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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 27, 2025 at 9:37am

Slowing food spoilage without chemicals: Natural tree sap gum and light extend fruit shelf life

Recent studies  have used a natural tree sap gum and light to extend the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables to combat food waste.

Researchers used edible coatings made from gum Arabic or acacia gum enriched with extracts from native Australian plants to stop the growth of spoilage causing microorganisms.

The research team also used light and curcumin, a compound extracted from turmeric, to deactivate fungal spores on food.

 Both methods were found to be effective in keeping food fresh for longer.

This was mostly due to the organic acids and phenolic compounds found in the aqueous extracts of plants like Cape York lilly pilly, boonjee tamarind, and Tasmanian pepper leaves.  These extracts showed promising antimicrobial properties and the sensory analysis also revealed the fruit looked and smelled better.

The curcumin-based photosensitization technique completely deactivated the fungal spores responsible for gray mold in fresh produce.

When applied to strawberries, it reduced decay incidence and severity by 20% without compromising the fruit's color or firmness.

 Maral Seididamyeh et al, Gum Arabic edible coating embedded aqueous plant extracts: Interactive effects of partaking components and its effectiveness on cold storage of fresh-cut capsicum, Food Control (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.110267

Maral Seididamyeh et al, Curcumin‐mediated photodynamic treatment to extend the postharvest shelf‐life of strawberries, Journal of Food Science (2024). DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.17341

Maral Seididamyeh et al, Effect of gum Arabic on antifungal photodynamic activity of curcumin against Botrytis cinerea spores, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137019

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 27, 2025 at 9:18am

Hidden risks from plastic-coated fertilizers in soil

Farmers are always looking for smarter ways to boost crop health, and one of the industry's latest game-changers is polymer-coated, controlled-release fertilizers (PC-CRFs). These high-tech soil enhancers deliver nutrients gradually, ensuring plants get exactly what they need when they need it without the waste of traditional methods.

While PC-CRFs can boost crop efficiency, a new study by researchers uncovers a downside—microplastic pollution. As the polymer coatings break down in the soil, they release tiny plastic particles into the environment.

In PC-CRFs, the plant nutrients are enclosed within a microcapsule. This microcapsule is designed to slowly release the fertilizers into the farmland over time. The non-biodegradable coatings left over after this process is complete can be considered microplastics.

This raises concerns about the long-term impact of this microplastic pollution to the health of people and animals.

Since previous studies have detected microplastics in farmland, we are left with big questions like how much is being released, and what kinds of plastics are involved.

 But if PC-CRFs must be used, scientists urge farmers to implement effective storm water management to prevent these microplastics from running off into nearby water sources.

Various soil environments, moisture conditions and soil organisms can impact the disintegration of the microcapsule differently. Also, PC-CRFs may use different types of plastics, so further research is needed to determine the variations between them.

Linkon Bhattacharjee et al, Mechanisms of microplastic generation from polymer-coated controlled-release fertilizers (PC-CRFs), Journal of Hazardous Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.137082

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 11:57am

Magnetic microrobots remove blood clots from sheep iliac artery

Researchers  have removed blood clots with wireless magnetic robots. This innovation promises to transform treatment for life-threatening vascular conditions like thrombosis.

Cardiovascular diseases such as thrombosis are a major global health challenge. Each year worldwide, 1 in 4 people die from conditions caused by blood clots. A blood clot blocks a blood vessel, preventing the blood from delivering oxygen to certain areas of the body.

Traditional treatments struggle with clots in hard-to-reach areas. But magnetic microrobots bring hope to patients with otherwise inoperable clots. The screw-shaped robots can navigate through intricate vascular networks since they are operated wirelessly.

In a new study, researchers 

showcase the potential of these microrobots for precise and minimally invasive clot removal. In their experiments, the microrobots removed enough material of a blood clot inside an iliac artery to resume blood flow. The iliac artery, obtained from sheep, was chosen due to its straight and accessible structure.

