Great storytelling, longform, random topics.

[edina]

I recently came upon this article by Philip Ball. He's an almost prolific science writer out of the UK. Here's he's talking about a new project from Marginalia Review of Books (MRB) called The New Biology Project, and mentions Nick Lane will participate as well. Nick Lane's work has been of keen interest to me for many years, now. I think, Wade Frazier has mentioned his work in his thread on the forum, as well.

MRB's banner says, "deep learning for the digital age" which seems to fit this concept of long form... when I perused the site I thought of this thread. The whole site seems to be a good source of long form content.

(This article is a little over 1500 words. I remember when long-form was considered about 10,000 words, and 1500 was short-form, so maybe this isn't quite long-form but in context of the site and project may fit the idea of long-form)

Both of MBR's projects are interesting to me and I plan to revisit the site often.

In this article, Philip Ball slips a little bit in 'science-speak' but is mostly readable. (I've added emphasis of interest to me and links.) Hope you enjoy.

After the Genetic Paradigm: Why We Need a New Biology

The New Biology project is seeking to establish new narratives for biology that recognize the advances in understanding that have happened over the past several decades. I have attempted to describe some of the most important of these advances in my book How Life Works and to weave them into an integrated picture of how lifeless molecular components collaborate to generate agential organisms. I argue that recent research in molecular, cell, and developmental biology has made it no longer tenable to suggest—as has typically been the case during the ascendancy of the gene-centred view of biology—that organisms are simply “readouts” of the information or the blueprint encoded in the DNA of the genome. I argue too that, while some of this new understanding has depended, and must continue to depend, on what is commonly called a reductionistic view that looks at processes at the molecular level, this does not mean that cells or organisms should be understood through a machine metaphor. Considering organisms as machines made by genes—and indeed for genes—does not do justice to the marvelous way nature works, and risks devaluing life itself.

This new perspective fits in many ways with what cell, developmental and organismal biologists, and even some evolutionary biologists, are increasingly saying. The “genetic blueprint” picture implicit in the Modern Synthesis of Darwinian theory and genetics has long been at odds with the developmental
view: the idea that there is some kind of plan in the genome that is simply enacted during development does not sit easily with the evident fact that the developmental process accommodates contingency and accident, and is often able to respond to perturbations in an “intelligent” manner that looks purposive. As our understanding of developmental processes has increased, these tensions have become ever more apparent. As evolutionary biologist Andreas Wagner has put it,

The architects of the modern synthesis focused on the genotype at the expense of the organism and its phenotype. They neglected the marvelous complexity of organisms with their trillions of cells, each inhabited by billions of molecules whose functions are themselves incredibly complex. And they neglected how all this complexity unfolds from a single fertilised cell, and how genes contribute to this unfolding. By neglecting this complexity, the architects of the modern synthesis effectively ignored its product: the organism itself.

In an article in the journal Development, biologist Duygu Özpolat and colleagues say that

Although many types of explanations are possible for understanding how a biological phenomenon works (e.g. on a molecular, genetic, cellular, organismal, biophysical or systems level), molecular/genetic mechanisms are widely perceived to be the gold standard for a mechanistic explanation of development.

They caution against “seeking simple genetic explanations” and say we need to “reduce our reliance on reductionism and allow for conceptual advances at any level to be recognized based on their contribution to the field.” According to developmental biologist Alfonso Arias Martinez, “Cells, and not DNA, are the master builders of life.”

And in an article in Cells and Development, biologists Alan Rodrigues and Amy Shyer say that “viewing life as if it emanated from a set of molecular machines is the main bottleneck in addressing key questions in biology.” Citing How Life Works, they add that “the need for deep conceptual thinking has never been more pressing, despite the fact that many key figures in biology have taken a technocratic focus that has downplayed the role of conceptual thinking.”

These are just a few examples of what seems now to be a sea change in the way many biologists regard their subject. I argue that one sign of this shift is that biology is becoming more ready to accept and to speak of concepts long considered taboo: in particular, agency, purpose, and meaning. To some, these notions are suspiciously mystical or teleological, seeming to suggest some hidden design or motive force behind the way organisms work. That, however, is to misunderstand what the words connote in this context. There should be no question that living organisms do exhibit goals and behave purposefully: a suggestion unproblematic to most organismal biologists, at least. The traditional view that such behavior is merely “as if”—a kind of automated, mindless activity impelled by genes—was always questionable, for it shifts all agency to mere inert pieces of DNA and then demands that this “merely metaphorical” way of speaking performs real action in the world. That picture is all the more untenable now that we better understand the processes once vaguely designated as “gene action” and recognize that they involve multidirectional information flow to and from all levels of the organizational hierarchy of living things. It is this openness of organisms as living systems that enables them to exhibit genuine agency at the level of the whole: to develop goals and to select actions and make decisions that help them to be achieved.

I was encouraged that this new picture is being increasingly accepted in biology by a recent conversation with the Nobel laureate Paul Nurse, who has agreed to be involved in this project. Nurse, whose celebrated work on the cell cycle could seem the paradigm of reductionistic molecular biology, readily acknowledged that agency and purpose are central to the living world. He added that some biologists resist that idea through an understandable but mistaken view that such things can only arise through human-level cognition involving conscious deliberation. “The word purpose is really to, in a short form, describe that something is acting as a whole to deliver something for the whole organism”, Nurse said.

