Air pollution has been linked to a swathe of lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, in a study of people diagnosed with the disease despite never having smoked tobacco.
The findings from an investigation into cancer patients around the world helps explain why never-smokers make up a rising proportion of people developing the cancer, a trend the researchers called an “urgent and growing global problem”.
Prof Ludmil Alexandrov, a senior author on the study at the University of California in San Diego, said researchers had observed the “problematic trend” but had not understood the cause. “Our research shows that air pollution is strongly associated with the same types of DNA mutations we typically associate with smoking,” he said.
The scientists analysed the entire genetic code of lung tumours removed from 871 never-smokers in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia as part of the Sherlock-Lung study. They found that the higher the levels of air pollution in a region, the more cancer-driving and cancer-promoting mutations were present in residents’ tumours.
Fine-particulate air pollution was particularly linked to mutations in the TP53 gene. These have previously been associated with tobacco smoking. People exposed to greater air pollution also had shorter telomeres, protective strands of DNA found at the ends of chromosomes, which are often compared with the caps on shoelaces. Telomeres tend to shorten with age, so premature telomere shortening is interpreted as a sign of rapid ageing.
“This is an urgent and growing global problem that we are working to understand,” said Dr Maria Teresa Landi, an epidemiologist on the study at the US National Cancer Institute in Maryland.
With smoking in decline in many parts of the world, including the UK and the US, never-smokers are making up a larger proportion of lung cancer patients. Current estimates suggest that 10-25% of lung cancers are now diagnosed in never-smokers. Almost all are a form of cancer known as adenocarcinoma.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. About 2.5m new cases are diagnosed globally each year. More than a million of the deaths occur in China, where smoking, air pollution and other environmental contaminants are factors.
Recent research found that the highest rates of adenocarcinoma attributable to air pollution were in east Asia. While cases in the UK were much lower, they still amounted to more than 1,100 new diagnoses a year, scientists found.
The latest work, published in Nature, identified only a slight rise in cancer-causing mutations in people exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. But the study highlighted a significant risk from certain Chinese herbal medicines that contain aristolochic acid. Signature mutations linked to the herbal medicines were seen almost exclusively in never-smokers from Taiwan.
Another mysterious mutational signature was seen in never-smokers but not smokers. “This is something entirely different,” Alexandrov said.
Now, a study published on July 2 in Nature has uncovered compelling genomic evidence that points to air pollution—and other environmental exposures—as a potential major factor behind this growing public health concern. The study was jointly led by researchers at the University of California San Diego and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“We’re seeing this problematic trend that never-smokers are increasingly getting lung cancer, but we haven’t understood why,” said study co-senior author Ludmil Alexandrov, professor of bioengineering and cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, and member of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “Our research shows that air pollution is strongly associated with the same types of DNA mutations we typically associate with smoking.”
“This is an urgent and growing global problem that we are working to understand regarding never-smokers,” said Maria Teresa Landi, epidemiologist in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the NCI and co-senior author of the study. “Most previous lung cancer studies have not separated data of smokers from non-smokers, which has limited insights into potential causes in those patients. We have designed a study to collect data from never-smokers around the world and use genomics to trace back what exposures might be causing these cancers.”
And while previous studies in the literature have shown an epidemiological link between air pollution and lung cancer in never-smokers, this new research goes further by showing a genomic link.
Mutational effects of air pollution
The team analyzed lung tumors from 871 never-smokers living in 28 regions with different levels of air pollution across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Using whole-genome sequencing, the researchers identified distinct patterns of DNA mutations—known as mutational signatures—that act like molecular fingerprints of past exposures.
By combining these genomic data with pollution estimates based on satellite and ground-level measurements of fine particulate matter, the researchers were able to estimate individuals’ long-term exposure to air pollution. They found that never-smokers living in more polluted environments had significantly more mutations in their lung tumors, particularly driver mutations—which directly promote cancer development—and mutational signatures linked to cancer—which serve as a record of all past mutagenic exposures. For example, these individuals had a 3.9-fold increase in a mutational signature linked to tobacco smoking and a 76% increase in another signature linked to aging.
This doesn’t mean that pollution causes a unique “air pollution mutational signature” per se, noted study co-first author Marcos Díaz-Gay, a former postdoctoral researcher in Alexandrov’s lab who is now a junior group leader at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) in Madrid, Spain. Rather, it increases the overall number of mutations, particularly in known pathways of DNA damage. “What we see is that air pollution is associated with an increase in somatic mutations, including those that fall under known mutational signatures attributed to tobacco smoking and aging,” said Díaz-Gay.
