This 'Doors to Hell' continues to burn for over 40 years

A natural gas crater in Derweze, Turkmenistan continues issued fire since 1971. Due to its creepy appearance , then the crater dubbed as the 'Doors to Hell'. The Soviet Union engineers who was first discovered the area in 1971. Initially, they thought have found oil wells. But while digging, the ground suddenly collapsed, creating a crater with a diameter of 69 meters and a depth of 30 meters!

The Door to Hell, a burning natural gas field in Derweze, Turkmenistan. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gW7bm)

Then these massive crater began releasing methane, a natural gas which is highly flammable. Fearing the nearby towns will be affected by these poison gasses, the engineers then burned the methane gas. They thought by burned the gas will turn off the remains in it.

At first they thought the fire that burns the methane gas will be extinguished within a few weeks, but they are wrong. The fire continues raging for over four decades!

The first person who entered 'Doors to Hell'

A Canadian explorer George Kourounis became the first person in the world, the courage to go into the fiery crater known as the 'Door to Hell'. So called because the crater is located in Turkmenistan that the temperature can reach 1,000 degrees Celsius.

As quoted of the Daily Mail on Sunday, May 10, 2015, using a heat-resistant clothes resemble astronauts made of aluminum, Kourounis get down to a depth of 100 feet and walk around in it. Inside the crater he collected rock samples that later revealed there was bacteria.

Explorer George Kourounis rappels down into the massive crater, which has burned for more than 40 years. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gW5vj)

Crater with tremendous heat that has an official name the Darvaza Crater is kept burning and never extinguished for more than 40 years. This crater remains lit until now because a drilling accident by Soviet engineers so that they were forced to burn off excess gas that comes out of the crater.

Kourounis feel challenged to 'conquer' cauldron of hell after hearing the Government of Turkmenistan plans to extinguish it. He was in a crater about 15 minutes before being pulled back to the surface.

"I feel in a place where humans have not been there before. As a walk on an alien planet," said Kourounis. To withstand extremely high temperatures inside the crater, he wore clothing that can reflect the heat, breathing apparatus and wearing a custom Kevlar vest.

This crater is located in a rural area in Turkmenistan (one of the largest natural gas resources in the world) - about 260 km from the capital Ashgabat.. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILY MAIL | WIKIPEDIA]

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Revealed! Turn out Mars has abundant reserves of water ice

The potential for life on Mars is getting revealed. More recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has found reserves of water ice in large quantities on the Red Planet. These findings are expected to be an oasis if there's the human exploration missions to Mars in the future.

Water is the key to realize of the humans dream for live on Mars in the future. Water is not only necessary to safeguard the lives of the astronauts, but also to produce the fuel as well as agriculture.

Mars presents arguably the best location to for humans to make the first steps in colonizing space, not least of all for its abundant reserves of water. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gQ0RE)

"These reserves may be more accessible than most water ice on Mars, due to it's located in a lower position and form of the plain, smooth area in which the spacecraft will be much easier landed than other areas with reserves of ice water buried," said Jack Holt, a researcher from the University of Texas. 

The water supply was found under the location of which is known as Utopia Planitia, a plain on Mars where NASA's Viking 2 landing for the first time in 1976.

By using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's ground-penetrating Shallow Radar (SHARAD), the researchers found a lump of ice with a thickness of 250 feet (80 meters) to 560 feet (170 meters).

These blob able to cover the area of ​​the State of New Mexico. The reserve consists of 50 to 85 percent water ice mixed with dust and rock.

Massive water ice reservoir were found on Mars could keep settlers alive. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gQ0a0)

Utopia Planitia located between the Martian north pole and the equator. Estimated reserves of ice water buried because can not survive if it is located on the surface. 

"These reserves may be formed by snowfall that occurred throughout the history of Mars, and then collected into a layer of ice mixed with dust," said Holt.

Of course, the presence of water ice will be led to speculation about life on Mars. Could it be the underground water pockets formed which then able to lead to emerge the microbes? 

"When the water ice is already there in a long time in one place, we do not know whether there is the same backup elsewhere sufficient to support the emergence of microbial life," said Holt.. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SEEKER]

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Watch out, these ant species can rule the world

Do not underestimate its size. Who would have thought if the ant species that live in the forests of Ethiopia is capable of being a threat to humans. Lepisiota Canescens ant species can be buit super colonies that will spread rapidly in many regions, disrupting the ecosystem and even become a threat to humans.

