Science
Ice volcanoes on Pluto suggest dwarf planet may not be so cold after all – CBC News
Pluto, once considered the ninth planet in our solar system until it was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006, had been shrouded in mystery since its discovery in 1930. But thanks to NASA’s ambitious New Horizons flyby in 2015, the curtain has been pulled back, and astronomers continue to reveal that Pluto is much more interesting than previously thought.
When New Horizons flew 7,800 kilometres above the surface of Pluto, it revealed a world unlike anything we’d ever seen. There were flat plains, mountains and even a thin atmosphere. It was far from the stagnant, blue, icy world that had been depicted in artists’ impressions over the decades. It was an eye-opening discovery.
And one of the most intriguing images sent back to Earth was one that suggested the possibility of ice volcanoes, also called cryovolcanoes.
“[At the time], we got back little chunks of images, either smaller images or parts of images first, because we couldn’t get all the data back at once. And it just so happens that one of those postage stamps that we got back did happen to have part of this cyrovolcanic region in it,” said Kelsi Singer, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., and deputy project scientist on New Horizons.
These volcanoes wouldn’t be something like those here on Earth. Instead, they would be fed by water ice and other volatiles like nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide.
Still, there was some debate that the images were being interpreted properly.
More evidence of ice volcanoes
Now, a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications provides more evidence to support that the icy world is home to these strange cryovolcanoes, some seven kilometres tall and roughly 10-to-150 kilometres wide.
“Now we have all the data back. And so we can use all of those pieces of information together,” Singer, lead author of the study, said. “And that includes not just the images, but also typography that’s created from the images, because sometimes your eye can trick you. So the typography makes you be honest about what the features are.”
Though these cool volcanoes aren’t quite like the ones we see here on Earth, they do have some similarities.
Instead of a violent eruption with lava, rock and dust spewing into the sky, it’s believed that the material these volcanoes produce — likely some water ice, though there is also nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide ice on Pluto — are brought to the surface slowly by some sort of internal heating mechanism.
WATCH | NASA’s New Horizons makes historic flyby of Ultima Thule:
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft made a successful flyby of the tiny, icy celestial object known as Ultima Thule, 6.5 billion kilometres from Earth, and the work of Canadian researchers was critical to the historic mission. 3:27
Where’s the heat?
But there’s something that remains to be explained in their findings.
“Between the composition data and the way the features are, we’ve said that it has to be at least a good part water ice,” Singer said of the features seen on Pluto. “And that’s difficult to explain, because you still have to have that stuff be mobile, and it essentially requires some kind of heat source.”
There are a couple of ways to get that heat source. One is from the rocky core of a moon or planet where elements break down. That heat can remain trapped until it is released in some way.
Another is by tidal heating, where a moon goes around a planet in an elliptical orbit. Due to the difference in distances, the moon can be squeezed, much in the same way one might squeeze a stress ball, which in turn creates heating. This is seen in some of Saturn’s moons, like Enceladus.
But Pluto is too far away from any large body to get this tidal heating, so it could be that its relatively small core is creating this heat that then pushes up the mixture of water and nitrogen ice. And it’s likely that there are other elements at play, as well.
“We think that it was probably either like a very slushy mixture of ice and water. So it wasn’t like a thin flow. Or it could have been kind of like ketchup, which is, you know, not liquidy, but can still flow,” Singer said.
“And we think that the extrusion came up from below. And if you imagine something that keeps extruding, it’s going to slowly form a dome. And then that dome will kind of spread out and relax, kind of like if you have a ball of Silly Putty and you set it on a table: it’s going to slowly spread out and relax.”
The new study also suggests there may be an ocean 100-to-200 kilometres beneath Pluto’s icy crust.
‘I’m not convinced it’s very common’
But not everyone is convinced that what we’re seeing on Pluto is a result of cryovolcanism.
