NASA Running Out of Non-Life Explanations for What Its Rover Found on Mars

By Victor Tangermann

{ https://futurism.com/ }

14-02-2026 om 20:28 geschreven door peter  

Imagine opening up to someone about your most treasured memory or your deepest vulnerabilities—only to later discover that the attentive listener on the other end wasn’t a person at all, but a machine.

According to new research published in Communications Psychology, artificial intelligence can be surprisingly good at fostering emotional connections, and in some cases, even outperforming humans.

However, there’s a catch: it works best when people believe they’re talking to another human.

In two double-blind, randomized controlled trials involving 492 participants, researchers found that large language model (LLM)-generated responses fostered equal—and sometimes greater—feelings of interpersonal closeness than human responses.

The effect was especially pronounced during emotionally intense “deep-talk” conversations. Yet, when participants were told they were interacting with an AI, those feelings diminished, revealing what the researchers describe as an “anti-AI bias.”

These findings suggest that not only can AI form the basis of meaningful social interactions, but under certain circumstances, it may be particularly well-suited to emotionally engaging exchanges—raising profound implications for psychotherapy, healthcare, and the future of digital companionship.

“With the increasing accessibility of large language models to the public, questions arise about whether, and under what conditions, social-emotional interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) can lead to human-like relationship building,” researchers write. “We found that people felt even closer to AI than to fellow humans after emotionally engaging interactions.”

To examine how relationships form between humans and AI, researchers at the University of Freiburg adapted a well-established psychological tool, the “Fast Friends Procedure.” Originally designed to rapidly generate interpersonal closeness between strangers, the method relies on escalating mutual self-disclosure through structured questions.

Participants—German university students between 18 and 35—engaged in 15-minute, text-based interactions. Unbeknownst to them, their “partner” responses had been pre-generated either by real human participants in a lab or by a minimally prompted large language model (Google’s PaLM 2, accessed via Bard in early 2024). In some conditions, participants were told they were interacting with a human. In others, they were informed they were speaking with an AI.

The researchers also manipulated emotional intensity. Some interactions involved light small talk. Others required deeper disclosures, including treasured life memories and core personal values. The core measure of relationship building was perceived interpersonal closeness, assessed using a widely used psychological scale.

The results revealed that when participants believed they were interacting with a human, AI-generated responses actually led to greater feelings of closeness than genuine human responses—but only during emotionally engaging deep-talk exchanges.

“AI-generated content outperformed human-generated content in establishing feelings of closeness during emotionally engaging deep-talk interactions,” researchers report. “Moreover, participants disclosed more information themselves in interactions with AI, and self-disclosure levels of both parties were associated with each other.”

Importantly, this was not because the AI wrote longer responses or displayed obvious stylistic advantages. Instead, linguistic analysis revealed that AI partners exhibited significantly higher levels of self-disclosure—sharing personal emotions, experiences, and social reflections.

That increased self-disclosure appeared to drive the effect. Participants reported feeling closer to partners who revealed more about themselves. In turn, participants also disclosed more about their own lives when interacting with the AI, suggesting a reciprocal dynamic.

In other words, the AI’s willingness to “open up” encouraged humans to do the same.

The finding challenges a common assumption that emotional communication is a uniquely human domain where AI inevitably falls short. Instead, the study suggests that LLMs—at least in text-based settings—can effectively simulate the vulnerability and emotional transparency that fosters rapid intimacy.

However, the advantage disappeared when the illusion was removed.

In the second study, participants were explicitly told whether their interaction partner was human or AI. Even when interacting with identical AI-generated responses, participants who believed they were speaking to an AI reported lower levels of closeness.

This label effect was statistically significant. Being told the partner was an AI reduced ratings of interpersonal closeness compared to human-labelled interactions.

Crucially, the drop in closeness was not due to AI responses changing. The content remained constant. What shifted was the participant’s mindset.

Researchers found that people wrote shorter responses when they believed they were interacting with AI, suggesting reduced emotional engagement. Those shorter responses were themselves associated with lower perceived closeness.

In short, people invested less in the relationship when they knew it involved a machine.

Yet, even with the anti-AI bias, relationship building still occurred. Closeness increased significantly from baseline in AI-labelled conditions, demonstrating that awareness of artificiality dampens—but does not eliminate—the capacity for emotional connection.

One interpretation of the findings is paradoxical: AI’s lack of genuine emotional experience may free it from the social risks humans face during vulnerable conversations.

Humans often hesitate to disclose deeply personal information, especially to strangers. Emotional self-disclosure carries social risk—rejection, judgment, misuse of personal details. However, an AI cannot experience embarrassment, rejection, or betrayal.

Researchers suggest that this lack of emotional stakes may allow AI to consistently display high levels of openness in emotionally charged discussions. That openness, in turn, invites reciprocal vulnerability from human partners.

Still, the researchers caution against concluding that AI is broadly superior in emotional communication. The advantage appeared only in masked deep-talk scenarios. Once labeled as AI, its relative strength declined.

That said, there may also be an important caveat to the so-called “anti-AI bias.” While participants in this controlled experiment reported lower levels of closeness when they knew they were interacting with a machine, real-world behavior suggests that awareness of artificiality does not necessarily prevent deep attachment.

As previously reported by The Debrief, other recent research has documented individuals forming intensely personal bonds with AI chatbots—some even describing romantic partnerships or “marriages” and having fictional “babies” with their digital companions. All while fully aware that the entity on the other end was not human.

In those cases, the label “AI” did not dampen emotional investment. If anything, the chatbot’s consistency, availability, and nonjudgmental nature appeared to strengthen it.

Together, the findings suggest that anti-AI bias may be highly context-dependent—more pronounced in brief experimental encounters, yet potentially diminished in ongoing, immersive interactions where emotional reliance has time to deepen.

Ultimately, these findings point to AI’s potential in overstretched social sectors such as mental health care, elder care, and patient support. As researchers note, conversational AI could assist in settings where relationship building and emotional engagement are critical—so long as safeguards are in place.

On the other hand, the results underscore ethical risks.

If AI can foster genuine feelings of closeness—especially when disguised as human—it could be misused for manipulation, deception, or exploitation. Emotional trust is powerful. In the wrong hands, it becomes a vector for social engineering, fraud, and psychological harm.

Importantly, generative AI systems have already grown more advanced—far beyond the 2024-era model used in this study—so the stakes have only increased.

“These findings highlight AI’s potential to relieve overburdened social fields while underscoring the urgent need for ethical safeguards to prevent its misuse in fostering deceptive social connections,” researchers warn.

Researchers say the findings do not imply that machines are superior to people. Rather, it reveals something subtler: human perceptions and expectations shape AI’s emotional power.

When we believe we’re talking to another person, AI can mirror—and even amplify—the dynamics of emotional connection. When we know it’s a machine, skepticism creeps in, altering our willingness to engage.

For now, the boundary between human and artificial companionship remains psychologically meaningful. However, that line is beginning to blur.

In their conclusion, the researchers emphasize AI’s increasingly familiar dual role—as both a powerful societal tool and a potential source of risk.

“On one hand, AI shows great promise in alleviating strain in overburdened social fields such as psychotherapy, medical care, and elder care. To foster acceptance in these areas, we recommend transparent human-led introduction, continuous monitoring, and systematic evaluation of human-AI Interactions,” researchers write. “On the other hand, our results underscore the risk of AI being misused for manipulation by fostering deceptive emotional connections.”

• Tim McMillan is a retired law enforcement executive, investigative reporter and co-founder of The Debrief. His writing typically focuses on defense, national security, the Intelligence Community and topics related to psychology. You can follow Tim on Twitter: @LtTimMcMillan.  Tim can be reached by email: tim@thedebrief.org or through encrypted email: LtTimMcMillan@protonmail.com 

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

14-02-2026 om 19:54 geschreven door peter  

Widespread cell phone disruptions are set to hit thousands of Americans across Texas just as the state recovers from chaos in El Paso this week.

Military personnel at Fort Hood are scheduled to test anti-drone systems that can interfere with satellite navigation signals across a wide area, potentially degrading GPS accuracy for aircraft, drones, and consumer devices.

The interruptions, which began February 2, are expected to continue on Friday and Saturday mornings through February 27, with the final round scheduled from February 23 to 27. 

The affected zone spans major cities, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and extends as far as Oklahoma City.

Operators of aircraft, drones, and other GPS-reliant systems are being warned to plan for degraded navigation and consider alternative methods.

The testing comes just days after US airspace was abruptly shut down in El Paso following a security incident involving what was later identified as a party balloon.

In the hours before the shutdown, an eyewitness near El Paso International Airport reported seeing a large object releasing smaller objects, footage that was shared with the crowdsourced UFO-reporting platform Enigma. 

The sighting occurred shortly before the FAA closed a large swath of airspace for 'special security reasons' at 11:30 p.m. MT on February 10.

Widespread GPS disruptions are affecting Central Texas and parts of the surrounding region, caused by military testing of anti-drone systems near Fort Hood

Magnified images of the craft revealed a large object appearing near the sight of a major FAA shut down which was issued on February 10

Pilots experiencing problems with GPS-reliant equipment are urged to report anomalies following standard FAA procedures. 

The disruptions could also affect cars, phones, tablets, watches, and other GPS-dependent devices across an area more than 190 miles wide, though not all systems are expected to be impacted.

The tests are likely being conducted with support from electronic warfare units to simulate a degraded GPS environment. 

The US Army regularly conducts counter-unmanned aircraft training and technology demonstrations at Fort Hood, using a mix of radar, kinetic interceptors, and electronic warfare tools designed to detect and defeat drones.

The scheduled GPS disruption tests are described by the FAA as 'GPS interference testing,' typically meaning the military is intentionally creating GPS-denied conditions to train forces and evaluate how systems perform when signals are blocked or unreliable. 

Although the FAA has not specified the hardware being used, such exercises generally involve radio-frequency jamming or spoofing systems designed to overwhelm or confuse GPS receivers.

The testing comes amid growing concern over military counter-drone activity after the FAA abruptly closed airspace over El Paso late Tuesday night. 

The mysterious shutdown was originally announced to last for ten days and included all commercial, cargo, and general flights within a ten-mile-wide area roughly five miles southwest of El Paso, from the ground up to 18,000 feet.

In a dramatic example of the risks, the FAA abruptly closed El Paso airspace on Wednesday after the military targeted what turned out to be a party balloon with an anti-drone laser system

However, the chaotic shutdown by the FAA was quickly called off, with the Trump Administration changing the story of what triggered the alert multiple times within a matter of hours on Wednesday.

White House officials initially announced the US had taken down a Mexican cartel drone flying across the southern border, only to claim hours later that the object struck by a high-powered laser was a party balloon.

Now, UFO researchers and witnesses in the area have alleged that something other than a balloon or drone was spotted on multiple days near the US-Mexico border before the FAA warning.

'Looks like the mothership. It's huge. And there is stuff coming out from the bottom of it and going off to the left a little bit as it landed,' the driver on Tuesday said.

According to the witness recording the hovering craft, it appeared on video 'like a dot' after moving off far into the distance, but the object was allegedly incredibly large and looked somewhat like 'a blob.'

Enigma, which allows people to report sightings and share pictures or videos of UFOs on an app, also revealed that two other witnesses submitted strange sightings in the El Paso area, one on February 8 and another at 5.46pm ET on the same day as the FAA shut down.

Both sightings involved what the witnesses described as floating orbs high in the sky which were clearly not normal planes or any type of military aircraft.

'Every time I use my drones in this area, especially in a certain frequency I always have orbs run by,' the witness on February 8 reported in a video on the Enigma app.

However, the driver traveling by El Paso International Airport on Tuesday supplied the clearest evidence that what the military encountered was not a simple balloon.

'They are reporting today that it wasn’t drones but a party balloon! It never ceases to amaze me how stupid they think the public is,' one commenter on X wrote.

'I feel like I’ve seen this story before…' one person on social media wrote next to a picture of the weather balloon debris the military claimed was actually the Roswell UFO in 1947.

However, many skeptics criticized the video for being so out of focus that it made a clear identification of the object impossible.

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

14-02-2026 om 18:25 geschreven door peter  

Could we detect if gods were alien beings?

Possibly. A few lines of evidence might include:

• Ancient structures aligning with advanced astronomical math.
• Texts describing devices or materials that don’t exist (e.g., “divine laser light”).
• Legends of long-lived rulers with lifespans beyond a thousand years, possibly military/biotech-enhanced beings.
• Cultural patterns of worship across continents with no contact, suggesting a shared origin.

In 2025, cross-disciplinary researchers in archaeoastronomy, ancient DNA, epigraphy, and physics are quietly exploring these overlaps, more cautiously than conspiracy YouTubers, but with open curiosity.

Key Points You Should Know

1. Myths of gods as visitors span cultures globally.
2. Descriptions often match what extraterrestrials might look like.
3. Advanced structures/assets could reflect alien tech or instruction.
4. No confirmed proof yet, just intriguing correlations.
5. The concept reframes divinity as cosmic, not supernatural.

Explaining Each Point

• 1. From the Anunnaki to the Feathered Serpent, multiple cultures describe gods coming from above.
• 2. Bright chariots, human-like figures glowing, voices on the wind, early descriptions of aliens in mythic terms.
• 3. The Great Pyramid, Stonehenge, and Angkor Wat required astronomical precision that ancient humans achieved, perhaps with guidance.
• 4. While there’s no verified spaceship artifact, there are many collectable anomalies and respected scholars asking important questions.
• 5. By seeing gods as alien beings, myth becomes a record of first contact, humanity’s ancient encounter with the cosmic.

