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House approves ban on gain-of-function pathogen research
In a move that has rattled some in the biomedical research community, the U.S. House of Representatives last night approved a ban on federal funding for “gain-of-function” research that modifies risky pathogens in ways that can make them more harmful to people. Scientific groups say the vaguely worded provision could unintentionally halt a large swath of studies, from flu vaccine development to work on cold viruses. But they are hopeful that the Democratic-controlled Senate will not allow the measure to become law. Sponsored by Representatives Thomas Massie (R–KY) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R–IA), the ban ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 15, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Surprise $200 million bequest has tiny Summer Science Program thinking big
What changes would you make if a summer science camp you’ve run for 64 years with little publicity received a $200 million windfall? That’s the enviable task facing the nonprofit Summer Science Program (SSP), which is reviewing its time-tested strategy of serving a tiny cadre of high-achieving high school juniors in the wake of a bequest from the estate of a former alumnus. One big question is whether the program should expand beyond students already bent on a scientific career to reach the much larger population of students indifferent to science or lacking the opportunity to realize their potential. �...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 15, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Satellite images bring Serbia ’s hidden Bronze Age megastructures to light
More than 3000 years ago during the Bronze Age, people across Eurasia formed massive trade networks that tied the continent together. But the Pannonian Plain, an open expanse that today includes parts of Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, was considered a relative hinterland. That was true even after archaeologists 2 decades ago uncovered a handful of massive Bronze Age enclosures, some protected by walls and ditches many kilometers long. No one was sure how the structures were tied to cultural developments elsewhere in Europe, although scattered finds of bronze artifacts showed the enclosures weren’t completely isolate...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 14, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Australia ’s top science agency faces scrutiny over industry influence
Australia’s leading research agency is facing questions about possible ethical lapses after a U.S. law firm released documents suggesting some of its scientists did not disclose that they had allowed oil giant BP to review studies prior to publication in a journal or presentation at a conference. “It’s a mystery why BP’s legal team would be reviewing independent scientific publications” by researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), says attorney Jason Clark of the Downs Law Group, which last week released the documents. On 8 November, Clark sent CSIRO ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 14, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

New feline coronavirus blamed for thousands of cat deaths in Cyprus
When thousands of cats started to die this year on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, nicknamed the “island of cats” for its 1-million-strong feline population, the crisis made international news. The animals had fevers, swollen bellies, and lethargy—symptoms that pointed to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a common condition caused by a type of cat coronavirus. But scientists struggled to explain the apparent explosion in cases. Now, researchers have identified a possible culprit: a new strain of feline coronavirus that has coopted key RNA sequences from a highly virulent dog pathogen cal...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 14, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Cosmic blast seared Earth ’s atmosphere from 2 billion light-years away
On 9 October 2022, for 7 minutes, high energy photons from a gigantic explosion 1.9 billion light-years away toasted one side of Earth as never before observed. The event, called a gamma ray burst (GRB), was 70 times brighter than the previous record holder. But what astronomers dub the “BOAT”—the brightest of all time—did more than provide a light show spanning the electromagnetic spectrum. It also ionized atoms across the ionosphere, which spans from 50 to 1000 kilometers in altitude, researchers say. The findings highlight the faint but real risk of a closer burst destroying Earth’s protective ozone layer. ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 14, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

AI churns out lightning-fast forecasts as good as the weather agencies ’
Meteorologists call it the “ quiet revolution ”: a gradual but steady improvement in weather forecasting. Today, the 6-day forecast is about as good as the 3-day forecast from 30 years ago. Rarely do severe storms or heat waves catch people unaware. This revolution has saved lives and money, but it also comes with a cost: billions of dollars’ worth of energy-hungry supercomputers that must run 24/7 just to produce a few forecasts a day. Artificial intelligence (AI) is now spurring another revolution within numerical weather prediction, as the field is known. In mere minutes on cheap desktop computers,...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 14, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Ancient sharks may have pioneered the ability to taste bitterness in food
