Domesticated chickens have smaller brains

Researchers  suggest a process by which the timid junglefowl from the rain forest could have become today's domesticated chicken. When the scientists selectively bred the junglefowl with least fear of humans for 10 generations, the offspring acquired smaller brains and found it easier to become accustomed to frightening but non-hazardous events. The results shed new light over how domestication may have changed animals so much in a relatively short time.

Chickens are the most common birds on Earth. There are currently more than 20 billion individuals on the planet. All of them have come from the Red Junglefowl, originally found in south-east Asia. This species was tamed and domesticated by humans approximately 10,000 years ago. The results of the current study show that when our ancestors selected the tamest individuals for breeding, they may at the same time have unconsciously selected birds with a different brain—one that may have been more suitable for a life among humans. 

result of the breeding was that the brains of the domesticated birds gradually became smaller relative to body size, which mirrors what has happened to modern domesticated chickens during the domestication process. The change was particularly pronounced in the brain stem, a primitive part of the brain that is involved in, among other things, certain stress reactions. The brain stem was relatively smaller in animals that were not overly timid.

Rebecca Katajamaa et al. Selection for reduced fear in red junglefowl changes brain composition and affects fear memory, Royal Society Open Science (2020). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200628

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-domesticated-chickens-smaller-brains....

Japan researchers say ozone effective in neutralising corona virus. It can used in hospital conditions . ozone gas in concentrations of 0.05 to 0.1 parts per million 
(ppm), levels considered harmless to humans, could kill the  virus without harming living beings. It is effective in high humidity conditions.

The experiment used an ozone generator in a sealed chamber with a sample of coronavirus. The potency of the virus declined by more than 90% when subjected to low level ozone for 10 hours. Transmission of the novel coronavirus may be reduced by continuous, low-concentration ozone treatment, even in environments where people are present, using this kind of system.

Ozone, a type of oxygen molecule, is known to inactivate many pathogens, and previously experiments have shown that high concentrations.

https://in.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-ozone/japan-re...

vaping may increase your risk of developing COVID-19

Vaping increases the number of receptors that allow coronavirus to invade your cells and compromises your immune system.

https://theconversation.com/why-vaping-may-increase-your-risk-of-de...

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Four scenarios on how we might develop immunity to Covid-19

https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/25/four-scenarios-on-how-we-might-...

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Some COVID-19 Patients Lack Key Structures for Antibody Creation

An absence of germinal centers—which arise during infections to produce long-lived antibody-generating cells—might explain rapidly waning antibody levels in the disease.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/some-covid-19-patients-l...

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Strange Forms of Vitamins Called 'Antivitamins' May Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs

https://www.sciencealert.com/antivitamins-show-promise-in-tackling-...

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** A Vast Radio 'Bridge' Has Been Found Connecting 2 Galaxy Clusters About to Merge **

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-vast-radio-bridge-has-been-found-con...

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A fall shattered his body. These medical marvels pieced him back together.

Supernovae could enable the discovery of new Muonic physics

A supernova, the explosion of a white-dwarf or massive star, can create as much light as billions of normal stars. This transient astronomical phenomenon can occur at any point after a star has reached its final evolutionary stages.

Supernovae are thought to be associated with extreme physical conditions, far more extreme than those observed during any other known astrophysical phenomenon in the universe, excluding the Big Bang. In supernovae that involve a massive star, the star's core can collapse into a neutron star, while the rest of it is expelled in the explosion.

During these violent stellar explosions, temperatures in the newborn neutron star can reach over 600 billion degrees, and densities can be up to 10 times greater than those in atomic nuclei. The hot neutron star resulting from this type of supernova is a significant source of neutrinos and could thus be an ideal model for particle physics studies.

The role of   muons, particles that resemble electrons but have far larger masses, could play in the cooling of supernova remnants and can make overcome  "supernova cooling constraint" ( exotic particles like nutrinos  that cool as they take time to come to earth from supernova). Supernovae could be powerful laboratory models to hunt for new muonic physics, something that was not fully appreciated until now.

Robert Bollig et al. Muons in Supernovae: Implications for the Axion-Muon Coupling, Physical Review Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.051104

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-supernovae-enable-discovery-muonic-ph...

**Sulfur-scavenging bacteria could be key to making common component in plastic

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-sulfur-scavenging-bacteria-key-common...

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**Meteorite study suggests Earth may have been wet since it formed

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-meteorite-earth.html?utm_source=nwlet...

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soon, your car will park itself in urban garages

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-car-urban-garages.html?utm_sour...

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** Our energy hunger is tethered to our economic past: study

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-energy-hunger-tethered-economic.html?...

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**Increase in release of underground CO2 emissions in Italy tied to earthquakes

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-underground-co2-emissions-italy-tied....

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Hubble maps giant halo around Andromeda Galaxy

scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have mapped the immense envelope of gas, called a halo, surrounding the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large galactic neighbor. Scientists were surprised to find that this tenuous, nearly invisible halo of diffuse plasma extends 1.3 million light-years from the galaxy—about halfway to our Milky Way—and as far as 2 million light-years in some directions. This means that Andromeda's halo is already bumping into the halo of our own galaxy.

They also found that the halo has a layered structure, with two main nested and distinct shells of gas.

Nicolas Lehner et al. Project AMIGA: The Circumgalactic Medium of Andromeda, The Astrophysical Journal (2020). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aba49c

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-hubble-giant-halo-andromeda-galaxy.ht...

How vitamin C could help over 50s retain muscle mass

Vitamin C could be the key to better muscles in later life—according to new research.

A study published recently  shows that older people who eat plenty of vitamin C—commonly found in citrus fruits, berries and vegetables—have the best skeletal muscle mass.

