Researchers from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in collaboration with a University of California scientist, has unveiled a bird-inspired robot capable of launching itself into flight using spring-loaded legs. Known as RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple Environments), the robot mimics certain bird behaviours to combine ground mobility with aerial capability. Aimy Wissa, an aerospace engineer at Princeton University, discussed potential applications for the design in a News & Views piece in the same journal.

Inspired by Bird Mechanics

The study was published in the journal Nature. According to reports, the idea originated from observing crows near the researchers’ office. It was noted that these birds often use their legs to spring into flight, which appeared more energy-efficient than relying solely on wing propulsion. Inspired by this, the team built a robot that replicates the hopping and walking abilities of crows, focusing on integrating a similar mechanism for flight.

To simplify construction, a fixed-wing design was adopted for the robot’s body. The tail was built with a split-V configuration, while a front-mounted engine powered a single propeller. These features were combined with spring-loaded legs designed to allow the robot to leap into the air before transitioning into flight.

Capabilities and Testing

Tests showed that RAVEN could perform bird-like movements, such as walking and hopping. The researchers also demonstrated that the robot could jump while its rotor spun, allowing it to ascend into the air. These tests highlighted the robot’s ability to navigate multiple environments effectively. This design approach, it was suggested, as per reports, could expand the functional capabilities of drones, potentially enabling enhanced versatility in search-and-rescue missions, environmental monitoring, and other applications.

This development marks a step towards creating robots that combine land and aerial mobility while reducing energy consumption.

Astronomers have obtained the closest look yet at a quasar, using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to study the enigmatic 3C 273, located 2.5 billion light-years away. This quasar, known as the first ever identified in 1963 by astronomer Maarten Schmidt, continues to intrigue scientists with its immense energy output, surpassing that of the brightest galaxies. The recent observations were detailed in reports, offering new insights into the quasar’s environment and its interaction with its host galaxy.

Unveiling the Quasar’s Intriguing Structure

According to the official blog of NASA, Hubble’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) coronagraph enabled researchers to block the quasar’s intense glare, exposing structures around its supermassive black hole. Dr. Bin Ren of the Côte d’Azur Observatory stated in interviews that unusual features, including “blobs of varying sizes” and an “L-shaped filamentary structure,” were identified within 16,000 light-years of the black hole. These findings suggest the possibility of smaller satellite galaxies being drawn into the black hole’s gravitational pull.

Hubble’s imaging capabilities also allowed for a closer look at the quasar’s extragalactic jet—a high-energy beam of material extending 300,000 light-years. Data compared with 22-year-old archival images indicated that the jet’s speed increases as it moves farther from the black hole, providing a deeper understanding of quasar jet dynamics.

Implications for Understanding Quasars

As per reports, these observations mark a significant step in decoding the complexities of quasar morphology and galactic interactions. The detailed images suggest that galactic collisions may be fuelling the quasar’s energy, with debris spiralling into its central black hole. Scientists believe these findings could bridge gaps between small-scale radio and large-scale optical studies of quasars.

Hubble’s findings continue to enhance the understanding of quasars, which were most active roughly 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope are expected to shed additional light on the phenomenon. This research underscores the importance of collaborative international efforts in advancing space exploration and cosmology.

A recent study published in Nature Astronomy has concluded that Venus likely never had oceans or conditions conducive to life. The research, led by Tereza Constantinou, a doctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy, analysed the planet’s atmospheric composition to infer its interior water content. The findings suggest that Venus’s interior is substantially dry, supporting the idea that the planet remained parched throughout its history. These conclusions challenge earlier theories suggesting Venus may have once held liquid water.

Key Indicators of a Dry Interior

As per reports, Venus’s atmospheric chemistry was a focal point of the study. Volcanism on Earth releases gases that are more than 60 percent water vapour, reflecting a water-rich mantle. In contrast, volcanic eruptions on Venus emit gases with no more than 6 percent water vapour. This stark difference indicates a dry interior, suggesting that Venus’s surface conditions were never capable of sustaining liquid water.

In a statement to Reuters, Constantinou explained that the atmospheric chemistry suggests that volcanic eruptions on Venus release very little water, implying that the planet’s interior—the source of volcanism—is equally dry.

Diverging Evolution of Sister Planets

Venus and Earth share many physical similarities, including size and composition. However, their evolutionary trajectories have diverged significantly. As per sources, Venus experiences extreme surface temperatures of approximately 465 degrees Celsius, atmospheric pressure 90 times greater than Earth’s, and sulphuric acid clouds in its toxic atmosphere. Constantinou highlighted these contrasts, stating that such conditions underscore the challenges in studying Venus’s history of habitability.

Future Exploration Plans

Upcoming missions aim to enhance understanding of Venus. NASA’s DAVINCI mission, scheduled for the 2030s, will deploy a descent probe to analyse the planet’s atmosphere and surface, as per reports. The European Space Agency’s EnVision mission will use radar mapping to explore Venus’s surface and atmospheric composition.

These findings provide insight into Venus’s inhospitable history, distinguishing it sharply from Mars, which has evidence of ancient oceans and potential subsurface water reservoirs, according to recent studies.