A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Pirora (BA.2.86), has been detected worldwide and is causing concern due to its high mutation rate
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology are using immune epitope databases to predict T-cell responses to Pirora, suggesting that past exposure to existing vaccines and variants like Omicron remains important and may have a preventive effect. Although the results are promising, they are still predictive and require further experimental validation. (Credit: SciTechDaily.com)
Utilization of bioinformatics
LJI scientists are using bioinformatics to predict how T cells will adapt to fight the highly mutated Pirora mutant. In August, researchers discovered a new SARS-CoV-2 ‘Variants of concern’ in patients in Israel and Denmark. Since then, this variant has been called BA.2.86 or “Pirola” and has spread all over the world. Pirola’s mutant species is highly mutated, so caution is advised. In fact, Pirora has mutated similarly to the Omicron variant when compared to the earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants that were included in the first vaccinations. As Pyrolla spreads, researchers at La Jolla Immunology Institute (LJI) COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) Vaccines (or previous SARS-CoV-2 infection) can still protect people from severe disease.
“The concern is that virus With so many mutations, T-cell immunity will ‘escape’,” says LJI Professor Alessandro Sette, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. New research is currently being conducted Cell hosts and microorganisms This suggests that T cells can accurately detect mutations in pyrola and find their targets.
“Our analysis suggests there is positive news,” says LJI research assistant professor Dr. Alba Grifoni. “It appears that past exposure to Omicron, or vaccination with the new bivalent vaccine, may provide a person with T cells that can ‘catch up’ and generate a specific response to fight Pyrrha. ” LJI Professor Alessandro Sette, Doctor of Biological Sciences
(Credit: La Jolla Institute of Immunology)
Next step
Grifoni emphasizes that these findings are predictive and not observations based on actual pylora infections. Still, she thinks it’s important to see how these “in silico” (in silico) predictions are reflected in recent real-world research. “Although we still need experimental validation, we have established several collaborations around the world and are talking about this issue as we study it,” says Grifoni. Sette added that even with the Pirora variant, many people are still vulnerable to SARS-COV-2 infection. “That’s why people should still get vaccinated, especially the latest vaccines.” The researchers are currently collecting experimental data to learn more about T cell responses to the mutant strains and further strengthen their predictive tools. Griffoni is particularly interested in understanding exactly how people who have received a bivalent vaccine booster or a “breakthrough” infection will mount a T-cell response against future variants.
Reference:
“Existing SARS-2-specific T cells are predicted to cross-recognize BA.2.86,” Alessandro Sette, John Sidney, and Alba Grifoni, December 8, 2023. Cell hosts and microorganisms.DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.010 The study, “Existing SARS-2-specific T cells are predicted to mutually recognize BA.2.86,” also includes study author John Sidney. This research was supported by: National Institutes of HealthNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Contract No. 75N93021C00016 and Contract No. 75N93019C00001)
As the holidays approach, we all look forward to spending time with those closest to us. Gathering in the warmth of the hearth, we are so happy to see each other, that is, until our throats touch. How can you encourage your family members to behave in ways that reflect how much they truly love each other deep down? Let’s turn to game theory, the science of strategic thinking.
The mathematics of game theory has been applied to a wide range of scenarios, from negotiations over sports broadcast rights to improving organ donation rates. The famous prisoner’s dilemma problem has even been used in the search for new life forms in the universe. Game theory is about considering how others will react and making decisions based on that knowledge.
When it comes to hosting holiday gatherings, game theorists recommend using Bolda counts to determine the host. Each person ranks their preference for hosting and the host with the lowest score wins. This method is used in national elections and international issues such as the Eurovision Song Contest.
When it comes to deciding who brings what to the holiday feast, game theorists suggest using incentives to encourage balanced contributions. For example, give a prize to the cook who completely runs out of food, or make the guest with the most leftovers the next host.
To minimize arguments over the last portions of food, game theorists recommend using an “I Cut, You Pick” method, where one person slices and the other chooses. This method can also be used to peacefully allocate items during a separation, such as furniture or dishware.
When it comes to dealing with unruly children or lazy family members, game theory suggests using experiential expectations. Show them how others are behaving and encourage them to follow suit. This approach can also be applied to negotiating activities, such as playing a game or getting dressed.
Finally, if all else fails, game theory’s ultimatum game can be used to encourage fair behavior. By creating an environment where fairness is valued and unfair behavior has consequences, family members can be motivated to act in a way that benefits everyone.
In conclusion, game theory can provide valuable insights into managing family dynamics during the holidays. By using strategic thinking and understanding the motivations of those around us, we can create a harmonious and enjoyable holiday experience for all.
These places are less popular as holiday hotspots, but are known for their extreme cold. If you’re planning a visit, bring a blanket and be prepared to curl up. A record remains for the lowest temperature ever recorded.
East Antarctic Plateau (-94°C) The East Antarctic Plateau claims the title of the coldest place on Earth. Satellite data collected between 2004 and 2016 across Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, an area roughly the size of Australia, suggests temperatures could be around -94C. If these telemetry measurements are correct, this would be the coldest temperature on Earth, the researchers believe. Surface temperature could drop to -98 degrees Celsius.
Vostok Station, Antarctica (-89.2°C) The Vostok Research Station is located in the Antarctic region, an area with the lowest surface temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere, and was established by the Soviet Union in 1957. Click here for thermometer The minimum temperature reached -89.2℃ July 1983 recorded the lowest temperature ever directly recorded. It is also one of the driest places on earth, with an annual rainfall of around 20 millimeters, all of which is snow.
Amundsen-Scott Station, Antarctica (-82.8°C) Amundsen-Scott Station, located in Antarctica, was built in 1956 and receives six months of sunlight in the summer and six months of complete darkness in the winter. The highest temperature ever recorded in this part of the East Antarctic Plateau was Christmas Day 2011, when the thermometer soared to a positive and mild -12.3°C. The coldest on record was June 1982 -82.8℃.
Denali, Alaska, USA (-73°C) Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, is North America’s highest mountain, rising more than 6,000 meters above sea level. The average temperature is around -10 degrees Celsius, and only half of those who attempt to climb this mountain actually reach the top. Between 1950 and 1969, temperatures at weather stations here reached around -73°C, but wind chills can reach -83.4°C.
Klink Station, Greenland (-69.6°C) The Klink weather station holds the record for the coldest place in the Arctic Circle. Located in central Greenland, it beat the record held by Oymyakon in December 1991 (see below) by about two degrees. Reach -69.6℃. Despite these low temperatures, much of Greenland’s ice is melting rapidly.
Oymyakon, Siberia, Russia (-67.7°C) Oymyakon is coldest permanent residence on earth And it is found in the cold Arctic. In 1933, the lowest temperature recorded was -67.7℃. If the population is less than 500, schools will only close if the average winter temperature falls below -55 degrees Celsius.
Northern Ice, Greenland (-66.1°C) The research station was established during the British expedition to North Greenland in the 1950s, which set record low temperatures in North America at the time. In 1954, the temperature dropped to -66.1℃.
Yakutsk, Siberia, Russia (-64.4°C) Yakutsk is one of the coldest cities on earth and is located on permafrost. The region has some short but warm summers, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 38.4°C in 2011, but also long and very cold winters. In 1891, the temperature dropped to -64.4°C. It is located on the Lena River, and during the winter it is often cold enough that the river freezes hard enough to be used as a road.
Snug, Yukon Territory, Canada (-62.8°C) In 1947, the small village of Snug in Canada’s northwestern Yukon Territory was home to about 10 First Nations people. The village was used as an emergency landing site during World War II and then as a weather observatory. The lowest temperature recorded was -62.8℃. researchers are urging the equipment to be retested to ensure it is working properly.
Prospect Creek, Alaska, USA (-62.1°C) Built in the late 1970s as a settlement for workers on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the village is now largely deserted. It was January 1971 and the weather was extremely cold. -62.1℃ was recorded And this settlement still claims some of the coldest winter temperatures in the United States.
Archaeologists from MONREPOS, the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, and the University of Leiden recently discovered that straight-tusked elephants were hunted some 125,000 years ago (Paleoloxodon Antique) was the largest land mammal of the Pleistocene and was part of the behavioral repertoire of Neanderthals for dozens of generations. This knowledge is based on data from only one of his locations, a northern European lakeside. In a new paper, the researchers present data from two other contemporary sites on the Nordic plains, where they demonstrate that elephant exploitation was a widespread phenomenon. The vast amounts of food produced by slaughter operations aimed at large-scale exploitation of carcasses suggest that Neanderthals were somehow preserving food or, at least temporarily, working in larger groups than is generally acknowledged. This suggests that it was active.
Reconstructed living appearance of a straight-tusked elephant (Paleoloxodon Antique) Side view (top) and front view (bottom) based on remains excavated from the Neumark Nord 1 site in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Image credit: Su Shuyu.
“125,000 years ago, Neanderthals hunted and slaughtered straight-tusked elephants, the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene, in the lake landscapes of the Nordic plains,” said lead author Sabine Gaudzinski-Windho. Professor Iser and colleagues said.
“The data from this site is so far unique in the archaeological record, with evidence highlighting adult males and their widespread use.”
“Given its relevance to our knowledge of the Neanderthal niche, we wonder if Neumark Nord subsistence practices were more than just a local phenomenon, and perhaps determined by local features. I investigated.”
In the new study, scientists analyzed the remains of straight-tusked elephants from two other archaeological sites on the Nordic plains, Grebern and Taubach.
They identified slaughter patterns in both populations similar to the Neumark Nord site.
“The results of the examination of the Greyburn and Taubach bones indicate that the hunting of these elephants by Neanderthals was not an isolated phenomenon and must have been a more regular activity,” Gaudzinski-Windho said. Professor Iser said.
Reconstruction of Lake Schöningen shore when humans discovered the carcass of a straight-legged elephant. Image credit: Benoit Clarys.
Straight-tusked elephants were the largest land mammals of the Pleistocene and lived in Europe and western Asia from 800,000 to 100,000 years ago.
These animals had very broad heads and very long tusks, making them approximately three times larger than modern Asian elephants, twice as large as African elephants, and much larger than woolly mammoths.
Maximum shoulder height is estimated to be 3–4.2 m (10–14 ft) for females and males, respectively, and weight between 4.5 and 13 tons.
“The meat and fat provided by the adult body are Paleoloxodon Antique “The bull would have been enough to meet the daily caloric intake of at least 2,500 adult Neanderthals,” said Professor Gaudzinski-Windhauser.
“This is an important number because it provides us with new insights into Neanderthal behavior.”
“For example, previous research generally assumed that Neanderthals lived in groups of 20 or fewer.”
“However, the information we currently have about the systematic exploitation of straight-breasted elephants suggests that Neanderthals may have gathered, at least temporarily, in larger groups, or that they had developed techniques that allowed them to preserve and store large amounts of food. This suggests that he must have done both.”
“Follow-up projects will explore how Neanderthals hunted these giant elephants and how their hunting activities affected these and other prey animals and their environments. I would like to learn more about this.”
of the team paper Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
_____
Sabine Gaudzinski-Windhauser other. 2023. Extensive evidence of Neanderthal exploitation of elephants during the last interglacial period on the Nordic plains. PNAS 120 (50): e2309427120; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2309427120
Greater Honey Guide (indicator indicator)It is a type of African bird. well known To attract other species to the hive. They have even been known to collaborate with ratels, but their closest and most successful collaborators are humans. Several indigenous groups in Africa work with these birds throughout their range. Observing these interactions in Tanzania and Mozambique, scientists showed that honey guides were more responsive to the specific calls of their local honey-hunting partners compared to the calls of honey hunters in other regions. Ta. Honey guides therefore appear to learn the calls of their local partners, and honey hunters maintain these successful calls for generations.
Spottiswood and Wood experimentally showed that honeyguides in Tanzania and Mozambique distinguish between the calls of honeyhunters and are more likely to respond to local calls than to foreign calls. Image credit: Brian Wood.
The animal kingdom is full of interactions between species, but systems in which humans can successfully cooperate with wild animals are rare.
One such relationship involves the greater honeyguide, a small African bird known for guiding humans to wild bee hives.
Humans open the hive to collect honey, and bees eat the exposed beeswax.
Human honey hunters in different parts of Africa may use specialized and culturally distinct calls to signal their search for a honey guide partner and to maintain cooperation while following guided birds. It happens often.
For example, the honey hunters of the Yao culture group in northern Mozambique use a loud trill followed by a grunt (“brrr-hm”).
In contrast, the Honey Hunters of the Hadza cultural group of northern Tanzania use melodic flutes.
These successful calls have been maintained in these groups for generations.
In a series of field experiments across these disciplines, Dr. Claire Spottiswood of the University of Cambridge and the University of Cape Town, and Dr. Brian Wood of the University of California, Los Angeles and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, found that the ecology of honeyguides is We investigated whether it is good or not. They tend to respond more to the signals of their local human culture than to signals from another culture or any human sounds.
The authors found that honeyguides in the Yao region were more than three times more likely to initiate an induced response to honeyguides. Yao’s unique cry than Hadza’s whistle.
Conversely, honey guides in the Hadza region were more than three times more likely to respond to Hadza whistles than to Yao bloom sounds.
“It’s such a privilege to witness the collaboration between people and honeyguides, especially the birds that come looking for us,” Dr Spottiswoode said.
“Their calls sound exactly like a conversation between a bird and a bee as they travel together towards the beehive.”
According to the authors, the geographic variation and coordination between signals and responses observed in this behavioral system suggests that cultural coevolution has occurred between honeyguides and humans.
“What’s remarkable about the relationship between honey guides and humans is that interactions with humans involve free-living wild animals that have probably evolved through hundreds of thousands of years of natural selection,” Dr. Spottiswood said.
“Through learning, this ancient and evolved behavior was refined to fit local cultural traditions, or different human calls.”
“Our research demonstrates the ability of this bird to learn unique vocal signals traditionally used by various honey-hunting communities, opening up possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation with people.” ,” Dr. Wood said.
Regarding this research, paper in a diary science.
_____
Claire N. Spottiswood and Brian M. Wood. 2023. Culturally determined interspecies communication between humans and honey guides. science 382 (6675): 1155-1158; doi: 10.1126/science.adh4129
Stanford Medicine and international collaborators have discovered that around 20% of individuals carry genetic mutations that reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease by 10% or more. This particular variant, known as DR4, has the potential to enhance future vaccines for these neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, the study found a potential link between the tau protein and both diseases, providing new possibilities for targeted therapies and vaccines.
The large-scale analysis included medical and genetic information from a wide range of individuals across different continents. This data analysis revealed that certain gene variants related to immune function are associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Approximately one in five people possess a specific genetic mutation that provides resistance to both diseases.
