Mars’ surface, as far as we can tell, is not habitable to humans — it’s far too cold. But eventually, humanity would like to put an outpost on the planet. That will require warming things up a bit, but how?
Every several years, magnetic field observatories record quick changes to the position or strength of the planet’s magnetic field, so-called geomagnetic jerks. The cause of these shifts has remained a mystery.
Scientists have to use some roundabout methods to weigh the Earth and measure what’s inside it — typically, they’ve used sound waves and the strength of gravity to make their calculations. But one team has weighed the Earth in a whole new way: By measuring mysterious cosmic particles that pass…