A startling new video has captured a clear image of what one witness believes was a giant UFO flying over California.

The April 27 video taken by an unnamed resident in Twentynine Palms followed what appears to be a brightly-lit hexagonal craft as it flew over the desert.

The UFO reportedly appeared out of nowhere around 10:27 pm PT while the witness was staying at a remote cabin.

'It seemed to move arbitrarily with no clear path. The movements were jerky and at varying speeds,' the witness wrote in their NUFORC report.

The large object also appeared to pulsate, giving off a bright light from its edges, as it moved through the sky for approximately 15 minutes.

'Tonight is the new moon - so it was definitely not the moon, and in any case was much brighter than even a full moon,' the witness continued.

'The striking thing was its great brightness and irregular shape and path,' they added.

The April 27 video taken by an unnamed resident in Twentynine Palms, California followed what appears to be a brightly-lit hexagonal craft as it flew over the desert

As the witness in Twentynine Palms followed the UFO, they added that the strange craft began to change shape - morphing from a six-sided object into a circle.

The person taking the cellphone video was the only witness at the cabin that night, so no one else was able to confirm their story.

However, they declared in their report to NUFORC that they hadn't taken any 'mind altering substances' during the sighting and had clear vision the entire time.

Officials at NUFORC tried to find an explanation for the sighting, noting that a SpaceX rocket launch had taken place that day, but that Falcon 9 took off from in Florida three hours earlier.

A previous rocket launch created a similar phenomenon over the UK in March.

That bizarre shape was caused by illuminated frozen fuel expelled from the SpaceX rocket, experts revealed.

The light blue spiral is formed when excess fuel that has been released from the fast-spinning rocket turns to ice.

It then reflects the sunlight in the upper atmosphere - giving it an otherworldly gleam - before turning to water vapor.

Experts say the bizarre shape seen in the UK in March was caused by illuminated frozen fuel expelled from a SpaceX rocket - and was not caused by aliens

The brand new sighting came just days before a US congressional hearing on UFOs and unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAPs).

The speakers, including Pentagon UFO project whistleblower Luis Elizondo, a former NASA administrator, and a retired Navy admiral called on the government to release what they know about these unexplained sightings.

They also called for an increase in funding for the detection of UFOs and UAPs, which several hearing speakers said was being suppressed by the US intelligence community.

Elizondo and others noted that witnesses like the one in Twentynine Palms have no centralized official channel in the US to speak to when it comes to reporting UFO sightings.

Therefore, countless alleged sightings either go unreported or are never investigated by the military or federal officials.

NUFORC and the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) are two of the most recognized civilian groups keeping track of sightings by civilians.

While these two organizations are not government-affiliated, they often share data with researchers or government entities when significant cases arise. 

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A strange jellyfish-like phenomenon was spotted streaking across the California sky Monday night.

While the unusual 'UFO' sighting baffled many locals from the Mojave desert to Los Angeles's South Bay, scientists say there were no extraterrestrials involved in creating the jellyfish - it was an Elon Musk rocket.

SpaceX's latest Falcon 9 rocket mission lifted off at 11:36pm ET Monday night from Vandenberg Space Force Station in California.

A few minutes into the flight, the rocket's exhaust interacted with the atmosphere, creating a visible cloud of condensed water vapor.

Since the launch took place right after sunset, around 8:36pm PT, the sun illuminated the crystalized exhaust plume, resulting in a spectacular sight for millions on the ground.

Californians posted images of the rocket soaring over the state on X, even as far south as Riverside, over 200 miles southeast of the Vandenberg launch site.

SpaceX's lead avionics systems engineer, Cameron Gable, captured the jellyfish phenomenon as the rocket traveled past Los Angeles County's South Bay.

The mission, dubbed Starlink 15-9, saw SpaceX launch its latest batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. 

Scientists said that the mysterious jellyfish seen over California Monday night was the exhaust trail of a Falcon 9 rocket

The Falcon 9 rocket's exhaust interacted with Earth's atmosphere, creating a visible cloud of condensed water vapor that became easier to see right after sunset

SpaceX's lead avionics engineer posted on X, showing the jellyfish effect as it passed over Los Angeles's South Bay

The jellyfish phenomenon, also known as a 'vapor cone' or 'shock collar,' occurs when the localized air pressure around the rocket drops, causing the air temperature to decrease and water vapor to condense into visible clouds.

Monday's giant jellyfish display started just a few minutes into the flight and was visible to anyone in the Southern California area.

It's not the first time a SpaceX rocket has produced the jellyfish effect. In October 2022, sky watchers caught another Falcon 9 rocket creating the same vapor trail during a similar mission to deploy new satellites.

Monday's Falcon 9 launch was the latest mission in SpaceX's ongoing efforts to expand its Starlink 'constellation,' aiming to enhance global internet coverage.

SpaceX has already conducted 75 launches in 2025, mainly for Starlink missions.

The mission also used a reusable first-stage engine, a hallmark of SpaceX's design philosophy aimed at reducing the cost of spaceflights.

SpaceX captured the moment on their live broadcast when the reusable engine safely landed back on Earth to be used again in future missions.

Monday's mission was the 200th from the company's Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg.

