Crucial plant protein traced back to over 600 millions years ago, predating the first plant

Jan. 29, 2025, by Wageningen U.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-crucial-protein-millions-years-predating.html

A-class ARFs evolved through fast neofunctionalization.

 Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55278-8

Wageningen researchers have discovered that a vital plant protein originated more than 600 million years ago, long before the first plants existed. They traced its origins back to an evolutionary event in a distant unicellular ancestor, during which genetic material was reshuffled. This process gave rise to the Auxin Response Factor (ARF), a protein that continues to play a key role in the growth and development of plants and trees today. The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications.

Place a plant on a windowsill, and it slowly grows towards the light coming through the window. Even without eyes, the plant can "see" where the light is coming from. Underground, roots search for water and grow in its direction. This directed growth, along with many other plant growth processes, is controlled by the plant hormone auxin. The ARF protein responds to this hormone, activating or deactivating genes in the plant to regulate growth processes.

Post-doctoral researcher Jorge Hernández-García investigated how such a sophisticated, coordinated system could have evolved. "At some point in evolution, plant cells must have developed a way to recognize and respond to plant hormones," he explained.
A human protein in plants

The researchers found clues to the origins of the ARF protein in the green alga Chlorokybus melkonianii, a distant cousin of the plants we find on land. His research revealed that this protein emerged from the fusion of two protein fragments: a chromatin factor and a transcription factor. Neither of these fragments originally had anything to do with the plant hormone auxin.

"This fusion created an entirely new protein that took on a central role in the auxin signaling pathway," says Dolf Weijers, Professor of Biochemistry. The chromatin factor enables ARF proteins to collaborate, while the transcription factor allows the protein to bind to DNA and regulate gene activity.

Interestingly, the chromatin factor found in the crucial plant protein is not exclusive to plants. It also occurs in humans, animals, and fungi. Although biologists have studied the ARF protein for over twenty years, they had overlooked this connection until now. Therefore, the post-doctoral researcher was cautious when presenting his findings to Weijers.

C-class ARFs function is specific and deeply conserved.

 Credit: Nature Communications (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55278-8

"When you come across such an extraordinary result, your first thought is that it must be wrong. But we kept getting the same results, so it had to be correct," Hernández-García says. While the exact role of the chromatin factor in humans and animals remains unclear, it must have developed a new function within the ARF protein.

Over time, the evolution of ARF led to two classes of the protein: one that activates genes in the presence of auxin and another that suppresses genes. "This competitive interaction is essential for the fine-tuned regulation of plant growth," Hernández-García explains.

The research also revealed that some features of ARF, such as its ability to bind DNA, were present from the very beginning, while others, like gene activation, developed later in evolution.

New data, ancient genes

The scientists were able to reconstruct the origins and evolution of the ARF protein thanks to newly available genomic data. "Over the past decade, it has become clear that we can better study the core traits of plants in those that have been around a bit longer in their current shape," says Weijers.

He refers to mosses, ferns, and even their aquatic ancestors: unicellular green algae. These distant cousins of land plants share cellular processes and genetic material with modern plants but are easier to study. In recent years, scientists have sequenced the DNA of an increasing number of plants and their cousins, such as green algae. By studying these genomes, biologists can gain a deeper understanding of plant processes and genes.

"I believe the genomic data from green algae holds many more answers to fundamental questions about plant biology," Weijers concludes.

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New Research Reveals How Microbes Help Detoxify Our Atmosphere

By Monash UniversityJanuary 31, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-reveals-how-microbes-help-detoxify-our-atmosphere/

This image shows the molecular architecture of the specialized enzyme that allows microbes to consume toxic CO from the atmosphere. 

Credit: Ashleigh Kropp and Dr David Gillett

Microbes consume large amounts of carbon monoxide using a specialized enzyme, helping regulate atmospheric CO levels.

Melbourne researchers have uncovered key insights into how microbes absorb large quantities of carbon monoxide (CO), helping to lower levels of this toxic gas.

Each year, over two billion tons of CO are released into the atmosphere worldwide. Microbes play a crucial role in reducing this by consuming approximately 250 million tonnes, contributing to a safer environment.

Unveiling the Mechanism Behind Microbial CO Consumption

The Monash University-led Study, published in Nature Chemical Biology, reveals at an atomic level how microbes consume CO present in the atmosphere. They use a special enzyme, called the CO dehydrogenase, to extract energy from this universally present but highly toxic gas.

