Weird Ice That Could Form on Alien Planets Observed For First Time
How exotic are we talking? Well, plastic Ice VII needs incredibly high temperatures and pressures to form. As temperatures and pressures rise, water molecules are forced into a variety of configurations and dynamics.
An international team of researchers created Ice VII by squeezing water up to pressures of 6 gigapascal and heating it to temperatures as high as 327 °C (620 °F), using high-caliber instruments at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France to watch closely as it changed phase.
Ice VII features a distinctly interwoven cubic structure, one where the hydrogens get a little messily. Just what happens to this structure when it's permitted to 'melt', however, has never been clear, with some suggesting the molecules remain in place while their hydrogens roam around.
The subtle nature of the hypothesized phase of water requires careful measurements of its hydrogen's movements rather than a snapshot of its shape, so it's little wonder scientists hadn't been able to prove its existence. Until now.
One of the techniques used to identify Ice VII was quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS), where tiny particle movements inside substances can be traced by neutrons.
"The ability of QENS to probe both the translational and rotational dynamics is a unique advantage for the exploration of such exotic phase transitions compared to other spectroscopic techniques," says physicist Maria Rescigno, from the Sapienza University of Rome in Italy.
As predicted some 17 years ago, the research team was able to see hydrogens swiveling about at the microscopic level, when Ice VII – one of dozens of ice phases we know about – is heated up and put under more pressure.
However, there was one surprise: the molecules inside plastic Ice VII weren't rotating freely but turning in staggered steps. This is likely down to the way hydrogen bonds between the molecules are being broken and restored, the researchers say.
"The QENS measurements suggested a different molecular rotation mechanism for plastic ice VII than the free rotor behavior initially expected," explains Rescigno.
Icy worlds far out in the Universe – such as Neptune, or Jupiter's moon Europa – might have harbored plastic Ice VII in the past, experts think. Being able to observe how the ice behaves in the lab also gives us a better understanding of what's happened in the past to these planets and their satellites.
That's one potential area for future research. Another is to take a closer look at how the transition to plastic Ice VII happens, which could be continuous and gradual, or more abrupt, based on modeling.
"The continuous transition scenario is very intriguing," says physicist Livia Bove, from the Sapienza University of Rome.
"It hints that the plastic phase could be the precursor of the elusive superionic phase – another hybrid exotic phase of water predicted at even higher temperatures and pressures, where hydrogen can diffuse freely through the oxygen crystalline structure."
The research has been published in Nature.
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National Geographic
24-06-2025
- National Geographic
Why Rome's dolphins are fighting each other
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Two male dolphins have an aggressive encounter in the sea outside Rome. Photograph By Daniela Silvia Pace, CoNISMa-Tor Vergata University of Rome It's not unusual for Rome's dolphins to display signs of fighting. Photograph By Daniela Silvia Pace, CoNISMa-Tor Vergata University of Rome Around 500 dolphins spend some of the year in the area, while about 100 are permanent residents—mostly females and their offspring who live near the mouth of the Tiber River, where food is most abundant. This makes the area an important breeding site, where males are attracted each year to mate. Daniela Silvia Pace, a researcher at the Sapienza University of Rome, has studied these dolphins for a decade. She and her colleagues recently analyzed more than 400 photographs taken between 2016 and 2023, depicting 39 individuals of the resident population. "What emerges is a decidedly worrying picture,' as these animals are subject to so many pressures, she says. From scuba diving to set-jetting Pace and her team measured and counted marks on the dolphins' bodies. Analyzing marks on cetaceans is a common technique used by scientists, as it can tell them a lot about their life, their health, and the dangers they're exposed to. The result of the new research, published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems in April, does not necessarily paint a hopeful picture. 'Unfortunately, the situation for bottlenose dolphins in the Mediterranean, including the Tiber River Estuary, appears to be particularly concerning,' says Bruno Díaz López, a biologist and director at Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, who was not involved with the study but found it 'very interesting and relevant.' The analysis revealed that 70 percent of the residents studied showed signs of malnutrition, such as visible ribs. 'This is strange, because we are in an area rich in food,' says Alice Turchi, a PhD student in environmental and evolutionary biology at the Sapienza University of Rome and author of the study. Turchi and her colleagues believe that the lack of food might be due to overfishing. 'The fact that most of the population is undernourished is a strong alarm bell,' adds Pace. In the study, the lines and ropes used by fishermen had left marks on half of the dolphins' bodies, and amputations were present as well. Nearly all, or 97 percent, of the dolphins had a skin disease, which didn't come as a shock to the researchers. 