The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld In België had je vooral BUFON of het Belgisch UFO-Netwerk, dat zich met UFO's bezighoudt. BEZOEK DUS ZEKER VOOR ALLE OBJECTIEVE INFORMATIE , enkel nog beschikbaar via Facebook en deze blog.
Verder heb je ook het Belgisch-Ufo-meldpunt en Caelestia, die prachtig, doch ZEER kritisch werk leveren, ja soms zelfs héél sceptisch...
Voor Nederland kan je de mooie site www.ufowijzer.nl bezoeken van Paul Harmans. Een mooie site met veel informatie en artikels.
MUFON of het Mutual UFO Network Inc is een Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in alle USA-staten en diverse landen.
MUFON's mission is the analytical and scientific investigation of the UFO- Phenomenon for the benefit of humanity...
Je kan ook hun site bekijken onder www.mufon.com.
Ze geven een maandelijks tijdschrift uit, namelijk The MUFON UFO-Journal.
Since 02/01/2020 is Pieter ex-president (=voorzitter) of BUFON, but also ex-National Director MUFON / Flanders and the Netherlands. We work together with the French MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP.
ER IS EEN NIEUWE GROEPERING DIE ZICH BUFON NOEMT, MAAR DIE HEBBEN NIETS MET ONZE GROEP TE MAKEN. DEZE COLLEGA'S GEBRUIKEN DE NAAM BUFON VOOR HUN SITE... Ik wens hen veel succes met de verdere uitbouw van hun groep. Zij kunnen de naam BUFON wel geregistreerd hebben, maar het rijke verleden van BUFON kunnen ze niet wegnemen...
11-03-2025
Space Force's X-37B is Back After 14 Secretive Months in Orbit
Space Force's X-37B is Back After 14 Secretive Months in Orbit
By Mark Thompson
The X-37B Space Plane
(Credit : NASA)
The X-37B is a reusable robotic space plane operated by the U.S. Space Force. It resembles a miniature space shuttle at just under 9 metres long with a 4.5 metre wingspan and is an uncrewed vehicle designed for long-duration missions in low Earth orbit. It launches vertically atop a rocket, lands horizontally like a conventional aircraft and serves as a testbed for new technologies and experiments that can be returned to Earth for analysis.
The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane is seen shortly after landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 12, 2022, bringing an end to its OTV-6 mission.
(Image credit: Boeing/US Space Force)
It’s development was a collaborative effort between NASA, Boeing, and the U.S. Department of Defence. It was originally conceived by NASA in the late 1990s to explore reusable spaceplane technologies but transitioned to the U.S. Air Force in 2004 for military purposes.
Its mission profiles remain classified but the Space Force acknowledges that it conducts experiments related to advanced guidance systems, thermal protection materials, autonomous orbital operations, and various payloads for the Department of Defence and NASA. Since its first launch in 2010, the X-37B has now completed seven successful missions, extending its mission length with each flight and demonstrating amazing versatility for technology development.
Landing at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California earlier this week , the X-37B showed how it can launch quickly and recover systems from various locations. This 7th mission also marked the first time it was launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket into a Highly Elliptical Orbit. It’s an impressive fact that the Falcon has the capacity to launch 10, yes TEN, of the X-37B planes at once!
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch
(Credit : SpaceX)
Technicians in bulky protective suits approach the U.S. Space Force X-37B space plane after its landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to end a secret 434 day mission on March 7, 2025.
(Image credit: U.S. Space Force)
During this mission, just one was launched and it conducted numerous tests and experiments to demonstrate its advanced manoeuvring abilities (having demonstrated its aerobraking manoeuvre - using atmospheric drag over multiple passes to adjust orbit with minimal fuel burn) and enhance understanding of the space domain through space domain awareness technology. It means that the space plane can detect and track objects in space making it useful for satellite and space debris monitoring and identification of potential threats to other objects in orbit.
The awareness of the space domain and the technology that enables this capability enhances the Space Force’s understanding of the space environment which is vital for operating in an increasingly crowded region of space. After performing its aerobraking manoeuvre to enter Low Earth Orbit, the mission completed its objectives and safely returned to Earth. Lt. Col. Blaine Stewart praised Mission 7’s achievements, highlighting its contributions to advancing the X-37B program.
Close up view of the X-37B’s nose.
(U.S. Space Force courtesy photo)
The X-37B program, managed jointly by the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office and the United States Space Force with Boeing providing the spacecraft and mission support, has served as a platform for both classified military tests and civilian space experiments. While many mission details remain confidential, the Space Force has gradually shared more information about the program’s role in developing new concepts for space operations.
The U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane is seen on a runway at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California after returning to Earth in the wee hours to end its OTV-7 mission on March 7, 2025.
KIJK. Oceanen blijven ons verbazen: 866 nieuwe soorten zeeleven ontdekt
Onder het oppervlak van onze oceanen bevindt zich een geheimzinnige wereld die haar geheimen maar mondjesmaat prijsgeeft. Recent zijn maar liefst 866 nieuwe soorten ontdekt, van zeeschildpadden tot kleurrijke engelhaaien en stekelige kreeften. Dat is te danken aan ‘Ocean Census’, een ambitieus initiatief dat nieuw zeeleven wil ontdekken én beschermen.
“Het is het grootste initiatief in de zeeomgeving dat ooit heeft bestaan”, zegt hoofdonderzoeker Michelle Taylor. “Historisch gezien is de ontdekking van soorten een moeizaam en langzaam proces. De gemiddelde tijd tussen de ontdekking en de beschrijving ervan in een academische publicatie is 13 jaar, terwijl de uitdagingen waarmee onze mariene omgeving wordt geconfronteerd... We kunnen gewoon niet zo lang wachten. Het versnellen van mariene ontdekking, zelfs als iets geen echte naam heeft, gewoon kunnen zeggen dat het nieuw is, is echt krachtig.”
Scientists discover 100 new maritime species off New Zealand | DW News
Nieuwe soorten
Onder de recente ontdekkingen bevindt zich een nieuw geïdentificeerde gitaarhaai. Hij is de 38ste bekende soort en werd gevonden voor de kust van Mozambique en Tanzania. Veel soorten binnen die groep zijn kritisch bedreigd, wat zulke vondsten essentieel maakt voor natuurbehoud.
Een andere ontdekking is een giftige zeeslak nabij Nieuw-Caledonië. Ze produceert chemische verbindingen met mogelijke toepassingen in de geneeskunde, waaronder pijnverlichting en kankerbehandeling. Ondertussen werd een zeldzaam soort bloemkoraal (Octocorallia) geregistreerd op de Malediven. Dit was de eerste van zijn genus die in de regio werd gedocumenteerd.
De wetenschappers gebruiken enkele van de meest geavanceerde technologieën op aarde om de ongeziene diepten te verkennen en de geheimen van de zee te onthullen. Op het moment leidt Taylor een missie bij de Zuidelijke Sandwicheilanden, naar enkele van de minst onderzochte delen van de Zuidelijke Oceaan.
“We gebruiken een ongelooflijk geavanceerd toestel op afstandsbediening met de naam Sebastian om de diepten van de Zuidelijke Sandwicheilanden te verkennen. Dat is een zeer afgelegen archipel in de Zuidelijke Oceaan die zeer zelden wordt onderzocht met dit soort technologie. Traditionele bemonstering gebeurt via lange lijnen met sleepnetten, waardoor we een hoop platte gebieden krijgen. Maar achter mij heb je muren, en die echt scherpe topografische gebieden worden zelden bestudeerd. En dat is een enorme niche voor de ontdekking van soorten.”
De wetenschappers werken in ploegdiensten van twaalf uur, waardoor ze ononderbroken video’s van de zeebodem kunnen observeren via de onderwaterrobot. “Er zijn 24 wetenschappers uit meer dan een dozijn landen. Het is een zeer diverse internationale groep taxonomen en biologen aan boord. (...) Dus terwijl sommigen slapen, kijkt de rest van ons naar de beelden.”
Wanneer de wetenschappers iets tegenkomen dat ze nog niet kennen, kan de robot dat vastgrijpen en in een van de containers op het toestel stoppen. In het laboratorium aan boord kan het monster dan meteen worden onderzocht.
Ocean Census heeft nog tien nieuwe expedities op de planning staan, dus dat belooft.4
Launching the Arctic Deep Expedition I Ocean Census
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:HLN.be - Het Laatste Nieuws ( NL)
Over 800 new species discovered in world's biggest ocean mission
A new species of guitar shark, Rhinobatos sp., was identified at depths around 200 metres off the coasts of Mozambique and Tanzania by world-renowned shark expert David Ebert, also known as the ‘Lost Shark Guy’ (Ocean Census Species Discovery Awardee). This is only the 38th known guitar shark species worldwide, a group so at-risk that two-thirds of its species are threatened.
Over 800 new species discovered in world's biggest ocean mission
The Nippon Foundation Nekton Ocean Census has detailed the discovery of 866 new marine species, including a guitar shark, a deep-sea mollusc, and the first octocoral found in the Maldives, as part of its wider mission to transform the approach to ocean science.
This squat lobster, Galathea sp., is the first of its genus recorded in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, near Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
A new species of guitar shark, a deep-sea mollusc with potential in cancer treatment development, and the first octocoral to be discovered in the Maldives; these are just three of the more than 800 marine species newly discovered by scientists working across the world’s largest mission to unlock the mysteries of life in the ocean.
Marking a “significant step” in advancing our understanding of ocean biodiversity, the 866 new species to be detailed in total this week is just a fraction of the some 100,000 species that the mission – working under the The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census umbrella – aims to uncover in the coming years.
The overarching goal of this mission is to not only elucidate the mysteries of the ocean but to transform marine science and its approach to new species identification, by accelerating the process and closing the critical gaps in knowledge of life underwater before it’s too late.
The mission was born of the belief that one of the biggest hurdles marine biology faces in engaging both the public and private sectors is the long and drawn-out process for identifying new species, taking up to – in some cases – 14 years for formal identification to be made complete.
By this point, the Nippon Foundation and Nekton have argued, many of the species actually go extinct before they are even documented. It’s this that formed the basis of the mission – an international collaborative effort comprising some 800 scientists from over 400 institutions around the world launched in April 2023 with the aim of transforming and accelerating these current approaches.
“The ocean covers 71% of our planet, yet it is said that only 10% of marine life has been discovered so far, leaving an estimated 1 to 2 million species still undocumented,” said Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of the Nippon Foundation. “These latest findings demonstrate how international collaboration can advance our understanding of ocean biodiversity.”
The Ocean Census global alliance has conducted – to date – ten global expeditions and hosted eight Species Discovery Workshops, awarding 19 Species Discovery Awards to taxonomists worldwide.
Among the findings, a new species of shark, sea butterfly, mud dragon, bamboo coral, water bear, octocoral, sponge, shrimp, crab, reef fish, squat lobster, pipehorse, limpet, hooded shrimp, sea spiders, and brittle stars encompassing dozens of taxonomic groups have now all been registered to the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform.
The beta platform, developed in partnership with the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre is now accessible to researchers and the public alike.
Mollusc_Granulina nekton - The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census _ Jesus Ortega, Leopoldo Moro
Found at 3,053 m (10,016 ft) in the Jøtul Vent Field, this deep-sea limpet thrives in extreme environments.
Image courtesy of The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census/Martin Hartley.
A new species of Pygmy pipehorse found in Sodwana Bay, South Africa.
Image courtesy of The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census/Richard Smith.
Using divers, submersibles, and remotely operated vehicles all these new species were identified from depths of one to 4,990 metres. Among the most notable discoveries were:
A new species of guitar shark – only the 38th known species of guitar shark worldwide found at around 200m depths off Mozambique and Tanzania by the world-renowned shark expert, David Ebert;
A Turridrupa magnifica – a marine gastropod at 200 to 500m depths off New Caledonia and Vanatau by Dr Peter Stahlschmidt, and a species that produces peptides with potential applications in pain relief and cancer treatment;
And a new octocoral – found in the Maldives by Aishath Sarah Hashim & Aminath Nasath Shanaan from the Maldives Marine Research Institute; one of only five known species of this genus and the first recorded in the Maldives.
The mission has gone many lengths to highlight the current problems surrounding the identification and classification process when it comes to new species, primarily that it can take years between being first encountered by scientists, being formally described and being published in a scientific journal.
Sponge_Janulum sp.- The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census _ Michelle Kelly
“Too many species remain in limbo for years because the process of formally describing them is too slow,” said Professor Lucy Woodall, head of science at Ocean Census. “We urgently need to change that and adding the Species Discovery step gives us a way to rapidly start the process.
“Every new species – whether a shark or a sponge – deepens our understanding of marine ecosystems and the benefits they provide for the planet.”
Since the launch of the mission in 2023, Ocean Census has managed to pioneer new methods, forge new partnerships, and establish a new global network of participating scientists. Endorsed under the United Nations Ocean Decade, the Ocean Census has formed such partnerships with national marine research institutes, museums, universities, philanthropic organisations, and technology partners.
Oliver Steeds, director of the Ocean Census, said: “Our estimates suggest that discovering 100,000 new species could require at least $1bn. We are laying the groundwork to make large-scale species discovery a reality, but our impact will ultimately be determined by how this knowledge is used to support marine protection, climate adaptation, and biodiversity conservation.”
For the year ahead, the Ocean Census now plans to provide dozens more Species Discovery Awards, undertake ten new expeditions, and host seven additional Species Discovery Workshops across the Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans.
All further data will be added to the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform.
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More than 100 new marine species discovered
A glimpse at some of the 100 new deep sea species discovered off the coast of Chile
Scientists discover 100 new maritime species off New Zealand | DW News
We zouden binnen 20 jaar buitenaards leven kunnen detecteren—maar wat gebeurt er als we dat doen?
We zouden binnen 20 jaar buitenaards leven kunnen detecteren—maar wat gebeurt er als we dat doen?
De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven heeft de menselijke verbeelding gedurende eeuwen geboeid, en recente vooruitgangen in technologie en astrofysica hebben ons dichterbij gebracht dan ooit om mogelijk buitenaards leven binnen de komende twee decennia te detecteren. Dit essay verkent de implicaties van een dergelijke ontdekking en bestudeert de wetenschappelijke, filosofische en socioculturele dimensies. Het gaat in op de methoden van detectie, de criteria voor leven, de mogelijke vormen die leven kan aannemen en de gevolgen van contact. Uiteindelijk benadrukt deze verkenning de noodzaak van een alomvattend kader om de mensheid voor te bereiden op de diepgaande implicaties van het ontdekken van leven buiten de aarde.
1. Inleiding
De vraag of we alleen in het universum zijn, is een van de meest diepgaande vragen van onze tijd. Recente vooruitgangen in astrobiologie, planetenwetenschap en technologie suggereren dat we op de rand staan van het detecteren van buitenaards leven binnen de komende twee decennia. De implicaties van een dergelijke ontdekking zijn enorm en raken niet alleen ons wetenschappelijk begrip van leven, maar ook onze filosofische, ethische en socioculturele kaders. Dit essay heeft als doel de potentiële scenario's rondom de detectie van buitenaards leven, de aard van dat leven en de implicaties voor de mensheid te verkennen.
2. De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven
De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven is een diepgaande vraag die de menselijke verbeelding gedurende eeuwen heeft geboeid. Van de vroegste dagen van de menselijke beschaving tot de geavanceerde wetenschappelijke verkenningen van vandaag, de vraag of we alleen in het universum zijn, heeft voortdurende nieuwsgierigheid en innovatie geïnspireerd. Deze verkenning kan worden verdeeld in drie belangrijke secties: de historische context die ons begrip van leven buiten de aarde heeft gevormd, de huidige methoden die worden gebruikt om buitenaards leven te detecteren en de theoretische kaders die onze zoektocht begeleiden, zoals de Drake-vergelijking.
2.1 Historische context 2.1.1. Oude filosofische fundamenten
De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven is geen modern fenomeen; de wortels ervan kunnen worden teruggevoerd tot oude beschavingen. Filosofen zoals de Griekse filosoof Anaxagoras (c. 500–428 v.Chr.) en latere denkers zoals Epicurus en Lucretius speculeerden over het bestaan van andere werelden en levensvormen buiten de onze. Deze vroege filosofische zoektocht legde de basis voor toekomstige wetenschappelijke exploratie.
