This intro is almost as short as the month of September. We’ve got a story on the new weirdness of Jupiter’s red spot, a new reason to really get your blood pumping, how to grow clovers on Mars, and the first mission to explore the Trojan asteroids, which orbit the sun on opposite sides of Jupiter.
I’m Nick Lucchesi, and this is Inverse Daily. Keep scrolling to read more about this story and others in this daily dispatch.
This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Thursday, September 30, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox. ✉️
Jupiter’s Red Spot — Passant Rabie reports that a team of researchers discovered that Jupiter's Great Red Spot is spinning faster, increasing in speed by 8 percent in a span of 11 years:
For more than 150 years, when humans have looked at Jupiter, they’ve seen a raging vortex larger than the Earth itself swirling with layers of wind and gas.
The Great Red Spot is a high-pressure storm that has been brewing on Jupiter for hundreds of years, and a team of scientists recently discovered that not only does the storm live on, but its winds are also actually picking up speed.
More on Jupiter:
- Jupiter's strange Spot and more: Understand the world through 8 images
- What crashed into Jupiter? Everything you need to know about that impact video
- Watch: Jupiter's “Northern Lights” have an unexpected effect on the planet
What’s better than walking — Jenn Walter reports that while counting your steps isn't a bad idea, light movement can only do so much for your cardiovascular system. Here's what will really improve fitness:
Tracking your daily 10,000 steps might seem like the easiest way to make sure you’re getting enough exercise. But is light walking enough to boost your overall fitness level? A new study suggests it’s not as effective as regular moderate to vigorous exercise. That might not be surprising, since there’s already a lot of research that suggests regular exercise is good for your body for a whole host of reasons.
More on exercise:
- Best stretching exercises: Why lifting is about more than strength
- Want to get better at exercising? Scientists endorse these 2 fitness hacks
- The only two kettlebell exercises you need to get in shape
Sustaining Mars colonies — Passant Rabie writes that as scientists set their eyes on Mars as a potentially habitable planet, a team of researchers figured out how to grow clovers on Mars:
Inside a research greenhouse at Colorado State University, Franklin Harris and his colleagues placed clover seeds in sterilized plastic pots stacked next to each other on a bench.
As the familiar leaf began to sprout, emerging from the dirt, the team realized they had accomplished something extraordinary. These were not average clover plants, but instead clover plants grown in Martian soil.
More on Mars:
- Musk’s Mars plan, 5 years on: Video, bold specs, and a bizarre Q&A
- Life on Mars: A scientist ranks 10 futuristic depictions of human colonies
- SpaceX Starship: This new hurdle stands between Musk and his Mars City
Lucy in the sky mission — Passant Rabie and John Wenz report on the Lucy mission, which will be the first to explore the Trojan asteroids, a large group of asteroids that share Jupiter's orbit around the Sun:
In the absence of a time machine, astronomers turn to asteroids, comets, and other primordial bodies to trace the origins of our Solar System. During an upcoming NASA mission, currently scheduled for an October lift-off, a spacecraft called Lucy will be the first to visit a fleet of primordial bodies trailing behind Jupiter. It will launch on the Atlas V 401 rocket.
More about NASA:
- 5 sci-fi NASA concepts that could change the future of space travel
- VIPER: Why the Moon rover’s mission is vital for future space exploration
- Look: What a new Perseverance milestone means for life on Mars
- About the newsletter: Do you think it can be improved? Have a story idea? Want to share a story about the time you met an astronaut? Send those thoughts and more to newsletter@inverse.com.
- Notable birthdays: T-Pain (37), Virgil Abloh (41; pictured above), Maddie Ziegler (19), Cissy Houston (88), Ezra Miller (29) (Source: AP Planner.)
- Song of the Day: “Jupiter” by Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister.
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