Art and literature have often depicted the creation of life with big, dramatic moments often involving electricity.Mary Shelleys Frankenstein got zapped into action. Michelangelos God (after six REALLY busy days) seemed to send an invisible but palpable spark into Adams extended finger, waking him into existence on the Sistine Chapels ceiling.The same is true for one scientific theory of lifes creation on Earth.Lightening and Life CreationThe theory states that a lightning bolt struck the ocean, triggering a chemical chain reaction that transformed inorganic compounds into organic ones. That scenario, called the Miller-Urey hypothesis, arose from a 1952 experiment showing that a mixture of water and inorganic molecules could produce organic ones after electricity was applied to the mix.Now, a new experiment demonstrates that life could have formed through much smaller and less dramatic electrochemical interactions, according to a paper in Science Advances.Tiny Volts of MicrolightningStanford University researchers sprayed water into a mixture of gases thought to have existed in Earths early atmosphere. That spray, by itself, produces small electrical charges. Then, the tiny volts which the researchers call microlightning coax inorganic molecules to transform into organic ones, including uracil. That molecule, with its carbon-nitrogen bonds, is a key component of both DNA and RNA.Microelectric discharges between oppositely charged water microdroplets make all the organic molecules observed previously in the Miller-Urey experiment, and we propose that this is a new mechanism for the prebiotic synthesis of molecules that constitute the building blocks of life, Richard Zare, a Stanford chemistry professor and an author of the paper, said in a press release.Scientists believe that Earths chemistry set had plenty of chemicals swirling about its first few billion years of existence. However, the theory is that there were few, if any, organic compounds in the mix especially ones with that essential carbon-nitrogen bond.The Miller-Urey experiment provided one possible explanation for how gases like methane, ammonia, and hydrogen could create these organic molecules via lightning strikes. However, the theorys critics say lightning is too infrequent and the chemicals in the ocean too spread about for this to be a workable scenario. Small but Mighty Zare and his team first experimented with how water droplets developed electrical charges when split by a spray or splash. They observed that larger droplets often carried positive charges, while smaller ones were negative. Sometimes, when two oppositely charged droplets got close to each other, sparks jumped between. The process resembles how energy is built up in clouds and then released as lightning.Since these mini bolts are so hard to see, the researchers captured them with high-speed cameras. Despite its small size, microlightning still carries a good bit of energy.Molecular Life SourceNext, the researchers sent sprays of room temperature water into a gas mixture including nitrogen, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia gases, all of which are thought to have been around on early Earth. This interaction created organic molecules with carbon-nitrogen bonds.Besides being chemically viable, the researchers argue that this scenario for jump-starting life is much more statistically probable.On early Earth, there were water sprays all over the place into crevices or against rocks, and they can accumulate and create this chemical reaction, Zare said. I think this overcomes many of the problems people have with the Miller-Urey hypothesis.Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Discover Magazine. Cooking Up Early-Earth ConditionsBefore joining Discover Magazine, Paul Smaglik spent over 20 years as a science journalist, specializing in U.S. life science policy and global scientific career issues. He began his career in newspapers, but switched to scientific magazines. His work has appeared in publications including Science News, Science, Nature, and Scientific American.

Cougar cubs have not been documented in Michigan in over 100 years, but state biologists can confirm recent photos officially ended the dry spell. On March 13, Michigan Department of Natural Resources released a trio of images that show a pair of tiny cougars roaming a snowy portion of the Upper Peninsula in Ontonagon County.Although the big cats are native to Michigan, humans hunted them out of existence by the early 1900s. While the Department of Natural Resources has verified 132 sightings of adult cougars since 2008, all of them were believed to be transient males from western states. In the meantime, the local population has failed to rebound, and they remain on Michigans endangered mammals list.The two people who first spotted them initially believed them to be bobcats. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources On March 6, a pair of motorists driving in the western Upper Peninsula spotted what they at first believed were kittens from a different wild cat species.He thought they were bobcat kittens, and so he took some pictures of them, and someone else actually stopped, and they both talked about them, like, Oh, neat kittens, Brian Roell, a wildlife biologist and Michigans large carnivore specialist, recently told local news.But state biologists believed the tiny animals didnt match bobcat cubs after being tipped off to the pictures. Further consultation with out-of-state wildlife experts led them to confirm the kittens were actually 7-8 week old cougars. Given their young age, they also concluded their mother gave birth to them somewhere in the state. While the drivers didnt see her at the time, its very possible that she was somewhere nearby, since cougars remain with their mother until they are around two years old. That said, its also possible they were unfortunately already on their own.The kittens were estimated to be 7-8 weeks old. Credit: Michigan Department of Natural Resources Those young cougars are very vulnerable right now. We dont know where they are or if theyre even alive. Mother Nature can be very cruel, Roell explained in a separate statement to The Detroit News.Regardless, just spotting the cubs at all is good news, since it represents the first known modern cougar births in the western Great Lake states.Its something that should be celebrated, that we have the habitat to support an elusive animal like this, said Roell.In any case, Michigan Department of Natural Resources representatives took the occasion to remind the public that, should they start seeing more cougars, to leave them alone. Its illegal to harass or hunt them, or even attempt to locate their dens. As such, Roell and his fellow wildlife biologists arent releasing more specific details on where the two cougar cubs were last seen. But with any luck, the photos may be the first of many to come as cougars return to the area.The post Cougar cubs spotted in Michigan for first time in over a century appeared first on Popular Science.