This is important because people tend to lose skeletal muscle mass as they get older—leading to sarcopenia (a condition characterised by loss of skeletal muscle mass and function), frailty, physical disability, type-2 diabetes, and reduced quality of life. Vitamin C consumption is linked with skeletal muscle mass. It helps defend the cells and tissues that make up the body from potentially harmful free radical substances. Unopposed these free radicals can contribute to the destruction of muscle, thus speeding up age-related decline. This study found people with the highest amounts of vitamin C in their diet or blood had the greatest estimated skeletal muscle mass, compared to those with the lowest amounts.

 'Lower dietary and circulating vitamin C in middle and older aged men and women are associated with lower estimated skeletal muscle mass' is published in the Journal of Nutrition on August 27, 2020.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-vitamin-50s-retain-muscle-ma...

Vitamin D deficiency and poor muscle function in the over-60s

 Research  that vitamin D deficiency is an important determinant of poor skeletal muscle function in adults aged 60 years and over. Maintaining skeletal muscle function throughout life is a crucial component of successful aging, in promoting independence, mobility, quality of life and reducing falls and frailty. While resistance exercise is known to preserve muscle function, there is growing evidence that adequate vitamin D status may also be protective.

• The prevalence of muscle weakness was twice as high among older adults with vitamin D deficiency (40.4 percent) compared with vitamin D adequacy (21.6 percent).
• Similarly, impaired "muscle performance" was three times higher in older adults with vitamin D deficiency (25.2 percent) compared with vitamin D adequacy (7.9 percent).
• Based on more complex statistical analysis, the study showed that vitamin D deficiency significantly increased the likelihood of impaired muscle strength and performance.
• The study confirmed the associated benefits of physical activity. Older adults partaking in regular moderate physical activity had significantly lower likelihood of poor muscle strength and physical performance.
• In summary, vitamin D deficiency was associated with impaired muscle strength and performance in a large study of community-dwelling older people.
• It is generally accepted that vitamin D deficiency (at the 25(OH)D <30 nmol/L cut-off) should be reversed to prevent bone disease, this strategy may also protect skeletal muscle function in ageing.

Niamh Aspell et al.

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Impaired Muscle Strength And Physical Performance In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings From The English Longitudinal Study Of Ageing

, Clinical Interventions in Aging (2019). DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S222143

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-10-vitamin-d-deficiency-poor-mu...

Brain gain: Early stimulation gives mice life-long benefits

Mice that grow up in stimulating environments not only become smarter and more curious but are also more likely to develop individualized "personalities," a new study showed .

These behavioural differences become imprinted on their genomes and remain even when the rodents are put back in standard cages, indicating that early-life experiences can have long-lasting benefits to their brains.

Sara Zocher et al. Early-life environmental enrichment generates persistent individualized behavior in mice, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb1478

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-brain-gain-early-mice-life-long.html?...

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Study reveals how animals adapt between seasons

Scientists have discovered how a biological switch helps animals make the seasonal changes crucial for survival, such as growing a warm winter coat and adjusting body temperatures.

The findings reveal how the brain responds to short and long days to allow animals to adapt to changing conditions and governs vital behavior such as breeding cycles.

Researchers say the study in sheep could help explain the timings of seasonal adaptations in a number of species such as birds, reptiles and mammals.

The body's internal clock choreographs cycles in hormone levels and affects traits such as sleep and hunger. These alter over the course of the day—known as circadian rhythms —and are influenced by genetics.

Similar rhythms are also seen seasonally, but until now it was unclear how genes play a role in the biological changes that fluctuate between winter and summer.

this study found that 

found that one of two possible biological mechanisms is activated within the pituitary gland  depending on whether the day is long or short.

In summer when nights are long, the brain generates hormones that cause a cascade of gene activity leading to biological characteristics associated with summer.

When nights are short in winter, the switch is flipped—night-time hormones are released for longer, triggering biological processes linked to winter. The study found that in the sheep brain, both processes involve a circadian gene known as BMAL2, which is found in many animals but whose role in the seasonal clock was previously unknown.

S. H. Wood et al, Circadian clock mechanism driving mammalian photoperiodism, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18061-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-daylight-reveals-animals-seasons.html...

Ocean acidification causing coral 'osteoporosis' on iconic reefs

Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ocean temperatures, which also influence coral growth. New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals the distinct impact that ocean acidification is having on coral growth on some of the world's iconic reefs.

Researchers show a significant reduction in the density of coral skeleton along much of the Great Barrier Reef—the world's largest coral reef system—and also on two reefs in the South China Sea, which they attribute largely to the increasing acidity of the waters surrounding these reefs since 1950.

This is the first unambiguous detection and attribution of 'ocean acidification's 'impact on coral growth.

Ocean Acidification has Impacted Coral Growth on the Great Barrier Reef. Geophysical Research Letters, doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086761

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-ocean-acidification-coral-osteoporosi...

CRISPR treatment inserted directly into the body for first time

Demonstrating vortices as Brownian particles in turbulent flows

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-vortices-brownian-particles-turbulent...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Demonstrating-vortices...

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Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-fossil-trees-peru-central-andean.html...

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New malaria transmission patterns emerge

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-malaria-transmission-pattern...

How cells can find their way through the human body

A team of researchers  has discovered how cells are able to travel so accurately through the human body

In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes a theory they developed to explain cell orienteering and how they tested it using mazes.

When the body is injured, such as being poked with a needle, the immune system responds by sending white blood cells to kill any bacteria that might be trying to enter through the wound. But how do the cells know how to find the wound? Prior research has shown that cells use chemicals in the body known as chemoattractants to navigate short distances. White blood cells can sense and move toward them—but it only works for short distances. In this new effort, the researchers found that cells can use such chemoattractants in a different way to navigate longer and more complicated pathways.

