IntellectBeat

Scientists have detected atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere for the first time since the last observation 40 years ago. Atomic oxygen - an elemental form of oxygen that does not exist in Earth's atmosphere - affects how other gases escape Mars and therefore has a significant impact on the planet's atmosphere.  An instrument onboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) - a joint project of Nasa and the German Aerospace Center - helped detect these atoms in the upper layers of the Martian atmosphere known as the mesosphere, Nasa said in a statement. "Atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere is notoriously difficult to measure," said SOFIA project scientist Pamela Marcum.  "To observe the far-infrared wavelengths needed to detect atomic oxygen, researchers must be above the majority of Earth's atmosphere and use highly sensitive instruments, in this case a spectrometer. SOFIA provides both capabilities," Marcum noted. The s...

Apple on Thursday expanded efforts to make its devices must-have business tools, unveiling an alliance with German workplace software giant SAP. The partnership sets out to "revolutionise the mobile work experience" by blending iPhone and iPad applications with capabilities of the SAP software platform for business known as HANA, according to a joint statement. "This partnership will transform how iPhone and iPad are used in enterprise by bringing together the innovation and security of iOS with SAP's deep expertise in business software,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement. Cook described SAP as the leader in enterprise software, with some 76 per cent of business transactions touching one of the Germany-based company's systems. A kit will be released to let software developers build applications taking advantage of HANA and Apple mobile operating system capabilities, according to the companies. "We will help deliver live data to peopl...