Activist and researcher Amanda Nguyen, who flew on Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight in April 2025, has admitted to suffering from severe psychological distress after the mission. After months of battling depression, she has reported feeling better and shared her experience of overcoming severe trauma.

Dream that turned into a challenge

In her Instagram post, Amanda revealed the deep depression that overwhelmed her after returning to Earth.

“Another dream turned into a nightmare,” she wrote. Nguyen described feeling that all her achievements – her scientific work, her historic status as the first Vietnamese woman in space – were “buried under an avalanche of misogyny” and hostile comments in the media.

A 34-year-old woman, the child of refugees who fled Vietnam by boat, felt like a “collateral victim.” She couldn’t get out of bed for weeks, and a month after the flight, she couldn’t speak through her tears during a call from a Blue Origin employee.

Despite her experiences, Amanda emphasized the positive outcomes of the mission. The flight drew attention to her breast cancer research and helped achieve the goal of using science as a tool for diplomacy. She recalled the symbolism: when Neil Armstrong was on the moon, bombs were falling on Vietnam, and now her family had seen a Vietnamese woman in space.

“We arrived in boats, and now we are in spaceships,” she wrote.

The road to recovery

Eight months later, Nguyen felt that “the fog of grief had begun to lift.” In her diary, she wrote, “I am happy to report that my depression is gone.” She concluded that the past never completely leaves us, but she is proud that she kept her promise to fight for her dreams and focus on kindness.

“The best gift this season is that I feel the fog lifting. I can say that it won’t take years,” Amanda Nguyen summed up.

Earlier, we reported on how a space tourist “saw death” after flying on New Shepard.

• Provided by eonline.com

• Posted in Business, News, Tech

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

30-12-2025 om 21:56 geschreven door peter  

The Star of Bethlehem might have actually been a comet described in an ancient Chinese text

by Krystal Kasal, Phys.org - edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

Many researchers have spent decades attempting to decode biblical descriptions and link them to verifiable historical events. One such description is that of the Star of Bethlehem—a bright astronomical body that was said to lead the Magi to Jesus shortly after his birth.

Although many attempts have been made to link the Star of Bethlehem to astronomical bodies, the unique motion of the "star" did not quite fit any known object. However, a new research study, published in Journal of the British Astronomical Association, describes a likely candidate for the bright object seen above Bethlehem over 2000 years ago—a comet described in an ancient Chinese text.

Nonsensical motion

The biblical text in question occurs in the book of Matthew and describes a "star," which the authors of the study suggest may be any celestial object. The text says that the star "went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was." The star is described as being in the eastern sky. The study authors meticulously analyzed the context and potential meaning of the story.

They write, "The passage indicates that after the Star appeared to precede the Magi on their short journey to Bethlehem, it reached a position over the town, perhaps overhead near the zenith, where its motion came to a noticeable stop for a period coincident with their arrival."

Of course, this motion is not typical of most astronomical objects, like stars and planets. Instead, most astronomical objects simply appear to rise in the east and set in the west, due to the rotation of Earth. This led to three interpretations: the story is simply a myth used to make a point and no such object existed, it was an actual miracle or there is a natural (although, rare) astronomical event that explains the motion.

Some researchers held onto the idea that there is a physical explanation. After all, there are some situations where an object might appear to stop temporarily in the sky. In particular, an object that is in geosynchronous motion with Earth will appear to be motionless in the sky. This can theoretically occur with a comet if it is in the right place and moving at the right velocity.

A few different comets have been suggested, such as Halley's Comet, but these did not fit the timing or placement needed for the Star of Bethlehem. And so, the authors of the new study conducted a search of many historical documents to find mention of any other observed astronomical events during the time period.

A potential match

A passage in a Chinese document known as the Han Shu (History of the Former Han Dynasty), caught the attention of the study authors with the mention of a "broom star"—known to be a term for a comet—in the "second month" of the "second year."

"The 'second month' of the 'second year' corresponds to the Chinese lunar month spanning 5 BCE [from] March 9 to April 6, which falls neatly within the estimated window for Jesus's birth. Being visible 'for over 70 days' suggests that the object was likely bright," the study authors explain.

The researchers also say that period fits with the life of King Herod, who ordered a massacre of male children under two years old in an attempt to kill Jesus. Herod ruled Judea as a Roman client king from 37 BCE to 4 BCE.

Simulations were conducted to generate possible comet orbits fitting the observations. The numerical modeling showed that this comet could have passed close enough to Earth in June of 5 BCE, to exhibit the "temporary geosynchronous" motion needed to make it appear to pause overhead for several hours. The best-fit orbit showed the comet would have appeared nearly stationary over Bethlehem for about two hours.

Positive omens and Magi motivations

The team also asked the question: "How could a comet appearing in Capricornus in March/April of 5 BCE have convinced the Magi that a king had been born in Judea, prompting them to undertake a long journey?"

To attempt to better understand their motivations, the researchers examined ancient astrological and cultural beliefs that the Magi may have been exposed to in order to explain why they would interpret the comet as a sign indicating the birth of Jesus. They found mentions of comets signifying both good and bad omens in both Greco-Roman and Mesopotamian texts.

"A major criticism of the comet hypothesis is that ancient astrologers interpreted the omens associated with their appearance as harbingers of evil, rather than as signs of good tidings such as a new king. However, closer examination of comet omens will show that interpretations of comet appearances were not always negative," the study authors explain.

They found that some omens in Mesopotamian texts could even have been interpreted to link a comet's appearance with events in the royal families of client kingdoms and that it is possible that this influenced the Magi's belief that the birth of a new Judean king had occurred.

Whether or not the comet mentioned in the Han Shu was the same celestial body witnessed over Bethlehem, the study authors say that this study has proven that such an object could exist that would explain the event.

They conclude by saying, "This study shows that it is no longer justifiable to claim that 'no astronomical event' could possibly have behaved in the manner described by Matthew."

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://phys.org/space-news/ }

30-12-2025 om 21:42 geschreven door peter  

The star described in the Gospels, which heralded the appearance of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, behaves extremely strangely for a celestial body. However, scientists have calculated that under certain conditions, a comet could exhibit similar behavior. They even found a possible candidate.

The Star of Bethlehem

Recently, the Journal of the British Astronomical Association published an article in which scientists attempted to explain the nature of the star that, according to the Bible, heralded the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and guided the three wise men from the East to him. Surprisingly, they found a completely rational explanation for it.

This is not the first time scientists have tried to understand whether there is any real astronomical event behind the Gospel myth. And it is clear that the word “star” can actually mean any celestial body. However, in the Gospel of Matthias, where it is described in the most detail, its behavior seems too strange.

Based on the text, the star of Bethlehem was initially somewhere in the east, then, overtaking the Magi, it flew west and hovered somewhere at the zenith above the city where Jesus was born. And it is precisely its stopping in one place that seems most strange. Whether it is a planet, a comet, or something else in space, its rotation should be affected by the rotation of our planet; that is, one way or another, it should rise and set during the day.

But in reality, there is one object that truly seems to hover above one place – a satellite in geostationary orbit. Of course, it actually moves, but its linear velocity is such that its angular velocity coincides with the Earth’s rotation.

Comet from Chinese sources

And now scientists have calculated that the same suspension effect could have occurred when a comet flew close to Earth. Of course, it did not enter geosynchronous orbit. But it moved much faster than a satellite in geostationary orbit. This means that at some point, it could have actually hovered over Bethlehem for a couple of hours.

And the most interesting thing is that the authors have already found a good candidate for the role of the Star of Bethlehem – a comet mentioned in the Chinese chronicle “Han Shu,” also known as the History of the Former Han Dynasty. According to this document, the comet appeared in the second month of the second year and was visible for 70 days. This means that it was indeed very bright.

The specified time period is March-April 5 BC. And this coincides perfectly with assumptions about the true date of Jesus’ birth. After all, King Herod, the same one who is credited with the mass murder of infants, ruled Judea from 37 to 4 BC. So, from this point of view, everything is indeed reliable.

However, opponents of the “comet” theory have another argument. In the tradition of Eastern mystics, which theoretically included the three wise kings, the comet was associated with something bad. However, researchers have recently discovered that this is not entirely true, as its appearance could also be linked to events in the royal family. So it could indeed have been perceived as a sign of the birth of a new king.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

30-12-2025 om 21:30 geschreven door peter  

NASA scientists have proposed a new, unexpected source of energy that could sustain life in the deep ocean of Jupiter’s moon Europa. It may not be deep heat, but radioactive elements seeping from the ocean floor.

A revolutionary model was presented at the annual conference of the American Geophysical Union. It suggests that the key to life may lie not in the moon’s interior, but in the rocks at the bottom of its ocean. Radioactive decay of uranium and potassium in these rocks could provide the energy necessary for biology.

The scale of the possible biosphere

Researchers were inspired by terrestrial ecosystems in deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where microorganisms exist thanks to chemosynthesis – the process of obtaining energy from chemical reactions. A similar process may occur on Europa. Radioactive decay splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen ions, which can become “fuel” for microbes.

A team led by planetary scientist Ngoc Tuan Truong has modeled the concentration of radioactive isotopes in Europa’s ocean. Calculations showed that the energy released is sufficient to sustain biomass equivalent to a thousand blue whales. This discovery is particularly important in light of new data on Europa’s thick ice crust, which may insulate the ocean from the heat of the core.

Checking the theory

Evidence for this theory may be found by NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will reach Jupiter’s system in 2030. The spacecraft will study the composition of the ice and the deep processes of the moon. If the hypothesis is confirmed, Europa will be revealed as a world where life can feed on the energy of radioactive decay – a rather original scenario for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Earlier, we explained whether Europa will be habitable when the Sun becomes old and red.

• Provided by science.org

• Posted in News, Science

RELATED VIDEOS

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

30-12-2025 om 21:22 geschreven door peter  

It is quite possible that Mars was the first planet in the solar system where life originated. And only later did microorganisms from Mars reach Earth. So, from a certain point of view, we may be all Martians.

A bold hypothesis

How did life begin on Earth? While scientists have theories, they don’t yet fully understand the precise chemical steps that led to biology, or when the first primitive life forms appeared.

But what if Earth’s life did not originate here, instead arriving on meteorites from Mars? It’s not the most favored theory for life’s origins, but it remains an intriguing hypothesis. Here, we’ll examine the evidence for and against.

Timing is a key factor. Mars formed around 4.6 billion years ago, while Earth is slightly younger at 4.54 billion years old. The surfaces of both planets were initially molten, before gradually cooling and hardening.

Life could, in theory, have arisen independently on both Earth and Mars shortly after formation. While the surface of Mars today is probably uninhabitable for life as we know it, early Mars probably had similar conditions to early Earth.

