How Scientists, unlike people who do their own research on the net, Know The Approved COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe

https://www.sciencealert.com/how-scientists-know-the-approved-covid...

Discovery: How potato beetles beat pesticides

Potato beetles can beat pesticides cleverly. Even small doses of the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid, can alter how the beetle manages its DNA. To fend off the pesticides, the new research suggests, the beetle may not need to change its underlying genetic code. Instead, the team found that beetles respond by altering the regulation of their DNA, turning certain genes on or off in a process called “DNA methylation." These so-called epigenetic changes allow beetles to quickly ramp up biological defense mechanisms—perhaps putting into overdrive already-existing genes that allow the beetle to tolerate a broad range of toxins found in potato plants.

A flush of enzymes or faster rate of excretion may let the insect stymie each new pesticide with the same ancient biochemical tools that it uses to overcome natural plant defenses—rather than relying on the ponderous evolutionary process of random mutations appearing in key genes, that would slowly cause a pesticide to become less effective.

Most important, the new study shows that these changes—triggered by even small doses of the pesticide—can be passed on to descendants across at least two generations. 

https://researchnews.cc/news/4423/Discovery--How-colorado-potato-be...

The Insane Biology of: The Octopus

Opening a new door into kinder, gentler therapies for chronic inflammation

A naturally occurring antibody capable of stimulating the body's immune-suppressing regulatory T cells has been discovered by a team of Harvard scientists, a finding that may eventually open a new door into kinder, gentler therapies for chronic inflammatory disorders.

Inflammation underlies a wide range of disparate conditions that include Crohn's disease; atopic dermatitis and numerous autoimmune skin disorders, including psoriasis; rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, to name a few.

Biologic treatments that have been developed over the past quarter-century have proved to be game-changers, but the drugs are imperfect and leave some patients vulnerable to opportunistic infections, and in rare instances, cancers of the blood. Clearly, there is room for improvement, immunologists worldwide contend.

The newly identified antibody is noteworthy because of its activity on regulatory T cells. The tiny antibody actually expands the overall number of highly potent regulatory T cells, a cell population that bears the responsibility of switching off inflammation. The antibody was discovered by a team of scientists from the Immunobiology Laboratory of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. They describe the antibody's role as not only unique, but possessing properties that allow it leverage over key components of the immune system.

 Heather Torrey et al. A novel TNFR2 agonist antibody expands highly potent regulatory T cells, Science Signaling (2020). DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aba9600

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-door-kinder-gentler-therapie...

Stopping SARS-CoV-2 in its tracks by blocking its main protease

Inasmuch as therapeutic options against coronavirus have been focused mainly on blocking the interaction between its spike protein and the ACE2 receptor on host cells, SARS-CoV-2 has several additional critical proteins that could potentially be targeted with drugs that have already been approved for use against other viruses. One of these viral proteins is the main protease (Mpro) that is needed to separate newly minted polypeptides into their functional component parts.

Scientists from the Department of Biophysics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences have recently put several promising inhibitors of Mpro through the paces to see what sticks. Their findings, appearing in the American Chemical Society's journal ACS Omega, suggest that an HIV drug known as cobicistat is looking pretty good.

Akshita Gupta et al. Structure-Based Virtual Screening and Biochemical Validation to Discover a Potential Inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease, ACS Omega (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c04808

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-sars-cov-tracks-blocking-main-proteas...

Brain cancer linked to tissue healing

The healing process that follows a brain injury could spur tumor growth when new cells generated to replace those lost to the injury are derailed by mutations, Toronto scientists have found. A brain injury can be anything from trauma to infection or stroke.

The data suggest that the right mutational change in particular cells in the brain could be modified by injury to give rise to a tumour.

The findings could lead to new therapy for glioblastoma patients who currently have limited treatment options with an average lifespan of 15 months after diagnosis.

The researchers applied the latest single-cell RNA sequencing and machine learning technologies to map the molecular make-up of the glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs), which Dirks' team previously showed are responsible for tumor initiation and recurrence after treatment.

They found new subpopulations of GSCs which bear the molecular hallmarks of inflammation and which are comingled with other cancer stem cells inside patients' tumors. It suggests that some glioblastomas start to form when the normal tissue healing process, which generates new cells to replace those lost to injury, gets derailed by mutations, possibly even many years before patients become symptomatic.

 Gradient of Developmental and Injury Response transcriptional states defines functional vulnerabilities underpinning glioblastoma heterogeneity, Nature Cancer (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s43018-020-00154-9 , www.nature.com/articles/s43018-020-00154-9

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-brain-cancer-linked-tissue.h...

Study explains why patients with cancer spread to the liver have worse outcomes

Medical Researchers often noticed that when  patients had cancer that spread to the liver, they fared poorly—more so than when cancer spread to other parts of the body. Not only that, but transformative immunotherapy treatments had little impact for these patients.

Uncovering the reason and a possible solution, a new study, published in Nature Medicine, finds that tumors in the liver siphon off critical immune cells, rendering immunotherapy ineffective. But coupling immunotherapy with radiotherapy to the liver in mice restored the immune cell function and led to better outcomes.

Liver metastasis restrains immunotherapy efficacy via macrophage-mediated T cell elimination, Nature Medicine (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1131-x , www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-1131-x

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-patients-cancer-liver-worse-...

Scientists discover how mother-of-pearl self-assembles into a perfect structure

In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers from the B CUBE—Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble describe, for the first time, that structural defects in self-assembling nacre attract and cancel each other out, eventually leading to a perfect periodic structure.

