Although the question of whether there is life on Mars has long been a source of fascination, a more pertinent issue for human missions to the Red Planet is whether new life could grow there.
This is vital if expeditions are to be sustainable – and new research in Germany indicates that bacteria can be cultured in conditions that could be recreated on Mars.
One of the biggest potential hurdles to growing organisms on Mars is the low pressure of the atmosphere there, which is just one-hundredth that of Earth’s.
To look at whether bacteria could grow in low-pressure conditions, Dr Cyprien Verseux and colleagues from the University of Bremen's Centre of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity, or Zarm, developed a "bioreactor". This is called Atmos, or Atmosphere Tester for Mars-bound Organic Systems, and will try to grow cyanobacteria – a blue-green algae found naturally in water that can photosynthesise its own food
"If you can grow the cyanobacteria at low pressure, it's much easier," Dr Verseux said. "If not, you have a big pressure difference and you need something which is very robust and very heavy. Every kilogram increases the cost of the mission."
The bioreactor consists of nine glass and steel vessels in which the contents are stirred and the pressure kept to about one-tenth that on Earth or about 10 times that on Mars.
There were rich supplies of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, conditions that could be recreated on the surface of Mars. In one set of experiments, a growth medium – based on the nutrients found on Mars – was included.
Last summer, when Dr Verseux, who heads Zarm’s laboratory of applied space microbiology, opened up the system, he was delighted with what he saw.
“I was quite excited when I found out,” he said. “I saw the cultures were a very dense green colour, which means they had proliferated. That’s when I realised it was working.”
The key finding is that, even at low pressure, cyanobacteria can use the gases available on Mars and the nutrients in Martian dust to grow and reproduce.
Those used in the study, a filamentous type called Anabaena, use carbon dioxide and nitrogen and incorporate it into nutrients.
For a mission to Mars, cyanobacteria could potentially be used as food themselves or to produce biofuels. They could also provide nutrients for other organisms, and the researchers found that other bacteria, including Escherichia coli, a source of food and medicines, could grow on a medium made from the cyanobacteria produced in Atmos.
On Mars, the oxygen produced by the cyanobacteria could potentially be collected and used by astronauts.
After publishing the research in the Frontiers in Microbiology journal, Dr Verseux and his colleagues are now working to optimise the system, as this could encourage space agencies to look at using the technology.
“We need to do the work of being able to tell them: ‘Here’s what you can get from that technology,’” he said.
“Now we are improving the system. We’re adding some new features. We’re going to start using it again soon.”
Nasa is among the organisations with plans for human missions to Mars, with the space agency hoping to undertake them in the 2030s.
A scientist not linked to the research, Dr Paul Byrne, an associate professor of planetary science at North Carolina State University in the US, said using Martian soil and materials present on Mars to sustain humans there would “reduce the amount of stuff we have to bring from Earth”.
While cautioning that he could not say if the technology in the latest study would be adopted, he said such efforts could make missions more feasible.
“Anything in support of human exploration is going to make it cheaper, and if it makes it cheaper it makes it more possible, because fundamentally these things are bound by cost,” he said.
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
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RESULT
Brazil 2 Croatia 0
Brazil: Neymar (69'), Firmino (90' 3)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Pathaan
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