Iran and China to support joint research projects

The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, announced a major achievement in livestock biotechnology: the birth of the world's first female Lahimi breed cow obtained through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Publishing the information on the social network X, Sarma characterized this event as a historic confluence of 'Sabhyata, Sanskriti, and Srijan' of Assam, noting that this achievement could open new opportunities for the state's livestock and dairy sector.

The Minister stated that the first female Lahimi breed cow, which is indigenous to Assam, was born at the Veterinary and Fishery University of Assam. This breakthrough was realized in the IVF laboratory of the College of Veterinary Sciences at the Veterinary and Fishery University of Assam in Hanapara, Guwahati.

The laboratory was established with the support of the Rashtriya Gokul Mission. This development is particularly significant for the conservation of the Lahimi breed, a local Assamese breed, as advanced assisted reproductive technologies allow for the breeding of genetically superior animals while preserving valuable local genetic resources.

Sarma emphasized that this achievement can contribute to the development of several areas, including the preservation of local breeds, improved disease control, and increased milk yields. In the long term, such measures are expected to strengthen Assam's dairy economy and increase the income of livestock farmers.

The Chief Minister congratulated all veterinary scientists and specialists behind this historic success, adding that their work has the potential to usher in a new era for Assam's dairy sector. He described the newborn calf as small but scientifically significant for Assam's biotechnology ecosystem.

This latest success continues Assam's efforts to integrate assisted reproduction technologies into livestock development. Earlier this year, scientists from the veterinary college received the first Assamese calf born via IVF—a Gir breed female born in Sonapur, demonstrating the feasibility of embryo transfer technology in the field.

Scientists note that such technologies can ensure faster breeding of superior genetic herds, potentially improving milk yields and supporting farmers' incomes. Thus, the successful birth of the Lahimi combines modern reproductive biotechnology with the conservation of an indigenous cattle breed, providing Assam with a new tool to strengthen its livestock sector.

LinkedIn announced that it has managed to decrease by 40% the number of views on low-quality posts produced by artificial intelligence. This significant reduction occurred just a few weeks after the social network made available a specific reporting mechanism for this type of content. The purpose of this initiative is to purify the feed, penalize materials that do not add value, and subsequently notify those responsible for the posts that are flagged by the public.

Hari Srinivasan, LinkedIn's product director, confirmed that users are already observing a considerable decrease in automated texts. The new moderation tool, informally called the 'AI junk button' or 'AI slop' in technological jargon, has been rapidly adopted, being triggered in over one million instances since its launch.

Despite this initial success, the company cautions regarding the method of processing user reports to downgrade what it classifies as 'low-quality content.' To prevent abuse or undue persecution, systems have been implemented that prevent an excessive volume of negative criticism from being used to unfairly attack or silence other members.

This implies that simply clicking the report button does not guarantee that a post will be hidden if the internal system does not confirm the suspicion of improper AI use. Furthermore, the platform has made algorithmic adjustments, beginning to identify and limit the reach of posts that exploit textual clichés already recognized as hallmarks of generative AI systems, such as those that organize arguments in predictable patterns, exemplified by the format 'it's not about X, it's about Y.'

The Microsoft network has also integrated a transparency system. Users will receive a notification whenever one of their posts is reported by third parties as 'possible generic artificial intelligence text.' This alert will not be made public, remaining restricted to the 'post analysis' panel within the application.

A recent study conducted by the AI detection company Pangram indicated that more than 40% of extensive posts on LinkedIn were likely created by artificial intelligence. This unprecedented volume was not accidental; the application itself previously encouraged the use of the technology, even offering a button in the creation interface that suggested 'enhancing' posts using writing algorithms.

However, this ease ended up harming the platform's identity. Recognizing the negative impact on user experience, the company decided to completely remove this feature once it launched the current reporting tool.

China is preparing to launch the Chang'e-7 mission, one of the most ambitious robotic missions planned for the Moon. This probe will include an orbiter, a lander, a rover, and a surface transport vehicle, as well as a series of international scientific experiments, including cargo supported by the United States.

The launch is scheduled for Monday morning (the 24th) local time (which corresponds to Sunday evening in Brazilian time) using the Long March 5 Y14 rocket from the satellite launch center in Wenchang, China. The equipment for Chang'e-7 was delivered to the site in April.

The lander is set to head to an area near the edge of the Shackleton Crater on the Moon's south pole. After the launch, the orbiter will orbit the Moon for several months before releasing the lander for a landing attempt planned for the end of the year. In addition to scientific goals, the mission should contribute to the preparation of China's project to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2030.

James Hed, a lunar scientist from Brown University's Department of Geological Sciences, called Chang'e-7 a new stage in the exploration of the natural satellite. He told Space.com that 'Chang'e-7 is the most ambitious, comprehensive, and complex robotic lunar mission ever undertaken by any state or organization.'

Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), previously emphasized that the mission fully utilizes the experience and technological potential accumulated by the country over decades to achieve the goal of conducting China's first crewed landing on the Moon by 2030.

Scientists from various countries hypothesize the presence of water ice on the Moon, but the quantity and characteristics of this resource have not yet been definitively determined. Ye Peizhan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told China's state television CCTV that China plans to search for water using various methods—from surface analysis to subsurface crater exploration.

Chang'e-7 will use an integrated approach to exploration, combining orbital flight, landing, surface traversal, and jumps to study the environment and resources of the Moon's south pole.

Chang'e-8 will follow Chang'e-7, scheduled for 2028. The goals of this mission will be to test technologies for constructing structures and habitats using lunar regolith. Both robotic missions are intended to help prepare the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS)—a multi-stage Chinese project for lunar exploration.

Although Chang'e-7 is a Chinese mission, it carries various instruments developed by institutions of other countries and international organizations. The lander includes PmL-Ch7, a complex developed by the Russian Academy of Sciences for detecting lunar dust. Technologies developed by the USA, Italy, Bahrain, Egypt, Thailand, and Switzerland are also being used.

The combination of various spacecraft, scientific experiments, and technologies makes Chang'e-7 a mission aimed not only at studying the Moon's south pole but also at preparing for the next stages of China's research program and future human presence on the Moon.

Furthermore, South Korean company InnoSpace conducted the first suborbital test flight of the SEBIT rocket at the Acantara Launch Center (CLA) in Maranhão state, Brazil, on Thursday (the 19th) at 4:30 PM Brazilian time. The main objective of the mission was to assess the stability of the vehicle in the air, test systems under real conditions, and collect data for further project stages.

However, the test had to be prematurely terminated after a problem was detected during ascent. SEBIT is a single-stage suborbital vehicle powered by a three-ton class hybrid engine. The initial ignition proceeded without deviation on the InnoSpace platform, followed by liftoff. Nevertheless, as the vehicle progressed through the atmosphere, it deviated from its planned trajectory.

According to a statement from the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), to avoid risks and maintain operational integrity, the Brazilian Air Force activated the Flight Termination System (FTS). This was done in accordance with safety procedures adopted at the launch center. The activation of the device led to a controlled termination of the flight, and the rocket fell into a predetermined maritime safety zone off the coast of Brazil. The incident resulted in no casualties or material damage. An investigation into the causes of the event is already underway.

Lunar moons of Mars may hold one of the most important answers in the science of how life originated on rocky planets in the Solar System. To search for these clues, Japan is preparing the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in the coming months. The spacecraft will orbit Mars for about three years and attempt to land on Phobos, the largest of the planet's two moons. The goal is to collect at least 10 grams of material from the surface before returning to Earth around 2031.

Modern life's dependence on electrical grids, satellites, and navigation signals has turned space weather into a constant problem. An intense solar storm can affect vital services worldwide in mere seconds. The scientific community is trying to reassess the real threat to prevent large-scale power outages and communication failures. Recent discoveries have shown that Earth's vulnerability is higher than previously assumed, and protecting the planet will require joint efforts.

Astronomers have discovered the fastest star in the Milky Way. It is located very close to the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, located at the center of our galaxy. This astronomical object, named S301, orbits the galactic center in 8.7 years—the shortest recorded orbital period for a star in this region. This finding, made by an international team of researchers, was published in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday (the 20th).

China has achieved unprecedented success in space launches by recovering the first stage of a rocket on land after an orbital flight for the first time. This success was achieved with Zhuque-3, developed by the private Chinese space company LandSpace, during a launch conducted at the Dunfeng Commercial Space Innovation Test Zone.

For decades, the standard cosmological model viewed dark energy as a constant force accelerating the expansion of the Universe. However, results from the DESI dark energy spectroscopy instrument, published in 2025, opened up an intriguing possibility: perhaps this mysterious component is not constant and changes over time.

For centuries, humanity has looked at the sky, wondering if our planet would be an absolute rarity. Since the presence of water has always been considered a fundamental condition for the origin and sustenance of life, identifying this element on other worlds increases the chances of finding potentially habitable environments beyond Earth.

To understand how this vital substance shapes the cosmos, Olhar Digital presented a detailed journey across 13 locations outside Earth where the presence of water has been confirmed or strongly suggested. One group of researchers discovered a rock in India that may contain signs of some of the oldest forms of life found on Earth. The material is approximately 3.5 billion years old and contains layers of carbon and silica, which scientists believe could be remnants of microbial communities that lived on the planet in the Paleoarchean.