Mollusks build shells to protect their soft tissues from predators. Nacre, also known as the mother of pearl, has an intricate, highly regular structure that makes it an incredibly strong material. Depending on the species, nacres can reach tens of centimeters in length. No matter the size, each nacre is built from materials deposited by a multitude of single cells at multiple different locations at the same time. How exactly this highly periodic and uniform structure emerges from the initial disorder was unknown until now.

Nacre formation starts uncoordinated with the cells depositing the material simultaneously at different locations. Not surprisingly, the early nacre structure is not very regular. At this point, it is full of defects.

Dynamics of topological defects and structural synchronization in a forming periodic tissue, Nature Physics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-01069-z , www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-01069-z

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-mother-of-pearl-self-assem...

Soon you might have to pay for your emails ….

No I am not kidding.

The world's most popular email program Gmail, is owned by Google, which has decided to follow in Apple's footsteps by getting more people hooked on monthly subscriptions (1).

As of June 1, Google will no longer allow users to upload their photos and videos to Google Photos for free. Google offers 15 GBs of free storage for photos, but that also includes Gmail and Google Drive backup. The ask is that you pay for storage, which starts at $1.99 monthly—but for just 100 GB of storage.

Microsoft and Yahoo still offer free email, but they're littered with ads, and you're encouraged to step up to the "premium" versions, which starts at $5 and $3.49 a month, respectively, to go ad-free. Yahoo is eliminating the ability to automatically forward emails from Yahoo Mail, beginning next week, unless you spend $34.99 yearly for the service.

Google's rates sound competitive for online storage, but it's not just photos and videos here. All those Gmail emails with attachments that you forgot to delete also count, as does anything else you do on Google. Google charges $9.99 monthly for 2 TBs, or $50 monthly for 10 TBs (2).

Footnotes:

1.

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-email-podcasts-tech.html?utm_so...

2.

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-google-photos-free-unlimited-st...

Transparent creatures

Wood-inspired cement with high strength and multifunctionality

Scientists in advanced materials, engineering and science in China developed bio-inspired new cement materials based on unidirectionally porous architectures to replicate the designs of natural wood. The resulting wood-like cement material showed higher strength at equal densities, alongside multifunctional properties for effective thermal insulation, water permeability and easy adjustment for water repulsion. The team simultaneously achieved high strength and multifunctionality to make the wood-like cement a promising new building material for wood-mimetic designs with high performance. They presented a simple fabrication procedure to promote better efficiency during mass production with applications suited across other material systems.

Porous cement-based materials possess low thermal conductivity for heat insulation, high sound-absorbing efficiency, outstanding permeability for air and water, while maintaining light weight and fire resistance. However, it still remains a key challenge to achieve the simultaneous enhancement of both mechanical and multifunctional properties including mechanical support, effective transport and good thermal insulation. It is therefore highly desirable to generate materials with enhanced mechanical and multifunctional properties to actively implement the design principles of natural wood. During the experiments, Wang et al. developed wood-like cement with unidirectionally porous architectures formed via a bidirectional freezing treatment method. The process allowed bridges to form between the constituents of the structure, the team then thawed the fully frozen bodies until the ice gradually melted and the cement hardened. The subsequent hydration process produced new minerals and gels within the cement, including hexagon-shaped calcium hydroxide, needle‐like ettringite and calcium-silicate-hydrate gels. The phases mainly originated at the cement lamellae and grew into their spacing during the thawing and curing process for better structural integrity with enhanced lamellae interconnections during porous cement formation. Using X-ray tomography (XRT), the team then revealed the formation of unidirectional micropores in the ice-templated cement.

Wang F. et al. Wood‐Inspired Cement with High Strength and Multifunctionality, Advanced Science, doi: doi.org/10.1002/advs.202000096

Monteiro P. et al. Towards sustainable concrete, Nature Materials, doi.org/10.1038/nmat4930

Roy D. M. New Strong Cement Materials: Chemically Bonded Ceramics, Science, 10.1126/science.235.4789.651

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-wood-inspired-cement-high-strength-mu...

**Researchers uncover unequal effects of human activity on mammals

Silvia Pineda-Munoz et al. Mammal species occupy different climates following the expansion of human impacts, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922859118

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-uncover-unequal-effects-human-mammals...

--

Uncovering how grasslands changed our climate

Grasslands are managed worldwide to support livestock production, while remaining natural or semi-natural ones provide critical services that contribute to the wellbeing of both people and the planet. Human activities are, however, causing grasslands to become a source of greenhouse gas emissions rather than a carbon sink. A new study published in Nature Communications reports how grasslands used by humans have changed our climate in recent centuries.

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Heat treatment may make chemotherapy more effective

Heating up cancer cells while targeting them with chemotherapy is a highly effective way of killing them, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.

SETI: new signal excites alien hunters – here’s how we could find out if it’s real

https://theconversation.com/seti-new-signal-excites-alien-hunters-h...

Removing Two Pollutants With One Bacteria A new strain of bacteria that can remove both nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage could reduce the electricity consumption of treatment plants by over 60 percent. 

A newly identified strain of bacteria that can simultaneously remove both nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage could make wastewater treatment simpler, cheaper and greener. 

