Scientists BUILD a cell from scratch: Synthetic organism can feed, grow, copy its DNA and divide in world-first breakthrough

• READ MORE: DNA influences who will experience a relationship breakdown

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Scientists have built a synthetic cell from scratch in a world-first breakthrough that paves the way for creating entirely artificial forms of life.

The tiny blobs, dubbed SpudCell, are about 50 times smaller than a normal bacterium and are made of microscopic water droplets encased in a fatty membrane.

That bubble is filled with enzymes, chemicals, and small snippets of DNA that allow SpudCell to perform some of the basic functions of life.

According to its creators, this synthetic cell can now feed, grow, copy its DNA, divide, and even change over generations in a process resembling evolution.

This is not the first time that scientists have attempted to make synthetic life, but, unlike those earlier attempts, SpudCell is entirely constructed from the ground up.

Scientists hope these cells could one day revolutionise medicine by acting like mini biological factories, pumping out medicines and other chemicals. 

Lead author Professor Kate Adamala, of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, says: 'We’ve replicated in chemistry what only used to be possible in biology: the complete set of behaviours of a cell.

'It proves that the most fundamental functions of life, like growth and replication, do not need a mysterious magical spark.'

Scientists have built a synthetic cell from scratch, in a world-first breakthrough that paves the way for creating entirely artificial forms of life

Rather than breaking down and reconstructing existing cells, these almost-living bubbles are made from nothing but artificial chemicals. 

Like all living organisms, SpudCell contains stretches of DNA that contain the instructions for making all the proteins the cell needs to survive.

SpudCell also contains a sort of biochemical toolkit called 'PURE', which includes everything the cell needs to turn those DNA instructions into proteins.

While a human genome contains around three billion pairs of DNA, SpudCell contains just 90,000.

Biologists had previously speculated that the smallest genome a living cell could have is 113,000 pairs, making this synthetic organism much smaller than the theoretical limit.

This means that SpudCell is far simpler and much less sophisticated than even the most basic life form.

However, despite the simplicity of its genetic code, these fatty bubbles are still able to replicate several basic functions of life.

SpudCells can feed by fusing with minuscule 'feeder' liposomes, hollow spheres made of fatty lipids, which contain all the nutrients the cell needs to function.

ts DNA contains instructions to use that food to create replicas of its genetic code, preparing it for reproduction.

The cells can even undergo a basic form of division by flooding their membrane with a protein that creates a repelling force, essentially tearing the cell apart at the seams.

Most impressively, the cells even appear to be capable of a form of natural selection over multiple generations.

In an experiment, published in a pre-print paper, the scientists gave some SpudCells a mutation that helped them gather more food and grow faster.

After five generations, these mutated cells had outcompeted their rivals, and 60 per cent of genomes contained the mutation.

To develop the concept further, Professor Adamala and her co-authors have founded a public-benefit research institution named Biotic. 

However, Professor Adamala cautions this does not mean SpudCells are alive.

The process of selection can't be considered evolution because the researchers had to insert the mutation from outside, rather than having it arise naturally.

These artificial cells can feed, grow, divide, and even change over generations through selection and competition. However, their creators say they are not alive 

SpudCells also can't naturally divide over many generations, and the researchers had to press them through a membrane with tiny holes to get multiple rounds of division.

This process is also incredibly crude compared to the division that happens in real cells.

Since the SpudCells don't tear themselves apart evenly, they don't always get the right number of genomes in the finished offspring.

After five division cycles, the researchers found that only 30 per cent of cells still carried the full genome.

Prof John Dupré, a philosopher and founder of the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences at the University of Exeter, told the Daily Mail: 'This work is undoubtedly technically very impressive. Whether it "will ultimately underlie diverse applications across all of biotechnology", is more questionable. 

'Even assuming that synthetic biology will eventually produce entities with all the capacities of a living bacterial cell, it is doubtful whether this will ever be a more effective technology than modification of naturally evolved cells.'

Scientists have also criticised the papers publication, which was released to the public without peer-review after being reportedly rejected by the journal Cell. 

Professor Kerstin Göpfrich, a molecular biologist from Heidelberg University, told the Daily Mail: 'History has shown multiple times that press before peer review can go wrong. A good ethical standard would be to refrain from reporting until the paper has gone through the normal peer-review procedure.'

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Mysterious structure in NASA's Mars photo sparks theories of a long-lost civilization on the Red Planet

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

NASA's Mars rover is hunting for signs of ancient life, but a new image has sparked claims it may have found the ruins of a lost civilization.

A panorama was taken by Curiosity last month inside Gale Crater, the 96-mile-wide impact basin that has been the rover's home since landing on Mars in 2012. 

Among the dusty landscape, some have pointed to a formation in the distance that they say resembles a structure with a doorway, similar to an early human dwelling.

The theory was put forward by Scott C Waring of UFO Sightings Daily, who argued that the feature appears to be 'made from a clay stucco type of material' that is abundant on Mars. 

'What looks like cut boulders is actually clay-type walls and an entrance way made by intelligent beings who needed protection from the elements. We had them on Earth long ago, and they had them on Mars long ago,' Waring said. 

NASA has not commented on the latest claims, but the agency previously addressed similar speculation after Curiosity photographed a door-like feature in 2022. 

'The mound, on Mount Sharp, has a number of naturally occurring open fractures – including one roughly 12 inches (30 centimeters) tall and 16 inches (40 centimeters) wide, similar in size to a dog door,' NASA said at the time. 

'These kinds of open fractures are common in bedrock, both on Earth and on Mars.' 

An image taken by NASA's Curiosity rover has sparked claims of a long-lost civilization as a formation in the distance appears to have a 'doorway' 

NASA has also maintained that it has no evidence of extraterrestrial life and has yet to find any signs of current or past life on Mars. 

While Waring is sure Curiosity spotted a hidden doorway on the Martian landscape, others believe otherwise. 

'Nah, just a rock formation. I definitely think it's possible that entrances could be there, but this just looks like a shadow,' one X user commented on his post. 

However, Waring said: 'Chances of intelligent beings creating this structure...100%.'

Curiosity rover is a car-sized, nuclear-powered robot searching for signs of life and learning about the Red Planet's unique environment.

The image shared by NASA in 2022 took the internet by storm, with many users also claiming that it shows a doorway.

'That appears man-made,' one user shared on X. 

Another posted: 'Not natural! The angles are too sharp, like a rectangle, to have been naturally occurring. It was constructed by someone, something.' 

Among the dusty landscape , some have pointed to a formation in the distance that they say resembles a structure with a doorway, similar to an early human dwelling

NASA has not commented on the latest claims, but the agency previously addressed similar speculation after Curiosity photographed a door-like feature in 2022 (pictured)

Waring has been sharing bizarrely shaped rocks on the Red Planet for about a decade now, with another recent discovery this week.

In an image captured by NASA's Opportunity rover in 2014, a strangely shaped rock lies on the Martian landscape.

Waring suggested it was an 'alien gun,' and NASA sent the rover to retrieve it.

'Alien gun on Mars photos, only one still exists, others deleted by NASA,' Waring shared on X on Tuesday.

The image was previously circulated by Waring, writing in a blog post that the supposed weapon was 'about one foot long.'

'I have to admit... It's incredible,' he shared. 'The exact location of the gun is at SOL 3773, which is between Mt Edgecumbe and Wdowiak Ridge.'

While Waring believes the object is a gun lying on the Martian surface, skeptics argue it is nothing more than a naturally shaped rock. 

In an image captured by NASA's Opportunity rover in 2014, a strangely shaped rock lies on the Martian landscape, which some claimed was an 'alien gun'

One X user commented: 'I'm not an expert, but I believe this is a rock.'

While another joked: 'Why would aliens have guns designed for human hands and fingers? lol.'

NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars on January 25, 2004, touching down in a small impact crater known as Eagle Crater on the Meridiani Planum.

However, the robot fell silent in June 2018 during a severe, planet-wide dust storm that blocked sunlight from reaching its panels. After spending months attempting to re-establish contact, NASA officially declared the mission complete in February 2019.

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Cloaked UFO Passes Over Girls Soccer Team In Buderim, Australia On July 1, 2026, UAP Sighting News.

