Connect with us

Published

8 months ago

on

Recent research has pushed the timeline for the origin of all life on Earth back to 4.2 billion years ago. This last universal common ancestor (LUCA) predates previous estimates by about 300 million years. LUCA was a primordial cell, somewhat similar to modern bacteria, and existed during a time when Earth was still forming, characterized by intense heat and minimal atmospheric oxygen.

Uncovering LUCA’s Ancient Existence

The study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, involved Dr. Davide Pisani from the University of Bristol and Sandra Álvarez-Carretero from University College London. They utilized genomic analysis to refine LUCA’s age. By comparing genes from 700 species of bacteria and archaea, and examining ancient fossils such as 3.48-billion-year-old microbial mats from Australia, the researchers were able to make a more precise estimate. These ancient fossils provided crucial insights into early Earth’s conditions, helping to anchor LUCA’s age more accurately.

A Glimpse into LUCA’s Environment

LUCA lived during the Hadean eon (4.6 billion to 4 billion years ago), a period known for its harsh, inhospitable conditions. Earth’s oceans were extremely hot, and there was very little atmospheric oxygen. Despite these challenging conditions, LUCA managed to survive, likely in environments like shallow hydrothermal vents or hot springs. This ancient cell had adapted to high temperatures and was capable of living without oxygen, relying on the byproducts of other microorganisms in its ecosystem.

LUCA’s Advanced Features

Interestingly, LUCA already had a primitive immune system, indicating that even early life forms were battling viruses. This suggests that LUCA was not isolated but part of a complex, thriving ecosystem. The study also found that LUCA had genetic traits to defend against viruses, highlighting that the evolutionary arms race between life forms and viruses began much earlier than previously thought.

Implications for Life Beyond Earth

The study’s findings extend beyond the history of life on Earth. Dr. Philip Donoghue, a professor of paleobiology at the University of Bristol, pointed out that LUCA’s thriving ecosystem suggests that similar conditions could support life on other Earth-like planets. This revelation adds a new dimension to the search for extraterrestrial life, suggesting that if Earth-like biospheres exist elsewhere in the universe, they might also harbour life.

In summary, the discovery of LUCA’s age and characteristics not only reshapes our understanding of the early evolution of life but also opens new avenues for exploring the potential for life beyond our planet. The research underscores how interconnected life on Earth is and how ancient life forms were already adapting to their environments in complex ways.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Science

NASA’s TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth’s Magnetic Field

Published

22 hours ago

on

May 3, 2025

By

NASA's TRACERS Mission Rescheduled for 2025 to Explore Solar Wind and Earth's Magnetic Field

NASA has refocused its Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) launch date to no earlier than 2025 to provide more time for the mission crew to prepare. This mission is about a pair of satellite studying about how the solar wind, interacts with and enters Earth’s magnetosphere, the region around Earth dominated by our planet’s magnetic field. Understanding and eventually forecasting how energy from our Sun enters our planet and may affect assets depending on space and the earth depends on research into this interaction.

Mission Objectives

According to NASA, the TRACERS spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The twin spacecraft will travel around 341 miles above the planet through polar cusps, a short area of the earth’s magnetic field where solar wind is concentrated and funneled into our atmosphere.

In order to investigate the location and frequency of a phenomena known as magnetic reconnection near the outer borders of Earth’s magnetic field, the TRACERS mission will fly across the northern polar cusp many times each day.

The explosive energy transfer where two magnetic fields meet, particularly in the magnetopause region where the solar wind meets Earth’s magnetosphere is termed as magnetic reconnection . This event can cause solar wind particles to enter the atmosphere at high speeds, igniting the northern and southern lights but also creating hazardous conditions for astronauts and satellites, damaging ground infrastructure, communication signals, and aviation.

