Recognized genes: the mystery of the origin of the Scythians and the global shortage of fresh water

Earthquakes and tsunamis in the Arctic seas were predicted in Russia, and scientists from India, the United States and Saudi Arabia reported a decrease in freshwater reserves on Earth. At the same time, Russian designers have invented a revolutionary way of processing aluminum, doctors have created an installation to test the suitability of a donor's heart for transplantation, and geneticists have refuted the stereotype of the Asian origin of the Scythians. These and other events from the world of science can be found in the weekly Izvestia collection.

Russia has improved the creation of aluminum products

Scientists from Siberian Federal University have developed the world's first metalworking machine that simultaneously performs three processes at once: casting, rolling and pressing. This makes it possible to speed up and reduce the cost of manufacturing long-length products made of aluminum alloys, such as rods or wire.

Photo: Sergey Sidelnikov

As the technologists explained, the installation includes a mixing furnace, where metals are melted, and a deforming unit that helps direct the melt into water-cooled rolls, where it crystallizes into blanks, from which finished products are then formed.

"We have applied for two patents, as the method and device for ingotless rolling and pressing of aluminum alloy rods have been developed for the first time," Sergey Sidelnikov, Honored Inventor of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Metalworking by Pressure at the Institute of Non—Ferrous Metals of Siberian Federal University, told Izvestia.

According to experts, the development is of particular importance for the production of rods that include various modifying additives. For example, they help to obtain more durable aluminum alloy products such as rivets, nuts, screws, and other fasteners.

In addition, scientists have successfully tested experimental batches of rods-modifiers from recycled materials. This opens up new possibilities for waste recycling.

Alloy times: scientists have found a revolutionary method of creating aluminum products

How will the installation, which has no analogues in the world, be useful to industry

Scientist predicted a tsunami in the Arctic

Tsunamis can occur in the Arctic, this is one of the consequences of global warming, environmentalist, honorary polar explorer of the Russian Federation, chairman of the Council of the Yakut branch of the Russian Union of Rescuers Nikolai Nakhodkin told Izvestia. According to him, the source of the threat is the vicinity of Bennett Island in the East Siberian Sea, where scientists suspect volcanic activity.

Photo: TASS/Soeren Stache

— You can see plumes of smoke on satellite images. They are energetically comparable to volcanic emissions and spread over hundreds of kilometers, reaching the coasts of Canada and Alaska. This probably indicates underwater volcanoes," the expert explained.

According to him, in one of the bays of Bennett Island, the bottom was raised at several points, which occurred over the course of nine years. The level has changed to a height of 1 to 9 m. This also confirms the activity of the subsurface.

Using these data, as well as the results of a scientific expedition to Bennett Island in 2022, experts concluded that underwater volcanic eruptions are possible in the area of this northern land. If they coincide with periods of open water, this can cause a tsunami.

According to Nikolai Nakhodkin, the Arctic is not preparing for such events, but they pose a threat to coastal towns and industrial infrastructure. For example, wells for the extraction of hydrocarbons on the shelf, which are supposed to be operated by Russian companies, or a small nuclear power plant that is being built in the lower reaches of the Yana River.

The heart for the transplant will be checked at the cellular level

Scientists from MIPT have developed a system that makes it possible to analyze the work of a donor heart at the cellular level. The installation consists of a powerful microscope, a high-speed camera and specialized software. Such a set makes it possible to simultaneously assess the electrical activity of cells and their metabolic state.

Photo: MIPT press service

— The system allows optical methods to study how individual molecules work in the mitochondria of heart cells. If something is wrong with them, then we will see it," Mikhail Slotvitsky, the author of the study and a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine at MIPT, told Izvestia.

For example, during a heart transplant, the compatibility of the organ with the patient is checked by genetic methods. At the same time, according to the protocol, there are only four hours to deliver the organ. However, it is often not possible to meet these deadlines. And then the proposed method will help, which will allow you to quickly find out whether the heart remains suitable for transplantation or not.

In addition, the development opens up new opportunities for personalized medicine. So, with the help of stem cells from the patient's blood, it is possible to create a fragment of heart tissue and test various drugs on it, choosing an effective treatment.

Transplant case: a unique setup will check the heart's readiness for transplantation

What possibilities does the device offer for analyzing the work of an organ at the cellular level?

Scientists have proved the beginning of the genetic history of the Scythians in Europe

Russian geneticists, led by scientists from the Center for Genetics and Natural Sciences at Sirius University of Science and Technology, have deciphered data from a large number of human DNA samples found in Scythian cultural monuments dating back to different periods of the Bronze and Early Iron Ages.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

— The study is based on the analysis of the genomes of 131 ancient individuals obtained from the graves of Great Scythia, a conditional formation that roughly corresponds to the settlement of the Scythians (Northern Black Sea region, lower reaches of the Dniester, Dnieper and Don). The remains studied 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.

According to him, almost all the analyses were performed on the basis of domestic laboratories, which underlines the possibilities of Russian science in conducting large-scale research in the field of ethnogenetics, paleogenetics and others.

Contrary to established stereotypes, researchers have shown the European origin of an ancient nomadic people. They also studied the spread of the "Scythian disease" — fructose intolerance — among modern Europeans.

Scientists have measured the depletion of fresh water reserves on Earth

Scientists from India, the United States and Saudi Arabia have measured how freshwater reserves on land have changed over the past 22 years. For these purposes, they used data from the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites, designed to study the Earth's gravitational field and its fluctuations.

The results showed an unprecedented loss of freshwater resources in the world, and also revealed the formation of vast "mega-arid" regions in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet. These are the north of Russia and Canada, the southwest and the center of North America, as well as parts of North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central and Southeast Asia.

Photo: Global Look Press/Victor Lisitsyn

Drought-prone territories are increasing annually by an area that is twice the size of California. At the same time, arid regions lose water faster than moist ones, the scientists noted.

In their opinion, the main reason for the changes is the depletion of groundwater, which accounts for 68% of the loss of water reserves. Melting glaciers and permafrost and intense droughts also contribute.

Scientists emphasized that the reduction of freshwater reserves simultaneously contributes to the contribution of continents to sea level rise. This effect is higher than that exerted by the melting of the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets.

The authors of the study emphasized that operational measures are needed to manage water resources on a global scale. Especially groundwater, which plays a key role in adapting to climate change.