The researchers also noted a dose-response relationship: the more pollution someone was exposed to, the more mutations were found in their lung tumors. These tumors also had shorter telomeres—the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes—which is a sign of accelerated cellular aging.
Surprising finding from secondhand smoke exposure
In contrast, the researchers did not find a strong genetic correlation with secondhand smoke. Lung tumors of never-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke showed only a slight increase in mutations, along with shorter telomeres, but no distinct mutational signatures or driver mutations. While exposure to secondhand smoke is a known cancer risk, its mutational effect was far less pronounced than that seen with air pollution. “If there is a mutagenic effect of secondhand smoke, it may be too weak for our current tools to detect,” said study co-first author Tongwu Zhang, an Earl Stadtman Investigator in the Biostatistics Branch of the NCI. “However, its biological effects are still evident in the significant telomere shortening.”
The researchers acknowledged that their analysis could be further limited by the complexity of measuring secondhand smoke exposure. “It’s difficult to get that kind of information because it depends on various factors such as amount of time one was exposed; how far one was from exposure; and how often one shared a space with someone else who smoked, for example,” said Díaz-Gay.
Risk found from herbal medicine
In addition to air pollution, researchers identified another environmental risk: aristolochic acid, a carcinogen found in certain traditional Chinese herbal medicines. A specific mutational signature linked to aristolochic acid was found almost exclusively in lung cancer cases of never-smokers from Taiwan. Though aristolochic acid has previously been linked to bladder, gastrointestinal, kidney and liver cancers from ingestion, this is the first study to report evidence that it may contribute to lung cancer. The researchers suspect that these cases may arise from inhalation of traditional Chinese herbal medicines, but more data are needed to support their hypothesis.
“This raises new concerns about how traditional remedies might unintentionally raise cancer risk,” said Landi. “It also presents a public health opportunity for cancer prevention—particularly in Asia.”
New signature, new questions
In another intriguing discovery, the team identified a new mutational signature that appears in the lung cancers of most never-smokers but is absent in smokers. Its cause remains unknown—it did not correlate with air pollution or any other known environmental exposure. “We see it in a majority of cases in this study, but we don’t yet know what’s driving it,” said Alexandrov. “This is something entirely different, and it opens up a whole new area of investigation.”
Next steps
Moving forward, the researchers are expanding their study to include lung cancer cases of never-smokers from Latin America, the Middle East and more regions of Africa. The researchers are also turning their attention to other potential risks. One focus is on marijuana and e-cigarette use, particularly among younger people who have never smoked tobacco. The team is investigating whether these exposures may also contribute to mutational changes in lung tissue. They also aim to study other environmental risks—such as radon and asbestos—as well as gather more detailed pollution data at local and individual levels.
Full study: “The mutagenic forces shaping the genomes of lung cancer in never smokers.”
This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (project ZIACP101231); NIH grants R01ES032547-01, R01CA269919-01, and 1U01CA290479-01; a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering; and UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute.
Disclosures: Ludmil B. Alexandrov is a co-founder, CSO, scientific advisory member and consultant for io9. Alexandrov has equity in and receives income from io9. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of California San Diego in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. Alexandrov is also a compensated member of the scientific advisory board of Inocras. Alexandrov’s spouse is an employee of Biotheranostics. Alexandrov and study co-author Erik N. Bergstrom declare a U.S. provisional patent application filed with UC San Diego with serial numbers 63/269,033. Alexandrov also declares U.S. provisional applications filed with UC San Diego with serial numbers: 63/366,392; 63/289,601; 63/483,237; 63/412,835; and 63/492,348. Alexandrov is also an inventor of a U.S. Patent 10,776,718 for source identification by non-negative matrix factorization. Alexandrov and study co-first author Marcos Díaz-Gay further declare a European patent application with application number EP25305077.7. Study co-author Soo-Ryum Yang has received consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Amgen, AbbVie and Sanofi; and received speaking fees from AstraZeneca, Medscape, PRIME Education and Medical Learning Institute. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Some planets take the expression “you’re your own worst enemy” to the extreme. At least, that’s what astronomers found when they recently discovered a doomed planet clinging to its parent star so tightly that it’s triggering explosive outbursts and destroying itself.
