Latest news with #LiveScience
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Cave dubbed 'world's most breathtaking secret' could kill you within minutes
The Cave of the Crystals is one of the most stunning geological wonders at the centre of the Earth – but it's not a place you would want to stay for long because death would find you within minutes A remarkable geological marvel located at the heart of our planet has been dubbed the "best kept and most breathtaking secret on the planet" - but visiting it would be a deadly risk. The hostile underground cavern, known as the Cave of the Crystals, is situated in Chihuahua, Mexico. Broadcaster Michael Usher, who negotiated for two years to gain access, described it as "mother nature's Sistine Chapel" that is "almost something from out of space". The cave, filled with spectacular crystals weighing up to 55 tonnes and reaching 11 metres in height, lies 300 metres beneath a lead mine in the town of Naica. The crystal-filled chamber was only discovered in 2000 when miners stumbled upon it during drilling operations. The cave, shaped like a horseshoe, extends for 110 metres. Despite its mesmerising interior, lingering there too long could prove fatal. Recently, 60 Minutes Australia reissued a video showing their reporter being granted rare access, where he stated: "The furnace-like heat and soaring humidity can kill you in minutes. But when you see what I saw - you will see why it was worth every suffocating gasp for breath." Humans are not designed to survive in 58Cheat coupled with stifling humidity. Before Michael descended into the cave, an accompanying doctor warned: "This is going to be the harshest environment that you and I are ever going to come across in our life. So I am excited but a little anxious." The crystals were described as "the most spectacular anywhere in the word" with Michael saying he was "literally blown away" by the beauty of it. Also present was British geologist Dougal Jerram who marvelled at what he was seeing, saying it was the stuff of make believe while comparing it to something you would see in a Walt Disney production. However, despite the scenery, the trio were soon sweating profusely, comparing the feeling to like running a marathon. The humidity is at a perilous 90% and people aren't allowed to stay more than 10 minutes, even with specially-designed cooling suits. The doctor said they were essentially being cooked from the inside and the geologist added: "It is a remarkable place but it is so overpowering in terms of its attack on you in the environment. You are in this kind of constant battle of being overpowered physically, mentally and psychologically in every way." Struggling for breath, they soon left the cave, and were left to reflect on what they witnessed. The crystal cave they explored was first formed some 26 million years ago when magma rose from the reservoir, which, according to Live Science, pushed mineral-rich waters up through cracks in the rock. This opened up caverns in the limestone before the deposits were crystalised over thousands of years. Following his visit to the "enormous" natural wonder, roughly the size of a football pitch, geologist Dougal was left in awe, stating: "Oh, this is truly one of the most... if we were to list seven geological wonders of the world, this is definitely one of them." Due to its perilous nature, scientists are required to obtain a special permit to explore the Cave of the Crystals, and it remains strictly off-limits to tourists.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
You can see a giant 'hole' shoot across Saturn this summer — and it won't happen again until 2040
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Over the next few months, there will be several chances to see a giant "hole" shoot across the surface of Saturn, as the shadow of its largest moon passes across the ringed planet's Earth-facing surface. The rare spectacle will not be visible again until 2040 — and we'll tell you how to see it from your backyard. Every 15 years, Saturn and Earth become perfectly aligned so that the gas giant's rings face our planet head-on. In March, this alignment was so perfect that the planet's super-thin rings completely disappeared from view, Live Science's sister site previously reported. In 2032, the opposite will occur, and we will be able to see the entirety of the dusty disks in a perfect circle around the fifth planet from the sun. Saturn's current orientation also means that the planet's largest moon, Titan, circles it in a way that causes its large shadow to repeatedly transit the planet's surface, similar to how the moon's shadow races across Earth during a lunar eclipse. The same phenomenon also happens to some of Saturn's other major moons, including Mimas and Rhea. However, their respective shadows are smaller and lighter than Titan's, making it harder to see them. Titan orbits Saturn roughly every 16 days, meaning that there will be a total of 10 transits visible while Earth is still aligned with the ringed gas giant. Three of these transits have already happened, most recently on June 16. But there are still seven more occasions when the spectacle could be visible between now and mid-autumn, depending on your location and weather conditions at the time. The remaining transits will occur on July 2, July 18, Aug. 3, Aug. 19, Sept. 4, Sept. 20 and Oct. 6, according to Sky & Telescope. For exact times, check the table below. Related: Saturn gains 128 new moons, giving it more than the rest of the