Comment

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 1 hour ago

• Teyton A, et al. Examining the relationship between extreme temperature, microclimat.... Environ Epidemiol. 2023;7(3):e252.
• Ratter-Rieck JM, et al. Diabetes and climate change: current evidence and implications for .... Diabetologia. 2023;66:1003-1015.
• Argano C, et al. The role of vitamin D and its molecular bases in insulin resistance.... Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(20):15485.
• Hanssen MJW, et al. Short-term cold acclimation improves insulin sensitivity in patient... Nat Med. 2015;21:863-865.
• Booth GL, et al. Influence of environmental temperature on risk of gestational diabetes. CMAJ. 2017;189(19):E682-E689.
• Mbepera SM, et al. Heat stress induces oxidative stress and predisposes rats to gestat.... J Biol Life Sci. 2023;14(2):90-102.
• Horcas-Martín M, et al. Polyhydramnios at term in gestational diabetes: Should we be concer... Children. 2025;12(7):920.
• Part 3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 1 hour ago

1. Plows JF, et al. The pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(11):3342.
2. Sweeting A, et al. Epidemiology and management of gestational diabetes.Lancet. 2024;404(10448):336-348.
3. Mohan V, et al. Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in India: The ICMR-INDI.... Indian J Med Res. 2025.
4. Chakraborty A, Yadav S. Prevalence and determinants of gestational diabetes mellitus among .... BMC Women’s Health. 2024;24(1):147.
5. Granés L, et al. Cumulative daily exposure to high temperature increases gestational.... Nat Health. 2026.
6. Zhang J, et al. The effect of ambient temperature in pregnancy on the risk of gesta.... Int J Biometeorol. 2026;70(64).
7. Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 1 hour ago

Extreme Heat May Be Raising the Risk of Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a condition in which hormones produced by the placenta make the body less responsive to insulin, which leads to an inability to control blood sugar levels during pregnancy. When GDM goes unmanaged, it can increase the risk of complications such as preterm birth, preeclampsia, and stillbirth
Studies from around the world suggest prolonged heat exposure during pregnancy can disrupt blood sugar regulation, increasing the risk of gestational diabetes.
A growing body of research shows that climate change-driven extreme heat may be increasing the risk of GDM. Studies from around the world are also pointing to critical windows of vulnerability, suggesting that rising temperatures may be shaping maternal health in overlooked ways. Emerging evidence suggests GDM may be shaped not just by biology, but by the environment too.
Recent studies suggest that prolonged heat exposure during pregnancy can carry an increased risk of developing GDM.
Some studies suggest that the timing of heat exposure during pregnancy also matters. In eastern China, an analysis of over 3,000 pregnancies revealed that when temperatures climbed above 25°C, the risk of GDM increased most sharply between the 13th and 18th weeks of pregnancy, with a clear peak around week 16.6 Wider gaps between daytime and night time temperatures further raised the risk.

Researchers have observed similar patterns in larger populations. In southern California, they analyzed almost 396,000 health records over more than a decade. Extreme heat between the 11th and 16th weeks of pregnancy was associated with a higher GDM risk, while extreme low temperatures between the 20th and 24th weeks also increased the risk. The team found that these effects varied by location, with local factors such as greenness, tree cover, built surfaces, and land temperature either amplifying or reducing the risk.

As the evidence builds around the link between heat and GDM, scientists are also identifying the biological mechanisms behind this association.
High temperatures may make the body less responsive to insulin, which can lead to insulin resistance.”8 This makes it difficult for the body to move sugar out of the bloodstream and into cells, causing blood sugar levels to rise. In hot conditions, the body also sends more blood toward the skin to release heat. This can affect how the body regulates glucose, though the exact mechanisms are still being studied.

Some effects may be indirect. During extreme heat, people tend to stay indoors, which can reduce their vitamin D levels. Vitamin D supports the body’s response to insulin, helping cells take up glucose from the bloodstream and regulate blood sugar levels. Heat exposure can also stress the body, triggering low-grade inflammation, which can interfere with how the body responds to insulin.
Epidemiological studies have also linked higher temperatures to increased rates of prediabetes, diabetes, and insulin resistance.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

The arXiv announcement doesn't come out against AI use, but rather says, "If a submission contains incontrovertible evidence that the authors did not check the results of LLM generation, this means we can't trust anything in the paper."

