The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
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Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld Ontdek de Fascinerende Wereld van UFO's en UAP's: Jouw Bron voor Onthullende Informatie!
Ben jij ook gefascineerd door het onbekende? Wil je meer weten over UFO's en UAP's, niet alleen in België, maar over de hele wereld? Dan ben je op de juiste plek!
België: Het Kloppend Hart van UFO-onderzoek
In België is BUFON (Belgisch UFO-Netwerk) dé autoriteit op het gebied van UFO-onderzoek. Voor betrouwbare en objectieve informatie over deze intrigerende fenomenen, bezoek je zeker onze Facebook-pagina en deze blog. Maar dat is nog niet alles! Ontdek ook het Belgisch UFO-meldpunt en Caelestia, twee organisaties die diepgaand onderzoek verrichten, al zijn ze soms kritisch of sceptisch.
Nederland: Een Schat aan Informatie
Voor onze Nederlandse buren is er de schitterende website www.ufowijzer.nl, beheerd door Paul Harmans. Deze site biedt een schat aan informatie en artikelen die je niet wilt missen!
Internationaal: MUFON - De Wereldwijde Autoriteit
Neem ook een kijkje bij MUFON (Mutual UFO Network Inc.), een gerenommeerde Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in de VS en wereldwijd. MUFON is toegewijd aan de wetenschappelijke en analytische studie van het UFO-fenomeen, en hun maandelijkse tijdschrift, The MUFON UFO-Journal, is een must-read voor elke UFO-enthousiasteling. Bezoek hun website op www.mufon.com voor meer informatie.
Samenwerking en Toekomstvisie
Sinds 1 februari 2020 is Pieter niet alleen ex-president van BUFON, maar ook de voormalige nationale directeur van MUFON in Vlaanderen en Nederland. Dit creëert een sterke samenwerking met de Franse MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP, wat ons in staat stelt om nog meer waardevolle inzichten te delen.
Let op: Nepprofielen en Nieuwe Groeperingen
Pas op voor een nieuwe groepering die zich ook BUFON noemt, maar geen enkele connectie heeft met onze gevestigde organisatie. Hoewel zij de naam geregistreerd hebben, kunnen ze het rijke verleden en de expertise van onze groep niet evenaren. We wensen hen veel succes, maar we blijven de autoriteit in UFO-onderzoek!
Blijf Op De Hoogte!
Wil jij de laatste nieuwtjes over UFO's, ruimtevaart, archeologie, en meer? Volg ons dan en duik samen met ons in de fascinerende wereld van het onbekende! Sluit je aan bij de gemeenschap van nieuwsgierige geesten die net als jij verlangen naar antwoorden en avonturen in de sterren!
Heb je vragen of wil je meer weten? Aarzel dan niet om contact met ons op te nemen! Samen ontrafelen we het mysterie van de lucht en daarbuiten.
10-05-2025
Wetenschappers geven onverwoestbaar beerdiertje een tatoeage – en daar hebben ze goede redenen voor
Wetenschappers geven onverwoestbaar beerdiertje een tatoeage – en daar hebben ze goede redenen voor
Beerdiertjes hebben al heel wat meegemaakt. Zo hebben wetenschappers ze al eens ingevroren, de ruimte in geschoten en in een geladen geweer gestopt en afgevuurd. En daar blijft het niet bij, want onlangs hebben onderzoekers de arme organismen ook nog eens getatoeëerd.
Beerdiertjes zijn slechts een halve millimeter lang, maar onverwoestbaar gebleken. Zo hebben wetenschappers ze al eens volledig uit laten drogen, bevroren tot nabij het absolute nulpunt, verhit tot 148 graden Celsius en blootgesteld aan het vacuüm van de ruimte en een mate van straling die voor mensen dodelijk is. Maar de beerdiertjes gaven geen krimp en overleefden het allemaal. Zelfs experimenten waarin beerdiertjes in geladen geweren werden gestopt en met hoge snelheid werden afgevuurd – en ja, die hebben echt plaatsgevonden! – resulteerden niet in de dood van de kleine beestjes.
Tatoeage En met dat onverwoestbare karakter hebben de beerdiertjes nu de aandacht getrokken van Chinese onderzoekers. Zij besloten vervolgens na te gaan of het schier onoverwinnelijke organisme ook het zetten van een soort tatoeage weer te boven kon komen. Hun bevindingen zijn terug te lezen in het blad Nano Letters en onthullen – jawel – dat beerdiertjes ook van het zetten van een tatoeage niet direct onder de indruk zijn.
Microfabricage Het klinkt misschien als een ietwat lachwekkende onderzoeksvraag: kan een beerdiertje een tatoeage laten zetten en vrolijk voort leven? Maar dat is het zeer zeker niet. De betrokken wetenschappers houden zich namelijk bezig met microfabricage. Dit is een proces waarbij zeer kleine structuren – meestal op de schaal van micrometers of zelfs nanometers – worden gemaakt en dat bijvoorbeeld reeds heeft geleid tot de productie van microprocessoren en zonnecellen. Maar wetenschappers willen meer. Zo zouden ze bijvoorbeeld graag in staat zijn om micro- of nanosensoren direct op levend weefsel te printen, zo legt onderzoeker Ding Zhao aan Scientias.nl uit. “Microfabricage maakt het mogelijk om apparaten uiterst dicht op elkaar te integreren, binnen zeer beperkte ruimtes. Wanneer deze techniek wordt toegepast op levende organismen, minimaliseert dit de fysieke verstoring, wat helpt om de natuurlijke lichamelijke functies van het organisme te behouden.” Er is alleen één probleem: traditionele micro- en nanofabricagetechnieken zijn momenteel niet biocompatibel en zelfs ronduit gevaarlijk voor levend weefsels.
IJslithografie Maar er gloort hoop. Want sinds kort is er ijslithografie. “Dit is een opkomende fabricagemethode waarvan is aangetoond dat deze patronen kan aanbrengen op kwetsbare delicate ondergronden,” legt Zhao uit. “Deze techniek vereist echter nog steeds barre omstandigheden, zoals bevriezing en een vacuümomgeving.” Levende weefsels moeten namelijk in een vacuüm worden geplaatst en met een ijscoating worden bedekt, waarna men met elektronenbundels een patroon in die ijscoating ’tekent’ dat pas zichtbaar wordt als het weefsel weer wordt verwarmd en de ijscoating smelt. In een eerste poging om na te gaan of ijslithografie op kleine, levende organismen kan worden toegepast, besloten de onderzoekers dan ook al snel een beroep te doen op de onverwoestbare beerdiertjes. “Want beerdiertjes staan bekend om hun extreme stressbestendigheid.”
Het experiment Die stressbestendigheid hebben beerdiertjes mede te danken aan een slimme overlevingsstrategie die ook wel aangeduid wordt als cryptobiose. Zodra de omstandigheden waarin beerdiertjes leven onleefbaar worden, gaan ze in cryptobiose. Hun stofwisseling komt dan vrijwel stil te liggen en de beerdiertjes lijken bijna dood te zijn. Maar schijn bedriegt: wanneer de omstandigheden beter worden, komen de beerdiertjes uit cryptobiose en gaan ze weer verder waar ze gebleven waren. Omdat het tatoeage-avontuur een bevriezing, blootstelling aan straling en een vacuüm behelsde, besloten de onderzoekers de beerdiertjes eerst in cryptobiose te laten gaan. Ze lieten de beerdiertjes daartoe grotendeels uitdrogen. Eenmaal in cryptobiose werden de beerdiertjes klaargemaakt voor hun tatoeage. Ze werden in een vacuüm geplaatst, blootgesteld aan temperaturen van ongeveer -143 graden Celsius en bedekt met anisol – een naar anijs ruikend goedje. Vervolgens gebruikten de wetenschappers een elektronenbundel om een patroon in de anisol te kerven. Alleen anisol dat door de elektronenbundel werd beroerd, transformeerde tot een biocompatibel materiaal dat bij hogere temperaturen aan het beerdiertje bleef plakken. Dus toen de onderzoekers het beerdiertje weer opwarmden, verdampte de anisol die niet door de elektronenbundel was beroerd en vormde het door de elektronenbundel beroerde anisol een fraaie ‘tatoeage’. Door het uitgedroogde beerdiertje vervolgens weer te hydrateren, kwam deze uit cryptobiose en ging – met tatoeage – vrolijk verder waar deze gebleven was.
Sterfte Tenminste: soms. Ongeveer 40 procent van de beerdiertjes overleefde het zetten van de tatoeage en hervatte de activiteiten, zonder ogenschijnlijk hinder te ondervinden van de tatoeage. Dat 60 procent stierf, komt volgens Zhao waarschijnlijk niet door de tatoeage zelf. “We kunnen niet volledig uitsluiten dat het aanbrengen van het patroon enige schade aanrichtte. Maar het feit dat een substantieel aantal beerdiertjes de ingreep overleefde en daarna de activiteiten hervatte, wijst erop dat de schade die de procedure zelf met zich meebracht beperkt was en niet de belangrijkste oorzaak van de dood van de beerdiertjes was.” Dat 60 procent van de beerdiertjes het loodje legde, zou eerder te wijten zijn aan natuurlijke, onderlinge verschillen in stressbestendigheid, zo stelt Zhao. Ook is het mogelijk dat de beerdiertjes niet op de meest optimale manier in cryptobiose zijn gegaan en dat daardoor hun kansen om daar weer levend uit te komen, flink afnamen.
Overwinning Voor de onderzoekers is het duidelijk al een hele overwinning dat 40 procent van de beerdiertjes hun tatoeage-avontuur hebben overleefd en daarna – met tatoeage – ook hun leven weer konden oppakken. “Voor het eerst zijn we erin geslaagd om micro- tot nanoschaalpatronen met precisie rechtstreeks aan te brengen op het oppervlak van levende beerdiertjes,” benadrukt Zhao. “Gezien het onregelmatige en kwetsbare oppervlak van hun lichaam is dat veelzeggend (…) Het meest verbazingwekkende was nog wel dat de ‘getatoeëerde’ beerdiertjes niet alleen de procedure overleefden, maar ook in staat bleven om normaal te bewegen.”
Uitdagingen De onderzoekers zien hun bevindingen als een ‘proof of concept’: bewijs dat het idee om micro- en nanofabricagetechnieken rechtstreeks op levende organismen toe te passen realiteit kan worden. Tegelijkertijd erkennen ze dat er nog een lange weg te gaan is. “Het toepassen van deze techniek op kleinere of kwetsbaardere organismen brengt aanzienlijke uitdagingen met zich mee,” erkent Zhao. Zo zijn die organismen bijvoorbeeld vaak niet opgewassen tegen de bevriezing die met de toepassing van ijslithografie gepaard gaat. “Om verdere vooruitgang te boeken, zullen we de experimentele omstandigheden moeten optimaliseren en mogelijk het fabricageproces volledig moeten herontwerpen.”
