Watch: Mystery light over U.S. East Coast sparks UFO speculation online
Witnesses reported seeing the ball of light, which appeared to have a spiral shape around it, in the Tuesday night sky over New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, with some reports indicating it was seen as far west as Ohio.
Photos and videos of the light sparked speculation online, with some suggesting it could be a sign of extraterrestrial visitors.
Others pointed out, however, that the timing of the light coincided with the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket, which took off shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The rocket was carrying an an experimental navigation satellite into orbit for the U.S. military.
A second rocket was also launched around the same time in Africa.
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UPI
10 hours ago
- UPI
NASA seeks student entries for Human Exploration Rover Challenge
Aug. 15 (UPI) -- NASA is accepting contest entries from student teams to design, build and test rovers on the moon and Mars. In the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, students need to make models that are capable of going over a course while completing tasks for future Artemis missions, NASA said in a news release. In the challenge, teams design projects that sample of soil, water and air over a half-mile course with a simulated field of asteroid debris, boulders, erosion ruts, crevasses and an ancient streambed. There are remote-controlled and human-powered divisions. In the human one, teams will play the role of two astronauts in a lunar vehicle. They must use a custom-built tool to manually collect samples. In remote-controlled, they will provide pressurized rovers, which will contain the necessary tools to collect and test samples onboard. "NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge creates opportunities for students to develop the skills they need to be successful STEM professionals," Vemitra Alexander, the activity lead for the challenge at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., said. "This challenge will help students see themselves in the mission and give them the hands-on experience needed to advance technology and become the workforce of tomorrow." Entries will be accepted until Sept. 15 and the 32nd annual winners will be announced at an in-person event April 9-11, 2026, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center near NASA Marshall. Since the program began in 1994, more than 15,000 have participated in the Rover Challenge. Many students now work at NASA or in the aerospace industry. In the 2025 contest, more than 500 students participated, representing 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools in 20 states, Puerto Rico and 16 nations. "Last year, we saw a lot of success with the debut of our remote-controlled division and the addition of middle school teams," Alexander said. "We're looking forward to building on both our remote-controlled and human-powered divisions with new challenges for the students, including rover automation." The Artemis II is scheduled to reach the moon no earlier than April 26, and a crewed Artemis III is planned for mid-2027 aboard the Orion spacecraft. The last time humans landed on the moon was 1972 on Apollo 17.
UPI
16 hours ago
- UPI
Watch: 'Astonishing' video shows human embryo implanting in real time
1 of 4 | A human embryo is shown implanting itself inside a simulated uterine wall in an image taken from the first real-time video of the process ever recorded. Spanish researchers say they hope their video will lead to a deeper understanding of infertility. Photo courtesy Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia Aug. 11 (UPI) -- A team of Spanish researchers announced Friday they have for the first time recorded video of a human embryo implanting itself in a simulated uterine wall, revealing never-before-seen details of how 5-day-old embryos carry out the mysterious process. Using advanced microscopy techniques allowing the scientists to record the human embryo in full color and 3D, the "astonishing" videos provide the first-ever, real-time glimpse of the implantation process and have provided key insights into how it actually works, they said. Researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and Dexeus University Hospital in Barcelona, Spain, said the videos reveal for the first time that embryos exert "considerable force" and employ digging traction as they "invade" the uterine tissue, becoming completely integrated with it. The findings, published in journal Science Advances, found crucial differences between how mouse and human embryos move in connecting to the uterus wall, the authors said. An "ex vivo" platform they developed using an artificial uterine matrix made of gel and collagen which allows for implantation outside of a human uterus made the videos possible. The system could have a "significant impact" on efforts to counter infertility and help those who are unable to conceive naturally, they predicted. Failure of the implantation process is the main reason behind the relatively low effectiveness of assisted reproductive technologies, such as in-vitro fertilization, in which embryos are conceived in a lab and then transferred to the womb. Implantation occurs in only 25% to 30% of transferred embryos -- whether conceived in vivo or in-vitro -- with embryo quality