Uranus’ Ring Revelations, Africa’s Rapid Rift, and Eris Rocket Mishap

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Language: en

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This is Spacetime Series 29, episode 54


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for broadcast on the 6th of May, 2026.


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Coming up on Spacetime, new evidence


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shows that the two outer rings of the


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ice giant Uranus have starkly different


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origins. Scientists warned that the


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African continent is now breaking apart


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much faster than previously thought, and


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rocket engine issues have been blamed


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for the failure of the maiden flight of


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Gilmore Space's Aerys rocket. All that


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and more coming up on Spaceime.


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>> Welcome to Spaceime with Stuart Garry.


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Astronomers have discovered that two of


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the planet Uranus's outer rings have


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very different compositions. and so must


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have come from completely different


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origins. The findings reported in the


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journal geohysical research planets show


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that the epsilon and the new rings have


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different colors and are reflecting


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light differently. The discovery is


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based on new spectroscopical


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observations by the KEK observatory on


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Monay in Hawaii and by the Hubble and


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web space telescopes. These two rings


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are peculiar because they're extremely


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faint and orbit within the planet's


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crowded system of 14 inner moons. By


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decoding the light from these rings,


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astronomers can trace both their


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particle size distribution and their


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composition, and that in turn sheds


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light on their origins, offering new


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insights into how the uranian system and


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other ice giant planets like it formed


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and evolved. The studies lead author MK


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Deattera from the University of


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California, Berkeley says the findings


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point to very different origin stories.


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Though they orbit the same planet,


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Uranus's epsilon and a new rings are


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fundamentally different. Prior


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observations with Ke and Hubble showed


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that the epsilon ring appeared blue, a


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signature characteristic of extremely


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small particles, while the Anu ring's


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reddish hue points to a more typical


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dusty origin. However, exactly why the


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rings were so different has remained a


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mystery. But then when the web space


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telescope came online and observed


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Uranus, the authors used all its data


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taken at different wavelengths in


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combination with the KEK and Hubble data


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to construct a new complete spectrum


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from visible through to infrared. By


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analyzing how sunlight reflects off the


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rings, the authors identified a strong


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absorption feature near a wavelength of


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three microns, 3 millionth of a meter,


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and it was visible in the infrared for


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both rings. Beyond that shared feature,


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the differences became clear when


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simulating the detailed spectra. The


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epsilon ring closely matches the


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spectral signature for water ice while


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the new ring is clearly composed of


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rocky material mixed with approximately


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10 to 15% carbonrich organic compounds


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which are commonly found in the outer


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solar system. The epsilon ring appears


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to be made up of tiny ice grains knocked


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off the planet's small 12 km wide moon m


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as a result of micrometeorite impacts.


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Interestingly, the icy composition of


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the epsilon ring also confirms that the


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moon map is also composed mostly of


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water ice. The patter says in contrast,


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the anu ring material is sourced from


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micromedorite impacts and collisions


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between unseen rocky bodies rich in


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organic materials which must be in orbit


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between some of Uranus's known moons.


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One interesting question is why the


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parent bodies sourcing these rings are


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so different in composition.


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Uranus's rings were first discovered


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back in 1977 when astronomers observed


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the star dim several times as the planet


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passed in front or occulted it


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indicating a surrounding ring system. At


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that time only Saturn was known to have


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rings making Uranus only the second


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known ring planet in our solar system.


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Since then we've discovered that all the


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giants have rings Jupiter, Saturn,


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Uranus, and Neptune. But unlike Saturn's


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bright, easily visible rings, those on


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the other giants, including Uranus's


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rings, are faint and narrow, making them


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far more difficult to study. Over the


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decades, additional rings have been


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identified using NASA's Voyager 2


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spacecraft and Hubble observations,


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gradually revealing a far more complex


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system. The giant 10 m ke telescopes


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together with Hubble played a key role


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in science's understanding of the


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uranian system. Hubble's observations


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between 2003 and 2005 led to the


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discovery of the epsilon and a new rings


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and kek helped characterize them


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including providing the first evidence


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that the epsilon ring is blue whereas


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the new ring appears red. These color


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differences hinted at fundamental


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variations in particle size and


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composition. But the data was limited.


