97% of sampled Antarctic seabirds found to have ingested microplastics

Anthropogenic plastic pollution is often experienced through evocative images of marine animals caught in floating debris, yet its reach is far more expansive. The polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctica are increasingly experiencing the impacts of plastic reaching floating ice and land, not solely as larger macroplastics (>5 cm), but as microplastics (0.1 µm—5 mm) and nanoplastics (<0.1 µm) that may be carried vast distances from their source or be ingested in more populated areas during seasonal migration.

A new review, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, has investigated the scale of this issue, particularly with respect to seabirds who call these glaciated regions home.

Across >1,100 samples, the researchers explored stomach contents, crop pouch near the throat for temporary food storage during foraging trips, guano (excrement mixture of food and metabolic waste) and regurgitated pellets of undigested food and other particles. Pellets formed the main component of the samples, followed by stomach contents and guano, while pouch contents were minimally present.

They found that 13 species of seabird inhabiting polar landscapes were reported to have ingested microplastics, including little auks, northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, thick-billed murres, white-chinned petrels, great shearwaters, sooty shearwaters, king penguins, Adélie penguins, chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, brown skuas and south polar skuas.

A total of 3,526 particles were extracted from these seabird samples, equating to at least 1 microplastic particle in 90% of Arctic samples and 97% for Antarctica. A median of 31.5 and 35, and average of 7.2 and 1.1, microplastic particles were found in each sample in the Arctic and Antarctica respectively. A maximum of 36 microplastic particles were found in a single bird.

Regarding plastic composition, 14 polymer types were identified, the dominant form being polyethylene, followed by polypropylene and polystyrene. These were predominantly present as fragments, derived from the breakdown of larger plastic objects. Such plastic polymer types can be sourced from items like plastic bags, food and drink containers and protective foam packaging.

The impact ingestion of plastic particles can have on seabirds includes blockage of their gastrointestinal tract, toxicity and oxidative stress, as well as triggering immune reactions. Additionally, it is not only direct ingestion of particles that is of concern, as microplastics have been found in krill, a food source for some penguins, highlighting the larger-scale issue in the ecosystem and trophic webs.

 Davide Taurozzi et al, Seabirds from the poles: microplastics pollution sentinels, Frontiers in Marine Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2024.1343617

 Researchers observe how energy of single electron is tuned by surrounding atoms

Physicists  have choreographed the shift of a quantized electronic energy level with atomic oscillations faster than a trillionth of a second.

Throwing a ball into the air, one can transfer arbitrary energy to the ball such that it flies higher or lower. One of the oddities of quantum physics is that particles, e.g., electrons, can often only take on quantized energy values—as if the ball was leaping between specific heights, like steps of a ladder, rather than flying continuously.

Qubits and quantum computers as well as light-emitting quantum dots make use of this principle. However, electronic energy levels can be shifted by collisions with other electrons or atoms. Processes in the quantum world usually take place on atomic scales and are also incredibly fast.

Using a novel type of ultrafast microscope, a team of physicists has now succeeded in directly observing with atomic resolution on ultrafast timescales how the energy of a single electron is tuned by the vibrations of the surrounding atoms. Remarkably, they were also able to specifically control this process. Such discoveries could be crucial for the development of super-fast quantum technologies.

The physicists used an atomically thin material to investigate how a discrete energy level changes when this atomic layer moves up and down like the membrane of a drum. They observed this at a vacancy—the void left behind when an individual atom is removed.

Such atomically thin two-dimensional crystals, known for their versatile, customizable electronic properties, are particularly interesting for future nanoelectronics. Vacancies in a crystal are promising candidates for qubits, the elementary information carriers of quantum computers, as they have discrete electronic energy levels just like atoms.

The researchers found that they can change a discrete energy level of the defect by triggering a drum-like vibration of the atomically thin membrane: the atomic motion of the surrounding atoms shifts and thus controls the energy level of the vacancy.

The work establishes a new era in the study of the dynamics of atomically localized energy levels and their interaction with the environment. This discovery enables the local control of discrete energy levels in the most direct way. For instance, the motion of individual atoms could change the energy structure of a material and thus create new functionalities or specifically change the properties of light-emitting semiconductors and molecules.

Carmen Roelcke et al, Ultrafast atomic-scale scanning tunnelling spectroscopy of a single vacancy in a monolayer crystal. Nature Photonics. www.nature.com/articles/s41566-024-01390-6

Researchers develop dual anti-tumour vaccine

a research team has discovered that exosomes derived from γδ-T cells not only have direct anti-tumor effects but also, when developed into a tumor vaccine, can effectively induce a tumor-specific immune response. The findings, which provide a new approach to cancer treatment, were published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.

Exosomes are nanoscale particles secreted by cells, carrying various substances, such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, that play a crucial role in intercellular communication. Exosomes have been explored for developing tumor vaccines, as they can protect vaccine components from degradation, improve stability, extend the biological half-life, and enhance antigen uptake by antigen-presenting cells (APCs).

Previous studies focused on exosomes derived from tumor cells (TExos) and dendritic cells (DC-Exos) but found limitations in terms of safety and clinical efficacy.

In this study, the research team focused on exosomes derived from human γδ-T cells, a rare subset of T cells known for their direct anti-tumor activity and ability to enhance T-cell responses.

The research team discovered that γδ-T cell-derived exosomes (γδ-T-Exos) exhibited dual anti-tumor activities by carrying cytotoxic and immunostimulatory molecules that can directly kill tumor cells and stimulate the immune system.

They found that γδ-T-Exos has adjuvant effects, enhancing the expression of antigen-presenting and releasing molecules that promote inflammation, which improves the ability of the immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells.

Intriguingly, the research showed that vaccines based on allogeneic γδ-T-Exos (derived from different individuals) exhibited similar preventive and therapeutic effects as vaccines based on autologous γδ-T-Exos (derived from the same individual) in mouse models. This suggests that this approach is suitable for centralized and standardized production. The vaccines have dual anti-tumor capabilities in effectively killing tumor cells and indirectly inducing a T-cell-mediated anti-tumor immune response, leading to better tumor control than existing vaccine strategies.

Xiwei Wang et al, Tumor vaccine based on extracellular vesicles derived from γδ‐T cells exerts dual antitumor activities, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (2023). DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12360

Scientists can now remove nanoplastics from your water with 94% efficiency

Researchers have created a new technology that can remove harmful nanoplastics from contaminated water with 94% efficiency. The study, "Utilization of epoxy thermoset waste to produce activated carbon for the remediation of nano-plastic contaminated wastewater," was published in the journal Separation and Purification Technology.

The amount of plastic pollution in our ecosystem has become an increasingly alarming concern globally. Concerns have frequently been flagged about the impact that plastic pollution has on the toxicity to the environment and humans.

The impact of nanoplastics, material that is a thousand times smaller than microplastics, has been found to have a significant detrimental effect on aquatic and human life. However, the options that can eliminate nanoplastics from oceans and lakes are limited.

A team of researchers, who specialize in polymer engineering, tackled a new method to address small plastic waste and remove nanoplastics from wastewater systems.

They used epoxy, a waste polymer that can't be reused or reprocessed and often ends up in landfills or finds its way into water system networks like lakes or streams.

Using a process called thermal decomposition, the researchers converted epoxy into activated carbon, a material capable of removing nanoplastics.

The researchers then used the activated carbon to treat water contaminated by nanoplastics after producing nanoplastics from polyethylene terephthalate, a form of polyester often used in plastic water bottles and clothing such as fleece.

These tiny contaminants pose a greater health risk compared to microplastics as they can penetrate cells and are hard to detect. The 94% removal efficiency of nanoplastics was achieved by physically trapping the nanoplastics in the porous structure of the waste plastic, which generated activated carbon.

