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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 1 hour ago

Research measures how much plastic is lethal for marine life

Marine animals inevitably eat what we put deliberately or unintentionally in the ocean, including pervasive plastics—but how much is too much?

The bar is low, according to a new study out this week: less than three sugar cubes worth could kill birds like Atlantic puffins, for example.

That threshold "is much smaller than scientists expected". 

The paper, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, saw researchers analyze necropsies from more than 10,000 animals in a bid to model how different types of plastic can affect marine life, and at what point the dose turns lethal.

Scientists pulled the necropsy results from dozens of studies and other databases across the globe, using data in which cause of death and plastic consumption information was known. The animals generally were stranded on beaches or otherwise incidentally caught.

Researchers modeled the relationship between plastics ingested and likelihood of death, according to total pieces consumed as well as the volume eaten relative to the size of the animal's digestive tract.

They also examined how different types of plastic affect different types of animals. Seabirds, for instance, were particularly impacted by rubber and hard plastics.

Just six pieces, each smaller than a pea, were 90% likely to cause death in those birds, according to the study.

Sea turtles faced considerable risk from soft plastics like bags.

Those items were also especially deadly for marine mammals, as was fishing gear.

What is worse is half of the individual animals were from species listed as threatened, vulnerable or endangered.

Murphy, Erin L., A quantitative risk assessment framework for mortality due to macroplastic ingestion in seabirds, marine mammals, and sea turtles, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415492122. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2415492122

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

Lab-grown diamond coatings shown to prevent mineral scale in industrial pipes

Lab-grown diamond coatings, particularly those with nitrogen-terminated surfaces, significantly reduce mineral scale formation in industrial pipes by creating a water barrier that inhibits mineral ion attachment. These coatings outperform traditional treatments, are durable, and can be applied cost-effectively, offering broad potential for water and energy systems.

Xiang Zhang et al, Nitrogen-Terminated Diamond Films for Antiscaling Coatings, ACS Nano (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c13554

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

COVID vaccine tech could limit snakebite venom damage

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines could help prevent muscle damage from snakebites, according to a study published in Trends in Biotechnology.

Scientists tested whether mRNA technology could be used to protect against the damage caused by the venom of the Bothrops asper snake, found in Central and South America. This snake's venom destroys muscle tissue, often leaving victims with permanent disabilities even after receiving standard treatment.

The research team wrapped specific mRNA molecules in tiny fat particles that, when injected into muscle, teach cells to produce protective antibodies, preventing venom damage. The treatment could significantly limit the injury and impacts caused by snakebites, which kill around 140,000 people worldwide and cause 400,000 permanent disabilities each year.

For the first time, the scientists have shown that mRNA technology can protect muscle tissue from snake venom-induced damage. This opens a completely new door for treating snakebites, particularly the local injuries that current antivenoms struggle to prevent.

Trends in Biotechnology (2025). doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2025.10.017

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

Cooperative mammals show lower cancer rates than solitary, competitive species

Cancer is a common disease among mammals, but some species, such as the naked mole rat and elephants, have evolved resistance. According to new research published in the journal Science Advances, this may be because these animals care for one another and have interdependent social lives.

Cancer is a disease of the cells, primarily caused by uncontrolled cell growth that leads to malignant tumors. The conventional view is that this is a mistake of biology, a byproduct of living long enough to accumulate mutations. However, this latest study turns that on its head by suggesting that higher cancer rates in later life may be an evolved trait that benefits the species even if it comes at the expense of the individual.

Researchers analyzed public databases to look for correlations between cancer risk and how mammals live. They discovered that cancer rates were particularly high in species that generally live alone, fight for resources and raise large litters of young. But in gregarious species that live in groups, are cooperative and caring and raise small litters, the cancer risk was much lower.

"Species with higher intraspecific competition display higher cancer prevalence and mortality risk than gregarious species with cooperative and caring habits, even if they are carnivorous," write the researchers in their research paper.