Date of sighting: July 1, 2026

Location of sighting: Buderim, Australia

Source: 

• https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DQ8HShGqo/

Its a well known fact that UFOs make holes in clouds. Remember the O'hare Airport UFO seen in 2006? Well it was seen flying up so fast that it left a hole in the clouds for over 15 minutes after it passed through it. Here is a similar instance, but instead of passing through, the UFO disk instead tried to hide within a cloud ceiling area, but its shields pushed the clouds away, however the center bottom area of the UFO always gets a line of cloud due to the configuration of the UFO shields pushing it there. The shields for the bottom are two piece...meaning one shield originates on the left, the other on the right, but the clouds are pushed in between making a straight line appear. The UFO itself looks to be about 50 meters across and was still there (just cloaked) when these photos were taken. 

100% proof that aliens not only know about the human race, but they fly over neighborhoods like they were Uber's passing through. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

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

Ark of the Covenant mystery blown wide open as 'biblical relic' is discovered

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Archaeologists have uncovered ruins in Israel that they believe may be the original home of the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred, gold-covered chest described in the Bible.

According to scripture, Moses placed the Ten Commandments inside the Ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle, a sanctuary built shortly after the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, traditionally dated by some scholars to around 1445 BC.

The fate of the Ark remains a mystery, as it vanishes from the biblical record before the Babylonian sack of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Now, archaeologists with the Associates for Biblical Research (ABR) working at biblical Shiloh, the ancient city in the West Bank where scripture says the Tabernacle stood for more than 300 years, have made new discoveries that they say strengthen their theory.

The team uncovered additional walls belonging to a massive structure that may have formed part of the Tabernacle, along with worship-related artifacts and newly identified fortifications.

Dr Scott Stripling, director of the Tel Shiloh excavation, said the latest discoveries are helping researchers reconstruct the full dimensions of the monumental building and better understand its purpose.

The most significant breakthrough came with the discovery of the structure's southern wall.

The building is oriented east to west and has proportions similar to those described for the biblical Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary built by the Israelites after the Exodus from Egypt.

A new theory has suggested that the Ark was built using ancient Egyptian religious symbols as a theological rebuke, a statement that the Israelite God was superior to Egyptian gods because he required no idol, and because his presence was not confined to a statue

Last year, Stripling's team announced they had uncovered a monumental building from the Iron I period whose dimensions appeared to align with the biblical description of the Tabernacle.

The latest findings do not prove that identification, but archaeologists said they strengthen the case.

'The discovery of the southern wall now enables our researchers to reconstruct the full dimensions of the building and better evaluate its function and significance,' Stripling said in a blog post on the Bible Archaeology Report.

Adding to the mystery, excavators have also unearthed numerous objects associated with worship activities in and around the structure, including altar horns, ceramic pomegranates and murex shells.

The shells are particularly intriguing because they were used to produce the blue dye associated with priestly garments described in the Bible.

The discoveries build on previous finds at Shiloh, where researchers uncovered more than 100,000 animal bones, predominantly from sheep, goats and cattle. 

Many of the bones came from the right side of the animals, a detail that mirrors Leviticus 7, which states that portions from the right side were reserved for priestly offerings.

Shiloh occupies a central place in biblical history. Located about 19 miles north of Jerusalem, the city is described in the Book of Joshua as the place where the Israelites established the Tabernacle after conquering the Promised Land.

The team uncovered additional walls belonging to a massive structure that may have formed part of the Tabernacle

The team uncovered three large Canaanite storage jars dating to the period before the arrival of the Israelites. The jars contained charred remains of common food staples, including olives, wheat and lentils

It was there that Joshua divided the land among the tribes of Israel. It was also the home of Eli, the high priest, and the place where the prophet Samuel was raised.

The Bible portrays Shiloh as Israel's first religious and political capital.

In 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites bring the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to the battlefield during a war with the Philistines, hoping it will guarantee victory.

Instead, the Ark is captured, and Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are killed.

When a messenger returns to Shiloh and tells the elderly priest that the Ark has been taken, Eli falls backward from his seat near the city gate, breaks his neck and dies.

This year, excavators also uncovered additional walls belonging to Shiloh's northern fortification system.

The findings indicated the complex was built as a bent-axis gate and contained multiple rooms, providing new insight into the city's defenses and urban planning.

The discoveries add weight to earlier suggestions by Stripling that his team may have identified the gate complex mentioned in the biblical account of Eli's death.

The most significant breakthrough came with the discovery of the structure's southern wall

Meanwhile, excavators working in another area of the site made a separate discovery that sheds light on Shiloh's earliest history.

The team uncovered three large Canaanite storage jars dating to the period before the arrival of the Israelites.

The jars contained charred remains of common food staples, including olives, wheat and lentils.

Archaeologists plan to conduct radiocarbon testing on the contents to establish a more precise date for the destruction layer associated with the finds.

'These discoveries provide an important window into the earliest occupational phases of Shiloh and help us better understand the site's history before the Israelite settlement,' Stripling said.

Despite the excitement surrounding the discoveries, archaeologists cautioned that they have not found the Ark of the Covenant itself, nor have they definitively proven that the monumental structure is the Tabernacle.

Instead, the latest excavation season has provided new evidence that appears to align with the biblical narrative.

{https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Archeologists Just Found an Underwater Graveyard Packed with Punic, Roman, Medieval, and World War II Shipwrecks

One bay. Twenty-five centuries. More than 100 lost ships. What archaeologists just pulled from the water near Gibraltar rewrites Mediterranean history.

Written by Arezki

This Shipwreck Site Preserved Centuries Of History Beneath The Waves.

Image credit: Ludovic MADELAINE

The bottom of the Bay of Algeciras is a museum no one built on purpose. For thousands of years, ships that anchored there waiting for safe passage through the Strait of Gibraltar never left. They went down in storms, in battle, or because the sea simply decided otherwise. Now archaeologists have catalogued what remains.

A three-year survey called Project Herakles logged 151 archaeological sites across a 29-square-mile stretch of water between the Spanish city of Algeciras and the British territory of Gibraltar. More than 100 of those sites are shipwrecks. The oldest dates to the fifth century B.C., when Carthage controlled the western Mediterranean. The most recent is a weapon from World War II.

A pair of team members uses a suction hose to clean sediment from a wreck in the Bay of Algeciras. 

Image credit: Alejandro Mañas

That waiting turned lethal with enough frequency to seed the seafloor with wrecks. The bay recorded two major naval battles: the Battle of Gibraltar in 1607 and the First Battle of Algeciras in 1801. In that second engagement, British Rear Admiral James Saumarez, his squadron badly damaged on July 6, retreated to Gibraltar, repaired his ships, and sailed back out six days later to defeat a larger combined French and Spanish force, as documented by the Society for Nautical Research. Outside of wartime, ordinary transit failures stacked hulls atop hulls for centuries.

Carthaginians, Romans, and Ships Nobody Expected

The Roman period accounts for 25 of the documented wrecks, a number that tracks with the empire’s centuries-long grip on both shores of the strait. The oldest vessel belongs to the Punic era, a remnant of Carthaginian maritime power around the fifth century B.C., well before Rome erased Carthage from the map. A University of Cádiz research portal entry notes that geophysical surveys and visual inspections confirmed two Punic shipwrecks, recovered materials from two anchorage zones, and flagged two more potential wrecks awaiting confirmation.

Three medieval wrecks caught the team off guard. Ship timbers from that period are scarce across the Mediterranean. Cerezo Andreo told the Guardian that studying those hulls could illuminate seafaring during the late centuries of Islamic rule in southern Spain, an era with a thin material record.

An outlined wreck is seen from above a few metres offshore in the Bay of Algeciras. 

Image credit: Alejandro Mañas

By the early modern period, the bay had become international in a way few harbors were. The team documented Dutch, Venetian, Spanish, and English ships. “We have ships of practically every nationality, because they all passed through the strait,” Cerezo Andreo told the Guardian. Popular Mechanics reported that 134 shipwrecks were catalogued overall, with 34 documented in full.

A Gunboat That Hid Beneath Fishing Nets

The wreck of Puente Mayorga IV stands out because of the strategy it was built to execute. Spain designed this small gunboat in the 18th century to harass British shipping near the Rock of Gibraltar, the territory Britain secured in 1713 through the Treaty of Utrecht.

The vessels dressed as fishing boats, netting concealing cannons until the crew dropped the disguise and opened fire at close range. Historians knew the tactic from written records. A physical example had never been studied until now.

The team also identified a Maiale, Italian for “pig,” a World War II human torpedo. Italian Navy divers straddled these slow-moving weapons, steered toward anchored enemy ships, clamped explosive charges to the hull, and withdrew before detonation. Italy relied on the devices when its surface fleet could not match Allied numbers in the Mediterranean.

