Burping bacteria: Identifying Arctic microbes that produce greenhouse gases

Sandia National Laboratories technologist Jenna Schambach working with a sample of Alaska lakebed soil. By studying the microbes in the soil, and the gases they emit, Schambach and project lead Chuck Smallwood hope to improve our understanding of the rapidly melting Arctic permafrost and improve computer models of climate change.
Photo credit: Craig Fritz

As greenhouse gases bubble up across the rapidly thawing Arctic, Sandia National Laboratories researchers are trying to identify other trace gases from soil microbes that could shed some light on what is occurring biologically in melting permafrost in the Arctic.

Sandia bioengineer Chuck Smallwood and his team recently spent five days collecting lakebed soil and gas samples. They were joined by international collaborators led by professor Katey Walter Anthony from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, including researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder, University of Quebec in Rimouski and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.

“The Arctic is rapidly changing, releasing large amounts of greenhouse gases; we just don’t know how much greenhouse gases are released every year,” Smallwood said. “Our work at Sandia seeks to improve our understanding of how much greenhouse gases soil microbes are producing, without going out and destructively sampling permafrost soils. The goal is to use sensitive gas detection devices to sample microbial volatile compounds coming out with the methane and CO2 gases instead.”

Both methane and CO2 are greenhouse gases, and methane actually traps more heat in the atmosphere than the commonly discussed CO2. In fact, it is 30 times more potent than CO2, Smallwood said.

Lack of biomarker profiles typical of Alzheimer's disease

Image credit: Gerd Altmann

A new study from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital shows that only a small proportion of patients who were examined for cognitive illness at the specialized memory reception at Karolinska Hospital in Solna had biomarker profiles typical of Alzheimer's disease and could be considered as potential candidates for new disease-modifying treatments. against amyloid.

This study was done in collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (part of Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson), and was published online in the journal Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Biomarkers that reflect typical changes in brain pathology in Alzheimer's disease are an important support in the diagnosis, as well as finding which patient group is suitable for which new disease-modifying treatment, when such drugs become available in the market. At present, however, there is only limited data on the proportion of patients in regular clinics and memory clinics (ie who are not participants in research studies) who have Alzheimer's-type biomarkers and who could thus be the right patient group for these new drugs.

Large patient base at the Solna memorial reception

In this study, the research team led by Professor Miia Kivipelto, MD PhD, has examined biomarker profiles in a well-characterized patient group at the memorial reception at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna. The clinical investigation process at the newly started clinic (which opened in 2018) has given rise to a large amount of well-documented information. The memory reception receives patients with memory problems from primary care in the reception area as well as younger patients under 70 years from the entire Stockholm region. The investigation process follows a "fast track model" where a majority of all investigations are done within a week. Most patients undergo lumbar puncture for spinal cord fluid collection, magnetic camera examination of the brain, and most neuropsychological tests. These survey results are then compiled into a diagnosis. All patients are also asked for permission to participate in the hospital's research database and biobank (GEDOC).

Developing Self-Complementary Macrocycles with Ingenious Molecules

Virus capsids can be formed through the self-complementary assembly of a single class of protein molecules. However, mimicking nature by making higher-ordered structures from artificial molecules has proven difficult to achieve. A new assembly method developed by Tokyo Tech researchers can produce stable and controllable supramolecular structures, from hexamers to cuboctahedrons that include 6 and 108 monomer units, respectively, opening doors to metal-free supramolecular assemblies.

Some biological molecules with efficient noncovalent bonding sites can use their bonding properties to create well-defined assemblies from a single class of molecules–i.e., they assemble with each other. These molecules, which are frequently seen in nature, are referred to as "self-complementary assemblies." For instance, the p24 protein hexamer, which is part of the capsid of the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), is composed of six protein subunits which complementarily self -assemble using many hydrogen bonds. This phenomenon provides well-designed molecules can form higher-ordered assemblies without the metal ions which are commonly used as "joints" between monomer molecules. Indeed, many self-complementary assemblies have been reported on the basis of intrinsic hydrogen bonds, π-interactions, and coordination bonds.

Virologists close gap on unknown viruses affecting amphibians and reptiles

It took three years to identify the virus that all but wiped out the Bellinger River turtle in 2015. It is hoped that amassing new viral data affecting herptiles will allow quicker conservation responses.
Credit: Pelagic
(CC BY-SA 4.0)

Scientific Frontline: Extended "At a Glance" Summary: Amphibian and Reptile Virology

The Core Concept: Researchers have identified 26 novel viruses in amphibians and reptiles by analyzing petabytes of RNA datasets, significantly closing the knowledge gap in non-mammalian viral infections. This research helps illuminate the long-term evolutionary pathways of viruses from primordial hosts to modern vertebrates.

