Puzzling patches in Earth’s interior billions of years in the making, Stanford researchers find

Scientific Anomaly – Insights to Deep Processes of Earth

According to Stanford researchers, chemical reaction with ancient seawater and iron in mantle over eons of the Earth illuminates the formation of mysterious blobs in the interior of the planet which tends to damp down passing seismic waves.

Scientists have been confused for decades, with these thin patches of dense rock which have been placed around 1,800 miles below the surface of the Earth, just above the core-mantle boundary which seems to isolate the molten metal heart of the planet from its rocky shell. They tend to be prominent from their surroundings since the seismic waves created by earthquakes tend to slow down by a tenth to a third of their usual speed when they sweep across.

These dampening zones, apart from being a scientific anomaly, could also offer insights in the other deep processes of the Earth according to research leader, Wendy Mao, an associate professor of geological sciences at School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences of Stanford.

The information regarding the regions considered as ultra-low velocity zones or ULVZs takes place at the core-mantle boundary tends to be interesting since it recommends that the core and mantle of the Earth tends to interrelate to a much greater extent than had been earlier valued.

ULVZs – Origins of Molten Plumes 

According to Mao there is evidence that ULVZs are the origins of molten plumes which tend to feed volcanoes towards the surface and hence ULVZs could indicate a considerable amount of cycling between the core, mantle and surface of the Earth than speculated. The composite as well as the origins of the zones tend to remain a unknown owing to their extreme depths.

 However in the latest researcher published online in the journal Nature, which is an international team of researchers headed by Mao, have provided a new theory explaining how they tend to be formed. The device which has been proposed by them is established on their latest discovery of a novel kind of oxygen-rich iron compound which is inclined to form spontaneously in great heat and pressure, conditions which are present in the lowermost mantle region of the Earth.

Mao’s team while experimenting in the lab at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, had compressed slivers of iron foil suspended in pure water to around 90 gigapascals or about 900,000 times the pressure at sea level laser heating them to 3,000-4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Super-Oxygenated Iron 

The consequence of this is a super-oxygenated type of iron which is packed with around a third more oxygen molecule than the most oxygen rich oxides which tend to occur beneath the surface conditions. The team also portrayed that their compound shares several of the seismic waves dampening properties shown by the low velocity zones.

Jin Liu, study first author, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Mao stated that the low sound speeds calculated for compound tend to match precisely to what was observed seismically in ULVZs. Moreover, the oxygen-rich iron created by the team in the lab had the tendency to form easily at the core-mantle boundary.

Mao commented that this reaction needed only iron and water and as long as one has these components and the accurate temperature together with pressure conditions, this compound tend to form.

These eerie space ‘sounds’ recorded by NASA are creepy enough to make your skin crawl

NASA – Release of Set of Eerie Recordings of Sound from Space

Sky-high to the pits of our universe, magnanimous spacecraft tend to journey the universe, snapping images of astronomic wonders and some of the spacecraft tend to have instruments, with the potential of capturing radio emissions. When the scientists have the possibility of changing these to sound waves the consequences seem to be strange to hear.

NASA has released a set of eerie recordings of sound from space wherein the set of auto files can be accessed through SoundCloud. From the space agency a statement read thus `Soaring to the depths of our universe, gallant spacecraft roam the cosmos, snapping images of celestial wonders. Some spaceships have devices capable of capturing radio emissions. When scientists alter these to sound waves, the results are eerie to hear.

Space scientists at NASA at times tend to take signals from beyond the mortal realm of human senses inclusive of radio waves, plasma waves as well as magnetic fields converting them into audio tracks. This smart hack is known as data sonification which helps the researchers `hear’ what tends to go on with their far-flung spacecraft around planets, comets, moons together with the other locations. The consequences often tend to be ear-splitting though at times the audio seems to be scary.

Accumulation of Out-Space Sounds 

 

The space agency at NASA had mentioned in a release that they have put together an accumulation of 22 outer-space sounds elusive `sounds’ of howling planets and whistling helium which is sure to make your skin crawl. The following are some of the spookiest tract and what they tend to represent:
Juno Crossing Jupiter’s Bow Shock

The First Juno Crossing Jupiter’s Bow Shock is said to be the sound of the spacecraft of NASA moving across the gas giant’s magnetic field where the whistling sound tends to turn abruptly into a deeper boom as the Juno passes from an atmosphere controlled by solar wind to the magnetosphere of Jupiter. Juno of NASA searched around Jupiter every few weeks at a speed of around 130,000 mph working through all types of invisible fields in the progression.

