Ames Impact Crater Previously Dated to the Ordovician Meteor Event

According to a statement, the impact crater that the researchers examined is buried beneath several layers of sedimentary strata. Dubbed the Ames impact structure, it is also a major producer of oil and gas.

Because it lies near a series of ancient meteor strikes across the North American continent that occurred roughly 467.5 million years ago, called the Ordovician Meteor event, scientists assumed Ames was a similar age. The researchers note that the frequency of impacts around this time has caused some to suggest that Earth may have once supported a Saturn-like ring of asteroid debris.

Before now, the site had been dated only from fossilized teeth of an ancient eel-like creature called a conodont discovered within the site’s rock. Since that date matched the Ordovician date, researchers considered the case closed.

Still, the research team behind the new effort said the conodont remains could have been “jumbled around” during a much later impact, creating the false correlation.

Zircon Crystals Reveal Violent Extinction Event 100 Million Years Later

Instead of relying on fossilized teeth, Danny Stockli, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences and a co-author of the study, and colleagues employed a technique that examines the structure of zircon crystals found embedded in rocks at the site to determine when they formed.

Stockli said radiometric zircon U-Pb dating is the most accurate way to date events like major asteroid impacts in Earth’s history, since zircon microstructures can record the shock pressures of such violent events.

“These small crystals allow us to go back in time and learn about the major changes to Earth’s ancient landscapes,” Stockli explained.

After a zircon is impacted with an extreme force, it recrystallizes in what the team described as “a very specific way.” With some assistance from NASA, the researchers imaged the crystals collected from the Ames crater using cathodoluminescence and electron backscatter diffraction.

As hoped, the tests revealed that the zircon crystals were formed around 370 million years ago when a meteorite impacted the Ames area. The researchers said this date proves that the impact event that caused the now underground crater “could not have been part of the Ordovician Meteor Event.”

Instead, the new date, which is 100 million years later than the previously suspected event, lines up with the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction event, which occurred about 372 million years ago. Like the impact that contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs, this event wiped out much of Earth’s marine life.

“No matter what technique we used, it was coming back to this younger signal,” explained the study’s lead author, Elizabeth Catlos, an associate professor at UT’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

“This is Where This Impact Belongs”

When discussing the significance of the findings, Catlos said the result takes “a major pawn out of the Ordovician Meteor Event” and places it into the Frasnian-Famennian event.

“This is where this impact belongs,” she said.

The researcher also noted the value of more accurate dating for mass extinction events or other large-scale events that can deform zircon crystals. Stockli echoed the sentiment, noting that the process could help date other sites and bring the Earth’s violent ancient past into clearer focus.

“It would be great to do this for more of the meteor impact sites across the continent so we could get a more accurate timeline for these major events,” they explained. 

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

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

The Sopranos writer and Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter will be teaming up with filmmaker and producer Dan Farah for the development of a new television series based on the former U.S. intelligence official who led the U.S. government’s investigations into Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP).

The series will be based on the forthcoming memoir Out of the Shadows, which offers a candid look at the career of Jay Stratton, the former official who led the U.S. government’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF).

Stratton’s book, scheduled for publication in October by William Morrow, recounts his involvement with official investigations of UAP, the military’s term for what historically are known as unidentified flying objects or UFOs, and the bureaucratic hurdles he encountered while leading government efforts to resolve their nature and origin.

Winter will serve as an executive producer for the screen adaptation through Cold Front Productions, and Farah will also be an executive producer under Farah Films, according to Variety.  

Farah previously directed the documentary film The Age of Disclosure, which brought together more than thirty current and former U.S. officials who spoke on the record about the UAP issue, potential national security related to the phenomenon, and ongoing efforts to secure the release of information about it, which are believed to remain in the U.S. government’s possession. Farah also produced the documentary film The Phenomenon by director James Fox.

Along with the secretive world of U.S. government investigations into UAP, the forthcoming series will deal with the unusual intersection between Stratton’s classified work and his life at home, as detailed in his forthcoming memoir, where he describes how his family also reportedly experienced unusual events while he served in government.

Winter described Stratton’s story and the plans for a forthcoming series as a journey into the lesser-known world of U.S. government and UAP investigations. Farah compared the material to a high-stakes political thriller, with a central mystery that is accompanied by the personal toll placed on Stratton and his family, and lingering questions about the existence of non-human intelligence.

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

“I believe this is Noah’s Ark; that’s why I’m putting the Durupinar site through the most rigorous testing possible,” explained the organization’s founder, Andrew Jones.

The research team’s announcement appeared in a press release issued by Jones’s organization, and the results of their findings have not undergone scientific peer review.

The announcement includes initial observations that the drilling did not encounter any limestone bedrock, which, according to Jones’s organization, challenges the mainstream scientific explanation that the site is simply a rock formation. The core drilling effort also experienced a broken bit, which the team said suggests the potential presence of ancient petrified wood instead of comparatively softer limestone.

After future laboratory testing of the core drilling samples designed to provide further insight into the Noah’s Ark-shaped formation’s composition, the team is also planning to send a robot into the subterranean tunnels and chambers identified by previous site scans to search for more clues about its nature and origin.

Decades of Debate Surround ‘Noah’s Ark’ Site

The Durupınar formation is a 157-meter (515-foot) boat-shaped surface feature that first gained attention in 1959 when Turkish Army Capt. İlhan Durupınar spotted it.

Because of its unusual curved shape, some researchers have wondered whether the formation could potentially be the petrified remains of an ancient sea vessel. This, along with the formation’s location, which echoes beliefs about the alleged location where Noah’s Ark came to rest in the Old Testament, has led to speculations that the site could be the famed vessel built by Noah, as described in the book of Genesis.

Credit: Noah’s Ark Scans.

In 1988, an investigation to determine whether the ‘Noah’s Ark’ formation contained remains of petrified wood or limestone bedrock, as suggested by geologists, attempted to solve the faith-versus-science argument by drilling holes.

According to the Noah’s Ark Scans team, those holes extended to only “a fraction of the depth now being sampled,” offering limited value. Further, the samples in the earlier study were “corrupted” by water used to cool the drill bits, rendering tests inconclusive, according to Jones and his team.

Jones’s team, which includes U.S. Defense Scientist Dr. Khrosrow Bakthar, the inventor of the Bakthar Radar used to map much of the formation’s underground detail, has completed a months-long mapping effort at the site. The work includes the creation of three-dimensional models, collecting soil samples “inside and outside” the Noah’s Ark formation’s outline, and assembling an array of high-resolution surface imaging of the entire area. This work prepared the team for the core drilling effort.

Hints of ‘Decayed Wood’ and Organic Materials

According to a press release announcing the new work, core holes were drilled within the boat-shaped outline and in “control” locations well outside the formation’s area. These control samples offered a comparison set for future lab tests of samples collected within the outline of the Noah’s Ark site.

According to the team’s announcement, samples collected during the effort included “sequences of soil and sediment, intervals of organic-rich material, and cavities.”

“For the first time in history, we are performing an extensive, permitted deep core drilling survey inside and outside the Durupınar Noah’s Ark site, recovering samples from depths of up to 18 meters, nearly 60 feet,” Jones explained.