The possibility of life forming on Mars

Early Mars seems to have had a protective atmosphere and liquid water in the form of oceans, rivers, and lakes. It may also have been geothermally active, with plenty of hydrothermal vents and hot springs to provide the necessary conditions for the emergence of life.

However, about 4.51 billion years ago, a Mars-sized, rocky planet called Theia crashed into proto-Earth. This impact caused both bodies to melt together and then separate into Earth and its moon. If life had begun before this event, it certainly would not have survived it.

Mars, on the other hand, probably didn’t experience a global remelting event. The red planet had its fair share of impacts in the violent early solar system, but evidence suggests that none of these would have been large enough to destroy the planet, and some areas could have remained relatively stable.

So if life arose on Mars shortly after the formation of the planet 4.6 billion years ago, it could have continued evolving without major interruptions for at least half a billion years. After this time, Mars’ magnetic field collapsed, marking the beginning of the end for Martian habitability. The protective atmosphere disappeared, leaving the planet’s surface exposed to freezing temperatures and ionizing radiation from space.

The time required for life to emerge

But what of Earth: how soon did life appear after the impact that formed the moon? Tracing the tree of life back to its root leads to a microorganism called Luca – the last universal common ancestor. This is the microbial species from which all life today is descended. A recent study reconstructed Luca’s characteristics using genetics and the fossil record of early life on Earth. It is inferred that Luca lived 4.2 billion years ago – earlier than some previous estimates.

Luca was not the earliest organism on Earth, but one of multiple species of microbe existing in tandem on our planet at this time. They were competing, cooperating, and surviving the elements, as well as fending off attacks from viruses.

If small but fairly complex ecosystems were present on Earth around 4.2 billion years ago, life must have originated earlier. But how much earlier? The new estimate for the age of Luca is 360 million years after the formation of Earth and 290 million years after the moon-forming impact. All we know is that in these 290 million years, chemistry somehow became biology. Was this enough time for life to originate on Earth and then diversify into the ecosystems present when Luca was alive?

A Martian origin for terrestrial life circumvents this question. According to the hypothesis, species of Martian microorganism could have traveled to Earth on meteorites just in time to take advantage of the clement conditions following the moon’s formation.

The timing may be convenient for this idea. However, as someone who works in the field, my hunch would be that 290 million years is plenty of time for chemical reactions to produce the first living organisms on Earth, and for biology to subsequently diversify and become more complex.

Surviving the journey

Luca’s reconstructed genome suggests that it could live off molecular hydrogen or simple organic molecules as food sources. Along with other evidence, this suggests that Luca’s habitat was either a shallow marine hydrothermal vent system or a geothermal hot spring. Current thought in the origin of life field is that these kinds of environments on early Earth had the necessary conditions for life to emerge from non-living chemistry.

Luca also contained biochemical machinery that could protect it from high temperatures and UV radiation – real dangers in these early Earth environments. However, it’s far from certain that early life forms could have survived the journey from Mars to Earth. And there’s nothing in Luca’s genome to suggest that it was particularly well adapted to space flight.

To have made it to Earth, microorganisms would need to have survived the initial impact on Mars’ surface, a high-speed ejection from the Martian atmosphere, and travel through the vacuum of space while being bombarded by cosmic rays for at least the best part of a year.

They would then have needed to survive the high-temperature entry through Earth’s atmosphere and another impact onto the surface. This last event may or may not have deposited it in an environment to which it was even remotely adapted.

The chances of all of this seem pretty slim to me. However difficult the transition from chemistry to biology may appear, it seems far easier to me than the idea that this transition would occur on Mars, with life forms surviving the journey to Earth, and then adapting to a completely new planet.

The resilience of microorganisms in space

It’s useful to look at studies of whether microorganisms could survive the journey between planets. So far, it looks like only the hardiest microorganisms could survive the journey between Mars and Earth. These are species adapted to preventing damage from radiation and capable of surviving desiccation through the formation of spores.

But maybe, just maybe, if a population of microorganisms were trapped in the interior of a sufficiently large meteorite, they could be protected from most of the harsh conditions of space. Some computer simulations even support this idea. Further simulations and laboratory experiments to test this are ongoing.

This raises another question – if life made it from Mars to Earth within the first 500 million years of our solar system’s existence, why hasn’t it spread from Earth to the rest of the solar system in the following four billion years? Maybe we’re not the Martians after all.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

30-12-2025 om 21:08 geschreven door peter  

For several weeks, residents across multiple Cincinnati neighborhoods have reported a persistent and unusual eerie sound that appears to have no clear point of origin. 

This is not the first time people have reported hearing strange sounds. Over the years, unexplained noises have been documented around the world, from mysterious sky booms and trumpet-like blasts to The Hum, a persistent low-frequency tone heard by only a small percentage of the population. 

Such phenomena are often tentatively linked to geological activity, industrial operations, or unusual atmospheric conditions. Some have even suggested a connection to unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP/UFO) in our skies. Despite decades of reports, these sounds continue to baffle both scientists and residents alike, and to this day, no definitive explanation for their sources exists.  

The noise Cincinnati is described as an oscillating, siren-like tone rising and falling in pitch, sometimes lasting for extended periods, sometimes stopping abruptly. Those who hear it say it is impossible to locate, yet difficult to ignore. 

While unexplained sounds are not uncommon in dense urban environments, what has drawn attention in this case is the lack of a confirmed explanation despite weeks of reports. 

One potential explanation involves aging locomotive equipment operating at a nearby rail yard. Certain engines are known to produce low-frequency acoustic effects that can travel considerable distances under specific atmospheric conditions. 

However, a spokesperson for the rail company has stated that they are unable to confirm the rail yard as the source of the sound. 

As of now, no person, agency or company has publicly identified the origin of the mysterious noise.

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

30-12-2025 om 20:58 geschreven door peter  

Meta AI Can Now Read Your Mind: A Deep Dive into Brain-to-Text Technology

Meta's AI can now decode brain activity into text with 80% accuracy, bringing us closer to mind-powered communication. Dive into the future of brain-computer interfaces—read the full story now!

{ https://twinmind.com/ }

30-12-2025 om 20:48 geschreven door peter  

Things You Only Notice In The Fifth Element The Second Time Around

Uncover hidden details, clever Easter eggs, and subtle references in The Fifth Element that even die-hard fans might have missed. Dive deeper into this sci-fi classic with fresh insights and fun facts.

Though it bombed at the box office back in 1997, "The Fifth Element" has become the ultimate sci-fi cult classic. There's a story behind that transformation, but it really comes down to the incredible amount of work that dozens of people put into making the movie a reality. Director Luc Besson set out to create one of the most imaginative and funny sci-fi films to date, and without a doubt, he succeeded.

"The Fifth Element" centers on taxi driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) and resurrected perfect being Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). The unlikely couple have a chance meeting that leads them out into deep space and on a quest to save the world from a galactic-scale evil threat. In the background of their grand adventure is a deeply intriguing world filled with alien opera singers, incompetent government officials, and capitalist villains willing to sacrifice Earth for power.

Besson's film is the kind of movie that warrants multiple viewings. Plenty of its fans were kids in 1997 and are just now realizing how many details in "The Fifth Element" were just for adults. It's not all raunchy humor and political satire, though. If you haven't seen "The Fifth Element" in a while, there's plenty of good and bad to be discovered on a second viewing.

Was that Luke Perry?

Gaumont Buena Vista International

"The Fifth Element" has a truly star-studded cast. It's not every day you see people like Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, and Gary Oldman all sharing the screen. Even the movie's smaller characters are played by excellent actors like Brion James and Tom Lister Jr. — and then of course there's Chris Tucker's character, Ruby Rhod.

The first time you watch the movie, it's easy to be so starstruck that you actually miss one or two big stars who get featured in the movie. On a second pass, though, you'll notice that even extremely minor characters are played by recognizable actors. 

There's a reason, for instance, why Billy looks so familiar in the beginning of the movie. Billy is a research assistant who witnesses aliens landing on Earth in 1914. He's got a very small part to play in the movie, which is a little strange considering he's played by Luke Perry. By 1997 Perry was an established star, with seven years of "Beverly Hills 90210" and plenty of other roles under his belt. Perry is the kind of actor who regularly showed up in unexpected places, but even when he doesn't have that much to do in a movie, he brings a certain level of charm to a character.

The score is even better than you remember

Gaumont Buena Vista International

People pay plenty of attention to the visual effects in "The Fifth Element," and they should: Everything from model work to murals to prosthetics got used to make the sci-fi world of Luc Besson's imagination come to life. The visual style of "The Fifth Element" sticks with you long after you watch the film, and revisiting it down the road, you'll realize that the movie looks just as good today as it did in 1997. The visuals are so good, in fact, that they just might distract you from how incredible the movie's score really is.

The first time, it's easy to lose track of the music and get lost in the action, but watching the movie a second time makes the score really stand out. At every step of the way the music supports what's happening on screen, but there are some moments that are even more striking  than the visual effects. The passage playing during Leeloo's initial escape into Korben's taxi is a particular highlight.

Of course, the biggest musical moment comes during Diva Plavalaguna's performance. Composer Eric Serra knew that creating an alien opera was a tall order, and he wrote the piece to purposely include notes beyond the reach of the human voice. Opera singer Inva Mula recorded the vocal performance, and she was actually able to sing a majority of what Serra had written. Some careful digital editing took care of the rest and perfected Plavalaguna's otherworldly song.

2263 desperately needs police reform

Gaumont Buena Vista International

At its heart, "The Fifth Element" is an adventure story. Korben's chance encounter with Leeloo sends his life spiraling in a new direction, and the two of them end up racing across deep space to save the universe from evil. The movie introduces some dazzling locations and sci-fi concepts, but it doesn't spend nearly as much time developing them as it does rushing through the plot. That's why every time you rewatch the movie, you'll notice new small details about the world — and sometimes they're a little concerning.

By the end of the movie, we don't know all that much about New York City circa 2263, but we've gotten enough details to learn that the city is a borderline dystopia. Korben's life as a taxi driver gives us a glimpse into the capitalist nightmare that seems to have taken over this version of the future, and his chase with the police lets us know that New York really needs to consider some drastic reform measures.

As Korben's taxi races past a police hover car early in the movie, we see that the NYPD of 2263 wears full metal body armor at all times, even if they're at a fast food drive-thru. When the police start to pursue Korben, it quickly becomes clear that collateral damage isn't a concern for them. They all but tear apart the city trying to get Korben, and they don't even succeed. Life as a pedestrian in this future NYC has to be a bit scary.

Leeloo speaks a real language

Gaumont Buena Vista International

When Leeloo lands in the back of Korben's taxi, she doesn't know where she is, and she definitely doesn't know how to speak English. Considering that she's just been essentially resurrected and brought into the future from thousands of years in the past, she learns how to communicate remarkably quickly. Though she picks up more and more English as the movie progresses, most of the time Leeloo speaks a language beyond anyone's comprehension.

