A team of astronomers has attempted to explain an unusually high-speed comet, finding that it was likely sent on its hyperbolic trajectory following a close encounter with Saturn in 2022.On June 14, 2024, Comet A117uUD was first spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Over the next month, astronomers made 145 observations of the object, giving them a pretty good initial picture of its path. Analyzing the data, it appears the comet is on a "hyperbolic trajectory", meaning that it is moving at speeds that will allow it to exit the Solar System and enter interstellar space.      IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.In a new paper, astronomers attempted to figure out what caused its unusually high speed. Astronomers have so far seen two interstellar objects passing through our Solar System, so it was possible that Comet A117uUD could be another."In addition, passing stars or the Galactic tide may send Oort cloud comets toward the inner solar system along hyperbolic trajectories," the team explains in their paper.Another possibility is that it was sent on its hyperbolic trajectory following an encounter with one of our gas giants. As smaller objects approach a planet, momentum is transferred from the planet to the object, slowing the orbit of the planet a tiny amount in exchange for a boost in velocity to the object. So far, we have only seen one comet – Comet C/1980 E1 – which has been set on an interstellar course by such an encounter, after it passed by Jupiter in 1980. Attempting to derive Comet A117uUD's previous positions, the new team believes Saturn is responsible for yeeting it on a course out of the Solar System."The comet experienced a very close encounter with Saturn in 2022 that makes it difficult to reconstruct the pre-encounter orbit," the team explained in their paper, though they believe its previous orbit resembled those of retrograde Centaurs – small bodies that orbit between Jupiter and Neptune – or comets."Our results show that the case of comet A117uUD is similar to that of C/1980 E1 (Bowell), disfavoring an extrasolar origin for A117uUD," the team concludes. "The fact that two ejections after planetary encounter were observed in less than 45 yr suggests that such events are relatively frequent."The study is published in Research Notes of the AAS

The way you look may be determined by the name your parents gave you at birth, new research has revealed. After conducting a number of experiments involving adults, children, and artificial intelligence, the study authors found that people’s faces tend to evolve throughout their lifetime in order to suit their names.“Children do not look like their names yet, but adults who have lived with their name longer do tend to look like their names,” write the researchers. “These results suggest that people develop according to the stereotype bestowed on them at birth.”To reach this conclusion, the study authors first asked both kids and grown-ups to try and match pictures of faces to names. Both age groups were able to correctly guess the names of adults based only on their appearance, with a success rate considerably higher than chance.However, none of the participants managed to consistently match children’s faces to the correct name. According to the study authors, this suggests that people start to look like their name as they mature.To corroborate this finding, the researchers used a machine learning system to analyze the similarities and differences between the faces of people with the same name. “We found that adults with the same name have more similar face representations than those with different names, but children with the same name do not show this pattern,” they write, thus backing up their previous conclusion.Can you guess the names from the faces? Image credit: Zwebner et al., PNAS 2024 (CC BY-NC-ND) Finally, the team artificially aged images of children’s faces in order to represent how they might look as adults. When viewing these photos, participants were unable to correctly match faces to names, as they had done for natural adults.Furthermore, similarities between the doctored faces of kids with the same name did not exceed the chance level when run through the machine learning system. Taken together, these results all point towards the fact that we don’t innately look like our names, but that our faces change to match our label “through a self-fulfilling prophecy.”"Our research highlights the broader significance of this surprising effect - the profound impact of social expectations,” said