“So yes, there’s this topic of cryovolcanism,” said Catherine Neish, an associate professor at Western University who studies planetary surfaces, including moons of the outer planets.
“And quite frankly, I’m not convinced it’s very common. Because it shouldn’t be. Think about it: You’ve got a nice glass of water. If there’s some ice in it, what does the ice do? It floats, right? So the water is stuck on the bottom, the ice is stuck on top, it’s really hard to get that dense water up and over the less dense ice.”
WATCH | Dwarf planet Pluto still exciting for scientists:
There’s dunes on that small former planet 1:53
But Singer believes data supports the idea of cryovolcanism, and recent at that, at least in astronomical terms. She believes that these eruptions may have occurred as recently as 100 million years ago. And there’s still the potential that they are still happening.
Singer said that to some degree Pluto is still somewhat of a mystery, and there are still many questions she’d like to see answered. The images sent back account for roughly 40 per cent of the dwarf planet as a whole. And seeing more of Pluto might reveal more of these regions, which in turn would help astronomers determine how much heat might be needed to create these cryovolcanoes.
Singer says she is eager to reveal more about this distant world. It would help astronomers understand more about own solar system and its origins, not to mention the myriad moons that lie out in the outer regions.
“Pluto’s unique in its environment. It’s unique in its distance,” Singer said. “And it’s not what we expected. So it really just kind of makes us have to say: what are we missing in our models? And unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers there.”
Science
April 20: Why this Indigenous researcher thinks we can do science differently and more… – CBC.ca
Quirks and Quarks54:00Why this Indigenous researcher thinks we can do science differently, and more…
On this episode of Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald:
This researcher wants a new particle accelerator to use before she’s dead
Quirks and Quarks9:05This researcher wants a new particle accelerator to use before she’s dead
Physicists exploring the nature of reality need ever more capable particle colliders, so they’re exploring a successor to the Large Hadron Collider in Europe. But that new machine is at least decades away. Tova Holmes, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is one of the physicists calling for a different kind of collider that can come online before the end of her career – or her life. This device would use a particle not typically used in particle accelerators: the muon.
Is venting the best way to deal with anger? The scientist says chill out.
Quirks and Quarks6:51Is venting the best way to deal with anger? The scientist says chill out
It turns out that acting out your anger might not be the best way to get rid of it. Sophie Kjaervik, a researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., analyzed 154 studies of the different ways to deal with anger. Her results, published in the journal Clinical Psychology Review, suggest that techniques that reduce your heart rate and calm your mind are more effective than blowing off steam.
High intensity wildfires may release toxic forms of metals
Quirks and Quarks8:37High intensity wildfires may release toxic forms of metals
Wildfire smoke might be more dangerous than you think. A recent study in the journal Nature Communications found that when wildfires pass over soils or rocks rich in a normally harmless metal called chromium, it is transformed into a toxic form. The hotter and more intense the wildfire is, the more of this metal becomes toxic. Scott Fendorf, an Earth system science professor at Stanford University, said this study shows we should factor in the type of geology wildfires pass over to provide more targeted air quality warnings about smoke risks.
AI might help solve the problem of runaway conspiracy theories
Quirks and Quarks7:35AI might help solve the problem of runaway conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories seem to have multiplied in the internet era and so far, we haven’t had much luck in debunking these beliefs. The preliminary findings of a new study on PsyArXiv, a site for psychology studies that have yet to be peer-reviewed, suggests that artificial intelligence may have more success. Thomas Costello, a postdoctoral psychology researcher at MIT was the lead author on this study, and said their findings can provide a window into how to better debunk conspiracy beliefs.
An Indigenous scientist explores the medicine the Earth needs
Quirks and Quarks19:12An Indigenous ecologist on why we need to stop and listen to save the planet
Earth day is April 22. And Earth is not in great shape to celebrate the day. Overheated, overpopulated, overexploited – we’re not being particularly careful with our planet. We talk to Indigenous ecologist Jennifer Grenz of the University of British Columbia about her new book, which is part memoir, part prescription for the medicine our planet needs – a compound of science and traditional wisdom. Her book is Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A journey toward personal and ecological healing.
