Cosmic gymnastics: Study reveals how our Milky Way once underwent a dramatic FLIP

• READ MORE: Scientists detect SUGAR in the centre of the Milky Way

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

While the Milky Way might look calm and stable today, scientists say a grand display of cosmic gymnastics once turned our galaxy upside down.

Researchers have discovered that the Milky Way once underwent a dramatic 'major disc flip'.

At some point in the distant past, the vast stellar disc changed orientation by more than 90 degrees – dragging our solar system along for the ride.

According to the results of a new study, this likely happened after a violent head–on collision with another drifting galaxy.

About 10 to 11 billion years ago, the Milky Way smashed into a massive dwarf galaxy known as Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus, or the Gaia Sausage for short.

We already know this impact knocked billions of stars into looping sausage–shaped paths, but researchers now say it may have also flipped our galaxy.

Lead author Dr Kirill Batrakov, of Durham University, says: 'We already know that the Milky Way had a massive head–on collision.

'So, we think that the Milky Way disc likely flipped in the past.'

Scientists say the Milky Way underwent a dramatic 'disc flip' in the distant past. These pictures show a simulation of a Milky Way–like galaxy undergoing a similar flip, starting from the oldest image (z=3.4) to its final position (z=0)

This revelation about our galaxy's past transformations actually emerged from the quest to solve one of the Milky Way's greatest puzzles.

The majority of the stars in our galaxy are located in the flat spiral disk, a region about 120,000 light–years in diameter and 1,000 light–years thick.

This is surrounded by the sparsely populated stellar halo, an enormous region roughly 300,000 light–years across, but extending over a million light–years in diameter at its absolute outer limits.

This is largely made up of stars that have been pulled into the Milky Way from other galaxies over time through galactic mergers.

What makes the Milky Way's stellar halo so unusual is that it rotates incredibly slowly compared to other galaxies.

The European Space Agency's Gaia mission found that it could take up to a billion years for a star in this outermost region to make its way around the galactic core.

Until now, researchers have had no idea why this would be the case.

In their paper, presented this week at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Birmingham, researchers analysed the simulated evolution of 25 Milky Way–like galaxies.

Scientists think that this ancient flip could explain why the stellar halo, the outermost disc of the galaxy, rotates so slowly. Pictured: An artist's impression of the Milky Way seen from above 

The flip may have been caused by a collision between the Milky Way and a dwarf galaxy called Gaia–Sausage–Enceladus between 10 and 11 billion years ago. Pictured: Artists' impression of the collision with the simulated positions and motions of the stars in Gaia–Enceladus shown with yellow arrows

The scientists followed these simulated galaxies' evolution over billions of years and watched how they changed.

They discovered that the galaxies with the slowest stellar halos had two things in common: they had all had a head–on collision with another galaxy, and they had all undergone a major disc flip.

The fact that the Milky Way has both a glacial stellar halo and a head–on collision in its ancient past, therefore, makes it likely that the galaxy also underwent a disc flip.

This means that the galaxy we recognise today might have looked and behaved dramatically differently several billion years ago.

'A disc flip also means most of the Milky Way's stars once moved on very different trajectories than they do today – possibly even our own Sun,' says Dr Batrakov.

'Meaning our "stable" spot in the galaxy might not have been so stable for the Solar System's whole lifetime.'

Since we live inside the Milky Way, we can study its workings better than any other galaxy in the cosmos, making it the perfect laboratory for testing ideas about galaxy evolution.

With this extra knowledge about our own galaxy's history, scientists can start to make more sense of the baffling variety of cosmic structures out in the universe.

These images show the evolution of a Milky Way–like galaxy that did not have a collision with another galaxy and, therefore, did not experience a disc flip

Dr Batrakov adds: 'Finding that its disc flipped adds a new chapter to that story, one we must account for when placing the Milky Way in a broader context of other galaxies.

'What excites me the most is that this complex history can be reconstructed just from present–day observations.'

The researchers also found that the Milky Way's stellar halo is closely linked to the rotation of the invisible, but critical, dark matter halo.

This hidden disc of undetectable matter makes up the majority of the mass in the galaxy and holds the structure together like a gravitational glue.

That means understanding the origin of our own slow–moving stellar halo could help shed light on one of science's greatest mysteries.

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

The new study, which appeared in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, argues that widespread aquatic deoxygenation—reduced levels of dissolved oxygen in oceans and coastal waters, lakes, rivers, and streams—is increasingly becoming a problem, and one that influences nine other crucial environmental processes.

These processes are all included in what is known as the Planetary Boundaries framework, a science-based tool that outlines the requirements of a safe operating space for humanity. Introduced in 2009 by Earth system scientists led by Johan Rockström, this framework identifies nine critical environmental processes that regulate Earth’s stability.

Specifically, the nine planetary boundaries outlined in this framework are climate change, biosphere integrity, land use changes, biogeochemical flow of nutrients, ocean acidification, freshwater changes, atmospheric aerosol loading, stratospheric ozone depletion, and pollution.

Now, the Scripps researchers behind the recent study say they believe dissolved oxygen levels should also be formally included in this framework.

Aquatic Deoxygenation is a Growing Concern

Erica Ferrer, a Scripps Oceanography alumna and current postdoctoral scholar at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and lead author of the new study, says that her team’s work “is designed to elevate the profile of aquatic deoxygenation as a global threat and show that it does not operate in isolation.”

“The health and stability of our planet depends on the health and stability of aquatic ecosystems, which need oxygen to function normally,” Ferrer said.

Driving this growing problem, the new research says, is the excessive influx of nutrient pollution into water bodies, as well as anthropogenic warming, and changes occurring in natural ventilation systems within deep ocean waters.

With depleting oxygen levels scientists are seeing, longer-term changes to chemical and biological processes that regulate our planet’s climate are expected to occur. The decline, Ferrer and her colleagues argue, is also likely to impact a diverse range of aquatic organisms and ecosystems.

Even ocean mammals that acquire air at the surface are likely to be impacted, since deoxygenation can either cause the relocation or outright depletion of the organisms that make up their diets. This, in addition to causing severe damage to habitats and alterations to the food webs they depend on.

Ferrer and her colleague, study co-author and Scripps biological oceanographer Lisa Levin, are hopeful that their findings will encourage a deeper level of engagement on the potential ramifications of aquatic oxygen loss, and how other environmental challenges outlined in the planetary boundaries framework can act as multipliers, rather than separate existential concerns.

“Adding aquatic deoxygenation to the Planetary Boundaries framework will help us understand its impacts on Earth system stability,” Ferrer said in a statement, adding that mitigation of ocean deoxygenation impacts “represents a critical component of maintaining biodiversity and climate.”

