Researchers Discover Evidence of a Massive Underground Water System on Mars

What if Mars never truly lost its water? New research is beginning to reveal a story that scientists didn’t fully anticipate.

Written by Sarah Jones

© Credit: Shutterstock

Mars was once far wetter than it appears today, and new research suggests much of that water did not disappear but migrated beneath the surface. Evidence from deep crater basins points to a planet-wide groundwater system that may have persisted long after surface conditions declined.

Scientists have been debating for years just how much water Mars had and how long it lasted. By looking at specific geological features, a new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets showed solid proof of how water evolved across the planet over billions of years.

Deep Craters Show Clear Signs of Ancient Water Activity

The research, led by Dr. Francesco Salese of Utrecht University, analyzed 24 enclosed craters in the Martian northern hemisphere. These basins lie about 2.5 miles (4 km) below Martian “sea level,” where distinct geological features were identified.

According to the findings, the craterschannels carved into walls, groundwater-formed valleys, delta-like deposits, and terraced structures. Each of these features indicates the sustained presence of water. Many formations occur at similar depths, between 4 and 4.5 km, suggesting a stable water table across multiple sites.

As stated by Salese, this consistency supports the existence of a widespread groundwater system rather than isolated water pockets.

“We traced this water in our study, as its scale and role is a matter of debate, and we found the first geological evidence of a planet-wide groundwater system on Mars.”

Evidence of Mars’ Watery Past

The uniform depth of water-related formations indicates the existence of a global water table beneath the Martian surface. Dr. Gian Gabriele Ori, co-author of the study, stated that this system may have been connected to a large ocean thought to have existed around 3 to 4 billion years ago.

“We think that this ocean may have connected to a system of underground lakes that spread across the entire planet,” Ori explained.

These subsurface lakes likely formed a vast, interconnected hydrological network during a period when Mars was more geologically active. The proposed model suggests that as surface water diminished, it migrated downward, stabilizing within the crust and feeding these underground reservoirs over long timescales.

Signs of Life-Friendly Conditions in Minerals

In five of the analyzed craters, researchers identified clays, carbonates, and silicates, minerals associated with water-rich environments and, on Earth, with life-supporting conditions. The study found that, these basins were deep enough to intersect water-saturated regions of the Martian crust for long periods. This increases the possibility that traces of past life could still be preserved within buried sediments.

Dr. Dmitri Titov, project scientist for ESA’s Mars Express mission, noted that such findings help identify the most promising targets in the search for past life.

“Findings like this are hugely important; they help us to identify the regions of Mars that are the most promising for finding signs of past life.”

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23-03-2026 om 22:03 geschreven door peter  

What could go wrong? Scientists are about to LAND on a 'potentially hazardous' asteroid as it skims past Earth

• READ MORE: The mission to meet an Empire State Building–sized asteroid 

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

A private space company will try to land on the 'potentially hazardous' asteroid Apophis when it skims past Earth in three years' time.

In echoes of the film Armageddon – when a team are sent to touch down on an asteroid and blow it up – scientists hope to send two 'landers' to explore the space rock during its flyby.

Apophis, which measures 340 metres (1,115 feet) across, was first discovered in 2004 and is heading in our direction from 140 million miles (225 million km) away.

Calculations initially showed that it had a high chance of hitting our planet – up to 2.7 per cent – in April 2029, potentially destroying an area the size of a city.

While the threat has now been downgraded, with no chance of impact for at least 100 years, it will still pass extremely close to Earth.

As it flies by just 19,800 miles (32,000km) above our planet, two landers will attempt to touch down on the asteroid.

These cube–shaped devices will take pictures of the celestial rock as they slowly approach and gently land on its surface, collecting information on the asteroid's composition and surface structure.

'The goal is to gain images from the surface of the asteroid,' Miguel Pascual, chief science officer and co–founder of US company ExLabs told New Scientist. 'There's some really exciting science that can happen.'

A private space company will try to land on the 'potentially hazardous' asteroid Apophis when it skims past Earth in three years' time (artist's impression)

Apophis, which measures 340 metres (1,115 feet) across, was first discovered in 2004 and is heading in our direction from 140 million miles (225 million km) away

ExLabs has announced that its mothership spacecraft, named ApophisExL, has passed an important review phase ahead of a planned launch in 2028.

It will carry up to 10 spacecraft and instruments from different companies, including the two landers.

One is from an unnamed source, while the other is from Japan's Chiba Institute of Technology where it is being developed with the help of students.

ExLabs will deploy the lander, which is the size of a shoebox, from 400 metres (1,312 feet) above Apophis where it will then descend at 10 centimetres per second.

Its camera will continue to take images as it gently touches down around an hour later.

