Lucy's Main Belt Target Has Its Features Named

By Andy Tomaswick

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

17-09-2025 om 20:55 geschreven door peter  

Earth Has Another Quasi-Satellite: The Asteroid Arjuna 2025 PN7

By Evan Gough  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

17-09-2025 om 20:49 geschreven door peter  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

17-09-2025 om 20:40 geschreven door peter  

Evidence of 'Doomsday comet' that wiped out forgotten civilization 12,800 years ago found in US

• READ MORE: Archaeologist says his team has finally discovered lost city of Atlantis as they unveil compelling evidence 

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

New geological evidence unearthed in the US suggests that a catastrophic cosmic event may have wiped out a once-thriving culture more than 12,800 years ago. 

Researchers analyzing sediment samples in California, Arizona and New Mexico discovered shocked quartz, tiny mineral grains deformed under extreme pressure, dating back to around 10,800 BC.

Shocked quartz forms when minerals are subjected to sudden, intense pressures such as those generated by a meteorite impact or large-scale atmospheric explosion. 

The presence of this material at the sites indicates that an airburst or impact event likely devastated large portions of the continent, igniting wildfires, destabilizing the climate and wiping out many of the massive Ice Age animals that roamed the region. 

The dating of the shocked quartz coincided with the rapid disappearance of the Clovis people, a technologically advanced hunter-gatherer culture that had dominated much of North America for centuries. 

Archaeological evidence has shown that their distinctive stone tools vanish abruptly from the record shortly after this period. 

This timing also marked the beginning of the Younger Dryas, a sudden and dramatic cooling event that lasted about 1,200 years. 

Some researchers, including well-known author Graham Hancock, have long proposed that a giant 'Doomsday comet' passed through Earth's atmosphere, which blocked sunlight, disrupted ocean currents and abruptly plunged the Northern Hemisphere into a sudden, century-long cooling.

The evidence of the cosmic collision was found in California, Arizona and New Mexico

The team identified shocked quartz (pictured) in the samples, which forms when minerals are subjected to sudden, intense pressures such as those generated by a meteorite impact or large-scale atmospheric explosion

Shocked quartz forms when the crystal lattice of minerals is irreversibly deformed under extreme pressures, often millions of times greater than normal atmospheric pressure. 

In the new study, the grains were carefully extracted from sediment layers precisely dated to the onset of the Younger Dryas. 

'The onset of the Younger Dryas (YD closely coincided with two significant events: the sudden extinction of >70% of North American megafauna (35 genera), including mammoths, camels, horses, and saber-toothed cats and the collapse of the Clovis technocomplex,' reads the study published in PLOS ONE.

The team collected sediment samples from Blackwater Draw, New Mexico, Murray Springs, Arizona and Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island, California.

Blackwater Draw is a Clovis-type site where the first Clovis artifacts were found just below a 12,800-year-old black mat, marking the onset of the Younger Dryas and the end of the Clovis technocomplex.

Evidence from the site, including a nearby Clovis-butchered mammoth, suggests a major environmental disruption coinciding with megafaunal extinctions and a significant human population decline. 

Murray Springs preserves terminal Clovis artifacts and extinct megafauna remains.

Those are also under a black mat, which contained a butchered mammoth and hundreds of footprints rapidly buried after the proposed Younger Dryas event. 

Some researchers, including well-known author Graham Hancock, have long proposed that a giant 'Doomsday comet' passed through Earth's atmosphere, which blocked sunlight, disrupted ocean currents and abruptly plunged the Northern Hemisphere into a sudden, century-long cooling (stock)

Archaeological data indicate a post-Clovis human hiatus of several hundred years, supporting theories of population decline and abrupt cultural and ecological changes at the YD onset. 

Arlington Canyon yielded Clovis-era human remains beneath a black mat, showing a 600- to 800-year gap before subsequent human occupation, highlighting a post-Clovis hiatus even in potential refuges. 

The site also records the extinction of pygmy mammoths around 12,800, making it a key location for studying the impact of environmental disruptions during the Younger Dryas. 

The team used 10 different lab techniques to identify glass-filled cracks in quartz and then ran computer simulations to determine the pressures and speeds needed to produce such shocks.

They found that the shocked quartz taken from the southwest US resembled samples found at nuclear airburst sites, Meteor Crater, and other YD sites in Syria, the eastern USA, the Netherlands and Venezuela. 

Blackwater Draw is a Clovis-type site where the first Clovis artifacts were found just below a 12,800-year-old black mat, marking the onset of the Younger Dryas and the end of the Clovis technocomplex

Murray Springs preserves terminal Clovis artifacts and extinct megafauna remains. Those are also under a black mat, which contained a butchered mammoth and hundreds of footprints rapidly buried after the proposed Younger Dryas event

Arlington Canyon yielded Clovis-era human remains beneath a black mat, showing a 600- to 800-year gap before subsequent human occupation, highlighting a post-Clovis hiatus even in potential refuges

Many of these quartz grains showed signs of exposure to extremely high temperatures, above the melting point of quartz, which is 3,123 °F.

Some parts of the grains remain amorphous, and others have recrystallized. 

Previous research has shown that melted silica within shock fractures indicates airburst- or impact-related shock, meaning these YD grains can be classified as 'thermally and mechanically shocked quartz.' 

'These sites are among the best-documented in North America, each providing crucial evidence of an interrelationship between the collapse of the Clovis technocomplex and the extinction of the megafauna,' the team shared.

'The presence of airburst/impact-related materials at these key locations strengthens the temporal and spatial link between the proposed cosmic event and major ecological and cultural changes

RELATED VIDEOS

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

17-09-2025 om 18:11 geschreven door peter  

The Moon, unlike Earth, is a cosmic time capsule. No atmosphere, no liquid water, no tectonic plates. No weather to corrode. No oceans to drag remnants beneath their waves. No wind to scatter. In fact, conditions on the Moon have remained largely unchanged for billions of years. Anything that landed there,whether a natural meteorite, a human probe, or something far stranger, could remain preserved almost indefinitely.

This fact has led some scientists and thinkers to wonder: what if something did land there? Not from Earth. Not from our time. Imagine. Just imagine.

The Oldest Surface in the Inner Solar System

The Moon formed shortly after Earth itself, around 4.5 billion years ago, likely the result of a violent collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized body. Since then, it has served as a passive observer to the evolution of our solar system.

Its surface tells a story no other celestial body can. While Earth has erased its past with continental drift, volcanic activity, and erosion, the Moon has done none of that. It is a preserved relic. A memory. And it may be holding more than we think.

So just by using common sense, if you’re going to look for ancient, technological artifacts from a planet other than ours, look where things can survive for billions of years. And the Moon, airless, geologically dead, stable,is one of the best preservation environments in the solar system.

A Logical Target for Interstellar Probes

Now imagine a distant civilization seeding the galaxy with interstellar probes, durable, autonomous, and built to endure deep time.

We’ve done something similar with Voyager 1 and 2, and Pioneer 10. Our probes are slow and few. But a far older and more advanced species could have launched thousands, maybe millions, across space,blindly, systematically, over epochs.

If just one of those alien probes ever passed through our solar system, it might not slow down. It wouldn’t need to. But it could be pulled in, by Jupiter, by the Sun, or by the Earth-Moon system.

Here’s the thing: if a high-speed object like that struck Earth, it would almost certainly burn up in the atmosphere, disintegrate in the ocean, or be destroyed by tectonic forces and time.

But the Moon is different. No atmosphere. No oceans. No erosion. Just rock, dust, and silence.

A probe crashing into the lunar surface,even at high velocity,might break apart… but pieces could survive. Metal fragments. Unusual alloys. Embedded structures. Preserved for millions of years beneath layers of regolith. Not by design. Not by intent. Just by the nature of where it fell. It is only logical. And the best part is, we have a couple of more places to search for in the solar system. Any of the Moons of Jupiter or even Saturn possibly could have objects rashed on their surface.

Interstellar Visitors: We’ve Seen Them

Until recently, the idea of interstellar objects visiting our solar system was mostly hypothetical. But that changed in 2017.

That year, astronomers spotted a cigar-shaped object hurtling through our solar system at incredible speed. It was the first confirmed interstellar visitor, and it was named ʻOumuamua, meaning “a messenger from afar arriving first” in Hawaiian.

ʻOumuamua was strange. It didn’t behave like a comet or asteroid. It had no tail. Its acceleration was unusual. Its shape was unlike anything seen before. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb even suggested it could be artificial,a discarded light sail or fragment of alien technology. Most scientists disagreed, favoring natural explanations. But the seed was planted.

In 2019, a second interstellar object arrived: 2I/Borisov. This time it looked more like a standard comet,though with unusual chemical composition.

And in 2014, long before these two, sensors detected an object called CNEOS 2014-01-08, now believed to have interstellar origin based on its velocity and trajectory. It crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Papua New Guinea. If confirmed, it would be the first known interstellar object to have struck Earth. Loeb beleives this could have been a technological artifact. Since it crashed to Earth, it is almost impossible to find. However, had it crashed on the surface of the Moon, the story would be completely different. Future lunar missions could have found it.

So, as of writingh we have three interstellar objects that we have found. In less than a decade. Which raises a question: how many more have passed by, unnoticed? And how many may have struck the Moon?

Buried Beneath the Dust

The Moon is constantly bombarded by micrometeorites. Its surface, known as regolith, is a fine layer of broken rock and dust, formed by billions of years of impacts. This layer can be several meters thick in places. And beneath that dust… lies mystery. At least for now. What the apollo astronauts explored on the Moon is literally insignificant. That is why I am partifucalry excited about Artemis, and the future. Becasue if an alien probe (or any alien technology) landed or crashed on the Moon tens of millions of years ago, it’s likely that it’s now buried, shielded from further damage. It wouldn’t need to be large. A meter-wide sensor. A metallic shard. An engineered alloy. A signal recorder. Something that might not even be visible from orbit.

And that’s a problem. Because we’ve barely begun to explore the Moon’s subsurface.

We’ve Only Scratched the Surface

Between 1969 and 1972, twelve astronauts walked on the Moon. They explored just six locations, all near the equator and on the near side. Since then, lunar missions have been limited to orbiters, landers, and rovers, most of them covering small areas.

Today, the Moon is becoming a focus again. NASA’s Artemis program aims to return humans to the surface by the late 2020s, with the long-term goal of building a sustainable lunar presence. China, India, Russia, and private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin also have ambitious lunar plans.

New missions are beginning to probe the Moon in greater detail than ever before. China’s Chang’e program continues to expand its reach with successful landers, sample-return missions, and upcoming south polar expeditions. Instruments like NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have been mapping the Moon for over a decade, yet only a fraction of the surface has been studied up close, and virtually none of the subsurface.

Several upcoming efforts, including crewed missions under NASA’s Artemis program, aim to establish a long-term human presence. But until we dig, scan, and explore beneath the regolith, vast regions of the Moon,and any secrets they might hold, will remain untouched.

Though smaller than Earth, the Moon still holds over 38 million square kilometers of surface, enough terrain to hide secrets in craters, crevices, and deep beneath the dust.

The Birth of Lunar Archaeology

In time, we may develop the tools and missions necessary to search not just for water ice or minerals, but for anomalies. Artificial patterns. Unusual materials. Electro-magnetic signatures. Things that don’t belong. Things that we did not bring to the Moon.

Lunar archaeology may one day become a field of study. And it won’t just be about exploring human history (space archaeology), like the remnants of Apollo modules or robotic landers. It could become a tool for uncovering non-human history. A cosmic archaeology.

If even a single fragment of alien engineering were found, the implications would be staggering. It would mean we are not alone. That we are not the first. That others have walked, or drifted, through the stars before us.

And we might not have to go far to find them.

It’s tempting to look outward, to scan exoplanets, listen for distant radio waves, and dream of civilizations light-years away. But maybe, just maybe, the first evidence of intelligent alien life isn’t waiting in some distant galaxy. Maybe it’s beneath our feet. Or just a three-day journey away. Maybe we should stop looking only at the stars. And start digging.

{ https://curiosmos.com/category/alien-theories/ }

16-09-2025 om 22:54 geschreven door peter  

Misunderstood Science or Paranormal Activity? Bizarre Cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion

Arguably one of the strangest phenomenon of human life is spontaneous human combustion, something that has claimed many lives over the years, and left many others scared and unsettled by such bizarre encounters. Moreover, it is not simply that a person might burst into flames for no apparent reason, but these fires are so intensely hot that the respective victims are reduced to ash in a matter of moments. Deepening the mystery even further, despite this intense raging inferno, all around the victims is largely unaffected. 

Indeed, while spontaneous human combustion is still unexplained, there have been some remarkable facts and statistics revealed over the course of decades of research. Over 60 percent of victims of spontaneous human combustion, for example, are women, and over 50 percent of these bizarre occurrences take place between midnight and 6 am. Perhaps most perplexing is that despite the intensely high temperatures that victims of spontaneous human combustion burn at, and the fact that they are usually reduced to nothing but ash, there is most often a single limb or a foot that is left untouched.

While we might suspect that cases of spontaneous human combustion are a modern phenomenon, the fact is that we can find cases stretching back hundreds of years, at the very least. In the mid-1600s, for example, we can find one of the earliest documented accounts of spontaneous human combustion, most often attributed to Thomas Bartholin, who documented an incident in Milan in 1654. However, since this encounter was documented (in Latin), it has suffered terribly with inaccurate translations and interpretations. So much so that many of the finer details of the case have since become lost to history. 

We do, however, have the basics of the account. They involve a knight who was serving Queen Bona Sforza. On the night in question, after enjoying an evening of fine food and even finer brandy,  the knight sat down at the table after refilling his glass, feeling the amber liquid burn its way down his throat. A moment later, however, he claimed he could feel the burning sensation rising back up his throat from his stomach. Then, a moment later, when he opened his mouth, a surge of flames sprang from him and engulfed him almost instantly. 

Around three-quarters of a century later, a case of apparent spontaneous human combustion almost resulted in a presumed innocent man being charged with murder. In 1725 in France, Nicole Miller's remains were discovered almost completely incinerated in a chair in the house she shared with her husband. The chair itself was completely undamaged (as would become a standard detail when such cases were researched in more depth). At the time, though, such details were not widely understood, and so Nicole's husband was suspected of her murder, arrested, and charged. In fact, it was only the intervention of surgeon, Nicholas Le Cat, that saved him from the guillotine, who argued that Nicole had almost certainly been a victim of spontaneous human combustion. Although the court didn't enter such details onto the record, they did accept that the death had been caused "by a visitation of God!"

