosity has never found any evidence that Mars is or ever was home to any form of alien life.

But that hasn't stopped wild speculation following many of the rover's discoveries.

Following his discovery of this archived image, Mr Waring claims that the rocky structure is a mushroom that has 'clearly pushed up out of the Mars dirt.'

He adds: 'NASA should have poked it, bumped it, knocked it over, cut it open with their tools on Curiosity rover or at least use that million-dollar laser they burn rocks and dirt with.'

And Mr Waring isn't the only one who agrees. Commenters on social media flocked to share their support for his claims.

One wrote: Looks like a mushroom to me! NASA know far more about MARS than they let on.'

However, despite having a similar shape to some fungi, scientists say that there is a simple explanation for these images

(stock image)

Online, the images of Martian 'mushrooms' started a flurry of speculation as users claimed that it 'looks like a mushroom to me'

Scientists have found no evidence that life exists or ever has existed on Mars. But there is good evidence that the planet does contain water 

While another boldly claimed: 'What people fail to realize is if life is found on just one other planet in the solar system, then that basically means there is life everywhere in the Universe mathematically.'

However, scientists are not convinced by this supposed evidence.

Dr Gareth Dorrian, a planetary physicist from the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline that this is simply a 'flat roughly disc-shaped rock sitting atop a smaller stone at the bottom.'

'My best guess would be they were not originally in that position, but like two rocks lying in the desert, one just below the surface and the other on the surface above it,' he explained. 

'Over time the wind could gradually blow the sand and dust away and the top one would gradually settle onto the bottom one.'

Dr Dorrian points out that wind-driven processes like this on Earth often produce remarkable and strange formations.

Alternatively, these 'mushrooms' could be geological structures called concretions, which formed billions of years ago when there was liquid water on Mars.

As water flows through sediment, it dissolves the minerals and rearranges them in a more compact form to leave behind a solid block.

This is not the first time that scientists have found a 'mushroom on Mars'. However, these are just a type of geological feature called a concretion (pictured top right)

Since these are harder than the surrounding rock, they are often left standing above the surface.

Just like the hoodoo rock spires of the American southwest, these structures often take on a mushroom-like shape as the wind carves away the softer bedrock to leave a thin 'stem'.

Part of the reason that Curiosity didn't stop to take any more measurements, as Mr Waring suggests, is that these are common on the Martian surface. 

Additionally, Dr Dorrian points out that, even if there were life on Mars, the chances of a living organism being found on the Martian surface are extremely low.

The atmospheric pressure at the Martian surface is roughly equivalent to that found 20 miles above the surface of Earth, meaning the atmosphere is very thin.

This allows a constant stream of ultraviolet and particle radiation in the form of cosmic rays to bombard the surface.

Dr Dorrian says: 'This unhealthy combination of radiation is well known to damage complex molecules like DNA and would quickly sterilise the surface where this image was taken.'

As if that wasn't bad enough, Dr Dorrian notes that temperature above ground would make it impossible for any organism to survive. 

Concretions formed on Mars billions of years ago when water flowed through the sediment and left behind hard blocks of material that resisted being weathered by the wind 

These same processes are responsible for the formation of the Hoodoo pillars in the American Southwest which also often have a mushroom-like shape 

Temperatures swing from a comfortable 20°C (68°F) during the day to -100°C (-148°F) at night, well below the freezing point of water and far colder than anywhere on Earth. 

'No known forms of life can simultaneously tolerate these extremes of temperatures, radiation levels, and low atmospheric pressure, including mushrooms,' says Dr Dorrian.

'If life does exist on Mars, it is more likely to be found below ground, such as in underground reserves of water, where it would be shielded from the harsh environment at the surface.'

That means this photograph almost certainly shows a common and naturally occurring rock formation, rather than life growing in an impossibly harsh environment.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

27-06-2025 om 23:38 geschreven door peter  

The photograph so detailed it's impossible to see with the naked eye: Vera C Rubin Observatory releases the first images from its whopping 3,200 MEGAPIXEL camera

• READ MORE: Dead NASA satellite inexplicably comes back to life

By WILIAM HUNTER

Scientists have revealed the first images from the world's largest digital camera, the Vera C Rubin Observatory. 