The research, led by Stanford Medicine, indicates that individuals with this protective genetic mutation may be less likely to benefit from future vaccines aimed at slowing or stopping the progression of these common neurodegenerative diseases. Results from the analysis of medical and genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people from diverse backgrounds confirmed that carrying the DR4 allele increased the average chance of developing Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease by more than 10%. New evidence has also surfaced suggesting that the tau protein, which is known for aggregating in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, may also play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was a collaboration between researchers at Stanford Medicine and international partners. The researchers involved in this study were Emmanuel Mignot, MD, Michael Gracius, MD, Iqbal Farooq, and Asad Jamal from Stanford Medicine, as well as Dr. Jean-Charles Lambert from Inserm, University of Lille, France. The lead author was Yan Le Nguyen, Ph.D., and other contributors included Dr. Guo Luo, Dr. Aditya Ambati, and Dr. Vincent Damot.
Further findings from the study showed that individuals with the DR4 allele were more likely to develop neurofibrillary tangles, characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, in their brains. The study also suggests that tau, a protein central to Alzheimer’s disease, may have an unknown role in Parkinson’s disease.
DR4 is a particular allele of the DRB1 gene, which is a part of the human lymphocyte antigen complex. This complex is crucial in allowing the immune system to recognize the internal contents of cells. One of the significant findings of this study was that the specific peptide fragment that DR4 recognizes and presents is a chemically modified segment of the tau protein, which plays a role in both diseases. The study suggests that the DR4 allele could be used to create a vaccine targeting this modified peptide as a potential way to interfere with tau aggregation and the development of these neurodegenerative diseases. There may be potential to delay or slow the progression of the diseases in individuals who carry the protective variants of DR4.
The study also noted that the effectiveness of the vaccine may depend on the subtype of DR4 a person carries, which varies among different ethnic groups. For example, one subtype of DR4 that is more common among East Asians may be less protective against neurodegenerative diseases.
According to some researchers, the oldest of these stars is 1.5 billion years old, while the youngest is only 100 million years old. paper Published in Astrophysics Journal Letter.
This infrared image from Hubble shows the Milky Way Core Cluster, the densest and most massive star cluster in our galaxy. Image credit: NASA / ESA / Hubble Heritage Team / STScI / AURA / T. Do & A. Ghez, UCLA / V. Bajaj, STScI.
The center of our Milky Way galaxy is located about 27,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius and is a crowded place.
This region is so dense that it’s equivalent to a million stars crammed into the space between the Sun and Alpha Centauri, 4.3 light-years away.
This nuclear cluster surrounds Sagittarius A*, a 4.3 million solar mass black hole at the center of the galaxy.
.
In general, many nuclear star clusters coexist with supermassive black holes, which are found in more than 70% of galaxies with masses greater than 100 million to 10 billion solar masses.
.
“In previous work, we hypothesized that these particular stars in the middle of the Milky Way may be unusually young,” said Lund University astronomer Rebecca Forsberg.
.
“Now we can confirm this. Our study shows that three of these stars are relatively young, at least as far as astronomers are concerned, ranging in age from 100 million years to about 1 billion years. We were able to determine the age.”
.
“This is equivalent to the age of the Sun, which is 4.6 billion years old.”
This panorama shows the central region of the Milky Way galaxy. It builds on previous surveys by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, and extends Chandra’s high-energy field of view further up and down the galactic plane than previous imaging campaigns. The X-rays from Chandra are orange, green, and violet, indicating different X-ray energies. Radio data from MeerKAT is gray. Image credits: NASA / CXC / UMass / QD Wang / NRF / SARAO / MeerKAT.
In this study, Dr. Forsberg and colleagues used high-resolution data from the Keck II telescope in Hawaii. This Keck II telescope is one of the largest telescopes in the world with a 10 meter diameter mirror.
.
For further verification, they measured the amount of iron, a heavy element, in the stars
.
This element is important in tracking the development of galaxies. This is because astronomers’ theories about star formation and galaxy development show that the formation of heavy elements increases over time in the Universe, so younger stars contain more heavy elements.
.
To determine iron levels, astronomers looked at the star’s spectrum in infrared light. Infrared light is a part of the light spectrum that can more easily illuminate dust-dense parts of the Milky Way compared to optical light.
.
Researchers say there is considerable variation in iron levels.
“The very wide spread in iron levels could indicate that the innermost parts of the galaxy are incredibly heterogeneous, or unmixed,” said Dr. Brian Thorsbro, an astronomer at Lund University. Stated.
.
“This is something we didn’t expect, and it tells us something not only about what the center of a galaxy looks like, but also about what the early universe looked like.”
.
“Personally, I think it’s very exciting that we can now study the galactic center itself at such a detailed level,” Dr. Forsberg said.
.
“While these types of measurements have been standard for observations of our own galactic disk, they have been an unattainable goal in more remote and exotic parts of the galaxy.”
.
“Studies like this can teach us a lot about how our home galaxy formed and developed.”
.
_____
B. Thorsbro other. 2023. The range of old metallicities of stars in nuclear clusters is wide. APJL 958, L18; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad08b1
New research reveals that fire ice, or frozen methane, trapped as a solid under the oceans is at risk of melting due to climate change, potentially releasing large amounts of methane into the atmosphere. I did. Using advanced seismic imaging, the research team found that dissociated methane can travel significant distances, overturning previous assumptions about its stability.
Research shows that ocean fire ice, or frozen methane, is more likely to melt due to climate change and poses a significant threat to methane emissions into the atmosphere.
An international research team led by the University of Newcastle has discovered that when frozen methane and ice melt, the powerful greenhouse gas methane is released and travels from the deepest parts of continental slopes to the edges of underwater shelves. They also found a pocket that had traveled 25 miles (40 kilometers).
Publication in magazine natural earth scienceresearchers say this means more methane could potentially become vulnerable and released into the atmosphere as a result of climate warming.
Methane hydrate: the hidden climate change threat
Methane hydrate, also known as fire ice, is an ice-like structure containing methane buried under the ocean. Huge amounts of methane are stored in the ocean as marine methane. As the ocean warms, it melts, releasing methane, known as dissociated methane, into the ocean and atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
The researchers used advanced three-dimensional seismic imaging techniques to examine sections of hydrate that have dissociated during climate warming off the coast of Mauritania in northwest Africa. They identified specific cases where dissociated methane traveled more than 40 kilometers and was released through underwater depressions known as pockmarks during warm periods in the past.
Researchers at Newcastle University have found that frozen methane trapped on the ocean floor is more likely to melt due to climate change and could be released into the ocean.Credit: Newcastle University
Discovery and its impact
Professor Richard Davies, lead author and Vice-Chancellor for Global and Sustainability at Newcastle University, said: . Our study shows that they formed as methane released from hydrates from the deepest parts of the continental slope spewed into the ocean. Scientists previously thought these hydrates would be less susceptible to climate warming, but it turns out some are more susceptible. ”
Researchers have previously studied how changes in seafloor temperatures near continental margins affect methane release from hydrates. However, these studies mainly focused on regions where only a small fraction of the earth’s methane hydrate exists. This is one of the few studies to investigate methane emissions from the bottom of hydrate stability zones deep underwater. The results show that the methane released from the hydrate stability zone migrated a significant distance towards land.
Broader research perspective and future plans
Professor Christian Berndt, Head of the Ocean Geodynamics Research Unit at GEOMAR in Kiel, Germany, added:
“This is an important finding. Previous research efforts have focused on the shallowest part of the hydrate stability zone, because we thought this was the only part that would be susceptible to climate change.
“New data clearly shows that far greater amounts of methane can be released from ocean hydrates, and a thorough understanding of this fact is needed to better understand the role of hydrates in the climate system. need to be clarified.”
Methane is the second most common anthropogenic greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide (CO2). Methane accounts for about 16% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency figures.
The findings could play an important role in predicting and addressing methane’s impact on a changing climate.
The researchers plan to continue looking for evidence of methane vents along the margin and predict where large methane seeps may occur as the planet warms. Researchers are now planning a scientific expedition to examine the pockmarks more closely and see if they can be more closely linked to past climate warming events.
Reference: “Long-distance transport and emissions of methane from the base of the hydrate stability zone” Richard J. Davies, Jinxiu Yang, Mark T. Ireland, Christian Berndt, Miguel Ángel Morales Maqueda, Mads Huuse, December 6, 2023 , natural earth science. DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01333-w
A new study from Cornell University reveals that the visual system, not just chemoreceptors, has a major influence on the social behavior of male fruit flies. The study found that enhanced visual input can override normal social inhibition, and suggests similar mechanisms in the human brain, particularly related to conditions such as autism and schizophrenia. It has meaning in understanding.
Drosophila males typically exhibit antisocial behavior toward other males and prefer to identify females through chemoreceptors. However, recent research by Cornell University biologists shows that the fruit fly visual system plays an important role in social interactions.
The findings provide new insights into the potential roots of a variety of human social behaviors, including those associated with conditions such as bipolar disorder and autism.
This paper recently current biology.
Visual system and social behavior
many seed Many animals use vision to regulate social behavior, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In Drosophila, vision is thought to be used explicitly to detect and follow movement rather than to regulate social behavior, but researchers have found that this may not be the case. .
“In our study, hyperactivation of the visual system overcomes the inhibition produced by chemical signals emitted by male flies, telling other males, ‘Okay, I know, I’m another male, don’t interfere. ”’ said senior author Nirey Yapisi, assistant professor of neurobiology and behavior. “Surprisingly, visual enhancement in the brain somehow overrides chemosensory inhibition and attracts male flies to other males.”
Researchers found that changing GABARAP/GABA;a Receptor signaling in visual feedback neurons in the male brain influenced social inhibition in flies. When GABARAP is knocked down in the visual system, males unexpectedly exhibit increased courtship behavior towards other males.
Researchers discovered that genes similar to those in the human brain control visual neurons in fruit flies. Decreased GABA signaling in the human brain is associated with traits of social withdrawal in conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.
“Our results provide a promising avenue to investigate how these proteins regulate social behavior in the mammalian brain and their potential contribution to human mental state.” said lead author Dr. Yuta Mabuchi. ’23.
Reference: “Visual feedback neurons fine-tune Drosophila male courtship through GABA-mediated inhibition”, Yuta Mabuchi, Xinyue Cui, Lily Xie, Haein Kim, Tianxing Jiang, Nilay Yapici, September 2023 5 Day, current biology.
University of Queensland researchers Matt Holden, Andrew Rogers, Russell Yong and colleagues took on the challenge of identifying species around their home in Brisbane, Australia. paper in a diary ecology.
rogers other. They discovered his 1,150 unique species of animals, plants and fungi around his inner Brisbane home. Image credit: Penny.
Dr Holden, Dr Rogers and Dr Yong conducted a census in shared homes and their backyards during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, collecting 1,150 endemic species of animals, plants and fungi over 12 months. discovered.
“We asked a number of ecologists and conservation scientists how many species they expected to find in this environment, and they predicted only 200 species.” Dr. Holden said.
“But after 60 days of research, we had already discovered 777 species.”
“It shows that suburban homes and apartments can contain much more biodiversity than previously imagined, especially when it comes to insects.”
The idea for species number came when Dr. Rogers went to vacuum the cobwebs in his room and wondered how many spiders there were on the premises.
“The three of us immediately came up with a plan to scour our homes and backyards looking for other creatures living with us,” Dr Holden said.
The survey revealed a rich biodiversity, including 436 species of moths and butterflies, 56 species of spiders, 8 species of reptiles, and 56 species of birds.
Bird species included yellow-brown black-breasted kingfishers, common kingfishers, green honeycreepers, rainbow parakeets, spotted doves and Brisbane’s favorite, the Australian white ibis.
“Blue-bellied skinks hibernated under the garage, and at night we had green-bellied bees and teddy bear bees sleeping in the hedge under the front window,” Dr Holden said.
Researchers were also surprised to discover three species not previously recorded in Australia’s major biodiversity databases. Living Australia Atlas — Mosquitoes, sandflies, invasive flatworms, Platypus ManokwariIt is responsible for the decline in populations of native snails around the world.
“The house was a complex ecosystem of interacting species – we encountered a moth Countless scat lacerations“The caterpillars spend their entire lives feeding in green mouse feces before emerging as adults,” Dr Holden said.
“Palyrgis conqueror This is another type of moth whose caterpillars live inside spider webs and eat spider feces to survive. ”
“All urban housing has the potential to host similar biodiversity.”
“It depends on how people take care of their homes and gardens. By keeping low-maintenance trees and shrubs, keeping well-maintained lawns and eliminating pesticides, you can increase the number of critters found. will increase significantly.”
“You don’t need to travel to connect with Australia’s biodiversity; you just need to look out into your own backyard.”
_____
Andrew M. Rogers other. 2023. Home of a Thousand Species: The Untapped Potential of Comprehensive Biodiversity Surveys of Urban Properties. ecology, published online on December 1, 2023. doi: 10.1002/ecy.4225
In the heat transfer highway, thermal energy travels through quantum particles called phonons. But at the nanoscale in today’s most advanced semiconductors, those phonons don’t remove enough heat. Purdue researchers are therefore focused on opening new nanoscale lanes on the heat transfer highway using hybrid quasiparticles called “polaritons.” Credit: Purdue University Photo/DALL-E
In the heat transfer highway, thermal energy travels through quantum particles called phonons. but, nanoscale today’s cutting edge semiconductor, those phonons do not remove enough heat. Purdue researchers are therefore focused on opening new nanoscale lanes on the heat transfer highway using hybrid quasiparticles called “polaritons.”
thomas beachem
really like
heat transfer. He talks about it loudly and proudly, like a preacher in a big tent revival.
“There are several ways to describe energy,” says Beechem, an associate professor of mechanical engineering. “When we talk about light, we describe it in terms of particles called ‘photons.’ Heat also transports energy in a predictable manner. We call these energy waves “phonons.” However, in some materials, photons and phonons can come together to create new objects called “polaritons.” It carries energy in a unique way, different from photons and phonons. ”
Like photons and phonons, polaritons are not physical particles that can be seen or captured. These are similar ways of describing energy exchange.
as if
They were particles.
Still vague? How about another analogy? “Phonons are like an internal combustion engine, and photons are like an electric car,” Beechem says. “Polaritons are Toyota’s Prius. They are a hybrid of light and heat, retaining some of the properties of both. But they are special in their own right.”