The clingy, self-destructive extrasolar planet, or “exoplanet,” in question is called HIP 67522 b. It orbits a young, 17 million-year-old star so closely that one of its years lasts just one Earth week.
Considering our middle-aged star, the sun, is 4.6 billion years old, the stellar parent of this clingy exoplanet (called HIP 67522) is a relative infant. This means it is bursting with energy.
Since the mid-1990s, when the first exoplanets were discovered, astronomers have pondered whether exoplanets can orbit their stars closely enough that stellar magnetic fields are impacted. Over 5,000 exoplanet discoveries later and astronomers still hadn’t found the answer.
That is, until now.
“We hadn’t seen any systems like HIP 67522 before; when the planet was found, it was the youngest planet known to be orbiting its host star in less than 10 days,” team leader and Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) researcher Ekaterina Ilin said in a statement. “I have a million questions because this is a completely new phenomenon, so the details are still not clear.”
Kid planet triggers stellar parent
The team discovered HIP 67522 while using NASA’s exoplanet hunting spacecraft TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) to survey flaring stars.
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TESS discovered some interesting characteristics of HIP 67522, prompting a follow-up investigation with the European Space Agency (ESA) mission Cheops (Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite).
“We quickly requested observing time with Cheops, which can target individual stars on demand, ultra precisely,” Ilin said. “With Cheops, we saw more flares, taking the total count to 15, almost all coming in our direction as the planet transited in front of the star as seen from Earth.”
An illustration shows the planet HIP 67522 b sending a wave of energy down the magnetic field lines towards the surface of its host star triggering a massive flare. (Image credit: Danielle Futselaar)
Ilin and colleagues discovered that the stellar flares being thrown out by HIP 67522 occur when its clingy planet passes in front of, or “transits,” the star. That means these flares are very likely triggered by the planet itself. The team theorizes this occurs because HIP 67522 b is so close to its star that it exerts a magnetic influence on the star.
As the planet whips around the star, it gathers energy, which is redirected as waves rippling down the star’s magnetic field lines. When a wave hits the stellar surface, a massive flare is triggered.
“The planet seems to be triggering particularly energetic flares,” Ilin explained. “The waves it sends along the star’s magnetic field lines kick off flares at specific moments. But the energy of the flares is much higher than the energy of the waves.
“We think that the waves are setting off explosions that are waiting to happen.”
A diagram of how a clingy planet can cause its stellar parent to blow its top. (Image credit: ESA)
This is therefore the first hard evidence that planets can influence the behavior of their stars.
HIP 67522 b isn’t just triggering flares facing nowhere, though. These induced flares are directed toward the world itself. In particular, it is bombarded with around six times the radiation a planet at this orbital distance usually would experience.
As you might imagine, this bombardment spells doom for HIP 67522 b. The planet is currently around the size of Jupiter, but it has around the density of candy floss.
The planet’s wispy outer layers are being stripped away by harsh radiation, causing the planet to lose even the little mass it has. Over the next 100 million years, HIP 67522 b is expected to drop from the size of Jupiter to around the size of Neptune. The team doesn’t actually quite know how extreme the damage these self-inflicted flares could be for HIP 67522 b.
“There are two things that I think are most important to do now. The first is to follow up in different wavelengths to find out what kind of energy is being released in these flares — for example, ultraviolet and X-rays are especially bad news for the exoplanet,” Ilin said. “The second is to find and study other similar star-planet systems; by moving from a single case to a group of 10 to 100 systems, theoretical astronomers will have something to work with.”
The team’s research was published on Wednesday (July 2) in the journal Nature.
When we think about what makes an audiobook memorable, it’s always the most human moments: a catch in the throat when tears are near, or words spoken through a real smile.
A Melbourne actor and audiobook narrator, Annabelle Tudor, says it’s the instinct we have as storytellers that makes narration such a primal, and precious, skill. “The voice betrays how we’re feeling really easily,” she says.
But as an art form it may be under threat.
In May the Amazon-owned audiobook provider Audible announced it would allow authors and publishers to choose from more than 100 voices created by artificial intelligence to narrate audiobooks in English, Spanish, French and Italian, with AI translation of audiobooks expected to be available later in the year – news that was met with criticism and curiosity across the publishing industry.
