Gametophytic pollen tube guidance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbmWz0t9rg&feature=emb_logo

Wounded plants: How they coordinate their healing

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-wounded.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-growth-world-deepest-photosynthetic-c...

Surprising growth rates discovered in world's deepest photosynthetic corals

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https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2020/06/15/biotechnology-in...

Biotechnology innovation during COVID-19

 three therapeutic classes that have been especially innovative and disruptive in recent years: adoptive T-cell therapy for cancer, precision oncology drugs and gene therapy. We expect these three categories to transform the standard of care for many difficult-to-treat diseases.

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Almost 90% of astronauts have been men. But the future of space may be female

https://theconversation.com/almost-90-of-astronauts-have-been-men-b...

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https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-is-time-travel-possible-fo...

is time travel possible for humans?

https://theconversation.com/time-travel-is-possible-but-only-if-you...

Time travel is possible – but only if you have an object with infinite mass

Why one-size-fits-all diets don’t work – new study

https://theconversation.com/why-one-size-fits-all-diets-dont-work-n...

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https://theconversation.com/autoimmune-diseases-we-discovered-how-t...

Autoimmune diseases: scientists discovered how to turn white blood cells from attacking the body to protecting it

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https://theconversation.com/why-it-could-be-dangerous-to-exercise-w...

Why it could be dangerous to exercise with a face mask on

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-crucial-step-toward-pr...

A Crucial Step Toward Preventing Wildlife-Related Pandemics

We need to reform the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

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https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/infographic-puncture-thi...

Infographic: How Cells Use Decoys to Defend Against Pathogens

Specialized exosomes sop up bacterial toxins, a study finds.

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https://www.sciencealert.com/no-this-2014-mars-photo-does-not-show-...

That 'Human Bone' Found in a NASA Mars Photo Isn't Even New. Here's The Real Story

Dark Energy Survey detects thousands of low-surface-brightness galaxies

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-dark-energy-survey-thousands-low-surf...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-exomars-unique-green-red-planet.html?...

ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet

ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has detected glowing green oxygen in Mars' atmosphere—the first time that this emission has been seen around a planet other than Earth.

On Earth, glowing oxygen is produced during polar auroras when energetic electrons from interplanetary space hit the upper atmosphere. This oxygen-driven emission of light gives polar auroras their beautiful and characteristic green hue.

The aurora, however, is just one way in which planetary atmospheres light up. The atmospheres of planets including Earth and Mars glow constantly during both day and night as sunlight interacts with atoms and molecules within the atmosphere. Day and night glow are caused by slightly different mechanisms: night glow occurs as broken-apart molecules recombine, whereas day glow arises when the sun's light directly excites atoms and molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen.

On Earth, green night glow is quite faint, and so is best seen by looking from an 'edge on' perspective—as portrayed in many spectacular images taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This faintness can be an issue when hunting for it around other planets, as their bright surfaces can drown it out.

This green glow has now been detected for the first time at Mars by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), which has been orbiting Mars since October 2016.

Studying the glow of planetary atmospheres can provide a wealth of information about the composition and dynamics of an atmosphere, and reveal how energy is deposited by both the sun's light and the solar wind—the stream of charged particles emanating from our star.

J.-C. Gérard et al. Detection of green line emission in the dayside atmosphere of Mars from NOMAD-TGO observations, Nature Astronomy (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-1123-2

Your brain shows if you are lonely or not

Your brain shows if you are lonely or not: A study finds that the closer you feel to people emotionally, the more similarly you represent them in your brain. People who feel social disconnection appear to have a lonelier, neural self-representation.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-loneliness-brain-social-netw...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-scientists-explanation-baffl...

Scientists propose explanation for baffling form of childhood OCD: Research identifies antibodies that bind to particular brain cells called interneurons as an explanation.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-savanna-like-landscapes-jet-fuel-brai...

Hunting in savanna-like landscapes may have poured jet fuel on brain evolution

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-persistent-dna-placenta-affe...

Persistent DNA damage in the placenta affects pregnancy outcomes

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-previously-undetected-brain-...

Previously undetected brain pulses may help circuits survive disuse, injury

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-flushing-toilets-clouds-virus-contain...

Flushing toilets create clouds of virus-containing particles

Researchers used a computer simulation to show how a flushing toilet can create a cloud of virus-containing aerosol droplets that is large and widespread and lasts long enough that the droplets could be breathed in by others.

Could the cure for Irritable Bowel Disease be inside your mouth?

From heart disease to diabetes, poor oral health is often a reflection of a person's overall health and may even be the cause of systemic disease

A new collaborative study from the U-M Medical and Dental Schools reveals that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which included Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and afflicts millions of adults around teh world, may be the latest condition made worse by poor oral health. The team has been studying the gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria that are normally present in the gut— for years. It noted an emerging link in research literature between an overgrowth of foreign bacterial species in the guts of people with IBD—bacteria that are normally found in the mouth. 

The new mouse study, published in Cell, shows two pathways by which oral bacteria appear to worsen gut inflammation.

In the first pathway, periodontitis, the scientific name for gum disease, leads to an imbalance in the normal healthy microbiome found in the mouth, with an increase of bacteria that cause inflammation. These disease-causing bacteria then travel to the gut.

However, this alone may not be enough to set off gut inflammation. The team demonstrated that oral bacteria may aggravate gut inflammation by looking at microbiome changes in mice with inflamed colons.

The normal gut microbiome resists colonization by exogenous, or foreign, bacteria. However, in mice with IBD, the healthy gut bacteria are disrupted, weakening their ability to resist disease-causing bacteria from the mouth." The team found that mice with both oral and gut inflammation had significantly increased weight loss and more disease activity.

In the second proposed pathway, periodontitis activates the immune system's T cells in the mouth. These mouth T cells travel to the gut where they, too, exacerbate inflammation. The gut's normal microbiome is held in balance by the action of inflammatory and regulatory T cells that are fine-tuned to tolerate the resident bacteria. But oral inflammation generates mostly inflammatory T cells that migrate to the gut, where they, removed from their normal environment, end up triggering the gut's immune response, worsening disease.