The SpaceX launch was part of the company's ongoing Starlink mission, which is deploying a network of new satellites that will boost global internet coverage

The jellyfish effect is a common occurrence during space rocket launches and can normally be seen from states hundreds of miles from the actual launch site

The remote-controlled reusable rocket engine made a perfect touchdown on SpaceX's droneship in the Pacific Ocean about eight minutes after launch, making it the 463rd engine returned to Earth.

While the jellyfish effect may seem like a bizarre UFO to the untrained eye, it's common among spaceflights.

Social media users regularly capture rockets giving off the jellyfish trail from hundreds of miles away.

One X user in Phoenix, Arizona, was able to spot a similar jellyfish during a June 2024 launch. That mission also involved a Falcon 9 launching from Vandenberg, which was over 500 miles away.

When a rocket launches, it expels a large amount of exhaust gases at high speeds. These gases, primarily composed of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other rocket launch byproducts, expand rapidly as they exit the rocket's nozzle.

As the exhaust plume expands, it encounters cooler, denser air in Earth's upper atmosphere. This can cause the water vapor in the exhaust to condense into visible clouds, forming a balloon-like shape around the rocket.

The high speed of the rocket can also create shock waves, further shaping the exhaust into distinctive patterns, creating the jellyfish effect. 

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, with their frequent launch schedule and reusable first stages, often trigger this effect due to their design and the typical launch times chosen for optimal visibility.

However, any rocket launch around the world can potentially give off a jellyfish trail, especially when the conditions are right for the exhaust to give off a dramatic display in the atmosphere.

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Archaeologists have uncovered ancient inscriptions inside Egypt’s Great Pyramid that they say confirm who built the monument 4,500 years ago. 

Ancient Greeks shared stories that the stunning monument was built by 100,000 slaves who worked in three-month shifts over 20 years.

But new discoveries inside the Great Pyramid have changed the narrative, showing it was constructed by paid, skilled laborers who worked continuously, taking one day off every 10 days.

Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass and his team recently explored a series of narrow chambers above the King’s Chamber using imaging technology, finding never-before-seen markings left by work gangs from the 13th-century BC. 

They also unearthed tombs south of the pyramid, the eternal resting places of skilled laborers, complete with statues of workers muscling stones and 21 hieroglyphic titles like 'overseer of the side of the pyramid' and 'craftsman.' 

'[The discoveries] confirm that the builders were not slaves. If they had been, they would never have been buried in the shadow of the pyramids,' Dr Hawass said during an episode of the Matt Beall Limitless podcast.

'Slaves would not have prepared their tombs for eternity, like kings and queens did, inside these tombs.'

The latest findings also shed light on how the pyramid was built, revealing that limestone from a quarry just 1,000 feet away was hauled to the site using a rubble-and-mud ramp, remnants of which were found southwest of the monument. 

Dr Hawass is now working on a new expedition, funded by Beall, which will send a robot into the Great Pyramid, marking the first excavation of the structure in modern history.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and was constructed by Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom

 Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass shared the discoveries on the Matt Beall Limitless podcast this month

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and was constructed by Pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.

It is also one of three within the Giza plateau, the other two include the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure, as well as the Great Sphinx.

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

Inscriptions were previously found inside the Great Pyramid during the 19th century, sparking debate that the writings were forged hundreds of years after it was built.

'There was some debate on whether or not that could be a forgery, but now you're saying that you've discovered three more cartes within the King's Chamber,' Beall asked Dr Hawass.

The archaeologist then showed images never shared with the public, highlighting the names drawn onto the rock.

'They were found in chambers that are difficult and dangerous to access, and they use writing styles that only trained Egyptologists can accurately interpret,' said Dr Hawass.

'It’s nearly impossible that someone in recent times could have forged something like this. You must climb about 45 feet and crawl through tight spaces to even reach those chambers.'

Egyptologist Dr Zahi Hawass and his team recently explored a series of narrow chambers above the King’s Chamber using imaging technology, finding never-before-seen markings left by work gangs from the 13th-century BC

Hawass's team also unearthed tombs south of the pyramid, the eternal resting places of skilled laborers

The archaeologist admitted that some European visitors managed to enter and left their names scratched into the stone in the late 18th and 19th centuries. 

'But the inscriptions we found are clearly much older, original graffiti from ancient Egyptian workers,' Dr Hawass added.

Alongside these inscriptions, the second major discovery was the tombs of the pyramid builders. 

Dr Hawass and his team found tools inside the tombs, such as flint tools and pounding stones that would have been used in the Great Pyramid's construction. 

'The base of the Great Pyramid is made from solid bedrock, carved 28 feet deep into the ground,' he said.

'This means that after marking the square base, the builders cut down into all four sides of the rock until they created a level platform of solid stone, no blocks, just bedrock. 

'You can still see this today on the south side of Khufu’s pyramid.'

He continued to explain that the workers operated in teams, some cut the stones, others shaped them and the rest transported the material using wooden sleds pulled over the sand.'

He added that the rocks were then moved using ramps, which the archaeologist said he found evidence of.

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Hawass's team also unearthed tombs south of the pyramid, the eternal resting places of skilled laborers, complete with statues of workers muscling stones

'The ramp had to come from the southwest corner of the pyramid and connect to the quarry,' said Dr Hawass,

'We excavated this area, and in the site labeled C2, we found remnants of the ramp, stone rubble mixed with sand and mud. When the ramp was dismantled, they didn’t remove every trace, and what was left behind is what we uncovered.'

