Earth as a test object

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ETH ZURICH

 

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THE LIFE MISSION’S FIVE SATELLITES ARE CONNECTED TO FORM A LARGE SPACE TELESCOPE.

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CREDIT: (GRAPHIC: ETH ZURICH / LIFE INITIATIVE)

Life is indeed possible on Earth. This has been demonstrated in a study conducted by the Institute of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at ETH Zurich. Of course, the researchers’ intention wasn’t to answer the question itself. Instead, they used the Earth as an example to prove that the planned LIFE (Large Interferometer for Exoplanets) space mission can be a success – and that the planned measurement procedure works.

Searching for life

With a network of five satellites, the international LIFE initiative led by ETH Zurich hopes to one day detect traces of life on exoplanets. It aims to undertake a more detailed study of Earth-​like exoplanets – rocky planets that are similar to Earth in size and temperature but orbit other stars.

The plan is to position five smaller satellites in space close to the James Webb Space Telescope. Together, these satellites will form a large telescope that will act as an interferometer to pick up exoplanets’ infrared thermal radiation. The spectrum of the light can then be used to deduce the composition of those exoplanets and their atmospheres. “Our goal is to detect chemical compounds in the light spectrum that hint at life on the exoplanets,” explains Sascha Quanz, who is leading the LIFE initiative.

Earth as an unassuming speck

In the study, which has just been published in The Astrophysical Journal, the researchers Jean-​​Noël Mettler, Björn S. Konrad, Sascha P. Quanz and Ravit Helled investigated how well a LIFE mission could characterise an exoplanet’s habitability. To this end, they decided to treat the Earth as if it were an exoplanet and make observations on our home planet.

What’s unique about the study is that the team tested the future LIFE mission’s capabilities on real rather than simulated spectra. Using data from one of the atmospheric measuring devices on NASA’s Aqua Earth observation satellite, they generated the Earth’s emission spectra in the mid-​infrared range, as might be recorded in future observations of exoplanets.

Two considerations were central to the project. First, if a large space telescope were to observe the Earth from space, what kind of infrared spectrum would it record? Because the Earth would be observed from a great distance, it would look like an unassuming speck, without recognisable features such as the sea or mountains. This means the spectra would then be spatial and temporal averages that depended on which views of the planet the telescope would capture and for how long.

How do perspective and seasons affect observations?

From this, the physicists derived the second consideration in their study: if these averaged spectra were analysed to obtain information about the Earth’s atmosphere and surface conditions, in what ways would the results depend on factors such as observational geometry and seasonal fluctuations?

The researchers considered three observation geometries – the two views from the poles and an additional equatorial view – and focused on data recorded in January and July to account for the largest seasonal variations.

Successful identification as a habitable planet

The study’s key finding is encouraging: if a space telescope like LIFE were to observe planet Earth from a distance of around 30 light years, it would find signs of a temperate, habitable world. The team was able to detect concentrations of the atmospheric gases CO2, water, ozone and methane in the infrared spectra of the Earth’s atmosphere, as well as surface conditions that favour the occurrence of water. Evidence of ozone and methane is particularly important as these gases are produced by the Earth’s biosphere.

These results are independent of the observation geometry, as the researchers showed. This is good news, because the exact observation geometry for future observations of Earth-​like exoplanets will probably be unknown.

When comparing seasonal fluctuations, however, the result was less revealing. “Even if atmospheric seasonality is not easily observed, our study demonstrates that next generation space missions can assess whether nearby temperate terrestrial exoplanets are habitable or even inhabited,” Quanz says.

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JOURNAL

The Astrophysical Journal

DOI

10.3847/1538-​4357/ad198b 

ARTICLE TITLE

Earth as an Exoplanet. III. Using Empirical Thermal Emission Spectra as an Input for Atmospheric Retrieval of an Earth-twin Exoplanet

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Feb-2024

 Community culture shapes ceramics

Archeologists have long assumed that shapes and styles of pottery can be used as a proxy for ancient cultures. A contemporary experiment suggests that's true.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PNAS NEXUS

 

VIDEO: 

THREE DIFFERENT POTTERS MAKING THE SAME VASE. 

