Scientists may have found the first evidence of primordial black holes born during the Big Bang – 'if it's real, then it's enormous'

• READ MORE: What would happen if you walked into a primordial black hole?

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Scientists may have found the first evidence of primordial black holes, born in the very first seconds of the Big Bang.

These tiny singularities can be smaller than a single atom but contain almost as much mass as our sun.

Until now, no one has been able to prove that these bizarre, ancient objects exist.

But by looking for ripples in the fabric of spacetime, known as gravitational waves, researchers think they could have found the 'smoking gun' to prove they are real.

On November 12, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational–Wave Observatory (LIGO) and its European counterpart, Virgo, detected an unusual signal from deep space.

The gravitational wave looked like it was coming from colliding black holes, but was much smaller than any known black hole could possibly be.

If it wasn't a glitch, the only remaining possibility is that the objects producing these faint ripples are the elusive primordial black holes.

Dr Djuna Croon, an astro–particle theorist at Durham University who was not involved in the observation, told Daily Mail: 'If it's real, then it's enormous.'

Scientists may have found the first evidence of primordial black holes, born in the very first seconds of the Big Bang. These tiny singularities can be smaller than a single atom but contain almost as much mass as our sun (artist's impression) 

This gravitational wave (pictured) appeared to have been made by objects as dense as a black hole but with less mass than that of the sun. No known object in the universe has these properties

When extremely dense objects like black holes merge, they spiral in on each other with such force that it whips up ripples in the fabric of spacetime.

These gravitational waves allow scientists on Earth to 'listen' for the shockwaves produced by these collisions, even when they occur billions of light–years away.

Using two obervatories – the American LIGO and the Italian VIRGO – scientists detected a signal on November 12 from an object smaller than the mass of our sun.

Dr Croon says: 'What is special about this alert is that the masses that we've identified are smaller than anything we know could have formed astrophysically and still be so compact.

'We've observed loads of black holes, and loads of neutron stars, and loads of white dwarfs, but this detection points to something very different.

'That's really, really significant because, if this is real, you need to explain how you ended up with such a compact remnant that is this light.'

Black holes usually form when stars many times larger than our sun run out of fuel and collapse, compressing their core into a dense point.

However, some scientists believe that primordial black holes could have formed directly out of overly dense regions of the boiling sea of matter that filled the cosmos right after the Big Bang.

Scientists believe that the signal might have been caused by the merger of two primordial black holes, which would explain why the gravitational wave comes from such small yet dense objects. Pictured: A NASA simulation of merging black holes

Scientists may have just spotted the first sign of ancient primordial black holes by capturing the faint ripples in spacetime produced by their collision (illustrated)

What are primordial black holes?

Primordial black holes are microscopic pieces of ultra-dense matter, just like normal black holes but smaller.

Scientists think they may have been formed at the very beginning of the universe rather than out of collapsing stars. 

Their initial masses could have range between 100,000 times less than a paperclip to 100,000 times greater than the sun. 

We haven't found proof that they exist, but they might form part of the 'dark matter' which makes up a large part of the mass of the universe. 

To form a black hole, all you need to do is concentrate a lot of energy in a really small volume,' Dr Croon explains.

'This could happen because a star collapses, or it could happen in the early universe just from a fluctuation in energy.'

On its own, a primordial black hole would go undetected. 

However, if two collided, they could produce a gravitational wave signal that looks a lot like the one VIRGO and LIGO found on November 12.

This prospect has scientists very excited, as it could be the first real proof of primordial black holes.

That is a big deal because primordial black holes are often put forward as one of the best candidates for the mysterious substance known as dark matter, which makes up around a quarter of the universe.

Since these black holes don't interact with light and contain a lot of mass, they are a perfect explanation for why the universe seems to have mass we can't see.

Dr Christopher Berry, a LIGO member at the University of Glasgow, wrote on BlueSky: 'If this merger is verified it could amount to smoking gun evidence of a population of primordial black holes.'

If true, this would be the first definitive evidence that primordial black holes (artist's impression) really exist 

However, scientists are still urging caution and say that we can't yet say for certain whether this really is a primordial black hole.