Called SND5, the bacteria also circumvents the problem of nitrous oxide gas release by converting ammonia into harmless nitrogen gas instead. The unique strain was discovered in a wastewater treatment plant in Singapore. When the NUS research team was carrying out routine monitoring, they observed an unexpected removal of nitrogen in the aerobic tanks, as well as better-than-expected phosphate removal despite the absence of known phosphorus-removing bacteria. The researchers then took wastewater samples from a tank, isolated various strains of bacteria and tested each of them for their ability to remove nitrogen and phosphorus. One of the strains, which appeared as sticky, creamy, light yellow blobs on the agar medium, surprised the researchers by its ability to remove both nitrogen and phosphorous from water. In fact, it did the job faster than the other microbes that were tested. The team sequenced its genes and compared them to related bacteria in a global database, establishing it to be a new strain. Compared to conventional nitrogen removal processes of nitrification and denitrification, the lower oxygen demand of the newly identified microbe could help reduce electricity consumption at wastewater treatment plants by about 62 percent.

 Wang & He (2020) Complete Nitrogen Removal via Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification by a Novel Phosphate Accumulating Thauera sp. Strain SND5.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004313542030...

https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0043135420308368

https://www.asianscientist.com/2020/12/in-the-lab/thauera-snd5-nitr...

Study explores the effects of immune responses on the aging brain

As human beings age, the functioning of organs gradually deteriorates. While countless past studies have investigated the effects of aging on the human body, brain and on cognition, the neural mechanisms and environmental factors that can accelerate or slow down these effects are not yet fully understood.

The immune system and the nervous system are both known to play a key role in the control of organs in the body. Moreover, past findings suggest that both of these systems change significantly during aging.

Neuroscientific studies have found that as the nervous system ages, the way in which the human body controls immune responses also changes. Nonetheless, how the nervous system's aging process affects immune responses and the consequent impact on the brain's functioning are still poorly understood.

Researchers have recently carried out a study investigating the possible effects of immune responses on the aging brain. Their paper, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that the deterioration of neuroblasts (i.e., the embryonic cells  from which nerve fibers originate) in the aging brain can increase the toxicity of natural killer cells (NK), which leads to impairments in neurogenesis and cognition. NK cells are a class of blood cells that are part of the human immune system.

"Systemic inflammation escalates during the aging process, but the potential impact of immune and inflammatory responses on brain aging remains unknown.

Researchers now found that immune cells such as NK cells impair neurogenesis and cognitive function during normal brain aging. Immune modulation targeting immune cells (which accumulate in the aged brain) may thus be useful to improve cognition in the aged population.

The recent study carried out by this team of researchers suggests that the accumulation of NK cells in the aging brain can impair the process through which neurons are formed in the brain, known as neurogenesis. In the future, this important finding could inform the development of more effective treatment strategies for improving cognition in older adults.

Neuroblast senescence in the aged brain augments natural killer cell cytotoxicity leading to impaired neurogenesis and cognition. Nature Neuroscience(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-00745-w

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-explores-effects-immune-resp...

Proteins engineered to form honeycomb structures can block uptake of receptors from the surface of cells

A new class of protein material that interacts with living cells without being absorbed by them can influence cell signaling, a new study shows. The material does this by binding and sequestering cell surface receptors.

The discovery could have far-reaching implications for stem cell research and enable the development of new materials designed to modulate the behavior of living systems.

Cells interact with their environment via receptors at their surface. These receptors can bind to hormones, neurotransmitters, drugs, and toxins. When such molecules bind to a receptor, this triggers a response inside the cell, a process known as signaling.

But for the cell, it is important that this response be transient, to still be responsive to the signal later on. To achieve this, cells will commonly terminate signaling by absorbing both an activated receptor and the molecule that stimulated it, thereby targeting both for destruction inside the cell.

"This tendency of cells to internalize receptors likely lowers the efficiency of immunotherapies. Indeed, when antibody drugs bind their target receptors and then become internalized and degraded, more antibody must always be injected.

To create a way around this, researchers now designed new proteins that assemble into large, flat patches. This molecular scaffolding was then further engineered to contain signaling molecules. They showed that such protein materials could latch onto cells, activate surface receptors, and resist being absorbed by the cell for hours or even days.

This work paves the way towards a synthetic cell biology, where a new generation of multi-protein materials can be designed to control the complex behavior of cells.

Design of biologically active binary protein 2D materials, Nature (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03120-8 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03120-8

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-proteins-honeycomb-block-uptake-recep...

How an embryo tells time

It is estimated that the majority of pregnancies that fail do so within the first seven days after fertilization, before the embryo implants into the uterus. In this time period, a complicated cascade of events occurs with precise timing. One particularly important process is called polarization, when the individual cells that make up the embryo become asymmetrical. Polarization occurs at 2.5 days for mouse embryos and 3.5 days for human embryos.

Just as musicians playing together in an orchestra need to play at the right time—not early, not late—the timing of polarization is critical for proper embryonic function. Studies have shown that if polarization occurs too early or too late, the embryo is less likely to develop properly. Embryos obviously cannot look at a clock to know when it is time to polarize, so how do they "know" when it is time?

A new study has uncovered the signals that mouse embryos follow to initiate polarization. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic development is critical for understanding how life begins.

The first is the zygotic genome activation, or ZGA, which represents the initial "awakening" of the embryonic DNA after it has combined from sperm and egg, with certain genes for development flipped on like a dormant computer booting up. A flood of molecular activity follows ZGA, and during that period, the team found, three specific factors—protein-based structures called Tfap2c, Tead4, and RhoA—work together to initiate polarization.

This research is the first to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions that drive cell polarization. Once the team had identified the three factors that initiate polarization, they turned their focus to the polarization process itself.

 Meng Zhu et al. Developmental clock and mechanism of de novo polarization of the mouse embryo, Science (2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.abd2703

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-embryo.html?utm_source=nwletter&u...