The landing will take place up to a week after Apophis's flyby of Earth, to ensure that it doesn't interfere with the asteroid's trajectory.

'Giving students the opportunity to design and fly hardware that will land on an asteroid is transformative,' Joi Ito, president of the Chiba Institute, said.

'It reshapes how they see engineering, science and their role in humanity's future in space.'

As shown in this diagram, the asteroid 99942 Apophis will skim by Earth at just 20,000 miles (32,000km) – one–tenth of the distance to the Moon 

The mission, described as the 'world's first commercial deep–space rideshare', is being supported by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Historically, missions to asteroids have been limited to large, multi–billion dollar programmes led by national space agencies.

ExLabs says its model can dramatically reduce costs and barriers to participation.

'We're working to overcome the barriers that have long kept deep–space exploration in the hands of only the largest space agencies,' said Keiko Nakamura–Messenger, vice president of Mission Development at ExLabs and a former NASA mission scientist.

'There are likely dozens of advanced, space–qualified instruments sitting in cleanrooms around the world, flight spares, experiments from missions that never launched, or amazing instruments developed by college students.

'ExLabs is building the affordable, flexible spacecraft needed to give these payloads real flight opportunities to the inner solar system.

'Our collaboration with Chiba Tech embodies our vision of deep space exploration: internationally collaborative, commercially enabled, and open to the next generation for the future space exploration.'

No private company has ever landed on an asteroid, although there may be an attempt later this year by US asteroid mining firm Astroforge.

When Apophis skims past Earth, its trajectory will take it so low that it will pass under geostationary satellites used to monitor the weather.

It will be 10 times closer to Earth than the moon and is expected to be visible to the naked eye for billions of people.

READ MORE

• We're safe! 'Potentially hazardous' asteroid Apophis will NOT collide with Earth in 2068 says NASA, after calculating the orbit of the Empire State Building-sized rock for the next 100 years

Experts have described the flyby as a 'once–in–a–lifetime event, providing an 'unprecedented opportunity' to study an asteroid up close. It could also improve planetary defence models.

Multiple spacecraft from the US, Europe, Japan and China are planning to study the asteroid before, during the after the flyby.

ExLabs has been contacted for more detail. 

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23-03-2026 om 21:42 geschreven door peter  

Earth's climate is more out of balance than EVER before: Shocking report confirms humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record – as scientists warn 'every key indicator is flashing red'

• READ MORE: Unusual climate pattern could push temperatures to record highs

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The Earth's climate is more out of balance than at any other time in observed history, a shocking new report has revealed.  

Scientists from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) say that humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record from 2011 to the end of 2025.

Last year was the second or third hottest year on record, with an average temperature 1.43°C (2.57°F) above the 1850–1900 average.

From global temperature and greenhouse gas concentrations to sea levels and glacier retreat, scientists now warn that every indicator is 'flashing red'.

The WMO's annual State of the Climate report identifies large–scale changes that experts say could impact the planet for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. 

Importantly, the report gives the first clear view of Earth's energy imbalance, which measures the rate at which energy enters and leaves the atmosphere.

Our planet's energy imbalance is now at its highest in the 65–year observational record, triggering rapid warming of the atmosphere and oceans.

UN Secretary–General António Guterres says: 'Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red.'

Scientists warn that Earth's climate is more out of balance than ever before, as a shocking report shows that we have just endured the hottest 11 years on record 

2025 was the second or third hottest year on record, with an average temperature 1.43°C (2.57°F) above the 1850–1900 average

In an ideal world, the rate at which energy arrives from the sun would be roughly equal to the rate at which heat escapes through the atmosphere.

However, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide trap infrared radiation in the atmosphere, throwing Earth's energy off balance.

The WMO now confirms that concentrations of these gases have reached their highest levels in history.

Carbon dioxide is now present at 423 parts per million in the atmosphere, which is 152 per cent of the concentration before the Industrial Revolution and the highest it has been in the last two million years. 

Likewise, nitrous oxide and methane are at their highest concentrations in the last 800,000 years.

The concentration of methane is 266 per cent of the pre–industrial level, while nitrous oxide is at 125 per cent of pre–industrial concentrations. 

That means heat is building up faster than it can escape, producing enormous amounts of excess energy.

WMO Secretary–General Celeste Saulo says: 'Scientific advances have improved our understanding of the Earth's energy imbalance and of the reality facing our planet and our climate right now.

The energy balance, which measures how fast energy enters and leaves the atmosphere, was at its most imbalanced since measurements began 65 years ago 

Over 90 per cent of the world's excess heat is absorbed by the ocean, driving rapid warming and an increased frequency of marine heatwaves 

'Human activities are increasingly disrupting the natural equilibrium and we will live with these consequences for hundreds and thousands of years.'

