Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Nearly 2 billion people could face wild disruptions in water availability if the planet continues to warm — and the change could be irreversible, new research suggests. Earth's average surface temperature is already about 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) higher than pre-industrial levels, and with 2024 the hottest year on record, the future forecast is not promising. Such an increase in global temperature could have a permanent impact on the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), a region near the equator where trade winds from the northern and southern hemispheres meet, the study found. The ITCZ has a heavy influence on rainfall patterns, and the increase in global temperatures could cause it to shift south, changing the length and intensity of wet and dry seasons, especially in parts of Africa, the Amazon and Southeast Asia. In total, 23% of the world population and more than 12% of the global land area could be impacted.
Where did all the water on Mars go? For the first time, NASA's MAVEN orbiter has directly observed a process called atmospheric sputtering, which could be described as “doing a cannonball in a pool.” MAVEN's lead scientist explains: https://t.co/zEpQrkq0Wf pic.twitter.com/T3lmLbAS3B
— NASA Mars (@NASAMars) May 29, 2025
(Credit: X/@NASAMars)
After a decade of searching, NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere Volatile Evolution) mission has, for the first time, reported a direct observation of an elusive atmospheric escape process called sputtering that could help answer longstanding questions about the history of water loss on Mars. Early on in Mars’ history, the atmosphere of the Red Planet lost its magnetic field, and its atmosphere became directly exposed to the solar wind and solar storms. As the atmosphere began to erode, liquid water was no longer stable on the surface, so much of it escaped to space. Sputtering is an atmospheric escape process in which atoms are knocked out of the atmosphere by energetic charge particles. While scientists had previously found traces of evidence that this process was happening, they had never observed the process directly.
Drought and water loss caused South Africa to rise an average of 6 millimeters (0.2 inches) between 2012 and 2020, according to a new GPS-based study. Scientists have known for more than a decade that South Africa is rising. Initially, some scientists suspected the uplift was caused by a plume of hot rock in the mantle, Earth's middle layer, that sits beneath the country. A mantle plume forms when hot material from deep in the mantle rises and pushes against the lithosphere (the crust and upper mantle), lifting the land above it. As water disappeared from surface reservoirs, soil, and groundwater reserves, the land rose, like memory foam does after a weight is removed.
A groundbreaking study by the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Germany has revealed that a combination of two FDA-approved drugs-rapamycin and trametinib-can extend the lifespan of mice by up to 30%. Beyond merely prolonging life, the treated mice exhibited improved health markers, including reduced inflammation, delayed tumor progression, and enhanced physical function. An analysis of gene expression in various tissues shows that the combination of the drugs influences the activity of the genes differently than is achieved by administering the drugs individually. There are specific changes in gene activity that are only caused by the combination of the two drugs. These findings suggest potential for developing anti-aging therapies in humans.
