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Japanese rubber futures extend rally on weather woes – Markets
SINGAPORE: Japanese rubber futures closed higher on Friday and posted their fourth consecutive weekly gain, as extreme weather in key producers Thailand and Indonesia stoked supply concerns.
The Osaka Exchange (OSE) rubber contract for December delivery was up 2.5 yen, or 0.79%, at 317.3 yen ($2.16) per kg. The contract gained 1.67% this week.
The rubber contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) for September delivery rose 120 yuan, or 0.84%, to 14,360 yuan ($2,002.65) per metric ton. The most-active August butadiene rubber contract on the SHFE climbed 155 yuan, or 1.35%, to 11,615 yuan per ton.
Top rubber producer Thailand’s meteorological agency warned of heavy rains and accumulations that could cause flash floods and overflows from July 11-13. Sudden heavy rains in southern Thailand caused severe floods and water logging, while a drought in Sumatra, Indonesia continued, Chinese commodities data provider Longzhong Information said in a note.
With these two major production regions suffering from extreme weather at the same time, many rubber plantations were forced to delay harvesting, a rare supply shock, Longzhong said. Rubber futures, which were trading at a discount to physical breakeven levels, are now playing catch-up, a Singapore-based trader said.
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PM paints bright picture of ‘economic rescue’
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday credited his government’s effective measures for stabilising the economy, citing a sharp fall in inflation and interest rates, as well as a crucial agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that helped Pakistan avert default.
Speaking to students of the Uraan Pakistan Summer Scholars Internship Programme, Sharif painted a picture of economic rescue under his leadership, claiming the country had dodged financial collapse through team work and tough reforms.
“When we took over, inflation was exploding at 38% and the policy rate had hit a punishing 22%. Today, it’s down to 11%. We did not just make policies, we worked day and night and left the rest to Allah,” he added.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio lags due to narrow tax net, informal economy: ADB
The prime minister said 2023 had brought Pakistan to the brink of default, but his administration pushed through reforms and sealed IMF agreements that stabilised the economy. “Most thought we’d go bankrupt. I knew we wouldn’t,” he said, adding that “Pakistan has come out of the risk of default.”
Sharif did not hold back from criticising what he called a deeply entrenched culture of favouritism and influence-peddling. “Recommendations start pouring in even before real reform begins,” he said. “But we were ready. Officers from grades 20 to 22 were shown the door despite pressure from all over the country.”
Taking a shot at corrupt practices, he warned, “Those who lie by swearing on Allah and the Prophet should repent.”
He pointed to major reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as proof of his administration’s commitment to clean governance. “Sharp bureaucrats used to game the system. We changed that. Now digitisation and faceless tech are in place and the FBR has collected Rs500 billion through enforcement.”
While touting his government’s work, Sharif struck a moral tone. “Allah will ask me what I did in this world and I’ll say I worked on merit,” he said, vowing to continue what he called a “journey full of obstacles.”
He praised Pakistan’s youth as the backbone of the country’s future and said the laptop distribution scheme in Punjab – worth Rs20 billion – was entirely merit-based. “The future lies with this galaxy of young superstars,” he said.
Sharif also took aim at India, referencing the Pahalgam incident and cross-border hostilities. “Pakistan had no role in that incident, but India used it as an excuse for aggression, killing 55 innocent civilians. We defended ourselves and shot down six enemy aircraft. On May 10, we hit back and it was a strong, united response.”
Sharif said Pakistan had offered to support an impartial international investigation, but insisted Islamabad would never shy away from defending its sovereignty.
Despite the defiant tone, Sharif said he was not seeking personal accolades. “I have never taken credit – it has always been about teamwork. We must achieve our goals, or we will face the consequences.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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First row on the grid for the Porsche 963 at the WEC in Interlagos
Kévin Estre set the seventh-fastest time in the sister car. In LMGT3 class, Porsche customer team Iron Dames advanced to the Hyperpole session for the first time and set a season best with seventh place on the grid. The 6-hour race at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace starts on Sunday at 11:30 local time (16:30 CEST).
