Biology Research News

Coexisting with a Predator: How an unexpected Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle. When clams take the risk of living alongside a predator, sometimes their luck runs out, according to a study from the University of Michigan.

Date	August 7, 2024
Source	University of Michigan
Summary	A new study suggests that when clams take the risk of living alongside a predator, their luck doesn’t always hold out

If you want to know recent biology news like Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle: Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula 1.3 million years ago, How Domestic Rabbits Become Feral in the Wild.

How an Unexpected Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle:

• A long-standing question in ecology is how so many different species can coexist in the same place at the same time. The competitive exclusion principle suggests that only one species can occupy a specific niche within a biological community at any given time.
• However, in nature, researchers often observe different species sharing the same niches, living in identical microhabitats, and consuming the same food.
• Researchers investigated one such case: a specialized community of seven marine clam species living in the burrows of a predatory mantis shrimp. Six of these species, known as yoyo clams, attach themselves to the burrow walls using a long foot that allows them to spring away from danger like a yoyo. The seventh species, closely related to the yoyo clams, occupies a different niche by attaching directly to the mantis shrimp’s body and not exhibiting yoyo behavior. The researchers were curious about how this unusual clam community manages to survive.
• Researchers’re looking at a fascinating situation where all these clam species not only share the same host but have also evolved, or speciated, on that host.
• When they conducted field studies of these clams in mantis shrimp burrows, her findings defied theoretical expectations: burrows containing multiple clam species were exclusively composed of yoyo clams. In a lab experiment, when the host-attached clam species was introduced, the mantis shrimp killed all the burrow-wall clams.
• This contradicts theoretical predictions, the researchers say. According to the competitive exclusion principle, species evolving to live in different niches should coexist more frequently than those sharing the same niche. However, data, published in the journal PeerJ, indicate that the evolution of a new, host-attached niche has led to ecological exclusion, not coexistence, among these clams.

• They encountered two surprising results. One was that the species expected to coexist with yoyo clams didn’t. The second was that the host mantis shrimp could turn deadly. The interesting twist is that the only survivor was the clam attached to the mantis shrimp’s body. It killed everything else on the burrow wall and even went outside the burrow to kill one that had wandered off.
• The Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle, competitive exclusion principle suggests that the six yoyo clam species (which share the burrow-wall niche) should occupy host burrows less frequently with each other than with the niche-differentiated, host-attached clam species. Researchers tested this by field-censusing populations in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, capturing host mantis shrimp and sampling their burrows using a bait pump. They then created artificial burrows in the lab to observe commensal clam behavior with and without a mantis shrimp host. Just two and a half days later, nearly all the clams in the mantis shrimp’s burrow were dead.
• In Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle, these clams are commensal organisms, they naturally live with mantis shrimp in the wild, so we had no way of knowing if this behavior occurred in nature or not. It was completely surprising.
• The exact mechanism causing the exclusion of burrow-wall and host-attached clams remains unclear. One possibility is that, during the larval stage, burrow wall clams recruit to different host burrows than host-attached clams. Another possibility is differential survival in burrows containing both types of clams, potentially triggering a lethal reaction from the host mantis shrimp.
• The researchers plan to investigate further. It could have been an artifact of the lab setup, or it might indicate that, under certain conditions, the commensal relationship between the yoyo clams and the predatory host can catastrophically break down.
• The researchers have proposed two follow-up studies on the Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle: one to determine if both types of commensal clams can recruit as larvae to the same host burrows, and another to test whether the mantis shrimp’s predatory behavior changes when the host-attached clam species is introduced to its burrow.

FAQ on Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle:

Top of the Hive: New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey because a 2023 report by the European Commission revealed that 46% of 147 honey samples were likely adulterated with inexpensive plant syrups. Due to the varying characteristics of honey, affected by nectar sources, harvest seasons, and geography detecting adulteration is often complex and challenging. Existing authentication methods are both costly and time-consuming, fueling the need for reliable testing and new regulations to combat fraud.

Date	August 18, 2024
Source	Cranfield University
Summary	Scientists have introduced innovative methods to identify sugar syrup adulteration in honey, enabling quick and precise testing to uncover counterfeit products.

