Scientists from Imperial College London may have discovered a way to stop ageing and prevent cancer. A recent research article published in the journal Nature claims that the lifespan of humans could be extended by 25 per cent with this new anti-ageing formula.

The researchers experimented on mice and found out that switching off interleukin-11 (IL-11), a protein, can help prevent cancer, boost metabolism, hearing and vision, and improve lung and muscle function. It may also prevent greying and falling of hair.

According to the tests conducted, the treated mice lived for an average of 155 weeks, while the remaining untreated for 120 weeks.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-now-have-an-antidote-for-killer-cobra-venom-its-common-blood-thinner-741896">Scientists&nbsp;now have an antidote for killer cobra venom. It's common blood thinner!</a>

“These findings are very exciting," said Stuart Cook, professor at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science, Imperial College, reported Telegraph.

“The treated mice had fewer cancers, and were free from the usual signs of ageing and frailty, but we also saw reduced muscle wasting and improvement in muscle strength. In other words, the old mice receiving anti-IL11 (treatment) were healthier," cook further said.

<h2>The new drug may stop ageing in humans</h2>

Although this research was conducted only on mice, the scientists believe that the drug could have a similar response in elderly people.&nbsp;

The IL-11 gene was adapted by humans from fish millions of years back. This gene also helps with the regeneration of limbs in some species. While it was useful in ancient times, it is known to be unnecessary in humans now. It can result in scarring and thickening of tissues and inflammation which causes diseases and ageing.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/has-humanity-defeated-ageing-scientists-strike-single-pill-breakthrough-616309">Has humanity defeated ageing? Scientists strike 'single pill' breakthrough</a>

Researchers came up with the theory that suppressing IL-11 may prevent ageing after running tests on animals in the lab when the protein values grew significantly.

<h2>Other anti-ageing breakthroughs</h2>

There are also other studies working to improve the quality of life of humans and delay ageing. One such study conducted by scientists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has uncovered a pill which can make human cells younger.&nbsp;

This breakthrough can eliminate the necessity for gene therapy to reverse ageing. With a single pill, it can help improve eyesight and treat age-related illnesses.

(WIth inputs from agencies)

Scientists from Imperial College London may have discovered a way to stop ageing and prevent cancer. A recent research article published in the journal Nature claims that the lifespan of humans could be extended by 25 per cent with this new anti-ageing formula.

Scientists from Imperial College London may have discovered a way to stop ageing and prevent cancer. A recent research article published in the journal Nature claims that the lifespan of humans could be extended by 25 per cent with this new anti-ageing formula. The researchers experimented on mice and found out that switching off interleukin-11 (IL-11), a protein, can help prevent cancer, boost metabolism, hearing and vision, and improve lung and muscle function. It may also prevent greying and falling of hair. According to the tests conducted, the treated mice lived for an average of 155 weeks, while the remaining untreated for 120 weeks. Also Read | Scientists now have an antidote for killer cobra venom. It's common blood thinner! “These findings are very exciting," said Stuart Cook, professor at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Science, Imperial College, reported Telegraph. “The treated mice had fewer cancers, and were free from the usual signs of ageing and frailty, but we also saw reduced muscle wasting and improvement in muscle strength. In other words, the old mice receiving anti-IL11 (treatment) were healthier," cook further said. The new drug may stop ageing in humans Although this research was conducted only on mice, the scientists believe that the drug could have a similar response in elderly people. The IL-11 gene was adapted by humans from fish millions of years back. This gene also helps with the regeneration of limbs in some species. While it was useful in ancient times, it is known to be unnecessary in humans now. It can result in scarring and thickening of tissues and inflammation which causes diseases and ageing. Also Read | Has humanity defeated ageing? Scientists strike 'single pill' breakthrough Researchers came up with the theory that suppressing IL-11 may prevent ageing after running tests on animals in the lab when the protein values grew significantly. Other anti-ageing breakthroughs There are also other studies working to improve the quality of life of humans and delay ageing. One such study conducted by scientists from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology has uncovered a pill which can make human cells younger. This breakthrough can eliminate the necessity for gene therapy to reverse ageing. With a single pill, it can help improve eyesight and treat age-related illnesses. (WIth inputs from agencies)

Scientists discover anti-ageing formula which can also stop cancer

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related&nbsp;to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being.

According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help&nbsp;understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth.

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Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars.

"Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet."

The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found.&nbsp;

"The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-is-on-alert-as-gigantic-asteroid-size-of-statue-of-liberty-is-hurtling-towards-earth-at-65215-kmph-738357">NASA is on alert as gigantic&nbsp;asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph</a>

The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory.

This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet.

"We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson.

"But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar."

(With inputs from agencies)

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth.