Researchers from the LIGO and VIRGO collaborations have assigned a 'false alarm rate' for this detection of about one in four years.

Read More

• Dark matter seen for the first time: Eerie image shows first direct evidence of elusive substance 

That wouldn't be terrible for a normal black hole merger, but for an extremely rare event like this, it's too high for researchers to be overly confident.

The best possible evidence that this is real would be for the detectors to find another signal in the future.

With big upgrades planned for the LIGO and VIRGO detectors, the hope is that this could soon become a reality.

Dr Croon says: 'If this is real, we'll just see many, many more of such events that we can study, so we'll learn more and more about it.'

What would happen if you fell into a black hole?

A black hole is a point of matter so dense that not even light can escape its gravitational pull.

If a human fell into one of these cosmic monsters, the forces of gravity would be so strong that they would undergo 'spagettification'.

Since a black hole's gravity is so strong, there is an extremely steep 'gravitational gradient'.

This means the forces affecting your feet nearer the black hole would be much more powerful than those affecting your head.

That means your body would be yanked into a long line like a piece of spaghetti being sucked up by a black hole.

At the same time, the intense radiation from orbiting material in the 'accretion disk' would blast you with incredibly powerful X–rays.

Strangely, as your elongated body approaches the black hole, your perception of time would start to radically diverge from anyone observing from outside.

Due to a process called time dilation, your passage through time would halt to a crawl. 

While you experience time passing normally, you would slow down from the perspective of anyone outside. 

Once you hit the event horizon, the point of no return, you would slip past the point where conventional physics can make sense of your situation.

From your view, all directions would lead towards the centre of the black hole as you are compressed to an infinitely dense point.

However, from the perspective of anyone watching from afar, you would essentially cease to exist.  

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02-12-2025 om 21:20 geschreven door peter  

In a promising update, scientists have revealed that the ozone hole is healing – and it could soon close up for good. 

The Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) found that the hole – which appears yearly over Antarctica – closed on Monday (December 1).

This is not only earlier than expected, but also marks the earliest closure since 2019.

What's more, the 2025 ozone hole at its maximum extent was the smallest in five years, at 8.13 million sq miles (21.08 million km2). 

It marks the second consecutive year of relatively small holes compared to the series of large and long-lasting ozone holes from 2020-2023.

And it fuels hopes for the ozone layer's complete recovery – potentially within the next couple of decades. 

Dr Laurence Rouil, director of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), called the earlier closure and relatively small size 'a reassuring sign'. 

'It reflects the steady year-on-year progress we are now observing in the recovery of the ozone layer,' he said. 

 

Scientists confirm the 2025 ozone hole at its maximum extent was the smallest in five years, at 8.13 million sq miles (21.08 million km2)

The ozone hole is not technically a ‘hole’ where no ozone is present, but is actually a region of exceptionally depleted ozone over the Antarctic.

Generally, it opens every August, reaches its maximum size in September or October and closes in late November or early December.

In 2025, the ozone hole developed relatively early through mid-August, following a similar trajectory to the large ozone hole of 2023.

Towards the end of August 2025, its size reduced slightly before growing to a maximum area of 8.13 million sq miles/21.08 million km2 in early September. 

This size is 'fairly typical' at this point but well below the maximum of 10.07 million sq miles/26.1 million km2 observed in 2023.

During September, the size of the ozone hole started to gradually reduce but 'remained at a considerable size', experts found. 

Through September and October, it was between 5.7 million sq miles/15 million km2 (roughly the area of Antarctica) and 7.7 million sq miles/20 million km2. 

But the area of the ozone hole declined quickly during the first half of November, indicating the possibility of an early closure. 

The ozone hole is not technically a ‘hole’ where no ozone is present, but is actually a region of exceptionally depleted ozone in the stratosphere over the Antarctic. Pictured, November 1, 2025

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) confirms that the 2025 Antarctic ozone hole came to an end December 1, marking the earliest closure since 2019 

A persistent small area of low ozone persisted through the second half of the month, until it fully closed on December 1. 

