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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:26am

Gene activation discovery

Human genes spring into action through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA, directed by the four different types of individual links, or "bases," coded A, C, G and T.

Nearly 25% of our genes are widely known to be transcribed by sequences that resemble TATAAA, which is called the "TATA box." How the other three-quarters are turned on, or promoted, has remained a mystery due to the enormous number of DNA base sequence possibilities, which has kept the activation information shrouded.

Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, researchers have identified a DNA activation code that's used at least as frequently as the TATA box in humans. Their discovery, which they termed the downstream core promoter region (DPR), could eventually be used to control gene activation in biotechnology and biomedical applications.

The researchers made a pool of 500,000 random versions of DNA sequences and evaluated the DPR activity of each. From there, 200,000 versions were used to create a machine learning model that could accurately predict DPR activity in human DNA.

These results clearly revealed the existence of the DPR motif in human genes. Moreover, the frequency of occurrence of the DPR appears to be comparable to that of the TATA box. In addition, they observed an intriguing duality between the DPR and TATA. Genes that are activated with TATA box sequences lack DPR sequences, and vice versa.

Identification of the human DPR core promoter element using machine learning, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2689-7 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2689-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-machine-aids-gene-discovery.html?utm_...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:14am

How hydrogen becomes a metal inside giant planets

Dense metallic hydrogen—a phase of hydrogen which behaves like an electrical conductor—makes up the interior of giant planets. By combining artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics, researchers now have found how hydrogen becomes a metal under the extreme pressure conditions of these planets.

Researchers used machine learning to mimic the interactions between hydrogen atoms in order to overcome the size and timescale limitations of even the most powerful supercomputers. They found that instead of happening as a sudden, or first-order, transition, the hydrogen changes in a smooth and gradual way.

Hydrogen, consisting of one proton and one electron, is both the simplest and the most abundant element in the Universe. It is the dominant component of the interior of the giant planets in our solar system—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—as well as exoplanets orbiting other stars.

At the surfaces of giant planets, hydrogen remains a molecular gas. Moving deeper into the interiors of giant planets however, the pressure exceeds millions of standard atmospheres. Under this extreme compression, hydrogen undergoes a phase transition: the covalent bonds inside hydrogen molecules break, and the gas becomes a metal that conducts electricity.

 Evidence for supercritical behaviour of high-pressure liquid hydrogen, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2677-y , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2677-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ai-hydrogen-metal-giant-planets.html?...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 10, 2020 at 5:11am

Massive halo finally explains stream of gas swirling around the Milky Way

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-massive-halo-stream-gas-swirling.html...

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Physicists explain mysterious dark matter deficiency in galaxy pair

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-physicists-mysterious-dark-deficiency...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Massive-halo-finally-e...; --check  %%%%

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 A gold nanoparticle nearly cloaked by a single molecule

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gold-nanoparticle-cloaked-molecule.ht...

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New Hubble data suggests there is an ingredient missing from current dark matter theories

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-hubble-ingredient-current-dark-theori...

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Engineered 'nanobodies' block SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells

Researchers have designed a molecule that sticks tightly to the coronavirus spike protein, preventing the virus from infecting cells. The molecule might someday be used in an aerosolized drug to treat or prevent COVID-19. It's modeled after the simple, compact antibodies found in some animals such as llamas, alpacas, and camels.

Immune cells produce antibodies in response to infection, but it takes time for that response to develop. Lab-made antibodies could knock a virus out before it gains a foothold.

Michael Schoof et al. An ultra-potent synthetic nanobody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by locking Spike into an inactive conformation, (2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.08.238469

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nanobodies-block-sars-cov-infecting-h...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 8:16am

Wringing out Water on the ISS - for Science!

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 7:04am

High Blood Pressure And Diabetes Could Alter Brain Structure, Slowing Down Cognition

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-suggests-diabetes-and-high-blood...

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Terahertz receiver for 6G wireless communications

Future wireless networks of the 6th generation (6G) will consist of a multitude of small radio cells that need to be connected by broadband communication links. In this context, wireless transmission at THz frequencies represents a particularly attractive and flexible solution. Researchers have now developed a novel concept for low-cost terahertz receivers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200908122517.htm

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 5:52am

No signs of alien technology in 10 million star systems

A radio telescope in outback Western Australia has completed the deepest and broadest search at low frequencies for alien technologies, scanning a patch of sky known to include at least 10 million stars.

Astronomers used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)telescope to explore hundreds of times more broadly than any previous search for extraterrestrial life.

The study, published  recently observed the sky around the Vela constellation. But in this part of the Universe at least, it appears other civilisations are elusive, if they exist.   The telescope was searching for powerful radio emissions at frequencies similar to FM radio frequencies, that could indicate the presence of an intelligent source.

These possible emissions are known as 'technosignatures'. With this dataset, the study found no technosignatures—no sign of intelligent life.

