WEIRD STUFF

Earth to last a billion years, scientists say

If you were worried about the end of the world, you can breathe a little easier. According to a supercomputer prediction, humanity has roughly one billion years before Earth reaches its supposed doomsday.

Scientists from NASA and The University of Tokyo in Japan joined forces with the machine to use “a combined biogeochemistry and climate model to examine the likely timescale of oxygen-rich atmospheric conditions on Earth”.

The results showed that the date is directly dependent on the lifespan of the sun, which is constantly expanding.

Due to this, the sun will eventually meet a point when the heat of the solar system’s central star will reach a level that makes it impossible for anyone, or anything, to live on Earth — with the decreased levels of oxygen also making the planet uninhabitable.

And now we have a rough estimate for exactly when the apocalypse will happen, but it’s not for a billion years.

However, worryingly the process has already started, with the researchers saying that the increased activity from the sun, with increased solar flares and sunspots, in recent months is pointing to the transformation having already begun.

The study was published by Kazumi Ozaki and Christopher T. Reinhard in the Nature Geoscience Research journal, as they explained: “Earth’s modern atmosphere is highly oxygenated and is a remotely detectable signal of its surface biosphere.

“However, the lifespan of oxygen-based biosignatures in Earth’s atmosphere remains uncertain, particularly for the distant future.

“Here we use a combined biogeochemistry and climate model to examine the likely timescale of oxygen-rich atmospheric conditions on Earth.”

The publication comes after scientists at the University of Bristol also used computer modelling in a bid to predict Earth’s future.

Dr Alexander Farnsworth, the study’s lead author and senior research associate at the university, explained that the combined factors — such as the increased temperatures and reduced oxygen - would lead to the creation of a “supercontinent” called Pangea Ultima.

He said: “The result is a mostly hostile environment devoid of food and water sources for mammals.

“Widespread temperatures of between 40 to 50 degrees celsius (104 to 122 degrees fahrenheit), and even greater daily extremes, compounded by high humidity levels, would ultimately seal our fate.

“Humans and many other species would expire due to their inability to shed this heat through sweat, cooling their bodies.”

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Scientists tackle Muppets’ biggest mystery

Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear have one thing in common — their species is right there in their names.

But then there is Gonzo.

The Muppets character has puzzled fans for decades, with one burning question refusing to go away: exactly what animal is he?

Now, a team of biologists and palaeontologists have weighed in — and their answers are anything but straightforward.

Darren Naish, who studies the anatomy of extinct backboned animals, examined Gonzo’s beak-like snout, four limbs, backbone and lack of teeth, as well as the tufts on his head that have been referred to as “feathers” at various points in the show.

He also considered Gonzo’s fuzzy appearance, suggesting that he is warm-blooded.

Speaking to Popsci, Naish mused: “If you add all those things together, there isn’t anything else he can be.

“He can’t be anything other than a bird.”

But Naish took the theory a step further.

He suggested Gonzo’s unusual snout bears a resemblance to the Jamaican ibis, an extinct bird believed to have disappeared around 10,000 years ago.

Gonzo also has three fingers, which Naish noted could fit with the unusual anatomy of the extinct ibis.

He explained that the birds had wings so heavy that their hand bones became swollen into a club-like shape.

He added: “Could be that he might be a highly derived, a very evolutionarily modified ibis?”

But not everyone is convinced Gonzo is a bird.

University of Maryland paleontologist Thomas Holtz leans towards a much more prehistoric explanation — a dinosaur.

Holtz pointed to Gonzo’s three working fingers on each hand and his down-like fuzz, which he said resembles the covering found on some early carnivorous dinosaurs.

There is another clue.

The other birds in The Muppets — including Big Bird and Gonzo’s chicken girlfriend Camilla — have feathers and much more obviously bird-like beaks.

Holtz said: “This suggests that if he is a bird or bird relative, Gonzo is from a group that evolved prior to the evolution of modern feathers.”

Meanwhile, University of Geneva scientist Michel Milinkovitch believes the real answer could be sitting on top of Gonzo’s head.

For Milinkovitch, the key question is what the character’s mysterious tuft is actually made from.

He noted: “If Gonzo’s fur is made of real hair, he must be a mammal, because hair is a distinguishing character for mammals.”

If the tuft is made from feathers, however, Gonzo is far more likely to be a bird.

So after all the scientific sleuthing, where does that leave the world’s most mysterious Muppet?

For now, the safest conclusion appears to be that Gonzo is “some kind of funny-looking bird”.

But after decades of speculation, it seems only The Muppets creators know the real answer.

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Mysterious UFO spotted during SpaceX livestream

UFO hunters have gone into overdrive after a mysterious object spotted during a SpaceX livestream sparked wild claims that an alien spacecraft had been caught on camera.

SpaceX’s Starship Flight 14 reportedly made history by reaching orbit for the first time before deploying all 26 of its satellites.

But while viewers were watching the landmark flight, something strange appeared in the background.