solar system combined Titan will also be visible during these transits, although its position relative to the shadow changes with each viewing, as Saturn continues to circle the sun. But it will be slightly smaller than the shadow it casts. To see the spectacular transits for yourself, you will need a good telescope with at least 200x magnification. From North America, most of the transits will start and end before sunrise. To find where Saturn will be in the night sky, you can use websites such as However, we recommend that you don't leave it to the last minute, because adverse weather conditions could completely obscure your view. As you can see from the table below, the length of transits will also decrease each time, which means you will have to be more precise with your timings later in the year; On Oct. 6, the shadow will only be momentarily visible when Titan is exactly at mid-transit. Date Transit start (EST) Mid-transit (EST) Transit end (EST) Transit duration (minutes) July 2 03:40 06:35 09:03 323 July 18 03:00 05:44 08:05 305 Aug. 3 02:25 04:52 07:04 279 Aug. 19 01:52 04:01 06:00 248 Sept. 4 01:25 03:09 04:50 205 Sept. 20 01:09 02:20 03:34 145 Oct. 6 N/A 01:32* N/A 1 But even if you miss the impressive shadow over the next few months, you will still be able to see Titan pass in front of Saturn every 16 days, up until January 2026, when it will stop transiting the planet until 2040. RELATED STORIES —There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused. —Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas may have an underground ocean scientists never believed could exist —There's a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus If you are lucky enough to see the stunning celestial spectacle, be sure to keep in mind that Titan is the second-largest moon in the solar system, behind Jupiter's behemoth satellite Ganymede. At more than 3,200 miles (5,150 kilometers) across, it is also slightly bigger than the planet Mercury and 50% wider than Earth's moon. It is also the only one of the solar system's moons, other than Earth's, that has been visited by a human-made spacecraft. The European Space Agency's Huygens probe landed on the Saturnian satellite in 2005 — and it is still there today.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Researchers In Italy Unveil World's First Flying Humanoid Robot, But It's Getting Trolled Online. Here's Why
Researchers in Italy have unveiled the first flying humanoid robot, but the internet is creeped out by how it looks. According to Live Science, the Italian Institute of Technology shared a video on YouTube of the new robot, dubbed iRonCub MK3. In the clip, the baby-faced robot is held from a suspended position, before lifting off roughly 20 inches from the ground using thrusters. The robot, based on child-like size and appearance, measures 3 feet tall and weighs 22 kg. The robot is the result of two years of research, testing and development, per the outlet. It is controlled by real people remotely. The IIT engineers say that this robot is the first such jet-powered flying humanoid robot designed to take off. They added that this work highlights the new possibilities that a flying, humanoid robot presents. According to the institute, the iRonCub MK3 is being developed with "specific applications such as disaster response" in mind. Researchers believe that the robot's aerial mobility, along with its ground-based locomotion and manipulation, may pave the way for assistance in search and rescue missions. A robot of this kind could clear debris and assist in locating or even extracting victims, researchers said. The authors of the study also point out that a flying humanoid robot could carry out repairs on structures difficult for human beings to access, like the undersides of bridges. They could even be deployed in hazardous environments where people can't safely operate, like the site of a nuclear or chemical leak, the outlet reported. The iRonCub MK3 has been tested outdoors in a variety of situations and has also undergone flight testing in a wind tunnel. On social media, the robot has received mixed reactions. While some made fun of its baby face, others proposed some wild theories about its appearance. "This is very impressive, but by God, what's with that face? He is staring into my soul," wrote one user on Reddit. "The technology showcased here is great, but why in the f*** does it have to look like a monster baby?" asked another. "When the uprising comes, you'll be much less likely to shoot a cyborg with a baby face. You'll hesitate that fraction of a second, which is all it needs," theorised one user.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Science
- The Sun
Mummified 14,000-year-old puppies with their FUR still intact and food still in their stomachs are found frozen in ice