It marks the the earliest closure since 2019 (November 12) and one of the earliest closures of the ozone hole in the past four decades. 

Located in the stratosphere (the second layer of Earth's atmosphere), the ozone layer absorbs almost all of the sun's harmful incoming ultraviolet radiation (UVB) – making it fundamental to protecting life on Earth's surface 

Without the ozone layer, there would be severe increases of solar UV radiation, which would damage our DNA and make skin cancer more common. 

Having a hole in the ozone layer therefore increases the amount of UV that reaches Earth's surface – and the bigger the hole is, the more we're exposed. 

It wasn't until the 1980s that the ozone hole was first discovered, by British meteorologist Jonathan Shanklin, making global headlines. 

As scientists explained, the hole was created by the release of human-made chemicals, particularly CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), into the atmosphere. 

It led to the Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to halt the production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS), signed in December 1987. 

While the Montreal Agreement phased out 99 per cent of all ozone-depleting chemicals, the remaining one per cent still lingers in Earth's upper atmosphere. 

During the southern hemisphere's winter, a large pillar of extremely cold, rotating air forms above the Antarctic.

Maximum yearly extent of the ozone hole: The 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 ozone holes were particularly large and long lasting

This concentrates the remaining CFCs in an area where cold conditions and solar radiation enable them to deplete the layer of ozone gas.

Experts hope CFCs will eventually be eliminated from the atmosphere, although this process is slow due to their chemical stability. 

READ MORE

• The ozone layer is healing! Hole over Antarctica is recovering – and could soon close for good, promising study reveals

It is estimated that the ban will enable a recovery of the ozone layer by 2050 and 2066, according to experts at CAMS. 

'This progress should be celebrated as a timely reminder of what can be achieved when the international community works together to address global environmental challenges,' said Dr Rouil. 

Meanwhile, a UN report said the ozone hole could heal over by 2040. 

The Ozone layer sits in the stratosphere 25 miles above the Earth's surface and acts like a natural sunscreen

Ozone is a molecule comprised of three oxygen atoms that occurs naturally in small amounts. 

In the stratosphere, roughly seven to 25 miles above Earth's surface, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation that can cause skin cancer and cataracts, suppress immune systems and also damage plants. 

It is produced in tropical latitudes and distributed around the globe. 

Closer to the ground, ozone can also be created by photochemical reactions between the sun and pollution from vehicle emissions and other sources, forming harmful smog.

Although warmer-than-average stratospheric weather conditions have reduced ozone depletion during the past two years, the current ozone hole area is still large compared to the 1980s, when the depletion of the ozone layer above Antarctica was first detected. 

In the stratosphere, roughly seven to 25 miles above Earth's surface, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation

This is because levels of ozone-depleting substances like chlorine and bromine remain high enough to produce significant ozone loss. 

In the 1970s, it was recognised that chemicals called CFCs, used for example in refrigeration and aerosols, were destroying ozone in the stratosphere.  

In 1987, the Montreal Protocol was agreed, which led to the phase-out of CFCs and, recently, the first signs of recovery of the Antarctic ozone layer. 

The upper stratosphere at lower latitudes is also showing clear signs of recovery, proving the Montreal Protocol is working well.

But the new study, published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, found it is likely not recovering at latitudes between 60°N and 60°S (London is at 51°N).

The cause is not certain but the researchers believe it is possible climate change is altering the pattern of atmospheric circulation - causing more ozone to be carried away from the tropics.

They say another possibility is that very short-lived substances (VSLSs), which contain chlorine and bromine, could be destroying ozone in the lower stratosphere.

VSLSs include chemicals used as solvents, paint strippers, and as degreasing agents.

One is even used in the production of an ozone-friendly replacement for CFCs.

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

02-12-2025 om 20:45 geschreven door peter  

Story by Soniya

Image sourced via science.nasa.gov

​For the past few weeks, many people online have been talking about 3I/ATLAS, the fast-moving object seen in our solar system. Some were excited, some were confused, and a few even wondered if it might be something artificial.

But now NASA has given a clear answer after studying it closely with more than 20 telescopes and spacecraft.