The Qualifying
The twelve-minute qualifying session was not a major challenge for the two Porsche 963 of the works team. With 20 degrees Celsius air temperature and a comparatively cool asphalt temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, Julien Andlauer set a time of 1.23.279 minutes after two warm-up laps. This was enough for the Frenchman to finish fourth. His compatriot Kévin Estre even circled the Interlagos circuit three times to bring the Michelin racing tyres of his Porsche 963 up to temperature. He subsequently finished seventh with a lap time of 1.23.533 minutes. As a result, both Porsche Penske Motorsport hybrid prototypes were guaranteed a place in the Hyperpole session for the top ten.
The front grid positions were decided in this ten-minute time trial. Once again, both works drivers took the time to warm up their tyres thoroughly. On his first fast lap, Andlauer jumped into third position with a time of 1.22.834 minutes. He shares the hybrid race car with Michael Christensen. The Dane has also completed the Porsche Junior programme. The demotion of one Cadillac lifted the duo into the first row of the grid. Estre followed just under three tenths of a second behind in fifth place. He forms a team with the Belgian Laurens Vanthoor. The two cars then failed to make any further gains. The pole position went to Cadillac Hertz Team Jota.
“We saw an interesting qualifying session. After our start to the season, it was good to get both Porsche 963 into the Hyperpole,” explained Urs Kuratle, Head of Works Motorsport LMDh. “We can be very satisfied with second place on the grid. Now we have to see what happens tomorrow in the 6-hour race.”
“It was a good day for us today,” emphasised Travis Law, Technical Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We wanted to achieve a good qualifying result with both Porsche 963. Second and seventh on the grid now give us a good starting position. Congratulations to Cadillac for pole position: they have done a good job. Now it’s up to us to chase them down in the race.”
The German Porsche customer team Proton Competition enters another Porsche 963 in the top Hypercar class. In the hybrid prototype, Nico Varrone missed out on promotion to the Hyperpole in twelfth place by less than a tenth of a second. Together with Neel Jani from Switzerland and Nico Pino from Chile, the Argentinian forms the driver trio of the number 99 car.
LMGT3 class: best qualifying result of the season for Iron Dames
Things went mixed for the two 911 GT3 R in Sao Paulo. In the first qualifying segment, Frenchwoman Célia Martin achieved the long-awaited top 10 position. Ninth place with a fastest lap time of 1.35.327 minutes enabled the Porsche from the Iron Dames customer team to make it into the Hyperpole session for the first time this season. Her colleague Rahel Frey took the wheel there. The Swiss driver was in the lead after her first attempt and was able to improve on her second flying lap to 1.34.433 minutes. After that, there was no further improvement. On Sunday, Martin, Frey and Michelle Gatting from Denmark will start the race from seventh on the grid. The successful Iron Dames initiative to promote girls and women in motorsport is cooperating closely with Porsche Motorsport from this year onwards.
The Manthey 1st Phorm sister car did not make it past qualifying. In Sao Paulo, the number 92 car has to take some success ballast on board, which has a negative impact on lap times. Ryan Hardwick set the 13th fastest lap in 1.35.504 minutes. The American shares the Porsche with Italian Riccardo Pera and factory driver Richard Lietz from Austria. Together, the trio recently won the LMGT3 class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and lead the drivers’ standings before the start of the Brazilian round of the season.
New track surface at Interlagos: thorough analysis is the key
The 4.309-kilometre Autódromo José Carlos Pace has a special feature this year: a new asphalt surface. The teams have to take this into account when preparing for the 6-hour race. Michelin is at the forefront for the cars in the hypercar class. For the first time, Porsche Motorsport’s tyre partner is using a new, further improved measuring device called AMES for the analysis.
