Optimal information about the invisible

Laser beams can be used to precisely measure an object's position or velocity. Normally, however, a clear, unobstructed view of this object is required—and this prerequisite is not always satisfied. In biomedicine, for example, structures are examined, which are embedded in an irregular, complicated environment. There, the laser beam is deflected, scattered and refracted, often making it impossible to obtain useful data from the measurement.

Researchers have now been able to show that meaningful results can be obtained even in such complicated environments. Indeed, there is a way to specifically modify the laser beamso that it delivers exactly the desired information in the complex, disordered environment—and not just approximately, but in a physically optimal way: Nature does not allow for more precision with coherent laser light. The new technology can be used in very different fields of application, even with different types of waves, and has now been presented in the scientific journal Nature Physics.

Dorian Bouchet et al. Maximum information states for coherent scattering measurements, Nature Physics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-01137-4

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-optimal-invisible.html?utm_source=nwl...

Apple warns to keep iPhone 12, MagSafe accessories "safe distance" from medical devices

Apple is warning owners of the iPhone 12 and any MagSafe charging accessories to keep the gadgets at a "safe distance" from medical devices.

According to a support page on Apple's website updated Saturday, the tech giant advises owners keep medical devices at least 6 inches away from medical devices, or 12 inches if they are wirelessly charging.

The iPhone 12 as well as MagSafe, a line of accessories including cases built to make wirelessly charging the smartphones easier, contain magnets to help connect better. The smartphones also have "components and radios that emit electromagnetic fields."

The support page says devices like implanted pacemakers "might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact."

Apple suggests users get in touch with their doctor or the maker of their medical device to find out what type of impact the new iPhone or accessories might have.

A recent study in the Heart Rhythm journal tested the compatibility of the iPhone 12 with a patient who had a Medtronic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), which is used to manage cardiac rhythms. The study claimed when the iPhone was brought close to the ICD, "immediate suspension of ICD therapies was noted which persisted for the duration of the test."

https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT211900

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-apple-iphone-magsafe-accessorie...

The police used the emergency ping feature to locate a kidnapped woman and rescue her.

An Apple Watch helped the police track down a kidnapped woman in the US. Police in Selma, Texas were able to reportedly use the emergency SOS feature on Apple Watch to locate a kidnapped woman and rescue her. The Apple Watch offered accurate location data of the victim, thanks to which the police were able to rush to her. This isn't the first time the Apple Watch has been reported to have saved a life. A few months ago, the Apple Watch's heart monitoring feature helped a 25-year-old in detecting irregularity in his heartbeat and potentially saving his life.

https://gadgets.ndtv.com/wearables/news/apple-watch-helped-rescue-k...

Time-restricted eating 

When—not what—obese mice ate reduced breast cancer risk

Restricting eating to an eight-hour window, when activity is highest, decreased the risk of development, growth and metastasis of breast cancer in mouse models, report researchers.

The findings, published in the January 25, 2021 edition of Nature Communications, show that time-restricted feeding—a form of intermittent fasting aligned with circadian rhythms—improved metabolic health and tumor circadian rhythms in mice with obesity-driven postmenopausal breast cancer.

Previous research has shown that obesity increases the risk of a variety of cancers by negatively affecting how the body reacts to insulin levels and changing circadian rhythms. Now researchers were able to increase insulin sensivity, reduce hyperinsulinemia, restore circadian rhythms and reduce tumour growth by simply modifying when and for how long mice had access to food.

Both obesity and menopause can disrupt circadian rhythms, which in turn can lead to the development of insulin resistance, predisposing individuals to chronic diseases like cancer.

Data indicates that elevated insulin levels in obese mice are driving the accelerated tumor growth. Artificially elevating insulin levels accelerated tumor growth, whereas reducing insulin levels could mimic the effect of the time-restricted feeding. The results suggest that the antitumor effect of time-restricted feeding is due to improving metabolic health and lowering the levels of insulin.

Time-restricted eating has a positive effect on metabolic health and does not trigger the hunger and irritability that is associated with long-term fasting or calorie restriction," said Das. "Through its beneficial metabolic effects, time-restricted eating may also provide an inexpensive, easy to adopt, but effective strategy to prevent and inhibit breast cancer without requiring a change in diet or physical activity.

Manasi Das et al. Time-restricted feeding normalizes hyperinsulinemia to inhibit breast cancer in obese postmenopausal mouse models, Nature Communications (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20743-7

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-whennot-whatobese-mice-ate-b...

Microwaves used to deactivate coronavirus, flu, other aerosolized viruses

Studies indicate the COVID-19 virus may be contained in aerosols that can be generated and spread through breathing, coughing, sneezing, or talking by infected individuals. Researchers are increasingly focused on developing tools and methods to assist in decontaminating surfaces and spaces.

While scientists have previously explored the use of electromagnetic energy to deactivate flu virus in bulk fluids, less work has been done to understand the role of nonionizing radiation, such as microwaves, in reducing the infectivity of viral pathogens in aerosols. The tools required to both safely contain contaminated aerosol streams and expose these aerosols to controlled, well-characterized microwave doses have not been readily available.

In Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory report development of a set of experimental tools capable of presenting electromagnetic waves to an aerosol mixture of biological media and virus with the capability to vary power, energy, and frequency of the electromagnetic exposure. The researchers seek to better characterize the threshold levels of microwave energy needed to inactivate aerosolized viral particles and, thus, reduce their ability to spread infection.

In teh initial expts., 

researchers are exposing a human-safe coronavirus surrogate, bovine coronavirus, to a range of microwave waveforms at frequencies ranging from 2.8 GHz to 7.5 GHz.

"The bovine coronavirus is similar in size and configuration to human coronavirus but is safe to human.

"Apparatus for controlled microwave exposure of aerosolized pathogens" Review of Scientific Instruments, aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0032823

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-microwaves-deactivate-corona...

Discovery makes the invisible visible

Australian scientists have discovered a new way to analyze microscopic cells, tissues and other transparent specimens, through the improvement of an almost 100-year-old imaging technique.

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Supercomputers aid scientists studying the smallest particles in th...

Since the 1930s, scientists have been using particle accelerators to gain insights into the structure of matter and the laws of physics that govern our world. These accelerators are some of the most powerful experimental tools available, propelling particles to nearly the speed of light and then colliding them to allow physicists to study the resulting interactions and particles that form.

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Dogs synchronize their behavior with children, but not as much as w...

Dogs synchronize their behavior with the children in their family, but not as much as they do with adults, a new study from Oregon State University researchers found.

Physicists discover new physical effect

Scientists have found that a perpendicular magnetic field makes electrically neutral quasiparticles (excitons) in semiconductors behave like electrons in the Hall effect. This discovery will help researchers to study the physics of excitons and Bose-Einstein condensates.