Located on top of the Cerro Pachón mountain in Chile, this revolutionary telescope is poised to supercharge our study of the universe. 

Equipped with a 5.4ft x 9.8ft digital camera, the telescope can capture an area about three times that of the moon with every photo. 

With a resolution of 3,200 megapixels - 67 times more than an iPhone 16 Pro - each image would need 400 4K high-definition television screens to display at its original size. 

One of its first stunning images shows the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae, vast clouds of colourful gas located some 9,000 light-years from Earth.

Combining 678 different pictures taken over seven hours, the photograph reveals blue and pink swirls of interplanetary gas and the glow of young stars being formed.

In another image, the massive telescope captures around 10 million galaxies - just 0.5 per cent of the 20 billion galaxies it will observe over its lifetime.

However, these are only the very first test images from the cutting-edge telescope, with thousands more soon to come. 

Scientists have revealed the first images from the world's largest digital camera, the Vera C Rubin Observatory. This image shows the pink clouds of the Trifid Nebula (middle) and the smaller stellar nursery of the Lagoon Nebula (top right), located around 9,000 light-years from Earth 

Located on top of the Cerro Pachón mountain in Chile, this revolutionary telescope is poised to supercharge our study of the universe 

Perched 8,770ft (2,670m) above the Chilean Andes on a mountain dedicated to space research, the newly completed Vera C Rubin Telescope is in the perfect place to watch the stars.

The location is very high, exceptionally dark, and far enough above sea level to avoid much of the interference from Earth's atmosphere. 

The observatory's four goals are to map changes in the sky, study the formation of the Milky Way, map the solar system, and understand dark matter. 

As these test images offer a tantalising glimpse of what is to come, the observatory is soon to start a decade-long vigil watching the night sky.

With its unique, fast-moving design, astronomers will snap an image of the sky once every 40 seconds for eight to 12 hours every single night.

As part of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the telescope will map the entire southern night sky once every three days for the next ten years.

At its peak, the observatory will be generating tens of thousands of images every night, which will be sent to scientists around the world.

The UK will also play a critical role in this project by hosting the data centres to process the enormous quantities of data.

This is a small section of a test photo taken by the Vera C Rubin Observatory of the Virgo cluster, the full image contains over 10,000 galaxies 

Another small section of the same image shows spiral galaxies interacting in the heart of a dense galaxy cluster 

By repeatedly taking images of the same sections of the sky, the Vera C Rubin Observatory will enable scientists to detect the smallest changes.

Dr Eduardo Bañados, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, says the telescope will give astronomers a 'cosmic movie' of the next decade.

'This will allow us to go beyond just discovering such super-distant galaxies, but also learning about their physical properties,' says Dr Bañados.

The system will alert scientists anytime it detects that something has changed, with up to 10 million data alerts being generated every night.

These alerts might be tiny fluctuations in the light from a distant galaxy or the glint of sunlight on an asteroid approaching Earth.

Scientists believe that the telescope will increase the catalogue of objects in the solar system tenfold. 

Speaking at a press conference revealing the test images, Aaron Roodman, Deputy Director for the observatory's construction, said: 'Since we take images of the night sky so quickly and so often, we'll detect millions of changing objects literally every night.

That means, if there is a ninth planet hiding somewhere in the solar system, the Vera C Rubin telescope will be able to find it.

The Vera C Rubin Observatory will map the entire southern night sky once every three days for the next decade, to create an unprecedented 'cosmic movie' 

Some scientists believe there might be a ninth planet orbiting 700 times further from the sun than Earth, well beyond the range of conventional telescopes. 

But by using a three-mirror system to focus even the faintest amounts of light, the Vera C Rubin Observatory will be able to see this planet if it is there. 

Light from distant galaxies is reflected from a 27.5-foot (8.4m) primary mirror, into an 11.2-foot (3.4m) secondary mirror, back into a 15.7-foot (4.8m) mirror, which bounces it into the waiting camera.

The setup is so sensitive that a single speck of dust or the light from a stray LED is enough to cause distortion.

