Podcast appearances and mentions of nina lanza

Kmele talked with a planetary scientist, a physicist, and a futurist, to understand how visionaries across disciplines are thinking about the future of our planet and humankind. ❍ Podcast Episode 6:    • 3 rebellious creators tell us the mea...   The future is coming, whether we're ready or not. Physicist Sean Carroll, planetary scientist Nina Lanza, and futurist Kevin Kelly are three brilliant minds who have spent their careers studying how time has affected the Earth — and Kmele is on a mission to understand their findings. Part of understanding what we know includes identifying the things we don't know; this way, we can keep our minds open to new discoveries and ideas. What is it really like to be a theoretical physicist, who only works with ideas? How does philosophy underline the progress we've made as a society? And, finally, what is humanity's role in the future, and what can we do to make sure our lives have meaning? Find out this, and much, much more, in the last episode of Dispatches from The Well. Featuring: Sean Carroll, Nina Lanza, Kevin Kelly ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ❍ About The Well ❍ Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life's biggest questions, and that's why they're the questions occupying the world's brightest minds. So what do they think? How is the power of science advancing understanding? How are philosophers and theologians tackling these fascinating questions? Let's dive into The Well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Humanity's future is bright, according to the ones who study our past. This video is an episode from @The-Well, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation. The future is coming, whether we're ready or not. Physicist Sean Carroll, planetary scientist Nina Lanza, and futurist Kevin Kelly are three brilliant minds who have spent their careers studying how time has affected the Earth — and Kmele is on a mission to understand their findings. Part of understanding what we know includes identifying the things we don't know; this way, we can keep our minds open to new discoveries and ideas. What is it really like to be a theoretical physicist, who only works with ideas? How does philosophy underline the progress we've made as a society? And, finally, what is humanity's role in the future, and what can we do to make sure our lives have meaning? Find out this, and much, much more, in the last episode of Dispatches from The Well. About Kmele Foster: Kmele Foster is a media entrepreneur, commentator, and regular contributor to various national publications. He is the co-founder and co-host of The Fifth Column, a popular media criticism podcast. He is the head of content at Founders Fund, a San Francisco based venture capital firm investing in companies building revolutionary technologies, and a partner at Freethink, a digital media company focused on the people and ideas changing our world. Kmele also serves on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). About The Well Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life's biggest questions, and that's why they're the questions occupying the world's brightest minds. Together, let's learn from them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kmele talked with a planetary scientist, a physicist, and a futurist, to understand how visionaries across disciplines are thinking about the future of our planet and humankind.