NASA has confirmed that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, not alien technology and not anything man-made. It is simply a rare visitor from another star system.

A natural comet, not an artificial object

3I/ATLAS was first spotted on July 1, 2025, by NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile. It quickly drew attention because it was moving very fast and coming from deep space.

This makes it only the third confirmed interstellar object ever seen passing through our Solar System.

In a recent briefing, NASA officials explained that everything about the way the object moves and behaves matches a normal comet.

Amit Kshatriya from NASA said,

“This object is a comet … it looks and behaves like a comet.”

Nicky Fox, another NASA scientist, added that there are no signs of technology, no signals, and nothing that would suggest it was made by intelligent life.

She also reassured people that the comet is not dangerous.

Even during its closest approach, it will still be extremely far away from Earth — about 1.8 AU, which is almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun.

A rare chance to study material from another star system

Even though it is natural, 3I/ATLAS is still something very special: scientists believe it formed around a completely different star far beyond our Solar System, which makes it an exciting object to study. 

By using powerful telescopes such as Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists discovered that the comet emits unusual gases.

They have found high levels of carbon dioxide and nickel vapour, not commonly seen from comets that originate from our own Solar System.

These rare chemicals give scientists an idea of what other star systems might be composed of.

NASA scientist Tom Statler commented that knowing this comet may contain material from before our Sun was even born “gives me goosebumps.”

​Rumors settle as the science becomes clear

With NASA’s final confirmation, the online theories can finally calm down. There is no sign that 3I/ATLAS is a spaceship or an artificial device. It is simply a natural comet from another part of the galaxy.

{ primetimer.com }

 

02-12-2025 om 20:08 geschreven door peter  

What would happen if the sun started to dim? 

Scientists have revealed the terrifying answer to this question, which is the subject of the upcoming science fiction blockbuster, Project Hail Mary.

The film, based on a novel of the same name by The Martian author, Andy Weir, follows a lone scientist on a mission to uncover why the sun is dimming.

In the movie, which is set to hit cinemas in March 2026, the sun's brightness is predicted to fall one per cent in a year and five per cent in 20 years.

These numbers might sound small.

But in reality, scientists say that these changes would be more than enough to wipe out humanity.

Professor David Stevenson, a planetary scientist from the California Institute of Technology, told Daily Mail: 'Extinguishing life on Earth would take a long time even if you eliminated solar energy because we know of organisms that live underground.

'But extinguishing humans could happen fast, especially since humans are not rational creatures for the most part.'

In Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling (pictured) plays a lone scientist sent on a mission to find out why the sun is dimming. But what would really happen if the sun did start to fade?

What happens when the sun starts to dim?

At a distance of around 93 million miles (150 million kilometres) from Earth, the sun delivers about 1,365 Watts per square metre of energy, which scientists call the solar constant. 

About 30 per cent of that energy is reflected back into space, while the remainder is absorbed, warming the Earth's atmosphere and surface.

Currently, our planet is holding on to more energy than it loses – but it wouldn't take much to tip the balance.

If the sun's brightness were to drop or if something prevented our atmosphere from absorbing the energy, then Earth could start to rapidly cool.

Professor Lucie Green, an expert on the sun from University College London, told Daily Mail: 'The Sun does naturally vary in brightness, but not by very much!

'The technical term is total solar irradiance. This is slightly variable, with the variability being a result of changes during the Sun’s 11–year sunspot cycle.'

These fluctuations are barely noticeable on Earth, but there have been much more dramatic shifts in the past.

The sun's output does naturally dip on an 11–year cycle that coincides with the number of sunspots appearing on the surface. However, these changes aren't enough to cool Earth dramatically 

Between 1645 and 1715, the sun went through a 70–year quiet period known as the Maunder Minimum.

At the same time, the Earth entered a period known as the Little Ice Age, during which temperatures in Northern Europe fell by between 0.6°C (1.1 °F) and 2°C (3.6°F).

Although the sun was only delivering 0.22 per cent less energy, some researchers think that this change was partially responsible for the deadly chill.

If Project Hail Mary's predictions came true and the sun's radiation continued to fall by one per cent, the results would soon become catastrophic.