Philippe Rocher “This equipment allows us to precisely determine the micro and macro structures of the asphalt,” explains Philippe Rocher, the Tyre Advisor of the French manufacturer responsible for the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team. “It scans the road surface with two laser sensors and creates a precise 3D representation of the condition – how open or closed the asphalt is, how rough it is and so on. This can take up to six minutes per measurement point, but allows us to draw precise conclusions about the tyre wear and grip conditions we can expect.”
Michelin measured the track in Interlagos at 29 individual points – usually at the corner entry points, at the apex and at the exit of corners. The position of these points is precisely recorded using GPS data in order to be able to recognise possible deviations at exactly the same points in future years.
The results of this in-depth analysis help Romain Gineste in his work. As Head of Track Engineering, the Frenchman is responsible for the set-up of the Porsche 963 in the WEC. New tarmac surfaces are nothing new for the Porsche Motorsport engineer. “If we can test on the revised circuits in advance, as we did recently at Spa-Francorchamps, for example, it’s easy. Here in Interlagos that was not possible, which creates a certain amount of uncertainty. Of course, the information from Michelin helps us a lot,” confirms Gineste. “But we also take a look at the surface ourselves during the track walk: is the track flat or bumpy, does the quality remain clean or is it changeable? In general, we don’t tend to overreact to a new surface. In fact, the new tarmac here in Sao Paulo hardly has any effect: The track has become a little faster, tyre wear could increase slightly. We are using the same tyres as in 2024 and don’t expect any surprises.”
Romain Gineste The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo on television
The endurance race on the outskirts of the megacity of São Paulo starts on Sunday at 11:30 local time (16:30 CEST). The FIA WEC’s paid-for app supplements the live stream of the entire competition with live timing.
Drivers’ comments on qualifying
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): “For our number 5 Porsche, second place on the grid is an even better result as last time out at Le Mans. I’m quite happy with this outcome because we improved very well over the free practice sessions and optimised the performance potential of our 963 over one lap. In terms of lap times, we couldn’t beat the two Cadillacs in front of us. It was a lot of fun on the track. But the race is still to come. We will prepare properly and hopefully finish on the podium.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Seventh place on the grid is ok, but not what we wanted to achieve. Pole position was just as out of reach for us today as the third-fastest time for our sister car. We now have to analyse that. But no matter: at least we have a much better grid position than in the previous races of the season. We should be much more competitive in the race, but overtaking is difficult on this track. Nevertheless, we can still achieve a strong result.”
Nico Varrone (Porsche 963 #99): “I think we did a good job. During the free practice sessions, we were able to do a lot of set-up work on our Porsche 963 and improve bit by bit. It’s a shame that we missed the Hyperpole by less than a tenth of a second. We want to get the maximum out of the race tomorrow.”
Rahel Frey (Porsche 911 GT3 R #85): “In the Hyperpole for the first time! Thanks a lot to Célia – of course it’s great that we were finally able to take part in the top ten shootout! With new tyres and a light car, it’s always a great feeling on the track. Seventh place is our best starting position so far. The steps we have taken have all been in the right direction: we are gaining speed and taking the momentum with us – that was the aim of the season. We now want to build on that. Tomorrow, we have to get through without any problems. In a long-distance race, you can’t win the race on the first lap. We’ll just carry on as before.”
Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “Due to the success ballast we have on board, we lose about half a second per lap here at Interlagos. Without this extra weight, we would have easily made it into the Hyperpole – but that’s the price we have to pay for our victory at Le Mans and the lead in the championship. The potential of the 911 GT3 R is demonstrated by our Iron Dames sister car, which reached the Hyperpole for the first time.”