At least, most of the people in the movie have a hard time understanding her. In reality, the language that Leeloo speaks is entirely real, and it was created by director Luc Besson just for this movie. Besson spent 15 years developing the world of "The Fifth Element," and in all that time he also spent some effort creating a dictionary for the Divine Language. Besson invented around 400 words so that Leeloo could, in theory, say everything she needs to say through the entire movie in a real language. Besson and Milla Jovovich both became so fluent in the Divine Language that they even used it to communicate with each other while filming.

Did Korben work for Zorg?

Gaumont Buena Vista International

"The Fifth Element" gets more mileage than most movies out of playing with tropes and character archetypes. The story has a traditional big evil and a chosen one destined to defeat it. Leeloo and Korben both get to play out different takes on the hero archetype, while Zorg (Gary Oldman) stands in for the movie's real villain. The movie sets up a story that's initially familiar, but it subverts the usual formula whenever it can.

One of the oddest parts about "The Fifth Element" is that the heroes and the villains never actually see each other face to face. Obviously the big space evil is a kind of amorphous entity that would probably have trouble standing on the surface of Earth, but Leeloo and Korben never even meet Zorg, the evil's human representative. They save the day without ever properly squaring off against Zorg, but that doesn't mean they have no connection to Zorg whatsoever.

After using his taxi to escape from the police, Korben loses his job, and that's actually Zorg's first strike against our heroes. The first time they watch the movie, most people probably miss a small detail on Korben's termination notice. Zorg owns the company that fires Korben, so even though the two never directly meet, their conflict is still personal.

The future's military needs better leadership

Gaumont Buena Vista International

According to "The Fifth Element," by 2263 humanity will have spread out to the stars and made contact with alien civilizations. Earth will be filled with sprawling cities, hover cars, and the kind of technology that lets you regrow life from tissue samples. The future sounds amazing, but when you really think about the people who are in charge of the planet, you might have second thoughts about that.

Earth's military has a big role to play in "The Fifth Element." They're the ones who make first contact with the great evil that employs Zorg, and they eventually help send Korben and Leeloo on their journey to save the world. It might be fair to say all's well that ends well, but the movie shows us over and over again how incompetent the future leadership of Earth really is.

The President, played by Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr., never seems to have any idea what's really going on. He's willing to take advice from Ian Holm's Cornelius, despite having very little evidence that the priest knows what he's talking about when it comes to epic space evils. The military, on the other hand, is represented by Brion James's character General Munro. You'd want a general to have a sound tactical mind, but Korben manages to outsmart Munro, leaving him trapped in a freezer in his apartment while he escapes with Leeloo. The movie is definitely saying something about people in power, but it's also depicting a future we'd all be better off avoiding.

Even the characters are surprised by Chris Tucker

Gaumont Buena Vista International

"The Fifth Element" is filled with great performances, but Chris Tucker's appearance as Ruby Rhod is one of the most memorable parts of the entire movie. From clothing to hair, Ruby's sense of style is something that you won't forget after seeing it. Tucker brings a tremendous amount of energy to the role, transforming Ruby into an unbelievably entertaining powerhouse entertainer. Ruby immediately steals the scene, and even the characters in the movie seem to be a bit stunned by Tucker's performance.

It turns out that everyone on set probably was just as surprised by Tucker as anyone who's ever watched "The Fifth Element." Tucker told EW that when he took the part, hardly anyone knew what the role was supposed to be. "They were really protective of the script," he recalled. "They didn't let anyone know what the part was." Even Tucker himself was kept mostly in the dark. All he knew was that Prince was supposed to play the role, but he passed it up because the costumes were too outlandish. Tucker didn't know what to think, until he saw the costume for himself.

"I was kind of like 'Whoof, this is a deep, deep character,'" Tucker said, adding, "But all that stuff really helped me get into character." Get into character Tucker did, and the movie's other actors couldn't help but let their genuine reactions to Tucker's performance bleed into their own work.

Zorg might be Gary Oldman's scariest villain

Gaumont Buena Vista International

Gary Oldman is one of the greatest character actors of his generation. He's played some heroic characters, like Detective Jim Gordon in the "Dark Knight" trilogy and Sirius Black in the "Harry Potter" films, but Oldman really shines as a villain. Whether he's playing a shapeshifting vampire in "Bram Stoker's Dracula" or the crazed mayor of a post-apocalyptic town in "The Book of Eli," Oldman brings a chilling energy to all his baddies.

Amidst all the aliens and shiny scenery, it can be easy to lose track of Oldman's character Zorg in "The Fifth Element," but the second time through you'll realize how terrifying he really is. What makes Zorg so scary isn't that he's working for a terrible evil, but that communicating with his evil boss seems to shake Zorg to his very core. On the phone with the evil entity, Zorg's head spontaneously starts bleeding, and his own terror is very apparent. Despite his fear, he keeps trying to help the evil grow in power.

Oldman's performance in the movie is even more impressive if you know the context surrounding it. In an interview with Role Recall, Oldman admitted that he only took the role as a favor to Luc Besson. He didn't even read the script before agreeing to be in the movie, and it doesn't sound like he's a huge fan of the finished product. When told that "The Fifth Element" has become a cult classic, Oldman just laughed and said, "That's the wacky world we live in."

Leeloo may have inspired another sci-fi hero

Gaumont Buena Vista International

As a character, Leeloo is obviously based on "chosen one" tropes that are as old as time itself. The movie repeatedly says that she's supposed to be a perfect being. It's not just that Leeloo is destined to save the world, but also that she has some borderline magical abilities. She's an incredibly fast learner, and all but a champion fighter with little to no training whatsoever. Korben plays a central role in the story, but it's really Leeloo who's the hero of "The Fifth Element."

As much as she's based on mythological heroes from stories that came before her, Leeloo has also gone on to inspire other sci-fi heroes. Her influence can easily be seen in characters like River from "Firefly" and "Serenity," but she has a very particular similarity with another major '90s sci-fi "chosen one." In the movie Leeloo learns how to fight — and a majority of human history — by watching video feeds on a small screen. She basically downloads the knowledge into her head. Two years after the debut of "The Fifth Element," Neo learns his own fighting techniques using a very similar method in "The Matrix."

There's no replacement for practical effects

Gaumont Buena Vista International

There are plenty of '90s sci-fi movies that don't hold up visually today. CGI has come a long way in the past three decades, and movies that went all in on the technology back then are really starting to show their age. "The Fifth Element" has no shortage of special effects, but the movie still looks fantastic today because so much of what happens on screen was created practically.

Luc Besson knew that his movie was going to demand an excessive amount of visual effects. It took more than 160 people to create the 220 visual effects shots that made it into the movie, and the team filmed plenty more that didn't survive the editing room. Besson employed model makers and artists to make his world as realistic as possible. The spaceships shown in the movie are real models. So is Korben's taxi, and even some of the New York City streets that he flies it down. A second viewing gives one plenty of time to really appreciate the level of effort that went into making "The Fifth Element" as visually engaging as it is.

The movie is plagued by stereotypes

Gaumont Buena Vista International

Unfortunately, not everything that you notice about "The Fifth Element" when watching it again is good. There are plenty of things to praise about the movie, from the performances to the music to the visual effects, but decades later it also stands out for being filled to the brim with misogynist stereotypes.

There's no way around it: "The Fifth Element" does a terrible job depicting women. Leeloo is basically the only human woman on screen the entire movie, and even though she's a hardcore action hero, she still ends up falling into the damsel in distress role more than once. As badass as Leeloo may be on her own, the movie doesn't let her be a hero without the help of Korben. She's also wearing little more than some strategically placed bandages for the first third of the film.

It's the other women in the movie that get a really problematic portrayal. Korben's mother and ex-wife — heard only as voices talking to Korben over the phone — are depicted as greedy nags who won't let Korben live his life in peace. They call Korben to ask him for money or berate him for supposedly going on vacation, and the movie plays these moments for laughs as Korben rolls his eyes and desperately tries to avoid interacting with them as much as possible. Those cringe-worthy moments don't ruin the film by any means, but they may tarnish your memories of it on that second viewing.

{ https://www.looper.com/category/science-fiction/ }

30-12-2025 om 18:55 geschreven door peter  

Nessie, is that you? Loch Ness Monster has been 'spotted' FIVE times this year, official records show

• READ MORE: British daredevil swimming 1,000 miles around Iceland's coastline

By  SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

The Loch Ness Monster was 'spotted' five times in 2025, official records have revealed. 

The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped.

Since then, 1,165 sightings have been recorded by The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. 

The five sightings of the creature, nicknamed Nessie, took place across just an eight-month period. 

The first was on 22 March, when a couple visiting from London spotted a mysterious 'hump' in the water. 

Two months later, in May, a visitor reported a 'long and thin' creature in a boat's wake. 

In August, a 'long time local' reported a sighting, before two visitors claimed to spot Nessie within weeks of each other in October. 

Here's a closer look at the five sightings, and exactly what was seen. 

In May, a visitor viewing the loch from a high vantage point at around 15:40 spotted a small motor boat entering the bay

22 March 

At around 7pm on 22 March, a couple visiting from London heard a 'quiet splash' at Fort Augustus. 

'We were right at the point where the River Taff connects to Loch Ness, on the north bank,' one of them said. 

'At first I noticed a very quiet splash sound as if something was cutting stealthily into the water and this drew my attention to the south side of the water. 

'There I saw something moving through the water, between 130 and 160 feet away from us. 

'It was paler than the jet-black water around it, but in the gloom it was impossible to determine a hue.'

The couple described the sighting as a 'hump', adding that it was 'large and alive'.  

'Kind of like if a large seal or walrus was swimming in the water but for some reason it's head was hidden, like just it's back was exposed,' they explained. 

The mythical creature has been a staple feature of Scottish folklore for centuries, but gained worldwide attention in 1933, when the first photo was snapped

In late August, a long time local resident shot a two-minute video of something under the water near Lochend

While it was too dark to pick up on details like texture, the couple soon realised that there was a second mass in its wake.

'It was roughly the same size and shape as the leading mass but perhaps lower in the water,' they added. 

'There was maybe 1.5 to 2 meters gap between the humps from my line of sight. I think until I saw the second hump I was thinking it was a seal that was behaving strangely.'

The creature soon left the area, moving towards the deeper part of the loch, before disappearing.  

'Later when we talked about it, my partner told me that from her vantage point it was clear that the two humps were on one creature, that it was one long creature,' the viewer added. 

23 May

In May, a visitor viewing the loch from a high vantage point at around 15:40 spotted a small motor boat entering the bay. 

Using binoculars, he peered at the boat's wake, and spotted something 'long and thin' pop up.

