Scientist Sheds Light on Dangers of Meteorite & Global Preparedness

Meteorites are essentially rocks from outer space that have landed on Earth. These celestial objects can originate from various sources within our solar system, Robert Gibson, Professor of Structural Geology and Metamorphic Petrology in the School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, tells Global South Pole.

“A meteorite, very simply, is a piece of rock that is not of this world that has landed on the surface of Earth. So it comes from another solid body in our solar system, essentially. So it could be another planet, it could be from our moon, it could be from the small, rocky parts. But inhabit the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter,” he explains.

The 2013 Chelyabinsk event in Russia serves as a stark reminder of the destructive potential of these cosmic visitors. Gibson describes the intense energy release during the event, which caused injuries to bystanders due to its brightness alone.

“They received second-degree burns because the explosion generated a bright fireball that the energy was about 30 times brighter than the sun for a second or two. And that was enough to actually cause people who were outside whose skin was exposed to receive second degree burns. So it's not just about the rock. It's about the other things that happen. It is a massive energy release event,” Gibson recounts.

Efforts to detect potentially hazardous objects are intensifying with new technologies promising to significantly increase our ability to monitor space for potential threats. However, Gibson notes that the task remains challenging due to the nature of these objects.

“There's a lot of work to be done. But the rate at which these things are being found is increasing. And in fact, there's a proposal out for a new program that's promising that it will actually be able to measure tens of millions of these things every week or so. So we're getting better at it, but it is incredibly difficult. These are just dark rocks in dark space,” he says.

Russian Medical Equipment Maker Targets African Markets

Yuri Saprygin, co-founder of Liston, a Russian manufacturer of laboratory medical equipment, believes Africa is the key to the future. As Liston expands its footprint across the continent, from Morocco to Nigeria, Saprygin emphasizes the importance of solving real-world challenges.

“We solve the customer's problems. […] We fixed […] a hospital in Cairo which was suffering from lab breaks by installing the water treatment system based on our distiller. We do our job as good as we can,” he remarks.

The co-founder also emphasizes the friendly reception they receive in African markets, especially where Russian ties run deep, like in Algeria.

“Mostly, we are welcomed in Africa, especially in those countries that were friendly with the Soviet Union […]. They would definitely prefer anything Russian over French. […] I would suggest everybody to go to African countries because you will not meet any Russophobia […],” he stresses.

To find out what else our guests had to say, tune in to the Global South Pole podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.

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