One of the most striking features present in the pictures of Argyre Planitia on Mars is the long, wispy tendrils littering the Martian landscape. These tendrils, called as dust devils, are natural dust whirlwinds formed when warm air rises too quickly into cooler air. Occurring both on Mars and Earth, dust devils leave behind stunning tracks in their wake as they make their way through dusty landscapes. Read full article here
Science
‘Ghostly’ neutrinos provide new path to study protons
In groundbreaking research, an international collaboration of scientists from the University of Rochester have used a beam of neutrinos to measure the size and shape of the protons that make up the nuclei of atoms. This feat, once thought impossible, provides scientists with a new way of looking at the small components of an atom’s nucleus and opens up a wealth of new information about the structure of an atom’s nucleus and the dynamics of the forces that affect neutrino interactions. The researchers solved the challenge of harnessing neutrinos in large numbers by using a neutrino detector containing a target of both hydrogen and carbon atoms, and over nine years of data collection at Fermilab’s accelerator. Read full article here