Meaning might seem an even more contentious term in biology, seeming as it might to refer to something existential and perhaps even spiritual. But in biology there is no need to take that view. Meaning refers simply to the sifting of information that an agential entity—a cell or an organism—potentially receives from its environment (and indeed that arises within its internal state), so that some of this information (that which might be useful in achieving a goal) can be integrated into a decision, while some (that which does not improve the effectiveness of such a decision) is ignored. Such attribution of meaning means that organisms are sensitive to context and to their own history—and also, crucially, that they benefit from the evolutionary learning process that really is conveyed in the genes.

All of this has long been up for discussion within the philosophy of biology. What we are particularly concerned about in The New Biology project is to connect what might seem like somewhat abstract discussions about the nature of life to real laboratory research. In fact it is that research, often into the minutiae of molecular and cell biology, that convinces us that this is the right time to be looking for new narratives. We can now begin to identify the molecular processes that underlie and facilitate the agency, adaptiveness and sensitivity of living organisms and their ability to innovate and improvise in the face of circumstances for which evolution could never have anticipated the “right response.” We see this, for example, in the way that many of the key interactions between molecules in cells do not have a precise on/off digital logic, but rather, operate according to fuzzy principles in which the molecules can cooperate with many different partners in a context- dependent manner. We see it in the way biomolecules tend to act collectively, often in combinatorial ways such that any given molecule can play a role in various different (and sometimes diametrically opposed) decisional outcomes, depending on the company it keeps. All of this makes it clear why, not only are the lines of connection between a gene and a trait (a phenotype) typically complex and convoluted but they are also highly contextual, to the extent that we cannot regard a gene as prescribing (being “for”) the trait but only as a source of resources that partake in such outcomes. As a result, the “causes” of organismal behaviour—including disease outcomes—often cannot be traced back to the genome in any meaningful manner.

So the question then becomes: what stories should we tell about all this complexity? That is the project’s goal, to which end it will begin with a series of interviews (of which that with Nurse was the first) with leading thinkers and researchers in a range of disciplines, including cell and developmental biology, the origin of life, genetics, and the philosophy of biology. Nick Lane, a biochemist at University College London who has emerged as one of the most inventive thinkers in modern biology, will be a co-leader, and the project will build towards a symposium in which the participants will debate ways to understand and to present the changing picture of how life works.

The conviction behind the New Biology project is not only that such stories can be found—and that they can not only better inform the public about health and biomedical technologies but also improve professional discourse—but that they will prove to be far richer, more productive, and more satisfying than any reductive picture based on genetic blueprints. Most of all, we hope that these new narratives can help restore a sense of awe and reverence at the fact that life has arisen, at least on this planet, from lifeless matter, and has thereby introduced purpose and meaning to the universe.

[Johnnycomelately]

Sailor James talks about his sailing experiences after taking his 30 foot Triteia from California to Hawaii to ? to New Zealand, Oz, and into plastic-garbage-afflicted Indonesia.

Feel like this should be cross posted to the RANCH thread. Hi, Bluegreen!

Boat is now in Indonesia, waited out the bad weather season. James is back on board, about to continue his circumnav voyage. If I understood correctly, he plans to end this next year in/at Brazil. Said that the Indian Ocean is the toughest ocean (above the Southern Ocean), worse than the whole Pacific.

L = 1:15:37

Second Live Stream of the day after Audio Issues

Sailing Triteia
154K subscribers

Posted June 8, 2025

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZS2MAYUASbU

[Vicus]

MindMatters: Artificial Stone: Has Marcell Foti Cracked the Megalithic Code?

In this episode of Mind Matters, Marcell Foti shares his groundbreaking Natron Theory, challenging conventional explanations for the construction of ancient megalithic structures. Foti, an IT professional turned independent researcher, proposes that ancient civilizations used a chemical process involving natron — a carbonate mineral used in ancient Egypt for mummification and as a detergent — to etch and dissolve granite into a moldable "waterglass" slurry, which could then be cast into precise stone shapes. Demonstrating with small-scale experiments, he explains how this method accounts for the seamless, complex features of structures like those in Peru and Egypt, offering a compelling alternative to traditional theories of chiseling. Follow Marcel's ongoing experiments and insights on Twitter and check out his book, The Natron Theory, for a deeper dive into this revolutionary idea.

https://www.sott.net/article/499939-...egalithic-Code

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cgI01EU8WbM

https://grahamhancock.com/fotim1/

[Johnnycomelately]

Posted by Vicus (here)
MindMatters: Artificial Stone: Has Marcell Foti Cracked the Megalithic Code?

In this episode of Mind Matters, Marcell Foti shares his groundbreaking Natron Theory, challenging conventional explanations for the construction of ancient megalithic structures. Foti, an IT professional turned independent researcher, proposes that ancient civilizations used a chemical process involving natron — a carbonate mineral used in ancient Egypt for mummification and as a detergent — to etch and dissolve granite into a moldable "waterglass" slurry, which could then be cast into precise stone shapes. Demonstrating with small-scale experiments, he explains how this method accounts for the seamless, complex features of structures like those in Peru and Egypt, offering a compelling alternative to traditional theories of chiseling. Follow Marcel's ongoing experiments and insights on Twitter and check out his book, The Natron Theory, for a deeper dive into this revolutionary idea.

https://www.sott.net/article/499939-...egalithic-Code

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cgI01EU8WbM

https://grahamhancock.com/fotim1/

Hi Vicus. I got to about 9:15 (of 1:11:30) of this, and am convinced it’s bullsh*t. He talks about rocks like they are all the same, yet we know which quarries most of the megalith stones came from.

