Bermuda Mystery

The 181-island chain of Bermuda has long puzzled geologists. The oceanic crust beneath the islands sits at a higher elevation than the surrounding seafloor due to a mysterious swell. Typically, volcanic activity would account for such uplift, yet geologists believe the region hasn’t experienced an eruption in 31 million years—a discrepancy that has fueled decades of speculation.

The newly discovered structure may help resolve that puzzle. Despite the extreme age of Bermuda’s last known eruption, the massive rock layer suggests that ancient volcanic activity could have injected a significant volume of mantle material into the crust. That slab now appears to be pushing the ocean floor upward by nearly 1,700 feet relative to nearby areas.

Similar mantle quirks may explain the formation of other islands worldwide. At certain locations known as mantle hotspots, rising plumes of hot material generate volcanic activity that builds islands from below—Hawaii being a prime example. In most cases, however, the crust eventually moves away from the hotspot, causing the uplift to subside over time.

Bermuda’s uplift, persisting for more than 31 million years, defies that pattern. What exactly is occurring beneath the island remains the subject of active debate.

Imagining the Bermuda Rock

The team behind the discovery, spread across multiple U.S. institutions, including Yale and Smith College, reported their findings in a new paper in Geophysical Research Letters. They relied on seismic data to make their discovery, drawing from a seismic station located on Bermuda, which collected the data by observing large earthquakes occurring at great distances from the island. 

These observations allowed scientists to image the Earth below Bermuda to a depth of 31 miles. Changes in the signal received as the tremors reached Bermuda enabled the teams to identify the anomalous rock layer, which varied in density, thereby altering the seismic waves.

Earlier research on Bermuda’s geology revealed that the archipelago’s ancient lava was low in silica, indicating that it was produced from high-carbon rock. Further analysis of the material’s zinc content revealed that the lava originated deep in the mantle. Geologists believe that the rock originally entered the mantle during the formation of the Pangea supercontinent some 900 to 300 million years ago.

Understanding Island Formation

Although these geological events occurred long ago, the Atlantic Ocean itself is relatively young, forming only after the ancient supercontinent of Pangea broke apart. In contrast, the Indian and Pacific oceans predate Pangea, which may explain why island chains such as Hawaii have very different rock compositions.

Studying an outlier like Bermuda offers researchers valuable insights into rare geological processes. It also offers a useful comparison point for more typical island-forming environments, helping geologists understand the full range of ways Earth’s crust can evolve over vast timescales.

Going forward, the team now hopes to identify other islands with comparable anomalies to determine whether Bermuda is truly unique or if it represents the first offering in a wave of similar unique geological discoveries.

The paper, “Zinc Isotope Constraints on the Cycling of Carbon in the Bermuda Mantle Source,” appeared in the Geophysical Research Letters on September 15, 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.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

The Sun’s magnetic field controls its flare activity and, consequently, magnetic storms on Earth. However, it has a very complex structure. Recently, scientists have used artificial intelligence to map it.

Solar flare. Source: phys.org

Features of measuring the Sun’s magnetic fields

Researchers at the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) are helping to change the way scientists study the Sun. A team led by the University of Hawaii has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can map the Sun’s magnetic field in three dimensions with unprecedented accuracy, supporting research related to the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope built and managed by the NSF National Solar Observatory (NSO) on Haleakalā.

“The Sun is the most powerful source of space weather that can affect everyday life on Earth, especially now that we rely so heavily on technology,” said Kai Yang, a postdoctoral researcher at IfA who led the work. “The Sun’s magnetic field causes explosive phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections. This new technique helps us understand what causes these phenomena and improves space weather forecasts, allowing us to warn of dangers earlier in order to protect the systems we use every day.”

The Sun’s magnetic field controls eruptions that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communications on Earth. However, this field is difficult to measure, which complicates the creation of accurate maps. Instruments can show how the field tilts, but not whether it is directed toward or away from us, like when you look at a rope from the side and don’t know which end is closer.

Another problem is height. When scientists look at the Sun, they see several layers at once, making it difficult to determine how high each magnetic structure is. Sunspots complicate this task because their strong magnetic fields bend the surface downward, creating a depression.

Discovery based on artificial intelligence and a 3D map of the Sun’s magnetic field

IfA researchers, in collaboration with the National Solar Observatory and the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research High Altitude Observatory, have created a new machine learning system that combines real data with fundamental laws of physics. Their Haleakalā Disambiguation Decoder algorithm is based on a simple rule: magnetic fields form loops and do not begin or end. Based on this, artificial intelligence can determine the true direction of the field and estimate the correct height of each layer.

This method works well on detailed computer models of the Sun, including quiet regions, bright active regions, and sunspots. Its accuracy is particularly useful for understanding high-resolution images obtained with the Daniel K. Inovie Solar Telescope.

Thanks to this new machine learning tool, the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope can help scientists create a more accurate 3D map of the Sun’s magnetic field. It also reveals related features, such as vector electric currents in the solar atmosphere, which were previously very difficult to measure. Together, this gives us a clearer picture of what causes powerful solar flares.

Thanks to these achievements, researchers can see the Sun’s magnetic landscape more accurately and improve predictions of solar activity, which affects life on Earth.

• According to phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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

The 'three norths' have left England! Once-in-a-lifetime alignment of true, magnetic, and grid north moves into the North Sea - three years after they combined in the country for the first time since records began

• READ MORE: Unravelling the mystery of the giant 'scar' cutting across Scotland

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

After a three-year journey together through the heart of the country, the 'three norths' have left England. 

The historic triple alignment of 'true', 'magnetic' and 'grid' north – the three definitions of what north is – met on the south coast of Dorset back in November 2022 before travelling northwards.

On December 13, 2025, the alignment left England at Berwick-upon-Tweed and moved into the North Sea, say experts at the British Geological Survey (BGS). 

It will reach Scotland in a few months before eventually leaving the British National Grid – but for how long exactly is unknown. 

This alignment – the first here since records began – has been called a 'once-in-a-lifetime occurrence' as it may be several hundred years before it comes to Britain again.

'It's been a privilege to be able to observe this phenomenon over the past few years,' said Dr Ciarán Beggan, geophysicist at BGS.

'Although part of geospatial history, there is no impact for navigators, pilots and captains once the alignment leaves.' 

Although the concept of 'north' may seem straightforward, there are actually three definitions –  true north, magnetic north and grid north. 

This map displays a series of locations along the alignment line, from Langton Matravers in November 2022 to Berwick-upon-Tweed this month 

True north is the direction to the geographic north pole, while grid north is where the vertical blue lines shown on Ordnance Survey (OS) maps converge. 

Meanwhile, 'magnetic north' is the direction that a compass needle points as it aligns with the Earth's magnetic field – controlled by molten iron deep down in Earth's core.

For just over three years, there has been a point in England where the three versions of north have aligned (as of Saturday this point has entered the North Sea).

At this location, a compass, an Ordnance Survey map and the Earth's axis would all have been aligned with each other – and in agreement on which way was north. 

The historic alignment started at Langton Matravers, west of Swanage in Dorset in November 2022 before heading up into Devizes in Wiltshire in May 2023. 

It then passed through Lower Dowdeswell in Gloucestershire in September 2023, Woodgate Valley Country Park in Birmingham (January 2024), Leek in Staffordshire (May 2024) and Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire (October 2024). 

By April 2025 it reached Eggleston in the North Pennines, followed by Flotterton in Northumberland in August and Berwick-upon-Tweed, England's northernmost town, in December.

This 'special line' where true north and grid north align is the 2°W longitude meridian (pictured), and it is along this line that magnetic north has coincided

The three norths

However, its journey through Britain is not quite done – once it has travelled through the North Sea it will hit land again at the end of October 2026 in Drums, just south of Newburgh in Scotland. 

After passing through the large village Mintlaw in Aberdeenshire, its last stop in Scotland will be Fraserburgh around mid-December 2026, before it returns to the North Sea.

Once over the North Sea, the three norths are expected to continue northwards before leaving the Ordnance Survey National Grid, also known as the British National Grid. 

They will also stay in alignment for another couple of years before magnetic north separates from true north and grid north. 

According to the experts, the alignment's progress has slowed slightly since the initial predictions back in 2022. 

When it crossed the coast at Berwick-upon-Tweed, it had racked up about 358 miles (576km) of travel in 1127 days.

That's about 1,676 feet (511 metres) per day, or about 0.23-inch (5.9 mm) per second, or about 0.013 miles per hour.

Dr Beggan said the three norths combining in Britain has been 'a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence' largely due to the wandering magnetic north. 

November 2022: The red line shows magnetic north, while the blue 'special line' is true north and the grid north line which are perfectly aligned as they made landfall at the village of Langton Matravers just west of Swanage, Dorset, (pictured)

Magnetic north is the direction compasses point and the location where the Earth's magnetic field points vertically downward. The direction of magnetic north changes continually due to natural changes in the magnetic field 

Magnetic north moves slowly – about 30 miles per year – so it may be several hundred years before this alignment comes around again. 

'The magnetic field is not predictable in the long term, so we don't know how many hundreds of years it will take for this historic alignment to occur again,' said Dr Beggan.

Earth's magnetic field is created by the movement of liquid iron in the Earth's outer core, some 1,800 miles below our feet.

The iron is super hot (more than 5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) and as runny as water meaning it flows very easily.

As the liquid flows, it drags the magnetic field with it – meaning the magnetic north and south poles are constantly drifting around. 

The alignment began back in 2014, when magnetic north became east of grid north for some locations in Britain for the first time in more than 350 years. 

This affected navigators using a compass, who needed to adjust their bearing by subtracting instead of adding the difference between magnetic and grid north. 

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

More than 3,000 years after they were damaged by an earthquake, two of Egypt's most breathtaking monuments have been handsomely restored. 

The Colossi of Memnon are two giant alabaster statues on the other side of the Nile from Luxor, the historic city in Upper Egypt. 

Each measuring nearly 50 feet in height, they represent Amenhotep III, the powerful pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt from 1391 to 1353 BC. 

On Sunday, authorities pulled back the curtain on the repaired statues, described as 'one of the most important landmarks of the Egyptian civilization'. 

They have been restored, reassembled and raised to their original place as part of a renovation project that's lasted around two decades. 

Amenhotep III ruled ancient Egypt at the height of its powers, was worshipped as a living god, and was the grandfather of Tutankhamun.  

Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Australia, said he 'promoted peace and lived in a time of the greatest economic prosperity'. 

'He might well have been one of the richest men that ever lived, at least in his epoch,' he said. 

The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades

Each measuring nearly 50 feet in height, they represent Amenhotep III, the powerful pharaoh who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago

The Colossi of Memnon were originally built in 1350 BC, made from blocks of quartzite sandstone quarried near modern-day Cairo and transported 420 miles.

Both statues depict Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, with their faces looking eastward toward the Nile and the rising sun. 

They wear the striped 'nemes' headdress surmounted by the double crowns and the pleated royal kilt, which symbolizes the pharaoh's divine rule. 

Two other small statues on the pharaoh's feet depict his wife, Tiye, while more than 100 inscriptions cover the Colossi in Greek and Latin. 

In about 1200 BC, the colossi were damaged by a strong earthquake that also destroyed Amenhotep III's nearby funerary temple. 

The statues were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed.

Some of their blocks were reused in Luxor's Karnak temple, but archaeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, according to the Antiquities Ministry. 

The colossi are of great significance to Luxor, a city known for its ancient temples and other antiquities and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. 

The Colossi of Memnon were originally built in 1350 BC, made from blocks of quartzite sandstone quarried near modern-day Cairo and transported 420 miles 

In late 1990s, an Egyptian German mission, chaired by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began working in the temple area, including the assembly and renovation of the colossi

Pictured, visitors take photos with the two giant reassembled alabaster statues of Pharoah Amenhotep III, in the southern city of Luxor, Egypt, Sunday, December 14, 2025

They´re also an attempt to 'revive how this funerary temple of king Amenhotep III looked like a long time ago', said Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. 

Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt. 

The pharaoh, whose mummy is showcased at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390-1353 BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity, prosperity and grandeur.  

'Diplomatic letters by foreign potentates begged him to send them some gold as a present, "as gold shall be abundant in Egypt as sand",' Dr Habicht said. 

'It's the usual over-exaggeration for such a letter, but nevertheless hints towards extreme wealth.'

According to the academic, the pharaoh may also have been something of a womanizer, importing hundreds of foreign women to be part of his harem. 

'He was apparently very interested in women; he imported hundreds of foreign harem ladies and collected them as other people collect postal stamps,' he said.

Amenhotep III's reign was also known for great construction, including his mortuary temple, where the Colossi of Memnon are located, and another temple, Soleb, in Nubia. 

Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt

Unlike other monumental sculptures of ancient Egypt, the colossi were partly compiled with pieces sculpted separately, which were fixed into each statue´s main monolithic alabaster core, the ministry said

He is thought to have died between the ages of 40 and 50, leaving his successor (son Akhenaten IV) a kingdom at the height of its power and wealth. 

Amenhotep IV would rebel against the powerful Amun priesthood, installing the sun god Aten as the top Egyptian deity.

He changed his name to Akhenaten – meaning 'beneficial to Aten' – and even moved his capital away from Thebes – the 'city of Amun' – to a new city honouring the sun god, Akhetaten.

But his son, Tutankhaten, would restore the cult of Amun to prominence, changing his name to Tutankhamun – meaning 'the living image of Amun'.

Tutankhamun would become one of history's most famous pharaohs thanks to the discovery of his tomb in 1922, which was largely intact and contained many of its original artifacts.

WERE KING TUTANKHAMUN'S PARENTS ALSO COUSINS?

The complex family arrangements of Tutankhamun has been one of the great mysteries surrounding the young king.

While his father was known to have been Pharaoh Akhenaten, the identity of his mother has been far more elusive.

DNA testing has shown that Queen Tiye, whose mummy is pictured above, was the grandmother of the Egyptian Boy King Tutankhamun

In 2010 DNA testing confirmed a mummy found in the tomb of Amenhotep II was Queen Tiye, the chief wife of Amenhotep III, mother of Pharaoh Akhenanten, and Tutankhamun's grandmother.

A third mummy, thought to be one of Pharaoh Akhenaten wives, was found to be a likely candidate as Tutankhamun's mother, but DNA evidence showed it was Akhenaten's sister.

Later analysis in 2013 suggested Nefertiti, Akhenaten's chief wife, was Tutankhamun's mother.

However, the work by Marc Gabolde, a French archaeologist, has suggested Nefertiti was also Akhenaten's cousin.

This incestuous parentage may also help to explain some of the malformations that scientists have discovered afflicted Tutankhamun.

He suffered a deformed foot, a slightly cleft palate and mild curvature of the spine.

However, his claims have been disputed by other Egyptologists, including Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

His team's research suggests that Tut's mother was, like Akhenaten, the daughter of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye. 

Hawass added that there is 'no evidence' in archaeology or philology to indicate that Nefertiti was the daughter of Amenhotep III.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Explore every building in the WORLD: Incredible map charts 2.75 billion structures in 3D - including your home

• READ MORE: Interactive map lets you explore the vast network of Roman roads

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

From historic homes in Edinburgh to towering skyscrapers in Shanghai, you can now explore every building in the world from the comfort of your home.

An incredible new map charts the location and size of 2.75 billion buildings in incredible 3D detail.

Dubbed the GlobalBuildingAtlas, it contains over a billion more houses than the previous biggest dataset.

And you can use it for yourself by using the interactive map below.

The GlobalBuildingAtlas was created by researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany using a vast trove of satellite data.

The scientists combined nearly 800,000 satellite images captured in 2019 with an AI algorithm to predict the size of missing buildings based on the heights of the neighbours.

Lead author Professor Xiaoxiang Zhu says: '3D building information provides a much more accurate picture of urbanization and poverty than traditional 2D maps.

'With 3D models, we see not only the footprint but also the volume of each building, enabling far more precise insights into living conditions.'

An incredible new map charts the location and size of 2.75 billion buildings in incredible 3D detail. Pictured: the Forbidden City in Beijing 

In London, the satellite data that was used to create the map even picks up details like the shape of bridges and boats on the Thames 

To find your home on the map, or explore anywhere else in the world, all you need to do is search in the 'input address' bar at the top of the map.

The database will then reveal a 3D model of any area in the world, using data recorded by orbiting satellites.

These 3D models are exceptionally accurate in urban areas, where the researchers say the resolution is 30 times finer than comparable databases.

The researchers say that their site has received over 280,000 visits since it launched a few days ago.

This unexpected popularity far exceeds what the site was built for, so the map may be slow to load at times.

Besides being fascinating to explore, this detailed map has an important scientific function.

Creating detailed maps of the world's buildings has been extremely difficult in the past because it requires specialised satellites to scan the ground with lasers.

This makes it challenging to cover the entire globe with scans that have a high enough fidelity.

Creating detailed maps of the world's buildings has been extremely difficult in the past because it requires specialised satellites to scan the ground with lasers. Pictured: New York's towering skyscrapers 

Besides being fascinating to explore, this detailed map has an important scientific function. Pictured: the exact layout of the animal enclosures inside Edinburgh Zoo

Here you can see the tall buildings of London's Canary Wharf financial district and the iconic shape of the O2 stadium 

The map doesn't just record modern structures. Here you can see the layout of the different walls of the Tower of London 

The European countries with the most buildings

Finland: 3,967 cubic metres

Estonia:2,689 cubic metres

Sweden,2,159 cubic metres

Denmark: 1,996 cubic metres

Latvia: 1,666 cubic metres

Lithuania: 1,602 cubic metres

Belgium: 1,263 cubic metres

Netherlands: 1,250 cubic metres

Ireland: 1,228 cubic metres

Austria: 1,215 cubic metres

Building volume per capita

The researchers' solution was to combine laser-scanning data with artificial intelligence to fill out the gaps in the map.

The result is a detailed map of the world that can be used to study development, prepare for disasters, and plan new city developments.

According to their analysis of the dataset, Asia is home to 1.22 billion buildings, almost half of the world's total supply of buildings.

Africa follows with around 540 million buildings, coming in ahead of Europe with 403 million buildings.

North and South America have significantly fewer buildings, with 295 million and 264 million buildings respectively, while Oceania has only 14 million.

Using that data, the researchers have even created a new way of measuring social and economic development: building volume per capita.

The general idea is that the more space there is per person, the more well off that country is likely to be.

Finland, for example, tops the leaderboard in Europe with over 3,900 cubic metres of building volume per person and regularly ranks as the happiest country in Europe.

By zooming out, you can see the distribution of building volume over the whole world. Red areas show towns and cities where the concentration of buildings is highest

Asia is home to 1.22 billion buildings, almost half the world's total. This image shows the towering skyline of Shanghai's Bund district 

The map doesn't only show cities, and the satellite data is sensitive enough to pick up tiny settlements like the town of Lajamanu, deep in Australia's Northern Territories 

The researchers found that Finland, which is often rated as the happiest country in the world, has over six times more building volume per person than Greece and hundreds of times more than many African nations 

Read More

• Scientists baffled by giant structure hidden beneath Bermuda that is 'unlike anything else on Earth' 

Greece, on the other hand, which has faced decades of economic stagnation, has six times less building volume per person.

In the future, the researchers hope that this data could be used to help plan additional housing or public facilities in areas that need it most.

At the same time, the model could also be extremely useful for disaster prevention by showing which areas are the most at risk.

The German Aerospace Center, for example, is already examining how it can use the GlobalBuildingAtlas as part of its disaster support work around the world.

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

De mysterieuze 18 jaren van Jezus: wat deed hij in deze tijd?

©Getty Images

De mysterieuze 18 jaren van Jezus: wat deed hij in deze tijd?
Het levensverhaal van Jezus Christus is overduidelijk terug te vinden in de Bijbel. En hoewel we veel van zijn leven weten, bestaat er een enorm gat in het leven van Jezus dat tot op de dag van vandaag een mysterie blijft. Als gevolg hiervan zijn er in de loop der jaren een aantal theorieën ontstaan om de 'verloren jaren' van Jezus Christus te verklaren.

Wat deed Jezus en waar ging hij naartoe? Vestigde hij zich als familieman of ging hij reizen? Deze en vele andere mogelijkheden komen aan bod in deze galerij. Klik verder om erachter te komen waar Christus 18 jaar van zijn leven heeft doorgebracht (althans, volgens deze theorieën).

©Getty Images

De verloren jaren van Jezus
Een groot deel van het leven van Jezus wordt in de Bijbel beschreven, behalve een periode van 18 jaar tussen de leeftijd van 12 en 30 jaar. Deze periode staat bekend als de verloren/onbekende/mislukte jaren van Jezus.

©Getty Images

De verloren jaren van Jezus
Het leven van Jezus als pasgeborene is goed gedocumenteerd in de Bijbel, net als de jaren van zijn bediening. Maar er is een groot gat dat niet gedocumenteerd is en dat tot een aantal theorieën heeft geleid.

©Getty Images

Jezus bleef in Nazareth en werkte als timmerman
Eén theorie houdt het simpel: Jezus woonde in Nazareth, waar hij timmerwerk leerde van zijn vader, Jozef. Toen Jezus volwassen was, werd hij zelf timmerman. Zonen volgden meestal het beroep van hun vader, dus het is een plausibele theorie.

©Getty Images

Jezus bleef in Nazareth en werkte als timmerman
De Evangeliën lijken dit idee ook te ondersteunen. Marcus 6:3 luidt: "Is dit niet de timmerman, de zoon van Maria, de broer van Jakobus en Joses en van Juda en Simon?" Toch zijn sommige theologen het hier niet mee eens, waaronder de vroegchristelijke schrijver Origenes, die zei dat "Jezus zelf nergens in de evangeliën die door de kerken worden geaccepteerd als timmerman wordt beschreven".

©Getty Images

Jezus trouwde en kreeg kinderen
In het boek 'The Lost Gospel' beweren auteurs Barrie Wilson en Simcha Jacobovici dat Jezus tijdens de verloren jaren met Maria Magdalena trouwde en kinderen kreeg.

©Getty Images

Jezus trouwde en kreeg kinderen
De auteurs baseren dit idee op een 1500 jaar oud Aramees boek dat in de Britse bibliotheek is ontdekt.

©Getty Images

Jezus trouwde en kreeg kinderen
Er zijn andere bronnen die erop wijzen dat Jezus getrouwd zou kunnen zijn geweest, met name een Egyptische papyrus uit de 4e eeuw (afbeelding) met een citaat van Jezus waarin hij naar zijn vrouw verwijst. De papyrus, geschreven in de archaïsche Koptische taal, bevat de zin "Jezus zei tegen hen: 'Mijn vrouw...'".

©Getty Images

Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper
De theorie dat Jezus bijna 20 jaar als timmerman werkte en daarna een religieus figuur werd overtuigt veel schriftgeleerden niet. Sommigen suggereren zelfs dat Jezus in plaats daarvan een tijd als leerling van Johannes de Doper doorbracht voordat hij zijn eigen volgelingen verzamelde.

