Finishing | Zhou Shuyi, Wangxiang
For the first time, a "super-Earth" was discovered in the atmosphere
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that a hot extrasolar rocky planet may have an atmosphere.
The planet, named 55 Cancri e, is one of the five known planets of the star system "Cancer 55", located about 41 light-years from Earth. It is mainly composed of rocks, is about twice the diameter of the Earth, and has a mass of about 8 times that of the Earth. It is so close to the star, only 1/65th of the distance from the Earth to the Sun, so its surface may be covered in lava and tidally locked (always facing the star on the same side).
55 Cancri e艺术概念图 | 来源：NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford（STScI）
Using the Webb Telescope's near-infrared camera and mid-infrared instrument, the researchers observed subtle changes in the planet's light and thermal radiation. It was found that the side of 55 Cancree towards the star was cooler than expected, indicating a relatively more uniform surface distribution of heat. Researchers believe this is a "strong sign" of the presence of an atmosphere that can transport heat from one side towards the star to the backside. Near-infrared camera spectral data also suggests that the planet may have an atmosphere rich in carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. Studies speculate that 55 Cancri's native atmosphere has long been stripped away by stellar radiation and stellar winds, and that the current existence may be a secondary atmosphere formed by gas emerging from the magma ocean that covers the planet's surface.
Although the planet is too hot to be inhabitable, researchers believe it could provide a unique window into the atmospheres of rocky planets, the interactions between the surface and interior of such planets, and will also provide clues to the early evolution of solar system planets that were once covered by magma oceans, such as Earth and Mars. The paper was published in Nature on May 8.
Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-024-07432-x
Musk's brain-computer interface company: The first subject's brain device malfunctioned
On May 8, Neuralink, Musk's brain-computer interface company, published a blog post reporting the latest situation of the first patient to undergo his brain-computer chip implantation surgery, revealing that there was a hardware problem with the brain device.
Neuralink said that within a few weeks of patient Noland Arbaugh's surgery, some of the wiring of the implanted device retracted and detached from the brain tissue, resulting in a reduced rate and accuracy of information transmission. However, Neuralink modified the recording algorithm to improve its sensitivity in detecting nerve signals. And improved technology that translates signals into cursor movements has resulted in "rapid and continuous improvements in BCI performance that are now back to their original level."
脑机接口每日峰值性能,以比特率(bits per second)衡量。 接线脱落一度导致传输性能降低。| 来源:Neuralink
Neuralink did not explain why the wiring fell off. According to the Wall Street Journal, people familiar with the matter revealed a possible cause was the introduction of air (intracranial pneumocele) into Arbaugh's skull after the surgery. This question does not appear to pose a threat to the safety of the participants, although the researchers are still considering removing the implant. In addition, Neuralink has informed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which they believe has resolved the above issues and plans to implant two more patients in the coming months.
Noland Arbaugh | 来源：Neuralink
Arbaugh is the first human subject of Neuralink. Because of a diving accident in 2016, his limbs have been paralyzed. In January of this year, Arbaugh implanted Neuralink's brain-computer chip. The implant surgery is done by a robot, with a brain-computer chip that records nerve signals and transmits them to an external machine, with the initial goal of "enabling people to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their own thoughts." （Neuralink，Wall Street Journal）
Arbaugh plays chess through a brain-computer interface Source: Neuralink [Go to "Back to Park" to watch the video]
I'm going to talk to You:: https://neuralink.com/blog/prime-study-progress-update-user-experience/
Here comes AlphaFold 3: predicting all biomolecular structures, interactions
On May 9, Isomorphic Labs, an AI drug discovery company under Alphabet, and Google DeepMind jointly announced the launch of AlphaFold 3, a next-generation AI biomolecular structure model, which can predict the complex structure of interactions between multiple proteins, DNA, RNA and small molecule ligands, and predict the effects of post-translational modifications (PTMs) and ions on the structure of these molecular systems. According to reports, AlphaFold 3 has the precision of atomic-level structure, which can strengthen the rational design of drugs for difficult-to-target targets, and is expected to open a new page for future drug discovery.
