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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2020 at 5:31am

'Jumping' DNA regulates human neurons

The human genome contains over 4.5 million sequences of DNA called "transposable elements," virus-like entities that "jump" around and help regulate gene expression. They do this by binding transcription factors, which are proteins that regulate the rate of transcription of DNA to RNA, influencing gene expression in a broad range of biological events.

Now, an international team of scientists  has discovered that transposable elements play a significant role in influencing the development of the human brain.

Priscilla Turelli et al. Primate-restricted KRAB zinc finger proteins and target retrotransposons control gene expression in human neurons, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3200

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-dna-human-neurons.html?utm_s...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2020 at 5:17am

New evidence for quantum fluctuations near a quantum critical point in a superconductor

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-evidence-quantum-fluctuations-critica...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/New-evidence-for-quant...  ----check @@

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Carbon footprints are hard to understand—here's what you need to know

https://theconversation.com/carbon-footprints-are-hard-to-understan...

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Cosmic rays may soon stymie quantum computing

Building quantum computers underground or designing radiation-proof qubits may be needed, researchers find.

https://news.mit.edu/2020/cosmic-rays-limit-quantum-computing-0826

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Face-specific brain area responds to faces even in people born blind

More than 20 years ago, neuroscientist Nancy Kanwisher and others discovered that a small section of the brain located near the base of the skull responds much more strongly to faces than to other objects we see. This area, known as the fusiform face area, is believed to be specialized for identifying faces.

Now, in a surprising new finding, Kanwisher and her colleagues have shown that this same region also becomes active in people who have been blind since birth, when they touch a three-dimensional model of a face with their hands. The finding suggests that this area does not require visual experience to develop a preference for faces.

https://researchnews.cc/news/2261/Face-specific-brain-area-responds...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on September 1, 2020 at 5:10am

Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives

Changes in ocean chemistry and temperature have had a dramatic effect on the diversity of corals and sea anemones, according to a team of scientists who have traced their evolution through deep time. This new study finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver lining for the diversity of some of their softer-bodied relatives.

 Palaeoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletons through deep time, Nature Ecology and Evolution (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01291-1 , www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01291-1

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-warmer-acidifying-ocean-extinction-re...

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Being a selfish jerk doesn't get you ahead, research finds

The evidence is in: Nice guys and gals don't finish last, and being a selfish jerk doesn't get you ahead.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-selfish-jerk-doesnt.html?utm...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 31, 2020 at 6:46am

Breakthrough in Artificial Photosynthesis Lets Scientists Store The Sun's Energy as Fuel

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-artificial-photosynthesis-device-c...

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One Theory Beyond the Standard Model Could Allow Wormholes that You Could Actually Fly Through

https://www.universetoday.com/147549/one-theory-beyond-the-standard...

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**Effectiveness of cloth masks depends on type of covering

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-effectiveness-masks.html?utm_source=n...

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Lupus, Arthritis Patients Aren't Necessarily High Risk For Severe COVID-19 After All

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-says-arthritis-and-lupus-patient...

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Human Vision and Color Perception

https://www.olympus-lifescience.com/en/microscope-resource/primer/l...

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The Human Eye's Response to Light

https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Penetran....

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 31, 2020 at 6:42am

Scientists Think They've Figured Out a Main Culprit of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Between 6 and 8 million people worldwide suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, a group of chronic intestinal disorders that can cause belly pain, urgent and frequent bowel movements, bloody stools and weight loss.

New research suggests that a malfunctioning member of the patient's own immune system called a killer T cell may be one of the culprits. This discovery may provide a new target for IBD medicines.

The two main types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which mainly affects the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can affect the entire digestive tract. Researchers currently believe that IBD is triggered when an overactive immune system attacks harmless bacteria in the intestines.

Although there are many treatments for IBD, for as many as 75 percent of individuals with IBD there are no effective long-term treatments. This leaves many patients without good options.

https://theconversation.com/ibd-how-a-class-of-killer-t-cells-goes-...

IBD: How a class of killer T cells goes rogue in inflammatory bowel disease

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 31, 2020 at 6:17am

An infant with caudal appendage (tail)

There are several human atavisms that reflect our common genetic heritage with other mammals. One of the most striking is the existence of the rare ‘true human tail’. It is a rare event with fewer than 40 cases reported in the literature. The authors report a case of an infant born with the true tail. A 3-month-old baby girl, presented with an 11 cm long tail, which was successfully surgically removed. Human embryos normally have a prenatal tail, which disappears in the course of embryogenesis by programmed cell death. Recent advances in genetic research reveal that ‘of those organs lost, in evolution, most species carry ‘genetic blue prints’. Thus, rarely the appearance of ancient organs like tail may be the result of re-expression of these switched off gene.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339178/

https://biologydictionary.net/vestigial-structures/#:~:text=Vestigi....

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 31, 2020 at 5:59am

Crabs Shell Exchange:

As a hermit crab grows its shell becomes a tighter fit so eventually the crabs need to move into a bigger one, leading to an amazing exchange. Watch how this happens ….

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 31, 2020 at 5:34am

Research shows stimulating tuft cell production reverses intestinal inflammation

Researchers for the first time been able to trigger the specific immune system response required to reverse the course of small intestinal inflammation by inducing production of tuft cells, very rare epithelial cells that sense and respond to parasites. The breakthrough has the potential to provide Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease patients a safe alternative to what’s known as helminthic therapy, wherein parasitic organisms are introduced to the body to stimulate an immune response and calm inflammation.

https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2020/08/28/vanderbilt-research-shows-st...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2247/Vanderbilt-research-shows-stimula...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 30, 2020 at 9:39am

Physicists Just Found a New Quantum Paradox That Casts Doubt on a Pillar of Reality

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Perhaps not, some say.

And if someone is there to hear it? If you think that means it obviously did make a sound, you might need to revise that opinion.

We have found a new paradox in quantum mechanics – one of our two most fundamental scientific theories, together with Einstein's theory of relativity – that throws doubt on some common-sense ideas about physical reality.

Quantum mechanics vs common sense

Take a look at these three statements:

1. When someone observes an event happening, it really happened.

2. It is possible to make free choices, or at least, statistically random choices.

3. A choice made in one place can't instantly affect a distant event. (Physicists call this "locality".)

These are all intuitive ideas, and widely believed even by physicists. But our research, published in Nature Physics, shows they cannot all be true – or quantum mechanics itself must break down at some level.

https://theconversation.com/a-new-quantum-paradox-throws-the-founda...

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 30, 2020 at 9:37am

Microbes Living Deep Below Earth's Surface Could Be Remnants of Ancient Life Forms

There's an enormous variety of life thriving deep beneath Earth's surface. A new analysis of two major groups of subsurface microbes has now revealed that their evolutionary path to life in the dark has been more curious than we expected.

In our planet's first 2 billion years of existence, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere. Once the air on our blue planet changed, not all life forms adapted, with many microbes retreating into less oxygenated parts of the planet.

Patescibacteria and DPANN are two ubiquitous groups of such subsurface microbes - bacteria and archaea, respectively - that appear to have very simple genomes. This has led many to suspect that without the ability to breathe oxygen, these microbes might need to rely on complex interactions with other organisms to supplement their simple lifestyles. 

Now, it seems we may not be giving them enough credit. New research indicates that instead of having a symbiotic dependency on other major groups of organisms, most Patescibacteria and DPANN live as completely free cells. 

These microbes [..] are really special, really exciting examples of the early evolution of life.

They may be remnants of ancient forms of life that had been hiding and thriving in the Earth's subsurface for billions of years

https://www.sciencealert.com/these-two-groups-of-microbes-can-t-bre...

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