Over the last few months‚ NASA has been using its Psyche spacecraft to test a whole new communication system. The probe's main mission is to visit an asteroid of the same name (16 Psyche) but on its journey there it has been sending laser messages back to Earth.NASA is testing Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) – employing a near-infrared laser to send messages back to Earth. In November‚ the first test detected the laser signal from 16 million kilometers (10 million miles) away using the Hale telescope‚ which was for decades the largest telescope on Earth. Among the messages‚ there was also a cat video.DSOC has the advantage compared to radio waves of better bandwidth speed‚ so we can get more data faster. But it has some challenges too‚ like making sure the systems are well aligned and getting new facilities that can receive the messages. So researchers consider a combination of radio and laser could be the best of both worlds and the new tests show that you can retrofit the radio antennas to do both.The test downlinked data from twice as far as the previous test‚ from 31 million kilometers (20 million miles). On January 1‚ they downloaded a picture of the Psyche team at a rate of 15.63 megabits per second. That’s 40 times the speed you get from radio frequency.This is the photo of the project team that was beamed from deep space.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech “Our hybrid antenna has been able to successfully and reliably lock onto and track the DSOC downlink since shortly after the tech demo launched‚” Amy Smith‚ NASA’s Deep Space Network deputy manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)‚ said in a statement. “It also received Psyche’s radio frequency signal‚ so we have demonstrated synchronous radio and optical frequency deep space communications for the first time.”A small device made of seven hexagonal mirrors was retrofitted on the existing radio antenna of Deep Space Station 13‚ which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network in the Goldstone complex in California. A high-exposure camera was attached to the antenna subreflector at the center of the dish delivering the data from Psyche.“It’s a high-tolerance optical system built on a 34-meter [112-foot] flexible structure‚” said Barzia Tehrani‚ communications ground systems deputy manager and delivery manager for the hybrid antenna at JPL. “We use a system of mirrors‚ precise sensors‚ and cameras to actively align and direct laser from deep space into a fiber reaching the detector.”The proof of concept will be tested over and over again. The hope is to still be able to track in June when Psyche would be at 2.5 times the distance Earth is from the Sun. That is as far as Mars gets to us and if the system works‚ it would mean much more data-intensive transmission from the Red Planet.A future multi-wavelength antenna might look like this.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe seven-segment system is a precursor for a potential 64-mirror system that would guarantee more power and better precision. And they can be added to the existing antennas of the Deep Space Network without needing to build new bespoke facilities.“For decades‚ we have been adding new radio frequencies to the DSN’s giant antennas located around the globe‚ so the most feasible next step is to include optical frequencies‚” said Tehrani. “We can have one asset doing two things at the same time; converting our communication roads into highways and saving time‚ money‚ and resources.”

In an incredibly rare act of potential altruism‚ a male northern elephant seal has been observed saving a young pup from drowning. The unprecedented encounter‚ which has made a hero out of the pinniped lifeguard‚ could be the first recorded example of male altruism in the species.Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are the largest of the “true” seals in the Northern Hemisphere‚ although they’re not the largest seal in the world – that crown belongs to the mammoth southern elephant seal‚ which can reach just shy of 6 meters (20 feet).Males have large‚ distinctive noses‚ which they can inflate and use to resonate sound while threatening each other. They are notoriously aggressive‚ having been known to crush other animals‚ including pups‚ during mating season‚ and generally don’t engage with their young. They also avoid expending unnecessary energy during the breeding season – all of which makes this one seal’s act of goodwill highly surprising.While taking pictures of elephant seals along Point Reyes National Seashore‚ California‚ in January 2022‚ the researchers were taken aback to witness a bull charge into the ocean toward a drowning pup that had been separated from its mother by the rising tide. They estimate the pup was less than two weeks old and note that it “was unable to swim as it struggled to keep its head above water‚ calling”.The mother called back to her pup but made no attempt to pursue it as it was drawn further out to sea. Enter our heroic bull. Identified as the alpha of the harem‚ he approached the mother‚ before he “instantly turned and charged across wet sand and into the surf‚ swimming swiftly out to the struggling pup”.At this point‚ the poor pup’s head was barely above the surface. Thankfully‚ the bull gently nudged it toward the shore in the nick of time‚ using his body to protect the pup from being dragged out by the tide.After successfully reuniting mother and pup‚ the bull bellowed in triumph and rested on the wet sand. The rescue mission‚ snapshots of which can be seen below‚ lasted for approximately 20 minutes.A storyboard of the events: (a) the mother calls toward her pup; (b) the bull charges toward the pup; (c) the bull pushes the pup to shore; (d) the bull blocks the pup from being drawn back out to sea; (e) the mother bellows after being reunited; (f) the bull trumpets in return.Image credit: Allen et al.‚ Marine Mammal Science‚ 2024 (CC BY 4.0)The bull’s intrepid efforts‚ the team believe‚ could qualify as altruism.“We believe that our novel observation meets the definition of an altruistic act‚” they write. “The pup benefited from the male retrieving it from being swept out to sea and drowning because it was too young to swim‚ and the male expended energy at a critical time that had the potential to impact his fitness.”Male altruism has never before been documented in an elephant seal‚ and has rarely been described in marine mammals full stop.We may never know what sparked this seemingly selfless act – it could well be a one-off – but the researchers suggest that the male and female may have had a kinship‚ perhaps having both been present on the same beach in previous years. However‚ without genetic analysis‚ this cannot be confirmed.Whatever his motives‚ our bull in shining armor is in good company – possible examples of altruism have been documented throughout the animal kingdom‚ from parrots and chimps to humpback whales.The study is published in Marine Mammal Science.

