Category: 7. Science

As the sun sets on the southern edge of Chile’s Atacama Desert, the wind picks up, the temperature plummets, and the surrounding hills and mountains begin fading from view. Within minutes it’s pitch-black, with not so much as a car headlamp in sight across the vast, rocky landscape. At an altitude of more than 8,500 feet, these peaks sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean—about a day’s drive from the capital, Santiago—rank among the driest, least hospitable places on Earth. (Props to the odd fox or herd of alpacas living among the scrub.) Yet for Chuck Claver, this is paradise. From the top of a mountain, he can see the celestial bodies dotting the night sky in unmatched brightness. The shine of faraway planets, stars and galaxies is hardly dimmed by light pollution or humidity.

Claver is a system scientist at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, eight stories’ worth of cutting-edge, US government-funded research perched on one of these Atacama peaks. Named for the pioneering American astronomer, the Rubin is part of a global hub of at least 10 advanced telescopes in a region renowned for its dry, clear and calm night skies. In exchange for permission to operate in the country and some tax advantages, foreign-backed observatories reserve a portion of their telescope capacity for use by Chilean astronomers.

Plant roots are essential for both food production and climate, yet until now they have been nearly impossible to measure accurately. Researchers at Aarhus University have now developed a method that works like a “DNA test of the soil,” showing how much root biomass each species has and how much carbon they store underground.

Few of us ever think about what happens beneath our feet when we walk through a field of wheat or clover. We see the stalks, leaves, and flowers, but in practice we have no direct access to the roots.

Roots, however, are central. They anchor plants in the soil, supply them with water and nutrients, and contribute to carbon storage in the ground.

But because roots are hidden, researchers have for decades struggled to measure how much biomass lies below and how it is distributed among species.

“We have always known that roots are important, but we have lacked a precise tool to measure them. It’s a bit like studying marine ecosystems without ever being able to dive beneath the surface of the water,” says Henrik Brinch-Pedersen, professor at the Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University.

From muddy boots to genetic fingerprints

Until now, researchers typically measured roots by digging up large soil samples, washing the roots free, drying, and weighing them. This is a lengthy process, and the finest roots are often destroyed along the way. That is a major problem, since fine roots are the most active in absorbing nutrients and releasing carbon to the soil environment.

The new method is instead based on droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), a DNA technology in which a soil sample is divided into tens of thousands of microscopic droplets, each of which is analyzed for the presence of DNA.

The researchers use a genetic marker called ITS2, which works like a fingerprint for each species. In this way, they can not only see that roots are present but also identify which species they belong to and how much biomass they represent.

“It’s a bit like giving the soil a DNA test,” says Henrik Brinch-Pedersen. “We can suddenly see the hidden distribution of species and biomass without digging up the whole field.”

International recognition

The method was developed by a research team consisting of Nurbanu Shynggyskyzy, Claus Krogh Madsen, Per L. Gregersen, Jim Rasmussen, Uffe Jørgensen, and Henrik Brinch-Pedersen. It has been published in the renowned journal Plant Physiology and has already received special attention in an accompanying News & Views article, where international experts highlight it as a breakthrough.

What can it be used for?

The new technology opens up a wide range of applications:

• Climate research: Accurately measuring how much carbon different crops store in the soil is crucial for documenting and improving agriculture’s climate contribution.
• Plant breeding: The method enables researchers to select varieties that send more biomass belowground without reducing aboveground yields.
• Biodiversity: In grasslands and mixed crops, it is now possible to see how species compete or cooperate underground, something that was almost impossible before.

“We see great potential in using this method to develop varieties that store more carbon in the soil. It could become an important tool in future agriculture,” says Henrik Brinch-Pedersen.

Roots as a climate solution

It is no coincidence that researchers are focusing on roots. While we usually think of wind turbines and electric cars as climate solutions, plant root systems also hold great potential in the form of biological carbon storage.

When plants grow, they draw CO₂ from the atmosphere and send part of the carbon into their roots. There, it can remain stored in the soil for decades, or even centuries, if we can develop cropping systems that maximize this potential.

