‘Mystery pulse' spotted 25 miles ABOVE Antarctica is ‘unknown to science' as baffled experts say they ‘don't understand'
The mysterious radio waves were being emitted at a steep angle below the ice
SURPR-ICE! 'Mystery pulse' spotted 25 miles ABOVE Antarctica is 'unknown to science' as baffled experts say they 'don't understand'
STRANGE radio pulses detected roughly 25 miles (40km) above Antarctica could be the mark of a new cosmic particle, according to a new study.
This rare signal was first detected by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) in 2006, a series of tools floating over icy continent carried by balloons.
Advertisement
3
The now-retired ANITA experiment aimed to detect ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic neutrinos - or "ghost particles" - and other cosmic rays
Credit: Stephanie Wissel / Penn State.
3
ANITA is a series of tools that floated over Antarctica carried by balloons
Credit: Stephanie Wissel / Penn State.
The now-retired ANITA experiment aimed to detect ultra-high-energy (UHE) cosmic neutrinos - or "ghost particles" - and other cosmic rays as they rain down on Earth from space.
While ANITA usually picks up cosmic signals that bounce off the ice, this new radio pulse came from beneath the horizon and under the ice sheet.
Its orientation cannot currently be explained by particle physics, a study in the journal Physical Review Letters wrote.
A similar event was recorded in 2014, and it has continued to baffle scientists.
Advertisement
The mysterious radio waves were being emitted at a steep angle below the ice, suggesting they had to pass through thousands of miles of rock before reaching ANITA.
All those obstacles would typically leave a radio pulse too faint to be detectable - but not this signal.
"It's an interesting problem, because we still don't actually have an explanation for what those anomalies are," ANITA team member and Penn State University researcher Stephanie Wissel said in a statement.
"What we do know is that they're most likely not representing neutrinos."
Advertisement
Scientists have ruled out neutrinos, the most common particle in the universe.
Neutrinos are unofficially known as "ghost particles" due to the fact that they don't have any mass or carry any charge.
"You have a billion neutrinos passing through your thumbnail at any moment, but neutrinos don't really interact," added Wissel.
Inside abandoned Antarctic clifftop 'ghost station' where Soviet boffins battled -90C gales 1000s of miles from anywhere
"So, this is the double-edged sword problem. If we detect them, it means they have traveled all this way without interacting with anything else.
Advertisement
"We could be detecting a neutrino coming from the edge of the observable Universe."
Scientists suspected that a supernova erupting in space could have coughed a slew of neutrinos in Earth's direction.
An international team of researchers attempting to solve the mystery conducted a series of simulations to see if the 2006 and 2014 events align with any significant cosmic events, with data from the the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina.
There was a supernova that aligned with the signals captured in 2014, but not the 2006 event.
Advertisement
So there is no clear indication that this cosmic event is what caused the bizarre radio waves.
What scientists have done, however, is narrow down their set of explanations.
"My guess is that some interesting radio propagation effect occurs near ice and also near the horizon that I don't fully understand, but we certainly explored several of those, and we haven't been able to find any of those yet either," said Wissel.
"So, right now, it's one of these long-standing mysteries, and I'm excited that when we fly [Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations], we'll have better sensitivity.
Advertisement
"In principle, we should pick up more anomalies, and maybe we'll actually understand what they are.
