Monthly Archives: October 2023

Thanks to a combination of images from NASA's Curiosity rover, scans of sedimentary rock beneath the Gulf of Mexico on Earth and computer simulations, geologists have identified the ancient, eroded remnants of rivers in a number of craters on Mars.

A team of researchers examining data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover at Gale crater, a large impact basin on the Martian surface, discovered further evidence that rivers once flowed across the Red Planet, perhaps more widespread than was previously thought. "We're finding evidence that Mars was likely a planet of rivers," said geoscientist Benjamin Cardenas of Penn State University and lead author of the research in a statement.

On Earth, rivers are important for chemical, nutrient and sediment cycles that all have a positive impact on life. The discovery of further evidence for ancient rivers on Mars, therefore, could be an important development in the search for signs of life on the Red Planet.

"Our research indicates that Mars could have had far more rivers than previously believed, which certainly paints a more optimistic view of ancient life on Mars," said Cardenas. "It offers a vision of Mars where most of the planet once had the right condition for life."

Related: Good news for life: Mars rivers flowed for long stretches long ago

The specific landforms identified in Curiosity rover data, called bench-and-nose features, are found within numerous small craters, but until now had not been recognized as being deposits formed by running water.

Evidence for rivers on Mars has been known since the first spacecraft to orbit Mars, Mariner 9, imaged dried-up river channels and floodplains on the red planet's surface. The various Mars rovers have also found mineralogical evidence in the form of sulfur-containing compounds such as jarosite, which form in water. The rovers and orbiters have also identified ridges formed by sediment in river channels billions of years old.

However, the identification of the bench-and-nose landforms suggests that rivers were even more widespread than thought. They are an alternating mix of steep slopes and shallow 'benches', and shortened ridges called 'noses'. They form when sedimentary material laid down in channels by rivers are subsequently eroded in a preferential direction, possibly by prevailing winds.

Suspecting their watery origin, Cardenas and Kaitlyn Stacey, also of Penn State, trained their computer model on Curiosity's images of bench-and-nose landforms inside craters and three-dimensional scans of layers of sedimentary bedrock on the sea floor beneath the Gulf of Mexico taken by oil companies 25 years ago.

The computer model was then able to simulate the erosion of sediment left by rivers to form the bench-and-nose landforms.

Curiosity had previously ascertained that the 154-km-wide (96 miles) Gale crater, which the rover is exploring, was filled with liquid water. The discovery that the bench-and-nose landforms were produced by rivers now gives some indication of the structure of that water-mass inside Gale crater.

The findings are published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Continue reading here:

Curiosity rover discovers new evidence Mars once had 'right ... - Space.com

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter stretched its legs a bit on the Red Planet last week.

The 4-pound (1.8 kilograms) Ingenuity conducted its 63rd Mars flight on Thursday (Oct. 19), covering 1,901 feet (579 meters) of ground in the process.

That was "its longest distance since Flight 25," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages Ingenuity's mission, said via X (formerly Twitter) on Monday (Oct. 23).

Related: Mars helicopter Ingenuity phones home, breaking 63-day silence

Ingenuity flew for 2,310 feet (704 m) on Flight 25, which occurred on April 8, 2022. That's the rotorcraft's single-flight distance record, followed by 2,051 feet (625 m) on Flight 9 in July 2021. Flight 63 is in third place.

This latest sortie lasted 143 seconds, according to the mission's flight log. Ingenuity got a maximum of 39 feet (12 m) above the ground and reached a top speed of about 14.1 mph (22.7 kph).

Those numbers aren't records, either; the superlatives in those categories are 169.5 seconds, 66 feet (20 m) in altitude and 22.4 mph (36 kph), according to the flight log.

Ingenuity landed inside Mars' 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater in February 2021 with NASA's Perseverance rover.

The helicopter's original task was to demonstrate that powered flight is possible on Mars, despite the planet's thin atmosphere. Ingenuity did so over the course of five flights in the spring of 2021. NASA then granted a mission extension, during which the chopper is serving as a scout for the life-hunting, sample-collecting Perseverance.

The rest is here:

NASA's Ingenuity helicopter aces longest Mars flight in 18 months - Space.com

Is there any way to speed up the search for life on Mars? It has been nearly half a century since the Viking landers gave an ambiguous answer to that ancient scientific question, and it often seems at least to the general public that we have made little progress since. Sophisticated rovers have found the conditions for Martian life, as well as the building blocks of life, but never life itself.

