Ten Years Later: Discovery of the Higgs Boson in Kyrgyzstan and a New Project to Create Independent Immune Hubs
We heard in April that a team investigated whether or not a switch to virtual meetings would have a negative effect on creativity. They showed that meeting people produced very little creative ideas compared to working face-to-face, so maybe it is time to turn the camera off.
Up to half of the population of Europe is believed to have died from the Black Death. However, despite extensive research, the origin of this wave of disease has remained unclear. In June, we heard from a team who used a combination of techniques to identify a potential starting point in modern-day Kyrgyzstan.
Ten years ago, scientists announced that they’d found evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle first theorised to exist nearly sixty years earlier.
To celebrate this anniversary, we reminisced about what the discovery meant at the time, and what questions are left to be answered about this mysterious particle.
In this episode of Coronapod we investigated a radical new collaboration between 15 countries — co-led by the WHO, and modelled on open-science — that aims to create independent vaccine hubs that could supply the global south. The project was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-04482-x
Borneo: a cosmic explosion recorded in the early 19th century by three thousand-year-old astronomer Robert Fesen
We heard about the 31,000-year-old discovery of a skeleton in Borneo in September. The person who had their foot removed must have had access to antiseptic compounds because they were able to survive the procedure.
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Astronomers recorded this supernova nearly 850 years ago and its remains are stunning. The five best science books of the week, and should COVID-19 vaccines be given yearly?
enowned astronomer Robert Fesen says that he has not seen anything like this before when it comes to supernova remnants. The remnant contains hundreds of filaments radiating outwards, looking unlike the chaotic web of gas and dust left over from a standard supernova. It was probably produced by two white-dwarf stars slamming together, creating an explosion that was documented by Chinese and Japanese astronomers nearly 850 years ago.
Using brain implanted sensors to communicate with a woman who can’t speak at the time of diabetes-induced paralysis, and how it affects the neuropathies of humans
US scientists are divided about a plan to give people a vaccine against COVID-19 every year. Some say it would simplify the country’s complex COVID-19 vaccination schedule, which might boost uptake. Others aren’t convinced about the timeline, because COVID-19 surges aren’t as seasonal as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 spawns new variants at a much faster rate. It’s also unclear whether future jabs should be targeted to a single variant or contain a ‘bivalent’ formulation against more than one strain.
A woman who cannot speak because of the paralysing effects of motor neuron disease was able to communicate at a rate of 62 words per minute — three times the previous best — thanks to a brain implant. The device, implanted into her motor cortex, detected how the woman was trying to move her mouth, tongue and vocal cords, and conveyed that information to a computer that displayed the words she was trying to say. Philip Sabes, a neuroscience professor who did not participate in the study, says that the performance in the paper is at a level many people who can’t speak would like if the device were ready. The people are going to want this.
The trans-Atlantic correspondence between JamesLovelock and Lynn Margulis is one of the top science books to read this week.
The amino acid serine slows diabetes-induced nerve damage in mice. In humans, nerve damage from diabetes causes numbness and pain — and there’s no good way to treat it. Researchers found that diabetic mice have an imbalanced serine metabolism, which generates compounds that are toxic to neurons. Christian Metallo says if we fed a serine enriched diet to the diabetic mice as they were getting older, we could mitigate the onset of sensory neuropathy.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00264-1
The rumors of red hair demise: how to improve the design of a smaller magnetic resonance imaging system for low- and middle-income people
Katerina Zorina-Lichtenwalter says the rumors of the demise of red hair have been greatly exaggerated. (National Geographic | 6 min read)
bacteria with synthetic genomes are immune to infections The team streamlined the bacteria’s genetic code and re-designed the machinery it uses to insert the wrong amino acid if it is used by avirus, making them speak a different language to any invaders. It was hoped that this method would be used to reduce the sharing of genes from modified organisms.
Magnetic resonance imaging is a standard technique in clinical care. However many people, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries have limited access to this technology. To address this, new types of smaller MRI scanners are being designed that are more affordable and practical for use in rural settings or small clinics. We hear from a researcher working on one of these systems about ways improve them and ensure they are available to all.
We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, how researchers have developed embryos from two male mice and new claims of room-temperature superconductivity.