And I don’t like his cocksure attitude.

Cheers anyways, sir, and thank you for your input.

[Johnnycomelately]

Putting this away for a rainy day, three friends’ banter, cheer me up.

Gonky won’t say what his callsign means, inside joke between these guys, apparently NSFW.

Fighter-jet pilots, all alphas, good talk. L = 2:23:43.

Season 5 Ep 21: Join Mover, Gonky, and WOMBAT tonight at 8pm ET!

The Mover and Gonky Show
69.1K subscribers

Streamed June 9, 2025

“Three pilots, one mission: talk aviation/cool stuff, stir the pot, and maybe drop a fact or two in between the jokes.”

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=EKhEc5lFeXE

[Johnnycomelately]

Random great talk that belongs nowhere else on Avalon, yet. We should at least have a thread for great random stories.

Fighter pilot's blindness leads to medical miracle

Old Fliers
16.8K subscribers

Posted June 22, 2025

“On 15 August 1940, Cleaver was shot down during combat over Winchester.
He wasn’t wearing goggles.
The canopy of his Hurricane was hit by cannon shells from a German bomber, causing shrapnel from an exploding cannon shell to infiltrate his cockpit, Perspex fragments shattered into his face and both eyes. What happened next would benefit millions of people world-wide.”

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_dhQrR0mPto

[Johnnycomelately]

Complete public board meeting of the US NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).

Focus is the incident at Austin TX on Feb 4, 2023, where an airliner on close approach called go-around after seeing another airliner starting its takeoff roll.

Human factors, training, relevant safety equipment both on the two aircraft and at the airport, previous similar incidents and subsequent NTSB recommendations.

The “questions” portion, as noted in the timestamps in description, are by the 5 board members, of several experts. So that’s the majority (80%) of total meeting time.

NTSB Chair, Jennifer Homendy, is frustrated that the FAA has not acted to fulfill previous recommendations by NTSB.

Homendy has drawn sharp criticism by YouTuber Dan Gryder, who analyses aircraft incidents under the banner DTSB (D for Dan). She had no previous aviation industry experience, not a pilot, is just a professional administrator. In this meeting, she runs the show well, but her lack of familiarity with the nuts and bolts of aviation operations is evident.

L = 3:32:01

Southwest 708 & FedEx 1432 Austin NTSB Board Meeting

AIRBOYD

506K subscribers
Posted 6.June 24, 2025

“ Credit: NTSB https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectI...

Open
Mike Hauf 12:52
Brian Soper 28:37
Dr. Dujuan Sevillian 36:38
Kyle Garner 46:07
Questions 52:42
Close

The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.”

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=vWXaM9oB06U

[Johnnycomelately]

L= 49:03, am now at 27:++, history nerds might like this. US getting loads/heaps of German airplanes, following the end of WWII.

The Reaper Was A Carrier Full Of The Luftwaffe's Secret Weapons

Not A Pound For Air To Ground
78.2K subscribers

July 18, 2025

On July 19th 1945, the escort carrier HMS Reaper departed Cherbourg on her way to New York. On her decks was a treasure trove of German aircraft technology, on its way to the USA for examination and exploitation. This video catalogues the aircraft onboard the Reaper and the US assessment of the different types.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8p9P9dTwnYs

[Johnnycomelately]

Couldn’t find a thread about Genghis Khan.

At about a thousand years ago he ruled the largest contiguous land empire ever.

G K’s story from before birth, by historian Mr. Jack Weatherford. I’m at about a half hour in, of L=4:30:01, and Mr. Khan is just beginning his collaborative rescue of his first wife. Previously, we learned that his mother had been kidnapped out of wedlock, and he was born into captivity and later abandoned with his mother and several older siblings on the harsh Steppe as winter approached.

James Mitchener’s historical fiction Poland describes GK’s easternmost exploits. Harrowing stuff.

Another history note, ~1k years ago was when the Vikings were seeding red-headedness into the British Isles. Odd that we don’t have record of those powers facing off or even communicating. At some point, probably after the Mongols withdrew, the Vikings trafficked Europe-region slaves down into the Middle East, by river transport.

Back to it! 😳


Jack Weatherford: Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire | Lex Fridman Podcast #476

Lex Fridman

4.77M subscribers

July 31, 2025

OUTLINE:
0:00 - Introduction
0:56 - Origin story of Genghis Khan
42:42 - Early battles & conquests
55:23 - Power
57:45 - Secret History
1:11:10 - Mongolian steppe
1:14:27 - Mounted archery and horse-riding
1:22:48 - Genghis Khan's army
1:39:00 - Military tactics and strategy
1:51:24 - Wars of conquest
1:55:48 - Dan Carlin
2:05:49 - Religious freedom
2:21:36 - Trade and the Silk Road
2:30:21 - Weapons innovation
2:31:52 - Kublai Khan and conquering China
3:13:43 - Fall of the Mongol Empire
3:40:38 - Genetic legacy
3:50:32 - Lessons from Genghis Khan
4:00:48 - Human nature
4:03:58 - Visiting Mongolia
4:23:27 - Lex: Dan Carlin
4:26:17 - Lex: Gaza

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=U1H1Ob7jk8Q

Edit, am in the horse timestamp, “1:14:27 - Mounted archery and horse-riding”. Cool stories. Regarding horsemanship training, race riders/jockeys were age-limited to 6 years old, started at about 3 years old. Bareback, and with horses trained to race with 3-6 year olds. Bonkers, and genius lol.