 

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CREDIT: © ENORA GANDON

Archeologists have long used the shapes and styles of pottery as a proxy for ancient cultures. But how does the cultural alignment of ceramic forms arise? To explore this question, Tetsushi Nonaka and colleagues asked 21 potters in three different communities—one in France in Bourgogne and two in India in Bulandshahar district, Uttar Pradesh—to throw pots with the same unfamiliar shapes. One of the Indian pottery workshops was Hindu, the other was Muslim. In each community, several different potters tried the shapes. Through careful measurement, the authors were able to determine that there was more variation between communities that between potters within the same community. The process of making pots was filmed, and so the authors were also able to determine that the morphogenic path of pots was also more different between communities than within communities. For example, Hindu Prajapati potters tended to take their shapes higher than the final form before bringing the clay back down, while Muslim Multani Kumhar potters tended to gradually approach the final height without much exceeding it. French potters began their vases with a flat disc, a choice that tended to result in final products with wider bases. Overall, community-specific deviations of morphological features of vessels support the common assumption that pots with similar shapes are made by the same community. However, individual potters also had their own idiosyncratic styles, a finding that should encourage archeologists to consider individual variation in their theories of cultural evolution, according to the authors.

Hindu Prajapati potter at work.

Muslim Multani Kumhar potter at work. 

French potter at work.

CREDIT

© Enora Gandon

JOURNAL

PNAS Nexus

ARTICLE TITLE

Cultural attraction in pottery practice: Group-specific shape transformations by potters from three communities

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Feb-2024

 

Reproducing the Moon's surface environment on Earth

Implementation of an electrostatically charged environment to accelerate lunar base construction efforts

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: 

PHOTOGRAPH OF PHOTOELECTRIC CURRENT MEASUREMENT UNIT

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CREDIT: KOREA INSTITUTE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND BUILDING TECHNOLOGY(KICT)

Continuous research is being conducted globally on using the Moon as an advanced base for deep space exploration, and Korea is no exception in these efforts. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT, President Kim, Byung-suk) successfully implemented an electrostatic environment that simulates the Moon's surface conditions, not in space but on Earth. The researchers also assessed its performance and effectiveness.

Among the most serious threats in executing lunar missions is the Moon's surface environment, which is electrostatically charged. Due to its extremely thin atmosphere, the Moon is directly exposed to solar ultraviolet rays, X-rays, solar wind, Earth plasma, etc. Thus, clouds of dust on the Moon exhibit strong static electricity. The Moon's electrostatic environment is positively charged during the day and negatively charged during the night.

Given that the Moon has nearly no atmosphere, dust can be easily blown away even by small impacts due to the minimal air resistance. Electrostatically charged regolith particles may cause severe damage to space exploration devices when they become stuck on them. For example, when stuck on PV cells, these particles degrade electricity generation efficiency. In manned missions, they can damage space suits that protect astronauts, or penetrate the respiratory system, resulting in life-threatening consequences.

KICT's research team led by Dr. Shin, Hyusoung (along with senior researcher Chung, Taeil and Dr. Park, Seungsoo) developed a chamber designed to simulate electrically charged conditions. The aim is to implement an electrostatic environment that resembles the Moon's surface.

The chamber developed by KICT incorporates ultraviolet lamps, electronic beams, and plasma generators to positively or negatively charge the surfaces of test objects. Going forward, this equipment can be used to electrostatically charge a replica of lunar soil using ultraviolet radiation and electron beams. It will help to determine how much material adheres to rovers and to anticipate potential problems. This technology goes beyond simply conducting electrostatic charging to simulate the Moon's electrically charged environment under various conditions, such as day or night environments and while being influenced by Earth plasma.

The greatest achievement of this research work lies in the developed equipment's ability to measure, in a quantitative and independent manner, the amount of photoelectric current generated, which has the most significant effect on the charging of lunar dust during the day of the Moon. The error between the experimental measurement obtained in this research and the corresponding theoretical value was within approximately 5%, demonstrating the reliability of the developed technology.

As such, KICT's attempts have been successful not only in reproducing a Moon-like environment where soil dust remains electrostatically charged but also in developing assessment technology for it. This research work has laid the groundwork for equipping a large-scale dirty thermal vacuum chamber (DTVC) with the developed equipment to implement an electrostatically charged environment and further assess its performance.

Dr. Shin, who led this project, said, “Our research presents the possibility of effectively integrating the full-size DTVC, developed by Korea for the first time in the world, with lunar dust charging technology. This solution will serve as a test bed for a series of technologies to implement in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) on the Moon in the future, addressing and responding to a range of potential technological challenges posed by electrically charged lunar dust.

