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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Five key factors that predict response of cancer patients to immunotherapy

A team of researchers  has identified five independent factors that predict cancer patients' response to checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs). The study, which has been published in Nature Genetics, validates these factors in more than 1,400 patients and diverse types of cancer. These findings provide a framework to interpret biomarkers of response to CPIs and suggest a future pathway to improve personalized cancer medicine.

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment in recent years by enabling the immune system to attack tumor cells. However, only 20–40% of patients respond positively to immunotherapy, and these rates vary across different types of cancer.

Predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapy and which will not is currently a highly active area of research. Numerous studies conducted so far have focused on the specific characteristics of tumors, their microenvironment, or the patient's immune system. As a result, which of the proposed biomarkers represent the same underlying factors or how many independent factors influence the effectiveness of this therapy remains unclear.
Researchers have identified five key, independent factors that determine patients' response and survival after receiving checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), a type of immunotherapy widely used in cancer treatment. These findings provide a reference framework for current and future biomarkers of immunotherapy response.

They could also, in the future, entail a pathway to a significant advancement in the personalization of cancer treatments, helping to more accurately identify those patients who are likely to benefit from immunotherapy. The results suggest that patients with certain types of tumors who are currently not considered candidates for immunotherapy (such as those with liver or kidney carcinomas) might benefit from this type of treatment.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Personal carbon footprint of the rich is vastly underestimated by rich and poor alike, study finds

The personal carbon footprint of the richest people in society is grossly underestimated, both by the rich themselves and by those on middle and lower incomes, no matter which country they come from. At the same time, both the rich and the poor drastically overestimate the carbon footprint of the poorest people.

An international group of researchers surveyed 4,000 people from Denmark, India, Nigeria and the United States about inequality in personal carbon footprints—the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by a person's activities—within their own country.

Although it is well-known that there is a large gap between the carbon footprint of the richest and poorest in society, it's been unclear whether individuals were aware of this inequality. The four countries chosen for the survey are all different in terms of wealth, lifestyle and culture. Survey participants also differed in their personal income, with half of participants belonging to the top 10% of income in their country.

The vast majority of participants across the four countries overestimated the average personal carbon footprint of the poorest 50% and underestimated those of the richest 10% and 1%.

However, participants from the top 10% were more likely to support certain climate policies, such as increasing the price of electricity during peak periods, taxing red meat consumption or subsidizing carbon dioxide removal technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

The researchers say that this may reflect generally higher education levels among high earners, a greater ability to absorb price-based policies or a stronger preference for technological solutions to the climate crisis. The results are reported in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Due to their greater financial and political influence, most climate policies reflect the interests of the richest in society and rarely involve fundamental changes to their lifestyles or social status.

Greater awareness and discussion of existing inequality in personal carbon footprints can help build political pressure to address these inequalities and develop climate solutions that work for all, say the researchers. 

Underestimation of personal carbon footprint inequality in four diverse countries, Nature Climate Change (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41558-024-02130-y

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Ozone pollution reduces yearly tropical forest growth by 5.1%, study finds

Ozone gas is reducing the growth of tropical forests—leaving an estimated 290 million tonnes of carbon uncaptured each year, new research shows.

The ozone layer in the stratosphere shields our planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation—and protecting it is one of the major successes of environmental action.

But ozone at ground level—formed by the combination of pollutants from human activities in the presence of sunlight—interferes with plants' ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Ozone is also harmful to human health.

The new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, calculates that ground-level ozone reduces new yearly growth in tropical forests by 5.1% on average.

The effect is stronger in some regions—with Asia's tropical forests losing 10.9% of new growth.

Tropical forests are vital "carbon sinks"—capturing and storing carbon dioxide that would otherwise stay in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.

Tropical forests play a crucial role in mopping up our carbon dioxide emissions.

This study shows that air pollution can jeopardize this critical ecosystem service.

Urbanization, industrialization, burning fossil fuels and fires have led to an increase in "precursor" molecules—such as nitrogen oxides—that form ozone.

Reduced productivity and carbon drawdown of tropical forests from ground-level ozone exposure, Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01530-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

The global community of Earth scientists started buzzing with online discussion of what could be causing the strange seismic waves. The discussion turned up reports of a huge landslide in a remote Greenland fjord that occurred on Sept. 16, around the time the seismic signal was first detected.

To figure out if and how these two phenomena might be connected, scientists combined seismic recordings from around the world, field measurements, satellite imagery and computer simulations to reconstruct the extraordinary events.

