There is just so much love to give this Valentine's Day. It's a day where everyone can express their love‚ appreciation‚ gratitude‚ and joy for the people and the furry friends we love.

Biden Mixed up Mexican Prez with Egyptian Prez During Presser Meant to Show Competence

In a matter of weeks‚ the region surrounding the town of Grindavik went from experiencing regular seismic activity to three volcanic eruptions‚ the latest one happening just yesterday. The town was evacuated last November as quakes grew in number and intensity. Scientists could tell that a massive magma dike was forming underground‚ and new analysis shows just how powerful the forces beneath our feet can be.The magma dike was estimated to have a length of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles)‚ cracking the ground beneath the town and even threatening the famous Blue Lagoon‚ an open-air geothermal spa and major tourist destination. The dike was seen lengthening and rising‚ and researchers have now established the flow of magma into the dike. It was not just fast – they are calling it ultra-fast.They have estimated that the flow rate was 7‚400 cubic meters per second (261‚328.5 cubic feet per second). That’s three Olympic swimming pools every second‚ or the concrete in the whole Three Gorge Dam every hour. It's an incredible flow rate. Certainly not there recently. Since 2021‚ there have been three eruptions in the Reykjanes Peninsula‚ where Grindavik is located. The flow rate of magma for those was 30 times lower than what has been witnessed this time.Since the first eruption in December‚ scientists have been concerned that the new volcanic system would be bigger than the previous three combined – and they are being proven right. The January eruption reached the town of Grindavik‚ long since it had been evacuated. The new eruption began at 5:30 in the morning on February 8‚ in a location similar to the eruption of December 18‚ so further away from Grindavik.Lava fountains were seen to be 50 to 80 meters (165 to 260 feet) tall with a plume reaching an altitude of 3 kilometers (slightly less than 2 miles). The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported the formation of tephra falls on Grindavik. Tephra is a frothy material that forms when lava cools quickly. The activity of the eruption is subduing and it is compared with what it was seen in December.“A conspicuous‚ dark plume rises from one part of the eruptive fissure. This is likely due to magma interaction with groundwater which results in a slight explosive activity where white plume of steam mixes with dark volcanic plume‚” the IMO staff reported. “It seems that tephra does not travel far from the eruptive fissure at the moment. The volcanic plume is dispersed towards south-west.”The paper describing the motion of the magma is published in the journal Science.

Looking for an easy way to improve your social standing‚ or even increase your chances of a long-term relationship? Well‚ a new study suggests that *ahem* lowering the pitch of your voice may well do the trick."Vocal communication is one of the most important human characteristics‚ and pitch is the most perceptually noticeable aspect of voice‚" said David Puts‚ study co-author and professor of anthropology at Penn State‚ in a statement. "Understanding how voice pitch influences social perceptions can help us understand social relationships more broadly‚ how we attain social status‚ how we evaluate others on social status and how we choose mates."To find out more‚ Puts and colleagues recruited 3‚173 participants from 22 countries and asked them to listen to some carefully selected pairs of voice recordings. These clips featured either male or female voices at different pitches‚ repeating the same sentence. Participating men then had to pick which voice in each male pair they thought sounded more prestigious – they sounded more respected‚ successful‚ or talented – and which sounded more likely to win in a fight. They also had to pick which female voice sounded more attractive‚ for either a short-term relationship or a long-term one.Women were also asked the above relationship question‚ but applied to male voices instead. For female voices‚ they had to indicate which of the pair they considered to sound more attractive‚ and which sounded more flirtatious.The results revealed that vocal pitch did indeed appear to have an effect on social perception. Males with lower voices were seen by other men as more formidable and prestigious. Interestingly‚ this had a larger impact in places with more violence and where people were more likely to interact with strangers‚ known as high “relational mobility”."The findings suggest that deep voices evolved in males because our male ancestors frequently interacted with competitors who were strangers‚ and they show how we can use evolutionary thinking and research from nonhuman animals to predict and understand how our psychology and behaviors vary across social contexts‚ including cross-culturally‚" explained Puts."Male traits such as deep voices and beards are highly socially salient‚ but this new research shows that the salience of at least one of these traits varies in predictable ways across societies‚ and it suggests that others‚ such as beards‚ do too."The researchers also discovered that both men and women found lower-pitched voices more attractive when it came to long-term relationships‚ whilst higher-pitched female voices were found more attractive for short-term flings by men and more flirtatious by women."Female secondary sex traits‚ like voice‚ look like they're much better designed for mate attraction rather than threatening each other physically‚" said Puts.Overall‚ the researchers believe the study demonstrates that vocal pitch is relevant to the way people are perceived socially‚ even across different societies. However‚ according to Puts‚ it also shows “that the extent of our attention to voice pitch when making social attributions is variable across societies and responsive to relevant sociocultural variables.”So next time you’ve got a big interview coming up‚ you’re about to join a new club‚ or you’re considering sending your latest Tinder match a voice note‚ maybe try lowering your voice and see what happens.The study is published in the journal Psychological Science.