Rachel Blanchard et al, Utilization of epoxy thermoset waste to produce activated carbon for the remediation of nano-plastic contaminated wastewater, Separation and Purification Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2023.124755

Can you get electrocuted by an electric vehicle?

Electric cars, scooters and bikes are everywhere. Are they safe? An expert breaks down the safety of EV and lithium-ion batteries when they encounter water.

It is highly unlikely that a Tesla submerged in a pond in  fatal accident poses a threat of electrocution to its driver or rescuers.

Battery compartments in electric vehicles such as Tesla are completely sealed and well protected.

Most electric vehicles, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, like most portable consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops as well as electric scooters and e-cigarettes are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries store more energy per unit mass and volume and have a high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency, good high-temperature performance, long life and low self-discharge.

The world needs to hear Paul’s incredible story for a few reasons:
This is what happens if you don't take vaccines
You can never kill a determined mind
How science can make a dying man live
A little help for a deserving human being doesn't make you less rich

The Man in the Iron Lung
Polio Survivor Who Lived in Iron Lung For 7 Decades Dies at 78

New research suggests that our universe has no dark matter

The current theoretical model for the composition of the universe is that it's made of normal matter, dark energy and dark matter. A new study challenges this.

A study, published recently in The Astrophysical Journal, challenges the current model of the universe by showing that, in fact, it has no room for dark matter.

In cosmology, the term "dark matter" describes all that appears not to interact with light or the electromagnetic field, or that can only be explained through gravitational force. We can't see it, nor do we know what it's made of, but it helps us understand how galaxies, planets and stars behave.

Physicists used a combination of the covarying coupling constants (CCC) and "tired light" (TL) theories (the CCC+TL model) to reach this conclusion.

This model combines two ideas—about how the forces of nature decrease over cosmic time and about light losing energy when it travels a long distance. It's been tested and has been shown to match up with several observations, such as about how galaxies are spread out and how light from the early universe has evolved.

This discovery challenges the prevailing understanding of the universe, which suggests that roughly 27% of it is composed of dark matter and less than 5% of ordinary matter, remaining being the dark energy.

Challenging the need for dark matter in the universe

The study's findings confirm the researchers' previous work (1) ("JWST early universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology") about the age of the universe being 26.7 billion years has allowed them to discover that the universe does not require dark matter to exist.

In standard cosmology, the accelerated expansion of the universe is said to be caused by dark energy but is in fact due to the weakening forces of nature as it expands, not due to dark energy.

"Redshifts" refer to when light is shifted toward the red part of the spectrum. The researcher analyzed data from recent papers on the distribution of galaxies at low redshifts and the angular size of the sound horizon in the literature at high redshift.

There are several papers that question the existence of dark matter, but this is the first one that eliminates its cosmological existence while being consistent with key cosmological observations that we have had time to confirm.

By challenging the need for dark matter in the universe and providing evidence for a new cosmological model, this study opens up new avenues for exploring the fundamental properties of the universe.

 Rajendra P. Gupta, Testing CCC+TL Cosmology with Observed Baryon Acoustic Oscillation Features, The Astrophysical Journal (2024). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad1bc6

Footnotes:

1.  R Gupta, JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2023). DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad2032

Researchers use moisture to pull carbon dioxide out of the air

A way to capture and release carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is by simply changing the surrounding humidity using a material.

The material could slash the energy costs associated with so-called direct air capture systems, which conventionally rely on energy-intensive temperature or pressure shifts to switch between carbon capture and release. By instead relying on humidity, the material could yield energy efficiency improvements over five times above current technologies. The researchers  report their findings in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

Direct air capture systems have been heralded as a way to combat climate change by pulling carbon dioxide out of the air to either store permanently underground or convert into a useful product.

Despite its promise, direct air capture has come under scrutiny since it requires more energy to perform than almost any other application of carbon capture. That is because the concentration of carbon dioxide in ambient air is extremely diluted, especially when compared to the waste gas from a point-source emitter such as a coal-fired power plant. One of the process' most energy-intensive steps is regeneration. After capturing carbon dioxide from ambient air, conventional systems require heat and/or pressure changes to release the gas into storage so that the system can be prepared to capture more carbon. In one approach using a liquid solvent, the regeneration step requires heating the carbon capture material to temperatures ranging from 300° to 900°C. By contrast, previous research has shown that regenerating carbon capture materials with humidity only requires adding or removing water vapor. Such an approach dramatically cuts the energy required to remove a ton of carbon dioxide, from up to 4.1 gigajoules using conventional techniques to just 0.7 gigajoules—an energy savings per ton.

To achieve the humidity-based approach, the Princeton team modified an existing type of ion-exchange resin, a material that can trade charged particles with the surrounding environment. These resins are already used for a range of commercial purposes, making them widely available and inexpensive.
Moreover, the surfaces of these resins are dotted with countless tiny pores, only 6 nanometers in diameter. The carbon capture process takes place inside these cavities. At low humidity, a series of chemical reactions occurs in the pores that allows them to capture carbon dioxide from a stream of incoming air. At high humidity, the opposite occurs: the material releases its bound carbon and is prepared for another round of capture.

Part 1

We can simply change the amount of water vapour in the system to regenerate the entire material in this new process. In this way, we can minimize the energy we put into the process.

The researchers examined ways to control and modify the materials at the nano-scale to enable more efficient moisture-swing carbon capture. They found that loading the pores with highly basic, negatively charged ions such as phosphate and carbonate yielded the highest capacity for carbon capture.

Yaguang Zhu et al, Confinement Effects on Moisture-Swing Direct Air Capture, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.3c00712

Part 2

**

More than 16,000 chemicals can be found in plastic, and many are harmful: Report

Researchers have found more than 16,000 chemicals in plastics. A new report shows that about a quarter of these chemicals can be hazardous to health and the environment.

Plastic pollution is an international environmental crisis, and the researchers behind a new report are becoming increasingly concerned about the health consequences of plastic. There are many problematic chemicals in plastics. They pose a threat to both human health and the environment. Therefore, we must make plastic safe and sustainable.

We can only deal with the plastic problem if we take the chemicals in the plastic into account, and manage them in a responsible manner.

The United Nations is in the process of negotiating a global treaty on plastics. The goal is to end plastic pollution and develop plastics that are safer and more sustainable. That makes it very important for decision makers to know as much as possible about the chemicals in plastics, and take them into account when making decisions.

The key findings of the new report:

• At least 4,200 plastic chemicals, approximately 26%, pose a health and/or environmental hazard.
• 400 of the chemicals that are of concern to the researchers are found in all types of plastics, including plastic food packaging. All plastics can leach hazardous chemicals.
• To make plastic materials safer, we need new methods to regulate the chemicals. This includes identifying the hazardous chemicals and regulating hazardous groups of plastic chemicals.

In addition to being a database of problematic substances, the document also provides a method for identifying and managing chemicals of concern in plastics.

Part 1

Plastic chemicals include all chemicals found in plastic, in addition to additives, impurities and chemicals that are used during production.

The advice of researchers:

The researchers have formulated four points that they believe decision-makers must address:

• Regulate the use of problematic substances in plastics.
• Create more transparency around which chemicals are used in plastic production.
• Make plastics less complicated so we don't have to deal with so many chemicals.
• Increase impact and capacity to make it easier for authorities, industry and researchers to work together to make better plastics.

The report will play a crucial role in tackling the problem of plastic pollution.

Martin Wagner et al, State of the science on plastic chemicals - Identifying and addressing chemicals and polymers of concern, Zenodo (2024). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10701706

Part 2

What Comes After 5G? Developing New Technologies to Enable 6G

Two artificial intelligences talk to each other

Performing a new task based solely on verbal or written instructions, and then describing it to others so that they can reproduce it, is a cornerstone of human communication that still resists artificial intelligence (AI).

