🌌 Mars rocks

PLUS: Apple’s big drop

Author

Ruchirr Sharma
September 11, 2025

 

Good morning. Oracle’s Larry Ellison’s net worth just debugged $100 billion in a day enough to reboot him past Musk as the world’s richest.

Casual 🤑 

Ruchirr Sharma & Shatakshi Sharmaa  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MARKETS

🌍️ International

Stock data as of market close 10/09/2025

  • US markets finished at all-time highs, driven by optimism for Federal Reserve rate cuts and downward revisions to jobs data. Gains were broad-based, with tech and healthcare leading; Apple slipped on iPhone news.

INTERPLANETARY LIFE

🌌 Mars rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover just dropped its most intriguing clue yet in the hunt for ancient Martian life.

While exploring Neretva Vallis—a dried-up river channel on Mars—the rover drilled into clay-rich mudstones and found something eyebrow-raising: organic carbon (a building block of life) and tiny mineral deposits enriched with iron phosphate and sulfides. On Earth, those chemical combos often show up when microbes munch on organic matter.

Does that mean life once existed on Mars? Not so fast. Scientists stress that non-biological processes could also explain the find. Still, this is the most compelling candidate so far in Perseverance’s mission to sniff out ancient biosignatures.

The catch: Perseverance can’t run deep lab tests itself. The 30 rock samples it has collected—including this one—are supposed to be sent back to Earth. But NASA’s return mission is stuck in budget limbo, with costs ballooning to $11 billion and timelines slipping into the 2040s. Until then, researchers can only speculate.

Why it matters:

  • If confirmed, it would be the first evidence that life existed beyond Earth.

  • Even if not, the find is a masterclass in how geology can mimic biology—reminding us just how tricky it is to define “life” in alien worlds.

  • And for humanity, it keeps alive the biggest question of all: Are we alone?

In short: Mars isn’t giving up its secrets easily. But with every drill and dusty sample, Perseverance is bringing us a little closer to an answer.

APPLE EVENT

Apple’s September showcase wasn’t just about new iPhones—it was about redefining thin, tough, and smart. From the ultra-sleek iPhone Air to the power-packed iPhone 17 Pro, plus smarter AirPods and health-first Apple Watches, Cupertino rolled out upgrades across its entire ecosystem. Here’s everything you need to know from the iPhone 17 launch event.

iPhone 17
The standard model gets a 6.3-inch 120Hz ProMotion display with thinner borders, tougher Ceramic Shield 2, and the new A19 chip. Expect 8 extra hours of battery life, plus an upgraded 48MP main + 12MP telephoto camera system and a smarter “center stage” selfie camera. Starts at $799.

iPhone Air
A brand-new addition, the thinnest iPhone ever (5.6mm) made with titanium. It packs the A19 Pro chip, a 6.5-inch always-on display, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a stealthy dual-lens system. “All-day” battery with Adaptive Power Mode plus MagSafe compatibility. Starts at $999.

iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max
Apple’s most powerful iPhone yet, with an anodized aluminum unibody, vapor chamber cooling, and the biggest battery ever. Cameras get a major boost: triple 48MP lenses with up to 8x “optical-quality” zoom. Pro Max promises 39 hours of video playback. Starts at $1,099.

AirPods Pro 3
Look familiar but add heart-rate tracking, foam tips, 4x better noise cancellation, and live translation powered by Apple Intelligence. Priced at $249.

Apple Watch Updates

  • Series 11: Thinnest yet, scratch-proof, now with 5G and blood-pressure monitoring.

  • Ultra 3: Brighter display, satellite connectivity, built-in SOS.

  • SE: Always-on display, gestures, new health features.

All devices open for pre-orders September 12 and hit shelves September 19.

Bottom line: Apple’s big bet this year is thinner, tougher, and smarter devices—while quietly laying groundwork for its foldable future.

Read more: Engadget

GENERAL OVERVIEW

🗞️ Bite-sized summaries

🤝 India pushes trade deals - Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said India is in “active dialogue” with the U.S. for a free trade pact, while parallel negotiations are underway with the European Union in New Delhi. Talks are also progressing with New Zealand, expanding India’s global trade outreach. India has already sealed agreements with Mauritius, the UAE, and Australia, with a second phase of the Australia pact expected soon. Goyal emphasized that these efforts reflect India’s strategy to deepen trade ties, diversify markets, and secure stronger economic partnerships amid shifting global supply chains and rising geopolitical challenges.

💰️ Ellison tops Musk - Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison has overtaken Elon Musk as the world’s richest person after his wealth jumped $101 billion in a single day, reaching about $364 billion. The surge followed Oracle’s 31% stock rally, its biggest since 1999, after strong earnings and forecasts that its cloud business could exceed $500 billion in revenue. Ellison’s fortune, tied largely to Oracle’s stock, has soared as the company raised its growth outlook, while Musk’s wealth has dipped with Tesla’s 14% stock decline this year. If sustained, Ellison’s gain marks the largest one-day wealth increase ever tracked.

HEADLINES

🧑‍🍳 What else is cookin’?

What’s happening in India (and around the world 🌍️)

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