Targeting a coronavirus ion channel could yield new COVID-19 drugs

The genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus encodes 29 proteins, one of which is an ion channel called E. This channel, which transports protons and calcium ions, induces infected cells to launch an inflammatory response that damages tissues and contributes to the symptoms of COVID-19.

MIT chemists have now discovered the structure of the "open" state of this channel, which allows ions to flow through. This structure, combined with the "closed" state structure that was reported by the same lab in 2020, could help scientists figure out what triggers the channel to open and close. These structures could also guide researchers in developing antiviral drugs that block the channel and help prevent inflammation.

When SARS-CoV-2 infects cells, the E channel embeds itself inside the membrane that surrounds a cellular organelle called the ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC). The ERGIC interior has a high concentration of protons and calcium ions, which the E channel transports out of ERGIC and into the cell cytoplasm. That influx of protons and calcium leads to the formation of multiprotein complexes called inflammasomes, which induce inflammation.

Previous research has shown that when SARS-CoV-2 viruses are mutated so that they don't produce the E channel, the viruses generate much less inflammation and cause less damage to host cells.

So the E channel is an antiviral drug target now. If you can stop the channel from sending calcium into the cytoplasm, then you have a way to reduce the cytotoxic effects of the virus.

Joao Medeiros-Silva et al, Atomic Structure of the Open SARS-CoV-2 E Viroporin, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi9007. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adi9007

The three types of households with their typical characteristics and food waste behaviours. Credit: Trang Nguyen using Canva.com, CC BY-NC-ND

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 a fire retardant in building materials

Flu-resistant chickens
 Birds with small alterations to one gene are highly resistant to avian flu

Scientists have created the world’s first flu-resistant chickens in an advance that could pave the way for gene-edited poultry. The birds, which had small alterations to one gene, were highly resistant to avian flu, with nine in 10 birds showing no signs of infection when exposed to a typical dose of the virus.

However, infections were not completely blocked, and scientists say this would have to be achieved before genetically engineered chickens could be introduced to farms, due to the risk of the virus evolving to become more dangerous to humans.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41476-3

If you are not getting enough sleep, your vascular cells may be drowning in oxidants!

Several people in the world are in the same situation of sleep deprivation and habitually get only five to six hours of sleep instead of the recommended seven to eight hours.

But even a mild chronic sleep deficit may heighten the risk of developing heart disease later in life: Surveys of thousands of people have found that people who report mild but chronic sleep deficits have more heart disease later in life than people who get adequate sleep.

Published in Scientific Reports, a study of women now shows what's happening in the body during chronic mild sleep deprivation.

After just six weeks of shortened sleep, the study found, the cells that line our blood vessels are flooded by damaging oxidants. And unlike well-rested cells, sleep-restricted cells fail to activate antioxidant responses to clear the destructive molecules.

The result: cells that are inflamed and dysfunctional, an early step in the development of cardiovascular disease. This is some of the first direct evidence to show that mild chronic sleep deficits cause heart disease.

Riddhi Shah, Vikash Kumar Shah, Memet Emin, Su Gao, Rosemary V. Sampogna, Brooke Aggarwal, Audrey Chang, Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Vikas Malik, Jianlong Wang, Ying Wei, Sanja Jelic. Mild sleep restriction increases endothelial oxidative stress in female persons. Scientific Reports, 2023; 13 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42758-y

A theory on how gold, platinum, and other precious metals found their way into Earth's mantle

Scientists say they've hit the jackpot with some valuable new information about the story of gold.

It's a story that begins with violent collisions of large objects in space, continues in a half-melted region of Earth's mantle, and ends with precious metals finding an unlikely resting spot much closer to the planet's surface than scientists would have predicted.

Their new theory provides possible answers to lingering questions about the way gold, platinum, and other precious metals found their way to shallow pockets within Earth's mantle rather than deep in the planet's core. More broadly, the new theory offers insights into planet formation throughout the universe.

Recent research from scientists around the world has established that precious metals such as gold and platinum came to Earth billions of years ago after the early proto-Earth collided with large, moon-sized bodies in space, which left behind deposits of materials that were folded into what is today's Earth.

Aside from being valued for their scarcity, aesthetic beauty, and use in high-tech products, gold and platinum are what is known as highly "siderophile" elements. They are drawn to the element iron to such a degree that they would be expected to collect almost entirely in Earth's metallic core—either by merging directly with the metal core on impact or by sinking quickly from the mantle into the core.

By this logic, they should not have collected at or near the Earth's surface. Yet they did.

The new theory centers around a thin, "transient" region of the mantle, where the shallow part of the mantle melts and the deeper part remains solid. The researchers found that this region has peculiar dynamic properties that can efficiently trap falling metallic components and slowly deliver them to the rest of the mantle. 

Their theory posits that this delivery is still ongoing, with the remnants of the transient region appearing as "large low-shear-velocity provinces"—well-known geophysical anomalies in the deep mantle.

This transient region almost always forms when a big impactor hits the early Earth, making this new  theory quite robust.

 Jun Korenaga et al, Vestiges of impact-driven three-phase mixing in the chemistry and structure of Earth's mantle, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309181120

Scientists identify nature's missing evolutionary law

A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes "a missing law of nature," recognizing for the first time an important norm within the natural world's workings.

In essence, the new law states that complex natural systems evolve to states of greater patterning, diversity, and complexity. In other words, evolution is not limited to life on Earth, it also occurs in other massively complex systems, from planets and stars to atoms, minerals, and more.

"Macroscopic" laws of nature describe and explain phenomena experienced daily in the natural world. Natural laws related to forces and motion, gravity, electromagnetism, and energy, for example, were described more than 150 years ago.

The new work presents a modern addition—a macroscopic law recognizing evolution as a common feature of the natural world's complex systems, which are characterized as follows:

• They are formed from many different components, such as atoms, molecules, or cells, that can be arranged and rearranged repeatedly
• Are subject to natural processes that cause countless different arrangements to be formed
• Only a small fraction of all these configurations survive in a process called "selection for function."

Part 1

Regardless of whether the system is living or nonliving, when a novel configuration works well and function improves, evolution occurs.

The authors' "Law of Increasing Functional Information" states that the system will evolve "if many different configurations of the system undergo selection for one or more functions."

In the case of biology, Darwin equated function primarily with survival—the ability to live long enough to produce fertile offspring.

The new study expands that perspective, noting that at least three kinds of function occur in nature.

The most basic function is stability—stable arrangements of atoms or molecules are selected to continue. Also chosen to persist are dynamic systems with ongoing supplies of energy.

The third and most interesting function is "novelty"—the tendency of evolving systems to explore new configurations that sometimes lead to startling new behaviors or characteristics.

Part 2

Life's evolutionary history is rich with novelties—photosynthesis evolved when single cells learned to harness light energy, multicellular life  evolved when cells learned to cooperate, and species evolved thanks to advantageous new behaviors such as swimming, walking, flying, and thinking.

