Iconic Peruvian "Band of Holes" Could Have Been Used for Accounting

Gary Manners

For nearly a century, the enigmatic Monte Sierpe monument in Peru has puzzled archaeologists with its thousands of mysterious aligned holes, with many theories being put forward for their purpose. With ideas ranging from systems to collect water or even an Inca tax, standing burials, grain storage, defense, trail marking, to a sophisticated agricultural system. New research combining microbotanical analysis and aerial photography suggests this iconic Andean feature served first as a sophisticated marketplace and later as an accounting system, revealing evidence of Indigenous economic practices long before European contact. Could this theory finally have found the answer to Peru’s baffling Band of Holes?

Stretching for around a mile (1.5 km) across the rugged terrain of the Pisco Valley in southern Peru, Monte Sierpe—meaning "serpent mountain"—consists of approximately 5,200 precisely aligned holes, each measuring 1-2 meters wide and 0.5-1 meter deep. The monument's holes are organized into distinct sections or blocks, creating a pattern that has confounded researchers since it first gained modern attention through aerial photographs published in National Geographic in 1933.

• Were the Mysterious Band of Holes in Peru Used for Inca Tax Collection?
• Miles-long band of mysterious and unexplained holes in Pisco Valley Peru

From Marketplace to Monument: Uncovering Monte Sierpe's Purpose

Dr. Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney led an international team that has published their findings in the journal Antiquity, presenting what may be the most compelling explanation yet for this landscape feature. "Hypotheses regarding Monte Sierpe's purpose range from defense, storage, and accounting to water collection, fog capture, and gardening," explains Dr. Bongers."The function of the site remains unclear."

The research team's microbotanical analysis of sediment samples from the holes revealed plant remains including maize and wild plants traditionally used for basket-making.

"These data support the hypothesis that during pre-Hispanic times, local groups periodically lined the holes with plant materials and deposited goods inside them, using woven baskets and/or bundles for transport," Dr. Bongers notes.

This discovery provides the first direct physical evidence of how the monument was actually used, moving beyond speculation to concrete archaeological data, and adding to the evidence fro similar theories that have been provided, for example by Stanish and Tantalean in 2015.

• Researchers Say New Find of Khipu Strings May Help Unravel Inca Record Keeping
• A Step Closer to Reading the Inca Khipus Data Recording System

Individual holes at Monte Sierpe demonstrate remarkable precision and uniformity.

(C. Stanish/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

The Khipu Connection: Reading Landscape as Language

Perhaps the most intriguing finding comes from high-resolution aerial imagery, which reveals numerical patterns in the layout of the holes. Combined with the monument's segmented organization, Monte Sierpe mirrors khipus—the Inca counting devices made from knotted strings used throughout the empire for record-keeping and administration.

This could indicate that Monte Sierpe constituted a monumental system of accounting during the Inca period, administered by the Inca state for the collection of tributes from local populations. The strategic positioning of the site supports this interpretation—Monte Sierpe sits between two Inca administrative sites and near the intersection of a network of pre-Hispanic roads.

Khipu found near Pisco now held in the Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin: top) VA 16135a; bottom) VA 16135b (© Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, photographs by Claudia Obrocki.

(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

A Meeting Place Between Worlds

The monument's location in a transitional ecological zone called chaupiyunga—between the highlands and lower coastal plain—provides crucial context for trying to unravel its original purpose. This positioning would have made it an ideal space where groups from both regions could meet and exchange goods, operating as a regulated barter marketplace.

The evidence suggests that Monte Sierpe was initially constructed and used by the pre-Inca Chincha Kingdom for regulated barter and exchange. Under later Inca rule, the site evolved into an accounting place where the state could systematically gather tribute from local communities, integrating Indigenous economic practices into the imperial administrative system.

Expanding Our Understanding of Indigenous Innovation

"This study contributes an important Andean case study on how past communities modified past landscapes to bring people together and promote interaction," Dr. Bongers concludes.

"Our findings expand our understanding of barter marketplaces and the origins and diversity of Indigenous accounting practices within and beyond the ancient Andes."

The research demonstrates how pre-Columbian societies developed sophisticated systems for economic administration and social organization that were uniquely adapted to their environmental and cultural contexts. Rather than simply imposing their own systems, the Inca often incorporated and built upon existing Indigenous practices—a strategy that contributed to their successful expansion across such diverse territories.

This thorough and revealing research at Monte Sierpe adds to our growing appreciation of the complexity and innovation of pre-Columbian American civilizations. It reveals how ancient peoples perhaps created monumental expressions of economic and social systems, literally writing their accounting practices into the landscape itself. The monument stands as a testament to the ingenuity of Indigenous accounting methods that served complex societies for centuries without written language as we typically understand it.

Top image: Aerial photo of Monte Sierpe, facing northeast. Source: J.L. Bongers /Antiquity Publications Ltd

By Gary Manners

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

10-11-2025 om 18:38 geschreven door peter  

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10-11-2025 om 18:06 geschreven door peter  

Robotics Company Builds Straight-Up Terminator

10-11-2025 om 17:46 geschreven door peter  

Former NASA Agent Suggests Government Used UFO Theories To Cover “Stealth Technology”

Image: Getty / Futurism

A former NASA official says he thinks the government uses rumors of alien conspiracies to hide its secrets — a suggestion corroborated by a recent bombshell report about military officials spreading UFO disinformation.

In an interview with Fox News, Joseph Gutheinz, a former special agent at NASA’s inspector general, said that the US military’s clandestine operations are likely behind many UFO conspiracy theories.

“I believe early on in the 1940s when all these UFO stories started coming up, it was because the military was probably testing some aircraft,” Gutheinz said, “and they didn’t want the Russians to know about it.”

Indeed, in a recent exposé from the Wall Street Journal, military officials all but corroborated that the military obfuscated its secret projects at sites like Area 51 by playing into alien rumors. In one anecdote shared with the Pentagon’s real-life UFO hunting office, known as the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, a former Air Force colonel even admitted to distributing doctored photos of a so-called “flying saucer” at a bar near the base.

While such trolling may or may not have been cosigned by the Department of Defense, the idea that the military would intentionally exploit theories about UFOs, which the government now calls “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAPs, jibes well with Gunthienz’s interest in government secrets.

During and after his time at the NASA inspector general’s office, the retired special agent has quested to find and return dozens of missing Moon rocks from the Apollo 11 and 17 missions that were, as he found, lost due to the government’s lack of transparency.

Over the years, he’s helped uncover many of the rocks piecemeal — including one that was in the possession of former president Bill Clinton — and campaigned for greater transparency about the precious and scattered artifacts. One would forgive the man for distrusting the government with secret projects and precious materials.

“If this UFO cover worked,” Gutheinz told Fox, “I would not be surprised if there are some people in the military and the government that played along with that in order to conceal our stealth technology.”

“The bottom line is,” he continued, “I think that we use the UFO cover to hide a lot of things.”

More on government secrets: 

• Air Force Colonel Gave Out Photos of Flying Saucers Near Area 51

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{ https://futurism.com/category/science-energy }

10-11-2025 om 17:44 geschreven door peter  

Mysterious Drones Swarmed Langley AFB For Weeks

Langley Air Force Base, a critical node in the nation’s air‑defense network, experienced a series of unexplained drone incursions throughout December 2023 that have drawn renewed attention to the growing threat posed by uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) operating beyond conventional battlefields. According to a statement obtained by *The War Zone* from a base spokesperson, the first sighting occurred on the evening of Dec. 6, with additional flights reported on several subsequent nights. The drones varied in size and configuration, and while none displayed overtly hostile behavior, each entry into the restricted airspace raised concerns about flight safety and potential surveillance. The Federal Aviation Administration was briefed on the incidents, and the base has since coordinated with local law‑enforcement and federal agencies to monitor the airspace and protect personnel, facilities, and assets.

In response to the persistent activity, the Air Force called in a suite of “advanced assets” from across the federal government, most notably a NASA WB‑57F high‑altitude research aircraft. The WB‑57F, typically employed for atmospheric sampling and scientific missions, was repurposed to conduct high‑resolution surveillance of the airspace above Langley, underscoring the seriousness with which the Department of Defense views these incursions. “We retain the right to protect the installation,” the base’s statement read, emphasizing that operational details remain classified for security reasons. Nonetheless, the deployment of a NASA platform signals an inter‑agency effort to gather data that could illuminate the drones’ origins, flight characteristics, and any potential links to foreign adversaries or non‑state actors.

Langley’s strategic significance amplifies the stakes. The installation, part of Joint Base Langley‑Eustis, hosts a fleet of F‑22 Raptor stealth fighters that support North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) missions, including the defense of Washington, D.C. Its proximity to the sprawling Naval Station Norfolk—the largest U.S. Navy base on the East Coast—and major commercial shipyards in the Newport News‑Hampton Roads corridor further heightens the risk that unauthorized aerial activity could interfere with critical military and civilian infrastructure. Analysts have long warned that the expanding capabilities of commercial and hostile drones could compromise air‑traffic safety and provide adversaries with low‑cost means of intelligence collection, a concern echoed by the base’s officials.

The Langley events have also rekindled public fascination with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Although the Air Force has not classified the drones as “UFOs,” the lack of an identified operator and the drones’ ability to evade conventional detection have fueled speculation among conspiracy‑theory circles. In Washington, the incidents have prompted a handful of congressional inquiries seeking clarification on the scope of the threat and the adequacy of existing counter‑UAS measures. Representative Mike Turner (R‑VA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, asked the Department of Defense to brief the committee on any findings from the WB‑57F surveillance and to outline steps being taken to bolster air‑space security at high‑value installations.

