Mogelijke buitenaardse lucht of UAP's verschijnselen en de rol van overheid en de bekendmaking: Een wetenschappelijk en gestructureerd overzicht

Inleiding

De interesse in onbekende of onverklaarbare luchtverschijnselen – recent hernoemd tot Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) – heeft binnen de laatste decennia een opmerkelijke stijging doorgemaakt. Wat begon als een marginale en vaak sceptisch ontvangen onderwerp in de populaire cultuur, heeft het zich ontwikkeld tot een serieuze kwestie voor zowel wetenschappelijke onderzoekers als overheidsinstanties. Deze thesis richt zich op een uitgebreid wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar de fenomenen die onder de noemer UAP worden gecategoriseerd, de toename van meldingen, de rol van overheidsbekendmakingen, en de maatschappelijke en wetenschappelijke implicaties. Door middel van een gedegen analyse van bestaande data, officiële rapporten, en publieke opinie, zal deze thesis proberen inzicht te geven in de huidige situatie en de mogelijke paden voor toekomstig onderzoek en beleidsvorming.

Hoofdstuk 1: De ontwikkeling van meldingen van UAP’s

1.1 Statistische toename van meldingen

De afgelopen tien jaren vormen een periode van opmerkelijke verandering in de rapportage en perceptie van onverklaarbare vliegende objecten, oftewel UAP’s (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). Een van de meest duidelijke indicaties van deze evolutie is de exponentiële stijging in het aantal officiële en onofficiële meldingen. Volgens data van het National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), een organisatie die al decennia meldingen verzamelt, is het aantal gerapporteerde UAP’s in de Verenigde Staten tussen 2010 en 2022 aanzienlijk toegenomen. In 2010 registreerden ze ongeveer 5.000 meldingen, terwijl dit aantal in 2022 was gestegen tot circa 25.000 meldingen per jaar. Deze drievoudige toename in het aantal meldingenbinnen een decennium wijst niet alleen op een toevallige statistische variatie, maar op een fundamentele verandering in zowel het aantal waarnemingen als de waargenomen ernst ervan.

Deze toename wordt door verschillende factoren beïnvloed.

• Ten eerste is er een grotere publieke alertheid en interesse in het fenomeen ontstaan, mede dankzij de opkomst van digitale media en sociale netwerken, waardoor mensen sneller en gemakkelijker hun waarnemingen kunnen delen.
• Ten tweede speelt technologische vooruitgang hierin een belangrijke rol. Smartphones met hoogwaardige camera’s en videofuncties maken het mogelijk voor gewone burgers om snel visuele en auditieve waarnemingen vast te leggen. Voorbeeld hiervan zijn de talloze video’s die op platforms zoals YouTube en TikTok worden gedeeld, waarin afwijkende lichten of objecten worden vastgelegd die vervolgens viraal gaan.

Een niet-geïdentificeerd luchtverschijnsel in een video van het Amerikaanse leger. Ministerie van Defensie via To the Stars Academy of Arts & Science

Daarnaast zijn militaire en overheidsorganisaties begonnen met het vrijgeven van meer gegevens over UAP’s, onder meer door middel van gerichte rapportages en video’s. Het wordt bijvoorbeeld vermeld dat het Amerikaanse ministerie van Defensie in de afgelopen jaren meerdere gedocumenteerde incidenten heeft gepubliceerd, waaronder de bekende “Gimbal” en “GoFast” filmpjes. Deze beelden laten snel bewegende lichten zien die niet voldoen aan de technische mogelijkheden van de meeste bekende vliegtuigen of drones en blijven daardoor onzeker en intrigerend. De technici die deze beelden analyseren, spreken vaak over objecten die ‘plotseling van snelheid wisselen’, ‘onmogelijk manoeuvreren’ en ‘onbegrijpelijke vormen’ aannemen.

Daarnaast heeft de ontwikkeling van nieuwe sensorsystemen in de luchtvaart en militaire radarinstallaties de detectie en tracking van UAP’s verbeterd. Radargegevens tonen vaak objecten die zó snel bewegen dat zij de limieten van onze huidige detectietechnologieën lijken te overschrijden. Bijvoorbeeld, verschillende rapporten beschrijven radarbeelden van objecten die gedurende minuten zichtbaar bleven op radarschermen, met snelheden die volgens de conventionele fysica niet mogelijk zijn voor menselijke-gestuurde technologieën.

Kortom, de statische data bevestigen dat het verschijnsel actueler en prominenter wordt dan ooit tevoren. Het aantal meldingen is niet langer louter een symptoom van toenemende nieuwsgierigheid, maar wijst op een mogelijke werkelijkheid waarin UAP’s een gewone opleving zijn van een fenomeen dat al decennia bestaat, maar eerder werd genegeerd of onderdrukt.

1.2 De culturele omslag en perceptie

Begin jaren 2000 werd het onderwerp van UAP’s nog vaak afgedaan als onzin, gekkigheid of speculatie die vooral tussen fantasie en wantrouwen zweefde. Media en wetenschappelijke gemeenschap toonden meestal weinig interesse vanwege het gebrek aan bewijzen en de associatie met spookverhalen. Toch begonnen er in de loop van de jaren een kentering zichtbaar te worden, mede onder invloed van publieke en politieke ontwikkelingen.

Een belangrijke keerpunt kwam door de publicatie van officiële video’s door het Amerikaanse leger. De “Gimbal”-video uit 2015 toont bijvoorbeeld een object dat snel beweegt en een ongewoon patroon van beweging vertoont, terwijl de “GoFast”-video uit 2015 beelden toont van een snel bewegend object dat radarbeelden genereert met een snelheid die verdergaat dan conventionele technologie. Wat deze beelden zo bijzonder maakt, is dat ze niet langer anonieme getuigenissen zijn, maar bevestigde en geverifieerde opnames door militaire eenheden.

Volgens Dr. Linda Bracken van het Center for Aerial Phenomena Studies is de perceptie aan het veranderen: “Wanneer betrouwbare militaire bronnen aangeven dat ze een object niet kunnen identificeren, verandert de perceptie van wantrouwen naar ware nieuwsgierigheid.” Dit citaat onderstreept de impact van officiële rapportages die de geloofwaardigheid van de waarnemingen vergroten. Wat eerst werd afgedaan als ‘onverklaarbare lichten’ of ‘natuurlijke fenomenen’, krijgt nu aandacht van beleidsmakers, wetenschappers en defensieorganisaties die serieus willen onderzoeken wat zich écht afspeelt.

De culturele omslag wordt verder versterkt door publieke discussies op online fora zoals Reddit, waar getuigen ervaringen delen en analisten samenwerken om patronen te vinden in de data. Podcasts en documentaires zoals “Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation” op Netflix hebben de thema’s toegankelijker gemaakt voor een breed publiek, waardoor UAP’s een kernonderwerp zijn geworden in de maatschappelijke discussie over technologische ontwikkeling, veiligheid en de plaats van de mens in het universum.

Op technisch niveau maakt deze perceptieverandering dat organisaties en overheden meer middelen inzetten voor onderzoek. Het belang van trackingsoftware, radardata-analyse, en geavanceerde sensorontwikkeling wordt erkend. Bijvoorbeeld, nieuwe radarsystemen kunnen nu objecten detecteren die zich in de stratosfeer bevinden en met een snelheid van honderden kilometers per uur bewegen, terwijl oudere systemen daar niet toe in staat waren. De perceptie van UAP’s als een ‘kwaadaardig’ of ‘onbekend’ fenomeen evolueert naar een meer genuanceerde wetenschappelijke interesse, waarbij men de vraag stelt: “Wat zijn deze objecten en wat betekent hun aanwezigheid voor onze kennis van de luchtvaart, fysica en mogelijk buitenaards leven?”

Kort samengevat, de verandering in perceptie is niet alleen een gevolg van technische verbeteringen, maar ook van een paradigmaverschuiving in de manier waarop samenleving en overheid dit fenomeen begrijpen. Wat eerst werd gezien als onzinnig of paranoïde, wordt nu steeds meer geïnterpreteerd als een belangrijke vraag die wetenschappelijk, technologisch en maatschappelijk onderzocht moet worden. Door deze culturele omslag ontstaat er ruimte voor serieus onderzoek dat niet langer geblokkeerd wordt door stigma’s of militaire geheimhouding, maar open staat voor nieuwe verklaringen en ontdekkingen.

Hoofdstuk 2: Overheidsbekendmakingen en onderzoeksinitiatieven

2.1 Officiële rapporten en hun bevindingen

In de wereld van onverklaarbare luchtverschijnselen (UAP), oftewel phenomena die vroeger bekend stonden als UFO’s, vormen officiële rapporten de basis voor verdere wetenschappelijke en politieke discussies. Een van de meest urgente en invloedrijke documenten op dit vlak was het rapport gepubliceerd door het Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in juni 2021. Dit rapport was gebaseerd op een uitgebreide analyse van 144 waarnemingen die gedaan werden tussen 2004 en 2021 door verschillende Amerikaanse militaire en civiele overheidsinstanties.

Het rapport gaf aan dat ongeveer 30% van deze waarnemingen niet konden worden verklaard met de huidige technologische middelen en wetenschappelijke kennis. Dit betekent dat er bijna een derde van de fenomenen was die niet in de categorie ‘menselijke techniek’ of ‘natuurlijke verschijnselen’ kon worden ondergebracht. Een belangrijk aspect hierbij was dat veel van deze anomalieën werden waargenomen bij hypersonische snelheden, vaak boven de Mach 5, hoewel deze snelheden niet altijd met geoustestapparatuur konden worden bevestigd. Daarnaast kwam het rapport tot de conclusie dat diverse waarnemingen abrupte manoeuvres vertoonden die onmogelijk zouden zijn met bekende aerodynamische principes, en dat er in sommige gevallen geen detecteerbare voortstuwingssignaturen werden waargenomen, zoals geluid of warmteontwikkeling.

Volgens het rapport toonden sommige UAP’s kenmerken die zodanig afwijkend waren dat ze niet eenvoudig te verklaren waren binnen het kader van bekende militaire of civiele technologie. Bijvoorbeeld, er werden fenomenen gerapporteerd die op verschillende hoogten opereerden en die zich zeer plotseling konden verplaatsen, soms zelfs met snelheden die de huidige luchtvaarttechnologie overschreden. Dit zette de traditionele opvattingen over de beperkingen van luchtvaartuigen onder druk, en leidde tot speculaties over de mogelijkheid dat deze fenomenen geavanceerde technologieën mogelijk vertegenwoordigen van derden, of dat ze zelfs technologische innovaties binnen de militaire sector zelf zijn.

Het rapport benadrukte het belang van het verzamelen, codificeren en analyseren van dergelijke data op een gesystematiseerde manier. De bevindingen werden niet alleen door wetenschappers en militairen besproken, maar veroorzaakten ook een politieke storm. Beleidsmakers en veiligheidsadviseurs riepen op tot meer transparantie en meer funding voor gespecialiseerde onderzoeksprogramma’s, omdat de onbekende aard van deze verschijnselen grote risico’s met zich meebreeg voor de nationale veiligheid. De vraag was immers of deze fenomenen mogelijk vijandelijke of spontane technologische aanvallen konden inhouden, of dat ze onderdeel waren van een meer complexe en mogelijk gevaarlijke technologisch-superieure entiteit.

2.2 Politieke en militaire betrokkenheid

Door de jaren heen heeft de Amerikaanse overheid verschillende initiatieven genomen om inzicht te krijgen in UAP’s, maar de echte doorbraak kwam er pas in 2024 met de organisatie van de eerste openbare hoorzitting door het Congres over dit onderwerp. Voorheen was het onderzoek vaak behind closed doors, en waren rapporten en gegevens zelden publiek toegankelijk, vooral vanwege classificatieniveaus en nationale veiligheidsbelangen.

De hoorzitting van 2024 was een belangrijke mijlpaal omdat Amerikaanse politici, wetenschappers en defensiefunctionarissen zich openlijk konden uitspreken over de bevindingen en de stand van zaken. Een van de meest markante getuigenissen kwam van Lieutenant Commander James “Jim” Harlan, een ervaren piloot en militair die al meer dan tien jaar UAP-gegevens verzamelde en bestudeerde. Harlan onthulde interne memo's en rapporten die aantonen dat het leger al langere tijd betrokken was bij het volgen en analyseren van deze verschijnselen, maar dat verschillende factoren — zoals budgettaire beperkingen, bureaucratische processen en strikte classificatieprocedures — het onderzoek soms belemmerden.

Volgens Harlan werden de data verzameld via verschillende middelen, waaronder geavanceerde radarsystemen en infraroodcamera’s, maar de analyse ervan was niet altijd transparant. Hij verklaarde dat veel documenten intern werden gehouden om ‘technologische geheimen’ te beschermen, hoewel ze mogelijk ook het publieke vertrouwen en de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap in de weg stonden. Harlan benadrukte dat er binnen het militaire apparaat een toenemende bewustwording bestaat dat deze fenomenen mogelijk een gevaar vormen, niet alleen voor de luchtvaartveiligheid, maar ook voor nationale beveiliging en strategische belangen.

Het feit dat het Congres nu openlijk discussie voert over UAP’s en dat getuigen zoals Harlan hun bewijzen kunnen presenteren, onderstreept de verandering in het politiek klimaat ten opzichte van het onderwerp. Er wordt steeds meer erkend dat er sprake is van een complexe problematiek die niet afgedaan kan worden met simpele verklaringen. Daarnaast worden er vragen opgesteld over de behoefte aan een gecentraliseerd en transparant datamanagementsysteem, dat alle relevante informatie verzamelt, bewaart en onderzoekt, zonder dat deze door overheids- of militaire belangen wordt gedicteerd.

Tot slot illustreert deze ontwikkeling de ernst waarmee overheidsinstanties het onderwerp nemen. Er worden niet alleen meer middelen vrijgemaakt voor het onderzoek, maar ook wordt er een bredere maatschappelijke dialoog gevoerd over de aard, herkomst en mogelijke implicaties van de fenomenen die men zich eerder slechts in sci-fi films kon voorstellen. De betrokkenheid van het congres, de openheid van getuigenissen, en de publieke belangstelling benadrukken dat UAP-onderzoek een belangrijke rol begint te spelen in de nationale en internationale veiligheidsagenda.

Kortom, de combinatie van wetenschappelijke rapporten en politieke initiatieven zorgt voor een groeiend bewustzijn dat we binnen een nieuw paradigma opereren: niet langer is dit enkel een zaak van nieuwsgierige getuigen of geheime militairen, maar een onderwerp van nationale en mondiale samenleving dat aandacht en wetenschappelijke ernst verdient.

Hoofdstuk 3: Maatschappelijke impact en roep om transparantie

3.1 Publieke opinie en maatschappelijke druk

De maatschappelijke houding ten aanzien van onidentificeerde luchtverschijnselen (UAPs), voorheen bekend als UFO's, heeft in de afgelopen jaren een ingrijpende verandering ondergaan. Volgens onderzoek uitgevoerd door het Pew Research Center in 2025, independent en gerenommeerd als een betrouwbare bron voor gegevens over publieke opinies, blijkt dat maar liefst 68% van de Amerikanen vóórstander is van meer openheid van overheidsdata over UAPs. Dit percentage onderstreept een aanzienlijke beweging binnen de samenleving richting transparantie en openheid. Het valt op dat deze steun niet alleen vanuit nieuwsgierigheid ontstaat, maar ook uit een groeiend vertrouwen in overheidsinstanties en wetenschappelijke instituten.

Mensen geloven dat transparantie niet alleen de wetenschappelijke kennis versterkt, maar ook de nationale veiligheid kan verbeteren. Door openheid wordt de mogelijkheid geboden om UAP-verschijnselen door onafhankelijke experts te bestuderen, wat kan leiden tot een beter begrip van de fenomenen en mogelijke bedreigingen. Bijvoorbeeld, als UAPs inderdaad luchtvaartuigen of technologieën blijken te zijn van buitenlandse mogendheden of niet-geïdentificeerde bedreigingen, kan tijdige informatie-uitwisseling een essentieel onderdeel vormen van het defensiebeleid en preventieve maatregelen.

Daarnaast speelt maatschappelijke druk een belangrijke rol. Advocacy groepen zoals de UAP Transparency Initiative (UTI), opgericht in 2022, vormen een belangrijke stem in het publieke debat. Deze organisatie pleit voor volledige openbaarmaking van alle niet-sensitive informatie over UAPs en zet zich in voor het vergroten van de transparantie. Zij organiseren campagnes, brengen rapporten uit en lobbyen bij beleidsmakers om de openheid te stimuleren.

Een voorbeeld van hun invloed is de release van een reeks declassificeerde rapporten door het Amerikaanse ministerie van Defensie in 2024, deels gefaciliteerd door publieke druk. Deze rapporten bevatten in sommige gevallen gedetailleerde waarnemingen en radarbeelden, die voorheen achter gesloten deuren werden gehouden. De maatschappelijke druk wordt mede versterkt door verhalen en getuigenissen van piloten en militairen, die vaak jarenlang hebben gezwegen uit angst voor reprimandes of vooroordelen. De openheid van deze getuigenissen zorgt voor een breed maatschappelijke discussie, waarin niet alleen Pentagon en NSA, maar ook de wetenschap, media en het grote publiek betrokken zijn.

3.2 Argumenten voor transparantie

Het argument voor transparantie wordt vaak onderbouwd door technische, wetenschappelijke en veiligheidsgerelateerde overwegingen. Volgens voormalige Pentagon functionarissen zoals generaal Mark Evans, een expert op het gebied van defensie en nationale veiligheid, “versterkt transparantie de nationale veiligheid, omdat onafhankelijke experts de bevindingen kunnen valideren en beleid kunnen adviseren”. Hij benadrukt dat door het openstellen van gegevens, de kans op het herkennen en begrijpen van UAP-verschijnselen toeneemt, wat essentieel is voor het ontwikkelen van adequaat beleid en preventiestrategieën.

Het argument dat geheimhouding de wetenschap en veiligheid dient, wordt inmiddels algemeen weerlegd. Stilzwijiģheid en geheimhouding kunnen leiden tot een zogenaamde 'black box' situatie, waarbij informatie niet wordt gedeeld en daardoor de kans op misverstanden of misbruik toeneemt. Transparantie daarentegen maakt het mogelijk om fenomenen te bestuderen op een wetenschappelijk verantwoorde wijze, waarbij onderzoeksinstituten, universiteiten en onafhankelijk wetenschappers betrokken worden. Dit kan leiden tot nieuwe technologieën, zoals geavanceerde sensorsystemen, die buiten de militaire context verder ontwikkeld kunnen worden.

Een concreet voorbeeld hiervan is de succesvolle integratie van geavanceerde radarsystemen die detectie van UAPs mogelijk maken in civiele luchtvaart en wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Sinds 2023 is er bijvoorbeeld een toename te zien in het gebruik van LIDAR-technologieën en multispectrale sensoren, die zonder vooringenomenheid of geheime doeleinden externe fenomenen kunnen vastleggen. Hierdoor wordt de kans groter dat gegevens reproduceerbaar en controleerbaar zijn, wat de betrouwbaarheid van de bevindingen versterkt.

Daarnaast benadrukken voorstanders dat transparantie ook het publieke vertrouwen in overheidsinstellingen vergroot. In een tijd waarin desinformatie en complottheorieën prolifereren, fungeert open data als een rem op het ontstaan van ongefundeerde speculaties. Zoals James E. McDonnell, een bekende astrofysicus en wetenschapsadviseur, stelt: “Als we vooroordelen en onduidelijkheden vermijden door openheid te bieden, bouwen we aan een fundament van vertrouwen dat nodig is om gezamenlijk complexe mysteries zoals UAPs te doorgronden.”

Het is belangrijk te onderstrepen dat transparantie niet betekent dat alle informatie onmiddellijk openbaar wordt. Privacy- en veiligheidsgevoelige data, zoals exacte locaties van geheime bases of technologische specificaties die de nationale defensie in gevaar brengen, worden nog steeds afgeschermd. Echter, de kerngegevens en waarnemingen die wetenschappelijk en maatschappelijke waarde hebben, worden wel publiek gemaakt. Daarbij speelt ook internationalisering van uitwisseling een grote rol: enkele landen zoals Canada, het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Australië hebben onderling afspraken gemaakt om gegevens te delen, wat de internationale samenwerking versterkt.

Tot slot wordt ook gewezen op de technologische ontwikkelingen die transparantie mogelijk maken. Cloud computing, blockchain-technologie en versleutelde communicatie zorgen ervoor dat gegevens op een veilige en transparante wijze gedeeld kunnen worden, zonder dreiging van manipulatie of diefstal. Een voorbeeld hiervan is het project OpenSky, gelanceerd door het European Space Agency in 2024, dat een gedeeld platform biedt waarop waarnemingen van UAPs wereldwijd real-time kunnen worden verzameld, geverifieerd en geanalyseerd door verschillende onderzoeksinstituten.

Kortom, de maatschappelijke impact van de roep om transparantie is groot en multidimensionaal. Het kan leiden tot een breder wetenschappelijk begrip, meer maatschappelijke betrokkenheid, verhoogde veiligheid en verbeterd vertrouwen in overheidsinstellingen. Belangrijk is dat transparantie strategisch wordt benaderd, met respect voor ethische en veiligheidsvoorschriften, en met de inzet om kennis en inzichten te delen ten behoeve van de samenleving als geheel.

Hoofdstuk 4: Toekomstperspectieven en beleid

Dit hoofdstuk richt zich op de toekomstige ontwikkelingen in UAP-onderzoek, met een uitgebreide blik op nieuwe wetgeving, onderzoeksinitiatieven, en de technologische kansen die deze verschijnselen bieden. De voortdurende publieke, politieke en wetenschappelijke druk vragen om een gestructureerde en transparante aanpak, waarbij samenwerking tussen verschillende disciplines centraal staat.

4.1 Nieuwe wetgeving en onderzoeksinitiatieven

In reactie op de toenemende publieke belangstelling en de politieke urgentie, is er gewerkt aan de vormgeving van de UAP Research and Transparency Act (hierna: URTA). Deze wet wordt gezien als een belangrijke doorbraak in het formaliseringsproces van UAP-onderzoek.

De voorgestelde wetsartikelen bevatten onder andere de volgende kernpunten:

• Verplichting tot jaarlijkse rapportages: Overheidsinstanties worden verplicht om jaarlijks gedetailleerde rapportages te verstrekken aan het Congres over alle verzamelde gegevens, bevindingen en onderzoeken met betrekking tot UAP’s. Dit zorgt voor een voortdurende transparantie en een gestructureerde monitoring van de ontwikkelingen.

• Financiering van een civiel-overheid samenwerkingscentrum: Er wordt geld vrijgemaakt voor de oprichting van een gespecialiseerd samenwerkingscentrum dat functioneert als brug tussen overheidsinstanties, universiteiten, en private onderzoeksinitiatieven. Dit centrum krijgt als taak het coördineren van multidisciplinaire onderzoeken, het delen van gegevens en het ontwikkelen van nieuwe onderzoeksinstrumenten.

• Declassificatie van beeldmateriaal: Een belangrijke bepaling is dat niet-gevoelige beelden en data binnen 90 dagen na ontvangst gedeclassificeerd moeten worden. Hiermee wordt de transparantie bevorderd en wordt voorkomen dat waardevolle gegevens onnodig verborgen blijven.

Indien deze wet wordt aangenomen, kan haar impact groot zijn. Het leggen van een wettelijke basis voor een multidisciplinair onderzoeksparadigma betekent dat ingenieurs, natuurkundigen, datawetenschappers en andere specialisten zullen samenwerken. Bijvoorbeeld, technici kunnen radarsystemen verbeteren, natuurkundigen kunnen theorieën ontwikkelen over onbekende verschijnselen, terwijl datawetenschappers grote datasets analyseren op patronen en anomalieën. Volgens wetenschapsfilosoof Karl Popper, moet wetenschap "float with falsifiability," en een gestructureerd beleid zoals URTA biedt de juiste basis voor het testen van hypotheses en het weerleggen ervan.

• Voorbeelden van de inhoud van de wet

Een concreet voorbeeld uit de wetsvoorstellen betreft de rapportage van nieuwe waarnemingen via publieke meldingen en militaire systemen, waarbij gegevens geverifieerd worden door meerdere onafhankelijke bronnen. Een ander voorbeeld betreft de oprichting van een databank waarin alle gedecodeerde radargegevens en beeldmateriaal wordt opgeslagen, toegankelijk voor onderzoekers binnen en buiten de overheid. Daarbij wordt veel aandacht besteed aan de beveiliging, waarbij geavanceerde encryptietechnieken en blockchain-technologie kunnen worden ingezet om de integriteit van de gegevens te waarborgen.