For nearly 12 years, NASA's Curiosity rover has been actively collecting samples from the surface of Mars and continuously making groundbreaking discoveries. The recent findings related to the properties of the organic material present on the red planet have challenged the existing knowledge of scientists on both Mars and Earth. The material discovered has properties that are generally a sign of microorganisms on Earth. However, they can also be due to non-biological, chemical functions. The findings published in Nature Geoscience have baffled researchers from where it came into being. According to researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, who are collaborating on this research, this discovery can help understand how life came into being billions of years ago on our planet Earth. Also Read | Earth witnessed never-ever-seen 'polar rain' aurora. Here's how this eerie glow was formed Co-author of the study, Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen calls this discovery "the smoking gun", which confirms a decade-old theory of so-called photolysis in the atmosphere of Mars. "Such carbon-based complex molecules are the prerequisite of life, the building blocks of life, one might say," he said. "So, this is a bit like the old debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. We show that the organic material found on Mars has been formed through atmospheric photochemical reactions – without life that is. This is the 'egg', a prerequisite of life. It still remains to be shown whether or not this organic material resulted in life on the red planet." The concept that photolysis, a process in which molecules are broken apart by light, plays a role in the organic chemistry of Mars has been going about for a long time. However, hard evidence to support the theory has not been found. "The smoking gun here is that the ratio of carbon isotopes in it exactly matches our predictions in the quantum chemical simulations, but there was a missing piece in the puzzle. We were missing the other product of this chemical process to confirm the theory, and that's what we've now obtained," said Johnson. Also Read | NASA is on alert as gigantic asteroid, size of Statue of Liberty, is hurtling towards Earth at 65,215 kmph The discovery was made by the Curiosity rover in the Gale Crater including carbon-13 depletion in the samples of carbonate minerals, which mirrors the same elements found in a previous discovery from the Martian meteorite that formed the basis of the initial theory. This strong piece of evidence gives us clues about the origins of organic material on Earth. Since Earth, Mars, and Venus have similar atmospheres, the same processes likely occurred on our planet. "We have not yet found this 'smoking gun' material here on Earth to prove that the process took place. Perhaps because Earth's surface is much more alive, geologically and literally, and therefore constantly changing," said Johnson. "But it is a big step that we have now found it on Mars, from a time when the two planets were very similar." (With inputs from agencies)

Organic material found on Mars by Curiosity rover may reveal clues to life on Earth

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study.

The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition.

Long-lived "lakes" of water vapour in the atmosphere are observed to occur over the western Indian Ocean.&nbsp;

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The compact, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools sometimes drift west over the East African coast, bringing rain to that semi-arid area.

"The winds that carry these things ashore are so tantalizingly, delicately near zero [wind speed], that everything could affect them," says one of the researchers, atmospheric scientist Brian Mapes, from the University of Miami.

"That's when you need to know, do they self-propel, or are they driven by some very much larger-scale wind patterns that may change with climate change."

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fires-floods-flying-insects-climate-fuelled-disasters-that-wreaked-havoc-across-world-432546">Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world</a>

By contrast to rain-bearing "atmospheric rivers" of vapor, which are contiguous from source to the coastline at an instant, scientists call these disconnected and drifting water bodies "atmospheric lakes".

Their dynamics resemble those of a well-studied theoretical and simulation paradigm for tropical disturbances called "self-aggregation".&nbsp;

While that area's rainfall climatology is well studied on monthly basis, these vapor-mediated "storms" may have been missed as traditional meteorology tends to focus more on wind-field features and 'disturbances' as the long-lived entities of weather.

"It's a place that's dry on average, so when these [atmospheric lakes] happen, they're surely very consequential," says Mapes.

"I look forward to learning more local knowledge about them, in this area with a venerable and fascinating nautical history where observant sailors coined the word monsoon for wind patterns, and surely noticed these occasional rainstorms, too."

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study. The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition.

Scientists have identified a previously unknown storm called ''atmospheric lake'' in a recent study. The research, presented at the 2021 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, sheds light on a new type of weather condition. Long-lived "lakes" of water vapour in the atmosphere are observed to occur over the western Indian Ocean. Also see | Aerial photos show destruction due to Typhoon Rai in Philippines The compact, slow-moving, moisture-rich pools sometimes drift west over the East African coast, bringing rain to that semi-arid area. "The winds that carry these things ashore are so tantalizingly, delicately near zero [wind speed], that everything could affect them," says one of the researchers, atmospheric scientist Brian Mapes, from the University of Miami. "That's when you need to know, do they self-propel, or are they driven by some very much larger-scale wind patterns that may change with climate change." Also see | Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world By contrast to rain-bearing "atmospheric rivers" of vapor, which are contiguous from source to the coastline at an instant, scientists call these disconnected and drifting water bodies "atmospheric lakes". Their dynamics resemble those of a well-studied theoretical and simulation paradigm for tropical disturbances called "self-aggregation". While that area's rainfall climatology is well studied on monthly basis, these vapor-mediated "storms" may have been missed as traditional meteorology tends to focus more on wind-field features and 'disturbances' as the long-lived entities of weather. "It's a place that's dry on average, so when these [atmospheric lakes] happen, they're surely very consequential," says Mapes. "I look forward to learning more local knowledge about them, in this area with a venerable and fascinating nautical history where observant sailors coined the word monsoon for wind patterns, and surely noticed these occasional rainstorms, too." (With inputs from agencies)

Researchers identify unique storm called 'atmospheric lake'

Nuclear scientists in California have&nbsp;generated a huge amount of energy from fusion&nbsp;using lasers the size of three football fields.