The team, comprised of 68 scientists from 41 research institutions, analyzed satellite and on-the-ground imagery to document the enormous volume of rock and ice in the landslide that triggered the tsunami. They also analyzed the seismic waves to model the dynamics and trajectory of the rock-ice avalanche as it moved down the glacial gully and into the fjord.

To understand the tsunami and resulting seiche, the researchers used supercomputers to create high-resolution simulations of the events.
Ultimately, these simulations were able to closely match the real-world tsunami's height as well as the long-lasting seiche's slow oscillations.

By integrating these diverse data sources, the researchers determined that the nine-day seismic signal was caused by the massive landslide and resulting seiche within Greenland's Dickson Fjord.
The study's findings demonstrate the complex, cascading hazards posed by climate change on Earth.

The essence of science is trying to answer a question we don't know the answer to—that's why this was so exciting to work on, say the scientists who found this.

Kristian Svennevig, A rockslide-generated tsunami in a Greenland fjord rang the Earth for 9 days, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adm9247. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adm9247

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Climate change-triggered landslide unleashes a 650-foot mega-tsunami

In September 2023, scientists around the world detected a mysterious seismic signal that lasted for nine straight days. An international team of scientists, including seismologists Alice Gabriel and Carl Ebeling of UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography came together to solve the mystery.

A study published in Science provides the stunning solution: In an East Greenland fjord, a mountaintop collapsed into the sea and triggered a mega-tsunami about 200 meters (650 feet) tall. The giant wave rocked back and forth inside the narrow fjord for nine days, generating the seismic waves that reverberated through Earth's crust, baffling scientists around the world.

This rhythmic sloshing is a phenomenon known as a seiche. Fortunately, no people were hurt, but the waves destroyed some $200,000 in infrastructure at an unoccupied research station on Ella Island.

Climate change set the stage for the landslide by melting the glacier at the base of the mountain, destabilizing the more than 25 million cubic meters (33 million cubic yards) of rock and ice—enough to fill 10,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools—that ultimately crashed into the sea. As climate change continues to melt Earth's polar regions it could lead to an increase in large, destructive landslides such as this one.

Climate change is shifting what is typical on Earth, and it can set unusual events like this into motion.

When seismic monitoring networks first detected this signal in September 2023, it was puzzling for two main reasons. First, the signal looked nothing like the busy squiggle that earthquakes produce on seismographs. Instead, it oscillated with a 92-second-interval between its peaks, too slow for humans to perceive. Second, the signal stayed strong for days on end, where more common seismic events weaken more rapidly.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Smart mouthguard allows users to control devices with their tongue and teeth

Recent technological advances have enabled the development of a wide range of electronic devices designed to improve people's quality of life and assist them in completing their everyday activities. Most existing devices are operated via touch screens, keyboards, mouse pads and other hand-based interfaces.

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a smart mouthguard that could allow people to operate their devices using their mouth, instead of their fingers. This new device, introduced in a paper in Nature Electronics, could also allow dentists to collect medical data from inside their patients' mouths and help to monitor the recovery of athletes or enhance their performance.

Bo Hou et al, A tactile oral pad based on carbon nanotubes for multimodal haptic interaction, Nature Electronics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41928-024-01234-9.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

The 'crystal balls' that can predict eruptions of volcanoes: Crystals hold a secret history of volcanoes—and clues about future eruptions

Imagine you had a crystal ball that revealed when a volcano would next erupt. For the hundreds of millions of people around the world who live near active volcanoes, it would be an extremely useful device. As it turns out, certain crystals really can help us forecast volcanic eruptions. These crystals are produced in molten rock as it travels from deep inside Earth to the surface.

With increasingly sophisticated scientific methods, we can extract a secret history of volcanoes from these crystals—the why, where and when of past eruptions.

These historical records can help us interpret if signs of volcano unrest, such as earthquakes tracking the movement of magma towards the surface, may lead to an eruption. So, as I explain in a new column in Nature Geoscience, we are getting closer to having crystal balls (for volcanoes, at least).

Teresa Ubide, Volcanic crystal balls, Nature Geoscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01509-y

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

Four plants eaten by gorillas, also used in traditional medicine, provide clues for new drug discovery

Four plants consumed by wild gorillas in Gabon and used by local communities in traditional medicine show antibacterial and antioxidant properties, find researchers.

