Wednesday 6 November 2024

Tiny 'Organs' Hiding in Our Cells Could Challenge The Origins of Life

06 Nov. 2024, By A. Albig, The Conversation

Illustration of organelles. 
(Christoph Burgstedt /Science Photo Library/Getty Images)


Think back to that basic biology class you took in high school. You probably learned about organelles, those little 'organs' inside cells that form compartments with individual functions.

For example, mitochondria produce energy, lysosomes recycle waste and the nucleus stores DNA. Although each organelle has a different function, they are similar in that every one is wrapped up in a membrane.

Membrane-bound organelles were the textbook standard of how scientists thought cells were organized until they realized in the mid-2000s that some organelles don't need to be wrapped in a membrane.

Since then, researchers have discovered many additional membraneless organelles that have significantly changed how biologists think about the chemistry and origins of life.

I was introduced to membraneless organelles, formally called biomolecular condensates, a couple years ago when students in my lab observed some unusual blobs in a cell nucleus.

Unbeknownst to me, we had actually been studying biomolecular condensates for years. What I finally saw in those blobs opened my eyes to a whole new world of cell biology.

Like a lava lamp

To get a sense of what a biomolecular condensate looks like, imagine a lava lamp as the blobs of wax inside fuse together, break apart and fuse again. Condensates form in much the same way, though they are not made of wax. Instead, a cluster of proteins and genetic material, specifically RNA molecules, in a cell condenses into gel-like droplets.

Some proteins and RNAs do this because they preferentially interact with each other instead of their surrounding environment, very much like how wax blobs in a lava lamp mix with each other but not the surrounding liquid. These condensates create a new microenvironment that attracts additional proteins and RNA molecules, thus forming a unique biochemical compartment within cells.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsERuIqHadU

Biomolecular condensates behave like liquids.

As of 2022, researchers have found about 30 kinds of these membraneless biomolecular condensates. In comparison, there are around a dozen known traditional membrane-bound organelles.

Although easy to identify once you know what you are looking for, it's difficult to figure out what biomolecular condensates exactly do. Some have well-defined roles, such as forming reproductive cells, stress granules and protein-making ribosomes. However, many others don't have clear functions.

Nonmembrane-bound organelles could have more numerous and diverse functions than their membrane-bound counterparts. Learning about these unknown functions is affecting scientists' fundamental understanding of how cells work.

Protein structure and function

Biomolecular condensates are breaking some long-held beliefs about protein chemistry.

Ever since scientists first got a good look at the structure of the protein myoglobin in the 1950s, it was clear that its structure is important for its ability to shuttle oxygen in muscles. Since then, the mantra for biochemists has been that protein structure equals protein function. Basically, proteins have certain shapes that allow them to perform their jobs.

The proteins that form biomolecular condensates at least partially break this rule since they contain regions that are disordered, meaning they do not have defined shapes. When researchers discovered these so-called intrinsically disordered proteins, or IDPs, in the early 1980s, they were initially confounded by how these proteins could lack a strong structure but still perform specific functions.

Later, they found that IDPs tend to form condensates. As is so often the case in science, this finding solved one mystery about the roles these unstructured rogue proteins play in the cell only to open another deeper question about what biomolecular condensates really are.

Bacterial cells

Researchers have also detected biomolecular condensates in prokaryotic, or bacterial, cells, which traditionally were defined as not containing organelles. This finding could have profound effects on how scientists understand the biology of prokaryotic cells.

Only about 6 percent of bacterial proteins have disordered regions lacking structure, compared with 30 percent to 40 percent of eukaryotic, or nonbacterial, proteins. But scientists have found several biomolecular condensates in prokaryotic cells that are involved a variety of cellular functions, including making and breaking down RNAs.

The presence of biomolecular condensates in bacterial cells means that these microbes aren't simple bags of proteins and nucleic acids but are actually more complex than previously recognized.

Inclusion bodies, stained magenta in this micrograph of herpesvirus 6, are aggregates of proteins that form a type of biomolecular condensate.



Origins of life

Biomolecular condensates are also changing how scientists think about the origins of life on Earth.