READ MORE: An Indigenous ecologist on why we need to stop and listen to save the planet
In a remarkable development, NASA has given the green light to the Dragonfly mission, a revolutionary rotorcraft designed to investigate the complex chemistry of Saturn‘s moon Titan.
This confirmation allows the mission to proceed with the final design, construction, and testing of the spacecraft and its scientific instruments.
Deciphering the prebiotic chemistry on Titan
The Dragonfly mission, led by Dr. Melissa Trainer of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, will carry a cutting-edge instrument called the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DraMS).
This powerful tool will help scientists delve into the intricate chemistry at work on Titan, potentially shedding light on the chemical processes that led to the emergence of life on Earth, known as prebiotic chemistry.
“We want to know if the type of chemistry that could be important for early pre-biochemical systems on Earth is taking place on Titan,” explains Dr. Trainer, a planetary scientist and astrobiologist specializing in Titan.
Titan: Dragonfly’s target
Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is shrouded in a dense nitrogen-rich atmosphere, bears a striking resemblance to Earth in many ways. With a diameter of 5,150 kilometers, Titan is the second-largest moon in our solar system, surpassed only by Jupiter’s Ganymede.
Dense atmosphere and unique climate
One of Titan’s most distinctive features is its thick atmosphere, which is composed primarily of nitrogen and methane. This dense atmosphere creates a surface pressure 1.5 times higher than Earth’s, making it the only moon in our solar system with a substantial atmosphere.
The presence of methane in Titan’s atmosphere leads to a fascinating hydrological cycle, similar to Earth’s water cycle, but with methane as the primary liquid.
Titan’s surface is dotted with numerous lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons, predominantly methane and ethane. These liquid bodies, some of which are larger than the Great Lakes on Earth, are the result of Titan’s unique climate and atmospheric conditions.
The Cassini mission, which explored the Saturn system from 2004 to 2017, provided stunning images and data of these extraterrestrial lakes and seas.
Dragonfly mission to search Titan for prebiotic chemistry and life
The complex chemistry occurring on Titan’s surface and in its atmosphere has drawn significant attention from astrobiologists.
With its abundant organic compounds and the presence of liquid methane, Titan is considered a prime candidate for studying prebiotic chemistry and the potential for life to emerge in environments different from Earth.
Beneath Titan’s icy crust lies another intriguing feature: a global subsurface ocean of liquid water and ammonia. This ocean, which is believed to be salty and have a high pH, may potentially host microbial life.
The presence of this subsurface ocean, along with the unique chemistry on Titan’s surface, makes this moon a fascinating target for future exploration and scientific research.
Pushing the boundaries of rotorcraft exploration
Nicky Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, emphasized the significance of the Dragonfly mission, stating, “Exploring Titan will push the boundaries of what we can do with rotorcraft outside of Earth.”
Titan’s unique characteristics, including its abundant complex carbon-rich chemistry, interior ocean, and past presence of liquid water on the surface, make it an ideal destination for studying prebiotic chemical processes and the potential habitability of an extraterrestrial environment.
Innovative design and cutting-edge technology
The Dragonfly robotic rotorcraft will leverage Titan’s low gravity and dense atmosphere to fly between different points of interest on the moon’s surface, spanning several miles apart.
This innovative approach allows the entire suite of instruments to be relocated to new sites once the previous one has been thoroughly explored, providing access to samples from diverse geological environments.
DraMS, developed by the same team responsible for the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite aboard the Curiosity rover, will analyze surface samples using techniques tested on Mars.
Dr. Trainer emphasized the benefits of this heritage, stating, “This design has given us an instrument that’s very flexible, that can adapt to the different types of surface samples.”