Wild great apes often consume medicinal plants that can treat their ailments. The same plants are often used by local people in traditional medicine.
To investigate, researchers observed the behavior of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park in Gabon and recorded the plants they ate. Next, they interviewed 27 people living in the nearby village of Doussala, including traditional healers and herbalists, about the plants that were used in local traditional medicine.

The team identified four native plant species that are both consumed by gorillas and used in traditional medicine: the fromager tree (Ceiba pentandra), giant yellow mulberry (Myrianthus arboreus), African teak (Milicia excelsa) and fig trees (Ficus). They tested bark samples of each plant for antibacterial and antioxidant properties and investigated their chemical composition.

The researchers found that the bark of all four plants had antibacterial activity against at least one multidrug-resistant strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli. The fromager tree showed "remarkable activity" against all tested E.coli strains. All four plants contained compounds that have medicinal effects, including phenols, alkaloids, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins. However, it's not clear if gorillas consume these plants for medicinal or other reasons.

But Zoopharmacognosy* is one of these new approaches, aimed at discovering new drugs.

*  the study of how animals self-medicate by selecting and consuming plants, soils, and insects with medicinal properties.

Here are some examples of animals that self-medicate:

Pregnant lemurs: Nibble on tamarind leaves to help with milk production

Chacma baboons: Eat small amounts of leaves from specific plants that have stimulant properties

Dogs and cats: May eat grass to relieve nausea, even though they can't digest it because they lack the necessary enzymes.

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of plants consumed by western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in Gabon, PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306957

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

Cleaner wrasse check their body size in mirror before deciding whether to fight, research demonstrates

Consciousness: Being aware of your body and environment

Self-awareness: Recognizing your consciousness, and understanding your own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

 A research team has demonstrated that bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) check their body size in a mirror before choosing whether to attack fish that are slightly larger or smaller than themselves.

The study, published in Scientific Reports, suggests that bluestreak cleaner wrasse possess some mental states (e.g., mental body image, standards, intentions, goals), that are elements of private self-awareness.

Researchers reported the cleaner wrasse could identify photographs of itself as itself, based on its face through mirror self-recognition.
The cleaner wrasse's behaviour of going to look in the mirror installed in a tank when necessary indicated the possibility that the fish were using the mirror to check their own body size against that of other fish and predict the outcome of fights.

The results that fish can use the mirror as a tool can help clarify the similarities between human and non-human animal self-awareness and provide important clues to elucidate how self-awareness has evolved.

 Cleaner fish with mirror self-recognition capacity precisely realize their body size based on their mental image, Scientific Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70138-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Thursday

Multiple ways to evolve tiny knee bone could have helped humans walk upright

The evolution of bones in primates' knees could have implications for how humans evolved to walk upright, a new study has found.

Researchers from King's College London analyzed the presence of the lateral fabella, a bone in the knee the size of a sesame seed, in 93 different species of primates.

The lateral fabella is a sesamoid bone behind the knee which is twice as common in people with knee osteoarthritis. Sesamoids, like the kneecap, are small bones embedded in tendons or ligaments that are sometimes present within mammalian skeletons, which means they can be absent in some mammals, but present in others of the same species.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. They found that while most primates have these bones, they are often absent in hominoids, the group of primates that humans belong to alongside chimpanzees, gorillas, gibbons, and others.

Yet humans have evolved to have this bone differently from most primates and it is not found in all people. The researchers say this distinct evolutionary pathway of the fabella in humans could point to an evolutionary change that helped the ancestors of humans walk upright.

Using this bone in a new way could have helped early humans, like Australopithecus, go from walking on all fours to walking upright, the researchers say.

In the new study, scientists used statistical modeling to examine the presence of three sesamoid bones in the knee—the cyamella, medial fabella and lateral fabella—using research published over the last one hundred years.

The scientists discovered that primates with faballae were 50 times more likely to have ancestors who also had them. The team also found that the medial and lateral fabella almost always develop in pairs, except in rare cases like humans, who only have a lateral fabella.

Further analyses suggest hominoids may have evolved a way to grow fabellae different from other primates, which could explain why humans can grow a lateral fabella without a medial one, but other primates cannot. This could unite over a century of research, where scientists have debated how these bones evolved.

The distinct evolutionary pathway of the fabella 're-emerging' in humans could point to an evolutionary change that helped the ancestors of humans walk upright.

The evolution of the knee sesamoids in Primates: A systematic review and phylogenetic meta-analysis, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0774. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi … .1098/rspb.2024.0774

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