Durante três dias, Portugal reúne os maiores exploradores do planeta e pioneiros da exploração espacial no Global Exploration Summit. O evento começou nesta quarta-feira (14) na Ilha Terceira, nos Açores. A Amazônia será um dos destaques da programação pela importância da floresta na conservação do planeta. Luciana Quaresma, correspondente da RFI em LisboaDesde 2019, alguns dos cientistas e exploradores mais notáveis do mundo se reúnem em Portugal para compartilhar as mais inovadoras descobertas e experiências na vanguarda da exploração. Nesta quarta edição do Global Exploration Summit (GLEX Summit), mais de 40 cientistas e exploradores de 14 nacionalidades participam do evento. Um dos oradores é o biólogo brasileiro Leo Lanna, que tem procurado desvendar os mistérios dos insetos que habitam as noites da floresta tropical. Lanna lidera expedições na Amazônia e na Mata Atlântica desde 2015. Ele é cofundador do Projeto Mantis, uma organização independente de pesquisa, conservação e registro fotográfico da vida selvagem, voltada à divulgação da misteriosa diversidade da floresta tropical. Na maior parte do tempo, isto envolve estar na escuridão completa. Com uma lanterna na mão e uma câmera, Lanna tem pesquisado particularmente o louva-a-deus, para revelar o universo vibrante deste inseto.Para Manuel Vaz, da Expanding World, organizador da GLEX, ter a Amazônia como um dos temas centrais da convenção será muito importante. “Todos os anos temos temas centrais, e este ano, na conservação da natureza, nós estaremos focados na Amazônia, como algo muito importante para todos nós da espécie humana", disse Vaz à RFI. "Vamos debater o que o espaço, a biologia e a tecnologia podem fazer pela Amazônia", acrescentou. Um dos painéis sobre a floresta contará com a participação de cientistas do Peru e do Equador, ao lado do brasileiro Lanna. "Vamos ter também um explorador que percorreu todo o rio Amazonas sozinho em um caiaque, em 1988, e até hoje é considerado a única pessoa a conseguir esse feito", disse o organizador.A Missão Artemis, o Telescópio Espacial James, a procura pelo túmulo de Cleópatra no Egito e a conservação dos oceanos serão outros temas em debate. Clube de Exploradores de Nova YorkO português Hugo Vau, açoriano de coração, será um dos participantes do encontro. Vau é o único surfista integrante do Clube de Exploradores de Nova York, que tem como associados nomes como Jeff Bezos e o astronauta Richard Garriott de Cayeux. Essa instituição lendária, fundada em 1904, nos Estados Unidos, lidera importantes missões científicas que impulsionam a humanidade a avançar na direção de novas fronteiras do conhecimento. Vau foi convidado a integrar o seleto clube em 2019, um ano depois de surfar uma onda de 30 metros de altura na Praia do Norte, em Nazaré. Hoje, o português carrega a bandeira em defesa dos oceanos.“Se os oceanos morrerem, nós vamos morrer também", diz o surfista. Ele descreve o Clube de Exploradores como um grupo em que todos são pioneiros em alguma coisa, "um clube com muita visão de futuro, com muitas funções importantes que representam uma mais-valia para a conservação do planeta e para a conservação dos oceanos". Para Vau, o arquipélago dos Açores é um exemplo de que ainda existe o paraíso. "Ninguém passa pelos Açores e fica indiferente. Quase todas as pessoas voltam ou ficam para morar, como é o meu caso", afirmou à RFI. Conhecido também como “Davos da exploração”, o Global Exploration Summit é mais do que um encontro de pessoas que têm aventuras para compartilhar. Todos querem contribuir para um mundo melhor. Segundo David Isserman, diretor do Conselho do Clube de Exploradores, curador do evento nos Açores, um dos objetivos da agremiação é preservar o planeta e trabalhar em prol da conservação. "Incentivamos estudos de campo em diferentes áreas, por meio de programas que visam financiar expedições que têm como objetivo a conservação do planeta”, enfatiza.Esta edição do GLEX será uma viagem pela Terra, oceanos e cosmos, ao lado de exploradores como Nathalie Cabrol, astrobióloga e diretora do Instituto SETI; Christal Johnson, diretora de investimentos em tecnologia e investigação do Goddard Space flight Center da Nasa; Nina Lanza, cientista planetária; Chris Rainer, explorador e fotógrafo documental da National Geographic e muitos outros.

O tema do Desenrola de hoje: Estilo pessoal e hábito de compras. Convidada especial Nina Lanza (www.instagram.com/nina__lanza) Conheça mais sobre Nina: http://www.marinalanza.com.br/ Aproveite e se inscreva no Projeto Domine a sua semana! https://natgaia.com/aulas é gratuito! Aulas toda segunda às 8h! Sobre produtividade, hábitos, gestão do tempo e procrastinação. *Compartilhe o Desenrola com suas amigas!** Me siga no Instagram! www.instagram.com/natgaia/ Meu canal do Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/nathaliagaia Acesse todos os **Desenrolas** no Spotify! http://bit.ly/DesenrolaNoSpotify Cheery Monday Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Cheery Monday" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

With two microphones aboard the Perseverance rover, we can listen to Mars from its surface like never before. In addition to hearing how wind sounds on Mars, we can also listen to Perseverance driving on the surface, the Ingenuity helicopter flying nearby, and more.

