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

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

Scientists create ultrapowerful, squishy robotic 'eye' that focuses automatically and doesn't need a power source

Chinese tech company develops creepy ultra-lifelike robot face — watch it blink, twitch and nod

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

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

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

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

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

Rita Louise

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

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

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

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

(CC0)

What Does ‘Nephilim’ Mean?

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

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

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• Enochian: The Mysterious Lost Language of Angels

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

(Public Domain)

Mythos of the Nephilim

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

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

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

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

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

(Public Domain)

Giants Roaming the Earth Across Cultures

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

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

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

Bell krater depicting Zeus fighting against the giant Porphyrion.

(Egisto Sani/CC BY NC SA 2.0)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fight between Rama and Ravana.

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

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

• The Nephilim, Anunnaki and More: Four Common Mistakes Made When Interpreting Mythology
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• Anunnaki Revealed: Who Were These Beings of Ancient Astronaut Theory? What Do the Ancient Texts Say? – Part I

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

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

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

By  Dr. Rita Louise

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{ https://www.ancient-origins.net/ }

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

Dark streaks on Mars caused by a meteorite impact. Source: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Posted in News, Science

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

Alien Horrors This Halloween | Ancient Aliens

On this Halloween night, explore terrifying tales of ancient encounters, haunted legends, and otherworldly visitors that may have walked among us.

{ Youtube.com }

Area52 | 17 Alien Beings Were Found ALIVE | DEBRIEFED Episode 61 | Nov. 7, 2025

The latest installment of the “DEBRIEFED” podcast, released on November 7, 2025, revisits Chapter Five of Nick Redfern’s controversial volume *NASA Conspiracies*. In that chapter, Redfern recounts the story of a former Wackenhut security guard who, while assigned to protect classified material at the Nevada test site commonly known as Area 51, allegedly read a set of internal reports describing the recovery of seventeen non‑human entities. According to the guard’s account, the documents detailed a series of invasive experiments on the beings and even claimed that the suits surrounding them exhibited signs of autonomous activity.

Redfern, a prolific author of UFO‑related literature, has long drawn criticism for blending documented incidents with speculative interpretation. His narrative in *NASA Conspiracies* relies heavily on anecdotal testimony and unverified paperwork. The guard’s identity has never been disclosed, and the purported documents have not been produced for independent analysis. In the podcast, host Michael “Mick” Alvarez notes, “We have no way of confirming the authenticity of those files, but the story aligns with a pattern of alleged ‘living suit’ phenomena that have surfaced in other whistle‑blower accounts over the past two decades.” The episode does not present the original documents, instead summarizing their alleged contents.

The claim of seventeen recovered beings adds to a growing list of alleged extraterrestrial recoveries tied to the secretive Groom Lake facility. Historically, the U.S. government has acknowledged the existence of classified aircraft testing programs at Area 51, but it has never confirmed any non‑human occupants. The notion of “living suits” echoes earlier reports from the 1990s, such as the alleged “Mysterious Metallic Objects” described by former contractor Paul Miller, which were said to respond to environmental stimuli. While these stories have fueled public fascination, they remain unsupported by verifiable evidence, and the Department of Defense has consistently classified any related material under national security exemptions.

The *DEBRIEFED* episode draws much of its material from a YouTube channel called “Area52 Investigations,” which has amassed a sizable following and frequently publishes video essays on alleged UFO incidents. The channel’s content, like the blog post on the “Information Machine” site that accompanied the episode, presents the narrative without offering primary source documentation. Media analysts caution that the reliance on secondary platforms can amplify uncorroborated claims. “When a story moves from a private memo to a podcast and then to a YouTube video, each step can introduce distortion,” says Dr. Elaine Harper, a researcher at the Center for Aerospace Policy Studies.

Nevertheless, the episode has sparked renewed discussion among UFO researchers and skeptics alike. Some commentators view the guard’s alleged curiosity as a plausible scenario—security personnel occasionally encounter highly restricted files and may be tempted to read them. Others argue that the lack of concrete evidence renders the story indistinguishable from myth. As the conversation continues, the broader issue remains: the balance between transparency about government‑run aerospace programs and the protection of genuinely classified information. Until the alleged documents surface in a verifiable format, the claim of seventeen alien beings and their “alive” suits will stay within the realm of speculation, serving as yet another chapter in the long‑standing saga of Area 51 lore.