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At the time the only ring in our solar


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system that was blue was Saturn's


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A-ring. And this ring is produced by


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geyser activity on the Satnian ice moon


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in Enceladus, which orbit Saturn in the


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A-ring. And it's geysers that spew out


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tiny icy grains from the moon's south


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pole tiger stripes. These grains


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originate in a global subsurface ocean


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beneath Enceladus' frozen crust. But


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Uranus's M appears too small to be


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cryovanically active. And so the new


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results raise an interesting question.


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Why is M the source of the epsilon ring?


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and why is it so different to Uranus's


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other rockier inner moons? Needless to


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say, ongoing studies of the system will


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play a crucial role in answering this


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mystery. This report on the many


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mysteries of Uranus from NASA TV.


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>> Uranus is the seventh planet from the


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sun and the third largest planet in the


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solar system.


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It also may have the coldest interior,


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emitting far less heat than its


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counterparts Jupiter, Saturn, and


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Neptune. It is known as an ice giant


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because it contains more ices, including


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water, methane, and ammonia, than


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Jupiter or Saturn. And while NASA's


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learned a great deal about this planet


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over the last three decades, there's a


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lot more waiting to be discovered.


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Back in 1986, NASA's Voyager 2


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spacecraft flew by Uranus, making it the


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first and only spacecraft to visit this


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distant planet.


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Previous observations showed that Uranus


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has a unique tilt of its axis, so it


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rotates almost on its side, causing its


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poles to actually face the sun. No other


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planet in our solar system has this


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feature.


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In its quick sprint past Uranus, Voyager


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discovered 10 new moons orbiting the


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planet that had not been seen before.


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And in the decades since, even more have


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been found. During its encounter,


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Voyager also saw new faint rings and


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explored the complex magnetosphere.


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Voyager only briefly viewed the planet's


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five major moons, Ariel, Miranda,


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Titania, Oberon, and Umbreal. These


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moons have a wide variety of terrains


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and geological features, some of which


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indicate possible subsurface oceans.


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Small Miranda has chaotic terrain with


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deep canyons and tall mountains, but is


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likely now frozen solid.


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Ariel appears to have the youngest


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surface with few impact craters. While


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Titania has a very old surface, the lack


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of large craters and presence of a large


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canyon system may indicate ancient


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resurfacing. Oberon is also covered with


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craters and has valleys and large


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mountains.


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Umbreel's surface is the darkest of the


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Iranian moons and it sports a strange


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polar ring. The origin of this ring is


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still a mystery, but scientists believe


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that it may have been formed by an icy


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impact.


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Since Voyager, groundbased telescopes


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and the Hubble Space Telescope have


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played the leading role in our


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understanding of Uranus. Since 1992,


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Hubble has watched the slowly changing


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uranian seasons, including changes in


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its unusual pale blue color and polar


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hazes.


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Telescopes have also revealed that


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Uranus has a complex weather system with


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massive storms that can last for months


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or even years with wind speeds over 500


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mph.


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The ongoing search for ocean worlds and


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life beyond Earth makes Uranus an


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exciting target for the James Web Space


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Telescope and for future uplose


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exploration.


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New data will help scientists understand


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the formation and evolution of Uranus as


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well as its moons and rings and provide


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clues as to whether liquid water may


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reside beneath their icy crusts.


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The fascinating properties of this


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planet discovered in just the span of a


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few decades reveal that unlocking


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mysteries here can help scientists learn


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even more about our solar system and our


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place in it.


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>> This is spaceime. Still to come, new


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evidence show that Africa is breaking


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apart much faster than scientists had


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previously thought, and engine failure


00:08:57.040 --> 00:08:58.710
has been blamed for the loss of the


00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.190
Aries rocket on its maiden flight from


00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:03.269
North Queensland. All that and more


00:09:03.279 --> 00:09:21.110
still to come on Spaceime.


