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Chinese Dinosaur Might Have Been as Iridescent as a Hummingbird

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Earlier this month, I wrote an article on a toy line of scientifically accurate Velociraptor action figures with plumage inspired by modern birds. I mused how impressive it would be if prehistoric raptors had been covered by feather patterns not unlike those in the toy line. Little did I know that two weeks later, researchers would reveal that some theropods had iridescent feathers that outshine David Silva’s velocifigures.

The Caihong juji, Mandarin for “rainbow with a big crest” (or just Caihong for short), was a “paravian theropod,” a clade commonly known for its winged forelimbs (even though many weren’t capable of flight) and enlarged sickle foot claws. In 2014, a farmer in the Qinlong County in the Hebei Province of Northeastern China gave a nearly complete Caihong fossil, feathers included, to The Paleontological Museum of Liaoning. Finding a complete skeleton is rare in paleontology and proved very helpful to the researchers. However, you might wonder just how scientists were able to determine the iridescent nature of the Caihong’s plumage. Two words: fossilized melanosomes.

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Melanosomes are organelles that create, store, and transport melanin, which determines the pigments/colors of animal hair, fur, skin, scales, and feathers. Upon examining the Caihong’s head, crest, and tail feathers with an electron microscope, scientists discovered platelet-shaped structures similar in shape to the melanosomes that give hummingbirds their iridescent coloring. The rest of the body feathers had melanosome structures similar to those in the grey and black feathers of penguins, which would have made for an odd sight: a duck-sized dinosaur with body feathers as drab as a raven’s and head and neck feathers more colorful than a peacock’s.

The inferred feather coloration of the Caihong is not its only unusual feature, though. The dinosaur had longer arm and leg feathers than its relatives, and its tail feathers created a “tail surface area” that was larger than the famous proto-bird the Archaeopteryx.  Furthermore, the Caihong had bony crests, which while common among most dinosaurs, are almost unheard of among paravian theropods. But, more importantly, it had proportionally long forearms, which is a feature of flight-capable theropods, even though scientists believe the Caihong didn’t fly. While this dinosaur apparently has the earliest examples of proportionally long forearms in the theropod fossil records, it still falls in line with the belief that the evolution of flight-capable feathers outpaced the evolution of flight-capable skeletons. The melanosomes, however, are the more intriguing discovery, since they are the earliest examples of “organized platlet-shaped nanostructures…in dinosaurian feathers.”

While paleontologists are confident the Caihong’s platelet structures are melanosomes, the researchers understand that their discovery is based partially on inference and could potentially be incorrect. If the structures aren’t melanosomes, well, that invalidates this entire article. But that’s what paleontology is all about: examining the evidence, creating inferences supported by that evidence, and changing those inferences when new information becomes available. Still, the concept of dinosaurs with iridescent feathers is pretty cool. If you want to learn more about the Caihong juji, you can read the original article on Nature.

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Biology

Skin cell DNA could potentially be utilized to create eggs for in vitro fertilization in the future

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Researchers are exploring a new process that has the potential to transform fertility treatment by transferring DNA from skin cells into a donor egg. In the future, this technology could allow women without viable eggs and men in same-sex relationships to have children who are genetically linked to them, although it is not yet ready for clinical usage.

Egg cells that are damaged or deteriorated due to disease, medical procedures, or aging frequently lead to infertility. This treatment involves exchanging the nucleus of a donor egg with the nucleus of a skin cell from the parent to address the issue. After the process, you get an operational egg that only contains genetic material from the intended parent and not from the donor.

The process is known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, and despite its name, it is complex and intricate.

There is a precedent from almost 20 years ago, when the first-ever cloning of an animal, Dolly the sheep, generated interest in adapting this method to people.

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Dolly was produced using genetic material from a lone adult sheep. The experts from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) explained the novel procedure, which enables the creation of embryos with DNA from both parents.