The researchers said the first samples include rich organic layers that could be evidence of ancient “decayed” wood. Jones, who describes himself as a believer in the historical veracity of the Noah’s Ark story, said the effort also revealed multiple hidden cavities, “including one filled with mud and water.”

One moment Jones highlighted from the work involved the ‘dry’ drilling system the team used, which does not rely on water. At one point, one of the drills suddenly stopped when the team “struck a layer so hard that the drill bit broke.” Jones said this occurred when the bit was 4-5 meters below the surface, and after the drilling system “had already penetrated the overlying material.”

“Whatever the core drill struck was harder than limestone — hard enough to break the bit,” Jones explained.

Team members said that the drill bit broke after hitting something harder than limestone.

Credit: Noah’s Ark Scans.

While lab tests will be needed to confirm the material’s composition, the researchers noted that if petrified wood from an ancient vessel caused the infamous formation, its harder-than-limestone status could explain the drill suddenly stopping.

“Petrified or highly mineralized wood [is] both a possibility we want to investigate through third-party lab testing,” Jones said.

Controversial Claims

Interpretations of the Durupınar formation as being purported physical evidence of events described in the Old Testament remain controversial. As previously reported by The Debrief, Jones and other team members of Noah’s Ark Scans have expressed views indicating that they already believe the Durupınar site represents the literal remains of the vessel ascribed to the Biblical character Noah, despite the ongoing investigations they are undertaking in an attempt to provide evidence for such beliefs.

Even some prominent young-Earth creationists have pushed back on Jones and his team’s claims. Ken Ham, the founder, CEO, and former president of the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis, has criticized the group’s members for being “convinced of what this site likely was” before reviewing the results of geophysical surveys, arguing that the group’s findings fail to “objectively assess the raw geophysical data by canvassing other interpretations.”

To date, the research conducted by the Noah’s Ark Scans team has not been published in a formal scientific journal or undergone peer review, and has only been presented in press releases and on the organization’s website.

While the Noah’s Ark Scans team awaits the results of its most recent laboratory tests, the group has another exploration of the supposed Noah’s Ark site already planned. According to the team, this effort will follow up on earlier ground-penetrating radar scans that identified “linear features, right-angle intersections, layered anomalies, and elongated voids.” The researchers suggested these underground voids could be corridors to ‘chamber-like places,’ related to an ancient seagoing vessel.

Instead of more drilling, the team will deploy GOPHER, a custom-built robot named for the ‘gopher wood’ described in the book of Genesis. To explore the inner areas, GOPHER is equipped with a high-resolution camera that the team said is “designed to enter narrow borehole access points without opening large excavation trenches.”

“This is a major breakthrough in our ability to investigate what lies beneath this remarkable site,” explained Lauren Witzke, a Fundraiser for the Noah’s Ark Scans organization and self-described Christian activist, according to the group’s website.

Jones echoed those sentiments, noting that the team is “collecting physical samples for laboratory analysis, with more fieldwork planned next year.”

“These current findings challenge claims that this is simply a natural shape made of limestone or bedrock,” Jones said, adding that these first investigations have “opened an entirely new chapter in the Noah’s Ark investigation.” 

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

RELATED

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

Sky watchers Al Qantarat “66” and Masiel Salinas were observing the Hubble Space Telescope through a live stream when they noticed two massive, strangely shaped objects in deep space. They captured the objects for further examination. 

Object 1 — Solar-Sail-Like Object 

Background: Digitized Sky Survey 2 

Coordinates: +07 03 51.74, +59 05 53 

This object appears to have a large, unusual structure resembling a solar-sail spacecraft. Its shape and apparent dimensions make it difficult to immediately identify as a conventional astronomical object. 

Object 2 — Blue Cigar-Shaped Object 

Background: Digitized Sky Survey 2 

Coordinates: +07 03 51.74, +59 05 53.8 

This object appears blue and distinctly cigar-shaped. Its clearly defined contours give it an unusual, almost artificial appearance, raising the question of whether it could be something other than a naturally occurring astronomical phenomenon. 

These are certainly not the first reports of unidentified objects appearing in astronomical observations. Over the years, unusual objects have been reported in telescope imagery, space livestreams, Google Sky, and other publicly accessible astronomical databases. 

One frequently cited example involves amateur recordings of enormous UFOs observed near the Orion Nebula. In some of these recordings, the objects appear to change position, leading observers to suggest that they may be moving under some form of intelligent control. 

Could the two objects identified in the Hubble imagery represent something similar? 

If these objects were eventually proven to be artificial spacecraft, and especially if their movement could be demonstrated to be controlled rather than the result of an astronomical or observational effect, it would raise profound questions about the existence of advanced technology beyond Earth.

{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

The first face of mankind? Ancient human who lived 315,000 years ago is brought back to life in stunning digital reconstruction

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

It’s like coming face to face with a long-lost relative – 315,000 years after we last saw them.

Scientists have pieced together what one of the world’s first humans looked like, using fossil fragments to bring them to life in an amazing digital image.

The result – the ‘oldest know representation’ of our species – shows a dark-skinned man with long black hair and a bushy beard, complete with deep-set eyes, a wide nose and full lips.

The facial image was created from the remains of a body discovered by a miner working at a mineral extraction site in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco.

That find led to a dramatic revision to the history of human evolution, as it showed that Homo sapiens are at least 100,000 years older than previously thought.

And the latest breakthrough sheds new light on what our ancestors may have looked like in their earliest days.

‘The archaeological site of Jebel Irhoud houses the oldest fossils attributed to Homo sapiens, dated to approximately 315,000 years before present,’ the researchers‘ paper, published in the journal Heritage, reads.

‘This study presents a forensic facial approximation based on data from a three-dimensional composite skull derived from Layer 7 of the site.’

The reconstruction shows a dark-skinned man with long black hair and a bushy beard, complete with deep-set eyes, a wide nose and full lips

Scientists pieced together the ancient face from fossil fragments combined with state-of-the-art technology

By combining scans, photographs and video footage of the skull fragment known as Irhoud 1 with jawbone and tooth fossils unearthed nearby, the team created a 3D model of the skull

One reconstruction is a stripped-back scientific reconstruction in grayscale, highlighting the skull's underlying anatomy

When the skull was first unearthed in the 1960s, archaeologists thought it belonged to a Neanderthal and was around 40,000 years old. But in 2017, scientists determined that the skull was actually around 315,000 years old – and belonged to Homo sapiens.

By combining scans, photographs and video footage of the skull fragment – known as Irhoud 1 – with jawbone and tooth fossils unearthed nearby, researchers created a detailed 3D model of the skull.

They then used a modern human anatomical template, digitally adapting it to match the fossil's shape before adding estimated layers of muscle, fat and skin to put a face on the remains.

The process produced two versions of the face. One is a stripped-back scientific reconstruction in grayscale, highlighting the skull‘s underlying anatomy.

The other is a lifelike colour portrait complete with skin, hair and a beard, offering the public a striking glimpse of one of humanity‘s earliest known ancestors.

The study was led by 3D reconstruction expert Cícero Moraes, who is based in Brazil. The researchers stressed that the more lifelike reconstruction involved a degree of artistic licence.

Features such as skin colour, lighting, hairstyle and facial hair cannot be determined from the fossil remains themselves.

