A crispy roast potatoes recipe could be the key to life on Earth
A chemical reaction that gives food flavour could have helped evolution, one study suggests. According to New Scientist, the Maillard reaction is when the temperature between sugars and amino acids rises above approximately 140°C. It often occurs in food such as toasted bread, meats and roasted vegetables. Caroline Peacock at the University of Leeds wanted to explore whether it could happen at lower temperatures. To do this, scientists added iron or manganese minerals to a solution made up of sugar glucose and the amino acid glycine. When the substance was incubated at 10°C, the process was sped up by around 100 times. The temperature is said to be similar to the seabed at the edges of continents. Peacock and the team discovered that the Maillard reaction also occurs on the ocean floor, where iron and manganese minerals are often found. If this is the case, it could cause the carbon in sugars and amino acids to be stored in "large, complex polymers that microbes find harder to ingest," Peacock said, as per the publication. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "If you can get your carbon through the 1-metre danger zone [at the top of the sea floor], where carbon generally is attacked and degraded and turned back into carbon dioxide by microbes, that will lock it away from the atmosphere," she explained. The team estimated that the minerals could lock away roughly 4 million tonnes of carbon every year. If this process didn't exist, the atmosphere could have warmed by a further 5°C over the past 400 million years, the study suggested. "This process has such a profound impact on atmospheric oxygen," she says. "Because complex life forms require higher levels of oxygen, as they’re more energetically demanding, we think it’s reasonable to surmise this process had a hand in creating conditions required for complex life." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-05 00:21
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard is planning to stand for UK parliament
Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has announced on social media that she is hoping to stand as a member of parliament at the UK's next general election.
2023-08-04 23:54
AI spots dangerous asteroid heading towards Earth that scientists missed
So far this year, we’ve mostly been seeing artificial intelligence pop up on our timelines as a tool for creating trivial things like odd news songs from classic bands or bizarrely sexualised images of classic artworks However, it looks like AI had a vital practical implementation recently after spotting a dangerous asteroid heading close to Earth that was originally missed by scientists. A 600-foot asteroid named 2022 GN1 was found thanks to a new algorithm, and it was revealed that our planet had a close shave with the object last year. As it’s now been revealed, 2022 GN1 flew a relatively close 4.5 million miles from Earth in September 2022. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It sounds like a huge distance, but it falls within the definition of a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA). At the time, it was completely missed due to it being obscured by starlight from objects in the Milky Way. The algorithm, named HelioLinc3D, spotted the object after observing data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) telescope. The team leader behind the algorithm, Mario Jurić, released a statement saying: “This is just a small taste of what to expect with the Rubin Observatory in less than two years, when [the algorithm] HelioLinc3D will be discovering an object like this every night. “But more broadly, it’s a preview of the coming era of data-intensive astronomy. From HelioLinc3D to AI-assisted codes, the next decade of discovery will be a story of advancement in algorithms as much as in new, large, telescopes.” Meanwhile, scientists think they have come up with a new approach to mitigating global warming: put up a giant “umbrella” in space to protect the Earth from excess sunlight. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-08-04 23:28
USMNT news: Balogun to West Ham, Yedlin captaincy, Hoppe joins San Jose
Today's USMNT news includes Folarin Balogun being linked with West Ham United. It has been revealedthat it wasDeAndre Yedlin's decision to give Lionel Messi the Inter Miami captain's armband. Also, Matthew Hoppe has joined the San Jose Earthquakes. USMNT news: Folarin Balogun to Wes...
2023-08-04 20:20
Controversial influencer Andrew Tate released from house arrest in Romania
Controversial internet influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have been released from house arrest in Romania ahead of their trial on charges of human trafficking and rape, Bucharest's Court of Appeals announced on Friday.
2023-08-04 19:22
Andrew Tate's Romania house arrest lifted
The controversial influencer faces rape and human trafficking charges, which he denies.
2023-08-04 18:21
Romanian court releases influencer Andrew Tate from house arrest pending trial
BUCHAREST A Bucharest court ruled on Friday to release internet personality Andrew Tate from house arrest where he
2023-08-04 17:46
Supreme Court suspends Rahul Gandhi's conviction in defamation case
The ruling potentially allows Mr Gandhi to return to parliament and contest the 2024 general elections.
2023-08-04 17:18
Niger media guide
An overview of the media in Niger, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.
2023-08-04 16:52
Shropshire farmers look to send pick-ups to Ukraine front-line
David Evans, from Pontesbury, went with a convoy in May and says the gratitude was "overwhelming".
2023-08-04 13:52
Connecticut landowner claims a $1.5 million home is being built on his vacant lot after a fraudulent sale
A man claims a $1.5 million home is being built on his Fairfield, Connecticut, property without his permission after somebody fraudulently sold the land to a property developer, according to a lawsuit.
2023-08-04 13:51
UAE’s $60 Billion Firm Chases Global Deals Despite Vodafone Snag
Vodafone Group Plc’s biggest shareholder is pushing ahead with an ambitious global expansion strategy, undeterred by a slump
2023-08-04 13:26