Dr Hawass' colleague, Mark Lehner, has been excavating a site just east of the pyramid, uncovering what they are calling 'the worker's city.'

The team has uncovered facilities used for sorting salted fish, a large bakery for bread, barracks and the settlement where the laborers lived.

'There’s a popular myth that the workers ate only garlic, onions, and bread, but we found thousands of animal bones at the site,' Dr Hawass said.

'An expert from the University of Chicago analyzed them and found that the Egyptians slaughtered 11 cows and 33 goats every day to feed the laborers.

'This diet was enough to support around 10,000 workers per day.' 

The conversation switched to the upcoming exploration of the Big Void, which Dr Hawass is leading.

'I am funding the exploration of the Big Void,' Beall said, adding that he is helping the team build the robot for the mission.

The podcaster explained that they were working on a robot, no larger than a centimeter, which will travel through a tiny hole drilled into the side of the Great Pyramid.

The Big Void, discovered in 2017, stretches for at least 100 feet above the Grand Gallery, an ascending corridor that links the Queen’s chamber to the King’s in the heart of the pyramid.

Dr Hawass believes he will locate the lost tomb of Khufu inside the void. 

'I think it's unlikely that it's a tomb, just because there's never been a tomb,' Beall said.

'There's never been a Pharaoh discovered in any of these in any of the main pyramids ever.' 

The excavation is slated for around January or February next year. 

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A mysterious interstellar object has been caught on camera for the first time as it hurtles through the solar system.

First spotted by NASA on July 1, scientists from around the world have now confirmed that this unexpected visitor has travelled through space from a distant star. 

Officially titled 3I/ATLAS, the rare interloper is 12 miles (20km) long and hurtling towards the sun at 135,000 miles per hour. 

Now, using a powerful telescope in Hawaii, the European Space Agency (ESA) has captured the first video of 3I/ATLAS as it makes its journey through space.

As the short video shows, the object is extremely bright, which means it is either many times larger than any other interstellar object or has another source of illumination. 

Most experts agree that this extra illumination is caused by the fact that 3I/ATLAS is an active comet, producing a glowing 'coma' of ice and gas as it approaches the sun.

However, one Harvard professor claims that this might not be explained by natural means.

Professor Avi Loeb, a physicist at Harvard University, told MailOnline: 'If it is not a comet, then its large brightness would be a big surprise and potentially signal a non-natural origin, perhaps from artificial light.'

The European Space Agency has captured the first video of the interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, currently hurtling through our solar system 

NASA predicts that 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to the sun on October 30, at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km) - passing just within the orbit of Mars

3I/ATLAS was detected as a faint speck of light by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope.

Since then, professional and amateur astronomers around the world have scrambled to gather more data.

Scientists quickly combed older data to find observations of the object that had previously been missed, in a process called precovery. 

Combining these with hundreds of new observations, scientists were able to officially confirm that 3I/ATLAS was an interstellar object. 

Currently 420 million miles (670 million kilometres) away from Earth, 3I/ATLAS's trajectory and incredible speed meant it must be passing through our solar system after being ejected by its own star.

NASA predicts that it will reach its closest point to the sun on October 30, at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million km) - passing just within the orbit of Mars.

Thankfully, the object poses no threat to Earth and will pass harmlessly at around 150 million miles (240 million km) away at its closest point.

This is only the third time that scientists have managed to spot an interstellar object passing through the solar system.

Harvard physicist Avi Loeb told MailOnline that the object's intense brightness could be the result of artificial lights, indicating that it is an alien craft 

This graph shows the passage of the interstellar object as seen from Earth as it travels from the Sagittarius constellation through the area of the sky containing Virgo  

The first was 'Oumuamua in 2017, followed by Borisov in 2019.

When 'Oumuamua was first detected, certain irregularities in its spin and velocity prompted Professor Loeb and his co-author, Dr Shmuel Bialy, to suggest that it could be alien in origin.

Professor Loeb says: ''Oumuamua exhibited a large non-gravitational acceleration which was anomalous given its lack of evaporation.'

Similarly, Professor Loeb now suggests that 3I/ATLAS could be a similar type of alien craft. 

While experts say there is no evidence to support this idea, some researchers say we can't rule out the possibility just yet.

Professor Michael Garrett, Director of Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, told MailOnline: 'More observations are definitely needed.'

Asked whether the object could be an alien craft, Professor Garret responded: 'Who knows - it could be - that’s why it will be important to make as many different measurements as possible to test all hypotheses.'

'It’s unlikely that it is, but that doesn’t mean to say we shouldn’t check. We don’t know much about these interstellar objects, so we learn more each time we encounter one.'

In 2017, an interstellar object named Oumuamua passed through the solar system, and while most scientists believe it was a natural phenomenon, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb famously argued it may have been of alien origin

NASA and ESA have now confirmed that 3I/ATLAS is a comet due to the presence of a cloud of dust and gases called a coma. These are produced when the ice in a comet is warmed by the light of a nearby star like the sun 

However, Professor Garret adds that there is currently no evidence the object is alien in nature, and it is more likely to be 'an icy body that has escaped from another planetary system and wandered by the solar system by chance'.

Currently, the overwhelming majority of evidence points to the fact that 3I/ATLAS is a comet, a small body made up of frozen gases and ice.