UFO expert Ross Coulthart claims to have new information that disproves President Biden’s statement about the mysterious ‘UAP’ downed by USAF fighters last February‚ reports dailystar.co.uk. Coulthart said his Pentagon source confirmed that the downed object was in fact a silver cylindrical UFO and not a civilian balloon as President Biden had claimed. The whistleblower said the President personally ordered the shoot down and the operation involved multiple forces‚ including HC-130s‚ F-16s‚ and black OGA (other government agency) helicopters. The incident occurred about 13 kilometers off the frozen Alaskan coast‚ and pilots sent to inspect the site gave conflicting accounts of what they saw. Online videos taken by UFO hunters showed black helicopters hovering over the coast. US officials said the object posed a “reasonable threat to air traffic” and was shot down on the president’s orders. A Pentagon spokesman said rescue teams collected debris from the object on the surface of the ice. However‚ the search was called off‚ and officials refused to give a detailed description of the object‚ saying only that “it was not an aircraft as such.” These statements caused outrage among Americans. Many are wondering why President Biden hid the truth about the operation and why the information about the downed UFO was kept secret. UFO experts are studying this case with great interest. They hope that the new details of the operation will help them understand the nature and origin of these mysterious objects that continue to appear in the sky. The post Mysterious black helicopters retrieved downed UFO near Alaska appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The 20th century was a remarkable time for cosmology‚ the study of the origin and evolution of the Universe. Before then‚ we had a very limited view of what the Universe was like. We assumed that the Milky Way galaxy contained all the stars and planets that existed‚ and that the Universe was fixed and eternal‚ following Newton’s law of gravity. However‚ in a matter of decades‚ our picture of the Universe changed dramatically. Einstein’s General Relativity replaced Newton’s gravity‚ revealing how matter-and-energy affect the shape of spacetime. His equations also showed that the Universe could not be static‚ but… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Black holes have their own laws of physics and can create new universes appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Scientists have proposed an unusual explanation for the ongoing accelerated expansion of the Universe. Physicists have formed a model based on the merger of the Universe with “baby universes” – smaller parallel universes. Astronomers have long sought to understand the nature of the Universe‚ its size‚ age and structure. Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of the expansion of the universe led to an important scientific breakthrough. However‚ questions about the infinity or finitude of the Universe have remained a subject of debate for centuries. Recent observations of the cosmic microwave background confirm the accelerated expansion of the Universe‚ which‚ according to the standard model of cosmology‚ is due to the mysterious force of dark energy. However‚ many astrophysicists are skeptical of this concept and are looking for alternative explanations. In December 2023‚ the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics published a paper entitled “Is the present acceleration of the Universe caused by merging with other universes?” Researchers‚ led by physicist Jan Ambjorn‚ suggest that the accelerated expansion of the Universe may be the result of continuous merging with parallel universes. A mathematical model developed by the researchers offers an explanation for the expansion of space through merging with other universes‚ which we accept as an expansion process. It is also proposed to consider the possibility that the rapid early expansion of a young universe may be a consequence of absorption by a larger universe‚ eliminating the need for a hypothetical inflaton field associated with cosmological inflation. Researchers suggest that the Universe continues to collide with and absorb other “baby universes.” If this theory turns out to be correct‚ it could solve some of the cosmological problems scientists face. However‚ confirmation of this model requires further observations and experiments‚ including studying the properties of the microwave background. The post Expansion of the Universe can occur due to merging with parallel universes appeared first on Anomalien.com.

