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Desert raisins, Solanum cleistogamum. Left: Wild type, with prickles on the berries. Right: Berries after genetically blocking prickle formation. This is part of Figure 5 from the article. |
Musings is an informal newsletter mainly highlighting recent science. It is intended as both fun and instructive. See the Introduction, listed below and in the navigation bar at the top, for more information.
At this point, new Musings items are mainly brief updates to earlier posts. However, new items may vary. They may link to other parts of my web site, rather than previous Musings posts. There may also be items that are indeed new, "briefly noted" or longer; these will be infrequent.
If you got here from a search engine... Do a simple text search of this page to find your topic. Searches for a single word (or root) are most likely to work.
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In "update" mode...
Format change... Since starting the "update" mode in mid-2023, I have been making a brief note here, connecting the new item to a previous item. The new item is then included on the related page. I am going to experiment with doing it the opposite way. The new item will be given here "in full" (briefly!). It will (usually) link to some previous item, and the new item will be cross-referenced there. It will be much like the "briefly noted" format, though I won't use that term. If this seems to work ok, I can (gradually) switch the previous update items. (I have started this.)
October 9, 2024
The possibility of tiny sources of nuclear power has long intrigued scientists. A new article reports a new approach, which may have the potential to be practical. The basic plan is to use a tiny amount of americium (commonly used in smoke detectors), embedded in a matrix where the radioactive emissions (alpha particles) lead to light production. The light is then transformed to electricity -- known technology (photovoltaic cell) -- which is used to charge a battery. The overall result is about 8,000 times more efficient than previous attempts at such micronuclear devices.
* News story: Researchers create tiny nuclear-powered battery thousands of times more efficient than predecessors. (Bob Yirka, Tech Xplore, September 19, 2024.)
* The article: Micronuclear battery based on a coalescent energy transducer. (Kai Li et al, Nature 633:811 September 26, 2024.)
* More americium: A better way to oxidize americium? A step toward improved processing of nuclear reactor waste? (December 7, 2015).
* This post is listed on my page Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Internet resources under Energy resources.
* ... and on my page Introductory Chemistry Internet resources under Lanthanoids and actinoids.
October 4, 2024
A piece of paper can cut you, You probably know that. Some kinds of paper are more likely to cut than others. A new article explores how that works, using both an experimental model (an artificial finger) and computer simulation. If the paper is too thick, it is like a dull knife, indenting the surface rather than breaking it. If the paper is too thin, it is likely to just buckle rather than break the surface. The conclusions all seem reasonable; now there is some data behind them. Paper of 65 µm thickness is about optimum -- for cutting you. (Table 1 suggests that a page from the journal Science is more likely to cut you than a page from Nature.)
* The opening of the article... "Paper cuts are ... endemic among literate persons (globally 86% aged 15+ years [2]) and may lead to severe microbial infections [3,4]."
* News story: Scientists uncover the physics behind paper cuts. Here are the types of paper most likely to cut you. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, August 1, 2024.)
* The article: Competition between slicing and buckling underlies the erratic nature of paper cuts. (Sif Fink Arnbjerg-Nielsen et al, Physical Review E 110:025003, August 23, 2024.)
Relevant background posts: Nothing obvious.
September 30, 2024
We have noted before that Earth occasionally captures asteroids into orbit, where they may remain for weeks or perhaps a few years. 2024 PT5 was captured yesterday (September 29, 2024) -- or at least that is what was predicted, according to a new article. It will remain in Earth orbit until November 25, when the gravity of the Sun displaces it, according to the predictions.
* The new moon is about 10 meters in diameter. Professional-level equipment will be needed to see it. If you're not ready to observe 2024 PT5 on this visit, you might plan ahead for the next visit, in 2055.
* News story: Earth will soon have a new mini-moon in September - but only briefly. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, September 19, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: A Two-month Mini-moon: 2024 PT5 Captured by Earth from September to November. (Carlos de la Fuente Marcos & Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society 8:224, September 2024.) For a pdf file of a draft of the article, scroll down to "Article and author information" and choose "AAS-provided PDF".