With two microphones aboard the Perseverance rover, we can listen to Mars from its surface like never before. In addition to hearing how wind sounds on Mars, we can also listen to Perseverance driving on the surface, the Ingenuity helicopter flying nearby, and more.

With two microphones aboard the Perseverance rover, we can listen to Mars from its surface like never before. In addition to hearing how wind sounds on Mars, we can also listen to Perseverance driving on the surface, the Ingenuity helicopter flying nearby, and more.

Today for our Explorers Club series, we are about to be hit by a meteorite of space knowledge as we have a wildly accomplished scientist and researcher entering our atmosphere, Dr. Nina Lanza. She is the Team Lead for Space and Planetary Exploration in Space and Remote Sensing at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She is also the Principle Investigator of the ChemCam instrument on the Mars Curiosity Rover (sadly not sponsored by us) and a team member for the SuperCam instrument on the Mars Perseverance rover. She's an expert on Mars and does a lot of research on meteorites and minerals that can tell us about the interactions between rocks, soil, atmosphere, and water on the planet.Nina Lanza Interview from 4/23/22Dr. Nina Lanza - About Ninahttps://www.ninalanza.com/about-nina/NASA's Curiosity Rover Measures Intriguing Carbon Signature on Marshttps://mars.nasa.gov/news/9113/nasas-curiosity-rover-measures-intriguing-carbon-signature-on-mars/?site=msl2020 Mission Perseverance Rover - SuperCamhttps://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/supercam/Mount Sinai - Manganesehttps://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/manganese#:~:text=Manganese%20is%20a%20trace%20mineral,clotting%20factors%2C%20and%20sex%20hormones.Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to get smarter with Calli and Nate — for free! Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.Find episode transcripts here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/explorers-club-nina-lanza

Tom and Roy interview engineer Tony Nelson and planetary scientist Nina Lanza from Los Alamos National Laboratory to discuss space exploration and life on Mars.

With the arrival of Perseverance at Jezero Crater, NASA now operates two space laser instruments - ChemCam and SuperCam. Together, they are exploring Mars' past by understanding the chemistry and mineralogy of the rocks. ChemCam's principal investigator Nina Lanza joins Jake to discuss the both instruments, what they're up to, and what we're learning from them.We talk ChemCam and SuperCamChemCam Proposal ImageSuperCam RMI Close-upSounds from SuperCamFollow Nina, ChemCam and SuperCamChemCam - NASASuperCam - NASANina's WebsiteNina on Twitter - @marsninjaFollow Jake & WeMartiansWeMartians.comPatreon (https://www.wemartians.com/support)WeMartians Shop (shop.wemartians.com)Mailing List (https://wemartians.com/signup)Twitter (@we_martians)Jake's Twitter (@JakeOnOrbit)Off-Nominal PodcastTharsis Planetary ParkOur new design celebrates the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Mariner 9 mission, first spacecraft to orbit Mars. Get it on a shirt or a coffee mug today!