We are specifically excluding the topic of human cloning.

In January 2022, the researchers initially confirmed the feasibility of their experimental approach. The recent study has advanced this by showing how to attain an accurate chromosome count in the egg cell from the start.

Human sex cells, known as gametes, are haploid, containing half the number of chromosomes compared to other cells in the body. When a haploid egg cell and a haploid sperm cell fertilize one another, the resulting embryo becomes diploid and has a full complement of chromosomes.

OHSU’s team extracted egg cells from mice and removed their nuclei, then substituted them with nuclei from mouse skin cells. “But wait!” you exclaimed. Are skin cells diploid? They are indeed, but the team has a clever answer. They can prompt the implanted nucleus to release half of its chromosomes, creating a haploid cell that closely resembles a normal egg cell.

The eggs can undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) with sperm, a common process utilized in fertility clinics worldwide. When successful, it leads to the creation of an embryo with chromosomes from both parents.

The approach has an advantage in the rapid production of eggs. Alternative approaches now being studied involve converting skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells and then guiding these cells to develop into eggs or sperm.

Dr. Paula Amato, the study author, clarified that they are bypassing the process of cell reprogramming. Our technique’s advantage lies in its ability to circumvent the lengthy culture time required for cell reprogramming. Over the course of several months, numerous detrimental genetic and epigenetic alterations might occur.

The ultimate goal, as outlined by senior author Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov, is to create eggs for those who do not possess their own, but achieving this objective is still some years in the future. Aleksei Mikhalchenko, the primary author, emphasized the importance of doing a comprehensive assessment of safety, efficacy, and ethical considerations before considering the technique for clinical application.

The Supreme Court of Alabama’s declaration that embryos should be considered as children has brought IVF back into the public spotlight, with many predicting it would be a significant topic in the upcoming US presidential election. The implications of advancements in assisted reproduction will have a global impact, as approximately 1 in 6 people globally are impacted by infertility.

Using a donor egg without integrating DNA from the donor would be a significant and innovative development in reproductive treatment. This work has advanced science’s comprehension of how this concept could perhaps be realized in the future.

The research is featured in Science Advances.

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A Bold Theory May Propel Alzheimer’s Disease Research in a Novel Direction

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Alzheimer’s disease is a significant health concern for humanity currently. In recent years, there has been significant progress in the creation of highly promising medicinal treatments, along with the testing of revolutionary medicines and diagnostic methods. Debates persist over the true etiology of the disease. A novel proposal proposes that a complex interaction between two proteins may reveal a “mechanical basis” for Alzheimer’s disease.

The paper has recently been published as a preprint and has not yet been subjected to external peer review. The authors from around the world explained the experiments that were used to come up with a six-part theory about how the protein talin interacts with the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid precursor protein (APP) and how it might play a part in the development of the disease. They also discussed the possibility of targeting this system with drugs.

We spoke to Dr. Ben Goult, a senior author and Professor of Mechanistic Cell Biology at the University of Liverpool, regarding the new research.

Goult has a longstanding relationship with the talin protein. In 2021, he proposed a new theory dubbed the MeshCODE theory to explain how memories could be preserved in the brain. The hypothesis proposes that memories could be physically encoded using a talin molecule’s capacity to transition between two stable configurations, similar to how a mechanical computer utilizes binary switches, with each talin shape representing either “0” or “1.”.

Goult and the team have conducted a number of experiments suggesting that talin may not only be responsible for encoding memories in the brain but also be involved in their deterioration in Alzheimer’s disease.

“The significant milestones included demonstrating experimentally the binding of talin to APP and creating a scaled model of APP,” Goult explained to IFLScience. “This video we created accurately depicts full-length proteins to scale, allowing viewers to easily understand the processes.”

Goult promptly reached out to Dr. Julien Chapuis at the Institut Pasteur de Lille, France, with the obtained results. Chapuis’ team had been methodically evaluating various proteins’ impacts on APP. Talin was omitted from their published findings since it did not meet their established criteria.