There is ample evidence that nucleotides, the building blocks of RNA and DNA, can very plausibly be made from common chemicals, like hydrogen cyanide and water, in the presence of common energy sources, like ultraviolet light or high temperatures, on universally common minerals, like silica and iron clay.

There is also evidence that individual nucleotides can spontaneously assemble into chains to make RNA. This is a crucial step in the RNA world hypothesis, which postulates that the first 'lifeforms' on Earth were strands of RNAs.

A major question is how these RNA molecules might have evolved mechanisms to replicate themselves and organize into a protocell. Because all known life is enclosed in membranes, researchers studying the origin of life have mostly assumed that membranes would also need to encapsulate these RNAs.

This would require synthesizing the lipids, or fats, that make up membranes. However, the materials needed to make lipids likely weren't present on early Earth.

With the discovery that RNAs can spontaneously form biomolecular condensates, lipids wouldn't be needed to form protocells. If RNAs were able to aggregate into biomolecular condensates on their own, it becomes even more plausible that living molecules arose from nonliving chemicals on Earth.

New treatments

For me and other scientists studying biomolecular condensates, it is exciting to dream of how these rule-breaking entities will change our perspective on how biology works. Condensates are already changing how we think about human diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Lou Gehrig's.

To this end, researchers are developing several new approaches to manipulate condensates for medical purposes like new drugs that can promote or dissolve condensates. Whether this new approach to treating disease will bear fruit remains to be determined.

In the long term, I wouldn't be surprised if each biomolecular condensate is eventually assigned a particular function. If this happens, you can bet that high school biology students will have even more to learn – or complain – about in their introductory biology classes.

Allan Albig, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Boise State University


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According to Scientists, This Organism Could Live on Mars

By PENSOFT PUBLISHERS, NOV. 5, 2024

Crew biologist Anushree Srivastava collecting lichens near the Mars Desert Research Station while wearing a simulated spacesuit, an important part of analog space missions at this research site. 
Credit: Mars 160 Crew/The Mars Society

Research at Mars analog sites in Utah and Nunavut focuses on lichen diversity, helping to predict lichen survival on Mars and aiding our understanding of these organisms both on Earth and potentially in space.

Lichens are remarkably resilient organisms that can survive on a vast array of surfaces, from rocks and trees to bare ground and buildings. These composite organisms, fungal and photosynthetic partners joined into a greater whole, are found on every continent and almost certainly every landmass on planet Earth; some species have even survived exposure to the exterior of the International Space Station.

The hardy nature of lichens has long interested researchers studying what life could survive on Mars and the astrobiologists studying life on Earth as an analog of our planetary neighbor. In the deserts surrounding two Mars analog stations in North America, lichens comprise such an essential part of the local ecosystems that they inspired a biodiversity assessment with a unique twist: a collections-based inventory conducted during a simulated mission to Mars.

The Mars Desert Research Station is nestled in amongst the red sandstone hills of southeast Utah, USA, in a geological analog to Mars. 
Credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature, Simulated Mars Missions and Biodiversity Studies

The Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA (on Ute and Paiute Territory), and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada (in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit Homeland) are simulated Martian habitats operated by The Mars Society, where crews participate in dress rehearsals for crewed Martian exploration.

While learning what it would take to live and work on our planetary neighbor, these “Martians” frequently study the deserts at both sites, often exploring techniques for documenting microbial life and their biosignatures as a prelude to deploying these tools and methods off-world.

These studies are enhanced by a comprehensive understanding of the ecosystems being studied, even if they are full of Earthbound life. During the Mars 160 – a set of twin missions to both Utah and Nunavut in 2016 and 2017 – the research team undertook a floristic survey of the lichen biodiversity present at each site.

Rich lichen communities are abundant in the deserts surrounding the Mars Desert Research Station, with visible crusts being one part of a vibrant ecosystem. 
Credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature



Collecting and Identifying Lichens in Martian Analogs

During simulated extra-vehicular activities, Mars 160 mission specialists wearing simulated spacesuits scouted out various habitats at both stations, seeking out lichen species growing in various microhabitats. Collecting over 150 specimens, these samples were “returned to Earth” and identified at the National Herbarium of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Through morphological examination, investigations of internal anatomy and chemistry, and DNA barcoding, “Mission Support” identified 35 lichen species from the Mars Desert Research Station and 13 species from the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station.