Without precise measurement tools, however, it has been difficult to document the effect. This is where the new DNA technology could become a gamechanger.

Limitations and next steps

The method is not without challenges. For example, genetic hybrids such as ryegrass and Italian ryegrass can be difficult to distinguish because their DNA is so similar. And the method requires developing specific DNA probes for each species researchers wish to measure.

“For us, the most important thing is that we have shown it can be done. That is the foundation we can build upon. Our vision is to expand the DNA library so that in the future we can measure many more species directly in soil samples,” says Henrik Brinch-Pedersen.

Where researchers previously depended on time-consuming fieldwork, the new method allows root analysis to be carried out quickly, precisely, and on a much larger scale.

That means researchers can now take a precise look into the underground world that has so far remained hidden.

Reference: Shynggyskyzy N, Madsen CK, Gregersen PL, et al. Digital PCR enables direct root biomass quantification and species profiling in soil samples. Plant Physiol. 2025. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf276

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A rare total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon, will be visible across the UAE on Sunday evening, treating skywatchers to one of the year’s most dramatic celestial sights.

The celestial show will appear for about five and a half hours, as the Moon passes through the Earth’s shadow.

It will play out in a sequence of phases, visible across the UAE and around the world.

“This is one of the rare astronomical events happening in the UAE in 2025,” Khadijah Ahmed, operations manager at the Dubai Astronomy Group, told The National. “We will host an event for the eclipse and encourage everyone to witness it. You don’t need any special equipment – just go outside and look up.”

It will be visible to about 87 per cent of the world’s population, including those in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and Australia.

Timeline of the dramatic phases

It begins at 7.28pm GST, when the Moon enters the faint outer edge of Earth’s shadow in what is known as the penumbral phase. The change will be faint at first, but by 8.27pm it will look as though a dark bite has been taken out of the Moon.

Totality, when the Moon is covered completely by the Earth’s shadow, will take place at 9.30pm, turning the lunar surface a striking shade of red or copper.

The eclipse reaches its peak at 10.12pm and totality continues until 10.53pm.

From there, the shadow will gradually recede, until the eclipse has ended just before 1am on Monday. The Moon will spend 82 minutes fully eclipsed, making it one of the longest total lunar eclipses in years.

Why it happens

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Sun, Earth and Moon line up perfectly, with the planet casting its shadow across the Moon.

Instead of disappearing, the Moon takes on a dramatic new look because sunlight bends through Earth’s atmosphere, which filters out the blues and lets the red and orange tones shine, giving it the Blood Moon moniker.

Where to watch the eclipse

The eclipse will be visible across all seven emirates, but skywatchers interested in a community experience can observe it with the Dubai Astronomy Group.

It is hosting a public viewing event at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library from 7pm to 11pm, with tickets priced at Dh250 ($68) for adults and Dh200 for children.

There will be telescopes and astronomy-themed activities.

The organisation will also lead a global livestream, in collaboration with observatories and astronomy groups from more than a dozen countries including Spain, Australia, India, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The group is also plans to capture an image of the Moon eclipsed over Burj Khalifa.

Long wait for the next one

Those who miss Sunday’s spectacle will have to wait until July 6, 2028, to view another lunar eclipse in the UAE’s skies.

That will only be a partial eclipse, with a portion of the Moon darkened by the Earth’s shadow. The next total lunar eclipse in the UAE will be on December 31, 2028 – a New Year’s Eve Blood Moon that will last more than five hours.

Apollo 17 – NASA, 1972. Geologist-Astronaut Harrison Schmitt worked next to a huge, split boulder at geology Station 6 on the sloping base of North Massif during the third Apollo 17 extravehicular activity. Artist NASA. (Photo by Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Heritage Space/Heritage Images via Getty Images

Of our Moon’s many remaining secrets, one could be evidence for Earth’s earliest biology in what has been termed a lunar ‘lava sandwich.’

Finding organics beneath ancient lunar lava, oddly enough, has the potential to usher in a game-changing understanding of life’s origin on Earth. Our own planet’s active geology squelched our ability to retain a full history of the onset of life. But the Moon’s geological record may open a window in time that eludes us here on Earth.

