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STUART GARY: This is SpaceTime
series 29, episode 86 for
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00:00:03,329 --> 00:00:08,050
broadcast on the 20th of July
2026. Coming up on SpaceTime,
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00:00:08,489 --> 00:00:11,409
the asteroid collision that
changed life on Earth forever.
4
00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,119
Alien chemistry discovered in a
meteorite that hit a New Jersey
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00:00:15,119 --> 00:00:18,680
home, and we'll do a bit of
political bashing, but before
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00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,600
you go clutching your pearls,
we'll target both sides of the
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00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,079
aisle, with the Albanese Federal
Labor government axing key
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00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,719
funding for astronomy research
and One Nation Senator Malcolm
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00:00:28,719 --> 00:00:33,279
Roberts appearing to promote the
pseudoscience of chemtrails. All
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00:00:33,279 --> 00:00:36,040
that and more coming up on
SpaceTime.
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00:00:37,130 --> 00:00:40,479
SPK_1: Welcome to space time
with Stuart Garry.
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STUART GARY: Astronomers have
linked a massive collision in
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the main asteroid belt to a huge
meteor bombardment in the inner
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solar system that may have
changed life on Earth forever.
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The findings reported in the
Planetary Science Journal and on
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the pre-press physics website
archive.org, suggest the
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catastrophic breakup of the
Ealia main asteroid belt parent
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body between Mars and Jupiter
could be linked to an impact
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shower that slammed into the
terrestrial planets around 800
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million years ago.
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The study's lead author, William
Bake from the Southwest Research
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Institute in Boulder, Colorado,
says the role impacts play in
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shaping the origin and evolution
of life in the solar system is
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poorly understood. What is
certain is that 800 million
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years ago, planet Earth
underwent a major biological and
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geological change.
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During this critical window,
Earth received large amounts of
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phosphorus, which may have
profoundly influenced marine
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life and biochemical cycles. It
marked the dawn of animal life
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with DNA evidence suggesting it
was around this time that
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complex multicellular animals
such as early sponges
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originated.
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Now at the same time,
geologically, tectonic activity
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caused the supercontinent
Rhodinia to begin breaking
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apart, setting the stage for
major climatic changes,
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including the globally freezing
Cryogean period known as
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Snowball Earth.
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But so far, only the Chiksalub
asteroid impact 66 million years
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ago, which caused the KT mass
extinction event that wiped out
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75% of all life on Earth,
including all the non-avvian
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dinosaurs, has been strongly
linked to a specific life
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changing event on Earth.
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Finding geological evidence of
impacts older than 650 million
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years ago on Earth is
challenging. That's due to the
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constant renewal of the planet's
surface through tectonic
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activity and through wind and
water erosion. Bottke says one
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way to find out about Earth's
past is to study asteroid
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showers.
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These rare events triggered by
large collisions in the main
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asteroid belt end up sending
debris throughout the inner
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solar system. So evidence
preserved on say the moon's
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static surface can be used to
infer what also happened on
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Earth and Mars for that matter,
in ancient times.
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Scientists have proposed that a
substantial surge in large lunar
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impacts occurred around 800
million years ago, based on the
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ages of large lunar craters and
the age distribution of impact
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glass materials found in samples
brought back by the Apollo
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astronauts.
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Computer simulations based on
collisional and dynamic models
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have now linked this event to
the formation of the Eulalia
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asteroid family when a primitive
carbonaceous chondrite-like
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object collided with another
body. Botky says the location of
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the parent asteroid was key.
See, it broke up on the brink of
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the gravitational 3 to 1 mean
motion resonance with the planet
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Jupiter.
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Now this orbital configuration,
known as J3 To1 describes when
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an asteroid completes 3 orbits
around the sun for every single
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orbit by Jupiter. The J3 to 1
resonance serves as a
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gravitational escape hatch for
the asteroid belt, delivering
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objects into planet crossing
regions. In fact, many present
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day near-Earth asteroids all
originated in this J3 To1
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Region.
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The simulations indicated that
about half the collisional
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fragments reached J3 to 1 almost
immediately, spraying planetary
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shrapnel across the inner solar
system and leading to elevated
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bombardments of the moon and the
terrestrial planets.
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Then over the next 100 to 150
million years, another 25% of
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the fragments drifted into the
J3 to 1 resonance. That was due
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to non-gravitational forces in a
process known as Jakovsky
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effect, where one side of a body
's heated by the sun more than
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the other side, resulting in the
radiation of thermal energy
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which acts as a sort of thrust,
just enough to slowly move the
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meteoroid.
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The simulations demonstrate that
the earlier breakup could
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plausibly account for the
observed lunar craters forming
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around 800 million years ago and
may have had widespread
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repercussions right across the
inner solar system. Research
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indicates that for every large
impact that occurred on the
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moon, roughly 20 similar sized
or larger impacts would have
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occurred on Earth. This is
SpaceTime.
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Still to come, alien chemistry
discovered in a meteorite that
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00:05:11,049 --> 00:05:14,679
hit a New Jersey home, and we'll
do a bit of political bashing.
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00:05:14,809 --> 00:05:17,970
But before you go clutching your
pearls, we'll target both sides
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00:05:17,970 --> 00:05:21,399
of the aisle with the Albanese
Federal Labor government axing
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00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:24,989
key funding for astronomy
research and One Nation Senator
96
00:05:24,989 --> 00:05:28,010
Malcolm Roberts appearing to
promote the pseudoscience of
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00:05:28,010 --> 00:05:32,170
chemtrails. All that and more
still to come on SpaceTime.
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00:05:45,890 --> 00:05:49,279
Scientists have discovered high
concentrations of briny fluids
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that could potentially create
molecules crucial for life in a
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meteorite that slammed into a
New Jersey home in 2024. It was
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back on July 16th of 2024, a
daytime meteor shook New York
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City with a sonic boom as it
streaked south of the Statue Of
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Liberty and crashed through the
roof of a house in the town of
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Hillsborough, New Jersey.
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Witnesses from all over New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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Rhode Island, Pennsylvania saw
the meteorite as it flashed
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across the blue sky, and the
good citizens of New York and
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New Jersey also felt the shock
wave.
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Now a report in the Journal
Science Advances has examined
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the fragments of the 907 g space
rock, revealing that they
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contain preserved bits from near
the surface of a primitive
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asteroid where it experienced
concentrated salty fluids.
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The study's lead author, Peter
Jenniskins from the SETI Search
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00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,890
For Extraterrestrial
Intelligence Institute and NASA
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's Ames Research Center says it
's a process not previously
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known from this type of
protoplanetary world. The meteor
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was traveling at over 14
kilometers per second as it
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entered the atmosphere, and it
appears to have originated from
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the main asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter.
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The rock was fragile and quickly
broke into pieces. The meteor
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stopped being visible at an
altitude of around 35
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kilometers, and after it faded,
a Doppler weather radar at
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Newark Airport briefly detected
a long cloud of falling pebbles
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stretching from Staten Island
across into New Jersey, and
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Hillsborough was at the far end
of that cloud where the largest
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bits of rock came down.
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Only one fragment was recovered,
the one that hit the house. The
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homeowner says he heard a loud
crash, then found a hole in the
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ceiling of the master bedroom
and noticed a strong sulfur-like
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odor.
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He saw numerous black fragments,
along with debris and black dust
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that covered the bed, carpet and
surrounding furniture. He was
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quick enough to immediately
preserve and document the scene
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using disposable gloves and
aluminum foil, placing the
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meteorite fragments in glass
jars.
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When scientists examined the
rocks, they determined it
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belonged to one of two known
types of primitive meteorites
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called CM-type carbonaceous
chondrites, where the letter M
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refers to the Minji meteorite
that fell in Ukraine in 1889.
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Analysis found the fragments
were more extensively altered by
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00:08:02,649 --> 00:08:05,609
water on the meteorite's parent
body than what's typically seen
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in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites,
and so astronomers classified
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the specimen as a CM12
carbonaceous chondrite, a sort
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of intermediate classification
between petrographs type CM1 and
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CM2.
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Jenniski says that thanks to the
homeowner's quick reaction, the
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fragment represents the most
pristine CM1-2 meteorite ever
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recovered.
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Another prominent primitive type
of carbonaceous chondrote is
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called CI, with the Istanding
for the meteorite Auna, which
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fell in Tanzania in 1938.
Samples of this type of
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meteorite were also brought back
from the asteroid Ryugu by Japan
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's Ayabusa 2 mission and from
the asteroid Benu by NASA's O
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Cyrus Rex spacecraft.