The Bright Cobblestone Lichen (Acarospora socialis) fluoresces bright yellow under ultraviolet light on rocky outcrops near the Mars Desert Research Station. This fluorescence is one of many key characteristics useful in identifying lichen species. Credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature


Contributions to Lichenology and Astrobiology

These species, along with photographs and a synopsis of their identifying characteristics, are summarized in a new paper recently published in the open-access journal Check List. This new annotated checklist should prove useful to future crews working at both analog research stations while also helping Earthly lichenologists better understand the distribution of these fascinating organisms, including new records of rarely reported or newly described species from some of Earth’s most interesting and otherworldly habitats.



An ascospore from a Northern Polyblastia Lichen (Polyblastia hyperborea) collected near the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada. Spore morphology is another important character for lichen identification. 
Credit: Paul Sokoloff/Canadian Museum of Nature




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Earth underwent a massive, rapid melting period after the last global ice age, new study suggests

NOV. 5, 2024, by Virginia Tech

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

At the end of the last global ice age, the deep-frozen Earth reached a built-in limit of climate change and thawed into a slushy planet. Results from a Virginia Tech-led study provide the first direct geochemical evidence of the slushy planet—otherwise known as the "plumeworld ocean" era—when sky-high carbon dioxide levels forced the frozen Earth into a massive, rapid melting period.

"Our results have important implications for understanding how Earth's climate and ocean chemistry changed after the extreme conditions of the last global ice age," said lead author Tian Gan, a former Virginia Tech postdoctoral researcher. Gan worked with geologist Shuhai Xiao on the study, which was released Nov. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

Deep-frozen Earth

The last global ice age took place about 635 million to 650 million years ago, when scientists believe global temperatures dropped and the polar ice caps began to creep around the hemispheres. The growing ice reflected more sunlight away from the Earth, setting off a spiral of plunging temperatures.

"A quarter of the ocean was frozen due to extremely low carbon dioxide levels," said Xiao, who recently was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

When the surface ocean sealed, a chain of reactions stuttered to a stop:
The water cycle locked up. No evaporation and very little rain or snow.
Without water, there was a massive slowdown in a carbon dioxide consuming process called chemical weathering, where rocks erode and disintegrate.
Without weathering and erosion, carbon dioxide began to amass in the atmosphere and trap heat.

"It was just a matter of time until the carbon dioxide levels were high enough to break the pattern of ice," Xiao said. "When it ended, it probably ended catastrophically."

Plume world

Suddenly, heat started to build. The ice caps began to recede, and Earth's climate backpedaled furiously toward the drippy and soupy. Over a mere 10 million years, average global temperatures swung from minus 50 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 to 48 degrees Celsius).

But the ice didn't melt and remix with seawater at the same time. The research findings paint a very different world than what we can imagine: vast rivers of glacial water rushing like a reverse tsunami from the land into the sea, then pooling on top of extra salty, extra dense ocean water.

The researchers tested this version of the prehistoric world by looking at a set of carbonate rocks that formed as the global ice age was ending.

They analyzed a certain geochemical signature, the relative abundance of lithium isotopes, recorded within the carbonate rocks. According to plumeworld ocean theory, the geochemical signatures of freshwater would be stronger in rocks formed under nearshore meltwater than in the rocks formed offshore, beneath the deep, salty sea—and that's exactly what the researchers observed.

The findings bring the limit of environmental change into better focus, said Xiao, but they also give researchers additional insight into the frontiers of biology and the resiliency of life under extreme conditions—hot, cold, and slushy.



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Tuesday 5 November 2024

Archaeology News: Archaeologists uncover 12 ancient "door guardians" at Angkor

Archaeologists uncover 12 ancient "door guardians" at Angkor


The statues were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom.

By Jerusalem Post Staff, October 31, 2024

                Angkor Wat. (photo credit: cloud.shepherd, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Via Flickr.)


