For the first time ever, NASA has confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars. The Phoenix lander which landed on Mars on May 25, has confirmed to scientists that the white substance it found while digging a trench on June 15, is water ice.

“It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance,” said Peter Smith, the primary investigator for Phoenix, at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The chunks were left at the bottom of a trench informally called “Dodo-Goldilocks” when Phoenix’s Robotic Arm enlarged that trench on June 15, during the 20th Martian day, or sol, since landing. Several were gone when Phoenix looked at the trench days later. Though the chunks were visible on June 16, when Phoenix looked at the trench again on June 19, some of the material appeared to have evaporated, or melted.

“This tells us we’ve got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us,” said primary investigator for Phoenix’s stereo imager, Mark Lemmon.

Scientists are planning to examine the substance and the soil surrounding it more closely. They plan to test it for signs of organic material and minerals. Scientists hope to find out if the ice was ever a liquid which could have supported microbial life.

In December of 2006, scientists announced that the Mars Global Surveyor captured images of deposits in gullies on the surface of the planet Mars which have been created since the areas were photographed nine years ago. These deposits were believed to be the residue of liquid water breaking out of cliffs and crater walls, carrying sediment downhill through the gullies, and later evaporating. The gullies are located inside the Terra Sirenum crater and the Centauri Montes regions.

In June of 2007, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft has discovered ice deposits in the South Pole of Mars that are larger than the state of Texas. Scientists say that there is enough water in the deposits to cover the entire planet with up to 36 feet of water if the ice was to melt.

source: wikinews.org

The United Nations health agency the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion in order to protect the world’s children. The news release from the WHO came on Friday, one day before the annual World No Tobacco Day held each year on May 31.

This year’s World No Tobacco Day focuses on highlighting the practices of tobacco companies in their efforts to promote their products to young people. According to a WHO press release, studies show that young people are more likely to start smoking if exposed to tobacco advertising. The WHO notes that only five percent of the world population “is covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”.

“The WHO appeals to member states and policy-makers to require by law a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa Luis Sambo, in a statement released Saturday in Kampala, Uganda.

“In order to survive, the tobacco industry needs to replace those who quit or die with new young consumers,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. “A ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is a powerful tool we can use to protect the world’s youth.”

The WHO said that tobacco companies are specifically targeting the half billion youth in the Asia Pacific region by tying smoking to the idea of a flashy lifestyle. The agency said the tobacco industry attempts to take advantage of children’s susceptibility to advertising and marketing.

According to the WHO most people take up smoking before they reach age 18, and almost twenty-five percent of smokers worldwide are under the age of 10. The agency said that a survey of 13 to 15 year-olds found that fifty-five percent had seen cigarette ads on billboards in the prior month, and twenty-percent owned something with a cigarette company’s logo.

According to BBC News, in the last ten years female and adolescent smoking in Russia has tripled. Russia does not have many anti-smoking laws. BBC News compared this to Canada, where smoking levels are at their lowest in 40 years and the country has very restrictive laws on smoking advertising.

“The tobacco industry employs predatory marketing strategies to get young people hooked to their addictive drug. But comprehensive advertising bans do work, reducing tobacco consumption by up to 16% in countries that have already taken this legislative step,” said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative.

A report by the WHO on tobacco use stated that approximately two thirds of the planet’s smokers reside in 10 countries including China, India, Indonesia, Russia, the United States, Japan, Bangladesh, Germany, and Turkey. Reuters reported that companies Philip Morris, Imperial Tobacco, British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco are among the world’s largest producers of cigarettes.

News Contents From: wikinews.org