Their article, titled "Wireless mechanical and hybrid thrombus fragmentation of ex vivo endovascular thrombosis model in the iliac artery," is published in the journal Applied Physics Reviews.

The research highlights three methods for removing blood clots: mechanical fragmentation, chemical dissolution, and a combination of both. The combined approach is the most consistent and safest, as it breaks up clots and dissolves the fragments.

With X-ray guidance, the tiny robot accurately targets clots in complex blood vessels.

The robots are 3D-printed and shaped like tiny screws, each containing a small permanent magnet.

"This tiny magnet, just one millimeter long and one millimeter in diameter, is positioned to rotate the 'screw' in both directions

This allows the robot to swim against the flow and then turn around to swim back. The screw-like design allows them to drill through blood clots effectively.

In addition to breaking up blood clots and restoring blood flow in arteries, the technology has the potential for other targeted treatments. The robots can deliver drugs directly to specific areas in the body where they are needed most.

Marcus C. J. de Boer et al, Wireless mechanical and hybrid thrombus fragmentation of ex vivo endovascular thrombosis model in the iliac artery, Applied Physics Reviews (2025). DOI: 10.1063/5.0233677

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 11:50am

How and why the same mutations give rise to very different types of leukemia

Myeloid leukemias are among the most aggressive blood cancers and have low survival rates. Today, leukemia patients undergo genetic analysis to identify mutations and select the most appropriate treatment. However, even among patients with the same mutation, disease progression and response to therapy can vary significantly.

A new study has revealed these differences can be explained by the fact that not all blood stem cells respond in the same way when they acquire a mutation, and the previous "state" of the cell influences the development of cancer.

In this regard,  researchers have identified two cell types—one "stronger" and the other more "sensitive" to inflammatory stimuli. This previous feature affects how the disease develops after the acquisition of oncogenic mutations.

By gaining the mutations, both cell states can give rise to leukemia, but with distinct biological properties that respond in a different way to treatment. 

Published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the findings represent a step forward in understanding the vast diversity of these types of cancers and highlight the importance of analyzing the cellular "state" prior to mutation.

To perform this study, the researchers developed the STRACK technique (Simultaneous Tracking of Recombinase Activation and Clonal Kinetics). STRACK uses genetic bar codes to track each cell and monitor its behavior before and after acquisition of the mutation.

This approach has allowed them for the first time to link the initial state of each cell with later cancerous features.

Furthermore, the use of mouse models has made it possible to study the process in a fully physiological environment, and with controlled genetic features, which reinforces the significance of the findings.

The conclusions drawn by this study suggest that, for leukemia, identifying the genetic mutation alone is not enough to determine the most appropriate treatment. The "previous state" of the cells, which can include their response to repeated inflammation or epigenetic changes, is crucial when predicting the tumor type and its response to treatment.

These findings could apply to other types of cancer as cells in distinct tissues also accumulate "memories" of inflammation or other damage, which would affect their behavior.

Understanding these factors, as well as the mutation, would facilitate the development of even more personalized treatments and preventive strategies focused on the avoidance of habits that predispose to the development of the most aggressive forms of the disease.

Pre-existing stem cell heterogeneity dictates clonal responses to the acquisition of leukemic driver mutations, Cell Stem Cell (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2025.01.012. www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fu … 1934-5909(25)00012-8

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 11:29am

In the second experiment, the researchers gave the dogs a choice between an empty yellow bowl and food-filled gray bowls. Most of the dogs still went for the yellow bowl, 41 out of 52 times. The team repeated the experiment with even more desirable food, and found the results much the same.

In the third and final experiment, the researchers covered the bowls to prevent the dogs from being able to tell their color and found they then picked randomly, ruling out the possibility of the dogs choosing the yellow bowls in earlier experiments due to scent.
The research team suggests there are potential explanations for the dogs' preference for yellow, such as the ecological valence theory and species-confidence hypothesis, but they acknowledge that these do not fully explain the observed behavior. The authors suggest that further research is needed to understand the ecological advantages or reasons behind this preference.