The idea that Earth has small temporary moons from time to time was introduced in: Briefly noted... 1. How many moons hath Earth? (September 5, 2018).
September 25, 2024
Installing a heart pacemaker requires a significant surgery. What if we could just inject a pacemaker into the heart, at least in an emergency? A new article reports progress toward that goal. What the scientists have done is to develop a "parts kit" that can self-assemble into a functional pacemaker. At this point, they have tested it in the lab with isolated chicken embryo hearts and with zebrafish. They are ready to test it in mammals, injecting the parts kit directly into the heart (more precisely, into the region around the heart). The current version will last about five days -- before self-degrading into harmless pieces that are excreted. The injectable pacemaker is intended for emergency use, such as in the wild or in a war zone, stabilizing heart function for a few days until proper surgery can be done.
* What powers this temporary pacemaker? An ordinary mobile phone should work just fine.
* News story: Injectable heart stimulator for emergency situations. (Åsa Hansdotter, Lund University, August 27, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: In situ assembly of an injectable cardiac stimulator. (Umut Aydemir et al, Nature Communications 15:6774, August 8, 2024.)
Another approach for developing a pacemaker: Lighting the heart (August 31, 2010).
September 18, 2024
A recent article reports a process for incorporating bacterial spores into a plastic during manufacture. When "the time comes", the spores can be activated, the bacteria grow and make an enzyme that will degrade the plastic (a polyurethane). The starting bacterial strain (Bacillus subtilis) was chosen for its ability to degrade the plastic. It was modified to survive during production of the plastic -- at 135 °C. Testing showed that the plastic would degrade under ordinary compost conditions (without special additions to the compost for this purpose). Interestingly, incorporation of the bacterial spores into the plastic improved some of its mechanical properties.
* News story: Biodegradable 'Living Plastic' Houses Bacterial Spores That Help It Break Down. (University of California San Diego, April 30, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Biocomposite thermoplastic polyurethanes containing evolved bacterial spores as living fillers to facilitate polymer disintegration. (Han Sol Kim et al, Nature Communications 15:3338, April 30, 2024.)
Also see...
* Good enzymatic degradation of polyesters, by manufacturing the plastic with the enzymes in it (May 4, 2021). The current work is in the same vein as this earlier work, now using organisms rather than just enzymes. The use of bacterial spores may make the new process more robust.
* A general post on plastics, with links to much more: History of plastic -- by the numbers (October 23, 2017).
September 11, 2024
If a leech gets a blood sample from your arm, you may not even notice. If only doctors could be so gentle. Maybe they can, thanks to a device reported recently. It was, quite frankly, designed to mimic what a leech does. It attaches to the arm by light suction, and uses an array of microneedles to penetrate the skin. The scientists think that their new device is practical and inexpensive; it is ready for testing with humans.
* News story: Blood sampling device inspired by leeches could make needles obsolete -- Innovative blood sampling device mimics leech mechanics for painless, efficient diagnostics. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, May 2, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: A Bioinspired and Cost-Effective Device for Minimally Invasive Blood Sampling. (Nicole Zoratto et al, Advanced Science 11:2308809, May 15, 2024.)
* Previous posts mentioning leeches: none.
* More microneedles: Treating a heart attack using a microneedle patch (January 11, 2019).
September 4, 2024
We have previously noted that one type of tiny animal, the bdelloid rotifers, have a very high level of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). A new article reports a useful function for one set of genes the rotifers acquired from bacteria: they make novel antimicrobial agents. In this case, the bacterial genes protect the rotifers from fungal infections that would otherwise be fatal.
These rotifer antimicrobials may be worth attention. The antifungal agents reported here are novel, presumably because the genes have been evolving there for millions of years. Further, they have passed at least one test for safety in animals. But how safety in rotifers extrapolates to safety in humans needs to be checked.
* News story: New study shows tiny animals steal antibiotic recipes from bacteria. (University of Oxford, July 19, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Bdelloid rotifers deploy horizontally acquired biosynthetic genes against a fungal pathogen. (Reuben W Nowell et al, Nature Communications 15:5787, July 18, 2024.)