Polariton is used in optical applications ranging from stained glass to home health testing. However, their ability to transfer heat has been largely ignored, as the effect becomes noticeable only when the size of the material becomes very small. “We now know that phonons do most of the heat-transferring work,” says Dr. Jacob Minyard. student in Beechem’s lab. “Polariton effects are observable only at the nanoscale. But thanks to semiconductors, we haven’t had to deal with heat transfer at that level until now.”
“Semiconductors have become incredibly small and complex,” he continued. “The people who design and manufacture these chips are starting to realize that phonons do not dissipate heat efficiently at very small scales. Our paper shows that on such length scales polaritons are not very efficient at conducting heat. We have demonstrated that we can contribute to a larger portion of the rate.”
Their research on polaritons was selected as a featured article in a magazine.
applied physics journal .
An artist’s rendition of the Magellanic Star Stream, depicting the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, the Milky Way’s nearest neighbors, is shown in the diagram. The gaseous Magellanic Stream swirls behind the galaxies, spreading across the southern sky as they move, with 13 red giant stars discovered within the stream.
Astronomers from the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard University and the Smithsonian University have solved a 50-year-old mystery by identifying stars within the Magellanic Stream. The discovery helps reveal the distance to the stream, providing new insights into the history and characteristics of our galaxy and its neighbors.
The study, published in the Astrophysical Journal, showcases the discovery of 13 stars within the stream and their unique characteristics that place them precisely within the mysterious structure. The stars’ distances and chemical compositions offer clues to the formation of the Magellanic Stream and the interactions of the Magellanic Clouds with the Milky Way.
By conducting a spectroscopic analysis of distant Milky Way stars, researchers were able to determine their chemical makeup and velocity, ultimately allowing them to identify stars within the Magellanic Stream. This discovery also sheds light on the origin and gravitational pull of the stream, as well as its potential role in the future formation of new stars within the Milky Way.
The Magellanic Stream, which acts as a supplier of cold neutral gas for the formation of Milky Way stars, also holds valuable insights into the composition of galaxies and the distribution of dark matter. Further study of the stream and additional discoveries of stars are expected to provide more surprises and lead to a deeper understanding of our galaxy’s outer reaches.
OSIRIS-REx collected a half-pound sample from the surface of the asteroid Bennu in October 2020. The mission’s sample return capsule landed at the ministry on September 24 with the help of a parachute, similar to the training model shown in the August 30 test. The Defense Force’s Utah Test and Training Range is located in the desert outside of Salt Lake City.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
NASA‘s osiris rex Despite a minor issue with parachute deployment due to mismatched wiring labels, we successfully returned the sample from Bennu. The main parachute compensated and ensured a safe landing, and further investigation is planned to confirm the cause.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule parachuted into the Utah desert on September 24, 2023, safely delivering a container of rocks and dust collected from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Although the delivery was successful, the landing sequence did not go completely to plan and the small parachute, known as a drogue, did not deploy as expected.
After a thorough review of the descent video and the capsule’s extensive documentation, NASA concluded that due to inconsistent definitions of wiring labels in the design plans, engineers were unable to wire the parachute release trigger and deploy the drogue chute. It was discovered that the signals may have been fired out of order.
A sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission is seen shortly after landing in the desert at the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range on September 24, 2023. The sample was collected from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in October 2020.Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
The drogue was expected to deploy at an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. This was designed to slow and stabilize the capsule during its approximately five-minute descent before deploying the main parachute at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. Instead, a signal activated the system at 100,000 feet, which separated the drogue while it was still stuffed into the capsule. When the capsule reached an altitude of 9,000 feet, the drogue deployed. The holding cord had already been severed, so the drogue was quickly released from the capsule. The main parachute deployed as expected and its design was robust enough to stabilize and slow the capsule, allowing him to land safely more than a minute earlier than expected. There were no adverse effects on OSIRIS-REx’s Bennu sample as a result of the unexpected drogue deployment.
In the design plans for the system, the word “main” was used contradictoryly between the device transmitting the electrical signal and the device receiving the signal. On the traffic light side, “main” means the main parachute. In contrast, on the receiver side, “main” was used to refer to the fireworks that would be ignited to release the cover of the parachute’s canister and deploy the drogue. Technicians connected his two main power sources, causing the parachute’s deployment motion to occur out of order.
To confirm the root cause, NASA plans to test the system that releases the parachute. This hardware is currently in one of his glove boxes containing Bennu samples at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Once the on-site curation team completes processing the sample material (the mission’s top priority at this point), NASA engineers will be able to access the parachute’s hardware to examine the cause.
A new study has found that women using NSAIDs with hormonal contraceptives, especially high-risk types and those using diclofenac, have an increased risk of blood clots. This study calls for increased awareness and careful consideration of safer pain relief and contraceptive options.
Researchers advise that while the absolute risk remains low, women should be informed accordingly.
People using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers in combination with hormonal contraceptives may be at a slightly higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a recently published comprehensive Danish study. There is a gender. BMJ.
The risk was higher for women using combination oral contraceptives containing third- or fourth-generation progestins, but the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ibuprofen, diclofenac, and progestin-only tablets; Women with implants and coils had a smaller risk. Naproxen.
Researchers stress that the absolute risk of developing serious blood clots is low, even for women using high-risk hormonal contraceptive methods. However, they say that given the widespread use of both hormonal contraceptives and NSAIDs, women should be informed of this potential drug interaction in a timely manner.
Classification of hormonal contraception and NSAID use
Although NSAIDs have been linked to blood clots, little is known about whether their use affects the risk of venous thromboembolism in healthy women using hormonal contraceptives. not.
To address this, the researchers used national medical records to find 49 children aged 15 to 49 with no history of blood clots, cancer, hysterectomy, or infertility treatment living in Denmark between 1996 and 2017. Two million women aged 20-30 years were tracked for their first diagnosis of venous thromboembolism.
Hormonal contraception was classified as high-risk, intermediate-risk, and low-risk according to its association with VTE based on previous studies.
High-risk hormonal contraception includes patches that combine estrogen and progestin, vaginal rings, and tablets containing 50 mcg of estrogen or third- or fourth-generation progestins. Moderate-risk contraception includes all other combination oral contraceptives and medroxyprogesterone injections, but progestin-only pills, implants, and hormonal intrauterine devices (coils) are classified as low-risk or no risk. I did.
Various potentially influencing factors were also taken into account, including age, education level, pregnancy history, previous surgical history, hypertension, and diabetes.
In this study, 529,704 women using hormonal contraceptives used NSAIDs. The most frequently used NSAID was ibuprofen (60%), followed by diclofenac (20%) and naproxen (6%).
Over an average 10-year monitoring period, 8,710 cases of venous thromboembolism (2,715 pulmonary embolisms and 5,995 deep vein thromboses) occurred, and 228 (2.6%) women died within 30 days of diagnosis.
Meaning and recommendations
In absolute terms, NSAID use is associated with 4 additional venous thromboembolic events per week per 100,000 women not using hormonal contraception and using intermediate-risk hormonal contraception. It was associated with 11 additional events in women and 23 additional events in women using high-risk hormonal contraception.
Among individual NSAIDs, diclofenac had the strongest association compared with ibuprofen and naproxen.
Because this is an observational study, it is not possible to determine cause, and the researchers highlight several limitations, such as missing information on smoking and obesity, which may influence the results. It is said that there is a possibility that
Nevertheless, this was a large study based on high-quality registry data, allowing the researchers to adjust for a wide range of potentially influencing factors. Furthermore, the associations persisted after further analysis, suggesting that they are robust.
Therefore, the researchers concluded that: “By using high-quality, linkable national registries, this national study shows that potentially fatal events occur when two drugs commonly prescribed to healthy women are taken together. It adds new knowledge about the risks involved.”
They added: “Women who require both hormonal contraception and regular use of NSAIDs should be advised accordingly.”
These data raise important concerns about the combined use of NSAIDs, particularly diclofenac, and high-risk hormonal contraceptives, writes Morten Schmidt. Aarhus University Hospital, linked editorial.
She said health authorities and regulators should include these findings in safety assessments of over-the-counter diclofenac, and that women using hormonal contraceptives and their clinicians should consider alternatives to NSAIDs for pain relief. I suggest that you should.
“If treatment with an NSAID is necessary, it may be preferable to use drugs other than diclofenac in conjunction with low-risk hormonal contraceptives, such as progestin-only tablets, implants, or intrauterine devices.” He concludes.
This study was funded by the Danish Heart Foundation.
Scenarios Mouse might see when wearing virtual reality goggles
Dom Pinke
Tiny virtual reality goggles for mice create a convincing world in which scientists can study animal brain activity in a variety of scenarios. This technology brings rodent neuroscience even closer to simulations that are indistinguishable from the real world, researchers say.
For about 20 years, Daniel Dombeck Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois used rudimentary virtual reality to learn more about how the mouse brain works.
The machines used to observe brain patterns are too large to attach to freely moving mice. Instead, the researchers kept a mouse inside such a machine and placed a screen around the mouse that displayed a virtual reality world when it was placed on a treadmill. The researchers were able to create a virtual world where the mouse could navigate any environment they designed.
“We can run them through a virtual maze and image their brains to see which neurons form memories and remember where they are,” Dombeck says. “[But] What the animal sees is a flat surface, there is no depth perception, and the mouse sees things that are not part of the projection. So there’s a collision of all these cues around us, and we think they’re not fully engaged and immersed in the environment. They are not completely fooled.”
To solve this problem, researchers have now created tiny goggles with a different screen for each eye to cut out everything but the virtual world from the mouse’s field of view and create convincing depth perception. They believe this allows them to perform more accurate experiments because the mice become more convinced of the illusion and behave more naturally.
But designing goggles for mice isn’t as simple as simply miniaturizing technology made for humans. A human’s field of view is just over 200 degrees, while a mouse’s field of view is up to 320 degrees.
This means that the screen inside the goggles needs to be curved and almost surround the eyeball. Although the screen can only display 400 pixels by 400 pixels, Dombeck says that’s enough to be convincing, since mouse vision is much less detailed than human vision.
“The first use of goggles on the first set of mice was quite remarkable,” says Dombeck. “The rats seemed to engage very quickly. When you put the goggles on, it’s pitch black and you can’t see anything, and the virtual rendering turns on. The first rat sat up and said, ‘Oh, what is this?’ It was that kind of feeling. It then started moving pretty naturally, which doesn’t usually happen with flat projection screens.”
Dombeck says the long-term goal is to make mouse technology comparable to what’s seen in mice, with additional devices to trick the senses of smell, hearing, and touch.
A diagram of Earth 65 million years ago, when CO2 levels were much higher than today.
Chris Butler/Science Photo Library
Perhaps the most difficult question in climate science. That is, how much global warming does carbon dioxide cause? A new analysis of 66 million years of Earth’s climate history suggests that the Earth is far more sensitive to greenhouse gases than current climate models predict, which could lead to even warmer temperatures in the long term. This means that there is a possibility of further development.
A key factor determining the impact of our emissions on the planet is how much the planet warms in response to the extra CO2 we pump into the atmosphere. This sensitivity is affected by various feedback loops related to clouds, melting ice sheets, and other influences.
One way to measure this sensitivity is to look at how the climate has changed in the past. Gases trapped in ice cores can only take us back about 800,000 years, so to go even further back in time to look at temperatures and CO2 levels in the atmosphere, researchers used proxies. Masu. For example, the density of pores in plant leaves and the isotope levels in the fossil shells of marine organisms change in response to CO2 levels.
However, discrepancies between different proxies have led to an uncertain view of Earth’s ancient climate. Now, an extensive review by a team of over 80 researchers provides a clearer picture. More accurate representation of ancient CO2 levels. “We now have a much clearer picture of what carbon dioxide levels have been in the past,” he says. Berber Henisch He coordinated the project at Columbia University in New York.
This allows us to understand current CO2 levels in the atmosphere alongside the deep past. This indicates that the last time CO2 levels were as consistently high as they are now was about 14 million years ago, and much earlier than that. previous estimate.
By comparing this new CO2 data with temperature records, “we can learn how sensitive the climate has been to changes in carbon dioxide,” Hoenisch says. Current climate models estimate that doubling his CO2 levels in the atmosphere would result in a warming of 1.5°C to 4.5°C. However, the results suggest that the temperature increase is even larger, between 5°C and 8°C.
However, there is a big caveat. This new insight into the history of Earth’s deep climate covers trends over hundreds of thousands of years, rather than the short timescales of decades or centuries that are relevant to humanity today, and therefore It doesn’t tell you what the temperature is likely to be. “It’s a slow cascading effect that slowly kicks in,” Hoenisch says.
The vast time scales covered in this study also mean that details of climate sensitivity cannot be detected. michael man Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say climate sensitivities may have been different at other times in Earth’s history compared to today, which is likely why the study yielded higher estimates than those based on more recent periods. I think this explains why I got there.
“The bottom line is that the climate sensitivity estimates from this study probably don’t apply to current anthropogenic warming,” Mann says. “Nonetheless, this study confirms a very close relationship between CO2 and global temperatures, highlighting the continuing threat of fossil fuel combustion.”
This new species of hedgehog has darker brown fur, spines, and slightly larger ears than the European hedgehog.
Zookey
Scientists have identified a new species of hedgehog. It is a dark brown creature that lives in the forests of eastern China.
In 2018, Kai He Researchers from Guangzhou University in China encountered strange-looking hedgehogs in Anhui and Zhejiang provinces. Compared to the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), these had dark brown fur and spines, and slightly larger ears.
After analyzing seven animals, including DNA samples, the researchers concluded that they belonged to a species that had not previously been described scientifically, which they named the species. Mesechinus orientalis.
The other four known species are mesechinus This genus is mainly found in northern China, Mongolia, and Russia, but this species M. Hugi I live in southwestern China.
“It is very interesting that this forest hedgehog was found more than 1000 kilometers from its known range,” he says.
They weigh just under 340 grams and have an average length of 18.8 centimeters. M. orientalis It is slightly smaller than other known hedgehogs of its genus.
Like other hedgehogs, M. orientalis They are nocturnal and tend to feed on insects and fruits. They also hibernate in the winter.
So far, the team has discovered M. orientalis In two provinces of China. However, based on the numbers recorded so far, they are not considered endangered, He said, estimating there are probably a few hundred individuals in these states. are doing.
There were only 17 known species of hedgehogs in the world, so “we were really happy to add one more species,” he says.
“For a real hedgehog geek like me, this is amazing news,” he says. Sophie Rand Rasmussen at Oxford University. “We look forward to learning more about the ecology of this species and whether this is different compared to other hedgehog species in the country.”
Recent research has revealed that fermenting alliums such as onions with fungi can naturally mimic the flavor of meat, offering a promising solution for enhancing plant-based meat substitutes without the use of synthetic additives. measures are provided.