©Getty Images

Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper
Bruce Chilton's boek 'Rabbi Jezus' beargumenteert dat Jezus na zijn bezoek aan de Tempel niet terugkeerde naar Nazareth, maar zich als discipel aansloot bij Johannes de Doper. Chilton stelt dat "Jezus een rebelse, ondernemende geest had. Hij werd geen gepassioneerd religieus genie door weg te kwijnen in de conventionele vroomheid van een dorp dat hem nauwelijks accepteerde."

©Getty Images

Jezus werd een volgeling van Johannes de Doper
De Bijbel biedt misschien wat ondersteuning voor deze theorie in Matteüs 3:13-17, waarin de doop van Jezus door Johannes de Doper wordt beschreven.

©Getty Images

Jezus bracht jaren door met studeren en discussiëren met geleerden
De Bijbel noemt Jezus maar één keer tussen zijn geboorte en zijn dertigste, en dat is in het verhaal van Jezus in de Tempel. In Lucas 2:41-52 staat dat Maria en Jozef Jezus onbedoeld in Jeruzalem achterlieten toen hij 12 jaar oud was. Toen ze naar de stad terugkeerden, vonden ze Jezus in de tempel, in gesprek met de schriftgeleerden.

©Getty Images

Jezus bracht jaren door met studeren en discussiëren met geleerden
We kunnen gerust zeggen dat Jezus veel tijd besteedde aan leren. Zelfs op 12-jarige leeftijd vertelde hij zijn ouders dat ze niet verbaasd hoefden te zijn dat hij dagenlang met geleerden had gediscussieerd. Dit suggereert dat Jezus waarschijnlijk vele jaren heeft gestudeerd voordat hij volgelingen begon te verzamelen.

©Getty Images

Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee
De Dode Zee-rollen werden in 1947 gevonden in de droge woestijn ten zuidoosten van Jeruzalem. Het is mogelijk dat de rollen iets zeggen over de verblijfplaats van Jezus tijdens zijn verloren jaren.

©Getty Images

Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee
De theorie gaat dat toen Jezus jong was, hij Qumrān (foto) bezocht, waar de Essenen (een mystieke Joodse sekte) woonden. De Dode Zee rollen bevatten hun oude religieuze geschriften en er zijn aanwijzingen dat Johannes de Doper door deze groep beïnvloed zou kunnen zijn.

©Getty Images

Jezus werd monnik en leefde bij de Dode Zee
Als Johannes de Doper werd onderwezen door de Essene sekte, dan is het mogelijk dat Jezus ook met hen verbonden was. Bovendien wordt in één van de rollen een persoon beschreven die heel goed Jezus zou kunnen zijn. Deze persoon wordt de 'Zoon van God' en de 'Zoon van de Allerhoogste' genoemd.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar India
In 18 jaar kan er veel gebeuren en één theorie zegt dat Jezus misschien wel meerdere keren naar India is gereisd. Volgens deze theorie leerde Jezus het boeddhisme kennen in Kasjmir. Er bestaat zelfs een verhaal dat Jezus in 80 na Christus een boeddhistisch klooster ten noorden van Srinagar bezocht en deelnam aan een religieuze bijeenkomst, hoewel men dacht dat hij al jaren eerder was overleden.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar India
Er is een theorie dat Jezus naar India zou kunnen zijn gereisd om terug te keren naar het bezoek van de Drie Wijzen uit het Oosten. Dit zou ook kunnen verklaren waarom Jezus de heilige Thomas opdroeg om naar India te gaan en daar het Evangelie te verspreiden.

©Getty Images

Jezus was een herder
Misschien bracht Jezus zijn verloren jaren door als een echte herder voordat hij een metaforische herder werd. In Johannes 10:11 zegt Jezus: "Ik ben de goede herder. De goede herder geeft zijn leven voor de schapen." Zou hij hier in de echte wereld ervaring mee hebben gehad?

©Getty Images

Jezus was een herder
Hypothetisch gezien had Jezus het timmermansvak van zijn vader kunnen opgeven en in plaats daarvan jaren als herder kunnen werken. Die baan zou Jezus genoeg tijd hebben gegeven om diep na te denken, dat is zeker!

©Getty Images

Jezus bracht jaren in eenzaamheid door
Jezus was geweldig met mensen van in de dertig, maar misschien was hij niet altijd zo. Zijn tienerjaren waren misschien zijn eenzame jaren, waarin hij tijd besteedde aan introspectie en reflectie, zoals een monnik dat zou doen.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster
In een mysterieus manuscript uit de 3e eeuw, genaamd 'Leven van de Heilige Issa, Beste van de Zonen der Mensen', staat dat Jezus leerde van yogi's in India, Nepal en Tibet.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster
Veel wetenschappers verwerpen deze mogelijkheid volledig. De theorie werd voorgesteld door de Russische aristocraat en spion Nicolas Notovitch. Hij beweerde het manuscript te hebben gezien in het Hemis klooster (foto) in Ladakh, India, tijdens een reis in 1894. Het klooster betwistte zijn beweringen echter.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Tibet, Nepal en India en woonde in een klooster
Hoewel het door velen als bedrog wordt afgedaan, zijn er een paar bezoekers van het Hemis-klooster geweest die beweren hetzelfde manuscript te zijn tegengekomen.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Groot-Brittannië
Eén theorie zegt dat Jezus naar Groot-Brittannië reisde met zijn oom, Jozef van Arimathaea, die een tinhandelaar was. Niet alleen dat, maar ook dat hij met de druïden in Glastonbury heeft gestudeerd. "Hij moest rondtrekken om stukjes en beetjes te leren over oude wijsheid, en de druïden in Groot-Brittannië gingen honderden, zo niet duizenden jaren terug. Hij kwam hier waarschijnlijk om de druïden te ontmoeten, om zijn wijsheid te delen en die van hen te vergaren," zei Dr. Gordon Strachan, predikant van de Kerk van Schotland.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Groot-Brittannië
De theorie won aan populariteit in de 19e eeuw met een gedicht van William Blake, dat ging als volgt: "En liepen die voeten in de oudheid / over Engelands groene bergen / En werd het Heilige Lam Gods / Op Engelands aangename weiden gezien?"

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Amerika
Eén theorie suggereert dat Jezus naar de Nieuwe Wereld reisde. Archeoloog L. Taylor Hansen stelde voor dat een figuur die bekend staat als de 'Witte Profeet' verschillende inheemse Amerikaanse stammen bezocht in de periode van de verloren jaren van Jezus. Er bestaan verhalen over deze 'Witte Profeet' in plaatsen zoals Mexico, Peru en Noord-Amerika.

©Getty Images

Jezus reisde naar Amerika

Volgens de legende kon deze 'Witte Profeet' vele talen spreken, zieken genezen en doden weer tot leven wekken. Dat lijkt verdacht veel op Jezus niet?

©Getty Images

Jezus leefde (en overleed) in Japan
Volgens deze theorie reisde Jezus naar Japan toen hij 21 was om theologie te studeren. Jezus vestigde zich in de stad Shingo en bleef 12 jaar in het land.

©Public Domain

Jezus leefde (en overleed) in Japan
De theorie zegt ook dat Jezus eigenlijk niet werd gekruisigd. Voordat dit kon gebeuren, vluchtte hij uit Judea en ging terug naar Shingo, waar hij stierf toen hij 106 jaar oud was. Vandaag de dag beweert Shingo de geboortestad van Christus te zijn geweest en elk jaar bezoeken duizenden mensen het vermeende graf van Jezus Christus.

Zie ook: 

•  Alle wonderen die Jezus Christus verrichtte

Bronnen:

• (History)
• (National Geographic)
• (The Independent)
• (PBS)
• (BBC)
• (SBS)
• (Ranker)

RELATED

{ Stars Insider }

This Man Claimed that in 1994 he Met a Blue, Crocodile-Eyed ‘Alien’ in a Military Uniform

This Man claimed that in 1994, during a US military exercise, he saw an unusual alien being in a military-style uniform whose skin had a light blue tint, no ears & eyes like a Crocodile that freaked him out. The being told him that his craft was damaged and that he needed some material to repair it.

Jason Sands is a retired US Air Force veteran, a Defense Contractor, UAP whistleblower claiming he had an otherworldly encounter in 1994 near Nellis Air Force Base/Test Range.

He was born in England to an English mother and a U.S. Army Green Beret father, and later lived in Japan, Massachusetts, Germany, and California because of his father’s military assignments.

At about age 10 in San Jose, Jason says he saw a red light come down from the sky, turn into a silver, mercury-drop-shaped object about the size of a camper, hovering just above his friend’s house, silently and very close. He watched it move under a streetlight, then shoot up, orbit briefly with another light, and then one of them streaked across the sky faster than a shooting star; his mother saw part of this with him, and his friend later reported his TV flickering and a humming sound. This sighting led Jason to read “Chariots of the Gods” and become interested in ancient aliens for a while, but as a child, he mostly returned to normal life, sports, and friends, without making UFOs a central focus.

Jason joined the U.S. Air Force in the mid‑1980s, partly influenced by his father but following his father’s advice not to join the Army or Marines; his father wanted him to learn a trade, so Jason chose the Air Force for its technical skills and later used it to earn a bachelor’s degree. He first worked as an airframe repair specialist on large aircraft like C‑130s and KC‑135s, fixing structural cracks, landing gear tracks, and rivets, before being retrained in signals intelligence due to overmanning in his original field.

As a signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialist, Jason monitored telecommunication signals on U.S. military installations, which required strong privacy training because he was listening to Americans, and he had to report threats like planned violent crimes to investigative agencies. He says his work expanded from radios to satellite communications, cell phones, and computer traffic over time, and during Desert Storm, he and his team intercepted information about Iraqi civil engineers being moved, which led to changing U.S. plans to protect those engineers from ambush while they dealt with oil-filled burn pits.

After Germany and Desert Storm, Jason requested western locations like Nevada, Hawaii, or Colorado, and was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, living in North Las Vegas. At Nellis, he trained other SIGINT analysts and also received special prototype training to cross over into electronic intelligence (ELINT), working with radar data—this is how he met his future wife, who was an ELINT “scope dope” assigned to the same unit and trained him.

Jason took part in “Red Flag” exercises at Black Mountain and the wider Nevada Test and Training Range, staying for two‑week rotations in small towns like Beatty and Tonopah rather than commuting daily from Las Vegas. He describes how, while training at Black Mountain, people casually pointed across the desert toward the Groom Lake range and talked about “Dreamland” and UFO rumors, which was his first time really hearing those stories in that context.

A few months after arriving in Nevada, Jason and several other analysts were quietly approached by colleagues and told they were being considered for a special access program (SAP) located at Groom Lake. They were asked if they would submit to a full‑scope (lifestyle) polygraph, which probes their entire life history for trustworthiness; Jason agreed, saying he had nothing to hide, and took the polygraph alongside a scientist who was also being onboarded.

After passing, Jason got a call on a Friday telling him to pack his bags without being told the destination, and the next day, he was picked up at his dorm, driven to a special secure part of McCarran Airport, and put on an unmarked “Janet” type flight with other personnel. He noticed that boarding and deplaning were unusually orderly, with no crowding or rushing, and upon arrival, he watched a mandatory security video that introduced the program name, rules, and general mission without openly mentioning aliens.

Jason also notes that he had heard of Bob Lazar in the media but did not know or care about Lazar’s claims while he was actually working at Groom Lake; Lazar had nothing to do with his assignment or chain of command.

1994 Red Flag exercise near Black Mountain

Jason explains that he and his team were driving in a convoy toward Quartz Mountain, with his truck in the lead. He sat in the back seat behind the driver, with another man in the front passenger seat and a young woman sitting to Jason’s right in the back. They always traveled with at least two vehicles behind them so that if one broke down, the others could help.​

As they drove, Jason saw a man in a standard battle dress uniform (BDU), just like his own, standing on the left side of the road about a football field away. When the man noticed their vehicle, he started running toward them in a strange way, leaning forward as if he were falling or pushing against a strong wind. At first, Jason thought he was just another soldier in trouble, not a criminal or escaped fugitive.​

As they got closer, Jason noticed that the man’s skin had a light blue tint, like someone who is very cold and hypothermic, not a dark or bright blue, but a pale bluish tone under normal skin color. Jason’s first thought was that the man was freezing and needed help, not that he was anything non‑human. When the stranger was only a few feet from the vehicle, and they were slowing down, the man in the front passenger seat suddenly shouted, “He’s got no ears,” meaning there were no ears at all on the sides of his head.​

Read also:

• This Man Says NASA Asked for Help After Astronauts Encountered Orbs Containing 125-Foot Winged Angelic Beings That Smiled at Them
• This Man Behind the Documentary “The Age of Disclosure” Claims Donald Trump Might Be the One to Confirm the Existence of Aliens
• This Russian Woman Claimed to Have Super Psychokinetic Powers, Could Move Objects with Her Mind, Magnetize Items, and Affect Organs.

Jason at first thought this comment was rude because he assumed the man was suffering and needed medical help. He quickly opened his door and started taking off his jacket, intending to wrap it around the stranger to warm him up. As Jason stepped onto the road, shut the door, and looked at the figure from very close range—about three feet—he saw clearly that the being had no ears, eyes roughly twice the normal human size, and that same blue tint to the skin. At that instant, he felt a strong surge of fear, like a jolt of adrenaline, and thought, “Oh crap, this does not look human.”

Jason says that when he and the being locked eyes, it felt like looking into the eyes of a crocodile or suddenly seeing a rattlesnake; his primal fear spiked even though the being was not attacking him. He describes it as meeting a sentient creature he could not explain, similar to the shock of seeing a huge whale underwater the first time you scuba dive, but without knowing what this “whale” actually was. Despite his fear, the situation changed when the being began to communicate with him, which calmed him somewhat because Jason had to focus on the conversation.​

The being spoke out loud in a language that sounded to Jason like Norwegian or some northern European language, not English. Jason did not understand the spoken words themselves, but at the same time, he clearly received the meaning in his mind, as if the being was speaking telepathically in parallel. Jason says he could understand everything: the being telling him that his craft was damaged and that he needed material to repair it. (it is unclear what the material name was, but many interpreted Jason as pronouncing something like “tintillium/trintillium”)

Jason then pointed in the direction of “Dreamland,” meaning the Groom Lake/Area 51 complex, and said those people might have advanced metals and high‑tech material that could help. As soon as he mentioned them, Jason felt a strong telepathic wave of disgust from the being, as if the being considered those people primitive or barbaric and wanted nothing to do with them.​

Jason confirms he was speaking normally in English, not just thinking, and the being seemed to understand him perfectly. He compares the language effect to speaking Spanish out loud to someone while the listener simultaneously hears perfect English in their mind via Duolingo—one channel is foreign sounds, the other is clear meaning. The being continued talking in its unknown spoken language, while Jason kept understanding the content telepathically.​

During the exchange, Jason occasionally glanced back at h is teammates in the vehicle. He says they looked “zonked,” like zombies, sitting motionless and staring blankly, similar to people who have been stunned in the Men in Black movies. Their expression was so odd that Jason almost found it comical, but he also recognized something was very wrong because they were not reacting to what was happening just outside the vehicle.​

Jason notes that the driver might have started to roll the window down at first, but likely rolled it back up when he saw Jason opening his door, wanting to keep the cold air out. Jason is not certain about the exact position of the window, because his attention was on the being and the conversation rather than the small details in the car. He says the entire interaction with the being could not have lasted more than about five minutes, though it felt intense and full of sensory input.​

At some point, Jason clearly realized, “Holy ****, I’m talking to an alien,” especially after he understood that the being was using an unknown language with a telepathic overlay and after noting that the being’s appearance was completely non‑human. He stresses that he has never before or since had someone speak to him in a foreign language while he simultaneously understood them telepathically in his own language. That combination of physical strangeness and telepathic communication convinced him he was dealing with a non‑human intelligence.​

The craft itself was parked off the road in the desert, about 50 yards from where Jason and the being stood. Jason says he looked to his left as he exited the vehicle and saw it clearly in profile. The craft had a bulbous, egg‑shaped cockpit, white in color, roughly comparable in size to the cockpit of a modern fighter jet, and seemingly able to hold about two occupants. Attached to the back of this cockpit was a flat, black, pancake‑like “egg” about a foot to a foot and a half thick, sticking out where the tail of a helicopter would normally be.​

Jason compares the overall shape to certain helicopters that have a large, rounded canopy where the pilots sit, except this craft had that big,ig rounded section plus the black disk at the rear and no wings or propellers visible. He emphasizes that, as part of Red Flag exercises, he and his colleagues were familiar with every type of aircraft in the U.S. inventory and many foreign allied aircraft, including bombers and fighters. He is confident this craft matched none of them and was unlike anything they were trained on or saw during the exercises.​

Jason says he could take people back to the exact location on that road and point out the spot where the craft sat, probably within about ten feet. He remembers the spot very clearly on the route toward Quartz Mountain. As the conversation continued, Jason ran out of helpful ideas; after being reacted with disgust to the Groom Lake suggestion, Jason told him the only other possibility he could think of was a geophysics professor he knew at the community college in downtown Las Vegas, who might have access to metals or specialists.​

When Jason mentioned the professor, the being accepted this as a possible option and said something like “OK” in response. Shortly after that, the conversation ended; Jason did not want to stay any longer and also felt they had reached the limits of what he could do to help. The being then walked back to his craft, entered it, and the craft lifted off.​

Jason describes the takeoff sound as a strange noise, somewhat like a squeaking fan belt in a car, but not very loud. The craft rose straight up from its position, then began moving horizontally while rising in a kind of stair‑step pattern rather than a smooth line, which Jason thinks could be due to the damage the being had mentioned, especially affecting the vertical flight system. The craft flew south‑southeast across the range, in a direction roughly toward Las Vegas, and eventually passed out of sight.​

After the craft left, Jason got back into the vehicle. At that moment, his teammates seemed to “come to”: their faces no longer looked zoned out, and they suddenly acted normal again. No one said, “What the hell was that?” or reacted the way Jason expected after such an extraordinary event. When he asked them directly if they had seen what just happened, they all said no.​

Jason felt this was strange, and he sensed that at least the ranking driver did remember something, because that man firmly said no and added that they should not talk about it. Jason took this as a sign that the senior man had seen enough to be frightened or concerned and wanted the subject shut down. He thinks it is likely that some of the people in the car, maybe all of them except him, experienced “lost time” or had their awareness switched off during the main part of the encounter.​

Jason explains “lost time” as a gap in memory where a section of time disappears, either because of a physical blow to the head or, in many abduction stories, because the beings have a way to turn off a person’s consciousness. He mentions reports where car radios and electronics shut down around craft, and afterwards, witnesses realize more time has passed than they remember, even though it felt like nothing happened. Jason believes something like this may have affected his teammates and may also connect to his own later missing time that day.​

He then continues the story to describe what happened after they reached Black Mountain. The convoy proceeded as scheduled; they had to arrive at a set time to power up their equipment and start their operational work, so outwardly, everyone focused on the mission. Jason, however, drove in shock, silently replaying the encounter in his head and thinking, “Holy crap, what just happened?”​

At Black Mountain, they set up their gear, worked through the mission, and then later returned to their hotel. Jason says that only the ranking man seemed to recall any part of it, because he was the only one willing to acknowledge anything when Jason tried to talk to him later. Around lunchtime that same day at Black Mountain, Jason felt a very strong, strange urge to eat his lunch outside even though it was extremely cold.​

He followed this feeling, took his lunch, and walked down the road from the Black Mountain site about 100 to 150 feet. He remembers walking down the road—and then his memory simply stops. That is where his own missing time begins: he has no recollection of what happened after walking that short distance away from the main site.

Post-Alien Encounter

Years later, in 2022, Jason says he was asked by people associated with the UAP Task Force to contact the other men from the car to corroborate the event. He reached out to one former colleague, who initially replied warmly, but when Jason mentioned “remember that day back in ’94, that UFO,” the man never responded again and effectively ghosted him.​

Jason interprets this as either fear, unwillingness to revisit traumatic or sensitive material, or pressure to remain silent, although he cannot know the exact reason. He states he is willing to take a polygraph specifically about this UFO encounter and his Groom Lake experiences because he considers himself an honest person and believes he is telling the truth as he remembers it.

He mentions that he has spoken privately, in more detail, to a very small number of trusted people and that some of what he told them included references to operations that could be interpreted as involving non‑human intelligences (NHI), but he stresses he is still trying to sort out what is memory, what is nightmare, and how his mind might have protected him by altering or hiding details.​

Jason repeatedly acknowledges that claims about missing time, UFO craft at Black Mountain, and any implication of being ordered to harm an NHI sound unbelievable and can severely damage his credibility. He says his hesitation and emotional reaction are partly because he knows how bad this sounds, even “if it’s true,” and he does not want these aspects to be used to dismiss his documented military career and more conventional intelligence work.​

At the same time, he emphasizes that his life story, service record, positions of trust, and multiple polygraphs show that he has generally been considered reliable and responsible within the system. Jason’s current stance is that he stands by what he has described about his UFO encounter and his involvement in a Groom Lake SAP, but he draws a line on discussing the most extreme alleged incidents until he and his psychiatrist can fully unpack them, out of concern for both truth and his own mental health.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

Did a Rogue Planet Reshape Our Solar System?

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

2.8 Days to Disaster - Why We Are Running Out of Time in Low Earth Orbit

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

2.8 Days to Disaster - Why We Are Running Out of Time in Low Earth Orbit

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

The Geminid meteor shower peaks overnight on December 13-14. It’s a great year for the Geminids! Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd for details.

The biggest meteor shower of the YEAR peaks this evening- December 13-14- with up to 150 shooting stars every hour – here's the best time to see it

• READ MORE: NASA discovers a rock on Mars that 'doesn't belong there'

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

he biggest meteor shower of the year is almost here – and you won't want to miss it.

The Geminid Meteor Shower will reach its dazzling peak tonight, with up to 150 shooting stars visible every hour.

This celestial display is famous for its bright, multi–coloured meteors that light up the sky in yellow, red, green, and blue.

The shower is active until December 20, but will be at its most spectacular this evening.

The best times to watch this incredible show will be between midnight and 02:00 am local time, but they will start to appear any time after dark.

And with the crescent moon at just 26 per cent of its normal brightness, keen stargazers should be in for a great view of the approaching meteors.

All you need to see tonight's show will be your own eyes, a warm coat, and a bit of patience – with no need for specialist binoculars or telescopes.

So, here's everything you need to know to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower tonight.

The best meteor display of the year is not far away as the Geminids reach their dazzling peak tonight. Here's everything you need to know to see them. Pictured: The Geminids over Broadway Tower, Worcestershire

What are the Geminids?

Dr Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told Daily Mail: 'Space is not quite as empty as we might think. As objects like asteroids and comets roam through our solar system, they leave behind trails of dust and gas.

'The Earth regularly passes through these trails, sweeping up vast numbers of bits of debris like bugs on the windscreen of a car.'

As our planet crashes through this minefield, chunks of rock and dust crash down into our atmosphere, where they burn up with a bright flash.

During the Geminids, particles as small as a grain of sand race through the upper atmosphere at speeds up to 43 miles per second (70 km/s).

