Psychokinesis, often called telekinesis, is the alleged ability of a person to influence or move physical objects using the power of the mind alone, without physically touching them. The word psychokinesis comes from Greek roots meaning roughly “mind movement.” Telekinesis means movement at a distance. The idea is one of the most famous and controversial subjects in paranormal research. Stories of people supposedly bending metal, moving objects, levitating themselves, influencing dice, or even affecting electrical and mechanical devices have fascinated the public for more than a century. But there is an important distinction between claims of psychokinesis and scientific evidence for psychokinesis. Despite numerous experiments and dramatic personal accounts, science has not established that human beings can reliably move or influence objects solely through thought.

Psychokinesis is generally divided into several kinds of alleged phenomena. Moving objects. The classic form of telekinesis is the supposed ability to move an object without touching it. A person might supposedly cause a pencil to roll across a table, make a coin move, or cause a small object to rise into the air. Another famous claim involves bending spoons, forks, keys, or other metal objects through mental concentration. This became particularly popular during the twentieth century, especially after performers and alleged psychic individuals demonstrated spoon bending before audiences.

Some alleged psychokinetic practitioners have claimed the ability to make themselves or other objects float. Stories of levitation have appeared in religious traditions, spiritualism, séances, and modern paranormal reports.Psychokinesis has also been investigated in a much less dramatic form. Instead of attempting to move an object visibly, researchers have sometimes asked people to concentrate on dice, random-number generators, or other systems and attempt to influence their results. The supposed effect, if present, would be extremely small and detectable only statistically.

Interest in mind-over-matter phenomena became especially strong during the nineteenth century. The rise of Spiritualism produced séances in which mediums claimed that spirits could communicate with the living and produce physical effects. Tables allegedly moved by themselves, objects supposedly appeared or disappeared, bells rang without being touched, and other strange events were reported.Some of these events were attributed to spirits rather than to the medium’s own mind. Nevertheless, they helped establish the cultural background from which modern psychokinesis developed. Unfortunately, many famous séance phenomena were eventually exposed as tricks, deception, or misinterpretations. That did not prove that every paranormal claim was fraudulent, but it demonstrated how easily people can be fooled by apparently impossible physical effects.

One of the most important figures in the history of parapsychology was Joseph Banks Rhine, a researcher at Duke University. Beginning in the 1930s, Rhine investigated alleged extrasensory perception and psychokinesis under experimental conditions. Rather than asking someone to perform spectacular feats such as levitating a table, Rhine used statistical experiments. For example, subjects might attempt to influence the results of dice. If a person could mentally cause a particular number to appear more frequently than chance would predict, researchers could look for a statistical deviation. This was an important change in approach.

Perhaps the most recognizable image associated with telekinesis is the bending spoon. During the 1970s, Israeli-born performer Uri Geller became internationally famous for demonstrations involving supposedly psychic abilities. He appeared on television and performed demonstrations in which spoons and other metal objects appeared to bend or deform. Geller maintained that psychic abilities were involved. Skeptics, however, argued that the effects could be produced through ordinary magician’s techniques, preparation of the objects, misdirection, or other physical methods.Professional magicians have demonstrated many ways in which an apparently impossible spoon-bending performance can be accomplished without paranormal powers. Consequently, spoon bending became less convincing as evidence for genuine telekinesis.

One of the most famous alleged psychokinetic individuals was Nina Kulagina, a Soviet woman who became well known in paranormal circles during the Cold War. Films and reports claimed that Kulagina could move small objects across tables without touching them. Some demonstrations allegedly showed her moving objects while sitting several feet away. She reportedly underwent experiments involving investigators and scientists. The demonstrations attracted considerable attention because the Soviet Union was a scientific and technological rival of the United States, leading some Western paranormal researchers to take the reports seriously. However, critics pointed out problems with experimental controls and the possibility of concealed physical mechanisms. There has never been a generally accepted scientific demonstration establishing that Kulagina possessed genuine psychokinetic powers.

The controversy surrounding Uri Geller became particularly interesting because some scientists believed that at least some of his performances deserved investigation, while magicians argued that his demonstrations could be duplicated using conventional methods. The debate illustrated an important problem in paranormal research: An extraordinary demonstration is not necessarily extraordinary evidence. If a person can bend a spoon, for example, the important scientific question is not merely whether the spoon bent. The question is: Can the effect still occur when every ordinary method of producing the effect has been eliminated? That is a much more difficult test.

