Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons, is one of the most promising places in the Solar System to host life outside of Earth.. And as of this Wednesday it is even more so: this frigid world is covered by a global ocean under a layer of ice in which scientists have just discovered phosphorus, one of the ingredients they consider critical for it to be habitable.

As detailed in an investigation published in the journal Nature, this is the first time that phosphorus has been found in oceans outside of Earth, a discovery that, in addition to allowing progress in the understanding of these oceanic worlds of the Solar System, supports that Enceladus can meet the necessary conditions to host some kind of life.

The discovery was made using data from the Cassini probe, whose mission concluded in 2017 by plunging into Saturn's atmosphere to self-destruct.. Scientists continue to analyze the wealth of data he collected during his 13 years exploring the ringed planet and its moons Titan and Enceladus, finding elements that make them candidates for searching for life in the Solar System.

Specifically, the discovery of phosphorus was possible thanks to the analysis of ice particles expelled from the subterranean ocean of the moon through some cracks from which a kind of geysers escaped.. Previous models had suggested the presence of phosphorus, but it was not clear if this element was found in large amounts.

“Previous Cassini measurements have already shown that Enceladus' subterranean ocean has moderate salinity, adequate pH, a wide variety of organic compounds, and likely hydrothermal systems on the ocean floor as a source of energy.. However, phosphorus had yet to be detected, although it is generally considered a critical ingredient for life.. Life on Earth cannot exist without phosphorus (it is in DNA or in cell membranes, for example)”, Frank Postberg, professor of Planetary Sciences at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Free University of Berlin and research leader. “Our finding of phosphorus in the form of soluble phosphates, readily available in the ocean, can be interpreted as the missing piece to making the ocean of this Saturnian moon habitable.. However, that does not necessarily mean that it is inhabited.”

Match J. Miguel Mas Hesse, scientist and former director of the Center for Astrobiology (CAB/CSIC-INTA), who considers that the effective detection of nutrients such as phosphates “is very relevant” and would support that water from this moon is a good 'primordial soup' for the development of life. “The fact that they have found phosphates in the water ejected from Enceladus is very interesting news in order to determine the possibility that life arose there.. Phosphorus is a basic element for life (among other things it forms the band in which the DNA bases are anchored), and finding it in abundance indicates that, at least, the necessary nutrients for life are found there,” he points out.

This discovery, he adds, “seems to indicate that the chemistry in the oceans of the icy moons, at least in the case of Enceladus, would be complete and complex enough to support biological processes.”

As the Spanish scientist lists, without connection to this study, the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn constitute a first priority environment for astrobiology for several reasons: they have a large amount of water; the bottom of its oceans is rocky; due to its proximity to Jupiter and Saturn, which causes the tidal forces to heat the interior, so they have an energy source perhaps comparable to hydrothermal sources in the terrestrial oceans; and by the icy crust on the surface, which protects them from the high levels of radiation in the vicinity of Jupiter and Saturn.

“Since they formed from the same molecular cloud from which the rest of the Solar System formed, they must have a chemical composition with all the necessary elements for life.. They are very promising environments to have developed living beings”, says Mas Hesse, who recalls that “Arthur C. Clarke, the author of the 2001 Space Odyssey, already suggested in the sequel, 2010, published in 1982, that there might be life below the surface of Europa.”

However, like his colleague Postberg, Mas Hesse stresses that although “there is no doubt that the biochemistry of those frozen oceans must be very rich, more than enough to have formed life, as denoted by other chemical elements that have been able to identify, at the moment there is no evidence that this was the case”.

large amounts of phosphorus

The team led by Postberg analyzed data collected by the Cassini spacecraft's Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) to determine the major components of Enceladus' oceans.. These measurements not only detected phosphorus but, together with laboratory data, suggest that phosphorus could be available in concentrations at least 100 times higher than in Earth's oceans.

Enceladus, one of Saturn's moons NASA

Frank Postberg assures that they are completely sure of the presence of this element. “Our detection occurred in situ near Enceladus with a spacecraft and we analyzed ice grains that undoubtedly originate from the subsoil of Enceladus,” he details when asked if this result could be questioned by other authors, as occurred in 2020 after the announcement of the discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus. “In contrast to the putative weak phosphine signal, the phosphate signal in the Cassini data is extremely strong and unambiguously derived from sodium phosphate and sodium hydrogen phosphate that are soluble in (ocean) water.”

In addition, scientists believe that high phosphate levels could be more widely observed on other icy ocean worlds with similar environmental parameters.

In an article reviewing this study also published in Nature, Mikhail Yu. Zolotov, a researcher at Arizona State University, points out that “the presence of phosphorus components in water is crucial for biological production on Earth.”. That there are phosphates in Enceladus' ocean, he adds, confirms that its water is alkaline.