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And those samples were also
found to contain evidence of the
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influence of bryony fluids from
just below the surface of their
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parent asteroid. The authors
also found small salt-rich CM1
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fragments within the
Hillsborough meteorite,
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suggesting they originated from
near the surface region of the
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parent asteroid, where liquid
water must have evaporated and
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concentrated salts.
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And this high concentration of
salt in a briny fluid can
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potentially create molecules
crucial for life on Earth. See,
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brines allow phosphate to remain
in solution and can catalyze
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chemical reactions between
organics and precipitate
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minerals. Isotope studies of
carbon and nitrogen suggest that
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primitive carbonaceous
chondrites, including CM types,
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delivered organic matter to the
early Earth.
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The Hillsborough meteorite
contained 1.8% by weight of
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carbon and 0.07% of nitrogen,
and contained carbon and
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nitrogen isotopes typical of CM
type meteorites. The meteorite
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contained a wide variety of
soluble organic compounds, and
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its compositional range confirms
that the Hillsborough meteorite
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was more altered by water than
most other CM type meteorites.
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The authors say a high fraction
of the compounds were the
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product of organic chemistry
with minerals, but it's not
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known if these magnesium organic
compounds were contributed by
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00:10:01,419 --> 00:10:04,979
brine chemistry or were simply
leftover from an earlier impact
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shock process.
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00:10:06,869 --> 00:10:09,770
In living organisms,
ganometallic compounds are found
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00:10:09,770 --> 00:10:13,549
in blood, and they're used in
photosynthesis. Also present in
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00:10:13,549 --> 00:10:16,830
this meteorite were numerous
amino acids, the very building
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00:10:16,830 --> 00:10:20,940
blocks of life. The presence of
amino acids, carbocyclic acids,
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and other soluble organic
molecules by CM type bodies may
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have contributed to the
prebiotic organic inventory that
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00:10:27,190 --> 00:10:29,929
preceded the emergence of life
here on Earth.
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This is SpaceTime. Still to
come, we'll do a bit of
188
00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:37,690
political bashing. We'll target
both sides of the aisle, with
189
00:10:37,690 --> 00:10:40,820
the Albanese Federal Labor
government axing key funding for
190
00:10:40,820 --> 00:10:44,780
astronomy research and One
Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts
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00:10:44,780 --> 00:10:47,820
appearing to promote the
pseudoscience of chemtrails.
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00:10:48,059 --> 00:10:51,340
And later in the science report,
a new study shows that people
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00:10:51,340 --> 00:10:53,739
who've suffered serious heart
attacks have higher levels of
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00:10:53,739 --> 00:10:57,239
microplastics in their blood.
All that and more still to come
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00:10:57,859 --> 00:10:59,059
on SpaceTime.
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00:11:04,549 --> 00:11:07,349
The Australian Academy Of
Science has condemned the
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00:11:07,349 --> 00:11:10,150
Albanese Labor Government's
decision to withdraw its
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00:11:10,150 --> 00:11:13,750
association from the European
Southern Observatory, calling it
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00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:17,030
short-sighted and warning that
the move will inflict lasting
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00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:19,650
damage to a research and
development system already
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00:11:19,650 --> 00:11:22,090
facing deep structural
underinvestment.
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00:11:22,590 --> 00:11:25,299
The European Southern
Observatory operates numerous
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00:11:25,299 --> 00:11:28,140
high quality telescope
facilities around the world,
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00:11:28,429 --> 00:11:31,070
including the Very Large
Telescope, the ALMA Large
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00:11:31,070 --> 00:11:35,630
Millimeter Submillimeter Array,
and the ELT, the Extremely Large
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00:11:35,630 --> 00:11:38,270
Telescope, which when it's
completed, will be the largest
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00:11:38,270 --> 00:11:42,789
optical telescope ever built. So
Australian science's removal
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00:11:42,789 --> 00:11:46,770
from this group will be a huge
blow to our scientific future.
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00:11:47,609 --> 00:11:51,090
Professor Margaret Shiel,
secretary of science policy with
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00:11:51,090 --> 00:11:53,969
the Australian Academy Of
Science, says stepping back now
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00:11:53,969 --> 00:11:57,039
risks long term damage to the
nation's capability and
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00:11:57,039 --> 00:11:57,909
competitiveness.
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00:11:58,599 --> 00:12:01,479
She says the decision means
Australia will no longer remain
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00:12:01,479 --> 00:12:04,799
at the forefront of astronomy
research and discovery. Full
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00:12:04,799 --> 00:12:07,599
membership of the European
Southern Observatory was a key
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00:12:07,599 --> 00:12:11,320
recommendation of the Academy's
astronomy decadal plan for 2026
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00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,140
to 20935, which was launched
last year.
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00:12:13,919 --> 00:12:16,719
So abandoning the European
Southern Observatory directly
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00:12:16,719 --> 00:12:20,080
contradicts that plan, which
identified full membership as
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00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,299
essential for Australia's
research future.
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Under the Albanese Government's
decision, access to the European
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00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,640
Southern Observatory will be
shut off completely from next
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00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:30,080
year.
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00:12:31,059 --> 00:12:33,940
Shill says the European Southern
Observatory is a gateway to
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00:12:33,940 --> 00:12:36,659
collaboration, connecting
Australian researchers toward
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00:12:36,659 --> 00:12:39,460
leading facilities and
international teams, thereby
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00:12:39,460 --> 00:12:43,049
multiplying the impact of
domestic investment. She points
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00:12:43,049 --> 00:12:45,830
out that in a field defined by
scale and precision,
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00:12:45,979 --> 00:12:48,530
partnerships are not optional
extras, they're core
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capabilities.
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00:12:50,299 --> 00:12:52,440
Australia's strategic
partnership with the European
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00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,790
Southern Observatory was
established back in 2017, and it
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00:12:55,790 --> 00:12:58,340
's provided Australian
scientists with access to
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00:12:58,340 --> 00:13:01,460
world-leading infrastructure
that simply cannot be replicated
235
00:13:01,460 --> 00:13:02,270
here alone.
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00:13:02,659 --> 00:13:05,500
In fact, membership's fueled a
thriving Australian astronomy
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00:13:05,500 --> 00:13:08,619
instrumentation program,
expanding engagement with
238
00:13:08,619 --> 00:13:11,299
industry and growing astronomy
applications across medicine,
239
00:13:11,419 --> 00:13:13,580
defense, mining and other
sectors.
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00:13:14,450 --> 00:13:16,549
Shiel says the federal
government's decision to
241
00:13:16,549 --> 00:13:20,080
withdraw from shared global
infrastructure reduces access to
242
00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,400
data, reduces talent and
opportunity, and doesn't solve
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00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:27,159
the underlying problem. You
simply can't build world-class
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00:13:27,159 --> 00:13:28,960
science in isolation.
245
00:13:29,919 --> 00:13:32,760
So what are we talking about?
Well, full membership of the
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00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,349
European Southern Observatory
would cost $40 million a year.
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00:13:36,799 --> 00:13:38,400
That sounds like a lot of money,
doesn't it?
248
00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,750
But compare that to the $522
million spent by the Albanese
249
00:13:42,750 --> 00:13:46,020
Government on its failed 2023
voice to parliament referendum,
250
00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:50,270
or the $130 million spent on
Palestinian organizations,
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00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,760
including $20 million for UNRWA,
which includes more than 1500
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00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:56,919
employees now under active
investigation for being Hamas or
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00:13:56,919 --> 00:14:00,280
Islamic Jihad terrorists and
actively teaching Palestinian
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00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:01,900
kids how to kill Jews.
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00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:06,440
Then there's the $285.2 million
the Albanese Government spent on
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00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,460
the Whyalla green hydrogen
project before it was scrapped.
257
00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:12,719
The $80 million supporting
billionaire Andrew Forrest's
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00:14:12,719 --> 00:14:14,760
green hydrogen initiatives,
which have now also been
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00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,719
scrapped. $300 million for years
of investigations by the
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00:14:18,719 --> 00:14:22,099
Albanese Government in pursuit
of Ben Roberts Smith VC.
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00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,960
And as much as that is, it all
pales into insignificance
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00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:29,869
compared to the $22 billion
being spent on the Snowy pump
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00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:33,400
hydro scheme. That's a project
originally slated to cost $2
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00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:33,859
billion.
