SCIENCES ENERGIES ENVIRONNEMENT

 

Dear olivier hartmanshenn,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for week 44: Chornobyl dog population shows genetic signatures of directional selection Dogs near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant show signatures suggestive of directional selection at over 100 loci near genes involved in DNA repair, cancer, cell cycle regulation and immunity. Their genetic divergence is not adequately explained by mutation or isolation-driven drift, but a direct link to environmental contamination remains unconfirmed.   First patient undergoes pioneering stem-cell treatment for Parkinson's The first patient received iPS cell-derived dopamine neuron precursors for Parkinson’s disease after conditional approval in Japan. In an earlier seven-patient trial, no major adverse effects occurred over two years, and four patients showed symptom improvement. Full approval requires confirmation of safety and efficacy.   Plastic tea bags are releasing BPA, plasticizers and up to 2,500 microplastic particles into your cup of tea Four plastic tea-bag brands released 555–2,498 suspected microplastic particles larger than 100 µm per cup brewed at 95°C. BPA and plasticizers were detected; modeled BPA intake reached 4.55–21.70% of EFSA’s daily benchmark. Health effects were not measured, and bulk-tea results were not directly comparable because leaves were digested rather than brewed.   Single dose of fast-acting psychedelic nasal spray shows promise for stubborn depression In 193 adults with treatment-resistant depression, single 8 or 12 mg doses of intranasal mebufotenin benzoate reduced symptoms more than a 0.3 mg control at four weeks. Improvements began within a day and persisted up to eight weeks; 78–85% were ready for discharge within two hours. Longer follow-up is needed to assess durability and repeat dosing.   Protein fibers, a hallmark of Alzheimer's, spotted making genetic deliveries to sperm cells Seminal amyloid fibrils bind RNA, enter sperm and enhance RNA uptake, while clusterin can promote RNA release. Embryos fertilized with sperm exposed to amyloid-bound reporter RNA produced at least tenfold more reporter protein than controls without amyloids. The role of this RNA transfer in natural inheritance remains unknown.   Viagra's cousin could help muscle cells stay primed for regeneration In cultured mouse myoblasts, exposure to 1 µM tadalafil for up to seven days increased cell numbers, survival and migration while reducing fusion into mature muscle fibers. These effects suggest expansion of the precursor cell pool, but benefits for muscle repair require testing in living organisms.   Restoring an amino acid can diminish age-related inflammation Danger signals triggered taurine loss from macrophages, enabling NLRP3 inflammasome activation; restoring taurine suppressed this inflammatory response. Lowering macrophage taurine accelerated inflammation in young mice. Blood taurine increased with age in humans, and benefits of supplementation in older adults remain untested.   Permanent daylight saving time could add at least two billion dark school commutes across US Permanent daylight saving time was estimated to add at least 2 billion U.S. school commutes in darkness compared with seasonal clock changes. Impacts were greatest with early school starts and at western time-zone edges. Fatal crashes involving school-age pedestrians were about twice as likely on dark mornings as after sunrise.   One violin lesson changes brain wave patterns as beginners learn to play Wearable brain imaging in 22 novice violinists showed changes in beta-band activity after a single lesson. Larger changes were associated with greater improvements in playing, linking beta oscillations to early motor learning.   Major Southern Hemisphere ocean layer shifts, raising questions about heat and carbon storage Antarctic Intermediate Water became saltier, denser and deeper during 2016–2024, reversing 1995–2015 trends as freshwater input from seasonal sea-ice melt declined. The observed shift alters a key water mass involved in ocean circulation; its effects on heat storage and carbon uptake remain uncertain.   Armored amphibian lived entirely at sea 237 million years ago, fossils suggest Two nearly complete fossils from China suggest Gerrothorax maritimus lived entirely at sea about 237 million years ago, potentially the first known fully marine amphibian. Marine sediments and strontium isotope ratios support this interpretation. Its flattened, armored body suggests bottom-dwelling suction feeding.   Experimental study on moths supports the molecular cookie cutter idea proposed for butterflies Heparin and dextran sulfate administered near pupation made eyespots more conspicuous in luna and polyphemus moths and altered luna moth wing shape. The results support a molecular “cookie-cutter” model of wing shaping, but the proposed role of wingless signaling in tail changes remains unconfirmed.   Can gravitational fields break and reconnect? Einstein's equations suggest they can A reformulation of Einstein’s equations permits gravitational field structures to reconnect when conditions preserving their connectivity fail, transferring energy to matter. This theoretical process involves mathematical field sheets rather than physical objects; its astrophysical occurrence and observable effects remain untested.   Known for preventing cancer, p53 could also help immune cells fight it Transient p53 activation with navtemadlin promoted memory T-cell features, reduced exhaustion markers and increased energy reserves in human T cells. Treated engineered T cells killed melanoma cells more effectively in vitro. Higher drug concentrations increased cell death, highlighting the importance of dose control.   Children need to learn to swim for academic and social milestones, rather than just fitness, research suggests Children under five who took swimming lessons scored 5–18 months ahead of age norms in literacy, numeracy and following instructions in a four-year observational study. These associations do not establish causation, while cost and geographic barriers limit access to lessons.   A hidden brain rhythm challenges ideas about where consciousness comes from In two macaques undergoing binocular flash suppression, cortical activity alternated about 15 times per second between representations of visible and suppressed images. Similar patterns in frontal and posterior regions suggest that timing, not only location or average activity, may help distinguish conscious from suppressed visual processing. These findings are from a preprint.   Cholesterol-sharing mechanism points to potential new target for pancreatic cancer treatment ANO6 enables cancer-associated fibroblasts to transfer cholesterol to pancreatic cancer cells via trogocytosis and contributes to T-cell suppression. In preclinical models, disrupting ANO6 reduced tumor growth and improved T-cell activity. Clinical benefit remains unproven.   Scientists reveal the staggering number of bat deaths at wind turbines Wind turbines were estimated to have killed 18.7 million bats of 10 species in the contiguous United States during 1981–2024. Estimated annual deaths exceeded 1.5 million from 2021 onward; hoary, eastern red and silver-haired bats were most affected. Monitoring data limited precision, but species-specific siting and turbine design changes may reduce deaths.   Electrical signals reveal hidden magnetic information in altermagnets for first time An altermagnet generated a spin current carrying magnetic information across 300 nanometers to an electrical detector. Reversing its magnetic order reversed the signal, confirming the link to internal magnetic order despite zero net magnetization. Room-temperature operation and low-energy electrical switching remain challenges.   Q&A: Why does the right side of the brain control the left side of the body? Many sensory and motor pathways connect one side of the brain with the opposite side of the body. A proposed evolutionary explanation is that ancient crossed visual circuits provided the organizational template for later pathways. This hypothesis frames contralateral wiring as a historical constraint rather than necessarily an adaptation.

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