Mars is believed to be more prone to devastation from asteroids than what was believed earlier. Studies suggest that this may pose a risk to future Mars missions that have been planned to investigate whether Mars can be an alternative for human inhabitation.

<h2>What is the risk posed by asteroids?</h2>

Asteroids are small rocky objects that orbit the sun and pose a threat to the planets in the solar system. Back in 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor caused devastation on Earth by injuring over 1,000 people and causing more than $33 million&nbsp;worth of infrastructure damage.

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Since Mars is located directly adjacent to the main belt, which is a region of rocky debris between Mars and Jupiter's orbits without any planets, it is more at risk of devastation from asteroids.

<h2>What do studies suggest?</h2>

A doctoral student in astronomy at Nanjing University China, Yufan Fane Zhou has taken the daunting task of analysing the asteroids that have the potential to cause damage to Mars. He has given them the name CAPHAs, which is short for close approach potentially hazardous asteroids.

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Study co-author &nbsp;Zhou said, as per LiveScience, "As human visits to Mars become more frequent, the threat posed by Mars-CAPHAs may increasingly be taken seriously." On the contrary, he believes that these asteroids can further help understand the&nbsp;environment on Mars in greater detail and aid astronomers in understanding the history of the planet.

<h2>Is Mars at a greater risk of devastation from asteroids than Earth?</h2>

Studying the impact of CAPHAs on Mars was a mammoth exercise for Zhou and his team. They created a simulation along with all eight planets of the solar system and asteroids for the same.

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The main belt is where all of these asteroids were first formed. The scientists then classified around 10,000 asteroids as "near-gap" by examining each asteroid's distance from six known gaps, which were asteroid-poor areas within the main belt where runaway rocks could potentially slip out.

It was deduced that roughly 52 asteroids wander close to Mars every Earth year, which is approximately 2.6 times more than the asteroids that approach Earth every year.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Mars is believed to be more prone to devastation from asteroids than what was believed earlier. Studies suggest that this may pose a risk to future Mars missions that have been planned to investigate whether Mars can be an alternative for human inhabitation.

Mars is believed to be more prone to devastation from asteroids than what was believed earlier. Studies suggest that this may pose a risk to future Mars missions that have been planned to investigate whether Mars can be an alternative for human inhabitation. What is the risk posed by asteroids? Asteroids are small rocky objects that orbit the sun and pose a threat to the planets in the solar system. Back in 2013, the Chelyabinsk meteor caused devastation on Earth by injuring over 1,000 people and causing more than $33 million worth of infrastructure damage. Also read | Blue-eyed individuals share common ancestor, claims genetic research Since Mars is located directly adjacent to the main belt, which is a region of rocky debris between Mars and Jupiter's orbits without any planets, it is more at risk of devastation from asteroids. What do studies suggest? A doctoral student in astronomy at Nanjing University China, Yufan Fane Zhou has taken the daunting task of analysing the asteroids that have the potential to cause damage to Mars. He has given them the name CAPHAs, which is short for close approach potentially hazardous asteroids. Watch | China: US trying to build an Asia-Pacific version of NATO Study co-author Zhou said, as per LiveScience, "As human visits to Mars become more frequent, the threat posed by Mars-CAPHAs may increasingly be taken seriously." On the contrary, he believes that these asteroids can further help understand the environment on Mars in greater detail and aid astronomers in understanding the history of the planet. Is Mars at a greater risk of devastation from asteroids than Earth? Studying the impact of CAPHAs on Mars was a mammoth exercise for Zhou and his team. They created a simulation along with all eight planets of the solar system and asteroids for the same. Also read | Blood test predicts breast cancer recurrence years in advance The main belt is where all of these asteroids were first formed. The scientists then classified around 10,000 asteroids as "near-gap" by examining each asteroid's distance from six known gaps, which were asteroid-poor areas within the main belt where runaway rocks could potentially slip out. It was deduced that roughly 52 asteroids wander close to Mars every Earth year, which is approximately 2.6 times more than the asteroids that approach Earth every year. (With inputs from agencies)

Asteroids can cause catastrophe on Mars and scientists are worried. Here's why

The United Nations said on Tuesday (March 7) that the damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last month has been assessed at over $100 billion for Turkey alone.

"Already it is clear that just the damages alone will amount to more than $100 billion," Louisa Vinton of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) told AFP reporters via video link from Gaziantep in Turkey, adding that the recovery costs "will be on top of that".

More than 45,000 people have died in Turkey and 5,000 more have died in neighbouring Syria as a result of the earthquake its aftershocks that hit on February 6.

This week, the World Bank estimated that Turkey's devastating earthquake, which completely destroyed&nbsp;some communities, had inflicted damage worth more than $34 billion, with the cost of recovery likely to be double that amount.

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As per&nbsp;Vinton, the Turkish government, with assistance from the UNDP, the World Bank, and the European Union, estimated far greater damage.

While preliminary, "it is clear from the calculations being done to date that the damage figure presented by the government and supported by the three international partners will be in excess of $100 billion," she said.

Once completed, this estimate will be the basis for a recovery and reconstruction donor conference in Brussels next week, she added.&nbsp;

She stated that the UNDP was "very disappointed and saddened" by the current state of the financial appeals' level of response.

'A $1 billion flash appeal made on February 16 is currently funded at just 9.6 percent of the total," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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The United Nations said on Tuesday (March 7) that the damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last month has been assessed at over $100 billion for Turkey alone.