Levin, Ferrer, and their colleagues’ study, “Abundant interactions and feedbacks between aquatic deoxygenation and the other planetary boundaries suggest ‘unsafe’ levels of oxygen loss with far‐reaching impacts,” appeared in the journal Limnology and Oceanography on June 30, 2026.

• 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/ }

Casimir Werk Saw a UFO in 1905 and Then the Mystery Got Even Deeper

By Greg Hand

James Herbert’s model airships. Including the one seen by Casimir Werk, were constructed of paper and filled with hot air from a paraffin lamp. From "Cincinnati Post," August 23, 1905

Casimir Werk, grandson of the millionaire soap maker and vintner for whom Werk Road is named, saw a UFO one balmy Sunday evening in 1905. The unidentified flying object was soon revealed as an identified flying object but yielded an even bigger mystery.

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer [August 28, 1905] Werk watched an unidentified object he believed might be an airship explode while it flew westward on the previous evening:

“Mr. Werk was standing in front of his parents’ home on La Feuille avenue, Westwood, about 6 o’clock, when he saw a peculiar formation in the sky. He secured field glasses and soon had them focused upon the object which he believes to have been an airship. He claims it was about 100 feet long and shaped like a projectile.”

While following the flying object with his binoculars, Werk watched it rock up and down like a ship tossed by waves in the ocean. It then burst into flame, the entire structure consumed, and fell from the sky, lost in the evening haze. The Enquirer was unable to locate anyone else who saw the thing, nor anyone who found any wreckage:

“The police knew nothing of the doings up above the sky line of Cincinnati, nor did the Coroner receive any report of the mangled remains of an airship operator being found within the limits of the county.”

Apparently, neither Werk nor the Enquirer reporter had read the previous Wednesday’s Cincinnati Post [August 23,1905], containing a lengthy feature about a teenage boy in Camp Washington and his attempts to build an airship capable of carrying passengers.

“Undaunted by poverty, working alone on a principle he believes will ultimately succeed, even beyond his fondest dreams; toiling only in spare hours, because he had to earn a living, James Herbert, scarcely more than 18, of 3067 Colerain-av., is building an airship, which he thinks will fly.”

The Post described how young Herbert constructed large balloons out of paper, filled them with air heated by a paraffin-fueled burner, and directed their flight by a spring-powered propeller.

On Sunday, the very day Werk saw his mystery airship, the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [August 27, 1905] published its own profile of young James Herbert and claimed the young inventor was inspired by a contest sponsored by the newspaper:

“James started in several years ago when a children’s contest was on in The Commercial Tribune and his drawing of an airship model and ideas of the same were accepted by The Commercial Tribune and printed with his photo.”

Herbert, according to this report, had already launched several airship models of rather impressive size:

“A few days ago one twenty feet long and seven feet in diameter was sent up from an empty lot near Herbert’s home. Its weight was fifteen pounds, and its lifting power an additional fifteen pounds. It came to earth near a large building in Lick Run, the gas having given out. It was made of heavy tissue paper.”

James Herbert prepares one of his large model airships for launch.

From "Cincinnati Post," August 23, 1905

A Camp Washington resident informed the Enquirer [August 29, 1905] that Werk’s mystery airship was among the experimental flights of young Herbert. The Cincinnati Times-Star [August 29, 1905] calmed a very much relieved Werk by proving he had not been hallucinating:

“‘That’s exactly it,’ said Casimir Werk, jun., of Westwood, when the airship he saw Sunday evening was described to him Tuesday by a Times-Star reporter. ‘Yes, sir, that is just what I saw Sunday evening. No, I have not heard from young Herbert, the inventor. I never heard of him before.’”

The Times-Star interviewed James Herbert’s father, who expressed a frustrated resignation about his son’s aeronautical obsession:

“‘I’m down on this airship business. I don’t take any stock in it and pay little attention to this thing of trying to fly around in the air like birds.’ Such is the opinion of George Herbert, father of Jas. Herbert, the Colerain avenue lad who is bent on building a craft with which to navigate the upper air.”

The Enquirer chided the skeptics who refused to believe Casimir Werk:

“Those who saw fit to twit Mr. Werk yesterday for having seen what they did not will now have to back water.”

With that, James Herbert, boy inventor, fades from the annals of history. Only one additional newspaper story, printed in the Enquirer [September 2, 1905], references James Herbert’s airships, but doesn’t mention him by name, identifying him only as “the young Cumminsville inventor.” That story describes two bright lights floating high above League Park—later to be rebuilt as Crosley Field—at 7:30 p.m., either remaining quite steady or traveling against a “stiff breeze.” Among the witnesses was Cincinnati Police Lieutenant John W. Scahill, who asserted that the lights were attached to a controlled aircraft and not to a kite or balloon. (The Reds were in Chicago that day, losing 3-2.)

Here is the mystery: There is no record of a James Herbert living on Colerain Avenue anywhere near this time. The censuses of 1900 and 1910 record no one by that name at all. None of the city directories from that time list a James Herbert on or near Colerain Avenue. The census and city directories do record several George Herberts, but none of them live on Colerain Avenue and none have a son named James. Additionally, the Sanborn Insurance Map for 1904 shows 3067 Colerain as a vacant lot.

The Commercial Tribune claims that James Herbert got his start in aircraft design by entering a children’s contest “seven years ago” with his portrait and a picture of an airship printed in the newspaper. In fact, the Commercial Tribune did sponsor a contest, “What Is Your Idea Of A Successful Flying Machine?”, in April 1899, six years previous. The winning entries were published on April 16 and April 23, with occasional late entries appearing later in the year. None were submitted by anyone named James Herbert.

It’s unlikely the newspapers got James Herbert’s name wrong. Miraculously, for that time, three newspapers spelled his name identically. Two newspapers cited the same address. The mystery deepens. Whatever became of Cincinnati’s airship inventor, James Herbert?

It’s not like Cincinnatians had never seen an airship, as motorized balloons were called back then. Even as James Herbert was enjoying his 15 minutes of fame, the Hamilton County Fair announced that either Roy Knabenshue or Leo Stevens, two competing dirigible pilots, would fly around the Carthage Fairgrounds that September.

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

Trump directs agencies to waive NDAs for former employees involved in UFO investigations: report

The nondisclosure agreements have proved an impediment to government investigations into UAPs, also known as UFOs, and the directive is intended to ease this source of reluctance.

By Kevin Killough

President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to waive the nondisclosure agreements that former government employees and contractors signed while they were working on investigations involving unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), also known as UFOs. 

The directives were given to the Department of War and the intelligence community, Fox News reported, citing unnamed sources. 

The order asks that the agencies allow former government employees and contractors who have relevant information about UAPs to come forward to meet with representatives of Trump's UAP taskforce, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). Any NDAs they signed would be waived under the order. 

