The world has 20 quadrillion ants, which weigh more than all wild mammals and birds combined.

You're not alone if you've been curious about the global ant population.

According to a new estimate by scientists from Germany's Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg, there are 20 quadrillion ants worldwide.

Before this, scientists could only make "basically informed approximations" about their population size. So, they compiled information from 489 studies that measured ant populations in different locations. The results were then extended to account for the globe's size, which led to the final tally of 20 quadrillions.

Reasons why ants matter:

Although ants are common in tropical and subtropical locations, their abundance varies greatly depending on local conditions. Engineers may impress scientists, but scientists need to know how many there are to understand their impact on ecosystems.

There are about 15,700 kinds of ants, and they all play essential roles in ecosystems, from seed dispersal to nutrient cycling and sustenance. Researchers at Julius Maximilian University saw the lack of reliable data in this area and set out to fill the void.

Their 489 investigations included ant populations from every continent and the world's major biomes and ecosystems. They estimate 3 1015 ground-dwelling ants worldwide. Twenty quadrillions are more plausible.

But that's not the total cost estimate:

The population's overall biomass is predicted to be around 12 megatons. According to New Scientist's calculations, this is far more than the nine megatons of biomass accounted for by all wild birds and mammals. In comparison, human biomass is 60 megatons or 60 times more significant.

The study also discovered that ground-foraging ants were more common in arid locations, while forest ants were more concentrated in forest areas. However, we can't get a complete picture from the estimates. For instance, the estimations don't account for ants that live underground or in trees; they only consider those that are visible on the ground.

Dr. Patrick Schultheiss of the University of Florida told New Scientist that there was also a lack of information regarding ant populations in Africa and north Asia. This means that there are still significant knowledge gaps about ant populations.

Since ants play an essential part in many ecosystems, it is helpful to get a rough idea of how many there are. This implies researchers may apply the same approaches in identical places to determine what shifted in ant biomass and its impacts.

Research results were released this week in PNAS.

Abstract:

Understanding organisms' relevance in ecosystems and their ecological roles requires knowledge of their distribution and abundance. Bugs, long considered the "tiny things that control the world," today lack such understanding. However, there is currently neither a credible estimate of the total number of insects on Earth nor the abundance of specific insects in different biomes or habitats. This is true even for insects as common as ants, who are of immense ecological relevance. To get a realistic picture of the ant population worldwide, we aggregated ground-dwelling and tree-dwelling species information. All main biomes and habitats are represented in our meta-analysis of 489 studies. The overall number of ants on Earth is probably around 201015, and we estimate that there are more than 31015 ground-dwelling ants. This second number is equivalent to biomass of about 12 megatons of dry carbon. This is almost the same as 20% of the human body, and it's more than the total biomass of all wild birds and mammals. The diversity and abundance of ground-dwelling ants vary significantly between habitats but are most dense in tropical and subtropical climates. The quantity of ants that live in leaf litter is most significant in forests, while the abundance of ground-foraging ants is most incredible in deserts. These findings not only highlight the importance of ants to terrestrial ecosystems but also reveal significant information gaps in ecological and geographical contexts. Our results establish a vital foundation for future research into the factors influencing abundance patterns and monitoring insects' reactions to environmental shifts.

 Can we extend our lives? A Pioneering Finding in the Genetic Protective Layer by Physicists.

A novel telomeric DNA structure identified by researchers may hold the answer to living longer.

With the help of physics and a small magnet, researchers have identified a new structure for telomeric DNA. Many experts believe that telomeres hold the answer to extending life. They shield genes from harm, although they shrink slightly with each cell division. If they shrink too much, the cell perishes. This ground-breaking discovery will improve our understanding of disease and aging.

Physics is typically not the first branch of knowledge that comes to mind when discussing DNA. But one of the researchers that discovered the novel DNA structure is John van Noort from the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) in the Netherlands. He conducts biological studies using physics techniques as a biophysicist. He was approached to assist in studying the DNA composition of telomeres by biologists from Nanyan Technological University in Singapore after their attention was also drawn to this. On September 14, the findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

Beads on a string:

Our chromosomes, which carry the genes that define our characteristics, are found in every cell of our bodies (what we look like, for instance). Telomeres, which guard the chromosomes against harm, are located at the ends of these chromosomes. They resemble aglets, the plastic tips on shoelace ending.

Figure 1 shows telomeres, a cell, and a chromosome. Leiden University as source.

The two meters of DNA between the telomeres must be folded to fit inside a cell. The DNA is wrapped around the bundles of proteins to do this. The combination of DNA and proteins is referred to as a nucleosome. A nucleosome, a bit of free (or unbound) DNA, a nucleosome, and so on are arranged in a pattern like a string of beads.

