Sunset on the Voyagers

After nearly 50 years, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is running out of energy, prompting NASA scientists to shut down one of its last remaining experiments.

The two unmanned Voyager probes launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets of the solar system. After completing its flybys, Voyager 1 became the first probe to reach interstellar space in 2012, and is now about 15 billion miles from Earth, the most distant man-made object, traveling at 51,000 mph.

The low-energy charged particles experiment (LCEP) was one of 10 instruments replicated identically on both spacecraft. On Voyager 1, scientists have already shut down seven instruments. During a routine maneuver in February, power levels in the probe fell unexpectedly, nearly shutting down the spacecraft entirely, and flight engineers had to act fast to conserve power.

The command to shut down the LCEP took 23 hours to reach Voyager 1. Researchers estimate it will save about a year’s worth of power, giving them time to develop a more ambitious plan. Testing will begin this summer on Voyager 2, which is closer to Earth and has more power to spare. Unless a new source of power is found, Voyager 1 is predicted to shut down before 2036, ending a stream of research data on the sun’s outer boundary and ultraviolet radiation from distant stars.

Heroic plant properties

A new study from the University of Kent found that the “hero ingredient” in Korean skincare brands like CosRx, Beauty of Joseon, and SKIN1004 could also be heroic in fighting drug-resistant bacteria. Madecassic acid, a derivative of Centella asiatica, can bind to bacterial proteins and suffocate them while leaving surrounding cells unaffected. With slight chemical modification, the compound can kill a dangerous strain of E. coli that does not respond to most modern antibiotics.

In the U.S., drug-resistant infections kill more than 35,000 patients each year. Treatment drugs often have severe side effects, such as organ failure, and some infections have no treatments available. Madecassic acid shows promise as a starting point for a new line of antibiotics that could have fewer side effects and greater effectiveness than current therapies.

Centella asiatica, also known as Asian pennywort, is a low-growing plant often used as ground cover and in traditional cooking and medicine.

Plants filter microplastics

Edible seeds from the moringa plant can help remove dangerous microplastics from tap water. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology in São Paulo tested the seeds on poly­vinyl chloride (PVCs), widely considered among the most dangerous to human health due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. Moringa seeds caused the PVCs to clump together for easier filtration. Moringa thrives in tropical regions and could provide a natural, low-cost solution for clean water on rural properties and in small communities.