SCIENTISTS have discovered two 14,000-year-old mummified "puppies" with their fur still intact and food still in their stomachs. Hidden beneath deep layers of permafrost in Northern Siberia, the ice age creatures were initially thought to be domesticated dogs. 3 The well-preserved cubs — which turned out to be sisters — were later found to be were actually wolf cubs. The 'Tumat Puppies,' as they are known, contain hints of a last meal in their stomachs, including meat from a woolly rhinoceros and feathers from a small bird called a wagtail. The mummified animal carcasses were found in 2011 and 2015 alongside woolly mammoth bones that were seemingly cut and burned by humans. This suggests the wolf cubs might have been domesticated by humans who ate the meat before giving away the leftovers. However, there was no indication that the pups got their food directly from humans or even from rummaging through humans' mammoth butchering sites, researchers said. Anne Kathrine Runge, an archaeologist at the University of York in the UK, analysed genetic data from the gut contents as well as chemical signatures in the bones, teeth and soft tissue. Experts now believe that the animals were two-month-old wolf pups, believed to be sisters, with no evidence of interacting with people. The sisters 'inhabited a diverse landscape that was also occupied by humans,' they wrote, but 'this study found no evidence that can conclusively link them to human activities.' How the wolf cubs died also remains a mystery. "Neither showed signs of being attacked or injured either, which suggests that they died suddenly when the underground den collapsed, perhaps triggered by a landslide, and trapped them inside", the study said. Ms Runge said: "It was incredible to find two sisters from this era so well preserved, but even more incredible that we can now tell so much of their story, down to the last meal that they ate. 'Whilst many will be disappointed that these animals are almost certainly wolves and not early domesticated dogs, they have helped us get closer to understanding the environment at the time, how these animals lived, and how remarkably similar wolves from more than 14,000 years ago are to modern day wolves." Nathan Wales, an ancient-DNA specialist at the University of York, said: "Today, litters are often larger than two, and it is possible that the Tumat Puppies had siblings that escaped their fate. 'There may also be more cubs hidden in the permafrost.' The DNA testing showed that they likely belonged to a now-extinct population of wolves unrelated to today's dogs. Dogs and wolves are belived to be closely related. However, they diverged genetically somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, according to Live Science, What is the Siberian permafrost? Siberian permafrost is a vast expanse of permanently frozen ground that covers approximately 80 per cent of Siberia, a region in the north-eastern part of Asia. This frozen layer, composed of soil, rock, gravel, and sand bound together by ice, remains at or below 0°C (32°F) for at least two consecutive years. Its thickness varies significantly, from less than a meter to over 1,500 meters in some parts of northern Siberia, such as the Lena and Yana River basins. The extent of permafrost is categorised into continuous, where 90-100% of the land is frozen, discontinuous (50-90%), and sporadic (10-50%). This frozen ground has historically provided a stable foundation for infrastructure, including large cities and industrial complexes. 3 It comes after another mummified wolf pup dating back 57,000 years was unearthed in Canada - with its fur and teeth still intact. The Ice Age creature's head, tail, paws, fur and skin were perfectly preserved in the Arctic permafrost after it died aged just seven weeks. Its remains dug up by a gold miner near Dawson City in the Yukon also included exceptional details of the muscle tissues. The animal, a female, is thought to have died suddenly after its den collapsed. The remarkable find opens a window to life in ancient Canada's far north when woolly mammoths roamed the Earth. It also sheds light on the seven week old's lifestyle – and the evolution of modern wolves. The animal is the oldest ancient wolf on record. Lead author Professor Julie Meachen, of Des Moines University, Iowa, said: "She's the most complete wolf mummy that's ever been found. "She's basically 100 per cent intact – all that's missing are her eyes. "And the fact she's so complete allowed us to do so many lines of inquiry on her to basically reconstruct her life." The animal has been named Zhur – meaning "wolf" in the local indigenous Han language. By studying hair and tooth chemicals, the researchers found the pup's mother mainly ate aquatic foods. That probably meant seasonal consumption of fish from the Klondike River, which still has a modern-day spawning population of Chinook salmon. In other news, sacrificed llama mummies have been dug up in Peru and they're almost perfectly preserved after 500 years. A Viking temple dedicated to Old Norse gods like Thor has been unearthed by archaeologists. The world's most gruesome ancient burials Here's some of the most haunting archaeological discoveries ever made... Shackled skeletons: A mass grave in an ancient Greek cemetery was found to contain 80 skeletons all with their wrists clamped in iron shackles; archaeologists think they were victims of a mass execution but why this happened remains a mystery Mass child sacrifice: The remains of nearly 270 children sacrificed to the gods 500 years ago were recently found in a gruesome ancient mass grave in Peru Family massacre: Archaeologists recently discovered that a 5,000 year old mass grave site was the result of a tragic family massacre; the burial site in Poland contains the bodies of men, women and children who all had their skulls smashed to pieces Bog bodies: In 1950, experts found a bog body with a "face so fresh they could only suppose they had stumbled on a recent murder." The corpse, referred to as the Tollund man, is probably the most well-preserved body from pre-historic times in the whole world