Now a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers a possible tool for picking up the pace. A research team headed by James Cleaves of Howard University applied artificial intelligence (AI) to the challenging science of life detection to see whether a machine learning program could tell the difference between non-biological samples containing carbon and samples from living organisms. They tested 134 carbon-containing samples, including coal, rice grains, human hair, and amino acids (both synthesized and from meteorites) and had the AI vote yay or nay on the presence of life. The AI got it right in about 90% of cases.

The paper raises hopes that AI might revolutionize life detection, but several challenges need to be overcome first. The AI algorithm works by recognizing functional groups in chemical compounds known to be associated with biology. Alien life might use vastly different functional groups, however. And the more alien, the less certain will be the detection because AI is only trained on life as we know it on Earth.

The miss rate in the Cleaves study was about 10%. Although that is expected to improve with more sampling data to train the AI, in science we often require at least three standard deviations for proof meaning 99.7%. So, as impressive as the AI is, it is still not accurate enough to unambiguously identify life. And of course, none of the samples in its training set would be alien lifeforms, until we have such samples in hand.

Dont get me wrong. AI can and will play an important role in life detection. My own research group uses it for detecting specific movement patterns (the motility) of microbial life and comparing it to non-biotic sediment particles. Another great application of Cleaves approach will be to identify ancient life on Earth. One major question is when life first originated on our planet, and Cleaves AI could be used to screen samples suspected of being fossilized life. The more samples, the better it will get.This alone represents a major breakthrough.

As for Mars, the Cleaves paper suggests that AI could be used to analyze molecules detected by a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer on a planetary lander. Both the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers carry such instruments, so some of the data analysis could be done right there on Mars, albeit not with the same accuracy you could achieve in a lab on Earth. Personally, I would love to see an AI analysis of samples of thiophenes (sulfur-rich organic compounds) already detected by Curiosity. Or we could have it investigate the Martian meteorite ALH 84001, which was claimed in the 1990s to contain fossilized Martian life. While that claim remains controversial, with most scientists in the non-believer camp, I would still be curious what Cleaves algorithm would say. Life on Mars could be related to life on Earth due to an exchange of meteoritic material, so the AI might have a better chance of succeeding.

How does all this affect the long-standing question of whether we need a sample return mission to identify life on Mars, or whether that identification could be done on the planet itself? Each approach has its unique selling points. If the samples are returned to Earth, you can apply the full power and range of high-tech analysis in cutting-edge labs, now and in the future. On the other hand, in situ life detection has the advantage that you might be able to detect active life. If you put your sample in a box for the long return to Earth as is planned for Mars Sample Return you are probably limited to studying dead and possibly decayed remnants. Considering astrobiology only, in situ life detection would be preferable. But a sample return mission is meant to fulfill other planetary science goals, too, including the study of Martian geology, geophysics, climate science, and atmospheric science.

Best of all would be a combination of both methods in situ and sample return. But this isnt the greatest time for such a discussion. Despite decades of planning, there is a real danger that neither mission will happen soon. An independent review board examining NASAs Mars sample return plans recently found that the mission faces major challenges. In fact, its basically impossible given the currently projected schedule and costs. NASA set up its own review team in response, which is expected to report back next spring. While the outside committee emphasized the great importance of sample return, the U.S. Senate could still decide to scrap the program.

Either way, a 2028 launch (to collect and return samples gathered by Perseverance) now seems more than unlikely. The negative review has rattled the Mars science community, and even though my own preference as an astrobiologist would be for a life detection mission, cancelling the sample return mission would be a colossal loss for science. It could even derail, or at least damage, NASAs entire planetary exploration program. Hopefully, there will only be a delay instead of an outright cancellation.

Read more here:

How AI could help the hunt for life on Mars - Big Think

In a heavyweight fight, it was Mars Hill that landed the final punch.

The Class 3A No. 4-ranked Panthers scored a late touchdown and took the lead on a 2-point conversion with 2:42 remaining, then came up with a defensive stand to down host Scottsboro Friday night at Trammell Stadium.

The loss dealt a big blow to Scottsboros chances of being the No. 1 playoff seed from Class 5A Region 7. The Wildcats, who will share the region title with Guntersville and Arab after they all finished 4-1 in region play, will likely be the No. 2 seed when the playoffs begin in two weeks.

Its a tough loss, said Scottsboro head coach Cris Bell. I hate if for our kids. I thought our kids played hard, played their guys out. They made a couple of plays at the end and we didnt. We just came up short.