Onderzoeker Gavin King, uitvinder van de ijslithografie, maar niet betrokken bij het onderzoek, ziet het desalniettemin zonnig in. “Het is een uitdaging om levend materiaal te voorzien van patronen, maar dit is een stap vooruit en hint op een nieuwe generatie biomaterialen en biofysische sensoren die tot nu toe alleen in sciencefiction bestonden.”
The ancient stone rings that predate writing. An illustraton of the so-called Senegambian stone circles.
Curiosmos.
We often assume civilization began with writing. But across continents, long before alphabets or empires, ancient people carved meaning into stone and arranged it into circles. These ancient stone rings, some more than 7,000 years old, are aligned with the sun, moon, and stars. Their builders had no known writing system, no cities, and no monuments, only the sky above and stone beneath.
What drove them to create these structures? Were they calendars? Ceremonial sites? Cosmic memory devices? The answer may lie hidden in the way these circles track time, space, and something more timeless, human curiosity.
The first circles of meaning
The oldest stone structures in the world are not pyramids or palaces, but rings. They appear in deserts, forests, savannas, and steppes. Though separated by thousands of miles and built by unrelated cultures, these circles share one thing: alignment with the sky.
Archaeologists have found ancient stone circles that predate writing by thousands of years. Some track solstices. Others point to bright stars. All of them suggest a deep understanding of cycles and a need to record them in permanent form.
Why circles? The shape has no beginning or end. It reflects continuity of seasons, of time, of life and death. That universality may explain why circles appear in cultures that never met, speaking languages no longer remembered.
Nabta Playa: A stone calendar in the desert
A photograph showing the stones of Nabta Playa.
In southern Egypt, buried beneath sand for millennia, lies Nabta Playa, a site older than Stonehenge. Built around 7,000 years ago by nomadic pastoralists, it features upright stones arranged in a circle with alignments that track the summer solstice.
Some researchers believe the stones point to Sirius and Orion’s Belt, suggesting a celestial function that goes beyond seasonal tracking. Nearby carved stones, including depictions of cows, hint at rituals tied to fertility, rain, or life cycles. Yet the people who built Nabta Playa left no written record.
They had only the stars to guide them, and stones to preserve what they saw.
Arkaim: Russia’s forgotten observatory city
An infographic describing Arkaim. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
I think a few of my readers have heard of this site. In the southern Ural Mountains lies Arkaim, a Bronze Age settlement with a circular layout and a mysterious past. Built roughly 4,000 years ago, its concentric walls and radial streets seem more than defensive. Researchers have noted solar and lunar alignments in its structure, leading some to describe it as an ancient observatory.
Arkaim’s origins are tied to early Indo-European migrations. Sky worship was common among these groups, and Arkaim may have served as a center for both astronomical observation and religious ceremony. Unlike Nabta Playa, it was a lived-in settlement, not just a ceremonial space. But its circular plan suggests a symbolic link to the sky above, a mirror of the heavens on Earth.
The Senegambian circles: Africa’s mysterious monuments
Scattered across Senegal and The Gambia are more than 1,000 stone circles, forming the largest concentration of megalithic structures in West Africa. Many date from the 3rd century BCE to the 9th century CE, but some may be older. Thousands of upright stones, often precisely placed, stretch across the landscape in repeating patterns.
Most were built over burials, but their scale and precision raise more questions than answers. Some researchers propose astronomical functions. Others see them as markers of territory or lineage. Almost nothing is known about the people who built them. Yet their work remains, quiet and immovable, still pointing at the sky.
What were the ancient stone circles really trying to say
We may never know exactly why these ancient stone circles were built, but when we step back and look at the patterns, a picture begins to form. Many of them are aligned with the solstices or lunar events, which suggests their builders were tracking time. This wasn’t just about counting days. It may have been a way to mark the rhythm of seasons, migrations, or sacred moments in the year.
Some of these ancient structures feel like gathering places. The way the stones are arranged, the way they open into space, hints at ceremonies or communal rituals. People may have met there to watch the sky, share stories, or honor something greater than themselves.
Then there are the details that raise even more questions. Certain sites reflect sound in strange ways. Others follow exact mathematical layouts. These elements suggest more than just tradition or instinct. They point to deliberate design, a kind of planning that reaches into science as well as spirit.
In a few places, the alignment of stones seems to echo the sky above. Stars have earthly counterparts. The layout becomes a reflection of the heavens. It’s as if these builders were creating a memory on the ground, one that would preserve what they saw in the sky.
Taken together, the rings speak to a kind of intelligence we don’t often associate with ancient people. They understood space and time. And they used stone to hold on to that knowledge.
Circles across the world and across time
An image of a half-buried stone pillar at Gobekli Tepe. Shutterstock.
One of the most remarkable things is how often these stone circles appear in places that had no contact with each other. From the deserts of North Africa to the grasslands of Russia and the mountains of South America, circles keep appearing. Different people, different continents, but the same shape again and again.
Within these circles, familiar symbols often repeat. Bulls. Vultures (like at Göbekli Tepe). Rays of sunlight. The meanings may not have been the same, but the images speak to shared concerns. Life and death. Light and darkness. The turning of the sky.
Even now, we still rely on circles to shape our understanding of time. Our clocks are round. Our calendars turn in cycles. We still think in seasons, in repetitions, in return.
Maybe these ancient rings weren’t just tools or temples. Maybe they were a way to remember. Not just information, but feeling. Not just facts, but presence. They were made to last, and they have. Even if the language is lost, the shape remains. Even if the names are gone, the stones are still watching the sky.
Beneath Europe’s southern edge lies something few people have ever heard of, and fewer still could imagine. It’s not a buried city or an ancient kingdom. It’s not Atlantis. It’s an entire forgotten continent, one that was lost for over a hundred million years. Today, thanks to a team of geologists and new technology, we finally know where it is, how it vanished, and how it reshaped the land we call Europe.
Its name is Greater Adria, and it may be the most important landmass in Earth’s history that no one ever told you about.
It wasn’t discovered by explorers. There were no temples, no inscriptions, no ruins rising from the sea. This forgotten continent under Europe was revealed through stone, pressure, and patience. As experts would put it, one layer at a time. And its story rewrites everything we thought we knew about the Mediterranean world. My world.
A forgotten continent? A fragment of North Africa that broke away over 200 million years ago eventually became the lost continent known as Greater Adria. Wikimedia Commons.
A tropical continent with no name
Greater Adria formed roughly 240 million years ago, when the supercontinent Gondwana began to fracture. A large piece broke away, warm, shallow, and surrounded by coral seas. For tens of millions of years, it drifted slowly across the Tethys Ocean. It was a quiet land, mostly submerged, rich in marine life, and still untouched by anything resembling humanity.
Then, about 120 million years ago, the movement of Earth’s plates brought Greater Adria to the edge of a collision. The Eurasian Plate was in its path. The result was not a sudden disaster, but a slow, brutal process that lasted over 100 million years. Bit by bit, Greater Adria was pulled under. Some of it broke apart and was scraped upward into new mountain ranges. The rest was dragged deep into the planet.
Today, most of it is gone. It is hidden thousands of meters beneath the surface, sealed in the Earth’s mantle. What remains above ground is fragmented, scattered across the Alps, the Balkans, and even parts of Turkey and the Middle East. And yet, its fingerprints are everywhere: in the stone, in the mountains, in the shape of the land itself. I find that so cool.
The clues were always there
Scientists had noticed something strange about the rocks in the Alps and other parts of Southern Europe. Layers of marine limestone sat at the top of mountains. Fossils of sea creatures were found hundreds of kilometers from the nearest coast. Entire sections of the Earth’s crust seemed out of place, as if they didn’t belong to the Europe we know.
It wasn’t until Douwe van Hinsbergen, a geologist at Utrecht University, began studying these puzzles more closely that a theory took shape. Over ten years, he and his team built a digital reconstruction of Earth’s tectonic past, combining field data, seismic imaging, and plate motion simulations. What they found wasn’t just an explanation for misplaced rocks, it was the outline of an entire continent.
They named it Greater Adria, after the Adriatic region where many of its exposed remnants were first studied. But the continent itself was far larger than modern-day Adriatic Europe. It once covered a stretch of terrain nearly the size of Greenland, and its collision with Eurasia shaped the geology of a dozen countries.
And this lost continent was very, very important. Without its disappearance, there would be no Alps. No Dinaric Alps. No Apennines. The very structure of Southern Europe, its fault lines, coastlines, and sediment layers, was carved out by the slow destruction of Greater Adria.
A buried continent that changed everything
One of the most remarkable parts of the story is how long this continent remained hidden. Unlike other lost landmasses, Greater Adria left no archaeological trace. No civilization ever rose on its surface. It sank long before the first humans appeared. And because most of it lies so far underground, scientists only detected it using seismic tomography, a method that allows researchers to visualize the Earth’s interior by tracking how waves from earthquakes move through different materials.
What they saw was astonishing. Long, twisted slabs of ancient crust were still down there, embedded in the mantle. They had been dragged beneath the Eurasian Plate during subduction, a process where one piece of Earth’s crust slides beneath another. It was the silent end of an entire continent.
And yet, in a way, it never truly disappeared. The limestone cliffs of Italy. The rugged peaks of the Alps. The strange distribution of fault zones across the Mediterranean. All of these are pieces of the same puzzle. They are physical traces of the forgotten continent under Europe, scattered like bones, waiting to be recognized.
What else is hiding beneath our feet?
Greater Adria is now part of a growing list of lost continents. Zealandia, the nearly submerged landmass east of Australia. Mauritia, once part of ancient India, now scattered beneath the Indian Ocean. Argoland, still poorly understood, may lie beneath Southeast Asia.
These aren’t legends. They’re real places. Once part of the world’s surface, now broken apart and buried so deep they almost disappeared from memory.
Finding them isn’t just about drawing new lines on a map. It changes how we think about the ground beneath us. The Earth is always moving. Continents shift, oceans close, mountains rise where there was once sea. A place like Greater Adria didn’t just vanish overnight. It was pulled apart slowly, crushed and scattered, until there was almost nothing left.
It makes you see Europe differently. Not as something finished or unchanging, but as a surface built on top of another. The continent I live on was shaped by destruction. Something older came before it, drifted quietly across ancient waters, and was slowly swallowed by the land we now call home. And maybe the most surprising part is that we’re only just starting to uncover what else might still be hiding far below our feet.