Firefly Aerospaces Blue Ghost is nearing the end of a two-week mission as the first commercial spacecraft to successfully land on the moon. Its primary objective following the March 2 touchdown inside Mare Crisium crater was to deliver 10 NASA instruments designed to gather lunar subsurface data. But the eastern edge of the moons near east side also provided a perfect spot for viewing a solar eclipse from the moons point of view. On Friday, Firefly released its first breathtaking photos of the most recent cosmic events diamond ring effect as captured by Blue Ghosts onboard camera.The eclipses totality on the moon lasted about two hours. Credit: Firefly Aerospace The first image shows off the eclipses initial moments around 1:30 AM EST on March 14. In addition to photographing the eclipse itself, the event can also be seen in a reflection on Blue Ghosts solar panel array. The landers first shot was taken from its top deck, and also includes portions of the X-band antenna (left), Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (center), and Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder mast (right).Firefly plans to downlink more images once the landers antenna warms. Credit: Firefly Aerospace The second photo downloaded from Blue Ghost showcases the totality, which resulted in a glowing band of sunlight over the lunar horizon resembling a diamond ring. Given the positions of Earth, the moon, and the Sun, the image recalls the many photographs taken during last years total solar eclipse on Earth. From the position down here on Earth, however, it was a total lunar eclipse instead of solar, where the Earths shadow created a blood moon event. According to Firefly, this marked the first time a commercial company was actively operating on the moon during an eclipse. Blue Ghost primarily relies on solar power, so it took the second photo while operating on battery reserves.Mission control engineers will now need to wait a little while longer before downlinking more images in order to give the X-band antenna time to warm up after experiencing the extremely cold temperatures resulting from about two hours worth of totality. For reference, lunar nights regularly see temperatures plummet to -208 degrees Fahrenheit. While not an official part of the mission, Firefly mission engineers also plan to analyze data gathered from NASAs equipment during the approximately 5-hour eclipse. In doing so, they hope to learn more about how an eclipse might influence the lunar environment.Although Blue Ghost is scheduled to permanently power down a few hours after night descends on the moon on March 16, it still has at least one more photoshoot scheduled. Engineers plan to downlink images from the upcoming lunar sunset in another first for the historic lander.The post Lunar lander snaps mesmerizing views of a solar eclipse appeared first on Popular Science.

Nature, Published online: 14 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00707-xThe drop in body temperature that occurs during a torpid state is linked to molecular markers of longer life in mice.

Nature, Published online: 12 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08729-1Studies in zebra finches show that dopamine has a key role as a reinforcement signal in the trial-and-error process of learning that underlies complex natural behaviours.

While millions of Earthlings watched the "blood moon" total lunar eclipse on March 13-14, the private Blue Ghost spacecraft caught an ultra-rare view of Earth blocking out the sun from the surface of the moon.

A monumental tomb found near Corinth has revealed several burials, along with artifacts reflecting its later use as a healing shrine.

Its not a perfect match to the real thing but pretty happy with how this has come out. Have been teaching myself blender on and off for a couple of years and would like to start doing some freelance product viz stuff eventually! Any feedback is welcome :-) submitted by /u/Magic_Man_9 [link] [comments]

Disco Elysium is not old but it is already a cult, thought-provoking RPG that has created its own subgenre and clones that try to get close to the legend. Not everyone has touched its beauty yet, and those who have might want to go back to the story, so ZA/UM decided to bring the game to mobile phones for old and new audiences alike.We intend to captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment, said studio head Denis Havel (via Eurogamer.)ZA/UMNow this is an odd sentence and a questionable format. DE is all about immersion, lots of reading, and thinking for stretches of time. Im not sure short bursts of story is the right way to do it, but well see.Despite my skepticism, the games long dialogues look neat on a vertical screen, easier to read, so perhaps this is a good idea after all. Well, its not like ZA/UM has anything better to do with the game after it fired the original creators.Mobile players deserve deep, story-rich experiences, like Disco Elysium. With profound respect for the originals artistry and meaning, we move forward as both custodians and creators, bringing this masterpiece to new and returning players alike. We want you to fall in love with Disco Elysium on your phone all over again.ZA/UMThe announcement comes days after ZA/UM introduced its trailer for PROJECT [C4], a mind-warping story of espionage and team-building in an original yet achingly familiar setting in parallel with a teaser for Hopetown by Longdue, a studio started by former Disco Elysium developers, an RPG for those who crave deep, intelligent, story-first experiences.Disco Elysium for mobile phones will be released in summer 2025 on Android devices. You can pre-register now.Stay tuned and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Disco Elysium Is Coming to Mobile Phones to Captivate TikTok User appeared first on CG SHARES.