A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has succeeded in modeling an artificial neural network capable of this cognitive prowess. After learning and performing a series of basic tasks, this AI was able to provide a linguistic description of them to a "sister" AI, which in turn performed them. These promising results, especially for robotics, are  published in Nature Neuroscience.

Performing a new task without prior training, on the sole basis of verbal or written instructions, is a unique human ability. What's more, once we have learned the task, we are able to describe it so that another person can reproduce it. This dual capacity distinguishes us from other species which, to learn a new task, need numerous trials accompanied by positive or negative reinforcement signals, without being able to communicate it to their congeners.

A sub-field of artificial intelligence (AI)—Natural language processing—seeks to recreate this human faculty, with machines that understand and respond to vocal or textual data. This technique is based on artificial neural networks, inspired by our biological neurons and by the way they transmit electrical signals to one another in the brain. However, the neural calculations that would make it possible to achieve the cognitive feat described above are still poorly understood.

Currently, conversational agents using AI are capable of integrating linguistic information to produce text or an image. But, according to researchers, they are not yet capable of translating a verbal or written instruction into a sensorimotor action, and even less explaining it to another artificial intelligence so that it can reproduce it.

The researchers have now succeeded in developing an artificial neuronal model with this dual capacity, albeit with prior training.

This model opens new horizons for understanding the interaction between language and behaviour. It is particularly promising for the robotics sector, where the development of technologies that enable machines to talk to each other.

 Reidar Riveland et al, Natural language instructions induce compositional generalization in networks of neurons, Nature Neuroscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01607-5

Study shows glucose levels affect cognitive performance in people with type 1 diabetes differently

A new study  used advances in digital testing to demonstrate that naturally occurring glucose fluctuations impact cognitive function in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Results of the study, published in npj Digital Medicine, show that cognition was slower in moments when glucose was atypical—that is, considerably higher or lower than someone's usual glucose level. However, some people were more susceptible to the cognitive effects of large glucose fluctuations than others.

In trying to understand how diabetes impacts the brain, this research shows that it is important to consider not only how people are similar, but also how they differ.

T1D is an autoimmune disease characterized by glucose variability. Previous laboratory studies have shown that very low and very high glucose levels impair cognitive function. However, technological limitations made it difficult to study the impact of naturally occurring glucose fluctuations on cognition outside of the laboratory, preventing researchers from obtaining repeated, high-frequency measurements within the same individuals over time. High-frequency measurements are necessary to understand whether glucose fluctuations impact cognition similarly for everyone.

In the new study, researchers used digital glucose sensors and smartphone-based cognitive tests to collect repeated, high-frequency glucose and cognitive data in 200 individuals with T1D. Glucose data were collected every five minutes and cognitive data were collected three times per day for fifteen days.

Collecting glucose and cognitive data unobtrusively, as participants went about their daily lives, allowed researchers to examine the cognitive impact of naturally occurring glucose variability. With many data points from each individual, they were able to use machine learning to test whether the impact of glucose on cognition differed from person to person.

The study showed that cognitive function was impaired when glucose was considerably higher or lower than usual, and this effect was observed for processing speed but not sustained attention. It is possible that processing speed is impacted by short-term, moment-to-moment fluctuations in glucose, whereas sustained attention is impacted by high or low glucose that persists over longer periods of time.

Part 1

The researchers also found that people differed from each other in terms of how much glucose fluctuations impacted their cognitive speed, and some people—including older adults and adults with certain health conditions—were much more impacted by glucose fluctuations than others.

These results demonstrate that people can differ a lot from one another in how their brains are impacted by glucose.

This work  found that minimizing glucose fluctuations in daily life is important for optimizing processing speed, and this is especially true for people who are older or have other diabetes-related health conditions.

One surprise discovery was that participants' peak cognitive performance coincided with glucose levels that were slightly above their normal range, though performance dropped off as glucose levels rose even further.

 Dynamic associations between glucose and ecological momentary cognition in Type 1 Diabetes, npj Digital Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41746-024-01036-5 , www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01036-5

Part 2

People   assume babies’ brains are simply not mature enough to form lasting memories. This is called infantile amnesia.

In nerve cells, insulin regulates whether mitochondria are shut down or kept running

The hormone insulin controls many cellular processes and adapts them to the body's current energy supply. One of the insulin-regulated processes is the quality control of mitochondria in neurons, scientists have discovered.

When sufficient energy is available in the body, insulin facilitates the elimination of defective mitochondria. When energy is scarce or when the insulin signal is interrupted, mitochondrial recycling is reduced and cells continue to use their old power plants, even potentially damaged ones. The continued operation of faulty mitochondria could affect aging processes and neurological diseases.

Nerve cells place special demands on their energy supply. Due to their extensive branching and their high energy needs, they keep a close watch on their cellular power plants, the mitochondria. The cells have to ensure that there are always sufficient mitochondria available in their long extensions, the axons, where the power plants fuel the cell's communication with its neighboring cells. This is why neurons transport mitochondria even to the cells' most remote locations.

 Earlier research had shown that mitochondria carry along the blueprints of the PINK1 protein on their journey through the neuron.

PINK1 is a key protein that acts when mitochondria need to be removed because they are no longer functioning correctly. 

It can mark mitochondria for recycling and is precisely controlled by the cells." A failure to keep PINK1 in check could lead to a shortage of mitochondria, whereas the continued operation of defective cellular power plants can damage a cell.

Researchers have now uncovered that the hormone insulin is involved in mitochondrial quality control in neurons. Insulin is well-known for its role in regulating a cell's sugar uptake. It also controls many processes inside cells to precisely adjust them to the body's current energy supply.

Part 1

In the case of mitochondrial recycling, this works as follows: If sufficient energy is available, a signal is transmitted from the insulin receptor on the cell surface to the mitochondria. Here, PINK1 blueprints are stored as mRNA molecules. When the insulin signal arrives, the blueprints are released by the mitochondria and the cell can produce additional PINK1 protein. This ensures that defective mitochondria are efficiently eliminated. In case of an energy shortage, or if the insulin receptor signal is missing, the blueprints for PINK1 remain tightly bound to the mitochondria.

On the one hand, the tight binding to mitochondria allows the PINK1 blueprints to hitchhike far into the nerve cells' long extensions. On the other hand, it reduces the availability of mRNA molecules for PINK1 production. PINK1 protein levels remain low and mitochondrial recycling is reduced—even though this can lead to the continued operation of damaged power plants.

Interrupted signaling with implications for health and aging

A similar situation can occur when the transmission of signals from the insulin receptor to mitochondria is disturbed due to disease. Defective insulin signaling is a hallmark of diabetes and has also been observed in the brain in connection with Alzheimer's disease.

It is also known that inefficient mitochondrial quality control can contribute to various neurodegenerative diseases.

Insulin signaling regulates Pink1 mRNA localization via modulation of AMPK activity to support PINK1 function in neurons, Nature Metabolism (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-01007-w

Part 2

Rank Country Global biodiversity index Global rank
1. Democratic Republic of Congo 214.43 16th
2. Tanzania 213.10 17th
3. South Africa 207.94 19th
4. Kenya 179.72 23rd
5. Cameroon 172.41 24th
6. Madagascar 162.29 26th
7. Angola 160.67 27th
8. Guinea 153.43 30th
9. Mozambique 144.30 31st
10. Uganda 136.65 33rd

Global warming and plastic pollution entwined in vicious circle, researchers say

Typically viewed as unrelated problems, global warming and plastic pollution are instead inextricably trapped in a "vicious circle" where one feeds the other, researchers  report in Nature Communications. The mutually-reinforcing relationship escalates global warming, the degradation of materials, plastic waste and the leaching of toxic chemicals into the biosphere.

Plastics that we rely on every day will deteriorate more rapidly because of rising global temperatures, and one effect will be a demand for more plastics. Meeting that demand will further compound greenhouse emissions that drive up the global temperature. A self-reinforcing cycle is formed, creating a vicious circle between climate change and plastic pollution.