How Earth's oddest mammal got to be so bizarre

Often considered the world's oddest mammal, Australia's beaver-like, duck-billed platypus exhibits an array of bizarre characteristics: it lays eggs instead of giving birth to live babies, sweats milk, has venomous spurs and is even equipped with 10 sex chromosomes. Now, an international team of researchers led by University of Copenhagen has conducted a unique mapping of the platypus genome and found answers regarding the origins of a few of its stranger features.

--

It lays eggs, but nurses, it is toothless, has a venomous spur, has webbed feet, fur that glows and has 10 sex chromosomes.

The complete genome has provided us with the answers to how a few of the platypus' bizarre features emerged. At the same time, decoding the genome for platypus is important for improving our understanding of how other mammals evolved—including us humans. It holds the key as to why we and other eutheria mammals evolved to become animals that give birth to live young instead of egg-laying animals.

Yang Zhou et al. Platypus and echidna genomes reveal mammalian biology and evolution, Nature (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03039-0

Paula Spaeth Anich et al. Biofluorescence in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), Mammalia (2020). DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2020-0027

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-oddest-mammal-bizarre.html?utm_...

**

Quicksand Science: Why It Traps, How to Escape

The Riemann Hypothesis, Explained

Identical twins are not so identical

Scientists have quantified the small genetic differences between monozygotic twins. Researchers analysed the DNA of 381 identical twin pairs (and 2 triplets) and found thousands of mutations that appeared in one twin and not the other. Twins differed on average by 5.2 early developmental mutations, which occurred after the initial formation of the zygote. Some siblings differed by dozens of mutations, and some did not differ at all. “The implication is that we have to be very careful when we are using twins as a model” .

--

Skin cells protect their DNA from bumps and bruises with a jello-like response

Cells’ responses to microscopic pushes and pulls prevent cancers from forming

https://massivesci.com/articles/skin-cells-mechanics-forces/?utm_so...

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Deadly parasites create unique cellular structures to survive

Scientists have solved a key parasitic puzzle, revealing the unique and complex structures toxoplasmosis and malaria parasites make in order to survive in different hosts.

The new work details how certain parasites can create unique cellular structures to control how they create energy and thus survive in different hosts.

Malaria and toxoplasmosis, both potentially deadly diseases, are caused by similar parasites which organize themselves to exploit their host's energy resources in order to infect and transmit to new hosts. However, until now, scientists didn't fully understand the detailed mechanisms behind this process.

In this new research, researchers have solved a parasitic puzzle at the heart of how these deadly pathogens are able to survive in different hosts in order for them to transmit onwards.

In order to survive these parasites rely on resources available in their host—for toxoplasmosis it is animals and humans, while for malaria this includes also insects. This means that in order to survive, to infect the host and to transmit between hosts, these parasites have to be flexible in how they create energy based on what is available to them.

Scientists studied a vital energy-producing machine within the parasite called ATP synthase. In addition to making energy, ATP synthase machines can also come together into large structures that together shape the mitochondrial membrane, controlling the rate of energy production, and key to its survival. Researchers found that, in these parasites, the ATP synthase machines were able to make complex and unique pentagonal pyramid structures, unlike anything produced by the same systems in their human host.

Alexander Mühleip et al. ATP synthase hexamer assemblies shape cristae of Toxoplasma mitochondria, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20381-z

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-deadly-parasites-unique-cellular-surv...

Bacteria can tell the time

Humans have them, so do other animals and plants. Now research reveals that bacteria too have internal clocks that align with the 24-hour cycle of life on Earth.

--

The research answers a long-standing biological question and could have implications for the timing of drug delivery, biotechnology, and how we develop timely solutions for crop protection.

Biological clocks or circadian rhythms are exquisite internal timing mechanisms that are widespread across nature enabling living organisms to cope with the major changes that occur from day to night, even across seasons.

Existing inside cells, these molecular rhythms use external cues such as daylight and temperature to synchronise biological clocks to their environment. It is why we experience the jarring effects of jet lag as our internal clocks are temporarily mismatched before aligning to the new cycle of light and dark at our travel destination.

A growing body of research in the past two decades has demonstrated the importance of these molecular metronomes to essential processes, for example sleep and cognitive functioning in humans, and water regulation and photosynthesis in plants.

Although bacteria represent 12% biomass of the planet and are important for health, ecology, and industrial biotechnology, little is known of their 24hr biological clocks.

Previous studies have shown that photosynthetic bacteria which require light to make energy have biological clocks.

But free-living non photosynthetic bacteria have remained a mystery in this regard.

In this international study researchers detected free running circadian rhythms in the non-photosynthetic soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis.

 A circadian clock in a non-photosynthetic prokaryote, Science Advances (2021). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abe2086

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-bacteria.html?utm_source=nwletter&...

Entangling electrons with heat

A joint group of scientists from various countries has demonstrated that temperature difference can be used to entangle pairs of electrons in superconducting structures.

 The team has shown that the thermoelectric effect provides a new method for producing entangled electrons in a new device.

In quantum computing, entanglement is used to fuse individual quantum systems into one, which exponentially increases their total computational capacity. "Entanglement can also be used in quantum cryptography, enabling the secure exchange of information over long distances.

Given the significance of entanglement to quantum technology, the ability to create entanglement easily and controllably is an important goal for researchers.

The researchers designed a device where a superconductor was layered withed graphene and metal electrodes. Superconductivity is caused by entangled pairs of electrons called "cooper pairs." Using a temperature difference, they cause them to split, with each electron then moving to different normal metal electrode. "The resulting electrons remain entangled despite being separated for quite long distances.

Thermoelectric current in a graphene Cooper pair splitter, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20476-

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-entangling-electrons.html?utm_source=...

