your science briefing for 03.03.2025

Scientists find a new reason why Mars turned red, North Korea crypto hackers strike again, what tracking coyotes tells us about cities, and more...

We all know that Mars is red. Sort of. It’s more butterscotch or terracotta, and the red in the images we see is often enhanced. But it definitely has a distinct reddish hue we thought came from the oxidation of hematite. Basically, the planet looks red because it’s rusty. Turns out there’s a bit of a problem with that idea because as we now know, Mars had liquid water. That means another mineral, ferrihydrite, which forms in cooler water, may be an even better explanation for Mars’ trademark color as billions of years ago, the planet was wet and cold… (ScienceNews)

As a resident of Los Angeles, I have very string feelings about coyotes, as does much of the city. They’re persistent, eerily quiet, obnoxiously curious, and try their luck a lot, especially with people’s pets. But while you may be thinking of them roaming around wealthy parts of the city, snacking on a chiweenies in pink bows named Fifi, tracking actual coyotes shows they avoid affluent neighborhoods. And that how coyotes move through LA can tell us an awful lot about the city… (LA Times)

One of the problems with investing in crypto or using blockchain technology to store your money is that it’s actually not safer than the cash we all know and use. When a wallet is compromised and drained, there is no way to get those coins back, and any protections you have with traditional banking don’t apply. Even worse, nation states desperate for capital and with no qualms about their pariah status are now after your coins, with North Korea leading the pack in crypto hacks… (ArsTechnica)

Back in the early 2010s, being called a skeptic meant you were a STEM expert with a blog and active on nascent social media, debunking absurd claims by psychics, snake oil peddlers, global warming denialists, and anti-vaxxers. But as skeptic groups loudly and dramatically imploded by 2015, the word has now been corrupted. Now, you call yourself a skeptic to defend a position on science or technology that rejects any fact that gets in the way of your delusions and fantasies… (Current Affairs)

When people are exposed to antisemitic conspiracy theories enough times, they tend to start analyzing those conspiracies and evaluating how true they are no matter their political stances. That’s something we’ve known for many decades. But new research adds an interesting twist. Trump voters in the U.S., and UKIP voters in the UK tend to bring up antisemitic conspiracies when exposed to any information that mentions any sort of Jewish identity or just the fact that Jews exist in society… (PsyPost)