"This exacerbation of gut inflammation driven by oral organisms that migrate to the gut has important ramifications in emphasizing to patients the critical need to promote oral health as a part of total body health and wellbeing. This study importantly implies that clinical outcomes in IBD may be improved by monitoring oral inflamation—an intriguing concept.

"The intermucosal connection between the mouth and gut in commensal pathobiont-driven colitis," Cell, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.048

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-ibd-mouth.html?utm_source=nw...

Feel the beat: implanted microlasers scan heart from inside

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-implanted-microlasers-scan-heart.html...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-smallest-motor-world.html?utm_source=...

The smallest motor in the world which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-ideas-dark.html?utm_source=nwletter&a...

New ideas in the search for dark matter

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-button-particles.html?utm_source=nwle...

A 'pause button' for light particles: Scientists are attempting the seemingly impossible: stopping light for tiny fractions of a second ... the researchers are even stopping individual light particles.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-hurricane-season-combined-covid-pande...

Hurricane season combined with COVID-19 pandemic could create perfect storm

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-coal-burning-siberia-climate-million-...

Coal-burning in Siberia led to climate change 250 million years ago that led to massive extinctions

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-life.html?utm_source=nwletter&utm...

Instruments aboard future space missions are capable of detecting amino acids, fatty acids and peptides, and can even identify ongoing biological processes on ocean moons in our solar system.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-sunlight-satellites-fate-space-junk.h...

Using sunlight to save satellites from a fate of 'space junk'

Do you know your behaviour on social media could be limiting the quality of your news feeds?

More than half the world's population use social media to keep up with the latest news and find a source of truth. But are they getting the facts and the right information? NO!

Some content is hidden from you while some news is made available to you based on your ‘mental make up’. So you are made to believe only a part of the world that suits you exist and that you are on the right path to seek it!

A lot of people may be unaware of the extent their news feed is altered by the click of a button when they dislike a post, or opt to see less of something on their news feed.

Throughout social media, a series of complex algorithms are in place to keep users engaged and visiting social media sites as long as possible. They want the user to have the feeling of 'you're right' so content is tailored to that person. This creates an environment of like-minded users who reinforce that person's opinions rather than providing balanced information.

So experts are making specific recommendations to empower individuals online, drawing on two approaches from behavioural sciences: nudging and boosting.

Nudging aims to steer people's behaviour by highlighting important information without imposing rules or bans. Nudging could be used, for example, to indicate whether content meets certain quality criteria—such as whether it stems from trustworthy sources.

Some sites recently took a step in this direction and started flagging some tweets with a fact-check warning.

The researchers say another possibility would be to make it more difficult for users to share information when an article fails to cite external references. For example, users might be required to click past a pop-up window.

Another option is what is called boosting, to enhance user competence in the long-term. This could, for instance, mean teaching people to determine the quality of a news item by looking at a set of variables, such as the sources being cited, that determine its likely quality.

It 's important to strengthen the Internet's potential to inform decision-making processes in democratic societies, bolstering them rather than undermining them.

'It's important for people to have autonomy to be able to control the content they receive, but at the same time be aware of the trustworthiness of their feeds and have more control over what information is provided.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-behaviour-social-media-limiting...

How deadly is the coronavirus? Scientists are close to an answer

Researchers use a metric called infection fatality rate (IFR) to calculate how deadly a new disease is. It is the proportion of infected people who will die as a result, including those who don’t get tested or show symptoms.

“The IFR is one of the important numbers alongside the herd immunity threshold, and has implications for the scale of an epidemic and how seriously we should take a new disease.

Calculating an accurate IFR is challenging in the midst of any outbreak because it relies on knowing the total number of people infected — not just those who are confirmed through testing. But the fatality rate is especially difficult to pin down for COVID-19.

That’s partly because there are many people with mild or no symptoms, whose infection has gone undetected, and also because the time between infection and death can be as long as two months. Many countries are also struggling to count all their virus-related deaths, he says. Death records suggest that some of those are being missed in official counts.

Data from early in the pandemic overestimated how deadly the virus was, and then later analyses underestimated its lethality. Now, numerous studies — using a range of methods — estimate that in many countries some 5 to 10 people will die for every 1,000 people with COVID-19. “The studies I have any faith in are tending to converge around 0.5–1%,” says Russell.

But some researchers say that convergence between studies could just be coincidence. For a true understanding of how deadly the virus is, scientists need to know how readily it kills different groups of people. The risk of dying from COVID-19 can vary considerably depending on age, ethnicity, access to healthcare, socioeconomic status and underlying health conditions. More high-quality surveys of different groups are needed, these researchers say.

IFR is also specific to a population and changes over time as doctors get better at treating the disease, which can further complicate efforts to pin it down.

Getting the number right is important because it helps governments and individuals to determine appropriate responses.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01738-2?utm_source=Natur...

Why Do People Avoid Facts That Could Help Them?

Several studies suggest that individuals widely prefer to remain ignorant about information that would benefit them when it’s painful—and sometimes when it’s pleasurable

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-people-avoid-fact...

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/specially-shaped-artific...

Specially Shaped Artificial Particles Detoxify Blood

Camouflaged nanoparticles can soak up toxins like red bloods cells do 

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https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/in-south-africa-covid-19...

COVID-19 Breath Test Trial Set for June

If proven successful, the five-minute test could be a good temporary indicator before a confirmatory PCR test.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nanosponges-intercept-coronavirus-inf...

Nanosponges could intercept SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and neutralize the virus

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-hard-eggshells-evolved-dinosaur-famil...

New study suggests that hard eggshells evolved at least three times in dinosaur family tree

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-knock-knock-coral-symbiotic-algae.htm...

 How coral let symbiotic algae in

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Soap bubbles pollinated a pear orchard without damaging delicate flowers: Soap bubbles may present a low-tech complement to robotic pollination technology designed to supplement the work of vanishing bees.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-soap-pollinated-pear-orchard-delicate...

$$ Study sheds light on a classic visual illusion: this phenomenon relies on brightness estimation that takes place before visual information reaches the brain's visual cortex, possibly within the retina.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-classic-visual-illusion.html...