Archaeologists in Cambodia have made a remarkable discovery at the Angkor World Heritage Site near Siem Reap, unearthing a dozen centuries-old sandstone statues. The statues, depicting so-called "door guardians," were discovered last week near the north gate leading to the 11th-century Royal Palace at Angkor Thom, as confirmed by Long Kosal, spokesman for the Apsara National Authority.


The discovery was described as a "remarkable discovery" by authorities on Wednesday, October 28. Long Kosal confirmed that the statues were uncovered while teams were assessing the ancient gate's structure and searching for fallen stones around the portal on the north side of Angkor Thom. The archaeological dig was a collaborative project between the Apsara National Authority and the China-Cambodia Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor, as stated by Apsara.


The statues depict guardians standing at attention and vary in size from about 1 meter to 110 centimeters, or about 39 to 43 inches, with some in surprisingly good shape. Each statue features unique facial hair ornaments, adding to their distinctiveness. The statues were found buried at depths of up to 1.4 meters (4.5 feet), with the 12th statue notably found at a depth of 140 cm.


Experts believe these door guardian statues exemplify the Khleang style, aligning with the construction period of the 11th-century Royal Palace. "Each statue features unique facial hair ornaments that add to their distinctiveness," explained Sorn Chanthorn. Following the discovery, the archaeological team carefully documented their positions before removing them for cleaning and restoration. Authorities said the statues will eventually be returned to their original locations.


Angkor Thom, established between the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century under King Jayavarman VII, was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. The ancient Royal Palace is a large rectangularly walled area located within Angkor Thom in the Angkor Archaeological Park. The north side of Angkor Thom is one of four entrances to the Angkor complex, which includes the impressive temple complex Angkor Wat and is popular with tourists. Angkor Thom is considered one of the most interesting attractions in the region, popular with tourists from all over the world, alongside Angkor Wat.


Acupuncture reduces pain with chronic sciatica from herniated disk

Oct. 22, 2024, by L. Solomon


Acupuncture results in less pain and better function for patients with chronic sciatica from a herniated disk, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Jian-Feng Tu, M.D., Ph.D., from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, and colleagues investigated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture in patients with chronic sciatica from a herniated disk. The analysis included 216 patients randomly assigned to receive 10 sessions of acupuncture or sham acupuncture over four weeks.

The researchers found that the visual analog scale (VAS) for leg pain significantly decreased by 30.8 mm in the acupuncture group and 14.9 mm in the sham acupuncture group at week four (mean difference, −16.0). There was a significant decrease of 13.0 points on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in the acupuncture group versus 4.9 points in the sham acupuncture group at week four (mean difference, −8.1).

The between-group difference in both VAS and ODI became apparent starting in week two (mean differences, −7.8 and −5.3, respectively) and persisted through week 52 (mean difference, −10.8 and −4.8, respectively). There were no serious adverse events reported.

"Acupuncture should be considered as a potential treatment option for patients with chronic sciatica from a herniated disk," the authors write.


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Dams have taken half the water from Australia's second biggest river—and climate change will make it even worse

NOV. 4, 2024, by J. Kreibich and R. Kingsford, The Conversation

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain



The largest wetland on Australia's second longest river, the Murrumbidgee in the southern Murray-Darling Basin, is drying up. This is bad news for the plants, animals and people who rely on the vast Lowbidgee Floodplain. So it's important to understand what is going on, and whether we can do anything about it.

Our new research used computer modeling to study past and future river flows. We examined natural flows in the lower Murrumbidgee River between 1890 and 1927, before humans started changing the river. We compared these flows to what happened after big dams went in and more water was taken out for irrigation. Then, we modeled how climate change is likely to influence flows in future.

We found river regulation such as dams and reservoirs cut flows in half over the past three decades. It means periods between life-giving floods on the wetlands are now more than twice as long. With climate change, drying of these vital freshwater ecosystems is likely to accelerate.

Altogether, we predict the annual duration of flood events sustaining these wetlands will drop by as much as 85% by 2075 compared to natural levels, if nothing is done. But there are plenty of things we can do to turn this around, because our research shows the main reason for the decline is river regulation and overextraction.