In 2019, plastics generated 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, or about 1.8 billion tons, mostly on account of their production and conversion from fossil fuels, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). By 2060 that amount is expected to more than double.

The researchers describe a feedback loop linking these emissions with heat, moisture and the weakening structural bonds that lend a wide range of advantageous properties to polymers, the term for materials—like plastic and rubber—that are formed from long chains of large molecules.

The higher the increase in temperature, the more the materials' properties are compromised. The stiffness of commonly used plastics like polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride decreases by more than 20% as temperatures climb between 23°C and 40°C.

This deterioration means more frequent replacement of polymer products—everything from clothing to auto parts and appliances—and consequently greater manufacturing volumes and rates.

Knock-on effects range from rendering food packaging unreliable to the fouling of waterways and fish habitats by an increase in microplastics, he says.

The report also documents the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a warming climate as well as other hazardous compounds including lubricants, flame retardants, plasticizers, antioxidants, colorants and UV/heat stabilizers. Heat will accelerate diffusion, evaporation and leaching of these substances into the air, soil, and water, the report says.

The researchers draw attention to the combined effects of heat and moisture, which rise together due to global warming. A warmer atmosphere increases the evaporation of moisture and can also hold more water vapour.

Part 1

That's bad news for many materials, but it wreaks particular havoc on plastics when combined with heat. The combined effects of rising temperature and moisture create very challenging conditions for these polymers.

Xin-Feng Wei et al, Plastic pollution amplified by a warming climate, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46127-9

part 2

Combating counterfeiting: Advanced hologram protection invented

Counterfeiting of various documents, banknotes, or tickets is a common problem that can be encountered in everyday life, even when shopping. Recognizing the scale and seriousness of the problem, researchers decided to look for ways to further reduce the risk of counterfeiting by inventing a new method to produce holographic security labels.

Holograms have been used as an anti-counterfeiting tool for some time. Now, they can be seen on pharmaceutical packaging, brand labels, and even toys. Holograms are much more difficult for forgers to counterfeit than, for example, the watermarks on banknotes, as they require complex micro and nano technologies that traditional printing houses lack.

Combining two technologies has led to international recognition

To enhance the level of holographic protection against forgery and to address this worldwide problem, Lithuanian researchers from KTU Institute of Materials Science came up with the idea of combining two technologically different methods.

One of them is a dot-matrix hologram made of small dots that refract light. "Each dot, which is barely smaller than a human hair, records a periodic structure made up of lines known as a diffraction grating. It causes the light to play in a way that is visible to the observer's eye, similar to a CD or DVD. This dot-matrix hologram, although relatively faster and cheaper and used to expose large areas of the hologram, does not guarantee a very high level of protection.

This is why electron beam lithography is used to expose smaller areas of the hologram. It is a more advanced technology that allows to form high-resolution structures and is practically inaccessible to potential hologram counterfeiters.

Admittedly, holograms were invented for a completely different purpose, to increase the resolution of electronic microscopy.
According to the scientists, the breakthrough of holograms in the fight against counterfeiting came when it was realized that once the original hologram was recorded, it could be copied mechanically by pressing it into another material. This has led to a substantial expansion in the production quantities of holograms.

Fictional films and their holograms of people and even entire cities have led to a rather diverse perception and interpretation of the term itself. The rapid advances in technology have allowed some fictional ideas to become reality, and today, even holograms in full concert arenas can be seen.
When strengthening the protective measures themselves, researchers encourage consumers to keep in mind that holograms can also be counterfeited, so he encourages everyone to inspect the holographic security labels and to remain alert.
Hologram manufacturers usually try to make holograms as bright as possible; the visible features, such as clear objects and different colors, do not glow by chance. Only specific elements of the brand are integrated into the image with different sizes of characters visible. If an observer sees a random glow, it is likely to be either a very unsophisticated hologram or a fake.
The inventors have developed another innovation. It is a digital application for smart devices called "HoloApp", which allows you to see what the hologram looks like on the screen. This enables a better understanding and experience of what a hologram should look like and the ability to identify if it is forged.

Patent filing: worldwide.espacenet.com/patent … 888B2?q=US11846888B2

Science behind once-in-a-lifetime nova outburst that will light up the sky this year

The total solar eclipse isn't the only reason to keep your eyes to the sky this year. For the first time in 80 years, a star system 3,000 light years away will be visible to the naked eye thanks to a once-in-a-lifetime nova outburst.

NASA announced that the nova, which will create a "new" star in the night sky, will light up the night sky some time between now and September and be as bright as the North Star. One of only five recurring novae in our galaxy, it will be visible for a week before it fades back down.

What is nova?

There's a broad class of these sorts of events, and they typically share the trait of having two objects, or sometimes more than two objects, close to each other, and you're transferring mass from one to the other. Eventually, you build up enough mass on usually the hotter object that it ignites, in this case undergoing fusion, and then suddenly you get a very rapid release of energy so it gets much, much brighter.

The star system in question is T Coronae Borealis, or T CrB, and it contains a white dwarf and red giant, two stars that create the perfect conditions for a nova outburst.

A red giant is what happens when a star, like our sun, runs out of fuel and becomes larger and cooler, turning red instead of the white or yellow of a hot star. A white dwarf is what a red giant turns into when it runs out of even more fuel: a very compact star.

What happens when these two stars co-orbit one another is that the white dwarf steadily strips away the atmosphere of the expanding red giant. The white dwarf is much smaller and much more compact, so you build up a little disk of mostly hydrogen and maybe some helium as well sitting on the white dwarf.

Eventually enough of it builds up and basically ignites. It's not literally burning in the sense of fire; it's thermonuclear burn and you have hydrogen undergoing a fusion reaction.

As it undergoes that runaway thermonuclear reaction, the white dwarf gets hotter, bigger and brighter, making it easier for us to see it back on Earth. This entire process is part of the natural lifecycle of these stars and why they happen every 80 years. After a white dwarf like this goes nova, it goes back to stripping gas away from the red giant, building up gas at the same rate before eventually another outburst occurs.

https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/03/18/nova-explosion-new-star/

Scientists Engineer Cow That Makes Human Insulin Proteins in Its Milk

A genetically modified cow has produced proteins needed for human insulin in its milk, and the scientists behind the experiment have high hopes that a herd of these cattle could solve the world's insulin supply problems.

If such a herd were viable – and, based on this first case, that's still a long way off – the researchers think it could out-compete current insulin production methods, which rely on genetically modified yeast and bacteria.

While turning to cows for human insulin supply isn't new, the new study is the first time 'human' insulin production has been achieved in a genetically modified bovine.

Researchers inserted a particular segment of human DNA that codes for proinsulin (a protein that's converted to insulin) into the cell nuclei of 10 cow embryos, which were then inserted into the wombs of normal cows. Only one of these genetically modified embryos developed into a pregnancy, leading to the natural birth of a living, transgenic calf. When it reached maturity, the team made a variety of attempts to get the genetically modified cow pregnant, by artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, and even the old-fashioned way. None were successful, but the team notes this may be more to do with how the embryo was created than the fact it was genetically modified. 

Eventually they were able to get the cow to lactate via hormonal induction, using an undisclosed method .

The cow didn't lactate as much as it would during a pregnancy, but what little milk it did produce over a month was examined to look for specific proteins, using western blotting and mass spectrometry.

The blotting revealed two bands with similar molecular masses to human proinsulin and insulin, which were not present in the milk of non-transgenic cows. Mass spectrometry indicated the presence of the C-peptide that's removed from human proinsulin in the process of creating insulin, which suggests that enzymes in the cow's milk may have converted the 'human' proinsulin into insulin.

Part 1

In 2014, a similar kind of genetic modification was achieved in mice, whose milk contained up to 8.1 grams per liter of human proinsulin. Comparable concentrations were not reported in this new study, but that hasn't stopped Wheeler from thinking about scaling up.

