Large meteorite impacts must have strongly affected the habitability of the early Earth. Rocks of the Archean Eon record at least 16 major impact events, involving bolides larger than 10 km in diameter. These impacts probably had severe, albeit temporary, consequences for surface environments. However, their effect on early life is not well understood. Here, we analyze the sedimentology, petrography, and carbon isotope geochemistry of sedimentary rocks across the S2 impact event (37 to 58 km carbonaceous chondrite) forming part of the 3.26 Ga Fig Tree Group, South Africa, to evaluate its environmental effects and biological consequences.
Fluorescence microscopy is a powerful tool in biology, allowing researchers to visualize the intricate world of cells and tissues at a molecular level. While this technique has revolutionized our understanding of biological processes, imaging large and complex 3D structures, such as embryos or organoids, remains a challenge. This is especially true when studying intricate details beyond the optical resolution limit using structured illumination microscopy (SIM).
Research on Heliconius butterflies illustrates how variations in brain circuits are aligned with their unique foraging behaviors, enhancing their spatial and visual memory.
A tropical butterfly species with uniquely expanded brain structures shows a fascinating mosaic pattern of neural expansion linked to a key cognitive innovation.
The study, published today (October 18) in Current Biology, explores the neural basis of behavioral innovation in Heliconius butterflies, the only genus known to feed on both nectar and pollen. As part of this behavior, these butterflies exhibit an impressive ability to learn and remember the locations of their food sources—abilities tied to the expansion of a brain region called the mushroom bodies, which play a crucial role in learning and memory.
Plants can emit electric potential when pulling water from their roots to nourish their stems and leaves.
Experiments showed that the electrical potential in plants varies in a cyclic rhythm that matches their daily biological processes. This potential increases with decreased ion concentration or increased pH in the fluid, linking it to the plant’s water transpiration and ion transport mechanisms.
“Our eureka moment was when our first experiments showed it is possible to produce electricity in a cyclic rhythm and the precise linkage between this and the plant’s inherent daily rhythm,” Chakraborty added. “We could exactly pinpoint how this is related to water transpiration and the ions the plant carries via the ascent of sap.”
Chakraborty also noted that not only did the researchers rediscover the plant’s electrical rhythm, articulating it in terms of voltages and currents, alongside potentially tapping electrical power output from them in a sustainable manner with no environmental impact and no disruption to the ecosystem.
It’s easy to marvel at the technical wizardry behind breakthroughs such as AlphaFold.
Pioneering crystallographer Helen Berman helped to set up the massive collection of protein structures that underpins the Nobel-prize-winning tool’s success.
Next Generation Biomanufacturing Technologies — Dr. Leonard Tender, Ph.D. — Biological Technologies Office, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — DARPA
Dr. Leonard Tender, Ph.D. is a Program Manager in the Biological Technologies Office at DARPA (https://www.darpa.mil/staff/dr-leonar…) where his research interests include developing new methods for user-defined control of biological processes, and climate and supply chain resilience.
Prior to coming to DARPA, Dr. Tender was a principal investigator and led the Laboratory for Molecular Interfaces in the Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. There, among other accomplishments, he facilitated numerous international collaborations with key external stakeholders in academia, industry, and government and his highly interdisciplinary research team, comprised of electrochemists, microbiologists, and engineers, is widely recognized for its many contributions to the field of microbial electrochemistry.
Dr. Tender earned a doctorate degree in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley; and served as a visiting scientist in the Stanford University Department of Chemistry.
Dr. Tender co-founded the International Society for Microbial Electrochemistry and Technology and is a recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award, which honors outstanding federal employees, by the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.
Biological components are less reliable than electrical ones, and rather than instantaneously receive the incoming signals, the signals arrive with a variety of delays. This forces the brain to cope with said delays by having each neuron integrate the incoming signals over time and fire afterwards, as well as using a population of neurons, instead of one, to overcome neuronal cells that temporarily don’t fire.
Life expectancy growth has slowed since 1990, with average gains of only 6.5 years in the longest-living populations, suggesting a possible biological limit. A new study emphasizes shifting focus from merely extending life to improving the quality of life through advancements in aging science. Life expectancy saw dramatic increases throughout…
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