The same sort of evolution happens in the mineral kingdom. The earliest minerals represent particularly stable arrangements of atoms. Those primordial minerals provided foundations for the next generations of minerals, which participated in life's origins. The evolution of life and minerals are intertwined, as life uses minerals for shells, teeth, and bones.

Indeed, Earth's minerals, which began with about 20 at the dawn of our solar system, now number almost 6,000 known today thanks to ever more complex physical, chemical, and ultimately biological processes over 4.5 billion years.

In the case of stars, the paper notes that just two major elements—hydrogen and helium—formed the first stars shortly after the big bang. Those earliest stars used hydrogen and helium to make about 20 heavier chemical elements. And the next generation of stars built on that diversity to produce almost 100 more elements.

Part 3

The universe generates novel combinations of atoms, molecules, cells, etc. Those combinations that are stable and can go on to engender even more novelty will continue to evolve. This is what makes life the most striking example of evolution, but evolution is everywhere."

Among many implications, the paper offers:

1. Understanding into how differing systems possess varying degrees to which they can continue to evolve. "Potential complexity" or "future complexity" have been proposed as metrics of how much more complex an evolving system might become
2. Insights into how the rate of evolution of some systems can be influenced artificially. The notion of functional information suggests that the rate of evolution in a system might be increased in at least three ways: (1) by increasing the number and/or diversity of interacting agents, (2) by increasing the number of different configurations of the system; and/or (3) by enhancing the selective pressure on the system (for example, in chemical systems by more frequent cycles of heating/cooling or wetting/drying).
3. A deeper understanding of generative forces behind the creation and existence of complex phenomena in the universe, and the role of information in describing them
4. An understanding of life in the context of other complex evolving systems. Life shares certain conceptual equivalencies with other complex evolving systems, but the authors point to a future research direction, asking if there is something distinct about how life processes information on functionality (see also https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0810).
5. Aiding the search for life elsewhere: if there is a demarcation between life and non-life that has to do with selection for function, can we identify the "rules of life" that allow us to discriminate that biotic dividing line in astrobiological investigations? (See also "Did Life Exist on Mars? Other Planets? With AI's Help, We May Know ...")
6. At a time when evolving AI systems are an increasing concern, a predictive law of information that characterizes how both natural and symbolic systems evolve is especially welcome

Laws of nature—motion, gravity, electromagnetism, thermodynamics—etc. codify the general behavior of various macroscopic natural systems across space and time.

The "law of increasing functional information" complements the 2nd law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy (disorder) of an isolated system increases over time (and heat always flows from hotter to colder objects).

On the roles of function and selection in evolving systems, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2310223120. doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2310223120

Part 4

Why a spinning magnet can cause a second magnet to levitate

A team of physicists has found the reason a spinning magnet can cause a secondary magnet to levitate without the need for stabilization. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Applied, the group describes experiments they conducted to learn more about the phenomenon and what they learned from them.

Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that if two magnets with north poles facing one another are brought close together, they will repel one another. Such force has been used for applications such as levitating trains. But these applications must account for the inherent instability that arises when magnets repel each other. More recently, scientists have found that if one of the magnets is spun at high speed, a second magnet can be repelled without the need for stabilizing—it remains levitated even when the first magnet is moved around. In this new effort, the researchers have uncovered the reason for such behavior. To learn more about the phenomenon, the research team paired several different types of magnets and spun them at different speeds while recording the action with high-speed cameras and motion tracking software. In studying the resulting imagery, the team was able to uncover the reason for the behavior.

Part 1

The researchers found that the secondary magnet (which they call a floater) rotated in sync with the rotor magnet—they spun at the same speed. They also found that the axis of the rotor magnet spun with a slight tilt—a situation that would destabilize the two magnets if they were not spinning. To better understand what was happening, the researchers created a simulation that allowed them to more easily manipulate the two magnets and their behavior.

They found that the magnetic field of the rotor magnet exerted some amount of torque on the floater resulting in the two magnets rotating in sync due to a gyroscopic effect. But the floater resisted, if only slightly, which accounted for the parallel configuration that developed. They also found that there was a very small amount of misalignment of the polar axis of the rotor magnet relative to its magnetic field—the resulting attractive and repulsive forces balanced each other out, allowing the floater to be held in a steady position during levitation.

Joachim Marco Hermansen et al, Magnetic levitation by rotation, Physical Review Applied (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.20.044036. On arXiv: doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.00812

Digitally creating 16 million colours by chemistry

The DNA double helix is composed of two DNA molecules whose sequences are complementary to each other. The stability of the duplex can be fine-tuned in the lab by controlling the amount and location of imperfect complementary sequences.

Fluorescent markers bound to one of the matching DNA strands make the duplex visible, and fluorescence intensity increases with increasing duplex stability. Now, researchers  succeeded in creating fluorescent duplexes that can generate any of 16 million colours—a work that surpasses the previous 256 colours limitation.

This very large palette can be used to "paint" with DNA and to accurately reproduce any digital image on a miniature 2D surface with 24-bit color depth.

Tadija Kekić et al, A Canvas of Spatially Arranged DNA Strands that Can Produce 24-bit Color Depth, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06500

Superlensing without a super lens: Physicists boost microscopes beyond limits

Ever since Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovered the world of bacteria through a microscope in the late seventeenth century, humans have tried to look deeper into the world of the infinitesimally small.

There are, however, physical limits to how closely we can examine an object using traditional optical methods. This is known as the diffraction limit and is determined by the fact that light manifests as a wave. It means a focused image can never be smaller than half the wavelength of light used to observe an object.

Attempts to break this limit with "super lenses" have all hit the hurdles of extreme visual losses, making the lenses opaque. Now physicists  have shown a new pathway to achieve superlensing with minimal losses, breaking through the diffraction limit by a factor of nearly four times. The key to their success was to remove the super lens altogether.

The work should allow scientists to further improve super-resolution microscopy, the researchers say. It could advance imaging in fields as varied as cancer diagnostics, medical imaging, or archaeology and forensics.

Researchers have now developed a practical way to implement superlensing, without a super lens. To do this, they placed their light probe far away from the object and collected both high- and low-resolution information. By measuring further away, the probe doesn't interfere with the high-resolution data, a feature of previous methods.

Part 1

Previous attempts have tried to make super lenses using novel materials. However, most materials absorb too much light to make the super lens useful.

Now researchers overcame this by performing the superlens operation as a post-processing step on a computer, after the measurement itself. This produces a 'truthful' image of the object through the selective amplification of evanescent (or vanishing) light waves.

This method could be applied to determine moisture content in leaves with greater resolution, or be useful in advanced microfabrication techniques, such as non-destructive assessment of microchip integrity. And the method could even be used to reveal hidden layers in artwork, perhaps proving useful in uncovering art forgery or hidden works.

 Subwavelength terahertz imaging via virtual superlensing in the radiating near field, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41949-5

Researchers discover one of the world's darkest rivers

When the researchers came upon the Ruki River, they were quite taken aback. The water in this river, a tributary of the mighty Congo River, is so dark that you literally can't see your hand in front of your face.