While the investigations remain ongoing, the Langley case illustrates a broader shift in how the U.S. military confronts the evolving drone landscape. The Department of Defense’s recent publication of a UAS threat assessment highlighted that “uncrewed systems now operate in environments traditionally considered secure, including near critical command and control centers.” The Langley incidents, though not deemed hostile, serve as a practical test of the nation’s layered defense—ranging from radar and electronic warfare to inter‑agency coordination—to detect, identify, and, if necessary, neutralize rogue aerial platforms. As the Air Force continues to monitor its skies, officials stress that the priority remains safeguarding flight safety and national security while gathering the evidence needed to attribute the mysterious drones and prevent future incursions.

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{ https://usubjects.com/ }

10-11-2025 om 16:43 geschreven door peter  

Scientist Exposes Secret UFO Research Program Hidden in Las Vegas

A groundbreaking revelation has emerged from Las Vegas, where a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) scientist has shared new details about the largest UFO investigation ever funded by the United States government. Conducted in secrecy, this multimillion-dollar research project aimed to understand unidentified aerial phenomena and potentially replicate their advanced technology.

The Secret Program Hidden in Plain Sight

Dr. James Lacatski, a physicist who spent much of his career analyzing foreign weapons and intelligence data for the DIA, led the Advanced Aerospace Weapons Systems Application Program (AAWSAP). The initiative was launched with the support of Nevada Senator Harry Reid and operated under a $22 million budget.

Although its existence remained classified for years, the program’s central hub was located in Las Vegas — far from the political spotlight of Washington, D.C. The research was managed through Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space Studies (BAASS), a subsidiary of entrepreneur Robert Bigelow’s aerospace company. The team included 50 full-time investigators who collected and analyzed an unprecedented amount of data on UFO encounters, strange aerial phenomena, and their possible effects on human observers.

Skinwalker Ranch and the Quest for Technology

AAWSAP’s roots trace back to a mysterious location in northeastern Utah — the now-famous Skinwalker Ranch. Reports from this remote area included sightings of glowing orbs, large craft emerging from the sky, and bizarre creature encounters. Dr. Lacatski, intrigued by these accounts, personally visited the ranch with Bigelow and witnessed unexplained activity himself.

He later convinced DIA leadership that such events warranted scientific investigation, both for potential defense implications and for technological opportunities. As he explained, “We wanted to learn what could be weaponized — that was our job.”

Classified Findings and Government Secrecy

Over its 27-month existence, AAWSAP produced more than 115 classified reports and created what is believed to be the world’s largest database of UFO-related material. However, most of this information remains locked away within government archives.

Dr. Lacatski, now retired, has begun cautiously publishing some of the program’s findings in his new book New Insights: Inside the U.S. Government’s UFO Program. The book presents evidence suggesting that many UFOs — and related paranormal effects — originate from an intelligence or source that is “not human.”

He describes cases where commercial pilots were shadowed by massive, shape-shifting craft, and where witnesses suffered physiological and medical changes following close encounters. Some incidents also involved what appeared to be “men in black” and other unexplained entities connected to UFO hotspots.

A Recovered Craft and the Global Race for Reverse Engineering

Perhaps the most stunning claim by Lacatski is that the U.S. government possesses at least one recovered craft of unknown origin — a machine with no wings, no visible engine, and no fuel system, yet capable of flight. While such assertions remain unverified, they align with earlier statements by Senator Reid, who confirmed that multiple nations — including Russia and China — are engaged in a race to understand and replicate these technologies.

“The race is real, and we better win it,” Reid once said, emphasizing the potential defense advantage that could arise from mastering UFO propulsion.

Politics, Secrecy, and the End of Funding

Despite the program’s success, AAWSAP’s funding was abruptly halted. Lacatski later revealed that Senator Reid himself suspended financing after learning that a spy within his office might leak the project’s existence during his 2010 re-election campaign. Reid eventually won, but the program never regained full congressional support.

Nevertheless, parts of the investigation reportedly continued under other Pentagon initiatives, including the later Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), keeping alive the effort to understand unidentified aerial phenomena.

A Glimpse Behind the Curtain

For decades, government officials publicly dismissed UFO sightings as misidentifications or atmospheric anomalies. Behind the scenes, however, agencies like the DIA and Pentagon treated the subject with utmost seriousness. Dr. Lacatski’s disclosures mark one of the rare moments when an insider has lifted the veil — revealing a high-stakes race for technology that could redefine humanity’s understanding of physics and intelligence itself.

While official disclosure remains elusive, the scientist’s testimony and declassified details confirm one thing: Las Vegas once served as the headquarters for one of the most secretive and extraordinary scientific projects in modern U.S. history.

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{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

10-11-2025 om 16:33 geschreven door peter  

Around 4,500 years after it was constructed, scientists think they've located the remains of a hidden entrance at a historic pyramid in Egypt. 

Built around 2510 BC and standing nearly 200 feet tall, Pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three main pyramids of the famous Giza complex. 

It was built to serve as the tomb of the King Menkaure, the Fourth Dynasty king whose sarcophagus mysteriously went missing.  

Researchers in Egypt and Germany have used high-tech scanning methods to peer behind the pyramid's historic granite bricks.

They report that there are two hidden air-filled anomalies which suggest a hidden entrance undetected in the modern era until now. 

Christian Grosse, professor of non-destructive testing at Technical University of Munich (TUM), called it 'an important finding in Giza'. 

'The testing methodology we developed allows very precise conclusions to be drawn about the nature of the pyramid's interior,' he said.  

'The hypothesis of another entrance is very plausible, and our results take us a big step closer to confirming it.'  

Around 4,500 years after it was constructed, scientists think they've located the remains of a hidden entrance at a historic pyramid in Egypt 

Pyramid of Menkaure, - the smallest of the three main pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex, standing at nearly 200 feet tall - had a second entrance, experts think. In this photo, the northern side (featuring the primary entrance) is in shadow. The southern side is illuminated by sunlight. Also seen are three much smaller pyramids known as the Queens' Pyramids

The Menkaure pyramid's primary entrance is on its northern side, but experts think the second one is on the eastern side, which faces the River Nile.

In particular, they point to a 13ft by 19ft (four metres high and six metres wide) rectangular area of the eastern side that's close to the ground. 

Weirdly, the granite blocks in this area of the eastern façade are 'unusually smooth' as if they'd been rigorously polished millennia ago. 

Tellingly, such smooth stones are found at the primary entrance on the northern side – suggesting a second one long existed here too but has been forgotten. 

Independent researcher Stijn van den Hoven theorized this possible additional entrance for the first time in 2019, but this has remained a hypothesis – until now. 

The experts at Cairo University and Technical University of Munich (TUM) used 'non-invasive' methods – radar, ultrasound and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) – to peer inside without pulling apart the ancient bricks. 

Excitingly, they detected two air-filled voids behind the smooth façade, both of different sizes and at different heights. 

One of the air-filled 'anomalies' is located at a depth of 4.5 feet (1.4 metres), measuring 3.2 feet by 4.8 feet (1 metre high by 1.5 metre wide), while the other anomaly is at a depth of 3.7 feet (1.13 metres), measuring 2.9 feet by 2.2 feet (0.9 metres by 0.7 metres). 

The research using radar, ultrasound and ERT prove the existence of two air-filled voids underneath the eastern façade, providing initial evidence to support the hypothesis

Why the two void-filled spaces are arranged exactly like this is puzzling, but together they 'could support the hypothesis of a second entrance'. 

The team point out that each technique used in this study has its own limitations, but by using a combination of all three their conclusions are reliable. 

Today, tourists can go inside Pyramid of Menkaure and traverse its burial chambers, corridors and other little niches, but a second entrance on the eastern side hints that there could be still undiscovered chambers or passages containing treasures unseen by modern eyes. 

However, the interpretation of the detected anomalies should be 'discussed among Egyptologists' before any firm conclusions are made. 

Researchers caution it was 'difficult to determine how far the anomalies extend inside the pyramid' due to limitations in the penetration depth of their methods. 

Nevertheless, the study published in NDT & E International, marks the first time structural anomalies have been identified behind the distinctive façade on the east side. 

It's believed Pyramid of Menkaure was built to serve as the tomb of Menkaure, the Fourth Dynasty king, who died as a young man in 2503 BC for reasons unknown. 

Pictured, the location and dimensions of the detected anomalies overlaid on a photograph of the Eastern face of Menkaure

'The hypothesis of an entrance is very plausible': Researchers have identified two air-filled voids in the Menkaure Pyramid by using non-invasive methods 

Unfortunately, the sarcophagus within the pyramid was lost at sea nearly 200 years ago during attempts to transport it to the British Museum in London. 

The merchant ship carrying it, Beatrice, was mysteriously lost after leaving port at Malta on October 13, 1838.

The Giza complex, west of Cairo, includes the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, along with the Great Sphinx. 

All are shrouded in mystery due to their unclear construction methods, precise astronomical alignment, and still-debated purpose. 

WHAT IS THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS?

The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country's main tourist attractions, situated next to the Giza pyramid complex.

The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock.

The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period.

Almost all of the tombs were opened and looted centuries ago, but the sites still give an idea of the opulence and power of the Pharaohs.

The majority of the pharaohs of the 18th to 20th dynasties, who ruled from 1550 to 1069 BC, rested in the tombs which were cut into the local rock. Pictured are godess statues in the valley

The most famous pharaoh at the site is Tutankhamen, whose tomb was discovered in 1922.

Preserved to this day, in the tomb are original decorations of sacred imagery from, among others, the Book of Gates or the Book of Caverns.

These are among the most important funeral texts found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs. 

The Valley of the Kings in upper Egypt is one of the country's main tourist attractions, situated next to the Giza pyramid complex 

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10-11-2025 om 16:17 geschreven door peter  

A humanoid robot has reached new depths of the uncanny valley with its smooth, humanlike movements.

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, Xpeng, revealed its latest robot dubbed the Xpeng IRON, at an event last week.

The bot proved so eerily lifelike that its inventors were forced to cut it open on stage to prove there wasn't a person hiding inside.

