Science

relevant study: A humanized NOVA1 splicing factor alters mouse vocal communications:

NOVA1, a neuronal RNA-binding protein expressed in the central nervous system, is essential for survival in mice and normal development in humans. A single amino acid change (I197V) in NOVA1’s second RNA binding domain is unique to modern humans. To study its physiological effects, we generated mice carrying the human-specific I197V variant (Nova1hu/hu) and analyzed the molecular and behavioral consequences. While the I197V substitution had minimal impact on NOVA1’s RNA binding capacity, it led to specific effects on alternative splicing, and CLIP revealed multiple binding peaks in mouse brain transcripts involved in vocalization. These molecular findings were associated with behavioral differences in vocalization patterns in Nova1hu/hu mice as pups and adults. Our findings suggest that this human-specific NOVA1 substitution may have been part of an ancient evolutionary selective sweep in a common ancestral population of Homo sapiens, possibly contributing to the development of spoken language through differential RNA regulation during brain development.

A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans may have helped us communicate in a novel way. Speech allowed us to share information, coordinate activities and pass down knowledge, giving us an edge over extinct cousins like Neanderthals and Denisovans.

The new study is “a good first step to start looking at the specific genes” that may affect speech and language development, said Liza Finestack at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved with the research.

The genetic variant researchers were looking at was one of a variety of genes “that contributed to the emergence of Homo sapiens as the dominant species, which we are today” said Dr. Robert Darnell, an author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

Baby mice with the human variant squeaked differently than normal littermates when their mom came around. Adult male mice with the variant chirped differently than their normal counterparts when they saw a female in heat.

Both are settings where mice are motivated to speak, Darnell said, “and they spoke differently” with the human variant, illustrating its role in speech.

This isn’t the first time a gene has been linked to speech. In 2001, British scientists said they had discovered the first gene tied to a language and speech disorder.

Perijove 11: Passing Jupiter

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OfM7VlonD5c?rel=0

Here comes Jupiter. NASA's robotic spacecraft Juno is continuing on its highly elongated orbits around our Solar System's largest planet. The featured video is from perijove 11 in early 2018, the eleventh time Juno passed near Jupiter since it arrived in mid-2016. This time-lapse, color-enhanced movie covers about four hours and morphs between 36 JunoCam images. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view -- from about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops -- the spacecraft captures the great planet in tremendous detail. Juno passes light zones and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous swirling circular storms, many of which are larger than hurricanes on Earth. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, then displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To get desired science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

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Nanoporous Graphene Membranes Revolutionize Dialysis

https://biohackers.media/nanoporous-graphene-membranes-revolutionize-dialysis

Graphene-based membranes enhance filtration in dialysis, minimizing protein loss. Breakthrough study by Vanderbilt University advances treatment.

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Transgenic Primate Model for Hepatitis B Research

https://blog.joshuniverse.com/transgenic-primate-model-for-hepatitis-b-research

Breakthrough in HBV research using transgenic primate model developed at OHSU has significant implications for treatment and understanding.

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AETHER: Innovating Asteroid Mining with AI Probes

https://blog.joshuniverse.com/aether-innovating-asteroid-mining-with-ai-probes

AETHER project revolutionizes asteroid mining with AI, self-replicating probes, and nuclear power for sustainable solar system exploration.

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Perijove 11: Passing Jupiter

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OfM7VlonD5c?rel=0

Here comes Jupiter. NASA's robotic spacecraft Juno is continuing on its highly elongated orbits around our Solar System's largest planet. The featured video is from perijove 11 in early 2018, the eleventh time Juno passed near Jupiter since it arrived in mid-2016. This time-lapse, color-enhanced movie covers about four hours and morphs between 36 JunoCam images. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view -- from about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops -- the spacecraft captures the great planet in tremendous detail. Juno passes light zones and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous swirling circular storms, many of which are larger than hurricanes on Earth. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, then displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To get desired science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

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Parhelia at Abisko

Three suns seem to hug the horizon in this otherworldly winterscape. But the evocative scene was captured during a February 3rd snowmobile exploration of the mountainous region around Abisko National Park, northern Sweden, planet Earth. The two bright spots on either side of Earth's Sun are parhelia (singular parhelion), also known as mock suns or sun dogs. The parhelia are caused by hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the hazy atmosphere that reflect and refract sunlight. Commonly seen in winter and at high latitudes, the bright parhelia lie along the visible 22 degree ice halo of the Sun.

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Consider muscle movement. Your body releases a molecule called acetylcholine to trigger your muscle cells to contract. If acetylcholine sticks around for too long, it can paralyze your muscles – including your heart muscle cells – and, well, that’s that. This is where the enzyme acetylcholinesterase comes in. This enzyme can break down thousands of acetylcholine molecules per second to ensure muscle contraction is stopped, paralysis avoided and life continued. Without this enzyme, it would take a month for a molecule of acetylcholine to break down on its own – about 10 billion times slower.