On 15 October, Peter Hoyle was visiting the Loch from Moray, when he spotted a dark shape sticking out of the water

While the object vanished a few times, he managed to catch it on film, with the entire sighting lasting just five minutes.   

29 August

In late August, a long time local resident shot a two-minute video of something under the water near Lochend. 

Filmed at 09:15 during 'calm clear conditions', the footage shows an unusual disturbance pattern on the surface of the water. 

Despite living in the area for 30 years, the resident said they had 'never seen anything like this before.'  

15 October 

On 15 October, Peter Hoyle was visiting the Loch from Moray, when he spotted a dark shape sticking out of the water. 

The shape was moving from the right side of the loch to the left, travelling 'fairly quickly, but not boat speed'. 

Finally, Mishawn Mielke, a tourist from Texas, was visiting Urquhart Castle when she reported seeing a black head in the water at 14.45

Within 30 seconds, the shape had disappeared into the depths of the water - although Mr Hoyle did manage to capture footage of the short sighting. 

28 October 2025

Finally, Mishawn Mielke, a tourist from Texas, was visiting Urquhart Castle when she reported seeing a black head in the water at 14.45. 

'I first saw it and was like wow, that looks just like images I saw from the sightings website,' she said.

'It didn't look like a wave, it actually looked like the head of something popping up. it made a distinct pattern in the water I couldn't see anywhere else, kind of like its own wake. And than it was gone. 

'From that distance I'd say the water pattern was at least 3m long.'

Webcam images

Four sightings were also reported via webcam images in 2025, although these are listed separately.

Read More

• Nessie hunters are telling the truth! Those who spot the monster really do see something, study says 

'Over the past few years, and especially during the Covid crisis, many images that we receive come from the Loch Ness Webcam,' The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register explains on its website.

'For reasons outwith the control of the camera operators, the resolution of some of the images from the camera has at times been less than ideal. 

'As such, it has been more difficult to identify what some images submitted. 

'Given they are still "unexplained" though, we decided that from 2021 onwards, such images would be listed separately from those that are reported by people who saw something while physically at the loch.'

What IS the Loch Ness Monster?

Rumours of a strange creature living in the waters of Loch Ness have abounded over the decades, yet scant evidence has been found to back up these claims.

One of the first sightings, believed to have fuelled modern Nessie fever, came in May 2, 1933.  

On this date the Inverness Courier carried a story about a local couple who claim to have seen 'an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface'.

Another famous claimed sighting is a photograph taken in 1934 by Colonel Robert Kenneth Wilson.

It was later exposed as a hoax by one of the participants, Chris Spurling, who, on his deathbed, revealed that the pictures were staged.

Other sightings James Gray's picture from 2001 when he and friend Peter Levings were out fishing on the Loch, while namesake Hugh Gray's blurred photo of what appears to be a large sea creature was published in the Daily Express in 1933.

Robert Kenneth Wilson, a London physician, captured arguably the most famous image of the Loch Ness Monster. The surgeon’s photograph was published in the Daily Mail on April 21, 1934 - however it was later proven to be a fake 

The first reported sighting of the monster is said to have been made in AD565 by the Irish missionary St Columba when he came across a giant beast in the River Ness.

But no one has ever come up with a satisfactory explanation for the sightings - although in 2019, 'Nessie expert' Steve Feltham, who has spent 24 years watching the Loch, said he thought it was actually a giant Wels Catfish, native to waters near the Baltic and Caspian seas in Europe.

An online register lists more than 1,000 total Nessie sightings, created by Mr Campbell, the man behind the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and is available at www.lochnesssightings.com. 

So what could explain these mysterious sightings? 

Many Nessie witnesses have mentioned large, crocodile-like scutes sitting atop the spine of the creature, leading some to believe an escaped amphibian may be to blame.

Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have ridged backs, which make them look almost reptilian.

Some believe Nessie is a long-necked plesiosaur - like an elasmosaur - that survived somehow when all the other dinosaurs were wiped out.

Others say the sightings are down to Scottish pines dying and flopping into the loch, before quickly becoming water-logged and sinking.

While submerged, botanical chemicals start trapping tiny bubbles of air.

Eventually, enough of these are gathered to propel the log upward as deep pressures begin altering its shape, giving the appearance of an animal coming up for air.

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

30-12-2025 om 18:23 geschreven door peter  

A snapshot of the universe at work: Incredible image shows 'star-making factory' inside a Large Magellanic Cloud

By JAKE HOLDEN, UK NEWS REPORTER

A new picture from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a beautiful 'star-making factory' deep in the universe this week.

The image focuses in on a piece of space 160,000 light years from Earth in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

That means it takes light 160,000 years to travel the distance to this 'star factor', so this is actually what it looked like 160,000 years ago.

Here on Earth, Neanderthals were extinct only 40,000 years ago, so would still be roaming our planet for another 120,000 years after this light was emitted from the factory.

This is an unfathomably gigantic scale the telescope has revealed, with the full width of this factory being 150 light years across too.

Thick clouds of cold hydrogen - star fuel - twist over the giant area, glowing deep red where baby stars are forming, burning.

Some erratic stars have blasted their surroundings with powerful stellar winds which carve out giant bubbles in the gas.

The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby dwarf irregular galaxy which is a satellite of our Milky Way, slowly orbiting our galaxy. The Milky Way itself is 100,000 light years across.

It is visible in the southern hemisphere of Earth in the constellations of Dorado and Mensa, showing as a large misty cloud, easily seen by the naked eye in dark skies.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been in a low Earth orbit for the past three decades and has been revealing far away pieces of space for all that time. It is a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

This new picture from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a 'star factory' at work in the Large Magellanic Cloud

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

30-12-2025 om 18:04 geschreven door peter  

They’re some of the most sterile places on Earth – but scientists have discovered dozens of new bacterial species inside NASA’s cleanrooms.

These facilities are ultra-sanitised, highly controlled spaces where spacecraft and sensitive instruments are built and tested.

They are designed to prevent any form of contamination and to stop unwanted microbes from hitching a ride to other planets.

So experts were left stunned after finding 26 tiny living organisms – all previously unknown bacterial species – in the Kennedy Space Center cleanrooms in Florida.

Despite stringent measures including filtering air, the strict regulation of temperature and humidity and the use of harsh chemical detergents, these microbes have somehow managed to survive.

‘It was a genuine “stop and re-check everything” moment,’ Alexandre Rosado, a professor of Bioscience at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, told Live Science.

Recent analysis of these microbes has shed light on how they can live – and even thrive – in one of the harshest man-made environments on Earth.

And it turns out they have genes that help them resist the effects of radiation and even repair their own DNA.

A selection of the 26 new bacterial species discovered in the cleanroom, despite the facility being ultra-sanitised and highly controlled

The Phoenix Mars Lander in the cleanroom at the Kennedy Space Center. This photograph was taken in 2007, when bacterial samples were collected from the floor

The main goal of cleanrooms is to stop Earth’s organisms contaminating other planets that could potentially contain life.

They also play a crucial role in protecting Earth from potential alien hitchhikers in returned samples.

However, ‘cleanrooms don’t contain “no” life’, Professor Rosado said. ‘Our results show these new species are usually rare but can be found.’

The new species were identified lurking in cleanrooms where NASA assembled its Phoenix Mars Lander in 2007.

They were collected and preserved at the time, and recent advances in DNA technology has allowed scientists to properly analyse them.

The findings, published in the journal Microbiome, read: ‘Maintaining the biological cleanliness of NASA’s mission-associated cleanrooms, where spacecraft are assembled and tested, is critical for planetary protection.

‘Even with stringent controls such as regulated airflow, temperature management and rigorous cleaning, resilient microorganisms can persist in these environments, posing potential risks for space missions.’

The next step, experts said, is to figure out whether any of these tiny organisms could have potentially tolerated conditions during a journey to Mars’ northern polar cap, where Phoenix landed in 2008.

This image shows Phoenix hanging from its parachute as it descended to the Martian surface in 2008

Experts said the next step is to work out whether any of these microorganisms could have survived the trip to the Red Planet. Pictured: The Phoenix Lander on Mars

Professor Rosado said several species do carry genes that may help them adapt to the stresses of spaceflight.

Read More

• A celestial oasis? NASA's Perseverance Rover discovers evidence of tropical rainfall on Mars
  

But their survival would depend on how they handle the harsh conditions of the journey and on the Red Planet itself, including exposure to vacuum, deep cold and high levels of UV.

To explore this further, the team plan to test the microbes inside a ‘planetary simulation chamber’ that could reveal whether they could survive a trip through space.

One is currently being built at JAUST, with its first experiments expected to commence in early 2026.

The team said that beyond space exploration, these microbes hold ‘immense promise’ for biotechnology as their resistance to radiation and chemical stressors could drive innovations in medicine, pharmaceuticals and the food industry.

MARS: THE BASICS

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

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

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

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

Facts and Figures 

Orbital period: 687 days

Surface area: 55.91 million mi²

Distance from Sun: 145 million miles

Gravity: 3.721 m/s²

Radius: 2,106 miles

Moons: Phobos, Deimos

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

30-12-2025 om 17:54 geschreven door peter  

Het Laatste Decennium: 10 jaar Onverklaarde UFO-gevallen uit Project Blue Book

De jaren 60 waren een stuk rustiger voor Project Blue Book

Inleiding

Tegenwoordig is de interesse in UFO’s (Unidentified Flying Objects) en de mogelijkheid van buitenaardse aanwezigheid opnieuw toegenomen. Hoewel deze onderwerpen vaak worden afgedaan als complottheorieën of pseudowetenschap, is de geschiedenis van UFO-onderzoeken rijk aan mysterieuze incidenten die nog altijd vragen oproepen. Een van de meest bekende nationale onderzoeken naar UFO’s uit de Verenigde Staten is Project Blue Book (1952-1969). Dit overheidsinitiatief probeerde de vele rapportages over vreemde objecten in de lucht te onderzoeken en te classificeren. Maar ondanks de uitgebreide documentatie en officiële rapporten blijven veel gevallen onverklaard.

In dit artikel onderzoeken we de onverklaarde gevallen uit het laatste decennium van Project Blue Book, met focus op voorbeelden uit de jaren zestig, en we plaatsen deze in een bredere historische en contextuele kader. Daarbij belichten we ook de zienswijzen, de methodologie van het onderzoek en de mogelijke patronen die uit deze gevallen kunnen worden afgeleid. We bouwen verder op de basis van de originele rapporten, brengen voorbeelden met details, en analyseren de betekenis van deze incidenten binnen het grotere UFO-onderzoek.

Het doel is om niet alleen de feiten te presenteren, maar ook een gestructureerde en uitvoerige analyse te bieden die de lezer een helder inzicht geeft in de complexiteit en de raadsels die de menselijke lucht boven ons blijven bedekken.

