What is microRNA? 

The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded on Monday to two US scientists for discovering microRNA, a previously unknown type of genetic switch which is hoped can pave the way for new medical breakthroughs.

But while several treatments and tests are under development using microRNAs against cancer, heart disease, viruses and other illnesses, none have actually yet reached patients.

And the world paid little attention when the new Nobel laureates Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun revealed their discovery decades ago, thinking it was just "something weird about worms".

How exactly these tiny genetic switches work inside our bodies?

Each cell in the human body has the same set of instructions, called DNA. Some turn into brain cells, while others become muscles.

So how do the cells know what to become? The relevant part of the DNA's instructions is pointed to via a process called gene regulation.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) normally serves as a messenger. It delivers the instructions from the DNA to proteins, which are the building blocks of life that turn cells into brains—or muscles.

A good example  is the messenger RNA vaccines rolled out against COVID-19 during the pandemic, which insert a message with new instructions to build proteins that block viruses.

But the two new Nobel winners Ambros and Ruvkun discovered a whole new type of gene regulator that had previously been overlooked by science.

Rather than being the messenger which relays information, microRNA instead acts as a switch to turn other genes off and on.

This was a whole new level of control that we had totally missed.

The discovery of microRNAs brought an additional level of complexity by revealing that regions that were thought to be non-coding play a role in gene regulation.

Part 1

MicroRNAs are particularly promising for fighting cancer because some of these switches act as a tumor suppressor, so they put a brake on cells dividing inappropriately.
Because many viruses use microRNAs, several antiviral drugs are at varying stages of development, including for hepatitis C.

One complicating factor has been that microRNAs can be unstable.

But scientists also hope they can be used as a test called a "biomarker", which could reveal what type of cancer a patient could be suffering from, for example.
It also appears probable that microRNAs could be involved in the evolution of our species.
Part 2

The microbes that transform toxic carbon monoxide into valuable biofuel

Microbes live everywhere, in enormous numbers. We might not see them with the naked eye, but they are in soils, lakes, oceans, hydrothermal vents, our homes, and even in and on our own bodies. And they don't just hang out there. They are always eating. Altogether, they eat so much that they influence the elemental cycles of the entire planet. 

Many of the microbes living on our planet do their utmost to keep these elemental cycles running in perfect balance. The fact of the matter is, though, that human interventions have significantly shifted the balance of more than one of them.
That sounds rather grim—and in part it is. It is time for a change. The key to change might lie in the simple trait that we share with every living organism on Earth. Everything needs food, from the microscopically small to the biggest blue whales. For microbes, food can include pretty much anything. Some microbes feed on apples; others prefer milk sugars (lactose) and help us make yogurt and cheese; and many, many microbes like the taste of waste.

This is extremely handy when it comes to cleaning our sewage water, for example. Billions of microbes in wastewater treatment plants happily gobble up all the nutrients in the water that's flushed down our drains. This reduces our risk of getting sick and helps improve surface water quality. Pretty amazing, right?

Some microbes on our planet can turn their food into our fuels. They, too, feed on waste.

Part 1

Researchers found fuel-producing microbes that eat carbon monoxide—a highly toxic, flammable gas that is generated, among other things, during steel production. Currently, the steel industry produces approximately 2 billion tons of steel per year, and carbon monoxide comprises between 20% and 30% of their waste gases. That waste carbon monoxide is currently burned to produce carbon dioxide. It is less toxic, but still quite harmful. However, carbon monoxide-consuming microbes could turn these vast quantities of waste gas into green fuel.
Some carbon monoxide-consuming microbes can produce ethanol, a biofuel that has already been blended into normal fuels for several decades to make them a bit greener.

https://theconversation.com/meet-the-microbes-that-transform-toxic-...

Part 2

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Nobel Prize in physics awarded to 2 scientists for discoveries that enabled machine learning

Two pioneers of artificial intelligence—John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton—won the Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for helping create the building blocks of machine learning that is revolutionizing the way we work and live.

 These two gentlemen were really the pioneers. The artificial neural networks—interconnected computer nodes inspired by neurons in the human brain—the researchers pioneered are used throughout science and medicine and "have also become part of our daily lives.

There are enormous benefits, its rapid development has also raised concerns about our future. Collectively, humans carry the responsibility for using this new technology in a safe and ethical way for the greatest benefit of humankind, the Nobel committee says.

 www.nobelprize.org/prizes/phys … dvanced-information/

When it comes to emergency care, ChatGPT overprescribes!

If ChatGPT were cut loose in the Emergency Department, it might suggest unneeded X-rays and antibiotics for some patients and admit others who didn't require hospital treatment, a new study from  has found.

The researchers said that, while the model could be prompted in ways that make its responses more accurate, it's still no match for the clinical judgment of a human doctor.

This is a valuable message to clinicians not to blindly trust these models.

ChatGPT can answer medical exam questions and help draft clinical notes, but it's not currently designed for situations that call for multiple considerations, like the situations in an emergency department.

 Chris Williams et al, Nature Communications (2024). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52415-1

Physics team uncovers a quantum Mpemba effect with a host of 'cool' implications

Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, researchers have made a discovery that bridges the gap between Aristotle's observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, while opening the door to a whole host of "cool"—and "cooling"—implications.

The Mpemba effect is best known as a perplexing phenomenon, where hot water freezes faster than cold water. Observations of the counter-intuitive effect date back to Aristotle who, over 2,000 years ago, noted that the Greeks of Pontus were exploiting the effect in their fishing practices.

And now, we can say that this strange effect is much more ubiquitous than we previously expected. Researchers have  just published a research paper in the journal Physical Review Letters  on the subject. The paper outlines their breakthrough in understanding the effect in the very different—and extremely complex—world of quantum physics.

Part 1

The 'Mpemba effect' gets its name from Erasto Mpemba who, as a school kid in 1963, was making ice cream in his home economics class in Tanzania. Mpemba did not wait for his hot ice cream mixture to cool before putting it directly in the fridge and was unsurprisingly puzzled to find that it froze before all the colder samples of his classmates.
He pointed this out to his teacher, who ridiculed him for not knowing his physics—Newton's law of cooling, for example, tells us that the rate at which an object cools is proportional to the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings. However, Mpemba convinced a visiting professor—Denis Osoborne from the University of Dar es Salaam—to test what he had seen and the pair published a paper that indeed evidenced the strange effect.
While the Mpemba effect is still not wholly understood—its presence is hotly debated at the macroscopic scale—it is much more apparent on the microscopic scale, where physicists use the theory of quantum mechanics to describe nature.

The quantum Mpemba effect has recently become a trending topic, but myriad questions hung in the air; for example, how does the quantum effect relate to the original effect? And can we construct a thermodynamic framework to understand the phenomenon better?
The QuSys research group's breakthrough answers some of the key questions.
Part 2

Using the toolkit of non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics, the team has successfully bridged the gap between Aristotle's observations from two millennia ago and our modern understanding of quantum mechanics.