Luckily for the assembled crowds, all this bold stunt revealed was sophisticated synthetic muscles, rather than real flesh and blood.

Xpeng says IRON's creepily realistic walk is a result of its unique AI, which enables it to physically react to its surroundings.

Each robot is also coated with a 'full coverage' synthetic skin, which supposedly makes it 'feel warmer and more intimate'.

On social media, fans have been blown away by the impressive design, with commenters hailing IRON as 'beyond belief'.

One amazed commenter wrote: 'For the first time in human history, a robot needs to prove that it is a machine.'

Xpeng, a Chinese EV manufacturer, has unveiled a humanoid robot which is so realistic that the company was forced to cut the bot open live on stage

People were so convinced that the new IRON robot was human that the engineers cut off its skin to reveal the robot beneath

Xpeng unveiled its new humanoid robot at the company's 2025 XPENG AI Day in Guangzhou, China.

And, after facing a series of claims that its robots are fake, Xpeng decided to settle the debate once and for all.

In front of the assembled crowd, an engineer took a large pair of scissors and carefully cut through the outer layer of synthetic skin.

Rather than revealing a hidden human as some critics had suspected, the engineer only revealed a sleek metal limb.

The company says that its robot's 'cat-like' gate was produced by a hidden system of artificial muscles, flexible bones, and a synthetic spine.

The robot is powered by three custom AI chips that allow it to make a combined total of 2,250 trillion operations per second (TOPS), making it one of the most advanced humanoid robots in existence.

This allows it to move with unnervingly human-like balance and poise.

However, IRON's true uncanny factor comes from its lifelike endoskeleton, which gives its body shape, and a layer of flexible skin.

After cutting away the synthetic skin, the inventors revealed the powerful artificial muscles below. These are what give the IRON robot its human-like walk

IRON is made especially creepy by its synthetic skin and 'endoskeleton', which gives the robot a realistic body shape

In the future, Xpeng says that customers will be able to customise the build and skin tone of their robots, choosing slimmer or stockier designs.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng Motors, said at the event: 'In the future, robots will be life partners and colleagues.

'I suspect that, just like when you buy a car, you can choose different colours, exteriors, and interiors. In the future, when you buy a robot, you can choose the sex, hair length, or clothing for your desired purpose.'

On social media, some tech enthusiasts flocked to share their amazement at the innovation.

One impressed commenter wrote: 'It's a compliment to the engineers that people thought it was a disguised human.'

'An engineer should be proud if people call their work fake or a hoax,' another chimed in.

While one added: 'This robot's movement is too human to believe it is actually a robot.'

However, even though Xpeng cut its robot open on stage, not everyone was convinced.

Even after the demonstration, some social media users were not convinced. Claiming that there was an amputee with a metal leg inside the suit

Xpeng says that its robots will be available to work in factories from 2026, but it has ruled out providing them for domestic settings 

'It's a woman with a prosthetic leg,' one commenter wrote.

Another added: 'I laughed so hard when they started cutting out the part that was hiding the prosthetic leg.

Another demanded: 'Cut open all of it! It could be an amputee!'

Of course, there is no evidence to suggest Xpeng has faked their robot, and IRON is actually the second generation of humanoid bots made by the company.

Read More

• Chefs, your jobs are safe for now! Humanoid robot tries to cook a stir-fry - with disastrous results 

Mr Xiaopeng says that the first IRON robots will start appearing at Xpeng locations in 2026.

The company didn't confirm how much each robot would cost, and did not respond to Daily Mail's request for additional information.

However, these humanoid bots won't be folding your laundry or doing the dishes for you quite yet.

Xpeng has ruled out offering its robots for domestic settings, noting that a powerful autonomous robot in a cluttered, unpredictable environment poses obvious safety risks.

WILL YOUR JOB BE TAKEN BY A ROBOT? PHYSICAL JOBS ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK

Physical jobs in predictable environments, including machine-operators and fast-food workers, are the most likely to be replaced by robots.

Management consultancy firm McKinsey, based in New York, focused on the amount of jobs that would be lost to automation, and what professions were most at risk.

The report said collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. 

This could displace large amounts of labour - for instance, in mortgages, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing.

Conversely, jobs in unpredictable environments are least are risk.

The report added: 'Occupations such as gardeners, plumbers, or providers of child- and eldercare - will also generally see less automation by 2030, because they are technically difficult to automate and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition.'

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

10-11-2025 om 15:46 geschreven door peter  

09-11-2025 om 22:21 geschreven door peter  

Comparison of two plates. Transients circled in blue, defects are circled in pink. 

© Villarroel, Beatriz et al., Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 2025.

CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Researchers have been striving to explain seemingly unexplainable flashes of light, or transients, observed in the sky since the 1950s. Incredibly, we still don’t know what these unidentified aerial phenomena—or more familiarly, unidentified flying objects—are.

In two papers published earlier this month, one in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the other in Scientific Reports, researchers lay out two new, startling explanations for these phenomena. They analyzed transients that were documented in photographic plates (the precursors to photographic film) from the early 1950s—crucially, these flashes were observed before Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite, launched in October, 1957. The papers indicate that at least some of the observed transients were real, and that at least some of these might have been connected to nuclear weapons tests and reports of UAPs.

“Today we know that short flashes of light are often solar reflections from flat, highly reflective objects in orbit around the Earth, such as satellites and space debris,” Beatriz Villarroel, a co-author on both studies, said in a Stockholm University statement. But prior to 1957, there were no human-made satellites in space—or at least, there were none as far as we know. And while it is possible that a country might have secretly launched something into space, that would have been hard to do without being noticed, according to German physicist and popular science communicator Sabine Hossenfelder.

Transients, UAPs, and nuclear tests

In the Scientific Reports study, Villarroel and her colleague analyzed more than 106,000 instances of transients and found small but statistically significant associations between them and reports of UAP sightings and above-ground nuclear weapons testing during the 1950s. Specifically, the transients tended to appear a day after a nuclear test. They also identified a positive correlation between the number of flashes of light in the sky and the amount of UAPs reports on any given day. Moreover, most of the transients occurred around the same time as a nuclear test, and at least one UAP report.

The researchers lay out two potential hypotheses: One is that nuclear tests might trigger an atmospheric phenomenon that appears as a flash or transient, in turn spurring UAP reports and showing up on the astronomical images. The other leans on an existing piece of what the researchers call “lore”: that nuclear weapons tests might attract UAP.

“While this alleged connection has been claimed for decades based on anecdotal evidence, it has until now lacked any systematic supporting data,” the researchers write in the paper. “Within this latter hypothesis, our results could be viewed as indicating that transients are artificial, reflective objects either in high-altitude orbits around Earth or at high altitudes within the atmosphere.”

“Whether and how this hypothesis might be further tested remains to be determined. Regardless of what transients are ultimately determined to be, our results add to growing evidence supporting the interpretation of transients as real observations, rather than as emulsion defects,” they conclude.

Moving objects

In the other paper, Villarroel and her colleagues searched for historical evidence of highly reflective artificial objects near Earth. To do this, they looked for transients in the data that appeared to follow a pattern, suggesting that they might be flat, reflective, and moving objects.

They found two interesting occurrences, one of which, notably, took place on July 27, 1952—during a week where there was a spate of notorious UFO sightings in Washington, D.C. They also found significantly fewer transients in Earth’s shadow, indicating that at least some of the flashes of light were likely objects reflecting the Sun from an orbital point high above Earth.

Amidst what has been perceived as noise on the plates, there seems to be a genuine population of phenomena that correlate with, among other things, nuclear weapons tests or reports of UAP and that are missing in the Earth’s shadow,” Villarroel, an astronomer at the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stockholm University, explained in the statement.

“You don’t get that kind of solar reflections from round objects like asteroids or dust grains in space, which leave streaks during a 50-minute exposure, but only if something is very flat and very reflective and reflects the sunlight with a short flash.”

The new analyses are intriguing. But more work will need to be done before researchers can conclusively say what that something is.

{ https://gizmodo.com/ }

09-11-2025 om 22:02 geschreven door peter  

Unprecedented radio view of the Milky Way took over 40,000 hours to construct — Space photo of the week

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

09-11-2025 om 18:29 geschreven door peter  

(Credit: NASA)

“This stability means Enceladus’ ocean could have existed for a long-term, potentially giving life a chance to have evolved,” explained the study’s lead author, Dr Georgina Miles from SwRI and Visiting Scientist at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, and study co-author, Oxford Prof. Carly Howett, also from the PRI, in an email to The Debrief.

The research team behind the new analysis also described Enceladus as “a top contender for extra-terrestrial life,” because it has heat, liquid water, and the right chemicals, such as complex hydrocarbons and phosphorus, needed for life on Earth. The researchers also told The Debrief that future missions to Enceladus could reveal critical data about the moon’s age and the age of its subsurface ocean, which is necessary to confirm its potential habitability.

Although researchers have suspected for some time that Enceladus’ ocean might support life, its long-term stability, which is required for life to evolve, has remained in question. This stability can only exist if its energy losses and gains remain in balance.

For example, if the moon’s squeezing and stretching caused by Saturn’s gravity creates too little energy, the surface activity would slow or even stop, resulting in the sub-surface ocean freezing. Conversely, if this gravity-induced tidal activity generates too much heat, the ocean’s activity would increase, which the researchers note would also dramatically alter its environment.

To determine if the ocean could stay stable over the geological timescales needed for life to develop, the researchers examined surface temperature data captured by Cassini between 2005 and 2017.

“We used north polar late winter observations (when the north pole was in winter darkness) and summer observations permanent daylight) for this study,” Dr. Miles and Prof. Howett told The Debrief.

The researchers said using data captured by Cassini during the moon’s deep winter (2005) and deep summer (2015) was important because heat conducted through the surface ice shell during the winter might be mistaken for the pole still cooling down from the summer. However, they note, this “wouldn’t be the case” for observations collected in summer.