Background post on rotifers, their fungal infections, and horizontal gene transfer: Lesbian necrophiliacs (March 8, 2010).
August 28, 2024
Prickles, as the plant biologists call them. They occur in numerous and diverse plants. A new article explores the genetics behind the trait of having or not having prickles. Turns out it is rather simple, with one key gene often making the difference. This allows the scientists to mutate out prickles in some plants. Here is an example...
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Desert raisins, Solanum cleistogamum. Left: Wild type, with prickles on the berries. Right: Berries after genetically blocking prickle formation. This is part of Figure 5 from the article. |
Roses without thorns? The team has evidence that the same gene is involved. However, rose genetics is a bit messy. We'll see.
(It is common that thorns are manually removed from cultivated rose plants, so there is an incentive to pursue this. We also note that there are some thornless roses. The issue here is modifying current commercial crops to make them thornless.)
* News story: Plant biologists discover an ancient gene family is responsible for plant prickles across species. (Phys.org (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), August 1, 2024.)
* News story accompanying the article: Evolutionary biology: A sharp discovery -- Plant prickles are controlled by genes involved in the final step of cytokinin biosynthesis. (Elizabeth A Kellogg, Science 385:495, August 2, 2024.)
* The article: Convergent evolution of plant prickles by repeated gene co-option over deep time. (James W Satterlee et al, Science 385:ado1663, August 2, 2024. Not in print edition.)
* More about thorns... Why a tree cultivates ants (October 3, 2010).
* and roses... Briefly noted... Two new genomes (August 8, 2018). See item 1 there.
August 21, 2024
The progression of prion diseases depends on the continued production of the normal prion protein. This is true even when the disease was initiated by "infection" with an exogenous prion agent, such as that for BSE. Animals lacking the gene for the prion protein have been made by genetic engineering; they cannot get prion diseases. That might lead to the development of cattle strains that cannot get BSE, but does not provide a direct route to treatment. Is it possible we could turn off the prion gene in an animal that has begun to develop a prion disease?
A recent article reports some success in treating prion disease by turning the prion gene off -- or at least, turning it down. In addition to the basic result, the method they used is interesting -- and complicated. The heart of the method is that the viral vector leads to the production of a small protein that binds to the prion gene promoter -- and targets a DNA methylase to that promoter. The resulting methylation of the prion gene promoter silences gene expression. Thus, this is a form of epigenome editing; it affects expression of the target gene, but not the DNA sequence of the gene. Tests in a mouse model are promising, but of course there is much more to do.
The scientists call their method Coupled Histone tail for Autoinhibition Release of Methyltransferase (CHARM).
* News stories:
- Epigenetic Editor Silences Toxic Proteins in the Mouse Brain, Offering Promising Path to Treat Deadly Prion Diseases. (Monica M Bertagnolli, NIH, July 25, 2024.) Good presentation of the approach.
- CHARMed collaboration creates a potent therapy candidate for fatal prion diseases -- A new gene-silencing tool shows promise as a future therapy against prion diseases and paves the way for new approaches to treating disease. (Greta Friar (Whitehead Institute, MIT), June 27, 2024.)
* News story accompanying the article: Medicine: An epigenetic editor to silence genes -- A new class of editor has improved delivery, durability, tunability, and safety. (Madelynn N Whittaker & Kiran Musunuru, Science 384:1407, June 28 2024.)
* The article: Brainwide silencing of prion protein by AAV-mediated delivery of an engineered compact epigenetic editor. (Edwin N Neumann et al, Science 384:eado7082, June 28 2024. Not in print edition.)
* A previous post about developing a treatment for prion disease: Briefly noted... First in-human trial of an antibody against a prion disease (April 26, 2022).
* For more about prions, see my page Biotechnology in the News (BITN) - Prions (BSE, CJD, etc). It includes a list of related Musings posts.
* Also see: CRISPR: an overview (February 15, 2015). This originally included a complete list of posts about CRISPR. It was expanded to include posts more generally about genome editing. Now, epigenome editing.