It is said that one of the toughest undetected signals encountered by the robot was Jupiter’s bow shock, the point wherein the magnetic field of the planet pushes back against the howling wind of incoming particles from the sun giving rise to something similar to a sonic boom. The said audio is considered to be about two hours’ substance of electric field signal compressed into few seconds which seems unnerving.

Stardust Passing Comet Tempel 1

It is a recording of a comet flyby in 2011. The Stardust spacecraft of NASA had been bombarded with dust particles from the comet and the is what can be heard in the recording. The spacecraft had been hit by about 5,000 bits of rock, ice and dust, over a period of 11 minutes.

It is said to be one of the few true audio-like recordings from space wherein the sound is the result of the Stardust spacecraft passing through the dust of comet Tempel 1, ringing the body of the robot with debris.

Cassini Saturn Radio Emissions # 1 

The nuclear-powered Cassini spacecraft of NASA had spent 13 years traveling around Saturn and its system of possibly habitable moons. The Radio Emission of Saturn had been recorded with the Cassini spacecraft when it had recently plunged in the atmosphere of the planet bringing about the long mission to an end.

Saturn is said to be a source of intense radio emission which are related to the auroras of the planet near its poles. The said audio track which tends to be scary is actually radio waves that are emanated by the giant planet through an incidence similar to the once which tends to cause auroras on Earth.

NASA’s Polar Satellite – Plasmaspheric Hiss 

The Earth is said to be encircled in plasma, hot, ionized constituent parts created by sunlight crashing in the atmosphere. The Polar mission of NASA that was launched in 1996 had recorded this breath-like hiss of the plasma when it had orbited the planet.

Out beyond the plasmasphere, where the plasma tend to be shaky and comparatively warm, whistler mode waves seem to produce mostly rising chirps similar to a flock of noisy birds and this kind of wave is known as chorus. The same is created when electrons tend to be pushed towards the night area of the Earth which in some instances could be the result of magnetic reconnections.

It could be a dynamic explosion of jumbled magnetic field lines towards the dark area of the Earth. They tend to interact with particles in the plasma, imparting their energy, creating a exclusive rising tone when these low energy electrons hit the plasma.

Jupiter’s Largest Moon Ganymede – Beware 

NASA has not mentioned which spacecraft had recorded these weird radio emissions from the largest moon Ganymede of Jupiter though there was a possibility of the Galileo spacecraft that had orbited the system for around eight years. Irrespective of what the case may be, changing the data into audio tends to make it sound like screams trying to break through from an unearthly plane.

Mystery of the 230 Foot Long Killer Whale Geoglyph Found

Credit: Johny Isla

Lost Geoglyph – Representation of a Killer Whale

 
A long lost geoglyph has been discovered by archaeologist that has been carved in the remote Palpa region of southern Peru in the Peruvian hillside. Palpa is situated near the province of Nazca – home to the extensive region of ‘Nazca Lines’, drawn by the Nazca people between 100 BC and AD 800.

This amazing representation of a killer whale extents more than 200 feet and is presumed to date back over 2,000 years, thus making it one of the oldest than those of the famous Nazca Lines which is in close proximity. According to experts the people who had once inhabited the region considered the orca as a powerful marine deity and the said geoglyph could be among the ancient in the region.

They state that the killer whale was probably created by removal of layer of stones along the landscape outlining its figure. Though the method has been similar to the one utilised by the Nazca culture, the researchers state that there are variations between the two, signifying that the Palpa orca tends to be much older. The eyes of the orca together with the other areas of the design are said to be made by piling the stones.
 

Location & Size - Not Defined

 
According to the researchers, this had been a trademark of the Paracas culture that had inhabited the region from 800 BC to 200 BC. The Paracas culture as per the Bradshaw Foundation was an Andean society well-known to have extensive information of irrigation and water management.

The people of this ancient period, beside the remarkable geoglyphs, also made incredible textiles. The orca geoglyph had been located by a team of German archaeologists in the 1960s though for decades thereafter, was considered lost as per the Bradshaw Foundation.