The Hall effect can be achieved by applying a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the current flow of a semiconductor or a metal plate. In this case, all the electrons will deflect to one side, which will accumulate a negative charge, while the other side has a positive charge. This results in voltage between the right and left end faces of the plate.

physicists have recently discovered a similar effect but for excitons, composite neutral quasiparticles. It occurs when a laser affects a semiconductor plate of gallium arsenide, for example, in the presence of a magnetic field. The new phenomenon was called the anomalous exciton Hall effect.

"If you take a thin stripe of a semiconductor material and put it under a laser beam at the right angle, you'll create a directed flow of exciton gas. By applying a perpendicular magnetic field to this film, you will make the exciton cloud deflect to one side. And this is a complete analog of the Hall effect—but for neutrally charged composite quasiparticles.

This effect will help researchers separate bright and dark excitons. When exciton gas is formed, some excitons are able to emit light once the electron returns to its place. Such quasiparticles are called bright excitons. Other excitons disappear without light emission—these are dark excitons. Although it is especially difficult to study and obtain them because both types of quasiparticles are created simultaneously, the proposed method for separating bright excitons from dark ones will successfully resolve this issue.the discovered effect is unlikely to be as widely applied Hall effect technologies used in smartphones, but it may be highly valuable for scientists who study excitons. In particular, it will greatly simplify the study of such mind-blowing and complex states of matter as Bose-Einstein condensates.

 V. K. Kozin et al. Anomalous Exciton Hall Effect, Physical Review Letters (2021). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.036801

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-physicists-physical-effect.html?utm_s...

Exercising muscle combats chronic inflammation on its own

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated that human muscle has an innate ability to ward off the damaging effects of chronic inflammation when exercised. The discovery was made possible through the use of lab-grown, engineered human muscle, demonstrating the potential power of the first-of-its-kind platform in such research endeavors. The results appear online on January 22 in the journal Science Advances. 

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Exercising muscle combats chronic inflammation on its own

Exercising lab-grown human muscle autonomously blocks the damaging effects of interferon gamma

Biomedical engineers have demonstrated that human muscle has an innate ability to ward off damaging effects of chronic inflammation when exercised. The discovery was made possible through the use of lab-grown, engineered human muscle, demonstrating the potential power of the first-of-its-kind platform in such research endeavors.

Zhaowei Chen, Binjie Li, Ren-Zhi Zhan, Lingjun Rao, Nenad Bursac. Exercise Mimetics and JAK Inhibition Attenuate IFN-γ-induced Wasting in Engineered Human Skeletal Muscle. Science Advances, 2021 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.eabd9502

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210122140624.htm

https://researchnews.cc/news/4805/Exercising-muscle-combats-chronic...

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Technology could upend DNA sequencing for diagnosing certain DNA mu...

Doctors are increasingly using genetic signatures to diagnose diseases and determine the best course of care, but using DNA sequencing and other techniques to detect genomic rearrangements remains costly or limited in capabilities. However, an innovative breakthrough developed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Department of Physics promises to diagnose DNA rearrangement mutations at a fraction of the cost with improved accuracy.

Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer

The colons of African Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer.

Scientists found that one side of the colon ages biologically faster than the other in both African Americans and people of European descent. In African Americans, however, the right side ages significantly faster, explaining why African Americans are more likely to develop cancerous lesions on the right side and why they are more likely to suffer colorectal cancer at a younger age, the researchers say.

The researchers made this determination by looking at the DNA in colon tissue, and the “epigenetic” changes that come with age. These epigenetic changes are not alterations to the genes, but changes that affect how the genes work and how well they can do their jobs.

The scientists found that the right side of the colon in most African Americans had suffered a unique pattern of “hypermethylation,” affecting gene expression. It was, in essence, like the right side was old beyond its years. This, the researchers believe, could contribute to African Americans’ increased cancer risk and could explain why they are more likely to develop cancerous lesions on the right side.

The research could also explain why younger people of European descent are more likely to develop lesions on the left side – the side that tends to age faster in that group.

These findings highlight the importance of colon sidedness to biology of colorectal cancer.

https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/...

https://news.virginia.edu/content/strange-colon-discovery-explains-...

Wearing 2 Masks Is 'Common Sense'. Here's How to Do It Properly

US health officials have long been advising people to wear a cloth mask with three layers of protection, or a surgical or N95 mask, to protect against the novel coronavirus.

But some people, including many at the inauguration, have been doubling up on masks - layering them to create an extra barrier of protection.

It's a good idea, according to experts.

"If you have a physical covering with one layer, you put another layer on, it just makes common sense that it likely would be more effective.

How to double-mask

The type of mask you double up on will affect the level of protection it provides.

As Business Insider's Anna Medaris Miller previously reported, it's a good idea to use a surgical mask or an N95 in your layering.

For example, it's better to use a double-layered cloth mask for the outside layer and a disposable surgical mask for the inside, rather than using two single-layered masks together.

The three layers each serve an individual purpose: the outside layer protects against splashes and droplets, the middle layer filters, and the bottom layer absorbs things like saliva and sweat.

Another way to double layer could be using a two-layered cloth mask with a face shield on top, though there is some evidence that masks may be more protective than shields.

Double layering doesn't mean you should let your guard down. Public health officials say the general public should still use social distancing practices, wash their hands regularly, and avoid gathering indoors.

https://www.sciencealert.com/fauci-says-wearing-2-masks-is-common-s...

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/fauci-said-it-is-common...

Cell death shines a light on the origins of complex life

Organelles continue to thrive after the cells within which they exist die, a team of scientists have found, overturning previous assumptions that organelles decay too quickly to be fossilized.

Researchers from  were able to document the decay process of eukaryotic algal cells, showing that nuclei, chloroplasts and pyrenoids (organelles found within chloroplasts) can persist for weeks and months after cell death in eukaryote cells, long enough to be preserved as fossils.

The research found that organelles don't decay immediately after cell death, but actually take many weeks to dissolve. The results of these experiments shed light on the controversial fossils of early complex life that include structures within the cells.

The structures in Shuiyousphaeridium, a fossil from 1,700 million years ago, closely resemble nuclei. This interpretation has previously been dismissed because of the assumed rapid decay of nuclei. the new decay experiments have shown that nuclei can persist for several weeks, meaning the structures in Shuiyousphaeridium are likely to be nuclei.

By revealing the decay patterns of organelles, the study's authors say they can demonstrate the presence of complex life to 1,700 million years ago, helping to elucidate their evolutionary history with greater precision and clarity.

"Experimental taphonomy of organelles and the fossil record of early eukaryote evolution" Sciences Advances, advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abe9487

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-cell-death-complex-life.html?utm_sour...

On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows

New research indicates that our planet's celestial companion impacts something else entirely—our sleep.

