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My year on Mars

Engineer Matthew Montgomery was one of a four-person crew who spent more than a year in a 158-square-metre, 3D-printed habitat for a simulated mission on the red planet. The hardware-engineering design consultant (and co-owner of a film production company) took charge of the hydroponic garden and participated in simulated ‘Marswalks’ wearing a protective suit. As well as dealing with a realistic 13–22 minute delay in their connection with mission control, the crew experienced a total communication blackout for two weeks.

AI tool can follow a bird’s voice

A new artificial-intelligence tool can identify an individual bird by its song, and can be used to track that bird’s movements over time. The system provides a less invasive way to monitor birds than using physical tags. Researchers tested the model on recordings of male ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) — a species that sings individually unique songs — from more than 100 locations, and found that it could match songs to specific birds with up to 96% accuracy. “This is almost a holy grail,” says biologist Scott Sillett.

How fungi could restore the steppe

Protecting key underground fungal networks in Mongolia could help to preserve biodiversity, boost climate resilience and revive iconic grasslands across the country, say researchers. In September, evolutionary biologist Toby Kiers and her team announced that they had found more than 500 types of fungus in networks across Mongolia, 90% of which were new to science. Mycologist Burenjargal Otgonsuren hopes that leveraging these networks could help to restore the swathes of degraded land in Mongolia — and preserve the 3,000-year-old way of life practiced by Mongolia’s 230,000 nomadic herding families.

Infographic of the week

Where academic freedom is up — and down

Academic freedom is deteriorating globally, according to the Scholars at Risk (SAR) network, a human-rights organization based at New York University. Data show a steep decline in academic freedom in the United States, some of which preceded the 2024 election of President Donald Trump. But there is cautious optimism about the trend in Hungary following the end of Viktor Orbán’s 16-year premiership.

The genes that could stave off dementia

By studying people who show no signs of neurodegeneration well into older age, scientists have identified several gene variants that could help to protect against dementia. These protective variants seem to defend the brain against the toxic clusters of proteins that cause Alzheimer’s — mechanisms that scientists now hope to exploit. “Nature has already done the experiment for us: certain gene variants protect us from Alzheimer’s,” says neuroscientist Guojun Bu. “Learning how they do this could guide us to new therapies.”

How maths will survive AI disruption

The mathematics community’s reaction to OpenAI’s huge drop of AI-generated proofs last month “ranged from exhilaration to despair”, writes mathematician Ursula Martin, one of the authors of the Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics, which put forward several safeguards on the technology. “This is a moment to be clear-eyed about AI’s potential to make discoveries,” she writes. “The challenge … is to sustain the community of mathematicians on whom the discipline depends.”

Reference: Leiden Declaration on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics

Ways to bring biomining off the bench

Biomining strategies — those that use microorganisms to extract metals — could provide a more sustainable alternative to conventional technologies, which are struggling to keep up with soaring demand for critical minerals, argue a group of biotechnology and mining researchers. These methods can also extract metals from discarded electronics, reducing the need for virgin ores. For biomining methods to reach their potential, researchers must work with governments and industry to establish a pathway through which these technologies can be deployed at scale, the authors write.