A Seabed Blanketed by an Invader

Documenting the wrecks means racing against industry and biology. The Bay of Algeciras remains one of Europe’s most heavily used maritime zones. Shipyards, oil refineries, and dredging operations grind at the seabed. Sediment patterns have shifted under pressure from climate change and port construction, exposing some material and burying the rest deeper with little predictability.

Then there is the algae. Rugulopteryx okamurae, a brown seaweed native to the Northwest Pacific, turned up in the region several years ago and spread fast. It forms dense mats that smother native species and block visual surveys. In five years, it has swallowed wrecks that sat exposed for centuries.

An archaeologist marks the naval architecture in the Bay of Algeciras.

Image credit: Alejandro Mañas

According to El País, the research team used underwater photographs from the 1970s and 1980s to relocate several known sites and measure how much the marine environment has changed under the weight of this invasive species.

Anchors, Archives, and What Comes Next

The survey covered just 23 percent of the bay’s surface, mostly nearshore zones. Deeper water introduces a different threat. Large cargo vessels drop anchors weighing more than twenty tons, and when they hit, the damage is immediate.

The team’s assessment classifies 56 percent of the documented sites as stable. The other 44 percent require urgent study and protection. Researchers are pushing for formal underwater cultural heritage designations that would restrict anchoring and development in the most sensitive areas.

While that legal effort proceeds, the data gets a second life. The team is building a public digital archive of 360-degree dive videos and three-dimensional virtual models, allowing researchers and the public to examine the wrecks without disturbing them. The long task of interpreting those hulls, and deciding what can be saved, has only started.

{ https://dailygalaxy.com/ }

While Perseverance’s latest appearance reveals little more than a greenish spec on the planet’s rust-colored surface, also visible in the new images are the long path its formidable tires have left in the Martian soil as the robotic explorer has trekked west of its initial landing site.

The new images, captured on June 13, 2026, were taken just one day before Perseverance broke the previous distance record held by a robotic explorer on Mars: NASA’s Opportunity rover.

However, Perseverance completed this phase of its journey in record time compared to its predecessor, which took more than 11 years to traverse a similar distance. Perseverance, by contrast, covered the same distance in less than half that time, with just five years and four months of travel now behind it.

In the image above, NASA’s Perseverance Rover appears in the center of the image as a small, greyish-green reflective spot. Also visible are the impressions left by its all-terrain tires, revealing the robotic rover’s long path over the last several years of Martian exploration

(Image Credit: Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)

The images were made possible by the MROs’ High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, which also captured surface features in the Arbot area that include ridges and windswept areas along Mars’ rugged exterior.

Built and operated by the University of Arizona, HiRISE captures images with resolutions as fine as about 25 centimeters (10 inches) per pixel, allowing researchers to distinguish features roughly the size of a kitchen table from orbit. The camera has returned hundreds of thousands of detailed images since the MRO arrived at Mars two decades ago, contributing to a growing data set that has transformed scientists’ understanding of the Red Planet.

Documenting everything from active dust avalanches and shifting dunes to fresh impact craters, the unprecedented resolution its imagery provides has made HiRISE one of the most powerful planetary imaging instruments ever deployed.

Last year, the MRO’s HiRISE camera also successfully captured images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it made its way past Mars during its trip through our Solar System. Although the HiRISE images weren’t the clearest images of the interstellar visitor obtained during its visit, they did help demonstrate just how formidable NASA’s MRO and its suite of instruments are.

Additional details about Perseverance and its mission can be found at NASA’s official web page, and information about the MRO can be found here.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

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

Archaeologists stumble upon ancient Mexican ruins anything seen before

The site includes a circular stone platform unlike any other unearthed in that part of Mexico.

Researchers also discovered a monolith depicting a figure with potential Mayan features, the National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH) said.

“It’s a unique, unprecedented finding,” said Lino Espinoza Garcia, an archaeologist for the INAH and one of the coordinators for the Campo Viejo site near the town of Coatepec.

Dating back to the Early Classic period between 200 and 600 AD, the pre-Hispanic ruins include a flagstone and limestone platform adorned with almost squared lines or figures as well as the circular stones.

These attributes have never been recorded in this region of Mexico, the INAH said in a statement.

A view shows an anthropomorphic whistle face handled by archaeologists working at an archaeological site in Coatepec, Veracruz, June 18, 2026. 

AFP pic

It’s “a very particular structure,” said Alberto Vazquez, the other archaeologist responsible for the site.

“We don’t have any records so far of a correlation with other (ancient) sites.”

The monolith stands 1.88m (6.16 feet) high, 1.47m (4.82 feet) wide at its broadest point and 68cm (2.23 feet) at the narrowest.

A green stone ‘yoke’ depicting a batrachian is seen among objects found at an archaeological site and undergoing classification and documentation in Coatepec, Veracruz, June 18, 2026. 

AFP pic

The stone depicts a scene of a symbolic character, according to experts.

“They are two characters who are requesting something, they have a bowl and are receiving something, we think it’s a liquid. Obviously, in that context, it’s a divine liquid, we think it would be water,” Espinoza detailed.

The archaeologist believes the image could reflect the era of a great drought in the region, which could explain why two members of the elite, one of them with Mayan traits, are depicted receiving the fluid from a divine entity. — AFP

FURTHER QUESTIONS?

• What unique characteristics define the newly discovered Veracruz ruins?
• What does the monolith's depiction suggest about ancient beliefs?
• Could the monolith's imagery relate to historical droughts in Veracruz?

{ https://www.malaymail.com/news/life }

The monolithic sculpture, which stands taller than six feet and features an engraving that depicts a pair of individuals engaged in what may be a ritual activity, was accompanied by a large stone platform positioned nearby, and is believed to date to between A.D. 200 and 600. This falls within the Maya Early Classic period, a foundational era of the ancient civilization during which the proliferation of its hieroglyphic writing and calendar systems occurred, as well as the onset of massive stone pyramid construction.

Alberto Vazquez, one of the principal archaeologists at the site, called the discovery “a very particular structure,” adding that archaeologists in Mexico presently “don’t have any records so far of a correlation with other sites.”

The Maya Early Classic Period

Monumental construction was a hallmark of the Maya Early Classic period, an era that was also partially defined by the widespread use of sculpted stone stelae and altars that often bore historical significance related to political events.

These stelae and altars preserved a record of events from the period using the Maya Long Count calendar, as rulership governed by hereditary dynasties was believed to leverage religious ceremonies to help legitimize their positions in power.

Several aspects of the recent discovery align with such known components of Early Classic period structures, although some elements about the site remain outliers, such as the circular stone platform, which bears little resemblance to others found throughout Mexico.

A Monolithic Mystery

The most intriguing component of the site is its monolith, which stands slightly taller than six feet and is under five feet across at its broadest point. The sculpture also features a pair of individuals that researchers say is likely related to symbolism associated with the period in question.

Lino Espinoza Garcia, an archaeologist with Mexico’s National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH), described the imagery on the monolith as depicting “two characters who are requesting something,” adding that the individuals “have a bowl and are receiving something.”

“[W]e think it’s a liquid,” said Garcia, who also serves as a coordinator at the nearby Campo Viejo site near Coatepec, Mexico. “Obviously, in that context, it’s a divine liquid, we think it would be water.”

A “Very Relevant” Discovery

Additional discoveries at the site include a flagstone and a large platform made of limestone, which features a series of square-lined patterns, which INAH archaeologists say are unlike those found at nearby sites.

One possible interpretation of the discovery is that the figures depicted with a possible “divine liquid” may document a period of drought that struck the region, which could account for the depiction of two individuals receiving water from a God or other divine figure. Garcia and his colleagues also suggest the two recipients of the liquid may have been members of the ruling class from the period.

During a press conference last week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the discovery “very relevant” and added that investigations would continue with support from her administration.

For Garcia and others, the monolith and its surrounding features offer a unique look at features unlike those they have worked with in the past and may help to deepen our understanding of ancient cultural and political dynamics in Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past.

“It’s a unique, unprecedented finding,” Garcia said.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.