August 14, 2024
The length of the day, in astronomical terms, depends on the speed of rotation of the Earth. Occasional adjustments are made to our human-based timekeeping system to compensate for real-world irregularities in that rotation. Most common has been adding a leap second, to reflect slowing of the Earth's rotation. The new twist is that climate change is affecting the Earth's rotation. The melting of polar ice is affecting the distribution of mass on Earth, thus changing its rotation. The effect is to slow the rotation. The full context is complicated; in some sense, the new finding may be good news. The recent changes in Earth rotation have been in the opposite direction, with the rotation speeding up, which would lead to the need for a negative leap second. (This was noted in the Musing post linked below.) Melting of polar ice would counteract this change, at least delaying the need for a negative leap second.
* There is ongoing discussion of how to maintain official time. The new finding here may be welcomed simply for relieving the immediate pressure to consider a negative leap second, while the broader timekeeping context is being reconsidered.
* News story: Melting polar ice is changing Earth's rotation and slowing down time. Here's how this will affect the leap second -- Climate change is now altering how we keep time. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, March 28, 2024.)
* News story accompanying the article: Forum: Metrology... Melting ice delays leap-second problem -- Humans' effect on the polar ice sheets is slowing Earth's rotation, posing challenges for its alignment with the official time standard. Two researchers discuss the science behind the slowdown and the impact it has on timekeeping. (Sections by Patrizia Tavella & Jerry X Mitrovica, Nature 628:273, April 11, 2024.) Good discussion, with context.
* The article: A global timekeeping problem postponed by global warming. (Duncan Carr Agnew, Nature 628:333, April 11, 2024.) Put the title into Google Scholar, and you may get a freely available copy. (Caution... I had trouble downloading one of the listed files, but another was fine.)
For more about the Earth's rotation, including the issue of a possible negative leap second... Briefly noted... A record short day (August 23, 2022).
August 7, 2024
Caution, this may be a confusing story. But it also sounds like it is potentially quite important. We store memories in the details of neuron structure. How? and how do they get there? Those points are less clear. A recent article explores some phenomena that seem to be associated with the formation of long-term memories. The work suggests that DNA damage and the resulting inflammation are part of the story of storing memories. One piece of evidence is that mutant mice lacking a key step in the DNA-directed inflammatory response are deficient in forming long-term memories. It may be that the brain has co-opted a piece of the innate immune system for its own purpose.
* News story: Making long-term memories requires DNA damage, researchers discover. (Medical Xpress (Albert Einstein College of Medicine), March 27, 2024.)
* News story accompanying the article: Neuronal inflammation makes memories persist. (Benjamin A Kelvington & Ted Abel, Nature 628:40, April 4, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Formation of memory assemblies through the DNA-sensing TLR9 pathway. (Vladimir Jovasevic et al, Nature 628:145, April 4, 2024.)
* TLR9, the DNA-sensing receptor of the inmate immune system, was introduced in the post: Does it matter what time of day you get a vaccine? (October 26, 2012).
* More about brains is on my page Biotechnology in the News (BITN) -- Other topics under Brain.
July 31, 2024
Hypermutation and defense in bacteria. The adaptive immune system of vertebrates generates a vast library of antibodies by a complex set of processes broadly referred to as hypermutation. Immune cells proliferate, with a high rate of mutation in the antibody genes, due to various "unusual" processes. Scientists have recently explored a type of hypermutation, using error-prone reverse transcription, in bacteria. The hypermutation is focused on a few genes, which may be sensors of viral antigens. Thus they suspect that the process is associated with resistance to viruses -- a type of immune response. The bacteria are colonial, almost multi-cellular -- making them highly susceptible to viral spread. (They are a species of Thiohalocapsa, commonly known as pink berries, due to their macroscopic appearance.) The article includes considerable speculation, but the basic findings are intriguing.
* News story: How to win an arms race: lessons from "pink berries". (Roo Weed, MicroBites, June 14, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Targeted hypermutation of putative antigen sensors in multicellular bacteria. (Hugo Doré et al, PNAS 121:e2316469121, February 14, 2024.)