2.1.2. De Copernicaanse revolutie
De Copernicaanse revolutie markeerde een cruciaal moment in het begrip van de mensheid over zijn plaats in het universum. Nicolaus Copernicus stelde in de 16e eeuw een heliocentrisch model van het zonnestelsel voor, waarbij hij suggereerde dat de aarde niet het centrum van het universum was, maar eerder een van de vele hemellichamen die rond de zon draaien. Deze verschuiving in perspectief was van cruciaal belang voor het bevorderen van het idee dat de aarde misschien niet uniek is en dat leven mogelijk ergens anders kan bestaan.
2.1.3. Vooruitgang in de astronomie
De uitvinding van de telescoop in de vroege 17e eeuw revolutioneerde de astronomie en breidde ons begrip van de kosmos uit. Figuren zoals Galileo Galilei en Johannes Kepler hebben belangrijke bijdragen geleverd aan onze kennis van hemellichamen, wat leidde tot de ontdekking van planeten, manen en sterren. De realisatie dat er miljarden sterren zijn, waarvan velen waarschijnlijk hun eigen planetenstelsels herbergen, voedde verder de speculatie over buitenaards leven.
2.1.4. De 19e en 20e eeuw
De 19e eeuw zag een groeiende interesse in de mogelijkheid van leven op andere planeten, met name met de ontdekking van Mars en zijn intrigerende kenmerken. Het idee van "kanalen" op Mars, gepopulariseerd door astronoom Percival Lowell, leidde velen tot de overtuiging dat er intelligente levensvormen op de Rode Planeet konden bestaan. De 20e eeuw bracht aanzienlijke vooruitgangen in technologie en wetenschappelijk begrip met zich mee, wat culmineerde in de formulering van astrobiologie als een aparte wetenschappelijke discipline. De verkenning van Mars, Europa (een van de manen van Jupiter) en de ontdekking van exoplaneten werden centrale punten in de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven.
2.1.5. De rol van sciencefiction
Sciencefictionliteratuur en media hebben een belangrijke rol gespeeld in het vormen van de publieke interesse en percepties over buitenaards leven. Werken van auteurs zoals H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke en Isaac Asimov hebben niet alleen vermaakt, maar ook wetenschappers en onderzoekers geïnspireerd om de mogelijkheden van leven buiten de aarde te verkennen. De culturele impact van deze verhalen heeft bijgedragen aan een bredere fascinatie voor de kosmos en onze plaats daarin.
2.2 Huidige methoden van detectie 2.2.1. Technologische vooruitgangen
In de afgelopen decennia hebben vooruitgangen in technologie onze mogelijkheden om tekenen van buitenaards leven te detecteren aanzienlijk verbeterd. De ontwikkeling van geavanceerde telescopen en ruimte missies heeft nieuwe wegen voor verkenning geopend. Telescopen zoals de Kepler-ruimtetelescoop en de Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) hebben duizenden exoplaneten geïdentificeerd, waarvan sommige zich binnen de bewoonbare zone van hun sterren bevinden—gebieden waar de omstandigheden geschikt kunnen zijn voor vloeibaar water en, mogelijk, leven.
2.2.2. Detectie van exoplaneten
De ontdekking van exoplaneten heeft ons begrip van planetenstelsels getransformeerd. De Kepler-ruimtetelescoop, gelanceerd in 2009, was van cruciaal belang voor het identificeren van meer dan 2.300 bevestigde exoplaneten en duizenden extra kandidaten. De methode van het meten van het dimmen van sterren veroorzaakt door transiterende planeten heeft inzicht gegeven in de grootte, samenstelling en banen van deze verre werelden. TESS, gelanceerd in 2018, heeft dit werk voortgezet door zich te concentreren op nabijgelegen sterren, waardoor de identificatie van potentieel bewoonbare exoplaneten die gemakkelijker te bestuderen zijn, mogelijk is geworden.
2.2.3. De James Webb Ruimtetelescoop (JWST)
De James Webb Ruimtetelescoop, gelanceerd in december 2021, vertegenwoordigt een significante sprong voorwaarts in onze zoektocht naar buitenaards leven. Met zijn geavanceerde mogelijkheden is JWST ontworpen om de atmosferen van exoplaneten te analyseren en te zoeken naar biosignaturen—chemische indicatoren van leven. Door het licht te observeren dat door de atmosfeer van een exoplaneet passeert tijdens transits, kunnen wetenschappers de aanwezigheid van moleculen zoals methaan, zuurstof en waterdamp detecteren. Deze biosignaturen kunnen cruciaal bewijs leveren van biologische processen die zich op verre werelden voordoen.
2.2.4. Astrobiologie en laboratoriumexperimenten
Astrobiologie, de studie van leven in het universum, omvat een breed scala aan wetenschappelijke disciplines, waaronder biologie, chemie, geologie en astronomie. Onderzoekers in de astrobiologie voeren laboratoriumexperimenten uit om buitenaardse omgevingen te simuleren, zoals de omstandigheden die op Mars of de ijzige manen van Jupiter en Saturnus worden aangetroffen. Deze experimenten helpen wetenschappers te begrijpen in hoeverre leven kan bestaan onder extreme omstandigheden en informeren het ontwerp van toekomstige missies die gericht zijn op het zoeken naar leven buiten de aarde.
2.2.5. SETI en radio-astronomie
De zoektocht naar buitenaardse intelligentie (SETI) maakt gebruik van radiotelescopen om de kosmos af te speuren naar signalen die de aanwezigheid van intelligente beschavingen kunnen aangeven. Door specifieke frequenties te monitoren en surveys van de lucht uit te voeren, hopen SETI-onderzoekers op het detecteren van opzettelijke signalen of artefacten van technologie van buitenaardse beschavingen. Hoewel er tot nu toe geen definitieve signalen zijn geïdentificeerd, dragen de voortdurende inspanningen van SETI bij aan ons begrip van de waarschijnlijkheid van intelligente levensvormen in het universum.
2.2.6. Roboticamissies en monsterretour
Roboticamissies naar andere planeten en manen spelen een cruciale rol in de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven. NASA's Perseverance-rover, die in februari 2021 op Mars landde, is uitgerust met geavanceerde instrumenten die zijn ontworpen om tekenen van vroegere microbiele levensvormen te zoeken en monsters te verzamelen voor toekomstige terugkeer naar de aarde. Missies naar Europa, zoals de aanstaande Europa Clipper, zijn gericht op het onderzoeken van de ondergrondse oceaan van de maan naar potentiële bewoonbaarheid en tekenen van leven. Monsterretourmissies, zoals die zijn gepland voor Mars en asteroïden, zijn essentieel voor het analyseren van buitenaardse materialen in laboratoria op aarde.
2.3 De Drake-vergelijking 2.3.1. Inleiding tot de Drake-vergelijking De Drake-vergelijking, geformuleerd door astronoom Frank Drake in 1961, dient als een probabilistisch kader voor het schatten van het aantal actieve, communicatievaardige buitenaardse beschavingen in de Melkweg. De vergelijking houdt rekening met verschillende factoren die bijdragen aan het bestaan van intelligent leven, en biedt een basis voor discussie en onderzoek op het gebied van astrobiologie.
2.3.2. Componenten van de Vergelijking
De Drake-vergelijking wordt als volgt uitgedrukt:
N = R* × fp × ne × fl × fi × fc × L
Waarbij:
N = het aantal beschavingen waarmee we mogelijk kunnen communiceren R* = de gemiddelde stervormingssnelheid per jaar in onze galaxie fp = het percentage van die sterren dat planetenstelsels heeft ne = het gemiddelde aantal planeten dat mogelijk leven kan ondersteunen voor elke ster die planeten heeft fl = het percentage van planeten dat leven zou kunnen ontwikkelen fi = het percentage van planeten met leven dat intelligent leven zou kunnen ontwikkelen fc = het percentage van beschavingen dat een technologie zou ontwikkelen die detecteerbare tekenen van hun bestaan de ruimte in stuurt L = de tijdsduur dat beschavingen detecteerbare signalen de ruimte in sturen
2.3.3. Gevolgen van de Drake-vergelijking
De Drake-vergelijking benadrukt zowel het enorme potentieel voor buitenaards leven als de onzekerheid eromheen. Door rekening te houden met de verschillende betrokken factoren, illustreert de vergelijking dat hoewel de melkweg waarschijnlijk vol sterren en planeten zit, er nog veel onzekerheden bestaan over de ontwikkeling van leven en intelligentie.
2.3.4. Aansporing tot Verdere Verkenning
Hoewel de Drake-vergelijking geen definitief antwoord geeft op de vraag naar buitenaards leven, dient het als een waardevol kader voor het begeleiden van wetenschappelijke verkenning en onderzoek. Elk van de factoren in de vergelijking kan worden onderzocht door middel van astronomische waarnemingen, ruimtevaartmissies en laboratoriumexperimenten. Naarmate ons begrip van het universum evolueert, zullen ook de schattingen die voortkomen uit de Drake-vergelijking veranderen, wat verdere vragen over de mogelijkheid van leven buiten de aarde aanmoedigt.
2.3.5. De Rol van Publieke Interesse en Financiering
De publieke interesse in de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven heeft geleid tot een toename van de financiering voor ruimteverkenning en onderzoeksinitiatieven. Naarmate er meer ontdekkingen worden gedaan—zoals de identificatie van potentieel bewoonbare exoplaneten en de analyse van Marsmonsters—blijft de fascinatie van het publiek voor het heelal groeien. Deze interesse is cruciaal voor het behoud van de voortgang van wetenschappelijke onderzoeken en ervoor te zorgen dat de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven een prioriteit blijft voor toekomstige generaties.
2.3.6. Conclusie
De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven is een veelzijdige onderneming die eeuwen van filosofisch onderzoek, technologische vooruitgang en wetenschappelijke verkenning overspant. Van de oude overpeinzingen van filosofen tot de geavanceerde methoden die door moderne astronomen worden gebruikt, de zoektocht van de mensheid naar ons plaats in het universum is dramatisch geëvolueerd. Terwijl we blijven werken aan nieuwe technologieën, exoplanetaire atmosferen analyseren en de mogelijkheden voor leven op andere hemellichamen verkennen, komen we dichterbij het beantwoorden van een van de meest diepgaande vragen van de mensheid: Zijn we alleen in het universum? De reis is aan de gang, en met elke nieuwe ontdekking lijken de mogelijkheden steeds onbegrensder.
3. Definiëren van Leven: Criteria en Vormen
De verkenning van leven buiten de aarde boeit zowel wetenschappers als enthousiastelingen. Hoewel we een fundamenteel begrip hebben van wat leven op aarde is, dwingt de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven ons om deze definities uit te breiden en te verfijnen. In dit essay zullen we ingaan op de criteria die leven definiëren, de potentiële vormen van buitenaards leven onderzoeken en de implicaties van deze ontdekkingen voor ons begrip van biologie en het heelal bespreken.
3.1. De Definitie van Leven
Traditioneel definiëren biologen leven aan de hand van een reeks kenmerken, waaronder metabolisme, groei, voortplanting en respons op prikkels. Deze criteria dienen als een kader voor het identificeren en categoriseren van levende organismen.
Metabolisme verwijst naar de chemische processen die binnen een levend organisme plaatsvinden om leven te behouden. Deze processen stellen organismen in staat om energie uit hun omgeving om te zetten in bruikbare vormen, wat groei en voortplanting vergemakkelijkt. Bijvoorbeeld, planten voeren fotosynthese uit, waarbij ze zonlicht gebruiken om voedsel te synthetiseren, terwijl dieren voedingsstoffen uit hun dieet metaboliseren.
Groei houdt in dat de omvang en complexiteit van een organisme in de loop van de tijd toeneemt. Dit kan zich manifesteren als cellulaire deling, weefselvorming of de accumulatie van biomassa. Groei is een kenmerk van leven en geeft aan dat organismen systematische veranderingen ondergaan gedurende hun levenscyclus.
Voortplanting is het biologische proces waarbij nieuwe individuele organismen worden geproduceerd. Dit kan plaatsvinden via aseksuele middelen, zoals knopvorming of binaire splitsing, of via seksuele voortplanting, waarbij genetisch materiaal van twee ouders wordt gecombineerd. Voortplanting is essentieel voor de voortzetting van een soort en draagt bij aan genetische diversiteit.
Respons op prikkels omvat het vermogen van organismen om te reageren op veranderingen in de omgeving. Dit kan variëren van eenvoudige reflexen, zoals een plant die naar licht buigt, tot complexe gedragingen die dieren vertonen in reactie op bedreigingen of kansen in hun omgeving.
Hoewel deze kenmerken een robuust kader bieden voor het definiëren van leven op aarde, omvatten ze mogelijk niet alle vormen van potentieel buitenaards leven. Het bestaan van extremofielen—organismen die gedijen in extreme omstandigheden, zoals hoge straling, intense hitte of extreme zuurgraad—daagt ons begrip van wat een levensvatbare levensvorm is uit. Sommige micro-organismen kunnen bijvoorbeeld overleven in hydrothermale bronnen op de oceaanbodem, waar temperaturen boven de 300 graden Celsius kunnen komen en de druk immens is. Andere extremofielen kunnen het vacuüm van de ruimte of hoge stralingsniveaus doorstaan. Deze organismen tonen aan dat leven kan bestaan in omstandigheden die voorheen als onherbergzaam werden beschouwd, wat suggereert dat buitenaards leven zich kan manifesteren op manieren die onze conventionele definities te boven gaan.
Bovendien breidt de mogelijkheid dat leven in niet-koolstof gebaseerde vormen bestaat de mogelijkheden van wat leven kan zijn uit. Wetenschappers hebben bijvoorbeeld gespeculeerd over silicium-gebaseerd leven, dat op een vergelijkbare manier zou kunnen functioneren als koolstof-gebaseerd leven in omgevingen waar silicium overvloediger is. Dit opent een rijk van mogelijkheden voor levensvormen die kunnen bestaan onder omstandigheden die sterk verschillen van die op aarde.
3.2. Potentiële Vormen van Buitenaards Leven
De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven is een fascinerende onderneming die verder gaat dan de bekende koolstof-gebaseerde organismen die onze planeet domineren. Wetenschappers verkennen actief verschillende potentiële levensvormen, elk met unieke uitdagingen en kansen voor detectie en begrip.
Microbieel Leven in Ondergrondse Oceanen: Een van de meest veelbelovende wegen voor het ontdekken van buitenaards leven ligt in de ondergrondse oceanen van ijzige manen zoals Europa en Enceladus. Deze manen, die respectievelijk om Jupiter en Saturnus draaien, zouden enorme oceanen onder hun ijzige schil kunnen bezitten. De mogelijkheid van microbieel leven in deze omgevingen wordt versterkt door de aanwezigheid van vloeibaar water, wat essentieel is voor leven zoals wij dat kennen.
De zoektocht naar leven op Europa en Enceladus omvat missies zoals NASA's Europa Clipper, die tot doel heeft de ijskorst en de ondergrondse oceaan van de maan te bestuderen om de bewoonbaarheid te beoordelen. De detectie van organische moleculen of tekenen van biologische activiteit in damppluimen die uit Enceladus worden gespoten zou overtuigend bewijs voor leven buiten de aarde opleveren. De unieke chemie van deze oceanen, in combinatie met de potentiële energiebronnen van hydrothermale bronnen, maakt ze tot ideale kandidaten voor het herbergen van microbieel leven.
Silicium-gebaseerd Leven: Het concept van silicium-gebaseerd leven komt voort uit het idee dat silicium een alternatief voor koolstof zou kunnen zijn bij het vormen van complexe moleculen. Silicium, net als koolstof, kan vier bindingen vormen en lange ketens creëren, wat potentieel kan leiden tot de ontwikkeling van complexe biologische structuren. Het theoretische kader voor silicium-gebaseerd leven suggereert dat het zou kunnen gedijen in omgevingen met hoge temperaturen of druk, zoals die op planeten zoals Venus.
Hoewel silicium-gebaseerd leven speculatief blijft, moedigt het onderzoekers aan om de diversiteit van levensvormen die in het universum zouden kunnen bestaan te overwegen. Het begrijpen van de chemische eigenschappen van silicium en het potentieel om levensachtige structuren te vormen, zou toekomstige verkenningsinspanningen kunnen vormgeven en de zoektocht naar tekenen van leven op exoplaneten met extreme omgevingen kunnen informeren.
