Proof that you can make mathematical history even if you're just Some Guy™

The study identifies key locations where extraterrestrial life might be most likely to thrive. Scientists suggest that Mars’ mid-latitudes, beneath layers of dust-filled ice, may harbor the right conditions for photosynthesis—the process by which plants, algae, and cyanobacteria on Earth convert light and water into energy, producing oxygen. The researchers, whose findings were published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, believe that these essential components for life could also be present beneath Mars’ icy surface. An image from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of several gullies in the Martian region Terra Sirenum. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.) Both Earth and Mars lie within the Sun’s “habitable zone,” a region where temperatures allow liquid water to exist on planetary surfaces. While Earth is covered in 71% liquid water, Mars is a dry, barren landscape. However, evidence from rovers and orbiters suggests that Mars once had liquid water billions of years ago. Today, water on Mars exists primarily as ice, not just at the poles but also in mid-latitude regions. Mars likely lost its liquid water when its magnetic field weakened, causing most of its atmosphere to escape and exposing the planet to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. Despite this, scientists propose that photosynthesis could still occur beneath the protective ice layers in the mid-latitudes. These regions are not as frigid as Mars’ poles, and the ice could shield potential life forms from harmful solar radiation while allowing enough light for photosynthesis to take place. Additionally, frozen water in the ice may occasionally melt into liquid form. The study’s modeling indicates that potential habitable zones could exist within the ice at depths ranging from 5-38 centimeters to 2-3 meters, depending on the amount of dust in the ice. These conditions resemble habitats on Earth, where life has been found in similar icy environments. Thus, it’s possible that extraterrestrial organisms could exist in these subsurface ice layers on Mars. The post Scientists Discover Potential Hiding Places for Alien Life on Mars appeared first on Anomalien.com.

The Stoke Voltaic Nomad Cooking System (left) and Joulle Kettle Pot. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Sometimes you just need a portable electric cookset. Maybe it’s during a major power outage when everyone’s huddled together over the warm glow of the family power station. Or maybe it’s at a tailgate party or picnic. In my case, it’s anywhere I decided to park my van over the last few months while testing two cooking systems from Stoke Voltaics. Most portable cooksets are powered by a liquid fuel like propane. It’s inexpensive and readily available in canisters of all sizes. But sometimes you’d rather not deal with an open flame, pollutants, and the noise and smell that comes with it. Stoke Voltaics’ gear is powered by electricity, which can be easily supplied by a solar generator and replenished by the sun. I tested the company’s new $... Continue reading…

The DJI Mavic Pro 3 drone. | Image: DJI DJI, the world’s largest drone company, is suing to avoid being seen as a tool of the Chinese government. On Friday, it sued the US Department of Defense to delete its name from a list of “Chinese Military Companies,” claiming it has no such relationship to Chinese authorities and has suffered unfairly as a result of that designation. Since DJI was added to that list in 2022, the company claims, it has “lost business deals, been stigmatized as a national security threat, and been banned from contracting with multiple federal government agencies,” and that its employees “now suffer frequent and pervasive stigmatization” and are “repeatedly harassed and insulted in public places.” It also alleges that the DoD would not offer the company... Continue reading…

A 5,000-year-old tomb so richly furnished that its owner may have been a high-ranking member of the societal elite has been unearthed at the Wangzhuang site in Yongcheng, Henan Province, central China. The tomb from the Neolithic Dawenkou culture contained more than 350 grave goods. The Wangzhuang site was a large settlement from the middle and late Dawenkou periods (ca. 3500 – 2600 B.C.). This is the second season of excavations and archaeologists have discovered 45 new tombs and fully excavated 27 of them. The newly-discovered tomb, dubbed M27, covers more than 180 square feet. It is a single chamber tomb with an outer coffin and an inner coffin. According to Zhu Guanghua, associate professor at Capital Normal University and one of the lead archaeologists involved in the excavation, “The latest discovery indicates that the Wangzhuang ruins are not an ordinary settlement, but rather the capital of a prehistoric kingdom.” The tomb was filled with over 100 pieces of pottery, nearly 200 jade ornaments, bone tools, and animal remains, including pig mandibles, symbolizing wealth in that era. Archaeologists were particularly excited by the evidence of cultural fusion uncovered at the site. Li Xinwei, deputy director of the Institute of Ancient History at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: “Its discoveries testify to the initial exchanges of early Chinese civilization, providing evidence for the nature of diversity within Chinese civilization. This site offers important examples for studying cultural fusion across different prehistoric regions.” Artifacts found at the site suggest influences from both the eastern and central regions of ancient China, as well as from the Yangtze River basin, indicating that the Wangzhuang inhabitants engaged in a wide array of cultural exchanges. The remains of chickens, dogs, cattle and pigs have been found at Dawenkou sites, but pig bones constitute the overwhelming majority, about 85%, of the total. The importance of the pig in Dawenkou culture is underscored by the presence of pig bones in burials. Pig mandibles in particular have been found in tombs with the richest artifacts. M27 was not left intact for long. Shortly after it was built, it was intentionally damaged, grave goods looted and the remains of the deceased destroyed or removed so that only a few toe bones remained. Jade artifacts were scattered and many stone blades deliberately broken. Archaeologists are studying the possible motivations for this act, perhaps a political or military rival desecrating the deceased’s tomb and his memory in one fell swoop? Early Dawenkou burials are comparatively egalitarian, about the same size with the same range and number of grave goods. By the time M27 was built, the culture had begun to stratify and it showed in the diversity of the tombs. The larger tombs had more burial objects of higher quality, some imported, indicating an established social hierarchy. Previously, it was thought that Chinese civilization primarily emerged from the Yellow River valley. However, as recent findings from sites like Wangzhuang demonstrate, many autonomous cultures across different regions interacted and influenced one another, creating a more complex picture of ancient China’s development.

A photograph of the arched stone bridge that William Rowan Hamilton scratched his equation into.

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