A senior administration official stressed that the directive is not a "declassification directive" and only allows employees and contractors to come forward through government channels. 

The NDAs have proved an impediment to government investigations into UAPs, and the directive is intended to ease this source of reluctance. 

{ https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies }

800 Million Years Ago, a Catastrophic Asteroid Breakup Rained Fire on the Inner Solar System

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

Time traveler claiming to be from the year 2045 delivers alarming predictions for the next four years

• MORE: Strange detail in 1977 Elvis concert photo fuels wild time-travel theories 

By CHRIS MELORE, US DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR

A man claiming to be a time traveler from the year 2045 says the world will gain definitive proof that aliens exist, cash will be extinct and the US will no longer be a country within the next four years.

Calling himself Adam Archon, the mysterious man claimed the technology to travel in time will become publicly accessible in 2028, the same year he said extraterrestrials land on Earth and end decades of secrecy by governments worldwide.

Archon, who claimed he was born on December 6, 2019, without any proof, recorded his supposed knowledge of the future during a March 2019 video which recently resurfaced online amid the public release of classified UFO files by the Pentagon.

While allegedly connected to an active lie detector machine, Archon said: 'Yes, it is true that aliens did land on Earth in August 2028. In fact, we have known of the existence of aliens before 2028, but it isn't until 2028 that it becomes public knowledge.'

Archon, whose face was blurred and voice altered during the interview with the YouTube channel Apex TV, said he had traveled back to a time before he was born to experience history in-person, which he claimed was a common practice in the future.

'Time travel was released to the public in 2028, but it was invented in 1981. It was just kept secret until they released it publicly,' he claimed.

Moreover, Archon claimed that most UFO sightings today were actually the craft used by time travelers from the future to go back in time to visit historical events.

According to the ten-minute interview, which has been viewed more than 1.3 million times, Archon was telling the truth, with Apex TV claiming every answer registered as truthful on the lie detector test.

A man calling himself Adam Archon alleged in 2019 that he was a time traveler from the year 2045

Archon claimed that current UFO sightings were actually time travel capsules containing humans from the future

Archon also mentioned the public will start getting an implanted chip called 'The One' in their right hand in February 2029.

The device allegedly lets users pay for items, boosts brain function and improves health. This system will supposedly replace all global currencies, making cash extinct.

This technology has existed for the last decade, with people having the ability to get a small microchip implanted in their hand so they can pay for things such as coffee or groceries just by waving their hand near a scanner typically used for credit cards.

According to the self-proclaimed time traveler, who did not show any physical proof he was from the future in his interview, this new system of digital money would debut right before the third chilling world event - the end of the US government.

Archon claimed that in 2030, the US would no longer be an independent nation and would instead become part of a new world government that splits up the globe by continent - with the US becoming part of 'District 3.'

The new world order, he said, was also said to be run by an AI program named The Light that will be released in 2033.

Archon claimed it was built into every electronic device, allowing anyone to talk to it and ask it anything. However, a group of ten government officials monitored all of The Light's decisions to make sure it was ruling ethically.

By 2045, Archon said scientists developed the technology to clone dinosaurs, creating a real-life 'Jurassic Park' where the public can visit prehistoric creatures.

'You can see T-rexes, Triceratops, velociraptors. If they existed, you can see them. People can go and visit things in the past, like to go visit the dinosaurs or major world events.'

   

Skeptics have claimed that Archon's January 2019 video was 'rehearsed' and fake, noting the time difference in the supposed three-minute speech

A self-proclaimed time traveler from 2045 has claimed that scientists developed the ability to clone and recreate dinosaurs (artist's impression)

While the March 25, 2019, video claimed that Archon was telling the truth, multiple pieces of his story did not add up and would be impossible under US laws.

In a separate video posted in January 2019, Archon started by claiming that there would be a documented increase in the number of UFO sightings worldwide that same year. While that did actually happen, his information about 2020 was way off.

'In 2020, there will be a robot released to the public that causes a lot of controversy,' he said in the three-minute video that did not involve a lie detector.

There has been no clear evidence that a robot was released that caused major controversy in the US or worldwide. 

Archon also failed to mention anything about the coming Covid-19 pandemic or anything for the following seven years.

Viewers of his January video claimed that Archon's statement was suspicious since the clock seen next to him showed nearly 15 minutes of real time passing despite the clip only being three minutes long.

One skeptic said: 'Does anyone else see that the video is 3:36 minutes long but the clock in the back moves a good 15 minutes? That means this was rehearsed and they had to cut out the mistakes.'

Meanwhile, Archon's shocking claim about the final president in US history would seem to be completely implausible.

'Yolanda Renee King does become, and she is in fact noted as the greatest president of the United States, yes I can confirm,' Archon claimed while taking the lie detector test.

King, 18, is the only grandchild of Martin Luther King Jr and is already known for being an author and activist, specifically against gun violence.

However, Archon's timeline with King becoming president could not come true if the US were no longer an independent nation by 2030.

King will turn 35 years old in 2043, the age at which an American citizen can legally run for office under current US law. The next presidential election would not be until 2044.

Scientists have stated that time travel into the past is not only possible; the math to make it happen actually aligns with Einstein's famed theory of general relativity - which says that space and time are linked together as 'spacetime,' and gravity is the result of massive objects like planets and stars curving this spacetime.

Despite the theory of time travel appearing to be plausible, there has been no concrete evidence that humans can regularly move backward through time, or have a craft capable of doing that.

Meanwhile, the US government has repeatedly stated that no physical proof of extraterrestrials or UFOs has ever been presented.

Archon had claimed in the video that the aliens who make contact with humans in 2028 'do not come from space.'

'I cannot elaborate on where they come from because of the possibility of a paradox,' he alleged.

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

 By Morgan Phillips Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to waive prior nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) for former government employees and contractors cooperating with unidentified anomalous phenomena investigations, Fox News Digital has learned.

"President Trump recently directed the Department of War and the intelligence community to allow former government employees or contractors, that have relevant information about the disclosure of UAP, to come forward to meet with designated government representatives — AARO or the President’s UAP taskforce, ‘PURSUE’ — and have their prior NDAs abrogated," a senior administration official said, with AARO referring to the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, the Pentagon office established to investigate UFOs and other unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs).

Another senior administration official emphasized the move was not a "declassification directive" and only allowed employees to come forward through government channels.

Officials say years of congressional inquiries, whistleblower allegations and newly declassified records have raised questions about whether additional witnesses have remained silent because they believed prior nondisclosure agreements prevented them from cooperating with government investigations.

Newly released infrared footage from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command shows an object officials described as resembling a six-pointed star over the Yellow Sea Jan. 1, 2025.  

