'Marsquakes' travel deeper than expected, says new research
Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Bern have used artificial intelligence to discover that 'Marsquakes' are a result of seismic signals from meteoroid impacts reaching further and deeper into Mars than previously thought. Arrthy Thayaparan reports.
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BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Great Exhibition Road Festival: What is the weirdest thing in the universe?
London's Exhibition Road will close to traffic this weekend as the famous museums and institutions of South Kensington combine for the Great Exhibition Road the series of free events taking place along the street, three researchers affiliated with Imperial College London (ICL) will take to the stage to try to answer one small question - what's the weirdest thing in the universe? For ICL research fellow Mariana Carrillo Gonzalez, the answer is to be found far away from our own planet."My object is black holes," she holes are regions of space where matter has collapsed in on itself, meaning they have such strong gravity that not even light can escape there's a key problem with them for scientists, explains Mariana."We still have no clue how they work."We can't observe them, we just observe the effects of a black hole. We observe the light that goes around the black hole and we observe how it deforms space and how things move... but we really can't see it because there's nothing that can escape from a black hole."We can prove they are there, we just have no idea what's inside," she adds."I think that's just a very weird thing." Nevertheless, Rita Ahmadi argues her research specialism is even more bizarre - "Quantum physics, by which I mean the physics of subatomic particles."They have behaviours that are different from the classical physics that you see around yourself, so the rules are different," the postdoctoral researcher rules include that "they can be observed in two different states at the same time, which is called superposition", while they also have an unusual problem when trying to observe them as "any interaction with a quantum system changes the state of the quantum system".Rita says such peculiarities mean "we know that the mathematics of quantum mechanics work properly so we know that the model works... but still we cannot make sense of that".Even so, quantum science is still seen as hugely important for the future."My research is quantum computing and I'm building devices out of that even without understanding if it makes sense." The other researcher taking part is Fernando Ernesto Rosas De Andraca whose area of expertise is another one full of conundrums."I took human consciousness as the weirdest thing I can think of," he says."Our best guess is that consciousness is somehow generated by the brain but most people would argue that single neurons are not conscious."So you have these little parts that are not conscious, you put them together and they are conscious and that's very strange."He also points to other arguments such as "the only thing you cannot doubt is your consciousness, but at the same time consciousness is this thing that nobody else can see so everybody else can doubt it".Elaborating further, Fernando brings up artificial intelligence (AI), declaring it as something he has become "completely obsessed" with."Most people believe that current AI systems are not conscious... but I think most people agree that there is no fundamental limits to say it will never be conscious so then the question is at one point it might become so," he says."We then get into a different arena that we have to be concerned about things like creating a system that can suffer." The reason for such existential arguments is the festival, which seeks to celebrate science and the arts for people of all ages through activities like insect yoga, quantum discos and robotics."We're always trying to find different and creative ways of exploring some of the topics that we study at Imperial," says James Romero, who is one of the festival organisers for the university."In this case it's challenging the researchers to tweak the public lecture format into a different format and introducing a competitive element into it."Once the three researchers have presented their arguments, a vote will be held with those in the crowd deciding which phenomena should be considered the weirdest in the universe."We thought that the researchers might be too polite to be competitive but clearly that's not necessarily the case," says James, having listened to their arguments."I came from Oxford," replies Rita. "I take debates very seriously."The Weirdest Object in the Universe debate is free to attend and will take place in the Sir Alexander Fleming Building at Imperial College London at 15:30 BST on Saturday.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- The Guardian
Poorer children more likely to age faster than affluent counterparts, study finds
