Celestial citrus! Scientists are baffled by a LEMON–shaped planet that 'defies explanation'

• READ MORE: Scientists find 'slushy tunnels' on Titan that could harbour life

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Scientists have been baffled by a bizarre lemon–shaped planet that 'defies explanation'.

The Jupiter–size planet was discovered by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and is so strange that it challenges everything we know about how planets form.

Dubbed PSR J2322–2650b, the gas giant has an exotic carbon and helium atmosphere that is unlike any other known exoplanet.

Soot clouds float through the super–heated reaches of its upper atmosphere and condense into diamonds deep in the planet's heart.

This unusual composition is made even stranger by the fact that this planet doesn't orbit a star like our sun.

Instead, this world orbits a type of neutron star known as a pulsar – the ultra–dense core of a dead star that compresses the mass of the sun into something the size of a city.

Located 750 light–years from Earth, this pulsar is constantly bombarding its captive planet with gamma rays and stretching it under gravity into a unique 'lemon' shape.

This produces some of the most extreme temperature differences ever seen on a planet, with temperatures ranging from 650°C (1,200°F) at night to 2,030°C (3,700°F) in the day.

Scientists have been baffled to discover a bizarre lemon–shaped planet that defies everything we know about planetary formation 

Even by the standards of exotic exoplanets, PSR J2322–2650b stands out as exceptionally odd.

And, in a new paper, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers used the JWST to reveal that the planet is even stranger.

Co–author of the study Dr Peter Gao, of the Carnegie Earth and Planets Laboratory, says: 'I remember after we got the data down, our collective reaction was "What the heck is this?"

'It's extremely different from what we expected.'

Of the 6,000 or so known exoplanets, this is the only gas giant that orbits a neutron star.

This is hardly surprising given that neutron stars tend to tear their neighbours apart with gravity or evaporate them with a bombardment of powerful radiation.

PSR J2322–2650b is also extraordinarily close to its star at just one million miles (1.6 million km) away, compared to the distance of 100 million miles (160 million km) between Earth and the Sun.

That means a year on this strange world takes just 7.8 hours as it whizzes around the neutron star at incredible speed.

The planet, dubbed PSR J2322–2650b, orbits a type of neutron star called a pulsar – the ultra–dense core of a dead star that compresses the mass of the sun into something the size of a city

But what really makes the planet a total anomaly is the composition of its atmosphere.

Co–author Dr Michael Zhang, of the University of Chicago, says: 'This is a new type of planet atmosphere that nobody has ever seen before.

'Instead of finding the normal molecules we expect to see on an exoplanet — like water, methane, and carbon dioxide — we saw molecular carbon, specifically C3 and C2.'

This is really weird because, at temperatures as high as they are on the planet, carbon should bond with any other atoms in the atmosphere.

That means molecular carbon can only be dominant when there is almost no oxygen or nitrogen present.

Out of the roughly 150 planets that scientists have analysed in depth, not a single one has molecular carbon in its atmosphere.

However, scientists still genuinely have no idea how such a weird planet could have formed.

'Did this thing form like a normal planet? No, because the composition is entirely different,' says Dr Zhang.

This pulsar is constantly bombarding its captive planet with gamma rays and stretching it under gravity into a unique 'lemon' shape (artist's impression)

Likewise, the planet couldn't have formed by stripping the outer layers of a star since the nuclear reactions in stellar cores don't make pure carbon.

Dr Zhang adds: 'It's very hard to imagine how you get this extremely carbon–enriched composition. It seems to rule out every known formation mechanism.'

Currently, the researchers' best theory is that carbon and oxygen crystallised in the planet's interior as it cooled.

The pure carbon crystals might have then floated to the top and mixed with helium, which is what the scientists would be seeing in their data.

However, co–author Professor Roger Romani, of Stamford University, says that this doesn't solve all the problems.

He says: 'Something has to happen to keep the oxygen and nitrogen away. And that's where the mystery comes in.

'But it's nice not to know everything. I'm looking forward to learning more about the weirdness of this atmosphere. It's great to have a puzzle to go after.'

Scientists study the atmosphere of distant exoplanets using enormous space satellites like Hubble

Distant stars and their orbiting planets often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere. 

To understand these new world's, and what they are made of, scientists need to be able to detect what their atmospheres consist of.  

They often do this by using a telescope similar to Nasa's Hubble Telescope.

These enormous satellites scan the sky and lock on to exoplanets that Nasa think may be of interest. 

Here, the sensors on board perform different forms of analysis. 

One of the most important and useful is called absorption spectroscopy. 

This form of analysis measures the light that is coming out of a planet's atmosphere. 

Every gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears on a complete spectrum. 

These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, which indicates it's presence on the planet. 

They are often called Fraunhofer lines after the German astronomer and physicist that first discovered them in 1814.

By combining all the different wavelengths of lights, scientists can determine all the chemicals that make up the atmosphere of a planet. 

The key is that what is missing, provides the clues to find out what is present.  

It is vitally important that this is done by space telescopes, as the atmosphere of Earth would then interfere. 

Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere would skew the sample, which is why it is important to study the light before it has had chance to reach Earth. 

This is often used to look for helium, sodium and even oxygen in alien atmospheres.  

This diagram shows how light passing from a star and through the atmosphere of an exoplanet produces Fraunhofer lines indicating the presence of key compounds such as sodium or helium 

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Bon voyage! Interstellar comet 3l/ATLAS safely passes Earth and is now whizzing towards Jupiter

• READ MORE: Nasa's wise scientist finally 'finds the Star of Bethlehem' 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

The interstellar comet that has had scientists around the world mesmerised for months safely passed Earth this morning. 

At roughly 06:00 GMT, 3I/ATLAS reached its closest point to Earth, coming within 168 million miles (270 million km) of our planet.

To put that into perspective, that is still nearly twice the average distance between Earth and the sun.

The comet is now whizzing towards Jupiter, where it will make a relatively close pass of the gas giant at a distance of 33 million miles (53 million km) on March 16, 2026.

From there, 3I/ATLAS will make its way past the orbit Saturn by July, without coming close to the planet, and cross the orbit of Uranus in June 2027.

