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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Scientists create natural plastics for everyday packaging

Researchers have transformed food waste sugars into natural plastic films that could one day replace petroleum-based packaging, offering compostable alternatives to commonly used plastics for food and agricultural films like silage wrap.

With global plastic production exceeding 400 million metric tons annually, a Monash University study highlights the potential of a new type of biodegradable plastic by converting food waste sugars into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) biopolymers.

The study is published in the journal Microbial Cell Factories.

By selecting different bacterial strains and blending their polymers, the researchers produced films that behave like conventional plastics and can be molded into other shapes or solids.

The study  provides a framework for designing bioplastics for temperature-sensitive packaging, medical films and other products, addressing the global challenge of single-use plastic waste.

The research teams fed two soil-dwelling bacteria—Cupriavidus necator and Pseudomonas putida—a carefully balanced "diet" of sugars with the right blend of salts, nutrients and trace elements.

Once the microbes fattened up, they began stockpiling natural plastic inside their cells. The scientists then "milked" these plastics out using solvents, cast them into ultrathin films about 20 microns thick and tested their stretchiness, strength and melting behavior.

This research demonstrates how food waste can be transformed into sustainable, compostable ultrathin films with tunable properties. The versatility of PHAs means we can reimagine materials we rely on every day without the environmental cost of conventional plastics.

By tailoring these natural plastics for different uses, scientists are opening the door to sustainable alternatives in packaging, especially where they can be composted along with food or agricultural waste.

The researchers  collaborating with industry partners, including Enzide and Great Wrap through the ARC RECARB and VAP hubs to develop biodegradable packaging and medical solutions with potential commercial applications.

Edward Attenborough et al, Bacterial species-structure-property relationships of polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymers produced on simple sugars for thin film applications, Microbial Cell Factories (2025). DOI: 10.1186/s12934-025-02833-7

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Enzyme technology clears first human test toward universal donor organs for transplantation

The first successful human transplant of a kidney converted from blood type A to universal type O used special enzymes developed by scientists to help prevent a mismatch and rejection of the organ.

Published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, the achievement marks a major step toward helping thousands of patients get kidney transplants sooner.

In a first-in-human experiment, the enzyme-converted kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead recipient with consent from the family, allowing researchers to observe the immune response without risking a life.

For two days, the kidney functioned without signs of hyperacute rejection, the rapid immune reaction that can destroy an incompatible organ within minutes. By the third day, some blood-type markers reappeared, triggering a mild reaction, but the damage was far less severe than in a typical mismatch, and researchers saw signs that the body was beginning to tolerate the organ.

This is the first time scientists have seen this play out in a human model. It gives them invaluable insight into how to improve long-term outcomes.

The breakthrough is the result of more than a decade of hard work.

The work focused on making universal donor blood by stripping away the sugars that define blood types.

Part 1

Those same sugars, or antigens, coat organ blood vessels. If a recipient's immune system detects the wrong antigen, it attacks. Type-O patients—more than half of kidney waitlists—can only receive type-O organs, yet type-O kidneys are often given to others because they're universally compatible. As a result, type-O patients typically wait two to four years longer, and many die waiting.

Traditional methods for overcoming blood-type incompatibility in transplants require days of intensive treatment to strip antibodies and suppress a recipient's immune system—and require organs from living donors.

This new approach changes the organ rather than the patient, meaning transplants could be performed faster, with fewer complications, and for the first time could unlock the use of blood-type mismatched organs from deceased donors—when every hour can determine whether a patient lives or dies.

 Enzyme-converted O kidneys allow ABO-incompatible transplantation without hyperacute rejection in a human decedent model, Nature Biomedical Engineering (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41551-025-01513-6.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Glioblastomas affect much more than just the brain, scientists discover

Scientists  have shown for the first time that glioblastoma—the deadliest form of brain cancer—affects not just the brain but also erodes the skull, alters the makeup of skull marrow, and interferes with the body's immune response. Drugs intended to inhibit skull-bone loss made the cancer more aggressive, according to results published in Nature Neuroscience. The paper is titled "Brain Tumors Induce Widespread Disruption of Calvarial Bone and Alteration of Skull Marrow Immune Landscape."