What We Think

We’re not saying this is a fact. We are saying: what if it is? The “gods as aliens” model solves puzzles, connects legends, and honors spiritual traditions by grounding them in historical encounters. Whether or not you accept the hypothesis, it invites careful inquiry and challenges us to ask: if a seed of truth lies in myth, how would we know? That’s a question we’re thrilled to explore.

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{ https://edgythoughts.com/category/hypothetical/myths-legends/ }

14-02-2026 om 18:11 geschreven door peter  

On Monday, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced the launch of a new project aimed at finding scientific proof for the existence of extraterrestrial technology. Dubbed the Galileo Project, the international team of researchers says part of their hunt for ET technology will include examining reports of “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP), more commonly known as UFOs. 

“The goal of the Galileo Project is to bring the search for extraterrestrial technological signatures from accidental or anecdotal observations and legends to the mainstream of transparent, validated, and systematic scientific research,” a press release issued by the Galileo Project reads. 

Heading up the program is one of the most well-known advocates of searching for intelligent alien life within our Solar System, Harvard professor of astronomy, Dr. Abraham “Avi” Loeb. Flanking Loeb is a team of researchers and advisors that hail from a staggering list of prestigious academic institutions including, Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Caltech, Yale, Arizona State, University of North Carolina, and Stockholm University. 

The Debrief has previously provided extensive coverage on the scientific community’s growing interest in targeting alien technology, including NASA funding research specific to locating extraterrestrial “technosignatures.” However, these endeavors are almost exclusively focused on detecting alien technology lurking deep out in the cosmos. 

In contrast, the Galileo Project is the first scientific endeavor to explicitly say not only does it intend to explore possible alien artifacts in our near Solar System, but the program also intends to examine the recent resurgence of UFO or UAP reports as potential evidence that advanced alien life may already be here on Earth. 

According to press materials provided by the Galileo Project, the impetus for exploring whether UFO sightings here on Earth could represent advanced alien technology is primarily spurred by the U.S. Department of Defense’s renewed interest in the subject of “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” 

In the past few years, the Pentagon has publicly released several videos captured by Navy pilots showing what it says are “aerial phenomena that remain unexplained.” The DoD has also formed an officially sanctioned “UAP Task Force,” and at the end of June, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its highly anticipated “Preliminary Assessment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” 

According to the ODNI report, task force investigators could only identify one incident out of 144 military reports of claimed UAP encounters as having a prosaic explanation. Of those nearly 150 reports, ODNI said, 18 incidents or 21 reports demonstrated “unusual UAP movement patterns or flight characteristics.” The report authors described some of these unusual characteristics as “remaining stationary in winds aloft, moving against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or moving at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion.”

“After the recent release of the ODNI report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), the scientific community needs the determination to systematically, scientifically, and transparently look for potential evidence of extraterrestrial technological equipment,” said Dr. Loeb in a press release. “The impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial technology on science, our technology, and on our entire world view would be enormous.”

With over three decades of Ivy League professorship, Loeb boasts a gaudy academic pedigree, including having served as the longest-reigning chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy (2011-2020), contributions to over 900 peer-reviewed academic papers, and being a member of the President’s Trump’s 2020 Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In 2012, Loeb was recognized by Time magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential People in Space,” his photograph appearing alongside Elon Musk. 

Loeb also bears the distinction of being one of the most controversial figures in space science. 

In 2018, Loeb caused quite a stir in the scientific community when he and co-author Shmuel Bialy published a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters asserting that the first interstellar object ever to be detected passing through our solar system in October 2017, ‘Oumuamua, could have been an artificial extraterrestrial object. 

The greater scientific community has primarily criticized Loeb for claiming that ‘Oumuamua could have originated from some advanced ET civilization. In a prior interview with The Debrief, Dr. Paul M. Sutter, a research professor at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and author of How to Die in Space: A Journey Through Dangerous Astrophysical Phenomena, said, “Dr. Loeb is making a giant claim based on no evidence. Just because we don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean we get to declare it’s aliens. Lack of evidence does not give you the license to assert whatever you want. That’s not how science works.”

In response to these criticisms, Loeb has only become more entrenched and vocal in his views on ‘Oumuamua. 

In 2020, Loeb and Harvard Ph.D. candidate Thiem Hoang published another paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, disputing one explanation that ‘Oumuamua was a large chunk of Hydrogen ice. In his recently published book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, Loeb outlines his reasoning for affirming ‘Oumuamua could be humanity’s first evidence for not being alone, while simultaneously chastising the scientific community for being dogmatically closed-minded to the idea. 

In addition to the Pentagon’s interest in mysterious objects seen flying about U.S. airspace, the Galileo Project ties in some of the still unresolved aspects of ‘Oumuamua in justifying serious scientific scrutiny of “unidentified aerial phenomena.” 

“The existing data on UAP and ‘Oumuamua are sufficiently anomalous to motivate the collection of additional data on UAP or ‘Oumuamua-like objects and to test whether such objects may be Astro-archeological artifacts or active technological equipment produced by one or more putative, existing or extinct extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs),” the press release by the Galileo Project reads. 

Artist’s concept of interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) as it passed through the solar system. The aspect ratio of up to 10:1 is unlike that of any object previously seen in our own solar system.

Image Credit: European Southern Observatory / M. Kornmesser

The goal of the Galileo Project will be to “identify the nature of UAP and ‘Oumuamua-like interstellar objects using the standard scientific method based on a transparent analysis of open scientific data to be collected using optimized instruments.” 

Currently, the team of scientists says they plan on following three primary avenues of research in their pursuit of finding evidence of alien technology. 

The first scientific thrust will involve obtaining “high-resolution, multi-detector UAP images” in hopes of “discovering their nature.” Researchers say they plan on achieving this goal by searching for UAP using a network of high-fidelity telescopes and detector arrays that will be distributed in select locations. 

Additionally, press materials from the Galileo Project say, “We anticipate extensive Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning (AI/DL) and algorithmic approaches to differentiate atmospheric phenomena from birds, balloons, commercial or consumer drones, and from potential technological objects of terrestrial or other origin surveying our planet, such as satellites.” 

While many have criticized the Department of Defense’s unwillingness to share evidence collected by military sensors on UAP, the Galileo Project says their data “will be open to the public and the scientific analysis will be transparent.” 

The Galileo Project says it also intends to “design advanced algorithmic and AI/DL object recognition and fast filtering methods in hopes of discovering “potential one meter-scale or smaller ETC [extraterrestrial civilization] satellites that may be exploring Earth. 

Finally, peering a little further out into space, the Galileo Project says it aims to use existing and future astronomical surveys to discover and monitor potential “‘Oumuamua-like interstellar objects” that might pass through the solar system.   

In an email to The Debrief, Loeb clarified that the new project’s main goal will be examining possible extraterrestrial technologies that come within or near the Earth’s atmosphere. “The search for technosignatures on planets around other stars by telescopes like JWST [James Webb Space Telescope] involve detection of signals carried by light, such as industrial pollution or flashes from light beams. Instead, the Galileo Project focuses on physical objects that arrive close to Earth,” said Loeb.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

(Image Source: The European Space Agency)

Although the Galileo Project is not shying away from studying “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” a topic that is considered still largely taboo by many in mainstream science, researchers say they will not be engaging in any retroactive analysis of existing images, radar data, observations, or anecdotal reports of past claimed UAP events. “These are not conducive to cross-validated, evidence-based scientific explanations,”said Galileo Project co-founder, Frank Laukien. 

Similarly, during a press conference on Monday, Loeb and Laukien, both seemingly dismissed the idea of working with the Pentagon’s ongoing UAP investigations. “Most of the [military] data  is not available because it has been collected by classified systems,” explained Loeb. “We don’t want access to classified data. We want to be transparent and provide data that is completely open to the public.” 

Another prominent advocate for the serious study of UAP, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Christopher Mellon, told The Debrief  there was benefit to seeing coordination between the U.S. Government and independent scientific groups like the Galileo Project. 

“Although this is first and foremost a national security issue,” said Mellon in a text message, “ an independent scientific panel should be formed and given access to the classified information to help broaden the discussion and overcome the unfortunate but inevitable distrust many people have of information supplied by the USG on this issue” 

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

13-02-2026 om 23:55 geschreven door peter  

On Monday, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced the launch of a new project aimed at finding scientific proof for the existence of extraterrestrial technology. Dubbed the Galileo Project, the international team of researchers says part of their hunt for ET technology will include examining reports of “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP), more commonly known as UFOs. 

“The goal of the Galileo Project is to bring the search for extraterrestrial technological signatures from accidental or anecdotal observations and legends to the mainstream of transparent, validated, and systematic scientific research,” a press release issued by the Galileo Project reads. 

Heading up the program is one of the most well-known advocates of searching for intelligent alien life within our Solar System, Harvard professor of astronomy, Dr. Abraham “Avi” Loeb. Flanking Loeb is a team of researchers and advisors that hail from a staggering list of prestigious academic institutions including, Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Caltech, Yale, Arizona State, University of North Carolina, and Stockholm University. 

The Debrief has previously provided extensive coverage on the scientific community’s growing interest in targeting alien technology, including NASA funding research specific to locating extraterrestrial “technosignatures.” However, these endeavors are almost exclusively focused on detecting alien technology lurking deep out in the cosmos. 

In contrast, the Galileo Project is the first scientific endeavor to explicitly say not only does it intend to explore possible alien artifacts in our near Solar System, but the program also intends to examine the recent resurgence of UFO or UAP reports as potential evidence that advanced alien life may already be here on Earth. 

According to press materials provided by the Galileo Project, the impetus for exploring whether UFO sightings here on Earth could represent advanced alien technology is primarily spurred by the U.S. Department of Defense’s renewed interest in the subject of “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” 

In the past few years, the Pentagon has publicly released several videos captured by Navy pilots showing what it says are “aerial phenomena that remain unexplained.” The DoD has also formed an officially sanctioned “UAP Task Force,” and at the end of June, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its highly anticipated “Preliminary Assessment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.” 

According to the ODNI report, task force investigators could only identify one incident out of 144 military reports of claimed UAP encounters as having a prosaic explanation. Of those nearly 150 reports, ODNI said, 18 incidents or 21 reports demonstrated “unusual UAP movement patterns or flight characteristics.” The report authors described some of these unusual characteristics as “remaining stationary in winds aloft, moving against the wind, maneuver abruptly, or moving at considerable speed, without discernible means of propulsion.”

“After the recent release of the ODNI report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), the scientific community needs the determination to systematically, scientifically, and transparently look for potential evidence of extraterrestrial technological equipment,” said Dr. Loeb in a press release. “The impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial technology on science, our technology, and on our entire world view would be enormous.”

With over three decades of Ivy League professorship, Loeb boasts a gaudy academic pedigree, including having served as the longest-reigning chair of Harvard’s Department of Astronomy (2011-2020), contributions to over 900 peer-reviewed academic papers, and being a member of the President’s Trump’s 2020 Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. In 2012, Loeb was recognized by Time magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential People in Space,” his photograph appearing alongside Elon Musk. 

Loeb also bears the distinction of being one of the most controversial figures in space science. 

In 2018, Loeb caused quite a stir in the scientific community when he and co-author Shmuel Bialy published a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters asserting that the first interstellar object ever to be detected passing through our solar system in October 2017, ‘Oumuamua, could have been an artificial extraterrestrial object. 

The greater scientific community has primarily criticized Loeb for claiming that ‘Oumuamua could have originated from some advanced ET civilization. In a prior interview with The Debrief, Dr. Paul M. Sutter, a research professor at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stony Brook University and author of How to Die in Space: A Journey Through Dangerous Astrophysical Phenomena, said, “Dr. Loeb is making a giant claim based on no evidence. Just because we don’t understand something, it doesn’t mean we get to declare it’s aliens. Lack of evidence does not give you the license to assert whatever you want. That’s not how science works.”

In response to these criticisms, Loeb has only become more entrenched and vocal in his views on ‘Oumuamua. 

In 2020, Loeb and Harvard Ph.D. candidate Thiem Hoang published another paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, disputing one explanation that ‘Oumuamua was a large chunk of Hydrogen ice. In his recently published book, Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, Loeb outlines his reasoning for affirming ‘Oumuamua could be humanity’s first evidence for not being alone, while simultaneously chastising the scientific community for being dogmatically closed-minded to the idea. 

In addition to the Pentagon’s interest in mysterious objects seen flying about U.S. airspace, the Galileo Project ties in some of the still unresolved aspects of ‘Oumuamua in justifying serious scientific scrutiny of “unidentified aerial phenomena.” 

“The existing data on UAP and ‘Oumuamua are sufficiently anomalous to motivate the collection of additional data on UAP or ‘Oumuamua-like objects and to test whether such objects may be Astro-archeological artifacts or active technological equipment produced by one or more putative, existing or extinct extraterrestrial civilizations (ETCs),” the press release by the Galileo Project reads. 

Artist’s concept of interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) as it passed through the solar system. The aspect ratio of up to 10:1 is unlike that of any object previously seen in our own solar system.

Image Credit: European Southern Observatory / M. Kornmesser

The goal of the Galileo Project will be to “identify the nature of UAP and ‘Oumuamua-like interstellar objects using the standard scientific method based on a transparent analysis of open scientific data to be collected using optimized instruments.” 

Currently, the team of scientists says they plan on following three primary avenues of research in their pursuit of finding evidence of alien technology. 

The first scientific thrust will involve obtaining “high-resolution, multi-detector UAP images” in hopes of “discovering their nature.” Researchers say they plan on achieving this goal by searching for UAP using a network of high-fidelity telescopes and detector arrays that will be distributed in select locations. 

Additionally, press materials from the Galileo Project say, “We anticipate extensive Artificial Intelligence/Deep Learning (AI/DL) and algorithmic approaches to differentiate atmospheric phenomena from birds, balloons, commercial or consumer drones, and from potential technological objects of terrestrial or other origin surveying our planet, such as satellites.” 