Following this exciting discovery, Frank Postberg anticipates that he is going to continue analyzing the Cassini data: “The recently published observations of Enceladus made by the James Webb telescope have not provided us with new knowledge,” says the scientist, who considers that ” To find out if Enceladus is not just habitable but inhabited, we have to – and should – send another spacecraft.”

As Mas Hesse reviews, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are working on a mission called the Joint Europa Mission, which will land a small probe on the surface of Europa, Jupiter's moon, with the aim of doing chemical analysis of the brown dust that covers it, in search of traces of biological activity. “But we will still have to wait many years before something like this can be done. The mission that will be able to carry it out, the Joint Europa Mission, is still in the study phase. And when it is launched, it will take about eight years to get there. Meanwhile , the Juice spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter and Europa, and another NASA mission, Europa Clipper, will depart in 2024 or 2025 to continue the detailed study of Europa's surface.”

Although polio vaccines have been essential in containing the ravages of this infectious disease, the goal of eradicating it is proving to be more elusive than was estimated decades ago.. US researchers from the University of California at San Francisco and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta publish in Nature the results of their work on developing vaccines that pave the way for the disappearance of the disease.

Poliovirus consists of three serotypes capable of causing poliomyelitis.. Thanks to vaccines, it has been possible to eradicate wild poliovirus types 2 and 3 (WPV2 and WPV3, for its acronym in English). However, the WPV1 serotype still causes outbreaks with some frequency in Afghanistan and Pakistan.. There is also concern about the circulation of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) strains and cases of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis, which is a rare complication of oral vaccination..

How many vaccines are there against polio?

Two types of vaccines are currently used against poliomyelitis: the injectable inactivated virus (Salk vaccine) and the oral attenuated virus (OPV or Sabin vaccine).. Among oral vaccines, the new and recent vaccine against type 2 poliomyelitis (nOPV2) stands out, which is a modified version of the monovalent oral vaccine of the same type (mOPV2)..

nOPV2 is also an attenuated virus vaccine, which has shown efficacy in inducing an immune response, but it is genetically more stable thanks to the modification of specific points in the genome of the vaccine strain that prevent the virus from recovering its virulence. Its development has been possible thanks to the application of reverse genetics, an approach for vaccine development first described in 1981.. This technology enables its use against vaccine-derived poliovirus variants, decreases the chances of new ones emerging or causing vaccine-associated paralytic polio.

Based on this approach, the team led by Raul Andino (University of California) and Andrew Macadam (CDC) have designed new vaccines for the WPV1 and WPV3 serotypes (nOPV1 and nOPV3).. The authors used the genetic sequence of nOPV2 and incorporated genes encoding components of the protein coat structure of the OPV1 and OVP2 vaccine virus..

Their research in mice revealed that both vaccines were highly immunogenic and very safe.. The authors explain that they remain attenuated even if mutations occur after vaccination.. “Even in the worst case, where many mutations accumulate in the nOPV genomes, the resulting viruses are likely to be much more attenuated than wild-type polioviruses.”

What is the new protective shield to eradicate polio?

Furthermore, in their article they describe how the joint administration of nOPV1, nOPV2 and nOPV3 in mice resulted in the production of antibodies against the three poliovirus serotypes and the mice were protected against the disease..

“This finding indicates that there was no interference between the three viruses in terms of their ability to multiply simultaneously,” interprets Alan Barrett, from the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences at the University of Texas, in an article commenting on Andino's progress. and Macadam also published in Nature. “Mouse model offers proof of concept that a trivalent nOPV vaccine could work in humans”.

To date, only two infectious diseases have been eradicated through vaccination: smallpox and rinderpest.. And in both cases it was thanks to live attenuated vaccines, Barrett recalls.

What will the trial in people be like?

These first preclinical results have allowed the start-up of a phase I trial with these vaccines, the results of which are expected to be available this year.. This first study in humans will give more clues about its safety profile, immunogenicity and genetic stability.. “Although nOPV1 and nOPV3 are currently in development for an outbreak response indication, it could be repurposed and used in campaigns in high-risk areas, or potentially even routinely, depending on epidemiological circumstances.”

Based on these results, the authors state that “poliovirus eradication is achievable”. Barrett agrees, calling the science behind these advances “impressive”

When the Initiative for the Global Eradication of Polio was launched in 1988, it was thought that it could be achieved by 2000.. Since 2013, this initiative has set priorities to eliminate WPV1 and manage cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus and cases of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis, for which new vaccines could be key. “After this, the risk of vaccine-derived type 1 and 3 viruses will need to be controlled in settings where gut immunity, which prevents virus spread, wanes over time,” the researchers warn.

