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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 10:48am

Lightning and Landscapes: How Land and Weather Shape Lightning in India

Lightning is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena, having captivated humans for centuries, sparking both awe and fear.

Today, scientists know exactly why lightning strikes, but predicting where it will strike is much more difficult due to all the factors at play. In fact, the word has become synonymous with unpredictability. But scientists all over the world are trying to uncover these mysteries.

In a new study, researchers have studied how the landscape affects lightning strikes. They have delved into understanding the frequency of lightning in North India (NI) and North-East India (NEI), discovering how land use and topography might predict when and where these electrical bursts will occur.

For their study, the researchers poured thorough data from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, recording the location and frequency of lightning strikes between 2001 and 2014. They then combined this lightning data with information about the different types of land in the area - forests, farms, cities, and so on -  obtained from another satellite, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). For topographical details, they consulted the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission or SRTM—a source of detailed 3D maps of Earth's surface.

They also looked at weather-related factors like temperature, humidity, and something called Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE). CAPE measures how unstable the atmosphere is and how likely it is to produce thunderstorms. They also analysed total cloud cover liquid water (TCCLW) and total cloud cover ice water (TCCIW) along with lightning flash rate density (LFRD) to determine the local temperatures and amount of moisture in the air. They then used computer programs to classify each strike, overlaying their locations on MODIS images to see which land types were struck by lightning. By examining topographical elevations, they categorised these lightning locations by height, revealing patterns at different altitudes.

Part 1. 

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 10:33am

Current antivenom ineffective against a saw-scaled viper bite finds study

The ‘big four’ - Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, krait, and Indian cobra, are responsible for most of the snakebite incidents in India.

A new study has now shed light on a concerning issue: the antivenom used to treat bites from the saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus sochureki) isn't as effective as it should be in certain regions. A team from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) studied data from a centre treating snakebite victims in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. They found that many patients bitten by the saw-scaled viper weren't responding well to the standard Indian polyvalent antivenom.

Antivenom is a unique mixture made from the antibodies of animals (usually horses) that have been exposed to snake venom. The polyvalent antivenom is designed to work against the venom of the big four snakes, including the saw-scaled viper. When a person is bitten by a venomous snake, the venom can cause a range of problems, from tissue damage and bleeding disorders to paralysis and even death. Antivenom works by binding to the venom in the body and neutralising its harmful effects. Ideally, it should quickly reverse the effects of the venom, allowing the person to recover fully.

The study found that over two-thirds (68.4%) of the patients who received antivenom didn't respond as expected. 103 of the 105 patients experienced venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC), where the venom caused their blood to clot abnormally, leading to bleeding. Around 35% of patients also experienced local and specialised bleeding at the bite site and in other parts of their bodies. Meanwhile, 3 out of 4 patients  (75.7%) also experienced delayed Hypofibrinogenaemia, where their body wasn’t producing enough fibrinogen, a protein essential for blood clotting, even days after the bite. The researchers also found that patients who were bitten in certain areas (the ‘West zone’ of Rajasthan) and those who received higher doses of antivenom were more likely to be unresponsive.

The researchers think the most likely reason for the antivenom's ineffectiveness is that the venom of saw-scaled viper in Rajasthan is different from the venom used to produce the antivenom. Most of the venom used to make India’s polyvalent antivenom comes from saw-scaled vipers in South India. Snakes from different regions can have variations in their venom composition. This means that the antibodies in the antivenom may not bind as effectively to the venom of the vipers in Rajasthan, leaving the venom free to cause damage.

The researchers suggest that the most urgent need is to develop a region-specific antivenom tailored to the venom of Echis carinatus sochureki, the saw-scaled viper in Rajasthan and other regions. This would involve collecting venom from vipers in the region and using it to produce antivenom.

The research highlights a critical gap in our understanding of antivenom and our methods of administering it. The ineffectiveness of the current antivenom against saw-scaled viper venom is a serious concern that begs the question: Does the antivenom work in other regions? Does it work for other venomous snakebites? A comprehensive analysis is the need of the hour to know how we are fair in combating snakebites 

https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd....

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39749523/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%20....

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 10:16am

Diesel exhaust exposure leads to disarray in liver function in mice; could also indicate health issues for humans

Health researchers have discovered significant changes in liver function following exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) in a controlled study involving mice. The study identified disrupted activity in 658 genes and 118 metabolites. These changes led to a higher production of triglycerides, fatty acids, and sugars, largely due to problems with mitochondria, an organelle in the cell responsible for energy production.

The research is published in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology.
The researchers also exposed liver cells to diesel particles and confirmed that the particles were sufficient to activate a gene called Pck1, which led to increased glucose production. Taking it one step further, the researchers inhibited Pck1 to tease out its function. This step reduced glucose levels, confirming Pck1's role in glucose production.