Perseverance Happened to Land Right Beside a Composite Volcano
Perseverance Happened to Land Right Beside a Composite Volcano
By Matthew Williams
Virtual view from top of the western delta into the crater. Credit: HiRISE/CTX/HRSC
On February 18th, 2021, NASA's Perseverancerover landed in Jezero crater on Mars. This feature was selected because liquid water may have once flowed into it, as indicated by the delta feature at its western edge. Since landing, Perseverance has been exploring the region's geology and past habitability, including the samples it collected for eventual return to Earth. Analyzing these samples will provide new clues about Mars' warm and watery past and address whether life once existed there.
However, the delta fan is not the only significant feature in the Jezero crater near where the Perseverance rover landed. There's also the recently-named Jezero Mons, a mountain that dominates the southeastern horizon, identified in Perseverance rover images. According to new research, lava flows possibly originating from this mountain could have shaped the geology of the crater floor. According to their findings, the analysis of the Perseverance samples could also reveal clues about ancient Mars when it was still geologically active.
As Cuevas-Quiñones and her colleagues note in their paper, the detection of clay and carbonate minerals on Jezero Crater's floor supports the conclusion that the sedimentary deposits on the crater's western edge are the result of aqueous activity that took place roughly 3.8 to 3.5 billion years ago. In addition, satellite observations have revealed a set of non-sedimentary geologic materials that cover most of the Jezero crater's floor. This includes data obtained by theMars Odyssey's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard the Mars Global Surveyor.
Spectral features observed in the Jezero crater indicated the presence of olivine [(Mg, Fe)2SiO4], a mineral commonly found in igneous rocks and a primary part of Earth's upper crust. The spectra also indicated the presence of magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) and hydrated minerals. As Prof. Wray told Universe Today via email, this constitutes evidence that Jezero Mons was once an active volcano:
Volcanoes are built 'from the ground up', as successive layers of lava and ash erupt and spread from the source vent; so if Jezero Mons is indeed a volcano (as we argue), then its simple presence would be evidence that it was once active, to have built up the mountain that we see looming above the crater rim today. There are also possible flows of material visible on the mountain's northwestern flank extending down onto Jezero crater's southeastern floor, which could have emerged when the volcano was active. And finally, there are the volcanic rocks that Perseverance encountered in its traverse across the crater floor - we can't say for sure that those came from Jezero Mons, but they imply that there was an active volcano somewhere nearby in the region's past! And Jezero Mons seems like the most visually apparent candidate to us.
Before the Perseverance rover landed, there were several theories about Jezero's curious geology, ranging from lakebed sedimentary deposits, sandstone formed by wind-blown sand, or volcanic ash. However, observations by the Perseverance rover of the Séítah formation revealed lightly altered olivine cumulate rock. These minerals form when olivine crystals accumulate and settle from a magma or lava flow. These mineral deposits predate the formation of the crater's delta features.
Similarly, the darker-toned rock unit known as the Máaz formation dominates the central crater floor, which shows spectral signatures of pyroxene, another mineral associated with volcanic outflows.
As Wray told Universe Today, the presence of volcanic and aqueous activity would have had a significant impact on the crater:
"Given the clear evidence for river channels and sediment fans, before Perseverance landed some thought most of the material on the floor might have been sedimentary rocks, perhaps lake deposits. But the first rocks explored with the rover appeared pretty clearly volcanic (or at least igneous, i.e. cooled from a magma). If Jezero Mons had been identified and more widely discussed before the rover landed, then maybe this wouldn't have been so surprising. The timing of Jezero Mons's activity is pretty uncertain, but there is indeed evidence from the rover (and from orbital mapping of materials across the crater) that episodes of water flow and volcanism interleaved with each other over time."
To evaluate this hypothesis, the team consulted datasets from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and other orbiter missions. Infrared hyperspectral mapping of the northern and eastern flanks of the mountain showed widespread pyroxene-bearing materials and a mixture of low- and high-calcium pyroxenes at the summit. Meanwhile, the mixing of pyroxene-rich materials and underlying bedrock was visible in several areas of the crater around the mountain's western flank.
Similarly, the team measured the mountain's morphometry and compared it to similarly sized volcanoes identified on Earth and Mars. While they found that most Martian shield volcanoes are significantly larger than Jezero Mons, a similarly sized mountain with a summit crater believed to have once been an explosive volcano has been observed in Thaumasia Planum. In addition, two of the first mountains identified as potential composite volcanoes—Zephyria and Apollinarus Tholi—are even more similar in size to Jezero Mons.
For an Earth-based comparison, the team measured Antarctica's Mt. Sidley, which has been identified as a potential analog for the Argyre Mons volcanic cone, but is more similar in size to Jezero Mons. As Wray noted, the timing of Jezero Mons's activity and the origin of volcanic rocks in the crater remain open questions. Nevertheless, evidence obtained by Perseverance and orbiters that have mapped the Jezero Crater suggests that episodes of water flow and volcanism interleaved with each other over time.
"In terms of what that means for habitability, volcanic eruptions-like any natural disaster-often have immediate negative effects, but can have longer-term benefits for the evolution of ecosystems on Earth," Wray added. "In particular, a sizable volcano so close to the Jezero crater paleolake implies subsurface heat that could have prolonged the stability of any liquid water there, a potential boon for habitability on a planet 50% farther from the Sun than Earth."
The timing of Mars' volcanism and its possible effect on habitability cannot be answered until a Mars sample-return mission can be mounted. Unfortunately, scientists will have to wait a while due to the cancellation of the NASA/ESA Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. Currently, the plan is to return them via a crewed mission planned for the 2030s, though experts predict that such missions will happen no sooner than 2040. But as Wray explained, the analysis of the Perseverance samples will be a major game-changer:
"The sample return will provide major, unique insights into Jezero crater's history, such as solving the "pretty uncertain timing" problem mentioned above: we can date igneous rocks quite precisely in Earth-based labs by measuring rare isotopes of trace elements, but this is very difficult to do with miniaturized rover instruments. Fortunately, the sample return from Jezero is exactly what NASA has planned! I can't imagine another place on Mars from which it would be much more valuable to return samples, so I hope we get them back, whether the US continues to lead on that effort or someone else steps up instead."
In the meantime, says Wray, another rover (or possibly a crewed mission) to the Jezero Crater would address these two questions. This mission could set down between Jezero Mons and the crater's floor, allowing it to explore the mountain and volcanic deposits directly. The team also suggests that additional high-resolution mapping could greatly increase our knowledge of the eastern side of Jezero. This could be accomplished using existing orbital assets or by future spacecraft like the ESA's LightShip/SpotLight mission under consideration.
A series of collapsed lunar lava tubes, as captured by the Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter. Credit - Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Some parts of the Moon are more interesting than others, especially when searching for future places for humans to land and work. There are also some parts of the Moon that we know less about than others, such as the Irregular Mare Patches (IMPs) that dot the landscape. We know very little about how they were formed, and what that might mean for the history of the Moon itself. A new mission, called the LUnar Geology Orbiter (LUGO), aims to collect more data on the IMPs and search for lava tubes that might serve as future homes to humanity.
IMPs are a set of "enigmatic volcanic landforms", according to a new paper from Petr Bro¸ of the Czech Academy of Sciences and his co-authors. Ninety-one of these features have been found so far, and they are typically characterized by a topographical depression that can range from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers in width. They have two main features - a relatively smooth mound surrounded by a "hummocky and block floor".
Interestingly, they have significantly fewer impact craters than the surrounding area, suggesting they are either really old or really young, depending on the processes that created them. Understanding those processes is one of LUGO's primary mission objectives.
Fraser discusses how to explore lava tubes.
The other primary mission objective is to gather more data about lunar lava tubes. These features of the lunar landscape are also hotly debated, but they could potentially be critical to the future human settlement of the Moon. Estimates of their features, such as size and depth, vary widely and could dramatically differ on whether they will be helpful to lunar colonists or not.
Enter LUGO—the proposed orbiter that will collect more data than ever before on these features. In its current suggested form, it has four instruments, each of which will contribute unique data to its scientific mission.
According to the paper, the first and most important instrument is a ground-penetrating radar. This instrument will look through the lunar surface to map out the subsurface domain of both the IMPs and lava tubes. For IMPs, it can detail the interface between bedrock and regolith and show the subsurface structure of the feature. Similarly, it can detect differences in dielectric properties between open cavities underground and the surrounding rock in lava tubes, creating a subterranean picture unlike anything ever captured on the Moon.
How will we be able to explore lava tubes? Fraser tries to answer that question.
A hyperspectral camera will help collect age-related data on the regolith surrounding lava tubes and inside IMPs. It can also perform some basic spectroscopy, allowing scientists to estimate the composition of the regolith in the areas of interest.
The last two instruments, a narrow-angle camera (NAC) and a LiDAR sensor, will combine to create an accurate topographical map of the features of interest. The NAC, in particular, can provide very high-resolution images of the features, helping to determine their age and potentially their formation mechanisms.
The mission plan calls for multiple passes over the six largest IMPs, all of which are over 1,000m in diameter. Other, smaller IMPs and lava tubes are considered secondary targets, as are other interesting lunar geological features such as lunar domes and "floor-fractured craters."
LUGO could provide crucial data for the design of ground-based lava tube explorers, like the one Fraser discusses in this video.
LUGO won't be acting alone, though - three other missions are slated in the next few years that would complement its scientific objectives. NASA's DIMPLE lander is planned to take radioisotopic measurements of the age of regolith at its landing site. LunarLeaper, scheduled for launch by ESA around 2030, would also carry a ground-penetrating radar, but would be based on the surface rather than in orbit, and therefore would have a relatively limited range. Trailblazer, another orbital mission, could also help fine-tune the spectra and signals analysis required by LUGO's operators.
Ultimately, LUGO has yet to be funded, and therefore, it has a long way to go until launch. But if it is funded, it seems well-placed to provide lots of additional insight into the geological formation process and features of the Moon at a level of detail we've never had before. If we do end up using some of that data to plan the location of future lunar bases, the people living in them will surely be thankful.
Scientists studying a silver, orb-shaped UFO that was recovered in Colombia believe the object was created using alien technology. The strange metallic sphere is covered in engravings and inscriptions which fell from the sky back in March is currently in the hands of infamous UFO investigator and journalist Jaime Maussan.
Jaime Maussan is the same man that for over a year-and-a-half has been trying to get people to believe that he is in possession of “1,000-year-old alien corpses.” Maussan claims to have had multiple experts study the bodies over that time and says the “alien corpses” contain DNA that is “not from any known species.”
As for the mysterious orb, it was filmed earlier this year darting back and forth in a zig-zag motion above the city of Buga in Colombia, flying in a very unpredictable manner. It eventually stopped in a field, but explanation for it was ever uncovered.
Now, Maussan says he has been able to have the “Bugasphere,” as local media is calling the UFO, analyzed by an expert.