European lawmakers are calling for a travel ban on Tucker Carlson. After Tucker posted a video on X announcing he was in Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin‚ the former prime minister of Belgium said the European Union should consider imposing a travel ban on Tucker for serving as a “mouthpiece” for Putin. Who doesn’t love freedom of speech and the press? EU bureaucrats obviously don’t. To call Tucker “Putin’s mouthpiece” even before hearing the interview shows that the left doesn’t really care about the truth. This is the critical point: This donnybrook of criticism over Tucker’s interview with Putin has no base because the interview hasn’t even debuted yet. They don’t even know the questions Carlson asked Putin. But does it even matter what the questions are? For these people‚ no‚ it doesn’t. They will always find a reason to vilify Tucker because he is one of the few‚ rare individuals with the courage to question the mainstream narrative. That’s why he is the incredible journalist that he is. How about you and me? Does it matter what questions Tucker asks Putin? Of course it does. I am hopeful he will ask some tough questions of Putin. I believe he will. But that isn't the point. As a journalist‚ he has the right to interview the most consequential world leaders of our time. Apparently‚ Mike Wallace and Barbara Walters get a free pass to interview Putin‚ but now he’s off-limits to Tucker Carlson? The hypocrisy is unbelievable. Who cares about the truth? To those jumping to conclusion about Tucker‚ calling for sanctions‚ calling him a traitor: You haven't heard the interview. You have no idea what he asked Putin. The First Amendment doesn’t have an agenda‚ and it certainly shouldn’t cave to your double standard. To those of us who care about the truth‚ who want to judge the interview for ourselves after it airs‚ here's what I'm going to look for when I watch the interview. Putin is very good at propaganda. As a former KGB agent‚ he knows how to manipulate people. Tucker is smart enough to know this. And he knows there are people looking for an American dictator. This is how communists take over. They infiltrate the government and then activate grassroots movements to create chaos and cause all kinds of problems. They want the people in the middle to become so desperate that they say‚ "Somebody has got to stop this." That's when the chaos and upheaval become unbearable‚ and people look for a dictator just to make it stop. I am not one of them. I think this is the worst possible scenario. Aleksandr Dugin‚ one of Putin’s top advisers‚ would be pushing Putin to talk about our immorality‚ our embrace of transgenderism‚ and our loss of faith. If you don't know who he is‚ listen to some of my old shows. His whole political philosophy is about using chaos to cause desperation so that a dictator can swoop in like a savior. Dugin is a very dangerous man‚ and he isn’t called “Putin’s brain” for nothing. Tucker has got to keep this on the rails. The interview should not be about America’s domestic problems. We can talk about our problems all day long‚ but I don't want to hear about them from Vladimir Putin‚ and I certainly don't want to hear his solutions. Tucker should say‚ “We’re here to talk to you about the American involvement in this war with Ukraine‚ not our internal policy debates.” Tucker will have lost control of the interview if he allows Putin to go on about America’s immorality more than once. You can let him remark on that once‚ and then you’ve got to say‚ “Mr. Putin‚ this is not about America. We have our own problems. But I don’t think it’s appropriate to talk to you about that. I'm here to talk to you about NATO‚ even the ‘American war machine’ if you want to call it that. I want to hear why you’re in Ukraine. Are you willing to look for peace? What would that look like?" Look for Putin to spin this whole thing into transgenderism and what’s happening in our schools. If he begins to discuss those‚ then he is peddling propaganda. Those are our problems to discuss‚ not his. We know who Putin is. We know how he stops drugs on the streets. We know how he treats reporters who speak negatively about him. They tend to fall from their apartment windows. He doesn't care about our issues other than their use of serving his agenda. Americans deserve an explanation Tucker also said in his video that we’ve been lied to. I want to know about what. We know our problems with the war in Ukraine all too well. Let's hear solutions and what the truth is. Nobody has ever heard from Putin why the invasion happened in the first place. I want Tucker to ask him why he decided to invade at this time in particular. I think the reason Putin invaded Ukraine is that we refused to say “no” to NATO expansion. We made a promise that we would not allow Ukraine into NATO. We said that we wouldn't let Ukraine be overrun by Russia‚ but we also wouldn't let Ukraine into the alliance. It wasn’t written down‚ but we’re people of honor. That’s all Putin was asking for first‚ and that promise was violated. That’s just a fact. We went back on our promise‚ and now Russia has gone back on its promise. But I want to hear the real reason from Putin himself.I also want Tucker to ask Putin to explain what he means specifically when he refers to Nazis in Ukraine. I did an entire chalkboard “Glenn TV Special” about the neo-Nazis funded by the Ukrainian government for border security. They exist‚ and they are really bad guys. If there is more to this story‚ I want to hear about it. There's nobody good in this on either side‚ Zelenskyy or Putin. These are the things I’m looking for in Tucker’s interview with Putin. If he keeps the conversation on track like that‚ it will be a great interview. But to call Tucker “Putin's mouthpiece” before hearing the interview shows that these leftists doesn’t really care about the truth. They don’t care what Tucker — or Putin for that matter — actually says. They don’t care that Tucker is one of several Western journalists to interview Putin and one of many to interview controversial world leaders. All that they care about is their agenda — truth or Tucker Carlson be damned. Want more from Glenn Beck? Get Glenn's FREE email newsletter with his latest insights‚ top stories‚ show prep‚ and more delivered to your inbox.