(Department of War )

• NEW TRUMP UFO FILE DUMP INCLUDES MILITARY FOOTAGE OF MYSTERIOUS STAR-SHAPED OBJECT

• UFO WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS BILLIONS IN SECRET SPENDING HIDDEN FROM CONGRESS

"People who believe that they have information have expressed reluctance in coming forward," the official said. "We are eliminating that source of reluctance."

Like other government employees and defense contractors with access to classified information or sensitive national security programs, many witnesses would have signed nondisclosure agreements as a condition of receiving security clearances or access to restricted information. Those agreements generally prohibit unauthorized disclosure of classified or otherwise protected information and typically remain in effect even after an individual leaves government service.

Former officials and contractors who disclose protected information without authorization risk losing security clearances, facing civil penalties or, in some circumstances, criminal prosecution if classified information is improperly disclosed.

Under the new process, former government employees and contractors who believe they possess relevant UAP information would first meet with designated officials at the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) or the president's UAP task force, PURSUE, who hold the appropriate security clearances. During those authorized discussions, any applicable nondisclosure agreements could be waived, allowing witnesses to share information without fear of violating prior agreements.

Information provided through the process would be reviewed through the administration's existing declassification procedures.

"Any information that is received that sheds light on the UAP mystery will ultimately be made public," the official said.

The official said the administration does not know whether potential witnesses actually possess significant new information, but wants to remove any perceived legal barriers so investigators can determine whether previously undisclosed information exists.

"You don't know what you don't know," the official said.

The official said the focus is on incidents that remain unexplained, rather than known foreign technology, classified U.S. programs or natural phenomena.

The latest directive builds on the Trump administration's broader effort to declassify decades of government records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena. Previous releases have included FBI and Pentagon records describing unexplained sightings reported by military personnel, law enforcement and astronauts, including accounts of glowing "mother orbs" that witnesses said released smaller objects near a sensitive U.S. national security site, mysterious orange spheres observed during military operations, and Apollo-era transcripts in which astronauts described unexplained lights and "jagged, angular fragments" drifting outside their spacecraft.

The latest tranche of UAP records included expanded details and imagery from a 2015 incident involving an unidentified object over the Pantex nuclear weapons facility in Texas, along with newly declassified infrared footage showing a mysterious six-pointed star-shaped object tracked by a U.S. military sensor over the Yellow Sea on Jan. 1, 2025.

The official said the next tranche of files will be made available "very soon."

The directive follows years of complaints from some lawmakers and whistleblowers that former officials with firsthand knowledge were reluctant to come forward because of secrecy obligations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in 2023 that multiple individuals with firsthand knowledge had approached the committee but were hesitant to speak publicly because of potential repercussions.

"Some of these people still work in the government and frankly, a lot of them are very fearful — fearful of their jobs, fearful of their clearances, fearful of their career, and some, frankly, are fearful of harm coming to them," he said on News Nation in June 2023.

"Grant immunity to anyone who has already come forward, and everyone who will come forward. Open the door and let them speak," Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., demanded during a June 9 press conference on Capitol Hill.

Public interest in UAPs accelerated in 2017 after The New York Times revealed the Pentagon had quietly operated a secret program to investigate unexplained aerial encounters and published Navy cockpit videos showing objects exhibiting unusual flight characteristics.

Since then, Congress has held multiple bipartisan hearings on the issue, lawmakers have pressed intelligence agencies for greater transparency, and former intelligence officer David Grusch's allegations that the government had concealed information about UAP programs renewed calls for additional disclosure, despite the government's denial of his central claims.

During the same event, former Air Force intelligence officer Grusch renewed his allegations that secret UAP programs had operated outside normal congressional oversight, calling it "a real fraud, waste and abuse issue" and claiming his investigation uncovered "slush funds to the tune of billions of dollars per annum for these activities."

The Pentagon has disputed Grusch's central claims, and AARO has said its investigations found no verified evidence of extraterrestrial technology or credible evidence that the government has secretly recovered or reverse-engineered craft of non-human origin.

{ https://www.foxnews.com/category/science/air-and-space/ufos }

Deep-Sea Coral Reef Spotted in the 1960s was Considered Dead

According to a statement announcing the unexpected discovery, previous historical surveys of the area had indicated a possible reef more than 50 meters below the water’s surface. When a 1960s survey detected the unusual feature, they suspected it was a coral reef that was likely dead.

When team leader Gérard Zinzindohoué and colleagues studied the features, they suspected that the team from the 60s may have provided them with a golden scientific opportunity. Although the feature’s depth ruled out a typical shallow-water coral reef, the researchers note that it could be an entirely different kind of reef structure, known as a mesophotic coral ecosystem, that can inhabit such depths.

The examined region may be part of a much larger system stretching nearly 25 miles parallel to Benin.

“A mesophotic coral ecosystem lives deeper than the usual shallow coral reefs, in zones where light is much more limited,” Zinzindohoué explained. “Unlike typical shallow reefs, it does not always form a single continuous reef structure. Instead, it can appear as patchy or scattered coral communities spread across the seafloor.”

Instead of using mid-twentieth-century technology to settle the debate, the team turned to the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab, which provided access to its Deep-Sea Camera System.

A Deep Sea Camera System from National Geographic’s Exploration Technology Lab resurfaces after capturing footage of the coral reef.

Credit: Ghislain Adjahouisso

“We Could Actually See the Sea Floor”

Following the path set out by the 1960s survey, the team used the underwater camera to map the seafloor with sonar. After several passes, the team covered a total of 11.5 kilometers. Zinzindohoué highlighted the difficulty of the effort, noting that it was “not an easy field campaign.”

“It was a mix of long days at sea, technical problems, and a lot of uncertainty,” the researcher explained. “But then we saw structures on the sonar that looked like they could be reef signatures, which gave us hope that we were close.”

The closer the team drove the Deep-Sea Explorer’s cameras, the more the shockingly unexpected scene began to unfold.

“That was a big moment for us, because suddenly we could actually see the seafloor,” Zinzindohoué said.

Instead of the dark, lifeless structure anticipated by the original survey team, the new team found a healthy reef containing eight distinct types of coral. The system was also actively supporting eight fish species, with the camera capturing them feeding and sheltering among the corals. The species identified by the team include golden African snappers, blackbar soldierfish, Guinean angelfish, West African goatfish, the Monrovia doctorfish, three-banded butterflyfish, and two distinct species of damselfish.

“I still remember seeing those first images,” Zinzindohoué recalled of the vibrant ecosystem lying directly in front of the cameras. “It was a mix of excitement and disbelief, because after all this time thinking about this reef, suddenly there was something real in front of us.”