Scientists report that sleep cycles in people oscillate during the 29.5-day lunar cycle: In the days leading up to a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time. The research team, led by UW professor of biology Horacio de la Iglesia, observed these variations in both the time of sleep onset and the duration of sleep in urban and rural settings—from Indigenous communities in northern Argentina to college students in Seattle, a city of more than 750,000. They saw the oscillations regardless of an individual's access to electricity, though the variations are less pronounced in individuals living in urban environments.

The pattern's ubiquity may indicate that our natural circadian rhythms are somehow synchronized with—or entrained to—the phases of the lunar cycle. And although the effect is more robust in communities without access to electricity, the effect is present in communities with electricity.

How phases of the moon can affect your sleep

L. Casiraghi el al., "Moonstruck sleep: Synchronization of human sleep with the moon cycle under field conditions," Science Advances (2021). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abe0465

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-nights-full-moon-people-bed.html?utm_...

Electronic Tattoo - Science of Innovation

Electronic transfer tattoo with a crease amplification effect

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-electronic-tattoo-crease-amplif...

How heavy is dark matter? Scientists radically narrow the potential mass range for the first time

Scientists have calculated the mass range for Dark Matter—and it's tighter than the science world thought.

The findings—due to be published in Physics Letters B in March—radically narrow the range of potential masses for Dark Matter particles, and help to focus the search for future Dark Matter-hunters. The  researchers used the established fact that gravity acts on Dark Matter just as it acts on the visible universe to work out the lower and upper limits of Dark Matter's mass.

The results show that Dark Matter cannot be either 'ultra-light' or 'super-heavy', as some have theorized, unless an as-yet undiscovered force also acts upon it.

The team used the assumption that the only force acting on Dark Matter is gravity, and calculated that Dark Matter particles must have a mass between 10^-3 eV and 10⁷ eV. That's a much tighter range than the 10^-24 eV—10¹⁹ GeV spectrum which is generally theorized.

What makes the discovery even more significant is that if it turns out that the mass of Dark Matter is outside of the range predicted by the Sussex team, then it will also prove that an additional force—as well as gravity—acts on Dark Matter.

This is the first time that anyone has thought to use what we know about quantum gravity as a way to calculate the mass range for Dark Matter.

 Xavier Calmet et al, Theoretical bounds on dark matter masses, Physics Letters B (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.physletb.2021.136068

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-heavy-dark-scientists-radically-narro...

World's largest opinion survey on climate change: Majority call for wide-ranging action

The results of the Peoples' Climate Vote, the world's biggest ever survey of public opinion on climate change are published yesterday (27/1/2021). Covering 50 countries with over half of the world's population, the survey includes over half a million people under the age of 18, a key constituency on climate change that is typically unable to vote yet in regular elections. 

Results show that people often want broad climate policies beyond the current state of play. For example, in eight of the ten survey countries with the highest emissions from the power sector, majorities backed more renewable energy. In four out of the five countries with the highest emissions from land-use change and enough data on policy preferences, there was majority support for conserving forests and land. Nine out of ten of the countries with the most urbanized populations backed more use of clean electric cars and buses, or bicycles.

https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2021/Wor...

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-world-largest-opinion-survey-climate....

Purported phosphine on Venus more likely to be ordinary sulfur diox...

In September, a team led by astronomers in the United Kingdom announced that they had detected the chemical phosphine in the thick clouds of Venus. The team's reported detection, based on observations by two Earth-based radio telescopes, surprised many Venus experts. Earth's atmosphere contains small amounts of phosphine, which may be produced by life. Phosphine on Venus generated buzz that the planet, often succinctly touted as a "hellscape," could somehow harbor life within its acidic clouds.

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Researchers realizing the limitless possibilities of wearable elect...

Benoît Lessard and his team are developing carbon-based technologies which could lead to improved flexible phone displays, make robotic skin more sensitive and allow for wearable electronics that could monitor the physical health of athletes in real-time.

First evidence that water can be created on the lunar surface by Earth's magnetosphere

Before the Apollo era, the moon was thought to be dry as a desert due to the extreme temperatures and harshness of the space environment. Many studies have since discovered lunar water: ice in shadowed polar craters, water bound in volcanic rocks, and unexpected rusty iron deposits in the lunar soil. Despite these findings, there is still no true confirmation of the extent or origin of lunar surface water.

The prevailing theory is that positively charged hydrogen ions propelled by the solar wind bombard the lunar surface and spontaneously react to make water (as hydroxyl (OH^-) and molecular (H₂O)). However, a new multinational study published in Astrophysical Journal Letters proposes that solar wind may not be the only source of water-forming ions. The researchers show that particles from Earth can seed the moon with water, as well, implying that other planets could also contribute water to their satellites.

Earth wind as a possible source of lunar surface hydration. arxiv.org/abs/1903.04095

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-evidence-lunar-surface-earth-magnetos...

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Though the solar wind is a likely source for lunar surface water, computer models predict that up to half of it should evaporate and disappear at high-latitude regions during the approximately three days of the full moon when it passes within Earth's magnetosphere.

Drugs used to treat HIV and flu can have detrimental impact on crops

The increased global use of antiviral and antiretroviral medication could have a detrimental impact on crops and potentially heighten resistance to their effects, new research has suggested.

Researchers develop smartphone-based COVID-19 test that delivers results in about 10 minutes

Researchers at the University of Arizona are developing a COVID-19 testing method that uses a smartphone microscope to analyze saliva samples and deliver results in about 10 minutes.

The research team aims to combine the speed of existing nasal swab antigen tests with the high accuracy of nasal swab PCR, or polymerase chain reaction, tests. The researchers are adapting an inexpensive method that they originally created to detect norovirus—the microbe famous for spreading on cruise ships—using a smartphone microscope.

Nature Protocols (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-00460-7

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-smartphone-based-covid-resul...

Specific bacteria in the gut prompt mother mice to neglect their pups

As scientists learn more about the microorganisms that colonize the body—collectively called the microbiota—one area of intense interest is the effect that these microbes can have on the brain. A new study led by Salk Institute scientists has identified a strain of E. coli bacteria that, when living in the guts of female mice, causes them to neglect their offspring.

The findings show  a direct link between a particular microbe and maternal behavior. Although the research was done in mice, it adds to the growing body of science demonstrating that microbes in the gut are important for brain health and can affect development and behaviour.

 this is the first demonstration that the intestinal microbiota is important for promoting healthy maternal behavior and bonding between mom and offspring in an animal model.

 It is  difficult to study how individual strains of bacteria exert their influence on human behaviour, a connection often called the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

This study study provides an unprecedented understanding of how the intestinal microbiota can disrupt maternal behavior and how this can negatively impact development of an offspring.

Microbiota control of maternal behavior regulates early postnatal growth of offspring, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe6563 , advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/5/eabe6563

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-specific-bacteria-gut-prompt-mother.h...

