Found: Hidden Water on Mars

“Vast amounts of ancient Martian water may have been buried beneath its surface instead of escaping into space, scientists report in the journal Science. The findings, published Tuesday, may help untangle a clash of theories seeking to explain the disappearance of Mars’ water, a resource that was abundant on the planet’s surface billions of years ago.

Through modeling and data from Mars probes, rovers, and meteorites, researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that a broad range — between 30 to 99 percent — of the Red Planet’s earliest amounts of water could have vanished from the surface through a geological process called crustal hydration, where water was locked away in the rocks of Mars.”

— “Mars might be hiding most of its old water underground, scientists say,” Joey Roulette, The Verge

More:

“Mars: Vast amount of water may be locked up on planet,” Paul Rincon, BBC News

“Oceans’ Worth of Water May Live in Minerals Beneath Mars’ Surface,” Brad Bergan, Interesting Engineering

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Ghost Town

The Comune di Craco is a village in the Province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It became a ghost town, partly due to it’s own success, partly because of natural processes. A Science Channel video.

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Water. Not Just For Earthlings Anymore.

With the help of HiRISE, a powerful camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists have found vast quantities subsurface ice reserves that astronauts could mine for drinking, growing crops, or converting into hydrogen for fuel.

“The deposits begin at depths as shallow as one meter and extend upwards of 100 meters into the planet. The researchers don’t estimate the quantity of ice present, but they do note that the amount of ice near the surface is likely more extensive than the few locations where it’s exposed. And what’s more, the ice looks pretty damn pure.”

— “Scientists Discover Clean Water Ice Just Below Mars’ Surface,” Robbie Gonzalez, Wired

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Uncovering the Secrets of the Ocean Floor

Here’s another 20th Century “hidden figure”: Cartographer Marie Tharp. She processed the oceanographic data and produced the ocean floor maps proving Alfred Wegener‘s theory of continental drift. Helen Czerski explains it in this video from the Royal Institution of Great Britain, animated by Rosanna Wan.

More:

“Seeing Is Believing: How Marie Tharp Changed Geology Forever,” Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian Magazine

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GOP Science Gatekeeper: Earth is 9,000 years old

Representative Paul C. Broun, Jr., MD (R, GA-10) graduated from the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia. He thinks that Planet Earth is only 9,000 years old and that Evolution and Embryology are “lies straight from the pit of Hell.” So much for higher education in the Peach State.

It gets worse. Congressman Broun, MD is a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Perhaps he’s also medical adviser to fellow Science Committee member Todd Akin (R, MO-2), who believes victims of “legitimate rape” don’t get pregnant and that doctors are  giving abortions to women who aren’t pregnant.

Unsurprisingly, Congressmen Broun and Akin are both members of the House Tea Party Caucus.

More:

“Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA): Evolution, Big Bang ‘Lies Straight From The Pit Of Hell,’” Benjy Sarlin, Talking Points Memo

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Earthquake Today. Next: Hurricane.

Phil Plait’s animation (above) shows how the shock of today’s earthquake rippled across the country.  The seismic wave also rolled across the Blogosphere and Twitterverse:

Seismic Sisterhood: Boobquake

Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi recently asserted that immodest female dress causes earthquakes. Purdue University student Jen McCreight disagreed, and urged other women to join her in a day of décolletée, a worldwide scientific experiment called Boobquake. On Monday they did, risking rumblings of Earth’s tectonic plates by ample exposure of cleavage.

Boobquake was a bust. Ayatollah 1, ladies 0.