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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2022 at 10:00am

The effects of climate change on body size evolution

The Northern Treeshrew, a small, bushy-tailed mammal native to South and Southeast Asia, defies two of the most widely tested ecological "rules" of body size variation within species, according to a new study.

The unexpected finding, researchers say, may be attributable to climate change—the body size rules reversed in Northern Treeshrews as average temperatures climbed—and likely exists in other species.

The first-of-its-kind study, published Nov. 29 in the journal Scientific Reports, found that the Northern Treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri) breaks both Bergmann's rule and the island rule. The former describes a common pattern wherein individuals of a warm-blooded species inhabiting colder climates—generally located at higher latitudes—have larger average body sizes than those in warmer climates, which are usually at lower latitudes. The latter predicts that small mammal species evolve larger body sizes on islands than their mainland counterparts, whereas island-bound large mammals evolve smaller body sizes.

Although both rules have been repeatedly tested from a strictly geographic standpoint, how they interact—and possibly even change over shorter timescales amidst rapid climate change—has never been rigorously examined.

In the first published study to do so, researchers analyzed 839 museum specimens of adult Northern Treeshrews collected over 130 years from across their entire geographic range, including mainland and island populations, along with historical climate data.

They found that, contrary to Bergmann's rule, body size of the Northern Treeshrew increased in warmer climates closer to the equator. More importantly—and quite unexpectedly—they discovered that both rules have reversed over a remarkably brief period between the late 19th and 20th centuries, with the reversal accelerating as average temperatures rose.

This study highlights that body size is linked to complex, dynamic and potentially interdependent ecological factors. This is the first time a rule reversal like this has been found in any species. The study also found that the two rules are intertwined. 

Maya M. Juman et al, Recent and rapid ecogeographical rule reversals in Northern Treeshrews, Scientific Reports (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23774-w

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2022 at 8:56am

A secret of developing life: In some instances the fetus helps repair a ruptured amniotic sac

Premature rupture of the amniotic sac can have devastating consequences, but scientists are studying instances when the damaged sac repairs itself—a phenomenon that requires cooperation of the developing fetus.

A new investigation of the amnion, the innermost layer of epithelial cells in the amniotic sac reveals a cascade of cellular events that result in sac repair. The new research helps lay the groundwork for a keener understanding of both healthy pregnancies and when things go awry.

Aware that premature rupture of the amniotic membranes can lead to premature birth, researchers are asking what causes the sac to reseal. Producing a definitive answer to that question may ultimately lead to interventions that prevent premature birth for those whose membranes don't reseal. The biggest potential benefit down the road is guarding against the sometimes lethal outcomes when babies are born too small, too soon.

The premature rupture of the amniotic sac, a condition referred to as a preterm prelabour rupture of membranes (pPROM) is a leading cause of preterm birth. In some cases, these ruptured membranes heal spontaneously. Researchers investigated repair mechanisms of the amnion, a layer of epithelial cells in the amniotic sac closest to the fetus.

Amniotic membranes normally remain intact until the onset of active labor or within 24 hours before labor starts. pPROM may not be easy to detect. For some women, fluid leaks slowly and may be mistaken for urine. Obstetricians say it's important to note that amniotic fluid usually has no color and doesn't smell like urine. They also underscore that premature membrane rupture can occur for a variety of reasons.

In some women the amnion can rupture early for reasons ranging from infections of the uterus, cervix, or vagina to too much stretching of the amniotic sac. The latter may occur as a direct result of too much fluid in the sac, or more than one baby putting pressure on the membranes. Other causes of membrane rupture include conditions such as malnutrition, or intrauterine bleeding. Smoking is another factor that can cause rupture.

In this new study the research  team found that fetal macrophages are recruited to rupture sites in both the human and mouse amnion and assist in the repair of torn membranes.

Macrophages migrated to and resided at rupture sites in both human and mouse amnion. A process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition,  in which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype and which is implicated in tissue repair, was observed at rupture sites.

In short, epithelial cells took on the role of mesenchymal cells and helped begin the process of resealing. None of the cascade of biological events would have occurred without macrophages first migrating to and taking up residence at the rupture site. This shows that ruptures are reversible with repairs

The membrane repair is highly reliant on signaling molecules: in this case, transformation growth factor-β/Smad—TGF-β/Smad—signaling. TGF-β/Smad was prominent in both mouse and human samples. 