The researchers theorized that certain cells navigate by breaking down chemoattractants that are close to them. They then sense the degree to which the chemoattractants are replenished, and most importantly, in which direction. By noting the position of the new chemoattractants, they are able to move toward their desired destination. As an example, a white blood cell working its way to a wound upon finding a fork in the road would choose the path with the most or newest chemoattractants after it breaks them down in both directions.

Seeing around corners: Cells solve mazes and respond at a distance using attractant breakdown, Science  28 Aug 2020: Vol. 369, Issue 6507, eaay9792 , DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9792 , science.sciencemag.org/content/369/6507/eaay9792

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-cells-human-body.html?utm_source=nwle...

Energy firm says its nuclear-waste fueled diamond batteries could last thousands of years

These surreal claims are being made by a California-based battery company that says successful early test results recently competed on a nano-diamond battery brings them closer to realizing such claims.

The key to their revolutionary batteries is radioactive nuclear waste. There are massive quantities of leftover nuclear waste from nuclear plant facilities. Such waste is extremely toxic, lasts thousands of years and poses a challenge when it comes to disposing of it (burying and encasing it) safely.

The company, NDB, says it can safely utilize this waste to generate power in its nano diamond batteries. It can achieve this by processing graphite nuclear waste into a pure form and then converting it into diamonds. As the waste product enveloped by the diamond decays, it interacts with the carbon to generate a small electric current.

Depending on the power drain, the battery, which never needs recharging, would last for a user's lifetime, and beyond.

It could be used for common mobile devices, medical products, satellites and could provide energy in hard-to-reach locations or remote areas where routine maintenance would be difficult.

Good ideas …. nuclear-waste fueled diamond batteries that could last thousands of years

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-08-energy-firm-nuclear-waste-fuele...

Preventing infection, facilitating healing: New biomaterials from spider silk

New biomaterials developed by researchers eliminate risk of infection and facilitate healing processes.

A research team  has succeeded in combining these material properties which are highly relevant to biomedicine. These nanostructured materials are based on spider silk proteins. They prevent colonization by bacteria and fungi, but at the same time proactively assist in the regeneration of human tissue. They are therefore ideal for implants, wound dressings, prostheses, contact lenses, and other everyday aids.

Using biotechnologically produced spider silk proteins, they have developed a material that prevents the adhesion of pathogenic microbes. Even streptococci, resistant to multiple antibacterial agents (MRSA), have no chance of settling on the material surface. Biofilms growing on medical instruments, sports equipment, contact lenses, prostheses, and other everyday objects may therefore soon be history.

Moreover, the materials are designed to simultaneously aid the adhesion and proliferation of human cells on their surface. If they can be used for e.g. wound dressings, skin replacement, or implants, they proactively support the regeneration of damaged or lost tissue. 

 Sushma Kumari et al, Engineered spider silk-based 2D and 3D materials prevent microbial infestation, Materials Today (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.mattod.2020.06.009

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-infection-biomaterials-spider-silk.ht...

Brain circuit activated by hunger makes starved fish fight for longer

Depriving a zebrafish of food for six days boosts its chances of winning a fight against a well-fed fish because starvation activates a certain pathway in its brain, neuroscientists have shown. This finding could well have implications for other animals and humans since the neural pathway is conserved across species.

In this  study by a research team has found that in 75% of fights, the hungry zebrafish emerges as the victor!

In an earlier study, the team had discovered that a zebrafish would tend to win fights when a specific pathway originating in a brain structure called the habenula was activated, whereas it would have a propensity to lose fights if another pathway in the same region was activated.

There is logic to this finding. Hungry fish are more motivated to obtain food And since winners of fights secure more resources such as food, it makes sense that starved fish try harder to win fights.

Hunger may cause similar effects in people too.

hunger activated the winner pathway in the habenula via a neuropeptide called orexin. Orexin is well known for its role in regulating sleep and appetite, but it had not previously been implicated with social behaviors such as fighting. It was also the first time that orexin has been shown to regulate the expression of specific genes.

Haruna Nakajo et al. Hunger Potentiates the Habenular Winner Pathway for Social Conflict by Orexin-Promoted Biased Alternative Splicing of the AMPA Receptor Gene, Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107790

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-brain-circuit-hunger-starved-fish.htm...

Screening of the effects of a pathogenic fungus

The pathogenic fungus Candida auris, which first surfaced in 2009, is proving challenging to control. It is resistant to many fungicides and not easy to diagnose. Researchers now have discovered that the human immune system recognizes the fungus well. However, the fungus is especially dangerous for people with compromised immunity. The study has been able to pin-point the fungus' Achilles heel for new, effective drugs. 

n 2009, an unknown fungus was discovered in the infected ear of a seventy-year-old Japanese woman; this was called Candida auris. Where C. auris suddenly came from was not clear, but soon after that, different strains appeared all over the world. It turned out to be a persistent, difficult to control fungus, which was also usually resistant to fungicides.

A careful study of the human immune response to the C auris infection demonstrated that specific components of the cell wall of the fungus play an essential role in this recognition. These are unique structures that you do not encounter with other fungi. Those specific chemical structures stimulate the immune system enough to take action and clear the fungus.

Mariolina Bruno et al, Transcriptional and functional insights into the host immune response against the emerging fungal pathogen Candida auris, Nature Microbiology (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41564-020-0780-3

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-international-screening-effects-patho...

Medial prefrontal cortex regions involved when the brain decides whether to continue a behavior or change it

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-medial-prefrontal-cortex-reg...

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Zika Infection Increases Risk of Severe Dengue Fever

A study of Nicaraguan children links prior Zika virus infection with aggravated dengue fever symptoms.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/zika-infection-increases...

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 Modeling Study Flags Species Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2

Some critically endangered animals are on the list.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/modeling-study-flags-spe...

