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India has made a hypersonic breakthrough

The nation has become one of the only nations in the world to possess hypersonic missiles. The Indian government announced Monday that it successfully tested its first long-range hypersonic missile over the weekend, signifying a major military development landmark that places it among the select few countries with the cutting-edge technology.

The US, China, and Russia possess the most sophisticated hypersonic missile capabilities; India has now joined this exclusive group. There have been reports of other nations pursuing the weapons, including South Korea, Japan, France, and Germany.

Flying high (or low?)

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said in a post on X that the “significant achievement” was a “historic moment” and puts the nation among the few that can use the crucial and complex defensive technology.

But why are they so important?

Hypersonic missiles (see overview) are extremely fast, agile weapons that provide an undeniable asset to a country's military.

• They have a range of over 930 miles and can travel at over 3,000 miles per hour, which is greater than five times the speed of sound.

• The hypersonic weapons can also alter their direction in midair, are extremely accurate, and are not required to follow a set trajectory.

This is different than standard ballistic missiles, which follow a predetermined trajectory and fly high in the air. Hypersonic missiles are able to fly low to the ground, making them much more difficult to spot and intercept.

Big impact: The global initiative for hypersonic missiles is partly due to their increased importance as air defense capabilities become more advanced, and having the long-range weapons proves a formidable threat. Both North Korea and Yemen's Houthis say that they have hypersonic weapons, but there is no proof that they can actually use them.

Government

Why does Congress keep talking about aliens?

I’m starting to think they live among us. During a congressional hearing this week, retired US officials said that several government agencies are hiding a plethora of information regarding UAPs (the new term for UFOs).

Updated figures on unexplained encounters were also released by the Pentagon, stirring speculation and prompting a whole new wave of supposed UAP sighting videos on social media.

Extraterrestrial activity

The Pentagon's agency on anomalous sightings, AARO (since when has this been a thing), reports that 21 of the over 700 Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAPs, that were recorded last year are still unaccounted for.

• The government said there was no concrete proof of alien origins, even if some of them resembled alien-like objects in the shape of triangles, cylinders, or orbs.

Luis Elizondo, the former head of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), testified that the US government has recovered UAPs, as has some of our adversaries.

The US government has retrieved nonhuman "biologics" from crash sites and has been conducting a covert reverse-engineering program to extract technology from recovered vessels, said retired Maj. David Grusch, a former member of the Pentagon's UAP Task Force, in a similar hearing last year.

There could be a stockpile: Journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that US military and intelligence authorities have accumulated a wealth of UAP data and high-resolution photos, citing whistleblowers who have assisted him.

Science

This new nuclear clock might be a turning point for humanity

We’ve come a long way since the sundial. Physicists are one step closer to the most accurate timekeeping device in human history: the nuclear clock. It may help answer some of the universe's most puzzling mysteries, such as dark matter and the relationship between gravity and time.

Ticking time bomb

The vibrations of cesium atoms, a unit of matter, are commonly used to measure time; one second is equivalent to around 9 billion oscillations of that atom.

Currently, the most accurate form of timekeeping available to us is atomic clocks, which keep time by measuring the vibrations of atoms when they absorb microwaves. They’re accurate down to a billionth of a second.

• The most advanced atomic clock we have measures strontium atoms, which pulse 50,000 times faster than cesium atoms and drop one second every 30 billion years.

Our most sophisticated, cutting-edge atomic clocks would be upgraded by a factor of 10 by nuclear clocks, which might have a one-second dip every 300 billion—one trillion years. Keep in mind the universe is only 13.7 billion years old.

But does that small (or big?) of a difference even matter?

It sure does

Nuclear clocks work by measuring the energy changes in the nuclei of radiative atoms, rather than the vibrations of atoms, like atomic clocks. This makes nuclear clocks insanely accurate because these energy changes are less influenced by things like temperature or pressure.

