Meredith Andrews

The interplanetary station Mars Express has found evidence of large water deposits in the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars. The discovery is reported in an article published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, summarised in a press release on Phys.org.

The researchers analysed observations made with the station’s radar and found that sediments several kilometres deep, identified 15 years ago, are actually much thicker than previously thought and lie at depths as deep as 3.7 kilometres. The data correspond to signals reflected from layered ice and are similar to those from the polar caps of Mars.

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Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a new material for environmentally friendly batteries that can be used to power electric cars. This is reported by the scientific journal ACS Central Science.

The new lithium-ion battery contains an organic-based cathode instead of cobalt and nickel. It conducts electricity at the same rate as cobalt-based batteries, but it can be produced at a much lower cost. At the same time, the device has comparable capacity and can be charged faster than its counterparts.

The material consists of multiple layers of TAQ (bis-tetraaminobenzoquinone), a small organic molecule with three hexagonal rings containing amino groups and quinone groups. The former help the compound form strong hydrogen bonds that make the material stable and insoluble, while the latter are a reservoir of electrons. Experiments show that TAQ can withstand more than 2,000 charge cycles with minimal degradation.

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Scientists at DePaul University in Chicago (USA) have disproved a popular myth that the megalodon was a giant version of the great white shark. According to the study, published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica, the extinct shark, which does not actually belong to the same genus as Carcharodon carcharias, had a slimmer body than the largest predatory shark of modern times, and was more like a mako shark.

As the authors write in their paper, several attempts have been made previously to determine the body shape of Otodus megalodon, but they were all speculative due to the lack of a complete skeleton. The estimated body length was estimated at 15 metres, but this value is based on the diameter of the vertebrae of a great white shark. In addition, the scientists found differences in previous body length estimates for the same megalodon specimen.

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Scientists at Tokyo Metropolitan University have uncovered the mechanism of DNA regeneration, which occurs through homologous recombination involving the RecA protein. The findings, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, will help identify factors that disrupt this process and lead to diseases such as breast cancer.

Homologous recombination is the most widely used way for cells to repair damaged DNA that has a break in one or both strands. In this process, an undamaged copy of DNA located in a homologous chromosome is used for repair. First, one of the broken ends is removed (resected), and then the RecA protein reinserts the dangling part of the chain into another chromosome, after which the lost part of the chain is completed. In doing so, the chromosomes can also exchange genetic material.

The researchers tested two different models of how homologous recombination occurs involving RecA. In one, RecA unwinds a section of the intact double strand while searching for a suitable site to insert the end of the damaged strand. In the second, unwinding occurs only when the incorporation has already occurred.

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Astronomers have made a rare discovery of a relatively small, cold exoplanet and its massive companion. The findings are published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

The scientists found a planet with a radius and mass between Earth and Neptune, which makes a revolution around its parent star HD88986 for 146 days. The system also contains a massive object with 100 times the mass of Jupiter.

Observations by the TESS and CHEOPS space telescopes have shown that the planet is about twice the diameter of Earth. The temperature of its atmosphere is only 190 degrees Celsius, providing scientists with a rare opportunity to study cold atmospheres. Most exoplanets discovered have temperatures above a thousand degrees Celsius.

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