Mars Life Clue, Deadly Heat & Tech Breakthroughs – Science News Roundup (Sept 16

Mars microbes? NASA’s Perseverance rover found its strongest hint of ancient life on Mars yet – a rock sample with unusual “leopard spot” mineral patterns possibly left by past microbes ^[1]. Scientists call it a potential biosignature. “This finding… is the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars… a groundbreaking discovery that will advance our understanding of Mars,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy ^[2].
Extreme heat deaths:Climate change fueled roughly 16,500 heat-related deaths in European cities this summer – about two-thirds of all summer heat fatalities – according to an Imperial College London analysis ^[3]. “The causal chain from fossil fuel burning to rising heat and increased mortality is undeniable,” said climate scientist Friederike Otto ^[4], underscoring the deadly impact of 2025’s record hot summer.
New liver disease drug: Researchers unveiled a new drug (ION224) that, in a year-long trial, halted a deadly fatty liver disease (MASH) by blocking a key liver enzyme ^[5]. Patients’ liver fat and inflammation dropped without serious side effects ^[6] ^[7]. “By blocking DGAT2, we’re interrupting the disease process at its root cause, stopping fat accumulation and inflammation right in the liver,” said Dr. Rohit Loomba of UC San Diego ^[8]. It’s the first therapy to show promise in reversing MASH, a disease affecting millions ^[9].
Neutrinos & supernovae: Physicists are preparing the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) to catch ghostly neutrinos from the next Milky Way supernova in real time. DUNE’s huge detectors could detect the neutrino burst hours before visible light emerges, giving astronomers an early alert to witness a star’s explosive death ^[10] ^[11]. “We always say neutrinos are like the black-box recorders. They come back with information telling us about the inner workings of stars,” explained Fermilab physicist Sam Zeller ^[12]. The team even hopes to glean insights into how black holes form if a dying star collapses without a supernova ^[13].
Black hole’s magnetic flip: New images of the M87 supermassive black hole revealed its magnetic fields dramatically changing direction over just 4 years ^[14]. The Event Horizon Telescope observed that the polarized light pattern around M87 spiraled one way in 2017, vanished in 2018, then reversed in 2021 ^[15]. Astrophysicists are puzzled – it means the magnetized plasma near the event horizon is surprisingly dynamic. “What’s remarkable is that while the ring size remained consistent, the polarization pattern changes significantly,” said Dr. Paul Tiede of the Center for Astrophysics ^[16]. “This tells us the magnetized plasma swirling near the black hole is far from static; it’s dynamic and complex, pushing our theoretical models to the limit.” ^[17] The stability of the “shadow” confirms Einstein, but the “hair” of magnetic fields can change styles rapidly ^[18] ^[19], showcasing evolving black hole physics.
Insects vanishing in wild: A 20-year study in Colorado’s remote mountains found a 72% crash in insect populations even in an untouched meadow ecosystem ^[20]. The culprit appears to be climate warming – the site’s rising summer temperatures closely paralleled the insect decline ^[21]. “Insects have a unique… position in the biodiversity crisis due to the ecological services they provide and their vulnerability to environmental change,” said biologist Keith Sockman, who led the UNC-Chapel Hill study ^[22]. He recorded an average 6.6% annual drop in flying insects, highlighting that even “pristine” areas aren’t safe from climate-driven losses ^[23] ^[24]. Ecologists warn this could destabilize ecosystems reliant on insects for pollination, nutrient cycling, and food webs.
Summer of climate casualties: The summer of 2025’s extreme heat was Europe’s deadliest in years. A rapid attribution study found human-driven warming made 854 cities 2.2 °C hotter on average and dramatically amplified mortality ^[25] ^[26]. An estimated 16,500 of 24,400 heat deaths (68%) from June–August were attributable to climate change’s added heat ^[27] ^[28]. The elderly were hit hardest – 85% of victims were over 65 ^[29]. Scientists urge better heat preparedness, noting heat often isn’t listed on death certificates despite being the silent killer in many of these cases ^[30].
Seaweed takeover explained: Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Ocean, researchers answered why Sargassum seaweed “blob” blooms have exploded over the past decade. A 40-year review by Florida Atlantic University links the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt’s massive algae mats to human nutrient pollution – nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agriculture and sewage – combined with natural ocean currents ^[31] ^[32]. Once confined to the low-nutrient Sargasso Sea, Sargassum now proliferates from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico. This year’s bloom hit a record ~37 million tons ^[33]. “We’re beginning to understand the larger environmental forces at play,” said Dr. Brian Lapointe, noting that fertilizers washing into rivers feed the seaweed’s growth ^[34]. The gargantuan blooms threaten marine life, foul beaches, and even clogged a nuclear plant’s cooling system – underscoring the far-reaching impact of coastal pollution on ocean ecology.
