Features Archives

Is Terraforming Mars & Venus Actually Possible?

Christopher Plain·January 5, 2022

Terraforming Mars and even Venus may be possible, says a four-decade veteran of NASA. In fact, the former director of the agency’s planetary science division says he is working on just such a plan that would employ a giant magnetic...

What Was Really Seen During the 1994 Lakeshore, Michigan UFO Sighting?

Jazz Shaw·January 3, 2022

It is frequently cited as one of the most solid, well-researched reports of UFO activity in history: the 1994 Lakeshore, Michigan UFO Sighting.

Virtual Reality Workouts May Help You Keep That New Year’s Resolution

Kenna Hughes-Castleberry·December 31, 2021

In order to fulfill the all-too-common “New Year’s Resolution” of exercising and losing weight, many are turning to virtual reality (VR). While known more for video gaming, VR apps also offer workouts. VR workouts are already becoming quite popular (thanks...

Don’t Look Up: When Asteroids Attack

Kenna Castleberry·December 30, 2021

While it seems unlikely our world will end anytime soon with a giant asteroid collision, Netflix's "Don't Look Up" raises relevant questions about asteroids and their place in our galaxy.

Ramen Noodles Are The Perfect Space Food

Cristina Gomez shares her love of ramen noodles- and why they are basically the best.

Cristina Gomez·December 29, 2021

Ramen Noodles for Astronauts are a yummy meal option to be enjoyed in orbit on the ISS or on the road to Mars.

NFTs Are Forcing the Music Industry to Evolve, and It Doesn’t Look Good for Big Labels

Kenna Castleberry·December 29, 2021

NFTs are taking the first chair in the music industry and artists are starting to cut out big labels. Will NFTs flip the music industry?

These 6 Technologies from ‘The Expanse’ May Soon Become Reality

Deidre Olsen·December 28, 2021

Here's a peek at six fascinating technologies in "The Expanse" universe that may one day become a reality.

Parties and Church Are Going Meta

Virtual reality is changing the way we party and the way we worship.

Kenna Castleberry·December 27, 2021

Whether it's an office party or going to church- the pandemic has given virtual reality and the Metaverse a big popularity boost.

Life on Venus: The Potential Habitability of Venusian Clouds

Raquel Santos·December 27, 2021

A chemical model of the atmosphere of Venus suggests some forms of life could potentially live in our neighbor planet's clouds.

Webb telescope micrometeoroid impacts, Hubble Tension, James Webb Space Telescope

Going Where No Telescope Has Gone: The James Webb Space Telescope Launches Tomorrow

Kenna Castleberry·December 24, 2021

The James Webb Telescope is set to launch on Christmas day, and it will usher in a new dawn in astronomy and astrophysics.

Jingle Bells Was The First Song Ever Played in Outer Space

O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way...

Kenna Castleberry·December 23, 2021

Christmas songs are annoying, so obviously, the first song ever played in outer space was "Jingle Bells," proving that humans are sadists.

Plasma Thruster New Option for Deep Space Exploration

Christopher Plain·December 23, 2021

Researchers have developed a new plasma thruster design that they say can open the door to longer range missions within our solar system as well as deep space. The new design improves on previous models by increasing thrust and efficiency,...

Virtual Reality Makes Us Egotistical, and Science Demands Humility

New scientific revolutions in our understanding of reality are not as flattering to our ego as their virtual versions.

Avi Loeb·December 22, 2021

Virtual reality, tailored to match our wishful thinking, sways us away from the humility of gaining new scientific knowledge.

NASA Releases Eerie Audio from Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede

Christopher Plain·December 21, 2021

NASA has released a new audio recording of Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, which was captured by the Juno mission as the spacecraft flew within 645 miles of the moon’s surface. Produced by the mission’s WAVES instrument, which typically tunes...

Nikola Tesla Probably Didn’t Invent a Death Ray, But The FBI Still Took All His Stuff

Kenna Castleberry·December 20, 2021

Nikola Tesla did some pretty weird stuff. And while he probably didn't create a death ray, the FBI still raided his hotel room after he died.

Taiwan Plans to Equip its Soldiers With Powered Exoskeleton Suits for Future Missions

Raquel Santos·December 16, 2021

Taiwan’s military has recently revealed a powered exoskeleton suit that its soldiers can use in the future during wartime or humanitarian missions.

What Makes a Meteorite Blast a Planet-Wide Killer?

Hint: It’s Not the Meteorite’s Size.

Christopher Plain·December 15, 2021

A new study reveals what makes a meteorite a planet-wide killer, particularly those associated with mass extinction events like the space rock that killed off the dinosaurs. And surprisingly, the size of the meteorite is not as important as the...

Dating the Next `Oumuamua and the Art of Cosmic Mating

"To rendezvous or not to rendezvous?", that is the billion-dollar question. Is it getting warm in here?