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{ https://usubjects.com/  }

Ancient Aliens and UAP UFO News | Full Episodes

Reports of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, have become a consistent feature in government and civilian records worldwide, with the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence alone logging at least 2,400 sightings since the year 2000. UAPs, often used interchangeably with the term UFOs, refer to any object or light in the sky that cannot be immediately explained or identified. While the majority of these incidents are ultimately attributed to atmospheric or man-made sources, a persistent fraction remains unexplained, fueling ongoing public intrigue and official investigation.

Historical precedent for such widespread fascination dates back to the summer of 1947, an era marked by what has been termed "flying saucer madness." That year, the United States experienced a surge of roughly 800 UFO reports, most notably the sighting by civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold. Arnold claimed to have witnessed nine disc-shaped objects flying in formation at speeds approaching 1,200 miles per hour over Mount Rainier. His account, widely reported in the media, is credited with launching the modern era of UFO interest and investigation.

In the decades since, several cases have captured both public and institutional attention. One such example is the small UK town of Bonsol, dubbed a "UFO hotspot" after repeated reports of silver shapes and strange lights in the sky. In 2001, resident Sharon Roland inadvertently filmed a large, disc-shaped object with colored lights, a recording that piqued NASA’s curiosity due to its resemblance to an object observed during a 1996 space mission. While NASA concluded the object was metallic and did not match any known aircraft, its true nature remains undetermined.

Across the Atlantic, the Tinley Park lights incident in Illinois in 2004 saw residents and neighboring cities report triangular patterns of red and multicolored orbs hovering overhead. Despite some witnesses suggesting an elaborate prank, no concrete explanation was ever established. Similarly, the O'Hare International Airport sighting in Chicago in 2006 involved multiple United Airlines employees and airport personnel witnessing a silent, dark gray saucer-shaped object hovering over a gate before it shot upward, leaving a brief hole in the clouds. The lack of radar confirmation led authorities to forgo a formal investigation, despite credible eyewitness testimony.

More recent years have seen the phenomenon intersect with both national security and legislative action. The 2024 New Jersey drone sightings involved over 3,000 reports of large, coordinated drones near critical infrastructure across the United States. While the Department of Homeland Security identified some as manned aircraft, many incidents went unexplained, prompting calls for further legislation and resources. The drones’ sophisticated behavior and ability to evade detection have left investigators with more questions than answers.

These incidents, alongside the Pentagon’s 2021 confirmation of the authenticity of several Navy pilot videos capturing flying objects with extraordinary flight characteristics, underscore the enduring mystery and complexity of UAP phenomena. As government agencies, military officials, and the public continue to grapple with these unexplained events, the debate over their origin—be it natural, man-made, or otherwise—remains unresolved, ensuring that interest in the subject will persist for years to come.

 { https://usubjects.com/ }

Chinese Firefighters Using Robot Dogs With Huge Hoses Attached

Since Boston Dynamic first teased its BigDog robot in 2004, four-legged hound automatons have exploded in popularity. There are now dozens of robot dogs in development, ranging from military and surveillance applications to companionship models that can carry groceries and talk back to their human owners.

One of the most distinctive uses for a quadrupedal robot we’ve seen yet is coming out of China, where the company Unitree has been hard at work developing robodogs that can assist firefighters at the site of dangerous blazes.

Called “Fire Rescue” units, the robots are essentially beefed up models of the Unitree B2. According to Unitree’s website, they Fire Rescue platform allows public safety officials to kit out their B2s with modular components, allowing them to spray water and foam, fight wildfires with air cannons, transmit data and video from inside burning structures, and carry equipment for rescuers.

Trial footage of the B2 Fire Rescue bot in action quickly made the rounds on Chinese and Western social media. The short clip shows a firefighter attach a high-pressure hose to the back of a unit, which springs up and advances toward a brush fire.

Controlled by a teleoperator, the device positions itself in front of the fire, dousing it in a stream of water.

On the Chinese-language app RedNote, one user commented that “this is the direction of technological development: to help people, not replace them.”

Whether these units make their way to the rest of the world remains to be seen. On Reddit, Western netizens wondered if the devices would weigh enough to withstand the high pressure typical of US handlines, the hoses firefighters carry by hand to directly attack fires.

“I’m hoping dog has some heavy weight, but if not you’ll need several dogs to hold down the hose,” one Redditor commented. “Those things ain’t no joke, the pressure is insane.”

According to the Unitree website, the B2 Fire Rescue module is rated for a water flow rate of 40 liters per second, though it’s not known what kind of water flow or pressure is used in the video. (For reference, the Fire Department of New York uses an angled hose nozzle for high-rise fires which flows at 16.7 liters per second.)

