Unraveling Mars' Dust Storms, Dark Comet Insights, and Space Weather Threats: S27E152

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[00:01:29] This is Space Time Series 27 Episode 152 for broadcast on the 18th of December 2024.

[00:01:36] Coming up on Space Time.

[00:01:38] How those infamous Martian dust storms end up engulfing an entire planet.

[00:01:43] Astronomers discover another population of dark comets.

[00:01:47] And a new study of the effects of space weather events are showing how they impact our national security assets.

[00:01:54] All that and more coming up on Space Time.

[00:01:58] Welcome to Space Time with Stuart Gary.

[00:02:17] A new study has begun to unravel the mystery of those massive planet-wide dust storms which often blanket the entire Martian surface.

[00:02:26] The new data suggests a key trigger for these global storms could be relatively warm and sunny days on the red planet.

[00:02:32] The new findings reported to the 2024 meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington

[00:02:37] could be the first step towards forecasting extreme weather events on Mars, just as meteorologists do here on Earth.

[00:02:44] Martian dust storms, full of swirling, light-obscuring grit, can have a significant effect on rovers and landers on the red planet.

[00:02:51] They clog up scientific and other instruments and block out light to solar panels used to power equipment.

[00:02:57] The study's lead author, Shani Perez, from the University of Colorado Boulder,

[00:03:02] says Martian dust storms consist of very fine light particles, but they stick to everything.

[00:03:07] The new findings allowed Perez and colleagues to identify weather patterns

[00:03:11] that may underlie roughly two-thirds of the major dust storms we see on the red planet.

[00:03:16] Dust storms on Mars are something to behold.

[00:03:19] Many begin as smaller storms swirling around the ice caps at the planet's north and south poles,

[00:03:24] usually during the second half of the Martian year.

[00:03:27] Now it's worth pointing out that a Martian year lasts approximately 687 Earth days.

[00:03:33] But these dust storms can grow at a ferocious pace,

[00:03:36] quickly pressing towards the equator so they cover millions of square kilometres,

[00:03:40] lasting for days if not weeks.

[00:03:42] Now you may recall the 2015 film The Martian.

[00:03:45] It featured one such apocalyptic storm knocking over a satellite dish and tossing around astronauts.

[00:03:51] Now that's Hollywood.

[00:03:53] In reality, it's far less dramatic.

[00:03:55] See, the Martian atmosphere is much thinner than that of the Earth,

[00:03:58] just one ninety-ninth of Earth's atmospheric density.

[00:04:01] So dust storms on the red planet simply can't generate that much force.

[00:04:05] But they can still mean trouble.

[00:04:07] In 2018, for example, a global dust storm buried the solar panels on NASA's Opportunity rover,

[00:04:13] covering them in a thick layer of dust.

[00:04:15] Without sunlight able to reach the panels, the rover died.

[00:04:19] And exactly the same thing happened more recently to the Mars InSight lander.

[00:04:23] In the current study, Perez and colleagues set their sights on two weather patterns

[00:04:27] that tend to occur every Martian year, known as A and C storms.

[00:04:32] The authors examined some 15 Earth years of observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

[00:04:38] over eight Martian years.

[00:04:39] They looked for periods of unusual warmth,

[00:04:42] weeks with more sunlight filtered through Mars' thin atmosphere,

[00:04:45] and baked the planet's surface.

[00:04:47] They discovered that roughly 68% of all major storms on the red planet

[00:04:52] were preceded by a sharp rise in temperatures on the surface.

[00:04:55] In other words, the planet heated up.

[00:04:58] Then, a few weeks later, conditions got really dusty.

[00:05:01] Now, of course, we see very similar phenomenon triggering storms here on Earth.

[00:05:05] During hot summer days, warm air near the ground can rise through the atmosphere.

[00:05:10] See, when you heat up the surface,

[00:05:12] the layer of atmosphere right above it becomes buoyant.

[00:05:15] And that causes it to rise, dragging dust up with it.

[00:05:19] The authors are now gathering observations for more recent years on Mars

[00:05:22] in order to continue to explore these explosive weather patterns.