study author Dr. Yonat Zwebner in a statement. Also known as “social structuring”, the application of tags, labels, and stereotypes has been theorized to influence our physical and psychological development, although quantifying the strength of this effect has until now proved challenging. Commenting on her team’s results, however, Zwebner insists that "social structuring is so strong that it can affect a person's appearance.” “These findings may imply the extent to which other personal factors that are even more significant than names, such as gender or ethnicity, may shape who people grow up to be," she says.The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Millions of people saw the spectacular aurorae in May, when multiple coronal mass ejections hit our planet in the largest geomagnetic storm in decades. Tonight it looks like we might have a comparable spectacle, so if you missed that one you've got a chance to see it again.The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center has estimated that the Earth will experience a strong geomagnetic storm (G3 level). The one in May was originally classified as severe (G4) and then upgraded to extreme (G5) as it evolved. Aurorae are being expected at lower magnetic latitudes than usual, but maybe not quite as low as in May.Predictions suggest that in the Northern Hemisphere, it could get as low as northern California in the US and Central Germany in Europe. In the Southern Hemisphere, the whole South Island of New Zealand, as well as Tasmania and the state of Victoria in mainland Australia, are experiencing the celestial live show.                 IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The reason why we're seeing more and stronger geomagnetic storms and flares is that the Sun is approaching its maximum. That is the peak of activity across its 11-year-long cycle. The maximum could literally be any day now (we only know after it has happened) and it is a period with more sunspots. These are slightly colder regions on the surface of the Sun where the magnetic field is particularly intense.       The extreme magnetic regions produce all sort of effects, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). CMEs are large waves of plasma (electrically charged particles) thrown by the Sun into interplanetary space at high speed.The particular high intensity of the upcoming geomagnetic storm is due to a cannibal CME, similar to that that hit in May. This happens when two or more CMEs merge into a single one. From the data collected by satellites, researchers can provide a bird’s eye view of the Solar System. It shows that two CMEs released on July 27 quickly merged into a single one.     IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The following day the Sun emitted a third CME. Eased by the wake of the first two, it was able to catch up with them and merge as well. There is a fourth one coming, emitted on July 29, but it will only merge after the waves of plasma have moved past Earth.A particular active region on the Sun is the spot known as AR 3764. It released an X1.5 flare yesterday that caused radio blackouts across most of the sunlit side of Earth. Six other flares of weaker intensity (M-class) were recorded from the same region.The sunspot responsible for the May event continued to create events for weeks, even messing with the robots and spacecraft on and around Mars.

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Four years ago, a team of researchers led by Jane Greaves from Cardiff University announced the discovery of large amounts of phosphine in the clouds of Venus. The intriguing point was that this gas is associated with life on Earth. Thus, the team of scientists suggested that despite the highly acidic environment on Venus, life could flourish in its clouds. The assumption was too bold, and therefore caused a lot of controversy among scientists. But Greaves and her colleagues have now provided new evidence to support their theory. This time, researchers found ammonia on Venus, which is known to be another gas associated with biological activity on Earth. The team continues to argue that the second planet from the Sun does have its own ecosystem. “Perhaps there is some kind of microbial life on Venus that produces ammonia, as this would be a neat way for it to regulate its own environment. As we know, ammonia would make the environment less acidic and more suitable for survival. This level of acidity could compare to some of the most extreme places on Earth, so it’s not completely crazy,” says