Only six years later, on the evening of April 3rd, 1731, in Verona, Italy, Countess de Bandi Cesante was at home enjoying her evening meal as usual before she retired to bed. Before she went to sleep for the evening, she talked for several hours with her maid, who later recalled that although she mentioned that she felt "dull and heavy", she appeared as she usually would, and so when she fell asleep, the maid left the room, planning to return in the morning as soon as she was called by her mistress. However, the following morning, no call came, so the maid decided to check on the countess. When she entered the room, she was confronted by a sight she was simply not prepared for. 

According to the report, around four feet from the bed, there was a "heap of ashes, two legs untouched, from the foot to the knee with their stockings on!" Even more harrowing, between them were the charred remains of the countess's head, as well as three "blackened fingers". Moreover, when the ashes were picked up to examine, they left a "stinking moisture" in the hand. Bizarrely, however, despite the brutal remains of the countess, there was no more damage to the rest of the room. Although there was an oil lamp on the side, it was unlit, as were the two candles next to it. Whether of consequence or not, the bed covers were found turned down, as if the countess had briefly left her bed at some point during the night, fully expecting to return.

As bizarre and intriguing as these details are, the eventual conclusions are even more remarkable. Not only was the oil lamp not lit but there were no signs of any accelerant in the room, and the countess was not a drinker of alcohol. However, it was suggested that the countess had risen during the night to open a window and allow fresh air into the bedroom. A short time later, it was suggested, "silent lightning" had "crept in through a crack in the window or down the fireplace!" However, this conclusion was later revised, with the amount of perfume that the countess often wore being highlighted as the likely reason she had perished in such a way.

Around a decade later, however, Paul Rolli examined the case once more, certain that the previous explanations had been too simplistic. He wrote in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London that:

"Such an effect was not produced by the light of the oil-lamp, or any candles; because common fire, even in a pile, does not consume a body to such a degree and would have besides spread itself to the goods of the chamber, more combustible than a human body!"

It was, Rolli suggested, likely a combination of factors that led to the untimely demise of the countess. He suggested that "flammable gases" mixed with the alcohol from the perfume the countess was wearing, which then created a "potent fuel" that was capable of "incinerating the body!" The reason the head and limbs had escaped such carnage from the flames was likely down to the fact that by the time the flames reached them, the fuel had likely died and burned out. 

Around 150 years later, on the other side of the Atlantic in the small farming community of Seneca in Illinois, on Christmas Eve 1885, Matilda Rooney was busy in the kitchen while her husband Patrick was in the next room. What exactly happened that evening is not entirely clear, but at some point during the evening, Matilda, essentially, "burst into flames" and was reduced to a pile of ash within moments. In a strange twist to the whole affair, Patrick was also found dead in the house, seemingly from suffocation from the fumes (even though there was no damage at all to the rest of the property). 

When investigators examined the scene, they were utterly baffled. One of the farm workers informed them that he had spent several hours at the property before leaving for the evening, and that the couple had appeared fine before he left, each enjoying a glass of whiskey and preparing for the holidays. It was ultimately determined that Matilda herself appeared to be the fuel source of the fire that consumed her. 

As we have seen, there are many historic cases of spontaneous human combustion for us to explore. Without a doubt, though, the majority of these recorded cases have unfolded in the twentieth century. 

Perhaps the most notable of these occurred in July 1951, when 67-year-old Mary Reeser from St. Petersburg, Florida, or at least what was left of her, was discovered "sitting" in a chair at her home. In fact, all that was discovered of Mary was a skull fragment, one of her feet, and a small piece of her spine, with the chair that she had been sitting on also completely reduced to ash. As was noted at the time, given the high temperatures required to reduce a human body to ash, it was a mystery why the entire property had not been engulfed in flames. 

Despite this strangeness, the FBI, which investigated the case, concluded that Mary had likely fallen asleep with a cigarette in her hand, which had then likely ignited her clothes and resulted in her death. As we might imagine, many researchers and investigators simply do not accept this explanation. In fact, some researchers have pondered just what the authorities might have known about the strange death for them to wrap it up so quickly. 

Five years later, in December 1956, another baffling spontaneous human combustion case unfolded. On the day in question, 78-year-old Sik Kim was sitting in his wheelchair reading his newspaper. As he did so, however, he suddenly noticed flames appearing around his torso. As he called out for help, the flames began to engulf him. His neighbor, Virginia Cadet, rushed over to see what the matter was. As soon as she saw Sik Kim in flames, she rushed off again to get help. By the time she returned 15 minutes later, Sik Kim was nothing but a pile of ash - except, that is, for his two feet, which remained intact. Even stranger, nothing else in the room was damaged by the flames, including papers, books, and clothes. Sik Kim's death remains a complete mystery. 

Around a decade later, on the afternoon of October 16th, 1964, 75-year-old Olga Worth Stephens met a harrowing end outside of a convenience store in Dallas, Texas. She had been in the car with her nephew when he decided he wished to purchase a cold drink and so pulled into the parking lot of the store. He left Olga in the vehicle while he went inside. He was only inside for several minutes, but when he returned, his aunt was completely enveloped in flames. Passersby eventually managed to pull her out of the car and smother the flames. However, she passed away from her injuries eight days later. 

Perhaps what made Olga's death all the more mysterious was a line from an article in the Dallas Morning News that stated she had received treatment for "burns received in mysterious circumstances!" Stranger still, when the vehicle was examined by investigators, they discovered no damage whatsoever, not even traces of an accelerant or stimulant. Ultimately, like several other cases we have examined here, it would appear that Olga herself was the fuel source of the fire that killed her.

Only several months later, on the morning of November 8th, 1964, in Upper Darby Township in Pennsylvania, the burnt-out remains of Helen Conway were discovered in her home. Interestingly, when the fire chief, Paul Haggarty, attended the scene, he declared publicly his belief that the incident was one of spontaneous human combustion. Further study, though, perhaps suggested, on this occasion, an alternative explanation for the grim discovery. It came to light that Helen was a "careless smoker" who regularly left cigarettes around the house, leading investigators to ponder if this was how she had come to such a fiery end. Indeed, it appeared that Helen's death was simply a tragic accident. However, when investigators looked deeper into the case, that appeared decidedly unlikely. 

It was discovered that Helen had asked her granddaughter for a box of matches on the morning of her death, no more than 20 minutes before her body was discovered, with her granddaughter even suggesting that she found her remains around three minutes after. The fire department had arrived at the property at 8:48 am, meaning that Helen was likely alive as late as 8:42 am - the six minutes not being enough time for her to accidentally set herself on fire and be consumed by the flames. 

We should note that several skeptics have suggested the "wick effect" (something we will explore in a little more detail later) as an explanation for Helen Conway's death. However, tests easily showed that this would have taken at least several hours, and certainly a lot longer than between six and 20 minutes. 

Only two years later, on the morning of December 5th, 1966, 92-year-old Dr. John Irving Bentley's burnt-out remains were discovered at his home. The remains were discovered by Don Gosnell, who had arrived at the property for a prearranged meeting to read the meters. He entered the property and began on his way to the basement. However, as he did so, he noticed a strange odor in the air, as well as a faint blue smoke.

When he entered the basement, he discovered a small pile of ash on the floor, which he assumed was the source of the strange odor. He then made his way to the bathroom that was directly above the basement. Upon arriving there, he discovered the remains of a lower leg and a foot, still with an undamaged slipper on it, as well as Bentley's walking frame, and a large pile of ash. Stranger still, there was a hole in the bathroom floor that allowed Gosnell to see into the room below. 

A particularly bizarre encounter unfolded at around 5 am on the morning of September 5th, 1967, in Lambeth, London, when early work commuters found themselves witnessing one of the strangest incidents they had ever seen. Inside, a local man named Robert Bailey, who was a known alcoholic, was burning to death with an unusual flame bursting forth from his stomach. After several members of the public called the fire brigade, they arrived at 5:19 am - only five minutes later - to a sight that they were not ready to witness. 

One of those in attendance later stated that when he entered the building, Bailey was lying at the bottom of the stairs, clearly contorted in pain. He stated that he could see blue flames coming from a small slit in his stomach. Despite using fire extinguishers in an effort to save the man's life, all efforts failed, with one member of the fire brigade offering that he was "literally burning from the inside out!" Even more harrowing, it is claimed that Bailey had seemingly bitten down on the bottom wooden staircase, such was the pain he was in, with his jaw having to be pried open to remove his body. 

There were plenty of other strange details. For example, despite the flames coming from his body, Bailey's clothes were largely undamaged, as was the case with the wooden floor and stairs. Moreover, there were no accelerants discovered in the property, and both the gas and the electricity had been cut off.  These details led investigators to consider whether Bailey had actually died from exposure to the fumes from the fire. Ultimately, it was determined that Bailey’s death was down to “unknown causes!” Even the wick effect explanation had to be dismissed because witnesses noted “blowtorch-like flames” originating from inside Bailey’s torso. The incident remains one of the strangest cases of spontaneous human combustion on record. 

What makes the case of Jack Angel all the more intriguing is that he survived spontaneous human combustion. On the night in question, in 1974, Angel, who was a traveling salesman, parked his motorhome outside a hotel and then ventured into the back to settle down for the night. However, several hours later, Angel awoke with severe burns to his arms and legs. In fact, one of his arms was so drastically burned that it had to be amputated. Much like other cases of spontaneous human combustion, however, there was no damage at all to the motorhome, even though, given the extent of his injuries, the motorhome should have been completely incinerated.

The case baffled investigators and researchers, not least as the flames appeared to extinguish themselves before they had a chance to reduce Angel to a pile of ash. We might ask if Angel was in a trance-like state as opposed to being asleep, similar to the report from the Robert Bailey case.  Despite an investigation by the police, there were no faults found with the motorhome, and there was no accelerant discovered. The case remains a complete mystery.

A particularly harrowing case of spontaneous human combustion unfolded on the afternoon of October 9th, 1980, in Jacksonville, Florida. On the afternoon in question, airwoman Jeanna Winchester was in a car driven by her friend Leslie Scott, when Jeanna suddenly “burst into flames!” Jeanna began screaming, “Get me out of here!” as Leslie looked on in shock. She later stated that the flames simply came out of nowhere, and after she tried to put them out with her hands, she lost control of the car and crashed into a telephone pole. 

Although she had burns to 20 percent of her body, Jeanna survived the incident, recovering in the hospital. When the vehicle was examined by investigators, there was little damage to the interior of the vehicle, with only the seat and door panel showing any signs of the sudden fire. Moreover, Jeanna herself claimed to have had no memory between setting off that afternoon and waking up in the hospital. With this in mind, we might ask if her mind had simply blocked out the incident, or if there is something more paranormal or supernatural involved in these strange cases of spontaneous human combustion. 

If we return to London for a moment, in September 1982, we can find the case of 61-year-old Jean Saffin, who was mentally disabled, and who seemingly burst into flames in front of her father. At the time of the incident, as her father was sitting at the kitchen table when a sudden “flash of light” lit up the room. The next thing he realized, Jean was completely engulfed in flames. He immediately got to his feet and attempted to drag his daughter to the sink, calling to his son as he did so. Between them, they managed to douse the flames before they contacted the emergency services. Jean was taken to the hospital, but she passed away from her injuries just over a week later. Her death, officially at least, is unsolved. Jean’s father, however, was convinced that spontaneous human combustion was the cause of his daughter’s death. Moreover, Jean’s brother-in-law, who also witnessed the incident, stated that “the flames were coming out of her mouth like a dragon, and they were making a roaring noise!” Despite this, the coroner refused to put the death down to spontaneous human combustion because, in his opinion, “no such thing existed!”

Without a doubt, one of the most thought-provoking cases of spontaneous human combustion is that of Vietnam veteran Frank Black, whose case was featured on the television program The Unexplained Files.  According to the report, in June 1985, Black and his friend, Pete Wiley, were preparing for a fishing trip and were sitting in Black’s living room. Suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, Black’s arm burst into flames. He and Wiley managed to smother the flames and then sought out medical advice for the burns. Bizarrely, although very similar to other cases of spontaneous human combustion, the doctor who examined Black’s wounds stated that they appeared to have “burned from the inside out!” Although Black was not significantly injured, a second incident occurred during their fishing trip. Needless to say, Black was left deeply shaken by the experience. 

In more recent times, on the afternoon of August 24th, 1998, Agnes Philips left the nursing home where she was a resident with Alzheimer’s with her daughter Jackie, who regularly drove Agnes around to let her enjoy a change of scenery. As they were returning home, with Agnes asleep in the passenger seat, Jackie decided to stop at a grocery store to pick up some groceries for later. Several minutes later, with Jackie still inside the store, she could see smoke rising from her parked car. Then, moments later, a “burst of flames” exploded from the vehicle. 

Jackie immediately rushed out of the store. By the time she arrived at her vehicle, a passerby was dragging her mother from the car before attempting to smother the flames. Bizarrely, despite being almost completely engulfed, Agnes remained calm, almost in a trance-like state, offering only that it was “too hot!” 

The flames were eventually extinguished, and Agnes was taken to the hospital with severe burns to her entire body. Unfortunately, she passed away a week later. Much like many of the other cases we have examined here, the inquest discovered no reason for the explosion of flames. No accelerant was found anywhere in the vehicle, and as the engine was not running at the time, it was unlikely that an electrical fault was responsible. Ultimately, the inquest ruled an open verdict. 

Just short of a decade later, on the evening of December 16th, 2007, in Brazil, an unnamed woman suddenly burst into flames, becoming incinerated within seconds. By the time the flames had died down, the woman was left “beyond recognition!” Although her right leg was undamaged, her left leg, upper torso, and both arms were completely obliterated. Moreover, all of her clothing also remained undamaged from the flames. Once more, it was noted that it appeared as though her body had “burned from the inside out!”

The case fascinated many researchers and investigators, with various explanations put forward. Some people, for example, suggested that ball lightning might have been responsible for the horrific inferno, while others suggested that the young woman could have been involved in some kind of “gang initiation”. However, the lack of accelerant meant these suggestions were largely dismissed. 