Plant-based alternatives like tempeh and bean burgers offer protein-rich options for those looking to cut back on meat. However, it is difficult to imitate the taste and aroma of meat, and many companies use artificial additives for this purpose. Recent research in ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry revealed a promising solution. Onions, chives, and leeks can produce natural compounds that resemble meat flavors when fermented with typical fungi.
An innovative approach to natural meat flavoring
When food manufacturers want their plant-based meat alternatives to taste more like meat, they often add precursor ingredients found in the meat that transform into flavorants during cooking. Alternatively, flavors are first prepared by heating flavor precursors or other chemical manipulations and then added to the product.
Because these flavors are created through a synthetic process, many countries do not allow food manufacturers to label them as “natural.” To utilize plant-based “natural” meat flavors, flavor chemicals must be physically extracted from plants or produced biochemically using enzymes, bacteria, and fungi. So YanYan Zhang and colleagues wanted to see if they could produce the same chemicals from vegetables and spices using fungi, which are known for producing meat-like tastes and smells from synthetic ingredients.
Allium releases the aroma of meat
The team fermented different fungi seed After experimenting with different foods, I found that meaty aromas only come from foods in the allium family, such as onions and leeks. The sample with the strongest aroma was one in which the fungus Polyporus umbellatus was used to ferment onions for 18 hours, producing a fatty and meaty aroma similar to liverwurst.
The researchers used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze onion ferments to identify flavor and odor chemicals, many of which are known to be responsible for various flavors in meat. discovered a chemical substance. One of the chemicals they identified was bis(2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide, a strong odorant found in meat and savory foods.
The researchers say the high sulfur content of alliums contributes to their ability to produce meat-flavoring compounds, and these compounds often also contain sulfur. These onion ferments could one day be used as a natural flavoring agent in a variety of plant-based meat substitutes, the researchers say.
Reference: “Sensoproteomic discovery of taste-modulating peptides and taste re-engineering of soy sauce” Manon Jünger, Verena Karolin Mittermeier-Kleßinger, Anastasia Farrenkopf, Andreas Dunkel, Timo Stark, Sonja Fröhlich, Veronika Somoza, Corinna Dawid, and Thomas Hofmann, 2022 May 20th Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c01688
The authors acknowledge funding from Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung.
READING will keep its secrets safe. Some might describe this town, 60 kilometers west of London, as nondescript. Exotic is certainly not the word. But hidden within a walled garden in a field on the south side of town is a special and unique destination. If it weren’t for what was going on here in the giant white tent, the chocolate would hit the stony road – nothing like marshmallows. This is the International Cocoa Quarantine Center. Find all your holiday reading here
Chocolate is the most popular sweet in the world. Globally, we eat 7 million tonnes of chocolate a year, and demand is on the rise as consumers in Asia also love the taste of chocolate. However, supply is never guaranteed. Most of the world’s commercial cocoa plants originate from just a few clones created in the 1940s, which have so far proven productive enough to meet demand. But this leads to a dangerous lack of genetic diversity, leaving cocoa vulnerable to the many pests and diseases that love it just like we do. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of crops are lost to disease each year, and there are concerns that climate change will worsen the problem. Efforts to breed new varieties of cocoa that are more productive, hardy and pest-resistant mean sending specimens around the world, which risks spreading disease and making matters worse. That is why, since 1985, the majority of cocoa samples transported to distant regions have made his two-year pit stop. “Today, Reading is the epicenter of the international cocoa movement,” says Andrew Daymond with some pride. He is a plant physiologist at the University of Reading and is in charge of cocoa quarantine. Once inside the tent, I am transported to the tropics. A wall of heat and humidity hit me, along with an impressive sight of hundreds of lush, green, two-meter-tall plants. Some had large orange or red pods hanging from their trunks. Daymond led me down a path of trees, stopping to snip a wrinkled yellow pod. Slice it open to reveal a white, slimy pulp with fatty brown seeds inside. The seeds are bitter and have only a slight chocolate taste. It is only after the seeds and pulp are fermented and the seeds are dried and roasted that the characteristic crunchy flavor begins to appear. “Why do we read?” I ask. It is a different world from the tropical forests of South America where cacao grows naturally. That’s exactly what’s important, Daymond says. Even if the pathogen were to escape, it would not survive long in Britain’s warm climate, and there are no crops in its native habitat to infect. In quarantine, Daymond and his team are keeping an eye out for fungal diseases that cause pods to rot, such as witch’s broom and the festive-sounding frostypod, both of which spread easily. In the 1990s, witch’s broom decimated cocoa production in the Brazilian state of Bahia after spores were introduced from the Amazon region, perhaps intentionally. Bahia’s production plummeted by 75%. So far, neither disease has reached West Africa. West Africa currently grows most of the world’s cocoa. They have various problems there. The insect-borne disease bud swollen virus can kill cocoa trees within a few years, and the bush beetle feeds on the pods, reducing yields by up to 40 percent. Yuri Cortes/AFP/Getty Images The cocoa samples arrive in Redding in the form of budwood (short sticks with many actively budding buds). Approximately 30 new varieties are introduced each year, including wild plants from rainforest expeditions. Upon arrival, samples are inspected for obvious signs of insect stowaway. The bud is then grafted onto a seedling to establish the mother plant. To check for any less obvious problems, buds from the mother plant are also grafted onto seedlings of an “indicator” plant, a type of cacao that exhibits more pronounced disease symptoms than other plants. If a virus or other disease is present in the incoming sample, symptoms will eventually develop. After two years, the research team is confident that the dormant virus will emerge and the plant will be deemed safe. Genetic tests being developed at the University of Reading could offer a way to speed up the isolation process, but Daymond says he is still not sure if these tests can detect all viruses. . Once the cacao trees are proven to be disease-free, cuttings are sent to researchers around the world. One of them is Wilbert Phillips Mora, a cocoa disease expert and head of the breeding program at Costa Rica’s Center for Advanced Education in Tropical Agriculture (CATIE). For decades, he has painstakingly mixed promising strains to create hybrids that are screened for disease resistance. “We are refreshing the cocoa blood,” says Phillips Mora. His CATIE R6, one of the new varieties he developed, not only shows remarkable resistance to frosty pods, but also significantly increases productivity. The chocolate decorating the cake was honored in 2009 at the International Cocoa Awards for its taste and aroma. quite a pile of beans New varieties such as CATIE R6 are sent to researchers in other countries to cross with indigenous crops and deploy to farmers. Many plantations, particularly in West Africa, are reaching the end of their productive life. This new blood is desperately needed.. The quarantine greenhouse is the size of four tennis courts, and most of it is already filled with all-cleared plants (400 varieties). Plants still in quarantine will be kept separately. Has anyone made chocolate from the Redding crop, preferably ask Daymond. “That’s not something we tried,” he says. “You need heaps of beans to properly ferment cocoa beans, and we don’t have a lot of pods available here.” Regardless, I decided to give it a try when I got home. I placed the contents of the single cacao pod Daymond gave me in the most tropical environment I could find, next to a hot water tank. First, the pulp must be fermented into an alcoholic liquid to break down the astringent compounds contained in the seeds. The seeds are then dried and roasted in the oven. easy. Or not, after all. A few days later, I noticed that there were a few moldy black beans in the bag, and it had a not-so-appetizing aroma. Leave the chocolate making to the experts and enjoy the exotic flavors of Redding in every bite. This article was printed under the heading “Away from Chalk”.
Researchers at Washington State University have discovered self-sustaining oscillations in the Fischer-Tropsch process, an important industrial method for converting coal, natural gas, or biomass into liquid fuels. This breakthrough reveals oscillatory rather than steady-state behavior in reactions, which could lead to more efficient and controlled fuel production. This discovery provides a new knowledge-based approach to catalyst design and process optimization in the chemical industry.
Researchers at Washington State University have made significant progress in understanding the Fischer-Tropsch process, an important industrial method for converting coal, natural gas, or biomass into liquid fuels. They discovered that, unlike many catalytic reactions that maintain a steady state, the Fischer-Tropsch process exhibits self-sustaining oscillations that alternate between high and low activity states.
This insight published in the journal scienceopens the possibility of optimizing the reaction rate and increasing the yield of the desired product, which could lead to more efficient fuel production in the future.
“Velocity fluctuations, usually accompanied by large fluctuations in temperature, are undesirable in the chemical industry due to safety concerns,” said corresponding author Professor Norbert Kruse of the WSU Jean and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering. (corresponding author) said. “In this case, the oscillations are controlled and mechanistically well understood. With this foundation of understanding, both experimental and theoretical approaches to research and development can be quite different. It really becomes a knowledge-based approach, which is very useful for us.”
Rethinking catalyst design
The Fischer-Tropsch process is commonly used to make fuels and chemicals, but researchers have had little understanding of how the complex catalytic conversion process works. This process uses a catalyst to convert two simple molecules, hydrogen and carbon monoxide, into long chains of molecules, hydrocarbons that are widely used in everyday life.
Research and development in the fuel and chemical industries has used a trial-and-error approach for more than a century, but researchers will now design catalysts more intentionally and use vibrational techniques to tune reactions and improve catalytic reactions. will be able to cause the condition. performance.
The researchers first encountered this oscillation after graduate student Rui Zhang approached Kruse about the problem of not being able to stabilize the reaction temperature. Studying it together, they discovered surprising vibrations.
“It was very interesting,” Kruse said. “He showed it to me and I said, ‘Louis, congratulations, you have a vibration! “And we continued to develop this story.”
The researchers not only discovered that the reaction causes an oscillatory reaction state, but also discovered why this happens. That is, as the reaction temperature increases due to heat generation, the reaction gas loses contact with the catalyst surface, slowing the reaction and decreasing the temperature. When the temperature is low enough, the concentration of reactant gases on the catalyst surface increases and the reaction rate accelerates again. As a result, the temperature increases and the cycle ends.
Fusion of theory and experiment
For this study, the researchers demonstrated the reaction in the lab using a frequently used cobalt catalyst modified by the addition of cerium oxide and modeled how it works.Co-author Pierre Gaspard of the Free University of Brussels developed the reaction scheme and theoretically imposedChange the temperature periodically to reproduce the experimental rate and selectivity of the reaction.
“This is so beautiful that we were able to model it theoretically,” said corresponding author Yong Wang, Regents Professor in the WSU Boyland School and Zhang’s co-supervisor. . “Theoretical and experimental data were in close agreement.”
Kruse has been researching vibrational responses for more than 30 years. The discovery of oscillatory behavior due to the Fischer-Tropsch reaction was quite surprising because the Fischer-Tropsch reaction is mechanistically very complex.
“In our research, we sometimes experience a lot of frustration because things don’t go our way, but sometimes we have moments that we can’t explain,” Kruse said. “It’s very rewarding, but ‘rewarding’ is a weak word to describe the excitement of making this great progress.”
Reference: “Obcillating Fischer-Tropsch Reaction” by Rui Zhang, Yong Wang, Pierre Gaspard, Norbert Kruse, October 5, 2023, science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adh8463
This research was supported by Chambroad Chemical Industry Research Institute Co., Ltd., the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences Catalysis Science Program.
Professor Magdalena Osburn removed the samples during a site visit in August.
A former gold mine serves as a gateway to explore microbes deep within the Earth’s crust. If you add up the mass of all the microorganisms that live beneath the Earth’s surface, their combined biomass exceeds the biomass of all life in the oceans. However, because of the difficulty of accessing these depths, this myriad of subterranean organisms remains largely unexplored and poorly understood. Using a repurposed gold mine in the Black Hills of South Dakota as a laboratory, Northwestern University researchers have created the most comprehensive map yet of the elusive and rare microbes that live beneath our feet. In total, the researchers characterized nearly 600 microbial genomes, some of which were new to science. Within this group, most microbes fit into one of two categories, said Magdalena Osburn, a Northwestern geoscientist who led the study. And “maximalists” are ready to greedily grab any resources that may come their way. This study was recently published in the journal environmental microbiology.
This new research not only expands our knowledge of the microbes that live deep underground, but also hints at potential life that may one day be discovered underground. Mars. Because microbes rely on resources in rocks and water that are physically distant from the surface, these organisms could survive buried in Mars’ dusty red depths. “The deep underground biosphere is huge. It’s just a huge space,” said Osburn, an associate professor of Earth and planetary sciences in Northwestern University’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. “We used the mine as a conduit to access a biosphere that is difficult to reach no matter how we approach it. A lot of that comes from understudied groups. DNA, you can understand what kind of creatures live underground and find out what they do. These are organisms that we cannot grow in the laboratory or study in more traditional settings. They are often referred to as “microbial dark matter” because we know so little about them.
For the past 10 years, Osburn and his students have been regularly visiting the former Homestake Mine in Reed, South Dakota, collecting geochemical and microbial samples.Now Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF)’s deep underground laboratory is home to numerous research experiments across a variety of fields. In 2015, Osburn established his six proving grounds. Mine Deep Microbial Observatorythroughout SURF.
Back in Osburn’s lab at Northwestern University, she and her team sequenced the DNA of the microorganisms held within the samples. Of the approximately 600 genomes characterized, microorganisms represented 50 different phyla and 18 candidate phyla. Osburn discovered that within this diverse microbial community, each lineage, at some point, gravitates toward a life-defining trajectory: becoming a minimalist or a maximalist.
“Some of these strains don’t even have the genes to make their own lipids, which is shocking,” Osburn said. “Because how can you make cells without fat? It’s like humans can’t make all the amino acids. Therefore, by consuming protein, amino acid Something we can’t create on our own. But this is on a more extreme scale. Minimalists are the ultimate specialists and we all work together. There’s a lot to share and no duplicate work
Osburn said these underground microbes may provide clues to what might exist elsewhere as we imagine life beyond Earth. “It’s really exciting to see evidence of microbes operating without us, without plants, without oxygen, without surface atmosphere,” she said. “It’s very likely that this kind of life currently exists deep on Mars or in the icy moon’s oceans. The forms of life tell us what lives elsewhere in the solar system.”
And they also affect our own planet. For example, as industry looks for long-term storage for carbon, many companies are exploring the possibility of injecting it deep underground. As we consider those options, Osburn reminds us not to forget the microbiome.
Reference: “A Metagenomic View of New Microbial and Metabolic Diversity Discovered in the Earth’s Deep Biosphere in DeMMO: Microbial Observatory in South Dakota, USA” by Lily Momper, Caitlin P. Casar, and Magdalena R. Osburn, 2023. November 14th, environmental microbiology.DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16543 This research was supported by NASA Exobiology (grant numbers NNH14ZDA001N, NNX15AM086), the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, and the Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Research—Earth 4D.