Instead, they were based on anthropological research into ancient and modern human populations, providing a plausible representation of what someone living in North Africa around 315,000 years ago may have looked like.

They also cautioned that the digital models do not show exactly what any one individual looked like, as the fossil fragments used to complete the reconstruction were likely to have been from several different people.

The team also consisted of researchers from Flinders University, the University of Pavia, the University of Lodz and Universiti Sains Malaysia. 

RELATED

The rise of Homo Sapiens: Humanity’s greatest story

The Origins of Humankind: A Journey to the First Man on Earth | Full Documentary

The 300,000 Year Journey: Complete Human Evolution Documentary

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

SpaceX reached a historic milestone on Monday after sending the world's most powerful rocket into orbit.

But before Starship got there, viewers watching SpaceX’s livestream spotted something bizarre trailing behind the spacecraft in the darkness of space.

About seven minutes and 55 seconds into the test flight, social media users zeroed in on a narrow, slightly curved streak of pale blue light with a brighter white tip.

Many X users shared screenshots of the mysterious object, with one user saying it 'looks like a mothership' and 'bigger than a city.'

'I think we all just saw a UFO live-streamed,' one user shared. Another X user replied: 'I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm glad it wasn't just me that saw it.'

Others wondered whether the object was NASA's International Space Station, although the footage offers no way to judge its size or distance. 

While many users were baffled, Dean Scott chimed in, suggesting the streak was gas left behind by the Super Heavy booster as its engines shut down after separation and fired again for the return burn.

 In his view, it appeared to rise because Earth’s bright horizon had initially hidden it.

A mysterious object was seen by users tuning into SpaceX's livestream of its Starship launch on Monday

The object appeared as a narrow, slightly curved streak of pale blue light with a brighter white tip

One user replied to Scott: ‘I went back and saw the cloud before it “flattened.” You're absolutely right, thank you!’

The user appeared to be referring to an earlier frame, captured six minutes and 35 seconds after launch, that shows a small, fuzzy blue-white patch near Earth’s edge.

But Scott’s explanation did little to quiet the alien theories.

‘The Greys are making sure all is ok,’ one X user commented, referring to the gray humanoid beings common in UFO lore.

Others tagged Elon Musk, with one asking: ‘Hey Elon, is this Mothership?’ Several users declared it was ‘definitely aliens.’

Engineer Kyle Holl connected the sighting to another scare during the flight: the unexpected shutdown of one of Starship’s engines. 

‘Hmm, an engine out and then an alien battle cruiser uncloaks. Interesting,’ Holl posted.

Neither SpaceX or Musk have commented online about the mysterious object seen in the livestream. 

One user speculated that it was gas left behind by the Super Heavy booster as its engines shut down after separation, which others believe was seen about a minute prior (above, circled)

SpaceX launched its massive Starship rocket on Monday morning for its first orbital mission 

The uncrewed Starship launched around 8.46am ET from SpaceX's Starbase complex along ​the Gulf of Mexico near Brownsville, and was scheduled for a 10-hour mission around the Earth.

However, SpaceX cut Starship’s flight short after an engine unexpectedly shut down during its climb to orbit.

Footage showed the 40-story Starship flip into position for a gentle splashdown at 11.58am ET, only to erupt in a huge fireball seconds after hitting the water.

SpaceX spokesperson Dan Huot said during the livestream: 'Starship has landed.

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

• I attended a secret UFO meeting preparing Christians for 'the truth' and saw shape-shifting beings. Trump's files hide a clue to where these 'aliens' come from 

'As you saw, not quite a soft splashdown as we had on the last one, but it's Starship in the water nonetheless.'

While the SpaceX team did not confirm Starship had exploded, onshore cameras captured the booster exploding near the middle.

Some have deemed the mission a 'complete failure,' but the goal was to send the massive rocket to orbit, and that is exactly what occurred on Monday.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman congratulated SpaceX on the successful launch, saying on X: 'Gorgeous launch, getting Ship to orbit and managing every step in a safe, responsible, and especially inspirational way.

'NASA, along with the rest of the interested public, is excited to help where we can and for Starship missions to become routine!'

Starship appeared to splash down as planned, but seconds later, a massive fireball erupted, sending pieces of the spacecraft flying.

While the ship made it to orbit, it exploded during splashdown 

After 13 test flights that never reached orbit, SpaceX was attempting to send Starship around Earth for the first time and bring it safely back down.

Success would have strengthened confidence that a modified version can be ready for NASA's planned Artemis moon landing in 2028.

It was not immediately clear whether the engine trouble and fiery splashdown would affect SpaceX’s preparations for the planned 2028 moon landing.

SpaceX ultimately wants Starship to flip upright and touch down in Texas, bringing crews home and allowing the spacecraft to fly again.

For now, its test flights end at sea, with no plans to recover the vehicle.

RELATED

UFO seen of SpaceX Starship 14u Flight. 🚀👽 #SpaceX #Starship #UFO #Astronomy

The Mysterious UFO Spotted on SpaceX’s Livestream: Explained

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

Synopsis

Recently, numerous reports emerged from Tehran and Zahedan about sightings of a mysterious triangular object illuminated by bright lights. This has sparked online chatter about a potential clandestine craft known as the TR-3B Black Manta. Given former President Donald Trump's past remarks on advanced weaponry, public interest in secret military technologies has surged.

A screenshot from a viral video claiming to show the alleged TR-3B Black Manta triangular aircraft over Iran.

However, there is no credible evidence that the TR-3B Black Manta exists, let alone that it uses anti-gravity technology or was reverse-engineered from extraterrestrial spacecraft.

What was spotted over Iran?

One video circulating online reportedly showed a large, crescent- or triangular-shaped object with bright lights over Tehran, including the area near the Azadegan Expressway. Another video showed a cluster of lights moving across the night sky over Zahedan.

The footage quickly triggered speculation on social media that the objects could be the alleged TR-3B.

Another X user made a similar claim, writing that the alleged US-made TR-3B Black Manta had been seen in Argentina and Iran and was developed through reverse engineering of crashed UFOs.

There is, however, no publicly verified evidence supporting these claims.

What is the TR-3B Black Manta?

The TR-3B Black Manta is the name given online to an alleged secret US military aircraft. It is often described as a large triangular platform equipped with an advanced propulsion system that supposedly uses anti-gravity technology.

 { https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ }

{ https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ }

UFO doomsday cult play When Prophecy Fails coming to Beacon

(Image: Christopher Bowen)

A THEATRE production about a UFO doomsday cult is coming to the Beacon Arts Centre.

Groupwork will present When Prophecy Fails at the venue on October 23 at 7.30pm.

The production is inspired by the true story of history’s first UFO doomsday cult.

It follows people who believe the apocalypse is near and prepare for salvation by flying saucer.

When reality challenges belief, the group faces a crisis on stage.

Tickets are available through the Beacon Arts Centre website or by calling 01475 723723.

{ https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news/ }

Mars Has a Warm Region Inside

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

Carbon Rocks Deep Underground Could Hold the Evidence of Mars' Watery Past.

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

Ancient Structure Found On Earths Moon In Crater! UFO UAP Sighting News.

