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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 2, 2025 at 9:50am

Scientists shrink the genetic code of E. coli to contain only 57 of its usual 64 codons

The DNA of nearly all life on Earth contains many redundancies, and scientists have long wondered whether these redundancies served a purpose or if they were just leftovers from evolutionary processes. Both DNA and RNA contain codons, which are sequences of three nucleotides that either provide information about how to form a protein with a specific amino acid or tell the cell to stop (a stop signal) during protein synthesis.

Altogether, there are 64 possible codon combinations and these combinations are nearly universal for all life on Earth. But some codons are redundant. There are only 20 amino acids available for a cell to work with, and 61 of the 64 codons are available for protein synthesis, while 3 are used as stop signals. This makes for a lot of redundancy in codons.

Some studies suggest that these redundancies might help prevent mutations in DNA, but reducing the genetic code of certain organisms by removing unnecessary parts can also be beneficial. In 2019, a group of scientists reduced the genome of E. coli to 61 codons from 64 by making 18,214 changes. They called the resulting version Syn61 and this virus-resistant version is being used to create more reliable drugs and for manufacturing novel materials.

Now, another group of scientists, some of whom worked on Syn61, have managed to further reduce the genetic code of E. coli down to 57 codons, making Syn57. They recently published their work in Science.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 1:36pm

COVID and flu can ‘wake up’ cancer
Common respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 or flu can awaken dormant cancer cells in mice. When a tumour grows, some cells can detach, travel round the body and ‘hide’ in tissues such as the lungs after treatment. Researchers found that the release of an immune molecule called interleukin-6, triggered by respiratory illnesses, wakes up these dormant cells — but only for a short time. This means that the infections do not directly cause cancer, but make it more likely that a future threat could revive the disease.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09332-0?utm_source=Live+...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 1:34pm

Microplastics Alter Predator Preferences of Prey through Associative Learning

Exposure to microplastics can give roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) a taste for plastic-contaminated food.

When given the choice of plastic-laced or uncontaminated food, worms initially opted for the cleaner option. But after a few generations of worms were exposed to contaminated food, they developed an attraction to contaminated food. This behavior wasn’t seen in mutated worms that had a learning deficit, meaning that the preference for plastic was probably learned and passed down across generations.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00492

Exposure to microplastic makes animals want to eat it more

Over multiple generations, small nematode worms began preferring microplastic-contaminated food over cleaner options, which could have consequences for ecosystem health

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2488923-exposure-to-microplast...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 12:19pm

Changes in diet drove physical evolution in early humans

As early humans spread from lush African forests into grasslands, their need for ready sources of energy led them to develop a taste for grassy plants, especially grains and the starchy plant tissue hidden underground.

But a new study  shows that hominins began feasting on these carbohydrate-rich foods before they had the ideal teeth to do so. The study provides the first evidence from the human fossil record of behavioral drive, wherein behaviors beneficial for survival emerge before the physical adaptations that make it easier, the researchers report in Science.

The study authors analyzed fossilized hominin teeth for carbon and oxygen isotopes left behind from eating plants known as graminoids, which include grasses and sedges. They found that ancient humans gravitated toward consuming these plants far earlier than their teeth evolved to chew them efficiently. It was not until 700,000 years later that evolution finally caught up, in the form of longer molars like those that let modern humans easily chew tough plant fibers.

The findings suggest that the success of early humans stemmed from their ability to adapt to new environments despite their physical limitations.

Isotope analysis overcomes the enduring challenge of identifying the factors that caused the emergence of new behaviors—behavior doesn't fossilize.

Anthropologists often assume behaviors on the basis of morphological traits, but these traits can take a long time—a half-million years or more––to appear in the fossil record.

These chemical signatures are an unmistakable remnant of grass-eating that is independent of morphology. They show a significant lag between this novel feeding behavior and the need for longer molar teeth to meet the physical challenge of chewing and digesting tough plant tissues.

 Luke D. Fannin et al, Behavior drives morphological change during human evolution, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.ado2359. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado2359.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 12:03pm

Where did potatoes come from? Scientists answer this question in a new research work

Modern-day potato originated from hybridization event with tomatoes 9 million years ago, study reveals

An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato.

