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The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
On early earth, a little heat could have led to more complex life
Before true cells existed on the earth, organic molecules floated freely in water. The first cell membrane created a compartment so that useful molecules like RNA and proteins could stay close enough to interact with each other, leading to more complex biological functions. However, an important question remains: how did the first protocells on early earth bring together all the molecules they needed and set life-like chemistry in motion? According to a new study, simple heat, like the warmth of volcanic rocks, could have done the trick. Putting ingredients together When one side of a small water-filled crack is warmer than the other, two things happen. Warm liquid rises and cooler liquid sinks, creating a gentle loop; second, many molecules drift from the hotter side towards the cooler side. Together, these flows can sweep dissolved molecules downwards and hold them there. The study, authored by scientists from Canada, Finland, Germany, and Italy, was published in Nature Physics. The scientists built small 170-micrometre-thick chambers sandwiched between sapphire plates. The top plate was maintained at 40° C and the bottom plate at 27° C. Then they turned to PURExpress, a cell-free protein synthesis kit made from Escherichia coli bacteria. The kit contains every major part of E. coli's protein-making machinery — DNA, RNA polymerase, amino acids, etc. — in purified form. Before the experiment, the team diluted these contents threefold in order to keep the kit from being able to make proteins. Next, they added a short piece of DNA that coded for a protein called green fluorescent protein (GFP) to each PURExpress mix. GFP fluoresces with a bright green light that can be seen under a microscope. As a result, the mix had a built-in light bulb that reported when and where protein synthesis happened. The authors let the PURExpress mix 'express' itself for around 16 hours both with and without the temperature gradient between the sapphire plates. Then they opened a narrow channel at the top and pumped pure water for up to nine hours or a nutrient feed for up to 22 hours while maintaining the gradient. Right after, the team froze the chambers to preserve their concentration profiles for later study. Then they split the frozen sample into three layers from top to bottom and analysed each slice. Membrane-like sans a membrane They found that there was 25-times more GFP in the bottom layer than in the top. Similarly, key ions including those of magnesium (30x) and potassium (7x) and phosphate ions (70x) had accumulated more at the bottom than at the top. They team also found that DNA, RNA building blocks, and amino acids had become concentrated at the bottom. Once these molecules were crowded together, the previously inactive PURExpress mix had switched on gene expression. The team found that the mix was manufacturing GFP only in the chamber with the temperature gradient, not in the chamber without. In fact, even when water flowed overhead for nine hours, more than 95% of the GFP was trapped while small amounts of phosphate waste diffused out, displaying membrane-like selectivity without an actual membrane. For added measure, the team also modelled the heat, flow, and diffusion and found that they reproduced the 3D concentration profiles of various molecules. Thus, according to the study,just a rock crack exuding heat could have gathered different types of biomolecules together and kickstarted protein synthesis. Over time, cell membranes let early cells set up ion gradients, i.e. different ion concentrations inside versus outside. When ions flowed back through primitive channels, the flux could power the first molecular machines. Keep it simple The researchers wrote that the phenomena they've proposed could be playing out around hydrothermal vents. This will need to be checked. National Centre for Biological Sciences professor Shashi Thutupalli also said the phenomena described in the study 'would rely on some steady gradient. Whether the timescale of the temperature gradients in nature are similar to those in the study needs to be checked.' He also said he was curious whether all kinds of molecules would move in response to the temperature gradient. 'In my opinion, I don't think we'll ever exactly figure out what exactly happened on early earth. But one takeaway is that maybe the start of life needn't have been very complicated or specialised,' Dr. Thutupalli said. For example, a March 2025 study in Science found that when neutral water is sprayed, it creates oppositely charged microdroplets that cause an electrical discharge, instigating chemical reactions around them.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Know about the snakes that can ‘fly'