While the last 11 years have been the hottest on record, experts say that it is likely to get hotter in the coming years due to the natural El Niño weather cycle.

Dr Akshay Deoras, senior research scientist at the University of Reading, says: 'El Niño naturally releases a lot of heat from the ocean into the atmosphere, and when that sits on top of very high greenhouse gas levels it can push global temperatures to new records. 

'There is a good chance we will see El Niño conditions develop again later this year. Thus, it could bring another spike in global temperatures in 2026–2027 on top of the already high baseline.'

However, the part of the atmosphere that we feel only absorbs one per cent of that excess energy.

Of the remaining energy, five per cent is stored by the continental land masses, three per cent goes into melting ice, and more than 91 per cent is absorbed by the ocean. 

Ocean heat content hit a record high in 2025, and the rate at which the seas are warming has doubled from 1960–2005 to 2005–2025.

In fact, each of the last nine years set a new record for the amount of heat stored in the ocean.

Warming oceans have eroded the polar ice caps, with Arctic sea ice at or near its lowest point on record in 2025

Mass loss from glaciers has also been accelerating due to the warming planet, with 2025 seeing some of the most extreme melting in the last five years 

The WMO now estimates that the oceans absorb between 11 and 12.2 zetajoules of heat energy every year – equivalent to 18 times humanity's yearly energy consumption.

This is warming the oceans at a rapid rate and triggering profound consequences for the global climate, including marine heatwaves, sea level increases, and retreating polar ice.

In 2025, 90 per cent of the ocean's surface experienced an ocean heatwave, despite a cooling La Niña weather pattern. 

Professor Scott Heron, of James Cook University, says: 'Intensifying marine heatwaves have already impacted ocean systems through coral bleaching and mortality across the tropics, seagrass death and catastrophic marine disease outbreaks in tropical and temperate zones, as well as episodes of salmon lice in polar aquaculture. 

'If rainforests are thought of as the lungs of our planet, the ocean provides the heart and circulation – and human–induced climate change is giving us all heart disease.'

The WMO's research shows that sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate due to the melting of ice sheets and the natural expansion of warming water.

Sea levels in 2025 were comparable to their record highs in 2024, sitting 4.3 inches (11 cm) higher than they were at the start of satellite records in 1993.

Currently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that sea levels could rise by 3.2ft (one metre) by 2100 if climate change is not slowed.

Since the warmer atmosphere holds more energy, recent years have also seen an uptick in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events 

However, a recent study has suggested that sea levels at the end of the century could be around 11 inches (28 cm) higher than expected in the UK and between 3.2ft and 4.9ft (1–1.5 metres) higher in parts of Southeast Asia.

With an estimated 50 to 80 million people currently living below sea level, even small increases could be devastating for millions of people in coastal areas.

Warming oceans are also causing the retreat of polar sea ice, with the annual sea ice extent in the Arctic at or near record lows in 2025 and average extents in the Antarctic at their third lowest on record.

Likewise, mass loss from glaciers in 2024 to 2025 was among the five worst years on record, with exceptional levels of mass loss in Iceland and the Pacific coast of North America.

At the same time, the warming of the climate is producing serious consequences that are already taking their toll on human life.

A warmer atmosphere carries more energy and water, which means that extreme weather events are more frequent and more devastating when they do occur.

Late last year, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in the Caribbean as the most powerful storm in Jamaica's history. 

Researchers found that the catastrophic category 5 hurricane had been made four times more likely by climate change. 

While some regions experienced record rainfall (dark blue), other areas saw record–breaking droughts (dark brown). These patterns are leading to more flooding and wildfires 

In a cooler world without climate change, a Melissa–type hurricane would have made landfall once every 8,000 years.

Meanwhile, back–to–back periods of extreme drought and heavy rainfall are leading to a greater number of more intense wildfires and flash floods around the world.

Dr Mortlock, head of climate analytics at the University of New South Wales, says: 'Even seemingly small increases in temperature can have outsized effects on extreme weather.

'The frequency and intensity of bushfires, floods, cyclones and hailstorms are all linked to the warming of the atmosphere. At the same time, more people are living in harm's way.'

Recent research shows that these shifting weather patterns also risk fuelling the outbreak of deadly diseases such as dengue fever.

Warmer, wetter weather is pushing the habitat of the disease–spreading Asian and Egyptian mosquitoes northwards, into cities including London, Vienna, Strasbourg, and Frankfurt.

Although the species is not in these cities yet, its rate of northward spread in France has been accelerating from about 6km (3.7 miles) per year in 2006 to 20km (12.4 miles) per year in 2024. 

A new study has shown that storms make outbreaks of this disease far more dangerous.

