TYB
Mystery as half-eaten great white shark washes up on beach
Oct 19, 2023
A great white shark whose mauled carcass washed up on a beach in Australia may have fallen prey to a killer whale attack, experts have suggested.
Astonishing footage showed the apex predator’s metres-long body had effectively been torn in half before it was found by residents in the state of Victoria.
Fisherman and bait shop manager, Ben Johnstone, who took the footage near Cape Bridgewater, said he had never seen a shark carcass wash up in 15 years of fishing in the area, telling ABC News: “It’s probably a once in a lifetime experience to see something like that.”
Mr Johnstone believes the shark’s devastating wounds are likely the result of a killer whale attack, with a pod of orcas having been spotted circling in the bay two days prior to the discovery of the carcass.
Great white sharks and killer whales are both apex predators sitting at the top of their respective food chains – but can “come into conflict when they cross paths” and compete for similar prey, according to the Natural History Museum.
“In these instances, the marine predators will attack each other, and there have been multiple observations of unusual behaviours used by killer whales to attack great whites,” the museum’s website states.
In the 1990s, an orca was observed ramming a great white near the California coast, turning it upside down in a suspected attempt to disorentiate it into a trace-like state, before swimming around with it at the surface for 15 minutes to suffocate it.
The killer whale was then observed eating the shark’s liver, which is rich in fats and oils that help the great white to maintain its buoyancy, according to the museum.
There have now been nine interactions between orcas and great whites reported in Australia and New Zealand, in addition to incidents in the United States and South Africa, according to trophic ecologist Lauren Meyer, who is part of an international team creating a database on such interactions.
Dr Meyer, of Flinders University, told ABC that, although it was not “100 per cent clear” what happened to the shark, it was likely a killer whale had attacked it to “slurp out” its liver.
“We’re not actually sure why killer whales are such picky eaters,” Dr Meyer said. “We see this with things like humpback whales, where [killer whales] come in and actually eat the tongue and leave the rest of the whale.
“We certainly see that they prefer the liver of white sharks, mako sharks, bronze whalers and sevengills, and even tiger sharks. We also see they like to eat the intestines of sunfish, which is really strange, and dugong intestines.”
Samples from the shark’s carcass has been sent to government agencies and academics, and Dr Meyer said researchers would look at rake marks and leftover genetics, such as saliva, while they continue to investigate the incident.
But she said she was “not surprised” to see such an incident happen in Portland, which is “an important corridor” for great whites and also a hunting ground for orcas.
According to the Natural History Museum, following attacks in California and South Africa, it appeared that the entire ecosystem in those areas began to change, in a way that concerned scientists.
By scaring away the great whites for weeks or even months, the orcas were observed to have altered the habits of other sharks, abalone and penguins.
“There is only so much pressure an ecosystem can take, and the impacts of these orca removing sharks are likely far reaching,” marine biologist Alison Towner observed last year.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/great-white-shark-bitten-victoria-b2432329.html
Chevron announces agreement to acquire Hess
October 23, 2023
Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Hess Corporation (NYSE: HES) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hess in an all-stock transaction valued at $53 billion, or $171 per share based on Chevron’s closing price on October 20, 2023. Under the terms of the agreement, Hess shareholders will receive 1.0250 shares of Chevron for each Hess share. The total enterprise value, including debt, of the transaction is $60 billion.
The acquisition of Hess upgrades and diversifies Chevron’s already advantaged portfolio. The Stabroek block in Guyana is an extraordinary asset with industry leading cash margins and low carbon intensity that is expected to deliver production growth into the next decade. Hess’ Bakken assets add another leading U.S. shale position to Chevron’s DJ and Permian basin operations and further strengthen domestic energy security. The combined company is expected to grow production and free cash flow faster and for longer than Chevron’s current five-year guidance. In addition, John Hess is expected to join Chevron’s Board of Directors.
“This combination positions Chevron to strengthen our long-term performance and further enhance our advantaged portfolio by adding world-class assets,” said Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth. “Importantly, our two companies have similar values and cultures, with a focus on operating safely and with integrity, attracting and developing the best people, making positive contributions to our communities and delivering higher returns and lower carbon.”
“Building on our track record of successful transactions, the addition of Hess is expected to extend further Chevron’s free cash flow growth,” said Pierre Breber, Chevron’s CFO. “With greater confidence in projected long-term cash generation, Chevron intends to return more cash to shareholders with higher dividend per share growth and higher share repurchases.”