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

Nun warns that aliens are 'fallen angels' invading Earth to cast doubt on the existence of God

A Catholic nun has warned that UFO sightings are actually a 'diabolical' invasion by 'demonic' fallen angels trying to distract humanity from God in a cosmic war

by Liam Randall /  News Reporter

A Catholic nun has warned that alleged alien encounters are actually demons

(Image: Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF)

A Catholic nun has dropped a bombshell claim about UFOs, warning that alleged alien encounters are actually a sinister invasion by "fallen angels." Mother Miriam claims that the spooky phenomena people see in the skies are rooted in a dark spiritual realm, rather than coming from distant planets.

Speaking out on her podcast after a listener asked if ETs were real or spiritual, she didn't hold back. Mother Miriam said: "I think sooner look at the demonic side than the extraterrestrial."

While the Catholic Church doesn't have an official stance on aliens, the holy woman believes the truth is far more terrifying.

Mother Miriam claims that the spooky phenomena people see in the skies are rooted in a dark spiritual realm(

Image: @MotherMiriamHighlights/Youtube)

Channelling the teachings of medieval theologian St Thomas Aquinas, she argued that angels are the original extraterrestrials because they come from another world.

She said: "The Catholic position, there is such a thing as extraterrestrial intelligence. These creatures really are from another world, the spiritual world. They're what we call angels."

But she warned that not all of these cosmic beings come in peace. "Some of these angels are ministers of light. Others are ministers of deception and destruction," she said in a YouTube video.

Mother Miriam argued that angels are the original extraterrestrials because they come from another world

(Image: Getty Images)

Mother Miriam, who was born Rosalind Moss in Brooklyn before converting and leading a monastery in Oklahoma, believes these entities are playing a dangerous game with humanity.

She claims their ultimate goal is to steer people away from God, using UFO obsession as the perfect smoke screen.

She said: "They do all they can to deceive human beings and draw them into a belief system without God, without faith, and without the necessary graces for their salvation."

She added that if these forces "can get people wrapped up in theories of alien visitations and extraterrestrial visitors to Earth, if they can get them absorbed and fascinated by any number of paranormal phenomena and distracted from God, they will have succeeded in their diabolical mission to deceive and to destroy."

The nun claims we are right in the thick of a supernatural battle for the universe.

She said: "These extraterrestrial forces are involved in a great cosmic war. And human beings are a part of a conflict. Once that is understood, all that remains is for you to decide on which side you plan to do battle."

Mother Miriam isn't alone in her wild theories. US Vice President JD Vance previously made headlines on a podcast by suggesting UFOs are actually "demons."

TV host Tucker Carlson has also pushed the theory that celestial phenomena are demonic entities. Even movie legend Steven Spielberg previously admitted that finding real aliens could rock humanity to its core.

Speaking ahead of the release of his film Disclosure Day, he said: "What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet? Or is God a god for every system where there's civilisation and intelligent life, and even developing life?"

Despite her terrifying warnings, Mother Miriam hasn't completely ruled out the idea of actual aliens existing.

She said: "It's possible there are other planets. The church is not definitive on that. If we find out one day that there is truly life on other planets, well, we'll know then. But so far, our Lord hasn't shown us that."

{ https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/ }

Strange formation in NASA's Mars photo fuels claims of extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A strangely shaped object photographed on the Martian surface has reignited bizarre theories about extraterrestrial life on the Red Planet.

The picture, captured by NASA's Opportunity rover in 2014, recently resurfaced online after social media users claimed the object resembles an 'alien gun.'

Scott C Waring, a Martian researcher from 'UFO Sighting Daily,' suggested the 'gun' is evidence of why NASA sent a rover to Mars to retrieve alien technology. 

'Alien gun on Mars photos, only one still exists, others deleted by NASA,' Waring shared on X on Tuesday.

The image was first circulated by Waring in 2016, writing in a blog post that the supposed weapon was 'about one foot long.' 

'I have to admit... It's incredible,' he shared. 'The exact location of the gun is at SOL 3773, which is between Mt Edgecumbe and Wdowiak Ridge.'

NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars on January 25, 2004, touching down in a small impact crater known as Eagle Crater on the Meridiani Planum. 

However, the robot fell silent in June 2018 during a severe, planet-wide dust storm that blocked sunlight from reaching its panels. After spending months attempting to re-establish contact, NASA officially declared the mission complete in February 2019.

The picture, captured by NASA's Opportunity rover in 2014, recently resurfaced online after social media users claimed the object resembles an ' alien gun.'

However, it seems the UFO researchers' claims are nothing more than a case of pareidolia, a psychological response to seeing faces and other significant and everyday items.

While Waring is sure Opportunity spotted a gun on the Martian landscape, others believe otherwise.

One X user commented: 'I'm not an expert, but I believe this is a rock....'

While another joked: 'Why would aliens have guns designed for human hands and fingers? lol.' 

Waring has been sharing bizarrely shaped rocks on the Red Planet for about a decade now, with one in 2016 that he claimed was a shoe.

'While looking through some Mars rover photos, I found a lone shoe on the edge of the crater,' he wrote on his website.

‘This is probably a shoe of a species that was at war long ago, the shoe being the lone evidence that the person had ever existed.’

The discovery was spotted on August 24, 2016, however, the original photo from the Opportunity was taken in 2013.

The image was first circulated by Warning in 2016, writing in a blog post that the supposed weapon was 'about one foot long'

Waring has been sharing bizarrely shaped rocks on the Red Planet for about a decade now, with one in 2016 that he claimed was a shoe

The NASA image shows a cluster of rocks spread out on the dusty planet, and the lone shoe can be seen to the right among the rubble, which may also just be another rock.

However, Waring is sure this ‘shoe’ is all that is left of a soldier who lost their life on the battlefield.

‘How many times on a battlefield or at a catastrophic event have we seen photos in the newspaper of the shoes of victims…alone…evidence of how hard they were hit, how fast they were taken from us? Well, this is such evidence,’ he wrote.

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

The chilling visions of hell that a doctor says reveal we're living in God's simulation

• MORE: Wild theory claims the world actually ended in 2012... and we are now living in the apocalypse chaos
  

By ROB WAUGH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

A doctor who studies near-death experiences says that there is now a strange overlap between the Christian vision of hell and the theory that the world is a giant simulation. 

Dr Orson Wedgwood is a New Zealand-based scientist and author who works in healthcare research. He told the Daily Mail that dark experiences involving visions of the afterlife often have many things in common, such as a stench, dark figures described as demons and violence.

According to Wedgwood, these similarities point to hell-like near-death experiences being more than just hallucinations: they could be real experiences that occur within a God-created 'simulation,' serving as warnings for those who have rejected God.

In Wedgwood's view, as a scientist and devout Christian, NDEs are directly connected to the controversial simulation theory because the simulation’s purpose is to sort out souls based on their life choices.

The doctor said: 'We are in a created environment, or a “simulation” in which we are being tested. Our consciousness, how we behave, and the experiences we have are real, but the rest is not.'

'The simulation is designed to sort us into those who will be with God after the simulation is over versus those who won’t, all in a safe environment where we can’t do any damage.'

The simulation theory suggests that what humans perceive as reality is actually a computer-generated 'video game' of some sort - a premise which was depicted in the blockbuster film series The Matrix.

Believers have claimed that humans are unknowingly being fed this simulated consciousness either for their own good or for nefarious means, with the world's first trillionaire, Elon Musk, suggesting a creator being of the universe runs the simulation.

Pictured: A common depiction of hell, inhabited by demons and fiery landscapes (Stock Image

In December, Musk appeared on The Katie Miller Podcast and speculated that our world could be an 'alien Netflix series,' saying that the purpose of life would therefore be to keep humanity excited to increase our 'ratings' and prevent our creator from turning the computer off.

As for the link between this theory and the claims of many who said they saw a vision of hell instead of heaven, Wedgwood claimed that those who do not show interest in God either lose the eternal part of themselves and die or find themselves in a dark place.

'Most of this is in line with the Bible, and it is also somewhat in line with simulation theory expounded by people like Elon Musk who have concluded that life is not a random act of nature,' Wedgwood explained.

However, the NDE researcher noted that human souls in this alleged simulation can still be rescued if they find themselves in a hellish realm, but only if they call out to God.

'One of the ones that I heard about years and years ago, and it resonated because I’m a Christian, was Ian McCormack; he was a New Zealander who was surfing.'

In 1982, McCormack had been stung by a jellyfish and claimed he descended into hell, saying: 'I could feel the evil; it was all around me.'

McCormack said he had a vision of his mother, who told him to cry out to God and he would hear and forgive the surfer.