As the climate warms, it is becoming more suitable for mosquitoes that spread diseases such as dengue fever. Scientists now warn that these insects' breeding grounds could spread into northern Europe 

Following a cyclone in Peru during 2023, an outbreak of dengue fever was 10 times larger than normal for the area.

Experts say the weather which triggered the outbreak is now three times more likely due to climate change.  

Mr Guterres concludes: 'The State of the Global Climate is in a state of emergency.

'Today's report should come with a warning label: climate chaos is accelerating and delay is deadly.'

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23-03-2026 om 21:26 geschreven door peter  

What Project Hail Mary gets WRONG: Scientist pinpoints the biggest flaws in Ryan Gosling's new sci–fi blockbuster – but says the portrayal of Rocky the alien IS accurate

• READ MORE: After Disclosure Day trailer, what aliens will really sound like

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

A scientist has revealed exactly what Project Hail Mary gets wrong about astrophysics – as well as the parts of the blockbuster that are bang on.

Based on the bestselling sci-fi novel by Andy Weir, the movie stars Ryan Gosling as teacher-turned-astronaut, Ryland Grace, who is sent into space to save the Earth after the sun starts dimming. 

During his time in space, Grace forms an unlikely friendship with an alien called Rocky, who proves to be a vital part of the Earth-saving mission. 

While the movie has rocketed to the top of the box office this week, Dr Jacqueline McCleary, an observational cosmologist at Northeastern University, says it has several flaws. 

The multi-year induced coma that Grace is put into as he travels the 11.7 light-years to nearby star, Tau Ceti, would give him brain damage, she points out. 

Meanwhile, the idea that a so-called 'astrophage' could absorb sunlight or even survive the sun's atmosphere is 'a stretch,' she adds. 

However, Dr McCleary surprisingly says that the portrayal of the alien is somewhat accurate. 

'This story in particular falls on the line of close enough to be enjoyable and, more importantly, self-consistent. It's a grammar unto itself, but it's legible,' Dr McCleary said. 

Based on the bestselling sci–fi novel by Andy Weird, the movie stars Ryan Gosling as teacher-turned-astronaut, Ryland Grace, who is sent into space to save the Earth after the sun starts dimming

What Project Hail Mary gets wrong?

1. The idea that 'astrophages' could be causing the sun to dim

It's central to the plot, but the idea that 'astrophages' could be causing the sun to dim is described by Dr McCleary as 'a stretch'. 

These microorganism-like creatures are said to absorb sunlight – a behaviour based on how microbes on Earth absorb sunlight and use it for energy. 

However, Dr McCleary points out a crucial 'mismatch'. 

'There's orders of magnitude mismatch between what a microbe could store… and what the sun actually puts out in terms of energy,' Dr McCleary explained. 

Every second, the sun emits 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 joules of energy – millions of times more than the energy used by all of Earth over the course of an entire year!

What's more, the astrophages would need to stay alive in the sun's atmosphere which is incredibly hot, reaching around 2.7million degrees Celcius. 

To reach Tau Ceti – a star almost 12 light-years away that astrophages have been unable to dim – Grace and his two colleagues are put into an induced coma

What will aliens sound like?

If aliens evolved on a planet with air, then sound is a very good means of communication.

That means aliens from Earth-like worlds would likely have some form of spoken language.

How this language sounds will depend on their physiology, but it may not be that different from the variety of sounds we hear from life on Earth.

However, scientists also point out that aliens may not use sound to communicate. 

They may use chemical pheromones or light to communicate instead.  

For comparison, here on Earth, the highest temperature that any microbe can withstand is just 122°C.

2. The multi-year induced coma that Grace is put under

To reach Tau Ceti – a star almost 12 light–years away that astrophages have been unable to dim – Grace and his two colleagues are put into induced comas. 

Sadly, this proves fatal for the other two astronauts, while Grace has memory loss when he eventually wakes up. 

As Dr McClearly points out, multi-year induced comas are very dangerous, and Grace's memory loss would likely be more severe brain damage.

On Earth, most induced comas last days or weeks. 

Some patients have woken up after decades – including Munira Abdulla, who regained consciousness after 27 years in a coma following a car crash. 

However, in general, comas lasting beyond four weeks are considered dangerous, and recovery is extremely rare. 

It's central to the plot, but the idea that 'astrophages' could be causing the sun to dim is described by Dr McCleary as 'a stretch'

What Project Hail Mary gets right

1. What Rocky the alien looks like

As far-fetched as it sounds, the film's depiction of Rocky the alien as a rocky, spider–like creature might be accurate – particularly compared to aliens in other sci–fi blockbusters, according to Dr McLeary. 

She explained: 'People are now starting to talk about sentient plasmas as a potential lifeform. 

