Welcome to this week’s Science Saturday, where we delve into the latest groundbreaking discoveries shaping our understanding of the world and beyond. From extracting water on the moon to advancements in vaccines and insights into life’s earliest beginnings, these stories highlight the relentless pursuit of knowledge across the globe.
Lunar Water Extraction: A Leap Towards Moon Habitation
Chinese scientists have unveiled a revolutionary method to extract water from lunar soil samples brought back by the Chang’e-5 mission. By heating the lunar soil above 1,000 degrees Celsius using concave mirrors, the soil melts and releases water vapor. Remarkably, over 50 milligrams of water were obtained from just one gram of soil. Extrapolated, one tonne of lunar soil could yield more than 50 kilograms of water—enough to supply 50 people with drinking water for a day. This breakthrough brings humanity a significant step closer to sustainable habitation on the moon.
Universal Flu Vaccine Shows Promise in Mice Trials
In a promising development at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, a universal flu vaccine candidate has shown effectiveness in mice trials. Incorporating proteins from various influenza strains, including potential pandemic strains like H5N1, the vaccine aims to provide comprehensive protection across multiple seasons. If successful, it could eliminate the need for annual vaccinations. However, the challenge of viral mutations persists. Researchers are optimistic about initiating human clinical trials within the next one to three years.
Prehistoric Dinosaur Tracks Uncover Ancient Pathways
Scientists from Southern Methodist University have discovered over 260 similar dinosaur footprints in Brazil and Cameroon, providing evidence that dinosaurs traversed between Africa and South America more than 120 million years ago, before the continents separated. These prehistoric tracks offer invaluable insights into dinosaur behaviors, their movement patterns, and migration routes. Additionally, they enhance our understanding of the ancient climate and the ecosystems that existed before the supercontinent broke apart into the seven continents we recognize today.
Unraveling the Origins of Life: The Role of Rainwater
U.S. scientists have made a significant discovery regarding the evolution of life, finding that rainwater may have been crucial in forming the earliest primitive cell walls. These protective barriers were essential in preventing immediate RNA exchange between protocells, which would have resulted in uniform clones and halted evolution. By impeding RNA exchange, cell walls allowed for mutations and competition—key drivers of evolutionary progress. This finding brings researchers closer to understanding how life began over 3.8 billion years ago.
Reference(s):
Science Saturday: Lunar exploration, flu vaccine, and origin of life
cgtn.com