Lepisiota ants killing a termite. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gPXYN)

This finding was revealed from a study by a group of American and Ethiopian researchers which have been published in the journal Insectes sociaux. The team included scientists from several institutions in Ethiopia and the United States, including North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, University of Tulsa, Bahir Dar University, California Academy of Sciences, and the Smithsonian Institution.

Researchers observed that the ant genus Lepisiota has mastered the Kruger National Park in South Africa. These ant species colonies were spread in a large area. It is a sign that these species become invasive. They also say that the ant species is the largest super colony ever observed in their natural habitat. They noted this super colony stretching up to 38 km.

"The species that we found in Ethiopia has the potential to become an invasive species," said D. Magdalena Sorger, a researcher from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences was quoted as saying on CNBC on Friday, November 25, 2016.

"Invasive species spread by humans, along with tourism, and trade in Ethiopia are increasing. And only with one queen, the colonies can be formed," he added.

This is a Lepisiota dispatching Pheidole ant. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gPXs6)

Typically, the ants form the colonies consisting of one nest and ruled by a queen. But there are 20 different species of ants. They form what is called super colonies consisting of many hives and queens. Super colonies can contain billions of ants who had gathered and were able to remove other ant colonies.

For example, the Argentine ants, these ants have a super colony that covers a large part of California and is now expanding to Mexico. Even, the Argentine ants drive out the native ant populations.

These ants attack also cause declines in predators that prey on native ants. And the Argentine ants have also become a 'part' of the Californian society. People reported if they are rampant in the house, out of the pipe, and even in the bags.

Another case that occurred was in Australia, where a port was forced to close when the super ant colonies are found in the cargo hold. Researchers hope that this research will be to understand how the life of ants whose living in their natural habitat. Including preventing before species become invasive. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCE DAILY | CNBC]

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Scientists were found the evidence that the ancient Earth was no Oxygen

Researchers returned to find evidence that will help uncover the life of the early Earth. This finding suggests that early in life are likely Earth is not yet contained oxygen. It is shown by the findings of fossilized bacteria are able to survive without oxygen.

The fossilized 2.52 billion years old bacteria were found in two separate locations in Kaapvaal Kraton, Limpopo Province, South Africa. This place is two remaining areas on Earth, where one can still see the rest of the 3.6-million-2.5 million years old Earth's crust.

A closeup of the fossilized Neoarchean bacteria, a 2.5 billion years old or much longer bacteria there than when oxygen is expected to begin fulfilling the Earth's atmosphere. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gLZ7U)

According to researchers, the fossils found in a layer of hard rock which rich with silica content is oxidize sulfur to survive. It shows that life on the Earth's early life can survive in low oxygen conditions.

"This is the oldest sulfur bacteria ever found. And this discovery helps us reveal the diversity of life and ecosystems that existed before the Great Oxidation Event," said Andrew Czaja, a professor of geology at the University of Cincinnati as quoted by New Atlas, on Thursday, December 1, 2016.

Professor Andrew Czaja shows the layer of rock where the bacteria were discovered. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gLZ7U)

Great Oxidation Event itself is a time when the population of blue-green algae cyanobacteria exploded. They dispose of the amount of oxygen in large quantities to build up the atmosphere for the first time.  

The experts argue that this period is a period of the first time the Earth was 'breathing'. This period is predicted to occur between 2.5 billion to 2.2 billion years ago. And researchers believe before the Earth is filled with oxygen, the oceans are full of anaerobic bacteria, the bacteria that metabolize their food without oxygen or sunlight.

But the problem there is little evidence about the presence of this bacteria. Due to the lack of evidence of these creatures in the early history of the Earth, researchers can not explain how or when they first appeared.

"So these fossils are the oldest living organisms that live 2 billion years before the plants and trees," Czaja said. Plants and trees are estimated to appear about 450 million years ago.

The findings of these fossils now has given a clear indication that they were really there at least 2.52 billion years ago. While providing an overview of how simple life forms on the planet without the abundance of oxygen. And this study has been published in the journal Geology. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | NEW ATLAS]

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Is it true that NASA conceals the signs of life on Mars?

Scientists have been reviewing the images taken by Spirit rover nearly a decade ago. They also concluded that the United States Space Agency (NASA) may previously ignored evidence of the earliest forms of life on other planets.

