Short Wave What Marsquakes Reveal About The Planet's Habitability
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Sep 5, 2025 Explore the depths of Mars with seismic data from NASA's InSight mission, revealing intriguing aspects of the planet's core and its potential for habitability. Discover groundbreaking research on Mars’ mantle and its geological history. The conversation also touches on innovative methods for plastic recycling and the unexpected health risks of using smartphones in the bathroom. Finally, engage with light-hearted discussions about tech distractions and the importance of finding deeper connections in a digital world.
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Mars Has A Layered Core
- Seismic data from InSight reveals Mars has a solid inner core and a liquid outer core like Earth's.
- This similarity helps researchers probe Mars's past magnetic field and habitability.
Core Structure Shapes Magnetic History
- Finding a solid inner core on Mars narrows when and how its magnetic field might have faded.
- That timeline informs how long Mars retained conditions that could support surface habitability.
Chunky Mantle Explains Mars Cooling
- Mars's mantle is not uniform but 'chunky,' containing remnants of past collisions that survived billions of years.
- These heterogeneities trap heat and may explain why Mars cooled differently and lost its global magnetic field.