Dr. Jose Luis Velazquez, a radiologist hired by Maussan, tested the orb-shaped UFO, which reportedly measures around 20 inches in diameter and weighs around four-and-a-half pounds, and discovered that it is composed of a single piece with no visible welds or joints. Inside, he says, are 16 microspheres distributed around a central nucleus.
“It is of artificial origin, in that it shows no evidence of welding, and its internal structure is composed of high-density elements. More testing is needed to establish its origin,” he said.
Maussan and his team also utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to try and decipher the inscriptions on the mysterious UFO. They claim it reads, “The origin of birth through union and energy in the cycle of transformation, meeting point of unity, expansion, and consciousness—individual consciousness.”
“We interpret it as a message to humanity, encouraging a collective shift in consciousness to help Mother Earth—especially considering the current issues with pollution and environmental decline,” Maussan’s team said.
DailyMail.com reports that one of the men who recovered the orb-shaped UFO, David Velez el Potro, felt sick for days after touching it. He also claims that when he “poured water on it, it started to smoke and the water vaporized instantly.”
The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 could crash to Earth overnight tonight after more than 50 years in the wrong orbit. Here are the latest predictions on the exact time of reentry, and where it could land.
An illustration of a satellite crashing into the ocean after an uncontrolled reentry through Earth's atmosphere. A similar fate is expected to await the Soviet Kosmos 482 probe, which could fall to Earth tonight.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 will conclude its roughly 50-year jaunt through Earth's orbit this weekend, with experts predicting it could crash back to our planet as soon as tonight (May 9).
The latest predictions from the European Space Agency (ESA) reveal that the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft is poised to reenter Earth's atmosphere at approximately 2:26 a.m. EDT (06:26 GMT) on Saturday, May 10. The uncertainty for the prediction is plus or minus 4.35 hours, giving us an estimated reentry window of roughly 10 p.m. EDT Friday (May 9) to 7 a.m EDT Saturday, according to ESA.
Kayhan Space, a Colorado-based space technology company that's also been tracking the craft, predicts an even narrower reentry window. At press time, the company's latest estimate predicts a reentry time of 2:28 a.m. ET (6:28 GMT) on May 10, plus or minus 2.4 hours.
"The atmospheric density in the lower altitudes (50 to 300 km) [30 to 185 miles] is very uncertain, which can result in large prediction uncertainties," Derek Woods, senior astrodynamics engineer at Kayhan Space, told Live Science in an email.
Where will Kosmos 482 land?
A map showing where the Soviet satellite Kosmos 482 may fall this weekend. The orange band marks the reentry window, between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude. (Image credit: Marilyn Perkins, adapted from PytyCzech via Getty Images)
Falling like a meteor through the atmosphere, the roughly 3-foot-wide (1 meter), 1,091 pound (495 kilograms) craft could hit virtually anywhere on the planet. It could land at any point between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south — an enormous swath of the planet that includes almost every major populated area — according to ESA.
Luckily, the odds are overwhelmingly in favor of the spacecraft landing in the ocean, as most uncontrolled space junk reentries do. Experts won't be able to narrow down the landing zone until hours before the reentry happens, due to the somewhat unpredictable effects of atmospheric drag.
The likelihood of the out-of-control spacecraft hitting a person is "the usual one-in-several-thousand chance" associated with falling space debris, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrote in a blog post.
What is Kosmos 482?
The Kosmos 482 probe was built and launched in 1972 as part of the Soviet Union's Venera mission to explore Venus. The Soviets successfully launched the Venera 7 and 8 probes, which were the first two spacecraft to successfully land on Venus in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
Recent satellite images of Kosmos 482 suggest it may have already deployed its parachute in space several years ago. However, this can't be proven until reentry begins. (Image credit: Ralf Vandebergh)
Kosmos 482 was built as a sister probe to Venera 8. However, due to a malfunction with the Soyuz rocket that launched it into space, the probe failed to achieve enough velocity to reach Venus, instead getting stuck in an elliptical, or oval-shaped, orbit around Earth for more than 50 years — until now.
Designed to survive a fiery fall through Venus' atmosphere, the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft is likely to stay in one piece as it crashes to Earth this weekend, Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in space situational awareness at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands who first discovered the lander's imminent return, wrote in a blog post. It will be traveling at approximately 150 mph (242 km/h).
Part of a larger problem
While its intriguing history has earned the lander media attention, Kosmos 482 is just one of more than 1.2 million pieces of space junk in Earth's orbit larger than 0.4 inches (1 centimeter), according to an ESA report published in April.
Orbital collisions and uncontrolled reentries are becoming increasingly common, with "intact satellites or rocket bodies … now re-entering the Earth atmosphere on average more than three times a day," according to the ESA report.
The larger pieces of space junk come from a range of spacecraft, rockets and boosters that are big enough to survive reentry and reach the ground.
"We're seeing a rise in reentries involving larger objects that can partially survive and reach the surface," Woods said. "Some of these larger objects are defunct space race-era objects like KOSMOS 428 DESCENT CRAFT. These objects were in highly eccentric orbits and are now naturally decaying after decades in space."
As the number of new satellites in Earth's orbit increases every year, it will become more important than ever for missions to have "controlled end-of-life plans for large objects" and for space agencies to invest in debris removal technology, Woods added.
There are Many Ways to Interpret the Atmosphere of K2-18 b
There are Many Ways to Interpret the Atmosphere of K2-18 b
By Andy Tomaswick
Artist's depiction of K2-18b. Credit - NASA / ESA / CSA / Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. That truism, now known as the "Sagan standard" after science communication Carl Sagan, has been around in some form since David Hume first published it in the 1740s. But, with modern-day data collection, sometimes even extraordinary evidence isn't enough - it's how you interpret it. That's the argument behind a new pre-print paper by Luis Welbanks and their colleagues at Arizona State University and various other American institutions. They analyzed the data behind the recent claims of biosignature detection in the atmosphere of K2-18b and found that other non-biological interpretations could also explain the data.
We previously reported on the detection of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) in the atmosphere of K2-18b, a sub-Neptunian exoplanet orbiting a star about 124 light-years away in the constellation Leo. The finding was initially reported in September 2023, with more recent data from April seeming to back up the claim.
However, we've also reported plenty of other explanations for that signal, including explanations of the signal's non-biological creation and overarching discussions about whether the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which first collected the data, could even detect life on other planets. Obviously, claims such as finding life on an exoplanet will garner a lot of skeptics, and this new paper continues in that tradition.
Fraser discusses the latest discoveries on K2-18b's atmosphere.
It takes a more statistical approach to its criticism, though. It rightly claims that detecting individual chemicals in the atmosphere is hard. Doing so with the limited data that even instruments like JWST can provide requires comparing potential models of the atmosphere to the data and seeing which one best represents it.
Unfortunately, this requires a lot of statistical guessing. To simplify the process, astronomers typically eliminate entire classes of models to conform to "Occam's Razor"—the philosophical principle that the simplest explanation is the most likely. To do so, they use the Bayesian model comparison technique, which compares the relative fit of two separate models to the data and selects the one that fits better as the more likely scenario.
This practice leads to two problems. First, if all the models are poor representations of reality, the one that comes out on top of the Bayesian analysis is simply the "least inadequate" one. That doesn't engender much confidence in the model's accuracy. On the other hand, if multiple models fit the data well, even if one fits better, it doesn't necessarily mean that the others are inaccurate.
Fraser and Pamela discuss one of the most interesting exoplanets we've found so far - and what it means for the search for life.
To prove their point, the authors reanalyzed the dataset used in the original biosignature detection paper through multiple other models that were discarded as part of that paper. They found good fits for models that abiological processes could entirely explain. One particular model that included the hydrocarbon propyne (C3H4) fit the data better than the model containing DMS and its cousin, dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), which was described in the paper in April.
The ongoing scientific debate around the interpretation of the data is warranted. After all, claiming to have found signs of life on an alien planet would mark it as one of the biggest discoveries in human history. One of the best things about the scientific method is how it handles disagreements like this one - more data is needed to address the concerns in the recent pre-print and the other papers we've been reporting on. And as scientists collect that data, even if it takes another generational advance in space telescopes, we'll get closer to understanding the truth of the composition of K2-18 b's atmosphere - and maybe whether we're not alone in the universe after all.
Was Bird Watching In Back Yard and saw Silver Disk Over Bountiful Utah, May 8, 2025 UFO UAP Sighting News.
Was Bird Watching In Back Yard and saw Silver Disk Over Bountiful Utah, May 8, 2025 UFO UAP Sighting News.
Date of sighting: May 8, 2025
Location of sighting: Bountiful, Utah, USA
Source: Scott Waring
It looked as big as a small car, and its flashing seems deliberate. Whats going on over Utah? Did anyone else see this? It was coming from Hill AFB and headed toward Salt Lake City. Strange day, but hey, I saw something, but part of me wonders...is it a US military drone, because I have had fleets of USAF helicopters pass over my house several times going to do military maneuvers on the other side of the Great Salt Lake firing range or is this a UFO thats observing the military? You decide,
Yeah I know, I had to go through another Mars photo. There are so many things on planet Mars that people just aren't talking about. Take the entrance to the structure above. It has four right angles...just as a doorway in your home has. Look at the totem statue below...it has a face, a tall hat, a chest, back neck, shoulders, arms, buttocks, knees and legs. And it looks very human as if someone on Earth had carved it, but...it's on Mars. I call that 100% proof of intelligent life.
Hey, ready to do what I do? Sure you are, then take the test below.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:Ruins, strange artifacts on other planets, moons, ed ( Fr, EN, NL )
08-05-2025
What ancient myths have in common and why it matters
What ancient myths have in common and why it matters
The question is, why? Why do so many ancient myths, told by cultures that never met, sound like variations of the same story? And if the similarities are more than coincidence, what are they trying to tell us?
An artistic illustration of different ancient myths.
Before history was written down, it was remembered. Ancient myths were more than stories, they were cultural memory. Told by firelight, preserved in chants, carved into walls, and passed down by generations who had no books, no archives, and no way to record the past beyond their words.
Across time and across the world, many of these stories contain the same themes. Floods that erase civilizations. Gods who arrive from the sky. Sacred mountains where heaven touches Earth. A golden age that ends in loss. These themes are not limited to one place or one people. They repeat in Mesopotamia, in Mesoamerica, in the Vedic texts of India, in the oral traditions of Aboriginal Australia, and in the myths of ancient Greece and Egypt.
The question is, why? Why do so many ancient myths, told by cultures that never met, sound like variations of the same story? And if the similarities are more than coincidence, what are they trying to tell us?
