US firms fund deforestation, abuses in Amazon: report

OCTOBER 27, 2020

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-firms-fund-deforestation-abuses-amazon.html

Smoke rises from a burnt area of land at the Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, in the Amazon basin, on August 6, 2020

Major US financial firms are helping fund environmental destruction and indigenous rights abuses in the Amazon with billions of dollars in investments in questionable companies, according to a report published Tuesday.

Six top firms—BlackRock, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Vanguard, Bank of America and Dimensional Fund Advisors—have invested more than $18 billion over the past three years in mining, agribusiness and energy companies involved in a "series of abuses" in the world's biggest rainforest, found the report by the environmental group Amazon Watch and the Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples (APIB).

"Major financiers... are using their clients' money to enable the wanton behavior of companies linked to indigenous rights violations and the devastation of the Amazon rainforest," said Amazon Watch program director Christian Poirier.

"This financial complicity in destruction contradicts the climate and human rights pledges touted by some of these firms, exposes their investors to significant risk and contributes dramatically to the world's growing biodiversity and climate crises," he said in a statement.

The report investigates the firms' investments in nine Brazilian and multi-national companies accused of abuses in the Amazon, including mining companies Vale and Anglo American, agribusiness companies Cargill and JBS, and energy company Eletronorte.

It accuses those companies of harmful practices including land seizures, violence against indigenous groups, illegal deforestation and the use of harmful pesticides.

It says for example that JBS, the world's biggest meat processing company, sourced cattle from ranches that encroached on Brazil's Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau and Kayabi indigenous reserves.

Mining giant Vale meanwhile faces accusations of contaminating water and failing to comply with its agreements to mitigate the impact of its activities on indigenous lands, says the report.

Such conflicts around land are fueling a surge in violence against indigenous peoples in the Amazon, including an annual increase of 135 percent last year in the number of land invasions and the murder of seven indigenous leaders, it says.

Many of the companies denied the accusations.

Firms including Vale, Anglo American, Cargill and JBS presented evidence they said contradicted the report's findings of abuses.

Financial firms investing in them also denied wrongdoing.

"Deforestation and indigenous rights are critical issues, which also carry risks to investment returns. We engage with companies on these and other ESG (environmental, social and governance) risks, and where they are not being appropriately managed or progress is not sufficient, we (as shareholders) take voting action against management," said a spokesperson for BlackRock.

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Severe form of inflammatory bowel disease linked to a strain of mouth bacteria

OCTOBER 29, 2020, by University of New South Wales

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-severe-inflammatory-bowel-disease-linked.html

Dr Zhang has been studying the links between the C. concisus bacterium (pictured) and gut health for over a decade. Her team captured this photo of the bacterium via an electron microscope. 

Credit: UNSW Sydney / Dr Li Zhang

Severe ulcerative colitis—a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—has been linked to a newly-discovered strain of oral bacteria, a study led by UNSW Sydney has found.

Scientists have discovered a molecule called 'pSma1' in bacterial cell samples from people with severe ulcerative colitis. The molecule was found in some strains of the bacterium Campylobacter concisus (C. concisus), which usually lives in the mouth.

The findings, published overnight in Microbial Genomics, add to a growing body of evidence linking oral bacteria to IBD.

While the scientists examined bacterial genomes of a relatively small sample size of patients—and their analysis doesn't show if the bacterium plays a role in causing severe ulcerative colitis—their findings offer interesting avenues for future research into the prevention and treatment of the disease.

"Oral bacteria enter the digestive system every day when we swallow food or saliva," says Dr. Li Zhang, senior author of the study and senior lecturer in UNSW Science's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences.

"Most of the bacteria are killed by acids in the stomach, but some can survive and colonise in the intestines. The bacteria might not have colonised for long, but the mouth keeps bringing a constant supply of new bacteria—that's the problem."

IBD affects more than 75,000 Australians and is expected to grow to 100,000 by 2022, according to a 2013 study. IBD is an umbrella term that usually refers to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, a chronic disease that causes inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the large intestine. The cause of ulcerative colitis is not yet known.

In severe cases of ulcerative colitis, inflammation can spread further through the large intestine. Patients may experience extreme pain, bleeding and diarrhea. Those who don't respond well to medicine may need to have their entire large intestine surgically removed.

Dr. Zhang says it's not clear why some patients don't respond well to therapy—but the pSma1 bacterial stream could hold some clues.

A small, fast-replicating plasmid

The molecule pSma1 is a plasmid: a small, circular DNA molecule that usually lives inside bacterial cells. Plasmids can carry genes that increase the virulence—that is, severity or harmfulness—of a bacterium.

"A plasmid is outside the bacteria's chromosomal DNA," says Dr. Fang Liu, lead author of the study and postdoctoral research associate in UNSW Science.

