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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 19, 2025 at 10:40am

Burning plastic for cooking and heating: An emerging environmental crisis

A new research paper  "The Use of Plastic as a Household Fuel among the Urban Poor in the Global South" published in Nature Cities, has called for action to reduce the burning of plastics for heating and cooking, a common yet hazardous practice emerging in millions of households in developing nations due to a lack of traditional energy sources.

Researchers investigated the energy consumption of developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, finding many were unable to afford clean fuels such as gas or electricity.

The team also found urban sprawl had made traditional fuels such as wood and charcoal difficult to find, while a lack of waste management meant plastic waste was in abundance.

Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such as lung diseases, the researchers point out.

These risks are particularly pronounced among women and children, as they spend more time at home.

But the pollution doesn't just stay in households who burn it: it spreads across neighborhoods and cities, affecting everyone.

The issue may affect millions of people who bear the burden of acute inequality in cities and could potentially have a bigger impact as plastic use increases and cities grow.

And many governments are not addressing the issue effectively because it's usually concentrated in areas such as slums, which are often neglected.

Possible ways to address the problem include subsidies for cleaner fuels to make them affordable for poorer families, better waste management to prevent plastic from piling up in slum areas, education campaigns to inform communities about the dangers of burning plastic and alternative low-cost, innovative cooking solutions tailored to lower-income areas, say the experts.

Bishal Bharadwaj et al, The use of plastic as a household fuel among the urban poor in the Global South, Nature Cities (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44284-025-00201-5

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 19, 2025 at 9:21am

Biologists transform gut bacteria into tiny protein pharmacies

Hundreds of different species of microbes live in your gut. In the future, one of these might serve a new function: microscopic in-house pharmacist.

A new study published Feb. 18 in Nature Biotechnology shows how  gut bacteria can be directed to produce and release proteins within the lower gastrointestinal tract—eliminating a major roadblock to delivering drugs to that part of the body.

Oral medication is the most common and practical means of drug administration, but the stomach doesn't let much pass through unscathed. This is good when it comes to things like foodborne pathogens, but gut-focused therapies are regularly deactivated and flushed out.

In an unprecedented workaround, biologists engineered bacteria-eating viruses called phages to infect and reprogram bacterial cells to produce and release a sustained flow of a protein-based drug. Collaborating with immunologists they showed that this approach can be used to potentially treat chronic diseases.

Bacteriophages (phages for short) are viruses that naturally infect bacteria. Phages are harder to classify than bacteria and therefore less understood, but we do know how they attack bacteria.

After attaching to a bacterial cell, phages inject their own DNA and reprogram the cell so that it manufactures more phages—agents of the cell's own destruction. When the bacterial cell eventually succumbs, it explodes into a flood of new phages in a process called lysis. Millions of these events happening simultaneously produce a constant supply of a targeted protein inside the lower intestine.

Even though phages act (and look) like spider aliens, they are regular players on the gut-microbiome home team. 

So Biologists  engineered special phages that inject a little extra genetic material into the bacterial cell.

In addition to making a flurry of new phages, the instructions prompt the cell to produce a tagalong protein that can lend itself to targeted therapies inside the lower intestines.

Engineered proteins reduced inflammation and obesity in mice.

Nature Biotechnology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-025-02570-7. www.nature.com/articles/s41587-025-02570-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 19, 2025 at 9:15am

A commentary by Timothy Boyce and Ian Han at the University of Iowa, "Hyperacute Outer Retinal Dysfunction—A Retina on Fire," also published in JAMA Ophthalmology, suggests that HORD may represent a novel inflammatory-mediated retinal disorder.

The authors propose similarities with autoimmune encephalitis, suggesting a possible antibody-mediated mechanism. Early OCT findings, including vitritis, vascular sheathing, and intraretinal hyperreflective dots, point to acute inflammation as a potential driver of retinal damage.

Yizhe Cheng et al, Hyperacute Outer Retinal Dysfunction, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.6372

Timothy M. Boyce et al, Hyperacute Outer Retinal Dysfunction—A Retina on Fire, JAMA Ophthalmology (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.6488

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 19, 2025 at 9:14am

Sudden vision loss in children: Study  points to a novel retinal disorder

A multicenter study led by researchers from the  Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology  has characterized a distinct retinal disorder in children following high fever illness. The study describes hyperacute outer retinal dysfunction (HORD), a condition marked by sudden bilateral vision loss, photoreceptor disruption, and variable recovery.