This discovery that this notoriously hard-to-treat brain cancer interacts with the body's immune system may help explain why current therapies—all of them dealing with glioblastoma as a local disease—have failed, and it will hopefully lead to better treatment strategies.

As is true for many other bones, the skull contains marrow in which immune cells and other blood cells form. 

Researchers used advanced imaging techniques on mice that developed two different types of glioblastomas. They found that the tumors caused skull bones to erode, especially along the sutures where skull bones fuse. Such erosions seem to be unique to glioblastoma and other malignant intracranial tumors, since they don't occur with strokes, other types of brain damage, or even other systemic cancers. Computerized-tomography (CT) images of patients with glioblastoma revealed that decreases in skull thickness were present in the same anatomic areas as in mice. 

The skull erosions in the mice were found to have increased the number and diameter of the skull-to-bone channels. The researchers hypothesized that these channels might allow the glioblastoma to transmit signals to the skull marrow that could profoundly change its immune landscape.

Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the researchers found that glioblastoma had dramatically shifted the skull marrow's immune-cell balance in favor of pro-inflammatory myeloid cells—nearly doubling the levels of inflammatory neutrophils, while nearly eliminating several types of antibody-producing B cells as well as other B cells.

The skull-to-brain channels allow an influx of these numerous pro-inflammatory cells from the skull marrow to the tumor, rendering the glioblastoma increasingly aggressive and, all too often, untreatable.

This indicates the need for treatments that restore the normal balance of immune cells in the skull marrow of people with glioblastoma. One strategy would be suppressing the production of pro-inflammatory neutrophils and monocytes while at the same time restoring the production of T and B cells.

'Brain tumors induce widespread disruption of calvarial bone and alteration of skull marrow immune landscape, Nature Neuroscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-02064-4

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Making yogurt with ants revives a creative fermentation process

Researchers recreated a nearly forgotten yogurt recipe that once was common across the Balkans and Turkey—using ants. Reporting in iScience on October 3, the team shows that bacteria, acids, and enzymes in ants can kickstart the fermentation process that turns milk into yogurt. The work highlights how traditional practices can inspire new approaches to food science and even add creativity to the dinner table.

Today's yogurts are typically made with just two bacterial strains. 

But if you look at traditional yogurt, you have much bigger biodiversity, varying based on location, households, and season. That brings more flavours, textures, and personality.

Red wood ants (Formica species) can be found crawling through the forests of the Balkans and Turkey, where this yogurt-making technique was once popular.

In the present study researchers dropped four whole ants into a jar of warm milk .

The jar was then tucked into an ant mound to ferment overnight. By the next day, the milk had started to thicken and sour. That's an early stage of yogurt, and it tasted that way as well, they say.

The researchers, who tested the yogurt during their trip, described it as slightly tangy, herbaceous, and having flavors of grass-fed fat.

The team dissected the science behind the ant yogurt. They found that the ants carry lactic and acetic acid bacteria. Acids produced by these bacteria help coagulate the dairy. One type of these bacteria was similar to that found in commercial sourdough.

The insects themselves also help in the yogurt-making process. Formic acid, which is part of the ant's natural chemical defense system, acidifies the milk, affects its texture, and likely creates an environment for yogurt's acid-loving microbes to thrive, say the researchers. Enzymes from the ant and the microbes work in tandem to break down milk proteins and turn milk into yogurt.

The researchers compared yogurts made with live, frozen, and dehydrated ants. Only live ants seeded the right microbial community, meaning they are best suited for yogurt making. However, the team found that caution was necessary to make sure the ant products were safe to consume: live ants can harbor parasites, and freezing or dehydrating ants can sometimes allow harmful bacteria to flourish.