This may be true as far as it goes. But the penalty—a year-long ban for all authors listed on a paper—may be out of keeping with current research practices.

In the past, research was often carried out by people working alone or in groups of two or three. In these circumstances, it seems reasonable to expect each author to take responsibility for the whole.

But research is now more collaborative than ever before. Many papers have four or five authors, and in a growing number of extreme cases papers may be credited to groups of hundreds of scientists working together, each working on their own specialty and trusting their colleagues to be doing the same.

In a case where one author of dozens or hundreds included an AI-hallucinated reference in their part of the paper, banning the lot seems harsh.

And there are no equivalent sanctions for publishing other problematic material. There's no ban for pushing fringe or discredited theories, or using poor quality evidence and illogical arguments, for example.
The rise of AI produces problems for publishers and quality assurance. And the idea of some kind of sanctions for reckless use of AI, such as included hallucinated references, is a good one.

original article.

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

A key science publishing platform is cracking down on AI slop

AI-generated text is on the rise everywhere. A study released last week suggests half of new articles published online are now "primarily AI-generated."
Science is not immune to this trend. Last month, the journal Organization Science published a study of how the rise of AI has affected submissions and peer reviews since the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Reporting a dramatic rise in submitted papers and a drop in quality, the authors conclude that "the current state of AI tools, amplified by existing publish-or-perish incentives, appears to be pushing the system toward an equilibrium of more rather than better research."
A common problem in AI-generated research writing is hallucinated citations: references to other research that does not exist.

The traditional safeguard against poor quality in scholarly publishing is peer review: another expert in the subject at hand reads the research paper and interrogates the work behind it before it can be published.

However, the peer review system was already struggling before AI. Pressured researchers often have little time or incentive to do the unpaid work of peer review.

And on arXiv, which publishes preprints—articles which have most often not been peer-reviewed—even this system is not available. Last year, flooded with AI-generated submissions, the site stopped accepting certain types of article.

A study published in January (itself a preprint) estimated around 1 in 8 papers in biomedical science now contain AI-generated text.

Most researchers would agree that AI-generated text is not a problem in itself. The problem is the lower-quality work that AI can make easy to produce.
Part 1

The pre-print website arXiv has announced that researchers who put their names to papers which included errors clearly generated by artificial intelligence (AI) will face a year-long ban and ongoing restrictions.

arXiv has implemented a year-long ban for authors submitting papers with clear, unchecked AI-generated errors, responding to a surge in low-quality, AI-generated research. While AI-generated text itself is not inherently problematic, its ease of use has led to increased submission volume and decreased quality, including issues like hallucinated citations. Critics argue that blanket penalties may be disproportionate, especially in large collaborations, and suggest that AI tools could instead be leveraged to enhance quality control and peer review processes.
The move is a response to a growing influx of AI-generated papers faced by scholarly journals as well as sites such as arXiv, which serve as unofficial platforms for research publication ahead of peer review.

However, not everyone agrees that arXiv's response to the problem is appropriate—and the solution to the flood of AI slop research may involve more AI, not less.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 2 hours ago

A mop, a broom and a calmer mind. Why some find mental health benefits in everyday tasks

It can be tempting to dismiss housework as drudgery, so dreaded or anxiety-inducing that it's best delegated to others if at all possible.
But experts from Zen monks to psychologists say there are mental health benefits to be found in such manual chores as sweeping, mopping and clearing away clutter. These tasks can encourage mindfulness or permit the mind to wander, all while producing a concrete sense of achievement in accomplishing the basic tasks of daily life.

As one famous Zen saying goes:

"Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water."
Zen apprentices, or "unsui" monks, spend much of their time cleaning and tidying.

The monks sweep dust to remove worldly desires. They scrub dirt to free themselves of attachments!
A clinical psychologist based in Greenwich, Connecticut, agrees and confirms that the process of cleaning can be calming and almost meditative.
There is a link between mental health and the act of cleaning!
Repetitive, physical activities like cleaning can be regulating for the nervous system because they're predictable, structured and give a clear sense of completion. That gives people a feeling of control and grounding.
Plus, you can immediately see the result of what you've done, which can be satisfying in a way that many cognitive or emotional tasks aren't.