[00:05:26] Eventually, they hope to get to the point where they can look at live data coming from the red planet

[00:05:31] and actually predict what's going to happen weeks in advance.

[00:05:35] This is space time.

[00:05:36] Still to come, astronomers discover more dark comets

[00:05:40] and how national security assets are being affected by space weather events.

[00:05:45] All that and more still to come on Space Time.

[00:06:04] The first dark comet, a celestial object that looks like an asteroid

[00:06:08] but moves through space like a comet, was only discovered two years ago.

[00:06:12] But soon after, another six were found.

[00:06:15] Now, astronomers have detected seven more, doubling the number of known dark comets.

[00:06:19] The new discoveries reported in the journal The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

[00:06:24] have allowed astronomers to place these dark comets into two specific categories.

[00:06:29] Larger ones that reside in the outer solar system

[00:06:32] and smaller ones that reside in the inner solar system.

[00:06:35] Astronomers got their first inkling that dark comets exist

[00:06:38] when they noted in a March 2016 study

[00:06:41] that the trajectory of the asteroid 2003 RM

[00:06:44] had moved ever so slightly from its expected orbit.

[00:06:47] And the thing is, this deviation couldn't be simply explained

[00:06:51] by typical accelerations on asteroids.

[00:06:53] Things like the Yakovsky effect.

[00:06:55] That's caused by a buildup of heat on the sun-facing side of an object

[00:06:58] which, as the object rotates,

[00:07:00] then radiates that heat back out into space on the night side of the object

[00:07:04] in the process, producing a small amount of thrust

[00:07:07] that can cause the object to deviate from its original course.

[00:07:11] But the type of deviation observed in asteroid 2003 RM

[00:07:15] was far greater than this

[00:07:16] and usually means it's a comet

[00:07:18] with volatile material outgassing from its surface,

[00:07:21] providing the thrust.

[00:07:23] The trouble is, there were no visible signs of a coma or cometary tail.

[00:07:27] Then in 2017, astronomers discovered history's first documented

[00:07:31] interstellar celestial visitor,

[00:07:34] U-1 Amalmauer,

[00:07:35] a strange, cigar-shaped body

[00:07:37] that originated from beyond our solar system.

[00:07:40] Not only did it appear as a single point of light like an asteroid,

[00:07:43] but its trajectory changed

[00:07:45] as if it were outgassing volatile material from its surface like a comet.

[00:07:49] And the fact that this first object we discovered from interstellar space

[00:07:53] was exhibiting similar behaviours to 2003 RM

[00:07:56] made 2003 RM even more intriguing.

[00:07:59] By 2023, astronomers had identified seven solar system objects

[00:08:04] that looked like asteroids but acted like comets.

[00:08:07] And that was enough for the astronomical community

[00:08:10] to bestow upon them their own celestial object category,

[00:08:14] and consequently they became known as dark comets.

[00:08:17] Now, with the finding of seven more of these objects,

[00:08:20] astronomers can start asking a new set of questions.

[00:08:22] The study's lead author, Daryl Sligman, from Michigan State University,

[00:08:27] says he now has enough dark comet examples

[00:08:29] to begin asking if there's anything that could differentiate between them.

[00:08:33] By analysing both their orbits and their reflectivity or albedo,

[00:08:36] the authors were able to find

[00:08:38] that the solar system actually consists of two different types of dark comets.

[00:08:42] One kind, which they call outer solar system dark comets,

[00:08:45] have similar characteristics to Jupiter family comets.

[00:08:48] They have highly eccentric or elliptical orbits,

[00:08:51] and are usually on the larger side,

[00:08:53] hundreds of metres or more across.

[00:08:55] The second group, or inner dark comets,

[00:08:58] tend to reside in the inner solar system,

[00:09:00] hanging around the terrestrial worlds

[00:09:02] of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars.

[00:09:04] They travel in nearly circular orbits,

[00:09:07] and are generally smaller,

[00:09:08] usually just tens of metres or less in size.

[00:09:11] These new findings not only expand science's knowledge of dark comets,

[00:09:15] but also raise several questions,

[00:09:17] such as where do they originate from,

[00:09:19] what causes their anomalous acceleration,

[00:09:21] and could they contain ice like other comets?