In Australia, where there are fewer audiobook companies and where emerging actors like Tudor rely on the work to supplement their incomes, there is growing concern about job losses, transparency and quality.
While Tudor, who has narrated 48 books, isn’t convinced that AI can do what she does just yet, she is worried that the poor quality may turn people away from the medium.
“I’ve narrated really raunchy sex scenes – AI doesn’t know what an orgasm sounds like,” she says. “Birth scenes as well – I’d love to know how they plan on getting around that.”
Audiobook giant Audible says it wants to use AI to complement, not replace, human narration. Photograph: M4OS Photos/Alamy
The audiobook boom
According to a 2024 report by NielsenIQ Bookdata, more than half of Australian audiobook consumers increased their listening over the past five years. Internationally there was a 13% increase in US audiobook sales between 2023 and 2024; in the UK audiobook revenue shot up to a new high of £268m, a 31% increase on 2023, the Publishers Association said.
As demand for audio content grows, companies are looking for faster – and cheaper – ways to make it. In January 2023 Apple launched a new audiobook catalogue of audiobooks narrated by AI. Later that year Amazon announced that self-published, US-based authors with works on Kindle could turn their ebooks into audiobooks using AI “virtual voice” technology – and there are now tens of thousands of these computer-generated audiobooks available through Audible.
And in February this year, as part of a more general shift towards audiobooks, Spotify said it would be accepting AI audiobooks to “lower the barrier to entry” for authors hoping to find more readers.
Audible says its aims are similar: to complement, not replace, human narration, allowing more authors and more titles to reach bigger audiences. In the US Audible is also testing a voice replica for audiobook narrators, to create dupes of their own voices that will “empower participants to expand their production capabilities for high-quality audiobooks”.
“In 2023 and 2024, Audible Studios hired more [human] narrators than ever before,” an Audible spokesperson told the Guardian. “We continue to hear from creators who want to make their work available in audio, reaching new audiences across languages.”
But robot narrators will always be cheaper than humans – and people in the voice acting and book industries fear a move to AI could pose a threat to workers.
Volume or quality?
Dorje Swallow’s career as a narrator took off after he began voicing novels by the Australian bestselling crime author Chris Hammer – and the actor has now narrated about 70 audiobooks. Swallow believes AI narration is a tool created by people who “don’t understand the value, technique and skills” required to produce quality audiobooks.
“We’ve done the hard yards and then some to get where we are, and to think you can just press a button and you’re going to get something of similar, or good enough quality, is kind of laughable,” he says.
Simon Kennedy, the president of the Australian Association of Voice Actors, says there has always been a battle over how much a narrator deserves to be paid in Australia. For every finished hour of an audiobook, a narrator might spend double or triple that time recording it – and that doesn’t include an initial read to understand the book and its characters.
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“My personal opinion is that [introducing AI narrators] is going for volume over quality – and it’s looking to cheapen the process,” he says.
Kennedy founded the Australian Association of Voice Actors in 2024 in response to the threat being posed by AI. In a submission to a parliamentary committee last year the organisation said 5,000 Australian voice acting jobs were at risk.
He was hardly surprised about Audible’s announcement but says he thinks it’s a “pretty dumb move”.
“An audiobook narrator has such a special and intimate relationship with the listener that to try and do anything that is less connective is a foolish move,” he says.
As for the opportunity to clone their own voices, he says voice actors should have the right to engage – but they shouldn’t expect “any near the same pay rate, and they risk turning their unique timbre – their vocal brand – into a mass-produced robot voice that listeners get sick of listening to pretty quickly.”.
“If an emotionless narration at a consistent volume is all you need for ‘high-quality’, then sure,” he says. “But if engaging, gripping, edge-of-your-seat storytelling is your version of high-quality, then don’t hold your breath for AI to give you that.”
Another major concern is Australia’s lack of AI regulation. While the EU has its own AI Act, and China and Spain have labelling laws for AI-generated content, Australia is falling behind.
“There are no laws to prevent data scraping or non-consenting cloning of voices, or of creating deepfakes of people,” Kennedy says. “There are also no labelling laws or laws to mandate watermarking of AI-generated content and its origins; no laws to mandate transparency of training data; and no laws to dictate the appropriate use of AI-generated deepfakes, voice clones or text.”