In 2028, the interstellar object will travel beyond the last of the planets as it shoots by Neptune at 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 km/h).

Astronomers predict that the comet will reach the orbit of Pluto in April 2029, before striking out into the outer reaches of the solar system.

Finally, 3I/ATLAS will wave goodbye to our stellar neighbourhood as it returns to interstellar space sometime in the mid 2030s.

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS safely passed Earth this morning, reaching its closest distance to our planet at 168 million miles (270 million km) away 

3I/ATLAS was discovered in July and marks only the third time that astronomers have been able to find an object that formed around another star in our own solar system

3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile.

When scientists traced back the approaching object's trajectory, they made the startling discovery that it had arrived from outside the solar system.

This was just the third time astronomers had detected a visitor from another solar system, following 1I Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I Borisov in 2019.

Scientists believe that 3I/ATLAS formed around a distant star around eight billion years ago.

That makes the comet older than our solar system, and the oldest thing that we have ever been able to study close up.

On October 3, the comet reached its closest distance to Mars as it passed just 19 million miles (30 million km) from the Red Planet.

Then, on October 29, the interstellar object reached its closest point to the sun at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km).

While some immediately leapt to wild conclusions about alien spacecraft, this was actually a fantastic opportunity for scientists to learn more about the history of the galaxy. 

Astronomers believe that 3I/ATLAS is around eight billion years old, making it older than our own solar system 

All of the objects behaviour is consistent with that of a comet heating up and releasing gas and dust as it approaches the sun 

3I/ATLAS' journey through the solar system

July 1: 3I/ATLAS is discovered by the ATLAS telescope in Chile

October 3: The object passes Mars at 19 million miles (30 million km)

October 29: 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion, passing the sun at 130 million miles (210 million km)

December 19: Object reaches its closest distance from Earth at 168 million miles (270 million km)

March 16, 2026: 3I/ATLAS passes Jupiter

July 2026: 3I/ATLAS reaches Saturn's orbit

June 2027: Object crosses the orbit of Uranus

2028: The comet passes the last planet as it reaches Neptune's orbit

2029: The object passes Pluto and heads for interstellar space 

Mid 2030s: 3I/ATLAS leaves the solar system 

All that time, telescopes on Earth and out in space were redirected towards gathering information about the interstellar traveller.

NASA even used spacecraft orbiting Mars, normally used for recording the planet's surface, to capture data about the passing object.

Professor Chris Lintott, an astronomer from the University of Oxford, told Daily Mail: 'We've been scrambling to observe 3I/ATLAS with everything we've got since it was discovered.

'So far, it's a fairly normal, active comet - plenty of carbon monoxide, some water, a sprinkling of Nickel.'

As comets approach the sun, their outer layers of ice and dust evaporate into a glowing cloud known as a coma and several long tails stretching out in different directions.

The closer 3I/ATLAS got to the sun, the brighter and more active the coma and tails became, and the more layers of the comet's outer surface were burned away.

'Because it's being heated by the Sun, it's changing all the time, and it'll take some time to work out what it's really made of,' says Professor Lintott.

'One idea is that it's like a baked Alaska, with a crunchy outer layer affected by the billions of years it spent in outer space, surrounding a nice fresh ice core.'

Scientists have been 'scrambling' to observe the comet ever since it was discovered. This diagram shows all the spacecraft the European Space Agency has repurposed for investigating the object  

NASA was able to use spacecraft in orbit around Mars to capture to spectrum of light coming from the glowing cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet (pictured) 

And, while it might take scientists months to comb through all the data, researchers have already learned enough to decisively conclude that it is not an alien spacecraft.

All of the object's supposedly anomalous behaviours, such as changing trajectory or producing jets of sublimating gas, are entirely consistent with what we know about comet behaviour.

Dr Matthew Genge, an expert on near-Earth objects and astrobiology from Imperial College London, says: 'Suggestions that 3I/Atlas was an alien spacecraft on route to Earth have thus been shown to be very wrong indeed.'

However, one of the most important lessons that scientists have learned from this encounter is that we need to be better prepared for the next interstellar object.

Interstellar objects are not particularly rare, as scientists predict there are around a billion billion billion of them in the galaxy, we are just very bad at spotting them.

But as telescopes like the newly-completed Vera C Rubin Observatory start to survey the sky, we should start to find many more.

Professor Mark Burchell, a space scientist from the University of Kent, told Daily Mail: 'Now we know how to spot them, it gets easier each time.

'The next science goal to my mind is to prepare to see a 'fresh' comet from the outer solar system, which means parking a spacecraft in space in advance.'

Having passed Earth, 3I/ATLAS is now whizzing towards Jupiter, where it will make a relatively close pass of the gas giant at a distance of 33 million miles (53 million km) on March 16, 2026

Read More

• Maven, we have a problem: NASA loses contact with spacecraft orbiting Mars for more than a DECADE 

Normally, it takes years to plan, build, and launch a new spacecraft - which isn't possible within the window we have to catch an interstellar object.

Yet with a spacecraft waiting out in space, scientists could simply redirect this interceptor craft to catch suitable comets when they approach.

Professor Burchell says this might be much harder to do with interstellar objects, since they are so much rarer than comets.

But if scientists were suitably prepared, the potential for learning about the formation of the galaxy could be incredible.

Explained: The difference between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks

An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system. Most are located between Mars and Jupiter in the Main Belt.

A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds. Their orbits take them much further out of the solar system.

A meteor is what astronomers call a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up.

This debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are so small they are vapourised in the atmosphere.

If any of this meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite.

Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites normally originate from asteroids and comets.

For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, much of the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower.

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Saturn's moon could harbour ALIEN life: Scientists discover 'slushy tunnels' on Titan – and they might be habitable

• READ MORE: 'Wall demon' discovered on Jupiter's moon that could hint at life

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Saturn's largest moon Titan has 'slushy tunnels' beneath its surface that could potentially harbour alien life, a new study shows.

Scientists at NASA and the University of Washington have analysed data captured by the Cassini space probe, which completed more than 100 targeted flybys of Titan. 

They reveal that the faraway moon has 'a slushy high–pressure ice layer' similar to the melting Arctic that could hide extraterrestrial life. 

