Mexican scientists created plastic from cactus juice—biodegradable, edible, and sustainable. They turned nature’s resilience into innovation.
It’s easy to think solutions have to be complicated. But often, the Earth has already provided what we need—we just need to listen. The cactus thrives in harsh conditions. Now, it’s helping us rethink consumption, waste, and responsibility.
This is what it looks like when science and compassion meet. What natural solution are we overlooking today that could change tomorrow?
A bizarre object discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope may be a pair of 'rogue' planets ― but a new study finds they are emitting rad
Lead study Mexican author Luis Rodríguez, a professor emeritus at the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
In 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) helped identify hundreds of free-floating "rogue" planets that don't orbit a parent star. Now, astronomers have found that a pair of these planets may be producing enigmatic, hard-to-interpret radio signals.
The rogue planets spotted by JWST lie in the Orion Nebula, a long-time observational hotspot for astronomers. In total, they number over 500. This discovery bonanza was possible thanks to JWST's ability to pick up infrared radiation emitted by these relatively young planets.
Bizarrely, though, about 80 of these planets exist as pairs. Similar in mass to Jupiter, the planets orbit each other at distances ranging from 25 to 400 times the distance between Earth and the sun. These tangoing duos, called Jupiter-mass binary objects (JuMBOs), pose a huge mystery for astronomers, because the existence of these worlds challenges current theories of planet formation. Some scientists think these objects may not even be planets but rather previously unknown entities that are larger than planets but smaller than brown dwarfs, which are sometimes called "failed stars" because they blur the line between planets and stars.
The JWST data showed that JuMBOs generated infrared radiation, but the new study's authors wanted to see if these dancing objects produced radio waves. That's because different classes of cosmic objects produce distinct patterns of radio emissions. For instance, planets like Jupiter spew several types of radio signals, including gigahertz-frequency emissions thousands of times higher-pitched than an FM signal, partly because of their magnetic fields.
Spotting such signatures from the JuMBOs could help resolve their identity. The observations could also explain "why some objects have detectable radio emission and others do not," lead study author Luis Rodríguez, a professor emeritus at the Institute of Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told Live Science in an email.
To find radio wave "snapshots" of the Orion Nebula where the JuMBOs reside, the scientists combed through archives of observations maintained by the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). They found just one pair that apparently emits radio waves: JuMBO 24. Itself an oddity among the oddball objects, it's the heaviest of the JuMBOs, and also the one with the tightest space between its component planets.
A decade's worth of data the research team collated showed that the radio waves remained steady but strong, with a power of roughly a quarter of a ton of TNT and frequencies of 6 to 10 gigahertz. The radio waves also weren't circularly polarized, meaning they lacked spiral, twisting electric fields, the team reported in their study, published Jan. 8 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
But these features aren't what astronomers expect of signals created by planets." Circular polarization is an unambiguous indicator of the presence of magnetic fields," Rodríguez said. Without this, the team can't say definitively that the signals come from JuMBO 24 (assuming the planets have magnetic fields). Besides, radio emissions from other exoplanets are more variable and less intense.
Even if JuMBO 24 isn't a pair of planets but rather another type of cosmic duo, the signals are unusual. Signals from brown dwarfs are very different from the newly identified radio beams. The beams' brightness and frequency even ruled out the possibility of pulsars, the rapidly spinning cores of dead stars that produce pulses of radio waves at regular intervals.
The researchers also estimated the likelihood that the signals originate from an object behind JuMBO 24 and found it to be exceedingly slim, at just 1 in 10,000. And, in case you were wondering, the signals probably don't originate from aliens. "The fact that both components emit at similar levels favors a natural mechanism," Rodríguez said.
With the research at an impasse, the team is applying to the NRAO's Very Large Array in New Mexico to collect data from free-floating planets. Until then, the radio signals will remain a mystery.
Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez (1959-2021): The Mexican Astrobiologist Who Shaped Our Understanding of The Planet Mars
Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez was a talented and internationally recognized chemist and astrobiologist who worked at NASA. Navarro-Gonzalez is known for his work with other researchers to study the planet Mars. He made fundamental contributions to several fields related to Astrobiology, the origin of life, and life in extreme environments. Among his many accomplishments, he helped lead the team that identified ancient organic compounds on Mars. He was a Co-I on the SAM instrument onboard NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory and on the HABIT instrument onboard ESA’s ExoMars mission. He was also on the Curiosity Mars rover team. His research blended laboratory simulations, fieldwork, and theoretical modeling in transdisciplines in chemistry, physics, and biology. This sort of dominance is unusual and requires a dynamic and intellectual curiosity beyond normal boundaries. He identified the role of volcanic lightning in the origin of life on Earth. He has established one of the very best laboratories in Latin-America.