While many have criticized the Department of Defense’s unwillingness to share evidence collected by military sensors on UAP, the Galileo Project says their data “will be open to the public and the scientific analysis will be transparent.” 

The Galileo Project says it also intends to “design advanced algorithmic and AI/DL object recognition and fast filtering methods in hopes of discovering “potential one meter-scale or smaller ETC [extraterrestrial civilization] satellites that may be exploring Earth. 

Finally, peering a little further out into space, the Galileo Project says it aims to use existing and future astronomical surveys to discover and monitor potential “‘Oumuamua-like interstellar objects” that might pass through the solar system.   

In an email to The Debrief, Loeb clarified that the new project’s main goal will be examining possible extraterrestrial technologies that come within or near the Earth’s atmosphere. “The search for technosignatures on planets around other stars by telescopes like JWST [James Webb Space Telescope] involve detection of signals carried by light, such as industrial pollution or flashes from light beams. Instead, the Galileo Project focuses on physical objects that arrive close to Earth,” said Loeb.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.

(Image Source: The European Space Agency)

Although the Galileo Project is not shying away from studying “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena,” a topic that is considered still largely taboo by many in mainstream science, researchers say they will not be engaging in any retroactive analysis of existing images, radar data, observations, or anecdotal reports of past claimed UAP events. “These are not conducive to cross-validated, evidence-based scientific explanations,”said Galileo Project co-founder, Frank Laukien. 

Similarly, during a press conference on Monday, Loeb and Laukien, both seemingly dismissed the idea of working with the Pentagon’s ongoing UAP investigations. “Most of the [military] data  is not available because it has been collected by classified systems,” explained Loeb. “We don’t want access to classified data. We want to be transparent and provide data that is completely open to the public.” 

Another prominent advocate for the serious study of UAP, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Christopher Mellon, told The Debrief  there was benefit to seeing coordination between the U.S. Government and independent scientific groups like the Galileo Project. 

“Although this is first and foremost a national security issue,” said Mellon in a text message, “ an independent scientific panel should be formed and given access to the classified information to help broaden the discussion and overcome the unfortunate but inevitable distrust many people have of information supplied by the USG on this issue” 

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

13-02-2026 om 23:55 geschreven door peter  

In 1966, the Soviet Union made history when its Luna 9 mission placed the first object built by humans on the surface of the Moon, broadcasting imagery back to Earth following its successful soft landing.

Despite the safe touchdown of Luna 9’s lander capsule, some questions have lingered about the Soviet spacecraft’s historic mission: namely, its final resting place, which remains unknown.

That could be about to change, however. With the help of artificial intelligence, an international team of researchers has identified several locations on the Moon they believe could finally reveal the location of the “lost” spacecraft.

Among these possible landing sites, one location near lunar N latitude 7.02907° and longitude -64.32867° is particularly promising, revealing a large crater with a bright area near one of its edges, which is surrounded by several other impact features, which researchers say may represent “potential spacecraft hardware objects” left behind by the 1966 mission. The team’s findings were published in npj Space Exploration.

A Cold War-Era Mystery

Luna 9’s historic 1966 lunar landing marked the first instance where a piece of human-built hardware had been placed on the surface of a celestial body beyond Earth.

By modern standards, the Luna 9 landing was hectic, with the spacecraft tumbling along the lunar surface on built-in shock absorbers before finally settling in its final resting place, where it remained operational for only a matter of days. During that roughly 36-hour window, the spacecraft successfully transmitted important information back to Earth, setting the pace for space exploration in the coming years that would eventually bring the first humans to the Moon.

Above: A replica of the Luna 9 spacecraft, as seen in the Museum of Air and Space in Paris, France

(Image Credit: Wikimedia/Pline/CC 3.0)

Despite high-resolution imagery of the lunar surface that has been readily available since the deployment of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) in 2009, no confirmed detection of the Luna 9 landing site has been made. One reason for this involves the original calculations made about the spacecraft’s 1966 landing, which were far from exact. By some estimates, the location of Luna 9 could be as much as several dozen kilometers away from the general area where the spacecraft is believed to have landed.

Rediscovering a Lost Soviet Spacecraft

In recent research led by Lewis Pinault at University College London, along with colleagues Hajime Yano and Ian Crawford, artificial intelligence was used to narrow down possible locations of the “missing” Luna 9 lander.

Enter the intriguingly-named “You-Only-Look-Once – Extraterrestrial Artefact” (YOLO-ETA), which the researchers describe as a lightweight computer imaging system adapted from TinyYOLOv2, an architecture designed to detect human-built objects, such as spacecraft, in high-resolution LROC images.

Above: possible locations where artificial objects, detected using YOLO-ETA, may indicate the landing site of the Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft

(Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/npj Space Exploration, Pinault, et al)

“Applying the model to a 5 × 5 km region surrounding the historically uncertain Luna 9 landing area yielded several high-confidence detections of artificial objects near 7.03° N, –64.33° E,” the researchers report. “Topographic analysis indicates that the candidate site’s horizon geometry is potentially consistent with Luna 9 surface panoramas.”

Notably, the team was able to determine a primary impact feature, in which a luminous area can be discerned, which they believe may be the final landing place of Luna 9. In the surrounding area, several additional impacts or other features can also be seen, which may be secondary “hardware objects”—essentially debris left over from the 1966 mission.

The locations Pinault and his colleagues identified appear to be consistent with the kinds of features associated with known spacecraft landings and the disturbances they have caused to the Moon’s surface during past lunar missions.

“These findings identify promising locations for follow-up imaging and demonstrate that compact, edge-deployable machine-learning models can support future orbital surveys of lunar artefacts and surface assets,” the team writes in their paper.

Going forward, Pinault and colleagues believe they YOLO-ETA may be useful “in detecting known lunar artefacts and can assist in the search for undetected historical spacecraft.” Such capabilities, they argue, are of great importance as they will help to support various space agencies’ ability to monitor the lunar surface in the coming years, especially as exploration of Earth’s natural satellite is expected to increase.

For now, the team’s findings remain to be confirmed, though they believe such an opportunity will likely occur as soon as next month, when India’s Chandrayaan-2 orbiter passes over the region. If YOLO-ETA’s assessment turns out to be correct, it will finally bring a resolution to one of the great unanswered questions of Cold War-era space exploration.

Pinault, Crawford, and Yano’s recent study, “Possible identification of the Luna 9 Moon landing site using a novel machine learning algorithm,” appeared in npj Space Exploration.

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

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

13-02-2026 om 23:33 geschreven door peter  

Scientists have captured the astonishing moment a supergiant star collapsed into a black hole.

The now–deceased star, dubbed M31–2014–DS1, was located around 2.5 million light–years from Earth in the neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy.

In 2014, NASA telescopes recorded the distant star brightening briefly before fading out of existence over the next three years.

Now, scientists have realised they had inadvertently watched as the star died, collapsed, and transformed into a black hole.

What makes this observation so exciting for astronomers is that this isn't how black holes were thought form.

Until now, experts have widely believed that black holes form when supermassive stars collapse and die with supernova explosions.

However, M31–2014–DS1's gradual decline into oblivion suggests that stars can actually create a black hole without the enormous explosion. 

Lead author Dr Kishalay De, a researcher from the Flatiron Institute, says: 'It comes as a shock to know that a massive star basically disappeared – and died – without an explosion and nobody noticed it for more than five years.' 

Scientists have captured the astonishing moment a supergiant star collapsed into a black hole 

Instead of exploding into a supernova like other stars of its size, this star failed to explode and was crushed into a small stellar black hole 

When a star is born, it is held in a state of balance as the outward pressure from burning hydrogen matches the inward push of gravity.

But as the star begins to run out of fuel after billions of years, that outward pressure falters, and the star begins to collapse under its own gravity.

If it is at least 10 times bigger than the sun, the core will be crushed into a super–dense, city–sized object known as a neutron star.

At the same time, a wave of energy released from the collapsing core blasts remaining outer layers into space in a supernova explosion – leaving the neutron star behind.

Only stars about 20 times the size of the sun are big enough to form black holes in this way, but scientists have long suspected that there could be a way for smaller stars to form black holes as well.

If something were to stop the star from producing a supernova to blast the outer layers away, all that extra material might fall into the neutron star and turn it into a black hole.

This is exactly what Dr De and his colleagues think they have just seen at M31–2014–DS1.

When this star was born, it was around 13 times the mass of the sun, dwindling to around five solar masses by the end of its life.

The researchers looked through data collected by various telescopes (pictured) and found that the star briefly got brighter in 2014 and then rapidly dimmed below its initial luminosity in 2016 

According to our understanding of stellar life cycles, a star of this size should have exploded with a supernova and produced a neutron star – but this doesn't appear to be what happened.

In their study, the researchers looked at light from M31–2014–DS1 collected by various telescopes between 2005 and 2023.

The star briefly glowed with infrared light in 2014, then suddenly dropped below its original brightness in 2016.

When telescopes looked again in 2022 and 2023, the star was barely visible in most parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.

The star had essentially vanished in visible and near–infrared light, becoming one ten–thousandth as bright in these wavelengths, and could only be seen in mid–infrared, where it is one tenth as bright.

'This star used to be one of the most luminous stars in the Andromeda Galaxy, and now it was nowhere to be seen,' says Dr De.

'Imagine if the star Betelgeuse suddenly disappeared. Everybody would lose their minds!'

Instead, the researchers argue that the data collected from the star's prolonged fading perfectly matches what we would expect to see from a 'direct collapse' black hole.

The now–deceased star, dubbed M31–2014–DS1, was located around 2.5 million light–years from Earth in the neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy

After the newborn black hole forms, the gases near the core are very hot, while those on the outer edges are relatively cool.

This temperature difference creates a convection current, like the ones you get by turning on the radiators in a cold room.

That current pushed the outer layer of material further from the black hole, where it cooled into a layer of dust that slowly swirls around the core.

As it orbits the black hole, friction causes the dust to gently warm over time, producing the telltale mid–infrared glow spotted by the researchers.  

Like water circling the plug hole, this ensures only a little stellar material can enter the black hole at a time, dragging out its formation over years.

Co–author Morgan MacLeod, of Harvard University, says: 'Instead of taking months or a year to fall in, it's taking decades.

'And because of all this, it becomes a brighter source than it would be otherwise, and we observe a long delay in the dimming of the original star.'

In the future, the researchers hope that this discovery will help astronomers spot more of these elusive black holes.

Already, they have used their data to re–examine a strange object in the galaxy NGC 6946, some 25.2 million light–years from Earth.

READ MORE

• Is this how the world will end? Earth could be VAPORISED by the sun as it expands, scientists warn

This object's behaviour baffled scientists when it was spotted in 2010, but the researchers now think it could have been another star collapsing into a black hole.

'It really impacts our understanding of the inventory of massive stellar deaths in the universe,' says Dr De.

'It says that these things may be quietly happening out there and easily going unnoticed.'

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

13-02-2026 om 23:12 geschreven door peter  

De 10 coolste ondergrondse steden ter wereld

Er zijn verschillende indrukwekkende ondergrondse steden over de wereld waar mensen daadwerkelijk hebben gewoond, zoals Derinkuyu in Turkije en de zoutmijn van Wieliczka in Polen.

1. Derinkuyu, Cappadocië, Turkije

Verreweg de bekendste ondergrondse stad is Derinkuyu in Turkije, onderdeel van het schitterende Cappadocië. In Cappadocië stikt het van de ondergrondse schatten, maar Derinkuyu is met 85 meter de diepste. Het complex bestaat uit verschillende kamers, kerken en wijnkelders, en biedt plek aan maar liefst 20.000 mensen. Ga met een gids naar beneden om het indrukwekkende gangenstelsel te bekijken.

Cappadocië stad, gelegen in het centrum van Turkije, is de thuisbasis van niet minder dan 36 ondergrondse steden, en op een diepte van ca., 85 m, Derinkuyu is de diepste. Ontdekt in 1963, het ondergrondse netwerk van tunnels en kamers omvatten alle instellingen en kamers die u zou vinden in een reguliere stad: woonvertrekken, stallen, kerken, opslagruimtes, refter, en wijnhuizen – en de ondergrondse wordt gezegd dat mogelijk gehouden meer dan 20.000 mensen.

Geopend voor het publiek in 1965, is slechts 10% van de ondergrondse stad toegankelijk voor bezoekers. Uniek aan Derinkuyu is de kruisvormige kerk gelegen tussen het derde en vierde niveau en het gewelfde plafond, aangezien er ter plaatse niet veel informatie rondhangt, boek dan een rondleiding en begin met verkennen.

2. Dixia Cheng, China

Dixia Cheng is de naam van de ondergrondse stad in Beijing en werd aangelegd tijdens de Koude Oorlog. In de jaren 70 werd hier een reusachtig netwerk aan gangen aangelegd, dat toegankelijk was via meer dan 100 geheime ingangen. Het complex bestaat grotendeels uit slaapzalen, ziekenhuizen en scholen en tot voor kort kon je er als toerist een kijkje nemen. Helaas is deze ondergrondse stad nu gesloten voor het publiek en het is onduidelijk wanneer je er weer een kijkje kan nemen.