Author Hannah Kent fears the use of AI will ‘cheapen things in a creative sense’. Photograph: Carrie Jones/The Guardian
This year the Burial Rites and Devotionauthor, Hannah Kent, was one of many acclaimed Australian writers shocked to discover their pirated work had been used to train Meta’s AI systems. She says while her initial reaction to the introduction of AI into creative spaces tends to be “refusal and outrage”, she’s curious about Audible’s AI announcement – specifically its plans to roll out beta testing for AI to translate text into different languages.
“I think it’s fairly obvious that the main reason to use AI would be for costs, and I think that’s going to cheapen things in a literal sense and cheapen things in a creative sense – in that sense of us honouring the storytelling, artistic and creative impulse,” Kent says.
Tudor and Swallow believe big companies will struggle to replace human narration completely, partly because many Australian authors will oppose it.
But whether or not listeners will be able to tell the difference remains to be seen.
“The foot is on the pedal to drive straight into dystopia,” Tudor says. “Can we just listen to people instead of robots?”
United States Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley today named Gary Woodland as his fifth and final vice captain for the 45th Ryder Cup, which will be played September 23-28, 2025, at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.
Bradley previously appointed Jim Furyk, Kevin Kisner, Webb Simpson and Brandt Snedeker as vice captains.
“I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for Gary and all he has accomplished in this game,” said Bradley. “As a major champion and someone who is still competing at a high level, he is well aware of the demands of performing on golf’s biggest stages. He will be a valuable leader for us over the coming months and throughout the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.”
Woodland will be making his first Ryder Cup appearance as a vice captain or player. The 41-year-old represented the U.S. in the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, where he tallied 1.5 points in a 16-14 U.S. victory.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to Keegan for the opportunity to support the U.S. Team at the 2025 Ryder Cup,” said Woodland. “Keegan’s passion for this event is contagious and I am thrilled to be a part of it. With just over two months to go until we arrive at Bethpage, I am fully committed to doing everything I can to help Keegan as well as our team of vice captains and players.”
The Topeka, Kansas, native is a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR with 56 top-10 finishes in 383 career starts. He captured the 2019 U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach, shooting 13-under 271 to win by three. Woodland was the recipient of the 2025 PGA TOUR Courage Award, presented to a person who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the game of golf.
Mission Control is developing an AI-powered wildfire detection system to deliver real-time satellite data to first responders, supported by the Canadian Space Agency’s smartEarth initiative.
OTTAWA, Canada, July 2, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Mission Control is proud to announce the development and upcoming demonstration of an innovative Earth observation application designed to enhance real-time wildfire response using AI technology. As wildfires grow more intense and frequent, Mission Control aims to provide critical satellite data to first responders in near real-time—improving safety, responsiveness, and environmental protection.
Supported by the Canadian Space Agency’s smartEarth funding initiative, the project—Onboard Satellite Detection for Real-Time Wildfire Response—advances Mission Control’s objective to accelerate the delivery of actionable intelligence from space. Traditionally, space-based Earth observation data can take hours to reach decision-makers. This advancement aims to reduce that timeframe to mere minutes.
At the core of the initiative is FireBAN (Fire Band Analysis Network), a machine learning algorithm that will be trained on new wildfire datasets gathered from both drones and satellites. Once trained, FireBAN will be deployed onboard Persistence, Mission Control’s AI-powered satellite operating in low Earth orbit. The satellite will process data in orbit to detect wildfires in real time and transmit the results directly to wildfire managers—and, critically, to at-risk communities through our partnership with Eagle Flight Network. This collaboration ensures that timely, actionable data is delivered not only to operational leaders but also to those most vulnerable to wildfire impacts.
The team brings together Mission Control’s world-leading expertise in on-orbit neural networks, Eagle Flight Network’s leadership in Indigenous community engagement and ground systems, and wildfire science and operational insight from Dr. Cordy Tymstra and Rob McAlpine, who together bring over 60 years of combined experience in wildfire management.
The project is further strengthened by its geographic diversity—with organizations based across Ontario and Alberta—and a student participation plan that will involve two students in STEM-focused activities, helping to build the next generation of innovators in Earth observation and space-based AI.
As wildfires continue to threaten lives, infrastructure, and ecosystems, Mission Control’s onboard detection technology promises to be a critical advancement in Canada’s national response capabilities, safeguarding the health, security, and environment of Canadians and communities around the world.