A typical unit of insulin is 0.0347 milligrams, so if, as Wheeler proposes, each cow could make one gram of insulin per liter of milk, that's 28,818 units of insulin.

https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10...

Part 2

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Virus helped brain evolution
Remnants of an ancient viral infection are essential for producing myelin, a protein that insulates nerve fibres, in most vertebrates. Certain viruses insert DNA into the genetic material of the cells they invade. Sometimes, these insertions become permanent and even aid evolutionary processes. Myelin helps nerves to send electrical signals faster, grow longer and thinner so they can be packed in more efficiently. “As a result of myelin, brains became more complex and vertebrates became more diverse,” says stem-cell biologist and study co-author Robin Franklin.

Part 1

Ancient viruses helped speedy nerves evolve

The trick happened multiple independent times in jawed animals

One particular retrovirus — embedded in the DNA of jawed vertebrates — helps turn on production of a protein needed to insulate nerve fibers, researchers report February 15 in Cell. Such insulation, called myelin, may have helped make speedy thoughts and complex brains possible.

The retrovirus trick was so handy, in fact, that it showed up many times in the evolution of vertebrates with jaws, the team found.

Retroviruses are RNA viruses that make DNA copies of themselves to embed in a host’s DNA. Rarely, these insertions can become a permanent part of who we are, being passed down from parent to offspring. Scientists once thought remnants of of these ancient viruses — known as jumping genes or retrotransposons — as genetic garbage, but that impression is changing.

 Scientists are finding more and more evidence that these retrotransposons and retroviruses have influenced the evolution of life on the planet.

Remains of retroviruses were already known to have aided the evolution of the placenta, the immune system and other important milestones in human evolution . Now, they’re implicated in helping to produce myelin.

Part 2

Myelin is a coating of fat and protein that encases long nerve fibers known as axons. The coating works a bit like the insulation around an electrical wire: Nerves sheathed in myelin can send electrical signals faster than uninsulated nerves can.

Coated nerve fibers can also be thinner and grow longer than they would without insulation, enabling animals to grow bigger. And thinner fibers can be packed into the nervous system more efficiently.

As a result of myelin, brains became more complex and vertebrates became more diverse. If myelination hadn’t happened in early vertebrate evolution, we wouldn’t have the whole galaxy of vertebrate diversity that we see now.

T. Ghosh et al. A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon.... Cell. Published online February 15, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.011.

Part 3

What are retroviruses?

A retrovirus is a type of RNA virus. RNA viruses have genes encoded in RNA instead of DNA. Like other viruses, retroviruses need to use the cellular machinery of the organisms they infect to make copies of themselves. Infection by a retrovirus, however, requires an additional step.

Retroviruses are "retro" because they reverse the direction of the normal gene-copying process. Usually, cells convert DNA into RNA so that it can be made into proteins. But with retroviruses, the process has to start by going backward.

A retrovirus replicates itself by first reverse-coding its genes into the DNA of the cells it infects. It does this with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

Retroviruses use reverse transcriptase to transform their single-stranded RNA into double-stranded DNA. DNA molecules store the genetic information of human cells and cells from other life forms.

Once transformed from RNA to DNA, the viral DNA is integrated into the genome of the infected cells. When this happens, the cells are tricked into copying these genes as part of the normal replication process.

The cell can also transcribe the DNA back into RNA as the first step in making viral proteins.

Retroviruses are sometimes used as gene delivery methods in gene therapy. This is because these viruses are both easy to modify and easily integrated into the host genome.

This means that, in theory, retroviruses can be used to make cellular machinery to produce proteins in an ongoing way. For example, scientists have used retroviruses to help diabetic rats make their own insulin.

Many retroviruses have been identified that infect non-human animals. Only a few retroviruses are known to cause illness in human beings, however. The most well-known of these are HIV and human T-cell lymphotropic virus.

Part 4

Life's building blocks are surprisingly stable in Venus-like conditions: Study

If there is life in the solar system beyond Earth, it might be found in the clouds of Venus. In contrast to the planet's blisteringly inhospitable surface, Venus' cloud layer, which extends from 30 to 40 miles above the surface, hosts milder temperatures that could support some extreme forms of life.

If it's out there, scientists have assumed that any Venusian cloud inhabitant would look very different from life forms on Earth. That's because the clouds themselves are made from highly toxic droplets of sulfuric acid—an intensely corrosive chemical that is known to dissolve metals and destroy most biological molecules on Earth.

But a new study by  researchers may challenge that assumption. Published today in the journal Astrobiology, the study reports that, in fact, some key building blocks of life can persist in solutions of concentrated sulfuric acid.

The study's authors have found that 19 amino acids that are essential to life on Earth are stable for up to four weeks when placed in vials of sulfuric acid at concentrations similar to those in Venus' clouds. In particular, they found that the molecular "backbone" of all 19 amino acids remained intact in sulfuric acid solutions ranging in concentration from 81% to 98%.

What is  surprising is that concentrated sulfuric acid is not a solvent that is universally hostile to organic chemistry.

We are finding that building blocks of life on Earth are stable in sulfuric acid, and this is very intriguing for the idea of the possibility of life on Venus.

It doesn't mean that life there will be the same as here. In fact, we know it can't be. But this work advances the notion that Venus' clouds could support complex chemicals needed for life.

The search for life in Venus' clouds has gained momentum in recent years, spurred in part by a controversial detection of phosphine—a molecule that is considered to be one signature of life—in the planet's atmosphere. While that detection remains under debate, the news has reinvigorated an old question: Could Earth's sister planet actually host life?

In search of an answer, scientists are planning several missions to Venus, including the first largely privately funded mission to the planet, backed by California-based launch company Rocket Lab. That mission aims to send a spacecraft through the planet's clouds to analyze their chemistry for signs of organic molecules.

Maxwell D. Seager et al, Stability of 20 Biogenic Amino Acids in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid: Implications for the Habitability of Venus' Clouds, Astrobiology (2024). DOI: 10.1089/ast.2023.0082

Why water freezes at a range of temperatures

 Water's freezing point is generally accepted to be 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But that is due to ice nucleation—impurities in everyday water raise its freezing point to this temperature. Now, researchers unveil a theoretical model that shows how specific structural details on surfaces can influence water's freezing point.

Ice nucleation is one of the most common phenomena in the atmosphere. "In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a surge of interest in ice nucleation to control weather through cloud seeding and for other military goals. Some studies addressed how small shapes promote ice nucleation, but the theory was undeveloped, and no one has done anything quantitative.

When temperatures drop, the molecules in liquid water, which normally speed around and zip past one another, lose energy and slow down. Once they lose enough energy, they grind to a halt, orient themselves to avoid repulsions and maximize attractions, and vibrate in place, forming the crystalline network of water molecules we call ice.

When liquid water is completely pure, ice may not form until the temperature gets down to a frigid –51 degrees Fahrenheit; this is called supercooling. But when even the tiniest impurities—soot, bacteria or even particular proteins—are present in water, ice crystals can form more easily on the surfaces, resulting in ice formation at temperatures warmer than –51 degrees Fahrenheit.

Part 1

Decades of research have revealed trends in how the shapes and structures of different surfaces affect water's freezing point. In an earlier study on ice-nucleating proteins within bacteria, researchers found that the distances between the groups of proteins could impact the temperature at which ice formed. There were distances that were very favorable for ice formation, and distances that were completely opposite.

Similar trends had been observed for other surfaces, but no mathematical explanation had been found.

Researchers now  gathered hundreds of previously reported measurements on how the angles between microscopic bumps on a surface affected water's freezing temperature.  They then tested theoretical models against the data. They used the models to consider factors that would encourage ice crystal formation, such as how strongly water binds to the surfaces and angles between structural features.

In the end, they identified a mathematical expression that shows that certain angles between surface features makes it easier for water molecules to gather and crystallize at relatively warmer temperatures. 