"We also might detect neutrinos, which would in some ways be a lot more exciting."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside dystopian town blitzed by 450 nukes plagued by suicides & cancer-riddled families issued ‘radiation passports'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GROWING up in the most nuked place on Earth, Maira Abenova has helplessly watched as cancer spread through her family. After years of living near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, she told The Sun how the devastating impact of the radiation "did not spare any family". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 14 The Semipalatinsk Test Site is the most nuked place on earth Credit: Getty - Contributor 14 The Semipalatinsk region in eastern Kazakhstan was a nuclear test site for the Soviet Union Credit: AFP - Getty 14 The Cold War relic sits near the border with modern day Russia Credit: Corbis Historical - Getty 14 Lake Shagan, also called the 'Atomic Lake', highlighted, is an offshoot of the Shagan River Credit: Wikipedia 14 Known as the Polygon, the 7,000 square mile nuclear testing site in north east Kazakhstan was nuked by hellish bombs from 1949 to 1989. Having been hit by a quarter of all nuclear explosions in history, Semipalatinsk Test Site was an atomic playground for Soviet scientists which was kept secret for decades. Its infamous 'Atomic Lake' was blasted into existence 60 years ago by a bomb ten times more powerful than the one dropped on Hiroshima. And one of the site's most destructive detonations reportedly caused four times as many instances of severe radiation poisoning as the Chernobyl disaster. Following 40 years of nuclear explosions which wreaked havoc on nearby communities, the consequences are still felt today. Kazakh authorities dished out eerie "radiation passports" to help and identify victims of the fallout - but these have failed to fully cover the tragic repercussions. Local resident Maira Abenova told The Sun: "After more than 30 years have passed, we can now say that for 40 years, an atomic war was waged on our beautiful land." Now a mum and grandma, Maira was raised in the neighbouring high-risk town of Semipalatinsk, which is by the Russian border and is today known as Semey. She is also the founder an advocacy group for victims of the tests called Committee Polygon 21. Maira detailed the tragic consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site which have scarred her own life. Inside 'world's most dangerous town' Wittenoom where just breathing could kill you "In 1971, before turning 60, my mother died of esophageal cancer," she said. "At that time, we could not know the cause of this disease." After losing her mum, her sister passed away in 2013, nearly 25 years after the last recorded nuclear test. "In 2013, literally a month after surgery, my older sister passed away from breast cancer," Maira explained. Her husband was the next loved one to die as a result of the radioactive fallout. She said: "My husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer - he lived in agony for only a year and a half before he passed away." Maira continued: "Just a few months after my husband's funeral, my brother was diagnosed with lung cancer. "He survived only three months." The devastating consequences of Semipalatinsk Test Site then caught up with Maira herself. "Last autumn, I was diagnosed with the same disease," she said. "I had an operation, but I don't know how much time I have left. "Our medical system offers little hope - not because we lack good doctors, but because the healthcare system, especially in our region, is in a deeply deplorable state." 14 Maira Abenova told The Sun what it was like growing up in Semipalatinsk 14 Image of the Chagan nuclear test, which created the 'Atomic Lake' on January 15, 1965 Credit: Wikipedia 14 It features a notorious 'Atomic Lake' Credit: WIKIMEDIA 14 She added: "The worst thing is when doctors diagnose cancer. It's like a death sentence. "A sentence of a painful death. Without proper help and treatment." Maira also noted that her local cancer clinic was "always overcrowded". Kazakhstan authorities estimate 1.5 million people have been exposed to the test site's residual fallout. Nearby populations suffered elevated rates of cancer, heart disease and infertility which were all linked to the tests. More babies were born with defects, missing limbs, Down syndrome and other disabilities - while the number of suicide rates among young people also rose. A local city hall official even made the shocking claim that "people in the villages got used to suicides", according to a UN report. And grandma-of-two Maira confirmed this epidemic, saying that after the closure of the site, the higher rates of suicide were known as "Kainarsky syndrome". Despite the first ever bomb going off on August 29, 1949, four years after the end of World War II, radiation levels are still elevated, and children continue to be born with genetic mutations. Maira said: "This evil did not spare any family." Reflecting on these haunting health impacts, she described the aspect that continues to trouble her most. "As for the photos showing the aftermath of the tests, I'd say the most frightening consequences aren't the physical deformities or developmental anomalies," she said. "But rather the lingering fear — the fear of dying from an illness that might not be visible on the outside. "The fear of a young woman giving birth to a child with disabilities, and so on." 14 A total of 456 nuclear tests were