'The notion of a completely different biology, completely different body chemistry adapted to different conditions is very clever.'

2. What Rocky the alien sounds like

In Star Wars, most species use Galactic Basic as a shared language, represented as English in the films. 

In contrast, Rocky speaks in strange, musical-sounding tones, with Grace forced to slowly piece together a translator to communicate with the alien. 

As far-fetched as it sounds, the film's depiction of Rocky the alien as a rocky, spider–like creature might be accurate according to Dr McLeary

The spacecraft that Grace travels in is based on 'totally conventional, well–accepted physics', says Dr McCleary

According to the experts, the Project Hail Mary depiction is likely more accurate. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail after the recent release of the Disclosure Day trailer, scientists explained that depending on where they come from, aliens will probably sound very different to humans.

Mia Belle Parkinson, a PhD candidate at the UK Centre for Astrobiology, told Daily Mail: 'It's easy to think about intelligent alien beings that look and sound like us. 

'However, this would not be the case at all. What if these beings evolved on a world completely dissimilar to ours?'

Read More

• As the Disclosure Day trailer drops, scientists reveal what aliens could really sound like 

3. The design of the spacecraft

The spacecraft that Grace travels aboard features a propulsion system in the back like a regular rocket, and a front half that can detach and spin. 

This spin creates gravity, allowing Grace to live and work in a 'normal' environment. 

In the real world, a spacecraft like this hasn't been built yet – but that's not to say it's not plausible. 

Dr McLeary explains that the design is based on 'totally conventional, well–accepted physics'.

The most scientifically accurate sci-fi movies, according to NASA

1. Gattaca (1997)
2. Contact (1997)
3. Metropolis (1927)
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) 
5. Woman in the Moon (1929)
6. The Thing from Another World (1951) 
7. Jurassic Park (1993) 

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23-03-2026 om 17:54 geschreven door peter  

Nessie, is that you? Loch Ness Monster has been 'spotted' FIVE times this year, official records show

• READ MORE: British daredevil swimming 1,000 miles around Iceland's coastline

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

The Loch Ness Monster was 'spotted' five times in 2025, official records have revealed. 

The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped.

Since then, 1,165 sightings have been recorded by The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. 

The five sightings of the creature, nicknamed Nessie, took place across just an eight-month period. 

The first was on 22 March, when a couple visiting from London spotted a mysterious 'hump' in the water. 

Two months later, in May, a visitor reported a 'long and thin' creature in a boat's wake. 

In August, a 'long time local' reported a sighting, before two visitors claimed to spot Nessie within weeks of each other in October. 

Here's a closer look at the five sightings, and exactly what was seen. 

In May, a visitor viewing the loch from a high vantage point at around 15:40 spotted a small motor boat entering the bay

22 March 

At around 7pm on 22 March, a couple visiting from London heard a 'quiet splash' at Fort Augustus. 

'We were right at the point where the River Taff connects to Loch Ness, on the north bank,' one of them said. 

'At first I noticed a very quiet splash sound as if something was cutting stealthily into the water and this drew my attention to the south side of the water. 

'There I saw something moving through the water, between 130 and 160 feet away from us. 

'It was paler than the jet-black water around it, but in the gloom it was impossible to determine a hue.'

The couple described the sighting as a 'hump', adding that it was 'large and alive'.  

'Kind of like if a large seal or walrus was swimming in the water but for some reason it's head was hidden, like just it's back was exposed,' they explained. 

The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped

In late August, a long time local resident shot a two-minute video of something under the water near Lochend

While it was too dark to pick up on details like texture, the couple soon realised that there was a second mass in its wake.

'It was roughly the same size and shape as the leading mass but perhaps lower in the water,' they added. 

'There was maybe 1.5 to 2 meters gap between the humps from my line of sight. I think until I saw the second hump I was thinking it was a seal that was behaving strangely.'

The creature soon left the area, moving towards the deeper part of the loch, before disappearing.  

'Later when we talked about it, my partner told me that from her vantage point it was clear that the two humps were on one creature, that it was one long creature,' the viewer added. 

23 May

In May, a visitor viewing the loch from a high vantage point at around 15:40 spotted a small motor boat entering the bay. 

Using binoculars, he peered at the boat's wake, and spotted something 'long and thin' pop up.

On 15 October, Peter Hoyle was visiting the Loch from Moray, when he spotted a dark shape sticking out of the water

While the object vanished a few times, he managed to catch it on film, with the entire sighting lasting just five minutes.   

29 August

In late August, a long time local resident shot a two-minute video of something under the water near Lochend. 

Filmed at 09:15 during 'calm clear conditions', the footage shows an unusual disturbance pattern on the surface of the water. 

Despite living in the area for 30 years, the resident said they had 'never seen anything like this before.'  