Giving scientific evidence that these traditions have a deep meaning and purpose, even though they might seem strange or more like a myth.

 Making yogurt with the ant holobiont uncovers bacteria, acids, and enzymes for food fermentation, iScience (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113595

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Saturday

Trauma in a puppy's first six months linked to adult aggression, says new study

As many dog owners can attest, their four-legged companions are delightful and loving. But for others, their animals have an aggressive side, such as biting and attacking strangers, which may ultimately lead to them having to be euthanized. But why do some dogs turn out this way?

According to a new study of 211 dog breeds published in the journal Scientific Reports, adverse experiences such as abuse or being given up during a dog's first six months of life mean they are more likely to be fearful and aggressive as adults.

To explore this link between early life experiences and adult behavior, scientists conducted a large-scale survey of 4,497 dog owners. Each owner filled out a detailed questionnaire about their canine companion, including its complete life history, breed and current living environment. They were also asked about any adversity their pet experienced during its first six months.

Additionally, owners completed a standard behavior test (C-BARQ) to rate their dog's current fear and aggression levels. The scientists then used powerful statistical tools to determine whether early trauma, breed, or a combination of the two was most responsible for a dog's behaviour.

Just like in humans, the first few months of life are crucial for emotional development. The research team found that dogs that experienced any kind of adversity in the first six months were more likely to be aggressive as adults, regardless of age or sex or whether the animal was neutered. Both genes and environment are involved, as indicated by the fact that the effect of adversity differed across different breeds.

For example, some breeds, such as Siberian Huskies, American Eskimo Dogs, and American Leopard Hounds, as well as pit-bull type dogs, were more likely to become aggressive or fearful after experiencing early trauma. Meanwhile, other breeds, such as the Labrador Retriever, were a lot more resilient. Even when they experienced trauma, the chances of them being aggressive adults were relatively low.

Overall, the study clearly demonstrates that a dog's early life is crucial and highlights the importance of responsible breeding and proper pet care.

Julia Espinosa et al, Influence of early life adversity and breed on aggression and fear in dogs, Scientific Reports (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-18226-0

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Do stranded dolphins have Alzheimer's disease?

One of the most heartbreaking occurrences for nature lovers is to discover a beached marine mammal such as a dolphin or whale. If the animal is still alive, marine biologists assisted by citizen volunteers try to protect the beached marine mammal from sun exposure and skin desiccation by pouring buckets of sea water on them and sometimes covering them with wet blankets. Other volunteers try to find ways to help the animal return to their native ocean habitat when the tide rises.

Unfortunately, some beached marine mammals are discovered after they have died. Such unsettling events give rise to a broader question: why do dolphins and whales become stranded on shore in the first place?

A group of scientists  have come up with an unusual hypothesis: just as some adult humans with dementia are occasionally found wandering far from their homes, perhaps dolphins become similarly disoriented by suffering from a form of Alzheimer's disease. The research was published in Communication Biology.

In the case of marine mammals, it appears that Alzheimer's-type neuropathology and disorientation may result from chronic exposure to toxic molecules produced by cyanobacteria.

Studies of villagers on the island of Guam show that chronic dietary exposure to cyanobacterial toxins are associated with misfolded tau proteins and amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

The cyanobacterial toxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), as well as its isomers 2,4-diaminobutyric acid (2,4-DAB), and N-2-aminoethylglycine (AEG), have been found to be extremely toxic to neurons. BMAA triggers Alzheimer's-like neuropathology and cognitive loss in experimental animals. These toxins can be biomagnified up the food chain in the marine ecosystem.

A study of 20 common bottlenose dolphins stranded in the Indian River Lagoon in eastern Florida showed that their brains contained BMAA and its isomers, particularly 2,4-DAB.