More Research Needed to Determine if the Coral Reef Was Ever Dead

When discussing the discovery’s significance, Zinzindohoué said that to the team’s knowledge, “this is the first confirmed record of a living mesophotic coral ecosystem on the Gulf of Guinea continental shelf.”

Although the cameras captured a complex ecosystem, the researchers said that the reef does not appear to be a continuous barrier. Instead, the deep-sea environment consists of several patches of coral that occupy rocky seabed areas most suitable for their survival. Still, they add that further surveys may identify more reefs in the same area.

Footage from the National Geographic Exploration Technology Lab’s Deep Sea Camera System captures a sea floor rich with marine life.

Credit: Gérard Zinzindohoué/IRHOB

“I think what we found is probably not an exception,” Zinzindohoué said. “It is more likely a reflection of how little we still know about coastal regions in West Africa and elsewhere. If we were able to find this reef again after 60 years, how many others are still undocumented or simply forgotten?”

Since the team was unable to sample the corals directly, they were unable to confirm the species identification with genetic analysis. The team was also hesitant to condemn the original 1960s survey, noting that it is impossible to tell, without more data, whether the corals were dead at the time and have since rebounded.

“This is still an initial exploration,” Zinzindohoué said. “The historical reports suggested that this could be a continuous coral reef barrier extending roughly 40 kilometers parallel to the coast. We only surveyed a small section of this area, and we had a limited number of visual transects.”

Although there are no immediate plans for a return expedition, the research leader said the only thing holding them back from learning more about these ecosystems, which are “still poorly known in this part of the world,” is adequate financial support.

Mesophotic coral reefs live at deeper depths than typical, shallower coral.

Credit: Gérard Zinzindohoué

“If I had all the grant money in the world, the first thing I would do is return to the site with a proper scientific diving and sampling program,” he said, before adding that “every additional piece of information matters.”

“I do believe there are more coral systems out there that we have not yet documented,” he said. “But we should not assume they are everywhere. Each discovery needs to be confirmed. Without going back into the field, we are really just guessing.”

On a personal note, the team leader said the most exciting part is understanding the reef’s history and the lessons that can be gleaned from this underexplored region.

“It feels like we have only just started to read an archive that has been there for a very long time.”

The study “First evidence of live mesophotic coral reefs on the Benin continental shelf” was published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

• Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org

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

NASA's Perseverance Rover Uncovers Evidence of 4 Billion Year Old Impacts

NASA's Perseverance rover continues to explore the rim of the Jezero Crater, an impact basin in Mars' northern hemisphere that once supported a lake. In so doing, the rover's mission team continues to reveal more about the Red Planet's past, when liquid water once flowed across its surface. In addition, the rover has made several findings that are leading to a better understanding among scientists of the planet's geological history and the forces that shaped its surface.

In a study that appeared earlier this week in the *Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets*, a team led by researchers from Imperial College London announced that they had uncovered an ancient feature formed by repeated asteroid impacts. This 75-meter (245-foot) thick stack of layered bedrock, known as the “Broom Point member” by the rover’s science team, likely formed over 3.9 billion years ago. This makes it some of the oldest terrain ever examined by the Martian rover and a window into the Solar System’s Late Heavy Bombardment Era.

US-SPACE-AEROSPACE-NASA-MARS

A full scale model of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is displayed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on February 16, 2021 in Pasadena, California. The Mars exploration rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life and collect rock samples for future return to Earth to study the red planet's geology and climate, paving the way for human exploration. Perseverance also carries the experimental Ingenuity Mars Helicopter - which will attempt the first powered, controlled flight on another planet. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

This period, which occurred between 4.1 and 3.8 billion years ago, was one of the most dynamic and chaotic in the history of the Solar System. As the name suggests, it was characterized by a higher-than-normal rate of asteroid and comet impacts on celestial bodies in the inner Solar System, including Earth, the Moon, and Mars. After leaving the Jezero Crater in late 2024, Perseverance began exploring the western rim and surrounding environment using its suite of scientific instruments.

*NASA’s Perseverance rover captured its own tracks descending from the rim of Jezero Crater.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS*

Said Ken Farley, Perseverance's deputy project scientist at Caltech, in a NASA-JPL press release:

Since leaving Jezero, Perseverance has been exploring a brand-new frontier, both geographically and geologically — a chapter of Martian time that predates the crater itself. On Earth, our earliest geologic history has been fundamentally broken up, deformed, and erased by plate tectonics. Because Mars lacks plate tectonics to recycle its crust, this ancient record remains intact, giving us a rare glimpse into a geological time period that doesn’t exist on our own planet.

The data gathered at Broom Point revealed six distinct rock types, arranged in layers between angular fragments (breccias) and fine-grained rock dust. Fragments within the breccias further showed evidence of cavities formed by gas bubbles, indicating they were once molten. Another key indicator was the dark glass beads found within the layers, which form in the presence of volcanism or high-energy impacts. The largest of these were comparable to those found in ejecta caused by the ancient Chicxulub asteroid's impact on Earth (which led to the Dinosaurs' extinction).

The repeated appearance of these rock types in layered form also indicates that the high-energy impact events happened repeatedly in this region. As Farley notes, some of the rock layers have a near-vertical tilt (more than 80 degrees), far too steep to have been caused by the same impact that created Jezero Crater around the same time. Said Alex Jones, a Ph.D. student in planetary geology at ICL and lead author of the paper:

The different rock layers are a record of variable-sized impacts occurring at different distances from where this rock sequence was accumulating. Some large impacts took place very far away, some small impacts nearby. Their debris all ended up landing here, constructing this thick section of rock.

*This orbital map shows the path NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover took from its 2021 landing site in Jezero Crater to the “Broom Point” location in mid-2025.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MRO/HIRISE/UA/ICL*

The layered formation of the rock may also suggest interactions with water or ice, while some appear to have formed from rapid debris flows. On Earth, these flows can occur when molten rock comes into contact with water or ice, instantly transforming them into steam. The team theorizes that a massive asteroid impact and the presence of water or ice shaped the landscape billions of years ago. The impact came first and formed the 1,900-km (1,200-mi) wide Isidis Basin, one of the planet's largest impact basins.

This was likely followed by a second asteroid impact that formed the Jezero Crater, fracturing and uplifting the already-tilted rocks into the formation found there today. Along with impact basins found elsewhere on Mars, the Moon, and Mercury, these craters and related features are helping scientists construct a timeline of the Solar System's geological history.

Further Reading: 

• NASA

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

On The Hunt For Earth’s First Complex Life

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

Ancient alien base off California Coast! With Face of species that made it! UFO UAP Sighting news.

