News

Solar system Air pollution

Early Mars may have

had right conditions
AI forecasts harmful
for RNA to start life particle levels in Beijing
Michael Marshall Adam Vaughan

IT IS possible that life started Some Chinese cities

on Mars billions of years ago in have high levels of
certain regions where conditions air pollution
were unusually hospitable.
If life ever existed on Mars, it is of PM2.5 levels to give an idea
conceivable that it began with RNA, of the uncertainty. The model
which is similar to the DNA that could be adapted for other cities
carries our genes. Many scientists affected by PM2.5, such as Delhi,
suspect that RNA played a key role provided it is trained with local
in life’s beginnings on Earth, and data. The developed system is
going to be tested in Shenzhen,
“Mars is currently too frigid China, using live data from
for much liquid water, but pollution sensors.
it may have had running “If we can warn people
water billions of years ago” of impending smog, then
DAVID GOURHAN/ALAMY

they can take steps to protect

some even argue that the first themselves,” says Gary Fuller
life was based solely on RNA. at King’s College London. He
To see if that could have played says machine learning could be
out on Mars, Angel Mojarro at useful where data on pollution
the Massachusetts Institute of MANY cities in China normally four roadside pollution sensors sources is lacking. “Alerting
Technology and his colleagues experience dangerous levels and historical weather data. Li systems around the world,
simulated the early environment of PM2.5, the tiny particulate says the resulting forecasts for such as that run by the UK Met
of Mars. Its current frigid climate matter linked to some of the the locations near these sensors Office, rely on understanding
allows for little liquid water, but worst health effects from were highly accurate, based air pollution sources in a city.
there is evidence that Mars had air pollution. Now it seems on how closely they matched Data-driven models, such as this
running water billions of years ago. artificial intelligence could historical observations. One example for Beijing, can be used
Mojarro’s team placed RNA-like help us avoid the stuff. hour ahead, they were 95 per where the knowledge of local
molecules in water that contained Most air pollution forecasts cent accurate, falling to 85 per sources is sparse or uncertain.”
dissolved metals and other are based on models that cent for 6 hours ahead. The coronavirus outbreak
chemicals. These solutions mimic use maps of annual average Using this approach also means that air pollution in
water on early Mars, which would air pollution emissions, the helped the researchers tease China is currently down, as
have contained metals leached out application of weather models out which factors were the people are staying at home.
of rocks, and would have been and assumptions about most important in predicting Satellite analysis reveals that
altered by atmospheric chemistry. chemical reactions. These dirty air. Sunlight, air pressure, levels of PM2.5 in February
They tracked how long the can’t account for unforeseeable the season and wind speed 2020 were down 20 to 30 per
molecules lasted before breaking events, such as extra pollution were found to be key. Wind cent versus previous years.
apart. The RNA-like molecules were from a traffic jam or an blowing from the north-west A separate study by the
most stable in mildly acidic water accidental chemical release. European Environment
containing magnesium ions, which
would be expected if the water were
resting on basalt: a rock that forms
Baihua Li at Loughborough
University, UK, and her
colleagues took a different
PM2.5
Tiny particulate matter that
Agency (EEA) last Thursday
concluded that relatively low-
cost air pollution sensors used
when lava from a volcano cools approach to see whether AI could can cause health problems by individuals and groups can,
(bioRxiv, doi.org/dprt). do a better job. They used when used well, provide data
The authors say that means machine learning to train a often indicated a bad pollution meeting the same quality
Martian life developing from RNA model for predicting PM2.5 episode was likely, perhaps due standards required of official
is plausible. Jack Mustard at Brown levels on three years’ worth of to the industrial facilities to the roadside monitors. The EEA
University in Rhode Island says the data from Beijing, chosen due north-west of Beijing. said such citizen science
results should be treated with to the number of Chinese cities Unlike most air quality initiatives could “help raise
caution, because there are “very with a PM2.5 problem. forecasts, which usually warn public awareness of air quality
large uncertainties” about what Around 26,000 data the public of a single likely level issues in communities and
conditions on Mars were really like points were used, including of pollution for their area, Li’s trigger behavioural changes
when the planet was young. ❚ average PM2.5 readings from system provides a likely range to reduce emissions”.  ❚

12 | New Scientist | 21 March 2020