Swim in the Lakes of Mars and Hibernate: Futurology Digest #25

Scientists have discovered a type of bacteria that breathe electricity, lakes have been found on Mars, and hibernation will help to survive self-isolation

Theme of the Week: Can Hibernation Help You Get Through Hard Times?

Here is a simple but effective method of self-isolation: all of humanity needs to hibernate for several months. During such hibernation, the transmission of the infection will stop, and scientists will develop an effective vaccine and drugs against the disease. The coronavirus itself is likely to weaken and disappear if it has no one to infect. Unfortunately, so far, researchers have not found a way to help people fall asleep for a long time, so suspended animation for all of humanity is just a plot for a science fiction film.

Scientists and especially employees of space agencies have long been interested in technologies that can slow down a person’s metabolism and put him to sleep. This would open up new possibilities for interplanetary travel and flights to distant galaxies. For example, in January 2020, researchers from NASA published an article where they talked about their discoveries in the field of suspended animation. Scientists reported that now it is possible to reduce activity in the human body only by 20%. They suggest using sound and light stimulation, as well as medications such as dexmedetomidine, to prolong non-REM sleep. A person can be immersed in this state for two weeks without health consequences. But this is only the first step: when they talk about anabiosis or “severe metabolic depression” (deep metabolic depression), we are talking about slowing down all processes by 98%.

Doctors sometimes use therapeutic hypothermia to reduce the body’s activity in critical situations, such as after strokes. The temperature in the brain is lowered to 32°C with the help of special helmets to slow down neurons and prevent severe damage to the nervous system. Scientists are also experimenting with hibernating mammals that do not exhibit this behavior. They are researching the use of existing drugs and developing new methods, including genome editing for therapeutic purposes. In human DNA, there are inactive genes responsible for hibernation, and in theory they can be turned on. This will give doctors more time to save critically ill patients. Also, artificial suspended animation will help astronauts to endure the flight more easily and better protect themselves from radiation.

Week number

NASA unveils space toilet $ 23 million.

Source: space.com

Space News: Three underground lakes found on Mars

Radar data from the Mars Express orbiter showed that there is a network of salt lakes under the glaciers at the south pole of Mars. According to the Italian researchers who made the discovery, there are four reservoirs in total. The width of the largest of them is 30 km, it is surrounded by three smaller lakes with a diameter of several kilometers. The water in them is a very concentrated salt brine, rich in perchlorates and chlorides of sodium, magnesium and calcium. Liquid lakes on Mars could be a sign of life on the planet. However, it all depends on how much salt they contain: if the concentration is only five times greater than in sea water, then microorganisms can exist in such an environment. But the saltier the brine, the less likely it is to find life. In any case, new data and research are needed. In the summer of 2020, three space missions went to Mars, which means that next year we will receive more information about the red planet and the lakes under its glaciers.

Futuristic architecture

In Tianjin, China, the construction of The Wave contemporary art gallery has been completed. The project was developed by the Shanghai architectural bureau Lacime Architects. The building was covered with 13 aluminum tiles that glisten in the sun and resemble the surface of the sea. Sculptures showing water in its various states were installed inside.

Photo: Lacime Architects

Discovery of the week: Bacteria exhale electricity

A group of scientists from Yale University discovered a bacterium Geobacter sulfurrducens, which recycles organic waste and exhales electricity. Microorganisms breathe through a special long tube, so they are not shocked. Even though each microbe produces very little electricity, about one thousandth of a watt, colonies Geobacter sulfurrducens can charge small gadgets. So, scientists conducted an experiment during which the weather buoy worked uninterruptedly for nine months on the energy of microbes. It is unlikely that soon people will be able to charge phones from bacteria, but such a discovery would help researchers keep simple equipment running in remote areas.

Transport of the future: Hyundai will develop transforming cars

A division of Hyundai Corporation, New Horizons Studio will develop electric transformers. Each wheel of such a car is attached to the body with a robotic leg, thanks to which it can even drive over large stones or debris. The development was called Elevate (“Raise”), for the first time Hyundai spoke about this concept at the international consumer electronics exhibition CES 2019. Such electric vehicles are primarily useful to doctors and rescuers who often have to get victims out of the rubble.

Photo: New Horizons Studio

One line

• Japan to build a plant on the moon by 2035 to produce hydrogen fuel.
• Neural interfaces have learned to generate images that people think about.
• Channel One and Roscosmos will shoot a film on the ISS.
• Cancer has been proposed to be treated with nanoparticles coated with an amino acid found in meat and dairy products.
• The four planets most suitable for life.

What to read

Longread about “alienation from the Earth”. So the philosopher Hannah Arend called the state in which society found itself with the beginning of the era of space flights. In her books and essays, Arendt talked about why the desire for distant planets makes us less human. She also warned of the dangerous social consequences of space colonization.

What to listen

Two podcasts about the future of work. The World Ahead host Tom Standage reflects on what the office will be like and how remote work will affect housing costs, laws and social equity. The release of the Flash Forward program explores a world in which artificial intelligence is leading the workforce. How can a person get a job if the boss is an efficient computer algorithm? The answer is in the podcast.

What to see

Lecture by British economist Paul Collier. He spoke about the future of capitalism and how to solve its current problems. Collier reflects on the growing inequality in the world. These are the differences between metropolitan areas and the provinces, rich and poor, people with several higher educations and those who have completed only high school. To solve the problem of inequality, the economist proposes ethical and technical reforms. The first is to restore the system of mutual obligations between different members of society, the second is to introduce more taxes for the rich and successful.

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