A new study has found that the slow brain waves typical of sleep occur in epilepsy patients when they are awake, helping to prevent the brain from becoming more excited. These waves reduce epileptic activity while negatively impacting memory, suggesting a potential new therapeutic approach for epilepsy.
UCL researchers have found that slow brain waves commonly seen during sleep occur in epilepsy patients while they are awake, preventing seizures but affecting memory, suggesting a new potential treatment for epilepsy. are doing.
A new study led by researchers at University College London (UCL) has found that slow waves, which normally occur only in the brain during sleep, also occur when epilepsy patients are awake, and show that slow waves, which are associated with epilepsy symptoms, can also occur in the brain during sleep. It was found that there is a possibility of preventing increased excitement.
Methodology and findings
The study was published today (November 30) in the journal nature communications The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) UCLH Biomedical Research Center also took part in conducting electroencephalogram (EEG) scans from electrodes in the brains of 25 patients with focal epilepsy (a type of epilepsy characterized by seizures originating from specific parts of the brain). was inspected. brain), they performed an associative memory task.
Electrodes were placed in the patient’s brain to localize abnormal activity and inform surgical treatment.
During the task, participants were presented with 27 pairs of images that remained on the screen for 6 seconds. The images are divided into nine groups of three, and each group contains photos of people, places, and objects. In each case, participants had to remember which images were grouped together. EEG data were recorded continuously throughout the task.
After reviewing EEG data, the researchers found that the brains of people with epilepsy produce slow waves lasting less than a second while they are awake and participating in tasks.
The occurrence of these “awakening” slow waves increased in response to increased brain excitability, reducing the influence of epileptic spikes on brain activity.
In particular, it reduces the “firing” of nerve cells, which the researchers say can prevent epileptic activity.
Implications and future research
Lead author Professor Matthew Walker (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said: “Sleep is crucial for repairing, maintaining, and resetting brain activity. When we are awake, our brains gradually become more excitable, which recovers during sleep.
“Recent research has shown that a specific form of brain activity, namely slow waves during sleep, plays an important role in these restorative functions. We believe that these ‘sleep’ slow waves , we wanted to consider whether this could occur during wakefulness in response to the abnormal increase in brain activity associated with epilepsy.
“This study reveals for the first time ‘arousal’ slow waves, a potential protective mechanism used by the brain to counter epileptic activity. This mechanism takes advantage of brain defense activity that normally occurs during sleep, but can also occur during wakefulness in epileptic patients. ”
As part of the study, the team also wanted to test whether the occurrence of “awake” slow waves had a negative impact on cognitive function.
Researchers found that during memory tasks, “awake” slow waves reduced neuronal activity, thus affecting cognitive performance and increasing the time patients needed to complete the task.
The researchers reported that for every additional slow wave per second, reaction time increased by 0.56 seconds.
Professor Walker said: “This observation suggests that the cognitive impairments experienced by epilepsy patients, particularly memory impairments, may be due in part to short-term impairments caused by these slow waves. “
The research team hopes that future studies will increase such activity as a potential new treatment for epilepsy patients.
Lead author Dr Laurent Sheibany (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) said:
“Our study suggests that naturally occurring activity is utilized by the brain to offset pathological activity. However, slow waves of ‘wake’ may have no effect on memory performance. This comes at a cost because we know we give.
“From a purely neurobiological perspective, this study also supports the idea that sleep activity does not occur uniformly throughout the brain, but may occur in specific regions of the brain.”
Reference: “Awakening slow waves in focal human epilepsy affect network activity and cognition” November 29, 2023 nature communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42971-3
This research was funded by the Medical Research Council, Wellcome, UCLH Biomedical Research Center and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Killer whales have been observed harassing porpoises in the Salish Sea, a behavior that has puzzled scientists for years. A study by Wild Orca and the SeaDoc Society at the University of California, Davis is investigating what may be behind it.Credit: Wild Orca
Scientists are investigating mysterious behavior.
Scientists have long been perplexed by the behavior of fish-eating killer whales in the Pacific Northwest. Killer whales have been seen harassing porpoises and sometimes killing them instead of eating them.
In a recently published study, marine mammal scienceCo-led by Deborah Giles of Wild Killer Whales and Sarah Teman of the Sea Dog Society, a program at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the 60-year record between southern killer whales and porpoises in the Salish Sea We investigated the above interactions. You can better understand why they exhibit this behavior.
Southern killer whales are endangered, with only 75 individuals left. Their survival is closely tied to the fate of Chinook salmon, which is also an endangered species. seed. Without enough Chinook salmon, these whales are at risk of extinction.
“I’m often asked: Why don’t southerners eat seals and porpoises instead?” Giles said. “That’s because fish-eating killer whales have a completely different ecology and culture than marine mammal-eating killer whales, even though they live in the same ocean area. Therefore, interactions with porpoises We must conclude that there is another purpose, but this purpose has hitherto been speculative.”
Three plausible explanations
Scientists recorded instances of southern resident killer whales harassing porpoises as early as 1962, but the reason for this behavior remained a mystery for a long time. Giles, Teman, and a team of collaborators analyzed his 78 porpoise harassment incidents recorded from 1962 to 2020. This study suggests three plausible explanations.
Social play: Harassing porpoises may be a form of social play for killer whales. Like many intelligent species, these whales may engage in playful activities to bond, communicate, or simply have fun. This behavior can benefit group coordination and teamwork.
Hunting practice: Another hypothesis suggests that harassing porpoises may hone their salmon-hunting skills. Southern resident killer whales may view porpoises as moving targets to practice their hunting skills, even if they don’t intend to eat them.
Abusive behavior: This theory suggests that the whales may be trying to care for porpoises that they perceive to be weak or sick. This is an expression of the whale’s natural tendency to help other dolphins in the group. Females have been seen carrying dead calves, as well as porpoises.
“Abusive behavior, also known to scientists as ‘left-behind behavior,’ may be due to children having limited opportunities to care for them,” Giles explained. “Our research found that malnutrition causes nearly 70 percent of southern killer whale pregnancies to miscarry or for the calves to die shortly after birth.”
salmon specialist
Despite these interesting insights, Giles, Teman, and their collaborators acknowledge that the exact reasons behind porpoise harassment may never be fully understood. .But what is clear is that porpoises do not have Part of the diet of southern resident killer whales. Southern killer whales have a diet so specialized in salmon that the idea of them eating porpoises is highly unlikely.
“Orcas are incredibly complex and intelligent animals. We found that harassing behavior toward porpoises has been passed down through generations and across social groups. It’s a great example,” says Teman. “Still, we don’t expect southern-dwelling killer whales to start eating porpoises. The salmon-eating culture is deeply rooted in southern-dwelling societies. For these whales to survive, healthy salmon populations are essential. We need numbers.”
This study highlights the importance of protecting salmon populations in the Salish Sea and throughout whale range. Maintaining an adequate supply of salmon is critical to the survival and well-being of Southern killer whales and the overall health of the Salish Sea ecosystem.
affinity for play
The study was conducted at a time when distinct killer whale populations on the Iberian Peninsula drew international headlines for interacting, sinking ships three times off the coasts of Portugal and Spain. After all, southern killer whales and killer whales of the Iberian Peninsula are two distinct populations with different cultures. What the two have in common is an affinity for play behavior.
Reference: “Harassment and Killing of Porpoises by Fish-Eating Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) (‘Phocoenacide’)” Deborah A. Giles, Sarah J. Teman, Samuel Ellis, John K.B. Ford, Monica W. Shields, M. Bradley Hanson, Candice K. Emmons, Paul E. Cottrell, Robin W. Baird, Richard W. Osborn, Michael Weiss, David K. Ellifritt. , Jennifer K. Olson, Jared R. Towers, Graham Ellis, Dena Matkin, Courtney E. Smith, Stephen A. Laverty, Stephanie A. Norman, Joseph K. Gaydos, September 28, 2023 , marine mammal science.
This research was funded by Wild Orca and the SeaDoc Society. Additional partners include the University of Exeter, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Orca Behavior Institute, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cascadia Research Institute, Whale Museum, Center for Whale Research, Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) at Everett Community College, and Gulf Zoology. , North Gulf Coast Marine Society, George Mason University, Institute of Marine Medicine.
LONDON — On Tuesday, the first transatlantic flight fueled entirely by sustainable aviation fuel departed from London to New York, as the industry aims to demonstrate the viability of eco-friendly air travel.
Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787s use a blend of 88% waste fat from AirBP and 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene made from plant sugars.
According to Flightradar24 data, the test flight VIR100, which had no paying passengers, took off from London Heathrow Airport at 11:49 a.m. UK time (6:49 a.m. ET) and landed at New York JFK Airport, scheduled to arrive shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a general term for non-fossil-based fuels, including biofuels derived from plant and animal raw materials, municipal waste, and agricultural residues.
While emissions still occur, advocates argue that the overall “lifecycle emissions” from this fuel are significantly lower than those from regular petroleum-based fuels.
Other airlines Have you ever used SAF? It can be used on commercial flights, but usually on short-haul flights, mixed with up to 50% of conventional fuel, which was previously regulated. Tuesday’s Virgin Atlantic flight was approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority earlier this month.
In 2021, a group of 60 companies in the aviation, transportation, and cargo industries pledged to reach 10% of SAF usage in global jet aviation fuel supply by 2030.
The advantage of SAF is that it can be used without modification of existing aircraft engines. Many airlines pledged to make investments to increase their fuel usage as they strive to reduce overall emissions during flight, including by using more fuel-efficient aircraft.
However, many challenges remain before widespread adoption, including supply shortages, high costs, and concerns about the sustainability of power generation.
There are relatively few factories producing SAF or companies shipping SAF around the world. Incentives for producers are hampered by low profits, and the Royal Society warned in a report earlier this year that only some biofuels are low carbon and feedstock availability is a challenge for scale-up.
Several groups discuss how increased production of biofuels risks exacerbating deforestation and food shortages. They argue that reducing the environmental impact of aviation, which contributes to around 2% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, requires reducing the number of flights operated.
Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss stated that the flight demonstrated that SAF could be used as a “safe drop-in replacement for fossil-based jet fuel, helping to decarbonize long-haul aviation” and that it would prove to be the only viable solution. “SAF is simply in short supply, and it is clear that significant further investment will be required to reach large-scale production. This will only happen if the facilities are in place,” he added.
In these difficult times, it seems like complete nonsense to say that food prices are cheap. In the UK, the average grocery bill is Up more than 12% in the past year. But it is. The price tag on food is about two-thirds lower than it would be if we paid full price. But don’t worry. We have a plan to resolve this issue.
That may sound unpleasant. Who wants their grocery bills to go up even more? But in reality, we are already paying the real price, and most of it is just being secretly hidden from us. “In total, he pays four times as much for meals,” he says. Alexander Muller At the sustainability think tank TMG in Berlin. First, pay at the cash register. And we pay the health, environmental and social costs of producing that food, primarily through taxes.
green accounting
These costs are “externalities”. Things that are not free are treated as free, such as the environmental destruction caused by agriculture and the health costs of obesity. Now the producers are ignoring them and letting the rest of us pick up the bill. Maybe it won’t last very long. Economists and accountants – don’t yawn in the back. – We are working on a system called True Cost Accounting (TCA) that aims to internalize these externalities and upend decades of economic tradition. If we play our cards right, we won’t all end up spilling more cash at the register, but rather a massive rebalancing of global supply…
Higher education students in the UK are at a slightly higher risk of depression and anxiety compared to non-students, new research shows. However, this difference fades by age 25. This study, which analyzed mental health data from two longitudinal studies, highlights the need for further investigation into the causes of this trend and potential interventions.
Young people in England with higher education are at a slightly higher risk of experiencing depression and anxiety than those without higher education, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at UCL. .
Research paper published in lancet public healthis the first documented evidence of increased cases of depression and anxiety among higher education students compared to non-students.
Mental health disparities will be closed by age 25
The authors found that by age 25, the difference between graduates and non-graduates had disappeared.
Lead author Dr Gemma Lewis (UCL Psychiatry) said: Here we found worrying evidence that students may be at higher risk of depression and anxiety than their peers without higher education.
“The first years of higher education are a critical period for development, so improving young people’s mental health during this period could have long-term benefits for their health and well-being, as well as their academic performance. ” and aim for long-term success. ”
Methodology: Longitudinal studies and mental health assessment
The researchers used data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE1 and LSYPE2). The original study included 4,832 young people born in 1989-1990 who were 18-19 years old in 2007-2009. The second study included 6,128 participants who were born in 1998-1999 and were 18-19 years old in 2016-2018 (i.e., before the economic collapse). COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection) pandemic). In both studies, just over half had higher education.
Study participants completed a general mental health survey to examine symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social dysfunction at multiple time points over many years.
Findings: Higher education and mental health
Researchers found small differences in symptoms of depression and anxiety between students (including those at universities and other higher education institutions) and non-students aged 18 to 19.
This association persisted even after adjusting for potential confounders such as socioeconomic status, parental education, and alcohol use.
This analysis suggests that if the potential mental health risks of pursuing higher education were eliminated, the incidence of depression and anxiety could be reduced by 6% among people aged 18-19. ing.
Understand the risks and the need for further research
Lead author Dr Tayla MacLeod (UCL Psychiatry) said: “Based on our findings, we cannot say why students are at higher risk of depression and anxiety than others, but it may be related to academic or financial pressures. This increased risk among students has not been found in previous studies, so given that this association has recently emerged, it may be due to increased economic pressures or broader It may be related to concerns about achieving high performance in economic and social situations.
“This finding is particularly worrying as it was expected that higher education students would have better mental health than non-students as they tend to come from, on average, more advantaged backgrounds. Further research is needed to clarify the mental health risks faced by students.
“Increasing our understanding of modifiable risk factors for depression and anxiety is a global health priority, and it is clear that supporting the mental health of young people is critical.”
Reference: ‘The association between higher education attendance and common mental health problems among young people in the UK: Evidence from two population-based cohorts’ Tayla MacLeod, Strahil Kamenoff, Claire Callender, Written by Glyn Lewis and Gemma Lewis; lancet public health. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00188-3
This research was commissioned and funded by the UK Department for Education.
The US Department of Energy defines cosmology as the study of the origin and development of the entire universe. It is divided into observational and physical branches, with observational cosmology using telescopes and instruments for direct evidence of the universe’s structure and evolution, while physical cosmology studies the universe’s development and the physics that created it.
The origins of cosmology can be traced back to the 1500s when Copernicus observed the Earth’s revolution around the sun, and later in the 1600s when Newton discovered that objects in space follow the same physical laws as those on Earth. In the early 20th century, Einstein’s theory of relativity provided a model of space-time, leading to modern physical cosmology.