This is because astronomers have spotted a nebulous envelope of gas and dust known as a coma surrounding the object as it is heated by the sun. 

Based on these observations, both NASA and ESA are now confident enough to confirm that 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet. 

This also explains why 3I/ATLAS is so bright, since the material in the coma reflects the sun's light far more than rock or ice alone.  

Dr Mark Norris, an astronomer from the University of Central Lancashire, told MailOnline: 'If there's a coma, it by definition is a comet, because this means that it is outgassing.

'This thing is still quite far from the sun, so you can expect, therefore, as it gets closer, you should get a bigger cloud of material; and that should become clear as we get more observations going forward.' 

However, by the time the comet reaches its closest point to the Earth, it will be hidden behind the sun, so astronomers will need to wait until it reemerges in December to make the best observations. 

Alien hunters at SETI – the Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence based at Berkeley University, California said there was a possibility the rock was ‘an alien artefact’.

But scientists from Queen’s University Belfast took a good look at the object and said it appears to be an asteroid, or ‘planetesimal’ as originally thought. 

Researchers believe the cigar-shaped asteroid had a 'violent past', after looking at the light bouncing off its surface. 

They aren't exactly sure when the violent collision took place, but they believe the lonely asteroid's tumbling will continue for at least a billion years.

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Scientists discover microplastics in SEMEN and female reproductive fluid – and warn they could spark an infertility crisis

• READ MORE: Terrifying images reveal what microplastics can do to your body 

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

From the depths of The Mariana Trench to the summit of Everest, microplastics can now be found almost everywhere on Earth.

Now, it turns out even our most intimate moments can't escape their blight.

Scientists have discovered microplastics are 'common' in both male and female reproductive fluids.

And they warned of the potential implications for reproduction, as egg and sperm quality could be impaired.

The team examined follicular fluid – found within the ovaries - from 29 women and the seminal fluid, found within semen, from 22 men.

Analysis revealed a range of commonly-used microplastics were present in more than half of the samples.

This included microplastics linked to non-stick coatings, polystyrene, plastic containers, wool, insulation and cushioning materials. 

Lead researcher Dr Emilio Gomez-Sanchez, from the University of Murcia, said: 'Previous studies had already shown that microplastics can be found in various human organs.

While microplastics are much smaller than this, measuring under 5mm in size, this image shows how plastic particles can break down in the environment (stock image)

Experts have found microplastic particles in both male and female reproductive fluids - and it could have an impact on egg and sperm quality (stock image)

'As a result, we weren't entirely surprised to find microplastics in fluids of the human reproductive system, but we were struck by how common they were – found in 69 per cent of the women and 55 per cent of the men we studied.'

Microplastics are defined as plastic particles under 5mm in size, and there is evidence that they pose a threat to environmental and public health.

While this research did not directly assess how microplastics affect fertility, their detection highlights the need to explore possible implications for human reproductive health, the researchers warned.

'What we know from animal studies is that in the tissues where microplastics accumulate, they can induce inflammation, free radical formation, DNA damage, cellular senescence, and endocrine disruptions,' Dr Gomez-Sanchez added.

'It's possible they could impair egg or sperm quality in humans, but we don't yet have enough evidence to confirm that.'

The scientists said the microplastics probably enter the body through ingestion, inhalation and contact with the skin.

From there they enter the bloodstream, which then distributes them throughout the body – including to the reproductive organs.

They plan to carry out further studies to explore the potential relationship between the presence of microplastics and egg and sperm quality.

Tiny bits of microplastic, seen here as the black dots, have also been previously found in semen samples as part of a Chinese trial

The findings, published in the journal Human Reproduction, were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Commenting on the study Dr Carlos Calhaz-Jorge, Immediate Past Chair of ESHRE, said: 'Environmental factors influencing reproduction are certainly a reality, although not easy to measure objectively.

'The authors of this study found microplastics in over two-thirds of follicular fluids and more than 50 per cent of semen fluids from the studied patients.

'Although the significance of these findings is not yet clear, they should be considered an additional argument in favour of avoiding the generalised use of plastics in our daily lives.'

Previous studies have detected microplastics in human breast milk, blood and even brain tissue.

And separate research has found high levels in everyday items such as tea bags, baby bottles and chopping boards.

Some scientists have urged caution when interpreting the findings of the new study. 

Dr Stephanie Wright, Associate Professor in Environmental Toxicology at Imperial College London, said: 'Without information on the sizes of the microplastic particles observed, it is challenging to interpret how meaningful this data is. 

Scientists from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have previously warned that a single tea bag can release billions of dangerous microplastics into your body

'There is a high potential for samples to become contaminated with microplastic throughout the sampling, laboratory processing, and analysis procedures. 

'It is not a surprise that microplastics have been found – they are everywhere, even in the lab – but the data provided do not support that they are there as a result of human exposure as opposed to methodological artefact and must be interpreted with caution at this early stage.'

Fay Couceiro, Professor of Environmental Pollution and Head of the Microplastics Research Group at the University of Portsmouth, said: 'The study is very interesting and considering the global reduction in fertility rates, looking at possible causes is very topical and timely. 

'As the authors state, finding microplastics is not that surprising as we have found them in lots of other areas of our bodies. 