Floods are essential for wetlands

The Lowbidgee Floodplain, in southwestern New South Wales, supports expansive river red gum and black box forests as well as one of the state's largest lignum shrublands. Lignum's thick mass of stems forms bushes that make great nesting platforms for waterbirds, attracting thousands of glossy ibis, straw-necked ibis and royal spoonbills. The area is also a breeding ground for Australian pelicans.

The endangered Southern bell frog and threatened native fish such as Murray cod also live here.

Floods bring wetlands to life. But human activities have disrupted the natural cycle of flood and drought. In the Murrumbidgee, 26 big dams and reservoirs now store and divert water, mainly for irrigation. These interventions have more than doubled the time between floods, causing large sections of the wetlands to dry up.

The lack of floods has devastated the floodplain, causing black box and river red gum forests to die. Waterbird numbers also plummeted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0rlXRy-OI4
A clip from the aerial waterbird survey of Pollen Creek on the Lowbidgee. 
Credit: Centre for Ecosystem Science

The Lowbidgee's cultural significance

The Nari Nari people have lived on the Lowbidgee Floodplain for tens of thousands of years. The land and water has deep cultural and spiritual value.

Evidence of Nari Nari connection to this place is seen in the scar trees cut for canoes and other wooden items, middens of discarded shell and bone, earth mounds and burial sites scattered across the landscape.

After 180 years of dispossession, 880 square kilometers of the floodplain was returned to the Nari Nari Tribal Council in 2019. This allows the original peoples of this land to repair it, reinstating cultural burning for example. But there's a limit to how much they can do without more water.

River regulation and climate change

Few studies have effectively reconstructed such a long history of a river to see where we have come from, and just as importantly, assessed what lies ahead.

We modeled natural flows in the Murrumbidgee River, using data for rainfall and runoff upstream. The rainfall data covers more than a century, from 1890 to 2018, which allowed us to model natural flows back to 1890.

First we established a baseline for natural flows. Then we were able to work out how dams, reservoirs and and water diversions have disrupted these flows over time.

We also considered how climate change might influence river flows in the future under different greenhouse gas emission scenarios.

We found most of the decline (55%) in the Murrumbidgee River's flows was due to river regulation. But climate change will probably make matters worse, shaving another 7%–10% off river flows by 2075, based on average projections.

The average annual duration of floods reaching the floodplain wetlands has dropped from 11.3 days under natural flows to just 4.5 days currently. This could decline further to around 1.7 days as the climate becomes warmer and drier.

Now is the time to act

Australia's rivers are at risk, but it's not too late to act. By reducing over-allocation and returning water to the environment, we can protect threatened and endangered species, reduce the impacts of climate change, and honor the cultural heritage of First Nations Peoples.

Managing water releases to mimic natural seasonal flows can also help reinstate the natural cues for native plants, animals and other organisms.

Our research underscores the urgent need to understand our past in order to explore future water management options. It's clear much of the damage has been done by damming the river and taking out so much water. Now it's important to restore the balance in favor of the environment, to prepare for future climate change.

The Murrumbidgee River and its major floodplain wetlands are also a warning—a canary in the coal mine so to speak—of what could happen to other river systems worldwide as water demand rises along with projected income and population growth. This is especially concerning for many arid and semi-arid regions, where climate change is increasing temperatures while reducing rainfall.


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Collapse of Ming Dynasty actually began with Wanli megadrought, tree-ring research shows

NOV. 4, 2024, by C. Na, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Credit: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112548

Climate change has a profound impact on historical societal transformations. A recent study by Chinese researchers has found that the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, may have been triggered by the Wanli megadrought, decades earlier than previous thought.

Most previous studies on the collapse of the Ming Dynasty have focused on the famous "Chongzhen Drought" of the late Ming Dynasty, considering it an important factor in the decline of the Ming Dynasty. But insufficiency of data resolution and dating precision has limited our comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic relationship between the decline of the Ming Dynasty and climate change.

Now, a research team led by the Institute of Earth Environment (IEE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reconstructed the historical variations of the Palmer Drought Severity Index for July–September based on tree-ring stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) from 1556 CE to 2015 CE in the southwest Chinese Loess Plateau.

The study is published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.