Around the same time, 76-year-old Michael Faherty succumbed to a sudden burst of flames, only this time, the coroner, Ciaran McLoughlin, ruled that the death was the result of spontaneous human combustion. When Faherty’s remains were discovered in West Galway, Ireland, investigators were perplexed as to how he could have been completely consumed by the flames while everything else around him was largely unaffected. Moreover, like other suspected cases of spontaneous human combustion, there was no sign of any accelerants anywhere in the property. The only other damage to the building was the spots directly above and below where Faherty’s remains were discovered. Although McLoughlin rued the death to be a result of spontaneous human combustion, he issued a caveat that “a source of ignition” had to have been responsible for the fire, although he could offer no sound explanation. 

Several years later, in early 2013, the charred remains of 65-year-old Danny Vanzandt were discovered at his home in Muldrow, Oklahoma. Despite the intense damage to Vanzandt, his property was unscathed. It is interesting to note that Vanzandt was a heavy smoker with a history of struggles with alcohol, something some researchers into spontaneous human combustion have offered are key components of these bizarre cases. However, investigators found no evidence that a lit cigarette caused the fire, nor did they find any evidence that Vanzandt was drinking at the time of his death. Similar to the Faherty case, the only damage to the property was a few scorch marks close to where the remains were found. Furthermore, there were no signs of a struggle inside the house, almost as if Vanzandt had calmly allowed himself to succumb to the flames. Ultimately, his death remains unexplained. 

Around two years later, in November 2015, in the small town of Flensburg, near Hamburg in Germany, a local woman (although unnamed in the report) suddenly burst into flames in front of multiple witnesses in the middle of a busy park. Although several onlookers attempted to smother the flames, the fire spread so quickly that her entire body was engulfed in seconds. As we might imagine, there were several theories following the encounter, including that the woman had committed suicide. However, not only were there no signs of any accelerants, but none of the witnesses recalled seeing the woman self-immolate. In a strange twist to the affair, several witnesses reported seeing two strange men leaving the area shortly after the incident, with their identities remaining a complete mystery. 

Only several months later, in January 2016, in Novi Sad in Serbia, a video surfaced online (since removed) that appeared to show a man in a doorway with strange “white flames” emerging from his torso. The video showed the flames beginning to engulf the man, even though he remained “indifferent” to the situation. Then, without warning, the man simply got to his feet and “brushed off” the flames before walking off as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Various theories were aired following the footage's first appearance, including that the incident was some kind of hoax. 

With all of these cases in mind, it is worth turning our attention to the work and research of Joe Nickell and John F. Fischer, who conducted a two-year study into spontaneous human combustion in the mid-1980s. In total, they extensively studied 30 cases of spontaneous human combustion, with cases spanning three centuries, highlighting several points of interest about the phenomenon. 

One thing they highlighted was the fact that many of the victims had been discovered close to fireplaces or candles, possibly highlighting a source of ignition. Moreover, many of the victims had been incapacitated at the time of the incident, usually through alcohol consumption, something they stated was likely to make the respective victims somewhat careless in their final hours, as well as reducing their ability to respond to any situations unfolding around them. 

It was also Nickell and Fischer who put forward the “wick effect” explanation, stating that combustible materials close to the victims would have assisted in retaining melted fat, which would, in turn, localize the flames and cause the body to burn quicker, which also then melted more fat. At the time this explanation was put forward, it was felt spontaneous human consumption had at last been explained. However, in the decades that have followed, other researchers have dismissed the wick effect as simply not being plausible.

Nickell and Fischer also explained why clothing, papers, and furniture remained largely undamaged despite their proximity to the respective victims. They offered that this was because fire tended to “burn upwards” as opposed to sideways, further offering that this was similar to people and objects being around a campfire without catching fire. 

Although they had put forward multiple explanations for the cases they had studied, they cautioned against a “one size fits all” explanation and urged other researchers to investigate claims of spontaneous human combustion on a case-by-case basis. 

With that in mind, there have been many other explanations put forward to explain the mysteries of spontaneous human combustion. In his book Ablaze! The Mysterious Fires of Spontaneous Human Combustion, Larry E. Arnold suggested that a subatomic particle that he named “pyroton” could be responsible for the many cases on record. He offered that this particle could, under certain circumstances and in certain conditions, increase the body’s flammability, particularly if there was increased alcohol in the bloodstream. He also offered that stress could act in such a way. Moreover, according to Arnold’s research, this increased flammability used hardly any oxygen, which is why the body burned so quickly and why the flames themselves didn’t spread. We should note that Joe Nickell was highly critical of Arnold’s methods and conclusions, stating that he used “selective evidence” for his research. 

John Abrahamson suggested, after his research into spontaneous human combustion, that ball lightning was responsible, highlighting how cases of ball lightning had left similar charred and burnt marks on human limbs. Similar to Arnold, however, most people dismissed these findings as unlikely at best. 

Of course, one suggestion we should consider is whether there could be a more paranormal explanation for spontaneous human combustion, perhaps even dealings with demonic entities, or even the Devil himself. And while such considerations sound bizarre, there are several such cases on record. Perhaps one of the first researchers to suggest this was Michael Harrison, who drew comparisons between poltergeist activity and spontaneous human combustion in his 1976 book Fire From Heaven. He looked at several such cases, pondering if objects could burst into flames through poltergeist activity, then maybe human beings could too. It is certainly worth considering, and while it would be almost impossible to delve into this aspect of past cases, it would be interesting to find out how many people who were apparent victims of spontaneous human combustion might have also experienced paranormal or poltergeist activity in the weeks and months leading up to their unfortunate and untimely ends. 

It is also interesting to note that many people who have witnessed spontaneous human combustion up close report seeing a bizarre mix of red, orange, and blue. The color of the flames is, generally speaking, determined by the material being burned, as well as the heat of the flames themselves. Could it be, though, that in cases of spontaneous human combustion, the flames, or the source of them, is something supernatural? We might also consider, particularly in the case of the Tuck family, which we will explore in a moment, that a strong odor of sulfur was also noticed, something which is common in not only poltergeist cases, but also Bigfoot encounters, and cases of alien abduction. Once more, does this suggest some kind of connection between different aspects of the paranormal, and does spontaneous human combustion fit into these bizarre and mysterious encounters somehow?

If we turn our attention to the Tuck family, we can find not only one of the most intense poltergeist cases on record, but a case that featured regular blazes appearing out of nowhere. The encounters of the Tuck family – Calvin, his wife Willie Bell, and their six children – began in August 1958. The family, who were already living in absolute poverty, began experiencing small, unexplained fires around their home in Talladega, Alabama. Moreover, some of the objects that seemingly burst into flames were as strange as the incidents themselves. On one occasion, for example, a loaf of bread suddenly burst into flames, while on another, a single item of clothing was engulfed while nearby garments were strangely unaffected. Once more, it is worth noting that the family stated that the flames of these strange fires were a strange mix of red and blue, and were almost always accompanied by the smell of sulfur. 

These fires broke out at random times, and while they were small to begin with, the intensity soon increased, as did the regularity of the fires. In total, over 50 fires were reported by the Tuck family, with several people outside the family also witnessing these bizarre events. In fact, one person, a contractor working at the home, claimed to have witnessed small fires breaking out at the property every 15 minutes. Eventually, with no explanation in sight, the Tuck family sought help from the authorities, although they were equally as mystified. 

The family noted that these fires usually started at the ceiling, although, as the family didn’t have access to electricity, faulty wiring had to be dismissed as the cause. Eventually, with the fires becoming so regular, as well as threatening to spread to other properties, several neighbors stood guard outside the Tuck property with buckets of water, ready to put out any fires that might start while the Tuck family slept. This assistance worked temporarily. Then, however, the Tuck family was confronted with a day of “relentless” fires that spread so quickly that their home was burned to the ground. Fortunately, none of the Tuck family was harmed, but they, of course, were left homeless. With no insurance and even less money, there was no possibility for the Tuck family to rebuild. Ultimately, they moved to a nearby property. However, only hours after they had done so, fires began breaking out in their new abode. 

At this point, undoubtedly worn down by the constant bizarre activity, Calvin dragged all of the family’s possessions out of the new house and set fire to them, believing that they must be cursed and that by destroying them, they would stop the fires. It didn’t. The fires continued, eventually burning down their new property. Homeless once more, the Tuck family moved in with Calvin’s brother-in-law, Darnell Suttle. However, almost immediately, the fires followed them there also. 

The Tuck family and Suttle took to keeping buckets of water in each room, ready to douse any potential fires. Once more, the authorities were contacted, with police officers arriving at the home shortly afterward. When they arrived, they saw a blanket draped over a branch in a tree outside the house. To their absolute shock, the piece of material burst into flames right in front of them. Then, after several moments, the flames simply stopped. One of the officers walked over to the blanket and attempted to set it alight with his lighter. To his shock, the flames refused to take hold. 

Once the officers went inside the house, Willie Bell informed them that several items of their clothing had ignited similarly, with officers noting severe burn marks where the clothes had been. 

Ultimately, after several days, Suttle, fearing his own property would burn to the ground, asked the Tuck family to leave. With nowhere left to go and with no money, the Tuck family moved in with Calvin’s father. The fires, though, moved with them. At this point, with nowhere left to turn, the family sought the advice of a Voodoo doctor, who offered that a “fire curse” was responsible for the strange occurrences. He gave the family a strange herbal mixture that he instructed them to chew daily for three days, as well as a concoction in a bottle that they were to bury in the yard of the property. They did as instructed, but the fires continued. 

Shortly after, the authorities began a full investigation of the events, fearing not only for the Tuck family but also for other nearby residents, and an incident witnessed by the local Fire Chief gave the first clue as to what might be causing these bizarre events. The Fire Chief, as well as other officers, witnessed an old rag suddenly bursting into flames. However, after it had been incinerated in only a matter of seconds, they discovered a strange, green substance where the piece of material had been. Although they couldn’t explain how, they began to suspect that arson might be the cause of these strange events. In fact, when the Tuck family moved again, this time to a friend’s house, the authorities kept a close eye on them, treating the incidents as a crime. In part due to the strange green substance they had discovered, officers began to suspect that phosphorus had been used to somehow start the fires. However, while extremely flammable, phosphorus is also extremely volatile, and is only safe when handled by an expert, which Calvin or his family certainly was not. 

Then, things took an even stranger turn. 

Out of the blue, The Tucks’ 9-year-old son, Calvin Jr., claimed he was behind the fires, claiming he had started them using matches or by making rags “smolder” so that they burst into flames. He did this in an attempt to trick his family that the house they were living in was haunted in the hope that they would move back to Birmingham. He further stated that he only wanted to scare his family into moving and didn’t intend for the properties to burn down. He was sent for psychiatric evaluation, with the police more than certain that they had found their culprit. Some people, however, were more than skeptical about this confession. 

They asked, for example, how a young boy could have perfected the slow-burning process of a smoldering rag so that it appeared to simply burst into flames. Moreover, this didn’t explain the blanket that burst into flames on the tree, and we should recall that when the officer went to light the blanket, it simply wouldn’t ignite. Perhaps even more damning against the young boy’s confession was the fact that many of the fires occurred when he wasn’t even in the properties in question. 

We might consider, given the publicity the fires were generating, not to mention the concern among the local community, whether the police faced some kind of pressure to “get the case wrapped up!” This is pure speculation, but in other cases, particularly those of a paranormal nature, we have seen this type of action. 

Perhaps above all else, though, we might ask, if we assume for one moment that Calvin Jr. was responsible for the fires, how did he manage to control the flames to the point that one item was incinerated while items around them remained untouched, a detail, incidentally, that is also prevalent in cases of spontaneous human combustion. Ultimately, the cause of the fires remains a complete mystery. 

As we can see, then, spontaneous human combustion, whatever the cause might be, is very real and has left a trail of destruction and death in its wake. Are the encounters we have explored here simply cases of carelessness? Or might we even consider that one day science will understand what makes some people seemingly burst into flames? Or could it really be that these cases have more of a paranormal origin? As always, there are many more questions than answers.

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

16-09-2025 om 18:47 geschreven door peter  

The moon is drifting AWAY from Earth at a rate of 1.5 inches per year – and it could mean days become 25 hours long, scientists warn

• READ MORE: NASA finds clearest sign of life on Mars yet

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

It's the reliable celestial companion that's stuck around for 4.5 billion years.

But the moon is slowly drifting away from Earth, a physicist has revealed.

Dr Stephen DiKerby, a researcher in Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University, said the moon is getting 1.5 inches (3.8cm) further away from our planet every year.

As a result, the Earth's rotation is also slowing down, he revealed. And it means that – over time – days could get longer.

The revelation helps explain why around 70 million years ago, near the end of the time of the dinosaurs, Earth's days were only 23.5 hours long.

As the moon continues to move further away, the number of seconds, minutes and eventually hours in a day will also gradually increase – but it's likely none of us alive today will be around to notice it.

'Don't worry, these effects are so small,' he wrote on The Conversation. '1.5 inches per year compared to a distance of 239,000 miles (384,000 km) is just 0.00000001 per cent per year.

'We'll keep having eclipses, tides and days that last 24 hours for millions of years.'

The moon is getting 1.5 inches further away from our planet every year, an expert revealed. Pictured: The moon over London in February 2023

Dr DiKerby explained that the moon is getting further away due to our tides.

The Earth's tides are strongly influenced by the moon's gravitational pull, which causes our oceans to slosh in two bulges.

One points towards the moon, because this is where the force of gravity is the strongest, while the other points away from the moon, where the force is weakest.

'These liquid bulges do not quite line up with the moon,' Dr DiKerby said. 'They "lead" it a little bit because the Earth is rotating and dragging them forward.

'This forward pull from the closer tidal bulge causes the moonto speed up, which causes the size of its orbit to increase.

'This means that the moongets slightly farther away from the Earth.'

However, he reassured that the effect is very gradual and is only detectable on average over years.

'If we fast–forward tens of billions of years into the future, eventually the Earth's rotation could slow down until it is tidally locked with the moon,' he said.

The Earth's tides are strongly influenced by the moon's gravitational pull, which causes our oceans to slosh in two bulges. Pictured: The moon over the Dolomites

'At this point the moon would stop getting more distant, and you would see the moon only from one side of the Earth.'