The European Parliament has approved in its plenary session on Wednesday the proposal from which the world's first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Law will emerge, which will now enter the 'tripartite' phase of negotiations between the European Council, the Commission and the very eurochamber. The biggest stumbling block that had arisen in recent days was in remote biometric identification, that is, the possibility of following a face in a crowd in a public space.. Finally, the prohibition has been maintained, as it was in the draft, although the possibility of using these techniques deferred and in very exceptional cases may continue to be discussed..

The MEP Brando Benifei, one of the rapporteurs for the proposal, has been satisfied with the result and very critical of the attempt to alter the agreed document: “There has been an attempt to politicize it, to turn it into a propaganda tool, but we have won in Parliament, to maintain a clear guarantee of avoiding any type of mass surveillance; and, at the same time, maintaining the possibility of identification in non-real time to prosecute criminals who are a risk to society”, has summarized.

Organizations such as Amnesty International have denounced that mass surveillance techniques can lead to “racist” use and leave vulnerable groups unprotected.. Along with biometric identification in public spaces, AI applications for the biometric classification of people using sensitive characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, citizen status, religion or political orientation, as well as the recognition of emotions in police activities, border control, the workplace or educational institutions; nor will the indiscriminate tracking of facial images be allowed to create facial recognition databases.

“All of this is perfectly compatible with our desire to be leaders,” said Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament.. Along the same lines, Benifei has insisted that “unnecessary tests” will not be carried out on AI systems, “but very serious evaluations will be carried out when necessary to protect fundamental rights”.. The idea is that well-established rights such as privacy, authorship or the veracity of information remain safe as technology becomes increasingly disruptive..

Dragos Tudorache, a member of the European Parliament and also a rapporteur for the text that was voted on today, was confident on Tuesday night that the document would be approved and commented to EL MUNDO the decisive importance that, he considers, the new regulation will have: ” We've all heard it before, many times: “This (whatever 'this' is) will transform society. This will change the world. This will have a transformative impact. Often, well-intentioned political hype. But, with artificial intelligence , they fall short. Humanity is facing a decisive change in history. We might not see it yet. In fact, we almost certainly won't see it yet. The small sample that a powerful chatbot has brought us in recent months is not nothing”.

The MEP refers to the new generative systems, such as ChatGPT, which will be subject to new rules when the proposal becomes Law. For example, it will be mandatory to label the contents that have been generated by an AI system. With this, the European Parliament hopes that it will be easier “to distinguish the images called 'deep fakes' from the real ones”. Something that, at first glance, will be practically impossible.

The AI industry, according to Tudorache, “has the potential to transform what it means to be human.”. It has the potential to change the global economic system and the way people live their lives around the world.. It has the potential to usher in a golden age of human progress never before imagined.. Artificial intelligence will change the face of the planet”. In an opinion shared by other experts and MEPs, Tudorache considers that the Law that will regulate this technology is “one of the most important -if not the most important- of this mandate”.

Once approved, which will not happen before the end of the year, the new standard will serve to “provide transparency” and applications can be subject to audits by public authorities, says Sergio de Juan-Creix, associate professor at Information and Communication Sciences Studies at the UOC. “It is a pioneering standard in the world. which adds another layer of difficulty: Europe is being a pioneer, it doesn't have a reflection in which to look.”.

Researchers from the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) have managed to explain why a patient with metastatic kidney cancer has survived in an extraordinary way.

According to their findings, it had rare mutations that potentiated the effect of its treatment, the drug temsirolimus.. It is now known that this drug and others like it are suitable for those who have these mutations.

15 years ago, a woman in her thirties was diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer.. The oncologist José Pablo Maroto, from the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona, decided to treat her with the drug temsirolimus, which worked much better than expected.

The patient overcame cancer. Nine years later, a bone metastasis was detected, but this time, too, temsirolimus was effective.. Now, it has been discovered why temsirolimus has been so effective in this case and in that of two other patients.

This finding will make it possible to identify other patients with kidney cancer for whom temsirolimus and other drugs from the same family will most likely be the ideal treatment.. Today these drugs, inhibitors of the mTOR pathway, are used only when others fail.

“Currently, drugs from the temsirolimus family are not usually the first option in kidney cancer, but this result indicates that in some very specific patients, they should be, because they work very well. We now know how to identify these patients”, explained Cristina Rodríguez-Antona, researcher at the CNIO's Human Cancer Genetics programme.