00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:23.910
A new study claims Africa is much closer


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to being physically torn apart into two


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separate continents than previously


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thought, possibly as soon as a few


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million years from now. The findings


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reported in the journal Nature show part


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of the great East African rift valley


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system known as the Takana rift is far


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thinner than scientists had previously


00:09:40.800 --> 00:09:44.550
understood. The Takana rift is a 500 km


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wide low-lying region that spans Kenya


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and Ethiopia which is splitting apart at


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a rate of about 4.7 mm a year causing


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the underlying planetary crust to thin


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significantly. The Great East African


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Rift System runs from the Afar


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Depression in northeastern Ethiopia down


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to Mosamb beek in the south with the


00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:06.230
African Nubian tectonic plate on one


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side and the Arabian and Somali plates


00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:11.190
on the other. Along the rift's axis, the


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crust, the rocky outermost layer of the


00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:14.790
planet, which rests on the Earth's


00:10:14.800 --> 00:10:18.310
shifting mantle, is just 13 km thick.


00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.069
That's significantly thinner compared to


00:10:20.079 --> 00:10:22.949
the more than 35 km thick crust further


00:10:22.959 --> 00:10:24.949
away from the rift center and is a


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telltale sign of a process geologists


00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:29.910
call necking. Scientists believe that a


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kind of rift began pulling apart about


00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:34.310
45 million years ago and it's causing


00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:35.750
the earth's crust to stretch


00:10:35.760 --> 00:10:37.829
horizontally resulting in it buckling


00:10:37.839 --> 00:10:39.990
and fracturing releasing magma from deep


00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.389
below. The authors estimate that the


00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:44.310
necking started after widespread


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volcanic eruptions around 4 million


00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.550
years ago. They say it may be just


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several million years before the next


00:10:50.560 --> 00:10:53.750
phase known as oceanization begins. At


00:10:53.760 --> 00:10:55.750
that stage, magma will rise through the


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fractures to form new seafloor and water


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from the Indian Ocean to the north will


00:10:59.839 --> 00:11:02.389
flood in. The authors also uncovered


00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:04.710
signs of an earlier rifting episode that


00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:07.269
didn't lead to a full continental split.


00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:09.269
However, instead it left the crust


00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:11.430
thinner and weaker, and that set the


00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.470
stage for the current phase of activity.


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This is spacetime. Still to come, engine


00:11:17.680 --> 00:11:19.350
issues blamed for the failure of the


00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:21.509
maiden flight of the Aries rocket. And


00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:23.990
later in the science report, scientists


00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:25.829
have discovered a new way for some


00:11:25.839 --> 00:11:28.790
corona viruses to infect humans. All


00:11:28.800 --> 00:11:46.790
that and more coming up on Spaceime.


00:11:46.800 --> 00:11:48.630
The investigation into the failure of


00:11:48.640 --> 00:11:50.630
the maiden flight of the Aerys rocket


00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:53.030
last year has traced the problem to two


00:11:53.040 --> 00:11:54.949
of the launch vehicles hybrid rocket


00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:57.750
engines. The AIS1 launched from the


00:11:57.760 --> 00:11:59.509
Bowen Spaceport on the Queensland


00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:01.990
Pacific coast back on July the 30th last


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year, marking what should have been


00:12:03.839 --> 00:12:05.910
Australia's first orbital rocket launch


00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:07.509
since flights from the warmer rocket


00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:09.590
range in outback South Australia ended


00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.949
in the early 1970s. The investigation by


00:12:12.959 --> 00:12:15.269
Gilmore Space included that the vehicle


00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.269
experienced an in-flight anomaly with


00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:19.269
one of its four first stage rocket


00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:21.750
engines which lost thrust just 9 seconds


00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:24.389
after liftoff. Then a second rocket


00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:26.389
engine exhibited a similar problem at


00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.910
around t + 17 seconds. The combination


00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:31.990
dramatically reduced vehicle performance


00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.389
bringing the mission to an early end.


00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:36.310
Investigators say they've identified two


00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:38.310
independent failure modes originating


00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.030
from the oxidizer pump subsystem.