“Observations from both seasons were required to rule that out,” they explained, adding that warmer regions were “easier to spot” when the moon’s surface is at its coldest.

According to a statement detailing the research, the team used this data to create expected surface temperature models during the polar night and compare them against infrared observations captured by Cassini’s Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). These models revealed that the surface of the North Pole, which had previously been considered inactive, was approximately seven times warmer than previous models had predicted.  The team said this discrepancy could only be explained if the sub-surface ocean was leaking heat through the icy shell.

Dr. Miles and Prof. Howett told The Debrief that the moon’s maximum total outgoing heat “is comparable to the best current estimates” of Enceladus’ tidal heating rate. In short, the heat generated and lost are a close match. The team said this finding indicates it might be possible for the sub-surface ocean to be maintained in liquid form “so long as its orbit around Saturn remains stable.”

“With current theories about ‘tidal locking,’ this is entirely possible,” they added.

In the study’s conclusion, the researchers suggest that a better understanding of Enceladus’ age would help constrain the duration of its subsurface ocean’s likely existence in liquid form. Dr. Miles and Prof. Howett told The Debrief that the age of all of Saturn’s moons is “highly uncertain,” and noted that Enceladus “is particularly difficult to age” because it has been continually resurfaced by alternating heating and cooling episodes throughout its icy shell.

“The fate of the moon is tied to the evolution of Saturn and its interior structure,” they said, adding that “Enceladus could be up to 1 billion years old, or as young as 150 million years, with current best estimates of 200-450 million years old.” For comparison, the Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old.

When asked about any potential experiments that could help confirm the habitability of Enceladus’ ocean, the researchers said one viable method would involve in situ measurements of the size and composition of the nanoparticles previously observed by Cassini in the plumes ejected into space from the moon’s south pole. These readings could be used to “provide limits” on how long they’ve been at the rock-ocean interface, they explained, while also noting that “a lot of laboratory work is needed to verify this too.”

When discussing what tools or missions are necessary to confirm the moon’s potential habitability, the team said their work directly highlighted the need for long-term missions to ocean worlds like Enceladus that may harbor life, “and the fact [that] the data might not reveal all its secrets until decades after it has been obtained.”

“Our estimates of the energy balance will be significantly improved by future missions to Enceladus,” Dr. Miles and Prof. Howett told The Debrief.

Only one mission is currently selected to return to Enceladus, the European Space Agency’s next Large Class L4 mission. However, they said several more missions “are in the proposal stage.”

“The best information comes from Enceladus’ polar regions, which are hard to view from Earth-based observing systems,” the researchers told The Debrief. “You really need to return there to observe Enceladus with a modern instruments suite to understand its habitability potential.”

The study “Endogenic heat at Enceladus’ north pole” was published in Science Advances.

• Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.

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

09-11-2025 om 18:12 geschreven door peter  

Scientist Reveals Details of Top-Secret UFO Research in Las Vegas

Colm Kelleher, a marine biologist who spent more than a decade working on the Department of Defense’s Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP), has recently lifted the veil on one of the United States’ most extensive and secretive investigations into unidentified aerial phenomena. In a new memoir released this month, Kelleher describes how a multi‑agency task force, headquartered in a discreet facility near Las Vegas, received the largest ever budget allocation for studying UFOs and related anomalous events. “The funding was unprecedented,” he writes, “and it allowed us to bring together physicists, engineers, psychologists and, yes, biologists, to examine reports that had previously been dismissed as fringe.” The book, which blends personal narrative with declassified documentation, offers a rare insider’s view of a program that operated parallel to the more widely known AATIP effort, yet was far more expansive in scope.

The Las Vegas‑based operation, according to Kelleher, was tasked not only with analyzing radar and sensor data from military pilots but also with investigating phenomena that straddled the line between aerospace anomalies and what some would label “paranormal.” Among the most intriguing cases were the recurring reports from the so‑called Skinwalker Ranch in Utah, a property long associated with unexplained lights, animal mutilations and other oddities. Kelleher notes that the team deployed a combination of high‑resolution cameras, lidar mapping and environmental sampling to capture data that could be cross‑referenced with eyewitness accounts. “We were looking for any measurable signature—electromagnetic, acoustic, biological—that could point to a non‑human source,” he explains. While the findings remain classified, the book suggests that the data collected at Skinwalker Ranch was among the most compelling, prompting the program to allocate additional resources for extended monitoring.

Kelleher’s account also sheds light on the internal dynamics that shaped the program’s direction. He describes a tension between traditional defense analysts, who emphasized potential foreign adversary technology, and a subset of scientists who entertained the possibility of non‑human intelligence. This debate influenced the allocation of research teams and the framing of investigative questions. “There were moments when the data forced us to consider hypotheses outside the conventional playbook,” he writes, “but the bureaucratic structure often required us to couch those ideas in more defensible, terrestrial terms.” The memoir recounts several high‑level briefings in which senior officials demanded rigorous statistical analysis, leading the team to develop novel methodologies for assessing low‑probability events without succumbing to confirmation bias.

The book also contextualizes the Las Vegas effort within a broader historical pattern of government‑sponsored UFO research. From Project Sign in the late 1940s to the recent establishment of the All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in 2022, each successive initiative has built upon the data and lessons of its predecessors. Kelleher points out that the AAWSAP program was the first to receive a dedicated, multi‑year budget that explicitly included “paranormal” phenomena, marking a shift from purely defensive concerns to a more open‑ended scientific inquiry. He credits this evolution to mounting pressure from congressional committees, veteran pilots and a growing public demand for transparency.

While Kelleher’s revelations provide unprecedented detail, many aspects of the Las Vegas program remain shrouded in classification. The memoir ends with a call for continued declassification and independent peer review, arguing that only through open scientific scrutiny can the true nature of these anomalies be determined. “If there is indeed evidence of non‑human intelligence, it is a matter of profound significance for humanity,” he concludes. As policymakers grapple with the implications of the emerging data, Kelleher’s insider perspective adds a crucial, measured voice to an ongoing debate that bridges national security, scientific curiosity and the public’s enduring fascination with the unknown.

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{ https://usubjects.com/  }

09-11-2025 om 17:57 geschreven door peter  

Terrifyingly Graphic Witness Account of Alien Abduction

A recent episode of the show "UFO Witness" has brought forward chilling testimony from individuals who claim to have experienced alien abductions, adding to the growing archive of contact narratives in the field of paranormal research. The episode centers on a detailed account from a woman named Elizabeth, who describes a harrowing and graphic encounter that left both physical and psychological marks.

Elizabeth recounts waking abruptly in the middle of the night to find a large, non-humanoid head hovering over her. She then realized she was surrounded by three beings—each holding one of her limbs—who proceeded to drag her from her bed and into the hallway. According to her recollection, she was unable to move or speak, completely paralyzed as she was transported to what she believes was an alien ship. "They put me into this very stiff metal chair in the middle of this room. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was paralyzed," Elizabeth told the show's host. She describes seeing a cylindrical mechanism extend from a machine and enter her right ear, leading her to believe she was being implanted with some device. Upon being returned to her bed, she discovered a drop of blood on her ear, fueling suspicions of an alien implant.

While Elizabeth remains uncertain about the intentions of her abductors, she suspects the event was part of an experiment or project. "It didn't feel like good beings," she said, expressing unease about the nature of the encounter. Despite the trauma, she later reported additional contact with what she described as a "Pleiadian" being—a tall, humanoid figure believed in some UFO circles to originate from the Pleiades star cluster. According to Elizabeth, this being communicated with her telepathically, inviting her to a meeting of the so-called Galactic Federation, a group purported by believers to foster unity and share wisdom with humanity. Elizabeth’s account reflects the mixed narratives often found in abduction stories, with some describing their interactions as enlightening, while others report fear and violation.

The episode also introduces the account of Mary Edwards, who claims her abduction experience began at the age of six. Mary describes being placed on a cold metal table aboard a spacecraft, subjected to a machine with electrodes attached to her head. She later came to believe that her abductors were extracting eggs from her for use in hybridization experiments—a common theme in abduction lore. "I thought, what am I doing or what have I done wrong, what's wrong with me—not thinking that they were taking eggs from me to be able to procreate other hybrid kids," Mary recalled. Such testimonies echo a pattern of alleged reproductive experiments described by other self-identified abductees.

The program’s host and researchers acknowledge the deeply personal and subjective nature of these experiences. When pressed about the possibility of deception or alternate agendas on the part of the extraterrestrial visitors, Elizabeth conceded, "Ultimately, all I know to be true is my own experiences and that's not your truth and that's not humanity's truth because you were not there—so take it or leave it." This sentiment highlights a central challenge in the study of UFO and abduction phenomena: the tension between personal conviction and the broader need for verifiable evidence.

With accounts like Elizabeth's and Mary's contributing to a wider pattern of similar claims, researchers continue to grapple with the implications. While skeptics point to psychological or physiological explanations for such experiences, believers argue that the consistency of themes—such as paralysis, physical implants, and hybridization programs—warrants further investigation. As the archive of testimonies expands, the debate over the origins and meaning of these encounters shows no sign of abating.

{ https://usubjects.com/  }

09-11-2025 om 17:45 geschreven door peter  

De mysterieuze hetze rond de komeet 31/Atlas: een wetenschappelijke analyse

In de afgelopen maanden is er op sociale media en in sommige wetenschappelijke kringen een uitgebreide discussie ontstaan over de komeet 31/Atlas. Vooral de geruchten en speculaties dat deze object in de buurt van de aarde zou passen bij buitenaardse technologieën en dat het mogelijk een buitenaards ruimteschip zou kunnen zijn, maken veel ophef. Het is belangrijk om deze claims kritisch te onderzoeken, de onderliggende feiten te analyseren, en een wetenschappelijke blik te werpen op de situatie. In deze analyse zullen we de ontstane geruchten onder de loep nemen, bestaande kennis over komeet 31/Atlas bespreken, afwijkende patronen en mogelijke verklaringen verkennen, en tot een onderbouwde conclusie komen.