Scottsboro (7-2) scored on all three of its first-half possessions on drives that covered 59, 74 ans 65 yards. Jake Jones scored the Wildcats first touchdown on a 4-yard touchdown run, and Cole Raeuchle kicked the first of his five PATs for a 7-0 Scottsboro lead.

Mars Hill (9-1) responded with a 12-play, 80-yard drive capped by Skyler Sterlings 18-yard touchdown run, to tie the score at 7-all midway through the first quarter, but Scottsboro moved back in front 14-7 on Jones 7-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Wright. Mars Hill tied the game three plays later on Griffin Hensons 55-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Tingle, but Scottsboro used a 13-play, 64-yard drive that took 7:45 off the clock to regain the lead at 21-14 on Jones 7-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-2 play.

Mars Hill missed a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, but the Panthers tied the game at 21-all midway through the third quarter on JB Owens 2-yard touchdown run. Scottsboro answered with Jayden Gilberts 3-yard touchdown to that put Wildcats in front 28-21 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.

The Wildcats defense then forced a Mars Hill punt and were driving midway through the fourth quarter when a Panthers forced a fumble on an option play and Caden Chandler scooped it up and returned it 56 yards to tie the game with 6:06 remaining.

But Scottsboro followed with a big play of its own, as JC Heikinen field an onside kick and broke through the Mars Hill return team to go 50 yards for a touchdown, and Raeuchles PAT gave the Wildcats a 35-28 lead.

Mars Hill then drove 80 yards on seven plays, pulling within 35-34 on Jay Dobbs 3-yard touchdown run with 2:42 left. The Panthers then grabbed a 36-35 lead when Owens powered his way in for the 2-point conversion.

Scottsboros next possession started at its own 31 and produced a first down on the first play, but a loss of 1 on a run play and two straight incompletions set up fourth-and 11th, and Jones was sacked on the play to turn the ball over on downs to the Panthers, who were able to kneel out the clock.

Jacobi Edmondson let the Wildcats with 116 yards rushing on 17 carries while Keelan Alvarez had 53 yards on 10 carries and Antonio Brocks added 43 on five carries. Jones ran for 23 yards and completed 4 of 8 passes for 35 yards.

Owens rushed for 156 yards on 14 carries for Mars Hill while Dobbs added 59 yards on 13 carries, and Hanson was 3-of-6 passing for 86 yards.

The loss snapped Scottsboros eight-game home winning streak.

Let it hurt for a minute, Bell said, but weve still got a lot to play for. Got to bounce back Well get back to the drawing back and work on Decatur and the playoffs.

Find more Scottsboro-Mars Hill game photos athttps://zenfolio.page.link/AsJ8c

Read more:

Mars Hill's rally deals blow to Scottsboro's chances of being 5A ... - Jackson County Sentinel

An anonymous reader quotes a report from KOMO News: A groundbreaking medical procedure for those with kidney stones will soon be offered at the University of Washington after more than two decades of research. It will also give astronauts the go ahead they need from NASA to travel to Mars. It's a groundbreaking procedure to get rid of painful stones while you're awake, no anesthesia needed. "This has the potential to be game changing," said Dr. Kennedy Hall with UW Medicine. Still being run through clinical trials at UW Medicine, the procedure called burst wave lithotripsy uses an ultrasound wand and soundwaves to break apart the kidney stone. Ultrasonic propulsion is then used to move the stone fragments out, potentially giving patients relief in 10 minutes or less.

This technology is also making it possible for astronauts to travel to Mars, since astronauts are at a greater risk for developing kidney stones during space travel. It's so important to NASA, the space agency has been funding the research for the last 10 years. "They could potentially use this technology while there, to help break a stone or push it to where they could help stay on their mission and not have to come back to land," said Harper. The research has been published in the Journal of Urology.

Read more:

Breakthrough Kidney Stone Procedure Makes It Possible For ... - Slashdot

Michael Kienle, global VP of talent acquisition, LOral told delegates that businesses have a lot to learn from younger candidates entering the workforce.

We talk a lot about Gen Z and sometimes I have the impression that older generations think theyve just arrived from Mars. Personally I can relate an awful lot to Gen Z and to what they claim, what they want and what they aspire to, he said.

Of course, between each generation, there are differences, but theyre not a generation coming from Mars. Theyre human beings.

And I think it's very interesting, the amount of claims and ideas that we need to embrace and that we can only use as a company to improve our processes and to make us better.

Gen Z, he noted, are more vocal about what they expect from employers and they are not shy about using social media to publicise any bad experiences or bad practices in recruitment processes.