[00:09:24] Sligman points out that dark comets could have been a potential news source

[00:09:28] for having delivered materials to the Earth,

[00:09:30] such as water, necessary for life as we know it.

[00:09:33] So, the more scientists can learn about these dark comets,

[00:09:36] the better they can understand their role in our own planet's origins.

[00:09:41] This is space-time.

[00:09:42] Still to come, how space weather events affect national security assets,

[00:09:47] and later in the science report,

[00:09:49] scientists move a step closer to replacing lithium-ion batteries

[00:09:53] with new rechargeable proton batteries.

[00:09:56] All that and more still to come,

[00:09:58] on space-time.

[00:10:12] We are Teresa and Nemo.

[00:10:14] And so we are to Shopify.

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[00:10:49] has regularly used updates,

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[00:10:52] that the shop didn't work.

[00:10:54] Endlich makes our Nemo Boards Shop

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[00:11:14] Scientists are working on new research projects

[00:11:16] to help protect major national security assets

[00:11:19] from the threat of space weather.

[00:11:21] In the past,

[00:11:22] these geomagnetic storms

[00:11:23] triggered by the sun's 11-year solar cycle

[00:11:26] weren't considered a serious

[00:11:27] national security problem.

[00:11:29] But as technology becomes more sophisticated

[00:11:31] and as it occupies more

[00:11:34] of the ultimate high ground

[00:11:35] in orbit around the planet,

[00:11:36] space weather

[00:11:37] is becoming a serious issue.

[00:11:39] These geomagnetic storms

[00:11:41] are really a double-edged sword.

[00:11:43] They're capable of delivering

[00:11:44] spectacular majestic phenomena

[00:11:46] like the aurora borealis

[00:11:48] and aurora australis,

[00:11:49] the northern and southern lights.

[00:11:51] But they also cause all sorts

[00:11:52] of electromagnetic issues

[00:11:54] here on Earth

[00:11:54] and in the near space environment

[00:11:56] around us.

[00:11:57] They can damage or destroy satellites

[00:11:59] by short-circuiting

[00:12:00] their delicate equipment.

[00:12:01] They cause communications

[00:12:03] and navigation blackouts,

[00:12:05] affect terrestrial power grids

[00:12:06] by overloading electricity lines,

[00:12:09] shorten spacecraft lifespans

[00:12:11] by causing the atmosphere to expand,

[00:12:13] thereby increasing the amount

[00:12:14] of atmospheric drag

[00:12:15] a spacecraft has to endure,

[00:12:17] resulting in orbital decay

[00:12:18] and forcing that spacecraft

[00:12:20] to use up more fuel

[00:12:21] in order to maintain

[00:12:22] an operational altitude.

[00:12:23] And they can affect

[00:12:25] the safety of astronauts

[00:12:26] in orbit

[00:12:27] by increasing

[00:12:27] their radiation dosage.

[00:12:29] And it's not just up in space.

[00:12:31] In 2014,

[00:12:32] researchers with the

[00:12:33] Johns Hopkins Applied Physics

[00:12:35] Labyrinth

[00:12:35] in Larell, Maryland,

[00:12:36] discovered that

[00:12:37] plasma bubbles

[00:12:38] connected to space weather events

[00:12:39] harshly contributed

[00:12:40] to communications outages

[00:12:42] during a major battle

[00:12:43] in the Afghanistan war.

[00:12:44] And that resulted

[00:12:45] in three U.S. Navy SEALs

[00:12:47] being killed.

[00:12:48] That incident triggered

[00:12:50] Johns Hopkins researchers

[00:12:51] to work on new applications,

[00:12:52] such as atmospheric models

[00:12:54] and new sensors and instruments,

[00:12:55] which not only aid

[00:12:56] in discovering anomalies

[00:12:57] being caused by

[00:12:58] space weather events,

[00:12:59] but also to investigate

[00:13:01] how to keep critical

[00:13:02] national security assets safe

[00:13:03] both in space

[00:13:04] and on the ground.

[00:13:06] Johns Hopkins researcher

[00:13:07] Ben Estesitos says

[00:13:09] society has a huge dependence

[00:13:10] on space activities now.