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The First-Ever Quantum Simulation of a Chemical Reaction

https://www.sciencealert.com/google-claims-the-first-ever-simulatio...

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 Can Vaccines for Wildlife Prevent Human Pandemics?

Four things you need to know about hurricanes

How Birds Evolved Their Incredible Diversity

An analysis of 391 skulls shows that birds evolved surprisingly slowly, compared with their dinosaur forerunners

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-birds-evolved-their-...

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Sex differences in COVID-19 immune responses affect patient outcomes

When comparing male and female patients, the researchers found key differences in the immune response during the early phases of infection. These differences included higher levels for men of several types of inflammatory proteins called cytokines, including two known as IL-8 and IL-18. Cytokines are deployed as part of the body’s innate immune reaction. This is a first general counterattack to invading pathogens, in which immune cells are called to the site of an infection, creating inflammation of the affected tissue as a physical barrier against the invading pathogen to promote healing.

However, in severe cases of COVID-19, an excessive buildup of cytokines, referred to as a “cytokine storm,” causes fluid to build up in the lungs, depriving the body of oxygen and potentially leading to shock, tissue damage, and multiple organ failure. The earlier higher concentrations of cytokines in men make these outcomes more likely.

In contrast, the researchers found that female patients had more robust activation than men of T-cells, white blood cells of the adaptive immune system that can recognize individual invading viruses and eliminate them.

Observations of patients over time revealed that poor T-cell responses in men led to worsening of the disease. When female patients had highly elevated innate cytokine levels, they too did worse. In addition, older men — but not older women — were observed to have significantly worse T-cell responses than younger patients.

Based on these findings, the researchers suggest exploring therapeutic interventions and vaccine strategies that elevate T-cell immune response to the virus in male patients and that dampen innate immune activation during early stages of the disease in female patients.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2700-3

https://researchnews.cc/news/2239/Sex-differences-in-COVID-19-immun...

Microbes Living Deep Below Earth's Surface Could Be Remnants of Ancient Life Forms

There's an enormous variety of life thriving deep beneath Earth's surface. A new analysis of two major groups of subsurface microbes has now revealed that their evolutionary path to life in the dark has been more curious than we expected.

In our planet's first 2 billion years of existence, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere. Once the air on our blue planet changed, not all life forms adapted, with many microbes retreating into less oxygenated parts of the planet.

Patescibacteria and DPANN are two ubiquitous groups of such subsurface microbes - bacteria and archaea, respectively - that appear to have very simple genomes. This has led many to suspect that without the ability to breathe oxygen, these microbes might need to rely on complex interactions with other organisms to supplement their simple lifestyles. 

Now, it seems we may not be giving them enough credit. New research indicates that instead of having a symbiotic dependency on other major groups of organisms, most Patescibacteria and DPANN live as completely free cells. 

These microbes [..] are really special, really exciting examples of the early evolution of life.

They may be remnants of ancient forms of life that had been hiding and thriving in the Earth's subsurface for billions of years

https://www.sciencealert.com/these-two-groups-of-microbes-can-t-bre...

Physicists Just Found a New Quantum Paradox That Casts Doubt on a Pillar of Reality

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Perhaps not, some say.

And if someone is there to hear it? If you think that means it obviously did make a sound, you might need to revise that opinion.

Research shows stimulating tuft cell production reverses intestinal inflammation

Researchers for the first time been able to trigger the specific immune system response required to reverse the course of small intestinal inflammation by inducing production of tuft cells, very rare epithelial cells that sense and respond to parasites. The breakthrough has the potential to provide Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease patients a safe alternative to what’s known as helminthic therapy, wherein parasitic organisms are introduced to the body to stimulate an immune response and calm inflammation.

https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2020/08/28/vanderbilt-research-shows-st...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2247/Vanderbilt-research-shows-stimula...

Crabs Shell Exchange:

As a hermit crab grows its shell becomes a tighter fit so eventually the crabs need to move into a bigger one, leading to an amazing exchange. Watch how this happens ….

An infant with caudal appendage (tail)

There are several human atavisms that reflect our common genetic heritage with other mammals. One of the most striking is the existence of the rare ‘true human tail’. It is a rare event with fewer than 40 cases reported in the literature. The authors report a case of an infant born with the true tail. A 3-month-old baby girl, presented with an 11 cm long tail, which was successfully surgically removed. Human embryos normally have a prenatal tail, which disappears in the course of embryogenesis by programmed cell death. Recent advances in genetic research reveal that ‘of those organs lost, in evolution, most species carry ‘genetic blue prints’. Thus, rarely the appearance of ancient organs like tail may be the result of re-expression of these switched off gene.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3339178/

https://biologydictionary.net/vestigial-structures/#:~:text=Vestigi....

Scientists Think They've Figured Out a Main Culprit of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Between 6 and 8 million people worldwide suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, a group of chronic intestinal disorders that can cause belly pain, urgent and frequent bowel movements, bloody stools and weight loss.

New research suggests that a malfunctioning member of the patient's own immune system called a killer T cell may be one of the culprits. This discovery may provide a new target for IBD medicines.

The two main types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which mainly affects the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can affect the entire digestive tract. Researchers currently believe that IBD is triggered when an overactive immune system attacks harmless bacteria in the intestines.

Although there are many treatments for IBD, for as many as 75 percent of individuals with IBD there are no effective long-term treatments. This leaves many patients without good options.

https://theconversation.com/ibd-how-a-class-of-killer-t-cells-goes-...

IBD: How a class of killer T cells goes rogue in inflammatory bowel disease

Breakthrough in Artificial Photosynthesis Lets Scientists Store The Sun's Energy as Fuel

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-artificial-photosynthesis-device-c...