Scientists discover virus-like particles in Bryozoa

Scientists from Russia, Austria, and the USA have discovered virus-like particles in the bacterial symbionts of Bryozoa—a phylum of colonial aquatic invertebrates—filter-feeders dominating in many bottom ecosystems.

Some of the virus-like particles resemble red blood cells, while others have a sea-urchin-like appearance. Although viruses have never been reported inside symbiotic bacteria in bryozoans, scientists suggest that this 'matryoshka doll' may have a prominent effect on the bacterial hosts.

A. E. Vishnyakov et al, First evidence of virus-like particles in the bacterial symbionts of Bryozoa, Scientific Reports (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78616-4

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-virus-like-particles-bryoz...

Rare quadruple-helix DNA found in living human cells with glowing probes

New probes allow scientists to see four-stranded DNA interacting with molecules inside living human cells, unraveling its role in cellular processes.

DNA usually forms the classic double helix shape of two strands wound around each other. While DNA can form some more exotic shapes in test tubes, few are seen in real living cells.

However, four-stranded DNA, known as G-quadruplex, has recently been seen forming naturally in human cells. Now, in new research published today in Nature Communications, a team led by Imperial College London scientists have created new probes that can see how G-quadruplexes are interacting with other molecules inside living cells.

G-quadruplexes are found in higher concentrations in cancer cells, so are thought to play a role in the disease. The probes reveal how G-quadruplexes are 'unwound' by certain proteins, and can also help identify molecules that bind to G-quadruplexes, leading to potential new drug targets that can disrupt their activity.

A different DNA shape will have an enormous impact on all processes involving it—such as reading, copying, or expressing genetic information.

"Evidence has been mounting that G-quadruplexes play an important role in a wide variety of processes vital for life, and in a range of diseases, but the missing link has been imaging this structure directly in living cells.

They used a chemical probe called DAOTA-M2, which fluoresces (lights up) in the presence of G-quadruplexes, but instead of monitoring the brightness of fluorescence, they monitored how long this fluorescence lasts. This signal does not depend on the concentration of the probe or of G-quadruplexes, meaning it can be used to unequivocally visualize these rare molecules.

Peter A. Summers et al. Visualizing G-quadruplex DNA dynamics in live cells by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20414-7

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-rare-quadruple-helix-dna-human-cells....

At any given moment in the human body, in about 30 trillion cells, DNA is being “read” into molecules of messenger RNA, the intermediary step between DNA and proteins, in a process called transcription. Scientists have a pretty good idea of how transcription gets started: Proteins called RNA polymerases are recruited to specific regions of the DNA molecules and begin skimming their way down the strand, synthesizing mRNA molecules as they go. But part of this process is less-well understood: How does the cell know when to stop transcribing? Now, new work from the labs of Richard Young, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research member and MIT professor of biology, and Arup K. Chakraborty, professor of chemical engineering, physics, and chemistry at MIT, suggests that RNA molecules themselves are responsible for regulating their formation through a feedback loop.

https://researchnews.cc/news/4493/RNA-molecules-are-masters-of-thei...

Invisible Polar Bears and Other Arctic Adaptations

How To Levitate with the help of science

Quantum Locking Will Blow Your Mind—How Does it Work?

Biotin, mitochondria, and dementia: Research reveals a connection

By any measure, carbon-based life originates from carboxylation. That is to say, the coupling of atmospheric carbon dioxide to sugar. Carboxylation is also critical for mitochondria to function. There are five carboxylation enzymes in mitochondria, and they share one thing in common—they are all operated by a covalently linked biotin cofactor.

Biotin is also known as vitamin H, named for the German words "Haar" and "Haut," which mean hair and skin. This was due to the fact that even slight deficiencies cause hair thinning, skin rash or brittle fingernails. New research, just published in PNAS, now shows that some forms of severe neurodegeneration, like the frontotemporal dementia seen in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, can directly result from lack of sufficient biotin.

Biotin comes to us in the form of biocytin, which is simply a biotin linked to a lysine. Btnd cleaves off the biotin from biocytin, or from its attachment to lysine in carboxylases. When Btnd was also crippled in the flies, their dementia got worse. Furthermore, their mitochondria also became deformed and elongated. The researchers were able to remedy all of these effects by simply giving supplementary biotin, suggesting that some humans with dementia could similarly benefit. They were also able to piece together a mechanism that functionally links tau and Btnd.

 Kelly M. Lohr et al. Biotin rescues mitochondrial dysfunction and neurotoxicity in a tauopathy model, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922392117

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-biotin-mitochondria-dementia...

**

Noncognitive skills—distinct from cognitive abilities—are important to success across the life

Noncognitive skills and cognitive abilities are both important contributors to educational attainment—the number of years of formal schooling that a person completes—and lead to success across the life course, according to a new study.

 The research provides evidence for the idea that inheriting genes that affect things other than cognitive ability are important for understanding differences in people's life outcomes. Until now there had been questions about what these noncognitive skills are and how much they really matter for life outcomes. The new findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics.

"Genetic studies of educational attainment were initiated with the goal of identifying genes that influenced cognitive abilities. They've had some success in doing that. But it turns out they've also identified genetics that influence a range of other skills and characteristics. What was most surprising about the results was that these noncognitive skills contributed just as much to the heritability of educational attainment as cognitive ability. Of the total genetic influence on educational attainment, referred to as the heritability, cognitive abilities accounted for 43 percent and noncognitive skills accounted for 57 percent.