Future generations will never get to witness this phenomenon, however.

First, in around a billion years, the Sun will get brighter and boil away the oceans, meaning there are no longer tides to influence the moon's position in the sky, he explained. 

And second, a few billion years later, the Sun will expand into a red giant, likely destroying the Earth – and the moon.

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

16-09-2025 om 18:38 geschreven door peter  

Chinese scientists hunt for alien radio signals in 'potentially habitable' TRAPPIST-1 system

By Mark Thompson

Researchers in China have conducted the most thorough search yet for alien radio signals in the nearby TRAPPIST-1 system, which may harbor potentially Earth-like planets.

Trappist-1, seen here in this illustration with the Sun for scale, has been the target of the search for extra-terrestrial signals. 

(Image credit: CactiStaccingCrane)

TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star located about 40 light years away that hosts seven Earth sized rocky planets, with at least three orbiting in the habitable zone where liquid water could potentially exist. This makes it one of the most Solar System like exoplanet systems discovered, with TRAPPIST-1e considered among the best potentially habitable exoplanets. The system's proximity and multiple potentially habitable worlds make it an ideal target for searching for technological civilizations.

The research team conducted their search using the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) to exploit its unprecedented sensitivity. The observations consisted of five independent L-band pointings, each with a 20 minute integration, for a total time of 1.67 hours. The frequency coverage spanned 1.05 to 1.45GHz with a spectral resolution of ~7.5Hz allowing them to detect extremely weak radio signals that might indicate alien technology.

The team led by Guang-Yuan Song from the Dezhou University in China looked for very precise radio frequencies that slowly changed over time due to planetary motion.

Related: 

• Will the James Webb telescope lead us to alien life? Scientists say we're getting closer than ever.

Such signals would be virtually impossible to produce naturally and would strongly suggest artificial origin from an advanced civilization. Based on the configuration of FAST, the researchers had the ability to detect radio signals as weak as 2.04×10^10 watts. This means they were able to detect fainter signals than any previous studies. If there were aliens transmitting radio signals regularly on a specific frequency, this study would be more likely to find them than earlier attempts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Alas, the search found no convincing evidence of alien technology. However, rather than being disappointing, this result still provides valuable scientific information. It places upper limits on the presence of certain types of alien transmitters in the TRAPPIST-1 system and demonstrates the remarkable capabilities of modern SETI searches.

RELATED STORIES

• Potentially habitable planet TRAPPIST-1b may have a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere
• Will the James Webb telescope lead us to alien life? Scientists say we're getting closer than ever.
• Cosmic rays could help support alien life on worlds outside the 'Goldilocks zone'

It may be some years or even decades before we can completely rule out life in the TRAPPIST-1 system but at least for now, it remains a compelling target for future SETI efforts. The team plans to expand their search to look for other types of signals, including periodic or transient transmissions that might be missed by current methods.

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence remains one of our most profound scientific endeavors, with the potential to fundamentally transform our understanding of our place in the universe. As we continue to peer out into space with ever greater precision, we're not just looking for aliens, we're taking the first steps toward what may be the most significant moment in human history.​​​​​​​​​​

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.livescience.com/space/extraterrestrial-life }

15-09-2025 om 22:27 geschreven door peter  

Scientists measure the 'natal kick' that sent a baby black hole careening through space for the first time

You may like

Scientists detect most massive black hole merger ever — and it birthed a monster 225 times as massive as the sun

This supermassive black hole is eating way too quickly — and 'burping' at near-light speeds

James Webb telescope spots earliest black hole in the known universe, looking 'as far back as you can practically go'

"It's a remarkable demonstration of what gravitational waves can do," study co-author Koustav Chandra, an astrophysicist at Pennsylvania State University said in a statement.

Collision signals

When black holes careen toward one another they produce gravitational waves. But when one black hole is much more massive than the other, the gravitational waves produced look very different depending on the angle from which they are observed.

By looking from different angles, researchers can find the direction of the kick. Then, the kick’s speed can be determined by measuring the mass ratio and spin of the two original black holes — information that can also be determined from studying gravitational waves.

Related: 

• Scientists detect most massive black hole merger ever — and it birthed a monster 225 times as massive as the sun

If the recoil from the collision is strong enough to slingshot the merged black hole from its star cluster, this prevents this new black hole from subsequently merging with other black holes and potentially forming a supermassive black hole — which can be 100,000 to 50 billion times the mass of the sun. This makes understanding the speed and direction of kicks essential for tracking the formation of supermassive black holes.

In 2018, study co-author Juan Calderón Bustillo and his colleagues figured out exactly how to measure the natal kick based on these gravitational wave signals. But their model had to rely on simulations, as no black hole merger resulting in a recoil had been detected at that point.

Then, on April 12, 2019, the Advanced LIGO detectors in Louisiana and Washington State and the Virgo detector in Italy recorded the GW190412 picked up a signal resulting from two stellar-mass black holes merging: One 29.7 times as massive as the sun and the other 8.4 times as massive.

Despite taking place more than 2.4 billion light-years away from Earth, the researchers used two angles relative to Earth to determine where the kick sent the newborn black hole. It raced away from its birth site, likely a dense grouping of stars called a globular cluster, at an astonishing 111,600 miles per hour (179,600 kilometers per hour). This speed would be more than enough to enable it to escape the cluster and become a runaway black hole.

"This is one of the few phenomena in astrophysics where we're not just detecting something," Chandra said. "We're reconstructing the full 3D motion of an object that's billions of light-years away, using only ripples in spacetime."

The team’s next steps will be to look for more black hole mergers to measure with both gravitational waves and visible light, a search that could yield deeper insights into how the cosmic monsters grow.

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

15-09-2025 om 22:14 geschreven door peter  

Scientists reveal exactly what will happen if the Earth continues to spin faster - including devastating earthquakes and catastrophic flooding

• READ MORE: Experts blame climate change for the record–breaking summer

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

You may already feel as if there’s not enough time in the day. 

But it's not just your imagination – the days have been getting shorter. 

According to scientists, July 9, July 22 and August 5 this year were between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24-hour day. 

Although the exact reason is still a mystery, there could be several causes, such as changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers, motion in the Earth's core, and a weakening magnetic field.

While the loss of a few milliseconds is not a cause for too much concern, a frightening new book imagines a world literally 'spinning out of control'.

In 'Circular Motion' by Alex Foster, days on Earth last 23 hours, then 20 hours, and then eventually two hours.

Like a supercharged spinning top, the planet spins so fast that even gravity loses its grip, as the sun rises and sets ever faster. 

Now, experts reveal the real implications of such a terrifying scenario, from large-scale disasters, floods and earthquakes. 

A new novel called 'Circular Motion' by Alex Foster imagines a world literally spinning out of control, until a day last just two hours 

In Foster's new novel, Earth's rotation speeds up due to a network of massive aircraft that orbit the Earth at 30,000 feet, revolutionising global transportation. 

The acceleration of Earth’s spin begins gradually, and days are just a few seconds shorter than normal, so nobody initially notices. 

However, Earth’s spin progressively gets faster and faster until a day lasts just two hours – triggering a global catastrophe. 

If Earth's spin really did get faster, experts say it cause a 'centrifugal effect' where the things start to swing away from the planet's axis, much like the hanging chairs on a spinning carousel ride.

Earth's oceans would start to bulge around the equator, giving the planet more of a diamond shape, with sloping northern and southern hemispheres. 

Water pulled from the polar regions (where centrifugal force is low) would cause the Arctic Ocean to become shallower and send the equatorial region underwater. 

Even land around the equator that's not underwater could have a greatly increased chance of tsunamis and flooding. 

Duncan Agnew, professor of geophysics at the University of California San Diego, said the 'largest changes would be in the ocean tides'. 

This long-exposure photo of the northern night sky above the Nepali Himalayas shows the apparent paths of the stars as Earth rotates. If Earth spun fast enough, is this what we would see?

According to scientists, July 9, July 22 and August 5 this year were between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24-hour day . Although the exact reason is still a mystery, there could be several causes, such as changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers, motion in the Earth's core, and a weakening magnetic field (stock image)

Could the world keep going faster?

It is unlikely that the world will start to spin faster. In fact, the world is actually slowing down over time.

About 4.4 billion years ago, the planet was spinning so fast that days lasted four minutes. But this slowed down after a large object hit Earth and created the moon.

The only way Earth could speed up is if a large object hits at just the right angle. But this would likely liquify the planet's crust, so no humans would survive to see the results.  

As any beach-goer knows, in coastal areas around the world there are high tides and low tides, which are due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, combined with the rotation of Earth.  

The daily rotation of the Earth produces two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes. 

'Change that by 10 per cent and the tides in some places would get larger and in others smaller,' Professor Agnew told the Daily Mail. 

Also, the faster the Earth's spin, the faster tectonic plates would move, would could add to more geological stress and 'a lot of earthquakes', the academic added. 

It’s worth remembering that the equator (where Earth’s circumference is the widest) spins faster than elsewhere, such as the tropics or the poles. 

The equator spins at about 1,025 miles (1,650km) per hour, while the poles spin barely above zero miles per hour. 

As Earth spins and we go around with it, we are held into place by gravity, but if the Earth spun fast enough, centrifugal force would overcome gravity, causing objects to be flung into space. 

'The faster Earth turns, the more gravity will be canceled out and the lighter you’ll feel,' said Foster in a piece for New Scientist. 

Hurricanes will spin faster and carry more energy if the world's spin greatly increases, researchers claim. In this picture from space, a swirling hurricane forms

The faster Earth's spin, the faster tectonic plates would move, would could add to more geological stress and 'a lot of earthquakes'. Pictured, damage from Afghanistan earthquake, September 4, 2025

NASA astronomer Dr Sten Odenwald also warned that weather phenomena would become more extreme, capable of causing more damage. 

As the planet spins faster, an apparent force known as the Coriolis effect, which gives hurricanes their spin, intensifies. 

'Hurricanes will spin faster and carry more energy,' Dr Odenwald said.

If Earth’s spin increased, there would of course also be both less sunlight in the day and less time to sleep at night, which might make humans less productive. 

People would have keep putting their clocks back as the days shortened, or come up with a whole new time-keeping system.

Humans have a 'circadian rhythm' – an internal clock that is closely attuned to the 24-hour day – which can cause physical and mental issues if disrupted (by factors like plane travel).

Additionally, many satellites would no longer be positioned correctly, which could disrupt satellite communications, internet, TV broadcasting and more.

Luckily, Professor Agnew said the idea of Earth's rotation speeding up to the extent portrayed in the new novel is a 'particularly absurd premise'. 

Each day on Earth contains 86,400 seconds, but the rotation isn't uniform, which means over the course of a year, each day has a fraction of a second more or less

'This cannot happen and nothing like it has ever been observed for any planet or star,' Professor Agnew told the Daily Mail. 

In actual fact, the Earth has been rotating more and more slowly over the long-term, but this change has been very gradual.

'A billion years ago the day was maybe 19 hours long,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'If you went back to when there were dinosaurs and didn't have a clock you wouldn't probably notice that the day was 30 minutes shorter.' 

Dr Judah Levine, Fellow of the US government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland, also questioned how close the book's premise is to 'real physics'. 

'If the story is loosely connected to reality, then the speed-up of Earth had to be accompanied by something else losing angular momentum, maybe the orbit of the moon,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'This is a fundamental principle.'

Maybe the orbit of the moon losing angular momentum could cause the speed-up of Earth, he added.  

'If that is what happens, the moon gets a lot closer, and the tidal effects become much stronger and more frequent because the periods are driven by the length of the day.' 

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

15-09-2025 om 20:51 geschreven door peter  

Earth has another moon! Hidden 'quasi-moon' has been following our planet for decades, astronomers reveal

• READ MORE:  NASA finds clearest sign of life on Mars

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

For the last 4.5 billion years our planet has had a reliable celestial companion – the moon.

Its orbit around the Earth has a profound effect on life here, from influencing the tides to stabilising our seasons.

But astronomers have now discovered another sidekick that may have been following our planet around for some time.

Experts at the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii have spotted a quasi-moon, called ‘2025 PN7’, that has been tagging along after Earth since the 1960s.

This cosmic body is actually an asteroid, they explained, and – rather than orbit the Earth – it is orbiting the Sun on a similar trajectory to our planet.

The astronomers made the discovery after analysing orbital data from the asteroid, which is just 19 metres (62ft) wide.

They determined it has been in a quasi-orbit for around 60 years and would likely be nearby for another 60 years or so before departing.

It joins the six other known quasi-moons in Earth-like orbits - but boasts the title of the ‘smallest and the least stable’.

Experts have spotted a quasi-moon, an asteroid called ‘2025 PN7’, that has been tagging along after Earth since the 1960s

(stock image)

Scientists have been aware of quasi-satellites since 1991 when they first discovered ‘1991 VG’ – which some believed to be an alien probe at the time.

‘Over three decades later, it is now widely accepted that such objects are natural and constitute a secondary asteroid belt that occupies the region in which the Earth-moon system orbits around the sun,’ the researchers wrote.

Unlike our moon, which can usually been seen with the naked eye, this quasi-moon is only visible through good telescopes.

And although it may appear to be orbiting Earth it is not gravitationally bound to our planet.

While it may sound like this neighbour has been ‘following’ Earth for quite some time, it’s relatively short compared to another famous quasi-moon, Kamo’oalewa, which has an Earth-related orbit lasting around 381 years.

Quasi-moons are part of a special category of space objects called Arjunas, that move in sync with our planet’s journey around the sun.

2025 PN7 maintains a wide range of distances from Earth – anywhere between around 2.8 million miles (4.5 million km) and 37 million miles (59 million km).

These quasi-moons in Earth-like orbits are ‘full of surprises’ co-author Carlos de la Fuente Marcos, from the Complutense University of Madrid, told Live Science.

Earth's orbit around the Sun (blue) contrasted with that of its quasi-moon Kamo'oalewa (yellow, labeled with its provisional designation 2016 HO3). The large yellow circle traces just one of the quasi-moon's orbits around the Sun. Over many orbits, it also traces the series of loops around Earth shown to the right

This new quasi-moon is ‘small, faint and visibility windows from Earth are rather unfavourable, so it is not surprising that it went unnoticed for that long,’ he explained.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which recently became operational, can scan for other quasi-moons and ‘may uncover many more’.