And it now opens the door to many research and applications-related questions.
The question forced the researchers to ask several fundamental questions about the relationship between the laws of thermodynamics that describe cooling, and the quantum mechanics, which describe reality at the fundamental level. We are currently developing a geometrical approach to the problem, which will hopefully allow us to understand different types of Mpemba effect in the same mathematical framework.
What you actually have in this really 'cool' Mpemba effect is a way to speed up cooling—and the cooling of quantum systems is absolutely vital for applications in quantum technologies.
Some of the tools the researchers are developing to investigate this fundamental effect will be of paramount importance for understanding things like heat flows, and how to minimize dissipation in future technologies.

Mattia Moroder et al, Thermodynamics of the Quantum Mpemba Effect, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.140404. On arXiv: DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2403.16959

Part 3

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The other greenhouse gases warming the planet

While carbon dioxide, or CO₂, is the best known greenhouse gas, several others, including methane and nitrous oxide, are also driving global warming and altering the Earth's climate.

CO₂ accounts for about two-thirds of the warming attributed to greenhouse gases.

Methane, or CH4, is the second most important greenhouse gas linked to human activity after CO2.

Around 40 percent of methane comes from natural sources, notably wetlands, but the majority (around 60 percent) is linked to human activities such as agriculture (ruminant breeding and rice cultivation), fossil fuels and waste. Its warming power is more than 80 times greater over 20 years than that of CO2, but its lifespan is shorter, making it an important lever in attempts to limit global warming in the short term.

Reducing methane emissions "would have a strong short-term cooling effect, because atmospheric methane concentrations would drop quickly.

Policies should "focus on capturing the low hanging fruit, so the very low-cost measures such as reducing natural gas leaks", say the experts.

Despite a global commitment to reduce planet-heating emissions signed by many countries, including the European Union and the United States, the trend is not positive.

Methane is rising faster in relative terms than any major greenhouse gas and is now 2.6-fold higher than in pre-industrial times.

Nitrous oxide, or nitrous protoxide (N2O), is the third major greenhouse gas and almost 300 times more potent than CO2.
It is mainly emitted by synthetic nitrogen fertilizers and manure used in agriculture.

Other emissions come from human activities (the chemical industry, wastewater, fossil fuels) or natural sources (the soil and oceans).
Part 1

"Global human-induced emissions, which are dominated by nitrogen additions to croplands, increased by 30 percent over the past four decades," concluded a major study in the journal Nature in 2020.
The key to the problem lies in more efficient use of fertilizers.

Two-thirds of the climate change mitigation potential of N2O could be realized by reducing fertilizers on just 20 percent of the world's cropland, particularly in humid subtropical agricultural regions.
Fluorinated greenhouse gases (PFCs, HFCs and SF6) are found in fridges and freezers, heat pumps, air conditioners and electrical networks.

Even when in small quantities, they stand out for their extremely high warming capacity.

For example, SF6, which is found in electrical transformers, has a greenhouse effect 24,000 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period.

The Montreal Protocol signed in 1987, and ratified by 195 countries, has already significantly reduced the atmospheric presence of CFCs, another ozone-depleting fluorinated gas.

In 2016 the Kigali agreement also provided for the phasing out of HFCs.
Last year the EU sealed a pact to progressively ban the sale of equipment containing fluorinated gases, in particular HFCs, with the aim of eliminating them completely by 2050.
Source: Environmental Research Letters.
Part 2
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Asthma and allergies may be caused by changes in the placenta, suggests study

Changes in the placenta may increase the risk of children developing asthma and allergies, as shown in new research. The study is published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

This study is based on a review of 19 previous studies involving around 13,000 children.

The study shows that children born prematurely have a three times increased risk of suffering from asthma-related problems if there is inflammation in the fetal membranes and placenta. This risk is in addition to the increased risk of lung disease linked to premature birth. 

Researchers also saw a link between unusually heavy placentas and increased asthma medication prescriptions in full-term children during their first year of life.

Although these links are statistically significant, the researchers emphasize that the they do not yet know for sure whether changes in the placenta directly or indirectly cause asthma or allergies in children.

It's almost impossible to conduct the kind of studies needed to prove a causal relation in pregnant women. But given these results, they think pediatricians ought to focus more on the potential significance of the placenta for the child after birth.

It has been known for some time that atopic diseases such as asthma and allergies can begin to develop during the fetal stage. A plausible explanation for the new findings could be that inflammation in the placenta and fetal membranes triggers an inflammation in the fetus that persists and risks damaging the child's lungs or affecting the immune system even after birth.

This new knowledge is something from which health care can already benefit.

The placenta is a temporary organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It supplies the fetus with oxygen and nutrients, removes waste products, and acts as a barrier against certain infections. The placenta also produces vital hormones for the pregnancy, the mother, and the fetus.

Zaki Bakoyan et al, Childhood atopic disorders in relation to placental changes—A systematic review and meta‐analysis, Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (2024). DOI: 10.1111/pai.14141

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Microbial marvels: Study finds 'untapped biodiversity' in the bathroom, on your toothbrush and showerhead

The latest hotspot to offer awe-inspiring biodiversity lies no further than your bathroom.

In a new study, microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses—most of which have never been seen before.

Although this might sound ominous, the good news is these viruses don't target people. They target bacteria.

The microorganisms collected in the study are bacteriophage, or "phage," a type of virus that infects and replicates inside of bacteria. Although researchers know little about them, phages have recently garnered attention for their potential use in treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. And the previously unknown viruses lurking in our bathrooms could become a treasure trove of materials for exploring those applications.

The study, "Phage communities in household-related biofilms correlate with bacterial hosts but do not associate with other environmental factors," was published recently (Oct. 9) in the journal Frontiers in Microbiomes.

Researchers  found many viruses that we know very little about and many others that we have never seen before. It's amazing how much untapped biodiversity is all around us. And you don't even have to go far to find it; it's right under our noses.

After characterizing bacteria,the researchers then used DNA sequencing to examine the viruses living on those same samples. Altogether, the samples comprised more than 600 different viruses—and no two samples were alike.

They saw basically no overlap in virus types between showerheads and toothbrushes.  They also saw very little overlap between any two samples at all. Each showerhead and each toothbrush is like its own little island. It just underscores the incredible diversity of viruses out there.

The researchers caution people not to fret about the invisible wildlife living within our bathrooms. Instead of grabbing for bleach, people can soak their showerheads in vinegar to remove calcium buildup or simply wash them with plain soap and water. And people should regularly replace toothbrush heads.

Microbes are everywhere, and the vast majority of them will not make us sick. The more you attack them with disinfectants, the more they are likely to develop resistance or become more difficult to treat. We should all just learn to live with them, the researchers  say.

Phage communities in household-related biofilms correlate with bacterial hosts but do not associate with other environmental factors, Frontiers in Microbiomes (2024). www.frontiersin.org/journals/m … 024.1396560/abstract

Nobel Prize in chemistry honors 3 scientists who used AI to design proteins, life's building blocks

Three scientists who discovered powerful techniques to predict and even design novel proteins—the building blocks of life—were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday. Their work used advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and holds the potential to transform how new drugs are made.