He was reported as saying: 'I felt like a speck of dust being drawn up into a radiant light and delivered out of the kingdom of darkness.'

In the blockbuster movie The Matrix, protagonist Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, discovered the human race lives in a simulated reality hundreds of years from now (Pictured)

Dr Orson Wedgwood (Pictured) is a medical scientist who works in healthcare research and says that ‘dark’ near-death experiences often have many things in common

Wedgwood said the feeling of hopelessness is typical in NDEs involving visions of hell, which are also among the rarest sorts of near-death experiences reported.

Studies have suggested that only 14 percent of patients claiming they had an out-of-body experience said it was negative. Of those, around half featured demonic imagery in a realm they suspected was hell.

However, a study published in 2019 in the journal Memory, which compared positive and negative near-death experiences (NDEs), claimed there is little difference between these events and that they basically display the same type of brain activity, just with varying emotional tones.

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Study authors said this helps explain why some people come back from the brink of death with terrifying stories that feel just as vivid and life-changing as the peaceful ones.

Wedgwood’s book, ‘Near Death Experience and AWARE studies: Proof Of The Soul and God?’ explored the controversial world of negative near-death experiences, including some truly horrifying testimonials.

In one account by a 42-year-old woman, cited in a 2019 study, she described entities surrounding her as she neared death.

'I am beginning to distinguish forms in this incredibly thick fog. Human, bestial, monstrous. I am swimming in a stinking stench filled with horrible and furtive creatures and I am feeling overwhelmed with pain,' the woman recalled.

Wedgwood said his research has revealed that people who have such experiences often become acutely aware that they are in hell, adding that scientific research often dismisses such experiences as not genuine NDEs.

'Many colleagues I've worked with over the years, PhDs, doctors, and many of them will agree, perhaps more privately than publicly, that they cannot provide explanations of the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and where consciousness comes from,' the doctor said.

'A lot of them now are adopting this simulation theory that we're living in a simulation, and this is like serious PhDs.'

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

3 is preparing to launch a daring mission to save a precious space telescope from plunging back to Earth.

The Swift Observatory - NASA's 'multitool' for studying the cosmos - was launched in 2004 but has been falling rapidly due to intense solar weather.

To save it, the space agency has hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to boost the tumbling telescope back into a stable orbit.

And the ambitious 'high-risk, high-reward mission' could blast off as soon as tomorrow.

The $30 million (£22.7 million) salvage operation will launch a fridge-sized robot into orbit, docking with Swift and gently carrying it out into space.

The rescue robot, dubbed Link, sports three arms just over three feet (one metre) in length that end in two finger-like pinchers resembling the hands of a Lego minifigure.

Once these arms grab hold of Swift, Link will spend several months raising its altitude from a dangerously low 224 miles (360 km) to a more stable 373 miles (600 km) above Earth.

If all goes according to plan, this could extend Swift's lifetime by at least a year and pave the way for a mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope in the future.

NASA is preparing to launch a daring mission to push a doomed space telescope back out into space using a three-armed robot (artist's impression) 

The Swift Observatory is a critical instrument because, as its name suggests, it is able to turn quickly and catch fleeting events like supernova explosions.

However, in 2024, the sun reached the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, triggering a period of intense space weather that was far more severe than expected.

This space weather caused Earth's atmosphere to slightly expand, increasing the drag on satellites and pulling them back down to Earth.

Soon it became clear that, unless something was done almost immediately, Swift could burn up in the atmosphere by the end of 2026.

Nicky Fox, NASA's science mission chief, told The Associated Press: 'If we let Swift re-enter, we would lose that telescope. We would lose a lot of capability.

'We don't currently have the budget to build another one to replace that.'

In September last year, NASA hired Katalyst Space Technologies to find a way to preserve Swift into the future.

But to save the observatory, they needed to start boosting its orbit before it hit the point of no return at 185 miles (300 km) above Earth.

The $30 million (£22.7 million) salvage operation will launch a fridge-sized robot (pictured) into orbit, docking with Swift and gently carrying it out into space

The Swift Observatory was launched in 2004, but intense space weather has degraded its orbit and it could crash back to Earth by the end of this year unless action is taken 

NASA hired the US-based startup Katalyst Space Technologies to design a spacecraft (pictured) that could push Swift back into a stable orbit before it passed a point of no return

The Swift Observatory: Key facts

Cost: $250 million (£189.2 million)

Launch date: November 4, 2004

Mass: 1,470 kg 

Equipment: Three multiwavelength telescopes, collecting data in visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray light

Notable discoveries: Gamma-ray bursts from the Early universe

With Swift expected to pass that critical altitude in November, there was less than a year to design, build, and launch the new robot.

However, against all odds, Link is now ready to launch and attempt to save NASA's precious space telescope.

Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA's astrophysics director, says: 'I have to be honest. No one thought it was going to be possible. No one thought we would get as far as we've already gotten today.'

The robot will be launched from an atoll in the Pacific Ocean's Marshall Islands aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket strapped to the belly of a plane.

Once the plane reaches around 40,000 feet (12,190 metres), the rocket will detach and free-fall for a few seconds before firing its three-stage motors and taking Link into orbit within 10 minutes.

The spacecraft will need to travel for about a month to rendezvous with Swift and catch it, and a few more months to gently push it back into orbit.

That means Swift could be back at full operational capacity by September, extending the observatory's lifetime by years.

While the mission is not without its risks and success is not guaranteed, the potential savings for NASA make this risky task worth the danger.

The robot, dubbed Link (pictured), is now ready to launch and will soon be on its way to rendezvous with Swift

Link will be launched on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket that will be taken to 40,000 feet strapped to the belly of a plane (pictured)

Swift originally cost $250 million (£189.2 million), and with NASA's science mission budget having been slashed by 47 per cent, there simply isn't the money to replace it.

Mr Domagal-Goldman says: 'This is a high-risk, high-reward mission. We have much to gain by attempting this boost, which is more affordable than trying to replace Swift’s capabilities.'

This will also be an important test for Katalyst Space Technologies' ability to salvage and preserve doomed spacecraft.

Those are capabilities that may soon be needed to save the Hubble Space Telescope, which has also been affected by the intense solar weather.

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The 36-year-old telescope was serviced five times during the shuttle era, with spacewalking astronauts making repairs and fixing a critical optical issue in the main mirror.

However, the ageing observatory is now slipping out of its stable orbit and could need to be boosted in 2028 to remain operational.

Any lessons learned while moving Swift this year could be key to ensuring that this critical piece of technology isn't damaged in the process.

Ghonhee Lee, CEO of Katalyst, says: 'Swift wasn't designed to be serviced. By demonstrating we can quickly and cost-effectively extend its lifetime, we're creating a blueprint for servicing spacecraft that were never designed for on-orbit maintenance.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is still working and has made more than 1.5 million observations since its mission began in 1990

The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

It is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889.

He is arguably most famous for discovering that the universe is expanding and the rate at which is does so - now coined the Hubble constant. 

The Hubble telescope is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889 (pictured)

Hubble has made more than 1.5 million observations since its mission began in 1990 and helped publish some 18,000 scientific papers.

It circles the Earth at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude.

Hubble has the pointing accuracy of .007 arc seconds, which is like being able to shine a laser beam focused on Franklin D. Roosevelt's head on a dime roughly 200 miles (320km) away.

The Hubble telescope is named after Edwin Hubble who was responsible for coming up with the Hubble constant and is one of the greatest astronomers of all-time

Hubble's primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across and in total is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long - the length of a large school bus.

Hubble's launch and deployment in April 1990 marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope. 

Thanks to five servicing missions and more than 25 years of operation, our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same. 

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{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.htmlv }

Catholic nun issues chilling warning about aliens amid religious conflict

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A Catholic nun has issued a chilling warning about aliens, suggesting that many alleged extraterrestrial encounters may have a far more sinister explanation.

Responding to a question from a listener named Connor, Mother Miriam said she leans toward the belief that the UFO phenomenon is rooted in the spiritual realm rather than in visitors from distant planets.

'I think sooner look at the demonic side than the extraterrestrial,' Mother Miriam said during a recent discussion on her podcast.

Connor had written to the nun asking whether she believed alleged alien encounters were the result of classic extraterrestrial visitors or something more spiritual in nature.

The Catholic Church has never taken an official position on the existence of extraterrestrial life, leaving the question open to scientific inquiry and personal speculation.

However, Mother Miriam said she believes the 'best explanation' for many UFO sightings and alleged alien encounters may be the work of fallen angels.

