There is a corner of Antarctica that looks like something out of a David Cronenberg movie. It’s located in the dry valleys of McMurdo, an immense frozen desert where, periodically, a jet of crimson liquid suddenly gushes from the dazzling white of the Taylor Glacier. They’re called the Blood Falls, and since their discovery in 1911 by geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor, they’ve fueled a century of scientific speculation.

Recently, a series of observations conducted since 2018 have clarified several mysteries, such as the nature of their reddish color and what keeps them liquid at almost –20 degrees Celsius. New research published this week in the journal Antarctic Science adds the final piece to the puzzle, clarifying what phenomena drive the falls to gush from underground.

The Science Behind the Blood Falls

At the time of their discovery, Taylor attributed the color to the presence of red microalgae. More than a century later, scientists have determined that the red is due to iron particles trapped in nanospheres along with other elements such as silicon, calcium, aluminum, and sodium. These were likely produced by ancient bacteria trapped underground in the area: Once in contact with air, the iron oxidizes, giving the mixture its characteristic rust color.

As for the presence of liquid water, it is actually a hypersaline brine, formed about 2 million years ago when the waters of the Antarctic Ocean receded from the valleys. The very high salinity of this brine prevents the water from freezing, thus allowing it to gush out periodically.

The New Discovery

With the temperature puzzle solved, the question remained as to what physically drove the fluid to erupt. The answer came from cross-referencing GPS data, thermal sensors, and high-resolution images collected in 2018 during an eruption. The analysis demonstrated that the Blood Falls are the result of pressure variations affecting the brine deposits beneath the glacier.

As Taylor Glacier slides downstream, the overlying ice mass compresses the subglacial channels, building up tremendous pressure. When the strain becomes unbearable, the ice gives way: Pressurized brine seeps into the crevices and is shot out in short bursts. Curiously, this release acts as a hydraulic brake, temporarily slowing the glacier’s march. With this discovery, the mysteries of the Blood Falls should finally have been solved, at least for now. The impact of global warming on this complex system in the coming decades remains unknown.

This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.

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Looking to transform how multinational enterprises manage and scale international internet of things (IoT) deployments, wireless management platform firm Aeris has announced a partnership with Verizon Business.

The Aeris IoT Accelerator (IoTA) Services is designed to enable multinational enterprises to localise US devices in weeks instead of months using Verizon Business’ IoT connectivity and ThingSpace platform, all through a single global architecture.

Industry analysts have highlighted the necessity of this unified approach. John Gole, research director of IoT and mobility at IDC, noted that while organisations see IoT as a key part of strategic digitisation, deploying these solutions remains challenging for those with ambitious plans to incorporate AI and automation. IDC further projects that the overall investment in the global IoT ecosystem is expected to surpass $1tn in 2026 as industries such as manufacturing, utilities and retail ramp up digital business investments.

The solution is based on the new SGP.32 eSIM standard and supports 5G-enabled, mission-critical use cases across automotive, industrial automation and smart cities, while extending security through the Aeris IoT Watchtower platform for unified monitoring and zero-trust control.

Created by the GSMA, the industry body responsible for mobile communication standards, SGP.32 is a global, next-generation eSIM standard for remote SIM provisioning in IoT devices – especially those with no user interface. It is designed to enable the large-scale, hands-off management of eSIM profiles, making it easier to deploy and operate IoT without physical access.

While eSIM technology has been available for consumer devices, managing these digital SIM profiles in IoT devices comes with unique challenges. For example, many IoT devices lack a user interface, making manual SIM management impractical.

SGP.32 has been designed to address such limitations and builds on existing eSIM technology, introducing a more efficient way to remotely manage IoT connectivity. It allows SIM profiles to be managed remotely through a centralised platform, enabling automated updates and provisioning – even for devices without user interfaces or located in hard-to-reach areas.

The Aeris and Verizon Business integration will use the latest SGP.32 eSIM standard to facilitate remote provisioning and centralised management, allowing businesses to activate devices in multiple countries. The system is designed to support 5G capabilities, including low latency and high bandwidth, which Aeris regards as essential for mission-critical applications in automotive, industrial automation and smart cities.

The collaboration directly addresses the primary challenge – the friction caused by fragmented platforms and complex domestic connectivity stacks – for global IoT carriers attempting to localise in the United States. By combining Verizon’s massive U.S. network and ThingSpace platform with the Aeris IoTA platform, enterprises can now manage US and global deployments through a single pane of glass, ensuring consistent commercial terms and unified SIM management.

The collaboration also introduces Aeris IoTA Inbound Services, a solution that integrates the IoTA Connectivity Management Platform directly with Verizon ThingSpace platform to simplify multi-region operations. The collaboration has already enabled US-based enterprises with outbound connectivity for international IoT deployments using Aeris IoTA, and the extension is intended to broaden those capabilities by opening up the US market for global device fleets.

“Global enterprises require a strategic shift away from the inefficiency of juggling numerous connectivity contracts and disparate platforms,” said Mark Cratsenburg, chief commercial officer of IoT business unit at Aeris. “Through this integration with Verizon, Aeris is delivering a unified solution that allows our tier one global partners to expand their IoT customer solutions into the US market with speed and simplicity while continuing to enable a seamless experience for Verizon customers deploying devices outside of the US.”

Shamik Basu, vice-president of strategic connectivity and IoT at Verizon Business, added: “Our collaboration with Aeris allows us to enrich the IoT experience for global customers by providing them access to our top-class connectivity and platforms in the critical US market. As IoT becomes increasingly mobile and global, collaborations like this one provide customers unprecedented reach and seamlessness without compromising on reliability and value, which is critical for meaningful international expansion.”