Comparisons with other major tropical rivers show that the Ruki may even be the blackest large blackwater river on Earth—it's certainly a lot darker than the famous Rio Negro in the Amazon. The reason the water is black is that it contains large amounts of dissolved organic material and hardly any sediment because of the river's low gradient. These carbon-rich substances are mostly washed into the river by the rain, which falls on dead jungle vegetation and leaches out organic compounds from the decomposing plant material. What's more, the river floods the forest in the rainy season. It can take weeks for the often waist-deep water to slowly retreat, during which time it leaches organic substances.

The Ruki is one of the most DOC-rich river systems in the world (dissolved organic carbon). DOC usually comes in the form of organic acids that increase the acidity of the river water. This stimulates the release of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as the acids dissolve carbonates present in the water.

Travis W. Drake et al, Hydrology drives export and composition of carbon in a pristine tropical river, Limnology and Oceanography (2023). DOI: 10.1002/lno.12436

Simulating cold sensation without actual cooling

Our skin plays a key role in perceiving temperature and the surroundings. For instance, we perceive the chill of the outdoors when our cheeks blush with cold, and we sense the onset of spring when our skin warms up gradually.

However, getting exposed to the same stimuli repeatedly, makes us accustomed to the stimuli, making it challenging to sense new sensations. This process, known as "temperature acclimatization," can interfere with our ability to gauge temperature changes in a virtual reality (VR) environment while switching scenes.

In a new study, researchers have developed a non-contact technology for simulating a cold sensation that continually generates thermal experiences while maintaining nearly constant skin temperature. This innovative approach leverages human body's natural sensitivity to rapid temperature changes.

The technology employs a combination of cold air flow and a light source to instantly switch between a quick cold and a gentle warm stimulus, inducing a cold sensation while maintaining the skin temperature fluctuations close to zero. Evaluation results have demonstrated that this system can provide a virtual cold sensation without any actual change in temperature. Moreover, the researchers have succeeded in replicating a cold sensation of the same intensity as one would experience with continuous skin temperature changes.

This technology offers a novel perspective on simulating skin sensations without altering the body's physical state. 

Jiayi Xu et al, Integration of Independent Heat Transfer Mechanisms for Non-Contact Cold Sensation Presentation With Low Residual Heat, IEEE Transactions on Haptics (2023). DOI: 10.1109/TOH.2023.3324754

Scientists develop innovative magnetic gel that heals diabetic wounds three times faster

Diabetic patients whose natural wound-healing capabilities are compromised often develop chronic wounds that are slow to heal. Such non-healing wounds could cause serious infections resulting in painful outcomes, such as limb amputation. To address this global health care challenge, a team of researchers  engineered an innovative magnetic gel that promises to accelerate the healing of diabetic wounds, reduce the rates of recurrence, and in turn, lower the incidents of limb amputations.

Each treatment involves the application of a bandage pre-loaded with a hydrogel containing skin cells for healing and magnetic particles. To maximize therapeutic results, a wireless external magnetic device is used to activate skin cells and accelerate the wound healing process. The ideal duration of magnetic stimulation is about one to two hours.

Lab tests showed the treatment coupled with magnetic stimulation healed diabetic wounds about three times faster than current conventional approaches. Furthermore, while the research has focused on healing diabetic foot ulcers, the technology has potential for treating a wide range of complex wounds such as burns.

Yufeng Shou et al, Mechano‐activated Cell Therapy for Accelerated Diabetic Wound Healing, Advanced Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202304638

Robots helped understand how insects evolved two distinct strategies of flight

Mystery of Dead Whales Washing Up on US Coast May Be Solved

Gray whales have been washing up dead on the Pacific coast at an alarming rate since 2019, and scientists think they might finally know why.

The gray whale strandings from Mexico all the way to Alaska have been declared an "unusual mortality event," or a significant die-off of a species that is unexplained and requires a quick response.

Two other mass die-offs of gray whales occurred in the 1980s and 1990s, though those only lasted a couple of years; the latest is still ongoing. The latest die-off has caused the North Pacific gray whale population to plummet from an estimated 27,000 in 2016 to 14,500 in 2023, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For years, researchers could only guess what was killing the whales. NOAA has previously noted that emaciation had been observed in some of the dead whales, but not in others. But scientists at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute now say there is strong evidence that the whale deaths are linked directly to sea ice melting in the Arctic, according to a study published recently in the journal Science.

The decrease in sea ice was also causing the gray whales' food supply to diminish.

Part 1

Gray whales make the longest migration of any mammal on Earth, traveling more than 12,000 miles every year from their foraging grounds in the Arctic, where they spend the summers, to their breeding grounds in the warm, shallow lagoons of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, where they spend the winters.

While in the Arctic, the gray whales feed on amphipod crustaceans. Amphipods in turn feed on algae, which grows on the underside of sea ice.

With less ice, you get less algae, which is worse for the gray whale prey. When there are sudden declines in the quality of prey, the population of gray whales is significantly affected.

In other words, the melting sea ice disrupts the entire food chain.

The decrease in available food can cause skinnier or malnourished whales, as well as lower birth rates.

Even highly mobile, long-lived species such as gray whales are sensitive to climate change impacts.

Part 2

**

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/gray-whales-have-been-m...

Scientists Show Structural, Brain-Wide Changes During Menstruation

The constant ebb and flow of hormones that guide the menstrual cycle don't just affect reproductive anatomy. They also reshape the brain, and a new study has given us insight into how this happens.

A team of researchers tracked 30 women who menstruate over their cycles, documenting in detail the structural changes that take place in the brain as hormonal profiles fluctuate.

These results are the first to report simultaneous brain-wide changes in human white matter microstructure and cortical thickness coinciding with menstrual cycle-driven hormone rhythms," the researchers write.

Strong brain-hormone interaction effects may not be limited to classically known hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-axis (HPG-axis) receptor-dense regions.

Cyclic fluctuations in HPG-axis hormones exert powerful behavioural, structural, and functional effects through actions on the mammalian central nervous system.

The microstructure of white matter – the fatty network of neuronal fibers that transfer information between regions of gray matter – has been found to change with hormonal shifts, including puberty, oral contraception use, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and post-menopausal estrogen therapy.

To address the menstruation gap in our understanding, the team took MRI scans of their subjects during three menstrual phases: menses, ovulation, and mid-luteal. At the time of each of these scans, the researchers also measured the participants' hormone levels.

In particular, just before ovulation, when the hormones 17β-estradiol and luteinizing hormone rise, the brains of the participants showed white matter changes suggesting faster information transfer.

Follicle-stimulating hormone, which rises before ovulation, and helps stimulate the ovary follicles, was associated with thicker gray matter.

Progesterone, which rises after ovulation, was associated with increased tissue and decreased cerebrospinal fluid volume.