To explain the difference in cancer risk between solitary and social species, the team developed a mathematical model to test a concept known as the Hydra Effect. This is a counterintuitive phenomenon in which an increase in a species' death rate leads to a rise in its population size. The name comes from the mythological creature that grew two heads for each head it lost.

In this study, the scientists used their model to examine how the death of older, less reproductive individuals would affect the entire group, depending on whether the species was cooperative or competitive.

The model showed that in competitive species, older individuals consumed food and territory without actively reproducing. But when they were removed from the population, it freed up resources, allowing younger animals of reproductive age to reproduce more successfully and the population to grow. In other words, cancer clears out older competitors to make way for the fertile young.

When it comes to cooperative species, the model showed that this cooperation blocks the Hydra Effect. Older animals are important helpers that care for the young and defend the group, so killing them off with cancer would put the survival of the next generation at risk.

If the research is correct and cancer is not just a genetic lottery, understanding the cooperative lifestyles of cancer-resistant mammals could give us new strategies for healthier aging and cancer prevention.

 Catalina Sierra et al, Coevolution of cooperative lifestyles and reduced cancer prevalence in mammals, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw0685

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

Macrophage-killing bacterial toxin weakens the gut's defenses against ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the most common inflammatory bowel diseases, a lifelong condition that can cause chronic inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the large intestine. This can lead to symptoms such as rectal pain and bleeding, and persistent diarrhea. It is thought to be an autoimmune disease, but exactly what triggers it is still being investigated.

However, a team of researchers has now discovered a bacterial toxin that destroys key immune cells that protect the gut, which may explain how the disease takes hold. The study is published in the journal Science.

Previous research has shown that macrophages, a type of immune cell that helps eliminate foreign substances (like pathogens and debris), are crucial for protecting the gut barrier and preventing inflammation. The team's analysis of tissue samples now revealed that these defenders were largely absent from the protective layer just beneath the colon's surface in UC patients.

To test their theory that something must be actively destroying gut macrophages, the scientists first studied fecal samples from people with UC and healthy individuals. They found a potent substance called aerolysin. This toxin, produced by bacteria of the Aeromonas genus, was found in 72% of samples from UC patients, compared with 12% of healthy individuals.

Aerolysin kills target cells by punching holes in their outer membrane, leading to rapid cell death. Because this toxin is so effective at killing protective immune cells, the study authors dubbed the specific aerolysin-producing strain macrophage-toxic bacteria (MTB).

To see if this bacterium and its toxin were responsible, the researchers infected mice models that had chemically induced colitis with MTB. As a result, symptoms such as weight loss, bleeding and ulcers worsened. When they introduced a genetically engineered version of the bacterium that could not produce aerolysin, there was no worsening of colitis. A final step was administering anti-aerolysin antibodies into MTB-infected mice, which relieved symptoms.

These findings highlight how microbes may contribute to UC pathogenesis and suggest that targeting bacterial virulence factors could be a therapeutic strategy for UC.

Zhihui Jiang et al, An Aeromonas variant that produces aerolysin promotes susceptibility to ulcerative colitis, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adz4712

Sonia Modilevsky et al, A bacterial toxin disarms gut defenses against inflammation, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.aec7924

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Too much sitting can harm balance and walking, even in young adults

A new study  shows that too much sitting and too little physical activity can weaken balance and walking ability, even in healthy young adults. The research, published in Applied Sciences, highlights why moving more and sitting less is important for long-term mobility and everyday safety.

The results of the study  showed clear differences among activity levels. People who were more active and spent less time sitting had stronger balance and better control while walking, especially when turning. Those who sat for long periods but still exercised regularly showed that physical activity could lessen some of the negative effects of sitting. However, people who sat a lot and moved very little had the weakest balance and the least stable walking patterns.

Kwadwo O. Appiah-Kubi et al, Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior Negatively Impact Postural Balance and Gait, Applied Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/app152212058

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Too much sitting can harm balance and walking, even in young adults

A new study  shows that too much sitting and too little physical activity can weaken balance and walking ability, even in healthy young adults. The research, published in Applied Sciences, highlights why moving more and sitting less is important for long-term mobility and everyday safety.