Dolphins stranded during the summer cyanobacterial bloom season contained 2,900 times the concentration of 2,4-DAB than those from non-bloom seasons. Brain neuropathology similar to Alzheimer's patients, including β-amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins were found in the dolphin brains.

In addition, TDP-43 protein inclusions characteristic of a particularly severe form of Alzheimer's were also found in the dolphin brains. During bloom seasons, the same dolphins showed 536 differentially expressed genes associated with Alzheimer's disease.

The duration of cyanobacterial blooms is increasing with climate warming and nutrient inputs associated with agricultural runoff and sewage discharges.

What is worse is scientists found that even among Guam villagers, exposure to cyanobacterial toxins appeared to trigger neurological diseases.

Wendy Noke Durden et al, Alzheimer's disease signatures in the brain transcriptome of Estuarine Dolphins, Communications Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-08796-0

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Ancient viral DNA is essential for human embryo development, study shows

Our ancient past isn't always buried history. When it comes to our DNA, nearly 9% of the human genome is made up of leftover genetic material from ancient viruses (called endogenous retroviruses or ERVs) that infected our ancestors millions of years ago and became permanently integrated into our genetic code. In a new study published in the journal Nature, scientists have demonstrated that one piece of this viral junk is essential for the earliest stages of human life.

Knowledge of how ERVs affect human development is limited because scientists obviously cannot conduct ethical experiments on embryos. To overcome this, researchers in this study used human blastoids, 3D models grown from stem cells that mimic the structure and key cell types of a natural blastocyst. This is the ball of cells that form in early pregnancy, about five to seven days after fertilization.

The research team focused on a specific type of ERV known as HERVK LTR5Hs, which were introduced into our DNA after our lineage split from Old World monkeys. Although this event occurred millions of years ago, it is considered relatively recent in evolutionary genetic terms.
To determine the functional effect of these viral remnants on the early embryo, the research team used cutting-edge genetic tools that act like molecular scissors to switch off LTR5Hs elements or delete them completely. The results were dramatic. The blastoids either died or turned into disorganized clumps. This provided clear proof that this ancient DNA is essential for the pre-implantation stage of human development.

The researchers also dug deeper to find out what was going on at the subcellular level. They discovered that the LTR5Hs elements act as powerful enhancers, boosting the activity of neighboring genes. When their activity is suppressed, many nearby genes associated with the epiblast (the cell layer that eventually forms the embryo) are turned down. That is, their activity is reduced. This showed that the viral DNA is directly responsible for controlling these essential early developmental instructions.

One of the most important discoveries involved the ZNF729 gene. The team found that one specific LTR5Hs insertion (an extra piece of DNA added to a DNA sequence), unique to humans, acts as a master key for activating this gene. Since the gene regulates fundamental cellular processes, such as cell growth and metabolism, the viral DNA master key is crucial to our development.

Raquel Fueyo et al, A human-specific regulatory mechanism revealed in a pre-implantation model, Nature (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09571-1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

The colonies didn't seem to wake up that much faster at hotter temperatures. The results could hold lessons for thawing permafrost in the real world: After a hot spell, it may take several months for microbes to become active enough that they begin to emit greenhouse gases into the air in large volumes.

In other words, the longer Arctic summers grow, the greater the risks for the planet.

T. A. Caro et al, Microbial Resuscitation and Growth Rates in Deep Permafrost: Lipid Stable Isotope Probing Results From the Permafrost Research Tunnel in Fox, Alaska, Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences (2025). DOI: 10.1029/2025jg008759

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Microbes trapped in permafrost awake after thousands of years

In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists  resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years.

The study is a showcase of the planet's permafrost. That's the name for a frozen mix of soil, ice and rocks that underlies nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. It's an icy graveyard where animal and plant remains, alongside plentiful bacteria and other microorganisms, have become stuck in time.

That is, until curious scientists try to wake them up.

