Mars’ toxic surface
Researchers hoping to find alien life on the surface of Mars may have to dig considerably deeper for evidence of bacteria or other microbes, a new study shows. The Red Planet’s landscape is rife with reactive chemical compounds made of chloride and oxygen, known as perchlorates—a potential energy source for bacteria, which appears to increase the planet’s habitability. Because of Mars’ thin atmosphere, however, the planet is constantly bombarded with solar radiation; when perchlorates, iron oxides, and hydrogen peroxide found there are bathed in UV rays, researchers found, they form a “toxic cocktail.” Lab experiments showed this lethal mixture wiped out Bacillus subtilis, a type of bacteria that often contaminates spacecraft, within 30 seconds. These findings don’t obliterate all hope of discovering life on Mars. A more hospitable environment with lower radiation levels may lie some 6 feet below ground, PopularScience.com reports. “There’s a whole potential subsurface habitat to be explored,” says the study’s lead author, Jennifer Wadsworth. “At those depths, it’s possible Martian life may survive.”
altruism offers some personal perks, as well. Even a mere pledge to help others can trigger changes in the brain that produce a warm glow of happiness and contentment, an international team of psychologists found. The researchers told 50 people they would be given $100 over the course of four weeks. Half were instructed to keep the money for themselves. The remaining subjects were asked to spend the money on other people and describe how they would use it. Next, the participants’ brains were scanned as they considered various giving scenarios, which pitted their own interests against recipients of their generosity. The brain images revealed that selfless acts of giving triggered increased activity and connectivity in the temporoparietal junction and the ventral striatum––regions associated with reward, pleasure, and happiness. Even small acts of generosity had significant effects. “You don’t need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier,” University of Zurich researcher Philippe Tobler tells PsychCentral.com. “Just being a little more generous will suffice.”
data on nearly 186,000 adults of various races and ethnicities. The results showed mortality risk dropped 12 percent for those who drank just one cup of coffee each day while two to three cups brought even better odds—18 percent. Another study analyzed the link between coffee and prolonged life span among more than 500,000 Europeans who were followed for about 16 years. Men who drank the most coffee had a 12 percent lower risk of early death. For women, the risk dropped 7 percent. Coffee contains a complex mixture of powerful antioxidants, but it’s unclear what accounts for the drink’s benefits. Apparently it’s not the caffeine—in both studies, researchers found decaf just as effective.