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https://sciencex.com/news/2020-06-schrdinger-cat.html?utm_source=nw...

Schrödinger's cat explained!

-

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-expose-powerful-magnetic-fields-after...

Experiments expose how powerful magnetic fields are generated in the aftermath of supernovae

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-physicists-theory-bose-einstein-conde...

Physicists develop a new theory for Bose-Einstein condensates

Bose-Einstein condensates are often described as the fifth state of matter: At extremely low temperatures, gas atoms behave like a single particle. The exact properties of these systems are notoriously difficult to study.

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Science in Action - The medical complexity of Covid -19 - BBC Sounds

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-unusual-underwater-rivers-...

Scientists discover unusual underwater rivers along Australia's coastline

Scientists have discovered underwater rivers along most of Australia's continental shelf that are unique and do not occur at this scale anywhere else in the world.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_elements_naming_co...

List of chemical elements naming controversies

How Toxoplasma parasites glide so swiftly

Toxoplasma gondii parasites can be transmitted through contaminated food, water or cat feces. Now, scientists have studied how these microscopic parasites glide so swiftly through the body.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-toxoplasma-parasites-glide-swiftly.ht...

Quasar jets are particle accelerators thousands of light-years long

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-quasar-jets-particle-thousands-light-...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-lab-space-discovery-molecule-interste...

Discovery of a new organic molecule in an interstellar molecular cloud

Discovery of a new organic molecule in an interstellar molecular cloud: called propargylimine this chemical species may play a fundamental role in the formation of amino acids, among the key ingredients for life as we know it.

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15610419/

Biotechnology Applied to Cultural Heritage: Biorestoration of Frescoes Using Viable Bacterial Cells and Enzymes

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https://theconversation.com/is-the-k-number-the-new-r-number-what-y...

What you need to know about the K number in epidemiology ....

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** https://theconversation.com/why-are-black-and-asian-people-at-great...

Why are black and Asian people at greater risk of coronavirus? Here’s what we found

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https://theconversation.com/in-the-future-your-phone-could-test-you...

In the future, your phone could test you for coronavirus – here’s how

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https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/female-medical-research?reb...

Liver perfusion could save 7 in 10 rejected donor livers

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-liver-perfusion-donor-livers...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-light-activated-crispr-trigg...

Light-activated 'CRISPR' triggers precision gene editing and super-fast DNA repair

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https://theconversation.com/healthier-food-can-contain-more-contami...

Healthier food can contain more contaminants

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slimy-mudflat-biofilms-f...

Slimy Mudflat Biofilms Feed Migratory Birds—and Could Be Threatened

The highly nutritious, shimmering goo is a vital source of energy for long-distance fliers

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https://www.the-scientist.com/the-literature/gut-microbiome-composi...

Gut Microbiome Composition Linked to Human Behavior

A study uncovers connections between the bacteria in our guts and our social lives.

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https://www.asianscientist.com/2020/06/health/east-asian-diabetes-g...

The Unique Genetics Of Diabetes In Asians: Researchers have found 61 new genetic variants that are linked to type 2 diabetes in East Asians, which could help to personalize treatment for the chronic disease.

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-scientists-decode-brain.html...

Scientists decode how the brain senses smell

Do you know these things about thorns? 

The thorns help protect against hungry animals that like to munch on the plants.

Where do they come from? 

 This is for non-botanists: Many plants have sharp, spiky armour that can be classified as thorns, prickles or spines.

Now get surprised: Rose bushes do not have thorns; they have prickles, as do raspberry and blackberry bushes. Prickles are like thick hairs on your arm, and in roses and other prickly plants, the prickles grow from their epidermis, or "skin". 

Other plants, including cacti, have spines, another type of sharp, pointy weaponry that forms instead of leaves. Thorns arise from shoots in plants such as bougainvillea, hawthorn and citrus.

Scientists have found that in citrus plants, thorns arise from the plants' stem cell populations. Unlike typical stem cells in animals or plants, which continue to divide, thorn stem cells undergo a programmed arrest. The scientists found that two regulators of stem cell production, TI1 and TI2, gradually shut down stem cell activity in the developing thorn, so that it tapers off until nothing is left but the sharp pointy end.

When the researchers genetically eliminated the two regulators, stem cell activity continued, and instead of thorns, the citrus plants produced new branches.

The insight could lead to orchards of orange trees with more fruit-bearing branches—ones that pose less danger to labourers who pick the fruit.

Source: Report in the June 18 issue of Current Biology

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-thorny-problem.html?utm_so...

Studying the Neandertal DNA found in modern humans using stem cells and organoids

Studies have found that about 2% of the genomes of modern humans from outside Africa are composed of Neandertal DNA. This archaic DNA is a result of mating between the two groups tens of thousands of years ago.

In the new study, the team used resources from the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative (HipSci), an international consortium that provides data and cell lines for research. Nearly all of the data and cell lines in HipSci are from people of UK and Northern European descent. The researchers analyzed this cell line resource for its Neandertal DNA content and annotated functional Neandertal variants for each of the cell lines.

"Some Neandertal alleles have relatively high frequency in this population," Camp explains. "Because of that, this iPSC resource contains certain genes that are homozygous for Neandertal alleles, including genes associated with skin and hair color that are highly prevalent in Europeans."

Camp's team used five cell lines to generate brain organoids and generated single-cell RNA sequencing data to analyze their cell composition. They showed that this transcriptomic data could be used to track Neandertal-derived RNA across developmental processes

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-neandertal-dna-modern-humans-stem.htm...

tem Cell Reports, Dannemann et al.: "Human stem cell resources are an inroad to Neandertal DNA functions" www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports … 2213-6711(20)30190-9 , DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.05.018

Researchers develop urine test that identifies pregnancy outcome after threatened miscarriage

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-urine-pregnancy-outcome-threatened-mi...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nanotorch-highlights-ultrafast-bioche...

'Nanotorch' highlights ultrafast biochemical reactions

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-virus-crisis-throwaway-plastic-lease....

Virus crisis gives throwaway plastic a new lease on life

Single-use plastic is making a comeback, be it for throwaway facemasks, gloves or shrink-wrapped vegetables because of the virus crisis

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-astronomers-composition-elusive-black...

