University of Oviedo

Previous studies had confirmed the presence of liquid in Mars' core. However, there was conflicting information about the possible existence of a solid component. Now, data from NASA's InSight mission show that there is indeed a solid component in the planet's core, whose radius is estimated at about 600 kilometers. The data, published in the journal Nature, may increase our understanding of the formation and evolution of Mars, as well as its potential habitability.

A team in China has transplanted a pig lung, genetically modified using CRISPR, into a brain-dead human. According to the researchers, this is the first time a lung transplant of this kind has been performed. The organ remained viable for the nine days of the study, although it showed some signs of damage and immune rejection. The results are published in the journal Nature Medicine.

A US team has analyzed the evolution of the global population exposed to forest fires between 2002 and 2021. The study indicates that the number of people exposed has increased by 40%, despite a 26% reduction in the area burned. This is mainly due to the increase in the population living in urban-forest interfaces. 85% of exposures occurred in Africa, even though forest fire disasters in North America, Europe, and Oceania have received most of the attention, notes the study, which is published in the journal Science.  

Several areas in the region of El Bierzo in León and the province of Zamora have seen numerous forest fires in recent hours, forcing more than a thousand people from different municipalities to evacuate. One person has died. The flames have affected the Las Médulas natural area, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Another fire in Tarifa (Cádiz) has forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, and also in Tres Cantos (Madrid), where one person died. In addition, there are active outbreaks in several areas of Galicia. The government declares a pre-emergency phase.

Cosmological models suggest that matter and antimatter were created in equal amounts in the Big Bang, but in the current universe matter seems to predominate over antimatter. This imbalance is believed to be due to differences in the behaviour of the two, a violation of symmetry known as CP violation. This effect was predicted by the Standard Model of Physics and observed experimentally in mesons more than 60 years ago. Now, the LHCb collaboration at CERN, which includes significant Spanish participation, has observed this phenomenon for the first time in the decay of baryons, particles that make up most of the matter in the observable universe. The study is published in Nature.

Spanish citizens trust science and researchers, and want them to be more involved in the issues that affect people's lives. Television and social media are the most commonly used channels for obtaining information on these topics. 81.4% recognise that climate change is a serious problem and, with regard to AI, although more than 80% use it, there is concern about its risks and governance. These figures come from the latest edition of the FECYT's biennial Social Perception of Science and Technology Survey (EPSCT) 2024.

A team from Stanford University (USA) has analysed the conservation status of 1,376 species of scavenger animals. The results, published in the journal PNAS, indicate that 36% of them are threatened or in decline, especially large species and obligate scavengers, which depend exclusively on carrion for food. In contrast, the number of small and facultative scavengers, such as rodents, for which carrion is not their only source of food, is increasing. According to the authors, this ‘could increase the risks of diseases that large scavengers have helped to mitigate’.

An international research project involving Spanish participation has analysed the distribution of brown bears in Europe and Turkey. To do this, the team studied more than three million locations belonging to some 3,000 bears, with data from 14 European and Turkish subpopulations in very different environments. The main conclusion is that bears occupy areas where the species that form part of their diet are distributed. The study, published in Global Change Biology, shows that the influence of climate change on these species also has an impact on the distribution of bears.

In 2024, a team of researchers in China transplanted a pig's liver for the first time, with six genes modified to prevent rejection, into a person who was brain dead. After 10 days, they evaluated the condition of the organ and the recipient. According to the authors, who are now publishing the work in the journal Nature, the results suggest that genetically modified pig livers can survive and function in humans, which could serve as a bridge therapy for patients with liver failure who are waiting for human donors.

A team of researchers from the University of California (USA) has analyzed the presence of hate speech on the social network X (formerly Twitter) since its purchase by Elon Musk in October 2022 until June 2023. Their findings are that this type of racist, homophobic and transphobic speech increased by approximately 50 % throughout this period. In addition, the presence of bots and fake accounts did not decrease, contrary to Musk's own promises. The results are published in the journal Plos One.