"It's considered a mobile genetic element, which means it can be transferred between different strains of the bacterium or even different species. If the plasmid carries any virulence genes, the bacteria could gain that virulence."

The UNSW scientists found the pSma1 bacterial strain in patients who underwent surgical treatment for severe ulcerative colitis. They examined the genomes of 239 C. concisus strains from 146 people around the world, including 62 strains from 28 patients with ulcerative colitis.

Dr. Zhang, who has been studying the links between the C. concisus bacterium and gut health for over a decade, is surprised by the characteristics of the novel plasmid.

"pSma1 is a very small plasmid," she says. "It only has two genes, but it also has a high copy of 60, which means that one bacterial cell will contain 60 copies of this small plasmid."

If the plasmid carries virulent genes, the relatively high copy rate could exacerbate the virulent strength of the bacteria.

"The proteins encoded by this plasmid might be a virulence factor," says Dr. Liu.

A potential therapeutic target

The bacterial strain could help explain why some severe ulcerative colitis patients don't respond well to medicinal treatments. The strain could also serve as a potential marker for how the disease is likely to progress.

Dr. Zhang hopes to explore these questions in her future research, which will use a larger genomic sample size. If the plasmid is found to be involved in the pathogenesis—that is, the origin—of severe ulcerative colitis, the bacterium could also be a potential target for future therapies.

"We may have found an area for future drug development for the prevention of severe ulcerative colitis," says Dr. Zhang.

"If we find out the plasmid plays a role in the pathogenesis, it could be quite easy to translate this finding into clinical use.

"Treatments targeting the oral cavity could help reduce the load of the bacteria. We may not be able to eradicate this bacterium, but we could certainly reduce the load."

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Microbes in the gut could be protective against hazardous radiation exposure

OCTOBER 30, 2020, by UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-microbes-gut-hazardous-exposure.html

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A new study by scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues published Oct. 30, 2020, in Science, showed that mice exposed to potentially lethal levels of total body radiation were protected from radiation damage if they had specific types of bacteria in their gut. Radiation absorbed in a clinical setting or during an accidental exposure can cause damage to tissues. In this study, the bacteria mitigated radiation exposure and enhanced the recovery of blood cell production as well as repair of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

The researchers noted that only an 'elite' set of mice had a high abundance of two types of bacteria, Lachnospiraceae and Enterococcaceae, in their guts that strongly countered the effects of the intense radiation. Importantly for humans, these two types of bacteria were found to be abundant in leukemia patients with mild GI symptoms who underwent radiotherapy.

The study showed that the presence of the two bacteria led to an increased production of small molecules known as propionate and tryptophan. These metabolites provided long-term protection from radiation, lessened damage to bone marrow stem cell production, mitigated the development of severe gastrointestinal problems and reduced damage to DNA. Both metabolites can be purchased in some countries as health supplements but there is currently no evidence that the supplements could aid people exposed to intense forms of radiation.

"This truly trans-UNC collaborative effort showed that these beneficial bacteria caused a profound change in gut metabolites," said corresponding author Jenny P.Y. Ting, Ph.D., William Rand Kenan Professor of Genetics in the UNC School of Medicine and a UNC Lineberger immunology program co-leader.

Damage to bodily organs from high levels of radiation, either from accidental exposure, cancer radiotherapy, targeted radiation attacks, among other forms of exposure, can lead to serious illness and even death. Blood cells in the body as well as tissues in the GI tract renew quickly and therefore remain particularly susceptible to radiation damage. On the protective side, however, the GI tract hosts over 10 trillion microbial microorganisms that could play an important role in limiting radiation-induced damage.

"Substantial federal efforts have been made to mitigate acute radiation symptoms—however, it remains a long-standing and unresolved problem," said first study author Hao Guo, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Ting's lab. "Our work produced a comprehensive dataset of bacteria and metabolites that can serve as a powerful resource to identify actionable therapeutic targets in future microbiome studies."

Because radiotherapy that is widely used to treat cancer often leads to GI side-effects, the investigators wanted to understand how their experiments in mice could translate to people. They worked with colleagues at Duke University, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell Medical College, and studied fecal samples from 21 leukemia patients due to receive radiation therapy as part of an arduous stem cell transplant conditioning. The scientists found that patients with shorter periods of diarrhea had significantly higher abundances of Lachnospiraceae and Enterococcaceae than patients with longer periods of diarrhea. These findings correlated closely with the researcher's findings in mice although Ting cautions that much larger studies are needed to verify these conclusions.

Importantly for potential human use, in mice that were supplemented with Lachnospiraceae, the benefits of cancer radiotherapy were not lessened.

"Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor is the only drug that has been approved by the FDA as an effective countermeasure for high-dose radiation exposure, but it is expensive and has potential adverse side-effects," said Ting. "However, bacteria that we can cultivate, and especially metabolites that are relatively inexpensive and already elements in the food we eat, may be a good alternative."

