Could life exist on Mars today? Here’s what the latest evidence says

Recently, NASA revealed exciting details of new findings from Mars. Scientists have discovered tiny patterns of unusual minerals in the clay-rich rocks on the edge of Jezero Crater—an ancient lake once fed by Martian river systems, and the exploration site of the NASA Perseverance Rover.

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Researchers integrate waveguide physics into metasurfaces for advanced light control

Ultrathin structures that can bend, focus, or filter light, metasurfaces are reshaping how scientists think about optics. These engineered materials offer precise control over lights behavior, but many conventional designs are held back by inefficiencies. Typically, they rely on local resonances within individual nanostructures, which often leak energy or perform poorly at wide angles. These shortcomings limit their usefulness in areas like sensing, nonlinear optics, and quantum technologies.

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Stretchable waveguides maintain stable transmission even when bent or twisted

Researchers have designed and demonstrated stretchable waveguides that maintain efficient, stable signal transmission of surface plasmon polaritons even when bent, twisted or stretched. These plasmonic waveguides could make it possible to seamlessly embed advanced sensing, communication and health monitoring functions into everyday wearable materials.

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Virtual particles: How physicists’ clever bookkeeping trick could underlie reality

A clever mathematical tool known as virtual particles unlocks the strange and mysterious inner workings of subatomic particles. What happens to these particles within atoms would stay unexplained without this tool. The calculations using virtual particles predict the bizarre behavior of subatomic particles with such uncanny accuracy that some scientists think “they must really exist.”

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Quantum uncertainty captured in real time using femtosecond light pulses

Researchers from the University of Arizona, working with an international team, have captured and controlled quantum uncertainty in real time using ultrafast pulses of light. Their discovery, published in the journal Light: Science & Applications, could lead to more secure communication and the development of ultrafast quantum optics.

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How biological motors achieve maximum efficiency

Inside nearly every cell of your body, the tiny F1 motor works non-stop to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the universal energy source that powers almost every action you take—from breathing to running. While scientists have understood the structure of this molecular machine for years, a key mystery remained: how does its partner, the F0 motor, spin F1 with maximum efficiency?

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BWC: Man fatally shot after trying to attack Calif. officer with shovel

The man forcibly swung the shovel twice, hitting an Anaheim Police cruiser; when he turned to approach the officer, the officer opened fire

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Boston cruisers burned as officers disperse street takeover

As officers worked to secure the area, suspects threw cones, poles and other objects at them; some jumped on the cruiser hoods and hit them with fireworks, causing them to catch fire

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Border Patrol shooting: Suspect had previously doxxed officers, DHS alleges Chicago PD did not respond

The Chicago Police Department disputed DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s statement, saying that its officers were on the scene

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Calif. officer killed in on-duty crash

Chowchilla Police Officer Ray Barrantes died after his vehicle collided with the side of a semi-truck; he is remembered as a mentor to younger officers

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Fla. sheriff’s office debuts ‘PUG,’ a self-driving cruiser equipped with drone, LPR technology

The vehicle, donated to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office by Policing Lab, will drive pre-determined routes, act as a visual crime deterrent and display messages to the community

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6,000-year-old Himalayan sky map depicts the earliest image of Supernova

Nearly 6,000 years ago, ancient people witnessed a supernova and carved what they saw on stone.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if ancient mankind spotted a very bright object in the night sky around 6,000 years ago? They’d probably think of it as an extreme, even perhaps a divine sign, and make sure to record what they had seen through their favorite, and perhaps only artistic medium: a stone.

Now, researchers say that that’s exactly what they have found in the Himalayan mountains.

According to archaeologists, an enigmatic stone found the Himalayan territory of Kashmir may represent the oldest depiction ever found on Earth of a supernova.

Ancient Sky Map
Seen here is a copy of the stone carving superimposed on a sky map of HB9’s region. The newly published study on the drawing proposes that the object on the left is the supernova and the one on the right the moon. Image Credit: Tata Institute for Fundamental Research.

According to scientists, the Supernova was visible with extreme brightenss—just like the moon—around 3,600 BC.

They believe that ancient mankind witnessed the event, and decided to depict what they had seen on a stone.

The site where the stone is located is believed to date back to 2100 B.C.

The ancient scene depicted thousands of years ago shows two bright objects in the sky, with figures of animals and humans beneath them.

Astrophysicist Mayank Vahia studied the stone and went on to discard several options. For example, he believes that the image does not show two suns or the sun and the moon at the same time. Eventually, he reached the conclusion that ancient mankind must have depicted a supernova, one that exploded relatively close to our solar system, and that could have been as bright as the moon in 3,600 BC.