As per the records, few traces of it prevailed though it was eventually located once again due to efforts led by Johny Isla, head of the Ica branch of the Ministry of Culture in Ica Province of Peru. The orca engraving measuring 230-foot long had been identified in the Palpa region of southern Peru.

As per the reports of Live Science, at first, the team made an effort to locate it by scouring Google Earth but its location as well as size had not been well defined. Johny Isla has mentioned in an email to Live Science, that the location and size of the orca geoglyph have not been well-described in the catalog.
 

Disappearing Due to Erosion

 
According to Live Science, the team had come back to this area in order to re-establish and clean the geoglyph. Ultimately in January 2015, the archaeologist decided to venture on foot and located it after several months of searching.

The immense orca drawing before restoration was disappearing due to erosion over a period of time. Being craved on a slope it become prone to damage than those figures which are in flat areas like those of the Nazca Pampa according to Isla.

The experts have now warned that the freshly revived site is said to be in danger of `land traffickers’ who have hazarded their claims and have threaten to build on the land.

Scientists Just Discovered Our First Known Interstellar Visitor And It’s Pretty Weird

First Known Interstellar Object – Solar System

Scientists have been working on the Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) observatory at Haleakala, Hawaii just over a month back and had glimpses of something quite extraordinary, the first known interstellar object which had passed through the solar system.

They had distinguished observations together with details with the object for the past month and presently known as 11.2016 U1 `OUMUAMUA’, it seems to be the first object of this type. The `I’ signifies its interstellar origin – ISO. The interstellar `Oumuamua embarked in the solar system as though it had fallen from above, closing to within 0.25 AU from the sun which places it between the orbit of the sun and Mercury.

 However, there had been no clue of a tail as `Oumuamua' came near. The interstellar during its initial approach from above the solar system had been moving at a solid 15.8 miles per second – 25.5km/s and had bottomed out under the solar system after the gravity of the sun had pulled it in a different orbit. It is now on its way back out of the solar system on an altered route at an even higher speed of 44km/s.
 

Developing Follow-Up Strategy

 
Onumuamua – interstellar, is said to be quickly disappearing as it heads out of the solar system receding from the Sun as well as the Earth and receiving new observations quickly seems to be very vital. The IfA team comprising of those who had discovered 1l had prepared to follow up solar system discoveries quickly from Pan-STARRS, operated by the IfA, funded by NASA, according to Karen Meech, astronomer leading the investigative team who commented that they were capable of developing rapidly a follow-up strategy on a very short timescale.

It was exciting to think that the brief visit by Oumuamua had given them the opportunity to do the first representation of a sample from another solar system. Established on its observed characteristics, `Oumuamua is roughly the shape of a cigar with two of its axes around 80 meters across and the third 800 meters long. Its trail together with the speed recommends that it is not an ejected fragment of our own solar system at any earlier stage of its development.

 

Insight of the Cosmos

 
The research team tends to think that it is a distant prospect though this possibility could not be totally ruled out. They have speculated in fact that its encounter with our sun could have been the first instance interstellar `Oumuamua had encountered another star.

Though brief as it could have been, the complete encounter tends to remind us of the classic sci-fi book, `Rendezvous with Rama’ of Arthur C. Clarke wherein a massive cylindrical spacecraft on a quick approach in our own solar system had been explored by humans before it had continued on its journey to the Large Magellanic Cloud.

However, while we will not be seeing `Oumuamua’ again, the brief visit of the interstellar to our solar system has somewhat provided some insight of the cosmos to some extent.

Archaeologists Uncover Rare 2,000-Year-Old Sundial During Roman Theatre Excavation

Undamaged Sundial Discovered – Interamna Lirenas – Italy

During an excavation of a roofed theatre in the roman town of Interamna Lirenas, in the vicinity of Monte Cassino, in Italy, a 2,000 year old inscribed sundial has been discovered which is said to be one of the only known artefact to have survived.

 The sundial has not only survived undamaged for over two millennia but its presence of two Latin texts could indicate that researchers from the University of Cambridge have made it possible to assemble accurate information regarding the person who had commissioned it.