The researchers are hoping to launch a clinical trial soon in people to test the benefits of giving these metabolites to patients receiving radiation.

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Scientists engineer new cancer immunotherapy to train immune system in cancer fight

OCTOBER 29, 2020, by The Mount Sinai Hospital

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-scientists-cancer-immunotherapy-immune.html

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A groundbreaking new type of cancer immunotherapy developed at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai trains the innate immune system to help it eliminate tumor cells through the use of nanobiologics, tiny materials bioengineered from natural molecules that are paired with a therapeutic component, according to a study published in Cell in October.

This nanobiologic immunotherapy targets the bone marrow, where part of the immune system is formed, and activates a process called trained immunity. This process reprograms bone marrow progenitor cells to produce "trained" innate immune cells that halt the growth of cancer, which is normally able to protect itself from the immune system with the help of other types of cells, called immunosuppressive cells.

This work for the first time demonstrates that trained immunity can be successfully and safely induced for the treatment of cancer. The research was performed in animal models, including a mouse model with melanoma, and the researchers said it is being developed for clinical testing.

Immunotherapies that are already part of standard cancer care, such as the drug that eliminated former President Jimmy Carter's metastatic melanoma, are also able to unmask cancer to the immune system, but they have limitations. The type of immunotherapy used for former President Carter, called a checkpoint inhibitor, fully benefits only a small number of patients and can have severe side effects.

Findings from this research demonstrate that the nanobiologic immunotherapy's trained immunity approach could be used as a stand-alone anti-cancer therapy, potentially with fewer adverse reactions, or in conjunction with checkpoint inhibitor drugs, the scientists say.

"Not only have we observed very strong anti-cancer effects of our nanobiologic immunotherapy," said lead author Willem J. Mulder, Ph.D., Professor of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology and member of the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "The work involves the development and preclinical evaluation of a novel immunotherapy based on highly biocompatible nanomaterials called nanobiologics. Our study is a significant advancement for both trained immunity and cancer treatment, with real potential to move quickly into use in patients."

This research was part of a large collaboration between the Icahn School of Medicine and multiple other institutes and universities in the United States and Europe.

"This study is a game changer in the field of immunotherapy," said Zahi A. Fayad, Ph.D., Director of the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute, another author on the paper. "We are continuing the exploration of the technology at Mount Sinai and with our international collaborators."

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‘I could cry’: Millions of apples rotting in Okanagan orchards

By Jules Knox  Global News, Posted October 28, 2020https://globalnews.ca/news/7428870/millions-of-apples-rotting-okanagan/

apples rotting in Okanagan orchards ...

The ground of some orchards in East Kelowna is blanketed by soon-to-be-spoiled apples.

“I could cry,” apple grower Julius Kish said. “People are hungry, and it’s so much waste.” In 50 years of farming, Kish said he’s never seen a worse growing season.

It started in the spring with hail and too much rain.

Apple growers then struggled to find fruit pickers because the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a shortage of temporary foreign workers to tend the crops, Kish said.

“I only had three people the whole summer working for me. Can’t get any local people,” he said.

Kish is frustrated that his apples were left to rot because of a lack of fruit pickers, while many Canadians were sitting at home collecting $2,000 a month through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), he says.

The labour shortage was then followed by a record-breaking snowfall and the earliest cold snap Kish can remember seeing in his half-century of growing.

READ MORE: Okanagan snowstorm breaks 120-year-old record for most snow in October

BC Tree Fruits director Amarjit Singh Lalli estimated that the cold snap froze at least 20,000 bins of apples, which works out to about 16 million pounds or more than seven million kilograms.

Some apple orchardists will be out tens of thousands of dollars, he added.

“What will probably end up happening is the growers will not see a penny in insurance,” he said. “And that’s due to the fact that what ends up happening is the insurance companies are pooling all the money together.”

“So if you’ve got cherries or other varieties, crops other than apples, they pool it all together. And if your income drops a certain percentage, then it kicks in,” he said. “And the growers have diversified to protect themselves.”

Lalli is calling on the province to step in.

“Growers need help. Seven cents a pound would be a great starting point,” he said.

In an email, the province said that it is still in a period where it cannot comment on any requests for new funding because of the election.

However, the agriculture ministry also said that it does have a program in place to help tree fruit growers diversify, and that ministry staff will work with producers to get claims processed for lost or severely damaged crops.

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Denisovan DNA in the genome of early East Asians

OCTOBER 29, 2020, by Max Planck Society

https://phys.org/news/2020-10-denisovan-dna-genome-early-east.html

The skullcap found in the Salkhit Valley in eastern Mongolia belonged to a woman who lived 34,000 years ago. Analyses showed: She had inherited about 25 percent of her DNA from Western Eurasian. 