Astronomers make composition drawing of elusive wandering black holes

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-reveal-lost-billion-years....

Scientists reveal a lost eight billion light years of universe evolution

Earth’s rock-solid connections between Canada and Australia contain clues about the origin of life

The rocks at the surface of the modern Earth are broadly divided into two types: felsic and mafic. Felsic rocks are generally relatively low density—for a rock—and light in color because they are made from whitish minerals rich in silicon and aluminum. Half Dome in California is made of granite that is a felsic rock. Mafic rocks, in contrast, are relatively high in density and dark in color because they contain minerals rich in iron and magnesium; Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is made of basalt, which is a mafic rock.

The difference in density between felsic and mafic rocks means that felsic rocks are more buoyant, and therefore sit at higher elevations above the Earth's mantle (the layer inside the Earth between the crust and the core). For this reason, felsic rocks make up Earth's continents whereas the lower elevation....

The mechanisms that separated the rocks at Earth's surface into these two groups may have also created the environment needed for life to flourish 4.3 billion years ago, very early in the history of Earth.

The separation into these two rock types is the result of plate tectonics: where the tectonic plates separate and move apart, the rocks below become depressurized, melt and fill in the gap between them, like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge). The rock that fills the gap between the plates is mafic.

When one plate slides below another, fluids released from the lower plate cause melting in the mantle. These melts have to pass through the upper plate to reach the surface. On their way to the surface, they undergo a series of processes called fractional crystalization, which can change mafic melts into felsic melts.

When this separation happened is a matter of great debate in the Earth sciences because it may allow us to determine when the Earth became habitable for life. Many Earth scientists believe that the weathering of continental crust may have provided the nutrients for life to thrive; identifying when the first continents formed indicates when this may have occurred.

The exact mechanism is important for understanding the history and evolution of Earth, and may help understand the processes that could be occurring on other planets.

https://theconversation.com/earths-rock-solid-connections-between-c...

Glaciers may record the story of the coronavirus pandemic for future generations

The coronavirus pandemic will be remembered for decades to come through history books, oral narratives and an abundance of personal protective equipment. However, the glaciers of the Himalayas, the Alps, Patagonia and other regions may also hold the story of this time. Among the layers of ice lay records of many things—volcanic eruptions, other pandemics, ancient civilizations, and anthropogenic climate change. The precipitous decline in air pollutants, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and changes in atmospheric composition during the coronavirus pandemic might eventually be observed in glacial ice.

Atmospheric wind currents carry gases, particulates, and other substances to glaciers. When snow containing these particulates and dissolved chemicals from the air collects on glaciers, it traps the transported substances. Air bubbles—samples of the gases in the atmosphere (e.g. long-lived gases like carbon dioxide)—also form. Over months and years as more snow accumulates, older layers of snow and gas are compressed and sealed—preserving samples of atmospheric conditions at the time of precipitation. By drilling below the surface, scientists extract ice cores which contain these substances. The chemical composition of the ice and air trapped within it serves as a proxy for researchers to analyze atmospheric changes over time.

The atmospheric changes caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns could similarly be recorded in glacial ice for future scientists to analyze. With planes, trains, and cars coming to a grinding halt, polluting factories stopping their work, the effects of a drastic drop in transportation and work has already been seen in reductions in nitrogen dioxide emissions. In the atmosphere, nitrogen oxides transform to nitrates, which are deposited on surfaces such as glaciers where they are preserved. Scientists think that human activity dominates NOx emissions so we might be able to see a signal of that potentially in glaciers and ice cores. And because we have seen a decrease in concentrations in the atmosphere at least in cities, we might expect to see a decrease in nitrate concentrations in glaciers.

Future paleoclimatologist can study glaciers and find out about our agony during the pandemic!

https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/06/18/glaciers-record-coronaviru...

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-glaciers-story-coronavirus-pandemic.h...

How do ice cores allow researchers to look at global climate change? In this video researchers tell you how they do it ....

Planets must be formed early, study finds

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-planets-early.html?utm_source=nwlette...

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https://theconversation.com/girls-score-the-same-in-maths-and-scien...

Girls score the same in maths and science as boys, but higher in arts – this may be why they are less likely to pick STEM careers

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https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coronavirus-antibody-tes...

Coronavirus Antibody Tests Have a Mathematical Pitfall

The accuracy of screening tests is highly dependent on the infection rate

How Do One-Way Mirrors Work?

COVID-19 Is “Very Different” in Young Kids Versus Adults

The rate we acquire genetic mutations could help predict lifespan, fertility

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-genetic-mutations-lifespan-f...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-physics-neural-networks-chaos.html?ut...

Teaching physics to neural networks removes 'chaos blindness' in AI

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-bacterial-death-stars.html?utm_source...

Bacterial 'Death Stars' could be tricked into destroying themselves

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-physical-link-rna-epigenetic-silencin...

Physical link between RNA processing and epigenetic silencing discovered

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-tunnel-cholesterol-scientists-bad-cel...

Scientists show how 'bad' cholesterol gets into cells

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-social-role-echolocation.html?utm_sou...

A new social role for echolocation in bats that hunt together: Social information encoded in their echolocation calls may facilitate this foraging strategy

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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01838-z?utm_source=Natur...

How cells’ ‘lava lamp’ effect could make cancer drugs more powerful

Scientists develop supersensitive sensors for harmful mirror molecules in medicines

Researchers of Tomsk Polytechnic University with colleagues from the Czech Republic have developed supersensitive sensors for detecting enantiomers, known as "mirror molecules," in drugs. These molecules can reduce drug effectiveness or even be harmful to humans.

Enantiomers are molecules with a similar formula and physical properties, but they have different rotation directions of polarized light. Therefore, they are like mirror images of each other. Due to this characteristic, enantiomers can result in certain biological effects.

These are chiral molecules, most of which are part of medicinal substances. Their presence is strictly regulated. The medicine should either not contain enantiomers at all, or their concentration should not be harmful to health. So there should be methods to quickly and efficiently detect enantiomers. The current detection methods include electrochemical techniques and chromatography. Their detection limit usually does not exceed 10^-8 mol per liter.