[00:13:12] Most people don't realize

[00:13:13] how much of their daily lives

[00:13:15] relies on what's happening

[00:13:16] in space.

[00:13:17] He says a powerful

[00:13:18] solar flare or coronal mass ejection

[00:13:20] where plasma bursting away

[00:13:22] from the sun into space

[00:13:23] and possibly towards the earth

[00:13:24] can potentially erupt power grids,

[00:13:26] affect railroads,

[00:13:28] disrupt navigation,

[00:13:29] radar and communication systems,

[00:13:31] damage satellites

[00:13:31] and harm astronauts

[00:13:33] operating in space.

[00:13:34] For example,

[00:13:35] space weather can cause

[00:13:36] ionospheric scintillation,

[00:13:38] a phenomenon during which

[00:13:39] subtle changes in the ionosphere

[00:13:41] alter how radio waves travel.

[00:13:43] In some scenarios,

[00:13:44] these radio signals

[00:13:46] sent at an appropriate

[00:13:47] frequency typically bounce

[00:13:48] off the ionosphere.

[00:13:49] But when space weather events occur,

[00:13:52] these signals can bounce

[00:13:53] in unexpected directions

[00:13:54] or they can escape

[00:13:55] through the ionosphere completely.

[00:13:57] Now, if you're broadcasting

[00:13:58] on the ground

[00:13:59] through a disturbed ionosphere,

[00:14:00] other spacecraft

[00:14:01] may end up receiving signals

[00:14:03] which you're trying

[00:14:03] to send securely.

[00:14:05] And strong space weather events

[00:14:07] can adversely affect

[00:14:08] not just one system

[00:14:09] but a combination

[00:14:10] of different systems.

[00:14:11] And when that happens,

[00:14:12] others can take advantage

[00:14:14] of critical systems

[00:14:15] and networks.

[00:14:16] So, the ability

[00:14:17] to forecast these dynamics

[00:14:19] and the potential impact

[00:14:20] of space weather phenomena

[00:14:21] in near real time

[00:14:22] is critical.

[00:14:23] The NASA Center

[00:14:24] for Geospace Storms

[00:14:26] was established in 2020.

[00:14:28] Its aim is to develop

[00:14:29] a holistic predictive

[00:14:30] space weather simulation

[00:14:32] designed to estimate

[00:14:33] how a specific

[00:14:34] geomagnetic storm

[00:14:35] is likely to impact

[00:14:36] the Earth.

[00:14:37] And in April,

[00:14:38] the Center made its new model

[00:14:39] available through simulations.

[00:14:41] Johns Hopkins researchers

[00:14:43] are now using

[00:14:44] these simulations

[00:14:45] to help them understand

[00:14:46] how space weather

[00:14:47] affects the near-Earth environment,

[00:14:48] uncovering when disruptions

[00:14:50] in the upper atmosphere

[00:14:51] might happen

[00:14:51] and then monitor changes

[00:14:53] in the atmosphere

[00:14:54] and how that's affecting satellites.

[00:14:56] This report on space weather

[00:14:58] from the Johns Hopkins

[00:14:59] Applied Physics Laboratory.

[00:15:04] Welcome to the heart

[00:15:06] of our solar system,

[00:15:07] our sun.

[00:15:09] Beneath its wonder

[00:15:10] and life-giving beauty

[00:15:11] lies a potential for peril.

[00:15:13] Approximately every 11 years,

[00:15:15] the sun's magnetic field

[00:15:17] undergoes significant shifts,

[00:15:19] causing heightened levels

[00:15:20] of solar activity.

[00:15:21] During this period,

[00:15:23] the sun unleashes

[00:15:24] a greater number

[00:15:25] of more intense solar eruptions,

[00:15:27] each potentially carrying

[00:15:28] the equivalent energy

[00:15:30] of over 10,000

[00:15:31] Category 5 hurricanes.

[00:15:34] These eruptions

[00:15:35] occur in random directions

[00:15:36] and at the peak

[00:15:37] of solar activity

[00:15:38] can happen daily.

[00:15:40] Yet, despite their frequency

[00:15:42] and size,

[00:15:43] the Earth is merely a speck

[00:15:45] in the vastness of space.