Date of discovery: Sept 28, 2026

Location of discovery: Moon

Source photo: 

• https://data.lroc.im-ldi.com/apollo/view?camera=P&image_name=AS15-P-0044

 

Guys I found this amazing structure at the center of a crater in this old NASA Apollo 15 panoramic photo. The structure is huge, about 1 mile across and has a large square entrance to it. Most people cannot adjust their eyes to black and white photos to see the detail, so if you really want to see but can't, then look at the photo for a few minutes. Take some time, let your eyes adjust. Also I this main photo is so over exposed with light that I had to add contrast to see these structures. This was not the only one I found, but its the only one I will report, because its takes a very trained eye to see what I see. Decades of research allows me to see the details better. So I just found the best one and shared it here. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily 

 

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

Egyptologists uncover 4,000-year-old tomb of the 'keeper of the king's secrets' – with a mysterious 'portal to the afterlife'

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Archaeologists have uncovered a 4,000–year–old tomb that belonged to one of ancient Egypt's most powerful officials – with a mysterious 'portal to the afterlife'.

The discovery was made at the Bubasteion Necropolis in Saqqara, one of Egypt's most important archaeological sites.

Hieroglyphs reveal the tomb belonged to a senior official named Sakhnetio-Btah, who lived during the time of the Old Kingdom.

Inscriptions identified him as the 'keeper of the king's secrets', highlighting his privileged access to the pharaoh's inner circle.

Despite the mysterious name, the title probably did not mean guarding hidden treasures or religious mysteries.

Experts believe it referred to a high-ranking official who handled confidential royal documents and decrees on behalf of an Old Kingdom pharaoh.

He also served as a royal chamberlain, a priest of the goddess Maat and supervisor of the royal library.

'The hieroglyphic inscriptions… helped to determine the name of the owner of the cemetery and the number of his titles, including the keeper of royal secrets, which reflect the high status he held in the administrative system of the ancient state,' Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

The tomb also includes the remains of a funerary chapel and a false door, which ancient Egyptians believed was a portal to the afterlife

Inscriptions reveal the tomb belonged to the 'keeper of the king's secrets', highlighting his privileged access to the pharaoh's inner circle

The tomb includes the remains of a funerary chapel and a false door – a symbolic niche which the ancient Egyptians believed was a magical threshold between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. 

Archaeologists also discovered a funerary ritual objects including an offering table, an offering slab and a purification basin.

Experts say finding the objects exactly where they were originally placed provides a rare glimpse into Old Kingdom funerary practices.

The dig also uncovered an interconnected network of burial shafts surrounding the tomb.

Inside were numerous human burials and large quantities of painted funerary cartonnage – a colourful papier-mache-like covering placed over a mummy, often decorated with images of Egyptian gods, hieroglyphics and scenes intended to protect the dead on their journey to the afterlife.

More than 100 ushabti figurines, which were intended to serve the dead in the afterlife, were also recovered.

Among the most spectacular finds were three stone sarcophagi discovered sealed and intact in their original positions.

Archaeologists also found a wooden falcon statue and a wide range of pottery vessels and other artefacts.

   

Archaeologists also discovered funerary ritual objects including an offering table, an offering slab and a purification basin (left) and an interconnected network of burial shafts surrounding the tomb (right)

Preliminary investigations suggest that some parts of the burial complex were looted by tomb robbers in ancient times.

Despite this, many of the surviving finds remain in remarkably good condition.

Researchers believe the discoveries will help them better understand how the site was reused over different periods of Egyptian history.

Excavations are continuing, with experts convinced that the vast necropolis still has many more secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Saqqara, where the tomb was found, is one of Egypt's most significant archaeological sites.

It is the home of Egypt's oldest pyramid – the step pyramid of Djoser – which was built around 4,700 years ago.

The site also contains thousands of tombs belonging to pharaohs, nobles, priests and high-ranking officials from multiple dynasties.

In recent years archaeologists at Saqqara have uncovered dozens of sealed coffins, extensive animal cemeteries, workshops used for mummification, and richly decorated burial shafts packed with statues and artefacts. 

These discoveries have transformed understanding of everyday religious life in ancient Egypt.

RELATED

Archaeologists Opened a 4,000-Year-Old Tomb… What They Found Shocked Scientists

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

Mysterious map found inside centuries-old Bible claims to pinpoint location of Eden

• READ MORE: Noah's Ark resting place '100% confirmed' after 4,300 years as astonishing 'man-made' structure is detected buried deep underground

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Hidden within a 1599 Bible is a detailed map revealing where its creators believed the Garden of Eden may once have stood.

Titled The Situation of the Garden of Eden, it places the biblical paradise in Great Armenia, near mountains believed to represent Mount Ararat in present-day Turkey.

Discussing the map on her YouTube channel, Ashleys_AntiqueBibles said it appears to locate Eden near the source of the Euphrates at the mountain's base.

The map also labels Mesopotamia, Babylon, Havilah, the Arabian Desert, the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea.

Most importantly, it shows the Euphrates beginning among the mountains and flowing westward, while the Caspian Sea appears to the right, or east.

This layout places Eden near the mountainous headwaters rather than beneath the Caspian Sea, a location the host said she had proposed in earlier videos.

That interpretation draws on Genesis, which states that one river flowed out of Eden before dividing into the Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates.

Translated into modern geography, the map points to eastern Turkey, close to the borders of Armenia and Iran.

Titled The Situation of the Garden of Eden, the map places the biblical paradise in Great Armenia, near mountains believed to represent Mount Ararat in present-day Turkey

The antique Bible, known as the Geneva Bible, was produced by English Protestant scholars who fled England and took refuge in Switzerland. 

Historians estimate that as many as 360,000 copies were printed between 1560 and 1644. 

The Situation of the Garden of Eden map is a copy of one created by Protestant reformer John Calvin, first published in his 1554 commentary on Genesis to illustrate where he believed Eden had stood.

Genesis describes a river flowing through Eden before dividing into four branches.

Scholars generally agreed that two were the Tigris and Euphrates, while the Pishon and Gihon were often identified as the Ganges and Nile.

However, that interpretation created a major geographical problem because the four rivers do not meet.

Calvin proposed that the biblical term translated as 'headwaters' could refer to either the beginning or the mouth of a river, according to a pre-print study by Justine Angelique Walden, who previously taught history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

He therefore argued that the Pishon and Gihon were not separate rivers but names for the lower sections or outlets of the Tigris and Euphrates.

The antique Bible, known as the Geneva Bible, was produced by English Protestant scholars who fled England and took refuge in Switzerland

The Garden of Eden (Pictured) was described in the Book of Genesis as a paradise where the first humans, Adam and Eve, once walked before committing the first sin

By treating all four names as parts of the same river system, Calvin believed he had reconciled the biblical description with real-world geography.

His interpretation placed Eden firmly in Mesopotamia and presented it as a genuine earthly paradise that had existed before disappearing into history.

'Oddly, the Eden map showed the general location of Eden but did not specify the walled garden’s perimeter, and so ambiguously asserted both the presence of paradise as well as its absence,' Walden shared in her report.

'Eden had once been precisely locatable; now only traces of its existence, such as the four rivers, remained.' 

People have been actively searching for and theorizing about the location of the Garden of Eden for centuries, with every single one coming up empty.

