Billions of dollars have been poured into exploring the far reaches of the solar system since exploration began more than six decades ago, with missions aimed at Mars, asteroids and icy moons to uncover their secrets.
Mars rovers such as the Perseverance, in a mission that cost about $2.4 billion, are scouring the Red Planet’s surface for evidence of ancient rivers and lakes, while spacecraft like Nasa’s $1.6 billion OSIRIS-REx and Japan’s $290 million Hayabusa2 have brought back samples from asteroids.
Researchers believe each mission provides a piece of a larger puzzle, shedding light on the processes that shaped the solar system and their connections to Earth’s history and climate.
Mars as a window into Earth’s past
Mars has been one of the most significant focus points in planetary science, offering a unique perspective on Earth’s early history. Unlike our own planet, which has been transformed by tectonic activity and weathering, Mars has preserved a geological record largely unchanged from billions of years ago.
Dr Dimitra Atri, an astrophysicist at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), told The National that studying ancient Martian environments can provide a window into Earth’s past.
"Mars shows evidence of ancient rivers and lakes, revealing past climates capable of sustaining liquid water," said Dr Atri, who is also group leader of the Mars Research Group at NYUAD's Centre for Astrophysics and Space Science. "The UAE’s Hope Probe and Nasa’s Maven mission help us study the atmospheric processes in great detail. By studying the surface features combined with atmospheric processes, we better understand planetary climate drivers, such as atmospheric loss and greenhouse gas dynamics."
But sending missions there is not enough to fully understand Mars's climate and geology. Analogous missions on Earth, in environments resembling Martian landscapes, are also crucial for testing instruments and interpreting Red Planet data.
"The UAE’s hyper-arid deserts, with their sedimentary structures, evaporite deposits and wind-driven erosion patterns closely resemble Martian landscapes," said Dr Atri. "These missions help us test instruments, refine exploration strategies and understand how water and climate shape planetary surfaces."
China’s Tianwen-1 mission has also joined the exploration of Mars, with its rover Zhurong that studied the planet’s surface and geology. Dr Gordon Osinski, principal investigator of the Canadian Lunar Rover Mission, told The National that all Mars rover missions have contributed to the understanding of the planet's geology.
"Perseverance is definitely one of the most exciting and important missions to date, as it is the first step in a series of missions to return samples back to Earth," Dr Osinski said, who is also a planetary geologist at the Western University in Ontario. "The site that it is exploring [the Jezero Crater] is also one of the oldest and most interesting sites visited so far and is helping us understand the first few hundred million years of Mars’ history.
"We think that Earth and Mars were very similar at this time, and so, by exploring Jezero Crater with the Perseverance rover, we’re also learning more about the early history of Earth, a record that is no longer preserved on our planet."
Impact craters: the solar system’s time capsules
Impact craters on celestial bodies also help scientists fill in the gaps of the solar system's history. These features, which are preserved on the Moon and Mars, act as time capsules that offer invaluable insights into planetary evolution. Unlike Earth, where geological activity has erased most craters, these celestial bodies retain billions of years of history in their landscapes.
"In recent years we have come to learn that the impact of asteroids and comets with the Earth have had a profound affect on the geological evolution of our planet," said Dr Osinski. "In addition to the better-known destructive effects of impact events, after they form, impact craters can provide protective niches for life and may even have been where life on Earth originated.
"Unfortunately, only a tiny percentage of the craters that have formed on Earth are preserved due to Earth being so geologically active. This is not the case on other planetary bodies, like the Moon and Mars, where there are literally tens of thousands of craters."
Nasa’s $504 million Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has mapped the Moon’s surface, revealing craters that are billions of years old, while China's Chang’e missions have collected samples from the lunar surface to study its composition.
Chang’e 5, for example, gathered and sent back 1.73kg of lunar soil, offering insights into the Moon’s volcanic history, and Chang'e 6 became the first mission to bring back samples from the dark side of the Moon. These efforts shed light on how asteroid impacts have influenced Earth’s geological history, including events such as the Chicxulub that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Asteroids and comets: records of the early solar system
Asteroids and comets are remnants from the formation of the solar system, containing materials that have remained largely unchanged for billions of years. Missions targeting these bodies aim to uncover their role in shaping Earth’s environment and delivering key ingredients for life.
Nasa’s $1.16 billion OSIRIS-REx recently returned samples from the asteroid Bennu, which is rich in organic molecules and water-bearing minerals.
"Asteroids and comets, remnants of the solar system’s formation, contain pristine materials that likely delivered water and organics to Earth," said Dr Atri. "Analysing them helps reconstruct early Earth conditions and informs predictive climate models, including potential geoengineering solutions. Comparative planetology, supported by research, bridges Earth’s past and future climate systems."
Japan’s Hayabusa2, which brought back samples from the asteroid Ryugu, revealed similar findings, with organic compounds hinting at the building blocks of life. Meanwhile, Europe’s Rosetta mission studied comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, providing detailed analysis of its composition and activity, deepening scientists' understanding of how comets might have seeded Earth with essential materials.
China is also contributing to this field with its planned Tianwen-2 mission, which will target a near-Earth asteroid to collect and return samples for study. Scientists hope the mission will reveal details about the asteroid's composition, including volatile elements such as hydrogen and carbon, which play a key role in shaping planetary atmospheres. Such findings could not only help researchers better understand the solar system's history but also provide practical data for defending Earth from further potential asteroid impacts.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
The five pillars of Islam
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Pathaan
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The years Ramadan fell in May
MATCH INFO
Asian Champions League, last 16, first leg:
Al Ain 2 Al Duhail 4
Second leg:
Tuesday, Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha. Kick off 7.30pm
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Lecce v SPAL (6pm)
Bologna v Genoa (9pm)
Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)
Juventus v Brescia (6pm)
Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)
Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
