Daily Archives: September 27, 2021

Two at play are the corporate race to space (which pits Amazon founder Jeff Bezos against Tesla founder Elon Musk) and efforts by a startup company called Colossal (among others!) to bring back the woolly mammoth, which became extinct more than 4,000 years ago. Both initiatives have been framed as potentially bettering the world.

According to the Washington Post, Both Bezos and Musk portray their space ambitions as a way to help humanity by creating a city on Mars, as Musk would like, or building colonies in Earths orbit, as Bezos envisions. Elephants are highly social and sensitive animals. Is it ethical to keep them in captivity, experiment on impregnation and/or gestation techniques, and play around with their genes in the hopes of merging current species with unfrozen DNA from the past just because one has the resources to do so?

Yet ethical issues abound with both projects. Further, who would be responsible for them once released? What if they dont adapt to the current environment and starve? What they freeze because their hair isnt thick enough? What if they destroy the tundra and dont create grasslands?

Ben Lamm, founder of a Texas artificial intelligence company and a key Colossal financial backer, called the mammoth project a proof of concept for Colossals technology, which could be used for thoughtful, disruptive conservation, according to Global News. George Church, the biologist leading the team of geneticists at Colossal working to re-create the mammoth, believes that if a population can successfully be established, it could help mitigate climate change by converting, through their waste and foraging impacts (and with the assistance of a warming climate) the northern tundra to grasslands that sequester and store more carbon. (In a recent interview on Canadian radio, he said his team is having ongoing conversations with the Indigenous people who call the tundra home, and who have not yet weighed in on the project.)

Nature is resilient, but of its own accord and time scale. Whos to say how likely it is for adaptations to succeed in the highly unnatural circumstance of plopping a species into a landscape it hasnt occupied for millennia, if ever? London School of Economics philosopher Heather Bushman identifies issues of concern for human-created woolly mammoth calves in the New York Times: You dont have a mother for a species that if they are anything like elephants has extraordinarily strong mother-infant bonds that last for a very long time. Once there is a little mammoth or two on the ground, who is making sure that theyre being looked after?

What if, instead of looking back 4,000 years, or out to space and planets, the clever thinkers behind these projects were to focus their sights on whats in front of us: a world much in need of attention and repair, and species that are not yet extinct but could be, if we dont act quickly to recover them and the habitats they rely on. Some ethicists have spoken about the risks of bio-contamination in space travel, as humans could unwittingly upend a sensitive ecosystem on Mars by bringing unwanted contaminants. But a far more central ethical issue with these initiatives exits: the state of our home planet here and now.

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Forget about Mars and the mammoths, we have problems here and now. - Space Bollyinside - BollyInside

Humanitys search for life on Mars may have just been dealt a sizeable blow.

New research suggests Mars's relatively small size may have prevented it from holding large amounts of water crucial for life on Earth and other planets.

The revelation may also dampen hopes of establishing a human colony on the Red Planet in the future.

In the 1980s, studies done by NASA on Martian meteorites, using remote sensing capabilities had revealed considerable evidence that Mars was once a water-rich world. Further analysis of the planet by the Viking Orbiter and more recently by Martian surface rovers Curiosity and Perseverance, unearthed even more evidence, including stunning images showing landscapes shaped by flood channels and river valleys.

Despite the evidence, the search for liquid water on the planets surface so far has yielded no results. Various explanations for the lack of water on the planet have been put forward, the most prominent of which suggests that the planets weakening magnetic field could have led to the loss of its atmosphere and liquid water.

But, in a new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, United States suggest a more fundamental reason could be behind the Red Planets loss of liquid water.

Mars may have just been too small to retain large amounts of water.

According to Kun Wang, lead author of the study, and assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts and Sciences at Washington University, there is likely a threshold for size requirements of rocky planets that exceeds the mass of Mars, for them to retain enough water to enable habitability and plate tectonics.

The researchers used stable potassium isotopes, which are moderately volatile to detect the presence and measure the abundance, and distribution of more volatile elements and compounds such as water, on different planetary surfaces.

