The sun-powered sponge, created by researchers in ACS Energy Letters, has the potential to revolutionize desalination methods. Most of Earth’s water is found in oceans, which are too salty for human consumption. Traditional desalination plants require large amounts of energy, but this innovative sponge-like material uses sunlight and a simple plastic cover to produce freshwater.

Previous attempts at creating spongy materials have been made using hydrogels inspired by loofahs. However, these hydrogels are limited in their ability to transport liquid water or water vapor due to their squishy and liquid-filled nature. In contrast, the researchers behind this new sponge-like material used a more rigid aerogel containing solid pores that can efficiently release water through evaporation.

The team developed a paste of carbon nanotubes and cellulose nanofibers, which they 3D-printed onto a frozen surface to create a sponge-like material. Each layer solidified before the next was added, resulting in evenly distributed tiny vertical holes. The researchers tested square pieces of the material at different sizes and found that the larger pieces released water through evaporation at rates as efficient as the smaller ones.

In an outdoor test, the sponge-like material was placed in a cup containing seawater and covered by a curved plastic cover. Sunlight heated the top of the spongy material, evaporating just the water into water vapor. The vapor collected on the plastic cover and dripped into a funnel and container below. After 6 hours in natural sunlight, the system generated about 3 tablespoons of potable water.

This revolutionary sponge has the potential to provide a simple, scalable solution for energy-free desalination. With funding from various organizations, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the researchers continue to explore the possibilities of this innovative material.

The study of genetics has long been shaped by the availability of data from various regions around the world. However, despite its vast population diversity, India remains underrepresented in global genetic datasets. A recent study published in Cell Press’s journal Cell aimed to fill this critical gap and reshape our understanding of how ancient migrations, archaic admixture, and social structures have influenced Indian genetic variation.

The researchers analyzed genomic data from over 2,700 people across India, capturing genetic variation from most geographic regions, linguistic groups, and communities. Their findings revealed that the majority of modern-day Indians’ ancestry can be traced back to Neolithic Iranian farmers, Eurasian Steppe pastoralists, and South Asian hunter-gatherers.

“This study fills a critical gap and reshapes our understanding of how ancient migrations, archaic admixture, and social structures have shaped Indian genetic variation,” says senior author Priya Moorjani of the University of California, Berkeley. “Studying these subpopulations allows us to explore how ancient ancestry, geography, language, and social practices interacted to shape genetic variation.

The researchers used data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) and generated whole-genome sequences from 2,762 individuals in India, including people who spoke a range of different languages. They used these data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of India over the past 50,000 years at fine scale, showing how history impacts adaptation and disease in present-day Indians.

Their study showed that most Indians derive ancestry from populations related to three ancestral groups: Neolithic Iranian farmers, Eurasian Steppe pastoralists, and South Asian hunter-gatherers. This is a significant finding, as it highlights the complex population history of India and its impact on genetic variation related to disease.

The researchers also focused on the impact of archaic hominin ancestry – specifically, Neanderthal and Denisovan – on disease susceptibility. They found that some genes inherited from these archaic groups have an impact on immune functions.

One of the most striking findings was that India harbors the highest variation in Neanderthal ancestry among non-Africans. This allowed the researchers to reconstruct around 50% of the Neanderthal genome and 20% of the Denisovan genome from Indian individuals, more than any other previous archaic ancestry study.

The limitations of this work were acknowledged by the researchers, who noted that the limited availability of ancient DNA from South and Central Asia will require refinement as more data becomes available. They plan to continue studying the LASI cohort to enable a closer look at the source of genetic adaptations and disease variants across India.

Overall, this study provides a deeper understanding of the origin of functional variation and informs precision health strategies in India. It also highlights the importance of including diverse populations in genetic studies to prevent biased interpretations of genetic patterns and uncover functional variation related to all major communities.

The deep-sea mining industry is planning to extract valuable resources from the remote Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. However, new research has raised alarming concerns about the impact this activity could have on ocean life, including whales and dolphins.

A team of researchers from the University of Exeter conducted two studies, which found that the CCZ is home to a diverse range of marine species, including an endangered sperm whale. The studies highlight the urgent need for assessing the risks associated with deep-sea mining in these ecosystems.

“We know remarkably little about these ecosystems, which are hundreds of miles offshore and include very deep waters,” said Dr. Kirsten Young, one of the researchers involved in the study. “Many species here are long-lived and slow-growing, especially on the seabed. It’s very hard to predict how seabed mining might affect these species and wider ecosystems, and these risks must urgently be assessed.”

One of the research papers reviews noise sensitivity among species known to live in the CCZ. The results show that only 35% of taxonomic classes there have been studied for noise impacts. Soniferous fish, which rely on acoustic communication, are particularly vulnerable to noise. Chronic exposure to mining noise might have cascading ecological consequences, disrupting key behaviors, the researchers say.

The second study is a survey of whales and dolphins conducted from the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise. Over 13 days of visual and acoustic monitoring, there were 74 acoustic detections and six sightings. These included a sperm whale, Risso’s dolphins, common dolphins, and 70 dolphin groups that could not be identified to species level.

Dr. Young emphasized that if deep seabed mining becomes a reality, whales and dolphins will be exposed to multiple sources of noise throughout the water column. Many species are highly sensitive to certain frequencies – chronic ocean noise can mask social and foraging communications, and whales could be displaced from critical habitats.

“The behavior and impact of sediment plumes created by mining is also poorly understood but could affect food webs,” Dr. Young added.

Louisa Casson of Greenpeace International stated, “The confirmed presence of cetaceans, including threatened sperm whales, in areas that The Metals Company is targeting for deep sea mining is yet another clear warning that this dangerous industry must never be allowed to begin commercial operations.”

The two research papers are published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin and Frontiers in Marine Science, respectively. They provide a compelling argument for why deep-sea mining should not proceed without further consideration of its potential impacts on marine ecosystems and the species that inhabit them.