Credit: Institute of Archaeology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences

Researchers have analyzed the genome of the oldest human fossil found in Mongolia to date and show that the 34,000-year-old woman inherited around 25 percent of her DNA from western Eurasians, demonstrating that people moved across the Eurasian continent shortly after it had first been settled by the ancestors of present-day populations. This individual and a 40,000-year-old individual from China also carried DNA from Denisovans, an extinct form of hominins that inhabited Asia before modern humans arrived.

In 2006, miners discovered a hominin skullcap with peculiar morphological features in the Salkhit Valley of the Norovlin county in eastern Mongolia. It was initially referred to as Mongolanthropus and thought to be a Neandertal or even a Homo erectus. The remains of the "Salkhit" individual represent the only Pleistocene hominin fossil found in the country.

Ancient DNA extracted from the skullcap shows that it belonged to a female modern human who lived 34,000 ago and was more related to Asians than to Europeans. Comparisons to the only other early East Asian individual genetically studied to date, a 40,000-year-old male from Tianyuan Cave outside Beijing (China), show that the two individuals are related to each other. However, they differ insofar that a quarter of the ancestry of the Salkhit individual derived from western Eurasians, probably via admixture with ancient Siberians.

Migration and interaction

"This is direct evidence that modern human communities in East Asia were already quite cosmopolitan earlier than 34,000 years ago," says Diyendo Massilani, lead author of the study and researcher at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "This rare specimen shows that migration and interactions among populations across Eurasia happened frequently already some 35,000 years ago."

The researchers used a new method developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology to find segments of DNA from extinct hominins in the Salkhit and Tianyuan genomes. They found that the two genomes contain not only Neandertal DNA but also DNA from Denisovans, an elusive Asian relative of Neandertals. "It is fascinating to see that the ancestors of the oldest humans in East Asia from whom we have been able to obtain genetic data had already mixed with Denisovans, an extinct form of hominins that has contributed ancestry to present-day populations in Asia and Oceania," says Byambaa Gunchinsuren, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. "This is direct evidence that Denisovans and modern humans had met and mixed more than 40,000 years ago."

Xiahe Mandible. 

Credit: Menghan Qiu, Dongju Zhang, Lanzhou University

"Interestingly, the Denisovan DNA fragments in these very old East Asians overlap with Denisovan DNA fragments in the genomes of present-day populations in East Asia but not with Denisovan DNA fragments in Oceanians. This supports a model of multiple independent mixture events between Denisovans and modern humans," says Massilani.

The research is reported in the journal Science.

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Archaeology: 2,000-year-old gem seal depicting Greek god Apollo found under City of David

 

2,000-year-old gem seal depicting Greek god Apollo found under City of David

Although Apollo is an Olympian deity of the Greek and Roman cultures, it is highly probable that the person wearing the ring with Apollo’s portrait was a Jew.

By HANNAH BROWN , The Jerusalem Post, OCTOBER 29, 2020

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/2000-year-old-gem-seal-depicting-greek-god-apollo-found-under-city-of-david-647350

Researchers discovered a gem seal featuring a portrait of Apollo in the drainage channel of the City of David late last month. It was found in archaeological soil that was removed from the foundations of the Western Wall during work on the Archaeological Sifting Project in the Tzurim Valley National Park.

The excavations were carried out under the auspices of the City of David and the Nature and Parks Authority. The gem features an engraved portrait of the god Apollo. According to researchers, this surprising and rare find is only the third secured gem sealing (intaglio) from the Second Temple period to have ever been discovered in Jerusalem.

The gem is cut from dark brown jasper, and has remnants of light yellow, brown, and white layers. In antiquity, jasper was considered a precious stone. The gem sealing was embedded in a ring, and it dates from the first century CE (Second Temple period).  

The gem is tiny. It is oval-shaped, 13 mm long, 11 mm wide and 3 mm thick. Because the gem is an intaglio – having a design carved into the upper side of the stone – its main function was a seal to be stamped on soft material, usually beeswax, for use as a personal signature on contracts, letters, wills, goods and bundles of money.

 

The intaglio features an engraving of Apollo’s head in profile to the left, with long hair flowing over a wide, pillar-like neck, large nose, thick lips and small, prominent chin. The hair is styled in a series of parallel lines directed to the apex, and surrounded by a braid above the forehead. One line of hair marks a strand that covers the ear; long curls flow over part of the neck, reaching the left shoulder. Thin diagonal lines at the base of the head mark the upper end of the garment and the body.

According to the researchers – archaeologist Eli Shukron, Prof. Shua Amorai-Stark, and senior archaeologist Malka Hershkovitz – although Apollo is an Olympian deity of the Greek and Roman cultures, it is highly probable that the person wearing the ring with Apollo’s portrait was a Jew. 