Myths of the flood and the memory of a lost world
Among the most common ancient myths is the story of a world-ending flood. It is told with striking emotional weight across multiple civilizations. In Mesopotamia, the Epic of Gilgamesh describes how Utnapishtim survives a divine flood sent to wipe out humanity. In the Book of Genesis, Noah receives a warning to build an ark. In India, the figure of Manu escapes destruction after being guided by a talking fish. Greek myths recall Deucalion and Pyrrha, the only survivors of a deluge sent by the gods.
The same theme appears in Aztec and Inca tradition, as well as in the Pacific Islands and Indigenous Australian stories. These are not watered-down copies of the same tale. They are culturally unique but carry the same structure: a flood, a warning, a survivor, and a world reset.
Many researchers now believe that such stories may contain real memories. After the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago, the planet went through a dramatic climate shift. Melting glaciers caused sea levels to rise by more than one hundred meters. Entire coastlines disappeared. Settlements were flooded and landscapes transformed.
Some scientists point to the Black Sea flood theory, which suggests that around 5600 BCE, the Mediterranean breached into the Black Sea basin, causing a sudden and devastating rise in water levels. If true, such an event could have left a powerful impression, passed on through oral tradition for thousands of years.
These flood myths may not be symbolic at all. They may be the only surviving record of a prehistoric global disaster.
Sky gods, fire from above, and celestial memory
This is a representation of Viracocha from the site of Tiahuanaco in Bolivia. Although it it not an Inca creation but one of the Tiwanaku culture, it proves how significant Viracocha was for this entire Andean region. Credit: Melting Plots
Another powerful pattern in ancient myths is the sky god, a divine figure who controls thunder, lightning, sunlight, or fire. In Greece, Zeus ruled the skies and hurled bolts of lightning. In Norse myth, Thor struck enemies with his hammer. In India, Indra was the lord of storms. In the Andes, Viracocha came from the heavens. The Aztecs worshipped Tlaloc, who brought both rain and destruction.
This consistency raises the question: why were so many early gods associated with the sky, with storms, or with fire from above?
One possibility is that ancient people witnessed real events in the sky they could not explain. Comets, solar flares, meteor impacts, and auroras would have appeared mysterious and terrifying. They may have inspired myths of gods who descended with power and wrath.
The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, for example, suggests that around 12,800 years ago, a comet or fragments of one struck the Earth, sparking fires and climate disruption. While still debated, this theory has gained attention in recent years. If true, the fear of the sky may not have been metaphorical. It may have been remembered.
In that context, the fire-bringing gods and celestial battles could reflect a prehistoric trauma, retold through myth, or reimagined through divine figures.
Sacred mountains as portals to the divine
Across mythologies, mountains are more than geographical features. They are places of revelation, refuge, or power. Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist tradition is said to be the center of the universe. Mount Olympus in Greek myth is home to the gods. In the Bible, Mount Sinai is where Moses receives divine law. In ancient Persia, Mount Alborz holds cosmological significance.
High places appear again and again as bridges between heaven and Earth. In Sumer, the earliest ziggurats were built to mimic sacred mountains. In Mesoamerica, pyramids aligned with celestial events served similar spiritual functions.
Why this fascination with heights? In some cases, mountains may have served as real-world refuges from floods or chaos. Their permanence and elevation made them powerful symbols of protection. In others, they may have simply represented a place closer to the heavens, where divine encounters felt possible.
The connection between elevation and revelation is more than poetic. It reflects how early societies tried to locate the divine in the physical world, often by reaching upward.
Creation from chaos and the shape of ancient thought
Another theme that appears in ancient myths is the idea of creation emerging from chaos. In Egypt, the primordial waters of Nun precede all existence. In Mesopotamia, the goddess Tiamat gives birth to the first gods before being slain by Marduk. In China, Pangu breaks free from a cosmic egg and separates heaven from Earth. Greek myths tell of Chaos giving rise to Gaia and Uranus.
These myths are not just origin stories. They reflect an early attempt to understand structure, transformation, and time. They begin with a void, water, darkness, formlessness, and then describe how form, order, and life emerged.
What is remarkable is how widespread this framework is. The idea of a structured cosmos emerging from a primal state appears across continents and civilizations. Long before science, these myths were the first tools used to explain existence.
They also reflect the ancient belief that order is fragile. What was once whole can break. What exists now once did not. And what seems permanent can vanish.
Could these shared stories point to a forgotten connection?
The academic view has long been that myths developed in isolation, shaped by environment and psychology. But this view is now under pressure. The repeating structures found in myths across the globe are too specific and too numerous to dismiss.
Some scholars explain the patterns as universal archetypes,mental frameworks shared by all humans. Others point to similar challenges faced by early societies that led to similar storytelling.
But there is another possibility. Before written history, humans may have traveled and shared more than we think. Oral knowledge, navigation, and memory may have connected cultures long before global trade or formal writing.
If so, ancient myths may be the final trace of a forgotten chapter in human history, one that predates all records and all maps.
Across Sumer, Egypt, India, China, the Americas, and Oceania, the same motifs appear. Floods, sky gods, lost worlds, sacred mountains. These stories are not identical, but they rhyme. And in that rhyme, there may be memory.
Myths were never just stories
It is easy to treat myth as fiction, especially in a world shaped by science. But myths were never just stories. I see them as vehicles for knowledge, warnings, and cultural identity.
What ancient myths have in common and why it matters today is not about fantasy. It is about understanding how human beings remember. These stories tell us how early civilizations faced environmental shifts, unexplained events, and loss. They show how people coped with fear, disaster, and awe.
As the modern world faces rising seas, extreme weather, and social upheaval, the old stories feel newly relevant. Not as prophecies, but as reflections of what humans have endured before. They remind us that beneath the facts and data, we are still meaning-makers.
The myths of the past may not be literal. But they hold something real. They carried truths across time without paper, without language as we know it. And in that survival, they still speak. If we are willing to listen, they may tell us what we have forgotten, and what we still need to remember.
ispace's RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It'll Try to Land in Early June
ispace's RESILIENCE Enters Lunar Orbit. It'll Try to Land in Early June
By Matthew Williams
Artist's rendering of the RESILIENCE lunar lander in orbit around the Moon. Credit: ispace
Headquartered in Japan, the commercial space company ispace is dedicated to creating robotic spacecraft and other technology to support the discovery, mapping, and harvesting of natural resources on the Moon. One of the main tools in their arsenal is the RESILIENCE lander, a small, lightweight uncrewed spacecraft designed for low-cost, high-frequency transportation of instruments and other supplies to the lunar surface. Earlier today, the company announced that their second mission with the RESILIENCE lander (SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon) entered lunar orbit.
According to a company statement, the orbital injection maneuver was completed by 5:41 a.m. JST (1:41 p.m. PST; 4:41 p.m. EST) on May 7th, 2025. This marks the successful completion of the mission's seventh Mission Milestone, which included completing the first lunar orbit insertion maneuver and reaffirming "the ability of space to deliver spacecraft and payloads into stable lunar orbits." The orbital maneuver consisted of the longest thruster burn during Mission 2, lasting approximately 9 minutes. The team at the Mission Control Center in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, confirmed that RESILIENCE is now maintaining a stable attitude above the lunar surface.
On April 24th, 2025, RESILIENCE completed the maneuvers to transition the lander from deep space and closer to the Moon to complete the orbital injection. Before that, RESILIENCE completed a lunar flyby that verified the spacecraft's propulsion, guidance, control, and navigation systems. Following the flyby, the lander spent about two months in a low-energy transfer orbit. Mission specialists are now preparing for the final orbit maneuvers in preparation for a lunar landing, which is scheduled to take place no earlier than June 5th, 2025.
RESILIENCE was launched on January 15th, 2025, at 12:44 p.m. PST (03:44 p.m. EST) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This constituted the successful completion of the first two Milestones, followed by the mission team establishing communications and confirming that its solar panels were drawing power (Milestone 3) and completing the first orbital maneuver that placed it on a course towards the Moon (Milestone 4). For this mission, the RESILIENCE is transporting several payloads for commercial customers.
These include the TENACIOUS micro rover by ispace-EUROPE, which will be deployed on the surface to explore the landing site, collect lunar regolith, and relay data back to the lander. Other payloads include a water electrolyzer, a food production experiment, a deep space radiation probe, a commemorative alloy plate, and a "Moonhouse," a model house created by Swedish artists to be placed on the surface. The mission also carries a UNESCO memory disk, a cultural artifact containing data on humanity's linguistic and cultural diversity.
As UNESCO describes it, the disk "serves as a repository of cultural heritage," which will be preserved for millions of years in case human civilization collapses someday:
"Language serves as the connective tissue of humanity, facilitating interaction, collaboration and shaping our perceptions of the world. Its preservation in all its diversity is essential to safeguarding human identity... This initiative comes as we enter the second year of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032and the release of the World Atlas of Languagesin its Beta version where Focal Points from 127 countries actively contribute language data. By incorporating a variety of languages, including indigenous languages, the Memory Disc embodies an invitation to celebrate humanity’s cultural richness and embrace a future that cherishes linguistic diversity."
The TENACIOUS rover is also a technological demonstration for mobility on the lunar surface and regolith extraction. The lessons learned will help pave the way for Mission 3, which is expected to launch in 2026 and will be the debut of the APEX 1.0 lunar lander. The fourth mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2027, will utilize the Series 3 lander currently being designed. These missions are part of the company's long-term goal of helping space agencies and commercial space companies create fuel stations and habitats on the Moon that could lead to a permanent human presence (see video above).
Per the company's statement, ispace Founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada expressed great pride in this latest accomplishment:
"First and foremost, we are extremely pleased that the RESILIENCE lander successfully reached lunar orbit as planned today. We have successfully completed maneuvers so far by leveraging the operational experience gained in Mission 1, and I am very proud of the crew for successfully completing the most critical maneuver and entering lunar orbit. We will continue to proceed with careful operations and thorough preparations to ensure the success of the lunar landing."
Statistically Speaking, We Should Have Heard from Aliens by Now
Statistically Speaking, We Should Have Heard from Aliens by Now
By Mark Thompson
Alien Array
The Fermi Paradox, named after physicist Enrico Fermi, highlights a contradiction in our understanding of alien life: despite billions of stars with potentially habitable planets and the vast age of our Galaxy providing ample time for civilizations to develop and spread, we've detected no evidence of their existence. This absence of contact is particularly puzzling considering that a technologically advanced civilisation could theoretically colonise the entire Milky Way within a few million years—a brief moment in cosmic timescales.
Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist,
(Credit : Department of Energy-Office of Public Affairs)
One factor for consideration of course is the number of potential civilisations out there. The Drake equation is a mathematical formula developed by astronomer Frank Drake to try and estimate the number of active, communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way. It multiplies several factors, including the rate of star formation, the fraction of stars with planets, the number of habitable planets per star, the fraction of those planets where life arises, the fraction where intelligent life develops, the number of civilizations that develop detectable communication technologies, and the average lifespan of such civilizations.