If you want to know recent biology news like New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Yesterday’s Video Here

The typical composition of honey:

Component	Percentage (%)
Sugars	80-85%
Water	15-20%
Organic Acids	0.5%
Amino Acids	0.2-0.3%
Enzymes	Trace
Vitamins	Trace
Minerals	0.1-0.2%
Antioxidants	Trace
Pollen	Trace
Flavonoids & Phenolic Acids	Trace
Aromatic Compounds	Trace
Other	Trace

New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey

• Using the non-invasive Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) method—originally developed at STFC’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) and commonly applied in pharmaceutical and security diagnostics—samples of UK honey spiked with rice and sugar beet syrups were analyzed.
• This technique proved highly accurate in identifying the presence of sugar syrups. SORS quickly recognized the unique ‘fingerprint’ of each ingredient, and by combining this with machine learning, scientists were able to detect and identify sugar syrups from various plant sources.
• This analysis method is both portable and easy to implement, making it an ideal tool for screening honey throughout the supply chain.
• The paper titled Application of Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) and Machine Learning for Sugar Syrup Adulteration Detection in UK Honey was published in Foods 2024, vol. 13.

DNA Traces in Honey Used to Differentiate Real from Fake

• In a second study, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency and the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University of Belfast, DNA barcoding was utilized to detect rice and corn syrups spiked in UK honey samples.
• Scientists examined 17 honey samples from bee farmers across the UK, representing different seasons and floral nectar sources, and purchased four samples from supermarkets and online retailers. These samples were then spiked with corn and rice syrups sourced from various countries.
• DNA barcoding—an already established method for food authentication—proved effective in breaking down each sample’s composition, successfully detecting syrups even at a 1% adulteration level.
• DNA methods have not been widely used to examine honey authenticity until now. But the considerable variation in honey composition makes authentication particularly challenging. Therefore, having this consistent technique in the testing arsenal could significantly reduce honey fraud.
• The two newly developed methods can be used in tandem to increase the likelihood of detecting external sugar adulteration in honey.

FAQ:

A Nobel laureate biologist, two engineering institutions, and a sample of Houston rainwater provide fresh insights into the origins of life on Earth that is this new research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls

Date	August 21, 2024
Source	University of Chicago
Summary	Recent studies suggest that rainwater might have played a crucial role in the development of a protective mesh-like wall around protocells 3.8 billion years ago. This discovery represents a vital step in the evolution from tiny RNA droplets to the complex organisms that include bacteria, plants, animals, and humans.

If you want to know recent biology news like New research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

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How new research suggests rainwater helped form the first protocell walls

One of the biggest unanswered questions about the origin of life is how free-floating RNA droplets in the primordial soup evolved into membrane-bound structures, known as cells. This new research has answered it.

A new study published today in Science Advances, UChicago PME postdoctoral researcher Aman Agrawal, along with co-authors including UChicago PME Dean Emeritus Matthew Tirrell and Nobel Prize-winning biologist Jack Szostak, demonstrate how rainwater might have contributed to forming a mesh-like wall around protocells 3.8 billion years ago. This step was crucial in the transition from simple RNA droplets to the complex life forms we know today.

The research focused on “coacervate droplets”—naturally occurring clusters of complex molecules like proteins, lipids, and RNA. These droplets act like oil in water and have long been considered potential candidates for protocells. However, a significant issue remained: the droplets exchanged molecules too quickly. This rapid exchange meant that any new RNA mutations would be shared among all the droplets, preventing differentiation, competition, and, ultimately, evolution.

Without differentiation, life as we know it couldn’t arise.

“If molecules continuously swap between droplets or cells, they all become identical, preventing evolution from taking place,” Agrawal explained.

“Engineers have been studying the physical chemistry of these complexes and polymer chemistry for years,” Szostak noted. “When exploring something as complex as the origin of life, it’s crucial to involve experts from different fields.”

“DNA encodes information but doesn’t perform any functions, while proteins perform functions but don’t carry hereditary information,” Agrawal explained.