Anamitra Roy et al, Ready, set, yellow! color preference of Indian free-ranging dogs, Animal Cognition (2025). DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01928-9

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 11:27am

Street dogs like yellow colour: 

Indian street dogs show strong preference for yellow bowls, even empty ones

A team of animal behaviorists at the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research in India has found that street dogs living in that country prefer eating from yellow bowls to those of other colors. Their paper is published in the journal Animal Cognition.

Prior research has shown that dogs have just two types of cone photoreceptors in their eyes compared to the three in humans. This means that they don't see colors the same way. Dogs see the difference between blue and yellow, for example, but other colors such as green, orange and red appear to them as muted shades of gray or yellow. This means that for dogs, the color yellow stands out.

In this new effort, the research team wondered if the prominence of yellow in dog photoreception made the color more important to dogs. To find out, they carried out experiments on free-range dogs living in rural, semi-urban and urban areas in or near the city of Kolkata in India. The team coaxed 458 of the dogs to take part in experiments involving choosing between colored bowls.
In India, free-range street dogs are common—they survive through the generosity of people feeding them, generally from a bowl of some type. Thus, they are accustomed to being presented with bowls, which they expect will be filled with food.

In the first experiment, involving 134 dogs, each was given a single chance to choose one of three food-filled bowls placed a short distance apart on the ground as the researchers watched and recorded their choices. They found that 72 of the dogs chose the yellow bowl. They repeated the experiment with empty bowls and found much the same result.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 10:34am

Why Mars is red: New insights

Mars is easily identifiable in the night sky by its prominent red hue. Thanks to the fleet of spacecraft that have studied the planet over the last decades, we know that this red color is due to rusted iron minerals in the dust. That is, iron bound up in Mars's rocks has at some point reacted with liquid water, or water and oxygen in the air, similar to how rust forms on Earth.

Over billions of years, this rusty material—iron oxide—has been broken down into dust and spread all around the planet by winds, a process that continues today.

But iron oxides come in many flavors, and the exact chemistry of Martian rust has been intensely debated because how it formed is a window into the planet's environmental conditions at the time. And closely linked to that is the question of whether Mars has ever been habitable.

Previous studies of the iron oxide component of the Martian dust based on spacecraft observations alone did not find evidence of water contained within it. Researchers had therefore concluded that this particular type of iron oxide must be hematite, formed under dry surface conditions through reactions with the Martian atmosphere over billions of years after Mars's early wet period.

However, new analysis of spacecraft observations in combination with novel laboratory techniques shows that Mars's red color is better matched by iron oxides containing water, known as ferrihydrite.

The work is published in Nature Communications.

Ferrihydrite typically forms quickly in the presence of cool water, and so must have formed when Mars still had water on its surface. The ferrihydrite has kept its watery signature to the present day, despite being ground down and spread around the planet since its formation.

Detection of ferrihydrite in Martian red dust records ancient cold and wet conditions on Mars, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56970-z. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56970-z

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 10:29am

A completely new type of microscopy based on quantum sensors

Researchers  have invented an entirely new field of microscopy called nuclear spin microscopy. The team can visualize magnetic signals of nuclear magnetic resonance with a microscope. Quantum sensors convert the signals into light, enabling extremely high-resolution optical imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are known for their ability to look deep into the human body and create images of organs and tissues. The new method, published in the journal Nature Communications, extends this technique to the realm of microscopic detail.

The quantum sensors used make it possible to convert magnetic resonance signals into optical signals. These signals are captured by a camera and displayed as images.

The resolution of the new MRI microscope reaches ten-millionths of a meter—that is so fine that even the structures of individual cells can be made visible in the future. At the heart of the new microscope is a tiny diamond chip.

This diamond, specially prepared at the atomic level, serves as a highly sensitive quantum sensor for MRI magnetic fields. When irradiated with laser light, it generates a fluorescent signal containing the MRI signal's information. This signal is recorded with a high-speed camera and enables images with a significantly higher resolution down to the microscopic level.