Now sensors demonstrated a detection limit of up to 10^-18, i.e., they are 10 orders of magnitude more sensitive. 

The sensor is a thin gold plate with a wavy surface. Now, scientists have succeeded in grating organometallic frameworks consisting of zinc ions and organic elements. This is a porous structure that catches the targeted substances. It is possible due to the correctly selected pore size in the framework and the similar chemical nature of the compounds that need to be caught.

In particular, the researchers conducted experiments with the framework that included lactic acid. It is optically active, so the organometallic frameworks based on its enantiomers can be a trap for other optically active substances. This sensor construction was tested on an antiparkinson drug and a number of amino acids.

It is enough to drip a solution of the analyzed substance onto the plate. Further analysis can be carried out using a portable Raman spectrometer, which takes less than five minutes.

The new sensor amplifies the signal for the spectrometer simultaneously by two methods. It is a significant element of this study. On the one hand, the signal is physically amplified due to the effect of surface plasmon resonance generated by the gold plate. On the other hand, the new organometallic frames amplify the signal chemically.  This work is one of the first to demonstrate a sensory system combining two amplifying methods of the Raman signal, the researcher notes.

O. Guselnikova et al. Homochiral metal-organic frameworks functionalized SERS substrate for atto-molar enantio-selective detection, Applied Materials Today (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2020.100666

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-supersensitive-sensors-mir...

How does tear gas work:

How to Dramatically Curb Extinction

A new model suggests a way to save half of tropical species 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-dramatically-curb...

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https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/researchers-make-mice-sm...

Researchers Make Mice Smell Odors that Aren’t Really There

Using optogenetics, scientists have simulated the sense of smell directly within the mouse brain to investigate the nature of olfactory perception.

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https://www.the-scientist.com/modus-operandi/vaccines-without-vials...

Vaccines Without Vials, Fridges, or Needles

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-53119686
One-fifth of Earth's ocean floor is now mapped

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Honeybee lives shortened after exposure to two widely used pesticides

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-honeybee-shortened-exposure-widely-pe...

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https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-how-long-plastic-stays-intact-d...

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Scientists Test Plastic Kept Deep Underwater For Over 20 Years, With Depressing Results

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https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-made-a-slug-brain-just-to-w...

Scientists Simulated a Sea Slug to Study Decision Making. Then It Got Addicted to Drugs

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-microfossil-spectroscopy-dates-earth-...

Microfossil spectroscopy dates Earth's first animals $$

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-environment-home-genetically-primes-i...

Scientists have found that a constantly fluctuating environment can enable some species to invade new areas by helping them maintain the genetic diversity they need to settle into their new homes.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-role-sea-ice-atmospheric-carbon.html?...

Research sheds new light on the role of sea ice in controlling atmospheric carbon levels

Researchers demonstrated that seasonal growth and destruction of sea ice in a warming world enhances the amount of marine life present in the sea around Antarctica, which draws down carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the deep ocean.

Having captured half of all human-related carbon that has entered the ocean to date, the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is crucial for regulating carbon dioxide levels resulting from human activity acting as an effective carbon sink.

Southern Ocean carbon sink enhanced by sea-ice feedbacks at the Antarctic Cold Reversal, Nature Geoscience, DOI: 10.1038/s41561-020-0587-0 , www.nature.com/articles/s41561-020-0587-0

Pandemics result from destruction of nature, say UN and WHO
Experts call for legislation and trade deals worldwide to encourage green recovery
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/17/pandemics-destruction...

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https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200621/Environmental-conditions...

** 

Environmental conditions affect the stability of SARS-CoV-2, study finds

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Changing How We Anesthetize People Could Have a Surprising Impact on The Planet

https://www.sciencealert.com/changing-how-we-knock-people-out-for-s...

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When planting trees threatens the forest

Replacing already existing native forests with tree plantations might backfire says research ...

Tree plantations could have significant benefits if they include strong subsidy restrictions, such as prohibitions against replacing native forests with tree plantations.

If policies to incentivize tree plantations are poorly designed or poorly enforced, there is a high risk of not only wasting public money but also releasing more carbon and losing biodiversity.

There is no question that forests have an outsized role to play in efforts to slow global biodiversity loss and combat climate change by sequestering carbon as biomass. So it makes sense that tree-planting as a solution has gained traction in recent years with ambitious commitments. But   faults in plans  such as planting monoculture tree plantations or a limited mix of trees that produce products such as fruit and rubber rather than restoring natural forests  might boomerang . Plantations typically have significantly less potential for carbon sequestration, habitat creation and erosion control than natural forests. The potential benefit dwindles further if planted trees replace natural forests, grasslands or savannahs—ecosystems that have evolved to support unique, local biodiversity.

Impacts of Chilean forest subsidies on forest cover, carbon and biodiversity, Nature Sustainability (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-020-0547-0 , www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0547-0

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-trees-threatens-forest.html?utm_sourc...

A man who can't see numbers provides new insight into awareness:

 researchers provided new evidence that a robust brain response to something like a face or a word does not mean a person is aware of it.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-insight-awareness.html?utm_s...

Teresa M. Schubert el al., "Lack of awareness despite complex visual processing: Evidence from event-related potentials in a case of selective metamorphopsia," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2000424117

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-super-strong-surgical-tape-deta...

Super-strong surgical tape detaches on demand

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nanoplastics-accumulating-tissues.htm...

Research in land plants shows nanoplastics accumulating in tissues

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** https://phys.org/news/2020-06-experimentally-effective-theories-man...

Experimentally identifying effective theories in many-body systems

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-explanation-strange-asymme...

Scientists provide new explanation for the strange asymmetry of the moon

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-scientists-collaborate-universe-techn...

Scientists collaborate on new study to search the universe for signs of technological civilizations

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https://techxplore.com/news/2020-06-fugaku-gains-title-world-fastes...