The historic breakthrough can&nbsp;possibly offer hope for the development of a new clean energy source.

Experts focused their giant array of almost 200 laser beams onto a tiny spot to create a mega blast of energy, eight times more than they had ever done in the past.

Although the energy only lasted for a very short time,&nbsp;just 100 trillionths of a second,&nbsp;it took scientists closer to the holy grail of fusion ignition, the moment when they are creating more energy than they are using.

"This result is a historic advance for inertial confinement fusion research," said Kim Budil, the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which operates the National Ignition Facility in California, where the experiment took place this month.

Nuclear fusion is considered by some scientists to be the potential energy of the future, particularly because it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases.&nbsp;

It differs from fission, a technique currently used in nuclear power plants, where the bonds of heavy atomic nuclei are broken to release energy.&nbsp;

In the fusion process, two light atomic nuclei are "married" to create a heavy one.

In this experiment scientists used two isotopes of hydrogen, giving rise to helium.&nbsp;

This is the process that is at work in stars, including our Sun.&nbsp;

"The NIF teams have done an extraordinary job," said Professor Steven Rose, co-director of the center for research in this field at Imperial College London.&nbsp;

"This is the most significant advance in inertial fusion since its beginning in 1972."&nbsp;

But, warned Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the same center in London, making this a useable source of energy is not going to be easy.

"Turning this concept into a renewable source of electrical power will probably be a long process and will involve overcoming significant technical challenges," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Nuclear scientists in California have generated a huge amount of energy from fusion using lasers the size of three football fields. The historic breakthrough can possibly offer hope for the development of a new clean energy source.

Nuclear scientists in California have generated a huge amount of energy from fusion using lasers the size of three football fields. The historic breakthrough can possibly offer hope for the development of a new clean energy source. Experts focused their giant array of almost 200 laser beams onto a tiny spot to create a mega blast of energy, eight times more than they had ever done in the past. Although the energy only lasted for a very short time, just 100 trillionths of a second, it took scientists closer to the holy grail of fusion ignition, the moment when they are creating more energy than they are using. "This result is a historic advance for inertial confinement fusion research," said Kim Budil, the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which operates the National Ignition Facility in California, where the experiment took place this month. Nuclear fusion is considered by some scientists to be the potential energy of the future, particularly because it produces little waste and no greenhouse gases. It differs from fission, a technique currently used in nuclear power plants, where the bonds of heavy atomic nuclei are broken to release energy. In the fusion process, two light atomic nuclei are "married" to create a heavy one. In this experiment scientists used two isotopes of hydrogen, giving rise to helium. This is the process that is at work in stars, including our Sun. "The NIF teams have done an extraordinary job," said Professor Steven Rose, co-director of the center for research in this field at Imperial College London. "This is the most significant advance in inertial fusion since its beginning in 1972." But, warned Jeremy Chittenden, co-director of the same center in London, making this a useable source of energy is not going to be easy. "Turning this concept into a renewable source of electrical power will probably be a long process and will involve overcoming significant technical challenges," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

New clean energy source? Nuclear scientists hail 'historic' fusion breakthrough

Astronomers have&nbsp;investigated what happened to a specific kind of plasma,&nbsp;the first matter ever to be present,&nbsp;during the first microsecond of the Big Bang.

The findings of the study, conducted by researchers at the&nbsp;University of Copenhagen,&nbsp;provide a piece of the puzzle to the evolution of the universe, as people know it today.

About 14 billion years ago, our universe changed from being a lot hotter and denser to expanding radically- a process that scientists have named 'The Big Bang'.

And even though we know that this fast expansion created particles, atoms, stars, galaxies, and life as we know it today, the details of how it all happened are still unknown.

Now a new study performed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen reveals insights into how it all began.

"We have studied a substance called Quark-Gluon Plasma that was the only matter, which existed during the first microsecond of Big Bang. Our results tell us a unique story of how the plasma evolved in the early stage of the universe," explains You Zhou, Associate Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

"First the plasma that consisted of quarks and gluons was separated by the hot expansion of the universe. Then the pieces of quark reformed into so-called hadrons. A hadron with three quarks makes a proton, which is part of atomic cores. These cores are the building blocks that constitute Earth, ourselves, and the universe that surrounds us," he adds.

The Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) was present in the first 0.000001 seconds of the Big Bang and thereafter it disappeared because of the expansion.

But by using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, researchers were able to recreate this first matter in history and trace back what happened to it.