 

Date of discovery: July 20, 2026

Location of discovery: Coast of California, USA

Source: Google Earth map

 

Guys this is cool. I found an under ocean alien base right off the coast of California. It really explains a lot too, since California is in so much chaos, and aliens using telepathy to do experiments using humans to do tasks, get reactions...all for science. 

 

There is a long base visible, now it could be a ship landed there that is being used as a base, but it appears to have been there for hundreds of years. Right next to it is half a face, of the alien species that created this base. This actually doubles the evidence we have on this base. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

Ancient alien base off California Coast! With Face of species that made it! UFO UAP Paranormal news.

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

Dept of War File: NASA Shuttle Colombia Astronaut Takes Three Photos Of UFO, Dec 1996, UFO Sightings Daily.

Date of sighting: Nov 19-Dec 7, 1996

Location of sighting: Earths Orbit

Source: US Dept of War 

https://www.war.gov/ufo/?

releaseDate=Release+04&release=04&search=shuttle#NASA-UAP-D032-STS-

80-Unidentified-Object-Image-3-1996

For almost two decades, I have been reporting UFOs on the NASA live cam at the space station. This time...its the US gov reporting them...except its 36 years late. This white ceramic craft was seen by the crew of the space shuttle Columbia and the UFO was in Earths orbit, but not holding still, its seen in three different photos taken by a hand camera held by one of the astronauts on board the shuttle. The UFO is reported to have passed between the Earth and the shuttle, coming close enough that aliens could both see it with their own eyes and even use their technology to read the thoughts, emotion, and attitudes of the crew of the shuttle. Oh...they also usually download the full contents of the persons memories...taking about 4-6 seconds without asking for permission from the subjects. Judging by the distance, I would estimate this UFO to be about 50 meters across.

 

This craft is one of the white ceramics...thats a white craft or alien building that is so reflective of light that its nearly impossible to get a 100% focused photo of them. There are four types of UFOs...white ceramics, the metallics (metal), the non reflective black (absorb light), and the pure energy entities (plasmoids). This is from my personal research experience of craft and structures I have found over the last few decades. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

 

PS, I added shadow only to the photos to make the UFOs come into focus due to the craft detail being lost in too much light. 

 

RELATED

Secret NASA Photos & US Department of Defense UAP Files: WHAT did NASA photograph in space in 1996?

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

From computer programmers to lawyers, several jobs are already at risk of being taken by artificial intelligence (AI). 

Now, it seems not even cage fighters are safe from the robot takeover. 

Shocking footage has emerged from China, showing two humanoids battling it out in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight. 

The fight took place in Shenzhen last week, and saw two robots go head–to–head in a cage as hundreds of spectators looked on. 

In one particularly shocking moment, one of the robots had its head kicked off entirely – yet continued to fight. 

Taking to Reddit, one viewer said: 'Finally we have Real Steel,' in comparison to the 2011 blockbuster.

Another warned: 'We're training the next generation lifeform on Earth how to defeat us. Poetic.'

Elon Musk even joined in on the fun, sharing a video of the fight on X and joking: 'Robot fights are fun.' 

Shocking footage has emerged from China , showing two humanoids battling it out in a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight

The fight took place as part of the Ultimate Robot Knock–out Legend (URKL) event at Shenzhen's Nanshan Cultural Sports Centre.

This competition – dubbed the 'robot version of the UFC' – features 32 competitors from more than 20 countries. 

These teams have been whittled down from 200, and include the likes of Stanford University, the University of Hong Kong and Zhejiang University.

'The competition adopts a comprehensive multi–stage tournament structure consisting of a Qualifying Stage, Group Stage, and Double–Elimination Finals,' EngineAI, the organiser of the competition, explains on its website. 

'The tournament is designed to comprehensively evaluate teams across simulation algorithms, on–site hardware deployment, and autonomous humanoid robot combat performance.'

The teams all use EngineAI's T800 – a full–size humanoid robot that retails for up to $85,000. 

According to the South China Morning Post, the prize for the winning team will be a belt made from 10kg of pure gold, worth up to 10 million yuan (£1.09 million). 

So far, several fights have taken place, but the one that has really stirred up interest on social media was between team Bullfighter and White Eagle.

So far, several fights have taken place, but the one that has really stirred up interest on social media was between team Bullfighter and White Eagle

The teams all use EngineAI's T800 – a full–size humanoid robot that retails for up to $85,000

Shortly after stepping into the specially designed hexagonal cage, the White Eagle robot delivered a devastating kick to its opponent's head, decapitating it entirely. 

Amazingly, Bullfighter's bot continued to fight completely headless – and even managed to bag a 3–2 win. 

Many viewers were left impressed by the robots' fighting abilities. 

'I would love to see the part of the code for dealing with a situation where your head is suddenly gone,' one fan joked on Reddit. 

Another added: 'Imagine a future where there's a massive dome filled with robots sponsored by different companies, fighting in a giant Battle Royale–style arena. Robots equipped with flamethrowers, machine guns, and all kinds of crazy weapons. I'd definitely pay to watch that.'

And one joked: 'I like how the robot keeps going with his head detached. Robotic voice: "'tis but a scratch.'

However, others have raised concerns that the fighting robots could be a glimpse into our future. 

One said: 'I don't think that is a good idea. Please just teach em to fold laundry and do dishes.'

Another asked: 'Is this what causes them to eventually rise up against us?'

And one ominously said: 'The future keeps arriving much faster than I imagined.' 

This isn't the first time a humanoid robot has raised eyebrows in recent months.

Earlier this year, a humanoid hit the headlines after slapping a child across the face during an out–of–control dance show in China. 

Over in California, a bot went berserk at a restaurant, with desperate staff filmed trying to drag it away from customers. 

Meanwhile, a humanoid was even detained by police in China after terrifying an elderly woman. 

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

The theory that UFOs come from Earth, not space

What if flying saucers come from beneath Earth itself — not outer space — and have been here all along, hiding in plain sight?

Most UFO theories reach for outer space. The cryptoterrestrial hypothesis reaches down instead: it proposes that flying saucers come not from distant planets but from an advanced, hidden civilization that has been living on Earth all along - under the oceans, inside mountains, or beneath our feet.

Theory Briefing

• The cryptoterrestrial hypothesis flips the standard UFO assumption: the craft originate from Earth, not from another star system.
• Instead of alien visitors, the theory proposes an advanced civilization already here — underground, undersea, or otherwise concealed.
• The hypothesis reframes decades of sighting reports as evidence of something native to Earth evading detection, not arriving from space.
• It raises the question of why a terrestrial origin is considered more fringe than an interstellar one, given the same evidence.