However, Vahia needed evidence that a supernova was actually visible on Earth between 4100 B.C. and 2100 B.C.

Luckily, Vahia scoured astronomical records of ancient supernovae for one which may match the one depicted by ancient man thousands of years ago and found one.

Supernova HB9 is believed to have been visible on Earth around 3,600 B.C. with a brightness that can be compared to that of the moon.

Ancient Stone Carvings
The original stone carvings and the artistic representation which is believed to depict an ancient Supernova that was visible on Earth. Image Credit: Tata Institute for Fundamental Research.

“We suggest that this is not a terrestrial hunting scene but is actually a sky-map giving the location of prominent constellations and the moon on the day the supernova was first observed,’ write the researchers, who superimposed a sky map of the HB9’s region on the ancient drawing and found notable astronomical clues. The image of one of the hunters coincides with the Orion; the central stag is same as the Taurus.”

“The hunter on the right may have been formed from stars of Cetus and other animals on the right may be Andromeda and Pegasus. The long, curved line in the carving, traditionally interpreted as a spear, may well be an arc of bright stars.”

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Qin Shi Huang—the first Chinese Emperor who searched for the Elixir of Life

Like many others before and after him, the first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang, wanted to live forever.

According to a set of recently discovered ancient texts, 2,200 years ago, the emperor issued an administrative order to seek for a potion that could grant him eternal life, reports the Xinhua news agency.

Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BC, and by the time of his death, in 210 BC, he had conquered the six disputed kingdoms of China and managed to create a unified nation of which, obviously, he was proclaimed emperor.

As noted by scholars, during the reign of Qui Shi Huang, bamboo strips were a common writing material.

Qin Shi Huang 1
Qin Shi Huang. Image Credit.

In 2002, more than 36,000 of bamboo strips containing ancient calligraphy were discovered in an abandoned well in the central Chinese province of Hunan.

The discovery was of great importance and historical value.

Zhang Chunlong, a researcher from the Hunan Institute of Archeology, analyzed 48 of these strips and discovered among them, a decree where the emperor ordered a search for potions that would grant him eternal life.

Experts note that; “It required an extremely efficient administration and a considerable enforcement to pass such a decree in ancient times when transport and communication were extremely underdeveloped.”

Scholars explain that the search for the Emperor’s elixir of life reached the borders of the empire.

The bamboo strips offer evidence of the unusual order and various details.

The ancient documents mention a town called “Duxiang” where “no miraculous remedy had been found,” but it implied that “searches were continuing.”

Another locality, referred to as Langya, in the present province of Shandong “alluded to a plant harvested in a sacred mountain” that might have been what the emperor was searching for.

Before the discovery of the Bamboo stripes, scholars already had an idea of Qin Shi Huang’s obsession with immortality.

According to Chemistry World, the emperor thought that consuming cinnabar, composed of 85% mercury and 15% sulfur, would prolong his life.

terracota
The famous Terracotta army. Image Credit: Shutterstock.

Ironically, and as expected, it did the opposite killing him at the age of 49.

Despite the fact that, the emperor did not discover the elixir of life, he equipped himself extraordinarily well for the afterlife: he was the emperor who had the underground mausoleum of Xian built in the north of the country, with 8,000 Terracotta warriors whose mission was to protect him in the afterlife.

His eternal resting place was a supermassive subterranean mausoleum that has never been excavated by experts.

Ancient records suggest that the underground palace has a roof that imitates the starry night with pearls and diamonds like stars and rivers of mercury.

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These are the 5 ancient Tibetan Rites—the elixir of life and secret of the fountain of youth

The Five ancient Tibetan Rites allowed a Chinese man named Li Ching Yuen to prolong his life and live for 256 years.

The human body is way more complicated than you’ve probably ever imagined.

Above our physical, material, body made of flesh and bone, there is a vital energy that Hindus call prana.

In Hindu philosophy including yoga, Indian medicine, and martial arts, Prana comprises all cosmic energy, permeating the Universe on all levels. Prana is often referred to as the “life force” or “life energy”. It also includes energies present in inanimate objects.

The so-called prana circulates throughout the body through a series of different channels, which in India are called nadi. It is only normal to think that our physical body will feel better or worse depending on the energy that circulates through it.

The chakras are energy centers where this energy is concentrated.

It is evident, therefore, that in order for our body to remain healthy and of youthful aspect, these chakras are balanced and that the energy circulates through them effortlessly.

In other words, improving our energy allows our body to improve.

