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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 3, 2025 at 9:14am

The colonies didn't seem to wake up that much faster at hotter temperatures. The results could hold lessons for thawing permafrost in the real world: After a hot spell, it may take several months for microbes to become active enough that they begin to emit greenhouse gases into the air in large volumes.

In other words, the longer Arctic summers grow, the greater the risks for the planet.

T. A. Caro et al, Microbial Resuscitation and Growth Rates in Deep Permafrost: Lipid Stable Isotope Probing Results From the Permafrost Research Tunnel in Fox, Alaska, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025jg008759

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 3, 2025 at 9:13am

Microbes trapped in permafrost awake after thousands of years

In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists  resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years.

The study is a showcase of the planet's permafrost. That's the name for a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. It's an icy graveyard where animal and plant remains, alongside plentiful bacteria and other microorganisms, have become stuck in time.

That is, until curious scientists try to wake them up.

The group discovered that if you thaw out permafrost, the microbes within will take a while to become active. But after a few months, like waking up after a long nap, they begin to form flourishing colonies.

The research has wide implications for the health of the Arctic, and the entire planet.

Today, the world's permafrost is thawing at an alarming rate because of human-caused climate change. Scientists worry this trend could kick off a vicious cycle. As permafrost thaws, microbes living in the soil will begin to break down organic matter, spewing it into the air as carbon dioxide and methane—both potent greenhouse gases.

It's one of the biggest unknowns in climate responses. How will the thawing of all this frozen ground, where we know there's tons of carbon stored, affect the ecology of these regions and the rate of climate change?

In the current study, the researchers collected samples of permafrost that was a few thousand to tens of thousands of years old from the walls of the tunnel. They then added water to the samples and incubated them at temperatures of 39 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit—chilly for humans, but downright boiling for the Arctic.

The researchers relied on water made up of unusually heavy hydrogen atoms, also known as deuterium. That allowed them to track how their microbes drank up the water, then used the hydrogen to build the membranes made of fatty material that surround all living cells.

What they saw was surprising.
In the first few months, these colonies grew at a creep, in some cases replacing only about one in every 100,000 cells per day. In the lab, most bacterial colonies can completely turn over in the span of a few hours.

But by the six-month mark, that had all changed. Some bacterial colonies even produced gooey structures called "biofilms" that you can see with the naked eye.
These microbes likely couldn't infect people, but the team kept them in sealed chambers regardless.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 3, 2025 at 8:56am

Bird decorations

Bearded Vulture nests found to have hoards of cultural artifacts—some up to 650 years old

Many people have probably seen birds picking up small pieces of man-made materials, like strips of a plastic bag or paper litter, and taking them into their nest. This behavior appears to be fairly widespread among birds. What's unique about some larger bird species, like certain vultures, eagles, and falcons, is that the same nest is used for centuries if it continues to be in a safe space. Generations of birds will continue to occupy and add materials to these nests for hundreds of years.

These behaviors are well documented in the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), a threatened species that builds nests in cliff caves, rock shelters, or on cornices. The Bearded Vulture can most often be found in European mountain ranges, particularly the Pyrenees. The environment in many of these regions is dry, particularly in the cave-like structures where nests are found, creating an ideal environment for long-term preservation.

Over a decade ago, a group of researchers  had the opportunity to examine 12 of these nests in detail. Their study was recently published in the journal Ecology and discusses a number of surprising findings.

The team rifled through centuries worth of vulture eggshells, remains of prey, and nesting material and among these they also found 226 items that had been made or altered by humans—providing a window into both past ecosystems and human cultures from the region. The hoard included items like a slingshot made from esparto grass, shoes, a crossbow bolt, a decorated piece of sheep leather and a wooden lance.

Even more surprising was that several items were well over 600 years old, according to carbon-14 dating. Results from one shoe dated back to around 675 years ago, while the decorated leather dated to around 650 years ago. However, the dating revealed a range of time periods, with a piece of basket dating to about 150 years ago.

Thanks to the solidity of Bearded Vulture nest structures and their locations in the western Mediterranean, generally in protected places such as caves and rock shelters with relatively stable temperature and low humidity conditions, they have acted as natural museums, conserving historical material in good condition," the authors write.

In addition to the human-made items, the researchers found 2,117 bones, 86 hooves, 72 leather remains, 11 hair remains and 43 eggshells. The team notes that this study and its findings "can provide information about temporal
changes in the trophic spectrum, past environment, and the wild and domestic species present."

They also call these nests a powerful tool for investigating and understanding more about the ecology, biodiversity trends, and environmental changes that the vultures are subject to. The findings could potentially inform habitat restoration and species reintroduction efforts.