Researchers theorized that RNA emerged first, performing both roles, with proteins and DNA evolving later. This made RNA a strong candidate for the first biological material, and coacervate droplets an ideal candidate for the first protocells—until Szostak’s 2014 study showed that RNA exchanged too rapidly within the droplets.

“You can create various types of coacervates, but they don’t maintain separate identities. RNA content exchanges too quickly, which has long been a problem,” Szostak said. “Our new research shows that this issue can be partially resolved by placing the coacervate droplets in distilled water, like rainwater. This process forms a tough outer skin that limits RNA exchange.”

Agrawal first experimented with coacervate droplets and distilled water and studied their behavior under an electric field. Though initially unrelated to the origin of life.

Using Szostak’s RNA samples, Agrawal found that transferring coacervate droplets into distilled water extended the RNA exchange timeframe from minutes to days—enough time for mutations, competition, and evolution.

“If protocell populations are unstable, they share genetic material and become clones. For evolution to happen, they need to stabilize long enough for mutations to take hold,” Agrawal said.

Although Agrawal initially used deionized water, journal reviewers questioned whether ancient rainwater’s acidity would alter results. To address this, the team collected rainwater in Houston and tested the droplets’ stability in both real rainwater and lab-modified water. The results were consistent: mesh-like walls :formed, creating conditions conducive to life.

While the rainwater of today isn’t identical to that of 3.8 billion years ago, the study shows that these conditions are possible, bringing researchers closer to understanding how protocells evolved.

FAQ:

John Tower, professor of biological sciences at USC Dornsife, published his idea on May 16 in the journal Frontiers in Aging might have discovered a new rule of biology focusing on evolution and aging that questions the traditional belief that most living organisms favor stability over instability, as stability is thought to demand less energy and fewer resources.

Date	May 16, 2024
Source	University of Southern California
Summary	A potential new ‘rule of biology’ has emerged, enhancing our understanding of evolution and aging.

If you want to know recent biology news like A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging, then read here: Why Fasting is Not Always Good for Your Health, Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging:

1. Tower’s rule, focuses on instability, specifically a concept called “selectively advantageous instability” (SAI), where some volatility in biological components, like proteins and genetic material, benefits cells.
2. Tower’s rule challenges the long-held belief that most living organisms prefer stability over instability because stability demands less energy and fewer resources. For example, hexagons frequently appear in nature, such as in honeycombs and insect eyes, because they are stable and require minimal material to cover a surface.
3. Tower posits that SAI is fundamental to biology. “Even the simplest cells contain proteases and nucleases, regularly degrading and replacing their proteins and RNAs, indicating that SAI is essential for life,” he explains.

How The New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution:

1. He also asserts that SAI is crucial to evolution.
2. As cells carry out their functions, building and degrading various unstable components, they exist in one of two states: one with the unstable component present and one without it.
3. Natural selection may operate differently on the two cell states. “This can lead to the maintenance of both a normal gene and a gene mutation within the same cell population if the normal gene is advantageous in one state and the mutation is advantageous in the other,” he says. This genetic diversity enhances the adaptability of cells and organisms.

Watch The Evolution Here

How The New Rule of Biology Focusing on Aging:

1. SAI may also be a key factor in aging and more
2. Selectively advantageous instability might contribute to aging. Creating and replacing unstable components within cells consumes materials and energy, and breaking them down requires additional energy.
3. Moreover, since SAI creates two potential states for a cell, allowing normal and mutated genes to coexist, if the mutated gene is harmful, this may contribute to aging, Tower suggests.

Implications of New Rule:

1. Beyond evolution and aging, SAI has other significant implications.
2. “Science has been increasingly interested in concepts like chaos theory, criticality, Turing patterns, and ‘cellular consciousness,'” Tower says. “Research indicates that SAI plays a crucial role in producing these phenomena.”
3. Due to its widespread presence in biology and its extensive implications, SAI may represent a new rule of biology, he concludes.

The new rule of biology focusing on evolution and aging suggests that biological instability, while requiring more energy, provides significant adaptive advantages by maintaining genetic diversity and enhancing cellular resilience.