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Did light exist at the beginning of the universe?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Nowadays, the dark of night is interspersed with the light of stars. But before the stars were born, did light shine at the beginning of the universe? The short answer is "no." But the long answer reveals light's extraordinary journey. At first, the early universe's light was "trapped," and it took several hundred thousand years for it to escape. Then, it took about 100 million years for stars to form. By examining the speed and direction in which galaxies were moving, astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered the universe was expanding. This 1929 discovery suggested that the cosmos was once smaller, with scientists eventually calculating that the entire universe was concentrated into one, infinitely dense point about 13.8 billion years ago, until the Big Bang happened. "With the Big Bang, space was created and expanded, along with everything in the universe," Andrew Layden, chair of physics and astronomy at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, told Live Science. The only way all the matter that now makes up the universe could fit in a tiny spot "is if it was energy at that time," Layden said. Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 revealed that energy and mass can be interchangeable, Layden explained. As the universe expanded, the density of its energy decreased, and it cooled. The first particles then began to form within the first second after the Big Bang, according to Las Cumbres Observatory. These included the photons that make up light, as well as the protons, neutrons and electrons that make up atoms. By about three minutes after the Big Bang, protons and neutrons could fuse together to create the nuclei of atoms such as helium, according to NASA. "Think of fog and dew," Layden said. "Particles in a high-energy state are dispersed like water in fog, and when the energy gets low enough, they can condense out like droplets of dew." Related: Can anything travel faster than the speed of light? However, although photons of light existed since the first second after the Big Bang, they could not yet shine across the universe. This is because the early cosmos was so hot that "electrons were moving too fast for atomic nuclei to hold them in orbit around them," Layden said. "The universe was just this very hot, dense soup." All the electrons zipping around freely in the early universe meant that light could not move around very much. "As light tried to travel in a straight line during this time, it always bumped into electrons, so it could not go very far," Layden said. A similar situation is found within the sun, Srinivasan Raghunathan, a cosmologist at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, told Live Science. "You can imagine a photon of light created by nuclear reactions at the center of the sun trying to come out to the sun's surface," he said. "The center of the sun is extremely hot, and so there are a lot of free electrons present. This means light cannot travel in straight lines." The distance from the center of the sun to its surface is about 432,450 miles (696,000 kilometers). The speed of light in a vacuum is about 186,000 miles per second (300,000 km/s), but in the sun, "it takes about 1 million to 2 million years for light to escape from the center of the sun to its surface," Raghunathan said. However, about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, the expansion of the universe let the cosmos cool enough for atomic nuclei to glom onto electrons. "When that happens, all those electrons are no longer free," Layden said. "This happens at about 3,000 Kelvin [4,940 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2,725 degrees Celsius], the surface temperature of a coolish reddish star." Within a short number of years, "everything goes from being a hot dense soup to a clear universe where light can travel freely," Layden said. "At that moment, the first photons in the universe can escape." The light typical of the universe when it was about 3,000 kelvins was in near-infrared to visible wavelengths, Layden noted. However, as the cosmos expanded over the course of more than 13 billion years and cooled to an average temperature of about 2.73 Kelvin (minus 455 F, or minus 270 C), the universe's first light stretched to longer microwave wavelengths. Astronomers first detected this leftover radiation from the Big Bang, called the cosmic microwave background, in 1964. RELATED MYSTERIES —What is the smallest particle in the universe? (What about the largest?) —What would happen if the speed of light were much lower? —Where do electrons get energy to spin around an atom's nucleus? Analyzing these microwaves has yielded many insights. For instance, the gravitational pull of galaxies can distort light — a phenomenon called gravitational lensing. Examining the amount of distortion the cosmic microwave background has experienced at different points in the sky can help scientists reconstruct the large-scale structure of the universe — the arrangement of galaxies and the giant voids between them across the cosmos, Raghunathan said. After the light from the Big Bang was released, the universe experienced a period known as the cosmic dark ages. Eventually, after millions of years, the gravitational pull of clouds of gas led these clumps of matter to collapse in on themselves. "This created the first generation of stars, and the universe had galaxies full of stars by about 1 billion years after the Big Bang, beginning the cosmic dawn," Layden said.