The human brain certainly produces physical effects. Electrical activity occurs throughout the nervous system. The brain controls muscles, releases chemical signals, regulates organs, and influences behavior. But this is very different from telekinesis. When a person picks up a cup, the brain sends signals through the nervous system to muscles in the arm and hand. The muscles physically move the cup. In alleged telekinesis, there would be no physical contact. The proposed mechanism would somehow have to allow mental activity in the brain to exert a measurable force on an object outside the body. Modern physics does not have an established mechanism that allows ordinary human thoughts to exert such forces at a distance

Some people have suggested that brain waves might be responsible for telekinesis. The brain does generate electrical activity, and this electrical activity can be measured with instruments such as an EEG. However, the electrical fields produced by the brain are extremely weak and decrease rapidly with distance. There is no established evidence that ordinary brain activity can generate enough force to push an object across a table or bend metal. Brain-computer interfaces demonstrate something interesting, however. Modern technology can detect certain patterns of brain activity and use computers to translate those patterns into commands. A person can therefore sometimes control a cursor, robotic device, or prosthetic limb using brain signals.But this is not telekinesis.

The brain is providing information to an electronic system, which then supplies the physical force. There are many ways apparently impossible physical effects can occur without paranormal abilities. These include: hidden wires, magnets, air currents, vibrations, static electricity, specially prepared objects, concealed physical contact, mechanical devices, misdirection, sleight of hand
unconscious movements, selective reporting, video editing, deliberate deception.

There is another important factor: human perception is imperfect. People naturally look for patterns and explanations. When something unexpected happens, we may remember the remarkable event while forgetting all the ordinary occasions when nothing happened. Suppose someone places a lightweight object on a table and concentrates intensely on it. After several minutes, the object moves slightly. It can be very tempting to conclude that the person’s mind caused the movement. But there could have been an air current, vibration from the building, unevenness in the table, static electricity, or another ordinary explanation. If the experiment is repeated hundreds or thousands of times under controlled conditions, however, researchers can determine whether the movement occurs more often than would be expected by chance. That is where scientific testing becomes important.

The scientific consensus is that psychokinesis has not been demonstrated reliably under controlled, independently reproducible conditions. Parapsychology researchers have reported statistical anomalies in some experiments, particularly experiments involving random-number generators and other statistical systems. However, these results remain controversial. Critics have raised concerns involving: experimental design, statistical analysis, publication bias, inadequate controls, multiple testing, replication failures, possible unconscious methodological errors. A phenomenon as fundamental as psychokinesis would require extraordinarily strong evidence because it would represent a major discovery about the relationship between consciousness and physical matter.

Could Psychokinesis Ever Be Proven? In principle, yes. A convincing demonstration would need to be repeatable.For example, imagine a person claiming to move a small object mentally. Researchers could place the object inside a transparent enclosure that prevented air movement and physical contact. Multiple cameras could record the experiment from every direction. Independent investigators could control the equipment. The object could be weighed and monitored by sensitive instruments. The person could then attempt to move the object repeatedly. If the object consistently moved in a measurable direction whenever the person concentrated—and independent laboratories could reproduce the same result—it would be extraordinarily important. Scientists would investigate the mechanism. If ordinary explanations were eliminated and the phenomenon survived repeated testing, psychokinesis would become a legitimate scientific discovery rather than merely a paranormal claim.

Telekinesis has become one of the most popular supernatural abilities in movies, television, books, and video games. Characters with telekinetic abilities are often portrayed as being able to: throw people across rooms, lift cars, crush objects, stop bullets, levitate, move weapons, open doors, manipulate objects from a distance. These abilities are fictional and dramatically exaggerated. Real-world psychokinesis claims, by comparison, generally involve very small effects—if the reported phenomena are genuine at all.

The most interesting aspect of psychokinesis may not be the spectacular claims. It is the possibility that consciousness could somehow interact with physical reality in ways that science does not yet understand. Modern neuroscience has made enormous progress in understanding how the brain works, yet consciousness itself remains a profound scientific problem. We know that thoughts are associated with measurable activity in the brain. We know that thoughts can cause the body to act. We know that technology can detect brain activity and translate it into commands. What has not been established is that thoughts alone can directly push, pull, bend, or otherwise manipulate external physical objects. Therefore, psychokinesis remains an intriguing paranormal hypothesis rather than an established scientific ability. The subject sits at the boundary between psychology, neuroscience, physics, magic, and the study of unexplained phenomena—and that is precisely why it has remained fascinating for so long.