However, nuclear clocks aren’t simply more accurate clocks; they could have real-world impacts:

• Using their extreme precision, nuclear clocks could advance GPS capabilities, making them more accurate and consistent.

  • Earthquake detection would also be improved.

• They could improve international time standards, resulting in more dependable financial and telecommunications transactions.

Not to mention, nuclear clocks could contribute to the development of more efficient quantum computers and help monitor changes in the Earth’s rotation and gravitational field.

Looking forward: They would also allow scientists to advance our understanding of fundamental physics, such as testing theories of relativity and studying the stability of physical constants. Safe to say nuclear clocks would be pretty cool to have.

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Grab Bag

Illegal South African miners encamped after police deny help

South Africa’s battle to tackle illegal mining has resulted in a massive flashpoint. Police in South Africa say they will keep apprehending any illegal miners who come out of an abandoned gold mine where hundreds or maybe thousands of people may be hiding.

• The miners have been underground in the shaft for almost a month, refusing to leave in fear that they will be arrested.

Why the huge crackdown on illegal mining?

The deadlock between the authorities and the miners is the latest conflict that has had a government policy, which vows to end illegal mining in the country by shutting down supply lines, at the forefront of the battle.

The South African government loses hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the black market as a result of the closure of numerous mines and the layoff of miners in recent years.

Official estimates indicate that South Africa contains 88% of all platinum deposits and roughly 30% of all gold deposits worldwide, making it an easy target for bad actors to steal the valuable commodities.

Closed off

The news comes nearly four days after officials cut off food and water supply to between 350 and 4,000 illegal miners trapped in the shaft located in the North West province of the country.

• In recent days police have allowed volunteers to visit the miners, with some bringing food and water to them.

Volunteers said they pulled a body from the mine on Thursday and since authorities surrounded the mine shaft weeks ago over one thousand workers have returned and been arrested.

Looking forward: According to the AFP news agency, police have enlisted specialists to evaluate the mine shafts' structural soundness in order to determine the possibility of a forced evacuation.

Salmon are making a comeback after historic dam removal

Philadelphia rolls for all!!! Expert studies indicate that for the first time in decades, salmon have successfully laid eggs in the upper basin of Oregon's Klamath River in recent weeks.

The development occurred about two months after the largest dam removal effort in US history was finished with the demolition of the final four hydroelectric dams that were blocking passage to salmon over more than 400 miles of the Klamath River.

Salmon resurgence

Hundreds of thousands of salmon and steelhead used to migrate down the Klamath River every year to deposit their eggs, making it the site of one of the biggest migrations in the nation.

Four dams constructed between 1918 and 1962 produced a vast amount of hydroelectric power, but they also seriously hampered the fish’s accessibility to the upper basin of the river.

• According to one estimate, the area's spring-run salmon stocks have decreased by 98% from their previous norms.

However, officials are hopeful that the numbers will eventually equal the record averages they had before. Many of the salmon have quick returns to previously inaccessible areas and are repopulating quickly.

Fast Facts

Clone Copy: Antonia, a black-footed ferret, is the first US clone of an endangered species to successfully produce offspring. She gave birth to a boy and a girl, who are developing well, according to wildlife officials.

Collasal Coral: The largest coral reef ever found was discovered by divers in the Solomon Islands. The coral is longer than a blue whale, large enough to hold two basketball courts, and has managed to go unnoticed for the 300–500 years that it has existed.

Beary Bad: Four people from California were charged with wearing a bear suit, crawling inside vehicles, and destroying the car (and then claiming an actual bear did the damage). The fraudulent scheme cost insurance companies around $140,000, according to the California Department of Insurance.

Ban Banishment: The Washington Post reported that President-elect Trump will halt a possible TikTok ban before it takes effect next year. iPad babies rejoice.

Better Bettors: DraftKings and FanDuel have recently said that increased payouts to sports bettors will lead to lower revenues this year. I’m afraid I haven’t seen these so-called increased payouts this season.