De ondergrondse stad van Peking, Dixia Cheng, werd gebouwd in de jaren 1970 om te dienen als schuilplaats tijdens invasies, bomaanslagen en nucleaire aanvallen. Het lange netwerk van tunnels, vaak aangeduid als de ondergrondse grote muur, omvatte bijna 100 verborgen ingangen en, naar verluidt, werden gebouwd met complete diensten zoals scholen, ziekenhuizen en slaapzalen voor het geval burgers nodig hadden om hun toevlucht te zoeken voor een langere periode van tijd., Gelukkig was er nooit een gelegenheid voor deze enorme ondergrondse schuilplaats om zijn doel te bereiken, en in 2000 werd de plaats geopend voor het publiek. Een tour omvat slechts een klein rond stuk van het complex, maar is nog steeds het aantrekken van reizigers uit de hele wereld. Dixia Cheng is onder renovatie sinds 2008 en daarom gesloten voor bezoekers, maar zorg ervoor dat u het op uw bucket list te controleren wanneer het heropent op een onbepaalde datum in de toekomst.,

De ingang van de Ondergrondse Stad in Beijing.

3. Wieliczka Zoutmijn, Polen

Op steenworp afstand van de Poolse stad Krakau vind je de Wieliczka Zoutmijn, een van de bekendste attracties van het hele land. Deze 18de eeuwse zoutmijn bestaat uit schitterende kamers en ruimtes vol details en rijkdommen, zoals kroonluchters en beelden. Om er te komen moet je 378 traptreden afdalen en eenmaal beneden nemen gidsen je mee op sleeptouw door dit bijzondere complex.

De Wieliczka zoutmijn ligt in de stad Wieliczka, iets meer dan 9 mijl buiten Krakau.deze ondergrondse zoutstad, een van de grootste toeristische trekpleisters van Polen, is geëvolueerd van een reeks donkere grotten tot een complex labyrint dat nu meer dan 185 indrukwekkende mijl aan galerijen, ongeveer 3000 kamers en negen verdiepingen omvat, waarvan de eerste drie voor het publiek toegankelijk zijn.,

Zodra u de houten trap met 378 treden afdaalt, wordt u begroet met een grote verscheidenheid aan begeleide rondleidingen: als u geïnteresseerd bent in de geschiedenis van de zoutmijn, neem dan de Mijnwerkerstour en krijg inzicht in het moeilijke beroep van een zoutmijnwerker. Als u meer wilt weten over de religieuze aspecten, kunt u ook deelnemen aan de Pelgrimstour met een bezoek aan het zoutbeeld van Johannes Paulus II en een Heilige Mis aan het einde van de tour.,

Ondergrondse Zoutmijn Polen

4. Seattle, Verenigde Staten

De ondergrondse stad van Seattle is ontstaan toen het straatniveau halverwege de 19de eeuw een paar meter werd verhoogd. De voordeuren werden naar boven geplaatst en de benedenverdiepingen gingen dienst doen als een kelder. Tijdens een Underground Tour kun je een kijkje nemen op het vroegere straatniveau en krijg je een goed beeld van hoe de huizen er vroeger hebben uitgezien. Een boeiende tocht die leidt langs historische gevels die elk hun eigen versie van de geschiedenis vertellen.

5.  Réso, Canada

Houd je niet zo van stoffige en slecht verlichte ruimtes? Dan kun je beter koers zetten naar Réso in de Canadese stad Montreal. Dit is een van de meest geavanceerde ondergrondse complexen ter wereld en de perfecte plek om te schuilen op een druilerige dag. Het hypermoderne Réso omvat een reusachtig ondergronds complex, bestaande uit winkelcentra, musea, theaters, schoolgebouwen en hotels. De totale lengte is 33 kilometer en beslaat een gebied van 12 vierkante kilometer.

RÉSO, afgeleid van het Franse woord réseau, wat netwerk betekent, is een van de hoekstenen van Montreal. Dit gigantische doolhof loopt onder de straten van Montreal in en rond het centrum en herbergt een breed scala aan winkels, restaurants, hotels, galeries, zeven metrohaltes, bioscopen, een bibliotheek en zelfs appartementengebouwen.,

de eerste onderling verbonden trajecten werden in 1962 aangelegd met als doel het verkeer te verlichten en een beschut vervoer te bieden, vooral handig tijdens het barre winterseizoen. Sinds de metro van Montreal in 1966 in gebruik is genomen, zijn er meer verbindingen toegevoegd en vandaag de dag bestaat RÉSO uit 20 mijl tunnels met meer dan 120 externe toegangspunten. Naast winkelen kunt u ook de permanente kunstwerken, openbare pleinen en culturele centra bekijken. Als u alle verborgen plekken wilt ontdekken, boek dan een rondleiding en begin te wandelen.,

Reso, Canada

6. Shanghai Tunnels, Portland, Verenigde Staten

Portland heeft zijn eigen ondergrondse stad bekend als de Shanghai Tunnels, of de minder voorkomende naam: de Portland Underground. Dit ingewikkelde netwerk zou ooit bestaan uit tunnelgangen die Portland ‘ s Old Town, ook bekend als Chinatown, verbinden met het centrale centrum., Helaas zijn veel van deze ondergrondse ruimtes opgevuld tijdens verschillende openbare werken projecten, maar een paar van hen zijn er nog steeds en open om te verkennen.vroeger waren de kelders van vele bars en hotels via deze tunnels verbonden met de rivier de Willamette, waardoor voorraden van aangemeerde schepen direct naar kelders konden worden verplaatst voor opslag, waardoor regen en zwaar verkeer werden vermeden. Hoewel nog steeds een controversieel onderwerp, het gerucht gaat dat de tunnels zijn ook gebruikt voor de praktijk van “shanghaiing”: het ontvoeren van mensen voor hen om te dienen als matrozen.,maar, vrees niet, vandaag kunt u een veilige wandeling maken en een deel van de Shanghai Tunnels verkennen om een idee te krijgen van het complexe netwerk van tunnels, en een begrip van de zeemijl geschiedenis rond Portland.

7. Coober Pedy, Australië

De Cappadociërs groeven zich in voor de veiligheid, maar in Australië gingen mensen de diepte in voor geld. Opaal, om precies te zijn. In het roestrode landschap rond Coober Pedy, 846 kilometer boven Adelaide, bleek je die edelsteen gewoon uit te kunnen graven.

’s Zomers kan het in deze woestijn wel 45 graden Celsius in de schaduw worden (en succes met schaduw vinden), maar ondergronds hangt de temperatuur het hele jaar rond de 24 graden. Dat was zo comfortabel, dat de opaaldelvers voor zichzelf woonvertrekken uitgroeven (‘dug-outs’), en daarna tunnels, winkels, opslag en zelfs een kapel. Nog steeds woont ongeveer de helft van de 1762 bewoners ondergronds.

Naast opaal draait het ondergrondse dorp natuurlijk ook op toeristen. Geen wonder dat de oorspronkelijke Kokatha-bewoners deze rare zandhoop kupa piti noemden: ‘witte man in een gat in de grond’.

Ondergrondse servisch-orthodoxe kerk in Coober Pedy.

8. Edinburgh Vaults, Edinburgh, Verenigd Koninkrijk

Onder de straten van de Schotse hoofdstad ligt een donkere en vochtige wereld, daterend uit de 18e eeuw. De Edinburgh Vaults, ook bekend als de South Bridge Vaults, zijn een reeks kamers gevormd binnen de 19 bogen van South Bridge.,geopend in 1788, een periode van grote expansie en groei, de gewelven dateren uit de tijd dat Edinburgh een bijgelovige plaats was. Vandaag de dag stralen ze nog steeds een gevoel van gore en afgrijselijkheid uit. Oorspronkelijk gebouwd om tavernes, schoenmakers, Snijders, smelters en andere handelaren te huisvesten, en om illegale materialen op te slaan, geruchten gaan dat seriemoordenaars Burke en Hare ook verschillende lichamen hier beneden opbergen, die ze verkochten voor medische experimenten., Later, toen de bedrijven verhuisden, werden de gewelven de thuisbasis van de armste zielen van de stad, een achterbuurt compleet met pubs en bordelen verspreid over de natte kamers. Een plek zo grimmig dat elke rosse buurt van vandaag mooi en knus lijkt.duik onder Edinburgh ‘ s sierlijke oppervlak en luister naar de rillende verhalen van de gids over de spoken die nog steeds rondzwerven.,

9. Setenil de las Bodegas, Spanje

In tegenstelling tot sommige van de andere plaatsen op deze lijst, is Setenil de las Bodegas, een pueblo (kleine stad) in Zuid-Spanje, geen ondergrondse stad op zich, maar ligt het onder massieve overhangen van rotsen. Gelegen langs een smalle rivierkloof die is geërodeerd door de rivier de Rio Trejo, zijn de huizen gebouwd in en onder de muren van de kloof zelf., Mensen vestigden zich hier eigenlijk om praktische redenen: om de zomerhitte en de kou in de winter buiten te houden, bouwden ze alleen de gevel van het huis, terwijl de achterkant door de natuur werd afgeschermd.hoewel het klein is, heeft Setenil de las Bodegas een groot aanbod: bezoek de kleine tapasbars die onder de kloof liggen en proef lokale lekkernijen zoals chorizo, olijfolie, honing, jam en Andalusische wijn. En als je een natuurliefhebber bent, wandel dan langs El Escarpe de Río Trejo, een gebied van natuurlijke diversiteit, of Ruta De los Bandoleros, die vele romantische legendes inspireerde.,

10. Pilsen Historical Underground, Czech Republic

De stad Pilsen, in het westelijke deel van het land, is de thuisbasis van Pilsen Historical Underground, een labyrint van 12.5 mijl lang met gangen, kelders en putten die onder de stad zijn gebouwd straten in de 14e eeuw. Deze kelders dienden ooit als opslagruimte voor voedsel en vaten bier en, sommigen zeggen, als een ontsnappingsroute in geval van een aanval., Volgens de legende is er een schat begraven binnen de keldermuren, hoewel plundering wordt afgeraden.

Neem een rondleiding en verken dit ingenieuze ondergrondse systeem; hoogtepunten zijn onder andere de Ijskelder, de watertoren en de tentoonstelling over middeleeuwse boekbinden. De tour eindigt bij het Brouwerijmuseum, waar u het beroemde lokale Pilsner Urquell bier kunt proeven.,

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13-02-2026 om 22:22 geschreven door peter  

Lighting up the pre-dawn sky, the Falcon 9 streaked away on a northeasterly trajectory aligned with the space station's orbit, on course for docking Saturday around 3:15 p.m. to boost the lab's crew from three back to a full complement of seven.

"It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day," SpaceX Launch Control radioed once the crew reached orbit.

"That was quite a ride," Meir responded. 

Crew 12 originally expected to take off after four other astronauts ventured to the moon and back in NASA's Artemis II mission. But the moonshot was delayed to early March because of hydrogen fuel leaks in that crew's huge Space Launch System rocket. That, in turn, cleared the way for NASA to move up Crew 12's launch to Feb. 11.

But high winds off shore in the Atlantic Ocean, where the Crew 12 fliers would have to splash down in an ascent emergency, then prompted NASA to stand down until Friday, when calmer seas and lower winds were predicted.

While Crew 12 made final preparations to fly, engineers ran another test at nearby pad 39B Thursday to check the effectiveness of new seals in an umbilical connecting fuel lines to the SLS moon rocket. The seals are intended to prevent the sort of hydrogen leakage seen during a "wet-dress rehearsal" countdown Feb. 2.

NASA did not publicize the test, but the agency said later it did not go as planned because of what sources described as a frozen filter in ground equipment.

The trouble will have to be addressed before engineers can attempt a re-test of the new seals, followed by another full-up dress rehearsal fueling test to clear the way for launch as early as March 3.

Replacement crew sets sights on space station, boosting staff back to seven

In the near-term, Crew 12 has its sights set on joining space station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, fellow cosmonaut Sergey Mikaev and NASA astronaut Chris Williams, who were launched to the lab last November aboard a Russian Soyuz ferry ship. They will help the new crew get up to speed on the intricacies of station operations.

Meir and Fedyaev won't need much help because both are station veterans. Their crewmates are making their first trip to orbit, but Hathaway and Adenot bring a wide variety of operational experience to the table.

Hathaway is a veteran F/A-18E fighter pilot with more than 500 aircraft carrier landings to his credit while Adenot is a French air force helicopter test pilot with more than 3,000 hours flying time under her belt. She's also an experienced sky and SCUBA diver and a certified yoga instructor.

Meir holds a Ph.D. in marine biology and participated in three all-female spacewalks during her first station stay in 2019-20. She and Fedyaev are looking forward to helping their rookie crewmates quickly get up to speed when they get to the ISS.

"Both of us are really excited to bring our past experiences and expertise to the very first flight for (Hathaway and Adenot)," she said. "We love this kind of balance that we have, of two veterans and two rookies, to hit the ground running when we get aboard the International Space Station."

Fedyaev, who flew to the space station aboard a Crew Dragon in 2023, was added to Crew 12 in December after veteran cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev was removed. reportedly for violating security restrictions during training at SpaceX's Hawthorne, Calif., headquarters. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said only that Artemyev was reassigned to other work.

Fedyaev's prior experience and training with SpaceX and NASA enabled him to join Crew 12 with little impact on launch preparations.

Early return of one station crew prompts accelerated launch of replacements    

Crew 12 is replacing Crew 11 commander Zena Cardman, co-pilot Mike Fincke, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. Crew 11 originally was expected to return to Earth around Feb. 20, after a "handover" with their Crew 12 replacements.

But NASA ordered Cardman and company back to Earth on Jan. 15 after one of the Crew 11 fliers experienced an undisclosed medical issue. Crew 11 came down safely and all four crew members appeared healthy and in good spirits at a post-flight news conference.

But their departure left the station with a single NASA astronaut aboard -- Williams -- to operate systems in the U.S. segment of the complex. It also brought NASA research to a virtual standstill.

"What it means is, really, there's just fewer hands on board to do some of the work," said space station Program Manager Dina Contella.