The idea has deep roots in pulp and the occult, from H.G. Wells's underground Morlocks to a 1940s magazine craze around a man who claimed to be in radio contact with subterranean beings. (His editor later revealed he had spent eight years in a mental institution.) The writer Mac Tonnies gave the idea its name in the 2000s. Even sympathizers keep it at arm's length; one scholar of conspiracy theories calls the whole thing "really more of a thought experiment designed to raise questions."

It has not gone away, either. In the 2025 documentary The Age of Disclosure, the UFO-disclosure advocate Luis Elizondo floats the cryptoterrestrial hypothesis as one way to read the government's own unexplained sightings.

Previously:

• The Pentagon has made more UFO revelations
• 'Flying Saucers are Real!' is an awesome book about UFO culture and history

{ https://boingboing.net/ }

Avi Loeb, the Harvard astronomer chosen last month by the White House to lead a UFO advisory council, believes he was brought on because federal officials are "baffled" by the many unidentified objects the U.S. military has captured over the past several decades.

Loeb, known for arguing that alien spacecraft may have already reached Earth, said his newly formed team of more than a dozen scientists is combing through four batches of public UFO sighting disclosures released by the Trump administration in recent months.

His mission began in early June when an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) visited his home and asked him to form a group of experts to make sense of UFOs, now referred to by the U.S. government as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). This is an umbrella term that accounts for objects seen zipping underwater and in space.

"The U.S. government had me at hello," Loeb told Fox News Digital in an interview Saturday. "The fact that they are reaching out to scientists like myself indicates, in my mind, that they are baffled by what they are seeing, and they think that maybe it's not human-made."

• NASA CHIEF CONFIRMS AGENCY HAS UNEXPLAINED UFO IMAGERY: 'WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS'

Loeb's council will report its findings to the UAP Governing Board, a recently established body under the direction of ODNI.

According to the council's website, Loeb and his colleagues will only be reviewing already-declassified materials on UAPs.

However, Loeb told Fox News Digital he has asked the Pentagon and other agencies for 50 videos, images and other documents related to known UAP incidents. Those materials haven't been given to him yet, with the custodian agencies citing national security concerns.

"It's not so much the targets that are the issue. It's that the sensors that were used were for national security purposes. The U.S. government doesn't want to reveal to adversarial nations the kind of sensors being used. So, that's the main obstacle right now," Loeb said.

• NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON DARES GOVERNMENT TO 'JUST SHOW THE ALIEN,' AS DISCLOSURE FERVOR CONTINUES TO GROW

Loeb's goal is to figure out whether UAPs that have been captured by the U.S. military originate from other nations or if they don't come from humans at all.

"In the second case, if it's not human-made, then that's the biggest discovery ever made by science, and the U.S. government has the privilege of ushering in this new realization that we have a neighbor visiting us," Loeb said.

Loeb sought to temper expectations, saying that many of the phenomena they are studying could turn out to be mundane. Often, he said, the strange looking objects people see in the sky are merely space junk or broken satellites.

"Unless they maneuver in ways that cannot be explained by gravity, you should assume that they are space junk," Loeb said.

• DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MISSION UFO FILES CHALLENGE LONG-RUNNING MOON LANDING CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Nonetheless, he praised the White House for its push for transparency on this issue. In February, President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon and other agencies to declassify files related to aliens and UAPs because of "tremendous interest."

One of the most important aims of Loeb's council is to recommend better sensors so that the government can capture UAPs with more confidence in the future.

"If we are dealing with drones of some unusual qualities that the Chinese are using, it's good for the U.S. to have better sensors that can help it identify those. Right now, they are reported as orbs. They may not be drones, but I'm saying that, at the very least, we will help national security," Loeb said.

Loeb made the remarks after the Department of War on Friday released the fourth and latest batch of UAP materials to the public. Loeb commented on one of the most sensational releases from the first batch, which were photos from the Apollo 12 mission on the Moon in 1969.

One of the photos has five "unidentified phenomena," but Loeb said federal authorities have now officially concluded that those blue flashes are most likely cosmic rays.

Until 2020, Loeb headed up Harvard University's astronomy department, where he studied black holes, the formation of the universe's first stars and extraterrestrial life.

In 2017, when scientists discovered a remnant of a Pluto-like world in the solar system, Loeb disputed those findings, arguing that the object was possibly a light sail from an alien civilization.

After this claim earned him widespread respect in the UFO community, Loeb founded the Galileo Project at Harvard to search for artifacts from extraterrestrial civilizations.

 { https://www.foxnews.com/politics }

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Rita Louise

Who were the nephilim? The word nephilim appears twice in the Old Testament of the Bible. They are first mentioned in chapter 6 of the book of Genesis and then again in Number 13:33. But their brief mention in the Bible has led to an ongoing debate as to who or what the nephilim were. Much of this debate stems from the passage in the Bible that states:

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went in to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.  – Genesis 6: 1-4

The Sons of God Saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair (1923) by Daniel Chester French. Corcoran Gallery of Art. (CC0)

What Does ‘Nephilim’ Mean?

The traditional definition of Nephilim is giant. Some dictionaries describe the nephilim as being giants who also possess super human strength. The Greek Septuagint, an ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible, refers to them as gigantes, which actually means "earth -born," a concept we will be coming back to as we continue.

It is believed that the word Nephilim comes from the root word "Naphal" which means to fall. In biblical circles this definition has quickly put the Nephilim into the role of the children of the fallen angels. The word Naphal, however, is never directly associated with the concept of fallen angels. Its meaning in context is more closely associated with the idea of lying prostrate or of prostrating oneself. There are also ties in this word to the concept of failure, falling short, or being cast down.

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• Enochian: The Mysterious Lost Language of Angels

‘The Fall of the Rebel Angels’ (1685) by Charles Le Brun.

(Public Domain)

Mythos of the Nephilim

Over the years a mythos has developed around the concept of the nephilim. It alleges that these giants were the offspring of the "Sons of God" and the "Daughters of Man". Are the nephilim the children of the untoward relationship?

The connection between the biblical text and this claim, although commonly pointed to as the basis of this belief, is unfounded. The document in which we find statements that support this claim actually comes from the apocryphal Book of Jubiliees:

And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants. The Book of Jubilees - Chapter V: 1

Is the claim that the nephilim were the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of men supported by sources outside the Judeo-Christian tradition?  In other words, does mythology worldwide support this belief?

The Sons of God Saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair, by Maurice Greiffenhagen.

(Public Domain)

Giants Roaming the Earth Across Cultures

The notion of giants roaming the earth can be found in cultures worldwide. Greek mythology tells us that the Titan Cronus castrated his father Uranus in order to gain control of the Greek pantheon. It is from the blood of the castrated Uranus that fell upon the earth that the giants, the "earth-born", were created.