Intelligent Leven: De zoektocht naar intelligente buitenaardse levensvormen heeft de menselijke verbeelding eeuwenlang gevangen. Hoewel we nog geen definitief bewijs van intelligente wezens buiten de aarde hebben gevonden, voedt de uitgestrektheid van het universum en de ontdekking van potentieel bewoonbare exoplaneten de speculatie over het bestaan van dergelijke levensvormen.
De zoektocht naar intelligent leven omvat initiatieven zoals de Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), die radiotelescopen gebruikt om te luisteren naar signalen van geavanceerde beschavingen. De ontdekking van exoplaneten binnen de bewoonbare zone van hun sterren roept de vraag op of intelligent leven zich in deze verre werelden zou kunnen ontwikkelen. Door de omstandigheden te bestuderen die de ontwikkeling van complex leven op aarde bevorderen, streven onderzoekers ernaar soortgelijke omstandigheden elders in het universum te identificeren.
3.3. Implicaties voor ons Begrip van Biologie en het Heelal
De verkenning van leven buiten de aarde heeft diepgaande implicaties voor ons begrip van biologie en het universum. Terwijl we onze definities van leven uitbreiden, worden we gedwongen om de fundamentele principes die levende systemen beheersen te heroverwegen. De mogelijkheid van diverse levensvormen daagt het idee van een enkel biologisch paradigma uit en moedigt wetenschappers aan om een inclusievere kijk te hanteren.
Leven Herdefiniëren: De erkenning van extremofielen en de mogelijkheid van niet-koolstof-gebaseerde levensvormen vereisen een bredere definitie van leven. Terwijl we nieuwe levensvormen ontdekken, moeten we mogelijk nieuwe criteria ontwikkelen die de ontelbare manieren waarop leven zich kan manifesteren omvatten. Deze herdefiniëring kan leiden tot een meer omvattend begrip van de oorsprong en evolutie van leven.
Astrobiologie: De studie van leven in de context van het universum—astrobiologie—is uitgegroeid tot een essentieel onderzoeksgebied. Astrobiologen onderzoeken de voorwaarden
Filosofische en Ethiek Overwegingen: De ontdekking van buitenaards leven, of het nu microbiologisch of intelligent is, roept diepgaande filosofische en ethische vragen op. Hoe zou zo'n ontdekking ons begrip van de plaats van de mensheid in het universum beïnvloeden? Welke verantwoordelijkheden hebben we ten opzichte van andere levensvormen? Het aangaan van deze vragen vereist een zorgvuldige beschouwing van onze waarden en overtuigingen in het licht van nieuwe wetenschappelijke kennis.
Technologische Vooruitgangen: De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven stimuleert technologische innovatie. Missies naar ijzige manen, telescopische observaties van exoplaneten en vorderingen in de astrobiologie vereisen de ontwikkeling van nieuwe tools en methoden voor verkenning. Deze technologische vooruitgangen verbeteren niet alleen onze zoektocht naar leven, maar hebben ook toepassingen in verschillende gebieden op aarde, van geneeskunde tot milieuwetenschappen.
Concluderend is de definitie van leven en de verkenning van de mogelijke vormen ervan dynamische en evoluerende concepten. De criteria die we gebruiken om leven te definiëren, omvatten mogelijk niet volledig de diversiteit aan levensvormen die buiten onze planeet zou kunnen bestaan. Terwijl we het universum blijven verkennen, nodigt de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven ons uit om ons begrip van biologie uit te breiden, onze definities van leven opnieuw te definiëren en ons te verhouden tot de diepgaande implicaties van het ontdekken van leven buiten de aarde. Of het nu gaat om microbiologisch leven in ondergrondse oceanen, de mogelijkheid van siliciumgebaseerde organismen of de zoektocht naar intelligente wezens, de zoektocht naar leven in het universum blijft een van de belangrijkste inspanningen van de mensheid, die ons begrip van het bestaan zelf vormgeeft.
Why Can't We See Evidence of Alien Life? | Documentary
Waarom kunnen we geen bewijs van buitenaards leven zien? | Documentaire
4. De implicaties van het detecteren van buitenaards leven
De mogelijkheid van het ontdekken van buitenaards leven fascineert de mensheid al eeuwenlang. Terwijl wetenschappelijke vooruitgangen in astrobiologie en ruimteverkenning de grenzen van onze kennis blijven verleggen, worden de implicaties van het detecteren van buitenaards leven steeds significanter. Deze verkenning kan worden gecategoriseerd in drie hoofddimensies: wetenschappelijke implicaties, filosofische implicaties en socioculturele implicaties. Elk van deze facetten onthult een complex en verweven netwerk van gevolgen die ons begrip van leven, bestaan en de plaats van de mensheid in het universum fundamenteel kunnen veranderen.
4.1 Wetenschappelijke Implicaties
De wetenschappelijke implicaties van het detecteren van buitenaards leven zijn diepgaand en veelzijdig. Ten eerste zou het onze begrip van biologie en evolutie uitdaag en mogelijk revolutioneren. Momenteel zijn onze biologische kaders sterk gericht op aardse levensvormen, die worden bepaald door de principes van de Darwiniaanse evolutie. Als we buitenaards leven zouden tegenkomen, vooral als het gebaseerd zou zijn op een andere biochemie—zoals siliciumgebaseerd leven of organismen die gedijen in extreme omstandigheden—zouden we onze definities en theorieën van leven zelf moeten heroverwegen. Dit zou kunnen leiden tot een breder begrip van de voorwaarden die nodig zijn voor leven, waarbij wordt onthuld dat leven kan ontstaan in diverse omgevingen die voorheen als onherbergzaam werden beschouwd.
Bovendien zou de ontdekking van buitenaardse organismen kunnen leiden tot baanbrekende vooruitgangen in genetica en biochemie. Als buitenaardse levensvormen bijvoorbeeld verschillende genetische coderingsmechanismen of metabolische paden gebruiken, zou het begrijpen van deze systemen nieuwe wegen kunnen openen voor biotechnologie, geneeskunde en milieuwetenschappen. De mogelijkheid van buitenaardse microben of complexe organismen zou zelfs kunnen leiden tot innovaties in genetische manipulatie, synthetische biologie en ons begrip van ziekteprocessen op aarde.
Daarnaast zouden de implicaties voor de planetenwetenschap aanzienlijk zijn. De zoektocht naar leven op andere planeten heeft al onderzoek naar extremofielen—organismen die gedijen in extreme omgevingen op aarde, zoals diepzeevulkanen of zure meren—gestimuleerd. Dit onderzoek informeert ons begrip van potentiële habitats op andere planeten of manen, zoals Europa of Enceladus, waar mogelijk ondergrondse oceanen zijn. De detectie van leven op deze hemelse lichamen zou niet alleen de existentie van bewoonbare omstandigheden buiten de aarde valideren, maar ook nieuwe verkenningsmissies en technologieën inspireren die zijn ontworpen om meer te ontdekken over ons zonnestelsel en daarbuiten.
Bovendien zou het bestaan van leven elders kunnen suggereren dat leven een veelvoorkomend fenomeen in het universum is, in plaats van een geïsoleerd evenement. Deze realisatie zou kunnen leiden tot de ontwikkeling van nieuwe theorieën over de opkomst van leven, waaronder panspermia—de hypothese dat leven via kometen of meteorieten door het universum kan worden verspreid. Dergelijke ideeën zouden ons begrip van de oorsprong van leven fundamenteel herschikken en de notie uitdagen dat de aarde uniek is in haar vermogen om levende organismen te herbergen.
4.2 Filosofische Implicaties
De filosofische implicaties van het detecteren van buitenaards leven zijn even significant en dagen langdurige menselijke overtuigingen over bestaan en onze plaats in het universum uit. Eeuwenlang heeft de mensheid zichzelf gezien als de top van de schepping, het centrum van het universum. De ontdekking van intelligente buitenaardse beschavingen zou deze antropocentrische wereldbeschouwing fundamenteel uitdagen en een herbeoordeling afdwingen van wat het betekent om intelligent en bewust te zijn.
Een van de meest diepgaande vragen die de bestaan van buitenaards leven oproept, is: Wat definieert leven en bewustzijn? Als we wezens tegenkomen met verschillende vormen van intelligentie of bewustzijn, kan dit leiden tot een dieper begrip van deze concepten. Zijn intelligentie en bewustzijn uitsluitend menselijke eigenschappen, of kunnen ze zich manifesteren in vormen die wij nog niet begrijpen? Deze vraagstelling zou de grenzen van de filosofie kunnen verleggen en discussie uitlokken over de aard van het bestaan en de criteria die het gevoelige leven definiëren.
Bovendien zou het bestaan van intelligente buitenaardse beschavingen de ethische kaders en onze verantwoordelijkheden ten opzichte van andere gevoelige wezens kunnen veranderen. Moeten we morele overwegingen uitbreiden naar deze wezens, en zo ja, welke rechten hebben zij? Dit zou een herbeoordeling van ethische principes vereisen, met name in relatie tot onze behandeling van niet-menselijke dieren en ecosystemen op aarde. De ontmoeting met buitenaards leven zou
Daarnaast zou het bestaan van intelligente buitenaardse beschavingen de ethische kaders en onze verantwoordelijkheden ten opzichte van andere sentiente wezens kunnen veranderen. Moeten we morele overweging geven aan deze wezens, en zo ja, welke rechten hebben ze? Dit zou een herbeoordeling van ethische principes vereisen, met name in relatie tot onze behandeling van niet-menselijke dieren en ecosystemen op aarde. De ontmoeting met buitenaards leven zou kunnen leiden tot een inclusievere kijk op sentientie, waardoor de mensheid haar rol als beheerders van de aarde en haar inwoners opnieuw zou moeten overdenken.
Bovendien roept de mogelijkheid om te communiceren met buitenaardse beschavingen vragen op over de potentie voor samenwerking of conflict. Zouden we proberen diplomatieke betrekkingen op te bouwen met intelligente buitenaardse soorten? Welke ethische verplichtingen zouden we hebben in dergelijke interacties? De mogelijkheid om kennis, cultuur en technologie te delen zou enorm kunnen zijn, maar ook de risico's van misverstanden of vijandigheid. Deze filosofische verkenning zou vereisen dat de mensheid zich bezighoudt met de implicaties van interstellaire diplomatie en de morele verantwoordelijkheden die daarmee gepaard gaan.
4.3 Socioculturele Implicaties
De maatschappelijke impact van het detecteren van buitenaards leven kan enorm zijn, met verstrekkende gevolgen voor cultuur, religie en sociale cohesie. De ontdekking van buitenaards leven kan dienen als een verenigende kracht, die de mensheid samenbrengt in een gedeelde zoektocht naar kennis en begrip. De realisatie dat we niet alleen in het universum zijn, kan een collectief gevoel van doelgerichtheid inspireren, wat samenwerking tussen landen en culturen stimuleert om onze kosmische buren te verkennen en te begrijpen.
Echter, dit nieuw verworven bewustzijn kan ook bestaande verdeeldheid en angsten verergeren. Verschillende culturen en geloofssystemen kunnen de ontdekking van buitenaards leven op verschillende manieren interpreteren, wat kan leiden tot mogelijke conflicten en debatten. Religieuze interpretaties van leven en schepping kunnen bijzonder uitgedaagd worden. Veel religieuze doctrines zijn gebaseerd op het idee van de mensheid als de centrale schepping van een goddelijke wezens. De mogelijkheid van intelligente buitenaardse levensvormen zou kunnen leiden tot aanzienlijke theologische debatten en herinterpretaties van heilige teksten. Sommigen kunnen deze ontdekking als een bedreiging voor hun geloof beschouwen, terwijl anderen het kunnen omarmen als een uitbreiding van ons begrip.
Naast religieuze implicaties zullen de culturele verhalen rondom buitenaards leven waarschijnlijk een significante transformatie ondergaan. Literatuur, kunst en media zijn al lange tijd gefascineerd door het idee van buitenaardse wezens, en de daadwerkelijke ontdekking van buitenaards leven zou nieuwe creatieve uitdrukkingen inspireren. Schrijvers, filmmakers en kunstenaars zouden thema's van co-existentie, conflict en de uitgestrektheid van het universum verkennen, wat de manier waarop we onze toekomst en onze plaats in het kosmos verbeelden, zou vormgeven.
Bovendien zouden de implicaties voor onderwijs en wetenschapscommunicatie diepgaand zijn. De detectie van buitenaards leven zou een herbeoordeling van onderwijsprogramma's vereisen, met integratie van astrobiologie, ethiek en culturele studies. Nieuwe generaties zouden uitgerust moeten worden met kennis en vaardigheden om een universum te navigeren dat niet langer als leeg wordt beschouwd, maar gevuld is met potentiële levensvormen. Dit zou kunnen leiden tot een grotere nadruk op STEM-onderwijs (wetenschap, technologie, engineering en wiskunde), evenals interdisciplinaire studies die de sociale wetenschappen en geesteswetenschappen omvatten.
Concluderend zou de detectie van buitenaards leven verstrekkende implicaties hebben op wetenschappelijk, filosofisch en sociocultureel gebied. Het zou onze inzichten in biologie, evolutie en de voorwaarden voor leven uitdagen, wat zou kunnen leiden tot potentiële doorbraken in verschillende wetenschappelijke disciplines. Filosofisch zou het de mensheid dwingen haar plaats in het universum, de aard van bewustzijn en onze ethische verantwoordelijkheden ten opzichte van andere sentiente wezens te heroverwegen. Sociocultureel zou de ontdekking de mensheid kunnen verenigen in een gedeelde zoektocht naar kennis, terwijl het ook debatten en uitdagingen aan bestaande overtuigingen en verhalen kan oproepen. Terwijl we de kosmos blijven verkennen, blijft de mogelijkheid om buitenaards leven te ontmoeten een van de meest diepgaande vragen van onze tijd, met het potentieel om ons begrip van onszelf en ons universum te herschikken.
5. Voorbereiden op Contact
5.1. De Noodzaak van Kaders
De ontdekking van buitenaards leven zou de menselijke opvatting van onze plaats in het universum ingrijpend kunnen veranderen. Daarom is het essentieel om uitgebreide kaders op te stellen die communicatie, onderzoek en ethische overwegingen rondom dit baanbrekende evenement reguleren. Deze kaders moeten gezamenlijk worden ontwikkeld, met inbreng van een breed scala aan belanghebbenden, waaronder wetenschappers, ethici, beleidsmakers en vertegenwoordigers van diverse culturele achtergronden.
De Internationale Academie voor Astronautiek (IAA) heeft een belangrijke stap gezet door protocollen voor de detectie van buitenaards leven voor te stellen. Deze protocollen benadrukken het belang van transparantie in communicatie en samenwerking tussen landen en organisaties. De betrokkenheid van diverse stemmen is cruciaal, omdat dit ervoor zorgt dat de besluitvormingsprocessen een veelheid van perspectieven en waarden weerspiegelen. Deze diversiteit kan helpen om vooroordelen te verminderen en een inclusievere benadering van het begrijpen en interageren met buitenaardse levensvormen te bevorderen.
Het opstellen van deze kaders is niet slechts een voorzorgsmaatregel; het is een essentiële basis voor verantwoordelijk verkennen en interageren met potentiële buitenaardse beschavingen. Door vooraf overeenstemming te bereiken over protocollen en richtlijnen, kan de mensheid de diepgaande implicaties van dergelijke ontdekkingen met vooruitziendheid en voorzichtigheid benaderen.
5.2. Communicatiestrategieën
Zodra intelligente buitenaardse levensvormen zijn gedetecteerd, zal effectieve communicatie van het grootste belang zijn. Wetenschappers en communicators zullen voor de uitdagende taak staan om informatie op een manier over te brengen die zowel begrijpelijk als respectvol is tegenover wezens wiens cognitieve kaders aanzienlijk van de onze kunnen verschillen.
Om dit proces te vergemakkelijken, kan het noodzakelijk zijn om universele concepten te gebruiken, in het bijzonder die welke zijn geworteld in wiskunde en wetenschap. Wiskundige vergelijkingen, bijvoorbeeld, worden vaak gezien als een universele taal die culturele en linguïstische barrières overstijgt. Daarnaast kunnen wetenschappelijke principes zoals de wetten van de natuurkunde dienen als een gemeenschappelijke basis voor het tot stand brengen van initiële communicatie.
Echter, communicatie gaat verder dan louter informatie-uitwisseling; het moet ook rekening houden met culturele contexten en de mogelijkheid van misverstanden. Wetenschappers zouden samen moeten werken met taalkundigen, antropologen en culturele experts om strategieën te ontwikkelen die de unieke perspectieven van buitenaardse beschavingen respecteren en eren. Deze respectvolle benadering zal essentieel zijn voor het bevorderen van een positieve relatie en ervoor zorgen dat onze interacties constructief in plaats van confronterend zijn.
