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The big bang theory is the widely accepted explanation for the origin and evolution of the universe. However, a new study which was published in Physical Review D challenges this conventional view. The researchers propose an alternative model in which our universe emerged from a gravitational collapse followed by a bounce, all occurring within a black hole in a larger 'parent' universe.&nbsp;According to the standard cosmological model, the universe is believed to have begun approximately 13.8 billion years ago with a singularity, which is a point of infinite density, and has been expanding and cooling ever since. However, this model relies on several unobserved phenomena such as inflation fields and dark energy. Additionally, it does not explain the origin of the singularity.&nbsp;The research was published by Enrique Gaztanaga, a professor at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth and his colleagues. The new model avoids the issue by combining two things, general relativity with quantum mechanics. Particularly, it invokes the quantum exclusion principle, which prevents identical particles or fermions from occupying the same quantum state. This principle stops the collapse before a singularity forms, hence resulting the matter to rebound outward. The result of this model is a universe expanding from a high-density state which almost identical to our Earth.<h2>From collapse to creation</h2>&nbsp;This process occurs inside a black hole that is formed by a collapsing mass of matter. Instead of ending in a singularity, the collapse results to a bounce this leads to the formation of a new and expanding universe. This 'black hole bounce' model completely relies on established physical laws and does not depend on hypothetical fields or extra dimensions.&nbsp;One of the important predictions of the model is that the space has a slight positive curvature, this differs from the current standard cosmological model which accepts a flat universe. The accuracy of this model could be verified when the upcoming missions like the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope test this curvature.&nbsp;The model also accounts for the two known phases of accelerated expansion, which are the early inflation period and the present-day expansion attributed to dark energy, without introducing any new or speculative physics. Additionally, it could also provide insights to clarify the origins of supermassive black holes and the distribution of galaxies.<h2>Testing the theory</h2>&nbsp;Future missions such as Arrakihs, which will observe faint galactic structures, may further shed light on this theory by studying potential relics from the collapsing phase to verify the model. This new framework proposes that our universe might be part of a larger cosmic cycle, hence reshaping our knowledge and understanding of the universe’s true origin.&nbsp;

The researchers propose an alternative model in which our universe emerged from a gravitational collapse followed by a bounce, all occurring within a black hole in a larger parent universe.

The big bang theory is the widely accepted explanation for the origin and evolution of the universe. However, a new study which was published in Physical Review D challenges this conventional view. The researchers propose an alternative model in which our universe emerged from a gravitational collapse followed by a bounce, all occurring within a black hole in a larger 'parent' universe. According to the standard cosmological model, the universe is believed to have begun approximately 13.8 billion years ago with a singularity, which is a point of infinite density, and has been expanding and cooling ever since. However, this model relies on several unobserved phenomena such as inflation fields and dark energy. Additionally, it does not explain the origin of the singularity. The research was published by Enrique Gaztanaga, a professor at the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation at the University of Portsmouth and his colleagues. The new model avoids the issue by combining two things, general relativity with quantum mechanics. Particularly, it invokes the quantum exclusion principle, which prevents identical particles or fermions from occupying the same quantum state. This principle stops the collapse before a singularity forms, hence resulting the matter to rebound outward. The result of this model is a universe expanding from a high-density state which almost identical to our Earth. From collapse to creation This process occurs inside a black hole that is formed by a collapsing mass of matter. Instead of ending in a singularity, the collapse results to a bounce this leads to the formation of a new and expanding universe. This 'black hole bounce' model completely relies on established physical laws and does not depend on hypothetical fields or extra dimensions. One of the important predictions of the model is that the space has a slight positive curvature, this differs from the current standard cosmological model which accepts a flat universe. The accuracy of this model could be verified when the upcoming missions like the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope test this curvature. The model also accounts for the two known phases of accelerated expansion, which are the early inflation period and the present-day expansion attributed to dark energy, without introducing any new or speculative physics. Additionally, it could also provide insights to clarify the origins of supermassive black holes and the distribution of galaxies. Testing the theory Future missions such as Arrakihs, which will observe faint galactic structures, may further shed light on this theory by studying potential relics from the collapsing phase to verify the model. This new framework proposes that our universe might be part of a larger cosmic cycle, hence reshaping our knowledge and understanding of the universe’s true origin.

The researchers propose an alternative model in which our universe emerged from a gravitational collapse followed by a bounce, all occurring within a black hole in a larger 'parent' universe.

How did the universe begin? New study says the Big Bang was actually a bounce inside a black hole

Scientists have detected water in a distant star system that is still taking shape. The James Webb Space Telescope has picked up hints of water ice in the debris disk that orbits a star named HD 181327, which is similar to our Sun. Located 155 light-years from Earth, this system is only 23 million years old. The discovery has lent credence to earlier theories that water was delivered to Earth by asteroids and comets from deep space.&nbsp;The details were published in the journal Nature.&nbsp;A debris disk, or a protoplanetary disk, surrounds the young star. It will be millions of years before the dust and other material coalesce to form planets. Chen Xie, study's lead author and an assistant research scientist at &nbsp;Johns Hopkins University (JHU), said in a NASA statement, "Webb unambiguously detected not just water ice, but crystalline water ice, which is also found in locations like Saturn's rings and icy bodies in our Solar System's Kuiper Belt."&nbsp;He added that "water ice helps facilitate planet formation."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/greenland-megatsunamis-triggered-global-earthquake-in-2023-satellite-evidence-1749006266644">9 days, every 90 seconds: Greenland megatsunamis that triggered global earthquake were real. Scientists have proof</a>&nbsp;"Icy materials may also ultimately be 'delivered' to terrestrial planets that may form over a couple of hundred million years in systems like this."&nbsp;<h2>Water found in outer region of disk</h2>&nbsp;JWST's near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) zoomed in on the star HD 181327, hinting at chemical traces of water in the outer part of the system's debris disk. Further calculations found that over 20 per cent of the debris ring's mass comprised water that exists in the form of ice mixed with dust.&nbsp;While a majority of this water is in the outer reaches of the ring, only 8 per cent of it was found halfway in from the disk's edge. No ice water existed towards the centre of the system. This is probably because of the radiation released by the star. However, some of the rocks might have water inside them.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-reveal-identity-of-600-year-old-zhou-bo-star-that-disappeared-after-10-days-1749025609917">1408 celestial mystery solved: Scientists reveal identity of 'Zhou Bo star' that disappeared after 10 days</a>&nbsp;The star system has been on the radar of NASA scientists for years. The possibility that it harbours water was raised for the first time in 2008 when NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed it. Christine Chen, an associate astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and co-author on the study, recalled that there might be "ice in debris disks".&nbsp;&nbsp;The intriguing part is that this debris disk is similar to the Kuiper Belt in our solar system, which is filled with asteroids, comets and other icy bodies. The water ice in HD 181327 is similar to what JWST saw in its recent observations of Kuiper Belt objects. Both of them have dirty snowballs, with several ongoing collisions noticed.&nbsp;These collisions are what helped JWST pick up the presence of water ice in the system. "HD 181327 is a very active system," says Chen. "There are regular, ongoing collisions in its debris disk. When those icy bodies collide, they release tiny particles of dusty water ice that are perfectly sized for Webb to detect." &nbsp;

A debris disk, or a protoplanetary disk, surrounds a young star and is filled with ice water, similar to what we have in the Kuiper Belt in our solar system.

Scientists have detected water in a distant star system that is still taking shape. The James Webb Space Telescope has picked up hints of water ice in the debris disk that orbits a star named HD 181327, which is similar to our Sun. Located 155 light-years from Earth, this system is only 23 million years old. The discovery has lent credence to earlier theories that water was delivered to Earth by asteroids and comets from deep space. The details were published in the journal Nature. A debris disk, or a protoplanetary disk, surrounds the young star. It will be millions of years before the dust and other material coalesce to form planets. Chen Xie, study's lead author and an assistant research scientist at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), said in a NASA statement, "Webb unambiguously detected not just water ice, but crystalline water ice, which is also found in locations like Saturn's rings and icy bodies in our Solar System's Kuiper Belt." He added that "water ice helps facilitate planet formation." Also Read: 9 days, every 90 seconds: Greenland megatsunamis that triggered global earthquake were real. Scientists have proof "Icy materials may also ultimately be 'delivered' to terrestrial planets that may form over a couple of hundred million years in systems like this." Water found in outer region of disk JWST's near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) zoomed in on the star HD 181327, hinting at chemical traces of water in the outer part of the system's debris disk. Further calculations found that over 20 per cent of the debris ring's mass comprised water that exists in the form of ice mixed with dust. While a majority of this water is in the outer reaches of the ring, only 8 per cent of it was found halfway in from the disk's edge. No ice water existed towards the centre of the system. This is probably because of the radiation released by the star. However, some of the rocks might have water inside them. Also Read: 1408 celestial mystery solved: Scientists reveal identity of 'Zhou Bo star' that disappeared after 10 days The star system has been on the radar of NASA scientists for years. The possibility that it harbours water was raised for the first time in 2008 when NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed it. Christine Chen, an associate astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and co-author on the study, recalled that there might be "ice in debris disks". The intriguing part is that this debris disk is similar to the Kuiper Belt in our solar system, which is filled with asteroids, comets and other icy bodies. The water ice in HD 181327 is similar to what JWST saw in its recent observations of Kuiper Belt objects. Both of them have dirty snowballs, with several ongoing collisions noticed. These collisions are what helped JWST pick up the presence of water ice in the system. "HD 181327 is a very active system," says Chen. "There are regular, ongoing collisions in its debris disk. When those icy bodies collide, they release tiny particles of dusty water ice that are perfectly sized for Webb to detect."

A debris disk, or a protoplanetary disk, surrounds a young star and is filled with ice water, similar to what we have in the Kuiper Belt in our solar system.

Water bodies similar to that seen in Saturn's rings spotted in deep space

Chinese astronomers saw a strange object shining brightly in the sky in October 1408. This was during the Ming Dynasty, when a stationary yellow object remained visible for over ten days. It was an oddity, as no one had ever seen something like it. Officials were so intrigued by it that they made a record of it.&nbsp;It has been known as the “guest star”, a mysterious cosmic object. Scientists have been peering over historical astronomical records for years to understand more about the object. Now they have finally confirmed what it was, thanks to a recently unearthed report by a court official.&nbsp;The details have been posted to the preprint server arXiv by researchers led by Boshun Yang, an astronomer at the University of Science and Technology of China.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/milky-way-andromeda-galaxy-collision-large-magellanic-cloud-1748934379239">Not Andromeda, but the Milky Way will smash into a dwarf galaxy in 2 billion years</a>&nbsp;<h2>Guest star, “as large as a cup”, “yellow and smooth”</h2>&nbsp;He cites a report by Hu Guang, a court official in the Ming Dynasty, who wrote about the guest star only weeks after it was seen. His details have helped cover a large gap in information, since earlier records lacked crucial details.&nbsp;According to the study, Hu wrote a memorial that was in possession of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The text describes the object "as large as a cup, with pure yellow colour, smooth and bright". It remained "stationary and calm over ten days of measurement and observation" in the southern region of Niandao.&nbsp;<h2>New record proves the 1408 object was real</h2>&nbsp;The discovery of this record by Hu proves that the star did appear in the sky and was not a misinterpretation caused by translation. Second, it shows how court officials, while reporting to the king, were expected to use positive words instead of stark warnings that might be perceived as negative. Words like "smooth and bright" were used instead of "spikes" or "rays."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/how-will-earth-die-solar-system-sun-mercury-venus-rogue-star-1748688088180">One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet</a>&nbsp;<h2>Not a comet, not a meteor, but a nova</h2>&nbsp;Researchers deduced that since the object remained in one place for 10 days, it was not a comet or meteor, but a star, more precisely, a nova. That meant a star had undergone a violent death and flared up, becoming visible to humans on Earth. It had a stable light curve, which suggests that it was a specific type of nova with "plateau" characteristics, which meant the light stayed stable for a long time.&nbsp;The nova was extremely bright, as proven by the use of the term "Zhou Bo star," which was only used to refer to extraordinarily bright phenomena. Besides, it had to be something so important that it warranted documentation by Chinese court astronomers. All these observations led Yang and his team to believe that it was a major nova. &nbsp;

A bright yellow object appeared in the sky in 1408. Its appearance was different from everything else, leading ancient Chinese astronomers to make a record about it.    

Chinese astronomers saw a strange object shining brightly in the sky in October 1408. This was during the Ming Dynasty, when a stationary yellow object remained visible for over ten days. It was an oddity, as no one had ever seen something like it. Officials were so intrigued by it that they made a record of it. It has been known as the “guest star”, a mysterious cosmic object. Scientists have been peering over historical astronomical records for years to understand more about the object. Now they have finally confirmed what it was, thanks to a recently unearthed report by a court official. The details have been posted to the preprint server arXiv by researchers led by Boshun Yang, an astronomer at the University of Science and Technology of China. Also Read: Not Andromeda, but the Milky Way will smash into a dwarf galaxy in 2 billion years Guest star, “as large as a cup”, “yellow and smooth” He cites a report by Hu Guang, a court official in the Ming Dynasty, who wrote about the guest star only weeks after it was seen. His details have helped cover a large gap in information, since earlier records lacked crucial details. According to the study, Hu wrote a memorial that was in possession of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. The text describes the object "as large as a cup, with pure yellow colour, smooth and bright". It remained "stationary and calm over ten days of measurement and observation" in the southern region of Niandao. New record proves the 1408 object was real The discovery of this record by Hu proves that the star did appear in the sky and was not a misinterpretation caused by translation. Second, it shows how court officials, while reporting to the king, were expected to use positive words instead of stark warnings that might be perceived as negative. Words like "smooth and bright" were used instead of "spikes" or "rays." Also Read: One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet Not a comet, not a meteor, but a nova Researchers deduced that since the object remained in one place for 10 days, it was not a comet or meteor, but a star, more precisely, a nova. That meant a star had undergone a violent death and flared up, becoming visible to humans on Earth. It had a stable light curve, which suggests that it was a specific type of nova with "plateau" characteristics, which meant the light stayed stable for a long time. The nova was extremely bright, as proven by the use of the term "Zhou Bo star," which was only used to refer to extraordinarily bright phenomena. Besides, it had to be something so important that it warranted documentation by Chinese court astronomers. All these observations led Yang and his team to believe that it was a major nova.