Qualifying results
Hypercar class:
1. Lynn/Nato/Stevens (GBR/FRA/GBR), Cadillac #12, 1.22.570 minutes
2. Andlauer/Christensen (FRA/DNK), Porsche 963 #5, 1.22.834 minutes
3. Bamber/Bourdais/Button (NZL/FRA/GBR), Cadillac #38, 1.22.670 minutes (demoted by one position on the grid)
7. Estre/Vanthoor (FRA/BEL), Porsche 963 #6, 1.23.159 minutes
12. Jani/Pino/Varrone (CHE/CHL/ARG), Porsche 963 #99, 1.23.740 minutesLMGT3 class:
1. McIntosh/Barrichello/Hasse Clot (USA/BRA/FRA), Aston Martin #10, 1.33.849 minutes
2. Umbrarescu/Schmid/Lopez (ROU/AUT/ARG), Lexus #87, 1.33.873 minutes
3. Robin/Gehrsitz/Nakayama (FRA/DEU/JPN), Lexus #78, 1.33.963 minutes
7. Martin/Frey/Gatting (FRA/CHE/DNK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #85, 1.34.433 minutes
13. Hardwick/Pera/Lietz (USA/ITA/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 1.35.504 minutesContinue Reading
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Police crackdown on PTI as CM Gandapur's convoy reaches Lahore – ANI News
- Police crackdown on PTI as CM Gandapur’s convoy reaches Lahore ANI News
- Gandapur, Gohar lead PTI convoy to Lahore as party mobilises protest drive The Express Tribune
- PTI banks on ‘grassroots mobilisation’ for Aug 5 protest Dawn
- Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Message – July 8, 2025 “When a nation rises for its rights, no force on earth can suppress it. I remain a free man, even in jail, but my nation is trapped in a prison where there is no independent judiciary, no genuine democra x.com
- ‘Political Kaaba:’ KP CM launches protest movement Pakistan Today
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Numerous Fossils Reveal Jurassic Fish Killed in Same, Bizarre Way : ScienceAlert
An extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Jurassic period seems to have had quite the penchant for overreaching.
A new analysis of fossilized Tharsis fish reveals that the carnivorous marine animals seem to have frequently met their end with large cephalopods known as belemnites lodged quite fatally in their gullets.
According to paleontologists Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, Tharsis fish found in the 152 million-year-old Solnhofen Plattenkalk (limestone) formation in Germany appear in multiple instances to have died while attempting to swallow a belemnite nearly as long as themselves.
Multiple Tharsis specimens have been found with belemnites stuck in their mouths. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025) “A recent review of collection material … uncovered several specimens of Tharsis from the Late Jurassic Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Archipelago with belemnites wedged in mouth and gill apparatus,” they write in their paper.
“In all cases, the rostrum [beak] reexits through the gill apparatus, whereas the broad phragmocone [internal shell] of the belemnite is firmly lodged in the mouth opening.”
Related: Ancient Tyrannosaur’s Last Victims Can Still Be Seen Inside Its Stomach
Tharsis fish were what are known as micro-carnivores; animals that eat very small animals such as larvae and zooplankton, in this case by using suction to gulp down their food. Their fossils are quite common.
Belemnites, which resembled squid with a long hooded body and multiple arms, lived in the open ocean, left far fewer fossils.
Interestingly, the belemnite fossils found in the Plattenkalk basins of Eichstätt and Solnhofen often consist of an internal shell overgrown with bivalves – suggesting that the belemnite was dead, kept buoyant in the water column by a gas-filled shell colonized by other animals, such as clam-like molluscs, feasting on the decaying soft tissue.
An oyster on a belemnite swallowed by a Tharsis fish. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025) Tharsis fish were unlikely to be looking for food amid the hostile conditions of the seafloor, nor would the fish have been preying directly on the belemnites – but the researchers believe they know why the dead, drifting cephalopods may have posed such a choking hazard for the hapless fish.
“Apparently, these micro-carnivore fish were in the habit of sucking remnants of decaying soft tissue or overgrowth such as algae or bacterial growth from floating objects, but when a streamlined floating belemnite rostrum accidentally was sucked into the mouth, they were no longer able to get rid of these deadly objects,” the paleontologists write in their paper.