What this means for the person driving the brain is unknown, but the research lays the groundwork for future studies, and perhaps understanding the causes of unusual but severe period-related mental health problems.

These findings may have implications for hormone-driven alterations in behavior and cognition," the researchers write.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.10.09.561616v1

Part 2

Evidence of Earth's core leaking found 

A  team of geochemists has found evidence of high levels of helium-3 in rocks on Baffin Island—possible evidence that the Earth's core is leaking. 

Prior researchers found trace elements of helium-3 in lava flows on Baffin Island, hinting at the possibility that the Earth's core might be leaking. This is because it is an ancient isotope—it was prevalent during the time when Earth was forming and became trapped in the core. But because of its nature, helium-3 that makes its way to the surface soon escapes into the atmosphere and disappears into space. Thus, helium-3 is rare. If it is found on the surface, the odds are high that it made its way out of the core.

Intrigued by the possibility that the Earth's core might be leaking, the research team ventured to Baffin Island and began testing multiple lava flows. They found much higher levels of helium-3 than observed in prior research efforts—higher than anywhere else on Earth. They also found high ratios of helium-3 to helium-4 (a common isotope)—the highest that have ever been measured in terrestrial rock. Such high ratios, the researchers suggest, is another factor suggesting that the helium-3 is leaking from the core.

The research team notes that finding such high levels of helium-3 at a terrestrial site is a big deal, because if it can be proved that the material is indeed leaking from the core, it will provide scientists with a way to study core material, which has never been done before. That could reveal more about the core than previously thought possible. They note that if the helium-3 is coming from the core, then the other material around it should be as well, offering further physical examples of core material.

F. Horton et al, Highest terrestrial 3He/4He credibly from the core, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06590-8

10 billion snow crabs starved to death in the Bering Sea because ...

A team of marine biologists has solved the mystery of why approximately 10 billion snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea back in 2018/2019—the water there was too warm for them!

In their study, reported in the journal Science, the group used data from previous studies on the way snow crabs respond to warmer temperatures to solve the mystery.

Snow crabs are relatively small crabs, that, despite their name, are not white—they are red, like lobsters. They live on the ocean floor in shallow areas and have been consumed as a seafood delicacy for many years.

Alaskan fishermen (and scientists) first noticed a dramatic decline in their numbers back in 2021. Then, due to the pandemic, fishing and studying of the crabs was put on hiatus for a year. The full extent of the crab disappearance was only observed earlier in 2023—over 10 billion were missing. Upon discovering this alarming decline, a research team set to work to figure out what happened.

The team started by scouting nearby areas, hoping that the crabs had simply moved to another location, but no sign of them could be found. Next, noting that the area had experienced a heat wave prior to, and during, the crab disappearance they turned to the results of a prior study that had found that when water temperatures increase, energy requirements for the crabs increase. The researchers found that if water temperatures increased by just 3°C, the caloric needs of the crabs doubled.

Records showed that during the heat wave, water temperatures had risen 3°C, which meant the crabs would have needed twice as much food to sustain themselves. The research team also found that just prior to the heat wave, the crab population had risen dramatically, meaning that there had been a large increase in competition for food. And that, the researchers conclude, led the crabs to starve to death.

Need we give more evidence to  what might happen to the heat sensitive creatures during  global warming?

Cody S. Szuwalski et al, The collapse of eastern Bering Sea snow crab, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf6035

Gordon H. Kruse, Are crabs in hot water?, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adk7565

New study shows Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai eruption depleted ozone layer

A large team of atmospheric specialists has found that when the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai volcano erupted last year, it took part of the ozone layer with it. Their findings are published in the journal Science.

Prior research has shown that the Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai eruption was one of the more powerful explosions ever recorded. It was also unique in that instead of spewing just volcanic material, dirt and rocks, it also sent a very large amount of ocean water into the atmosphere. In this new effort, the research team have found that all that saltwater reacting with other chemicals in the atmosphere, resulted in breaking down O₃ in the ozone layer.

To learn more about the impact of the eruption, the researchers sent balloons with sensors into the atmosphere from nearby Réunion Island just five days after the volcano erupted. In studying the data from the sensors, the researchers found that ozone levels in the plume were approximately 30% below normal levels.

As the balloons continued to monitor the plume as it floated across the Indian and then Pacific Ocean, they found depletion totals of approximately 5%. The depletion, they found was due to ocean water reacting with molecules in the atmosphere that contained chlorine, leading to a breakdown of ozone—in amounts that had never been seen before in such a short time.

 Stephanie Evan et al, Rapid ozone depletion after humidification of the stratosphere by the Hunga Tonga Eruption, Science (2023). DOI: 10.1126/science.adg2551

Deep dive into the gut unlocks new disease treatments

The more diverse species in your gut, the better it is for your health. Now an international team has found a way to determine which species are important and how they interact to create a healthy microbiome.

Understanding these relationships opens the door to a new world of medical opportunities for conditions from inflammatory bowel disease to infections, autoimmune diseases and cancers.

There are roughly 1,000 different bacterial species in a healthy gut—it's a microscopic multicultural community with over a trillion individual members.

Bacteria in our microbiomes exist as communities that rely on each other to produce and share key nutrients between them.

Researchers have developed a new computational way to understand these dependencies and their role in shaping human microbiome. This new method unlocks our understanding of the gut microbiome and provides a foundation for new treatment options that selectively remodel microbial communities.

For example, in Crohn's Disease, the team confirmed the importance of hydrogen sulfide. They discovered that the most likely cause is loss of bacteria that use hydrogen sulfide, not an increase in species producing it, as was previously thought. 

This is a significant step in the development of complex microbial therapies. This approach allows us to identify and rank the key interactions between bacteria and use this knowledge to predict targeted ways to change the community.

Part 1

Microbiome facts
There are trillions of microbes living inside and on the surface of your body; together they are called the microbiome and they are vital to your health and fighting disease.
Since the microbiome was first recognized in the late 1990s, scientists have identified more than 2,000 microbial species from the largest microbiome, in the gut.
The skin, bladder and genitals also harbor microbiome populations.
Your gut microbiome composition is unique to you and effects your metabolism, gastrointestinal tract, brain, and immune system.
In a healthy person, the symbiotic and pathogenic microbes work in balance.
Imbalances between symbiotic (benefiting you and the microbes) and pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes, known as dysbiosis, disrupt the microbes, making people more susceptible to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Clostridioides difficile infection, which causes severe diarrhea and inflammation of the colon or colitis.
There is hope that we may soon be on the cusp of a new era of health care that nurtures and tweaks the microbiome to optimize human health.

Disease-specific loss of microbial cross-feeding interactions in the human gut, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42112-w

Part 2

Why do some men not produce sperm? Scientists uncover one underlying reason for male infertility

Millions of couples worldwide experience infertility with half of the cases originating in men. For 10% of infertile males, little or no sperm are produced. Now, new research is shedding light on what may be going wrong in the process of sperm formation, leading to potential theories on possible treatments.