Life's Tough Media is pleased to announce the latest episode of our “Life's Tough: Explorers are TOUGHER!” podcast series. Hosted by Richard Wiese—explorer extraordinaire and President of The Explorers Club—this episode features Nina Lanza, distinguished planetary scientist, Mars expert and Mars rover operator. Nina, a first-class Mars rover operator is currently a Staff Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the Space and Remote Sensing group (ISR-2)—a branch developing and applying remote sensing capabilities to problems of global security and related sciences. Nina received her Bachelor of Arts in Astronomy, at Smith College in Northampton, MA. She went on to earn her Masters in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan University, and received her Doctorate in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of New Mexico. Nina's interest in space began young. “In 1986,” Nina says “my parents took me to an outreach event at a local university to observe Halley's comet, which was making a close approach to Earth. I was seven years old and had not thought much about space (at that age). But when I looked through the telescope for the first time and saw the comet, I knew from that moment on that I wanted to know what was out there!” As head of the Mars Curiosity Rover ChemCam engineering team at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Nina operates the Curiosity Rover's ChemCam. Nina controls the ChemCam instrument that is attached to the Curiosity rover—one of five NASA rovers sent to the red planet—using a rock-vaporizing laser that analyzes the Martian surface. The instrument shoots rocks with a laser and then her team analyzes them, while a separate team selects which of the Martian rocks to blast. “The microphone is not just to listen to what the aliens are saying,” Nina jokes. “It can help us further analyze the rock.” Nina's outgoing, fun-loving personality brings a life to science in a way that few others can. She is broadly interested in understanding the history of water on Mars and the potential for life in Martian environments; however, her most recent work focuses on manganese in the Martian environment and its implications for habitability and bio-signatures. In addition to her work with the Mars Curiosity rover, in 2015 and 2016, Lanza traveled to Antarctica to recover 569 meteorites from the ice. These ANSMET—The Antarctic Search for Meteorites—meteorite finds may have fallen into the Antarctic snow thousands of years ago. The region's katabatic winds scour away layers of ice, exposing these space rocks. Nina Lanza is currently living her dream of working on a spaceship with lasers on Mars and encourages young women to experience the joy of going into a scientific field, despite the occasional old-school attitudes and gender stereotypes. Nina recently received a generous grant from the renowned NYC-based, The Explorers Club that will fund a team of experts who will use cutting-edge technology in a beautiful, Mars-like Arctic desert to tell the story of how the search for the chemistry of life on Mars begins with fieldwork on Earth near the Haughton crater in northern Canada. Nina makes time every day to do some kind of physical activity, usually high-intensity interval training or yoga. She also sings in a small choral group and enjoys spending time with her son. Join Richard and Nina for an energizing chat on Nina's out-of-this world adventures!

Learn more about everything referenced in this episode by clicking the links below:Theme song, "Stalker" by TortillaThe “Living in Space” InterPlanetary Panel from IP Fest 2018ChemCam and SuperCamRecap of Nina's time in AntarticaBradbury Museum panel of LANL scientists discussing Today's Perseverance landingJoerael Numina's art (The image of the Curiosity Rover behind me is one example of his work)

Nina Lanza is a member of a research team hunts for meteorites in Antarctica. In this bonus clip from Episode 23, Between a Varnished Rock and a Hard Place, Nina describes the remote location where they set up camp, being holed up while the howling katabatic winds battered her tent and her brain, and explains the strategies and techniques for searching for and collecting space rocks that are lost bits of asteroids and planets. Bottom line: the hardest part is getting there.

Scientists have been testing whether life exists on Mars for over 40 years, ever since the Viking 1 lander touched down on the Red Planet. Researchers often perform experiments on Earth to better understand the context of data collected by Viking 1 and subsequent landers – data that gives scientists tantalizing clues about the habitability of the Martian surface. In this episode, Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers Nina Lanza and Chris Yeager discuss their investigations into rock varnish in New Mexico, which could help them understand whether life is present on Mars. Rock varnish is a mysterious coating found on rocks in some of the harshest and most Mars-like landscapes on Earth, but no one knows whether rock varnish is created by living things. If so, finding it on Mars would be a sign that Martian life exists now or has existed in the past. This episode was produced by Larry O'Hanlon and mixed by Kayla Surrey.

