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Riyadh Space Fair Paves Way for Generation Interested in the Universe

An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
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Riyadh Space Fair Paves Way for Generation Interested in the Universe

An astronaut suit on display at the fair.
An astronaut suit on display at the fair.

The Riyadh City Royal Commission launched on Sunday the Riyadh Space Fair, a first-of-its-kind event displaying models of rockets launched from space shuttles and the equipment used on space missions.

Also featured are astronaut suits, pressure and oxygen measuring devices, and food and beverage preservation equipment.

The Fair offers visitors of all ages the chance to enjoy interactive educational experiences and learn about space hands-on. Visitors can expect to learn about the relationship between man and the universe, explore the secrets of space, and learn about the immense recent achievements that have greatly enhanced man’s understanding of the universe.

The Fair is home to seven stations for live experiences that offer fun, adventure, and a wealth of information.

Visitors are taken on a gripping journey in which they learn about the development of astronomy, cosmology, and modern scientific theories about the nature of the universe through entertaining and informative games, interactive simulators like “Walk on Mars.”

They can also experiment with techniques used to study the universe, such as telescopes, satellites and others. Visitors will have all their questions about space answered in interactive sessions about space and its wanders.

Haifa Al-Idrisi, who runs the Fair, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the exhibition seeks to provide an introduction to anyone without a background in space.

“We also hope that the experience will open the doors of space science to young people, whom the exhibition will inspire to enter these fields.”

The fair is being held at the King Salman Science Oasis and runs until February 20.

Saudi Arabia intends to expand its space science research by launching the Saudi Space Commission, which will qualify and train Saudis and launch flights into space, the first of which will take off this year.

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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Scientists Seek Miracle Pill to Stop Methane Cow Burps

A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
A cow that's part of study on reducing methane emitted by cow burps stands in an exclosure at UC Davis in Davis, California on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

A scientist guides a long tube into the mouth and down to the stomach of Thing 1, a two-month-old calf that is part of a research project aiming to prevent cows from burping methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Paulo de Meo Filho, a postdoctoral researcher at University of California, Davis, is part of an ambitious experiment aiming to develop a pill to transform cow gut bacteria so it emits less or no methane.

While the fossil fuel industry and some natural sources emit methane, cattle farming has become a major climate concern due to the sheer volume of the cows' emissions.

"Almost half of the increase in (global) temperature that we've had so far, it's been because of methane," said Ermias Kebreab, an animal science professor at UC Davis.

Methane, the second largest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide, breaks down faster than CO2 but is more potent.

"Methane lives in the atmosphere for about 12 years" unlike carbon dioxide which persists for centuries, Kebreab said.

"If you start reducing methane now, we can actually see the effect on the temperature very quickly."

Filho uses the tube to extract liquid from Thing 1's rumen -- the first stomach compartment containing partially digested food.

Using the rumen liquid samples, the scientists are studying the microbes that convert hydrogen into methane, which is not digested by the cow but instead burped out.

A single cow will burp roughly 220 pounds (100 kilograms) of the gas annually.

- 'Social critters' -

Thing 1 and other calves receive a seaweed-supplemented diet to reduce methane production.

Scientists hope to achieve similar results by introducing genetically modified microbes that soak up hydrogen, starving methane-producing bacteria at the source.

However, the team proceeds cautiously.

"We can't just simply cut down methane production by removing" methane-making bacteria, as hydrogen could accumulate to the point of harming the animal, warned Matthias Hess, who runs the UC Davis lab.

"Microbes are kind of social critters. They really like to live together," he said.

"The way they interact and affect each other impacts the overall function of the ecosystem."

Hess's students test different formulas in bioreactors, vessels that reproduce microorganisms' living conditions in a stomach from movements to temperature.

- More productive cows -

The project is being carried out at UC Davis as well as UC Berkeley's Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI).

IGI scientists are trying to identify the right microbe -- the one they hope to genetically alter to supplant methane-producing microbes.

The modified microorganisms will then be tested at UC Davis in the lab and in the animals.

"Not only are we trying to reduce methane emissions, but you also increase the feed efficiency," said Kebreab.

"Hydrogen and methane, they are both energy, and so if you reduce that energy and redirect it to something else... we have a better productivity and lower emissions at the same time."

The ultimate goal is a single-dose treatment administered early in life, since most cattle graze freely and can't receive daily supplements.

The three research teams have been given $70 million and seven years to achieve a breakthrough.

Kebreab has long studied sustainable livestock practices and pushes back against calls to reduce meat consumption to save the planet.

While acknowledging this might work for healthy adults in developed nations, he pointed to countries like Indonesia, where the government is seeking to increase meat and dairy production because 20 percent of children under five suffer from stunted growth.

"We can't tell them to not eat meat," he said.