Since this cloud of debris is always in the same location, the meteor shower always occurs at the same time of year.

However, the Geminids are unique in that they come from the rocky asteroid 3200 Phaethon, rather than an icy comet like most other meteor showers.

Since this asteroid is rich in metals, the resulting meteors can flare in a stunning array of colours as they burn up in the atmosphere.

The Geminids are unique in that they are the debris from a rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon (artist's impression), rather than an icy comet

Due to the metals from 3200 Phaethon, the Geminids have a distinctive coloured glow and can flash yellow,  green, or blue. Pictured: A Geminid meteor over Arizona, USA

What are meteors?

'Like burning chemicals in your secondary school science lab, the colour of the flame is dependent on the chemicals that burn,' says Dr Brown.

'While many of the meteors will still be white, if elements like sodium and calcium are present, then coloured displays of yellow and violet can occur.'

How to see the Geminid Meteor Shower this evening

The best thing about meteor showers like the Geminids is that the best way to see them is without any special equipment.

Using anything like binoculars or a telescope will only restrict your field of view, so all you need is your own eyes and a bit of patience.

The Geminids appear to emerge from a single point, known as the radiant, located in the constellation Gemini from which they get their name.

You can find Gemini by looking up and left over the 'shoulder' of Orion and searching for the bright star Castor.

However, for the best view, you should focus your eyes a little to the side of the constellation so that the meteors appear in your more light–sensitive peripheral vision.

The Geminids will appear to emerge from the constellation Gemini, near the bright star Castor. To get the best view, wait until 2:00 am local time when this constellation is highest in the sky 

Dr Shyam Balaji, of King's College London, told Daily Mail: The best time to view the Geminid meteor shower is around 2 am local time when the radiant point is highest in the sky.

'However, you can start watching from mid–evening onward.'

In good conditions, viewers can expect to see upwards of 100 shooting stars an hour, or one or two every minute.

When viewing conditions are poor, you will be able to see fewer stars in the sky, so it's important to make sure you find the right stargazing location.

Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Executive Director at the Royal Astronomical Society: 'With a meteor shower what you want is the widest possible view – you want to be lying down, looking up at the broad panoply of stars, and watching for meteors.

'The best view is if you're away from sources of light pollution, so try and get away from at least direct lights in towns and cities, ideally out in the countryside.

'Obviously you also need a clear sky – if it’s cloudy you're not going to see anything.'

You should soon start to see short streaks of light that last for a second or two.

+7

View gallery

Under optimal conditions, you may see as many as 150 shooting stars per hour. To get the best view, make sure to find a place with a clear view of the sky and limited light pollution. Pictured: The Geminid Meteor shower seen from Virginia, USA 

+7

View gallery

+7

View gallery

After a week of stormy weather, the Met Office is forecasting light cloud cover and only sporadic rain for Sunday night 

Meteors usually aren't visible for long enough for you to point them out to someone else, so you will need to keep your eyes peeled.

Luckily, after a week of storms, the weather conditions for Sunday night are looking better for sky watching.

Read More

 Is life out there? NASA finds essential sugars on ancient asteroid Bennu 

The Met Office forecasts largely clear skies over the East of England and Scotland, with some patches of cloud over the South West and Wales.

Thanks to the waning crescent moon, the sky should also be dark enough for some excellent views of the Geminid Meteor Shower.

However, if you do miss out on the shower's spectacular peak, there will be opportunities to see the Geminids until December 20, albeit at a reduced rate.

Following that, keen fireball hunters will be able to catch the weaker but reliable Ursid Meteor Shower, peaking on December 22.

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

'Lost' books of the Bible expose secrets the Church is hiding about Jesus

By ROB WAUGH

The Bible is often seen as a fixed text that has remained largely unchanged for generations, but it was not always so. 

There are 66 books in the modern Bible, across the Old and New Testaments, but over 70 writings were circulated in early Jewish and Christian communities that were never accepted into the canon. 

These 'lost' books date from the late Second Temple period through the third century AD, spanning roughly the first century when Jesus lived up to about 300 AD. 

Many of these works were controversial or heretical, offering radically different portrayals of angels, giants, Jesus and humanity's origins. 

They reveal a world of competing ideas about faith, morality, and divine intervention that early church leaders ultimately rejected. 

Some describe heavenly beings mating with humans, others present Jesus in ways that conflict with the New Testament, and still others depict familiar figures in startlingly different roles. 

Though these texts were influential at the time, they were eventually excluded from Jewish and Christian scripture, leaving only fragments or references in historical records. 

Today, they survive mostly in manuscripts like the Dead Sea Scrolls or isolated copies preserved by groups such as Ethiopian Christians.

Many of these works were controversial or heretical, offering radically different portrayals of angels, giants, Jesus and humanity's origins 

One of the most famous of these texts is the Book of Enoch, which expands on the mysterious Nephilim, giants mentioned briefly in the Old Testament. 

According to the book, 200 fallen angels took human wives and had children, who became violent giants that devoured humanity's resources. 

God commands the angel Michael to bind the angels, and later, the Nephilim perish in the Flood. 

While it is not included in most Jewish or Christian canons, the Book of Enoch was widely read in antiquity and still holds canonical status for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The Book of Enoch was not accepted due to its controversial apocalyptic visions, detailed angelology, like the Watchers' descent, mystical themes, and perceived theological inconsistencies with evolving doctrines 

Other texts offer unexpected portrayals of Jesus. The Apocalypse of Peter, written in the second or third century, describes Jesus laughing during the crucifixion, reflecting Gnostic beliefs that his physical body was an illusion. 

In it, Peter asks, 'What am I seeing, O Lord? Is it you whom they take? … Who is this one above the cross, who is glad and laughing?' 

The earliest known manuscript fragment of the Infancy of the Gospel of Thomas was only discovered in 2024, discussing one of Jesus' early miracles 

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas offers another radical departure, depicting a young Jesus wielding supernatural powers. 

He brings clay birds to life, curses a child who dies, blinds nearby adults, and later reverses these acts, even resurrecting someone who falls from a roof. 

But it also portrays a darker side, depicting Jesus as vengeful, even cursing a child to death for striking him on the shoulder. 

After Jesus kills the child for accidentally bumping into him, the villagers become upset and complain to Joseph and Mary. In response to their accusations, Jesus strikes the accusers with blindness.

In another episode, Joseph takes Jesus to a teacher to learn the alphabet, and the teacher becomes irritated when Jesus laughs at his instructions.

The omitted book begins when Jesus is just five years old, while the traditional Bible's first mention is of him at 12 years old. 

The Infancy Gospel of Thomas was rejected by the early Church because it portrayed Jesus as a violent, petulant child and conflicted with orthodox Christian teachings.

Its late composition date and association with Gnostic literature further led leaders to deem it inauthentic and heretical.

Perhaps the most controversial is the Gospel of Judas, rediscovered in the 1970s in a limestone box near the Nile. 

However, it was not written by the Apostle Judas who betrayed Jesus by handing him over to the Romans. 

Unlike the traditional New Testament account, this text portrays Judas Iscariot as Jesus' chosen disciple, entrusted with a divinely appointed betrayal. 

Jesus tells him, 'You will become the thirteenth … and you will be cursed by the other generations, and you will come to rule over them.' 

The Gospel of Judas presents Judas as someone who understands Jesus' mission better than the other disciples, challenging centuries of conventional interpretations.

These lost books, whether depicting angels and giants or offering alternative visions of Jesus' life and mission, provide a fascinating glimpse into the diversity of early Jewish and Christian thought. 

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Ancient cubed-shaped skull found in Mexico challenges human history

• MORE:  Mysterious species found living alongside our earliest ancestors deemed missing link in evolution

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

An ancient cube-shaped skull unearthed in Mexico is rewriting our understanding of the ancient world, revealing a completely unique member of a society from 1,400 years ago.

This remarkable skull belonged to a man over 40 years old who lived during Mexico's Classic period, roughly between 400 and 900 AD, according to specialists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

It was discovered at the Balcón de Montezuma archaeological site in the mountainous northern Huasteca region of Mexico's Tamaulipas state.

Researchers determined through bone and teeth analysis that the man was born, lived his entire life, and died right there in the local mountains, with no evidence he ever moved or lived in another region.

The team added that the find was 'unprecedented' in this part of the world as a skull deformed to resemble a cube had never been found near Huasteca before.

The skull's unique appearance was the result of intentional cranial deformation, a practice where flat boards and bandages were pressed against a baby's soft head for years to mold it into a square shape.

This deformation was likely done without causing pain, as the skull bones of an infant are malleable, allowing families to gradually reshape the head as a cultural tradition.

Experts believe such rituals were performed to signify beauty, social status, or even spiritual connections in ancient Mesoamerican societies.

Researchers in Mexico have discovered a man's skull which was deformed to take the shape of a cube roughly 1,400 years ago (Pictured)

The skull was found at the Balcón de Montezuma archaeological site in the northern Huasteca region of Mexico's Tamaulipas state

Archaeologists have previously uncovered a variety of intentionally modified skulls across ancient Mexico, particularly elongated cone-like shapes among the Olmec and Maya.

Those cone-shaped skull changes are believed to have been achieved by gently binding infants' soft heads with cloth and bandages during the first months or years of their lives.

To the ancient Mesoamericans, these oddly-shaped skulls held a different significance depending on the ancient civilization making the changes to their babies. For example, the ancient Maya are believed to have done this for social status and beauty.

However, the newly discovered cube skull has left researchers with a mystery, as the team from INAH could not explain why this man was the only human to undergo this procedure in Tamaulipas.

Cube-shaped skulls, with their flattened tops that create a boxy profile, have typically been found at distant sites like El Zapotal in Veracruz and scattered Maya settlements in southeastern Mexico, far from the northern mountains where this fossil turned up.

With that in mind, the research team decided to test if the 40-year-old was truly a native of the northern Huasteca region.

Scientists looked at specific clues hidden in his bones and teeth. These clues are called 'stable oxygen isotopes,' or different versions of oxygen atoms that don't change over time.

The exact mix of these oxygen versions in bones and teeth come from the water a person drinks throughout their life.

The research team was able to confirm that this man spent his entire life in the region, making his cube-shaped skull more of a mystery since this ritual was unusual for the area

Water in different places, such as in rainy mountains or dry coasts, has its own unique oxygen 'fingerprint' because of the local climate and geography.

By testing those oxygen fingerprints in the man's tooth enamel, which formed in childhood, and bone collagen, which updates through adulthood, researchers saw the same mountain water pattern in both.

That made it a match for the local mountain water this person likely drank his whole life in Mexico's northern mountains.

Physical anthropologist Jesús Ernesto Velasco González said: 'Stable oxygen isotope studies in collagen and bioapatite samples from bone and teeth, a technique used to infer the geographic origin of the second individual's skeletal remains, indicate that he was born, lived, and died in this part of the mountains.'

'Therefore, the results rule out a direct mobility relationship with the groups of El Zapotal or those further south,' the researcher continued in a statement translated to English.

While the team is still trying to crack the mystery behind the cube-shaped skull, they said it likely wasn't just about looking different, but may have been a symbol of belonging to a larger cultural family that stretched across hundreds of miles of Mexican coastline.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

If you've ever dreamed of soaring over traffic on your daily commute, your dreams could soon be a reality – as the 'world's first' flying car enters production.

The Alef Model A Ultralight uses eight propellers hidden in the boot and bonnet to take off at any time.

And when you're done flying, the futuristic £235,000 vehicle can land and drive like any normal car.

After more than a decade of development, the US–based Alef Aeronautics has finally announced that the first customers will soon get their flying cars.

The futuristic vehicles will be hand–assembled in the company's facility in Silicon Valley, California.

However, Alef Aeronautics says that each car will take 'several months' of craftsmanship before it is safe to send out to customers.

The first handmade cars will only be delivered to a few customers to test out the experimental vehicles in real–world conditions.

The company says this slow rollout will allow it to work out any potential issues before the flying car enters mass production.

The 'world's first' flying car (pictured) has finally entered production, as Alef Aeronautics announces that its first all–electric vehicle will be hand assembled in the US 

Alef Aeronautics' futuristic vehicle can be driven around like a normal car on the streets or take off and fly using eight propellers hidden in its carbon–fibre mesh body 

Jim Dukhovny, CEO of Alef Aeronautics, says: 'We are happy to report that production of the first flying car has started on schedule.

'The team worked hard to meet the timeline, because we know people are waiting. We're finally able to get production off the ground.'

Unlike flying taxis, which rely on airports or vertiports, Alef Aeronautics says its vehicle is the first true 'flying car' that can both drive on the roads and fly.

The Model A is both a road–legal vehicle and an aircraft capable of taking off without wings via eVTOL (electric vertical take–off and landing).

On the ground, the Model A drives just like a normal electric car, thanks to four small engines in each of the wheels.

But the driver's seat is also surrounded by powerful propellers that provide enough thrust for flight at a cruising speed of 110 miles per hour (177 km/h).

The carbon–fibre mesh body – measuring around five metres by two metres – allows air to pass through the car while keeping the spinning blades safely covered.

The company says that the car will have enough room for the pilot and one passenger, and have a range of 200 miles (321 km) on the ground and 110 miles (177 km) in the air.

The company says that the flying car will have a range of 200 miles (321 km) on the ground and 110 miles (177 km) in the air

Mr Dukhovny claims the car, which is aimed at the general public, is relatively simple to use and would take just 15 minutes to learn. 

The Model A Ultralight, which will soon be in customers' hands, is a stripped–down prototype version of Alef's flagship Model A flying car.

The entire car weighs just 385 kg (850 lbs), so that it can be classified as an ultralight 'low speed vehicle' – a legal classification for small electric vehicles like golf carts.

That means the car will be capped at 25 miles per hour (40 km/h) on public roads despite being able to drive faster.

Having received airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2023, Alef Aeronautics is now edging closer to making the Model A a reality – over a decade after the company was founded.

The company reports that it has received 3,500 pre–orders, collectively worth more than £800 million.

However, don't expect to see The Jetsons–style flying cars filling the air near you just yet.

Alef Aeronautics says that the first customers will only be allowed to test their flying cars under 'very controlled conditions'.

Alef Aeronautics will send a limited number of its flying cars to customers for them to test in 'very controlled conditions'

Read More

•  Emergency landing turns perilous as Boeing plane's gear fails on runway 

The company adds that each customer will need to receive training in compliance and maintenance before flying.

Likewise, creating each car involves robotic, industrial, and hand manufacturing, with rigorous testing of individual parts and a large number of test flights.

Mr Dukhovny has previously said he wanted to bring sci–fi to life and build an 'affordable' flying car, with the cost likely to be closer to £25,000 when built at scale. 

Eventually, Aleph Aeronautics says that the production process of the full–size Model A will be automated but, for now, only a limited number can be produced.

WHAT TYPE OF FLYING TAXIS COULD WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE?

Advances in electric motors, battery technology and autonomous software has triggered an explosion in the field of electric air taxis.

Larry Page, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet, has poured millions into aviation start-ups Zee Aero and Kitty Hawk, which are both striving to create all-electric flying cabs.

Kitty Hawk is believed to be developing a flying car and has already filed more than a dozen different aircraft registrations with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA.

Page, who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin back in 1998, has personally invested $100 million (£70 million) into the two companies, which have yet to publicly acknowledge or demonstrate their technology.

AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018. Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing

Airbus is also hard at work on an all-electric, vertical-take-off-and-landing craft, with its latest Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completing its maiden test flight in February 2018.

The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds.

Airbus previously shared a well-produced concept video, showcasing its vision for Project Vahana.

The footage reveals a sleek self-flying aircraft that seats one passenger under a canopy that retracts in similar way to a motorcycle helmet visor.

Airbus Project Vahana prototype, branded Alpha One, successfully completed its maiden test flight in February 2018. The self-piloted helicopter reached a height of 16 feet (five metres) before successfully returning to the ground. In total, the test flight lasted 53 seconds

AirSpaceX is another company with ambitions to take commuters to the skies.

The Detroit-based start-up has promised to deploy 2,500 aircrafts in the 50 largest cities in the United States by 2026.

AirSpaceX unveiled its latest prototype, Mobi-One, at the North American International Auto Show in early 2018.

Like its closest rivals, the electric aircraft is designed to carry two to four passengers and is capable of vertical take-off and landing.

AirSpaceX has even included broadband connectivity for high speed internet access so you can check your Facebook News Feed as you fly to work.

Aside from passenger and cargo services, AirSpaceX says the craft can also be used for medical and casualty evacuation, as well as tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR).

Even Uber is working on making its ride-hailing service airborne.

Dubbed Uber Elevate, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tentatively discussed the company’s plans during a technology conference in January 2018.

‘I think it’s going to happen within the next 10 years,’ he said.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Forget the Bermuda Triangle: Scientists are baffled by a giant structure hidden beneath Bermuda that is 'unlike anything else on Earth'

• READ MORE: Scientist claims to have solved mystery of the Bermuda Triangle

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The Bermuda Triangle might be one of the world's greatest mysteries, but scientists have just discovered something even more baffling in the area. 

Researchers have spotted an enormous stone structure hidden beneath Bermuda that is 'unlike anything else on Earth'.

The 12.4 mile (20km) layer of rock sits underneath the ocean crust below Bermuda.

No structure this thick has ever been found before, according to the team – who say it could help to answer one of the biggest questions about the famous island.

Bermuda sits on a raised area of ocean crust known as an 'oceanic swell', which lifts it above the surrounding area.

These formations are typically associated with volcanic activity, but there is no evidence to show that a volcano is to blame for Bermuda's strange geology.

There hasn't been an eruption on the island for more than 31 million years, and any volcanic swelling should have subsided over that time.

The new discovery suggests the last eruption injected molten rock into the crust where it froze into a raft, lifting the island 500 metres (1,640 ft) out of the sea.

Scientists have discovered a vast rock structure beneath Bermuda (pictured) that is 'unlike anything else on Earth'

Scientists found the raft of less–dense rock by tracking how seismic waves from distant earthquakes were deflected by the materials beneath the island 

In a paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers looked at recordings from a seismic station on Bermuda.

They traced the passage of powerful but distant earthquakes as they made their way through the rock 31 miles (50km) beneath the island.

By looking at where these seismic waves unexpectedly changed course, the researchers found the strangely thick layer of rock.

Dr William Frazer, a seismologist at Carnegie Science, told Live Science: 'Typically, you have the bottom of the oceanic crust and then it would be expected to be the mantle.

'But in Bermuda, there is this other layer that is emplaced beneath the crust, within the tectonic plate that Bermuda sits on.'

For geologists, this could represent a major step towards cracking Bermuda's biggest mystery.

While Bermuda is famous for its record of unexplained ship and aircraft disappearances, the bigger mystery for scientists is why its oceanic swell exists.

Island chains like Hawaii typically form because of volcanic activity above mantle hotspots – places where hot molten rock from the mantle rises towards the surface.

Scientists found a 12.4–mile–thick (20 km) layer of rock that sits underneath the ocean crust below Bermuda and lifts the island 500 metres (1,640 ft) out of the sea

Bermuda's most famous mystery is its history of shipwrecks, such as that of the SS Sapona (pictured), but scientists say the bigger puzzle is why the crust beneath the island is pushed so high above the surrounding terrain

As this hot material pushes its way through the crust to create islands, it also lifts the tectonic plate upwards to create an oceanic swell.

When the tectonic plate moves away from the hotspot, these swells gradually subside over time.

Since Bermuda has no evidence of volcanic activity for the last 31 million years, scientists couldn't explain why its swell was still so high.

However, since this newly–discovered layer is less dense than the surrounding rock, it both deflects passing seismic waves and pushes the island upwards.

Previous research has found that old lava on Bermuda is low in the mineral silicon, which suggests that it came from a layer of the Earth that is very low in carbon.

This carbon likely emerged from deep in the Earth's mantle when the supercontinent Pangea opened up to form the Atlantic Ocean 900 to 300 million years ago.

This could be what makes Bermuda so different from hotspot islands in the Pacific or Indian oceans, which are comparably much older oceans.

The researchers are now examining other islands around the world to see if there are any similar layers, or if Bermuda is truly one of a kind. 

Dr Frazer says: 'Understanding a place like Bermuda, which is an extreme location, is important to understand places that are less extreme and gives us a sense of what are the more normal processes that happen on Earth and what are the more extreme processes that happen.'

Bermuda's more famous mystery is why so many ships seemingly vanish without a trace within the region known as the Bermuda Triangle.

Located between Florida, Puerto Rico and Bermuda, the Bermuda Triangle's long history of deadly wrecks has prompted endless supernatural speculation.

But scientists now say that this may also have an entirely natural, scientific explanation. 

Dr Simon Boxall, an oceanographer from the University of Southampton, says that the Bermuda Triangle's record of disappearances is due to 'rogue waves'.

Otherwise known as extreme storm waves, these are unpredictable walls of water that can reach twice the height of the surrounding waves.

Towering up to 100 feet (30 metres) in the air, rogue waves are abnormally steep and can hit unexpectedly from directions other than the prevailing wind.

According to Dr Boxall, a large ship trapped by one of these killer swells could 'sink in a matter of two or three minutes'.

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE 

The Bermuda Triangle is a section of the Atlantic Ocean roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico where dozens of ships and airplanes have disappeared. 

Unexplained circumstances surround some of these accidents.

Although a range of strange theories have been proposed regarding the Bermuda Triangle, none of them prove that mysterious disappearances occur more frequently there than in other well–travelled sections of the ocean. 

Many people navigate the area every day without incident.

 

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

EarthExists, a private research collective working across astrophysics, chemistry, and planetary dynamics, claims to have uncovered evidence that governments anticipated the arrival of the interstellar object 31/ATLAS more than two decades ago, secretly building space programs designed to track and follow it long before the public was aware. 

Credit image: ESA showing a X-ray image of 31/Atlas.

Below is a brief summary of EarthExists’ analysis. You can read the full interesting reports Here and Here. 

A secret planetary defense system activated in 2025, and it wasn’t built for asteroids and it activated right on schedule. 

In 2025, a classified surveillance architecture quietly came online. Not by accident. Not as a test. It activated exactly when it was supposed to. The target? 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar object behaving nothing like a comet. 

This plan started 20 years ago. In 2005, an obscure aerospace paper outlined a system called CASSANDRA which you can read Here. Publicly, it was described as theoretical. Privately, it read like a construction manual. 

Designed to: Detect objects at extreme distances. Track them continuously beyond Earth orbit. Maintain persistent custody for decades and coordinate multiple classified sensor platforms. 

In 2006, it vanished from public discussion but in 2025, it went live. CASSANDRA is not a program, it’s a memory system. A centralized intelligence architecture designed to never lose track of anomalous objects, even if it takes decades. 

