Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
The Thar Desert in India saw a striking 38 per cent rise in greening annually over the last two decades, driven by a significant increase in monsoon rainfall and agricultural expansion, a new study showed. In fact, Thar was the only desert in the world with the highest concurrent increase in population, precipitation and vegetation during the last few decades, scientists confirmed. The annual rainfall increased across the Thar region, particularly in the northwest and primarily during the summer monsoon. Another important factor that contributed to the Thar greening is groundwater pumping for irrigation purposes. Depending on the emission scenario and period (near, mid and far), an increase of 20–50 per cent in the mean annual rainfall was projected in the region.
(Credit: NASA)
NASA’s SpaceX 32nd commercial resupply services mission, scheduled to lift off in April, is heading to the International Space Station with experiments that include research on whether plant DNA responses in space correlate to human aging and disease, and measuring the precise effects of gravity on time. By comparing a highly precise atomic clock in space with numerous ground atomic clocks around the world, ACES (Atomic Clock Ensemble in Space) could take global time synchronization and clock comparison experiments to new heights. The work on plant DNA can provide insights into how plants adapt to protect DNA molecules from cellular stress caused by environmental factors experienced in spaceflight, in an effort to sustain plant life in space.
I was sent this video from the San Diego Zoo today, after today's 5.2 #earthquake. It shows African elephants doing a behavior known as an “alert circle,” meant to protect the young – and the entire herd – from threats. pic.twitter.com/vZHFQlthn0
— Marsha Collier (@MarshaCollier) April 14, 2025
(Credit: X/@MarshaCollier)
As the ground shook from a 5.2-magnitude earthquake, a herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park sprang into action to protect their young. The video shows the older elephants – Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi – scramble to encircle and shield the two seven-year-old calves, Zuli and Mkhaya, from any possible threat. Elephants are highly intelligent and social animals that have the ability to feel sound through their feet. When they perceive a threat, they often bunch together in an “alert circle”, typically with the young clustered in the center and the adults facing outward to defend the group.
An allergy happens when your body mistakes some usually harmless substance for a harmful intruder. The more things two people share, the higher their chances of being allergic to the same things. Twins are more likely to share allergies because of everything they have in common, but the story doesn’t end there. Researchers found that identical twins were more likely to share allergies than fraternal (nonidentical) twins. Identical twins share 100% of their genes, while fraternal twins only share about 50% of their genes, the same as any pair of siblings. So, twins can be allergic to the same things, and it’s more likely that they will be, based on their shared genetics and growing up together. But twins aren’t automatically allergic to the exact same things.