Records of organic and biological evolution on Earth stopped around 3.8 billion years ago, Mark Sephton, a geochemist at the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College London, tells me in his office. Yet, the Moon may contain older preserved materials that were circulating near to Earth when it was just becoming habitable, Sephton tells me.

First there would need to be a lava flow from the lunar interior that acts as a bit of lunar asphalt on which an organically, or potentially bio-rich meteorite or planetary fragment would serendipitously fall onto the lunar surface. Then within a relatively short geological time frame — perhaps spanning as little as only tens of millions of years, a second lunar lava flow or eruption would insulate the organic material in a protective ‘lava sandwich.’

It could literally be almost any spot on the Moon that underwent a lava repaving, says Sephton. The only caveat is that you would have to have some delivery mechanism to the surface of the nascent Moon, so that this meteoritic or planetary material would arrive when the first layer of lava was already down, he says.

In theory, as Sephton and colleagues noted in a 2015 study, such a lava sandwich could protect this precious trapped material from cosmic ray exposure and/or further degradation for billions of years.

In other words, such materials may simply be waiting for future robotic probes to find them — potentially either in exposed lunar outcrops or by drilling beneath the surface itself.

We often talk about the transition from prebiotic to biotic, says Sephton. There is little evidence of this on Earth because of the rock cycle, he notes. But perhaps records of the first chemical steps towards life were ejected into space and then fell onto the Moon, says Sephton.

In a 2002 paper appearing in the journal ICARUS, the authors note that our Moon may preserve material not only from Earth, but also from Venus. The only attainable record of Venus’ early surface geology, catastrophically erased 700 million years ago, is probably also on the Moon, they write.

It’d be interesting to see molecules where early life has started to generate molecular machinery that’s working but isn’t quite as efficient as the molecular machinery that we have in our present-day biosphere, says Sephton.

Are any regions of the Moon particularly good candidates for such samples?

There are multiple places on the Moon with layered lava flows, Oceanus Procellarum — a large near-side lunar mare — is certainly one, as are other mare regions, Ian Crawford, a planetary scientist at the University of London’s Birkbeck College, tells me via email.

High-resolution imaging from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has also identified many potential localities where layering is exposed in the walls of rilles, craters and collapse pits, he says.

As for taking an actual sample?

We would take the samples and liberate organic compounds either by extracting them with organic solvents or by heating (thermal extraction), says Sephton. The latter requires flash heating the sample to fragment the molecules, he says.

Although it would be cheaper for a potential lava sandwich prospecting mission to perform its own analysis in situ, ideally, such bio-interesting organic samples would best be returned to Earth-based labs.

Bringing samples back is the best; we’re still benefiting from the rocks that came back from the Moon, says Sephton. The longer these samples are on Earth, the more opportunity for people to come along and say, “I have a new technique; a new type of mineral characterization; a new question,” he says.

The Oceanus Procellarum on the lunar Near Side as taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

Ancient Lava

The oldest lava flows will be buried by younger ones so identifying and sampling these may mean drilling down hundreds of meters, which will require quite a lot of infrastructure, so a Moon base would help, says Crawford. But there are other options for paleoregolith preservation in addition to lava flows, he says.

Case in point, in 1972, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt, the only geologist to walk the lunar surface, stumbled across orange and black pyroclastic beads in the Moon’s Taurus Littrow Valley. These kinds of pyroclastic volcanic eruptions could have conceivably cloaked and preserved ancient organics as well.

The ideal case would be to find a terrestrial meteorite containing organic molecules, or conceivably micro-fossils, from a time that Earth’s own geological record has not preserved, says Crawford.

ForbesMoon’s Far Side Marks Astronomy’s Final Frontier, Says Big Bang CosmologistBy Bruce Dorminey

Scientists have recreated a crucial step that may have set life in motion nearly four billion years ago.

By showing how amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, could spontaneously link with RNA under early Earth conditions, researchers have revealed a potential missing link in biology’s origins.