Edit +, “ 1:22:48 - Genghis Khan's army”. Thoughtful and accommodating boss, consulted with generals who had lost battles/campains, went to the sites with them and learned and advised them, rather than what other rulers did — kill the loser leaders.


Edit re content #3, 1:39:00 - Military tactics and strategy, plus 1:51:24 - Wars of conquest. Full of nightmares and ~miracles. I was going to call them Fausian, or maybe Friedrich NietzscheIan but not sure. Any philosophy boffins here?

1:55:48 - Dan Carlin, is starting off darlingly.

[Johnnycomelately]

For the record

Every Apollo Mission.

Australian Military Aviation History
142K subscribers

Sept 21, 2025

We trace the Apollo program from Cold War origins to its collaborative finale, showing how disciplined engineering turned an audacious goal into reality. Opening with the Space Race—German rocketry legacies, Sputnik’s shock, and President Kennedy’s 1961 mandate—we follow NASA’s step-by-step build-up: Saturn I and IB test flights, the Launch Escape System trials, and the uncrewed Saturn V missions that proved (and improved) the giant booster. The Apollo 1 fire - explaining how the tragedy reshaped spacecraft design, safety culture, and test practices that would define the program going forward.

From there we move through the crewed milestones that “built the ladder” to the Moon. Apollo 7 qualified the command and service module; Apollo 8 orbited the Moon; Apollo 9 proved the Lunar Module in Earth orbit; and Apollo 10 rehearsed the landing in lunar orbit. The landing sequence highlights Apollo 11’s first footsteps and the precision, science, and resilience that followed—Apollo 12’s pinpoint touchdown, Apollo 13’s life-or-death rescue, and the “J-missions” (15–17) with the Lunar Roving Vehicle, deep field geology, and record science returns culminating with a geologist on the surface.

The final act shows how Apollo’s hardware and know-how extended beyond landings. Crewed Skylab missions repaired and activated America’s first space station, pioneered long-duration living and solar science, and refined in-orbit maintenance. We close with Apollo–Soyuz in 1975, the first U.S.–Soviet joint flight that tested international docking standards and signaled a new era of cooperation. Across twenty flights, Apollo validated heavy-lift launch, deep-space navigation, rendezvous and docking, surface mobility, and field science—laying practical groundwork for the Space Shuttle, space stations, and today’s return-to-the-Moon plans.

CONTENTS
00:00 Intro
00:48 Space Race Begins
03:48 Apollo Begins
07:41 Apollo 1 1967
10:11 Apollo 4 1967
11:21 Apollo 5 1968
12:49 Apollo 6 1968
14:44 Apollo 7 1968
16:48 Apollo 8 1968
18:59 Apollo 9 1969
21:00 Apollo10 1969
23:11 Apollo 11 1969
25:28 Apollo 12 1969
27:37 Apollo 13 1970
29:40 Apollo 14 1971
31:54 Apollo 15 1971
34:10 Apollo 16 1972
36:06 Apollo 17 1972
38:36 Skylab 2 1973
40:34 Skylab 3 1973
42:30 Skylab 4 1973-74
44:35 Apollo–Soyuz 1975

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BVEZQBXmi5s

[Johnnycomelately]

Big scoop maybe? Stock in this thread is a good bet, for discretionary interest.

I’ve followed Dr. Lerner for more than a couple years, about his ion fusion-energy work, and this described process is new to me. It’s something different, and is claimed to be so good as to be a paradigm shifting development. Normal Hydrogen, and the most common isotope of Boron, shake AND stir. And presto, all our problems will be taillights-down-the-road.

Fusion - No Longer Sci-Fi, Ep.3: A New Approach

LPPFusion
16K subscribers

Sept 24, 2025

On July 13, 2025, LPPFusion Chief Scientist Eric Lerner gave an up-to-date presentation on LPPFusion’s Fastest Route to Fusion at a forum in Holmdel, NJ. Given Lerner’s work in cosmology, it was maybe a bit ironic that the event was “The Big Bang Mile”. In Episode 3 of this series, Lerner explains the radical alternative approach to fusion energy based on hydrogen-boron fuel. This fuel can make possible far cheaper and more compact energy sources that have ever existed.

Our videos come out of LPPFusion’s research in astrophysics and fusion energy. This work is paving the way for the development in this decade of a source of cheap, clean, safe, unlimited and decentralized energy. Fusion energy will provide a future without pollution, with a sustainable environment, with abundance for all. The price of all goods, housing, infrastructure would fall drastically, lifting the standard of living for all.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_XtpMxAlLkU

[Johnnycomelately]

Adding to post #31.

Fusion - No Longer Sci-Fi, Ep.4: The Science of Focus Fusion

LPPFusion

16K subscribers

Sept 27, 2025

On July 13, 2025, LPPFusion Chief Scientist Eric Lerner gave an up-to-date presentation on LPPFusion’s Fastest Route to Fusion at a forum in Holmdel, NJ. Given Lerner’s work in cosmology, it was maybe a bit ironic that the event was “The Big Bang Mile”. In Episode 4 of this series, we explore the core physics of how this device uses powerful magnetic fields to compress a hydrogen-boron fuel into a tiny, super-heated ball of plasma called a plasmoid. Learn about the elegant scientific principles that allow this method to generate energy directly from the fusion reaction, promising an efficient process that avoids the radioactive waste that plagues other fusion designs. Join us to understand the groundbreaking science that could make clean, decentralized energy a reality.