15 October 

On 15 October, Peter Hoyle was visiting the Loch from Moray, when he spotted a dark shape sticking out of the water. 

The shape was moving from the right side of the loch to the left, travelling 'fairly quickly, but not boat speed'. 

Finally, Mishawn Mielke, a tourist from Texas, was visiting Urquhart Castle when she reported seeing a black head in the water at 14.45

Within 30 seconds, the shape had disappeared into the depths of the water - although Mr Hoyle did manage to capture footage of the short sighting. 

28 October 2025

Finally, Mishawn Mielke, a tourist from Texas, was visiting Urquhart Castle when she reported seeing a black head in the water at 14.45. 

'I first saw it and was like wow, that looks just like images I saw from the sightings website,' she said.

'It didn't look like a wave, it actually looked like the head of something popping up. it made a distinct pattern in the water I couldn't see anywhere else, kind of like its own wake. And than it was gone. 

'From that distance I'd say the water pattern was at least 3m long.'

Webcam images

Four sightings were also reported via webcam images in 2025, although these are listed separately.

Read More

• Nessie hunters are telling the truth! Those who spot the monster really do see something, study says 

'Over the past few years, and especially during the Covid crisis, many images that we receive come from the Loch Ness Webcam,' The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register explains on its website.

'For reasons outwith the control of the camera operators, the resolution of some of the images from the camera has at times been less than ideal. 

'As such, it has been more difficult to identify what some images submitted. 

'Given they are still "unexplained" though, we decided that from 2021 onwards, such images would be listed separately from those that are reported by people who saw something while physically at the loch.'

What IS the Loch Ness Monster?

Rumours of a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness have abounded over the decades, yet scant evidence has been found to back up these claims.

One of the first sightings, believed to have fuelled modern Nessie fever, came in May 2, 1933.  

On this date the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claim to have seen 'an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface'.

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

Other sightings James Gray's picture from 2001 when he and friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the Loch, while namesake Hugh Gray's blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.

Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, captured arguably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 - however it was later proven to be a fake 

The first reported sighting of the monster is said to have been made in AD565 by the Irish missionary St Columba when he came across a giant beast in the River Ness.

But no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sightings - although in 2019, 'Nessie expert' Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years watching the Loch, said he thought it was actually a giant Wels Catfish, native to waters near the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.

An online register lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com. 

So what could explain these mysterious sightings? 

Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large, crocodile-like scutes sitting atop the spine of the creature, leading some to believe an escaped amphibian may be to blame.

Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have ridged backs, which make them look almost reptilian.

Some believe Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur - like an elasmosaur - that survived somehow when all the other dinosaurs were wiped out.

Others say the sightings are down to Scottish pines dying and flopping into the loch, before quickly becoming water-logged and sinking.

While submerged, botanical chemicals start trapping tiny bubbles of air.

Eventually, enough of these are gathered to propel the log upward as deep pressures begin altering its shape, giving the appearance of an animal coming up for air.

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23-03-2026 om 17:32 geschreven door peter  

A fast–moving creature has been filmed rising and sinking out of Loch Ness – sparking excitement that it could be the Loch Ness monster.  

Sasha Lake, 31, was standing on the banks of the loch on 1 March at around 6pm, when he spotted something moving in the water. 

The mysterious object was moving at incredible speed against the waves – and luckily Mr Lake had his phone at the ready to capture it on camera. 

'I was excited and intrigued. I only stopped filming because it went out of view,' he said. 

Mr Lake, from Bath, showed the footage to Alan McKenna, the leader of Loch Ness Exploration, who claims there is 'no animal that we know of in Loch Ness that can reach this speed.'

While its identity remains unclear, this is the first possible sighting of the Loch Ness monster this year. 

It comes after the monster, nicknamed 'Nessie', was 'spotted' five times in 2025, according to the The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. 

A fast–moving creature has been filmed rising and sinking out of Loch Ness – sparking excitement that it could be the Loch Ness monster

Sasha Lake, 31, was standing on the banks of the loch on 1 March at around 6pm, when he spotted something moving out of the water

The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped.

'I was there with the mystery in mind, of course, but there are so many aspects of Loch Ness that interest me,' Mr Lake said.

'But the potential of possibly experiencing something unusual is always in my thoughts, and part of the excitement.

'I always have my phone ready in my pocket. I'm not as easily fooled by things I see on the surface these days, so this really was an interesting experience.'

After seeing the movement on the surface of the water with his own eyes, he was even more shocked and excited to have captured it on video.

'I was incredibly intrigued, I was excited about the possibility that what I was filming and seeing was something out of the ordinary,' Mr Lake said.

'The way it moved, and the quickness of it, made me think, okay, alright, I definitely think this is something a little bit odd.