The water is boiling. We’re the frogs. And it’s working because we’re just sitting here.The president of the United States has started offering detailed accounts of his recent conversations with dead people. He talked to François Mitterrand after being inaugurated in 2021‚ despite that French leader's death in 1996‚ and he recently had a warm discussion with the equally dead Helmut Kohl. Just ask him — he'll tell you all about it. A relentlessly dishonest and dangerously stupid news media cripples us. We’ve lost the ability to say what's happening. Meanwhile‚ a special counsel chosen to evaluate the same president's unlawful storage of classified material in poorly secured personal locations concludes that the apparent crime isn't prosecutable‚ because it would be hard to prove intent when the defendant is suffering from such obvious cognitive impairment. Actual quote:We have also considered that‚ at trial‚ Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury‚ as he did during our interview of him‚ as a sympathetic‚ well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory. Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him‚ he is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.See‚ you can’t prove that the president of the United States intended to do anything because his brain has turned into a potato. He’s too far gone for a jury trial. Also‚ "Mister President‚ I have the football." That whole nuclear launch codes thing should work out just fine. He would probably consult with Beau before he actually fired any missiles‚ and Beau Biden is an experienced military officer‚ man. Not a joke!What’s happening to us is that we’ve experienced such a colossal implosion of ordinary standards and the simple capacity for reason that we can’t avoid slamming into every wall we encounter. “Oh‚ right‚ there's a wall in front of us. Stop with the conspiracy theories!” A relentlessly dishonest and dangerously stupid news media cripples us. We’ve lost the ability to say what's happening. One of my grandmothers kept driving to the supermarket when she was mostly blind and barely able to walk. She said she used the curb to keep her near the right spot on the road‚ so there was nothing to worry about. We hid her car keys and pulled the distributor cap out of her car. But we allow a man who talks to dead people to control the launch codes for nuclear weapons. Shame on us. Shame on us all for the degradation of our standards and the loss of honesty that make us incapable of self-government. I’d say that they're grinding our faces in it‚ but the truth is that we’re grinding our faces in it. Joe Biden isn’t fit for the office he holds. He never was. Pete Buttigieg isn’t qualified to be the secretary of transportation because he was the mayor of a medium-sized and not terribly well-run city. Karine Jean-Pierre isn’t smart enough to succeed as a waitress. We’re allowing our country to be turned into a joke. Democratic prosecutors are charging the Republican presidential front-runner with nonsense crimes and raiding his home‚ while the Democratic president won't be prosecuted for keeping classified materials in his house‚ back when he wasn’t in office‚ because he’s too far gone to have demonstrable intent. We’re not a nation — we're the plot of a Marx Brothers farce about a satirical banana republic. “Gentlemen‚ Biden here may talk like an idiot‚ and look like an idiot‚ but don't let that fool you: He really is an idiot.”We won’t vote our way out of this. Partisan politics descended into a sewer of idiocy and sociopathy because the culture of our country went to hell. We need journalists and professors who aren’t actively stupid and depraved. We need open discussion‚ honest communities‚ connected families‚ and decent people. Several years beyond the point at which the whole sick show became unsustainably foolish‚ we need to become fiercely intolerant of garbage journalism and half-wit activists — and garbage journalists who are half-wit activists. Speak up. Do it now. Call or email the White House and tell them that the senile president of the United States is illegitimate and can’t continue to hold the office. When the people who run your garbage local newspaper publish insane gibberish‚ tell them. (If you're still subscribing to a terrible local newspaper because it’s a habit‚ for crying out loud stop paying them to insult you.) When your child’s teacher sends the students home with insipid homework and moronic leftist garbage‚ say so. When your city council or your school board holds pointless meetings on symbolic resolutions about Gaza or Putin‚ for crying out loud tell them to get back to their real work.Americans are responsible for the collapse of American standards. We're tolerating this descent. Stop tolerating it. Our decline is shameful‚ and it starts in our homes and communities. At least that’s what François Mitterand just told me.

The only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac‚ the dragon has long been associated with prosperity and imperial power