Origins of Life’s Building Blocks

Researchers at UCL have discovered how two essential ingredients of life, RNA (ribonucleic acid) and amino acids, may have naturally combined about four billion years ago at the dawn of life.

Amino acids are the basic components of proteins, which act as the engines of life and drive nearly every biological function. However, proteins cannot copy themselves or generate instructions for their own production. Those instructions come from RNA, a molecule closely related to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).

Proteins, RNA, and the Blueprint of Life

In findings published in Nature, the team successfully attached amino acids to RNA under conditions similar to those that might have existed on early Earth. Scientists have been attempting to accomplish this since the early 1970s without success until now.

Professor Matthew Powner, senior author from UCL’s Department of Chemistry, explained: “Life relies on the ability to synthesize proteins – they are life’s key functional molecules. Understanding the origin of protein synthesis is fundamental to understanding where life came from.

“Our study is a big step towards this goal, showing how RNA might have first come to control protein synthesis.

Toward Understanding Protein Synthesis

“Life today uses an immensely complex molecular machine, the ribosome, to synthesize proteins. This machine requires chemical instructions written in messenger RNA, which carries a gene’s sequence from a cell’s DNA to the ribosome. The ribosome then, like a factory assembly line, reads this RNA and links together amino acids, one by one, to create a protein.

“We have achieved the first part of that complex process, using very simple chemistry in water at neutral pH to link amino acids to RNA. The chemistry is spontaneous, selective, and could have occurred on the early Earth.”

Simple Chemistry with Big Implications

Previous attempts to attach amino acids to RNA used highly reactive molecules, but these broke down in water and caused the amino acids to react with each other, rather than become linked to RNA.

For the new study, the researchers took inspiration from biology, using a gentler method to convert life’s amino acids into a reactive form. This activation involved a thioester, a high-energy chemical compound important in many of life’s biochemical processes and that has already been theorized to play a role at the start of life.^[1]

Professor Powner said: “Our study unites two prominent origin of life theories – the ‘RNA world’, where self-replicating RNA is proposed to be fundamental, and the ‘thioester world’, in which thioesters are seen as the energy source for the earliest forms of life.”

Bridging Competing Origin Theories

To form these thioesters, the amino acids react with a sulfur-bearing compound called pantetheine. Last year, the same team published a paper demonstrating that pantetheine can be synthesized under early Earth-like conditions, suggesting it was likely to play a role in the origin of life.

The next step, the researchers said, was to determine how RNA sequences could bind preferentially to specific amino acids, allowing RNA to begin coding instructions for protein synthesis—the origin of the genetic code.

“There are numerous problems to overcome before we can fully elucidate the origin of life, but the most challenging and exciting remains the origins of protein synthesis,” said Professor Powner.

Lead author Dr. Jyoti Singh, from UCL Chemistry, said: “Imagine the day that chemists might take simple, small molecules, consisting of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur atoms, and from these LEGO pieces form molecules capable of self-replication. This would be a monumental step towards solving the question of life’s origin.

“Our study brings us closer to that goal by demonstrating how two primordial chemical LEGO pieces (activated amino acids and RNA) could have built peptides,^[2] short chains of amino acids that are essential to life.

“What is particularly groundbreaking is that the activated amino acid used in this study is a thioester, a type of molecule made from Coenzyme A, a chemical found in all living cells. This discovery could potentially link metabolism, the genetic code, and protein building.”

While the paper focuses solely on the chemistry, the research team said that the reactions they demonstrated could plausibly have taken place in pools or lakes of water on the early Earth (but not likely in the oceans, as the concentrations of the chemicals would likely be too diluted).

The reactions are too small to see with a visible-light microscope and were tracked using a range of techniques that are used to probe the structure of molecules, including several types of magnetic resonance imaging (which shows how the atoms are arranged) and mass spectrometry (which shows the size of molecules).

Notes

1. The Nobel laureate Christian de Duve proposed that life began with a “thioester world” – a metabolism-first theory that envisages life was started by chemical reactions powered by the energy in thioesters.
2. Peptides typically consist of two to 50 amino acids, while proteins are larger, often containing hundreds or even thousands of amino acids, and are folded into a 3D shape. As part of their study, the research team showed how, once the amino acids were loaded onto the RNA, they could be synthesized with other amino acids to form peptides.