About Mission Control: Mission Control empowers explorers by innovating to make advanced technology viable for use in space. Using Spacefarer™ and SpacefarerAI™, customers can simplify mission development and operations while unlocking the potential of new scientific and commercial opportunities on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and beyond. Spacefarer™ is being trusted for multiple missions to the Moon by mission controllers, scientists, and software developers who seek faster deployments, lower-cost mission development, and valuable data returns. Mission Control is inspired by a vision of the world in which access to space is ubiquitous and inspires all humans to treasure planet Earth and marvel at the universe. For more information, visit www.missioncontrolspace.com
One of the great unsolved problems in modern planetary science is written on the surface of Mars.
Mars has canyons that were carved by rivers, so it was once warm enough for liquid water. How—and why—did it become it a barren desert today?
A study led by University of Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite puts forth a new explanation for why Mars never seems to stay balmy for long. Published July 2 in Nature, their model suggests that the periods of liquid water we see in the past were initiated by the sun brightening, and that conditions on Mars mean it trends towards desert over time—in contrast to Earth, which has stayed habitable over time.
The study builds on findings from NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission that were announced in April: the rover finally found rocks rich in carbonate minerals, which could explain where Mars’ atmosphere went.
“For years, we’ve had this huge unanswered question for why Earth has managed to keep its habitability while Mars lost it,” said Kite, an associate professor of geophysical sciences who is a participating scientist for the Curiosity mission. “Our models suggest that periods of habitability on Mars have been the exception, rather than the rule, and that Mars generally self-regulates as a desert planet.”
A ‘golden age’ of Mars science
Mars has almost the same makeup as Earth—it’s a rocky planet, with plenty of carbon and water, near enough to the sun to be warmed but not cooked by it—and yet today it’s a frozen desert, while Earth teems with life. For years, scientists have been searching for an answer to why you are reading this from Earth and not Mars.
The mystery deepened when we were able to see river-carved valleys and old lakebeds on the surface of Mars, showing the planet at some point did have a climate that was warm enough for liquid water.
“Fortunately, Mars preserves a trace of that environmental catastrophe in the rocks on its surface,” Kite said. “And today we’re in a golden age of Mars science, with two plutonium-powered rovers on the surface and an international fleet of spacecraft in orbit that allow us to deeply explore the planet for these traces.”
When it comes to keeping a planet balmy and mild, it isn’t enough just to start out that way—there need to be mechanisms for stability over time that can respond to changes on and around the planet.
Scientists think that Earth does this through a finely balanced system that moves carbon from sky to rock and back again. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet, but warmer temperatures also speed up reactions that lock up carbon dioxide into rock, which eventually counteracts the temperature rise. Eventually, carbon leaks back out into the atmosphere via volcanic eruptions. Over millions of years, this cycle appears to have kept Earth relatively stable and hospitable for life.
On Mars, the researchers suggested, a similar cycle could also take place—but a self-limiting one.
It hinges on the fact that our sun’s brightness rises very, very slowly over time—about 8 percent per billion years. As the sun brightens, the scientists hypothesize, liquid water begins running on Mars. But then this water starts causing carbon dioxide to get locked into rocks, as it does on Earth, which swings the planet back to cold and barren desert.
“In contrast to Earth, where there are always some volcanoes erupting, Mars right now is volcanically dormant, and the average rate of volcanic outgassing on Mars is slow,” explained Kite. “So in that situation, you don’t really have a balance between carbon dioxide in and carbon dioxide out, because if you have even a little bit of liquid water, you’re going to draw down carbon dioxide through carbonate formation.”
The group built extensive models showing how these swings could happen. They suggest that Mars experiences short periods of liquid water, followed by 100-million-year-long periods of desert. Needless to say, a 100-million-year-long gap in habitability is bad for life.
A Martian mystery
The explanation was made possible by Curiosity’s discovery, announced earlier this year, of carbonate-rich rocks on Mars’ surface. This had been a missing piece of the puzzle for years, the scientists explained.
To have had liquid water, Mars had to have a thicker atmosphere made up of a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide. But today there’s very little atmosphere, leaving a puzzle of where the carbon went.
“People have been looking for a tomb for the atmosphere for years,” said Kite.
The simplest explanation would be that it was drawn down into rocks, as it is on Earth, but the first rover tests hadn’t turned up any evidence of carbonate-rich rocks.
It took Curiosity’s journey up a Martian mountain named Mt. Sharp to finally find these carbonate rocks. As it continues, further tests will show whether the carbonate is as widespread as researchers suspect.