00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:42.790
Electrical and thermal faults were


00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:44.550
observed in the electric pump motors and


00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:46.470
associated inverters indicating


00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:48.230
components sourced from an external


00:12:48.240 --> 00:12:50.550
supplier. Mission managers say the


00:12:50.560 --> 00:12:52.389
findings provide a clearer understanding


00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:55.110
of the underlying causes. They say that


00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:56.550
based on the findings of the


00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:58.710
investigation, design, qualification,


00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:00.790
and process improvements are now being


00:13:00.800 --> 00:13:03.829
evaluated and implemented. As with all


00:13:03.839 --> 00:13:05.910
first test flights, the Aries 1 mission


00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:08.069
was designed to generate flight data and


00:13:08.079 --> 00:13:10.069
uncover conditions which can't be fully


00:13:10.079 --> 00:13:13.030
replicated in ground testing. Data from


00:13:13.040 --> 00:13:15.190
flight test one will provide updates to


00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:17.509
vehicle design and operations as Gilmore


00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:19.509
Space prepares for a second Aries test


00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:22.550
flight sometime later this year. A final


00:13:22.560 --> 00:13:24.389
report based on the investigation's


00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:26.150
findings has now been submitted to the


00:13:26.160 --> 00:13:28.470
Australian Space Agency in coordination


00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:31.030
with the Office of the Space Regulator.


00:13:31.040 --> 00:13:48.150
This is spacetime.


00:13:48.160 --> 00:13:49.990
And time now to take another brief look


00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:51.430
at some of the other stories making news


00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:53.110
in science this week with a science


00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.829
report. Scientists have discovered a new


00:13:55.839 --> 00:13:58.069
way for some corona viruses to infect


00:13:58.079 --> 00:14:00.470
humans. The findings reported in the


00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:02.470
journal Nature could be a potential new


00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:05.350
threat to human health. Of all the types


00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:07.509
of corona viruses, scientists know the


00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.990
most about how beta corona viruses enter


00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.389
human cells. That's the same group that


00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:13.750
Chinese government scientists


00:14:13.760 --> 00:14:15.829
genetically engineered resulting in the


00:14:15.839 --> 00:14:18.949
CO 19 pandemic. However, researchers


00:14:18.959 --> 00:14:21.030
know far less about alpha corona


00:14:21.040 --> 00:14:23.350
viruses, although both rely on spike


00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.230
proteins to get into human cells. The


00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:28.230
authors were testing a variety of alpha


00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:30.389
corona viruses and found that one virus


00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:32.710
spike protein from a virus isolated from


00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:34.710
heart-nosed bats in Kenya could enter


00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:36.710
human cells using a receptor in the


00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.389
human cells called CAM6.


00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:42.310
Related alpha corona viruses from


00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.710
Africa, Europe, and East Asia also use


00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:47.189
the same receptor. While blood samples


00:14:47.199 --> 00:14:48.949
from people living near the bat sampling


00:14:48.959 --> 00:14:50.870
site showed no evidence of widespread


00:14:50.880 --> 00:14:52.550
infection, the authors say these


00:14:52.560 --> 00:14:54.629
findings do identify a potential threat


00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:56.710
to human health, as well as identifying


00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:58.629
one of the details needed to enhance


00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:00.790
pandemic preparedness and prevention


00:15:00.800 --> 00:15:02.870
efforts.


00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:04.790
The Australian Army's acquiring an


00:15:04.800 --> 00:15:07.509
additional 268 Bushmaster infantry


00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:09.910
mobility vehicles under a new 1.2


00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:12.629
billion contract. The armored troop


00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:13.910
transports, which are built in the


00:15:13.920 --> 00:15:15.750
Victorian town of Bendigo, will be


00:15:15.760 --> 00:15:17.590
equipped with directed energy weapons,


00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:19.350
in other words, laser cannons. And


00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:20.949
they'll have more powerful engines


00:15:20.959 --> 00:15:22.629
compared to earlier versions of these


00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:24.230
vehicles, which were highly successful


00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:25.990
in Australian Defense Force operations


00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.310
in both Iraq and Afghanistan, thanks to


00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:30.550
their ability to survive landmines and


00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:34.310
IEDs. More than,300 Bush Masters are


00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:35.990
already deployed with the Australian


00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.069
Defense Force. They're fitted with a


00:15:38.079 --> 00:15:39.910
range of weapons ranging from turret


00:15:39.920 --> 00:15:41.590
mounted machine guns to rocket and


00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:43.990
missile launchers. The vehicles are also


00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.829
used by the defense forces of Britain,


00:15:45.839 --> 00:15:47.509
the Netherlands, New Zealand, the


00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.550
Ukraine, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, and


00:15:50.560 --> 00:15:53.110
Jamaica. The New Deal will also see the


00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:54.870
Australian army purchase additional


00:15:54.880 --> 00:15:56.629
Hawkeye light protection mobility


00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:59.910
vehicles. There are,00 Hawkeyes already


00:15:59.920 --> 00:16:03.030
in ADF service. While the 15tonon


00:16:03.040 --> 00:16:04.870
Bushmaster is designed to carry 10


00:16:04.880 --> 00:16:07.590
troops, the much smaller 7-tonon Hawkeye


00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.670
carries four and is also designed to


00:16:09.680 --> 00:16:13.430
withstand landmines and IEDs.