"The collider smashes together ions from the plasma with great velocity,&nbsp;almost like the speed of light. This makes us able to see how the QGP evolved from being its own matter to the cores in atoms and the building blocks of life," says You Zhou.

"In addition to using the Large Hadron Collider, the researchers also developed an algorithm that is able to analyze the collective expansion of more produced particles at once, than ever possible before. Their results show that the QGP used to be a fluent liquid form and that it distinguishes itself from other matters by constantly changing its shape over time."

For a long time researchers thought that the plasma was a form of gas, but the&nbsp;analysis confirms the latest milestone measurement, where the Hadron Collider showed that QGP was fluent and had a smooth soft texture like water.

''The new details we provide is that the plasma has changed its shape over time, which is quite surprising and different from any other matter we know and what we would have expected," says You Zhou.

Even though this might seem like a small detail, it brings us one step closer to solving the puzzle of the Big Bang and how the universe developed in the first microsecond, he elaborates.

"Every discovery is a brick that improves our chances of finding out the truth about Big Bang. It has taken us about 20 years to find out that the Quark-Gluon Plasma was fluent before it changed into hadrons and the building blocks of life. Therefore our new knowledge on the ever-changing behaviour of the plasma is a major breakthrough for us," You Zhou concludes.

The study has just been published in the journal Physics Letters B and is performed by You Zhou together with Zuzana Moravcova, who is a PhD at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Astronomers have investigated what happened to a specific kind of plasma, the first matter ever to be present, during the first microsecond of the Big Bang. The findings of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, provide a piece of the puzzle to the evolution of the universe, as people know it today.

Astronomers have investigated what happened to a specific kind of plasma, the first matter ever to be present, during the first microsecond of the Big Bang. The findings of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Copenhagen, provide a piece of the puzzle to the evolution of the universe, as people know it today. About 14 billion years ago, our universe changed from being a lot hotter and denser to expanding radically- a process that scientists have named 'The Big Bang'. And even though we know that this fast expansion created particles, atoms, stars, galaxies, and life as we know it today, the details of how it all happened are still unknown. Now a new study performed by researchers from the University of Copenhagen reveals insights into how it all began. "We have studied a substance called Quark-Gluon Plasma that was the only matter, which existed during the first microsecond of Big Bang. Our results tell us a unique story of how the plasma evolved in the early stage of the universe," explains You Zhou, Associate Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. "First the plasma that consisted of quarks and gluons was separated by the hot expansion of the universe. Then the pieces of quark reformed into so-called hadrons. A hadron with three quarks makes a proton, which is part of atomic cores. These cores are the building blocks that constitute Earth, ourselves, and the universe that surrounds us," he adds. The Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) was present in the first 0.000001 seconds of the Big Bang and thereafter it disappeared because of the expansion. But by using the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, researchers were able to recreate this first matter in history and trace back what happened to it. "The collider smashes together ions from the plasma with great velocity, almost like the speed of light. This makes us able to see how the QGP evolved from being its own matter to the cores in atoms and the building blocks of life," says You Zhou. "In addition to using the Large Hadron Collider, the researchers also developed an algorithm that is able to analyze the collective expansion of more produced particles at once, than ever possible before. Their results show that the QGP used to be a fluent liquid form and that it distinguishes itself from other matters by constantly changing its shape over time." For a long time researchers thought that the plasma was a form of gas, but the analysis confirms the latest milestone measurement, where the Hadron Collider showed that QGP was fluent and had a smooth soft texture like water. ''The new details we provide is that the plasma has changed its shape over time, which is quite surprising and different from any other matter we know and what we would have expected," says You Zhou. Even though this might seem like a small detail, it brings us one step closer to solving the puzzle of the Big Bang and how the universe developed in the first microsecond, he elaborates. "Every discovery is a brick that improves our chances of finding out the truth about Big Bang. It has taken us about 20 years to find out that the Quark-Gluon Plasma was fluent before it changed into hadrons and the building blocks of life. Therefore our new knowledge on the ever-changing behaviour of the plasma is a major breakthrough for us," You Zhou concludes. The study has just been published in the journal Physics Letters B and is performed by You Zhou together with Zuzana Moravcova, who is a PhD at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Astronomers reveal what happened in first microsecond of Big Bang

Thanks to another astounding scientific feat, researchers may soon be able to capture DNA from surfaces. A team from the Queen Mary University were recently able to collect “environmental DNA” (eDNA) from the air, as reported by Science Focus.

This could make the job of scientists easier in a variety of ways especially in the near future. To collect DNA from air, scientists used a peristaltic pump to collect samples of a naked mole rat’s DNA.&nbsp;

They combined the pump with pressure filters for 20 minutes and then used common DNA kits to identify sequence genes in the samples that followed.

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Turns out, they were able to capture the DNA of mole rats - all over the room, and in addition were also able to catch some amount of human DNA at the same time.