The prize was awarded to David Baker, a biochemist at the University of Washington in Seattle, and to Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, computer scientists at Google DeepMind, a British-American artificial intelligence research laboratory based in London.

Heiner Linke, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry, said the award honored research that unraveled "a grand challenge in chemistry, and in particular in biochemistry, for decades."

Proteins are complex molecules with thousands of atoms that twist, turn, loop and spiral in a countless array of shapes that determine their biological function. For decades, scientists have dreamed of being able to efficiently design and build new proteins.

Baker, 62, whose work has received funding from the National Institutes of Health since the 1990s, created a computer program called Rosetta that helped analyze information about existing proteins in comprehensive databases to build new proteins that don't exist in nature.

You can almost construct any type of protein now with this technology.

Hassabis, 48, and Jumper, 39, created an artificial intelligence model that has predicted the structure of virtually all the 200 million proteins that researchers have identified, the committee added.

They  managed to crack the code. With skillful use of artificial intelligence, they made it possible to predict the complex structure of essentially any known protein in nature.

Part 1

The ability to custom design new proteins—and better understand existing proteins—could enable researchers to create new kinds of medicines and vaccines. It could also allow scientists to design new enzymes to break down plastics or other waste materials, and to design fine-tuned sensors for hazardous materials.

There's fantastic prospects for making better medicines—medicines that are smarter, that only work in the right time and place in the body.

One example is a potential nasal spray that could slow or stop the rapid spread of specific viruses, such as COVID-19. Another is a medicine to disrupt the cascade of symptoms known as cytokine storm.

That was always the holy grail. If you could figure out how protein sequences folded into their particular structures, then it might be possible to design protein sequences to fold into previously never seen structures that might be useful for us.

www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chem … dvanced-information/

Part 2

Stitches with internally produced electric charge found to speed up wound healing in rats

A team of chemical fiber and polymer material researchers  has found that the use of internally produced, electrically charged sutures can speed up the healing process after surgery in rats. In their study published in Nature Communications, the group developed a type of suture that generates its own electricity while inside the body and tested it in a lab setting and in live rats.

Prior research has shown that the application of electricity to wounds can speed up healing—it attracts fibroblasts, which are a major part of the healing process. Prior research has also shown that applying electrical current to conductive sutures can promote healing. But these sutures require an external power source or a bulky battery. In this new effort, the research team found a way to power sutures using interactions between the sutures and surrounding tissue.

The sutures were made using biodegradable polymers and magnesium, both of which can be absorbed safely by the body over time.
When muscles and other tissue around the site of a surgical procedure move, the middle layer of the sutures rubs against the outer layer, transferring electrons. The resulting electricity moves through the rest of the suture, stimulating the tissue that has been sewn together.

The sutures are just 350 microns, the size needed for closing wounds. Because they are biodegradable, doctors would not have to remove them.

During lab experiments, the sutures were found to be capable of generating 2.3 volts during normal activity. When used with live tissue, the sutures were found to speed up healing by 50% compared to non-electrified sutures. They also resulted in lower bacterial levels, even when standard disinfectants were not used.

The research team next tested their sutures on rats and observed speedier recovery and fewer infections. They plan to test their sutures in larger animals before eventually moving on to trials in humans.

Zhouquan Sun et al, A bioabsorbable mechanoelectric fiber as electrical stimulation suture, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52354-x

Scientists show accelerating CO₂ release from rocks in Arctic Canada with global warming

Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford have shown that weathering of rocks in the Canadian Arctic will accelerate with rising temperatures, triggering a positive feedback loop that will release more and more CO₂ to the atmosphere. The findings have been published in the journal Science Advances.

For sensitive regions like the Arctic, where surface air temperatures are warming nearly four times faster than the global average, it is particularly crucial to understand the potential contribution of atmospheric CO2 from weathering.

One pathway happens when certain minerals and rocks react with oxygen in the atmosphere, releasing CO2 via a series of chemical reactions. For instance, the weathering of sulfide minerals (e.g., 'fool's gold') makes acid which causes CO2 to release from other rock minerals that are found nearby.

In Arctic permafrost, these minerals are being exposed as the ground thaws due to rising temperatures, which could act as a positive feedback loop to accelerate climate change.

Part 1

In this new study, researchers used records of sulfate (SO42-) concentration and temperature from 23 sites across the Mackenzie River Basin, the largest river system in Canada, to examine the sensitivity of the weathering process to rising temperatures. Sulfate, like CO2, is a product of sulfide weathering, and can be used to trace how fast this process occurs.

The results demonstrated that across the catchment, sulfate concentrations rose rapidly with temperature. During the past 60 years (from 1960 to 2020), sulfide weathering saw an increase of 45% as temperatures increased by 2.3°C. This highlights that CO2 released by weathering could trigger a positive feedback loop that would accelerate warming in Arctic regions.
Using these past records from rivers, the researchers predicted that CO2 released from the Mackenzie River Basin could double to 3 billion kg/year by 2100 under a moderate emission scenario.
Not all parts of the river catchment responded in the same way. Weathering was much more sensitive to temperature in rocky mountainous areas, and those covered with permafrost. By modeling the process, the researchers revealed that sulfide weathering was accelerated further by processes which break rocks up as they freeze and shatter.

Conversely, areas covered with peatland showed lower increases in sulfide oxidation with warming, because the peat protects the bedrock from this process.

Ella Walsh et al, Temperature sensitivity of the mineral permafrost feedback at the continental scale, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adq4893. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq4893

Part 2

Light pollution disturbs moths—even in the dark

Light pollution is more serious than expected: Moths not only lose their orientation directly under street lamps. Their flight behavior is also disturbed outside the cone of light.

The increasing use of artificial light at night is one of the most dramatic man-made changes on earth. Streetlights and illuminated buildings are significantly changing the environment for nocturnal animals.

Scientists have identified light pollution as one of the causes of the sharp decline in insects in recent years: many nocturnal insects fly to artificial light sources and circle around them incessantly. There they become easy prey for bats and other predators or eventually fall to the ground exhausted and die.

Moths are one group of nocturnal insects that are in significant decline. Their disappearance is also problematic because they play a key role in food webs and in the pollination of plants.

A new study now shows that the behavior of moths changes not only in the cone of light from street lamps, but also outside the illuminated area.

The results have been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This suggests that the effects of light pollution are not limited to direct attraction to light sources, but are much more far-reaching and complex than previously assumed.

What also emerged from the experiments is there is an interaction between the disorientation of the moths caused by artificial light and the moon. This depends on whether the moon is above or below the horizon.

Jacqueline Degen et al, Shedding light with harmonic radar: Unveiling the hidden impacts of streetlights on moth flight behavior, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401215121

Our food system is broken and we only have 60 harvests left for our children, researchers warn

Plant-based diets, compassionate agriculture, Indigenous methods, consumer pressure, new laws, international agreements and even vegan pets—these are the solutions for fixing our broken food and farming systems, say dozens of environmental advocates, researchers, farmers and industry pioneers.