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A technology store in Russia has released footage of a moment it claims shows one of its robot assistants lashing out at a customer after he pushed it. 

The video, taken inside Volga Electronics in Saratov, shows the robot walking up to a man as he enters the shop. 

The man extends his arm out for a handshake, but when the robot ignores him, the customer jokingly pushes the machine away. 

Just seconds later, the robot responds by unleashing a violent flurry of kicks and punches aimed at the customer. 

Two staff members intervene and are shown trying to hold the robot back as it continues to take aim at the customer. 

It is unclear why, if the attack on a customer was genuine and not a publicity stunt, the store would choose to release the footage. 

The video has gone viral on social media, with many viewers pointing out the dangers of robots. 

'The machines are getting ready to take over. We were warned,' one X user commented. 

Video grab shows a customer approaching a robot at the Volga Electronics technology store in Saratov, Russia and extending his arm out for a handshake

After the customer pushes the robot, the machine appears to get ready for a fight

The robot is seen unleashing a violent flurry of punches and kicks aimed at the customer 

Another said: 'We will be seeing more instances of this until we pause reckless AI model developments.'

This is not the first video to emerge of a robot performing martial arts moves.  

It comes just weeks after a humanoid robot wearing a clown wig kicked a child in the stomach during a martial arts show in China.

The robot wearing an afro wig was giving a unique martial arts demonstration to a crowd of onlookers at Urumqi Botanical Garden in Xinjiang, China.

While the audience filmed the performance, the robot transitioned into a fighting stance and executed a spinning roundhouse kick.

The unexpected move struck a young boy directly in the stomach, leading him to double over in pain before falling backwards into the crowd.

The robot stumbled backwards after the kick before appearing to balance itself, recover and continue the performance.

The video went viral online, with the footage sparking fresh debate over the AI- powered robots.

One commenter wrote on X: 'Very soon we will be attacked by these robots cause I don’t really know why China is just so enthusiastic about making these robots.' 

Store staff rush to intervene as the robot continues to take aim at the customer 

The clip has since gone viral on social media 

Another added: 'Why are humans so hell bent on destroying themselves. Who needs these.'

In another instance earlier this year, dozens of bots took to the stage at the CCTV Spring Festival gala, which is China's most-watched TV show. 

Wearing vests, the robots performed kicks, flips, and even moves with nunchucks, swords, and poles. 

Amazingly, their daring performance took place just metres away from human children performers.

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

The discovery also offers insights into the sophistication of the society and the types of artistic expression taking place thousands of years ago in this archaeologically rich region of southeastern Turkey, according to a recent Yenisafak news agency report.

11,000-Year-Old Composite Sculpture Found at “Parallel Site” to Göbekli Tepe

When most people think of ancient megalithic structures, well-known archaeological sites like the Egyptian pyramids, Stonehenge, and Machu Picchu likely come to mind. Critically, all those impressive feats of ancient engineering were accomplished after the generally agreed-upon formation of humanity’s first societies.

Those attitudes began to shift after the relatively recent discovery of Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey. Famous for its massive stone pillars and lifelike animal sculptures found throughout much of the site, the site’s construction has been scientifically dated to between 11,500 and 12,000 years before present. That date places this impressive site and its artwork’s creation thousands of years before those first human societies.

While researchers continue to excavate Göbekli Tepe, they have also unearthed several historically rich sites in the same region. That includes the nearby Karahan Tepe, which has been dated to a few hundred years after its more famous neighbor.

“Composite Sculpture” Represents Style Not Previously Identified in Region

According to the ministry, Karahan Tepe lies approximately 30 kilometers from Göbekli Tepe. The historic sites are part of the larger Taş Tepeler archaeological project. That effort includes a cluster of Stone Hills sites previously dated to the Neolithic period more than 11,000 years before present.

When Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the discovery, he described the ancient artwork as a “composite sculpture.” The Minister said the find, which he also described as 11,000 years old, represented a style not previously encountered at the ancient site, near Şanlıurfa.