The bead string then contracts even further. The length of the DNA between the nucleosomes—the beads on the line—determines how it achieves this. There were already two known post-folding structures. One of them has free DNA hanging in the space between two nearby beads that cling together (figure 2A). The nearby beads fail to bind together if their DNA gap is too small. Then two stacks form side by side (figure 2B).

Van Noort and associates found a new telomere structure in their research. Because the nucleosomes are closer, there is no longer any free DNA between the beads. This culminates forming a single, substantial DNA spiral (figure 2C).

The three various DNA structures are shown in Figure 2. Leiden University as source.

Magnet:

Combining electron microscopy and molecular force spectroscopy, a novel structure was found. The latter method was developed in Van Noort's lab. Here, a tiny magnetic ball adheres to one DNA end connected to a glass slide. The string of pearls is subsequently torn apart by a series of powerful magnets above this ball. You can learn more about how the line is folded by counting how much force is required to separate each bead. The Singaporean researchers then used an electron microscope to grasp the structure better.

Building materials:

Van Noort calls structure "the holy grail of molecular biology." Knowing the design of the molecules will help us understand how genes are activated and inactivated as well as how cellular enzymes deal with telomeres, such as when they repair and copy DNA. Our knowledge of the structural components in the body will be enhanced by finding the new telomeric structure. And ultimately, that will aid in our understanding of aging, diseases like cancer, and the development of medications to treat them.

A chromosome's end contains a stretch of repeating DNA sequences known as a telomere. Chromosome ends are shielded from fraying or tangling by telomeres. The telomeres get a tiny bit shorter each time a cell divides. Eventually, they accelerate to the point where the cell can no longer divide properly and dies. Credit should go to the National Human Genome Research Institute.

 Recent scientific advancements include the creation of diamonds from recycled plastic bottles, among other things.

We present four examples of how scientific progress is improving people's lives.

1. Nanodiamonds may be manufactured from PET plastics, thanks to research conducted by scientists.
2. The first clinical trials of a universal COVID-19 vaccine that can be used in the future are imminent.
3. Recent research has shown that random acts of kindness can significantly impact.
4. A woman with a fantastic sense of smell contributed to developing a straightforward test for Parkinson's disease.

1. Nanodiamonds may be manufactured from PET plastics, thanks to research conducted by scientists.

An experiment aiming to shed light on the icy giants Uranus and Neptune yielded a surprise result.

Diamond rain is a phenomenon that scientists have been studying, and it is theorised to be formed by the planets' peculiar elemental makeup.

PET plastic, the polymer used in packaging like water bottles, was used in the studies; it is made of hydrogen and carbon. Using an optical laser, the team produced high-pressure shockwaves on the plastic, emulating the process within the ice giants.

That's the kind of pressure we're talking about if you can picture a million and two million elephants jumping on a thing at once.

When microscopic synthetic diamonds were developed, researchers were delighted.

According to Professor Dr Dominik Kraus of the University of Rostock, who took part in the experiments, the astonishing thing is the clarity of the results they noticed in the data. In just a few nanoseconds, "a huge fraction of the carbon atoms are converted into diamonds,"

In addition, the diamonds are still there once the pressure is removed. He told Euronews that the materials are recoverable and might be put to various uses.

These nanodiamonds are both aesthetically attractive and potentially important for quantum technology and medicine.

These tests were designed to help us learn more about the planets in our solar system. Prof. Kraus speculates that this may be another example of how scientific inquiry into what seems like a highly remote topic might lead to practical applications.

The good news for the environment is if this new method of producing nanodiamonds from waste plastic works as advertised.

2. The first clinical trials of a universal COVID-19 vaccine that can be used in the future are imminent.

Researchers and leaders in public health have been lamenting the lack of financing for vaccine development for years. However, with COVID-19, the game was radically altered.

Research into universal coronavirus vaccines received tens of millions of dollars in the wake of the epidemic. We urgently need these vaccines to hope for a future free of COVID.

If a universal vaccine could be developed against COVID-19, it could protect against any future versions of the virus and any future illnesses caused by completely new coronaviruses.

The good news is that this study was begun long before we heard of alpha, delta, omicron, and the rest of them.

The doctoral candidate at Caltech, Alexander Cohen and his team of scientists are very near their goal.

The antibodies generated in the laboratory's vaccination identified not just the eight coronaviruses that were included in the vaccine but four more coronaviruses that were not. After exposing mice and monkeys to various coronaviruses, the team announced in March this year that the vaccine appeared to protect them. The findings were reported in July in the journal Science.

