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A discovery by the University of Lausanne that could prove the existence of extraterrestrial life
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Eva Deschamps / November 26, 2024
Thanks to observations by Mars rovers and space probes, it has been known for decades that the planet Mars was once home to water, and probably rivers and lakes. Many questions remain, however, including when this precious liquid appeared in the history of Mars, UNIL said in a press release on Monday.
By analyzing the composition of a mineral – zircon – found in a Martian meteorite, scientists from UNIL, together with colleagues from Curtin University and the University of Adelaide in Australia, have succeeded in dating traces of water in the crust of Mars. According to the study, published in Science Advances, hydrothermal activity dates back 4.45 billion years, just 100 million years after the planet’s formation.
“Our data suggest that there was water in the crust of Mars at a time comparable to the first traces of water on the Earth’s surface, around 4.4 billion years ago,” comments Jack Gillespie, first author of the study and researcher at UNIL’s Faculty of Geosciences and Environment.
This discovery provides new elements for understanding the planetary evolution of Mars, the processes that took place there and its potential to have harbored life, according to the authors.
The scientists worked on a small piece of meteorite NWA 7034 “Black Beauty”, discovered in the Sahara in 2011. “Black Beauty” originates from the Martian surface, and was thrown to earth during an impact on Mars some 5 to 10 million years ago. The analysis focused on zircon.
“Our data suggest that there was water in the crust of Mars at a time comparable to the first traces of water on the Earth’s surface, around 4.4 billion years ago,” comments Jack Gillespie, first author of the study and researcher at UNIL’s Faculty of Geosciences and Environment.
This discovery provides new elements for understanding the planetary evolution of Mars, the processes that took place there and its potential to have harbored life, according to the authors.
The scientists worked on a small piece of meteorite NWA 7034 “Black Beauty”, discovered in the Sahara in 2011. “Black Beauty” originates from the Martian surface, and was thrown to earth during an impact on Mars some 5 to 10 million years ago. The analysis focused on zircon.
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Steph Deschamps / October 12, 2025
China inaugurated the world’s highest bridge on Sunday. The Huajiang Canyon Bridge, built in the mountainous province of Guizhou, spans a 625-meter gorge and a river winding below.
The structure, which took three years to build, breaks the record held by the Duge Bridge, also known as the Beipanjiang Bridge, located in the same province. At 565 meters high, it has been relegated to second place.
State television footage showed cars driving across the immense structure, its blue pylons fading into the clouds.
According to authorities, the bridge will reduce travel time between the two banks from two hours to two minutes. This project should not only facilitate transportation, but also stimulate economic development in the region.
The southern province of Guizhou already boasts a series of spectacular bridges. According to the Xinhua news agency, nearly half of the world’s 100 tallest bridges are located there.
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Sylvie Claire / October 12, 2025
A 22-year-old woman who worked in two nurseries in the UK was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies, acts that were “gratuitous” and “sadistic”, according to the judge.
It’s the kind of story every parent of a toddler fears. Indeed, a young woman, Roksana Lecka, aged 22, was sentenced on Friday to eight years in prison for molesting 21 babies in two British nurseries where she worked. These were “gratuitous” and “sadistic” acts, according to Sarah Plaschkes, the judge in charge of the case. The young woman committed numerous “acts of cruelty” in the two establishments where she was employed between October 2023 and June 2024 on the outskirts of London, Sarah Plaschkes emphasized in her decision. The young woman, who said she was addicted to cannabis, admitted to committing such acts against seven children under the age of 16, and the court in Kingston, south-west of the capital, found her guilty of similar acts against 14 others at her trial.
These children were “pinched, slapped, hit, slapped and kicked. You pulled their ears, hair and toes“, listed the judge, ”multiple acts of gratuitous violence” perpetrated when she was out of sight. Surveillance videos from the second nursery, Riverside, show Roksana Lecka pinching and scratching children on the arms, legs and abdomen, or kicking a little boy in the face.
Numerous parents were present in the room to witness the verdict, and recounted on the stand the impact of this violence on their children and themselves. “These children were so innocent and vulnerable. They couldn’t speak, they couldn’t defend themselves (…) they were totally helpless and Roksana attacked them”, said an indignant mother.
The judge described his behavior as “sadistic”, while the Irwin Mitchell law firm, representing 18 of the families, questioned how Lecka’s assaults could have gone “unnoticed”, before they were discovered in June 2024.
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Steph Deschamps / October 12, 2025
China has evacuated nearly two million people from cities in the southern province of Guangdong ahead of the arrival of super typhoon Ragasa, international media reported on Wednesday, citing local authorities. Particularly heavy rains are expected.
By midday, the typhoon was advancing from east to west along the Chinese coast, where the authorities had closed schools and halted transport and most economic activities in a dozen major cities, including the technology hub of Shenzhen.
Typhoon Ragasa is the biggest storm of the year, notes the BBC. At least 14 people have died and more than 100 are missing after a landslide breached a natural dam on a river in eastern Taiwan. The super typhoon also claimed two lives in the northern Philippines.
The rupture, which occurred on Tuesday as the super typhoon struck the island, released the waters of a lake that had formed in the upper reaches of the Mataian River, washing away a bridge, flooding a nearby town and trapping hundreds of people.
World News5 months ago
China inaugurates the world’s highest bridge
World News5 months ago
Pinched, slapped, punched, nursery worker convicted of abusing 21 babies in UK
World News5 months ago