[00:15:48] Are we prepared

[00:15:49] for a catastrophic solar storm?

[00:15:58] The dangers of a solar eruption

[00:16:01] come in three phases.

[00:16:02] The initial flares

[00:16:03] compose of photons

[00:16:05] and X-rays

[00:16:06] hurling through space

[00:16:07] at the speed of light.

[00:16:08] Eight minutes after eruption,

[00:16:10] we detect and experience

[00:16:12] the effects of the flare

[00:16:13] simultaneously

[00:16:14] and without warning.

[00:16:17] Minutes to hours later,

[00:16:19] a stream of high-speed

[00:16:20] solar energetic particles,

[00:16:22] or SEPs,

[00:16:24] impacts geospace,

[00:16:25] creating a radiation risk

[00:16:27] to astronauts

[00:16:27] and posing a threat

[00:16:29] to certain spacecraft components.

[00:16:30] This is followed

[00:16:32] by the biggest punch

[00:16:34] as the coronal mass ejection,

[00:16:36] or CME,

[00:16:38] hurls billions of tons

[00:16:39] of charged particles

[00:16:41] into space

[00:16:41] at millions of miles per hour.

[00:16:44] After eruption,

[00:16:45] these elements

[00:16:46] speed through millions

[00:16:47] of miles of nothing

[00:16:48] in a sea of silence

[00:16:50] until they reach

[00:16:50] the first Sun-Earth

[00:16:52] Lagrange point,

[00:16:53] where our only upstream

[00:16:55] sentinel lies.

[00:16:57] astronauts at or en route

[00:16:59] to the Moon

[00:16:59] have to take precautions

[00:17:01] against the SEP radiation,

[00:17:03] while those in transit

[00:17:04] through the Earth's

[00:17:05] radiation belt

[00:17:06] may need to prepare

[00:17:07] for enhanced

[00:17:08] particle intensities.

[00:17:10] The CME then collides

[00:17:12] with Earth's magnetosphere,

[00:17:14] where it interacts

[00:17:14] with the planet's magnetic field

[00:17:16] and the everyday technology

[00:17:18] that resides within it.

[00:17:20] Satellites in geostationary orbit,

[00:17:22] crucial for telecommunications

[00:17:24] and weather forecasting,

[00:17:25] are in jeopardy

[00:17:27] as enhanced radiation

[00:17:28] from the SEPs

[00:17:29] causes widespread disruptions

[00:17:31] and failures.

[00:17:33] Closer to home,

[00:17:34] the ever-growing number

[00:17:35] of satellites in low Earth orbit

[00:17:37] face increased atmospheric drag

[00:17:40] and risk de-orbiting

[00:17:41] as the atmosphere responds

[00:17:42] to the immense input

[00:17:44] of solar energy.

[00:17:45] Those protecting

[00:17:46] our national security

[00:17:47] must also contend

[00:17:49] with the implications

[00:17:50] of solar eruptions,

[00:17:51] which can disrupt communications,

[00:17:53] surveillance and navigation systems

[00:17:55] vital for operations.

[00:17:57] In our interconnected world,

[00:17:59] misinformation spreads

[00:18:01] like wildfire,

[00:18:02] amplifying panic and confusion

[00:18:04] during times of crisis.

[00:18:06] As Earth's magnetosphere

[00:18:07] reacts to the direct hit,

[00:18:09] sub-storms create

[00:18:10] breathtaking auroras

[00:18:12] that dance across the sky,

[00:18:14] while city skylines

[00:18:15] plunge into darkness

[00:18:16] as power grids falter.

[00:18:19] With cell towers down

[00:18:20] and navigation systems offline,

[00:18:22] bustling cities

[00:18:23] grind to a halt,

[00:18:25] gridlocked by traffic

[00:18:26] and cut off

[00:18:27] from vital communications.

[00:18:29] Are we prepared?

[00:18:31] This is Space Time.

[00:18:33] And time now to take

[00:18:50] another brief look

[00:18:50] at some of the other stories

[00:18:51] making news in science

[00:18:52] this week

[00:18:53] with the Science Report.