Eight pediatric patients between the ages of 3 and 7 experienced severe, sudden-onset vision loss approximately two weeks after a febrile illness. Despite initial poor visual acuity, most showed significant central vision recovery over one year. Comprehensive retinal imaging revealed characteristic ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM) disruptions. Electroretinography (ERG) findings demonstrated extinguished cone and rod responses, even in cases where vision improved.

In the study, "Hyperacute Outer Retinal Dysfunction," published in JAMA Ophthalmology, researchers examined eight children (16 eyes) referred to pediatric retina services in China. Patients had no prior history of visual impairment and underwent thorough ophthalmic and systemic evaluations. Exclusion criteria included inherited retinal disease, uveitis, and white dot syndromes.

Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed at baseline and during follow-up. Multimodal imaging included color fundus photography, ultra-widefield imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescence angiography, fundus autofluorescence, and electroretinography. Genetic and serological testing was conducted to rule out inherited and autoimmune retinal diseases. Patients received varying immunosuppressive treatments, including corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin and methotrexate.

Initial symptoms included severe bilateral vision loss, nyctalopia, visual field constriction, and dyschromatopsia. At presentation, the patient's mean visual acuity was below the ability to count fingers correctly. OCT imaging showed diffuse EZ and ELM loss, while early fundus findings were largely unremarkable.

By the fourth week, signs of macular recovery appeared. At one year, 88% (7 of 8 patients) achieved visual acuity of 20/40 or better, with 50% (4 of 8) reaching 20/25 or better. Macular EZ and ELM appeared intact in 75% and 88% of eyes, respectively, though extrafoveal regions remained affected. ERG continued to show extinguished rod and cone responses despite visual improvement.

Systemic evaluations were unremarkable. No infectious or autoimmune triggers were identified, although two patients tested positive for specific antiretinal antibodies (antiPKC γ and antiRi). Treatment with corticosteroids and IVIG was initiated in most patients, though a definitive therapeutic effect of treatment remained unclear from the study.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 18, 2025 at 11:37am

The researchers report that they can reduce these bubbles by 9%.

The team tested how effectively AI could control experimental devices that pulse air in and out of a small opening in the wing surface, known as synthetic jets. While such innovations are still in the experimental stage, aerospace engineers look at them to complement physical features such as vortex generators that planes rely on to maintain the right balance of airflow above and below the wings.

Up to this point, the prevailing wisdom has been that these bursts should occur at regular periodic intervals. However, the study shows that periodic activation only reduces turbulence separation bubbles by 6.8%.

This study highlights how important AI is for scientific innovation. It offers exciting implications for aerodynamics, energy efficiency and next-generation computational fluid dynamics.

Bernat Font et al, Deep reinforcement learning for active flow control in a turbulent separation bubble, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56408-6

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 18, 2025 at 11:36am

AI on aircraft can reduce risk of mid-air stalls and sudden drops, study shows

Artificial intelligence aboard aircraft could help prevent terrifying drops in altitude. In a new study, an international research team successfully tested a machine learning system for preventing trouble with turbulence. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Researchers conducted tests on an AI system designed to enhance the effectiveness of experimental technologies for manipulating airflow on wing surfaces. The results indicate that these innovations work better when paired with deep reinforcement learning (DLR), in which the program adapts to airflow dynamics based on previously learned experiences.

The AI control system zeroes in on one particularly dangerous aerodynamic phenomenon known as flow detachment, or turbulent separation bubbles. 

Flow detachment is as serious as it sounds. To stay aloft, airplanes need slow moving air underneath the wing, and fast moving air above it. The air moving over the wing surface needs to follow the wing shape, or "attach," to the surface. When the air moving over the wing's surface no longer follows the wing shape and instead breaks away, it creates a dangerous swirling or stalled airflow.

This usually occurs when the wing is at a high angle of attack, or when the air slows down due to increasing pressure. When this happens, lift decreases, and drag increases, which can lead to a stall and make the aircraft harder to control.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 18, 2025 at 10:33am

How is gold formed?
The simple answer here is that we are not certain. However, scientists have some ideas.

Gold, like all elements, formed through high energy reactions that occurred in various cosmic and space environments some 13 billion years ago, when the universe started to form.

However, gold deposits—or the concentration of gold in large volumes within rock formations—are believed to occur through various processes, explained by two theories.

The first theory—described by geologist Richard J. Goldfarb—argues that large amounts of gold were deposited in certain areas when continents were expanding and changing shape, around 3 billion years ago. This happened when smaller landmasses, or islands, collided and stuck to larger continents, a process called accretionary tectonics. During these collisions, mineral-rich fluids moved through the Earth's crust, depositing gold in certain areas.