'Weak' and 'strong' cells bonding boosts body's diabetes fight

Scientists have broadened our understanding of how 'weak' cells bond with their more mature cellular counterparts to boost the body's production of insulin, improving our knowledge of the processes leading to type 2 diabetes—a significant global health problem.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs when β-cells cannot release enough insulin—a tightly controlled process requiring hundreds of such cells clustered together to co-ordinate their response to signals from food, such as sugar, fat and gut hormones.

Now an international research team have discovered that immature β-cells (PDX1LOW/MAFALOW) are able to overcome their relative deficiencies by partnering with 'stronger' counterparts to drive insulin release.  The researchers reveal that subtle differences in the levels of PDX1 and MAFA proteins (found only in β-cells) , and more broadly, differences in β-cell maturity, contribute to how clusters of insulin-producing cells, known as islets, function. 

The study shows that differences in β-cell maturity, defined using PDX1 and MAFA levels, are needed across the islet for proper insulin release. Unexpectedly, increases in the proportion of mature β-cells, is associated with islet failure. It seems that, rather like society, the islet needs cells with all ages to be properly functional.

Redressing the balance between immature and mature β-cells restores islet function under conditions of metabolic stress—an excess of sugar and fat in the diet—providing evidence that both 'weak' and 'strong' β-cells could contribute to proper islet function and insulin release.

"This is the first glimpse that immature cells might contribute to the regulation of insulin release across the islet. The study indicates a promising line of investigation that could be leveraged to make islets more resilient during type 2 diabetes or when generating new islets in a 'dish' for the purpose of transplantation."

'PDX1LOW MAFALOW β-cells contribute to islet function and insulin release' Daniela Nasteska, Nicholas H. F. Fine, Fiona B. Ashford, Federica Cuozzo, Katrina Viloria, Gabrielle Smith, Aisha Dahir, Peter W. J. Dawson, Yu-Chiang Lai, Aimée Bastidas-Ponce, Mostafa Bakhti, Guy A. Rutter, Remi Fiancette, Rita Nano, Lorenzo Piemonti, Heiko Lickert, Qiao Zhou, Ildem Akerman and David J. Hodson is published in Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20632-z

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-weak-strong-cells-bonding-bo...

Threads that sense how and when you move? New technology makes it possible

Engineers at Tufts University have created and demonstrated flexible thread-based sensors that can measure movement of the neck, providing data on the direction, angle of rotation and degree of displacement of the head. The discovery raises the potential for thin, inconspicuous tatoo-like patches that could, according to the Tufts team, measure athletic performance, monitor worker or driver fatigue, assist with physical therapy, enhance virtual reality games and systems, and improve computer generated imagery in cinematography. The technology, described today in Scientific Reports, adds to a growing number of thread-based sensors developed by Tufts engineers that can be woven into textiles, measuring gases and chemicals in the environment or metabolites in sweat.

Scientific Reports (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81284-7

https://techxplore.com/news/2021-01-threads-technology.html?utm_sou...

A potentially safer, more effective gene therapy vector for blood disorders

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have developed a gene therapy vector for blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia that is potentially safer and more effective than those currently used in gene therapy trials for those conditions. The vector, an engineered vehicle for delivering functional copies of the hemoglobin gene to correct a genetic abnormality, leads to the production of more hemoglobin with a lower dose, minimizing the risk of toxic side effects.

Breda L, Ghiaccio V, Tanaka N, Jarocha D, Ikawa Y, Abdulmalik O, Dong A, Casu C, Raabe TD, Shan X, Danet-Desnoyers GA, Doto AM, Everett J, Bushman FD, Radaelli E, Assenmacher CA, Tarrant JC, Hoepp N, Guzikowski V, Smith-Whitley K, Kwiatkowski JL, and Rivella S. "Lentiviral vector ALS20 yields high hemoglobin levels with low genomic integrations for treatment of beta-globinopathies," Molecular Therapy, online January 29, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.12.036

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-potentially-safer-effective-...

'Organs-on-a-chip' system sheds light on how bacteria in the human digestive tract may influence neurological diseases

In many ways, our brain and our digestive tract are deeply connected. Feeling nervous may lead to physical pain in the stomach, while hunger signals from the gut make us feel irritable. Recent studies have even suggested that the bacteria living in our gut can influence some neurological diseases.

Modeling these complex interactions in animals such as mice is difficult to do, because their physiology is very different from humans'. To help researchers better understand the gut-brain axis, MIT researchers have developed an "organs-on-a-chip" system that replicates interactions between the brain, liver, and colon.

Using that system, the researchers were able to model the influence that microbes living in the gut have on both healthy brain tissue and tissue samples derived from patients with Parkinson's disease. They found that short-chain fatty acids, which are produced by microbes in the gut and are transported to the brain, can have very different effects on healthy and diseased brain cells.

"While short-chain fatty acids are largely beneficial to human health, it 's observed that under certain conditions they can further exacerbate certain brain pathologies, such as protein misfolding and neuronal death, related to Parkinson's disease.

The brain has many interactions with the digestive tract, which can occur via the enteric nervous system or through the circulation of immune cells, nutrients, and hormones between organs.

"Human hysiomimetic model integrating microphysiological systems of the gut, liver and brain for studies of neurodegenerative diseases" Science Advances (2021). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abd1707

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-01-organs-on-a-chip-bacteria-hu...

By changing their shape, some bacteria can grow more resilient to antibiotics

New research demonstrates how certain types of bacteria can adapt to long-term exposure to antibiotics by changing their shape. The work was published in the journal Nature Physics.

Adaptation is a fundamental biological process driving organisms to change their traits and behaviour to better fit their environment. While antibiotics have long helped people prevent and cure bacterial infections, many species of bacteria have increasingly been able to adapt to resist antibiotic treatments.

When exposed to less than lethal doses of the antibiotic chloramphenicol over multiple generations, the researchers found that the bacteria dramatically changed their shape by becoming wider and more curved.

These shape changes enable bacteria to overcome the stress of antibiotics and resume fast growth. 

The researchers came to this conclusion by developing a theoretical model to show how these physical changes allow the bacteria to attain a higher curvature and lower surface-to-volume ratio, which would allow fewer antibiotic particles to pass through their cellular surfaces as they grow.

This insight is of great consequence to human health and will likely stimulate numerous further molecular studies into the role of cell shape on bacterial growth and antibiotic resistance.

Shiladitya Banerjee et al. Mechanical feedback promotes bacterial adaptation to antibiotics, Nature Physics (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41567-020-01079-x

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-bacteria-resilient-antibiotics.html?u...