'It is not surprising,' says Turchi, because the water is tainted, mostly due to pollutants carried by the Tiber River into the sea, as well as wastewater from boats passing through. 'Pollution can promote immunodepression and cause animals to get sick,' Turchi says. In another distressing development, researchers also found evidence of fighting. They analyzed teeth marks caused by interactions with other dolphins, which were universal across the population. While these marks are sometimes normal for dolphins, as they can bite to communicate dominance during mating competitions or to establish social hierarchies, this population showed an unusually high number. The researchers believe that this may be due to competition for dwindling food resources. López, from the Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute, says the findings on the Capitoline dolphins' health 'are consistent with what we observe in many coastal bottlenose dolphin populations worldwide.' 'These populations are exposed to continuous and intense pressure from human activities, ranging from fisheries and maritime traffic to pollution and habitat degradation,' he notes. For example, he says, 'in Galicia, on the Atlantic coast of Spain, we see similar patterns of skin marks related to both natural and anthropogenic factors.' 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Fox News
04-04-2025
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Excavation near site where Jesus was crucified and buried results in ancient discovery
Proof of an ancient garden, consistent with biblical scripture, has emerged at the holiest site in Christianity — and an archaeologist says "many surprises" from the site are in the works. Archaeologists excavating the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ancient church in Jerusalem situated where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, recently found evidence of ancient olive trees and grapevines. The specimens date back roughly 2,000 years. The discovery echoes the New Testament verse John 19:41, "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid." Francesca Stasolla, an archaeology professor at the Sapienza University of Rome, confirmed the findings with Fox News Digital on Wednesday. She said the proof of the ancient garden came in the form of seeds and pollen. Calvary, the site where the church stands, had multiple uses in ancient times, including being used as a quarry. While the exact age of the organic material has yet to be determined, Stasolla said the pollen and seeds date back "in between the use of the quarry and the Roman age, when the area had a funerary use." "The quarry had to be gradually abandoned and as the stone extraction ended it was used for agricultural areas and tombs," Stasolla said. "This must have been what it looked like in the 1st century A.D." Stasolla also mentioned that many artifacts have been found at the site so far, with some dating all the way back to the Iron Age. The discoveries attest to the area's status as a pilgrimage location since the fourth century. "Ceramics, metals, glass… [all] document both the occupation of the area and the presence of believers and pilgrims," she noted. "The excavation's [aim is to gain] knowledge [about this] significant area of the city of Jerusalem." "And this is what it is giving back," she added. "An area that, from a certain moment on, becomes central in the Christian cult." The excavation, first reported by the Times of Israel, is the first major restoration project at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in nearly two centuries. The diggings are "taking place in all areas of the church common to the religious communities," Stasolla said. The church was founded in 326 A.D., though the original fourth-century structure was destroyed by Islamic ruler al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1009 A.D. The site was taken over by Christian Crusaders nearly a century later, and Stasolla said that the still-standing church is largely the work of the Crusaders. "The current church is that of the Crusader reconstruction, but the whole church is a composition of historical phases from the fourth century to the modern age," she described. When asked if she felt that the discovery echoes John 19:41, Stastolla agreed, though she drew a line between archaeological research and theology. "Archaeology provides us with data that must then be historicized and interpreted," she said. "In this case, it documents an agricultural use of the quarry… [the Bible quote] is certainly suggestive [of this]." Stasolla also emphasized that the excavation work is "still in progress, and the study will reserve many surprises." "It is certainly a strategic excavation for the knowledge of the development of the city and its process of sacralization in a Christian key," she said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Ancient DNA sheds light on origins of 7,000-year-old Saharan mummies
