• The so-called 'Silvesterchlausen' (New Years Clause) are on their way to offer the best wishes for the New Year (following the Julian calendar) to the farmers in this region, in Hundwil, Switzerland, 13 January 2024. EPA / GAETAN BALLY
    The so-called 'Silvesterchlausen' (New Years Clause) are on their way to offer the best wishes for the New Year (following the Julian calendar) to the farmers in this region, in Hundwil, Switzerland, 13 January 2024. EPA / GAETAN BALLY
  • Hindu pilgrims dry their clothes after taking a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela ahead of the Makar Sankranti, at Sagar Island, about 150km south of Kolkata, India. AFP
    Hindu pilgrims dry their clothes after taking a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal during the Gangasagar Mela ahead of the Makar Sankranti, at Sagar Island, about 150km south of Kolkata, India. AFP
  • A dog sits on a scooter as its owner buys food from a vendor in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. AP Photo
    A dog sits on a scooter as its owner buys food from a vendor in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. AP Photo
  • Smoke billows into the sky from a huge blaze at the warehouse of online retailer Wildberries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters
    Smoke billows into the sky from a huge blaze at the warehouse of online retailer Wildberries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Reuters
  • A worker braves near-zero temperatures and snow to spray de-icer on a United Airlines jet at Kansas City International Airport, in the US. AP Photo
    A worker braves near-zero temperatures and snow to spray de-icer on a United Airlines jet at Kansas City International Airport, in the US. AP Photo
  • A man feeds doves on a beach on Pingtan Island, the closest point in China to Taiwan’s main island, on the day of Taiwan’s presidential election. AFP
    A man feeds doves on a beach on Pingtan Island, the closest point in China to Taiwan’s main island, on the day of Taiwan’s presidential election. AFP
  • Shiite Muslim worshippers gather at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq. AP Photo
    Shiite Muslim worshippers gather at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq. AP Photo
  • The opening ceremony before the AFC Asian Cup match between Qatar and Lebanon at Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar. Getty Images
    The opening ceremony before the AFC Asian Cup match between Qatar and Lebanon at Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar. Getty Images
  • The 'quiet' supersonic X-59 aircraft is unveiled at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, US. Bloomberg
    The 'quiet' supersonic X-59 aircraft is unveiled at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, US. Bloomberg

Today's best photos: From Swiss New Year to a new supersonic jet


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Thursday's best photos: From the Australian Open to Alexei Navalny

Wednesday's best photos: From Iraq's Police Day to a rehearsal at Sydney Opera House

Tuesday's best photos: From a procession in Manila to a rally in Saudi Arabia

Monday's best photos: From a lunar mission to construction work in Hanoi

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

 

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

Company profile

Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

Updated: January 13, 2024, 1:17 PM