Antoni Margalida et al, The Bearded Vulture as an accumulator of historical remains: Insights for future ecological and biocultural studies, Ecology (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.70191

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 11:56am

Mitosis, meiosis, or a new different option
Researchers have found a way to prompt a new cell division process to create a viable egg cell from a skin cell. First, they implanted the skin cell’s nucleus into an empty egg. Then, the team induced a process they called ‘mitomeiosis’. This forces the egg to discard one set of chromosomes, which are replaced by that of the sperm during fertilization. Only a few of the resulting embryos developed beyond eight cells, but the research demonstrates the potential of the process for in-vitro fertilization using skin cells, the researchers say.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/scienti...

Reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63454-7?utm_source=Live+...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 11:23am

Overall, first responders with elevated CH mutations were nearly six times likelier to develop leukemia than those without the mutations. Exposure of mice to WTC dust led to high levels of inflammatory markers and an increase in mutant cells, suggesting that toxin-induced inflammation plays a key role in propagating the blood cells.

In addition, researchers found that younger first responders (those under age 60) with elevated CH possessed a set of gene mutations quite distinct from the classic mutations associated with age-related CH—indicating that the gene-altering toxins in WTC dust may contribute to cancer risk by accelerating the aging process.
To learn how exposure to toxins is associated with CH mutations and increased leukemia risk, the researchers tested the dust collected from the WTC site in a mouse model.

The dust caused an inflammatory response traced to the protein IL1RAP; the high levels of IL1RAP were associated with increased numbers of defective blood-forming stem cells—mimicking the high CH levels observed in the first responders. Importantly, the researchers found they could prevent the rise in defective mutant cells by knocking out the gene that codes for IL1RAP.
IL1RAP has been implicated in many types of cancer as well as in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and that several drugs aimed at inhibiting the protein are being evaluated in clinical trials.
By screening toxin-exposed populations for CH, we could identify people at risk for blood cancers and then potentially treat or even prevent those cancers by targeting IL1RAP, say the researchers.

Elevated clonal hematopoiesis in environmentally exposed 9/11 first responders has distinct age-related patterns and relies on IL1RAP for clonal expansion, Cancer Discovery (2025).

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1100191

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 11:20am

9/11 study shows how toxic exposures may lead to blood cancers

A study by researchers has found that mutations in blood-forming cells may explain the increased risk for leukemia and other blood disorders among first responders exposed to the 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) disaster site and its toxic dust.

The study also points to a novel strategy for use against inflammation and blood disorders associated with environmental toxins. The research is published in Cancer Discovery in a study titled "Elevated clonal hematopoiesis in environmentally exposed 9/11 first responders has distinct age-related patterns and relies on IL1RAP for clonal expansion."

The findings provide new insights into the long-term health impacts of environmental catastrophes, such as wildfires, and suggest targeted interventions for those affected by 9/11 or similar disasters.

The collapse of the WTC produced tremendous quantities of airborne particulate matter—a potent mixture of carcinogens and genetically toxic substances to which an estimated 400,000 responders, area workers, and residents were exposed.

In previous studies, researchers noted a higher incidence of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems among 9/11 first responders compared with the general population. However, few studies have examined how such environmental exposures can lead to blood cancers.

For this study,  scientists sequenced blood samples from nearly 1,000 first responders who were exposed to the WTC site, along with blood from two control groups: 255 firefighters who were not at the WTC and 198 unexposed people in the general population.
All samples were collected between December 2013 and October 2015. The toxic 9/11 dust cloud was found to be associated with mutations in the blood cells of many responders.

Compared with control-group individuals, WTC-exposed first responders had a significantly higher prevalence of clonal hematopoiesis (CH)—a condition in which a group, or clone, of a person's blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells contain the same gene mutations. Typically associated with aging, CH is a precancerous condition known to increase the risk of blood cancer and inflammation.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 11:04am

Rare fossil reveals ancient leeches weren't bloodsuckers

A newly described fossil reveals that leeches are at least 200 million years older than scientists previously thought, and that their earliest ancestors may have feasted not on blood, but on smaller marine creatures.

Roughly 430 million years old, the fossil includes a large tail sucker—a feature still found in modern leeches—along with a segmented, teardrop-shaped body. But one important feature isn't found in this fossil: the forward sucker that many of today's leeches use to pierce skin and draw blood.

This absence, along with the fossil's marine origin, suggests a very different early lifestyle for the group known as Hirudinida. Rather than sucking blood from mammals, reptiles, and other vertebrates, the earliest leeches may have roamed the oceans, consuming soft-bodied invertebrates whole or feeding on their internal fluids.

Blood feeding takes a lot of specialized machinery. Anticoagulants, mouthparts, and digestive enzymes are complex adaptations. It makes more sense that early leeches were swallowing prey whole or maybe drinking the internal fluids of small, soft-bodied marine animals.

Previously, scientists thought leeches emerged about 150–200 million years ago. That timeline has now been pushed back by at least 200 million years, thanks to the fossil found in the Waukesha biota, a geological formation in Wisconsin known for preserving the bodies of soft tissue animals that usually decay before fossilization.

Preserving a leech fossil is no small feat. Leeches lack bones, shells, or exoskeletons that are most easily preserved over millions of years. Fossils like this require exceptional circumstances to preserve, often involving near-immediate burial, a low-oxygen environment, and unusual geochemical conditions.