We talk the 9th International Mars Conference Tweet thread on Methane from Justin Cowart Content from the MEPAG meetingContent from 9th Mars Presentations Follow Nina Lanza Nina Lanza's Twitter (@marsninja)Nina back on Episode 11 Follow Jake & WeMartians Website (www.wemartians.com)Patreon (www.patreon.com/wemartians)WeMartians Shop (shop.wemartians.com)Twitter (@we_martians) Jake’s Twitter (@JakeOnOrbit)Off-Nominal PodcastMost Recent Episode: The Dark Lord The WeMartians Season 3 Mission Patch This is the Season 3 (2018) commemorative WeMartians Mission Patch. We’ve partnered with space fan and talented graphic artist Beth Kerner to put together a custom, 4-inch, sew-on embroidered patch. It’s limited edition, with a print-run of just 100. And you can get one for yourself starting today! They’re just $17 USD, and shipping is free anywhere on Earth (Mars is extra, though). If you’re a Station-level or higher patron, your permanent store discount applies, too! The patch captures the broad narratives of our third season of podcasts. It includes the Falcon Heavy inaugural flight, the InSight launch and landing, and the global dust storm that ended the Opportunity mission. WeMartians theme music is “RetroFuture” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and arranged by Jake Robins with Public Domain NASA audio and WeMartians interview samples. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

É notório perceber com o estilo, as tendências e a chuva de propaganda que somos colocadas todos os dias influenciam na nossa autoestima. Muitas mulheres se sentem presas a roupas que não as servem mais, com a perspectiva de que tem que guardar aquela roupa para quando emagrecerem ou algo do tipo. Pensando em questões como essa, nossas hosts Kelly e Maria bateram um papo maravilhoso com a consultora de moda mineira Nina Lanza, que contou pra gente um pouquinho da sua experiência e vários causos sobre autoestima e moda. Como fugir do padrão imposto pela mídia e criar seu próprio estilo? Como entender do que gostamos? Bora escutar esse episódio lindo e chutar a porta do exército do padrãozinho, afinal, se sentir bonita vai muito além disso: é se reconhecer no espelho, é achar que pode dominar o mundo com aquela roupa!-- Descrição completa: http://bit.ly/LdMep10 -- Fala com a gente: contato@lugardemulherpod.com