The minister said the unusual sculpture was found during ongoing excavations this year. Instead of resting inside a majestic monument like the Göbekli Tepe sculptures, the leopard-and-man statue was found resting on a bench along the wall of a circular structure “roughly three meters in diameter.”

Notably, the structure’s floor was paved with flat stones. The ministry said this suggests a sophisticated level of deliberate architectural planning “during an era predating the emergence of cities and written records.”

Find “Opens the Door to New Questions About the Earliest Periods of Human History”

When discussing the discovery’s significance, the ministry pointed to the volume of monumental structures and elaborate artworks found in the region. They also noted the value of artifacts representing humanity’s transition “between mobile hunter-gatherer existence and settled agricultural life,” which “challenge previous assumptions about the timeline of complex social organization.”

“While Göbeklitepe has drawn international attention since the 1990s for its T-shaped pillars and animal carvings, Karahantepe has emerged as a significant parallel site since excavations began there in 2019,” the announcement explains.

After highlighting Turkey’s ‘Heritage to the Future’ initiative, which supported the effort, Minister Ersoy said the ancient statue’s discovery “opens the door to new questions about the earliest periods of human history” and would resonate throughout the scientific community.

• Christopher Plain has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Reporter at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his novels at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.

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

Microbes in Antarctica’s Soil Live in an Extreme Environment

Announcing the findings, study leader and postdoctoral researcher Nick Dragone and co-author Noah Fierer, a CIRES Fellow and Director of the Center for Microbial Exploration, noted that scientists have always assumed that microbial species were widespread.

“There is a long-standing assumption in microbiology that ‘everything is everywhere,’” Dragone explained.

That’s because, unlike plants and animals, which are generally restricted to certain global zones or latitudes, microbes are highly mobile. For example, a simple updraft could propel microbes into an atmospheric jet stream, then deposit them hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Comparing 100 Antarctic Strains with 500 Worldwide Strains

Instead of starting with any microbial species, the CIRES team focused on bacterial strains within the Arthrobacter group. First, these strains grow well in lab conditions, which was critical to the team’s experiments. Second, Arthrobacter group bacterial strains are found in diverse environments ranging from the tropics to Colorado, and most critically, to Antarctica’s soil.

Byron Adams, professor of biology at Brigham Young University and a co-author of the study, said the species is widespread, but also diverse.

“Arthrobacter as a group may be found all over the planet, but when we look closely at individual strains, just like penguins, Antarctica clearly has its own distinctive biological history,” the professor explained.

To start, the team collected soil samples from Antarctica. They also collected comparison samples from similarly cold, arid regions like the Tibetan Plateau, Svalbard in the Arctic, and Chile’s Atacama Desert.

When examining the sampled soils, the team tested over 100 Antarctic bacterial strains and 500 worldwide strains.

Dragone and Fierer both noted that the research was made possible by “long-term collaborations among international research teams who have spent decades collecting samples across the continent for various projects.”

Genetic Sequencing Finds 90% of Antarctic Microbes are Endemic

After sequencing the genomes of the Arthrobacter strains found in samples from Antarctica’s soils, the team compared them with worldwide strains. For the worldwide species, the team obtained genomes from international research databases.

As hoped, the genetic comparison found species in Antarctica’s soil that were not found anywhere else in the world. Perhaps even more shocking, 90 percent of the Antarctic strains they’d sequenced were completely endemic, with no matches anywhere in the world.

Fierer said previous studies had identified “a few endemic microbes found in very specific environments.” However, the researcher also noted that finding such a large and unexpected number of endemic microbial species “does suggest there could be some in other locations.”

“[Determining] whether other microbial groups show these patterns is a good direction to go,” Fierer added.

Next, the team ran a follow-up experiment to see whether the endemic Antarctic strains showed signs of adaptation to the local, extreme environment. This included growing strains of the collected Antarctic Arthrobacter strains in the laboratory. Critically, the team mimicked the continent’s harsh environmental conditions.

First, the experiments showed that the strains collected from Antarctica’s soil were extremely resilient. They also grew more slowly than non-endemic strains. The team suspects these results show that Arthrobacter strains “are uniquely adapted to Antarctica.”

“We already knew that a broad diversity of microbes can survive the inhospitable conditions of Antarctica,” Fierer said. “Now we know that some of those microbes are also unique to Antarctica and are uniquely adapted to life on the southern continent.”