Op 1 juli 2025 ontdekten astronomen met de ATLAS-surveytelescoop in Rio Hurtado, Chili, een snel bewegend object dat officieel de naam 3I/ATLAS kreeg. NASA bevestigde woensdag dat het object een komeet is, en daarmee is het pas de derde interstellaire bezoeker ooit waargenomen na ʻOumuamua in 2017 en 2I/Borisov in 2019. Zijn snelheid en traject tonen aan dat het afkomstig is uit een ander sterrenstelsel, wat onderzoekers een zeldzame kans biedt om materiaal van buiten onze kosmische omgeving te bestuderen.

Inleiding

De komeet 31/Atlas, ontdekt in 2017 door de Pan-STARRS-telescoop, behoort tot de categorie van terugkerende kometen die vaak de kosmische omgeving van de aarde passeren. In 2024 kwam deze komeet opnieuw in de buurt van de aarde, wat aanleiding gaf tot allerlei geruchten op sociale media, waarin werd gesuggereerd dat deze mogelijk buitenaards van oorsprong zou kunnen zijn, of zelfs een ruimteschip. Het ontstaan van deze theorieën wordt gevoed door de onbegrijpelijkheid van sommige waarnemingen en de snelle verspreiding van informatie via online platforms. Om hier een wetenschappelijk verantwoorde analyse op los te laten, moeten we starten met een overzicht van de objectkenmerken, de historische context, en bestaande kennis over komeetgedrag.

Wat weten we over komeet 31/Atlas?

Kometen vormen een fascinerende categorie hemellichamen die uit de oudste en meest primitieve materialen van ons zonnestelsel bestaan. Ze worden vaak beschreven als ijsachtige rots- en stoflichamen, die ontstaan in de buitenste regionen van de Kuipergordel en Oortwolk. Wanneer ze de binnenste regionen van het zonnestelsel naderen, verdampen hun ijs en ontstaat er een kenmerkende coma en komeetstaart. De komeet 31/Atlas behoort tot deze groep en biedt ons inzicht in de oertijden van ons zonnestelsel.

• Ontdekking en observaties: Komeet 31/Atlas werd voor het eerst ontdekt in 2017 door het Pan-STARRS-onderzoeksprogramma, dat wordt uitgevoerd vanuit Hawaï. Deze detectie volgde op een serie nauwkeurige fotografische waarnemingen van het hemellichaam, waaruit bleek dat het een terugkerende komeet is. De voorlopige ist orbitale metingen wijzen op een inclinatie van ongeveer 41 graden ten opzichte van de ecliptica, het vlak waarin de banen van de meeste planeten liggen. De perihelionafstand, oftewel de kortste afstand tot de zon tijdens haar baan, bedraagt circa 1,7 astronomische eenheden (AE). Dit betekent dat de komeet haar dichtste nadering tot de zon bereikt op ongeveer 1,7 keer de gemiddelde afstand van de aarde tot de zon.

• Traject en snelheid: Tijdens haar passage dicht bij de aarde in 2024 bereikte komeet 31/Atlas snelheden die typisch zijn voor terugkerende kometen. Zo bewoog ze met een snelheid van ongeveer 45 kilometer per seconde. Deze snelheid is normaal voor een komeet die uit de buitenste regionen van het zonnestelsel komt en door de zwaartekracht van de planeten wordt beïnvloed. Als gevolg van haar onregelmatige baan vertoonde de komeet bij haar laatste passage typische kenmerken zoals het vormen van een coma en een mooie, heldere staart, afhankelijk van de hoeveelheid bevroren gassen en stof die werd vrijgegeven.

• Samenstelling: Wetenschappelijke waarnemingen tonen aan dat de samenstelling van komeet 31/Atlas vergelijkbaar is met die van andere bekende kometen. Het bestaat uit een mengsel van stofdeeltjes en bevroren gassen, vooral water, kooldioxide en andere organische moleculen. Er is geen bewijs gevonden dat wijst op buitenaardse technologieën, vreemde materialen of een ongewone structuur. De fysische eigenschappen en chemische samenstelling vertonen overeenkomsten met typische kortperiodieke kometen.

• Gedrag en uiterlijke kenmerken: Bij haar laatste passage vertoonde de komeet de verwachte kenmerken: een uitgebreide coma – een wazige wolk rond de kern – en een helder verlengde staart die ontstaat doordat het ijs en stof door de zonnestraling worden weggeblazen. Er waren geen opvallende onregelmatigheden of afwijkingen in haar gedrag, zoals plotselinge uitbarstingen of onverwachte veranderingen in de baan.

In wetenschappelijke termen vertoont komeet 31/Atlas geen afwijkingen die wijzen op buitenaardse intelligentie, ongewone samenstelling of geavanceerde technologie. Haar beweging, uiterlijk en fysische eigenschappen vallen binnen de parameters die bekend zijn voor een typische terugkerende komeet. Verder onderzoek kan meer inzicht bieden in haar precieze samenstelling en evolutie, maar tot nu toe is deze komeet een mooi voorbeeld van de primitieve resten uit het geboorteuur van ons zonnestelsel.

De basis van de geruchten en speculaties

Hoe ontstaan de geruchten dat 31/Atlas een buitenaards ruimteschip zou zijn? Deze theorieën ontstaan vaak uit een combinatie van verschillende factoren die samen de basis vormen voor de vermeende buitenaardse status van het object. Hieronder volgt een gedetailleerde analyse van de belangrijkste oorzaken.

• Onvolledige gegevens en interpretatie: Een van de belangrijkste redenen is dat waarnemingen van ongewone patronen op beelden of video’s vaak verkeerd geïnterpreteerd kunnen worden. Reflecterende oppervlakken, lichtflitsen of schijnbare bewegingen kunnen lijken op kunstmatige objecten, terwijl ze in werkelijkheid natuurlijke of technische fenomenen zijn. Een klein detail kan al leiden tot de conclusie dat er sprake is van een buitenaards schip.

• Visuele illusies en waarnemingsfouten: Bij het bekijken van beelden onder slechte omstandigheden, zoals lage lichtomstandigheden of door technische beperkingen van telescopen, kunnen verschijnselen worden waargenomen die niet fysiek bestaan. Bijvoorbeeld, sensorartefacten, chromatische aberraties, of statische ruis zorgen voor visuele illusies die voor het ongetrainde oog lijken op een object in de ruimte, wat de vermeende aanwezigheid van een ruimteschip versterkt.

• Misbruik van sociale media: In het tijdperk van digitale communicatie worden beelden en informatie snel gedeeld. Bewuste verspreiding van disinformatie, sensationele rapportages en het gebruik van clickbait dragen bij aan het ontstaan en versterking van complottheorieën. Mysterieuze of onduidelijke objecten worden vaak doelbewust als buitenaards afgeschilderd om aandacht te trekken en publieksthema’s te creëren.

• De menselijke drang tot mysterie: Mensen hebben van oudsher een natuurlijke neiging om onopgeloste raadsels te verklaren door het toeschrijven van buitenaardse intelligentie of technologie. Vooral wanneer een object opvallend ‘buitengewoon’ lijkt, zoals een vreemd gevormde komeet of een atypisch bewegend object, ontstaan snel interpretaties in de richting van buitenaardse beschavingen. Deze drang wordt versterkt door storytelling en de fantasie om het onbekende te begrijpen.

Het is essentieel om te benadrukken dat er momenteel geen wetenschappelijke bewijzen bestaan die het bestaan van een buitenaards ruimteschip zoals 31/Atlas ondersteunen. Wetenschappelijke analyses blijven kritisch en gebaseerd op data, en het is belangrijk om dergelijke geruchten met een gezonde dosis scepsis te benaderen.

Waarden en patronen in de waarnemingen

Binnen de uitgebreide geschiedenis van astronomische waarnemingen bestaan er diverse patroonanalyses die helpen om onderscheid te maken tussen natuurlijke verschijnselen en de mogelijkheid van buitenaardse objecten. Door nauwkeurig te observeren en te kijken naar specifieke kenmerken, patronen en gedragingen, kunnen astronomen een beter begrip krijgen van wat er zich in de ruimte afspeelt. Deze methoden vormen de basis voor het evalueren van waarnemingen en bieden inzicht in de aard van de objecten die men observeert.

• Patroon 1: Lichtpatronen en snel veranderende helderheid

Eén van de meest opvallende aspecten bij het volgen van hemellichamen is de variatie in lichtintensiteit. Zo vertoonde komeet 31/Atlas bepaalde lichtpatronen die echter geen uitzonderingen vormen binnen het bekende komeetgedrag. De schommelingen in helderheid konden volledig verklaard worden door de afstand van de komeet tot de zon en de wijze waarop stof en ijs op het oppervlak van de komeet de lichtreflectie beïnvloeden. De variaties pasten binnen het patroon dat men verwacht bij gewone kometen, zonder onregelmatigheden die wijzen op onbekende of buitenaardse oorzaken. Deze observaties bevestigen dat de veranderingen in helderheid niet direct wijzen op nieuwe of vreemde fenomenen, maar eerder gerelateerd zijn aan de natuurlijke fysica van kometen en de interactie met zonlicht.

• Patroon 2: Traject en lichtfases

Een belangrijk aspect van astronomische waarnemingen is de nauwkeurigheid waarmee de banen van hemellichamen kunnen worden berekend. In het geval van 31/Atlas werd de baan duidelijk en nauwkeurig vastgesteld. Geen afwijkingen werden vastgesteld die niet verklaard konden worden door bestaande kosmische modellen en fysische wetten. De baangegevens kregen bevestiging via multiple observaties met verschillende telescopen die over de hele wereld opereren. Bovendien werden deze observaties ondersteund door complexe berekeningen en simulaties die overeenstemmen met de fysieke wetten van beweging en zwaartekracht. Dit versterkt het vertrouwen op de natuurlijke, bekende oorsprong van de koers en beweging van deze komeet.