They say their model can help design materials with surfaces that would make ice form more efficiently with minimal energy input. Examples include snow or ice makers, or surfaces that are suitable for cloud seeding.

The researchers plan to use this model to return to their studies of ice-nucleating proteins in bacteria.

https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2024/march/new-model-clarif...

Researchers find evidence of 68 'forever chemicals' in food packaging around the world

A team of environmental scientists with the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, based in Zürich, has found evidence of 68 "forever chemicals" in food packaging used around the world. For their study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the group mapped evidence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food contact materials using information from databases.

PFASs are a group of manmade chemical compounds that are known as "forever" chemicals because it takes them so long to break down in the environment. To date, approximately 4,730 distinct PFASs have been created. Manufacturers began using them several decades ago for their water-resistance properties. They have typically been used in such products as nonstick stain-resistant fabrics, cookware, water-repellent clothing, carpeting, cosmetics, firefighting foams, electronics and food packaging.

Over the past several decades, many PFASs have been found to have adverse health impacts on animals, including humans. Because of that, many of them have been banned around the world.

In this new study, the research team looked into the use of PFASs in food packaging around the world, as recent research has shown that the compounds can migrate into the food.

The researchers collected records from the FCCmigex database involving food packaging and any known PFAS. They found 68 of the compounds, 61 of which have been specifically banned from use in such packaging. They were only able to find potential hazards for just 57% of the compounds they found.

In looking at the compounds they found in the packaging, the research team notes that little evidence is available to explain how or why they wound up where they did. They suggest a comprehensive review of packaging be undertaken and new rules and a means for enforcing them be established.

Drake W. Phelps et al, Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Food Packaging: Migration, Toxicity, and Management Strategies, Environmental Science & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03702

Neuralink shows quadriplegic playing chess with brain implant

Neuralink recently streamed a video of its first human patient playing computer chess with his mind and talking about the brain implant making that possible.

How cells in plant leaves organize themselves to ensure optimal area for photosynthesis

Plant leaves need a large surface area to capture sunlight for photosynthesis. Researchers  have now discovered which genetic mechanisms control leaves' growth into a flat structure capable of efficiently capturing sunlight.

A kind of built-in GPS informs each cell about its relative position in the growing leaf. The order corresponds to a biological concept of self-organization.

When cells divide and multiply, the result is usually a clump of cells. So researchers wanted to know how, in the case of a leaf, cell division leads to a large flat area.

To this end, a team of mathematicians and experimental biologists worked together to track the processes using computer models, methods of molecular genetics, and imaging techniques on living organisms.

The basis of such pattern formation is polarity; that is, the ability to distinguish, in this case, between top and bottom. It is usually created by a concentration gradient of a substance, called morphogen, that is low on one side and higher on the other.

The team discovered that "small RNAs" play a decisive role in controlling the growing leaf. As mobile messengers, they are used for communication between the cells and help the cells to perceive their relative position to each other in the structure—like a GPS. In addition, the small RNAs transmit information that coordinates which genes need to be activated or inhibited on the top and bottom side to give the leaf the right shape and function.

This regulatory mechanism works autonomously in the growing leaf; there is no central control in the plant.

The small RNA molecules in the cells of the growing leaf set in motion a genetic process that enables the cells to perceive and interpret their environment. The genes' activities are coordinated among the cells in such a way that each leaf is divided in a sharply defined top and bottom part that form a perfectly flat canvas for photosynthesis.

Emanuele Scacchi et al, A diffusible small-RNA-based Turing system dynamically coordinates organ polarity, Nature Plants (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41477-024-01634-x

DNA attached to nanoparticles found to contribute to lupus symptoms

Autoimmune diseases are mysterious. It wasn't until the 1950s that scientists realized that the immune system could harm the organs of its own body. Even today, the fundamental causes and inner workings of most autoimmune diseases remain poorly understood, limiting the treatment options for many of these conditions.

Over the past several years, however, research has found clues for how autoimmune diseases might arise. This research has shown that DNA attached to small particles within the bloodstream is a likely culprit involved in many autoimmune diseases, especially systemic lupus erythematosus, or just lupus for short, which primarily affects young women and can cause kidney damage.

However, due to the large variety in sizes of both particles and DNA in the blood, testing to what extent and under what circumstances these DNA-particle combinations play a role in disease has been extremely difficult.

Researchers at Duke University have now developed a way to systematically test how these DNA-bound particles interact with the immune system. By using tiny particles of specific sizes, attaching DNA strands of certain lengths and exposing the resulting complexes to immune cells in a lab dish, the researchers show a better fundamental understanding of these diseases may be possible.

The results were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This new approach identified the cellular pathway that causes the harmful response to these hybrid particles, and showed that DNA bound to the surfaces of nanoparticles is protected from being degraded by enzymes.

While DNA is usually locked away within a cell's nucleus, it often gets into the bloodstream when cells die or are attacked by viruses and bacteria. While most so-called "cell-free DNA" only lasts minutes before being broken down by the body, in some people and situations, it can persist for much longer. In recent work, high levels of cell-free DNA have been closely related to the severity of lupus symptoms, and many doctors are now testing ways to use it to monitor disease activity.

Cell-free DNA may escape elimination largely by forming complexes with other molecules or attaching itself to naturally occurring particles. Depending on the origin of the DNA, it can range in length from a few hundred base pairs to several thousand. And the particles it can attach to range from 100 to 1000 nanometers in diameter.

The first important observation the team made was that DNA attached to nanoparticles was protected from degrative enzymes and that larger nanoparticles provided more protection.

The researchers think the enzymes might not be able to access the DNA to destroy it because of the shape the DNA makes with the surface of the nanoparticle.

The results showed that the macrophages responded to all types of DNA-particle complexes by producing inflammatory signals for other cells to follow, a hallmark of many autoimmune diseases.

This approach gives researchers a way to drill down and pinpoint factors that they wouldn't be able to with a purely biological system.

 Faisal Anees et al, DNA corona on nanoparticles leads to an enhanced immunostimulatory effect with implications for autoimmune diseases, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2319634121

Signs of life detectable in single ice grain emitted from extraterrestrial moons, experimental setup shows

The ice-encrusted oceans of some of the moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter are leading candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. A new lab-based study  shows that individual ice grains ejected from these planetary bodies may contain enough material for instruments headed there in the fall to detect signs of life, if such life exists.

For the first time scientists have shown that even a tiny fraction of cellular material could be identified by a mass spectrometer onboard a spacecraft. These results give researchers more confidence that using upcoming instruments, they will be able to detect lifeforms similar to those on Earth, which we increasingly believe could be present on ocean-bearing moons. 

Researchers used an experimental setup that sends a thin beam of liquid water into a vacuum, where it disintegrates into droplets. They then used a laser beam to excite the droplets and mass spectral analysis to mimic what instruments on the space probe will detect.

Newly published results show that instruments slated to go on future missions, like the SUrface Dust Analyzer onboard Europa Clipper, can detect cellular material in one out of hundreds of thousands of ice grains. 

Part 1

The study focused on Sphingopyxis alaskensis, a common bacterium in waters off Alaska. While many studies use the bacterium Escherichia coli as a model organism, this single-celled organism is much smaller, lives in cold environments, and can survive with few nutrients. All these things make it a better candidate for potential life on the icy moons of Saturn or Jupiter.

They are extremely small, so they are in theory capable of fitting into ice grains that are emitted from an ocean world like Enceladus or Europa.

Results show that the instruments can detect this bacterium, or portions of it, in a single ice grain. Different molecules end up in different ice grains. The new research shows that analyzing single ice grains, where biomaterial may be concentrated, is more successful than averaging across a larger sample containing billions of individual grains.

A recent study led by the same researchers showed evidence of phosphate on Enceladus. This planetary body now appears to contain energy, water, phosphate, other salts and carbon-based organic material, making it increasingly likely to support lifeforms similar to those found on Earth.