The Drake equation suggests there should be many civilisations out there yet searches like SETI have not detected any signals. This raises questions about whether SETI is a valuable scientific effort. A paper authored by Matthew Civiletti from the University of new York doesn't directly answer this question but instead offers a way to assess how likely it is that we would have detected a signal by now if a certain number of civilizations were broadcasting. If the chance is low, the lack of detection may not be surprising; if it’s high, the silence could be meaningful. The paper also shows how these probabilities can help narrow down the possible values in the Drake equation.
Frank Drake
(Credit : Amalex5)
The paper begins by exploring the geometric aspects of the problem, then calculates the probability of detecting a single signal and extends this to the probability of at least one detection. Building on previous studies, it offers an exact solution in two dimensions and a practical approximation for single observations, showing that Earth’s position doesn't affect the detection chances in simple cases. This makes it easier to apply the model to more complex scenarios. The key contribution is linking these results to the Drake equation, showing how a lack of SETI detections can help narrow down its parameters.
The paper presents a model to explore the Fermi Paradox and assess the value of SETI in the search for intelligent life. Despite its limitations, the model suggests that the absence of detected electromagnetic signals from alien civilizations can place limits on how many such civilizations exist. Under certain assumptions, the model predicts a 99% chance of detecting at least one signal if the estimated number of civilizations (based on the Drake equation) is around 1. Although this is a basic model, it shows that even a lack of results from SETI can help rule out certain combinations of the number and lifespan of civilizations, potentially aiding in solving the Fermi paradox.
Studies like Civiletti's offer valuable tools for understanding the Fermi Paradox more rigorously. By combining modeling with the Drake equation, the paper highlights how even the absence of evidence can be scientifically meaningful. As SETI efforts continue and models improve, we may increasingly be able to use non-detections not as dead ends, but as data points that refine our understanding of the cosmos and our place within it. Ultimately, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is not just about finding others—it’s also a way to better understand ourselves and the conditions that make intelligent life possible.
Cloaked UFO Has Visible Edge and Historical Twist! Bonner Springs, Kansas USA, May 7 2025, UFOs UAP Sighting News. VIDEO!
Cloaked UFO Has Visible Edge and Historical Twist! Bonner Springs, Kansas USA, May 7 2025, UFOs UAP Sighting News. VIDEO!
Date of sighting: May 7, 2025
Location of sighting: Bonner Springs, Kansas, USA
The skies over Bonner Springs, Kansas, were transformed into a stage for the strange and unexplained this week. Frankie Camren, a local resident, was riding his Harley-Davidson when his attention was captured by an eerie black ring hanging in the sky. Stunned, he pulled over and recorded the bizarre sight—an intensely dark ring with smoke swirling around it, floating motionless in the air. The video spread like wildfire, with Camren’s phone "blowing up" as locals shared theories ranging from a flock of birds to a new app effect. But this wasn’t an app trick or a trick of the eye. FOX meteorologists later offered an explanation: a smoke ring created by an explosion. However, Camren wasn’t convinced. There were no loud noises, no sign of an explosion—just the silent, hovering anomaly.
But this isn’t the first time a black ring has caused a stir in the skies. For those familiar with UFO history, this sighting echoes a far older case documented in the Condon Report—the September 1957 incident at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. In that historic case, U.S. Army personnel witnessed a similar black ring, which floated above the base before vanishing.
The Fort Belvoir incident, documented as "Case 47" in the Condon Report, remains unexplained to this day. Official explanations ranged from smoke to a rare atmospheric phenomenon, but just like the Kansas sighting, those who saw it weren’t convinced. So, are these eerie black rings just smoke from unseen explosions, or are they something far more mysterious? The striking resemblance between the 1957 Fort Belvoir ring and the Bonner Springs anomaly suggests a mystery that has spanned decades, crossing generations while remaining unsolved.
Could we be witnessing a phenomenon that even science struggles to explain? Or is this a recurring glimpse into something beyond our understanding? The sky holds its secrets, and sometimes it chooses to share them—if only briefly.
Achter het bericht dat 50 jaar geleden naar buitenaardse wezens werd gestuurd
In november 1974 reikte de mensheid voor het eerst opzettelijk uit naar de kosmos met een interstellaire boodschap. De gecodeerde transmissie, zorgvuldig, nieuwsgierig en met een vleugje durf gecreëerd, heeft zijn bedoelde bestemming nog niet bereikt. Toch is deze baanbrekende daad een waar symbool van ons verlangen om in contact te komen met intelligente buitenaardse levensvormen. Decennia later blijft het Arecibo-bericht een hoeksteen van de zoektocht van de mensheid naar leven in de kosmos.
Waar stuurden wetenschappers dit bericht naartoe? Wat hebben ze er precies in gezet? En kunnen we een antwoord verwachten? Klik door deze galerij om het te ontdekken.
Een gedurfde oproep Het Arecibo-bericht werd op 16 november 1974 de kosmos ingestuurd vanaf het Arecibo-observatorium in Puerto Rico. Het was niet meer dan een korte stroom van binaire gegevens, verzonden als een langeafstandsgroet ("hello") naar onbekende kosmische buren.
Geboorteplaats Op het moment dat het bericht werd verzonden, was het Arecibo-observatorium het meest gevoelige instrument voor het verkennen van het universum. Het duurde drie jaar om het te bouwen, en het opende zijn deuren in 1963.
Een indrukwekkende constructie De gigantische komvormige radiotaartschaal van het observatorium werd gebouwd in een natuurlijke zinkgat. Het stalen platform dat er boven werd opgehangen, woog maar liefst 900 Amerikaanse ton (816 metrische ton).
Een technologische sprong Het Arecibo-bericht markeerde de ingebruikname van de krachtige nieuwe transmissiemogelijkheden van de telescoop, waarmee het signalen met ongekende reikwijdte en kracht kon uitzenden. In feite was het in staat om signalen uit te zenden met een vermogen dat twintig keer groter was dan de gecombineerde output van alle elektriciteitscentrales op aarde op dat moment.
Visie op verbinding Astronoom Frank Drake (beroemd om de Drake-vergelijking, die wordt gebruikt om het aantal buitenaardse beschavingen in de Melkweg te schatten) ontwierp het bericht dat verzonden zou worden. Zijn innovatieve benadering presenteerde de poging van de mensheid om met buitenaardse wezens te communiceren in de eenvoudigste vorm: de binaire code.
Enen en nullen Binaire code, die bestaat uit niet meer dan enen en nullen, werd gebruikt in het Arecibo-bericht omdat het een eenvoudig en universeel systeem is dat begrepen kan worden door elk wezen dat in staat is tot basis wiskundig redeneren.
Een teaminspanning Afgestudeerde studenten aan de Cornell University hielpen bij het verfijnen van Drake's ontwerp en droegen belangrijke elementen bij aan het bericht dat uiteindelijk verzonden zou worden.
Formaat Het uiteindelijke bericht bevatte 1.679 bits (de afkorting van 'binaire cijfers') die waren gerangschikt in een raster van 73 rijen en 23 kolommen. Het bericht bestaat uit zeven delen die verschillende informatie over de mensheid coderen.
1. Getallen Het eerste gedeelte van het Arecibo-bericht toont de nummers van één tot tien in binaire code. Dit dient als een basis voor het bericht, waarbij aan buitenaardse wezens het concept van tellen en binaire representatie wordt getoond, wat begrijpelijk zou moeten zijn voor andere geavanceerde wezens.
2. DNA-elementen Dit gedeelte gebruikt de getallen één, zes, zeven, acht en vijftien, die de atoomnummers zijn van waterstof, koolstof, stikstof, zuurstof en fosfor. Deze elementen zijn fundamenteel voor het leven op aarde en vormen de bouwstenen van DNA.
3. Nucleotiden Het derde gedeelte geeft de chemische formules weer van 12 organische moleculen (of nucleotiden) die DNA vormen. Alle levensvormen op aarde zijn opgebouwd met hetzelfde genetische raamwerk, en dit gedeelte toont hoe dat raamwerk eruitziet door middel van atoomnummers van elementen.
4. Dubbele helix Dit gedeelte stelt grafisch de iconische dubbele-helixstructuur van DNA voor, met lijnen die de componenten met elkaar verbinden. Het bevat ook het getal 4.294.967.296 in binaire code, wat het geschatte aantal baseparen in menselijk DNA vertegenwoordigt.
5. Mensheid In dit gedeelte staat een menselijke figuur in het midden, vergezeld van een verticale lijn aan de linkerkant om de gemiddelde hoogte van mensen aan te geven (ongeveer 1,75 meter, gecodeerd met de golflengte van de transmissie). Aan de rechterkant is de menselijke bevolking van de aarde (ongeveer 4,3 miljard in 1974) gecodeerd in binaire code.
6. Planeten Het zesde gedeelte van het bericht is een grafische weergave van het zonnestelsel. De Zon en de negen planeten (inclusief Pluto op dat moment) worden afgebeeld, waarbij de aarde omhoog is verschoven om de oorsprong van het bericht aan te geven.
7. Telescoop Het laatste gedeelte toont de Arecibo-radiotelescoop als de bron van de transmissie. De vorm ervan wordt in binaire code weergegeven, samen met de geschatte diameter van 306 meter. De letter 'M' is toegevoegd om aan te geven dat de kromme lijn een concave spiegel is.
Kosmische nederigheid Het bericht, dat drie minuten lang werd uitgezonden op een frequentie van 2380 megahertz, was niet bedoeld om een antwoord te verwachten. Het was niet alleen de manier van de mensheid om te zeggen: "We zijn hier", maar het demonstreerde ook ons potentieel voor interstellaire communicatie.
Een lange afstand De gecodeerde transmissie werd gestuurd in de richting van Messier 13, een enorme sterrenhoop in het sterrenbeeld Hercules, op ongeveer 25.000 lichtjaar afstand.
Niet-responsief Gezien de afstand van Messier 13 tot de aarde, zou een antwoord ongeveer 50.000 jaar kunnen duren. Het experiment was minder bedoeld als een gesprek en meer als een manier om de mogelijkheden van contact over ruimte en tijd voor te stellen.
De donkere kant Critici hebben gewaarschuwd dat het uitzenden van de locatie van de aarde gevaar zou kunnen aantrekken. Dergelijke kritieken baseren zich vaak op speculatieve theorieën zoals het Donkere Woud, waarin beschavingen zich verbergen om te voorkomen dat ze vijandige krachten aantrekken.
