Record Methane Level Found on Mars

SEVEN DAYS The news in brief

EVENTS Mouse facility Scientists at a UK mouse- genetics centre have written an open letter decrying a recommendation to close the facility’s on-site academic research unit. Closure of the Mammalian Genetics Unit (MGU) at the MRC Harwell Institute would be “a major NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS/HANDOUT/GETTY threat” to UK mouse genetics, says the letter, organized by 14 of Harwell’s top scientists. More than 150 researchers have backed the letter since the organizers sent it out to peers on 20 June in a bid to rally support. The MRC Harwell Institute hosts a mouse-breeding facility and the separate MGU, where scientists study disease using animal models. But a review by the Medical Research Council (MRC) — Britain’s public medical-research Record methane level found on Mars funder — concluded in March that there is no longer a case NASA’s Curiosity rover last week measured methane on Mars over the past 16 years, but to support the MGU, which the highest level of methane gas ever found in not in any predictable pattern. The record employs about 150 people, the atmosphere at Mars’s surface. The reading measurement is “excitingly huge”, says Oleg most of whom are scientists. It — 21 parts per billion (p.p.b.) — is three Korablev, a physicist at the Space Research recommended that the mouse- times greater than the previous record, which Institute in Moscow who runs a methane- breeding facility remain open Curiosity detected back in 2013. Planetary sniffing instrument on the European–Russian and instead partner with scientists track methane on Mars because Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft. NASA ran academic clusters around its presence could signal life; most of Earth’s a follow-up experiment last weekend and the country. In response to methane is made by living things, although recorded a methane level less than 1 p.p.b., the criticism, the MRC said the gas can also come from geological sources. suggesting that the high reading last week came it recognizes the importance Various spacecraft and telescopes have spotted from a transient gas plume. of mouse research and is committed to establishing the most effective approach heavy-lift rocket. COSMIC-2 to test whether the pressure of pristine comet that is making to supporting such science. is a collection of six small sunlight on a large, reflective its first journey into the inner A final decision is scheduled US–Taiwanese satellites that surface is a viable mode of Solar System. The three probes for December. The proposal will measure distortions in propulsion for spacecraft. will intercept and observe the comes weeks after the Global Positioning System comet as it responds to the Wellcome Sanger Institute in signals in Earth’s atmosphere Comet mission Sun’s heat and sprays out gases. Hinxton, UK, decided to close to make near-real-time The European Space Agency This will be ESA’s third visit to its animal-research facility. observations of temperature (ESA) announced plans a comet, after the Giotto and and other weather data. on 19 June to fly a trio of Rosetta missions. SPACE NASA experiments include spacecraft to study a comet an atomic clock to help with simultaneously from three India’s space plans Cosmic launch space navigation, which the perspectives. The Comet The Indian Space Research An Earth-observing mission agency plans to test for a year, Interceptor mission is Organisation (ISRO) has called COSMIC-2 headed into and a trial of a non-toxic expected to launch in 2028, announced plans to build a orbit from Cape Canaveral, propellant for future satellite and will travel to a stable point modest-sized space station Florida, on 25 June. It was missions. The non-profit in space 1.5 million kilometres in which astronauts will one of several scientific Planetary Society in Pasadena, from Earth. There, it will wait spend 15–20 days. ISRO projects on board a SpaceX California, sent up a solar sail until astronomers detect a chair Kailasavadivoo Sivan