Ancient Tibetan Monks, who unsurprisingly know a lot about Chakras and Pranas, have their own system that allows them to balance the chakras in order to maintain a good health.

In the West, this system is described as rites, or more specifically “the five Tibetan rites of eternal youth”.

The Five Tibetan Rites are also referred to as “The Five Rites”, “The Five Tibetans” and “The Five Rites of Rejuvenation”.

The title may seem too sensationalistic but the truth is that Tibetan monks maintain a youthful aspect despite potentially harsh conditions where they live. Some Tibetan monks live on altitudes of more than 4,500 meters.

The Five ancient Tibetan Rites are described in the book “Ancient Secret of Fountain of Youth” by Peter Kelder which summarizes a set of exercises called “5 Tibetan Rites” that, apparently, allowed a Chinese named Li Ching Yuen to prolong his life and live for 256 years.

Li chingYuen
Li Ching-Yuen in 1927. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Li Ching Yuen, who died in the 1930s, after apparently after losing the will to live and having survived 26 wives, was awarded twice by the Chinese government.

On one occasion after his 100th birthday, and on a second occasion, after his 200th birthday.

Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun, who was a Chinese herbalist, martial artist, and tactical advisor is well known for his supposed extreme longevity.  Li supposedly produced over 200 descendants during his lifespan.

The article “Tortoise-Pigeon-Dog”, from the 15 May 1933 issue of Time reports on his history, and includes Li’s answer to the secret of a long life:

  • Keep a quiet heart
  • Sit like a tortoise
  • Walk sprightly like a pigeon
  • Sleep like a dog

The 5 Tibetan Rites

The exercises of the Five Tibetan Rites can be attempted by following the instructions below:


First Rite:

Tibetan Rites 1

“Stand erect with arms outstretched, horizontal with the shoulders. Now spin around until you become slightly dizzy. There is only one caution: you must turn from left to right.”

Second Rite:

Tibetan Rites 2

“Lie full length on rug or bed. Place the hands flat down alongside of the hips. Fingers should be kept close together with the finger-tips of each hand turned slightly toward one another. Raise the feet until the legs are straight up. If possible, let the feet extend back a bit over the body toward the head, but do not let the knees bend. Hold this position for a moment or two and then slowly lower the feet to the floor, and for the next several moments allow all of the muscles in the entire body to relax completely. Then perform the Rite all over again.”

“While the feet and legs are being raised it is a good idea also to raise the head, then while the feet and legs are being lowered to the floor lower the head at the same time.”

Third Rite:

Tibetan Rites 3

“Kneel on a rug or mat with hands at sides, palms flat against the side of legs. Then lean forward as far as possible, bending at the waist, with head well forward—chin on chest. The second position of this Rite is to lean backward as far as possible. Cause the head to move still further backward. The toes will prevent you from falling over backward. The hands are always kept against the side of the legs. Next come to an erect (kneeling) position, relax as much as possible for a moment, and perform Rite all over again.”

Fourth Rite:

Tibetan Rites 4

“Sit erect on rug or carpet with feet stretched out in front. The legs must be perfectly straight — back of knees must be well down or close to the rug. Place the hands flat on the rug, fingers together, and the hands pointing outward slightly. Chin should be on chest — head forward.”

“Now gently raise the body, at the same time bend the knees so that the legs from the knees down are practically straight up and down. The arms, too, will also be vertical while the body from shoulders to knees will be horizontal. As the body is raised upward allow the head gently to fall backward so that the head hangs backward as far as possible when the body is fully horizontal. Hold this position for a few moments, return t the first position, and RELAX for a few moments before performing the Rite again.”

“When the body is pressed up to complete horizontal position, tense every muscle in the body.”

Fifth Rite

Tibetan Rites 5

“Place the hands on the floor about two feet apart. Then, with the legs stretched out to the rear with the feet also about two feet apart, push the body, and especially the hips, up as far as possible, rising on the toes and hands. At the same time the head should be brought so far down that the chin comes up against the chest. Next, allow the body to come slowly down to a ‘sagging’ position. Bring the head up, causing it to be drawn as far back as possible.”

“The muscles should be tensed for a moment when the body is at the highest point, and again at the lowest point.”

Check out the  Tibetan Rejuvenation Rite #6, Restricted exercise


Source of the 5 Tibetan Rites: The Eye of Revelation by Peter Kelder

Reference: Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder, Bernie S. Siegel

Featured image credit: Shutterstock

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‘No driver, no hands, no clue’: Calif. cops see Waymo car make illegal U-turn, but there’s no driver to cite

“Our citation books don’t have a box for ‘robot,’” the San Bruno Police Department stated

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