Scientists uncover secrets in Beethoven’s DNA

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Time travel has fascinated me for years.

Since I was a kid, I’ve imagined a “Jetsons”-like future with flying cars and the ability to journey to the past, as the Time Traveller did in H.G. Wells’ novella “The Time Machine.”

Advances have turned many sci-fi ideas into reality, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be going for a stroll with novelist Jane Austen or mathematician Ada Lovelace anytime soon.

As humans, however, we’re motivated by challenges. There are always ways around or around a problem that is not easily solved.

Science has advanced sufficiently to allow us to see back in time using innovative methods. A team of researchers used DNA analysis to better understand a key figure in classical music this week.

Ludwig van Beethoven, a composer known for his stirring sonatas, symphonies and music, made a wish before he died, in 1827. The composer asked doctors to examine his ailments and share them the public.

Beethoven suffered from progressive hearing loss over the course of his 56-year life. He also had gastrointestinal issues and liver disease.

Now, researchers have used advances in DNA research to piece together Beethoven’s genome using five preserved His locks.

The genome revealed genes that could have contributed to his death from liver disease and a hepatitis B virus infection.

The researchers also uncovered a bit of Beethoven’s secret family history hiding in his DNA.

You want a slice of cheesecake that is delicious and filled with your favorite flavors? There’s a 3D printer for that.

Engineers at Columbia University made a seven-ingredient vegan recipe, which included strawberry jam and hazelnut spread. They used laser technology and a 3D printer.

The lasers baked the layers of the cheesecake while it printed. Years of work went into the method that resulted in a single slice of cake — a confection that would make Willy Wonka proud.

If you think that’s wild, that’s not the only news in 3D printing: An aerospace startup has fabricated a rocket that had a picturesque night launch this week — but it ultimately failed to reach orbit.

Claude Monet, the Impressionist painter, is well-known for the dreamy haze that he created in many of his paintings.

Now, researchers have uncovered the scientific cause behind the inspiring “smoke” the artist chased during his London trips: atmospheric change.

Climate scientists have examined over 100 works of Monet and British painter Joseph Mallord William Turner. Turner was active even before the Impressionist artist.

The study team monitored changes in the skylines of cities, observing as industrial pollution increased. The skies in the paintings became more white as pollution affected the light captured by the artists.

A couple in northern England discovered centuries-old murals depicting a biblical scene when they renovated their kitchen.

2017 was the first year that an interstellar visitor was seen in our solar system.

About the size of an asteroid, the mystery object kind of moved like a comet, but it also accelerated — some even thought it was an extraterrestrial spacecraft.

Now, researchers think they know what caused ‘Oumuamua to go zipping around our sun.

When the interstellar comet was warmed by the sun’s searing heat, hydrogen trapped inside of it began to escape, propelling the reddish pancake-shaped rock.

Scientists discovered vitamin B3 in samples taken from Ryugu’s near-Earth Asteroid. They also discovered uracil, an RNA compound. This finding further supports the idea that meteorites may have carried the building blocks of life to Earth.

Scientists were able first to create mice using two biologically male parents.

The eggs were created from skin cells taken from the tails and injected into female mice to produce healthy pups with different colors of fur.

The experiment, which was years in the making, could have implications for fertility treatments and even prevent endangered animals from going extinct — but thorny legal and ethical issues remain around these advances in genetic engineering.

What’s more, only a handful of embryos became mice, which means Before cultured cells can produce human eggs, there is still a lot of work ahead.

Check out these other fascinating stories:

— A new giant species of spider may look like nightmare fuel, but the rare golden trapdoor spider recently found in Australia needs protecting, researchers say.

— The James Webb Space Telescope has detected churning clouds of dust 40 light-years away on a Tatooine-like exoplanet that orbits two stars.

— A “marsupial sabertooth” that lived in South America 5 million years ago had such massive canines that the roots wrapped over the top of its skull.

— A stunning lineup of five planets will soon decorate the night sky. Here’s how to see the parade.

Are you participating in Ramadan Sultan Alneyadi, an Astronaut from the United Arab Emirates, shared how he will participate while in space in the Muslim month for fasting.