In a study published in the journal Cell, researchers suggest this ancient evolutionary event triggered the formation of the tuber, the enlarged underground structure that stores nutrients found in plants like potatoes, yams, and taros.

These findings show how a hybridization event between species can spark the evolution of new traits, allowing even more species to emerge. 

As one of the world's most important crops, the potato's origin had long puzzled scientists. In appearance, modern potato plants are almost identical to three potato-like species from Chile called Etuberosum. But these plants do not carry tubers. Based on phylogenetic analysis, potato plants are more closely related to tomatoes.

To solve this contradiction, researchers analyzed 450 genomes from cultivated potatoes and 56 of the wild potato species.

They found that every potato species contained a stable, balanced mix of genetic material from both Etuberosum and tomato plants, suggesting that potatoes originated from an ancient hybridization between the two.

While Etuberosum and tomatoes are distinct species, they shared a common ancestor about 14 million years ago. Even after diverging for about 5 million years, they were able to interbreed and gave rise to the earliest potato plants with tubers around 9 million years ago.

The team also traced the origins of the potato's key tuber-forming genes, which are a combination of genetic material from each parent. They found the SP6A gene, which acts like a master switch that tells the plant when to start making tubers, came from the tomato side of the family. Another important gene called IT1, which helps control growth of the underground stems that form tubers, came from the Etuberosum side. Without either piece, the hybrid offspring would be incapable of producing tubers.

This evolutionary innovation coincided with the rapid uplift of the Andes mountains, a period when new ecological environments were emerging. With a tuber to store nutrients underground, early potatoes were able to quickly adapt to the changing environment, surviving harsh weather in the mountains.

 Ancient hybridization underlies tuberization and radiation of the potato lineage, Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.06.034. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00736-6

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 9:36am

Car tires are polluting the environment and killing salmon

In the 1990s, scientists restoring streams around Seattle, Wash., noticed that returning coho salmon were dying after rainstorms. The effects were immediate: the fish swam in circles, gasping at the surface, then died in a few hours. Over the next several decades, researchers chipped away at the problem until in 2020 they discovered the culprit: a chemical called 6PPD-quinone that forms when its parent compound, a tire additive called 6PPD, reacts with ozone.

6PPD-quinone kills coho salmon at extraordinarily low concentrations, making it one of the most toxic substances to an aquatic species that scientists have ever found.

Today, a growing body of evidence shows that tire additives and their transformation products, including 6PPD-quinone, are contaminating ecosystems and showing up in people.

Now,  the researchers who made that initial discovery are calling for international regulation of these chemicals to protect people and the environment.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00453

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 1, 2025 at 9:21am

Using a fan can make older adults hotter in a dry heat

Research has found that older adults using an electric fan at 38 °C and 60% relative humidity experienced a modest fall in core temperature and greater comfort. Fan use at 45 °C and 15% relative humidity raised core temperature and increased discomfort.

CDC guidance warns against fan use above 32 °C because of concerns that added airflow could speed heat gain in vulnerable groups. Modeling studies and small laboratory trials have hinted that airflow may help when humidity is high, but effects at very high temperatures in older adults have remained uncertain. Older individuals face elevated heat-related morbidity, creating an urgent need for practical, low-cost cooling ideas.

In the study, "Thermal and Perceptual Responses of Older Adults With Fan Use in Heat Extremes," published in JAMA Network Open, researchers performed a secondary analysis of a randomized crossover clinical trial to test how fan use and skin wetting influence core temperature, sweating, and thermal perception during extreme-heat exposures.

Study investigators conclude that electric fans can serve as a safe, low-cost cooling option for older adults during hot, humid weather at 38 °C, but should be avoided in very hot, dry conditions. Simple skin wetting offers an additional means to manage heat stress while limiting dehydration. Public health agencies may use these findings to refine summer heat-safety messages for seniors.

Georgia K. Chaseling et al, Thermal and Perceptual Responses of Older Adults With Fan Use in Heat Extremes, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.23810

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2025 at 12:14pm

Just now I received this information from the initiators of this Prize and I am sharing this with the followers of this network

₹20 Crore National Science Prizes Launched to Champion India’s Leading Scientific Talent

 

• The initiative was announced by Catalyst funder, Blockchain for Impact, under the aegis of Sandeep Nailwal Academy
• It seeks to incentivize high-impact scientific research and honour distinguished innovators across disciplines, supporting India’s strategic commitment to fostering a robust and globally competitive research ecosystem.