 
 

SHUKRON, who conducted the excavation in which the gem was found, said that “it is rare to find seal remains bearing the image of the god Apollo at sites identified with the Jewish population. To this day, two such gem [seals] have been found in Masada, another in Jerusalem inside an ossuary [burial box] in a Jewish tomb on Mount Scopus, and the current gem that was discovered in close proximity to the Temple Mount.

 

"When we found the gem, we asked ourselves: ‘What is Apollo doing in Jerusalem? And why would a Jew wear a ring with the portrait of a foreign god?’ The answer to this, in our opinion, lies in the fact that the owner of the ring did so not as a ritual act that expresses religious belief, but as a means of making use of the impact that Apollo’s figure represents: light, purity, health and success.” 

A Gem Seal Bearing the Portrait of Apollo, City of David, October 29, 2020

Amorai-Stark, a researcher of engraved gems, added: “At the end of the Second Temple period, the sun god Apollo was one of the most popular and revered deities in Eastern Mediterranean regions. Apollo was a god of manifold functions, meanings and epithets. Among Apollo’s spheres of responsibility, it is likely that association with sun and light – as well as with logic, reason, prophecy and healing – fascinated some Jews, given that the element of light versus darkness was prominently present in the Jewish worldview in those days.

 

"The fact that the craftsman of this gem left the yellow-golden and light brown layers on the god’s hair probably indicates a desire to emphasize the aspect of light in the god’s persona, as well as in the aura that surrounded his head," the professor said. "The choice of a dark stone with yellow coloring of hair suggests that the creator or owner of this intaglio sought to emphasize the dichotomous aspect of light and darkness and/or their connectedness.”

The Archaeological Sifting Project at Tzurim Valley National Park, sponsored by the City of David and the Nature and National Parks Authority, is a large-scale archeological project that offers the public an opportunity to experience and appreciate archaeological activity without the need for advanced training or specialized knowledge.

 

The sifting has been supervised closely by archaeologists, and it allows participants to become “archaeologists for a day,” as they process archeological material unearthed in City of David excavations, where they often find treasures from the far past. The findings discovered thus far in the project include an imprint of King Hezekiah, coins from different periods, arrowheads and jewelry.

Due to the current nationwide closure of tourist sites, this site too is closed, but it will be reopened to the public as soon as conditions permit.  

   

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Medical Science: Israeli, American scientists reach breakthrough in brain research

 

Israeli, American scientists reach breakthrough in brain research

“This is a problem that everyone dreams of solving,” Dr. Sinefeld said, referring to the difficulty in successfully examining thick brain tissue.

By TOBIAS SIEGAL  ,The Jerusalem Post, OCTOBER 29, 2020

https://www.jpost.com/health-science/israeli-american-scientists-reach-breakthrough-in-brain-research-646902

From Right to Left: Pig’s brain; standard MRI brain scan; new MRI scan showing differences in molecular makeup in different parts of the brain (photo credit: SHIR FILO/HEBREW UNIVERSITY)

An Israeli researcher and a group of scientists from Cornell University have made a new breakthrough in the field of brain imaging, potentially providing valuable insight into future brain research.

 

Dr. David Sinefeld, a professor at the Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT), along with his Cornell University counterparts, used advanced microscopy methods developed  in Prof. Chris Xu’s lab at Cornell in their efforts to image and catalog "the fine structure and activity of an adult zebrafish brain," according to a press release. 

While it may not immediately sound like a dramatic feat, it could open up completely new possibilities in the field of neurological research.

“This is a problem that everyone dreams of solving,” Dr. Sinefeld said, referring to the difficulty in successfully examining thick brain tissue, especially through adult fish scales.

David Sinefeld (Credit: Jerusalem College of Technology)

Mapping the brain of the zebrafish in such detail is significant because all vertebrate brains are similar in nature. The research therefore serves as a stepping-stone to better understanding the human brain.

The press release noted that "although scientists usually use mice and monkeys as models for the human brain, zebrafish are another viable option."

"All vertebrate brains are, to a first approximation, the same, with nearly all brain regions [present] in nearly every vertebrate," Joseph Fetcho, professor of neurobiology and behavior told the Cornell Chronicle. "This is not surprising because they all, even the simplest ones, have to do the same things to survive and reproduce."

Explaining how the microscopy method used in his team's research worked, Dr. Sinefeld said that the method uses "special lasers with extremely short pulses which interact with the molecules in the brain in a way that allows separation between this interaction and the scattered light from other tissue layers."  

"This means that we can shine a laser beam through fish scales, and still see the neurons behind them, allowing us to image specific neurons deep in the brain with very high resolution,” he added.

  

Moreover, the laser repeatedly scans a certain section of the brain, garnering a three-dimensional image of its structure. Other methods of scanning and imaging the brain used today (MRI for example) don't provide high enough resolution in order to see the neurons and delicate structure inside.