In most sexually-reproducing species, including humans, a critical protein structure resembling a lattice-like bridge needs to be built properly to produce sperm and egg cells. The team  discovered that in mice, changing a single and very specific point in this bridge caused it to collapse, leading to infertility and thus providing insight into human infertility in males due to similar problems with meiosis.

Part 1

Meiosis, the cell division process giving rise to sperm and eggs, involves several steps, one of which is the formation of a large protein structure called the synaptonemal complex. Like a bridge, the complex holds chromosome pairs in place enabling necessary genetic exchanges to occur that are essential for the chromosomes to then correctly separate into sperm and eggs.

A significant contributor to infertility is defects in meiosis.  what happens right before that when the synaptonemal complex forms between the daughter reproductive cells .

Previous studies have examined many proteins comprising the synaptonemal complex, how they interact with each other, and have identified various mutations linked to male infertility. The protein the researchers investigated in this study forms the lattices of the proverbial bridge, which has a section found in humans, mice, and most other vertebrates suggesting it is critical for assembly. Modeling different mutations in a potentially crucial region in the human protein enabled the team to predict which of these might disrupt protein function.

The authors used a precise gene editing technique to make mutations in one key synaptonemal complex protein in mice, which allowed the researchers, for the first time, to test the function of key regions of the protein in live animals. Just a single mutation, predicted from the modeling experiments, was verified as the culprit of infertility in mice.

Katherine Billmyre et al, SYCP1 head-to-head assembly is required for chromosome synapsis in mouse meiosis, Science Advances (2023). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1562. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adi1562

Part 2

Maternal microbiota can affect fetal development

In a new study, significant differences in the gene activity of the faetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother's body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring's development and health.

The microbiota of the mother, or dam, is thought to be important for the development and health of her offspring. However, so far little is known about how interactions with the microbiota begin and what the mechanisms of action are.

A collaborative study investigated how the maternal microbiota affects fetal development by comparing the fetuses of normal and germ-free mouse dams living in a sterile environment. The researchers measured gene expression and the concentrations of small-molecular compounds, or metabolites, in the fetal intestine, brain and placenta.

This new  study sheds light on the significance of the microbiota and the mechanisms by which the microbiota affects individual development and pregnancy. Researchers identified previously unknown compounds in the fetus, which are likely to be microbial, and which can be important for individual development.

Part 1

The researchers demonstrated that there were considerable differences in gene expression in the intestine, brain and placenta of the fetuses of germ-free and normal mouse dams.

In the gut, genes associated with the immune system and host–microbe interactions were less active in the fetuses of germ-free dams. There were significant differences in the expression of genes in the brain associated with the development and functioning of the nervous system. In the placenta, there were differences in the expression of several important genes that regulate pregnancy.

The differences were more extensive in male fetuses, indicating that they may be more sensitive to the effects of the maternal microbiota, at least in mice.

The researchers discovered that the expression of many important genes was associated with the concentration of metabolites likely to be modulated by the maternal microbiota. These metabolites were absent in the fetuses of germ-free dams, or occurred at least at significantly lower concentrations.

Aleksi Husso et al, Impacts of maternal microbiota and microbial metabolites on fetal intestine, brain, and placenta, BMC Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01709-9

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The encounter between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens as told by their genomes

 About 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years in the western part of the Eurasian continent, gave way to Homo sapiens, who had arrived from Africa. This replacement was not sudden, and the two species coexisted for a few millennia, resulting in the integration of Neanderthal DNA into the genome of Homo sapiens.

Researchers  have analyzed the distribution of the portion of DNA inherited from Neanderthals in the genomes of humans (Homo sapiens) over the last 40,000 years. These statistical analyses revealed subtle variations in time and geographical space. This work, published in the journal Science Advances, helps us to understand the common history of these two species.

Thanks to genome sequencing and comparative analysis, it is established that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbred and that these encounters were sometimes fruitful, leading to the presence of about 2% of DNA of Neanderthal origin in present-day Eurasians. However, this percentage varies slightly between regions of Eurasia, since DNA from Neanderthals is somewhat more abundant in the genomes of Asian populations than in those of European populations.

One hypothesis to explain this difference is that natural selection would not have had the same effect on genes of Neanderthal origin in Asian and European populations.

Another new theory suggests that such differences could be explained by migratory flows: when a migrant population hybridizes with a local population, in their area of cohabitation, the proportion of DNA of the local population tends to increase with distance from the point of departure of the migrant population.

In the case of Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, the hypothesis is that the further one moves away from Africa, Homo sapiens' point of origin, the greater the proportion of DNA from Neanderthal, a population mainly located in Europe. To test this hypothesis, the authors used a database made available by Harvard Medical School that includes more than 4,000 genomes from individuals who have lived in Eurasia over the past 40 millennia.

Statistical analyses revealed that, in the period following the dispersal of Homo sapiens from Africa, the genomes of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers who lived in Europe contained a slightly higher proportion of DNA of Neanderthal origin than the genomes of those who lived in Asia. This result is contrary to the current situation but in agreement with paleontological data, since the presence of Neanderthals was mainly reported in western Eurasia (no Neanderthal bones have been discovered further east than the Altai region of Siberia).

Subsequently, during the transition to the Neolithic, i.e. the transition from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to the farmer lifestyle, 10,000 to 5,000 years ago, the study shows a decline in the proportion of DNA of Neanderthal origin in the genomes of European populations, resulting in a slightly lower percentage than that of Asian populations (as currently observed).

This study shows that the analysis of ancient genomes, coupled with archaeological data, makes it possible to trace different stages in the history of hybridized species.

Claudio S. Quilodrán, Jérémy Rio, Alexandros Tsoupas, Mathias Currat. Past human expansions shaped the spatial pattern of Neanderthal ancestry. Science Advances, 2023; 9 (42) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg9817

Two probiotics identified as promising hypertension treatments

An estimated 40% of the global adult population have high blood pressure, or hypertension, which puts people at risk of cardiovascular disease and other dangerous health conditions. Recent studies suggest that probiotics may offer a protective effect, but researchers have a limited understanding of why shaping the gut microbiota can regulate blood pressure.

A study published in mSystems adds two new strains to the list of potential antihypertensive probiotics.

In experiments on hypertensive mice, treatment with the two probiotics, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, returned blood pressure to normal levels. The researchers also tracked how those probiotics altered the animals' gut microbial mix over 16 weeks, identifying specific microbes and metabolic pathways that may help explain the protective effect.

Accumulated evidence supports an antihypertensive effect of probiotics and probiotic fermented foods in both in vitro and in vivo experiments

Previous studies have connected the rising rates of hypertension worldwide to increasing consumption of sugar. It likely boosts blood pressure through many mechanisms—increased insulin resistance or salt retention, for example—but in recent years researchers have investigated sugar's effect on the gut microbiome, as well.