Co-first author Ashleigh Kropp, from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute’s (BDI) Greening lab and the University of Melbourne’s Grinter lab, said the study showed for the first time how this enzyme extracted atmospheric CO and powered cells.

“This enzyme is used by trillions of microbes in our soils and waters. These microbes consume CO for their own survival, but in the process inadvertently help us,” Ms Kropp said.

Microbes: Nature’s Atmospheric Cleaners

Co-first author Dr David Gillett, who completed his PhD research in the Greening Lab, said this was a fantastic example of microbial ‘ingenuity’: how life has evolved ways to turn something toxic into something useful.

“These microbes help clean our atmosphere,” Dr Gillett said. “This counteracts air pollution, which kills many millions of people each year, and also reduces global warming given CO is indirectly a greenhouse gas.”

While this discovery is unlikely to be directly used to combat or monitor CO emissions, it deepens our understanding of how the atmosphere is regulated and how it might respond to future changes.

Professor Chris Greening, co-senior author and head of BDI’s Global Change Program, said the discovery highlighted the broader importance of microbes.

“Microbes play countless roles essential for both human and planetary health. Yet, because they’re invisible and often misunderstood, their contributions frequently go unnoticed,” he said.

Ms Kropp said microbes were a big reason why our air was breathable. “They make half the oxygen we breathe and detoxify various pollutants like CO. It’s crucial we better understand and appreciate how they support our own survival,” she said.

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11 years after a celebrated opening, massive solar plant faces a bleak future in the Mojave Desert

January 31, 2025

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-years-celebrated-massive-solar-bleak.html

An array of mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating site is shown near Primm, Nev., Aug. 13, 2014. 

Credit: AP Photo/John Locher, File

What was once the world's largest solar power plant of its type appears headed for closure just 11 years after opening, under pressure from cheaper green energy sources. Meanwhile, environmentalists continue to blame the Mojave Desert plant for killing thousands of birds and tortoises.

The Ivanpah solar power plant formally opened in 2014 on roughly 5 square miles of federal land near the California-Nevada border. Though it was hailed at the time as a breakthrough moment for clean energy, its power has been struggling to compete with cheaper solar technologies.

Pacific Gas & Electric said in a statement it had agreed with owners—including NRG Energy Inc.—to terminate its contracts with the Ivanpah plant. If approved by regulators, the deal would lead to closing two of the plant's three units starting in 2026. The contracts were expected to run through 2039.

"PG&E determined that ending the agreements at this time will save customers money," the company said in a statement on its website.

Southern California Edison, which buys the rest of the power from the three-unit plant, is in discussions with owners and the U.S. Energy Department regarding a buyout of its Ivanpah contract.

The plant appears likely to become a high-profile loser in the race to develop new types of clean energy in the era of climate change.

The Ivanpah plant uses a technology known as solar-thermal, or concentrated solar, in which nearly 350,000 computer-controlled mirrors roughly the size of a garage door reflect sunlight to boilers atop 459-foot towers. The sun's power is used to heat water in the boilers' tubes and make steam, which drives turbines to create electricity.

NRG said in a statement that the project was successful, but unable to compete with rival photovoltaic solar technology—such as rooftop panels—which have much lower capital and operating costs.

An endangered desert tortoise sits in the middle of a road at the proposed location of three BrightSource Energy solar-energy generation complexes in the eastern Mojave Desert near Ivanpah, Calif., Sept. 3, 2008. 

Credit: AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File



Initially "the prices were competitive but advancements over time in photovoltaics and battery storage have led to more efficient, cost effective and flexible options for producing reliable clean energy," NRG added.

A post on the PG&E website said that Ivanpah's "technology had worked on a smaller scale in Europe." But over time, it couldn't match the lower prices of photovoltaic technology.

The plant has long been criticized for the environmental tradeoffs that came with large-scale energy production in the sensitive desert region. Rays from the plant's mirrors have been blamed for incinerating thousands of birds. Conservation groups tried to stop construction on the site because of threats to tortoises.

"The Ivanpah plant was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster," Julia Dowell of the Sierra Club said in an email.

"Along with killing thousands of birds and tortoises, the project's construction destroyed irreplaceable pristine desert habitat along with numerous rare plant species," Dowell said. "While the Sierra Club strongly supports innovative clean energy solutions and recognizes the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels, Ivanpah demonstrated that not all renewable technologies are created equal."

There were other early problems. After its much-hyped opening, the plant didn't produce as much electricity as expected for a simple reason: the sun wasn't shining as much as expected.