conducted at the site Credit: AFP - Getty 14 Maira's very own 'radiation passport' 14 Statue of Igor Kurchatov, the 'father' of the Soviet nuclear program, in the city he was named after Credit: Getty The campaigner also detailed a closed-off town called Kurchatov which was built as the headquarters for the testing site and was only accessible with an official pass. Codenamed Semipalatinsk 21, the base was full of nuclear scientists and military officers, and located on the picturesque bank of the Irtysh River. The top-secret town had 50,000 or so inhabitants who were all supplied with high quality produce sent straight from the capital. Meanwhile, locals outside the town lived in relative squalor with "empty store shelves", Maira explained. "It was built in a short time," she said of the city, which has been dubbed the Soviet version of Los Alamos. "Since the city was built by the military, it resembles a military town - strict lines and no frills." The activist added that scientists timed each blast to match the wind direction - making sure the deadly fallout always blew away from their own HQ. And typical Soviet cover-ups meant that even the locals were unaware of the nearby tests for years. "We didn't know about it until the late 1980s, when information about the terrible tests conducted near us began to leak out to the public," she recalled. Semipalatinsk's role in the Cold War by Harvey Geh Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known as the Polygon, played a central role in the Soviet Union's push to win the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. On August 29, 1949, the USSR detonated its first-ever atomic bomb at Semipalatinsk, just four years after the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That explosion - codenamed RDS-1 or "First Lightning" - ended America's nuclear monopoly and officially launched the Cold War arms race. It was a near-copy of the US-made 'Fat Man' plutonium bomb, which America dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945. Following the landmark explosion, Semipalatinsk became the main site for testing each nuclear development the Soviet Union made, including hydrogen bombs and experimental warheads. This allowed the USSR to gain data on blast yields and radiation fallout. From its inception in 1949 to its closure in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall, 116 bombs were detonated in the atmosphere, while 240 exploded underground. A law created in 1992 meant victims could apply for a "radiation passport", which confirmed their exposure to the fallout and qualified them for certain benefits. Each person who had their application approved was given a little beige book with a big blue mushroom cloud on its front cover. Those holding their own document could then receive things like monthly compensation cash and longer holidays. This system was said to have worked in its initial phases. But these days, the scheme is ineffective, according to Maira. She is now part of a renewed push to improve compensation and bring real justice to the lives of many who have been impacted. Maira said: "The law that was passed in 1992 is effectively defunct today, and its current provisions are discriminatory." 14 Observation tower ruins at the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan Credit: Getty 14 The nuclear scientists were based in Kurchatov, named after renowned Soviet nuclear physicist Igor Kurchatov Credit: Getty The passport grants holders £30 per month in benefits - barely enough to cover current medical costs - and those who move to live in a different region are disqualified from getting the money. Many locals have reportedly found it challenging to get official recognition for their children to also obtain the document. Emphasising the importance of petitioning for better support, Maira explained: "The hardest thing for us is that we feel doomed and unprotected." Maira also heads the human rights organisation DOM, which has also played an important role forming initiatives aimed at protecting the rights of victims of nuclear tests. She says on social media that for the last three years, the organisation has been working "to shape new ways of addressing victims, to achieve significant change, and to expand dialogue with the state and the international community." Maira has won awards for her work supporting victims of the tests and participated in UN meetings calling for the ban of nuclear weapons. She left Committee Polygon 21 earlier this month but continues to work with victims of nuclear fallout through her leading role at DOM. It is believed that more than one million people resided in and around Semipalatinsk - but today, only a few thousand people remain. The International Day against Nuclear Tests occurs every year on August 29, the day the first bomb went off in Semipalatinsk Test Site. Despite neighbouring locals living through the nuclear fallout of the site, it remains unclear exactly how dangerous living in the region is today. Scavengers have excavated the site in hopes of selling off scrap metal, while locals are known to use the "Atomic Lake" as a fishing spot. Maira said she was aware locals like to go fishing there as they "have come to believe that it is safe". But since the landscape has been marred by nearly half a century of nuclear bombing, she said the area had partly lost its beauty. "It is more reminiscent of the surface of the moon," she said. "A steppe and granite hills that have crumbled over time... scattered across by the atomic explosions."