[00:18:55] Well, we all might be

[00:18:56] living longer these days,

[00:18:57] but the gap between

[00:18:58] our health span,

[00:18:59] that is the number of days

[00:19:00] lived in good health,

[00:19:01] and our lifespan

[00:19:02] is also getting wider.

[00:19:05] A report in the Journal

[00:19:06] of the American Medical Association

[00:19:07] has found that this gap

[00:19:08] has widened globally

[00:19:10] over the past two decades,

[00:19:11] now extending to some

[00:19:12] 9.6 years.

[00:19:14] In other words,

[00:19:15] you may live into your 90s

[00:19:16] nowadays,

[00:19:17] but that last decade

[00:19:18] probably won't be

[00:19:19] a lot of fun.

[00:19:20] And some places

[00:19:21] are worse than others.

[00:19:23] For example,

[00:19:24] in Australia,

[00:19:25] the health gap

[00:19:25] was 12.1 years,

[00:19:27] and in New Zealand

[00:19:27] 11.8 years.

[00:19:29] That puts both nations

[00:19:30] on the top of the leaderboard,

[00:19:32] only being beaten

[00:19:33] by the United States,

[00:19:34] which is a lifespan-health span

[00:19:35] gap of 12.4 years.

[00:19:37] And the health span-lifespan gap

[00:19:39] was also 2.4 years wider

[00:19:41] in women than in men.

[00:19:42] The researchers say

[00:19:44] the findings are suggesting

[00:19:45] that this health span-lifespan gap

[00:19:47] is a universal threat

[00:19:48] to healthy,

[00:19:49] happy longevity.

[00:19:51] It also means

[00:19:52] that the last few years

[00:19:53] of your life

[00:19:54] are likely to be

[00:19:54] pretty lousy.

[00:19:56] Google has announced

[00:19:58] its new quantum error

[00:19:59] correction chip

[00:20:00] makes corrections

[00:20:00] with a success rate

[00:20:01] above the threshold

[00:20:02] needed to function.

[00:20:04] Quantum computers

[00:20:05] are seen as the way

[00:20:06] of the future,

[00:20:07] but they're prone

[00:20:08] to errors,

[00:20:09] and that makes

[00:20:10] their current technology

[00:20:11] impractical.

[00:20:12] Quantum researchers

[00:20:13] have been working

[00:20:14] on ways to correct

[00:20:15] those errors

[00:20:15] without introducing

[00:20:16] new,

[00:20:17] more errors

[00:20:18] that they can't fix.

[00:20:19] Google says

[00:20:20] the newest generation

[00:20:21] of their new

[00:20:22] superconducting

[00:20:23] quantum processing

[00:20:23] chip architecture,

[00:20:25] known as Willow,

[00:20:25] can correct errors

[00:20:26] below the threshold.

[00:20:28] A report of the journal

[00:20:29] Nature claims

[00:20:30] that when tested

[00:20:31] for several hours,

[00:20:32] Willow was able

[00:20:33] to maintain

[00:20:33] its performance,

[00:20:35] suggesting a light

[00:20:36] at the end

[00:20:37] of the tunnel.

[00:20:39] Scientists

[00:20:39] with the University

[00:20:40] of New South Wales

[00:20:41] have successfully

[00:20:42] developed an organic

[00:20:43] material that's able

[00:20:44] to store protons

[00:20:45] and used it

[00:20:46] to create a rechargeable

[00:20:47] proton battery.

[00:20:48] By leveraging

[00:20:49] hydrogen ions,

[00:20:51] that is protons,

[00:20:52] instead of traditional

[00:20:53] lithium,

[00:20:53] these batteries

[00:20:54] hold promise

[00:20:54] for addressing

[00:20:55] some of the critical

[00:20:56] challenges in modern

[00:20:57] energy storage,

[00:20:58] including resource

[00:20:59] scarcity,

[00:21:00] environmental impact,

[00:21:01] safety and costs.

[00:21:03] The discovery,

[00:21:03] reported in the journal

[00:21:04] Angawanda Shemi,

[00:21:06] highlights the battery's

[00:21:07] ability to store

[00:21:07] energy quickly,

[00:21:08] last longer

[00:21:09] and perform well

[00:21:10] under sub-zero

[00:21:11] conditions.