A bright yellow object appeared in the sky in 1408. Its appearance was different from everything else, leading ancient Chinese astronomers to make a record about it. &nbsp; &nbsp;

1408 celestial mystery solved: Scientists reveal identity of 'Zhou Bo star' that disappeared after 10 days

Scientists have successfully observed for the first time two megatsunamis that shook the world for nine days in 2023. The global seismic signal was recorded every 90 seconds. It was only after a year that the cause was revealed to be two megatsunamis in a remote East Greenland fjord. However, it was merely a theory till now, as no proof of the event had been found. Even a Danish vessel that visited Greenland three days after the first seismic signal did not see the megatsunami waves.&nbsp;Now, using the new Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2022, scientists have captured evidence of the Greenland megatsunamis, according to observations made using the SWOT satellite published in Nature Communications.&nbsp;<h2>Waves got caught in a narrow inlet in Greenland</h2>&nbsp;In September 2023, a glacier in Greenland, bearing the brunt of global warming, triggered two landslides. The waves that were unleashed got caught in between a fjord - a long, narrow sea inlet formed by a glacier and steep sides or cliffs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/colombia-mysterious-humans-no-descendants-no-ancestors-1748928886650">6,000-year-old remains point to cryptic humans who vanished without a trace</a>&nbsp;The sky-high water swayed in this inlet, resulting in standing waves, also known as seiches. This movement resulted in mysterious seismic signals that were recorded across the world, every 90 seconds for nine days. They were again reported a month later.&nbsp;Oxford researchers interpreted satellite altimetry data using the new technique. They measured the time a radar pulse took to travel from a satellite to Earth's surface and back again to deduce the height of Earth's surface, including that of the ocean.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/how-will-earth-die-solar-system-sun-mercury-venus-rogue-star-1748688088180">One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet</a> &nbsp;<h2>Satellite captured the megatsunamis</h2>&nbsp;Conventional satellite altimeters failed to capture any evidence of the megatsunami because their technology could not spot the differences in water height needed to spot the waves. However, the SWOT has two antennas mounted on a 10-meter boom on either side which enables it to measure ocean and surface water levels with great accuracy along a 50 kilometre wide area.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/discovery-of-40000-year-old-river-system-in-antarctica-is-a-warning-sign-for-humans-737430">Discovery of 40-million-year-old river system in Antarctica is a warning sign for humans</a>&nbsp;Elevation maps of the Greenland Fjord showed "cross-channel slopes with height differences of up to two meters" at the time the megatsunamis hit. They also moved in opposite directions, proving that the water caught there moved back and forth.&nbsp;The study authors said that climate change is driving quick shifts in remote areas, like the Arctic. Satellites like SWOT can help them record these. Lead author Thomas Monahan of Oxford said, "Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes.&nbsp;&nbsp;These extremes are changing the fastest in remote areas, such as the Arctic, where our ability to measure them using physical sensors is limited."&nbsp;"This study shows how we can leverage the next generation of satellite earth observation technologies to study these processes."

Greenland witnessed two megatsunamis in Sep 2023, and the waves got caught in a fjord, a narrow inlet. The water kept crashing between the cliffs, triggering a global earthquake. 

Scientists have successfully observed for the first time two megatsunamis that shook the world for nine days in 2023. The global seismic signal was recorded every 90 seconds. It was only after a year that the cause was revealed to be two megatsunamis in a remote East Greenland fjord. However, it was merely a theory till now, as no proof of the event had been found. Even a Danish vessel that visited Greenland three days after the first seismic signal did not see the megatsunami waves. Now, using the new Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2022, scientists have captured evidence of the Greenland megatsunamis, according to observations made using the SWOT satellite published in Nature Communications. Waves got caught in a narrow inlet in Greenland In September 2023, a glacier in Greenland, bearing the brunt of global warming, triggered two landslides. The waves that were unleashed got caught in between a fjord - a long, narrow sea inlet formed by a glacier and steep sides or cliffs. Also Read: 6,000-year-old remains point to cryptic humans who vanished without a trace The sky-high water swayed in this inlet, resulting in standing waves, also known as seiches. This movement resulted in mysterious seismic signals that were recorded across the world, every 90 seconds for nine days. They were again reported a month later. Oxford researchers interpreted satellite altimetry data using the new technique. They measured the time a radar pulse took to travel from a satellite to Earth's surface and back again to deduce the height of Earth's surface, including that of the ocean. Also Read: One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet Satellite captured the megatsunamis Conventional satellite altimeters failed to capture any evidence of the megatsunami because their technology could not spot the differences in water height needed to spot the waves. However, the SWOT has two antennas mounted on a 10-meter boom on either side which enables it to measure ocean and surface water levels with great accuracy along a 50 kilometre wide area. Also Read: Discovery of 40-million-year-old river system in Antarctica is a warning sign for humans Elevation maps of the Greenland Fjord showed "cross-channel slopes with height differences of up to two meters" at the time the megatsunamis hit. They also moved in opposite directions, proving that the water caught there moved back and forth. The study authors said that climate change is driving quick shifts in remote areas, like the Arctic. Satellites like SWOT can help them record these. Lead author Thomas Monahan of Oxford said, "Climate change is giving rise to new, unseen extremes. These extremes are changing the fastest in remote areas, such as the Arctic, where our ability to measure them using physical sensors is limited." "This study shows how we can leverage the next generation of satellite earth observation technologies to study these processes."

Greenland witnessed two megatsunamis in Sep 2023, and the waves got caught in a fjord, a narrow inlet. The water kept crashing between the cliffs, triggering a global earthquake.&nbsp;

9 days, every 90 seconds: Greenland megatsunamis that triggered global earthquake were real

The Milky Way will not exist in its current form some day, a scenario that was expected to unfold in about 5 billion years. However, a new study suggests that this could happen a lot earlier, in about 2 billion years. In fact, the culprit won't be Andromeda, but a dwarf irregular galaxy.&nbsp;Scientists have long theorised that our galaxy will merge with Andromeda, resulting in the creation of a new galaxy called “Milkomeda.”&nbsp;An international team of researchers has found that while the chances of the Milky Way and Andromeda colliding are less as compared to previous estimates, there is another collision that is almost certain to happen in the next two billion years - one of the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud smashing into each other.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/how-will-earth-die-solar-system-sun-mercury-venus-rogue-star-1748688088180">One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet</a>&nbsp;Researchers from Durham University dug into the probability of a Milky Way and Andromeda merger. After running 100,000 simulations, they found that there is a 50-50 chance of a collision occurring between the Milky Way and Andromeda. There is still no clarity on whether Earth will survive this event, if it is still around till that time.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/venus-pancake-volcanoes-crust-veritas-davinci-missions-1748604215813">Hell planet has strange volcanoes shaped over 'hundreds of thousands of years'</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;This is when they also discovered that our galaxy might face the same fate, but at the hands of another, smaller galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud is a galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Why will the Milky Way and Andromeda not collide?</h2>&nbsp;Andromeda is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth, and both of them can collide, travelling at a speed of 354,000 kilometres per hour (km/h). The results can be devastating for Earth and the other planets, besides the billions of other stars in the two galaxies.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;The researchers took data from the Gaia and Hubble telescopes and ran simulations about the movement of our galaxy in the next 10 billion years. They also looked at the other galaxies that sit inside the Local Group, a region where several galaxies reside along with the Milky Way and Andromeda.&nbsp;“We found that uncertainties in the present positions, motions and masses of all galaxies leave room for drastically different outcomes and a probability of close to 50% that there will be no Milky Way–Andromeda merger during the next 10 billion years," the authors wrote.&nbsp;&nbsp;They state that the previous studies failed to account for the gravitational pull of the Triangulum galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. "The orbit of the Large Magellanic Cloud runs perpendicular to the Milky Way–Andromeda orbit and makes their merger less probable,” they explained.&nbsp;Scientists admit that it isn't possible to be fully sure about how the Milky Way will move in the coming years since space is full of uncertainties. They will continue to look at data taken by Gaia to understand more about it.

The Milky Way was supposed to collide with Andromeda in the next 5 billion years. Turns out, scientists did not see the real culprit all this time which was hiding in plain sight. 

The Milky Way will not exist in its current form some day, a scenario that was expected to unfold in about 5 billion years. However, a new study suggests that this could happen a lot earlier, in about 2 billion years. In fact, the culprit won't be Andromeda, but a dwarf irregular galaxy. Scientists have long theorised that our galaxy will merge with Andromeda, resulting in the creation of a new galaxy called “Milkomeda.” An international team of researchers has found that while the chances of the Milky Way and Andromeda colliding are less as compared to previous estimates, there is another collision that is almost certain to happen in the next two billion years - one of the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud smashing into each other. Also Read: One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet Researchers from Durham University dug into the probability of a Milky Way and Andromeda merger. After running 100,000 simulations, they found that there is a 50-50 chance of a collision occurring between the Milky Way and Andromeda. There is still no clarity on whether Earth will survive this event, if it is still around till that time. Also Read: Hell planet has strange volcanoes shaped over 'hundreds of thousands of years' This is when they also discovered that our galaxy might face the same fate, but at the hands of another, smaller galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud is a galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. Why will the Milky Way and Andromeda not collide? Andromeda is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth, and both of them can collide, travelling at a speed of 354,000 kilometres per hour (km/h). The results can be devastating for Earth and the other planets, besides the billions of other stars in the two galaxies. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth The researchers took data from the Gaia and Hubble telescopes and ran simulations about the movement of our galaxy in the next 10 billion years. They also looked at the other galaxies that sit inside the Local Group, a region where several galaxies reside along with the Milky Way and Andromeda. “We found that uncertainties in the present positions, motions and masses of all galaxies leave room for drastically different outcomes and a probability of close to 50% that there will be no Milky Way–Andromeda merger during the next 10 billion years," the authors wrote. They state that the previous studies failed to account for the gravitational pull of the Triangulum galaxy and the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy that orbits the Milky Way. "The orbit of the Large Magellanic Cloud runs perpendicular to the Milky Way–Andromeda orbit and makes their merger less probable,” they explained. Scientists admit that it isn't possible to be fully sure about how the Milky Way will move in the coming years since space is full of uncertainties. They will continue to look at data taken by Gaia to understand more about it.

The Milky Way was supposed to collide with Andromeda in the next 5 billion years. Turns out, scientists did not see the real culprit all this time, which was hiding in plain sight.&nbsp;

Not Andromeda, but the Milky Way will smash into a dwarf galaxy in 2 billion years

A group of humans that settled in Colombia 6,000 years ago vanished without a trace 4,000 years later. Scientists have not found any of their ancestors with their DNA, nor are there any descendants. Who were they? Where did they go? Researchers say that this group started off as hunter-gatherers in the Bogotá Altiplano, which is now Colombia. They developed and became an agricultural society.&nbsp;Studies of the fragmented DNA in their skeletal remains revealed that they did not have a lineage, Popular Mechanics reported. What's surprising is that none of the modern humans share their genes either. Scientists have theorised that their genes are likely diluted, assuming they mingled with the local population for several years. However, this is simply an assumption.&nbsp;According to historical records, the first people to enter North America some 16,000 years ago were the ancestors of modern Indigenous people who originated in Siberian and East Asian groups. They mixed 20,000 years ago, during the Late Palaeolithic.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-pyramids-mysterious-structures-tombs-discovered-underneath-1748592381310">Egypt isn't done! Places for the dead hidden for over 3,000 years now revealed</a>&nbsp;Those who reached southern Native American lines branched out into three more lineages and penetrated further south.&nbsp;<h2>Southern Native American lineages and their ancestors</h2>&nbsp;According to the study in Science Advances, every southern Native American lineage can be traced back to the earliest ancestors. One of them is the Anzick-1 individual discovered in 1968, after a 12,700-year-old skull of a child belonging to the Clovis people was unearthed.&nbsp;Another lineage in the Central Andes is from ancient people living in California’s Channel Islands. There is another lineage that has descended from the Clovis population.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/california-big-one-earthquake-prediction-year-1748340197093">Scientists now know the EXACT year Big One, a devastating earthquake, will hit California. It can happen as soon as...</a>&nbsp;Researchers were able to establish a linguistic connection between the the mysterious people and those who speak the Chibchan languages, with certain shared genetic and cultural aspects. However, they failed to find a direct link with anyone.&nbsp;<h2>Ancestral Proto-Chibchan language and its evolution</h2>&nbsp;The researchers looked at the origins of the ancestral Proto-Chibchan language and its evolution into other distinct languages to better understand where the modern residents of the area came from. The branching off of the language is believed to have happened several thousand years ago, possibly in southern Central America. However, when and where the Proto-Chibchan language originated could not be pinpointed.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/leonardo-da-vinci-painting-secret-tunnels-italian-castle-1748314075573">Secret tunnels seen only in Leonardo da Vinci's painting have been discovered under an ancient Italian castle</a>&nbsp;They also carried out a genetic analysis of modern local Indigenous people to learn about their ancestors. A genetic analysis of local Indigenous people showed that they are related to more ancient speakers of Chibchan languages. According to some findings, they did not directly descend from the mysterious group of people that first settled in that part of Colombia.&nbsp;The researchers studied the genomic and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 21 of these mysterious ancient individuals, which shed some light on their occupation and life. But, there is no clarity on where they came from and where they went.&nbsp;The study authors say that more research is needed into other groups of people who had a similar language to the mystery group and lived around the same time. &nbsp;

A group of humans who settled in Colombia 6000 years ago have left scientists scratching their heads since they did not have any ancestors, nor is their DNA present in any modern human. Who were they

A group of humans that settled in Colombia 6,000 years ago vanished without a trace 4,000 years later. Scientists have not found any of their ancestors with their DNA, nor are there any descendants. Who were they? Where did they go? Researchers say that this group started off as hunter-gatherers in the Bogotá Altiplano, which is now Colombia. They developed and became an agricultural society. Studies of the fragmented DNA in their skeletal remains revealed that they did not have a lineage, Popular Mechanics reported. What's surprising is that none of the modern humans share their genes either. Scientists have theorised that their genes are likely diluted, assuming they mingled with the local population for several years. However, this is simply an assumption. According to historical records, the first people to enter North America some 16,000 years ago were the ancestors of modern Indigenous people who originated in Siberian and East Asian groups. They mixed 20,000 years ago, during the Late Palaeolithic. Also Read: Egypt isn't done! Places for the dead hidden for over 3,000 years now revealed Those who reached southern Native American lines branched out into three more lineages and penetrated further south. Southern Native American lineages and their ancestors According to the study in Science Advances, every southern Native American lineage can be traced back to the earliest ancestors. One of them is the Anzick-1 individual discovered in 1968, after a 12,700-year-old skull of a child belonging to the Clovis people was unearthed. Another lineage in the Central Andes is from ancient people living in California’s Channel Islands. There is another lineage that has descended from the Clovis population. Also Read: Scientists now know the EXACT year Big One, a devastating earthquake, will hit California. It can happen as soon as... Researchers were able to establish a linguistic connection between the the mysterious people and those who speak the Chibchan languages, with certain shared genetic and cultural aspects. However, they failed to find a direct link with anyone. Ancestral Proto-Chibchan language and its evolution The researchers looked at the origins of the ancestral Proto-Chibchan language and its evolution into other distinct languages to better understand where the modern residents of the area came from. The branching off of the language is believed to have happened several thousand years ago, possibly in southern Central America. However, when and where the Proto-Chibchan language originated could not be pinpointed. Also Read: Secret tunnels seen only in Leonardo da Vinci's painting have been discovered under an ancient Italian castle They also carried out a genetic analysis of modern local Indigenous people to learn about their ancestors. A genetic analysis of local Indigenous people showed that they are related to more ancient speakers of Chibchan languages. According to some findings, they did not directly descend from the mysterious group of people that first settled in that part of Colombia. The researchers studied the genomic and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 21 of these mysterious ancient individuals, which shed some light on their occupation and life. But, there is no clarity on where they came from and where they went. The study authors say that more research is needed into other groups of people who had a similar language to the mystery group and lived around the same time.