Similar to the genetics of cognitive abilities, the genetics of noncognitive skills were related to achievements outside of schooling, including holding more prestigious jobs, earning higher incomes, and living longer. And, genes associated with noncognitive skills showed relationships with these other life outcomes that were as strong or stronger than the relationships seen with cognitive genetics. These results were important proof of concept. They showed us that noncognitive skills genetics have implications for economics and public health similar to the genetics of cognitive abilities.

Overall, the genetics of noncognitive skills were associated with higher tolerance of risks, greater willingness to forego immediate gratification, less health-risk behavior, and delayed fertility. Researchers also observed that noncognitive skill genetics were associated with a constellation of personality traits linked with success in relationships and at work, such as being curious and eager to learn, being more emotionally stable, and being more industrious and orderly.

Nature Genetics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-00754-2

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-noncognitive-skillsdistinct-...

Where antibiotic resistance comes from

By comparing thousands of bacterial genomes, scientists in Gothenburg, Sweden have traced back the evolutionary history of antibiotic resistance genes. In almost all cases where an origin could be determined, the gene started to spread from bacteria that, themselves, can cause disease.

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Keeping sperm cells on track

An essential component of every eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures that protrude from most of the cells in our body, contain many microtubules. An example of flagell is the sperm tail, which is essential for male fertility and thus for sexual reproduction. The flagellum has to beat in a very precise and coordinated manner to allow progressive swimming of the sperm. Failure to do so can lead to male infertility.

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Researchers turn coal powder into graphite in microwave oven

Using copper foil, glass containers and a conventional household microwave oven, University of Wyoming researchers have demonstrated that pulverized coal powder can be converted into higher-value nano-graphite.

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Including unhealthy foods may diminish positive effects of an other...

Eating a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, has a positive impact on health, but little is known about the effects of including unhealthy foods in an otherwise healthy diet. Now researchers at Rush University Medical Center have reported diminished benefits of a Mediterranean diet among those with high frequency of eating unhealthy foods. The results of their study were published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association on Jan. 7.

Researchers report new state of matter described as 'liquid glass'

Discovery of liquid glass sheds light on the old scientific problem of the glass transition: An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Konstanz has uncovered a new state of matter, liquid glass, with previously unknown structural elements—new insights into the nature of glass and its transitions.

 Using a model system involving suspensions of tailor-made ellipsoidal colloids, the researchers uncovered a new state of matter, liquid glass, where individual particles are able to move yet unable to rotate—complex behavior that has not previously been observed in bulk glasses. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Jörg Roller et al. Observation of liquid glass in suspensions of ellipsoidal colloids, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018072118

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-state-liquid-glass.html?utm_source=nw...

While glass is a truly ubiquitous material that we use on a daily basis, it also represents a major scientific conundrum. Contrary to what one might expect, the true nature of glass remains something of a mystery, with scientific inquiry into its chemical and physical properties still underway. In chemistry and physics, the term glass itself is a mutable concept: It includes the substance we know as window glass, but it may also refer to a range of other materials with properties that can be explained by reference to glass-like behavior, including, for instance, metals, plastics, proteins, and even biological cells.

While it may give the impression, glass is anything but conventionally solid. Typically, when a material transitions from a liquid to a solid state the molecules line up to form a crystal pattern. In glass, this does not happen. Instead, the molecules are effectively frozen in place before crystallization happens. This strange and disordered state is characteristic of glasses across different systems and scientists are still trying to understand how exactly this metastable state forms.

Unravelling the mystery that makes viruses infectious

Researchers have for the first time identified the way viruses like the poliovirus and the common cold virus 'package up' their genetic code, allowing them to infect cells.

The findings open up the possibility that drugs or anti-viral agents can be developed that would stop such infections.

Once a cell is infected, a virus needs to spread its genetic material to other cells. This is a complex process involving the creation of what are known as virions—newly-formed infectious copies of the virus. Each virion is a protein shell containing a complete copy of the virus's genetic code. The virions can then infect other cells and cause disease.

What has been a mystery until now is a detailed understanding of the way the virus assembles these daughter virions. If we can disrupt the mechanism of virion formation, then there is the potential to stop an infection in its tracks.

The analysis suggests that the molecular features that control the process of virion formation are genetically conserved, meaning they do not mutate easily—reducing the risk that the virus could change and make any new drugs ineffective.

The study published today details the role of what are called RNA packaging signals, short regions of the RNA molecule which together with proteins from the virus's casing ensure accurate and efficient formation of an infectious virion.

Using a combination of molecular and mathematical biology, the researchers were able to identify possible sites on the RNA molecule that could act as packaging signals. Using advanced electron microscopes at the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory at the University of Leeds, scientists were able to directly visualise this process—the first time that has been possible with any virus of this type.

 Rebecca Chandler-Bostock et al, Assembly of infectious enteroviruses depends on multiple, conserved genomic RNA-coat protein contacts, PLOS Pathogens (2020). DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009146

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-unravelling-mystery-viruses-infectiou...

Scientists developing new solutions for honeybee colony collapse

Scientists at four University of California campuses, including UC San Diego, are leading a new effort to stop and reverse a worldwide decline in honeybees, which threatens food security and prices. Honeybees pollinate more than 80 agricultural crops, which account for about a third of what we eat. Several factors, including pesticide exposure and the spread of parasites and environmental changes, are to blame for the widespread collapse of bee colonies over the past decade. To boost dwindling honeybee populations.

Researchers  will be testing how nutritional supplements may help bees that have been exposed to pesticides and on how to harness the natural honey bee microbiome against a very common bee gut disease.

Researchers have also focused a great deal on the harms caused by pesticides and this has helped improve some aspects of regulation.