Dr. Sinefeld pointed out that this new possibility may provide us with a better understanding of how the brain reacts to diseases and recovers over time.  

"This method opens a new horizon for animal brain research. We can now see better how the brain works," he said. "This research allows us to monitor a full zebrafish brain over time. 

For instance, after applying this tool to fish engineered to have certain brain disorders the images can then decipher how the brain changes as the fish mature. 

Likewise, the images can then also see how the fish respond to treatment over time and can lead to dramatic implications in how we understand brain functions and their disorders."

Dr. Sinefeld hopes to continue his efforts in the field of microscopy at the JCT and is in the process of applying for grants and funding to build a new lab dedicated to this discipline at the school.

“This could be a game-changer in the field of neuroscience. I am excited for the opportunity to establish these novel methods In Israel and specifically in JCT,” he concluded.

   

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Healthy Living: Cold temperatures, vitamin A can help the body burn more fat

 

Cold temperatures, vitamin A can help the body burn more fat

By Alexandra Deabler, Fox News, October 27, 2020 

https://nypost.com/2020/10/27/cold-temperatures-vitamin-a-can-help-the-body-burn-more-fat/

Man jogging in the snow, Getty Images 

People looking to lose weight may start embracing the winter months after a new study found cold temperatures and increased vitamin A encourage fat burning.

which was published in the journal Molecular Metabolism last week, explored the effects cold temperatures and vitamin A had on converting white fat, which is where excess calories are stored, to brown fat, which “stimulates fat burning and heat generation.”

More than 90 percent of the human body’s fat deposits are white fat, which is stored in the abdomen, bottom and upper thighs, the study shares.

According to the findings, cold temperatures increased vitamin A levels, which helps convert white to brown fat, thus stimulating fat burning. Vitamin A reserves are mostly stored in the liver. Once cold was applied to the mice in the study, the increases in “the levels of vitamin A and its blood transporter, retinol-binding protein” led to a higher rate of fat burning as the white fat converted to brown as the body attempting to keep itself warm.

Alternatively, when “the vitamin A transporter ‘retinol-binding protein’” was blocked in mice, the fat did not “brown” and the mice were unable to protect themselves from the cold.

The study is promising in finding solutions to dealing with weight gain and obesity. Though the study’s lead researcher, Florian Kiefer from the Medical University of Vienna, cautioned against taking large quantities of vitamin A supplements in an effort to lose weight.

“Our results show that vitamin A plays an important role in the function of adipose tissue and affects global energy metabolism. However, this is not an argument for consuming large amounts of vitamin A supplements if not prescribed, because it is critical that vitamin A is transported to the right cells at the right time,” explains the MedUni Vienna researcher. “We have discovered a new mechanism by which vitamin A regulates lipid combustion and heat generation in cold conditions. This could help us to develop new therapeutic interventions that exploit this specific mechanism.”

   

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Gut bacteria associated with animal-based diet may mitigate risk of cardiovascular disease

OCTOBER 27, 2020, by Steve Lundeberg, Oregon State University

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-gut-bacteria-animal-based-diet-mitigate.html

Credit: Veronika Kivenson of the OSU College of Science

Oregon State University researchers have found that a type of common gut bacteria sometimes associated with inflammation, abscesses, bowel disease and cancer has a major silver lining: It seems to help prevent cardiovascular disease.

The findings suggest the possibility of probiotic treatments for atherosclerosis, the dangerous buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in arteries that cause strokes and heart attacks and is linked to smoking, diet, age and a range of genetic causes.

Diets heavy in animal-based foods have long been considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease as such diets are a major source of TMA—trimethylamine—which is converted by the liver to another compound, TMAO, that promotes the buildup of fatty plaque in arteries. TMAO is short for trimethylamine-N-oxide.

"The connection between TMAO and cardiovascular disease has tended to focus the conversation on how animal-based diets cause negative health consequences," said , the study's lead author and a postdoctoral fellow in the OSU College of Science. "But in analyzing data from foundational gut microbiome studies, we uncovered evidence that one type of bacteria associated with meat consumption can take the TMA, as well as precursors to TMA, and metabolize them without producing any TMAO. That means those bacteria are in effect severing a key link in the cardiovascular disease chain."

The bacteria are of the Bilophila genus and evidence suggests an expanded genetic code enables their metabolism, via a demethylation pathway, to avoid making TMAO. Furthermore, Kivenson said, research shows animal-based diets cause a rapid increase in Bilophila in the gut.

"The organisms in your stomach have been shown to affect the development of myriad disease states," said co-author Steve Giovannoni, distinguished professor of microbiology at OSU. "But the mechanisms—what is actually happening behind the connections among diet, health and microbiota—have generally been hard to pin down. More research into Bilophila cell biology and ecology is needed, but our study presents a clearly defined mechanism with potential for a big impact on human health."