“Some of Antarctica’s Most Distinctive Species are Microscopic”

When discussing the implications of their findings, Adams pointed to a potential shift in public perception of what species diversity means.

“We tend to think of biodiversity in terms of penguins, seals, and whales, the researcher explained, “but this shows that some of Antarctica’s most distinctive species are microscopic.”

Along with the study’s scientific and public relations value, the team said it “sets the stage for future research on microbial life in Antarctica.” They also noted that the findings will aid efforts to preserve Antarctica’s biological diversity, including its microbial species.

“Protecting Antarctic biodiversity also means protecting the biological history contained in a handful of soil,” Adams concluded.

The study, “Evidence for endemism and local adaptation in Antarctic soil bacteria,” was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

• Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.

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

V Shaped UFO hovering low over Mason, Iowa, USA Aug 29, 2026 UAP sighting news 👽 👀😱

Date of sighting: August 29, 2026

Location of sighting: Mason City, Iowa, USA

Source: NUFORC #200594

 

An orange glowing V shape UFO was over Mason City this week. Seen over traffic it startled both the driver and the passengers in the vehicle. There must have been hundreds of other eyewitnesses but they often feel embarrassed or lack the time to report such sightings. This is an awesome sighting...V shaped craft do not come this low to the ground very often...I have never, ever heard of such a thing...at least not this low to the ground. They want to be seen, they want you to know they exist and are real. This is a massive step forward...to full disclosure. Its good aliens are taking control from here. Disclosure will move faster in their hands. 

 

This is exactly like the Phoenix Lights V UFO just on a much smaller scale. This craft looks to be about 50 meters across. I will keep you updated if more eyewitness testimonies, photos or videos come in. I checked Mason City news, but found nothing about it yet. 

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily 

 

Eyewitness states: 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

Snake Found On Mars In NASA Rover Photo, Sept 1, 2026, UFO Sighting News.

Date of discovery: Sept 1, 2026

Location of discovery: Mars, Sol 693 Spirit rover

Source: 

• https://areo.info/mer/spirit/693/tn/2P187885128EFFAK00P2580L5M1_L2L5L5L7L7.jpg.html

The Spirit rover has taken a photo of an long slithery animal as it crossed over the top of a flat rock on the surface of Mars. The creature has no arms or legs but only a long body...that would closely resemble a small garden snake on Earth. The animal measures about half a meter and this is 100% exactly what we might see in the desert on Earth. Snakes can withstand incredible temperatures. It would of course hunt other creatures to eat to allow it to get its water and nutrients from its food. The real mystery...what does it hunt?

Scott C. Waring - UFO Sightings Daily

 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

Over the years, not only the United States but also the Soviet military reportedly investigated thousands of anomalous events, including alleged UFO crashes. One of the most intriguing cases was the Dalnegorsk Incident of 1986. 

Near Dalnegorsk, a mining town in Primorsky Krai in the Soviet Far East, local residents reportedly observed a strange reddish-orange sphere approximately one meter in diameter moving across the sky. 

The object appeared to be traveling at a relatively low altitude. According to witnesses, it moved toward Izvestkovaya Hill, commonly known as Height 611, before apparently crashing into or colliding with the mountainside. 

What made the case particularly intriguing was what investigators reportedly discovered afterward. Around the apparent impact site, they found unusual traces, including small glassy or melted patches on rocks, metallic-looking particles, blackened material, tiny spheres, and unusual metallic droplets with an unexplained chemical composition. Some of the material was reportedly so hard that it could only be cut using a diamond saw blade. 

Unlike many UFO cases based entirely on eyewitness testimony, the Dalnegorsk incident appeared to offer something potentially testable: physical material. According to accounts of the investigation, these samples were subsequently examined by Soviet scientists.  

The case remains controversial, however, with questions surrounding the origin of the material, the interpretation of the scientific analyses, and claims that information about the incident was later suppressed by Soviet authorities.

  

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

Are we looking for alien life the wrong way? Scientists claim extraterrestrials are out there - we just haven't been able to detect them

• READ MORE: Terrifying report reveals what would happen if aliens invaded 
  

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

Astronomers have spent decades scouring the universe for signs of life and come up empty-handed - but what if they were simply looking the wrong way?