Avi Loeb·December 14, 2021

During my routine morning jog in the woods, I saw four pairs of ducks swimming in a narrow channel. From their dance, which looked at times like wrestling, it was apparent that their “art of dating” is focused on collecting...

Can Our Civilization Live Underground?

The Debrief tackles another dystopian hellscape from the works of science fiction: A subterrenean future!

Raquel Santos·December 13, 2021

What if our civilization collapsed? Could humanity thrive underground in a post-apocalyptic hellscape? The Debrief decided to look into it (just in case).

Rebelliously Curious With Chrissy Newton

Interview with Kevin Cornish Founder of Virtual Reality Company Moth + Flame

Christopher Plain·December 13, 2021

In the latest edition of Rebelliously Curious, The Debrief’s Chrissy Newton sits down with Metaverse expert Kevin Cornish. Founder of the VR company ‘Moth + Flame,’ Cornish walks Chrissy through a number of topics around the emerging metaverse, and the...

Science Fiction is Fueling Our Development of the Metaverse and Virtual Reality

Movies like The Matrix, Snow Crasher, and Ready Player One have inspired a new generation to accept virtual worlds.

Kenna Castleberry·December 8, 2021

As VR technology becomes more accessible and affordable, it is becoming more mainstream, and sci-fi plays a big role here.

DARPA Funded Researchers Accidentally Discover The World’s First Warp Bubble

"Engage."

Christopher Plain·December 6, 2021

Warp drive pioneer Dr. Harold G “Sonny” White has reported research results that he believes could theoretically manifest a warp bubble under laboratory conditions.

As Defense Bill Stalls in Senate, Experts Are Divided Over the Pentagon’s New UAP Investigations Unit.

Senators, scientists, and defense experts express mixed opinions about the DoD’s latest efforts to address military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.

Micah Hanks·December 6, 2021

Senators, scientists, and defense experts express mixed opinions about the DoD’s latest efforts to address military encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena.

The Fly Who Saw the Birth of The Galileo Project on Avi Loeb’s Porch

After the publication of my book “Extraterrestrial,” a few extraordinary guests visited the porch of my home with questions about it. A hypothetical fly on the wall might have wished for more.

Avi Loeb·December 2, 2021

"I wish I was a fly on the wall of your porch over the past few months." Avi Loeb discusses the rise of the Galileo Project, and his search for life in the cosmos.

The United Nations Wants to Clean the Ocean by 2030

Raquel Santos·December 2, 2021

A group of international experts gathered to create a plan that would help the UN reach its goal to clean the ocean by 2030.

Wormholes May Actually Work If We Change Our Understanding of Gravity

Raquel Santos·December 1, 2021

A physicist is creating a stable, traversable wormhole but its only possible if we change the way we look at gravity.

Earth ‘On Course’ for Saturn-Like Ring of Space Junk

Christopher Plain·November 30, 2021

Space Junk is filling Earth’s orbit so rapidly that one researcher recently said he believes we are on course to develop our own Saturn-like ring system made purely of orbital trash. Fortunately, the scientist behind the shocking claim believes he...

Yep, We Can Weaponize an Asteroid

With a bit of planning, time, and a giant amount of money, we could theoretically hurl space rocks into anything.

Raquel Santos·November 30, 2021

NASA's recent DART launch and with Season 6 of The Expanse coming out, we wanted to know if you can turn an asteroid into a weapon.

The Bizarre History of the Nazi Spaceplane Built to Bomb New York and A Botched Russian Kidnapping

A Russian spy took a piss and discovered secret Nazi plans for a spaceplane that could bomb New York. They then tried to kidnap the inventor...

Graeme Rendall·November 27, 2021

In 1945, a Russian spy needed to take a piss, and as a result, discovered the plans to a Nazi spaceplane designed to blow up New York City.

AI-Scientists May Usher in A Bright Future in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Scientific progress may accelerate when artificial intelligence (AI) will explore data autonomously, without the blinders imposed by human prejudice.

Avi Loeb·November 24, 2021

Refusal to admit anomalies as evidence that our knowledge base may have missed something important stems from our ego. AI won't make the same mistakes.

Canadians Hate Thanksgiving

And Four Other Bizarre Things I’ve Learned While Working at The Debrief

Christopher Plain·November 24, 2021

Christopher Plain celebrates Thanksgiving, Canadians, and four other bizarre things he has learned over the last year while working here at The Debrief.

Former Defense Officials Weigh-In On Proposed “UAP Legislation”

Tim McMillan·November 22, 2021

In early November, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) submitted an amendment for consideration in the F.Y. 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDDA, H.R. 4350), detailing expansive requirements for the U.S. military and Intelligence Community in addressing “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP),...

How Does the Jump Drive in Apple TV’s ‘Foundation’ Work?