A newer, complementary theory by planetary scientist Andrew Tomkins explains the formation of some much younger gold deposits during the Phanerozoic period (approximately 650 million years ago). It suggests that as the Earth's oceans became richer in oxygen during the Phanerozoic period, gold got trapped within another mineral known as pyrite (often called fool's gold) as microscopic particles. Later, geological processes—like continental growth (accretion) and heat or pressure changes (metamorphism) released this gold—forming deposits that could be mined.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 18, 2025 at 10:08am

Trees can cool cities, but only with a little help

Because trees can cool cities by providing shade and evaporating water into the atmosphere, greening city streets is an often-touted strategy for climate change adaptation. But trees provide benefits only if they're healthy, and physical variations in urban environments mean that not all trees have the same chance to thrive.

In an article published in AGU Advances, 

researchers told their story of setting trees up  for identifying cityscape features for success and that may cause them to struggle.

The researchers used data from the ECOSTRESS sensor aboard the International Space Station to map the summer afternoon canopy temperatures. Then they applied machine learning to assess the relationship between these temperatures and various environmental factors, including proximity to water, urbanization, traffic exposure, and surrounding land cover.

They found that proximity to blue and green spaces (areas with water or vegetation) improved tree health, whereas trees in areas with a lot of built structures and impervious surfaces fared worse.

Using this analysis, the researchers created and calculated the combined urban tree index (CUTI)—a metric that considers the fraction of land covered by tree canopy along with the temperature and health of the canopy—to determine how much an area benefits from its trees. The CUTI scale ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 meaning no benefit and 1 meaning maximum benefit.

In urban areas where the surroundings will likely cause trees to do poorly, city managers will need to plant more trees and attend to them more carefully than in areas where trees thrive naturally, the authors concluded.

Jean V. Wilkening et al, Canopy Temperature Reveals Disparities in Urban Tree Benefits, AGU Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2024AV001438

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 17, 2025 at 10:03am

Scientists Just Achieved a Major Milestone in Creating Synthetic Life

After more than a decade of work, researchers have reached a major milestone in their efforts to re-engineer life in the lab, putting together the final chromosome in a synthetic yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) genome. The researchers chose yeast as a way to demonstrate the potential for producing foodstuffs that could survive the rigors of a changing climate or widespread disease.

It's the first time a synthetic eukaryotic genome has been constructed in full, following on from successes with simpler bacteria organisms. It's a proof-of-concept for how more complex organisms, like food crops, could be synthesized by scientists.
This doesn't mean we can start growing completely artificial yeast from scratch, but it does mean living yeast cells can potentially be entirely recoded – though lots more work is required to get this process refined and scaled up before that can happen.
And the coding analogy is a good one, because the researchers had to spend plenty of time and effort debugging the 16th and final synthetic yeast chromosome (called SynXVI) before the genome functioned as desired.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-55318-3

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on February 17, 2025 at 9:57am

Microplastics Can Block Blood Flow in The Brain

With microplastics now permeating our food and our bodies, researchers are keen to assess the potential damage these tiny fragments could be doing. A new study shows how plastics may lead to dangerous blood flow blockages in the brain. The study involved tracking microplastics in blood vessels moving through mouse brains in real time – the first time microplastic movement has been tracked in this way.
Using high-resolution laser-based imaging techniques, the researchers found microplastic-laden immune cells becoming lodged inside blood vessels in the cortex area of the brain.
"The data reveal a mechanism by which microplastics disrupt tissue function indirectly through regulation of cell obstruction and interference with local blood circulation, rather than direct tissue penetration," write the researchers in their published paper.
This revelation offers a lens through which to comprehend the toxicological implications of microplastics that invade the bloodstream.
The researchers found some similarities between the blockages here and blood clots, while also looking at the subsequent impact on mouse behavior. Mice with microplastics in their blood performed less well than their plastic-free peers on movement, memory, and coordination tests, pointing to impaired brain function.

Microplastics are defined as plastic fragments less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) in diameter. As you might expect, the smaller specks of plastic were found to be less likely to cause blockages than larger ones.
While the microplastic blockages were cleared up over the course of a month, and most cognitive behaviors in the mice returned to normal, the researchers suggest there could be links here to neurological problems like depression and anxiety, as well as an increased risk of strokes and cardiovascular disease.

"These findings indicate that mice display multifaceted abnormalities in neurobehavioral regulation, resembling depressive states associated with disrupted cerebral blood flow," write the researchers.
While it's not certain that the same processes are happening in human brains – there are significant differences in terms of immune systems and blood vessel sizes – mice are biologically similar enough to us as a species to make this a real concern.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adr8243

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