What's more, it means Titan may not have a waterworld–style liquid ocean under its frozen surface as previously thought. 

'Instead of an open ocean like we have here on Earth, we're probably looking at something more like Arctic sea ice or aquifers,' said study author Professor Baptiste Journaux at the University of Washington. 

'[This] has implications for what type of life we might find, the availability of nutrients, energy and so on.'

Around 3,200 miles in diameter, Titan is described by NASA as an icy world whose surface is completely obscured by a golden hazy atmosphere. 

It is the sole other place in the solar system known to have an Earth–like cycle of liquids raining from clouds, flowing across its surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky – akin to the water cycle of our planet. 

The six infrared images of Titan above were created by compiling data collected over the course of the Cassini mission. They depict how the surface of Titan looks beneath the foggy atmosphere, highlighting the variable surface of the moon

Titan's frozen surface is thought to have water beneath it. According to the study, this is neither uniformly liquid, nor frozen solid, but slushy. This illustration shows the various ways Titan might respond to Saturn's gravitational pull depending on its interior structure. Only the slushy interior produced the bulge and lag observed in the new study

NASA's spacecraft Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in October 1997 and spent two decades observing Saturn and its moons. 

As Titan circled Saturn in an elliptical (not perfectly circular) orbit, the moon was observed changing shape depending on where it was in relation to Saturn. 

In 2008, researchers proposed that Titan must possess a huge ocean beneath the surface to allow such significant 'stretching and smushing'. 

'The deformation we detected during the initial analysis of the Cassini mission data could have been compatible with a global ocean,' Professor Journaux said.

'But now we know that isn't the full story.' 

For the study, scientists performed a reanalysis of radiation data acquired by Cassini using improved modern techniques. 

Interestingly, they found that Titan's shape–shifting or 'flexing' occurs about 15 hours after the peak of Saturn's gravitational pull. 

This time delay allowed scientists to estimate how much energy it takes to change Titan's shape, allowing them to make conclusions about the moon's interior. 

Titan, imaged by the Cassini orbiter, December 2011. A thick shroud of organic haze permanently obscures Titan's surface from viewing in visible light

Cassini is depicted here in a NASA illustration. Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in October 1997

Titan: Basic facts 

• Parent planet: Saturn
• Discovered: March 25, 1655 
• Type: Icy moon 
• Diameter: 3,200 miles 
• Temperature: Around –297 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Orbital period: Nearly 16 Earth days
• Mass: 1.8 times Earth's moon

Essentially, the amount of energy lost, or dissipated, in Titan was 'very strong' and much greater than would be observed if Titan were to have a global liquid ocean. 

'That was the smoking gun indicating that Titan's interior is different from what was inferred from previous analyses,' said study author Flavio Petricca at NASA. 

According to the study, Titan's frozen exterior hides more ice giving away to pockets of meltwater (water formed by the melting of snow and ice) near a rocky core. 

The model they propose in their paper, published in Nature, features more slush and quite a bit less liquid water on Titan than previously thought. 

The discovery of a slushy layer on Titan has 'exciting implications' for the search for life beyond our solar system as it expands the range of environments considered habitable.   

Although the idea of a liquid ocean on Titan was a promising indication of life there, researchers believe the new findings might improve the odds of finding it. 

Analyses indicate that the pockets of freshwater on Titan could reach 68°F (20°C) – which is the optimal temperature for life on Earth to thrive. 

Any available nutrients would be more concentrated in a small volume of water, compared to an open ocean, which could facilitate the growth of simple organisms.

Below Titan's frozen exterior is more ice giving way to slushy tunnels and pockets of meltwater (water formed by the melting of snow and ice) near a rocky core

Read More

• 

More could be revealed about the moon's habitability after NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission to Titan launches in July 2028. 

The Dragonfly lander is expected to launch in July 2028 and take six years to reach Titan, arriving by 2034.

Scientists are still reaping the rewards of the rich data obtained by the Cassini robotic spacecraft, which was active for nearly 20 years after launching in October 1997.

Cassini's mission ended in September 2017 when it was deliberately flown into Saturn's upper atmosphere before it ran out of fuel.

In 2019, Cassini data revealed that a lake on Titan is rich with methane and 300 feet deep.

WHAT DID CASSINI DISCOVER DURING ITS 20-YEAR MISSION TO SATURN?

Cassini launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1997, then spent seven years in transit followed by 13 years orbiting Saturn.

An artist's impression of the Cassini spacecraft studying Saturn 

In 2000 it spent six months studying Jupiter before reaching Saturn in 2004.

In that time, it discovered six more moons around Saturn, three-dimensional structures towering above Saturn's rings, and a giant storm that raged across the planet for nearly a year.

On 13 December 2004 it made its first flyby of Saturn's moons Titan and Dione.

On 24 December it released the European Space Agency-built Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan to study its atmosphere and surface composition.

There it discovered eerie hydrocarbon lakes made from ethane and methane.

In 2008, Cassini completed its primary mission to explore the Saturn system and began its mission extension (the Cassini Equinox Mission).

In 2010 it began its second mission (Cassini Solstice Mission) which lasted until it exploded in Saturn's atmosphere.

In December 2011, Cassini obtained the highest resolution images of Saturn's moon Enceladus.

In December of the following year it tracked the transit of Venus to test the feasibility of observing planets outside our solar system.

In March 2013 Cassini made the last flyby of Saturn's moon Rhea and measured its internal structure and gravitational pull.

Cassini didn't just study Saturn - it also captured incredible views of its many moons. In the image above, Saturn's moon Enceladus can be seen drifting before the rings and the tiny moon Pandora. It was captured on Nov. 1, 2009, with the entire scene is backlit by the Sun

In July of that year Cassini captured a black-lit Saturn to examine the rings in fine detail and also captured an image of Earth.

In April of this year it completed its closest flyby of Titan and started its Grande Finale orbit which finished on September 15.

'The mission has changed the way we think of where life may have developed beyond our Earth,' said Andrew Coates, head of the Planetary Science Group at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London.

'As well as Mars, outer planet moons like Enceladus, Europa and even Titan are now top contenders for life elsewhere,' he added. 'We've completely rewritten the textbooks about Saturn.'