Deep in Antarctica, a rookie meteorite hunter helps collect a mystery rock. Could it be a little piece of Mars? In Antarctica, the wind can tear a tent to pieces. During some storms, the gusts are so powerful, you can’t leave the safety of your shelter. It’s one of the many reasons why the alluring, icy continent of Antarctica is an unforgiving landscape for human explorers. “It’s incredibly beautiful, but it’s also incredibly dangerous,” says geologist Nina Lanza, who conducted research in the Miller Range in the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica for about five weeks in December, 2015. “It’s not like Antarctica is out to get you, but it’s like you don’t matter at all. You are nothing out there.” Yet, this landscape—unfit for human habitation—is where Lanza and the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) volunteers find themselves banded together. They are prospecting for meteorites. Embedded in the sparkling blue ice sheets of the Antarctic interior are scientifically precious stones that have fallen to Earth from space. Lanza is a rookie meteorite hunter, enduring the hostile conditions of the Antarctic for the first time—searching for little geologic fragments that reveal the history of our solar system. While most people associate Antarctica with penguins, in the Miller Range, there are no visible signs of life. There are no trees, animals, insects, or even birds in the sky. Being that isolated and alone is strange—it’s “very alien,” says Lanza. “You know the cold and the living outside part? That is easy compared to the mental part,” she says. “It’s almost hard to explain the level of isolation. Like we think we’ve all been isolated before, but for real, in the Miller Range, you are out there.” The luxurious ‘poo bucket’ at ANSMET camp. (Credit: Nina Lanza)    In this dramatic, extreme environment, Lanza finds comfort in the familiar details of everyday life at the ANSMET camp. Amid the Antarctic’s wailing winds, you can hear the recognizable hiss of a camp stove. During the holidays, Lanza got everyone singing Christmas carols. And then there’s the ‘poo bucket’—complete with a comfortable styrofoam toilet seat, scented candles, and bathroom reading reminiscent of home (including the New Yorker and Entertainment Weekly). In the field, Nina documented these features of everyday life in detail, in pictures and voice recordings. “Everybody talks about how beautiful it is and you always see a million pictures of these grand vistas, but I’m like, ‘let’s talk about the less pretty stuff,’” says Lanza. Unless you make an effort to remind yourself, “you could almost forget that the poo bucket ever existed.” The work isn’t easy. The ANSMET field team can spend up to nine hours a day on their skidoos (Lanza’s skidoo, “Miss Kitty,” is covered with Hello Kitty stickers) combing ice sheets and flagging potential meteorites. The never-setting sun glares intensely on the stretches of glistening, blue ice. (Old, compressed, ice appears blue.) On a clear, cloudless day out in the field, the sky and ice sheets seem to meet in one continuous field of blue, says Lanza. “It’s almost like an artist’s conception of water rendered into glass or plastic,” she says about the ice. “It’s blue and it goes on forever.” The meteorite hunters concentrate their searches in these shimmering, blue ice areas, because these ice fields are gold mines for meteorites. When a meteorite impacts Antarctica, it becomes buried in snow. Over time as the snow compresses, the rock gets trapped in glacial ice. If that ice doesn’t break off and fall into the sea, Antarctic winds can eventually resurface that buried treasure. Over the last four decades, ANSMET scientists have collected over 20,000 rock specimens from the ice. And in December, 2015, Lanza thinks she may have helped strike gold in the form of a five-pound, grey rock. She and her colleagues will spend the next nine months wondering if this rock could be one of the most prized meteorites of all. Could it be a little piece of Mars? The mysterious rock (right), numbered 23042 in the field. Could it be from Mars? (Credit: NASA Astromaterials Curation)   Meteorite sampling procedure. (Credit: Nina Lanza)   (Credit: Nina Lanza)     Two ANSMET scientists in the field. (Credit: Nina Lanza)    (Credit: Nina Lanza)    Lanza and the ANSMET crew, Dec 2015-Jan 2016. (Credit: Nina Lanza)   (Original art by Claire Merchlinsky)   FOOTNOTES Read Nina’s dispatches from the field. Hear Nina Lanza on Science Friday. Read about the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program.   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Annie Minoff and Elah Feder. Editing by Christopher Intagliata. Fact-checking help from Michelle Harris. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Our theme music is by I am Robot and Proud. Voice acting by Alistair Gardiner and Charles Bergquist. Art for this episode by Claire Merchlinsky. Story consulting by Ari Daniel. Engineering help from Sarah Fishman. Thanks to Science Friday’s Danielle Dana, Christian Skotte, Brandon Echter, and Rachel Bouton.    