'There was a lot going through my mind.

After seeing the movement on the surface of the water with his own eyes, he was even more shocked and excited to have captured it on video

'I was just observing it and just thinking, right, I have a strong feeling that this could be something unusual, and I should film this.'

Freaked out, Mr Lake added: 'I stood there for a moment, processing what I had just experienced.

'I sat down, and tried to think of anything that could explain this, and I simply couldn't think of anything.

'I was in a state of confusion. I feel there is a strong possibility that I have filmed something unknown in Loch Ness. It has people scratching their heads.'

Mr McKenna, who runs the independent research group, Loch Ness Exploration said the speed of the object is what stands out to him the most. 

 'The first thing that jumps out straight away is the speed. You can definitely see the wash its creating at the head of the wake,' he explained.

'Hand on heart there's no obvious candidate for what it could be. It is far too fast for a seal, it's not a swimmer or kayaker, definitely not wind turbulence either.

'There's no animal that we know of in Loch Ness that can reach this speed.

'I think it's a really intriguing piece of footage. It's mad. There is definitely something there.'

READ MORE

• Nessie, is that you? Loch Ness Monster has been 'spotted' FIVE times this year, official records show

Shaun Sloggie, who works for cruise Loch Ness in Fort Augustus, was equally intrigued by the footage – particularly the fact the object appears to be moving against the waves.

'Whatever it is, it's moving fast and it's moving against the wind and waves,' Mr Slogie said.

And it must be pretty big making a wave like that.'

What IS the Loch Ness Monster?

Rumours of a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness have abounded over the decades, yet scant evidence has been found to back up these claims.

One of the first sightings, believed to have fuelled modern Nessie fever, came in May 2, 1933.  

On this date the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claim to have seen 'an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface'.

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

Other sightings James Gray's picture from 2001 when he and friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the Loch, while namesake Hugh Gray's blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.

Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, captured arguably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 - however it was later proven to be a fake 

The first reported sighting of the monster is said to have been made in AD565 by the Irish missionary St Columba when he came across a giant beast in the River Ness.

But no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sightings - although in 2019, 'Nessie expert' Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years watching the Loch, said he thought it was actually a giant Wels Catfish, native to waters near the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.

An online register lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com. 

So what could explain these mysterious sightings? 

Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large, crocodile-like scutes sitting atop the spine of the creature, leading some to believe an escaped amphibian may be to blame.

Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have ridged backs, which make them look almost reptilian.

Some believe Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur - like an elasmosaur - that survived somehow when all the other dinosaurs were wiped out.

Others say the sightings are down to Scottish pines dying and flopping into the loch, before quickly becoming water-logged and sinking.

While submerged, botanical chemicals start trapping tiny bubbles of air.

Eventually, enough of these are gathered to propel the log upward as deep pressures begin altering its shape, giving the appearance of an animal coming up for air.

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

23-03-2026 om 17:00 geschreven door peter  

Yes, there really is a massive “gravity hole” under the ice, known as the Antarctic Geoid Low (AGL). It’s one of the most extreme gravitational anomalies on Earth.

Instead, it’s a region where Earth’s gravitational pull is slightly weaker than average. Because of this, the planet’s “gravity surface”, called the geoid — dips by about 120 meters compared to the global norm. This subtle dip influences ocean behavior, sea level measurements, and even how ice sheets evolve over time. 

Recent research, including studies published in Scientific Reports, has helped scientists better understand what’s causing it. The answer lies deep within Earth, far below the Antarctic ice. XX Over tens of millions of years, slow-moving currents in the mantle, the layer beneath Earth’s crust, have shifted dense material around the planet. These movements, including sinking tectonic slabs, reduce mass in certain regions. Less mass means weaker gravity. 

Models suggest this anomaly has existed for at least 70 million years, dating back to the age of dinosaurs. It became significantly more pronounced between 50 and 30 million years ago, a period that also saw major climate shifts and the formation of Antarctica’s massive ice sheets. And importantly, it’s still evolving today, just at an incredibly slow pace. 

A weak-gravity region under Antarctica may have evolved alongside major climate changes, hinting that Earth’s deep interior could shape sea level and ice-sheet growth in unexpected ways.

Credit: Shutterstock

This isn’t guesswork. Scientists used global earthquake data, advanced physics simulations, and reconstructions of Earth’s interior to map the anomaly with increasing precision. 