Citing the teachings of St Thomas Aquinas, she noted that the medieval theologian described angels as extraterrestrial beings because they originate from another world, the spiritual realm.

'The Catholic position, there is such a thing as extraterrestrial intelligence,' she said. 'These creatures really are from another world, the spiritual world. They're what we call angels.'

Mother Miriam, born as Rosalind Moss, was raised in a Jewish home in Brooklyn, New York, but converted to Catholicism as an adult

Vice President JD Vance also made headlines after stating on a conservative podcast that he believes UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena are actually 'demons' rather than extraterrestrial aliens.

Prominent conservative political commentator and television host Tucker Carlson has also discussed his belief on his shows and podcasts that celestial phenomena or aliens may actually be spiritual, demonic entities.

The idea that aliens may exist has also created religious conflict, as even Steven Spielberg suggested the confirmation could shake people's faith. 

''What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have? Is God our God only on this planet?' he said in an interview leading up to the release of his film Disclosure Day.

'Or is God a god for every system where there's civilization and intelligent life, and even developing life?' 

According to Mother Miriam, not all of these spiritual beings are benevolent.

'Some of these angels are ministers of light. Others are ministers of deception and destruction,' she said in a YouTube video.

Mother Miriam, born as Rosalind Moss, was raised in a Jewish home in Brooklyn, New York, but converted to Catholicism as an adult. 

Mother Miriam said she leans toward the belief that the UFO phenomenon is rooted in the spiritual realm rather than in visitors from distant planets 

She served as the head of the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope monastery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

She warned that fallen angels work to deceive humanity and distract people from God and faith.

'They do all they can to deceive human beings and draw them into a belief system without God, without faith, and without the necessary graces for their salvation,' she said.

Mother Miriam suggested that an obsession with UFOs, extraterrestrial visitors and paranormal phenomena could serve as a spiritual distraction.

'If they can get people wrapped up in theories of alien visitations and extraterrestrial visitors to Earth, if they can get them absorbed and fascinated by any number of paranormal phenomena and distracted from God, they will have succeeded in their diabolical mission to deceive and to destroy,' she said.

The nun went on to describe what she called a 'great cosmic war' involving these spiritual forces and humanity itself.

'These extraterrestrial forces are involved in a great cosmic war. And human beings are a part of a conflict,' she said.

'Once that is understood, all that remains is for you to decide on which side you plan to do battle.'

Despite her comments, Mother Miriam acknowledged that the possibility of life on other planets cannot be entirely ruled out.

'It's possible there are other planets,' she said. 'The church is not definitive on that.'

She added that if humanity one day discovers genuine extraterrestrial life, then believers will have to grapple with that reality.

'If we find out one day that there is truly life on other planets, well, we'll know then,' she said. 'But so far, our Lord hasn't shown us that.'

The remarks come at a time of renewed public fascination with UFOs and alleged non-human intelligence, fueled by congressional hearings, declassified government documents and a growing number of military encounters with unexplained objects in the sky.

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

De Noord-Atlantische koudevlek: toeval of teken van een groter klimaatprobleem?

©The Daily Digest

Afbeelding: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio/Goddard Space Flight Center

Een belangrijk raadsel dat opgelost moet worden
In de Noord-Atlantische Oceaan, ten zuiden van IJsland en Groenland, is een raadselachtige 'koude zone' ontstaan. In dit uitgestrekte zeegebied daalt de temperatuur continu, wat in contrast staat met de algehele opwarming van de oceaan.

©The Daily Digest

Snel afkoelingsproces
Volgens CNN zeggen experts dat dit belangrijke Atlantische gebied al meer dan een eeuw aan het afkoelen is, in die mate dat de temperatuur van het water volgens de beschikbare gegevens sinds 1900 met ongeveer één graad Celsius is gedaald.

©The Daily Digest

Twee theorieën over wat er gaande is
In deze context wordt er binnen de wetenschap gedebatteerd over twee theorieën over de mogelijke oorzaak van deze 'koude plek'. Enerzijds zou het te wijten kunnen zijn aan warmteverlies van het oceaanoppervlak als gevolg van veranderingen in wind en bewolking; anderzijds aan de verzwakking van het systeem dat de oceaanstromingen in de Atlantische Oceaan transporteert.

©The Daily Digest

Cruciaal kantelpunt in het klimaat
Nieuw onderzoek, waarover CNN bericht, neigt nu naar de tweede optie om dit mysterie te verklaren. Het suggereert tevens dat het een teken zou kunnen zijn dat we op het punt staan een alarmerend kantelpunt in het klimaat te bereiken, met catastrofale gevolgen voor de toekomst.

©The Daily Digest

Atlantische Meridionale Omwentelingscirculatie
De studie verwijst naar het cruciale systeem van oceaanstromingen, de AMOC (Atlantische Meridionale Omwentelingscirculatie), dat volgens experts functioneert als een gigantische transportband die warm water vanuit de tropen naar het noordelijk halfrond voert, waar het afkoelt, zinkt en weer naar het zuiden terugkeert.

©The Daily Digest

Vingerafdruk van veranderingen in de AMOC
Gezien het bestaan van de AMOC kan de 'koude zone' die we vandaag de dag in de Noord-Atlantische Oceaan zien, volgens de auteurs van de studie worden beschouwd als een vingerafdruk waarop de veranderingen binnen het systeem te zien zijn, aangezien het daar is waar de meeste waterkwaliteit die het met zich meebrengt, aankomt.

©The Daily Digest

Opwarming van de aarde en zoet water
Naast dit onderzoek hebben talrijke andere studies al gewaarschuwd voor de verzwakking van de AMOC. De reden hiervoor is dat door het smeltende ijs als gevolg van de opwarming van de aarde een enorme hoeveelheid zoet water de oceaan instroomt, waardoor het evenwicht tussen zoutgehalte en warmte verstoord raakt en de werking van dit stromingssysteem wordt beïnvloed.

©The Daily Digest

Ineenstorten in het aangezicht van de toekomst
Deze verzwakking zal blijven toenemen totdat het klimaatkantelpunt is bereikt waar wetenschappers naar verwijzen, wat onvermijdelijk zou leiden tot de ineenstorting van de AMOC, iets wat, benadrukken zij, al in deze eeuw zou kunnen gebeuren.

©The Daily Digest

Wereldwijde catastrofe
En wat zou er gebeuren in geval van een ineenstorting? De gevolgen zouden verwoestend zijn en een wereldwijde catastrofe veroorzaken, die zich zou manifesteren in een aanzienlijke stijging van de zeespiegel aan de oostkust van de Verenigde Staten of langdurige droogtes in Afrika als gevolg van de verstoring van de moesson, en bovendien het Europese continent in een permanente ijskoude winter zou storten.

©The Daily Digest

Afkoeling zowel aan de oppervlakte als op grotere diepte
Een van de ontdekkingen van deze recente studie naar de 'koude zone' in de Noord-Atlantische Oceaan, die de neiging versterkt om te denken dat het probleem ligt in de verzwakking van de AMOC, is dat de afkoeling van het water niet alleen aan de oppervlakte plaatsvond, maar ook in de diepte van de oceaan.

©The Daily Digest

Gegevens uit veldmetingen versus klimaatmodellen
Om dit te analyseren, vergeleek het team van wetenschappers dat bij het onderzoek betrokken was, de daadwerkelijke gegevens over de oceaanwarmte, verkregen via satellietonderzoek en met specifieke instrumenten die uit het water waren gehaald, met de gebruikelijke klimaatmodellen. Op basis hiervan konden ze de verandering in de trend van dit uitgestrekte watergebied in de Atlantische Oceaan waarnemen.

©The Daily Digest

Invloed van AMOC
Volgens de auteur van de studie, Stefan Rahmstorf, hoogleraar natuurkunde en oceanografie aan de Universiteit van Potsdam (Duitsland), is de AMOC duidelijk de boosdoener achter de afkoeling van deze watermassa, omdat deze, zoals hij aan CNN vertelde, "het transport van oceanische warmte beïnvloedt".

©The Daily Digest

Afbeelding: Wikipedia

Het zwakste punt in 1000 jaar
Rahmstorf benadrukte verder dat, afgezien van deze 'koude plek', ze al voldoende bewijs hadden uit talrijke eerdere studies die wezen op de verzwakking van de AMOC, in die mate dat, zo benadrukte hij, deze zich momenteel op het zwakste punt in 1000 jaar zou kunnen bevinden.