Dewdrops on a spiderweb reveal the physics behind cell structures

As any cook knows, some liquids mix well with each other, but others do not. For example, when a tablespoon of vinegar is poured into water, a brief stir suffices to thoroughly combine the two liquids. However, a tablespoon of oil poured into water will coalesce into droplets that no amount of stirring can dissolve. The physics that governs the mixing of liquids is not limited to mixing bowls; it also affects the behavior of things inside cells. It's been known for several years that some proteins behave like liquids, and that some liquid-like proteins don't mix together. However, very little is known about how these liquid-like proteins behave on cellular surfaces.

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How vitamins, steroids and potential antivirals might affect SARS-C...

Evidence is emerging that vitamin D—and possibly vitamins K and A—might help combat COVID-19. A new study from the University of Bristol published in the journal of the German Chemical Society Angewandte Chemie has shown how they—and other antiviral drugs—might work. The research indicates that these dietary supplements and compounds could bind to the viral spike protein and so might reduce SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. In contrast, cholesterol may increase infectivity, which could explain why having high cholesterol is considered a risk factor for serious disease.

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It's elemental: Ultra-trace detector tests gold purity

Unless radon gas is discovered in a home inspection, most people remain blissfully unaware that rocks like granite, metal ores, and some soils contain naturally occurring sources of radiation. In most cases, low levels of radiation are not a health concern. But some scientists and engineers are concerned about even trace levels of radiation, which can wreak havoc on sensitive equipment. The semiconductor industry, for instance, spends billions each year to source and "scrub" ultra-trace levels of radioactive materials from microchips, transistors and sensitive sensors.

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How lipids distribute proteins within cells

Researchers have observed how lipids distribute proteins within cells, a discovery that could open the door to understanding the causes of protein transport related diseases, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases.

Accurate drug dosages with proton traps

Researchers have developed a proton trap that makes organic electronic ion pumps more precise when delivering drugs. The new technique may reduce drug side effects, and in the long term, ion pumps may help patients with symptoms of neurological diseases for which effective treatments are not available. The results have been published in Science Advances.

Currently available drug delivery methods—mainly tablets and injections—place the drug in locations where it is not required. This can lead to side effects that harm the patient.

Researchers are trying to control this. Recent discovery in this regard is a proton trap that makes the amount delivered even more precise.

"An electronic proton-trapping ion pump for selective drug delivery" Science Advances, advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abd8738

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-accurate-drug-dosages-proton.html?utm...

New technology to detect bitter almonds in real time

Who hasn't at some point been chewing on an almond and tasted an unpleasant and unexpected aftertaste that has nothing to do with the taste we are used to from one of the most consumed nuts in the world? The culprit has a name: amygdalin, a diglucoside that, when in contact with enzymes present in saliva, breaks down into glucose, benzaldehyde (the cause of the bitter taste) and hydrogen cyanide.

To reduce this unpleasant ''surprise," researchers have developed a method that can predict levels of the abovementioned amygdalin present in the nuts analyzed both with and without shells, as well as correctly classify sweet almonds and bitter ones on an industrial scale, something that has only been done with shelled nuts, individual kernels or ground nuts to date.

The new system uses portable equipment based on near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology, which can analyze large amounts of a product in situ in real time, without having to go into a lab. This technological application is "of great interest to the farming sector.

This technology is especially useful in the early detection of possible fraud and in food authentication.

Miguel Vega-Castellote et al, Exploring the potential of NIRS technology for the in situ prediction of amygdalin content and classification by bitterness of in-shell and shelled intact almonds, Journal of Food Engineering (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2020.110406

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-technology-bitter-almonds-real.html?u...

Genes that dance to the circadian rhythm

Scientists  have made breakthrough discoveries on the circadian clock and how it affects gene expression. Some of the findings suggest a biological underpinning for different behaviors in people, such as morning people, nappers, evening people, night owls etc.

The study of circadian rhythms has grown into its own field: chronobiology. And given that a person's circadian rhythm seems to dictate when certain drugs must be taken in order to maximize their effects, a new branch of medicine has also emerged recently: chronopharmacology.

 Now scientists have carried out an extensive study using Drosophila to study how different genes in various tissues of the animal are regulated so that they "know" when to turn on and off during the course of a day, i.e. in function of the circadian clock.

The study revealed three major points about the circadian rhythm.

First, the scientists detected more than 1700 genes whose expression cycles under the control of the circadian clock, with only fourteen of those genes being the same across all tissues in the fruit fly.

"At least two of these fourteen were so far uncharacterized and significantly impact several locomotor activity rhythms parameters.

Second, that each individual may have its own circadian rhythm, which may explain the large range of human behaviors, such as morning people, nappers, evening people, night owls etc.

The physiological clock in about a third of Drosophila lines significantly deviates from the "natural" time by more than three hours. And most of the lines showed a circadian expression variation only in one or two tissues.

There seems to be an abundant, natural circadian asynchrony in molecular circadian rhythms between various tissues, which has to our knowledge not been observed before and which may have all kinds of physiological consequences in metabolic patterns, digestive fluctuations etc.

Finally, that a small genetic mutation can disrupt an individual's "photoentrainment," which refers to the aligning of the circadian rhythm to the pattern of light and dark in its environment.

"Extensive tissue-specific expression variation and novel regulators underlying circadian behavior" Science Advances, advances.sciencemag.org/lookup … .1126/sciadv.abc3781

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-genes-circadian-rhythm.html?utm_sourc...

India's vaccine production capacity is best asset world has today, says UN chief

Calling for India to play a major role in global vaccination campaign, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently termed the vaccine production capacity of India as the "best asset" that the world has today.

India has gifted over 55 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine to neighbouring countries. India plans to gift vaccines doses to Oman, CARICOM countries, Nicaragua, Pacific Island states.

New Delhi plans to supply 1 crore or 10 million vaccine doses to Africa and 10 lakh to United Nations health workers under GAVI's (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) COVAX facility.

There is interest in many countries to access vaccine from India. India leads in democratisation of vaccines supplying to poor and developing countries unlike developed  countries.

From 20th January 2021 onward, India has gifted over 55 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccines to our neighbouring countries and in the extended neighbourhood--1.5 lakh to Bhutan, 1 lakh to Maldives, Mauritius and Bahrain, 10 lakhs to Nepal, 20 lakhs to Bangladesh, 15 lakhs to Myanmar, 50,000 to Seychelles, 5 lakh to Sri Lanka. In the coming days, it plans to gift further quantity to Oman that is of 1 lakh doses, 5 lakh doses to CARICOM countries. 2 lakh to Nicaragua, 2 lakh doses to the Pacific island state.

It also plans to commercially export coronavirus vaccine to Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Canada, Mongolia and other countries.

https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/indias-va...

Scientists jump-start two people's brains after coma

In 2016, a team of researchers reported that a 25-year-old man recovering from a coma had made remarkable progress following a treatment to jump-start his brain using ultrasound.