A group of humans who settled in Colombia 6,000 years ago have left scientists scratching their heads since they didn't have any ancestors, nor is their DNA present in any modern human. Who were they?

6,000-year-old remains point to cryptic humans who vanished without a trace

In a major breakthrough, scientists in China have found traces of the origins of the “ghost ancestors” of modern Tibetans to the southwestern province of Yunnan. the did it by analysing the ancient DNA. The finding becomes crucial because the origins of people living on the Tibetan Plateau and information around how their ancestors migrate and adapted the tough environment of the area have long been a mystery for the world.&nbsp;A group of Chinese paleontologists found the existence of a hypothesis that academics had speculated about but failed to test. The hypothesis claimed that there is an &nbsp;archaeological site in central Yunnan, which is one of the origins of populations on the Tibetan Plateau.&nbsp;The study was published on &nbsp;the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday (May 30).&nbsp;“This study not only fills a critical gap in the genetic data of prehistoric populations in East and Southeast Asia, but also identifies one of the Tibetan Plateau’s ‘ghost ancestors’ for the first time from a genetic perspective,” the authors of the study said, South China Morning Post reported.&nbsp;It is a fact that at least 80 per cent of the Tibetan Plateau populations' genetic composition originates from northern Chinese populations. The date goes back to 9,500 to 4,000 years ago. Still, the origin of the remaining 20 per cent have been unknown. The 20 per cent portion often called as s “ghost ancestry” by the academic community. 'Ghost population' in Africa?&nbsp;In 2020, a research had found that around 2 per cent to 19 per cent of present-day West Africans have their genetic ancestry to an extinct human species. The researches named it a "ghost population."&nbsp;"We estimate interbreeding occurred approximately 43,000 years ago, with large intervals of uncertainty," said University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) human genetics and computer science professor Sriram Sankararaman, who led the study published this week in the journal Science Advances, news agency Reuters reported.&nbsp;

'Ghost ancestors': Chinese scientists use ancient DNA to find origins of modern Tibetans 

In a major breakthrough, scientists in China have found traces of the origins of the “ghost ancestors” of modern Tibetans to the southwestern province of Yunnan. the did it by analysing the ancient DNA. The finding becomes crucial because the origins of people living on the Tibetan Plateau and information around how their ancestors migrate and adapted the tough environment of the area have long been a mystery for the world. A group of Chinese paleontologists found the existence of a hypothesis that academics had speculated about but failed to test. The hypothesis claimed that there is an archaeological site in central Yunnan, which is one of the origins of populations on the Tibetan Plateau. The study was published on the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday (May 30). “This study not only fills a critical gap in the genetic data of prehistoric populations in East and Southeast Asia, but also identifies one of the Tibetan Plateau’s ‘ghost ancestors’ for the first time from a genetic perspective,” the authors of the study said, South China Morning Post reported. It is a fact that at least 80 per cent of the Tibetan Plateau populations' genetic composition originates from northern Chinese populations. The date goes back to 9,500 to 4,000 years ago. Still, the origin of the remaining 20 per cent have been unknown. The 20 per cent portion often called as s “ghost ancestry” by the academic community. 'Ghost population' in Africa? In 2020, a research had found that around 2 per cent to 19 per cent of present-day West Africans have their genetic ancestry to an extinct human species. The researches named it a "ghost population." "We estimate interbreeding occurred approximately 43,000 years ago, with large intervals of uncertainty," said University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) human genetics and computer science professor Sriram Sankararaman, who led the study published this week in the journal Science Advances, news agency Reuters reported.

In a major breakthrough, scientists in China have found traces of the origins of the “ghost ancestors” of modern Tibetans to the southwestern province of Yunnan.&nbsp;

'Ghost ancestors': Chinese scientists use ancient DNA to find origins of modern Tibetans

Earth might be in danger of getting smacked by another planet in the future. This might be how we all go, according to a new study. Published in the journal Icarus, it states how the study authors created a simulation to understand what a wayward star can do to Earth and the other planets in the solar system.&nbsp;The study states that Earth, Sun and other planets that orbit our star do not exist in a silo. There are billions more stars teeming in the Milky Way. So if a rogue star were to ever brush past the solar system, it could push out planets from their orbits, creating a chaotic scene where they'll crash into each other.&nbsp;In this scenario, another planet can hit Earth out of the solar system, and even the Milky Way, and fling it into deep space, far away from the Sun. No need to mention, life as we know it, will end on the blue planet.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/space-colony-for-humans-universe-earth-mars-1748686888631">A scientist proposed building space colonies for humans in the 1970s. What went wrong?</a>&nbsp;<h2>One planet can trigger death of every planet in the solar system</h2>&nbsp;They admit that stars often move near the solar system without posing any threat. However, things can go awry because of one planet - Mercury. The closest planet to the Sun is prone to instability, and a thrust by a star can make its orbit highly elliptical. This can lead it to crash into either the Sun or Venus.&nbsp;This could trigger a chain reaction, leading one of the planets to crash into Earth.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/asteroid-comet-fireball-meteor-china-maoming-guangdong-1748660740288">Did an asteroid enter Earth over China? Bright fireball and explosion reported in Guangdong</a>&nbsp;<h2>Mercury and Mars would be lost in a violent encounter</h2>The scientists used NASA’s Horizons System to run 2,000 simulations. It tells the exact position of every object in the solar system. They found that alien stars can make the solar system about 50 per cent less stable in the next 5 billion years. There is a 3.9 per cent chance that Pluto would be ejected from the solar system, and Mercury and Mars would be lost.&nbsp;Even though Earth is stable, its orbit will become unstable if a planet crashes into it. In fact, the chances of this happening were found to be hundreds of times more than prior estimates. A stellar flyby would also be extremely violent as compared to an internal event.&nbsp;

Scientists have painted a scary scenario for the solar system, where one passerby might trigger the death of every planet, crushing some and flinging others into deep space.

Earth might be in danger of getting smacked by another planet in the future. This might be how we all go, according to a new study. Published in the journal Icarus, it states how the study authors created a simulation to understand what a wayward star can do to Earth and the other planets in the solar system. The study states that Earth, Sun and other planets that orbit our star do not exist in a silo. There are billions more stars teeming in the Milky Way. So if a rogue star were to ever brush past the solar system, it could push out planets from their orbits, creating a chaotic scene where they'll crash into each other. In this scenario, another planet can hit Earth out of the solar system, and even the Milky Way, and fling it into deep space, far away from the Sun. No need to mention, life as we know it, will end on the blue planet. Also Read: A scientist proposed building space colonies for humans in the 1970s. What went wrong? One planet can trigger death of every planet in the solar system They admit that stars often move near the solar system without posing any threat. However, things can go awry because of one planet - Mercury. The closest planet to the Sun is prone to instability, and a thrust by a star can make its orbit highly elliptical. This can lead it to crash into either the Sun or Venus. This could trigger a chain reaction, leading one of the planets to crash into Earth. Also Read: Did an asteroid enter Earth over China? Bright fireball and explosion reported in Guangdong Mercury and Mars would be lost in a violent encounter The scientists used NASA’s Horizons System to run 2,000 simulations. It tells the exact position of every object in the solar system. They found that alien stars can make the solar system about 50 per cent less stable in the next 5 billion years. There is a 3.9 per cent chance that Pluto would be ejected from the solar system, and Mercury and Mars would be lost. Even though Earth is stable, its orbit will become unstable if a planet crashes into it. In fact, the chances of this happening were found to be hundreds of times more than prior estimates. A stellar flyby would also be extremely violent as compared to an internal event.

Scientists have painted a scary scenario for the solar system, where one passerby might trigger the death of every planet, crushing some and flinging others into deep space.

One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet

Building a space colony complete with everything humans need seems like a piece of science fiction. Today, we see such concepts only in movies. Elon Musk wants to go to Mars, but nobody is talking about building a place high above Earth for humans where they can live just like they do on the blue planet.&nbsp;However, space colonies came extremely close to becoming a reality in the 1970s. According to a BBC report, a scientist named Dr Gerard Kitchen O’Neill prepared a detailed report of giant orbiting habitats as Earth underwent an environmental crisis. His plans included three kilometre-long colonies where tens of thousands of people could live in green areas.&nbsp;&nbsp;He even presented the report to American senators, prepared almost 50 years ago at NASA’s Ames Research Centre.<h2>How did the idea of space colony originate?</h2>&nbsp;O’Neill got the idea from a computer simulation called World3 and the 1972 book written by a team of analysts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The researchers stated that Earth cannot sustain a growing population in the long run.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/musk-mars-colony-starship-human-civilisation-world-war-3-1748677966917">'Something crazy, like World War III': Mars will save humans if a catastrophic conflict breaks out, Musk says</a>&nbsp;He proposed the use of recycled products in these colonies, and put all industries and energy-producing units in space to end the problem of pollution on Earth.&nbsp;<h2>Three types of space colonies</h2>&nbsp;O’Neill came up with three types of space colonies. 'Island One' would be a rotating sphere located near the equator, and the colonies would grow with each generation.&nbsp;The second was the "Stanford Torus," similar to the giant wheel-shaped stations we often see in sci-fi movies. It would support about 10,000 people, with flying mirrors reflecting sunlight.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/asteroid-comet-fireball-meteor-china-maoming-guangdong-1748660740288">Did an asteroid enter Earth over China? Bright fireball and explosion reported in Guangdong</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;The third station was the most ambitious one. Called "Island Three", it would comprise two cylinders, each 32km long and 6km in diameter. Both would rotate in the opposite direction to maintain the right orientation to the Sun. A three-land and three-window pattern inside the cylinders would help create day and night. It would rotate 40 times to create gravity like on Earth. People would occupy a large land area, while all the food would be produced in an outer ring.&nbsp;He first wanted to build a colony where humans could live and create a non-polluting power system for Earth. He proposed building giant arrays to harness solar energy and convert it into a microwave beam, which would be further turned into electricity.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-pyramids-mysterious-structures-tombs-discovered-underneath-1748592381310">Egypt isn't done! Places for the dead hidden for over 3,000 years now revealed</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;The US Senate Subcommittee on Aerospace Technology and National Needs was presented with the idea in 1976, and the group termed it "feasible".&nbsp;<h2>Space Shuttle problem</h2>&nbsp;However, the problem came down to a launch vehicle. Besides, NASA was not equipped to build a space colony. O’Neill wanted to use the Space Shuttle, which hadn't even taken its first trip. Analyses were conducted to test its feasibility, but nothing materialised, and it later retired.&nbsp;Can humans go back to the drawing board and build space colonies over 50 years after it was first proposed, especially with climate change and global warming becoming a real threat? &nbsp;

Space colonies came extremely close to becoming a reality in the 1970s. However, the plan never reached fruition due to several hurdles.

Building a space colony complete with everything humans need seems like a piece of science fiction. Today, we see such concepts only in movies. Elon Musk wants to go to Mars, but nobody is talking about building a place high above Earth for humans where they can live just like they do on the blue planet. However, space colonies came extremely close to becoming a reality in the 1970s. According to a BBC report, a scientist named Dr Gerard Kitchen O’Neill prepared a detailed report of giant orbiting habitats as Earth underwent an environmental crisis. His plans included three kilometre-long colonies where tens of thousands of people could live in green areas. He even presented the report to American senators, prepared almost 50 years ago at NASA’s Ames Research Centre. How did the idea of space colony originate? O’Neill got the idea from a computer simulation called World3 and the 1972 book written by a team of analysts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The researchers stated that Earth cannot sustain a growing population in the long run. Also Read: 'Something crazy, like World War III': Mars will save humans if a catastrophic conflict breaks out, Musk says He proposed the use of recycled products in these colonies, and put all industries and energy-producing units in space to end the problem of pollution on Earth. Three types of space colonies O’Neill came up with three types of space colonies. 'Island One' would be a rotating sphere located near the equator, and the colonies would grow with each generation. The second was the "Stanford Torus," similar to the giant wheel-shaped stations we often see in sci-fi movies. It would support about 10,000 people, with flying mirrors reflecting sunlight. Also Read: Did an asteroid enter Earth over China? Bright fireball and explosion reported in Guangdong The third station was the most ambitious one. Called "Island Three", it would comprise two cylinders, each 32km long and 6km in diameter. Both would rotate in the opposite direction to maintain the right orientation to the Sun. A three-land and three-window pattern inside the cylinders would help create day and night. It would rotate 40 times to create gravity like on Earth. People would occupy a large land area, while all the food would be produced in an outer ring. He first wanted to build a colony where humans could live and create a non-polluting power system for Earth. He proposed building giant arrays to harness solar energy and convert it into a microwave beam, which would be further turned into electricity. Also Read: Egypt isn't done! Places for the dead hidden for over 3,000 years now revealed The US Senate Subcommittee on Aerospace Technology and National Needs was presented with the idea in 1976, and the group termed it "feasible". Space Shuttle problem However, the problem came down to a launch vehicle. Besides, NASA was not equipped to build a space colony. O’Neill wanted to use the Space Shuttle, which hadn't even taken its first trip. Analyses were conducted to test its feasibility, but nothing materialised, and it later retired. Can humans go back to the drawing board and build space colonies over 50 years after it was first proposed, especially with climate change and global warming becoming a real threat?

Space colonies came extremely close to becoming a reality in the 1970s. However, the plan never reached fruition due to several hurdles.

A scientist proposed building space colonies for humans in the 1970s. What went wrong?