Warning that 'our food system is broken' and radical change is needed to mend it, they say, in our world where one‑third of food is lost or wasted, 780 million people are hungry, and three billion people cannot afford to eat healthily.

We have just sixty harvests left in our soils to save the future for our children. For people, animals and the planet, the clock is ticking. There is no time to lose. What we do now will define the next one thousand years.

In his chapter, scientist Tim Benton illuminates how increased meat consumption has been a major driver of our planetary crisis. "As demand has risen—partly because of a growing global population but mainly owing to increased meat consumption and the associated increase in demand for animal feed—so too has the use of chemical inputs such as fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides to maximize yields on existing cropland… Nature has suffered as a result. Food production is therefore a central cause of declining biodiversity, deforestation, water and air pollution and land degradation.

But far from simply tolling a klaxon of doom, they elicit hope by offering solutions for feeding the world, while nourishing our soils and protecting our species.

We can bridge the climate change emissions gap through ecological agriculture now, not at some point in the future. Even if only 10% of farms and pastures are managed regeneratively by maximizing photosynthesis and root exudates, we can mitigate emissions by fixing more living carbon in plants and building up carbon in soil.

The solution to hunger extinction and the climate emergency is to return to Earth and regenerate her biodiversity in soils, our farms, forests, our diets and our guts.

Joyce D'Silva et al, Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets, Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets (2024). DOI: 10.4324/9781032684369

But I think this is too alarmist  although there is some truth in it.

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Regular fish intake tied to lower risk for tinnitus in women

Regular fish consumption may lower the risk for tinnitus in women, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers  examined the longitudinal association between seafood intake and tinnitus. The analysis included 73,482 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991 to 2021).

The researchers found that seafood intake was independently associated with a lower risk for developing persistent tinnitus. Among participants who consumed one serving of fish per week, the risk for tinnitus was 13 percent lower; risk was 23 percent lower for those who consumed two to four servings per week and 21 percent lower for those who consumed five or more servings.
Higher intakes of tuna fish, light-meat fish, and shellfish all were associated with lower risk (e.g., consumption of tuna at least once weekly: adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.84; light-meat fish: aHR, 0.91; shellfish: aHR, 0.82). There was a trend for a higher risk with dark-meat fish intake, while fish oil supplement use was associated with a higher risk (aHRs, 1.09 and 1.12, respectively).

"These findings indicate that dietary factors may be important in the pathogenesis of tinnitus," the authors write.

Sharon G. Curhan et al, Longitudinal Study of Seafood and Fish Oil Supplement Intake and Risk of Persistent Tinnitus, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.09.028

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Microbes Found Alive Sealed in Rock For 2 Billion Years

Deep underground, in the darkness far below the bustling activity on the surface, a community of microbes has been living their best lives in isolation.

What makes these organisms incredibly special is that they have been cut off for billions of years – far longer than any other community of subterranean microbes we've ever seen. This find of living microbes in 2 billion-year-old rock absolutely smashes the previous record of 100 million years.

And it's a significant one: microbes in isolated underground pockets like these tend to evolve more slowly, since they're detached from many of the pressures that drive evolution in more populated habitats.

This means that the microbe community can tell us things we might not have known about microbe evolution here on Earth. But it also suggests that there might be underground microbe communities still alive on Mars, surviving long after the water on the surface dried out.

By studying the DNA and genomes of microbes like these, we may be able to understand the evolution of very early life on Earth.

The sample of rock was drilled from 15 meters (50 feet) underground from a formation known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex in northeastern South Africa. This formation is huge, a 66,000 square kilometer (25,500 square mile) intrusion into Earth's crust that formed some 2 billion years ago from molten magma cooling below the surface.

Part 1

First, they had to rule out that any microbes they found were indigenous to the habitat, and not the result of contamination from the extraction process. They used a technique they developed several years ago that involves sterilizing the outside of the sample before cutting it into slices to examine its contents.

Then, they used a cyanine dye to stain the slices. This dye binds to DNA, so if there is any DNA in the sample, it should light up like a Christmas tree when subjected to infrared spectroscopy. And this is exactly what happened.

The sample was also riddled with clay, which packed veins near the pockets in the rock near the microbial colonies.

The result of this clay packing was multifold: it provided a resource for the microbes to live on, with organic and inorganic materials that they could metabolize; and it effectively sealed the rock, both preventing the microbes from escaping, and preventing anything else from entering – including the drilling fluid.

The microbial community in the rock will need to be analyzed in greater detail, including DNA analysis, to determine how it has changed or not changed in the 2 billion years it has been sequestered away from the rest of life on Earth.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00248-024-02434-8

Part 2

Creating spider-man's world: researchers recreate web-slinging technology

Every person who has read a comic book or watched a Spider-Man movie has tried to imagine what it would be like to shoot a web from their wrist, fly over streets, and pin down villains. Researchers  took those imaginary scenes seriously and created the first web-slinging technology in which a fluid material can shoot from a needle, immediately solidify as a string, and adhere to and lift objects.

The study is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

These sticky fibers, created at the Tufts University Silklab, come from silk moth cocoons, which are boiled in solution and broken down into their building block proteins called fibroin. The silk fibroin solution can be extruded through narrow bore needles to form a stream that, with the right additives, solidifies into a fiber when exposed to air.

Of course, nature is the original inspiration for deploying fibers of silk into tethers, webs, and cocoons. Spiders, ants, wasps, bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and even flies can produce silk at some point in their lifecycle.

Nature also inspired the Silklab to pioneer the use of silk fibroin to make powerful glues that can work underwater, printable sensors that can be applied to virtually any surface, edible coatings that can extend the shelf life of produce, a light collecting material that could significantly enhance the efficiency of solar cells, and more sustainable microchip manufacturing methods . However, while they made significant progress with silk-based materials, the researchers had yet to replicate the mastery of spiders, which can control the stiffness, elasticity, and adhesive properties of the threads they spin. 

Silk fibroin solutions can slowly form a semi-solid hydrogel over a period of hours when exposed to organic solvents like ethanol or acetone, but the presence of dopamine, which is used in making the adhesives, allowed the solidification process to occur almost immediately.

Part 1

When the organic solvent wash was mixed in quickly, the silk solution rapidly created fibers with high tensile strength and stickiness. Dopamine and its polymers employ the same chemistry used by barnacles to form fibers that stick tenaciously to surfaces.

The next step was to spin the fibers in air. The researchers added dopamine to the silk fibroin solution, which appears to accelerate the transition from liquid to solid by pulling water away from the silk. When shot through a coaxial needle, a thin stream of the silk solution is surrounded by a layer of acetone which triggers the solidification.

The acetone evaporates in mid-air, leaving a fiber attached to any object it contacts. The researchers enhanced the silk fibroin-dopamine solution with chitosan, a derivative of insect exoskeletons that gave the fibers up to 200 times greater tensile strength, and borate buffer, which increased their adhesiveness about 18-fold.