Either way, it’s a fascinating look at a new use for robot dogs, which until now were looking more like weapons of war than tools for the good of humanity.

More on robots:

• Hundreds of Robots Competed in the World’s First Robot Olympics. The Results Were Unintentionally Hilarious

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{ https://futurism.com/category/robots-and-machines }

NASA Withholding New Images of Mysterious Object From Beyond Solar System

Scientists baffled as interstellar visitor mysteriously SHRINKS ahead of Earth flyby

• MORE:  NASA detects bizarre boost in interstellar visitor's speed as it moves toward Earth

By CHRIS MELORE, US ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR

Shocking new images of the interstellar visitor have revealed that it has mysteriously shrunk in size weeks ahead of its closest approach to Earth.

NASA recently calculated the change, noting it shed 13 percent of its material after 3I/ATLAS soaring past the sun last month.

Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, who has been analyzing the object since the summer, noted that this sudden shrinkage was directly tied to the noticeable change in the interstellar object's course as it moved closer to the sun.

'For a typical comet, this should have resulted in a massive coma with dust and gas that would have been pushed by the solar radiation pressure and the solar wind to the shape of a typical cometary tail pointing away from the sun,' he said in a blog post.

'No such tail is visible in the new images from November 5, 2025.'   

3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to our planet on December 19, just six weeks from now.

 Loeb has previously warned that contact with 3I/ATLAS has the makings of a 'black swan event,' meaning this massive space object could be an alien mothership trying to disguise itself as a space rock for an unknown purpose.

However, NASA and hundreds of researchers are sure 3I/ATLAS is nothing more than a comet from outside of our Solar System.

An image of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS taken on November 5 revealed no obvious cometary tail, which should have formed after passing the sun

Clues have continued to pile up that suggest this object from outside the solar system is not a natural phenomenon. This includes displaying a strange 'anti-tail' which pointed towards the sun as it made its closest approach to the star last month

With no such tail forming around 3I/ATLAS, Loeb maintains that the odds of this strange visitor being an artificial craft of extraterrestrial origin are growing every single day.

The shedding of material happened when a ground-based telescope in Chile identified a mysterious increase in speed.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) said the mysterious shift by 3I/ATLAS could not be explained by the sun's extreme gravity pulling on the alleged comet.

Instead, 3I/ATLAS clearly pulled away from the sun and also turned to its side, which Loeb suggested was a sign of a rocket engine adjusting the craft's course. 

For a normal comet to complete this shocking maneuver naturally, 3I/ATLAS would have had to lose more than 13 percent of its mass, creating giant jets of gas pouring out of the space rock.

These jets of gas would have had the same effect as a rocket engine, pushing the comet away from the sun despite the massive star's gravitational pull on everything in the solar system.

However, this kind of outpouring of gas leaves a trail of evidence, clear signs that the comet melted and released roughly five billion tons of gas and dust into space.

NASA's latest images, released on November 5, show absolutely no signs that 3I/ATLAS has done any of this, despite shrinking by about 13 percent and pulling away from the sun.

NASA telescopes photographed 3I/ATLAS as it moved out of its blind spot behind the sun in early November

Moreover, Loeb revealed that the unidentified object hasn't changed much at all compared to a photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July.

Read More

• Mysterious interstellar visitor heading towards Earth dubbed a 'Trojan Horse' for alien tech 

The physicist and head of the Galileo Project, a scientific research group looking for signs of extraterrestrial life, has argued that 3I/ATLAS has shown at least 10 signs it's an artificially constructed vessel that's now heading toward Earth. 

However, clues have continued to pile up that suggest this object from outside the solar system is not a natural phenomenon.

This includes displaying a strange 'anti-tail' which pointed towards the sun as it made its closest approach to the star last month.

A normal comet's tail points away from the sun as ice and rock break away and trail behind the comet as it moves through space.

3I/ATLAS has also repeatedly changed color during its journey through the solar system, including turning blue as it reached the sun, something a typical comet never does.

Normal comets turn red as their cold surfaces absorb blue light and bounce back mostly red light, just like a cold piece of metal glows red when you start heating it.

While one strange oddity being seen in a comet could be explained by science, Loeb noted that the odds of 3I/ATLAS displaying 10 strange anomalies at the same time are astronomical and point to the object being created by a distant intelligence.