A more recent investigation into the biblical paradise was released in 2025, when Mahmood Jawaid, a chemical engineer based in Texas, argued Eden was actually in Bahir Dar, a fertile region in northwestern Ethiopia near the southern end of Lake Tana, where the Blue Nile begins.

An American engineer proposed in 2025 that the Garden of Eden was located in Ethiopia due to the landscape and the Blue Nile that runs through the area

Jawaid based his research on a careful reading of both the Bible and the Quran, analyzing descriptions of Adam and Eve, the rivers and the garden itself.

The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, noted that the Blue Nile could correspond to the Biblical Gihon, and Lake Tana's outflows divide into multiple waterways, potentially forming the four rivers described in Genesis.

Early human evolution also played a role in this theory, proposing that Adam may have evolved from Homo habilis or a late form of Australopithecus in the East African Rift Valley near Olduvai Gorge, a region considered a cradle of humanity.

From there, Adam and Eve could have been 'placed' in the highlands of Bahir Dar, a paradise at a higher elevation, before descending, what the Quran describes as 'habata,' to settle in the Rift Valley.

This is because the region sits about 6,000 feet above sea level, boasting lush vegetation, abundant wildlife and the flowing Blue Nile, features that align with both the Biblical description of Eden's rivers and the Quranic concept of a garden on Earth.

'All clues point to Bahir Dar, near Lake Tana, a region of striking beauty, abundant vegetation, and the source of the Blue Nile, which fits the ancient description of Eden's rivers,' Jawaid wrote.

The Gihon, in particular, is said to encompass the land of Cush, an ancient term widely associated with Ethiopia.

Jawaid seized on that linguistic clue, arguing that the Gihon corresponds to the Blue Nile, which begins at Lake Tana before winding northward through Sudan to join the White Nile in Khartoum.

'Lake Tana fits the description of Eden perfectly,' he writes, noting that volcanic ridges enclose the surrounding highlands and feed multiple river systems.

In his reconstruction, Lake Tana itself represents Eden, while the Garden of Eden lies immediately to the south, around Bahir Dar, 'east of Eden' in biblical phrasing, where the river emerges from the lake.

The Book of Genesis discusses a 'flaming sword,' which God placed at the entrance of the garden to prevent humans from accessing the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve were banished.

The Tree of Life was a literal tree with fruit that would grant eternal life. After Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were expelled from Eden to prevent them from also eating the Tree of Life and living forever in their fallen state.

Jawaid's study suggested that the 'fiery flashing sword' could be represented by the volcanic ridges surrounding Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands.

'Considering that the valley is surrounded by historically active volcanoes, it is very much possible that the active volcanoes formed the flaming sword mentioned in the Bible,' he shared. 

RELATED

Garden of Eden Discovered? Evidence for Eden's Location! Fall of Adam, Eve, Creation

The Garden of Eden Found? Map & Evidence Explained

The REAL Garden of Eden Has Been Found...and It's NOT Where You Think

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

Ancient underwater city discovered 'near resting place of Noah's Ark' rewrites human history

• READ MORE: Noah's Ark resting place '100% confirmed' after 4,300 years as astonishing 'man-made' structure is detected buried deep underground

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Deep in the murky waters of an ancient lake in Turkey lie mysterious ruins that researchers believe could be part of a forgotten city, rewriting human history. 

Divers have uncovered an enormous circular structure and a wall of interlocking stone blocks 75 feet below the surface of Lake Van.

Researcher Matthew LaCroix, who is part of the diving team, told the Daily Mail: ‘What we know of the underwater ruins may just be a tiny piece of something much larger.'

LaCroix believes the ruins are at least 11,700 years old and could date back as far as 40,000 years, based on geological estimates for the eruptions of near by  he said blocked the lake’s ancient outlet and submerged the structures.

The wall features three steps leading to the circular structure and seven levels of stonework rising more than eight feet from the lakebed. ‘I measured over 150 feet that this causeway continues,’ LaCroix said. ‘Over 150 feet, and it leads into the darkness.’

He believes the feature may lead to more buildings belonging to an undiscovered city concealed beneath the water. 

'You have a civilization that had the capabilities to build unbelievable stonework and temples,' LaCroix added. 'This shows that this lost chapter of human history not only created highly advanced things that are far beyond the capabilities of iron and bronze cultures of our time, but that the dating of it puts it in a time.'

Adding to the mystery, Lake Van lies southwest of Mount Ararat and the Durupınar formation, which some believe marks the final resting place of Noah’s Ark.

Divers have uncovered a wall of interlocking stone blocks 75 feet below the surface of Lake Van

The massive wall connects to the enormous circular structure (above)

Lake Van is located in the far eastern part of Turkey within the Eastern Anatolia region, close to the border with Iran. It sits roughly 90 miles from Mount Ararat, which some believe is the final resting place of Noah's Ark.

The surface area of the lake is about 1,450 square miles, making it the largest in the country. 

Turkish underwater filmmaker Tahsin Ceylan discovered the first ruins in 2017, while studying Lake Van's microbiolite formations and pearl mullet.

He stumbled upon a stone fortress flanked by circular temples with precisely carved masonry.

There was also a capstone engraved with a six-spoked 'Flower of Life' symbol, a motif used by numerous cultures for thousands of years.

Salin later teamed up with LaCroix for a dive in 2025, but it was not until the footage was reviewed this year that the massive stone wall was spotted.

While archaeologists confirm the structures exist, many attribute them to the Urartian period around 3,000 years ago, or even to the medieval era. 

But they have admitted that the site has yet to be fully studied or definitively dated.

Researcher Matthew LaCroix, who is part of the diving team, told the Daily Mail: ‘What we know of the underwater ruins may just be a tiny piece of something much larger'

Lake Van is located in the far eastern part of Turkey within the Eastern Anatolia region, close to the border with Iran

LaCroix, however, said the geological evidence told a different story. 

Scientists have long known that Lake Van once drained westward through an outlet that was later blocked by a series of massive eruptions from Mount Nemrut during the Pleistocene.

LaCroix, who discussed the Lake Van discoveries on his podcast,  explained that the Pleistocene ended 11,700 years ago, but experts have suggested that the major eruptions may have occurred as far back as 40,000 years.

'That means the ruins were built before,' he added.

Exploring the site is difficult because Lake Van has no outlet, leaving dissolved sediment suspended throughout the water and sharply limiting visibility.

The wall features three steps leading to the circular structure and seven levels of stonework rising more than eight feet from the lakebed

LaCroix said divers can generally see clearly only between approximately 5am and 11am before conditions deteriorate.

‘You only have a tiny window to even explore,’ he said.

He also clarified that he did not descend to the wall 75 feet below the surface. 

Instead, he spent only eight minutes at the circular ruin in approximately 30 feet of water while other divers recorded the surrounding stonework.

‘It’s a perfect circle,’ LaCroix said. ‘When you dive down from above, it’s a perfect circle.’

The two formations are separated by a considerable distance but lie within an underwater area that LaCroix said has been mapped across approximately one square kilometer.

Scientists have long known that the lake once had an outlet and was much smaller than it is today. This has led some researchers to suggest that the ancient civilization built a stunning city overlooking the lake

The diving team has also found fortress-like ruins on the lakebed

The causeway was not noticed during the dive. LaCroix said it emerged months later, after videographer Brandon Barnes uploaded footage taken behind the circular structure.

