Mars dust storms are sparking electricity and rewriting the planet’s chemistry

Dust devils on Mars
Illustration of dust devils which were recorded on Mars by the Perseverance rover. Source: Earth.com

Mars may look like a quiet, dusty world, but it’s actually buzzing with hidden electrical activity. Powerful dust storms and swirling dust devils generate static electricity strong enough to spark faint glowing discharges across the planet, triggering chemical reactions that reshape its surface and atmosphere. Scientists have now shown that these tiny lightning-like events can create a surprising mix of chemicals—including chlorine compounds and carbonates—and even leave behind distinct isotopic “fingerprints.”

Mars is often portrayed as a dry, lifeless desert, but it is far more active than it appears...

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A new way to deliver faster, greener wireless connections indoors

A new way to deliver faster, greener wireless connections indoors
The image conceptually represents the compact, chip-scale platform integrating the 5×5 VCSEL array and custom beam-shaping optics to create a structured grid of uniform square spots. Credit: H. Safi (University of Cambridge)

Modern life depends on fast and reliable wireless connections. Video calls, streaming services, virtual reality, and smart devices all place growing demands on networks that already serve billions of users. Most wireless data today travels through radio-based technologies such as Wi-Fi and cellular systems.

While these approaches have been highly successful, they face mounting challenges, including crowded radio spectrum, interference in dense indoor spaces, and rising energy consumption as more devices come online.

A promising complementary approach is optic...

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Dying stars are devouring giant planets, astronomers discover

This artist’s impression depicts a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet. New research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that ageing stars may be destroying the giant planets orbiting closest to them.
This artist’s impression depicts a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet. New research published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that ageing stars may be destroying the giant planets orbiting closest to them.
Credit
International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Garlick/M. Zamani
Licence type
Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

A new study suggests that aging stars may be wiping out the giant planets that orbit closest to them. The research, led by astronomers at UCL (University College London) and the University of Warwick, provides fresh evidence that these planets can be pulled inward and destroyed as their host stars evolve.

Stars like our Sun eventually run out of hydrogen fuel...

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Biomarker test may improve risk assessment for HPV-related throat cancer

Dr Catherine Haring with a HPV biomarker test sample

Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC—James) are advancing the understanding of a promising blood test that could personalize treatment and surveillance for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated throat cancer. The research, published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, explores how a blood-based test, circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctDNA), changes before and after surgery. The study explores how tumor biology and patient factors influence ctDNA levels. The findings provide important new insight into how this ctDNA test can be used along with pathology reports to improve risk assessment and personalize treatment plans.

“We know that more than 90% ...

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