This  study's findings could potentially inform research into treatments for preterm membrane ruptures to prevent preterm birth.

Yosuke Kawamura et al, Fetal macrophages assist in the repair of ruptured amnion through the induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, Science Signaling (2022). DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abi5453

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 30, 2022 at 8:45am

Blood Thinner Ineffective for COVID-19 Patients: Study

A clinical trial finds that the anticoagulant apixaban, which has been prescribed to help COVID-19 patients recover, is ineffective and in rare instances dangerous.

N

ew data from a clinical trial suggest that apixaban, an anticoagulant that’s widely been prescribed to promote recovery in patients with severe cases of COVID-19, doesn’t offer any discernable benefit for people with the disease.

The UK-wide trial, which is run by Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge, involved more than 1,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and compared the outcomes of those who had been randomly assigned to receive apixaban to those who had not, according to Financial Times. It found that 29.1 percent of those who received the blood thinner either ended up back in the hospital or died within a year, compared to 30.8 percent of people who weren’t given the drug. That finding doesn’t support apixaban as an effective treatment for COVID-19, and the researchers conclude that doctors ought to stop prescribing it to their coronavirus patients. Meanwhile, BBC News reports that a “small number” of the 402 patients who took apixaban had to discontinue treatment due to severe bleeding.

The trial will continue with other drugs thought to help against COVID-19, according to BBC News, including a statin called atorvastatin that may help lessen the inflammatory response launched by COVID-19 patients’ immune systems and so prevent tissue damage.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04801940

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/blood-thinner-ineffectiv...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 29, 2022 at 8:57am

The largest source of abiotic methane gas on Earth

Methane (CH₄), the chief constituent of natural gas, is one of the most widely used "clean" fuels. Although methane is usually considered to originate from organic matter, recently, more and more evidence shows that methane can be produced by abiotic processes.

Researchers demonstrated that large amounts of methane gas can form during prograde metamorphism in a cold subduction zone, evidenced by the massive CH₄-rich fluid inclusions in eclogites from Western Tianshan, China.

Based on their calculation, the potential CH₄ flux from worldwide modern subduction zones is estimated to be as much as ~10.8 Mt/y. Consequently, the subducted cold oceanic crust may produce the largest amount of abiotic methane, along with other abiotic methane sources such as that from mid-ocean ridges or that from by high-pressure serpentinization.

Massive CH₄-rich fluid inclusions have been found in garnet and omphcite, which are the main constituent minerals of eclogite in the West Tianshan subduction zone (eclogite is the most important high grade metamorphic rock during cold subduction). Isotopic analyses and petrological studies both demonstrated that this methane was of abiotic origin and formed by water-rocks reactions during the prograde high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism.

 Lijuan Zhang et al, Massive abiotic methane production in eclogite during cold subduction, National Science Review (2022). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac207

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 29, 2022 at 8:51am

New kind of tropical cyclone identified in the Indian Ocean

Oceanography experts have described a new kind of cyclone in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra after observing satellite surface winds in the region.

The experts' search for the trigger mechanisms of the Indian Ocean Dipole has led to the discovery of the new type of atmospheric tropical cyclone forming in the South-East Tropical Indian Ocean (SETIO) that they call SETIO Cyclone.

The Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is a coupled atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical Indian Ocean that strongly affects the climate and rainfall variability of surrounding countries including Australia.

Researchers  found that SETIO cyclones are short-lived weather-like events that develop frequently during austral winter/spring and operate to maintain a warm surface ocean in the region.

Dramatic changes happen in some years when SETIO cyclones fail to develop, and ambient winds trigger the appearance of cold seawater in a vast area strongly disturbing both winds and rainfall patterns over the Indian Ocean.

In the natural sciences, it is of uttermost importance to identify so-called trigger processes, such as SETIO cyclones, that link the cause to an effect.

This is a rare new discovery that sheds new light into the functioning of the IOD.