Reference: “Thioester-mediated RNA aminoacylation and peptidyl-RNA synthesis in water” by Jyoti Singh, Benjamin Thoma, Daniel Whitaker, Max Satterly Webley, Yuan Yao and Matthew W. Powner, 27 August 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09388-y

The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Simons Foundation and the Royal Society.

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Not every item at a crime scene is the key to solving the crime, and not every mutation in a protein causes disease. Distinguishing between benign variability and pathogenic mutations in a disease-associated protein is challenging. One approach is to determine whether the mutation causes structural changes in the protein, as this may indicate a change in its function.

There are several methods to identify protein structure changes, each with its own strengths and limitations, including mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, and protein gels. While mass spectrometry and NMR can give very detailed molecular information, they are expensive and cumbersome. Protein gels are faster but provide less quantifiable results. A recent paper from Michael Wang’s lab at the University of Michigan, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, has added a new tool to the list that is quick and easy to perform and provides quantifiable results, suitable for high throughput screens when researchers just need to know if a protein structure is altered.

Wang and the first author, research specialist Naw May Pearl Cartee, demonstrated how their assay identifies structural changes by screening a range of mutations in the NOTCH3 protein. NOTCH3 is a membrane-bound receptor involved in maintaining smooth muscle, particularly in blood vessels. More than 200 NOTCH3 mutations have been associated with a rare genetic vascular disease, cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, or CADASIL, but only some of them are likely causal.

CADASIL causes frequent strokes, migraines, mood disorders and dementia. It is characterized by progressive accumulation of deposits of NOTCH3 in the walls of small arteries, though it is unclear whether the deposits themselves, the disruption of NOTCH3 signaling or a combination is what drives the disease.

To understand the effects of NOTCH3 mutations on protein structure and localization, Pearl redesigned a split-luciferase assay. The assay relies on a glowing luciferase molecule that has been split into two non-glowing parts. Cartee placed the luciferase pieces on opposite ends of NOTCH3, so the structure of the protein determines how close the luciferase pieces are, which in turn determines if they can glow. The amount of glow can be quantified as a readout for protein structure.

The assay, combined with straightforward follow-up experiments, can also quantify secretion of proteins, as mutations can also affect protein trafficking. Using this workflow, the team characterized more than a dozen NOTCH3 mutations.

Wang and Cartee’s work supported previous studies showing that mutations that change the number of cysteines from even to odd and alter disulfide bonds are the most disruptive to NOTCH3 structure. They also showed that adding mutations that bring the cysteine count back to an even number suppresses the detrimental effects, information which could lead to better diagnosis and treatments, especially if combined with more clinical data.

The assay has one very big benefit that may make it appealing to other researchers: “This is an easy assay,” Pearl said, “You just transfect and the next day you change the media and let it go for a few hours.” The quick protocol makes it good for screening a high number of mutations.

In addition, Wang explained that the assay is practical in two other ways: First, it isn’t binary, so it allows you to rank mutations by how damaging they are, rather than a yes or no.

Second, correctly folded NOTCH3 holds the luciferase halves together, allowing glowing, while unfolded reduces glowing. Wang explained that this is ideal for high-throughput drug screening, since you’d be looking for a restoration of signal in the presence of a therapeutic structure-restoring compound, which is much less likely to occur through nonspecific effects. 

The assay works particularly well in proteins like NOTCH3, where cysteine mutations play a big role. “It would be ideal if everybody working on a cysteine-related disease could use the assay,” Wang said. I’m hoping people can apply it.”

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has issued a chilling update on the mysterious interstellar object passing through our solar system, which many fear is an alien UFO.

The comet was first discovered in July and is being dubbed 3I/ATLAS. However, now experts have discovered some of its archival images that date back to May 7.

The images discovered using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) reveals astonishing details about the comet’s behaviour.