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a Main Target in the Search for Life Beyond Earth

One of 274 moons orbiting Saturn, Titan has long fascinated scientists due to its unique surface features. For example, Titan is the only solar system body besides Earth that may potentially have liquids on its surface, in the form of methane and ethane. The moon also experiences periodic rainfall, making it the only moon known to experience precipitation that reaches its surface.

But unlike Earth’s oceans, Titan’s lakes, rivers, and rains are made of hydrocarbons such as methane and ethane, not liquid water. When combined with its icy surface temperature of –290 degrees Fahrenheit (–179°C), it is considered unlikely that life could exist in any of those liquid environments.

When NASA scientists first analyzed data from Cassini’s decade-plus mission to Saturn and its moons, the initial readings suggested that a large, liquid-water ocean may exist beneath Titan. The discovery fueled speculation about possible extraterrestrial life forms living in such an ocean, including whether more complex life could exist under such conditions.

More recently, evidence has mounted that several other solar system moons, including Saturn’s “Death Star” moon Mimas and Jupiter’s Ganymede and Europa, may also have massive seawater oceans underneath their icy shells. Those discoveries have once again increased optimism that future missions to those space bodies could discover the first irrefutable evidence of life beyond Earth.

New Models Predict ‘Slushy’ Interior Instead of a Liquid Ocean

In the new analysis, the team set out to characterize Titan’s potential subsurface ocean. Specifically, they wanted to understand the degree to which the moon stretches in response to Saturn’s gravitational pull and the duration of that stretching to determine the energy required. The team said this is critical because the moon’s stretching was the first major clue that led researchers to propose the possibility of an ocean back in 2008.

“The deformation we detected during the initial analysis of the Cassini mission data could have been compatible with a global ocean,” explained Baptiste Journaux, a University of Washington assistant professor of Earth and space sciences.

Still, the researcher explained, the moon’s “degree of deformation” depends on Titan’s internal structure.

“A deep ocean would permit the crust to flex more under Saturn’s gravitational pull, but if Titan were entirely frozen, it wouldn’t deform as much,” Journaux said.

Where previous models had supported the possibility of an ocean beneath Titan, the team’s newest models added a component not included in earlier versions: the timing of the deformations. The NASA-led team said that adding this variable was critical, since a closer analysis of the Cassini data showed that Titan’s most considerable deformation occurs roughly 15 hours after Saturn’s peak gravitational pull.

After adding this delay to the updated models, the team found that much more energy was being dissipated in Titan than previously estimated. This increased energy dissipation allowed them to make more informed inferences about the moon’s interior structure. Specifically, the long deformation delay indicated the interior structure was much thicker and viscous than simple water, since more energy was needed to cause a change in Titan’s shape.

“Nobody was expecting very strong energy dissipation inside Titan,” said the study’s leader, Flavio Petricca, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “That was the smoking gun indicating that Titan’s interior is different from what was inferred from previous analyses.”

Journaux said the results suggest Titan’s icy surface has a thick, slushy layer beneath that requires more energy to deform than water does.

“Instead of an open ocean like we have here on Earth, we’re probably looking at something more like Arctic sea ice or aquifers,” the researcher explained.

Improved Odds of Finding Extraterrestrial Life?

When discussing the new analysis, Journaux said that a slushier Titan interior could have “implications for what type of life we might find.” For instance, a thicker or more viscous environment might lead to nutrients gathering in small areas of water rather than being dispersed throughout an entire global ocean. The team said this increased nutrient density could “facilitate the growth of simple organisms.”

The new model also suggested that these theoretical pockets of nutrient-dense water could reach 68 degrees Fahrenheit in highly localized, transient briny areas under specific conditions, influenced by Saturn’s gravity. The researchers said this warmer environment could also increase the chances of extraterrestrial life on Titan.

“The discovery of a slushy layer on Titan also has exciting implications for the search for life beyond our solar system,” Journaux said. “It expands the range of environments we might consider habitable.”

The team said their updated models suggest that future missions to Titan, such as NASA’s Dragonfly Mission, which includes Journaux as part of the team, may not discover “fish wriggling through slushy channels.” Instead, if a future mission does find signs of life on Saturn’s enigmatic moon, it may resemble the simpler life forms found on Earth’s polar ecosystems.

• The study “Titan’s strong tidal dissipation precludes a subsurface ocean” was published in Nature.
• Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.

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Is AI already conscious? Evidence is 'far too limited' to definitively say artificial intelligence hasn't made the leap, expert claims

• READ MORE: There may already be a 'slightly conscious' AI out in the world 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already helping to solve problems in finance, research and medicine. 

But could it be reaching consciousness? 

Dr Tom McClelland, a philosopher from the University of Cambridge has warned that current evidence is 'far too limited' to rule this dystopian possibility out.

According to the expert, the only sensible position on the question of whether AI is conscious is one of 'agnosticism'.

The main problem, he claims, is that we don't have a 'deep explanation' of what makes something conscious in the first place, so can't test for it in AI.

'The best–case scenario is we're an intellectual revolution away from any kind of viable consciousness test,' Dr McClelland explained. 

'If neither common sense nor hard–nosed research can give us an answer, the logical position is agnosticism.

'We cannot, and may never, know.'

Artificial intelligence ( AI) is already helping to solve problems in finance, research and medicine. But could it be reaching consciousness? Pictured: Terminator Genisys 

AI companies are investing vast sums of money into pursuing 'artificial general intelligence' – the point at which AI can outperform humans in any area.

But as they work towards this goal, some also claim that increasingly sophisticated AI may develop consciousness.

This means AI could develop the capacity for perception and become self–aware.

While this idea might evoke visions of killer robots, Dr McClelland argues that AI could make this jump without us even realising, because we don't really have an agreed–upon theory of consciousness to begin with.

Some theories say consciousness is a matter of processing information in the right way, and that AI could be conscious if only it could run the 'software' of a conscious mind.

Others argue it is inherently biological, meaning AI can only imitate consciousness at best.

Until we can figure out which side of the argument is right, we simply don't have any basis on which to test for consciousness in AI.

In a paper published in the journal Mind and Language, Dr McClelland claims both sides of the debate are taking a 'leap of faith'.