Elon Musk has once again spoken about his plans of colonising Mars in a company talk shared by SpaceX on its X page. The CEO of the company is hopeful of sending the Starship carrying a simulated crew to Mars at the end of 2026. He reiterated the need for humans to have a backup ready in case they do "something crazy, like World War III."&nbsp;The video was originally meant to be released on Tuesday, on the day the ninth test flight of Starship was launched. However, it failed miserably. The company then dropped the 42-minute video on Thursday.&nbsp;Musk said that there is a 50-50 chance that the Starship would meet the 2026 deadline. Dec is when the tiny window opens when the red planet and Earth come at the closest distance to each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/the-martian-saw-humans-on-mars-in-2035-starship-musk-spacex-1748346270101">When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality?</a>&nbsp;However, if that doesn't happen, then SpaceX will wait till 2028 since Mars reaches perigee only once every two years. The crew would comprise Optimus humanoid robots that Tesla builds."That would be an epic picture — to see Optimus walking around on the surface of Mars," he said.&nbsp;<h2>Humans have to become multi-planetary, says Musk</h2>&nbsp;It isn't known when the video was shot. After the Tuesday test launch of Starship failed, Musk said that the company would try to learn from it. During the talk, Musk also reiterated the need to learn and make life multi-planetary.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;“Each launch is about learning more and more about what’s needed to make life multi-planetary and to improve Starship to the point where it can be taking, ultimately, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to Mars," he said.&nbsp;Musk again stressed the need for humans to become multiplanetary, because this is important "for the long-term survival of civilisation." He claims a species that has options to go to other planets lasts 10 times longer. Musk also think it is important to have Mars as an option if humans do "something crazy like World War III."&nbsp;“Hopefully not, but it’s possible.”&nbsp;<h2>Refuelling Starship mid-space is a challenge</h2>&nbsp;The main hurdle, Musk says, that SpaceX faces in this venture is mastering off-Earth refuelling of the Ship.&nbsp;Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-forms-rings-because-of-phobos-1747806749752"> Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Our close neighbour also had them, and they will return</a>&nbsp;If all goes well, then Musk will start sending humans to Mars by the start of the next decade. Between 2028 and 2029, around 20 ships will be sent to the Red Planet.&nbsp;"Assuming the first missions are successful and they land successfully, we'd send humans on the next mission, and we really start building the infrastructure for Mars," Musk said.&nbsp;He even has a place picked out on Mars where humans can survive. Arcadia Planitia is a volcanic plain in the northern hemisphere, which is away from the freezing Martian poles, is flat enough for a landing, and also likely has water ice.&nbsp;SpaceX plans on sending 100 Starships to Mars between 2030 and 2031, scaling it up to 500 in 2033, as seen in a slide in Musk's presentation. The end goal is to build a self-sustaining society comprising over a million people on Mars who can live without any help from Earth. &nbsp;

Musk plans to send Starship to Mars next year. He told his employees during a company talk that becoming multiplanetary is essential for the survival of human beings. 

Elon Musk has once again spoken about his plans of colonising Mars in a company talk shared by SpaceX on its X page. The CEO of the company is hopeful of sending the Starship carrying a simulated crew to Mars at the end of 2026. He reiterated the need for humans to have a backup ready in case they do "something crazy, like World War III." The video was originally meant to be released on Tuesday, on the day the ninth test flight of Starship was launched. However, it failed miserably. The company then dropped the 42-minute video on Thursday. Musk said that there is a 50-50 chance that the Starship would meet the 2026 deadline. Dec is when the tiny window opens when the red planet and Earth come at the closest distance to each other. Also Read: When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality? However, if that doesn't happen, then SpaceX will wait till 2028 since Mars reaches perigee only once every two years. The crew would comprise Optimus humanoid robots that Tesla builds. "That would be an epic picture — to see Optimus walking around on the surface of Mars," he said. Humans have to become multi-planetary, says Musk It isn't known when the video was shot. After the Tuesday test launch of Starship failed, Musk said that the company would try to learn from it. During the talk, Musk also reiterated the need to learn and make life multi-planetary. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth “Each launch is about learning more and more about what’s needed to make life multi-planetary and to improve Starship to the point where it can be taking, ultimately, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to Mars," he said. Musk again stressed the need for humans to become multiplanetary, because this is important "for the long-term survival of civilisation." He claims a species that has options to go to other planets lasts 10 times longer. Musk also think it is important to have Mars as an option if humans do "something crazy like World War III." “Hopefully not, but it’s possible.” Refuelling Starship mid-space is a challenge The main hurdle, Musk says, that SpaceX faces in this venture is mastering off-Earth refuelling of the Ship. Also Read: Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Our close neighbour also had them, and they will return If all goes well, then Musk will start sending humans to Mars by the start of the next decade. Between 2028 and 2029, around 20 ships will be sent to the Red Planet. "Assuming the first missions are successful and they land successfully, we'd send humans on the next mission, and we really start building the infrastructure for Mars," Musk said. He even has a place picked out on Mars where humans can survive. Arcadia Planitia is a volcanic plain in the northern hemisphere, which is away from the freezing Martian poles, is flat enough for a landing, and also likely has water ice. SpaceX plans on sending 100 Starships to Mars between 2030 and 2031, scaling it up to 500 in 2033, as seen in a slide in Musk's presentation. The end goal is to build a self-sustaining society comprising over a million people on Mars who can live without any help from Earth.

Musk plans to send Starship to Mars next year. He told his employees during a company talk that becoming multiplanetary is essential for the survival of human beings.&nbsp;

'Something crazy, like World War III': Mars will save humans if a catastrophic conflict breaks out, Musk says

Residents of China saw a fireball streak through the sky on Wednesday night. A loud noise followed it, triggering panic, with people speculating whether an asteroid had hit Earth. Now, a researcher has said that it was a fireball meteor, China News Service reported. The space rock made such a powerful entry that it was seen not only in Maoming in South China's Guangdong Province, but also in the Hainan Province.&nbsp;Reports suggest that the fireball was seen at &nbsp;9:33 pm local time on Wednesday and was accompanied by a loud boom. Several people in Maoming saw the meteor, which was so bright that it turned the night sky into day.&nbsp;Chinese observatory officials have confirmed that the cosmic visitor over Maoming was a fireball meteor, also known as a bolide. This type of a meteor is several notches brighter than a regular meteor.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/venus-pancake-volcanoes-crust-veritas-davinci-missions-1748604215813">Hell planet has strange volcanoes shaped over 'hundreds of thousands of years'</a>&nbsp;It left a stunning trail behind it which changed colours - from being a bright orange-yellow to blue-green.&nbsp;Residents of Maoming reported the incident on social media, expressing shock and awe at the strange visitor from space. However, no injuries were reported because of the meteor. Experts told Chinese media that it entered from the northeast and went towards the southwest.&nbsp;<h2>Where did the fireball meteor land?</h2>&nbsp;Right now, the fate of the fireball meteor is not known. Reports suggest that it could have landed in the South China Sea.&nbsp;Meteoroids regularly enter Earth's atmosphere, but not all of them are as bright or noisy as this one. Most of them burn up in the upper atmosphere and vanish. But fireball meteors undergo friction and rapidly heat up, which generates an intense flash of light. Such meteors also trigger a loud sonic boom.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;Bolides are not limited to meteors. They are also linked to comets and asteroids. As they enter the atmosphere, intense heat and pressure are released, which leads them to explode.<h2>Tunguska event of 1908&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;China witnessed a large-scale cosmic explosion over 100 years ago in Tunguska. In 1908, a large asteroid or comet entered Earth over Siberia, causing a bright fireball and shockwave. An area of 2,150 square kilometres was flattened, with over 80 million trees destroyed. It was 1,000 times stronger than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Local residents also heard an explosion, and the meteor is estimated to have fallen into the South China Sea. <a href="https://t.co/lOVYOyECUJ">https://t.co/lOVYOyECUJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/FIbbiwiRor">pic.twitter.com/FIbbiwiRor</a>&mdash; Jim (@yangyubin1998) <a href="https://twitter.com/yangyubin1998/status/1927731789218410597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Did an asteroid enter Earth? Maoming in China witnessed a bright fireball meteor on Wednesday, followed by a loud boom that triggered panic among residents.

Residents of China saw a fireball streak through the sky on Wednesday night. A loud noise followed it, triggering panic, with people speculating whether an asteroid had hit Earth. Now, a researcher has said that it was a fireball meteor, China News Service reported. The space rock made such a powerful entry that it was seen not only in Maoming in South China's Guangdong Province, but also in the Hainan Province. Reports suggest that the fireball was seen at 9:33 pm local time on Wednesday and was accompanied by a loud boom. Several people in Maoming saw the meteor, which was so bright that it turned the night sky into day. Chinese observatory officials have confirmed that the cosmic visitor over Maoming was a fireball meteor, also known as a bolide. This type of a meteor is several notches brighter than a regular meteor. Also Read: Hell planet has strange volcanoes shaped over 'hundreds of thousands of years' It left a stunning trail behind it which changed colours - from being a bright orange-yellow to blue-green. Residents of Maoming reported the incident on social media, expressing shock and awe at the strange visitor from space. However, no injuries were reported because of the meteor. Experts told Chinese media that it entered from the northeast and went towards the southwest. Where did the fireball meteor land? Right now, the fate of the fireball meteor is not known. Reports suggest that it could have landed in the South China Sea. Meteoroids regularly enter Earth's atmosphere, but not all of them are as bright or noisy as this one. Most of them burn up in the upper atmosphere and vanish. But fireball meteors undergo friction and rapidly heat up, which generates an intense flash of light. Such meteors also trigger a loud sonic boom. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth Bolides are not limited to meteors. They are also linked to comets and asteroids. As they enter the atmosphere, intense heat and pressure are released, which leads them to explode. Tunguska event of 1908 China witnessed a large-scale cosmic explosion over 100 years ago in Tunguska. In 1908, a large asteroid or comet entered Earth over Siberia, causing a bright fireball and shockwave. An area of 2,150 square kilometres was flattened, with over 80 million trees destroyed. It was 1,000 times stronger than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Did an asteroid enter Earth? Maoming in China witnessed a bright fireball meteor on Wednesday, followed by a loud boom that triggered panic among residents.

Did an asteroid enter Earth over China? Bright fireball and explosion reported in Guangdong

Venus, a hell planet, is home to some strange structures and activities. The extremely hot planet has several volcanoes which are unlike any seen in the solar system. Instead of having a typical triangular shape that tapers towards the top, volcanoes on Venus have a flat top dome that looks like pancakes.&nbsp;The circular shape of the Venusian volcanoes has long been suspected to be the result of thick, slow-moving lava. However, the planet itself is to blame for the strange formations.&nbsp;Scientists have discovered that Venus has a bendy crust, which plays a crucial role in shaping the volcanoes and their circular domes. The research was published in the &nbsp;Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/venus-asteroids-earth-nuclear-bomb-nasa-warning-1748417986834">Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course</a>&nbsp;<h2>An anomaly on Venus</h2>&nbsp;The geological anomaly was troubling scientists who were trying to understand how Venus' volcanoes came to take such a shape. For this, they focused their attention on the volcanic dome Narina Tholus, a 145-kilometre-wide structure on Venus.&nbsp;NASA's Magellan mission collected radar data about Venus in the 1990s. The researchers used it to create a model of the dome. They then tested how lava flow could have shaped it. The scientists dove into it in two ways - how the lava contributed to it, and also how Venus' crust aided it.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;They discovered that lava flow alone did not facilitate the creation of flat-top domes. "Our models show that flexure influences dome shape. In the presence of more flexure, dome tops become flatter and sides steeper."&nbsp;The authors noted that thick lava can deform Venus's crust. When they created the scene of lava flowing over a bendy lithosphere in the lab, they noted that after one point, the molten rock stopped spreading out. Instead, it piled up and formed flat tops with steep sides. This is exactly what they think happened with the pancake domes on Venus.&nbsp;Further, Live Science reported that the process involved extremely dense lava, one that would take "hundreds of thousands of Earth-years” to create these mammoth structures on the planet.&nbsp;<h2>Venus probes VERITAS and DAVINCI</h2>&nbsp;The researchers are hoping to gather more data with NASA's upcoming missions to Venus - Veritas and DAVINCI. They will be the first probes to visit Venus in over 35 years. While VERITAS will look at clues to solve the mystery of Venus and Earth going their separate ways, DAVINCI will peer into the planet, from the very top to the surface. However, neither of them is scheduled to take off before 2031, as per NASA.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Venus has some strange volcanoes that are flat at the top. Scientists studied one dome and think they have found the answer to the strange anomaly.

Venus, a hell planet, is home to some strange structures and activities. The extremely hot planet has several volcanoes which are unlike any seen in the solar system. Instead of having a typical triangular shape that tapers towards the top, volcanoes on Venus have a flat top dome that looks like pancakes. The circular shape of the Venusian volcanoes has long been suspected to be the result of thick, slow-moving lava. However, the planet itself is to blame for the strange formations. Scientists have discovered that Venus has a bendy crust, which plays a crucial role in shaping the volcanoes and their circular domes. The research was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Also Read: Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course An anomaly on Venus The geological anomaly was troubling scientists who were trying to understand how Venus' volcanoes came to take such a shape. For this, they focused their attention on the volcanic dome Narina Tholus, a 145-kilometre-wide structure on Venus. NASA's Magellan mission collected radar data about Venus in the 1990s. The researchers used it to create a model of the dome. They then tested how lava flow could have shaped it. The scientists dove into it in two ways - how the lava contributed to it, and also how Venus' crust aided it. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth They discovered that lava flow alone did not facilitate the creation of flat-top domes. "Our models show that flexure influences dome shape. In the presence of more flexure, dome tops become flatter and sides steeper." The authors noted that thick lava can deform Venus's crust. When they created the scene of lava flowing over a bendy lithosphere in the lab, they noted that after one point, the molten rock stopped spreading out. Instead, it piled up and formed flat tops with steep sides. This is exactly what they think happened with the pancake domes on Venus. Further, Live Science reported that the process involved extremely dense lava, one that would take "hundreds of thousands of Earth-years” to create these mammoth structures on the planet. Venus probes VERITAS and DAVINCI The researchers are hoping to gather more data with NASA's upcoming missions to Venus - Veritas and DAVINCI. They will be the first probes to visit Venus in over 35 years. While VERITAS will look at clues to solve the mystery of Venus and Earth going their separate ways, DAVINCI will peer into the planet, from the very top to the surface. However, neither of them is scheduled to take off before 2031, as per NASA.

Venus has some strange volcanoes that are flat at the top. Scientists studied one dome and think they have found the answer to the strange anomaly.