The authors hypothesize that if bacterial cells are encased in a lipid membrane, like those on Earth, then they would also form a skin on the ocean's surface. On Earth, ocean scum is a key part of sea spray that contributes to the smell of the ocean. On an icy moon where the ocean is connected to the surface (e.g., through cracks in the ice shell), the vacuum of outer space would cause this subsurface ocean to boil. Gas bubbles rise through the ocean and burst at the surface, where cellular material gets incorporated into ice grains within the plume.

In the paper published by the researchers,  they described a plausible scenario for how bacterial cells can, in theory, be incorporated into icy material that is formed from liquid water on Enceladus or Europa and then gets emitted into space.

The SUrface Dust Analyzer onboard Europa Clipper will be higher-powered than instruments on past missions. This and future instruments also will for the first time be able to detect ions with negative charges, making them better suited to detecting fatty acids and lipids.

Fabian Klenner, How to Identify Cell Material in a Single Ice Grain Emitted from Enceladus or Europa, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl0849. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adl0849

Part 2

The dissimilar smells of babies and teenagers

A team of aroma chemists has uncovered the reasons for the dissimilar smells between babies and teenagers. The study is published in the journal Communications Chemistry.

Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that babies have a pleasant smell, often described as sweet. Teenagers, on the other hand, especially males, have often been described as smelling less pleasant. In this new effort, the research team sought to find out what causes the difference.

The researchers recruited the parents of 18 children aged up to 3 years old to wash the youngsters with a fragrance-free gel and to take swap samples of the armpits of their pajamas prior to sleep. They did the same with 18 teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18. All the cotton pads were then collected and analyzed in a lab setting.

The research team used mass spectrometry to identify the chemical compounds in the pads, and used gas chromatography along with a human sniffer to assess the odorousness of the smells associated with each chemical compound.
The researchers found that most of the chemicals responsible for body odor were similar between the two groups of volunteers. But there were a few that made the difference. Teenage sweat, for example, had high levels of many kinds of carboxylic acids, which the assessors described as "earthy, musty or cheesy."
They also found two steroids in the teen sweat not present in the baby sweat, one of which resulted in "musk or urine-like" emanations—the other, the assessors suggested, smelled more like "musk and sandalwood." Without such chemicals, the sweat of babies smelled much sweeter.
The researchers suggest that study of the chemical compounds in teen sweat could prove fruitful for makers of odor-control products. They also suggest that more work could done to better understand the impact of such odors on parents.

Diana Owsienko et al, Body odor samples from infants and post-pubertal children differ in their volatile profiles, Communications Chemistry (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42004-024-01131-4

Messenger RNAs with multiple 'tails' could lead to more effective therapeutics: researchers

Messenger RNA (mRNA) made its big leap into the public limelight during the pandemic, thanks to its cornerstone role in several COVID-19 vaccines. But mRNAs, which are genetic sequences that instruct the body to produce proteins, are also being developed as a new class of drugs. For mRNAs to have broad therapeutic uses, however, the molecules will need to last longer in the body than those that make up the COVID vaccines.

Researchers have engineered a new mRNA structure by adding multiple "tails" to the molecules that boosted mRNA activity levels in cells by five to 20 times. They  also showed that their multi-tailed mRNAs lasted two- to three-times longer in animals compared to unmodified mRNA, and when incorporated into a CRISPR gene-editing system, resulted in more efficient gene editing in mice.

The new mRNAs, reported in Nature Biotechnology, could potentially be used to treat diseases that require long-lasting treatments that edit genes or replace faulty proteins.

Scientists have shown that non-natural structures can function so much better than naturally occurring ones. This research has given them a lot of confidence in their ability to modify mRNA molecules chemically and topologically.

Branched chemically modified poly(A) tails enhance the translation capacity of mRNA, Nature Biotechnology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-024-02174-7

Prosopometamorphopsia: a condition where people see  'demonic' face distortions

Imagine if every time you saw a face, it appeared distorted. Well, for those who have a very rare condition known as prosopometamorphopsia (PMO), which causes facial features to appear distorted, that is reality.

Prosopometamorphopsia explains, "Prosopo comes from the Greek word for face 'prosopon' while 'metamorphopsia' refers to perceptual distortions.  Specific symptoms vary from case to case and can affect the shape, size, color, and position of facial features. The duration of PMO also varies; it "can last for days, weeks, or even years.

A new Dartmouth study published in the "Clinical Pictures" section of The Lancet reports on a unique case of a patient with PMO. The research is the first to provide accurate and photorealistic visualizations of the facial distortions experienced by an individual with PMO.

The patient, a 58-year-old male with PMO, sees faces without any distortions when they are viewed on a screen and on paper, but he sees distorted faces that appear "demonic" when viewed in-person. Most PMO cases however, see distortions in all contexts, so his case is especially rare and presented a unique opportunity to accurately depict his distortions.

Scientists have heard from multiple people with PMO that they have been diagnosed by psychiatrists as having schizophrenia and put on anti-psychotics, when their condition is a problem with the visual system,  according to the researchers.

And it's not uncommon for people who have PMO to not tell others about their problem with face perception because they fear others will think the distortions are a sign of a psychiatric disorder.

"It's a problem that people often don't understand."

Through their paper, the researchers hope to increase public awareness of what PMO is.

Visualising facial distortions in prosopometamorphopsia, The Lancet (2024). www.thelancet.com/journals/lan … (24)00136-3/fulltext

Accumulation of 'junk proteins' identified as one cause of aging and possible source of ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease. The neurons responsible for movement begin to die and muscle control is progressively lost, leading to a fatal outcome. The causes of ALS are currently unknown, and there is no effective treatment.

In a paper published in Molecular Cell, researchers provide the first evidence that a possible cause of the hereditary type of ALS—familial ALS—is the accumulation in motor neurons of "junk proteins," proteins with no function that wrongly accumulate and prevent the cell from functioning properly.

Specifically, these non-functional proteins that accumulate are ribosomal proteins, which normally form ribosomes, molecular factories in charge of protein production.

Most patients with hereditary ALS share mutations in a gene called C9ORF72. This mutation results in the production of toxic proteins—or peptides—rich in the amino acid arginine. In a previous work,  the same researchers took the first steps to understand why these peptides are toxic. The reason is that these toxins stick to DNA and RNA "as if they were tar," affecting virtually all reactions in the cell that use these nucleic acids.

Thus, this study provides a new hypothesis for understanding the origin of ALS, by suggesting that it has a similar origin to another group of rare diseases known as ribosomopathies, also associated with an excess of non-functional ribosomal proteins (in the case of ALS, this problem is restricted to motor neurons).

The new study also opens a new front in a different area, aging research. The authors propose a new causal factor in the aging process, which until now would have been overlooked: nucleolar stress, a mechanism by which organelles called nucleoli react to various damages in the cell.

In this new work, scientists report a new model that explains how nucleolar stress induces toxicity in animal cells, and they provide direct evidence that it accelerates aging in mammals. This is the first experimental evidence that generating nucleolar stress accelerates aging.