Modern cosmologists believe that dark matter and dark energy make up most of the universe, with dark energy accounting for more than two-thirds, and dark matter for a quarter of the universe. The study of cosmology encompasses various fields such as big bang, formation of large-scale structures, big bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, dark matter, and gravitational waves.
Scientists estimate that there are 2 trillion galaxies in the universe, and the earliest light to reach Earth was 13.77 billion years ago. The total energy balance of the universe consists of about 5 percent ordinary matter, 27 percent dark matter, and 68 percent dark energy.
The US Department of Energy’s Office of Science supports cosmology research through its Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics programs, which focus on the study of particles, dark matter, and dark energy to further understand the universe.
Football is a great model of social belonging, promoting inclusivity, teamwork, community spirit, social change, and individual achievement. Still, collective factors may be the reason behind acts of violence and vandalism. In a new study, neuroscientists at the University of San Sebastian investigate the brain mechanisms underlying positive and negative social stimuli in soccer fans in positive and negative social scenarios.
Mendieta other. fMRI was used to measure the brain activity of fans of rival soccer teams during a match. This image shows the contrast between winning and losing in the “good fanatic’s brain.” Activities related to important victories are shown in warm colors. The blue scale represents activations associated with significant losses. This pattern is consistent with a mentalization network suggesting a pain rationalization process triggered by a losing scenario. Image credit: Mendieta other.
“Our study aims to uncover the behaviors and dynamics associated with extreme competitiveness, aggression, and social belonging within and between fans’ groups,” said the first author. Dr. Francisco Zamorano Mendietaa researcher at the University of San Sebastian.
Rivalries are deeply rooted in the history of sports, and fans can be very protective of their “home” team and favorite players.
These same fans run through a range of emotions as they watch their team succeed or fail during a game, cheering when they score or being furious at a bad call.
Soccer fans are known for their loyalty and enthusiasm for their team, especially in Europe and South America.
To gain insight into the brain mechanisms behind fan behavior, Dr. Zamorano and his colleagues recruited 43 healthy male volunteers for a functional MRI (fMRI) study.
Participants are fans of Chile’s two most popular soccer teams, which are considered arch-rivals.
They were divided into two groups: 22 supporters of one team and 21 supporters of the rival team.
They completed a survey to determine their Soccer Enthusiasm Score and underwent a psychological evaluation.
All participants received an edited version of the match containing 63 goals.
While participants watched a compilation of matches, their brain activity was measured using fMRI, a non-invasive imaging technique that detects changes in blood flow in the brain.
The fMRI results showed that fans’ brain activity changed depending on whether their team was successful or unsuccessful.
“When your team wins, the reward system in your brain is activated,” Dr. Zamorano says.
“Losing activates the mentalization network, putting fans into a reflective state, which may alleviate some of the pain of the loss.”
“We also observed that the brain hub connecting the limbic system and frontal cortex was disrupted, disrupting mechanisms that regulate cognitive control and increasing the likelihood of destructive or violent behavior. .”
The research team’s findings could shed light on social dynamics at all levels.
“People inherently crave social connection, whether it’s membership in a running club, participation in a book discussion group, or participation in a virtual forum,” Dr. Zamorano said.
“These social bonds are often formed around shared beliefs, values and interests, but there can also be elements of persuasive proselytism, or ‘groupthink’; That can lead to irrational beliefs and social discord.”
“The enthusiasm we see among some sports fans can serve as a convincing example of intense emotional investment, occasional aggressive behavior, and a decline in rationality.”
“Understanding the psychology of group identification and competition sheds light on decision-making processes and social dynamics, allowing us to more fully understand how societies operate.”
Francisco Zamorano Mendieta other. Brain mechanisms underlying emotional responses in social pain. Football as a surrogate for studying fanaticism: an fMRI study. RSNA 2023
A breakthrough in laser technology has been achieved by miniaturizing an ultrafast mode-locked laser onto a nanophotonic chip using thin-film lithium niobate. This advancement paves the way for compact and efficient lasers with wide applications in imaging, sensing, and portable technologies.
New advances enable detailed execution in pocket-sized devices.
GPS – Free high-precision navigation, medical image processing, food safety inspection, etc.
Lasers are essential tools for observing, detecting, and measuring things in nature that cannot be seen with the naked eye. However, the ability to perform these tasks is often limited by the need to use expensive and bulky equipment.
Innovation in ultrafast laser technology
In a new cover story paper published in a magazine scienceIn , researcher Qiushi Guo demonstrates a new approach to creating high-performance, ultrafast lasers on nanophotonics chips. His research focuses on the miniaturization of mode-locked lasers. A mode-locked laser is a unique laser that emits a series of ultrashort coherent light pulses at femtosecond intervals, which is an astonishing one quadrillionth of a second.
Chip-scale ultrafast mode-locked laser based on nanophotonic lithium niobate.Credit: Alireza Marandi
Unraveling nature’s fastest timescales
Ultrafast mode-locked lasers are essential for unlocking the secrets of nature’s fastest timescales, such as the formation and breaking of molecular bonds during chemical reactions and the propagation of light through turbulent media. The high speed, pulse peak intensity, and wide spectral coverage of mode-locked lasers also enable numerous photonics technologies, such as optical atomic clocks, biological imaging, and computers that use light to calculate and process data. Ta.
Unfortunately, state-of-the-art mode-locked lasers are currently expensive, power-hungry benchtop systems that are limited to laboratory use.
Aiming for smaller and more efficient photonics
“Our goal is to revolutionize the field of ultrafast photonics by converting large lab-based systems into chip-sized systems that can be mass-produced and deployed in the field.” said Guo, a faculty member in the Photonics Initiative at the University’s Center for Advanced Science Research. Professor of Physics at New York University Graduate Center.
“In addition to miniaturization, we want to ensure that these ultrafast chip-sized lasers can provide satisfactory performance. requires sufficient pulse peak strength, preferably 1 watt or more.”
Challenge to miniaturization
However, achieving an effective mode-locked laser on a chip is not a simple process. Guo’s research leverages an emerging materials platform known as thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). This material allows highly efficient shaping and precise control of laser pulses by applying external radio frequency electrical signals.
In their experiments, Guo’s team created a unique combination of III-V high laser gain. semiconductor TFLN’s efficient pulse shaping function nanoscale Using photonic waveguides, we demonstrate a laser capable of emitting high output peak power of 0.5 watts.
Future impacts and challenges
Beyond its compact size, the demonstrated mode-locked laser also exhibits many interesting properties that are unattainable with conventional lasers, leading to deep implications for future applications. For example, by adjusting the laser’s pump current, Guo was able to precisely tune the output pulse repetition frequency over a very wide range of 200 MHz. By leveraging the demonstrated strong reconfigurability of lasers, the research team hopes to realize chip-scale, frequency-stabilized comb light sources, which are essential for high-precision sensing.
Guo’s team still needs to take on additional challenges to achieve scalable, integrated, ultrafast photonic systems that can be translated for use in portable and handheld devices, but his lab has demonstrated Overcame a major obstacle in the construction.
Potential real-world applications
“This achievement paves the way to eventually use mobile phones to diagnose eye diseases and analyze food and the environment for E. coli and dangerous viruses,” Guo said. “This could also enable futuristic chip-scale atomic clocks that enable navigation even when GPS is compromised or unavailable.”
Learn more about this breakthrough advancement below.
Reference: “Ultrafast mode-locked lasers in nanophotonic lithium niobate” Qiushi Guo, Benjamin K. Gutierrez, Ryotosekine, Robert M. Gray, James A. Williams, Luis Ledezma, Luis Costa, Arkadev Roy, Selina Zhou, Mingchen Liu, and Alireza Marandi, November 9, 2023; science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adj5438
Roger Sharp added another item to his summary of feedback about black holes that can be found on surface maps of our planet (October 7).visitors to Nelson’s Mai Tai Esplanade ReserveNew Zealanders may feel relieved after entering a Blackhole public toilet.
Feedback points out that installing a toilet in an astrophysical black hole would eliminate the need for some expensive parts of modern waste treatment facilities, particularly sewage piping systems and septic tanks.
insert a needle into the patient
How far is it okay to insert a needle a little too deeply into someone’s abdomen? 365 surgeons from 58 European countries gave their opinion on this topic. Their thoughts, desires, and perhaps even dreams are distilled into a study called “.Relevance of Veres needle overshoot reductionBy researchers from the Netherlands and Malta.
These are the needles used to inflate the patient before performing the internal looking and subsequent cutting and manipulation tasks that are the highlight of most laparoscopic surgeries. A special type of needle called a Veres needle has long been the standard device for puncturing and injecting air into people who enter a shop for repairs. This performs much the same function as a simple type of needle used to inflate a soccer ball.
This study investigates the desire and need for a new and better Veress needle design.
The researchers said that surgeons “felt it was important to have a firm grip on the needle shaft, as most respondents held the needle rather than the grip.” The reason is that some surgeons try to stabilize their hands by touching the abdominal wall with their fingers during insertion, and the grip is too far from the abdominal wall. The data also shows that the maximum overshoot should be limited to 0 to 10 mm. ”
Almost every professional activity has a specific tolerance for error. Publication of this paper will make the public more aware of professionals’ general tolerance for overinsertion of injection needles in laparoscopic surgery patients.
goaf gangue
Unfamiliar scientific terminology can be fun, especially when the words are mined from depths that are unfamiliar to most people.
Goaf is the waste that accumulates during mining. Gangue is a seemingly worthless portion of ore extracted from a mine. Goaf necessarily has gangue.
There are also mysteries. The report states that “there is little research on flow rules for gangue slurries in the Goahu sedimentary rock mass.”
This report is a reminder that there is always something yet to be unearthed, even if it is just information.
wooden board
In the vast forest of nominative determinism of people whose names are hilarious and almost eerily related to work, a few trees, namely the names of some people, are particularly suited to the purpose. One is Marlin E. Plank, who served as a forest products research technician at his Pacific Northwest Research Station in Portland, Oregon. He spent much of his professional life estimating how much commercially useful wood could be obtained from certain types of trees.
Planck’s most sophisticated log paper may be the one he co-authored with Floyd Johnson in 1975 called .Empirical log rules for Douglas fir in western Oregon and western Washington”. This describes a better way, a low-key and practical way to estimate how much wood you will get if a tree is plank-harvested.
Plank and Johnson said: “The traditional procedure for estimating timber aggregates is based on theoretical log rules, defect deductions, and overrun factors. This procedure is indirect, subjective, and complex. It is also clearly inaccurate. Theory A better procedure is described that is based on actual wood recovery rather than the wood recovery above.”
Greg Rubin squints at a fellow computer security expert who warns that information on a video screen can be extracted from the reflections of video chatters’ glasses (October 28).
he says: “This is what my community has.” is known about For many years. I also sometimes comment on the reflections I see during video calls. Personally, I recommend using simple defense strategies for long and boring conference calls. Close your eyes and take a nap. ”
Mark Abrahams hosted the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founded the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Previously, he was working on unusual uses of computers.his website is impossible.com.
Have a story for feedback?
You can email your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please enter your home address. This week’s and past feedback can be found on our website.
Researchers at Maynooth University have used supramolecular chemistry to discover new molecules to fight drug-resistant bacteria. This new discovery suggests a potential new approach to antibiotic development and has important implications for public health.Credit: Ella Mar Studio
Researchers at Maynooth University have developed a new molecule designed to fight drug-resistant bacteria.
An international team including researchers from Maynooth University has developed a new molecule that has the potential to fight drug-resistant bacteria.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a phenomenon in which bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve over time and become immune to drugs. This resistance makes infections more difficult to cure and increases the risk of prolonged illness and death. With predictions that traditional antibiotics will largely lose their effectiveness by 2050 due to rising AMR levels, finding new ways to eradicate bacteria has become a key scientific priority.
Supramolecular chemistry: the key to fighting AMR
The research leveraged the principles of supramolecular chemistry, a niche scientific field that studies interactions between molecules, to achieve the breakthrough. Most importantly, this study discovered a molecule that is efficient at killing bacteria, yet has very low toxicity to healthy human cells.
New research published in prestigious journal chemistry, in conjunction with World AMR Awareness Week, which will be held from November 18th to 24th. This global campaign, run by the World Health Organization, aims to raise awareness and understanding of AMR in the hope of reducing the emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections.
More than 1.2 million people, and likely millions more, died as a direct result of antibiotic-resistant infections in 2019, according to the most comprehensive estimate to date of the global impact of AMR. The research could pave the way for new approaches to tackling the problem, which kills more people each year than HIV/AIDS or malaria.
Luke Brennan, lead researcher in Maynooth University’s Department of Chemistry, said: “We are discovering new molecules and investigating how they bind to anions, negatively charged chemicals that are very important in the context of the biochemistry of life.” It’s laying a fundamental foundation that could help fight a variety of diseases, from cancer to cystic fibrosis.”
A “Trojan horse” approach to resistant bacteria
The study was based on the use of synthetic ion transporters, and the researchers found that the influx of salts (sodium and chloride ions) into bacteria can trigger a series of biochemical events that lead to bacterial cell death. was demonstrated for the first time. Strains of bacteria that are resistant to currently available antibiotics, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Study co-author Dr Robert Hermes from the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health at Maynooth University said: “This study shows how our approach, a kind of ‘Trojan horse’ that causes salt influx into cells, can be used to effectively kill resistant bacteria. It eliminates bacteria in a way that counters known bacterial resistance methods.”
Bacteria work hard to maintain a stable concentration of ions within their cell membranes, and when this delicate balance is disrupted, normal cell function is wreaked havoc and the cell is no longer viable.
Elms continued, “These synthetic molecules bind to chloride ions, enveloping them in a ‘blanket of fat’ and making them easily soluble in bacterial membranes, taking the ions along with them and allowing them to function normally.” Disturbs the ion balance.” This study is a great example of fundamental knowledge of chemical fundamentals that has implications for an unmet need in human health research. ”
Professor Kevin Kavanagh, microbiologist in Maynooth University’s School of Biology, commented: This research is an example of chemists and biologists working together to pioneer the development of new antimicrobial agents with great promise.”
Such results pave the way for the potential development of anion transporters as viable alternatives to currently available antibiotics, which is urgently needed as the problem of AMR continues to grow. This is what has been done.