As Earth would be losing more energy into space than it gained from the sun, global temperatures would soon fall several degrees below average.

Worryingly, Earth's history shows that even relatively small changes in the planet's average temperature can have a massively outsized impact.

During the Little Ice Age, less than a degree Celsius of cooling led to mass famine throughout Northern Europe.

Cold winters and cool summers led to crop failures, while the sea became so cold that Norse colonies in Greenland were cut off by the ice and collapsed through starvation.

In Project Hail Mary, the teacher turned astronaut Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling (pictured), learns that the sun will cool by one per cent in a year

According to a recent study, global cooling of just 1.8°C (3.25°F) would cut production of maize, wheat, soybeans and rice to fall by as much as 11 per cent.

As crop production failed due to cold weather and a lack of sunlight, mass famine would grip the world, killing 5.3 billion people in just two years.

However, if Project Hail Mary came true and the sun cooled by one to five per cent in 20 years, the effects on the climate would be even more devastating.

In Project Hail Mary, the teacher turned astronaut Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Gosling in the upcoming film, remarks: 'That would mean an ice age. Like... right away. Instant ice age.'

That might sound dramatic, but scientists agree that it might not take much cooling for ice to reclaim the world.

According to a recent study from the University of Arizona, the average temperature during the last Ice Age, 20,000 years ago, was just 6°C (10.8°F) colder than today.

During this time, glaciers covered about half of North America, Europe and South America and many parts of Asia.

Dr Becky Smethurst, astrophysicist at the University of Oxford, told Daily Mail: 'A drop in energy of one per cent from the Sun would trigger a new Ice Age on Earth, with the polar ice caps expanding further towards the equator.

Just like the 2004 movie 'The Day After Tomorrow' (pictured), these major changes to the Earth's climate would eventually culminate in a new Ice Age that could wipe out life on Earth

According to a recent study from the University of Arizona, the average temperature during the last Ice Age, 20,000 years ago, was just 6°C (10.8°F) colder than today. This means it might not take much cooling for icy conditions to return 

'Many ecosystems would collapse as the weather changed, farming would fail, and there would be severe food shortages. As a species, humans would likely survive this change thanks to modern technology, although we'd most likely be living underground.'

What would happen if the sun completely cooled?

Although humanity might be able to survive a global ice age, the situation would be very different if the sun completely vanished.

Within a week, the Earth's surface would fall below –18°C (0°F) and within a year it would dip below –73°C (–100°F).

Eventually, after cooling for millions of years, the planet would stabilise at a frigid –240°C (–400°F).

However, humanity would be long gone well before the planet ever got to that point.

Some humans might be able to cling on in the deepest parts of the ocean, using hydrothermal vents for warmth.

But once the oceans freeze over, there would be very little hope for anyone to survive.

In the original novel of Project Hail Mary, written by The Martian author Andy Weir, scientists make the terrifying prediction that the sun's brightness will fall one per cent in a year and five per cent in 20 years. If this were true, then humanity would very likely be destroyed 

Dr Alexander James, a solar scientist from University College London, told Daily Mail: 'From a fundamental viewpoint, if the Sun completely faded, there would be no more light, meaning all our green plant life would be unable to photosynthesise.

'That means plants would not be producing oxygen, which, of course, we need to live. Temperatures would also plummet, so I don’t see how the majority of life as we know it would be able to survive without our Sun.'

Could this ever really happen?

Thankfully, scientists say there's no way that the sun could cool as fast as in Project Hail Mary.

Although the sun's activity does fluctuate, even in the most extreme events and quiet periods, the effects are not dramatic.

For example, many scientists have questioned how much the Maunder Minimum really contributed to the Little Ice Age during the 17th Century.

While most experts agree that a decline in solar activity did contribute to the cooling, other factors, such as volcanic activity, likely played a bigger role.

Additionally, most of the sun's natural variations are on a much smaller scale.

Luckily for us, the sun is so large that it cannot physically cool as quickly as Project Hail Mary suggests. Experts say the sun would only cool by one per cent in a million years if the core completely stopped producing energy

The amount of energy arriving from the sun usually only drops by 0.1 per cent during the solar cycle.