“Talin has a significant impact on APP processing compared to other proteins when analyzing the data.” Goult informed IFLScience.

Upon integrating our research on talin as a memory molecule with MeshCODE, I recognized a coherent connection, prompting me to commence writing this new study. As everything began to align, it was quite remarkable. Observing the genetic and molecular data coming together was exhilarating over the final months of writing this.

The scientists propose that APP proteins may form a mesh structure that physically links the two sides of a synapse, the space between two neurons where nerve signals travel. Accurate processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) is crucial for preserving the synchronization of the synapse. However, errors in this process might result in the development of Alzheimer’s disease by disrupting the binary code, known as the MeshCODE, composed of talin “1s” and “0s,” as discussed above. Alzheimer’s disease progresses through the brain when this failure extends throughout brain networks.

This study offers a novel perspective on the potential role of APP in normal neuronal activity. Goult explained to IFLScience that errors in mechanical homeostasis can lead to issues.

The explanation fits with what we are learning about the pathology of Alzheimer’s, especially the presence of misfolded amyloid-β protein plaques in the brains of people with the disease, which are caused by improper processing of APP.

“It also suggests several potential new approaches to treating Alzheimer’s or detecting it sooner,” Goult remarked.

This is all still theoretical. Goult and colleagues propose that the next phase should involve thorough experimental confirmation and improvement of these theories, which they are now doing in the laboratory and plan to progress to animal research soon.

This aligns with the pivotal sixth aspect of the theory, suggesting the potential repurposing of current medications to mitigate the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Focal adhesions (FAs) are substantial protein structures that link cellular components to their external surroundings. Previous genetic studies indicate a connection between the stability of fatty acids (FAs) and the stability of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at the synapse. We already possess medicines that are recognized for their ability to stabilize FAs, commonly employed in cancer therapy. Could these possibly exert a similar impact on amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the brain by restoring the APP’s mechanical structure and inhibiting the degradation that results in Alzheimer’s disease?

Goult and colleagues are eager to further examine this intriguing idea.

Goult’s experience with talin has been full of shocks, and this bold new idea is the latest addition to that list.

Goult expressed enthusiasm for studying individual proteins and their functions, appearance, and interactions, which can generate innovative concepts that span from molecular complexes to synapses, neurons, and the entire brain.

Hopefully, these new data and the resulting theories can expedite the development of novel treatments for this condition.

The preprint is accessible on bioRxiv but has not been reviewed by external peers yet.

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Biology

The First 3D-Printed Vegan Salmon Is In Stores

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Revo Foods’ “THE FILET – Inspired By Salmon” salmon fillet may be the first 3D-printed food to hit store shelves. said that firm CEO Robin Simsa remarked, “With the milestone of industrial-scale 3D food printing, we are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is being crafted exactly according to customer needs.”

Mycoprotein from filamentous fungi is used to make the salmon alternative and other meat substitutes. Vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids are in the product, like in animals. Is high in protein, at 9.5 grams per 100 grams, although less than conventional salmon.

Revo Foods and Mycorena developed 3D-printable mycoprotein. Years of research have led to laser-cooked cheesecakes and stacked lab-grown meats.

One reason for this push is because printed food alternatives may make food production more sustainable, which worries the fishing sector. Overfishing reduces fish populations in 34% of worldwide fish stocks.

Over 25% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions come from food production, with 31% from livestock and fish farms and 18% from supply chain components including processing and shipping. According to Revo Foods’ website, vegan salmon fillet production consumes 77 to 86% less carbon dioxide and 95% less freshwater than conventional salmon harvesting and processing.

The salmon alternative’s sales potential is unknown. In order to succeed, Revo Foods believes that such goods must “recreate an authentic taste that appeals to the flexitarian market.”

The commercial distribution of 3D-printed food could change food production.

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