“Even though the fish tried to pass the obstructive item through its gills, there was no way of getting rid of it, leading to death by suffocation.”
Sounds deeply unpleasant, really.
The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
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10 Fascinating Facts About Our Solar System
Forget textbook platitudes: our Solar System is a laboratory of physical paradoxes where mass, motion, and matter stage spectacles that challenge classical intuition. A single star monopolises 99.86 % of the system’s mass, and Kuiperian dwarfs patrol a frontier four billion years in the making. This curated list of facts threads peer-reviewed data through narrative flair, translating heliophysics, planetology, and icy trans-Neptunian dynamics into accessible insight. Prepare to travel the cosmos’ balance sheet; its dividends are gravitational, its liabilities incandescent.
1. The Sun Makes Up 99.86% of the Solar System’s Mass
Solar flare from the sun. The Sun is the heart of our solar system, and its sheer size is mind-boggling. It accounts for 99.86% of the total mass of the solar system, with the remaining 0.14% shared among planets, moons, asteroids, and comets. To put this into perspective, you could fit about 1.3 million Earths inside the Sun. This massive star generates energy through nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen into helium and providing the light and heat necessary for life on Earth. Its gravitational pull keeps all the planets in orbit, acting as the anchor of our cosmic system. Without the Sun, life as we know it would not exist.
2. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a Storm Bigger Than Earth
Jupiter with its rings and the Great Red Spot. Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is home to the Great Red Spot—a gigantic storm that has been raging for at least 400 years. This storm is so large that it could swallow Earth whole. While the storm has been shrinking in recent years, it still measures about 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) wide, making it one of the most iconic features of our solar system. Scientists believe the storm’s red hue may be caused by chemicals reacting in the planet’s atmosphere. It’s a powerful demonstration of Jupiter’s volatile and dynamic weather systems, which include other large storms and fast-moving winds.
3. Saturn’s Rings Are Made of Ice and Rock
Jupiter and Saturn have the fastest rotations in the solar system. Image credit: NASA/ESA Saturn’s stunning rings are one of the most recognizable features in the solar system. These rings are composed of countless particles of ice and rock, ranging in size from tiny grains to massive boulders. The rings stretch out over 175,000 miles (282,000 kilometers) but are surprisingly thin, with some sections only about 30 feet (10 meters) thick. Scientists believe the rings may have formed from the debris of comets, asteroids, or even moons that broke apart due to Saturn’s gravity. Despite their beauty, the rings are not solid and are constantly evolving due to gravitational interactions and collisions among the particles.
4. Venus Has a Day Longer Than Its Year
Venus, the second planet from the Sun. Venus, often called Earth’s twin due to its similar size and composition, has one of the most unusual rotation patterns in the solar system. A day on Venus (the time it takes to complete one rotation on its axis) lasts 243 Earth days, while its year (the time it takes to orbit the Sun) is only 225 Earth days. This means a day on Venus is longer than its year! Additionally, Venus rotates in the opposite direction to most planets, a phenomenon known as retrograde rotation. Its dense atmosphere, composed mainly of carbon dioxide, creates a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet.
5. Mars Has the Tallest Volcano in the Solar System
A 3D rendering of the surface of Mars. Olympus Mons on Mars is the tallest volcano in the solar system, standing at a staggering 13.6 miles (22 kilometers) high—nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. This shield volcano is also about 370 miles (600 kilometers) in diameter, making it roughly the size of the state of Arizona. Scientists believe Olympus Mons formed over billions of years due to Mars’ lack of tectonic plate movement, allowing lava to pile up in one location. The volcano’s gentle slopes and massive size make it a compelling target for planetary scientists. Its relatively recent lava flows suggest Mars was geologically active not long ago.