A rare animal and just the right environment to fossilize it—it's like hitting the lottery twice.

de Carle D, et al. The first leech body fossil predates estimated hirudinidan origins by 200 million years, PeerJ (2025). doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19962

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 10:54am

Zoo life reduces—but does not erase—lifespan gaps
A long-standing idea is that environmental pressures—such as predation, pathogens, or harsh climates—drive the observed gaps between males and females. To test this, the researchers turned to zoo populations, where such pressures are largely absent.
They found that lifespan gaps persisted even under these protected conditions. Comparing zoo and wild populations showed that the gaps were often smaller in zoos but rarely disappeared—mirroring the human case, where advances in medicine and living conditions have narrowed but not eliminated the lifespan gap.

The findings suggest that sex differences in lifespan are deeply rooted in evolutionary processes—shaped by sexual selection and parental investment and that genetic differences in the sex determination system may also play a role. Environmental factors influence the extent of the differences, but cannot eliminate them. The differences between the sexes are therefore not only a product of the environment, but part of our evolutionary history, and will most likely continue to exist in the future.

Sexual selection drives sex difference in adult life expectancy across mammals and birds, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ady8433

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 10:52am

Why women live longer than men

Tracing the evolutionary roots of why women live longer than men

Around the world, women on average live longer than men. This striking pattern holds true across nearly all countries and historical time periods. Although the gap between the sexes has narrowed in some countries due to medical advances and improved living conditions, new research now provides clues as to why this difference is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. The causes are deeply rooted in evolutionary history and can be observed in many animal species.

An international team of scientists  conducted the most comprehensive analysis of sex differences in lifespan across mammals and birds to date. Their findings, published in Science Advances, provide novel insight into one of biology's long-standing puzzles: why males and females age differently.

Among mammals, females usually live longer—for instance, in baboons and gorillas, females often outlive males. Yet this pattern is not universal: In many birds, insects, and reptiles, males are the longer-lived sex. One genetic explanation, the heterogametic sex hypothesis, points to differences in sex chromosomes.

In mammals, females have two X chromosomes, while males have only one X and one Y (making them the heterogametic sex). Some research suggests that having two X chromosomes may protect females from harmful mutations, offering a survival advantage. In birds, however, the system is reversed: females are the heterogametic sex.

Using records from over 1,176 bird and mammal species in zoos worldwide, the researchers found a striking contrast in lifespan, supporting the heterogametic sex hypothesis: in most mammals (72 percent), females lived longer, by on average twelve percent, while in most bird species (68 percent), males lived longer, overall by an average of five percent.

Still, there was remarkable variation with many exceptions. Some species showed the opposite of the expected pattern. For example, in many birds of prey, females are both larger and longer-lived than males. So sex chromosomes can only be part of the story.

Sexual selection and parental care shape lifespan differences

In addition to genetics, reproductive strategies also play a role. Through sexual selection, males in particular develop conspicuous characteristics such as colorful plumage, weapons, or large body size, which increase reproductive success but can shorten lifespan. The new study supports this assumption: In polygamous mammals with strong competition, males generally die earlier than females.

Many birds, on the other hand, are monogamous, which means that competitive pressure is lower and males often live longer. Overall, the differences were smallest in monogamous species, while polygamy and pronounced size differences were associated with a more pronounced advantage for females.

Parental care also plays a role. The researchers found evidence that the sex that invests more in raising offspring—in mammals, this is often the females—tends to live longer. In long-lived species such as primates, this is likely to be a selective advantage: females survive until their offspring are independent or sexually mature.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on October 2, 2025 at 9:34am

Parkinson's 'trigger' directly observed in human brain tissue for the first time

Scientists have, for the first time, directly visualized and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson's, marking a major advance in the study of the world's fastest-growing neurological disease.

These tiny clusters, called alpha-synuclein oligomers, have long been considered the likely culprits for Parkinson's disease to start developing in the brain, but until now, they have evaded direct detection in human brain tissue.

Now, researchers  have developed an imaging technique that allows them to see, count and compare oligomers in human brain tissue, a development one of the team says is "like being able to see stars in broad daylight."

Their results, reported in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, could help unravel the mechanics of how Parkinson's spreads through the brain and support the development of diagnostics and potential treatments.

The team examined post-mortem brain tissue samples from people with Parkinson's and compared them to healthy individuals of similar age. They found that oligomers exist in both healthy and Parkinson's brains. The main difference between disease and healthy brains was the size of the oligomers, which were larger, brighter and more numerous in disease samples, suggesting a direct link to the progression of Parkinson's.

The team also discovered a sub-class of oligomers that appeared only in Parkinson's patients, which could be the earliest visible markers of the disease—potentially years before symptoms appear.

Rebecca Andrews et al, Large-scale visualisation of α-synuclein oligomers in Parkinson's disease brain tissue, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-025-01496-4

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