The Earth-born, when compared to us, were giants. The giants, lived under the rule of Cronos during the golden age, in a time that was free from sorrow or care and everyone lived happy and joyous lives.

It was only after Cronos' son Zeus fought for control of both the heavens and the earth that everything changed. In his new role, Zeus, according to Greek myth, put the giants to work. It was just a matter of time before the giants started ignoring the god's mandates.

Bell krater depicting Zeus fighting against the giant Porphyrion.

(Egisto Sani/CC BY NC SA 2.0)

They were no longer prostrating themselves to the will of the gods. Their lack of complete servitude and their failure to comply with the god’s demands incited the "children of god" into a full blown rebellion against the heavenly gods. Heavy losses were taken on both sides, but their revolution was finally suppressed by the gods.

A truce was declared. As part of their reparations to the giants it was decided to create a new race to handle the burdens that were cast upon the giants - man.

Padraic Column in his book entitled Orpheus, Myths of the World, relates this tale about the creation of man: Aztec legend recounts how the Earth-mother, Citlalicue, gave birth to a flint knife. When the knife was flung down onto the Earth, it was transformed into sixteen hundred "earth-gods." (Is there connection between the flint knife, flung down by Citlalicue, and the sickle used by Cronus to castrate his father?)

These newly formed earth-gods lived as men and women and labored in search of food. After some time, the Earth-gods began to think that this work was below their station. They were, after all, the children of the Sky-father and Earth-mother. They asked their mother Citlalicue to make a race who would serve them and bear the burdens they faced. With the help of Citlalicue, mankind was created.

‘A group of natives in the central highlands of Mexico, capturing and putting to death a giant.’

(CC0)

Based upon these mythological traditions it seems clear that the earth-born giants, the nephilim, existed long before man first inhabited the earth. Thus when you read the line "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward" it seems clear from this perspective that the authors were not being vague. Instead they were just making a statement of fact - that the Nephilim, the earth-born, were on the earth at that time.

The Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man

So who were the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of man? The Hebrew Bible refers to them as gibborim. The inferred meaning of this word is men of great stature, heroes, men who are valiant or brave.

The Greek Septuagint identifies them as the renominati or men or renown. In Greek mythology the gods have a long history of having relations with humans. The names of some of these "demi-gods", or semi-human individuals, whose names have withstood the tests of time include were Hercules, Perseus, and Achilles. In India they are called Hanuman and Garuda and in Sumer Gilgamesh and Adapa.

Interestingly, a parallel myth to this biblical narrative does exist. It comes to us from the pages of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. The Ramayana is the epic tale of Rama, the 7th avatar of the supreme god Vishnu.

Rama lived during the Treta Yuga. It was an age where the world was filled with giants. Around the same time as Rama's birth, the supreme god Vishnu, knowing what was in store for him, requested that all of the gods descend to the earth and mate with the apes and the bears. This request was made in order to, when the time was right, provide Rama with an army he could use to help him conquer Ravana - the giant demon king of Lanka.

Fight between Rama and Ravana.

(CC0)

The offspring of these unions obtained an array of impressive skills from their divine parents. The mighty Sugríva was the ruler of the vanara, the ape-men. His father was Surya, the chief solar deity. The demi-god Hanúmán was the son of the wind god and is described as being able to travel very fast, while Nala was the son of the god of building and construction and is the vanara that helps Rama to build a bridge from mainland India to Lanka.

These thousands did the Gods create
Endowed with might that none could mate,
In monkey forms that changed at will;
So strong their wish the fiend to kill.

• The Nephilim, Anunnaki and More: Four Common Mistakes Made When Interpreting Mythology
• The Epic of Gilgamesh Unveiled: Searching For a Way to the Home Planet
• Anunnaki Revealed: Who Were These Beings of Ancient Astronaut Theory? What Do the Ancient Texts Say? – Part I

Are the nephelim the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of man? No. They were the race of earth-born giants who lived before the creation of man. They are the group who revolted against the gods in antiquity.

They are also the ones responsible for the creation of mankind. Additionally, based upon the references that come to us from the Ramayana, it does seem clear the when the gods mated with "ape-men" their offspring were men of renown, heroes, or individuals who are valiant or brave.

• Top Image: ‘Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre’ (1624) by Giovanni Lanfranco.
• Source: Public Domain

By  Dr. Rita Louise

• © Copyright Body, Mind & SoulHealer – www.soulhealer.com 2013. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Bestselling author and Medical Intuitive, Dr. Rita Louise is the host of Just Energy Radio and the Founder of the Institute Of Applied Energetics. She is the author of the books Man-Made: The Chronicles Of Our Extraterrestrial Gods, Avoiding The Cosmic 2X4, Dark Angels: An Insider's Guide To Ghosts, Spirits & Attached Entitiesand The Power Within as well as hundreds of articles that have been published worldwide. She has appeared on radio and television and has spoken at conferences covering topics such as health and healing, ghosts, intuition, ancient mysteries and the paranormal.  For more information about Dr. Rita please visit http://www.soulhealer.com or listen to her live at http://www.justenergyradio.com.

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 { https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

“After these views were captured by the spacecraft’s multispectral imager instrument, Mars began to overfill the field of view as Psyche made close approach with the planet and captured a series of high-resolution images of the surface,” read a NASA statement accompanying the imagery.

In several of the images, Mars appears as a thin sliver due to the high phase angle of approach as Psyche made its way toward the planet. In the days that followed, the crescent is shown as it appears to “grow” as more sunlight illuminates its surface.

A Detailed Glimpse of the Martian Surface Captured by Psyche

The recent crescent features weren’t all that Psyche captured during its recent near approach to Mars. In additional images released by the American space agency, the Martian surface appeared in colorful views obtained by the spacecraft’s multispectral imager instrument.

The resulting “mosaic” was created from four separate images acquired near the end of Psyche’s recent visit, shown in enhanced color that highlights several details visible on the Martian surface.

Traveling along a southwesterly path with relation to the Martian poles, the mosaic imagery appears slightly blurry, as it represents close to six minutes of travel above the planet. According to NASA, pixel scale resolution in the imagery “varies from 381 meters per pixel on the right to 440 meters per pixel on the left.”

Color enhancements to the imagery, collected with the imager’s green, blue, and near-infrared filters, reveal additional details about the various features of the volcanic region of Mars that Psyche flew over on May 15, 2026, known as the Iapygia region.

This area comprises part of the Martian southern highlands, and in the recent imagery, Fournier crater—the largest shown in the new imagery—can be seen, alongside hills, cliffs, and other features, including the irregular Oenotria Scopuli cliff system, forming one side of the boundary of a massive ancient impact feature on the Red Planet.

Additional details about the new imagery, as well as information about Psyche’s mission, can be found on NASA’s official mission page.

• 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/ }