SEVEN DAYS THIS WEEK

told journalists in New Delhi EU in line with the Paris on 13 June that the station Agreement”. A footnote adds will be ready in five to seven that climate neutrality must years. ISRO’s first human be achieved by 2050 for a space-flight programme, “large majority” of the bloc’s called Gaganyaan, aims to 28 member states. send three astronauts into space by December 2021. PEOPLE Sivan said the space station will extend the human Food-agency head AVALON/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/ GETTY IMAGES AVALON/UNIVERSAL space-flight programme The Food and Agriculture beyond Gaganyaan. The Organization of the United station will weigh about Nations (FAO) has elected 20 tonnes and will be placed Qu Dongyu — China’s vice- in a low Earth orbit, about minister of agriculture and 400 kilometres above Earth, rural affairs — as its next and conduct microgravity use of energy-efficiency neutral within the next 30 director-general. The FAO experiments. ISRO is set to technologies at power plants years. The EU has previously wields influence over global launch its second crewless rather than requiring more agreed to cut its collective and local food and agriculture spacecraft to the Moon on aggressive greenhouse-gas greenhouse-gas emissions by policies, and helps to shape 15 July, and is gearing up for reduction methods such as at least 40% by 2030 and by agricultural research agendas. crewless missions to the Sun capturing and storing carbon 80–95% by 2050, compared With around 11,500 staff, it in mid-2020 and to Venus in emissions. By contrast, with 1990 levels, and last is the largest UN technical mid-2023. Obama’s plan, introduced in November the European agency, and has a budget of 2015, would have set broad Commission released an US$2.6 billion for 2018–19. CLIMATE goals for each state and ambitious strategy aimed at Qu will be the FAO’s first required them to work with achieving net-zero emissions Chinese director-general, Emissions rule utility companies to reduce by 2050. But at a European and succeeds Brazil’s José The US Environmental emissions to 32% below 2005 Council meeting on 20 June, Graziano da Silva. He won Protection Agency (EPA) levels by 2030. The industry a group of Eastern European 108 votes from the FAO’s has finalized its plan to relax would have had to increase countries including Poland, 194 member states, beating limits on greenhouse-gas the energy efficiency of power Hungary and the Czech the European Union’s emissions from power plants plants and shift towards using Republic, which still rely candidate and a US-backed (pictured), eviscerating renewables such as wind and heavily on coal, refused to candidate from Georgia. one of former president solar energy and other low- sign up to a definite date for He will start his four-year Barack Obama’s flagship carbon energy technologies. achieving carbon neutrality. term on 1 August. Qu holds climate policies. The EPA’s The agreed text of the a PhD in agricultural and Affordable Clean Energy Carbon fail council’s conclusion calls on environmental sciences. He rule, announced on 19 June, European Union heads the commission and national has said that his priorities will allows states to set their of state failed last week to governments to put in place include improving agriculture own emissions-reduction agree on a binding plan a framework “to ensure a in tropical and drought- goals. It focuses on the to make the bloc carbon transition to a climate-neutral stricken countries.

TREND WATCH STEM-CELL DOCTOS An analysis of 166 US companies marketing unproven stem-cell treatments has found that many do not employ physicians formally Many companies offering the conditions the firms offered trained in the conditions the clinics o er to treat. unproven stem-cell therapies to treat. Among those marketing don’t employ clinicians with stem cells for orthopaedic At least one physician has training in relevant areas of medicine relevant medical training, conditions, 77% listed at least Physicians do not have training covering all relevant areas No physicians on sta according to an analysis of one physician with formal 166 US businesses advertising training in orthopaedics. But

J. AM. MED. ASSOC. 321 , 2463–2464 (2019) such treatments. only 19% of practices focused All companies Researchers looked at the on non-orthopaedic conditions qualifications of clinicians listed employed physicians with on each company’s website. relevant specialist training. COMPANIES EMPLOYING PHYSICIANS Nine companies did not list any “Patients need to ensure Focused on

ET AL. SOURCE: W. FU ET physicians. Five of these were they look at trusted sources orthopaedic staffed entirely by podiatrists, of information and consider conditions two by naturopaths and one the backgrounds of physicians Focused by dentists. Of the companies when considering medical care, on other that employed doctors, just including regenerative care,” says conditions 81 listed physicians who had Zubin Master at Mayo Clinic in 0 30 60 90 120 150 180 training that the researchers Rochester, Minnesota, who led Number deemed necessary to cover all the study.