You can imagine why enzymes are of particular interest to scientists looking to solve modern problems. What if there were a way to break down plastic, capture carbon dioxide or destroy cancer cells as fast as acetylcholinesterase breaks down acetylcholine? If the world needs to take action quickly, enzymes are a compelling candidate for the job – if only researchers could design them to handle those challenges on demand.

Designing enzymes, unfortunately, is very hard. It’s like working with an atom-sized Lego set, but the instructions were lost and the thing won’t hold together unless it’s assembled perfectly. Newly published research from our team suggests that machine learning can act as the architect on this Lego set, helping scientists build these complex molecular structures accurately.

The Rosette Nebula, NGC 2237, is not the only cosmic cloud of gas and dust to evoke the imagery of flowers, but it is probably the most famous. At the edge of a large molecular cloud in Monoceros some 5,000 light years away, the petals of this cosmic rose are actually a stellar nursery. The lovely, symmetric shape is sculpted by the winds and radiation from its central cluster of hot young, O-type stars.

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Exploring Venus with Tethered Balloon Systems

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in exploring Venus, the second planet from the Sun, notable for its extreme atmospheric conditions. This article delves into the innovative plans being proposed for exploring the surface of Venus using a tethered balloon system, a concept known as the Tethered Observatory for Balloon-based Imaging and Atmospheric Sampling (TOBIAS). This initiative is supported by NASA's Institute of Advanced Concepts Phase I program and aims to overcome the challenging environmental conditions of Venus.

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Enhanced Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Cancer

https://joshuniverse.medium.com/enhanced-radiotherapy-for-nasopharyngeal-cancer-05be68379f67?sk=229c3420b2cfa88c22c1e69153c93500

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Reflections on VdB 31

iding high in the constellation of Auriga, beautiful, blue VdB 31 is the 31st object in Sidney van den Bergh's 1966 catalog of reflection nebulae. It shares this well-composed celestial still life with dark, obscuring clouds B26, B27, and B28, recorded in Edward E. Barnard's 1919 catalog of dark markings in the sky.

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Probiotics May Slow Alzheimer’s in Mouse Models

https://joshuniverse.medium.com/probiotics-may-slow-alzheimers-in-mouse-models-e2eeab7752be?sk=4927d2ffacec6e6ad67419e2aa9d8b27

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Asteroid Bennu Holds the Building Blocks of Life

What can a space rock tell us about life on Earth? NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft made a careful approach to the near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu in October of 2020 to collect surface samples. In September 2023, the robotic spaceship returned these samples to Earth.

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The Spider and the Fly

Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga).

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Auroral Hummingbird over Norway

Is this the largest hummingbird ever? Although it may look like a popular fluttering nectarivore, what is pictured is actually a beautifully detailed and colorful aurora, complete with rays reminiscent of feathers. This aurora was so bright that it was visible to the unaided eye during blue hour -- just after sunset when the sky appears a darkening blue.

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Milky Way over the Australian Pinnacles

What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells (limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains unknown. In the background, just past the end of the central Pinnacle, is a bright crescent Moon.

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I think I may need to set up a macro for "well, this isn't good."

Story is a bit old but I've been watching the development of processing chips that run off of body heat since 2008.

[Methane Detection's Role in Exoplanetary Life Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=Methane Detection's Role in Exoplanetary Life)
A recent study published in The Astronomical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers led by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center investigated how a method called BARBIE (Bayesian Analysis for Remote Biosignature Identification on exoEarths) could be used on a future space mission to detect methane (CH4) on Earth-like exoplanets in optical (visible) and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths.

https://blog.joshuniverse.com/methane-detections-role-in-exoplanetary-life-search/

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LEDA 1313424: The Bullseye Galaxy

The giant galaxy cataloged as LEDA 1313424 is about two and a half times the size of our own Milky Way. Its remarkable appearance in this recently released Hubble Space Telescope image strongly suggests its nickname "The Bullseye Galaxy".

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Functional Resilience in Aging Hematopoietic Stem Cells

https://medium.com/biohackers-media/functional-resilience-in-aging-hematopoietic-stem-cells-e9ae228f1bf7?sk=30f7c87057638a1ea92f3c878f87c3bd

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IC 2574: Coddington's Nebula

Grand spiral galaxies often seem to get all the glory, flaunting their young, bright, blue star clusters in beautiful, symmetric spiral arms. But small, irregular galaxies form stars too. In fact dwarf galaxy IC 2574 shows clear evidence of intense star forming activity in its telltale reddish regions of glowing hydrogen gas.

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