More hypermutation... A novel approach to providing immunity to HIV (March 12, 2012).
July 24, 2024
A problem with the current formulation of mRNA vaccines is that the lipid coat is reactogenic, causing side effects. The significance of the side effects varies -- a lot; they can be serious, though more often they are just annoying. On the other hand, using naked (free) mRNA could reduce the effectiveness, because of the instability of mRNA. A recent article reports progress toward developing effective naked mRNA vaccines. Key developments include injecting into skin (which has more immune cells, compared to the usual muscle site), and using a jet injector (to enhance uptake, compared to the usual syringe and needle). Results are encouraging -- but limited at this point. The scientists are planning a clinical trial for 2026.
* News story: Must mRNA be cloaked in a lipid coat to serve as a vaccine? (Phys.org (Innovation Center of NanoMedicine), April 3, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Carrier-free mRNA vaccine induces robust immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice and non-human primates without systemic reactogenicity. (Saed Abbasi et al, Molecular Therapy 32:1266, May 2024.)
Background... Briefly noted... mRNA vaccine history (November 3, 2021).
July 17, 2024
Scientists recently found that the enzyme citrate synthase from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus self-assembles into Sierpinski triangles. Why? Probably just an evolutionary accident; mutational analysis has not revealed any role for the unusual structural pattern. But the structural repetition did confuse the software used to analyze the electron microscope images.
* News story: Discovery of the first fractal molecule in nature -- Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Marburg found for the first time a natural protein that follows a fascinating mathematical pattern of self-similarity. (Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology (Marburg), April 10, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Emergence of fractal geometries in the evolution of a metabolic enzyme. (Franziska L Sendker et al, Nature 628:894, April 25, 2024.)
Previous post about fractals: Cauliflower math (July 26, 2021).
There is more about math on my page Internet resources: Miscellaneous in the section Mathematics; statistics. It includes a listing of some related Musings posts.
July 11, 2024
The Antikythera device was introduced in the background post listed below. It is likely that the device tracked the year using a line of holes around one ring, known as the calendar ring. The question is, what kind of year -- for this ancient device? That is, how many holes were there? The condition of the device makes it difficult to get a good count. A new article reports a sophisticated statistical analysis of the best images available. The conclusion? Most likely 353-356 holes, a much narrower range than earlier estimates. It is consistent with the 354-day year used by the Greeks in the era of the device. A 360-day year is just barely within the 99% limits of their estimate; a 365-day year is quite implausible.
* News story: Astronomers decypher 2,000-year-old ancient Greek computer with the help of gravitational waves science -- The oldest computer in the world is revealing its secrets. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, July 4, 2024.)
* The article, which is freely available (only) as a pdf at this special link: An Improved Calendar Ring Hole-Count for the Antikythera Mechanism -- A Fresh Analysis. (Graham Woan & Joseph Bayley, Horological Journal, July 2024, p 282.) The journal is the official journal of the British Horological Institute. Horology? It's the study of timekeeping, the measurement of time.
* The mention of gravitational waves is about statistical methodology. Indeed. both of the current authors are involved in the gravitational wave project (LIGO).
Background psot about the Antikythera device: The Antikythera device: a 2000-year-old computer (August 31, 2011).
July 9, 2024
Scientists have reported making gold monolayers. By analogy with the more famous 2D form of carbon, they call it goldene. But making graphene is relatively simple; the basic structure is found in the common substance graphite. In contrast, metals do not tend to make 2D structures. Thus the work required developing a novel synthesis; the work started quite by accident while studying titanium silicon carbide. As with graphene, goldene has novel properties. For example, a gold monolayer is not a good electrical conductor. The main point for now is that the article presents a novel material.
* News story: Scientists make the first single-atom-thick sheet of gold. It's called 'goldene' -- The new material could revolutionize catalysis and more. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, April 16, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Synthesis of goldene comprising single-atom layer gold. (Shun Kashiwaya et al, Nature Synthesis 3:744, June 2024.)
* Among posts about gold... Prospecting for gold -- with help from the little ones (March 1, 2013). Includes a list of gold-related posts.