Human vaccine trials can now proceed, as resources have been set aside for this purpose. If it works, it may prevent us from ever again being forced to go into lockdown due to a COVID outbreak.

3. Recent research has shown that random acts of kindness can significantly impact.

Those who perform random acts of kindness bring joy to both the giver and the recipient. According to a latest study, Good Samaritans underestimate their impact.

According to the study's authors, this prevents many of us from doing kind acts for others more frequently, which in turn prevents us from experiencing the joy of making others happy.

Experiments involving hundreds of participants found that those who did acts of kindness, such as buying a stranger a coffee or a cup of hot chocolate, consistently underestimated the beneficial effect it would have on the recipients.

Nothing novel about the idea that acts of kindness might improve people's moods. Numerous studies have demonstrated the mutually beneficial effects of acts of kindness.

However, experts claim that the theory is strengthened with each new finding, turning it into a more robust scientific argument rather than just something that appears logical.

4. A woman with a fantastic sense of smell contributed to developing a straightforward test for Parkinson's disease.

Joy Milne, aged 72, has unwittingly contributed significantly to the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Twelve years before his Parkinson's diagnosis, she had noticed a change in her husband's smell, describing it as "musky" instead of his usual "fresh" aroma.

She added, "When I first wake up in the morning," she didn't open her eyes but instead focused on her sense of scent.

Someone with Joy Milne's condition is a "super smeller," a term used to describe those who have inherited a heightened sense of smell.

With her help, researchers at the University of Manchester identified a distinct odour associated with Parkinson's illness.

A test developed with Mme Milne's assistance can now tell if a person has Parkinson's disease within three minutes.

Professor Perdita Barran, who oversaw the study, explained to Euronews how they "swab people's backs just like that," and then analysed the molecules on the skin to determine whether or not a person has Parkinson's disease.

Our primary goal is to provide the specialist with a "confirmatory diagnosis" that will aid in selecting an appropriate treatment plan.

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease has hitherto relied on the patient's symptoms and medical history due to the lack of a definitive diagnostic test. A cotton swab is about to alter all of that.

 Researchers have identified a new mechanism that not only retards the aging process but also increases the longevity of the immune system.

The normal aging of immune cells is one of the nine 'hallmarks of aging,' but an international team led by UCL researchers has uncovered a new mechanism that slows and, in some cases, prevents this process.

Nature Cell Biology reported an "unexpected" finding in cells in a lab and confirmed it in mice. The investigators think that by employing this strategy, the immune system can function more optimally and live longer in its fight against diseases like cancer and dementia.

The study's senior author and an honorary professor at UCL's Department of Medicine, Dr. Alessio Lanna, stressed that the immune system is always on guard. They need a long half-life in the body to have any effect. Though this lifetime security is provided, how this is accomplished is most mysterious.

This research aimed to learn how T cells in the immune system are given a longer lifespan at the outset of the immune response to an antigen, a foreign substance detected by the immune-surveillance mechanisms of the body's defense.

In what ways does the immune system decline with age?

A cap at the end of each chromosome in a cell called a telomere is made up of a specific DNA sequence replicated hundreds of times. The sequence serves as a biological clock that controls the maximum number of cell replications (also known as cell divisions) a cell can undergo. It also protects the coding regions of the chromosomes.

Telomeres shorten with each cell division in T cells (a type of white blood or immune cell) and most other cells (telomere attrition). The cell enters senescence when its telomeres become too short, at which point it either ceases dividing and is disposed of by the immune system or persists in an altered, dysfunctional state until it dies.

Damaged immune systems lead to persistent infections, cancer, and early death. Attrition of telomeres has been called a "hallmark of ageing."

Conclusions from the Research

This research involved stimulating an immune response against bacteria in vitro using T cells (foreign infection). As a complete surprise, scientists found that two distinct types of white blood cells could undergo a telomere transfer reaction via a molecule called an 'extracellular vesicle' (tiny particles that facilitate intercellular communication). The antigen-presenting cell (APC), which could be B cells, dendritic cells, or macrophages, "donated" a telomere to the T lymphocyte. Following telomere transfer, the recipient T cell acquired the properties of a memory cell and a stem cell, making it capable of providing lifelong immunity against lethal infection.