Enhancing the comprehension of the interaction mechanism between climate change and civilization development can offer valuable historical insights for humanity to address the challenges posed by global change.

"Hydroclimatic fluctuations are of paramount importance in the historical changes of China," said Professor Ren Meng from IEE, first author of the study.

The researchers revealed a significant weakening of the Asian summer monsoon between 1561 CE and 1661 CE, consistent with the Late Ming Weak Monsoon Period (1580–1660 CE), and analyzed the specific characteristics of this climatic anomaly in detail.

The reconstruction also captured a distinct humidification trend over northwest China since the 2000s, which coincides with the general trend of a warm-humid climate in northwest China.

In addition to the well-known Chongzhen megadrought, this study recorded the severe Wanli megdrought (1585–1590 CE) during the late Ming Dynasty, an event that rarely featured in earlier studies, exhibiting comparable duration and severity to the Chongzhen megadrought.

Further analysis indicated that the Wanli megadrought may have served as an early trigger for the collapse of the Ming Dynasty.

"Our analysis implicates the ENSO as a contributing factor in both the Wanli and Chongzhen megadroughts, and thus to the ultimate collapse of the Ming Dynasty by affecting the Asian summer monsoon intensity," said Professor Ren.



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Monday 4 November 2024

A TV as big as a bed? With the holidays approaching, stores stock more supersize sets

Nov. 3, 2024, by A. D'innocenzio

A 98-inch TCL QM-8 Q-Class Mini-LED QLED 4K HDR Smart TV is displayed at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular event, in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. 
Credit: AP Photo/Richard Drew

For some television viewers, size apparently does matter.

Forget the 65-inch TVs that were considered bigger than average a decade ago. In time for the holidays, manufacturers and retailers are rolling out more XXL screens measuring more than 8 feet across. That's wider than a standard three-seat sofa or a king-size bed.

Supersize televisions only accounted for 1.7% of revenue from all TV set sales in the U.S. during the first nine months of the year, according to market research firm Circana. But companies preparing for shoppers to go big for Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa have reason to think the growing ultra category will be a bright spot in an otherwise tepid television market, according to analysts.

The 38.1 million televisions sold with a width of at least 97 inches between January and September represented a tenfold increase from the same period last year, Circana said. Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics chain, doubled the assortment of hefty TVs—the 19 models range in price from $2,000 to $25,000—and introduced displays in roughly 70% of its stores.

"It's really taken off this year," Blake Hampton, Best Buy's senior vice president of merchandising, said.

Analysts credit the emerging demand to improved technology and much lower prices. So far this year, the average price for TVs spanning at least 97 inches was $3,113 compared to $6,662 last year, according to Circana. South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung introduced its first 98-inch TV in 2019 with a hefty price tag of $99,000; it now has four versions starting at $4,000, the company said.

Anthony Ash, a 42-year-old owner of a wood pallet and recycling business, recently bought a 98-inch Sony for his 14,000-square-foot house in Bristol, Wisconsin. The device, which cost about $5,000 excluding installation fees, replaced an 85" TV in the great room off his kitchen. Ash now has 17 televisions at home and uses some to display digital art.

"We just saw that the price was affordable for what we were looking for and thought, 'Why not?'" he said of deciding to upsize to the Sony. "You get a better TV experience with a bigger TV. You're sitting watching TV with a person on TV that is the same size as you. You can put yourself in the scene."

The amount of time that many people spend staring at their cellphones and tablets, including to stream movies and TV shows, is another factor driving the growth of widescreen TV screens. Overall TV sales revenue fell 4%, while the number of units sold rose 1% from the January through September period, Circana said.

A 115-inch TCL television, right, is displayed at a Best Buy store in Dallas, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. 
Credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez



Most people only invest in a television every seven years, but when they do, they typically choose bigger ones, according to Rick Kowalski, the senior director of business intelligence at the Consumer Technology Association. In the past 15 years, the size of flat-panel TVs that were shipped to U.S. retailers and dealers grew an average of one inch a year, Kowalski said.

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the elongation trend as people spent more time at home. In fact, screen sizes increased an average of two inches in both 2021 and 2022, and 85-inch TVs began gaining traction with consumers, Kowalski said. Shipments of 98-inch TVs to the U.S. are picking up pace this year, and models as huge as 110-115 inches are on the market right now, he said.