Was Isaac Asimov traversing wormholes or going quantum? The Debrief takes a look at two theories to understand how the Foundation universe has mastered FTL travel.

Kenna Castleberry·November 19, 2021

Apple TV's 'Foundation' is full-on sci-fi, so we naturally wondered how the 'Jump' drive allows for quick travel across the Empire's galaxy.

Can We Mine the Moon? The Top Five Things Humanity Needs to Survive In Space

Raquel Santos·November 18, 2021

What if we could take advantage of all the resources the Moon has to offer? Here are five ways we can mine the Moon, and thrive.

Recent Pattern of Behavior Shows Russia Is The ‘Mad Dog’ of Outer Space

This isn't the first time Russia has played fast and loose with its space assets.

Raquel Santos and MJ Banias·November 18, 2021

A pattern of reckless behavior indicates Russia may no longer be a "white hat" in the global space community.

You Just Died. Is Your Digital Afterlife in Order?

What is the 'Digital Afterlife' and who looks after your data when you die?

Kenna Castleberry·November 17, 2021

With more people on the internet, the problem of what to do with the dead is very much a hot topic. Welcome to the digital afterlife, are you ready?

Men Are Using Cashier Receipts to Facebook Stalk Women In Southern Africa

Retail technology exposes a safety threat for female cashiers in many African countries due to an old practice.

Audrey Simango·November 16, 2021

Cash registers across southern Africa print the full name of a cashier on customer receipts, and men are stalking them online using Facebook.

Many Organisms Could Become Crabs One Day, Thanks to This Bizarre Evolutionary Secret

Candy Chan·November 15, 2021

Many crustaceans are likely to turn into crabs on down the line, thanks to a strange process that biologists call carcinization.

Experts Urge for Dialogue, “Cool Heads” Following Chinese Hypersonic Missile Test

Raquel Santos·November 12, 2021

Flight tests of a new Chinese hypersonic missile system drew international attention in recent days, and fueled some concerns about the possibility of outer space nuclear attacks against the United States and its allies.

Can We Communicate With Whales? New AI Research Is Trying to Figure It Out

Raquel Santos·November 11, 2021

A multidisciplinary team of scientists is trying to use artificial intelligence to decode the language of whales.

NASA Announces New Climate Mission to Study Unexplained Weather Phenomena

Micah Hanks·November 10, 2021

NASA’s new earth science mission, the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), will explore little-understood climate phenomena.

New Exoplanet Hunting Tool Begins Search for Alien Worlds

Supercomputer Based System Uses Advanced Spectroscopy to Spot Earth Sized Planets

Christopher Plain·November 10, 2021

A new instrument named NEID, the NN-explore Exoplanet Investigations with Doppler spectroscopy, has come online, providing a powerful new tool to exoplanet hunting researchers looking for alien worlds. Using a spectrograph connected to the WIYN 3.5m telescope at the Kitt...

US Army Research Paves The Way For The Development of Breakthrough Biomaterials

Tim McMillan·November 8, 2021

The U.S. military has been looking for ways to increase its technological advantage through the use of biomaterials, and now they may have found a way to do just that. In an announcement by US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command...

Is The Technology of Dune Possible?

The Debrief consulted with Dr. Kevin Grazier, a respected science advisor, to discuss the technology and science in 'Dune.'

Christopher Plain·November 5, 2021

The technology of Dune is way out there, so The Debrief brought in an expert to weigh in on whether Dune tech is even possible.

These Genetically Modified Bacteria Can Be Used to Produce Carbon Neutral Biofuel

Raquel Santos·November 5, 2021

A team of scientists from Washington University has discovered a new way to use bacteria to produce readily usable biofuel.

Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef: A Business Park in Space?

Matt Staples·November 4, 2021

Blue Origin, founded by entrepreneur and former CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, has recently announced plans to develop a commercial space station known as "Orbital Reef."

The Top 5 Dystopian Video Games From 2021 To Prep You For the End of the World

Raquel Santos·November 4, 2021

To help prevent the end of the world (or better prepare for it), The Debrief has put together the top 5 dystopian video games released in 2021.

Eclipsed Women: The Need for Scientist-Mothers in Popular Culture

Kenna Castleberry·November 3, 2021

Scientist-mothers are often ignored for a tenure positions or experience a significant reduction in publications, and the media isn't helping.

These 4 Technologies Can Save Humanity From A ‘Global Warming Hell World’

The Debrief takes a look into the 4 top inventions that can actually save us from climate change

Candy Chan·November 2, 2021

Climate change is going to kill us, but some have been working to fix it. The Debrief tackles the top 4 inventions that will save humanity.

Ultra-High Energy Experiments Move Nuclear Fusion Closer to Reality

Christopher Plain·November 1, 2021

Meet the man who wants to take us to the outer reaches of our solar system, and the software he designed to build the engine that can do it.