• Patroon 3: Ongewone voorvallen

Ongewone voorvallen Soms worden er waarnemingen gedaan die buiten de standaardpatronen vallen, zoals een lichtflits die wordt gedeeld op sociale media en door sommigen wordt geïnterpreteerd als een buitenaards ruimteschip. Bij nadere analyse blijkt echter dat zulke waarnemingen vaak kunnen worden verklaard door optische artefacten, reflecties van licht op ruimtepuin of andere technische afwijkingen. Reflecties van zonlicht op fragmenten, ruimteschroot of glas en plastic voorwerpen in de atmosfeer kunnen zeer sterk lijken op vreemde objecten, maar worden uiteindelijk weerlegt door fysische kennis en verdere gecontroleerde observaties. Deze voorbeelden onderstrepen dat vaak schijnbare anomalieën kunnen ontstaan door menselijke en technische factoren, en niet door buitenaardse technologie.

Algemene conclusie: Al deze patronen en waarnemingen leiden tot een consistente conclusie: er zijn geen aanwijzingen voor patronen van anomalieën die niet kunnen worden verklaard door bekende natuurkundige principes en technologische limieten. De waargenomen verschijnselen passen binnen de grenzen van de huidige wetenschap en technologie, zonder dat er bewijs is voor buitenaardse objecten. Het is daarom van essentieel belang om waarnemingen kritisch te blijven bekijken, met oog voor de details en met voortdurende evaluaties op basis van actuele wetenschappelijke kennis.

De komeet heeft een ijzige kern omgeven door een gloeiende coma van gas en stof - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

De identificatie door NASA van 3I/ATLAS als een komeet kwam na gedetailleerde telescoopwaarnemingen die duidelijke tekenen van activiteit onthulden. Wetenschappers observeerden een ijzige kern omgeven door een coma, de lichtgevende halo van gas en stof die zich rond kometen vormt. Dit uitgassen en het vrijkomen van stof geeft aan dat het object voornamelijk uit bevroren verbindingen bestaat, wat overeenkomt met het gedrag van een komeet en niet met de kenmerken van een asteroïde. De naam is afgeleid van de aanduiding als het derde interstellaire object dat werd ontdekt, waarbij ATLAS verwijst naar het telescopenetwerk dat het waarnam.

Mogelijke verklaringen en hypothesen

Gegeven dat de meeste waarnemingen vrijwel allemaal binnen de natuurlijke parameters blijven, kunnen we verschillende hypotheses formuleren om de waargenomen verschijnselen te verklaren en te begrijpen wat er waarschijnlijk aan de basis ligt van de waarnemingen. Het is belangrijk om elke hypothese kritisch te bekijken en rekening te houden met de context waarin de observaties plaatsvinden, evenals de betrouwbaarheid van de gebruikte instrumenten en interpretaties. Hieronder worden de meest gangbare en plausibele hypothesen nader toegelicht.

• Hypothese 1: Het object is een natuurlijke komeet met standaard gedrag

De meest waarschijnlijke en gangbare verklaring is dat het object in kwestie een natuurlijke komeet betreft die zich volgens de bekende fysische en astronomische wetten gedraagt. Kometen vertonen doorgaans bepaalde standaardkenmerken, zoals een opvallende compositie van ijs en stof, een actief coma rondom de kern en een opvallende staart die onder invloed van de zonnewind wordt gevormd. Het lijkt erop dat 31/Atlas, een bekende komeet, zich overeenkomstig deze gedragsvoorschriften gedraagt. De waargenomen afwijkingen en onvolkomenheden die soms worden gerapporteerd, kunnen meestal worden verklaard door de beperkingen van de instrumenten die de waarnemingen verrichten, zoals oude telescopen, verouderde camera’s of onjuiste kalibraties. Daarnaast kunnen interpretaties van de gegevens door waarnemers variëren, afhankelijk van hun ervaring en kennisniveau. Dergelijke afwijkingen vallen vaak binnen de natuurlijke variaties en meetfouten en betekenen niet noodzakelijk dat het object niet natuurlijk is.

• Hypothese 2: 'Verkeerde interpretatie van visuele waarnemingen'

Veel waarnemingen die worden gerapporteerd als mogelijke buitenaardse verschijnselen of vreemde objecten, kunnen vaak worden toegeschreven aan optische artefacten, reflecties of verkeerde interpretaties van het waargenomen beeld. Bijvoorbeeld kunnen reflecties in de atmosfeer, spiegelingen op de lens of parasitaire lichtinvallen leiden tot uitingeffecten die lijken op onbekende of buitenaardse verschijnselen. Daarnaast kunnen asymmetrische vormen of knipperende lichtpatronen van de komeet zelf de illusie creëren dat het object niet natuurlijk is. Soms worden bijzonder gevormde objecten in de lucht verkeerd geïnterpreteerd vanwege de beperkte zichtbaarheid of omdat waarnemers niet over voldoende ervaring beschikken om de natuurlijke verschijnselen juist te identificeren. Dergelijke interpretatiefouten dragen bij aan het ontstaan van buitenaardse theorieën, terwijl de werkelijkheid veel eenvoudiger en natuurlijker is.

• Hypothese 3: Gekozen voor sensatie of disinformatie

 In sommige gevallen spelen menselijke factoren en de wens naar aandacht of geld een grote rol bij het verspreiden van verhalen over buitenaardse objecten. Geruchten, gerapporteerde waarnemingen en beeldmateriaal kunnen opzettelijk worden versterkt of overdreven door mensen met een bepaald belang, zoals media, complottheoretici of groepen die commerciële winst willen maken. Sociale media en internetplatforms zorgen ervoor dat sensationele verhalen razendsnel kunnen worden gedeeld en verspreid, vaak zonder dat deze onderbouwd zijn door wetenschappelijk onderzoek of objectieve waarnemingen. Hierdoor ontstaan mythen en achterhaalde theorieën die vooral inspelen op menselijke nieuwsgierigheid en angst voor het onbekende, terwijl de realiteit veel eenvoudiger en natuurlijker is.

• Hypothese 4: Onjuiste interpretatie van gegevens of incomplete waarnemingen

Een andere mogelijke verklaring is dat sommige waarnemers niet beschikken over voldoende expertise of toegang tot volledige gegevens om de waarnemingen correct te interpretëren. Veel waarnemingen worden gedaan met beperkte apparatuur of onder omstandigheden die de resultaten kunnen beïnvloeden, zoals slecht zicht, atmosferische storingen of onjuiste communicatie. Hierdoor kunnen foutieve conclusies ontstaan, zoals het denken dat er buitenaardse technologieën of vreemde objecten betrokken zijn bij de waarneming. Bovendien kan een gebrek aan aanvullende gegevens en secundaire observaties leiden tot misinterpretaties die niet op de werkelijkheid zijn gebaseerd. Het is daarom cruciaal dat waarnemingen geverifieerd worden door meerdere, gekwalificeerde onderzoekers en dat alle beschikbare gegevens zorgvuldig worden beoordeeld voordat conclusies worden getrokken over de aard en oorsprong van het waargenomen verschijnsel.

Kortom, het beoordelen van dergelijke waarnemingen vereist een kritische blik, duidelijke criteria en een brede kennis van natuurlijke fenomenen. De meest plausibele verklaringen blijven in de lijn van bekende en natuurlijke parameters, waarbij de rol van menselijke interpretatie en media-incidenten niet over het hoofd mag worden gezien. Door systematisch en objectief te werk te gaan, kunnen we een beter begrip krijgen van deze verschijnselen en de factoren die eraan ten grondslag liggen.

De komeet zal binnen 270 miljoen kilometer van de aarde passeren - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

NASA meldt dat 3I/ATLAS zijn dichtste nadering tot de aarde zal maken op een afstand van ongeveer 270 miljoen kilometer, zonder dat dit een bedreiging voor onze planeet vormt. De baan van de komeet voert hem door het binnenste zonnestelsel, waardoor astronomen waardevolle observatiemogelijkheden krijgen terwijl hij zich tussen de banen van de planeten beweegt. Deze veilige afstand stelt wetenschappers in staat de interstellaire bezoeker te bestuderen met grond- en ruimtetelescopen zonder zich zorgen te hoeven maken over de veiligheid van de aarde.

Kansen en mogelijkheden tot verdere studie

Ondanks dat er geen bewijs is voor buitenaardse oorsprong, biedt het onderzoek naar kometen als 31/Atlas belangrijke mogelijkheden:

• Verbetering van waarnemingsinstrumenten: Door geavanceerde telescopen en schepen kunnen we de fysische eigenschappen van komeetmaterialen nauwkeuriger bestuderen.

• Analyse van stof en ijs samenstelling: Dit kan helpen bij het begrijpen van de oerstaat van het zonnestelsel en de condities tijdens de vorming ervan.

• Monitoring van baanbewegingen: Hierdoor kunnen we nauwkeurig voorspellen wanneer kometen het dichtst bij de aarde komen, en eventuele risico’s inschatten.

• Anomalieën onder de radar houden: Door systematische en wetenschappelijke monitoring kunnen we afwijkingen snel identificeren en beoordelen.

NASA Wijst Het Theorie Van Buitenaardse Technologie Krachtig Af - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

Tom Statler, NASA's hoofdwetenschapper voor kleine lichamen in het zonnestelsel, verwierp Loebs perspectief en stelde dat 3I/ATLAS eruitziet als een komeet, zich gedraagt als een komeet en in vrijwel elk opzicht sterk lijkt op bekende kometen. NASA's standpunt is gebaseerd op concrete observatiegegevens, waaronder de coma van de komeet, uitstootpatronen en samenstelling. Loeb heeft daarna in een blogpost erkend dat de eenvoudigste hypothese is dat 3I/ATLAS een komeet is, en verduidelijkte dat zijn doel was om aannames uit te dagen in plaats van harde beweringen te doen.