According to lead author Dr Elizabeth Claire, the experiment was originally created to study biological environments. But it could be used for a lot more, for instance - in forensic investigations.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-develop-synthetic-cell-that-grows-and-divides-uniformly-374918" hreflang="en">Scientists develop synthetic cell that grows and divides uniformly</a>

Professionals could scoop up DNA from air to ascertain whether a suspect was at the crime scene. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe. The scientists who developed this tech believe that it could also assist scientists in understanding airborne diseases and how they spread.

Even though practical uses of this tech are still faraway, the team is working with numerous companies to imbibe its usage.

Thanks to another astounding scientific feat, researchers may soon be able to capture DNA from surfaces. A team from the Queen Mary University were recently able to collect “environmental DNA” (eDNA) from the air, as reported by Science Focus.

Thanks to another astounding scientific feat, researchers may soon be able to capture DNA from surfaces. A team from the Queen Mary University were recently able to collect “environmental DNA” (eDNA) from the air, as reported by Science Focus. This could make the job of scientists easier in a variety of ways especially in the near future. To collect DNA from air, scientists used a peristaltic pump to collect samples of a naked mole rat’s DNA. They combined the pump with pressure filters for 20 minutes and then used common DNA kits to identify sequence genes in the samples that followed. Also read: Genetic disease delaying kids' brain development discovered Turns out, they were able to capture the DNA of mole rats - all over the room, and in addition were also able to catch some amount of human DNA at the same time. According to lead author Dr Elizabeth Claire, the experiment was originally created to study biological environments. But it could be used for a lot more, for instance - in forensic investigations. Also read: Scientists develop synthetic cell that grows and divides uniformly Professionals could scoop up DNA from air to ascertain whether a suspect was at the crime scene. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe. The scientists who developed this tech believe that it could also assist scientists in understanding airborne diseases and how they spread. Even though practical uses of this tech are still faraway, the team is working with numerous companies to imbibe its usage.

Scientists recently collected DNA from air. How did they do it?

Many species around the world possess the otherworldly capability to re-engineer their body - to essentially be able to grow new organs in place of old ones that may have been rendered unusable by injuries or natural factors.

Now, scientists believe that a particular species can actually grow a whole body out of severed heads, but they're unsure why.

For perspective - starfish are able to regenerate their arms, axolotls can reconfigure their spinal cords among many. But none of them compare&nbsp;to the newly found sea slugs that can grow a whole new body of their own.

According to researchers from the Nara Women's University in Japan, who published their study in Current Biology - a peer-reviewed journal, two species of sea slugs can regrow bodies that come equipped with a heart and other internal organs intact.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-just-spotted-most-distant-radio-blast-to-ever-reach-earth-369043" hreflang="en">Scientists just spotted most distant radio blast to ever reach Earth!</a>

Along with this, scientists witnessed the unthinkable as creatures were seen floating without their bodies. One of them moved around with a body twice!

Upon separation, the head was able to move on its own, and in a matter of a few days, the wound behind the head of the slug had healed and closed off.

Scientists also found that within hours of detachment, young sea slugs began feeding on algae. In less than a week, they were able to regenerate their hearts.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astronomers-detect-best-place-and-time-to-live-in-milky-way-368901" hreflang="en">Astronomers detect best place and time to live in Milky Way</a>

An adult's head lived for about ten days, after which researchers found a new body with new organs which was formed by the detached head within three weeks. 
 
Even then, there were some limitations for the old bodies were not able to regenerate body parts both among the young and old sea slugs. But even then, these cast-off bodies of slugs could feel sensation for days, and in some cases months.

Many species around the world possess the otherworldly capability to re-engineer their body - to essentially be able to grow new organs in place of old ones that may have been rendered unusable by injuries or natural factors.

Many species around the world possess the otherworldly capability to re-engineer their body - to essentially be able to grow new organs in place of old ones that may have been rendered unusable by injuries or natural factors. Now, scientists believe that a particular species can actually grow a whole body out of severed heads, but they're unsure why. For perspective - starfish are able to regenerate their arms, axolotls can reconfigure their spinal cords among many. But none of them compare to the newly found sea slugs that can grow a whole new body of their own. According to researchers from the Nara Women's University in Japan, who published their study in Current Biology - a peer-reviewed journal, two species of sea slugs can regrow bodies that come equipped with a heart and other internal organs intact. Also read: Scientists just spotted most distant radio blast to ever reach Earth! Along with this, scientists witnessed the unthinkable as creatures were seen floating without their bodies. One of them moved around with a body twice! Upon separation, the head was able to move on its own, and in a matter of a few days, the wound behind the head of the slug had healed and closed off. Scientists also found that within hours of detachment, young sea slugs began feeding on algae. In less than a week, they were able to regenerate their hearts. Also read: Astronomers detect best place and time to live in Milky Way An adult's head lived for about ten days, after which researchers found a new body with new organs which was formed by the detached head within three weeks. Even then, there were some limitations for the old bodies were not able to regenerate body parts both among the young and old sea slugs. But even then, these cast-off bodies of slugs could feel sensation for days, and in some cases months.