Children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to experience biological disadvantages such as ageing faster than their more affluent counterparts, according to a study. Academics at Imperial College London looked at data from 1,160 children aged between six and 11 from across Europe, for the study published in the Lancet. The children were scored using an international scale of family affluence, which is based on a number of factors including whether a child had their own room and the number of vehicles per household. Children were split into groups of high, medium and low affluence groups, and blood samples were used to measure children's average telomere length in white blood cells, while the stress hormone cortisol was measured from urine. Telomeres are structures found within chromosomes that play an important role in cellular ageing and DNA integrity, and their degradation is linked to ageing. Telomeres become shorter as humans age. Previous studies have suggested a link between telomere length and chronic diseases, and that acute and chronic stress can reduce telomere length. The study found that children from the high affluence group had telomeres 5% longer on average compared with children from a low affluence group. Girls were found to have longer telomeres than boys, by an average of 5.6%, while children with a greater body mass index (BMI) had shorter telomeres by 0.18% for each percentage increase in fat mass. Children from the medium and high affluence groups had cortisol levels between 15.2% and 22.8% lower than children from the low affluence group. The authors acknowledged the study had some limitations in that the children analysed were not from families living in poverty, and that the study should not be interpreted as showing a link between affluence and 'quality' of genes, but rather showing the indirect impact of environment on a known marker of ageing and long-term health. Dr Oliver Robinson, from Imperial's school of public health and senior author of the study, said: 'Our findings show a clear relationship between family affluence and a known marker for cellular ageing, with potentially lifelong patterns being shaped in the first decade of a child's life. 'It means that for some children, their economic background may put them at a biological disadvantage compared to those who have a better start in life. By failing to address this, we are setting children on a lifelong trajectory where they may be more likely to have less healthy and shorter lives.' Robinson added: 'Our work suggests that being from a low affluence background is causing additional biological wear and tear. For children from the low affluent group this may be equivalent to approximately 10 years of ageing at the cellular level, compared to children from high affluence backgrounds.' Kendal Marston, from Imperial's school of public health and the first author of the study, said: 'We know that chronic exposure to stress causes biological wear and tear on the body. This has been demonstrated in animal studies at the cellular level – with stressed animals having shorter telomeres. 'While our study couldn't show that cortisol was the mechanism, it does demonstrate a link between affluence and telomere length, which we know in adulthood is related to lifespan and health. It may be that children from less affluent backgrounds are experiencing greater psychosocial stress. For example, they may be sharing a bedroom with family members, or they may not have the resources they need for school – like access to a computer for homework.'
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dinosaurs may hold key to cancer breakthroughs say scientists
Researchers explored the fossil of a Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a 'marsh lizard' that existed between 66 and 70 million years ago Dinosaurs might not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering cancer treatment. Yet scientists now believe these prehistoric creatures could actually provide valuable insights on how to tackle the complex, cell-mutating disease. Ne w research from Anglia Ruskin University and Imperial College London explored this subject, using pioneering techniques to closely examine the fossil of an ancient species. Now they theorise that soft tissue and cellular structures are perhaps preserved in ancient remains more frequently than previously understood, potentially offering crucial information for future illness prevention. Senior author Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, said: "Dinosaurs, as long-lived, large-bodied organisms, present a compelling case for investigating how species managed cancer susceptibility and resistance over millions of years. "Proteins, particularly those found in calcified tissues like bone, are more stable than DNA and are less susceptible to degradation and contamination. This makes them ideal candidates for studying ancient diseases, including cancer, in paleontological specimens." The researchers specifically highlighted the Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a duck-billed 'marsh lizard' that roamed what is now Romania between 66 and 70 million years ago. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), researchers discovered 'red blood cell-like structures' within a fossil of this creature. Now, by examining preserved proteins and biomarkers, scientists hope to gain insights into diseases that impacted prehistoric animals, including cancer. This project builds on a previous study that found evidence of cancer in the same marsh lizard. Professor Stebbing continued: "Unlike skeletal structures alone, soft tissues contain proteins that provide molecular information that can reveal the underlying biological mechanisms of disease." With this in mind, scientists also emphasised the importance of gathering and preserving dinosaur tissue, not just skeletons. They asserted that future analyses could enhance our understanding of disease evolution over time, potentially informing treatments for humans. "Our research, using relatively underused methods, invites further exploration that could hold the key to future discoveries that could benefit humans," Professor Stebbing added. "However, it is crucial that long-term fossil conservation efforts are coordinated to ensure that future researchers have access to specimens suitable for cutting-edge molecular investigations."