"You get better resolution over time," Kowalski said. "You get better picture quality. And so just over time, it's easier to produce those sets and improve the technology."

Best Buy's Hampton said a benefit of a colossal TV is the viewer can watch multiple shows at once, an experience he described as "incredible."

"If you're watching YouTube TV content or ' NFL Sunday Ticket,' you can actually get four screens up, and that's four 48-inch screens on it," he said.

Manufacturers are also adding new features. Samsung said it designed its 98-inch lineup with a component that analyzes what the viewer is watching to increase sharpness and reduce visible noise across every scene.

James Fishler, senior vice president of the home entertainment division of Samsung's U.S. division, said the way people watch TV and experience content is shifting.

"It's even more so about watching TV as a shared experience," Fishler said. "They want to host a watch party and gather around their TV to watch the big game, or set up a cinematic movie experience right at home. "

Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, its Sam's Club division, and Chicago retailer Abt Electronics, also say they are expanding their TV ranges to meet customer demand for supersize screens.

An 98-inch Samsung television, left, sits by others of various sizes on display at a Best Buy store in Dallas, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. 
Credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez



TV industry experts say these monster TVs are beginning to encroach on home theater projectors, which create a 100- to 120-inch image that is less sharp and require rooms with blackout curtains or without windows.

"A dedicated viewing room for watching movies was exclusively the purview of projectors," Andrew Sivori, vice president in the entertainment division of LG Electronics, another Korean manufacturer. "But you can get a much better viewing experience with direct TV."

Retailers and TV makers said the buyers trading up range from millennials and members of Generation X to the tech-native Gen Z crowd. But as Jon Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics said, "It's still a niche business."

"A lot of people just don't have the space to put one of those in," he added.

Before dreaming big for the holidays, shoppers therefore should make sure a 98-inch TV will fit. Best Buy said its Geek Squad team asks if stairwells and entry halls are large enough to accommodate delivery and installation. An augmented reality feature on the Best Buy app that allows customers to see if products are the right size has been especially helpful for XXL TVs, the retailer said.

But for those worried about having the space for viewing, the good news is that the recommended distance for a 98-inch TV is actually just 6-12 feet from the seating area. The rule of thumb is to multiple the diagonal length of the TV by 1.2 to determine the ideal viewing distance, Samsung's Fishler said.

If bigger is better in the TV department, how big can they go?

"I think we'll have to wait and see," Fishler said.


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Spain dreads more flood deaths as more rain expected

NOV/ 4, 2024, by J. Jordan
Forensic teams, firefighters and police enter a parking garage as the search for victims continues in Alfafar.
Spanish rescuers plunged into inundated garages to find bodies on Monday, a day after furious crowds heckled and hurled mud at the king and the prime minister following devastating floods.

The toll stands at 217 dead—almost all in the eastern Valencia region—and Spain dreaded the discovery of more corpses in its worst such disaster in decades.

National weather service AEMET announced the end of the emergency for Valencia but placed part of the northeastern Catalonia region on the highest red alert for torrential rain on Monday.

Catalan trains were suspended until further notice, Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced on X, while flights were delayed and diverted at Barcelona's El Prat airport.

The country grappled with the aftermath of an extraordinary outburst of popular anger directed at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

The Civil Guard has opened an investigation into the chaos in the ground-zero town of Paiporta that cut short their visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told public broadcaster TVE.

He blamed "marginal groups" for instigating the violence where mud spattered the monarchs' face and clothes and broke a window of Sanchez's car.

Organizing the visit was "a collective mistake" as fringe groups hijacked raw emotions to endanger the royals, Sanchez and Valencia region leader Carlos Mazon, Puente told television channel La Sexta on Sunday.

The incident underscored growing anger at the authorities' preparation for and response to the catastrophe.

Experts have questioned the warning systems that failed to alert the population in time and the speed of the response.


Felipe said it was necessary to 'understand the anger and frustration' of the victims.

'We were abandoned'

Thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil guards and firefighters spent a sixth day distributing aid and clearing mud and debris to find bodies.