Research is also aimed at understanding the complex genomes of feral honey bees. These bees have genomes that are a complex mixture of genomes of honey bee varieties from Africa, Europe and the Middle East. They are highly genetically diverse and ecologically successful. Their genomes likely hold variation useful to breeding domesticated honey bees with increased levels of resistance to the common diseases that currently plague the honey bee industry. They seek to identify and breed bees that are better able to cope with environmental stress

A second goal of the new network is to develop medications and treatments for sick bees. Certain types of honeybees generate molecules that make them more tolerant of pesticides and parasites. New technology will enable the scientists to isolate those molecules and use them as a basis for drugs.

Finally, the group is looking to give beekeepers tools to better monitor bees’ health. Small devices will be able to “listen” and “smell” inside hives to give beekeepers indications about the health of the hive.

“We know bee queens have a special pheromone they give off when they’re hungry or dying, and these can be traced,” Baer said. “We are essentially building ‘electronic veterinarians.’”

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https://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/scientists-developing-new-so...

https://researchnews.cc/news/4531/Scientists-developing-new-solutio...

Scientists discover bizarre new mode of snake locomotion

A team of researchers from Colorado State University and the University of Cincinnati have discovered a new mode of snake locomotion that allows the brown tree snake to ascend much larger smooth cylinders than any previously known behaviour.

This lasso locomotion, named because of a lasso-like body posture, may contribute to the success and impact of this highly invasive species. It allows these animals to access potential prey that might otherwise be unobtainable and may also explain how this species could climb power poles, leading to electrical outages.

Researchers said they hope the findings will help people protect endangered birds from the snakes.

For nearly 100 years, all snake locomotion has been traditionally categorized into four modes: rectilinear, lateral undulation, sidewinding and concertina.

This new discovery of a fifth mode of locomotion was the unexpected result . Even though they can climb using this mode, it is pushing them to the limits. The snakes pause for prolonged periods to rest.

Current Biology, Savidge et al.: "A novel mode of locomotion expands the climbing abilities of snakes"
www.cell.com/current-biology/f … 0960-9822(20)31763-2 , DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.050

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-scientists-bizarre-mode-snake-locomot...

Galaxy mergers could limit star formation

Astronomers have looked nine billion years into the past to find evidence that galaxy mergers in the early universe could shut down star formation and affect galaxy growth.

New research  shows that a huge amount of star-forming gas was ejected into the intergalactic medium by the coming together of two galaxies.

The researchers say that this event, together with a large amount of star formation in the nuclear regions of the galaxy, would eventually deprive the merged galaxy—called ID2299—of fuel for new stars. This would stop star formation for several hundred million years, effectively halting the galaxy's development.

Astronomers observe many massive, dead galaxies containing very old stars in the nearby Universe and don't exactly know how these galaxies have been formed.

Simulations suggest that winds generated by active black holes as they feed, or those created by intense star formation, are responsible for such deaths by expelling the gas from galaxies.

Now this  study offers galaxy mergers as another way of shutting down star formation and altering galaxy growth.

 A titanic interstellar medium ejection from a massive starburst galaxy at redshift 1.4, Nature Astronomy (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-01268-x , www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-01268-x

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-galaxy-mergers-limit-star-formation.h...

Inspired by kombucha tea, engineers create 'living materials'

Engineers at MIT and Imperial College London have developed a new way to generate tough, functional materials using a mixture of bacteria and yeast similar to the "kombucha mother" used to ferment tea.

Using this mixture, also called a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), the researchers were able to produce cellulose embedded with enzymes that can perform a variety of functions, such as sensing environmental pollutants. They also showed that they could incorporate yeast directly into the material, creating "living materials" that could be used to purify water or to make "smart" packaging materials that can detect damage.

 This work shows diverse materials could be grown at home or in local production facilities, using biology rather than resource-intensive centralized manufacturing.

Living materials with programmable functionalities grown from engineered microbial co-cultures, Nature Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-020-00857-5 , www.nature.com/articles/s41563-020-00857-5

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-kombucha-tea-materials.html?utm_sourc...

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Neuroscientists identify brain circuit that encodes timing of events

When we experience a new event, our brain records a memory of not only what happened, but also the context, including the time and location of the event. A new study from MIT neuroscientists sheds light on how the timing of a memory is encoded in the hippocampus, and suggests that time and space are encoded separately.

In a study of mice, the researchers identified a hippocampal circuit that the animals used to store information about the timing of when they should turn left or right in a maze. When this circuit was blocked, the mice were unable to remember which way they were supposed to turn next. However, disrupting the circuit did not appear to impair their memory of where they were in space.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that when we form new memories, different populations of neurons in the brain encode time and place information, the researchers say.

There is an emerging view that 'place cells' and 'time cells' organize memories by mapping information onto the hippocampus. This spatial and temporal context serves as a scaffold that allows us to build our own personal timeline of memories.

Christopher J. MacDonald el al., "Crucial role for CA2 inputs in the sequential organization of CA1 time cells supporting memory," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2020698118

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-neuroscientists-brain-circui...

There's no way to measure the speed of light in a single direction

Special relativity is one of the most strongly validated theories humanity has ever devised. It is central to everything from space travel and GPS to our electrical power grid. Central to relativity is the fact that the speed of light in a vacuum is an absolute constant. The problem is, that fact has never been proven.

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Unveiling the double origin of cosmic dust in the distant Universe

Two billion years after the Big Bang, the Universe was still very young. However, thousands of huge galaxies, rich in stars and dust, were already formed. An international study, led by SISSA—Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, now explains how this was possible. Scientists combined observational and theoretical methods to identify the physical processes behind their evolution and, for the first time, found evidence for a rapid growth of dust due to a high concentration of metals in the distant Universe. The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, offers a new approach to investigate the evolutionary phase of massive objects.

