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Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Scientists say airborne DNA detects wildlife, diseases, and even drugs
Source: The air in Dublin carries something far less visible: fragments of DNA. According to a study, genetic material from plants, animals, microbes, and even traces of illicit substances like cannabis and poppy can be found drifting through the city's atmosphere. This discovery highlights the growing potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) – genetic material collected not from the organism itself, but from the surrounding environment. The presence of airborne DNA provides new ways to study species diversity, detect disease pathogens, and monitor human activities, all without direct contact. Environmental DNA: A new era of wildlife and pathogen monitoring According to Professor David Duffy, a wildlife disease expert at the University of Florida, first created tools to study sea turtles by collecting DNA from water, sand, and soil. His team has now expanded their techniques to include air, with astonishing results. At the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, they used simple air filters for several hours or days. These filters were able to collect a lot of high-quality DNA. According to Professor Duffy, this new method lets scientists track all kinds of living things – from tiny microbes and viruses to hard-to-spot animals like bobcats – without needing to touch or disturb them at all. Air DNA in urban and natural environments In a real-world application, Duffy's team deployed their airborne DNA collection devices across Dublin. The air filters present detected hundreds of human pathogens, including viruses and bacteria. This has profound implications for public health, allowing early detection of disease outbreaks and better understanding of how infections spread. The technology also has the potential to revolutionize allergen detection, providing more precise identification of particles such as pollen or peanut dust – a valuable tool for both doctors and public health officials. Ethically responsible monitoring A single researcher can process an air sample's DNA in just one day using compact lab equipment and cloud-based analysis tools. What sets this technique apart is its speed, affordability, and accessibility. However, with this power comes the need for ethical oversight. Since human DNA is also captured, experts emphasize the need for guidelines on data privacy and responsible sharing. 'It feels like science fiction, but it's quickly becoming science fact,' says Duffy. 'The technology is now ready to meet the scale of global environmental challenges. Also read | Teleios: a mysterious sphere floating in the Milky Way
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Scientists spot ‘superorganism' in the wild for the first time — and it's made of worms
Source: Live Science For the first time ever, scientists have observed a group of tiny worms called nematodes forming a strange 'living tower' in nature. This kind of behaviour is known as forming 'superorganism' which had only been seen in laboratory experiments before — never in nature. This exciting discovery was made by researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz in Germany while studying decaying fruit like apples and pears in local orchards. They were shocked to see the worms pile up into small towers and move together like one big creature. Nematode towers: How worms work together to move These worm towers were made mostly by a special life stage of the nematode called the dauer stage. In this phase, worms are not feeding, but they can survive in tough environments for long periods. Scientists believe these dauer worms were working together to build the towers as a way to escape rotting fruit and search for a new, better place to live. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Run Your Business Like a Pro - Top Trending Accounting Software (Check Now) Accounting ERP Click Here Undo Originally, experts thought this type of tower-building was a form of competition, where each worm tried to reach the top for its own benefit. But the new findings suggest the opposite — the worms were cooperating, acting more like a team than rivals. According to Live Science, the footage of the same was captured by researchers in Konstanz, Germany, on fallen apples and pears at local orchards. The team from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) and the University of Konstanz were then able to combine these images with follow-up laboratory experiments to demonstrate that the 'towering' behavior happens naturally, and that the worms engage in such behaviour as a means of mass transit Unexpected teamwork of tiny worms in nature, for the first time This kind of behavior is known as forming a 'superorganism' — when many individuals join forces and behave as one single being. It's something seen in other animals too, like fire ants, which build bridges and rafts out of their own bodies, or slime molds, which merge into one big moving blob to find food. The researchers say this shows even very simple creatures like worms can work together in clever and surprising ways. By acting as a group, the worms increase their chances of surviving in harsh environments and reaching new habitats. The discovery opens the door to learning more about group behavior in small organisms and could even help scientists understand the early steps of how teamwork and social behavior evolved in nature. Also read: Teleios: a mysterious sphere floating in the Milky Way
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Teleios: A mysterious sphere floating in the Milky Way
Teleios (Image source: Scientists are puzzled by the discovery of a perfectly spherical object floating in the Milky Way , which emits only radio signals. Named Teleios , this strange structure does not give off visible light, infrared glow, or detectable X-rays, only faint radio emissions. The discovery defies simple explanations and raises questions about how such a perfectly round object could exist in space. Teleios first drew attention when scientists observed a circular region emitting subtle radio waves, despite showing no signs of light or heat. The object was discovered by a team led by Professor Miroslav D. Filipović of Western Sydney University , using data from Australia's ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) telescope. Strange sphere, Teleios found in the Milky Way Although located within our galaxy, Teleios is completely invisible to the human eye. It lies thousands of trillions of miles from Earth, yet its radio signals traveled all the way to our telescopes. According to experts believe Teleios has a low surface brightness; its soft radio glow was detected during an all-sky survey carried out by ASKAP. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esta nueva alarma con cámara es casi regalada en Rafael Castillo (ver precio) Verisure Undo Its remarkable symmetry is challenging scientists to reconsider common assumptions about space structures. Based on the radio data, scientists estimate Teleios could be up to 157 light-years in diameter. While some researchers believe it might be the remnant of a long-ago stellar explosion, its smooth, round shape has also led to speculation that it could be a young supernova remnant or a more mature structure. What scientists do agree on is that Teleios lies in a remote, quiet region of space, expanding silently and standing out due to its near-perfect symmetry. As one researcher noted, 'This unique object has never been seen at any wavelength, including visible light Is Teleios a supernova Some members of the research team suggest Teleios might be a massive bubble formed by stellar winds, but they can't rule out the possibility that it's an expanding cloud of gas and dust left behind after a star exploded. Teleios has only been detected in radio wavelengths, which are the longest waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. This highlights the important role of radio telescopes in spotting rare cosmic objects that would otherwise go unnoticed by human eyes or regular optical instruments. The debate continues. Some scientists believe a white dwarf may have caused the explosion, slowly gaining mass far from crowded star clusters. Others think Teleios may have exploded in a quiet, outer part of the Milky Way, where fewer stars and less gas allowed it to expand in a smooth, undisturbed way. One theory proposes that the star blew away surrounding material before it exploded, making the nearby space even emptier and allowing for its perfectly rounded shape. Unanswered questions about Teleios Scientists are planning follow-up observations to see if Teleios changes shape over time or remains spherical. Future studies using different wavelengths might help confirm whether stellar winds, debris, or a rare kind of stellar event shaped this symmetrical shell. Right now, no single piece of evidence gives a clear answer. Teleios remains a mystery, and each clue brings more questions. Even the presence or absence of faint remnants inside the sphere could challenge our current understanding of how stars live and die, or reveal rare cosmic conditions we've never seen before. Also read | Is the 'doomsday fish' a real omen of disaster? Here's what scientists say
Business Mayor
26-05-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
Scientists baffled by mystery sphere in space that could provide 'rare' universe insight
An incredible phenomenon in the depths of our galaxy has left scientists baffled. A perfectly spherical object, lying trillions of miles away from Earth but still in our Milky Way galaxy, has dumbfounded experts. Featuring 'remarkable circular symmetry', the sphere is defying space theories and going against the logic of what scientists thought they knew about the universe. Experts have named the sphere 'Teleios', which means 'complete' or 'perfect' in ancient Greek and refers to its perfect shape. It was first picked up by Australia's ASKAP telescope and is estimated to measure up to 157 light years wide. Estimate to be either 7,100 or 25,100 light years from Earth, the researchers' calculations are the equivalent of thousands of trillions of miles. The technology, named the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), refers to an array of radio telescopes set in the country's Western Australia desert. Of the sphere, an international team of scientists said: 'The most obvious characteristic of Teleios is its remarkable circular symmetry, coupled with a low surface brightness.' Writing for The Conversation, they added: 'Teleios [is] named from the Greek Τελεɩοσ ('perfect') for its near-perfectly circular shape. 'This unique object has never been seen in any wavelength, including visible light, demonstrating ASKAP's incredible ability to discover new objects.' Researchers are not sure exactly what the sphere is composed of, but theories of what it might be include a 'supernova remnant', a term for debris left over after a supernova. That process is where a star explodes and launches debris and particles into space, which would mean the sphere could be made up of elements including carbon, oxygen, neon and silicon. The experts said: 'Remarkably, Teleios has retained its symmetrical shape as it aged even to such a diameter. 'The shape indicates Teleios has remained relatively untouched by its environment. This presents us with an opportunity to make inferences about the initial supernova explosion, providing rare insight into one of the most energetic events in the universe.' They said it could also be a stellar-wind bubble – a large cavity of gas launched by the upper atmosphere of a star. However, the scientists warned that the sphere needs more investigation before the sphere's nature can be confirmed. READ SOURCE
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Mirror
Scientists stumped by perfect sphere in Space sending out radio signals
A globe that looks like an alien world has been picked up by Australia's ASKAP telescope which has "remarkable circular symmetry" and defies current space theories A "perfect" sphere with 'low surface brightness' picked up by a radio telescope defies Space theories and has left scientists baffled. The floating globe that looks like an alien world was picked up by Australia 's ASKAP telescope hiding in our Milky Way trillions of miles away and is thought to be expanding. Invisible to the naked eye, what is really surprising is its shape. Scientists have named it Teleios, from the ancient Greek word for 'complete' or 'perfect' due to its 'remarkable circular symmetry' and they are so far at a loss to how it came to exist as it doesn't follow our current understanding of Space. The current size of Teleios is as big as possibly 157 light-years in diameter and can be made out in fuzzy blue and green images. What is also strange about the sphere is that it can only be seen in radio waves - the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. It means that scientists can't see it clearly as it can't be picked up through X-rays or for example infrared light. 'Teleios [is] named from the Greek Τελεɩοσ ('perfect') for its near-perfectly circular shape,' says the international team of researchers. 'The most obvious characteristic of Teleios is its remarkable circular symmetry, coupled with a low surface brightness.' The team led by astrophysicist Miroslav Filipovic at Western Sydney University in Australia added: 'This unique object has never been seen in any wavelength, including visible light, demonstrating ASKAP's incredible ability to discover new objects.' Teleios was spotted by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) which is a series of radio telescopes located in the desert in Western Australia. Although it is in our galaxy it is still thousands of trillions of miles away. While the scientists don't know what the sphere is, they do have theories including that it is a Type la supernova remnan'. A supernova occurs when a star explodes and throws debris into space - which also leads to it losing mass. A Type la supernova is one that doesn't destroy the white dwarf completely but leaves behind a zombie-like remnant and this would fit in with Teleios' properties, reported ScienceAlert. "We have made an exhaustive exploration of the possible evolutionary state of the supernova based on its surface brightness, apparent size and possible distances," said the scientists in their study. "All possible scenarios have their challenges, especially considering the lack of X-ray emission that is expected to be detectable given our evolutionary modelling. While we deem the Type Ia scenario the most likely, we note that no direct evidence is available to definitively confirm any scenario and new sensitive and high-resolution observations of this object are needed."