However, overcoming those difficulties will give scientists an unprecedented window into the galactic past.

Mr Roodman says: 'We also will combine those images to be able to see incredibly dim galaxies and stars, including galaxies that are billions of light-years away.

'Rubin Observatory is truly a discovery machine. It will enable us to explore galaxies, stars in the Milky Way, objects in the solar system, and all in a truly new way.'

More photos from the Vera C Rubin Observatory will be released in a live-streamed event at 16:00 BST today.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

27-06-2025 om 22:37 geschreven door peter  

View of NASA's InSight lander on Mars.

Image Credit: NASA.

Since it landed on the red planet in November 2018, NASA’s InSight mission has detected more than one thousand Marsquakes successfully. The lander has offered us unprecedented insight into Mars. InSight has spent more than four years on the Martian surface.

The mission has rewarded us with various symphonic sounds on Mars. NASA has captured – thanks to the spacecraft’s exquisitely sensitive seismometer – a series of “curious sounds” on Mars, as heard in some of the audio recordings that NASA recently published. The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument was built to pick up different vibrations that may appear subtly as a simple breeze on Mars.

Unprecedented insight

Some of the sounds captured by the InSight mission correspond to Marsquakes and wind gusts on Mars. The sounds have been modified and adjusted by scientists so that the human ear can hear them. InSight’s seismograph is capable of recording sound waves such as those produced by gusts of wind or even by the movements of the robotic arm of the probe and other mechanical tools.

Never before were scientists able to hear what’s going on on Mars. Numerous past rover missions have offered an unprecedented view of the Martian landscape. But up until InSight made its way to the surface of Mars, we weren’t really able to hear what Mars sounds like.

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“It’s been exciting, especially in the beginning, hearing the first vibrations from the lander,” said Constantinos Charalambous, an InSight science team member at Imperial College London who works with the SP sensors. “You’re imagining what’s really happening on Mars as InSight sits on the open landscape.”

Most of the data InSight was sent to gather is related to quakes. Unlike on Earth, Marsquakes are caused by cooling and contraction, which results in stress fractures on the Martian Crust. Since Mars has a cratered surface, quakes on the red planet can persist for about a minute. In comparison, quakes on Earth last for seconds at a time. During the day, InSight’s different parts are in movement. They also produce sounds.

In addition to that, the seismometer also picks up wind gusts. This means that to hunt for quakes, researchers listen for changes in the instruments during the night. In addition to hearing quakes and wind gusts on Mars, the InSight instruments have picked up a series of strange changes. A weird whistling noise can be heard from Mars’s surface in one of the recordings. Although scientists don’t know exactly what causes it, they believe the noise was produced due to interference with the seismometer’s electronics.

The InSight lander has also recorded its own unique sounds. Researchers at NASA refer to them as dinks and donks, and these peculiar sounds are caused due to the expansion and contraction of the various parts inside the seismometer. These changes within the instrument are most likely caused due to heat loss.

Eerie sounds on Mars

Check out some of the strangest noises picked up by InSight on Mars here below. Here’s the first quake on Mars recorded by the InSight lander (at the start of the recording; what you will hear is the wind on Mars):

This is the recording of another quake on Mars:

Here’s another noise picked up on Sol 235 on Mars:

Here are some of the sounds that the lander produces when it is working on the surface of Mars:

And in this recording below, you can hear the various “dinks and dongs” the lander produces:

Here is an extra recording. In the audio track below, you’ll hear sounds from InSight’s Pressure Sensor on Mars:

InSight, whose solar panels are covered in think layers of Martian sand is no longer operating on the surface of Marts. However, the plethora of scientific data it has gathered during its mission on Mars has helped us to redefine our knowledge of the red planet.

As scientists recently said, “the goal of the InSight mission was to rewrite the textbooks. We have done it, literally.” This is because the lander has provided scientists on Earth with unprecedented data that has helped us understand the red planet inside out. InSight exceeded its expected lifespan of two years, but dust buildup on its solar panels depleted the spacecraft’s energy, rendering it silent. Despite several attempts, NASA officially ended the InSight mission in December 2022.

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