As reported Express on Sunday, November 27, 2016, a new evidence published in Nature Communications showed outcrop rocks and regoliths formed of opaline silica photographed by Spirit Rover in Gusev Crater in 2007 could potentially have biosignatures, the nature trails current or past.

Spot the difference: Silica deposits on Mars, inset, compared to on Earth. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gGAh9)

Two experts from Arizona State University (ASU), Steve Ruff and Jack Farmer looked at data from the visits of Spirit Rover to Home Plate, a plateau of layered rock in the crater region of Columbia Hills. It is an ancient region of volcanic ash eroded, believed to still contain active hot water, which has formed silica outcrops, including finger-like formations which were photographed.

In addition, they also occur in less obvious forms, including organic molecules remaining trapped in rocks and compacted mat of microbes known as stromatolites, which is an early form of life on Earth, and are found in Western Australia, and El Tatio in Chile.

Stromatolites are formed when microbial colonies gathered in a humid environment, before trapping sediment in a sticky surface. Sediment reacts with the calcium carbonate in the water, creating a buildup of lime.

Proof of life? The silica deposits on Mars, left, are remarkably similar to on Earth, right. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gGAh9)

Stromatolites in El Tatio, which has conditions similar to Mars also formed by hot springs, said to resemble images taken in the Spirit Rover in the Mars crater. Deposits of silica in the structure in EI Tatio discovered by a team almost identical to that found in Gusev Crater.

"Our results indicate that the condition is more like Mars than El Tatio produce unique deposit, including biomediated silica structure, with characteristics that are favorable compared with the silica outcrops of Home Plate. This similarity raises the possibility that Mars silica structure is formed in a way that is comparable," as the team wrote in the report.

On a separate report last month by a different team of scientists concluded evidence of life on Mars may have been discovered in 1976, but scientists suggest it then do not believe it. A review study called Viking Labeled Release, see the two probes land on the Red Planet, brings interesting claims that the soil collected from Mars indicate microbial life.

The spacecrafts landed 4,000 miles of each other on Mars in the 1970s, but both produce the same surprising results after the Martian soil analysis. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | EXPRESS]

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An object resembles the pyramid discovered in Antarctica

The world of internet again bustling by the discovery of an object like a pyramid in Antarctica. Since last week a number of Western medias busy to proclaim an object like the pyramid captured by the Google Earth.

Some scientists was interviewed speculate that the object was an evidence of human civilization ever existed in the northern hemisphere. In fact, there are some scientists who say that the object is a relic of an alien who had stopped at the Earth. But is it true that the object is a pyramid? If true, and then who has built it? Human or alien?

This Antarctic mountain bears a striking resemblance to a pyramid captured by Google Earth. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gFeUP)

According to several scientists interviewed by Live Science, the object like pyramid shaped was actually a mountain which has similar sloping sides to the pyramids in Egypt. The sides were created as a natural phenomenon.

"This is a mountain that looks like a pyramid, Usually there are two sides like a pyramid, rarely has four sides (like a pyramid)," said Eric Rignot, an Earth science expert at the University of California as quoted by Live Science on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. According to him, the pattern similar to pyramid was many in nature. Some mountain on Earth, he said, had the sides like a pyramid.

The mountains like a pyramid itself is one of several peaks in the Ellsworth Mountains of Antarctica. The mountain was first discovered by US pilot, Lincoln Ellsworth on his journey on November 23, 1935, as described in a study of US Geological Survey (USGS) in 2007.

The nameless peak is located south of Ellsworth Mountains, in an area called Heritage Range. In that place is found some rare fossils of ancient creatures that about 500 million years old.

Meanwhile, according to Mauri Pelto, an environmental studies expert at Nichols College, Dudley, Massachusetts, the sides similar to pyramid at the mountaintop was caused by erosion of permafrost that occurs over millions of years.

He explained that the snow or water usually fill cracks or crevices of the mountain during the day. At night, when the temperature dropped dramatically, water or snow will freeze, expand and turn into ice. As a result of this expansion make the slit on the mountain enlarged.

This process is ongoing so as to create large cracks and that ultimately led to these parts were destroyed. This process has already been studied in another mountain shaped like a pyramid, like the top of the Matterhorn mountain in the Alps.

A pyramid-shaped peak called Matterhorn in the Alps. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gFeUP)

The nameless mountain in Antarctica has three sloping sides of the same. Pelto suspects that the three sloping sides were eroded at the same speed.