The group discovered that if you thaw out permafrost, the microbes within will take a while to become active. But after a few months, like waking up after a long nap, they begin to form flourishing colonies.

The research has wide implications for the health of the Arctic, and the entire planet.

Today, the world's permafrost is thawing at an alarming rate because of human-caused climate change. Scientists worry this trend could kick off a vicious cycle. As permafrost thaws, microbes living in the soil will begin to break down organic matter, spewing it into the air as carbon dioxide and methane—both potent greenhouse gases.

It's one of the biggest unknowns in climate responses. How will the thawing of all this frozen ground, where we know there's tons of carbon stored, affect the ecology of these regions and the rate of climate change?

In the current study, the researchers collected samples of permafrost that was a few thousand to tens of thousands of years old from the walls of the tunnel. They then added water to the samples and incubated them at temperatures of 39 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit—chilly for humans, but downright boiling for the Arctic.

The researchers relied on water made up of unusually heavy hydrogen atoms, also known as deuterium. That allowed them to track how their microbes drank up the water, then used the hydrogen to build the membranes made of fatty material that surround all living cells.

What they saw was surprising.
In the first few months, these colonies grew at a creep, in some cases replacing only about one in every 100,000 cells per day. In the lab, most bacterial colonies can completely turn over in the span of a few hours.

But by the six-month mark, that had all changed. Some bacterial colonies even produced gooey structures called "biofilms" that you can see with the naked eye.
These microbes likely couldn't infect people, but the team kept them in sealed chambers regardless.

Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on Friday

Bird decorations

Bearded Vulture nests found to have hoards of cultural artifacts—some up to 650 years old

Many people have probably seen birds picking up small pieces of man-made materials, like strips of a plastic bag or paper litter, and taking them into their nest. This behavior appears to be fairly widespread among birds. What's unique about some larger bird species, like certain vultures, eagles, and falcons, is that the same nest is used for centuries if it continues to be in a safe space. Generations of birds will continue to occupy and add materials to these nests for hundreds of years.

These behaviors are well documented in the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), a threatened species that builds nests in cliff caves, rock shelters, or on cornices. The Bearded Vulture can most often be found in European mountain ranges, particularly the Pyrenees. The environment in many of these regions is dry, particularly in the cave-like structures where nests are found, creating an ideal environment for long-term preservation.

Over a decade ago, a group of researchers  had the opportunity to examine 12 of these nests in detail. Their study was recently published in the journal Ecology and discusses a number of surprising findings.

The team rifled through centuries worth of vulture eggshells, remains of prey, and nesting material and among these they also found 226 items that had been made or altered by humans—providing a window into both past ecosystems and human cultures from the region. The hoard included items like a slingshot made from esparto grass, shoes, a crossbow bolt, a decorated piece of sheep leather and a wooden lance.

Even more surprising was that several items were well over 600 years old, according to carbon-14 dating. Results from one shoe dated back to around 675 years ago, while the decorated leather dated to around 650 years ago. However, the dating revealed a range of time periods, with a piece of basket dating to about 150 years ago.

Thanks to the solidity of Bearded Vulture nest structures and their locations in the western Mediterranean, generally in protected places such as caves and rock shelters with relatively stable temperature and low humidity conditions, they have acted as natural museums, conserving historical material in good condition," the authors write.

In addition to the human-made items, the researchers found 2,117 bones, 86 hooves, 72 leather remains, 11 hair remains and 43 eggshells. The team notes that this study and its findings "can provide information about temporal
changes in the trophic spectrum, past environment, and the wild and domestic species present."

They also call these nests a powerful tool for investigating and understanding more about the ecology, biodiversity trends, and environmental changes that the vultures are subject to. The findings could potentially inform habitat restoration and species reintroduction efforts.

Antoni Margalida et al, The Bearded Vulture as an accumulator of historical remains: Insights for future ecological and biocultural studies, Ecology (2025). DOI: 10.1002/ecy.70191

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