While large sunspots, cool regions on the solar surface, might cause a temporary dip as low as 0.25 per cent below average, this is nowhere near the five per cent change of Project Hail Mary.

In fact, many scientists believe that the sun cannot physically cool this fast.

Professor Michael Lockwood, a space environment physicist from the University of Reading, told Daily Mail: 'About half of the Sun's mass is in the radiative and convection zones outside the core – that is about a thousand, billion, billion, billion, billion kilograms.'

This enormous mass acts like a heat sink, storing colossal amounts of energy that would take billions of years to dissipate.

Professor Lockwood says: 'Roughly speaking, if the core ceased producing any energy, the power emitted by the Sun would only have dropped by about one per cent a million years later.

'Scientifically, anything faster than that is nonsense.'

So, even if the sun does start giving out on us, we will have plenty of time to find a better solution than sending out Ryan Gosling on a spaceship.

WHAT IS THE SOLAR CYCLE?

The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas that moves, generating a powerful magnetic field.

This magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle.

Every 11 years or so, the Sun's magnetic field completely flips, meaning the sun's north and south poles switch places. 

The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots which are caused by the Sun's magnetic fields. 

Every 11 years the Sun's magnetic field flips, meaning the Sun's north and south poles switch places. The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, increasing the number of sunspots during stronger (2001) phases than weaker (1996/2006) ones

One way to track the solar cycle is by counting the number of sunspots.

The beginning of a solar cycle is a solar minimum, or when the Sun has the least sunspots. Over time, solar activity - and the number of sunspots - increases.

The middle of the solar cycle is the solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots.

As the cycle ends, it fades back to the solar minimum and then a new cycle begins.

Giant eruptions on the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, also increase during the solar cycle.

These eruptions send powerful bursts of energy and material into space that can have effects on Earth.

For example, eruptions can cause lights in the sky, called aurora, or impact radio communications and electricity grids on Earth. 

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01-12-2025 om 23:52 geschreven door peter  

China introduceert helikopterdrone voor extreem landschap

Key takeaways

China heeft zijn nieuwste onbemande luchtvaartuig onthuld, de Meyu Arrow helikopterdrone. De geavanceerde drone, ontwikkeld door Tengden Technology uit Sichuan, onderging onlangs zijn eerste live raketafvuurtest op meer dan 4.000 meter hoogte.

Bestrijding van extreme omgevingen

Volgens China Central Television (CCTV) is de Meyu Arrow ontworpen voor extreme omgevingen en moeilijk terrein. Na een succesvolle eerste raketlancering gaat de helikopter nu een nieuwe fase van testvluchten in. Tengden Technology wil de mogelijkheden verder uitbreiden en plant tests voor besturing buiten de zichtlijn op hoogtes boven 6.000 meter.

De Meyu Arrow heeft een aantal indrukwekkende technische kenmerken. Hij is 7,87 meter lang en heeft een rotordiameter van 6,4 meter, kan tot acht uur in de lucht blijven en heeft een bereik van 900 kilometer. Het operationele plafond is een indrukwekkende 7.000 meter.

Demonstratie

Tengden Technology heeft eerder de prestaties van de drone gedemonstreerd door het bereiken van een snelheid van 135 km/u op 6.500 meter en een werkelijke snelheid van 178 km/u tijdens een afdaling naar 4.500 meter. Deze tests tonen het vermogen van de helikopterdrone om de controle te behouden in moeilijke windomstandigheden en in ijle lucht.

De Meyu Arrow is ontworpen voor verkennings- en aanvalsmissies, gewapende escorte en precisiedoelen. Hij blinkt uit in bergachtige gebieden waar traditionele UAV’s met vaste vleugels beperkt zijn. Dankzij de mogelijkheden voor verticaal opstijgen en landen kan het toestel opereren vanuit krappe ruimtes. Die zijn ontoegankelijk voor bemande vliegtuigen, zoals smalle valleien of hooggelegen posities.