Our videos come out of LPPFusion’s research in astrophysics and fusion energy. This work is paving the way for the development in this decade of a source of cheap, clean, safe, unlimited and decentralized energy. Fusion energy will provide a future without pollution, with a sustainable environment, with abundance for all. The price of all goods, housing, infrastructure would fall drastically, lifting the standard of living for all.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=b4PMmczowFk

[Johnnycomelately]

The genesis of Quantum Mechanics. Started after Heisenberg gave a problem to a 20 y.o. physics student. Student solved it by imagining half-integers, And H-man took that and ran with it. He developed matrix algebra, then collaborated with several other smart guys to build a whole theory of mechanics from that.

Somewhere in there he got his famous Uncertainty Principle. Then quite soon after, this all happened in a matter of months, Schröedinger came up with his probability-wave formulation, and that was that.

Einstein didn’t like Quantum Mechanics, objected to “Spooky action at a distance”. To this day, his General Relativity doesn’t get along with QM.

Heisenberg Made a Discovery in 1925. We Still Can't Explain It

PBS Space Time

3.38M subscribers

Dec 11, 2025

2025 is … was the international year of quantum science and technology. Yes because quantum tech is increasingly important, but especially because quantum mechanics was invented 100 years ago this year. In 1925, our strangest true theory went from being a peculiar set of ideas to describe some funny results from experiments, to a full-blown theoretical framework that overturned how we think reality really works. So today, as the centenary year approaches its end I want to take you on a little journey through what may be the most paradigm-destroying several months in scientific history.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=c-Q5r3THR3M

Edit to add: Hey Craig, is this what you meant by worldly? ~8D

Posted by Craig (here)
ah, reminds of avalon of old, before our recent worldly adventures,

I vaguely remember the story of the guy whilst on a boat banged into a UFO and that started an adventure, i had copies of PDF's on my old machine but have unfortunately since lost them

simpler times...

[Johnnycomelately]

Chris Lehto gives his overview of the whole UFO disclosure thing.

Says ~hell yeah large groups of people can keep a secret, offers Santa Clause and the traditional Christmas upbringing/gifting scam* as an example.

*Noam Chomsky, in his epic vid Manufacturing Consent, described the role of the Coca Cola business in that.

Lots more too. L = 22:36. Imo, this is a very good take on the whole thing.

5 Years Investigating UAPs - I didn't expect this

Lehto Files
118K subscribers

Chris Lehto is a former F-16 pilot with 18 years of experience in the Air Force. He managed multi-million dollar simulator contracts, was an Electronic Attack SME for the Aggressors (OPFOR), and commanded the US Detachment at TLP for NATO Fighter Pilot Training. Chris fought in Iraq for 5 months in 2006. He spent 3 years in Turkey as an exchange pilot and is fluent in Turkish. Chris is also a certified crash safety investigator, having investigated Air Force accidents for four years. Lehto has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry-Materials Science from the Air Force Academy and a Master's in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle University. He was stationed in various locations worldwide, including South Korea, Italy, Alaska, Turkey, and Spain.

Lehto's YouTube channel, "Lehto Files," focuses on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) research, future tech insights, and sharing knowledge. His approach is scientific and aims to illuminate these phenomena and provide informative content. He also shares his expertise on aviation safety and accident analysis. Lehto believes in the power of open dialogue and the importance of a censor-free internet.

Lehto covers a range of topics, including:

• Analysis of aviation accidents, such as the collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
• Identification of drones, drawing on his Air Force security forces experience.
• Insights into Alternate Physics - promoting his Fractal Holographic Universe Theory
• Discussions of UAPs and related topics.
• Insights into space exploration, including his experience at the launch of SpaceX's Starship SN25.

Join this channel for exclusive access:
/ @chrislehtof16

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=5l-LX2y8x1M

[Johnnycomelately]

Copying this excellent post by Natalie (onawah), from the Breaking News thread, for both the material and the example.

Posted by onawah (here)
Epstein, MIT Schwarzman Scholars, Blackstone, China CCP, Wuhan, Gates Foundation, Pfizer, Moderna, Harvard, Intelligence And Self Assembly Nanotechnology - Should Someone Investigate This Further?
Ana Maria Mihalcea, MD, PhD, Humanity United Now
Feb 28, 2026
https://substack.com/home/post/p-189398378

(None of these topics are new in and of themselves--and this post could go on any number of threads-- but connecting all the dots that link them in one article provides a good overview.
It's well worth a good, long look with such a wealth of information and so many connecting dots.
BUT all the hyperlinks to other, related articles in this one post are too numerous to embed here...
...SO--the following is just the main part of the article):



"Sometime in 2022 someone contacted me anonymously to give me important information. These were files that outlined the connections between Intelligence, corporate entities, vaccine companies, heads of state. When I tried to contact different people and share this information, nobody was interested. I shared some of this on my Substack, but people did not understand the significance. With the release of the Epstein files and many of the connections verified, maybe people will pay more attention and investigate further.

Where exactly did the COVID bioweapon come from? Is the self assembly nanotechnology used to “hack the human animal” and make “the soul and the spirit of humans a thing of the past” as WEF spokesman Yuval Noah Harrari stated? Whistleblower Melissa McAtee, who worked for Pfizer, provided information that unmarked bags of unknown chemicals arrived at Pfizer from China, and that the COVID19 vials had a fluorescent glow to them.