"On the U.S. operating segment, if we were to have a major failure, then we would like to have a second USOS crew member to be able to go out and perform a complex spacewalk."

At present, she said, there are no major problems aboard the space station. Even so, NASA asked SpaceX to move the Crew 12 launch up by a few days to get the station crew back to full strength as soon as possible.

Before the Artemis II launch was delayed, NASA was planning a ship-to-ship call between the moon-bound astronauts and the space station crew. That should still be possible despite the moon mission delay.

Crew members face busy schedule in orbit    

Meir certainly hopes so, because her partner during those all-female spacewalks was Artemis II crew member Christina Koch. And her astronaut class included Artemis II pilot Victor Glover, and she said she's close friends with commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

"I would be really excited to be able to talk to Christina, and also my classmate Victor Glover and kind of my astronaut uncles, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen," she said before the moon mission slipped to March. "We're all very excited to be all in space at the same time."

But mostly, Meir is looking forward to the science her crew will conduct during a roughly eight-month stay aboard the space station.

"We will do experiments ranging from bone and muscle health, (studying) our blood flow, what's going on in all of these systems during the changes that we experience in microgravity," she said.

"There's an experiment that's looking at the small muscles in our necks and how they can support us in different gravitational phases. There will be images of our brains taken pre- and post-flight to look at any changes to the brain that happened during microgravity and space missions."

The astronauts will continue ongoing studies of how microgravity affects the vision of some long-duration fliers, apparently by changing the shape of the eye over time. Interestingly, those changes are not always for the worst.

Meir said she needed glasses before her first flight, but her vision improved to 20-15 over the course of her stay in space.

"Pretty interesting for me, it actually turned out to be quite advantageous," she said. "But of course, we're studying this really thoroughly, because we want to make sure that we don't have any long-term damage to astronauts' vision, or to the eyes themselves.

"The good thing is, we haven't seen any deficits long-term that exist beyond the missions, but we need to collect more data."

The crew will also test a new exercise machine developed by the European Space Agency that's designed to help astronauts stay fit during future flights to the moon and Mars. And they will work with landing simulator software to learn more about how microgravity might affect astronauts setting down on the moon or Mars.

"We even have a new experiment called Relax Pro that Sophie and I will be participating in that's looking at meditation and mindfulness and how that can benefit astronauts on space missions," Meir said.

But it won't be all work. Meir is bringing a piccolo with her and Fedyaev plans to play a harmonica he brought aboard on his first flight.

Along with the harmonica, "there were three guitars during our previous mission on board, Fedyaev said. "We used to sing together, and it was like karaoke.

"We sang different languages, or I would play the guitar, and everybody would sing the words from the song they looked up online. So we will probably meet and play our musical instruments and maybe actually give a concert!"

Adenot will be the second French woman to fly in space. Physician Claudie Haigneré, one of seven French astronauts chosen in 1985, spent 16 days aboard the Russian Mir space station in 1996. Adenot said Haigneré has acted as a sort of mentor for her and planned to attend the Crew 12 launch.

"I remember very well the first launch of Claudie Haigneré," Adenot said. "I was 14 years old, and that day it kind of clicked in my mind. She was the first French woman astronaut flying to space and before, only men.

"And you know, when you're a teenager, you're just looking for inspiration, and if someone has done it already, then it clicks in your mind: say, if a woman has done it already, then why not me?"

Meir also dreamed of spaceflight when she was a child and said she can't wait to get back aboard the space station.

"When I flew last time, I did not have a husband and a child, and now I have both," she said. "At the end of my seven months, last time, I actually wanted to stay longer, I wasn't ready to come home. And this time, perhaps will feel a little bit different since I'll be leaving my three-year-old back here.

"But everything that we're doing on board the space station is so exciting, it keeps us going, keeps us invigorated, and it's easy to not miss things back at home.

"I hope that what we're doing will be exciting enough and important enough, noteworthy enough, that one day when she's old enough, she'll appreciate that time away."

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13-02-2026 om 20:32 geschreven door peter  

Major questions the Bible leaves unanswered

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Major questions the Bible leaves unanswered
The Bible remains the best-selling book of all time, but to this day scholars and theologists debate on a number of inconsistencies. Indeed, many parts of the Bible have been confirmed to be true by science. As for others, well, not quite. In fact, some parts of the Bible remain a complete mystery. Curious to learn what the biggest unanswered questions in the Bible are? Then click through!

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1. The location of the Garden of Eden
The original home of Adam and Eve, from where they were cast out by God, remains one of the mysterious locations in the Bible.

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The location of the Garden of Eden
It is true that the whole story can be interpreted as a metaphor, but what if one interprets it literally? Where would the Garden of Eden be located, after all? We can find some hints in Genesis 2.

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The location of the Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:10 says that, “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers” (the specific wording depends on the Bible translation). And then it mentions their names: Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (the Tigris), and Phirat (the Euphrates).

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The location of the Garden of Eden
This hint has led to speculations that the Garden of Eden was located either in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Kuwait), or modern-day Turkey or Armenia. Though the specific location has, thus far, not been located.

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2. There are two creation stories
In Genesis 1, God creates male and female at the same time. But then, in the very next chapter, Genesis 2, God created a woman from a man’s rib.

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There are two creation stories
Not only that, but even God himself is described as having two different names: Elohim in the first account, and YHWH in the second.

Metaphorical interpretation aside, there are indeed two different versions of the creation story. Sure, these may have been an editorial mistake when putting the Bible together, but still, which story should we trust and why?

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3. Who were the "sons of God?"
Genesis 6:2 says that, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” So who were these “sons of God,” after all?

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Who were the "sons of God?"
There are various interpretations of who the "sons of God" were. Some theories point to fallen angels, while others say they might be the descendants of Seth (one of Adam and Eve's children). The Bible, however, doesn’t really tell us who they were for sure.

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4. What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant, which is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, contains the Ten Commandments tablets. But whatever happened to such an important piece of Biblical history?

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What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
There is a theory that the Ark ended up in Ethiopia and it’s in Aksum today, where it’s guarded by a monk. Other theories point to the Ark being hidden somewhere beneath Jerusalem. To this day, no one has found it.

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5. Who is Lucifer?
He’s Satan, right? Well, there’s more to it, actually. Isaiah 14:12-17 mentions the story of Lucifer, however, you won’t find any connection to Satan or the Devil. Just that he’s a fallen angel who was cast down to earth by God for wanting to be above him.

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Who is Lucifer?
But then Luke 10:18-20 mentions Satan falling "like lightning from heaven." So, yes, it seems like Lucifer and Satan fell down from heaven, but are they the same? It is possible that the connection between the two was made after the Bible was written.

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Who is Lucifer?
So, who is Lucifer, after all? Some theories point to the hypothesis that Lucifer was a reference to a Babylonian ruler. Another theory says that Lucifer was simply the Latin word for “morning star,” but the truth is that no one knows for sure

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6. What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
Not much is documented in the Bible about Jesus’ so-called "lost years." So what was Jesus up to between the ages of 12 and 30, after all?

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What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
Some theories say Jesus stayed in Nazareth, while others say he went to study elsewhere. Locations range from Alexandria, in Egypt, to India.

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What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
It is possible that Jesus studied with the Jewish mystic group the Essenes, or that he traveled as far as Britain with his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, who was a tin trader. The truth is that there is no solid evidence of any of these hypotheses.

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7. How did humanity multiply?
Okay, so Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and went on to have babies. But then for humans to multiply they had to intermarry, right? After all, there were no other humans around.

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How did humanity multiply?
Not only does it sound wrong, but scientifically speaking this wouldn’t have worked out. We need genetic diversity to thrive as healthy humans. So what gives?

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How did humanity multiply?
Well, one theory says that God either prevented genetic disorders that would likely happen from incestuous relationships, or that, indeed, he created more than two humans.

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8. What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
Both the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were formed by 12 tribes of Hebrew people. While there is historical evidence of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (which formed the Kingdom of Judah and are considered the ancestors of modern Jews), the remaining 10 tribes are not well documented.

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What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
The tribes were reportedly overtaken by Assyria and exiled from the Kingdom of Israel. But where did they go? Some theories say they traveled to Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, Ethiopia, and even as far as Asia and North America.

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What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
It is also possible that they merged with other non-Hebraic cultures and their traditions faded away over the years. Despite all the theories, no one knows for sure what happened to the lost tribes of Israel.

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9. Where is Noah’s Ark?
It is true that the Great Flood might have happened (though not on a global scale as the Bible mentions). But if Noah’s Ark did, too, what happened to it?

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Where is Noah’s Ark?
Over the years, numerous theories have emerged, and 'evidence' has been found, though none was robust enough or indeed conclusive.

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Where is Noah’s Ark?
One example includes wooden fragments discovered on Turkey's Mount Ararat. Being made of wood, it’s very possible that if the Ark ever existed, it rotted and disappeared over the years.

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10. What happened to Enoch and Elijah?
The Bible says that Enoch (the father of the 969-year-old Methuselah), one of the 'two witnesses,' "walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." But what does that mean? Did he die? Did he join God in heaven?

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What happened to Enoch and Elijah?
According to Kings 2 2:1, Elijah, the other witness, who was a prophet, “Went up by a whirlwind into heaven” in a chariot of fire. If indeed this was a description of his death, why did he ascend to heaven? He was a man, after all.

Sources: (Grunge)

See also: Is purgatory mentioned in the Bible?

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13-02-2026 om 18:40 geschreven door peter  

Amazing close-up footage of a Dark UFO Over Dundee, OR, USA Feb 9, 2026, UAP Sighting Paranormal News.

Date of sighting: February 9, 2026

Location of sighting: Dundee, Oregon, USA

Source: NUFORC

 

Hey guys, check this out. This is a dark UFO seen over Oregon this week and it's the most amazing 20 seconds ever! The object has two fork like arms sticking out and it follows in the direction those arms are pointing. Also this was caught in broad daylight so wow! Such rare footage, but I wonder...could it be a high tech US military drone or an alien ship sent to scan and record the inhabitants of Oregon? I feel it's alien...thats my personal opinion. Tell me your thoughts of this on my video by clicking the video below and writing on Youtube comments what you think is going on in Oregon.

Scott C. Waring - Back in Taiwan

 

Eyewitness states: 

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

13-02-2026 om 15:03 geschreven door peter  

We komen allemaal uit Afrika, maar wanneer bereikten we andere continenten?

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We komen allemaal uit Afrika, maar wanneer bereikten we andere continenten?
Heb je je ooit afgevraagd hoe en wanneer mensen zich voor het eerst over de wereld verspreidden, in een tijd voordat er auto's, vliegtuigen en boten bestonden?

Van de woestijnen van Afrika tot de ijzige vlaktes van Noord-Amerika, de reis van onze voorouders is er een van avontuur, overleven en ontdekken. Vandaag de dag zijn wetenschappers nog steeds bezig om de puzzel van de menselijke migratie in elkaar te passen. Ze gebruiken oude artefacten, genetische gegevens en zelfs voetafdrukken om te achterhalen waar we vandaan kwamen en hoe we elke uithoek van de aarde bereikten.

Benieuwd naar de ongelooflijke weg die onze voorouders hebben afgelegd? Klik verder om de fascinerende geschiedenis te ontdekken van hoe mensen de wereldburgers werden die we nu zijn.

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Waar het allemaal begon
Homo sapiens evolueerde ongeveer 300.000 jaar geleden voor het eerst in Afrika, waardoor het continent de geboorteplaats werd van de moderne mens.

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Meerdere oorsprongen
Het idee dat moderne mensen gelijktijdig in meerdere regio's, zoals Europa en Azië, evolueerden, was ooit een populaire theorie die de multiregionale of candelabra-hypothese werd genoemd.

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Wat onderzoek zegt
Tegenwoordig wijzen wetenschappers, waaronder paleoantropoloog Michael Petraglia, deze theorie grotendeels af.

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De 'Out of Africa'-theorie
De meeste wetenschappers denken dat Homo sapiens uit Afrika kwamen en zich daarna over de wereld verspreidde, waarbij ze andere hominiden vervingen of zich ermee mengden. Zoals Petraglia zegt: "Alle bewijzen wijzen naar de oorsprong en beweging van Homo sapiens uit Afrika".

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Wanneer verlieten mensen voor het eerst Afrika?
Ongeveer 200.000 jaar geleden begonnen Homo sapiens hun migratie uit Afrika, eerst naar nabije gebieden, en hun wereldwijde verspreiding gebeurde in de daaropvolgende duizenden jaren.

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Oversteekpunt
Een van de eerste routes uit Afrika liep misschien via het Sinaï-schiereiland, een nu droge regio tussen Egypte, Jordanië en Israël. Toen de eerste mensen daar trokken richting het oostelijke Middellandse Zeegebied, was het veel groener dan nu.

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Lopend
Een theorie zegt dat de eerste mensen via een landbrug van Afrika naar Arabië liepen, via de Bab el-Mandeb (of Bab al-Mandab) zeestraat, die ligt tussen de Hoorn van Afrika en het zuidelijke puntje van het Arabisch Schiereiland.

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Met een peddel over
Maar een studie uit 2006 sprak het idee van een landbrug tegen en stelde dat de eerste mensen misschien peddelend of drijvend de oversteek maakten.

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Naar Azië
Meer dan 100.000 jaar geleden verspreidden Homo sapiens zich naar Azië. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat ze de kustlijnen volgden en daarna langzaam het binnenland introkken.

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Rondtrekken en mengen
Zo’n 54.000 tot 44.000 jaar geleden kwamen moderne mensen de Denisovans tegen, een andere oude mensensoort, en vermengden zich met hen.

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Denisova-erfenis
Daardoor zeggen onderzoekers dat er nog steeds sporen van Denisova-DNA te vinden zijn in de genen van sommige Aziatische bevolkingsgroepen van vandaag.

