Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Recently, researchers at Kyoto University made a groundbreaking discovery in samples from asteroid Ryugu, a 900-meter diameter asteroid in the Apollo belt. The team found evidence of salt minerals, including sodium carbonate, halite, and sodium sulfates, which suggest that liquid saline water once existed within Ryugu's parent body. Experts believe that Ryugu was once part of a larger parent body that existed about 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after the solar system's formation. This parent body was heated by radioactive decay, creating an environment with hot water below 100°C. However, the liquid water is now gone, leaving behind salt crystals that dissolve easily in water, indicating they precipitated in highly saline conditions.
New high-speed videos show exactly what happens when a droplet splashes into a pool. The findings may help researchers predict how rainfall and irrigation systems spread particles and pathogens into the air. https://t.co/YPspganRIV pic.twitter.com/iiZMEFrczH
— Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (@MIT) February 21, 2025
(Credit: X/@MIT)
Water droplets play a crucial role in spreading diseases, pesticides, and pollen grains. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have captured high-speed footage of rainwater droplets, both above and below the surface, to study their dynamics. In their experiment, researchers released water droplets of various sizes from different heights into a pool of water. They observed how the droplets impacted the surface, forming a crown-like shape and releasing secondary droplets an event that occurs in mere fractions of a second. The impact of droplets on liquid surfaces is a universal phenomenon. Understanding this process sheds light on how particles on a liquid's surface disperse, influencing the spread of pollen, pesticides, and diseases.
(Credit - X/@MBL)
A team led by Indian scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have developed a hybrid microscope capable of simultaneously imaging the full 3D orientation and position of molecules, such as labeled proteins inside cells. This innovative tool combines polarised fluorescence technology with a dual-view light sheet microscope (diSPIM), allowing researchers to capture detailed molecular interactions in unprecedented clarity. The microscope's ability to record 3D protein orientation changes is crucial for understanding how proteins interact with other molecules to perform their functions. This technology addresses long-standing challenges, such as imaging molecules in the spindle of a dividing cell, which become ambiguous when viewed at an angle.
Researchers at Purdue University are working on recreating mosquito antennae to study the sensitivity to vibrations. Even though mosquitos don’t have traditional ears, they rely on their antennae to navigate the auditory landscape. After analysing mosquitoes’ antennal features such as the arrangement and morphology of sensory hairs, scientists gained knowledge about how they detect sensitive and particular sounds in the environment. This could help in detecting the faint signals of earthquakes and other disasters while at the same time guiding rescue efforts for those in need. At present, scientists are working on recreating the antennae through 3D printing, using different materials and at varying sizes for frequency testing.