FAQ:

A recent article explores the definition of Darwinism and its connections between non-scientific applications and the scientific theory of evolution. The authors proposed a unified approach to Darwinism’s varieties while some argue Darwinism should be restricted to its scientific aspects, others advocate for completely discarding the term. They suggest a comprehensive framework to reconcile these different interpretations of Darwinism.

Date	May 28, 2024
Source	University of Chicago Press Journals
Summary	A recent paper in The Quarterly Review of Biology explores the nature of Darwinism and its relationship between non-scientific applications and the scientific theory of evolution to propose a unified approach to Darwinism’s varieties.

If you want to know recent biology news like a unified approach to Darwinism’s varieties, then read here: Why Fasting is Not Always Good for Your Health, Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

Impacts of Darwin’s Ideas:

Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859 as a biological treatise. Over the past 150 years, however, his ideas have influenced a wide array of fields, prompting scientists and scholars to develop “evolutionary approaches” in areas such as economics, engineering, psychology, and history.

Misuse of Darwin’s Theories:

Darwin’s theories have been used (and misused) to challenge religious concepts of human origins and their relationship to other species, to justify state-sponsored eugenics, and to advocate for laissez-faire economic policies.

Watch The Video On Darwin Here

A Unified Approach to Darwinism’s Varieties:

• The authors propose a unified account of the diverse interpretations of Darwinism such as explanation, logic, and worldview.
• They demonstrate how Darwin’s theories have established a ‘logic’ or style of reasoning about phenomena, as well as various ethically and politically charged ‘worldviews.’
• They argue that the full meaning of Darwinism and its evolution over time can only be understood through the interplay of these dimensions.
• Their account of this thick conception of Darwinism relies on Darwinism as an explanatory framework, a logic or methodology, and a worldview or ideology.
• The authors conclude that limiting Darwinism to a strictly scientific context is not ideal, emphasizing that theoretical elements play a crucial role in shaping scientific inquiry into natural phenomena.
• They acknowledge that while the “thick” conception of Darwinism complicates its analysis, it is essential to capture the full richness and influence of Darwinism over the past 150 years.

A unified approach to varieties of Darwinism emphasizes the importance of integrating its scientific, ethical, and political dimensions. This comprehensive perspective acknowledges the complexity and richness of Darwinism’s influence over the past century and a half, ensuring a deeper and more accurate understanding of its multifaceted legacy.

FAQ on A Unified Approach to Darwinism’s Varieties:

We all celebrate Father’s Day with flowers, cards, and lots of gifts. But biology lovers may see this day a little differently. They may show their respects to the fathers of different branches of biology and can initiate a new term Father’s Day in Biology.

Father’s Day in Biology: Contributions of “Father of Biology”

The title “Father of Biology” is often attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. His extensive work in the study of living organisms laid the groundwork for the biological sciences.

Aristotle’s Approach to Biology

Aristotle (384–322 BC) was not just a philosopher but also a keen observer of the natural world. His approach to biology was based on systematic observation and classification. He believed that to understand life, one must study the structure, function, and behavior of organisms in detail.

1. Systematic Observation: Aristotle meticulously observed various animals and plants, documenting their anatomy, reproduction, and habitats. His observations were detailed and often surprisingly accurate, considering the limited tools available at the time.
2. Classification: One of Aristotle’s significant contributions was his classification system. He grouped animals based on their characteristics, such as the presence of blood (which he referred to as “red-blooded” or “bloodless”), their modes of reproduction, and their habitats. This early attempt at classification influenced later systems used by scientists.

Father’s Day in Biology: Fathers of Different Branches of Biology

The study of biology encompasses a vast array of sub-disciplines, each focusing on different aspects of life and living organisms. Over the centuries, several pioneering scientists have laid the groundwork for these branches, earning them the title of “father” in their respective fields.