Finding this answer has taken years. It was necessary to find more cases similar to those of the first patient. The Sant Pau team selected them and sent their samples to the CNIO, where they were analyzed in depth.

The key lies in very rare mutations in the USP9X protein, which regulates critical cellular processes for tumor growth.. Research shows that mutations knock out the function of USP9X, and when that happens the cell doesn't recycle its waste well and dies.. Temsirolimus acts on a different molecular pathway, but has a similar effect; in patients where USP9X does not work, the impact of this drug is potentiated.

“To understand the effect of mutations in USP9X, we developed cell models and did proteomic assays that indicated that tumor cells without USP9X had impaired cellular autophagy [the process by which the cell recycles its waste products]. Temsirolimus also alters autophagy, which causes a synergistic effect, making tumors respond better to this treatment,” Rodríguez-Antona detailed.

In addition to identifying other patients with USP9X mutations who might benefit from treatment with drugs from the temsirolimus family, this finding supports the development of new UPS9X inhibitor drugs as an innovative therapeutic strategy.

“A compound that cancels the function of UPS9X would have a synergistic effect with temsirolimus, increasing its anti-tumor efficacy”, Rodríguez-Antona pointed out.

RESEARCH FUNDED BY CARRERAS SOLIDARIA

The research, published in the scientific journal 'International Journal of Cancer', has been financed in part with donations obtained in charity races organized by the Club de Atletisme A 4 el KM, from Les Franqueses del Vallés (Barcelona), promoted by the patient .

“This publication is a pride. It is a collaboration between an association that organizes year after year a popular race for kidney cancer research; patients who provide samples in difficult times; and basic and clinical researchers. Everything, to answer why has this treatment worked so well? It is not the first case in which we ask ourselves this question, but it is one of the first in which we obtain a clear answer”, highlighted Maroto.

The authors of the study send one last message: “Translational studies are complex because they require close collaboration between clinicians and basic researchers.. In addition, patients play a leading role by donating their samples at a very difficult time.. This study in rare tumors has only been possible thanks to the generosity of the patients, whose samples are the basis of all subsequent molecular work and who drove the study from its inception.”

After years of discussions, and when artificial intelligence (AI) has already jumped from fiction to reality and from academic debates to everyday conversations, the European Parliament votes today on the legislative project that, if all goes according to plan, will from 2024 it will become the first Law that will regulate AI in the world. Predictably, and as has happened with data protection, in which Europe was also a pioneer, other countries will later look at the standard to develop their own legislation.

The European standard will divide AI technologies into four risk categories, from minimal to unacceptable. For example, systems that use subliminal techniques or deception to try to manipulate behavior, exploit the vulnerabilities of groups and individuals, or score the social reputation and integrity of citizens will be directly prohibited.. Others, depending on the level of risk, will be subject to audits or will have to clarify what kinds of data they use.. The intention is to “ensure ethical and human-centered development” of this revolutionary industry, sums up the European Parliament.

“It is a complex standard because we are facing one of the technological revolutions in the history of humanity,” says Sergio de Juan-Creix, associate professor at the UOC's Department of Information and Communication Sciences.. «You can imagine all the interests at stake: the public consultation processes, different opinions, the lobbies in Brussels, the irruption in this entire GPT Chat process, which has forced Parliament to include amendments to also regulate this type of generative AI. … In the end, it couldn't be more complicated.”

The point that has been most debated in recent days is that of remote biometric identification: “You are walking down the street, and the cameras are recognizing your face and following you,” describes Juan-Creix.. In principle, this use of AI will be prohibited. However, and as reported by Euractiv, the European People's Party wants to make this point more flexible so that, in case of serious crimes or extreme necessity, and with judicial authorization, this kind of system can be used. Until the text finally becomes Law, this and other debates will continue.

The proposal, which has been working on since 2019 and has already gone through the European Commission and the parliamentary committees on the Internal Market and Civil Rights, will be expectedly approved today, except for surprise. Although, following the complex European procedure, it must now be submitted to new negotiations in the Council, where the member states participate. As indicated by the European Parliament, the objective is to reach a provisional agreement before the end of 2023. Finally, Parliament and the Council will have to formally approve it before it becomes Law.

Meanwhile, technology has advanced rapidly. The clearest example is generative systems, such as ChatGPT. The new standard will force content creators to report if they have used any of these tools, while developers must publish the copyright-protected data they have used to train the system.

«It is about the AI having its ethical parameters, risk, etc., so that different businesses appear on a safe regulatory framework. I think this benefits everyone.. If not, we play in the wild west”, sums up Juan-Creix. «If the regulation is well done, well thought out and is technologically neutral, that is, it allows the survival of a norm despite the technological changes that may exist, it will provide a regulatory framework and legal certainty; and what better way to attract investment than to have legal certainty. When there is legal uncertainty is when there are investment problems”, he contrasts.