study author Greaves. True, there is still a gap between “not quite crazy” and convincing evidence of extraterrestrial life. “There are many other processes that could feed the atmosphere of Venus with ammonia. We understand why ammonia could be useful for life. But we cannot understand how this ammonia or phosphine is produced, but the former has a functional purpose that seems logical,” says Imperial College London astrophysicist Dave Clements, who provided isolated evidence for the existence of ammonia on Venus. University of Aberdeen planetary science professor Javier Martin-Torres was the one who challenged Greaves’ arguments a few years ago. He concluded that the presence of water in the atmosphere of Venus is too small to make it suitable for any life. But Torres agrees that the presence of ammonia in Venus’ highly acidic environment is intriguing. He said the discovery “challenges our understanding and suggests that more complex chemistry may be involved.” Fortunately, NASA’s DAVINCI probe, which will dive into the atmosphere of Venus in the 2030s to study its composition, will be able to put an end to the debate. The post Is there life on Venus or not: ridiculed scientists are back with new evidence appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Libs of Tik Tok retweeted a new ad from the pro-Kamala group Won’t PAC Down that explicitly mocks conservative Catholics and Christians who are pro-life. As The Wrap explained, it “features a series of creepy white men telling women that what happens in your bedroom is their business.” They wear cardigans, eek. Or sweat through their shirts.  “Us MAGA Republicans banned abortion, but that’s just the start,” the Cardigan Man with Bad Teeth begins. “If Trump gets elected, we want the government involved in all aspects of your sex life.” The creep actors then claim the uptight religious Republicans want to ban everything, because they're weird: THESE GUYS ARE JUST WEIRD. JD Vance and his Project 2025 weirdos want to control your bedroom. Will you let them? pic.twitter.com/JnNbuRzkAH — Won’t PAC Down (@wontpacdown) July 29, 2024 It should be illegal to use contraception. No pills. No condoms. Your genitals are preserved for procreation. If you freeze 12 eggs, you should be required to have 12 babies. Or else you’re a serial killer. The Wrap notes “He adds that he’s not a serial killer — in a way meant to be completely unconvincing.” It's pretty upside-down to imply the pro-lifers are serial killers, and the abortionists are heroic "life savers." But that's the Left. The PAC was formed to help boost Kamala's appeal to those "sex-positive" voters under 30. Catholics aren't calling for a contraception ban. The Catholic Church teaches that contraception is sinful because it represents a failure of a man and a woman to give completely of themselves in the conjugal act. On top of that, the spread of artificial contraception matches very neatly the Sexual Revolution, which led to a massive increase of children born out of wedlock and the spread of abortion as the most desperate contraception. The writer of this supposedly comical ad is a man named Travis Helwig, a former head writer for Crooked Media — best known for hit podcast Pod Save America hosted by former Barack Obama minions. They also attacked Speaker Mike Johnson:  Another leering man says, “My son monitors my porn usage to make sure I’m not self-pleasuring…” “… Just like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson,” says another unkempt guy, who then talks to his hand in a high-pitched voice. “Don’t you think that’s normal?” “Yeah, I do.” They also offer a QR code to point to online verification of that fact. They add that "pleasuring yourself is very, very naughty." One could certainly argue that some of these sweaty men could be swapped in for an ad mocking porn addicts. They're upside-down again: resisting pornography as a sin or as disrespectful and objectifying to women is creepy, and it's not at all creepy to drown yourself in porn. Creepy pornographers are part of the Democratic base.  The ad ends with “I’m voting in November...Are you?” And that "mouth stuff [oral sex] is a sin." Helwig, whose past credits include the "investigative comedian" series Adam Ruins Everything, told Politico in June they wouldn't be using celebrities in their ads.  “We’re taking the best young writers and directors, who are the age and demographics of the people we’re targeting, using poll-tested messaging, and shaping it in a way that will resonate with young people and get them excited.”