AlphaFold 3's structural prediction of the interaction of the spike protein (blue) with antibodies (green) and monosaccharides (yellow) of cold viruses is consistent with the real structure (gray). Source: Google DeepMind, Isomorphic Labs [Go to "Back to Park" to watch the video]
In 2020, AlphaFold 2, an AI protein structure prediction model, was released, which can accurately predict the 3D structure of proteins based on amino acid sequences. AlphaFold 3 takes this a step further, allowing scientists to input a description of a biomolecular complex into the model and get an accurate prediction of the 3D structure of the complex in seconds. The input biomolecular system can contain a wide variety of proteins, nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecule ligands, and ions.
AlphaFold 3's prediction of the molecular complex of protein (blue) and DNA double helix (pink) is a near-perfect match to the real molecular structure (gray). Source: Google DeepMind, Isomorphic Labs [Go to "Back to Park" to watch the video]
AlphaFold 3 is a generative AI model that uses a neural network architecture built on top of a custom Transformer architecture and uses a diffusion model to generate the position of each atom input into the system. The model is based on global molecular structure data from the Protein Database (PDB) and analyzes more than 99% of the known biomolecular complexes. Compared with previous prediction models, AlphaFold 3 has significantly improved the accuracy of protein-ligand interactions, protein-nucleic acid interactions, and antibody-antigen predictions. (WuXi AppTec)
Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-024-07487-w
EU Climate Monitor: Global Experiences 'Hottest April' on Record
According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union's climate monitoring agency, on May 8, the world has just experienced the "hottest April" on record, and the global average monthly temperature has broken the highest value recorded by the agency for the same period for 11 consecutive months.
In April 2024, the global near-surface average temperature exceeded 15°C for the first time, reaching 15.03°C, breaking the previous record of 14.89°C set in April 2016 and 1.58 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial average temperature for the same period (1850 to 1900). Meanwhile, the global average temperature over the past 12 months (May 2023 to April 2024) has hit the highest ever recorded by the agency, 1.61 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average for the same period.
Monthly global surface temperature anomalies (°C) relative to 1850-1900 from January 1940 to April 2024. The year 2024 is indicated by a thick yellow line, 2023 is represented by a thick red line, and all other years are indicated by a thin line. Source: ERA5 | Source: C3S/ECMWF
According to the Paris Agreement's temperature control target, the global average temperature increase should be limited to 2°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, and efforts should be made to limit the temperature rise to 1.5°C. This refers to years of long-term global warming, not a one-time increase in a month or year that exceeds the limit. Therefore, the above record does not mean that the global average temperature increase has exceeded the 1.5°C target.
The long-term rise in global temperatures is driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. During El Niño, warm water spreads into the Pacific Ocean and releases heat into the atmosphere, which is one of the reasons for record-breaking temperatures in recent months.
Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, said: "El Niño peaked at the beginning of the year. Although temperature changes associated with natural cycles such as El Niño occur from time to time, the additional heat trapped in the oceans, the atmosphere due to increased concentrations of greenhouse gases will continue to drive global temperatures to new records. ”
Source Link: https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-global-temperature-record-streak-continues-april-2024-was-hottest-record
The father's gut flora affects the next generation
The gut microbiome is essential for host health, but its effects on the reproductive system, especially the paternal gut microbiome, on offspring health have been poorly studied. A new study has found that disrupting the gut microbiome of male mice makes their offspring more likely to be born underweight, have growth restriction, and die prematurely.
来源:Joana Carvalho/Isabel Romero Calvo/EMBL
The researchers used antibiotics and laxatives to disrupt the gut microbiota of male mice. Analysis of testicular metabolites showed that intestinal dysbiosis in mice affected testicular physiology, metabolites, and hormone signaling, suggesting the existence of an "gut-germline axis" with important homeostatic functions in mammals. When male mice with intestinal dysbiosis were mated with normal female mice, the results showed that placental defects (such as poor vascularization and growth retardation) occurred more frequently during pregnancy, and the next generation of young mice had significantly lower birth weight and higher mortality after birth. Further studies have shown that this adverse effect is not transmitted through the paternal microbiome, but is achieved by epigenetic modifications in spermatozoa.