At the moment they activated CASSANDRA, unfamiliar system names appeared: 

• ORACLE VI 
• Space situational awareness platform 
• Assets positioned at Lagrange Point 1 
• ARGUS-VIS 
• Persistent classified sensor system 
• Adapted from terrestrial surveillance 
• UMBRA-3/C  
• No public record exists 

These systems don’t track debris. They track active targets. At all, a billion-dollar planetary surveillance network isn’t built for just a ordinary asteroid, comet or if you want to call it a rock. You build it if: You detected something decades ago or you received a signal predicting arrival. Either way; 3I/ATLAS was expected. 

Then the silence and cover-up began: A U.S. government shutdown. NASA communications go dark. No explanations. No updates. SETI quietly updates post-detection protocols IAWN flags 3I/ATLAS as a planetary defense concern No press conference. No announcement. Blurry images. 

C/2025 N1 UMBRA-3/1C CASSANDRA / ORACLE VI | ARGUS-VIS |

On October 3, 2025, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reached the perfect viewing angle. 

HiRISE engaged the target across four optical bands. Captured in 14-bit depth. But the public images were reduced to 8-bit. 98.5% of the data was stripped out by NASA. What you saw wasn’t the real and clear image of 31/Atlas. It was the filter. You can read it Here. 

But four days after perihelion, two possible leaked images appear. Labeled: CASSANDRA / ORACLE VI / ARGUS-VIS which you can see Here. 

11/11/2025 TELESCOPE STACKED IMAGE of 3I/ATLAS via — Ray’s Astrophotography

They show structured, geometric emissions coming from 3I/ATLAS. Not chaotic gas jets. Not random ice sublimation. 

Independent analysis indicates: Controlled matter ejection. Active trajectory adjustment. Emission geometry incompatible with natural models. This object isn’t tumbling through space. It’s maneuvering. 

Cassandra Document Report — The Cassandra Team Summer Session Program 2005.

Conclusion: CASSANDRA activated on time. The object displayed controlled behavior. The highest-quality data remains classified. This is not a comet. It is an artificial interstellar probe on a mission and Earth’s planetary defense system was built waiting for it. This comes as Earth prepares for its closest approach with 31/Atlas on December 19, 2025.

Source: EarthExists

{ http://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

The incredible true story of the Men In Black: Harry saw six aircraft over the bay. Then the suits came out of shadows... and the bodies followed

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Before the movies, before the comic books, and before Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith brought their suits to the big screen, the Men in Black were known only in whispers.

The legend of these shadowy figures - men in dark suits who threatened people who reported UFO sightings - was born in 1947, when a Washington state logger claimed he saw six flying orbs over Puget Sound.

On June 21, Tacoma resident Harold Dahl was out on the bay with his son, their dog and two crewmembers when he claimed to have spotted six massive, metallic, doughnut-shaped aircraft - each about 100ft across and gliding roughly 2,000ft overhead.

Dahl later described the sighting to an undercover intelligence agent, someone he believed was simply his supervisor.

The very next morning, a man in a black suit appeared at Dahl's home and invited him to breakfast, delivering a warning that would echo through UFO lore for generations.

Dahl's account was printed in the Tacoma Times, and months later, the 29-year-old journalist who covered it was dead under mysterious circumstances.

The story, now known as the Maury Island incident, is detailed in the newly released book Catastrophic Disclosure: The Deep State, Aliens, and the Truth, which argues Dahl's may be one of the first 'modern' UFO sightings.

'This might mark the first appearance of mysterious figures, either from the military or what has become known as the "men in black,"' authors Kent Heckenlively JD and Michael Mazzola wrote. 

A new book has detailed the origins of the legendary Men in Black, which started in 1947 when a man reported seeing six objects flying over Washington state. Pictured is an artist impression of what the man said he saw

On June 21, Tacoma resident Harold Dahl (pictured) was out on the bay with his son, their dog and two crewmembers when he spotted six massive, metallic, doughnut-shaped aircraft - each about 100ft across and gliding roughly 2,000ft overhead

The summer of 1947 became a landmark period for UFO sightings, from Ken Arnold's mysterious 'flying discs' near Mt Rainier to the infamous Roswell incident in New Mexico. 

Across the nation, Americans were captivated by reports of objects that defied explanation, and the federal government was paying close attention. 

But it was Dahl's encounter with the man in the black suit that cemented one of the most enduring legends in UFO history.

According to Heckenlively and Mazzola, such figures - whether military, intelligence or something altogether stranger - appeared in response to sightings like Dahl's, warning witnesses to keep quiet.

Dahl claimed he first saw five of the objects circling while a sixth appeared to be in distress. The craft made no sound, Dahl said, and he saw no propellers, motors or visible means of propulsion.

'A dull explosion followed, and the troubled craft ejected a stream of light metal that looked like thousands of newspapers, then heavier, darker rock, almost like lava,' the authors wrote.

Dahl reported that the damaged craft drifted out over the Pacific Ocean and vanished. He said the falling debris wrecked his boat, killed his dog and injured his son. 

He relayed everything to his supervisor, Fred Crisman, who, the authors note, was actually a former intelligence agent with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), precursor to the CIA. It is not known how long Crisman and Dahl had been working at the same company.

Before the movies, before the comic books, and before Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith brought them to the big screen, the Men in Black were known only in whispers

Dahl's story appeared in the Tacoma Times the next day. The reporter, Paul Luntz, was said to have also been visited by two men in black suits who threatened him to stop writing about the incident

The next morning, Dahl claimed, a man in a black suit knocked on his door and escorted him to a local diner.

'This was not as unusual as it might seem,' the authors explained. 'Many lumber buyers visited men in Dahl's trade to negotiate for salvaged logs.'

Over breakfast, the mysterious visitor calmly repeated Dahl's entire story back to him, then added: 'I know a great deal more about this experience of yours than you will want to believe.'

According to the book, he leaned in and warned Dahl never to speak of the sighting again, insisting the incident 'never happened' and hinting that if Dahl valued his family's safety, he would remain silent.

The story ran in the Tacoma Times the next day, reported by journalist Paul Lantz, who printed Dahl's description of the objects and confirmed the logger had alerted Crisman. 

Reports have suggested that Crisman shared the story with the news outlet.

Reports later suggested Lantz and his wife were also visited by two men in black suits after he published the article.

In a 2014 book, The Maury Island UFO Incident, authors Charlette LeFevre and Philip Lipson quote Lantz's granddaughter: 'My grandmother went into the kitchen to cook while they talked to Paul in the living room.

'She tried to listen. She said they were basically threatening Paul to stop… but Paul was bold and not afraid of them.'

What is now known as the Maury Island incident happened over Puget Sound (pictured)

A few months later, in August, Lantz published another startling report suggesting an Army plane crash in Kelso may have been 'sabotage.'

'The mystery of the 'Flying Saucers' soared into prominence again,' he wrote, after an informant claimed the aircraft was destroyed to prevent flying-disc fragments from reaching Hamilton Field for analysis.

The informant alleged the debris came from 'one of the mysterious platters' that had fallen near Maury Island. 

Lantz died on January 10, 1948. Some accounts stated his cause of death was 'a short, unspecific illness,' while his death certificate reportedly cited meningitis. 

His death was described by family as sudden and unexpected.

Dahl was later interrogated by the Seattle FBI, which publicly declared the story a hoax, though internal accounts painted a different picture.

Reports claim FBI Director J Edgar Hoover wrote: 'Please be advised that Dahl did not admit… his story was a hoax, but only stated that if questioned by authorities, he was going to say it was a hoax because he did not want further trouble in the matter.'

To this day, no one has definitively explained what Dahl saw on Maury Island, why an intelligence agent posed as his supervisor or why a man in a black suit knew details of the incident before Dahl ever repeated them. 

The FBI closed the case, the debris vanished, and the people closest to the story either recanted under pressure or never spoke about it again.

But in the years that followed, dozens of witnesses across the country reported their own encounters with men in black suits who arrived without warning, knew too much and left no trace.

What Harold Dahl  might have seen over Maury Island, North of Mt. Rainier in Washington State on June 21, 1947.
Illustration by Charlette L

RELATED VIDEOS

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

EXCLUSIVE: Eerie moment UFO spotted rising out of the sea in Suffolk before zipping off

BY Jackie Annett - Features Writer

Flying saucers, strange lights in the sky and objects that look like alien spaceships… every year Brits report hundreds of sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) and have been doing so for more than eight decades.

Great Britain is considered to be one of the most active UFO hotspots in the world, despite the fact that government officials have long insisted they are not concerned about reports of strange activity in the sky.

Ufologists would disagree. They suggest the British government’s own files tell a very different story - one that finally came to light in 2008 - when the Ministry of Defence finally released its UFO files.

British author, researcher and TV presenter Lynn Picknett who writes about the paranormal says: “The MOD released 60,000 files on the subject. Which basically backs up the assertion over the years that they’ve been researching all sorts of anomalous phenomena.”

In fact the British Ministry of Defence has files on military personnel encountering UFOs going back over 80 years, according to a new programme on UFOs coming to Sky History.

One of the most famous sightings occurred at a Royal Air Force base where American soldiers were stationed, Rendlesham Forest, on December 26, 1980. Shortly after midnight, military personnel at RAF Woodbridge, 80 miles northeast of London, detected a strange object on their radar.

Andrew Collins, a science and history writer says: “Airmen were sent out in a vehicle to investigate, and came across this clearing in which was this otherworldly object surrounded with light. It rose up slightly, then moved backwards and disappeared. Over the next few nights, more and more sightings occurred. The whole episode was written up and recorded by the deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Halt which was very unusual.”

It’s one of the most discussed UFO events on record, but just one of many that have been reported near British military bases. On August 13th, 1956, British Royal Air Force officers stationed at RAF Bentwaters claimed they saw fifteen unidentified flying objects on their radar screen racing along the coastline.

Nick Pope, a former British Ministry of Defence (MoD) employee who investigated UFOs for the government from 1991 to 1994 and is now a leading commentator on the subject says: “Military jets were scrambled to try and intercept these things. At one point, one of the objects was recorded at speeds of around 4,000 miles an hour.

“That was way faster than anything anyone had at the time. And reliable witnesses, the pilots saw them. They're simultaneously tracked on radar. At one point, these things are going in formation, and then they appear to converge and form a single object.”

If the British military has witnessed so many unexplainable events, why has the government always professed to have no interest in UFOs Ufologists say the answer can be found by examining the earliest British military encounters on record which were reported during World War II.

UFO investigator and podcaster Dan Zetterstrom says: “Files released show that Prime Minister Churchill was being briefed on these encounters during World War II. He was worried that any release of information would lead to mass hysteria, public panic.

“So, he covered up every UFO sighting that happened. He put a blanket secrecy ban on reporting on UFOs for 50 years. But while Winston Churchill wanted to hide UFO sightings from the public, he also felt it was important to study them, and initiated government funded projects to do just that.”

While many ufologists suspect the British government is still keeping their most explosive UFO files close to their chest, civilian research groups have investigated thousands of unexplained incidents. Some of the most intriguing occurred in a single town over the course of a decade: Warminster, England.

On Christmas Eve, 1964, local resident Mildred Head was startled awake by an unnerving noise coming from above her bedroom. Lynn Picknett explains: “It sounded like thousands upon thousands of tiles being ripped off and then thrown back on, which was utterly terrifying and also there was a vibration going through the house.”

The only explanation Mildred could come up with was that the noise may have been the result of military testing at a nearby Royal Air Force Base. That was until her neighbour, Marjorie Bay had a strange experience of her own.

Nick adds: “The very next day, Marjorie Bay was going to church when she was assaulted by a series of strange vibrations that she felt reverberating through her body, and shortly afterwards, dozens of other witnesses in and around Warminster reported the same thing. It was as if some unseen force was just taking a hold of people and shaking them.”

After residents reported hearing humming or droning noises and seeing strange lights in the sky, more than 300 assembled at their local town hall demanding answers. National papers took an interest and people started flocking to Warminster for nightly sky watches where others also witnessed these mysterious lights in the sky.

A video grab of a sighting of a strange cluster of lights floating above the moors between Skipton and Bolton Abbey in West Yorkshire.

(Image: Jam Press)

David Clarke recalls: “There was a classic photograph of a disc shaped object that was taken by Gordon Faulkner. And the Daily Mirror immediately put it on the front page, big splash. From that point onwards Warminster became the place to go and see flying saucers. It was the first sort of UFO hotspot in the British Isles.”

One area of Great Britain that has experienced UFO sightings on a near daily basis from ancient times right up until the present day, is Yorkshire. Private investigator Paul Sinclair and his team began researching and surveilling the area in 2009, setting up cameras around the clifftops along the North Sea. During one night in 2020, what they captured was particularly intriguing.

“We saw an object rise out of the water. I started filming. The entire sequence of events lasted about 90 seconds. We estimated the speed to cover six miles in 90 seconds was about 240 miles per hour before it seems to turn in and drop into the sea. So we’ve got an object that’s gone below the surface, risen from the sea, traveled six miles and then gone below the surface.

"We have footage of objects beneath the surface of the water. Or luminous light beneath the surface. And we’ve no explanation for that. We’ve filmed that on three occasions.”

• Ancient Aliens Britain’s UFO Files is available to watch on Sky History platforms.

{ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ }

EXCLUSIVE - Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's new UFO sauna: Inside $175m Beverly Hills compound after jaw-dropping transformation

By SARA MCGIFF

It might be Jeff Bezos's magnum opus.

And now his $175 million Beverly Hills mega-mansion is brought vividly to life - complete with UFO-inspired structures, sea-themed pools and lush landscaping  touching every part of the terrain - in these exclusive Daily Mail photos.

The completion of the mansion comes just six months after Bezos and his bride Lauren Sanchez tied the knot in Venice in what was hailed as the most jaw-dropping wedding of 2025.

The ten-acre California estate, once owned by media mogul David Geffen, has been transformed into a sprawling luxury compound, combining two neighboring properties, linked by a striking raised bridge.

Bezos bought the main mansion in 2020 in what became one of the priciest real estate transactions in Los Angeles history at a staggering $165 million price tag. He snagged the neighboring building for just $10 million.

And now, five years later, the full extent of his transformation can be revealed, marking yet another milestone in Bezos's ever-expanding real estate empire. 

The historic Benedict Canyon property was originally designed in the 1930s by world-renowned architect Roland Coate for Jack L Warner, the co-founder of Warner Bros.

Regarded as one of the last true symbols of Hollywood's Golden Age, the Georgian-style three-story mansion has retained its old-world charm, including its signature Greek portico - a grand architectural nod to the temple entrances of ancient Greece.

But Bezos has stamped his own absurdist vision onto the estate, installing an aquatic-core pool adorned with painted stingrays, an octopus, a sea turtle and a whole cast of other marine creatures. 

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's $175 million historic Beverly Hills mansion is finally complete six months after their fairytale wedding and after five years of renovations - transforming into a Hollywood Golden Age oasis with an absurdist twist 

Bezos's five-year transformation starkly contrasts the property's former state after he purchased it in 2020 for $165 million, one of Los Angeles' priciest real estate deals

The ten-acre estate was originally designed in the 1930s by world-renowned architect Roland Coate for Jack L Warner, the co-founder of Warner Bros, before it was bought by media mogul David Geffen and then sold to the Amazon billionaire

In a separate nod - presumably to both the 1947 Roswell incident in New Mexico and his own space venture, Blue Origin - he's added a humorous flourish: a classic UFO-style sauna with a clear plastic observation dome, planted in the middle of a cactus garden and encircled by a firepit and teak furniture.

Overlooking the aquatic-themed pool is a ginormous wraparound balcony with four separate seating areas offering sweeping views of the estate - including two spots positioned directly in front of sliding doors, presumably leading into bedrooms.

The front of the estate boasts a broad, brick-paved motor court centered around a perfectly manicured circular fountain, ringed with bright red blooms and dense greenery that creates a dramatic, garden-island effect.

It's one of the few areas that still shows signs of ongoing work, with a ring of green cones marking off a section of the herringbone brick pavement that appears to be undergoing a small patch repair.

To the left of the front of the house is the second property that appears to act as a guest house.

Connected by a paved bridge, the other side also has a large rectangular pool, a hot tub, a lush green lawn and a full-sized beach volleyball court with a firepit and seating tucked to the side.

Fitness fanatic Bezos also made sure to install three pickle ball courts on the main property with a large viewing deck so players can compete in a professional environment.

Other features include a covered banquet table that seats more than 20 people beneath a long pergola beside the pickleball courts, along with a small vegetable garden in raised beds.

While retaining its Georgian style, Bezos has added his own absurdist touch, including an aquatic pool decorated with stingrays, an octopus, a sea turtle and other marine creatures 

Overlooking the aquatic pool, a massive wraparound balcony features four seating areas with sweeping estate views, including two positioned outside bedroom sliding doors

In a playful nod to the 1947 Roswell incident and his company Blue Origin, Bezos added a UFO-style sauna with a clear dome in the cactus garden, surrounded by a firepit and teak furniture

The estate's front boasts a brick motor court with a circular fountain and lush red blooms, while a small section of herringbone brickwork remains cordoned off for repairs 

To the left of the front of the house is the second property that appears to act as a guest house, set with a full-sized beach volleyball court, a pool and a firepit with seating tucked to the side

On the main property, Bezos also added three pickleball courts with a large viewing deck, creating a professional style playing area on the main property

To the side of the pickleball courts is a long banquet table that appears to have a capacity of 20 seats under a long pergola

A fleet of golf carts, tucked along the long driveway behind the pickleball courts, allows the couple to easily traverse the sprawling property

To isolate the property from the outside world, Bezos made sure to keep the marital home surrounded by high-security tall hedgerows.

A fleet of golf carts will make it easy for the couple to traverse around the property and are tucked away in the long driveway the ends behind the pickle ball court. 

The road to completion wasn't without setbacks. In April 2023, it emerged that work on the mega-mansion had been halted indefinitely after Bezos failed to complete a planning application for a new 'game court fence.' 

He had also planned to extend the estate with a pool house, powder room and new retaining walls.

The initial permits were granted in 2021, but when Bezos submitted a revised request in January 2023 to add a 'game court fence with lighting', it was denied due to incomplete paperwork.

The original plans sought to add roughly 1,000 square feet to the 28,000-square-foot mansion. Still, within a month, construction was back underway.

The mega mansion is just one piece of Bezos's sprawling real estate empire, estimated at around $600 million, as he and Sanchez split their time between luxury properties across the country - and around the world if you consider that mega yacht.

He recently transformed his ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island retreat in Florida's famed 'Billionaire Bunker' into a real-life Amazon, complete with a dazzling canopy of tropical trees and a multimillion-dollar landscaping overhaul. 

The couple $600 million property portfolio also includes a reported $78 million mega mansion in Maui, Hawaii 

Bezos's $60 million Lake Washington estate in Seattle, Washington, which was his main stronghold before he decided to relocate to the East Coast to be closer to family in 2023

Beyond his land holdings, he also boasts a $500 million superyacht, Koru, recently seen in Florida, the Caribbean and off the coast of Ibiza in August

Exclusive Daily Mail photos revealed how the tech mogul, 61, packed the grounds of his $90 million estate with towering oaks, royal palms and dense greenery, turning the property into an exotic botanical garden worthy of a rainforest.

He also owns four separate apartments inside an art-deco block on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

Three of the apartments inside the complex at 25 Central Park West were bought back in 2019 for a reported sum of $80 million.

He then shelled out $16 million this spring for a fourth unit at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

The Amazon boss also owns a Texas ranch and homes in Washington, DC and Maui. 

Beyond his land holdings, he also boasts a $500 million superyacht, Koru, recently seen in Florida, the Caribbean and off Ibiza in August.

The one-of-a-kind vessel is a 417-foot, three-masted sailing yacht that was built in the Netherlands by Oceanco in 2021.

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

Why Are UFOs Everywhere in Contemporary Art?

Right now in New York, two exhibitions reveal artists' fascination with the unexplained.

by J. Cabelle Ahn 

Modern science and technology have done little to tamp down the public’s long-held fascination with UFOs, unexplained phenomena, and the possibility of life beyond Earth. If anything, this millennia-old obsession has only accelerated in recent years, as the Pentagon has declassified files on strange objects seen from Navy cockpits and Silicon Valley giants have spent billions of dollars chasing their own interplanetary ambitions.

The mysteries of the galaxy still vastly outweigh the knowns, and two shows in New York this winter tap into this perennial puzzle. “Voice of Space: UFOs and Paranormal Phenomena” at the Drawing Center (on view through February 1, 2026) gathers some three dozen works by artists ranging from René Magritte to Isa Genzken. “Paintings Made for Aliens Above” at P.P.O.W (on view through December 20, 2025), a solo exhibition of new paintings by Romanian artist Hortensia Mi Kafchin, probes the promises and failures of technofuturism.

Together, these exhibitions show how the allure of unidentified phenomena and the technology that might propel them are bound up with our own shifting belief systems—as well as how the cosmic can open a space to explore queerness, speculative worlds, and flashes of utopia glimpsed through dystopia.

Channeling UFOs

Unidentified objects in the sky have riveted artists since antiquity, with irregular planetary movements, meteor showers, and comets often treated as divine omens. On April 14, 1561, for example, people in Nuremberg famously reported seeing an aerial clash of mysterious globes, rods, and crosses. A blood-red aurora over Britain on March 6, 1716, was read as a celestial war between supernatural soldiers. Newtonian physics has since explained some of these phenomena—for instance, Halley’s Comet is now a known quantity with a predictable return date rather than a bizarre nocturnal anomaly heralding the fall of empires—but the skies have remained charged with artistic inspiration nonetheless.

René Magritte, Voice of Space (1931). Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice (Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York)

© 2025 C. Herscovici / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

One classic example is René Magritte’s Voice of Space (1931), on loan from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice. Last exhibited in New York in 1965, the painting is the conceptual lodestar of the Drawing Center’s show of the same name. Described by the curator Olivia Shao as “the Mona Lisa of UFO paintings,” the canvas features three oversized silver orbs floating over a bucolic landscape, their smooth metallic forms eerily foretelling the countless visualizations of alien spacecraft that followed.

Although Magritte never described the work as being about aliens—he said the forms were inspired by the crotal bells common on horse-drawn vehicles of the period—other artists in the show embrace far more direct encounters with cosmic visitors. One such example is the 20th-century artist Paulina Peavy, whose multimedia works combine enigmatic figures and abstraction in the style of Italian futurism. Peavy’s works are often dually credited to her and Lacamo, a personal UFO that Peavy claimed to have met after attending a séance in 1932. Peavy, who died in 1998, even made bejeweled “trance masks” to better channel her extraterrestrial collaborator, while her multidimensional cosmology became a way to imagine a post-gender utopia far from the conservative reality of mid-century America.

More contemporary works eschew the channeling of possibilities for the visualization of present-day thinking. Also on view at the Drawing Center are two collages by Char Jeré, whose works interrogate the presumed worldview behind technology and consumerism. In an email, Jeré describes a potential unidentified encounter at a reservoir in upstate New York in 2001 as a partial inspiration.

The resulting collages feature everyday objects ranging from sandpaper and balloons to emergency medication and more. Jeré (who uses they/them pronouns) describes the works as “maps and incantations” ultimately intended to decolonize the present. “Like Gil Scott Heron points out in his anthem ‘Whitey on the Moon,’ we suffer in order for technological spectacle and scientific triumph to exist,” they say. “These collages resist the ‘wait your turn’ detritus that so often gets thrown at Black people, queer people, [and] people who have been marginalized.”