“It really is something you cannot know until you have a rover on the surface,” said study coauthor Benjamin Tutolo, a professor at the University of Calgary. “The chemistry and mineralogy measurements they provide really are essential in our continuing quest to understand how and why planets stay habitable, in order to search for other hospitable worlds out in the universe.”
UChicago postdoctoral researcher Madison L. Turner was also a co-author on the study, in addition to co-authors with the University of Calgary, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Ames Research Center, California Institute of Technology, Brown University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Citation: “Carbonate formation and fluctuating habitability on Mars.” Kite et al, Nature, July 2, 2025.
Casper Canada is pulling back the covers on what perfect sleep really looks like with the launch of its bold new brand campaign: ‘This is Perfect Sleep’, the brand’s first collaboration with GUT Toronto.
Forget models in pristine bedrooms, smiling while “sleeping” in perfectly made beds. Perfect sleep is real, messy, and entirely human. From smushed faces to tangled hair and unusual positions, this campaign shows that when we’re truly asleep, we finally stop caring what anyone thinks.
Casper Canada has evolved from a revolutionary mattress-in-a-box pioneer into a Canadian-based brand obsessively focused on sleep and leading in sleep innovation. In 2023, Casper Canada became Canadian-owned and operated. This transition marked an exciting milestone in the brand’s history, enabling Casper to deliver the best sleep experience, personalised to Canadians coast to coast. They remain a premium sleep company, offering a diverse range of quality sleep essentials to inspire Canadians to achieve their perfect sleep.
“At Casper Canada, we believe the best sleep happens when we don’t care how it looks,” said Sarah Badun, vice president and general manager at Casper Canada. “We wanted to show people what real, restorative rest looks like. That starts with ditching perfection and embracing the reality of true restful sleep. We’re excited to help Canadians across the country achieve true, uninhibited, deep sleep.”
By tossing out the tropes of modern sleep advertising, Casper Canada embraces the beautifully chaotic reality of actual rest. The campaign is shot in real bedrooms and features a series of raw, intimate, and often humorous portraits of deep, unfiltered sleep on a Casper mattress and bedding.
“We wanted to break the traditional mold of sleep ads.” said Max Geraldo, chief creative officer at GUT Toronto. “The insight was simple: if sleep looks good, it probably wasn’t real. So we embraced the mess, tangled sheets, unflattering angles and elevated it with rich visuals and an original, joyful, ‘70s-inspired track. The result is beautifully honest rest: a bit weird, relatable, and a little vulnerable. Just like sleep is.”
Casper Canada and GUT Toronto produced this omnichannel campaign, which can now be seen across Canada through connected TV ad spots, social platforms, and out-of-home placements starting this September.
Båstad/Munich. The Aurora 2025 returned from June 27
to 29 at Norrvikens Trädgårdar, showcasing a remarkable collection of
unique vehicles. In this exclusive setting, automotive culture, art
and Scandinavian style come together in a fascinating way. A special
highlight this year: the presentation of four BMW Art Cars from the
world-famous BMW Art Car Collection. The iconic vehicles were shown
side by side with selected BMW Classic models and exceptional
collector’s items from Scandinavia. BMW Group proudly partners with
The Aurora since last year.
50 Years of BMW Art Cars This year’s partnership
also celebrated a milestone in BMW’s cultural legacy: the 50th
anniversary of the BMW Art Car Collection. Since 1975, 20 artists have
transformed BMW vehicles into “rolling sculptures”. On the occasion of
the anniversary, four of the most famous cars from the collection were
on display at The Aurora 2025:
Alexander Calder: BMW 3.0 CSL (1975)
Roy Lichtenstein: BMW 320 Group 5 (1977)
Andy Warhol: BMW M1 Group 4 (1979)
Jeff Koons: BMW M3 GT2 (2010)
This year’s exhibition at the event not only celebrated the artistic
legacy of these masterpieces but also emphasizes BMW’s commitment to
cultural engagement and innovation.
“BMW has always believed in the synergy between art and
mobility,” said Stefan Teuchert, President & CEO, BMW
Northern Europe. “The Aurora provides a unique
platform to showcase our Art Cars alongside our latest models, merging
our rich heritage with the future of mobility in an inspiring way.”