The space object’s unusual behaviour has rattled experts as the comparison between May and July images revealed that the comet has gotten five times brighter between May and July and scientists expect it to get brighter as it closes in on Earth.

The distance travelled by the comet only explains the 1.5 times brightness increase and this unusual intensity has raised alarms.

A Harvard physicist Professor Avi Loeb has already pointed out the unusual behaviour of the comet declaring it to be an alien spacecraft, urging governments to take defensive measures.

The new discovery using TESS has confirmed that the comet has come from outside the solar system.

An astronomer at University of Manchester, Professor Michael Garrett told Daily Mail, “Brightening cannot be explained by geometry alone,” adding that if the interstellar object isn’t symmetrical, then it rotates and we see different parts of the surface.

“The bigger the comet looks, the brighter it will be,” he further added. 

Asteroid 2025 QH16 makes its presence known as a reminder that the night sky is never completely still. Although space often appears calm and infinite, near-Earth objects like this asteroid can approach our planet, drawing attention from astronomers worldwide. Measuring roughly 43 feet across and traveling at more than 18,500 miles per hour, it will safely pass Earth on September 2, 2025, at a distance exceeding 2.8 million miles. Its close approach underscores the ongoing need for asteroid monitoring, planetary defense strategies, and international scientific collaboration, proving that even seemingly quiet skies can host dynamic cosmic activity.

Asteroid 2025 QH16 approaching Earth today: Size, speed and distance

Asteroid 2025 QH16 is a relatively small near-Earth object, measuring around 43 feet (approximately 13 meters) wide. Despite its modest size, it travels at an astonishing speed of 18,583 miles per hour (29,900 kilometers per hour).On September 2, 2025, the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at a distance of 2,810,000 miles (4.52 million kilometers). To put this in perspective, it is more than 11 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. While this may seem far, astronomers categorize such a flyby as “close” in cosmic terms, as asteroids of this size rarely pass within a few million miles of Earth.The asteroid belongs to the Aten group, a category of near-Earth asteroids whose orbits frequently intersect Earth’s path. While Aten asteroids are closely watched because of their orbital patterns, experts confirm that 2025 QH16 poses no threat to the planet.

Why 2025 QH16 is not classified as hazardous

NASA classifies an asteroid as potentially hazardous if it meets two criteria: size and proximity. Specifically:

Since 2025 QH16 is only 43 feet wide and will remain well outside the hazardous distance threshold, it does not qualify as a dangerous asteroid. Scientists emphasise that tracking these small objects remains essential, even when they are not hazardous, as slight changes in their orbits could alter their trajectories over time.

How space agencies track asteroids and prepare for future threats

Even seemingly harmless asteroids are carefully observed. Small gravitational nudges from planets, the Sun, or other objects can subtly shift an asteroid’s orbit, sometimes enough to change its future trajectory.To maintain readiness, global space agencies—including NASA, ESA, JAXA, and ISRO—coordinate to track near-Earth objects (NEOs) continuously. This ensures early detection of any unexpected path changes and provides time for mitigation strategies if needed.For example, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath has highlighted upcoming missions to study large asteroids, such as Apophis in 2029. Such initiatives will include collaborative research, orbital studies, and potentially landing missions, increasing global preparedness for future asteroid encounters.

Asteroid 2025 QH16 flyby highlights the importance of planetary vigilance

Although asteroid 2025 QH16 will safely pass Earth, its approach is a reminder of the dynamic nature of our solar system. A calm night sky can suddenly host fast-moving visitors, emphasizing the importance of scientific vigilance.The flyby also underscores why nations invest in planetary defense programs, asteroid tracking technologies, and collaborative research. By studying even small near-Earth objects, scientists can improve predictions, understand asteroid behavior, and prepare for any future risks.Events like 2025 QH16’s passage highlight both the excitement of space exploration and the necessity of continuous observation. Humanity’s efforts to monitor near-Earth objects are as much about scientific discovery as they are about protecting our planet from rare, but potentially serious, cosmic hazards.Also Read | Lunar eclipse 2025: Over 7 billion people to witness rare ‘Chandra Grahan’ on September 7; how to watch the blood moon and essential tips