In the new study, the researchers tested the two probiotic strains on mice that developed high blood pressure after consuming water mixed with fructose. Over 16 weeks, they measured the animals' blood pressures every four weeks. They found that fructose-fed mice that received either probiotic showed significantly lower blood pressures than those fed a high fructose diet and not treated with probiotics.

The researchers used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to probe connections between the altered gut microbiota and the change in blood pressure. They found that a high-fructose diet in the mice led to an increase in Bacteroidetes and a decrease in Firmicutes bacteria; however, treatment with probiotics returned those populations to those found in the control group. In addition, the analysis identified new microbial signatures associated with blood pressure: Increased levels of Lawsonia and Pyrolobus bacteria, and reduced levels of Alistipes and Alloprevotella, were associated with lower blood pressure.

 mSystems (2023). journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msystems.00331-23

Biological fingerprints in soil show where diamond-containing ore is buried

Researchers have identified buried kimberlite, the rocky home of diamonds, by testing the DNA of microbes in the surface soil.

These "biological fingerprints" can reveal which minerals are buried tens of meters below Earth's surface without having to drill. The researchers believe it is the first use of modern DNA sequencing of microbial communities in the search for buried minerals.

The research published in Communications Earth and Environment represents a new tool for mineral exploration, where a full toolbox could save prospectors time and a lot of money.

When ore interacts with soil, it changes the communities of microbes in the soil. The researchers tested this in the lab, introducing kimberlite to soil microbes and watching how they changed in number and species.

Using these "indicator" microbes and their DNA sequences, the team tested the surface soil at an exploration site in the Northwest Territories where kimberlite had previously been confirmed through drilling. They found 59 of the 65 indicators were present in the soil, with 19 present in high numbers directly above the buried ore. They also identified new indicator microbes to add to their set.

Using this set, they tested the surface soil at a second site in the Northwest Territories where they suspected kimberlite was present, and precisely located the topological outline and location of kimberlite buried tens of meters beneath the Earth's surface. This showed that indicators from one site could predict the location at another site. In future, exploration teams could build up a database of indicator species and test an unknown site to find out if kimberlite deposits are buried beneath the soil.

The researchers evaluated their technique against another technique known as geochemical analysis, which involves testing elements in the soil to identify the minerals beneath. The microbes were more precise when it came to identifying the location of buried ore.

Rachel L. Simister et al, DNA sequencing, microbial indicators, and the discovery of buried kimberlites, Communications Earth & Environment (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01020-z

Mimics human tissue, fights bacteria: new biomaterial

Scientists have created a new material that could change the way human tissue can be grown in the lab and used in medical procedures.

The new material belongs to a family of substances called hydrogels, the essence of life’s ‘squishy’ substances found in all living things, such as cartilage in animals and in plants like seaweed. The properties of hydrogels make them very useful in biomedical research because they can mimic human tissue, allowing cells to grow in a laboratory.

There are also human-made hydrogels that are used in a broad range of commodity products ranging from food and cosmetics to contact lenses and absorbent materials, and more recently in medical research to seal wounds and replace damaged tissue. While they might function adequately as space fillers that encourage tissue growth, synthetic hydrogels fall short in recreating the complex properties of real human tissue.

But in a research paper published today in Nature Communications, scientists describe how a new lab-made hydrogel behaves like natural tissue, with a number of surprising qualities that have implications for medical, food and manufacturing technology.

The hydrogel material is made from very simple, short peptides, which are the building blocks of proteins. The material is bioactive, which means that encapsulated cells behave as if they are living in natural tissue. At the same time, the material is antimicrobial, meaning that it will prevent bacterial infections. This combination lands it in the sweet spot for materials that might be useful in medicine. The material is also self-healing, which means that it will reform after being squished, fractured, or after being expelled from a syringe. This makes it ideal for 3D bioprinting, or as an injectable material for medicine.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41907-1

Inside CERN’s ‘antimatter factory’ creating antihydrogen

Microgravity Can Permanently Mutate Bacteria And Make Them Faster Breeders

Certain types of bacteria can mutate to reproduce more quickly when exposed to microgravity, and that's not great news for our space tourist dreams, seeing as we humans are teeming with bacteria. It's not clear why these bacteria respond so positively to microgravity, but researchers are figuring out ways to protect astronauts out in space, as well as mitigating the damage should a space-modified colony ever find its way back to Earth. In a study published in 2017, researchers from the University of Houston monitored Escherichia coli cells through 1,000 generations of growth in simulated microgravity conditions, finding that it spread significantly faster than a control sample of unaltered bacteria. The E. coli cells also picked up at least 16 different genetic mutations along the way, though it's not clear how these mutations affect growth rates, either individually or as a group. The adapted cells grew about three times as many colonies as the unmodified E. coli, the tests showed. Even when the supercharged bacteria were removed from microgravity conditions up to 30 generations before testing, 72 percent of the growth advantage was retained, showing that some changes prompted by space travel could be permanent. Certain strains have previously been shown to grow 60 percent more quickly in microgravity, so there seems to be something about that weightless environment that these microorganisms really like. Even now, astronauts on board the ISS are having to deal with thick biofilms of bacteria on their equipment that are growing faster than normal.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-017-0020-1

Scientists Unveil World-First Experimental Cocaine Addiction Vaccine

Scientists  have announced the development of an innovative new treatment for addiction to the drug and its powerful derivative crack: a vaccine.

Dubbed "Calixcoca," the test vaccine, which has shown promising results in trials on animals, triggers an immune response that blocks cocaine and crack from reaching the brain, which researchers hope will help users break the cycle of addiction.

Put simply, addicts would no longer get high from the drug.

​If the treatment gets regulatory approval, it would be the first time cocaine addiction is treated using a vaccine.

​The vaccine works by triggering patients' immune systems to produce antibodies that bind to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream, making them too large to pass into the brain's mesolimbic system, or "reward center," where the drug normally stimulates high levels of pleasure-inducing dopamine.

​It also protected rat fetuses against cocaine, researchers found, suggesting it could be used in humans to protect the unborn babies of pregnant addicts.

Scientists Caught Sperm Defying One of The Major Laws of Physics

With their whip-like tails, human sperm propel themselves through viscous fluids, seemingly in defiance of Newton's third law of motion, according to a new study that characterizes the motion of these sex cells and single-celled algae.

Scientists investigated these non-reciprocal interactions in sperm and other microscopic biological swimmers, to figure out how they slither through substances that should, in theory, resist their movement.

When Newton conceived his now-famed laws of motion in 1686, he sought to explain the relationship between a physical object and the forces acting upon it with a few neat principles that, it turns out, don't necessarily apply to microscopic cells wriggling through sticky fluids.

Newton's third law can be summed up as "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction". It signifies a particular symmetry in nature where opposing forces act against each other. In the simplest example, two equal-sized marbles colliding as they roll along the ground will transfer their force and rebound based on this law.

However, nature is chaotic, and not all physical systems are bound by these symmetries. So-called non-reciprocal interactions show up in unruly systems made up of flocking birds, particles in fluid – and swimming sperm.

