Jingszo !

Britain’s most well-known UFO sighting may have been caused by a bout of electromagnetic-fuelled psychosis, a top researcher has claimed.

The Rendlesham Forest incident, where members of the US Air Force stationed at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk, England, reported seeing unexplained lights and a craft in the forest in December 1980, has left people puzzled for decades over what the cause of the lights could have been.

In the book, you argue that elites introduced mass education as a way to control and discipline lower-class children. How was this done, and why was it seen as necessary?

Mass education was really crafted as a clever system to instill obedience to the state and its laws. Schools used rewards and punishments to enforce rules, moral education dominated the curriculum and even basic reading and writing exercises taught compliance, like when students were asked to spell words like "duty" and "order."

School routines—following schedules, marching in lines, asking permission—all reinforced discipline. The entire system, from teacher training to school inspections, aimed to create citizens who wouldn't question authority or disrupt the status quo.

Governments saw schools as essential to maintaining internal security, viewing primary education less as a means to reduce poverty or promote industrialization than as a way to prevent social disorder.

A huge landslide on the bottom of the Baltic Sea may have resulted in a tsunami. As part of a new project, researchers will try to uncover what could have happened 8,000 years ago, and whether it could happen again.  

“When we studied sediment from the seabed off Blekinge we noticed anomalies. The sediment is like a history book, but the pages here are in completely the wrong order. Different types of layers are mixed up, and the order we were expecting to find them in simply doesn’t exist. The question we want to answer is whether this is due to a tsunami,” says Elinor Andrén, professor of environmental science at Södertörn University.  

“The hypothesis we will test is that around 8,000 years ago, a submarine landslide caused a tsunami that affected the coastal areas of the southern Baltic Sea. This theory is not really far-fetched, as a similar event occurred off the coast of Norway. The area’s bedrock also has weaknesses that may cause earthquakes, which can lead to landslides. Something must have caused the landslide on the seabed."

In pursuit of knowledge, the evolution of humanity ranks with the origins of life and the universe. And yet, except when an exciting find hits the headlines, palaeoanthropology and its related fields have gained far less scientific support and funding – particularly for scientists and institutions based in the African countries where so many landmark discoveries have occurred.

Researchers found that a sample of the asteroid Ryugu was rapidly colonized by terrestrial microorganisms, even under strict contamination control measures.

To ensure minimal contamination, the sample was transported to Earth in a hermetically sealed chamber and opened in a nitrogen-filled class 10,000 clean room. Each particle was carefully handled with sterilized tools and stored in airtight containers under nitrogen. Prior to analysis, the sample underwent Nano-X-ray computed tomography and was embedded in an epoxy resin block for further investigation using scanning electron microscopy.

Organic rods and filaments, interpreted as filamentous microorganisms, were identified on the surface of the Ryugu sample. These structures displayed variations in size and morphology that closely resembled known terrestrial microbes. Interestingly, their abundance fluctuated over time, suggesting the growth and decline of a prokaryotic population with an estimated generation time of 5.2 days.

Population analysis revealed that these microorganisms likely resulted from terrestrial contamination during the sample preparation process, rather than being native to the asteroid. This finding underscores the challenges of distinguishing between Earth-based contaminants and potential extraterrestrial life forms in such studies.

Their DNA survives in diverse populations across the world – but who were the Denisovans?

It started with a finger bone found in a cave in the Altai mountains in Siberia in the late 2000s. Thanks to advances in DNA analysis, this was all that was required for scientists to be able to identify an entirely new group of hominins, meaning upright primates on the same evolutionary branch as humans.

So who were the Denisovans, where did they live, and why are they important to the story of humanity?

Around 600,000 years ago, early humans in Africa diverged into groups. Some migrated out of Africa, becoming Neanderthals in eastern and western Eurasia and Denisovans in eastern Eurasia.

It produces nine flavors: Sugar, salt, citric acid, cherry, passion fruit, green tea, milk, durian, and grapefruit.

Virtual reality (VR) technology has long sought to incorporate the human senses into virtual and mixed-reality environments. In addition to sight and sound, researchers have been trying to add the sensation of human touch and smell via various user interfaces, as well as taste. But the latter has proved to be quite challenging. A team of Hong Kong scientists has now developed a handheld user interface shaped like a lollipop capable of re-creating several different flavors in a virtual environment.....

Many people suffer from "gustatory disorders," per the authors, but the current tests for such conditions are highly subjective and are time-consuming to prepare, since it requires a series of solutions of varying concentrations for all five basic flavors. The lollipop device could be adapted for such a test, in which users could lick the device and provide feedback about what they taste by clicking on the relevant button on a corresponding GUI.