Branch of Biology	Father	Major Contributions	Significance of Work
General Biology	Aristotle	Systematic classification, anatomy, embryology, animal behavior	Laid the groundwork for biological sciences
Taxonomy	Carl Linnaeus	Developed binomial nomenclature	Standardized species classification
Genetics	Gregor Mendel	Discovered principles of inheritance using pea plants	Foundation of modern genetics and heredity
Evolutionary Biology	Charles Darwin	Theory of natural selection and evolution	Transformed understanding of species development
Microbiology	Antonie van Leeuwenhoek	Discovered microorganisms using a microscope	Pioneered the field of microbiology
Immunology	Edward Jenner	Developed the first successful smallpox vaccine	Laid the foundation for the development of vaccines
Virology	Martinus Beijerinck	Discovered viruses	Established the field of virology
Bacteriology	Louis Pasteur	Germ theory of disease, pasteurization	Revolutionized the understanding of diseases
Cell Biology	Robert Hooke	Coined the term “cell” after observing cork cells	Initiated the study of cellular structure and function
Embryology	Karl Ernst von Baer	Described embryonic development stages	Founded modern embryology
Ecology	Ernst Haeckel	Coined the term “ecology,” studied interactions between organisms	Established ecology as a distinct scientific discipline
Physiology	Claude Bernard	Research on the pancreas, liver, and homeostasis	Advanced understanding of bodily functions
Neurobiology	Santiago Ramón y Cajal	Research on the structure of the nervous system	Father of modern neuroscience
Botany	Theophrastus	Classified and described plant species	Father of botany, influenced plant science
Zoology	Aristotle	Extensive studies on animal species and behavior	Foundation of animal biology
Paleontology	Georges Cuvier	Established extinction as a fact, comparative anatomy	Father of paleontology, revolutionized study of fossils
Parasitology	Francesco Redi	Disproved spontaneous generation, studied parasites	Initiated the scientific study of parasites
Entomology	William Kirby	Described numerous insect species, established entomology	Father of entomology, foundational insect studies

Aristotle’s title as the “Father of Biology” is well-deserved, considering his pioneering contributions to the field. His systematic observations, classification systems, and philosophical approaches laid the groundwork for various branches of biology. His influence on subsequent generations of scientists and his enduring legacy in biological sciences underscore his pivotal role in the history of biology. So BiologyMam.Com is dedicating this Father’s Day in Biology to the “Father of Biology”.

FAQ:

4200 Km transatlantic flight of the Painted Lady butterfly mapped by the researchers because in October 2013, Gerard Talavera, a researcher from the Botanical Institute of Barcelona at CSIC, made a remarkable discovery of Painted Lady Butterflies on the Atlantic beaches of French Guiana— a species not commonly found in South America. This unexpected sighting led to an international study to trace the origin of these butterflies.

Date	June 25, 2024
Source	University of Ottawa
Summary	Non-stop journey of Painted Lady butterfly’s about 4,200 km transatlantic flight mapped by researchers

If you want to know recent biology news like Transatlantic Flight of The Painted Lady Butterfly Mapped, then read here: Why Fasting is Not Always Good for Your Health, Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

How Transatlantic Flight of The Painted Lady Butterfly Mapped

• First, the research team reconstructed wind trajectories for the period leading up to the arrival of these butterflies in October 2013. They discovered exceptionally favorable wind conditions that could support a transatlantic crossing from western Africa, suggesting that these butterflies might have flown across the entire ocean.
• By sequencing the genomes of these butterflies and comparing them to global populations, the researchers found a closer genetic relatedness to African and European populations. This finding ruled out the possibility of the butterflies originating from North America, supporting the hypothesis of an oceanic journey.
• The researchers used an innovative combination of next-generation molecular techniques. They sequenced the DNA of pollen grains carried by the butterflies, identifying two plant species that only grow in tropical Africa. This indicated that the butterflies had fed on African flowers before their transatlantic journey.
• Additionally, they analyzed hydrogen and strontium isotopes in the butterflies’ wings, which act as a “fingerprint” of their region of origin. By combining isotope data with a model of habitat suitability for larval growth, they identified potential natal origins in western Europe, including France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, or Portugal.
• The butterflies could only complete this flight by alternating between energy-intensive active flight and wind-assisted gliding. Without the wind, the butterflies could have flown a maximum of 780 km before depleting their energy reserves.
• The researchers highlighted the Saharan air layer as a significant aerial route for dispersion. These wind currents, which transport large amounts of Saharan dust from Africa to America and fertilize the Amazon, are now shown to be capable of carrying living organisms as well.
• This discovery suggests that natural aerial corridors connecting continents may exist, potentially facilitating the dispersal of species on a much larger scale than previously imagined.