Cultivating the Unconsciousness

Elsewhere in the Drawing Center’s show, UFOs stand in for faith and expanded consciousness rather than literal flying saucers. “It’s also about transhistorical human experience, belief systems, cybernetics, and AI,” Shao says of the exhibition. “It’s an attempt to map where we are in the world.”

This convergence crystallizes in three pieces by Adam Putnam from his ongoing Visualization series (2021–), which now spans more than 650 small works on paper drawn from dreams and meditation. Describing the project as “an ever-expanding deck of tarot cards,” he considers its construction and expansion a way of “cultivating a connection to the unconscious or the super conscious mind.”

The backstory behind the addition of his works to the show reveals an almost supernatural intervention. “I let Olivia shuffle through a stack and pick whatever spoke to her,” he recalled. “One of the Visualizations [#59, 2021–22] she chose was quite remarkable because it came from a dream I had about UFOs… There is no indication of this outwardly, as it is a fairly abstract work, but something in it must have resonated with [her].”

This conception of the unconscious as an outer-dimensional force slots into a longer lineage. Putnam’s visualizations sit alongside drawings by Sigmar Polke, who in the late 1960s spoke of receiving “commands” from “higher beings.” Included in the show is his 1968 ballpoint drawing of a wavelength, Command of 28.8.68, with its title marking the date of “transmission.” For Polke, those higher beings could be seen as psychedelic, divine, or even extraterrestrial—an elastic category that let him tap into the era’s UFO fever to skewer West Germany’s consumer culture. His wavering signal supposedly arriving from the cosmos is, in the end, actually a conduit through which he could address terrestrial desires.

Paintings for Aliens

Four blocks south of the Drawing Center, a series of paintings by Kafchin at P.P.O.W. similarly examines how preoccupations with aliens sometimes represent distinctly earthly tensions. “The title ‘Paintings Made for Aliens Above’ itself is a political and social commentary about the hierarchy of our world and cultural context,” she says.

Kafchin’s paintings raid multiple eras of art history, with her reference points ranging from Salvator Rosa and Francisco Goya to Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst. The works feature a rotating cast of characters that includes, in her words, “Aliens (representing the unknown, the Celestial Strangers), A.I. learning from our madness… and the long impossible distances between the stars that separate different civilizations.”

This eclectic ensemble is informed by her personal history. “Born in 1986, I opened my eyes at a time when technology was synonymous with the future,” she recalls, noting that her father told her stories from Jules Verne, Issac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and other sci-fi giants.

Kafchin’s works register the gap between that techno-utopian promise and the entangled realities of the present, to which her trans identity remains central. “We are people who think outside the box; it’s in our nature to vibe with magic, fantasy, tech, divination, and so on,” she says. “I need to be validated by a bigger power than anything we have on Earth, like, for example, the Intergalactic Federation or some more advanced neighbors.”

The paintings intentionally blur conspiracy and fact, aspiration, and invention. Kafchin cites “hyperstition,” the philosopher Nick Land’s theory that a fiction shared widely enough can bring a new reality into being.  “There is a borderline between hyperstition and conspiracy, like an unknown force that is training or harvesting our perception of reality or collective consciousness,” she notes. “It’s funny how UFOs and the image of aliens are in concordance with our times.”

In this register, UFOs become less about contact and more about cosmology—a way to reframe what it means to be human at all. As Jeré puts it, “If war, AI, and money can change the world, then art should also take on that same responsibility, or at least the challenge of refusing the world as it is.”

{ https://news.artnet.com/ }

The 3I Atlas Enigma: A Psychological, Sociological, and Scientific Exploration

By Seth H. Feinstein - MUFON State Director/ Photo analysis Team

Introduction

The discovery of 3I/Atlas on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile has opened one of the most intriguing chapters yet in the study of interstellar visitors. Only the third confirmed interstellar object ever observed—after ‘1I/ Oumuamua and 2/I Borisov—3I Atlas displays characteristics that are both comet-like and anomalous. Its hyperbolic trajectory confirms it came from outside the solar system, yet its composition and behavior challenge conventional expectations.

For the UFO/UAP research community, 3I Atlas has become a compelling case study. Not because it is alien, but because it highlights how scientific uncertainty intersects with public fascination, expert hypotheses, and the psychology of belief.

1. What We Know About 3I Atlas

3I Atlas exhibits a coma and a tail, suggesting active outgassing, though unusually high CO₂ levels dominate it. It's extremely fast, and an unbound orbit confirms its interstellar origin.

Most scientists interpret 3I Atlas as an icy body ejected from another star system, likely a fragment of a distant planetary system disrupted long ago.

Still, the combination of CO₂-dominance, high speed, and non-gravitational movement leaves room for debate—and curiosity.

This NASA image shows the trajectory as the 3I Atlas travels through the solar system

2. Why Speculation Has Flourished

Speculation thrives when:

 - The data is incomplete

 - The object is distant

 - Prior interstellar objects exhibited anomalies

 - Experts publicly entertain alternative possibilities

3I Atlas checks all four boxes.

Adding to the intrigue, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed that 3I Atlas could be an extraterrestrial artifact, though he emphasizes this as a hypothesis, not a conclusion. The UFO

community naturally pays attention when credible scientists discuss technological possibilities.

3. What the Experts Are Saying

• Avi Loeb

Loeb suggests that the object's unusual trajectory could be consistent with a reverse Solar Oberth maneuver, a technique advantageous for a probe using the Sun’s gravity for acceleration. He also notes that the jet-like features might be consistent with technological thrusters.

However, Loeb repeatedly clarifies:

“By far, the most likely explanation is that 3I Atlas is a natural interstellar comet.”

• Steven Greer

Greer urges caution. He suggests that 3I Atlas is more likely a stray asteroid or rock, though he does not rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial debris. He warns that narratives around the object could be leveraged to generate unnecessary fear.

• Richard Dolan

Dolan considers Loeb’s hypothesis plausible enough for serious inquiry, noting the object's alignment with the ecliptic plane and unusual trajectory. He stresses that while the object is not proven to be technological, the anomalies justify close study.

• Marc Dantonio (MUFON Chief Photo Analyst)

Dantonio’s analysis emphasizes solid data: high CO₂ content, water ice, carbon monoxide, carbonyl sulfide, and possible cyanogen. He urges against sensationalism, focusing on what is known, rather than speculation.

• Michio Kaku

Kaku shocked many when he stated the newest images show:

- No tail or outgassing, despite a close approach to the Sun

- Apparent acceleration

- No visible mass loss

-An unexplained orbital shift

These observations have prompted some astronomers to ask whether 3I Atlas might be something constructed, not natural.

4. Why People Want 3I Atlas to Be Manufactured

Curiosity about 3I Atlas reveals deep psychological dynamics:

-Humans seek patterns and threat detection—a survival instinct.

-Uncertainty creates discomfort, pushing people toward definitive explanations.

- Believing in non-human intelligence gives life meaning, wonder, and purpose.

 -Conspiracy narratives offer order in a chaotic world.

 -UAPs fill a cultural space once occupied by traditional belief systems.

= Witnessing or believing in anomalies gives individuals a sense of belonging to a select group.

3I Atlas becomes a symbol - of mystery, potential, and our collective desire to understand our place in the cosmos.

5. Group Dynamics and the Pull Toward Negativity

UAP communities often form around high-intensity, ambiguous subjects. This fosters:

- Group bonding through shared threat narratives

 -Polarization, where groups amplify their dominant emotion

 -Worst-case thinking fueled by uncertainty

 -Rumor and mistrust in the absence of transparent data

These patterns are natural—but they must be recognized and managed to maintain scientific integrity.

6. Worst-Case Scenarios: Reality vs. Imagination

Hollywood has shaped public imagination for decades, presenting aliens as invaders. Films like Independence Day, Alien, The Thing, Signs, and War of the Worlds fuel fears that extraterrestrial technology equals danger.

In reality, the likelihood that 3I Atlas is:

- A piloted craft

-A deliberate probe

- Or a threat to Earth is extremely small.

A more grounded concern would be a close approach generating increased meteor activity.

The greater risks lie in public reaction—panic, misinformation, secrecy, or premature conclusions.

7. Final Thoughts: Why This Mystery Matters

My involvement began through the MUFON Photo Analysis Team. While others focus on the hard science, my contribution is more a psychological and sociological context surrounding our fascination with 3I Atlas.

This case reminds us that:

- Curiosity is healthy

- Speculation can inspire scientific breakthroughs

- Data, not fear, should guide us

- Wonder fuels discovery

Even if 3I Atlas turns out to be entirely natural, the process of studying it enriches astronomy, interdisciplinary sciences, and the UAP field.

The journey matters—and it moves humanity forward.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ Mufon.com }

Gemini was an American program in the 1960s, during which 12 launches of spacecraft of the same name were carried out. Its main goal was to teach people and technology to rendezvous and dock in space. In the future, this allowed the next important step to be taken – sending Apollo spacecraft to the Moon.

Gemini-7 spacecraft

Why was the Gemini program created?

Exactly 60 years ago, on December 15, 1965, four astronauts were in Earth’s orbit at the same time for the first time. This happened during the flight of the Gemini-6 and Gemini-7 spacecraft. At one point, the ships were less than 2 meters apart, and the astronauts could clearly see each other through the portholes.

They did all this for a reason, but to understand the purpose and significance of that meeting in orbit, we need to go back to the first half of the 1960s. The space race is in full swing. The USSR won the first stage – the launch of the first satellite and the first man into orbit – but the US is hot on its heels. The Americans need to achieve something that their opponents can only dream of.

The next goal, the achievement of which will provide a reliable advantage, has already been defined – a flight to the Moon. A general flight plan for the Apollo program has already been approved, but it involves several things that NASA has not done before: maneuvers in orbit, rendezvous and docking of spacecraft in orbit, and extravehicular activities.

The layout of the Gemini spacecraft. Source: Wikipedia

And all this had to be worked out in safer conditions. So, in parallel with the construction of Apollo spacecraft, landing modules, and giant Saturn 5 rockets, it was decided to implement a much simpler and less ambitious program called Gemini.

It was based on the ship of the same name, which was an enlarged version of the previous Mercury manned orbital vehicle. It differed from it in that it was a two-seater, had a docking hatch, and improved capabilities for orbital maneuvers. A modified Titan II ballistic missile was used for launches, which made it possible to minimize preparation time for the program’s implementation.

First flights

A separate selection of astronauts was conducted for the Gemini program in 1962. Initially, there were 508 pilots, whose number was gradually reduced until there were only seven left, who began to be trained for flights with the future goal that these same people might then fly to the Moon.

Launch of Gemini-3. Source: Wikipedia

However, it all started with unmanned missions. The first one took place on April 8, 1964. The main goal was to check how the spacecraft would enter orbit and activate all its systems. This task was completed in 4 hours and 50 minutes, but the spacecraft remained in orbit for another four hours before burning up in the atmosphere. It simply did not have a heat shield.

It was tested along with the entire Earth return system during the subsequent Gemini-2 mission. It took place on January 19, 1965, and lasted only 18 minutes and 16 seconds. In fact, it was just a suborbital flight, during which the rocket left the atmosphere, the spacecraft separated, and landed.

Both flights were deemed successful, and two astronauts, Virgil Grissom and John Young, were sent into orbit on the next Gemini-3 mission. The latter died during ground tests for Apollo-1. The second flew to the Moon and on the shuttle, and left NASA in the 21st century. But back in March 1965, their mission was simple: to orbit our planet several times and land safely in a designated area. At that time, even that was not easy, but they did everything right.

Next was the Gemini-4 mission, which took place from June 3 to 7. The main event during this mission was the first American spacewalk. It was performed by Edward White while his colleague James McDivitt remained in the cabin. Soviet cosmonauts had made their first spacewalk just three months earlier, on March 18. The gap in the space race had narrowed to a minimum.

Edward White in outer space. Source: Wikipedia

Record-breaking flights

The Americans managed to pull ahead during the next flight, which was carried out by the Gemini-5 spacecraft. Gordon Cooper and Charles Conrad managed to break the flight duration record set in 1963 by Valery Bykovsky on Voskhod-5. The Americans spent 7 days, 22 hours, and 55 minutes in orbit. Also during this flight, fuel cells for providing electrical power were tested for the first time.

At the same time, astronauts attempted to perform a rendezvous maneuver with another spacecraft for the first time. For this purpose, an Agena rocket was launched from the ground – essentially just an empty upper stage of a launch vehicle. However, this task was not successful.

Then December 1965 arrived. Initially, two manned launches were planned, during the first of which (Gemini-6) Walter Schirra and Thomas Stafford would again attempt to rendezvous with another Agena, but the launch of the latter, which was supposed to take place before their launch, was unsuccessful.

Thomas Stafford and Walter Schirra. Source: Wikipedia

Therefore, plans had to be revised. Initially, on December 4, Gemini-7 was launched into space with Frank Borman and James Lovell on board. They had their own mission – to set a new record for flight duration and stay in space for 14 days. They accomplished it.

However, at the same time, it was decided that Gemini-6 would be launched into space on December 15, and shortly thereafter, the ships would attempt to rendezvous. They succeeded, demonstrating that NASA could handle one of the most difficult tasks during a flight to the Moon – the rendezvous of modules in space.

But getting close does not mean docking. That was the next big task, and it was accomplished by Neil Armstrong and David Scott aboard Gemini-8. The flight took place in March 1966, and this time, Agena successfully entered orbit, was successfully “caught”, and docked. The Apollo program was getting closer and closer.

Meeting of ships in orbit. Source: Wikipedia

Completion of the Gemini program

After that, there were four more flights under the Gemini-9 program. The flight was originally supposed to involve Elliot See and Charles Bassett, and was scheduled to take place in May 1966. However, on February 28, both pilots were killed in a T-38 training aircraft accident. Their places were taken by substitutes Thomas Stafford and Eugene Cernan.

But that was not the end of the trouble. Agena, whose docking was one of the main objectives of the mission, again failed to reach orbit, so they had to wait for a replacement. The launch was postponed, and this time the astronauts managed not only to approach it, but also to make two spacewalks.

Gemini-10, with John Young and Michael Collins on board, launched on July 18, 1966. This time, the astronauts managed to rendezvous with two target rockets. In addition, they performed two spacewalks.

Gemini-11, with Charles Conrad and Richard Gordon, launched in September of the same year, 1966. This time, the goal of the flight was to set a new record. The spacecraft traveled 1,374 km from Earth. In addition, the astronauts performed a spacewalk and conducted a series of experiments.

Gemini-11 mission emblem. Source: Wikipedia

It was clear that everything that could be worked out on Gemini had already been worked out, and it was time to move on to Apollo. However, NASA management decided to work out the rendezvous, docking, and spacewalk procedures one more time. This is what the Gemini-12 crew did in November 1966.

The Gemini program ended, but not because it failed. On the contrary, it proved to be very successful, as American astronauts and engineers gained the most important thing – practical experience not only of flying in space, but also of purposeful work in it. This experience later came in handy not only during trips to the Moon, but also for the entire exploration of outer space.

Interestingly, when the Soviet Union learned about the Gemini and Apollo programs, it immediately perceived them as a threat to its leadership in space.

Soviet engineers attempted to implement a program very similar to Gemini, called Voskhod. And it even had some success. It was by stepping out of one of these spacecraft into open space that Alexei Leonov became the first person to do so. However, even in the Soviet Union, they understood that removing the ejection seat from the small Vostok to convert it from a single-seat spacecraft into a two- or even three-seat spacecraft was a very bad decision.

The design of the Voskhod spacecraft. Source: Wikipedia

And most importantly, it is unclear why such risks were taken, since Gemini was valuable primarily as the first step toward Apollo, and by 1966-67, it was clear that the Soviet space program was not keeping up with it. In the end, Soviet cosmonauts did gain the same experience that allows them to feel at home in space. There, they reoriented their space program toward the exploration of Earth’s orbit.

But it is interesting in the Gemini program. These “basic orbital maneuvering exercises,” without which neither the station could be built, nor other planets could be reached, were completed by the USSR and the US back in the 1960s. But since then, despite the fact that many countries have declared themselves spacefaring nations, only one of them has been able to repeat this feat. We are talking about China, which in the 21st century was able to implement the Shenzhou and Tiangong programs. It seems that the Gemini “training” program is not so simple after all.

• Posted in Articles

RELATED VIDEOS

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

(Image Credit: Brewbooks/CC BY-SA 2.0)

“At the end of their lives, massive stars (stars much bigger than our Sun) explode in a supernova,” said Grayce Brown, project lead and a SETI Institute intern, in an email to The Debrief. “During the explosion, the core collapses in on itself, becoming very dense and forming a neutron star.”

“Neutron stars are incredibly dense: think of something as massive as the Sun squeezed into a ball that’s as wide as Manhattan!” Brown said, adding that they spin extremely fast—sometimes up to 700 revolutions per second—on account of their angular momentum. 

According to Brown, this quality is “the same physics that causes figure skaters to spin faster when they pull their arms closer to themselves while they’re spinning.”

“The spinning of such a massive, dense object generates a powerful magnetic field, causing charged particles to accelerate to the magnetic poles and be thrown out into space as cones of light,” Brown told The Debrief. “If the magnetic poles are misaligned with the rotation axis, these beams of light sweep around the neutron star as it spins, kind of like a lighthouse.”

“If Earth is in the path of the beams, the star appears to pulse in brightness,” Brown explained. “Hence, we call them pulsars!”

Cosmic Clocks

Brown explains that because of their extreme density and speed of rotation, pulsars tend to rotate with a high degree of consistency.

“We know some pulsar spin periods all the way to 12 digits past zero; that’s a trillionth of a second,” Brown told The Debrief. “Since we know the spin periods should be incredibly consistent over time, we should expect the pulses to be evenly spaced. If they’re not, then we know something else is responsible; that something is affecting the arrival time of the pulse.”

“In this way, we consider them cosmic timekeepers,” Brown says. “If the ticks of a ticking clock weren’t evenly spaced, you’d know something weird was happening!”

Scientists use accurate measurements of these pulses to search for subtle phenomena, such as low-frequency gravitational waves. As the pulsar’s radio waves travel through space, they pass through clouds of charged particles that can bend and slow the signals just a little. 

“Just like starlight twinkles as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere, pulsar radio waves twinkle as they move through space,” explained Brown. “Monitoring these patterns helps us not only improve pulsar timing but also advance broader fields of astronomy, including SETI research.”

“Our research isn’t really about the pulsar itself—the pulsar is just a tool to learn more about the space between us and the pulsar,” adds Brown. “By seeing how much the pulsar pulse is scintillated/delayed, we can learn how much ‘stuff’ is in the way, causing the light to be scattered.”

“These same scattering effects will impact any radio waves passing through that area of space, not just those from the pulsar,” Brown said. 

As radio waves travel from a pulsar to Earth, they create bright and dim patches across different frequencies. By following these changes in their patterns almost daily over 10 months, the team was able to change the scintillation into detailed timing setbacks. 

The Research

Over roughly 300 days, the researchers measured the scintillation bandwidth and found changes on timescales from days to months, including a broader, long-term variation of 200 days. The study also introduced a new method for more accurately estimating how scintillation changes with frequency, leveraging the Allen Telescope Array’s capabilities.

“All radio signals passing through the interstellar medium experience scintillation,” noted Dr. Sofia Sheikh, co-author and Technosignature Research Scientist at the SETI Institute. “Understanding these effects helps distinguish natural signals from potential artificial transmissions, which is vital for SETI and other radio astronomy studies.”

By mapping how signals are delayed and distorted, astronomers can refine techniques for high-precision pulsar timing, which also helps to advance their efforts toward identifying any possible extraterrestrial technosignatures.

“If we receive a transmission from an intelligent civilization in another star system, that signal will have to pass through interstellar space,” says Brown. “Just as we have seen with pulsars, the signal will be scattered and scintillated.”

Still, one of the greatest challenges SETI investigations face involve the potential that a promising signal might turn out to have Earthly origins. 

“We need some way to differentiate between signals coming from Earth and signals coming from beyond our Solar System,” Brown told The Debrief. “Because of this research, we know how much scintillation to expect from a radio signal traveling through this pulsar’s region of interstellar space.”

“If we don’t see that scintillation,” Brown concludes, “then the signal is probably just interference from Earth.”

The team’s recent findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.

• Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on YouTube and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton, Instagram: @BeingChrissyNewton, and chrissynewton.com. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org. 

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

The Mantis Beings: Guardians, Overlords, or Earthly Teachers?

The Mantis Beings: Guardians, Overlords, or Earthly Teachers?

Among the many alien races described by witnesses . the Greys, the Nordics, the Tall Whites, one stands apart for its strange mixture of reverence and fear: the Mantids, or Mantis Beings.
Unlike the small, emotionless Greys who allegedly perform cold experiments, these towering insectoid figures are often said to be in charge, calm, commanding, and eerily intelligent.

But for one researcher, fascination with the mantis species began long before any talk of UFOs. It started with a single, half-drowned insect floating in his backyard pool.

A Personal Encounter with Earthly Mantises

Ten years ago, the researcher scooped what he thought was a stick from his pool. It turned out to be a praying mantis, seemingly lifeless. On a whim, he placed it in the garden near a bed of flowering mint and left it there.
Half an hour later, when he opened the front door, the mantis was alive—standing on the doorstep as if asking to come inside.

From that day forward, the mint patch became a mantis sanctuary. He stopped using insecticides, fenced the area off, and let the creatures thrive.
What started as a dozen mantises soon became dozens more, and by the third year, hundreds. Every spring, precisely on May 1st, they would hatch again, like clockwork.

Even as the climate grew harsher and fewer survived, the little guardians continued to return. The sanctuary became a symbol of protection, patience, and mystery – an echo of something greater.

As his interest in UFOs deepened, the researcher couldn’t ignore the strange coincidence: mantis-like aliens appear repeatedly in abduction stories.

Witnesses describe them as tall, insectoid beings, often standing six to eight feet tall, with elongated limbs, large black eyes, and an aura of authority.
In these accounts, it is the mantids who oversee the operations, while smaller Greys perform the manual work. Abductees frequently sense telepathic communication, calmness, and even compassion from the mantids – as if they are the “managers” of the entire encounter.

The idea that the most spiritual and commanding alien race might resemble an earthly insect suddenly felt less coincidental. Maybe, he joked, treating the garden mantises kindly could earn him goodwill with their interstellar counterparts, “our future mantis overlords.”

“Man vs. Mantis”: When Symbolism Becomes Reality

During his sanctuary years, he came across a documentary called Man vs. Mantis, created by a musician and filmmaker who had his own extraordinary experiences with these creatures.
After forming a connection with mantises, the filmmaker began seeing them everywhere, in dreams, in real life, even through family members’ experiences. Whether this was coincidence, synchronicity, or something stranger, it mirrored a pattern reported by others: once the mantis enters your awareness, it never fully leaves.