Japan supercomputer is world's fastest

The concept of chirality is well-established in science: when an object cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, both the object and its mirror image are called chiral. In the drug industry, for instance, more than 50% of the pharmaceutically active molecules used nowadays are chiral molecules. While one of the 'enantiomers' is life-saving, its counterpart with opposite handedness may be poisonous. Another concept which has found widespread interest in contemporary materials science is topology, as many so-called topological materials feature exotic properties. For example, topological materials can have protected edge states where electrons flow freely without resistance, as if a superconducting path of electrons were created at the edge of a material. Such unconventional properties are a manifestation of the quantum nature of matter. The topological materials can be classified by a special quantum number, called the topological charge or the Chern number.

Chiral topological materials have particularly unique properties which may be useful in future devices for quantum computers which could speed up computations considerably. An example for such a property is the long-sought large quantized photogalvanic current. 

Mengyu Yao et al, Observation of giant spin-split Fermi-arc with maximal Chern number in the chiral topological semimetal PtGa, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15865-x

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-fresh-chiral-topology.html?utm_source...

Switch off your engine, it’s not hard: how to cut your fuel bill, clear the air and reduce emissions

https://theconversation.com/switch-off-your-engine-its-not-hard-how...

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In a new article, scientists provide an exhaustive, evidence-based review of how COVID-19 droplets from infected patients spread through the air and describe how health care professionals can protect themselves. This Pulmonary Perspective is published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

In "Coughs and Sneezes: Their Role in Transmission of Respiratory Viral...

 Research recommendations for reducing the transmission of respiratory tract infections, which are consistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They include :

• Avoid procedures that irritate airways and provoke violent coughing and try to reduce exposure to infectious aerosol.
• If possible, health care providers should stay six feet away from infected patients, especially when the patient is coughing or sneezing.
• When using a mechanical ventilator, institute barriers to filter the virus or reduce virus dispersion by placing a filter at the exhalation port of the ventilator or connecting a filter to the oxygen mask.
• For spontaneously breathing patients, placing a surgical mask on the patient's face or using tissue to cover his or her mouth, especially during coughing, sneezing or talking, may reduce the dispersion distance or viral load.
• Employ PPE for health care providers.
• While, ideally, infected patients should be in single rooms to prevent droplet dispersion, it is acceptable for two patients with the same infection that is spread by respiratory droplets to be in the same room.

Coughs and sneezes create respiratory droplets of variable size that spread respiratory viral infections. Because these droplets are forcefully expelled, they are dispersed in the environment and can be exhaled by a susceptible host. While most respiratory droplets are filtered by the nose or deposit in the oropharynx, the smaller droplet nuclei become suspended in room air and individuals farther away from the patient may inhale them.

These finer particles are carried by the airstream into the lungs, where their site of deposition depends on their size and shape and is governed by various mechanisms. The respiratory transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is mainly by respiratory droplets. Appropriate protective measures are necessary to prevent virus transmission in various settings.

https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.202004-1263PP

Genetic Diversity of Malaria in a Single Mosquito Bite May Be Huge

New blood tests help to track disease-causing Plasmodium strains

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/genetic-diversity-of-mal...

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https://theconversation.com/autoimmune-diseases-we-discovered-how-t...

Autoimmune diseases: scientists discovered how to turn white blood cells from attacking the body to protecting it

What are antibodies and how they work

How an intelligent alien civilization can exploit a black hole for energy

Experiment confirms 50-year-old theory describing how an alien civilization could exploit a black hole

A 50-year-old theory that began as speculation about how an alien civilization could use a black hole to generate energy has been experimentally verified for the first time in a Glasgow research lab.

In 1969, British physicist Roger Penrose suggested that energy could be generated by lowering an object into the black hole's ergosphere—the outer layer of the black hole's event horizon, where an object would have to move faster than the speed of light in order to remain still.

Penrose predicted that the object would acquire a negative energy in this unusual area of space. By dropping the object and splitting it in two so that one half falls into the black hole while the other is recovered, the recoil action would measure a loss of negative energy—effectively, the recovered half would gain energy extracted from the black hole's rotation. The scale of the engineering challenge the process would require is so great, however, that Penrose suggested only a very advanced, perhaps alien, civilisation would be equal to the task.

Two years later, another physicist named Yakov Zel'dovich suggested the theory could be tested with a more practical, earthbound experiment. He proposed that "twisted" light waves, hitting the surface of a rotating metal cylinder turning at just the right speed, would end up being reflected with additional energy extracted from the cylinder's rotation thanks to a quirk of the rotational doppler effect.

But Zel'dovich's idea has remained solely in the realm of theory since 1971 because, for the experiment to work, his proposed metal cylinder would need to rotate at least a billion times a second—another insurmountable challenge for the current limits of human engineering.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-year-old-theory-alien-civilization-ex...
Marion Cromb et al. Amplification of waves from a rotating body, Nature Physics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-0944-3

Quantum physics provides a way to hide ignorance

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-quantum-physics.html?utm_source=nwlet...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-isotope-mendelevium-.html?utm_source=...

Introducing a new isotope: Mendelevium-244

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How myxobacteria distinguish self from non-self

A fundamental question in biology is how individual cells within a multicellular organism interact to coordinate diverse processes.

Scientists studied myxobacteria—common soil microbes that prey off other microbes for food—and posed the question: "How do cells from a diverse environment recognize other cells as related or clonal to build social groups and a multicellular organism?"

Myxobacteria assemble a multicellular organism by cobbling together cells from their environment. This is in contrast to plants and animals, where gametes fuse to create a unique cell, which, upon clonal expansion, creates a multicellular organism. The ability of myxobacteria to create multicellular organisms is remarkable, given that soil is considered to be the most diverse environment on the planet, wherein a small sample can consist of tens of thousands of microbial species.

Multicellularity is a difficult way of life to evolve and maintain, because cells are the smallest unit of life, and there is selective pressure for them to exploit their environment, including other cells, for their own benefit," he explains. "For example, cancer cells do this and are constantly arising in our own body. Fortunately, our immune system recognizes them as non-self and eliminates them. Our system works in an analogous manner.

