New Delhi: A new study from MIT definitively shows that the Antarctic ozone hole is recovering because of a reduction in the emission of chloroflurocarbons. While the recovery of the ozone hole has been documented for a few years now, the MIT researchers used a new quantitative study to understand exactly what was the impact of human emissions reduction in this recovery.
The study used a method called fingerprinting, which was pioneered by Nobel winner Klaus Haussmann. They isolated the impacts of the reduction of ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons in the recovery of the ozone hole from 2005 to 2025. They can now say with 95 percent confidence that the reason the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has recovered is because of human actions.
The study is huge in terms of showing the real, tangible impact of human activities in reducing environmental problems.
Brain signals able to control robotic arm
A new innovation by scientists at University of California, San Francisco, has enabled a paralysed man to control a robotic arm using just his imagination. These devices, called brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have been tested before, but the interesting thing about the UC San Francisco research is that their BCI worked for almost 7 months in a patient, which is a new record.
The paraplegic participants could grab and move items, open and close doors, and turn on water dispensers, too, just by imagining themselves doing these activities. The robotic arm was trained on AI, and one important step the researchers took was to adjust the BCI to the daily changes that occur in brain activity and signals as humans learn new things. Led by neurologist Karunesh Ganguly, the study is a huge step in neuroprosthetic control.
Butterflies disappearing at an ‘alarming rate’ in US
A one-of-its-kind study in the US showed that between 2000 to 2020, butterfly numbers have reduced by 22 percent—a surprising number that needs ‘urgent’, attention according to the authors. Michigan State University’s Nick Haddad, a terrestrial ecologist and co-author of the study, noticed his neighbours talking about seeing fewer butterflies in their gardens, and it soon turned into a full-fledged study.
The authors analysed data from 76,000 surveys across the country which covered over 12.6 million butterflies to give them an accurate assessment of the declining insect rate. They found that 107 species of butterflies had lost more than 50 percent of their populations since 2000.
This study is surprising, as pointed out in the paper, because most of these butterflies can reproduce rapidly, with many species laying up to 500 eggs in 2 weeks. Yet the problem of decline persists because of habitat destruction and high pesticide use. Given the ecologically important role played by butterflies in pollinating many plants, the study published in Science Advances Journal recommends conservation initiatives across the US and an urgent reduction in pesticide use.
Compound that relieves pain like marijuana but with no side-effects
In popular culture, the pain-relieving abilities of marijuana are often hidden by its more mainstream recreational use. But scientists from Stanford University have now managed to create a chemical compound that has the exact facilities to mimic the pain relief from marijuana, without any of the side effects.
Marijuana or weed or cannabis is a very good alternative to opioids and provides long-term pain relief, but its molecules also perform a dual function and lead to mood changes. This is why they’re mostly avoided in pain relief treatments.
But what the Stanford researchers have been able to do is change the marijuana compound in such a way that it only binds to pain receptors in the brain and doesn’t have any other mind-altering side effects. This is great news for over-the-counter pain relief treatment, and also for synthetic compound designs for medical applications.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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