5.3. Ethische Overwegingen
De interactie met buitenaards leven roept een reeks ethische overwegingen op die zorgvuldig moeten worden genavigeerd. Een van de belangrijkste vragen betreft onze verantwoordelijkheden ten opzichte van andere sentiente wezens. De ethische implicaties van onze acties kunnen ingrijpend zijn; bijvoorbeeld, moeten we de bescherming van buitenaardse ecosystemen prioriteit geven? Hoe zorgen we ervoor dat onze interacties niet leiden tot de uitbuiting of schade van andere beschavingen?
Het opstellen van ethische richtlijnen zal cruciaal zijn voor het aanpakken van deze complexe kwesties. Dergelijke richtlijnen zouden principes van respect, rechtvaardigheid en duurzaamheid moeten omvatten, zodat onze acties een toewijding aan co-existentie in plaats van dominantie weerspiegelen. Bovendien zal interdisciplinaire samenwerking tussen ethici, wetenschappers en beleidsmakers van vitaal belang zijn om een robuust ethisch kader te creëren dat zich kan aanpassen aan verschillende scenario's en contexten.
Uiteindelijk, terwijl we ons voorbereiden op de mogelijkheid van contact met buitenaards leven, is het essentieel om deze onderneming met een mindset van verantwoordelijkheid, empathie en toewijding aan ethische principes te benaderen. Door dit te doen, kunnen we de onbekende wateren van interstellaire communicatie en relaties navigeren met een gevoel van integriteit en eer.
6. Conclusie
De potentiële ontdekking van buitenaards leven binnen de komende 20 jaar markeert een cruciaal keerpunt in de menselijke geschiedenis, een moment dat onze fundamentele begrip van bestaan zelf zou kunnen veranderen. Dit moment belooft niet alleen onze wetenschappelijke kennis te bevorderen, maar ook de diepgewortelde filosofische grondslagen van wat het betekent om mens te zijn, uit te dagen. De implicaties van een dergelijke ontdekking reiken veel verder dan het domein van de wetenschap; ze doordringen onze ethische kaders, geloofssystemen en maatschappelijke verhalen, waardoor we onze plaats in het universum opnieuw moeten beoordelen.
Vanuit een wetenschappelijk perspectief zou de bevestiging van buitenaards leven onze begrip van biologie, evolutie en de voorwaarden die nodig zijn voor leven om te gedijen, radicaal transformeren. Het zou wetenschappers dwingen om theorieën die lange tijd geaccepteerd zijn, te heroverwegen en de reikwijdte van onderzoek naar astrobiologie uit te breiden, wat mogelijk zou leiden tot baanbrekende technologische vooruitgangen en een dieper begrip van de diversiteit van leven.
Filosofisch roept het bestaan van buitenaardse wezens diepgaande vragen op over bewustzijn, intelligentie en de aard van het bestaan zelf. Het nodigt ons uit om de implicaties te overwegen van het delen van het universum met andere sentiente wezens: Wat betekent dit voor onze zelfidentiteit en de verhalen die we vertellen over onze eigen oorsprong? De introductie van buitenaards leven daagt het antropocentrisme uit en stimuleert een heroverweging van onze morele en ethische verantwoordelijkheden, niet alleen ten opzichte van onze eigen soort, maar ook ten opzichte van alle levensvormen.
Sociaal-cultureel zou de ontdekking van buitenaardse intelligentie de mensheid kunnen verenigen of bestaande verdeeldheid kunnen verergeren. Het biedt een kans om mondiale samenwerking te bevorderen, aangezien de implicaties van contact met andere beschavingen een collectieve reactie zouden vereisen. Echter, het risico bestaat ook dat angst, xenofobie en conflicten worden aangewakkerd, omdat verschillende overtuigingen over buitenaards leven kunnen leiden tot maatschappelijke fragmentatie.
Naarmate we dit monumentale ontdekking naderen, is het cruciaal om proactieve en doordachte discussies te voeren over de mogelijke gevolgen. Dit omvat niet alleen wetenschappers en beleidsmakers, maar ook kunstenaars, ethici en het brede publiek. Door een collaboratieve en inclusieve benadering te bevorderen, kunnen we ervoor zorgen dat de mensheid dit onontgonnen terrein met nieuwsgierigheid, respect en een gevoel van verantwoordelijkheid navigeert.
In conclusie nodigt de dreigende mogelijkheid van het ontdekken van buitenaards leven ons uit om een nieuw hoofdstuk in ons gedeelde verhaal te omarmen. Het is een kans om ons begrip van leven te herdefiniëren, onze morele overwegingen uit te breiden en een gevoel van eenheid te cultiveren in het gezicht van het onbekende. Door ons voor te bereiden op de gevolgen van deze ontdekking en deel te nemen aan een open dialoog, kunnen we de toekomst met hoop en optimisme benaderen, klaar om de wonderen die voor ons liggen in de kosmische weefsel van bestaan te omarmen.
{ PETER2011 }
11-03-2025 om 00:00
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10-03-2025
Top-secret X-37B space plane returns to Earth in dead of night after mysterious 434-day mission, US military reveals
Top-secret X-37B space plane returns to Earth in dead of night after mysterious 434-day mission, US military reveals
The U.S. military's top-secret X-37B space plane has returned from a mysterious 434-day mission in orbit. The enigmatic mission 'broke new ground' for reusable space technology, according to the U.S. Space Force.
The U.S. Space Force's X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Mission Seven successfully landed at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on March 7, 2025.
(Image credit: U.S. Space Force)
The U.S. government's secretive X-37B space plane has returned to Earth after a 434-day mission in orbit, according to a statement from the U.S. Space Force.
Although the details of the mysterious uncrewed spacecraft's more-than-yearlong mission remain largely classified, the Space Force is touting the recent flight as the start of an "exciting new chapter" in the X-37B program.
The United States Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane completed its seventh mission on Friday.
(Space Force)
"Mission 7 broke new ground by showcasing the X-37B's ability to flexibly accomplish its test and experimentation objectives across orbital regimes," Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in the Space Force statement.
In particular, the Space Force noted the space plane's successful completion of several aerobraking maneuvers — a method of utilizing atmospheric drag to lower the plane's orbit while expending minimal amounts of fuel.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches mysterious X-37B space plane for US Space Force after delays
Typically, satellites must use built-in thrusters to change their altitude. By aerobraking, the space plane instead changes the angle of its nose relative to its orbital direction, thus exposing more of its broad underbelly to the atmosphere. This, in turn, generates drag on the plane, gradually slowing it down and lowering its altitude over the course of multiple passes around the planet.
The United States Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane on the tarmac.
The X-37B launched on Mission 7 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 29, 2023, riding a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket into a highly elliptical orbit around Earth. During the mission, the autonomous space plane also carried out various experiments related to space radiation and "space domain awareness technology," which presumably refers to detecting various objects in orbit, according to the statement. Space Force representatives did not elaborate on what these experiments entailed. The plane returned to Vandenberg in the dark of night on March 7, 2025.
Artist rendering of the X-37B conducting an aerobraking maneuver using the drag of Earth’s atmosphere. (Courtesy graphic by Boeing Space)
An X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle, captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024. As part of the X-37B’s seventh mission, the vehicle executed a series of first-of-its-kind maneuvers, called aerobraking, to safely change its orbit using minimal fuel. (U.S. Space Force Courtesy Photo) The original image was rotated 90-degree clockwise to fit the form factor and enhanced to make some details more clear.
Built by Boeing, the X-37B space plane began as a NASA project before being handed over to the U.S. military in 2004, according to The Aviationist. The mission's primary goal is to advance reusable spacecraft technology, with the craft launching vertically on a rocket, spending months or years in orbit to conduct experiments, and then landing again like a typical airplane. Its longest stint in space so far lasted 909 days, between May 2020 and November 2022. Its shortest flight, in 2010, lasted 224 days.
Everything We Know About The US Air Force's Secret Space Plane - The X-37B
Remember that Asteroid That Isn't Going to Hit Earth? We Could Send A Mission to Explore it!
Remember that Asteroid That Isn't Going to Hit Earth? We Could Send A Mission to Explore it!
By Matthew Williams
Last year, astronomers detected the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) 2024 YR4 that orbits the Sun every four years and periodically crosses Earth's orbit. The nature of its orbit makes it a Potentially Hazardous Object (PHO), meaning it could pose a collision risk with Earth someday. Recently, refined estimates of its orbit have ruled out the possibility that it will strike Earth in 2032. Nevertheless, there will likely be further close encounters with Earth well into the distant future.
This also presents opportunities for a close flyby mission to study YR4 up close, thus providing insight into the early Solar System. In a recent paper, Adam Hibberd and Marshall Eubanks explore the feasibility of various mission architectures. The mission could encounter the asteroid as early as 2028, but multiple launch windows are identified. This mission could also conduct a sample return, complementing the Hayabusa I and I, OSIRIS-REx missions, and future attempts to explore NEAs.
Asteroid YR4 was discovered on December 27th, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), an early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. At the time, astronomers estimated that it had a 1% chance of impacting Earth on December 22nd, 2032. By February, these estimates temporarily rose to 2.3% before refined measurements by major telescopes worldwide essentially reduced the estimates of an impact to zero.
Asteroids are essentially leftover material from the formation of the Solar System ca. 4.5 billion years ago. Therefore, studying these bodies can reveal tantalizing clues about how our system evolved and address major questions about how life emerged. This makes NEAs particularly interesting to scientists, as they are more easily reached than asteroids in the Main Belt or beyond. As Eubanks told Universe Today via email:
"Well, I personally doubt it's primordial. I suspect it is a piece of an asteroid, probably knocked out of an orbit at ~4.18 AU (its aphelion). Getting a good look at it might help characterize objects in the currently poorly explored range between 2.77 AU (Ceres, which had a long-term visit from Dawn) and 5.2 AU (where the Jupiter Trojans are, and where Lucy is going)."
Multiple sample returns have been conducted with NEAs in recent years, leading to some very interesting revelations. This includes JAXA's Hayabusamission, which rendezvoused with the asteroid 25143 Itokawa in 2005, and Hayabusa2, which rendezvoused with 162173 Ryugu in 2018. Most recently, NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) obtained samples from asteroid 101955 Bennu.
In addition to confirming that S-type asteroids are the source of the most common type of meteorites, the Itokawa samples also revealed the presence of water and extraterrestrial mineral grains. Meanwhile, the Bennu samples revealed comet particles and 20 different types of amino acids. The OSIRIS-REx sample, the largest ever returned to Earth (in September 2023), contained organic compounds and hydrated minerals. These samples support the theory that asteroids and comets were responsible for delivering water and the building blocks of life to Earth billions of years ago.
However, what makes YR4 a good candidate for future missions goes beyond science. As Eubanks indicated, its status as a PHO also means it could help inform planetary defense strategies. "It is a potentially hazardous asteroid that may still hit the Moon in 2032, and even if it doesn't, it could certainly become an actual hazard in the future," he said. "Characterizing it is important both in case it becomes a future hazard and (as the NASA Planetary Decadal survey states) a useful exercise to teach us better how to inspect these bodies."
As part of their study, Eubanks and Hibberd explored various mission architectures that could rendezvous with YR4 up to and including its close encounter in 2032. This mission would exploit the software known as "Optimum Interplanetary Trajectory Software" (OITS) developed by Hibberd and the i4is. They also adopted the New Horizons as a reference mission as an example. However, their mission architectures were not limited to this or a 2032 launch window.
In particular, Eubanks explained how advancements in small satellite and gram-scale wafercraft could enable a low-cost mission that could fly as part of a larger mission:
"2024 YR4 presents us with an opportunity-rich environment, and one of the things that excites me here is that we could use small spacecraft - Cubesats or Disksats - to explore it. As a specific example, any CLPS or Artemis launch in mid-2028, for example, could potentially send a small nanospacecraft to YR4 in late December of that year (2028) using its lunar transfer orbit. Clearly, if we are going to routinely explore many of the PHA (and even prospect them for asteroid mining), this will have to be done with small spacecraft, and YR4 provides an opportunity to begin this process."
The study of asteroids is a growing field, with missions to NEAs paralleled by the study of populations in the Main Belt and outer Solar System. In the coming years, missions to interstellar objects (ISOs)—like Project Lyra, another proposal from Eubanks and researchers with the i4is—could also be realized. The results of their investigations could not only expand our knowledge of the Solar System and how extrasolar star systems have evolved with time.
Archaeologists Unearth a 2,600-Year-Old Egyptian Treasure Trove Packed with Gold Jewelry and Sacred Artifacts
Archaeologists Unearth a 2,600-Year-Old Egyptian Treasure Trove Packed with Gold Jewelry and Sacred Artifacts
Archaeologists find mysterious 2,600-year-old pot of gold at ancient Egyptian temple
During their work at the site, researchers found a broken clay vessel buried beneath temple ruins. Inside, they discovered an astonishing collection of gold jewelry, intricate beads, a decorative brooch, and small statues representing revered deities.
A photograph showing some of the ancient Egyptian treasure that was found.
Image Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
For thousands of years, jewelry played a crucial role in ancient Egyptian culture, serving as both adornment and a source of spiritual protection. From the wealthiest rulers to the humblest farmers, Egyptians believed that jewelry held the power to ward off misfortune in life and safeguard the deceased in the afterlife. Now, a groundbreaking discovery near Luxor has shed new light on these ancient traditions.
Archaeologists Unearth a Cache of 2,600-Year-Old Jewelry
A team of Egyptian and French archaeologists conducting excavations at the Karnak Temple Complex, one of Egypt’s most revered ancient sites, recently uncovered a remarkable hoard of jewelry and religious artifacts. The discovery, led by the Egyptian-French Centre for the Study of Karnak Temples (CFEETK), in collaboration with the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), offers a rare glimpse into Egypt’s 26th Dynasty, a period marked by cultural revival and artistic refinement.
Some of the gold foil icons discovered in Tel el-Deir.
During their work at the site, researchers found a broken clay vessel buried beneath temple ruins. Inside, they discovered an astonishing collection of gold jewelry, intricate beads, a decorative brooch, and small statues representing revered deities. Despite being buried for over two millennia, the artifacts were remarkably well-preserved.
Symbols of Protection and Divine Power
Among the most significant findings were statues depicting the triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, three central figures in Egyptian religious beliefs. Amun, often referred to as “the hidden one,” was worshipped as the father of the pharaohs and the supreme deity of the New Kingdom. Over time, he merged with the sun god Ra, embodying both the seen and unseen forces of the universe. His consort, Mut, was a symbol of motherhood, while their son Khonsu was associated with the moon and healing.
Some of the newly discovered Tel el-Deir amulets and scarabs.
Experts believe that these figurines were part of a protective amulet or necklace worn to invoke divine blessings. The meticulous craftsmanship suggests they belonged to an individual of high status, possibly a priest or a noble.
A Window Into the Past
The Karnak Temple Complex, built and expanded over centuries, remains one of the most significant religious sites from ancient Egypt. This latest discovery provides invaluable insights into the personal beliefs and burial customs of Egyptians during the first millennium B.C.E. According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the find enhances the understanding of the historical development of the Karnak Temples.
Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, emphasized the importance of international collaboration in preserving Egypt’s heritage. He praised the joint efforts of Egyptian and French experts, highlighting their contributions to the ongoing study and conservation of Karnak’s ancient structures.
The newly discovered artifacts will undergo restoration before being placed on display, likely at the Luxor Museum, allowing the public a rare opportunity to witness these treasures firsthand. As archaeologists continue their work, further discoveries may yet reveal more about the lives, beliefs, and artistry of the people who once worshipped within these sacred walls.
Archaeologists Unearth Vast and Ancient Underground City in Central Iran
In the historically important town of Abarkuh in the Yazd province of central Iran, excavations have revealed something hidden that has stunned archaeologists and made them reconsider what they thought they knew about the region’s history. While digging underneath five houses built in past eras, a team of researchers was shocked to discover the remains of what appears to be a lost subterranean city.
The initial find consisted of secret rooms beneath the homes, but these were found to connect to something far more extensive.