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One Theory Beyond the Standard Model Could Allow Wormholes that You Could Actually Fly Through

https://www.universetoday.com/147549/one-theory-beyond-the-standard...

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**Effectiveness of cloth masks depends on type of covering

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-effectiveness-masks.html?utm_source=n...

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Lupus, Arthritis Patients Aren't Necessarily High Risk For Severe COVID-19 After All

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-says-arthritis-and-lupus-patient...

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Human Vision and Color Perception

https://www.olympus-lifescience.com/en/microscope-resource/primer/l...

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The Human Eye's Response to Light

https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Penetran....

Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives

Changes in ocean chemistry and temperature have had a dramatic effect on the diversity of corals and sea anemones, according to a team of scientists who have traced their evolution through deep time. This new study finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver lining for the diversity of some of their softer-bodied relatives.

 Palaeoclimate ocean conditions shaped the evolution of corals and their skeletons through deep time, Nature Ecology and Evolution (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01291-1 , www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-01291-1

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-warmer-acidifying-ocean-extinction-re...

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Being a selfish jerk doesn't get you ahead, research finds

The evidence is in: Nice guys and gals don't finish last, and being a selfish jerk doesn't get you ahead.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-selfish-jerk-doesnt.html?utm...

New evidence for quantum fluctuations near a quantum critical point in a superconductor

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-evidence-quantum-fluctuations-critica...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/New-evidence-for-quant...  ----check @@

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Carbon footprints are hard to understand—here's what you need to know

https://theconversation.com/carbon-footprints-are-hard-to-understan...

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'Jumping' DNA regulates human neurons

The human genome contains over 4.5 million sequences of DNA called "transposable elements," virus-like entities that "jump" around and help regulate gene expression. They do this by binding transcription factors, which are proteins that regulate the rate of transcription of DNA to RNA, influencing gene expression in a broad range of biological events.

Now, an international team of scientists  has discovered that transposable elements play a significant role in influencing the development of the human brain.

Priscilla Turelli et al. Primate-restricted KRAB zinc finger proteins and target retrotransposons control gene expression in human neurons, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3200

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-08-dna-human-neurons.html?utm_s...

What Climate Change Does to the Human Body

An ENT physician sees the effects in her patients all the time

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-climate-change-does...

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Characteristics that Give Viruses Pandemic Potential

Scientists show how brain flexibility emerges in infants

Cognitive flexibility refers to the ability to readily switch between mental processes in response to external stimuli and different task demands. For example, when our brains are processing one task, an external stimulus is present, requiring us to switch our mental processes to attend to this external stimulus. This ability of switching from one to another mental task is the cognitive flexibility. Such flexibility can predict reading ability, academic success, resilience to stress, creativity, and lower risk of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. 

the researchers show that brain regions with high neural flexibility appear consistent with the core brain regions that support cognitive flexibility processing in adults, whereas brain regions governing basic brain functions, such as motor skills, exhibit lower neural flexibility in adults, demonstrating the emergence of functionally flexible brains during early infancy.

Weiyan Yin et al, The emergence of a functionally flexible brain during early infancy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.10

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-scientists-brain-flexibility...

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Radiocarbon dating and CT scans reveal Bronze Age tradition of keeping human remains

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-radiocarbon-dating-ct-scans-reveal.ht...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Radiocarbon-dating-and...;   - Check @@

Researchers shed light on split-second decision making

A little understood region of the cerebellum plays a critical role in making split-second 'go-no go' decisions, according to a new study from researchers.

Employing mice the team used a multiphoton microscope that peered into the brains of the free-moving rodents as they decided whether or not to lick a water solution.

The researchers focused specifically on the molecular layer interneurons (MLIs) in the cerebellum. The mice were given a sugar water reward if they licked a water spout in the presence of a specific, pleasant odour and they avoided a timeout when they refrained from licking in the presence of unscented mineral oil.

At first, the MLI responses did not differ between odors. But with learning, the reward odor prompted a large increase in MLI calcium responses. When the stimuli were reversed, the MLI switched responses to the odors.

When the scientists intervened with chemogenetic agents to inhibit MLI activity, the mice floundered and became less effective in making `go-no go' decisions.

The data indicate that the MLIs have a role in learning valence. That is, it helps determine whether something is good for me or not.

The findings further illuminate the function of the cerebellum, long associated primarily with movement. But it also plays a key role in cognition and emotion and is associated with non-motor conditions such as autism spectrum disorders

A lot of learning goes on inside the cerebellum. The cerebellum may also be the place where quick choice arises. This study shows that it also coordinates both motion and decision making, when to go or not to go. And decision making.

Ming Ma et al, Molecular layer interneurons in the cerebellum encode for valence in associative learning, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18034-2

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-split-second-decision.html?u...

Brain protein linked to seizures, abnormal social behaviors

A research team  has found a new mechanism responsible for the abnormal development of neuronal connections in the mouse brain that leads to seizures and abnormal social behaviors.

The researchers focused on the area of the brain called hippocampus, which plays an important role in learning and social interactions; and synapses, which are specialized contacts between neurons.

Each neuron in the brain receives numerous excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs. The balance between excitation and inhibition in neuronal circuits, known as E/I balance and thought to be essential for circuit function and stability and important for information processing in the central nervous system, can play a role in causing many neurological disorders, including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia.

The researchers also focused on a protein called ephrin-B1, which spans the membrane surrounding the cell and plays a role in maintaining the nervous system. The goal of their study was to determine if the deletion or over-production of ephrin-B1 in astrocytes—glial cells in the brain that regulate synaptic connections between neurons—affects synapse formation and maturation in the developing hippocampus and alters the E/I balance, leading to behavioral deficits.

