Microscopic metal spheres found in the Pacific Ocean are likely the result of man-made industrial pollution – and not pieces of an interstellar meteor, according to several new studies.
Last summer, Harvard astrophysicist and alien hunter Avi Loeb stated that several small, metal balls dredged up from the bottom of the ocean were likely remains of an interstellar meteorite, and could even contain signatures of alien technology. Now independent analysis suggests that the spheres have a much less distant origin: they are more likely a byproduct of the combustion of coal on Earth.
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Loeb and his colleagues found the micrometer-sized spheres during an expedition off the coast of Papua New Guinea looking for fragments of a meteor that streaked through the atmosphere in 2014.
Based on the meteor’s recorded speed, Loeb and his team said the meteor was likely of interstellar origin and must have left debris in its wake. The dredged up spheres, they suggested, are that debris because their composition is different from that of most meteorites.
In several blog posts and a non-peer-reviewed article Posted in the preprint database arXiv, Loeb described the various “abnormal” properties of the metal pellets. He mainly focused on five spheres that contained a high percentage of beryllium, lanthanum and uranium. Loeb called these five “BeLaU balls.” He and others have since speculated that it could involve alien spheres evidence of alien technology.
But many scientists unrelated to the study took issue with these claims at the time — and now several newly published studies poke even more holes in the spheres’ supposed extraterrestrial origins.
Interstellar rocks or man-made pollution?
First, there is some debate over whether the meteor in question was actually interstellar. It was only recorded by US military equipment, and some researchers say it’s possible the sensors made an error in recording the speed, according to a new, non-peer-reviewed paper. posted on arXiv on November 13. But even if the meteor’s speed were recorded correctly, it is unlikely that any significant portion of it would survive the fall through the atmosphere.
“If it were interstellar, virtually none of the cars from 2014-01-08 would have survived entry,” write the authors of the new study – professors Steven Desch from Arizona State University and Alan Jackson from Towson University – wrote. “If it were traveling at the speeds reported (and necessary for it to be interstellar), then at least 99.8%, and probably >99.9999% of it would have evaporated into the atmosphere, depositing insignificant amounts on the seafloor. “
Then there’s the matter of proving that the spheres came from that particular meteor. Scientists don’t know where or even if the 2014 meteor landed; it would be extremely difficult to find small pieces of that exact specimen by searching the ocean within 30 miles, almost a decade after it appeared. On the other hand, small metal balls are ubiquitous on the seabed. Some are micrometeorites ejected from space rocks, but others are spewed by volcanoes or produced by industrial activity. These collect naturally at the bottom of the ocean over time.
Finally, there is the matter of the composition of the spheres. If you assume that these specific pellets came from space, their composition seems unusual indeed. However, as a recent article published in the magazine on October 23 Research Notes from the AAS indicates that they correspond to the profile of contaminants from coal ash. Study author Patricio Gallardoan astronomer at the University of Chicago, wrote that this “makes the meteoritic origin unfavorable.”
Is it still possible that the balls came from somewhere outside our solar system? Yes. But based on the available evidence, it seems much more likely that they came from much closer to home, the new papers suggest. As a NASA astrobiologist Caleb Scharf wrote on Xformerly known as Twitter: “Well, they have indeed found evidence of a technological civilization… here on Earth.”
Loeb refutes critics
Loeb responded to this criticism in a November 15 blog post at Mediumarguing that the new papers cannot adequately assess the composition of the spheroids without studying them directly.
He further quoted a team member Jim Lem from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, who writes: “The area where the expedition was conducted should not have any coal mineralization. Furthermore, coal is non-magnetic and cannot be picked up by the magnetic sled that was used.”
Loeb added that 93% of the samples collected have yet to be analyzed, and cautioned critics against jumping to conclusions about their origins before all the data is in. To make definitive statements about the nature of the beads before they are properly analyzed in a peer-reviewed study would be “unprofessional,” Loeb said.