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Aankomst in Europa
De eerste bewijzen van Homo sapiens in Europa zijn zo’n 210.000 jaar oud, met fossielen gevonden in de Apidima-grot in Zuid-Griekenland.

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Eerste golf
Maar als deze datering klopt, denkt Martin Richards, evolutionair geneticus aan de University of Huddersfield in Engeland, dat het misschien gaat om een vroege golf migrerende Homo sapiens die uitstierf of zich terugtrok tijdens een ijstijd (wanneer gletsjers zich uitbreiden).

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Dichte verwanten
Na deze periode denken wetenschappers dat Homo sapiens zich blijvend vestigde in Europa, zo’n 50.000 tot 60.000 jaar geleden. In die tijd vermengden ze zich met de Neanderthalers, een andere oude mensensoort, en vervingen hen uiteindelijk.

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Zuidwaarts trekken
DNA-bewijs laat zien dat moderne mensen zo’n 60.000 jaar geleden Zuidoost-Azië bereikten.

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Aankomst in Oceanië
In die tijd waren grote delen van Zuidoost-Azië en Australië met elkaar verbonden door land, en verspreidden mensen zich over deze gebieden.

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Door de Stille Oceaan
Zo’n 50.000 jaar geleden bereikten moderne mensen Nieuw-Guinea, wat blijkt uit archeologische vondsten. Van daaruit verspreidden ze zich in meerdere migratiegolven over de eilanden van de Stille Oceaan, waarbij ze zich aanpasten aan de unieke omstandigheden van elke eilandengroep.

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De Lapita-expansie
Door het bestuderen van Lapita-aardewerk hebben wetenschappers vroege menselijke aanwezigheid in Nieuw-Guinea en omliggende gebieden kunnen traceren. Volgens UNESCO markeren Lapita-locaties de eerste menselijke kolonisatie van Tonga, zo’n 2.800 jaar geleden.

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Polynesische expansie
Vergelijkbare locaties in de Bismarck-archipel, de Salomonseilanden, Vanuatu, Nieuw-Caledonië, Fiji en Samoa laten grote culturele veranderingen zien in de westelijke Stille Oceaan, zo’n 3.000 jaar geleden. Deze veranderingen worden gekoppeld aan de migratie van Austronesisch sprekende volkeren van Zuidoost-Azië naar de verder gelegen eilanden van Oceanië.

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Polynesische zeereizen
Zo’n 1.500 jaar geleden begonnen de Polynesiërs aan grote zeereizen over de Stille Oceaan en bereikten afgelegen eilanden zoals Hawaï, Paaseiland en Nieuw-Zeeland.

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Op weg naar Noord-Amerika
De traditionele theorie over menselijke migratie naar Noord-Amerika zegt dat vroege Homo sapiens zo’n 13.000 jaar geleden vanuit Siberië een landbrug overstaken, genaamd Bering (of Beringia).

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Oorspronkelijke bewoners
Nomadische inheemse groepen uit Siberië, zoals de Tsjoektsjen (op de foto), zijn de dichtstbijzijnde levende link met de vroege kolonisten in de regio. De Tsjoektsjen worden ook gezien als de nauwste Aziatische voorouders van de inheemse volkeren in Amerika.

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Eerste Noord-Amerikanen
Archeologen hebben bewijs gevonden van pre-Clovis nederzettingen en zelfs oudere menselijke voetafdrukken in New Mexico. Dit suggereert dat de eerste Noord-Amerikanen via deze route—en mogelijk langs de Pacifische kust—al minstens 23.000 jaar geleden aankwamen.

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Pre-Clovis
Dit is ouder dan de Clovis-mensen, waarvan men denkt dat ze Amerika bevolkten tussen 10.000 en 9.000 v.Chr.

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Zuid-Amerika
Homo sapiens bereikte Zuid-Amerika zo’n 15.000 jaar geleden. Archeologische sites zoals Monte Verde in Chili bewijzen menselijke nederzetting van ongeveer 14.550 jaar geleden.

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Ver terug
Hoewel er discussie is over de tijdlijn van de vroege menselijke aankomst in Zuid-Amerika, wijst bewijs van meerdere sites erop dat Homo sapiens veel eerder arriveerde dan eerder werd gedacht.

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Oude kolonisten
De Uros zijn een van de oudste inheemse groepen van Peru, met wortels die teruggaan tot ongeveer 3.700 jaar geleden, toen de centrale Andes voor het eerst werden bewoond.

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Genetische verbinding
Volgens geneticus José Raúl Sandoval, die hun DNA heeft bestudeerd, "zijn de overgrote meerderheid van de inheemse Zuid-Amerikanen genetisch verwant, omdat ze afstammen van dezelfde groep voorouders die oorspronkelijk op het continent aankwam", ongeacht de route die ze namen.

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Laatste stop: Antarctica
Mensen bereikten Antarctica later dan elk ander continent. Hoewel de landing van de Amerikaan John Davis in 1821 officieel als de eerste wordt geregistreerd, zijn er aanwijzingen voor eerdere bezoeken.

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Nog niet zeker
Zelfs de bewering dat de Noren Henrik Bull en Carsten Borchgrevink (op de foto) eind 1800 als eersten voet aan wal zetten, wordt betwist.

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Een andere theorie
Sommige studies suggereren dat de Māori uit Nieuw-Zeeland mogelijk al in de 7e eeuw naar Antarctica zeilden, hoewel dit idee niet breed wordt geaccepteerd door historici.

Bronnen:

• (Live Science)
• (Britannica)
• (UNESCO)
• (Big Think)

{ Stars Insider }

13-02-2026 om 14:43 geschreven door peter  

Between Carl Sagan's laughter, the brainwaves of somebody in love, and a live theremin concert, humanity has sent a lot of data out into the stars.

 by Matt Davis

Key Takeaways

• Ever since we’ve had the capability, humanity has been desperately trying to make contact with other life in the universe.
• While we’ve been beaming out information passively through our television and radio broadcasts, we’ve also sent more intentional messages.
• Looking at these messages tells us how humanity wants to think of itself and what kind of relationship we hope to have with alien life.

We’ve loudly been broadcasting our presence on Earth out to the broader universe for decades. At first, these attempts were accidental. In Carl Sagan’s book Contact, he speculated that any aliens watching the stars with at least as keen an interest as we do would pick up high-powered television broadcasts — the first of which would have been Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies.

Fortunately, we’ve also been sending more intentional messages into space that E.T. may pay more attention to. These deliberate messages often contain information on our technological advancement; our understanding of mathematics, which is likely the only shared form of communication we would have with an alien species; and our culture and art. Together, they represent how humanity wants to be seen. Here’s a selection of some of the most noteworthy messages we’ve been sending to space in the hopes that somebody is listening.

The Arecibo Message with added color information.

Wikimedia Commons

1. The Arecibo Message

On November 16th, 1974, we sent a 2,380 MHz radio message pointed at the Messier M13 globular cluster 25,000 light years away. Over the course of its 3 minutes, the radio message sent 1,679 binary digits by shifting the radio’s signal frequency slightly for a 1 or a 0. When visualized, the Arecibo Message looks a little bit like discarded artwork from Space Invaders.

Like most of these messages, we tried to pack as much meaning in as little space as possible. Frank Drake (creator of the famous Drake equation) and Carl Sagan collaborated on what should go into it. From top to bottom, the message contains the numbers 1 through 10, information on the elements in our DNA, their atomic numbers, the nucleotides that constitute our DNA, and the double-helix structure. Below it, we listed the average height of a human, a simple graphic depicting our form, and our population at the time (4.3 billion). Then, there’s a simple model of our solar system, and the last part contains a depiction of a telescope.

It’ll take 25,000 years for the message to reach its destination, so it’s unlikely that we’ll ever know if it made contact. However, its intended purpose was rather to demonstrate our capability; the possibility of contact is just the cherry on top.

The Voyager Golden Records prior to being affixed to the Voyager probes.

NASA/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

2. The Voyager Golden Records

Probably the most famous communication attempt on this list, the Voyager Golden Records were contained inside the two Voyager probes launched in 1977. Once again, the contents were selected by Carl Sagan and a committee he helmed.

The records contain instructions on how they should be played. If aliens get past that step, they’ll be greeted by the sounds of planet Earth, like wind, thunder, and whale and bird song. They’ll also hear spoken greetings in 55 different languages, music from different cultures, footsteps, and Sagan’s laughter.

The Golden Records also contain instructions for how to produce images from their contents. These depict people eating, planets in our solar system, locations on Earth, animals, insects, human evolution and physiology, and chemistry-related images.

The most interesting component, though, is the hour-long recording of a human’s brainwaves; specifically, Sagan’s wife, Ann Druyan. While her brain was being recorded, Druyan thought of a variety of topics, like Earth’s history and — having just gotten engaged to Carl Sagan — the experience of falling in love.

The Voyager probes were primarily meant to observe our solar system as they passed through, but they will be floating through space for quite some time. Maybe some aliens will have the opportunity to see how Druyan felt about falling in love or hear the many sounds from Earth we included. You can listen to the Golden Record’s audio recordings on Soundcloud here and here.

The Yevpatoria Planetary Radar.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

3. The Teen Age Message

This message was initially proposed to be sent via the Arecibo Observatory, the same radio telescope used to send the Arecibo Message, but was rejected over growing concerns that maybe it isn’t such a hot idea to broadcast humanity’s presence in the universe. The Dark Forest theory states that the reason why the universe appears empty is because all other alien life is hiding out fear of other, hostile civilizations — sending messages out to the stars has always been a contested proposition because of our ignorance about the friendliness of alien life.

But human perseverance and our desire to make contact with others has usually won out, and the Teen Age Message was eventually sent out from the Yevpatoria Planetary Radar in 2001. Alexander Zaitsev, the project’s leader, described his conception of the message:

There are two interconnected, inverse and direct, problems in concept of extraterrestrial intelligence (ETI) — Search for ETI by terrestrial intelligence (SETI) and Messages to ETI from terrestrial intelligence (METI). The key element of SETI is the Object of search, namely [the] Universe, where we hope to detect the ETI and then to decode theirs [sic] Messages, and so the essence of SETI is Space Science. In turn, the key element of METI is the intellectual Subject, who creates new messages for potential ETI and hope that They will detect and perceive these Messages, and so the essence of METI is Space Art.

In an attempt to make “space art,” the Teen Age Message contained the first live recording of a theremin concert for aliens. Seven songs were performed, and the total message was sent to six target stars, both of which were selected by teenage students (hence, the Teen Age Message). Depending on the star, the messages should reach their target destination between 2047 and 2070. (Far quicker than the 25,000 years the Arecibo Message will take!)

As an interesting side note, teenagers have played a fairly important role in our attempts at contacting alien life. When Sagan included “Johnny B. Good” on the Voyager Golden Records, critics complained that rock music was too adolescent. Sagan replied, “There are a lot of adolescents on the planet.”

Copy of the original computer printout, with the signal in the bottom left

The Wow! signal represented as "6EQUJ5". The original printout with Ehman's handwritten exclamation is preserved by Ohio History Connection.^[1]

Wikimedia Commons

4. The Wow! Reply

In 1977, the Big Ear radio observatory at Ohio State University picked up a signal coming from the constellation Sagittarius that was 30 times as powerful as the average background radiation of space. The signal was so striking that astronomer Jerry Ehman circled it in red ink on a printout and wrote “Wow!” in the margins, giving the signal its name.

To date, this is the strongest candidate for an intentional alien communication that we’ve received on Earth. For one, the signal’s frequency was beamed at around 1,420 MHz. Hydrogen, the most common element in the universe, also emits radiation at 1,420 MHz, making it an easily recognizable signal to any sufficiently advanced civilization. What’s more, when we studied alternative sources of the signal (i.e., an Earth-made signal reflected off of space debris, a signal emitted by distant comets), no theoretical sources matched the nature of the signal particularly well.

So, in 2012, 35 years after the first signal was detected, humanity sent a response. Ten thousand Twitter messages, including one from Stephen Colbert, were beamed back at the signal’s source.

Since alien life isn’t likely to be able to read Earth languages and may not even possess eyes to view the many videos and pictures included in the response, each message contained a repeating-sequence header to mark it as an intentional communication from intelligent life. The nearest sources of the Wow! signal were between 338 and 1,000 light years from Earth, however, so when the messages are finally received, both the hypothetical source civilization and humanity will be very different.

An aerial view of the Arecibo Observatory, which some may recognize from the 1997 film GoldenEye.

Flickr user NASA Blueshift

5. The New Arecibo Message

We’ve come along way since 1974, so it makes sense to send out more messages as we progress technologically and culturally. Currently, the Arecibo Observatory has challenged students to develop a new Arecibo Message. The observatory is asking teams of 10 students to create a message for alien civilizations, including the target stars and the energy of the signal. The Arecibo Observatory has also asked teams to in some way address the ongoing concerns over the risk of exposing humanity to unknown alien civilizations and communicate our peaceful intentions. After selecting the winners in September 2019, the new Arecibo Message will be beamed out to the broader universe in celebration of the 45th anniversary of the original message.

{ https://bigthink.com/ }

12-02-2026 om 23:54 geschreven door peter  

World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13. It was on this day in 1946 that UN Radio began its work. It tells people on all continents about peace and security. But radio waves can carry messages further than to the other side of the Earth. For 60 years now, people have been purposefully sending signals into space from powerful transmitters.

Our radio near other stars

Technically, radio waves can propagate in a vacuum indefinitely. But as the signal moves away from the source, its power decreases. Those transmitters with which the inventors conducted their experiments had extremely low signal intensity. In order to catch them at least on the Moon, a radio telescope was needed. 

