This week in news from The Debrief, a new theoretical study argues that a “universal consciousness” may have predated the Big Bang and continues to influence the structure of reality itself. Meanwhile, astronauts conducting experiments outside the International Space Station found that an ancient, extremophile Earth organism survived nine months in the harsh vacuum of space, raising fresh questions about the resilience of life. And at the University at Albany, physicists have launched “UAlbany Project X,” a long-term, data-driven investigation into unidentified anomalous phenomena, signaling a growing willingness in academia to rigorously explore aerial mysteries once left at the fringes of science.
Here’s a look at all the recent stories we’re covering right now at The Debrief…
- How a 500-Year-Old Bible Map Accidentally Helped Shape the Modern Idea of Territorial Borders
A backwards 1525 Bible map helped shape modern borders, influencing how we imagine territory, nations, and political space today.
- NASA’s Perseverance Rover Hears the Crack of Martian Lightning, Providing the First Glimpse into the Red Planet’s Atmospheric Electricity
New evidence of electrical phenomena in the Martian atmosphere could expand our understanding of the Red Planet’s chemistry, climate, and habitability.
- Newly Discovered Fossil Evidence Proves These Giants Roamed the Earth Over 12 Million Years Ago
Analysis of ancient fossils has shown that giant anacondas became extremely large over 12 million years ago and remain giants today.
- “Bronze Age People Didn’t Do That”: English Team Unearths “Unprecedented” Evidence of 4500-Year-Old Ancient Monument
British archaeologists have made a discovery they believe points to an unusual ancient monument that once stood in Northwest England 4,500 years ago.
- Scholars Investigated 13th-Century Texts for Clues to India’s Environmental Past—What They Found Was Unexpected
India’s tales from long ago are helping scholars piece together the flora and foliage that once covered the country’s present-day savannas.
- This 3.4-Million-Year-Old Foot Reveals Another Mysterious Early Human Species Once Walked in the Same Area as Our Ancestors
3.4 million years ago in the Afar region of Ethiopia, at least two different kinds of early human relatives walked the same landscape.
- The Hidden Oceans of Saturn and Jupiter’s Icy Moons May Have Shaped Their Surface Features, Study Reveals
New research now shows how icy moons’ hidden subsurface oceans may have driven their geological development.
- “No One Has Really Gone Back and Looked at What the Bones Themselves Say”: New Research is Shedding Light on an Ancient Sea Monster
Ohio’s ancient sea monster, the Dunkleosteus terrelli, stands revealed in new clarity after a recent study.
- Hundreds of Easter Island Moai Statues Can Now Be Explored in Unprecedented Detail, Thanks to This Interactive 3D Model
Binghamton University archaeologists have released a new interactive, 3D model of the Moai statue quarry on Rapa Nui (Easter Island).
- Psychologists Report that Just Seeing Batman is Enough to Drive Prosocial Behaviors
Seeing Batman inspires us, say psychologists whose new research suggests it increases people’s propensity for prosocial behavior.
- The Next Frontier of Anti-Violence Tech? Scientists Discover Human Tears Carry a Chemical Signal That Lowers Aggression
Research reveals that a hidden evolutionary signal in human tears that may be hardwired to calm aggression.
- Astronomers Uncover the Dramatic Past of a Red Giant Star Orbiting a Hidden Black Hole
Astronomers are revealing the dramatic past of a distant red giant star by analyzing the faint rhythmic pulses hidden in its light.