cited as the most significant feature affecting implantation. "We've opened a window into a stage of development that was previously hidden," the co-authors said in a statement to UPI. "After Day 5, when an embryo has 100 to 200 cells, it must implant, but until now, doctors couldn't observe it again until an ultrasound weeks later. "With our system, we can test culture conditions or compounds that might improve implantation." For example, the scientists say they have already developed a protein supplement that can be used in clinics to enhance implantation rates, available through their spin-off company Serabiotics and in collaboration with the Spanish pharmaceutical major Grifols. "In short, this is a new tool for extending embryo observation and optimizing conditions for success," they said. The videos show a donated human embryo powerfully pulling on the uterine matrix and reshaping it as it goes, illustrating the importance of "optimal matrix displacement." Lead author Samuel Ojosnegros, principal investigator of IBEC's Bioengineering for Reproductive Health Group, said the initial real-time look at a human embryo implanting itself was a profound experience for him. "We had some experience making time-lapse movies of mouse embryos, but the first time we saw a human embryo implanting was truly astonishing," he said. "Everything was different, the size, the shape, the behavior. They were stronger, more forceful, digging a hole into the matrix in a remarkably invasive way. Every detail felt unique. "Watching it alive, in action, for the first time was absolutely mind-blowing." Embryo implantation is the "holy grail" of reproduction -- and unlike in the animal world, in humans it can be a problematic process, resulting in about 1 in 6 people around the world having trouble making a baby, noted Dr. Mark Trolice, a professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and founder/director of The IVF Center, a full-service reproductive medicine clinic in Orlando. "Even though scientists have studied this for many years, they still do not fully understand how implantation works or what makes the uterus ready for an embryo," he told UPI. "One big mystery is why a woman's body can grow a baby made from sperm -- which is a 'foreign' tissue -- without rejecting it, as well as the ability to carry a donated egg." The new study, he said, "gives researchers a closer look at implantation. They used an ex vivo model, which means they studied the process outside the body. This let them watch how embryos interact with the uterine lining (called the endometrium) and measure the tiny pulling and pushing forces from both mouse embryos and donated human embryos." The videos showed for the first time that each species makes its own unique pattern of forces during implantation. Trolice noted that while there are "some limits" to the Spanish study, "this work could lead to new ways of adjusting the uterine environment, which might help more embryos successfully implant. "Before any treatment can be used, scientists will need to do human clinical trials. There are also important ethical and legal rules about using human tissues and embryos, which researchers must follow," he added.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
New species of Prehistoric whale discovered off Australia
Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Prehistoric fossils have led to the discovery of an ancient whale species off the coast of Australia. Scientists said the species, Janjucetus dullardi, is one of the earliest cousins of modern whales but was not an ocean giant, researchers from Museums Victoria Research Institute said. The whale has been described as a fast, sharp-toothed predator about the size of a dolphin with a short snout, large forward-facing eyes and slicing teeth, according to a study. "It's essentially a little whale with big eyes and a mouth full of sharp, slicing teeth. Imagine the shark-like version of a baleen whale, small and deceptively cute, but definitely not harmless," said Ruairidh Duncan, lead author of the study. The ancient whale was named after a Victoria resident Ross Dullard found the fossil, a partial skull with ear bones and teeth, found in 2019 as he walked along the beach. "This kind of public discovery and its reporting to the museum is vital," said Erich Fitzgerald, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute and senior author of the study. "Ross' discovery has unlocked an entire chapter of whale evolution we've never seen before. It's a reminder that world-changing fossils can be found in your own backyard." The fossil fragments found belonged to a juvenile specimen that belonged to a group of whales known as mammalodontis, which lived 30 to 23 million years ago. These fragments mark the third known species from Victoria, and the fourth found worldwide. It was also the first of its kind to preserve both the teeth and inner ear structures. "The findings demonstrate the power of our collections to unlock stories that change the way we understand life on Earth. Thanks to the generosity of the public and the expertise of our scientists," CEO and Director of Museums Victoria said. "Museums Victoria Research Institute is making globally significant contributions to evolutionary research. Discoveries like Janjucetus dullardi remind us that our collections are not just about the past they're shaping the future of science."