The latest discovery was recently published in Research Notes of the AAS.

Alongside quasi-moons the Earth is sometimes joined by ‘minimoons’ – objects that do orbit our planet but only temporarily.

Only four have ever been discovered, and none are still orbiting Earth.

Experts from The Planetary Society said: ‘Quasi-moons and minimoons are pieces of our neighbourhood in space, and they carry information about where they come from. They might originate in the main asteroid belt, from impacts on the Moon, or from the break-up of larger objects on similar orbits — scientists don’t know for sure.

‘Answering that question, and finding out what these almost-moons are made of, can help researchers learn more about asteroids and how they threaten Earth.’

The phases of the moon

Like Earth, the Moon has a day side and a night side, which change as the Moon rotates. 

The Sun always illuminates half of the Moon while the other half remains dark, but how much we are able to see of that illuminated half changes as the Moon travels through its orbit.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the phases of the moon are:

1. New Moon

This is the invisible phase of the Moon, with the illuminated side of the Moon facing the Sun and the night side facing Earth.

2. Waxing crescent

This silver sliver of a Moon occurs when the illuminated half of the Moon faces mostly away from Earth, with only a tiny portion visible to us from our planet.

3. First Quarter 

The Moon is now a quarter of the way through its monthly journey and you see half of its illuminated side. 

4. Waxing Gibbous

Now most of the Moon's dayside has come into view, and the Moon appears brighter in the sky. 

5. Full Moon

This is as close as we come to seeing the Sun's illumination of the entire day side of the Moon.

6. Waning Gibbous

As the Moon begins its journey back toward the Sun, the opposite side of the Moon now reflects the Moon’s light. 

7. Last Quarter

The Moon looks like it’s half illuminated from the perspective of Earth, but really you’re seeing half of the half of the Moon that’s illuminated by the Sun ― or a quarter. 

8. Waning Crescent

The Moon is nearly back to the point in its orbit where its dayside directly faces the Sun, and all that we see from our perspective is a thin curve. 

RELATED VIDEOS

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

15-09-2025 om 20:38 geschreven door peter  

The Impact Event that Shaped Earth’s History: An In-Depth Scientific Analysis of the 35-Million-Year-Old Asteroid Collision

Introduction

Throughout Earth's complex geological history, extraterrestrial impacts have played a significant role in shaping the planet’s surface, climate, and biological evolution. Among these, asteroid impacts stand out due to their catastrophic potential and their ability to produce profound, sometimes global-scale effects. Approximately 35 million years ago, a colossal asteroid struck the eastern coast of what is today North America, leaving behind one of Earth's largest and best-preserved impact craters beneath Chesapeake Bay. This event not only caused immediate destruction but also triggered a series of subsequent catastrophic phenomena, including massive tsunamis and environmental upheaval. Recent research has provided new insights into this ancient impact, revealing the event's true scale and its far-reaching consequences. This comprehensive analysis aims to detail the geological evidence, reconstruct the sequence of events, and explore the implications of this impact for Earth's history, drawing from recent scientific findings published in the journal Southeastern Geology.

A 5-kilometer asteroid caused two devastating planetary-scale catastrophes 35 million years ago.
Illustrative photo: SciTechDaily

The Asteroid: Dimensions, Velocity, and Impact Site

The impactor was approximately 5 kilometers in diameter, a size capable of releasing an enormous amount of energy upon collision. Traveling at velocities exceeding 64,000 km/h (about 17.8 km/s), the asteroid imparted an immense kinetic energy, estimated at roughly 10^24 joules—comparable to billions of nuclear bombs detonating simultaneously. Such an energy release would have instantaneously vaporized a vast area, generated shock waves propagating through Earth’s crust, and initiated global environmental disturbances.

The impact site was in what is now Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, a region characterized by sedimentary deposits accumulated over millions of years. The collision created a transient crater that, over geological time, was buried beneath sediment and oceanic deposits, resulting in the present-day impact structure lying approximately 500 meters below the current ocean floor. This buried crater remains one of the best-preserved terrestrial impact structures, providing a unique window into the processes and consequences of asteroid impacts.

Geological Evidence of the Impact

Recent geological studies, notably those published in Southeastern Geology, have uncovered compelling evidence of the impact event far from the crater itself. Notably, fossils and rock layers discovered in Moore County, North Carolina—approximately 386 km southwest of the impact site—serve as a crucial record of the event's global influence. The identification and analysis of these layers have significantly advanced our understanding of the impact’s scale and consequence.

An asteroid struck the East Coast of North America 35 million years ago. Ejected material from the impact site was distributed over an area of at least four million square miles. Researchers have found clear traces of the impact and dated them for the first time using the uranium-thorium-helium technique. ODP 1073 on the map refers to the ocean drilling project site where the sample material for this study was collected.
Credit: GEBCO world map 2014, www.gebco.net

Layered Sedimentary Record

Central to this research is a nearly one-meter-thick stratigraphic sequence containing four distinct layers, each representing different phases of the impact aftermath:

1. Bottom Layer (43 cm thick): This layer is rich in sandy clay, carbon glass (also known as tektites), and rock fragments. The presence of iridium at concentrations up to 18 parts per billion (ppb)—a hallmark of extraterrestrial material—provides unequivocal evidence that this layer originated from an extraterrestrial impact. Iridium is rare on Earth's crust but abundant in meteorites, making its presence a key indicator of cosmic origin.

2. Second Layer (9 cm thick): Comprising silt and loosely bound quartz and carbon fragments with reduced iridium levels, this layer signifies the dispersal of smaller impact ejecta as the initial shock wave dispersed material into the atmosphere and surrounding environment.

3. Third Layer (6 cm thick): Consisting of a mixture of marine sediments and seabed fragments, this layer indicates subsequent geological processes, particularly water filling the crater and triggering massive landslides of marine sediments into the impact basin.

4. Fourth Layer (15 cm thick): Composed of coarse sand and gravel, this uppermost layer bears the signature of a powerful tsunami wave depositing large sediments over the existing layers.

The stratigraphy offers a comprehensive timeline of the impact event, detailing the progression from the initial collision to subsequent environmental changes. Each layer reflects a distinct phase, revealing insights into the destructive processes and their global effects. Understanding this sequence helps scientists piece together the event’s magnitude and consequences, providing valuable context for Earth's geological history and impact assessment.

1. Impact and Shock Wave Generation

 The collision of the asteroid with Earth's surface instantly generated an intense hypersonic shock wave that propagated rapidly through the crust. This energy release caused widespread destruction within hundreds of kilometers, obliterating everything in its path, including flora, fauna, and geological formations. The shock wave also led to the melting and vaporization of rocks, producing molten debris that was ejected high into the atmosphere. The immense pressure and heat created a transient but powerful zone of devastation, marking the beginning of the catastrophic sequence. This phase is critical because it set the stage for subsequent environmental upheavals, and the physical evidence of shock deformation in minerals confirms the immense energy involved.

2. Ejection and Atmospheric Dispersal

Within minutes of impact, a layer rich in impact ejecta, such as tektites and iridium-bearing material, was deposited across a vast area. These materials settle over regions as distant as Massachusetts and Barbados, demonstrating the event's enormous dispersal capacity. The presence of iridium, a rare extraterrestrial element, confirms the asteroid's origin. This layer provides a precise marker for dating the impact event, serving as a key stratigraphic reference point. The dispersal of molten and shattered debris not only signifies the initial energy release but also indicates the widespread atmospheric circulation that transported these materials globally. The distribution pattern reflects the impact's immense force and the Earth's atmospheric dynamics during the event.

3. Dispersal of Fine Particulates and Cloud Formation

Following the initial ejecta, a fine particulate cloud formed from pulverized rock and debris dispersed into the atmosphere. This cloud caused a significant reduction in sunlight reaching Earth's surface, leading to what is often described as an impact winter. The diminished sunlight likely caused short-term global cooling, disrupting photosynthesis and affecting ecosystems worldwide. This environmental upheaval could have contributed to the mass extinction of species, especially those sensitive to climate change. The stratigraphic record of this phase includes layers of soot and ash, indicating widespread fires and atmospheric particulates. This phase underscores how an impact event can trigger climate shifts, with short-term but profound effects on life. 

4. Crater Filling and Landslides

As water flooded the impact crater, the unstable sediments surrounding the site became prone to destabilization. Massive landslides of marine sediments cascaded into the basin, filling the crater with a mixture of soil and seabed fragments. This process signifies a transition from a primarily impact-driven environment to a water-dominated one, altering local geology dramatically. The resulting layer contains evidence of sediment reworking, including disturbed strata and displaced marine fossils. This phase reflects the ongoing geological response to the impact, highlighting how secondary processes like flooding and landslides shape the stratigraphic record. It also indicates the importance of water in modulating the impact's environmental impact.

5. Tsunami Generation and Sediment Deposition

The final, most destructive phase involved the generation of a colossal tsunami triggered by the sudden displacement of water due to the impact and crater infilling. The tsunami propagated across the Atlantic Ocean, inundating coastal regions with high-energy waves. This resulted in the deposition of coarse sediments, such as gravel and sand, over large areas, including Moore County. The uppermost stratigraphic layer records this event, characterized by high-energy deposits indicative of tsunami action. The deposits include chaotic, poorly sorted sediments with marine fossils embedded within them, evidence of rapid, forceful inundation. This phase demonstrates the global reach of impact-induced phenomena and their capacity to reshape coastlines and sedimentary environments dramatically.

A microscopic photograph of tiny silica droplets, formed by an asteroid impact.

Credit: Natalie Cheng / Bridget Weed.

Environmental and Biological Consequences

The immediate aftermath of the impact was utterly catastrophic, unleashing a series of devastating environmental effects that reshaped Earth's ecosystems. The colossal shock wave generated by the impact would have propagated across vast distances, exerting immense pressure on both terrestrial and marine life forms. Simultaneously, the intense thermal energy released during the collision caused widespread vaporization of rocks and minerals, creating a colossal plume of superheated debris that was rapidly dispersed into the atmosphere. This atmospheric dispersal of particulate matter and aerosols would have triggered a temporary but severe "impact winter," dramatically reducing sunlight penetration to Earth's surface. The resulting drop in temperatures and suppression of photosynthesis would have led to mass extinction events among many plant species and the animals dependent on them, disrupting entire food chains and ecological networks.

The climatic perturbations caused by these events likely persisted for several years, or even decades, profoundly influencing evolutionary pathways. The prolonged darkness and cold conditions would have favored the survival of species capable of enduring harsh environments, thus driving selective pressures that shaped future biodiversity. The impact's influence on climate and ecosystems could have facilitated the emergence of new adaptive traits among surviving species, setting the stage for subsequent evolutionary diversification.

In addition to atmospheric and climate effects, the impact would have generated enormous tsunami waves that radiated outward from the site of impact, inundating coastal regions and reshaping shorelines. These massive waves would have caused widespread flooding of low-lying areas, leading to the destruction of habitats and the displacement of countless organisms. The marine environment, in particular, would have undergone profound changes: sedimentation rates increased sharply due to the influx of debris, and habitats such as coral reefs and seabed communities faced destruction or significant alteration. These disruptions would have led to a decline in marine biodiversity and a reshuffling of marine ecosystems.

On land, the effects were equally severe. The intense heat and shockwaves sterilized large areas, destroying plant life and disrupting terrestrial habitats. Forests, grasslands, and other ecosystems faced massive die-offs, while soil erosion and habitat fragmentation further impeded recovery. The combined terrestrial and marine ecological upheavals resulted in a significant biotic turnover, particularly during the Miocene epoch, a period marked by notable evolutionary shifts and diversification among surviving species.

Overall, the impact's environmental and biological consequences were profound, triggering immediate mass extinctions, altering climate patterns, reshaping coastlines, and instigating long-term evolutionary changes. The aftermath set in motion a series of ecological shifts that would influence the course of life on Earth for millions of years to come, marking a pivotal point in Earth's geological and biological history.

Popigai in Siberia, the result of an asteroid strike 36 million years ago, is one of the largest and most well-preserved impact craters on Earth. 

(Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens, using data from NASA/METI/AIST/Japan Space Systems and the US/Japan ASTER Science Team)

Implications for Earth's Geological and Biological Evolution

This impact event provides a compelling example of how extraterrestrial collisions have significantly influenced Earth's geological landscape as well as its biological history over millions of years. The evidence discovered in Moore County serves as a crucial piece in understanding the far-reaching effects that such catastrophes can have. Scientific investigations reveal that the physical and chemical signatures resulting from this impact are not confined to the immediate vicinity of the impact crater but can be detected hundreds of kilometers away. These signatures include shocked minerals, specific isotopic anomalies, and unique mineral formations such as shatter cones and tektites, which serve as telltale markers of large-scale impact events.

The timing of this impact correlates with a period of notable transition in Earth's biological and ecological systems during the Miocene epoch, approximately 15 to 10 million years ago. This era was characterized by significant shifts in flora and fauna, including the evolution and extinction of various species, as well as the expansion of grasslands and the diversification of mammals. The coincidence of this impact with such biological upheavals raises the possibility that extraterrestrial collisions may have played a role in accelerating or triggering these evolutionary changes. While it remains difficult to establish a direct causal relationship, this association underscores the importance of considering extraterrestrial influences as factors in Earth's complex evolutionary history.

In addition to its implications for understanding Earth's past, this impact event enhances our knowledge of planetary defense and risk assessment strategies for the future. By studying the physical evidence and the sequence of events surrounding ancient impacts, scientists can better recognize the signatures of similar events that might occur again. This knowledge enables the development of more accurate models of impact frequency, size, and potential consequences—such as widespread environmental disruption, climate change, and mass extinctions. Furthermore, understanding the long-term geological and biological effects of past impacts informs the creation of mitigation strategies, including asteroid detection programs and deflection technologies, aimed at preventing or minimizing the damage caused by future celestial collisions.

Overall, this impact event exemplifies the profound influence extraterrestrial collisions can have on shaping Earth's surface features and biological diversity. It highlights the importance of continued research into impact geology, planetary defense, and Earth's evolutionary history to better understand our planet's past and to safeguard its future.