CNN released a new documentary entitled Political Violence: America’s Bloody History on Saturday, but beyond the history lesson from the Boston Massacre up through the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, narrator Sara Sidner tried to blame conservative opposition to gun control for recent shootings while also condemning the Republican National Convention’s “extremely divisive language.” During a discussion on the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, Sidner recalled, “The gun lobby was outraged by the new gun restrictions. This time, a more extreme fringe subset of Second Amendment supporters mobilized an edge their way into the mainstream.” She added that, “this uncompromising vision of an absolute Second Amendment right stymied future gun legislation and dominated right-wing politics.”     Sidner also mentioned that the law had a ten-year sunset provision, which led to a clip of UCLA law Prof. Adam Winkler lamenting, “The NRA and the gun rights movement were instrumental in defeating the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban. And there was no longer sufficient support in Washington, D.C. for a ban on these military-style rifles. The law expired in 2004, and in the decades that followed, we saw a huge increase in the number of these military-style rifles on the streets of America.” For Sidner, there is a direct link between 2004 and what happened to Trump, “And in the aftermath of countless mass shootings, in the United States, the fallout from the gun debate has left a trail of dead and wounded in its wake. Gunmen in countless shootings, use semiautomatic weapons and military style equipment, including this most recent attack on former President Donald Trump.” Later on in the program, Sidner turned to rhetoric and lamented that Trump’s RNC speech got off to a unifying start, “But he then turned back to attacking his political enemies.”     That led to a brief clip of Trump saying, “Crazy Nancy Pelosi, the whole thing.” Sidner also claimed that “others at the RNC also returned to extremely divisive language.” Other clips included Florida Sen. Rick Scott claiming “Biden, the Democrats are doing everything they can to tear down this great country” and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz condemning “illegal immigrants that the Democrats have released.” Additionally, West Virginia Governor and Senate candidate Jim Justice was shown claiming, “We become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November.” Blaming conservatives for gun violence, even violence directed at Republican politicians is fine for CNN. What is not fine is calling Democrats “crazy.” Here is a transcript for the July 27 show: CNN The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: Political Violence: America’s Bloody History 7/27/2024 8:38 PM ET SARA SIDNER: The gun lobby was outraged by the new gun restrictions. This time, a more extreme fringe subset of Second Amendment supporters mobilized an edge their way into the mainstream. ADAM WINKLER: The extreme gun rights advocates that emerged thought that Democratic and liberal policies adopted in Washington were illustrations of government grown too big and too powerful, and too oppressive. That view, the right to bear arms, became much more popular over the course of the 1990s and into the 2000s. SIDNER: This uncompromising vision of an absolute Second Amendment right stymied future gun legislation and dominated right-wing politics. KRIS BROWN: Guns are clearly embedded into our national identity. SIDNER: The assault weapons ban passed in 1994 included a provision that forced Congress to reauthorize it after ten years, or it would expire. WINKLER: The NRA and the gun rights movement were instrumental in defeating the reauthorization of the assault weapons ban. And there was no longer sufficient support in Washington, D.C. for a ban on these military-style rifles. The law expired in 2004, and in the decades that followed, we saw a huge increase in the number of these military-style rifles on the streets of America. SIDNER: And in the aftermath of countless mass shootings, in the United States, the fallout from the gun debate has left a trail of dead and wounded in its wake. Gunmen in countless shootings, use semiautomatic weapons and military style equipment, including this most recent attack on former President Donald Trump. … SIDNER: On the last night of the RNC, former President Trump began with a message of unity. DONALD TRUMP: Thank you very much. In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens. We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. SIDNER: But he then turned back to attacking his political enemies. TRUMP: Crazy Nancy Pelosi, the whole thing. SIDNER: Others at the RNC also returned to extremely divisive language. RICK SCOTT: Biden, the Democrats are doing everything they can to tear down this great country. TED CRUZ: Illegal immigrants that the Democrats have released. JIM JUSTICE: We become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November.