Summer Baruth, head of global employer brand and talent attraction at infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, said that Gen Z candidates arent saying anything different to previous generations entering the workforce, but they are simply more vocal in expressing those concerns.

I think it's all just people. And I think the more and more we talk about these things, the more we're going to continue to find that we all really want the same things, we're just not vocalising it in the same way, she said.

Innovation comes with the younger groups coming through and so the more open-minded we can be as companies and as leaders within our companies to really help open the door for them, I think the better.

Kienle described how he was asked to do a 45-minute Q&A at a French business school with students about entering the job market and noted the main question they asked was: How do you prepare for interviews?

It was the basic core skills they wanted to learn and he said this was the same 20 years ago, it was the same 10 years ago and it's still the same now.

The biggest difference that Kienle and Baruth noted about Gen Z candidates is in how workplaces engage with them. Social media is integral to connect and attract younger talent, but workplaces need to adapt their recruitment strategy so that they are using different platforms for different purposes, rather than having a blanket approach across social media platforms.

If I have a conversion objective, it's not TikTok that Im using, Kienle said. If I want, however, to develop awareness, then TikTok would be an interesting tool.

Otherwise, today we're working more on YouTube and LinkedIn. Because LinkedIn is professional, I don't have to explain why I'm posting this and that, whereas on TikTok we would need to really adapt the content.

You can read more from the Unleash World conference here:

Being comfortable with feeling vulnerable, embracing ambiguity and charting the next black swan event key HR takeaways from the Unleash World conference

Head of HR is most important business partner to the CEO, L'Oral number two tells Unleash World conference

HR business partners will no longer exist four challenges for people professionals in the next 10 years

You can also read more about why we shouldn't generalise about Generation Zfrom our magazine

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'People think Gen Z are from Mars' why workplaces must reassess ... - People Management Magazine

Three weeks into the Israel-Hamas war, local residents are letting it be known how they stand on both sides of the dispute.

Vandals went to work and applied graffiti that said End Israeli Apartheid to the tennis and pickleball courts at Deerhill Park in Oak Park. The graffiti was discovered by players the morning of Oct. 20, and a worker for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District came to investigate.

The same graffiti appeared at Oak Park High and Medea Creek Middle School.

Given the horrific events in Israel and Gaza, this statements nature serves to instill fear and divisiveness in our community, Oak Park schools Superintendent Jeff Davis said in a message sent to parents. Such acts are completely unacceptable, he said.

Brad Benioff, the school districts director of student support and school safety; Jason Meskis, Oak Park High School assistant principal; and Alexis Boyadjian, Medea Creek dean, met with the Ventura County Sheriffs Office and provided camera footage and screenshots of the school districts investigation, Davis said.

We are working with law enforcement to investigate. Our custodians covered it up as soon as we noticed it, said Ragini Aggarwal, public information officer for the school district.

Schools counselors were made available to students seeking support.

The communitys support for Israel went on display Oct. 22 when more than 200 backers of the Jewish cause staged a peaceful demonstration on the Kanan Road overpass above the 101 Freeway.

Orna Eilon, an Oak Park resident, contacted friends and helped organize the rally.

It was mainly to bring awareness to the people who are still hostages over there, and to show solidarity, Eilon said.

Most of the cars were honking and cheering. So many cars had American flags and waved back, she said.

We want to commend the Lost Hills Sheriffs department that showed a presence and patrolled there. That was really nice.

John Loesing

Link:

Graffiti mars schools and park - The Acorn

SIOUX CENTERA 19-year-old Le Mars resident was arrested about 1:55 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, in Sioux Center on charges of first-offense operating while under the influence; eluding; driving on the wrong side of a two-way highway; failure to obey a traffic control device; passing too near a bridge, intersection or railroad crossing; speeding; failure to use headlamps when required; interference with official acts; and no valid drivers license.

The arrest of Misael Gregorio Lopez Arcos stemmed from him being observed driving a 2013 Chevrolet Equinox without headlights and crossing the centerline while traveling south on Highway 75 in Sioux Center, according to the Sioux Center Police Department.

An officer attempted to stop Lopez Arcos, but Lopez Arcos attempted to elude the officer.

The Lopez Arcos vehicle struck a Road Closed sign and became stuck in the unfinished portion of the roadway.

Lopez Arcos fled on foot but was apprehended a short time later, according to the incident report.

He had bloodshot/watery eyes, impaired balance, slurred speech and the odor of an alcoholic beverage, according to the incident report.

His vehicle received an estimated $10,000 damage.

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Le Mars teen charged for OWI and eluding - nwestiowa.com