Veel UFO-waarnemingen bereikten Project Blue Book niet

Hoofdstuk 1: Het Achtergrondverhaal van Project Blue Book

1.1 Het ontstaan en de doelstellingen van Blue Book

Project Blue Book werd in 1952 gestart onder leiding van het Amerikaanse ministerie van defensie. Het hoofddoel was het onderzoeken van UFO-meldingen die werden gedaan door militaire personeel, piloten, burgerwachten en gewone burgers. Men wilde bepalen of deze verschijnselen een bedreiging vormden voor de nationale veiligheid en of ze technisch verklaarbaar waren.

De onderzoekers probeerden een systematisch aanpak te hanteren: ze verbruikten getuigenverslagen, deden radarbezoeken, en vergeleken waarnemingen. Aanvankelijk was het een serieuze poging om bewijs voor buitenaardse technologie te vinden. Echter, vanaf het begin was er ook sprake van politieke en propagandistische belangen. Men wilde de publieke angst beperken, en rapportages werden soms onderdrukt of aangepast.

1.2 De leiding en de controverse

De eerste leiding van het project was onder leiding van Captain Edward Ruppelt, die bekendstaat als een objectieve en kritische informant over het werk van Blue Book. Ruppelt probeerde de geloofwaardigheid van het onderzoek te behouden en was ervan overtuigd dat er daadwerkelijk onverklaarbare incidenten waren. Nadat Ruppelt in 1953 vertrok, verslechterde de situatie: rapporten werden veel makkelijker afgewezen, en er ontstond een sfeer van onderdrukking en desinformatie.

Bepaalde rapporten werden verwijderd, gecensureerd of neergezet als natuurlijke fenomenen zoals weerballonnen, sterren, sterrenbeelden, of menselijke fouten. Openbare verklaringen werden minder serieus toen duidelijk werd dat het project vooral bedoeld was om de publieke angst te temperen, in plaats van wetenschappelijk onbevooroordeeld te worden.

Toont deze foto een echte UFO?

1.3 De invloed van politieke en militaire belangen

De jaren zestig markeerden een periode van toenemende militaire spanning, met de Koude Oorlog en de Space Race. In die context waren sommige UFO-incidenten mogelijk militaire geheimen of gevechtsvliegdekschepen. De vraag bleef of er soortgelijke verschijnselen technisch verklaarbare oorzaken hadden, of dat ze echt iets bovennatuurlijks of buitenaards waren.

Er was ook sprake van een soort ‘disinfo’ strategie, waarbij men gegevens technische en mysterieus hield om te voorkomen dat vijanden of oppositie zich een beeld konden vormen van nieuwe technologieën of bedreigingen. Veel incidenten konden niet worden verklaard, zelfs niet door geavanceerde radar en sensorische apparatuur.

Kortom, ze sluimerden onder de oppervlakte, en de officiële documenten tonen dat veel rapportages verduisterd of afgewezen werden zonder adequate verklaring.

Hoofdstuk 2: De jaren zestig – Een Bloei van Onverklaarbare Incidenten

2.1 De algemene kenmerken van de waarnemingen

De jaren zestig blijken een bijzonder rijke periode te zijn in termen van UFO-waarnemingen. Uit de rapporten blijkt dat veel waarnemingen zich herhaalden: opvallende lichten, ongewone vormen, grote objecten die stilhielden of plotseling snelheden bereikten die klassieke technologie niet kon halen.

De getuigen variëren van militairen en piloten tot gewone burgers, zoals boeren, studenten, en politieagenten. Betrouwbare getuigen zoals piloten en ervaren militairen meldden incidenten die met radar en visuele waarnemingen werden ondersteund. Dat maakt deze gevallen extra interessant, omdat zij de mogelijkheid bieden om waarnemingen vanuit verschillende bronnen te vergelijken.

Veel UFO-waarnemingen hadden meerdere getuigen

2.2 Voorbeelden van opmerkelijke incidenten uit de jaren zestig

Laten we enkele incidenten in detail bekijken.

a) Het geval van de grote driehoek in Kansas (1961)

In de nacht van 3 januari 1961 meldde een politieagent in Kansas een indrukwekkende driehoekvormige ufo die stil zweefde boven de snelweg. De ufo was ongeveer 200 voet breed, draaide langzaam en leek geen geluid te maken. Toen de agent naderbij kwam, sloeg het object plotseling snel weg en verdween. Het had een glanzend oppervlak en leek uit meerdere lagen te bestaan.

Wat dit incident uniek maakt, is dat het niet alleen visueel werd waargenomen, maar ook radarbevestiging kreeg. Verschillende radarvelden registreerden de bewegingen van het object, wat de onbevooroordeelde wetenschappelijke waarde verhoogt. Het werd ook bevestigd door meerdere getuigen in de omgeving. Dit soort gevallen, waarbij radar- en visuele gegevens overeenkomen, wordt beschouwd als zeer moeilijk te verklaren.

b) Het waarnemingsincident van Michigan (1966)

In Michigan werden meerdere mensen tegelijkertijd getuige van een groot, ringvormig object dat traag door de lucht bewoog. Het object had een halo effect en leek een blauwachtige gloed uit te stralen. Sommige getuigen rapporteerden dat het object zich splitste in kleinere delen en verdween achter de bomen of zich snel vervolmaakte naar een punt.

Het interessante was dat dit fenomeen meerdere keren werd gemeld door olika mensen in korte tijd, en dat enkele waarnemingen werden ondersteund door radardata van nabijgelegen luchthavens. Het verband tussen visuele waarnemingen en radarvermeldingen suggereert dat er werkelijk een fysiek object aanwezig was dat op de een of andere manier niet bekend was.

2.3 Sporen en fysieke effecten

Veel onverklaarde waarnemingen gaan gepaard met fysieke effecten, zoals intense hitte, elektromagnetische verstoringen, en zelfs schade aan apparatuur. Bijvoorbeeld, in een incident in Oklahoma (1962) werd een klein vliegtuig achtervolgd door een rood-oranje vuurbol die zich snel door de lucht bewoog. De piloot meldde dat zijn navigatiesysteem stoorde en dat er een warmtegevoel op de huid was. Sommige onderzoekers vermoeden dat dergelijke fenomenen antimagnetische of energiewaardevolle eigenschappen bezitten.

Wat hebben de twee getuigen die avond precies gezien?

2.4 Voorbeelden van andere opvallende gevallen

• De ‘lighthouse’ in New York (1962): meerdere getuigen meldden een grote, heldere lichtbron die boven de skyline hing. De lichtsterkte deed denken aan een kustlamp, maar bevond zich op een plaats waar geen natuurlijke lichtbronnen bekend waren.

• De landingspoging van een klein object in Oklahoma (1962): getuigen zagen dat een klein, dik object leek te landen en dat er uit het object een man uit een voertuig stapte die zich vreemd gedroeg. Dit soort ‘bijzondere’ waarnemingen roept vragen op over buitenaardse en menselijke factoren.

Hoofdstuk 3: Analyse van de patronen en kenmerken

3.1 De herhaling van kenmerken en patronen

Een belangrijke bevinding uit de verzamelde rapporten is de consistentie: vele waarnemingen delen kenmerken zoals:

• Lichtfenomenen die in verschillende vormen verschijnen: cirkels, driehoeken, cilinders, en kubussen.
• Snelle bewegingen en plotselinge snelheden die de technologische mogelijkheden van de jaren zestig overtreffen.
• Stilstaande of langzaam bewegende objecten, vaak met het vermogen om van vorm te veranderen.
• Felle lichten die van kleur variëren, vooral rood, geel, blauw en groen.
• Geluiden die vaak ontbreken of erg zacht zijn, hoewel sommige getuigen zingen dat ze harde kreunen of sissende geluiden hoorden.

3.2 Radar- en sensorwaarnemingen

De combinatie van visuele waarneming met radarbevestiging is een belangrijke indicator voor de objectiviteit van sommige incidenten. Vooral in militaire en luchthavendossiers blijkt wel dat bepaalde objecten niet alleen visueel, maar ook via radar werden gevolgd en dat ze zich niet konden aanpassen aan bestaande technologie of natuurlijke verschijnselen.

Meldingen van UFO-waarnemingen bleven afnemen voor Blue Book naarmate de jaren '60 vorderden

3.3 fysieke en elektromagnetische effecten

Veel incidenten tonen dat objecten elektromagnetische verstoringen kunnen veroorzaken. Dit viel op in gevallen waar vliegtuigen en communicatieapparatuur uitvallen bij de waarneming van de UFO. Daarnaast worden lichaamseffecten gerapporteerd, zoals warmte, tintelingen en waterige ogen. Sommige onderzoekers vermoeden dat deze verschijnselen te maken hebben met energiegolven die door de objecten worden uitgezonden.

3.4 De rol van de publieke en militaire perceptie

In de jaren zestig was de publieke belangstelling voor UFO’s groot, vooral met de opkomst van de televisiekunst en de nieuwe media. Overheidsrapporten proberen vaak de incidenten te ‘verdammen’ door ze te labelen als natuurlijke fenomenen, menselijke fouten, of ballon- en weerballonnen. Maar de herhaalde onverklaarbare incidenten wijzen op een complex samenspel van natuurlijke en technologische factoren die nog niet volledig zijn begrepen.

Hoofdstuk 4: Conclusies en Reflecties

4.1 De blijvende onverklaarbaarheid

Ondanks de inspanningen van Project Blue Book en de technologische vooruitgang, blijven veel incidenten onverklaard. Vaak wordt er gesuggereerd dat bepaalde fenomenen een bewijs vormen voor buitenaardse intelligentie, terwijl andere mogelijk natuurlijke of menselijke oorzaken hebben.

Ondanks dat er een UFO-golf was, kwamen er in 1964 weinig meldingen bij Blue Book binnen

4.2 Het belang van herziening en onderzoek

Veel gevallen uit de jaren zestig worden nog steeds bestudeerd door UFO-onderzoekers en historische wetenschappers. Het herzien van oude dossiers kan patronen blootleggen die voorheen niet zichtbaar waren, en kan zelfs nieuwe technologieën behulpzaam maken bij de analyse van historische waarnemingen.

In 1966 nam het aantal Blue Book-onderzoeken toe

4.3 De vraag of we echt alleen zijn

De confrontatie met onverklaarbare incidenten benadrukt dat de lucht en de ruimte boven ons vol raadsels blijven. Of deze verschijnselen nu buitenaards, natuurlijke, of door menselijke technologieën veroorzaakt zijn, ze blijven mysterieus en relevant voor de menselijke nieuwsgierigheid en wetenschap.