On Monday, ABC’s The View attempted to brush off the religious mockery that happened during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, France on Friday. Following the drag show that seemed to ridicule The Last Supper painting, the hosts aimed towards focusing on the “history” of the Olympics and the athletes themselves. The segment began with Whoopi Goldberg describing the “instant controversy over an opening number featuring drag performers that some people said was a blasphemous take on Da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.” She tried to shrug off the religious controversy by explaining that the organizers apologized:     Now, organizers said, we're sorry, but, you know, the guy who actually put it all together said it was from the Feast of the Gods which is a 17th century Dutch painting of the Greek Olympian gods, you know, the Olympian gods because it's the Olympics. Goldberg continued to complain that people need to stop accusing the drag queens of mocking The Last Supper because “they're not trying to do anything accept talk about the -- the history. They're showing you the history.” Goldberg’s last astute observation was that it can’t be based off of The Last Supper was because “there are more too many people in the picture for it to be the 12 disciples and then the 7 or 8 other people who are in the picture. It’s just more people.” But in reality, her suggestions made no sense since the stage set up didn’t resemble Feast of the Gods at all. There is a stronger resemblance to The Last Supper given the actors were all on one side of the table, and there were no satyrs which are centrally featured in Feast of the Gods. Sarah Haines defended the offensive scene as she professed “the director said it wasn’t what he intended and he also said the mission was inclusion.” She continued to note that the director said he was sorry so we should all move on. Haines, who has previously claimed that she wanted to be a minister went on a rant explaining why she gets so “frustrated” with religion: Don't go – this -- I get so frustrated with religion. Don't go by the literal letter of the Bible. Go by the example of the word which is live with the grace. Live with the forgiveness. Live with -- I was frustrated. You answer and I'm okay with that. I get so tired of being beaten over the head with religious messages while someone walks along their life not living like Jesus at all, like, really understand the mission. Ana Navarro did not want to talk about this religious mockery any longer as she stated “There are young people who train their entire lives to be there, to represent our countries. Can we please give them the focus?” She then went on to name several athletes at the Olympics and asked “Can we talk? Can we give some flowers?” Ending on a confusing note, Navarro said that LeBron James and Coco Gauff “looked like George Washington.” Alyssa Farah Griffin added “I’m sorry there’s nothing more Parisian than like Marie Antoinette's head cut off, metal music playing and then drag queens like that is – that is French that is what they’re going to do.” She went on to exclaim that “there is something for everyone if you didn’t like one thing tune in to something else.” Goldberg concluded “If you are not happy with something, and it bothers you, don't take 20 hours to write an email. Just turn the TV off. Watch something else.” The View has been known previously to push the idea that “everybody belongs at a drag show!” Click "Expand" to view the transcript: ABC The View 7/29/24 11:16:44 - 11:21:03 AM WHOOPI GOLDBERG: So welcome back. Over the weekend, the Olympics kicked off Friday in Paris. [Applause] GOLDBERG: All right. But then there was instant controversy over an opening number featuring drag performers that some people said was a blasphemous take on Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper." Now, organizers said, we're sorry, but, you know, the guy who actually put it all together said it was from the “Feast of the Gods” which is a 17th century Dutch painting of the Greek Olympian gods, you know, the Olympian gods because it's the Olympics. Okay. And there are many more people in the picture they're talking about here. There's people on the side, you know, and it's, like, come on, y'all. It's the Olympics. Stop. They're not trying to do anything accept talk about the -- the history. They're showing you the history. There are more too many people in the picture for it to be the 12 disciples and then the 7 or 8 other people who are in the picture. It’s just more people. SARAH HAINES: Well and also when you are criticizing religion and people were offended the director said it wasn’t what he intended and he also said the mission was inclusion. Intention matters. He came out and said, that wasn't what I intended. I'm sorry if that what offended you, and this is what I was trying to do. Don't go – this -- I get so frustrated with religion. Don't go by the literal letter of the Bible. Go by the example of the word which is live with the grace. Live with the forgiveness. Live with -- I was frustrated. You answer and I'm okay with that. I get so tired of being beaten over the head with religious messages while someone walks along their life not living like Jesus at all, like, really understand the mission. ANA NAVARRO: If people go look at the original Greek Olympians and what they were doing in pictures, you're going to be even worse. GOLDBERG: Well we can't even show the painting it's based on. NAVARRO: But you know I – so I watched the whole opening ceremony. It was very long. It was, like, over three hours long. This was a very small part of it, and it's what's consumed so much of America, I guess, and I would say, you know, it happens every four years. There are young people who train their entire lives to be there, to represent our countries. Can we please give them the focus? Can we please talk about Simone Biles, her magnificence? How she made the comeback? Can we talk about Suni Lee? This woman had the worst kidney disease and she made a comeback. Oh my God. Hazley Rivera, seventeen years old girl from New Jersey, Dominican descent. Can we talk? Can we give some flowers to – I want to give some flowers to Flavor Flav who decided to pay and sponsor and help the women's -- the U.S. Women's water polo team because they had no money to do this, and Lebron James and Coco Gauff. They looked like George Washington. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Don’t forget Queen Celine Dion. She returned -- she performed at the '96 Olympics, and she had done -- she's been suffering from stiff person syndrome. She had said in an interview in April of 2024, ‘I hope I get to return to Paris’ so then to perform at the Olympics -- I wept. I was watching and I have to say I went to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 in South Korea and got to see the opening ceremony. It is the coolest thing and they lean into their culture and you're meant to learn something. I’m sorry there’s nothing more Parisian than like Marie Antoinette's head cut off, metal music playing and then drag queens like that is – that is French that is what they’re going to do. GOLDBERG: Yeah. GRIFFIN: So enjoy it, celebratory -- there is something for everyone if you didn’t like one thing tune in to something else. GOLDBERG: Yeah and that's what we hope for folks to think about doing. If you are not happy with something, and it bothers you, don't take 20 hours to write an email. Just turn the TV off. Watch something else. Put the newspaper down. Don't look at the pictures. These are choices, you know, we're back to this thing. These are our choices. You have the ability. Forget what Instagram is telling you. If you don't like it, go to something else. You don't have to stay. You have it in your power to make the change, just like they're doing with me right now. We will be right back.  

Disney tried to end actress Gina Carano's lawsuit against the company after it fired her from The Mandalorian and tried to make her persona non-grata. But last week Disney failed. A judge allowed Carano’s discrimination case against Disney to move forward on July 24. Disney fired Carano three years ago after she notably made fun of personal pronouns and alluded to the fact that dehumanizing people can lead to horrifying ends like Nazi Germany.  Carano celebrated Disney’s failure to get her case dismissed on X, thanking X owner Elon Musk for supporting her lawsuit. “I am moved to tears. After a brutal 3 1/2 years, I am being given the opportunity to move forward in the court of law before the judge and my peers to clear my name. I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Carano wrote.  She went on to make clear that she wasn’t just fighting for herself. “What happened to me was unacceptable, absurd and abusive, among other things. It should not have happened to me, and it should not happen to anyone else moving forward. Let it stop here.” Musk said of the decision: “The discovery on this case will be devastating for the woke mind virus that controls Disney.” The former Mandalorian actress came under fire when she added another user’s post to her Instagram story. The post noted that hatred escalates to violence and used the example of the spread of German anti-Semitism before World War II to speak out against the demonization of conservatives in the present.  The left and the media encourage an insane double standard on Nazi comparisons, allowing them only for leftist actors, politicians and media. Mandalorian star, Pedro Pascal, himself compared Trump supporters to Nazis on social media.  Carano also responded to the inane trend of putting pronouns in social media bios by putting “boop/bop/beep” (R2-D2’s pronouns) in hers. Nothing to see here, just another 90 seconds of the media flat-out saying Trump is literally Hitler. pic.twitter.com/aMdbNh4g9c — Bill D'Agostino (@Banned_Bill) July 15, 2024 Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm unceremoniously fired Carano in February 2021. The company later put out a statement making it abundantly clear that her social media posts were at least part of the reason why Lucasfilm let her go. "Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future. Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”  However, it seems Lucasfilm may have made a misstep. California employment law does not allow employees to be fired for their political beliefs. Employers are barred from, “Forbidding or preventing employees from engaging or participating in politics or from becoming candidates for public office,” and “Controlling or directing, or tending to control or direct the political activities or affiliations of employees.” California employers are also prohibited from threatening to remove employment for political reasons: “No employer shall coerce or influence or attempt to coerce or influence his employees through or using threat of discharge or loss of employment to adopt or follow or refrain from adopting or following any particular course or line of political action or political activity.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact The Walt Disney Company at TWDC.corp.communications@disney.com and demand the company stop shoving woke propaganda down the American people’s throat.