DE emissions play a large role in air pollution and its links to type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Previous research by the same investigators had shown that diesel particles cause mitochondrial dysfunction in liver tissue cells, but the researchers wanted to study the effects in mice. This is the first study to demonstrate the ability of DE exposure to induce mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo.
While there is emerging evidence of a connection between air pollution exposure and metabolic diseases, the exact mechanisms and genes involved are unknown. The researchers say these findings may indicate some of the factors that cause humans to get fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes after being exposed to DE. 

Gajalakshmi Ramanathan et al, Integrated hepatic transcriptomics and metabolomics identify Pck1 as a key factor in the broad dysregulation induced by vehicle pollutants, Particle and Fibre Toxicology (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s12989-024-00605-6

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 10:03am

Many of the low-latitude regions most threatened by warming are already vulnerable in numerous ways. They face problems with food sufficiency, and economic and systemic forces make them less resilient than northern countries.
But still there are ways that these regions could, at least partly, meet the challenge.
In many low latitude areas, especially in Africa, the yields are small compared to similar areas elsewhere in the world. They could get higher yields with access to fertilizers and irrigation as well as reducing food losses through the production and storage chain. However, ongoing global warming will add a lot of uncertainty to these estimates and probably even more actions are needed, such as crop selection and novel breeding, the scientists say.
While policy-makers in low-latitude countries should work to close those gaps, in mid- and high-latitude regions farmers and policy-makers need more flexibility.
Warming will likely change which crops are grown in those areas, and further changes will come from the array of pressures on the global food system. Coping with those changes will require the ability to adjust and adapt as the consequences of climate change unfold.

Climate change threatens crop diversity at low latitudes, Nature Food (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43016-025-01135-w. www.nature.com/articles/s43016-025-01135-w

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 10:00am

World's critical food crops at imminent risk from rising temperatures, research reveals

Global warming is already reshaping our daily lives, with storms, floods, wildfires and droughts around the world. As temperatures continue to rise, a third of global food production could be at risk. Now, a new study in Nature Food offers a more precise picture of exactly where and how warming will affect our ability to grow food.

Researchers studied how future changes in temperature, precipitation and aridity will affect growing conditions of 30 major food crop species across the globe.

They found that low-latitude regions face significantly worse consequences than mid- or high-latitudes. Depending on the level of warming, up to half of the crop production in low-latitude areas would be at risk as climate conditions become unsuitable for production. At the same time, those regions would also see a large drop in crop diversity.

The loss of diversity means that the range of food crops available for cultivation could decrease significantly in certain areas. That would reduce food security and make it more difficult to get adequate calories and protein, the scientists say.

Up to half of the world's food crop production may be affected

Warming will severely decrease the amount of global cropland available for staple crops––rice, maize, wheat, potato and soybean––which account for over two-thirds of the world's food energy intake.

In addition, "tropical root crops such as yam, which are key to food security in low-income regions, as well as cereals and pulses, are particularly vulnerable. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region which would be impacted most, almost three quarters of current production is at risk if global warming exceeds 3°C.

By contrast, mid- and high-latitude areas will probably retain their productive land overall, though zones for specific crops will change. These areas are also likely to see an increase in crop diversity. For example, the cultivation of temperate fruits, such as pears, could become more common in more northerly regions.

However, even if climatic conditions are favorable, other factors could hamper agriculture in these areas. There's climatic potential but, for example, warming might bring new pests and extreme weather events, which this model doesn't include. So the situation isn't really that black and white.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 9:55am

Scientists genetically engineer mice with thick hair like the extinct woolly mammoth

This week scientists announced that they have simultaneously edited seven genes in mice embryos to create mice with long, thick, woolly hair. They nicknamed the extra-furry rodents as the "Colossal woolly mouse.

Results were posted online, but they have not yet been published in a journal or vetted by independent scientists.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 9:31am

Triple bond formed between boron and carbon for the first time

Boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen: these four elements can form chemical triple bonds with each other due to their similar electronic properties. Examples of this are the gas carbon monoxide, which consists of one carbon and one oxygen atom, or the nitrogen gas in the Earth's atmosphere with its two nitrogen atoms.

Chemistry recognizes triple bonds between all possible combinations of the four elements—but not between boron and carbon. 

There have long been stable double bonds between boron and carbon. In addition, many molecules are known in which triple bonds exist between two carbon atoms or between two boron atoms.

Chemists have now closed this gap: A team has succeeded for the first time in synthesizing a molecule with a boron-carbon triple bond, a so-called boryne, which exists as an orange solid at room temperature.

In the novel molecule, the boron atom is in a linear arrangement with carbon atoms. In combination with the triple bond, this is about as uncomfortable as it gets for boron, requiring very special conditions.

The scientists characterized the new molecule and also carried out initial reactivity studies. They present the results in the journal Nature Synthesis.

Maximilian Michel et al, The synthesis of a neutral boryne, Nature Synthesis (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44160-025-00763-1. www.nature.com/articles/s44160-025-00763-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 8:48am

Environmental scientists highlight role of paint in microplastic pollution

Plastic waste is recognized as a major cause of environmental harm, with products like water bottles, plastic bags and clothing fibers acknowledged as major contributors to plastic pollution—but research by  environmental scientists shows another source deserves more attention: paint.

