Scientists uncover secrets in Beethoven’s DNA

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Time travel fascinated me for years.

Since I was a kid, I’ve imagined a “Jetsons”-like future with flying cars and the ability to journey to the past, as the Time Traveller did in H.G. Wells’ novella “The Time Machine.”

Advances have turned many sci-fi ideas into reality, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be going for a stroll with novelist Jane Austen or mathematician Ada Lovelace anytime soon.

As humans, however, we’re motivated by challenges. There are many ways to solve a puzzle that doesn’t have a direct solution.

Science has advanced enough to allow us to see back into the past with innovative methods. A team of researchers used DNA analysis to better understand a key figure in classical music this week.

Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer known for his stirring sonatas, symphonies and music, made a wish before he passed away in 1827. The composer asked doctors to examine his illnesses and share them.

Beethoven suffered from hearing loss over the course of 56 years. He also had gastrointestinal problems and liver disease.

Now, researchers have used advances in DNA research to piece together Beethoven’s genome using five preserved hair.

His genome showed genetic risk factors for liver disease and a history of hepatitis B, which could have contributed to his death.

The researchers also uncovered a bit of Beethoven’s secret family history hiding in his DNA.

You want a slice of delicious cheesecake? There’s a 3D printer for that.

Columbia University engineers assembled and cooked a vegan cheesecake using seven ingredients, including strawberry jam and hazelnut spread, using 3D-printing technology and laser technology.

The layers of cheesecake were cooked by the lasers as they printed. Years of work went into the method that resulted in a single slice of cake — a confection that would make Willy Wonka proud.

If you think that’s wild, that’s not the only news in 3D printing: An aerospace startup has fabricated a rocket that had a picturesque night launch this week — but it ultimately failed to reach orbit.

Claude Monet, an Impressionist painter, was well-known for his dreamy haze which drifts through many of his paintings.

Now, researchers have uncovered the scientific cause behind the inspiring “smoke” the artist chased during his London trips: atmospheric change.

Climate scientists studied over 100 works of Monet and British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner was active prior to the Impressionist artist.

The study team observed changes in the skylines as industrial pollution increased. As pollution increased, the sky in the paintings became darker.

A couple decided to renovate their apartment in north England and were surprised to discover centuries-old murals depicting a Biblical scene.

In 2017, the first interstellar visitor to our solar system was seen.

About the size of an asteroid, the mystery object kind of moved like a comet, but it also accelerated — some even thought it was an extraterrestrial spacecraft.

Now, researchers think they know what caused ‘Oumuamua to go zipping around our sun.

When the interstellar comet was warmed by the sun’s searing heat, hydrogen trapped inside of it began to escape, propelling the reddish pancake-shaped rock.

Scientists discovered vitamin B3 in samples taken from Ryugu’s near-Earth Asteroid. They also found uracil, an RNA compound. This further confirms that meteorites are carrying the building blocks of life to Earth.

For the first time, scientists were able create mice from biologically male parents.

The skin cells from male mice’s tails were used to create eggs. These eggs were then implanted into female mice, resulting in healthy pups with different fur shades.

The experiment, which was years in the making, could have implications for fertility treatments and even prevent endangered animals from going extinct — but thorny legal and ethical issues remain around these advances in genetic engineering.

What’s more, only a handful of embryos became mice, which means Before cultured cells can produce human eggs, there are many steps ahead.

These stories are just a few of the many fascinating ones you can catch up on:

— A new giant species of spider may look like nightmare fuel, but the rare golden trapdoor spider recently found in Australia needs protecting, researchers say.

— The James Webb Space Telescope has detected churning clouds of dust 40 light-years away on a Tatooine-like exoplanet that orbits two stars.

— A “marsupial sabertooth” that lived in South America 5 million years ago had such massive canines that the roots wrapped over the top of its skull.

— A stunning lineup of five planets will soon decorate the night sky. Here’s how to see the parade.

Are you following Ramadan? Sultan Alneyadi, an astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, shared his plans to participate in Ramadan while in space.