©The Daily Digest

Heeft niets te maken met atmosferische omstandigheden
Onderzoeker René van Westen van de Universiteit Utrecht (Nederland) benadrukte ook dat de resultaten van Rahmstorfs onderzoek het idee versterken dat de afkoeling van deze enorme watermassa niet wordt beïnvloed door atmosferische omstandigheden, hoewel is aangetoond dat deze wel degelijk via die weg kan plaatsvinden.

©The Daily Digest

Gebieden waar wind en bewolking weinig invloed hebben
Van Westen verwijst in dit geval naar de bijzonderheid dat het diepe water in dit specifieke gebied ook afkoelt, ondanks het feit dat elementen zoals wind of wolken hier weinig invloed hebben.

©The Daily Digest

Eenvoudige benaderingen?
Andere deskundigen, zoals David Thornally, hoogleraar oceaan- en klimaatwetenschappen aan University College London, wijzen erop dat het nog te vroeg is om definitieve uitspraken over deze kwesties te doen. Hoewel hij erkent dat de studie het bewijs voor een verband tussen de 'koude zone' en de AMOC versterkt, stelt hij dat de gegevens slechts benaderingen zijn en geen absolute waarheid weergeven.

©The Daily Digest

De noodzaak van verder onderzoek
In een gesprek met CNN waarschuwde Thornally dat er onder wetenschappers nog steeds veel onzekerheid bestaat over wat er met deze massa koud water zou kunnen gebeuren, en benadrukte hij de noodzaak van verder onderzoek: "Ik denk niet dat (deze studie) het laatste woord over dit onderwerp is", verklaarde hij.

©The Daily Digest

Er zijn nog steeds problemen die opgelost moeten worden
In dezelfde trant maakte Jonathan Baker, klimaatwetenschapper bij het Britse meteorologische instituut Met Office, duidelijk dat verder onderzoek naar dit onderwerp nodig is: "Deze studie levert aanvullend bewijs voor de bijdrage van de AMOC aan de koude luchtmassa, maar lost de kwestie niet definitief op", vertelde hij aan CNN.

{ The Daily Digest }

Sixty-five million years ago, a colossal asteroid impacted the region near the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The scientific community continues to debate whether this event led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Nevertheless, it is certain that, subsequent to this event, the Earth persisted in being impacted by extraterrestrial objects. 

Asteroids persisted in striking Earth even after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Source: www.newscientist.com

Asteroid Chicxulub

June 30 is observed globally as Asteroid Day. This occasion typically marks the peak of public interest in asteroid-related developments. During this period, scientists actively disseminate the latest discoveries in this domain to interested parties.

However, the primary concern for many individuals pertains to whether an asteroid impact on Earth 65 million years ago genuinely resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs, and whether a similar outcome may befall humanity.

Scientists have long debated the answer to the first part of the question over several decades. The Chicxulub crater, located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, is an established geological feature. It measures approximately 180 km in diameter and 20 km in depth. Nevertheless, the asteroid responsible for its formation was merely 10 km in diameter.

It is widely acknowledged that the crater’s estimated age of 66 million years closely corresponds to the period during which many large groups of animals, including the non-avian dinosaurs, became extinct on our planet.

The Chicxulub crater immediately following its formation. Source: www.skyatnightmagazine.com

However, there is no consensus on whether this was the primary — let alone the sole — cause of such a significant extinction event. This issue is intricately linked to the question of the extent to which collisions with large asteroids contributed to shaping the contemporary biosphere of our planet. 

In fact, the Chicxulub asteroid was not the largest asteroid to have impacted our planet. Researchers have identified craters that are substantially larger; however, they have been unable to establish a connection between these craters and any mass extinctions.

Furthermore, even after the extinction of the dinosaurs, asteroids continued to impact the Earth. The craters resulting from these impacts are indeed remarkable. Below are the ten largest such craters.

1. Popigai

The largest crater formed on Earth following the extinction of the dinosaurs is Popigai. It is situated in northern russia, near the border between krasnoyarsk krai and Yakutia. Studies have demonstrated that this structure, approximately 100 kilometers in diameter, was formed roughly 35.7 million years ago. The asteroid responsible for its formation was comparable in size to the Chicxulub asteroid — approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.

Popigai impact structure. Source: www.smithsonianmag.com

Interestingly, there are also efforts to associate the Popigai event with a significant mass extinction of species on our planet. This is referred to as the Eocene-Oligocene extinction event, which is considerably less recognized than the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. 

That said, there exists a considerably more plausible candidate for the cause of its extinction: a cooling trend. The climate experienced a significant decrease in temperature and dryness. In certain regions, glaciation commenced; in others, ecosystems underwent transformations. Furthermore, this event transpired more than one and a half million years subsequent to the formation of Popigai, specifically between 33.9 and 33.4 million years ago.

2. Karakul

The second-largest impact crater resulting from a collision between Earth and an asteroid during the Cenozoic Era is Karakul. This crater, with a diameter of 52 km, is situated in one of the highest-altitude regions on our planet — the Pamir Mountains.

Within the crater lies a lake measuring 25 km in diameter. It is the largest lake in Tajikistan and is situated at an elevation of 3,960 meters. However, there exist some discrepancies concerning its age. Certain studies estimate the crater’s age at 23 to 25 million years, whereas others suggest an age of 2.6 to 5.3 million years. Consequently, it is quite plausible that this feature represents the most recent of all those listed herein.

Karakul lake. Source: Wikipedia

3. Montagnais

The third-largest impact structure of the Cenozoic is Montagnais. This impact crater, measuring 45 km in diameter, is situated on the seafloor — specifically, on the Atlantic Ocean shelf near the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. 

The age of the crater has been estimated at approximately 50.5 million years. Nonetheless, despite its size, it remains challenging to associate it with any significant event in the history of Earth’s biosphere. During that period, the Eocene epoch was ongoing, and mammals were gradually increasing in size.

4. Chesapeake Bay impact crater

Another significant crater is situated in proximity to the most populous cities along the eastern coast of the United States. This impact structure represents the formation of the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, which serves as the estuary of the Susquehanna River.

The Chesapeake Bay impact crater. Source: Wikipedia

Approximately 35.5 million years ago, an  asteroid measuring several kilometers in diameter impacted this region at a velocity of 17.8 km/s. This impact resulted in the formation of a crater with a diameter of 38 km. Notably, this event transpired merely a few hundred thousand years subsequent to the Popigai asteroid impact. 

This has prompted numerous scientists to hypothesize that multiple asteroid impacts could have potentially initiated climate change processes, resulting in mass extinction. However, once again, over a million years elapsed between these events and the subsequent alterations within the biosphere.

5. Hiawatha Glacier

For an extended period, the Hiawatha crater remained concealed from scientists beneath the glacier bearing the same name in Greenland. It was not until 2016, through the use of aerial photography, that researchers were able to ascertain that an impact structure measuring 31 km in diameter was concealed beneath the ice mass.

The topography of the Hiawatha crater is concealed beneath the Greenland ice sheet. Source: Wikipedia

The crater is estimated to be 58 million years old. This period corresponds to the Paleogene epoch, specifically its initial phase. During this time, mammals were commencing significant growth, displacing large flightless birds from their predominant ecological roles. The asteroid impact did not have a discernible effect on the biosphere. 

6. Mistastin 

Mistastin is a crater measuring 28 km in diameter situated in eastern Canada. It bears similarities to Karakul, as it contains a lake at its center that measures 16 km in diameter and has a depth of 338 meters. This geological formation was created approximately 36.4 million years ago during the late Eocene epoch.

7. Kamensk crater

The Kamensk crater is situated in the rostov region of russia, in proximity to the city of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. It possesses a diameter of 25 kilometers and is estimated to be 49 million years old. At the moment of impact, the energy released by the asteroid was still well beyond the levels of the most powerful nuclear detonations. Nevertheless, no evidence of its influence on the planet’s biosphere has been discovered.

8. Boltysh crater

One of the largest craters to form on Earth following the extinction of the dinosaurs is situated in Ukraine. It is a depression located near the village of Bovtyshka in the Kirovohrad Oblast.

Boltysh crater. Source: uain.press

The crater is enveloped by a substantial deposit of sedimentary rock; however, its characteristic features remain discernible. It measures 24 km in diameter, with its floor situated 600 meters beneath the adjacent terrain. At its core, there exists an elevation with a diameter of 6 km and a height reaching up to 550 meters. 