These motile agents move in ways that display asymmetric interactions with the animals behind them or the fluids that surround them, forming a loophole for equal and opposite forces to skirt Newton's third law.
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Part 1

However, nature is chaotic, and not all physical systems are bound by these symmetries. So-called non-reciprocal interactions show up in unruly systems made up of flocking birds, particles in fluid – and swimming sperm.

These motile agents move in ways that display asymmetric interactions with the animals behind them or the fluids that surround them, forming a loophole for equal and opposite forces to skirt Newton's third law.
Because birds and cells generate their own energy, which gets added to the system with each flap of their wings or whip of their tails, the system is thrust far from equilibrium, and the same rules don't apply.
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Scientists analyzed experimental data on human sperm and also modeled the motion of green algae, Chlamydomonas. Both swim using thin, bendy flagella that protrude from the cell body and change shape, or deform, to drive the cells forward.

Highly viscous fluids would typically dissipate a flagellum's energy, preventing a sperm or single-celled algae from moving much at all. And yet somehow, the elastic flagella can propel these cells along without provoking a response from their surroundings.

The researchers found that sperm tails and algal flagella have an 'odd elasticity', which allows these flexible appendages to whip about without losing much energy to the surrounding fluid.
But this property of odd elasticity didn't fully explain the propulsion from the flagella's wave-like motion. So from their modeling studies, the researchers also derived a new term, an odd elastic modulus, to describe the internal mechanics of flagella.
The findings could help in the design of small, self-assembling robots that mimic living materials, while the modeling methods could be used to better understand the underlying principles of collective behaviour.

https://journals.aps.org/prxlife/abstract/10.1103/PRXLife.1.023002

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We can't defeat cancer without acknowledging the differences between men and women, say scientists
For generations, the medical community has used the "standard human"—a 70-kilogram male—to guide education, research and practice. This means that for many conditions, although the recommended type, dosage and duration of treatment may be effective for the group of males who happen to weigh close to 70 kg, they might be far from optimal for most of the population, including all females.

In cancer, multiple bodily factors contribute to how the disease develops, progresses and responds to treatment, and many of these factors relate to sex.

Sex differences in cancer are not technically a new insight, but they have historically been somewhat overlooked. However, researchers have recently started to uncover some of the mechanisms behind how a person's sex affects their experience of cancer. The realization that such knowledge may one day make it possible to improve outcomes for all patients has given more scientists the impulse to delve deeper into this area of research.
The anatomical differences between males and females are well known. Males typically have higher muscle and bone mass, a lower fat mass and a visibly different skeletal shape. Males also have a higher body water content, which, alongside differences in metabolism and fat mass, can affect how the body responds to and breaks down cancer-killing drugs.

Some of these differences are due to males having one Y chromosome and one X chromosome, rather than the two X chromosomes in the female body. In fact, research suggests that genetics plays a very significant part, indicating that up to one third of the genome might be expressed differently by males and females.

Females and males also have different sex hormones, and these influence the blood vessels, immune cells, signaling molecules and other features that surround tumors, known as the tumor microenvironment. For types of cancer that are dependent on or sensitive to hormones, these chemicals can promote the growth and spread of the disease.

Researchers have also uncovered differences between male and female immune responses. They believe that these are typically stronger in females, who tend to clear disease-causing organisms such as bacteria more quickly from the body and be better protected by vaccinations. Conversely, females are often more susceptible to inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, some of which are associated with an increased risk of cancer.

All of these differences mean that, although males are more likely than females to get cancer and to have a poor outcome, females are 34 percent more likely to experience side effects from cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
A big part of the problem is that treatment recommendations are based on the findings of clinical trials, which are only generalizable if the trial participants are representative of the relevant patient population. This is an issue because females are generally under-represented in clinical trials.
Part 1

For instance, between 2003 and 2016, females represented less than 10% of participants in lung and pancreatic cancer trials, despite accounting for more than 40% of the diagnoses. In 2018, women made up only 38% of the 5,157 people who participated in oncology trials that led to the approval of new drugs.

,The insufficient recruitment of female participants has historically been due to concerns that regular monthly hormonal fluctuations might affect the findings and that the intervention being tested could lead to fetal abnormalities in those capable of pregnancy.

Some gender-related misconceptions have also played a part. Research suggests some trial sponsors and clinicians believe that women bring complexity to clinical trials and that their 'increased emotions and sensitivity' may affect how they report their symptoms. However, these excuses are no longer considered valid.

For things to improve, it is crucial for scientists to develop a deeper understanding of the specific influences of sex differences in different cancer types.

 Why outcomes are worse in females. Is it just due to diagnosis occurring at a later stage, when treatment is less likely to be effective, or are there other factors at play?

Scientists should focus on immunology, as male and female hormones have quite different immunological effects.

Sex-specific immunological changes are important to investigate because they dictate how the genomics of tumors evolve and how cancer learns to escape the immune response.

Paul Toren et al, The sex gap in bladder cancer survival—a missing link in bladder cancer care?, Nature Reviews Urology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00806-2

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Nanoparticles found to be effective for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

A team of scientists has developed a new solution for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

RA is a chronic disease that, unfortunately, has no cure. The disease triggers a mix of troublesome symptoms like inflamed joints, harmful cytokines, and immune system imbalances, which work together to create a relentless cycle of worsening symptoms. While targeting some of these factors can provide short-term relief, others remain unresolved, leading to a frustrating cycle of remission and flare-ups.

One of the major hurdles in RA treatment is the inability to restore the immune system to its healthy state. This leaves the body unable to control the continuous production of harmful substances like reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines, leading to persistent inflammation and discomfort. In essence, the ideal treatment for RA should not only provide immediate relief from inflammation and symptoms but also address the root cause by restoring the immune system to its normal, balanced state.

The new work involves immobilizing ceria nanoparticles (Ce NPs) onto mesenchymal stem cell-derived nanovesicles (MSCNVs). Both of these components can hinder different pathogenic factors, allowing them to work both individually and cooperatively to achieve a comprehensive treatment.

Ce NPs can scavenge the overproduced ROS in RA-inflicted knee joints. They also induce polarization of M1 macrophages into M2, achieving immediate relief of inflammation and symptoms. MSCNVs deliver immunomodulatory cytokines, which turn dendritic cells (DC) into tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs). This consequently generates regulatory T cells for long-term immune tolerance. In short, this approach aims to bridge both innate and adaptive immunity to achieve both short-term pain relief, as well as convert the tissue environment into an immune-tolerant state to prevent the recurrence of symptoms.

Researchers confirmed the efficacy of this approach using a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model. The Ce-MSCNV system was able to comprehensively treat and prevent RA by simultaneously relieving the immediate and restoring T cell immunity. Supporting data suggest that improvement in conditions can be achieved after only a single-dose treatment.