Scientists argue that extraterrestrials may be out there, but we have been overlooking, missing, or ignoring possible evidence.

The researchers call this the problem of 'false negatives', and say that it could be holding back the search for life beyond Earth.

These false negatives may mean there are signs of alien life out there, but we haven't been able to detect them yet.

Lead author Professor Inge Loes ten Kate, an astrobiologist from Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam, told the Daily Mail that experts should be on the lookout for this issue. 

She explained that scientists could miss the signs of life when their equipment isn't up to spotting them.

However, she also warns that evidence for alien life might be slipping right under our noses because scientists simply aren't prepared to consider the possibility.

Professor ten Kate says: 'We miss it or misinterpret it because we think it is "just a mineral" or "just a gas in the atmosphere that is not produced by life"'.

Scientists say that humans might have already found alien life, but simply ignored the evidence in a 'false negative' error. Pictured: Images of the Martian surface taken by the Viking rover, which experts say may have missed vital evidence

Astrobiology, which is the science of looking for life beyond Earth's atmosphere, is usually more concerned about false positives than false negatives.

In their paper, published in Nature Astronomy, Professor ten Kate and her co-authors say this is due to the massive risk of scientists declaring they've found life too early.

A false positive might undermine the public's trust in science or even put funding for future research in jeopardy.

This has led to the potential risks of false negatives being largely overlooked, which creates major 'shortcomings' in the search for life.

If scientists decide that a planet is lifeless too early on in their search, they might miss out on finding new evidence or lose funding for equipment that could have found it.

Even on Earth, assumptions about where life is possible has led scientists to overlook viable habitats.

For example, researchers have discovered microorganisms beneath the rocks in Antarctica's Dry Valleys.

But since these were below the surface, it had previously been assumed that no life that uses photosynthesis to feed would be possible.

NASA's Viking Biology Test previously concluded that Mars had no biological molecules (illustrated), but we now know the test was compromised by elements in the soil. This means we might have missed evidence of life

Where are the most likely places to find alien life?

• Mars 
• TRAPPIST–1e
• K2–18b
• Kepler–62e and Kepler–62f
• Enceladus
• Titan 

Similarly, methods currently used to look for life on distant planets would likely miss these subterranean organisms, as well as the vibrant ecosystems that surround deep ocean vents.

Another big assumption that could be leading to false negatives is the belief that, if life exists, it should be relatively abundant enough to produce big observable changes.

However, the researchers point out that there is no reason to assume that a slow-growing alien form of life would rapidly colonise an entire planet.

So, when scientists see that a planet lacks obvious signs of life and quickly move on, they risk ignoring evidence for life that could be found with better tools and closer examination.

Professor ten Kate says there are currently two cases on Mars that she would reinvestigate as possible false negatives if money allowed.

The first is the Viking Biology Experiment, which was conducted by two NASA rovers in 1976.

The rovers ran a series of chemical tests on Martian soil and concluded that it didn't have any biological molecules that would indicate the existence of life.

However, scientists now know that these rudimentary tests were likely corrupted due to a previously undetected salt in the soil.

NASA found minerals on the Martian surface (pictured) which are only created by biological processes on Earth. But without further study, scientists aren't able to learn anything more about whether there really is life on Mars

Professor ten Kate says: 'New research showed that a compound, perchlorate, was present that caused the Viking results, but at the time of Viking, we had no idea a compound like that could be present at all at the surface of Mars.

'With everything we know now compared to then, we are able to redesign those experiments to give us answers that may be more indicative of life or no life.'

Another possible false negative is the recent discovery of the 'poppy seeds' and 'leopard spots' found by the Perseverance rover.

These are rings of iron-bearing minerals which, on Earth, are generally produced by biological activity.

In the context of Mars, scientists simply don't know enough to form any strong conclusions about what is going on.

However, with NASA's science budget slashed, the long-promised Sample Return Mission that would allow further investigation seems extremely unlikely.

'It would be amazing if there were a sample return mission at some point to collect those samples, as our labs on Earth may give a clear answer,' says Professor ten Kate.

The researchers are urging other scientists to focus on avoiding false negatives as well as false positives.

Scientists say that false negatives can be caused when our technology can't spot the signs of life or when scientists make assumptions about what evidence should exist (illustrated) 

Read More

• Life on Mars: NASA's Curiosity Rover detects never-before-seen organic compounds on the Red Planet 

To do this, scientists need to fully understand the environment they are looking at and try to think about which tests would reveal the specific life that might exist there.