The diameter of the fibers could be varied between that of a human hair to about half a millimeter, depending on the bore of the needle.
The device can shoot fibers that can pick up objects over 80 times their own weight under various conditions. The researchers demonstrated this by picking up a cocoon, a steel bolt, a laboratory tube floating on water, a scalpel partially buried in sand, and a wood block from a distance of about 12 centimeters.
Who says fiction cannot become fact?
With science everything is possible.

 Marco Lo Presti et al, Dynamic Adhesive Fibers for Remote Capturing of Objects, Advanced Functional Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202414219

Part 2

New nanotherapy targets artery inflammation in cardiovascular disease

Inflammation of the arteries is a primary precursor and driver of cardiovascular disease—the No. 1 killer of people in some countries. This inflammation is associated with the buildup of dangerous plaque inside the arteries. Advanced treatments are needed to target this inflammation in patients. 

Researchers have tested a new nanoparticle nanotherapy infusion that precisely targets inflammation and activates the immune system to help clear out arterial plaque.

The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

There are two different things that people seem to be scared of when it comes to plaques.

The first example is when your artery becomes blocked (for example, a 95% to 99% blockage). Often, there are symptoms like pain or pressure in the chest or nausea and dizziness beforehand and doctors will put a stent in the artery to increase blood flow.

The second is when the plaque is highly inflammatory. This can make the plaque vulnerable to rupture, which can lead to artery blockages elsewhere in the body. That's the scarier one that leads to most heart attacks. Because such plaques don't necessarily block much of the artery, and because the effects of the rupture can very suddenly completely block blood flow, such a heart attack can seem to appear as if from nowhere.

Researchers now created nanoparticles—materials that are thinner than a human hair—that they used to develop a nanotherapy infusion. The nanotherapy selectively targets a specific immune cell type that moves into and is a part of the plaque. These treated cells "eat" away parts of the plaque core, removing it from the artery wall and decreasing levels of blood vessel inflammation.

In previous studies they tested the infusion on mice and now, pig models, to prove the infusion's effectiveness, and critically, its lack of side effects due to its precision immune targeting.

Using PET [positron-emission tomography] scans, they were able to measure the effects of the therapy on pig arteries. 

They  showed in animal models such as pigs that they can decrease the levels of inflammation in the plaque based not only on this clinically used PET imaging technique but also by molecular assays. Just as importantly, they saw none of the side effects that would have been anticipated had the therapy not been precisely targeted.

 Sharika Bamezai et al, Pro-efferocytic nanotherapies reduce vascular inflammation without inducing anemia in a large animal model of atherosclerosis, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52005-1

Microscopic marine organisms can create parachute-like mucus structures that stall CO₂ absorption from atmosphere

New research unveils a hidden factor that could change our understanding of how oceans mitigate climate change. The study, published Oct. 11 in Science, reveals never-before seen mucus "parachutes" produced by microscopic marine organisms that significantly slow their sinking, putting the brakes on a process crucial for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The surprising discovery implies that previous estimates of the ocean's carbon sequestration potential may have been overestimated, but also paves the way toward improving climate models and informing policymakers in their efforts to slow climate change.

Rahul Chajwa et al, Hidden comet tails of marine snow impede ocean-based carbon sequestration, Science (2024). DOI: 10.1126/science.adl5767. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl5767

Personal care products affect indoor air quality

The personal care products we use on a daily basis significantly affect indoor air quality, according to new research.

When used indoors, these products release a cocktail of more than 200 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, and when those VOCs come into contact with ozone, the chemical reactions that follow can produce new compounds and particles that may penetrate deep into our lungs. Scientists are now wondering how inhaling these particles on a daily basis affects our respiratory health.

These products are roll-on deodorant, spray deodorant, hand lotion, perfume and dry shampoo hair spray—all produced by leading brands and available in major stores across the world. 

During their experiments, in one test, the researchers applied the products under typical conditions, while the air quality was carefully monitored. In another test, they did the same thing but also injected ozone, a reactive outdoor gas that occurs in some latitudes during the summer months.

Ozone can infiltrate homes through open windows, but can also come from indoors, for example, when using laser printers and 3D printers. Around five sophisticated measuring instruments were deployed to quantify and identify the gases and particles present in the chamber.

It took the scientists two years to process all the collected data. In the first case without ozone, over 200 VOCs were emitted from the personal care products, which gradually dissipated with ventilation. The most abundant molecules they found were ethanol and monoterpenes, typically used in these products. However, when ozone was introduced into the chamber, not only new VOCs but also new particles were generated, particularly from perfume and sprays, exceeding concentrations found in heavily polluted urban areas.

Some molecules 'nucleate'—in other words, they form new particles that can coagulate into larger ultrafine particles that can effectively deposit into our lungs.

We still don't fully understand the health effects of these pollutants, but they may be more harmful than we think, especially because they are applied close to our breathing zone. This is an area where new toxicological studies are needed, say the researchers.

To limit the effect of personal care products on indoor air air quality, we could consider several alternatives for how buildings are engineered: introducing more ventilation—especially during the products' use—incorporating air-cleaning devices (e.g., activated carbon-based filters combined with media filters), and limiting the concentration of indoor ozone.

The researchers stress that we're going to have to reduce our reliance on these products, or if possible, replace them with more natural alternatives that contain fragrant compounds with low chemical reactivity. Another helpful measure would be to raise awareness of these issues among medical professionals and staff working with vulnerable groups, such as children and the elderly.

Tianren Wu et al, Indoor Emission, Oxidation, and New Particle Formation of Personal Care Product Related Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00353

The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures

A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.

As heat waves become more prominent, cooling textiles that can be incorporated into clothes, hats, shoes and even building surfaces provide a glimpse into a future where greenhouse gas-emitting air conditioners may no longer be needed in our cities.

Engineers  say the wearable fabric is designed to reflect sunlight and allow heat to escape, while blocking the sun's rays and lowering the temperature. They have described the textiles in Science Bulletin.

The fabric promises to bring relief to millions of city dwellers experiencing warmer and more uncomfortable temperatures caused by global climate change and fewer green spaces.

 The fabric leverages the principle of radiative cooling, a natural process where materials emit heat into the atmosphere, and ultimately into space.

Unlike conventional fabrics that retain heat, these textiles are made of three layers that are engineered to optimize cooling. 

The upper layer, made of polymethyl pentene fibers, allows heat to radiate effectively. The middle layer, composed of silver nanowires, enhances the fabric's reflectivity, preventing additional heat from reaching the body. The bottom layer, made of wool, directs heat away from the skin, ensuring that wearers remain cool, even in the hottest urban environments.

In the experiments conducted, when placed vertically, the fabric was found to be 2.3°C cooler than traditional textiles, and up to 6.2°C cooler than the surrounding environment when used as a horizontal surface covering.

The fabric's ability to passively reduce temperatures offers a sustainable alternative to conventional air conditioning, providing energy savings and reducing the strain on power grids during heat waves.