Most of us think of snakes as slithering creatures that stick to the ground—or maybe climb trees at most. But believe it or not, some snakes can actually glide through the air, moving from tree to tree like something out of a fantasy film. It sounds unbelievable, but it's genuine. These unusual reptiles are known as 'flying snakes'. Okay, we acquiesce, the term 'flying' might be a bit misleading. These snakes don't actually have wings to soar like birds in the sky. What they do is even more fascinating—they launch themselves from high branches, flatten their bodies, and use their incredible flexibility to glide through the air, sometimes for distances as long as 30 metres (around 100 feet). That's longer than a blue whale! The most commonly known species is the paradise tree snake (Chrysopelea paradisi), part of the Chrysopelea genus. These snakes are native to southern Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and parts of the Philippines and India. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, flying snakes live in tropical forests and are very good at climbing trees. They often start their glide by hanging off a branch, making a J-shape with their bodies before launching into the air. But how do they glide without wings? It's all in the movement. As the snake jumps, it spreads its ribs and flattens its body, like a living ribbon. It also wiggles from side to side in mid-air, which helps keep it stable and allows it to steer. Scientists from Virginia Tech published a paper in the Journal of Experimental Biology in 2014, studying this motion and found that it's actually very efficient, using airflow and body control to stay aloft. A 2020 study published in Nature Physics explains that this movement is much more complex than it looks. The gliding isn't just random falling—it's a carefully controlled movement that helps the snake land safely on its next tree or branch. This clever ability helps flying snakes escape predators, find food, and move through the forest faster than if they had to climb down and back up again. You might be wondering—are they dangerous? Thankfully, these snakes are not harmful to humans. While they do have mild venom that helps them hunt small prey like lizards, frogs, and birds, they're not a threat to us. In fact, they're often helpful because they help keep insect and rodent populations in check. These snakes are a great example of how amazing and strange nature can be. They show us that even animals we think we understand—like snakes—can evolve in surprising ways. Without wings, without legs, they've found a way to move through the air, just using the shape of their bodies and clever physics. It's a reminder that there's still so much we don't know about the natural world.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sussex researchers make world record-breaking discovery
Sussex researchers have made a world record-breaking discovery that could revolutionise brain scanning. The team at the University of Sussex has developed a technique to detect tiny electrical fields 100 times more effectively than current methods. This discovery, published in Nature Physics, has the potential to significantly improve applications in healthcare, defence, underwater detection and communication, and geological prospecting. The technique was initially developed to create more powerful quantum computers, but its potential extends far beyond this. Medical experts suggest it could lead to huge breakthroughs in our understanding of mental illness, including in the treatment of depression and epilepsy, through improved and less intrusive brain imaging. The researchers used a single charged atom inside a vacuum system, combined with a measurement technique they invented, to achieve this feat. This has made the technique around 100 times more powerful than was previously possible. However, the discovery has the potential to be one million times more powerful. Professor Winfried Hensinger, director of the Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies, said: "We have built a machine that makes use of single charged atoms (ions), capable of unprecedented measurement capability. "We have managed to tame some of the very strange phenomena of quantum physics to create a device that can detect low frequency electric fields with unprecedented sensitivity. "And we recently developed a microchip that could enhance this sensitivity even further by yet another 10,000 times. "Using a different ion species with such a chip could enhance sensitivity indeed by a million times." James Stone, professor of psychiatry at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said: "It is an exciting discovery – with development it could open the way for much less intrusive and more detailed 3D imaging of electrical activity in the brain, giving the potential to detect which parts of the brain are active in real-time, and potentially giving insights into how thoughts and sensations are represented in the brain. "It could potentially lead to huge breakthroughs in our understanding of consciousness, as well as of mental illness, and may even be useful in neurofeedback treatments for mental health conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder or depression by allowing people to visualise their brain activity and respond directly to it. "It could also be useful in neurological conditions such as epilepsy – detecting regions of abnormal activity in deeper brain regions than would be possible with existing EEG methods."