The researcher invited the filmmaker onto his radio show, Coast to Coast AM, to discuss the phenomenon. Their conversation highlighted how deeply personal and transformative these encounters can become, whether grounded in reality, psychology, or something beyond comprehension.

Are the Mantids Real?

When asked what he truly believes, the researcher gives a measured answer: “About sixty percent.”
He doesn’t claim certainty, only curiosity. Perhaps the mantids are symbolic messengers, archetypes of wisdom and balance. Perhaps they are real beings observing us through the thin veil between biology and myth. Or perhaps they are both – creatures that inhabit the boundary between nature and the unknown.

Either way, every May 1st, when the next generation of green guardians hatches in his garden, he’s reminded that mystery doesn’t only come from the skies. Sometimes it crawls out of the mint bed, stretches its delicate arms toward the sun, and looks straight back at us.

Whether they exist as interdimensional overseers or simply as some of Earth’s most remarkable insects, mantises command attention. Their patience, stillness, and precision have fascinated humans for centuries.

And maybe – just maybe, the reason these beings appear in our myths, our sightings, and our imaginations is simple:
they’re reminding us that intelligence and beauty don’t always come in human form.

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

The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Cybersecurity for Space Missions: A Case Study of NASA Vulnerability Detection and Mitigation

AI Finds Vulnerability at NASA Allowing Takeover of Space Missions

Abstract
This essay examines a recent incident where an artificial intelligence (AI) system discovered a critical security flaw within NASA’s spacecraft communication infrastructure, preventing potential cyberattacks that could have jeopardized vital space missions. Through a detailed analysis of the incident, the underlying vulnerabilities, and the technological response, this paper underscores the transformative impact of AI on cybersecurity. It further explores the implications for safeguarding high-stakes aerospace operations and advocates for the broader adoption of automated AI-driven security tools.

Introduction
The current era of digital transformation has revolutionized the aerospace sector, augmenting communication, control, and data processing capabilities of space agencies like NASA. Yet, this technological advancement introduces new cybersecurity vulnerabilities, especially as systems become more interconnected. Traditional security assessments, relying primarily on manual reviews, often fall short in detecting sophisticated or overlooked flaws. The emergence of AI-driven security tools offers an innovative solution, capable of continuous, comprehensive, and rapid analysis. This essay investigates a specific incident in which AI identified and remedied a three-year vulnerability in NASA’s spacecraft communication software, highlighting the potential of such technologies to protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

Background: NASA’s Communications Infrastructure and the Vulnerability
NASA’s space missions rely heavily on secure and reliable communication systems to transmit commands, telemetry, and data between Earth and spacecraft. Central to this infrastructure is CryptoLib, a software library responsible for encrypting and authenticating exchanges between ground stations and spacecraft. The integrity of this software is paramount, as any breach could lead to unauthorized command issuance, mission sabotage, or data theft.

For over three years, NASA's cybersecurity team conducted manual audits and code reviews of its software systems. Despite these efforts, a significant flaw persisted unnoticed. The flaw was located in CryptoLib’s authentication mechanism and was not trivially exploitable remotely; instead, it required either physical access or vulnerabilities such as credential theft to activate. Nonetheless, its existence posed a critical threat, given that sophisticated attackers could leverage this bug to hijack or disrupt space missions, potentially causing catastrophic consequences and incurring financial losses over billions of dollars.

Nature of the Vulnerability

The vulnerability in CryptoLib was related to its authentication protocol, specifically a flaw in the implementation of cryptographic checks that could be bypassed under certain conditions. Although the vulnerability did not present an immediate remote exploit, it was still considered dangerous due to its exploitability via stolen credentials or malicious insiders. Attackers could potentially send malicious commands with high privileges, compromising sensitive operations like Mars rover instructions or satellite control.

The complex source code, extensive legacy components, and the rapidly evolving software environment contributed to the vulnerability's persistence. Human reviewers, constrained by the sheer volume of code and limited by cognitive biases, failed to detect this flaw during three years of manual checking. This persisted despite NASA’s rigorous security protocols, illustrating the limitations of traditional analytical techniques.

The Role of AI in Detection: AISLE’s Intervention
The turning point in identifying this vulnerability was the application of AISLE (Artificial Intelligence for Secure Logical Examination), an advanced cybersecurity algorithm developed by a California-based startup. AISLE leverages machine learning, pattern recognition, and anomaly detection to scrutinize large codebases automatically.

Unlike traditional methods that depend on predefined rules or human intuition, AISLE continuously scans the entire source code, learning from historical patterns to identify suspicious anomalies or deviations. When applied to NASA’s CryptoLib code, AISLE flagged numerous irregularities—potential warning signs that warranted further investigation.

Remarkably, AISLE’s analysis, performed within days, detected a subtle inconsistency in the cryptographic validation process. Although the specific flaw was not evident to human reviewers, the AI system’s anomaly detection capabilities highlighted the structural weakness of the authentication implementation. These findings prompted rapid assessment and verification by security engineers.

Rapid Remediation and Validation
In response, NASA’s cybersecurity team prioritized the patching process, updating the CryptoLib authentication protocol to eliminate the identified flaw. The automated AI-generated insights enabled a swift turnaround—entirely within four days—shortening what could have been a protracted manual review process.

Post-remediation validation confirmed the robustness of the revised code, and continuous monitoring was implemented to detect any future anomalies. This rapid response prevented potential exploitation, exemplifying the efficacy of AI-powered cybersecurity in high-stakes environments.

Implications of AI-Driven Security in Space Missions

This incident underscores several key implications for the future of space mission security:

1. Enhanced Detection Capabilities
   AI-based tools like AISLE significantly augment manual review processes by identifying vulnerabilities that may escape human detection. Their ability to analyze vast codebases rapidly ensures comprehensive coverage, reducing the risk of overlooked flaws.

2. Continuous and Adaptive Monitoring
   Unlike periodic manual audits, AI systems operate continuously, adapting to code changes and new threats in real time. This persistent vigilance is crucial for protecting sensitive infrastructure against evolving cyber threats.

3. Rapid Response and Mitigation
   Automated analysis accelerates the detection-to-remediation cycle, minimizing the window of vulnerability. As demonstrated in NASA’s case, this approach facilitates near real-time security responses, critical for mission-critical systems.

4. Proactive Security Frameworks
   AI’s predictive capabilities enable proactive identification of potential vulnerabilities during development stages, rather than reactive responses after exploitation occurs. This shifts cybersecurity from a defensive to a preventative paradigm.

Challenges and Considerations

Despite these advantages, deploying AI-driven cybersecurity tools faces challenges:

• False Positives and Alert Fatigue
  AI systems may generate false alarms, overwhelming security teams. Fine-tuning algorithms to balance sensitivity and specificity remains essential.

• Limited Context Understanding
  AI tools analyze code patterns but may lack contextual understanding of operational implications. Expert validation remains necessary for critical decisions.

• Privacy and Ethical Concerns
  The use of AI in security should adhere to strict privacy standards, ensuring that proprietary or sensitive information is protected.

• Integration with Existing Systems
  Seamless integration of AI tools into current cybersecurity workflows requires effort and investment, alongside adequate training.

Future Perspectives: AI as a Standard in Space Infrastructure Security
The NASA incident exemplifies the growing importance and effectiveness of AI in securing space missions. Moving forward, several developments are anticipated:

• Broader Adoption Across Agencies
  Other space agencies and private spaceflight companies are likely to adopt AI tools to fortify their cyber defenses, recognizing their proven efficacy.

• Evolution of AI Techniques
  Advances in explainable AI will improve transparency, enabling humans to understand AI decisions, thereby fostering trust and more effective collaboration.

• Robotics and Automated Response
  Integration of AI with autonomous systems could enable automatic threat mitigation, creating self-healing infrastructure capable of defending itself against cyber intrusions.

• Policy and Regulation Frameworks
  Regulatory bodies may develop standards for AI-based cybersecurity, ensuring consistent and stringent application across sectors.

Conclusion
The detection and mitigation of a three-year vulnerability in NASA’s communication system via AI exemplifies the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity. As space missions become increasingly complex and interconnected, the importance of automated, adaptive, and rapid security solutions cannot be overstated. While challenges remain, the NASA case vividly demonstrates that AI tools like AISLE are vital in safeguarding high-value, mission-critical infrastructure from cyber threats. Embracing these technologies promises a more resilient, secure future for space exploration and other sensitive industries.

{ PETER2011}

Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object from interstellar space to pass through our solar system, is about to make its closest approach to Earth. On Friday, Dec. 19, it will come within about 170 million miles of the planet while moving on the far side of the Sun. The alignment should give Earth and space-based telescopes one of their best opportunities to study it, and NASA says it poses no threat.

Astronomers have followed 3I/ATLAS since its discovery on July 1. Hubble photographed it on July 21 from 277 million miles away, revealing a teardrop-shaped cloud of dust wrapped around its icy core. The comet stayed visible through September before slipping too close to the Sun to be observed. 

In early October, three NASA spacecraft at Mars-MRO, MAVEN, and Perseverance-picked it up again. MRO's HiRISE camera, usually aimed at the Martian surface, captured the clearest view: a tiny, pixel-like puff representing the coma, the dusty envelope created as sunlight warms the nucleus.

Ongoing observations will help scientists refine estimates of the comet's size and composition and better understand the dust particles in its coma. Current measurements suggest it could span anywhere from 1,444 feet to 3.5 miles.

3I/ATLAS follows two earlier interstellar objects, 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. Unlike 'Oumuamua, which behaved more like a rocky object, 3I/ATLAS displays classic comet activity. Even so, some of its traits have generated debate. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who previously raised the possibility that 'Oumuamua might be artificial, has again questioned whether this object could have a technological origin, though most scientists continue to interpret it as a natural comet.

• Related video: Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is traveling at 130,000 mph (Space)

Loeb wrote that comets shed gas and dust when sunlight warms icy pockets on their surfaces, which produces a small push similar to a rocket. He noted that an artificial object could experience similar non-gravitational forces, either through propulsion or by collecting material as it moves through interstellar space, making it appear comet-like in low-resolution images. 

"Given these features, it may resemble a comet in unresolved images like the ones we have of 3I/ATLAS," he wrote. "However, a spacecraft could also display artificial lights, release excess heat from its engine or maneuver in unusual ways."

He highlighted several other features he considers unlikely for a natural object, including the comet's trajectory. Loeb wrote that its path is aligned with the plane of the planets to within five degrees, something he calculates as having only a 0.2 percent chance of occurring by accident.

He also pointed to a jet of material directed toward the Sun before and after perihelion, which he calls unusual for familiar comets. He argued that its timing placed it unusually close to Mars, Venus, and Jupiter while keeping it unobservable from Earth at perihelion. He also contends that the object's estimated mass and high speed make it unlikely to be a naturally occurring rock randomly entering the inner solar system.

Scientists will continue studying the comet after its closest approach. "Observations are expected to continue for several more months as 3I/ATLAS heads out of the solar system," NASA noted.

The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft also observed 3I/ATLAS last month and saw intense activity as sunlight heated the comet, causing its ices to sublimate. ESA expects most of JUICE's data to arrive in late February.

After passing Earth, 3I/ATLAS will move on toward Jupiter in spring 2026, providing another chance to examine this rare visitor from beyond the solar system.

More Space

• Wonder | NASA publishes long-awaited photos of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS
• History | Earth has an unexpected new moon-and it's been here for decades
• Extraterrestrial | Harvard scientist tells Joe Rogan: 3I/ATLAS might be alien tech
• Close Encounter | Startling close call as undetected asteroid flies close to Earth

RELATED VIDEOS

{ chron.com }

Did the James Webb telescope really find evidence of alien life? Here's the truth about exoplanet K2-18b.

"It's almost certainly not life," Tessa Fisher, an astrobiologist at the University of Arizona who was not involved in the research, told Nature.com.

So what did JWST actually find on K2-18b, and how close are we to solving the ultimate mystery of space? Here's everything you need to know.

What did JWST find on K2-18b?

Unlike optical telescopes such as Hubble, JWST cannot image the surfaces of distant planets directly; instead, its infrared instruments hunt for chemical signs of life — or biosignatures — in planetary atmospheres by mapping how starlight is absorbed or reemitted by molecules in those atmospheres. The resulting graphs of light, called spectra, can reveal the composition of that planet's atmosphere, providing clues about its surface conditions.

Related: 

• 32 alien planets that really exist

In the new Cambridge-led study, scientists using JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) peered into K2-18b's atmosphere to detect traces of two sulfur-based molecules called dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) — compounds that are known to be produced only by microscopic life-forms like phytoplankton on Earth. If DMS can be produced by some natural mechanism, scientists currently don't know about it, and will have to run extensive tests to uncover it.

The findings add to earlier observations made by the same team using two different JWST instruments in 2023, which also reported possible traces of DMS in the planet's atmosphere.

While the Cambridge team admitted in the statement that they are "deeply sceptical" of their own results, the same release also trumpeted these detections as the "most promising" evidence yet of life beyond Earth, painting a picture of an oceanic planet that could be "teeming with life." (Other studies have argued that K2-18b's ocean may, in fact, be made of magma.)

Is it aliens? Here's why that's the least important question about 3I/ATLAS.

James Webb telescope uncovers a new mystery: A broiling 'hell planet' with an atmosphere that shouldn't exist

Building blocks of life detected in ice outside the Milky Way for first time ever

Nikku Madhusudhan, lead author of both Cambridge studies, stressed that no actual life has been detected on K2-18b yet.

"That's not what we're claiming," Madhusudhan, a professor of astrophysics at Cambridge, told Live Science. "But in the best-case scenario, it's the potential for life."

The team's DMS detection reached the three-sigma level of statistical significance, meaning there is a 0.3% probability that the signals occurred by chance. However, this still falls far short of the required five-sigma level that denotes a statistically significant scientific discovery.

Responding to criticism that the team may have overstated their study's significance, Madhusudhan said it's in the public interest to know how this research is progressing.

"This is the taxpayer paying us, and they have a right to enjoy the process," Madhusudhan added. "If we're sending a robot to Mars, we're not waiting until it goes and finds life to celebrate the act of sending it. We announced that we are sending robots to Mars, and we're excited about the possibility. This is the equivalent of that."

"No strong evidence"

For now, the public has little more than the Cambridge team's study to go on. The complete set of MIRI data on which the team based their discovery will become publicly available April 27, according to NPR, at which point outside researchers can begin to comb through it and formulate peer-reviewed responses.

In the meantime, various researchers have already attempted to re-create the findings using their own data models and have come up short.

In January, a team of scientists independently analyzed K2-18b's atmosphere using the same JWST instruments used in the 2023 study. The team found "no statistically significant or reliable evidence" of DMS on K2-18b, the researchers wrote in a paper published to the preprint server arXiv.

More recently, on April 22, University of Oxford astrophysicist Jake Taylor reanalyzed the JWST spectra shared in the new Cambridge study, using a simple data model that's routinely utilized in exoplanet studies. Taylor's analysis, also published to arXiv, found no traces of DMS, either.

"There is no strong evidence for detected spectral features in K2-18b's MIRI transmission spectrum," Taylor wrote.

Looking only at the Cambridge team's study, Schwieterman also saw cause for hesitation in proclaiming that biosignatures exist on K2-18b.

"When DMS interacts with ultraviolet light from the star, it splits apart into components that reform into other molecules like ethane (C2H6) and ethylene (C2H4)," Schwieterman said. "The paper does not report the detection of these molecules, which is puzzling because you'd expect these gases to appear together."

What comes next?

Everyone, including the Cambridge team, agrees that more observations of K2-18b are necessary to bring clarity to this puzzle. This means researchers will have to request more time with JWST to observe the alien planet as it swoops in front of its star.

Luckily, this is a near-monthly occurrence, with K2-18b completing a transit of its star every 33 days. Budgeting more time to watch these transits should be "trivial" for the telescope, Madhusudhan said.

"One transit is eight hours, roughly," Madhusudhan added. "You only need about 16 to 24 hours of JWST time. To give you a sense of scale, JWST observes thousands of hours every year."

If additional observations can increase the statistical significance of the team's DMS detection, the next step will be to prove that some unknown natural process isn't producing the molecule instead, Schwieterman said. This will take rigorous experimentation and some creative thinking here on Earth. Finally, scientists will need to look at planets that are similar to K2-18b to see if DMS is a common signature around the cosmos.

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

NASA / JPL-Caltech / SSI

There’s an electrifying new development in Mars science. NASA’s Perseverance rover has just captured proof of a weather phenomenon that was long suspected, but until now, never observed: electric discharges that brew within the dust devils that torment Mars’ surface.

The discovery, described in a new study in the journal Nature, confirms that lightning discharges occur in the Martian atmosphere. The dust devils that the discharges appear in are a common fixture on the Red Planet. Like on Earth, they’re whirlwinds created by rapidly rising columns of warm air heated by their proximity to the ground, shooting their way through the cool air which falls to take the rising warm air’s place. 

On Mars specifically, it was suspected that dust trapped in this whirlwind whips together to create a static charge through friction, a manifestation of the same so-called triboelectric effect that causes a spark after you shuffle across a carpet and touch a metal doorknob.

“Triboelectric charging of sand and snow particles is well documented on Earth, particularly in desert regions, but it rarely results in actual electrical discharges,” lead author Baptiste Chide, a member of the Perseverance science team and a planetary scientist at L’Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie in France, said in a NASA statement about the research. “On Mars, the thin atmosphere makes the phenomenon far more likely, as the amount of charge required to generate sparks is much lower than what is required in Earth’s near-surface atmosphere.”

That lightning on Mars had eluded detection until now was a long source of frustration to Mars scientists, as it had already been established to take place on other planets like Saturn and Jupiter, which are far more distant and aren’t observed up close by robots as we do the Red Planet.

The finding required some astonishing good luck. The detection was made by a microphone on the rover’s SuperCam instrument designed to analyze the acoustics of Martian rocks zapped by the SuperCam laser — or in other words, to record sound, not zips of static discharges. 

But the instrument kept picking up more and more electrical disturbances, in all logging 55 since its mission began in 2021, NASA said. Sixteen of them were recorded when a dust devil passed directly over the rover. Because the the number of discharges didn’t increase during the planet’s frequent dust storms, the scientists surmise that it must be coming from the dust devils instead — which, in another fortunate twist, happened to pass by the rover more often than anyone anticipated, allowing them to confirm the suspicion.

The discovery has exciting implications. Lightning can cause unique chemical reactions and affect the chemical balance of the planet’s surface, perhaps altering the odds of creating complex compounds — and possibly even organic molecules.

More on Mars: 

• Scientist Say They’ve Found Caves on Mars That May Contain Life

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://futurism.com/category/space }

Scientists Reveal Robot Small Enough to Travel Through Human Body

By Frank Landymore

Maya Lassiter / Miskin Lab / University of Pennsylvania

We’re far from realizing the kind of nanomachines envisioned in media like “The Diamond Age” and Metal Gear Solid, but scientists have just taken a meaningful step towards the next best thing.

A team of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan say they’ve built a sub-millimeter sized robot packed with a computer, motor, and sensors, the Washington Post reports. It’s not an actual billionth of a meter in size, but being smaller than a grain of salt, it is still outrageously tiny: a microrobot.

The work, described in a new study in the journal Science Robotics, could be a platform for one day building microscopic robots that could be deployed inside the human body to perform all sorts of medical miracles, like repairing tissues or delivering treatment to areas difficult for surgeons to access.

“It’s the first tiny robot to be able to sense, think and act,” coauthor Marc Miskin, assistant professor of electrical and systems engineering at UPenn, told WaPo.

At present, the device is still highly experimental and isn’t suited to be used inside a human body — but “it would not surprise me if in 10 years, we would have real uses for this type of robot,” coauthor David Blaauw from U-M told the newspaper.

Building a microscopic robot that can move, sense its surroundings, and make decisions on its own has evaded scientists for decades. According to the team, roboticists have typically relied on externally controlling the microrobots so they can operate at smaller scales, but sacrificing their ability to process information. That prevents the robots from reacting with their environment, leaving them with a limited number of pre-programmed behaviors they can carry out — and as a result, limited real-world usefulness.

Having a robot on the scale of microns, or one millionth of a meter, would give us access to what corresponds to the smallest units of our biology, Miskin told WaPo.

“Every living thing is basically a giant composite of 100-micron robots, and if you think about that it’s quite profound that nature has singled out this one size as being how it wanted to organize life,” he said.

Visually, the researchers’ robot resembles a microchip, and is made of the same kinds of materials, including silicon, platinum, and titanium, WaPo noted. It’s sealed in a layer of what is essentially glass, Miskin said, protecting it from fluids.

The robot uses solar cells to convert energy that powers its onboard computer and its propulsion system, which uses a pair of electrodes to generate a flow in the water particles surrounding it. In a word, the robot swims. Its onboard computer is less than a thousandth of the speed of a modern laptop, per WaPo, but it’s enough to let it respond to changes it detects in its environment like temperature.

“At this scale, the robot’s size and power budget are comparable to many unicellular microorganisms,” the team wrote in the study.

Crucially, the robot is designed to still communicate with its human operators.

“We can send messages down to it telling it what we want it to do,” using a laptop, Miskin told WaPo, “and it can send messages back up to us to tell us what it saw and what it was doing.”

But the next step? Inter-microrobot communication.

“So the next holy grail really is for them to communicate with each other,” Blaauw told WaPo.

More on robots: 

• Video Shows Robot Attacking CEO

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Astonishing interactive map lays bare where MILLIONS of homes will be submerged by water within a few years... are YOU at risk?

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

Millions of buildings and even more Americans could be at risk of sinking underwater by the end of the century.

Researchers from McGill University in Canada warned rising sea levels, resulting from continued greenhouse gas emissions, threaten to wipe out coastal cities worldwide.

Sea level rise measures the ocean's surface height over time. Level increases can cause flooding in areas that sit near or below the waterline.

Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide from cars and factories, trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, making the planet warmer. Those increased temperatures melt ice caps and glaciers, and also cause ocean water to expand as it heats up.

The McGill team revealed that even in the best-case scenarios, where sea levels rise just 1.6 feet by 2100, three million buildings in the Southern Hemisphere alone would be underwater by then.

The study is the first large-scale, building-by-building assessment of how long-term sea level rise could affect coastal infrastructure across the Global South, including Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America. 

Researchers used satellite imagery and elevation data to map how many buildings could be inundated under different scenarios, providing critical insights for urban planners and policymakers. 

While the estimate didn't account for potential damage in the US, Europe and much of northern Asia, where over two billion people live, maps have provided people with the worst-case scenarios for their hometowns.

The Sea Level Submergence Explorer map revealed how 65 feet of sea level rise could impact New York in a doomsday climate scenario

Major cities, including Washington, DC, (pictured) could see historic landmarks submerged by rising sea levels over the next 75 years

The data suggested that if emissions are unchecked, sea levels could rise by as much as 65 feet in the examined timeframe. 

In this doomsday climate scenario, major cities like New York, Washington, Baltimore, Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Oakland and Sacramento could be submerged within the next 75 years.