“This strategic combination brings together two strong companies to create a premier integrated energy company,” CEO John Hess said. “I am proud of our people and what we have achieved as a company, which has one of the industry’s best growth portfolios including Guyana, the world’s largest oil discovery in the last 10 years, and the Bakken shale, where we are a leading oil and gas producer. Chevron has a world-class diversified portfolio of assets and one of the industry’s strongest balance sheets and cash return profiles. I believe our strategic combination creates a company that is stronger in every respect, with the leadership, asset portfolio and financial resources to lead us through the energy transition and deliver significant shareholder value for years to come.”
https://www.chevron.com/newsroom/2023/q4/chevron-announces-agreement-to-acquire-hess
Giant UFO spotted over lake, leaving authorities 'puzzled'
Updated Fri, 20 October 2023 at 7:01 pm
A "UFO" has been spotted in the night sky by a number of witnesses, who say they were woken up by bright flashing lights on what appeared to be a large disc-shaped object.
One woman managed to capture the mysterious sight on camera after she got out of bed to close her curtains at 2.20am. "At first, we thought it was a nightclub light show for revellers. But there wasn't a laser beam coming from the ground," she said. "Also, there wasn't any sound."
The alleged UFO sighting took place at Lake ZĂĽrich in Switzerland last week, and according to the stunned woman, the lights were very bright and visible for around five minutes before suddenly vanishing.
According to local media, they were also spotted over 60km away in the village of Diessenhofen and 45km away in the town of Schaffhausen.
"When we were on the balcony, we noticed these strange lights. Luckily, other people saw them otherwise we would have felt like we were crazy," a couple in Diessenhofen said.
A man in Schaffhausen said he saw the lights at around 11.30pm. "At first, I thought it was searchlights or something similar, but they were very visible from a distance of between 20 and 25km and were flying in a strange line. Therefore, I ruled out the hypothesis that they were searchlights," he said.
Vladi Barrosa, a spokesperson for Skyguide, the company responsible for monitoring Swiss airspace, said: "We also cannot identify what it is. What personally puzzles me is that the lights from this object are not reflected in the lake, unlike others."
While it's unclear if Swiss authorities are investigating the mysterious sighting, locals have offered they're own theories about what it could be. Some suggested
it is indeed some kind of party light, while others guessed the lights were on drones.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/giant-ufo-spotted-over-lake-leaving-authorities-puzzled-020139948.html
The moon may be 40 million years older than we thought, Apollo 17 samples suggest
Oct 23, 2023
Fresh analysis of the bits of our moon, brought home by Apollo 17 astronauts, has suggested our moon is 4.46 billion years old — 40 million years older than we previously thought.
That puts the moon's birth at 108 million years after the solar system formed; previous estimates had placed it within 60 million years. The scientists behind the analysis say a more precise age helps us better understand the history and evolution of the moon, as well as Earth.
"Without the moon, life on Earth would look different," study co-author Philipp Heck, a professor at the University of Chicago, said in a statement. "It's a part of our natural system that we want to better understand, and our study provides a tiny puzzle piece in that whole picture."
A prevailing theory, known as the giant-impact hypothesis, posits the moon formed from the ejecta of a collision between a Mars-sized object and a young Earth. That blasted-out material, bounded by gravity, is believed to have created the moon we see today. Exactly when this collision occurred and how long the moon took to form, however, has remained an open question thus far.
To arrive at their conclusions, scientists studied speckles of a mineral called "zircon," present in moon samples brought to Earth in 1972 by the final Apollo mission. Originally formed when the moon's impact-driven molten surface solidified after the collision that led to its birth, scientists believe zircon crystals are the first solids to have crystallized after the moon's formation. Therefore, they could exhibit tell-tale signs of the moon's age.
"Because we know how old these crystals are, they serve as an anchor for the lunar chronology," said Heck.
To nail down the age of the sample, researchers identified and mapped individual atoms in a piece of lunar sample. First, they "sharpened it" using a focused beam of electrons, "almost like a very fancy pencil sharpener," study lead author Jennika Greer, a research associate at the University of Glasgow in the U.K., said in the same statement.
Her team then used a laser to evaporate atoms from the tip of the sharpened sample and measured those atoms' speeds. "How fast they move tells us how heavy they are, which in turn tells us what they're made of," Greer added.
The scientists measured the amount of uranium and lead atoms in the sample, which, with prior knowledge of how fast atoms decay, helped determine the sample's 4.46 billion-year age, according to the new study.