4.4 Toekomstperspectief

Met de huidige toename aan technologie en sensoren, en de hernieuwde belangstelling van overheden zoals de Amerikaanse Pentagon en NASA, wordt aangenomen dat er meer data en inzichten zullen komen. Openbare transparantie en wetenschappelijk onderzoek kunnen uiteindelijk bepalen of we ooit het antwoord vinden op de vraag: Zijn we echt alleen in de kosmos?

Het verhelderende auto-incident is een van de meest intrigerende die ooit is vastgelegd

Slotwoord

De afgelopen tien jaar laten zien dat de onverklaarde UFO-gevallen niet enkel een fascinerende verzameling raadsels vormen, maar ook een venster bieden op de limieten van onze kennis. Door de historische incidenten te bestuderen en patronen te zoeken, kunnen we misschien op termijn meer begrip krijgen van deze mysteries die ons al decennia lang uitdagen. Het blijft een boeiende uitdaging voor wetenschappers, overheden en nieuwsgierigen om verder te kijken dan de horizon en de waarheid boven tafel te krijgen.

De korte video hieronder onderzoekt de mogelijkheid van UFO's en buitenaards leven.

{ PETER2011 }

29-12-2025 om 23:01 geschreven door peter  

What’s Up with the New Spielberg Movie?

By Bob Spearing - MUFON Director of International Development

Anyone who knows anyone aware of anything happening on UFO Street right now knows that Steven Spielberg is re-entering the UFO movie field after several decades, following his monumental successes with ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But why now?

Personally, I think Close Encounters is a monumental Hollywood success and sucked me into this community based on my own personal experiences that Spielberg seemed to understand. But why now?! Indeed! I certainly don't want to give Spielberg free press here because I don't know his motives apart from the fact that he needs to make money for the studio.

It will undoubtedly be a mega-blockbuster.

It will also skew public opinion in a certain direction. Be careful of the magician showing youhis left hand while his right hand receives you. Is Spielberg part of the cabal? Real or not?

Also, it’s just good ole' product placement, to be honest. Know your audience. Hollywood thrives on this! UAP is the hottest topic in the universe right now because the public is craving answers, and there seems to be a slow rollout by the government and its various mouthpieces that disclosure may be near. OR NOT. Think of how worldwide audiences are being seduced by the 3i/ATLAS affair based on virtually nothing. 

You've got the all everywhere at all times, Lue Elizondo, and a supporting cast of George Knapp, David Grusch, Cris Mellon, Hal Putoff, Eric Davis, Jeremy Corbell, Robert Bigelow, and the folks at Skinwalker, and as if late, a scientist or two at Lockheed, claiming to have reverse-engineered weird stuff, possibly from the future. That stuff is similar to what mysteriously disappeared from a USPS box intended for MUFON, which all adds to the mystery and intrigue. Just stay in the loop! They rob us from time to time! Isn’t that to be expected, though?

On the governmental side, we have advocates for disclosure like Representatives Anna Luna, Tim Burchett, Andre Carson, and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and the late Harry Reid, who got the whole gig going by funding AATIP, which has morphed into the mess that is the less-than-useless All Doman Resolution Office (AARO.) Let's not leave out those photo pixelating folks at NASA also. 

We have endless Congressional Hearings, with the latest being held by Representative Nancy Mace. If you go back to the glory days of Ufology, NICAP was reaching out to our Congressional members as far back as the late 50s. Yet we reinvent the wheel every 5 years or so. With no results. EVER. Or at least, if you are privileged enough to get the skinny in a Congressional briefing behind closed doors in the "SCIF. You are golden! Why nothing for us, the public?" LOL! What a fix!

So, what gives? Is Spielberg a truly independent filmmaker, or is his new movie, rumored to be  entitled "Disclosure"; a life-like interpretation of an alien contact, or is it like propaganda to keep the UFO Community begging for more per governmental requirements?

Interestingly, when Spielberg was in consultations with J Allen Hynek and Jacque Vallee, on Close Encounters, Vallee (brilliantly portrayed by the late Francois Truffet in the movie), Vallee suggested at the time that maybe it wasn't aliens but something far different. And perhaps even more exotic and anomalous. I remember that. Do you? Exactly!

At the time, Spielberg’s response, to paraphrase, was that people wanted aliens.

I think on this point, 40 years later, Vallee will be on the winning side of this argument. It’s far more weird than we ever considered, and is Spielberg finally catching up, or is he being directed?

Spielberg is intimating perhaps it's not aliens at all but humans from 500,000 years in the future!

Why that number? Why not 100 years from now or 1,000? What a grand departure from 40-plus years ago in his thinking. But is it his thinking or putting out the party line? Things have changed since the 80s. Where did he come up with the 500,000-year number? Out of whole cloth? Or is he privy to something we do not know about or never will because we are not part of the enlightened elite like him?

The initial ad for Spielberg’s new movie is very cryptic, the first ad showing what appears to be a bird’s head with a human eye. That, at least, is my interpretation. It’s cryptic indeed. Maybe it's?the dinosaurs coming back? I hope that's not the Jurassic plot. I really hope not!

Even still, that would suggest a nod towards human evolution and a complete erasure of his Close Encounters of the 1980s concerning aliens. 

It also, in a way, leads to a theory of time travel. Are aliens US from a far, far future?

Is the government’s hand being forced now by human tools in the form of whistleblowers, preparing us for some revelation? Interrupting or even destroying their disclosure plans. Is it a giantclusterf…! If so, who is in charge? Governments or whistleblowers throwing everything on its head!? I guess that whistleblowers will be the first to lose!

What happens next?

There is a certain angst in the reluctance to fulfill disclosure. WHY? In some circles, including?intimations from prominent UFO spokespersons, that the reality of who is operating these.UFO/UAP are of such dire reality that the public cannot absorb it all at once. If this is true, we?certainly face a dark and dystopian reality that could destroy civilization when disclosure actually occurs! Then again, is it all a psyop?

In the final analysis, considering longstanding free and open grassroots organizations like MUFON and NUFORC are under attack like never before, with the sudden appearance of the Department of War entities like AARO, other governmental entities under serious suspicion, and factual disregard like NASA, and the sudden appearance of mysterious private corporations like Enigma Labs, funded by billionaire Peter Thiel, with multi-billion dollar contracts held with the

Department of War via his Palantir company, YOU, the public, YOU, the UFO Street, should be very, very, very concerned that what is going down might be the largest “Psyop” in human. history. A perfect storm of cooperation between government, military, media, the entertainment establishment, and industry ever conceived to hide the truth from us all. 

Be very careful when you submit your UFO report. Do you want it to go into useless black holeslike AARO, NASA, Enigma, or even worse, tiny little startups that come and go like the?  International UFO Bureau, or do you want an established organization like MUFON with over 700 certified field investigators from numerous forensic backgrounds reaching out to you in real time getting the job done? Real investigations that the government has zero access to?

We have been doing the Air Force’s job since 1969! No one owns us! NO-ONE!

Our database has 145,099 cases. 

Report your encounter to:

• https://mufoncms.com/public_report/

Consider joining us at:

• www.mufon.com/join

RELATED VIDEOS

{ www.mufon.com }

29-12-2025 om 21:43 geschreven door peter  

The biggest unanswered questions in the Bible

©Getty Images

The biggest unanswered questions in the Bible
The Bible remains the best-selling book of all time, but to this day scholars and theologists debate on a number of inconsistencies. Indeed, many parts of the Bible have been confirmed to be true by science. As for others, well, not quite. In fact, some parts of the Bible remain a complete mystery.

Curious to learn what the biggest unanswered questions in the Bible are? Then read through!

©Getty Images

The location of the Garden of Eden
The original home of Adam and Eve, from where they were cast out by God, remains one of the mysterious locations in the Bible.

©Getty Images

The location of the Garden of Eden
It is true that the whole story can be interpreted as a metaphor, but what if one interprets it literally? Where would the Garden of Eden be located, after all? We can find some hints in Genesis 2.

©Getty Images

The location of the Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:10 says that, “A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers” (the specific wording depends on the Bible translation). And then it mentions their names: Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (the Tigris), and Phirat (the Euphrates).

©Getty Images

The location of the Garden of Eden
This hint has led to speculations that the Garden of Eden was located either in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Kuwait), or modern-day Turkey or Armenia. Though the specific location has, thus far, not been located.

©Shutterstock

There are two creation stories
In Genesis 1, God creates male and female at the same time. But then, in the very next chapter, Genesis 2, God created a woman from a man’s rib.

©Getty Images

There are two creation stories
Not only that, but even God himself is described as having two different names: Elohim in the first account, and YHWH in the second.

Metaphorical interpretation aside, there are indeed two different versions of the creation story. Sure, these may have been an editorial mistake when putting the Bible together, but still, which story should we trust and why?

©Getty Images

Who were the "sons of God?"
Genesis 6:2 says that, “The sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.” So who were these “sons of God,” after all?

©Getty Images

Who were the "sons of God?"
There are various interpretations of who the "sons of God" were. Some theories point to fallen angels, while others say they might be the descendants of Seth (one of Adam and Eve's children). The Bible, however, doesn’t really tell us who they were for sure.

©Getty Images

What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant, which is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, contains the Ten Commandments tablets. But whatever happened to such an important piece of Biblical history?

©Getty Images

What really happened to the Ark of the Covenant?
There is a theory that the Ark ended up in Ethiopia and it’s in Aksum today, where it’s guarded by a monk. Other theories point to the Ark being hidden somewhere beneath Jerusalem. To this day, no one has found it.

©Getty Images

Who is Lucifer?
He’s Satan, right? Well, there’s more to it, actually. Isaiah 14:12-17 mentions the story of Lucifer, however, you won’t find any connection to Satan or the Devil. Just that he’s a fallen angel who was cast down to earth by God for wanting to be above him.

©Getty Images

Who is Lucifer?
But then Luke 10:18-20 mentions Satan falling "like lightning from heaven." So, yes, it seems like Lucifer and Satan fell down from heaven, but are they the same? It is possible that the connection between the two was made after the Bible was written.

©Getty Images

Who is Lucifer?
So, who is Lucifer, after all? Some theories point to the hypothesis that Lucifer was a reference to a Babylonian ruler. Another theory says that Lucifer was simply the Latin word for “morning star,” but the truth is that no one knows for sure.

©Getty Images

What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
Not much is documented in the Bible about Jesus’ so-called "lost years." So what was Jesus up to between the ages of 12 and 30, after all?

©Getty Images

What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
Some theories say Jesus stayed in Nazareth, while others say he went to study elsewhere. Locations range from Alexandria, in Egypt, to India.

©Getty Images

What happened during the "lost years" of Jesus?
It is possible that Jesus studied with the Jewish mystic group the Essenes, or that he traveled as far as Britain with his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, who was a tin trader. The truth is that there is no solid evidence of any of these hypotheses.