The work in the PNAS paper showed that Myxococcus xanthus expresses a highly variable cell surface receptor called TraA. Cells use these receptors, which have many different sequences or alleles in populations, to recognize other cells as possible clonemates or as self. If the other cells bear identical TraA receptors, they interact. This results in the transient fusion of cells where they exchange cellular components, such as proteins and lipids, but no DNA. Included in this cargo are highly variable toxin proteins.

Thus, if the other cells are true clonemates, they have genetically encoded immunity to those toxins. But if they are divergent cells that happen to have compatible TraA receptors, but are not clonemates, they will be killed by toxin transfer. 

Christopher N. Vassallo et al, Rapid diversification of wild social groups driven by toxin-immunity loci on mobile genetic elements, The ISME Journal (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0699-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-myxobacteria-ability-distinguish-non-...

Immune system works differently between first and later pregnancies

A mother's immune system is altered during pregnancy to prevent a fetus from being rejected by the body. It is a delicate immunological balance that, if disrupted, could cause a miscarriage or multiple miscarriages. And unfortunately, that balance does too often become disrupted by environmental exposures or physiological changes leading to pregnancy complications.

Researchers now found that a woman's immune system behaves very differently between a first and second pregnancy. First and subsequent pregnancies work very differently and understanding these differences can lead to improved therapies that target the unique immunological perturbations that occur in first and later pregnancies.

The study shows the immune pathways that promote a healthy first pregnancy are not the same pathways that promote later pregnancies.

The authors discuss how pregnancy causes physiological exposure, and often re-exposure, to foreign fetal allo-antigens, which are expressed by the developing fetus. These allo-antigens interact directly with the mother's immune system. The consequences after pregnancy are highly varied, they note.

The researchers found evidence of both alloimmunization (where the immune system attacks) and expanded tolerance phenotypes where it does not. Their data show that pregnancy primes accumulation of fetal-specific maternal CD8+ T cells, and that mothers remember their babies immunologically in that these cells persists as an activated memory pool after she gives birth.

Expression to two proteins, PD-1 and LAG-3 by what are called memory T cells, reminds the cells to again be tolerant of the developing fetus again during subsequent pregnancies. But molecular disruptions that neutralize expression of these proteins unleash the activation of fetal-specific CD8+ T cells, causing miscarriage selectively during subsequent, but not first pregnancies, according to the study

Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107784 , www.cell.com/cell-reports/full … 2211-1247(20)30764-6

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-immune-differently-pregnanci...

Shock and kill approach: New drug candidate reawakens sleeping HIV in hopes of functional cure

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-drug-candidate-reawakens-hiv...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-janus-nanorods-pollutants.html?utm_so...

'Janus' nanorods convert light to heat that can destroy pollutants in water

With a new nanoparticle that converts light to heat, a team of researchers has found a promising technology for clearing water of pollutants.

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-microscopic-wires-future-molecules.ht...

Microscopic computers: The wires of the future may be made of molecules

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-fifty-photons-quantum-supremacy.html?...

Fifty perfect photons for 'quantum supremacy'

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**  https://phys.org/news/2020-06-volcanic-eruption-alaska-roman-republ...

Did a volcanic eruption in Alaska help end the Roman republic?

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NASA simulation shows kaleidoscope of sunsets on other worlds

Nanomaterials used as broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents for first time

In a significant breakthrough in the battle against antibiotic resistance, a research team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has synthesized a nanomaterial that mimics an enzyme and can disintegrate the cell membranes of a range of disease-causing bacteria.

Antibiotics typically work by interfering with the cellular activities of the bacteria. Over many generations, thanks in large part to misuse and overuse of antibiotics, several bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics by producing their own enzymes that target the drugs.

The cell membranes of all organisms, including bacteria, have two layers of lipids containing phosphate molecules. "Phospholipid is an essential component of the cell membrane.

Therefore, the researchers decided to target these phospholipids with the help of nanomaterials that would break the bonds holding the membrane bilayer together. These nanomaterials are known as nanozymes. According to the authors, since the nanozymes directly target the chemical integrity of the phospholipids to destroy the cell membrane, bacteria are less likely to be able to develop resistance against them.

To develop this novel compound, the team synthesized a cerium oxide based nanozyme using what is known as a chemical co-precipitation method. In the next step, they carried out a reaction between cerium oxide and sodium polyacrylate in a basic solution to coat the nanoparticles with polymers. The polymer coating allows the nanozyme to disperse onto any surface or material and boosts its activity.

The nanomaterial was then tested in the lab on several potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella Typhi, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which cause typhoid, gastroenteritis, dysentery, cholera and pneumonia respectively. What the team found was that the nanozyme stopped their growth and subsequently inhibited the formation of biofilm—a densely packed community of bacteria.nanomaterials were able to penetrate even a 10-day old, well-developed biofilm and showed anti-bacterial activity inside the biofilm because of their small size

 Kritika Khulbe et al. Nanoceria-Based Phospholipase-Mimetic Cell Membrane Disruptive Antibiofilm Agents, ACS Applied Bio Materials (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.0c00363

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-nanomaterials-broad-spectrum-antimicr...

Life in the galaxy: maybe this is as good as it gets?

Researchers have found that rocky exoplanets which formed early in the life of the galaxy seem to have had a greater chance of developing a magnetic field and plate tectonics than planets which formed later. As both these conditions are considered favorable to the development of life, this means that if life exists in the Galaxy, it may have developed earlier than later, and that planets formed more recently may have less chance of developing life.

Plate tectonics is important for habitability, and it looks like the optimum conditions plate tectonics existed for planets forming early in the galaxy's lifespan, and may be unlikely to easily recur. For life, maybe that was as good as it gets.

Plate tectonics act as a kind of thermostat for the Earth creating the conditions which allow life to evolve. The Earth has a lot of iron in its core, and we had assumed that this would be necessary for tectonic development. However we found that even planets with little iron may develop plate tectonics if the timing is right. This was completely unexpected.

The development of plate tectonics has a major knock-on effect. "Planets which formed later may not have developed plate tectonics, which means that they don't have this built in thermostat. This doesn't just affect the surface temperature, this means that the core stays hot, which inhibits the development of a magnetic field. If there's no magnetic field, the planet is not shielded from solar radiation, and will tend to lose its atmosphere. So life becomes difficult to sustain. A planet needs   to have the right position and the right geochemistry at the right time if it's going to sustain life.