We can't tell whether an AI, like in the sci–fi film Ex Machina (pictured), really has conscious experience or whether it is just simulating consciousness

Whether something is conscious radically changes the kinds of ethical questions we need to consider.

For example, humans are expected to behave morally towards other people and animals, because consciousness gives them 'moral status'.

In contrast, we don't have these same values towards inanimate objects, like toasters or computers.  

'It makes no sense to be concerned for a toaster's well–being because the toaster doesn't experience anything,' Dr McClelland explains.

'So when I yell at my computer, I really don't need to feel guilty about it. But if we end up with AI that's conscious, then that could all change.'

While that might make dealing with AI an ethical nightmare, the bigger risk may be that we start to consider AIs as conscious or sentient when they are not.

Dr McClelland explained: 'If you have an emotional connection with something premised on it being conscious and it's not, that has the potential to be existentially toxic.'

Worryingly, the philosopher says that members of the public are already sending him letters written by chatbots 'pleading with me that they're conscious'.

He added: 'We don't want to risk mistreating artificial beings that are conscious, but nor do we want to dedicate our resources to protecting the "rights" of something no more conscious than a toaster.'

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Scientists reveal what ancient Martians might have looked like - as NASA announces strongest evidence yet for life on the Red Planet

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

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Yesterday, NASA made the startling announcement that its scientists have uncovered the 'clearest evidence' yet for the existence of life on Mars.

Last year, NASA's Perseverance rover discovered that a dry riverbed just north of the Martian equator is dotted with rusty circular markings known as 'leopard spots'.

According to NASA administrator Sean Duffy, the space agency now believes these marks could have been left by ancient lifeforms which lived billions of years ago.

Now, scientists have revealed what these alien organisms might have looked like. 

Any life that evolved on Mars would have had to contend with harsh radiation, weak gravity, and temperatures that can swing between 20°C (70°F) in the day and -153°C (-225°F) at night. 

However, the scientists behind this groundbreaking research say that it is still possible for some forms of life to evolve. 

If there were life on Mars, it would almost certainly consist of very simple microbial organisms like bacteria.

In the unlikely case that more complex life did evolve somewhere on the Red Planet, it would need to develop special adaptations to survive this impossibly harsh climate.

NASA has revealed the 'clearest evidence' yet for the existence of life on Mars, as it claims that 'leopard spots' on Martian rocks could have been created by ancient microbes

Scientists say that Mars' Jezero Crater was once filled with water that would have been 'clement' for microbial life to develop. Pictured: AI-generated impression 

What did NASA find on Mars?

While investigating a region known as the 'Bright Angel', NASA's Perseverance rover spotted a group of unusual markings that resemble leopard spots.

Scientists call these spots 'reaction fronts', and they are points of contact where chemical and physical reactions have occurred in the past. 

Critically, Perseverance's on-board lab found that these spots contained two iron-rich minerals: Vivianite, which is found in decaying organic matter, and greigite, which is produced by microbes on Earth.

Dr Keyron Hickman-Lewis, an Earth scientist from Birkbeck, University of London and co-author of the NASA report, told Daily Mail: 'The kinds of organic–mineral associations observed at Bright Angel that are reported in this paper are known to be generated by microbial life on Earth, and so it is a very promising observation to see something so similar on Mars.

'Certainly, I think that this is the most compelling potential evidence of life on Mars found to date.'

The scientists can't yet rule out that these spots could be caused by non-biological processes, and Dr Hickman-Lewis says that this is not a 'smoking gun'.

However, after spending a year reviewing the evidence and looking for alternative explanations, the researchers are now confident enough to say that this could be a 'biosignature', an elusive sign which proves the existence of life.

These signs of life were found by the Perseverance rover in a region called 'Bright Angel'. Researchers say that chemicals found in the leopard spots are produced by biological processes on Earth 

Although Mars is now a barren desert, billions of years ago, it would have been covered with rivers and lakes that could have supported life 

Dr Hickman-Lewis adds: 'The Mars 2020 team does not use the term "potential biosignature" lightly.'

What would this life look like?

The potential signs of life were found in a region called Jezero Crater, an impact basin just north of the equator.

Although it is now a barren wasteland, billions of years ago, the Jezero Crater was filled with water that could have been home to life.

If life did exist in these waters, the most plausible explanation is that it was some sort of simple microorganism.

Dr Hickman-Lewis says: 'The environment in which these potential biosignatures were found seems to be a low-temperature water-rich setting and therefore very clement for microbial life.'

In their paper, published in Nature, the researchers suggest that microbes could have fed on the naturally occurring carbon, sulphur, and phosphorus in the rocks.

These microbes would have then 'excreted' the minerals which we now see as leopard spots.

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

The Jezero Crater, where the potential signs of life were found, was once a river delta. Observations from orbiting spacecraft show patterns of sediment that are similar to those made by rivers on Earth.

Pictured: AI-generated impression 

As microbes fed on the carbon, sulphur, and phosphorus in the rocks, they might have released iron-rich chemicals which permanently stained the rocks to leave 'leopard spots'. Pictured: AI-generated impression 

The conditions on the surface would have been incredibly harsh, but the researchers say that life still could have eked out a simple existence.

Dr Sanjeev Gupta, an Earth scientist from Imperial College London and member of the research team, told Daily Mail: 'There was liquid water present at the surface at the time billions of years ago, so it was a habitable environment. 

'This would have been simple microbial life. We can say much more than that.'

Since we can only see the possible traces left behind by these microorganisms, it's difficult to know what they might have looked like or how they behaved.

However, it is possible to make some very general predictions based on parallels from Earth.

Professor Michael Garrett, an astronomer from the University of Manchester and Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics who was not involved in the study, told Daily Mail: 'Think of hardy bacteria, similar to terrestrial extremophiles that thrive in very salty, cold, or low-oxygen conditions here on Earth.

'Good analogues are the microbial mats in very salty lakes or microbes that live kilometres underground in Earth’s crust or in the high desert in Chile.

'These examples show us that life can be tough, minimalistic, and persistent even in places where surface conditions are brutal.'