* Posts about graphene and such are listed on my page Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry -- Internet resources in the section on Aromatic compounds. Added September 24, 2024.
July 2, 2024
The traditional view is that all fingerprints are completely different. For forensic use, one must match the print to the specific finger. A recent article uses an AI system to analyze a library of fingerprint sets. The finding is that the various prints from one individual are related. That's interesting in terms of understanding fingerprint development. It may also have forensic use, though this will need further development.
* News story: Your fingerprints are not unique, new AI finds -- An AI program reveals a shocking secret about human fingerprints that even forensic scientists found shocking. (Rupendra Brahambhatt, ZME Science, January 12, 2024.)
* Interview with the lead author, an undergraduate at Columbia University: AI fingerprint breakthrough could aid future forensics. (Naked Scientists, January 12, 2024.)
* The article, which is open access: Unveiling intra-person fingerprint similarity via deep contrastive learning. (Gabe Guo et al, Science Advances 10:eadi0329, January 12, 2024.)
More about fingerprints: Briefly noted... How fingerprints develop (June 2, 2023).
June 27, 2024
Jellyfish are primitive animals. However, some have eyes -- many eyes. In a previous post, Musings discussed work on the behavioral implications of jellyfish eyes. The work has now been extended, showing that these jellyfish can learn to associate cues (visual and mechanical) with behavioral responses. The work shows that the ability to learn is a property of even one of the simplest nervous systems known.
* News story: Box jellyfish show surprising ability to learn without a brain -- Learning from experience was believed to be restricted to more advanced creatures, but in a first, Caribbean jellyfish were shown to learn from past mistakes. (Sukanya Charuchandra, Advanced Science News, October 4, 2023.)
* The article: Associative learning in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora. (Jan Bielecki et al, Current Biology 33:4150, October 9, 2023.)
For background about vision in the box jellyfish... With 24 eyes, can they see the trees? (June 11, 2011). The article discussed in this background post is reference 15 of the current article; both articles are from the same group.
June 25, 2024
See "update" at the end of At the edge of the solar system (September 28, 2012).
June 19, 2024
Scientists have reported finding bacteria that can remove carbohydrate antigens from blood cells, converting them to be effectively type O. The bacteria come from the gut, where they apparently feed on the mucus on the gut lining. The cells of the gut lining are coated with a variety of sugars, and these bacteria have a collection of enzymes that remove those sugars. The enzymes also do a good job on blood cells. The scientists suggest that their current process is already good enough to convert type B blood to useful type O. Results with type A blood are encouraging but not yet good enough to be useful. The common blood types are actually more complex than we usually make them sound; that makes the conversion more complex than one might expect, but the work here actually provides information about the additional complexities.
* News story: Scientists find a way to convert blood types and make them mutually compatible for transfusion -- New enzyme technology could transform some blood types into universal donor blood, addressing global blood shortages. (Tibi Puiu, ZME Science, April 30, 2024.)
* News story accompanying the article: Microbiome: Gut microorganism enzymes unlock universal blood. (Timothy J Satchwell et al, Nature Microbiology 9:1161, May 2024.)
* The article: Akkermansia muciniphila exoglycosidases target extended blood group antigens to generate ABO-universal blood. (Mathias Jensen et al, Nature Microbiology 9:1176, May 2024.)
More about blood types: Progress toward a universal source for red blood cells, avoiding the need to match blood type (February 23, 2021).
The page continues in the older format.
Added June 12, 2024. "Tidal" effects of Mars on Earth climate? See "update" at: Does the moon affect earthquakes? (October 21, 2016).
Added June 5, 2024. Making diamonds in 15 minutes at ambient pressure. See "update" at: Making lonsdaleite -- with diamonds in it -- at room temperature (December 8, 2020).
Added May 29, 2024.
Testing CWD prions in human organoids.
* I have listed this item on my page Biotechnology in the News (BITN) -- Prions (BSE, CJD, etc) in the section Miscellaneous articles and notes (2024-).