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00:14:34,799 --> 00:14:37,440
The Albanese Government's
decision mirrors the earlier
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00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,710
Gillard Labor Government's
decision in 2010 to turn down an
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00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:43,599
offer by LIGO, the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational
268
00:14:43,599 --> 00:14:46,960
Wave Observatory, which wanted
to build a $1.1 billion
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00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,340
gravitational wave detector at
Gin Gin in Western Australia,
270
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:51,359
free of charge.
271
00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,830
CBR would only have to pay for
the ongoing operational costs.
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00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,799
But like the Albanese Government
's funding for the European
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00:14:57,799 --> 00:15:00,440
Southern Observatory, the
Gillard government rejected the
274
00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:01,419
LIGO offer.
275
00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,330
What's that they say about
leopards and spots? This is
276
00:15:05,330 --> 00:15:06,090
space time.
277
00:15:36,780 --> 00:15:38,700
And time now to take a brief
look at some of the other
278
00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:41,960
stories making news in science
this week with a science report.
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00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:45,260
A new study has found that
people who suffered a serious
280
00:15:45,260 --> 00:15:48,669
heart attack also had higher
levels of micro and nanoplastics
281
00:15:48,669 --> 00:15:49,539
in their blood.
282
00:15:49,940 --> 00:15:52,659
The findings reported in the
European Heart Journal, looked
283
00:15:52,659 --> 00:15:55,859
at levels of micro and
nanoplastics in the blood of 61
284
00:15:55,859 --> 00:15:58,890
Italian patients diagnosed with
either a heart attack, chronic
285
00:15:58,890 --> 00:16:03,210
ischemic heart disease, or with
normal coronary arteries. Among
286
00:16:03,210 --> 00:16:05,849
those who had heart attacks,
micro and nanoplastics were
287
00:16:05,849 --> 00:16:07,890
found in 84% of patients.
288
00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:11,729
That compares to 40% of patients
who had chronic ischemic heart
289
00:16:11,729 --> 00:16:16,080
disease and 32% of patients with
normal coronary arteries. They
290
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,809
also found that heart attack
patients had greater variety of
291
00:16:18,809 --> 00:16:21,270
plastic types in their blood,
with the most common being
292
00:16:21,270 --> 00:16:24,049
polyurethane, normally used in
plastic packaging.
293
00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,719
The authors also noticed that
smokers and people exposed to
294
00:16:27,719 --> 00:16:30,559
higher levels of air pollution
had more plastics in their
295
00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:33,559
blood, suggesting that this
might make it easier for micro
296
00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:36,400
nanoplastics to enter the
bloodstream through the lungs.
297
00:16:37,849 --> 00:16:41,770
A new study warns that the
artificial intelligence chat GPT
298
00:16:41,770 --> 00:16:45,169
may be making psychotic symptoms
worse in some people by echoing
299
00:16:45,169 --> 00:16:49,039
or encouraging unusual ideas. A
report in the Journal Of The
300
00:16:49,039 --> 00:16:52,130
American Medical Association
found that all three versions of
301
00:16:52,130 --> 00:16:56,049
chat GPT showed high rates of
inappropriate or only partially
302
00:16:56,049 --> 00:16:58,559
appropriate responses to
psychotic prompts.
303
00:16:59,020 --> 00:17:02,260
They found that while the paid
version of GPT-5 performed
304
00:17:02,260 --> 00:17:05,300
better than the free version,
people with a risk of psychosis
305
00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:08,839
may be overrepresented among the
economically disadvantaged.
306
00:17:10,229 --> 00:17:12,750
A new study has shown that
koalas that once lived in
307
00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:15,510
Western Australia may have been
a different species to their
308
00:17:15,510 --> 00:17:18,750
eastern Australian counterparts.
A report in the Journal of the
309
00:17:18,750 --> 00:17:21,790
Royal Society Of Open Science
found that while koalas are
310
00:17:21,790 --> 00:17:24,670
originally extinct in Western
Australia, some fossils in the
311
00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:26,910
region have been found over the
past century.
312
00:17:27,390 --> 00:17:30,630
In analyzing two complete skull
fossils, the authors found that
313
00:17:30,630 --> 00:17:33,869
while some skulls were similar
in size to eastern koalas we
314
00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:36,989
know today, they also showed
clear differences. The skulls
315
00:17:36,989 --> 00:17:39,449
were longer and they had deeper
indents on the face.
316
00:17:40,209 --> 00:17:43,339
The authors conclude that these
Western Australian koalas could
317
00:17:43,339 --> 00:17:46,420
be considered as a distinct
species, one that likely went
318
00:17:46,420 --> 00:17:49,500
extinct as a result of climate
change in the late Pleistocene,
319
00:17:49,540 --> 00:17:51,900
which slashed eucalyptus
abundance.
320
00:17:53,410 --> 00:17:56,859
Ok, here's one for dog lovers. A
new study warns that your puppy
321
00:17:56,859 --> 00:18:00,540
may be addicted to their toys.
The findings published in the
322
00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:03,140
Journal of the Royal Society Of
Open Science, are based on
323
00:18:03,140 --> 00:18:06,140
reports by the owners of 1600
dogs who found that our
324
00:18:06,140 --> 00:18:08,500
four-legged friends could be
addicted to their toys,
325
00:18:08,739 --> 00:18:10,979
especially those belonging to
working breed dogs.
326
00:18:11,290 --> 00:18:14,339
The authors say some dogs
displayed behaviors that mimic
327
00:18:14,339 --> 00:18:17,339
those of addiction when
motivated by their toys, such as
328
00:18:17,339 --> 00:18:20,400
difficulty disengaging,
difficulty calming down, and
329
00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,699
reduced sleep during the day.
And this was especially present
330
00:18:23,699 --> 00:18:26,780
in German shepherds and
terriers. And the authors warn
331
00:18:26,780 --> 00:18:29,979
this is not a good thing.
Extreme motivation levels could
332
00:18:29,979 --> 00:18:31,839
impact your dog's health and
welfare.
333
00:18:33,719 --> 00:18:36,359
Australian One Nation Senator
Malcolm Roberts has gained
334
00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,160
notoriety over the past week by
expressing interest in the
335
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,920
chemtrells conspiracy theory.
Roberts already has a long
336
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,640
history of promoting fringe
beliefs and globalist conspiracy
337
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,449
theories. He shared an infamous
Anti-Semitic mural on social
338
00:18:49,449 --> 00:18:52,680
media depicting businessmen with
exaggerated features carting
339
00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,260
money around a monopoly board.
340
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,880
That image featured Illuminati
and new world order imagery,
341
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,839
which he praised as being the
most powerful picture he's ever
342
00:19:00,839 --> 00:19:04,890
seen. Roberts has also promoted
a book authored by a notorious
343
00:19:04,890 --> 00:19:08,250
American Jew hater and Holocaust
denier. He's faced severe
344
00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:11,250
backlash after failing to rule
out whether the Bondi Junction
345
00:19:11,250 --> 00:19:14,189
stabbing attack was a government
staged false flag operation.
346
00:19:14,489 --> 00:19:17,329
He claimed Russian President
Vladimir Putin earned his
347
00:19:17,329 --> 00:19:21,010
respect by invading Ukraine. He
's described disgraced American
348
00:19:21,010 --> 00:19:24,290
conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
That's the dude who claimed the
349
00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:27,290
Sandy Hook Elementary School
massacre was a hoax, as a beacon
350
00:19:27,290 --> 00:19:30,280
of hope around the world, and
Roberts praised Jones'
351
00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,119
credibility. All the skeptics
Tim Minha says the simple facts
352
00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:37,040
are the chemtrails conspiracy
theories don't add up.
353
00:19:37,319 --> 00:19:40,050
TIM MENDHAM: Chemtrails are
supposed chemicals being pumped
354
00:19:40,050 --> 00:19:43,000
into the air from planes flying
overhead. The idea started with
355
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,229
people witnessing contrails,
which is water vapor that
356
00:19:46,229 --> 00:19:49,109
appears from planes behind their
flight. Right? People see these
357
00:19:49,109 --> 00:19:52,319
contrails, condensation trails
in the air, and in certain
358
00:19:52,319 --> 00:19:54,319
circumstances they last there
for a fair while.
359
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,180
So because they last there a
fair while, people are saying,
360
00:19:56,250 --> 00:20:00,206
well, they're obviously not
steam or. Of water vapor, and
361
00:20:00,206 --> 00:20:03,206
they can in fact last for a
long, long time. So anyway,
362
00:20:03,475 --> 00:20:05,645
people see this up in the air
and they instantly think
363
00:20:05,645 --> 00:20:06,406
something's suspicious.