Ankit Kavi et al, Synoptic-scale atmospheric cyclones in the South-East Tropical Indian Ocean (SETIO) and their relation to IOD variability, Journal of Southern Hemisphere Earth Systems Science (2022). DOI: 10.1071/ES22020

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 29, 2022 at 8:30am

Study shows prestigious institutions produce more published manuscripts because they have a bigger labour pool

A quartet of researchers  has found that the reason more prestigious universities are able to publish more scientific papers than lesser institutions is that they have a larger pool of undergrads, fellows and postdocs to assist with such efforts.

In their paper, published in the journal Science Advances, Sam Zhang, Hunter Wapman, Daniel Larremore and Aaron Clauset describe analyzing massive amounts of data in the Web of Science database to learn more about publishing by institutions in the U.S.

Most of the prestigious science paper publishing institutions in the U.S. are college- or university-based. Some of the most well known are MIT, Harvard, Stanford and the University of California. Researchers at these institutions conduct a lot of science research and publish a corresponding number of science-research based papers in peer-reviewed journals.

In this new effort, the research group sought to better understand the factors underlying the tendency of prestigious institutions to produce more published manuscripts than other, less-prestigious institutions.

The work involved sifting data from the Web of Science database, which is actually a portal to several other databases, all of which contain massive amounts of data related to science research efforts. In their effort, the researchers included data from 1.6 million published articles, written by 78,802 authors, all of whom were either tenured or on a tenure track.

The data involved research efforts at 26 U.S. universities that grant Ph.Ds. The researchers focused on data describing productivity of both the authors involved in research efforts and publishing groups as a whole.

The researchers found a pattern—more prestigious schools tend to produce more papers because they have more people available to work on research teams. They noted that neither the senior- nor junior-level people working on the papers were more productive than others working at less-prestigious institutions; it was just more people working and getting more done.

The researchers suggest the possibility that less-prestigious institutions could increase their publication rates if they chose to increase the number of qualified people available to work on research and publishing efforts.

 Sam Zhang et al, Labor advantages drive the greater productivity of faculty at elite universities, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq7056

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 27, 2022 at 8:44am

Researchers recreate the adrenal gland in a petri dish

 Sitting atop the kidneys, the adrenal gland plays a pivotal role in maintaining a healthy body. Responding to signals from the brain, the gland secretes hormones that support critical functions like blood pressure, metabolism, and fertility.

People with adrenal gland disorders—such as primary adrenal insufficiency, in which the gland does not release sufficient hormones—can suffer fatigue, dangerously low blood pressure, coma, and even death if untreated. No cure for primary adrenal insufficiency exists, and the lifelong hormone-replacement therapy used to treat it carries significant side effects.

A preferable alternative would be a regenerative medicine approach, regrowing a functional adrenal gland capable of synthesizing hormones and appropriately releasing them in tune with the brain's feedback. In a new study in the journal Developmental Cell, researchers have coaxed stem cells in a petri dish to divide, mature, and take on some of the functions of a human fetal adrenal gland, bringing that goal one step closer.

To begin, the researchers used what's known as an "organoid culture" system, in which cells grow first as a floating aggregate for three weeks, then on a membrane exposed to air on one side, promoting better survival and allowing them to proliferate in three dimensions. Utilizing a carefully selected growth medium, they prompted the iPSCs to elicit an intermediate tissue type in the adrenal development process, the posterior intermediate mesoderm (PIM).

After verifying they had cultured PIM-like cells, the researchers embarked on directing those cells to transition to the next stage, adrenocortical progenitor-like cells, during which cells turn on markers indicating they have "committed" to becoming adrenal gland cells.

Molecular assays to check for adrenal markers, as well as transmission electron microscope analyses, all told the researchers they were on the right track to recreating a tissue that resembled the early adrenal gland.

The process we developed was highly efficient, with around 50% of cells in organoids acquiring adrenocortical cell fate. They also showed that the cells they grew could respond to what's known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a feedback loop that governs communication from the brain to the adrenal gland and back again.