“The presence of small stone chambers in the historical houses of Abarkuh, located under the stone bed, indicates their special function in the past, and therefore, investigation and research in this regard has begun, leading to the discovery of an underground settlement,” said Hossein Hatami, the mayor of Abarkuh, in an interview with the Iranian news agency IRNA. "Given the possibility that there are more examples of this underground complex in other neighborhoods and perhaps throughout the entire historical context of Abarkuh, research is continuing and has now led to the discovery of a beautiful watercourse made of carved stone.”
Carved out of the bedrock were an array of passageways leading in many different directions. They would have been suitable for occupation or for discrete travel between locations, and there is no doubt that the creation of these interconnected tunnels would have required many years of tireless effort. In addition to the passageways beneath the homes, the subterranean excavations also led to the discovery of the waterway or aqueduct, which was expansive and impressively engineered.
Needless to say, the archaeologists involved in the excavations in Abarkuh are delighted by this discovery, which will give them an opportunity to learn more about ancient construction techniques, architectural designs, daily living patterns, defensive strategies in the face of invasion, and water management practices.
Revealing the Astonishing Ingenuity of the Qajar People
The exact age of these incredible underground structures is still to be determined. However, the techniques and architectural choices resemble those associated with the Qajar people, a Turkmen tribe that originated in the lands of modern-day Azerbaijan, which in the past was part of Iran.
The Qajars were one of the first Turkmen Qizilbash tribes to emerge in the 10th and 11th centuries, after which they spread across Asia Minor and settle din different territories. They were influential supporters of the Safavid dynasty during that group’s rule of the region, which lasted from 1501 to 1722, and in 1794 it was a Qajar chief, Agha Mohammed, who founded the Qajar dynasty that eventually reunified Iran (the Qajars held power until 1925).
Located just under 90 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of the city of Yazd, Abarkuh has long been considered one of the most important cities of ancient Iran. It sits at the nexus of a “golden triangle” of prosperous ancient settments, along with Yazd and Isfahan, and as such it has long been a center for trade and worship in the region.
Further investigations into the purpose of the sprawling underground city will continue, with the hope that new passageways and chambers will be discovered, and perhaps some ancient artifacts as well.
According to Hossein Hatami, aerial photographs of above-ground structures like the five houses show that the Qajar people intentionally built their homes on the top of rocky outcroppings. In addition to carving out caverns below they also installed gardens in the spaces between the homes, making efficient use of space.
As for the waterway, this consisted of a beautifully carved stone aqueduct that the discoverers believe would have played a fundamental role in the town’s water management strategies. The stones used to make the aqueduct are similar to those used in other Qajar-era buildings, making it clear who made it.
Hatami noted that the ancient residents of Abarkuh had built steps at various places along the route of the underground waterway, to facilitate access to water transfer routes. This allowed them to manage the water flow while also utilizing traditional qanat reservoirs as a source of water for their personal use.
Hossein Hatami said that the water flowing through the underground corridors would have cooled the surrounding spaces in summer, creating a cool refuge during the hottest days when surface temperatures soared to uncomfortable levels. It seems that the engineers of the underground city eventually carved out larger chambers with alcoves, making more space for the town’s inhabitants to escape the extreme heat and remain comfortable.
More practically, the underground complex would have made an excellent place to hide in the event of a foreign invasion or civil war.
Abarkuh is Making History Again
Up to this point, the underground installations have been found to expand beneath about one-third of Abarkuh’s surface structures. Unfortunately, past construction projects in the town led to the flooding of many underground pathways with wastewater, and that has complicated efforts to explore the interconnected system more fully.
There are currently about 400 historical sites that have been identified in the Abarkuh region, 147 of which have been registered as national heritage sites (a 4,000-year-old cypress tree is the most well-known of these). Nevertheless the discovery of the underground city stands out, demonstrating the incredible ingenuity and resilience of the people who occupied the region during more tumultuous times. The discovery of this underground city not only enhances the town’s rich cultural narrative, but also highlights its importance in the broader context of Iran’s fascinating and ever-evolving historical landscape.
Top image: Underground city in Nushabad, Kashan, Iran, similar in design to the underground city found in Abarkuh.
A photograph of the ancient underground city in Iran.
Credit: Irna.ir.
Something astonishing was hiding beneath the streets of Abarkuh, Iran, and no one knew about it—until now. Archaeologists digging under five historic homes made a jaw-dropping discovery: a sprawling underground city with massive halls, hidden passageways, and an ancient water system that may have been a secret lifeline for its people. But the most shocking part? This lost city could be much larger than anyone ever imagined.
Archeologists in Iran Open the Door to An Ancient Underground City
A team of archaeologists has commenced an extensive research on a centuries-old underground “city”, which is located in Salehabad district of Hamedan province, west-central Iran.
Beneath Abarkuh’s stone foundations, researchers uncovered an elaborate network of underground chambers, tunnels, and a sophisticated water distribution system. These subterranean spaces weren’t just for storage—they were an entire hidden world designed to help ancient people escape the brutal desert heat and possibly even enemy invasions.
Guverner Abarkuha, Hossein Hatami, revealed that between layers of stone, early engineers created interconnected living spaces, pathways, and gardens. “These spaces weren’t just about water transportation,” Hatami said. “They created an entirely different way of life, hidden from the surface world.”
A Brilliantly Engineered Water System
At the heart of this underground city lies a qanat system—an intricate network of underground water channels that provided a steady flow of fresh water to residents. This system not only kept the settlement habitable but also allowed people to manage water supplies efficiently, ensuring survival in one of the harshest climates on Earth.
Archaeologists believe that as more people moved underground, additional rooms and resting spaces were carved out near these water channels. Over time, this created a fully functional subterranean settlement that remained hidden for centuries.
Beyond climate control and water management, historians suspect that this underground network may have also served a defensive purpose. Hatami suggested that during periods of conflict, residents could have retreated into the tunnels to escape danger. “It is said that this complex was used as a shelter during times of war or attack,” he explained.
This hidden city spans approximately 150 acres, but the true extent of its underground network remains unknown. Some of the tunnels have been lost to modern construction, yet experts believe that even more undiscovered chambers and pathways are waiting to be found.
An Engineering Marvel from the Qajar Era
The evidence suggests that much of this underground settlement was built during the Qajar period (18th–20th century), an era known for its advanced irrigation systems and architecture. The construction materials found within the qanat closely match those used in Qajar-era buildings, reinforcing the theory that this civilization mastered underground engineering long before modern technology.
“The depth and ventilation of these tunnels kept the water cool as it traveled through the underground channels,” said geopolitical analyst Irina Tsukerman in an interview with All That’s Interesting. The ingenuity of these builders ensured a sustainable way of life hidden beneath the surface.
The shocking discovery of this underground city has left archaeologists wondering: how much more is still hidden beneath Iran’s historic landscapes? Hatami believes that similar structures may exist beneath other neighborhoods, waiting to be uncovered. As researchers continue to dig, they may rewrite the history of how ancient civilizations adapted, survived, and thrived—completely out of sight.
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The Three Unsolved UFO Cases in China: The Huang Yanqiu Incident, the Meng Zhaoguo Incident, and the Strange Vehicle Incident in the Sky
The Three Unsolved UFO Cases in China: The Huang Yanqiu Incident, the Meng Zhaoguo Incident, and the Strange Vehicle Incident in the Sky
1. Huang Yanqiu incident
From the end of July to the end of September 1977, Huang Yanqiu went through three miraculous trips, flying thousands of kilometers away in just one night.
On July 27, 1977 (June 12th in the lunar calendar), a strange thing happened. Huang Yanqiu, a young farmer who was about to get married in the east of the village, suddenly disappeared while sleeping that night. audio. The news reached Xinzhai Village, 3 kilometers north of Northeast Gao Village, and the villagers handed over an outdated urgent telegram to a village committee member of Beigao Village. The date is marked "July 28", which is the second day after Huang Yanqiu disappeared, and the telegram reads: "Xinzhai Huang Yanqiu is detained at the Shanghai Mengzi Road Deportation Station and is expected to claim it."
What is puzzling is that the time when the Shanghai deportation station sent the report was only 10 hours after Huang Yanqiu disappeared. Northeast Gaocun is 1,140 kilometers away from Shanghai. At that time, it took 22 hours to get there by express train, and you had to go to Handan City, 45 kilometers away, to get on the train.
He came to Shanghai again, and with the help of Lu Haishan, he finally returned to his hometown on September 11. Huang Yanqiu's departure from home again aroused people's suspicions, and the rumors became more and more strange, with the legendary color of myths and ghosts. Some said it was haunted by little ghosts and so on. His fiancée, a kind and beautiful girl, couldn't bear the mental pressure and appealed to the township judicial office to divorce him.
On September 20th (the eighth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar), night fell. After dinner, Huang Yanqiu went to the brigade to collect work points and came back. It was already more than ten o'clock in the middle of the night. As soon as he entered the yard, he suddenly felt dizzy and lost consciousness. When he woke up, he was lying in a hotel. Sitting next to him were two young men who claimed to be from Shandong. They told Xiao Huang that this was Lanzhou, a thousand kilometers away from Feixiang, and that the "traffic policemen" he met in Nanjing and the soldiers who sent him to the army were the same. It was the two of them who pretended to be, and they arranged for the first two disappearances. This time I took him out and planned to visit 9 major cities in 9 days.
After eating the dinner prepared for him, that night, two strangers carried Xiao Huang on their backs and flew in the direction of Beijing, from Gansu-Ningxia-Shaanxi-Shanxi-Hebei-Beijing, at least 1,200 kilometers away. The distance is about an hour.
In Beijing, he also experienced the situation where he went directly to the Chang'an Theater to watch a play without buying a ticket, but the two ticket inspectors did not respond. After playing, the three flew to Tiananmen Square and landed in front of a Chinese frame. The stranger gave a brief introduction to the scenery around the square. After watching for about 10 minutes, Huang left the square with two flying people and walked into a hotel not far away. The flying people switched to Mandarin and showed the "Provincial Introduction" Letter" registered the room.
Afterwards, the three of them flew to Tianjin, which arrived within an hour as usual. The three of them entered the movie theater without a ticket again under the eyes of the ticket inspector. The pilot said that the next stop is to fly to Harbin. After visiting a department store in Harbin, I went to Changchun in the evening.
Went to Shenyang the next day.
On September 25th (the thirteenth day of the eighth lunar month), we arrived in Fuzhou.
On September 25 (the thirteenth day of the eighth lunar month), we arrived in Nanjing.
On September 27th (the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month), the Mid-Autumn Festival, we arrived in Xi'an.
On the evening of September 27 (the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month), I returned to Lanzhou again. When he fell asleep, he was sent to the jujube tree at home by flying people.
2. Meng Zhaoguo Incident
At the end of May 1994, at the Fenghuang Mountain Forest Farm in Wuchang County, Heilongjiang, according to local mountain residents, an unidentified object stayed on the southern slope of Fenghuang Mountain, and some people even saw this unidentified object flying nearby. On June 6, 1994, Meng Zhaoguo came into contact with an unknown object for the first time. On that day, when he and a relative climbed up the hillside to "find out" the unknown object, a series of strange phenomena occurred. When the unknown object was about 100 meters away, Meng Zhaoguo saw it as a huge, white, tadpole-shaped object, about 150 meters long. The "giant tadpole" let out a piercing squeal as they approached.
Meng Zhaoguo reported this strange experience to the forest farm immediately after returning from the mountain. On June 9, more than 30 people including the chairman of the trade union went to Phoenix Mountain to check. When they were about 100 meters away from the location of the unknown object that day, they took out the telescope to check, but they didn't see anything.
Meng Zhaoguo took the telescope. It is said that he took the telescope over and saw it at a glance. The white unidentified object was still there, and "an alien was standing in front of it." Meng Zhaoguo recalled that at that time he clearly saw that "person", took out something like a matchbox and put it in the palm of his hand, and shot a strong light from it to the center of his eyebrows, he felt his whole body tremble, and then Nothing is clear anymore. People around still insist that they saw nothing at the time. They carried Meng Zhaoguo to a small shed not far away, and people had to hold him down because he kept convulsing. According to him later, he saw an alien with big eyes, and he screamed in fear , but no one seemed to be able to hear him, so he stood upside down all of a sudden. When standing upside down, everyone present witnessed it. It is said that because of his height, the roof of the shed was broken. According to the forestry doctor's diagnosis, Meng Zhaoguo suffered instant deep high-temperature burns between his eyebrows. Strange things also happened during the recovery process.
Meng Zhaoguo and his two colleagues said that in June 1994, they saw a strange luminous body appearing on Phoenix Mountain near the Hongqi Forest Farm in Wuchang City, Heilongjiang where they worked. Meng Zhaoguo initially thought there was a helicopter crash there. He then traveled alone to the scene of the incident, where he said he was hit on the head by a force as he approached what he believed to be wreckage from the plane and was pushed away. Meng Zhaoguo said that a few days later he met a woman with hairy legs at his residence, "about 3 meters tall, with 6 fingers, and otherwise no different from ordinary people." He said that his wife and children were lying quietly on the bed, but he himself floated above, and then had sexual intercourse with the woman for about 40 minutes. After the sexual intercourse, the woman left, and a 5 cm long scar appeared on Meng Zhaoguo's thigh. A month later he walked through a wall into a spaceship and encountered aliens. He asked if he could see the woman again, and was told no. But aliens said that within 60 years, a descendant of a Chinese farmer will be born on another planet. They also expressed that Meng Zhaoguo had the opportunity to visit their children.
3. Sky car incident
At 3 o'clock in the morning on December 1, 1994, workers and residents near the Duxi Forest Farm, 18 kilometers away from the northern suburbs of Guiyang City, were awakened by the rumbling sound of strange vehicles in the sky, the wind was very fast, and there were strong red and green lights. Unidentified objects roared past. A few minutes later, the pine forest of more than 400 mu in the Majiatang forest area of Duxi Forest Farm was cut off in pieces, leaving only 1.5 meters in a strip-shaped area about 3 kilometers long and 150 meters to 300 meters wide. Most of the stumps up to 4 meters high and the broken trunks and tree crowns fell to the west. The thick trunks of one person's height in 4 forest areas with a length of 2 kilometers are neatly arranged on the forest farm. Some of the broken trees were safe and sound, a few were uprooted, and some small trees around had scratches. Most of these broken trees have a diameter of 20 centimeters to 30 centimeters and a height of about 20 meters. Later, according to the wife of forestry worker Li Xinghua, she saw from the window that it was a big truck-like thing called a "strange car in the sky" with two lights shooting from the front of the car. The next day, the forest farm workers inspected the forest area and found that 4 large forests were destroyed, and about 2,000 cubic meters of commercial timber were lost. From Majiatang at the southwest end to Zhuanyaopo at the northeast end, it is 3 kilometers long, with a total area of more than 400 mu. The widest part of the strip is more than 300 meters, and the narrowest part is 150 meters. The stump at the southwest end is about 2 meters high, and at the northeast end, there is a stump about 4 meters high.
In the early morning of November 30, 1994, Guiyang Beixiao Duxi Forest Farm and Dulaying Vehicle Factory suffered strange disasters. Among them, 400 mu of masson pine in Duxi Forest Farm was destroyed. This disaster showed selectivity and purpose. The disaster was divided into 4 areas, which were not continuous with each other. A large number of trees fell down, but the plastic greenhouses beside the trees were intact. The trees were all broken, but the coniferous layer under the trees was intact. The situation in the vehicle factory is even more puzzling. The steel pipes in the weighbridge room were magically cut off, mysterious claw marks were left on the concrete floor of the miscellaneous goods warehouse, the nearly 70-ton truck box was moved more than 20 meters in reverse, and the night watch workers were sucked off the ground.
On February 9, 1995, an unidentified object was detected on the central radar of Guiyang Airport. Then, during the flight from Guangzhou to Guiyang, Boeing 737 Flight 2946 of Zhongyuan Airlines was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters. An unidentified flying object followed it. The shape changed from a diamond to a circle, and the color changed from yellow to red. It was about 1 km away from the plane, and finally disappeared 70 km northeast of Guiyang.
In these several incidents, although the Duxi Forest Farm and the Guizhou Vehicle Factory were severely damaged, no human, livestock or poultry were injured or killed. Even the factory guards who were on patrol at night at the vehicle factory were blown up several meters by the wind, moved more than 20 meters in the air and fell down. A large number of trees in the forest area were broken, but the high-voltage lines passing through the forest area were intact.