364
00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:10,166
So the idea they've come to is
that the government is pumping
365
00:20:10,166 --> 00:20:13,005
chemicals into the air to
control human beings, which
366
00:20:13,005 --> 00:20:15,406
always strikes me as the most
inefficient way of trying to
367
00:20:15,406 --> 00:20:17,286
control human beings. You're
pumping from the air, you're
368
00:20:17,286 --> 00:20:19,946
affecting everybody, obviously,
and what you're pumping in the
369
00:20:19,946 --> 00:20:21,276
air, no one is quite sure.
370
00:20:21,365 --> 00:20:23,676
STUART GARY: I guess this all
started with Agent Orange in the
371
00:20:23,676 --> 00:20:27,692
Vietnam War when the US were
Spraying defoliants out of the
372
00:20:27,692 --> 00:20:28,722
back of aircraft, yeah.
373
00:20:28,812 --> 00:20:30,852
TIM MENDHAM: And Agent Orient
actually hurt people and it was
374
00:20:30,852 --> 00:20:33,722
known to have hurt people,
right? It had a known.
375
00:20:33,722 --> 00:20:35,491
STUART GARY: Hurting people
today. There are still, that's
376
00:20:35,491 --> 00:20:35,741
right, yeah.
377
00:20:35,891 --> 00:20:38,332
TIM MENDHAM: It had a known
effect and you could see it
378
00:20:38,332 --> 00:20:41,281
being sprayed out of planes, but
this is of unknown nature. It's
379
00:20:41,281 --> 00:20:44,011
very uncertain, and there are
better ways to actually add a
380
00:20:44,011 --> 00:20:47,531
mind controlling chemical to the
human population. The water
381
00:20:47,531 --> 00:20:50,031
system would probably be a far
better way. They defy logic,
382
00:20:50,171 --> 00:20:52,251
these things, but then logic has
never been a great point for a
383
00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:52,972
lot of these people.
384
00:20:53,057 --> 00:20:56,218
STUART GARY: The fact that we've
got a senator who already has a
385
00:20:56,218 --> 00:20:58,738
history of promoting
Anti-Semitic propaganda now
386
00:20:58,738 --> 00:21:02,458
pushing this line or seeming to
support it, is that concerning?
387
00:21:02,537 --> 00:21:03,218
It is concerning.
388
00:21:03,297 --> 00:21:05,208
TIM MENDHAM: Malcolm Roberts
belongs to a small party, a
389
00:21:05,208 --> 00:21:08,338
party with potential to grow. He
has a long history of conspiracy
390
00:21:08,338 --> 00:21:11,137
theories. He's anti-vaccination,
anti-climate change,
391
00:21:11,338 --> 00:21:14,258
pro-chemtrails, endorses racist
messaging. That's a bit
392
00:21:14,258 --> 00:21:14,458
concerning.
393
00:21:14,537 --> 00:21:17,458
Yeah, I mean there's many
aspects of what Malcolm Roberts
394
00:21:17,458 --> 00:21:21,384
says, most of which are provable
wrong. He will continue to do it
395
00:21:21,384 --> 00:21:24,293
because his market is basically
a conspiracy minded market.
396
00:21:24,404 --> 00:21:26,864
There's a suggestion because of
his recent conspiracy outbursts
397
00:21:26,864 --> 00:21:29,384
on racism that he should be
taken out of parliament.
398
00:21:29,504 --> 00:21:31,744
STUART GARY: Well, the call is
that Pauline Hanson should sack
399
00:21:31,744 --> 00:21:31,864
him.
400
00:21:31,984 --> 00:21:33,973
TIM MENDHAM: Yeah, she's the
head of the party. It's Pauline
401
00:21:33,973 --> 00:21:36,813
Hanson's One Nation Party, so
she could very easily sack him
402
00:21:36,813 --> 00:21:39,543
if she wants to be seen as a
serious leader of a nation
403
00:21:39,543 --> 00:21:41,984
rather than someone on the
sidelines. She would have to
404
00:21:41,984 --> 00:21:43,984
take some action, but frankly I
doubt she will.
405
00:21:44,144 --> 00:21:46,943
STUART GARY: That's the skeptic
's Tim Mind, and this is Space
406
00:21:46,943 --> 00:21:47,364
Time.
407
00:22:02,770 --> 00:22:06,530
And that's the show for now.
SpaceT is available every
408
00:22:06,530 --> 00:22:10,449
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
through Bytes.Com, SoundCloud,
409
00:22:10,650 --> 00:22:14,229
YouTube, your favorite podcast
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410
00:22:14,229 --> 00:22:18,530
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SpaceTime's also broadcast
411
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through the National Science
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412
00:22:21,729 --> 00:22:24,709
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413
00:22:25,109 --> 00:22:28,239
And you can help to support our
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420
00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:51,939
SPK_1: You've been listening to
SpaceTime with Stuart Garry.
421
00:22:52,459 --> 00:22:55,339
This has been another quality
podcast production from
422
00:22:55,339 --> 00:22:56,339
Bytes.Com.
00:00:00,009 --> 00:00:03,329
STUART GARY: This is SpaceTime
series 29, episode 86 for
2
00:00:03,329 --> 00:00:08,050
broadcast on the 20th of July
2026. Coming up on SpaceTime,
3
00:00:08,489 --> 00:00:11,409
the asteroid collision that
changed life on Earth forever.
4
00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,119
Alien chemistry discovered in a
meteorite that hit a New Jersey
5
00:00:15,119 --> 00:00:18,680
home, and we'll do a bit of
political bashing, but before
6
00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,600
you go clutching your pearls,
we'll target both sides of the
7
00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,079
aisle, with the Albanese Federal
Labor government axing key
8
00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,719
funding for astronomy research
and One Nation Senator Malcolm
9
00:00:28,719 --> 00:00:33,279
Roberts appearing to promote the
pseudoscience of chemtrails. All
10
00:00:33,279 --> 00:00:36,040
that and more coming up on
SpaceTime.
11
00:00:37,130 --> 00:00:40,479
SPK_1: Welcome to space time
with Stuart Garry.
12
00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,900
STUART GARY: Astronomers have
linked a massive collision in
13
00:00:58,900 --> 00:01:02,580
the main asteroid belt to a huge
meteor bombardment in the inner
14
00:01:02,580 --> 00:01:06,610
solar system that may have
changed life on Earth forever.
15
00:01:07,019 --> 00:01:10,339
The findings reported in the
Planetary Science Journal and on
16
00:01:10,339 --> 00:01:13,459
the pre-press physics website
archive.org, suggest the
17
00:01:13,459 --> 00:01:17,059
catastrophic breakup of the
Ealia main asteroid belt parent
18
00:01:17,059 --> 00:01:20,069
body between Mars and Jupiter
could be linked to an impact
19
00:01:20,069 --> 00:01:23,419
shower that slammed into the
terrestrial planets around 800
20
00:01:23,419 --> 00:01:24,519
million years ago.
21
00:01:24,930 --> 00:01:28,169
The study's lead author, William
Bake from the Southwest Research
22
00:01:28,169 --> 00:01:31,839
Institute in Boulder, Colorado,
says the role impacts play in
23
00:01:31,839 --> 00:01:35,330
shaping the origin and evolution
of life in the solar system is
24
00:01:35,330 --> 00:01:38,910
poorly understood. What is
certain is that 800 million
25
00:01:38,910 --> 00:01:42,370
years ago, planet Earth
underwent a major biological and
26
00:01:42,370 --> 00:01:43,910
geological change.
27
00:01:44,370 --> 00:01:47,459
During this critical window,
Earth received large amounts of
28
00:01:47,459 --> 00:01:50,209
phosphorus, which may have
profoundly influenced marine
29
00:01:50,209 --> 00:01:54,930
life and biochemical cycles. It
marked the dawn of animal life
30
00:01:54,930 --> 00:01:58,489
with DNA evidence suggesting it
was around this time that
31
00:01:58,489 --> 00:02:01,430
complex multicellular animals
such as early sponges
32
00:02:01,430 --> 00:02:02,360
originated.
33
00:02:02,809 --> 00:02:05,970
Now at the same time,
geologically, tectonic activity
34
00:02:05,970 --> 00:02:08,610
caused the supercontinent
Rhodinia to begin breaking
35
00:02:08,610 --> 00:02:12,270
apart, setting the stage for
major climatic changes,
36
00:02:12,570 --> 00:02:15,529
including the globally freezing
Cryogean period known as
37
00:02:15,529 --> 00:02:16,589
Snowball Earth.