Millions would be impacted in New York City and Washington, DC

While the McGill team did not focus on Earth's Northern Hemisphere, its Sea Level Submergence Explorer map painted a grim picture for America's most famous metropolis.

New York City would see much of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx end up below the higher sea level.

More than 8.5 million people live and work in over a million buildings in New York, all of which could be severely impacted by a dramatic increase in flood risks.

The nation's capital, Washington, DC, would also be dramatically affected by out of control sea level rise.

The map estimated that the White House and other government buildings would be submerged if sea levels rose by 65 feet over the next century.

Professor Natalya Gomez, a study co-author from McGill University, said in a press release: 'Sea level rise is a slow, but unstoppable consequence of warming that is already impacting coastal populations and will continue for centuries.

'People often talk about sea level rising by tens of centimeters, or maybe a meter. But, in fact, it could continue to rise for many meters if we don't quickly stop burning fossil fuels.'

Even if the global emissions reduction goals of the Paris Agreement are met, researchers found sea levels would still rise by three feet and flood five million buildings in Africa, Southeast Asia and South America by 2100.

The worst case scenario from the Sea Level Submergence Explorer map warned that more than half of the state of Florida could end up underwater by 2100

The entire state of Delaware was submerged in a map showing sea level rise reaching its estimated peak of 65 feet over the next century 

Florida and Delaware would be devastated

This worst-case scenario also projected that several East Coast states, including the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey, would have their beachfront communities wiped off the map.

In Delaware, a small state along the Atlantic with roughly one million residents and 200,000 buildings, the damage was projected to be even worse, with almost the entire state falling below sea level.

Farther south, Florida's landmass would shrink to just a tiny fraction of what it is today. Cities like Miami, Tampa, Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville would be submerged by the rising Atlantic.

Eric Galbraith, another McGill professor involved in the study, said in a statement: 'Everyone of us will be affected by climate change and sea level rise, whether we live by the ocean or not.'

In the Gulf, both New Orleans, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas, would be submerged by catastrophic sea level rise

Although the West Coast did not see as much flooding in models of sea level rise, California's capital of Sacramento along with the Bay Area were still pictured as casualties in flooding maps

The Gulf states and California would be crippled by floods

New Orleans and Houston, two major cities along the Gulf Coast, would also become submerged in this projected nightmare climate situation.

New Orleans, home to more than 360,000 people, has already been devastated by regular flooding during hurricane season.

A 2024 study published in the Hydrogeology Journal discovered that a large portion of the city sits on soft, squishy soils (peat and clay) that sink when drained or built on.

Much of this soil has already rotted after being exposed to the air or has been compacted under the weight of local buildings and roads.

Houston has also been significantly affected by flooding during hurricane season on multiple occasions - most notably during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.

The record-breaking rainfall caused catastrophic flooding that inundated over 160,000 homes, killed 68 people and caused $125 billion in damage across southeast Texas.

On the West Coast, the Sea Level Submergence Explorer found much less damage even if sea levels rose by the map's maximum estimates.

However, California's capital, Sacramento, would be in an area devastated by climate-related floods.

The doomsday scenario showed the city of more than 500,000 people would be completely submerged.

Nearby coastal cities in the Bay Area, such and San Francisco and San Jose, would also be severely affected.

Scientists have used satellite maps to work out how many buildings would be destroyed if sea levels rise between 0.5 metres (red) and 20 metres (yellow). In the worst-case scenario, over 100 million buildings would be flooded in the global south alone 

The US has been heavily impacted by both flash floods and coast flooding in recently years, particularly in areas near or below sea level. Pictured: A drone view of vehicles partially submerged in flood water following flash floods along the Concho River in San Angelo, Texas, on July 4, 2025

A separate team launched a detailed map revealing US counties most at risk of flooding, pollution, chronic illness and other factors linked to climate change

Study authors noted that this would be an extreme situation that could also take much longer to fully play out than anticipated - possibly taking until the year 2300.

However, they warned that meeting emissions goals may be the only way of slowing this potential global flooding event.

Lead study author Maya Willard-Stepan said in a press release: 'There is no escaping at least a moderate amount of sea level rise.

'The sooner coastal communities can start planning for it, the better chance they have of continuing to flourish.'

Climate change advocates think sea level rise can be prevented by using cleaner energy sources like wind or solar power, planting more trees to absorb carbon dioxide, and building sea walls to protect flood-prone areas.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Gigantic sinkholes hundreds of feet deep have been opening up throughout Turkey, mirroring a biblical prophecy.

The Book of Numbers, Chapter 6, describes the earth opening up and swallowing people as divine punishment for rebellion, a connection that some are drawing after the massive collapses in the Konya Plain, a key wheat-growing region. 

Many have interpreted the growing phenomenon as a sign that 'God is on the move.'

However, scientists point to far more earthly causes. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority has reported 648 massive sinkholes in the Konya Plain, primarily the result of severe drought and excessive groundwater pumping.

 Researchers at Konya Technical University have discovered more than 20 new sinkholes in the past year alone, adding to the nearly 1,900 sites already mapped by 2021 where the ground was slowly sinking or starting to cave in.

Before 2000, only a handful of sinkholes appeared each decade, but climate change and prolonged drought are blamed for the dramatic increase over the past 25 years. 

Today, dozens of enormous collapses occur annually, some more than 100 feet wide.

Falling groundwater tables are driving the problem, causing drier wells, stressed ecosystems, dwindling crops, and land subsidence. Farmers pumping more water to save sugar beet and corn crops are further exacerbating the situation.

Scientists warn that similar risks could emerge in parts of the US, Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Australia, where declining groundwater levels threaten communities and ecosystems.

A massive sinkhole in Turkey. Researchers have discovered nearly 700 similar-sized openings in the country's Konya Plain caused by drought and groundwater pumping

Turkey Today reported that some farmers have already lost crops or had to abandon fields deemed too dangerous 

According to NASA's Earth Observatory, Turkey's water reservoirs reached their lowest levels in 15 years in 2021. 

The groundwater table in parts of Konya has dramatically dropped over the past few decades, according to Turkish geological studies. 

The same issues are plaguing the US, with major declines seen in the Great Plains, Central Valley and Southeast. 

Parts of Texas, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona could be affected by major sinkholes if drought conditions worsen and groundwater pumping is not carefully regulated.

The US Drought Monitor noted that pockets of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming have also reached this severe level of drought. 

Massive sinkholes form in drought-ridden areas when farmers and cities pump massive amounts of groundwater from limestone rock layers to survive the dry years, emptying the underground caves that were once filled with water.

When that water support vanishes, the cave roofs collapse, creating huge holes that swallow farmland and roads overnight, just like in Turkey and parts of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The sinkholes in Turkey (Pictured) have opened up near many farms, which have been battling drought conditions believed to be intensified by climate change

In the US, scientists have warned of an 'unprecedented 21st century drought risk' in the Southwest and Central Plains.

Over the last decade, multiple studies have forecasted 'severe and persistent drought' conditions through the year 2100.

Currently, the nation's Drought Monitor system found that the worst conditions in 2025 were found along the US-Mexico border in western Texas, measuring at 'D4' - the most severe drought rating.

Several other regions in northern Florida and southern Georgia, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah were all graded in December 2025 as being in severe drought (D2) or extreme drought (D3).

US officials have revealed that several areas of the Southwest are at risk of similar sinkholes as severe drought conditions worsen in the coming century

In Upton County, Texas, a massive sinkhole formed around an abandoned 1950s oil well near McCamey, measuring about 200 feet wide and 40 feet deep in March.

In southeastern Arizona's Cochise County, land subsidence (ground sinking) from groundwater pumping has led to multiple fissures and sinkholes this year.

These sinkholes have varied from 10 to 30 feet across, with local areas reportedly sinking by more than six inches per year across hundreds of acres, creating pockets of unstable ground in farming areas.

In southern New Mexico, a 30-foot-deep sinkhole opened in May 2024 near homes in Las Cruces, swallowing two cars and forcing nearby homes to evacuate.

Officials cited unstable soil from recent droughts as the key factor, though no statewide pumping cutbacks were enacted in response.

In Texas, over 100 public water systems have imposed restrictions on groundwater pumping this year, as new drought rules have limited groundwater pumping for agriculture and in cities across central Texas.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

Ancient Egypt's origin story rewritten after scientists reveal new timeline for its most powerful era

• READ MORE: Hidden mega-structures beneath Egypt's Giza pyramids are 'confirmed' by scientists

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

A new discovery has rewritten the timeline of Egypt's early dynasties, placing the rise of the New Kingdom nearly a century later than previously thought.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Because these objects are anchored to specific historical contexts, their ages provide a reliable snapshot of the period. The study shows that the eruption predates these artifacts, reshaping how historians understand the rise of Egypt's most powerful period.

By reanalyzing ancient Egyptian artifacts, like a brick stamped with a pharaoh's seal, scientists were able to change the timeline

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

The Santorini volcano, located about 75 miles north of Crete, is surrounded by the small islands of Thera, Therasia, and Aspronisi. 

Over time, it has produced many large, explosive eruptions, but the most famous occurred during the Late Minoan IA period, around 1600 to 1480 BC. 

This eruption buried the town of Akrotiri on southern Thera under thick layers of volcanic ash. 

Fine ash was carried by winds and fell as far away as eastern Crete, demonstrating the eruption's enormous regional impact.

Traditionally, the Thera eruption has been linked to Egypt's 18th Dynasty, with scholars using it as a rough marker for dating early New Kingdom events. 

However, the new radiocarbon analysis showed the eruption actually occurred earlier, during the Second Intermediate Period, a time before Egypt had fully reunited under Ahmose. 

This means that previous assumptions tying the eruption directly to the early New Kingdom were incorrect.

'This study provides the first direct radiocarbon comparison between the Thera eruption and Egyptian artifacts from this transitional period,' said the researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the University of Groningen.

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

'It allows us to anchor one of the most dramatic natural events in the eastern Mediterranean to Egypt's own historical timeline for the first time.'

The findings carry broader implications for our understanding of the ancient world.

By showing that the eruption happened earlier than previously thought, historians and archaeologists can now reassess cultural and trade interactions between Egypt, Crete, and other Mediterranean regions.

This includes everything from the movement of goods and ideas to migrations prompted by natural disasters.

The research also demonstrated the power of modern science to reshape what we know about ancient history. 

Even civilizations studied for thousands of years, like Ancient Egypt, can have their timelines refined through new techniques and careful analysis. 

The results support the 'low chronology' model, which positions the start of the 18th Dynasty a bit later than previously thought. 

Photograph published in 1916, showing four 12th Dynasty shabtis and one shabti attributed by him to the 17th Dynasty

Pictured is the Khufu Pyramid, also known as the Great Pyramid, in Giza Pyramid Complex.

As lead author Hendrik J Bruins put it, “Our findings indicate that the Second Intermediate Period lasted considerably longer than traditional assessments, and the New Kingdom started later.” 

Although the adjustment is modest in years, it carries major historical significance.

Ahmose’s reunification of Egypt marks a critical turning point, and moving its date reshapes how scholars understand the political and cultural transformation that ushered in Egypt’s New Kingdom. 

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

The TFR advised that the restriction was in place for reasons involving “national security,” and the site of the crash was subsequently cleared by U.S. Air Force officials.

“There were no fatalities, injuries or property damage,” read a statement provided by 432d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs in response to inquiries made by The Debrief on September 30, 2025.

“The incident is under investigation,” the statement read, adding that no additional details were available about the situation at that time.

That all changed last weekend, when the 432d Wing issued a new release providing the first official update on the situation in several days, which included a series of puzzling new developments.

“During a follow-on site survey on October 3rd, investigators discovered signs of tampering at the mishap location,” the October 4 release stated, “including the presence of an inert training bomb body and an aircraft panel of unknown origin that were placed on the site post-incident.”

The Debrief reached out to 432d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs again on October 10, seeking any additional details that could be provided about the situation, but had received no response to our query as of the time of publication.

The aircraft involved in the initial September 23 incident has not been officially identified, although it is believed to have been an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), according to Dreamland Resort, a website that has chronicled news and discussions related to Area 51 and U.S. government black projects for decades.

Joerg Arnu, the site’s founder and webmaster, traveled to the area where the crash occurred shortly after officials had cleared the site, documenting his visit in a video that appeared on his YouTube page on September 29.

In an article about the incident posted on his website on October 10, Arnu wrote that while the official statements provided by the U.S. Air Force attribute the aircraft crash to a unit operating from Creech AFB, security radio communications reportedly overheard shortly after the incident may have potentially linked it to a hangar at Area 51.

Arnu said that based on his investigations, the incident was likely related to a large nighttime military operation occurring in the region in the early morning hours on September 23, as indicated in radio communications occurring at that time.

In its statement issued over the weekend, 432nd Wing/432d Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs said that the investigation into the origin of the aircraft panel of unknown origin and training bomb subsequently discovered at the site remains underway.

“The matter is under investigation by Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the FBI,” the statement read.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

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

Zijn UFO’s het gevolg van menselijke misverstanden? De onopgeloste mysteries achter de X-Files

Introductie

Al decennia lang blijft de wereld geboeid door mysterieuze waarnemingen in de lucht, bekend als UFO’s, oftewel “Unidentified Flying Objects.” Deze term verwijst naar verschijnselen die door getuigen worden gezien, maar die niet onmiddellijk kunnen worden verklaard. Vaak worden deze waarnemingen gekoppeld aan buitenaardse bezoekers, maar wat als de meeste waarnemingen gewoon menselijke interpretaties zijn van natuurlijke of door de mens gemaakte fenomenen?

Recent onderzoek en nieuwe literatuur wijzen erop dat veel van deze waarnemingen kunnen worden verklaard door factoren die niets met buitenaardse beschavingen te maken hebben. Dit artikel brengt een gedetailleerde analyse van deze theorieën, ondersteund door historische context, wetenschappelijke inzichten, classificaties van fenomeengroepen en de meest bekende onbeantwoordegevallen. Het doel is om een genuanceerd en compleet beeld te schetsen van de { UFO|UAP}-onderwerpen en de mogelijkheid dat menselijke misverstanden de belangrijkste oorzaak zijn achter deze mysterieuze verschijnselen.

Historische Context: De Koelperiode en de Toename van Waarnemingen

De zoektocht naar UFO’s kreeg vorm tijdens de Koude Oorlog, een periode waarin technologie sneller evolueerde dan ooit tevoren. Radar, stealth-technologie en geheime wapens resulteerden in een golf van waarnemingen van onverklaarbare vliegende objecten.

In de jaren 40 en 50 van de 20e eeuw waren de Verenigde Staten en de Sovjet-Unie volop bezig met het ontwikkelen van nieuwe vliegtuigen en raketten. Voor het publiek en de militaire inlichtingendiensten vormden deze tests vaak een mysterie. Zo waren er bijvoorbeeld talloze meldingen van zogenaamde “saucer-shaped” objecten die snel en zonder duidelijk patroon door de lucht bewogen. Dit leidde tot populaire verhalen en complottheorieën over buitenaardse invasies.

Daarnaast creëerde de geheime aard van militaire projecten een zenuwslopende atmosfeer van wantrouwen. De Amerikaanse overheid hield veel rapporten en observaties verborgen vanwege nationale veiligheid, waardoor geruchten over geheime superwapens en buitenaardse aanwezigheid de ronde deden. Een belangrijk voorbeeld zijn de beroemde “Roswell Incident” uit 1947, waarbij een hypothese ontstond over een neergestort buitenaards vaartuig, ondanks dat officiële rapporten later verklaarden dat het gewoon een weerballon was.

Na het uiteenvallen van de Sovjet-Unie in de jaren 90 en de technologische vooruitgang in hypersonische drones en stealth vliegtuigen, nam het aantal waarnemingen opnieuw toe. Vaak waren deze incidenten moeilijk te verklaren omdat ze werden gedaan onder het bewind van geheime militaire operaties die de informatie niet toegankelijk maakten voor het publiek of onderzoekers. Het resultaat: een voortdurende golf van speculaties en theorieën.

Wetenschappelijke Herziening: Van Sensatie tot Empirisch Onderzoek

In de afgelopen jaren heeft de Amerikaanse overheid de terminologie aangepast van “UFO” naar “UAP” (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). Deze verandering is niet slechts cosmetisch; het drukt de gewenste verschuiving uit van sensationele verhalen naar een meer wetenschappelijke en gesofisticeerde aanpak.

Het gebruik van “UAP” benadrukt dat het niet zozeer gaat om “voorwerpen” die per definitie buitenaards zouden zijn, maar om fenomenen die nog verder onderzocht moeten worden. Dit perspectief ondersteunt een empirische aanpak waarbij waarnemingen worden getoetst aan wetenschappelijke methoden, zoals het verzamelen van data, het herhaalbaar maken van observaties en het sluiten van hypothesen.

Een uitstekend voorbeeld hiervan is NASA’s SETI-programma, dat zich niet richt op het zoeken naar buitenaardse bezoekers in de atmosfeer, maar naar technosignatures – tekenen van geavanceerde buitenaardse beschavingen in de ruimte. De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven wordt dus weliswaar voortgezet, maar gescheiden gehouden van de observaties van UAP’s in de dampkring.

Het is belangrijk te benadrukken dat het bestaan van buitenaards leven nog steeds een open vraag is. De veelvuldige waarnemingen leiden niet automatisch tot de conclusie dat buitenaardse wezens bestaan, maar ze vragen wel om verdere studie. Volgens Graff, de auteur van recent onderzoek, is de enige juiste houding: “We weten het niet. Maar onze moeite om dat te weten te komen moet blijven bestaan.”

Classificatie van UAP’s: Vier Groepen voor een Betere Begrip

Om de vele waarnemingen op een systematische wijze te begrijpen en te onderzoeken, is het nodig om ze te classificeren. De nieuwe inzichten uit de literatuur en data-analyse leiden tot een indeling van UAP’s in vier belangrijke categorieën:

1. Atmosferische en Meteorologische Fenomenen

Veel waarnemingen worden veroorzaakt door natuurlijke fenomenen die door het menselijke oog anders geïnterpreteerd kunnen worden. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn:

- Ball Lightning: Zeldzame maar spectaculaire elektrische verschijnselen die bestaan uit korte, vlamachtige balvormige lichten die door de lucht zweven en na enige tijd verdwijnen.

- Plasma- en Optische Effects: Optische illusies of atmosferische verschijnselen zoals lichtbogen, spiegelingen of zonsverduisteringen, die bij niet goed geïnformeerde getuigen de indruk kunnen wekken van een gestructureerd of bewegend object.

Voorbeeld: Een waarneming van een helder verschijnsel dat beweegt langs de horizon, maar daadwerkelijk een combinatie van spiegelingen en atmosferische gloed blijkt te zijn.

2. Geavanceerde Militaire Technologie

Een aanzienlijk deel van de waarnemingen kan worden toegeschreven aan geheime militaire technologieën. Denk aan:

- Reconnaissance Drones: Onbemande luchtvaartuigen die door militaire diensten worden ingezet;

- Stealth-vliegtuigen en Raketplatformen: Geavanceerde vliegtuigen die moeilijk te detecteren zijn door radar, en die in het verleden zijn getest zonder dat de publieke hiervan op de hoogte was.

e

Voorbeeld: Tijdens de NAVO-oefeningen en vrijwaringen worden regelmatig objecten waargenomen die exact voldoen aan de kenmerken van stealth-technologieën, maar deze worden niet altijd erkend door de autoriteiten.

3. Door de Mens Gemaakt Objecten die Worden Verward met UFO’s

Veel waarnemingen worden veroorzaakt door menselijke creaties die zonder context of goede informatie worden waargenomen en daardoor verkeerd worden geïnterpreteerd:

- Satellieten en Starlink-netwerken: Vooral bij het opstijgen en neerzetten van satellieten kunnen groepen lichtende lijnen worden waargenomen, die lijken op structuren of bewegende objecten;

-Weerballonsystemen en Ballonnen: Hoge zwevende ballonnen voor weeronderzoek, high-altitude luchtballonnen of hobbyballonnen worden vaak verkeerd begrepen als buitenaardse zakken.

Voorbeeld: ‘Starlink’ satellietlaningen die in de avond helder zichtbaar zijn en in de lucht verschillende patronen vormen, wat bij onwetende getuigen kan leiden tot UFO-waarnemingen.

4. Fenomenen die Nog Onverklaard Blijven

Naast bovengenoemde categorieën blijven een klein aantal waarnemingen over die niet makkelijk te verklaren zijn door natuurlijke of menselijke oorzaken. Dit betreft een uiterst klein percentage, maar deze incidenten worden vaak als de meest intrigerende beschouwd en krijgen veel aandacht in theorieën over buitenaardse ontmoetingen.

Voorbeeld: De ‘Tic-Tac’ video uit 2004, waarin een onregelmatig gevormd object door Amerikaanse marine radar en radarbeelden wordt gevolgd, en dat tot op heden niet volledig verklaard kan worden.

De Onopgeloste Zaken en de Toekomst van Onderzoek

Ondanks het gestructureerde kader blijven een aantal bekende onopgeloste incidenten bestaan. Bijvoorbeeld:

• De Phoenix Lights (1997): Een grote formatie van lichtgevende objecten die door duizenden waarnemers over Arizona en Nevada werden gezien en die niet konden worden verklaard door conventionele middelen.
• USS Nimitz Radar-Encounter (2004): Een ontmoeting tussen Marines en geheime vliegtuigen met een ongewone bewegingsvrijheid.
• De Tic-Tac-video (2023): Een aanvulling op eerdere incidenten die door de Amerikaanse marine werd gedocumenteerd en dat nog steeds tot nieuwe vragen leidt.

Volgens Graff liggen veel van deze onbeantwoorde gevallen in de beperkte beschikbaarheid van data, geheime bronnen en de korte duur van waarnemingen. Tegelijkertijd pleit hij voor meer transparantie en het verzamelen van systematische en objectieve gegevens.

De snelle groei van satellietnetwerken, slimme drones, en andere autonome systemen maakt dat misverstanden bij waarnemingen kunnen toenemen, tenzij er een robuust classificatiesysteem wordt toegepast. Het belang van goed geoutilleerde en transparante databanken wordt daarom benadrukt.

Conclusie: Een Nuchtere Enquête in De Wereld van het Onbekende

Het boek en de analyse omvatten niet de pretentie om de ultieme waarheid over buitenaardse bezoekers te vinden. Wat het wel doet, is een gestructureerde en rationele aanpak bieden waarin menselijke interpretaties en natuurlijke fenomenen worden onderscheiden van de echt onverklaarbare gevallen.

Door de verschijnselen te classificeren in vier groepen – natuurlijke opmerkelijkheden, militaire technologie, misinterpretaties van civiele objecten en nog onbekende fenomenen – krijgen onderzoekers en het grote publiek een helderder taalgebruik. Dit lastige proces van scheiden van feiten en percepties is essentieel om de juiste vragen te blijven stellen en niet te verzanden in ongefundeerde beschuldigingen of complottheorieën.