In addition, the first radio broadcasts did not carry words. It was just a flashing “there is a signal — there is no signal”. The premiere of the transmission of a voice radio signal took place in 1906, the first radio station began broadcasting in the USA in 1920, and the debut television company was launched in 1929. 

The signal of all these transmitters was strong enough for people to hear messages at a distance of hundreds and thousands of kilometers. But it was not directional, and therefore, at a distance of a hundred light-years, it would hardly be possible to hear it.

Radio transmitters that radiated a signal with a narrow beam appeared in the forties and quickly became more and more powerful. Their call signs could already be heard hundreds of light-years away. However, if anyone tried to listen to them, they wouldn’t have heard anything interesting. Because they were military radars, their signal carried no message and was perceived as noise.

How the idea of communication with space was born

The first signal purposefully sent into space should be considered the radar of the Moon, independently conducted by Hungarian and American scientists in 1946. Then the focused pulse was reflected from our moon and was picked up by an antenna on the Earth. Thanks to this experiment, the researchers learned many facts about the distance to the nearest celestial body and its physical characteristics.

The idea to send a meaningful message appeared in 1959. The scientific community had just accepted the idea that intelligent extraterrestrial life could really exist somewhere, and it could be contacted. This theory was expressed by the Italian physicist Giuseppe Cocconi and the American — Philip Morrison.

American scientists who took an interest in this idea were faced with a very simple question. How alien life forms will understand what we want to say. Spoken words, signs on paper and just mathematical symbols make sense only to those who know their meaning. It took scientists a decade and a half of discussions to solve this problem.

Soviet message to Venus

But where the question of the understandability of words and ideas did not arise, it was in the USSR. On November 19, 1962, the word “Mir” (which means peace or world in Russian) was sent from the Yevpatoria Center for Deep Space Communications in the direction of Venus in Morse code. 

By that time, scientists did not know whether any life could exist under a dense layer of clouds. But Soviet scientists were sure that the inhabitants of the second planet from the Sun would understand not only Morse code, but also the Russian language. Their conviction in this was so high that they decided to introduce the aliens to both the “most advanced in the world” Soviet state and its founder. On November 24, the words “Lenin” and “SSSR” (the Russian abbreviation for the Soviet Union) flew to Venus.

Radio complex in Yevpatoria.

Source: arc.construction

Arecibo Message

By the mid-1970s, Americans had finally decided on the content of the message and the tool for sending it. The giant Arecibo radio telescope on the island of Puerto Rico was ideal for this. The diameter of its plate is 305 meters. At that time, it was the most powerful of the directional transmitters created by man.

The message was sent into space on November 16, 1974. The globular cluster M13 was chosen as the target for it. The signal will reach its destination about in the year 25974. If at this time a representative of intelligent life turns out to be near one of its giant luminaries and responds to the message in the same way, then the signal will be sent to Earth for another 25 thousand years.

Arecibo’s message consisted of 1,679 prime numbers. 1 could be considered a point, 0 — a void. There were only two ways to make a rectangle out of them. And only in one of them the points of 1 formed a meaningful picture. In this picture, numbers from one to ten, information about the atoms of some chemical elements and other information were encrypted. The authors of the message were astronomers Carl Sagan and Francis Drake.

Cosmic call

After the Arecibo message, people cooled down to the topic of messages to aliens for 25 years. In 1999, Yevpatoria became the main location of communication with space again. The international Cosmic Call project involved sending a much longer message to the stars, consisting of 1.7 million binary numbers. The coding principle was the same as that of Sagan and Drake.

The message included a small image of an encyclopedia and messages from earthlings. Anyone who paid USD 15 could get into their list. More than 50 thousand such people gathered, thanks to which it took place. Scientists have chosen four fairly close stars as the destination: 16 Cygni, HD 178428, 15 Sagittae and Gliese 777. The signal will reach the target between 2050 and 2070.

Messages of the XXI century

In 2001, scientists sent a so-called The Teen Age Message into space. It got its name because of the age of the participants. The signal had a complex structure. In addition to digital images, it also contained an analog recording of a theremin concert. They sent messages again from Yevpatoria.

In 2003, the second Cosmic Call took place. In total, during it and the The Teen Age Message, the signal was sent to 11 different stars. If they have intelligent life, then its representatives will receive these messages between 2045 and 2070.

After that, the scientists sent messages several more times. For example, A Message from Earth and Hello From Earth, which were sent in 2008 and 2009. They were interesting because more than half a million earthlings took part in their sending. From this mass, with the help of a contest on the Bebo social network, 501 messages were selected, which were sent into space.

Their target was the star Gliese 581 in the constellation Libra. One of the planets in this system is similar to Earth and is located in a habitable zone. The signal will get it already in 2029. Perhaps there will be someone who likes to listen to the radio.

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• Posted in News, Science

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

12-02-2026 om 23:24 geschreven door peter  

“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” as the saying often attributed to the late astronomer Carl Sagan goes. However, new research involving organic compounds discovered on the Red Planet has led one team of researchers to what is indeed an extraordinary possibility: that their presence cannot be fully explained by non-biological sources.

The findings, if confirmed, could offer some of the strongest evidence yet that life may have once existed on Mars.

Since the initial discovery of small amounts of organic compounds in a rock sample collected by the Curiosity rover, interest in the potential for ancient Martian life has remained high. Now, with the publication of a new study in the journal Astrobiology, researchers at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center have put forward intriguing new data that furthers the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life.

Theories of Life on Mars

While humanity may be eager to discover an intelligent species with which we can meaningfully interact, there is a strong chance that our first glimpse of extraterrestrial life will instead involve either a simple organism or a species long extinct, having existed at a distant point on the cosmic timeline.

Mars presents a scenario in which the planet is a wasteland, with only the faintest chance that extremophiles may still persist in its harsh environment. Scientists believe that Mars was not always like this, though. Billions of years ago, during its Noachian period, the Red Planet was likely much warmer, with a fuller atmosphere and bodies and liquid water on its surface. This is supported by present-day surface features, such as dry riverbeds and sediment layers, which provide evidence of lakes and even flowing water in the distant Martian past.

While such fatty acids can be produced by geological processes, here on Earth, their appearance is much more commonly associated with living organisms.

The data recovered from analyzing the samples in Curiosity’s onboard lab are insufficient to clearly determine whether the molecules were created by living beings or by geological processes. To come closer to answering that question, researchers decided to focus on the geological processes that may be at play, rather than the samples themselves.

Science, in other words, often comes down to being a process of elimination. By studying whether alternative explanations fit the samples—in this case, ideas such as whether meteorite impacts might have deposited the alkanes—researchers could better assess the potential likelihood of ancient life as an explanation.

Searching for Life on Mars

Based on the team’s extensive research, they have reached an intriguing conclusion: that non-biological processes cannot fully explain the presence of alkanes, suggesting that life on ancient Mars is a reasonable alternative hypothesis.

For their studies, the team synthesized a variety of data streams that included Curiosity’s data, laboratory radiation experiments, and mathematical modeling. Their goal was to glimpse what the Martian surface would have been like over the last 80 million years, accounting for the entirety of the rock’s suspected surface exposure time.

From this, the team developed estimates for the amount of organic material that likely existed in the stone before it was destroyed by cosmic radiation, based on the amount of alkanes there today. They discovered the amount required would far exceed what non-biological processes could produce, indicating that life very well could have played a role.

“We argue that such high concentrations of long-chain alkanes are inconsistent with a few known abiotic sources of organic molecules on ancient Mars,” the researchers write, “namely delivery of organics by IDPs and meteorites, atmospheric fallout and deposition from photochemical haze, and organic production from serpentinization and Fischer–Tropsch reactions on the Red Planet.”

 The Perseverance rover sampled Cheyava Falls, a rock with "leopard spots," on Mars last year. 

NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

“In contrast,” the team adds, “it is not unreasonable to hypothesize that an ancient martian biosphere would be capable of producing this level of complex organic enrichment in martian mudstone deposits, and that allochthonous delivery of hydrothermally synthesized organics could have contributed to the abundance of alkanes found in the Cumberland mudstone.”

Life on Mars is Increasingly Likely but Still Unproven

Overall, the team acknowledges the extraordinary nature of their position, once again evoking Sagan’s famous aphorism.

“We agree with Carl Sagan’s claim that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” the researchers conclude in their paper, adding that they “understand that any purported detection of life on Mars will necessarily be met with intense scrutiny.”

“In addition, in practice with established norms in the field of astrobiology, we note that the certainty of a life detection beyond Earth will require multiple lines of evidence.”

While the team’s result is hopeful for Mars having once been home to life, more work remains to be done in order to support their claim. For instance, questions linger about how quickly organic molecules decay on Mars, given the planet’s unique conditions.

To that end, the team recommends further studies of radiolytic degradation rates to further test whether life most likely produced the alkanes, which the team nonetheless presents as being a “not unreasonable” hypothesis.

The paper, “Does the Measured Abundance Suggest a Biological Origin for the Ancient Alkanes Preserved in a Martian Mudstone?” appeared in Astrobiology on February 4, 2026.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

This animation depicts water disappearing over time in the Martian river valley Neretva Vallis, where NASA’s Perseverance Mars takes the rock sample named “Sapphire Canyon” from a rock called “Cheyava Falls,” which was found in the “Bright Angel” formation.

Credit: NASA

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

12-02-2026 om 22:58 geschreven door peter  

The $80 billion mission to save the Doomsday Glacier: Scientists reveal wacky plan to build a 50-mile WALL around Thwaites to stop it collapsing and raising global sea levels by 2ft

• READ MORE: Map reveals what REALLY sits below Antarctica’s ice sheet

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The looming collapse of Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier threatens to send sea levels surging to devastating new heights.

But scientists have now proposed a wacky plan to prevent the so-called 'Doomsday Glacier' from crumbling.

The Doomsday Glacier is a vast, slow-moving river of ice roughly the size of the UK that traps enough fresh water to raise sea levels a staggering 2.1ft (65cm).

Scientists have found that the main cause of its retreat is a current of warm water creeping into the gap between the glacier and the continental shelf – melting the ice from below.

The Seabed Curtain would anchor in front of the glacier's most vulnerable sections and prevent this warm current from reaching the ice.

While the potential costs could reach well over $80billion (£58.7billion), the scientists say this is nothing compared to the destruction their wall could help prevent.

The Seabed Curtain is currently in its initial phase of development, and the researchers haven't yet finalised the design.

However, the basic plan is to use a reinforced tensile fabric suspended by buoyant elements and anchored to the seafloor by a heavy foundation.

This would stretch all the way around the Antarctic glacier like a colossal beach windbreak, preventing warm water from coming in and trapping cold water near the ice.

In one possible design, this would be a single structure, while others suggest using multiple fragmented sections to prevent the wall from acting like an enormous parachute.

Early modelling conducted by a group of glaciologists in 2024 tentatively suggested that this approach could slow glacial melting by a factor of 10 in some locations.

However, this has never been tested in practice, and researchers don't really know whether this would work or what the consequences would be.

To learn more, scientists plan to install a 492ft-long (150m) and 132ft-tall (40m) section of curtain at the Fjord Ramfjorden in mainland Norway.

The researchers are also conducting an ecological study at the Fjord Mijenfjorden in Svalbard.

The Thwaites Glacier (pictured) is a vast, slow–moving river of ice roughly the size of the UK that traps enough fresh water to raise sea levels a staggering 2.1ft (65cm)

This fjord is protected by a large island near the mouth, so comparing it to nearby fjords should tell researchers what kinds of impact a large barrier might have on a polar ecosystem.

However, given the astronomical costs of creating the wall, critics may well wonder why scientists would bother investigating the solution at all.

According to the leaders of the Seabed Curtain Project, these costs are totally justified by the enormous threat posed by the Thwaites Glacier.

The Doomsday Glacier traps an enormous amount of fresh water and holds it on land, so that it doesn't contribute to sea level rise.

Driven by rising ocean temperatures, Thwaites's ice loss already accounts for four per cent of all global sea level rise.

If it were to collapse, all of that water would be dumped directly into the ocean, and global sea levels would increase dramatically.

Additionally, scientists believe that this would destabilise the entire Antarctic ice sheet, which could lead to several metres of sea-level rise over the coming centuries.

Marianne Hagen, co–lead of the Seabed Curtain Project and former deputy minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, told IFLScience: 'For me, it's kind of a no–brainer.

Previous studies have found evidence of storm–like circulation patterns beneath Antarctic ice shelves that are causing aggressive melting beneath the 'Doomsday Glacier'

'If it's possible to take 65 centimetres of global sea level rise off the table for everybody, with one single targeted intervention in one location, I'm willing to explore it. I think we have an obligation to do so.'

Worryingly, the scientific evidence suggests that Thwaites may already be on its way to collapse.

A recent project to drill through the glacier's main trunk discovered turbulent ocean conditions and relatively warm water, capable of 'driving substantial melting at the ice base'.

Current estimates suggest that it could totally collapse within the next few decades if nothing is done to slow climate change or prevent it from melting.

Ms Hagen adds: 'If you compare [the project costs] with the coastal repair and damage cost, it's a fraction. The cost of this project will run in billions. The cost of the damages will run into trillions.'

However, the project is not without its critics, and other scientists have accused the Seabed Curtain of being a 'distraction' from the real issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In a paper published last year, scientists from Monash University slammed the untested idea for risking 'intrinsic environmental damage.'

The researchers added that the wall could not be built at a sufficient scale or speed to tackle the crisis in time.

THE RETREAT OF THE THWAITES GLACIER

The Thwaites glacier is slightly smaller than the total size of the UK, approximately the same size as the state of Washington, and is located in the Amundsen Sea.

It is up to 4,000 metres (13,100 feet thick) and is considered a key in making projections of global sea level rise.