Reference: “Strong antimicrobial effects induced by disruption of chlorine homeostasis” Luke E. Brennan, Lokesh K. Kumawat, Magdalena E. Piatek, Airlie J. Kinross, Daniel A. McNaughton, Luke Marchetti, Conor Geraghty, Conor Wynne , by Hua Tong, Oisin N. Kavanagh, Finbarr O’Sullivan, Chris S. Hawes, Philip A. Gale, Kevin Kavanagh, Robert BP Hermes, August 23, 2023. chemistry. DOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2023.07.014
This research was supported by Science Foundation Ireland’s Pharmaceutical Research Center (SSPC) and the Irish Research Council (IRC).
A new study finds that accounting for the long-term effects of tropical cyclones increases the global social cost of carbon by more than 20%. This increase is due to the predicted increase in damage in major countries due to global warming. The study highlights that current estimates ignore these long-term economic effects and underestimate the true costs of climate change.
Extreme events like tropical cyclones have an immediate impact but have long-term effects on society. New research published in the journal Nature Communications. Considering the long-term effects of these storms, the global societal carbon cost will increase by more than 20 percent compared to estimates currently used in policy assessments. This increase is primarily due to the predicted increase in damage from tropical cyclones to the major economies of India, the United States, China, Taiwan, and Japan due to global warming.
“Our analysis shows that severe tropical cyclones have the power to slow a country’s economic development by more than a decade. Global warming is expected to increase the proportion of the most intense tropical cyclones. “This increases the likelihood that the economy will not be able to fully recover between storms,” explains Hazem Krishen, author and scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) at the time of the survey. Therefore, long-term effects such as reduced economic growth caused by tropical cyclones can have an even greater negative impact on economic development than the direct economic damage caused by the storm.
The so-called social carbon cost is an estimate of the future cost to society in dollars of emitting an additional ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This important indicator is widely used in policy evaluation because it allows comparisons between the costs of climate change to society and the costs of climate mitigation measures. “However, the long-term effects of extreme events have not been taken into account so far, so current societal carbon cost estimates reflect only a portion of the real costs. The costs are probably even higher than currently estimated, which means that the benefits of climate mitigation are underestimated,” says co-author Franziska Piontek from PIK.
Hotter climate, more intense tropical cyclones, and rising costs
For the study, scientists analyzed the economic damage caused by these storms in 41 tropical cyclone-prone countries between 1981 and 2015 and made predictions about future global warming scenarios. did. In contrast to previous studies, these studies accounted for most of the long-term negative effects of these storms on economic development. The researchers found that these impacts increase the social cost of carbon by more than 20 percent globally (from US$173 to US$212 per tonne of carbon dioxide) and by 40 percent in the tropical cyclone-prone countries analyzed. I found that it has increased. Estimates of social carbon costs currently used in policy evaluations.
“When it comes to extreme events, the emphasis is on the immediate economic damage. However, these are important to inform society about the real costs of climate change and the climate impacts that can be avoided with effective climate action. It is equally important to better quantify the overall cost of events,” concludes study author Christian Otto of PIK.
November 22, 2023A team of scientists has developed a new algorithm to solve theoretical equations for active materials, deepening our understanding of living materials. This research is of vital importance in biology and computational science, paving the way for new discoveries in cell morphology and the creation of artificial biological machines. Advanced open-source supercomputer algorithms predict the patterns and dynamics of living matter and enable exploration of its behavior across space and time. Biological materials are made up of individual components, such as tiny motors that convert fuel into motion. This process creates a pattern of movement, guiding the shape of the material itself through a consistent flow driven by constant energy consumption. Such permanently driven substances are called “active substances.”
How cells and tissues work can be explained by active matter theory, a scientific framework for understanding the shape, flow, and form of living matter. Active matter theory consists of many difficult mathematical equations. Scientists from Dresden’s Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG), the Dresden Center for Systems Biology (CSBD), and the Dresden University of Technology have developed an algorithm implemented in open-source supercomputer code. For the first time, you can solve active matter theory equations in realistic scenarios. These solutions bring him a big step closer to solving his century-old mystery of how cells and tissues acquire their shape, and to designing artificial biological machines. 3D simulation of active substances in a dividing cell-like geometry. Credit: Singh et al. Physics of Fluids (2023) / MPI-CBG
Biological processes and behaviors are often highly complex. Physical theory provides a precise and quantitative framework for understanding physical theories. Active matter theory provides a framework for understanding and explaining the behavior of active substances, which are materials made up of individual components that can convert chemical fuels (“food”) into mechanical forces. The development of this theory was led by several Dresden scientists, including Frank Uricher, director of the Max Planck Institute for Complex Systems Physics, and Stefan Grill, director of MPI-CBG. These physical principles allow us to mathematically describe and predict the dynamics of active organisms. However, these equations are very complex and difficult to solve. Therefore, scientists need the power of supercomputers to understand and analyze living matter. There are various ways to predict the behavior of active materials, including by focusing on small individual particles, by studying active materials at the molecular level, and by studying active fluids on a larger scale. These studies help scientists understand how active substances behave at different scales in space and time. Scientist in the research group of Dresden University of Technology Ivo Sbalzarini Professor at the Dresden Center for Systems Biology (CSBD), research group leader at the Max Planck Institute molecular cell The Dean of the Department of Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) and Computer Science at the Technical University of Dresden has now developed a computer algorithm to solve the active substance equation. Their research was published in the journal fluid physics and it appeared on the cover. They present an algorithm that is capable of solving complex equations for active materials in three-dimensional and complex-shaped spaces.
“Our approach can handle a variety of shapes in three dimensions over time,” says research mathematician Abhinav Singh, one of the study’s first authors. He continued, “Even when the data points are not regularly distributed, our algorithm employs a novel numerical approach that works seamlessly for complex biologically realistic scenarios, and the theoretical equations Using our approach, we can finally understand the long-term behavior of active materials in both mobile and non-mobile scenarios in order to predict dynamic scenarios. Additionally, theory and simulation can be used to program biological materials and create engines at the nanoscale to extract useful work.” The other first author, Philipp Suhrcke, holds a master’s degree in computational modeling and simulation from the Technical University of Dresden. “Thanks to our research, scientists can predict, for example, the shape of tissues and when biological materials will become unstable or dysregulated, leading to growth and disease. This has far-reaching implications for our understanding of mechanisms.”
The scientists implemented the software using the open source library OpenFPM. This means that others can use it freely. OpenFPM was developed by his Sbalzarini group to democratize large-scale scientific and technical computing. The authors first developed a custom computer language that allows computational scientists to write code for a supercomputer by specifying mathematical formulas that let the computer do the work of writing the correct program code. As a result, you no longer have to start from scratch every time you write code, effectively reducing code development time in scientific research from months or years to days or weeks, greatly increasing productivity.
Because the study of three-dimensional active materials has significant computational demands, using OpenFPM the new code is scalable on shared and distributed memory multiprocessor parallel supercomputers. This application is designed to run on powerful supercomputers, but can also be run on regular office computers to study 2D materials. Ivo Sbalzarini, the study’s lead researcher, summarizes: All this has been integrated into a tool for understanding her three-dimensional behavior of living matter. Our code, which is open source, scalable, and able to handle complex scenarios, opens new avenues in active materials modeling. This could ultimately lead to an understanding of how cells and tissues acquire their shape, addressing fundamental questions in morphogenesis that have puzzled scientists for centuries. There is a gender. But it may also be useful for designing artificial biological machines with minimal components.
References: “Numerical solver for three-dimensional active fluid dynamics and its application to active turbulence” by Abhinav Singh, Philipp H. Suhrcke, Pietro Incardina, and Ivo F. Sbalzarini, October 30, 2023. fluid physics. DOI: 10.1063/5.0169546 This research was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium f€ur Bildung und Forschung, BMBF), the Federal Center for Scalable Data Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, ScaDS.AI, and Dresden/Leipzig. The computer code supporting the results of this study is publicly available in the 3Dactive-hydynamics github repository at: https://github.com/mosaic-group/3Dactive-hydrodynamic sThe open source framework OpenFPM is available at: https://github.com/mosaic-group/openfpm_pdataRelated publications for embedded computer languages https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2019.03.007https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/s10189-021-00121-x (function (d, s, id) {var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName (s) [0]; if (d.getElementById (id)) return; js = d.createElement (s); js.id = id; js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore (js, fjs); } (document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Newborn babies seem to recognize the language their mother speaks
Fida Hussein/AFP/Getty Images
Experiments with newborn babies suggest that they are already aware of their native language, suggesting that language learning may begin before birth.
“We’ve known for some time that fetuses can hear towards the end of pregnancy.” judith jarvan at the University of Padua, Italy. “[Newborn babies] They can recognize their mother’s voice and prefer it to other women’s voices, and can even recognize the language spoken by their mother during pregnancy. ”
To investigate further, Gervain and his colleagues studied the brain activity of 49 infants between one and five days old who had French-speaking mothers.
Each newborn was fitted with a small cap containing 10 electrodes placed near areas of the brain associated with speech recognition.
The team then played a recording that began with three minutes of silence, followed by a seven-minute excerpt from the story. goldilocks and the three bears They took turns speaking in English, French, and Spanish, then there was silence again.
When the babies heard French sounds, the researchers observed spikes in a type of brain signal called long-range temporal correlation, which is related to the perception and processing of sounds. These signals decreased when babies heard other languages.
The researchers found that in a group of 17 infants who last heard French, this spike in neural activity persisted during the subsequent silence.
These findings suggest that babies may already perceive their mother’s native language as more important, Jarvan says. “This is essentially facilitating the learning of their native language,” she says.
The researchers now hope to conduct experiments with babies whose mothers speak different languages, particularly Asian and African languages, to see how generalizable their results are. They also want to investigate how the development of speech perception changes in the womb in infants who have less typical prenatal experiences, such as premature infants.
“Of course, it’s good to talk to your stomach,” Jarvan says. “But we have shown that natural everyday activities, like shopping or talking to neighbors, are already vocal enough to serve as scaffolds for babies’ learning. ”
Egyptian vultures have been in rapid decline since the 1980s
Blickwinkel / Alamy
A large-scale international effort has successfully addressed the vulture threat and protected endangered vultures along migration routes between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Egyptian vulture (Neophron Percnopterus) can be shot, poisoned or electrocuted by livestock farmers as they travel through 14 countries each year.
The combination of these threats has reduced the number of breeding pairs in Eastern Europe from 600 in the 1980s to just 50 today.
Since 2012, conservationists working along bird migration routes have been gradually eliminating these threats. In the Balkans, the number of poisoning incidents was halved between 2018 and 2022 by working with farmers to reduce the use of poisonous livestock predator baits eaten by vultures.
The project will also insulate live parts near the perches of more than 10,000 utility poles in countries ranging from Bulgaria to Ethiopia, and the use of vulture body parts substitutes in traditional medicine in Niger and Nigeria. promoted.
In addition, 30 captive-bred vultures were released in Bulgaria, an important breeding area, between 2016 and 2022.
Over the past 10 years, conservation efforts have reduced adult mortality by 2% and juvenile mortality by 9%, and the population has increased by 0.5% annually, according to Steffen Oppel of the Swiss Institute of Ornithology and colleagues.
“Currently, the population is stable with a very small increase,” Oppel says.
The research also benefited other migratory birds that follow the same route as the vultures, including buzzards, eagles and storks.
Oppel and his colleagues sighted thousands of storks (ciconia) Arriving in southern Turkey, many were electrocuted when their wings touched live cables when they landed on utility poles. To avoid this, plastic or rubber covers were used to insulate power cables in areas where conservation teams found large numbers of dead birds.
People are also benefiting, he says. “We have had great success with companies in Bulgaria, for example, and now in Turkey, who have realized that it is in their interests that there will be far fewer interruptions in service if they insulate power lines. It is.”
Any intervention to save vultures is important and the Balkans project has a good chance of success. kelly walter of valpro, a conservation organization in South Africa. “This is an all-out war, and every in-situ and ex-situ conservation intervention and strategy is important to do everything within our means.” [to save the species],” she says.
Southern Africa once had its own breeding population of Egyptian vultures, but they are now extinct.
Flyway funded by the European Union project Egyptian vultures became extinct in the Balkans at the end of 2022, but Oppel says work needs to continue to prevent mortality rates from rising again.
“On the one hand, we want to say, ‘Yes, we have achieved something great because we have successfully avoided the demographic trend of declining immigration,’ but on the other hand, we want to make sure that politicians understand this. You have to let it happen. It’s not fixed forever.”
It’s not often that a respected professor embarks on an investigation into a scientific discovery by a 15-year-old, but in 1938 Robert Bloom made an exception. The British-born paleontologist was keenly aware that South Africa in the 1930s was gaining a reputation for extremely primitive-looking hominin fossils. So when he heard that elementary school student Gerd Terblanche had discovered a fragment of a human skull in a cave there, he immediately tracked him down. Bloom’s visit to the boy’s school was successful. The boy later recalled that he was walking around with children. “Probably the world’s four most precious teeth are in his pants pocket.”.
Within a few months, Bloom completed his analysis of the fossil. He determined that they were different from anything previously discovered; He gave ancient humans a new name. paranthropus.
However, although he was convinced that the remains were valuable, paranthropus He never became famous. Perhaps it was because it was a misfit. It resembled one of our small-brained ancestors, but existed on Earth long after other ape-like hominids were replaced by large-brained hominins. Even among paleoanthropologists, paranthropus They are depicted as a “forgotten” human race.
It probably won’t last very long. Spurred by the discovery of more fossils, researchers are finally starting to re-evaluate this addition to the evolutionary tree – and their research suggests it was one of the strangest. ing. paranthropus They may have been skilled tool makers, but they also may have grazed like cows and communicated with low calls like elephants. The question now is whether this research will bring us any closer to understanding how the last apemen survived in a world dominated by…
Flaring, the deliberate burning of excess natural gas into the atmosphere, is one way methane is released from oil and gas facilities. His EMIT mission for NASA, over more than a year of operation, demonstrated its proficiency in discovering methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from space.
Since its launch 16 months ago, the EMIT imaging spectrometer has international space station demonstrated the ability to detect more than just surface minerals. More than a year after first detecting a methane plume from its perch on the International Space Station (ISS), data from NASA’s EMIT instrument is now being used to analyze greenhouse gas emissions with a level of proficiency that surprised even its designers. used to identify source emissions.
EMIT‘s mission and capabilities
EMIT, which stands for Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation, was launched in July 2022 to map 10 major minerals on the surface of the world’s arid regions. Mineral-related observations are already available. researcher and the general public to better understand how dust in the atmosphere affects the climate.
Methane detection was not part of EMIT‘s primary mission, but the instrument’s designers expected the imaging spectrometer to have that capability. More than 750 sources of emissions have been identified since August 2022, some of which are small, located in remote areas, and persistent over long periods of time, according to a new study published in the journal However, this device is said to have achieved more than sufficient results in that respect. scientific progress.