The students of the Faculty of Classics had located the sundial lying face down while they had been excavating the front of one of the entrances of the theatre along a secondary street. The sundial could possibly be left behind during that time when the theatre as well as the town had been rummaged for building material at the time of the Medieval to post-Medieval era. It may not have belonged to the theatre though could be removed from a noticeable spot more likely from the top of a pillar in the nearby setting.

A lecturer at the Facultty of Classics at Cambridge and a Colleague of Gonville & Caius College, Dr Alessandro Launaro, mentioned that `less than a hundred specimens of this particular type of sundial have survived and of those only a handful tends to bear any kind of inscription and so this really is a special discovery.
 

Numerous Contemplations

 
He further added that they have not only been capable of identifying the individual who had custom-made the sundial but have also been capable of determining the specific public office he held with regards to the probable date of the inscription.

Highly featured towards the base, is the name of M(arcus) NOVIUS M(arci) F(ilius) TUBULA [Marcus Novius Tubula, son of Marcus] while the engravings on the curved rim of the dial surface record that he held the office of TR(ibunus) PL(ebis) [Plebeian Tribune] and had paid for the sundial D(e) S(ua) PEC(unia) with his own cash. It is said that the nomen Novius had been quite common in Central Italy while the cognomen Tubula (literally `small trumpet), on the other hand is verified at Interamna Lirenas.

What is more appealing is the public office Tubula held with regards to the likely date of the inscription. Numerous contemplations regarding the name of the individual together with the lettering style of the inscription of the sundial placed comfortably during (mid 1st c. BC onwards) wherein the inhabitants of Interamna, had been granted by then, full Roman citizenship.
 

Carved From Limestone

 
Launaro stated `that being the case, Marcus Novius tubal, coming from Interamna Lirenas could be a hitherto unknown Plebeian Tribune of Rome and the sundial could have represented his method of celebrating his election in his own hometown.

 The sundial carved from a limestone block of 54 x 35 x 25 cm, tends to feature a concave face carved with 11 hour lines, (defining the twelve horae of daylight) intersecting three days curves (providing the indication of the season considering the time of the winter solstice, equinox and summer solstice).

Though the iron gnomon (the needle forming the shadow) seems to be lost, some of it tends to be present below the surviving lead fixing and this type of spherical sundial had been comparatively common during the Roman period which was called hemicyclium.

 Launaro further added that though the recent archaeological fieldwork has profoundly affected our understanding of Interamna Lirenas, dispelling long-held views with regards to its precocious decline and considerable marginality, this was not a town of remarkable prestige or notable influence.
 

Informative Case-Study

 
He stated that it remained an average, middle-sized settlement and this is precisely what makes it a potentially very informative case study regarding conditions in the majority of Roman cities in Italy during that time. In this regard, the discovery of the inscribed sundial tends to give some insight on the place Interamna Lirenas occupied in the broader network of political relationship all over Rome, Italy as well as it was also a more general indicator of the amount of involvement in the affairs of Rome where individual coming from this as well as the other comparatively secondary communities could aspire to.

New evidences regarding important aspects of the Roman civilization, emphasizing on the high levels of connectivity together with integration (political, social, economic and cultural) have been adding up with the on-going archaeological project at Interamna Lirenas, which it tends to feature.

Headed by Dr Launaro (Gonville & Caius College) together with Professor Martin Millett (Fitzwilliam College), both from the Faculty of classics, together in partnership with Dr Giovanna Rita Bellini of the Italian Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Frosinone, Latina e Rieti, the 2017 excavation is part of an enduring relationship with the British School at Rome and the Comune of Pignataro Interamna which has profited from the generous aid of the Isaac Newton Trust as well as Mr Antonia Silvestro Evangelista

Hidden Structure InSided the Great Pyramid of Giza

Secrets of Great Pyramid of Giza

 
Scientists have come across a long hidden narrow emptiness in Great Pyramid of Giza which has revealed the secrets of the 4,500 year old monument. The emptiness is said to stretch for at least 30 metres above the Grand Gallery, an ascending corridor which tends to connect the chamber of the Queen to the Kings’ towards the core of the Pyramid.

