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Raindrops Contain Tiny Lightning Bolts, Study Finds
Confirmed
In Short: A new study reveals that raindrops carry electrical charges large enough to damage surfaces, potentially explaining why cars corrode more quickly in rainy climates.
Raindrops are not just water; they are tiny lightning bolts, according to a new study. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany found that raindrops routinely arrive at surfaces carrying an electrical charge large enough to punch through insulating coatings. This phenomenon, known as "slide electrification," has only been properly quantified in the past few years, as noted by Ars Technica.
To test the impact of these electrical charges, the researchers began with a surface evenly covered in Teflon, a material widely known for its use on frying pans. They discovered that when charged droplets strike a coating, they discharge locally and can puncture the layer in specific spots, similar to a small flash of lightning. This process can significantly reduce the durability of the coating, explaining why cars corrode more quickly in rainy climates.
The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests that the standard explanation for why rain causes corrosion—water carrying dissolved salts and acids to a surface, constant drumming of raindrops abrading whatever protective coating is on it, and oxygen doing the rest—may not be the whole story. The electrical charge carried by raindrops can directly damage the protective coatings, leading to faster corrosion.
The findings of this study have implications beyond just car maintenance. According to reports, the way we break up and accumulate periods of prolonged rest throughout the day may have a significant impact on health. A first-of-its-kind study published in PLOS Medicine shows 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, as noted by ScienceAlert.
In a related study, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that administering psilocybin shortly before cancer treatments might prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a condition that affects about two-thirds of patients who receive chemo. The study, published in the journal Science, 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.
What's confirmed
- Raindrops are not just water; they are tiny lightning bolts, according to a new study. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany found that raindrops routinely arrive at surfaces carrying an electrical charge large enough to punch through insulating coatings. This phenomenon, known as "slide electrification," has only been properly quantified in the past few years, as noted by Ars Technica.
- To test the impact of these electrical charges, the researchers began with a surface evenly covered in Teflon, a material widely known for its use on frying pans. They discovered that when charged droplets strike a coating, they discharge locally and can puncture the layer in specific spots, similar to a small flash of lightning. This process can significantly reduce the durability of the coating, explaining why cars corrode more quickly in rainy climates.
- The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, suggests that the standard explanation for why rain causes corrosion—water carrying dissolved salts and acids to a surface, constant drumming of raindrops abrading whatever protective coating is on it, and oxygen doing the rest—may not be the whole story. The electrical charge carried by raindrops can directly damage the protective coatings, leading to faster corrosion.
- The findings of this study have implications beyond just car maintenance. According to reports, the way we break up and accumulate periods of prolonged rest throughout the day may have a significant impact on health. A first-of-its-kind study published in PLOS Medicine shows 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, as noted by ScienceAlert.
- In a related study, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that administering psilocybin shortly before cancer treatments might prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, a condition that affects about two-thirds of patients who receive chemo. The study, published in the journal Science, 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.
What's still developing
- In the study, Dr. Rigosi and co-authors from Lund University and the University of Adelaide used a technique called intracellular recording to measure the electrical responses of individual photoreceptors — the light-sensing cells in an insect’s eye — in four bee species and both sexes of each.
- The reason why seems to have to do with how energy-producing structures called mitochondria move through nerve cells.
- But no drug had been shown to prevent CIPN, said Amit at the briefing.
- ‘Unparalleled’ study finds psilocybin protects against nerve damage from chemotherapy The findings, which were made in mice, may offer a new way to prevent a common chemotherapy side effect that can last well beyond treatment By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron Chemotherapy is brutal.
- In February of last year, authorities confirmed the details of a grave medical accident.
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) diagnosed a fatal rabies infection in a patient from Michigan.
- The deceased man, an organ recipient, had received a donated kidney infected with rabies.
- The source of the kidney was a man in Idaho who had died only weeks earlier, donating his organs for others in need.