[00:21:12] The material has been

[00:21:13] shown to support

[00:21:14] rapid proton movement

[00:21:15] using hydrogen bond

[00:21:16] networks.

[00:21:18] Batteries store

[00:21:18] chemical energy

[00:21:19] and then convert it

[00:21:20] to electrical energy

[00:21:21] through reactions

[00:21:22] between two separate

[00:21:23] electrodes,

[00:21:24] the anode and the

[00:21:25] cathode.

[00:21:26] And charge-carrying

[00:21:27] particles known as ions

[00:21:28] are transferred

[00:21:29] between the two

[00:21:30] by way of an

[00:21:30] electrolyte.

[00:21:31] Now the most common

[00:21:32] type of batteries

[00:21:33] used in household

[00:21:34] products nowadays

[00:21:34] are lithium-ion

[00:21:36] batteries,

[00:21:36] which create an

[00:21:37] electrical charge

[00:21:38] by transferring

[00:21:38] lithium ions

[00:21:39] between the anode

[00:21:40] and the cathode.

[00:21:41] Lithium ion batteries

[00:21:42] power everyday products

[00:21:44] such as mobile phones,

[00:21:45] laptops and smart

[00:21:46] wearables,

[00:21:47] as well as newer

[00:21:47] e-mobility products

[00:21:49] such as electric cars,

[00:21:50] e-bikes and e-scooters.

[00:21:52] But they're highly

[00:21:53] unstable,

[00:21:54] especially when

[00:21:55] affected by damp,

[00:21:56] often causing fires.

[00:21:58] And they're both

[00:21:59] very difficult to produce,

[00:22:00] requiring huge amounts

[00:22:01] of water and energy

[00:22:02] and difficult to recycle.

[00:22:04] On the other hand,

[00:22:05] protons have the

[00:22:05] smallest ionic radius

[00:22:07] and mass of all elements.

[00:22:08] That allows them

[00:22:09] to diffuse quickly.

[00:22:11] Using protons

[00:22:12] results in batteries

[00:22:13] with high energy

[00:22:13] and power density,

[00:22:14] plus protons are

[00:22:15] relatively inexpensive,

[00:22:16] produce zero carbon

[00:22:17] emissions,

[00:22:18] and are fast charging.

[00:22:21] Apple have just

[00:22:22] released their new

[00:22:22] 18.2 AI

[00:22:24] just in time for Christmas.

[00:22:25] And not wanting

[00:22:26] to be left out,

[00:22:27] Google have also

[00:22:28] launched a new

[00:22:28] beta version of

[00:22:29] their new

[00:22:29] Gemini 2.0 AI.

[00:22:32] With the details,

[00:22:33] we're joined by

[00:22:33] technology editor,

[00:22:35] Alex Sahar-Ovroyd,

[00:22:36] from TechAdvice.live.

[00:22:37] Yes, now this is

[00:22:38] where Apple Intelligence

[00:22:39] was launched

[00:22:40] into more places

[00:22:41] than just the US.

[00:22:42] With 18.1,

[00:22:43] you could access

[00:22:44] Apple Intelligence

[00:22:44] and create Genmojis,

[00:22:46] which is your own

[00:22:47] little creations

[00:22:47] of emojis

[00:22:48] just by describing them,

[00:22:49] and a few other things,

[00:22:50] but it was US English only.

[00:22:51] And I actually

[00:22:52] changed my phone

[00:22:53] to US English,

[00:22:53] but then of course

[00:22:54] whenever I was

[00:22:54] typing things,

[00:22:55] it kept wanting

[00:22:55] to Americanize

[00:22:57] the spellings.

[00:22:57] So now,

[00:22:58] with 18.2,

[00:22:59] Apple Intelligence

[00:23:00] is available

[00:23:00] in Australia

[00:23:01] and the US,

[00:23:02] in Canada,

[00:23:03] Ireland,

[00:23:03] South Africa,

[00:23:04] the UK,

[00:23:04] and the US,

[00:23:05] and we'll see

[00:23:06] more European countries

[00:23:07] next year.

[00:23:08] We'll see a smarter

[00:23:09] Siri 2.0

[00:23:10] in April of next year.