The existence of the emptiness is not known or if there are any valuable artefacts within, since the same is not accessible. However, it tends to have the same dimensions to the Gallery of 50 metres long, eight metres high and about a metre wide. According to the researchers, it could be a construction gap’ section of a trench enabling workers to access the Grand Gallery as well as the chamber of the King while the rest of the pyramid was built.


The discovery came to light when physicist had taken images of the interior of the Pyramid utilising particles fired to Earth from space wherein these cosmic particles penetrated the rock in much the same way like X-rays though much deeper. Since the 19th century, the combination of efforts of the archaeologist, physicists as well as the historians have been considered as the biggest discovery within the Giza landmark.
 

Man-Made Construction of the World

 
The Great Pyramid or the Pyramid of Giza, built under the supervision of the Pharaoh Khufu and completed in 2550 BC, functioned as the tallest man-made construction of the world for thousands of years. The edifice, the only survivor of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World is also known as Khufu’s Pyramid. There is no general agreement with regards to its creation.

Scientists state that the latest finding published in the journal Nature could give some insight on its construction. In October 2015, in order to get better understandings regarding the Pyramid, researchers from various countries such as France and Japan had started a project to scan the structure.
 They made the discovery utilising cosmic-ray imaging, recording the behaviour of subatomic particles known as muons which tend to penetrate the rock. Muons that tend to travel through rock or any dense material will slow and ultimately stop.

 The reason is to catch the muons when they have passed through a Pyramid and to measure their energies as well as trajectories. Thereafter researchers can compile a 3D image which exposes the hidden chambers. This discovery according to the study brings about the possibility that the empty space could be connected to other various undiscovered structures within the Pyramid.
 

Scan Pyramids Big Void

 
Pyramid had detectors installed in it, including in the Queen’s Chamber. This enabled a glimpse of the interior of the Pyramid without physically disturbing the same, the outcome of which was the empty space differed from rock. The paper stated that the presence of the space, known as the ScanPyramids Big Void had been confirmed on utilising three various detection technologies for many months after the same had been discovered.

Thereafter the results had been analysed thrice. The ScanPyramids mission comprised of researchers from the Ministry of Antiquities, the University of Cairo, Egypt together with the non-profit organisation the heritage Innovations Preservation – HIP Institute. Author Mehdi Tayoubi, president and co-founder of the HIP Institute reported to MailOnline that the ScanPyramids Big Void is not a room or a chamber and they are not clear it is horizontal or inclined or it is composed by one or many successive structure, though it tends to be big.

The Grand Gallery is said to be an internal spectacular structure a type of internal cathedral towards the centre of the Pyramid. The said Big Void could be successive chambers, a tunnel, owing to the similar size characteristics like the Grand Gallery with the possibility of several theories.
 

Several Techniques – Scan Pyramid

 
The newly revealed structure, in spite of the discovery is still to be reached physically by any researcher. Mr Tayoubi, the report author had stated that this structure does not seem to be accessible and they don’t see any person had attempted considering the Grand Gallery, for accessing the void which is overhead.

He presumed that the void had been hidden from the time of the construction of the Pyramid and was not accessible. In spite of the discovery, the excavated structure is yet to be reached in person by any researcher. Mehdi Yayoubi stated that they need the technique and the right one at the right time in order to be capable of identifying it and to discover the same. He added that they were confident that the results were accurate, since no one had seen the interior of the void and the purpose of its construction tends to be mysterious.

According to the experts, the researchers claimed that it could be on an ascent meaning that it could have been utilised to transport massive blocks in the centre of the pyramid and then left. All through the process of their study, the team had utilised several techniques to scan the Pyramid.

The Theft of the Mona Lisa is What Made Her Famous

Painting of Leonardo da Vinci – Stolen from Louvre Museum

The well-known Mona Lisa painting of Leonardo da Vinci had been stolen on August 21, 1911 from the Louvre museum in Paris by a small time thief Vincenzo Perugia who had earlier worked in the museum. The robbery of Mona Lisa had caused quite a stir all over the world which was concluded over two years thereafter, when the priceless Mona Lisa painting had been located in the possession of Perugia.

 It had been 24 hours before anyone had noticed that the painting of Mona Lisa had gone missing with artworks often been removed for the purpose of being photographed or cleaned. Charney, founder of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art – ARCA, had stated that the Louvre had more than 400 rooms though only 200 guards and even less on duty overnight. There was basically no alarm and was under-secure where most of the museums seemed to be at that point of time.

