Raindrops Carry Tiny Lightning Bolts, Study Finds

1:03 AM ETDeveloping

Science Desk

In Short: A new study reveals that raindrops can carry electrical charges large enough to damage surfaces, challenging the traditional understanding of corrosion.

Raindrops are not just water; they are tiny lightning bolts, capable of causing corrosion on surfaces, according to a new study. The research, led by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany, has shown that water drops routinely arrive at a surface carrying an electrical charge large enough to punch through an insulating coating.

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, challenges the standard explanation for why rain causes corrosion, which is that water carries dissolved salts and acids to a surface, constant drumming of raindrops abrades whatever protective coating is on it, and oxygen does the rest. The new findings suggest that the electrical charge carried by raindrops can directly contribute to the corrosion process.

The researchers used a technique called intracellular recording to measure the electrical responses of individual photoreceptors in four bee species and both sexes of each. The reason for this phenomenon seems to have to do with how energy-producing structures called mitochondria move through nerve cells, according to the study.

The findings have significant implications for industries dealing with corrosion, such as automotive and construction. Dr. Zhongyuan Ni, one of the lead researchers, explained, 'The standard explanation for why rain causes corrosion is no longer sufficient. We need to consider the electrical charge of raindrops as a contributing factor.

However, the study does not stop at rain. It also explores the impact of prolonged sitting on health. A first-of-its-kind study published in PLOS Medicine shows that the way we break up and accumulate periods of prolonged rest throughout the day may have a huge impact on health. Researchers found that for every extra hour of prolonged sitting in the day, people in the study faced a significantly higher risk of cancer and cancer mortality.

The good news is that breaking up your sitting time with something as simple as a short walk could be protective. In the research, the researchers analyzed data from more than 91,000 people who took part in the UK Biobank study – a long-term research project tracking the health of about half a million people in the UK.

Another study, published in the journal Science, offers a potential new way to prevent a common chemotherapy side effect that can last well beyond treatment. The study, by a team of doctors and researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, found that lab mice given two doses of psilocybin before receiving chemotherapy were shielded from nerve damage. The protection held up through six consecutive chemo sessions and persisted for eight months, the study’s duration.

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Sources

Ars Technicalink