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NASA Extracts Breathable Oxygen on March

Technicians carefully lower the MOXIE instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in March 2019. (NASA via AFP)
Technicians carefully lower the MOXIE instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in March 2019. (NASA via AFP)
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NASA Extracts Breathable Oxygen on March

Technicians carefully lower the MOXIE instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in March 2019. (NASA via AFP)
Technicians carefully lower the MOXIE instrument into the belly of the Perseverance rover at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in March 2019. (NASA via AFP)

NASA's Perseverance rover has logged another extraterrestrial first on its latest mission to Mars: converting carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere into pure, breathable oxygen.

"This is a critical first step at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen on Mars," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA.

According to AFP, the technology demonstration took place on April 20, and NASA hopes future versions of the used experimental instrument could pave the way for future human Martian explorations.

Not only can the process produce oxygen for future astronauts to breathe, but it could make hauling vast amounts of oxygen over from Earth to use as rocket propellant for the return journey unnecessary. The instrument, dubbed MOXIE (short for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), is a golden box the size of a car battery, and is located inside the front right side of the rover.

It uses electricity and chemistry to split carbon dioxide molecules, to produce oxygen and carbon monoxide. In its first run, MOXIE produced 5 grams of oxygen, equivalent to about 10 minutes of breathable oxygen for an astronaut carrying out normal activity.

MOXIE's engineers will now run more tests and try to step up its output. It is designed to be able to generate up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour. Designed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MOXIE was built with heat-resistant materials and designed to tolerate the searing temperatures of 800 Celsius required for it to run. A thin gold coating ensures it doesn't radiate its heat and harm the rover.

MIT engineer Michael Hecht said a one-ton version of MOXIE (the currently used instrument weighs 17 kg) could produce the approximately 25 tons of oxygen needed for a rocket to blast off from Mars.

Producing oxygen from Mars' 96 percent carbon dioxide atmosphere might be a more feasible option than extracting ice from under its surface then electrolyzing it to make oxygen. Perseverance landed on the Red Planet on February 18 on a mission to search for signs for past life.

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Study Says African Penguins Starved En Masse Off South Africa

Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
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Study Says African Penguins Starved En Masse Off South Africa

Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)
Yellow-eyed penguins fights in their colony in Katiki Point, on the southern end of the Moeraki Peninsula in New Zealand's South Island, about 80 kilometers north of Dunedin on November 12, 2025. (Photo by Sanka VIDANAGAMA / AFP)

Endangered penguins living off South Africa's coast have likely starved en masse due to food shortages, a study said Friday, with some populations dropping by 95 percent in just eight years.

Fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs of the small, black and white African Penguin are left globally, according to scientists, and the species was listed as critically endangered last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Two of the most important breeding colonies near Cape Town had collapsed between 2004 and 2011, with some 62,000 birds estimated to have died, the study by the UK's University of Exeter and the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said.

In those eight years, sardine populations in South African waters -- a main food source for penguins -- were consistently below 25 percent of their peak abundance, Agence France Presse quoted co-author and biologist Richard Sherley as saying.

This drop in sardine stocks was due to fishing practices combined with environmental causes such as changes in water temperatures and salinity.

This "appears to have caused severe food shortage for African penguins, leading to an estimated loss of about 62,000 breeding individuals", Sherley said.

The global population of the species had declined by nearly 80 percent in the past 30 years, the scientists said.

Conservationists say that at the current rate of population decrease, the bird could be extinct in the wild by 2035.

For 10 years, authorities have imposed a commercial fishing ban around six penguin colonies, including Robben and Dassen islands, the two sites observed in the study.

Other initiatives underway include artificial nests and creating new colonies.

The birds are a strong attraction for tourists to South Africa, with thousands of people visiting colonies each year.

But the pressure from tourism also disturbs the birds and causes enhanced stress.

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Saudi Post Issues Stamp Marking Int’l Day of Persons with Disabilities

Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
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Saudi Post Issues Stamp Marking Int’l Day of Persons with Disabilities

Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Saudi Post (SPL) issued a set of commemorative stamps to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Saudi Post (SPL), the Kingdom's national postal and logistics provider, has issued a set of commemorative stamps valued at SAR3 to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed annually on December 3.

The day is celebrated worldwide, including in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to reinforce care for persons with disabilities, empower them to achieve their aspirations, enhance their quality of life, ensure their rights, and include them in all activities and events by highlighting their talents and diverse abilities, said the Saudi Press Agency on Thursday.

The launch took place during a ceremony organized by the Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities (APD).

The event included the unveiling of a campaign titled “Say It Right,” which promotes the correct and officially adopted terminology for persons with disabilities.

The stamp features several individuals with disabilities who participated in the campaign.

APD continues to work collaboratively with various sectors to enhance service quality and raise awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities.

Varieties

Police 'Recover' Faberge Egg Swallowed by Thief

This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
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Police 'Recover' Faberge Egg Swallowed by Thief

This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)
This handout photo release by New Zealand Police on December 5, 2025 shows an officer displaying a recovered diamond-encrusted green Fabergé egg in Auckland after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it. (Photo by Handout / NEW ZEALAND POLICE / AFP)

New Zealand police have recovered a diamond-encrusted green Faberge egg after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it.

The 32-year-old allegedly gulped down the egg late last week from a store in the country's largest city, Auckland, but was arrested before he could flee.

"Police can confirm the pendant was recovered," they said in a statement Friday.

Police had assigned an officer to watch over the man while waiting for nature to deliver the trinket -- valued at around US$20,000, AFP reported.

The special edition locket was inspired by the James Bond film "Octopussy", which revolves around a plot to steal a rare Faberge egg.

"The exterior of the egg closely follows the design of the Faberge egg featured in the film Octopussy, with a beautiful 18k gold lattice framework which is delicately set with blue sapphires and white diamonds in a floral-like design," reads an online description.

A small golden octopus is nestled inside.

Russia's House of Faberge gained international fame in the late 19th century by designing opulent Easter eggs decorated with gold and precious gems.