In a study published in the journal Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, researchers show how paint has been severely understudied when it comes to research on microplastics.

Defined as plastic particles less than five millimeters in size, microplastics are known to accumulate in air, water, food and even our bodies over time—and have been shown to have toxic effects on both marine life and human health.

The researchers say paint has been severely underestimated as a microplastic pollutant because it can be difficult to identify. Often, paint will show up as 'anthropogenic unknowns' when characterizing microplastics. Researchers have been wondering what such particles are and hypothesizing, based on computer modeling, that paint might be responsible for a large portion of them.

To investigate this further, the researchers surveyed existing literature to determine where paint pollution comes from. They found there were around 800 studies published on microplastics in 2019, but only 53 focused on paint, making for a significant research gap.

Although paint has traditionally been considered a form of plastic, on average, 37% of it is composed of synthetic resins that bind pigments together.

However, special vacuums  can prevent paint emissions from leeching into the environment during building construction.

There's paint from boats. There's also paint on buildings, on our roads. Once you walk around the city, you start to see it everywhere you look. So it's vital to devise and deploy more measures to reduce paint pollution, given the ubiquitous nature of paint, say the researchers.

 Zoie T Diana et al, Paint: a ubiquitous yet disregarded piece of the microplastics puzzle, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1093/etojnl/vgae034

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 8:40am

Smoking and antibiotic resistance: How cigarette waste promotes the spread of resistant germs

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health problem: it implies that vital drugs are no longer effective. A new study by researchers demonstrates that pollutants from cigarette smoke and cigarette waste can promote the growth and spread of resistant bacteria in the environment. The interdisciplinary and international research group also shows that smoking increases the spread of resistant bacteria in the human lung. The study is published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Every year, millions of people die from the direct consequences of smoking. The study by the  scientists now shows that smoking also poses indirect health risks when pollutants from cigarette smoke and cigarette butts are released into the lung and the environment.

Cigarette filters contain many of the toxic substances found in cigarette smoke.  When these filters end up in waterbodies, they are increasingly colonized by potentially pathogenic bugs and bacteria displaying antibiotic resistance, as these are particularly well adapted to the adverse conditions on the filters.

The cigarette butts colonized with resistant and pathogenic bacteria can then be transported to rivers, other waterbodies, or beaches, contributing to the spread of dangerous bacteria. "This underlines the need for stricter measures against the careless discarding of cigarette butts and highlights another hidden health hazard caused by smoking.

The study also confirms the effects for the consumers of tobacco products: Smokers could promote a faster spread of resistant germs in their own lungs, resulting in a lower effectiveness of administered antibiotics in the case of future lung infections.

Different bacterial species can exchange resistance genes via so-called plasmids—small DNA molecules that bacteria pass on to each other. This enables bacteria that were previously treatable with antibiotics to acquire resistance to these antibiotics, making them no longer treatable.

In their experiments the researchers were able to show that the toxic substances that accumulate in the lung fluid due to cigarette smoke trigger a stress reaction in the bacteria, which, among other things, more than doubles the frequency with which resistance genes are passed on between bacteria via plasmids.

Peiju Fang et al, Effects of cigarette-derived compounds on the spread of antimicrobial resistance in artificial human lung sputum medium, simulated environmental media and wastewater, Environmental Health Perspectives (2025). DOI: 10.1289/EHP14704

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on March 5, 2025 at 8:21am

Heat from the sun plays a role in seismic activity on Earth

Seismology has revealed much of the basics about earthquakes: Tectonic plates move, volcanic activity, causing strain energy to build up, and that energy eventually releases in the form of an earthquake.

In recent years, research has focused on a possible correlation between the sun or moon and seismic activity on Earth, with some studies pointing to tidal forces or electromagnetic effects interacting with the planet's crust, core, and mantle.

Researchers  explored the likelihood that Earth's climate, as affected by solar heat, plays a role.

The study builds on one that a pair of the researchers had published in the same journal in 2022; that study connected solar activity, particularly sunspot numbers, with seismic systems on Earth to establish a causal effect.

Solar heat drives atmospheric temperature changes, which in turn can affect things like rock properties and underground water movement.

Such fluctuations can make rocks more brittle and prone to fracturing, for example—and changes in rainfall and snowmelt can alter the pressure on tectonic plate boundaries. While these factors may not be the main drivers of earthquakes, they could still be playing a role that can help to predict seismic activity.

Using mathematical and computational methods, the researchers analyzed earthquake data alongside solar activity records and surface temperatures on Earth. Among other findings, they observed that when they included Earth surface temperatures into their model, the forecasting became more accurate, especially for shallow earthquakes. That makes sense, since heat and water mostly affect the upper layers of the Earth's crust.

The findings suggest the transfer of solar heat to the surface of the Earth does affect seismic activity, however minutely, and that incorporating solar activity predictions into detailed Earth temperature models may help issue earthquake forecasts.

 The role of solar heat in earthquake activity, Chaos An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science (2025). DOI: 10.1063/5.0243721

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