 

New Delhi, 30 July 2025, Wednesday: In a pivotal initiative to strengthen India’s scientific research landscape, Blockchain For Impact, a catalyst funder and non-profit, has today announced the launch of National Science Prizes, with a total allocation of ₹20 crore. These prestigious awards are designed to incentivize groundbreaking research and celebrate exceptional contributions by scientists and innovators across diverse disciplines for India. By recognizing excellence and fostering a culture of innovation, the initiative supports the nation’s strategic commitment to advancing science and technology as key drivers of economic and societal progress.

Established by Sandeep Nailwal,  a young tech entrepreneur, innovator, and philanthropist - the National Science Prizes reflect his deep commitment to advancing India’s scientific potential and his steadfast intent to give back to the nation.

The awards will be distributed across the following categories ; the Lifetime Achievement Award to two distinguished individuals for their profound contributions to science and health, with each receiving Rs 25 lakh; the Sandeep Nailwal India First Award, supporting three Indian-origin or global researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators relocating to India to scale solutions in biomedical science or public health, each granted Rs 2.5 crore; the Sandeep Nailwal Award for Global Excellence, given to two individuals whose work has globally reshaped biomedical research and public health, with each awarded Rs 5 crore; and the Sandeep Nailwal Award for Young Indian Scientist Award, recognizing two biomedical scientists, public health pioneers, and cross-sector changemakers under 40 who have built transformative solutions, each receiving Rs 50 lakh.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2025 at 9:16am

Deepest-known animal communities found nearly 10 km below sea in Mariana Trench

A submersible has discovered thousands of worms and mollusks nearly 10 kilometers (six miles) below sea level in the Mariana Trench, the deepest colony of creatures ever observed, a study revealed this week.

The discovery in Earth's deepest underwater valley suggests that there could be much more life thriving in the hostile conditions at the bottom of our planet's largely unexplored oceans than previously thought,  scientists said.

The study marked "the discovery of the deepest and the most extensive chemosynthesis-based communities known to exist on Earth.

The researchers who conducted this study  said they also found "compelling evidence" that methane was being produced by microbes, with the tubeworms tending to cluster around microbial mats that resemble snow.

Xiaotong Peng et al, Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09317-z

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on July 31, 2025 at 9:07am

Anticipation of a virtual infectious pathogen is enough to prompt real biological defenses

Researchers  report that neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response through activation of innate lymphoid cells.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a type of immune cell crucial for early immune responses. They do not rely on antigen recognition like adaptive immune cells but respond quickly and effectively to various inflammatory signals and pathogen-associated cues, playing an essential role in early defense.

Protecting the body from pathogens typically involves a multitude of responses after actual contact. An anticipatory biological immune reaction to an infection had not been previously demonstrated.

In the study, "Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response," published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers designed a multisensory experiment to test whether human brains could anticipate potential infections through virtual reality (VR) and initiate early immune system reactions.

Participants in the experiments conducted exposed to infectious avatars showed an expansion of peripersonal space (PPS) effects, measurable as faster reaction times to tactile stimulation even at farther avatar distances. EEG analyses, performed on a separate group of 32 participants, revealed anticipatory neural responses in multisensory-motor areas and activation within the salience network, particularly the anterior insula and medial prefrontal cortex.

ILCs were significantly modulated in frequency and activation by virtual infections, resembling immune reactions to real pathogens, assessed through comparison with an influenza vaccine cohort. Specifically, both virtual and real infections induced decreases in ILC1s and increases in ILC2s and ILC precursors, indicative of active immune mobilization.

Researchers concluded that the human immune system activates not only after physical contact but also when infection threats breach the functional boundary of body-environment interaction, represented by PPS. This anticipatory neuro-immune mechanism would have advantages, enabling rapid responses to potential infections, even in virtual contexts.

Sara Trabanelli et al, Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response, Nature Neuroscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02008-y

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