* Added June 3, 2024. I have added an additional news story, with some good follow-up discussion of the limitations of the work.
* Also see previous item, immediately below.
Added May 22, 2024.
Testing prion strains in fruit flies.
* I have listed this item on my page Biotechnology in the News (BITN) -- Prions (BSE, CJD, etc) in the section Miscellaneous articles and notes (2024-).
* Also see next item, immediately above.
Added May 15, 2024. Harvesting methane from the air? See "update" at: Climate change: Should we focus on methane? (March 24, 2012).
Added May 8, 2024. What if the sidewalk would remove the snow for you? See "update" at: an earlier post on engineering the properties of concrete: Using the walls of a building as a rechargeable battery? (May 24, 2021).
Added May 1, 2024. Retraction: High-T superconductivity? See retraction note at the top of: Superconductivity near room temperature: let's try again, now using lutetium (March 21, 2023).
Added April 24, 2024. Possible transmission of CWD to humans? See "update" at: Unusual nature of CWD; implications for transmission to humans (September 24, 2022). CWD = chronic wasting disease.
Added April 17, 2024. Improving ventilation reduces COVID. See "update" at: Briefly noted... Improved ventilation to reduce COVID transmission (September 23, 2020).
Added April 12, 2024.
The gut microbiome and Alzheimer's disease. See "update" at: Transmission of Alzheimer's disease in humans? (September 27, 2015).
* Also see the preceding update, immediately below, for a related article. Both updates involve, in some broad sense, transmission of cognitive deficiency.
Added April 9, 2024.
Evidence for transmission of Alzheimer's disease by medical procedures. See "update" at: Transmission of Alzheimer's disease in humans? (September 27, 2015).
* Also see the next update, immediately above, for a related article.
Added April 3, 2024. Bitcoin and the origin of life. See "update" at: A special role for cyanide in the chemistry of early life? (April 25, 2022).
Added March 27, 2024. Tardigrade resistance to stress -- how do they do it? See "update" at How the tardigrades resist desiccation (April 10, 2017).
Added March 20, 2024. Oldest mosquito fossils: bloodsucking males. See "update" at: Briefly noted... The mosquito microbiome - inside and out (February 28, 2023).
Added March 13, 2024. Can plants serve as carrier in the transmission of prion diseases? See "update" at: Can ticks transmit CWD prions? (May 28, 2023).
Added March 6, 2024. Lab-grown coffee. See "update" at: Tuning the protein and fat content of cultured meat (February 2, 2021).
Added February 28, 2024. An edible food wrapper, based on bacterial cellulose. See "update" at: History of plastic -- by the numbers (October 23, 2017).
Added February 20, 2024. Is it worthwhile to sleep for four seconds? See "update" at: Sleep genes and Alzheimer's disease? (May 28, 2022). It is also noted at Does penguin language conform to the laws of human language? (February 18, 2020).
Added February 13, 2024.
Evidence for fission of superheavy elements in stars.
* I have listed this item on my page Introductory Chemistry Internet resources in the section Nucleosynthesis; astrochemistry; nuclear energy; radioactivity. There is a list of related Musings posts.
Added February 7, 2024.
Enhancing hypnotizability.
* There are no Musings posts on hypnosis. I have listed this item on my page Biotechnology in the News (BITN) -- Other topics under Brain.
Added January 31, 2024. How much greenhouse gases do people emit? See "update" at: Space-based observation of atmospheric methane -- and the Four Corners methane hotspot (December 29, 2014).
Added January 24, 2024. A new article suggests that hydrogen gas might act as an anti-aging agent. See "update" at: How about having your immune system remove senescent cells? (September 27, 2020).
Added January 16, 2024. See Briefly noted... The lightest uranium (November 30, 2021). Now, another "lightest" isotope that stretches the limits.
Added January 9, 2024. See What's a dia? Bumblebees and reindeer don't agree. (December 6, 2010). A new article reveals how reindeer see in the dark of the arctic winter.
Older items are on the archive pages, starting with 2023 (May - December).
Older items are on the archive pages, starting with 2023 (May - December).
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Last update: October 11, 2024