Diagram showing principle of designed measurement unit with description (not to scale)

CREDIT

Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology(KICT)

This research was supported by the KICT Research Program (project no. 20230081-001, Development of Environmental Simulator and Advanced Construction Technologies over TRL6 in Extreme Conditions) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT. An article explaining the results of this research was published in the latest issue of Aerospace, a renowned international journal in the Aerospace engineering field.

(IF: 2.6, JCR quartile: Q1 in ENGINEERING, AEROSPACE category).

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JOURNAL

Aerospace

DOI

10.3390/aerospace11010069 

ARTICLE TITLE

Design and Validation of a Photoelectric Current Measuring Unit for Lunar Daytime Simulation Chamber

 

Social media and adolescent mental health

An editorial summarizes a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PNAS NEXUS

In an editorial, Sandro Galea and Gillian Buckley summarize the findings of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report on social media and adolescent mental health. Social media has to some extent been treated as a monolith, but the report finds that different types of engagements with different digital platforms may have very different effects on mental health. In some situations, social media may benefit adolescent mental health, as when LGBTQ+ adolescents in isolating circumstances are able to form supportive connections. However, some harms, such as cyber-stalking and harassment, are real. The editorial summarizes the report’s recommendations, which include much more research, the formation of an ongoing technical working group at the International Organization for Standardization to develop industry-wide standards for social media platforms, and the immediate development and deployment of systems for reporting, follow up, and adjudication for cases of online harassment and abuse. The report also calls for a US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration intervention program for children and adolescents who experience digital abuse, as well as the development of comprehensive digital media literacy curricula to teach safe, healthy, social media use at school. According to Galea and Buckley, although there is currently no evidence that social media is the singular or even the leading cause of the current adolescent mental health crisis, there is good reason to research the issue thoroughly and take some immediate steps to ameliorate specific harms.  

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JOURNAL

PNAS Nexus

ARTICLE TITLE

Social media and adolescent mental health: A consensus report of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Feb-2024

 

Many reported gender differences may actually be power differences

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PNAS NEXUS

 

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OVERALL COMPARISON OF THE EXPERIMENTAL POWER LITERATURE AND SEX/GENDER DIFFERENCE META-ANALYSES. OVERALL, 70.6%  OF SEX/GENDER DIFFERENCES WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED POWER DIFFERENCES, WHEREAS ONLY 7.8% WERE INCONSISTENT. WHEN HIGHPOWER INDIVIDUALS SCORED HIGHER ON AN OUTCOME, MEN TENDED TO ALSO SCORE HIGHER ON THAT OUTCOME. SIMILARLY, WHEN LOW-POWER INDIVIDUALS SCORED HIGHER ON AN OUTCOME, WOMEN TENDED TO SCORE HIGHER ON THAT OUTCOME.

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CREDIT: GALINSKY ET AL

Why do men and women seem so different? According to a study, a wide range of gender differences that have been attributed to biological sex may actually be due to differences in power. Psychological differences between men and women have multiple possible explanations, including natural selection for sex-specific adaptations on the one hand and socialization processes on the other hand. Contributing to this debate, Adam D. Galinsky and colleagues took advantage of a recent boom in sex/gender difference meta-analyses and a separate boom in psychological experiments that varies who has more versus less power. Their analyses explored whether some reported sex/gender differences are actually due to the fact then men tend to have more power than women in society. For example, studies on sex/gender differences show that men tend to display more agency than women and that women tend to be more interpersonally sensitive than men. But many studies that randomly assign some individuals to high power and others to low power find that those with power exhibit more agency and those without power are more sensitive towards others. Linking these experimental findings on power with sex difference meta-analyses, the authors found that of 102 outcomes associated with men, 72 were also empirically linked to people with power, whereas only 8 outcomes associated with women were also associated with power. Men and people with power tend to display higher agency, more positive self-evaluations, lower empathy and sociability, and higher performance on spatial and creative tasks compared to low-power individuals and women. According to the authors, this strong connection between sex differences and power differences suggests that many sex/gender differences may be driven, at least in part, by power differences between men and women.

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JOURNAL

PNAS Nexus

ARTICLE TITLE

Are many sex/gender differences really power differences?

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Feb-2024

 

Scientists use blue-green algae as a surrogate mother for "meat-like" proteins

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN - FACULTY OF SCIENCE

 

IMAGE: 

CYANOBACTERIA WITH PROTEIN FIBRES SEEN THROUGH A MICROSCOPE. THE PROTEIN FIBRES ARE MARKED 'F'.