38
00:02:17,029 --> 00:02:21,350
But so far, only the Chiksalub
asteroid impact 66 million years
39
00:02:21,350 --> 00:02:24,509
ago, which caused the KT mass
extinction event that wiped out
40
00:02:24,509 --> 00:02:27,669
75% of all life on Earth,
including all the non-avvian
41
00:02:27,669 --> 00:02:31,029
dinosaurs, has been strongly
linked to a specific life
42
00:02:31,029 --> 00:02:32,410
changing event on Earth.
43
00:02:33,509 --> 00:02:37,270
Finding geological evidence of
impacts older than 650 million
44
00:02:37,270 --> 00:02:40,339
years ago on Earth is
challenging. That's due to the
45
00:02:40,339 --> 00:02:42,940
constant renewal of the planet's
surface through tectonic
46
00:02:42,940 --> 00:02:46,949
activity and through wind and
water erosion. Bottke says one
47
00:02:46,949 --> 00:02:49,990
way to find out about Earth's
past is to study asteroid
48
00:02:49,990 --> 00:02:50,699
showers.
49
00:02:51,149 --> 00:02:54,029
These rare events triggered by
large collisions in the main
50
00:02:54,029 --> 00:02:56,979
asteroid belt end up sending
debris throughout the inner
51
00:02:56,979 --> 00:03:00,529
solar system. So evidence
preserved on say the moon's
52
00:03:00,529 --> 00:03:03,720
static surface can be used to
infer what also happened on
53
00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:06,589
Earth and Mars for that matter,
in ancient times.
54
00:03:07,589 --> 00:03:11,080
Scientists have proposed that a
substantial surge in large lunar
55
00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:14,350
impacts occurred around 800
million years ago, based on the
56
00:03:14,350 --> 00:03:17,949
ages of large lunar craters and
the age distribution of impact
57
00:03:17,949 --> 00:03:21,350
glass materials found in samples
brought back by the Apollo
58
00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:22,259
astronauts.
59
00:03:23,020 --> 00:03:26,729
Computer simulations based on
collisional and dynamic models
60
00:03:26,729 --> 00:03:29,580
have now linked this event to
the formation of the Eulalia
61
00:03:29,580 --> 00:03:33,000
asteroid family when a primitive
carbonaceous chondrite-like
62
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,660
object collided with another
body. Botky says the location of
63
00:03:36,660 --> 00:03:40,380
the parent asteroid was key.
See, it broke up on the brink of
64
00:03:40,380 --> 00:03:43,860
the gravitational 3 to 1 mean
motion resonance with the planet
65
00:03:43,860 --> 00:03:44,360
Jupiter.
66
00:03:45,119 --> 00:03:49,360
Now this orbital configuration,
known as J3 To1 describes when
67
00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,720
an asteroid completes 3 orbits
around the sun for every single
68
00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,600
orbit by Jupiter. The J3 to 1
resonance serves as a
69
00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,759
gravitational escape hatch for
the asteroid belt, delivering
70
00:03:59,759 --> 00:04:03,720
objects into planet crossing
regions. In fact, many present
71
00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,279
day near-Earth asteroids all
originated in this J3 To1
72
00:04:07,279 --> 00:04:07,660
Region.
73
00:04:08,210 --> 00:04:11,009
The simulations indicated that
about half the collisional
74
00:04:11,009 --> 00:04:14,889
fragments reached J3 to 1 almost
immediately, spraying planetary
75
00:04:14,889 --> 00:04:18,130
shrapnel across the inner solar
system and leading to elevated
76
00:04:18,130 --> 00:04:21,149
bombardments of the moon and the
terrestrial planets.
77
00:04:21,649 --> 00:04:26,369
Then over the next 100 to 150
million years, another 25% of
78
00:04:26,369 --> 00:04:30,269
the fragments drifted into the
J3 to 1 resonance. That was due
79
00:04:30,269 --> 00:04:33,589
to non-gravitational forces in a
process known as Jakovsky
80
00:04:33,589 --> 00:04:36,750
effect, where one side of a body
's heated by the sun more than
81
00:04:36,750 --> 00:04:39,739
the other side, resulting in the
radiation of thermal energy
82
00:04:39,739 --> 00:04:43,230
which acts as a sort of thrust,
just enough to slowly move the
83
00:04:43,230 --> 00:04:43,970
meteoroid.
84
00:04:44,769 --> 00:04:47,970
The simulations demonstrate that
the earlier breakup could
85
00:04:47,970 --> 00:04:50,850
plausibly account for the
observed lunar craters forming
86
00:04:50,850 --> 00:04:54,119
around 800 million years ago and
may have had widespread
87
00:04:54,119 --> 00:04:57,850
repercussions right across the
inner solar system. Research
88
00:04:57,850 --> 00:05:00,609
indicates that for every large
impact that occurred on the
89
00:05:00,609 --> 00:05:03,880
moon, roughly 20 similar sized
or larger impacts would have
90
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,970
occurred on Earth. This is
SpaceTime.
91
00:05:07,450 --> 00:05:11,049
Still to come, alien chemistry
discovered in a meteorite that
92
00:05:11,049 --> 00:05:14,679
hit a New Jersey home, and we'll
do a bit of political bashing.
93
00:05:14,809 --> 00:05:17,970
But before you go clutching your
pearls, we'll target both sides
94
00:05:17,970 --> 00:05:21,399
of the aisle with the Albanese
Federal Labor government axing
95
00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:24,989
key funding for astronomy
research and One Nation Senator
96
00:05:24,989 --> 00:05:28,010
Malcolm Roberts appearing to
promote the pseudoscience of
97
00:05:28,010 --> 00:05:32,170
chemtrails. All that and more
still to come on SpaceTime.
98
00:05:45,890 --> 00:05:49,279
Scientists have discovered high
concentrations of briny fluids
99
00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,399
that could potentially create
molecules crucial for life in a
100
00:05:52,399 --> 00:05:57,049
meteorite that slammed into a
New Jersey home in 2024. It was
101
00:05:57,049 --> 00:06:01,519
back on July 16th of 2024, a
daytime meteor shook New York
102
00:06:01,519 --> 00:06:04,600
City with a sonic boom as it
streaked south of the Statue Of
103
00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,559
Liberty and crashed through the
roof of a house in the town of
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00:06:07,559 --> 00:06:08,760
Hillsborough, New Jersey.
105
00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:12,160
Witnesses from all over New
York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
106
00:06:12,269 --> 00:06:15,679
Rhode Island, Pennsylvania saw
the meteorite as it flashed
107
00:06:15,679 --> 00:06:18,559
across the blue sky, and the
good citizens of New York and
108
00:06:18,559 --> 00:06:20,940
New Jersey also felt the shock
wave.
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00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,839
Now a report in the Journal
Science Advances has examined
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00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,350
the fragments of the 907 g space
rock, revealing that they
111
00:06:28,350 --> 00:06:31,109
contain preserved bits from near
the surface of a primitive
112
00:06:31,109 --> 00:06:34,790
asteroid where it experienced
concentrated salty fluids.
113
00:06:35,239 --> 00:06:38,279
The study's lead author, Peter
Jenniskins from the SETI Search
114
00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:40,890
For Extraterrestrial
Intelligence Institute and NASA
115
00:06:40,890 --> 00:06:43,839
's Ames Research Center says it
's a process not previously
116
00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:47,619
known from this type of
protoplanetary world. The meteor
117
00:06:47,619 --> 00:06:50,220
was traveling at over 14
kilometers per second as it
118
00:06:50,220 --> 00:06:53,179
entered the atmosphere, and it
appears to have originated from
119
00:06:53,179 --> 00:06:55,929
the main asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter.
120
00:06:56,299 --> 00:07:00,200
The rock was fragile and quickly
broke into pieces. The meteor
121
00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,640
stopped being visible at an
altitude of around 35
122
00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:06,079
kilometers, and after it faded,
a Doppler weather radar at
123
00:07:06,079 --> 00:07:09,920
Newark Airport briefly detected
a long cloud of falling pebbles
124
00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,399
stretching from Staten Island
across into New Jersey, and
125
00:07:13,399 --> 00:07:16,600
Hillsborough was at the far end
of that cloud where the largest
126
00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,160
bits of rock came down.
127
00:07:18,679 --> 00:07:22,119
Only one fragment was recovered,
the one that hit the house. The
128
00:07:22,119 --> 00:07:25,279
homeowner says he heard a loud
crash, then found a hole in the
129
00:07:25,279 --> 00:07:28,630
ceiling of the master bedroom
and noticed a strong sulfur-like
130
00:07:28,630 --> 00:07:29,290
odor.