Een waarschuwend verhaal Tegenwoordig moedigen internationale protocollen, zoals die van het SETI Instituut, bredere discussies aan voordat interstellaire berichten worden verzonden, met nadruk op inclusiviteit en ethische verantwoordelijkheid bij het opstellen van toekomstige communicatie.
Concurrerende signalen van de aarde Hoewel het Arecibo-bericht opzettelijk werd verzonden, lekt de aarde voortdurend signalen de ruimte in via tv-uitzendingen en radiogolven. Deze emissies maken ons bestaan detecteerbaar voor elke geavanceerde buitenaardse luisteraar.
Getransformeerd door ontdekking Sinds het bericht werd verzonden, zijn er meer dan 5.000 exoplaneten geïdentificeerd in de kosmos, waaronder mogelijk bewoonbare. Ons begrip van waar leven zou kunnen bestaan in de kosmos is aanzienlijk verdiept.
Het schatten van het eerste contact Wetenschappers schatten dat vier sterren het Arecibo-bericht zullen ontvangen binnen de eerste 500 jaar van de reis, te beginnen met een ster die bekendstaat als Gaia DR3 1328057940089589376, gelegen op ongeveer 395 lichtjaar afstand.
Een nieuw bericht In 2018 organiseerden wetenschappers van Arecibo een wedstrijd om een bijgewerkte transmissie te maken. Studenten van de Universiteit van Mayagüez in Puerto Rico stelden een gedetailleerder bericht op, dat een galactische kaart, fysieke constanten en schema-updates bevatte.
Het eren van het originele Het nieuwe ontwerp was een echo van de versie uit 1974, met behoud van binaire code en schematische eenvoud, terwijl het details moderniseerde, zoals het uitsluiten van Pluto en het toevoegen van belangrijke kosmische herkenningspunten zoals de ringen van Saturnus. Interessant is dat de biologische gegevens van het leven op aarde werden weggelaten.
Een dichterbij gelegen doel Teegarden's Star, op slechts 12,5 lichtjaar afstand, werd geselecteerd als de bestemming voor het bijgewerkte bericht. Met mogelijk bewoonbare planeten zou een antwoord uit dit systeem binnen 25 jaar kunnen aankomen.
Instorting In 2020 stortte het Arecibo-observatorium in vanwege structurele schade veroorzaakt door orkaan Maria. Het verlies van het observatorium markeerde het einde van een tijdperk voor radioastronomie en interstellaire communicatie.
Het behouden van een wetenschappelijke erfenis Voor Puerto Ricaanse wetenschappers en studenten was Arecibo een toegangspoort tot de sterren, en de instorting ervan verstoorde een wetenschappelijke hoeksteen van de gemeenschap. Er zijn echter plannen in de maak om de locatie van Arecibo om te vormen tot een educatief centrum, zodat de bijdragen van het observatorium aan de astronomie en wetenschap toekomstige generaties zullen inspireren.
Een blijvende hoop De erfenis van Arecibo en zijn bericht is werkelijk een treffende weerspiegeling van het diepe verlangen van de mensheid om onze plaats in de kosmos te begrijpen. Terwijl technologie, creativiteit en verbeeldingskracht op aarde blijven bloeien, kunnen we alleen maar hopen dat onze kosmische buren bereid zullen zijn om op hun beurt "hallo" te zeggen.
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- Gemiddelde waardering: 0/5 - (0 Stemmen) Categorie:ALIEN LIFE, UFO- CRASHES, ABDUCTIONS, MEN IN BLACK, ed ( FR. , NL; E )
Michio Kaku: AI reveals Voyager’s mysterious image: Who or What is sending the data?
Michio Kaku: AI reveals Voyager’s mysterious image: Who or What is sending the data?
In a groundbreaking development, advances in quantum data analysis have led to a discovery no scientist could have foreseen. NASA’s deep space monitoring system, upgraded with a quantum processor designed to filter cosmic noise and decode interstellar signals, produced something startling: an image.
A conceptual interpretation of the Voyager 1 image.
But this wasn’t an input, a simulation, or a product of algorithmic imagination. It wasn’t the result of random noise or a misfired pattern recognition process. The quantum system returned a coherent, structured, and symmetrical image, undeniably artificial. And the data it derived from? None other than Voyager 1.
Renowned physicist Michio Kaku addressed the anomaly in a recent interview: “We may be witnessing the first whisper of a new intelligence, something not man-made, not terrestrial, and certainly not random.”
The image, reconstructed via entangled qubit networks, depicted a figure: humanoid in silhouette, yet composed of geometric segments that defied any known biological or mechanical blueprint. It seemed deliberately crafted to challenge human comprehension, alien, yet eerily familiar enough to spark recognition.
Not long ago, NASA pushed the boundaries of computation by launching an experimental quantum computer, capable of processing vast, multidimensional data streams. But after this revelation, NASA abruptly shut down the system following the unexpected and unsettling incident, in 2023, though some believe the research continued in secret.
Meanwhile, Voyager 1—the most distant human-made object in space, still traveling beyond our solar system after 45 years—has been transmitting strange, inexplicable data. According to NASA engineers, the spacecraft’s Attitude Articulation and Control System (AACS) began sending signals that “do not reflect what’s actually happening onboard.”
Instead of useful telemetry, Voyager 1 has been broadcasting a puzzling sequence: a repeating pattern of ones and zeros. Initially dismissed as a glitch, engineers traced the anomaly to the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS), pinpointing a malfunctioning chip. Yet, despite their efforts, the signal persisted, a digital enigma from 24 billion kilometers away.
Is this merely a failing system showing its age? Or is something, or someone, intentionally altering the data?
What if this “error” is a message? And if so, who’s sending it?
Where will the failed Soviet spacecraft Kosmos 482 land when it crashes back to Earth in the coming week? Most major cities are in the potential crash zone — but the odds of a direct strike are extremely slim.
A world map showing the predicted range (orange) of where the Kosmos 482 probe could crash to Earth this week.
(Image credit: Marilyn Perkins, adapted from PytyCzech via Getty Images)
A failed Soviet spacecraft that was mistakenly trapped in Earth orbit more than 50 years ago is expected tofinally crash back to our planet this week.
Experts predict that the spacecraft, called the Kosmos 482 Descent Craft, will make its final, fiery plunge through the atmosphere sometime between May 8 and May 12, traveling at an estimated speed of 150 mph (242 km/h) as it careens through the sky like a meteor. Built to withstand a trip through the dense atmosphere of Venus, the 3-foot-wide (1 meter), 1,091 pound (495 kilograms) lander is likely to stay in one piece as it falls to Earth like a cosmic cannonball.
But where will Kosmos 482 land, and are any major cities in its potential path?
Unfortunately, at the moment, nobody knows for sure where Kosmos 482 will hit — and its potential landing area covers most of the planet. Given the satellite's current orbit, it could ultimately land anywhere between 52 degrees north and 52 degrees south latitude, Marco Langbroek, a lecturer in space situational awareness at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands who discovered the lander's imminent return, wrote in a blog post. Here's what that area looks like, shown in orange on the map below:
A world map showing the predicted range of the Kosmos 482 reentry (orange). (Image credit: Marilyn Perkins, adapted from PytyCzech via Getty Images)
The projected landing zone encompasses an enormous area on both sides of the equator. This broad swath includes the entire continental United States, all of South America, Africa and Australia, and most of Europe and Asia south of the Arctic Circle. (The Arctic Circle begins just above 66 degrees north latitude). Virtually every major city on Earth, from New York to London to Beijing, falls within this zone.
That sounds bad — but you shouldn't worry: The odds of the runaway Kosmos spacecraft hitting any given populated area are exceptionally slim. With roughly 71% of our planet's surface covered in water, it is overwhelmingly likely that Kosmos 482 will land in the ocean, as most pieces of deorbited space debris do.
The odds of the spacecraft falling directly onto your head are probably "the usual one-in-several-thousand chance" associated with falling space debris, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrote in a blog post.
Experts won't be able to narrow down Kosmos 482's potential landing zone until it actually begins its descent through the atmosphere, which is currently predicted to happen on May 10, give or take a couple days.
What is Kosmos 482?
The Kosmos 482 probe was made and launched by the U.S.S.R. in 1972 as part of the Soviet Union's Venera program to explore Venus. The program achieved success with the Venera 7 and 8 probes, which were the first two spacecraft to successfully land on Venus in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
Kosmos 482 was built as a sister probe to Venera 8. But due to a malfunction with the Soyuz rocket that lofted Kosmos 482 into space, the probe failed to achieve enough velocity to reach Venus, instead settling into an elliptical orbit around Earth.
Soon after its botched launch, Kosmos 482 broke into several pieces. The probe's main body reentered Earth's atmosphere on May 5, 1981, while the Descent Craft remained in its unintended orbit for almost 53 years — until now.
Kosmos 482 is just one of more than 1.2 million pieces of space debris measuring larger than 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) in size, and one of roughly 50,000 pieces of space junk measuring more than 4 inches (10 cm), according to a recent report from the European Space Agency (ESA). Orbital collisions and uncontrolled reentries are becoming increasingly common, with "intact satellites or rocket bodies … now re-entering the Earth atmosphere on average more than three times a day," according to the ESA report.
What if the first civilizations were older than we think
What if civilization didn’t begin with cities or writing, but with memory and the sky? What if the first civilizations were older than we think?
For generations, we were taught that civilization began in Sumer and Egypt — around 3000 BCE — when humans finally settled, wrote laws, and built cities. That idea shaped everything from textbooks to popular documentaries. But over the last few decades, archaeologists have uncovered something far older. Massive stone temples, planned settlements, and mysterious ceremonial structures have emerged from beneath the soil of Turkey, Syria, and Jordan. T
hey tell a story few were expecting: that the first civilizations were older than we think, and that they didn’t begin with farming or rulers, but with ritual, alignment to the stars, and shared cultural memory.
These sites are forcing historians to rethink not only when civilization began, but what it even means to be civilized.
Civilization, we’ve been told, followed agriculture. Once people farmed, they stored grain. With storage came surplus. With surplus came hierarchies, trade, religion, and writing. But this neat progression is being disrupted by evidence that large, organized communities existed long before farming, and long before anyone thought complex societies were possible.
The first real cracks in the timeline appeared in the 1990s, when excavations at a hilltop in southeastern Turkey revealed a set of carved stone enclosures unlike anything seen before. But that was just the beginning. And as one of my favorite authors say it quite often, “things keep on getting older.”
Tell Qaramel: Towers before the plow
In northern Syria, archaeologists found something unexpected: a site called Tell Qaramel, dating back to around 10,700 BCE. That’s nearly 7,000 years before the pyramids. Here, multiple circular stone towers were constructed with carefully laid foundations and multi-level floors, all during a time when people were still hunting and foraging.