Nucleolar stress caused by arginine-rich peptides triggers a ribosomopathy and accelerates aging in mice, Molecular Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.02.031. www.cell.com/molecular-cell/fu … 1097-2765(24)00173-4

The World's First 'Unconventional' Superconductor was Found in Nature

Few materials have the uncanny talent of carrying a current with virtually no resistance in what is known as superconductivity. The smallest handful of those can be found in nature. Scientists have discovered that one material with a formula found in nature is capable of superconducting at low temperatures without using the typical quantum trickery, making it the first unconventional superconductor of its kind. Superconductors are fascinating and also hugely useful, because they conduct electricity without energy loss. This is typically thanks to their electrons sharing identity in what are known as Cooper pairs, allowing them to slip through a jumble of atoms with relative ease. Cooper pairs in unconventional superconductors link up in ways that weren't described in early models on superconductivity, ways that also mean they appear at higher temperatures. Through a series of detailed lab tests, an international team of researchers found that the mineral miassite – already known to be a superconductor – can show the properties of an unconventional superconductor. That miassite occurs in nature as well as being something scientists can synthesize in the lab makes it even more unusual. However, it's worth pointing out that it's unlikely any pieces of miassite found in nature would ever have the purity required to function as an unconventional superconductor. you think that this is something which is produced deliberately during a focused search, and it cannot possibly exist in nature. But it turns out it does. Three different tests were used to establish the unconventional superconductivity of miassite, including the London penetration depth test, which measures the reaction of the material to a weak magnetic field. Another test involved creating defects in the material, which can affect the temperature at which it becomes a superconductor. Unconventional superconductors are much more sensitive to the disorder caused by these defects than conventional superconducting materials. The discovery was made as part of efforts to find new, novel materials to advance fields such as quantum science.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43246-024-00456-w

New research shows unintended harms of organic farming

Although organic agricultural practices generally improve environmental conditions such as soil and water quality, the trade-offs aren't very well understood.

Organic farming is often touted as a more sustainable solution for food production, leveraging natural forms of pest control to promote eco-friendly cultivation.

But a new study published in Science on Thursday finds that expanding organic cropland can lead to increased pesticide use in surrounding non-organic fields, offsetting some environmental benefits.

These harmful "spillover effects" can be mitigated if organic farms are clustered together and geographically separated from conventional farms, the researchers found.

Organic fields could harbour more beneficial species that prey on insects, such birds, spiders and predatory beetles and fewer pests. Or, the lack of chemical pesticides and genetically modified seeds could mean they harbour more pests.

The researchers found that surrounding organic agriculture leads to an increase in pesticide use on conventional fields, but also leads to a larger decrease on nearby organic fields, with the effect manifesting primarily in insecticides, which specifically target insects. The level of pesticides in conventional fields decreased the further away they were from organic fields.

But the situation could be completely remedied if organic fields were grouped together, the researchers found. Spatially clustering organic fields and spatially separating organic and conventional fields could reduce the environmental footprint of both organic and conventional cropland, the team concluded.

 Farmers' decisions about pesticide are influenced by the presence of nearby organic fields—but it's not fully clear why.

The value of the crops, their susceptibility to pests, and farmers' personal risk tolerances likely all play roles.

Which mobile pests are involved, where they originate in the landscape, or how and why they move across the landscape are poorly understood, according to the researchers  calling for more research in this area.

Ashley E. Larsen et al, Spillover effects of organic agriculture on pesticide use on nearby fields, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adf2572

Erik Lichtenberg, Collateral impacts of organic farming, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.ado4083

Cool paint coatings help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler in urban setting, a field study finds

A real-world study by researchers  has shown that the use of cool paint coatings in cities can help pedestrians feel up to 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler, making the urban area more comfortable for work and play.

Cool paint coatings contain additives that reflect the sun’s heat to reduce surface heat absorption and emission. They have been touted as one way to cool down the urban area and mitigate the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, a phenomenon in which urban areas experience warmer temperatures than their outlying surroundings.

Researchers have conducted a first of its kind real-world study in the tropics to comprehensively evaluate how well cool paint coatings work in reducing city heat.

The team coated the roofs, walls, and road pavements of an industrial area in Singapore and found that by comparison with an adjacent uncoated area, the coated environment was up to two degrees Celsius cooler in the afternoon, with pedestrian thermal comfort level improving by up to 1.5 degrees Celsius, measured using the Universal Thermal Climate Index - a common international standard for human outdoor temperature sensation that takes into account temperature, relative humidity, thermal radiation, and wind speed.

This  study provides evidence that cool paint coatings reduce heat build-up and contribute to the cooling of the urban environment. This is a minimally intrusive solution for urban cooling that has an immediate effect, compared to other options that often require major urban redevelopment to deploy. Moreover, by reducing the amount of heat absorbed in urban structures, we also reduce heat load in buildings, consequently reducing indoor air-conditioning energy consumption.

E. V. S. Kiran Kumar Donthu, Yong Ping Long, Man Pun Wan, Mandi Zhou, Bing Feng Ng. Dynamics of cool surface performance on urban microclimate: A full-scale experimental study in Singapore. Sustainable Cities and Society, 2024; 102: 105218 DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2024.105218

Scientists develop ultra-thin semiconductor fibers that turn fabrics into wearable electronics

Scientists  have developed ultra-thin semiconductor fibers that can be woven into fabrics, turning them into smart wearable electronics. Their work has been published in the journal Nature.

To create reliably functioning semiconductor fibers, they must be flexible and without defects for stable signal transmission. However, existing manufacturing methods cause stress and instability, leading to cracks and deformities in the semiconductor cores, negatively impacting their performance and limiting their development.

Scientists conducted modeling and simulations to understand how stress and instability occur during the manufacturing process. They found that the challenge could be overcome through careful material selection and a specific series of steps taken during fiber production.

They developed a mechanical design and successfully fabricated hair-thin, defect-free fibers spanning 100 meters, which indicates its market scalability. Importantly the new fibers can be woven into fabrics using existing methods.

To demonstrate their fibers' high quality and functionality, the  research team developed prototypes. These included a smart beanie hat to help a visually impaired person cross the road safely by receiving alerts on a mobile phone application; a shirt that receives information and transmits it through an earpiece, like a museum audio guide; and a smartwatch with a strap that functions as a flexible sensor that conforms to the wrist of users for heart rate measurement even during physical activities.

The researchers think that their innovation is a fundamental breakthrough in the development of semiconductor fibers that are ultra-long and durable, meaning they are cost-effective and scalable while offering excellent electrical and optoelectronic (meaning it can sense, transmit and interact with light) performance.

Zhixun Wang et al, High-quality semiconductor fibres via mechanical design, Nature (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06946-0

Space research in anti-cancer fight

Experiments in the weightless environment of space have led to "crazy progress" in the fight against cancer, NASA officials say.

Not only do cells in space age more rapidly, speeding up research, their structures are also described as "purer."

They all don't clump together (as they do) on Earth because of gravity. They are suspended in space enabling better analysis of their molecular structures.

Research conducted in space can help make cancer drugs more effective.

Pharmaceutical giant Merck has conducted research on the ISS with Keytruda, an anti-cancer drug that patients now receive intravenously.

Its key ingredient is difficult to transform into a liquid. One solution is crystallization, a process often used in drug manufacturing.

In 2017, Merck conducted experiments to see if the crystals would form more rapidly in space than on Earth.

Two pictures taken  demonstrate the difference. The first showed a blurry, transparent spot. But on the second, a large number of clear gray spots had emerged.

That photo showed that smaller, more uniform crystals were forming in space—and "forming better".

Thanks to such research, researchers will be able to make a drug that can be administered by injection in a doctor's office instead of through long and painful chemotherapy treatments.

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Merck identified techniques that can help it imitate the effects of these crystals on Earth as it works to develop a drug that can be stored at room temperature.

Still, it can take years between research in space and the wide availability of a drug developed there.

Cancer research in space began more than 40 years ago but has become "revolutionary" in recent years.

Biden launched a "Cancer Moonshot" initiative in 2016, when he was then vice president, echoing a speech by John F. Kennedy some 60 years earlier outlining the bold goal of sending an American to the moon.

The goal of the "Moonshot" is to halve the death rate from cancer over the next quarter century, saving four million lives, according to the White House.

Political realities may hinder that ambitious goal, though. Congress has earmarked just over $25 billion to NASA for 2024, two percent less than the previous year and well below what the White House had sought.

"The ability of space to capture the imagination is huge. And space cancer research has a firm goal: "It can save lives." and should be pursued, according to the scientific community.

Source: AFP

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