If a bite of dandelion greens or extra-dark chocolate makes you pucker, there’s good reason. Bitterness can indicate the presence of toxins in potential foods, and animals long ago honed the ability to ferret out harsh tastes. But the ability to sense bitterness may be even older than many presumed, a new study finds. It likely first evolved in vertebrates roughly 460 million years ago, when sharks and other cartilaginous fishes separated from bony vertebrates like ourselves, researchers report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . The bitter taste receptor...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 13, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Misconduct concerns, possible drug risks should stop major stroke trial, whistleblowers say
In 2022, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) placed a large bet on an experimental drug developed to limit brain damage after strokes. The agency committed up to $30 million to administer a compound called 3K3A-APC in a study of 1400 people shortly after they experience an acute ischemic stroke, a perilous condition in which a clot blocks blood flow to part of the brain. The gamble seemed warranted. Lab studies, most by a longtime grantee, prominent University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientist Berislav Zlokovic, had generated promising data. A small safety study of the drug, sponsored by a company ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 13, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Forests could suck up 226 gigatons of carbon if restored and protected, study argues
The restoration and protection of forests worldwide could help remove about 226 gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere, according to a study published today in Nature . That’s equivalent to roughly 20 years of emissions from burning fossil fuels and other sources at current rates. Some experts say the analysis provides a more reliable estimate of the carbon-capturing potential of forests than a previous, controversial study that analyzed only the potential benefit from restoring trees to degraded land. But critics are skeptical that the new number is even remotely achievable. The findings provide “clari...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 13, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Despite sexual harassment shadow, biologist David Sabatini lands job at top Czech institute
David Sabatini, the high-flying biologist who lost positions at three prominent U.S. institutions after breaching sexual misconduct policies, last month began a new job as a senior scientist at the Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Prague (IOCB), a powerful arm of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The hire has divided Czech scientists and is likely to ignite debate about whether and when institutions should give second chances to those who commit sexual misconduct. “I am very honored to join IOCB and excited to be able to again mentor younger scientists, contribute to biological research, and participat...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 13, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Base editing, a new form of gene therapy, sharply lowers bad cholesterol in clinical trial
A technique for precisely rewriting the genetic code directly in the body has slashed “bad” cholesterol levels—possibly for life—in three people prone to dangerously high levels of the artery-clogging fat. The feat relied on a blood infusion of a so-called base editor, designed to disable a liver protein, PCSK9, that regulates cholesterol. “It is a breakthrough to have shown in humans that in vivo base editing works efficiently in the liver,” says Gerald Schwenk, a gene editing researcher at the University of Zurich who wasn’t involved in the clinical trial, sponsored by the biotech Verve Therapeutics. ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 12, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Deal to build pint-size nuclear reactors canceled
A plan to build a novel nuclear power plant comprising six small modular reactors (SMRs) fell apart this week when prospective customers for its electricity backed out. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), a coalition of community-owned power systems in seven western states, withdrew from a deal to build the plant, designed by NuScale Power , because too few members agreed to buy into it. The project, subsidized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), sought to revive the moribund U.S. nuclear industry, but its cost had more than doubled to $9.3 billion. “We still see a future for new ...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 10, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Preregistering, transparency, and large samples boost psychology studies ’ replication rate to nearly 90%
For the past decade, psychology has been in the midst of a replication crisis. Large, high-profile studies have found that only about half of the findings from behavioral science literature can be replicated—a discovery that has cast a long shadow over psychological science, but that has also spurred advocates to push for improved research methods that boost rigor. Now, one of the first systematic tests of these practices in psychology suggests they do indeed boost replication rates. When researchers “preregistered” their studies—committing to a written experiment and data analysis plan in advance—other lab...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 9, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Lice DNA records the moment Europeans colonized the Americas
When it comes to investigating the human story, scientists tend to focus on clues in our ancestors’ bones and artifacts. The tiny, bloodsucking parasites that infest our scalps? Not so much. But a new study published today in PLOS ONE suggests the genetics of head lice can shed light on when and where groups of humans split and came together in the past. The authors present data suggesting European and American lice share a genetic affinity dating back to the European colonization of the Americas. Lice may even offer clues to ancient relationships not captured by human DNA or archaeological evid...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - November 8, 2023 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research