‘I’m like, oh my God, because they found something,’ he recalled.

The video appeared to show three steps rising toward the circular monument, followed by seven courses of stonework and the lengthy structure extending away from it.

LaCroix argued that the amount of labor involved makes it unlikely that the feature was constructed in isolation.

‘It can’t just go to nothing,’ he said. ‘There would have to be a major urban area that this was a nodal point that it went to.’

He added: ‘I have never been able to see it. It leads somewhere. We just don’t know where it leads.’

However, no stone from the ruins has been independently dated, and no archaeological excavation has established that the structures form a city.

The proposed age of between 11,700 and 40,000 years is LaCroix’s interpretation of geological research into the volcanic eruptions and changing boundaries of Lake Van, rather than a direct date obtained from the masonry.

LaCroix believes the causeway (above) leads to a massive city that was destroyed in a flood tens of thousands of years ago

Other researchers have suggested that at least some of the walls may be medieval, possibly incorporating older blocks produced by the Urartians, who controlled the region approximately 3,000 years ago.

LaCroix nevertheless believes the still water may have protected whatever remains below, preserving structures that would have been damaged by currents elsewhere.

‘It’s like it’s just sitting there, preserved, like waiting for humanity to discover it,’ he said.

Further dives, detailed sonar mapping and analysis by underwater archaeologists would be needed to determine whether the causeway is human-made, establish where it leads and reveal whether more structures remain hidden in the darkness.

This Ancient City Was Found at the Bottom of the Black Sea... And It's Older Than Mesopotamia

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

Is a nearby advanced alien civilization out there waiting to pounce on Earth? Unlikely, says new study

by Northern Arizona University

Science fiction suggests that life on other planets, if it exists, is likely far more advanced than life on Earth. A recent study suggests otherwise.

This new study, led by Chris Doughty, a professor of ecoinformatics at Northern Arizona University, proposes that the extent to which life on potentially habitable exoplanets in Earth's stellar neighbors is advanced is likely related to plant energy, not just how much time has passed. That means that, although Earth is young compared to some of its stellar neighbors, which are older by several billion years, life on exoplanets with worse conditions for cumulative photosynthesis likely evolved more slowly over billions of years.

"Physicist Enrico Fermi famously asked, given the high likelihood of intelligent life in the galaxy, 'Where are they?'" Doughty said. "This paper suggests that our exoplanet stellar neighborhood may be quiet because most Earth-like planets near us are likely to be evolutionarily behind us and still at the microbial stage. Which means we can sleep well, because if life on those exoplanets evolved just like on Earth, most of those planets will just be filled with microbes and not advanced aliens."

The study was published Sept. 22 in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

What the study says

It doesn't say there isn't highly advanced extraterrestrial life that could lead to a real-life reenactment of "The Three-Body Problem." What the study says, according to the researchers, is that such a species nearby is unlikely, as cumulative photosynthesis on nearby potentially habitable exoplanets would be lower.

And here's why: If life ever evolved on a planet, its continued evolution wouldn't just automatically happen over time. Rather, it would be dependent on the cumulative plant energy of a planet, the study authors hypothesize. Looking at Earth, warm, wet places have more plant growth and species than cold, dry places. Scientists believe this is because there is more plant growth and ecological space for animals to exist. Thus, a young, warm, wet exoplanet may have more evolutionary development than an older, colder, drier exoplanet.

In their paper, Doughty and his co-authors explore the implications of this hypothesis for exoplanets. The planets most likely to have life orbit red dwarfs, the most common star type in our galaxy. These planets, which are often billions of years older than Earth, have dimmer light and are often tidally locked, meaning only one side of the planet faces its sun.

"If photosynthetic life evolved on these planets, that life has been photosynthesizing for potentially billions of years longer than on Earth," said co-author Michael Gowanlock, an associate professor of informatics at NAU. "However, the total annual photosynthesis is likely lower because there is less light and half the planetary surface area available for photosynthesis. Who is ahead? That is the mystery we are quantitatively trying to solve."

Recent work by co-author Denis Sergeev, a lecturer at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, has simulated possible climate patterns on exoplanets, producing maps of temperature, light and precipitation, which are the main variables needed to predict plant growth on Earth.

In the current paper, the authors used those maps to predict potential plant growth and evolutionary rates over their lifetimes for TRAPPIST-1e and 28 other nearby exoplanets that potentially have liquid water. ("Nearby" is relative; TRAPPIST-1e is 40 light-years from Earth.)

But TRAPPIST-1e isn't Earth. How do they compare?

Here's how it works on Earth. Roughly 2.4 x 10²⁵ grams of carbon were fixed during the 3.2 billion years before more efficient vascular plants evolved. Then 7 x 10²⁵ grams more carbon was fixed before humans evolved. The researchers estimated that TRAPPIST-1e has fixed only 21% of Earth's carbon despite being several billion years older than Earth.

"Since this is less than the Earth had fixed before the evolution of more efficient vascular plants, we estimated that TRAPPIST-1e may only be at the microbial stage of evolution," said co-author Cameron Hrabak, an NAU alumnus. "That's well behind Earth."

The researchers made similar calculations for the 29 exoplanets in Earth's stellar neighborhood that are most likely to have life and found only two planets whose life has potentially evolved ahead of Earth's: GJ 1061c and K2-3d. Both are bigger, hotter, brighter and older than most Earth-like planets in our solar neighborhood. Three other planets could be at the Mesozoic life stage, which is roughly equivalent to the age of dinosaurs on Earth.

These are estimates, not proof. The atmosphere around TRAPPIST-1e and other exoplanets would profoundly affect climate, photosynthesis and how life evolved; future work with the James Webb Space Telescope could provide additional data that will allow the researchers to hone their estimates.

What's next, and is it an alien invasion?

This technique can help predict the evolutionary constraints that shape life on those exoplanets that might surpass life on Earth, the researchers said. On Earth, plant growth can be limited by light, temperature or precipitation. For instance, deserts get plenty of light, but growth is inhibited by a lack of precipitation. These constraints also shape how life evolves differently—the life in tropical forests has little overlap with desert life. On exoplanets, the planets most likely to surpass Earth's total carbon fixed and evolutionary stage are mainly precipitation-limited.

Put simply, if there is an alien civilization in Earth's stellar neighborhood, the ecosystems shaping those intelligent creatures would be more like deserts or temperate ecosystems—much like humans on Earth, as we likely evolved in rain-limited savanna woodlands.

"To use two pop culture references, the ecological characteristics that shape advanced life on those exoplanets might be more 'Dune' than 'Avatar,'" Doughty said.

{ https://phys.org/ }

The Truth Is Out There: The Crop Circle Controversy

1994 was the height of the alien frenzy. There were bestseller books, magazines, and TV shows about crop circles, flying saucers and alien abductions. A 1990 Gallup believed we had alien visitors. The highly popular “X-Files” weekly show had a large viewership who tuned in every Sunday evening to watch Special Agents Scully and Mulder investigate paranormal phenomenon, focusing on alien abductions; their slogan was “the truth is out there.” Sensational alien stories swept the nation in these pre-social media days, as people relied on news media and best-seller books for their information. And there were plenty of books and TV specials to stoke your imagination.