Researchers used a computer model to discover that the gravity hole was weaker around 70 million years ago (left) but was becoming stronger 40 million years ago (right)

Scientific Reports

That being said, Antarctica does remain one of the most restricted and least explored places on Earth. Protected zones, such as the Antarctic Treaty System. Given that scientists now acknowledge the existence of a massive gravity anomaly, it raises questions about whether it could be linked to the hollow Earth theory, and prompts us to wonder what might truly lie hidden beneath the ice, beyond what is currently revealed to the public

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23-03-2026 om 16:35 geschreven door peter  

Interpreting the Wheel of Ghosts

Existing interpretations have diverged in their explanations of what the Wheel of Ghosts meant to the people who built it. Those explanations run the gamut of what is generally assumed of these mysterious ancient sites: a ceremonial space, a burial mound, or an astronomical observatory.

However, these interpretations all relied on a major assumption that has proven false: that the Wheel of Ghosts is unique to the area.

That basic assumption has now been turned on its head by an international multidisciplinary team of physicists and archaeologists. Their work was rooted in remote sensing, a broad category of tools that have allowed archaeologists to view areas at broad scales, and even image beneath the ground. While such technologies have long existed, their increased adoption among archaeologists has led to major discoveries in the last two decades.

The Satellite View

Data for the research came from archives containing multiple satellite imagery platforms, including Google Earth Pro and CNES/Airbus. These archives held two decades of imagery captured between 2004 and 2024, providing multiple observations of the same regions over the years. Processing those images and then performing a comparative analysis helped the team to uncover these new sites.

Through AI processing, obscuring features like shadows and seasonal vegetation were mitigated, revealing features otherwise impossible to discern. These included signs of ancient human intervention, along with other notable landscape features, which were typically obscured. The team noted that this is a major boon to archaeology, alleviating the need for expensive, time-consuming expeditions to regions that may contain nothing of interest.

In the AI-processed imagery, researchers uncovered new sites resembling the wheel of Ghosts.

Credit: A. Kleiner

Uncovering Further Wheel of Ghosts-Like Sites

During their research, the team was shocked to find 28 sites resembling the Wheel of Ghosts, all of which had remained hidden in the area. These large, round structures shared many of the characteristics with Rujm El-Hiri and were all situated within a tight 16-mile radius of the site.

Amid the new discoveries, the Wheel of Ghosts remains singular in terms of its quality. Other sites were smaller, less elaborate, and more heavily degraded. This is likely why they remained undetected for almost six decades after the Wheel of Ghosts was first identified by modern archaeologists.

One of the primary impediments to clearly understanding the original site and these additional newly discovered structures is the broad time range archaeologists attribute to the original’s construction. This makes it difficult to determine exactly which group of people inhabited the area at the time, further clouding what these structures may have been intended for.

Intriguingly, while there seems to be a clear group of similar structures in this region, sites farther away in Galilee and Lebanon also resemble the Wheel of Ghosts in the new research. Tying together all of these sites, both near and far, will now require extensive on-the-ground research to determine if they were all occupied by a single culture

The paper, “Reassessing Rujm El-Hiri: Aerial Imagery and Stone Circles in the Proto-Historic Southern Levant,” appeared in PLOS One on March 18, 2026.

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

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

22-03-2026 om 23:00 geschreven door peter  

“Many eyewitnesses in the state of Texas have filed reports on the American Meteor Society website of a bright fireball,” a NASA statement read. “The meteor was also detected by the Geostationary Lightning Mappers on the GOES satellites.”

Officials said the object became visible as it reached an altitude of about 49 miles above Stagecoach, which lies outside Houston to the northwest.

Before breaking apart approximately 29 miles above Bammel, Texas, the object reached speeds of 35,000 miles per hour, causing a loud boom reported by many in the region as the object streaked through the skies toward the southeast.

“The disintegration of the asteroidal fragment—which weighed about a ton with a diameter of 3 feet—unleashed an energy of 26 tons of TNT,” NASA’s statement read, “creating a pressure wave that propagated to the ground and causing the booms heard by some in the area.”

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

22-03-2026 om 22:12 geschreven door peter  

UFOs Landed In The Brazil Jungle, Google Earth Map! UFO UAP Sighting News.

Date of discovery: March 10, 2026

Location of discovery: Brazil jungle

Google coordinates: -25.152750, -49.407833

 

There are two hidden UFOs in the jungle of Brazil. One round and one triangle shaped. The round UFO has a very mechanical look to it with its arms and dark long windows between each arm. The triangle UFO is also unique in that it has a wing structure and tail wings. Now many UFO reports and videos have been coming out of Brazil this last twelve months and each one back this up...that UFOs land in the jungle forest in locations inaccessible to humans. These are rare catches, and I used google earth history to see they were not there a year before. Two UFOs which look like they are landed, not crashed. Two intact...alien craft...just sitting there...so the people on board could exit, explore and research the existing plants, animals, etc. 

Scott C. Waring - Taiwan 

 

 

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22-03-2026 om 21:57 geschreven door peter