Another potential use is immersive online shopping in virtual grocery stores. Users could touch a specific virtual food and be able to taste that item. The device could also prove useful in a mixed-reality educational environment, such as a parent helping their child explore the flavors of different foods.

We’re not immune to extinction

No people in the civilisations I have studied during my career as an archaeologist expected to become a forgotten footnote of history. Their societies were thriving and people were enjoying life. And then they weren’t.

Something happened that eradicated their cultures, buried their temples, and brought down their walls. Now, their mortal remains are the vestigial remnants of once-great nations.

The institutions of their government, and the increasing threats – be they climatic, military, economic or political – gave warnings that the paths of their nations were not sustainable. Yet, they failed to react in a timely manner.

Archaeology teaches us that we are not immune to extinction. We have evolved to anticipate and respond to changes and threats in our environment, and the evolution of science best represents this survival skill.

Yet, our political, ideological and economic systems adapt to different forces focused on individual success and profit. This is often in complete contradiction to the ardent remonstrations of the scientific community.

Inflatable space modules are not a new concept, NASA have been exploring the possibility since the 1960’s. The Chinese Space Agency is now getting in on the act and is testing its new inflatable module which is part of its Shijian-19 satellite launch. To get it into orbit the capsule was compressed and folded and then inflated once in orbit. Following completion of the tests, it re-entered the atmosphere, landing in the Gobi Desert on 10th October. The goal is for this to be used to extend its space station in the same way NASA have been exploring expansion of ISS. 

The idea of inflatable space capsules offers a lightweight solution which simplifies the launch process. Their development began back in the 1960’s but real progress was seen with projects like TransHub that looked at new advanced materials. Even though TransHub was cancelled it was a precursor to ventures like the Bigelow Aerospace module known as BEAM. It was tested in 2016 on the ISS and proved the concept could work making them an invaluable part of the future of space exploration.

Near death experiences can be profound and even life changing. People describe seeing bright lights, staring into the abyss, or meeting dead relatives. Many believe these experiences to be proof of an afterlife. But now, scientists are studying these strange events and gaining insights into the brain and consciousness itself. Will we uncover the scientific underpinning of these near-death events?

Recent studies suggest that in Upper Mesopotamia during the Late Neolithic period, specifically between 6400 and 5900 BCE, simple cereal flour doughs were baked in domed ovens using ceramic pans, commonly known as husking trays.

Analysis of a sample of 13 sherds belonging to these trays from Mezraa Teleilat, Akarçay Tepe, and Tell Sabi Abyad provides evidence that a limited number of them could have been used to bake ‘focaccia’-like products with ingredients such as lard or oil.

Diamond rain? Super-ionic water? These are just two proposals that planetary scientists have come up with for what lies beneath the thick, bluish, hydrogen-and-helium atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune, our solar system's unique, but superficially bland, ice giants.

Source:

Phase separation of planetary ices explains nondipolar magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2403981121#executive-summary-abstract

Europa is one of the most exciting places to search for life in the Solar System. Unfortunately, its vast oceans of liquid water are surrounded by thick sheets of ice. But if we could bore down through the ice shell, small swimming robots could be deployed to search for evidence of life. NASA engineers recently tested prototype robots that would work as a swarm to explore the mysterious sub-ice oceans on various icy worlds across the Solar System.

Earth is 4.5 billion years old, completely ancient compared to a newly discovered exoplanet that's only 3 million years old. Designated TIDYE-1b, the planet orbits its star once a week. One big surprise is that the protoplanetary disk is tilted relative to both the planet and its star. Planets this young should be impossible to see through the protoplanetary dust, but this misalignment makes it visible, separate from the disk.

Researchers claim Tutankhamun’s burial mask may have originally been made for a woman – but there is reason to doubt.

However, Aidan Dodson, a professor of Eqyptology and author of several books on the Amarna period, makes a slightly different argument. Akhenaten’s successor, Pharaoh Neferneferuaten (who was most likely his wife, Nefertiti), never received a kingly burial. So, it’s likely that her material was repurposed for Tutankhamun very early in his reign. This would mean his burial equipment was already essentially completed by his early death, rather than put together in a hurry.

Tutankhamun’s actual tomb, however, was probably still incomplete, meaning that he was probably given an existing tomb that had been intended for a noble or lesser royalty.

The reuse of tomb equipment was common in this period, including coffins and burial vaults, so this in itself is not unusual.

For the last 6 weeks, Earth has been joined by a new "mini-moon" asteroid that has been temporarily orbiting near our planet. It departs again on November 25th, but not before astronomers turned some of the world's largest telescopes toward it. According to a new paper, 2024 PT5 is basaltic, similar to volcanic rocks, and matches the composition of Sv-type asteroids or lunar material. It spins once in less than an hour and has had many close encounters with Earth.