Regarding the "strange car in the sky" incident, quite a few people think that it is the trace left by the flying saucer and is a masterpiece of "alien". Ma Ruian, a senior engineer of the Guizhou Academy of Sciences, has not stopped researching on the "strange vehicle in the sky" for more than ten years. He believes that the appearance of an unidentified aircraft that night is not people's conjecture, but a fact. It is similar to a jet propulsion According to his previous experimental theory and the damage on the spot, Marian even calculated that the diameter of this flying saucer was about 200 meters, and this huge flying saucer was affected by bad weather when it flew over this area that night.
More than ten years later, the "strange car in the sky" left quite a lot of sequelae to the place where the incident occurred, such as mutations in some areas of the site, strong magnetic fields, and severe stagnation of trees. The pine trees of the same age have grown to more than 10 meters, while the pine trees in this area have only grown about 1 meter.
This man from rural China mysteriously vanished from his home at night on multiple occasions, only to reappear in cities thousands of miles away—far faster than should have been possible given the distance.
Huang Yanqiu was born in 1956 in a small village in China. He was a farmer, and not much is known about his early life. His mother passed away when he was young.
On July 27, 1977, Huang, who was 21 years old, finished working on his farm and went to sleep in his unfinished home. The next morning, he was gone. His family and neighbors searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found.
Ten days later, the village received a message from Shanghai, saying Huang was at a deportation center and needed to be picked up. The message was sent the morning after he disappeared, meaning he had arrived in Shanghai—almost 900 km (560 miles) away—in less than half a day, which should have been impossible.
When Huang returned home, he explained that he went to bed as usual but woke up in a big city with tall buildings, cars, and neon lights. He saw signs that said “Nanjing Shopping Center” and “Nanjing Restaurant” and realized he was in Nanjing, a city 780 km (485 miles) away.
Huang wandered around in shock until two police officers stopped him. He told them he was lost, so they gave him a train ticket to Shanghai and told him to go there. When he arrived in Shanghai, the same two officers were already waiting for him—even though they never got on the train, and the train was the fastest way to travel. This made no sense.
At a deportation camp, Huang shared his story with a soldier. He had no ID, and there was a mistake in the message sent to his village, so it took longer for his family to get him back.
People in the village were confused. Trains at that time were too slow to get him to Nanjing that fast. Other transportation, like airplanes or cars, was either too expensive or unavailable in the village. Huang also had no reason to run away, and he had never talked about Nanjing or Shanghai before. Some people thought he was lying, but others couldn’t explain how he got there.
Then, something similar happened again.
On September 8, 1977, during harvest season, Huang and other villagers worked hard all day. At 10:00 PM, the village leader allowed Huang and a few others to leave early and sleep, as long as they delivered fertilizer the next morning. They agreed and went to bed.
The next morning, on September 9, when the villagers gathered at the storage area, they noticed Huang was missing again. Thinking he overslept, they checked his house, but he wasn’t there. However, they found something strange—words carved into his bedroom wall that said:
“Shandong Gao Dengmin, Gao Yanjin Relax.”
Just like before, Huang was found in Shanghai. This time, there were witnesses from both the village and Shanghai who confirmed his disappearance and sudden reappearance. On September 11, he was sent back home, but he still couldn’t explain how he got there.
Huang said he woke up at Shanghai Railway Station in the middle of the night. It was 2:00 AM, and the area was completely dark except for the stars and moon. There was a typhoon hitting Shanghai, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and thunder. He was even more terrified than last time because he had no idea how he got there and had no way to find help.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him say: “Hello there, you must be Huang Yanqiu from Feixiang County. Trying to head to the artillery division?”
Shocked, he turned around and saw two men in military uniforms. They told him they were soldiers from the same unit as Lü Qingtang—the soldier who helped him last time. They said they were sent to pick him up.
A composite sketch of the two created by the police
Huang followed them as they took ferries and buses to an artillery division in what is now Pudong, Shanghai. Even though the area was heavily guarded, the soldiers got through without any trouble, which was unusual.
They arrived at Lü Qingtang’s home, where his wife, Li Yuying, was completely shocked to see them. She told them: “When someone visits, they must show documents, sign in, and wait for us to confirm their identity. There’s no way you got in so easily!”
Years later, Lü’s son also found something strange. He said the two soldiers’ uniforms looked wrong, especially their shoes and visors. He described them as too big and not fitting properly, as if they had borrowed the uniforms.
Before anyone could ask the two mysterious men more questions, they simply walked away and were never seen again. The military was very concerned because Huang being on the base was a serious security issue. When they questioned the guards, all of them said they had never seen Huang or the two men before.
Later, another telegram was sent directly to Huang’s village leader, asking for every possible detail about him—even asking if he was a spy. The village leader responded, saying Huang was just a simple farmer. With no evidence of wrongdoing, the military decided to send Huang home but warned him that if he ever appeared at the base again, he would be arrested. Huang returned to his village on September 11, 1977. However, the military could not explain how he had traveled so quickly or entered the base.
By now, no one could deny that something strange was happening. Too many witnesses saw Huang go to sleep in his village, and the military confirmed he was in Shanghai. Those who thought he was lying began to doubt themselves. However, this made Huang infamous in the village. People gossiped about him constantly, and some even believed he was possessed by spirits.
The situation became too much for his fiancée, who sued his family for 200 yuan for “damaging her reputation” and divorced him. This left Huang emotionally devastated and financially ruined. Then, when he was at his lowest, something even stranger happened.
On September 20, 1977, after a long day of work, Huang started walking home. He was so exhausted that he collapsed in front of his house and disappeared again. This time, he was gone for eight days.
On September 28, the villagers found him under a jujube tree in the village. When they asked where he had been, he told them an even more unbelievable story.
According to Huang, after passing out in his yard, he woke up—not on a sidewalk or in a train station, but inside a luxury hotel room. Standing in front of him were the same two men from before. However, this time, they wore regular clothes and introduced themselves. They said they were brothers from Shandong Province named Gao Dengmin (26 years old) and Gao Yanjin (25 years old). Huang estimated they were about 170 cm (5’7″) tall.
The brothers admitted they were responsible for his disappearances. They said they had dressed as police officers and soldiers to help him return home. Now, they had something special planned for him. They told Huang that over the next nine days, they would take him to nine major cities.
The day after Huang returned to his village, he finally learned how he had traveled so far so quickly. The two mysterious brothers made him climb onto their backs, and they literally flew. Huang said they flew at a low height, and he didn’t feel any wind. The brothers took turns carrying him, and in just over an hour, they arrived in Beijing.
In Beijing, they went to the Chang’an Grand Theater without tickets, but no one stopped them. They watched an opera called Forced Onto Mt. Liang. Then, they visited Tiananmen Square and checked into a hotel using a special “provincial-level introduction letter.” That same day, they flew to Tianjin, snuck into a movie theater, and watched a film.
Huang has apparently travelled across China at supersonic speed without the aid of car, train or plane
(Image: Supplied)
Over the next several days, they visited many cities:
September 22 – Harbin (Heilongjiang Province) September 23 – Changchun (Jilin Province) September 25 – Fuzhou (Fujian Province), then Nanjing September 27 – Xi’an (Shaanxi Province) for the Mid-Autumn Festival September 27 (later that day) – Final stop in Lanzhou Each time, they traveled by flying, and no matter how far the city was, the trip always took one hour. Huang noticed that the brothers could speak the local dialects of every city they visited. In hotels, they always showed a special introduction letter for check-in. One brother always stayed with Huang while the other found new clothes—sometimes police or military uniforms. The only things they carried were clothing and money; they had no bags or wallets.
Other than their ability to fly, they seemed like normal people. They ate and slept like anyone else and had a normal body temperature. However, they had strict rules: Huang wasn’t allowed to take photos or keep souvenirs. When he asked why they chose him, they didn’t answer. When he asked if they could teach him how to fly, they firmly said, “No.”
Just like when Huang first disappeared, he was gone for nine days and visited nine different cities. But this time, when he fell asleep in their hotel, he woke up back in his village under a tree—as if nothing had happened.
After Huang’s strange disappearance, people in the village kept talking about him. Some believed ghosts or gods were involved. The rumors spread so much that the local police, government, and even the military started investigating him. Officials thought he might be lying to hurt the village’s reputation. They called him a “class enemy” but, after questioning him, found nothing suspicious. He acted normal, had no mental illness, and showed no signs of lying. So, they dropped the charges and let him go.
Huang’s story became famous across China and was considered one of the country’s strangest unsolved mysteries. Even the government officially listed his case as “unexplained.”
In 2004, investigators took another look at his case. UFO researchers, a hypnotist, and other experts interviewed Huang. There was solid proof of his first two disappearances, like telegrams and eyewitnesses. However, his third disappearance was more doubtful.
Huang found himself in the bustling city of Nanjing
Under hypnosis, Huang repeated the same story he told back in 1977. But during the session, he suddenly woke up, saying “one of the two brothers” made him wake up. A documentary was made about his case, and he was given a polygraph (lie detector) test, which he failed. However, the test was not considered reliable because it had been 27 years, his memory had faded, and he was under stress.
During the documentary, police drew sketches based on Huang’s descriptions of the mysterious “Gao brothers” he claimed to have met. They also brought Huang to Nanjing to retrace his steps from the first time he disappeared.
Later, doctors at a hospital reviewed his case. One doctor said that if Huang’s story were true, the “Gao brothers” would have been moving at supersonic speeds. The doctor suggested that Huang was either sleepwalking or lying.
Huang’s villagers did not believe he was lying. They pointed out that he had nothing to gain from telling his story—he lost his fiancée and became a laughingstock. Also, he had no money or way to travel such long distances on his own.
Several theories have been suggested:
Sleepwalking Theory – Some believe Huang was sleepwalking when he traveled to these cities. However, this is unlikely because he would have needed to walk for hours, buy a train ticket with no money, and switch trains—all without waking up or anyone noticing. Doctors even did an MRI scan of his brain, which came back normal.
Multiple Personality Disorder Theory– Another idea is that Huang had multiple personalities. In this theory, his “Gao brothers” were actually different versions of himself, and he imagined flying with them. However, mental health experts found no signs of this disorder in Huang. This theory also doesn’t explain how he traveled so fast.
UFO Theory – Some believe Huang was abducted by aliens. Investigators checked details of his story. For example, Huang mentioned watching a theater performance in Beijing. A journalist found that the theater he mentioned was closed at the time, but another nearby theater did have the same performance on the exact date Huang said he was there. This suggests he may have really been in Beijing.
Military Experiment Theory– Another theory is that the Chinese military kidnapped Huang for secret experiments. Some believe the “Gao brothers” were high-ranking officers involved. They might have drugged and hypnotized Huang to erase his memory. However, skeptics argue that the government had plenty of prisoners for experiments, so why choose a random farmer?
“The Huang Yanqiu Incident” remains one of China’s most famous unsolved mysteries. As of now, there have been no new developments. Huang, now 67 years old, has chosen to live a quiet life in his village, away from the public eye. The last known update about him was in 2008 when he underwent another mental health check.
Despite being grilled by police and psychologists, Huang has never given a clear explanation for hsi mysterious travels
(Image: CCTV.com)
Huang, now 67, doesn't appear to have teleported again
Researchers say they have found "unequivocal evidence" that a meteorite smashed into Earth 3.47 billion years ago, potentially affecting plate tectonics and creating conditions for life.
The world's oldest known meteorite impact crater was discovered in the Australian outback.
(Image credit: John White Photos/Getty Images)
Scientists in Australia have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater thanks to pristine structures created by the blast in the rock.
Hidden away in the country's outback, the crater is a whopping 3.47 billion years old, according to a study published Thursday (March 6) in the journal Nature Communications.
Karijini National Park, Pilbara, Western Australia
Witte-art_de/Getty Images
"Before our discovery, the oldest impact crater was 2.2 billion years old, so this is by far the oldest known crater ever found on Earth," study co-author Tim Johnson, a professor in the school of Earth and planetary sciences at Curtin University in Australia, said in a statement.
The crater is located in Western Australia's Pilbara region, which is home to some of Earth's oldest rocks. Johnson and his colleagues identified the crater thanks to cone-shaped chunks of rock known as "shatter cones," which form when the shock waves from a meteorite impact propagate downward.
Aerial perspective showing Wolfe Creek Meteorite Crater, Western Australia, Australia
Abstract Aerial Art/Getty Images
Evidence of the world’s oldest known meteorite impact crater was found hidden within the ancient rocks of the North Pole Dome in Western Australia.
(Representational image)
The extreme pressure caused by a meteorite collision fractures the rock below in a branching pattern, leaving chunks that are shaped like cones, with the tapered end pointing toward the center of the impact.
The shatter cones were buried in a rock formation called the East Pilbara Terrane, which scientists already knew dates back to more than 3 billion years ago. The cones were "exceptionally preserved," according to the new study, providing "unequivocal evidence" of an epic meteorite crash around the dawn of life on Earth.
The impact likely rippled across the planet, opening a crater that may have measured up to 62 miles (100 kilometers) across — although more work is needed to confirm the size, the researchers wrote in the study. The shatter cones revealed that the meteorite was traveling roughly 22,400 miles per hour (36,000 km/h) when it hit the ground, according to the statement.
As well as being a destructive force, the impact may have helped to spark life by creating the physical and chemical conditions required.
"Uncovering this impact and finding more from the same time period could explain a lot about how life may have got started, as impact craters created environments friendly to microbial life such as hot water pools," study lead author Chris Kirkland, also a professor at Curtin University's school of Earth and planetary sciences, said in the statement.
Shatter cones are chunks of rock resulting from meteorite impacts. The shatter cones pictured here are dolomite cones from the U.S., not Australia. (Image credit: The Book Worm/Alamy)
Evidence of ancient meteorite strikes on Earth is hard to come by, because the planet continuously recycles rocks from the crust into the mantle, erasing most crash sites. Erosion and weathering also degrade rocks sitting at the surface, meaning Earth's early impact record is largely lost, according to the study.
Nevertheless, researchers suspect that Earth was regularly pummelled by meteorites in its first billion years of existence due to scars on the moon, which does not have plate tectonics. The moon counts millions of impact craters and 40 that are more than 62 miles across, suggesting planets in the early solar system also underwent heavy bombardment, the researchers wrote.
The new discovery hints that some information about Earth's early history has survived. Not only does this offer new avenues to explore how life began on Earth, but it could also shift geologists' perspectives on the formation of Earth's crust.
"The tremendous amount of energy from this impact could have played a role in shaping early Earth's crust by pushing one part of the Earth's crust under another, or by forcing magma to rise from deep within the Earth's mantle toward the surface," Kirkland said.
The new crater alone doesn't paint a clear picture of Earth's first billion years, but there may be many more similar craters awaiting discovery, the researchers concluded in the study.
The concept of time is deeply ingrained in our daily experience—we move forward, never backward, with the past forever fixed and the future an unfolding mystery. Yet, physics presents a paradox: the fundamental laws that govern everything from atomic interactions to planetary motion remain indifferent to the flow of time. They work just as well whether time runs forward or in reverse.
So why does time seem to have a preferred direction? While conventional theories point to entropy as the key driver of time’s arrow, a radical new idea suggests that gravity itself might be responsible for shaping our perception of time’s progression.
Rethinking Time and Gravity
For over a century, physicists have relied on the second law of thermodynamics to explain time’s direction. This law states that in a closed system, entropy—a measure of disorder—always increases. From a neatly stacked deck of cards becoming shuffled to a pristine room inevitably turning messy, our everyday experiences align with this principle. However, this explanation raises a fundamental problem: for entropy to define the arrow of time, the universe must have started in an extremely ordered, low-entropy state—an assumption that clashes with our chaotic understanding of the Big Bang.
In 2014, theoretical physicist Julian Barbour and his team introduced a groundbreaking idea that seeks to resolve this paradox. Rather than relying on entropy, they proposed that gravity itself naturally generates the forward flow of time. Their approach, based on an alternative framework called Shape Dynamics, challenges Einstein’s view of spacetime and suggests that the universe’s evolution is driven by the relationships between objects rather than the fabric of space and time itself.
Barbour’s work demonstrated that if a system of particles is governed solely by gravity, a natural time asymmetry emerges. His simulations showed that these particles tend to form highly ordered structures before progressing toward a state of increasing complexity—mirroring the rise of entropy but without assuming an initial low-entropy condition.
This finding is intriguing because it implies that the arrow of time might not be a byproduct of entropy at all, but rather an intrinsic feature of gravitational interactions. Even though the equations of gravity are time-reversible, the very way matter interacts could give rise to time’s directional flow without requiring any special initial conditions.