Now they report that two more patients with severe brain injuries — both had been in what scientists call a long-term “minimally conscious state” — have made impressive progress thanks to the same technique. The results are published online in the journal Brain Stimulation.

The paper notes that, of three people who received the treatment, one — a 58-year-old man who had been in a car accident five-and-a-half years prior to treatment and was minimally conscious — did not benefit. However, the other two did.

One is a 56-year-old man who had suffered a stroke and had been in a minimally conscious state, unable to communicate, for more than 14 months. After the first of two treatments, he demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to consistently respond to two distinct commands — the ability to drop or grasp a ball, and the ability to look toward separate photographs of two of his relatives when their names were mentioned.

He also could nod or shake his head to indicate “yes” or “no” when asked questions such as “Is X your name?” and “Is Y your wife’s name?” In the days following the second treatment, he also demonstrated, for the first time since the stroke, the ability to use a pen on paper and to raise a bottle to his mouth, as well as to communicate and answer questions.

These behaviors are diagnostic markers of emergence from a disorder of consciousness.

The other patient who improved is a 50-year-old woman who had been in even less of a conscious state for more than two-and-a-half years following cardiac arrest. In the days after the first treatment, she was able, for the first time in years, according to her family, to recognize a pencil, a comb and other objects.

Both patients showed the ability to understand speech. What is remarkable is that both exhibited meaningful responses within just a few days of the intervention.

The scientists used a technique called low-intensity focused ultrasound, which uses sonic stimulation to excite the neurons in the thalamus, an egg-shaped structure that serves as the brain’s central hub for processing. After a coma, thalamus function is typically weakened. Doctors use a device about the size of a saucer creates a small sphere of acoustic energy they can aim at different brain regions to excite brain tissue. The researchers placed the device by the side of each patient’s head and activated it 10 times for 30 seconds each in a 10-minute period. Each patient underwent two sessions, one week apart.

The treatment appears to be well tolerated; the researchers saw no changes to the patients’ blood pressure, heart rate or blood oxygen levels, and no other adverse events.

While the scientists are excited by the results, they emphasize that the technique is still experimental and likely will not be available to the public for at least a few years. 

https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(21)00009-7/fulltext

https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-scientists-jump-start-brain...

https://researchnews.cc/news/4841/Scientists-jump-start-two-people-...

Major discovery helps explain coral bleaching

Corals, like all animals, must eat to live. The problem is that most corals grow in tropical waters that are poor in nutrients, sort of like ocean deserts; it’s this lack of nutrients that makes the water around coral reefs so crystal clear. Because food is not readily available, corals have developed a remarkable feeding mechanism that involves a symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae. These algae grow inside the corals, using the coral tissue as shelter and absorbing the CO2 that the corals produce. In exchange, the algae provide corals with nutrients they produce through photosynthesis. These algae contain a variety of pigments, which give the coral reefs the colors they’re known for.

Over the past 35 years, tropical oceans have experienced multiple major heat waves. Scientists have observed that during these episodes, the algae – stressed by the warmer temperatures – release compounds that are toxic to the coral, prompting the coral to expel the algae from their tissue. That means the corals lose their color and their primary food source, and then begin to starve. This is the process of coral bleaching. And it has been occurring more and more frequently, threatening the survival of many reefs, including Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Bleached corals do not necessarily die; their symbiotic algae population can be reestablished if the conditions around a reef return to normal. But if the heat persists, or is aggravated by other factors like pollution, the coral becomes too weak to survive.

In a paper published in the prestigious PNAS on 26 January, an international team of scientists  reveals a major discovery related to how the symbiotic relationship ends between the coral and algae.  Theyshowed for the first time that the coral starts to suffer from hunger long before the algae are expelled. The algae apparently stop providing sufficient nutrients while they are still inside the coral tissue.

Scientists already knew that ocean warming is the main factor causing the symbiotic relationship to break down. But what the team now discovered was that the coral is already in a stressed state and lacking nutrients even before the algae begin releasing toxic compounds. The roots of the problem are much deeper than the scientists thought, and they involve an early breakdown of the metabolic exchanges in these fascinating organisms.

Based on these findings, researchers can determine which environmental conditions other than temperature (such as water quality) stress the corals in a reef, and use this information to predict whether the reef will bleach.

"Heat stress destabilizes symbiotic nutrient cycling in corals". Nils Rädecker, Claudia Pogoreutz, Hagen M. Gegner, Anny Cardenas, Florian Roth, Jeremy Bougoure, Paul Guagliardo, Christian Wild, Mathieu Pernice, Jean-Baptiste Raina, Anders Meibom, Christian R. Voolstra. PNAS, 26 January 2021.

https://actu.epfl.ch/news/major-discovery-helps-explain-coral-bleac...

Scientists use a novel ink to 3D print ‘bone’ with living cells

A protein that can melt tumors discovered at Vanderbilt
 For the second time, cancer researchers at Vanderbilt have discovered a protein that when genetically manipulated to impede it from interacting with a gene responsible for cancer genesis effectively melts tumors in days. The article, MYC regulates ribosome biogenesis and mitochondrial gene expression programs through interaction with Host Cell Factor-1, was published in the journal eLIFE on Jan. 8.

https://researchnews.cc/news/4842/A-protein-that-can-melt-tumors-di...

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Wireless linkage of brains may soon go to human testing

The physics behind tumor growth

Researchers at Duke University have developed a predictive theory for tumor growth that approaches the subject from a new point of view. Rather than focusing on the biological mechanisms of cellular growth, the researchers instead use thermodynamics and the physical space the tumor is expanding into to predict its evolution from a single cell to a complex cancerous mass.

The results appeared Jan. 15 in the journal Biosystems.

The new work is based on the constructal law, which Bejan penned in 1996, that states that for a system to survive, it must evolve to increase its access to flow. For example, the human vascular system has evolved to provide blood flow through a network of a few large arteries and many small capillaries. River systems, tree branches and modern highway and road networks all reflect the same forces at work.

In the paper researchers demonstrate how a tumor’s growth and internal reorganization as it grows are directly tied to its need to create greater access to flowing nutrients as well as conduits for removing refuse. They use these insights to predict the growth of cell clusters as a function of structure, and also to predict the critical cluster sizes that mark the transitions from one distinct configuration to the next.

To validate their theory, the researchers compared their predictions with the measurements of several independent studies of cancerous and non-cancerous tumor growth patterns. The results show that their work provides a unifying perspective on the growth of cell clusters on the smallest scales as well as the large-scale dynamics of proliferating cells as described in phenomenological models.