00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:15.110
A new study has found that most


00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.069
teenagers aged 16 and 18 have been sent


00:16:18.079 --> 00:16:20.870
texting messages, often from strangers.


00:16:20.880 --> 00:16:22.629
The findings reported in the journal


00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:24.870
Sexual Behavior were part of a long-term


00:16:24.880 --> 00:16:28.870
Norwegian study involving 743 teens.


00:16:28.880 --> 00:16:30.870
Subjects were first asked how often they


00:16:30.880 --> 00:16:32.949
had sent intimate images or videos of


00:16:32.959 --> 00:16:34.949
themselves in which they were undressed


00:16:34.959 --> 00:16:37.670
and exposed their breasts or genitalia.


00:16:37.680 --> 00:16:40.310
The authors found that around 8% of 14y


00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.310
olds, 31% of 16year-olds and 39% of


00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.269
18year-olds had engaged in such texting,


00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.230
usually to a romantic acquaintance. Most


00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.470
teens texted on their preferred social


00:16:52.480 --> 00:16:54.790
media platforms such as Snapchat or


00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:57.430
Instagram. But the study also found it


00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.590
was far more common for teens to receive


00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:03.189
texting messages with 39% of 14y olds


00:17:03.199 --> 00:17:06.150
and 70% of 16 and 18 year olds having


00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:08.710
been sent such messages and these mostly


00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:11.029
came from strangers. The authors say


00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:12.949
girls were far more likely to receive


00:17:12.959 --> 00:17:14.949
texting messages from strangers while


00:17:14.959 --> 00:17:16.789
boys were more likely to get them from


00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:19.029
friends.


00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:21.270
Samsung are urgently trying to fix a bad


00:17:21.280 --> 00:17:22.949
update that's affecting millions of


00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:24.789
Samsung cell phones, causing their


00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.870
batteries to drain quickly with reports


00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:28.789
the batteries in some phones are also


00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.029
overheating. With the details, we're


00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:33.430
joined by technology editor Alex Sahara


00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:35.270
from techadvice.life.


00:17:35.280 --> 00:17:37.590
>> Yeah, this is for the Samsung Galaxy S24


00:17:37.600 --> 00:17:40.230
and S25 and there was an April update


00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.470
that had 47 bug patches and fixes


00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.909
inside. You know, it's important to


00:17:43.919 --> 00:17:45.510
install updates. Well, this particular


00:17:45.520 --> 00:17:48.390
one is causing the battery to drain 30


00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:50.390
to 50% in just a few hours. And the


00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:51.750
phone is getting, according to people


00:17:51.760 --> 00:17:53.510
who've got it, noticeably warmer.


00:17:53.520 --> 00:17:55.590
Samsung has sadly had battery problems


00:17:55.600 --> 00:17:57.990
before with the uh the Note 7 series,


00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.310
which they had to recall because it was


00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:01.750
exploding. Clearly, that's not something


00:18:01.760 --> 00:18:03.110
we hear about too much with phones


00:18:03.120 --> 00:18:04.630
anymore. I mean, there's been no major


00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:06.150
scandal since. We do hear a lot about


00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:09.350
exploding batteries in e- scooters, and


00:18:09.360 --> 00:18:11.190
you know, it can be the case when an


00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:13.190
electric vehicle crashes. If the battery


00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:14.710
gets damaged, it can cause a runaway


00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.350
thermal reaction that emits chemicals


00:18:17.360 --> 00:18:18.789
like a jet. That's not happening here


00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:20.470
with this update. There will obviously


00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:21.909
be a fix at some point, but if you've


00:18:21.919 --> 00:18:25.190
got a Samsung Galaxy S24, S25 and you


00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.190
have installed the update and the


00:18:27.200 --> 00:18:28.950
battery is draining really fast, you're


00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:30.390
not imagining it. It's something that's


00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:32.549
really happening and the users just have


00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:33.510
to wait for the fix.