The standard has so far gone relatively unnoticed, but it will gain more and more focus as it nears its final form.. Yesterday, Amnesty International expressed its fear that some of the provisions of the current proposal will be forgotten along the way, particularly those that protect against “discriminatory systems.”

For his part, Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT, was “optimistic” last week about the possibility of global coordination to regulate this technology, in line with the recent proposal by the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, to host a global summit in autumn. One way or another, we'll be hearing a lot about AI in the coming months.

Benito, a 3-year-old male giraffe arrived in Ciudad Juárez a month ago and the weather is already beginning to be a problem for him adapting to his new and lonely home, and that for now he has only had to endure the scorching heat of summer.

The snow and low winter temperatures are still missing, and animal advocates have launched a campaign under the hashtag “#SalvenABenito” for the animal to be transferred to another, more habitable site.

In recent days, the 3-year-old male giraffe could be seen crouching under a small circular awning that gave it shade, in which only its head fits. The structure did little to protect it from torrential rain and a subsequent hail storm.

There's also a small shed for the winter, but activists said it's cruel for city-run Central Park to keep the giraffe in a small fenced-in enclosure, alone, on just over half an acre for wander and few trees to nibble on, in a climate to which she is not accustomed.

“We've been fighting for a month now. A group of animalists demanding that it be taken to a sanctuary, to a zoo, where at least the facilities and qualified personnel are indicated for the care of an animal of this type,” commented Ana Félix, defender of animal rights from Ciudad juarez. “Here we are in the desert and the weather is extreme, both in winter and in summer.”

Blue Hills, a Texas sanctuary that rescues animals and offers private tours to help defray costs, has offered to purchase or adopt Benito.

“We can offer you a brand new heated barn so you won't freeze in the winter,” wrote ranch owner Matt Lieberman.. “We have a staff vet who takes care of our animals and we have 24-hour staff for him.”

He added that the giraffe would have 320 acres (129 hectares) to roam. “There are no trees in the park in Mexico,” Lieberman said.. “He needs trees to eat and stay stimulated.”

Benito seems to have wiped out the only small trees within his reach in Ciudad Juárez Central Park, and he can't do much more than walk in circles.

A group of children visit Benito the giraffe in Central Park. Christian ChavezAP

Park employees rejected the criticism, although they acknowledged that they cannot plant more trees.. They said they are working to improve Benito's compound, noting that his presence has been important in boosting the park's popularity among visitors, mostly children.. Monthly visits rose from about 140,000 before Benito's arrival to about 200,000.

One of the park visitors, 11-year-old Derek Reyes, had mixed feelings about Benito.. “He might be fine here,” the little one commented, “but it might also be good to be taken where he belongs, with a pack.”

Park director Rogelio Muñoz said authorities plan to build Benito a new heated winter enclosure.

The park is also building a larger canopy to shade the sun, and dredging trash and fetid water from a pond that takes up much of the park.. Benito will have fresh water in a trough.

“The conditions, additions and care in the habitat of the new inhabitant of the park” are “optimal for their stay,” the park wrote in a message posted on social networks.

Benito was donated by a zoo in the state of Sinaloa, on the Mexican Pacific coast, an area with a much more temperate climate.. Benito, who was rescued, could not stay with two other giraffes at the Sinaloa zoo because they were a couple, and the male could become territorial and attack Benito.

The giraffe's arrival was a source of pride for Ciudad Juárez, a town bordering El Paso, Texas, best known for its hundreds of factories and endemic gang violence.. El Paso has giraffes in its zoo, so why not Ciudad Juárez? “We want to be like El Paso,” Muñoz said.

Central Park, which has other species of animals such as ducks and donkeys, invited children from all over the city to visit the new giraffe. The Chihuahua state government sponsored a contest among elementary school students to name it.

The first place prize, about $500, went to a girl who proposed the name 'Benito'. One critic, Alfredo Casas, commented on Facebook: “With that money, better make a good shadow for the giraffe.”

The park had a giraffe named Modesto for 21 years. He passed away last year and activists said they don't want Modesto's experience, who was alone and sometimes got stuck in the snow and cold temperatures, to be repeated for Benito.

“When Modesto died, we thought that everything was over,” said Félix.. But “they bring us a new copy…. Well, it's not worth it, it's not worth repeating the story of Modesto.”

Muñoz acknowledged that Modesto's life was not the best. Children who used to visit the giraffe would feed it French fries.. But park employees have launched a campaign to teach children to bring Benito only lettuce and carrots.