Conceptual image of the Mars 2020 rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, which will look for signs of past life on Mars, will use smart methods originally developed to find the oldest life on Earth, according the mission’s Deputy Project Scientist, Dr Ken Williford. The 2020 mission builds on the successes of prior rovers, to make coordinated measurements that could detect signs of ancient life – or biosignatures – in their original spatial context. These techniques, known as “spatially resolved biosignature analysis” derive from geochemical analysis of early life on Earth.

Speaking at the Goldschmidt conference in Paris where he is presenting the methods to be adopted, Dr Ken Williford (who is also Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Astrobiogeochemistry Laborat...

rheumatoid arthritis in hands

But no such association found for breastfeeding after influential factors accounted for. Taking the contraceptive pill, particularly for 7 or more consecutive years, is linked to a lowered risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, finds research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. But no significant link was found for breastfeeding – a practice that has been associated with a protective effect – after accounting for various potentially influential factors, the findings show.

Because rheumatoid arthritis is 2 to 3 times as common in women as it is in men, it is thought hormonal and reproductive factors may partly explain this gender difference. But the research to date has produced equivocal results...

Marathon runners. Credit: © pavel1964 / Fotolia

Scientists have now tapped into the microbiome of exceptional runners and rowers, and have identified particular bacteria that may aid athletic performance. The goal is to develop probiotic supplements that may help athletes – and even amateur fitness enthusiasts – recover from a tough workout or more efficiently convert nutrients to energy. “When we first started thinking about this, I was asked whether we could use genomics to predict the next Michael Jordan,” Jonathan Scheiman, Ph.D., says. “But my response was that a better question is: Can you extract Jordan’s biology and give it to others to help make the next Michael Jordan?”

To answer that question, microbes seemed like a good place to start...

Silk could soon be used to produce more sensitive and flexible body sensors like this one. Credit: Yingying Zhang

From smart socks to workout clothes that measure exertion, wearable body sensors are becoming the latest “must-have” technology. Now scientists report they are on the cusp of using silk, one of the world’s most coveted fabrics, to develop a more sensitive and flexible generation of these multi-purpose devices that monitor a slew of body functions in real time. Yingying Zhang, Ph.D., says. “One possibility we foresee is for them to be used as an integrated wireless system that would allow doctors to more easily monitor patients remotely so that they can respond to their medical needs more rapidly than ever before.”

Body sensors, which are usually made with semiconductors, have s...