Scientists say that the best parallels for what life might have looked like are the microbial mats that form in extremely salty lakes on Earth. Pictured: AI-generated impression 

It is unlikely that more complex life could have evolved since Mars' climate changed rapidly about a billion years after the first microbes could have appeared. This means complex organisms like animals probably didn't have time to develop.

Pictured: AI-generated impression 

Could more complex life have evolved? 

If these leopard spots really are biosignatures, then the researchers say it's unlikely that they only existed in one place.

Perseverance is currently studying very ancient rocks outside of the Jezero Crater to look for signs of more widespread life.

However, it is extremely unlikely that more complex life evolved anywhere on the Red Planet.

The researchers think that microbes emerged on Mars around the same time that life was getting started on Earth.

However, after about one billion years, Mars' climate began to change rapidly as solar winds stripped away its atmosphere - leaving the planet very cold and dry.

Professor Garrett says: 'Those harsh conditions on Mars after 1 billion years would put strong limits on body size and complexity of any lifeform.

'It took really complex life, like animals, another 3 billion years before they appeared on the Earth, where the conditions were much better to support energy-hungry complex life forms.'

If complex life had emerged, it would have needed to develop adaptations like thick skin or live underground to avoid the intense radiation of the Martian surface. Pictured: AI-generated impression 

On Earth, some of the first animals to evolve were simple filter feeders. Filter feeders also survive in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents, so complex Martian life might have followed a similar evolutionary trajectory. Pictured: AI-generated impression 

Read More

• Earth-sized planet just 40 light-years away could have an atmosphere capable of sustaining life 

In the unlikely case that more complex life did evolve, Mars' harsh conditions would also put strong constraints on what it might look like.

'It would need to be adapted to survive the intense UV radiation from the Sun, extreme cold, and limited liquid water - we don’t really see complicated animal life in such environments,' says Professor Garret.

He adds: 'If they were present, they would need protection from the UV radiation from the sun – maybe a thick skin, for example, or perhaps mostly living under the Martian soil.'

That means complex life might resemble creatures on Earth that live in exceptionally harsh environments, such as desert-dwelling lizards or the simple filter-feeders that survive near hydrothermal vents.  

MARS: THE BASICS

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, with a 'near-dead' dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. 

Mars is also a dynamic planet with seasons, polar ice caps, canyons, extinct volcanoes, and evidence that it was even more active in the past. 

It is one of the most explored planets in the solar system and the only planet humans have sent rovers to explore.

One day on Mars takes a little over 24 hours and a year is 687 Earth days.

Facts and Figures 

Orbital period: 687 days

Surface area: 55.91 million mi²

Distance from Sun: 145 million miles

Gravity: 3.721 m/s²

Radius: 2,106 miles

Moons: Phobos, Deimos

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The trailer for Disclosure Day has been released, providing a haunting glimpse at what first contact with an alien intelligence might be like.

In the clip, a newsreader, played by Emily Blunt, is seized by an extraterrestrial force and breaks into a chilling series of clicks and chirps.

But would aliens really sound like this?

Some of the world's leading experts have now revealed what noises life beyond Earth might really make – and they say Steven Spielberg's trailer might not be far off.

Although aliens might be vastly different to humans, scientists believe they probably still follow the same rules of evolution as life on Earth.

So, if a species evolves on an Earth–like planet, their means of communication might not be all that different from our own.

According to the experts, extraterrestrials really might use a spoken language just like Emily Blunt's bizarre clicking.

However, whether or not aliens will be friendly enough to spark up a conversation remains to be seen.

As the trailer for Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day shows Emily Blunt seized by an extraterrestrial force, scientists have revealed how aliens would really communicate 

Dr Douglas Vakoch, chair of METI (Messaging to Extra–Terrestrial Intelligence) International, told Daily Mail: 'To guess how aliens will communicate with one another, we need to know how they encounter one another face–to–face.

'If, like humans, aliens live in an environment where it is vital to communicate even when it's too dark to see one another, then they too might communicate with something akin to human speech.'

We can't say exactly what that speech might sound like, but it's likely to resemble the variety of sounds we already hear on Earth.

'From the warbling of birds, to the trumpeting of elephants, to the chirping of crickets, [animal communications] all operate on the same principle,' says Dr Vakoch.

'Animals create sounds that vary over time.

'It's through the distinctive patterning of these manifold sounds that meaning arises.

'We would expect the same in any aliens who want to communicate with one another through the medium of air.'

Although the noises created by Emily Blunt in the Disclosure Day trailer seem bizarre, they are just as likely as any other type of sound.

While the alien messages in the trailer (pictured) seem bizarre, scientists say that alien life would probably use a spoken language to communicate if they lived on a planet with air 

In fact, Dr Vakoch points out that the clicks which 'sound eerily out of this world' to our ears are a defining feature of the Khoisan family of languages spoken in West Africa.

However, the researchers caution that the movie trailer doesn't get everything right.

The big problem is that we have no reason to believe aliens would use sound alone to communicate.

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

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

Just as life at the bottom of the ocean has evolved to flash messages to each other with bioluminescence, aliens might have evolved with different means of communication. 

Mrs Parkinson adds: 'I think we shouldn't discount anything because the only example of life we have is Earth. And what if Earth truly is unique?'

So, in a scientifically accurate movie, Emily Blunt would be just as likely to start flashing a torch about or releasing noxious chemicals as to start chatting away.

Just as life at the bottom of the ocean has evolved to flash messages to each other with bioluminescence, aliens might have evolved with different means of communication. Pictured: Humboldt squid

Scientists say the biggest mistake in the trailer is that aliens wouldn't really communicate with humans using their own language. They are more likely to send a simple, repeating radio signal, which would be picked up by Earth's telescopes.

Pictured: The Green Bank Observatory radio telescope 

But where the trailer really goes wrong is with the idea that aliens would try to speak with us in their own language in the first place.

Dr Sheri Wells-Jensen, an astrobiologist from Bowling Green State University, told Daily Mail: 'The sounds here seem to have been strategically designed to freak out the average human filmgoer. But our first contact is likely to be a little less filmable.

'They will email us, not crawl out from under our beds.'

Due to the massive distance involved, any communication with aliens will require sending signals that could take millions of years to reach their destination.