Over the last few months‚ NASA has been using its Psyche spacecraft to test a whole new communication system. The probe's main mission is to visit an asteroid of the same name (16 Psyche) but on its journey there it has been sending laser messages back to Earth.NASA is testing Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) – employing a near-infrared laser to send messages back to Earth. In November‚ the first test detected the laser signal from 16 million kilometers (10 million miles) away using the Hale telescope‚ which was for decades the largest telescope on Earth. Among the messages‚ there was also a cat video.DSOC has the advantage compared to radio waves of better bandwidth speed‚ so we can get more data faster. But it has some challenges too‚ like making sure the systems are well aligned and getting new facilities that can receive the messages. So researchers consider a combination of radio and laser could be the best of both worlds and the new tests show that you can retrofit the radio antennas to do both.The test downlinked data from twice as far as the previous test‚ from 31 million kilometers (20 million miles). On January 1‚ they downloaded a picture of the Psyche team at a rate of 15.63 megabits per second. That’s 40 times the speed you get from radio frequency.This is the photo of the project team that was beamed from deep space.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech “Our hybrid antenna has been able to successfully and reliably lock onto and track the DSOC downlink since shortly after the tech demo launched‚” Amy Smith‚ NASA’s Deep Space Network deputy manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)‚ said in a statement. “It also received Psyche’s radio frequency signal‚ so we have demonstrated synchronous radio and optical frequency deep space communications for the first time.”A small device made of seven hexagonal mirrors was retrofitted on the existing radio antenna of Deep Space Station 13‚ which is part of NASA’s Deep Space Network in the Goldstone complex in California. A high-exposure camera was attached to the antenna subreflector at the center of the dish delivering the data from Psyche.“It’s a high-tolerance optical system built on a 34-meter [112-foot] flexible structure‚” said Barzia Tehrani‚ communications ground systems deputy manager and delivery manager for the hybrid antenna at JPL. “We use a system of mirrors‚ precise sensors‚ and cameras to actively align and direct laser from deep space into a fiber reaching the detector.”The proof of concept will be tested over and over again. The hope is to still be able to track in June when Psyche would be at 2.5 times the distance Earth is from the Sun. That is as far as Mars gets to us and if the system works‚ it would mean much more data-intensive transmission from the Red Planet.A future multi-wavelength antenna might look like this.Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe seven-segment system is a precursor for a potential 64-mirror system that would guarantee more power and better precision. And they can be added to the existing antennas of the Deep Space Network without needing to build new bespoke facilities.“For decades‚ we have been adding new radio frequencies to the DSN’s giant antennas located around the globe‚ so the most feasible next step is to include optical frequencies‚” said Tehrani. “We can have one asset doing two things at the same time; converting our communication roads into highways and saving time‚ money‚ and resources.”

In an incredibly rare act of potential altruism‚ a male northern elephant seal has been observed saving a young pup from drowning. The unprecedented encounter‚ which has made a hero out of the pinniped lifeguard‚ could be the first recorded example of male altruism in the species.Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are the largest of the “true” seals in the Northern Hemisphere‚ although they’re not the largest seal in the world – that crown belongs to the mammoth southern elephant seal‚ which can reach just shy of 6 meters (20 feet).Males have large‚ distinctive noses‚ which they can inflate and use to resonate sound while threatening each other. They are notoriously aggressive‚ having been known to crush other animals‚ including pups‚ during mating season‚ and generally don’t engage with their young. They also avoid expending unnecessary energy during the breeding season – all of which makes this one seal’s act of goodwill highly surprising.While taking pictures of elephant seals along Point Reyes National Seashore‚ California‚ in January 2022‚ the researchers were taken aback to witness a bull charge into the ocean toward a drowning pup that had been separated from its mother by the rising tide. They estimate the pup was less than two weeks old and note that it “was unable to swim as it struggled to keep its head above water‚ calling”.The mother called back to her pup but made no attempt to pursue it as it was drawn further out to sea. Enter our heroic bull. Identified as the alpha of the harem‚ he approached the mother‚ before he “instantly turned and charged across wet sand and into the surf‚ swimming swiftly out to the struggling pup”.At this point‚ the poor pup’s head was barely above the surface. Thankfully‚ the bull gently nudged it toward the shore in the nick of time‚ using his body to protect the pup from being dragged out by the tide.After successfully reuniting mother and pup‚ the bull bellowed in triumph and rested on the wet sand. The rescue mission‚ snapshots of which can be seen below‚ lasted for approximately 20 minutes.A storyboard of the events: (a) the mother calls toward her pup; (b) the bull charges toward the pup; (c) the bull pushes the pup to shore; (d) the bull blocks the pup from being drawn back out to sea; (e) the mother bellows after being reunited; (f) the bull trumpets in return.Image credit: Allen et al.‚ Marine Mammal Science‚ 2024 (CC BY 4.0)The bull’s intrepid efforts‚ the team believe‚ could qualify as altruism.“We believe that our novel observation meets the definition of an altruistic act‚” they write. “The pup benefited from the male retrieving it from being swept out to sea and drowning because it was too young to swim‚ and the male expended energy at a critical time that had the potential to impact his fitness.”Male altruism has never before been documented in an elephant seal‚ and has rarely been described in marine mammals full stop.We may never know what sparked this seemingly selfless act – it could well be a one-off – but the researchers suggest that the male and female may have had a kinship‚ perhaps having both been present on the same beach in previous years. However‚ without genetic analysis‚ this cannot be confirmed.Whatever his motives‚ our bull in shining armor is in good company – possible examples of altruism have been documented throughout the animal kingdom‚ from parrots and chimps to humpback whales.The study is published in Marine Mammal Science.