00:18:33.520 --> 00:18:35.510
>> But that's a scary thing. If the battery


00:18:35.520 --> 00:18:37.110
is overheating, there's always the


00:18:37.120 --> 00:18:38.470
potential of failure.


00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:39.990
>> Yeah, heat is the enemy of batteries.


00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:41.669
That's why you shouldn't leave any


00:18:41.679 --> 00:18:43.590
devices with batteries in a hot car


00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:45.830
during summer for example. So battery


00:18:45.840 --> 00:18:47.830
technology is one of those things where


00:18:47.840 --> 00:18:50.549
the processing power of chips and the


00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:52.470
amount of well the amount of transistors


00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:54.470
that a chip has according to Moor's law


00:18:54.480 --> 00:18:57.190
doubles every 18 months. I was in a uh


00:18:57.200 --> 00:18:59.830
at an Intel event in 2007 in Beijing.


00:18:59.840 --> 00:19:02.070
They had a a session there on batteries.


00:19:02.080 --> 00:19:04.549
I mean this is nearly 20 years ago now.


00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:05.750
They were talking at the time about


00:19:05.760 --> 00:19:08.150
using silver in batteries. the silver


00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:10.070
could be recycled and reused once the


00:19:10.080 --> 00:19:11.590
battery had gone through enough charging


00:19:11.600 --> 00:19:13.590
cycles. And what struck me was that they


00:19:13.600 --> 00:19:15.590
said that battery technology doubles in


00:19:15.600 --> 00:19:18.150
its performance and capability every 18


00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:20.470
years. And of course, today's batteries


00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.230
are far more advanced. But what we


00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:24.230
really need to see is a change in


00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.590
battery chemistry. Lithium titanate is a


00:19:27.600 --> 00:19:29.830
alternative to lithium ion that can have


00:19:29.840 --> 00:19:32.710
tens of thousands of recharge cycles. it


00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:34.310
can operate in much colder and hotter


00:19:34.320 --> 00:19:36.310
temperatures and if it's damaged it does


00:19:36.320 --> 00:19:38.230
not explode. There's also technology


00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:40.230
like sodium ion which is being used in


00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.230
home batteries and it too is effectively


00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:43.909
impervious to this sort of destruction.


00:19:43.919 --> 00:19:46.789
So, we're in a a time where lithium ion


00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:49.110
is more widely used than ever, but it


00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:51.510
can be extremely dangerous. And


00:19:51.520 --> 00:19:53.510
thankfully, over the next decade or so,


00:19:53.520 --> 00:19:55.909
we're going to start seeing lithium ion


00:19:55.919 --> 00:19:58.390
being phased out and these other better


00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:00.310
battery technologies being introduced.


00:20:00.320 --> 00:20:01.669
>> And they're already being used in the


00:20:01.679 --> 00:20:02.150
military.


00:20:02.160 --> 00:20:03.590
>> Well, yeah. I mean, uh, lithium


00:20:03.600 --> 00:20:04.950
carbonate's actually been used in the


00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:07.110
military for decades, but it was just


00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:09.350
not commercially viable to be used in


00:20:09.360 --> 00:20:11.669
phones at the time, and people were


00:20:11.679 --> 00:20:13.350
using it in the military because it it


00:20:13.360 --> 00:20:15.830
wouldn't easily be an internal bomb if


00:20:15.840 --> 00:20:17.590
it was damaged. If military equipment


00:20:17.600 --> 00:20:19.510
was being powered by lithium titanate


00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:21.270
batteries, it was much safer. But now


00:20:21.280 --> 00:20:23.190
that has changed, we're going to be


00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:25.909
seeing home appliances that use lithium


00:20:25.919 --> 00:20:27.029
titanate batteries.


00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:30.149
>> That's Alex Zahara from techadvice.life


00:20:30.159 --> 00:20:47.990
life and this is spaceime


00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.789
and that's the show for now. Spacetime


00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:52.549
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00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:36.310
>> You've been listening to Spacetime with


00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:38.630
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