Mission oversight

David Miles is leading this TRACERS mission at the University of Iowa and it is managed by the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington oversees the project through the Heliophysics Explorers Program Office at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. As part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract, the launch service is being provided by NASA’s Launch Services Program, which is headquartered at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in collaboration with NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


NASA’s McClain, Ayers Wrap Up All-Female Spacewalk to Power Up ISS



Oppo Reno 14 With MediaTek Dimensity 8400 SoC Seen on Geekbench Ahead of Debut

Related Stories

Continue Reading

Science

NASA’s McClain and Ayers Finish Historic EVA, Advance ISS Solar Upgrade

Published

23 hours ago

on

May 3, 2025

By

NASA’s McClain and Ayers Finish Historic EVA, Advance ISS Solar Upgrade

NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers completed the fifth all-female spacewalk, moving an antenna and partially preparing the International Space Station for a new set of solar arrays on May 1st. Their 5-hour, 44-minute extravehicular activity was completed after re-entering the Quest airlock, and it started to get re-pressurised. McClain and Ayers completed the majority of their goals. However, they had to postpone some of the chores until a later spacewalk since they were behind schedule and had limited supplies.

About the mission

According to NASA, Expedition 73 crewmates Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers began working at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 GMT) by carrying tools and equipment out to the port (or left) side of the space station’s backbone truss. They began assembling the attachment hardware for the seventh pair of International Space Station Rollout Solar Arrays, or IROSA. These will be installed once they arrive on a SpaceX Dragon commercial resupply services mission later this year.

Installing smaller, more efficient solar arrays will increase electricity generation by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total power from 160 to 215 kilowatts. The spacewalkers constructed and installed the right struts and the upper triangle of the mast canister modification kit before being told to tidy up their workstations and proceed to the next, more important assignment.

Continuing the Legacy of Female Spacewalkers

It was Ayers’s first spacewalk and McClain’s third. McClain has spent 18 hours and 52 minutes away from the space station. Rotating astronaut crews have continuously staffed the ISS since November 2000. This was the 93rd EVA from the U.S. Quest airlock and the 275th overall to assist the ISS’s installation, maintenance, and upgrading.

In October 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir conducted the first all-female EVA. In January 2020, the pair performed two further spacewalks together. In November 2023, NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara completed a walk alone.

Continue Reading

Science

New Study Challenges Signs of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b

Published

1 day ago

on

May 3, 2025

By

New Study Challenges Signs of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b

Expectations were high at the start of this month when a group of University of Cambridge astronomers reported they had found the “strongest evidence yet” of life on an exoplanet called K2-18b. Their assertions sprang from the detection of dimethyl sulphide (DMS), a gas linked to biological activity in the atmosphere of Earth. Conducted using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the finding suggested that the planet may be a watery, habitable world. But a detailed examination of the facts now begs grave doubt about the veracity of their bold assertions.

Skepticism Grows Over K2-18b Life Claims Amid New Analysis and Calls for More Data

As per a  study posted on April 22, Jake Taylor of the University of Oxford applied a neutral statistical test that detected no clear molecular signatures in the JWST data, just a flat line. The studies suggest the signal is either noisy or too weak to provide strong conclusions. The first Cambridge-led study revealed a three-sigma DMS detection much below the five-sigma threshold usually required to prove major scientific discoveries. Critics also questioned the absence of supporting compounds like ethane and claimed the models employed may have exaggerated DMS levels.

Astrobiologists Eddie Schwieterman and Michaela Musilova note that current evidence doesn’t meet strict criteria for proving life; thus, there is a need for multiple independent teams to analyse the same dataset.

Further complicating matters, new research indicates K2-18b may orbit too close to its star to retain liquid water, possibly excluding it from the habitable zone. Adding to the scepticism, DMS was recently detected on a cold comet, suggesting that such molecules can exist without life. Lead author of the original research, Madhusudhan, has supported the findings but discounted Taylor’s test as too simple and “irrelevant” for their assertions.

Most scientists agree that confirmation or denial of DMS existence in K2-18b’s atmosphere depends on additional solid, peer-reviewed research. The argument is still in progress, an ongoing narrative illustrating how science develops not by certainty but by questioning and correction.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who’sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


SpaceX Launches Falcon 9 Rocket With 28 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit From Florida



Oppo Reno 14 With MediaTek Dimensity 8400 SoC Seen on Geekbench Ahead of Debut

Related Stories

Continue Reading

Trending