UFO expert Ross Coulthart claims to have new information that disproves President Biden’s statement about the mysterious ‘UAP’ downed by USAF fighters last February‚ reports dailystar.co.uk. Coulthart said his Pentagon source confirmed that the downed object was in fact a silver cylindrical UFO and not a civilian balloon as President Biden had claimed. The whistleblower said the President personally ordered the shoot down and the operation involved multiple forces‚ including HC-130s‚ F-16s‚ and black OGA (other government agency) helicopters. The incident occurred about 13 kilometers off the frozen Alaskan coast‚ and pilots sent to inspect the site gave conflicting accounts of what they saw. Online videos taken by UFO hunters showed black helicopters hovering over the coast. US officials said the object posed a “reasonable threat to air traffic” and was shot down on the president’s orders. A Pentagon spokesman said rescue teams collected debris from the object on the surface of the ice. However‚ the search was called off‚ and officials refused to give a detailed description of the object‚ saying only that “it was not an aircraft as such.” These statements caused outrage among Americans. Many are wondering why President Biden hid the truth about the operation and why the information about the downed UFO was kept secret. UFO experts are studying this case with great interest. They hope that the new details of the operation will help them understand the nature and origin of these mysterious objects that continue to appear in the sky. The post Mysterious black helicopters retrieved downed UFO near Alaska appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The 20th century was a remarkable time for cosmology‚ the study of the origin and evolution of the Universe. Before then‚ we had a very limited view of what the Universe was like. We assumed that the Milky Way galaxy contained all the stars and planets that existed‚ and that the Universe was fixed and eternal‚ following Newton’s law of gravity. However‚ in a matter of decades‚ our picture of the Universe changed dramatically. Einstein’s General Relativity replaced Newton’s gravity‚ revealing how matter-and-energy affect the shape of spacetime. His equations also showed that the Universe could not be static‚ but… This premium content is for PLUS+ members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read. The post Black holes have their own laws of physics and can create new universes appeared first on Anomalien.com.

Scientists have proposed an unusual explanation for the ongoing accelerated expansion of the Universe. Physicists have formed a model based on the merger of the Universe with “baby universes” – smaller parallel universes. Astronomers have long sought to understand the nature of the Universe‚ its size‚ age and structure. Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of the expansion of the universe led to an important scientific breakthrough. However‚ questions about the infinity or finitude of the Universe have remained a subject of debate for centuries. Recent observations of the cosmic microwave background confirm the accelerated expansion of the Universe‚ which‚ according to the standard model of cosmology‚ is due to the mysterious force of dark energy. However‚ many astrophysicists are skeptical of this concept and are looking for alternative explanations. In December 2023‚ the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics published a paper entitled “Is the present acceleration of the Universe caused by merging with other universes?” Researchers‚ led by physicist Jan Ambjorn‚ suggest that the accelerated expansion of the Universe may be the result of continuous merging with parallel universes. A mathematical model developed by the researchers offers an explanation for the expansion of space through merging with other universes‚ which we accept as an expansion process. It is also proposed to consider the possibility that the rapid early expansion of a young universe may be a consequence of absorption by a larger universe‚ eliminating the need for a hypothetical inflaton field associated with cosmological inflation. Researchers suggest that the Universe continues to collide with and absorb other “baby universes.” If this theory turns out to be correct‚ it could solve some of the cosmological problems scientists face. However‚ confirmation of this model requires further observations and experiments‚ including studying the properties of the microwave background. The post Expansion of the Universe can occur due to merging with parallel universes appeared first on Anomalien.com.