(Data courtesy of the Republic of Guinea and TGS) (a) regional map showing the location of the Nadir Crater on the Guinea Plateau, offshore West Africa. Other important seabed features are also highlighted, including the Nadir Seamount after which the crater is named. (b and c): regional seismic cross sections across the Guinea Plateau, showing the age of the sedimentary units across the plateau and the location of the Nadir Crater and Nadir Seamount.

Conclusion

The asteroid impact approximately 35 million years ago near present-day Chesapeake Bay represents a pivotal event in Earth's geological history, with profound and lasting effects on the planet's surface, climate, and biosphere. The recent discovery of detailed stratigraphic layers in Moore County has provided invaluable insight into the sequence of events that followed the impact. These layers reveal a complex interplay of immediate shock wave destruction, widespread wildfires, and the formation of a massive tsunami, which collectively reshaped the landscape and influenced the environment for millions of years thereafter. The irrefutable evidence of extraterrestrial origin, including shocked mineral grains and impact ejecta, emphasizes the importance of understanding cosmic influences on Earth’s history.

Studying such impact events is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it enhances our comprehension of Earth's geological and biological evolution, shedding light on how catastrophic events have contributed to mass extinctions and subsequent recovery periods. Additionally, these findings help us recognize patterns and frequencies of large asteroid impacts, which is essential for assessing future risks. As the Earth continues its orbit through a universe teeming with potential hazards, ongoing research into past impacts serves as a vital tool in planetary defense strategies.

Furthermore, understanding the aftermath of such impacts can inform us about the resilience and adaptability of life, offering lessons on survival and recovery following global catastrophes. The knowledge gained not only satisfies scientific curiosity but also has practical implications for preparing for future impact threats. As technology advances, our ability to detect and potentially mitigate such events improves, emphasizing the importance of continued research and international cooperation in planetary defense efforts.

In conclusion, the study of the Chesapeake Bay impact event and similar occurrences underscores the dynamic and interconnected nature of Earth's history and its cosmic environment. These investigations deepen our appreciation of Earth's vulnerability and resilience while guiding us toward better preparedness for possible future cosmic encounters. Ultimately, understanding Earth's impact record enriches our knowledge of planetary evolution and supports the ongoing quest to safeguard our planet for future generations.

{ PETER2011 }

15-09-2025 om 17:57 geschreven door peter  

Perseverance Finds Potential Chemical Signatures of Ancient Microbial Life on Mars

Introduction

The quest to discover past life on Mars has long captivated scientists and the public alike. With NASA’s Perseverance rover exploring the Jezero Crater, a site believed to have once hosted a lake, researchers are uncovering intriguing evidence that may point to ancient microbial life. A recent publication in Nature details the extensive geological, petrographic, and geochemical investigations conducted by the rover’s suite of instruments, revealing potential biosignatures in rocks of the Bright Angel formation. This article delves into these findings, their significance, and the broader implications for understanding Mars’ ancient habitability.

This artist’s impression shows how Mars may have looked about 4 billion years ago.

Image credit: M. Kornmesser / ESO.

The Geological Context of Jezero Crater

• Jezero Crater as a Window into Mars’ Past

Jezero Crater, approximately 45 kilometers in diameter, was once a lake-rich environment that preserved a diverse array of sedimentary deposits. Its geological makeup offers a unique record of Mars' early climate and potential habitability. The crater’s deposits include mudstones and conglomerates indicative of flowing water and standing lakes, making it an ideal site to search for biosignatures. These sediments have the potential to contain organic molecules and microfossils, providing crucial clues about past life possibilities on Mars. The stratigraphy within Jezero reveals multiple episodes of water activity, including lake formation and sedimentation, which are essential for understanding the planet's climatic evolution. Moreover, the mineralogical composition of these deposits, such as clay minerals and carbonates, further supports the evidence of a once warmer and wetter environment. Studying these geological features helps scientists reconstruct Mars’ climatic history and assess its habitability during the Noachian period, approximately 3.8 to 4.1 billion years ago

Image showing the area of Jezero Crater explored by the Perseverance rover.

Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

• Bright Angel Formation: A Sedimentary Archive

Within Jezero, the Bright Angel formation comprises sedimentary rocks deposited by aqueous processes. These include fine-grained mudstones, layered beds, and conglomerates. Such rocks form in environments where water interacts with sediments over extended periods, often creating conditions conducive to the preservation of organic molecules and mineralogical signs of biological activity. The layered nature of the Bright Angel formation suggests repeated cycles of sedimentation, possibly related to lake level changes or seasonal variations. The presence of clay minerals within these sediments indicates neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, favorable for preserving organic compounds. Additionally, the conglomerates contain rounded pebbles and cobbles that reveal information about water flow velocities and sediment transport mechanisms. The detailed analysis of these rocks by Perseverance provides insights into the environmental conditions that prevailed during sediment deposition, including water chemistry, temperature, and duration of aqueous episodes. These findings are vital in understanding the habitability potential of Jezero’s past environments and guiding future exploration efforts.

• Exploration of Neretva Vallis

Perseverance’s entry into Neretva Vallis, on the western edge of Jezero, allowed the rover to investigate distinctive outcrops of the Bright Angel formation. The rover’s detailed analyses of these rocks have yielded key insights into their composition and formation history. By examining the mineralogy and texture of the outcrops, scientists have identified signatures of aqueous alteration, such as clay minerals and sulfates, which indicate past interactions with water. The morphology of the outcrops reveals layered structures that suggest episodic sedimentation, possibly during different lake stages or flood events. These observations help reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions, including water chemistry, pH, and redox states. Furthermore, the geochemical data obtained from Neretva Vallis outcrops have provided evidence for mineral stabilization processes that may have contributed to the preservation of potential biosignatures. The exploration of this area continues to refine our understanding of Mars’ aqueous history and enhances the search for signs of ancient life in Jezero Crater.

This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance on the surface of the Red Planet.

Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Instrumentation and Methodology

• Perseverance’s Suite of Scientific Instruments

The rover is equipped with a comprehensive array of scientific tools designed for detailed analysis of the Martian surface. In addition to SHERLOC and PIXL, it features the SuperCam, which combines laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy, and visible/near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy, enabling remote mineral identification and organic detection from a distance. The Mastcam-Z camera system provides high-resolution panoramic and stereoscopic imaging for geological context and terrain mapping. The Sample Caching System allows for the collection, sealing, and storage of promising samples for future retrieval and return missions. The MEDA (Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer) monitors atmospheric conditions, temperature, humidity, and dust levels, providing essential environmental data to support the interpretation of geological findings.

• Analytical Techniques
  • Spectroscopy: SHERLOC and PIXL provide mineralogical and molecular signatures, including Raman spectra indicative of organic carbon.The suite employs multiple spectroscopic methods, including Raman, LIBS, and X-ray fluorescence, to determine mineral compositions and detect organic compounds. These techniques identify chemical signatures indicative of past habitability and potential biosignatures.
  • Imaging: The high-resolution cameras capture detailed images of rock textures, layering, and mineral veins, revealing geological history and processes. Imaging also helps select optimal sample sites for drilling and analysis.
  • Sample Collection: Perseverance drilled into rocks to collect core samples, such as from Sapphire Canyon, which are stored securely in sealed tubes. These samples are preserved for detailed laboratory analysis upon return to Earth, enabling future detailed studies of Martian geology and potential biosignatures. A core sample named Sapphire Canyon was obtained from the Bright Angel formation and stored in a sealed tube for potential future return to Earth.

Composite image showing some of the sample tubes deposited by the Perseverance rover at 'Three Forks,” a location within Mars’s Jezero Crater.

Credit: NASA JPL-Caltech

Some of the features of Chevaya Falls.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

Key Geological and Geochemical Findings

• Detection of Organic Molecules and Redox-Active Minerals

The analytical instruments identified diverse organic molecules—carbon-based compounds—embedded within the rock matrices. These organics include complex hydrocarbons and functionalized carbon compounds that suggest the past presence of biological activity or prebiotic chemistry. Alongside these, minerals such as vivianite (ferrous iron phosphate) and greigite (iron sulfide) were detected. These minerals are indicative of low-temperature, aqueous environments, often forming in conditions that support microbial life. Their presence implies that water-rock interactions played a crucial role in the mineralization process and potentially served as habitats for microbial ecosystems. The redox-active nature of these minerals suggests a dynamic environment where oxidation-reduction reactions could facilitate energy transfer, possibly supporting microbial metabolisms similar to those on early Earth. These findings point toward a past environment conducive to life, characterized by the availability of liquid water, chemical energy sources, and organic building blocks. The coexistence of organics and redox minerals strengthens the hypothesis that these rocks experienced biogeochemical processes, offering valuable insights into the planet’s potential habitability during its geological history.

• Structural Features: ‘Poppy Seeds’ and ‘Leopard Spots’

Microscopic imaging revealed distinctive textures within the rocks, notably tiny nodules called 'poppy seeds' and reaction fronts known as 'leopard spots.' The 'poppy seeds' are small, spherical inclusions enriched in ferrous iron phosphate, which suggest localized mineralization possibly driven by biological or chemical processes. The 'leopard spots' display mottled patterns of mineral alteration, often associated with zones of redox change. These features are significant because they are typically formed through redox reactions involving electron transfer, processes often mediated by microbial activity. Their spatial distribution and mineralogy imply that microbial communities might have influenced mineral deposition and alteration, leaving biosignatures embedded within the rock fabric. Such features serve as microscopic indicators of past biological processes and environments. Their study provides clues about the extent and nature of microbial life in ancient aqueous systems, contributing to our understanding of extraterrestrial habitability.

• Organic Signatures and the G-Band

The SHERLOC instrument detected a prominent Raman spectral feature known as the G-band within multiple Bright Angel rocks. The G-band, centered around 1580 cm^-1, is a diagnostic marker of graphitic or amorphous organic carbon. Its presence indicates that organic molecules are not only present but have undergone some degree of carbonization or graphitization, processes associated with biological activity or diagenetic alteration. The strongest G-band signals were observed at Apollo Temple, correlating with a mineral assemblage rich in carbonaceous material and redox-sensitive minerals. The detection of the G-band provides compelling evidence for the past existence of organic matter, which could have originated from biological sources or abiotic synthesis pathways. The spatial distribution of the G-band, alongside mineralogy, helps reconstruct potential environments where organics were preserved—such as low-temperature, water-rich settings that favor organic stability. These findings bolster the case for ancient habitable environments and highlight the importance of organic preservation in the geological record, both on Mars and in astrobiological research.

Interpreting the Geological and Chemical Evidence

• Redox Reactions and Microbial Metabolisms

The spatial association of organic molecules with redox-sensitive minerals suggests that chemical processes similar to microbial metabolisms on Earth could have occurred on Mars. On Earth, microbes metabolize organic matter by "breathing" iron and sulfate, leading to mineral formation. The presence of these features on Mars raises the tantalizing possibility that similar processes took place.

• Abiotic versus Biotic Origins

The findings prompt two main hypotheses:

1. Abiotic (Geochemical) Processes: The mineral structures and organic signatures could result from purely chemical reactions driven by environmental conditions, such as water chemistry, temperature, and mineral interactions, without biological intervention.

2. Biological Influence: Alternatively, microbial activity could have influenced mineral formation, with microbes metabolizing organic molecules and mediating redox reactions, leaving behind biosignatures.

• Constraints on Temperature and Formation Conditions

One critical aspect is the temperature history of these rocks. Many mineral features associated with microbial processes on Earth only form at relatively low temperatures. The analysis suggests that the rocks were never subjected to high-temperature heating, which would have obliterated delicate biosignatures. This supports the hypothesis that if life existed, it could have thrived in the aqueous environments represented by these rocks.

Perseverance’s path through Neretva Vallis and views of the Bright Angel formation.

Image credit: Hurowitz et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09413-0.

Implications for Past Life on Mars

• Potential Biosignatures and Their Significance

While the evidence remains inconclusive as definitive proof of past life, the observed features align with NASA’s criteria for potential biosignatures—molecular or mineralogical indicators that suggest biological activity in the planet's history. The co-occurrence of organic molecules with minerals formed in water-rich, redox-active environments is particularly noteworthy, as it points to conditions that could have supported microbial life. These signatures, especially when found in specific mineral matrices, increase the likelihood that biological processes may have contributed to their formation. Understanding these biosignatures enhances our knowledge of Mars’ ancient habitability and guides future exploratory missions. Further laboratory analysis will be crucial to determine whether these features originated biologically or through abiotic processes, helping to refine our criteria for detecting life beyond Earth.

• Comparison with Terrestrial Analogues

 On Earth, similar mineral-organic associations are prevalent in ancient sedimentary deposits where microbial communities thrived under comparable environmental conditions. For example, iron-rich banded iron formations and sulfur-rich sediments often host microfossils and biogenic mineral structures. These terrestrial analogues demonstrate how microbial metabolisms can influence mineral precipitation and organic preservation over geological timescales. The parallels suggest that if life ever existed on Mars, it might have employed similar metabolic pathways, particularly involving iron and sulfur cycling, which are abundant in the planet's ancient crust. Studying Earth's early ecosystems provides valuable insights into the potential biological processes that could have operated on Mars, informing the search for life and interpreting potential biosignatures.

• Sample Return and Future Research

 The core sample from Sapphire Canyon is carefully stored for eventual return to Earth, marking a significant milestone in planetary exploration. Once retrieved, comprehensive analyses in terrestrial laboratories will enable high-precision isotopic studies to determine biogenic versus abiotic origins of the detected features. Advanced techniques such as microfossil identification, mineralogical characterization, and molecular analysis will be employed, surpassing the capabilities of rover-based instruments. These investigations aim to confirm whether the observed features are indeed the result of past biological activity or are products of non-biological processes. Such definitive evidence would profoundly impact our understanding of Mars’ history and its potential to have harbored life. Moreover, the findings will guide future missions, refining biosignature detection strategies and expanding our search for extraterrestrial life elsewhere in the universe. 