But relief works only reached some towns days after the disaster and in many cases volunteers were the first to provide food, water, sanitation and cleaning equipment.

"We shouldn't romanticize it: the people saved the people because we were abandoned," said Jorge, a resident of the town of Chiva where the royals cancelled their visit on Sunday.

The applause should be for the volunteers, not "those who come just to take a picture and show off", the 25-year-old told AFP.

Divers on Monday concentrated their search for missing bodies in garages and a multi-story car park in the town of Aldaia capable of holding thousands of vehicles.

The storm caught many victims in their vehicles on roads and in underground spaces such as car parks, tunnels and garages where rescue operations are particularly difficult.

Local authorities extended travel restrictions for another two days to facilitate the work of the emergency services, cancelled classes in Valencia and urged citizens to work from home.

Storms coming off the Mediterranean are common for the season. But scientists have warned human-induced climate change is increasing the ferocity, length and frequency of extreme weather events.

"Politicians haven't acted on climate change, and now we're paying the consequences of their inaction," environmental activist Emi, 21, told AFP in Chiva.



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Volcanic eruption burns houses in Indonesia, killing at least 10 people

NOV. 4, 2024. by J. Herin

In this photo made available by Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the sky glows from the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki early Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in East Flores, Indonesia. 
Credit: PVMBG via AP

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said Monday that at least 10 people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores.

The eruption at Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki around midnight spewed thick brownish ash as high as 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the air and hot ashes hit several villages, burning down houses including a convent of Catholic nuns, said Firman Yosef, an official at the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post.

He said volcanic material was thrown up to 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from its crater, blanketing nearby villages and towns with tons of volcanic debris and forcing residents to flee.

Rescuers were still searching for more bodies buried under collapsed houses, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency's spokesperson. Muhari said all the bodies, including a child, were found with a 4-kilometer (2.4 mile) radius of the crater.

He said at least 10,000 people have been affected by the eruption in six villages of Wulanggitang District, and four villages in Ile Bura district. Some have fled to relatives' houses while the local government is readying schools to use as temporary shelters.

The country's volcano monitoring agency increased the volcano's alert status to the highest level and more than doubled the exclusion zone to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius after midnight on Monday as eruptions became more frequent.

A nun in Hokeng village died and another was missing, said Agusta Palma, the head of the Saint Gabriel Foundation that oversees convents on the majority-Catholic island.

"Our nuns ran out in panic under a rain of volcanic ash in the darkness," Palma said.

Photos and videos circulated on social media showed tons of volcanic debris covering houses up to their rooftops in villages like Hokeng, where hot volcanic material set fire to houses.

Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province known locally as the husband—"Laki-laki" means man—and wife mountains. Its mate is Lewotobi Perempuan, or woman.

About 6,500 people were evacuated in January after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island's Frans Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport has remained closed since then due to seismic activity.

In a video conference on Monday, Muhammad Wafid, the head of Geology Agency at the Energy and Mineral Resources ministry said there was a different character between January's eruption and Monday's eruption due to a blockage of magma in the crater, which reduced detectible seismic activity while building up pressure.

"The eruptions that occurred since Friday were due to the accumulation of hidden energy," Wafid said.

It's Indonesia's second volcanic eruption in as many weeks. West Sumatra province's Mount Marapi, one of the country's most active volcanos, erupted on Oct. 27, spewing thick columns of ash at least three times and blanketing nearby villages with debris, but no casualties were reported.

Lewotobi Laki-laki is one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people. The country is prone to earthquakes, landslides and volcanic activity because it sits along the "Ring of Fire," a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.


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Sunday 3 November 2024

Chuck's picture corner to Nov. 3, 2024

It's a frosty morning after a freezing night and a warm week.

frost this morning on a wild aster

last night's sunset

out at the pub/micro brewery on Anik's birthday (the singer)

Friday morning's Sun lights up the corn field

The bottle of apple cider was given to Rachelle 25 yrs ago, it was made by brothers at a local monastery

the colour has gone,



The trip to Rachelle's

The view from this place is huge.



a wasp we think

one morning early in the week now all the leaves are mostly gone.

the day is done

gone the Sun


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