The telomere transfer process was responsible for stretching some telomeres by a factor of 30 greater than telomerase. Among the several DNA-making enzymes, telomerase is the only one that helps maintain healthy telomeres in stem cells, immune system cells, fetal tissue, reproductive cells, and sperm. Nevertheless, telomere attrition occurs because this process is absent in other types of cells. However, continuing immune responses promote progressive telomerase inactivation, leading to telomere shortening and replicative senescence when cells stop replicating. This occurs even in immune cells, where the enzyme is naturally active.

According to Professor Lanna, "the telomere transfer response" between immune cells adds to the Nobel-prize-winning discovery of telomerase. Cells can transfer telomeres to adjust chromosome length before initiating telomerase action. The telomeres transfer can potentially retard or even reverse the aging process.

Utilizing the brand-new system

As a follow-up to their discovery of the unique "anti-aging" mechanism, the same research team showed that telomere extracellular vesicles could be extracted from blood and, when paired with T cells, exhibit anti-aging effects in the immune systems of both mice and humans.

Purified extracellular vesicle preparations can be given alone or with a vaccine to produce long-lasting immune responses that, in theory, can prevent repeated immunizations.

The 'telomere donor' transfer process in cells can be actively stimulated. They say this highlights the promise of new prophylactic (preventative) therapy for immunological senescence and aging, albeit much more study is needed.

Researchers have been looking into telomeres for over 40 years. For a long time, scientists assumed that telomere elongation and maintenance in cells were solely the work of a single enzyme called telomerase.

Professor Lanna says, "Our results explain how a new mechanism that does not require telomerase to extend telomeres and work when telomerase is still inactive in the cell."

 Why visit the Moon once more?

A voyage to Mars can't happen for NASA unless the Moon is reclaimed.

After JFK's famous address, the US is returning to the Moon. AFP/Photo

Former US President John F. Kennedy announced his goal of sending a human to the Moon by the end of the decade in a September 12, 1962, address to the nation.

At the height of the Cold War, after the Soviet Union had launched the first satellite and placed the first man in orbit, the United States needed a significant triumph to establish its space superiority.

"Kennedy told 40,000 people at Rice University, "We choose to travel to the Moon because it's a challenge we're willing to accept and aim to win."

Sixty years later, the US is ready to dispatch Artemis, its first Moon mission. Duplicating work is useless.

Critics like Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins and Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin, who have long wanted the United States to go to Mars without stopping at the moon, have been vocal in recent years.

On the other hand, NASA insists that returning to the Moon is necessary before exploring Mars. This is the rationale behind it.

Protracted trips to space.

Unlike the brief Apollo flights, NASA's goal is to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, with missions lasting several weeks.

Prepare for a multi-year trek to Mars.

Extremely high levels of radiation are a genuine health risk in space.

Compared to the Moon, the International Space Station (ISS) operates in Low Earth Orbit, which is partially insulated from radiation by the Earth's magnetic field.

Numerous tests designed to examine the effects of this radiation on living organisms and evaluate the efficacy of an anti-radiation vest will begin with the first Artemis mission.

In addition, although resupply missions to the ISS are relatively routine, missions to the Moon, which are a thousand times further, are significantly more complicated.

NASA wants to use what's on the ground instead of transporting everything.

Moon's south pole ice includes water that can be divided into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.

Putting brand-new tools through their paces.

Furthermore, NASA hopes to test out on the Moon the technology that will eventually be used on Mars. The priority is the development of new spacesuits for use on spacewalks.

The first trip to land on the Moon, scheduled for no earlier than 2025, will use Axiom Space's design.

Also required are habitats and transportation systems, including pressurized and unpressurized vehicles for the astronauts.

Finally, NASA is developing portable nuclear fission technologies to ensure continued access to a reliable energy supply.

If issues develop, it will be much simpler to resolve them on the Moon (which can be reached in a matter of days) than on Mars (which will take at least several months to get).

Putting down roots.

Artemis relies heavily on a relay station orbiting the Moon named Gateway, which will be the first stop on the journey to Mars.

In charge of the Gateway program, Sean Fuller told AFP that all the essential equipment could be carried there in "several launches" before the crew is eventually joined to start the long trek.

"Like doing a final check at the convenience store before setting out on your journey."

Keeping one's position as China's leader.

The United States has proposed establishing a lunar colony for reasons other than beating the Chinese to Mars; the latter country plans to launch taikonauts to the Moon by 2030.

With Russia's once-proud space program now faltering, China has emerged as the United States' principal rival.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently stated in an interview, "We don't want China suddenly coming there and saying, 'This is our exclusive area.'"

Science needs to know this.

While over 400 kg of lunar rock was brought back to Earth during the Apollo missions, additional samples will allow us to learn more about the moon's origins.