De houding die vanuit Graff en de wetenschappelijke gemeenschap wordt uitgedragen, is die van voorzichtig optimisme. Men erkent de onzekerheid, maar blijft geloven in voortdurende studie en onderzoek. De grote vraag “Zijn wij alleen in het universum?” blijft onbeantwoord. Maar misschien is de grootste ontdekking – en het belangrijkst – dat wij onze waarnemingen en interpretaties kritisch blijven bekijken.

Samenvatting

Dus, zijn UFO’s het resultaat van menselijke misverstanden? Op basis van recent onderzoek en de analyse van verschillende fenomenen lijkt het antwoord te ‘ja’ te kunnen zijn voor de meeste incidenten. Het merendeel van de waarnemingen kan worden verklaard door natuurlijke verschijnselen, geheime militaire experimenten of civiele objecten die verkeerd begrepen worden. Alleen een klein percentage blijft echt onverklaard en vormt de basis voor speculaties over buitenaardse beschavingen.

In plaats van te focussen op buitenaardse bezoeken, is het dus belangrijker om de juiste terminologie te gebruiken, objectief te blijven, en vooral te investeren in transparantie, standaardisatie van data en interdisciplinair onderzoek. Zo kunnen we hopelijk in de toekomst meer duidelijkheid krijgen en misschien zelfs de grootste mysteries van de kosmos ontrafelen – maar op een manier die wetenschappelijk verantwoord en gebaseerd op bewijs is.

{ PETER2011 }

Astronauts Who Claim to Have Seen UFOs in Space

Overview

Throughout history, astronauts who have spent extended periods in space, whether on lunar missions or spacewalks, have occasionally reported observing objects that defy immediate explanation. These sightings have become a focal point amid renewed government interest in Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). While it’s crucial to clarify that such reports do not constitute definitive proof of extraterrestrial technology, they contribute valuable insights because the observers are highly trained professionals who document anomalous visual events with a rigorous scientific approach. The recent sharing of these testimonies within communities like #UFOTwitter has reignited discussions among analysts, scientists, and policymakers alike, prompting them to revisit the historical record, analyze the credibility of such observations, and consider what future disclosures might mean for humanity's understanding of space phenomena.

Eyewitness Accounts: Notable Astronaut Testimonies

Among the most notable accounts is that of Charles Duke, Apollo 16's lunar module pilot, who described experiencing a “mysterious light” during his lunar EVA. He noted that this light “didn’t behave like any known spacecraft or natural phenomenon" and hovered beyond his view for several seconds before vanishing. In a recent interview from 2023, Duke elaborated that, “It was a bright, steady glow that seemed to hover just beyond the horizon—nothing I could explain at the time,” emphasizing the inexplicability of this sighting. Similarly, Bruce McCandless, the first astronaut to perform an untethered spacewalk on the Space Shuttle STS-41B, recounted observing “something” outside his helmet visor during maneuvering aboard the Manned Maneuvering Unit. He described seeing “a faint, disc-shaped outline moving at a speed that didn’t match any known debris or satellite.” Their unusual descriptions—erratic movements, anomalously high speeds, and lack of identifiable propulsion systems—are shared by other credible witnesses and suggest encounters with phenomena outside standard aerospace phenomena and debris.

Another significant testimony comes from Gordon Cooper, a veteran of Mercury-Atlas 9, who during his 1963 orbital flight reported observing a “flying saucer” over a ground tracking station. Cooper’s report, along with the others, shares commonalities: unexpected movements, unusual shapes, and optical phenomena that challenged conventional explanation. These accounts are noteworthy because they come from trained observers, whose backgrounds in aerospace and scientific training strengthen their credibility. Altogether, these eyewitness accounts highlight unusual phenomena that simply do not match the known behavior of common objects or natural events observed during space missions.

Historical Context: The Evolution of UFO Sightings in Space

The phenomenon of UFO sightings is not new and predates human spaceflight. However, the height of the Cold War and the space race of the 1960s significantly heightened public and scientific attention to unidentified objects in the sky. During these decades, reports of strange lights and mysterious craft increased both from civilians and astronauts. For example, a 1965 NASA internal memo documented “unidentified luminous objects” observed near the Gemini 7 orbit, noting that these sightings warranted further study. The Cold War also intensified radar activity and atmospheric re-entry events, which often could be confused with extraterrestrial craft—adding complexity to the interpretation of such phenomena.

As space missions became more frequent and sophisticated, so too did the observations by trained astronauts, whose proficiency in differentiating natural phenomena or debris from potential anomalies contributed to the growing body of reports. These accounts fostered a bridge between anecdotal UFO sightings and the more systematic documentation of UAP encounters, leading to modern attempts to understand and classify these phenomena within a scientific framework—although conclusive explanations remain elusive. The historical record thus plays an important role today, providing context and credibility to current discussions about unidentified phenomena in space.

Credibility and Scientific Scrutiny: Evaluating the Evidence

Given that astronauts are highly trained professionals, their observations carry significant weight. Their training emphasizes precise documentation, cross-referencing instrument data, and differentiating natural events from man-made objects. John Young, a former NASA astronaut and chief of the astronaut office, publicly expressed cautious interest in unexplained aerial phenomena, noting that, “if a trained pilot sees something that doesn’t fit known parameters, it deserves a serious look.” This highlights a key principle: trained observers’ accounts, especially when detailed and consistent, warrant scientific investigation.

Independent researchers and analysts have examined mission transcripts, video footage, telemetry data, and sensor recordings to verify these sightings. In some cases, apparent anomalies might be explained by reflections, optical artifacts, or known satellite or debris movements. Nonetheless, many reports remain inconclusive because of the lack of corroborating sensor data—such as radar signatures or spectroscopic measurements—which could definitively identify the objects seen. The absence of such data leaves the sightings categorized as “unidentified,” but their consistency across multiple missions and different observers supports the view that a subset of these phenomena warrants further scientific inquiry.

While the scientific community remains cautious about jumping to extraterrestrial conclusions, there’s increased recognition that these phenomena deserve serious scrutiny. The sightings from astronauts—despite lacking definitive sensor confirmation—add to the accumulating body of evidence that some space-based phenomena remain unexplained within conventional physics and aerospace knowledge. This ongoing investigation aims to differentiate between optical illusions, natural phenomena, and potentially other, as yet unknown, phenomena in space.

Implications for Humanity: Broader Impact of UAP Encounters

The potential confirmation that some space-based UFO sightings are of non-human origin would be groundbreaking, with wide-ranging implications extending beyond aerospace technology. Such disclosures could influence international security policies, leading to new protocols for handling unexplained encounters and fostering global cooperation for transparency. Furthermore, credible evidence of non-terrestrial intelligence would stimulate a paradigm shift in scientific research, prompting new inquiries into the origins, objectives, and technologies of these phenomena.

Even in the absence of conclusive proof, the acknowledgment that highly trained, credible professionals have encountered unexplained phenomena in space encourages a more open and transparent approach to data collection, analysis, and sharing. This transparency can enhance public trust and foster scientific collaboration across nations. The expanding efforts of the Pentagon’s UAP Office and NASA’s dedicated sensor suites for deep-space exploration highlight an institutional shift toward systematically studying and understanding these phenomena. Such frameworks aim to ensure encounters are documented rigorously and, if appropriate, communicated responsibly to the public.

The implications extend into philosophical and cultural realms as well, compelling humanity to reevaluate its place in the universe. If future investigations validate the presence of extraterrestrial or non-human intelligences, it could profoundly impact our worldviews, religious beliefs, and cultural narratives—ushering in a new era of cosmic consciousness. The legacy of astronaut reports, therefore, may serve as a catalyst for transformative scientific and societal change, emphasizing the importance of open-minded, rigorous investigation into mysteries beyond our planet.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Space UFO Research and Exploration

The renewed focus on astronaut UFO reports signifies a broader shift toward systematic, evidence-based research of space anomalies. As upcoming missions, such as NASA’s Artemis program, prepare to return humans to the Moon’s surface, they will be equipped with advanced optical, infrared, and radar systems capable of capturing high-resolution data. These tools aim to document anomalies in real time, providing objective, verifiable evidence to supplement eyewitness accounts.

Additionally, the International Space Station (ISS)—with its continuous crew presence—serves as a unique platform for ongoing observation of the space environment. The crew can perform real-time reports, capture video footage, and conduct experimental procedures aimed at identifying unexplained phenomena. These efforts are critical to moving the conversation beyond anecdotal reports, integrating data into a scientific framework that prioritizes reproducibility and verification.

Looking forward, collaboration among governmental agencies, scientific institutions, and private space enterprises will be essential to develop standardized protocols for recording, analyzing, and sharing data related to UAPs. Public interest and curiosity, fueled by credible testimonials from astronauts and astronauts-in-training, drive momentum for open engagement and transparency. The integration of cutting-edge technology, rigorous scientific methodology, and international cooperation aims to ensure that any future discoveries are rooted in fact rather than sensationalism, ultimately enhancing our understanding of space phenomena and humanity’s place in the cosmos.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://usubjects.com/  }

Overview

A recent YouTube video titled "Declassified: Proof of Extraterrestrial Contact in Official U.S. Files" has reignited public debate over the existence of extraterrestrial life, asserting that declassified U.S. government documents provide compelling evidence of contact with non-human intelligences. The video, which is being widely shared within disclosure communities, examines government records, whistleblower testimonies, and historic UFO encounters, urging viewers to engage directly with the primary sources rather than relying solely on mainstream media interpretations.

Government Documentation and Official Acknowledgement

The video argues that thousands of pages of government-generated documents are now publicly accessible, many of which were released following lawsuits, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, or through internal leaks. These documents reportedly originate from a wide range of U.S. agencies, including the Navy, Department of Defense, CIA, NSA, FBI, Congress, and NASA. According to the video, “These aren’t fringe sources… They come from the US Navy, the Department of Defense, the CIA, the NSA, the FBI, Congress, NASA Archives, and sworn testimony from military and intelligence officials.”

Among the most well-known official releases are the three Pentagon-authenticated infrared videos—known as Gimbal, Go Fast, and FLIR1 (or Tic Tac)—which depict unidentified aerial vehicles performing maneuvers that defy explanation by conventional technology. The video notes that these objects “have no wings, no exhaust, no heat signature, rotating midair, accelerating instantly, and outperforming every known aircraft on Earth.” Testimony from military pilots and radar operators has been presented to Congress, further corroborating these encounters.

Whistleblower Testimonies and Internal Reports

The video highlights the role of whistleblowers in advancing public understanding of UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena). One prominent example is David Grusch, an intelligence officer whose inspector general-verified complaint alleged the existence of multiple crash retrieval programs involving “nonhuman craft and materials.” Congressional hearings confirmed Grusch’s credibility, and his allegations were deemed “urgent and credible” by the inspector general.

Another significant reference is to the Wilson Davis documents, which describe a high-ranking Navy admiral’s failed attempt to access a reverse engineering program run by private aerospace contractors. These documents, according to the video, reference “craft of unknown origin stored in private facilities beyond congressional oversight.”

Broader Historical Context and Media Critique

The video asserts that mainstream media has traditionally dismissed or ridiculed claims of extraterrestrial contact, contributing to a culture of skepticism and ignorance. It suggests that information has been deliberately controlled and that individuals are conditioned “not to look.” The presenter encourages viewers to develop discernment by directly consulting declassified files, comparing sources, and listening to a range of testimonies, while remaining aware of potential misinformation.

The historic Project Blue Book is cited as a prime example of official investigation, with over 12,000 documented UFO cases—hundreds of which remain unexplained. NASA, the NSA, and other agencies have also released records describing objects entering and leaving Earth’s atmosphere in ways inconsistent with known natural or man-made phenomena.

The Path Forward and Ongoing Debate

While the video is critical of media gatekeeping and government secrecy, it acknowledges the complexity of the issue and the need for public discernment. It references well-known disclosure advocates such as Dan Willis, Alex Collier, and Elena Denan, whose testimonies, the video claims, align with details in official documents and challenge sanitized disclosure narratives.

As the debate over UAPs and extraterrestrial contact continues, the video calls for greater transparency, personal engagement with primary sources, and a willingness to question established narratives. Whether or not the released documents constitute definitive “proof” remains a matter of public and scholarly debate, but the growing availability of official records and whistleblower accounts suggests that the conversation around extraterrestrial contact is far from over.

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://usubjects.com/  }

{ https://futurism.com/ }

For billions of years since the formation of Earth and the Moon, solar radiation and our planet’s magnetic field have been driving a complex and invisible process. Parts of Earth’s atmosphere are transported to our moon and remain in its soil.

Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field. Source: phys.org

Transfer of Earth particles to the Moon

The surface of the Moon may not be just a barren, inhospitable place. Over billions of years, tiny particles from Earth’s atmosphere have settled on the lunar soil, creating a potential source of substances necessary for the survival of future astronauts. But it is only recently that scientists have begun to understand how these particles make their long journey from Earth to the Moon and how long this process takes.

New research from the University of Rochester, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, shows that Earth’s magnetic field may actually help guide atmospheric particles carried by the solar wind into space, rather than blocking them. Since Earth’s magnetic field has existed for billions of years, this process could have gradually moved particles from Earth to the Moon over a long period of time.

“By combining data on particles preserved in lunar soil with computer simulations of the interaction of solar wind with Earth’s atmosphere, we can trace the history of Earth’s atmosphere and its magnetic field,” says Eric Blackman, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester.

Research findings indicate that lunar soil may not only contain long-term data about Earth’s atmosphere, but may also be even more valuable than scientists had thought for future space explorers who will live and work on the Moon.

Hints on the lunar soil

Soil brought back to Earth by the Apollo missions in the 1970s provided scientists with important clues. Studies of these samples show that the dusty surface of the Moon, called regolith, contains volatile substances such as water, carbon dioxide, helium, argon, and nitrogen. Some of these volatiles came from the constant stream of charged particles from the Sun, known as the solar wind. But their abundance, especially nitrogen, is too great to be explained by the solar wind alone.

In 2005, a group of scientists led by researchers from the University of Tokyo hypothesized that some of the volatile substances could have come from Earth’s atmosphere. They argued that this could only have happened at a time when the Earth did not yet have a magnetic field, since, in their opinion, the magnetic field would have prevented atmospheric particles from escaping into space.

But researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered that this process may work differently.

Role of the magnetic field in particle transport to the Moon

The URochester team includes Shubhonkar Paramanick, a graduate student in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a Horton Fellow at LLE; John Tarduno, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences; and Jonathan Carroll-Nellenback, a computational scientist at the Center for Integrated Research and Computational Technologies and an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, used advanced computer simulations to model how and when regolith could have acquired the elements found in the Apollo samples.

The researchers tested two scenarios. One modeled the “early Earth” without a magnetic field and under the influence of a stronger solar wind. The other modeled the “modern Earth” with its strong magnetic field and weaker solar wind. The simulation showed that particle transport works best in the modern Earth scenario.

In this case, charged particles from Earth’s atmosphere are knocked out by solar wind and directed along Earth’s magnetic field lines. Some of these lines extend so far into space that they reach the Moon. Over billions of years, this funnel effect has caused small amounts of Earth’s atmosphere to settle on the Moon.

Preserving the past and supporting the future

The long-term exchange of particles means that the Moon can store chemical data about Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, studying lunar soil can give scientists a rare opportunity to learn how the climate, oceans, and even life on Earth have evolved over billions of years.

The long-term, continuous transport of particles also indicates that lunar soil contains more volatile substances than previously thought. Elements such as water and nitrogen could enable humans to stay on the Moon for longer periods, reducing the need to transport supplies from Earth and making lunar exploration more feasible.

• According to phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

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

Many recurring themes emerged throughout the nearly five-hour session, so here are The Debrief’s top 5 takeaways from this conference.

1. UAPs are real, and a legitimate safety issue

Few aspects of the session stood out more than the six speakers and nearly 100 member engineers watching the session live treating the subject with a serious, scientific tone. The host set that tone early with his statements on professional conduct, but that warning proved more or less unnecessary, with almost no talk of little green men or extraterrestrial visitors making its way into the lengthy session. 

At one point, a particularly “seasoned” member, who had a highly distracting slide show of blimps and chemical formulas (among other random images) racing across the virtual wall behind him, jumped in to exclaim with glee that the whole subject is indeed a mystery and that the only thing we know for sure is, “it isn’t little green men who traveled here on faster than light spaceships!” His comment was met with complete silence and more than a few frowns.

Instead, a dry, shockingly mundane series of talks on the subject of aviation safety took place, with no scheduled speaker or attendee (minus the one, cause there’s always one) going out of their way to ridicule or minimize the reality of the safety issue facing commercial and military pilots worldwide, regardless of its origin.

“I think the biggest takeaway here,” said former US Navy pilot Ryan Graves, who repeatedly noted the real-life issue of potential mid-air collisions his former pilot colleagues still face every day, “we’re gonna just read right off the DNI report, is that some UAP appear to be real objects.”

( Image Credit: The Debrief)

2. The Stigma around this subject still exists, but that is starting to change

At one point or another, every speaker mentioned the stigma preventing respected scientists from studying this topic. Many noted how over half a century of study opportunities had been lost due to this issue alone.

“There was an open discussion among scientists about the nature (of UAPs) even if they are misidentified or not,” said NASA’s Ravi Kopparapu, pointing in particular to the UAP analysis conducted by the University of Arizona’s atmospheric scientist James McDonald back in the 1950s. “And it was not stigmatized.” 

At least one attendee wrote in the side chat that the simple existence of this session was undeniable proof of a shrinking stigma. 

Similarly, numerous other panelists and attendees pointed to the work of NASA and ESA employed astrobiologists and astronomers who are planning to use the space observation platforms of the future, including NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled for launch in November of this year, to look for biosignatures and technosignatures, both signs of extraterrestrial life.

While this type of discussion mainly occurred during the informal Q & A portions of the session, such frank and open comments about the shifting attitudes of mainstream scientists toward the possibility of extraterrestrial life seemed to at least hint that the bulk of those in attendance was generally open to all possible origins of UAP, while also remaining more concerned about the fundamental issue of human safety in our skies.

3. Without more (and better) data, there can be no progress

Since the release of the DoDs UAPTF report, the call for better data has never been more vital. Or, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s super sleuth Sherlock Holmes once declared, “Data! Data! Data! I can’t make bricks without clay!”

“What is lacking [is an] examination of negatives or direct-prints (and cameras and lenses) by technically competent persons with the appropriate backgrounds and equipment, who are truly independent of Ray Stanford, and persons with expertise in such fields as artifacts produced by shooting pictures through birefringent airplane windows,” Johnson explained via email.

Knuth himself noted the photo’s provenance issue, telling session attendees, “I want to be clear that that imagery here has not been independently vetted. So we’ve not taken that to be authenticated. And so, I want to be clear and honest about that.”

“The presentation contained much of value,” Johnson wrote in a follow-up email. “However, in my view, it was a serious error in judgment for Professor Knuth to include the images from a Super 8 movie from Ray Stanford. The disclaimers (“Imagery Not Independently Vetted,” etc.) didn’t really mitigate this, since Professor Knuth proceeded to discuss the Stanford images as examples of exotic [UAP] effects.”

“In my presentation for AIAA, despite the fact that some in the UFO community find Stanford to be controversial, I decided to include Stanford’s image of a UFO that he and his friends and family (4 adults and 2 children) observed at Emerald Cove Pier, Corpus Corpus Christi TX on October 5, 1985,” Knuth told The Debrief in an email when asked to comment. “I was very clear in my presentation that the imagery had not been independently vetted and authenticated. We have been unable to do this over the last year due to the pandemic, but that will soon be rectified.”

Knuth expressed disappointment that the UFO community was focusing on his inclusion of this image in his presentation, and that he worked with other researchers in the field to confirm the image was an original. He plans on writing a scientific paper on UAP characteristics using the Stanford image in the near future where the film and images will be put through proper and rigorous study.

You can’t talk about UFOs without a bit of drama!

Still, even with this particular, seemingly egregious Ufological faux-pas, which has haunted serious discussion and analysis of the subject since its origins, Knuth’s overriding heed and call for more and better data was as large as any component of his detailed presentation.

4. Scientists are the ones who need to rise to this challenge

Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of the entire session were the parts that were the hardest to understand. That’s because, more often than not, when you get a group of intelligent and highly educated people together and ask them to take a serious look at an issue as crucial as air safety, they tend to do just that.

For instance, some lengthy and complex calculations performed by the Scientific Coalition of UAP Studies (SCU) and presented by electrical engineer Peter Reali showed the incredible amounts of energy needed to propel an object like the alleged ‘Tic Tac’ UFO (as well as numerous other geometric form factors) from 28,000 feet to just 50 feet in elevation in less than a second. This analysis also highlighted the devastating effects such a rapid acceleration and deceleration should have on the surrounding environment when said object sheds all of that energy to make its complete stop.

The SCU’s conclusion?

“The point seven eight-second [calculation] of all projectiles was equivalent to 1.05 kilotons of TNT, or a tactical nuclear weapon,” said Reali. Oddly, he noted, such effects were not witnessed in 2004.

This point, which came up more than once during the other presentations, often led to deep mathematical discussions, typically ending with each and every one of the scientists and engineers on the panel (or the side chat) admitting that they were unable to account for the movements of the Tic Tac, much less its seeming lack of effects on its surroundings when shedding the massive amounts of energy required to descend and stop with such incredible speed. 

Once again, to be fair, none of the panelists seemed to question the object’s existence, nor the accounts of the pilots and radar operators on record, which may indicate a bias. Regardless, assuming the testimony and video footage are sound, they debated a range of possible explanations grounded in present-day science. In the end, all seemed to concede that an apt explanation has thus far proven elusive.

“It’s a shame that 60 years ago we knew this much and still did not proceed as the scientific community to study these things,” lamented Knuth during one such discussion of past cases where scientists from the 1950s reported many of the same alleged performance and form factor hallmarks of current UAP events. “That’s 60 years of research lost.”

U.S. Navy F/A-18 pilot Ryan Graves. (Image Credit: Ryan Graves)

5. One voice rose above them all

For most who have had the opportunity to see Ryan Graves interviewed, there is seemingly little doubt that he is a trained, level-headed individual, whether seated behind the controls of a fighter jet or in a [virtual] room full of scientists and engineers. As such, it was no surprise that the group chose Graves to speak for them after the individual presentations, as his testimony was undoubtedly the most riveting.

“I’m hesitant to ask people [to speak out] or to state that this shouldn’t be stigmatized,” Graves noted during that discussion. “For me, this is a silly conversation because I know for a fact that this is still happening.”

Later during that same segment, Graves continued his near plea, telling the panel and online attendees, “you’re still aviators, and this is a safety consideration. [Our pilots see this] every single flight they go on. And this is all very pragmatic, you know? It’s an everyday air to air, or excuse me, air safety consideration.”

Graves’ measured tone once again came to the forefront during a particularly heated exchange between scientists regarding the inability to get their hands on classified signal data. “The fact that we’re talking about [access to] signals,” said Graves, “still, in a time when people are having near misses, is disturbing.”

• _Follow and connect with author Christopher Plain on Twitter: @plain_fictionF

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