The Challenges Ahead
Despite its promise, Barbour’s model simplifies reality. It assumes a universe composed solely of gravitationally interacting particles, ignoring the complexities of quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and nuclear forces. Expanding Shape Dynamics to accommodate a broader range of interactions remains an open challenge.
Additionally, while Shape Dynamics produces results that align with some aspects of General Relativity, it predicts different mathematical behaviors in extreme scenarios—such as black holes. Whether these deviations discredit the theory or hint at new physics is still under investigation.
A Glimpse Into the Future
In recent years, researchers have explored whether the principles behind Shape Dynamics could apply to quantum systems or even the early universe. Some findings suggest that time’s arrow could emerge in a broader range of physical scenarios without relying on entropy. However, a fully developed Shape Dynamics-based model of the universe remains out of reach, as only a small number of scientists are currently exploring the idea.
Although the theory has yet to reach mainstream acceptance, its core premise is fascinating: the relentless forward march of time might not be an illusion or a statistical quirk of entropy, but a natural consequence of how the universe fundamentally works. If true, this perspective could reshape our understanding of time, gravity, and the very fabric of reality.
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In “Mickey 17” — a new sci-fi movie from Bong Joon Ho, the South Korean filmmaker who made his mark with “Parasite” — an expendable space traveler named Mickey (Robert Pattinson) is exposed over and over again to deadly risks. And every time he’s killed, the lab’s 3D printer just churns out another copy of Mickey.
While it’s possibly to create 3D-printed body parts for implantation, the idea of printing out a complete human body and restoring its backed-up memories is pure science fiction. Nevertheless, Christopher Mason, a Cornell University biomedical researcher who studies space-related health issues, is intrigued by the movie’s premise.
“If you could 3D print a body and perfectly reconstruct it, you could, in theory, learn a lot about a body that’s put in a more dangerous situation,” he says in the latest episode of the Fiction Science podcast. “I think the concept of the movie is actually quite interesting.”
Mason explores the ways in which the human body can be optimized for living in space in a book titled “The Next 500 Years: Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds.” He argues that it’s up to us humans to ensure the long-term future of life in the universe by taking the tools of evolution into our own hands.
Even if we’re able to avoid blowing ourselves up, or succumbing to the effects of climate change, we have only about a billion years before the sun reaches a level of activity that would make Earth unlivable.
“I want to think about preserving life, which necessitates us going to other planets and eventually other stars,” Mason says. “Because humans are the only species with an awareness of extinction, this gives us a unique duty toward life … what I call a deontogenic sort of principle, the genetic duty toward all life.”
Christopher Mason studies beneficial genetic changes.
(Credit: Weill Cornell Medicine)
The good news is that we can adjust to many of the rigors of spaceflight, at least temporarily. Mason and other researchers saw that when they monitored the health of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly during his nearly yearlong stint on the International Space Station in 2015-2016. They compared Kelly’s physical and genetic profile with that of his twin brother, Mark Kelly, who was monitored down on Earth.
The NASA-sponsored Twins Study found that Scott Kelly experienced changes in the ways that his genes and his immune system worked while he was in space — possibly because of radiation exposure and other space-related stresses.
“More than 90% of these changes really seemed to come back to normal within a few months being back on Earth,” Mason said. But some of the changes were longer-lasting.
“There’s this nagging question of this small percentage of genes and functions that were perturbed that we’re still studying to this day in other crews, with SpaceX and other commercial providers,” he said.
The stresses of the space environment are likely to become more concerning as explorers and settlers go beyond Earth orbit and our planet’s protective magnetic shield. Which gets us back to the things that can kill Mickey 17 and other earthly life forms.
Radiation is the top concern. The studies done to date suggest that astronauts could be exposed to cancer-causing levels of radiation during a three-year mission to Mars and back. Thick shielding could reduce the risk, but Mason suggests using genetics as well.
“For example, tardigrades are these water bears that can survive even the vacuum of space and heavy doses of radiation,” he says. “We’ve made cells in my laboratory that can actually take a tardigrade gene and use it in a human cell, and have this increase of radiation resistance — an 80% decrease in the [DNA] damage that we observe.”
If scientists could use CRISPR-style gene-editing tools to insert the tardigrade gene into Mickey’s genome, that might head off one of his deaths. In his book, Mason lists other genetic techniques that could improve the vision of space travelers, boost their immune response, or make it easier for them to “hibernate” during a long trip.
“The simplest one, I think, includes the ability to make all of your own amino acids and vitamins,” Mason says. “The gene to make vitamin C, for example, is still embedded in all of our DNA. It’s just been degraded, and it’s no longer functional. But with a few small modifications, you can make your own vitamin C.”
As scientists learn more about health-related genes in humans and other species, and improve their gene-editing techniques, Mason thinks the challenges of spaceflight will become less daunting — not only for professional astronauts, but for the rest of us as well.
“You could imagine a case where you can ethically and responsibly and safely modify someone to get them into space,” Mason says. “That’s not that far away.”
And if space travelers run into unexpected challenges on another world — for example, alien microbes on Mars — they wouldn’t have to handle it on their own.
“I talk a bit in the book about a ‘point-to-point biology’ concept, where weird things might appear on Mars, but there’s not a lot of resources there to do high-throughput screening, or high-dimensional characterization of the organisms,” Mason says.
In that case, the alien microbe’s genetic code could be sequenced on site, using a next-generation version of equipment that’s already been tested on the International Space Station. Then the DNA data could be transmitted back to lab researchers on Earth.
“They could synthesize it and then study it there with more resources, and send updates back to Mars,” Mason says. “You could imagine this idea of a virtuous cycle of observation, interrogation, study, transfer of data, repeat in a place with more resources — and then send back that knowledge and help the organisms adapt.”
That’s a world where Mickey wouldn’t have to die every day.
The Area 51 Caller Mystery: Real Panic or an Elaborate Hoax?
The Area 51 Caller Mystery: Real Panic or an Elaborate Hoax?
The famous Area 51 caller incident remains one of the most intriguing moments in paranormal radio history. It all began on September 11, 1997, when a panicked caller dialed into Art Bell’s Coast to Coast AM, a popular late-night talk show known for its discussions on UFOs, conspiracy theories, and unexplained phenomena. The caller claimed to be a former employee of Area 51, the highly classified U.S. Air Force facility long associated with alien technology and government cover-ups. However, decades later, people still debate whether the call was a genuine warning or an elaborate hoax.
The Mysterious Call
Art Bell had invited employees or former employees of Area 51to share their experiences. The unexpected happened when a man called in, sounding deeply distressed, claiming that extraterrestrial beings were not what they seemed. His voice trembled, and he repeatedly stated that aliens were actually extradimensional beings that had infiltrated the military. He also warned about impending disasters that the U.S. government allegedly knew about but kept secret from the public.
Then, something unusual occurred—the broadcast was suddenly cut off. The show’s satellite transmission was mysteriously disrupted, leading many to speculate that the government or a secret organization had intentionally shut it down to prevent the caller from revealing sensitive information.
The Follow-Up Call and Hoax Claims
A week after the original call, a man identifying himself as Brian called into Art Bell’s show, claiming that he was the Area 51 caller and that his previous call had been a hoax. However, many listeners remained skeptical of his confession. Unlike the original caller, Brian lacked the intense emotional distress that made the first call so believable. His tone was more controlled, and some felt he was simply mimicking the voice.
Remote Viewing Investigation
Years later, paranormal researchers John Vivanco and Rob Counts from Metaphysical decided to analyze the event using remote viewing, a technique believed to allow individuals to perceive distant or hidden objects psychically. Their findings suggested that the original caller was not the same person as Brian, and the call had been orchestrated by an external source. Their investigation also indicated that the satellite failure during the original broadcast might not have been a mere technical glitch.
Art Bell’s Role and the Hoax Theory
Art Bell himself was a legendary radio host known for blending entertainment with investigative journalism. Some have speculated that he might have had a hand in orchestrating the call for entertainment purposes. Remote viewing data suggested that the original call may have been staged, either as an independent hoax or with Bell’s knowledge, as he was known for creating compelling radio moments.
Even if the call was a hoax, the information it conveyed about extraterrestrial beings, government cover-ups, and impending disasters still aligns with many existing theories about UFOs and Area 51. Some argue that the call was a mix of fabricated drama and genuine conspiracy theories, which kept the mystery alive for years.
The Legacy of the Area 51 Caller
More than two decades later, the Area 51 caller mystery remains a topic of discussion among conspiracy theorists and UFO researchers. The incident serves as a prime example of how paranormal storytelling, mass media, and unexplained phenomena intertwine to create lasting legends. Whether the call was real or a hoax, it continues to captivate audiences worldwide, reminding us of the enduring fascination with the unknown.
As technology advances and new investigations emerge, perhaps one day we will uncover the full truth behind that eerie phone call on Art Bell’s legendary radio show.
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Earth’s oldest meteorite crater found in outback WA
Earth’s oldest meteorite crater found in outback WA
By Tim Johnson, Chris Kirkland, and Jonas Kaempf – Curtin University
The crater formed more than 3.5 billion years ago.
Image credit: Curtin University
Earth’s oldest meteorite impact crater was just found in WA’s Pilbara region – exactly where geologists hoped it would be.
We have discovered the oldest meteorite impact crater on Earth, in the very heart of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The crater formed more than 3.5 billion years ago, making it the oldest known by more than a billion years. Our discovery is published in Nature Communications.
Curiously enough, the crater was exactly where we had hoped it would be, and its discovery supports a theory about the birth of Earth’s first continents.
The very first rocks
The oldest rocks on Earth formed more than 3 billion years ago, and are found in the cores of most modern continents. However, geologists still cannot agree how or why they formed.
Nonetheless, there is agreement that these early continents were critical for many chemical and biological processes on Earth.
Shatter cones formed by the impact in the Pilbara. Image credit: Tim Johnson
Many geologists think these ancient rocks formed above hot plumes that rose from above Earth’s molten metallic core, rather like wax in a lava lamp. Others maintain they formed by plate tectonic processes similar to modern Earth, where rocks collide and push each other over and under.
Although these two scenarios are very different, both are driven by the loss of heat from within the interior of our planet.
We think rather differently.
A few years ago, we published a paper suggesting that the energy required to make continents in the Pilbara came from outside Earth, in the form of one or more collisions with meteorites many kilometres in diameter.
On the hunt for shatter cones in a typical Pilbara landscape with our trusted GSWA vehicles. Image credit: Chris Kirkland
As the impacts blasted up enormous volumes of material and melted the rocks around them, the mantle below produced thick “blobs” of volcanic material that evolved into continental crust.
Our evidence then lay in the chemical composition of tiny crystals of the mineral zircon, about the size of sand grains. But to persuade other geologists, we needed more convincing evidence, preferably something people could see without needing a microscope.
So, in May 2021, we began the long drive north from Perth for two weeks of fieldwork in the Pilbara, where we would meet up with our partners from the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) to hunt for the crater. But where to start?
A serendipitous beginning
Our first target was an unusual layer of rocks known as the Antarctic Creek Member, which crops out on the flanks of a dome some 20 kilometres in diameter. The Antarctic Creek Member is only 20 metres or so in thickness, and mostly comprises sedimentary rocks that are sandwiched between several kilometres of dark, basaltic lava.
Large hut-like shatter cones in the rocks of the Antarctic Creek Member at the discovery site. The rocks on the hilltop farthest left are basalts that lay directly over the shatter cones. Image credit: Tim Johnson
However, it also contains spherules – droplets formed from molten rock thrown up during an impact. But these drops could have travelled across the globe from a giant impact anywhere on Earth, most likely from a crater that has now been destroyed.
An approximately one metre tall shatter cone ‘hut’, with the rolling hills of the Pilbara in the background. Image credit: Chris Kirkland
After consulting the GSWA maps and aerial photography, we located an area in the centre of the Pilbara along a dusty track to begin our search.
We parked the offroad vehicles and headed our separate ways across the outcrops, more in hope than expectation, agreeing to meet an hour later to discuss what we’d found and grab a bite to eat.
Remarkably, when we returned to the vehicle, we all thought we’d found the same thing: shatter cones.
Shatter cones are beautiful, delicate branching structures, not dissimilar to a badminton shuttlecock. They are the only feature of shock visible to the naked eye, and in nature can only form following a meteorite impact.
Little more than an hour into our search, we had found precisely what we were looking for. We had literally opened the doors of our 4WDs and stepped onto the floor of a huge, ancient impact crater.
Frustratingly, after taking some photographs and grabbing a few samples, we had to move on to other sites, but we determined to return as soon as possible. Most importantly, we needed to know how old the shatter cones were. Had we discovered the oldest known crater on Earth?
It turned out that we had.
There and back again
With some laboratory research under our belts, we returned to the site in May 2024 to spend ten days examining the evidence in more detail.
Shatter cones were everywhere, developed throughout most of the Antarctic Creek Member, which we traced for several hundred metres into the rolling hills of the Pilbara.
Our observations showed that above the layer with the shatter cones was a thick layer of basalt with no evidence of impact shock. This meant the impact had to be the same age as the Antarctic Member rocks, which we know are 3.5 billion years old.
We had our age, and the record for the oldest impact crater on Earth. Perhaps our ideas regarding the ultimate origin of the continents were not so mad, as many told us.
Delicate shatter cones within rocks typical of the Antarctic Creek Member. Image credit: Tim Johnson
Serendipity is a marvellous thing. As far as we knew, other than the Traditional Owners, the Nyamal people, no geologist had laid eyes on these stunning features since they formed.
Like some others before us, we had argued that meteorite impacts played a fundamental role in the geological history of our planet, as they clearly had on our cratered Moon and on other planets, moons and asteroids. Now we and others have the chance to test these ideas based on hard evidence.
Who knows how many ancient craters lay undiscovered in the ancient cores of other continents? Finding and studying them will transform our understanding of the early Earth and the role of giant impacts, not only in the formation of the landmasses on which we all live, but in the origins of life itself.
Earth's Oldest Known Meteor Crater Discovered in Australia
The Devil’s Bible: A Massive Medieval Manuscript of Mystery
There are three major questions about the Codex Gigas, known more famously as ‘The Devil’s Bible, and they are: who wrote it, why, and why is it so big?
Some say the Codex was inspired by Satan himself. Others say the mega-sized book has been misunderstood, and that its real purpose is to warn people about the Devil’s evil purpose. Both sides say its immense size is meant to capture people’s attention, so they will pay closer attention to its message.
The Devil’s Bible is famous for two features – its size and it unique full-page representation of the Devil. It became known as the Codex Gigas, ‘giant book,’ due to its immensity. It is so large that it took more than 160 animal skins to make it and it is so heavy that two people are needed to lift it. It measures 36 inches (91 cm) tall, 20 inches (50.5 cm) wide, and almost nine inches (22.86 cm) thick. It weighs 165 lbs. (74.8 kg). It is so huge that it is probably more accurate to say it was constructed, like some sort of medieval monument, rather than just written.
According to legend, the medieval manuscript was made out of a pact with the Devil, which is one reason why it is sometimes referred to as the Devil’s Bible. The uniformity of the writing suggests that it was written by one scribe and stories say he was under immense pressure when he created the book.
The legend behind the making of Codex Gigas is that it was the work of one monk, sometimes named as Herman the Recluse, who was sentenced to death by being walled up alive for breaking his monastic vows. As a last gasp for survival he made a deal that he would create a book filled with the world’s knowledge in return for his life. His proposal was accepted, but his freedom from death would only be granted if the monk managed to complete the monumental manuscript in one night.
The only way the monk could see himself completing the insurmountable task was with the help of the Devil. After selling his soul, the scribe was able to generate the frenetic and unholy energy necessary to fulfill the order and gain his freedom.
Supposedly, this pact with the Devil explains why the Prince of Darkness is depicted in such a prominent way in the codex. But the origin of this myth is unknown, and there is really no evidence to suggest the writer of the book meant to glorify Satan in any way (the author’s depiction of the Devil portray’s him as a salivating and bloodthirsty monster).
Enhanced version of the image of the Devil from the Codex Gigas.
Although the story of a pact with the Devil is rather far-fetched, analysis of the level of uniformity of the Latin text does suggest that it was written by just one scribe. That person may not have been Herman the Recluse, but it was likely a 13th century monk who lived in Bohemia, a part of modern Czech Republic.