Key Distinction/Mechanism: Unlike traditional virological studies that primarily focus on pathogens affecting humans and livestock, this research utilizes high-performance supercomputing to perform bioinformatic mining on public herptile RNA data. The study reveals that viruses adapting to cold-blooded hosts possess structurally simpler architectures than those affecting warm-blooded animals.

Major Frameworks/Components:

• Bioinformatic Data Mining: The utilization of supercomputers to process over 200 public RNA datasets to uncover previously unknown viral genomes.
• Viral Taxonomic Restructuring: The continued expansion of the Secondpapillomavirinae group, indicating a vast reservoir of simpler, undiscovered viruses in non-mammalian animals.
• Evolutionary Tracking: Tracing the adaptive trajectory and structural complexification of viruses as they evolved alongside hosts from fish and amphibians to mammals and birds.
• Viral "Dark Matter" Exploration: Mapping unknown viral genomes to eliminate diagnostic blind spots during sudden wildlife mortality events.

Ural Scientists Developed a Drug to Combat Post-Covidal Complications

According to the scientists, the university and the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences are developing world-class materials.
Photo credit: TASS-Ural Press Center, Vladislav Burnashev

Scientists from the Ural Federal University and the Postovsky Institute of Organic Synthesis have developed a drug to combat post-covidal complications, namely, the formation of blood clots. The drug blocks the release of clot-forming compounds caused by coronavirus infection. As the scientists point out, this is a world-class achievement, as new classes of compounds capable of combating the effects of coronavirus have been discovered. Representatives of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences talked about this, as well as about other developments aimed at ensuring the scientific and technological sovereignty of Russia, at a press conference at TASS.

"We develop unique things. This is important to note, because now the concept of import substitution is pushed to the background, and we are talking about the scientific and technological sovereignty of the country. The fact is that import substitution implies reproduction, copying of foreign technologies. We are catching up beforehand. Scientific and technological sovereignty implies independence from external conditions and supremacy in the development of industrial samples and new materials which are superior to foreign analogues in their characteristics. Therefore, it is certain that the Ural scientists successfully solve the task of ensuring scientific and technological progress," emphasizes Victor Rudenko, Academician and Chairman of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Too much motivation affects our decision-making

Sami El-Boustani, Assistant Professor in the Department of Basic Neurosciences at the Faculty of Medicine of the UNIGE
Credit: Sami El-Boustani

In a good or a bad mood, focused or distracted, in dire or no need: our internal states directly influence our perceptions and decision- making. While the role of motivation on the performance of behavioral tasks has been known for more than a century - thanks to the work of psychologists Robert Yerkes and John Dilligham Dodson - its precise effect on the brain remains unclear. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the EPFL, has revealed how motivation alters the neural circuits responsible for sensory perception preceding decision-making in mice. This study reveals why a level of motivation that is too high or too low can affect our perception and therefore our choices. These results, featured in the journal Neuron, open up new perspectives in learning methods. 

Going to work early in the morning, choosing a restaurant at lunchtime: many of our decisions are motivated by needs, such as earning a living or satisfying our hunger. However, decision-making is a complex process, which can also be influenced by external factors, such as the environment or other individuals, and by our internal states, such as our mood, our level of attention or our degree of motivation. 

Heaviest element yet detected in an exoplanet atmosphere

This artist’s impression shows an ultra-hot exoplanet, a planet beyond our Solar System, as it is about to transit in front of its host star. When the light from the star passes through the planet’s atmosphere, it is filtered by the chemical elements and molecules in the gaseous layer. With sensitive instruments, the signatures of those elements and molecules can be observed from Earth. Using the ESPRESSO instrument of ESO’s Very Large Telescope, astronomers have found the heaviest element yet in an exoplanet's atmosphere, barium, in the two ultra-hot Jupiters WASP-76 b and WASP-121 b. 
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), astronomers have discovered the heaviest element ever found in an exoplanet atmosphere — barium. They were surprised to discover barium at high altitudes in the atmospheres of the ultra-hot gas giants WASP-76 b and WASP-121 b — two exoplanets, planets which orbit stars outside our Solar System. This unexpected discovery raises questions about what these exotic atmospheres may be like.