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

Saturn's moon could harbour ALIEN life: Scientists spot heat coming from Enceladus - suggesting it could be habitable

• READ MORE: Scientists discover organic molecules spewing from Enceladus

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could harbour alien life, scientists have discovered.

New findings from NASA's Cassini mission have revealed heat leaking out from the moon's North Pole.

This suggests that the moon's vast underground ocean might have a much more stable climate than had previously been thought.

According to the researchers, this means it might be the perfect place for life to evolve.

Although Enceladus' icy surface is barren, its underground oceans have all the necessary ingredients for life.

However, until now, scientists weren't sure whether the planet's internal temperature could be stable for long enough for organisms to emerge.

Scientists can't yet say whether life actually exists on the moon, but they have now shown that Enceladus has an ocean in which life stands a chance of surviving.

Co-author Dr Carly Howett, of the University of Oxford, told Daily Mail: 'We think life likes stability to survive - so showing Enceladus’ energy is stable means its sub-surface environment probably is too.'

Saturn's Moon Enceladus (artist's impression) might be home to alien life, according to a new study, as researchers find heat escaping from the moon's North Pole

Although Enceladus looks barren on the surface, beneath the ice, there is a vast liquid water ocean which has all the ingredients for life. Pictured: Enceladus as seen by the Cassini spacecraft 

With a diameter of 310 miles (500 km) – about as wide as Arizona – Enceladus is Saturn's sixth–largest moon.

On the surface, conditions are exceptionally cold with temperatures as low as –201°C (–330°F).

But beneath the surface, there is enough heat energy to maintain a large, liquid ocean of water.

The moon gets heat from a process called tidal heating, where it is squeezed and stretched by Saturn's gravity.

This energy prevents the moon from freezing completely, but the underground oceans would only be able to support life if the energy coming in matches the energy flowing out.

Dr Howett says: 'If Enceladus is losing more energy than gaining, then eventually the whole moon will cool and Enceladus’ ocean is going to freeze – which is obviously bad for life!

'If it's gaining more energy than losing, then the ocean will heat and melt the ice shell from the bottom – which will change both the ocean’s temperature and chemistry.'

Previous studies have estimated how much energy Enceladus loses through its active South Pole, where jets of water are constantly erupting through tectonic fissures known as 'tiger stripes'.

Scientists have calculated how much heat is escaping through the North Pole from the warm ocean below. This reveals that the planet is losing as much energy as it gets from the gravitational pull of Saturn 

Since Enceladus' energy is balanced, scientists say that its oceans are likely to be stable and long-lived. This increases the chances that the planet might have developed life 

What is Enceladus?

However, figuring out how much energy the entire planet loses from its ocean is extremely difficult because it heats the entire ice sheet at once.

This means there is only a tiny difference from the normal day-night temperature cycle at any given time.

'These subtle temperature increases are easiest spotted against a cold surface, and probably where the ice shell is thinnest,' says Dr Howett.

'Enceladus’ north polar region met these requirements.'

Using measurements from the Cassini spacecraft, the researchers compared the surface temperature of the North Pole in deep winter and in summer.

This revealed that the surface around the pole was around 7°C (7 Kelvin) warmer than expected.

From this data, Dr Howett and her co-authors were able to calculate that the moon is losing 46 milliwatts of energy per square metre, or 35 gigawatts of energy across the entire planet.

Combined with the known energy loss from the active South Pole, Enceladus' total energy loss rises to 54 gigawatts.

In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft discovered striking tectonic faults at the south pole known as 'tiger stripes' (bottom right), which allow water from the inner ocean to escape. Analysis found that this water contained complex molecules associated with the origins of life

Scientists don't know yet whether the planet hosts life, but any life that does exist might look similar to that found around hydrothermal vents in Earth's deep oceans 

This figure is almost exactly the same as the estimated total energy input from tidal warming, proving that it is balanced.

Dr Howett says this 'supports Enceladus having an ocean that is long-lived and stable, in which life stands a better chance of evolving.'

Scientists aren't sure what that life might look like, since we have only ever seen how life evolved on one planet, but it could share some similarities with life on Earth.

'It’s possible life on Enceladus looks a little like that around the deep hydrothermal vents of the Earth, says Dr Howett.

'There we see things that look like shrimp, crabs and lobsters. So perhaps like that – but maybe not like that at all!'

The next steps will be to work out whether the oceans on Enceladus have existed long enough for life to have formed.

If the oceans are old enough, it might justify sending another probe to look for chemical signs of life in the South Pole's icy plumes or even to burrow through the ice into the ocean itself.

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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