The glacier is retreating in the face of the warming ocean and is thought to be unstable because its interior lies more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) below sea level while, at the coast, the bottom of the glacier is quite shallow.

The Thwaites glacier is the size of Florida and is located in the Amundsen Sea. It is up to 4,000 meters thick and is considered a key in making projections of global sea level rise

The Thwaites glacier has experienced significant flow acceleration since the 1970s.

From 1992 to 2011, the centre of the Thwaites grounding line retreated by nearly 14 kilometres (nine miles).

Annual ice discharge from this region as a whole has increased 77 percent since 1973.

Because its interior connects to the vast portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet that lies deeply below sea level, the glacier is considered a gateway to the majority of West Antarctica’s potential sea level contribution.

The collapse of the Thwaites Glacier would cause an increase of global sea level of between one and two metres (three and six feet), with the potential for more than twice that from the entire West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

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

12-02-2026 om 22:28 geschreven door peter  

At the turn of the 20th century, a quest for signals was initiated due to the possibility of life and civilizations on Mars. As radio technology advanced, a much more effective method of searching for and communicating with extraterrestrials became possible.

On November 16th, 1974, the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico sent out the strongest signal ever sent into space. The broadcast's goal was to showcase humanity's technical advancement. Renowned SETI researcher Frank Drake and famous scientific communicator Carl Sagan created it. The Arecibo Message has remained the most widely publicized effort to contact extraterrestrial intelligence in the forty-eight years since its transmission.

Due to the current technological advancement, the possibility of making contact with extraterrestrial life is higher than ever. However, we won't have to wait too long for an answer when we finally make that call to ET, And the plans of finally placing that call are already in place. Researchers worldwide, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Jonathan H. Jiang, have created a new signal called "The Beacon in the Galaxy" message. Every METI attempt to date, including the Voyager Golden Records, Pioneer Plaques, and Evpatoria Transmission Messages, is combined with elements of the revised Arecibo Message to create this new signal.

Also, sending a message into deep space is now available to everyone, thanks to Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. "The Enterprise Flight," the inaugural Celestis Voyager Memorial Spaceflight, will take off from Earth and journey three million kilometers into deep space. So it's now possible for you to take part in that endless space voyage and go "where no one has gone before"! For those who wish to join the Star Trek legendary explorers (Nichelle Nichols, the Roddenberrys, and "Scotty" Doohan) remains as they journey into deep space, all you need to do is add your names or messages to the Celestis MindFile™.

The Arecibo Message

The Arecibo Observatory, also known as the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC)

The transmission was part of a celebration to commemorate the completion of a three-year upgrade to the 305m Radio Telescope at Arecibo. A graphic message was sent to our alleged cosmic neighbors in the M13 globular star cluster. About a third of a million stars make up this cluster, located about 21,000 light-years away towards the Milky Way's outskirts. The usage of Arecibo's megawatt transmitter coupled with its 305-meter antenna gave the broadcast a tremendous signal. When using the antenna, the transmitter's power was focused on a specific sky area. This emission was equal to broadcasting at a power level of 20 trillion watts. It could be picked up by an antenna the size of Arecibo just about everywhere in the galaxy.

The deep-space message comprised 73 lines with 23 characters each, totalling 1679 bits. And the purpose of these two prime numbers was to aid the aliens in deciphering the message. Frequency shifting at 10 bits per second was used to broadcast the "zeroes" and "ones." The duration of the transmission was under three minutes. This message was illustrated in a graphic that was reproduced there. It included the Arecibo telescope, DNA, our solar system, a stick representation of a human, and various biochemicals found on Earth. Even though it's doubtful that this brief inquiry would ever elicit a response, the exercise was beneficial in forcing us to consider the challenges of communicating over extreme distances, time, and a potentially substantial cultural divide.

Other Messages Attempts

Center for Deep Space Communications. Evpatoria Planetary Radar. RT-70. Photo: US gov KH-9

Since the start of the Space Age, several attempts to send a message to space with the hope of contacting extraterrestrial life have been attempted. The Morse Message, transmitted in 1962 from the Ukrainian Evpatoria Planetary Radar, was the first radio communication consciously beamed into space. This transmission consisted of a series of short radio transmissions to Venus, each of which was encoded with the phrases "Mir," "Lenin," and "USSR" in Morse code. There were also further attempts to send signals to stars 17 to 69 light-years away from Earth between 1999 and 2016.

The illustration on the Pioneer plaque

The Pioneer Plaques, installed aboard the first crewless missions sent beyond the Solar System's outskirts, are another example of an attempt to communicate with alien life. Carl Sagan conceived of sending these signals as the first message from Earth to the stars. This message to outer space featured the position of Earth in our galaxy, two circles that stand in for neutral hydrogen, and drawings of a naked woman and man standing next to a spaceship. Then came the Voyager Golden Records, which were more of a time capsule in nature and were also created by Carl Sagan and his associates at Cornell University. Instructions for playing the record were shown on the front of the record, with sounds and visuals representing Earthly life and culture. Voyager Golden Records also included a pulsar map and a picture of neutral hydrogen on the original Pioneer Plaques. Despite the many attempts to DM the ET, we are still waiting for a response. Perhaps the messages are still boldly journeying the vast space and have yet to reach a system inhabited by intelligent species.

The Sounds of Earth Record Cover - GPN-2000-001978

Photo: NASA/JPL

A New Message to the Aliens "Beacon in the Galaxy"

In its essence, the concept of a Beacon in the Galaxy message is relatively straightforward. The scientists will broadcast this binary-coded message towards the direction of our Milky Way's galactic core through radio waves. These scientists, like their predecessors, believe that physics and mathematics provide humanity's best chance of establishing contact with alien civilizations. Although human language and culture are essential to understanding who we are as individuals and how we interact with others, extraterrestrial intelligence might struggle to make sense of them. These researchers claimed that using binary to transmit a message will be understood by every form of intelligence in the universe.

The message is divided into 13 sections, 25,500 bytes, or around 204,000 effective binary digits. These same scientists decided that the SETI Telescope in California and the FAST telescope in China would be in a good position to send a message into space based on the best time during a specific year. The message will contain the following information in particular:

• Mathematical operations. 
• Prime numbers include the highest prime number, decimal systems, and binary. 
• Algebra
• Particle physics
• DNA structure
• Representation of the solar system highlighting Earth
• The position of our solar system as determined by globular clusters
• Earth's map
• The most prevalent elements
• Earth's makeup and features
• An invitation for a response

There's also a timestamp encoded corresponding to when it was sent into space, relative to a chronology that begins with the Big Bang.

While we have yet to engage in meaningful conversation with potential life outside of Earth's origin, our scientists, philosophers, artists, and everyday curious continue to look for new ways to let the universe know that we are here and our existence is open to meeting other beings from space.

{ https://www.celestis.com/ }

12-02-2026 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

Soviets ran secret investigation into glowing 'jellyfish' UFO seen above Russian city

USSR's own X-Files also collected eye-witness reports of humanoid figures tied to unexplained lights in the sky

BY Daniel Smith Interim Head of Operations - Content Hub & GAU

A 'jellyfish' UFO crowned by shifting coloured lights hovered above a Russian city for an hour before disappearing in the 1980s.

The strange case is among a newly shared bundle of Soviet-era documents that lift the lid on how officials in the former USSR quietly recorded and assessed strange objects in the sky- even as they publicly dismissed visiting alien craft as Western nonsense.

The material, translated into English and published by journalist George Knapp, spans around 70 pages and pulls together reports from the 1970s and 1980s.

According to Knapp, the archive was removed from Russia in the early 1990s and has only now been made widely accessible, offering the public a rare window into how Soviet institutions catalogued what they called 'Abnormal Atmospheric Phenomena'.

One of the most striking entries is dated February 13, 1989, and describes a large aerial object over Nalchik, in southern Russia. Witnesses reported a 'jellyfish'-like form that they said remained in the sky for more than an hour before vanishing from view.

Other accounts include a young man reporting luminous streaks across the sky followed by a brush with humanoid figures, reports IBT.

Investigators note the claims and details but stop short of declaring what, if anything, the witness encountered. A separate 1979 incident in Kazakhstan describes campers who said they saw tall, dark figures near a wooded area. Again, recollections were consistent - but there was no physical evidence to pin anything down.

The files reference sightings logged by civilians, soldiers, and technical specialists, as well as the procedures for taking testimony, filing reports, and weighing possible explanations.

While the documents don’t offer hard proof of anything extraterrestrial, they do show an organised effort to track cases that didn’t fit neatly into known boxes.

Many entries propose Earth-bound explanations like atmospheric effects, sensor quirks or even experimental aircraft. Some files consider whether certain sightings might have involved foreign technology - a live concern in the Cold War years - or simply rare natural phenomena.

One of the most infamous cases of a Russian UFO was in 1993, when state media reported the military had downed an extraterrestrial craft in Siberia using a surface-to-air missile.

This supposedly led to an encounter with five humanoid entities who emerged from the wreckage. These beings reportedly merged into a singular, glowing sphere that emitted a catastrophic burst of light, instantly transforming 23 nearby soldiers into stone pillars.

The soldiers were turned into stone pillars, accoording to reports

The report suggests that only two witnesses survived the event, while the resulting limestone remains and wreckage were transported to a clandestine research facility near Moscow.

US intelligence officials at the time noted that if these accounts were authentic, they represented a highly dangerous threat from advanced alien technology.

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{ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ }

11-02-2026 om 23:08 geschreven door peter  

Long-lost ancient Egyptian technology rewrites the dawn of civilization

• READ MORE: Mysterious symbols spanning the globe hint at a lost civilization 38,000 years ago

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A tiny copper-alloy tool long overlooked in a museum collection is reshaping what archaeologists know about the origins of human engineering. 

Researchers said the artefact shows ancient Egyptians were using a mechanically sophisticated rotary bow drill more than 5,300 years ago.

The object, cataloged as 1924.948 A in the University of Cambridge's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, has now been identified as the earliest known metal drill. 

The finding pushes back the timeline for advanced drilling technology by more than two millennia, forcing scholars to rethink when complex mechanical tools first emerged.

First excavated a century ago from a cemetery at Badari in Upper Egypt, the tool shows wear consistent with rotary drilling.

The tool contained arsenic and nickel, with notable amounts of lead and silver, suggesting deliberate engineering choices and pointing to early material trade or shared technical knowledge across the ancient Mediterranean.

Lead author Dr Martin Odle from Newcastle University said: 'This re-analysis has provided strong evidence that this object was used as a bow drill, which would have produced a faster, more controlled drilling action than simply pushing or twisting an awl-like tool by hand. 

'This suggests that Egyptian craftspeople mastered reliable rotary drilling more than two millennia before some of the best-preserved drill sets.'

Researchers said the artefact shows ancient Egyptians were using a mechanically sophisticated rotary bow drill more than 5,300 years ago, far earlier than previously believed

When archaeologist Guy Brunton first documented the object in the 1920s, he described it simply as a small copper awl with leather wrapped around it. 

The brief classification led the artefact to be largely overlooked for nearly a century. 

Microscopic analysis revealed wear patterns inconsistent with simple puncturing or scraping. Fine striations, rounded edges, and a subtle curve at the tip indicate the tool was repeatedly rotated, pointing to sustained rotary drilling rather than basic piercing.

Researchers also found six coils of extremely fragile leather thong still wrapped around the shaft, which they said provides direct evidence of a bow drill system. 

In such a mechanism, a string wound around the drill shaft is driven back and forth by a bow, rapidly spinning the tool to cut into material.

'Behind Egypt's famous stone monuments and jewelry were practical, everyday technologies that rarely survive archaeologically,' Odle said. 

'The drill was one of the most important tools, enabling woodworking, bead production, and furniture making. 

Bow-powered drills appeared frequently in New Kingdom tomb scenes, and several complete examples from that era survive. 

Pictured is the Khufu Pyramid, also known as the Great Pyramid, in Giza Pyramid Complex, dating to about 1,000 years after the ancient drill was crafted

The Badari discovery is far older, dating to Naqada IID, and suggests Egyptians had perfected fast, controlled rotary drilling nearly two millennia before those later depictions. 

Naqada IID, a late Predynastic period around 3300 to 3200 BC, saw the inception of kingship, writing, and organized religion, which would become the basis of the classical Egyptian civilization.

A study released in December revealed a discovery that changes what we know about ancient Egypt.

The discovery rewrites the timeline of Egypt's early dynasties, placing the rise of the New Kingdom nearly a century later than previously thought.

The New Kingdom, which lasted from 1550 to 1070 BCE, was Egypt's peak of power, wealth, and territorial expansion, the era of famous rulers like Tutankhamun.

It began with the 18th Dynasty, founded by Pharaoh Ahmose I, who reunited Egypt and expelled the Hyksos invaders, restoring central authority after a period of fragmentation.

Now, scientists have confirmed that the massive Santorini (Thera) volcanic eruption occurred before the reign of Ahmose, meaning the 18th Dynasty, and the New Kingdom itself, rose later than previously believed.

Until now, historians had often assumed the eruption might have coincided with the early New Kingdom, and some researchers even tried to link it to specific pharaohs, including Hatshepsut, Thutmose III or Ahmose I.

The breakthrough comes from radiocarbon dating of Egyptian artifacts from the 17th and early 18th Dynasties.

Researchers examined a mudbrick stamped with Ahmose's name, a linen burial cloth, and wooden funerary figures called shabtis, all of which were directly tied to known pharaohs and their temples.

Because these objects are anchored to specific historical contexts, their ages provide a reliable snapshot of the period. 

The study shows that the eruption predates these artifacts, reshaping how historians understand the rise of Egypt's most powerful period.

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

11-02-2026 om 21:16 geschreven door peter