It seemed to be a mystery as to how he managed to steal the Mona Lisa painting and the purpose of committing the crime. The first mystery is how he managed to get into the museum on the day in August to gain access to the Mona Lisa painting. The police speculated that he could have hidden himself in the museum the previous night and had come out once the museum had been closed for the day.

Different Conclusions

However Perugia himself had informed that he had gained access to the museum in a much creepy manner on that particular day of the actual theft. He informed that had a white smock worn by the employees of the museum that had probably been kept from the time he had worked at the Louvre earlier and when the crew of workers for that day had entered through the employee entrance, he had joined the crowd and walked through the museum unobserved.

He had walked all around the huge building mingling with the other employees till he had entered the room where the painting of Mona Lisa hung and had waited till he had been the only person there. This event had been before any kind of modern alarm system existed so he could just take the Mona Lisa painting off its hangers and moved quickly to the nearest stairway. Thereafter he had removed the painting from its frame as claimed later by him and walked away with the Mona Lisa painting under his smock.

The Archives Nationales in Paris had questioned this and pointed out that Perugia had been too short to have hidden it under his smock while wearing it. Instead they recommended that he had taken the smock off wrapped the Mona Lisa painting in it and had walked back from the same door from which he had entered.

Stealing Artwork Entirely Patriotic 

Or probably there could have been the involvement of another person. Either of these options had been successful in smuggling the painting of Mona Lisa. However this does not seem to be the only probable disagreement between the authorities concluded and what Perugia had claimed.Being a native of Dumenza, Italy, Perugia had been living in Paris during the theft of the Mona Lisa. Uncertain on what could be done with the Mona Lisa painting, he had hidden it in an old truck in his apartment trying to figure out on his next plan of action.

He seemed to get restless to get the painting out of his possession and so he travelled back to his home town and made a stop at Florence. Here he got in touch with Alfredo Geri, the owner of a nearby art gallery. Geri had been suspicious of the painting which was in possession of Perugia and so he took the opinion of another owner of a gallery who discovered that Perugia indeed had the original da Vinci painting. The two men persuaded Perugia to leave the Mona Lisa painting in their possession and Perugia was too happy to oblige. The two men had immediately contacted the police and had Perugia arrested.

Imprisoned and Released in Seven Months 

Perugia later had claimed that he merely desired to return the Mona Lisa painting to its rightful country of origin and also stated that the purpose of stealing the artwork was entirely patriotic. Noah Charney, art professor had informed that Perugia had mistakenly thought that he would be considered as a hero by the Italian people.

On the contrary, he was imprisoned and the Mona Lisa painting had finally been sent back to the Louvre in 1913. There is another theory on why he finally decided to deposit the painting with Alfredo Geri, the gallery owner. It had nothing to do with the home of the Mona Lisa painting and irrespective of his statement of patriotism it had been clear that he had intentions of selling it for a huge amount of money.

Towards the end of 1911, Perugia had written to his father stating that he would be making his fortune `in one shot’. He had been released within a short sentence period of seven months since the authorities were unclear on what to do with a culprit of this kind of crime. Perugia had fought for Italy during the First World War and eventually went back to France, married and had a daughter.

Mona Lisa – Great Masterpiece 

On October8, 1925 in a suburb near Paris he had breathed his last. Since he had then reverted back to his birth name of Pietro Peruggia, very few linked his name to the infamous robbery of the Mona Lisa painting. The painting became very popular after it had been returned and it grew till he became possibly the most well-known piece of art in the world.

Charney has informed that this could not have occurred if a different painting had been stolen. The image of Mona Lisa had been plastered in newspapers as well as in magazines all across the world. Carney acclaims that the world-wide attention was drawn, familiarizing the image of the lady with the mystic smile.

So Perugia in some way had been responsible for the present amazing fame of the Mona Lisa painting. No one may ever know the precise motivation of Perugia for the theft of the well-known painting of Mona Lisa. Times have changed and the Mona Lisa tends to hang behind a bullet-proof glass in a space of the Louvre with security guards monitoring the Mona Lisa painting all the time in order to avert another theft of this great masterpiece which only a Renaissance genius could have created.