This sea slug species can regrow its whole body - out of its head!

Weighing up to 380,000 pounds and stretching some 100 feet long, the blue whale — the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth — might at first seem difficult for human eyes and ears to miss.

But a previously unknown population of the leviathans has long been lurking in the Indian Ocean, leaving scientists none the wiser, new research suggests.

The covert cadre of whales, described in a paper published last week in the journal Endangered Species Research, has its own signature anthem: a slow, bellowing ballad that’s distinct from any other whale song ever described. It joins only a dozen or so other blue whale songs that have been documented, each the calling card of a unique population.

“It’s like hearing different songs within a genre — Stevie Ray Vaughan versus B.B. King,” said Salvatore Cerchio, a marine mammal biologist at the African Aquatic Conservation Fund in Massachusetts and the study’s lead author. “It’s all blues, but you know the different styles.”

The find is “a great reminder that our oceans are still this very unexplored place,” said Asha de Vos, a marine biologist who has studied blue whales in the Indian Ocean but was not involved in the new study.

Cerchio and his colleagues first tuned into the whales’ newfound song while in scientific pursuit of a pod of Omura’s whales off the coast of Madagascar several years ago. After hearing the rumblings of blue whales via a recorder planted on the coastal shelf, the researchers decided to drop their instruments into deeper water in the hopes of eavesdropping further.

“If you put a hydrophone somewhere no one has put a hydrophone before, you’re going to discover something,” Cerchio said.

A number of blue whale populations, each with its own characteristic croon, have long been known to visit this pocket of the Indian Ocean, Cerchio said. But one of the songs that crackled through the team’s Madagascar recordings was unlike any the researchers had heard.

By 2018, the team had picked up on several more instances of the new whales’ now-recognizable refrain. Partnerships with other researchers soon revealed that the distinctive calls had been detected at another recording outpost off the coast of Oman, in the Arabian Sea, where the sounds seem particularly prevalent. Another windfall came later that year when Cerchio learned that colleagues in Australia had heard the whales crooning the same song in the central Indian Ocean, near the Chagos Archipelago.

Data amassed from the three sites, each separated from the others by hundreds or thousands of miles, painted a rough portrait of a pod of whales moseying about in the Indian Ocean’s northwest and perhaps beyond.

Using acoustic data to pin down a new population is, by nature, indirect, like dusting for fingerprints at the scene of a crime. But Alex Carbaugh-Rutland, who studies blue whales at Texas A&amp;M University and was not involved in the study, said the results “were very sound, no pun intended.”

The researchers ruled out the possibility that the songs could be attributed to other species of whales. And side-by-side comparisons of the new blue whale tune with others showed convincingly that the northwestern Indian Ocean variety was distinct, Carbaugh-Rutland said. “I think it’s really compelling evidence,” he said, drawing a comparison to linguistic dialects.

Genetic samples would help clinch the case, he added. But blue whales, which spend most of their time far from shore, are difficult to study. Whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries also culled hundreds of thousands from their ranks; an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales are thought to remain.

Not much is known about blue whale songs, although most researchers think that they help males woo their mates, as is the case with closely related species. That can make any modifications to a cetacean melody fairly high stakes, de Vos said: “If two populations can’t talk to each other, over time, they’re going to grow apart.”

Eventually, populations with different takes on a tune might splinter into subspecies, with their own behaviors and quirks. There’s not yet evidence to show that has happened with these blue whales, nor much information on what might have driven them apart from their southerly kin. But even if the whales in this new group don’t yet formally occupy a new branch on the tree of life, they are worth getting to know.

“What things like this show us is that there are different populations, with different adaptations, with potentially different needs,” de Vos said. To conserve the world’s blue whales, she said, “there’s not one single protection measure that’s going to work.”

Weighing up to 380,000 pounds and stretching some 100 feet long, the blue whale — the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth — might at first seem difficult for human eyes and ears to miss.