A 1994 best seller, Abduction:  Human Encounters With Aliens, by Harvard psychiatrist John Mack, discussed interviews with people who claimed they were abducted by aliens; Oprah interviewed abductees. There were books about dead aliens from a flying saucer crash hidden by the government at the top-secret Area 51 in Nevada. And the first book about crop circles was Circular Evidence: a Detailed Investigation of the Flattened Swirled Crops Phenomenon jointly written by Colin Andrews, an electrical engineer from England, and Pat Delgado, a former NASA engineer. These authors inaugurated the new “science” of crop circles, or cereology. Other self-styled experts from around the world quickly came forward to examine the circles and advance their own theories. More books were written, and organization and institutes devoted to cereology sprang up like, well, crop circles.

Experts combed these circles, taking soil and plant samples, looking for signs of a space ship’s propulsion, such as remnants of a plasma vortex or of radiation. The origin of crop circles was hotly debated. It was generally assumed that they couldn’t be man-made because no one could produce works of this magnitude so quickly, in the dark of night, unnoticed, with such perfect symmetry! Instead, they were attributed to ball lightning, plasma vortexes, wind, and animals, but the most favored explanation was they were made by visitors from outer space landing a flying saucer. One expert, Joachim Koch, felt these “cerealoglyphs” were coded messages and actually wrote back to the aliens through a circle that he produced!

My husband is an electrical engineer with a degree in Space Sciences, and a PhD in plasma physics–better credentials and more experience than most cereologists. He just couldn’t make sense of their speculations, which didn’t seem to obey the laws of physics. Still, he thought there might be something to this phenomenon that could be explained scientifically. Because unlike reports of UFOs and abductions, crop circles were real, physical objects. You could see them, touch them, and feel them. He wanted to see for himself. Me? I thought it was a splendid idea for a vacation. I had just finished a sabbatical in London and longed to see more of England.

In August 1994, we booked our flights and lodging, and headed to England to see for ourselves. Landing in Heathrow, we drove our rental car about 90 miles west, heading toward a B&B in a farmstead, Wayside Farm, in the little town of Devises. Little did we know that our farm was only 35 miles away from Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey would be filmed in 2010.

We were enchanted by Wiltshire. It abounds in mysterious and unexplained landscape phenomena, some of which originate before recorded history. Many of these take the form of circles:  there is Stonehenge, and the lesser-known stone circles of Avebury, as well as some circular earthworks attributed to Roman occupation; there are the mysterious circular and oval-shaped earth mounds–the tors– such as Silbury Hill and Kennet Long Barrow, which have now been shown to be prehistoric burial sites.

The building of these ancient sites has been attributed to Neolithic people. Archaic humans lived in the region nearly one million years ago.  After the last ice age, continuous human settlement began around 13,000 to 11,700 years ago; the tors and stone hills of Wiltshire were built around 5,000 years ago. And who built these monuments? The people of England have always felt a connection to these ancient people, who laid the foundations of civilization, and may even have been travelers from outer space.

Aliens as Neolithic people building Stonehenge

Perhaps these aliens left after their work was done, but return periodically to check on their handiwork with a quick visit via a crop circle.

 Silbury Hill is a 4,500 year old man-made hill which is a frequent site of UFO’s, crop circles and mysterious lights . It is a frequent location for UFO sightings, mysterious lights, and crop circle activity.  A photograph of a UFO above Silbury Hill taken by a tourist was reported in the Telegraph Newspaper in August 2012. In October 19, 2009, a police officer contacted British UFO experts after seeing three aliens examining a freshly made crop circle near Avebury, Wiltshire

We stopped at the Westbrook Free house (no relation) for a quick pint on the way to our lodgings at Wayside Farm, which was rather difficult to find using paper maps in those pre-GPS days. We settled in for a quiet evening after walking to the nearby pub, and got up to an early and hearty breakfast at the farm table. The farmer was very helpful in directing us to new crop circles; word would get around when one appeared, and he’d give us the road intersections, which gave us our morning quest through the golden countryside. It’s striking to see these beautiful creations, carved into the crops and stretching across the field. Among the five that we found, one was close to the road and easily accessed through the tractor pathways. We began our analysis.

Local pub near our lodging

Crop circle near Avebury which was visited by aliens in 09.October2009 . We took our time driving the 90 miles from London, enjoying the Wiltshire countryside. We made the requisite stops at Stonehenge, but were more intrigued by the circle at Avebury,  which is not fenced like Stonehenge, so you can touch the stones and walk within the 1/5 mile diameter. We had lunch at the Red Lion pub, which lies at a crossroads in the center of the Avebury circle.

We were soon joined by a small tour group led by a German self-styled expert. He pointed out to us that the wheat stalks were “bent not broken,” which, he said, clearly indicated an unusual force pushing them down. (I found that if I stomped on the wheat in the field I would get the same result, but what do I know? I wasn’t a cereology expert like he was.)

crop circle in Wiltshire that we visited.

German expert

Our colleague was intrigued by Rick’s small portable Geiger counter, but sadly disappointed that it registered no radioactivity greater than background. In fact, there was no evidence of any unusual forces, no sign of burning by hot plasma or rocket fuel, nothing but tramped down wheat circles filled with a number of crop circle enthusiasts.

Rick examines the crop circle

Overall, this was a relaxing visit to a lovely part of the world, but we didn’t make any remarkable discoveries or find physical evidence of forces that may have created these splendid circles. There was nothing to suggest that they were anything but man-made. I looked at them as artistic expressions, and for some they were an expression of belief in and desire for alien contact, but man-made nonetheless.

What we didn’t learn until we returned to the US, was that crop circles had already been exposed as being man made: On Sept 11, 1991, two pint-loving English watercolor artists, Doug Bower and David Chorley, revealed to the British press that they created these circles, making their first one in 1978. Apparently, after a few drinks in a pub, they were inspired to create a “flying saucer nest,” which they did in the dead of night by walking in a field and using simple planks and ropes. AS the press got interested, many more followed. You can see Doug and Dave in action in this expose video from their 1991 TV broadcast.

What was remarkable to us is that this news never made a big splash in the US!   Mysterious crop circles were news; exposing them as a hoax was not. Truly, no one wanted to hear that crop circles were man-made!

The expert cereologists also refused to believe that the circles were all man-made. Dave and Doug’s were “fake” circles, because “real” crop circles had otherworldly origins. So many people believed these experts that they were not about to change their beliefs. Many of the crop circle experts have since back-pedaled and accept human creation for most–but not ALL–crop circles. The Journal of Cereology is still being published, and crop circles are still appearing in many sites around the world, the majority still being in Wiltshire, and mostly man made.Croppies continue to insist on their alien origin.

To me, the most interesting question about crop circles is why belief in their alien origin persists, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. The answer, I feel, is that these beliefs reveal a desire to believe in a higher power that transcends humanity. In these days of declining acceptance of organized religion, believing in superhuman aliens fills this need for many people. To them, connecting these mysterious apparitions to other presumed alien interventions gives substance to their beliefs. I am reminded of the poster displayed above Agent Mulder’s desk on the TV series “X-files.”  It depicted a flying saucer, with the caption, “I want to believe.”