The age of the Boltysh crater is estimated at 65.39 million years ago. This indicates that the asteroid responsible for its formation impacted Earth approximately a few hundred thousand years subsequent to the Chicxulub event. Consequently, at the time of this impact, the remaining dinosaurs may still have been inhabiting the Earth.

9. Haughton

The Haughton crater is situated on the expansive Arctic island of Devon, which is part of Canada. The crater measures 23 km in diameter, and the asteroid responsible for its formation was approximately 2 km across. The geological structure is estimated to be between 31 and 32 million years old. It was formed subsequent to the most significant mass extinction event of the Cenozoic Era, occurring during the predominantly dry and cool Oligocene period on Earth.

Location of the Haughton impact crater. Source: Wikipedia

10. Almería 

The smallest among the significant craters formed following the extinction of the dinosaurs is situated in the Spanish province of Almería. Nonetheless, ascertaining its precise dimensions presents considerable challenges. The crater itself has a diameter of merely 4 km; however, the ring structures encircling it extend between 20 and 22 km in diameter. 

It is also quite possible that this is the youngest among all ten largest craters (assuming Karakul is indeed 25 million years old). It was formed at a time when hominid primates were already inhabiting the planet.

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

Black Disk Seen Near Mercury mission while in orbit, 1961, UFO UAP Sighting News.

Date of discovery: June 28, 2026

Date of event: Sept 13, 1961

Location of discovery: Earths atmosphere 

Source: 

• https://tothemoon.im-ldi.com/gallery/Mercury/4/9

 

This is a UFO disk caught in a single frame of film from the 1961 Mercury mission. This mission was a crucial uncrewed test flight of NASA's Project Mercury program. It successfully completed one orbit around the Earth, evaluating spacecraft performance and testing the global tracking network, which paved the way for crewed orbital flights. 

 

On the far left of the photo there is a grey dark metal disk. I estimate its size to be about 12 meters across. It makes sense that aliens would want to observe NASA missions. Aliens don't like gold or diamonds, their wealth is knowledge. So...thats why they observe to see, research and record something new in human history that others of their species will find fascinating. You see, most alien species are so old, they have lost their own history millions of years ago. So they experiment with us, since some of them are our creators. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily 

 

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

US military stumped by UFO sightings over bases: Ex-defense official

by Michael Ramsey and Ashley N. Soriano 

(NewsNation) — Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) disclosure advocate Christopher Mellon says a large part of the discussion about UFOs hinges on incursions over American military bases and the possibility that adversaries are using drones or another tech to surveil the U.S.

“I’m sorry to say these kind of incursions have been happening at bases all over the United States and overseas. It isn’t as widely known as it ought to be,” Mellon, a former senior official in the Defense Department, told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Thursday.

He estimates hundreds of incidents occur annually that baffle military leaders. In one series of events, Mellon said, UAP violated airspace over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days straight, prompting officials to move a squadron of jets.

“If the air combat command at Langley can’t control its own airspace, then you wonder how effectively they could protect Washington,” he noted.

Fight for UFO disclosure

Mellon was the keynote speaker Thursday at a UFO public disclosure forum, in which he said, “Some objects were deliberately trying to provoke us. It’s happened with our navy ships at sea.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (D-Fla.) says credible people want the public to know about recovered, non-human spacecraft and biologics, but they are worried about retribution, so she’s working to get them immunity.

“We know there have been credible whistleblowers … but they are worried about losing their clearances,” she said.

She will provide a list to Congress of people who should be granted immunity.

Mellon says it’s only a matter of time until the public gets the full disclosure.

In some cases, the unidentified objects could be drones, and in some cases, they could be more advanced technology, Mellon says. It’s been going on for decades, dating back to World War II. “It was not as much in our face as we’ve been experiencing lately,” he says.

The Pentagon, which has released some files tied to UAPs at the direction of President Trump, is seemingly mystified.

The U.S. Air Force once paid CU Boulder to study UFOs. Here’s what it found.

Richard Sigismond, shown here in 1983, was a Boulder resident who believed that UFOs are piloted by extraterrestrials.

Carnegie Library for Local History/Daily Camera Collection

In 1966, the U.S. Air Force funded a study at the University of Colorado Boulder to determine whether unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were extraterrestrial. CU astrophysicist Dr. Edward U. Condon studied reports of flying saucers and other mysterious airborne objects and declared them largely unfounded. A few years later, Boulder resident and social psychologist Richard Sigismond refuted Condon’s conclusions. 

UFOs now are called unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). They face new scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as the general public. Now is a good time to look up — and look back — to see how Boulder fits into this “twilight zone” mystery. 

For centuries, people have questioned unidentified objects seen in the sky. Nearly a century ago, in 1938, announcer Orson Welles caused a nationwide panic when he breathlessly interrupted his own radio show with descriptions of creatures emerging from an alien spacecraft on a farm in New Jersey. Although he prefaced his show with a statement that the following program was science fiction, his “War of the Worlds” episode caused panic among many listeners who believed that alien invaders had even taken over the streets of New York City.

It wasn’t until July 8, 1947, however, that the Daily Camera published multiple reports of “mysterious flying discs” in Boulder County. The objects were said to have been very bright and to move erratically. Some had pulsating red lights.

Prompting the reports was a questionable (and later refuted) report that personnel from the Roswell Army Airfield, in Roswell, New Mexico, had captured a “flying saucer” on a local ranch. Like Welles’ radio show, the “news” was splashed all over the country.

The day of the “capture” in Roswell, a Boulder newspaper writer stated, “The first report of a ‘flying disc’ over Boulder was made today. Mrs. Ernestine Pettengill, of 1354 Arapahoe, and a friend, Mrs. Ruth Bradley of Los Angeles, were walking near 15th and Grove streets at 10:30 Monday night when they saw one of the mysterious objects which have aroused nationwide curiosity.”

According to Mrs. Pettengill’s description, the object was “blue in the center and white around the edge. It was round, flat, and quite bright.” She then added, “I had been very skeptical of the talk about flying discs until I saw one myself.” 

The local press, for years, continued to publish similar accounts. In 1960, Boulder County resident Ray Hawks was driving a tractor in Left Hand Canyon and watched a “flying saucer” hover for about 15 minutes. Hawks claimed that his tractor suddenly didn’t work, and the “saucer” made an “off-beat humming noise and exuded a kind of bluish smoke.”

He then told a newspaper writer, “I thought the reports of these strange aircraft were a lot of hogwash. I know better now. I was really shaken by this experience.”

In 1966, the U.S. Air Force commissioned a formal investigation headed by astrophysicist Dr. Edward U. Condon at the University of Colorado, in Boulder. The study’s purpose was to produce an unbiased scientific investigation into the possibility that unidentified flying objects may be of extraterrestrial origin.  

Look magazine came out with two articles critical of Condon’s research. The first writer, in 1967, stated, “The UFO conflict long since has escalated into a religious war, with ‘believers’ on one side and ‘nonbelievers’ on the other, and Heaven help the agnostics like Dr. Condon, who say they don’t know what to believe and try to find out through logic and inquiry.”

Condon’s $500,000 “Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects” was released in 1968. “Our general conclusion,” he stated, “is that nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to science knowledge.” Another Look magazine article in 1968 called the study a “fiasco” and claimed that it was not objective.

Watching Condon’s study unfold was Boulder resident Richard Sigismond, who stated in a 1985 interview with the Daily Camera that he was a social scientist, a ufologist, and a senior investigator with CUFOS (Center for UFO Studies). He explained that his job was to “seek intelligent life — elsewhere.” He traveled (at his own expense) to sighting locations and often hypnotized individuals who claimed to have been abducted by aliens. 

Sigismond said he had examined cattle mutilations, listened to traumatized witnesses and personally experienced two “close encounters,” but he had never met an extraterrestrial. Of that possibility, he told his interviewer, “I cannot help but feel that I would be in awe of them, respectful of their advances in physics that we haven’t quite yet dreamed of.” He died in 2018 at the age of 89.

Today, the controversy continues, with new sightings still being reported, and “little green men” perpetuated in pop culture. Perhaps a new generation of “believers” and “nonbelievers” will come up with some answers. Some would say that the answer is still up in the air. 

Graffiti Wall at Mauerpark in Berlin, Germany, plays on the image of “little green men.” 2020.

Wikimedia, public domain

{ https://boulderreportinglab.org/}