Category Archives: uk science

Why Is Mars Red? Scientists May Have Just Found The Answer

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Did you know scientists weren’t sure why pee is yellow until 2024?

Yup ― they had some idea the hue came from a substance called urobilin, but had no clue how that colour-enhancing acid ended up in our urine.

It seems Mars is another such chromatic case. Until recently, scientists had theories which would explain the planet’s rust-red hue ― they thought a dry, powdery substance called hematite coated our neighbours’ surface.

But a paper published in Nature Communications yesterday suggests that the iron oxide mineral isn’t actually responsible for Mars’ scarlet haze.

So… why is Mars really red?

It’s still down to iron-based sources, researchers from Brown University and the University of Bernsuggest ― that would explain its rusty look.

But they think that ferrihydrite, rather than hematite, could be the main mineral.

That matters because it implies the climate on Mars is more wet, and potentially more habitable, than previously thought, NASA says.

Unlike hematite, ferrihydrite (catch the “hydr-” in its name) needs cool water to form.

It also needs a lower temperature than the one which researchers previously thought was present on Mars.

Dr Adam Valantinas, the study’s lead author, said: “The fundamental question of why Mars is red has been considered for hundreds if not for thousands of years.”

And while they’re not the first team to suggest that ferrihydrite might be to blame, they can “better test this using observational data and novel laboratory methods” than their predecessors.

“These new findings point to a potentially habitable past on Mars,” Dr Geronimo Villanueva, the study’s co-author, shared.

Does that mean there was definitely water, and maybe life, on Mars?

No. The researchers only think ferrihydrite is why Mars is red, and though they used very advanced technology to observe and model the planet’s surface, it’s still unproven.

“What’s even more important… is the return of the samples from Mars that are being collected right now by the Perseverance rover,” Dr Jack Mustard, co-author of the study, said.

“When we get those back, we can actually check and see if this is right.”

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It’s Not Just You – Your Headphone Batteries Really Have Gotten Worse

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We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about the fact that lyrics really do seem to have declined in quality over the past few decades.

But if you think that the devices you use to hear them with have also become worse since you bought them, science says you might be correct on that front, too.

In a recent paper published in the journal Advanced Materials, researchers looked at how wireless headphone battery life declines after leaving the box, by using imaging technology, infrared scanners and even X-rays.

They wanted to find out whether headphones which last for eight hours when they were new can only run for, say, six hours after a couple of years without needing a charging break.

Our suspicions aren’t unfounded, it seems ― the longer we own our battery-powered earphones, the shorter the battery life seems to get.

Why?

The scientists found that little structures in earphones like Bluetooth antennae, microphones and circuit boards can make the battery’s environment a little taxing (for instance, it can warm up one side of the battery but not the other).

Even temperature changes in our own lives, like going for a walk in the cold with our earphones in, risk slightly damaging the battery, the researchers add.

For that reason, the study says: “Conventional battery failure analysis in controlled lab settings may not capture the complex interactions and environmental factors encountered in real-world, in-device operating conditions.”

In other words, the batteries in your earphones weren’t tested for real-life conditions as they actually play out.

Wait ― how can you tell what’s happening inside a battery to begin with?

It’s a big ask, which is why the University of Texas at Austin team used some of the world’s most advanced X-rays for the job.

They worked with groups from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, Brookhaven National Laboratory’s National Synchrotron Light Source II, Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source, and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) to get their data, Science Direct reports.

Physicist Xiaojing Huang, who worked in the Brookhaven lab that collaborated with these researchers, told the publication: “Most of the time, in the lab, we’re looking at either pristine and stable conditions or extremes.”

“As we discover and develop new types of batteries, we must understand the differences between lab conditions and the unpredictability of the real world and react accordingly. X-ray imaging can offer valuable insights for this.”

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