Weighing up to 380,000 pounds and stretching some 100 feet long, the blue whale — the largest creature to have ever lived on Earth — might at first seem difficult for human eyes and ears to miss. But a previously unknown population of the leviathans has long been lurking in the Indian Ocean, leaving scientists none the wiser, new research suggests. The covert cadre of whales, described in a paper published last week in the journal Endangered Species Research, has its own signature anthem: a slow, bellowing ballad that’s distinct from any other whale song ever described. It joins only a dozen or so other blue whale songs that have been documented, each the calling card of a unique population. “It’s like hearing different songs within a genre — Stevie Ray Vaughan versus B.B. King,” said Salvatore Cerchio, a marine mammal biologist at the African Aquatic Conservation Fund in Massachusetts and the study’s lead author. “It’s all blues, but you know the different styles.” The find is “a great reminder that our oceans are still this very unexplored place,” said Asha de Vos, a marine biologist who has studied blue whales in the Indian Ocean but was not involved in the new study. Cerchio and his colleagues first tuned into the whales’ newfound song while in scientific pursuit of a pod of Omura’s whales off the coast of Madagascar several years ago. After hearing the rumblings of blue whales via a recorder planted on the coastal shelf, the researchers decided to drop their instruments into deeper water in the hopes of eavesdropping further. “If you put a hydrophone somewhere no one has put a hydrophone before, you’re going to discover something,” Cerchio said. A number of blue whale populations, each with its own characteristic croon, have long been known to visit this pocket of the Indian Ocean, Cerchio said. But one of the songs that crackled through the team’s Madagascar recordings was unlike any the researchers had heard. By 2018, the team had picked up on several more instances of the new whales’ now-recognizable refrain. Partnerships with other researchers soon revealed that the distinctive calls had been detected at another recording outpost off the coast of Oman, in the Arabian Sea, where the sounds seem particularly prevalent. Another windfall came later that year when Cerchio learned that colleagues in Australia had heard the whales crooning the same song in the central Indian Ocean, near the Chagos Archipelago. Data amassed from the three sites, each separated from the others by hundreds or thousands of miles, painted a rough portrait of a pod of whales moseying about in the Indian Ocean’s northwest and perhaps beyond. Using acoustic data to pin down a new population is, by nature, indirect, like dusting for fingerprints at the scene of a crime. But Alex Carbaugh-Rutland, who studies blue whales at Texas A&M University and was not involved in the study, said the results “were very sound, no pun intended.” The researchers ruled out the possibility that the songs could be attributed to other species of whales. And side-by-side comparisons of the new blue whale tune with others showed convincingly that the northwestern Indian Ocean variety was distinct, Carbaugh-Rutland said. “I think it’s really compelling evidence,” he said, drawing a comparison to linguistic dialects. Genetic samples would help clinch the case, he added. But blue whales, which spend most of their time far from shore, are difficult to study. Whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries also culled hundreds of thousands from their ranks; an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales are thought to remain. Not much is known about blue whale songs, although most researchers think that they help males woo their mates, as is the case with closely related species. That can make any modifications to a cetacean melody fairly high stakes, de Vos said: “If two populations can’t talk to each other, over time, they’re going to grow apart.” Eventually, populations with different takes on a tune might splinter into subspecies, with their own behaviors and quirks. There’s not yet evidence to show that has happened with these blue whales, nor much information on what might have driven them apart from their southerly kin. But even if the whales in this new group don’t yet formally occupy a new branch on the tree of life, they are worth getting to know. “What things like this show us is that there are different populations, with different adaptations, with potentially different needs,” de Vos said. To conserve the world’s blue whales, she said, “there’s not one single protection measure that’s going to work.”

A new population of Blue Whales was discovered hiding in the Indian Ocean

Scientists James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics for ground-breaking work in astronomy, the award-giving body said on Tuesday.

Peebles was awarded half the prize while Mayor and Queloz shared the other half.

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BREAKING NEWS: 
The 2019 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NobelPrize?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NobelPrize</a> in Physics has been awarded with one half to James Peebles “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology” and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.” <a href="https://t.co/BwwMTwtRFv">pic.twitter.com/BwwMTwtRFv</a>
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"This year's Laureates have transformed our ideas about the cosmos," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on awarding the 9 million Swedish crown ($910,000) prize.

"While James Peebles' theoretical discoveries contributed to our understanding of how the universe evolved after the Big Bang, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz explored our cosmic neighbourhoods on the hunt for unknown planets. Their discoveries have forever changed our conceptions of the world."

Scientists James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics for ground-breaking work in astronomy, the award-giving body said on Tuesday.

Scientists James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physics for ground-breaking work in astronomy, the award-giving body said on Tuesday. Peebles was awarded half the prize while Mayor and Queloz shared the other half. BREAKING NEWS: The 2019 #NobelPrize in Physics has been awarded with one half to James Peebles “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology” and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.” pic.twitter.com/BwwMTwtRFv — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 8, 2019 × "This year's Laureates have transformed our ideas about the cosmos," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on awarding the 9 million Swedish crown ($910,000) prize. "While James Peebles' theoretical discoveries contributed to our understanding of how the universe evolved after the Big Bang, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz explored our cosmic neighbourhoods on the hunt for unknown planets. Their discoveries have forever changed our conceptions of the world."

Peebles, Mayor and Queloz win 2019 Nobel Prize for physics

A NASA rover has detected a bonanza of organic compounds on the surface of Mars and seasonal fluctuations of atmospheric methane in findings released on Thursday that mark some of the strongest evidence ever that Earth's neighbour may have harboured life.

But National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists emphasized there could be nonbiological explanations for both discoveries made by the Curiosity rover at a site called Gale crater, leaving the issue of Martian life a tantalizing but unanswered question.