Yuka Sakata, Keren Cheng, Michinori Mayama, Yasunari Seita, Andrea J. Detlefsen, Clementina A. Mesaros, Trevor M. Penning, Kyosuke Shishikura, Wenli Yang, Richard J. Auchus, Jerome F. Strauss, Kotaro Sasaki. Reconstitution of human adrenocortical specification and steroidogenesis using induced pluripotent stem cells. Developmental Cell, 2022; 57 (22): 2566 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.10.010

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 27, 2022 at 8:39am

Mars Sample Return: Bringing Mars Rock Samples Back to Earth

NASA and the European Space Agency are developing plans for one of the most ambitious campaigns ever attempted in space: bringing the first samples of Mars material safely back to Earth for detailed study. The diverse set of scientifically curated samples now being collected by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover could help scientists answer the question of whether ancient life ever arose on the Red Planet. Bringing samples of Mars to Earth for future study would happen in several steps with multiple spacecraft, and in some ways, in a synchronized manner. This short animation features key moments of the Mars Sample Return campaign: from landing on Mars and securing the sample tubes to launching them off the surface and ferrying them back to Earth.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 27, 2022 at 7:52am

'SuperGPS' Technology Accurately Pinpoints Your Position Within Inches

Many of us rely on GPS (Global Positioning System) to estimate travel times, find our way to new places, avoid traffic congestion, keep track of the kids, and generally avoid getting lost.

But it's not always the most reliable of systems, especially in built-up areas where it's difficult to get a straight line of sight to and from a satellite.

Now researchers have come up with a new and improved technology that could eventually replace GPS in some scenarios. Called SuperGPS, it's accurate within 10 centimeters (or 3.9 inches) and doesn't rely on navigation satellite systems.

The new approach makes use of networks similar to cell networks, but instead of streaming data to our phones the network gets a precise fix on the device.

A combination of radio transmitters and fiber-optic networks form the foundation of the system, with some smart tweaks on top.

In a test site with six radio transmitters, the researchers were able to demonstrate their system in action across an area of 660 square meters (7,104 square feet). The timings of the transmitted radio signals can be measured and interpreted to gauge distance, which then reveals the position of individual devices.

One of the key components of the new network positioing system is a synchronized atomic clock: perfect timing means more precise positioning. Essentially, the fiber optic cables act as connections that keep everything in sync, and accurate to one billionth of a second. The system also deploys a radio signal bandwidth that's much larger than normal.

Developers used several small bandwidth radio signals combined together to form a larger virtual bandwidth for the network communication.

This additional bandwidth overcomes one of the biggest problems with standard GPS, which is that radio signals get reflected off buildings and can quickly become confused.

"This can make GPS unreliable in urban settings, for instance, which is a problem if we ever want to use automated vehicles.As well as automated vehicles, the new system could be useful in planning quantum communication networks and next-generation networks for mobile devices, according to the researchers who developed it.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05315-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on November 26, 2022 at 11:04am

Wolves infected with a common parasite may be much more likely to become pack leaders

A team of researchers with the Yellowstone Wolf Project at the Yellowstone Center for Resources, in Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming, has found that wolves in the park who become infected with Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite, are much more likely to become leaders of their pack. In their study, reported in the journal Communications Biology, the group analyzed data from studies of the wolves in the park over a 26-year period.

T. gondii is an obligate parasite that infects the protozoa in cells of infected animals. Such infections are known as toxoplasmosis, and they occur in almost all warm-blooded animals, including humans. Prior research has shown that in most cases, symptoms are few, through there is some evidence that suggests that they can lead to an increase in erratic or aggressive behaviour.

In this new effort, the researchers wondered what sort of impact of T. gondii infections might have on wild wolves. To find out, they conducted an extensive study of wolves living in Yellowstone National Park.

The work involved studying data from blood samples taken from over 200 wolves living in the park over the years 1995–2020, while looking for evidence of infection. The researchers also looked at the notes made by research observers to learn more about any behavior changes that might have been evident in the wolves.

The researchers found that young, infected wolves tended to leave their packs earlier than those uninfected. Infected males were 50% more likely to leave their pack as early as six months after birth. Males normally stay for up to 21 months. And infected females were 25% more likely to leave their pack at 30 months, rather than the normal 48.

The researchers also found that infected males were more than 46 times more likely to become pack leaders than uninfected males. The researchers also found that infection rates were higher in wolves that mingled with cougars. The researchers suggest the differences in behavior were likely due to the impact of the parasite on the brains of wolves, making them bolder and less likely to back down when challenged by others.

Connor J. Meyer et al, Parasitic infection increases risk-taking in a social, intermediate host carnivore, Communications Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04122-0

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