‘Marsquakes' point to liquid water in red planet's crust, study finds
Liquid water may be locked in rock just a few kilometres beneath Martian ground – much closer to the surface of the red planet than previously thought.
Using data from Nasa's now-retired InSight lander, a China-led international team of researchers analysed seismic waves from '
marsquakes ' and meteorite impacts recorded between 2018 and 2022. They revealed a mysterious zone in the planet's crust they said was best explained by a layer of water-saturated rock.
01:08
China's Zhu Rong rover discovers evidence of an ancient sea on Mars
China's Zhu Rong rover discovers evidence of an ancient sea on Mars
If confirmed, this underground layer – between 5.4km and 8km (3.3-5 miles) deep – could hold as much water as a global layer up to 780 metres (2,550 feet) thick, according to their paper published in National Science Review last month.
The amount matched what scientists believe to be
Mars' missing water , after taking into account the water that has escaped into space, become locked into rocks or remains as ice and vapour, said the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Australian National University and the University of Milano-Bicocca.
'Our results provide the first seismic evidence of liquid water at the base of the Martian upper crust, shaping our understanding of Mars' water cycle and the potential evolution of habitable environments on the planet,' they wrote in the paper.
Nasa's InSight lander arrived on Mars in 2018 with a unique mission: not to roam the surface, but to listen to what was happening beneath it. For four years, it used a sensitive seismometer to detect subtle ground movements caused by crustal stress and meteorite impacts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Nvidia taps 2 young Chinese AI experts to strengthen research
US chip giant Nvidia has hired two prominent artificial intelligence (AI) experts who hail from China, underscoring the rising global recognition of talent from the mainland and their key contributions to the field's advancement. Zhu Banghua and Jiao Jiantao, both alumni of China's Tsinghua University, said on their respective social media accounts that they joined Nvidia, sharing photos of themselves with Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of the company. Zhu, who received his bachelor's degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Tsinghua in 2018 and a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2024, joined Nvidia's Nemotron team as a principal research scientist, according to Zhu's post on X from over the weekend. Zhu's LinkedIn profile showed that he has also been an assistant professor at the University of Washington since September 2024. 'We'll be joining forces on efforts in [AI] model post-training, evaluation, agents, and building better AI infrastructure – with a strong emphasis on collaboration with developers and academia,' Zhu said, adding that the team was committed to open-sourcing its work and sharing it with the world. Nemotron is a group at Nvidia dedicated to building enterprise-level AI agents, according to the team's official website. The team's Nemotron multimodal models power AI agents for sophisticated text and visual reasoning, coding and tool-use capabilities. Jiao, who received a PhD in electrical, electronics and communications in engineering from Stanford University in 2018 after graduating from Tsinghua with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, said on LinkedIn over the weekend that he joined Nvidia to 'help push the frontier of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial super intelligence (ASI).'
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Nvidia taps two young Chinese AI experts to strengthen research
US chip giant Nvidia has hired two prominent artificial intelligence (AI) experts who hail from China, underscoring the rising global recognition of talent from the mainland and their key contributions to the field's advancement. Zhu Banghua and Jiao Jiantao, both alumni of China's Tsinghua University, said on their respective social media accounts that they joined Nvidia, sharing photos of themselves with Jensen Huang, the founder and CEO of the company. Zhu, who received his bachelor's degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Tsinghua in 2018 and a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2024, joined Nvidia's Nemotron team as a principal research scientist, according to Zhu's post on X from over the weekend. Zhu's LinkedIn profile showed that he has also been an assistant professor at the University of Washington since September 2024. 'We'll be joining forces on efforts in [AI] model post-training, evaluation, agents, and building better AI infrastructure – with a strong emphasis on collaboration with developers and academia,' Zhu said, adding that the team was committed to open-sourcing its work and sharing it with the world. Nemotron is a group at Nvidia dedicated to building enterprise-level AI agents, according to the team's official website. The team's Nemotron multimodal models power AI agents for sophisticated text and visual reasoning, coding and tool-use capabilities. Jiao, who received a PhD in electrical, electronics and communications in engineering from Stanford University in 2018 after graduating from Tsinghua with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, said on LinkedIn over the weekend that he joined Nvidia to 'help push the frontier of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial super intelligence (ASI).'
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
A psychologist explains why your brain gives you a gut feeling – and if you can trust it
Have you ever met someone and felt an instant connection? How about immediate dislike? Some of us might think this feeling has something to do with fate or destiny. But psychologist Andrew Stock has a more scientific explanation. That gut feeling means our brain is working efficiently. It can be described by a concept called cognitive efficiency, which refers to using the least amount of energy to perform a task well. Stock is the president of the Psychotherapy Society of Hong Kong and a founding partner at Therapy Partners. The psychologist explained that our brains learn to save energy and time by making quick decisions and judgments, often without us even realising it. He called it a 'short cut'. Scientists explain how volcanic ash turned a human brain into glass Why does the brain create short cuts? The brain constantly processes enormous amounts of information. It needs to use this information to make instant decisions. To handle this massive workload, the brain has trained itself to be as productive as possible. Instead of analysing every detail in a situation, our minds use short cuts to help us focus on the most important details, Stock explained. These short cuts help us quickly respond to new situations based on our previous experience. 'For example, when I see a dog barking loudly, I instantly step back, assuming it could be dangerous. Figuring out if it's friendly or not potentially comes later,' he said. Our brains are constantly processing information as quickly as possible. Photo: Shutterstock We even make snap judgments about people based on a small amount of information – like how they may look, speak or act when we first meet them. This can cause us to treat others differently, and we might not even realise it. For example, we might be friendlier to someone who dresses the same way we do while avoiding someone who seems different. 'When you get a gut feeling about a stranger, pause and consider the actual facts you have about them,' the psychologist said. Compare those facts with any assumptions you might have made before you come to a conclusion, he said. How can Hong Kong teens stress less and what apps are available? Avoiding false judgments You can try talking to friends or family to get different points of view. We can also practise empathy by imagining ourselves in someone else's shoes. Think about the other person's feelings, their situation or the reasons behind their actions. 'Perhaps some of your peers can't buy the newest Labubu charm because their parents earn less, but it's important to remember that their worth and coolness aren't defined by what they own,' Stock said. He also suggested making an effort to talk to people who come from different backgrounds to learn more before forming an opinion. Ask open-ended questions and encourage the other person to share more about themselves. Listen carefully and pay attention to things that do not match your first impression. Sometimes your brain might jump to a conclusion that isn't always accurate. Photo: Shutterstock It is also helpful to reflect on times when your gut feeling was wrong. This helps you realise that your instincts are not always accurate. 'Remember, your brain's short cuts are there to help, but they're not always right,' Stock said. 'Taking a little extra time to get to know someone can help you see them more clearly and can lead to better friendships, less conflict and a more open-minded view of the world.' Reflect: Have you ever had a gut feeling about something? To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.