As the tumor grows, the flow systems get large enough to create visible currents through the vascularization of the tumor. The new theory reveals the physics behind these sorts of dramatic transitions and predict when they should happen.

https://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/physics-tumor-growth

“Cell and Extracellular Matrix Growth Theory and its Implications for Tumorigenesis,” T.J. Sauer, E. Samei, A. Bejan. Biosystems, Jan. 15, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2020.104331

Geological phenomenon widening the Atlantic Ocean

An upsurge of matter from deep beneath the Earth's crust could be pushing the continents of North and South America further apart from Europe and Africa, new research has found.

The plates attached to the Americas are moving apart from those attached to Europe and Africa by four centimetres per year. In between these continents lies the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a site where new plates are formed and a dividing line between plates moving to the west and those moving to the east; beneath this ridge, material rises to replace the space left by the plates as they move apart.

Now a team of  seismologists  have found evidence of an upwelling in the mantle—the material between the Earth's crust and its core—from depths of more than 600 kilometres beneath the Mid Atlantic ridge, which could be pushing the plates from below, causing the continents to move further apart. Upwellings beneath ridges are typically thought to originate from much shallower depths of around 60 km.

The findings, published in the journal Nature provide a greater understanding of plate tectonics which causes many natural disasters around the world, including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions.

A thin mantle transition zone beneath the equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Nature (2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03139-x , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03139-x

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-geological-phenomenon-widening-atlant...

Mouse study: Gabapentin prevents harmful structural changes in spin...

Research led by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine found that the widely prescribed pain-relief drug gabapentin can prevent harmful structural changes in the injured spinal cords of mice, and also block cardiovascular changes and immune suppression caused by spinal cord injury.

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Study provides insight into how the brain may have evolved

Researchers from The University of Western Australia have uncovered evidence of an important genetic step in the evolution of the brain. The finding highlights how genetic events that took place in our fish-like ancestors play crucial roles in human brain biology today.

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How vitamins, steroids and potential antivirals might affect SARS-C...

Evidence is emerging that vitamin D—and possibly vitamins K and A—might help combat COVID-19. A new study from the University of Bristol published in the journal of the German Chemical Society Angewandte Chemie has shown how they—and other antiviral drugs—might work. The research indicates that these dietary supplements and compounds could bind to the viral spike protein and so might reduce SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. In contrast, cholesterol may increase infectivity, which could explain why having high cholesterol is considered a risk factor for serious disease.

Using science to explain the mysterious Dyatlov Pass Incident

Physics of snakeskin sheds light on sidewinding

Most snakes get from one place  to another by bending their bodies into S-shapes and slithering forward headfirst. A few species, however—found in the deserts of North America, Africa and the Middle East—have an odder way of getting around. Known as "sidewinders," these snakes lead with their mid-sections instead of their heads, slinking sideways across loose sand.

Scientists took a microscopic look at the skin of sidewinders to see if it plays a role in their unique method of movement. They discovered that sidewinders' bellies are studded with tiny pits and have few, if any, of the tiny spikes found on the bellies of other snakes.

The specialized locomotion of sidewinders evolved independently in different species in different parts of the world, suggesting that sidewinding is a good solution to a problem. Understanding how and why this example of convergent evolution works may allow us to adapt it for our own needs, such as building robots that can move in challenging environments.

This research bring together the physics of soft matter—flowable materials like sand—and organismal biology. The study shows how animals' surfaces interact with the flowable materials in their environments to get around. Insights from the research may lead to improvements in human technology.

Most snakes tend to keep their bellies largely in contact with the ground as they slide forward, bending their bodies from their heads to their tails. A sidewinder, however, lifts its midsection off the ground, shifting it in a sideways direction.

Previous studies have hypothesized that sidewinding may allow a snake to move better on sandy slopes.

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investigated whether sidewinders' skin might also play a role in their unique movement style.

They focused on three species of sidewinders, all of them vipers, in residence at zoos: The sidewinder rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes), found in the deserts of the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico; and the Saharan horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) and the Saharan sand viper (Cerastes vipera), both from the deserts of north Africa.

Skins shed from the sidewinders were collected and scanned with atomic force microscopy, a technique that provides resolution at the atomic level, on the order of fractions of a nanometer. For comparison, they also scanned snake skins shed from non-sidewinders.

As expected, the microscopy revealed tiny, head-to-tail pointing spikes on the skin of the non-sidewinders. Previous research had identified these micro spikes on a variety of other slithering snakes.

The current study, however, found that the skin of sidewinders is different. The two African sidewinders had micro pits on their bellies and no spikes. The skin of the sidewinder rattlesnake was also studded with tiny pits, along with a few, much smaller, spikes—although far fewer spikes than those of the slithering snakes.

The researchers created a mathematical model to test how these different structures affect frictional interactions with a surface. The model showed that head-to-tail pointing spikes enhance the speed and distance of forward undulation but are detrimental to sidewinding.

The model also showed that the uniform, non-directional structure of the round pits enhanced sidewinding, but was not as efficient as spikes for forward undulation.

The research provides snapshots at different points in time of convergent evolution—when different species independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments.

Jennifer M. Rieser el al., "Functional consequences of convergently evolved microscopic skin features on snake locomotion," PNAS (2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2018264118

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-physics-snakeskin-sidewinding.html?ut...

Marine organisms use previously undiscovered receptors to detect, respond to light

Just as plants and animals on land are keenly attuned to the hours of sunlight in the day, life in the oceans follows the rhythms of the day, the seasons and even the moon. A new study finds the biological light switches that make this possible.

Single-celled organisms in the open ocean use a diverse array of genetic tools to detect light, even in tiny amounts, and respond.

If you look in the ocean environment, all these different organisms have this day-night cycle. They are very in tune with each other, even as they get moved around. How do they know when it's day? How do they know when it's night?

By analyzing RNA filtered out of seawater samples collected throughout the day and night, the study identifies four main groups of photoreceptors, many of them new. This genetic activity uses light to trigger changes in the metabolism, growth, cell division, movements and death of marine organisms.

The discovery of these new genetic "light switches" could also aid in the field of optogenetics, in which a cell's function can be controlled with light exposure. Today's optogenetic tools are engineered by humans, but versions from nature might be more sensitive or better detect light of particular wavelengths, the researchers think.

Sacha N. Coesel el al., "Diel transcriptional oscillations of light-sensitive regulatory elements in open-ocean eukaryotic plankton communities," PNAS (2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2011038118

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-marine-previously-undiscovered-recept...

Lactobacillus manipulates bile acids to create favorable gut environment

New research  reveals that probiotic Lactobacillus bacteria use enzymes situationally to manipulate bile acids and promote their own survival in the gut. These findings further elucidate the complicated relationship between bile acids and gut bacteria and could eventually enable researchers to design lactobacilli with therapeutic properties, thereby engineering a healthier human gut environment.

Bile acids are key players in digestion and overall gut health. Produced in the liver and released after we eat, these acids not only break down cholesterol and help regulate fat absorption, they also have a huge impact on what types of bacteria colonize the gut.