Three different types of organic molecules were discovered when the rover dug just 2 inches (5 cm) into roughly 3.5 billion-year-old mudstone, a fine-grained sedimentary rock, at Gale crater, apparently the site of a large lake when ancient Mars was warmer and wetter than the desolate planet it is today.

Curiosity also measured an unexpectedly large seasonal cycle in the low levels of atmospheric methane. About 95 per cent of the methane in Earth's atmosphere is produced from biological activity, though the scientists said it is too soon to know if the Martian methane also is related to life.

Organic molecules are the building blocks of life, though they can also be produced by chemical reactions unrelated to life. The scientists said it is premature to know whether or not the compounds were created in biological processes.

Whether anywhere other than Earth has harboured life, perhaps even in microbial form, is one of the paramount questions in science.

"There are three possible sources for the organic material," said astrobiologist Jennifer Eigenbrode of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. "The first one would be life, which we don't know about. The second would be meteorites. And the last one is geological processes, meaning the rock-forming processes themselves."

The rover, which has allowed scientists to explore whether Mars ever boasted conditions conducive to life, in 2014 made the first definitive detection of organic molecules, also in Gale crater rock formed from ancient lake sediment - but it was a much more limited set of compounds.

"What the organic detections in the rock do is to add to the story of habitability. It tells us that this ancient environment on Mars could have supported life," Eigenbrode said. "Everything that was needed to support life was there. But it doesn't tell us that life was there."

Christopher Webster, an atmospheric science research fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said it is possible existing microbes are contributing to the Martian atmospheric methane.

"With this new data, we again cannot rule out the microbial activity as a potential source," Webster said.

The amount of methane peaked at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere at about 2.7 times the level of the lowest seasonal amount.

The scientists were surprised to find organic compounds, especially in the amounts detected, considering the harsh conditions, including the bombardment of solar radiation on the Martian surface. After drilling, Curiosity heats the rock samples, releasing the compounds.

Referring to the findings regarding organic compounds and methane, Webster said, "They hint at an earlier time on Mars when water was present and the existence of primitive life forms was possible."

The scientists hope to find better preserved organic compounds with Curiosity or other rovers that would allow them to check for chemical signatures of life.

The research was published in the journal Science.

Whether anywhere other than Earth has harboured life, perhaps even in microbial form, is one of the paramount questions in science

A NASA rover has detected a bonanza of organic compounds on the surface of Mars and seasonal fluctuations of atmospheric methane in findings released on Thursday that mark some of the strongest evidence ever that Earth's neighbour may have harboured life. But National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists emphasized there could be nonbiological explanations for both discoveries made by the Curiosity rover at a site called Gale crater, leaving the issue of Martian life a tantalizing but unanswered question. Three different types of organic molecules were discovered when the rover dug just 2 inches (5 cm) into roughly 3.5 billion-year-old mudstone, a fine-grained sedimentary rock, at Gale crater, apparently the site of a large lake when ancient Mars was warmer and wetter than the desolate planet it is today. Curiosity also measured an unexpectedly large seasonal cycle in the low levels of atmospheric methane. About 95 per cent of the methane in Earth's atmosphere is produced from biological activity, though the scientists said it is too soon to know if the Martian methane also is related to life. Organic molecules are the building blocks of life, though they can also be produced by chemical reactions unrelated to life. The scientists said it is premature to know whether or not the compounds were created in biological processes. Whether anywhere other than Earth has harboured life, perhaps even in microbial form, is one of the paramount questions in science. "There are three possible sources for the organic material," said astrobiologist Jennifer Eigenbrode of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. "The first one would be life, which we don't know about. The second would be meteorites. And the last one is geological processes, meaning the rock-forming processes themselves." The rover, which has allowed scientists to explore whether Mars ever boasted conditions conducive to life, in 2014 made the first definitive detection of organic molecules, also in Gale crater rock formed from ancient lake sediment - but it was a much more limited set of compounds. "What the organic detections in the rock do is to add to the story of habitability. It tells us that this ancient environment on Mars could have supported life," Eigenbrode said. "Everything that was needed to support life was there. But it doesn't tell us that life was there." Christopher Webster, an atmospheric science research fellow at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, said it is possible existing microbes are contributing to the Martian atmospheric methane. "With this new data, we again cannot rule out the microbial activity as a potential source," Webster said. The amount of methane peaked at the end of summer in the northern hemisphere at about 2.7 times the level of the lowest seasonal amount. The scientists were surprised to find organic compounds, especially in the amounts detected, considering the harsh conditions, including the bombardment of solar radiation on the Martian surface. After drilling, Curiosity heats the rock samples, releasing the compounds. Referring to the findings regarding organic compounds and methane, Webster said, "They hint at an earlier time on Mars when water was present and the existence of primitive life forms was possible." The scientists hope to find better preserved organic compounds with Curiosity or other rovers that would allow them to check for chemical signatures of life. The research was published in the journal Science.

NASA rover data shows Mars had the ingredients needed for life