'Presence is also not the same as impact and the authors are clear that while they have found microplastics in the reproductive fluids of both men and women, we still don't know how they are affecting us.'

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China's first three-on-three robot football tournament kicked off in Beijing last Sunday.

But the quality of play on show suggests that a robot won't be claiming the Ballon d'Or any time soon.

As the AI-controlled bots shuffled slowly across the turf, they bumped into each other, toppled over, and only occasionally even kicked the ball. 

By the time the final whistle blew, two bots had to be stretchered off the pitch after taking falls that would earn most human players a yellow card for diving. 

Cheng Hao, founder of Booster Robotics, which supplied the robots for the tournament, told the Global Times that the robots currently have the skills of five-to six-year-old children. 

However, Mr Hao believes that the robots' abilities will grow 'exponentially' and will soon be 'surpassing youth-level teams and eventually challenging adult teams'. 

In the future, Mr Hao even says that humans could play against robots in specially arranged matches.

However, with the robots currently struggling to avoid collisions, more will need to be done to make the bots safe for humans to play with. 

China's first three-on-three football tournament kicked off in Beijing last weekend, but the quality of play wasn't quite at professional levels 

By the time the final whistle blew, two bots had to be stretchered off the pitch 

The match took place as part of the ROBO league football tournament in Beijing, a test game ahead of China's upcoming 2025 World Humanoid Games. 

Four teams of engineers were each provided with robots and tasked with building the AI strategies which control everything from passing and shooting to getting up after a fall. 

Ultimately, THU Robotics from Tsinghua University defeated the Mountain Sea from China Agricultural University team five goals to three to win the championship.

However, despite impressive advancements in robotics, the matches showed that robotics still has a long way to go.

The robots struggle with what engineers call 'dynamic obstacle avoidance', which means they tend to run into other moving players despite moving only one metre per second. 

This was such an issue that the tournament's organisers had to use a specially made version of football's rules which allows more 'non-malicious collisions'. 

Likewise, although the robots were sometimes able to stand back up, human assistants sometimes had to step in and set them back on their feet. 

At one point in the match, the referee even had to hold back two robots as they blindly trampled a fallen teammate. 

The robots struggle with 'dynamic obstacle avoidance', meaning they often crash into other players despite moving slowly 

The referee had to step in and prevent the robots from trampling each other during several points of the game 

These kinds of difficult scenarios are exactly why robotics researchers are so interested in using sports as testbeds for their technology.

Sports involve multiple moving objects, rapidly changing situations and demand levels of teamwork and coordination that have long surpassed the capabilities of robots.

Mr Cheng told the Global Times: 'We chose the football scenario for robot competition primarily for two reasons: first, to encourage students to apply their algorithmic skills to real-world robotics; second, to showcase the robots' ability to walk autonomously and stably, withstand collisions, and demonstrate higher levels of intelligence and safety.'

Similarly, Google's DeepMind has used football to help test its learning algorithms, demonstrating miniature football-playing robots in 2023.

China is currently pushing forward with its efforts to produce AI-powered humanoid robots, and is often using sports to show off their potential.

This follows a recent kickboxing match between robots developed by Unitree Robotics as part of the China Media Group World Robot Competition.

Similarly, 21 robots developed by Chinese manufacturers competed in the Yizhuang half marathon alongside thousands of humans. 

The winner, Tiangong Ultra, finished the race in two hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds, but some robots struggled to complete the race.

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A mysterious object from outside our solar system has just been spotted by astronomers heading towards our planet. 

Harvard physicist Avi Loeb revealed that the object is expected to pass by Earth on December 17, speeding through the solar system at more than 41 miles per second (roughly 150,000 miles per hour).

That means the unidentified object, which scientists are calling A11pl3Z, is moving too fast for it to get caught in the gravitational pull of our sun or any other planet.

A11pl3Z's unusual course and speed were first spotted by astronomer Sam Deen in late June, however, it has just been flagged by the International Astronomical Union after its interstellar origins were confirmed.

Loeb believes A11pl3Z could be a large space rock or a comet, but astronomers are still figuring that out.

It's estimated to be about 12 miles wide. That makes it much larger than the last two otherworldly objects that flew through our solar system, Oumuamua and the comet Borisov.

Oumuamua was only about 300 to 1,300 feet long, and Borisov's core was about half a mile in diameter.

Like Oumuamua in 2017, A11pl3Z could soon start stirring more speculation that the object is man-made and sent here from another solar system with intelligent life.

A11pl3Z (Teal line) is expected to make its closest pass by Earth on December 17. Scientists believe the object comes from a source outside our solar system

In 2017, an interstellar object named Oumuamua passed through the solar system, and while most scientists believe it was a natural phenomenon, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb famously argued it may have been of alien origin

In 2021, Loeb, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard, theorized that Oumuamua could have 'been meant to scan signals from all viewing directions,' looking for sensors from a long-lost receiver previously placed on Earth.

The first recorded interstellar object set off alarm bells among UFO researchers after scientists discovered Oumuamua was not a known comet or asteroid.

'It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin,' Loeb wrote in an article on Medium Wednesday.

If A11pl3Z is a space rock, it's surprisingly massive compared to the other two interstellar objects that have passed by Earth.

However, scientists don't project that the mystery object will get anywhere near Earth. On its current trajectory, it'll come within 2.4 astronomical units of the planet (223 million miles).

An astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun, 93 million miles. Technically, A11pl3Z is already in the solar system, and is currently 3.8 AU away from Earth as of July 2.

In October, the object from outside the solar system is expected to make its closest pass to a planet, coming within 0.4 AU (37 million miles) of Mars.

Scientists don't believe A11pl3Z poses any threat to Earth. At 12 miles in length, that's good news because the object would fall into the category of a 'planet killer' - likely causing an extinction-level event if it struck the Earth.

Scientists believe A11pl3Z is 12 miles long, making it significantly bigger than the last 2 interstellar objects to be tracked as they passed through the solar system

However, there is a chance that A11pl3Z is not as big as it currently appears. Loeb explained that the interstellar visitor could be a comet, just like Borisov in 2019.

The physicist said that it could have a smaller core surrounded by a bright cloud of gas and dust. This would reflect sunlight and make the mass appear larger to our telescopes.

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A11pl3Z's extreme speed will only give astronomers a short window to study the mysterious object before it leaves the solar system in 2026.

In that time, scientists will look to gather information on its trajectory using telescopes like the Rubin Observatory in Chile, and possibly the James Webb Space Telescope in space. 

They'll hope to confirm A11pl3Z is staying on its expected route, passing the sun in late October, swinging by Earth at a safe distance in December, and then flying past Jupiter in March 2026.

Once it gets closer, scientists should be able to determine what A11pl3Z actually is - an asteroid, a comet, or something else entirely.

Mark Norris at the University of Central Lancashire told New Scientist: 'They really do whip through the solar system at ridiculous speeds. They're really fleeting and you are severely limited in what you can learn about them.'

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Mysterious underground base tied to deadly UFO encounters may exist after decades of rumors

• READ MORE:  Joe Rogan stunned by disturbing 'alien photos'

By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Rumors that a secret mountain base in the US controlled by aliens has been swirling for 50 years, but locals and UFO researchers are convinced it's real.

The base allegedly sits inside Archuleta Mesa in New Mexico, but has gained the nickname 'Alien Mountain' because of the conspiracy theories, strange phenomena, and alleged eyewitness accounts all tied to the nearby town of Dulce.

While there's no physical evidence that a base has somehow been carved out inside the large mountain, UFO researchers have continued to examine the claims surrounding the facility, including a battle with aliens that reportedly left 66 people dead.

Since the 1970s, residents have claimed they've seen UFOs, extraterrestrials, and even genetic experiments that look like human-alien hybrids walking around the town.

Geraldine Julian, a Dulce resident, told the Santa Fe New Mexican: 'The whole town of Dulce, whoever you want to talk to, they'll tell you what they've seen, a lot of them.'

The local community hasn't just seen things in the sky, as they've taken photos of strange craft around the mountain, as well as unexplained cow mutilations in nearby fields.

Recently, declassified records have revealed how the US government could have created the massive complex inside Archuleta Mesa, using a machine that literally melts rock instead of drilling.

The records may one day help prove the stories of at least one alleged whistleblower, who claimed he survived that deadly encounter with the aliens hiding inside the government facility.

Archuleta Mesa (pictured) overlooks the town of Dulce, New Mexico, where UFO researchers and locals both claim aliens live in secret

Residents have photographed multiple UFOs over the years flying near Archuleta Mesa. A secret base is believed to be hidden inside the mountain, created using advanced drilling technology

UFO and government conspiracy researcher John Greenewald was able to uncover documents revealing that a machine called the Subterrene was built and tested in the 1970s.

The Subterrene is a nuclear-powered tunneling machine developed to bore through rock and soil by melting them with extreme heat, creating smooth, glass-lined tunnels.

It was created by scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, just 100 miles from the site of the alleged New Mexico base inside Archuleta Mesa.

Although the declassified documents confirmed that the Subterrene exists, there were no records of it being used to build Dulce Base.

If the mountain base does exist, however, one man already revealed what it looks like, claiming that Dulce Base has seven floors devoted to genetic experiments, extraterrestrial technology, mind control, and housing for alien beings.

The man who allegedly saw the inside of Dulce Base was Phil Schneider, a self-proclaimed former government engineer and geologist.

Before he died in 1996, Schneider repeatedly claimed that he suffered severe injuries, including the loss of several fingers, during a deadly battle with aliens inside the complex.

According to Schneider, who never showed proof of his government ties, 66 military personnel and government workers perished in the fight after a human team accidentally drilled into an alien-controlled section of the base.

Phil Schneider, an alleged government whistleblower and geologist, claimed that Dulce Base had 7 levels devoted to alien research, mind control, and genetic experiments

Schneider also made unsubstantiated claims that the US government was creating hundreds of these mountain bases around the nation using advanced technology.

At UFO lectures, Schneider would also reveal a piece of metal that he claimed was alien technology from the Dulce base, and that it was now being used in US stealth aircraft.

The rumors of a mysterious Dulce base go back to the mid-1970s, when New Mexico State Police officer Gabe Valdez was one of many locals who started finding the mangled remains of cattle near the mountain.

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These cows hadn't been killed by a local predator. They appeared to have been surgically disassembled, with specific organs removed and all the blood drained out.

In local radio interviews, Valdez also claimed that gas masks, glow sticks, and other equipment had been left behind at the scene of the attacks.