Breaking News: Glowing C19 Shots and Fluorescent Nanotechnology - Conversation With Pfizer Whistleblower Melissa McAtee - Truth, Science and Spirit, Ep 26

We later found out through the investigations of Dr Marcela Sangorrin and Lorena DiBlasi that paramagnetic and fluorescent metals were found in the COVID bioweapon, which are building blocks for semiconductor nanotechnologies and biosensors.

Analysis Of Covid 19 Injections – 50 Undeclared Chemical Elements, Graphene Oxide, Fluorescent Particles – Conversation With Biotechnologist Lorena Diblasi – Truth, Science and Spirit Ep23

Then the knowledge about fluorescent Morgellon’s like filaments and microchips emerged that came from the COVID19 injected and then the uninjected via shedding:

Fluorescent Skin In C19 Vaccinated - Truth, Science and Spirit Ep 7: Conversation with Former DOD Contractor Justin Coy, PhD

Fluorescent Filaments Coming Out Of C19 Vaccinated Individuals Skin Glowing Under UV Light: Darkfield Microscopy

I also found fluorescent structures that self assembled from the Pfizer COVID19 vials:

Massive Nano and Microrobot Activity In Pfizer BioN Tech COVID19 injection After 5 Weeks At Room Temperature - Fluorescent Aggregates Found - Darkfield Microscopy

I have also discussed how Epstein was obsessed with immunizing the Vagus nerve and how that relates to the COVID bioweapon:

Epstein Was Obsessed With Vagus Nerve “Should Be Immunized”Critical To Hacking Humans For BCI - C19 Causes Autonomic Dysfunction Via Vagus Nerve Resulting In Worse Cancer, Afib, Cognitive Dysfunction

I explained how polyamide silk for self assembling nanotechnology was of great interest to Epstein and that spider silk genes were found in the residual DNA of the COVID19 vials:

Epstein Files 2014: Silk For Nanotechnology RFID Microelectronic Tags and Vaccine Delivery Implantable In Humans For Tracking - Why Did The COVID19 Bioweapon Contain Spider “Silk” Genes?

Epstein had tremendous interest in the brain computer interface, nanotechnology, nanophotonics, olfactory nerve and other transhumanist technologies. He had close relationship with Nobel Laureate Richard Axel who developed a method to introduce any gene into any cell and was an expert on the olfactory nerve.

Nobel Prize–winning brain scientist steps down over Epstein ties

Richard Axel is a Nobel laureate, a University Professor, a professor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and a principal investigator at Columbia’s Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Dr. Axel obtained an AB from Columbia College and an MD from Johns Hopkins Medical School. In earlier studies, Dr. Axel and his colleagues, Michael Wigler and Saul Silverstein, developed gene transfer techniques that permit the introduction of virtually any gene into any cell. These studies not only allowed for a novel approach to isolate genes but also provided a detailed analysis of how they worked. At the same time, these experiments allowed for the production of an increasingly large number of clinically important proteins. These studies also led to the isolation and functional analysis of a gene for the lymphocyte surface protein, CD4, the cellular receptor for the AIDS virus, HIV.

Loss of smell, known as anosmia, is a common symptom of COVID-19, often occurring early in the infection and sometimes lasting for months or longer. While many people recover their sense of smell within six months, some may experience persistent loss, and consulting a specialist can help determine the cause and potential treatments. Is that just a coincidence?

Many of these connections outlined in the above schematic have been shown to be actual. The key component are the MIT Schwarzman Scholars and the Harvard Club of Shanghai. First, you can see Epstein was interested in the Schwarzman Scholar program.



Blackstone is mentioned 519 times in the Epstein files both in relation to Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein himself. We know that Epstein had close connections to the MIT Media lab via Joi Ito who introduced Epstein to many MIT scientists.

Epstein’s ties with MIT further revealed in latest DOJ document release

The MIT Media Lab and the MIT Schwarzman Scholars program are both part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but they focus on different areas. The Media Lab conducts interdisciplinary research in technology, media, and design, while the Schwarzman Scholars program is aimed at developing future leaders through a global perspective and education in public policy, economics, and international relations

MIT has the Schwarzman Scholar program:

On April 21, 2013, Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of The Blackstone Group, announced the establishment of the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.[2][9] The initiative aimed to create an elite, fully funded one-year Master’s degree program in global affairs, modeled after prestigious scholarships like the Rhodes Scholarship, to foster understanding between the United States and China amid rising global interdependence.

Since its inception, the program has maintained ties to the United Front Work Department as well as other organizations and personnel affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.[5

Blackstone and BlackRock are related through their founding history; BlackRock was originally part of Blackstone when it was established in 1988. The two firms were founded by Steve Schwarzman and Larry Fink, who intentionally chose similar names, leading to some confusion between the two companies.

Blackstone and Vanguard have formed a strategic alliance to create investment solutions that combine public and private assets, aiming to provide broader access to sophisticated investment opportunities for individual investors. This collaboration seeks to simplify multi-asset portfolios and enhance investment options available to retail clients.

Both Blackrock and Vanguard have been major shareholders of both Moderna and Pfizer:



Schwarzman was a member of Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death)

The 15 Most Powerful Members Of ‘Skull And Bones’ Stephen A. Schwarzman - Class of 1969

He was tapped only a year behind George W. Bush and came to prominence under the future president’s administration when his Blackstone Investments hedge fund group went public in 2007.