While this will be easier for well-known planets like Mars than for less-understood environments like the icy moon Enceladus, progress is already being made.

'The good news is that the intentions for this are already there and quite some research has been done in this direction,' says Professor ten Kate.

'Of course, some signatures we may always miss. For example, when searching from an orbit and there is life underneath a rock or in a cave, but even there, we may find some clues in the environments we can study.'

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. 

{ https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/index.html }

Mystery of how the moon formed is finally solved: Study claims our lunar satellite was created in just five hours during a giant impact between Earth and a Mars–sized planet

• READ MORE: Scientists say aliens are out there – we just can't detect them 

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

The moon could have formed within just five hours of a colossal collision that rocked the early solar system 4.5 billion years ago, scientists suggest.

For decades, experts have believed the moon was created when a Mars–sized planet named Theia smashed into a young Earth, blasting huge amounts of molten rock into space.

This material was thought to have gradually clumped together over years to form our lunar satellite.

But a team from the Southwest Research Institute and the University of Arizona say there may be another possibility.

Using powerful computer simulations, the researchers discovered that in some scenarios, a largely intact moon emerged astonishingly quickly after the crash.

The deciding factor appeared to be temperature.

'Depending on how hot the Earth and Theia are prior to the collision, an impact can destroy Theia and produce this massive disk of debris that eventually forms the moon,' Dr Adeene Denton said.

'But when I used the same parameters as original impact modelling – down to the equal temperature structures inside both bodies – within around five hours, an intact moon emerged.'

The researchers discovered that in some scenarios, a largely intact moon emerged astonishingly quickly after the crash – in as little as five hours

The team discovered that the geological properties of the colliding worlds play a crucial role in what happens after the impact.

Previous models largely treated the planets as fluid–like bodies and ignored the strength of their rocks.

When the scientists factored in the strength of planetary materials and their temperature, they found dramatically different outcomes.

Hotter planets are weaker and more easily torn apart, they said.

However cooler worlds are stronger and more likely to survive the impact in one piece.

'Models have evolved to include material strength, something that's really important when you're studying collisions between smaller bodies like asteroids or for my previous paper about the formation of the Pluto–Charon system,' Dr Denton said.

'We weren't sure if it would matter for the moon or not.

'When we did the simulations, we found it actually matters quite a bit.'

When the scientists factored in the strength of planetary materials and their temperature, they found dramatically different outcomes 

The findings could help explain some of the moon's unusual characteristics, including the amount of volatile materials it contains

The findings, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, could help solve one of the biggest mysteries in planetary science – exactly when the moon–forming impact occurred.

Researchers say the work could also help explain some of the moon's puzzling characteristics, including differences in its composition and the amount of volatile material it contains.

Dr Robin Canup, who carried out an earlier study on the moon's origin, said: 'These surprising and exciting new results imply a potential connection between the physical properties of the moon today, including perhaps its volatile content, and the thermal state of the Earth and Theia at the time of the giant impact.

'This in turn might help scientists better constrain when the Moon–forming event occurred.'

The researchers said explaining the close compositional makeup of the Earth and the moon remains an open scientific question.

A possible explanation is that Theia and a young Earth formed from a common region of the protoplanetary disk – a pancake–like ring of dense gas and cosmic dust.

Mars, on the other hand, is compositionally different from the Earth and the moon, which indicates it initially formed further away.

'Because Earth and Mars formed in the same neighbourhood of the solar system, they are like siblings,' Dr Denton said. 'The moon and Earth are like fraternal twins.'

Last month, an out–of–control SpaceX rocket smashed into the moon, leaving a visible crater.

The Falcon 9 second stage careened into the lunar surface at 5,400 miles per hour (8,690km/h).

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• The day Britain stood still to marvel at the heavens as once-in-a-generation eclipse stuns the country... and if you missed it, the next one isn't until 2050

Scientists believe that the 9,920lb (4,500kg), 39ft–long (12m) rocket would have hit with a force equivalent to 15,000 sticks of dynamite, or three tonnes of TNT.

A NASA satellite captured pictures showing the result of the impact – revealing a 60–foot–wide (18m) crater surrounded by streaks of lunar rock thrown up by the rocket's impact.