In 1979, Albuquerque businessman and physicist Paul Bennewitz claimed he intercepted unusual electronic signals near Dulce.

He would go on to theorize that the signals were coming from an underground base being used by both aliens and the US government, a theory that became widely shared among UFO researchers at the time.

However, Bennewitz's claims were later dismissed by the UFO community after several researchers discovered declassified Air Force documents linking the businessman to a government disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting UFO stories.

Despite being seemingly debunked by the Air Force documents in the 1990s, locals in Dulce continue to maintain that the mountain is a true UFO hotspot.

New Mexico State Police officer Gabe Valdez (pictured) was one of the first people in the 1970s to note the strange events taking place near the mountain and discuss it publicly

Several cow mutilations were discovered by Valdez and others during the 1970s and 1980s, with suspicious equipment like gas masks left behind at the scene of the attacks

'It's not just a fairy tale,' Julian said in 2016. 'All the things are true, and I believe every last one of them, too, because I've seen it myself.'

Julian added in an interview with KOAT that she saw one of the genetic experiments allegedly created in Dulce Base, saying that it was a 'goat with a tail' from the waist down, but had the upper body and head of a human.

Other locals said they've seen the ground open up near the mountain, with steam coming out of the opening. 

Dory Vigil, a Dulce resident who captured a photo of a UFO near Archuleta Mesa, said he'd take a lie detector test to prove he and others in the community aren't making up what continues to be seen in this small town of just 2,700 people.

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The real Da Vinci Code is SOLVED after 500 years: Dentist cracks geometric secret hidden in Vitruvian Man

• READ MORE:  Revealed - Leonardo da Vinci's family tree spanning 21 generations

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Some 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci sketched what he believed was the perfectly proportioned male body.

The drawing, called the Vitruvian Man, is one of the most famous anatomical drawings in the world.

The complex interplay of art, mathematics and human anatomy has puzzled scientists for hundreds of years.

But now, a London-based dentist claims to have worked out the secret to how da Vinci perfectly placed the human figure inside a circle and a square.

Dr Rory Mac Sweeney, a qualified dentist with a degree in genetics, says the key to unlocking the drawing's geometric code lies in the use of an 'equilateral triangle' between the man's legs, mentioned in manuscript notes that accompany the drawing.

The researcher discovered this isn't just a random shape – and in fact reflects the same design blueprint frequently found in nature.

Analysis reveals this shape corresponds to Bonwill's triangle, an imaginary equilateral triangle in dental anatomy that governs the optimal performance of the human jaw.

This suggests da Vinci understood the ideal design of the human body centuries before modern science, Dr Sweeney said.

The famous drawing of 'Vitruvian Man', by Leonardo da Vinci, has puzzled scientists for hundreds of years

Dr Sweeney said the key to unlocking the drawing's geometric code lies in the specific mention of an 'equilateral triangle' drawn between the man's legs (left) which corresponds to a design blueprint found in nature - including the human jaw (right)

When this triangle is used to construct the drawing it produces a specific ratio between the size of the square and the circle.

Dr Sweeney has discovered that this ratio – 1.64 – is almost identical to a 'special blueprint number' – 1.6333 – that appears over and over again in nature for building the strongest, most efficient structures.

This same number is found in the geometry of a perfectly functioning human jaw, the unique proportions of the human skull, the atomic structure of super-strong crystals and the tightest way to pack spheres.

'We've all been looking for a complicated answer, but the key was in Leonardo's own words,' Dr Sweeney, who graduated from the School of Dental Science at Trinity College in Dublin, said.

'He was pointing to this triangle all along. What's truly amazing is that this one drawing encapsulates a universal rule of design.

'It shows that the same "blueprint" nature uses for efficient design is at work in the ideal human body.

'Leonardo knew, or sensed, that our bodies are built with the same mathematical elegance as the universe around us.'

According to the dentist, the discovery is significant because it shows that Vitruvian Man is far more than just a beautiful piece of art. 

These drawings, also created by da Vinci, provide 'direct evidence' that he was exploring the principles of sophisticated geometry, the researcher said

Leonardo da Vinci is also known for his magnificent artworks such as the Mona Lisa, which hangs at the Louvre Museum in Paris (pictured)

Who was Leonardo da Vinci?

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the greatest minds of the last millennium.

The polymath was a driving force behind the Renaissance and dabbled in invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography.

He has been attributed with the development of the parachute, helicopter and tank. 

He was born in Italy in 1452 and died at the age of 67 in France. 

After being born out of wedlock, the visionary worked in Milan, Rome, Bologna and Venice. 

His most recognisable works include the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, Vitruvian Man. 

Another piece of artwork, dubbed the Salvator Mund, sold for a world record $450.3 million (£343 million) at a Christie's auction in New York in 2017.  

Instead, it is the work of 'scientific genius that was centuries ahead of its time', he said.

The pen-and-ink drawing of the nude male in two different poses, with arms and legs enclosed within a circle and square, was created by the Renaissance polymath around 1490.

It was partly influenced by the writings of Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, who believed the human body has harmonious proportions.

He proposed that a human figure could fit perfectly inside a circle and a square but provided no mathematical framework for achieving this geometric relationship.