The United Nations said on Tuesday (March 7) that the damage caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last month has been assessed at over $100 billion for Turkey alone. "Already it is clear that just the damages alone will amount to more than $100 billion," Louisa Vinton of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) told AFP reporters via video link from Gaziantep in Turkey, adding that the recovery costs "will be on top of that". More than 45,000 people have died in Turkey and 5,000 more have died in neighbouring Syria as a result of the earthquake its aftershocks that hit on February 6. This week, the World Bank estimated that Turkey's devastating earthquake, which completely destroyed some communities, had inflicted damage worth more than $34 billion, with the cost of recovery likely to be double that amount. ALSO READ | Nord Stream sabotaged by pro-Ukrainian group: Inconclusive US intelligence As per Vinton, the Turkish government, with assistance from the UNDP, the World Bank, and the European Union, estimated far greater damage. While preliminary, "it is clear from the calculations being done to date that the damage figure presented by the government and supported by the three international partners will be in excess of $100 billion," she said. Once completed, this estimate will be the basis for a recovery and reconstruction donor conference in Brussels next week, she added. She stated that the UNDP was "very disappointed and saddened" by the current state of the financial appeals' level of response. 'A $1 billion flash appeal made on February 16 is currently funded at just 9.6 percent of the total," she said. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Turkey-Syria earthquake: UN estimates damages of over $100 billion

Flooding in the US state of West Virginia killed 23 people and stranded others who had to be plucked from rooftops and rescued from fast-moving waters, state officials said on Friday. 
 
&quot;The damage is widespread and devastating. Our focus remains on search and rescue,&quot; governor Earl Ray Tomblin told a news conference after floods caused by a day of heavy rains. 
 
&quot;I had planned to fly around the affected areas myself today but wasn&#39;t able to, because all state aircrafts are currently being used for rescues,&quot; he said. 
 
Tomblin gave a death toll of 14 from the disaster, but later on Friday Jessica Tice, with the state&#39;s Homeland Security and Emergency Management office, told AFP that the toll had reached 23. 
 
The dead included an eight-year-old boy who was swept away while walking along a creek bank with his mother and sister, local news station WSAZ reported. His body was found after three hours of searching. 
 
At least six counties have extensive structural damage and about 66,000 people were without power, the governor said. 
 
US senator Shelley Moore Capito said that she had been in touch with the White House about getting a disaster designation for the affected areas. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re pushing for the federal declaration -- I can&#39;t imagine that we won&#39;t get it,&quot; she told CNN. 
 
&quot;We had a call today with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). They&#39;re moving some of their assets in over the weekend,&quot; she said. 
 
About 200 National Guard members had fanned out in eight counties to assist local responders and 17 shelters were open for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed. 
 
About 500 people were stranded overnight inside a shopping mall in Elkview, near the capital Charleston, after a bridge leading to the main road was washed away, ABC News reported. 
 
News station WCHS/WVAH posted a video on its Instagram account showing a house in flames being carried away by muddy floodwaters in the small city of White Sulphur Springs. 
 
A Twitter account for news and events in the town of Spencer, West Virginia, posted dramatic images under its handle @Spencer_Daily. 
 
One series of photos showed a man in chest-high water using a rock to smash the windows of a vehicle whose occupants were trapped inside. 
 
Another set of photos showed a woman who had caught a giant trout with her hands while standing on a two-lane road amid stopped traffic. 
 
(AFP)

500 people stranded overnight inside a shopping mall, others have to be rescued from rooftops

Flooding in the US state of West Virginia killed 23 people and stranded others who had to be plucked from rooftops and rescued from fast-moving waters, state officials said on Friday. "The damage is widespread and devastating. Our focus remains on search and rescue," governor Earl Ray Tomblin told a news conference after floods caused by a day of heavy rains. "I had planned to fly around the affected areas myself today but wasn't able to, because all state aircrafts are currently being used for rescues," he said. Tomblin gave a death toll of 14 from the disaster, but later on Friday Jessica Tice, with the state's Homeland Security and Emergency Management office, told AFP that the toll had reached 23. The dead included an eight-year-old boy who was swept away while walking along a creek bank with his mother and sister, local news station WSAZ reported. His body was found after three hours of searching. At least six counties have extensive structural damage and about 66,000 people were without power, the governor said. US senator Shelley Moore Capito said that she had been in touch with the White House about getting a disaster designation for the affected areas. "We're pushing for the federal declaration -- I can't imagine that we won't get it," she told CNN. "We had a call today with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). They're moving some of their assets in over the weekend," she said. About 200 National Guard members had fanned out in eight counties to assist local responders and 17 shelters were open for those whose homes were damaged or destroyed. About 500 people were stranded overnight inside a shopping mall in Elkview, near the capital Charleston, after a bridge leading to the main road was washed away, ABC News reported. News station WCHS/WVAH posted a video on its Instagram account showing a house in flames being carried away by muddy floodwaters in the small city of White Sulphur Springs. A Twitter account for news and events in the town of Spencer, West Virginia, posted dramatic images under its handle @Spencer_Daily. One series of photos showed a man in chest-high water using a rock to smash the windows of a vehicle whose occupants were trapped inside. Another set of photos showed a woman who had caught a giant trout with her hands while standing on a two-lane road amid stopped traffic. (AFP)

Flooding in West Virginia kills 23