Finding direct evidence for hydrous fluids on early Mars is of interest for understanding the origin of water on rocky planets, surface processes, and conditions essential for habitability, but it is challenging to obtain from martian meteorites. Micro- to nanoscale microscopy of a unique impact-shocked zircon from the regolith breccia meteorite NWA7034 reveals textural and chemical indicators of hydrothermal conditions on Mars during crystallization 4.45 billion years ago.

Tunneling followed ancient commercial routes through the center of the port city that has been continuously inhabited since ancient times. It exposed a Roman-era thoroughfare, ancient Greek burial sites, water and drainage systems, mosaics and inscriptions and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning centuries, also through Byzantine and Ottoman rule.

Egyptian Hieroglyphs - with Andrew Robinson

Our survey of μCT scans reveals that Terastiodontosaurus, Todrasaurus, and Trogonophis are characterized by a great enamel thickness on their teeth, a feature that is absent in other examined amphisbaenians. Size estimates show that Terastiodontosaurus was the largest known amphisbaenian ever to have lived, with an estimated skull length of >5 cm. Based on new muscle data of Trogonophis, we estimate very high bite forces for Terastiodontosaurus, which would allow it to crush a wide variety of snails.

A massive collision of galaxies sparked by one traveling at a scarcely-believable 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h) has been seen in unprecedented detail by one of Earth's most powerful telescopes.

The dramatic impact was observed in Stephan's Quintet, a nearby galaxy group made up of five galaxies first sighted almost 150 years ago.

Source:

WEAVE First Light Observations: Origin and Dynamics of the Shock Front in Stephan’s Quintet

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/535/3/2269/7904663?login=false

Our classical intuition is no good in a quantum Universe. To make sense of it, we need to learn, and apply, an entirely novel set of rules.

Key Takeaways

• The laws of physics always apply to every object in the Universe at all times, but on quantum scales, the behavior is far from intuitive. 

• At a fundamentally quantum level, everything is both wave and particle with an indeterminate state until measured, where measurement outcomes can only be predicted probabilistically. 

• Still, it’s the most successful, most powerful framework ever developed to describe reality, and everything in existence, without exception, obeys its rules.

The  most remarkable fact about the Universe is simply that it can be understood at all. The universe, for all its complexity, can be reduced to its simplest, most fundamental components. If you can determine the underlying rules, laws, and theories that govern your reality, then as long as you can specify what your system is like at any moment in time, you can use your understanding of those laws to predict what things will be like both in the far future as well as the distant past. The quest to unlock the secrets of the universe is fundamentally about rising to this challenge: figuring out what makes up the universe, determining how those entities interact and evolve, and then writing down and solving the equations that allow you to predict outcomes that you have not yet measured for yourself.

Studies suggest that the Milky Way may not be a universal model for galaxy formation, challenging long-held scientific beliefs.

Recent studies challenge the long-standing scientific practice of using the Milky Way as a universal model for galaxy formation, suggesting our home galaxy may not be as representative as previously believed.

After a decade-long survey of 101 Milky Way-like galaxies, the SAGA team’s research—published in The Astrophysical Journal—reveals that our galaxy’s evolutionary history diverges significantly from comparable cosmic systems.

The Varginha case, often dubbed ‘Brazil’s Roswell,’ revolves around reports of UAP debris, along with multiple accounts of sightings of non-human entities in 1996. Eyewitnesses described both local authorities and what appeared to be U.S. personnel on-site, securing materials and conducting operations. This event has since sparked widespread speculation about international collaboration in UAP retrieval missions.

Another source revealed to Liberation Times that, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Russia cooperated on at least one undersea mission to retrieve a craft of alleged non-human origin that had crashed in Russian waters.

The duck-billed dinosaur Parasaurolophus is distinctive for its prominent crest, which some scientists have suggested served as a kind of resonating chamber to produce low-frequency sounds. Nobody really knows what Parasaurolophus sounded like, however. Hongjun Lin of New York University is trying to change that by constructing his own model of the dinosaur's crest and its acoustical characteristics.

It's that distinctive crest that has most fascinated scientists over the last century, particularly its purpose.

Past hypotheses have included its use as a snorkel or as a breathing tube while foraging for food; as an air trap to keep water out of the lungs; or as an air reservoir so the dinosaur could remain underwater for longer periods.

Other scientists suggested the crest was designed to help move and support the head or perhaps used as a weapon while combating other Parasaurolophus.

All of these, plus a few others, have largely been discredited.