🔬 Volcanic Warnings, Mars Mysteries & Space Discoveries
Welcome to Science News Daily, your daily dose of the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in science.
Today's top stories highlight some fascinating developments in volcanic research, Mars exploration, and space observation.
In a groundbreaking discovery, NASA and the Smithsonian have found that trees near volcanoes might serve as early warning systems for volcanic activity. Their research shows that rising magma releases carbon dioxide, causing surrounding vegetation to become noticeably greener - a change that can be tracked from space using satellite imagery.
Speaking of volcanoes, Stanford researchers have made progress in understanding Italy's Campi Flegrei supervolcano. They've linked the recent earthquake swarms not to magma movement, but to groundwater pressure. This discovery suggests that managing water flow could help reduce seismic risk in the region.
Moving to our cosmic neighborhood, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured stunning new images of the Large Magellanic Cloud, revealing what looks like cotton candy-like cloudscapes in ultraviolet and infrared light.
On Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover has struck scientific gold at the rim of Jezero Crater, discovering diverse ancient rocks that could date back billions of years. However, in less optimistic Mars news, a comprehensive machine learning study analyzing over 86,000 high-resolution images suggests that mysterious streaks on Martian slopes are likely just dry dust slides, not signs of flowing water as previously hoped.
In health science, researchers have made important discoveries about ultra-processed foods. A major Canadian study has revealed these convenience foods cause persistent biological inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, regardless of weight or lifestyle. Additionally, University of Tokyo researchers have found that obesity temporarily disrupts the liver's ability to adapt to starvation, though the underlying metabolic structure remains intact.
That's all for today's science headlines. Join us tomorrow for more fascinating discoveries from the world of science. This is Science News Daily, signing off.