 They found the changes in the E/I balance are regulated by astrocytes in the developing brain through the ephrin protein. Further, astrocytic ephrin-B1 is linked to the development of inhibitory networks in the hippocampus during a critical developmental period, which is a new and unexpected discovery. Specifically, the researchers show the loss of astrocytic ephrin-B1 tilts the E/I balance in favor of excitation by reducing inhibition, which then hyperactivates the neuronal circuits. This hyperactivity manifests as reduced sociability in the mice and suggests they can serve as a new model to study autism spectrum disorder.

Amanda Q Nguyen et al, Astrocytic ephrin-B1 controls excitatory-inhibitory balance in developing hippocampus, The Journal of Neuroscience (2020). DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0413-20.2020

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-brain-protein-linked-seizure...

Why different measurements of material properties sometimes give different results

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-material-properties-results.html?utm_...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Why-different-measurem...   - check %%

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A Strange Form of Life Could Flourish Deep Inside of Stars, Physicists Say

https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-argue-that-life-based-on-co...

The coronavirus is most deadly if you are older and male — new data reveal the risks

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02483-2?utm_source=Natur...

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https://theconversation.com/are-women-leaders-really-doing-better-o...

Are women leaders really doing better on coronavirus? The data backs it up

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 Is a Bradykinin Storm Brewing in COVID-19?

Excess of the inflammatory molecule bradykinin may explain the fluid build-up in the lungs of patients with coronavirus infections. Clinical trials of inhibitors are putting this hypothesis to the test.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/is-a-bradykinin-storm-br...

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Blood Replacement Rescues Mice from Stroke Damage

When mice that had suffered a stroke were given blood from a healthy donor, they experienced less tissue and neurological damage.

Researchers have partially mitigated the effects of an ischemic stroke in mice simply by replacing a small amount of their blood with that of a healthy donor. Days after receiving the transplant, mice had less tissue damage surrounding the clot and suffered fewer neurological side effects compared to mice that had not received a blood infusion. 

The results, published August 25 in Nature Communications, highlight the link between strokes in the brain and the immune system. At least some of the damage caused by strokes, the authors say, is the result of an overreactive immune response during which cells sent to an injury to fight infection and facilitate repair instead harm sensitive brain tissue. 

In the moments following a stroke, the body activates a complex immunological response, funneling messenger molecules past the blood-brain barrier and into the blood to recruit immune cells to the damaged area. Neutrophils—white blood cells that are often the first to arrive—increase the levels of an enzyme called MMP-9 that degrades the blood-brain barrier further, the better to allow more immune cells and signaling molecules to pass through. In some instances, the body can release too many of these molecules, such as cytokines, into the blood at once, and the resulting cytokine storm can damage brain tissue surrounding a clot, causing inflammation and degeneration of brain tissue.

To better understand the immunological link between brain and blood, the researchers used a mouse model to mimic an ischemic stroke that was subsequently cleared by the scientists after 90 minutes. Between six and seven hours after the stroke, the mice received a blood transfusion of either 250 or 500 microliters of blood from a healthy donor, roughly 10 percent to 20 percent of a mouse’s total blood volume, after the same volume had been removed from the animal. One hour later, the scientists tested the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, followed by a measure of the amount of damaged brain tissue 24 hours after treatment.

Mice that received blood replacements suffered fewer ill effects than control mice, with the benefits being strongest in the group receiving a larger volume of new blood. The extent of tissue damage surrounding the clot decreased by as much as 70 percent to 80 percent, and cognitive defects brought on by the stroke improved in treated mice. Both the decrease in tissue damage and the rescuing of neurological deficits persisted for at least three days after the initial stroke.

The broader effect of replacing blood seems to be a dampening of the immune response.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17930-x

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/blood-replacement-rescue...

Blood pressure-lowering is even more beneficial than previously thought

Blood pressure medication can prevent heart attacks and strokes -- even in people with normal blood pressure. That's the finding of a meta analysis

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200901094058.htm

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Origin of a complex life form revealed

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-complex-life-revealed.html?utm_source...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Origin-of-a-complex-li...

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Heaviest black hole merger is among three recent gravitational wave discoveries

Scientists observed what appears to be a bulked-up black hole tangling with a more ordinary one. They detected two black holes merging, but one of the black holes was 1 1/2 times more massive than any ever observed in a black hole collision. The researchers believe the heavier black hole in the pair may be the result of a previous merger between two black holes.This type of hierarchical combining of black holes has been hypothesized in the past but the observed event, labeled GW190521, would be the first evidence for such activity. 

The scientists identified the merging black holes by detecting the gravitational waves—ripples in the fabric of space-time—produced in the final moments of the merger.

The larger black hole in the merging pair has a mass 85 times greater than the sun. One possible scenario suggested by the new papers is that the larger object may have been the result of a previous black hole merger rather than a single collapsing star. According to current understanding, stars that could give birth to black holes with masses between 65 and 135 times greater than the sun don't collapse when they die. Therefore, we don't expect them to form black holes.

All three events now observed, are novel with masses or mass ratios that we've never seen before

The research paper, "GW190521: A Binary Black Hole Coalescence with a Total Mass of 150 Solar Masses," was published in Physical Review Letters on September 2, 2020: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.101102

The research paper, "Properties and Astrophysical Implications of the 150 Solar Mass Binary Black Hole Merger GW190521," was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters on September 2, 2020: DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aba493

The research paper, "GW190814: Gravitational Waves from the Coalescence of a 23 Solar Mass Black Hole with a 2.6 Solar Mass Compact Object," was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters on June 23, 2020.

The research paper, "GW190412: Observation of a Binary-Black-Hole Coalescence with Asymmetric Masses," has been accepted for publication in Physical Review D, and was published on Arxiv on April 17, 2020: arxiv.org/abs/2004.08342

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-heaviest-black-hole-merger-gravitatio...