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Science
- New York Post
‘Time mirrors' are actually a real thing, experts say: ‘Like pressing undo on the universe'
It's not just in your head — time can actually flip. Physicists in New York have pulled off what sounds like a page ripped from a sci-fi script: They've confirmed that 'time mirrors,' a trippy phenomenon where waves literally reverse in time — are real. The mind-bending experiment, led by Dr. Hussein Moussa at the Advanced Science Research Center at CUNY, involved tinkering with a futuristic 'metamaterial' — a strip of metal embedded with electronic components. Advertisement 3 The sci-fi-style breakthrough, led by Dr. Hussein Moussa at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center, used a futuristic 'metamaterial' to bend the rules of time itself. Tsyb Oleh – When juiced with a precise burst of energy, the setup caused an electromagnetic wave to do the impossible: to flip the direction of time, as reported by — or, as one TikTokker put it, 'Like pressing undo on the universe.' 'This is experimental physics catching up to what mystics, mushrooms and mad geniuses have been saying for decades,' said TikTok creator @psychonautics in a recent video. Advertisement 'Time is not a line. It's a wave. And baby, we're just learning to surf it.' The wave reversal doesn't just bounce a signal back in space like your average mirror — it scrambles the whole timeline. The wave's frequency shifts — and suddenly — it's like rewinding reality. Scientists say this discovery, published in 'Nature Physics,' could one day revolutionize data transmission and computing. But for now, it's mostly blowing minds online. Advertisement More experiments will most likely follow this discovery. And while physicists are bending time in the lab, neuroscientists say the human brain may already be doing it naturally. 3 Experts say the breakthrough could one day flip the script on data transmission and computing. For now? It's just melting brains across the internet. New Africa – Back in 2021, scientists from France and the Netherlands discovered that our brains possess 'an internal or inherent flow of time, that was not driven by something going on in the external world,' according to neuroscientist Leila Reddy, who sat down with Vice for an interview. Advertisement Her team studied epilepsy patients with electrodes implanted in their brains and found 'time cells' firing — even in the absence of external cues. 'These patients have severe, drug-resistant epilepsy and are awaiting surgery,' Reddy told Vice. 'Once the electrodes are inserted into the brain, we ask the patients if they are willing to participate in short experiments for us.' The brain's inner clock, Reddy explained, could be the key to 'mental time travel' — the way we encode not just what happened, but when and where. 3 While those in labs are busy bending time with high-tech 'time mirrors,' neuroscientists say the human mind might already be pulling off a similar sci-fi stunt — no gadgets required. mikhail_kayl – 'Time cells could provide the scaffolding for representing the 'when,'' she added. In other words, while physicists are flipping waves, your neurons might be flipping through your past like a mental VHS tape. Between time-bending materials and our own memory machinery, the past isn't as fixed as we thought — and the future just got a lot weirder.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A College Student Accidentally Broke the Laws of Thermodynamics
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." The Laws of Thermodynamics explain interactions among components in a system, including emulsification of liquids. A new surprising finding is that two immiscible liquids, when influenced by magnetized particles, will flout these established laws. The authors of this finding admit that this discovery has no practical use (as of right now) but is a never-before-seen state in soft-matter physics. As Homer Simpson once famously phrased, 'in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics,' but a new and completely unexpected discovery by a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst runs afoul of Homer's rule. The Laws of Thermodynamics describe the relationship of temperature, energy, and entropy in a system as well as how components of a system interact. Take emulsification for instance. This process describes how two otherwise unmixable (or immiscible) substances can combine into a homogeneous mixture. The oil in peanut butter, for example, naturally separates, forming a top layer that needs to be mixed in. However, some companies add substances known as 'emulsifiers' to keep this separation from occurring. The interaction of these components in a system can all be described by the Laws of Thermodynamics. 'Imagine your favorite Italian salad dressing,' UMass Amherst's Thomas Russell, senior author of a new paper published in the journal Nature Physics, said in a press statement. 'It's made up of oil, water and spices, and before you pour it onto your salad, you shake it up so that all the ingredients mix.' This is emulsification in action. That very same process got strange, though, when in a Amherst laboratory, Anthony Raykh, a graduate student, mixed a batch of immiscible liquids along with magnetized nickel particles. Instead of mixing together as expected (shown below), the mixture formed what the authors of a new paper in the journal Nature Physics describe as a Grecian urn shape. After turning to professors for answers as well as collaborating with scientists at nearby Syracuse University and Tufts University, Raykh discovered thanks to detailed simulations that when magnetism influencing the two liquids is strong, it can bend the boundary of the liquids into a curve and disrupt the emulsification as described by the laws of thermodynamics. No matter how hard you shook the magnetized mixture, the liquids eventually formed this same shape. 'When you look very closely at the individual nanoparticles of magnetized nickel that form the boundary between the water and oil,' says Hoagland, 'you can get extremely detailed information on how different forms assemble. In this case, the particles are magnetized strongly enough that their assembly interferes with the process of emulsification, which the laws of thermodynamics describe.' Raykh admits that this discovery doesn't immediately have any practical applications, but it is a never-before-seen state that could expand the field of soft-matter physics. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