Broader Scientific and Astrobiological Context

• Understanding Mars’ Habitability

The findings reinforce the idea that early Mars had environments suitable for life: persistent liquid water, chemically rich sediments, and energy sources. The presence of organic molecules and microbial-like mineral signatures suggests that habitable conditions may have persisted long enough for microbial communities to develop. These conditions provide a compelling case for Mars being a potentially life-supporting environment in its past. The detection of water-related minerals, such as clays and sulfates, indicates that Mars experienced prolonged aqueous activity, which is essential for the emergence and sustenance of life. Moreover, the chemical richness of sediments points to the availability of nutrients necessary for microbial metabolism. The energy sources, possibly derived from volcanic activity or chemical gradients, could have powered biological processes. Understanding these factors helps scientists reconstruct the planet’s ancient climate and assess its capacity to harbor life, guiding future exploration efforts to identify specific sites with the highest potential for biosignatures. Such insights are crucial in establishing Mars’ role in the broader narrative of life's origins in the universe and assessing the planet’s potential as a future habitat for human exploration. 

NASA's Perseverance rover captured this selfie on 23 July 2024, near a rock known as Cheyava Falls, which shows evidence that it may have once been home to microbial life.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

• Astrobiological Significance

Discovering potential biosignatures on Mars has profound implications for understanding the universality of life. If microbial processes can form mineral-Organic associations in Martian environments, it broadens the scope of where life could exist or have existed elsewhere in the universe. These findings suggest that life may not be confined to Earth-like conditions but could potentially thrive in a variety of extraterrestrial settings. The detection of organic molecules, combined with mineral signatures indicative of biological activity, supports the hypothesis that life’s building blocks are widespread and that similar processes might occur on other planetary bodies, such as Europa or Enceladus. This expands the astrobiological search beyond traditional habitable zones, encouraging scientists to explore diverse environments that may harbor life. Additionally, understanding how biosignatures form and are preserved on Mars provides critical insights into the longevity and detectability of extraterrestrial life signals. These discoveries fuel the scientific quest to answer whether life exists beyond Earth, shaping future missions aimed at detecting definitive signs of past or present life on other planets and moons.

• Challenges and Limitations

Despite the excitement, scientists emphasize caution. The features observed could result from non-biological processes, such as mineralization, chemical reactions, or abiotic mineral formation. Differentiating between biological and abiotic origins of potential biosignatures remains a significant challenge, requiring rigorous analysis and multiple lines of evidence. Definitive proof of past life necessitates unambiguous biosignatures, such as microfossils—tiny, cell-like structures—or isotopic ratios characteristic of biological activity, which are difficult to confirm remotely. Contamination, preservation biases, and the complexity of planetary geology complicate interpretations. Future sample analyses, potentially conducted on return missions, are expected to provide more conclusive evidence. They aim to identify complex organic molecules, specific microscopic structures, and isotopic signatures that can only be attributed to biological processes. Until then, findings remain promising but provisional, emphasizing the importance of cautious scientific interpretation. These limitations highlight the need for advanced instrumentation, meticulous data collection, and comprehensive analysis to confidently establish whether life once existed—or still exists—on Mars.

Concluding Remarks

The Perseverance rover’s exploration of the Bright Angel formation has provided compelling evidence that ancient Martian environments could have supported microbial life. The detection of complex organic molecules is particularly significant, as these are fundamental building blocks of life. Additionally, the identification of minerals such as clay and sulfates—known to form in the presence of water—indicates that Mars once had a habitable environment with the necessary conditions for microbial life to thrive. Structural features observed within the rock formations resemble biosignatures, further strengthening the case for past life, although they are not definitive proof on their own.

These findings are crucial because they suggest that Mars's ancient environment was more hospitable than previously thought, potentially allowing microbial organisms to exist or have existed. The significance of these discoveries extends beyond Mars; they contribute to the broader search for life beyond Earth and inform future exploration strategies. The upcoming analysis of samples returned to Earth will be critical in verifying these initial findings.

Advanced laboratory techniques can detect subtle biosignatures that in-situ instruments cannot, offering the possibility of conclusive evidence of past life. Ultimately, these discoveries challenge our understanding of life's distribution in the universe, opening new avenues for scientific inquiry and existential reflection. Continued research is essential to fully unravel Mars’s ancient habitability and to answer one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone?

{ PETER2011 }

14-09-2025 om 23:31 geschreven door peter  

Camera trap in Chile detects strange lights blazing through the wilderness. Researchers are scrambling to explain them.

Kusch is one of the leaders of the Public Baseline project, which uses 65 camera traps distributed between continental Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, on the southern tip of Chile, to record terrestrial animals, particularly felines. Since the project began in November 2023, at least 365,000 images and videos have been collected; however, only these three photographs show this phenomenon.

UMAG shared the images with a variety of organizations, from Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (SEFAA)to the La Serena UFO Museum, and to several people who analyze anomalous aerial phenomena.

Potential explanations ranged from an arachnid coming very close to the camera lens to that of a "plasmoid," a short-lived form of plasma rarely observed in nature that may be behind phenomena such as ball lightning. However, all specialists agreed: for now, there is no conclusive explanation.

This sighting is unique because it was recorded within the framework of a scientific project, said Rodrigo Bravo, a researcher with the Environmental Studies Group (GEA) at UMAG and a member of the Public Baseline project. That means there is no possibility of fraud or manipulation, as the camera traps operate under rigorous protocols and are equipped with an infrared system, motion sensor, and other features that would preclude people tampering with them, he argued.

"This is not the first time these phenomena have been described in the area, but it is the first time they have been recorded in this way," Bravo told Live Science.

Related: 

• No aliens in NASA's debut UFO report — but big questions remain

Bad lights

The local Mapuche people traditionally speak of "bad lights," which they believe are spirits that appear in the fields. This raises the possibility that the camera traps are finally capturing a phenomenon that has long been recognized in the region.

But even if these strange flashes are the "bad lights" the Mapuche speak of, what are they?

One possibility is that the lights are unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), possibly from a mysterious flying object. Some declassified Pentagon files on UAP show similar characteristics, Bravo added. Generally poor-quality data means that most UAP sightings cannot be confirmed or explained, but common explanations include foreign spy drones and "airborne clutter" such as birds and weather balloons.

To address that possibility, UMAG sent photos and video to Freddy Alexis, who discusses UFOs and other unknown phenomena on his TV programs on UCVTV, the station of the Catholic University of Valparaíso.

Alexis wrote two reports on his findings, which included trajectory, spectrographic, and relief analyses of the photographs and videos. In the second report, he wrote that only a single "luminous stimulus" is visible, not two, and that the other "lights" are internal lens reflections.

According to Alexis, the primary light may be a plasmoid, or a bubble of incandescent ionized gas that is confined by Earth's local magnetic field, and that can remain stable for a few seconds. The most familiar atmospheric example is ball lightning, usually associated with storms. But that is where his explanation hits a wall. "It was summer, with 48  degrees Fahrenheit [8 degrees Celsius], and there were no electrical storms," Alexis told Live Science. "There were no atmospheric conditions for a storm, so it is very unlikely that ball lightning could have formed."

But more exotic plasmoids have been proposed under special conditions, such as transient, localized changes in Earth's magnetic field.

Still, Alexis noted that there may be other, poorly understood atmospheric plasmoids, similar to the "mysterious lights" of Hessdalen, Norway. Like the Magallanes phenomenon, these lights defy conventional explanations and could involve plasma structures that are still poorly understood.

In one of his reports, Alexis also calculated that, assuming this was a distant, flying object, it would have been moving at a speed of 590 mph (947 km/h), or roughly 0.7 times the speed of sound. Alexis suggested that the lights might not be a flying object, but some plasmoids can move at high speeds, he added.

A strange creature

In a separate report, technicians from La Serena UFO Museum suggested that a spider or moth may have inadvertently tripped the camera's sensor. That's because in the first photo, what appears to be an insect or arachnid can be seen along one edge of the image. However, the insect does not appear in the subsequent photos.

While one possibility is that the insect triggered the camera, this would only explain why the photo was taken, not why a bright, blob-like light appears, said

Cristian Riffo, director of the La Serena UFO Museum, who was also consulted for the UMAG report.

Riffo noted that the camera traps are designed to minimize false positives caused by insects, lasers or other stimuli. He thinks the rapid sequence of photos, in which the light appears to move toward the camera, is baffling and hard to explain.

"It could be two different phenomena: one natural, which triggered the camera, and the other, a light phenomenon, which remains unexplained," Riffo told Live Science.

{ https://www.universetoday.com/  }

12-09-2025 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

3-4 billion years ago, Mars’ volcanoes spewed large amounts of sulfur-containing gases. And it was not sulfur oxide, as previously thought, but hydrogen sulfide and sulfur hexafluoride. These are much stronger greenhouse gases and could well have created a climate on the planet conducive to life.

Sulfur-containing gases and the early climate of Mars

Although the early climate of Mars remains an open question, new research suggests that its atmosphere may have been hospitable to life thanks to volcanic activity that released sulfur gases that contributed to the greenhouse effect.

Using data from the composition of Martian meteorites, researchers conducted more than 40 computer simulations with different temperatures, concentrations, and chemistry to estimate how much carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur gases could have been released on early Mars.

Instead of the high concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) predicted by previous climate models of Mars, their research shows that volcanic activity on Mars approximately 3-4 billion years ago could have led to high concentrations of several chemically “reduced” forms of sulfur, which are extremely reactive. These include hydrogen sulfide (H2S), disulfur (S2), and possibly sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

According to lead author Lucia Bellino, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Jackson School of Geosciences, this could have led to a unique environment on Mars – one that could have been hospitable to certain forms of life. This means that the presence of “reduced sulfur” could have caused a foggy environment, leading to the formation of greenhouse gases such as SF6, which trap heat and liquid water. This could have created hydrothermal systems that support diverse microbial life.

The role of sulfur in the chemical processes of ancient Mars

Previous studies of Mars have examined how the release of gases on the surface, often as a result of volcanic eruptions, could have affected the planet’s atmosphere. This study, in turn, simulated how sulfur changed during geological processes, including how it separated from other minerals when incorporated into magma layers beneath the planet’s surface. This is important because it provides a more realistic picture of the chemical state of the gas before it was released onto the surface, where it could have shaped the early climate conditions on Mars.

The study also showed that sulfur may have frequently changed its form. While Martian meteorites have high concentrations of reduced sulfur, the Martian surface contains sulfur that is chemically bound to oxygen. “This suggests that sulfur cycling – the transition of sulfur into different forms – may have been a dominant process on early Mars,” Bellino said.

Last year, while the team was conducting its research, NASA made a discovery that seemed to confirm their findings. NASA’s Curiosity rover turned over and cracked a rock, revealing elemental sulfur. Although Mars is known for its abundance of sulfur minerals, this was the first time the mineral had been found in its pure form, unbound to oxygen. This was one of the confirmations of the research team’s hypotheses.

Further climate modeling

As the team continues its work, it will use its computer simulations to investigate other processes that would have been necessary to support life on Mars, including sources of water on early Mars and whether volcanic activity could have provided a large reservoir of water on the planet’s surface. They also seek to understand whether reduced forms of sulfur could have served as a food source for microbes in an early climate that resembled Earth’s hydrothermal systems.

Mars is far from the Sun, and today its temperature is typically cold, averaging -80°F. Bellino hopes that climate modeling experts will be able to use her team’s research to predict how warm the early Martian climate might have been, and if microbes were present, how long they could have survived in a warmer atmosphere.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

RELATED VIDEOS

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

12-09-2025 om 21:54 geschreven door peter  

3-4 billion years ago, Mars’ volcanoes spewed large amounts of sulfur-containing gases. And it was not sulfur oxide, as previously thought, but hydrogen sulfide and sulfur hexafluoride. These are much stronger greenhouse gases and could well have created a climate on the planet conducive to life.

Sulfur-containing gases and the early climate of Mars

Although the early climate of Mars remains an open question, new research suggests that its atmosphere may have been hospitable to life thanks to volcanic activity that released sulfur gases that contributed to the greenhouse effect.

Using data from the composition of Martian meteorites, researchers conducted more than 40 computer simulations with different temperatures, concentrations, and chemistry to estimate how much carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur gases could have been released on early Mars.

Instead of the high concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) predicted by previous climate models of Mars, their research shows that volcanic activity on Mars approximately 3-4 billion years ago could have led to high concentrations of several chemically “reduced” forms of sulfur, which are extremely reactive. These include hydrogen sulfide (H2S), disulfur (S2), and possibly sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

According to lead author Lucia Bellino, a graduate student at the University of Texas at Jackson School of Geosciences, this could have led to a unique environment on Mars – one that could have been hospitable to certain forms of life. This means that the presence of “reduced sulfur” could have caused a foggy environment, leading to the formation of greenhouse gases such as SF6, which trap heat and liquid water. This could have created hydrothermal systems that support diverse microbial life.

The role of sulfur in the chemical processes of ancient Mars

Previous studies of Mars have examined how the release of gases on the surface, often as a result of volcanic eruptions, could have affected the planet’s atmosphere. This study, in turn, simulated how sulfur changed during geological processes, including how it separated from other minerals when incorporated into magma layers beneath the planet’s surface. This is important because it provides a more realistic picture of the chemical state of the gas before it was released onto the surface, where it could have shaped the early climate conditions on Mars.

The study also showed that sulfur may have frequently changed its form. While Martian meteorites have high concentrations of reduced sulfur, the Martian surface contains sulfur that is chemically bound to oxygen. “This suggests that sulfur cycling – the transition of sulfur into different forms – may have been a dominant process on early Mars,” Bellino said.

Last year, while the team was conducting its research, NASA made a discovery that seemed to confirm their findings. NASA’s Curiosity rover turned over and cracked a rock, revealing elemental sulfur. Although Mars is known for its abundance of sulfur minerals, this was the first time the mineral had been found in its pure form, unbound to oxygen. This was one of the confirmations of the research team’s hypotheses.

Further climate modeling

As the team continues its work, it will use its computer simulations to investigate other processes that would have been necessary to support life on Mars, including sources of water on early Mars and whether volcanic activity could have provided a large reservoir of water on the planet’s surface. They also seek to understand whether reduced forms of sulfur could have served as a food source for microbes in an early climate that resembled Earth’s hydrothermal systems.