"It's amazing being able to have proof that the rock you're holding is the oldest bit of the moon we've found so far," said Greer. "It's an anchor point for so many questions about the Earth. When you know how old something is, you can better understand what has happened to it in its history."
The research is described in a paper published Thursday (Oct. 20) in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.
https://www.space.com/apollo-17-moon-rocks-lunar-age-analysis
https://www.geochemicalperspectivesletters.org/article2334/
Brighton: UFOs at sea not military, says Royal Air Force
Oct 20, 2023
The distant hum of three propeller aircraft awoke many across Brighton and Hove late last night while some spotted three bright lights out at sea.
However the UFOs remain a mystery as the Royal Air Force said it was nothing to do with the armed forces.
Speculation has taken over local Facebook groups with some wondering whether aliens have finally arrived on the south coast, while others maintain that the flights could have been top-secret military aircraft.
Kevin Winyard said on Brighton Skies: "Heard it at Telscombe Cliffs and it sounded like aircraft. Nothing on the radar so it could have been secret flights. There's a lot going on in the world at present."
The unidentified flying objects were first heard before 1am on Friday, October 20 and returned shortly after 1am.
Ahmed Khan spotted them flying out at sea from Hove Lawns around the same time.
No planes appeared in the area on flight tracking software adsbexchange.com, which has thousands of receivers across the world picking up radar signals from aircraft.
Between midnight and 1.30am, only two crossed the English Channel directly in front of Brighton, several minutes apart. The first was a private jet returning to Luxembourg registered as LX-JNC at around 00.15am.
The other was a Tui flight from Dalaman airport in Turkey at around 1.06am, heading towards Cardiff.
The Argus contacted the Ministry of Defence to see whether it was responsible for the flights.
A Royal Air Force source checked with RAF stations across the country, air traffic control and the Royal Navy - all of which confirmed there was no flying at the time nationally, nor in Sussex.
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23870097.brighton-ufos-sea-not-military-says-royal-air-force/
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Time capsule buried at ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope
October 16, 2023
Last week, a time capsule commemorating ESO staff, science, technology and cooperation between ESO and Chile was buried in a ceremony at the construction site of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), on Cerro Armazones in the Chilean Atacama Desert.
The capsule was sealed at the first stone ceremony in 2017, when construction on the soon-to-be “world’s biggest eye on the sky” began. Serving as a symbolic message to future generations, it contains mementos from Chilean authorities, including a plaque from the then President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, about opening the skies of the country to the questions of an entire planet, as well as drawings from Chilean children featuring the Universe, ESO telescopes and northern Chile landscapes. The capsule also includes a mosaic of photographs of ESO staff and a copy of a book describing the future scientific goals of the telescope [1]. Covering it is an engraved hexagon made of Zerodur®, a one-fifth-scale model of one of the ELT’s primary mirror segments.
Last week, ESO Council members and staff visited the ELT site to bury the capsule in the wall of the ELT dome in an event led by ESO Council President Linda Tacconi (Germany) and Vice-President Mirjam Lieshout-Vijverberg (The Netherlands). In a separate event a few days later, a second group of Council members led by Rafael Bachiller (Spain) and Jan Buriánek (Czech Republic) installed a commemorative plaque on the wall where the capsule is buried.
Recently, construction of the ELT passed 50% completion, well on the way to beginning scientific operations later this decade. This milestone happens in the year ESO and Chile are commemorating their 60-year partnership, which has enabled the establishment of unique observatories in the Atacama Desert and the development of a strong scientific community.
As the largest optical and infrared telescope in the world, the ELT will shift our understanding of the Universe. Its scientific goals range from the Solar System to the edge of the observable universe, including exoplanets, black holes, and the first stars and galaxies. It will search for answers to some of the biggest open questions in astronomy: is there life elsewhere in the Universe? What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy? Are the laws of nature universal? It may also answer yet unknown questions — who knows what the ELT will have discovered by the time the capsule is opened?
Notes
[1] The exact contents of the ELT time capsule are:
An engraved glass plaque from the then president of Chile Michelle Bachelet Jeria with the quote “Abriendo el cielo de Chile a las preguntas de todo un planeta”
A commemorative pen from the Chilean Government (Gobierno Regional, RegiĂłn de Antofagasta)
Six drawings from school children from Antofagasta and Taltal, picturing northern Chile landscapes, astronomical objects and ESO telescopes
Two collages of photos of ESO staff
A photo book about the Atacama Desert
A book on the science with the ELT: An Expanded View of the Universe
https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann23017/