It is hoped the technology could be adapted for even broader applications, including construction materials, outdoor furniture and urban planning.

While the fabric holds significant promise, researchers say the current production process is costly, and the long-term durability of the textiles needs further investigation and government support before it can be commercialized.

Xianhu Liu et al, Radiation cooling textiles countering urban heat islands, Science Bulletin (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.09.008

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New plant-based glitter shows no harm to soil organisms

Plastic pollution is everywhere. Each year, over 368 million metric tons of plastics are produced with over 13 million metric tons of it ending up in the soil where it can be toxic to wildlife.

Researchers are particularly worried about the environmental impacts of 'microplastics' which are small plastic particles less than 5 mm in size.

Microplastics can be produced from products like glitter or when larger objects, including water bottles, break down into smaller and smaller pieces once they're in the environment.

Due to their small size, animals can eat microplastics, mistaking them for food, which can cause starvation and malnutrition as well as abrasions to the gastrointestinal tract.
A lot of research has shown microplastics are toxic to ocean species but far fewer studies have investigated the impacts of microplastics on land-dwelling species. This is despite annual plastic release onto the land being estimated at over four times the level that enters the oceans.

Glitter is a type of microplastic used in cosmetics, clothing or for decorative purposes.

Most glitter is made of a plastic called polyethylene terephthalate which you probably know as PET. It's the same plastic that is used for bottled water and soft drink containers.

Conventional glitter also often contains aluminum or other metals, which is where the sparkle comes from.

It is not known how much glitter is getting into the environment, but anyone who has ever worn glitter make-up or used glitter in art and craft knows it seems to end up everywhere.

Part 1

In 2023, the European Union officially banned the sale of loose plastic glitter and some other products that contain microbeads, in a bid to cut environmentally harmful microplastic pollution in member nations by 30% by 2030.
One study in New South Wales, Australia, found that 24% of the microplastics in sewage sludge were glitter.
Once glitter gets into the environment, it is difficult to remove because of its tiny size and because it can become transparent over time on losing the metal components.

While biodegradable glitter is already commercially available, previous research indicates these products could be just as harmful or even more toxic to aquatic organisms than conventional PET glitter because most biodegradable varieties on the market need to be coated in a colored aluminum layer and topped with a thin plastic layer.

Part of a research team, based at the University of Cambridge, has been working on making more sustainable glitter. The study is published in the journal Chemosphere.

Part 2

They have created a novel nanocrystal made from cellulose that sparkles in light and is biodegradable. Cellulose is made from glucose and is the component that gives tree wood its strength.

They wanted to compare the potential toxicity of conventional glitter with the new cellulose glitter as part of testing how sustainable the new glitter is.

They used a little soil critter called a springtail (Folsomia candida). Springtails are small, white, eyeless invertebrates that are closely related to insects. They are widespread in soils around the world where they feed on leaf litter and compost.

These critters are used as an indicator of soil quality and, because they are sensitive to toxic compounds, are often used to test for potential pollutants.

Using soil from the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus, the researchers exposed the springtails to different concentrations of conventional and cellulose glitter and studied the impact on their reproduction, survival and growth.

They found that neither glitter impacted springtail survival or size. However, once the concentrations of conventional glitter in the soil reached 1,000 mg of glitter per kg of soil, the reproduction of the springtails was reduced by 61%.
Part 3

The level of contamination they studied is on par with a soil contaminated with microplastics. Contaminated soils have been found to have up to approximately 100,000 mg per kg of microplastics with most soils below 10,000 mg per kg.

In comparison to conventional glitter, there were no toxic effects on springtail reproduction at any concentration of the cellulose glitter.

So, although it's promising that neither type of glitter was directly harmful to the springtails, it's worrying that the conventional glitter affected their ability to reproduce.

Fewer springtails being born can weaken their population, which might lead to bigger problems for soil health like less organic matter breaking down and fewer nutrients being released for plants.

The researchers suggest you think twice before using conventional glitter in make-up, clothing or for arts and crafts, but are hopeful that peope will soon be able to buy a safer, more sustainable and just as sparkly alternative.

Po-Hao Chen et al, Assessing the ecotoxicological effects of novel cellulose nanocrystalline glitter compared to conventional polyethylene terephthalate glitter: Toxicity to springtails (Folsomia candida), Chemosphere (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143315

Part 4

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Scientists discover how innate immunity envelops bacteria and destroy them

The protein GBP1 is a vital component of our body's natural defense against pathogens. This substance fights against bacteria and parasites by enveloping them in a protein coat, but how the substance manages to do this has remained unknown until now.

Researchers  have now unraveled how this protein operates. This new knowledge, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, could aid in the development of medications and therapies for individuals with weakened immune systems.

Guanylate Binding Proteins (GBPs) play a crucial role in our innate immune system. GBPs form the first line of defense against various infectious diseases caused by bacteria and parasites. Examples of such diseases include dysentery, typhoid fever caused by Salmonella bacteria, and tuberculosis. The protein also plays a significant role in the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia as well as in toxoplasmosis, which is particularly dangerous during pregnancy and for unborn children. 

In their publication,  researchers describe for the first time how the innate immune system fights against bacteria using GBP1 proteins.

The protein surrounds bacteria by forming a sort of coat around them. By pulling this coat tighter, it breaks the membrane of the bacteria—the protective layer surrounding the intruder—after which immune cells can clear the infection.

To decode the defense strategy of GBPs, the researchers examined how GBP1 proteins bind to bacterial membranes using a cryogenic electron microscope. This allowed them to see the process in great detail down to the scale of molecules.

 Tanja Kuhm et al, Structural basis of antimicrobial membrane coat assembly by human GBP1, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01400-9

Targeting 'undruggable' diseases: Researchers reveal new levels of detail in targeted protein degradation

Researchers  have revealed in the greatest detail yet the workings of molecules called protein degraders which can be deployed to combat what have previously been regarded as "undruggable" diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.

Protein degrader molecules are heralding a revolution in drug discovery, with more than 50 drugs of this type currently being tested in clinical trials for patients with diseases for which no other options exist.

Now researchers have revealed previously invisible levels of detail and understanding of how the protein degraders work, which in turn is allowing for even more targeted use of them at the molecular level.

They used a technique called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), which enables scientists to see how biomolecules move and interact with each other.

This works by flash-freezing proteins and using a focused electron beam and a high-resolution camera to generate millions of 2D images of the protein. They then used sophisticated software and artificial intelligence (AI) models which allowed them to generate 3D snapshots of the degrader drugs working in action.

Their latest research is published in the journal Science Advances and is expected to constitute a landmark contribution to research in the field of TPD and ubiquitin mechanisms.

They  have reached a level of detail where they can see how these protein degraders work and can be deployed to recruit the disease-causing protein  and target the 'bull's eye,' in molecular terms.

Part 1

Protein degrader molecules work in a way that is fundamentally different from the way conventional drugs work. However, until recently the exact details of how this process works at the molecular level had remained elusive.