[00:23:11] But with this launch,

[00:23:13] ChatGPT was integrated.

[00:23:14] So even if you're not

[00:23:14] paying for ChatGPT,

[00:23:16] you can get results

[00:23:17] and responses

[00:23:17] from ChatGPT

[00:23:19] beyond Siri's

[00:23:19] capabilities as yet.

[00:23:20] And in fact,

[00:23:21] if you have one

[00:23:21] of the new iPhone 16s

[00:23:23] with the camera button,

[00:23:24] you can hold it

[00:23:24] in front of anything

[00:23:25] and then tap ask

[00:23:27] and it will ask

[00:23:28] ChatGPT to describe

[00:23:29] what it sees.

[00:23:30] Now you can do this

[00:23:30] with Google Lens

[00:23:31] free of charge

[00:23:32] on any iPhone

[00:23:33] or Android device

[00:23:34] if any of it's older,

[00:23:35] you just download

[00:23:35] the Google Lens app

[00:23:36] or the Google app

[00:23:37] really as it is.

[00:23:38] There's a little camera

[00:23:39] button in the search bar.

[00:23:40] You can tap on that.

[00:23:40] It'll take a picture

[00:23:41] and give you a description.

[00:23:42] But this is a nice

[00:23:43] little built-in thing

[00:23:44] into Apple.

[00:23:45] Apple's trying to catch up

[00:23:46] as much as it can

[00:23:47] and it's got the text

[00:23:48] generation,

[00:23:48] the writing tools,

[00:23:49] the image generation,

[00:23:50] not photorealistic images.

[00:23:52] Apple was very careful

[00:23:53] that I want to have

[00:23:54] photorealistic images

[00:23:55] that could be misconstrued

[00:23:56] and you've got to go

[00:23:57] to Grok for that

[00:23:57] if you want that sort of thing.

[00:23:58] But Apple managed

[00:23:59] to launch

[00:24:00] a suite of AI tools

[00:24:02] just in time

[00:24:03] for Christmas

[00:24:03] to make all those

[00:24:04] iPhone 16 models

[00:24:05] work really beautifully

[00:24:07] with some of the things

[00:24:08] that were promised

[00:24:09] at WWDC.

[00:24:10] And then Google

[00:24:11] has also launched

[00:24:12] on the same day

[00:24:13] Gemini 2.0.

[00:24:14] Now it's just in

[00:24:15] effectively a beta version

[00:24:16] but this is Gemini 2 Flash.

[00:24:18] This is the version

[00:24:19] that is for developers

[00:24:20] and you can also use it

[00:24:22] on your Android device

[00:24:23] if you've got the Gemini app

[00:24:24] downloaded and installed

[00:24:25] and using that

[00:24:26] sort of Google Assistant.

[00:24:27] And this is where

[00:24:28] it's multimodal

[00:24:29] so it can accept images

[00:24:31] and sound

[00:24:32] and read text

[00:24:33] and it can generate

[00:24:34] images and sound

[00:24:35] for you.

[00:24:36] It's supposed to be faster

[00:24:37] twice as fast

[00:24:38] as the previous model

[00:24:39] and they're also

[00:24:41] trying to bring forth

[00:24:42] the agentic era

[00:24:44] where your phone

[00:24:45] or computer

[00:24:46] will start doing things

[00:24:47] for you

[00:24:47] because you've asked

[00:24:48] that it'll be able

[00:24:48] to see what's on your browser

[00:24:50] or access the keyboard

[00:24:51] and mouse

[00:24:51] and do things for you.

[00:24:52] Like in Star Trek

[00:24:53] where they said

[00:24:54] okay computer

[00:24:54] do this, do that

[00:24:55] the computer then does it.

[00:24:56] It's always been science fiction

[00:24:57] but it's now starting

[00:24:58] to happen for real.

[00:25:00] So we've got a lot

[00:25:01] of cool things

[00:25:02] happening in the past few days

[00:25:04] in the world of AI.

[00:25:05] That's Alex Sahar of Roy

[00:25:06] from techadvice.life

[00:25:11] And that's the show for now.

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[00:27:43] Closed Captioning

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