Verklaringen en aanpak van geruchten

De verspreiding van ongefundeerde theorieën over de komeet 31/Atlas lijkt te worden aangejaagd door:

• Gebrek aan kennis: Mensen die niet vertrouwd zijn met astronomische principes, kunnen de waargenomen verschijnselen verkeerd interpreteren.

• Media en internet: Sensationalistische berichtgeving en virale video’s versnellen de verspreiding van onjuiste informatie.

• Onwetendheid over natuurkundige principes: Bijvoorbeeld dat lichtreflecties of lensflare in camera’s bevestigd kunnen worden op natuurlijke fenomenen.

Om dit te voorkomen moeten wetenschappers, mediaprofessionals en amateur-astronomen gezamenlijk werken aan het verspreiden van correcte informatie, en open communiceren over wat wel en niet bekend is.

Harvard-astrofysicus Vraagt Zich Af of Het Object Buitenlandse Technologie Kan Zijn - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

Professor Avi Loeb, een theoretisch astrofysicus aan de Harvard University, heeft gepleit voor een nader onderzoek van 3I/ATLAS via het Galileo-project, dat mogelijk bewijs van buitenaardse technologie onderzoekt. In wetenschappelijke essays gepubliceerd op Medium betwijfelde Loeb of de helderheid van het object afkomstig kon zijn van zelfluminescentie in plaats van gereflecteerd zonlicht, een eigenschap die anders is dan bij bekende kometen. Hij stelde voor dat wetenschappers zouden moeten overwegen of 3I/ATLAS een kunstmatig sondage of artefact van een andere beschaving zou kunnen zijn.

Oplossingen en aanbevelingen

Om de kloof tussen wetenschap en publieke perceptie te overbruggen, kunnen de volgende strategieën effectief zijn:

• Educatieve campagnes: Uitleggen hoe komeetwaarnemingen technisch en fysisch verklaard kunnen worden.

• Betrouwbare communicatiekanalen: Wetenschappelijke instituten en ruimtevaartorganisaties moeten altijd transparant en toegankelijk communiceren over nieuwe waarnemingen.

• Publicatie van data: Verzamelde gegevens moeten zoveel mogelijk gedeeld worden met de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap en publiek.

• Wetenschappelijke toezicht op sociale media: Het opzetten van betrouwbare bronnen die snel kunnen ingrijpen en misvattingen corrigeren.

• Inzet van amateur-astronomen: Samenwerking tussen professionele en amateur-astronomen kan helpen om waarnemingen te valideren.

Door dergelijke maatregelen kunnen we de verspreiding van fictie beperken, en het publieke vertrouwen in de wetenschap vergroten.

“Kan potentieel rampzalig zijn voor de mensheid” - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

In een artikel getiteld "Is het interstellaire object 3I/ATLAS buitenaardse technologie?" schreef Loeb dat als het object een technologische artefact met actieve intelligentie is, twee mogelijkheden volgen: de bedoelingen ervan kunnen volledig goedhartig of kwaadwillig zijn, of ergens daartussenin. Hij waarschuwde dat de gevolgen, mocht de hypothese correct blijken, mogelijk rampzalig zouden kunnen zijn voor de mensheid en mogelijk verdedigingsmaatregelen vereisen. De provocerende uitspraken zorgden voor aanzienlijke discussie binnen de astronomische gemeenschap.

Conclusie

Na een uitgebreide wetenschappelijke analyse van de komeet 31/Atlas en de geruchten die hierover circuleren, kunnen we concluderen dat:

• Er geen bewijzen zijn voor buitenaardse technologie of ruimteschepen in de verschijning van deze komeet.

• De waarnemingen en gedragingen van 31/Atlas volledig binnen de natuurlijke parameters van bekende kometen vallen.

• De claims over buitenaardse oorsprong voortkomen uit een combinatie van interpretatiefouten, optische artefacten, en de influencer van sociale media en sensatiezucht.

• Het is van belang dat wij blijven vertrouwen op wetenschappelijk onderzoek, en sceptisch blijven ten opzichte van ongefundeerde geruchten.

Dichtstbijzijnde nadering van de zon op 30 oktober - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

3I/ATLAS zal rond 30 oktober 2025 zijn dichtstbijzijnde nadering van de zon maken en komt daarbij binnen 1,4 astronomische eenheden, ongeveer 130 miljoen mijl, iets binnen de baan van Mars. Dit periheliumpassage vertegenwoordigt het punt waarop de komeet de maximale zonneverwarming ervaart, wat mogelijk zijn activiteit en helderheid vergroot. De nauwe nadering van de zon zal waarschijnlijk de uitgas- en stofproductie van de komeet versterken voordat hij zijn reis terug het zonnestelsel uit begint.

In plaats van in te gaan op sensationele verhalen, verdienen objectieve, data-gedreven analyse en communicatie onze aandacht. Alleen zo kunnen we misverstanden over astronomische objecten zoals komeet 31/Atlas voorkomen, en het publiek meenemen in de wonderen en mysteries van ons universum, met een waarneming gebaseerd op feiten en wetenschap.

Komeet Zal Ons Zonnestelsel Voor Altijd Ontvluchten - ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

De komeet raast door de ruimte met ongeveer 61 kilometer per seconde, waarbij de snelheid toeneemt naarmate hij de zon nadert. Volgens Con Stoitsis, komeet- en meteorendirecteur bij de Astronomical Society of Victoria, volgt 3I/ATLAS een hyperbolische baan, wat betekent dat hij te snel beweegt om door de zwaartekracht van de zon te worden gevangen. De komeet zal door het binnenste zonnestelsel tussen de banen van Mars en de aarde trekken voordat hij langs de zon vliegt en ons zonnestelsel voorgoed verlaat.

Einde van de analyse

Tot slot wil ik benadrukken dat het streven naar kennis en waarheid altijd de hoogste prioriteit moet krijgen. Het universum is complex en fascinerend, en onze zoektocht om het te begrijpen, vereist dat we openstaan voor nieuwe inzichten, maar altijd kritisch blijven op de bronnen en interpretaties. Mogelijk kunnen toekomstige technologieën en onderzoek ons verder brengen in het vertrouwen dat de vreemde verschijnselen die we observeren, altijd te verklaren zijn binnen de natuurlijke gang van de wetenschap.

Meer waarnemingen mogelijk begin december -  ©Bron: Wikimedia Commons

NASA meldt dat 3I/ATLAS weer zichtbaar zou moeten worden via telescopen vanaf de aarde begin december 2025, zodra het weer tevoorschijn komt van achter de zon. De omvang en fysieke eigenschappen worden nog bestudeerd terwijl astronomen doorgaan met observaties tijdens de doorgang door ons zonnestelsel. Het kijkvenster in december zal wetenschappers extra mogelijkheden bieden om gegevens te verzamelen over deze zeldzame interstellaire bezoeker, voordat het ons zonnestelsel voorgoed verlaat en materiaal van een ander sterrenstelsel terug de diepe ruimte in meeneemt.

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08-11-2025 om 22:04 geschreven door peter  

Watch: Chinese company's new humanoid robot moves so smoothly, they had to cut it open to prove a person wasn't hiding inside

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng has unveiled a new humanoid robot with such lifelike movements that company representatives felt compelled to slice it open onstage to prove a human wasn't hiding inside.

Fortunately for the audience, there wasn't. Instead, the robot, named "IRON," features a flexible, humanlike spine, articulated joints and artificial muscles that allow it to move with a model-like swagger.

This is thanks to Xpeng's custom artificial intelligence (AI) robotics architecture, which enables it to interpret visual inputs and respond physically without needing to first translate what it sees into language

Speaking during IRON's unveiling at Xpeng's AI Day in Guangzhou on Nov. 5, China, He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng Motors, suggested that IRON's appearance was designed to be recognizably human — if slightly unsettling.

The machine is equipped with 82 degrees of freedom, including 22 in each hand, allowing it to bend, pivot and gesture at multiple points throughout its body, representatives said in a statement.

It's powered by three custom AI chips that give it a combined 2,250 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of computing power, which Xpeng says makes it one of the most powerful humanoid robots developed to date. For comparison, Intel's Core Ultra 200V series processor, fitted into some of the best laptops, can achieve just 120 TOPS.

IRON man

IRON is based on what its creators call a "born from within" design, a concept that reflects the robot’s design mimicking the human body from the inside out.

The robot features an internal endoskeleton and bionic muscle structure capable of supporting different body types, ranging from slim to stocky, which users can customize. Its outer layer is also made from "full-coverage" synthetic skin, He said during the presentation, making the robot "feel warmer and more intimate."

"The next generation has very flexible bones, solid bionic muscles, and soft skin. We hope it can have a similar height and proportions to human beings," He said. "In the future, robots will be life partners and colleagues. I suspect that, just like when you buy a car, you can choose different colors, exteriors, and interiors. In the future, when you buy a robot, you can choose the sex, hair length, or clothing for your desired purpose."

According to Xpeng, IRON is also the first humanoid robot in the world to run on an all-solid-state battery. Solid-state batteries use ceramics or polymers instead of the flammable liquids in conventional lithium-ion batteries, making them safer for the enclosed environments where the robot is designed to operate.

IRON is destined for mass production, although Xpeng ruled out household chores for the immediate future, pointing out that a humanoid robot operating in messy or unpredictable households could pose safety risks. Instead, it will debut in commercial settings such as stores, offices and company showrooms, with the first models expected to appear in Xpeng locations in 2026.

The announcement forms part of Xpeng's broader push into "physical AI," which aims to bring together robotics, autonomous vehicles and AI development under a unified platform. Earlier this year, the company revealed a prototype flying car designed to launch from a Cybertruck-style mobile base.