Proteins are typically a few nanometers large, which is 1 billionth of a meter, or 1 millionth of the width of a hair. So being able to 'see' them in action has not been possible, up until now.
Scientists have now been able to build a moving image of how it all happens, which means they can more specifically control the process with an incredible level of detail.
Proteins are essential for our cells to function properly, but when these do not work correctly they can cause disease.

Targeted protein degradation involves redirecting protein recycling systems in our cells to destroy the disease-causing proteins. Protein degraders work by capturing the disease-causing protein and making it stick like a glue to the cellular protein-recycling machinery, which then tags the protein as expired in order to destroy it.

The tag is a small protein called ubiquitin, which effectively gets fired at the disease-causing protein like a bullet. In order for the process to work effectively, ubiquitin must hit the right spots on the target protein so that it gets tagged effectively. The new work by the researchers enables them to see how the bullet hits the proverbial bull's eye.
Working with a protein degrader molecule called MZ1, which was developed in the Ciulli laboratory at Dundee, and using high-end mass spectrometry, they were able to identify exactly where on the target protein the vital "tags" are added.

The work shows how degrader drugs hold onto and position disease-causing proteins, making them good targets for receiving ubiquitin molecules (i.e., "ubiquitin-atable") which then leads to their destruction inside the cell.

Protein degradation efficiency and productivity is dependent on the degrader molecule's ability to hold tight onto the disease-causing protein, and in a position where it can most effectively act. This latest research paints a bull's eye and holds it steady enough for the molecule to be accurately targeted.

Charlotte Crowe et al, Mechanism of degrader-targeted protein ubiquitinability, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado6492. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado6492

Part 2

'Killer electrons' of Lightning storms 

When lightning strikes, the electrons come pouring down. In a new study, researchers have discovered a novel connection between weather on Earth and space weather. The team utilized satellite data to reveal that lightning storms on our planet can dislodge particularly high-energy, or "extra-hot," electrons from the inner radiation belt—a region of space enveloped by charged particles that surround Earth like an inner tube.

The team's results could help satellites and even astronauts avoid dangerous radiation in space. This is one kind of downpour you don't want to get caught in.

These particles are the scary ones or what some people call 'killer electrons. They can penetrate metal on satellites, hit circuit boards and can be carcinogenic if they hit a person in space.

The findings cast an eye toward the radiation belts, which are generated by Earth's magnetic field.

 Two of these regions encircle our planet: While they move a lot over time, the inner belt tends to begin more than 600 miles above the surface. The outer belt starts roughly around 12,000 miles from Earth. These pool floaties in space trap charged particles streaming toward our planet from the sun, forming a sort of barrier between Earth's atmosphere and the rest of the solar system.

But they're not exactly airtight. Scientists, for example, have long known that high-energy electrons can fall toward Earth from the outer radiation belt.

Researchers also spotted a similar rain coming from the inner belt.

Earth and space, in other words, may not be as separate as they look. Space weather is really driven both from above and below.

Part 1

When a lightning bolt flashes in the sky on Earth, that burst of energy may also send radio waves spiraling deep into space. If those waves smack into electrons in the radiation belts, they can jostle them free—a bit like shaking your umbrella to knock the water off. In some cases, such "lightning-induced electron precipitation" can even influence the chemistry of Earth's atmosphere.
Here's what the team thinks is happening: Following a lightning strike, radio waves from Earth kick off a kind of manic pinball game in space. They knock into electrons in the inner belt, which then begin to bounce between Earth's northern and southern hemispheres—going back and forth in just 0.2 seconds.

And each time the electrons bounce, some of them fall out of the belt and into our atmosphere.

You have a big blob of electrons that bounces, and then returns and bounces again. You'll see this initial signal, and it will decay away.

Researchers aren't sure how often such events happen. They may occur mostly during periods of high solar activity when the sun spits out a lot of high-energy electrons, stocking the inner belt with these particles.

The researchers want to understand these events better so that they can predict when they may be likely to occur, potentially helping to keep people and electronics in orbit safe.

Max Feinland et al, Lightning-induced relativistic electron precipitation from the inner radiation belt, Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53036-4

Part 2

Study links children's bedtimes to gut health, finds early sleepers have greater microbial diversity in gut flora

Researchers  have found significant differences in the gut microbiota of children who go to bed early compared to those who stay up late. The study revealed that children with earlier bedtimes had greater microbial diversity in their gut flora.

Beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila were more abundant in the early sleepers. These bacteria are associated with maintaining gut health and have been linked to healthy cognitive functions.

Previous studies have shown that adequate sleep improves academic performance, physical growth and is associated with healthier BMI levels. The current study investigated the relationship between children's sleep patterns and their gut microbiota.

In a paper, "Characteristics of gut flora in children who go to bed early versus...," published in Scientific Reports, researchers analyzed the genomics of fecal samples from 88 healthy children aged 2 to 14 years.

The children were split into two groups based on their bedtimes: those who slept before 9:30 p.m. and those who slept after. Over two weeks, sleep diaries recorded factors such as time at falling asleep, night awakenings, sleep efficiency, and sleep quality.

Genomic analysis found that children who went to bed early had a higher abundance of certain beneficial gut bacteria. Specifically, Akkermansia muciniphila was significantly more prevalent in the early bedtime group.

Other elevated bacteria among early sleepers included Holdemania filiformis, Firmicutes bacterium CAG-95, Streptococcus sp. A12, Weissella confusa, Clostridium sp. CAG-253, Alistipes finegoldii, and Eubacterium siraeum. Additionally, levels of CAG-83 fungi were higher in the early bedtime group.

At the phylum and genus levels, Verrucomicrobia, Akkermansia, Holdemania and unclassified Firmicutes showed greater abundance in the early sleep group.

Correlation analysis between sleep metrics and microbial species revealed that Akkermansia muciniphila and Alistipes finegoldii were positively correlated with the time it took to fall asleep. Clostridium sp. CAG-253 was negatively correlated with sleep onset latency.

Alistipes finegoldii was positively correlated with total sleep duration but negatively correlated with dream frequency and sleep efficiency. Negative correlations were observed between Alistipes finegoldii, Akkermansia muciniphila and Holdemania filiformis in relation to sleep quality.
Metabolic analysis showed increased activity in amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter regulation among early sleepers. These pathways are crucial for brain function and development, hinting at a possible relationship with gut health and cognition.

These differences in species diversity and metabolic pathways suggest that sleep patterns significantly influence gut microbiota," the research paper states. These findings may lead to new pharmacological interventions targeting sleep disorders in children."

The finding could be correlating sleep patterns to microbiome outcomes or the inverse, where the microbiome influences sleep patterns. While the study focused on the first scenario, the children's sleep schedules were their own regular, habitual bedtimes without any intervention from the researchers.

These correlations have great potential to be followed up in multiple directions to determine the causal mechanisms behind the sleep-gut-cognitive connection.