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CREDIT: (FROM FIGURE 2 IN THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE: HTTPS://PUBS.ACS.ORG/DOI/10.1021/ACSNANO.3C08600)

We all know that we ought to eat less meat and cheese and dig into more plant-based foods. But whilst perusing the supermarket cold display and having to choose between animal-based foods and more climate-friendly alternative proteins, our voices of reason don’t always win. And even though flavour has been mastered in many plant-based products, textures with the 'right' mouthfeel have often been lacking. 

Furthermore, some plant-based protein alternatives are not as sustainable anyway, due to the resources consumed by their processing.

But what if it was possible to make sustainable, protein-rich foods that also have the right texture? New research from the University of Copenhagen is fueling that vision. The key? Blue-green algae. Not the infamous type known for being a poisonous broth in the sea come summertime, but non-toxic ones.

"Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are living organisms that we have been able to get to produce a protein that they don’t naturally produce. The particularly exciting thing here is that the protein is formed in fibrous strands which somewhat resemble meat fibers. And, it might be possible to use these fibres in plant-based meat, cheese or some other new type of food for which we are after a particular texture," says Professor Poul Erik Jensen of the Department of Food Science.

In a new study, Jensen and fellow researchers from the University of Copenhagen, among other institutions, have shown that cyanobacteria can serve as host organisms for the new protein by inserting foreign genes into a cyanobacterium. Within the cyanobacterium, the protein organizes itself as tiny threads or nanofibers.

Minimal processing – maximum sustainability

Scientists around the world have zoomed in on cyanobacteria and other microalgae as potential alternative foods. In part because, like plants, they grow by means of photosynthesis, and partly because they themselves contain both a large amount of protein and healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids.

"I'm a humble guy from the country side who rarely throws his arms into the air, but being able to manipulate a living organism to produce a new kind of protein which organizes itself into threads is rarely seen to this extent – and it is very promising. Also, because it is an organism that can easily be grown sustainably, as it survives on water, atmospheric CO2 and solar rays. This result gives cyanobacteria even greater potential as a sustainable ingredient," says an enthusiastic Poul Erik Jensen, who heads a research group specializing in plant-based food and plant biochemistry.

Many researchers around the world are working to develop protein-rich texture enhancers for plant-based foods – e.g., in the form of peas and soybeans. However, these require a significant amount of processing, as the seeds need to be ground up and the protein extracted from them, so as to achieve high enough protein concentrations.

"If we can utilize the entire cyanobacterium in foodstuffs, and not just the protein fibers, it will minimize the amount of processing needed. In food research, we seek to avoid too much processing as it compromises the nutritional value of an ingredient and also uses an awful lot of energy," says Jensen.

Tomorrow’s cattle

The professor emphasizes that it will be quite some time before the production of protein strands from cyanobacteria begins. First, the researchers need to figure out how to optimize the cyanobacteria's production of protein fibers. But Jensen is optimistic:

"We need to refine these organisms to produce more protein fibres, and in doing so, 'hijack' the cyanobacteria to work for us. It’s a bit like dairy cows, which we’ve hijacked to produce an insane amount of milk for us. Except here, we avoid any ethical considerations regarding animal welfare. We won’t reach our goal tomorrow because of a few metabolic challenges in the organism that we must learn to tackle. But we’re already in the process and I am certain that we can succeed," says Poul Erik Jensen, adding:

"If so, this is the ultimate way to make protein."

Cyanobacteria such as spirulina are already grown industrially in several countries – mostly for health foods. Production typically occurs in so-called raceway ponds beneath the open sky or in photobioreactors chambers, where the organisms grow in glass tubes.

According to Jensen, Denmark is an obvious place to establish "microalgae factories" to produce processed cyanobacteria. The country has biotech companies with the right skills and an efficient agricultural sector.

"Danish agriculture could, in principle, produce cyanobacteria and other microalgae, just as they produce dairy products today. It would be possible to harvest, or milk, a proportion of the cells as fresh biomass on a daily basis. By concentrating cyanobacteria cells, you get something that looks like a pesto, but with protein strands. And with minimal processing, it could be incorporated directly into a food."