Dragonfly mission challenges and funding
The Dragonfly mission successfully passed its Preliminary Design Review in early 2023. However, due to funding constraints, the mission was asked to develop an updated budget and schedule.
The revised plan, presented and conditionally approved in November 2023, hinged on the outcome of the fiscal year 2025 budget process.
With the release of the president’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, Dragonfly is now confirmed with a total lifecycle cost of $3.35 billion and a launch date set for July 2028.
This reflects a cost increase of approximately two times the initially proposed cost and a delay of more than two years from the original selection in 2019.
Despite the challenges posed by funding constraints, the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and an in-depth design iteration, NASA remains committed to the Dragonfly mission.
Additional funding has been provided for a heavy-lift launch vehicle to shorten the mission’s cruise phase and compensate for the delayed arrival at Titan.
Rigorous testing and validation
To ensure the success of the Dragonfly mission, researchers on Earth have conducted extensive testing and validation of the designs and models for the nuclear-powered, car-sized drone.
The mission team has carried out test campaigns at NASA’s Langley Research Center, utilizing the Subsonic Tunnel and the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) to validate computational fluid dynamics models and gather data under simulated Titan atmospheric conditions.
Ken Hibbard, Dragonfly mission systems engineer at APL, emphasized the importance of these tests, stating, “All of these tests feed into our Dragonfly Titan simulations and performance predictions.”
As the Dragonfly mission progresses, it marks a new era of exploration and scientific discovery. Dr. Trainer expressed her excitement, saying, “Dragonfly is a spectacular science mission with broad community interest, and we are excited to take the next steps on this mission.”
Turning science fiction into fact with the Dragonfly mission
In summary, the Dragonfly mission embodies the essence of human curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. As NASA prepares to send this revolutionary rotorcraft to the alien world of Titan, we stand on the brink of a new era of exploration and discovery.
With its innovative design, cutting-edge technology, and the unwavering dedication of the mission team, Dragonfly will unlock the secrets of prebiotic chemistry and shed light on the potential for life beyond Earth.
As we eagerly await the launch of this titanic mission, we can only imagine the wonders that await us on Saturn’s enigmatic moon. The Dragonfly mission is a testament to the indomitable human spirit and our boundless capacity to push the frontiers of knowledge.
In the words of Ken Hibbard, “With Dragonfly, we’re turning science fiction into exploration fact,” and that fact will undoubtedly inspire generations to come.
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Science
Marine plankton could act as alert in mass extinction event: UVic researcher – Langley Advance Times
A University of Victoria micropaleontologist found that marine plankton may act as an early alert system before a mass extinction occurs.
With help from collaborators at the University of Bristol and Harvard, Andy Fraass’ newest paper in the Nature journal shows that after an analysis of fossil records showed that plankton community structures change before a mass extinction event.
“One of the major findings of the paper was how communities respond to climate events in the past depends on the previous climate,” Fraass said in a news release. “That means that we need to spend a lot more effort understanding recent communities, prior to industrialization. We need to work out what community structure looked like before human-caused climate change, and what has happened since, to do a better job at predicting what will happen in the future.”
According to the release, the fossil record is the most complete and extensive archive of biological changes available to science and by applying advanced computational analyses to the archive, researchers were able to detail the global community structure of the oceans dating back millions of years.
A key finding of the study was that during the “early eocene climatic optimum,” a geological era with sustained high global temperatures equivalent to today’s worst case global warming scenarios, marine plankton communities moved to higher latitudes and only the most specialized plankton remained near the equator, suggesting that the tropical temperatures prevented higher amounts of biodiversity.
“Considering that three billion people live in the tropics, the lack of biodiversity at higher temperatures is not great news,” paper co-leader Adam Woodhouse said in the release.
Next, the team plans to apply similar research methods to other marine plankton groups.
Read More: Global study, UVic researcher analyze how mammals responded during pandemic
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