The team measured the composition of potassium isotope on 20 confirmed Martian meteorites, selected to be representative of the red planets silicate composition. They found that compared to Earth, Mars had lost more potassium and other volatile elements during its formation, yet had retained more volatile elements than the moon, which is much smaller and direr than both Earth and Mars.

Cover Photo: Shutterstock

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Mars Was Always Limited By Its Small Size To Support Life: Study - Mashable India

A part of NASA's "We Asked a NASA Professional" series on YouTube, the space agency has answered the following question - "Is there oxygen on Mars?"

The short answer is "yes", but it's hardly the amount that we have here on Earth and definitely not enough for a human to breathe while walking around on the surface. To put it into perspective of how little oxygen Mars' atmosphere contains, NASA says the amount of oxygen present in Mars' atmosphere is 0.13%, compared to 21% in Earth's atmosphere. What Mars' atmosphere is rich in is carbon dioxide, which can be useful.

NASA technologists have created a piece of technology called MOXIE, or the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment. NASA has equipped Perseverance with a MOXIE, and only a few months ago, the rover was able to successfully extract oxygen from the carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere. The amount of oxygen that was extracted was only small, but the experiment proved the concept works.

When thinking about future human exploration, NASA says it will need to send a MOXIE that is around 200 times the scale of the MOXIE on Perseverance. This large-scale MOXIE would then provide oxygen for the astronauts living in the colony.

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'Is there oxygen on Mars?', NASA's answer may surprise you - TweakTown

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New Delhi: A team of scientists at MIT has created a light-emitting plant using nanoparticles embedded in plant leaves that can glow brightly for several minutes after being charged just for a few seconds with an LED.

Although the team had developed similar plants in 2017, the new breed of plants is almost ten times as bright.

The team wanted to create a light-emitting plant with particles that would absorb light, store some of it, and emit it gradually. The idea was to ultimately develop plant-based lighting by using the renewable chemical energy of living plants

The plants use nanoparticles containing the enzyme Luciferase also found in fireflies to produce light.

The particles are several hundred nanometers in diameter and can be infused into the plants through the stomata, the small pores located on the surfaces of leaves. The particles accumulate in a spongy layer called the mesophyll, where they form a thin film.

A major conclusion of the new study is that the mesophyll of a living plant can be made to display these photonic particles without hurting the plant or sacrificing lighting properties.

This film can absorb photons or light particles either from sunlight or an LED. The researchers showed that after 10 seconds of blue LED exposure, their plants could emit light for about an hour. The light was brightest for the first five minutes and then gradually diminished. The plants can be continually recharged for at least two weeks. Read more.

Also read: Scientists create concrete using blood, sweat, tears of astronauts for construction on Mars

Scientists from the University of Utah discovered a genetic mutation that can explain why some breeds of domestic pigeons have smaller beaks a phenomenon that had baffled evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin over a century ago.

The ROR2 gene is linked to beak size reduction in numerous pigeons. The same gene also leads to a human disorder called Robinow syndrome.

Robinow syndrome is an extremely rare genetic disorder in humans that is characterised by short-limbed dwarfism, and abnormalities in the head such as a broad, prominent forehead and a short, wide nose and mouth.

The gene ROR2 plays an important role in the craniofacial development of vertebrates.

Darwin was known to be fascinated with domestic pigeons, and he thought that they held the secrets of natural selection in their beaks. Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution, which involves subtle changes in the inherited genetic traits of a population over generations in a way that makes them fitter for survival.

But, in the case of these domestic pigeons beaks of all shapes and sizes exist within a single species. Sometimes, the beaks are so short that they prevent parents from feeding their own young. Geneticists have failed to solve this mystery by pinpointing the molecular machinery that leads to short beaks until now. Read more.

Scientists have discovered a set of fossilised footprints at White Sands National Park in New Mexico dating back to over 23,000 years ago, which shows that humans arrived in the Americas much earlier than previously thought.

The footprints were formed in soft mud on the margins of a shallow lake. Using radiocarbon dating, researchers from the US Geological Survey confirmed that these were the oldest known human footprints in the Americas.