There was no farming, no pottery, and no writing. Yet the structures show planning, cooperation, and a clear sense of permanence. They challenge the idea that architectural sophistication had to wait for agriculture. They’re one of the first signs that the first civilizations were older than we think, and organized in ways we still don’t fully understand. I do not think that people are actually aware of the number of amazing, incredible, and mind-boggling sites that exist in Iraq.
Çayönü: Ritual and order before state control
South of Tell Qaramel lies another site, Çayönü, which was occupied between 8800 and 7000 BCE. The layout was astonishingly deliberate. Rectangular homes arranged along shared paths, communal buildings with stone-paved floors, and — perhaps most disturbingly — a room filled with rows of human skulls embedded in the floor.
This wasn’t chaos. It was ritual. Scholars now believe this “skull building” served as a ceremonial site, part of a belief system passed from generation to generation. There’s no evidence of kings or taxation, yet the people of Çayönü lived with structure, meaning, and continuity. It’s one more clue that the first civilizations were older than we think, and less dependent on domination than we assumed.
Wadi Faynan: City behavior without a city
Photographs of the ancient site of Wadi Faynan 16.Image Credit: Faynan Heritage.
In the Jordanian desert, where survival today is a challenge even with modern tools, lies the site of Wadi Faynan — a settlement nearly 10,000 years old. It lacks walls, palaces, or temples, but it shows something else: early irrigation, cooperative labor, and multi-room housing.
There was no ruling class. No evidence of military enforcement. Yet people worked together to manage water, food, and construction. This type of social coordination has long been associated with formal city-states — but Wadi Faynan had none. It’s a quiet but powerful example that the first civilizations were older than we think, and may have valued function over formality.
Nevalı Çori: The first temples?
An artefact recovered from Nevali Cori.
Before Göbekli Tepe stunned the world, a nearby site called Nevalı Çori hinted at a forgotten chapter in human history. Dated to around 8500 BCE, this small village held something remarkable: carved pillars, humanoid statues, and a structure that appears to have been a ritual hall or temple.
All of this happened before the widespread use of farming, metal, or permanent cities. The stonework was advanced. The figures were symbolic. The layout suggested planning. It was not just shelter — it was a sacred space.
Nevalı Çori is one of several sites now revealing that the first civilizations were older than we think, and driven as much by shared meaning as by material need.
What were these people building — and why?
Ok, but let’s step back for a minute and ask an important question. Why? If not for survival, then what drove people to carve massive stones, align temples to the solstice, and plan settlements with symmetry? These were not random experiments. They reflect something deeper: the need to remember, to pass down knowledge, to make sense of death, stars, and time itself.
In place after place, from Göbekli Tepe to Karahan Tepe, we find symbolism without writing, cooperation without kings, and architecture without agriculture. These early builders were not primitive. They were highly intelligent, spiritually driven, and deeply aware of their place in the world.
If you ask me, the evidence is mounting: and we have to start rewriting our history books and acknowledge that the first civilizations were older than we think, and rooted not in wealth or war, but in meaning.
Rethinking the definition of civilization
But it is also time for one more thing. We need to redefine the word for “civilization”. For too long, civilization has been defined by what leaves behind the most impressive ruins, pyramids, palaces, writing systems. But this definition overlooks something crucial: intention.
What if a circle of carved pillars in Turkey carries more civilizational meaning than a walled city? What if skulls arranged in a sacred floor say more about culture than a stone tablet of taxes? What if the first civilizations were older than we think, simply because they were never about power, but about… say… memory?
We are not discovering “primitive ancestors.” We are uncovering the deep roots of cultural intelligence.
A future built on forgotten pasts
Every new find and every carved totem, buried tower, and stone map of the stars adds to a growing truth: the beginning of civilization didn’t start with kings. It started with questions. Who are we? Where do we go when we die? What moves in the sky above?
The answers were written not in ink, but in stone, passed silently from hand to hand for thousands of years. And they remind us that the first civilizations were older than we think, and perhaps wiser, too.
So guess it is time to finally acknowledge that the story of human civilization doesn’t begin in 3000 BCE. It begins in silence, in ritual, in stones aligned with the stars. Long before cities and scribes, people were building structures that spoke to the soul, not the state. If we want to understand where we come from, we must look beyond kings and kingdoms. The first civilizations weren’t lost. They were simply buried — waiting for us to listen. Waiting for us to discover.
Mars has wave-like soil patterns that match those found on Earth. This image, taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows the patterns inside a Mars crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Despite being cold, desiccated, and having a thin atmosphere, Mars is similar to Earth in many ways. For instance, both planets have polar ice caps, a similar day/night cycle, and tilted axes. At one time, Mars had a thicker atmosphere and warmer temperatures that allowed water to flow across its surface. Despite the transition that led to its becoming the inhospitable place we see today, there are also indications that Mars' climate is shaped by the same kind of dynamic forces that Earth is.
In a new study, a team of international researchers led by the University of Rochester found another curious similarity while examining soil features on Mars. According to their analysis, these features look similar to wave-shaped soil patterns known as solifluction lobes. On Earth, these same patterns have been observed in the planet's coldest regions and are caused by freeze-thaw cycles. These findings offer new insights into geological processes on Mars and clues about Mars' past climate and potential habitability.
Their researchers used satellite images from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Using this data, they analyzed nine craters on Mars and compared them to sites on Earth. This revealed that the wave-like landforms on Mars were similar in shape and geometry to solifluction lobes found on Earth. As Glade explained in a University of Rochester press release, these patterns "are large, slow-moving, granular examples of common patterns found in everyday fluids, like paint dripping down a wall."
She added that these features grow (on average) 2.6 times taller on Mars before they collapse. According to the team's analysis, this difference is consistent with the physical properties of Martian regolith and the planet's weaker gravity (roughly 38% of Earth's gravity). On Earth, these features are found in the Arctic, the Rocky Mountains, and other cold, mountainous regions and form when frozen soil partially thaws, which loosens the soil enough for it to move downhill slowly over time.
Since Mars also experiences seasonal variations in temperature and solar exposure, it likely experiences similar freeze-thaw cycles. However, due to Mars' thin atmosphere, these cycles are likely driven by sublimation, where the ice instantly turns to vapor rather than thawing into liquid water. Nevertheless, this suggests that Mars may have once had icy conditions similar to Earth's that shaped its surface. This offers additional information on the evolution of the Martian climate, when it was once warm and watery.
It could also inform existing and future astrobiology missions searching for signs of past (or even present) life! But as Sleiman explained, additional research is required:
"Understanding how these patterns form offers valuable insight into Mars' climate history, especially the potential for past freezing and thawing cycles, though more work is needed to tell if these features formed recently or long ago. Ultimately, this research could help us identify signs of past or present environments on other planets that may support or limit potential life."
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Could Study Dying Planets
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Could Study Dying Planets
By Matthew Williams
Orbital decay, where planets eventually fall into their stars and are consumed, is a major aspect of how planetary systems evolve. Before the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star was observed in 1995, astronomers only had the Solar System to inform their models. Since then, surveys by ground-based and space-based telescopes have detected thousands of exoplanets. Thanks to next-generation telescopes like theJames Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers can also characterize them.
Among the exoplanets observed, thousands of short- and medium-period planets have been observed around many different types of stars, giving astronomers the chance to study orbital decay. But so far, there have been very few direct detections of exoplanets that support this theory. According to a recent NASA-supported study, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) will be a game-changer, providing astronomers with many more opportunities to study planets with decaying orbits directly.
The research was led by Kylee Carden, a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy at The Ohio State University (OSU). She was joined by B. Scott Gaudi, the Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration and a University Distinguished Scholar at OSU, and Robert F. Wilson, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The study was part of Carden's graduate work at Ohio State and is currently under review for publication in The Astronomical Journal.
As noted, previous studies have found indirect evidence that planets are consumed in young star systems, ultimately shaping their planetary distribution. This has been noted with Hot Jupiters, which are quite common in the current exoplanet census. These gas giants that orbit closely with their stars have been the subject of immense curiosity to scientists since it was believed that gas giants could only form at greater distances from their stars. As Carden told Universe Today via email, these findings suggest that young systems are shaped by planetary migration:
"First, several studies have found that stars hosting close-in, massive planets (hot Jupiters) are younger than average. This hint could suggest a hot Jupiter destruction mechanism. Second, hot Jupiters are found less frequently around subgiant stars than main sequence stars. Since orbital decay is expected to be more rapid for planets orbiting subgiants, this is another hint that orbital decay could be acting as a destruction mechanism."
However, direct evidence of this destruction mechanism has been lacking, with only two candidates supporting this theory. These include WASP-12b, a hot Jupiter that orbits so close to its parent star that it is being torn apart, as indicated by its oblong shape, and Kepler 1658b, another hot Jupiter with a very close orbit to its star and a very short orbital period. However, this is expected to change shortly, thanks to the deployment of the RST in 2027, which will conduct a series of Core Community Surveys, including the Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (GBTDS).
"The Roman Space Telescope's GBTDS is going to observe towards the Galactic Bulge, a region dense with stars near the center of our Galaxy," said Carden. "It has been estimated that Roman will detect ~100,000 transiting planets alone. With all of these planets and an exquisite dataset, we can search for orbital decay, and our baseline estimate is that roughly 5-10 instances of orbital decay will be detectable."
The GBTDS will leverage Roman's Wide Field Instrument (WFI, 2.4-meter (7.87 ft) aperture primary mirror and broad near-infrared (NIR) sensitivity to conduct high-precision observations towards the center of the Milky Way. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and Kepler Space Telescope could detect exoplanets 150 and 2,000 light years from Earth. However, the RST will be sensitive enough to detect planet candidates up to 26,000 light years away. Specifically, the GBTDS will look for microlensing events, which occur when objects come into near-perfect alignment with a background star.
The gravitational force of these objects alters the curvature of spacetime around them, causing light from the background star to become distorted and magnified. These rare alignments act as a "lens," causing a spike in brightness that alerts astronomers to microlensing events. This will allow the RST to detect exoplanets up to 65,230 light-years away (∼20 kpc) in unexplored regions of the Milky Way. As Carden indicated, this will create a new census of exoplanets that is far more complete:
"Roman will detect exoplanets far outside the Solar neighborhood, showing us what the Galactic population of exoplanets looks like. Roman will illuminate whether orbital decay is a common phenomenon and whether it is typically the ultimate destiny of close-in planets to spiral into their stars. Roman will also help us better understand the physics of tidal dissipation in stars."
These findings could revolution our current models for how systems form and evolve, including our own! For many years, astronomers have speculated that the early Solar System looked vastly different from what it looks like today. This could also inform astrobiology studies, allowing scientists to learn how planets settle into a star's habitable zone (HZ), potentially giving rise to life.
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Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 74 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
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Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.
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