Hell planet has strange volcanoes shaped over 'hundreds of thousands of years'

Egypt is hiding several mysteries even today. A team of archaeologists has uncovered three tombs that have remained a secret for over 3,000 years. The discovery was made in the archaeological site of Dra Abu el-Naga on the Luxor West Bank. The timeline puts the tombs at a much earlier time than even Jesus Christ, who walked the Earth nearly 2,029 years ago.&nbsp;The discovery of the tombs was announced by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Archaeologists even know the names of the people the tombs belong to. The tombs date back to the New Kingdom period, when three dynasties ruled from 1550-1070 BC.&nbsp;Dra Abu el-Naga is located near the Valley of the Kings, and acted as the burial site of officials in top posts, supervisors and journalists. The three tombs do not belong to any royal figures, according to the inscriptions found inside them.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/20000-year-old-labyrinth-with-3000-rooms-lies-under-egypt-pyramid-9012892">20,000-year-old labyrinth with 3,000 rooms lies under Egypt pyramid, centuries-old claim resurfaces</a>&nbsp;One of the tombs is of a man named Amum-em-Ipet and dates back to the 19th or 20th dynasties, also known as the Ramesside period. Based on the artefacts and other findings, he was likely a worker at the temple or estate of Amun, an ancient Egyptian god of the air and fertility. However, this tomb was found in shambles, most likely destroyed by someone. It has a small courtyard, an entrance and a square hall.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/scientists-detect-huge-city-under-the-giza-pyramids-in-egypt-8880016">Scientists detect huge city under Giza pyramids in Egypt. Not possible, experts say</a>&nbsp;The other two tombs are from the 18th Dynasty. One of them belongs to a man named Baki, who was supposedly a supervisor of a grain silo. It also has a courtyard, an entrance and another long courtyard.&nbsp;The third tomb is of a man named S. Experts say that based on the findings, he did multiple jobs and was a supervisor at the Temple of Amun, a writer, and the mayor of the northern oases.&nbsp;Researchers will now work to uncover more secrets about the tombs and their owners. They said in a statement, "Completion of the excavation and cleaning works [will] get to know the owners of these graves more deeply."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/leonardo-da-vinci-painting-secret-tunnels-italian-castle-1748314075573">Secret tunnels seen only in Leonardo da Vinci's painting have been discovered under an ancient Italian castle</a>&nbsp;Later, information about the graves will be scientifically published in a research paper.&nbsp;<h2>Mystery structures discovered under three pyramids - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure - in the Giza complex</h2>&nbsp;Egypt is known for its pyramids. Recently, two scientists announced that they had discovered secret structures under three pyramids. The entire city spans more than 6,500 feet, and is 10 times larger than the pyramids.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-discovery-points-to-the-exact-date-jesus-christ-was-likely-crucified-8979096">NASA discovery points to the exact date Jesus Christ was likely crucified</a>&nbsp;Two researchers from Italy and Scotland said that their readings suggest the presence of eight vertical cylinder-shaped structures extending more than 2,100 feet below the pyramid, besides more unknown structures 4,000 feet deeper.&nbsp;Another discovery earlier this year solved "a great mystery of ancient Egypt." The tomb of King Thutmose II, the pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty, was discovered. He ruled Egypt nearly 3,500 years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Three tombs, 3000 years old, have been discovered in Egypt. Researchers even know the names of men who were buried here and their professions.

Egypt is hiding several mysteries even today. A team of archaeologists has uncovered three tombs that have remained a secret for over 3,000 years. The discovery was made in the archaeological site of Dra Abu el-Naga on the Luxor West Bank. The timeline puts the tombs at a much earlier time than even Jesus Christ, who walked the Earth nearly 2,029 years ago. The discovery of the tombs was announced by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Archaeologists even know the names of the people the tombs belong to. The tombs date back to the New Kingdom period, when three dynasties ruled from 1550-1070 BC. Dra Abu el-Naga is located near the Valley of the Kings, and acted as the burial site of officials in top posts, supervisors and journalists. The three tombs do not belong to any royal figures, according to the inscriptions found inside them. Also Read: 20,000-year-old labyrinth with 3,000 rooms lies under Egypt pyramid, centuries-old claim resurfaces One of the tombs is of a man named Amum-em-Ipet and dates back to the 19th or 20th dynasties, also known as the Ramesside period. Based on the artefacts and other findings, he was likely a worker at the temple or estate of Amun, an ancient Egyptian god of the air and fertility. However, this tomb was found in shambles, most likely destroyed by someone. It has a small courtyard, an entrance and a square hall. Also Read: Scientists detect huge city under Giza pyramids in Egypt. Not possible, experts say The other two tombs are from the 18th Dynasty. One of them belongs to a man named Baki, who was supposedly a supervisor of a grain silo. It also has a courtyard, an entrance and another long courtyard. The third tomb is of a man named S. Experts say that based on the findings, he did multiple jobs and was a supervisor at the Temple of Amun, a writer, and the mayor of the northern oases. Researchers will now work to uncover more secrets about the tombs and their owners. They said in a statement, "Completion of the excavation and cleaning works [will] get to know the owners of these graves more deeply." Also Read: Secret tunnels seen only in Leonardo da Vinci's painting have been discovered under an ancient Italian castle Later, information about the graves will be scientifically published in a research paper. Mystery structures discovered under three pyramids - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure - in the Giza complex Egypt is known for its pyramids. Recently, two scientists announced that they had discovered secret structures under three pyramids. The entire city spans more than 6,500 feet, and is 10 times larger than the pyramids. Also Read: NASA discovery points to the exact date Jesus Christ was likely crucified Two researchers from Italy and Scotland said that their readings suggest the presence of eight vertical cylinder-shaped structures extending more than 2,100 feet below the pyramid, besides more unknown structures 4,000 feet deeper. Another discovery earlier this year solved "a great mystery of ancient Egypt." The tomb of King Thutmose II, the pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty, was discovered. He ruled Egypt nearly 3,500 years ago.

Three tombs, 3,000 years old, have been discovered in Egypt. Researchers even know the names of men who were buried here and their professions.

Egypt isn't done! Places for the dead hidden for over 3,000 years now revealed

A new scientific study has warned that the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region could lose up to 75 per cent of its glacier ice by 2100 if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. The region is the primary source of major river systems and supports nearly two billion people across Asia.&nbsp;The findings, published in the Journal Science, highlight the importance of limiting warming under the Paris Agreement targets. The study also shows that if warming is kept to 1.5 degree celsius, 40–45 per cent of glacier ice in the Himalayas and the Caucasus could still be saved.<h2>Global glacier loss worsens with warming</h2>Globally, not more than 24 per cent of glacier ice would remain if temperatures rise to 2.7 degree Celsius, the path projected under current climate policies. In contrast, if we succeed in holding warming to 1.5 degree celsius, we could preserve 54 per cent of current glacier mass worldwide.&nbsp;Regions such as the European Alps, North American Rockies, and Iceland which are critical to human populations are particularly vulnerable. At 2 degree celsius warming, these areas could retain not more than just 10–15 per cent of their 2020 glacier volumes. The most concerning part is that Scandinavia could lose all glacier ice entirely.<h2>Long-term effects will persist</h2>Researchers emphasise that even if global temperatures stabilise, the loss of glacier will still continue for decades. It will over centuries for glaciers to slowly retreat to higher altitudes, before they can reach a new balance.&nbsp;A team of about 21 scientists from 10 countries used eight glacier models to assess over 200,000 glaciers under various warming scenarios. The study is released at a crucial time when the UN’s first conference on glaciers in Dushanbe is ongoing. It is bein attended by over 50 countries.&nbsp;

 The Hindu Kush Himalaya region spans over eight countries and is also the home to some of the world’s largest glaciers outside the polar areas. 

A new scientific study has warned that the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region could lose up to 75 per cent of its glacier ice by 2100 if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels. The region is the primary source of major river systems and supports nearly two billion people across Asia. The findings, published in the Journal Science, highlight the importance of limiting warming under the Paris Agreement targets. The study also shows that if warming is kept to 1.5 degree celsius, 40–45 per cent of glacier ice in the Himalayas and the Caucasus could still be saved. Global glacier loss worsens with warming Globally, not more than 24 per cent of glacier ice would remain if temperatures rise to 2.7 degree Celsius, the path projected under current climate policies. In contrast, if we succeed in holding warming to 1.5 degree celsius, we could preserve 54 per cent of current glacier mass worldwide. Regions such as the European Alps, North American Rockies, and Iceland which are critical to human populations are particularly vulnerable. At 2 degree celsius warming, these areas could retain not more than just 10–15 per cent of their 2020 glacier volumes. The most concerning part is that Scandinavia could lose all glacier ice entirely. Long-term effects will persist Researchers emphasise that even if global temperatures stabilise, the loss of glacier will still continue for decades. It will over centuries for glaciers to slowly retreat to higher altitudes, before they can reach a new balance. A team of about 21 scientists from 10 countries used eight glacier models to assess over 200,000 glaciers under various warming scenarios. The study is released at a crucial time when the UN’s first conference on glaciers in Dushanbe is ongoing. It is bein attended by over 50 countries.

The Hindu Kush region spans over eight countries and is also the home to some of the world’s largest glaciers outside the polar areas.&nbsp;

75% of Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers may vanish by century’s end: Study

The universe has fascinated humans for hundreds of years. In the quest to know what's out there, man has built telescopes that not only peer into deep space from the ground but also from high above Earth. Our planet is the only one where life exists, but does that mean no one else is out there?&nbsp;Our solar system itself has seven other planets, but none support life today. Mars has intrigued scientists who think it hosted life billions of years ago. But something changed all that.&nbsp;Meanwhile, Earth is not the only blue planet in the solar system. Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, is also blue. But it is highly toxic. It has an icy atmosphere filled with hydrogen sulfide, helium and methane. It doesn't have a surface and smells extremely bad.What would happen if humans ever decided to visit Uranus? They will die.&nbsp;<h2>Video explains what 5 seconds on Uranus can do to humans</h2>&nbsp;A YouTube video by What If shows an extremely realistic and terrifying simulation showing everything humans can expect when visiting Uranus. In fact, we won't last even five seconds on the toxic blue planet. The trip would have one tumble and even swim in the atmosphere.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;Since there is no surface, you won't hit anything. You will also get caught in a storm of diamonds with winds blowing at a speed of 900 km/h. That's three and a half times stronger than a category five hurricane, the channel says.&nbsp;Methane is what gives Uranus its bluish-green hue, and the deadly gas turns into diamonds under extreme pressure, the channel says.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/why-do-the-universe-and-humans-exist-1747819172872">Two teams, 9,650 km apart, in race to reveal the reason for the existence of the universe</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;The first hurdle is Uranus's 13 dusty rings. Upon crossing them, you'll get close to Uranus, where the temperature is a freezing - 224 degrees C. Death is imminent, but here's how the journey would unfold. You'll get caught in the clouds that are "partially made up of hydrogen sulfide", according to What If Science. Inhaling them would result in instant death.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/discovery-of-a-perfect-sphere-glowing-in-milky-way-poses-several-questions-1747738202216">Discovery of a perfect sphere glowing in Milky Way poses several questions</a>&nbsp;Then you will tumble down a mix of 82 per cent hydrogen, 15 per cent helium, and methane. You'll soon stop falling and start swimming. Also, expect to get caught in diamond rain.&nbsp;Next comes the planet's mantle, and you won't be able to move here because of the forces exerted by water, ammonia and methane ice. It will get extremely dark, and the pressure is 100 times more than that of Earth's sea level. You will be squished, and the carbon remains might turn into diamonds.&nbsp;

If humans ever decide to visit Uranus, they would die within five seconds. It would be quite a catastrophic journey before they meet their diamond-filled end.

The universe has fascinated humans for hundreds of years. In the quest to know what's out there, man has built telescopes that not only peer into deep space from the ground but also from high above Earth. Our planet is the only one where life exists, but does that mean no one else is out there? Our solar system itself has seven other planets, but none support life today. Mars has intrigued scientists who think it hosted life billions of years ago. But something changed all that. Meanwhile, Earth is not the only blue planet in the solar system. Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, is also blue. But it is highly toxic. It has an icy atmosphere filled with hydrogen sulfide, helium and methane. It doesn't have a surface and smells extremely bad. What would happen if humans ever decided to visit Uranus? They will die. Video explains what 5 seconds on Uranus can do to humans A YouTube video by What If shows an extremely realistic and terrifying simulation showing everything humans can expect when visiting Uranus. In fact, we won't last even five seconds on the toxic blue planet. The trip would have one tumble and even swim in the atmosphere. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth Since there is no surface, you won't hit anything. You will also get caught in a storm of diamonds with winds blowing at a speed of 900 km/h. That's three and a half times stronger than a category five hurricane, the channel says. Methane is what gives Uranus its bluish-green hue, and the deadly gas turns into diamonds under extreme pressure, the channel says. Also Read: Two teams, 9,650 km apart, in race to reveal the reason for the existence of the universe The first hurdle is Uranus's 13 dusty rings. Upon crossing them, you'll get close to Uranus, where the temperature is a freezing - 224 degrees C. Death is imminent, but here's how the journey would unfold. You'll get caught in the clouds that are "partially made up of hydrogen sulfide", according to What If Science. Inhaling them would result in instant death. Also Read: Discovery of a perfect sphere glowing in Milky Way poses several questions Then you will tumble down a mix of 82 per cent hydrogen, 15 per cent helium, and methane. You'll soon stop falling and start swimming. Also, expect to get caught in diamond rain. Next comes the planet's mantle, and you won't be able to move here because of the forces exerted by water, ammonia and methane ice. It will get extremely dark, and the pressure is 100 times more than that of Earth's sea level. You will be squished, and the carbon remains might turn into diamonds.

If humans ever decide to visit Uranus, they would die within five seconds. It would be quite a catastrophic journey before they meet their diamond-filled end.

Humans will turn into diamonds on Uranus, simulation depicts a violent 5-second scenario

Starbase, SpaceX's town in Texas, might soon oust several residents from their properties. According to a notice, residents may lose the right to continue using their property as they do today, according to a memo, CNBC reported. The company town is considering a new zoning ordinance and citywide map, as per the notice.&nbsp;It further proposes that Starbase would become a “Mixed Use District,” with “residential, office, retail, and small-scale service" uses of properties. The report suggests that a public hearing is being planned for June 23, where the proposed zoning will be discussed, along with a new map for the town.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-space-radio-signals-cosmic-mystery-object-pulsar-magnetar-1748517706567">44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth</a>&nbsp;Kent Myers, the new city administrator for Starbase, informed about the meeting, according to ValleyCentral.com.&nbsp;<h2>SpaceX officials run the town of Starbase</h2>&nbsp;Stabase was officially turned into a "type-C municipal corporation" earlier this month. The change was done after Elon Musk’s aerospace and defence contractor won a local election. All officials running the town are either current SpaceX employees or former staff.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/venus-asteroids-earth-nuclear-bomb-nasa-warning-1748417986834">Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course</a>&nbsp;It currently has 500 people, of whom 260 are direct employees of SpaceX. The rest are all related to the staff members of the space tech company. The company owns 1.6 square miles of land in Starbase, but the main attraction here is the launch facility from which SpaceX tests its huge rocket, Starship.&nbsp;<h2>Why does SpaceX have an entire town?</h2>&nbsp;Having a town dedicated to the company on the Texas Gulf Coast lets SpaceX build and test the rocket without the need for any permissions. Its first city commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday. Notably, on Tuesday (May 27), a Starship rocket exploded during a test launch, the third time in a row. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were "no reports of public injury or damage to public property".&nbsp;Starship's ninth test flight saw the vehicle break up over the Indian Ocean 46 minutes after launch. Its eighth flight also exploded in March, and the seventh one also failed in January.&nbsp;Notably, Starship has gained permission from the FAA to increase its launches per year from five to 25. The rocket has been designed to carry 100 people to Mars as part of Musk's vision for future humans. He has his eyes set on sending humans to the red planet and is planning to build a colony there. As per reports, he wants to land the first humans on Mars early next decade. &nbsp;

Residents of Starbase might soon have to forego certain rights over their properties. SpaceX employees run the town of Starbase.

