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- The Smart Universe: a new reason for the demise of the Maya civilization and the dolphin census
The Smart Universe: a new reason for the demise of the Maya civilization and the dolphin census
Scientists are creating nanoparticles to fight cancer in the form of dumbbells, neural networks for predicting disasters, and methods for studying archaeological artifacts using AI. Meanwhile, environmentalists are launching a large—scale dolphin census in the Black Sea for the first time in 30 years. And historians are reviewing the causes of the death of the Maya. Details can be found in the collection of scientific news of the Izvestia week.
Dolphin census to be conducted in Black Sea
Specialists from the Clean Seas Ecological Foundation, together with the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have launched the first large-scale monitoring of the Black Sea cetacean population since the 1990s. The project will affect three species: listed in the Red Book of Azov (porpoises), bottlenose dolphins, as well as common white-tailed dolphins.
To date, scientists do not have up-to-date data on the condition of these mammals, which are critically important for analyzing the impact of changing environmental conditions and anthropogenic factors, such as a large release of fuel oil off the coast of Anapa in 2024 or a decrease in tourist activity in resort areas.
"We have to solve several important tasks with this project. First, we need to find out what is happening to the cetacean population of the Black Sea. These are bottlenose dolphins and porpoises, as well as white-bellied dolphins. They need to be studied. We need to investigate how they are affected by various factors and how they adapt to them. The last large-scale monitoring was carried out in the early 1990s. And in 2019, we conducted an air accounting. But this data is not enough," said Anna Subbotina, Deputy General Director of the Clean Seas Foundation and project Manager.
The study is designed for 30 months. To implement it, a network of at least five stationary observation points has been deployed on the Black Sea coast — from Taman to Sirius. At each point, staff will record dolphin activity during daylight hours using binoculars. According to the organizers, the most suitable locations for these purposes have already been identified.
AI helped to restore the composition of medieval Russian ceramics
Russian experts have created a method for reliably determining the origin of medieval ceramics using AI and neutron analysis. Recognition accuracy is up to 88%.
Scientists at the I.M. Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics at JINR, together with colleagues from the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IA RAS) and the Egyptian Atomic Energy Agency (EAEA), applied the method of neutron activation analysis and machine learning algorithms to establish the exact origin and calculate the content of chemical elements in Russian medieval ceramics.
The precise determination of the place of production of objects makes it possible to reconstruct trade routes, study the processes of cultural exchange and the specifics of the organization of crafts in the Middle Ages, the scientists noted. Among the objects studied were samples of pottery from the Moscow Kremlin, Tver and the Selitrenn settlement, handicraft ceramics from Bolgar (Bulgar) and Bilyar, the largest centers of medieval Volga Bulgaria, as well as artifacts from other regions. In particular, the scientists worked with fragments of Byzantine amphorae and ceramic products from the ancient state of Khorezm, located in Central Asia.
—This work vividly demonstrates the enormous interdisciplinary possibilities that open up through the use of techniques combining nuclear physics, geochemistry and the humanities," said Wael Badawi, a leading researcher at the JINR National Research Foundation, commenting on the results of the study.
Nanoparticles in the form of dumbbells will find the tumor and destroy the cancer cells.
Scientists at Lomonosov Moscow State University have synthesized nanoparticles in the form of dumbbells from magnetite, an oxide of iron and gold. The resulting system can be used simultaneously for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in the treatment of cancer. A photosensitizer was "loaded" onto the magnetic surface, a compound that, under the influence of light, releases toxic reactive oxygen species that destroy cell membranes and DNA. The golden surface was combined with a fluorophore— a "luminous molecule."
Accumulating pointwise in the tumor, such systems show its location due to the glow. And at the same time, they can kill cancer cells by releasing reactive oxygen species. To test the performance of the systems, the authors conducted studies on colon cancer cells.
"We have shown that dimeric nanoparticles in the form of dumbbells can combine light—sensitive compounds. They will find application in diagnostics and photodynamic therapy. In the future, we plan to use such systems with other cell lines and tissues, other compounds, such as signaling ones, to see the effect on the ensemble of regenerative processes in nervous tissue," Natalia Klyachko, project leader, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Professor, head of the Department of Chemical Enzymology at the Chemical Faculty of Moscow State University, told Izvestia.
Scientists have put forward a new hypothesis of the collapse of the Maya civilization
For a long time, scientists attributed the demise of the Maya civilization to prolonged droughts that destroyed agriculture and undermined the economy. Versions of epidemics, external conquests, and natural disasters were also considered. A new study published in the journal Biogeosciences offers a more complex picture. Experts analyzed the bottom sediments of Lake Laguna‑Itsan in modern Guatemala — not far from it was the important Mayan city of Itsan.
The researchers studied sedimentary rock cores from 3300-4000 years old. It turned out that the first permanent settlements in the lake area appeared about 3,200 years ago. At the initial stage, local residents practiced slash‑and-burn agriculture: forests were cut down and burned to use the soil fertilized with ash for growing crops.
Over time, the population density increased, and the use of fire decreased — people switched to new methods of cultivating already cultivated lands. An analysis of hydrogen isotopes showed that there were no droughts in the Itsan area, unlike in other Maya territories. Nevertheless, the city's population declined sharply around the same period as in the regions affected by droughts.
Scientists suggest that the interconnectedness of Mayan cities played a key role. The drought in some regions triggered a chain reaction: conflicts over resources escalated, trade relations collapsed, and mass migrations began. As a result, the crisis affected even territories with a stable climate, which led to a general decline in civilization.
A neural network has been created in Russia to forecast the weather for the month ahead
Scientists at the AI Institute of Artificial Intelligence have developed the Marchuk AI model, which predicts climate disasters on the same principle as neural networks generate video. The program analyzes known weather data and builds possible scenarios. This allows you to create weather forecasts faster and easier than traditional methods.
— To make a high-quality forecast, Marchuk just needs to get weather data for the last day. Or rather, four "snapshots" of the state of the atmosphere with an interval of six hours. Based on them, the neural network can predict the weather for a period of one to eight days in advance," Konstantin Sobolev, head of the Generative AI for Video group at the FusionBrain laboratory at the AIRI Institute, told Izvestia.
According to him, the model can be run even on a home laptop. The neural network will make a forecast for the coming days in a few minutes and calculate the probabilities of climate anomalies for up to a month.
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