“The puzzling and counterintuitive part is: why is there such a heavy element in the upper layers of the atmosphere of these planets?” says Tomás Azevedo Silva, a PhD student at the University of Porto and the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) in Portugal who led the study published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

WASP-76 b and WASP-121 b are not ordinary exoplanets. Both are known as ultra-hot Jupiters as they are comparable in size to Jupiter whilst having extremely high surface temperatures soaring above 1000°C. This is due to their close proximity to their host stars, which also means an orbit around each star takes only one to two days. This gives these planets rather exotic features; in WASP-76 b, for example, astronomers suspect it rains iron.

Sustainable kerosene: accelerate production on an industrial scale

In the international project CARE-O-SENE, researchers are developing tailor-made Fischer-Tropsch catalysts for the production of sustainable kerosene.
Photo credit: Tiziana Carambia

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the international research project CARE-O-SENE (Catalyst Research for Sustainable Kerosene) with 30 million euros. It is intended to improve the production of sustainable kerosene on an industrial scale. For this purpose, the network partners, including the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), are developing tailor-made catalysts to further develop the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) established in fuel production for the use of renewable energy sources.

With a share of more than 80 percent, fossil fuels are still by far the most important raw material for fuels, heating and the chemical industry (source: International Energy Agency, IEA). Sustainable fuels are based on green hydrogen and carbon dioxide - and should make a significant contribution to decarbonizing sectors such as aviation, in which fossil fuels are particularly difficult to replace. In the CARE-O-SENE project, seven South African and German project partners are therefore researching next-generation Fischer-Tropsch catalysts.

Endangered fruit-eating animals play an outsized role in a tropical forest

A view of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state.
Credit: Adriano Gambarini/The Nature Conservancy

A new study by researchers at the University of Washington shows that losing a particular group of endangered animals — those that eat fruit and help disperse the seeds of trees and other plants — could severely disrupt seed-dispersal networks in the Atlantic Forest, a shrinking stretch of tropical forest and critical biodiversity hotspot on the coast of Brazil.

The findings, published Oct. 12 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, indicate that a high number of plant species in today’s Atlantic Forest rely on endangered frugivores — the scientific term for animals that eat primarily fruit — to help disperse their seeds throughout the forest. As a result, losing those endangered frugivores would leave a high proportion of plants without an effective means to disperse and regenerate — endangering these plants, reducing diversity in the Atlantic Forest and crippling critical portions of this ecosystem.

“Tropical forests contain this incredible diversity of trees,” said lead author Therese Lamperty, a UW postdoctoral researcher in biology. “One of the main processes forests use to maintain this diversity is dispersal. If you’re not dispersed, you’re in a crowd of trees that are just like you – all competing for resources. And there are a lot of plant enemies already in the area or that can be easily recruited, like harmful animals or plant diseases. Your chance of survival is higher when you get transported away from your mother tree to an area without trees like you.”

New study undermines the theory that depressed people are just more realistic

Photo credit: Hieu Van

Are depressed people simply more realistic in judging how much they control their lives, while others view the world through rose-colored lenses, living under the illusion that they have more control than they do?

That’s the general idea behind “depressive realism,” a theory that has held sway in science and popular culture for more than four decades.

The problem is, it’s just not true, new research finds.

“It’s an idea that exerts enough appeal that lots of people seem to believe it, but the evidence just isn’t there to sustain it,” says Professor Don Moore, the Lorraine Tyson Mitchell Chair in Leadership and Communication at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and co-author of the study, in press at the journal Collabra:Psychology. “The good news is you don’t have to be depressed to understand how much control you have.”

Depressive realism

The concept of depressive realism stems from a 1979 study of college students examining whether they could predict how much control they had over whether a light turned green when they pushed a button. The original research concluded that the depressed students were better at identifying when they had no control over the lights, while those who weren’t depressed tended to overestimate their level of control.

U.S. Air Force Declares Initial Operational Capability of Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II

The HH-60W Jolly Green II
Full Size Image
Credit: Lockheed Martin Corporation

The U.S. Air Force declared Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the HH-60W Jolly Green II Combat Rescue Helicopter, validating the platform's operational readiness to forward deploy Air Force rescue crews around the globe. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company (NYSE: LMT) designed and manufactures the HH-60W, which enables the U.S. Air Force to conduct rescue missions at greater ranges and in the most challenging environments, and with increased survivability.

“This declaration is a vote of confidence from U.S. Air Force leadership and demonstrates the critical role of and need for the HH-60W,” said Nathalie Previte, vice president, Sikorsky Army & Air Force Systems. "Sikorsky is committed to continuing deliveries of the Department of Defense’s only dedicated combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter and to provide the most capable platform to rescue crews who depend on this aircraft day-in and day-out to conduct vital life-saving missions.”