Starbase, SpaceX's town in Texas, might soon oust several residents from their properties. According to a notice, residents may lose the right to continue using their property as they do today, according to a memo, CNBC reported. The company town is considering a new zoning ordinance and citywide map, as per the notice. It further proposes that Starbase would become a “Mixed Use District,” with “residential, office, retail, and small-scale service" uses of properties. The report suggests that a public hearing is being planned for June 23, where the proposed zoning will be discussed, along with a new map for the town. Also Read: 44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth Kent Myers, the new city administrator for Starbase, informed about the meeting, according to ValleyCentral.com. SpaceX officials run the town of Starbase Stabase was officially turned into a "type-C municipal corporation" earlier this month. The change was done after Elon Musk’s aerospace and defence contractor won a local election. All officials running the town are either current SpaceX employees or former staff. Also Read: Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course It currently has 500 people, of whom 260 are direct employees of SpaceX. The rest are all related to the staff members of the space tech company. The company owns 1.6 square miles of land in Starbase, but the main attraction here is the launch facility from which SpaceX tests its huge rocket, Starship. Why does SpaceX have an entire town? Having a town dedicated to the company on the Texas Gulf Coast lets SpaceX build and test the rocket without the need for any permissions. Its first city commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday. Notably, on Tuesday (May 27), a Starship rocket exploded during a test launch, the third time in a row. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were "no reports of public injury or damage to public property". Starship's ninth test flight saw the vehicle break up over the Indian Ocean 46 minutes after launch. Its eighth flight also exploded in March, and the seventh one also failed in January. Notably, Starship has gained permission from the FAA to increase its launches per year from five to 25. The rocket has been designed to carry 100 people to Mars as part of Musk's vision for future humans. He has his eyes set on sending humans to the red planet and is planning to build a colony there. As per reports, he wants to land the first humans on Mars early next decade.

Residents of Starbase might soon have to forego certain rights over their properties. SpaceX employees run the town of Starbase.

SpaceX employees run this town which might soon have new rules and a new map

Astronomers are intrigued by the presence of a cosmic object far away in space that releases radio waves and X-rays for two minutes straight, every 44 minutes. It has been named ASKAP J1832- 0911, but no one knows what it is. The flashing signals were picked up by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory.&nbsp;The discovery of these strange signals is so weird that scientists behind the finding think that this cosmic mystery could unlock new physics, something that has never been explored before. The NASA and ASKAP revelation has been published in the journal Nature.&nbsp;Lead author of the study, astronomer Andy Wang of the Curtin University in Perth, Australia, said in a statement, "This object is unlike anything we have seen before."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/ai-video-of-women-google-veo-3-1748497674146">'It's over for humanity': 'Creepy' video of two women is hiding something sinister</a>&nbsp;<h2>A strange object in deep space is emitting radio signals&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;What they do know is that ASKAP J1832- 0911 is a long-period transient (LPT). These objects are an extremely rare astrophysical event and sweep space with beams of radio waves like cosmic lighthouses. It was first discovered in 2022, and only 10 LPTs have been documented to date.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/venus-asteroids-earth-nuclear-bomb-nasa-warning-1748417986834">Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course</a>&nbsp;The researchers tried to solve the mystery by trying to fit the object into two known groups of cosmic entities. Wang thinks it could be a "magnetar (the core of a dead star with powerful magnetic fields), or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one of the two is a highly magnetised white dwarf (a low-mass star at the end of its evolution)."&nbsp;<h2>Magnetar or binary system? None of them&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;However, he says, even these theories do not explain what is happening in the case of this object. "This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution," he said.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/the-martian-saw-humans-on-mars-in-2035-starship-musk-spacex-1748346270101">When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality?</a>&nbsp;The usual suspects of radio signals are pulsars, which are a result of neutron stars. The signals emitted last a few seconds or milliseconds. However, LPTs are different because, unlike pulsars, they emit pulses every few minutes or hours apart. Scientists are still working to understand the reason behind such long and regular intervals.&nbsp;The scientists first found the object using the ASKAP telescope. They later turned to the Chandra X-ray observatory and confirmed what they were seeing. This was the first time an LPT in X-rays has been detected.&nbsp;Second author Nanda Rea, an astrophysicist at the Catalan Institute for Space Studies in Spain, thinks that if there is one such object out there, there must be many more.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Something is beaming strange signals towards Earth from deep space. Scientists are struggling to figure out what it is, may be something that can redefine Physics.

Astronomers are intrigued by the presence of a cosmic object far away in space that releases radio waves and X-rays for two minutes straight, every 44 minutes. It has been named ASKAP J1832- 0911, but no one knows what it is. The flashing signals were picked up by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory. The discovery of these strange signals is so weird that scientists behind the finding think that this cosmic mystery could unlock new physics, something that has never been explored before. The NASA and ASKAP revelation has been published in the journal Nature. Lead author of the study, astronomer Andy Wang of the Curtin University in Perth, Australia, said in a statement, "This object is unlike anything we have seen before." Also Read: 'It's over for humanity': 'Creepy' video of two women is hiding something sinister A strange object in deep space is emitting radio signals What they do know is that ASKAP J1832- 0911 is a long-period transient (LPT). These objects are an extremely rare astrophysical event and sweep space with beams of radio waves like cosmic lighthouses. It was first discovered in 2022, and only 10 LPTs have been documented to date. Also Read: Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course The researchers tried to solve the mystery by trying to fit the object into two known groups of cosmic entities. Wang thinks it could be a "magnetar (the core of a dead star with powerful magnetic fields), or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one of the two is a highly magnetised white dwarf (a low-mass star at the end of its evolution)." Magnetar or binary system? None of them However, he says, even these theories do not explain what is happening in the case of this object. "This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution," he said. Also Read: When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality? The usual suspects of radio signals are pulsars, which are a result of neutron stars. The signals emitted last a few seconds or milliseconds. However, LPTs are different because, unlike pulsars, they emit pulses every few minutes or hours apart. Scientists are still working to understand the reason behind such long and regular intervals. The scientists first found the object using the ASKAP telescope. They later turned to the Chandra X-ray observatory and confirmed what they were seeing. This was the first time an LPT in X-rays has been detected. Second author Nanda Rea, an astrophysicist at the Catalan Institute for Space Studies in Spain, thinks that if there is one such object out there, there must be many more.

Something is beaming strange signals towards Earth from deep space. Scientists are struggling to figure out what it is, may be something that can redefine Physics.

44 minutes apart, 2 minutes every time: Something from deep space is sending signals to Earth

At 100 kilometres above sea level lies the Karman Line, a boundary from where space starts. Everything that crosses this line is, in essence, a spacecraft and not an airplane. Now, a company is offering an aircraft that would qualify to be a spaceplane since it would be able to go beyond the Karman Line. It will be like a regular plane, taking off from a standard runway. But it is expected to be the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever.&nbsp;It has been put up for sale directly, and has created quite a lot of intrigue. It is called the Aurora, and is being built in New Zealand. The spaceplane has a unique design. It is being built by a company called Dawn Aerospace. It announced in May this year that the Aurora is now available for purchase.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/elon-musk-s-starship-flight-9-explodes-over-indian-ocean-spacex-calls-it-rapid-unscheduled-disassembly-1748423506107">Elon Musk’s Starship Flight 9 explodes over Indian Ocean, SpaceX calls it ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’</a>&nbsp;<h2>To the edge of space</h2>&nbsp;The plane is attracting attention for its immense power and design, which can take it to the edge of space, or 328,000 feet above sea level. No airplane has ever flown beyond the Karman Line.Since Aurora will ultimately go past this line from where space starts, according to the company, it would not be wrong to call it a spaceplane.&nbsp;&nbsp;The plane would play a crucial role in the defence sector, offering countries a new method to carry out surveillance in order to protect themselves.&nbsp;<h2>Top speed of 2,685 mph (4,321 kmph)</h2>&nbsp;During a test flight in November 2024, the plane reached a speed of Mach 1.12. However, Dawn is working to push it to its limits, and achieve a speed of Mach 3.5 or 2,685 mph (4,321 kmph). Right now, Lockheed-Martin SR-71 Blackbird holds the speed record set in 1976 for piloted aircraft of 2,193 mph.&nbsp;However, it would not be a manned plane, but would act more like a drone. It has a thin fuselage and a small, delta wing. It will take off from a regular runway and will be controlled by a remote.&nbsp;The Karman Line is not a universally recognised or internationally accepted division between space and Earth. However, it unofficially marks the separation between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. The line was named after aerospace pioneer Theodore von Kármán, as he came up with the boundary in the mid-twentieth century.

The aircraft called Aurora is expected to reach a top speed of 4,321 kmph in the future and will cross the Karman Line, a boundary that marks the beginning of space.

At 100 kilometres above sea level lies the Karman Line, a boundary from where space starts. Everything that crosses this line is, in essence, a spacecraft and not an airplane. Now, a company is offering an aircraft that would qualify to be a spaceplane since it would be able to go beyond the Karman Line. It will be like a regular plane, taking off from a standard runway. But it is expected to be the fastest and highest-flying aircraft ever. It has been put up for sale directly, and has created quite a lot of intrigue. It is called the Aurora, and is being built in New Zealand. The spaceplane has a unique design. It is being built by a company called Dawn Aerospace. It announced in May this year that the Aurora is now available for purchase. Also Read: Elon Musk’s Starship Flight 9 explodes over Indian Ocean, SpaceX calls it ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’ To the edge of space The plane is attracting attention for its immense power and design, which can take it to the edge of space, or 328,000 feet above sea level. No airplane has ever flown beyond the Karman Line. Since Aurora will ultimately go past this line from where space starts, according to the company, it would not be wrong to call it a spaceplane. The plane would play a crucial role in the defence sector, offering countries a new method to carry out surveillance in order to protect themselves. Top speed of 2,685 mph (4,321 kmph) During a test flight in November 2024, the plane reached a speed of Mach 1.12. However, Dawn is working to push it to its limits, and achieve a speed of Mach 3.5 or 2,685 mph (4,321 kmph). Right now, Lockheed-Martin SR-71 Blackbird holds the speed record set in 1976 for piloted aircraft of 2,193 mph. However, it would not be a manned plane, but would act more like a drone. It has a thin fuselage and a small, delta wing. It will take off from a regular runway and will be controlled by a remote. The Karman Line is not a universally recognised or internationally accepted division between space and Earth. However, it unofficially marks the separation between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. The line was named after aerospace pioneer Theodore von Kármán, as he came up with the boundary in the mid-twentieth century.

The aircraft called Aurora is expected to reach a top speed of 4,321 kmph in the future and will cross the Karman Line, a boundary that marks the beginning of space.

Drone with top speed of 4,321 kmph will take off from standard runway and cross the Karman Line

Elon Musk’s SpaceX faced yet another setback after a bumpy test flight of prototype Starship, which exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday (May 27).&nbsp;The Starship Flight 9 started spinning out of control after the rocket experienced a fuel leak. The world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle lifted off around 6:36 pm (2336 GMT) from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas.&nbsp;The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.&nbsp;In the live feed, the upper-stage spaceship was seen failing to open its doors to deploy a payload of Starlink satellite “simulators”.&nbsp;While the Starship flew further than the earlier two attempts, it experienced leaks and started spinning out of control. Mission teams vented fuel to reduce the expected explosion.&nbsp;“As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” SpaceX said on X.&nbsp;“With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary,” it added.&nbsp;SpaceX CEO said, “Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight! Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent. Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review.”&nbsp;He added, “Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks.”&nbsp;This comes after two failed flights earlier this year, Flight 7 in January and Flight 8 in March. Although SpaceX successfully managed to return its Super Heavy booster back to Earth, the Ship stage of the rocket failed soon after liftoff.

The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX faced yet another setback after a bumpy test flight of prototype Starship, which exploded over the Indian Ocean on Tuesday (May 27). The Starship Flight 9 started spinning out of control after the rocket experienced a fuel leak. The world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle lifted off around 6:36 pm (2336 GMT) from the company’s Starbase facility in Texas. The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. In the live feed, the upper-stage spaceship was seen failing to open its doors to deploy a payload of Starlink satellite “simulators”. While the Starship flew further than the earlier two attempts, it experienced leaks and started spinning out of control. Mission teams vented fuel to reduce the expected explosion. “As if the flight test was not exciting enough, Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Teams will continue to review data and work toward our next flight test,” SpaceX said on X. “With a test like this, success comes from what we learn, and today’s test will help us improve Starship’s reliability as SpaceX seeks to make life multiplanetary,” it added. SpaceX CEO said, “Starship made it to the scheduled ship engine cutoff, so big improvement over last flight! Also, no significant loss of heat shield tiles during ascent. Leaks caused loss of main tank pressure during the coast and re-entry phase. Lot of good data to review.” He added, “Launch cadence for next 3 flights will be faster, at approximately 1 every 3 to 4 weeks.” This comes after two failed flights earlier this year, Flight 7 in January and Flight 8 in March. Although SpaceX successfully managed to return its Super Heavy booster back to Earth, the Ship stage of the rocket failed soon after liftoff.

The first-stage Super Heavy booster exploded instead of executing its planned splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.

Elon Musk’s Starship Flight 9 explodes over Indian Ocean, SpaceX calls it ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’

Venus is hiding several asteroids that can one day prove fatal for Earth. A study has found that several asteroids moving in tandem with our twin planet around the Sun can smash into our planet if something were to move them out of their path. A small gravitational change could be enough to shift them outwards and crash into Earth.&nbsp;Scientists at NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), Roscosmos, and other space agencies routinely track near-Earth asteroids that can prove potentially hazardous to our planet. However, all our telescopes fail when it comes to peering towards rocks in a sub-orbital path with Venus.&nbsp;A team of scientists from São Paolo University, led by&nbsp;Valerio Carruba, observed Venus co-orbital asteroids, writing that they know about at least 20 of them. The study published in the&nbsp;journal Astronomy and Astrophysics states, that these asteroids are in sync with Venus, so they'll never crash into Venus. However, the same can't be said about Earth.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/pollen-grains-are-telling-the-story-of-asteroids-dinosaurs-mayans-1747816046382">Pollen grains are telling the story of asteroids, dinosaurs, Mayans and others</a>&nbsp;Researchers from Brazil, France, and Italy have concurred that the Sun's glare makes it almost impossible to see these asteroids. Since humans can't observe them, they will never get enough time to deflect any of these space rocks. In fact, they'll have as little as two to four weeks to prepare for an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. That's almost nothing since any attempt to deflect or break apart a dangerous asteroid will require several years of effort.&nbsp;<h2>How dangerous are these asteroids?</h2>&nbsp;There are at least three such asteroids that can pose a threat to Earth in the future. Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 can fall into a trajectory which puts them on the same path as our planet, leading them to crash into the planet. All it'll take is a slight gravitational change to pull them off their track.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/asteroid-2025-fa22-hurtling-towards-earth-and-can-crash-in-2089-9046455">656-foot asteroid can crash into Earth in 64 years. It will visit us this year as well</a>&nbsp;The three asteroids are capable of wiping out cities, destroying a major chunk of humanity. According to the researchers, an asteroid nearly 500 feet in diameter would strike with a force equal to hundreds of megatons of TNT. These three asteroids are between 330 and 1,300 feet in diameter. If even one of them hits Earth, the event will release over one million times more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 during World War II.&nbsp;Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 have a very small Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID) -&nbsp;the closest distance between their orbit and Earth's orbit around the Sun. This dramatically increases their chances of colliding with Earth.&nbsp;<h2>How can we prevent asteroids from crashing into Earth?</h2>&nbsp;Scientists say that we might be able to spot the deadly asteroids from the Rubin Observatory in Chile. However, even if we see them, there'll be little time to take any action, only about a few weeks. The only way is to send a probe to Venus and get a close look at the asteroids before they become a danger to Earth.&nbsp;

Venus is hiding several asteroids that humans cannot see from Earth, irrespective of how advanced the telescope is. Of the 20 we know about, any one can come on a collision course with Earth.

