Science

Using DNA for data storage just got much more efficientErkmen Design/Alamy DNA has been used for years to store data, but encoding information into the molecule is painstaking work. Now, researchers have drastically sped it up by mimicking a natural biological process that drives gene expression. This could lead to durable, do-it-yourself DNA data storage technologies. Even though a single gram of DNA can store hundreds of millions of gigabytes of data, the technology to make use of this isn’t yet fully viable. This is partly because the process of encoding data in DNA requires that each molecule be synthesised “from scratch” after being designed to encode a specific piece of information. Long Qian at Peking University in China and her colleagues have now develope...

In March 1974, Stephen Hawking published the paper that made his name. It contained the revelation that black holes – gravitational giants from which nothing, not even light, can escape – don’t grow and grow until the end of time, but instead slowly shrink as they release particles in a phenomenon now called Hawking radiation. The implications were mystifying. Hawking’s calculations showed that the radiation should be random, offering no way to predict what types of particles will emerge. The problem was that anything that falls into a black hole contains information – what sorts of particles it is made of, their configurations, their quantum states – and if what comes back out is random, that information is lost forever as soon as the object is sucked in. But physics...

The scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have been on the forefront of groundbreaking research in the Earth sciences for the past 75 years, raising awareness of humanity’s growing impact on the natural world—and in turn the natural world’s impact on humanity.   Founded in 1949 as the Lamont Geological Observatory, Lamont has consistently served as an international leader in scientific scholarship. Whether charting the ocean floor, measuring ocean carbon, recording global earthquakes, tracking glacier retreat or counting and decoding tree rings for clues to our planet’s climate history, Lamont researchers are continuing their search for a deeper understanding of our planet. Below are just a few of the historic discoveries from the past seven-and-a-half decades at Lamont-Doh...

This fluorescent technique can precisely measure minuscule distancesSteffen J. Sahl / Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences The tiniest “ruler” ever is so precise that it can measure the width of a single atom within a protein. Proteins and other large molecules, or macromolecules, sometimes fold into the wrong shape, and this can affect the way they function. Some structural changes even play a role in conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. To understand this process, it is important to determine the exact distance between atoms – and clusters of atoms – within these macromolecules, says Steffen Sahl at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Germany. “We wanted to go from a microscope that maps positions of macromolecules relative ...

Climber on Torre Egger in the Chaltén Massif, Patagonia. Photo: Rolando Garibotti Mountaineers contend with the prospect of death during their climbing excursions in the Patagonian Andes, and have created a sporting culture attuned to the risks they face. Climate change, however, has begun to transform the conditions that mountaineers confront, raising questions about adaptation amidst efforts to limit injuries and fatalities. During the 19th century, mountaineering emerged as a competitive sport in Europe, but faced significant social criticisms related to its risk-taking behavior. Climbers justified their sport by highlighting its contributions to national glory, imperial competition and the advancement of scientific knowledge in geology, physiology and glaciology. Rather than acc...