The size of the footprints indicates that the tracks were left mainly by teenagers and younger children, with the occasional adult. The area also had animal tracks, including those of mammoths, giant ground sloths, dire wolves, and birds.

This shows that humans and animals coexisted at the site as a whole researchers hope to recreate a more accurate picture of the landscape during this period. Read more.

Engineers at the University of Cincinnati in the US have developed a reactor that can convert carbon dioxide into methane using quantum dots an advance that may not only help tackle the fossil fuel-driven climate change on Earth, but also provide fuel for human colonies on Mars.

The basic chemistry behind this process is already used abroad at the International Space Station to remove the carbon dioxide from the air the astronauts breathe out.

But the researchers from Cincinnati have included the use of graphene quantum dots, which are layers of carbon just a few nanometers big, that can increase the yield of methane.

According to the team, this would mean that instead of having to carry fuel for the return trip to Mars, astronauts in the future could simply pump it out of the planets atmosphere.

By using different materials instead of the carbon quantum dots, the reactor can also produce ethylene, used in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, synthetic clothing, and other products. Read more.

A study suggests that melting polar ice caps is not only contributing to a sea-level rise but also changing the Earths crust beneath the polar ice caps in a way that its impact can be measured hundreds of miles away.

By analysing satellite data on melt from 2003 to 2018 and studying changes in Earths crust, researchers were able to measure the shifting of the crust horizontally research showed that in some places the crust was moving more horizontally than it was lifting up.

To understand how the ice melt affects what is beneath it, imagine a wooden board floating on top of a tub of water. When you push the board down, the water beneath would move down. If you pick it up, you will see the water moving vertically to fill that space.

Understanding all of the factors that cause the movement of the crust is really important for a wide range of earth-science problems. For example, to accurately observe tectonic motions and earthquake activity, we need to be able to separate out this motion generated by modern-day ice-mass loss. Read more.

(Edited by Paramita Ghosh)

Also read: 15,000-yr-old viruses found in China & the unique shark intestines that work like a Tesla valve

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MIT scientists create glow-in-the-dark bionic plants that can be charged with LEDs - ThePrint

Ive gotten used to writing these after a loss. It isnt nearly as much as writing after a win. To top it off, the week is starting with a sinus infection. Yay.

Fortunately, Ive gotten good at turning the page and shrugging off the Huskers performance the weekend before and not letting it ruin my week. And fortuntely, I still have the Jackrabbits...

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Huskers Win Twice Against Omaha - University of NebraskaThe Nebraska softball team swept a doubleheader Sunday afternoon against Omaha in front of more than 400 fans at Bowlin Stadium. The Huskers won the first game 5-2.

Instead of euphoria, Huskers left to have spirited talk after 23-20 overtime loss to MSU: Im tired of it | Football | journalstar.comScott Frost gave a pretty simple explanation to the pivotal botched punt before diving into a long breakdown of why NU is left feeling dejected.

Huskers open as favorites over NorthwesternNebraska, which has dropped two straight one score games to fall to 2-3 on the season, will return home as the favorite against Big Ten West foe Northwestern.

The oddsmakers have clearly never watched a Nebraska - Northwestern game.

Toms Takes: Chemistry building for Huskers despite frustrating loss | Football | omaha.comTheres a chemistry building with this Nebraska team, you can see it, and it would have blossomed with a win on Saturday night. Still, theyre close, writes Tom Shatel.

Fairview wide receiver Grant Page is latest Colorado steal for Nebraska Cornhuskers The Denver PostFairview senior wide receiver Grant Page understands his college commitment wont be celebrated by many longtime sports fans from his own state. He doesnt blame them.

A beginners guide to Northwestern football: 2021 edition - Inside NUHey Classes of 2024 and 2025, transfers and new grad students! Weve put together a comprehensive look at the basics of the program.

Northwestern football: Wildcats, Evan Hull rout Ohio 35-6 - Chicago TribuneEvan Hull rushed for 216 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday to lead Northwestern to a 35-6 win over Ohio. Hull scored twice in a span of 2:02 in the first quarter on runs of 17 and 90 yards to help give the Wildcats (2-2) their first win over an FBS team this season.

