Well, the weather: magnetic bacteria and germs of hurricanes

In Russia, experts have trained AI to use satellite imagery to find the seeds of hurricanes, and have also created a device that measures the "respiration" of ecosystems. At the same time, engineers from the United States came up with a courier bike robot that performs jumps and flips, and in France, microbiologists discovered bacteria that help humans sense the Earth's magnetic field. In addition, astrophysicists from Germany have discovered a nearby planet on which life is possible. The most interesting science and technology news of the past week can be found in the Izvestia article.

The new device will improve the management of Russia's ecosystems

Russian scientists have developed a new spectrometer designed to measure greenhouse gases. The device weighs only 4 kg, which simplifies its installation and installation. Unlike imported analogues, the device simultaneously examines carbon dioxide, methane and water vapor.

Photo: courtesy of the MIPT Center for Scientific Communications

Specialists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology participated in the project.

— The device is a system of two lasers: their radiation passes between the mirrors along an M-shaped trajectory. The device's operation is based on measuring the degree of absorption of light by gases at certain wavelengths and processing data using computational algorithms," Vyacheslav Meshcherinov, an engineer at the Institute of Physics and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and a leading engineer at MIPT, explained to Izvestia.

The new analyzer will replace expensive foreign equipment at observation stations. This will help to consolidate the monitoring network and improve the quality of measurements, the developers believe. Thanks to such research, specialists will be able to better understand the life cycles of national ecosystems, which will improve the management of natural resources.

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Bacteria will help create a new generation of biocompasses

French scientists, together with colleagues from Spain and Brazil, have discovered a mechanism by which the simplest creatures navigate the Earth's magnetic field.

In the French Dordogne River, researchers have discovered unusual bacteria in an infusoria. These microorganisms use iron from water and food to create tiny crystals of magnetite, a naturally occurring magnetic mineral (Fe₃o₄). The crystals form bundles that function as an internal compass, allowing the infusoria to sense magnetic field lines and effectively navigate through the water column.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

According to the researchers, understanding the open mechanisms will help create a new type of navigation system. For example, biocompasses for microrobots that can navigate underground or in the water column without access to GPS or GLONASS. And the magnetic crystals synthesized by bacteria can help to deliver drugs inside the human body in a targeted manner.

The study also forces us to take a fresh look at the evolution of living beings. For example, understanding that magnetoreception occurs as a result of the "domestication" of bacteria suggests that some "innate" abilities of animals, including humans, may be the result of an ancient symbiosis of cells with microbes.

AI will detect the birth of a new storm from satellite images

Scientists from the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed a software package that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to quickly identify future dangerous weather events from satellite images.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Yulia Mayorova

The program studies mesoscale convective systems, large atmospheric formations that often cause weather anomalies such as squally winds, heavy rains, hail, and others. A neural network can detect the germ of a storm as early as 15-30 minutes after its occurrence, experts explained. Previously, it took hours and days to process images.

"Fast processing of large amounts of data allows timely warning of services, reducing damage and creating detailed maps of the appearance of mesoscale convective systems," explained Mikhail Krinitsky, head of the Machine Learning Laboratory in Earth Sciences at MIPT.

According to the developers, the new technology will also make it possible to more accurately predict the trajectory of storms, and in the future — to become the basis of an early warning system for dangerous weather events.

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Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable planet near a nearby star

A group of scientists from Germany and several other countries have found the second closest planet to Earth outside the Solar System, on which life is possible. The object was discovered in the vicinity of the star GJ.

It is a small and relatively cold star (red dwarf), which is located 10.7 light-years from the Sun. The discovery was made using HARPS and ESPRESSO spectrographs installed, respectively, at the La Silla Observatory and the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

— GJ 887 is a close to us and, therefore, a bright dwarf of spectral class M, around which at least four planets revolve. At least one of them is in the habitable zone," the authors said in a scientific publication.

Photo: NASA

According to scientists, due to its location, the discovered planet is a suitable target for missions to search for habitable worlds. This includes the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a space telescope that will be launched in the 2040s. It explores at least 25 exoplanets for signs of life on them.

Of the known worlds of this type, an open object in proximity to Earth is second only to a planet from the vicinity of Proxima Centauri b, a star 4.2 light—years away from the Sun.

A robotic bicycle courier has learned how to jump and do somersaults

Engineers from the Robotics and AI Institute (USA and Switzerland), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University (USA) have created a robot in the form of a bicycle that can perform complex acrobatic tricks. This includes jumping over obstacles, riding on the back wheel, and performing flips.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina

The structure consists of a massive upper part and a lightweight wheel frame connected through a complex hinge. Thanks to this, the powerful drives of the machine allow it to sharply move the center of gravity and use inertia for jumping and balancing.

— Trialist cyclists can jump, jump or ride on one wheel. At the same time, they develop speed, save energy on flat areas and maneuver over rough terrain. Inspired by the example of these athletes, we have developed a platform that allows the device to move dynamically with a minimum number of drives," the developers said.

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The weight of the device is 23.5 kg. The device can accelerate up to 8 m/ s, jump up to a meter high and do somersaults in the air. At the same time, it remains stable where a regular courier robot will get stuck or roll over. The movements are controlled by a neural network trained by machine learning. The development is useful when delivering goods in off-road conditions or in an environment where you need to maneuver between obstacles.