Study details how general anesthetics and 'benzos' act on receptors in the brain

As you drift into unconsciousness before a surgery, general anesthetic drugs flowing through your blood are putting you to sleep by binding mainly to a protein in the brain called the γ-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA_A) receptor. Now UT Southwestern scientists have shown exactly how anesthetics attach to the GABA_A receptor and alter its three-dimensional structure, and how the brain can tell the difference between anesthetics and the psychoactive drugs known as benzodiazepines—which also bind to the GABA_A receptor. The findings were published online today in the journal Nature.

The GABA_A receptor is an ion channel; when it's in an open conformation, it allows chloride ions to flow through. This movement of ions decreases the signaling of brain cells, calming brain activity. So stimulating the GABA_A receptor—as anesthetics, benzodiazepines, alcohol, anti-seizure, and some sleep medications all do—quiets the brain in a variety of ways.

The team discovered that both general anesthetics and diazepam could bind to multiple places on the GABA_A molecule. One site—dubbed the "benzo site" in earlier research—was unique to the diazepam. But another site overlapped between the two drug types. When diazepam was present at high enough doses, it bound to this site that was more often used by the anesthetics. This observation could explain why high doses of benzodiazepines like diazepam can have anesthetic-like effects. The researchers also found differences among the general anesthetics; phenobarbital, for instance, bound to a place on GABA_A that neither etomidate nor propofol attached, and seemed to be less choosy about where it bound.

Shared structural mechanisms of general anaesthetics and benzodiazepines, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2654-5 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2654-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-anesthetics-benzos-receptors-brain.ht...

Researchers reprogram yeast cells to become microscopic drug factories

Since antiquity, cultures on nearly every continent have discovered that certain plant leaves, when chewed or brewed or rubbed on the body, could relieve diverse ailments, inspire hallucinations or, in higher dosages, even cause death. Today, pharmaceutical companies import these once-rare plants from specialized farms and extract their active chemical compounds to make drugs like scopolamine for relieving motion sickness and postoperative nausea, and atropine, to curb the drooling associated with Parkinson's disease or help maintain cardiac function when intubating COVID-19 patients and placing them on ventilators.

Now, Stanford engineers are recreating these ancient remedies in a thoroughly modern way by genetically reprogramming the cellular machinery of a special strain of yeast, effectively transforming them into microscopic factories that convert sugars and amino acids into these folkloric drugs, in much the same way that brewers' yeast can naturally convert sugars into alcohol.

Biosynthesis of medicinal tropane alkaloids in yeast, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2650-9 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2650-9

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reprogram-yeast-cells-microscopic-dru...

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Has Earth's oxygen rusted the Moon for billions of years?

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-earth-oxygen-rusted-moon-billions.htm...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Has-Earths-oxygen-rust...;   --check %%

Oldest radiocarbon dated temperate hardwood tree in the world discovered

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-oldest-radiocarbon-dated-temperate-ha...

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How to remove unwanted components from the cell nucleus

The organization of cells into specific compartments is critical for their function. For instance, by separating the nucleus from the cytoplasm, the nuclear envelope prevents premature translation of immature RNAs.

During mitosis, however, thenuclear envelope disassembles, allowing large cytoplasmic components such as ribosomes to mix with nuclear material. When the nuclear envelope reassembles following mitosis, these cytoplasmic components must once again be removed. "The nuclear envelope can contribute to this by actively importing or exporting substrates up to a certain size, but it was not clear what happens with very large cytoplasmic components Until now.

A research team from has now shown that large components such as ribosomes are in fact removed from the forming nucleus before the nuclear envelope is assembled again. This exclusion process requires the protein Ki-67. In a older study it was discovered that Ki-67 was responsible for keeping chromosomes separated in early stages of mitosis by acting as a surfactant. Remarkably, it was now found that it changes its properties at the end of mitosis and performs the opposite function, namely clustering of chromosomes.

By coming together into a dense cluster at the end of cell division, chromosomes are able to exclude large cytoplasmic components before the nuclear envelope reforms.

This work shows how a single protein can dynamically change the surface properties of chromosomes.

Ultimately, this facilitates effective compartmentalisation of key processes within the cell.

Daniel Gerlich et al. Chromosome clustering by Ki-67 excludes cytoplasm during nuclear assembly. Nature, published on 02 September 2020. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2672-3

https://phys.org/news/2020-08-unwanted-components-cell-nucleus.html...

Revolutionary quantum breakthrough paves way for safer online communication

The world is one step closer to having a totally secure internet and an answer to the growing threat of cyber-attacks, thanks to a team of international scientists who have created a unique prototype which could transform how we communicate online.

S.K. Joshi el al., "A trusted node–free eight-user metropolitan quantum communication network," Science Advances (2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.aba0959

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-revolutionary-quantum-breakthrough-pa...

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Asphalt adds to air pollution, especially on hot, sunny days

Asphalt is a near-ubiquitous substance—it's found in roads, on roofs and in driveways—but its chemical emissions rarely figure into urban air quality management plans.

A new study finds that asphalt is a significant source of air pollutants in urban areas, especially on hot and sunny days.

Researchers observed that common road and roofing asphalts produced complex mixtures of organic compounds, including hazardous pollutants, in a range of typical temperature and solar conditions.

 P. Khare el al., "Asphalt-related emissions are a major missing nontraditional source of secondary organic aerosol precursors," Science Advances (2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abb9785

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-asphalt-air-pollution-hot-sunny.html?...

Massive release of methane gas from the seafloor discovered for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere

Gas hydrate is an ice-like substance formed by water and methane at depths of several hundred meters at the bottom of our oceans at high pressure and low temperatures. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, roughly 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and it is estimated that methane frozen in these sediments constitute the largest organic carbon reservoir on Earth. The fact that methane gas has now started leaking out through gas hydrate dissociation is not good news for the climate.