©Getty Images

How did humanity multiply?
Okay, so Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden and went on to have babies. But then for humans to multiply they had to intermarry, right? After all, there were no other humans around.

©Shutterstock

How did humanity multiply?
Not only does it sound wrong, but scientifically speaking this wouldn’t have worked out. We need genetic diversity to thrive as healthy humans. So what gives?

©Getty Images

How did humanity multiply?
Well, one theory says that God either prevented genetic disorders that would likely happen from incestuous relationships, or that, indeed, he created more than two humans.

©Getty Images

What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
Both the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah were formed by 12 tribes of Hebrew people. While there is historical evidence of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (which formed the Kingdom of Judah and are considered the ancestors of modern Jews), the remaining 10 tribes are not well documented.

©Getty Images

What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
The tribes were reportedly overtaken by Assyria and exiled from the Kingdom of Israel. But where did they go? Some theories say they traveled to Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, Ethiopia, and even as far as Asia and North America.

©Getty Images

What happened to the lost tribes of Israel?
It is also possible that they merged with other non-Hebraic cultures and their traditions faded away over the years. Despite all the theories, no one knows for sure what happened to the lost tribes of Israel.

©Getty Images

Where is Noah’s Ark?
It is true that the Great Flood might have happened (though not on a global scale as the Bible mentions). But if Noah’s Ark did, too, what happened to it?

©Getty Images

Where is Noah’s Ark?
Over the years, numerous theories have emerged, and 'evidence' has been found, though none was robust enough or indeed conclusive.

©Getty Images

Where is Noah’s Ark?
One example includes wooden fragments discovered on Turkey's Mount Ararat. Being made of wood, it’s very possible that if the Ark ever existed, it rotted and disappeared over the years.

©Public Domain

What happened to Enoch and Elijah?
The Bible says that Enoch (the father of the 969-year-old Methuselah), one of the 'two witnesses,' "walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away." But what does that mean? Did he die? Did he join God in heaven?

©Getty Images

What happened to Enoch and Elijah?
According to Kings 2 2:1, Elijah, the other witness, who was a prophet, “Went up by a whirlwind into heaven” in a chariot of fire. If indeed this was a description of his death, why did he ascend to heaven? He was a man, after all.

Sources:

• (Grunge)

See also:

•  Rediscovering the lost books of the Bible

RELATED VIDEOS

{ starsinsider.com }

29-12-2025 om 21:19 geschreven door peter  

6 'lost' cities archaeologists have never found

A Chinook helicopter flies over a stretch of desert in Iraq. Many ancient cities that have not been found are in the Middle East. 

(Image credit: Owen Franken/Getty Images)

Archaeologists have been very busy excavating lost civilizations, but they haven't found everything. There are still prominent ancient cities, including capitals of large kingdoms and empires, that have never been unearthed by scholars.

We know these cities exist because ancient texts describe them, but their location may be lost to time.

In a few cases, looters have found these cities, and have looted large numbers of artifacts from them. But these robbers have not come forward to reveal their location. In this countdown Live Science takes a look at six ancient cities whose whereabouts are unknown.

1. Irisagrig

Not long after the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, thousands of ancient tablets from a city called "Irisagrig" began appearing on the antiquities market. From the tablets, scholars could tell that Irisagrig was in Iraq and flourished around 4,000 years ago.

Those tablets reveal that the rulers of the ancient city lived in palaces that housed many dogs. They also kept lions which were fed cattle. Those that took care of the lions, referred to as "lion shepherds," got rations of beer and bread. The inscriptions also mention a temple dedicated to Enki, a god of mischief and wisdom, and say that festivals were sometimes held within the temple.

Scholars think that looters found and looted Irisagrig around the time the 2003 U.S. invasion took place. Archaeologists have not found the city so far and the looters who did have not come forward and identified where it is.

2. Itjtawy

Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhat I (reign circa 1981 to 1952 B.C.) ordered a new capital city built. This capital was known as "Itjtawy" and the name can be translated as "the seizer of the Two Lands" or "Amenemhat is the seizer of the Two Lands." As the name suggests Amenemhat faced a considerable amount of turmoil. His reign ended with his assassination.

Despite Amenemhat's assassination, Itjtawy would remain the capital of Egypt until around 1640 B.C, when the northern part of Egypt was taken over by a group known as the "Hyksos," and the kingdom fell apart.

While Itjtawy has not been found, archaeologists think it is located somewhere near the site of Lisht, in central Egypt. This is partly because many elite burials, including a pyramid belonging to Amenemhat I, are located at Lisht.

3. Akkad

The city of Akkad (also called Agade) was the capital of the Akkadian Empire, which flourished between 2350 and 2150 B.C. At its peak the empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to Anatolia. Many of its conquests occurred during the reign of "Sargon of Akkad," who lived sometime around 2300 B.C. One of the most important structures in Akkad itself was the "Eulmash," a temple dedicated to Ishtar, a goddess associated with war, beauty and fertility.

Akkad has never been found, but it is thought to have been built somewhere in Iraq. Ancient records indicate that the city was destroyed or abandoned when the Akkadian empire ended around 2150 B.C.

4. Al-Yahudu

Al-Yahudu, a name which means "town" or "city" of Judah, was a place in the Babylonian empire where Jews lived after the kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 B.C. He sent part of the population into exile, a practice the Babylonians often engaged in after conquering a region.

About 200 tablets from the settlement are known to exist and they indicate that the exiled people who lived in this settlement kept their faith and used Yahweh, the name of God, in their names. Al-Yahudu's location has not been identified by archaeologists, but like many of these lost cities, was likely located in what is now Iraq. Given that the tablets showed up on the antiquities market, and there is no record of them being found in an archaeological excavation, it appears that at some point looters succeeded in finding its location.

5. Waššukanni

Waššukanni was the capital city of the Mitanni empire, which existed between roughly 1550 B.C. and 1300 B.C. and included parts of northeastern Syria, southern Anatolia and northern Iraq. It faced intense competition from the Hittite empire in the north and the Assyrian empire in the south and its territory was gradually lost to them.

Waššukanni has never been found and some scholars think that it may be located in northeastern Syria. The people who lived in the capital, and indeed throughout much of its empire, were known as the "Hurrians" and they had their own language which is known today from ancient texts.

6. Thinis

Thinis (also known as Tjenu) was an ancient city in southern Egypt that flourished early in the ancient civilization's history. According to the ancient writer Manetho, it was where some of the early kings of Egypt ruled from around 5,000 years ago, when Egypt was being unified. Egypt's capital was moved to Memphis a bit after unification and Thinis became the capital of a nome (a province of Egypt) during the Old Kingdom (circa 2649 to 2150 B.C.) period, Ali Seddik Othman, an inspector with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, noted in an article published in the Journal of Abydos.

Thinis has never been identified although it is believed to be near Abydos, which is in southern Egypt. This is partly because many elite members of society, including royalty, were buried near Abydos around 5,000 years ago.

RELATED

29-12-2025 om 20:21 geschreven door peter  

2 meter UFO spins, attaches to space station, flies off! UAP paranormal sighting news 👽 Dec 27, 2025 👀

Guys I recorded this yesterday in Taiwan, I haven’t been able to update my site because I’m doing it from my phone right now. I’m busy doing medical stuff, Ct scans etc in a hospital and so my blog is updated less than my YouTube channel. 

This UFO flying in front of the space station is just absolute proof that aliens exist, fly near and land on the hull of the space station. This is several spinning diamonds that change color, shine brightly so they want to be seen. Read the comments on YouTube below the video, eye opening thoughts. 

Scott C. Waring wish me luck at the hospital. 

2 meter UFO spins, attaches to space station, flies off! UAP paranormal sighting news 👽 Dec 27, 2025

• https://youtube.com/watch?v=XvM6g4rMOdU&si=5EQT_LZ04eqZ50Hy

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

29-12-2025 om 18:04 geschreven door peter  

The usual annual highlights include eclipses, full moons, and meteor showers. But let’s look a little further into the future. Here are the most spectacular cosmic events expected to occur before the end of 2100.

The flight of the asteroid Apophis

The first major spectacle, which previously gained notoriety due to distorted media reports, awaits us on April 13, 2029. The asteroid Apophis, with a diameter of 370 m, will fly by at a distance of only 32,000 km from Earth – closer than satellites in geostationary orbit.

Its discovery caused concern. However, more accurate calculations have almost completely ruled out a collision with Earth in this century. Nevertheless, the 2029 flyby is a unique opportunity for science, as such a close approach occurs only about once every 800 years.

The return of Halley’s Comet

The last perihelion of the famous Halley’s Comet took place in 1986. The next return of the tailed guest is expected in 2061. Moreover, next time there will be the most favorable conditions for its observation, because it will be 9 times brighter. It will be a wonderful object for observation. In addition, the comet is expected to meet with Venus, which promises an additional spectacle.

V Sagittae

This faint star in the constellation Sagitta has been slowly but steadily brightening since the early 20th century. Astronomers believe it is a binary system, where two stars are gradually moving closer together. The most popular theory says that towards the end of the century, around 2083±10 years, these stars may merge. This will cause a powerful explosion – the birth of a new or even supernova star. V Sagittae may shine brighter than Sirius in the sky and be visible even during the day for weeks or months.

The Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn

These two giant planets come together in the sky every 20 years. But not every conjunction is clearly visible. In 2040, the phenomenon will be moderate, but in September of that year, all visible planets will line up in a row, creating a beautiful sight.

But the most important conjunction will be in 2080. That is when Jupiter and Saturn will come extremely close together – at a distance similar to the record set in 2020. They will also be far from the blinding glare of the Sun, providing ideal conditions for observation around the world.

Unpredictable events

The century also promises surprises that cannot be accurately dated at this time:

• Flashes of new meteor showers, more powerful than the famous Leonids.
• The explosion of a supernova in our Milky Way galaxy, the first in many centuries.
• Bright comets that are currently located far away in the outer Solar System.
• Interstellar objects, which were first officially confirmed only in the last decade, and since 2017, three such “guests” have been officially detected.

Despite the forecasts, the main thing is to remain attentive to the sky. The most memorable astronomical events often come unexpectedly.

Earlier, we talked about the TOP 10 astronomical discoveries of 2025.

• Provided by iflscience.com

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

29-12-2025 om 17:56 geschreven door peter  

Deep inside the Earth, at the boundary between the mantle and the outer core, there are so-called ultra-low velocity zones – areas that seem to be unaffected by the fiery chaos raging in the depths. Now, scientists claim to have unraveled their mystery.

Ultra-low speed zones

At the very center of our planet is a solid inner core. Between it and the crust, matter is in a very hot and liquid state and is divided into two layers: the outer core and the mantle above it. Recently, the journal Nature Communications published a study by scientists from the Institute of Earth Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in which they attempted to unravel one of the mysteries lurking at the point of their collision.