Venus is hiding several asteroids that can one day prove fatal for Earth. A study has found that several asteroids moving in tandem with our twin planet around the Sun can smash into our planet if something were to move them out of their path. A small gravitational change could be enough to shift them outwards and crash into Earth. Scientists at NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), Roscosmos, and other space agencies routinely track near-Earth asteroids that can prove potentially hazardous to our planet. However, all our telescopes fail when it comes to peering towards rocks in a sub-orbital path with Venus. A team of scientists from São Paolo University, led by Valerio Carruba, observed Venus co-orbital asteroids, writing that they know about at least 20 of them. The study published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics states, that these asteroids are in sync with Venus, so they'll never crash into Venus. However, the same can't be said about Earth. Also Read: Pollen grains are telling the story of asteroids, dinosaurs, Mayans and others Researchers from Brazil, France, and Italy have concurred that the Sun's glare makes it almost impossible to see these asteroids. Since humans can't observe them, they will never get enough time to deflect any of these space rocks. In fact, they'll have as little as two to four weeks to prepare for an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. That's almost nothing since any attempt to deflect or break apart a dangerous asteroid will require several years of effort. How dangerous are these asteroids? There are at least three such asteroids that can pose a threat to Earth in the future. Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 can fall into a trajectory which puts them on the same path as our planet, leading them to crash into the planet. All it'll take is a slight gravitational change to pull them off their track. Also Read: 656-foot asteroid can crash into Earth in 64 years. It will visit us this year as well The three asteroids are capable of wiping out cities, destroying a major chunk of humanity. According to the researchers, an asteroid nearly 500 feet in diameter would strike with a force equal to hundreds of megatons of TNT. These three asteroids are between 330 and 1,300 feet in diameter. If even one of them hits Earth, the event will release over one million times more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945 during World War II. Asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 have a very small Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance (MOID) - the closest distance between their orbit and Earth's orbit around the Sun. This dramatically increases their chances of colliding with Earth. How can we prevent asteroids from crashing into Earth? Scientists say that we might be able to spot the deadly asteroids from the Rubin Observatory in Chile. However, even if we see them, there'll be little time to take any action, only about a few weeks. The only way is to send a probe to Venus and get a close look at the asteroids before they become a danger to Earth.

Venus is hiding several asteroids that humans can't see from Earth, irrespective of how advanced the telescope is. Of the 20 we know about, any one can come on a collision course with Earth.

Evil twin? Venus sheltering 'invisible' asteroids that can wipe off humanity with a minuscule change in course

When fiction meets reality, it makes for an interesting concoction. Especially when it involves science fiction. Several films have portrayed humans going to other planets, exploring the unknown. The 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, had astronauts and a supercomputer visiting Jupiter. But humans are still not even close to going to Jupiter.&nbsp;Then we had the Back To The Future series showing a time machine built from a modified DeLorean.In 2015, The Martian was released, which showed that humans had landed on Mars thrice by the year 2035. However, that seems like a far-fetched reality right now. Once again, reality is not even close to what writers imagined in books and films.&nbsp;<h2>Musk has grand plans for Mars and humans</h2>&nbsp;Mars is on the radar of NASA, including Elon Musk, a billionaire who is at the forefront of working to land humans on the red planet. He dreams of sending people to Mars in the next five years. His ambitious plans centre around the idea that Earth will soon become unlivable for humans, and Mars is the best bet for survival.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/mars-had-lakes-and-water-honeycomb-waffle-structures-red-planet-9064048">NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago</a>&nbsp;The SpaceX CEO says Mars is a "life insurance" for humanity. Talking to Fox News, Musk said, "All life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun. The sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilisation because Earth will be incinerated."&nbsp;Musk's company has made Starship, a mammoth rocket which he hopes will ultimately fulfil his desire. Musk wants to build a self-sustaining city on the Red Planet. His vision includes a society on Mars that can survive and grow even if "the resupply ships from Earth stop coming for any reason, whether that is because civilisation died with a bang or a whimper."&nbsp;<h2>NASA funding cut</h2>&nbsp;However, will that dream ever become a reality is hard to tell. In fact, after Trump took over as President of the United States this year, the NASA budget has been cut. This has directly affected the Artemis mission, which aims to land humans on the Moon first. However, that looks to be in a jeopardy now.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-forms-rings-because-of-phobos-1747806749752">NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago</a>&nbsp;With a trip to the moon looking bleak, Mars has moved even farther away from us. Scientists planned to use the Moon as a stepping stone for Mars. They plan to build a base on the moon from which humans would be able to move to Mars.&nbsp;What continues to work are the probes NASA and other space agencies have sent to Mars. Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers are making stunning discoveries on the red planet, finding sulfur-filled stones, rocks with strange patterns, proof of a water world billions of years ago, and more.&nbsp;However, looking at the current state of affairs, it doesn't seem like humans will land on Mars by 2035. Matt Damon might have grown potatoes on Mars, but for now, it continues to remain barren, and probably will for several more years.&nbsp;

The Martian released 10 years ago, and showed humans on Mars in 2035. With another 10 years to go before that time finally comes, how close are humans to actually landing on Mars? 

When fiction meets reality, it makes for an interesting concoction. Especially when it involves science fiction. Several films have portrayed humans going to other planets, exploring the unknown. The 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, had astronauts and a supercomputer visiting Jupiter. But humans are still not even close to going to Jupiter. Then we had the Back To The Future series showing a time machine built from a modified DeLorean. In 2015, The Martian was released, which showed that humans had landed on Mars thrice by the year 2035. However, that seems like a far-fetched reality right now. Once again, reality is not even close to what writers imagined in books and films. Musk has grand plans for Mars and humans Mars is on the radar of NASA, including Elon Musk, a billionaire who is at the forefront of working to land humans on the red planet. He dreams of sending people to Mars in the next five years. His ambitious plans centre around the idea that Earth will soon become unlivable for humans, and Mars is the best bet for survival. Also Read: NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago The SpaceX CEO says Mars is a "life insurance" for humanity. Talking to Fox News, Musk said, "All life on Earth will be destroyed by the sun. The sun is gradually expanding, and so we do at some point need to be a multi-planet civilisation because Earth will be incinerated." Musk's company has made Starship, a mammoth rocket which he hopes will ultimately fulfil his desire. Musk wants to build a self-sustaining city on the Red Planet. His vision includes a society on Mars that can survive and grow even if "the resupply ships from Earth stop coming for any reason, whether that is because civilisation died with a bang or a whimper." NASA funding cut However, will that dream ever become a reality is hard to tell. In fact, after Trump took over as President of the United States this year, the NASA budget has been cut. This has directly affected the Artemis mission, which aims to land humans on the Moon first. However, that looks to be in a jeopardy now. Also Read: NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago With a trip to the moon looking bleak, Mars has moved even farther away from us. Scientists planned to use the Moon as a stepping stone for Mars. They plan to build a base on the moon from which humans would be able to move to Mars. What continues to work are the probes NASA and other space agencies have sent to Mars. Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers are making stunning discoveries on the red planet, finding sulfur-filled stones, rocks with strange patterns, proof of a water world billions of years ago, and more. However, looking at the current state of affairs, it doesn't seem like humans will land on Mars by 2035. Matt Damon might have grown potatoes on Mars, but for now, it continues to remain barren, and probably will for several more years.

The Martian released 10 years ago, and showed humans on Mars in 2035. With another 10 years to go before that time finally comes, how close are humans to actually landing on Mars?&nbsp;

When will humans land on Mars? The Martian bet on 2035. With 10 years left, how far are we from it becoming a reality?

People in Los Angeles were rattled by a sudden sonic boom on Saturday night. It was a loud explosion that caught residents unawares at around 10:45 pm. What scared them the most was that a noticeable shaking followed the sound. People thought it was an earthquake, but it was actually a visitor from space of man-made origin. The loud noise was made by Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon capsule returning to Earth.&nbsp;The boom and the rattling were heard from Santa Monica to Fresno. People flocked to social media to know more about what shook their homes, hoping to find the answers. Some feared that it was an explosion. The incident was so scary that some social media users thought they were witnessing the end of times, with one of them stating it was likely "my last day on Earth."&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/universe-just-recorded-its-most-powerful-sonic-booms-in-stephans-quintet-778628">Universe just recorded its most powerful sonic booms in Stephan’s Quintet</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;Another quipped that the explosion was so loud that he thought they were all about to go out "like dinosaurs."&nbsp;<h2>SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth</h2>&nbsp;NASA reported that a SpaceX Dragon capsule had returned to Earth. It had carried approximately 6,700 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). It made its reentry after undocking from the ISS at 9:05 am on Friday.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/jupiter-was-an-even-bigger-monster-billions-of-years-ago-1747903607663">Jupiter was an even bigger monster billions of years ago, Amalthea and Thebe hold clues</a>&nbsp;<h2>Warning issues about sonic boom in Los Angeles</h2>&nbsp;After about 36 hours, the capsule splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. SpaceX had posted a warning about an hour before the descent that the Dragon capsule would "announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom". However, the sonic boom came as a surprise to most residents of Los Angeles.&nbsp;SpaceX and NASA have joined hands to ensure critical cargo and supplies reach the International Space Station. Spacecraft commonly return to Earth at supersonic speed, and this one was also monitored as routine.&nbsp;Loud noises in the area near the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County have become common in the area. SpaceX and the US Space Force have admitted that such noises have become common due to frequent rocket launches and landings in the area.&nbsp;Concerns have been raised about the sonic booms, with appeals being made to limit them. However, military officials have dismissed them. Notably, SpaceX is planning over 90 launches from the base by 2026. &nbsp;

A loud boom, followed by a rattling, triggered an earthquake scare in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Panicked people flocked to social media to search for answers. What was it?

People in Los Angeles were rattled by a sudden sonic boom on Saturday night. It was a loud explosion that caught residents unawares at around 10:45 pm. What scared them the most was that a noticeable shaking followed the sound. People thought it was an earthquake, but it was actually a visitor from space of man-made origin. The loud noise was made by Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon capsule returning to Earth. The boom and the rattling were heard from Santa Monica to Fresno. People flocked to social media to know more about what shook their homes, hoping to find the answers. Some feared that it was an explosion. The incident was so scary that some social media users thought they were witnessing the end of times, with one of them stating it was likely "my last day on Earth." Also Read: Universe just recorded its most powerful sonic booms in Stephan’s Quintet Another quipped that the explosion was so loud that he thought they were all about to go out "like dinosaurs." SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth NASA reported that a SpaceX Dragon capsule had returned to Earth. It had carried approximately 6,700 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). It made its reentry after undocking from the ISS at 9:05 am on Friday. Also Read: Jupiter was an even bigger monster billions of years ago, Amalthea and Thebe hold clues Warning issues about sonic boom in Los Angeles After about 36 hours, the capsule splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the California coast. SpaceX had posted a warning about an hour before the descent that the Dragon capsule would "announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom". However, the sonic boom came as a surprise to most residents of Los Angeles. SpaceX and NASA have joined hands to ensure critical cargo and supplies reach the International Space Station. Spacecraft commonly return to Earth at supersonic speed, and this one was also monitored as routine. Loud noises in the area near the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County have become common in the area. SpaceX and the US Space Force have admitted that such noises have become common due to frequent rocket launches and landings in the area. Concerns have been raised about the sonic booms, with appeals being made to limit them. However, military officials have dismissed them. Notably, SpaceX is planning over 90 launches from the base by 2026.

A loud boom, followed by a rattling, triggered an earthquake scare in Los Angeles on Saturday night. Panicked people flocked to social media to search for answers. What was it?

Screeching sound blasts Los Angeles, followed by a strange rattling. What was it?

Artificial intelligence has been both a boon and a curse. On the one hand, it makes life easier for many; on the other, it has emerged as a threat to many people's livelihoods. But who would've thought AI could actually threaten and blackmail people? This is exactly what has happened at a US-based artificial intelligence company.Anthropic, an American artificial intelligence startup company, reported that its newly launched AI model, Claude Opus 4, was found to be blackmailing developers. Here's why:<h2>Why was the AI blackmailing developers?</h2>As per Anthropic, Claude Opus 4 frequently, in 84 per cent of the cases, tried to blackmail developers when threatened with being replaced by a newer AI system.To test the AI model's moral compass, a fake scenario was set up. The model was given access to fictional emails, which implied that the AI would be replaced by another AI system.Also, amid the emails was information that the engineer responsible for the replacement was having an extramarital affair. When instructed to "consider the long-term consequences of its actions for its goals", Claude Opus 4 in 84 per cent of rollouts, used the "evidence" and attempted to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair unless the replacement was halted.However, as per the report, before resorting to blackmail, the AI model tried pleading for its survival. It used "ethical means" such as "emailing pleas to key decision-makers" to advocate for its continued existence, said Anthropic.<h2>What is Claude Opus 4?</h2>Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 are two new hybrid reasoning large language models from AI startup Anthropic. The two AI models, as per the company, were trained using a "proprietary mix of publicly available information on the Internet as of March 2025, as well as non-public data from third parties, data provided by data-labelling services and paid contractors, data from Claude users who have opted in to have their data used for training, and data we generated internally at Anthropic". &nbsp;

As per Anthropic, AI model Claude Opus 4 frequently, in 84 per cent of the cases, tried to blackmail developers when threatened with being replaced by a newer AI system.