Identified only 31 years ago, in an infected appendix, Bilophila is a gram-negative anaerobic rod that's classified as a pathobiont—an organism that normally has a symbiotic relationship with its host but can become disease-causing under certain circumstances. It's commonly present in the microbiomes of people who are healthy.

"The data we reviewed show significantly more Bilophila in the microbiomes of healthy people compared to those with cardiovascular disease, and that Bilophila numbers go up in response to a diet based on meat compared to a plant-based diet," Kivenson said. "Our findings suggest Bilophila's role in the microbiome and human health might depend on the specific context and that their potential as a probiotic that mitigates animal products' role in heart disease should be studied further."

What makes arteries age? Study explores new link to gut bacteria, diet

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-06-arteries-age-explores-link-gut.html

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Zombie diet: 10 real-life examples of humans eating humans

By Kimberly Hickok - Reference Editor Oct 27, 2020

https://www.livescience.com/65593-zombie-cannibal-cultures.html

This decaying human doesn't exactly look appetising, but historically, some cultures have dined on human flesh.

 (Image: © Shutterstock)

In any zombie horror story, the undead human corpses roam the world in their hunt for human flesh. Now, we know zombies aren't real, but human cannibalism is far from fictional. Here are 10 real-life examples of human flesh-eaters that are just about as horrifying as zombies.

1. Our prehistoric ancestors

Cannibalism goes way, way back. Around 900,000 years ago in what is now Spain, Homo antecessor, an ancient relative of humans, practiced cannibalism likely out of practicality, according to a study published in June 2019 in the Journal of Human Evolution. Fellow hominins were moderately nutritious and easy to catch, making them an excellent prey option.

There's evidence that our ancient human ancestors occasionally participated in cannibalism. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

2. Neanderthals: Our more recent prehistoric ancestors

Our closer and more recent relatives, the Neanderthals, were also cannibals on occasion. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Neanderthal cannibalism in a few different spots around the world, including a cave in El Sidrón, Spain, another cave at Moula-Guercy, France, and most recently at a cave in Belgium. Beyond cannibalism, it appears that Neaderthals also made tools out of their comrades' remains.

3. The Biami people of Papua New Guinea

There are a few isolated cultures in Papua New Guinea known to have killed and eaten humans, although they likely haven't practiced cannibalism for several decades. In 2011, British television host Piers Gibbon visited the Biami people — a group who once practiced cannibalism and "were very happy to talk about it," Gibbon said. An older member of the tribe told Gibbon about one instance where members of the tribe killed two women suspected of speaking ill of a dying husband. The man said they roasted the women over the fire like pigs and cut up their flesh to eat it.

Papua New Guinea, Western Province: Piers Gibbon with song leader Tidikawa, who was responsible for identifying 'magic men' who would be killed and eaten. Gibbon is helping butcher a pig with the bamboo knife he holds. The same sort of knife was once used to butcher humans. 

(Image credit: © Bullseye Productions Ltd.)

4. The Fore people of Papua New Guinea

The practice of cannibalism in another Papua New Guinea tribe, the Fore people, led to the spread of a fatal brain disease called kuru that caused a devastating epidemic in the group. But not all members of the tribe died — some of them carry a gene that protects against kuru and other "prion diseases" such as mad cow. The tribe stopped practicing cannibalism in the 1950s, which led to a decline in kuru. But because the disease can take many years to show up, cases of kuru continued to pop up for decades. Researchers are working to understand how the genetic mutation works to prevent kuru and gather new insights into how to prevent prion diseases.

5. The Xiximes people of Mexico

In 2011, archaeologists reported finding dozens of human bones bearing marks of cannibalism at the ancient Xiximes settlement of Cuevas del Maguey in northern Mexico. The bones were found inside shelters dating back to the early 1400s, National Geographic reported. The Xiximes believed that eating the flesh of their enemies would ensure a prolific grain harvest.

A stone wall with skull carvings found at the Templo Mayor in Zocalo, Mexico City. The Templo Mayor (Main Temple) was located in the center of the city, where the most important ritual and ceremonial activities in Aztec life took place. 

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

6. The Aztec people of Mexico

The Aztecs are well known for having performed ritual human sacrifices, but there's also evidence that they engaged in ritualistic cannibalism, History reported. The bodies of sacrificed victims were likely presented to noblemen and other distinguished members of the community. Some experts suggest cannibalism among the Aztecs may have been more common during famine. Another theory posits that cannibalism was their way of communing with the gods.

7. The Wari' people of Brazil

The Wari' people of Brazil practiced cannibalism of their war enemies and their own dead. Eating their enemies was their way of expressing hatred and anger. But the group also consumed the vast majority of their dead up until the 1960s. For them, it was their way of mourning, honoring and respecting the deceased members of their tribe. Beth A. Conklin, an anthropologist at Vanderbilt University, lived with the Wari' for more than a year and published her description of the Wari' tribe's history of cannibalism in the journal American Ethnologist in 1995.