Stephen Allen Schwarzman (born February 14, 1947) is an American businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of the private equity firm Blackstone Inc., which he established in 1985 with Peter G. Peterson. Schwarzman was chairman of President Donald Trump‘s Strategic and Policy Forum.[1]

Blackstone has connections with Alphabet and Google, and through them with the intelligence community CIA/NSA, banking and Council of foreign relations via

Blackstone Ruth Porat

President & Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google
Ruth is President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google with responsibility for corporate investments and investment vehicles, including GV and CapG, the Other Bets investment portfolio, Real Estate and Workplace Services, and other infrastructure. The role includes engaging with policymakers and regulators globally about Alphabet and Google’s business and impact across markets related to economic growth, job creation, and opportunity. Ruth also oversees Alphabet and Google’s philanthropic efforts and work to expand access to digital infrastructure and skilling initiatives globally. She reports to Alphabet’s Chief Executive Officer.

Ruth joined Google in May 2015 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Google and held the same title at Alphabet upon creation in October 2015. Prior to joining Google, Ruth was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley and held roles there that included Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Co-Head of Technology Investment Banking and Global Head of the Financial Institutions Group. Ruth is a member of the Board of Directors of Blackstone Inc., the Stanford Management Company, the Council on Foreign Relations, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She previously spent 10 years on Stanford University’s Board of Trustees.

Epstein was involved with Blackstone and Chinese investments:



David Stern was a German businessman who acted as a key intermediary between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, frequently communicating with Epstein from around 2008 to 2019. His involvement included facilitating connections and discussing various business deals, despite Epstein's criminal background.



In 2013, an email addressing Epstein lists Schwarzman as one of many hosts of a cocktail party in New York City, including President Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. In 2008, Epstein pled guilty to a state charge in Florida of procuring for prostitution a girl under the age of 18.

This was the international advisory board for Schwarzman Scholars.


Epstein had direct contact with Kevin Rudd who was listed above. He also mentioned Kissinger many times in his emails, as well as Colin Powell whom Epstein greatly admired.

Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister
Australian diplomat Kevin Rudd, who served as the country’s prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2013, has also been named in the Epstein files.

Rudd’s name appeared on Epstein’s daily meeting schedule for June 8, 2014, at 4:30pm. On that day, Epstein flew to New York from his private island, Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands, for several meetings, including with Rudd.

Rudd, who is currently serving as Australia’s ambassador to the US, claims he did not visit Epstein and denies any friendship with him.

But the newly released files show that two days before the scheduled appointment, Epstein emailed his assistant, Lesley Groff, on June 6, 2014 to ask for non-vegetarian food to be made available at the upcoming Sunday lunch “as now kevin rudd is also coming”. Rudd was not in government at the time.

Just seconds later, Epstein follows up in another email to Groff: “Kevin Rudd might also stop by former prime minister austrailia [sic].”

Blackstone has connections to Harvard via:


The Schwarzman Academic Advisory Council had Yinuo Li from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation amongst others linking prestigious US Universities:






Charles Lieber was from Harvard University and after serving his sentence for espionage - Lieber joined Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS), a graduate school of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, China as a full-time chair professor.

Charles M. Lieber (born 1959)[1] is an American chemist, inventor, nanotechnologist, and writer. In 2011, Lieber was named the leading chemist in the world for the decade 2000–2010 by Thomson Reuters, based on the impact of his scientific publications.[2] He is known for his contributions to the synthesis, assembly and characterization of nanoscale materials and nanodevices, the application of nanoelectronic devices in biology, and as a mentor to numerous leaders in nanoscience.[3]



The father of the Director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Yangi Wang, is a professor at Tsinghua University who is also a high ranking member of the CCP. The other daughter was a whistleblower regarding the ties of former President Joe Biden and his son Hunter to the CCP. The mother of Yangi Wang was the managing Director of Blackstone Advisory Partners.



Schwarzman and Blackstone supposedly is a shell for high level Chinese members of the Dragon Society:




Pfizer has direct connections to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation:


Pfizer also had FDA connections:


Was COVID a biological weapon created by China and if yes, are all of these ties listed above a concern?

$20 trillion lawsuit against China! US group says coronavirus is bioweapon

Coronavirus update: The plaintiffs have sought USD 20 trillion, which is a bigger amount than China’s GDP, claiming coronavirus is the result of a biological weapon prepared by the Chinese authorities

They allege the virus had released from the Wuhan Virology Institute. The plaintiffs stated that the COVID-19 virus was “designed” by China to kill mass populations. Biological weapons were outlawed in 1925 and hence such a biological weapon is a terrorist-related weapon of mass destruction, the lawsuit mentioned.

The American group cites multiple media reports that said that there was only one microbiology lab in China that handled advanced viruses like the novel coronavirus -- in Wuhan. To cover up, the plaintiffs alleged, China linked statements on coronavirus with national security protocols.

Klayman and the plaintiffs also alleged that Chinese doctors and researchers who spoke out about coronavirus and “raised the alarm to the outside world internationally” have been “silenced”. They added that such was the desperation of Major General Chen to save herself from the virus that she injected herself and six members of her team with a potential vaccine that was yet to be tested.

They also alleged that all the defendants were working together to perpetuate “international terrorism”.