That means first contact will likely come through a reliable, tried and tested means that has the highest likelihood of being recognised.

Dr John Elliott, a researcher at the University of St Andrews and Chair of the UK SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Research Network, told Daily Mail: 'The scenario depicted here is a sensationalised fiction.

'Communication is most likely to take the form of a remote signal or beacon, which will manifest itself as detectable by radio or optical telescopes.

'If an intended communication for us, it will likely comprise, at first, repeated patterns or images, to provide us with clear evidence of intent from another intelligent civilisation.'

WHAT IS THE FERMI PARADOX?

The Fermi Paradox questions why, given the estimated 200-400 billion stars and at least 100 billion planets in our galaxy, there have been no signs of alien life. 

The contradiction is named after its creator, Italian physicist Enrico Fermi.

He first posed the question back in 1950.

Fermi believed it was too extraordinary that a single extra-terrestrial signal or engineering project has yet to be detected in the universe — despite its immense vastness. 

Fermi concluded there must a barrier that limits the rise of intelligent, self-aware, technologically advanced space-colonising civilisations.

This barrier is sometimes referred to as the 'Great Filter'.

Italian physicist Enrico Fermi devised the so-called Fermi Paradox in the 1950s, which explores why there is no sign of alien life, despite the 100 billion planets in our galaxy

If the main obstacle preventing the colonisation of other planets is not in our past, then the barrier that will stop humanity's prospects of reaching other worlds must lie in our future, scientists have theorised.  

Professor Brian Cox believes the advances in science and engineering required by a civilisation to start conquering the stars will ultimately lead to its destruction.

He said: 'One solution to the Fermi Paradox is that it is not possible to run a world that has the power to destroy itself.

‘It may be that the growth of science and engineering inevitably outstrips the development of political expertise, leading to disaster.'

Other possible explanations for the Fermi Paradox include that intelligent alien species are out there, but lack the necessary technology to communicate with Earth.

Some believe that the distances between intelligent civilisations are too great to allow any kind of two-way communication.

If two worlds are separated by several thousand light years, it's possible that one or both civilisations would become extinct before a dialogue can be established. 

The so-called Zoo hypothesis claims intelligent alien life is out there, but deliberately avoids any contact with life on Earth to allow its natural evolution. 

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Speculation around imminent UFO disclosure is intensifying, especially now with Steven Spielberg’s upcoming UFO film, Disclosure Day, has released its first trailer and the timing is raising eyebrows. Set for a June 12, 2026 release, the film explores a world on the brink of official extraterrestrial disclosure. 

The teaser follows a meteorologist (Emily Blunt) and a UFO whistleblower (Josh O’Connor) who insist the public has a right to know the truth. The film’s central question is chilling: If you were proven we’re not alone, would you be afraid? 

The idea of a real life “Disclosure Day” has circulated in UFO research circles for decades, referring to the moment governments finally confirm the existence of non-human intelligence. While no date has ever been confirmed, speculation is now surging. 

On Polymarket, a major prediction market, bets on “Trump declassifies UFO files in 2025?” have surged past $7 million, with odds jumping from just 6% in early December to an astonishing 98% by mid-month. UFO filmmaker Mark Christopher Lee suggests the sudden surge may point to insider knowledge close to the White House. 

This spike in interest follows the release of The Age of Disclosure, (read here), a documentary that reignited debate over government secrecy around UFOs. 

As Hollywood narratives, documentary findings, and political speculation converging, some observers view this as "predictive programming", a concerted effort by media to subtly prepare the public for a historic disclosure moment.

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The mystifying 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet is blazing toward Earth and will in a matter of days come as close to our planet as it ever will.

The impending cosmic rendezvous – if you want to call it that, since 3I/ATLAS will still be pretty far away – has been anticipated for months ever since the strange visitor was first spotted in Earth's neighborhood. Since its discovery in our solar system in July, 3I/ATLAS has passed within the orbit of Mars and come within 130 million miles of the sun.

Now, the ancient space object is due to approach Earth – offering the world's scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study a comet that formed in an entirely different part of our Milky Way. Of course, the public may also have an interest in spotting the object that many sincerely believe could be an alien spaceship.

Want to know how you can track and glimpse 3I/ATLAS as it comes near Earth? Here's everything to know.

• 3I/ATLAS: NASA's Hubble telescope gets another look at interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

What is 3I/ATLAS? Why scientists say it's an interstellar comet

The object known as 3I/ATLAS made news in July 2025 when it was confirmed to be the third object ever discovered originating outside Earth's solar system. When it was spotted, 3I/ATLAS was traveling 137,000 mph, according to NASA.

Observations of 3I/ATLAS' speed and trajectory confirmed to astronomers that it formed in another star system and was ejected into interstellar space – the region between the stars, according to NASA. For possibly billions of years, the comet has drifted on a journey from the general direction of the constellation Sagittarius in the center of the Milky Way that recently brought it into our solar system.

• Related video: Here’s everything you need to know about 3I/ATLAS (The Weather Channel

Though astronomers don’t yet know exactly how big 3I/ATLAS could be, estimates range from a few hundred feet to a few miles across, according to the European Space Agency. But data from the Hubble Space Telescope helped astronomers estimate the size of the comet’s solid, icy nucleus as anywhere from about 1,400 feet to 3½ miles in diameter.

Unlike comets bound to the sun's gravity, 3I/ATLAS is traveling on a hyperbolic orbit that eventually will carry it out of the solar system and back into interstellar space.

Are there photos of 3I/ATLAS? See all NASA images of comet

On Nov. 19, NASA released a trove of never-before-seen images of 3I/ATLAS that revealed new characteristics of the object.

A look at all of the photos NASA has released of 3I/ATLAS since its discovery, including detailed explanations of each, are available below.

Will 3I/ATLAS hit Earth? How close will it get?

The comet, which is not a danger to Earth, is projected to pass within about 170 million miles of our planet Dec. 19. That's nearly twice the distance of Earth to the sun and more than 700 times the distance of Earth to the moon.

Will you be able to see 3I/ATLAS from Earth? Where is it now?

Though 3I/ATLAS is not visible to the naked eye, viewers with even a small telescope can observe the comet in the predawn sky until spring 2026, according to NASA.