He has published 137 papers, 4 edited books and over 225 abstracts. Among the most significant contributions are those that deal the detection of organics in Mars-like environments from cold (Antarctica), temperate (Atacama) and hot (Mojave and Libya) deserts on Earth.
Navarro-Gonzalez was born in Mexico City on April 25, 1959. He earned a bachelor’s in biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) where he became full professor in 2002, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Navarro-González established the Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Planetary Studies of the Institute of Nuclear Science at UNAM.
Rafael Navarro-Gonzalez was the first recipient of the Molina fellowship award. This prize recognizes outstanding scientific achievement. He was also the recipient of the 2009 Alexander von Humboldt Medal and the World Academy of Sciences Award in Earth Sciences.
He died on Jan. 28, 2021 due to Covid-19-related complications.
In honor of his service, NASA named a mountain on Mars after him. The mountain stretches 450 feet (120 meters) tall, “Rafael Navarro Mountain” is located on Mount Sharp in northwest Gale Crater.
Rafael Navarro Mountain
“Rafael was a good friend and dedicated scientist, and it has been a privilege and honor for our Mars exploration team to work with him over the years" said the principal investigator of Curiosity’s SAM experiment.
“We are truly honored to have a prominent hill named after our dad; it’s his and our dream come true to see this happen,” wrote Navarro-González’s children, Rafael and Karina Navarro Aceves, in a statement to NASA.
“Our dad was an accomplished scientist, but above all, a great human being who managed to balance work and family."
Scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico have developed a new technique that can clean up oil as well as radioactive substances, fertilizers, drugs, and other pollutants dumped in the ocean.
The innovative technique involves nanotubes made from halloysite, a naturally occurring clay mineral, and magnetite, a highly magnetic mineral.
"We can apply a magnetic field to pull out the stain as if we had somehow thrown out a fishing net, and in this way, we can put out the oil," – the project leader told Xinhua recently. If the spill occurs near the beach, we will have the option of pulling the contaminant into the open sea so that it does not affect our beaches and, at the same time, the oil can be recovered and reused.”
The technique has been tested on a number of different types of oil.
"The materials have the capacity to absorb oil and remain on the surface or wherever they are" said the project leader.
The technology can clean up even the most viscous hydrocarbons, and once oil is recovered, it can be reused instead of being burned "in situ" and releasing harmful substances into the air.
"The fish are also affected because all that oil is incorporated into the food chain, the carcinogens stay there and, when we catch fish, we feed on those harmful substances that are still there.”
Oil spills are among the most serious environmental disasters and threaten biodiversity around the world.
The newly developed technology does not affect wildlife and can be used on large oil spills as well as in the decontamination of rivers, lakes and lagoons.
And the cost is much lower than other techniques, as halloysite nanotubes are naturally occurring while carbon nanotubes must be synthesized, making them more expensive.
"The cost of the technology is very low and I think it would be worth applying it in any country with this problem. It is a technology that can be used worldwide and we are open to any country or region that needs it” stated the project leader.
Mexican scientists have developed a unique "nanobubble" system using solar energy to improve water quality in the canals of Mexico City's Xo
MEXICO CITY, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Mexican scientists have developed a unique "nanobubble" system using solar energy to improve water quality in the canals of Mexico City's Xochimilco ecological zone.
A team of researchers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav) has developed a method using solar energy to activate a pump that sends cleansing "nanobubbles" into the water.
The bubbles help oxygenate the water, eliminating harmful pollutants and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to healthier flora and fauna, according to Refugio Rodriguez Vazquez, a Cinvestav researcher.
"We've seen in the places that we have bubbled a good proliferation of the Montezuma frog," Rodriguez said, referring to one of Mexico's native amphibian species.
Xochimilco is known for "chinampas," floating beds of farm produce cultivated by the Aztecs in the 14th century to feed the population of the pre-Hispanic city.
The nanobubble system enables local farmers "to be able to work on their chinampas and make them productive by having a cleaner environment and conditions," Rodriguez said.
The Cinvestav team said the nanobubble system was also being applied in two water treatment plants.
Hoses float as members of a team of researchers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), who developed a method that converts solar energy into photovoltaic energy that activates a pump that sends "nanobubbles" into the water, check a water system at a trajinera boat.
It could also potentially be replicated in other waterways in Mexico City, where water quality is considered poor and supplies are often at the mercy of droughts.
The solar panels powering the nanobubble technology sit atop Xochimilco's famous "trajineras," barge-like boats that shuttle tourists through the canals. They also provide onboard electricity.
"It can give us more benefits." said Miguel Poblano Lugo, a trajinera service provider. "People who bring their cell phone and don't have a battery can recharge them right there."
Moored trajineras are pictured at one of the canals of Xochimilco where a team of researchers from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), who developed a method that converts solar energy into photovoltaic energy that activates a pump that sends "nanobubbles" into the water.