Watch The Painted Lady Butterfly Here

FAQ:

Scientists map how Pseudomonas aeruginosa evolved to become epidemic because P. aeruginosa is responsible for over 500,000 deaths annually, with over 300,000 linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Those particularly susceptible include individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and non-CF bronchiectasis.

a recent study has discovered that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an environmental bacterium known for causing severe multidrug-resistant infections, especially in individuals with preexisting lung conditions, has evolved rapidly and spread worldwide over the past 200 years due to changes in human behavior.

Date	July 4, 2024
Source	University of Cambridge
Summary	Scientists map how Pseudomonas aeruginosa evolved to become epidemic because a recent study has discovered that Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an environmental bacterium known for causing severe multidrug-resistant infections, especially in individuals with preexisting lung conditions, has evolved rapidly and spread worldwide over the past 200 years due to changes in human behavior.

If you want to know recent biology news like Pseudomonas aeruginosa evolved to become epidemic, then read here: Why Fasting is Not Always Good for Your Health, Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

How Pseudomonas aeruginosa Evolved to Become Epidemic:

• P. aeruginosa is responsible for over 500,000 deaths annually, with over 300,000 linked to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Those particularly susceptible include individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), and non-CF bronchiectasis.
• The evolutionary journey of P. aeruginosa from an environmental organism to a specialized human pathogen was previously unclear. To explore this, an international research team led by scientists from the University of Cambridge analyzed DNA data from nearly 10,000 samples from infected individuals, animals, and various environments globally. Their findings are published in Science.
• By mapping the data, the researchers created phylogenetic trees, which are essentially ‘family trees’ that depict the relationships between the bacterial samples. Remarkably, they discovered that nearly 70% of infections are caused by just 21 genetic clones, or ‘branches’ of the family tree, which have rapidly evolved by acquiring new genes from neighboring bacteria and then spread globally over the past two centuries. This spread is likely due to increased population density, air pollution making lungs more vulnerable, and more opportunities for infection transmission.
• These epidemic clones have a preference for infecting specific types of patients, with some targeting CF patients and others non-CF individuals. The bacteria exploit a previously unknown immune defect in CF patients, allowing them to survive within macrophages. Macrophages are cells that ingest and break down invading organisms to prevent infection. However, in CF patients, a previously unknown flaw in the immune system allows P. aeruginosa to evade destruction after being ingested by macrophages.
• Once the bacteria infect the lungs, they evolve differently to become more specialized for particular lung environments. This results in certain clones being transmissible within CF patients and others within non-CF patients, but almost never between the two groups.

Watch Here The Cystic Fibrosis(CF)

From a clinical perspective, Pseudomonas aeruginosa evolved to become epidemic, this study has provided crucial information about Pseudomonas. The focus has often been on how easily this infection can spread among CF patients, but we have shown that it can also spread alarmingly easily among other patients. This has significant implications for infection control in hospitals, where it’s common for an infected individual to be in an open ward with someone who is very vulnerable.

FAQ:

The largest animals do not possess proportionally larger brains, humans being a notable exception, a new study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution has revealed that brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.

Date	July 8, 2024
Source	University of Reading
Summary	A new study has revealed that the largest animals do not have proportionally larger brains, with humans being a notable exception.

If you want to know recent biology news like Now Brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend, then read here: New one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell’s genome,  Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

Experiment of Brain and Body Size:

Researchers from the University of Reading and Durham University compiled an extensive dataset of brain and body sizes from around 1,500 species to address longstanding debates about brain size evolution. Larger brains relative to body size are associated with intelligence, social behavior, and behavioral complexity, with humans having evolved particularly large brains.

How The Brain Size Riddle Solved as Humans Exceed Evolution Trend

The research reveals a straightforward association between brain and body size across all mammals, allowing the identification of species that deviate from the norm.

Among these outliers is Homo sapiens, which evolved over 20 times faster than other mammal species, resulting in the large brains characteristic of humans today.

However, humans are not the only species to deviate from this trend.