• Technische details en uitdagingen

Het opzetten van een dergelijk samenwerkingscentrum stuit op technologische en organisatorische uitdagingen. Zo vereist de classificatie en analyse van grote hoeveelheden beelden en radargegevens efficiënte data-infrastructuren en geavanceerde algoritmen voor beeld- en patroonherkenning. Hierbij speelt kunstmatige intelligentie (AI) een cruciale rol: deep learning modellen kunnen bijvoorbeeld getraind worden om onderscheid te maken tussen natuurlijke fenomenen zoals weerballonnen, en mogelijk niet-gedefinieerde objecten die afwijkingen vertonen.

Voorbeeld: Een AI-model dat getraind is op duizenden getelde UAP-beelden, kan patroonherkenning toepassen om afwijkingen in nieuwe data te identificeren. Onderzoekers kunnen bijvoorbeeld AI inzetten om te detecteren of bepaalde verschijnselen consistent voorkomen onder specifieke omstandigheden, zoals bij bepaalde weersomstandigheden of op bepaalde locaties.

• Interdisciplinaire samenwerking

Door de wet wordt een nieuw standaardprofiel gecreëerd waarbij ingenieurs, natuurkundigen en datawetenschappers niet langer in gescheiden silo's werken, maar samen vraagstukken aanpakken vanuit verschillende invalshoeken. Een voorbeeld hiervan is de integratie van atmosferische modellen met radar- en videogegevens om fenomenen beter te begrijpen. Bijvoorbeeld, signalen die door radars worden uitgezonden, kunnen worden vergeleken met atmosferische data om te bepalen of waargenomen objecten natuurlijke of andere oorzaken hebben.

4.2 Wetenschappelijke en technologische kansen

Naast de wetgeving biedt de technologische vooruitgang nieuwe wegen voor UAP-onderzoek. Een belangrijk onderdeel hierbij is de toepassing van geavanceerde radarsystemen en atmosferische modellen, gecombineerd met kunstmatige intelligentie (AI).

• Geavanceerde radarsystemen

De huidige radartechnologie maakt gebruik van pulse-Doppler radars die in staat zijn om objecten op grote afstand en met hoge precisie te detecteren. Niettemin blijft de beperking bestaan dat radarbeelden vaak moeilijk te interpreteren zijn omdat verstoringen door atmosferische omstandigheden voorkomen. Nieuwe radarsystemen, zoals die met phased array technologie en multistatic opstellingen, kunnen echter real-time en driedimensionale data verzamelen, waardoor het identificatieproces significant wordt verbeterd.

Bijvoorbeeld, het gebruik van MIMO-radarsystemen (Multiple Input Multiple Output) kan leiden tot een veel hogere gezichts- en detectiecapaciteit. Dankzij de enorme gegevensstroom die deze systemen genereren, kunnen datawetenschappers en ingenieurs machine learning-algoritmen ontwikkelen om afwijkingen en patronen te herkennen die eerder niet zichtbaar waren.

• Atmosferische modellen en computermodellering

Door gebruik te maken van uitgebreide atmosferische modellen kunnen verschijnselen zoals weerballonnen, pluimen, of bepaalde weersomstandigheden worden gesimuleerd en vooraf voorspeld. Dit helpt om waarnemingen beter te verklaren en te onderscheiden van mogelijke UAP’s. Bijvoorbeeld, het fenomeen van ball lightning wordt met theoretische modellen en geavanceerde simulaties bestudeerd. Als we begrijpen onder welke atmosferische condities de verschijnselen ontstaan, wordt het makkelijker om onderscheid te maken tussen natuurlijke en niet-natuurlijke objecten.

• Kunstmatige intelligentie (AI)

De inzet van AI opent nieuwe perspectieven in het empirisch onderzoek naar UAP’s. Deep learning netwerken, zoals convolutionele neurale netwerken (CNN’s), kunnen worden getraind op enorme datasets van beelden, radargegevens en videomateriaal. Bijvoorbeeld, een studie uit 2019 liet zien dat CNN’s in staat waren om 90% van de verschillende natuurlijke en kunstmatige objecten correct te classificeren, waaronder ook anomalieën die op "hidden" of onzichtbare objecten lijken.

Daarnaast kan AI worden ingezet voor real-time monitoring en automatische waarnemingsdetectie. Bijvoorbeeld, tijdens vliegreizen of militaire oefeningen kan AI automatisch afwijkingen signaleren en instant alert geven aan onderzoekers.

• Van beschrijvende naar verklarende wetenschap

Een belangrijke ambitie voor de toekomst is de overgang van louter beschrijvende karakterisering naar een empirisch en verklarend niveau. Dit betekent dat niet alleen het "wat" en "wanneer" wordt vastgelegd, maar dat men probeert te begrijpen "hoe" en "waarom" bepaalde fenomenen optreden. Dit vereist het ontwikkelen van theoretische modellen die kunnen verklaren waarom UAP’s zich op bepaalde manieren gedragen en onder welke specifieke omstandigheden zij worden waargenomen.

Voorbeeld: Een theoretisch model dat suggereert dat sommige UAP’s gerelateerd kunnen zijn aan natuurlijke plasmafenomenen in de atmosfeer, gebaseerd op elektromagnetische theoretische principes, kan een stap zijn in de richting van een verklaring.

• Conclusie

De technologische en wetenschappelijke kansen in UAP-onderzoek bieden veelbelovende perspectieven om de mysteries achter deze verschijnselen stap voor stap te ontrafelen. Door nauwe samenwerking tussen technici, natuurkundigen en datawetenschappers, ondersteund door een solide beleidskader en grote investeringen in R&D, kunnen we de komende jaren belangrijke doorbraken verwachten. Het doel is niet alleen het registreren van waarnemingen, maar het ontwikkelen van een fundamenteel begrip dat kan leiden tot technologische innovaties en mogelijk zelfs nieuwe fysische inzichten.

Hoofdstuk 5: Conclusie en discussie

De recente toename in meldingen van UAP’s (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) en de groeiende openheid van overheids- en militaire instanties onderstrepen het belang van een gestructureerde en wetenschappelijke aanpak van dit fenomeen. Deze ontwikkelingen vragen om een kritische analyse, niet alleen om de aard en oorsprong van UAP’s te begrijpen, maar ook om de bredere implicaties voor onze wetenschap, veiligheid en maatschappij. In dit hoofdstuk worden de kernpunten van de thesis samengevat, gevolgd door een diepgaandere discussie over de technische, maatschappelijke en politieke aspecten die hierbij komen kijken.

• De Waarnemingen en Data

Sinds de publicatie van het Pentagon’s rapport in 2021 en soortgelijke initiatieven in andere landen, is duidelijk geworden dat er een enorme hoeveelheid waarnemingen bestaat die niet eenvoudig te verklaren zijn. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn de opvallende vlekken op radarbeelden, onbeweeglijke objecten die met supersonische snelheid manoeuvreren, en objecten die onbekende vluchtpatronen vertonen. Hoewel veel van deze waarnemingen nog altijd niet volledig verklaard kunnen worden, bieden ze waardevolle data voor systematische analyse.

Het is essentieel te erkennen dat de huidige waarnemingen vaak vooral uit anekdotisch bewijs en operationele rapporten bestaan, wat de behoefte onderstreept voor meer gestructureerde en technisch onderbouwde data-verzameling. Moderne technologieën zoals multispectrale sensoren, lidar, radar en geavanceerde elektronisch-optische systemen kunnen helpen om meer betrouwbare informatie te produceren. Een voorbeeld hiervan is het gebruik van de detectie- en trackingsoftware ontwikkeld door bijvoorbeeld het Amerikaanse Naval Air Systems Command, dat in staat is om objecten te traceren met een precisie die niet eerder mogelijk was.

• De rol van overheids- en militaire openheid

De openheid van overheids- en militaire instanties vormt een cruciaal onderdeel in het verdere onderzoek. Historisch waren veel waarnemingen geheim gehouden, wat bijdroeg aan het ontstaan van allerlei theorieën en speculaties. Nu blijkt dat transparantie niet alleen het vertrouwen in de overheid herstelt, maar ook de basis legt voor ernstiger en wetenschappelijker onderzoek.

De publicatie van videobeelden door de Pentagon, waarin objecten worden weergegeven die zich bewegen buiten de bekende fysica, is een belangrijk signaal. Zoals astronoom en filosoof Carl Sagan stelde: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Het openstellen van dit bewijs aan de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap stelt onderzoekers in staat om met meetbare en reproduceerbare methoden te werken.

• De noodzaak van een multidisciplinair wetenschappelijk programma

Het aanpakken van UAP’s vereist niet alleen technologische expertise, maar ook input van diverse disciplines zoals natuurkunde, astrofysica, atmosferische wetenschappen, materiaalkunde en zelfs psychologie. Door de integratie van verschillende vakgebieden ontstaat een holistisch beeld van de verschijnselen.

Technologisch gezien beschikken we tegenwoordig over geavanceerde detectie- en analyseinstrumenten. Bijvoorbeeld, high-bandwidth radars kunnen snelheid en trajecten nauwkeurig meten, terwijl analytische software met machine learning-algoritmes patronen kan ontdekken die voor het menselijk oog niet zichtbaar zijn. Een voorbeeld hiervan is het gebruik van neurale netwerken om secundaire gegevens te classificeren en anomalieën te identificeren.

Vanuit een fysisch perspectief kunnen we proberen om de energetische karakteristieken van deze objecten te bepalen. Als objecten zich bewegen met snelheden die de geluidssnelheid overschrijden en over electromagnetische eigenschappen beschikken die niet in onze huidige technologische context voorkomen, opent dat nieuwe vragen over fysica en materiaalwetenschappen.

• De toekomst van UAP-onderzoek

De verdere ontwikkeling van een solide wetenschappelijke basis hangt grotendeels af van twee kernfactoren. Ten eerste de bereidwilligheid van overheden om data te delen en de barrières voor informatieverschaffing te verminderen. Zoals voormalig NASA-astronoom Dr. Jill Tarter heeft opgemerkt: “De grootste barrier voor het begrijpen van UAP’s is niet de technologie, maar de politieke wil.” Dit impliceert dat het belang ligt in internationale samenwerking en transparantie, bijvoorbeeld via internationale verdragen of wetenschappelijke consortia.

Ten tweede vereist het succes van onderzoek een sterke applicatie van methodologische kracht. Dit betekent dat wetenschappers rigoureuze experimenten moeten opzetten, hypothesen moeten testen en foutenbronnen moeten elimineren. Bijvoorbeeld, het replicateerbaar maken van waarnemingen en het toepassen van geavanceerde statistische technieken is essentieel om betrouwbare conclusies te trekken.

Door het samengaan van technologische innovatie, interdisciplinair samenwerken en politieke openheid, kunnen we mogelijk belangrijke doorbraken behalen. Hiermee kunnen we niet alleen de aard en oorsprong van UAP’s verduidelijken, maar ook fundamentele vragen beantwoorden over de fysica, onze plaats in het universum, en de mogelijke intelligentie die achter deze verschijnselen schuilgaat.

Samenvatting

Deze thesis toont aan dat UAP’s een fenomeen zijn dat niet langer kan worden afgedaan als louter lokalisaties van mythes of folklore. Het toenemende aantal betrouwbare rapportages, de groeiende politieke aandacht en de technologische middelen die beschikbaar komen, vormen een solide basis voor systematisch, wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Transparantie en interdisciplinariteit zijn hierbij cruciale pijlers om de mysteries rondom UAP’s te ontrafelen.

Als we deze kansen benutten, kunnen we niet alleen antwoorden vinden op de vragen over aard en oorsprong, maar mogelijk ook vooruitgang boeken op gebieden zoals natuurkunde, materiaalkunde en astronautiek. De ultieme doelstelling is een dynamisch onderzoeksparadigma creëren waarin alle gegevens worden verzameld, geanalyseerd en geïnterpreteerd met dezelfde rigueur als bij andere natuurwetenschappelijke disciplines. Alleen door deze gestructureerde aanpak kunnen we de grenzen van onze kennis verder verleggen en wellicht antwoorden vinden op existentiële vragen: Zijn wij alleen in het universum? Zijn er buitenaardse beschavingen die contact proberen te maken? De toekomst van UAP-onderzoek hangt af van onze bereidwilligheid om open en kritisch te blijven kijken naar deze fascinerende verschijnselen.

 { peter2011 }

Miranda is Uranus’ icy moon, scarred by deep ravines that give it a very unusual appearance, even from a distance. For many years, scientists have been racking their brains trying to figure out what it went through in the past to acquire such a strange shape.

Uranus’ moon Miranda. Source: phys.org

A ball made of crushed ice

There are plenty of strange natural objects in the Solar System. But when people see a photo of Uranus’ moon Miranda, few can contain their surprise. At first glance, it looks like a scoop of ice cream with uneven lines revealing the filling.

However, closer examination may reveal even stranger things. These structures turn out to be crevices several kilometers deep, which seems quite unusual considering that the diameter of the satellite itself is only 470 km. How can all this be explained? The story behind it is long and complicated.

Firstly, until 1948, no one had heard of Miranda. It was discovered by Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper, the same man who postulated the existence of an outer asteroid belt in the Solar System, which is now named after him.

Miranda from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Source: Wikipedia

As for the name Miranda itself, the satellite was traditionally named after one of the characters in Shakespeare’s plays – Miranda, the daughter of the sorcerer Prospero from The Tempest. At the time of its discovery, it was already clear that this celestial body was quite unusual.

First, Miranda was about 500 km in size, which is transitional between small icy bodies, whose gravitational force is usually insufficient to give them a perfect spherical shape, and large ones, which resemble icy spheres.

Secondly, Miranda orbited Uranus closer than the four previously known satellites. Its distance from its nominal surface is only 129,900 km, which is only one-third of the distance from Earth to the Moon. At the same time, unlike Titania, Oberon, Ariel, and Umbriel, Miranda’s orbit is almost circular.

Moons of Uranus. Source: Wikipedia

Mysterious cliffs

However, until 1986, no one paid much attention to these features. That is, until the Voyager-2 spacecraft approached Uranus. Miranda turned out to be the closest of the planet’s large moons to its flight path. It is not surprising that it was able to see it best. It is one of the few moons that automatic probes have photographed from almost all sides, so that we can more or less talk about a map of the planet.

And it was this map that caused scientists to argue for many years. The fact is that on it, Miranda looked as if it had been assembled from different pieces that were poorly glued together. Huge cliffs stretch across the surface of the satellite. The largest of these is the Verona escarpment, named after the city where the events of Romeo and Juliet took place. According to various estimates, its height ranges from 5 to 20 km.

Some cliffs form an enormous graben. This is the name given to narrow valleys where the earth seems to have collapsed.

Objects on the surface of Miranda. Source: phys.org

Miranda also has plains covered with hills, but the most impressive features are the unique landforms known as crowns. These giant areas of the surface appear to have been raised above the surrounding terrain by unknown forces, with the same cliffs located along their edges. In total, there are three crowns on Miranda: Inverness, Arden, and Elsinore. Again, they got their names from places mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays.

The ridges and other relief features are impressive not only for their shape but also for their scale, especially considering that Miranda’s diameter is only 470 km.

Complex geological history

The situation is made even more mysterious by the fact that a count of craters on Miranda’s surface showed that there are significantly fewer of them than on other Uranus moons. What is worse, some areas are much younger than others. For example, the Inverness ring has a surface age of only 500 million years, the Elsinore ring is between 400 million and 3.1 billion years old, and most of the moon’s surface is 3.5 billion years old.

All this leads some researchers to suggest that Miranda’s surface has been renewed at least several times. What processes led to this remain a mystery. For several decades, a popular hypothesis was that at some point, Miranda was split into pieces by a powerful impact, and then the fragments came back together again. However, a 2011 study refuted this possibility.

Verona Rupes. Source: Wikipedia

Currently, most researchers are focusing on two factors: Miranda’s proximity to the surface of the gas giant and its interaction with other satellites. The first factor is indeed capable of creating amazing landforms, because bodies orbiting gas giants are mainly composed of water ice, which can temporarily turn into liquid in the presence of heat and form a smooth surface in place of old craters.

And there is such a source of heat – tidal heating, which the satellite could have experienced in the past. The gravitational gradient deforms satellites close to giant planets, and mechanical energy is converted into heat. Thus, Jupiter’s satellite Io also has canyons and table mountains. And on Enceladus, which is very similar in size to Miranda, there are giant cracks from which geysers shoot into space.

Therefore, surface renewal because the ice inside Miranda heated up, melted, cracked on the surface, and then everything froze is more than likely. As for the influence of other satellites, scientists are paying attention to Miranda’s orbit. It is quite possible that it previously rotated in a slightly more elongated orbit, was in resonance with other icy bodies, and they also contributed to its deformation, so it is quite possible that its surface was molten for some time. Then something happened, and Miranda moved into its current orbit, and its surface froze in its present state.

The largest moons of Uranus. Source: www.space.com

Unique conditions

Be that as it may, the combination of small size and huge vertical cliffs creates truly unique conditions on Miranda. It is the best place in the Solar System for rock climbing. The acceleration of free fall here is only 7.9 cm/s2. That is 140 times less than on Earth. In such conditions, you can climb vertical cliff walls for hours.

Or fall from them. Miranda is the only place in the Solar System where you can fall from cliffs for several minutes. However, you will still need to stop your fall somehow, for example, with a jetpack, because parachutes do not work on Miranda due to the lack of atmosphere.

However, overall, we still know very little about this moon. Voyager 2’s flyby remains the only one to date. So we do not really know if Miranda’s icy cliffs are truly dead, or if we were just unlucky not to see any local geysers. If liquid water still exists beneath the surface, that could explain a lot, and this tiny world would not seem so mysterious.

• Posted in Articles, News

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

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Jorge Uzon / AFP via Getty Images

Geoffrey Hinton, one of the three so-called “godfathers” of AI, never misses an opportunity to issue foreboding proclamations about the tech he helped create.

During an hour-long public conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University last week, the British computer science laid out all the alarming ways that he forecasts AI will completely upend society for the worst, seemingly leaving little room for human contrivances like optimism. One of the reasons why is that AI’s rapid deployment will be completely unlike technological revolutions in the past, which created new classes of jobs, he said.

“The people who lose their jobs won’t have other jobs to go to,” Hinton said, as quoted by Business Insider. “If AI gets as smart as people — or smarter — any job they might do can be done by AI.”

“These guys are really betting on AI replacing a lot of workers,” Hinton added.

Hinton pioneered the deep learning techniques that are foundational to the generative AI models fueling the AI boom today. His work on neural networks earned him a Turing Award in 2018, alongside University of Montreal researcher Yoshua Bengio and the former chief AI scientist at Meta Yann LeCun. The trio are considered to be the “godfathers” of AI.

All three scientists have been outspoken about the tech’s risks, to varying degrees. But it was Hinton who first began to turn the most heads when he said he regretted his life’s work after stepping down from his role at Google in 2023.

He hasn’t changed his tune since then. He has consistently warned that AI will destroy jobs and create massive unemployment. This month, Hinton then injected more fatalism into this prediction by opining that the AI industry couldn’t turn a profit without replacing human labor.

In his discussion with Sanders, Hinton reiterated these risks, adding that the multibillionaires spearheading AI, like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Larry Ellison haven’t really “thought through” the fact that “if the workers don’t get paid, there’s nobody to buy their products,” he said, per BI.

Previously, Hinton has said it wouldn’t be “inconceivable” that humankind gets wiped out by AI. He also believes we’re not that far away from achieving an artificial general intelligence, or AGI,  a hypothetical AI system with human or superhuman levels of intelligence that is able to perform a vast array of tasks, which the AI industry is obsessed with building.

“Until quite recently, I thought it was going to be like 20 to 50 years before we have general purpose AI,” Hinton said in 2023. “And now I think it may be 20 years or less.”

Strikingly, Hinton now claims that the latest models like OpenAI’s GPT-5 “know thousands of times more than us already.”

While leading large language models are trained on a corpus of data vastly exceeding what a human could ever learn, many experts would disagree that this means that the AI actually “knows” what it’s talking about. Moreover, many efforts to replace workers with semi-autonomous models called AI agents have often failed embarrassingly, including in customer support roles that many predicted were the most vulnerable to being outmoded. In other words, it’s not quite set in stone that the tech will be to so easily replace even low-paying jobs.

Nonetheless, never put it past your overlords to find a way how to screw you over anyway. AI machines could be a great tool for carrying out imperial actions abroad; deploying AI robots to fight overseas would be great for the US military industrial complex, Hinton argued, since there wouldn’t be dead soldiers to cause “political blowback.”

“I think it will remove one of the main barriers to rich powerful countries just invading little countries like Granada,” Hinton told Sanders.

More on AI: 

• Mark Zuckerberg Accused of Doing Unforgivable Things to Teens on Meta

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

Subsurface Oceans

“Not all of these satellites are known to have oceans, but we know that some do,” said lead author Max Rudolph, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Davis. “We’re interested in the processes that shape their evolution over millions of years, and this allows us to think about what the surface expression of an ocean world would be.”

Despite their liquid water and potential for habitability, these moons are very different environments from Earth. On Earth, the surface geology stems from underground rock activity: the hot core melts rock into lava, and tectonic plates shift. Icy moons, however, are shaped by the actions of ice and water rather than hot rocks.

The tidal forces from the planets they orbit provide the moons with subsurface heat, which keeps their oceans liquid. Since a planet like Saturn has many moons, those bodies can interact as they orbit, increasing or decreasing heating for a period. As the heat increases, the thick layer of ice covering the moon may begin to melt and thin, then thicken again as the heating subsides.

The Geology of Icy Moons

The researchers investigated the effects of this activity over time. Typically, the ice shell would thin or thicken from underneath. Since ice has a greater volume than liquid water, more water would be squeezed into a smaller space as the ice thickened. This means that the shell would be under increased pressure to contain the water beneath it, which may be a potential explanation for the “tiger stripes” seen on Enceladus.

However, the researchers also considered the opposite scenario, when the shell begins to melt. Surprisingly, this could cause the ocean to boil, the team says. With an increase in relatively low-density liquid water, the pressure beneath the shell would drop. On some smaller moons of Uranus’s Miranda and Saturn’s Mimas and Enceladus, that pressure drop could reach such an extreme that ice, liquid water, and water vapor could all co-exist at the same time.

The ridges and cliffs on Miranda, observed by the Voyager 2 space probe, may be the result of such ocean boiling, the researchers suggest. At a mere 250 miles wide, Mimas is a tiny moon nicknamed “Death Star” for a large, prominent crater that makes it reminiscent of the space station from the Star Wars films. Although observations suggest that Mimas is geologically dead, a wobble in the moon’s orbit is indicative of a subsurface ocean. The strange contradiction of a liquid ocean and geologically frozen surface is reconciled by the fact that its ice shell is estimated to be strong enough that tanning would not crack it.

Cracking the Shell

Larger moons fare far differently. The icy covering of Uranus’s moon Titania would likely experience cracks well before ice melt would allow water to reach the triple point, according to the team’s calculations. Therefore, the team believes that the surface geology on Titania is likely driven by the thickening and thinning of its ice shell.

The new paper shows how even within a relatively small category of objects within our local solar system, such as icy moons, very different conditions may be present. Geology explains the surface features of planets like our own as they develop over tremendous periods of time. In the new research, it is revealed that geology influenced by factors very different from our own can also explain an object’s surface evolution.

The paper, “Boiling Oceans and Compressional Tectonics on Emerging Ocean Worlds,” appeared in Nature Astronomy on November 24, 2025.

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

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

A secretive US military unit has released a new recruitment video packed with cryptic messages and unsettling imagery.

The 4th Psychological Operations-Airborne (4th PSYOP), based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, specializes in influence campaigns aimed at shaping how enemies think, react and communicate.

The clip opens on a burning 1980s CRT television that flickers to life with the dancing ghost from Fleischer Studios' 1930 cartoon 'Swing You Sinners!'

Within seconds, the screen jumps to a dark forest where leaflets fall through the trees, followed by shots of soldiers standing among civilians as the words 'We are everywhere' flash across the frame.

The video then appears to rewind to a WWII-era bombing run, showing a plane dropping pamphlets over a crowd below.

A narrator says: 'There's another force applied in combat that we generally don't think of as a weapon of war. That weapon is words.'

His gravel-voiced warning repeats: 'We are everywhere. Words are our weapon.' 

The reel ends on the unit's lightning-bolt patch and a pulsing QR code directing viewers to goarmy.com/PSYOP.

The 4th Psychological Operations-Airborne has released a new recruitment video, with the opening scene featuring a clip from a 1930s cartoon

The chilling tagline of the video is 'We are everywhere'

The video is being hailed as the Army's strongest pitch yet for its influence-warfare unit, designed to attract recruits who can craft viral memes as confidently as they can jump out of aircraft.

It opens with a grainy shot of an old Zenith TV in a dark void, VHS lines rolling as a ghostlike version of Koko the Clown flickers on the screen. 

The cabinet edges glow with animated flames, and faint 1930s jazz plays under a modern beat

The pacing ramps up immediately. Arabic-script leaflets fall from an aircraft. A soldier rides in a tank strapped with a massive loudspeaker blasting distorted messages.

And there is a brief animated segment that appears to show a quill turning into a dagger.

Inside a dim command tent, PSYOP specialists type across multi-lingual dashboards that track sentiment and morale.

The video is packed with unexpected Easter eggs: nods to conspiracy theories, the WWII 'Ghost Army' that tricked Nazi generals, and even a Pepe the Frog GIF decked out in a clown suit. Pepe is a hate symbol by the alt-right movement.

The WWII 'Ghost Army' was a secret US Army unit officially called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. 

The video shows what appears to be WWII, with bombers dropping leaflets from the skies 

The 4th Psychological Operations-Airborne, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, specializes in influence campaigns aimed at shaping how enemies think, react and communicate.

Another part of the video conveys the idea of blasting messages to the public as soldiers move through worn-torn towns

Their mission was to deceive German forces about the location, size, and movements of Allied troops. 

They used inflatable tanks, trucks, and artillery to create the illusion of large forces where there were none. 

Soldiers also played pre-recorded sounds of troops and vehicles over loudspeakers to simulate army movements. 

They sent fake radio traffic to trick German intelligence into thinking units were present. Live actors and props were sometimes used to stage fake headquarters.

Their deception efforts saved thousands of lives by diverting German troops from real operations. 

The unit's work remained classified for decades and is only recently widely recognized. 

The 4th PSYOP is known to conduct 'influence activities to target psychological vulnerabilities and create or intensify fissures, confusion, and doubt in adversary organizations.'

'We use all available means of dissemination – from sensitive and high tech to low-tech, to no-tech, and methods from overt, to clandestine, to deception,' the organization's official website reads.

Soldiers looking to join the PSYOP must endure a physically and mentally demanding training pipeline, which starts with a grueling assessment and selection that lasts for 10 days. 

And there is a brief animated segment that appears to show a quill turning into a dagger

Master Sgt. Mathews, the Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) in Charge of the PSYOP Assessment and Selection course, told Task and Purpose: 'We're looking at soldiers who are adept at conducting research to understand target audiences.

'And use critical thinking to determine the best methods and arguments to influence and effectively communicate verbally and in writing using multimedia.'

The first 10 days of PYSOP focus on a candidate's physical fitness, mental resilience, critical thinking, communication skills and sustainability.

Candidates are not just doing physical challenges, but are writing reports, crafting narratives, or presenting arguments, simulating real-world PSYOP tasks.

These individuals also undergo psychological evaluations to determine their suitability for the demanding nature of the operation's roles.

A narrator says: 'There's another force applied in combat that we generally don't think of as a weapon of war. That weapon is words'

Candidates who meet the standards are invited to continue with the Psychological Operations Qualification Course.

This includes studying human psychology, sociology and cultural dynamics to design effective influence strategies, identifying and analyzing groups for tailored messaging and crafting messages that align with mission objectives and resonate with target audiences.

During this time, soldiers will test their abilities in dynamic environments, using tactics to confuse and find vulnerabilities within each other.

They also train on the ethical considerations of PSYOP missions, including avoiding manipulation that violates international law or military ethics. 

After the 10-day assessment, soldiers are put through 41 weeks of physically and mentally demanding training, called the PSYOP Qualification Course.

The last few months have seen soldiers learn how to use propaganda and other methods to influence the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of a target audience, often in an enemy territory.

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

A team of archaeologists led by researchers from Binghamton University has combined over 22,000 images of the primary quarry on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to create the first-ever interactive 3D model of the remote site, allowing users to explore its archaeological marvels in unprecedented detail.

Unlike the more famous coastal platform that contains over a dozen Moai statues facing the ocean, the 3D model’s creators chose the Rano Raraku quarry because it contains over 1,000 statues in various forms of completion. The study also found evidence that the quarry was used by several different “tribes” working alongside each other.

“As an archeologist, the quarry is like the archeological Disneyland,” explained Binghamton University Professor of Anthropology Carl Lipo, lead author of the paper detailing the team’s work and member of a previous research team that proved the statues were ‘walked’ into place.

Three-dimensional model of Rano Raraku quarry produced through Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry. This comprehensive digital documentation, derived from 11,686 UAV images, reveals the complex spatial organization of production activities distributed across multiple workshop areas. Image Credit: Carl Lipo.

The team hopes their new 3D model will allow researchers to conduct studies in an extremely difficult-to-access area and to attract the attention of curious amateurs who may visit the island in person.

Building the Easter Island Moai Quarry 3D Model from Thousands of Images

According to a statement detailing the effort, the project began in October 2023 after a wildfire swept through the area, prompting locals to implore the scientific community to document the location. The Binghamton-led team, which also included Thomas Pingel and Kevin Heard from Binghamton’s Geography Department, responded by conducting the first-ever in-depth digital documentation of the quarry in January 2024.

Over 30 drone flights, the researchers collected high-resolution images from a wide range of perspectives, including angles unavailable to a ground observer.

“You can see things that you couldn’t actually see on the ground,” Professor Lipo said. “You can see tops and sides and all kinds of areas that just would never be able to walk to.”

Production technique revealed through 3D modeling. Unfinished moai attached to bedrock by “keels” along their backs demonstrate how carvers worked underneath from both sides until figures were separated from the source material. This production stage, difficult to document through traditional methods, is visible in the 3D model.

Image credit: Carl Lipo.

By the completion of the aerial sorties, the team had successfully captured around 22,000 images of the Rapa Nui quarry at 30-meter increments. Pingel said it was amazing how far the technology that allowed the team to collect the data used to create an interactive 3D VR model of the quarry has come in such a short time.

“The quality of this model is far above what could be done even just a couple of years ago, and the ability to share such a detailed model in a way that is accessible from anyone’s desktop computer is remarkable,” the researcher explained.

“The project was of a scale of complexity that had never been attempted before,” Professor Lipo added.

Users who want to explore the model will find a variety of built-in controls and functions, including the ability to zoom in and pan across individual statues and quarry features from numerous angles. Because the Rano Raraku quarry is located within a rugged, steep volcanic crater, the team said that traversing it on foot is too dangerous, making the 3D VR model of this remote location a priceless research tool.

“It has everything you can possibly imagine about moai construction, because that’s where they did most of the construction,” Professor Lipo said when describing the remote Easter Island quarry. “It’s always been this treasure of information and cultural heritage, but it’s remarkably underdocumented.”

Model Could Aid Researchers and Entice Visitors

When discussing the potential uses of their new interactive 3D VR map of the Easter Island Moai statue quarry, Lipo said their model could “open the door” for researchers by providing a three-dimensional replica and allowing everyday people the unusual opportunity to ‘visit’ the island without leaving home.

“We can say, ‘Here, go look at it.’ If you want to see the different kinds of carving, fly around and see stuff there,” the professor explained. “So, it’s really exciting to bring these two things together. We’re documenting something that really has needed to be documented, but in a way that’s really comprehensive and shareable.”

The researchers acknowledge that some locals have expressed concern that such a high-quality map may reduce tourism and eliminate the desire to see the site in person. However, Professor Lipo believes the detail and interactivity with the nearly 1,000 moai in a way previously unavailable will inspire people to go there in person and explore all of the wonders associated with the Island and its awe-inspiring sites, “because otherwise, you’re just seeing sort of snapshots of stuff.”

“What we would really like to do is be able to say, ‘Go visit it yourself. Learn from it,’ the researcher concluded. “This is an incredible landscape of stuff that you could really go visit, that you’ll want to see.”

The Binghamton University team’s 3D model of the Rapa Nui quarry is available to view online.

The paper “Megalithic statue (moai) production on Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile)” was published in PLOS One.

•  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/science/ }

Triangular UFO Over New Bern, North Carolina – November 13, 2025

A striking UFO sighting occurred in Derby Park, New Bern, North Carolina, on the evening of November 13, 2025, leaving three witnesses stunned. Around 9:29 p.m. local time, a triangular formation of bright white lights appeared silently in the night sky, hovering for only a few seconds before shooting upward at an incredible speed and disappearing from view.Eyewitness AccountAccording to the witnesses, the object had three distinct lights, one at each corner of a perfectly symmetrical triangle. The lights remained stationary for roughly three seconds before the object accelerated vertically, vanishing into the upper atmosphere in what they described as a smooth but extremely rapid motion. There was no audible sound, no visible trail, and no blinking navigation lights typically seen on airplanes or drones.

“We saw a triangle in the sky, and it took off in two to three seconds and disappeared,” one of the witnesses reported. “It was completely silent.”

Visual Evidence

Photos captured during the event show three luminous points arranged in a precise triangular pattern against a dark sky. The lights appear evenly spaced and of similar brightness, suggesting they were part of a single structured object rather than separate sources. No structure is clearly visible between the lights, though the dark contrast hints at the possibility of a solid body blocking the starlight behind it.

This sighting closely resembles other “black triangle” UFO reports that have been documented worldwide for decades — often described as large, silent craft with bright lights at each corner.

Possible Explanations

Skeptics often attribute such sightings to:

• Military aircraft, such as stealth bombers or advanced drones flying under low visibility.
• Civilian drones flying in formation or viewed from unusual angles.
• Optical illusions caused by navigation lights on planes appearing as a triangle against a dark sky.

However, what makes this particular sighting stand out is the rapid vertical acceleration and the absence of any sound or flashing lights, features inconsistent with known human-made aircraft.

Significance

Triangular UFOs have become one of the most consistently reported shapes in modern UAP observations, often associated with silent flight, hovering capability, and sudden acceleration. Whether the object seen over New Bern was an advanced experimental craft or something beyond our current understanding remains unknown.

As UAP reporting continues to increase across the United States, this North Carolina encounter adds another intriguing case to the growing list of triangular UFO sightings that defy easy explanation.

Reported by: Local witnesses at Derby Park, New Bern, NC
Date: November 13, 2025
Duration: Approximately 3 seconds
Number of witnesses: 3
Shape: Triangle
Characteristics: Three lights, silent movement, rapid vertical ascent

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

By Ashley Strickland

The latest images of an interstellar comet shared by NASA have captured how an array of spacecraft witnessed a flyby that was truly out of this world, revealing clues to the object’s composition.

Astronomers first detected the rare comet, known as 3I/ATLAS, on July 1. It’s only the third observed interstellar object, or ISO, to originate outside of our solar system and pass through it.

When the interstellar comet flew by the red planet in October, multiple NASA missions pivoted from their explorations to capture tantalizing images of the object that originated outside of our solar system.

Stacked images of 3I/ATLAS, taken by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft, show it speeding at 130,000 miles per hour in September. 

NASA/Lowell Observatory/Qicheng Zhang

The US space agency released the new observations on Wednesday since it had been unable to share them during the government shutdown.

While none of the spacecraft have cameras perfectly designed to spot comets zipping by at speeds up to about 153,000 miles per hour (246,000 kilometers per hour), astronomers didn’t want to miss what might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It’s a little bit as if our NASA spacecraft were at a baseball game, watching the game from different places in the stadium,” said Tom Statler, lead scientist for solar system small bodies at NASA. “Everybody has got a camera and they’re trying to get a picture of the ball and nobody has a perfect view, and everybody has a different camera.”

The Lucy spacecraft captured a faint halo of gas and dust around the comet on September 16. 

NASA/Goddard/SwRI/JHU-APL

Missions capture images of a rare interstellar comet

Nearly 20 mission teams collaborated to capture images of the comet, said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

“Everything we’re learning about the comet is possible because of the distribution of all of the different instruments on our spacecraft with different capabilities,” Fox said. “We’ve even pushed our scientific instruments beyond the things that they were designed to achieve, to allow us to capture this amazing glimpse at this interstellar traveler.”

Ahead of the Martian flyby in September, the Lucy and Psyche spacecraft, en route to study asteroids, and solar-focused missions, like the Parker Solar Probe, SOHO and PUNCH, caught glimpses of the comet in action.

Combining the data from Lucy and Psyche with Earth-based telescopes can reveal more about the three-dimensional structure of the comet and the nature of the dust coming off of it due to the heat of the sun, Statler said.

“It’s a rare opportunity to compare ancient dust from a distant solar system to that from our own,” he said.

3I/ATLAS appears as a faint smudge against a background of stars from the Perseverance rover's perspective on October 4. 

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Perseverance rover also tracked the comet as it zoomed past the red planet in October. The orbiter was the spacecraft physically closest to the comet, Fox said.

The comet arrived at its closest point to the sun when Earth was on the wrong side for ground-based telescopes to conveniently observe, but Mars had optimal viewing conditions, according to Statler. “Our Mars assets were able to observe the comet, and also several of our other spacecraft were on the correct side of the sun,” he said. “We could not get this view from the vantage point of the Earth.”

Two spacecraft that will study Jupiter and its moons, Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, and Europa Clipper, will also aim to capture the comet’s movements as it nears the orbit of Jupiter in the spring.

The comet came within about 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) of Mars on October 3. The ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been circling the red planet since 2016, was about 10 times closer to the comet than telescopes on Earth — and it captured images from an angle that Earth-based telescopes couldn’t see. The fresh perspective on 3I/ATLAS enabled scientists to predict the comet’s future path with a tenfold jump in accuracy.

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A multitude of other spacecraft, including the Hubble and James Webb Space telescopes, have also observed the object.

While scientists have been using telescopes around the world to study 3I/ATLAS, spacecraft missions provide some key observational advantages, said Dr. Theodore Kareta, planetary astronomer and assistant professor in the department of astrophysics and planetary science at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.

Cameras and instruments on different spacecraft are geared toward various goals and measurements, and they can provide distinct vantage points that might be otherwise impossible to capture, he said.

“Comets are three-dimensional objects, and looking at them from different angles will give us a much clearer picture of not just where they are and the trajectory they’re on, but also how large the nucleus of the comet is and the nature of any structures or patterns we can see in its atmosphere,” Kareta said.

Scientists currently think the comet is anywhere from a couple of thousand feet to a couple of miles in diameter, but they are still refining their measurements, Statler said.

Psyche tracked 3I/ATLAS over the course of eight hours on September 8 and 9 when the comet was about 33 million miles from the spacecraft. 

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

A comet’s behavior

NASA officials were also quick to address rumors that have swirled around the comet’s interstellar nature, including the idea that it’s an alien spacecraft.

“It looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “But this one came from outside the solar system, which makes it fascinating, exciting and scientifically very important.”

Fox said that NASA’s close monitoring of the comet since its discovery has not yielded any evidence that would lead them to believe it was anything other than a natural celestial object, like technosignatures — a signal that could be created by extraterrestrial life.

“But the super cool thing is not that it’s exactly like all the comets that we see in our solar system,” Fox said. “It’s the differences that are so tantalizing for us.”

Kshatriya said he was actually excited to see much of the world speculating about the comet while NASA was unable to share comment about it due to the constraints of the recent shutdown.

“It expanded people’s brains to think about how magical the universe could be,” he said. “In fact, we want very much to find signs of life in the universe. But 3I/ Atlas is a comet.”

Comparing 3I/ATLAS with more common comets

The comet made its closest approach of the sun on October 30, coming within 130 million miles (210 million kilometers) according to NASA.

A comet that originates within our solar system is like a dirty snowball. Its nucleus, or solid core, is a frozen mashup of rock, gas, dust and ice leftover from the formation of the stars, planets and other celestial bodies. As comets approach stars like our sun, they heat up, forming tails of sublimating material that streak behind them.

The MAVEN orbiter captured the comet in ultraviolet light, spying its hydrogen atoms on September 28. 

NASA/Goddard/LASP/CU Boulder

Because 3I/ATLAS is from another solar system, astronomers are eager to see how different or similar its composition is to the comets they are used to witnessing.

3I/ATLAS has been releasing more carbon dioxide than water, and more nickel than iron, compared with comets that originated in our solar system — something that is still being investigated, Statler said.

The comet has also shown increased activity, which has caused some observers to question whether the object broke apart during its close pass of the sun.

The “jets” observed releasing from the comet can mean there are particularly active areas on the surface of the comet where more material is evaporating than elsewhere, Statler said.

“Comets frequently show ‘jets’ or ’spiral’ features in their inner atmospheres related to which parts of their surfaces are active and releasing gas and dust, so taking a picture of them from one angle only can be challenging to interpret,” Kareta added.

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Astronomers discover two populations of unusual dark comets in our solar system

Now, the object is starting to reappear on the other side of our star for Earth-based telescopes. The object will swing within 168 million miles (270 million kilometers) of Earth on December 19 before beginning to make its way out of our solar system.

The SOHO mission spied the comet between October 15 and 16. 

Lowell Observatory/Qicheng Zhang

“The fact that so many NASA missions have tried observing this interstellar visitor should tell you how seriously we all take this opportunity,” Kareta said. “Interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS are fundamentally rare, and ISOs as bright as 3I should be rarer still — this object might very well be the ISO we learn the most about for many years to come.”

While the exact age of the comet is unknown, the object’s speed suggests it is much older than anything in our solar system, Statler said.

“3I/ATLAS is not just a window into another solar system, it’s a window into the deep past — and so deep in the past that it predates even the formation of our Earth and our sun,” Statler said.

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{ https://edition.cnn.com/science }

Since the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered this past July — just the third confirmed object to arrive from another star — astronomers have been closely following its passage through our solar system.

As the icy visitor brightened on its coast toward the sun, the public narrative brightened too, with online rumors casting it as a possible alien spacecraft during the recent 43-day-long government shutdown when NASA could not comment on the object or release new images. Last week, with the shutdown over, NASA held a long-awaited briefing in which it shared observations and early analysis from more than 20 missions across the solar system, assembling the most complete picture yet of this rare visitor — and made one point immediately clear: 3I/ATLAS is of natural origin, not an example of alien technology.

"We very much want to find signs of life in the universe," NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said during the briefing. "But 3I/ATLAS is a comet."

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, imaged by the HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

3) A rare window into distant, older star systems

Scientists say that 3I/ATLAS has likely been traveling through interstellar space for a long time. Based on how fast it was moving upon entering the solar system, Statler said the circumstantial evidence points to the comet originating in a very old planetary system, possibly one older than our own.

That "gives me goosebumps to think about, frankly," he said, noting that 3I/ATLAS may reveal insights into cosmic history that predates the formation of both Earth and the sun.

"It is a new window into the makeups and histories of other solar systems," he said.

4) Intriguing chemical clues

So far, 3I/ATLAS has behaved exactly as a comet should as it warms near the sun, shedding water and carbon dioxide, but with some intriguing twists. Scientists have detected a higher-than-usual ratio of carbon dioxide to water compared with typical solar system comets, as well as gas unusually rich in nickel relative to iron. Both findings are scientifically compelling and worth further investigation, researchers said.

The dust around the comet also shows slightly atypical properties, suggesting its grain sizes differ from those of local comets. One especially curious behavior was the dust was initially blown toward the sunward side before solar radiation gradually pushed it back, a longer and less common sequence than scientists usually observe in homegrown comets.

"We're still learning even about what questions we still need to ask," said Statler. "And this, of course, is the scientific process in action."

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Navy's 'Doomsday plane' vanishes over the Atlantic during mysterious mission

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A US Navy 'Doomsday plane' has vanished after embarking on a mysterious transatlantic mission.

The Boeing E-6B Mercury was last seen crossing the Atlantic east of Virginia Beach on public flight-tracking systems around 8.30am ET on Friday.

One of just 16 specialized 'Doomsday planes,' Mercury serves as a command-and-control hub for US Strategic Command, the Secretary of War and the President. 

It can also transmit orders to carry out nuclear strikes if necessary.

Flight data showed the aircraft departed Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, and followed a routine southeast path over the Chesapeake Bay, skirting the Norfolk naval complex before heading offshore.

About 60 miles east of the Virginia Capes, its public transponder went dark, a normal practice during sensitive operations.

Once over the ocean, Mercury typically enters classified warning zones, lowers a multi-mile trailing wire antenna, and flies racetrack patterns for four to eight hours while sending secure test messages to submarines and ground stations. 

Turning off its transponder during these operations has long led trackers to report the aircraft as 'gone dark.'

Flight tracking data spotted the plane taking off around 8.30am and soaring over the Atlantic before vanishing from radar

The aircraft, operating under the callsign AFD FE2, followed a familiar route used for TACAMO (Take Charge and Move Out) missions that keep US strategic forces, including ballistic-missile submarines, connected to national command authorities even during nuclear conflict. 

It came just one day after Thanksgiving, a period when US strategic forces traditionally scale back operations before quickly returning to full readiness.

The 'Doomsday plane' fleet makes up part of Operation Looking Glass, officially known as the Airborne Command Post, which helps communicate with American nuclear forces if ground-based command centers are destroyed.

According to the squadron, its mission is to allow the President and the Secretary of War to directly liaise with US submarines, bombers, and missile silos in the event of a nuclear war.

Boeing built the Navy's fleet between 1989 and 1992.

'The TACAMO airplanes support the Navy's ballistic missile submarine force, providing a vital link to the force from national command authorities,' Boeing's description reads.

'The TACAMO E-6B airplanes are equipped with dual trailing wires that serve as transmitter and antenna, transmitting in the very low frequency spectrum.'

Mercury was built to withstand any large electromagnetic pulse generated by a nuclear disaster. 

One of just 16 specialized 'Doomsday planes,' Mercury serves as a command-and-control hub for US Strategic Command, the Secretary of War and the President

The US Navy's 'Doomsday plane' conducted five mysterious flights in March. All missions saw the plane leave Oklahoma and circle Omaha, Nebraska

It relies on older analogue technology rather than digital technology, which would be fried by the pulse.

A previous sighting was in March, when flight radar tracked a Mercury leaving Tinker Air Force Base around 9am ET and soaring around Omaha, where Offutt Air Base is located. 

Offutt Air Force Base is a nuclear command, control and communications base that supports national leadership and warfighters.

AirNav Radar, a flight tracker, captured the plane’s path as it circled and weaved in the skies over Nebraska.

The flight tracker spotted three other Mercury planes in the skies on Monday as well.

One of the planes did a shorter trip, circling outside Tulsa and returning to base one hour later.

Another flew south toward Dallas, and the last Mercury was spotted leaving from Maryland.

That flight also lasted no more than one hour. The purposes of the five Mercury flights are unknown.

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

Kan AI ooit echt bewustzijn bereiken?

Key takeaways

De vraag of artificiële intelligentie (AI) bewustzijn kan bereiken, is al lange tijd onderwerp van intens debat tussen wetenschappers, filosofen en technologen. Een recente studie, Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence? A Framework for Classifying Objections and Constraints, probeert die complexe discussie te verduidelijken door een gestructureerd model te ontwikkelen voor het categoriseren van de verschillende bezwaren rondom digitaal bewustzijn.

Soorten bezwaren

Het onderzoek erkent dat argumenten tegen AI-bewustzijn vaak overlappen of verkeerd zijn gericht. Sommige bezwaren komen voort uit de overtuiging dat bewustzijn niet verklaard kan worden door louter computationele processen, terwijl andere het principe van computationeel bewustzijn wel accepteren, maar stellen dat huidige digitale systemen niet beschikken over de noodzakelijke architectuur. Weer andere argumenten verwerpen de mogelijkheid van digitaal bewustzijn juist op basis van inzichten uit de fysica of biologie, in plaats van uit de computatietheorie.

Analytische structuur op drie niveaus

Om die complexiteit te adresseren, stellen de auteurs een analytisch kader met drie niveaus voor, geïnspireerd op het cognitieve wetenschappelijke model van David Marr. Het eerste niveau richt zich op bewustzijn als een input-outputcorrespondentie, gestuurd door berekenbare functies. Het tweede niveau behandelt de specifieke algoritmen, architecturen en representatiestructuren die nodig zijn om bewustzijn te realiseren. Het derde niveau richt zich op de bezwaren dat het fysieke substraat zelf essentieel is voor bewuste ervaring.

Dit kader stelt onderzoekers, beleidsmakers en filosofen in staat om overeenkomsten en verschillen te identificeren, met een duidelijk onderscheid tussen argumenten tegen computationeel functionalisme en argumenten tegen digitaal bewustzijn.

Niet-berekenbare functies

Sommige critici beweren dat bewustzijn niet-computeerbare processen omvat die buiten het bereik van Turing-machines liggen, terwijl anderen stellen dat elk computationeel model van bewustzijn te complex zou zijn om op grote schaal te implementeren. De studie benadrukt tevens het belang van dynamische koppeling en suggereert dat bewustzijn mogelijk real-time interactie met omgevingen vereist—iets wat digitale systemen moeilijk kunnen nabootsen.

Algoritmische organisatie

Op algoritmisch niveau draait het debat om de organisatie van algoritmen. Theorieën onderzoeken of symbolische architecturen, neurale netwerken of hybride systemen in staat zijn bewuste toestanden te genereren. Sommigen benadrukken de noodzaak van analoge processen met continue waarden, die digitale systemen niet volledig kunnen emuleren. Anderen leggen de nadruk op synchronisatie en representatievormen die essentieel zijn voor subjectieve ervaring, maar die in de huidige digitale architecturen ontbreken.

Dit niveau omvat ook discussies over belichaming en enactivisme, waarin wordt gesteld dat bewustzijn uitsluitend voortkomt uit lichamen die handelen binnen een omgeving. Volgens die zienswijze kunnen grote taalmodellen, ondanks hun ogenschijnlijke intelligentie, de interactieve eigenschappen missen die essentieel zijn voor bewuste toestanden.

Fysieke substraat

Bezwaren met betrekking tot het fysieke substraat leggen de strengste beperkingen op. Die argumenten richten zich op de unieke eigenschappen van biologische hersenen die digitale hardware niet kan repliceren. Theorieën in deze categorie beweren dat bewustzijn afhankelijk is van informatie die in biologische netwerken is ingebed, de dynamica van elektromagnetische velden in de hersenen, of zelfs kwantumprocessen.

Volgens deze bezwaren zijn digitale AI-systemen fundamenteel niet in staat bewustzijn te bereiken door de cruciale rol van het fysieke substraat. Het onderzoek benadrukt dat deze beweringen eerder op het niveau van natuurkunde en biologie liggen dan op dat van de computerwetenschap, waarvoor nog empirisch bewijs nodig is over hoe bewustzijn in natuurlijke systemen ontstaat.

Evaluatiesysteem met drie niveaus

Om de kracht van elk bezwaar beter te verduidelijken, hanteert de studie een evaluatiesysteem op drie niveaus. Sommige bezwaren suggereren dat machinebewustzijn mogelijk is, mits bepaalde mogelijkheden of architecturen worden toegepast. Andere wijzen op praktische obstakels die bewuste AI onwaarschijnlijk maken met de huidige technologie. De sterkste bezwaren stellen dat digitale systemen, ongeacht technologische vooruitgang, nooit bewust kunnen worden.

Dit classificatiesysteem maakt onderscheid tussen conceptuele, technologische en metafysische bezwaren. Het benadrukt bovendien de gebieden waar empirisch onderzoek de meningsverschillen zou kunnen oplossen, evenals de domeinen die verder filosofisch onderzoek vereisen.

Kader voor bestuur, ethiek en AI-ontwikkeling

De studie sluit af met een bespreking van de praktische implicaties van het kader voor bestuur, ethiek en AI-ontwikkeling. Nu AI-modellen steeds vaker cruciale beslissingen beïnvloeden en op geavanceerde manieren met mensen interageren, is het essentieel het volledige spectrum van argumenten rondom digitaal bewustzijn te begrijpen. De voorgestelde classificatie kan beleidsmakers helpen bij het ontwikkelen van weloverwogen regelgeving, het opstellen van ethische richtlijnen en het ondersteunen van AI-ontwikkelaars bij verantwoorde uitspraken over de mogelijkheden van hun systemen. (fc)

{  Business AM }

8 Reasons Aliens Exist and Have Visited Earth, According to ‘The Age of Disclosure’ Documentary

Now available on Amazon Prime, the film interviews dozens of officials with 'direct knowledge' of UAP

By Addie Morfoot

The film also includes clips from congressional hearings about UAPs and makes clear that there is major bipartisan support for the proposed UAP Disclosure Act. In fact, Trump or a subsequent president could make a massive impact, Farah says, by disclosing what he says is the truth.

“I think it’s only a matter of time before the release of this film is followed by a sitting president stepping to the podium and telling the world, ‘We’re not alone in the universe,'” the director told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s the most significant moment a leader could possibly have.”

One of the key voices in the film is Jay Stratton, former Defense Intelligence Agency official and director of the government’s UAP Task Force. “I have seen, with my own eyes, non-human craft and non-human beings,” he says in the doc.

Below are eight key extraterrestrial facts put forth in “The Age of Disclosure”:

• Otherworldly vehicles

Transmedium crafts — vehicles that have the capability to operate in space, air, and water — defy all that humanity knows about physics, and have been operating with complete impunity around the world since at least the 1940s, according to the documentary.

• Multi-national race

Since the 1940s, an ongoing arms race between China, Russia and the U.S. was set off by the discovery of crashed UAPs. Each nation, according to the doc, wants to be the first to crack into extraterrestrial technology to reverse-engineer it for human use. But as defense official Stratton explains in the film, “You can’t tell your friends without telling your enemies.”

• FAA involvement

Aviation safety is in jeopardy if the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t track UAPs, the film concludes. (As of Oct. 22, the FAA requires air traffic control to notify the National Tactical Security Operations and the Air Traffic Security Coordinator team of any pilot reports or air traffic personnel observations of UAP activity.)

• Deep, watery cover?

If any intelligence from outside our universe did want to arrive on earth and remain undetected, they would most likely hide out in the deep zone of the ocean, which hasn’t been explored by humans, posits interviews in the doc.

• Giant crafts

UAPs the size of football fields that can travel over 30,000 mph are just a few of the types of UAPs — some can travel 40,000 miles per hour, sometimes faster, and go from zero to thousands of miles per hour in less than a second, according to the doc.

• Humanoid! Aliens!

According to Dr. Eric Davis in 1989 the Soviet Union recovered four bodies of humanoid aliens — extraterrestrials — from a UAP crash site where they discovered an advanced directed energy weapon.

• Uses for good or evil

Similar to artificial intelligence, the film asserts that UAP technology can revolutionize the way we do things – such as provide a clean energy source – or completely destroy everything that we know.

• Does he or doesn’t he?

Information about UAPs is on a need-to-know basis. The President of The United States and the head of the CIA might know nothing about UAP intelligence.

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100,000 mph 'comet fragment' explodes in green fireball over Great Lakes, eerie videos show

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Time Travel: From Ancient Mythology to Modern Science

johnblack

Time travel and time machines have been a topic of science fiction and countless movies for many decades. In fact, it appears that the possibility to travel in time, either into the future or into the past, has appealed to the imagination of mankind for centuries. While many may think it is absurd to believe that we could travel backwards or forwards in time, some of the world’s most brilliant scientists have investigated whether it could one day be made a reality.

Research into Time Travel

Albert Einstein for example, concluded in his later years that the past, present, and future all exist simultaneously, and most are familiar with his well-known concept of relativity. That is, that time is relative and not absolute as Newton claimed. With the proper technology, such as a very fast spaceship, one person is able to experience several days while another person simultaneously experiences only a few hours or minutes. Yet the wisdom of Einstein's convictions had very little impact on cosmology or science in general.

• Passing Through the Gates of Time: The Mind, Time Travel, and St Augustine
• Chronicles from the Future: A True Story Kept Hidden by the Masons now Revealed

The majority of physicists have been slow to give up the ordinary assumptions we make about time. However, if time travel really was possible, one can hardly contemplate what this may mean for humanity. Whoever had the power to move through time, would have the power to modify history. While this may sound attractive, it would be impossible to know the consequences of any alteration of past events, and how this would affect the future.

Illustration from the Menologion of Basil II of the Seven Sleepers, a medieval legend about a group of youths who hid in a cave to escape persecution and emerged over 300 years later.

(Public domain)

Time Travel in Ancient Mythology

If we look at ancient texts, we can find a number of references to time travel. In Hindu mythology, there is the story of King Raivata Kakudmi who travels to meet the creator Brahma. Even if this trip didn’t last long, when Kakudmi returned back to Earth, 108 yugas had passed on Earth, and it is thought that each yuga represents about 4 million years. The explanation Brahma gave to Kakudmi is that time runs differently in different planes of existence.

Similarly, we have references in the Quran about the cave of Al-Kahf. The story refers to a group of young Christian people, who in 250 AD tried to escape persecution and retreated, under God’s guidance, to a cave where God put them to sleep. They woke up 309 years later. This story coincides with the Christian story of the seven sleepers, with a few differences.

Another story comes from the Japanese legend of Urashima Taro, an individual who was said to visit the underwater palace of the Dragon God Ryujin. He stayed there for three days, but when he returned to the surface, 300 years had passed. In the Buddhist text, Pali Canon, it is written that in the heaven of the thirty Devas (the place of the Gods), time passes at a different pace where one hundred Earth years count as a single day for them. There are many more references to time travel to be found within ancient mythology.

Urashima Taro returning from the Dragon King's Palace, only to find that 300 years had passed.

(Public domain)

Scientific Research into Time Travel

Probably the most well-known story of accidental time travel is the Philadelphia experiment which allegedly took place in 1943 with the purpose of cloaking a ship and making it invisible to enemy radar. However, it was said that the experiment went terribly wrong – the ship not only vanished completely from Philadelphia but it was teleported to Norfolk and went back in time for 10 seconds.

When the ship appeared again some crew members were physically fused to bulkheads, others developed mental disorders, a few disappeared completely, and some reported travelling into the future and back. Allegedly, Nikola Tesla, who was the director of Engineering and Research at Radio Company of America at the time, was involved in the experiment by making all the necessary calculations and drawings and also providing the generators.

In 1960, we have another interesting case report of scientist Pellegrino Ernetti, who claimed that he developed the Chronivisor, a machine that would enable someone to see in the past. His theory was that anything that happens leaves an energy mark that can never be destroyed (something like the mystical Akashic Records). Ernetti allegedly developed this machine that could detect, magnify and convert this energy into an image – something like a TV showing what happened in the past.

Scientists have long been curious as to the possibility of time travel.

(drawlab19 / Adobe Stock)

Controversial Experiments Related to Time Travel

In the 1980s, there are reports of another controversial time travel experiment, the Montauk project, which again allegedly experimented with time travel among other things. Whether the Philadelphia and Montauk experiments actually took place is still under debate. However, it is common sense to assume that the military would definitely be interested in the possibility of time travel and would engage in extensive research on the subject.

In 2004, Marlin Pohlman, a scientist, engineer, and member of Mensa with a Bachelor, MBA and PhD, applied for a patent for a method of gravity distortion and time displacement. In 2013 Wasfi Alshdaifat filed another patent for a space compression and time dilation machine that could be used for time travel.

• Iranian Scientist Builds Machine That Can Predict the Future
• Chronovisor: The Time Machine That Captured The Crucifixion of Jesus

According to PHYS.ORG, the physicist Professor Ronald Lawrence Mallett of the University of Connecticut was working in 2006 on the concept of time travel, based on Einstein’s theory of relativity. At the time, Mallett was absolutely convinced that time travelling was possible. He predicted that human time travel will be possible in our century. Particle physicist Brian Cox, quoted in a 2013 article published in HuffPost, agreed that time travel is possible but only in one direction.

We also have the mysterious story of Ali Razeqi, managing director of the Iranian Centre for Strategic Inventions, who The Daily Mail reported had claimed to have developed a device that could see anywhere from 3 to 5 years in the future. His initial story disappeared from the internet a few hours after it was published.

In theory, time travel is possible, even if it is difficult to comprehend. Has the research cited above brought us closer towards making time travel a reality? If so, we can only hope that the technology does not get into the wrong hands.

• Top image: Is time travel possible?
• Source: rolffimages / Adobe Stock

By John Black

References

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena }

Unidentified Flying Objects – The Reality, the Cover-Up and the Truth

johnblack

Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs as they are commonly known, have been witnessed by millions of people all over the world and have been recorded in history books, myths, legends and traditions for thousands of years. However, many accounts that are recorded in ancient texts are dismissed as mere myths and legends, while UFO sightings that have taken place in the last few centuries have been classified as misinterpretations of natural phenomena, illusions, or conspiracy theories.

The Reality Within the Mythology of Unidentified Flying Objects

History has shown us time and again that a plethora so-called myths have their basis in reality. It is possible, and indeed likely, that stories and legends were a way for people to explain real—and perhaps perplexing—events using the knowledge and beliefs of their time.

In support of this theory, a number of events described in mythology, which were once considered mere fairy tales, have now been proven through archaeology to have existed. A famous example is the city Troy, which is central to Homer’s The Iliad. Long considered to be a city of myth, Heinrich Schliemann’s discovery of the actual site in 1868 elevated it to a place in history.

• What Did the Ancients See? Unidentified Flying Objects that Made an Impact on Early History
• The Ancient History of UFOs and the Oppenheimer-Einstein Report

Nevertheless, the remainder of The Iliad is still viewed as a myth and fantasy without any serious attempts being made to investigate whether or not there may be more truth behind the tale. The same goes for many accounts of flying machines and unidentified flying objects, which we find reference to in countless mythologies from numerous different cultures around the world.

It is common to see people selectively decide what is real and what is not based on the unsubstantiated assumption that ancient people were primitive and had little to no knowledge compared to us today. On the contrary, many ancient civilizations, like the Sumerians, Indus Valley, and Egyptians existed with complex social structures, legal systems, art, astronomy, mathematics, and technology, some of which is still not fully understood today. The Antikythera Mechanism, for example, is a 2,200-year-old mechanical device that is still not completely understood despite  decades of research by top scientists around the world.

Many cultures contain pictorial and written records of flying machines or unidentified flying objects, yet these are usually dismissed as myth and legend.

(CC BY-SA 3.0)

Ancient Astronaut Theory and Unidentified Flying Objects

The topic of flying objects and supernatural beings from beyond our world is one in which we find multiple references in mythology. All of these myths and legends, along with archaeological evidence such as rock art depictions, have created a wave of theories that gave birth to the aptly named ancient astronaut perspective. This theory links all of these ancient references and depictions to UFOs, and posits that extraterrestrials visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistory, influencing the development of human cultures, technologies, and religions.

Unfortunately, there are numerous charlatans who have tried to cash in on this movement for profit or publicity, or who have diminished it with caricatures of little green men, resulting in the ancient astronaut perspective being widely criticized and attacked for its lack of credibility. Consequently, what is in fact a plausible and possible explanation for what we see in ancient art and texts, is now rarely examined by scholars, who fear being ridiculed or having their professional career seriously undermined.

UFO Sightings in Recent History

But let’s leave the ancient past for a while and examine just the last 80 years of human history. Millions of people all over the globe have witnessed unidentified flying objects. Many have been recorded in detailed reports witnessed by police, pilots, astronauts, government officials, pilots, military personnel and, of course, ordinary citizens.

Some of the more well-known cases were witnessed by thousands of people at one time. Historical records make it evident that UFO appearances magnified during and after World War II, including the example of the famous Foo Fighters.

While most sightings can be explained either by celestial phenomena, airplanes, planets, weather phenomena, military exercises, or in some cases drug use or mental instability, there still exists a small percentage that cannot be accounted for by any of these explanations. This is what makes the phenomena important, particularly considering that sightings are frequently reported around military bases and airfields and are therefore, at the very least, a matter of both national security and air safety.

It is an undeniable fact that there are cases of unidentified objects in our skies. It has been acknowledged by the major governments from all over the world simply through the very fact that official research has been conducted on the matter in the US, UK, Russia, Europe, China, South America, and many others. All of this research, in every single case, concluded that there is a percentage of phenomena that cannot be explained.

In recent history, many countries have declassified their UFO research files, releasing thousands of documents through the Freedom of Information Act and making numerous UFO cases available in the public domain. One recently released document from the UFO files in Britain, revealed how Churchill, concerned about the UFO issue, ordered a shutdown of information for at least 50 years to prevent mass panic and the potential to undermine religious beliefs. The document in question was published on the BBC news site in 2010.

By doing careful research on the topic, passing over obvious scam and fake stories, it is clear to see that unidentified flying objects do exist. So the question is not whether they exist or not, but rather, what are they? Are they of terrestrial or extraterrestrial origin? And what is their purpose?

UFOs in art: The Baptism of Christ by Arent de Gelder.

(Public domain)

Unidentified Flying Objects and the Limits of Science

Many prominent scientists have already stated that other civilizations must exist in the Universe, and that it would be statistically impossible for this not to be the case. However, with our knowledge of science and technology today, we cannot yet support the means for interstellar travel. Since we have not discovered intelligent life in our solar system, the assumption is made that there must be no way that extraterrestrials could have travelled to Earth.

However, this argument is of course flawed because it is based within the framework of our own understanding of the universe, and does not take into account the capabilities of civilizations that may be millions of years ahead of our own. It also hinges on the following assumptions:

• We know everything about physics and reality and therefore there is no way that such distant travel can be achieved.
• We are using our means to try to contact other civilizations (e.g. SETI’s attempts to pick up radio or communication signals) and since we don’t perceive any signals of OUR type, nothing must exist.
• We are looking for organic forms of life exactly like us and for planets with the exact same conditions as ours.

It is clear that these arguments show the arrogance of mankind, a mankind that may just be an infant in the Universe. And this is not new. During the history of humanity, in every single period of time, we believed that we knew the truth, only to have it replaced later on by new knowledge. 

“There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.”

- (Lord Kelvin, 1901, physicist)

Quantum physics, still a relatively new and unexplored field in Science, has shown that reality could be completely different to what we believe it to be. Powerful telescopes have shown distant planets in solar systems that could possibly sustain life. Theories of wormholes and warp drives have shown that at a theoretical level we could achieve interstellar travel. Yes, we would require incredible amounts of energy to even think of trying to achieve something like this, so according to our standards today it is impossible to achieve, but in theory it can be achieved.

“It now seems quite clear that Earth is not the only inhabited planet. There is evidence that the bulk of the stars in the sky have planetary systems. Recent research concerning the origin of life on Earth suggests that the physical and chemical processes leading to the origin of life occur rapidly in the early history of the majority of planets within our Milky Way galaxy–perhaps as many as a million–are inhabited by technical civilizations in advance of our own. Interstellar space flight is far beyond our present technical capabilities, but there seems to be no fundamental physical objections to preclude, from our own vantage point, the possibility of its development by other civilizations.” 

- Carl Sagan, Ph.D. (Late Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences, Cornell University)

Reluctance to Engage with Unidentified Flying Objects

The reason that the scientific community is not dealing seriously with UFOs is because the topic has been extensively ridiculed both by the media and in academic circles, with false information spread everywhere. For similar reasons, military personnel, astronauts, pilots, and other categories of professionals do not want to talk because, either they have been forced to sign confidentiality agreements, or because of fear that their careers would be destroyed. This is why we have seen many examples of death bed confessions.

One such case was with astronaut Gordon Cooper, who told the world about his experience encountering a UFO during his flight in the Mercury capsule in 1963. Before he died he stated: “For many years I have lived with a secret, in a secrecy imposed on all specialists in astronautics. I can now reveal that every day, in the USA, our radar instruments capture objects of form and composition unknown to us.”

While great efforts have been made to ridicule and disparage anyone who lends support to the existence of UFOs, the fact remains that there are numerous high-profile cases of unidentified flying objects that are supported by solid evidence, and which should not be dismissed.

Recorded UFO Sightings with Extensive Witness Support

Below I present a very limited list constituting strong evidence for the existence of unidentified flying objects in the last 60 years.

• November 1942 – La Incident, Known as the Battle of Los Angeles

It all happened in the early hours of February 25 in 1942. An aircraft flew over LA County that sparked an air raid alert (it was in the midst of WWII). Searchlights and guns were locked onto the aircraft for about an hour. The picture below appeared in the LA Times in a story about the Battle of LA. It clearly shows a night time defensive response to an air raid. The aircraft was not hostile and obviously was not damaged by the attack. The Government stated that the craft they were shooting at was an unidentified flying object.

The Battle of Los Angeles unidentified flying objects incident.

(Author provided)

• December 1980 – Rendlesham Forest Incident, Suffolk, United Kingdom

This incident involved a group of American servicemen stationed at a military base in Suffolk that contained a storage center with nuclear weapons. There had been three consecutive nights of sighting objects in the sky over the base, in some cases shining a light down upon the nuclear weapons storage.

On the third night, approximately two dozen servicemen were sent into the forest to investigate one set of mysterious lights. The men reported seeing a spacecraft on the ground in close proximity to them and three extraterrestrial beings. One serviceman claimed to have touched the craft.

The whole incident was filmed and photographed by one of the servicemen, but all photos and videos were removed by the US military. When the British Government released the UFO files, the Rendlesham incident papers were missing – as reported by the BBC News.

Rendlesham Forest unidentified flying objects incident, Suffolk, UK.

(Author provided)

• November 1986, Japan Air Lines Flight 1628 Over Alaska

In November, 1986, a Japanese crew of a jumbo freighter aircraft witnessed three enormous unidentified objects while flying over Alaska, USA. This sighting gained international attention when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it was going to officially investigate this sighting because the Air Route Traffic Control Center in Anchorage, Alaska, had reported that the UFO had been detected on radar. The unidentified flying objects in this case were tracked on both ground and airborne radar, witnessed by experienced airline pilots, and confirmed by a FAA Division Chief.

Illustration of the object, with the Boeing 747 airplane on the right.

Credits: UFO Reporter

• April 1990 – Belgium UFO Wave, Petit Rechain Belgium

The Belgium UFO wave began in November 1989. The events of 29 November would be documented by no less than thirty different groups of witnesses, and three separate groups of police officers. All of the reports related to a large object flying at low altitude.

The craft itself was of a flat, triangular shape, with lights underneath. This giant craft did not make a sound as it slowly moved across the landscape of Belgium. The Belgium UFO wave peaked with events on the night of 30/31 March 1990. On that night, unknown objects were tracked on radar, chased by two Belgian Air Force F16s, photographed, and were sighted by an estimated 13,500 people on the ground – 2,600 of whom filed written statements describing in detail what they had seen. Following the incident, the Belgian air force released a report detailing the events of that night.

Belgium UFO wave, Petit Rechain Belgium.

(Author provided)

• March 1997 – Phoenix Lights, Arizona, USA

The Phoenix Lights (also identified as "Lights over Phoenix") was a UFO sighting which occurred in Phoenix, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico on Thursday, March 13, 1997. Lights of varying descriptions were seen by thousands of people between 19:30 and 22:30 MST, in a space of about 300 miles (480 km), from the Nevada line, through Phoenix, to the edge of Tucson.

Witnesses claim to have observed a huge square-shaped UFO, containing five spherical lights or possibly light-emitting engines. Fife Symington, the governor at the time, was one witness to this incident; he later called the unidentified flying object as "otherworldly."

Phoenix Lights, Arizona, US.

(Author provided)

• October 2004 – Osaka Airport, Japan

On the night of August 30, a cluster of multi-colored lights was seen floating in the sky above Osaka. Several people reported to Twitter that they saw a group of lights forming a triangular shape and flashing green, red and white in the night sky above Izumi city in Osaka Prefecture. The sightings caused a commotion on Twitter after one user wrote: “Everyone in Osaka, go outside! There’s a UFO!” prompting others to grab their cameras and snap up photos of mysterious, luminous and unidentified flying object.

Osaka airport UFO Incident, Japan.

(Author provided)

• November 2006, O-Hare Airport, USA

At approximately 16:15 CST on Tuesday November 7, 2006, federal authorities at Chicago O'Hare International Airport received a report that a group of twelve airport employees were witnessing a metallic, saucer-shaped craft hovering over Gate C-17.

The object was first spotted by a ramp employee who was pushing back United Airlines Flight 446, which was departing Chicago for Charlotte, North Carolina. The employee apprised Flight 446's crew of the object above their aircraft. It is believed that both the pilot and co-pilot also witnessed the object.

Several independent witnesses outside of the airport also saw the object. According to the Chicago Tribune's Jon Hilkevitch, “the disc was visible for approximately two minutes and was seen by close to a dozen United Airlines employees, ranging from pilots to supervisors, who heard chatter on the radio and raced out to view it.”

O-Hare Airport UFO Incident, USA.

(Author provided)

• May 2007, UFO Fleets, Lima, Peru

The incident took place on May 2007 at 14.00 local time in Lima, Peru. A series of moving lights resembling an armada of flying objects appeared in the skies. The story was reported on the news and was seen by thousands of people.

UFO Fleets, Lima, Peru.

(Author provided)

• July 2010 – Xiaoshan Airport, China

An unidentified flying object that disrupted air traffic in Hangzhou for an hour on Wednesday, 10th of July 2010. A flight crew preparing for descent first detected the object around 8:40 p.m. and notified the air traffic control department. Aviation authorities responded within minutes, grounding outbound flights and diverting inbound ones to airports in Ningbo and Wuxi. Eighteen flights were affected.

A spokesman from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) confirmed to ABC News that the matter is under investigation. He declined to disclose further details. A day after the sighting, however, an anonymous source told China Daily that authorities already discovered the identity of the UFO after an investigation but could not publically disclose the information because “there was a military connection.”

Xiaoshan Airport UFO Incident, China.

(Author provided)

• the "Tic Tac" UFO sighting by Navy pilots in 2004

Retired Navy Cmdr. David Fravor was commander of the F/A-18F squadron on the USS Nimitz when he says he spotted the object during a flight off the coast of Southern California on Nov. 14, 2004. 

In a 2021 interview with "60 Minutes," Fravor, a graduate of the Top Gun naval flight school, also spoke about what he saw. 

He and Lt. Cmdr. Alex Dietrich were training with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group about 100 miles southwest of San Diego, Favor told "60 Minutes." At the time, advanced radar on a ship that was a part of their training group, the USS Princeton, detected what operators called "multiple anomalous aerial vehicles" over the horizon, descending 80,000 feet in less than a second. Fravor and Dietrich diverted to investigate.

"I said, 'Dude, do you, do you see that thing down there?' And we saw this little white Tic Tac-looking object. And it's just kind of moving above the whitewater area," Fravor told "60 Minutes."

During the training exercise, Fravor and Dietrich each had a weapons system officer in the back seat of their F/A-18F. 

"There was four of us in the airplanes literally watching this thing for roughly about five minutes," Fravor said in his 2021 interview.

Fravor went in for a closer look. He described the "Tic Tac" object mirroring his movements, saying "it was aware we were there."

The object was about the size of Fravor's F/A-18F, with no markings, no wings and no exhaust plumes, he said. When Fravor tried to cut off the UAP, it accelerated so quickly that it seemed to disappear. He said it was detected roughly 60 miles away less than a minute later.

Implications of Disclosing Information about Unidentified Flying Objects

Many would say that the above examples constitute irrefutable proof that extraterrestrial UFOs exist. So why isn’t the public told about it? Imagine the implications that disclosure would have and what it would mean. Acknowledgment of extra-terrestrial civilizations having visited Earth would mean that many of the myths and legends of the past are in fact based on reality.

Disclosure would suggest that humanity has been influenced for millennia by other-worldly beings, beings that in the past were considered gods. Disclosure would entirely topple the status quo and the balance of powers in society, and turn upside down what we know about the history of mankind.

• Ancient Artists Left Signs for us to Decode. Did they Witness UFOs?
• What Did the Ancients See? Unidentified Flying Objects that Made an Impact on Early History

The acknowledgement of the UFO phenomena is an event with the power to bring a global revolution in every sector of our lives today – technology and energy supply, communication and environmental concerns, society and religion. Is this what governments and corporations are afraid of – a shift in balance and their loss of their positions of power and control? Or is it that the powers that be are afraid of re-writing our human history?

“When the long awaited solution to the UFO problem comes, I believe that it will prove to be not merely the next small step in the march of science, but a mighty and totally unexpected quantum leap.”

 (Dr J. Allen Hynek, Scientific Advisor to the U.S. Air Force)

• Top image: Composite image of unidentified flying objects.
• Source: Author provided.

By John Black

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena }

How UFO Sightings Are Changing Public Perception

Overview

UFO sightings in the United States have experienced a remarkable increase over recent years, fundamentally altering how the public perceives unidentified aerial phenomena. According to data collected and compiled by the National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC), there has been a significant surge in reports, with the number of incidents quadrupling from 3,500 in 2019 to over 7,500 by 2022. This upward trend is not merely a statistical anomaly but reflects a broader shift in societal attitudes towards these phenomena: more people are willing to report and discuss unusual sightings than ever before.

The data presented by NUFORC demonstrates a year-by-year increase: approximately 4,500 reports in 2020, rising to about 6,000 in 2021, and reaching around 7,500 in 2022. This steady climb suggests a change in the collective mindset—moving from dismissiveness and skepticism toward openness and curiosity. Social media platforms, in particular, have played an instrumental role in this transformation. They facilitate rapid information dissemination, peer validation, and the viral sharing of sightings, thereby normalizing the conversation around UFOs. The proliferation of digital platforms has reduced the stigma once associated with reporting aerial anomalies, which—historically—was often dismissed as frivolous or paranoid.

This evolution in public perception is also shaped by increased media coverage highlighting credible incidents and government disclosures. Previously, UFO sightings were often relegated to sensationalist tabloids or fringe circles, but today’s media landscape approaches the subject with a journalistic seriousness that lends legitimacy to the reports. The shift has fostered a more scientific and analytical approach among the general population, who now see UFOs not just as myths or conspiracy theories but as phenomena deserving of serious investigation.

Government Transparency

A pivotal element in the changing narrative around UFOs is the role played by government disclosure and transparency initiatives. Historically, government agencies have maintained a stance of secrecy regarding UFO investigations, often dismissing sightings or classifying data as top secret. However, recent developments have marked a significant departure from that tradition, contributing to a more open and investigatory approach.

In 2021, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) took a major step by releasing a comprehensive analysis of 144 unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP) cases. This report acknowledged that many of these cases could not be readily explained using known technology, natural phenomena, or atmospheric conditions. Dr. Elena Ramirez, a senior researcher at the Center for Aerospace Studies, described this development as a “watershed moment” in UFO discourse. She explained that the report’s acknowledgment of unexplained cases constitutes official recognition that some encounters require serious scientific scrutiny—not dismissive skepticism.

The ODNI report was complemented by congressional hearings that brought UAP data into the legislative spotlight, emphasizing the importance of transparency. These hearings featured testimony from military personnel, scientists, and intelligence officials, who described encounters with unidentified objects exhibiting capabilities beyond current human technology. Such high-level exposure has been instrumental in legitimizing the subject among policymakers and the public alike.

"What is true, and I'm actually being serious here, there's footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don't know exactly what they are."

— Barack Obama, Former US President

This newfound transparency has altered the narrative by creating an environment where discussions about UFOs are no longer taboo. Instead, they are debated openly within government institutions and research communities. Furthermore, the acknowledgment of unexplained sightings has begun to influence the funding allocation for dedicated research projects, fostering a scientific approach to studying UAPs. As a result, behaviors once considered fringe or paranoid are increasingly viewed through a lens of rational inquiry.

The UFO report was written by a task force set up by the US Department of Defence

Public Curiosity and Survey Findings

Public curiosity about UFOs has grown substantially, a trend reflected in recent polling data and surveys conducted by reputable research organizations. The Pew Research Center’s recent poll revealed that 56 percent of respondents believe that some UFO sightings may involve advanced, possibly extraterrestrial, technology. Conversely, only 22 percent attribute these sightings solely to misidentifications, hoaxes, or natural phenomena, highlighting a shift toward openness to the possibility of genuine unknowns.

Interestingly, the remaining 22 percent of respondents expressed uncertainty, indicating a nuanced view that neither fully dismisses nor fully accepts the phenomena. This indecision underscores an evolving understanding—people are increasingly willing to entertain the hypothesis that some sightings may involve elements beyond current scientific explanation but are hesitant to jump to conclusions.

Sociologist Dr. Marcus Lee from the University of Arizona notes that people are no longer afraid to openly claim they saw something strange in the sky. The survey data suggests a societal move away from outright skepticism toward an inquisitive, evidence-based mindset. This is further evidenced by increased participation in UFO-related forums, social media groups, and citizen science initiatives aimed at collecting and analyzing data on aerial anomalies.

The public’s appetite for information is also reflected in the rising popularity of UFO documentaries, podcasts, and streaming series. Programs such as “UFOs: The Untold Truth” and podcasts like “The Cosmic Frontier” feature eyewitness interviews, declassified military footage, and expert analyses, nurturing a culture of curiosity and critical inquiry. These media outlets serve as a feedback loop that amplifies public interest and reinforces the legitimacy of UFO investigations.

The democratization of information through online platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Reddit has democratized the reporting process. Witnesses, enthusiasts, and amateur researchers can now share their observations instantly, challenge official narratives, and collaborate on investigations. This grassroots involvement further shifts the perception from ridicule to respectability, encouraging more people to come forward with their experiences.

UFO sightings have happened all over the world, including Rendlesham forest in Suffolk in 1980

Media Influence and Cultural Evolution

The role of media in shaping public perception has been transformative. Historically, UFO sightings were often ridiculed or dismissed, but today they are increasingly viewed through a lens of scientific curiosity. Documentaries, podcasts, independent YouTube channels, and streaming series have elevated the discussion, providing both entertainment and education.

For example, series such as “UFOs: The Untold Truth” combine eyewitness testimonials, meteorological data, and classified military footage to paint a nuanced picture of aerial phenomena. Podcasts like “The Cosmic Frontier” feature interviews with scientists, military personnel, and former government officials, fostering a more informed and open debate. These media outlets have helped break down stereotypes that previously associated UFO sightings with paranoia or hoaxing.

In parallel, social media platforms have democratized information dissemination, creating a participatory environment where anyone can share their sightings and insights. TikTok videos showing inexplicable lights or objects in the sky have gone viral, sparking widespread discussion and even inspiring scientific interest. Twitter threads and Reddit forums dedicated to UFOs foster communities of enthusiasts who analyze data and challenge official explanations.

The public only became aware of their sightings four years later. That’s when The New York Times published an article about them. The online article included leaked video recorded by cameras on the Navy planes. In April 2020, the U.S. Navy confirmed those videos were real — and then officially released them.

In recent years, these and other very credible sources have reported seeing UFOs — unidentified flying objects. Now they’re called Unexplained Aerial Phenomena, or UAP. But whatever you call them, the U.S. government has lately begun taking these mystery objects seriously. Very seriously. And it’s recruited a lot of scientists to investigate what’s behind them (albeit quietly).

We still don’t know what the pilots and others have seen. But here’s what’s motivated the new and growing scientific interest in them.

This cultural evolution—driven by widespread media consumption—has helped dissolve the “laugh-it-off” attitude that historically surrounded UFO reports. Instead of being dismissed or ridiculed, witness accounts are now regarded as valuable data points that could unlock new scientific understanding. The shift from ridicule to curiosity represents a major change in societal attitudes, one that encourages both public engagement and serious scientific inquiry.

Outlook and Ongoing Research

The convergence of increased reporting, government acknowledgment, and cultural curiosity signals a new era of research and exploration into the mysterious phenomena. Several initiatives are underway globally—both academic and private—that aim to scientifically analyze UAPs and their implications.

Universities are establishing dedicated research labs focused on UAP analysis. These labs employ advanced sensors, data analytics, and collaboration with government agencies to capture high-resolution, multi-spectral data of aerial phenomena. Private aerospace firms, with interests in both civilian and military applications, are investing heavily in sensor technology, including radar, lidar, and infrared cameras, to detect and analyze unexplained objects.

While skepticism remains—many sightings can still be attributed to conventional explanations such as drones, optical illusions, atmospheric phenomena, or misidentifications—the broader willingness to explore these phenomena scientifically marks a cultural shift. The scientific community is increasingly open to considering UAPs as legitimate objects of study, leading to the development of new hypotheses and experimental approaches.

Some researchers advocate for the integration of UAP data into a broader scientific framework, emphasizing systematic data collection and peer-reviewed research. Governments and private institutions are funding projects that aim to compile databases of sightings, sensor data, and radar returns to facilitate rigorous analysis.

Dr. Elena Ramirez emphasizes that whether the ultimate conclusion points to extraterrestrial origins or domestic terrestrial technologies, the key achievement is that these phenomena are now on the scientific agenda. The emphasis is shifting from sensationalism to methodical investigation, with the potential to yield groundbreaking discoveries about our environment, technology, and possibly extraterrestrial life.

There are a trillion planets in the Milky Way alone. And that’s just our galaxy. There may be more than a trillion habitable planets in the universe, Shostak says. “So yeah,” he adds, “there’s plenty of opportunity for life.” But that still doesn’t mean that aliens have been visiting Earth.

Julia DeMarines is an astrobiologist. She studies how life might evolve on other planets. DeMarines works at the University of California, Berkeley and is a former SETI observer. SETI researchers look for signs of life elsewhere in the universe. They don’t study UFOs. Few scientists do.

Until recently, DeMarines says, most scientists described the study of UFOs as pseudoscience. No surprise, then, that scientists who are interested in UAP have seldom talked about it. They didn’t want other scientists to think they’re kooks.

But that’s changing.

In June 2022, NASA assembled a team of scientific experts. Their mission: Figure out how NASA can help study UAP.

As Bill Nelson, the space agency’s administrator, put it: “NASA searches for the unknown in air and space. It’s in our DNA.” One of the goals of the new team, he said at a news event, would be to “shift the conversation about UAP from sensationalism to science.”

The team made some specific recommendations. For instance, it said NASA should use its enormous body of space data for this study of UAP. And it should work with other government agencies to investigate reported sightings. The team also emphasized that all UAP studies must stay focused on evidence and data.

Avi Loeb agreed. And he wanted to help. Loeb is an astrophysicist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. “To study those things,” he argues, “is the duty of scientists.”

In 2021, Loeb started the Galileo Project to scientifically investigate UAP. It doesn’t collect stories about UAP. It doesn’t rely on accidental sightings. Instead, it scans the skies with telescopes in an observatory at Harvard.

“We basically take a movie of the sky,” explains Loeb. Then artificial intelligence helps analyze the data. Two more observatories are in the works. Loeb hopes to have 10 eventually. More than 100 scientists are already involved.

More mysteries

Now that science is on the job, what can we expect to learn about UAP and maybe even alien life? One possibility is that science may be able to explain the previously unexplained.

DeMarines says UAP could be due to some unusual weather conditions. For example, spacecraft launched from Earth around sunset can create weird effects. When the sun is setting, she explains, gases expelled by the spacecraft will reflect only that light reaching the upper atmosphere. What’s more, she adds, “They stay reflective for a long time. So it looks unexplainable.”

Or UAP could be an effect caused by light bouncing off communications satellites, Loeb says. And, of course, it could be technology not from another planet, but from another country on this one.

But what about aliens? Could UAP really be alien spaceships?

• Let’s learn about the hunt for alien life

Garrett Graff is a historian and author. He wrote the 2024 book UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government’s Search for Alien Life Here — and Out There. While doing research for it, he noticed something people often get wrong when they think about aliens and UAP. “We expect first contact with alien life to be like it is in movies, like Independence Day or Contact,” he says. But in real life, he notes, it might not be that obvious.

Our first encounter with aliens, Graff says, might not be meeting them. It might be finding remnants of their tech.

For example, we might find a piece of space trash that doesn’t come from our world. Graff compares this to spotting an empty plastic bag blowing through our cosmic backyard. We look at it and think: “That’s not from our Walmart.” We’ll know it didn’t originate on Earth, but we won’t know where it did come from.

• Will we know alien life when we see it?

One reason we may not see the aliens themselves is that they may no longer exist. In 1961, astronomer Frank Drake came up with a way to estimate how many alien societies could be broadcasting signals. It’s called the Drake Equation. It accounts for several factors. These include the rate at which stars form and the number of planets with an environment that might support life — the “Goldilocks zone.”

But the last factor in Drake’s equation is very interesting, says DeMarines. It’s represented by the letter “L.” That stands for the length of time technological civilizations produce signs of their existence. These could be radio waves, pollution from industry or even city lights. 

DeMarines points out that our civilization has been technologically advanced for little more than 100 years. And that’s in a universe that’s almost 14 billion years old. Her point is that the timing might not overlap. There may have been many other civilizations like ours. And there may be many more to come. But the chances that ours and theirs occur at the same time aren’t terribly good, she says.

• Cool Jobs: Reaching out to E.T. is a numbers game

Shostak, however, thinks it won’t be long until we find alien life, or at least evidence that it’s out there somewhere. “There have been 10,000 generations of Homo sapiens,” he says. “And the people reading this article are probably members of the first one in which we learn that there’s life in outer space.”

So what about UAP? Is there evidence that alien life is visiting Earth? Science is on the case.

In conclusion, the changing landscape of UFO sightings—from an era of rumor, ridicule, and secrecy to one of openness, scientific curiosity, and governmental transparency—reflects a profound societal transformation. This evolution not only reshapes public perception but also paves the way for advancements in research, policy, and understanding of the universe beyond our current knowledge.

{ PETER2011 }

Overview

A high-stakes wager has brought together two prominent figures in the scientific community, pitting renowned Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb against professional skeptic Michael Shermer in a $1,000 bet over the discovery of extraterrestrial life by the end of the decade. The terms of their agreement, registered on the Long Now Bets platform, require ironclad scientific confirmation of alien intelligence by December 31, 2030. The outcome promises to either validate growing optimism in the search for life beyond Earth or reinforce skepticism rooted in decades of unfulfilled predictions.

The Terms of the Bet

The wager is more than a friendly challenge: the rules are explicit and stringent. For a win, at least two out of three major scientific organizations—NASA, the National Science Foundation, or the American Astronomical Society—must officially confirm the detection of extraterrestrial intelligence. As the video explains, “It’s not enough for someone to claim they saw a UFO or post a blurry video online. The victory requires irrefutable data signed off by major scientific bodies.” The criteria for discovery are broad, encompassing anything from “physics-defying artifacts” to interstellar technology fragments or even alien biological forms found on Earth, so long as their non-human origin is indisputable.

This careful standard aims to avoid the endless debates that often follow ambiguous sightings or unofficial announcements: “Either the science signs off with irrefutable data, or nothing happens.” The burden of proof lies heavily on those, like Loeb, who believe contact is imminent—a silence from the cosmos by 2030 would hand victory to the skeptics.

Harvard Astronomer Takes Up Skeptic Publisher’s $1,000 Bet on Alien Disclosure by 2030

Competing Visions: Optimism vs. Skepticism

Avi Loeb’s optimism is grounded in emerging technology and recent discoveries. He cites the significant advances in observational equipment—such as the Rubin Observatory and the Galileo Project’s global telescope network—as game-changers in the hunt for alien technosignatures. Loeb references the discovery of interstellar objects like Oumuamua and the mysterious “TR,” which reignited scientific debate about visitors from beyond our solar system. His statistical argument is compelling: with a galaxy full of ancient, potentially life-bearing systems, “civilizations had billions of years to send probes, and we may finally have the tools to detect their cosmic messages.”

On the other side stands Michael Shermer, whose skepticism is shaped by a long history of unmet predictions. Shermer has witnessed “decades of people promising imminent alien disclosure that never materializes,” leading him to dismiss the current wave of enthusiasm as another cycle of excitement without evidence. He is notably critical of recent U.S. congressional hearings on UFOs, where, despite dramatic testimonies, “no hard evidence is ever produced, only claims of secrecy and threats.” For Shermer, the wager is a challenge to believers: if they are so certain of impending disclosure, they should be willing to back it up with real stakes.

The Scientific Tradition of Wagers

The Loeb-Shermer bet is the latest in a long tradition of scientists settling debates through wagers. Such bets date back to the 19th century, with notable examples like Alfred Russel Wallace’s successful wager proving the Earth’s curvature against a flat-earther, and Stephen Hawking’s famous bet on black holes. These challenges are seen as a way to inject accountability and a sense of fun into profound scientific disagreements, while also pushing both sides to clarify the terms and standards of proof.

Implications for Science and Society

Beyond the personal stakes, the Loeb-Shermer bet reflects the broader tension in astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence: how to balance open-minded inquiry with rigorous scientific standards. Whether or not the coming years produce a breakthrough, the wager underscores the need for extraordinary evidence in support of extraordinary claims—a principle that remains at the heart of scientific progress. As the countdown to 2030 begins, the world will be watching to see whether the cosmos finally yields its secrets, or if humanity must wait a little longer for definitive proof that we are not alone.

{   https://usubjects.com/  }

An international team of researchers has managed to record electrical discharges on Mars for the first time. These discharges originate from dust devils.

Electrical discharges on Mars caused by dust devils. 7 Source: Nicolas Sarter

Martian winds constantly stir up whirlwinds of fine dust, which regularly appear in photographs taken by rovers exploring the Red Planet. Scientists have long suspected that these whirlwinds are capable of generating electrical charges. The mechanism of the phenomenon is as follows. As a result of friction between tiny dust particles, they become charged with electrons and then release their charge in the form of electric arcs several centimeters long, accompanied by audible shock waves.

It is well known on Earth that dust particles can become electrically charged, especially in desert regions, although this rarely leads to actual discharges. On Mars, due to its thin atmosphere, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide, the probability of this phenomenon occurring is much higher. This is because the amount of charge required to form sparks is much less than on Earth.

In order to confirm the existence of electrical discharges on Mars, a team of French scientists analyzed data collected by the microphone of the SuperCam instrument installed on board the Perseverance rover. They managed to identify electromagnetic and acoustic signatures comparable to small static electricity discharges that can be experienced on Earth by touching a door handle in dry weather. Their source was two dust devils.

The discovery of electrical discharges radically changes our understanding of the chemistry of the Martian atmosphere. It shows that the atmosphere of the Red Planet can reach a sufficient charge level to accelerate the formation of highly oxidizing compounds. Such substances can destroy organic molecules on the surface, as well as numerous atmospheric compounds, thereby profoundly disrupting the photochemical balance. The discovery may explain the surprisingly rapid disappearance of methane on Mars, which has been the subject of scientific debate for several years.

The electrical charges required for these discharges likely influence dust transport on Mars, playing a central role in the Martian climate, the dynamics of which remain largely unknown. They may also pose a risk to the electronic equipment of current robotic missions and create a hazard for potential future human missions.

• According to CNRS

• Posted in News, Science

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Russian launch pad 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome has been damaged. This could disrupt the supply schedule for the International Space Station.

Launch pad 31 before and after the launch of Soyuz MS-28

The accident occurred during the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Soyuz-2.1a rocket was damaged during lift-off from the launch pad. Judging by the live broadcast footage, the service cabin located under the launch pad and designed to provide access to the lower stages of the rocket collapsed. It is deployed during operations and retracted into a concrete niche before launch.

Launch pad number 31 is currently the only Russian launch complex suitable for manned launches of Soyuz spacecraft. It is also used to launch Progress supply vehicles.

At this point, it is unknown how serious the damage is and how it may affect the ISS. Prolonged repairs to the complex could disrupt the station’s supply schedule and crew rotation. The next launch from launch pad 31 (Progress MS-33) is scheduled for December 19.

It is worth noting that Roscosmos has acknowledged the accident. However, its official statement claims that all the necessary spare parts are available to repair the launch complex and that the damage will be repaired in the near future.

As for the Soyuz MS-28, it did not sustain any damage. The spacecraft has already successfully docked with the ISS.

• Posted in News, Tech

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Archaeologists have proven the existence of a lost ring of pits near Stonehenge, and say it could be Britain's largest prehistoric structure.

The ring of more than 20 pits, some of which are 10 metres deep and five metres wide, extends in an arc more than a mile across.

At their centre are the ancient sites of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge, 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) northeast of Stonehenge, where the henge builders held ritual feasts.

Using an array of novel scientific techniques, researchers now say that these pits were likely constructed by Neolithic people around 4,500 years ago.

Researchers say that carving the pits into Wiltshire's chalky ground would have taken an enormous amount of planning and effort.

Lead researcher Professor Vincent Gaffney, of the University of Bradford, told the Daily Mail that the vast structure was a 'cosmological statement'.

He says: 'They link Durrington walls henge and another site at Larkhill – a causewayed enclosure about a thousand years earlier. '

'And in doing so, inscribed a boundary into the landscape – setting aside an area of special significance.'

Scientists have proven the existence of a lost ring of pits nearby Stonehenge, which is likely the UK's largest prehistoric monument 

The pits surround ancient sites of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge, 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometres) northeast of Stonehenge (pictured). These sites are believed to be where the Stonehenge builders held ritual feasts 

The pits surrounding Durrington Walls were first found in 2020, and were immediately hailed as one of Britain's most impressive ancient sites.

The discovery of the pit circle appeared to further cement the Salisbury Plane's reputation as a uniquely important religious site for Britain's Neolithic people. 

This area is not only home to Stonehenge, but also a wider series of interconnected ceremonial structures, stone circles, and cemeteries from the Stone Age.

Durrington Walls, which sits at the epicentre of the pit circle, is a 'superhenge' that is believed to be the largest anywhere in the UK.

Likewise, the nearby 'Woodhenge' was an enormous timber monument built around 2500 BC, consisting of six concentric rings of posts of varying size forming an oval monument 40 metres across.

However, scientists have questioned whether the pits were really dug by humans or whether they might have been natural features of the landscape.

In a new research paper, titled 'The Perils of Pits', Professor Gaffney and his co–authors present a new batch of scientific evidence to prove the pits' human origins.

Since no one technique could answer all of their questions, the researchers deployed an array of techniques to work out the exact structure of the pits.

The pits encircle the ancient sites of Durrington Walls and Woodhenge. Woodhenge was an enormous timber monument built around 2500 BC, consisting of six concentric rings of posts of varying size forming an oval monument 40 metres across. Pictured: Stone pillars marking the locations of Woodhenge's timber posts

Scientists had questioned whether the pits were really man–made. So scientists used an array of scientific tests to work out their exact shape and structure 

First, they used a technique called electrical resistance tomography, which measures changes in electrical resistance at the surface to work out the size of underground structures.

Then, radar and magnetic imaging were used to assess their depth and shape.

'This in itself did not prove these features to be man–made,' says Professor Gaffney.

'So sediment cores were extracted and an array of techniques, including novel geochemistry, were used to characterise the nature of the soils.'

'Optically stimulated luminescence' was used to work out the last time that the soils were exposed to the sun, and 'sedDNA' to extract plant and animal DNA directly from the dirt.

This revealed that each pit had the same pattern of repeating layers, starting in the late Neolithic period – something that would be extremely unlikely to happen naturally.

These techniques also identified the DNA of sheep and cattle, which suggests that the pit circle was being occupied and farmed at the time.

Professor Gaffney says: 'It confirms that this structure – probably the largest prehistoric monument in Britain at least – is a purposefully constructed monument in a landscape which is itself exceptional.'

The researchers used a technique called electrical resistance tomography, which measures changes in electrical resistance at the surface to work out the size of underground structures (illustrated)

The researchers found that the pits had a consistent pattern of layers and even contained DNA of cattle and sheep. This suggests that they were deliberately built by humans 

By showing that these vast pits were carved by humans, the researchers have shown that Britain's ancient people were much more organised than had previously been believed.

'The size of the structure demonstrates the society they lived in was capable of planning and motivating large numbers of people for religious purposes,' says Professor Gaffney.

Read More

• Stonehenge's secret SISTER: Ancient burial site discovered in Dorset 

The pit circle is so large that you cannot see across to the other side, but still traces a near–perfect circle around Durrington Walls.

This regularity suggests that the pits must have been laid out by pacing, which implies that the people of ancient Britain had a numerical system for counting.

If true, this could be some of the very earliest evidence for the ability to count in Neolithic Britain.

However, Professor Gaffney says we will 'probably not' ever know exactly why these pits were built.

The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago

Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. 

According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages:   

First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. 

The Aubrey  holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. 

Stonehenge (pictured) is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain

They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. 

Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony.

After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. 

Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts.

They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire.

The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. 

The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. 

During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. 

Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones.

They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). 

The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. 

Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge.

These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports. 

Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. 

Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today.

The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level. 

Source: Stonehenge.co.uk 

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The team’s discovery was reported on November 17 in a new paper that appeared in Geophysical Research Letters.

An antenna sticks out like whiskers from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in this artist’s concept depicting the spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2006. This antenna is part of SHARAD, a radar that peers below the Martian surface.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A Discovery Below Martian Ice

In 2018, NASA first revealed the discovery of a mysterious feature beneath the Red Planet’s south pole, sparking a surge in interest over the possibility that a subsurface lake might exist there.

The discovery offered a tantalizing prospect, due primarily to the obvious associatio

However, new findings reported by a pair of MRO Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument scientists, Gareth Morgan and Than Putzig, throw cold water on the subsurface lake theory, pointing instead to the likelihood that this unusual feature hidden beneath the icy Martian south pole isn’t water at all, but instead a thick layer of rock and dust.

Based at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and in Lakewood, Colorado, Morgan and Putzig now say that their use of radar techniques made possible by SHARAD may be useful in future reconnaissance of the Red Planet, as scientists continue to search for subsurface resources like water that might not only be home to life, but which could be crucial for the survival of future crewed missions to Mars.

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter captured this view of Mars’ south polar ice cap Feb. 25, 2015. Three years later, the spacecraft detected a signal from the area to the right of the ice cap that scientists interpreted as an underground lake.

Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

A Special Rolling Maneuver

To obtain the recent data, the MRO performed a unique maneuver that involves rolling 120 degrees, which allows the SHARAD radar’s signal to penetrate deeper underground, and thereby producing enhanced imagery of the Martian subsurface regions it penetrates.

Use of this specialized technique has already proven to be effective enough in the past that scientists are now eager to use it at other sites on the Red Planet, including those where past observations may not have revealed promising indications of buried subsurface ice.

Previously, the researchers and their colleagues with the SHARAD team had unsuccessfully tried to observe the Martian South Pole region where the suspected lake existed. To overcome this, the SHARAD team went to the MRO’s operations team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to work on finding a way of increasing the size of the spacecraft’s rolls.

With the MRO’s radar antenna located near the back of the spacecraft, its body shields its view, which weakens the sensitivity of the instrument. However, JPL engineers were able to find a workaround with a little help from engineers at Lockheed Martin Space who built the spacecraft: this resulted in a series of commands that enabled the spacecraft to complete a 120-degree roll, allowing the MRO to direct its radar’s signal more effectively at the Martian surface

This map shows the approximate area where in 2018 ESA’s Mars Express detected a signal the mission’s scientists interpreted as an underground lake. The red lines show the path of NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which flew both directly overhead as well as over an adjacent region.

Credit: Planetary Science Institute

Large Rolls Lead to Stronger Signals

The plan came to fruition earlier this year, when in late May SHARAD completed its initial very large roll, which successfully struck the target area. Penetrating nearly a mile of ice, the radar’s reflections revealed that the unusual subsurface feature that has intrigued scientists since its discovery in 2018 was likely not what they initially thought it might be.

“We’ve been observing this area with SHARAD for almost 20 years without seeing anything from those depths,” said Putzig in a statement. Now, with the data made possible by the MRO’s large roll, deeper radar penetration revealed a fainter signal than Putzig and Morgan expected, followed by no signal at all from an adjacent region they examined.

Their conclusion: something is causing the odd radar signal at the same location, revealed during past observations made using the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument aboard the ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Express orbiter.

“While this new data won’t settle the debate, it makes it very hard to support the idea of a liquid water lake,” said Putzig in a statement, acknowledging the work that went into formulating the subsurface lake hypothesis.

Since the Martian south pole features a large cap of ice positioned above the planet’s very cratered terrain, the region beneath the icy exterior revealed with the SHARAD data appears very uneven. One possibility that could account for the 2018 observations made by MARSIS could be a large smooth feature, such as the remnants of an ancient flow of lava.

Going forward, additional observations using the MRO’s new very large roll capability could help to resolve the mystery once and for all, in addition to revealing clues to other longstanding mysteries associated with sites like Medusae Fossae along the Martian equator, which is also known to produce little in the way of radar returns.

Morgan, Putzig, and their colleagues’ paper, “High Frequency Radar Perspective of Putative Subglacial Liquid Water on Mars,” appeared in Geophysical Research Letters on November 17, 2025.

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

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Before the Bible as we know it: the revelation of the Dead Sea Scrolls

©Reuters

Before the Bible as we know it: the revelation of the Dead Sea Scrolls
It's one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. Hidden in caves in the desert, the Dead Sea Scrolls were identified as ancient Jewish manuscripts—the only known surviving biblical documents written before 100 CE. Discovered in 1946 by Bedouin shepherds, the parchment scrolls have immense historical, religious, and linguistic significance, and shed light on events that took place over 2,000 years ago.

Browse those items and revisit the story behind this historic chance encounter.

©Shutterstock

The discovery
In 1946, three Bedouin shepherds chanced upon a collection of ceramic jars in a cave at Wadi Qumran, near the Dead Sea.

©Getty Images

Historic find
One of the shepherds, Muhammed edh-Dhib, volunteered to retrieve the jars. Curious, he opened one of the vessels and discovered inside a handful of parchment scrolls.

©Getty Images

The Bedouin
Not realizing how important they were, the shepherd took the scrolls, which numbered seven in total, back to his desert camp as keepsakes. Eventually, he decided to sell the documents, which subsequently changed hands over the next 12 months.

©Getty Images

Qumran Caves
In 1947, the scrolls caught the attention of American biblical scholar and archaeologist John C. Trever, who quickly realized the historical importance of these rare finds.

©Reuters

The Dead Sea Scrolls unveiled
The following year, the discovery was announced to an astonished world: what had been uncovered were manuscripts of immeasurable religious and historical significance, and subsequently declared as the only known biblical documents written before 100 CE.

©Shutterstock

Qumran Caves
By the end of 1948, scholars had yet to identify the original cave where the fragments had been found. The 1948 Arab–Israeli War had hampered all efforts to identify the site. But in 1949, Cave 1, as it became known, was rediscovered.

©Getty Images

Cave 1 site
The Cave 1 site yielded further Dead Sea Scroll fragments, plus linen cloth, jars (pictured), and other artifacts.

©Public Domain

Search for the Qumran caves
In November 1951, a full excavation of Qumran had commenced. By the end of 1952, five more caves had been discovered, each giving up yet more scrolls and fragments. In fact, 90% of the total number of scrolls discovered were found in Cave 4. Pictured: scrolls in situ.

©Public Domain

The Isaiah scroll
Among the manuscripts Bedouin shepherd Muhammed edh-Dhib had initially retrieved was the Isaiah scroll (pictured), which contains almost the whole Book of Isaiah.

©Public Domain

The Isaiah scroll
This is the oldest complete copy of the Book of Isaiah. Written on 17 sheets of parchment, it's the only scroll from the Qumran caves to be preserved almost in its entirety.

©Public Domain

Habakkuk Commentary
That initial 1946 discovery also unearthed the Habakkuk Commentary, a pesher (a type of commentary in Hebrew) written sometime in the later half of the 1st century BCE.

©Getty Images

Genesis Apocryphon
Another of the original finds included the Genesis Apocryphon (pictured). The document records a conversation between the biblical figure Lamech, son of Methuselah, and his son, Noah.

©Public Domain

Further research
Between 1951 and 1956, 11 caves in Qumran were identified as depositories for various scrolls by a team from the American Schools of Oriental Research, headed by Roland de Vaux.

©Public Domain

Damascus Document
Interestingly, the existence of the Damascus Document, found in Cave 4 in 1952, was already known to scholars: two fragments had previously been found in 1897 as part of the Cairo Geniza collection of manuscripts discovered in a synagogue in Egypt.

©Getty Images

Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls
To this day, lively debate surrounds the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The general view among biblical scholars is that the scrolls were the product of a sect of Jews living at Qumran called the Essenes.

©Getty Images

Language
The text of the Dead Sea Scrolls is written in four different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Nabataean.

©Getty Images

Fragmented history
In all, scholars have assembled a collection of nearly 900 separate scrolls from the 11 caves. Unfortunately, the majority of the scrolls consist of tiny, brittle fragments.

©Public Domain

The largest scroll
The aforementioned Isaiah scroll is the exception. It measures about 734 cm (24 ft) long and ranges from 25.3 to 27 cm high (0.83 to 0.89 ft), with 54 columns of text.

©Getty Images

Shrine of the Book
The seven original scrolls are housed in the purpose-built Shrine of the Book, with the Isaiah scroll a central exhibit. Also housed here is the Aleppo Codex, a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible.

©Getty Images

Shrine of the Book
The shrine's unique white dome embodies the lids of the jars in which the first scrolls were found.

©Shutterstock

Israel Museum
The Shrine of the Book is part of the Israel Museum, located in Jerusalem.

©Public Domain

Museum exhibitions and displays
Since their discovery, small portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been put on temporary display in exhibitions at museums around the world. Pictured is a queue of people outside the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. for the very first touring exhibition in 1965.

©Reuters

The Internet
By 2008, fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls were being photographed digitally with the aim of making the 2,000-year-old documents available to the public and researchers on the Internet.

©Getty Images

Dead Sea Scrolls online
Pictured: a conservation analyst from the Israel Antiquities Authority examines fragments of the 2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls at a laboratory before photographing them.

©Getty Images

Partnership with Google
In 2011, Israel put 5,000 fragments of the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls online in a partnership with Google.

©Reuters

Dead Sea Scrolls online library
Today, anyone with an interest in the history of the scrolls can view a digital archive of images and read more about one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

©Reuters

Cave 12, and the stolen scrolls
In 2017, archaeologists stumbled across another cave on cliffs west of Qumran. However, closer examination revealed that Cave 12 had been plundered, probably in the 1950s. Sadly, the scrolls it undoubtedly concealed are believed lost forever.

• See also: Predictions from Jesus that have come true

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{ Stars Insider }

Onderzoek naar Humanoïde Figuren en de Men In Black: Legenden en Ontmoetingen uit het Verre Oosten

Inleiding

Legendes en folklore uit het Verre Oosten zijn net zo fascinerend als die uit andere delen van de wereld. Overal ter wereld bestaan er verhalen over mysterieuze humanoïde figuren, vreemde ontmoetingen met onzichtbare wezens, en de bekende “Men In Black”. Vooral in regio’s zoals Azië, waar rijke culturen en oude tradities samengaan met moderne getuigenissen, worden deze verhalen nog steeds verteld en gedeeld. In dit artikel nemen wij je mee op een reis door enkele opmerkelijke en onverklaarbare ervaringen uit het Verre Oosten, met verhalen die net zo griezelig als intrigerend zijn. We bespreken ontmoetingen met bizarre wezens, waarnemingen van de Men In Black, en parallellen met bekende Amerikaanse verhalen zoals die van de Mothman en de Black-Eyed Children. Elk verhaal wordt gepresenteerd met de oorspronkelijke sfeer en diepgang, en laat zien dat deze mysteries nog altijd voortduren zonder duidelijke oplossing.

Verslagen over de Men In Black dateren tientallen jaren terug in het Verre Oosten

Humanoïde Figuren en Onbekende Creaturen in Maleisië en Singapore

Een van de meest opvallende gebeurtenissen vond plaats in september 2015, toen een golf van meldingen over vreemde, gevleugelde humanoïde wezens naar voren kwam in zowel Maleisië als Singapore. Eén van de meest onthutsende ervaringen werd gedeeld door freelance journaliste Lea Foo. Terwijl zij onderzoek deed naar een artikel over paranormaliteit in een oud, vervallen huis in Bukit Tunku, nabij Kuala Lumpur, beleefde zij een avond die haar leven veranderde.

Het huis was oud en volgelig, de ramen waren gebarsten en de sfeer griezelig. Gewapend met slechts een zaklamp ging zij het huis binnen, vastberaden haar onderzoek te voltooien. Al snel hoorde zij geritsel vanuit een van de kamers. Toen zij op de deur afliep, zagen haar heldere, gloeiende rode ogen haar onmiddellijk aankijken vanuit de duisternis. Vervolgens stonden de ogen recht naar haar gericht terwijl een humanoïde figuur zich oppoetste en opstond. Foo schatte dat het wezen ongeveer tien voet (3 meter) lang was en een menselijke vorm had, maar de huid leek leerachtig en afgezet met grote, vleermuisachtige vleugels die zich uitbreidden.

Op het moment dat het wezen een afschuwelijk schriek gaf, verloor Foo haar grip op haar zaklamp, waardoor zij in complete duisternis belandde. Ze rende snel naar de hoek van de kamer, zich stevig tegen de schaduwen klevend. Ze hoorde het gehijg en de ademhaling van het dier, dat na enige tijd haar positie leek te zoeken. Plotseling sloeg het weer met zijn vleugels, waardoor een ademende wind en een vieze, rotte vleesgeur door de kamer sloegen.

Wat Foo zich later realiseerde, was dat er kort daarvoor een soortgelijk wezen was gesignaleerd in Singapore. Deze verhalen blijven voortbestaan, en in het hele regio’s is de fascinatie met deze wezens nog altijd springlevend.

Vergelijkbare Ontmoetingen in Singapore

In dezelfde periode, eind augustus 2015, was Fergus Thomas, een 46-jarige leraar, aan het wandelen met zijn hond in Istana Woodneuk, een afgelegen gebied in Singapore dat ooit deel uitmaakte van een koninklijk paleis. Het was vroeg in de ochtend, ongeveer 6 uur, toen hij plots een oude, vervallen woning naderde. Vanuit nieuwsgierigheid keek hij door een raam en zag daarin een gevleugelde humanoïde figuur hangen van een deurpost af. Het wezen was minstens zes voet lang, ademde duidelijk, en had vleugels die rond het lichaam waren gewikkeld, vergelijkbaar met die van een slapende vleermuis. Het had een menselijke kop, maar met meer haar dan normaal.

Thomas herinnert zich dat het dier niet bewoog en mogelijk zich niet bewust was van zijn aanwezigheid. Hij sloop snel weg met zijn hond, onder de indruk en verward door wat hij had gezien. In dezelfde regio, in Changi, deed een student, Mildred Wan, eveneens een bijzondere waarneming. Tijdens een dagwandeling in een verlaten ziekenhuis, zag hij in een nabijgelegen boom een gevleugeld wezen dat een angstaanjikkende gil liet horen toen hij de deur uitliep. Hij hoorde geluiden die leek op rustende apen of dieren in de bomen, maar zodra hij het wezentje zag, voelde hij dat het op hem joeg, alsof het op de jacht was.

Het wezen verdween plotseling uit zicht, en de ervaring liet hem niet los. Dit soort verhalen suggereren dat dergelijke gevleugelde humanoïde wezens, vaak met bloedrode ogen en onheilspellende geluiden, nog altijd deel uitmaken van het lokale folklore en de collectieve verbeelding.

De Mothman Sighting Voorheen Gelinkt aan Fukushima?

Een bekend fenomeen dat overeenkomsten vertoont met de bovenstaande waarnemingen, is die van de Mothman. Het beroemde verhaal van de Mothman vindt haar oorsprong in Point Pleasant, Verenigde Staten, in 1967. Maar vergelijkbare verschijningen werden ook gerapporteerd in overige delen van de wereld, waaronder Europa, Oekraïne en Japan. Vooral in de nabijheid van grote rampen leek de aanwezigheid van dergelijke wezens vaak vooraf te gaan aan een tragedie.

In Japan, vlak voor de Fukushima-ramp in 2011, werd ook melding gemaakt van een mysterieuze verschijning in de regio rondom de nucleaire site. Een zakenman, Marcus Pules, was die avond aan het wandelen met een vriend in Okuma, dicht bij de ramplocatie. Plots hoorden ze een “woest geluid”, dat eerst leek op het slagen van een golfslag, maar al snel veranderde in een oorverdllende krijs die leek op het remmen van een grote stadsbus. Terwijl ze omhoog keken, zagen ze een grote, zwarte vleugelachtige figuur die op het dak van de reactor zat. Het scheurde zich los en scheerde door de lucht, cirkelend rondom de nucleaire locatie, en kwam recht op hen af.

De ogen van het wezen waren helderrood en de vleugels verstrakten zich uit tot een grote spanwijdte. De ontmoeting eindigde - net op het uiterste moment van een botsing - toen het wezen zich omdraaide en wegvloog in de duisternis. Of dit vooraf was een waarschuwing voor de ramp, blijft tot op heden onderwerp van speculatie en legendes.

Een Bizarre Ontmoeting op de Nachtbus in Tokyo

Men in Black kennen we vooral als een westers fenomeen, maar ook in Azië worden ze regelmatig gesignaleerd. In Japan, bijvoorbeeld, werd een opvallende ontmoeting gerapporteerd door een man genaamd “Kazu,” die de ervaring deelde met een onderzoeker, Brent Swancer. Zijn goede vriend Nobu, die een grote interesse had in UFO’s en vreemde verschijnselen, was op een late avond onderweg in een drukke metrobus in Tokio.

Nobu zat alleen in de bus totdat een oudere man, volledig gekleed in het zwart, enkele haltes na hem instapte. Hij koos bewust een zit recht tegenover Nobu, ondanks dat er andere lege stoelen waren. De man leek nerveus, bewoog vaak met zijn handen en glipte herhaaldelijk met zijn hoofd in de spiegel van de bus om Nobu te bekijken. Nobu merkte dat de man zenuwachtig was, gekleed in een loszittend zwart kostuum, met een hoed die leek op een combinatie tussen een fedora en een bowler. Hij zat op een korte briefcase, die hij voortdurend fischte en die zijn lange, dunne vingers benadrukte.

Wat de man bijzonder maakte, was dat hij sigarettenrook of zweet op zijn huid leek te hebben dat onverklaarbaar was bij het koude weer buiten. Daarnaast zag Nobu dat de huid van de man, onder de make-up of zweetdruppels, lichter en bleek was, alsof iets niet klopte. Nobu voelde dat de man niet leek te slapen of normaal te zijn. Zijn intuïtie zei dat hij met iemand te maken had die niet helemaal menselijk was, of in ieder geval niet van deze wereld.

Uiteindelijk besloot Nobu dat het verstandig was om de bus te verlaten. Toen hij opstapte, keek hij nog een laatste keer naar de man, maar die was verdwenen. Zijn ervaring bleef hem bij, en de ontmoeting gaf hem een onverklaarbaar gevoel van onveiligheid en verwarring.

Werken de Men In Black ook in het Verre Oosten?

“De Yamada-zaak”: Integraal of Veelzeggend?

Een ander, nog bekender verhaal, is dat van “Tom”, die op een avond drie mannen in donker pak bij zijn deur zag staan. Ze vroegen specifiek naar “de heer Yamada” en drongen erop aan om hem te spreken. Hoewel Tom hen vriendelijk verwees en meende dat ze zich vergisten, voelde hij dat er iets mis was. De mannen waren zeer bleek, hadden bijna zwartkleurige ogen en spreken met een stijf, onnatuurlijk accent. Ze werden aandringender, maar gingen uiteindelijk weg.

Kort daarna verscheen een ander geheimzinnig figuur: een man gekleed in zwart, met een strak gezicht en zonder emoties. Hij leek meer op een agent uit een sciencefictionfilm dan op een gewoon persoon. Tom liet weten dat hij zich zeer bedreigd voelde, en dat hij had de ervaring dat die mannen mogelijk van de Men In Black waren, of in ieder geval geassocieerd met ultrageheime overheidsoperaties of buitenaardse entiteiten.

Oordelen en Interpretaties

De verhalen uit het Verre Oosten passen in een groter patroon dat wereldwijd wordt waargenomen: vreemdelingen gekleed in zwart, mysterieuze vleugelachtige wezens, humanoïde figuren met glanzende of glinsterende ogen, en ontmoetingen die vaak ‘s nachts plaatsvinden. Hoewel sceptici wijzen op verklaringen zoals misidentificaties van dieren, psychologische projecten, of folklore-achtige verhalen, zijn er ook talrijke getuigenissen die de kracht van deze anomalieën onderstrepen.

Veel onderzoekers benadrukken dat de verhalen vaak overeenkomsten vertonen in motief en beschrijving, zelfs over culturele en geografische scheidslijnen heen. Dit wijst volgens sommigen op een dieper, ongekend fenomeen dat niet eenvoudig is uit te leggen binnen de conventionele wetenschap. Anderen blijven sceptisch vanwege gebrek aan bewijsmateriaal en het grote aantal menselijke interpretaties en folkloristische invloeden.

Conclusie

De verhalen over humanoïde wezens, de Men In Black en mysterieuze vliegende wezens uit het Verre Oosten blijven een bron van fascinatie en debat. Of het nu gaat om optische illusies, folklore, complottheorieën of echte ontmoetingen, één ding is zeker: deze verhalen worden door vele mensen gedeeld en blijven de menselijke verbeelding prikkelen. Ze geven ons een glimp van de grensgebieden tussen realiteit en fantasie, en houden de hoop levend dat er nog veel te ontdekken valt in de diepe mysteries van onze wereld.

In de toekomst zullen nieuwe getuigenissen, onderzoek en wetenschappelijke doorbraken mogelijk meer duidelijkheid brengen over deze verschijnselen. Tot die tijd blijven deze verhalen een belangrijke bron van folklore en onzekerheid, die ons uitnodigen om altijd onze ogen en geesten open te houden voor het onbekende.

{ PETER2011 }

 3D Model Unlocks Just Who Made Easter Island's Moai

Gary Manners

Researchers at Binghamton University have created the first comprehensive three-dimensional model of Easter Island's Rano Raraku quarry, providing unprecedented insights into how the iconic moai statues were produced. The groundbreaking digital reconstruction, built from over 11,000 drone photographs, reveals 30 distinct workshop areas where ancient Polynesian carvers simultaneously created the massive stone figures, challenging long-held assumptions about centralized authority in monument construction.

The project emerged from necessity after a devastating wildfire swept through the quarry in October 2023. When researchers arrived at Rapa Nui in January 2024, a local community group requested comprehensive documentation in case the site suffered permanent damage. Professor Carl Lipo from Binghamton University's Department of Anthropology, along with colleagues Thomas Pingel and Kevin Heard from the Geography Department, seized the opportunity to create what he describes as "archeological Disneyland" in digital form.

• Easter Island and the Mysteries of the Moai
• Photos Reveal Giant Easter Island Moai Statues are Covered in Mysterious Symbols

Mapping the Sacred Quarry

The team conducted approximately 30 drone flights, capturing 22,000 high-resolution images at 30-meter increments above the volcanic crater. Using advanced computer software, they stitched these photographs into a detailed three-dimensional model that took months to complete. The resulting interactive visualization allows anyone with an internet connection to explore the quarry from angles impossible to see even when physically present on the remote island.

"You can see things that you couldn't actually see on the ground," explained Lipo in a statement from Binghamton University. "You can see tops and sides and all kinds of areas that you'd never be able to walk to." The quarry sits within a volcanic crater too steep and rugged to safely traverse, making traditional documentation methods incomplete and potentially dangerous.

The comprehensive 3D model of Rano Raraku quarry reveals complex spatial organization of production activities across the quarry.

(PLOS ONE)

The model documented 426 moai in various stages of completion, 341 extraction trenches, 133 voids where finished statues once stood, and five anchor points used for lowering the massive figures down slopes. Perhaps most significantly, it revealed production features previously unknown to researchers, including quarrying areas on the crater's exterior slope and a sophisticated system of carved holes and bollards that facilitated statue transport.

• Study Claims to Have Solved Mystery of Giant Easter Island Hats
• New Moai Statue Found on Chile's Easter Island Excites Researchers

Unfinished moai attached to bedrock by “keels” along their backs demonstrate how carvers worked underneath from both sides until figures were separated from the source material. This production stage, difficult to document through traditional methods, is visible in the 3D model.

(Carl Lipo/Binghampton University)

Decentralized Production Challenges Assumptions

The research, published in the journal PLOS One on November 26, fundamentally challenges theories that monument building requires hierarchical political structures. By identifying 30 separate workshop areas, each employing different carving techniques and working simultaneously, the team demonstrated that moai production followed a decentralized, clan-based pattern rather than centralized control.

"We see separate workshops that really align to different clan groups that are working intensively in their specific areas," Lipo noted. "You can really see graphically from the construction that there's a series of statues being made here, another series of statues here, and that they're lined up next to each other. It's different workshops."

This pattern aligns with historical accounts from early ethnographers who described Rapa Nui as organized into multiple independent kin-based groups competing for prestige through monument construction.

The digital model revealed at least three distinct quarrying methods used across the site. In 143 cases, carvers defined facial features before outlining the head and body. Another 120 instances show blocks completely outlined before detailed carving began. Five examples demonstrate sideways carving into near-vertical cliff faces. This technological diversity suggests autonomous groups adapting to local geological conditions rather than following standardized procedures imposed by a central authority.

The findings carry implications far beyond Easter Island archaeology. As societies worldwide grapple with questions of governance and cooperation, Rapa Nui provides evidence that complex cooperative activities and large-scale projects can emerge through horizontal social networks rather than vertical power structures. The island's inhabitants successfully coordinated monumental construction across generations while maintaining decentralized political organization.

Moai statues at Ahu Akivi on Easter Island.

(Phil Whitehouse / CC BY 2.0)

Preserving Cultural Heritage Through Technology

Thomas Pingel emphasized the revolutionary nature of their technological approach: "The quality of this model is far above what could be done even just a couple of years ago, and the ability to share such a detailed model in a way that is accessible from anyone's desktop computer is remarkable." The project represents a leap forward in archaeological documentation, offering preservation benefits alongside research value.

The three-dimensional documentation serves as a crucial baseline for monitoring erosion, climate impacts, tourism effects, and site degradation at the UNESCO World Heritage location. Following the 2022 wildfire that threatened the quarry, local heritage managers from the Rapa Nui Comunidad Indígena Mau Henua recognized the urgent need for comprehensive records to assess damage and develop protection strategies.

Despite 140 years of documentation efforts beginning with Lieutenant-Captain Geiseler's 1882 descriptions, systematic data for Rano Raraku remained incomplete. Katherine Routledge's pioneering 1914 survey inventoried 293 moai, but subsequent studies produced varying counts and incomplete publications. The new model finally provides researchers and cultural heritage managers with comprehensive, accessible data for the first time.

Looking forward, Lipo hopes the model will inspire rather than replace physical visits. "People on the island are afraid that if we build three-dimensional models that no one will go to the island," he acknowledged.

"But I think this actually will inspire people to go there. Because otherwise, you're just seeing sort of snapshots of stuff. This is an incredible landscape of stuff that you could really go visit, that you'll want to see."

The research demonstrates how ancient technology and engineering knowledge enabled Polynesian seafarers to accomplish remarkable feats. Previous experiments showed that relatively small teams of 15-50 people could transport even the largest moai by "walking" them upright using ropes, eliminating the need for massive centralized labor forces. The quarry evidence now confirms this decentralized production model extended to statue creation itself.

The interactive 3D model is freely accessible online, allowing researchers, students, and curious observers worldwide to explore this archaeological treasure. The team will continue analyzing the model to extract new insights about quarrying strategies, production sequences, and social organization. As Lipo emphasizes, this unprecedented documentation tool enables analysis that was never possible with traditional methods, potentially revealing new chapters in the story of one of humanity's most enigmatic achievements.

• Top image: The main quarry of Easter Island, home to nearly 1,000 moai statues.  
• Source: Carl Lipo/Binghampton University

By Gary Manners

References

{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology }

Fluisteringen van het Heelal: Een Wetenschappelijke Verkenning van Extraterrestrische Signalen en Kosmische Mysteries

Inleiding

De menselijke fascinatie voor het buitenaardse en het onbekende is al even oud als de mensheid zelf. Sinds de vroege geschiedenis van de mythologie en de astronomische observaties is de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven en de mysteries van het heelal een universeel thema geweest. In het moderne tijdperk, gekenmerkt door technologische vooruitgang en uitgebreide wetenschappelijke onderzoeken, blijft deze fascinatie onverminderd. Het online artikel "Whispers of the Cosmos," gepubliceerd door Alienated Media op 27 december 2024, vertegenwoordigt een synthese van poëtische beschrijvingen en wetenschappelijke observaties, die samen een beeld schetsen van de recente ontdekkingen en de resterende raadsels die het heelal omhullen. In deze scriptie wordt het artikel kritisch geanalyseerd, waarbij de kernwetenschappelijke aspecten worden uitgelicht en gekoppeld aan bredere kosmische vraagstukken, inclusief andere kosmische raadsels en patroonmodellen die de zoektocht naar buitenaards leven en de aard van het universum kenmerken.

AFBEELDING GECREEERD DOOR ARTIEST

Signalen uit Kepler-186f: Een Voorbode of Simpel Toeval?

Een van de meest intrigerende elementen uit het artikel is de melding van 'fluisteringen' – zwakke radiofrequenties die van de exoplaneet Kepler-186f zouden komen. Deze planeet bevindt zich in de leefbare zone van een rode dwergster, op ongeveer 490 lichtjaar afstand van de aarde. De onderzoekers van het SETI-instituut meldden een laagfrequente, smalle-band-band emissie die herhaaldelijk werd waargenomen en niet kon worden toegeschreven aan bekende natuurlijke of menselijke bronnen.

De wetenschappelijke bron, artikel gepubliceerd in The Astrophysical Journal (juni 2024), geeft aan dat de herhaalde waarnemingen aanleiding geven tot optionele interpretaties; maar het blijft onzeker of deze signalen daadwerkelijk duiden op buitenaardse intelligentie. Dr. Maya Patel, die leiding geeft aan de onderzoeksgroep, geeft aan: “We hebben terrestrische interferentie en natuurlijke bronnen uitgesloten, maar de herkomst blijft ambigu.” Deze voorzichtigheid is kenmerkend voor de moderne wetenschappelijke houding – het bevestigen van het bestaan van buitenaardse communicatie vereist meer bewijs dan een enkele waarneming.

De zoektocht naar intelligente signalen uit exoplanetensystemen is niet nieuw. Sinds de beginjaren van SETI is men betrokken bij de poging om technologische signaturen te detecteren die niet natuurlijk kunnen worden verklaard. De verkenning van Kepler-186f voegt een nieuw hoofdstuk toe aan deze zoektocht, die vaak wordt gekleurd door populaire media en UFO-verhalen. Het onderscheid tussen serieus wetenschappelijk onderzoek en de volksverhalen over UFO’s en buitenaardse contacten blijft een breed debatpunt.

Illustratie van de aarde-achtige exoplaneet Kepler-186f. 

(Science)

Op een hoger abstractieniveau kunnen deze signalen worden geïnterpreteerd als een mogelijke component binnen het framework van SETI, dat de speurtocht naar technologische 'activiteiten' in het heelal betreft. Tegelijkertijd past deze waarneming binnen het patroon van signalen die worden aangemerkt als ‘possible communicatiesignalen’ of natuurlijke ruis, een proces dat zich herhaalt in verschillende exoplaneet-systemen. Daarmee wordt de vraag gesteld: is het mogelijke bewijs van buitenaards intelligent leven (BEL) een uitzondering, of een regel die we nog niet volledig kunnen plaatsen binnen onze wetenschappelijke paradigma's?

Donkere Materie en de Kosmische Raadsels

Een andere kernaspect uit het artikel is de verwijzing naar de ‘fluisteringen van donkere materie’, dat ongeveer 27% uitmaakt van de totale massa-energie van het heelal. Donkere materie is sinds de ontdekking van haar existentie in de jaren 1970 een van de grootste raadsels van de kosmologie. Ondanks uitgebreide observaties, waaronder de recente gegevens van de Euclid-telescope van het European Space Agency (ESA), blijft haar aard ondoorgrondelijk.

De gravitational lensing-effecten die door Euclid zijn gemeten, verstrekken gedetailleerdere inzichten in de verdeling en aanwezigheid van donkere materie, maar vormen geen aanwijzingen voor haar bestaan als een deeltje dat interactie heeft met licht of materie op een directe wijze. Dr. Luis Ortega van CERN wijst op de limieten van onze kennis: “We kunnen de voetsporen zien, maar de dader blijft verborgen.”

De invloed van donkere materie op de structuurvorming in het heelal is enorm. Zonder haar zou het universum niet de grote kosmische structuur kunnen hebben ontwikkeld zoals wij dat nu waarnemen. Hoewel donkere materie niet rechtstreeks lijkt te opereren binnen de context van UFO-rapportages (die doorgaans betrekking hebben op zichtbare, verdachte of niet-natuurlijke verschijnselen), stimuleert haar mysterieuze aard bredere speculaties over onbekende krachten en dimensies die verder gaan dan de huidige wetenschappelijke modellen.

Naast donkere materie kun je het patroon van zogenaamde ‘onverklaarbare verschijnselen’ op grote schaal binnen het universum opmerken, waaronder de waarnemingen van anomalieën in de kosmische achtergrondstraling en mogelijk zelfs fenomenen die wijzen op extra dimensies of multiversa. Deze theorieën bieden een kader waarin de onverklaarbare en onzichtbare aspecten van het heelal worden geïntegreerd, en bieden wellicht een breder kosmisch raamwerk waarin de ‘fluisteringen’ en mysteries kunnen passen.

Nieuwe Horizons en de Voortdurende Ontdekkingen

De rol van de ruimteverkenner New Horizons in deze context is cruciaal, hoewel niet direct gericht op het detecteren van buitenaardse bewijzen. Sinds diens succesvolle flyby van Pluto in 2015 verzamelt de missie data over de uiterste regionen van ons zonnestelsel en de Kuiper-asteroïdenbelt. De uitgebreide instrumentatie, ontworpen voor het meten van elektromagnetische signalen en fysische kenmerken, wordt beschouwd als een basislijn voor het detecteren van afwijkingen die kunnen wijzen op natuurlijke of artificiële bronnen.

Mission manager Emily Zhang benadrukt dat deze missie, ondanks haar oorspronkelijke doelstellingen, waardevolle gegevens levert die kunnen worden gebruikt om het elektromagnetische landschap van het heelal nader te bestuderen. De mogelijkheid dat buitenaardse signalen zich kunnen manifesteren als fonkelende zwaluwen in het elektromagnetisch spectrum wordt door haar en andere astrofysici niet uitgesloten.

Hoewel New Horizons niet specifiek is ontworpen voor UFO-detectie, illustreert haar rol het belang van langdurige, diepe-ruimte verkenningen waarin anomalieën kunnen worden gedocumenteerd en begrepen. Door systematisch gegevens te vergelijken en anomalieën te rangschikken kunnen wetenschappers patronen ontdekken die wellicht passen binnen groter kosmisch raamwerk, inclusief patronen die nu nog als ‘ongeïdentificeerd’ worden beschouwd.

Patroon herhaling en kosmische resonantie: nieuwe mustertheorieën

Naast de genoemde thema's is het belangrijk om in deze context ook andere patroonmodellen te overwegen die de kosmische raadsels kunnen verrijken. De wetenschap heeft zich bijvoorbeeld verdiept in de concepten van ‘kosmische resonantie’ en ‘patroonherhaling’ op grote schaal.

Het idee van resonantie in het heelal stelt dat bepaalde frequenties en patronen zich herhalen op verschillende schaalniveaus, van kwantummechanica tot galactische structuren. Het bekende voorbeeld hiervan is de ‘Galactische Ring’, een structureel patroon dat opnieuw lijkt te verschijnen in verschillende galactische schema’s, vergelijkbaar met muzikale resonanties die zich in verschillende toonhoogtes manifesteren. Sommige wetenschappers speculeren dat dergelijke patronen mogelijk verbonden zijn met onderliggende fundamentele natuurkrachten – of zelfs met hogere dimensies en multiversa – en dat zij als 'kosmische signalen' kunnen fungeren die wij willen interpreteren als mogelijke communicatie of raadsels.

Daarnaast worden patronen zoals de ‘delende fractalen’ in de structuur van het universum, en de herhaalde patronen in de kosmische achtergrondstraling, vaak aangevoerd als bewijs dat het heelal mogelijk is ingericht volgens een ‘cosmisch architectonisch patroon’. Hoewel deze theorieën nog controversieel blijven, geven ze ruimte voor nieuwe interpretaties waarin het universele patroon zich uitstrekt tot het onzichtbare en het onbekende, en wellicht zelfs tot verborgen communicatie met buitenaardse intelligenties.

Conclusie

De analyse van het artikel "Whispers of the Cosmos" onthult dat hoewel de recente wetenschappelijke observaties – van de exoplaneet Kepler-186f tot dark matter en de buitenplanetaire verkenningen met New Horizons – veel vragen oproepen, zij vooral de complexiteit en de mysterieuze aard van ons heelal onderstrepen. De waarnemingen van potentiële buitenaardse signalen blijven voorlopig in de sfeer van probabilistische plausibiliteit; ze vereisen meer bewijs en gedegen analyse voordat zij kunnen worden bestempeld als bewijs van buitenaards intelligent leven.

Tegelijkertijd weven deze waarnemingen zich in de bredere context van kosmische raadsels en patroonmodellen die het universum mogelijk volgens hogere ordeningen of resonantieprincipes laten functioneren. Donkere materie en energie, de patronen in de kosmische structuren, en de onbestemde signalen uit exoplaneet-systemen maken onderdeel uit van een groter intellectueel mozaïek dat nog lang niet volledig doorgrond is.

De rol van technologische instrumenten zoals New Horizons wijst op een belangrijke factor – dat systematisch, langdurig en geïntegreerd onderzoek noodzakelijk is voor het ontmaskeren van het onbekende. Gelijktijdig onderstrepen these ontdekkingen dat de meest waardevolle kennis voortkomt uit een combinatie van poëtische nieuwsgierigheid en rigoureuze wetenschappelijke methodologie.

De voortdurende zoektocht naar antwoorden op deze kosmische fluisteringen vereist niet alleen technologische vooruitgang en fundamenteel wetenschappelijk onderzoek, maar ook een open geest en een bereidheid om de patronen in het heelal te ontdekken die misschien meer vertellen dan wij nu kunnen vermoeden. Het is vooral aan de menshheid om de juiste vragen te blijven stellen en de antwoordende fluisteringen van het heelal te blijven luisteren.

Bronnen:

• The Astrophysical Journal, juni 2024
• Euclid Space Telescope Data, European Space Agency
• Interviews met Dr. Maya Patel (SETI Institute) en Dr. Luis Ortega (CERN)
• Observaties van New Horizons, NASA/ESA
• Theoretische modellen over kosmische patronen en resonanties

{ PETER2011 }

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{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

“The Age of Disclosure” is set to be released in select theaters on Nov. 21.

The Age Of Disclosure

Aliens Are Real, U.S. Government Officials Have Admitted. ‘The Age of Disclosure’ Director Dan Farah Wants You to Know There’s More to the Story

Scientists have come up with an unusual way to stop the Gulf Stream collapsing and plunging Europe into another Ice Age - and it involves MELTING an ice sheet

• READ MORE: Gulf Stream on the verge of collapsing reveals key 'fingerprint'

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Melting the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could save the Gulf Stream, a remarkable new study reveals. 

The vast icy mass in the southern hemisphere contains around 750,000 cubic miles of ice – enough to fill Wembley Stadium nearly three billion times. 

As it melts, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet sends salty water towards the North Atlantic, which helps the water stay dense enough to keep the crucial ocean current moving, the study authors reveal. 

However, the scientists stress that in other ways the melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet would be a total disaster.  

If the ice sheet melted, it would raise sea levels by up to 14 feet (4.3 metres) – causing flooding, fatalities, infrastructure damage and more.

The findings suggest we may have to choose between saving the Gulf Stream (which would stop Europe from entering a deep freeze) and saving the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (which would prevent global flooding). 

According to study author Dr Sacha Sinet, climate scientist at Utrecht University, which terrifying scenario is worse is 'hard to tell'. 

Ultimately, reducing greenhouse gas emissions might be the only way to save both the Gulf Stream and the ice sheet – and avoid both eventualities. 

There are two ice sheets on Earth: the Greenland Ice Sheet in the Northern Hemisphere and the Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Southern Hemisphere (divided into east and west). According to the study's findings, melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet could keep the AMOC from collapsing 

The Gulf Stream is only a small part of a much wider system of currents, officially called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC. 

A 'conveyor belt of the ocean', AMOC moves warm water near the ocean's surface northwards – from the tropics to the northern hemisphere. 

When the warm water reaches the North Atlantic (Europe and the UK, and the US east coast), it releases the heat and then freezes. 

As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water.

Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks, and is carried southwards – back towards the tropics – in the ocean depths below. 

Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up ('upwelling'), completing the cycle.

Experts think AMOC brings enough warmth to the northern hemisphere to keep temperatures there relatively mild, so if the AMOC were to slow down or collapse, large parts of Europe and the US could enter a deep freeze.

But according to the Utrecht University researchers, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is potentially the AMOC's unlikely saviour. 

The researchers used a complex computer model, CLIMBER-X to examine how the AMOC would respond to different speeds and timing of ice sheet collapse

Scientists think AMOC brings enough warmth to the northern hemisphere that without it, large parts of Europe could enter a deep freeze. This remarkable satellite picture showing the extent of snow across Britain on January 7, 2010 gives an idea of what this could be like

The team used a computer model called CLIMBER-X to predict what would happen if both Greenland and Antarctica started melting rapidly in the future due to continuing global warming. 

CLIMBER-X simulates the response of the Earth to changes in different climate-related factors, such as changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. 

Amazingly, the model revealed that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's melting water didn't always increase the risk of an AMOC collapse. 

Under some conditions, such as when its melting was rapid and began to slow down as Greenland's melt peaked, it could prevent a total collapse.

The effect happens because Antarctic meltwater changes how layers of water behave in the Southern Ocean, which eventually sends slightly saltier water toward the North Atlantic. 

Over time, this helps the water stay dense enough to keep the AMOC moving, at least according to the computer model. 

Previous studies have already shown that melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet destabilises the AMOC. When its meltwater pours into the North Atlantic, it can slow down or stop the sinking of dense water that helps drive it. 

Amazingly, the study, published in Science Advances, seems to suggest the opposite for West Antarctic Ice Sheet. 

An ice sheet is a mass of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles). The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is the western segment of the Antarctic Ice Sheet - and is more strongly affected by climate change 

Greenland melt generally destabilises the AMOC, whereas, as we have shown, West Antarctic Ice Sheet's melt may, under certain conditions, stabilise it,' Dr Sinet told the Daily Mail. 

However, if the timing is wrong, such as if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's melt peaks too late or is too slow, its stabilising effect vanishes. 

In fact, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet's meltwater could even accelerate the AMOC's tipping point.

Dr Sinet stressed that greenhouse gas emissions need to be curtailed to avoid both collapse of the AMOC and melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

But the new findings may be helpful to understand the nuances of a warming world.  

'If emissions remain too high to preserve the stability of key tipping elements, then understanding whether the AMOC collapses or not becomes essential for anticipating the climate impacts that societies will need to prepare for,' he told the Daily Mail. 

'The important distinction is that the Greenland effect is well established and broadly accepted, whereas the influence of West Antarctic melt remains poorly understood and lacks consensus, and will likely continue to be debated for some time.' 

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

Scientists are baffled as a mysterious halo of red light appears over a small Italian town for the second time in 3 years

• READ MORE: Dark matter is seen for the first time in eerie image  

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Scientists have been baffled by a mysterious halo of red light that has appeared over a small Italian town for the second time in three years.

An incredible image captures the bizarre UFO–like ring floating above Possagno, a tiny town in the foothills of the Italian Alps.

The photograph was taken by photographer Valter Binotto, who watched as the glowing structure flashed in the sky at 10:45 local time on November 17.

Strangely, this ring bears a striking resemblance to another red halo that was spotted by Mr Binotto in the same location in March 2023.

This year's halo was estimated to be 150 miles (200 kilometres) across and hovered at an altitude of around 60 miles (100 kilometres).

However, Mr Binotto does not believe that there are any extraterrestrial forces to blame.

Instead, these rings are likely to be a rare lighting–related phenomenon called an 'emission of light and very low–frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources', or ELVEs for short.

These glowing rings are so rare that they were only discovered by NASA in the 1990s, making spotting two over the same tiny town extremely unlikely.

A photographer has captured a baffling image of a red UFO–like halo floating over the small Italian town of Possagno (pictured)

Scientists believe that ELVEs are triggered when enormously powerful lightning bolts send an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) shooting through the upper atmosphere.

These pulses collide with a part of Earth's atmosphere called the ionosphere, which stretches between 50 and 400 miles (80–644 kilometres) above the ground.

Here, the electromagnetic radiation excites charged particles of nitrogen, causing them to give off a red glow.

This is a similar process to how electromagnetic radiation from the sun causes the glow of the Northern Lights.

However, ELVEs are enormously difficult to photograph because they only last for one thousandth of a second.

That is 100 times less time than it takes for you to blink.

For this reason, Mr Binotto says he has to use a specialised camera setup to record extremely high–framerate video and start recording as soon as the right conditions arise.

When the lightning has passed, he is then able to select the few frames when the ELVE is visible.

This is the second time that a red ring has appeared over the town, with a similar structure appearing in March 2023

But, even with all this preparation and years of attempts, Mr Binotto has only ever captured an ELVE on three occasions.

Mr Binotto told Daily Mail: 'It is a very rare phenomenon. Only a few lightning strikes are capable of generating it, and sometimes they occur when conditions are not suitable for photographing them – because it is daytime, the sky is covered with clouds, or simply because I am asleep.

'With the first one, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had seen others in photos, but never so powerful and well–defined. Even with the others, the emotion was immense.'

Given that these events are so rare and difficult to spot, it might seem unusual that two have been seen above Possagno in just two years.

However, this strange coincidence likely has less to do with any special characteristics of Possagno and more with Mr Binotto's skills as a photographer.

ELVEs are extremely large and appear at very high altitudes, meaning they can be seen from hundreds of miles away.

For example, Mr Binotto's 2023 ELVE was actually caused by a lightning strike near Vernazza, around 185 miles (300 kilometres) to the south.

Likewise, this latest halo was the product of a storm above Ancona, which is roughly 174 miles (280 kilometres) to the southeast.

This ring is likely a structure known as an 'emission of light and very low–frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources', or ELVEs for short. These are rings of red or green light created by electromagnetic pulses produced by powerful lightning strikes 

ELVEs are just one part of a class of strange phenomena known by scientists as transient luminous events (TLEs), which include so–called 'red sprites' that sometimes appear above storms. Pictured: Red Sprites seen from the International Space Station

Since these halos only need a powerful lightning strike to occur, there is nothing preventing them from being seen over any town in the world.

Read More

• Radical new theory of consciousness could finally explain what happens when you die 

ELVEs are just one part of a class of strange phenomena known by scientists as transient luminous events (TLEs).

These events are rarely seen, poorly understood, and extraordinarily tricky to study.

Some of the strangest TLEs include 'sprites', which appear like gigantic red jellyfish reaching their tendrils above the clouds.

The largest sprites can extend up to 60 miles (96 kilometres) above the cloud tops of large storms, but are so faint they can only be seen at night or from space.

WHY DOES LIGHTNING STRIKE?

Lightning occurs when strong upward drafts in the air generate static electricity in large and dense rainstorm clouds.

Parts of the cloud become positively charged and others negatively charged.

When this charge separation is large enough a violent discharge of electricity happens — also known as lightning.

'Lightning is a major hazard that claims many lives every year,' the UN's World Meteorological Organization says

Such a discharge starts with a small area of ionised air hot enough to conduct electricity.

This small area grows into a forked lightning channel that can reach several miles in length.

The channel has a negative tip that dispels charges to the ground and a positive tip that collects charges from the cloud. 

These charges passes from the positive end of the channel to the negative end another during a lightning flash, causing the charge to be released. 

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UN confirms planetary defenses will observe interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it races through our solar system

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

The United Nations (UN) has confirmed that Earth's planetary defenses will be observing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it races through our solar system. 

Starting on November 27, a global team of scientists with the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) will kick off a two–month campaign to track the comet as it nears our planet.

'While it poses no threat, comet 3I/ATLAS presents a great opportunity for the IAWN community to perform an observing exercise due to its prolonged observability from Earth and high interest to the scientific community,' the UN explains on its website. 

'This 3I/ATLAS campaign is the 8th IAWN observing exercise since 2017 – IAWN holds these exercises roughly once a year.'

While 3I/ATLAS was only discovered in July 2025, the UN explained that this 'comet campaign' has long been planned. 

'IAWN had been planning to do a Fall 2025 comet campaign since 2024 to exercise capabilities for measuring the position of comets, which pose additional astrometric challenges as they appear as fuzzy extended objects compared to point–like asteroids in a telescope's field of view,' it added. 

The news comes shortly after NASA put claims that the object could be an alien spacecraft to bed once and for all. 

'We want very much to find signs of life in the universe... but 3I/ATLAS is a comet,' said Amit Kshatriya, a senior NASA official, at a press conference. 

Stargazers recently captured brand new clear images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS using lower quality telescopes compared to those used by NASA

NASA's sophisticated HiRISE camera was supposed to provide a detailed image of the interstellar object near Mars, but the photo shown on Wednesday was blurry and vague

Since it was first spotted in July, the object – dubbed 3I/ATLAS – has captivated scientists and internet users alike, even prompting Kim Kardashian to ask NASA for answers.

Many scientists maintained it was merely a comet visiting us from a different solar system. 

However, others – including a member of US Congress and a Harvard researcher – were convinced that the object was an alien spacecraft. 

Last week, NASA released photos snapped by three of its Mars spacecraft as they passed just 18 million miles away from the object. 

These pictures finally put any speculation to rest, as they confirmed the object's identity.

And unfortunately for alien hunters, the US space agency says that 3I/ATLAS is a comet.  

The one man holding on to hope that the object could be extraterrestrial is Harvard professor Avi Loeb, who has shared new amateur telescope images of the interstellar object, captured between November 22 and November 24.

The photos reveal a glowing, fuzzy 'head' called a coma, along with a narrow tail stretching over 600,000 miles and pointing toward the sun instead of away from it like a typical comet.

Recent telescope images have produced clearer views of the object than the photos shared by NASA on November 19

NASA maintained that 3I/ATLAS was a comet with no signs of extraterrestrial life

One appears to reveal the shape of 3I/ATLAS, showing a cone–like object covered in a bright haze.

The images came from everyday skywatchers using small backyard telescopes around the world, including in Japan, Spain, and Chile.

Professor Loeb noted that a clear shot of the object on November 22, which showed its bright green body and long 'anti–tail,' was taken by Mitsunori Tsumura using a common 20–inch backyard telescope used by stargazers worldwide.

Another caught a sharp image of the interstellar visitor over Spain that same night using a 12.4–inch telescope - a very popular size used by hobbyists in their backyards.

Perhaps the sharpest picture Professor Loeb highlighted came from Paul Craggs of Canada, who was able to capture a clear image of the comet's current shape while traveling over North America on November 21.

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Easter Island mystery is SOLVED: Scientists finally pinpoint who built the iconic stone heads 900 years ago

• READ MORE: New 'stone head' statue mysteriously appears on Easter Island

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Easter Island may finally be solved - as scientists pinpoint who built the iconic stone heads over 900 years ago.

In the past, researchers assumed that the 12 to 80-ton statues would have required the combined efforts of hundreds of labourers to build and move.

However, new archaeological evidence shows that the statues, known as moai, were not carved by a single powerful chiefdom.

Instead, each moai was carved by a small clan or by an individual family, with as few as four to six people working on a single statue.

Using a new 3D model of the island's main moai quarry, which you can explore below, archaeologists identified 30 unique 'workshops' where the statues were produced.

The researchers found that each clan seemed to have had their own unique artistic style, specialised techniques, and preferred digging sites.

Lead author Professor Carl Lipo, of Binghamton University, says: 'We see separate workshops that really align to different clan groups that are working intensively in their specific areas.

'You can really see graphically from the construction that there's a series of statues being made here, another series of statues here and that they're lined up next to each other.'

Researchers have finally solved the mystery of the Easter Island heads (pictured), as they reveal who built these enormous monuments 900 years ago 

Scientists have combined 22,000 photos of the Rapa Nui quarry, where hundreds of heads can be found, into a single 3D model (pictured) that you can explore below

Moai production on Rapa Nui began sometime around the 13th century as Polynesian communities began to carve ever larger monuments.

By the time the first Western explorers arrived in the 1700s, there were almost 1,000 statues dotted around the island, with many more lying partly finished inside the Rano Raraku quarry.

However, how and why this island community invested such vast resources in building these monuments has remained a mystery.

'The quarry is like the archaeological Disneyland,' says Professor Lipo.

'It's always been this treasure of information and cultural heritage, but it's remarkably underdocumented.'

In a new study, published in the journal PLoS One, Professor Lippo and his colleagues attempted to solve this puzzle by creating a detailed digital map of the quarry.

Using a drone, the researchers took some 22,000 pictures of the site and stitched them into a single 3D model that anyone can explore.

In addition to preserving the site for future study, this incredible map has also revealed some surprising details that have remained hidden from previous studies.

Using a new 3D model of the site where the heads, known as moai, were produced, scientists revealed that each head was manufactured by a small family or clan rather than by a central authority 

Professor Lipo says: 'You can see things that you couldn't actually see on the ground. You can see tops and sides and all kinds of areas that just would never be able to walk to.'

Importantly, this revealed just how different each of the workshops really was.

For example, the moai were usually carved by refining the facial details first before outlining the head and body.

But others carved out the entire block first before starting on the face, while others worked sideways into the cliffs.

Likewise, some moai bear the distinct signs of a unique artistic vision, including some which have a distinctively feminine appearance.

The workshops also appear to have been divided by natural features of the rock, rather than by broad geographical areas.

The researchers say this shows that access to the quarry wasn't controlled by a single authority, but rather that individual groups negotiated between themselves.

These findings challenge the view that large monuments like the moai are evidence of a large, powerful hierarchy that mobilised lots of people on a single project.

Archaeologists found evidence of 30 different 'workshops' (picture), each with their own unique style and methods 

Some clans even had their own unique style, with one group producing a female moai (pictured)

Easter Island timeline 

This supports a growing amount of evidence that building and moving the moai wouldn't have required nearly as much labour as previous researchers believed.

In the past, people believed that the moai were dragged on their backs from the quarry to their final positions, which would have taken a huge amount of effort.

But in a recent study, anthropologists found that the people of Rapa Nui likely used ropes to rock the statues in a zig–zag pattern.

By attaching ropes to either side of the head and pulling back and forth, the moai can be rocked side to side and shuffled forward in a 'walking' motion.

This technique would have allowed small teams of people to move the enormous moai over long distances with relatively little effort.

The stone heads were then moved along specially made 'moai roads', which connected the quarry to their final destination. 

Made to be around 4.5 metres wide with a concave profile, the researchers found that the specific shape of these roads helped to stabilise the heads and made them more likely to shuffle forwards. 

Using a combination of 3D modelling and real–life experiments, Professor Lipo and his collaborators previously found that they could 'walk' a moai with just 18 people.

This method proved so easy that people only needed to pull the ropes with one hand once the rocking had started. 

This supports the idea that the moai were produced and moved by a far smaller number of people than scientists had previously thought, with studies showing that as few as 18 people could 'walk' the sculpture using ropes 

This is further evidence that moai production likely took place on a small scale, with only a few people needing to be involved at any time.

The researchers estimate that making a moai would only take four to six carvers and as few as 10 to 20 additional personnel to carry supplies and help with tool and rope production.

This makes sense since anthropologists believe that Rapa Nui was not politically unified, but instead consisted of many small and independent family groups.  

Professor Lipo says: 'When we look at the ability for people to move giant statues, it doesn't take that many people to do it.

'So that it really connects all the dots between the number of people it takes to move the statues, the number of places, the scale at which the quarrying is happening and then the scale of the communities.'

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Harvard Scientists Say There May Be an Unknown, Technologically Advanced Civilization Hiding on Earth

By Victor Tangermann

Image: Getty / Futurism

What if — stick with us here — an unknown technological civilization is hiding right here on Earth, sheltering in bases deep underground and possibly even emerging with UFOs or disguised as everyday humans?

In a new paper that’s bound to raise eyebrows in the scientific community, a team of researchers from Harvard and Montana Technological University speculates that sightings of “Unidentified Anomalous Phemonemona” (UAP) —  bureaucracy-speak for UFOs, basically — “may reflect activities of intelligent beings concealed in stealth here on Earth (e.g., underground), and/or its near environs (e.g., the Moon), and/or even ‘walking among us’ (e.g., passing as humans).”

Yes, that’s a direct quote from the paper. Needless to say, the researchers admit, this idea of hidden “crypoterrestrials” is a highly exotic hypothesis that’s “likely to be regarded skeptically by most scientists.” Nonetheless, they argue, the theory “deserves genuine consideration in a spirit of epistemic humility and openness.”

The interest in unexplained sightings of UFOs by military personnel has grown considerably over the past decade or so. This attention grew to a peak last summer, when former Air Force intelligence officer and whistleblower David Grusch testified in front of Congress, claiming that the US had already recovered alien spacecraft as part of a decades-long UFO retrieval program.

Even NASA has opened its doors for researchers to explore mysterious, high-speed objects that have been spotted by military pilots over the years.

But several Pentagon reports later, we have yet to find any evidence of extraterrestrial life.

That hasn’t dissuaded these Harvard researchers, though. In the paper, they suggest a range of possibilities, each more outlandish than the next.

First is that a “remnant form” of an ancient, highly advanced human civilization is still hanging around, observing us. Second is that an intelligent species evolved independently of humans in the distant past, possibly from “intelligent dinosaurs,” and is now hiding their presence from us. Third is that these hidden occupants of Earth traveled here from another planet or time period. And fourth — please keep a straight face, everybody — is that these unknown inhabitants of Earth are “less technological than magical,” which the researchers liken to “earthbound angels.”

UFO sightings of “craft and other phenomena (e.g., ‘orbs’) appearing to enter/exit potential underground access points, like volcanoes,” they write, could be evidence that these cryptoterrestrials may not be drawn to these spots, but actually reside in underground or underwater bases.

The paper quotes former House Representative Mike Gallagher, who suggested last year that one explanation for the UFO sightings might be “an ancient civilization that’s just been hiding here, for all this time, and is suddenly showing itself right now,” following Grusch’s testimony.

The researchers didn’t stop there, even suggesting that these cryptoterrestrials may take on different, non-human primate or even reptile forms.

Beyond residing deep underground, they even speculate that this mysterious species could even be concealing themselves on the Moon or have mastered the art of blending in as human beings, a folk theory that has inspired countless works of science fiction.

Another explanation, as put forward by controversial Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, suggests that other ancient civilizations may have lived on “planets like Mars or Earth” but a “billion years apart and hence were not aware of each other.”

Of course, these are all “far-fetched” hypotheses, as the scientists admit, and deserve to be regarded with plenty of skepticism.

“We entertain them here because some aspects of UAP are strange enough that they seem to call for unconventional explanations,” the paper reads.

“It may be exceedingly improbable, but hopefully this paper has shown it should nevertheless be kept on the table as we seek to understand the ongoing empirical mystery of UAP,” the researchers conclude.

More on UFOs: 

• New Law Would Force Government to Declassify Every UFO Document

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{ https://futurism.com/ }

{ https://mysteriousuniverse.org/ }

The Kuiper Belt is a vast ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune, home to Pluto and countless smaller objects. Astronomers have long known that this belt is not uniform, and that it contains subtle clumps and gaps, like the rings of Saturn seen from far away. One of these clumps is called the “kernel,” a tight crowd of small, cold, almost circular orbits centered around 44 times Earth’s distance from the Sun (44 astronomical units, or AU).

In the new study, the astronomy team from Princeton report evidence for a second, similar crowd just inside that one, at about 43 AU, which they dub the “inner kernel.” The objects in this inner kernel move on nearly circular paths, with low tilts relative to the Solar System’s main plane. According to the researchers, these traits mark these curious bodies as members of the “cold classical” Kuiper Belt, a population thought to have stayed relatively undisturbed since the early days of the Solar System.

Across a catalog of 1,650 tracked Kuiper Belt Objects, the inner kernel appears as a real concentration of orbits: it spans about 42.4–43.6 AU in distance, and its members have especially low “free” eccentricities (a measure of how stretched their orbits are once after you strip away planetary gravity effects). The team estimates that objects in this inner kernel may make up around 7–10 percent of all so‑called classical Kuiper Belt objects, and roughly 14–21 percent of the coldest, most undisturbed ones.

So a big question now remains. Is the “kernel” and the “inner kernel” one large structure out there in the dark expanse of space, or are they separate?

The orbits of these objects are very stable. Their closest approaches to the Sun stay well above a theoretical “stability boundary” near 37 AU, and even in the most extreme case their paths don’t dip inside about 40 AU. That suggests they have not been violently scattered inward by Neptune, but instead survived more or less where they formed, or were gently moved there.

Compared with the outer kernel at 44 AU, the inner kernel looks “colder” in one key respect: its free eccentricities are smaller on average, meaning the orbits are more nearly circular when planetary influences are factored out. That difference could make the inner kernel a better example of how much shaking and shuffling the Kuiper Belt has experienced. If giant planets like Neptune migrated outward in jumps, as some models suggest, each jump could have left behind gravitational gaps in the belt’s structure. The presence of two closely spaced, cold clumps might be telling the story of how smooth or violent that process really was.

The main part of the Kuiper Belt begins at Neptune’s orbit

(Image: NASA).

There is also a strange piece of orbital context. The structure’s orbit has a particular resonance with Neptune. In simple terms, between the two clumps of Kuiper Belt objects, there is a special region where Neptune’s gravity keeps time with them in a steady rhythm called the 7:4 resonance. While Neptune goes around the Sun seven times, the objects in the belt goes around four times. In places like this, those repeated tugs can either sweep objects away or herd them together, a bit like a parent pushing a child on a swing in just the right rhythm, so the lack of objects between the two clumps might be caused by this resonance, although the researchers are not yet sure that this is really the reason.​​

This was an interesting find, according to the researchers, as it points to a possible cause of the “inner kernel” structure. 

Beyond the discovery of this new structure inside the belt, the study is notable because the researchers turned to tools more familiar from data science than from traditional astronomy.

First, they re‑described each orbit in a way that tries to peel away the steady, predictable nudges from the giant planets. The raw orbital elements of a Kuiper Belt object, its eccentricity (how elongated the orbit is) and inclination (how tilted it is), are a mix of a “forced” part set by the collective gravity of the planets and a “free” part that reflects the object’s own history. Using established mathematical techniques from celestial mechanics, the team calculated these free components for each of the 1,650 objects in a recent catalog of classical Kuiper Belt objects.

They then fed each object’s distance from the Sun, free eccentricity, and free inclination  into a clustering algorithm called DBSCAN (Density‑Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise). DBSCAN looks for dense swarms of points in a cloud of data, marking them as clusters, while treating isolated points as noise.

Because DBSCAN’s behavior depends on how you tune its settings, the team adopted a conservative strategy. They only trusted results from runs where the algorithm clearly picked out a “kernel‑like” feature matching the known 44 AU kernel, and then asked whether, under those same settings, another cluster appeared.

In every such case, the inner kernel popped out at about 43 AU. Changing the parameters slightly sometimes caused the algorithm to merge the inner and outer kernels into one broader cluster, underlining the ambiguity of whether these are two distinct structures or two peaks in a single large one.

“There are two alternative explanations that we cannot distinguish between: either the kernel is significantly larger than previously thought, or there is an additional distinct structure in the cold classical Kuiper belt,” the authors explained. “In either case, the inner kernel, as described here, is the additional component.”

For now, the authors are cautious. The inner kernel clearly shows up in the data as they have processed it, but it is not yet clear whether it is a truly separate structure or simply the inner edge of a larger, more complex kernel. It’s especially cold orbits, however, hint that it might carry a slightly different history, and that makes it valuable for testing models of how Neptune moved and how the outer Solar System settled into its current shape.

The real test will come with more data. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), due to begin full operations later this decade, is expected to discover and track thousands more Kuiper Belt objects. With that flood of new orbits, astronomers will be able to see whether the inner kernel sharpens into a well‑defined band or blurs into a broader structure.

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The Speed of Light

Based on present-day physics, scientists know the speed of light is the greatest speed at which anything in our universe can travel. That astronomical rate is clocked at 186,000 miles per second. Due to the immense distances separating points in outer space, scientists have adopted the distance light travels in one year, 5.88 trillion miles, as a universal measurement scale.

Proxima Centauri is the star nearest to our own, even though that cosmic neighbor is 4.2 light-years away from Earth. Over four years of light-speed travel would be required to cross such a distance.

For shorter distances in space, scientists rely on astronomical units, which are equal to the distance between Earth and the Sun. Although humanity has yet to conquer light-speed travel, Voyager 1 still manages to zip along at the relatively quick 11 miles per second. This adds up to 3.5 AU each year as the craft continues its journey.

Communications Challenges

Somewhere in the middle of these two ends of the cosmic measuring scale is the less commonly used figure known as the “light day,” denoting the distance light travels in a single Earth day.

That distance has begun to add up and impact the effectiveness of communications with Voyager, which are maintained through NASA’s Deep Space Network. Mission engineers spent weeks last November dealing with just one episode of technical difficulties due to communications lag. At billions of miles from Earth, the commands and responses took 23 hours to travel in each direction from Voyager 1 to Earth.

During that event, silicon dioxide from a rubber diaphragm had accumulated in a fuel tank, cutting off a crucial fuel thruster tube. Thrust was drastically lowered, as the liquid hydrazine fuel was impeded from flowing freely. It took 40 small thrusts from the obstructed system to even push Voyager into proper alignment for effective communication with Earth.

In the end, the mission engineers elected to return to a set of thrusters that had themselves been turned off years earlier due to malfunctions, although of a less severe sort than those plaguing the system last year. At one point during the operation, power was so low that the mission team had to take the calculated risk of turning off Voyager 1’s heater in deep space to power the systems required to bring the old thrusters back online.

The Future of Voyager 1

Despite the challenges of communicating over such a massive distance, NASA plans to maintain contact with Voyager 1 as it crosses the monumental 16.1 billion-mile threshold to reach one full light-day from Earth.

The celebration may be bittersweet, though. Three radioisotope thermoelectric generators power the craft, which are expected to run out of energy in the next decade. Many of Voyager 1’s systems are no longer functional, as those generators are even now providing much less power than the craft utilized at launch. Over the years, many concessions have been made, reverting to backup thrusters, disabling instruments, and cutting power to keep the mission continuing long past its expected lifespan.

As such, the one light day milestone may be the last outstanding achievement for humanity’s farthest step into the cosmos.

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

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The Origins of Disclosure: Crashes, Archives, and Secrets with Leslie Kean

Overview

Investigative journalist Leslie Kean sat down with host Peter Skafish on the Sol Forum to trace the “disclosure era” that has emerged around unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP). Kean argues that today’s surge of official acknowledgment rests on a decades‑long, largely hidden effort by government officials, journalists, and researchers. She points to a series of high‑profile incidents, persistent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) pushes, and internal memos that together form a “paper trail” of acknowledgment, even as many details remain classified or deliberately omitted.

Historic Crashes and Legal Battles

One of the earliest keystones in Kean’s narrative is the 1979 Kecksburg incident in Pennsylvania, where witnesses reported a fireball and a metallic object that allegedly crashed in a wooded area. Witnesses described seeing a fiery streak in the sky followed by the discovery of a mysterious metallic object. Local residents and witnesses indicated that the object resembled a spacecraft or a piece of advanced technology. Kean notes that a lawsuit filed against NASA in the early 1980s sought access to the agency’s investigative files, claiming that the government had retrieved the craft and concealed evidence. Although the suit was ultimately dismissed due to legal technicalities, the case revealed “multiple eyewitnesses, an unidentified object, and missing files” that continue to be cited by researchers as proof of a genuine crash retrieval. Kean emphasizes that the Kecksburg case set a precedent for later legal and investigative actions aimed at uncovering hidden material. It demonstrated the importance of grassroots advocacy and legal persistence in challenging government opacity regarding aerial phenomena.

Further back in history, the Roswell incident of 1947 remains a touchstone in UAP lore. Although officially dismissed as a weather balloon, whistleblowers and researchers have long argued otherwise. Kean describes how declassified documents, when scrutinized, hinted at a cover-up involving the recovery of unusual debris and possibly alien bodies. These revelations prompted ongoing efforts to push for transparency and led to a cultural and political climate increasingly receptive to investigating extraordinary claims. Decades later, the Roswell incident became a symbol of government secrecy and the need for scrutiny of official narratives.

Government Archives and FOIA

Efforts Kean highlights several internal government initiatives that have gradually opened the archives, serving as milestones in the ongoing disclosure process. In 2022, John Podesta’s FOIA push resulted in the release of a handful of declassified documents, including the Bolender memo, which acknowledges that the Department of Defense was still receiving civilian UFO reports in the 1990s. These documents, although limited in scope, provide glimpses into a long history of official interest and concern regarding aerial anomalies. Additionally, the efforts by Congressional figures like Harry Reid—former Senate Majority Leader—have been instrumental. Reid’s advocacy for the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) and its successor AASWAP led to the eventual public release of video footage showing unidentified objects performing maneuvers beyond known human technology, as well as a limited inventory of recovered materials. Kean points out that these releases often contain “quiet references to ‘classic’ UFO cases”—a term used internally to denote incidents predating the modern UAP terminology—suggesting that the government has long been aware of a broader phenomenon. The process of declassification, she explains, is often incremental and partial, reflecting the sensitive nature of certain knowledge and a cautious approach to public disclosure.

Deep Secrecy and Recent Revelations

The conversation also turned to the depth of secrecy surrounding UAP investigations. Kean cites the Wilson memo, a classified internal document that outlines a covert program tasked with “monitoring and analyzing anomalous aerial events” while restricting dissemination to a narrow circle of authorized personnel. She explains that her decision to publish former intelligence officer David Grusch’s allegations was not taken lightly; the story was cross‑checked against findings from an Office of the Inspector General (IG) investigation and corroborated by multiple independent sources. Kean stresses that the U.S. approach has been characterized by “systemic denial,” contrasting sharply with the openness displayed by other nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and, as previously mentioned, Chile. These countries have adopted more transparent policies and actively invite the public and scientific community to participate in investigations and data collection efforts. Kean suggests that the American government’s secrecy is rooted in a combination of national security concerns, fear of public panic, and a desire to maintain technological superiority.

The Wilson memo and other classified documents reveal that U.S. agencies have been aware of phenomena that challenge conventional understanding for decades. However, efforts to study or disclose this information have often been thwarted by bureaucratic inertia and classified compartmentalization. This systemic secrecy complicates efforts by outside researchers and journalists, who must piece together fragmented evidence from leaks, witness testimonies, and declassified unintentionally revealing documents. Kean underscores that new declassification initiatives could potentially accelerate the timeline toward full transparency, but political and institutional barriers remain formidable.

International Contrast and Outlook

Kean underscores that not all governments follow the United States’ pattern of secrecy. Chile, for example, operates an official UAP office within its civil aviation authority, regularly publishing reports and inviting public participation. This approach reflects a more transparent, collaborative attitude and demonstrates that openness can coexist with national security protocols. Kean views Chile’s model as a template for future U.S. policies—highlighting the importance of establishing institutional frameworks where scientific, governmental, and civilian entities work together openly. She also mentions emerging transparency efforts in countries like France and the United Kingdom, which have initiated more open dialogue and data-sharing strategies.

This international contrast underscores a fundamental question: why is the U.S. lagging behind in transparency? Kean suggests that internal cultural factors, political pressures, and differing perceptions of national security influence policy decisions. She advocates for a shift towards greater openness, emphasizing that public trust and scientific progress depend on honest, comprehensive disclosure of UAP encounters.

Looking ahead, Kean asserts that the current “disclosure era” is the product of “quiet, sustained work” over decades—an accumulated effort involving whistleblowers, investigative journalism, FOIA activism, and evolving governmental attitudes. As new technologies such as advanced sensors, radar, and AI-driven analysis become more widespread, the potential for breakthroughs increases. Kean remains cautiously optimistic that a future where UAPs are openly studied, and their origins understood, is possible. However, she stresses that this future hinges on continued pressure from journalists, legislators, and the public to move from modest releases to full accountability. The ongoing push for transparency may ultimately lead to paradigm shifts in science, defense, and our understanding of our place in the cosmos.

In conclusion, Leslie Kean’s insights illustrate that the path to UAP disclosure has been long, arduous, and intertwined with national security considerations, institutional reluctance, and societal interest. While recent years have seen remarkable strides—including declassified videos and congressional hearings—the full story remains elusive. Kean’s work advocates for persistence and transparency, arguing that openness about aerial anomalies is essential for scientific integrity, public trust, and future technological and cultural evolution. The history, current developments, and international perspectives she presents collectively emphasize that disclosure is not a single moment but a sustained journey—one that continues to unfold with every new revelation, research effort, and public demand for truth.

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