8. 16th and 17th century Europeans

Until the end of the 18th century, it was not uncommon for Europeans to seek the flesh of a dead human for medicinal consumption, Smithsonian reported. For example, Paracelsus, the 16th-century physician, believed blood was healthy to drink. Although drinking fresh blood was uncommon, people unable to afford apothecary products would stand by at executions and pay a small fee for a cup of fresh blood from the condemned.

Some medieval physicians and alchemists recommended drinking human blood for good health. People who couldn't afford to purchase medicinals could sometimes buy a cup of fresh human blood from the local executioner. 

 (Image credit: Shutterstock)

9. 19th century Arctic explorers

There are several stories of stranded explorers resorting to cannibalism in a desperate attempt to survive. One of the most famous examples is the doomed 19th century Franklin expedition that aimed to discover a sea route through the Canadian Arctic. Explorers from the two trapped ships, the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, attempted to trek 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) to the nearest trading post, but their efforts were futile. For the next 150 years, researchers uncovered the explorers' remains. Scientists found cut marks on many of the bones, and signs of breakage and marrow extraction — convincing evidence of cannibalism.

10. The Aghori cult of India

The Aghoris make up a small group of extremists who live in Varanasi, India, and worship the Hindu deity Shiva. The Aghoris believe there is no difference between the pure and impure, and engage in many obscure practices, such as meditating on top of corpses and making bowls out of human skulls. They also practice ritual cannibalism

Originally published on Live Science.
This article was originally published on May 30, 2019 and was updated on Oct. 27, 2020.

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Archaeology: Ancient two-shekel weight discovered near Western Wall

 

Ancient two-shekel weight discovered near Western Wall

The excavation in which the weight was found was conducted by the IAA in conjunction with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The weight was found beneath Wilson’s Arch by the Western Wall.

By Hannah Brown,  the Jerusalem Post, October 13, 2020

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/ancient-two-shekel-weight-discovered-near-western-wall-645534

Ancient two-shekel weight (photo credit: Israel Antiquities Authority)

An ancient limestone weight, dating back to the Iron Age – the First Temple period, which corresponds to the measurement unit of two shekels at that time, has been discovered at an archaeological excavation next to Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Tuesday.

The weight was found beneath Wilson’s Arch and was retrieved from earthen fills by the City of David sifting project. The excavation is nearing its completion and researchers have unearthed many enlightening and unexpected discoveries that will be included in the tour of the Western Wall Tunnels.

“How exciting, in the month of Tishrei, whose symbol is the scales of justice, to find a souvenir from the First Temple period. Actually now, when coming to the Western Wall is so restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, this finding strengthens the eternal connection between the Jewish nation, Jerusalem, and the Western Wall while offering us all encouragement,” Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, said in a statement.

The excavation where the weight was found was conducted by the IAA in conjunction with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

According to Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehillah Lieberman, directors of the excavation on behalf of the IAA, “The weight is dome-shaped with a flat base. On the top of the weight is an incised Egyptian symbol resembling a Greek gamma (γ), representing the abbreviated unit ‘shekel.’ Two incised lines indicate the double mass: two shekels.

"One of the uses of the shekel weight system during the First Temple period was to collect an annual tax of half a shekel dedicated to the sacrifices and upkeep of the Temple.

Two-shekel weight found near Western Wall in Jerusalem, ILTV News, October 13, 2020

"According to previous finds, the known weight of a single shekel is 11.5 grams and a double shekel should weigh 23 grams, exactly the measure of this artifact. That accuracy attests to advanced technological skills and that it was used for precise trading and commerce in ancient Jerusalem. Coins were not yet in use during the period, so the accuracy of weights was significant for business dealings

"All year, but particularly at times of pilgrimage, the area at the foot of the Temple Mount was certain to be busy. Locals and pilgrims would have traded for sacrifices and offerings as well as for food, souvenirs and other commodities. A weight such as the one discovered would have been used to measure accurate amounts of products at the market."

During previous archaeological excavations beneath Wilson’s Arch, directed by Dr. Joe Uziel, Lieberman and Dr. Avi Solomon, several stone courses of the Western Wall were exposed, after being covered with earthen fills some 1,800 years ago.  

The renewed excavation continues the previous discoveries of the preceding dig. “The unique finding from the First Temple Period, discovered in a context  dating several centuries later, to the Roman period, indicates that the Western Wall area holds remains from a wide range of periods reflecting the centrality of the area for many centuries,” Monnickendam-Givon and Lieberman said.

In 2018,  a half-shekel weight was found in soil originating from the foot of Robinson’s Arch at the Western Wall, just north of the City of David.     

   

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