Mars is far from the Sun, and today its temperature is typically cold, averaging -80°F. Bellino hopes that climate modeling experts will be able to use her team’s research to predict how warm the early Martian climate might have been, and if microbes were present, how long they could have survived in a warmer atmosphere.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

RELATED VIDEOS

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

12-09-2025 om 21:54 geschreven door peter  

Scientists reveal exactly what will happen if the Earth continues to spin faster - including devastating earthquakes and catastrophic flooding

• READ MORE: Experts blame climate change for the record–breaking summer

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

You may already feel as if there’s not enough time in the day. 

But it's not just your imagination – the days have been getting shorter. 

According to scientists, July 9, July 22 and August 5 this year were between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24-hour day. 

Although the exact reason is still a mystery, there could be several causes, such as changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers, motion in the Earth's core, and a weakening magnetic field.

While the loss of a few milliseconds is not a cause for too much concern, a frightening new book imagines a world literally 'spinning out of control'.

In 'Circular Motion' by Alex Foster, days on Earth last 23 hours, then 20 hours, and then eventually two hours.

Like a supercharged spinning top, the planet spins so fast that even gravity loses its grip, as the sun rises and sets ever faster. 

Now, experts reveal the real implications of such a terrifying scenario, from large-scale disasters, floods and earthquakes. 

A new novel called 'Circular Motion' by Alex Foster imagines a world literally spinning out of control, until a day last just two hours 

In Foster's new novel, Earth's rotation speeds up due to a network of massive aircraft that orbit the Earth at 30,000 feet, revolutionising global transportation. 

The acceleration of Earth’s spin begins gradually, and days are just a few seconds shorter than normal, so nobody initially notices. 

However, Earth’s spin progressively gets faster and faster until a day lasts just two hours – triggering a global catastrophe. 

If Earth's spin really did get faster, experts say it cause a 'centrifugal effect' where the things start to swing away from the planet's axis, much like the hanging chairs on a spinning carousel ride.

Earth's oceans would start to bulge around the equator, giving the planet more of a diamond shape, with sloping northern and southern hemispheres. 

Water pulled from the polar regions (where centrifugal force is low) would cause the Arctic Ocean to become shallower and send the equatorial region underwater. 

Even land around the equator that's not underwater could have a greatly increased chance of tsunamis and flooding. 

Duncan Agnew, professor of geophysics at the University of California San Diego, said the 'largest changes would be in the ocean tides'. 

This long-exposure photo of the northern night sky above the Nepali Himalayas shows the apparent paths of the stars as Earth rotates. If Earth spun fast enough, is this what we would see?

According to scientists, July 9, July 22 and August 5 this year were between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24-hour day . Although the exact reason is still a mystery, there could be several causes, such as changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers, motion in the Earth's core, and a weakening magnetic field (stock image)

As any beach-goer knows, in coastal areas around the world there are high tides and low tides, which are due to the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun, combined with the rotation of Earth.  

The daily rotation of the Earth produces two high tides and two low tides every 24 hours and 50 minutes. 

'Change that by 10 per cent and the tides in some places would get larger and in others smaller,' Professor Agnew told the Daily Mail. 

Also, the faster the Earth's spin, the faster tectonic plates would move, would could add to more geological stress and 'a lot of earthquakes', the academic added. 

It’s worth remembering that the equator (where Earth’s circumference is the widest) spins faster than elsewhere, such as the tropics or the poles. 

The equator spins at about 1,025 miles (1,650km) per hour, while the poles spin barely above zero miles per hour. 

As Earth spins and we go around with it, we are held into place by gravity, but if the Earth spun fast enough, centrifugal force would overcome gravity, causing objects to be flung into space. 

'The faster Earth turns, the more gravity will be canceled out and the lighter you’ll feel,' said Foster in a piece for New Scientist. 

Hurricanes will spin faster and carry more energy if the world's spin greatly increases, researchers claim. In this picture from space, a swirling hurricane forms

The faster Earth's spin, the faster tectonic plates would move, would could add to more geological stress and 'a lot of earthquakes'. Pictured, damage from Afghanistan earthquake, September 4, 2025

NASA astronomer Dr Sten Odenwald also warned that weather phenomena would become more extreme, capable of causing more damage. 

As the planet spins faster, an apparent force known as the Coriolis effect, which gives hurricanes their spin, intensifies. 

'Hurricanes will spin faster and carry more energy,' Dr Odenwald said.

If Earth’s spin increased, there would of course also be both less sunlight in the day and less time to sleep at night, which might make humans less productive. 

People would have keep putting their clocks back as the days shortened, or come up with a whole new time-keeping system.

Humans have a 'circadian rhythm' – an internal clock that is closely attuned to the 24-hour day – which can cause physical and mental issues if disrupted (by factors like plane travel).

Additionally, many satellites would no longer be positioned correctly, which could disrupt satellite communications, internet, TV broadcasting and more.

Luckily, Professor Agnew said the idea of Earth's rotation speeding up to the extent portrayed in the new novel is a 'particularly absurd premise'. 

Each day on Earth contains 86,400 seconds, but the rotation isn't uniform, which means over the course of a year, each day has a fraction of a second more or less

'This cannot happen and nothing like it has ever been observed for any planet or star,' Professor Agnew told the Daily Mail. 

In actual fact, the Earth has been rotating more and more slowly over the long-term, but this change has been very gradual.

'A billion years ago the day was maybe 19 hours long,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'If you went back to when there were dinosaurs and didn't have a clock you wouldn't probably notice that the day was 30 minutes shorter.' 

Dr Judah Levine, Fellow of the US government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland, also questioned how close the book's premise is to 'real physics'. 

'If the story is loosely connected to reality, then the speed-up of Earth had to be accompanied by something else losing angular momentum, maybe the orbit of the moon,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'This is a fundamental principle.'

Maybe the orbit of the moon losing angular momentum could cause the speed-up of Earth, he added.  

'If that is what happens, the moon gets a lot closer, and the tidal effects become much stronger and more frequent because the periods are driven by the length of the day.' 

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

12-09-2025 om 21:21 geschreven door peter  

Scientists have issued a breathtaking new update on the mysterious 'interstellar object' racing through the solar system.

This visitor from another solar system, named 3I/ATLAS, is currently rushing towards the sun at 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h).

Now, scientists at the Gemini South Observatory in Chile have captured the clearest images of 3I/ATLAS yet.

And the images reveal one feature which could finally put an end to speculation about whether the object is an alien spacecraft.

The images, taken on August 27 when the object was about 240 million miles (380 million km) from Earth, are some of the first multi-coloured images of 3I/ATLAS.

They reveal a dense icy nucleus surrounded by a broad halo of gas and dust known as a coma.

Most importantly, they also reveal that the object has a long tail stretching behind 3I/ATLAS in the direction opposite to the sun.

This tail measures about one 120th of a degree in the sky, where one degree is about the width of your little finger on an outstretched arm.

Scientists have captured the clearest images yet of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it races through our solar system at 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h)

Scientists from the Gemini South Observatory in Chile captured these images of 3I/ATLAS while it was around 240 million miles (380 million km) from Earth, revealing its clear cometary tail stretching out away from the sun 

Dr Mark Norris, an astronomer from the University of Lancashire who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Mail: 'These new images very clearly demonstrate that 3I/ATLAS is a comet.'

In our own solar system, comets are balls of ice and dust that travel around the sun in very long elliptical orbits, with some only returning every few hundred years.

When comets approach the sun, the heat causes ice made of water or carbon dioxide to sublimate, meaning it turns directly from a solid into a gas.

This cloud of gas and dust that is ejected from the comet's surface collects around the frozen core in the form of a coma and is swept out behind the comet to form a tail.

Since this cloud of particles is highly reflective, comets appear much brighter than rocky asteroids of similar sizes.

The closer the comet gets to the sun, and the more heat it is exposed to, the larger and brighter these features become.

Dr Norris says: 'Early images showed evidence for cometary activity, but the activity was quite weak while it was far from the Sun.

'As 3I/ATLAS approaches the Sun, it is being bathed in more and more sunlight, which increases the amount of material outgassing from the comet, which increases the coma and tail of the comet significantly.'

The new images show that the comet has become significantly more active since previous observations, such as this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July 

These new images show that the tail is now significantly larger than it had been in earlier observations, such as those taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Additionally, by taking the images in colour, scientists were able to capture the wavelengths of light that the comet emits, known as its spectrum.

The spectrum tells scientists what kinds of chemicals can be found in the comet and in what proportions - telling us how it formed and how it changes as it passes through the solar system.

Interestingly, this analysis reveals that the ice and dust which make up 3I/ATLAS are broadly similar to those found in comets in our own solar system, with a few important differences.

Dr Matthew Genge, a planetary scientist from Imperial College London who was not involved in the study, told The Daily Mail: '3I/ATLAS has a CO2-rich atmosphere with less water than most home-grown comets.

'This might indicate it formed far from its parent star. Ice forms in early planetary systems by raining out of gas as snow. Water ice forms closer to the star and CO2 ice further away.'

This gives scientists an intriguing insight into the processes of planetary formation taking place around distant stars.

Bryce Bolin, research scientist from Eureka Scientific who was part of the team behind the images, says: 'Every interstellar comet is a messenger from another star system, and by studying their light and colour, we can begin to understand the diversity of worlds beyond our own.'

This is proof that the object is either a comet or a very rare type of icy asteroid, clearly demonstrating that it is a natural object and not some form of alien craft 

There is only a short window in which 3I/ATLAS will be observable, so scientists are trying to gather as much data as they can to learn about these distant worlds.

Importantly, these observations also conclusively dismiss the theories that 3I/ATLAS is some sort of alien craft.

Previously, researchers such as Harvard physicist Professor Avi Loeb had suggested that 3I/ATLAS might be an artificial spacecraft of some kind.

Professor Loeb has publicly discussed the possibility that 3I/ATLAS could be a giant, nuclear-powered vessel.

This claim was largely based on the fact that 3I/ATLAS was supposedly too large and too bright to be produced by natural forces.

However, the evidence of a bright coma and a tail is a clear natural explanation for the object's unexpected brightness and seemingly impossible size.

Dr Genge says that the Gemini South images clearly indicate that 3I/ATLAS is a natural object.

'Little green men certainly aren't responsible!' he added.

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

11-09-2025 om 16:16 geschreven door peter  

NASA has announced the discovery of what it believes to be ancient microbial life on Mars. 

The new administrator for the space agency, Sean Duffy, said a sample collected by the Perseverance rover has been declared the 'clearest sign of life' ever found on the Red Planet.

In a Wednesday news conference, NASA's Associate Administrator Nicky Fox said: 'This is the kind of signature that we would see that was made by something biological.'

Specifically, researchers have been looking at unusual spots and seed-like shapes in ancient Martian rocks that might point to the existence of tiny life forms in the distant past.

These features, nicknamed 'poppy seeds' and 'leopard spots,' were spotted in mud-like rocks in Neretva Vallis, part of the Jezero crater, where a river existed billions of years ago.

Scientist Joel Hurowitz revealed how these tiny signatures found in the crater pointed to the existence of life on Mars long before most organisms emerged on Earth.

Although the findings have been discussed for months, Hurowitz noted that scientists needed to gather more data from Neretva Vallis and confirm the results with other researchers before releasing the conclusion that this could be Martian life.

'We are here to say this is exciting, and we want to share that news. This could be very real,' Duffy continued. 

In 2024, Perseverance spotted a vein-filled arrowhead-shaped rock that featured chemical signatures and structures likely formed by microbial life billions of years ago

NASA Administrator Sean Duffy (center) revealed that a sample collected by Perseverance is the 'clearest sign of life' on Mars ever found in 30 years

The rover's tools detected chemicals like iron and phosphorus in these spots, which can form when tiny microbes break down organic material, a sign of life here on Earth. 

The NASA robot has been beaming back images to Earth since 2021, revealing crystalline solids left over from water flowing on the surface of Mars, and a reddish area that contained organic compounds and an energy source for what could have been microbial life.

Perseverance collected the new life-proving rocks on July 21, 2024, while exploring the northern edge of Neretva Vallis, the ancient river valley formed roughly 3.7billion years ago.

Scientists noticed the vein-like structures throughout, finding they were white calcium sulfate.

The crystalline solids on the Martian surface are hard-water deposits left behind by ancient groundwater flowing through the now-dusty landscape.

Between those veins were bands of material with a reddish color suggesting the presence of hematite, one of the minerals that gives Mars its distinctive rusty hue.

Duffy noted that the announcement on Wednesday was the culmination of 30 years of research on the Red Planet.

He added that the latest findings went through a peer-review process, just like scientific studies in all fields, which proved the samples likely had a biological origin.

NASA officials revealed new findings by the Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars (pictured) since 2021

Perseverance took a selfie in the Jezero crater on Mars when it found the biological samples

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

•  The secret society living 'on Mars'... and punishing hell they're going through 

When asked if NASA plans to retrieve the potential organic samples from Mars, Duffy said the space agency was still looking at how and when they could get the rocks back to Earth, adding that 'we're going to look at our budgets'.

The new administrator appointed by President Trump noted that 'the president loves space' and believed NASA has the money to complete its work, which is now focused on manned space missions.

Duffy noted the space agency's mission was going to be 'a little more focused' but felt comfortable asking the White House for more funding if it was needed to confirm the findings on Mars.

'At no point has this administration said "we don't care about samples,"' Fox added while addressing questions about NASA's changing priorities regarding Mars exploration.

Previously, the Trump administration had cut the Mars sample retrieval mission from its budget proposal for NASA.

It was part of $6billion slashed from NASA's future budget in the May proposal to Congress, even though the ongoing sample study had already cost billions.

Duffy said NASA was now looking at a faster and more cost-effective way of getting Perseverance's samples back for examination.

As for NASA's upcoming space missions, Duffy revealed that four astronauts will circle the moon 'early next year' as part of the Artemis II lunar mission.

'We're going back to the moon,' the administrator declared.

Duffy added that 'about a year and a half' after the Artemis II mission, the Artemis III astronaut mission will 'land and establish a long-term presence of life on the moon led by America'.

NASA's new leader continued by saying that what astronauts learn from the renewed missions to the moon will help in future efforts to 'put American boots on Mars'.

Marked by seven benchmarks, the Confidence of Life Detection, or CoLD, scale outlines a progression in confidence that a set of observations stands as evidence of life. 

Credit: NASA

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

11-09-2025 om 15:16 geschreven door peter