Astronaut Jessica Meir told AFP, "The materials we acquired during the Apollo missions transformed how we perceive our solar system." That's something about the Artemis program, too, I believe!

She anticipates a new wave of scientific and technological advancements like the Apollo era.

 The Sun is what colour, exactly? The former astronaut at NASA says it's not yellow.

In a recent interview, a former NASA astronaut verified that the Sun is white, not yellow.

In response to a tweet from an account called "Latest in Space," astronaut Scott Kelly confirmed the information.

The dwarf star is white, but it appears yellow because of Earth's atmosphere. That's why the Sun seems white from above Earth's atmosphere: it's so far away that it's not even visible.

As reported by NASA, blue light is less likely to be scattered by Earth's atmosphere than red.

Since there isn't as much blue light as in the sky, the Sun seems yellow to the human eye.

Additionally, NASA assures us that we are shielded from x-ray and gamma-ray radiation.

More and more of the longest-wavelength red light, which occurs when sunlight travels through the outermost layers of the atmosphere, reaches our eyes. This is also why the Sun and sky look redder just before sunset.

Multiple comments were placed on the astronaut's post by curious netizens. Others were on board with this, while others were still sceptical, and some even commented sarcastically.

The man may be lying for the sake of lying. Please, does anyone else confirm this?" A doubtful user expressed curiosity.

Another user asked, "What about Earth, is it flat or globe?" to mock the flat-earthers. Because some people still hold to the idea that the Earth is flat!

One person even chimed in with an argument that human eyes have evolved to perceive green as yellow.

When asked about the green Sun, another member whose profile said he was a scientist stated, "It peaks in green, yeah." To be sure, the colours on either side contribute roughly the same amount to the white overall. Even if we could see more of the E-M spectrum, this would still be the case (roughly) so long as our visual sensitivity also peaked in the green region.

 Scientists duplicated the diamond-raining phenomenon on Uranus and Neptune.

A worldwide team of scientists replicated the "diamond rain" believed to exist in Uranus and Neptune. Greg Stewart/SLAC

It's possible that Neptune and Uranus, two giant ice planets, provide the ideal circumstances for a diamond rain. Since we can't physically visit these places to verify, we must rely on artificial atmospheres created in a lab. To test how rapidly and readily diamonds may grow in such conditions, a group of physicists utilized a vaporized form of common polymers.

The idea of diamond rain sounds entire, yet it may work. Uranus and Neptune, the ice giants of our solar system, have the ideal pressures and temperatures for this process to occur in their upper atmospheres. Diamonds result from carbon atoms sticking together in the atmosphere's middle layers. When the diamonds have grown large enough, they will fall to Earth's surface. Overheated to the point where solidity is impossible, they sublimate back into gaseous carbon atoms and rise to the surface once more.

Similar to Earth's water cycle, except with carbon and diamonds instead of water vapor and precipitation.

Unfortunately, we lack the technology to probe the atmosphere of these planets; therefore, the only method to determine whether or not these worlds rain diamonds is to attempt to duplicate the atmospheric conditions of those planets in a laboratory setting. Recently, a group of scientists succeeded in creating diamonds on the nanoscale scale in the lab, but their findings were constrained by the fact that they only worked with carbon and hydrogen.

Now, a group from the United States has The presence of oxygen, which is plentiful in the atmospheres of the ice giants, was factored in by researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

According to Siegfried Glanzer, head of SLAC's High Energy Density Division, "the earlier work was the first time that we directly saw diamond creation from any mixes." Experiments with many pure materials have been conducted since then. However, the situation is significantly more intricate within planets due to the many molecules involved. So, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of these new compounds.

You may remember PET plastic as a typical material for food containers and bottles was used to create the desired environment. "PET provides a nice balance between carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen to imitate the activity on ice worlds," said Dominik Kraus, a physicist at HZDR and professor at the University of Rostock.

Researchers discovered that oxygen increased the rate at which diamonds formed and simplified the process by which they did so. According to Kraus, "the effect of the oxygen was to speed the splitting of the carbon and hydrogen," which favored the creation of nanodiamonds. As a result, "carbon atoms could unite more readily to make diamonds."

It's not a replica of the ice giant's atmosphere, but it's a significant improvement over earlier attempts. That diamonds are indeed growing on those planets is hinted at by this discovery.

During their investigation, the scientists only succeeded in growing diamonds for a brief moment. Diamonds, however, would have an infinite amount of time to develop in the environments of Uranus and Neptune. Researchers claim that diamonds growing in Uranus and Neptune could weigh as much as a million carrots each.

Now you know where to look for some shiny new jewelry.