Earth Has An Electric Field

Image: NASA

NASA’s Endurance rocket mission from 2022 has found the Earth’s electric field. A just-published analysis of the mission’s data confirmed that at an altitude of about 250 kilometers (150 miles), the earth is weakly charged. This so-called “ambipolar” electric field is believed to be caused by an ionization of atoms in the upper atmosphere due to incoming radiation. The negative electric charges are carried by electrons, which have much smaller masses than the remaining positively charged ions. They then get separated by both gravity and friction, causing an electric field. Paper here, press release here, video here.

This episode of Science News covers genetics. Screening embryos for diseases and other traits is becoming increasingly common. Some companies even claim that they can calculate your intelligence score from a genetic analysis. But how much do we really know about the genetic root of intelligence? You can take the quiz here.

You can now create and share your own quizzes on QuizWithIt – for free! Just set up an account and creator profile and you are good to go. Create quizzes to go with websites, videos, blogposts, podcasts, or as standalone. Your audience can support you by subscribing to your content, which allows them to collect points by taking your quizzes. Each quiz has a unique URL, can be embedded into websites or newsletter, and be shared on X, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Happy quizzing!

Intelligence Necessary to Use Computers

A small (88 people) but controlled study by researchers from Aalto University in Finland has found that the successful execution of tasks on modern computers – such as software installation, navigation, or filling in forms – is significantly correlated with intelligence, in particular working memory, attention, and planning abilities. Computer skills are still more strongly correlated with age –  young people do better – but the researchers say that computer software is getting too complex and some people might be left behind. Press release here, paper here.

Breathtaking Stories in Science

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The Metaverse Will Bring More Legal Troubles

A group of Australian researchers has studied problems people encounter in virtual reality, especially those using VRChat through Meta’s Oculus headset. By analysing several previous studies with user interviews, they found various types of new criminal activities that include scams, illicit sales, and cyberbullying. The researchers have dubbed these “metacrimes” and call on regulators to pass laws before the metaverse reaches mainstream. I’m telling you this because I wish someone would listen, not because I think it’ll actually happen… Paper here, press release here.

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