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2025
It's the 70th anniversary of this unique BBC radio programme aimed at just a few dozen listeners: The team of scientists and support staff isolated at British research stations in the Antarctic midwinter. Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home, music requests from Antarctica and a specially recorded message from His Majesty The King. For decades this show has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and has also been enjoyed by listeners around the world. Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC's Midwinter Broadcast. Producers: Martin Redfern and Richard Hollingham An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Midwinter's Day: King sends message to Antarctic scientists
King Charles has recorded a warm personal message to researchers in Antarctica celebrating a frozen Midwinter's Day, with the King praising their work in understanding climate marks the 70th anniversary of the BBC's Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast, which sends a morale-raising message to remote research stations in the depths of their winter."Each observation, measurement and calculation you undertake adds to the world's understanding of the Earth's fragile systems," says the King's Rootes, who leads the UK's Rothera research base, says it's an honour to have recognition for their work "at the cutting edge of science in a really difficult part of the world to operate". While much of the UK swelters in the summer heat, Antarctica is celebrating an icy Midwinter's Day without any sun and with driving snow."With the sun shying away from your horizon today, I particularly wanted to send my warmest good wishes," says the King, who praises the researchers' "critically important work".The King, a longstanding environmental campaigner, speaks of his appreciation for the scientists' "resilience and commitment" as they track changes in the ice in Antarctica, examining the "role humanity plays, as we struggle to live in harmony with nature".The broadcast from the BBC World Service is part of the traditional Midwinter celebrations for scientists at these isolated contributions have included a message from Sir David Attenborough, a quirky song from Bill Bailey - "There's rock and roll at the South Pole" - and a comedy sketch from the cast of W1A, which claims "they're actually moving a glacier from one place to another".King Charles becomes the first monarch to be part of this annual broadcast - with a message praising the British Antarctic Survey, which he says is "more vital than ever, telling us stories of the past, the present and possible futures".The British Antarctic Survey has described Antarctica as a "barometer of environmental change", as its researchers extract and analyse the ice core to see changes in climate over hundreds of thousands of for six months, scientists in Antarctica began to develop their own accentAlex Rootes is one of 41 researchers at Rothera who will be listening to the broadcast in Antarctica, a location so remote that it's a thousand miles to the nearest hospital. Also in this very bespoke audience have been researchers at bases in Bird Island and South Rootes told the BBC it was currently warmer than usual in Antarctica, at -2c, but it can be tough to cope without any daylight, which makes it even more important to have a community celebration for Midwinter."At this time of year when the darkness has really closed in, it's very easy psychologically for people to withdraw into themselves. It's a really vital part of our mental health provision that people have something like this, which people really look forward to," he says. The traditions for Midwinter Day are something similar to having Christmas in June, including giving presents, a big dinner and watching the same film each year. The seasonal favourite is The Thing, a 1980s sci-fi horror film about a group of scientists in Antarctica under threat from an unknown presence. Mr Rootes says it's now part of the ritual of the is the southern winter solstice, the shortest day in their location, more than 1,000 miles south of the southern tip of South America. This year at the Rothera base there are plans for a 10km (6.2 miles) fun run, if the conditions allow. It's one way of chilling annual BBC broadcast becomes a connection with home, with messages sent by the researchers' families and selections of their favourite Mr Rootes says the King's message will be an important endorsement of their work, as they check on marine life and measure changes in the ice, linked to climate change."It's lovely to feel like we have the King talking to us and recognising us in this remote community," he said. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