Five ways to manage your screen time in a lockdown, according to tech experts

1. Setting limits

2. Online Support Groups

3. Self-reflection

4. Know your triggers

5. Prioritise the social

https://theconversation.com/five-ways-to-manage-your-screen-time-in...

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-ways-screen-lockdown-tech-exper...

Bacterium produces pharmaceutical all-purpose weapon

Study should significantly facilitate research into the promising substance

Cornelia Hermes, René Richarz, Daniel A. Wirtz, Julian Patt, Wiebke Hanke, Stefan Kehraus, Jan Hendrik Voß, Jim Küppers, Tsubasa Ohbayashi, Vigneshwaran Namasivayam, Judith Alenfelder, Asuka Inoue, Peter Mergaert, Michael Gütschow, Christa E. Müller, Evi Kostenis, Gabriele M. König & Max Crüsemann:
Thioesterase-mediated side chain transesteri ?cation generates potent Gq signaling inhibitor FR900359; Nature Communications; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20418-3

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/uob-bpp011121.php

Reasons to study science communication beyond the West

All cultures have communicated their knowledge in diverse and marvellous ways throughout time. Failing to see the significance of this is racist and lazy.

https://theconversation.com/3-reasons-to-study-science-communicatio...

Most Covid-19 patients have at least one symptom 6 months on: study

More than three quarters of people hospitalised with Covid-19 still suffered from at least one symptom after six months, according to a study published Saturday that scientists said shows the need for further investigation into lingering coronavirus effects. The research, which was published in the Lancet medical journal and involved hundreds of patients in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is among the few to trace the long-term symptoms of Covid-19 infection. It found that fatigue or muscle weakness were the most common symptoms, while people also reported sleeping difficulties. "Because Covid-19 is such a new disease, we are only beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patients' health," said lead author Bin Cao, of the National Center for Respiratory Medicine. The professor said the research highlighted the need for ongoing care for patients after they have been discharged from hospital, particularly those who have had severe infections.

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Why does ice float on water?

https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-does-ice-float-on-water/?u...

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Scientist develops method to find toxic chemicals in drinking water

Most consumers of drinking water in the United States know that chemicals are used in the treatment processes to ensure the water is safe to drink. But they might not know that the use of some of these chemicals, such as chlorine, can also lead to the formation of unregulated toxic byproducts.

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How does Wi-Fi work?

https://theconversation.com/how-does-wi-fi-work-an-electrical-engin...

Breakthrough technology promises earlier detection for Alzheimer’s disease

Discovery of quantum behavior in insulators suggests possible new particle

In a surprising discovery, Princeton physicists have observed an unexpected quantum behavior in an insulator made from a material called tungsten ditelluride. This phenomenon, known as quantum oscillation, is typically observed in metals rather than insulators, and its discovery offers new insights into our understanding of the quantum world. The findings also hint at the existence of an entirely new type of quantum particle.

The discovery challenges a long-held distinction between metals and insulators, because in the established quantum theory of materials, insulators were not thought to be able to experience quantum oscillations.

If scientists' interpretations are correct, we are dealing with a fundamentally new form of quantum matter.

The observation of quantum oscillations has long been considered a hallmark of the difference between metals and insulators. In metals, electrons are highly mobile, and resistivity—the resistance to electrical conduction—is weak. Nearly a century ago, researchers observed that a magnetic field, coupled with very low temperatures, can cause electrons to shift from a "classical" state to a quantum state, causing oscillations in the metal's resistivity. In insulators, by contrast, electrons cannot move and the materials have very high resistivity, so quantum oscillations of this sort are not expected to occur, no matter the strength of magnetic field applied.

The discovery was made when the researchers were studying a material called tungsten ditelluride, which they made into a two-dimensional material. They prepared the material by using standard scotch tape to increasingly exfoliate, or "shave," the layers down to what is called a monolayer—a single atom-thin layer. Thick tungsten ditelluride behaves like a metal. But once it is converted to a monolayer, it becomes a very strong insulator.

This material has a lot of quantum properties.

 Pengjie Wang et al, Landau quantization and highly mobile fermions in an insulator, Nature (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03084-9

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-discovery-quantum-behavior-insulators...

Researchers develop oral insulin nanoparticles that could be an alternative to jabs

Scientists have developed insulin nanoparticles that may one day become the basis for an oral medicine, and an alternative to insulin injections for diabetic patients.
In a pre-clinical study, the scientist team fed insulin-containing nanoparticles to rats and found that insulin increased in their blood minutes later.
Insulin therapy is often an important part of treatment for diabetes, a metabolic disease that affects 422 million people globally .
Delivering insulin orally would be preferable over insulin jabs for patients because it causes less pain than jabs, and could thus lead to improved patient compliance. But oral dosage remains a challenge. As insulin is a protein, it gets broken down in the gastrointestinal tract before it can even reach the bloodstream to regulate blood glucose.
To overcome this challenge, the interdisciplinary team designed a nanoparticle loaded with insulin at the core, then coated with alternating layers of insulin and chitosan, a natural sugar. Dosing is achieved by controlling the number of layers in the nanoparticle.
Through lab experiments using cell cultures and rat models, the team demonstrated that this layer-by-layer coated nanoparticle is stable as it passes through the stomach into the small intestine with minimal insulin release, and is able to pass through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream.

 Yiming Zhang et al. Layer-by-layer coated nanoliposomes for oral delivery of insulin, Nanoscale (2020). DOI: 10.1039/D0NR06104B

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-oral-insulin-nanoparticles-alternativ...