The mice treated with the Ce-MSCNV combination fared far better compared to the ones only treated using the Ce NP or MSCNV group. This clearly demonstrates the synergy between anti-inflammation and immunomodulation and underlines the importance of the combined therapy for effective RA treatment. In addition, Ce-MSCNV administration prior to booster injection markedly reduced the incidence and severity of symptoms, supporting the prophylactic potential of these nanoparticles.

Koo Sagang et al, Ceria-vesicle nanohybrid therapeutic for modulation of innate and adaptive immunity in a collagen-induced arthritis model, Nature Nanotechnology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41565-023-01523-y

Psoriasis not caused by spontaneous mutations : Study

Psoriasis—a chronic skin condition—is not caused or spread by spontaneous genetic mutations in the skin, new research suggests.

Researchers sequenced skin samples from 111 people with psoriasis. They didn't find any mutated genes in the psoriatic patches that weren't also mutated in the individual's unaffected skin tissue. The study, published in Nature Genetics, suggests that unlike other inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease or chronic liver disease, somatic mutations were not responsible for the start or spread of psoriasis.  

Confirming that psoriasis is not caused by any somatic mutations enables researchers to continue to explore other avenues.

Over time, all cells in our bodies will accumulate mutations, known as somatic mutations. These can arise from replication errors, chemicals, or environmental factors. While some of these mutations can lead to cancer, many are harmless. When a mutation gives the cell an advantage over its neighbors, it is known as a driver mutation, and this allows the mutated cells to grow and spread.

Recently, research has begun to explore the possibility of driver mutations causing non-cancerous diseases by impacting the function of the tissue or influencing the spread of disease through the body.

Part 1

In previous work by scientists, these mutations have been shown to have an impact on diseases such as inflamatoy bowl disease. In this new study, researchers explored if the same was true for psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disease that causes patches of skin to become flaky or sore. The current cause of the condition is unknown and it is estimated that 125 million people worldwide—2% to 3% of the total population—have psoriasis.

This team took skin samples from the forearms of 111 people with psoriasis, taking samples from psoriasis patches and healthy skin. They used laser capture microdissection to isolate 1,182 samples, which were then analyzed by whole genome or exome sequencing.

They found minimal differences in the types of mutations seen in healthy skin versus psoriasis patches and only a slight increase in the number of mutations. In addition to this, no functional differences were seen between psoriasis and non-psoriasis tissue, suggesting that the condition is not linked to a specific somatic mutation in the skin.

The team identified four new driver mutations that gave skin cells an advantage over their neighbors, all found in both psoriasis patches and other skin tissue. They also found a mutational signature linked with the use of psoralens, a compound sometimes used as part of a treatment for psoriasis flare-ups. However, these mutations were found in patients who had been prescribed psoralens along with those who hadn't, suggesting that it could have come from environmental exposure.

 Sigurgeir Olafsson et al, Effects of psoriasis and psoralen exposure on the somatic mutation landscape of the skin, Nature Genetics (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01545-1

Part 2

Volcanic eruptions found to dampen Indian Ocean El Niño events 

Volcanic eruptions occurring in tropical regions (23°N/S of the equator) have been linked to abrupt disruption of global-scale climate cycles in the Indian Ocean over the last 1 million years in new research published in Geophysical Research Letters. El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are ocean-atmosphere climate interactions that were found to be disrupted for almost a decade before returning to pre-eruption baseline levels, and the effect increases with greater eruption intensity.

Benjamin H. Tiger et al, Tropical Volcanic Eruptions and Low Frequency Indo‐Pacific Variability Drive Extreme Indian Ocean Dipole Events, Geophysical Research Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1029/2023GL103991

Scientists isolate 'pre-emerging' bat coronavirus but also identify existing medication that potently neutralizes it

Repeated outbreaks of bat-derived coronaviruses among humans and other mammals have heightened the need for a broad range of therapeutics—monoclonal antibodies and antivirals—treatments that can come immediately "off-the-shelf" to address newly-emerging zoonotic threats.

A groundbreaking series of experiments by scientists at collaborating research centers has not only identified a "pre-emerging bat coronavirus," but investigators have additionally demonstrated that an off-the-shelf monoclonal antibody neutralized it potently. Additionally, in vitro tests of widely-used antivirals were also effective against the virus, researchers found.

The bat-derived coronavirus is more specifically known as BtCoV-422. And a neutralizing monoclocal antibody developed to treat Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus—MERS-CoV—has been available for years and is known as mAb JC57-11. MERS-CoV is a bat-derived zoonotic virus that infects dromedary camels, the animals that transmit the virus to people. BtCoV-422 is genetically similar to MERS-CoV.

Writing in Science Translational Medicine, investigators  who underscored a deceptively simple principle: the types of countermeasures that have worked against other coronaviruses, such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, should impact BtCoV-422. But while investigators found that most MERS-CoV–neutralizing monoclonal antibodies had very limited activity against the virus, mAb JC57-11 delivered a powerful one-two punch.

Longping V. Tse et al, A MERS-CoV antibody neutralizes a pre-emerging group 2c bat coronavirus, Science Translational Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adg5567

Asteroid dust caused 15-year winter that killed dinosaurs: Study

Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest smashed into Earth, killing off three quarters of all life on the planet—including the dinosaurs.

But exactly how the impact of the asteroid Chicxulub caused all those animals to go extinct has remained a matter of debate till now.

The leading theory recently has been that sulfur from the asteroid's impact—or soot from global wildfires it sparked—blocked out the sky and plunged the world into a long, dark winter, killing all but the lucky few.

However research published recently based on particles found at a key fossil site reasserted an earlier hypothesis: that the impact winter was caused by dust kicked up by the asteroid.

Fine silicate dust from pulverized rock would have stayed in the atmosphere for 15 years, dropping global temperatures by up to 15 degrees Celsius, researchers said in a study in the journal Nature Geoscience.

 Cem Berk Senel et al, Chicxulub impact winter sustained by fine silicate dust, Nature Geoscience (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-023-01290-4

Life on Earth under 'existential threat': climate scientists

Climate change poses an "existential threat" to life on Earth, prominent scientists warned recently, in an assessment on this year's avalanche of heat records and weather extremes that they said are hitting more ferociously than expected.

With expectations that 2023 will be the hottest year on record, regions across the planet have been scorched by deadly heat waves.

Others have been hit by floods, or in some cases, have suffered both extremes in quick succession.

"The truth is that we are shocked by the ferocity of the extreme weather events in 2023. We are afraid of the uncharted territory that we have now entered," said an international coalition of authors in a new report published in the journal BioScience.

Their stark assessment: "Life on planet Earth is under siege". They said humanity had made "minimal progress" in curbing its planet-heating emissions, with major greenhouse gases at record levels, and subsidies for fossil fuels soaring last year.

The study on the state of the climate looked at recent data on 35 planetary "vital signs" and found 20 of these were at record extremes this year.

William Ripple et al, 2023 State of the Climate Report: Entering Uncharted Territory, BioScience (2023). DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biad080