131
00:07:29,709 --> 00:07:33,220
He saw numerous black fragments,
along with debris and black dust
132
00:07:33,220 --> 00:07:36,670
that covered the bed, carpet and
surrounding furniture. He was
133
00:07:36,670 --> 00:07:39,470
quick enough to immediately
preserve and document the scene
134
00:07:39,470 --> 00:07:42,390
using disposable gloves and
aluminum foil, placing the
135
00:07:42,390 --> 00:07:44,380
meteorite fragments in glass
jars.
136
00:07:45,390 --> 00:07:47,959
When scientists examined the
rocks, they determined it
137
00:07:47,959 --> 00:07:51,040
belonged to one of two known
types of primitive meteorites
138
00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,660
called CM-type carbonaceous
chondrites, where the letter M
139
00:07:54,660 --> 00:07:58,899
refers to the Minji meteorite
that fell in Ukraine in 1889.
140
00:07:59,290 --> 00:08:02,649
Analysis found the fragments
were more extensively altered by
141
00:08:02,649 --> 00:08:05,609
water on the meteorite's parent
body than what's typically seen
142
00:08:05,609 --> 00:08:09,250
in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites,
and so astronomers classified
143
00:08:09,250 --> 00:08:13,049
the specimen as a CM12
carbonaceous chondrite, a sort
144
00:08:13,049 --> 00:08:16,769
of intermediate classification
between petrographs type CM1 and
145
00:08:16,769 --> 00:08:17,630
CM2.
146
00:08:18,709 --> 00:08:21,790
Jenniski says that thanks to the
homeowner's quick reaction, the
147
00:08:21,790 --> 00:08:25,989
fragment represents the most
pristine CM1-2 meteorite ever
148
00:08:25,989 --> 00:08:26,690
recovered.
149
00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,279
Another prominent primitive type
of carbonaceous chondrote is
150
00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:33,760
called CI, with the Istanding
for the meteorite Auna, which
151
00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:37,679
fell in Tanzania in 1938.
Samples of this type of
152
00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,990
meteorite were also brought back
from the asteroid Ryugu by Japan
153
00:08:40,990 --> 00:08:44,640
's Ayabusa 2 mission and from
the asteroid Benu by NASA's O
154
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,320
Cyrus Rex spacecraft.
155
00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,719
And those samples were also
found to contain evidence of the
156
00:08:49,719 --> 00:08:52,760
influence of bryony fluids from
just below the surface of their
157
00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:57,229
parent asteroid. The authors
also found small salt-rich CM1
158
00:08:57,229 --> 00:08:59,340
fragments within the
Hillsborough meteorite,
159
00:08:59,590 --> 00:09:02,030
suggesting they originated from
near the surface region of the
160
00:09:02,030 --> 00:09:05,309
parent asteroid, where liquid
water must have evaporated and
161
00:09:05,309 --> 00:09:06,830
concentrated salts.
162
00:09:07,229 --> 00:09:10,309
And this high concentration of
salt in a briny fluid can
163
00:09:10,309 --> 00:09:13,830
potentially create molecules
crucial for life on Earth. See,
164
00:09:13,909 --> 00:09:17,510
brines allow phosphate to remain
in solution and can catalyze
165
00:09:17,510 --> 00:09:20,229
chemical reactions between
organics and precipitate
166
00:09:20,229 --> 00:09:24,270
minerals. Isotope studies of
carbon and nitrogen suggest that
167
00:09:24,270 --> 00:09:27,309
primitive carbonaceous
chondrites, including CM types,
168
00:09:27,510 --> 00:09:29,859
delivered organic matter to the
early Earth.
169
00:09:30,229 --> 00:09:33,750
The Hillsborough meteorite
contained 1.8% by weight of
170
00:09:33,750 --> 00:09:38,070
carbon and 0.07% of nitrogen,
and contained carbon and
171
00:09:38,070 --> 00:09:42,619
nitrogen isotopes typical of CM
type meteorites. The meteorite
172
00:09:42,619 --> 00:09:46,020
contained a wide variety of
soluble organic compounds, and
173
00:09:46,020 --> 00:09:48,900
its compositional range confirms
that the Hillsborough meteorite
174
00:09:48,900 --> 00:09:52,690
was more altered by water than
most other CM type meteorites.
175
00:09:53,099 --> 00:09:55,580
The authors say a high fraction
of the compounds were the
176
00:09:55,580 --> 00:09:58,340
product of organic chemistry
with minerals, but it's not
177
00:09:58,340 --> 00:10:01,419
known if these magnesium organic
compounds were contributed by
178
00:10:01,419 --> 00:10:04,979
brine chemistry or were simply
leftover from an earlier impact
179
00:10:04,979 --> 00:10:05,719
shock process.
180
00:10:06,869 --> 00:10:09,770
In living organisms,
ganometallic compounds are found
181
00:10:09,770 --> 00:10:13,549
in blood, and they're used in
photosynthesis. Also present in
182
00:10:13,549 --> 00:10:16,830
this meteorite were numerous
amino acids, the very building
183
00:10:16,830 --> 00:10:20,940
blocks of life. The presence of
amino acids, carbocyclic acids,
184
00:10:20,950 --> 00:10:24,229
and other soluble organic
molecules by CM type bodies may
185
00:10:24,229 --> 00:10:27,190
have contributed to the
prebiotic organic inventory that
186
00:10:27,190 --> 00:10:29,929
preceded the emergence of life
here on Earth.
187
00:10:30,590 --> 00:10:34,500
This is SpaceTime. Still to
come, we'll do a bit of
188
00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:37,690
political bashing. We'll target
both sides of the aisle, with
189
00:10:37,690 --> 00:10:40,820
the Albanese Federal Labor
government axing key funding for
190
00:10:40,820 --> 00:10:44,780
astronomy research and One
Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts
191
00:10:44,780 --> 00:10:47,820
appearing to promote the
pseudoscience of chemtrails.
192
00:10:48,059 --> 00:10:51,340
And later in the science report,
a new study shows that people
193
00:10:51,340 --> 00:10:53,739
who've suffered serious heart
attacks have higher levels of
194
00:10:53,739 --> 00:10:57,239
microplastics in their blood.
All that and more still to come
195
00:10:57,859 --> 00:10:59,059
on SpaceTime.
196
00:11:04,549 --> 00:11:07,349
The Australian Academy Of
Science has condemned the
197
00:11:07,349 --> 00:11:10,150
Albanese Labor Government's
decision to withdraw its
198
00:11:10,150 --> 00:11:13,750
association from the European
Southern Observatory, calling it
199
00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:17,030
short-sighted and warning that
the move will inflict lasting
200
00:11:17,030 --> 00:11:19,650
damage to a research and
development system already
201
00:11:19,650 --> 00:11:22,090
facing deep structural
underinvestment.
202
00:11:22,590 --> 00:11:25,299
The European Southern
Observatory operates numerous
203
00:11:25,299 --> 00:11:28,140
high quality telescope
facilities around the world,
204
00:11:28,429 --> 00:11:31,070
including the Very Large
Telescope, the ALMA Large
205
00:11:31,070 --> 00:11:35,630
Millimeter Submillimeter Array,
and the ELT, the Extremely Large
206
00:11:35,630 --> 00:11:38,270
Telescope, which when it's
completed, will be the largest
207
00:11:38,270 --> 00:11:42,789
optical telescope ever built. So
Australian science's removal
208
00:11:42,789 --> 00:11:46,770
from this group will be a huge
blow to our scientific future.
209
00:11:47,609 --> 00:11:51,090
Professor Margaret Shiel,
secretary of science policy with
210
00:11:51,090 --> 00:11:53,969
the Australian Academy Of
Science, says stepping back now
211
00:11:53,969 --> 00:11:57,039
risks long term damage to the
nation's capability and
212
00:11:57,039 --> 00:11:57,909
competitiveness.
213
00:11:58,599 --> 00:12:01,479
She says the decision means
Australia will no longer remain
214
00:12:01,479 --> 00:12:04,799
at the forefront of astronomy
research and discovery. Full
215
00:12:04,799 --> 00:12:07,599
membership of the European
Southern Observatory was a key
216
00:12:07,599 --> 00:12:11,320
recommendation of the Academy's
astronomy decadal plan for 2026
217
00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,140
to 20935, which was launched
last year.
218
00:12:13,919 --> 00:12:16,719
So abandoning the European
Southern Observatory directly
219
00:12:16,719 --> 00:12:20,080
contradicts that plan, which
identified full membership as
220
00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:22,299
essential for Australia's
research future.