EMIT identified a cluster of 12 methane plumes within a 150 square mile (400 square kilometer) area in southern Uzbekistan on September 1, 2022. The instrument captured this cluster, which the researchers call a “scene,” in a single shot.
Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
Methane emissions and climate change
“We were a little cautious at first about what this device could do,” said Andrew Thorpe, a research engineer on the EMIT science team. NASAis a researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and the paper’s lead author. “It exceeded our expectations.”
Knowing where methane emissions are coming from gives operators of landfills, agricultural sites, oil and gas facilities, and other methane-producing facilities the opportunity to address methane emissions. Tracking human methane emissions is key to limiting climate change because it provides a relatively low-cost and rapid approach to reducing greenhouse gases. Methane remains in the atmosphere for about 10 years, during which time it traps heat up to 80 times more strongly than carbon dioxide, which remains for centuries.
When strong winds kick up mineral rock dust(such as calcite or chlorite) on one continent, the airborne particles can travel thousands of miles and impact an entirely different continent. Airborne dust can heat or cool the atmosphere and the ground. This heating or cooling effect is the focus of NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission.
Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
amazing results
EMIT has proven effective in detecting both large-scale sources (tens of thousands of pounds of methane per hour) and surprisingly small sources (hundreds of pounds of methane per hour). It has been. This is important because it will allow us to identify more “superemitters,” or sources that produce a disproportionate share of total emissions.
A new study documents how EMIT was able to observe 60% to 85% of the methane plumes typically seen during airborne operations, based on the first 30 days of greenhouse gas detections.
On September 3, 2022, EMIT detected a methane plume emitting approximately 979 pounds (444 kilograms) per hour in a remote corner of southeastern Libya. This is one of the smallest sources ever detected by this instrument.
Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology
Comparison with airborne detection
From thousands of feet above the ground, an aircraft’s methane detection equipment is more sensitive, but researchers need advance notice that they will detect methane before the aircraft can be dispatched. Many areas are not explored because they are considered too remote, too dangerous, or too expensive. Furthermore, actual campaigns cover a relatively limited area over a short period of time.
EMIT, on the other hand, will collect data from a space station at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, covering a wide area of the Earth, especially the arid region between 51.6 degrees north and 51.6 degrees south latitude. The imaging spectrometer produces a 50-mile-by-50-mile (80-kilometer-by-80-kilometer) image of the Earth’s surface (researchers call it a “scene”), including many areas that could not be reached with airborne instruments. capture.
“The number and size of methane plumes that EMIT has measured around our planet is astonishing,” said Robert O. Green. JPL Senior Researcher and Principal Investigator at EMIT.
We created this time-lapse video showing the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm moving NASA’s EMIT mission outside the station. The Dragon spacecraft was launched…
To help identify sources, the EMIT science team created maps of methane plumes and identified them as Websitethe underlying data are available at the NASA and U.S. Geological Survey Joint Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LPDAAC). Data from this mission will be available to the public, scientists, and organizations.
EMIT began collecting observations in August 2022 and has since recorded more than 50,000 scenes. The instrument discovered clusters of emission sources in little-studied areas. Southern Uzbekistan On September 1, 2022, we detected 12 methane plumes totaling approximately 49,734 pounds (22,559 kilograms) per hour.
Additionally, the instrument detected a much smaller plume than expected.captured in a secluded corner Southeastern Libya On September 3, 2022, one of the smallest sources to date was emitting 979 pounds (444 kilograms) per hour, based on local wind speed estimates.
Reference: “Attribution of Individual Methane and Carbon Dioxide Sources Using EMIT Observations from Space” Andrew K. Thorpe, Robert O. Green, David R. Thompson, Philip G. Brodrick, John W. Chapman, Clayton D. Elder, Itziar, Iraklis-Leuchert, Daniel H. Cusworth, Alana K. Ayasse, Riley M. Duren, Christian Frankenberg, Louis Gunter, John R. Warden, Philip.・E. Dennison, Dar A. Roberts, K. Dana Chadwick, Michael L. Eastwood, Jay E. Farren and Charles E. Miller, November 17, 2023, scientific progress.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh2391
EMIT mission details
EMIT was selected from the Earth Venture Instrument-4 public offering by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Earth Sciences Division and was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Data from this instrument is publicly available for use by other researchers and the public at the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center.
The peptide NQK-Q8 (light color), part of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that the virus uses to enter cells, bound to the groove of HLA-B*15:01 (orange color). This figure shows the crystal structure of HLA-B*15:01 in complex with the spike-derived peptide NQKLIANQF from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, published by Augusto et al., 2023 (Nature) (PDB Entry – 8ELH) It is based on.Credit: Andre Luis Lourenço
New study shows common genetic variations among people are involved in mediating SARS-CoV-2 Asymptomatic infection.
Have you ever wondered why some people don’t get sick? COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection)? Research recently published in journals Nature We show that common genetic variations among people are responsible for vectoring asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The results show that people with this mutation do not feel sick once infected. This exciting discovery was the result of a joint U.S.-Australian study led by Dr. Danilo Augusto, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Jill Hollenbach, Professor, University of California, San Francisco. Stephanie Gras, a professor at La Trobe University in Australia.
The role of human leukocyte antigens (HLA)
The research focuses on a group of genes called human leukocyte antigens (HLAs). These HLA genes code for proteins that the immune system uses to identify healthy cells and distinguish them from cells infected with bacteria or viruses. The HLA system is important for the immune response, but varies widely between individuals. Because of the role of HLA in fighting infections, researchers are wondering whether there may be certain variants that make us more protected against or more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. I thought about it. virus.
Danilo Augusto, assistant professor of biological sciences at UNC Charlotte;
Research results and methodology
Hollenback led the data collection that began early in the pandemic. First, 29,947 unvaccinated people were screened using a mobile app specifically designed to track COVID-19 symptoms, and 1,428 people tested positive for the virus. reported.everyone has their own DNA It has been pre-sequenced for HLA gene analysis. Researchers found that people with the gene mutation HLA-B*15:01 were much more likely to remain asymptomatic after infection. Remarkably, this variant is present in approximately 10% of the population. In summary, those who had HLA-B*1501 in their genome could not avoid infection, but they were spared from getting sick.
Insights into the immune response
“We hypothesized that their immune systems would respond so quickly and strongly that the virus would be cleared before they could cause symptoms. It would be because they already know what to look for. It’s like having an army where you can tell by their uniforms that they’re bad guys,” Hollenback said.
HLA molecules present parts of the virus to immune effector cells for testing. The study used cells from individuals with HLA-B*15:01 who donated blood several years before the pandemic. The results showed that these people had memory T cells against specific particles of SARS-CoV-2. People who had never had any contact with SARS-CoV-2 had already been exposed to other viruses in some way and had developed an immune memory against particles from SARS-CoV-2.
Their immunological memory would elicit a much faster response and explain why those people remain asymptomatic. Still, it remained intriguing how they were able to develop immune memory against SARS-CoV-2 without ever being exposed to this virus.
cross-reactive immune response
“It is widely known that other types of coronaviruses have been causing seasonal colds for decades. We know that these people have been exposed to seasonal coronaviruses in the past and that somehow Alternatively, we hypothesized that people specifically carrying HLA-B*15:01 could rapidly kill cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 through a cross-reactive immune response. So even if the bad guys changed their uniforms, the military would be able to identify them by a tattoo on their boots or maybe an arm. That’s how our immunological memory works to keep us healthy. ” Augusto said.
After careful analysis of the genome sequences of all coronaviruses, this study found that this SARS-CoV-2 particle, recognized by HLA-B*15:01 in unexposed individuals, was It was shown to be very similar to particles. By presenting crystal structures and affinity assays, this study demonstrated that T cells from pre-pandemic individuals can discriminate between past coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 virus particles with equal efficiency. This means that these individuals have created immunological memory against previous coronaviruses, but because of the high similarity of this viral particle, memory T cells also recognize SARS-CoV-2 very quickly. can be killed.
Implications and future research
The results point to a mechanism for how individuals avoid illness caused by SARS-CoV-2, and the research group plans to continue learning about responses to the virus, which could lead to treatments for COVID-19. Your understanding of the law and vaccines will deepen.
For more information about this study, see “Uncovering the secrets of the COVID-19 ‘Super Dodgers’.” Reference: “Common alleles of” HLA Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection is Associated with .
Danilo G. Augusto, Lawton D. Murdlo, Demetra SM Chatzileontiadu, Joseph J. Sabatino Jr., and Tasneem Yousufari , Noah D. Peiser, Xochitl Butcher, Kelly Kaiser, Caroline Guthrie, Victoria by W. Murray, Vivian Pe, Sannidhi Sarvadavabatla, Fiona Beltran, Gurjot S. Gill, Carla L. Lynch, Cassandra Yun, Colin T. Maguire, Michael J. Peluso, Rebecca Ho, Timothy J. Henrik, Stephen G. Deeks, Michelle Davidson, Scott Lu, Sarah A. Goldberg, J. Daniel Kelly, Jeffrey N. Martin, Cynthia A. Vieira-Green, Stephen R. Spellman, David J. Langton, Michael J. Dewar-Aldiss, Corey Smith, Peter J. Bernard, Seulgi Lee, Gregory M. Marcus, Jeffrey M. E. Holguin, Mark J. Pletcher, Martin Myers, Stephanie Gras, Jill A. Hollenback, July 19, 2023, Nature.
Researchers have developed a new breakthrough in memory research by genetically modifying the LIMK1 protein and activating it with rapamycin. This innovative approach shows promise in the treatment of memory-related neuropsychiatric disorders and in the advancement of neurological research.
Researchers at the Catholic University of Rome’s Faculty of Medicine and Surgery and the A. Gemelli National Polyclinic Foundation IRCCS have developed an artificial protein that improves memory.
Neuroscientists at the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Catholic University of Rome and the Agostino Gemelli National Polikuri Foundation IRCCS genetically modified a molecule called LIMK1, a protein that normally operates in the brain and plays an important role in memory.
They added a “molecular switch” activated by administering rapamycin, a drug known for some anti-aging effects on the brain.
Collaborative research with important implications
This is the research result published in the journal scientific progressIt involves the Catholic University of Rome and the Agostino Gemelli National Polyclinic Foundation IRCCS. The study was coordinated by Claudio Grassi, full professor of physiology and chair of the neuroscience department.
This research was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and the U.S. government. Alzheimer’s disease The Association Foundation and the Italian Ministry of Health have great application potential by deepening our understanding of memory function and facilitating the identification of innovative solutions for neuropsychiatric diseases such as dementia.
Role of LIMK1 in memory processes
The LIMK1 protein plays an important role in determining structural changes in neurons, namely the formation of dendritic spines. Dendritic spines enhance information transmission in neural networks and are important for learning and memory processes.
Professor Claudio Grassi, senior author of the study, explains: “Memory is a complex process that involves changes in synapses, connections between neurons, in specific brain regions such as the hippocampus, a neural structure that plays an important role in memory formation.”
“This phenomenon, known as synaptic plasticity, involves changes in the structure and function of synapses that occur when neural circuits are activated, such as by sensory experiences. It promotes the activation of signal transduction pathways,” Professor Grassi added.
“Some of these proteins are particularly important for memory, and in fact, decreased expression or modification of these proteins is associated with changes in cognitive function. One of these proteins is LIMK1. The goal of our study was to control the activity of this protein, as it plays an important role in the maturation of dendritic spines. We have shown that controlling LIMK1 with drugs can promote synaptic plasticity. meaning that it can promote the physiological processes that depend on it,” Professor Grassi emphasizes.
Chemogenetic strategies: a new approach to memory enhancement
“The key to this innovative ‘chemogenetics’ strategy, which combines genetics and chemistry, is the use of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin,” said Christian Ripoli, associate professor of physiology at Catholic University and lead author of the study. It is precisely connected to this,” he added. The drug is known to increase life expectancy and have beneficial effects on the brain in preclinical models. ”
“We therefore modified the sequence of the LIMK1 protein by inserting a molecular switch that can activate it on command through the administration of rapamycin,” emphasizes Professor Lipoli.
“Using this gene therapy to modify the LIMK1 protein and activate it with a drug significantly improved memory in animals with age-related cognitive decline. This makes it possible to manipulate synaptic plasticity processes and memory in clinical conditions, and paves the way for the development of further “engineered” proteins that could revolutionize research and treatment in the field of neurology. ”, experts emphasize.
“The next step is to test the effectiveness of this treatment in experimental models of neurodegenerative diseases that exhibit memory impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Further research is also needed to validate the use of this technology in humans. “Professor Grassi concluded.
Reference: “Manipulation of memory by exogenous disordered kinases” Cristian Ripoli, Onur Dagliyan, Pietro Renna, Francesco Pastore, Fabiola Paciello, Raimondo Sollazzo, Marco Rinaudo, Martina Battistoni, Sara Martini, Antonella Tramutola, Andrea Sattin, Eugenio Barone, Takeo Written by Saneyoshi, Tommaso Ferrin, Yasunori Hayashi, Claudio Grassi, November 15, 2023, scientific progress. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh1110
A recent study presented at the 2023 American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions highlighted the link between mental health and cardiovascular disease. The study found that anxiety and depression can hasten the onset of cardiovascular risk factors, that cumulative stress scores are significantly associated with heart disease, and that mental health has a significant impact on heart health.
Two other studies presented at the same session also linked mental health and heart health, showing that depression and anxiety may accelerate the development of cardiovascular risk factors and critical events. According to one study conducted in Boston, people with a higher genetic susceptibility to stress developed cardiovascular risk factors at a younger age than those without the genetic marker. A separate Dallas-based study found that accumulated stress contributes to negative health behaviors such as smoking, leading to worsened cardiovascular health.
The American Heart Association emphasizes that mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress increase the risk of poor heart health. Two new studies have found that a person’s mental state may affect their health to a greater extent than previously thought.
One study examined the mechanisms by which mental state affects heart health, finding that depression and anxiety accelerate the development of new cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers found that people with depression or anxiety developed new risk factors on average six months earlier than those without mental health conditions, and were at a higher risk for major cardiovascular events. Another study showed that cumulative stress scores were significantly associated with increased risks of atherosclerosis and overall cardiovascular disease.
Researchers encouraged more frequent screenings for cardiovascular risk factors in people with depression and anxiety, and suggested that treatment for these mental health conditions may reduce the acceleration of cardiovascular risk factors.
The two studies presented at the 2023 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions underscore the interdependence of mental and heart health, and emphasize the need for proactive care for mental health conditions in order to improve overall heart health.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