Deep in Antarctica, a rookie meteorite hunter helps collect a mystery rock. Could it be a little piece of Mars? In Antarctica, the wind can tear a tent to pieces. During some storms, the gusts are so powerful, you can’t leave the safety of your shelter. It’s one of the many reasons why the alluring, icy continent of Antarctica is an unforgiving landscape for human explorers. “It’s incredibly beautiful, but it’s also incredibly dangerous,” says geologist Nina Lanza, who conducted research in the Miller Range in the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica for about five weeks in December, 2015. “It’s not like Antarctica is out to get you, but it’s like you don’t matter at all. You are nothing out there.” Yet, this landscape—unfit for human habitation—is where Lanza and the Antarctic Search for Meteorites program (ANSMET) volunteers find themselves banded together. They are prospecting for meteorites. Embedded in the sparkling blue ice sheets of the Antarctic interior are scientifically precious stones that have fallen to Earth from space. Lanza is a rookie meteorite hunter, enduring the hostile conditions of the Antarctic for the first time—searching for little geologic fragments that reveal the history of our solar system. While most people associate Antarctica with penguins, in the Miller Range, there are no visible signs of life. There are no trees, animals, insects, or even birds in the sky. Being that isolated and alone is strange—it’s “very alien,” says Lanza. “You know the cold and the living outside part? That is easy compared to the mental part,” she says. “It’s almost hard to explain the level of isolation. Like we think we’ve all been isolated before, but for real, in the Miller Range, you are out there.” The luxurious ‘poo bucket’ at ANSMET camp. (Credit: Nina Lanza)    In this dramatic, extreme environment, Lanza finds comfort in the familiar details of everyday life at the ANSMET camp. Amid the Antarctic’s wailing winds, you can hear the recognizable hiss of a camp stove. During the holidays, Lanza got everyone singing Christmas carols. And then there’s the ‘poo bucket’—complete with a comfortable styrofoam toilet seat, scented candles, and bathroom reading reminiscent of home (including the New Yorker and Entertainment Weekly). In the field, Nina documented these features of everyday life in detail, in pictures and voice recordings. “Everybody talks about how beautiful it is and you always see a million pictures of these grand vistas, but I’m like, ‘let’s talk about the less pretty stuff,’” says Lanza. Unless you make an effort to remind yourself, “you could almost forget that the poo bucket ever existed.” The work isn’t easy. The ANSMET field team can spend up to nine hours a day on their skidoos (Lanza’s skidoo, “Miss Kitty,” is covered with Hello Kitty stickers) combing ice sheets and flagging potential meteorites. The never-setting sun glares intensely on the stretches of glistening, blue ice. (Old, compressed, ice appears blue.) On a clear, cloudless day out in the field, the sky and ice sheets seem to meet in one continuous field of blue, says Lanza. “It’s almost like an artist’s conception of water rendered into glass or plastic,” she says about the ice. “It’s blue and it goes on forever.” The meteorite hunters concentrate their searches in these shimmering, blue ice areas, because these ice fields are gold mines for meteorites. When a meteorite impacts Antarctica, it becomes buried in snow. Over time as the snow compresses, the rock gets trapped in glacial ice. If that ice doesn’t break off and fall into the sea, Antarctic winds can eventually resurface that buried treasure. Over the last four decades, ANSMET scientists have collected over 20,000 rock specimens from the ice. And in December, 2015, Lanza thinks she may have helped strike gold in the form of a five-pound, grey rock. She and her colleagues will spend the next nine months wondering if this rock could be one of the most prized meteorites of all. Could it be a little piece of Mars? The mysterious rock (right), numbered 23042 in the field. Could it be from Mars? (Credit: NASA Astromaterials Curation)   Meteorite sampling procedure. (Credit: Nina Lanza)   (Credit: Nina Lanza)     Two ANSMET scientists in the field. (Credit: Nina Lanza)    (Credit: Nina Lanza)    Lanza and the ANSMET crew, Dec 2015-Jan 2016. (Credit: Nina Lanza)   (Original art by Claire Merchlinsky)   FOOTNOTES Read Nina’s dispatches from the field. Hear Nina Lanza on Science Friday. Read about the Antarctic Search for Meteorites Program.   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Annie Minoff and Elah Feder. Editing by Christopher Intagliata. Fact-checking help from Michelle Harris. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Our theme music is by I am Robot and Proud. Voice acting by Alistair Gardiner and Charles Bergquist. Art for this episode by Claire Merchlinsky. Story consulting by Ari Daniel. Engineering help from Sarah Fishman. Thanks to Science Friday’s Danielle Dana, Christian Skotte, Brandon Echter, and Rachel Bouton.    

Nina Lanza by Deep Science Radio

The Mars Curiosity Rover has an impressive suite of instruments, but none incite as much excitement as ChemCam, a laser/camera combo that vaporizes rocks and analyzes their components. ChemCam is firing more than it ever has before, and Nina Lanza, a staff scientist on its team, is helping make some pretty remarkable discoveries with it. On this episode, Nina tells us about a high concentration of manganese recently uncovered that tells us a lot about Mars' past, and suggests that it might have been complete with a lot more oxygen than we initially thought. Links Press Release for Nina Lanza's paper Nina's Twitter Account ChemCam's website Video showing ChemCam in action Curiosity's website Los Alamos National Lab WeMartians Theme Song is "RetroFuture" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/