Even in a dominant win, big questions still remain for Northwestern - Inside NUWhile the Cats may have looked impressive against Ohio, will they be able to hold their own against tougher competition?

Everything Pat Fitzgerald Said After Northwestern's Week 4 Win Over Ohio - Sports Illustrated Wildcats Daily News, Analysis and MoreFitz talks Ryan Family donation, Hilinski as QB1, Evan Hull's run game and more.

Colleges must choose whether to let athletes wear school gear for paid promotionsA sports management scholar weighs in on whether college athletes can appear in their schools swag while promoting various products.

Who is the only person Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin follows on InstagramLane Kiffin follows one person on Instagram, apparently using it as a recruiting tool

US captures first Ryder Cup since 2016 with strong performance on final day | Fox NewsThe U.S. held strong and defeated Europe to win the Ryder Cup on Sunday.

Justin Tucker field goal: Ravens beat Lions on record-setting kick (video) - Sports IllustratedRavens kicker Justin Tucker pulled off perhaps the greatest kick in NFL history as he nailed the longest field goal ever off the crossbar to beat Detroit.

NFL: Delay of game before Justin Tuckers Lions-Ravens game-winner clearly shouldve been calledFormer NFL referee Terry McAulay told Yahoo Sports that the Ravens clearly shouldve been flagged for a delay of game one play before Justin Tucker beat the Lions with a 66-yarder.

AP Top 25: Oklahoma drops to No. 6 and Clemson falls to No. 25 after Week 4

Oklahoma fell from No. 4 to No. 6 after a 16-13 win over West Virginia. The Sooners won the game on a field goal as time expired as the normally explosive OU offense hasnt been as potent in the last two games.

Dismissed from Ohio State, LB KVaughan Pope apologizes after storming off field during Akron game - CBSSports.comThe senior linebacker is no longer on the team after storming off the field in the Akron game

Penalty flag causes fumbled punt in Jaguars-Cardinals gameJamal Agnews kick-6 wasnt the only wild special teams play in the Cardinals win over the Jaguars on Sunday.

Affordable housing in outer space: Scientists develop cosmic concrete from space dust and astronaut bloodTransporting a single brick to Mars can cost more than a million British pounds making the future construction of a Martian colony seem prohibitively expensive. Scientists at The University of Manchester have now developed a way to potentially overcome this problem, by creating a concrete-like material made of extra-terrestrial dust along with...

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Do compasses work in space?Google maps wont guide you to Mars - but will your compass work in space?

How a California distillery is turning fire-damaged grapes into something awesome | California | The GuardianHangar 1 collaborated with Crimson Wine group to salvage Napa-grown fruit for a specialty vodka with charitable intentions

How a team of musicologists and computer scientists completed Beethovens unfinished 10th SymphonyWhen Beethoven died, all he left behind were some sketches for his 10th Symphony. Now, thanks to the help of artificial intelligence, the composers vision is coming to life.

Pokemon Oreos: Limited Edition Cookies Being Sold For Thousands On eBay : NPROne cookie featuring a rare Pokemon sold for $15,000 online, giving new meaning to the catchphrase, Gotta catch em all.

Crypto-Trading Hamster Performs Better Than Warren Buffett And The S&P 500 : NPRA hamster named Mr. Goxx enters one of two tunnels in the his cage, which determines whether he will buy or sell. As of Friday, his portfolio is up nearly 20%, according to his Twitter account.

Someone Found Their GoPro That Had Been Lost In The Snow For Months. Heres The Surprising Footage They Discovered Inside - DiggAfter four months of it sitting there, a big old black bear found it and not only managed to turn it on but also started recording himself playing with it. Hands down the craziest thing Ive seen!

The smart toilet era is here! Are you ready to share your analprint with big tech? | Life and style | The GuardianLoo design has barely changed in 150 years until now. Will people trade their privacy for the chance to find out exactly what is in their waste?

How sustainable is your toilet paper? - AxiosA green scorecard looks not at softness or durability, but at Earth-consciousness

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Cornhusker Football News: A Wild Volleyball Set, Toilet Paper Sustainability and a Crazy Weekend in College F - Corn Nation