In a clean space, even if the person who cleaned it is not there, you can feel their consideration and awareness. This awareness creates a sense of peace and safety, similar to why sacred spaces feel different from the busy streets.

Source: News agencies

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 3 hours ago

Human cells can exchange genomic DNA that alters cell behavior
Large fragments of genomic DNA can transfer directly between human cells via nanotubes, become incorporated into recipient cell genomes, and remain biologically active, altering cell behaviour. The DNA can persist and change how the recipient cell functions. This process occurs between different cell types and challenges the view that human cell genomes evolve independently, with potential implications for understanding genome evolution and disease mechanisms such as cancer.
A study conducted by researchers shows DNA damage and errors in cell division can cause pieces of genomic DNA to escape from the nucleus and move into nearby cells through nanotubes—thin, tubelike structures that briefly form when some cells come into contact.

Once inside a recipient cell, transferred DNA can enter the nucleus and become incorporated into the cell's genome. Researchers found that transferred DNA persisted through multiple rounds of cell division, remained biologically active, and conferred new traits to recipient cells.
Using advanced live-cell microscopy, the team observed DNA moving from one cell to another. In one experiment, pieces of the Y chromosome transferred from male cells into female cells. The transferred DNA carried male-specific genes that became active in the female cells, indicating the transferred DNA remained functional after entering the recipient cell.
Researchers also observed DNA transfer between different types of human cells.

Elizabeth G. Maurais et al, Genome instability triggers intercellular DNA transfer between human cells, Cell (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2026.04.041

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 4 hours ago

Urban life makes animals bolder, more aggressive across 133 species, analysis finds

A global analysis has found that urban animals are bolder and more aggressive, exploratory and active than their rural counterparts.

Urban animals across 133 species exhibit increased boldness, aggression, exploration, and activity compared to rural counterparts, with effects most pronounced in birds. These behavioural shifts may elevate risks of human-wildlife conflict and zoonotic disease transmission. Data are limited for non-avian taxa, highlighting the need for broader research and consideration of animal behaviour in urban planning.

Global meta-analysis reveals urban-associated behavioral differences among wild populations, Journal of Animal Ecology (2026). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.70269

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 4 hours ago

Scientists solved 200-year-old puzzle of how tobacco plants make nicotine

Scientists have uncovered how tobacco plants naturally make nicotine, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two centuries. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, could lead to safer production of medicines and vaccines using tobacco plants, without the unwanted nicotine.

The biosynthetic pathway for nicotine in tobacco plants has been elucidated, identifying the missing genes and enzymes, including NaGR and NicGS, responsible for assembling nicotine from two metabolic precursors. Nicotine biosynthesis involves an initial attachment to a glucose molecule, which is removed in the final step, explaining previous difficulties in tracing the process. This knowledge enables the potential removal or modification of nicotine in tobacco used for pharmaceutical production.
Scientists have now discovered the missing genes and enzyme that tobacco plants need to make nicotine, and recreated the process in the lab and inside living plants, proving how it works.

Benjamin T. W. Schwabe et al, Nicotine biosynthesis is completed by cryptic activating glucosylation, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72705-0

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa 4 hours ago

A de-extinction company has hatched live chicks from an artificial eggshell

A biotech company that aims to resurrect lost creatures said this week it has hatched live chicks in an artificial environment—a development that was met with mixed reviews from scientists and critics of its de-extinction mission.

Twenty-six baby chickens—ranging from a few days to several months old—were born from a 3D printed lattice structure that mimics an eggshell, according to Colossal Biosciences.

Colossal previously announced it had genetically engineered living animals to resemble extinct species, including mice with long hair like the woolly mammoth and wolf pups that take after dire wolves.

Independent scientists say the technology, while impressive, lacks some components to be truly considered an artificial egg. And they said the idea of reviving extinct beasts is likely impossible.

To hatch the chicks, Colossal scientists poured fertilized eggs into the artificial system and placed them in an incubator. They also added calcium, which is normally absorbed from the eggshell, and imaged the embryos' development and growth in real-time.

Scientists say Colossal has designed an artificial eggshell with a membrane that allows the right amount of oxygen to get in, just like a real egg. But other components of an egg—like temporary organs that form to nourish and stabilize the growing chick and remove waste—weren't included.

That's not an artificial egg because they have poured in all the other parts that make it an egg. It's an artificial eggshell.

Source: News Agencies

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