The fact is that the 300-kilometer layer at the boundary between the outer core and the mantle, i.e., at a depth of 2,900 km, has a complex structure. Complex processes of mass and heat exchange take place there, but at the same time, there are relatively small areas of up to 100 km in size that are characterized by extremely low seismic activity and high density.

They are called ultra-low velocity zones. It is believed that they have a significant impact on the processes occurring in this boundary layer, but scientists still do not understand where they come from.

Thermal insulation materials

Researchers have tackled this mystery in their latest work. They used ultra-fast optical spectroscopy in combination with diamond cells with a high-pressure and high-temperature anvil. This allowed them to study the properties of the iron-rich magnesiowüstite, which may make up the low-velocity zones.

Usually, minerals rich in metal have high thermal conductivity; they are like natural radiators for heating systems, but in magnesiowüstite, this indicator turned out to be extremely low. Simply put, it is a good heat insulator.

Scientists now understand that ultra-low velocity zones are actually pieces of heavy thermal insulation floating in viscous, molten material and altering the flows within it. Further research will reveal how this occurs.

• Provided by: phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/articles-en/ }

29-12-2025 om 17:42 geschreven door peter  

The real cost of climate change: Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and storms cost the world more than $120 BILLION in 2025, study reveals

• READ MORE: Britain's worst-case climate scenario laid bare

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

A study has laid bare the shocking true cost of climate change as heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and storms cause havoc around the world.

The 10 most costly climate disasters alone cost the world more than $120 billion (£88.78 billion) in 2025, according to a report from Christian Aid.

Each was made significantly more likely and more devastating by the effects of human-caused climate change.

And scientists warn that these calculations only reflect insured losses, with the true cost of climate-influenced disasters likely to have been even higher.

America took the brunt of the damage this year as the Palisades and Eaton wildfires swept through Los Angeles in January.

This devastating fire alone caused more than $60 billion (£44.4 billion) in damages and killed 40 people.

This was followed by the cyclones which struck Southeast Asia, causing $25 billion (£18.5) in damage and killing more than 1,750 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam and Malaysia.

The researchers also highlighted 10 less costly but equally shocking climate disasters, including the destructive wildfires which struck the UK this summer.

The 10 most costly climate disasters cost the world more than $120 billion (£88.78 billion) in 2025. The most damaging were January's Los Angeles Wildfires, which caused more than $60 billion (£44.4 billion) in damages and killed 40 people

Scientists have gathered a vast amount of evidence showing a clear, incontrovertible connection between a warming climate and more intense climate disasters.

It is not that human-caused climate change creates extreme weather events, but it does make them more likely to occur and more intense when they do.

Dr Davide Faranda, Research Director in Climate Physics in the Laboratoire de Science du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE), who was not involved in the report, says: 'The events documented in this report are not isolated disasters or acts of nature.

'They are the predictable outcome of a warmer atmosphere and hotter oceans, driven by decades of fossil fuel emissions.'

In this report, researchers have tallied the total costs of the biggest disasters that have been intensified by the changing climate.

Even though extreme weather events in rich countries where property prices are higher typically incur greater costs, the worst-affected countries have been poorer.

Of the six most costly climate disasters in 2025, four hit Asia for a combined cost of $48 billion (£35.5 billion).

That includes devastating floods which struck China in June and August, killing more than 30 people and creating $11.7 billion (£8.6 billion) of damage.

Four of the six most costly climate disasters were in Asia, including cyclones that struck Southeast Asia, causing $25 billion (£18.5) in damage and killing more than 1,750 people. Pictured: People flee flood waters in Hat Yai, Southern Thailand 

China experienced some of the most severe flooding in recent history, as rising waters killed more than 30 people and created $11.7 billion (£8.6 billion) of damage. Pictured: Flood-affected areas in Congjiang, southwestern China

Throughout 2025, China was hit by devastating floods in regions where such weather was previously unheard of, as unusually high rainfall followed months of drought.

This year also saw the Caribbean face the 'storm of the century' as Hurricane Melissa made landfall over Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, costing at least $8 billion (£5.9 billion).

Since hurricanes are driven by warm ocean waters, humans' continued creation of planet-warming greenhouse gases directly contributes towards making these storms more frequent and more powerful.

In a cooler world without climate change, a Melissa–type hurricane would have made landfall once every 8,000 years, according to research.

But in today's climate, with 1.3°C warming, it has become four times more likely – with such an event now expected once every 1,700 years.

Professor Joanna Haigh, an atmospheric physicist from Imperial College London, who was not involved in the report, says: 'These disasters are not "natural" - they are the inevitable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay.

'The world is paying an ever-higher price for a crisis we already know how to solve. While the costs run into the billions, the heaviest burden falls on communities with the least resources to recover.'

However, no inhabited continent on Earth was unaffected by climate disasters this year.

Jamaica was hit by the 'storm of the century' as Hurricane Melissa made landfall, costing at least $8 billion (£5.9 billion).

Pictured: Destroyed houses in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica

Scientists say that climate change warmed the waters over which Hurricane Melissa (pictured) formed, making the deadly storm four times as likely 

Besides the 10 most destructive events, Christian Aid also analysed 10 other extreme weather incidents that have lower financial cost but are equally concerning.

Chief among these are the enormous wildfires that burned through large parts of the UK in late summer this year.

Across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, fire crews responded to the highest number of wildfire incidents on record, with over 1,000 separate outbreaks by early September.

Early estimates suggest that more than 47,000 hectares (184 square miles) of forest, moorland, and heath were burned - the largest annual area since records began.

In June, the Carrbridge and Dava Moor blaze consumed 11,000 hectares (42.5 square miles) of land to become the UK's first recorded 'mega fire'.

According to climate and wildfire researchers, the increased intensity and frequency of these blazes were a direct product of climate change.

An exceptionally wet winter followed by one of the hottest, driest springs on record led to an unusually large amount of dead, dry plant matter that fuelled the fires.

Likewise, the report points to the Iberian Wildfires, which were caused by record-breaking extreme temperatures.

Outside of the 10 most expensive events, the report also tracked a number of notable climate incidents. These included the record-breaking wildfires, which destroyed 47,000 hectares (184 square miles) of forest, moorland, and heath in the UK. Pictured: Wildfires rage in the Isle of Arran, Scotland 

Spain and Portugal were also hit by the Iberian Wildfires, which were caused by record-breaking extreme temperatures. Pictured: Fires burning in Vesu, Portugal 

Weeks of extreme heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F), combined with low humidity, created explosive fire conditions.

These fires consumed 383,000 hectares (1,480 square miles) in Spain and 260,000 hectares (1,000 square miles) in Portugal - about three per cent of the country's land.

Preliminary estimates suggest that these fires caused direct economic losses of $810 million (£600 million).

Read More

• 2025 is on track to become the UK's hottest year on RECORD, the Met Office reveals 

Scientists estimate that climate change made this event around 40 times more likely and increased the intensity of fire conditions by about 30 per cent.

The report also analysed Japan's year of extreme weather, after the country was battered by back-to-back snowstorms and heatwaves. 

Unusually heavy snowstorms and winds killed 12 people and destroyed several houses at the start of the year, followed by the hottest summer ever recorded, with average temperatures 2.36°C (4.25°F) above the average.

Scientists call this phenomenon 'climate whiplash', and research shows that it is likely to become more common as climate change alters global weather patterns.

RELATED VIDEOS

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

29-12-2025 om 17:33 geschreven door peter  

Five senses? Try 33! Scientist claims humans have dozens of 'hidden' senses – here's how to harness their powers

• READ MORE: Scientists say the human body has a 'hidden' SIXTH sense

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Growing up, most of us learned about the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. 

But it's time to rewrite the science textbooks – at least if one scientist has anything to do with it. 

Professor Barry Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London, claims that humans don't just have five senses. 

Instead, he says there are anywhere between 22 and 33 senses. 

'Aristotle told us there were five senses,' he explained in an article for The Conversation. 

'But he also told us the world was made up of five elements and we no longer believe that. 

'And modern research is showing we may actually have dozens of senses.'

Scroll down for the full list of hidden senses – and how you can harness their powers. 

Professor Barry Smith, Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London, claims that humans don't just have five senses. Instead, he says there are anywhere between 22 and 33 senses (artist's impression)

Professor Smith's reasoning is that all almost everything we do is multisensory. 

'What we feel affects what we see and what we see affects what we hear,' he explained.

'Different odours in shampoo can affect how you perceive the texture of hair. 

'The fragrance of rose makes hair seem silkier, for instance.

'Odours in low–fat yogurts can make them feel richer and thicker on the palate without adding more emulsifiers. 

'Perception of odours in the mouth, rising to the nasal passage, are modified by the viscosity of the liquids we consume.'

While the exact number of senses humans have remains unclear, Professor Smith says it could be as many as 33. 

This includes proprioception (by which we know where our limbs are without looking at them) and interoception.

 Interoception operates through a network of neural pathways (artist's impression), deep within the body. For this reason, the researchers have dubbed it the 'hidden sixth sense'

What is the sixth sense?

The sixth sense is known as 'interoception'.

It helps us to feel and interpret internal signals that regulate vital functions in our bodies. 

This includes things like hunger, thirst, body temperature and heart rate. 

Problems with interoception are linked with a range of conditions, including autoimmune disorders, chronic pain, and high blood pressure – as well as mental health issues.

Interoception is an 'understudied process', by which your nervous system continuously receives and interprets your body's physiological signals to keep vital functions running smoothly. 

It helps to explain how your brain knows when to breathe, when your blood pressure drops, or when you're fighting an infection.

Professor Smith also highlights 'gustation' – the sense when we taste something. 

'When we taste something we are actually experiencing a combination of three senses: touch, smell and taste – or gustation – which combine to produce the flavours we perceive in food and drinks,' he said.

'Gustation covers sensations produced by receptors on the tongue that enable us to detect salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami (savoury). What about mint, mango, melon, strawberry, raspberry?

'We don’t have raspberry receptors on the tongue, nor is raspberry flavour some combination of sweet, sour and bitter. 

'There is no taste arithmetic for fruit flavours.

'We perceive them through the combined workings of the tongue and the nose. It is smell that contributes the lion’s share to what we call tasting.'

Read More

•  Scientists say the human body has a 'hidden' SIXTH sense - and it's vital for our health 

While this might all sound a bit overwhelming, Professor Smith hopes his idea will actually bring comfort to you.

He concluded: 'There are always plenty of things around you to show how intricate your senses are, if you only pause for a moment to take it all in. 

'So next time you walk outside or savour a meal, take a moment to appreciate how your senses are working together to help you feel all the sensations involved.'

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

29-12-2025 om 17:15 geschreven door peter