6. Neptune Radiates More Heat Than It Receives from the Sun
Up-close image of Neptune’s atmosphere taken by Voyager 2. Image credit: NASA/JPL Neptune, the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun, is an icy giant that radiates more than twice the amount of heat it receives from the Sun. This internal heat source drives the planet’s extreme weather, including supersonic winds that can reach speeds of up to 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kilometers per hour). The exact source of this heat remains a mystery, but it is thought to be a combination of leftover heat from the planet’s formation and the slow cooling of its core. Neptune’s vivid blue color is due to methane in its atmosphere, which absorbs red light and reflects blue.
7. Uranus Rolls on Its Side
View of Uranus in space. Uranus is unique among the planets in the solar system because it rotates on its side. Its axis is tilted at an angle of about 98 degrees, meaning it essentially rolls around the Sun like a ball. This extreme tilt is thought to be the result of a massive collision with an Earth-sized object billions of years ago. As a result, Uranus experiences extreme seasons, with each pole getting about 42 years of continuous sunlight followed by 42 years of darkness. Its pale blue color comes from methane in its atmosphere, and it has faint rings that are difficult to observe from Earth.
8. There Are More Than 400 Moons in the Solar System
A Diagram Showing Jupiter and its Biggest Moons While Earth has just one moon, our solar system is home to over 400 known moons orbiting planets, with even more orbiting dwarf planets and small bodies, bringing the total to over 890 confirmed moons. Jupiter and Saturn alone have 97 and 274 confirmed moons, respectively, with new discoveries continuing as telescope technology improves. These moons are incredibly diverse. For example, Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, has a subsurface ocean beneath its icy crust that may harbor the conditions necessary for life. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, features rivers, lakes, and even rain, but of liquid methane and ethane, not water. These fascinating worlds are key targets in the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life and understanding planetary systems. Some moons even have atmospheres or show signs of geological activity.
9. The Kuiper Belt is Home to Dwarf Planets
A Diagram Showing the Location of the Kuiper Belt in Our Solar System, NASA Beyond Neptune lies the Kuiper Belt, a region filled with icy bodies and dwarf planets, including Pluto. This belt is similar to the asteroid belt but is far larger and contains objects made mostly of frozen volatiles like methane, ammonia, and water. Pluto, once considered the ninth planet, is now classified as a dwarf planet and is one of the largest objects in the Kuiper Belt. Other notable dwarf planets in this region include Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. These distant objects provide crucial clues about the formation and evolution of the solar system and represent a largely unexplored frontier in planetary science.
10. The Solar System is 4.6 Billion Years Old
Diagram representing the formation of the Solar System. Our solar system formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from a giant molecular cloud of gas and dust. The Sun formed at the center, while the remaining material coalesced into planets, moons, and other celestial bodies. By studying meteorites, scientists have been able to determine the age of the solar system with remarkable accuracy. These ancient rocks provide a glimpse into the early days of our cosmic neighborhood and help us understand how it has evolved over billions of years. The solar system’s history is recorded in craters, asteroid belts, and planetary compositions, all offering evidence of its dynamic and violent past.
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5 reasons Celestia is a must-have for any space enthusiast
Ever wanted to explore space, but get the willies thinking about flying in a rocket? Celestia, a free and open-source space simulator, might be just the thing you’re looking for. This lightweight software works across a variety of platforms, including macOS, Windows, Linux, and even on mobile devices, doesn’t require much storage space, and has loads of powerful features that make it a great tool for spending a few hours exploring your local galactic cluster.
If you’re a space geek, this is one bit of software you absolutely need to install. Here’s why.
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Moving from one planet to another is smooth
The transition sequences are nearly lag-free
Celestia is one of the better-optimized space simulators available at the moment, with smooth movement between celestial bodies and easy zooming in and out of locations. Even scrolling the mouse wheel back is enough to take you far away from Earth and give you a much wider view of the galaxy at large.
You can also zoom in close enough to see small details like spacecraft. If you want more (or less) information, you can adjust exactly what Celestia shows through its settings menu.