''A SETI Survey of the Vela Region using the Murchison Widefield Array: Orders of Magnitude Expansion in Search Space', published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA)  on September 8th, 2020. arxiv.org/pdf/2009.03267.pdf

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-australian-telescope-alien-technology...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 5:31am

A lack of oxygen in tumors promotes metastasis

Metastases are formed by cancer cells that break away from the primary tumor. A research group at the University of Basel has now identified lack of oxygen as the trigger for this process. The results reveal an important relationship between the oxygen supply to tumors and the formation of metastases. This research may open up new treatment strategies for cancer.

The chances of recovery significantly worsen when a tumor metastasizes. Previous research has shown that metastases are formed by clusters of cancer cells that separate from the primary tumor and migrate to new tissue through the bloodstream. However, thus far little has been known about why these clusters of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) leave the tumor in the first place.

It has been shown now   that a lack of oxygen is responsible for the separation of CTC clusters from the tumor. This is an important starting point for the development of new cancer treatments.

It turned out that different areas of a tumor are supplied with different levels of oxygen: cancer cells with a lack of oxygen were found wherever the tumor had comparatively fewer blood vessels—in the core of the tumor as well as in clearly defined peripheral areas. Next, the research team investigated the CTC clusters that had separated from these tumors and found that they similarly suffered from a lack of oxygen. This led to the conclusion that cells leave the tumor if they do not receive enough oxygen. "It's as though too many people are crowded together in a small space. A few will go outside to find some fresh air.

Further experiments showed that these CTC clusters with a lack of oxygen are particularly dangerous: in comparison to clusters with normal oxygen content, they formed metastases faster and shortened the mice's survival time. "If a tumor does not have enough oxygen, these CTC clusters, which have a particularly high potential to develop metastases, will break away.

This insight led the researchers to take a closer look at the effect of what is called proangiogenic treatment: they stimulated the formation of blood vessels, thus boosting the supply of oxygen to the tumor cells. As expected, the number of separating CTC clusters dropped, the mice formed fewer metastases, and they lived longer—but at the same time, the primary tumor increased in size significantly.

 Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108105

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-lack-oxygen-tumors-metastasi...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 5:25am

Study highlights the role of astrocytes in the formation of remote memories

Memories from a distant past, also known as remote memories, can guide the present and future behavior of humans and other living organisms on Earth. In psychology and neuroscience, the term "remote memories" refers to all memories related to events that took place from a few weeks to decades in the past.

Earlier studies have explored the neural underpinnings of remote memories or tried to identify brain  regions that could be involved in how they are formed and maintained over time. So far, most findings have suggested that the interaction between the hippocampus and frontal cortical brain regions plays a key role in the consolidation of these memories.

Past observations suggest that the interaction between these brain regions changes as time goes by and as memories go from being recent (i.e., a few years old) to remote. The exact time when these brain regions become involved in the formation of a memory and for how long they remain important to its endurance, however, is still poorly understood.

Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that are known to have several functions, including the regulation of the metabolism, detoxification, tissue repair and providing nutrients to neurons. Recent studies have found that these cells can also change synaptic activity in the brain, thus impacting neuronal circuits at multiple levels.

A number of new observations that shed light on the unique contribution of these cells in enabling the formation of remote memories in mice, and potentially also humans have been made now. They provide further evidence that astrocytes can shape neuronal networks in intricate ways and affect many cognitive functions, including the acquisition of remote memories.

Adi Kol et al. Astrocytes contribute to remote memory formation by modulating hippocampal–cortical communication during learning, Nature Neuroscience (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0679-6

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-highlights-role-astrocytes-f...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 9, 2020 at 5:20am

Real-time imaging shows how SARS-CoV-2 attacks human cells

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-real-time-imaging-sars-cov-human-cell...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Real-time-imaging-show... - check %%

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Devitrification demystified: Scientists show how glass crystallizes in real-time

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-devitrification-demystified.html?utm_...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Devitrification-demyst...; - check %%

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** Terahertz receiver for 6G wireless communications

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-terahertz-6g-wireless.html?utm_source...

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** Trees living fast die young

A global analysis reveals for the first time that across almost all tree species, fast growing trees have shorter lifespans. This international study further calls into question predictions that greater tree growth means greater carbon storage in forests in the long term.

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-trees-fast-die-young.html?utm_source=...

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The birth of a male sex chromosome in Atlantic herring

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-birth-male-sex-chromosome-atlantic.ht...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 8, 2020 at 2:52pm

New study discovers how the nervous system of human runners generat...

Running is a fundamental mode of human movement that most of us perform effortlessly without conscious thought. Some may run regularly for exercise, or even undergo serious, professional training for completing marathons. This apparent ease of running belies the enormous biomechanical complexity of running, the coordinated control of which is accomplished by an intricate neuronal network in the brain and spinal cord.

Researchers have recently discovered that the human nervous system is equipped with a mechanism that can flexibly adjust the motor commands for different running forms depending on the state of the body and the person’s prior running experience. This finding, which has just been published in Nature Communications, may allow researchers to design training strategies for promoting running forms that are more energetically efficient.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18210-4.

https://researchnews.cc/news/2405/New-study-discovers-how-the-nervo...

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