 

 

CYANOBACTERIA PAVED THE WAY FOR THE REST OF US

• Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are not related to algae, despite the name. They belong to the bacterial kingdom.
• Their ability to photosynthesize makes them unique. In fact, cyanobacteria are believed to have invented photosynthesis around 3.8 billion years ago. As such, they have played an important role in Earth's evolution by oxygenating our planet’s atmosphere. This paved the way for every organism that feeds on oxygen. (Source: Wikipedia).
• Certain cyanobacteria can produce toxins that can cause respiratory paralysis or destroy the liver, and are fatal to mammals, birds and fish. In rare cases, cyanobacteria have caused deaths in humans.
• In the research community, there is also great interest in using the cell walls of cyanobacteria as a biomaterial that could replace wood or cement. This is because cyanobacteria accumulate various polymers (macromolecules) that in principle, can be used as building blocks in bioplastics.

 

ABOUT THE STUDY

• The researchers behind the study are: Julie A. Z. Zedler, Alexandra M Schirmacher, David A Russo and Paul Verkade of Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena; Lorna Hodgson of the University of Bristol; Stefanie Frank from University College London; Emil Gundersen and Annemarie Matthes from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Copenhagen and Poul Erik Jensen from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen.  
   
• The research article about the study has been published in the journal ACS Nano: Self-Assembly of Nanofilaments in Cyanobacteria for Protein Co-localization | ACS Nano
   
• The research is supported by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme, The Humboldt Foundation, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Carlsberg Foundation.

A closed photo bioreactor where micro algae are cultivated in glass tubes

Cultivation of cyanobacteria in a raceway pond

JOURNAL

ACS Nano

DOI

10.1021/acsnano.3c08600 

ARTICLE TITLE

Self-Assembly of Nanofilaments in Cyanobacteria for Protein Co-localization

Innovative blockchain technology balances privacy with regulatory compliance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

IN OUR SIMPLIFIED EXAMPLE, WE ASSUME THAT ALICE, BOB, CARL AND DAVID INCLUDE ALL OTHER “GOOD” DEPOSITS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ASSOCIATION SETS AND EXCLUDE DEPOSIT 5, THAT ORIGINATES FROM A KNOWN ILLICIT SOURCE. EVE, ON THE OTHER HAND, CANNOT CREATE A PROOF THAT DISASSOCIATES HER WITHDRAWAL FROM HER OWN DEPOSIT.

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CREDIT: BLOCKCHAIN: RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

Blockchain's inherent transparency, while beneficial for validation and trust, poses significant privacy concerns. Traditional transactions on public blockchains are permanently visible, compromising user privacy. This visibility has been a double-edged sword, providing transparency but at the cost of personal data exposure. A new protocol called Privacy Pools offers a potential solution to the seemingly contradictory goals of blockchain privacy and regulatory compliance.

In a recent study ( doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcra.2023.100176 ) published in Blockchain: Research and Applications on 21 February 2023, contributed by Vitalik Buterin (co-founders of Ethereum), Jacob Illum, Matthias Nadler, Fabian Schär, and Ameen Soleimani. The researchers have developed a protocol called "Privacy Pools" that enhances privacy on blockchain transactions while complying with regulatory standards. This new smart contract-based protocol enables users to prove specific attributes of their transactions without exposing their entire history, maintaining both privacy and transparency.

The "Privacy Pools" protocol introduces a novel approach by allowing users to publish zero-knowledge proofs. These proofs confirm whether their funds are associated with lawful or unlawful sources without revealing their entire transaction history. This method involves proving membership in pre-defined association sets, aligned with regulatory frameworks, thus separating compliant from non-compliant transactions.

"This study offers a promising approach to reconciling the seemingly conflicting goals of blockchain privacy and regulatory compliance," said Dr. Fabian Schär, the corresponding author of this article. "By enabling users to prove compliance without revealing their entire transaction history, Privacy Pools could pave the way for a more privacy-preserving and inclusive blockchain ecosystem."

The "Privacy Pools" protocol offers a pragmatic solution to the long-standing challenge of maintaining privacy in blockchain transactions while meeting regulatory requirements. This innovation not only enhances user privacy but also strengthens the integrity and trustworthiness of blockchain technology. It demonstrates that privacy and regulatory compliance can coexist, paving the way for more secure and private financial transactions in the digital age.

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References

DOI

10.1016/j.bcra.2023.100176

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcra.2023.100176

About Blockchain: Research and Applications

Blockchain: Research and Applications is an international, peer reviewed journal for researchers, engineers, and practitioners to present the latest advances and innovations in blockchain research. The journal publishes theoretical and applied papers in established and emerging areas of blockchain research to shape the future of blockchain technology.

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JOURNAL

Blockchain Research and Applications

DOI

10.1016/j.bcra.2023.100176 

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Blockchain privacy and regulatory compliance: Towards a practical equilibrium