The results of the study  showed clear differences among activity levels. People who were more active and spent less time sitting had stronger balance and better control while walking, especially when turning. Those who sat for long periods but still exercised regularly showed that physical activity could lessen some of the negative effects of sitting. However, people who sat a lot and moved very little had the weakest balance and the least stable walking patterns.

Kwadwo O. Appiah-Kubi et al, Physical Inactivity and Sedentary Behavior Negatively Impact Postural Balance and Gait, Applied Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3390/app152212058

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Lion roar could help protect the big cats

A new study has found African lions produce not one, but two distinct types of roars—a discovery set to transform wildlife monitoring and conservation efforts.

Researchers  have identified a previously unclassified "intermediary roar" alongside the famous full-throated roar. The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, used artificial intelligence to automatically differentiate between lion roars for the first time. This new approach had a 95.4% accuracy and significantly reduced human bias to improve the identification of individual lions.

Lion roars are not just iconic—they are unique signatures that can be used to estimate population sizes and monitor individual animals. Until now, identifying these roars relied heavily on expert judgment, introducing potential human bias. Now  new approach using AI promises more accurate and less subjective monitoring, which is crucial for conservationists working to protect dwindling lion populations.

The study establishes that a lion's roaring bout contains both a full-throated roar and a newly named intermediary roar, challenging the long-held belief that only one roar type existed. These findings echo similar advances in the study of other large carnivores, such as spotted hyenas, and highlight the growing potential of bioacoustics in ecological research.

Researchers used advanced machine learning techniques and by implementing this automated, data-driven approach to classify full-throated roars, the team improved the ability to distinguish individual lions. The new process simplifies passive acoustic monitoring, making it more accessible and reliable compared to traditional methods like camera traps or spoor surveys.

Roar Data: Redefining a lion's roar using machine learning, Ecology and Evolution (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.72474

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

According to the new findings, magma with a low gas content that seems not to be explosive could nevertheless lead to a powerful explosion if a large number of bubbles form due to pronounced shear and the magma therefore shoots upwards quickly.

Conversely, shear forces can also cause bubbles to develop and combine at an early stage in gas-rich and potentially explosive magma, leading to the formation of degassing channels in the magma that bring the gas pressure down.

Therefore, it can be explained why some viscous magmas flow out gently instead of exploding, despite their high gas content—a riddle that's been puzzling us for a long time.

Olivier Roche et al, Shear-induced bubble nucleation in magmas, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adw8543

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Why some volcanoes don't explode

The explosiveness of a volcanic eruption depends on how many gas bubbles form in the magma—and when. Until now, it was thought that gas bubbles were formed primarily when the ambient pressure dropped while the magma was rising.

Gases that were dissolved in the magma in lower strata—due to the higher pressure—escape when the pressure drops and form bubbles. The more bubbles there are in the magma, the lighter it becomes and the faster it rises. This can cause the magma to tear apart, leading to an explosive eruption.

This process can be likened to a bottle of champagne: while the bottle is closed and therefore pressurized, the carbon dioxide remains in solution. When the cork is removed from the bottle, the pressure drops and the carbon dioxide forms bubbles. These bubbles draw the liquid upwards with them and cause it to spray out of the bottle explosively.

However, this explanation is incomplete—because the lava from some volcanoes

has sometimes flowed out gently despite the presence of highly explosive magma with a high gas content. Now, an international research team has provided a new explanation for this riddle, which has puzzled volcanologists for a long time.

In an article in the journal Science, researchers show that gas bubbles can form in the rising magma not only due to a drop in pressure but also due to shear forces. If these gas bubbles grow deep in the volcanic conduit, they can combine with one another and therefore form degassing channels. Gas can then escape at an early stage, and the magma flows out calmly.

The experiments showed that the movement in the magma due to shear forces is sufficient to form gas bubbles—even without a drop in pressure.

The researchers' experiments show that bubbles are formed primarily near the edges of the conduit, where the shear forces are strongest. Existing bubbles further strengthen this effect.

The more gas the magma contains, the less shear is needed for bubble formation and bubble growth.

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