The potential applications of magnetic resonance microscopy are up-and-coming: In cancer research, individual cells could be examined in detail to gain new insights into tumor growth and spread. In pharmaceutical research, the technology could be used to efficiently test and optimize active ingredients at a molecular level. It also offers excellent potential in materials science, such as analyzing the chemical composition of thin-film materials or catalysts.

 Karl D. Briegel et al, Optical widefield nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55003-5

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 10:01am

The scientists identified long, twisting fossil filaments within the Algerian gypsum, which have previously been interpreted as benthic algae or cyanobacteria, and are now thought to be sulfur-oxidizing bacteria like Beggiatoa. These were embedded in gypsum, and surrounded by dolomite, clay minerals, and pyrite.

The presence of these minerals signals the presence of organic life, because prokaryotes—cells without a nucleus—supply elements which clay needs to form. They also facilitate dolomite formation in an acidic environment like Mars by increasing the alkalinity around them and concentrating ions in their cell envelopes.

For dolomite to form within gypsum without the presence of organic life, high temperatures and pressures would be needed that would have dehydrated the gypsum, and which aren't consistent with our knowledge of the Martian environment.

If mass spectrometers identify the presence of clay and dolomite in Martian gypsum in addition to other biosignatures, this could be a key signal of fossilized life, which could be reinforced by analyzing other chemical minerals present and by looking for similar organically formed filaments.
While these findings strongly support the biogenicity of the fossil filament in gypsum, distinguishing true biosignatures from abiotic mineral formations remains a challenge.
An additional independent detection method would improve the confidence in life detection. Additionally, Mars has unique environmental conditions which could affect biosignature preservation over geological periods. Further studies are needed.

The search for ancient life on Mars using morphological and mass spectrometric analysis: an analog study in detecting microfossils in Messinian gypsum, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fspas.2025.1503042

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 26, 2025 at 9:59am

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help detect microbial fossils on Mars

The first life on Earth formed four billion years ago, as microbes living in pools and seas: what if the same thing happened on Mars? If it did, how would we prove it? Scientists hoping to identify fossil evidence of ancient Martian microbial life have now found a way to test their hypothesis, proving they can detect the fossils of microbes in gypsum samples that are a close analogy to sulfate rocks on Mars.

The findings provide a methodological framework for detecting biosignatures in Martian sulfate minerals, potentially guiding future Mars exploration missions.

The new  laser ablation ionization mass spectrometer, a spaceflight-prototype instrument, can effectively detect biosignatures in sulfate minerals. This technology could be integrated into future Mars rovers or landers for in-situ analysis.

Billions of years ago, the water on Mars dried up. Gypsum and other sulfates formed when pools evaporated, leaving behind minerals that precipitated out of the water and potentially fossilizing any organic life left behind. This means that if microbes such as bacteria lived there, traces of their presence could be preserved as fossils.

Gypsum has been widely detected on the Martian surface and is known for its exceptional fossilization potential. It forms rapidly, trapping microorganisms before decomposition occurs, and preserves biological structures and chemical biosignatures.

But to identify these microbial fossils we first need to prove we can identify similar fossils in places where we know such microbes existed—such as Mediterranean gypsum formations that developed during the Messinian Salinity Crisis.

The Messinian Salinity Crisis occurred when the Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean. This led to rapid evaporation, causing the sea to become hypersaline and depositing thick layers of evaporites, including gypsum. These deposits provide an excellent terrestrial analog for Martian sulfate deposits.

The scientists selected an instrument that could be used on a spaceflight: a miniature laser-powered mass spectrometer, which can analyze the chemical composition of a sample in detail as fine as a micrometer.

They sampled gypsum from Sidi Boutbal quarry, Algeria, and analyzed it using the mass spectrometer and an optical microscope, guided by criteria which can help distinguish between potential microbial fossils and natural rock formations. These include morphology which is irregular, sinuous, and potentially hollow, as well as the presence of chemical elements necessary for life, carbonaceous material, and minerals like clay or dolomite which can be influenced by the presence of bacteria.

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