Black Hole Spews Out Material Years After Shredding Star

Artist’s illustration of tidal disruption event AT2019dsg where a supermassive black hole spaghettifies and gobbles down a star. Some of the material is not consumed by the black hole and is flung back out into space. 
Resized Image using AI by SFLORG
Credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab

In October 2018, a small star was ripped to shreds when it wandered too close to a black hole in a galaxy located 665 million light years away from Earth. Though it may sound thrilling, the event did not come as a surprise to astronomers who occasionally witness these violent incidents while scanning the night sky.

But nearly three years after the massacre, the same black hole is lighting up the skies again — and it hasn’t swallowed anything new, scientists say.

“This caught us completely by surprise — no one has ever seen anything like this before,” says Yvette Cendes, a research associate at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) and lead author of a new study analyzing the phenomenon.

The team concludes that the black hole is now ejecting material traveling at half of the speed of light, but are unsure why the outflow was delayed by several years. The results, described this week in the Astrophysical Journal, may help scientists better understand black holes’ feeding behavior, which Cendes likens to “burping” after a meal.

Viewing Earth from Space at Night: Tracking Our Changing Black Marble

Earth’s night lights as observed in 2016 based on NASA’s Black Marble Product.
Photo Credit: NASA

When the sun goes down and lights go on – or not — a multitude of data can be gathered by satellite from the night sky, giving insights into the dynamic human activities happening at the surface.

With remote sensing, things like land use changes, urban development, and forest management can be reliably and accurately measured by daylight. At nighttime, we can gather different kinds of data. One way to do this is with NASA’s Black Marble, a product suite that scans the sky each night and is powerful enough to sense all kinds of lights on the surface of Earth, from holiday lights to a single 12,000-lumen flashlight, from space.

However, the data gathered at night can be difficult to analyze says Department of Natural Resources and the Environment Assistant Professor and Director of the Global Environmental Remote Sensing (GERS) Laboratory Zhe Zhu. He explains nighttime satellite data can be influenced by many factors, which leads to a large degree of temporal variation, even for the well-calibrated NASA Black Marble data.

“The first time I looked at a time series of the data, I felt like it was almost impossible to use,” says Zhu.

A team of researchers from GERS including Zhu and NRE Ph.D. student Tian Li, along with researchers from NASA and the University of Maryland Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center has developed a method that is capable of providing daily global moderate resolution nighttime light change maps. The results are published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment.

Thirdhand smoke can trigger skin diseases

Skin is the largest organ to contact thirdhand smoke and may thus receive the greatest exposure

Thirdhand smoke, or THS, comprises the residual pollutants from tobacco smoke that remain on surfaces and in dust after tobacco has been smoked. It can remain on indoor surfaces indefinitely, causing potentially harmful exposure to both smokers and non-smokers.

A team led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, has found that acute exposure of the skin to THS elevates biomarkers associated with the initiation of skin diseases, such as contact dermatitis and psoriasis.

“We found exposure of human skin to THS initiates mechanisms of inflammatory skin disease, and elevates urinary biomarkers of oxidative harm, which could lead to other diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and atherosclerosis,” said Shane Sakamaki-Ching, a former graduate student at UC Riverside who graduated with a doctoral degree in cell, molecular, and developmental biology in March 2022. “Alarmingly, acute dermal exposure to THS mimics the harmful effects of cigarette smoking.”

The study, published in eBioMedicine of The Lancet family of journals, is the first to be performed on humans exposed dermally to THS.

Study explores links between people taking multiple medications and dementia

Photo credit: Ksenia Yakovleva

People with dementia are likely to have taken more than three medications for other health conditions in the five years directly before their diagnosis, according to new research.

The study is the first to provide an in-depth exploration of the links between evolving polypharmacy – which involves a patient being prescribed more than one drug at any given time – and a dementia diagnosis.

Published in the Aging and Disease journal, it is based on an analysis of the records of more than 33,000 dementia patients in Wales between 1990 to 2015.

Experts in e-health used machine learning techniques to identify potentially damaging patterns in a patient’s medicine usage, and how these patterns evolve in the run-up to diagnosis.

They found that in the 20 years leading up to them being diagnosed, the proportion of patients taking three or more medications rose from 5.5% (for the period 16 to 20 years prior to diagnosis) to 82.16% among those less than five years from a diagnosis.