Nieuw schakelpunt in China’s dronecapaciteit

Deze helikopter vult een cruciaal gat in China’s onbemande arsenaal door de wendbaarheid van roterende vleugels te combineren met een bewapende precisieslag over extreem terrein. De mogelijkheid om op 6.000 meter hoogte te opereren met behulp van satellietcommunicatie zou het operationele bereik vergroten tot buiten de gezichtslijn, een eigenschap die meestal geassocieerd wordt met grotere UAV’s met vaste vleugels.

Dergelijke drones op grote hoogte zijn bijzonder nuttig voor het beveiligen van betwiste grenszones, hoogvlakten en bergcorridors. Ze krijgen daardoor een strategische rol binnen China’s defensiebeleid, vooral langs de grens met India.

{ Business AM Dutch }

01-12-2025 om 23:25 geschreven door peter  

Over the past few decades, scientists have conducted numerous searches for extraterrestrial life and are now summarizing some of the results of this work. The conditions for the emergence of organic beings similar to those on Earth are more than favorable. However, no reliable traces of intelligent beings have been found.

New analysis of the search for extraterrestrial life

Since the 1950s, humanity has been searching for extraterrestrial life with increasingly sophisticated tools. But after decades of space probes, meteorite analysis, radio telescopes, and UFO investigations, what have we actually found?

A new piece of analysis by a team led by Seyed Sina Seyedpour Layalestani from the Islamic Azad University in Iran has looked at the most compelling evidence to date, from ancient space rocks that fell to Earth carrying the building blocks of life itself. The paper is published in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

Organic molecules in ancient meteorites

The Murchison meteorite, which crashed into Australia in 1969, is older than our solar system at 7 billion years. Recent analysis revealed something extraordinary: that all five nucleobases that form DNA and RNA (adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, and uracil) were present in this ancient stone. These molecules, confirmed as extraterrestrial in origin, fundamentally challenge the assumption that life’s ingredients formed exclusively on Earth.

The Orgueil meteorite that exploded over France in 1864 tells a similar story. This carbonaceous rock contains not just amino acids like glycine and alanine, but structures resembling microfossils, tiny forms that look similar to magnetotactic bacteria found in Earth’s oceans. While scientists initially dismissed these as contamination or mineral formations, recent studies have confirmed their extraterrestrial origin.

Conditions for the emergence of life beyond Earth

Space probes have expanded the search beyond meteorites. Rovers on Mars discovered liquid water streams and ice. The Cassini spacecraft found massive glaciers on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The Phoenix lander confirmed water ice just three centimeters below the Martian surface. These discoveries reveal that the basic requirements for life, water, organic compounds, and energy sources, seem to exist throughout our solar system.

Radio telescopes have detected more than 100 organic molecules in interstellar dust clouds, including amino acids and nucleic acid components. These findings strengthen the panspermia hypothesis, the idea that life’s building blocks are distributed throughout space, potentially seeding planets across the galaxy.

But what about intelligent alien civilizations? Despite decades of UFO reports and SETI programs broadcasting messages into space, no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence exists. Most UFO sightings have conventional explanations, from ball lightning in the atmosphere to plasma phenomena in the thermosphere. The supposed alien bodies presented to Mexico’s Congress in 2023 were quickly dismissed as artificial constructs.

The search for extraterrestrial life and the help of artificial intelligence

The challenge isn’t a lack of evidence for life’s ingredients; instead, it’s proving that these ingredients actually formed living organisms elsewhere. The presence of DNA building blocks in billion-year-old meteorites doesn’t confirm that alien bacteria existed, only that the chemistry for life occurs naturally in space.

Enter artificial intelligence. New AI algorithms can analyze meteorite chemistry to distinguish biological from non-biological origins of organic compounds. Machine learning helps filter noise from radio signals and identify atmospheric biosignatures on distant exoplanets. Where human analysis might overlook subtle patterns in vast datasets, AI excels.

We’ve found the pieces. The building blocks of life exist throughout space. Whether those pieces assembled into living organisms, microbial or intelligent, remains the universe’s most tantalizing unanswered question.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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01-12-2025 om 00:00 geschreven door peter