Scientists breed mice using just males

Scientists have bred mice using eggs originating from male cells, in a breakthrough which could “pave the way for human male couples to have children”, said Sky News. The experts claim they successfully created the eggs by turning male XY chromosome pairs from the skin cells of male mice into female XX chromosome pairs. The team hope the method also be used to treat Turner syndrome that effects females.

Scientists create electricity from thin air

Aussie researchers have discovered how to make electricity out of thin air. In a report in Nature, the team from Monash University in Melbourne found that a hydrogen-consuming enzyme from a common soil bacterium called Huc can generate an electrical current using the atmosphere as an energy source. “Huc is extraordinarily efficient,” said Dr Rhys Grinter from Monash University.

Asteroid set to ruin Valentine’s Day

The romance of Valentine’s Day could be tarnished in 2046 when an asteroid strikes Earth. The space rock, named 2023 DW, has been observed by astronomers who predict it may hit the planet on 14 February, said The Mirror. In 1908, a similarly-sized asteroid exploded over a sparsely populated Eastern Siberian forest, flattening an estimated 80m trees over an area of 2,150 km2 (830 sq mi).

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