221
00:12:23,349 --> 00:12:26,640
Under the Albanese Government's
decision, access to the European
222
00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,640
Southern Observatory will be
shut off completely from next
223
00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:30,080
year.
224
00:12:31,059 --> 00:12:33,940
Shill says the European Southern
Observatory is a gateway to
225
00:12:33,940 --> 00:12:36,659
collaboration, connecting
Australian researchers toward
226
00:12:36,659 --> 00:12:39,460
leading facilities and
international teams, thereby
227
00:12:39,460 --> 00:12:43,049
multiplying the impact of
domestic investment. She points
228
00:12:43,049 --> 00:12:45,830
out that in a field defined by
scale and precision,
229
00:12:45,979 --> 00:12:48,530
partnerships are not optional
extras, they're core
230
00:12:48,530 --> 00:12:49,479
capabilities.
231
00:12:50,299 --> 00:12:52,440
Australia's strategic
partnership with the European
232
00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,790
Southern Observatory was
established back in 2017, and it
233
00:12:55,790 --> 00:12:58,340
's provided Australian
scientists with access to
234
00:12:58,340 --> 00:13:01,460
world-leading infrastructure
that simply cannot be replicated
235
00:13:01,460 --> 00:13:02,270
here alone.
236
00:13:02,659 --> 00:13:05,500
In fact, membership's fueled a
thriving Australian astronomy
237
00:13:05,500 --> 00:13:08,619
instrumentation program,
expanding engagement with
238
00:13:08,619 --> 00:13:11,299
industry and growing astronomy
applications across medicine,
239
00:13:11,419 --> 00:13:13,580
defense, mining and other
sectors.
240
00:13:14,450 --> 00:13:16,549
Shiel says the federal
government's decision to
241
00:13:16,549 --> 00:13:20,080
withdraw from shared global
infrastructure reduces access to
242
00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,400
data, reduces talent and
opportunity, and doesn't solve
243
00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:27,159
the underlying problem. You
simply can't build world-class
244
00:13:27,159 --> 00:13:28,960
science in isolation.
245
00:13:29,919 --> 00:13:32,760
So what are we talking about?
Well, full membership of the
246
00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,349
European Southern Observatory
would cost $40 million a year.
247
00:13:36,799 --> 00:13:38,400
That sounds like a lot of money,
doesn't it?
248
00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,750
But compare that to the $522
million spent by the Albanese
249
00:13:42,750 --> 00:13:46,020
Government on its failed 2023
voice to parliament referendum,
250
00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:50,270
or the $130 million spent on
Palestinian organizations,
251
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,760
including $20 million for UNRWA,
which includes more than 1500
252
00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:56,919
employees now under active
investigation for being Hamas or
253
00:13:56,919 --> 00:14:00,280
Islamic Jihad terrorists and
actively teaching Palestinian
254
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:01,900
kids how to kill Jews.
255
00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:06,440
Then there's the $285.2 million
the Albanese Government spent on
256
00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,460
the Whyalla green hydrogen
project before it was scrapped.
257
00:14:09,799 --> 00:14:12,719
The $80 million supporting
billionaire Andrew Forrest's
258
00:14:12,719 --> 00:14:14,760
green hydrogen initiatives,
which have now also been
259
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,719
scrapped. $300 million for years
of investigations by the
260
00:14:18,719 --> 00:14:22,099
Albanese Government in pursuit
of Ben Roberts Smith VC.
261
00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:25,960
And as much as that is, it all
pales into insignificance
262
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:29,869
compared to the $22 billion
being spent on the Snowy pump
263
00:14:29,869 --> 00:14:33,400
hydro scheme. That's a project
originally slated to cost $2
264
00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:33,859
billion.
265
00:14:34,799 --> 00:14:37,440
The Albanese Government's
decision mirrors the earlier
266
00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:40,710
Gillard Labor Government's
decision in 2010 to turn down an
267
00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:43,599
offer by LIGO, the Laser
Interferometer Gravitational
268
00:14:43,599 --> 00:14:46,960
Wave Observatory, which wanted
to build a $1.1 billion
269
00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,340
gravitational wave detector at
Gin Gin in Western Australia,
270
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:51,359
free of charge.
271
00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,830
CBR would only have to pay for
the ongoing operational costs.
272
00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,799
But like the Albanese Government
's funding for the European
273
00:14:57,799 --> 00:15:00,440
Southern Observatory, the
Gillard government rejected the
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00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:01,419
LIGO offer.
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00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:05,330
What's that they say about
leopards and spots? This is
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space time.
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00:15:36,780 --> 00:15:38,700
And time now to take a brief
look at some of the other
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00:15:38,700 --> 00:15:41,960
stories making news in science
this week with a science report.
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00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:45,260
A new study has found that
people who suffered a serious
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00:15:45,260 --> 00:15:48,669
heart attack also had higher
levels of micro and nanoplastics
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00:15:48,669 --> 00:15:49,539
in their blood.
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00:15:49,940 --> 00:15:52,659
The findings reported in the
European Heart Journal, looked
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00:15:52,659 --> 00:15:55,859
at levels of micro and
nanoplastics in the blood of 61
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00:15:55,859 --> 00:15:58,890
Italian patients diagnosed with
either a heart attack, chronic
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00:15:58,890 --> 00:16:03,210
ischemic heart disease, or with
normal coronary arteries. Among
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00:16:03,210 --> 00:16:05,849
those who had heart attacks,
micro and nanoplastics were
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00:16:05,849 --> 00:16:07,890
found in 84% of patients.
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00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:11,729
That compares to 40% of patients
who had chronic ischemic heart
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00:16:11,729 --> 00:16:16,080
disease and 32% of patients with
normal coronary arteries. They
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00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,809
also found that heart attack
patients had greater variety of
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00:16:18,809 --> 00:16:21,270
plastic types in their blood,
with the most common being
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00:16:21,270 --> 00:16:24,049
polyurethane, normally used in
plastic packaging.
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00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,719
The authors also noticed that
smokers and people exposed to
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00:16:27,719 --> 00:16:30,559
higher levels of air pollution
had more plastics in their
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00:16:30,559 --> 00:16:33,559
blood, suggesting that this
might make it easier for micro
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00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:36,400
nanoplastics to enter the
bloodstream through the lungs.
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00:16:37,849 --> 00:16:41,770
A new study warns that the
artificial intelligence chat GPT
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00:16:41,770 --> 00:16:45,169
may be making psychotic symptoms
worse in some people by echoing
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00:16:45,169 --> 00:16:49,039
or encouraging unusual ideas. A
report in the Journal Of The
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00:16:49,039 --> 00:16:52,130
American Medical Association
found that all three versions of
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00:16:52,130 --> 00:16:56,049
chat GPT showed high rates of
inappropriate or only partially
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00:16:56,049 --> 00:16:58,559
appropriate responses to
psychotic prompts.
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00:16:59,020 --> 00:17:02,260
They found that while the paid
version of GPT-5 performed
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00:17:02,260 --> 00:17:05,300
better than the free version,
people with a risk of psychosis
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00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:08,839
may be overrepresented among the
economically disadvantaged.
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00:17:10,229 --> 00:17:12,750
A new study has shown that
koalas that once lived in
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00:17:12,750 --> 00:17:15,510
Western Australia may have been
a different species to their
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00:17:15,510 --> 00:17:18,750
eastern Australian counterparts.
A report in the Journal of the
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00:17:18,750 --> 00:17:21,790
Royal Society Of Open Science
found that while koalas are
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00:17:21,790 --> 00:17:24,670
originally extinct in Western
Australia, some fossils in the
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00:17:24,670 --> 00:17:26,910
region have been found over the
past century.
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00:17:27,390 --> 00:17:30,630
In analyzing two complete skull
fossils, the authors found that
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00:17:30,630 --> 00:17:33,869
while some skulls were similar
in size to eastern koalas we
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00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:36,989
know today, they also showed
clear differences. The skulls
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00:17:36,989 --> 00:17:39,449
were longer and they had deeper
indents on the face.
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00:17:40,209 --> 00:17:43,339
The authors conclude that these
Western Australian koalas could
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00:17:43,339 --> 00:17:46,420
be considered as a distinct
species, one that likely went
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00:17:46,420 --> 00:17:49,500
extinct as a result of climate
change in the late Pleistocene,
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00:17:49,540 --> 00:17:51,900
which slashed eucalyptus
abundance.