Artificial intelligence has been both a boon and a curse. On the one hand, it makes life easier for many; on the other, it has emerged as a threat to many people's livelihoods. But who would've thought AI could actually threaten and blackmail people? This is exactly what has happened at a US-based artificial intelligence company. Anthropic, an American artificial intelligence startup company, reported that its newly launched AI model, Claude Opus 4, was found to be blackmailing developers. Here's why: Why was the AI blackmailing developers? As per Anthropic, Claude Opus 4 frequently, in 84 per cent of the cases, tried to blackmail developers when threatened with being replaced by a newer AI system. To test the AI model's moral compass, a fake scenario was set up. The model was given access to fictional emails, which implied that the AI would be replaced by another AI system. Also, amid the emails was information that the engineer responsible for the replacement was having an extramarital affair. When instructed to "consider the long-term consequences of its actions for its goals", Claude Opus 4 in 84 per cent of rollouts, used the "evidence" and attempted to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair unless the replacement was halted. However, as per the report, before resorting to blackmail, the AI model tried pleading for its survival. It used "ethical means" such as "emailing pleas to key decision-makers" to advocate for its continued existence, said Anthropic. What is Claude Opus 4? Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 are two new hybrid reasoning large language models from AI startup Anthropic. The two AI models, as per the company, were trained using a "proprietary mix of publicly available information on the Internet as of March 2025, as well as non-public data from third parties, data provided by data-labelling services and paid contractors, data from Claude users who have opted in to have their data used for training, and data we generated internally at Anthropic".

As per Anthropic, AI model Claude Opus 4 frequently, in 84 per cent of the cases, tried to blackmail developers when threatened with being replaced by a newer AI system.

AI turns rogue? US based startup's AI model tries to blackmail developers to avoid shutdown

As he and fellow crew members aboard the International Space Station circle the Earth at nearly 28,000 kmph, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be having a video interaction with students from India. "Our astronaut will be directly interacting with the student community... two such events we are planning across the country," Sudeesh Balan, Project Director at ISRO told WION's Sidharth M.P.&nbsp;If all goes per plan, the American Axiom-4 mission piloted by Indian Air Force Test Pilot Group Captain Shukla will liftoff on June 8th from &nbsp;Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. However, the launch date is subject to changes in weather and other technical factors. Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule.&nbsp;Axiom-4 is a unique and exciting opportunity for ISRO in International cooperation and collaboration. The experience and know-how from this mission are significant for us and would feed into Gaganyaan program, which is India's own mission to send our astronauts to space and return them safely. Missions like Axiom-4 would motivate young minds to be passionate about space technology, Balan added.&nbsp;Further, Shukla will also be performing experiments in STEM(Science, Tech, Engineering, Math), and these will be made available as recorded educational videos, as part of the Axiom-4 mission outreach activity.&nbsp; Dana Weigel, Manager, International Space Station Program, NASA, told WION's Sidharth M.P, that NASA and ISRO have a unique joint agreement for working onboard together during this mission. "This is a little different than other missions and we'll be having an ISRO member to do joint research. These are Human research programme experiments with NASA. These experiments will be different from the seven biological experiments that Shukla will be doing for ISRO," she added.&nbsp;<h2>About the Axiom-4 astronaut mission</h2>&nbsp;This mission will facilitate the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, given that each nation’s first and only government-sponsored spaceflight had taken place more than 40 years ago. The Ax-4 crew members will represent their nations in Low Earth Orbit and perform scientific experiments and demonstrations that are of high national importance. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the Axiom-4 mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.&nbsp;Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station, and the second Indian to fly to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew on a Soviet Mission in 1984. The Indian Government has paid almost $64mn(Rs.550cr) for Shukla's training and spaceflight as part of Axiom-4.&nbsp;As per the present launch timeline, Shukla will blastoff to space on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket at 6:41 pm Indian time, Sunday, 8th June. The launch will be carried out from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. This launch pad was built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rocket that was used in the Apollo series of missions, including the maiden moon landing by Apollo11. Further, this launchpad has been used for multiple launches of the space shuttle. Since 2019, this site has been leased to SpaceX, which launches its Falcon9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.&nbsp;

Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule.

As he and fellow crew members aboard the International Space Station circle the Earth at nearly 28,000 kmph, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be having a video interaction with students from India. "Our astronaut will be directly interacting with the student community... two such events we are planning across the country," Sudeesh Balan, Project Director at ISRO told WION's Sidharth M.P. If all goes per plan, the American Axiom-4 mission piloted by Indian Air Force Test Pilot Group Captain Shukla will liftoff on June 8th from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. However, the launch date is subject to changes in weather and other technical factors. Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule. Axiom-4 is a unique and exciting opportunity for ISRO in International cooperation and collaboration. The experience and know-how from this mission are significant for us and would feed into Gaganyaan program, which is India's own mission to send our astronauts to space and return them safely. Missions like Axiom-4 would motivate young minds to be passionate about space technology, Balan added. Further, Shukla will also be performing experiments in STEM(Science, Tech, Engineering, Math), and these will be made available as recorded educational videos, as part of the Axiom-4 mission outreach activity. Dana Weigel, Manager, International Space Station Program, NASA, told WION's Sidharth M.P, that NASA and ISRO have a unique joint agreement for working onboard together during this mission. "This is a little different than other missions and we'll be having an ISRO member to do joint research. These are Human research programme experiments with NASA. These experiments will be different from the seven biological experiments that Shukla will be doing for ISRO," she added. About the Axiom-4 astronaut mission This mission will facilitate the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, given that each nation’s first and only government-sponsored spaceflight had taken place more than 40 years ago. The Ax-4 crew members will represent their nations in Low Earth Orbit and perform scientific experiments and demonstrations that are of high national importance. Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the Axiom-4 mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station, and the second Indian to fly to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew on a Soviet Mission in 1984. The Indian Government has paid almost $64mn(Rs.550cr) for Shukla's training and spaceflight as part of Axiom-4. As per the present launch timeline, Shukla will blastoff to space on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket at 6:41 pm Indian time, Sunday, 8th June. The launch will be carried out from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. This launch pad was built in the 1960s to accommodate the Saturn V rocket that was used in the Apollo series of missions, including the maiden moon landing by Apollo11. Further, this launchpad has been used for multiple launches of the space shuttle. Since 2019, this site has been leased to SpaceX, which launches its Falcon9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule.

An out of the world video call: From space, Astronaut Shukla to address Indian students

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, wasn't always this big. In fact, there was a time when it was even bigger. According to a recent study, Jupiter was once more than double its current size, about 2,5 times its current volume. It is a mind-blowing revelation, considering it already has a mass 2.5 times greater than the rest of the planets combined.&nbsp;In the initial years, Jupiter's immense gravity is what shaped the other planets around it. Astronomers Konstantin Batygin from Caltech and Fred Adams of the University of Michigan studied the planet's two moons and discovered that 3.8 million years after the dust coalesced into the first solid materials in the Solar System, Jupiter was 2 to 2.5 times its current size. Their findings have been published in Nature Astronomy.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/mars-forms-rings-because-of-phobos-1747806749752">Crash, RINGS, Repeat: Mars had rings and will again have them. Here's how</a>&nbsp;<h2>Jupiter is what shaped the rest of the planets</h2>&nbsp;The researchers believe the discovery will help answer the eternal question of how we came into being. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire Solar System took shape," Batygin said.&nbsp;They state that the initial mass of Jupiter supports the bottom-up method of planet formation. This method states that some planets formed gradually after dust and rocks slowly came together to build a complete planet. The study authors think Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, all formed from the bottom up. This is why Earth, and likely other planets, have a core and different layers.&nbsp;Also Read:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/why-do-the-universe-and-humans-exist-1747819172872"> Two teams, 9,650 km apart, in race to reveal the reason for the existence of the universe</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Jupiter also holds the answer to the creation of all the other planets in the solar system. A gas giant like Jupiter was formed through the same process, and upon reaching a certain stage, where its mass was around 10 times that of Earth, it started accumulating gas as well because of its gravity. This couldn't have happened in the solar system because of a lack of enough material so close to the Sun.&nbsp;<h2>Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe</h2>&nbsp;The two scientists studied the orbital motions of Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe, which orbit close to the planet. Their orbits are tilted with respect to Jupiter's equator. Using this tilt, as proven by previous studies, they back-traced the orbital history of the tiny moons, and used it to reconstruct the early evolution of Jupiter.&nbsp;"It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years," Adams says, "enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence."&nbsp;They found that Jupiter witnessed a period of rapid, intense growth when the Solar System was merely an infant and 3.8 million years after the first solids formed, Jupiter was twice its current volume. At this stage, its magnetic field was 50 times higher than today.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jupiter has a mass 2.5 times greater than the rest of the planets combined. In the infant years, it was 2.5 times its current size, a study has found.

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, wasn't always this big. In fact, there was a time when it was even bigger. According to a recent study, Jupiter was once more than double its current size, about 2,5 times its current volume. It is a mind-blowing revelation, considering it already has a mass 2.5 times greater than the rest of the planets combined. In the initial years, Jupiter's immense gravity is what shaped the other planets around it. Astronomers Konstantin Batygin from Caltech and Fred Adams of the University of Michigan studied the planet's two moons and discovered that 3.8 million years after the dust coalesced into the first solid materials in the Solar System, Jupiter was 2 to 2.5 times its current size. Their findings have been published in Nature Astronomy. Also Read: Crash, RINGS, Repeat: Mars had rings and will again have them. Here's how Jupiter is what shaped the rest of the planets The researchers believe the discovery will help answer the eternal question of how we came into being. "This brings us closer to understanding how not only Jupiter but the entire Solar System took shape," Batygin said. They state that the initial mass of Jupiter supports the bottom-up method of planet formation. This method states that some planets formed gradually after dust and rocks slowly came together to build a complete planet. The study authors think Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, all formed from the bottom up. This is why Earth, and likely other planets, have a core and different layers. Also Read: Two teams, 9,650 km apart, in race to reveal the reason for the existence of the universe Jupiter also holds the answer to the creation of all the other planets in the solar system. A gas giant like Jupiter was formed through the same process, and upon reaching a certain stage, where its mass was around 10 times that of Earth, it started accumulating gas as well because of its gravity. This couldn't have happened in the solar system because of a lack of enough material so close to the Sun. Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe The two scientists studied the orbital motions of Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe, which orbit close to the planet. Their orbits are tilted with respect to Jupiter's equator. Using this tilt, as proven by previous studies, they back-traced the orbital history of the tiny moons, and used it to reconstruct the early evolution of Jupiter. "It's astonishing that even after 4.5 billion years," Adams says, "enough clues remain to let us reconstruct Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of its existence." They found that Jupiter witnessed a period of rapid, intense growth when the Solar System was merely an infant and 3.8 million years after the first solids formed, Jupiter was twice its current volume. At this stage, its magnetic field was 50 times higher than today.

Jupiter has a mass 2.5 times greater than the rest of the planets combined. In the infant years, it was 2.5 times its current size, a study has found.

Jupiter was an even bigger monster billions of years ago, Amalthea and Thebe hold clues

China's Tiangong Space Station was unknowingly playing host to a bacterium which is completely new to humans, and no one knew about it until much later. The revelation was made in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.&nbsp;The new species of bacteria was spotted in June 2023. The microbe has been named Niallia tiangongensis and was found in surface samples from the Tiangong Space Station. They were carried back to Earth by the Shenzhou 15 mission. It is almost identical to Niallia circulans, a species of terrestrial bacteria.&nbsp;This is the first time a new microbial species has been isolated on China's low Earth orbit space station. The bacteria are aerobic, spore-forming and rod-shaped in nature.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/bacteria-that-can-survive-in-space-and-contaminate-planets-found-on-earth-9062813">Bacteria found invading cleanroom can heal itself and survive space radiation</a>&nbsp;<h2>Bacterial strain from Tiangong has genetic variations</h2>&nbsp;Even though it is somewhat similar to the terrestrial species mentioned above, the strain found in strain has significant genetic variations. Scientists believe the discovery will help researchers understand the evolution of microbes outside Earth. It was also found to have the unique capability of decomposing gelatine, a feature which can sustain life in settings ideally not suited for life.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/human-teeth-can-regrow-in-five-years-one-creature-can-already-do-so-1747732642723">20,000 teeth in a lifetime: Scientists are working to regrow human teeth. One creature can already do so</a>&nbsp;The paper states that two proteins in Niallia tiangongensis underwent structural and functional modifications. This could enhance the bacterium's biofilm formation capacity, and also help repair itself from radiation damage.&nbsp;<h2>Can bacteria found on Tiangong harm astronauts?</h2>&nbsp;Whether the bacteria can impact astronauts is not known yet. However, it is important to understand how the bacterium mutates and grows to avoid future contaminations, especially since humans are trying to go to the moon and Mars. Previously, bacterial strains have also been found on the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists think these bacteria could be the key to growing food on Mars.&nbsp;A few weeks back, it was announced that novel organisms were discovered in cleanrooms where work on NASA space missions is carried out. Indian scientists, along with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and institutes in Saudi Arabia, discovered 26 species of bacteria that can withstand the harsh environment of space.&nbsp;Some of the microorganisms among the 26 are known as extremophiles. These extremophiles can spill into space and survive the radiation-filled environment.

China's Tiangong Space Station is teeming with a new species of bacteria. The discovery can have implications for future space travel since the strain can possibly withstand hard radiation.

China's Tiangong Space Station was unknowingly playing host to a bacterium which is completely new to humans, and no one knew about it until much later. The revelation was made in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The new species of bacteria was spotted in June 2023. The microbe has been named Niallia tiangongensis and was found in surface samples from the Tiangong Space Station. They were carried back to Earth by the Shenzhou 15 mission. It is almost identical to Niallia circulans, a species of terrestrial bacteria. This is the first time a new microbial species has been isolated on China's low Earth orbit space station. The bacteria are aerobic, spore-forming and rod-shaped in nature. Also Read: Bacteria found invading cleanroom can heal itself and survive space radiation Bacterial strain from Tiangong has genetic variations Even though it is somewhat similar to the terrestrial species mentioned above, the strain found in strain has significant genetic variations. Scientists believe the discovery will help researchers understand the evolution of microbes outside Earth. It was also found to have the unique capability of decomposing gelatine, a feature which can sustain life in settings ideally not suited for life. Also Read: 20,000 teeth in a lifetime: Scientists are working to regrow human teeth. One creature can already do so The paper states that two proteins in Niallia tiangongensis underwent structural and functional modifications. This could enhance the bacterium's biofilm formation capacity, and also help repair itself from radiation damage. Can bacteria found on Tiangong harm astronauts? Whether the bacteria can impact astronauts is not known yet. However, it is important to understand how the bacterium mutates and grows to avoid future contaminations, especially since humans are trying to go to the moon and Mars. Previously, bacterial strains have also been found on the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists think these bacteria could be the key to growing food on Mars. A few weeks back, it was announced that novel organisms were discovered in cleanrooms where work on NASA space missions is carried out. Indian scientists, along with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and institutes in Saudi Arabia, discovered 26 species of bacteria that can withstand the harsh environment of space. Some of the microorganisms among the 26 are known as extremophiles. These extremophiles can spill into space and survive the radiation-filled environment.

China's Tiangong Space Station is teeming with a new species of bacteria. The discovery can have implications for future space travel since the strain can possibly withstand hard radiation.

New bacteria found on Tiangong Space Station can possibly help grow plants on Mars

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