As bile acids move through the gut, they are initially chemically modified through the addition of an amino acid (frequently glycine or taurine), creating a complex "conjugated" bile acid pool. Some gut bacteria have enzymes, called bile salt hydrolases (BSHs), which can cleave or "deconjugate" these amino acids from the bile acids, allowing other bacteria to further transform the bile acids as they continue through the colon. These transformations affect the bile acids' toxicity, which in turn affects the ability of different bacteria to survive in the gut.

The assumed relationship was that probiotic bacteria like Lactobacillus have BSHs that just deconjugate the bile acid, rendering it less toxic and allowing the bacteria to survive.

The interplay between bile and bacteria has a huge impact on their ability to live, thrive or die in a very competitive environment.

 Matthew H. Foley el al., "Lactobacillus bile salt hydrolase substrate specificity governs bacterial fitness and host colonization," PNAS (2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2017709118

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It was found that bile acid toxicity was not merely dependent upon whether the bile acid was conjugated or deconjugated by a BSH; rather, the relationships were dependent upon the type of bile acid, the bacteria being acted upon, and which BSH was present.

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-lactobacillus-bile-acids-favorable-gu...

Virtual conference CO2 emissions quantified in new study

The virtual conferencing that has replaced large, in-person gatherings in the age of COVID-19 represents a drastic reduction in carbon emissions, but those online meetings still come with their own environmental costs, new research from the University of Michigan shows.

The research offers a framework for analyzing and tallying the carbon emissions of an online conference based on factors that include everything from energy used by servers and monitors to the resources used to manufacture and distribute the computers involved.

Individuals could skip features like gallery view, disable HD video and repair instead of replace computers to extend their useful lifetimes.

Grant Faber. A framework to estimate emissions from virtual conferences, International Journal of Environmental Studies (2021). DOI: 10.1080/00207233.2020.1864190

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-virtual-conference-co2-emissions-quan...

A call for a global ban on lead paint

Once lead paint is on a wall, it becomes an expensive problem to fix. In impoverished settings, be they neighborhoods in Philadelphia or developing nations globally, remediation can be prohibitively costly.

Branches and treetops can reduce greenhouse gas emission from heavy...

New research from University of Gävle shows that forest residues can generate large amounts of biofuel, and, in the long run, reduce greenhouse gas emission by 88-94% from heavy transport on Swedish roads.

Water disinfection with ozone

While chlorine and ultraviolet light are the standard means of disinfecting water, ozone is equally effective in killing germs. To date, ozone has only been used as an oxidation agent for treating water in large plants. Now, however, a project consortium from Schleswig-Holstein is developing a miniaturized ozone generator for use in smaller applications such as water dispensers or small domestic appliances. The Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT has provided the sensor chip and electrode substrates for the electrolysis cell.

A new treatment to help people with a spinal cord injury

An origami-inspired medical patch for sealing internal injuries

Many surgeries today are performed via minimally invasive procedures, in which a small incision is made and miniature cameras and surgical tools are threaded through the body to remove tumors and repair damaged tissues and organs. The process results in less pain and shorter recovery times compared to open surgery.

While many procedures can be performed in this way, surgeons can face challenges at an important step in the process: the sealing of internal wounds and tears.

The bioadhesives currently used in minimally invasive surgeries are available mostly as biodegradable liquids and glues that can be spread over damaged tissues. When these glues solidify, however, they can stiffen over the softer underlying surface, creating an imperfect seal. Blood and other biological fluids can also contaminate glues, preventing successful adhesion to the injured site. Glues can also wash away before an injury has fully healed, and, after application, they can also cause inflammation and scar tissue formation.

Taking inspiration from origami, MIT engineers have now designed a medical patch that can be folded around minimally invasive surgical tools and delivered through airways, intestines, and other narrow spaces, to patch up internal injuries. The patch resembles a foldable, paper-like film when dry. Once it makes contact with wet tissues or organs, it transforms into a stretchy gel, similar to a contact lens, and can stick to an injured site.

Given the limitations of current designs, the team aimed to engineer an alternative that would meet three functional requirements. It should be able to stick to the wet surface of an injured site, avoid binding to anything before reaching its destination, and once applied to an injured site resist bacterial contamination and excessive inflammation.

The team's design meets all three requirements, in the form of a three-layered patch. The middle layer is the main bioadhesive, made from a hydrogel material that is embedded with compounds called NHS esters. When in contact with a wet surface, the adhesive absorbs any surrounding water and becomes pliable and stretchy, molding to a tissue's contours. Simultaneously, the esters in the adhesive form strong covalent bonds with compounds on the tissue surface, creating a tight seal between the two materials. 

This could be used to repair a perforation from a coloscopy, or seal solid organs or blood vessels after a trauma or elective surgical intervention. Instead of having to carry out a full open surgical approach, one could go from the inside to deliver a patch to seal a wound at least temporarily and maybe even long-term.

In contrast to existing surgical adhesives, the team's new tape is designed to resist contamination when exposed to bacteria and bodily fluids. Over time, the patch can safely biodegrade away. The team has published its results in the journal Advanced Materials.

Sarah J. Wu et al. A Multifunctional Origami Patch for Minimally Invasive Tissue Sealing, Advanced Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202007667

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-origami-inspired-medical-patch-intern...

A new way to make wood transparent, stronger and lighter than glass

A team of researchers at the University of Maryland, has found a new way to make wood transparent. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes their process and why they believe it is better than the old process.

Qinqin Xia et al. Solar-assisted fabrication of large-scale, patternable transparent wood, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd7342

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-wood-transparent-stronger-lighter-gla...

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Say goodbye to the dots and dashes to enhance optical storage media

Innovators have created technology aimed at replacing Morse code with colored "digital characters" to modernize optical storage. They are confident the advancement will help with the explosion of remote data storage during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morse code has been around since the 1830s. The familiar dots and dashes system may seem antiquated given the amount of information needed to be acquired, digitally archived and rapidly accessed every day. But those same basic dots and dashes are still used in many optical media to aid in storage.

A new technology developed at Purdue is aimed at modernizing the optical digital storage technology. Rather than using the traditional dots and dashes as commonly used in these technologies, the  innovators encode information in the angular position of tiny antennas, allowing them to store more data per unit area.

The storage capacity greatly increases because it is only defined by the resolution of the sensor by which you can determine the angular positions of antennas. They mapped the antenna angles into colors, and the colors are decoded.

This advancement allows for more data to be stored and for that data to be read at a quicker rate. The research is published in Laser & Photonics Reviews.

 Maowen Song et al, Enabling Optical Steganography, Data Storage, and Encryption with Plasmonic Colors, Laser & Photonics Reviews (2021). DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202000343

https://phys.org/news/2021-02-goodbye-dots-dashes-optical-storage.h...