Da Vinci, who solved the puzzle, never explicitly explained how. For the last 500 years scientists have come up with numerous theories and ideas but none have matched the actual measurements.

The study, published in the Journal of Mathematics and the Arts, reads: 'For over 500 years, Leonardo da Vinci's geometric system for establishing the precise relationship between the circle and square in his Vitruvian Man drawing has remained a mystery.

'This paper demonstrates that Leonardo's explicit textual reference to "an equilateral triangle" between the figure's legs provides his construction method and reveals the anatomical foundation for his proportional choices.

'The analysis shows that Leonardo's equilateral triangle corresponds to Bonwill's triangle in dental anatomy—the foundational geometric relationship governing optimal human jaw function.'

Da Vinci (pictured) was one of the most brilliant thinkers in history, renowned for his stunning artworks and profound scientific insights

The Renaissance polymath had a keen understanding of maths, languages, geology, science and art. Pictured: His pictographs and an architectural plan c.1490

It concludes: 'The findings position Vitruvian Man as both artistic masterpiece and prescient scientific hypothesis about the mathematical relationships governing ideal human proportional design.'

Scientists have previously compared the Vitruvian Man with nearly 64,000 physically fit men and women and discovered da Vinci was close to anatomical measurements of the modern-day humans.

The team found the groin height, shoulder width and thigh length of today's measurements were 10 percent within those of the Vitruvian Man.

However, the head height, arm span, chest and knee height are slightly more than da Vinci's estimates.

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UFO researchers in Mexico claim that a group disguised as police have tried to steal the mysterious orb scientists believe may prove the existence of aliens.

Dr Steven Greer, an American ufologist and retired physician, revealed on X that 'fake policemen' attempted to enter the vault in Mexico City where the suspected UFO is being kept while scientists examine it.

Known as the Buga Sphere, the small, metal orb was spotted in March over the town of Buga in Colombia, zig-zagging through the sky in a way that defies the movement of conventional aircraft.

Controversial UFO researcher Jaime Maussan, who has had several claims about extraterrestrials debunked in recent years, hosted an international conference to discuss the latest findings on the Buga Sphere on June 20.

US Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri and Dr Greer were among a group of American officials in attendance when Maussan claimed that the imposters attempted to steal the Buga Sphere.

Greer added that scientists have already taken samples of the UFO that 'will be tested in a state-of-the-art lab' to determine if the sphere really is from another planet.

'Those scientists and their information have been provided to the top law enforcement... Any sort of attempts to interfere with this examination will be known, and the people and perpetrators will be held to account for it,' Greer said in a June 21 post on X. 

The Buga Sphere (pictured) was recovered by local residents in Colombia in March and has been in the care of scientists in Mexico ever since

US Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri (pictured) attended the June 20 conference in Mexico City, examining the sphere and alleged alien remains presented by UFO researcher Jaime Maussan

Congressman Burlison added that it was his belief that governments and other groups may be working to suppress the public's knowledge of UFOs and alien life.

'It's not any government's right to protect knowledge about extra terrestrials, if it exists,' Burlison said on Friday. 'We have too many people reporting and too many videos to ignore it.'

According to researchers at the conference, this is the first UFO recovered by private citizens and solely controlled by non-government scientists. 

The attempted robbery came right after Maussan and other researchers revealed that they are trying to reactivate the sphere using an electrical charge. 

According to Rodolfo Garrido, a Mexican engineer working with scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the sphere gave off a strong, decaying ionized field.

That field was responsible for somehow dehydrating the field it landed in, killing all the grass and soil there.

Maussan has had several claims about UFOs debunked over the years. He has been at the forefront of 2 major extraterrestrial cases currently: the Buga Sphere and alleged alien mummies from Peru

The June 20 presentation also revealed new images of the interior of the Buga Sphere, showing the nucleus of the device appeared to be similar in design to inventor Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower from the early 1900s.

The concept of the tower was to send electrical power through the air and ground without using wires, potentially providing free or cheap energy to homes, businesses, and even ships or planes. 

Garrido said the Buga Sphere may have operated in a similar way, with a miniature Wardenclyffe Tower hidden inside the UFO.

However, the engineer told reporters that scientists have no plans of cutting the sphere in half to reveal what's really inside.

Instead they're working on plans to power it back up so the sphere will begin rotating and levitating again.

'It could be a theory that once it levitates, it could have direct communication with whoever sent it,' Garrido said through a translator.

Engineer Rodolfo Garrido revealed that the interior of the Buga Sphere appears to look like a proposed wireless energy generator invented by Nikola Tesla in the 1900s

Engineer Rodolfo Garrido believes that the strange sphere may be some type of advanced probe capable of using an electromagnetic field to fly

For now, Greer said that scientists examining the Buga Sphere at UNAM are setting up security for the metal samples headed for further testing.

There has been no confirmation of Maussan's claims about the robbery attempt.

The journalist has been tied to several debunked claims, including multiple incidents where Maussan claimed to have evidence of a real UFO sightings, only for it to be debunked as a comet or star in the night sky.

Maussan has also claimed to have discovered physical evidence of mummified alien corpses on three separate occasions, but none of the incidents have been proven true.

During the June 20 conference, Maussan put pieces of these alleged corpses on display for the researchers and government officials, including Greer and Burlison, who were allowed to hold the specimens while wearing gloves.

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