All mammal groups exhibited rapid changes—both increases and decreases—in brain size.

For instance, bats rapidly reduced their brain size initially, then showed very slow changes in relative brain size, suggesting evolutionary constraints related to flight demands.

Three groups of animals displayed the most significant rapid changes in brain size: primates, rodents, and carnivores. These groups tend to show an increase in relative brain size over time (the “Marsh-Lartet rule”), which is not a universal trend across all mammals as previously believed.

Watch Here The Video of Brain

Why Brain Size is Not Related to Body Size

Dr. Joanna Baker, a co-author from the University of Reading, noted: ‘Our results uncover a mystery. In the largest animals, something prevents brains from growing too large. It remains to be seen if this is because large brains are too costly to maintain. However, similar patterns in birds suggest a general phenomenon—the ‘curious ceiling’ applies to animals with very different biology.'”

Professor Chris Venditti, the study’s lead author from the University of Reading, stated: ‘For over a century, scientists assumed this relationship was linear—meaning brain size increased proportionally with body size. We now know this is not true. The relationship between brain and body size forms a curve, indicating very large animals have smaller brains than expected.’ So the brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolution trend.

FAQ:

Genome editing is a widely adopted technology for modifying DNA in cells, enabling scientists to study diseases in the lab and develop therapies that repair disease-causing mutations. However, current methods allow for editing cells at only one location at a time. So scientists have developed the New one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell’s genome.

Date	July 9, 2024
Source	Gladstone Institutes
Summary	Scientists have created a new, highly efficient method for making several precise edits to human cells simultaneously. This breakthrough technique uses molecules called retrons to enable precise modifications in multiple locations within a cell at once. The tool has proven effective in altering DNA in bacteria, yeast, and human cells.

If you want to know recent biology news like New one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell’s genome, then read here: Why Fasting is Not Always Good for Your Health, Specific Genomic Changes in the Monkeypox Virus Associated with Their Transmissibility, Better View of Living Bacteria with New Mid-Infrared Nanoscopy.

What are Retrons

Shipman is a pioneer in the emerging field of retrons, molecular components from a bacterial immune system that can produce large quantities of DNA. In 2022, his lab combined retrons with CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to create a system for quick and efficient human cell editing.

New Study of Retrons

In their new study, the researchers sought to overcome the limitation of current genome editing methods. “If you wanted to edit a cell at multiple genome locations that aren’t near each other, the standard approach was to make the modifications sequentially,” explains Alejandro González-Delgado, PhD, one of the study’s first authors and a postdoctoral scholar in Shipman’s lab. “This laborious cycle involved making an edit, using the edited cells to introduce another edit, and so on.”

Experiment of Retrons

The team encoded a retron to generate different DNA portions. When delivered to a cell, these engineered retrons—called multitrons—can make multiple edits simultaneously. Another advantage of multitrons is their ability to delete large genome sections. “Multitrons allow us to make sequential deletions, collapsing middle portions of the genome and bringing far-apart ends closer until the entire region is deleted,” Gonzalez-Delgado explains.

Application of New one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell’s genome

• Shipman and his team demonstrated immediate applications for their new method in molecular recording and metabolic engineering.
• Retrons can record molecular events in a cell, providing a detailed log of the cell’s activity and environmental changes.
• Multitrons expand this approach, allowing for recording with greater sensitivity. “Multitrons let us record both very weak and very strong signals simultaneously, broadening the dynamic range of our recordings,” says Gonzalez-Delgado. “We could eventually implement this tool in the gut microbiome to record signals like inflammation.”
• In metabolic engineering, the scientists showed that multitrons could simultaneously edit multiple genes in a metabolic pathway, rapidly increasing the production of a targeted substance.
• They tested their approach on a powerful antioxidant called lycopene, successfully increasing its production threefold.

Watch the video of genome here

Next Aim of Experiment:

“To model complex genetic diseases and eventually find treatments or cures, we need to make many different mutations to cells at once,” says Shipman, also an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UC San Francisco and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. “Our new approach is a step toward that goal.” This is the aim of the new one-step method to make multiple edits to a cell’s genome.

FAQ: