Back in 2017, scientists spotted a mysterious space rock. The problem was that it didn’t look like anything astronomers had ever seen. So, was it a rocky asteroid? An icy comet? Something else? Without being sure, they nicknamed it ‘Oumuamua and continued analyzing it. Now, a new study, which the journal Nature recently published, claims that as it flies away from us, the mystery might be unveiled. The mysterious space rock seems to actually be a comet.

Thanks to the powerful Hubble Space telescope, researchers tracked the rock’s trajectory as it was flying away from our planet. They managed to discover that its speed wasn’t just the result of gravity. It was going faster and faster which is a clear trademark of a comet that has gas puffing out of its end. ‘Oumuamua has sparked heated debates since it was discovered. Experts cannot seem to agree over its nature. Astronomers expected the first object to visit us from beyond our Solar System to be of this kind. However, that usual cloud of gas and dust surrounding comets wasn’t there. This prompted them to believe that it was made out of metal and rock: an asteroid.

‘Oumuamua it’s a foreign comet after all

It’s interesting that a few month ago, some researchers suggested that ‘Oumuamua was, in fact, a comet. The only difference was that it had a thick coat of carbon-rich grime, hence its icy heart. And the fact that it has exited our neighborhood made many astronomers certain about their presumptions. ‘Oumuamua is indeed a comet, but just a very weird one.

This recent paper did nothing else but track the object’s movement as it was going further away from Earth. And because it was moving faster than it should, it was clear that it had a tail like a comet. ‘Oumuamua is a comet, but one that has fascinated experts and normal people alike since it was first discovered.

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According to a new study which the journal Nature recently published, it seems that scientists may have finally found the clearest evidence of alien life on Enceladus, Saturn’s moon. The idea is based on large organic molecules that have been blasted into space on it. Apparently, they contain all requirements for life as we know it. NASA’s spacecraft Cassini is the one that managed to obtain material samples from Enceladus’ icy surface. This happened before it plunged to its doom in Saturn’s atmosphere a while ago.

According to Dr. Frank Postberg, the leader of the study, this discovery blew everyone away. Usually, these complex organic molecules are not enough to indicate that there is indeed life there. However, they are essential elements in order for it to exist. A while ago, nobody was sure whether or not there was complex organic chemistry happening on Enceladus. Now they are certain about its existence. Other experts have also said that Enceladus is now the only body, apart from Earth, which simultaneously satisfies all the basic requirements for life. We might now be closer than ever to finding alien life outside our own world.

Clear evidence of alien life found on Enceladus

It’s worth noting that this discovery is only the culmination of entire years of data which Cassini gathered. Previous surveys found clear evidence of a giant water ocean lying just underneath the icy crust of Enceladus. According to Dr. Hunter Waite, a co-author on the new study, hydrogen is a major source of energy that supports microbes. These microbes also live on our planet, further proving that the conditions are indeed very similar.

It’s interesting that this incredible discovery comes right after NASA announced that they have found the basic ingredients for life on Mars. All things considered, we may now be closer than ever to finding more about aliens than we ever were before.

Image source: wikimedia

Most people like to believe that we are not alone in the universe. Just the fact that there are so many stars out there should mean that alien life surely exists. However, these remain dreams for now because extraterrestrial life forms do not seem very eager to contact us. For years, experts have been trying to solve the Fermi Paradox, which deals with whether or not we are indeed alone in the universe. They have proposed multiple theories. Aliens may be hiding from us, they may be waiting until we evolve, or they may have even done something that prevented them from contacting us.

Now, there is a new theory that might end all speculation, and it might disappoint a lot of people. According to a new study, which the pre-publication site arXiv recently published, alien life doesn’t exist at all and we are indeed alone in the universe. In it, a team of researchers from the Oxford University state that there is a very big probability that intelligent life in our observable universe doesn’t exist. Also, experts shouldn’t really be surprised if they’ll keep failing to detect signs of alien life.

Study suggests that alien life might not even exist

Moreover, their study suggests that alien life might not have even existed at all. The Fermi Paradox was inspired by a question that physicist Enrico Fermi posed during a 1950 lunch in the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. A group of scientists were talking. Their subject was a cartoon that showed aliens emerging out of a spaceship in New York City. Fermi suddenly asked, “Where is everyone?”. His doubt regarding the existence of alien life became famous and inspired what is now known as the Fermi Paradox. Ever since, experts have been trying to come up with answers to Fermi’s question. Unfortunately, they have all been unsuccessful.

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On Wednesday, something wonderful will make its appearance on the night sky: June’s strawberry moon. Lovely name aside, this phenomenon will actually be a full moon with a pretty color. Apart from this, it will be worth seeing because, unlike other ordinary full moons, this one will leave traces across the sky. But where did this name come from? Well, it came from its color which will actually be a shade of red or pink. Ancient traditions are saying that this moon kicked off the strawberry-picking season on the east coast.

It’s worth noting that the last time we saw such a pretty-colored full moon was back in 2016. However, the strawberry moon might bring some other things, for four zodiac signs in particular. Because of its Capricorn position, it may make some people feel like they’ve been thrown out of a moving train. It may sound bad, but it’s actually not a negative thing. Sometimes, we all need a little push before climbing up high. The strawberry moon will teach people to gain control over their emotions. This will help them avoid taking things too personally. Moreover, people might get a better sense of when it’s good to express feelings and when to shut up.

The spectacular Strawberry Moon

There are, in fact, four zodiac signs that might feel the effects of the strawberry moon to the fullest: Capricorn, Cancer, Libra, and Aries. It seems that these four signs are trendsetters by nature and natural-born leaders. They will be able to get a grip of this entire situation and also lead the others. Sure, they might be forced to control some powerful emotions during this time, but all will be good in the end. So, as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Just enjoy the sight of the strawberry moon on Wednesday night and relax a little.

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For some time, experts have gathered evidence that dolphins and some whale species are able to experience grief. They mourn their dead in the same way that humans do. One of the most incredible proofs of this was observed back in 2010, when people saw a killer whale pushing around her dead baby for six hours. Humpback whales are also crying over their dead while captive dolphins enter some kind of depressive state when a companion dies. Now, a new study, which the journal Zoology recently published, wants to find out whether or not dolphins and whales really experience this emotion.

In order to do this, Giovanni Bearzi of Dolphin Biology and Conservation and some of his colleagues gathered 78 scientific reports that dealt with grief-like behaviors in cetaceans. Of the 88 species that exist today, only 20 have been observed showing certain signs. They could mean that they were grieving a loved one. Most of these displays, 92.8%, actually came from dolphins. This should not come as a surprise because dolphins are some of the most social creatures out there. About 75% of the grief behaviors were seen in females over their dead calves. When it came to males, this behavior was extremely rare.

Are dolphins and whales able to experience grief?

According to the study, it seems that cetaceans with bigger brains and who live in more complex groups were more likely to show signs of grief. The fact that they have more complex brain structures could be defining when it comes to the ability to feel certain emotions, like grief.

It’s interesting that over the years, experts have witnessed numerous cases of grief in chimpanzees and baboons. This led them to believe that certain animals are indeed capable of felling this emotion. Usually, this behavior is present in species that live in large and complex ponds or communities. When they spend sometimes 60 years together, like dolphins, they surely mourn when a friend passes away.

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Now that yet another Jurassic Park movie is in theaters and has very big success, it’s the perfect time for scientists to come up with various ways to prove that dinosaurs were not exactly how we see them in movies. According to a new study, which the journal PLOS One recently published, most dinosaurs, including the infamous T. rex, were not able to stick out their tongues. This is weird because most reptiles today can do that. In order to reach this conclusion, researchers analyzed the mouth anatomy of certain extinct dinosaur species. Then, they compared it to their closest living relatives today, like alligators.

What they found amazed them. It seems that contrary to the common belief induced by modern depictions of dinosaurs, most of them were not able to stick their tongues out like snakes. They mostly had hyoid bones which closely resembled those of gators, and they keep their tongues stuck in one place. According to Julia Clarke, an author of this study, for a long time, experts have reconstructed these hyoid bones the wrong way. Most extinct dinosaurs had very short tongue bones. At the same time, in crocodilians, the tongue is stuck in place to the floor of the mouth.

Dinosaurs had immobile tongues, contrary to the common belief

What’s even more interesting is that not all extinct dinosaur species had immobile tongues. Some of them, like bird-like dinosaurs or flying reptiles had tongues that closely resembled those of modern birds. It may all be a factor that determined an evolutionary adaptation. Lead author Zhizheng Li says that when you cannot use your hands to catch prey, you turn to your mouth. This is probably what happened to those species too, and they evolved accordingly. Now, experts want to see how birds’ mouths and throats adapted over time. Also, how they ended up looking like they do today.

Image source: pixabay