In addition to the Art Cars, The Aurora featured a stunning array of
extraordinary vehicles from BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad,
including historical models and modern editions. Visitors had the
opportunity to experience the full potential of the BMW Individual
program, showcasing the brand’s dedication to customization and exclusivity.
“The Aurora is not just an automotive event; it’s a celebration
of creativity, innovation, and the rich history of BMW,” said Filip Larsson, CEO of The Aurora. “We are
thrilled to have BMW as our main partner, bringing their iconic Art
Cars and extraordinary vehicles to our attendees.”
The BMW Group’s Cultural Engagement, with exclusive updates and
deeper insights into its global initiatives can be followed on
Instagram at @BMWGroupCulture.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, spoke to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for the first time in three years on Tuesday in an attempt to de-escalate the Iran crisis, as Tehran confirmed it was ending all cooperation with the UN nuclear inspectorate, including banning its inspectors from visiting any of its nuclear sites.
Macron had refused to speak to Putin since the Russian leader ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Paris has become frustrated that the lack of communication with Moscow is not solving multiple crises, and leaving the diplomatic events exposed to the relationship between Putin and Donald Trump.
In statements after the two-hour phone call, a French spokesperson said Macron was left more positive about the possibility of Russia pressing Iran to restore cooperation with the nuclear inspectorate, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The French indicated a willingness to discuss the Iranian red line that it must have a right to enrich uranium domestically.
One reason given by Iran for ending cooperation with the IAEA is the failure of the agency’s leadership to condemn the Israeli attacks on its nuclear sites as a flagrant violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
The German foreign ministry said Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the IAEA sent a “disastrous signal”. “For a diplomatic solution it is essential for Iran to work with the IAEA,” German officials said. Berlin said it had been informed of the Macron call to Putin in advance.
In an interview with Le Monde, the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, urged Iran to cooperate with the IAEA. But he also said Israel’s strikes “are not in accordance with international law. They have certainly set back Iran’s nuclear programme. But only a negotiated framework will allow us to permanently avert the danger.”
He added: “We support the resumption of US negotiations with Iran, but it is essential that our security interests be taken into account. European territory is potentially within range of missiles designed in Iran.”
Asked about Iran’s right to domestic enrichment he said: “What is essential is that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon under any circumstances.”
French officials did not rule out Iranian domestic enrichment, as allowed in the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Kremlin readout of the Macron-Putin call said: “It was noted that respecting Tehran’s legitimate right to develop peaceful nuclear technology and continue to fulfil its obligations under the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, which includes cooperating with the IAEA, was crucial.”
It went on: “The two leaders spoke in favour of settling the crisis around Iran’s nuclear programme and any other differences arising in the Middle East exclusively via political and diplomatic means. They agreed to maintain contact in order to coordinate their stances if necessary.”
Iran has been steadily moving towards freezing out the IAEA, making it harder for any independent assessment to be made of the scale of the damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear sites by the US and Israel strikes. On 25 June, the day after the ceasefire that ended 12 days of war, the Iranian parliament overwhelmingly voted for a bill suspending cooperation between Iran and UN agency.
The law was then approved by the guardian council, the body responsible for reviewing legislation in Iran, before being ratified by the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian. State media confirmed on Wednesday that the legislation had now taken effect.
It is thought a small number of IAEA inspectors are still in the country.
Asked about efforts to revive the postponed UN special conference on the two-state solution, Barrot said France was discussing a possible date as soon as possible with the conference co-chair Saudi Arabia. He said: “There is an emergency. An emergency in Gaza, for the hostages and the Palestinian population. It is also urgent to restore a political horizon that alone will allow us to emerge from the permanent state of war and offer both peoples a response to their legitimate aspirations.
“The solution is more than ever undermined by colonisation in the West Bank, by the destruction in Gaza, and by a form of resignation on the part of the international community. The danger would be that this political solution comes too late.”
Analysis by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz claimed Iran launched more than 500 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which landed in open areas, throughout the recent 12-day conflict. Israel and the US intercepted the remainder with about 200 missile interceptors at an estimated cost of 5bn shekels (£1.1bn), according to an analysis of IDF data and open-source information.
Data compiled by Haaretz from IDF reports over the course of the war shows Iran carried out 42 missile barrages, firing roughly 530 ballistic missiles at Israel.
The IDF reported that during the 12-day conflict 36 Iranian missiles struck built-up areas, while air defence systems achieved an interception rate of 86%.
