Liquid water was flowing on Mars 200,000 years ago

A very young crater on Mars has shown evidence that liquid water existed on the red planet as recently as 200,000 years ago, according to a new research.

"We have discovered a very young crater in the southern mid-latitudes of Mars that shows evidence of liquid water in Mars' recent past," said Andreas Johnsson at the University of Gothenburg.

The southern hemisphere of Mars is home to a crater that contains very well-preserved gullies and debris flow deposits, researchers said.

The geomorphological attributes of these landforms provide evidence that they were formed by the action of liquid water in geologically recent time, they said.

When sediment on a slope becomes saturated with water, the mixture may become too heavy to remain in place, leading to a flow of debris and water as a single-phase unit. This is called a debris flow.

Debris flows on Earth often cause significant material destruction and even human casualties, when they occur in built-up areas. During a debris flow, a mixture of stones, gravel, clay and water moves rapidly down a slope.

When the sediment subsequently stops, it displays characteristic surface features such as lobate deposits and paired levees along flow channels.

It is these landforms that Johnsson has identified on Mars. The research group has been able to compare the landforms on Mars with known debris flows on Svalbard with the aid of aerial photography and field studies.

The debris flows on Mars provide evidence that liquid water has been present in the region.

"Our fieldwork on Svalbard confirmed our interpretation of the Martian deposits. What surprised us was that the crater in which these debris flows have formed is so young," said Johnsson.

Crater statistics allowed Andreas Johnsson and his co-authors to determine that the age of the crater to be approximately 200,000 years. This means that the crater was formed long after the most recent proposed ice age on Mars, which ended around 400,000 years ago.

"Gullies are common on Mars, but the ones which have been studied previously are older, and the sediments where they have formed are associated with the most recent ice age. Our study crater on Mars is far too young to have been influenced by the conditions that were prevalent then," Johnsson said.

"This suggests that the meltwater-related processes that formed these deposits have been exceptionally effective also in more recent times," Johnsson said.

The study crater is situated in the mid-latitudes of Mars' southern hemisphere, superposed on what is known as the rampart ejecta of a nearby larger crater.

A rampart ejecta display a "flowerlike" form around the host crater, and scientists have interpreted this as being the result of an impact in wet or ice-rich ground.

The study was published in the journal Icarus.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/liquid-water-was-flowing-on-mars-200-000-years-ago-114042700218_1.html

2000-year-old Roman tiles with puppy paw prints discovered

It seems that for about as long as there have been opportunities to do so, mischief makers have been attempting to immortalize their appendages or names in the drying material of someone else’s workspace for others to see.

This well documented phenomenon is just as evident with the recent discovery of puppy paw prints on Roman tiles in England, proving that the troublesome mischief makers are not always bipedal.

The small paw prints of a young, snoopy dog were discovered hardened into a rusty colored clay tile from an ancient archeological site with Roman roots.

In what was likely a very upsetting act to whomever tirelessly toiled over making the tile, the puppy had carelessly stomped on the tile just before it dried in order to leave an impression of its paw that has lasted for over a millennia.

The find was made in the Blackfriars area of Leicester, England. Leicester is also famous for the 2012 discovery of the long sought for bones of King Richard III under a parking lot. Nick Daffern, a senior project manager with Wardell Armstrong Archaeology refers to it as “a snapshot [of] a single moment in history.”

Leicester was once home to a group of people known as the Corieltauvi tribe, a faction of people living in England prior to the Roman conquest of 43 AD. The Corieltauvi were an Iron Age people who lived a largely agricultural lifestyle.

They produced coins during the first century, before the usurping Roman armies violently conquered England. Several fragments of what are possibly coin molds that are likely of Corieltauvi origin were also found with the tiles. Also among the recovered items were a set of Roman tweezers, brooches, coins, and painted wall plaster.

Additionally, they uncovered evidence of a large Roman style structure, possibly a basilica which had been ransacked for building materials during the medieval era.

The archeological dig conducted by Wardell Armstrong Archaeology is funded by the construction company, Watkin Jones. Wardell Armstrong Archaeology is currently working on the site, a locale that had previously been selected as the future location of student housing.

The archeologists present updates on their blog, Blackfriars. They are routinely uploading insider images to the blog of their efforts to recover a historically significant, ancient structure.

Some of the tiles that were not damaged by the playful pup are imprinted with the hoof of another creature, such as a sheep or goat, with just as little respect for the act of tile making as the puppy.

The ancient, red tinged tiles could be approximately 2,000 years old, but their origin is unknown.

The artifacts were discovered amidst layers of rubble. The initial purpose of the tiles is unclear, but the sight of them invokes the image of a jovial puppy romping through an ancient clay filled workshop, much to the animated dismay of its disgruntled proprietor.

In time, as the Wardell Armstrong Archaeology team continues its work on the East Midlands dig site, we may learn more specific details about the lives of the people who lived there long ago.

https://www.authintmail.com/article/art-culture/2000-year-old-roman-tiles-puppy-paw-prints-discovered

Killer Shrimp now Haunts UK

Earlier, the UK Government warned about Asian hornets, but now they are raising alarm about killer shrimp. The species, which is capable of laying 200 eggs at one go, is proving quite taxing for wildlife in the UK.

Experts said the shrimp is not only a threat to the environment but to human health as well. The Environmental Audit Committee, Parliament's green watchdog, strongly feels that the UK needs to come up with stringent laws to stop these creatures.

In the UK, there were 1,875 non-native species and 282 of them had been included in the category of 'invasive'. Among the species that have now become threat to Britain are the ruddy duck, Japanese Knotweed, zebra mussels and North American signal crayfish.

Most disappointing part is that currently, no monitoring ways are present for invasive non-native species. "As yet there is no formal surveillance system in place in Great Britain that could effectively trigger action to ensure early eradication of invasive species before they become established", said the report.

Problem of invasive species is present in entire Europe and now steps are being taken to tackle the problem. Last week, legislation has been finalized that aims to strengthen the fight against the invasive species across the EU. If collective damage is seen from the aliens to the European Union then it is at least _12 billion a year.

The law will require experts appointed by the Commission to prepare a priority list having the names of the most problematic species across the EU. To complete the task, experts will be given a deadline. These species will be then be declared as of 'Union Concern'.

The list will be finalized and will come into force by January 2016. It simply means that European citizens will not be allowed to own, transport, sell or grow any of the listed species.

http://austriantribune.com/informationen/143431-killer-shrimp-now-haunts-uk