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The celestial database is immense
Explore more than 100,000 stars
Celestia doesn’t limit the user to a specific area. You can explore a massive number of different planets, stars, and star systems — more than 100,000, in fact. And that’s just the ones included in the base program. There are many more options available through add-ons. Aside from the number of planets, you can explore each location in three dimensions. Ever been curious what the dark side of the moon looks like? Celestia makes it easy to see, and you can zoom in for more detail.
By default, Celestia uses the Hipparcos catalog, a part of the European Space Agency’s astrometric mission from 1989 until 1993. Be aware that some of the information could be outdated, given new information and discoveries from satellites like the Hubble Telescope and the James Webb Telescope.
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Celestia shows planets’ locations in real time
Or any time you want
If you want to see the exact location a planet is in at the given time, all you have to do is look it up in Celestia. You can set the camera to follow that planet, stay focused on it, and much more, and you can also adjust the planet’s velocity.
But the feature goes beyond that. If you want to know exactly where a planet was on a given date, you can plug that in and find it. For example, you can find out the arrangement of the planets on January 1, 2025, at midnight. Celestia can also show you where a planet will be in the future.
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Spaceships, exoplanets, and so much more
By default, Celestia is focused on scientific accuracy, but you can add a lot more details to the application through community-created add-ons. For example, you can download scripts that will provide tours of Mars and Mercury. You can download black holes that don’t appear in Celestia normally.
You can even download fictional content from Stargate, Babylon 5, and other sci-fi shows. The community is passionate about Celestia and provides a huge amount of content at no cost. Seriously — there’s more than 80GB of extensions available for download, and some of those add-ons are so detailed that they require somewhat high-end hardware.
NASA and the ESA use it for educational purposes
Celestia is so accurate that official organizations like NASA and the European Space Agency have used it for educational outreach programs. In fact, the French Space Agency created a modified version of Celestia called VTS Timeloop that multiple other organizations have since used. If you’re a teacher, it’s a great way to give a lesson on the solar system. If you’re a parent, Celestia is an interesting way to get your children curious about space.
Celestia has also made an appearance in popular culture several times over, including the movies “The Andromeda Strain” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” It also made an appearance in a 2006 episode of “NCIS,” but that might not be high praise — if you’ve ever seen the show, you know the liberties it took with technology.
Celestia is a great tool for anyone, but it’s excellent for space enthusiasts
I’ve spent hours toying around with Celestia. As a writer, I’ve used it to get ideas for stories and ensure space-related estimates are correct. Some members of the community have even created fictional planetary systems, special effects, and a whole lot more that can be used in role-playing games. The application is powerful by default, but if you enjoy using it, immerse yourself in the community. It will enhance your experience and connect you with others that are just as passionate about space as you.
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Numerous Fossils Reveal Jurassic Fish Killed in Same, Bizarre Way
An extinct genus of ray-finned fish that lived during the Jurassic period seems to have had quite the penchant for overreaching.
A new analysis of fossilized Tharsis fish reveals that the carnivorous marine animals seem to have frequently met their end with large cephalopods known as belemnites lodged quite fatally in their gullets.
According to paleontologists Martin Ebert and Martina Kölbl-Ebert of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, Tharsis fish found in the 152 million-year-old Solnhofen Plattenkalk (limestone) formation in Germany appear in multiple instances to have died while attempting to swallow a belemnite nearly as long as themselves.
Multiple Tharsis specimens have been found with belemnites stuck in their mouths. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025)“A recent review of collection material … uncovered several specimens of Tharsis from the Late Jurassic Plattenkalk deposits of the Solnhofen Archipelago with belemnites wedged in mouth and gill apparatus,” they write in their paper.
“In all cases, the rostrum [beak] reexits through the gill apparatus, whereas the broad phragmocone [internal shell] of the belemnite is firmly lodged in the mouth opening.”