X-files logo

 { https://3quarksdaily.com/ }

This Palm-Sized Robot Jumps Like a Frog, Swims With the Same Legs, and Weighs Just 98 Grams

This robot weighs just 98 grams, yet it can backflip, hop across sand and grass, and paddle through a pool. Here's how its frog-like legs make it possible.

© Credit: Structures-Computer Interaction Laboratory/YouTube

A small robot developed by researchers in the United States can hop across land and paddle through water by using flexible limbs inspired by frog movements. The palm-sized machine uses elastic structures to store energy and release it in quick bursts.

Created by teams from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the invention explores a different way of making small machines move. Instead of relying only on motors to generate power, its design allows the body itself to store energy and release it when needed.

The idea comes from the way animals produce sudden movements. A frog does not jump by applying a constant force, but it builds up energy before releasing it in a rapid motion. The researchers wanted to reproduce a similar mechanism using flexible mechanical parts. However, what happens when bent and twisted flexible rods are pushed beyond their limits?

Tiny Robot Makes a Powerful Jump

The robot moves using two flexible rear limbs made from twisted elastic structures. Small motors slowly rotate and bend these limbs until they reach a critical point. The stored energy is then released suddenly, causing the legs to snap into a new position and push the robot forward.

Published in Science Advances, the study explained that the approach allows the robot to create a much stronger movement than the motors could produce on their own. The motors provide the slow loading process, while the elastic limbs deliver the rapid burst of power.

“Typically, with conventional motors, we get motion relatively steadily, like a wheel turning at the same speed,” explained M. Khalid Jawed, a mechanical and aerospace engineer at UCLA, in comments reported by ScienceAlert.

He added that some robots need short bursts of power to cross obstacles or move through difficult surfaces. After each jump, the motors reverse to reset the limbs and prepare the next movement. The prototype carries its own battery and control electronics and has a measured mass of 98.2 grams.

Flexible Design Passes the Test

The researchers tested the robot on multiple surfaces, including wood, cloth, acrylic, leather, grass, and sand. During experiments, the machine reached a top speed of 3.21 body lengths per second.

To measure the impact of the elastic design, the team built another version with rigid legs. Both robots used the same main components, allowing the researchers to compare how the flexible limbs affected performance.

The flexible-legged robot reached an average speed of 2.46 body lengths per second, while the rigid-legged version reached 0.79 body lengths per second. The difference was especially noticeable on softer surfaces such as grass and cloth, where the rigid one struggled to move.

_{^{Experimental demonstrations of the frog-inspired robot’s multimodal locomotion and autonomous behaviors. Credit: Science Advances}}

The machine also demonstrated other abilities, including quick turns, repeated backflips, and climbing small steps. The results published by the research team show that it could cross outdoor sand scattered with small rocks while being controlled remotely.

The study team also added light sensors, allowing the tiny machine to move toward a light source during a basic autonomous test.

A Robot That Can Move From Land To Water

The team later adapted it for swimming by waterproofing the platform and attaching paddles to its looped limbs. The same flexible structures used for jumping were then used to move through water.

The swimming version reached around 0.5 body lengths per second and was tested in an outdoor pool with underwater obstacles and wind conditions. The aquatic system was not specially optimized, but it demonstrated that the robot’s movement concept could work in another environment.

{ https://dailygalaxy.com/category/news/ }

No Human Commands, No Remote Control: This Asteroid-Mining Company Prepares To Launch The World’s First Spacecraft Designed To Fly On Its Own

AstroForge is preparing a 2027 mission designed to operate in space without commands from Earth after launch.

Written by Kouceila Rekik

© Credit: AstroForge

AstroForge is preparing a 2027 space mission that will attempt to operate without any commands from Earth after separation, marking a new step toward autonomous exploration and future asteroid missions beyond our planet.

A Spacecraft Designed To Make Decisions Alone

The upcoming Autonomy-1 mission from AstroForge will test a new approach to spacecraft operations by allowing an onboard system to manage mission activities without direct intervention from controllers on Earth. The company plans to launch the spacecraft in 2027 as part of its effort to develop technologies for future asteroid exploration and space resource missions.

Unlike traditional spacecraft that depend on continuous instructions from mission teams, Autonomy-1 is designed to complete its mission after launch with no commands sent from the ground. The spacecraft will still communicate with Earth, sending back information about its condition, activities, and scientific results, but operators will not guide its actions during the mission.

AstroForge CEO and co-founder Matt Gialich described the mission as a major test of autonomous spacecraft operations in a Tuesday, Sept. 22, blog post announcing the project. “Autonomy-1 will be the first space mission to complete its entire mission after separation without a single command from the ground,” Gialich wrote. “Using Solo, we will remove the human operator from the loop.”

The mission reflects a growing interest in spacecraft that can handle complex situations independently. As exploration moves farther from Earth, communication delays and operational challenges make real-time human control increasingly difficult. Autonomous systems could allow future missions to respond faster and operate in environments where direct guidance is limited.

Solo Will Control The Spacecraft During Flight

At the center of the mission is Solo, AstroForge’s autonomous software system developed to coordinate spacecraft activities. The technology is intended to allow the spacecraft to evaluate conditions, make operational choices, and manage tasks during its journey without waiting for instructions from Earth.

According to AstroForge, Solo is designed to work alongside the company’s existing flight software rather than replace the systems responsible for predictable spacecraft operations.

“Designed to autonomously coordinate a spacecraft’s onboard functions,” Gialich wrote in the blog post. “Solo works on top of AstroForge’s existing deterministic, physics-based flight software, allowing the spacecraft to make decisions in real time during flight.”

This approach combines traditional spacecraft engineering with newer autonomous decision-making capabilities. The deterministic systems provide established flight controls, while Solo adds another layer that can manage choices during the mission. The goal is to demonstrate how spacecraft can maintain performance while reducing dependence on constant human oversight.

The technology could have applications beyond a single mission. Future asteroid missions, deep-space probes, and commercial spacecraft may require greater levels of independence as companies and agencies target destinations farther from Earth. Autonomous operations could help reduce communication limits and allow spacecraft to perform complex activities over long periods.

AstroForge’s Path Toward Asteroid Mining Missions

The Autonomy-1 mission is connected to AstroForge’s wider plans to develop technologies for asteroid mining and space resource exploration. The company has focused on creating spacecraft capable of reaching asteroids and studying materials that could support future commercial activities in space.

The company has not described Autonomy-1 as a mining mission itself. Instead, the spacecraft will serve as a demonstration of autonomous operations, showing how spacecraft systems can function independently after launch. The data collected from the mission will help AstroForge evaluate how Solo performs in a real space environment.

“The mission objective is deliberately straightforward: after Autonomy-1 separates from its launch vehicle, we do not intend to send the spacecraft a single command,” Gialich wrote. This operating model creates a different type of mission profile, where engineers observe the spacecraft rather than actively control each step of its journey.

AstroForge plans to monitor the spacecraft through telemetry and scientific data returned to Earth. “Autonomy-1 will transmit telemetry and science data back to Earth so that we can observe what the spacecraft is doing, understand the decisions Solo makes and collect science,” Gialich added. “But that information will only flow one way — from the spacecraft to the ground.”

{ https://dailygalaxy.com/ }