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- Mira building: fuel for new nuclear power plants and "pills" from cosmic radiation
Mira building: fuel for new nuclear power plants and "pills" from cosmic radiation
In 2025, Russia looked into the mysteries of the universe by launching experiments on particle acceleration at the NICA complex. Scientists have also tested drugs that can withstand cosmic radiation during interplanetary flight. Nuclear physicists have created new fuel for future nuclear reactors, and chemists have created a catalyst for producing hydrogen at mobile filling stations. Geneticists, contrary to prevailing stereotypes, have proved the European origin of the Scythians. For more information, see the Izvestia collection of the most interesting science news.
The origins of the universe are going to be found in Russia
Last year, Russian scientists began studying the mysteries of the universe, starting the first particle acceleration session at the NICA complex on March 25 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna. This is a megascience class installation, the heart of which is magnets that accelerate ions to almost the speed of light.
By colliding heavy nuclei at such speeds, scientists will be able to obtain and study a special state of matter — the quark-gluon plasma. This matter, which consists of protons and neutrons, is usually securely "locked" inside the nuclei. Her research will help to find out how the universe was formed.
— The work at NICA will not only accelerate the research already underway in the world, but also expand it into areas that are not available in other world centers. For example, in the field of extreme states of nuclear matter, its maximum possible density exists only in the depths of neutron stars," explained JINR Vice Director Vladimir Kekelidze.
Also, thanks to the NICA complex, researchers intend to understand what strong interactions are and how they work — the mysterious forces that bind particles inside the nucleus. Using a mega accelerator, experts suggest getting closer to understanding dark matter.
"Pills" from cosmic radiation tested on mice
Another significant event was the launch of the Bion-M biosatellite No. 2 on August 20, 2025, which flew in a near-polar orbit for a month. On board were mice, fruit flies, ants, plants, fungi, mosses, bacteria, seeds and cell cultures.
The purpose of the expedition was to study the effects of extreme space factors on living organisms. In total, more than 30 scientific experiments were conducted during the flight. Among the significant results is the testing of "pills" from cosmic radiation.
— The Nrf2 gene plays an important role in the mammalian body. It is responsible for the operation of protection systems against oxidative stress, which occurs due to the formation of reactive oxygen species (toxic substances that cause cell damage) under the influence of cosmic radiation. One of the objectives of the Bion-M mission No. 2 is the possibility of activating these mechanisms in space flight through pharmaceutical preparations," said Alexander Andreev—Andrievsky, head of the experiment and head of the Laboratory of Animal Phenotyping at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
He said that the research was conducted on laboratory mice. They were divided into three groups. The first group were ordinary animals, the second group received the drug Omevaxolone, which activates the expression of the Nrf2 gene. Mice from the third group had the gene "turned off" using special manipulations. Preliminary results have shown that the latter tolerate the factors of space flight better.
Pellets with nuclear fuel will help build hydrogen energy in the Russian Federation
The Scientific Research Institute NPO Luch (part of Rosatom) has developed a technology for creating micro—valves, the nuclear fuel of the future. These are ceramic capsules with a diameter of 1 mm with a core of uranium dioxide covered with protective layers. The pellets are assembled into special compact cylinders, which are then folded into fuel assemblies.
Micro valves are designed for thermal installations of the new IV generation — high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. They operate at a temperature of about 850 °C — two to three times higher than in conventional nuclear reactors. Such installations are designed for nuclear power plants (AETS), which are focused on producing heat for industrial purposes.
"As part of the comprehensive development program, the technical design of the reactor plant has been prepared and approved, new special materials (heat-resistant alloys, large—block reactor graphite, carbon-carbon composite materials) have been created and are being tested, and the systems and equipment of the reactor plant are being developed," explained Vladislav Tumanov, head of the laboratory at the Scientific Research Institute NPO LUCH.
The main area of application of the technology, the developers explained, will be large-scale production of hydrogen. The development will help to extract it from natural gas in the most economical way. Since hydrogen forms only water vapor during combustion, it can become the basis for the development of environmentally friendly transport and the chemical industry in Russia.
Millimeter waves will reach the hot rocks in the bowels of the Earth
Researchers from the A.V. Gaponov-Grekhov Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences have tested a method of drilling with millimeter radiation. It can be used to vaporize even the hardest rocks of the earth's crust. Such radiation spreads well through waveguides and does not lose power over long distances. It can be brought to the bottom of wells at great depth.
According to scientists, millimeter wave generators are gyrotrons. In particular, they are used in thermonuclear reactors to heat plasma. Russia is a world leader in the production of this equipment, which gives our country an advantage in developing new technology.
— In March of this year, we started testing the evaporation of granites and basalts. They have the highest evaporation temperature. We are also studying heat loss channels and working on different ways to remove the evaporated substance. There is reason to believe that microwave drilling will be faster and cheaper than traditional methods," said Alexander Vodopyanov, Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Sciences, Head of the Department of Plasma Physics at the IPF RAS.
According to scientists, the proposed method can become the basis for drilling wells with a depth of 10-25 km. This will allow heat to be extracted to the surface from super-hot rocks, which will provide people with an inexhaustible source of energy anywhere on the planet. Calculations have shown that with a capacity of 1 MW, the drilling speed of solid rocks will reach several meters per hour.
Geneticists have solved the mystery of the origin of the Scythians
A team of Russian scientists led by the staff of the Center for Genetics and Natural Sciences of the Sirius University of Science and Technology studied the genetic history of the Scythians and, contrary to prevailing stereotypes, proved the European roots of the legendary nomads.
— The study is based on the analysis of 131 genomes obtained from burials of the Great Scythia (northern Black Sea region, lower reaches of the Dniester, Dnieper and Don). The analyzed remains belong to representatives of different eras, habitats, and social groups. Studying their genome has helped to reconstruct the history of their origin, identify hereditary diseases, and create an idea of the appearance of the Scythians and the social structure of the nomads," said Evgeny Rogaev, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head of the Center.
Experts have found out that the Scythians were predominantly of European origin and possessed corresponding striking external features. In particular, blonde and red hair and blue eyes. Also, one of the important results of the study is the discovery of a mutation that causes fructose intolerance. It originated with the Scythians and spread across Europe.
According to the scientists, during the work Great Scythia appeared as a global "laboratory", where it was possible to trace the movement of genes through generations. The experience gained will help to explore the genetic history of other peoples.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