"I suspect, rock type on the three sides was fairly uniform," said Pelto. The fourth side of a mountain that looked more different. He extends eastward, not tilted like the other three sides.

He also denied that the mountain was newly found. He said that near the mountain, precisely in the south, there is a research station belonging to climate scientists. The area was known as Patriot Hills. "You can see the mountain from Patriot Hills," he said then. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE]

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Does this mysterious piece of metal was the proof of the aliens ever visited Earth?

According to several scientists in Romania, the discovery of an ancient metal piece touted as proof that aliens had visited our Earth about 250,000 years ago. These ancient metal pieces were discovered in Romania in 1973, when the country was still under the Communist regimes.

A piece aluminium that looks as if it was handmade is being hailed as 250,000-year-old proof that aliens once visited the Earth. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gBUnn)

Now, after being tested at a laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland, found that 90 percent of the ancient metal is aluminum with the age was about 250,000 years old. The object is 20 centimetres (7.8 inches) long, 12.5 centimetres (4.9 inches) wide and 7 centimetres (2.8 inches) thick.

According to records, aluminum is the metal coumpound produced by humans newly about 200 years ago. Therefore the findings of ancient aluminum was considered shocking by scientists.

In 1973, builders working on the shores of the Mures River not far from the central Romanian town of Aiud found three objects 10 metres (33 feet) under the ground. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gBUnn)

"Laboratory test results concluded that the object is a piece of a UFO, considering that the metal content in it is not in accordance with the technology on the Earth at that time," said Gheorghe Cohal, Deputy Director of the Romanian Ufologis Association, as quoted by Daily Mail.

This mysterious ancient metal was discovered by the workers when they were building a construction on the banks of Mures River, not far from the city of Aiud. The metal was found 10 meters in the ground, side by side with the two pieces of bone.

The piece of metal was originally to be the end of an axe. And now gone on display in the History Museum of Cluj-Napoca, with a sign that reads 'origin still unknown'. But Local historian Mihai Wittenberger claims that the object is actually a metal piece from a World War II German aircraft. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1gBUnn)

And the two bones were thought to belong to a giant prehistoric mammals that died about 10,000 to 80,000 years ago. But when examined, the scientists were surprised because the metal piece is very light and apparently produced by those who already have advanced technology.

But the speculation was denied by a local historian named Mihai Wittenberger. He said the metal is one of the German aircraft parts in the World War II era. He believes that it is a piece of the landing gear from a Messerschnmitt ME 262.

The object is now on display at the History Museum of Cluj-Napoca, complete with a description that makes it even more mysterious: "origin still unknown." *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DAILY MAIL]

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The most rounded star in the universe discovered

There are no space objects really spherical. The shape is influenced by the force created by the rotational motion and magnetic fields. No wonder so many the space objects that looks more bloated, especially around the equator.

One example is our sun. At the equator area of sun was 10 kilometers longer than the radius at around its two poles. The average radius of the sun itself around 695,700 km. Note also the Earth, our beloved planet. Radius around the equator was 21 km longer than at its poles. And the Earth itself has an average radius throughout 6,371 km.

The comparison between the Kepler 11145123 and Sun. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1g0jiJ)

But in the journal Science Advances published in November 16, 2016, the German scientists have discovered the most spherical objects ever found in the universe. Yes, the star named Kepler 11145123 lies within 5,000 light years from the Earth which is claimed as the most spherical space object ever discovered.

This star is an average radius of about 1.5 million km, but the size of the radius at the center line just 3 km longer than the radius at both poles. Not perfectly round indeed. But the spherical level of Kepler 11145123 is the most nearly perfect!

The calculations to the shape of Kepler 11145123 was conducted by Laurent Gizon, a researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Gottingen, Germany. Together with his colleagues he observed the star's size changing that took place periodically for four years. The changes called oscillation that can be measured by observing the difference of the light of stars.

According to the calculation of Gizon and his colleagues, the rotation of Kepler 11145123 is three times more slowly than the Sun. They suspect this is one reason why the star has nearly perfect rounded shape. And the magnetic field is also supposed to influence its almost perfect shape.