Vagus nerve stimulation enhances perceptual learning in mice, study suggests

Recent neuroscience studies have been investigating how the stimulation of some nerves, particularly the vagus nerve, using electrical pulses affects neural activity in the mammalian brain. The vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in the human body, is known to play a key role in the regulation of heart rate, digestion, stress and other physiological processes.

Some findings suggest that stimulating the vagus nerve can enhance the plasticity of the brain, which is its ability to reorganize itself following experiences. This could in turn facilitate perceptual learning, the process by which humans and other animals become better at distinguishing and interpreting different sensory inputs.

Researchers at New York University School of Medicine set out to further examine the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on neural activity and perceptual learning in mice. Their findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest that stimulating the vagus nerve enhances the performance of mice on a perceptual learning task by activating the central cholinergic system.

Part 1

As the mice gradually learned to complete the perceptual learning task, the researchers stimulated their vagus nerve using the electrode they developed. Concurrently, they also recorded activity in the animals' auditory cortex (involved in processing sounds), as well as in the locus coeruleus of the brainstem and the basal forebrain, two regions implicated in attention.

They found that indeed, VNS could augment training and improve perceptual discrimination beyond the limit achieved by training and effort alone. However, it takes a while, a few weeks of daily training and stimulation to see enduring gains at the most challenging difficulty levels. They also identified neural changes supporting this perceptual improvement..
The evidence gathered by the team at New York University suggests that in mice VNS activates the central cholinergic system, a neural network that utilizes the neurotransmitter acetylcholine to communicate with other neurons and supports various brain functions. The activation of this neural network was found to in turn enhance the performance of mice in the perceptual learning task they developed.

 Kathleen A. Martin et al, Vagus nerve stimulation recruits the central cholinergic system to enhance perceptual learning, Nature Neuroscience (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-024-01767-4.

Part 2

Amazing Moment as SpaceX Catches Giant Starship Booster

For the first time ever, SpaceX has followed through on a Starship test launch by bringing back the Super Heavy booster for an on-target catch in the arms of its "Mechazilla" launch-tower cradle .

Today's successful catch marks a giant step toward using — and reusing — Starship for missions ranging from satellite deployments to NASA's moon missions to migrations to Mars.

A video that really explains how color works

This is really Funny! 

Male mice use female mice to distract aggressors and avoid conflict, study shows

A research group tracked the behaviour of mice using machine learning to understand how they handle aggressive behaviour from other mice. The researchers' findings, published on October 15 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, show that male mice deescalate aggressive encounters by running over to a female mouse to distract the aggressive male mouse.

The researchers recorded groups of two male and two female mice interacting over five hours. Like many other animals, mice have social hierarchies, and in almost each group recorded, one male was always significantly more aggressive towards the other.

Social interactions can be challenging to study objectively, so the researchers used a machine learning approach to analyze aggressive interactions and how the mice respond. In total, they observed over 3,000 altercations between the male mice, and the machine learning algorithm helped researchers determine the most likely responses to aggression and whether these actions resolved or furthered the conflict.

The researchers found that the male mouse who was aggressively encountered often ran over to one of the female mice and that this deescalated the aggression. This may be a "bait-and-switch" tactic, as the aggressive male mouse typically followed the other male but then interacted with the female mouse instead of continuing the aggressive encounter.

Some other tactics, even if they avoided aggression for a moment, would then escalate to full fights. However, the researchers found this was not the case after the bait-and-switch. After this tactic was used, fights rarely occurred, the male mice often remaining further apart from each other with the aggressive mouse continuing to interact with the female mouse.

While the bait-and-switch may be an effective way to deescalate conflicts, there may be costs to the victim, such as sacrificing time with the female mice, and further research may look into whether these tactics are effective in larger groups of mice.

Clein RS, Warren MR, Neunuebel JP, Mice employ a bait-and-switch escape mechanism to de-escalate social conflict, PLoS Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002496

The physics of red blood cells in bats could be a key to 'artificial hibernation' for humans

The mechanical properties of red blood cells (erythrocytes) at various temperatures could play an important role in mammals' ability to hibernate. This is the outcome of a study that compared the thermomechanical properties of erythrocytes in two species of bats and humans.

The study was published in October 2024 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new findings could contribute towards the development of new medical treatments.

Hibernation is common for mammals, especially bats, and even some primates hibernate. In this current study, the interdisciplinary team of researchers compared the mechanical properties of hundreds of thousands of individual erythrocytes from a hibernating native bat species, the common noctule (Nyctalus noctula), a non-hibernating bat species, the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), and healthy human donors. Data was collected for temperatures between 10°C and 37°C.

In all three species, the individual erythrocytes became more viscous when the temperature of the blood samples was lowered from a normal body temperature of 37°C to a temperature of 10°C, which is typical for temperatures in hibernating mammals.

The observed behaviour is a result of the properties of the cell membrane and is much more evident in both bat species than in humans. Interestingly, this special adaptation in bats is not only due to seasonal fluctuations such as changing diets and surrounding temperatures.

Humans are unable to significantly lower their core body temperature in order to save energy. Based on the collected data, it could be possible in the future to develop pharmaceutical methods that change the mechanical properties of human erythrocytes in order to optimize the blood circulation in artificially induced states similar to hibernation. If this is successful, the dream of hibernation for extended space missions could also come a step closer to reality.

Bob Fregin et al, Thermomechanical properties of bat and human red blood cells—Implications for hibernation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2405169121

‘Neural tourniquet’ could stem bleeding

Electrical stimulation near the ear that targets the vagus nerves might help to reduce bleeding during surgery or childbirth. The ‘neural tourniquet’ seems to stimulate the spleen, which stores about one-third of the body’s clot-forming platelets, according to preliminary results presented at the 2024 Society for Neuroscience conference. Tests in injured pigs and mice with the blood-clotting condition haemophilia showed that the animals bled less, and for less time, than untreated ones. The time scale could be a real-world limitation for emergency treatment: platelets were most highly activated 2 hours after stimulation.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03330-4?utm_source=Live+...

Study finds PFAS in fish far from contamination sources

Fish can accumulate high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), even far from sources of contamination, according to a new study by researchers .

This study underscores the urgent need for more comprehensive monitoring of PFAS in aquatic ecosystems, particularly in regions where freshwater fishing is an important food source .

PFAS, also called forever chemicals because of their persistence in the environment, are a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals widely used for their stain-resistant, water-resistant, non-stick properties. They have seeped into our water, soil, and food, and can be found in more than 98-99% of people in some countries. 

 Freshwater fish and shellfish, a staple in many diets, often contain high levels of these forever chemicals.

The researchers found that a substantial portion of PFAS contamination remains undetected by conventional monitoring techniques, which typically target only a limited number of PFAS compounds. To fully grasp the scale of PFAS contamination and its risks, environmental monitoring programs and fish consumption advisories must include a wider range of PFAS compounds, the researchers recommend.

Heidi M. Pickard et al, Characterizing the Areal Extent of PFAS Contamination in Fish Species Downgradient of AFFF Source Zones, Environmental Science & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c07016

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004565352302...