Mars Has a Hidden Thermal Divide | Science News

Science News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 30, 2026 · 2m

Scientists just uncovered Mars’ secret heat war: the southern interior is blazing hot—possibly molten—and hundreds of degrees hotter than the north. Using gravity data from missions and a technique called tidal tomography, researchers mapped this shocking thermal divide, flipping old assumptions about planetary interiors. This hidden heat may explain puzzling magnetic signatures, faster seismic energy loss in the south, and even clues to Mars’ watery past. The cause? Still a mystery—maybe a giant impact, mantle convection, or heat-trapping rock layers. Either way, Mars just got way more…