The discovery of an unusual rock sample, named Sapphire Canyon, by NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance in 2024 has sent shockwaves of excitement through the scientific community. This enigmatic rock features striking white spots with black borders within a red mudstone, sparking hopes that it might hold clues about the presence of organic molecules on Mars.

To unlock the secrets hidden within Sapphire Canyon, researchers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology employed an innovative technique called optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR). This method uses two lasers to study a material’s chemical properties, creating its unique fingerprint by measuring thermal vibrations on its surface.

The team, led by Nicholas Heinz, put O-PTIR to the test on a basalt rock with dark inclusions of similar size to Sapphire Canyon’s. By chance, Heinz stumbled upon this visually similar rock while hiking in Arizona’s Sedona region. The results were astounding – O-PTIR proved to be an extremely effective tool for differentiating between the primary material and its dark inclusions.

One of the key advantages of O-PTIR is its enhanced spatial resolution, allowing scientists to pinpoint specific regions of interest within a sample. Additionally, this technique is remarkably rapid, with each spectrum collection taking mere minutes. This enables researchers to apply more sensitive techniques to study areas containing potential organics in greater detail.

Heinz expressed his hope that the capabilities of O-PTIR will be considered for future Martian samples, as well as those from asteroids and other planetary surfaces. The team’s expertise is currently the only one available at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, having previously assisted with confirming the cleanliness of the Europa Clipper mission prior to its launch.

As the scientific community continues to unravel the mysteries hidden within Sapphire Canyon, Heinz and his team are working closely with NASA’s Mars science team to test O-PTIR on algal microfossils typically used as Mars analogs for the rovers. This breakthrough technique is poised to revolutionize our understanding of Martian geology and potentially uncover signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.

The Great Lakes are undergoing unprecedented climate shocks, resulting in extreme temperature fluctuations. Research from the University of Michigan reveals that heat waves and cold spells have become more frequent since 1998, coinciding with the strong El Niño event of that year. This trend is particularly concerning for the fishing industry, which is a billion-dollar business in the Great Lakes region.

The study, conducted through the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, used advanced modeling approaches to analyze surface water temperature data dating back to 1940. Researchers found that sudden jumps in temperature can have devastating effects on fish populations and ecosystems, including disrupting natural mixing and stratifying cycles of the lakes.

According to the research, the uptick in extreme temperature events could lead to huge impacts on the fishing industry, which accounts for a total value of more than $7 billion annually. Fish eggs are particularly susceptible to abnormal temperature spikes or drops, making it essential to understand these trends to prepare for their impact.

The study highlights the importance of collaboration between universities and government science agencies to create knowledge that benefits the public and broader research community. The team’s model is now available for other researchers to explore spatial differences across smaller areas of the Great Lakes and predict future extreme temperature events.

This article provides a clear understanding of the challenges facing the Great Lakes region, emphasizing the need for continued research and collaboration to mitigate the effects of climate change on this vital ecosystem.

The discovery of hundreds of colossal sand formations beneath the North Sea has left scientists stunned. Using advanced 3D seismic imaging and data from numerous wells, researchers from The University of Manchester have uncovered vast mounds of sand that appear to defy fundamental geological principles.

These massive formations, dubbed “sinkites,” are estimated to be several kilometers wide and seem to have sunk downward, displacing older, lighter materials beneath them. This phenomenon is known as stratigraphic inversion, where younger rocks typically rest on top of older ones. However, the sinkites have reversed this order on an unprecedented scale.

The researchers believe that these structures formed millions of years ago during periods of earthquakes or sudden shifts in underground pressure, which may have caused the sand to liquefy and sink through natural fractures in the seabed. This process displaced the underlying ooze rafts – composed largely of microscopic marine fossils – sending them floating upwards, creating lighter features known as “floatites.”

The implications of this discovery are far-reaching, particularly for carbon storage. Understanding how fluids and sediments move around in the Earth’s crust can significantly change how we assess underground reservoirs, sealing, and fluid migration. This knowledge could help predict where oil and gas might be trapped and ensure safe storage of carbon dioxide.

Professor Mads Huuse from The University of Manchester, lead author of the study, emphasized that this discovery reveals a geological process previously unseen on such a scale. “We’ve found structures where dense sand has sunk into lighter sediments, effectively flipping the conventional layers we’d expect to see and creating huge mounds beneath the sea.”

As researchers continue to document other examples of this phenomenon and assess its impact on our understanding of subsurface reservoirs and sealing intervals, time will tell just how widely applicable the model is. The study has been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.