High-fiber brain boost: New research is illuminating the gut-brain link in Alzheimer’s disease. A study in mice found that a high-fiber diet calmed inflammation along the gut–brain axis, easing tremors and frailty in animals engineered to have Alzheimer’s-like symptoms ^[35]. By feeding the mice extra fiber, scientists reduced inflammation and saw improvements in their movement ^[36]. The fiber appears to promote a healthier microbiome and anti-inflammatory signals, suggesting dietary fiber might one day complement Alzheimer’s treatments. In related news, a “green” Mediterranean diet rich in plant-based foods and polyphenols was shown to slow signs of brain aging in adults by reducing certain harmful proteins ^[37]. Nutrition researchers at Harvard found this diet correlated with lower levels of brain aging markers, highlighting a potential dietary strategy for cognitive health ^[38].
Stress in hair predicts mental health: In pediatric health, Canadian researchers discovered an innovative early warning for mental illness: cortisol levels in hair. By measuring the stress hormone accumulated in strands of hair, they could predict depression and anxiety risk in children with chronic illnesses ^[39]. Kids with persistently high hair cortisol were more likely to develop mental health issues ^[40]. This non-invasive biomarker could help identify at-risk youth early, enabling preventive therapy before full-blown depression or anxiety develops. It underscores how closely physical and mental health intertwine – prolonged bodily stress leaves a molecular trace that foreshadows psychological distress.
AI chip runs on light: In technology, engineers unveiled a revolutionary light-based AI chip that operates using photons instead of electricity – and it can make machine learning 100× more energy-efficient ^[41]. The prototype photonic processor uses microscopic lasers and lenses on-chip to perform the intense math (convolutions) behind image recognition and language models ^[42]. It achieved accuracy on par with electronic chips but with 10–100 times less energy use ^[43] ^[44]. “Performing a key machine learning computation at near-zero energy is a leap forward for future AI systems,” said Dr. Volker Sorger, the project lead at University of Florida ^[45]. By processing data with different light wavelengths in parallel, the optical chip dramatically cuts power and speed bottlenecks ^[46]. This breakthrough could ease AI’s strain on power grids and pave the way for greener, faster AI – an important advance as demand for AI services soars. Silicon photonics experts predict such optical computing elements will soon be standard in next-gen AI hardware ^[47].
Other science highlights: Paleontologists made a stunning biomolecular discovery – using advanced laser spectroscopy, a team confirmed that tiny remnants of hemoglobin protein persist in 76-million-year-old dinosaur fossils ^[48] ^[49]. The resonant Raman scans detected original hemoglobin fragments in bone from a T. rex and Brachylophosaurus, indicating some dinosaur soft tissue molecules survived since the Cretaceous ^[50] ^[51]. “Pieces of hemoglobin can persist for tens of millions of years,” said NC State’s Professor Hans Hallen, adding that understanding how these blood molecules endure could reveal how fossilization preserves ancient biomaterials ^[52]. And in archaeology, a rare Iron Age artifact unearthed in Sweden shed light on Bronze Age trade networks, suggesting metal goods traveled between the Atlantic and Baltic regions 2,500 years ago ^[53]. Together, these discoveries underscore the breadth of scientific progress – from unlocking secrets in the fossil record to rewriting human history – all in just the past two days.

Sources

Medicine & Health: UC San Diego Health (press release via ScienceDaily) ^[54] ^[55]; ScienceDaily (Sep 16) ^[56]; SciTechDaily ^[57] ^[58].
Space & Astronomy: Imperial College London (press release via ScienceDaily) ^[59] ^[60]; Symmetry Magazine (Fermilab/SLAC) ^[61] ^[62]; Sci.News ^[63] ^[64].
Climate & Environment: The Guardian ^[65] ^[66]; UNC Chapel Hill (press release via SciTechDaily) ^[67] ^[68]; Florida Atlantic University (press release via SciTechDaily) ^[69] ^[70].
Physics: Symmetry Magazine ^[71] ^[72]; Sci.News ^[73].
Technology: University of Florida (press release via SciTechDaily) ^[74] ^[75].
Other: Sci.News ^[76] ^[77]; Sci.News ^[78].

Heating up MARS

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Mars Life Clue, Deadly Heat & Tech Breakthroughs – Science News Roundup (Sept 16–17, 2025)

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