This Week in Science: Rainbow Clouds & Life On Other Planets

1. Footage of a crazy rainbow cloud in China went viral.  If you haven’t seen it, it almost looks fake, but it’s not. Here’s the science behind it:

It’s called a pileus cloud or “scarf cloud.”  Basically, a wispy cloud forms above a cumulus cloud.  Then light gets diffracted by tiny ice crystals inside it, and that’s what causes the rainbow effect.  In this case, the sun was setting right behind it.

2. In space news:  We found a planet only 100 light years away that could potentially sustain life.  That’s still 590 TRILLION miles though.  And a new study found even short amounts of time in space are devastating to our bodies.  Every blood sample from astronauts shows genetic mutations from radiation.

3. No matter what you say, most people can’t get past charging worries for electric vehicles.  Well, researchers say they’ve discovered a way to charge EV batteries up to 90% in just 10 minutes . . . but the tech might be five years away.