Gizon said that he and his team plan to use this method to measure the other stars in the universe. "It would be very interesting to know how the speed of rotation and magnetic fields affect the shape of star," said Gizon. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SCIENCE DAILY]

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Revealing the largest ancient sea monster in Antarctica

Approximately 66 million years ago, an ancient sea monster that has a very large size roughly the size of a five-story building once dominated the dark Antarctic marine life. Those sea creature called the mosasaur, an aquatic reptiles that lived during the Cretaceous period. One of its characteristics is the use of its limbs like tail for paddling.

Unfortunately, there is not plenty of evidence that can be used to uncover these sea monsters. Until the end of an expedition was held to find evidence of the continuation of the specimen.

Kaikaifilu hervei was as long as a five-story building is tall. See the human for scale. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1fq3Fj)

For days the researchers who are members of the Chilean Paleontology Expedition try their luck to get a mosasaur fossil. But before the days of their trip, in the middle of a storm and bad weather the researchers did not find any. Had felt desperate and consider their journey in vain, until finally they managed to find a mosasaur skull on Seymour Island in January 2011.

This discovery became the long-awaited given this specimen was the second fossils found in Antarctica. But unlike before, this time the mosasaur fossils have very large size. It is based on the size of the anatomy of the skull found with a width of 4 feet or 1.2 meters. While the entire body of reptiles stretches about 33 feet (10 m), making it the largest marine predators in the region.

Researchers also gave the name 'Kaikaifilu hervei.' In which Kai-Kai-filu is the myth of the culture of the Mapuche in Southern Chile and Argentina, which means the giant reptiles were in charge of the oceans. While the hervei word derives from the name Francisco Herve, a Chilean geologist and also an Antarctica adventurer.

Researchers found the mosasaur Kaikaifilu hervei in Cretaceous-age rocks on Seymour Island in Antarctica (upper left). Kaikaifilu was quite large. See the human for scale (upper right). Paleontologists struggled through Antarctica's extreme climate when they excavated the specimen (lower right). The muddy site where experts found Kaikaifilu (bottom left). (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1fq3Fj)

"Previously, evidence of the existence of such gigantic size mosasaur like Kaikafilu hervei was unknown. Yet Antarctica has an abundant amount of plesiosaur," said Rodrigo Otero, a palaeontologist from the University of Chile as quoted by LiveScience on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.

Plesiosaurs was a long-necked marine reptiles that became the main prey of Kaikafilu hervei. Although now Antarctica is a cold continent, but when the dinosaur age the conditions are much warmer. A group of swimming animals in the region to make a food haven for Kaikafilu hervei.

This research has been published online on November 4, 2016 in the journal Cretaceous Research. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | LIVESCIENCE]

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Researchers managed to create eco-friendly soap molecules

Conventional cleaning products are currently used by the majority of Earth's population is regarded as not environmentally friendly because it is made from chemicals that are difficult to decompose and can pollute the environment. This global problem encourages international team of scientists to create a new soap molecules made from renewable resources that can reduce the amount of chemicals in the cleaning products.

Researchers invent 'perfect' soap molecules that is better for the environment. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1fij8K)

"Our team made a molecular soap made from natural ingredients such as soy, coconut and corn, which works better than conventional soap and more environmentally friendly," said Paul Dauenhauer, a professor of chemical engineering and materials science at the University of Minnesota who became one of the authors of the study.

In this project, the researchers from the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation in the United States developed a new chemical process for combining fatty acids from soy or coconut and glucose ring of maize that can produce the renewable soap molecules called Oleo-Furan-Surfactant (OFS).

On the test, OFS can work well when used with hard water (water with a high mineral content). Meanwhile, when the conventional soap is used with the hard water, soap usually can not be foamy and become sticky.

The soap molecule is made from soybeans, coconut and corn, and researchers say it works better than regular soap without relying on fossil fuels. (Picture from: http://adf.ly/1fijTd)

To resolve this issue, the manufacturers add additional chemicals to bind the minerals in hard water and prevents mixing with soap molecule. So this makes regular cleaning products have more chemicals that can be harmful to the environment.

Instead, OFS rid of the hard water problems by using the ingredients from natural sources that do not bind to the mineral was too strong. Researchers also found that the OFS form micelles that are important in the process of cleaning, even in an environment of high levels of water hardness.

Other researchers, Kristeen Joseph said that the performance of the OFS soap will be better than regular soap because it is superior in terms of biodegradability, ability to clean and foam production.

"OFS is made of a carbon chain of soybean and coconut which can be said as the perfect soap molecules," she concluded. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | EUREKALERT | MNN]

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