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Today, the view from the Takarkori rock shelter in southwestern Libya is of endless sandy dunes and barren rock, but 7,000 years ago, this region of the Sahara Desert was a far lusher, hospitable place. Now, scientists aiming to understand the origins of inhabitants of the 'green Sahara' say they have managed to recover the first whole genomes — detailed genetic information — from the remains of two women buried at Takarkori. In the distant past, the area was a verdant savanna with trees, permanent lakes and rivers that supported large animals such as hippopotamuses and elephants. It was also home to early human communities, including 15 women and children archaeologists found buried at the rock shelter, that lived off fish and herded sheep and goats. 'We started with these two (skeletons) because they are very well-preserved — the skin, ligaments, tissues,' said Savino di Lernia, coauthor of the new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The findings mark the first time archaeologists have managed to sequence whole genomes from human remains found in such a hot and arid environment, said di Lernia, an associate professor of African archaeology and ethnoarchaeology at Sapienza University of Rome. The genomic analysis yielded surprises for the study team, revealing that the inhabitants of the green Sahara were a previously unknown and long-isolated population that had likely occupied the region for tens of thousands of years. Excavation of the Takarkori rock shelter, reachable only by a four-wheel drive vehicle, started in 2003, with the two female mummies among the first finds. 'We found the first mummy on the second day of the excavation,' di Lernia recalled. 'We scratched the sand and found the mandible.' The small community that made its home at the rock shelter possibly migrated there with humankind's first big push out of Africa more than 50,000 years ago. Study coauthor Harald Ringbauer said it was unusual to encounter such an isolated genetic ancestry, especially compared with Europe, where there was much more mixing. Ringbauer is a researcher and group leader of archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, which has pioneered techniques to receive genetic material from old bones and fossils. This genetic isolation, the authors of the study reasoned, suggested the region likely wasn't a migration corridor that linked sub-Saharan Africa to Northern Africa despite the Sahara's hospitable conditions at the time. Past analyses of cave paintings and animal remains found at archaeological sites across the Sahara have suggested its inhabitants were pastoralists who herded sheep, goats or cattle, prompting some researchers to hypothesize the herders spread from the Near East where farming originated. However, such migration was unlikely, given the genetic isolation of the Takarkori group, the authors of the new report suggested. Instead, the study team hypothesized, pastoralism was adopted via a process of cultural exchange, such as interaction with other groups that already raised domesticated animals. 'We know now that they were isolated in terms of genetics, but not in cultural terms. There's a lot of networks that we know from several parts of the continent, because we have pottery coming from sub-Saharan Africa. We have pottery coming from the Nile Valley and the like,' di Lernia said. 'They had this kind of lineage, which is quite ancestral, (which) points to some kind of Pleistocene legacy, which needs to be explored,' he said, referring to the time period that came to an end around 11,000 years ago before the current Holocene Epoch. Louise Humphrey, a research leader at the Natural History Museum's Centre for Human Evolution Research in London, said she agreed with the study's findings: The Takarkori people were largely genetically isolated for thousands of years, and that pastoralism in this region was established through cultural diffusion, rather than the replacement of one population with another. 'DNA extracted from two pastoralist women who were buried at the rock shelter around 7,000 years ago reveals that most of their ancestry can be traced to a previously unknown ancient North African genetic lineage,' Humphrey said. She wasn't involved in the research but has worked at Taforalt cave in eastern Morocco, where 15,000-year-old hunter-foragers were buried. 'Future research integrating archaeological and genomic evidence is likely to yield further insights into human migrations and cultural change in this region,' Humphrey said. Christopher Stojanowski, a bioarchaeologist and professor at Arizona State University, said one of the study's more interesting findings was the 'inference of a moderately large population size and no evidence of inbreeding.' 'That there was little evidence of inbreeding suggests a degree of movement and connection that is also somewhat at odds with the idea of a long-term, disconnected Green Sahara population,' Stojanowski, who wasn't involved in the study, added. Experts have studied the skeletons and artifacts unearthed at the site over the years, but attempts to recover DNA from the remains proved elusive. In 2019, scientists were able to recover mitochondrial DNA, which traces the maternal line, but obtaining this DNA didn't paint the full picture, Ringbauer said. 'A couple of years ago, the samples made their way to Leipzig, because we have continuously fine-tuned new methods over the last years to make more out of a very tiny amount of DNA … and the samples had very little DNA,' said Ringbauer, who uses computation tools to analyze genetic data. Ancient DNA is often fragmented and contaminated. It preserves best in cool environments, not the extreme temperature swings of the world's largest hot desert. However, Ringbauer and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology were able to extract enough DNA from the two mummies to sequence their genomes, a more complete set of genetic material that allowed geneticists to piece together information about a population's ancestry, not just that of an individual. 'The whole genome carries the DNA for many of your ancestors,' Ringbauer said. 'As you go along the genome, you start seeing the different trees of your ancestors. One genome carries the stories of many.'