Researchers know that the overall chemical balance of the Galaxy has changed over time for diverse reasons, such as material coalescing into stars and planetary bodies, or being expelled through supernova. This means that the interstellar material available to form planets is significantly different to that available in the early galaxy.

So the planets which formed earlier did so in conditions favorable to allow the development of life. These conditions are becoming increasingly rarer in our galaxy.

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-life-galaxy-good.html?utm_source=nwle...

Biomedical researchers get closer to why eczema happens

One result of atopic dermatitis is a decreased level of skin oils known as lipids, particularly one group called ceramides. Lipids on the surface of the skin function to regulate hydration and also help defend the skin from foreign invaders either indirectly through immune signaling or directly through their inherent antimicrobial activity.

Another result of eczema is an increase in staph bacteria in the skin, which can cause irritation and infection.

Genetics can play a part in whether someone has eczema, but people in certain occupations have also been shown to be more likely to get the skin condition, such as healthcare professionals, metalworkers, hairdressers and food processing workers. The connection? An increased amount of handwashing or regular contact with detergents for your job.

"What happens if, either through a mutation or through occupational risks, there's a decreased presence of lipids on the skin? In normal, healthy conditions, bacteria do not penetrate the skin barrier. In atopic dermatitis conditions or lipid levels consistent with AD, it does -- and it consistently takes nine days.

Because the staph bacteria are immobile, they need to multiply in number to grow through the protective outer skin layer known as the stratum corneum. The  researchers believe the bacteria don't grow around the skin cells but actually through them. With lipid depletion -- either through genetics or occupational risks -- the skin appears to become more vulnerable to bacterial invasion and infection of underlying skin tissue.

When we usually think about the oils in our skin, we think about water retention and moisturizing -- things like that. Now researchers are looking at how these lipids are important for protection against these microorganisms that can come in and cause disease.

Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21688370.2020.1754706

In many countries the coronavirus pandemic is accelerating, not slowing

https://theconversation.com/in-many-countries-the-coronavirus-pande...

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New research reveals how water in the deep Earth triggers earthquakes and tsunamis

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-reveals-deep-earth-triggers-earthquak...

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-one-time-treatment-neurons-p...

One-time treatment generates new neurons, eliminates Parkinson's disease in mice

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1121900/

Funny science actually tested in a lab! (Farts) Flatus can cause infection if the emitter is naked, but not if he or she is clothed. Final conclusion? Don't fart naked near food. $$

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https://phys.org/news/2020-06-arctic-siberian-alarms-scientists.htm...

The Arctic is on fire: Siberian heat wave alarms scientists

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-blocking-unleash-immune-tumo...

Blocking a 'jamming signal' can unleash immune system to fight tumors

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https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-cancer-chemicals-complex-cel...

Cancer study shows how chemicals cause complex cell mutations

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https://theconversation.com/affluence-is-killing-the-planet-warn-sc...

Affluence is killing the planet, warn scientists

Affluence trashes our planetary life support systems. What’s more, it also obstructs the necessary transformation towards sustainability by driving power relations and consumption norms. To put it bluntly: the rich do more harm than good.

The most affluent are most responsible

The facts are clear: the wealthiest 0.54%, about 40 million people, are responsible for 14% of lifestyle-related greenhouse gas emissions, while the bottom 50% of income earners, almost 4 billion people, only emit around 10%. The world’s top 10% income earners are responsible for at least 25% and up to 43% of our environmental impact.

Faulty brain processing of new information underlies psychotic delusions, finds new research

Problems in how the brain recognizes and processes novel information lie at the root of psychosis, researchers from the University of Cambridge and King's College London have found. Their discovery that defective brain signals in patients with psychosis could be altered with medication paves the way for new treatments for the disease.

The results describe how a chemical messenger in the brain called dopamine 'tunes' the brain to the level of novelty in a situation, and helps us to respond appropriately—by either updating our model of reality or discarding the information as unimportant.

The researchers found that a brain region called the superior frontal cortex is important for signaling the correct degree of learning required, depending on the novelty of a situation. Patients with psychosis have faulty brain activation in this region during learning, which could lead them to believe things that are not real.

"Novelty and uncertainty signals in the brain are very important for learning and forming beliefs. When these signals are faulty, they can lead people to form mistaken beliefs, which in time can become delusions.

In novel situations, our brain compares what we know with the new information it receives, and the difference between these is called the 'prediction error'*. The brain updates beliefs according to the size of this prediction error: large errors signal that the brain's model of the world is inaccurate, thereby increasing the amount that is learned from new information.

Psychosis is a condition where people have difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is not. It involves abnormalities in a brain chemical messenger called dopamine.

Normally, the activity of the superior frontal cortex is finely tuned to signal the level of uncertainty during learning. But by altering dopamine signaling with medication, we can change the reactivity of this region. When we integrate this finding with the results from patients with psychosis, it points to new treatment development pathways.

Source: Molecular Psychiatry (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-0803-8

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-faulty-brain-underlies-psych...

* https://www.neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/research/cameos/DeludedBrain.php : Prediction error alludes to mismatches that occur when there are differences between what is expected and what actually happens. 

Environmental DNA detection could cut pathogens in pet trade

As the SARS-CoV-2 puts new focus on zoonotic pathogens, a Washington State University researcher has developed a method to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect disease in the vast international trade of aquatic animals.

In a paper published in Scientific Reports on June 24 researchers outline two potential ways to test captive animals for pathogen DNA: batching test samples from individuals and sampling eDNA from the water in the animals' tanks. The eDNA method proved to be much more efficient.

 The best way to prevent the emergence of these pathogens and the diseases that come from them, is to keep them from getting here in the first place. It's an important goal but a really hard one because of the scale of the problem. With the eDNA method you are theoretically sampling an entire population at once, so you are more likely to detect whatever is there, and you can do that much more efficiently than with traditional approaches. Environmental DNA is already used to look for the presence of invasive species in places like the Great Lakes.

Scientific Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66280-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-06-environmental-dna-pathogens-pet.html?...