However, the above effects are reversible, and once the antibiotic is stopped, the microbiome of the paternal mouse recovers naturally within 8 weeks, and this intergenerational effect disappears. The extent to which gut microbes affect the reproductive system is not fully understood, and it is uncertain whether these findings are also applicable to humans. The researchers say there are some inherent differences to consider when applying results from a mouse model to a human model.
Link to paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07336-w
The first manned test flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft has been postponed again
On May 6, local time, the first manned test mission of the Boeing "Starliner" spacecraft of the United States was postponed due to problems with the oxygen valve.
Atlas V在发射台上 | 来源：NASA/Joel Kowsky
The Starliner was originally scheduled to start its first manned test flight at 22:34 EST on the 6th (10:34 Beijing time on the 7th), and was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on a Cosmos 5 (Atlas V) carrier rocket. NASA announced the cancellation of the mission about two hours before the scheduled launch time, when two American astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, had entered the spacecraft.
Technicians assist two astronauts in leaving the spacecraft and waiting for the next test flight. NASA, Boeing and ULA (United Launch Alliance) held a press conference that night to announce that a faulty oxygen valve was found on the Atlas V two-stage "Centauri" rocket. On May 7, the ULA decided to replace the pressure regulating valve on the liquid oxygen tank after a review.
Boeing had planned to undertake more manned space missions after the successful test flight, transporting astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA. Boeing signed a contract with NASA in 2014 to develop a spacecraft for commercial manned space missions, which was originally scheduled to be delivered and operated in 2017, but has not yet completed manned test flights due to technical problems.
In December 2019, the Starliner spacecraft failed to enter the intended orbit for the first unmanned test flight, and was forced to cancel the mission to the International Space Station. In August 2021, the spacecraft's second unmanned test flight was postponed due to a failure in the rocket's propulsion system, and was not completed until May 2022. In July 2023, the Starliner spacecraft planned to carry out its first manned test flight, but it was postponed due to the flammable material of the protective belt outside the spacecraft's cable and the strength of the parachute line was not up to standard.
The first autologous regenerated islet transplantation was successful, and a patient with a history of diabetes for 25 years was cured
In a study recently published in Cell Discovery, researchers used stem cell-derived autologous regenerative islet transplantation to successfully cure a patient with type 2 diabetes who was severely impaired in islet function and has been completely weaned off insulin for 33 months.
The number of islet β cells in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) gradually decreases and their function deteriorates, and about 30% of patients with type 2 diabetes are dependent on insulin injection therapy for life. Long-term poor glycemic control can lead to serious complications such as blindness, kidney failure, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents, amputation, and even death from ketoacidosis or unconscious hypoglycemia. Severe patients can only avoid the progression of complications through transplantation, in which islet tissue is extracted from the donated pancreas and injected minimally invasively. However, due to factors such as severe shortage of donors and complex islet isolation technology, it is difficult to meet the current clinical needs.
The researchers reprogrammed the patient's blood PBMCs into autologous iPSC cells and transformed them into "seed cells", endoderm stem cells (EnSC), and finally reconstituted pancreatic islet tissue (E-islet) in vitro. On July 19, 2021, a patient with end-stage diabetic nephropathy was treated by cutaneous hepatic portal vein interventional infusion transplantation. The patient, a 59-year-old man with a 25-year history of type 2 diabetes, underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 due to diabetes complicated by renal failure, had poor postoperative glycemic control, and required more than 20 units of insulin per day and multiple hypoglycemic drugs.
The results showed that the patients were completely weaned from exogenous insulin from the 11th week after surgery, and the dose of other hypoglycemic drugs (baiglupine and metformin) was gradually reduced after surgery, and the patients were weaned at the 48th and 56th weeks. The fasting C-peptide level increased by 2 times compared with that before surgery. The mixed-meal tolerance test (MMTT) showed that the secretion of insulin and C-peptide was significantly increased after meal compared with that before surgery, suggesting that the function of pancreatic islets was restored.
Paper link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41421-024-00662-3
Producer: Popular Science China
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