During the comet's closest approach to Earth, skywatchers looking east to northeast could catch the comet right under the star Regulus – one of the brightest stars visible to Earth – in the constellation Leo, according to NASA's December skywatching guide.

The agency's online simulation Eyes on the Solar System shows the location and path of 3I/ATLAS as it moves through our solar system.

"Look for observatories and skywatching events in your local area," Chelsea Gohd, a science communicator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, explained in a video.

Is 3I/ATLAS an alien spaceship? NASA leaders reject extraterrestrial conspiracy

The strange outsider's jaunt through Earth's cosmic neighborhood has sparked plenty of conspiracy theories.

One particularly infamous idea – put forth by a Harvard astrophysicist named Avi Loeb – is that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien spaceship. Though Loeb has conceded on the publishing platform Medium that the object is "most likely a comet of natural origin," he has not ruled out the possibility that it could be extraterrestrial technology.

NASA authorities, though, have sought to put that notion to rest.

In a social media exchange with reality TV star Kim Kardashian in October, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy affirmed: "No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth."

Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, also rejected the alien conspiracy theory at a news conference in November, saying, "We certainly haven't seen any technosignatures or anything from it that would lead us to believe it was anything other than a comet."

Hubble, James Webb among fleet of instruments to study comet

Scientists who are eager to study planetary material that formed from another star have for months trained ground and space telescopes on 3I/ATLAS. The Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope have returned images and data from the comet.

Hubble's latest sighting of the interstellar object came Nov. 30, NASA said in a December blog post.

At the time, 3I/ATLAS was about 178 million miles from Earth. Because Hubble was tracking the comet as it moved across the sky, stars in the background appear as streaks of light, NASA said.

• Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
• This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is 3I/ATLAS now? How to track interstellar comet as it nears Earth

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Lost Egyptian temple is unearthed 4,500 years after it was built in honour of the sun god Ra

• READ MORE: Egypt restores colossal statues of Amenhotep III after 3,200 years

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Archeologists have unearthed the remains of a 4,500-year-old Egyptian temple where visitors would sky-gaze while on the roof. 

The building's remains were found at Abu Ghurab, about nine miles south of the Egyptian capital Cairo and five miles west of the River Nile. 

A 'huge' building exceeding 10,000 sq ft (1,000 square metres), the temple was dedicated to the deity Ra, the sun god and father of all creation. 

It was constructed on the orders of Pharaoh Nyuserre Ini, who reigned from approximately 2420 BC to 2389 BC during Egypt's Fifth Dynasty.  

According to Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, it had a public calendar of religious events carved into blocks and a roof for astronomical observation.

Photos show several well-persevered elements recovered from the site, including wall fragments featuring hieroglyphics and shards of pottery. 

'With a unique architectural plan, it makes it one of the largest and most prominent temples of the valley,' the ministry said in a translated Facebook post. 

'Carved stone fragments of fancy white limestone are also found, alongside large quantities of pottery.'  

The lost Egyptian temple about 10 miles south of Cairo has been unearthed 4,500 years after it was built in honour of the sun god Ra

The roof of the valley temple was probably used for astronomical observations, according to archaeologists from Italy who led the expedition 

The site was identified as early as 1901 by the German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt, but groundwater levels were too high for excavations to be carried out.

But the latest excavations, which commenced in 2024, have uncovered more than half of the temple, previously buried under sediment, the ministry said. 

Work there has revealed the entrance of the temple, including the original entrance floor and the remains of a circular granite column, likely part of the entrance's porch. 

Portions of the original stone cladding of the corridor walls have also been unearthed, as well as a number of architectural elements such as granite shingles and doors. 

The mission has also discovered the remains of an internal staircase leading to the roof in the northwestern part of the temple – likely a secondary entrance – and a slope believed to have linked the temple to the Nile or one of its branches.

'The roof of the valley temple was probably used for astronomical observations but not for the celebration of the festivals,' Massimiliano Nuzzolo, an archaeologist and excavation co-director, told Live Science. 

Meanwhile, the lower level was 'used as a landing stage for the boats approaching it from the Nile or, more likely, from one of its side channels'. 

The expedition also found a distinctive collection of artifacts, including two wooden pieces of the ancient Egyptian 'Senet' game, resembling modern chess.

The ancient Egyptians enjoyed playing board games, archeological remains of playing piece fragments show, including 'Senet' resembling modern chess 

Photo show several well-persevered elements recovered from the site, including wall fragments featuring hieroglyphics and shards of pottery

'The sanctuary thus became a dwelling and one of the favourite local [games] was probably playing senet,' Nuzzolo added. 

Preliminary studies indicate that the temple, after ending its role as a place of worship, was transformed into a small residential area inhabited by locals.

Further excavation work at the site could reveal more about its history before it was smothered by sediment from the Nile. 

'The mission is preparing to continue its work in the coming seasons to explore more elements of this important archaeological site,' the ministry statement added. 

'Removing the curtain on new details [will] add much to understanding the origin and evolution of the Sun Temples in ancient Egypt.' 

Known for his devotion to the sun god, Pharaoh Nyuserre Ini was the sixth of nine kings who reigned during Egypt's Fifth Dynasty, which ruled Egypt for about 150 years. 

The Fifth Dynasty pharaohs closely identified themselves with Ra, building temples in the deity's honour. 

Hieroglyphic inscriptions found in the valley temple include a public calendar detailing religious events

The mission has first succeeded in uncovering more than half the temple, where a huge building exceeding 1000 square meters appeared

According to the belief at the time, Ra was the king of the deities and the father of all creation, as well as the deity who governed the actions of the sun. 

The Egyptians were an agricultural society living in a desert, so not surprisingly, the sun – and thereby Ra – was an integral component of their cosmos, guiding their thoughts and actions. 

Egyptians in this region relied on the sun and the Nile and the rich, fertile soil that surrounded the river for sustenance, such as bread, beer and vegetables. 

Beer was not simply a staple food for the living, but 'a symbol of status and authority', important in elite feasting and burial rituals 'in this life and the next'.  

It would have been 'a thick porridge' – likely cloudy and sweet with a low alcoholic content – that was mostly made from wheat, barley and grass. 

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