WHO HAS BEEN TO THE MOON?

In total 12 people have walked on the moon.

1 + 2. Apollo 11 - July 21, 1969

Neil Armstrong made history by becoming the first person to set foot on the lunar surface, before he he was followed by crewmate Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin.

3 + 4. Apollo 12 - November 19 and 20, 1969

Pete Conrad and Alan Bean were the moon walkers on the Apollo 12 mission. 

The Apollo 12 crew experienced two lightning strikes just after their Saturn V rocket launched.

5 + 6. Apollo 14 - February 5, 1971 

Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell were part of the Apollo 14 mission. They launched on January 31, 1971, and landed in the Fra Mauro region of the moon, the original destination for Apollo 13.

7 + 8. Apollo 15 - July 31, 1971

Dave Scott and James Irwin landed on the moon and stayed for three days, until August 2.

 9 + 10. Apollo 16 - April 21, 1972

John Young and Charlie Duke were the next men to walk on the moon. When the crew reached lunar orbit, the mission almost had to be aborted because of a problem with the command and service module's main engine.

11 + 12. Apollo  17 - December 11, 1972

The final people to walk on the moon were Eugene (Gene) Cernan and Harrison (Jack) Schmitt. 

Before he left the moon, Cernan scratched the initials of his daughter Tracy into the lunar regolith. Since the moon does not experience weather conditions like wind or rain to erode anything away, her initials should stay there for a very long time. 

All the men who have been to the moon 

How Was the Moon Really Born? 🌙 | Earth's Violent Past #cosmicunknown

How Was the Moon Formed? | The Giant Impact and the Worst Day Earth Ever Had

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Stella Lansing’s UFOs, Occupants, and Other Anomalies — New Jersey & Massachusetts, 1967–1973

The Occupants — Palmer, Massachusetts, 1967

On February 18, 1967, Stella Lansing was filming unusual lights near Palmer, Massachusetts, with an 8mm movie camera. She described several yellow-orange lights near the road and power lines, along with a bluish-white light and another bright object she called the “Red Bug.”

The four figures later known as the Occupants were not visible to Lansing while she was filming. They were found only after the film had been developed and examined more closely. By April 1968, while viewing the footage at a slower speed, Lansing identified four human-looking figures together in the sequence.

Schwarz later published four frames from the film, covering roughly four and a half seconds of footage.

The Occupants

Reproduction 1 of Image 1 - Cropped

Reproduction 2 of Image 1 - Cropped

Full 4-Frame Sequence of “The Occupants”

Where the film took place.

Lansing & Schwarz Experiment

On October 30, 1971, Lansing and Schwarz carried out a control experiment at the locations where she believed the figures and possible craft had been filmed. Lansing filmed Schwarz with and without a flashing penlight, while Schwarz filmed white-shirted people standing about nine metres from the camera under similar nighttime conditions. According to the article, neither test produced anything resembling the 1967 images.

The Clocklike Formations

Beginning in 1972, Lansing’s films repeatedly showed bright objects arranged like a clock face, usually with around eight to eleven disc-like objects. In surviving film sequences, the same formations can be followed across successive frames, with the positions of the lights continuing from one frame to the next. Lansing said many were not visible while filming and were only noticed after the film was developed.

It was also noted that when the clocklike striations were enlarged, they resembled flying saucers.

Clocklike Formations Image Set

Zoomed Clocklike Formations Image Set

The Possible UFO — Palmer, Massachusetts, 1967

On February 18, 1967, Lansing was filming unusual lights near high-tension power lines in Palmer, Massachusetts. The same reel that later produced the Occupants also contained a single frame showing an unusual bright object.

Schwarz reproduced the frame as “Stella’s Possible UFO.” The image was later examined under magnification, but opinions differed over whether it showed a real object or an artifact in the film.

The Infrared UFO Sequence — 1973

During an October 1973 visit, Lansing and Schwarz reviewed a 100-foot reel of black-and-white infrared 16mm film that Lansing had shot earlier that year. Several frames showed a bright, compact object against a dark background and were reproduced as Figures 22–24. Schwarz described them as “infra-red motion pictures of UFOs” and noted that the horizontal line visible across the frames was believed not to be an artifact.

Who Were The Men In The Orb Stella Lansing Filmed?

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