According to the National Geographic , it would take one person working continuously, day and night, five years to recreate the contents of Codex Gigas by hand (excluding the illustrations). Therefore, realistically it would have taken at least 25 years for the scribe to create the codex from scratch. Yet, all this time, the writing retained an incredible uniformity from start to finish, not wavering at all becaue of age or bad health. This may be the inspiration for the legend that says the monk wrote it in just one day.
Originally, the Devil’s Bible was comprised on 320 vellum pages created with the skin of 160 donkeys, but at some point in its history, ten pages were removed. It is believed that those pages were the Rule of St. Benedict – a guide to living the monastic life in the 6th century.
What is the Devil’s Bible Really About?
Codex Gigas contains a complete vulgate Latin translation of the Bible as well as five other major texts. It begins with the Old Testament and continues with ‘Antiquities of the Jews’ by Flavius Josephus (1st century AD; ‘ Encyclopedia Etymologiae ’ by Isidore of Seville (6th century AD); a collection of medical works of Hippocrates, Theophilus and others; the New Testament; and ‘The Chronicle of Bohemia’ by Cosmas of Prague (1050 AD) - the first history of Bohemia.
Page of the Codex Gigas which may represent Flavius Josephus. This is the only portrait of a person in the codex.
Smaller texts are also included in the manuscript, with the most famous ones including writings on exorcism, magic formulas, and a calendar with a list of saints and Bohemian people of interest and the days on which they were honored.
As it is an illuminated manuscript, there are illustrations and decoration found throughout the Codex Gigas. Many of the drawings are impressive, but the most famous are the full page drawings of the Devil and the Heavenly City, which are juxtaposed to each other.
The Devil is depicted as a large, monstrous figure taking up the entirety of Hell. He is drawn with large claws at the tips of outstretched arms, red-tipped horns, small red eyes, a green head and two long red tongues. He’s shown crouching between two large towers and is wearing and ermine loin cloth. This material was usually used by royalty and it may be a nod to the Devil as the Prince of Darkness. Even though portraits of the Devil were a common occurrence in medieval art, his depiction in the Codex Gigas stands out for presenting him all alone on a large page.
Across from the Devil is a full-page representation of the Heavenly City. It is shown in tiers of buildings and with towers behind red walls. Towers also project from the walls and the Heavenly City is bordered with two larger towers, like the Devil’s portrait. This image probably was meant to inspire the ideas of hope and salvation and contrast with the evil nature of the Devil.
Taken together, the portrait and city probably were meant to be a reflection on what would await you if you lived a good or bad life. The text before the Heavenly City refers to penitence and the text after the Devil is about exorcisms. Notably, the Devil and the Heavenly City are the only illustrations occupying full pages in the Codex Gigas, so it is clear that the author’s intended message here, whatever it was, was seen as vitally important.
As noted above, the true origins of the Codex Gigas are unknown. In the text, there is a note stating that the manuscript was pawned by the monks of Podla¸ice in the monastery at Sedlec in 1295. From there it was located in the Břevnov near Prague. Since the monasteries associated with the early history of the Codex Gigas were located in Bohemia and the text refers to that area’s history, it is generally accepted that it was created in Bohemia too.
The next mention of the Codex Gigas is when Rudolf II took it to his castle in Prague in 1594. It stayed there until the Swedish siege of Prague at the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. The Swedish army looted the city and one of the treasures they took was the medieval manuscript. That’s how it ended up in Stockholm.
In 1877 the Codex Gigas became part of the collection of the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm, where it is still kept today. Stories and legends say that the Codex Gigas was cursed and brought disaster or illness on whoever possessed it during its history. Fortunately, the National Library appears immune to the curse of the codex, as it remains a popular exhibit that draws in many visitors.
The Codex Gigas.
(Sharon Hahn Darlin/CC BY 2.0)
For those who can’t make it to Sweden to see the book, it is possible to view its digitalized pages online. So be sure to read it for yourself, soon … if you dare.
Top Image: Codex Gigas, open to pages that show the Devil and the Heavenly City.
Marine researchers have uncovered what could be the most expansive cloned organism ever documented—an enormous seaweed specimen stretching over 300 miles along Sweden’s Baltic coast. This massive clone, identified as a “super female” of Fucus vesiculosus, better known as bladderwrack, has reshaped what scientists understand about marine ecosystems and genetic survival.
A Hidden Giant Beneath the Waves
At first, DNA analysis led researchers to believe they had identified a different species of seaweed, but closer examination confirmed that this vast organism is, in fact, bladderwrack. This discovery is remarkable because bladderwrack is a foundational species in the Baltic, forming underwater forests that serve as critical habitats for snails, crustaceans, and other marine life.
Unlike its counterparts in saltier oceans, this particular Fucus vesiculosus has adapted to the Baltic’s lower salinity levels, allowing it to spread extensively. While bladderwrack typically reproduces sexually, the conditions of the Baltic Sea have favored an unusual survival strategy—cloning. This means that rather than mixing genetic material, the organism has been duplicating itself, producing an immense network of genetically identical individuals.
The clone of bladderwrack in the Baltic Sea was long assumed to be a separate species, which was called narrow seaweed.
The Role of Climate in Bladderwrack’s Future
With climate change affecting ocean temperatures and salinity, the future of this record-breaking seaweed is uncertain. “The Baltic Sea is entering a period of warmer and possibly even fresher seawater,” explained marine biologist Kerstin Johannesson, co-lead author of the study published in Molecular Ecology. “Every species must adapt to these changes, including the dominant bladderwrack.”
Although its cloning ability has allowed it to thrive, this very mechanism might also be its greatest vulnerability. Without genetic diversity, the massive clone may struggle to withstand environmental shifts, leaving it at risk of disease or habitat changes.
Despite these challenges, the bladderwrack “super female” remains a crucial part of the Baltic ecosystem. “This clone comprises millions of individuals,” said study co-author Ricardo Pereyra. “In some areas, it is completely dominant, while in others, it coexists with sexually reproduced bladderwrack.”
While other large clones have been identified in the Baltic, none compare to the scale of this one. Its longevity and dominance highlight the complexity of marine ecosystems and raise new questions about how cloned organisms might survive in a rapidly changing world.
For now, the world’s largest clone continues to shape the Baltic’s underwater landscape, providing shelter and stability for marine life. Whether it can endure future environmental shifts remains to be seen.
And Then There Were Three: NASA Shuts Down More Voyager 2 Science Instruments
And Then There Were Three: NASA Shuts Down More Voyager 2 Science Instruments
By Evan Gough
This artist’s illustration depicts one of NASA’s Voyager probes. NASA is continuing to shut down Voyager 2 science instruments to conserve energy. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In an effort to conserve Voyager 2's dwindling energy and extend the spacecraft's mission, NASA has shut down another of its instruments. They did it with the Plasma Spectrometer in October 2024, and it won't be the last. In March, Voyager 2'sLow-Energy Charged Particle instrument will be powered down.
What does this mean for the durable spacecraft?
"If we don’t turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months of power before we would need to declare end of mission." - Suzanne Dodd, Voyager Project Manager, JPL
Things have changed a lot since the pair of Voyager spacecraft were launched in 1977. Our planet is hotter, the human population has ballooned, and Battlestar Galactica came and went—twice.
Voyager 1 and 2 have surprised us all with their longevity. When they were launched, their planned mission length was a mere five years. Now, almost 50 years after their launch date, they've both reached interstellar space, a remarkable achievement.
This image shows Voyager 2 blasting off on a Titan-Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral on August 20th, 1977.
Image Credit: NASA
Though both spacecraft have proven to be durable, nothing lasts forever, not even plutonium. When they were launched, they both carried about 13.5 kg of plutonium-238 in their Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs). RTGs generate electricity by running the heat from the decaying plutonium through a thermocouple. However, as the plutonium decays, its power output is reduced. That necessitates lowering the spacecraft's power demands.
That's where NASA is at with both Voyagers. They've had to sequentially shut down systems that are no longer providing much scientific benefit. Fortunately, some of the spacecraft's instruments were aimed at planetary science and are less critical in interstellar space.
"The Voyagers have been deep space rock stars since launch, and we want to keep it that way as long as possible," said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager at JPL. "But electrical power is running low. If we don’t turn off an instrument on each Voyager now, they would probably have only a few more months of power before we would need to declare end of mission."
Each Voyager spacecraft carries the same payload of 10 science instruments. NASA has shut down different instruments on each one at different times to achieve the best science outcomes.
In October 2024, NASA turned off Voyager 2's Plasma Spectrometer. On March 24th, NASA will shut down Voyager 2's Low-Energy Charged Particle Instrument (LECP), leaving it with only three active instruments: the Triaxial Fluxgate Magnetometer (MAG), the Cosmic Ray Subsystem (CRS), and the Plasma Wave Subsystem (PWS).
Those three instruments still allow Voyager 2 to gather valuable scientific data.
Voyager 2 captured this image of Jupiter and Io when it was 24 million km away.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL
Voyager 2's MAG instrument measured the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune and how the solar wind interacted with their magnetospheres. It also played a vital role in determining exactly when Voyager 2 crossed the heliopause into interstellar space. Now that the spacecraft is in interstellar space, MAG is measuring the strength of interstellar magnetic fields and how they interact with the Sun's magnetic fields.
The CRS instrument helped scientists measure energetic particles inside the magnetospheres of the outer planets. It also provided irreplaceable data on the composition, energy, and distribution of cosmic rays. By measuring cosmic ray nuclei, it helped scientists understand how these rays are accelerated and propagated. By measuring cosmic ray flux in interstellar space, the CRS revealed some of the details about the ISM.
The PWS measured the density of electrons near the Solar System's planets. Early in the Voyager missions, the instrument detected lightning storms on Jupiter and other giant planets, a significant development in understanding these planets. In interstellar space, it's measuring the density of the interstellar plasma. Its measurements are critical to understanding the interstellar medium (ISM).
Throughout its mission, the LECP instrument has told scientists about the energy of charged particles and the dynamics of the Sun's solar wind. It has also shown how some particles can leak out of the heliosphere into interstellar space. As Voyager 2 continues its journey into interstellar space, the LECP will tell us more about the heliopause and how particles behave differently in the heliosphere and interstellar space.
"Every minute of every day, the Voyagers explore a region where no spacecraft has gone before." - Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist at JPL
The LECP instrument will be shut down later this month, reducing Voyager 2 to only three instruments. Nothing illustrates Voyager's longevity and robustness more than the LECP. It's only being shut down because of energy constraints, not because of degraded performance.
Voyager 2 uses a stepped motor to rotate the instrument 360 degrees and provides a 15.7-watt pulse every 192 seconds. During development and testing, the motor was tested to 500,000 steps. That was enough to see it through until the spacecraft encountered Saturn in August 1980. However, the motor will have completed more than 8.5 million steps by the time it's deactivated later this month.
Like other facets of the Voyager program, the LECP has lasted so long that its principal investigator, Stamatios Krimigis, is now 86 years old and has retired into an honorary position. He's now Emeritus Head of the Space Exploration Sector of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Maybe both the man and the instrument will fully retire at the same time.
Voyager 1 and 2 are our first interstellar probes, though they were never intended to be. Everything they're showing us about interstellar space is bonus knowledge. Many of the people behind the program are gone now, but both spacecraft live on. There's a poignancy to that that goes beyond science, charged particles, and the details of the interstellar medium. They're humanity's first unintentional envoys into interstellar space and are starting to outlast their creators.
"The Voyager spacecraft have far surpassed their original mission to study the outer planets."- Patrick Koehn, Voyager Program Scientist
This graphic from 2019 shows the locations of both Voyage probes in relationship with the heliosphere.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Johns Hopkins APL
However, the Voyagers are scientific missions, and they're still stubbornly fulfilling those missions.
"The Voyager spacecraft have far surpassed their original mission to study the outer planets," said Patrick Koehn, Voyager program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Every bit of additional data we have gathered since then is not only valuable bonus science for heliophysics but also a testament to the exemplary engineering that has gone into the Voyagers — starting nearly 50 years ago and continuing to this day."
NASA is determined to milk the Voyager spacecraft for as much data as possible. Once Voyager 2's LECP is turned off later this month, both Voyagers should be able to operate for another year before another instrument will need to go dark. For Voyager 1, this means it will lose its LECP. Voyager 2's CRS will be shut off in 2026.
NASA engineers say that their power conservation program should let both spacecraft operate into the 2030s, albeit with a single instrument each. However, they have been operating in deep space for almost 50 years, and it's not a benign environment. It's only rational to expect some other problems to crop up.
It's easy to gloss over the success of the Voyager program now that space missions launch every month, powerful rovers explore Mars, and high-resolution cameras deliver a steady stream of yummy images to our hungry browsers. It's also easy to forget that they've both travelled more than 20 billion km. In fact, when Voyager 2 sends us a signal, it takes 19.5 hours to reach us. For Voyager 1, the signal travel time is even greater: 23.5 hours. Those signal travel times will only grow as the spacecraft continue their journeys. And every kilometre of their journeys is a new frontier for humanity.
"Every minute of every day, the Voyagers explore a region where no spacecraft has gone before," said Linda Spilker, Voyager project scientist at JPL. "That also means every day could be our last. But that day could also bring another interstellar revelation. So, we’re pulling out all the stops, doing what we can to make sure Voyagers 1 and 2 continue their trailblazing for the maximum time possible."
The Athena Lunar Lander Also Fell Over on its Side
The Athena Lunar Lander Also Fell Over on its Side
By Matthew Williams
The Athena lunar lander (IM-2) has been declared dead after it failed to stick the landing on the surface of the Moon. The second commercial lander launched by Texas-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines attempted to reach the lunar surface on March 6th. However, it ended up in a crater near the lunar south pole, where it then fell on its side. The company confirmed that the mission was dead this morning in a statement.
Per that statement, Intuitive Machines declared that while the lander was no longer operational, the mission was not a total write-off:
"[T]he IM-2 mission lunar lander, Athena, landed 250 meters from its intended landing site in the Mons Mouton region of the lunar south pole, inside of a crater. This was the southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved. Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side. After landing, mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones, including NASA’s PRIME-1 suite, before the lander’s batteries depleted."
"With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge. The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission."
Intuitive Machines' Athena lander captured this view of the moon during its touchdown on March 6, 2025. (Image credit: NASA TV)
The lander launched on February 27th, 2025, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A (LC39A) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The payload includes the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1), which consists of the TRIDENT Drill and MSolo mass spectrometer, designed to probe up to one meter (3.3 feet) beneath the lunar surface to search for volatiles like water and carbon dioxide (CO2) - which are critical to the Artemis Program and NASA's proposed crewed missions to the Moon.
According to NASA, mission controllers did manage to activate Trident and rotate the drill to prove it worked while a companion science instrument collected some data. Intuitive Machines also stated that several other mission objectives were accelerated. Athena's other payloads include Intuitive Machines' Micro Nova Hopper (aka. Grace), which is designed to explore craters up to 2 km (1.24 mi) from the lander.
It also carried the Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), a 4G/LTE system to test high-speed, long-range communications. These and other payloads were sent as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which has contracted with multiple U.S. companies to deliver science and technology experiments to the lunar surface. While Grace and two rovers provided by private companies did not make it off the lander and explore the South Pole-Aitken Basin as planned, Intuitive Machines confirmed that they were able to activate these and other science experiments before the lander lost power.
The IM-2 mission joins its predecessor, the Odysseus mission (IM-1), which attempted to land on the lunar surface last year but also fell on its side shortly after touching down. In both cases, the problem was attributed to a last-minute failure with the lander's prime laser navigation system. However, IM-1 was the first NASA mission to land on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission over 50 years ago. This time, the lander also survived longer before its batteries lost power. The IM-2 lander also has the distinction of getting closer to the Moon's south pole than any previous mission, landing just 160 km (100 mi) away.
On March 2nd, Firefly Aerospace successfully reached the northern hemisphere on the Moon's near side with its Blue Ghost lander. As part of the CLPS initiative, this mission carried 10 NASA experiments and is expected to remain operational for another week until lunar night descends and it can no longer draw power from its solar panels.
The two legs of Intuitive Machines' private Athena moon lander jut up to the sky, with a half-lit blue Earth above, after the probe fell over during a landing attempt near the lunar south pole on March 6. 2025.
(Image credit: Intuitive Machine)
Meanwhile, Intuitive Machines is contracted to deliver two NASA payloads to the Moon with their IM-3 and IM-4 landers. These missions are reportedly scheduled to launch no sooner than late October 2025 and 2027, respectively.
NASA's Athena Lunar Lander Launch with SpaceX Falcon 9!
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