Humanoid robots have been having something of a moment in recent months. In October, Chinese robotics startup Unitree debuted its pirouetting, karate-kicking H2 model. Unlike IRON, Unitree's bot has yet to be given an official release date, meaning Xpeng's bot may well beat it to the shop floor (or office reception).

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{ https://www.livescience.com/technology }

08-11-2025 om 20:41 geschreven door peter  

Bizarre robotic chair concept looks like a crab and can carry you around the house — it can even help you into your car

Described as an "autonomous wheelchair," the bot is packed with a number of features that allow it to navigate difficult terrain by mimicking the movement of four-legged animals like crabs. These include LiDAR systems that use laser light to measure distances and create highly accurate, detailed three-dimensional representations of objects and environments, which the robot utilizes to dodge obstacles or deal with uneven surfaces.

When climbing stairs, the unit first tests the height with its front legs before pushing upward with its rear limbs. There are also built-in collision radars to avoid contact with people or objects.

Additionally, the Walk Me has built-in weight sensors to ensure that the user remains in a stable, seated position. Toyota's engineers studied the way people naturally navigate stairs and how they distribute their weight when moving around or over obstacles. If the robot senses an imbalance, it can adjust both its legs as well as the tilt of the seat itself to ensure the user is comfortable and secure.

{ https://www.livescience.com/technology }

08-11-2025 om 20:21 geschreven door peter  

The Nephilim: Giant Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man?

Rita Louise

Who were the nephilim? The word nephilim appears twice in the Old Testament of the Bible. They are first mentioned in chapter 6 of the book of Genesis and then again in Number 13:33. But their brief mention in the Bible has led to an ongoing debate as to who or what the nephilim were. 

Much of this debate stems from the passage in the Bible that states:

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward - when the sons of God went in to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.  – Genesis 6: 1-4

The Sons of God Saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair (1923) by Daniel Chester French. Corcoran Gallery of Art.

(CC0)

What Does ‘Nephilim’ Mean?

The traditional definition of Nephilim is giant. Some dictionaries describe the nephilim as being giants who also possess super human strength. The Greek Septuagint, an ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible, refers to them as gigantes, which actually means "earth -born," a concept we will be coming back to as we continue.

It is believed that the word Nephilim comes from the root word "Naphal" which means to fall. In biblical circles this definition has quickly put the Nephilim into the role of the children of the fallen angels. The word Naphal, however, is never directly associated with the concept of fallen angels. Its meaning in context is more closely associated with the idea of lying prostrate or of prostrating oneself. There are also ties in this word to the concept of failure, falling short, or being cast down.

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‘The Fall of the Rebel Angels’ (1685) by Charles Le Brun.

(Public Domain)

Mythos of the Nephilim

Over the years a mythos has developed around the concept of the nephilim. It alleges that these giants were the offspring of the "Sons of God" and the "Daughters of Man". Are the nephilim the children of the untoward relationship?

The connection between the biblical text and this claim, although commonly pointed to as the basis of this belief, is unfounded. The document in which we find statements that support this claim actually comes from the apocryphal Book of Jubiliees:

And it came to pass when the children of men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born unto them, that the angels of God saw them on a certain year of this jubilee, that they were beautiful to look upon; and they took themselves wives of all whom they chose, and they bare unto them sons and they were giants. The Book of Jubilees - Chapter V: 1

Is the claim that the nephilim were the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of men supported by sources outside the Judeo-Christian tradition?  In other words, does mythology worldwide support this belief?

The Sons of God Saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair, by Maurice Greiffenhagen.

(Public Domain)

Giants Roaming the Earth Across Cultures

The notion of giants roaming the earth can be found in cultures worldwide. Greek mythology tells us that the Titan Cronus castrated his father Uranus in order to gain control of the Greek pantheon. It is from the blood of the castrated Uranus that fell upon the earth that the giants, the "earth-born", were created.

The Earth-born, when compared to us, were giants. The giants, lived under the rule of Cronos during the golden age, in a time that was free from sorrow or care and everyone lived happy and joyous lives.

It was only after Cronos' son Zeus fought for control of both the heavens and the earth that everything changed. In his new role, Zeus, according to Greek myth, put the giants to work. It was just a matter of time before the giants started ignoring the god's mandates.

Bell krater depicting Zeus fighting against the giant Porphyrion.

(Egisto Sani/CC BY NC SA 2.0)

They were no longer prostrating themselves to the will of the gods. Their lack of complete servitude and their failure to comply with the god’s demands incited the "children of god" into a full blown rebellion against the heavenly gods. Heavy losses were taken on both sides, but their revolution was finally suppressed by the gods.

A truce was declared. As part of their reparations to the giants it was decided to create a new race to handle the burdens that were cast upon the giants - man.

Padraic Column in his book entitled Orpheus, Myths of the World, relates this tale about the creation of man: Aztec legend recounts how the Earth-mother, Citlalicue, gave birth to a flint knife. When the knife was flung down onto the Earth, it was transformed into sixteen hundred "earth-gods." (Is there connection between the flint knife, flung down by Citlalicue, and the sickle used by Cronus to castrate his father?)

These newly formed earth-gods lived as men and women and labored in search of food. After some time, the Earth-gods began to think that this work was below their station. They were, after all, the children of the Sky-father and Earth-mother. They asked their mother Citlalicue to make a race who would serve them and bear the burdens they faced. With the help of Citlalicue, mankind was created.

‘A group of natives in the central highlands of Mexico, capturing and putting to death a giant.’

(CC0)

Based upon these mythological traditions it seems clear that the earth-born giants, the nephilim, existed long before man first inhabited the earth. Thus when you read the line "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days - and also afterward" it seems clear from this perspective that the authors were not being vague. Instead they were just making a statement of fact - that the Nephilim, the earth-born, were on the earth at that time.

The Offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of Man

So who were the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of man? The Hebrew Bible refers to them as gibborim. The inferred meaning of this word is men of great stature, heroes, men who are valiant or brave.

The Greek Septuagint identifies them as the renominati or men or renown. In Greek mythology the gods have a long history of having relations with humans. The names of some of these "demi-gods", or semi-human individuals, whose names have withstood the tests of time include were Hercules, Perseus, and Achilles. In India they are called Hanuman and Garuda and in Sumer Gilgamesh and Adapa.

Interestingly, a parallel myth to this biblical narrative does exist. It comes to us from the pages of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. The Ramayana is the epic tale of Rama, the 7th avatar of the supreme god Vishnu.

Rama lived during the Treta Yuga. It was an age where the world was filled with giants. Around the same time as Rama's birth, the supreme god Vishnu, knowing what was in store for him, requested that all of the gods descend to the earth and mate with the apes and the bears. This request was made in order to, when the time was right, provide Rama with an army he could use to help him conquer Ravana - the giant demon king of Lanka.

Fight between Rama and Ravana.

(CC0)

The offspring of these unions obtained an array of impressive skills from their divine parents. The mighty Sugríva was the ruler of the vanara, the ape-men. His father was Surya, the chief solar deity. The demi-god Hanúmán was the son of the wind god and is described as being able to travel very fast, while Nala was the son of the god of building and construction and is the vanara that helps Rama to build a bridge from mainland India to Lanka.

These thousands did the Gods create
Endowed with might that none could mate,
In monkey forms that changed at will;
So strong their wish the fiend to kill.

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Are the nephelim the offspring of the sons of god and the daughters of man? No. They were the race of earth-born giants who lived before the creation of man. They are the group who revolted against the gods in antiquity.

They are also the ones responsible for the creation of mankind. Additionally, based upon the references that come to us from the Ramayana, it does seem clear the when the gods mated with "ape-men" their offspring were men of renown, heroes, or individuals who are valiant or brave.

• Top Image: ‘Norandino and Lucina Discovered by the Ogre’ (1624) by Giovanni Lanfranco.
• Source: Public Domain

By  Dr. Rita Louise

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{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

08-11-2025 om 20:03 geschreven door peter  

The European Space Agency (ESA) has published an intriguing image taken by the Trace Gas Orbiter. It shows distinctive black “scratches” on the Martian surface. These were formed by a meteorite impact.

According to scientists, these stripes were formed when a meteorite struck the edge of Mount Apollo, an ancient volcano located in the southern Hemisphere of Mars. The image shows a faint cluster of impact craters in a discolored area at the base. The impact caused more than a hundred dust avalanches to descend the mountain slope.

Similar dark streaks can be found in many regions of Mars. Scientists believe they are formed when layers of fine dust suddenly slide down steep slopes. Having found no traces of water, they concluded that these formations were mainly the result of dry processes caused by wind and dust.

The results of a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications suggest that most of them are not related to meteorites: less than one in a thousand streaks were formed by rocks falling on Mars. In most cases, seasonal changes and wind causing dust to rise are to blame.

“The dynamics of dust, wind, and sand appear to be the main seasonal factors influencing the formation of stripes on slopes. Meteorite impacts and earthquakes are locally significant but relatively insignificant factors on a global scale,” explains lead author Valentin Bickel from the University of Bern in Switzerland.

Valentin used deep learning algorithms to analyze more than two million streaks on slopes in images taken by the MRO spacecraft. As a result, the census of streaks made it possible to determine their location in five separate “hot spots” on Mars between 2006 and 2024.

“These observations can help us better understand what is happening on Mars today. Obtaining long-term, continuous, and global observations that reveal the dynamics of Mars is a key task for current and future orbiters,” says Colin Wilson, ESA scientist for the Trace Gas Orbiter project.

Trace Gas Orbiter continues to photograph Mars from orbit in order to understand its ancient past and potential suitability for life. The spacecraft regularly takes images of the surface, and its data has made it possible to identify areas of the Red Planet that are rich in water ice.

Earlier, we reported on how carbon dioxide ice “dug” ravines on Mars.

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

08-11-2025 om 18:31 geschreven door peter