Related: Ancient Tyrannosaur’s Last Victims Can Still Be Seen Inside Its Stomach
Tharsis fish were what are known as micro-carnivores; animals that eat very small animals such as larvae and zooplankton, in this case by using suction to gulp down their food. Their fossils are quite common.
Belemnites, which resembled squid with a long hooded body and multiple arms, lived in the open ocean, left far fewer fossils.
Interestingly, the belemnite fossils found in the Plattenkalk basins of Eichstätt and Solnhofen often consist of an internal shell overgrown with bivalves – suggesting that the belemnite was dead, kept buoyant in the water column by a gas-filled shell colonized by other animals, such as clam-like molluscs, feasting on the decaying soft tissue.
An oyster on a belemnite swallowed by a Tharsis fish. (Ebert & Kölbl-Ebert, Sci. Rep., 2025)Tharsis fish were unlikely to be looking for food amid the hostile conditions of the seafloor, nor would the fish have been preying directly on the belemnites – but the researchers believe they know why the dead, drifting cephalopods may have posed such a choking hazard for the hapless fish.
“Apparently, these micro-carnivore fish were in the habit of sucking remnants of decaying soft tissue or overgrowth such as algae or bacterial growth from floating objects, but when a streamlined floating belemnite rostrum accidentally was sucked into the mouth, they were no longer able to get rid of these deadly objects,” the paleontologists write in their paper.
“Even though the fish tried to pass the obstructive item through its gills, there was no way of getting rid of it, leading to death by suffocation.”
Sounds deeply unpleasant, really.
The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
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Why the “F1” movie team was forced to build an electric car
The F1 movie has been a massive success, with gross global earnings of almost $300 million in just 10 days. But it wasn’t an easy production to put together. Not only did the team have to seamlessly integrate with Formula 1 and create camera technology that could capture the racing they wanted to feature, but they had to develop the cars that would house actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris for much of the movie.
This was, as you’d expect, easier said than done. Mercedes helped in the development of the Dallara Formula 2 chassis, built to resemble F1 machinery for the fictional APXGP team and housing the technology needed for filming.
“It’s a competition Mecachrome engine… 3.4 [litre] twin-turbocharged, and we didn’t want to change much there obviously ’cause it’s a proven, you know, thing,” action vehicle supervisor Graham Kelly told Sam Collins of F1.
These engines are designed for consistent racing conditions, but temperature control quickly became an issue due to the stop-start nature of filming.
Tiesto with the F1 movie car
Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images
“They will overheat in a minute and a half. We were right on that limit ’cause we were at the back of the grid. Everything pulled away and one of them didn’t,” Kelly said. “We were not allowed to go anywhere near [the ECU]… all the teams would have loved to have got some information out of that ECU, but no, the ECU was sealed.”
The team was only able to modify the gear ratios and had no access to the engine mapping to help manage engine temperatures.
“The engine – in our process of doing a run, coming back in, talking about it, going back out again – we were playing with temperature all the time,” he continued. “And with the brakes as well, not just with the engines.”
The solution was simple: build an electric version.
“Because of the experience I’ve had in the film industry, knowing the process that we go through to have a Formula 2 car with a Mecachrome engine come into the pitstop with us, doing a pitstop, filming it, stopping it, pushing it back, doing it again.
“That would have lasted 10 minutes before it would have gone catastrophically wrong. So I decided pretty early in this process that we should build an electric car.”
The all-electric version of the APXGP car featured a 400-volt Helix motor connected directly to the gearbox. Batteries powering the setup sat beneath the engine cover.
“In first gear, it would do 70mph… and it would do 70mph backwards. And we would do that probably for two hours. And it was great. It really worked in every part of that process because [the actors] could wheelspin out with all the torque – there’s instant torque – and we weren’t waiting for it to explode because it had got hot.
“So when you see the film, you’ll see a car boiling out of the pitlane with a screaming engine, but actually what you could be watching was actually the electric car. But I guess you can’t tell.”
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