It has been estimated that there are more organic carbon in the form of methane in hydrates than in all fossil fuels combined. The leakage of methane could lead to a feedback loop in which the ocean warming melts gas hydrates resulting in the release of methane from the ocean floor into the water. The warmer it gets, the more methane leaks out.

This process is believed to have triggered and amplified climate changes in our geological past.

Marcelo Ketzer et al. Gas hydrate dissociation linked to contemporary ocean warming in the southern hemisphere, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17289-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-massive-methane-gas-seafloor-southern...

 The widespread footprint of blue jean microfibers

Blue jeans are a more popular wardrobe choice undoubtdly. But most people don't think about microscopic remnants of their comfy jeans and other clothing that are shed during laundering. Now, researchers reporting in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology Letters have detected indigo denim microfibers not only in wastewater effluent, but also in lakes and remote Arctic marine sediments.

Samantha N. Athey et al. The Widespread Environmental Footprint of Indigo Denim Microfibers from Blue Jeans, Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00498

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-widespread-footprint-blue-jean-microf...

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  Viruses could be harder to kill after adapting to warm environments

Enteroviruses and other pathogenic viruses that make their way into surface waters can be inactivated by heat, sunshine and other microbes, thereby reducing their ability to spread disease. But researchers report now that global warming could cause viruses to evolve, rendering them less susceptible to these and other disinfectants, such as chlorine. They also say that this greater hardiness could increase the length of time heat-adapted viruses would be infectious enough to sicken someone who comes in contact with contaminated water.

Anna Carratalà et al. Adaptation of Human Enterovirus to Warm Environments Leads to Resistance against Chlorine Disinfection, Environmental Science & Technology (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c03199

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-viruses-harder-environments.html?utm_...

Weekly injection could treat type 2 diabetes, new enzyme discovery suggests

A newly discovered protein produced by the liver, and which helps to control blood sugar levels, could potentially revolutionise treatment for type 2 diabetes.

https://theconversation.com/weekly-injection-could-treat-type-2-dia...

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How ‘elite controllers’ tame HIV without drugs

In a handful of people living with HIV, the virus remains at undetectable levels, sometimes for many years, even though HIV genes still lurk in their chromosomes. These ‘elite controllers’ seem to be able to stash the viral DNA in quiet corners of the chromosome, where it struggles to replicate. Scientists managed to gather dozens of these individuals to analyse their genomes in an effort to better understand their superpower.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/how-elite-controllers-tame-...

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A Molecule in Honeybee Venom Destroys Breast Cancer Cells in The Lab, Study Shows

https://www.sciencealert.com/bees-formidable-weapons-could-successf...

Scientific American vs. the Supernatural

This magazine launched a contest to prove, or disprove, the existence of ghosts

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-vs-t...

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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/08/gertrude-elion-a...

Meet the woman who gave the world antiviral drugs

Fifty years ago, few scientists believed a drug could fight viruses with low side effects. Then Gertrude Elion showed the doubters "what I could do on my own."

Researchers warn of food-web threats from common insecticides

In light of emerging evidence showing how a commonly used class of insecticides can spread through the environment to pollinators, predators and other insects they are not intended to kill, researchers are warning about the potential for widespread environmental contamination.

They argued for curbing the use of neonicotinoid insecticides by discontinuing the practice of applying them preventively on crop seeds.

They argue that reducing this and other common preventive practices could reduce cascading effects on the environment from insecticides whose risks have not been fully characterized.  Neonicotinoids are among the most toxic insecticides to insects ever developed. These insecticides are used in crops, lawns and landscapes, livestock production and even in pet flea and tick products. They are also used in lawns, commercial landscapes and to protect trees.

They are applied to hundreds of thousands of trees each year for protection from exotic pests, which can be lethal to trees, but also from cosmetic pests, which generally are not lethal.

Recently, a study uncovered a new way that neonicotinoids can spread through the food chain. We've known that neonicotinoids can be transmitted through nectar and pollen and can harm pollinators that way—directly from the plants. We've known that if herbivores feed on the plants and predators eat those herbivores, that they could be harmed because the neonicotinoids accumulate in the herbivores' bodies. This was a new revelation that it could be transmitted through the herbivore to the environment as a carbohydrate that a lot of animals feed on.

this raises the potential for additional off-target effects to other organisms as the toxin is spread by organisms that are not killed as they ingest it.

This adds one more example of how the material can move in a three-part food chain from the plant to an herbivore to a predator. If ingested by organisms that are not killed directly, those organisms could pass the toxin on to insects, birds, amphibians or others. Even though the neonicotinoids have relatively low mammalian toxicity, which makes them safer for applicators, there is still risk of some toxicity, and there could be toxicity for other vertebrates.

S. D. Frank et al, Opinion: Neonicotinoids pose undocumented threats to food webs, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017221117

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-food-web-threats-common-insecticides....

Scientists discover new rules about 'runaway' transcription

Grace E. Johnson et al. Functionally uncoupled transcription–translation in Bacillus subtilis, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2638-5

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-scientists-runaway-transcription.html...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Scientists-discover-ne...;  - Check %%

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Could plants help us find dead bodies? Forensic botanists want to know

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-dead-bodies-forensic-botanists.html?u...

Trends in Plant Science, Brabazon et al.: "Plants to remotely detect human decomposition?" www.cell.com/trends/plant-scie … 1360-1385(20)30243-0 , DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2020.07.013

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Could-plants-help-us-f...;   --check %%

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** The Dangers of Intellectual Territorialism

Narrow expertise has its value, but it’s also vital to let scientists step out of their “lanes”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dangers-of-intellect...

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How Groups of Cells Cooperate to Build Organs and Organisms