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It’s unclear why the Steamboat THE TOP EARNING MUSICIANS OF THE DECADE e ripple marks were discovered frozen in Martian rock on the slopes of Mount Sharp. ough Curiosity has traversed many rock deposits laid down in ancient lakes, scientists had not seen such vivid marks in the rocks before.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has photographed rocks imprinted with tiny ripples from an ancient lake. And these tiny ripples are making waves on Earth, as they are the clearest evidence yet that water once existed on the Red Planet.

It’s the tallest active geyser on the planet— with an emphasis on “active.” From 2015 to 2017, it didn’t erupt at all. ere was another largely quiet period from 1911 to 1961, but in 2018 it logged a record-setting 32 eruptions, a feat it has crushed this year with 47 eruptions, per the US Geological Survey. Why? Good question, and one that hasn’t been answered. It’s one on a long list of geyser mysteries, in fact. e gey ser-research eld is a thin one, and as Yellowstone National Park’s hydrologist explained the area beneath Steamboat hasn’t been mapped. However, seismic sensors there have revealed that the geyser’s water source may sit as deep as 130 feet.

“ is is the best evidence of water and waves that we’ve seen in the entire mission,” Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a statement. “We climbed through thousands of feet of lake deposits and never saw evidence like this – and now we found it in a place we expected to be dry.”

Since last fall, the rover has been exploring a region of what scientists call ”sulfate-bearing” rock. Scientists believe this salt-rich area was deposited when an ancient lake was nearly dry. But the ripples were created on the bottom of a shallow lake as winds created waves on the lake’s surface, disturbing the sediments below. e presence of ripples in a supposedly dry area suggests that Mars did not go from wet to dry in a simple, linear manner, the Curiosity researchers said. Near the rippled rocks, researchers also saw rock layers with regular spacing and thickness. ese types of layers o en occur on Earth during patterns of periodic change.

Most other geysers seem to be fueled by shallower reserves; deeper equals warmer, so that could be a factor in Steamboat’s ability to propel water to heights of more than 300 feet. Michael Poland with the USGS earlier this year said it’s possible that increased snowfall in Yellowstone of late has led to more groundwater to fuel the geyser. What scientists are saying is that there’s no link between the increased activity and any potential looming eruption of Yellowstone’s supervolcano. “Yellowstone has an incredible geyser system that is unrelated to magmatic activity—other than the magmatic system basically providing heat,” tweeted one volcanologist. USA Today noted that the Waimangu Geyser in New Zealand has managed to shoot water taller than Steamboat has, but it’s been

“Mars’ ancient climate had a wonderful complexity to it,” Vasavada said, “much like Earth’s.”

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On Family Trip to Scatter Ashes, a Double Tragedy

An unimaginable tragedy took place during a family’s trip to Puerto Rico to scatter ashes, leaving the family to return home missing two members. While scattering his grandfather’s ashes in the ocean, Damian Walker jumped into the water to save his wife when she was swept away by a rip current. Walker’s father, Luis Walker, then went in a er his son to help. Neither of them survived, though Luis Walker’s body has not been found. Damian Walker’s wife made it out of the water alive. “Damian jumped in, as he 100% lived his life with that hero mentality,” says the owner of the Phoenix CrossFit gym where Walker was a coach. “He le this life exactly how he lived it. And that was putting others 100% before him.”

“Damian so loved life, he loved the ocean, had a huge heart for animals of all kinds and most of all, Damian loved his wife Salmeh with all that he had and more,” reads his obituary. Adds a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family, “Coach Damian gave the ultimate sacri ce and lost his life while saving family members from the rip currents in Puerto Rico this past Friday, March 3, 2023. Coach Damian has been with WildFire CrossFit for 10 years. He was the spark that lit the re for so many people.” e gym has created a “hero” workout to honor him.