The lawsuit stated that while coronavirus is slow-acting and slow-spreading to be used against a country’s military, “it was designed to be used against the general population of one or more of China’s perceived enemy nations, such as the United States.”

We all have seen the silence of President Trump regarding the COVID19 bioweapon. Here is what Wikipedia lists about Schwarzmans influence on Trump:

In late 2016, Schwarzman “helped put together” a team of corporate executives to advise Trump on jobs and the economy. The group, which includes JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Walt Disney boss Bob Iger and former General Electric leader Jack Welch, became Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum.[38][39] In February, Schwarzman was named as chair of the 16-member President’s Strategic and Policy Forum, which brought together “CEOs of America’s biggest corporations, banks and investment firms” to consult with the president on “how to create jobs and improve growth for the U.S. economy.”[40] On August 16, 2017, following five members’ resignations, President Trump announced via Twitter he was disbanding the forum.[41]

He is a longtime friend of president Donald Trump and provides outside counsel, and served as chair of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum.[1][42] In response to criticism for his involvement with the Trump administration,[43] Schwarzman penned a letter to current Schwarzman Scholars, arguing that “having influence and providing sound advice is a good thing, even if it attracts criticism or requires some sacrifice”.[1]

In December 2018, non-profit consumer advocacy organisation Public Citizen published a report titled: “’Self-Funded’ Trump Now Propped Up By Super PAC Megadonors.” The report disclosed that Schwarzman donated $344,000 in support of Trump’s re-election campaign. Following his election, Trump appointed Schwarzman as the chairman of the White House Strategic and Policy Forum.[44]

In 2020, Schwarzman donated $15 million to the Senate Leadership Fund,[45] a super-PAC tied to Mitch McConnell,[46] $3 million to Donald Trump’s America First Action PAC, and a combined total for the election cycle of $33.5 million to Republican candidates. Several of the Republicans he funded voted against certifying the 2020 Presidential Election.[47]

In private, Schwarzman called the January 6 United States Capitol attack an “insurrection” and “an affront to the democratic values we hold dear”. However, he stopped short of criticizing Trump over the riot.[28]

In 2022, Schwarzman indicated that he would not support the Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign, providing in a statement to Axios that it was “time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders.”[48] In 2024, Schwarzman announced that he would support Donald Trump as a “vote for change.”[49]

In 2025, Schwarzman said the tariff situation in the US had put Europe in a unique position to capture more investment from those looking to diversify away from uncertain markets.[50]

In the fall of 2025, Schwarzman became a key player in efforts to resolve the longstanding dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard University over university policies and billions of dollars in research funds.[51]

In October 2025, Schwarzman was named by the White House as a donor to the construction of the White House State Ballroom, a proposed 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) expansion of the East Wing.[52]

In November 2025, Schwartzman attended a red carpet dinner at the White House for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bin Salman, invited by President Donald Trump, was making his first visit to the United States since the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence implicated bin Salman in.[53]

One of the other International MIT Schwarzman Scholar advisors was Tony Blair who was on the Epstein/Israel pay list. What exactly was he supposed to be paid for?

Epstein, Israel’s Barak discussed ‘gigantic’ consultancy sums paid to Blair

A recently released audio recording captures disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak discussing the “gigantic” sums paid to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for his consulting work, and questioning his financial arrangements.

We have heard that Trump is being blackmailed by Netanyahu who has had a close relationship with Epstein, as did former Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Israeli ex-intelligence officer claims Netanyahu blackmailing Trump through Epstein ties

Ari Ben-Menashe, an Israeli former intelligence officer, has alleged that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blackmailing former U.S. President Donald Trump, linking the effort to the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Netanyahu says 'Epstein did not work for Israel', but new files citing FBI docs suggest otherwise

A 2020 FBI document included in the Epstein files claims that the billionaire paedophile was “trained as a spy“ under Barak.

Persistent reports have claimed that Epstein was a Mossad asset for blackmail operations, often tied to his Jewish background and Israeli connections.

Such claims have been amplified by figures like ex-Israeli intelligence officer, Ari Ben-Menashe, who alleged Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell worked for Israeli intelligence since the 1980s.

Maxwell’s father, Robert Maxwell, was called a Mossad asset by Epstein.

In March 2018, Epstein wrote to an unknown recipient, quoting extensively from a book that alleged Maxwell was murdered by Israeli spies for threatening to reveal the work he had done for them.

Many ties lead to MIT:

Professor recalls Netanyahu’s intense studies in three fields

Mr. Netanyahu, who went by the surname Nitay while an MIT student, was
at the Institute from September 1972 to May 1976.

_______________________________________________________________________

Will we ever find out the truth about COVID bioweapon, the self assembly nanotechnology and should someone investigate these ties a bit closer? Is it all coincidence or is it a possible answer to everything we have uncovered about the real cause of the bioweapons as a global surveillance and control mechanism under the skin perpetrated by the Chinese with the help of many international players? How come Epstein was interested in all of the self assembly nanotechnologies, brain computer interface and how come he was involved in vaccine delivery projects including Polio with the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation?

Why was an intelligence asset running a satanic pedophile ring so interested in vaccines? How come the WEF lists vaccination as the center cornerstone of strategic global intelligence linking cryptocurrency, digital ID, AI and all other technologies of technocratic transhumanism?

Børge Brende, the CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF), resigned following scrutiny over his past connections to Jeffrey Epstein.

Will the Epstein files help us understand the greatest attack on humanity ever perpetrated via the Great Reset COVID bioweapon? "