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00:17:53,410 --> 00:17:56,859
Ok, here's one for dog lovers. A
new study warns that your puppy
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00:17:56,859 --> 00:18:00,540
may be addicted to their toys.
The findings published in the
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00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:03,140
Journal of the Royal Society Of
Open Science, are based on
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00:18:03,140 --> 00:18:06,140
reports by the owners of 1600
dogs who found that our
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00:18:06,140 --> 00:18:08,500
four-legged friends could be
addicted to their toys,
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00:18:08,739 --> 00:18:10,979
especially those belonging to
working breed dogs.
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00:18:11,290 --> 00:18:14,339
The authors say some dogs
displayed behaviors that mimic
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00:18:14,339 --> 00:18:17,339
those of addiction when
motivated by their toys, such as
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00:18:17,339 --> 00:18:20,400
difficulty disengaging,
difficulty calming down, and
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00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:23,699
reduced sleep during the day.
And this was especially present
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00:18:23,699 --> 00:18:26,780
in German shepherds and
terriers. And the authors warn
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00:18:26,780 --> 00:18:29,979
this is not a good thing.
Extreme motivation levels could
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00:18:29,979 --> 00:18:31,839
impact your dog's health and
welfare.
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00:18:33,719 --> 00:18:36,359
Australian One Nation Senator
Malcolm Roberts has gained
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00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,160
notoriety over the past week by
expressing interest in the
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00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,920
chemtrells conspiracy theory.
Roberts already has a long
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00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,640
history of promoting fringe
beliefs and globalist conspiracy
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00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,449
theories. He shared an infamous
Anti-Semitic mural on social
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00:18:49,449 --> 00:18:52,680
media depicting businessmen with
exaggerated features carting
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00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,260
money around a monopoly board.
340
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,880
That image featured Illuminati
and new world order imagery,
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00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,839
which he praised as being the
most powerful picture he's ever
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00:19:00,839 --> 00:19:04,890
seen. Roberts has also promoted
a book authored by a notorious
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00:19:04,890 --> 00:19:08,250
American Jew hater and Holocaust
denier. He's faced severe
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00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:11,250
backlash after failing to rule
out whether the Bondi Junction
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00:19:11,250 --> 00:19:14,189
stabbing attack was a government
staged false flag operation.
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00:19:14,489 --> 00:19:17,329
He claimed Russian President
Vladimir Putin earned his
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00:19:17,329 --> 00:19:21,010
respect by invading Ukraine. He
's described disgraced American
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00:19:21,010 --> 00:19:24,290
conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
That's the dude who claimed the
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00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:27,290
Sandy Hook Elementary School
massacre was a hoax, as a beacon
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00:19:27,290 --> 00:19:30,280
of hope around the world, and
Roberts praised Jones'
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00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,119
credibility. All the skeptics
Tim Minha says the simple facts
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00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:37,040
are the chemtrails conspiracy
theories don't add up.
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00:19:37,319 --> 00:19:40,050
TIM MENDHAM: Chemtrails are
supposed chemicals being pumped
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00:19:40,050 --> 00:19:43,000
into the air from planes flying
overhead. The idea started with
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00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,229
people witnessing contrails,
which is water vapor that
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00:19:46,229 --> 00:19:49,109
appears from planes behind their
flight. Right? People see these
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00:19:49,109 --> 00:19:52,319
contrails, condensation trails
in the air, and in certain
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00:19:52,319 --> 00:19:54,319
circumstances they last there
for a fair while.
359
00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,180
So because they last there a
fair while, people are saying,
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00:19:56,250 --> 00:20:00,206
well, they're obviously not
steam or. Of water vapor, and
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00:20:00,206 --> 00:20:03,206
they can in fact last for a
long, long time. So anyway,
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00:20:03,475 --> 00:20:05,645
people see this up in the air
and they instantly think
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00:20:05,645 --> 00:20:06,406
something's suspicious.
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00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:10,166
So the idea they've come to is
that the government is pumping
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00:20:10,166 --> 00:20:13,005
chemicals into the air to
control human beings, which
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00:20:13,005 --> 00:20:15,406
always strikes me as the most
inefficient way of trying to
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00:20:15,406 --> 00:20:17,286
control human beings. You're
pumping from the air, you're
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00:20:17,286 --> 00:20:19,946
affecting everybody, obviously,
and what you're pumping in the
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00:20:19,946 --> 00:20:21,276
air, no one is quite sure.
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00:20:21,365 --> 00:20:23,676
STUART GARY: I guess this all
started with Agent Orange in the
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00:20:23,676 --> 00:20:27,692
Vietnam War when the US were
Spraying defoliants out of the
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00:20:27,692 --> 00:20:28,722
back of aircraft, yeah.
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00:20:28,812 --> 00:20:30,852
TIM MENDHAM: And Agent Orient
actually hurt people and it was
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00:20:30,852 --> 00:20:33,722
known to have hurt people,
right? It had a known.
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00:20:33,722 --> 00:20:35,491
STUART GARY: Hurting people
today. There are still, that's
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00:20:35,491 --> 00:20:35,741
right, yeah.
377
00:20:35,891 --> 00:20:38,332
TIM MENDHAM: It had a known
effect and you could see it
378
00:20:38,332 --> 00:20:41,281
being sprayed out of planes, but
this is of unknown nature. It's
379
00:20:41,281 --> 00:20:44,011
very uncertain, and there are
better ways to actually add a
380
00:20:44,011 --> 00:20:47,531
mind controlling chemical to the
human population. The water
381
00:20:47,531 --> 00:20:50,031
system would probably be a far
better way. They defy logic,
382
00:20:50,171 --> 00:20:52,251
these things, but then logic has
never been a great point for a
383
00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:52,972
lot of these people.
384
00:20:53,057 --> 00:20:56,218
STUART GARY: The fact that we've
got a senator who already has a
385
00:20:56,218 --> 00:20:58,738
history of promoting
Anti-Semitic propaganda now
386
00:20:58,738 --> 00:21:02,458
pushing this line or seeming to
support it, is that concerning?
387
00:21:02,537 --> 00:21:03,218
It is concerning.
388
00:21:03,297 --> 00:21:05,208
TIM MENDHAM: Malcolm Roberts
belongs to a small party, a
389
00:21:05,208 --> 00:21:08,338
party with potential to grow. He
has a long history of conspiracy
390
00:21:08,338 --> 00:21:11,137
theories. He's anti-vaccination,
anti-climate change,
391
00:21:11,338 --> 00:21:14,258
pro-chemtrails, endorses racist
messaging. That's a bit
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00:21:14,258 --> 00:21:14,458
concerning.
393
00:21:14,537 --> 00:21:17,458
Yeah, I mean there's many
aspects of what Malcolm Roberts
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00:21:17,458 --> 00:21:21,384
says, most of which are provable
wrong. He will continue to do it
395
00:21:21,384 --> 00:21:24,293
because his market is basically
a conspiracy minded market.
396
00:21:24,404 --> 00:21:26,864
There's a suggestion because of
his recent conspiracy outbursts
397
00:21:26,864 --> 00:21:29,384
on racism that he should be
taken out of parliament.
398
00:21:29,504 --> 00:21:31,744
STUART GARY: Well, the call is
that Pauline Hanson should sack
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00:21:31,744 --> 00:21:31,864
him.
400
00:21:31,984 --> 00:21:33,973
TIM MENDHAM: Yeah, she's the
head of the party. It's Pauline
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00:21:33,973 --> 00:21:36,813
Hanson's One Nation Party, so
she could very easily sack him
402
00:21:36,813 --> 00:21:39,543
if she wants to be seen as a
serious leader of a nation
403
00:21:39,543 --> 00:21:41,984
rather than someone on the
sidelines. She would have to
404
00:21:41,984 --> 00:21:43,984
take some action, but frankly I
doubt she will.
405
00:21:44,144 --> 00:21:46,943
STUART GARY: That's the skeptic
's Tim Mind, and this is Space
406
00:21:46,943 --> 00:21:47,364
Time.
407
00:22:02,770 --> 00:22:06,530
And that's the show for now.
SpaceT is available every
408
00:22:06,530 --> 00:22:10,449
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409
00:22:10,650 --> 00:22:14,229
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410
00:22:14,229 --> 00:22:18,530
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411
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413
00:22:25,109 --> 00:22:28,239
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420
00:22:49,300 --> 00:22:51,939
SPK_1: You've been listening to
SpaceTime with Stuart Garry.
421
00:22:52,459 --> 00:22:55,339
This has been another quality
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422
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