The plant can be a startling sight for drivers heading toward Las Vegas from Southern California along busy Interstate 15. Amid miles of rock and scrub, its vast array of mirrors can create the image of a shimmering lake atop the desert floor, but depending on the angle of the sun and mirrors, it could also be blinding.

If the PG&E agreement is approved, NRG said the units will be decommissioned, "providing an opportunity for the site to potentially be repurposed for renewable (photovoltaic) energy production." The company did not respond to questions about the projected cost or what would become of the equipment at the site.

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Florida's citrus outlook remains bleak, but new science offers hope

Jan. 29, 2025, by T. Simonton

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-florida-citrus-outlook-bleak-science.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain



Florida orange growers are bracing for yet another record-low harvest as climate challenges and diseased trees continue to cripple the once bustling industry.

The state is expected to produce 90% fewer oranges than it did 30 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's January forecast.

It's the latest in a series of hits to Florida's signature crop. Last year, a major labor group representing growers shut down due to financial constraints. And this month, one of the state's largest producers is getting out of citrus altogether, saying it is no longer "economically viable."

Scientists have raced for over a decade against citrus greening, the incurable disease killing trees across the state. Research behind a genetically modified tree shows promise.

But it could still be many years before the citrus industry rebounds to a healthy level.

"The disease is moving faster than the science can," said Michael Rogers at the University of Florida.
Shrinking grove land

Kyle Story, a fourth-generation grower based in Lake Wales, remembers the turning point. In October 2012, his groves were hit by a brief cold snap.

Since then, "between greening and hurricane-related events, we've never recovered to those types of yields," he said.

For at least two decades, citrus trees in Florida have been infected with greening disease, which attacks their vascular systems. The disease is spread primarily by insects called psyllids and ultimately causes trees to produce less fruit and, within a few years, die.

Storm winds further damage the weakened trees, ripping adolescent fruit from branches. Flooding from hurricanes can keep groves underwater for weeks at a time, often drowning the roots.

Recent storms like Hurricane Irma in 2017, Ian in 2022 and Milton last year caused repeated damage to groves, said Matt Joyner, chief executive officer of the trade group Florida Citrus Mutual.

"We see a pretty solid trend of a good three seasons before they start to get back to that pre-storm production level," Joyner said. "It's a time-consuming task and a lot of investment that these growers have to put into groves before they ever get back."

Growers have had to become proactive, Story said, supplementing their operations with different crop varieties, buying insurance, and seeking disaster relief from the federal government. The culture and business model of growing citrus has changed.

Story said he's employed several defenses: growing trees under screens or bags that keep psyllids away, spraying antimicrobials and testing plants regularly.

All of that is harder to afford with dwindling output, Story said.

"It's a balancing act of 'where do those resources come from with these decreased yields again?'" he said.

Not everyone has kept the faith. Less Florida land is dedicated to groves every year. Of the 950,000 acres zoned for citrus in 2012, Florida lost more than half by 2023, according to a Times analysis of property data.

The Gulf Citrus Growers Association cited the industry's pains in a letter to members last year, announcing its closure. The organization represented growers in five Central Florida counties.

Then this month, one of the state's top orange producers, Alico Inc., announced its plans to stop growing citrus and focus on other crops. Production declined about 73% in the last decade and Alico will not "spend further capital" after this year's harvest.

"We've explored all available options to restore our citrus operations to profitability, but the long term production trend and the cost needed to combat citrus greening disease no longer supports our expectations for a recovery," Alico's president and CEO, John Kiernan, said in a statement.

Alico owns more than 53,000 acres across eight counties. More than half was slated for citrus crops in 2025, according to data from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

A small portion of groves will be managed by third-party caretakers through 2026, and about three-quarters is expected to remain agricultural, the company said. About a quarter of Alico's land—roughly 13,250 acres—is being considered for real estate development.

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Conserving prairie dogs could restore North America's grasslands

JAN. 29, 2025, by M. McQuail, Colorado State U.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-prairie-dogs-north-america-grasslands.html

Black-tailed prairie dog family. 

Credit: Emma Balunek/Colorado State University

Colorado State University researchers have identified priority areas for the conservation of the black-tailed prairie dog in the United States, extending from Montana to Texas and New Mexico to Arizona. Protecting these regions will also benefit North America's Central Grasslands and the many associated grassland species that flourished there centuries ago.

Once rivaling Africa's Serengeti in species abundance and diversity, North America's Central Grasslands supported a rich ecosystem comprised of millions of bison, pronghorn, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, grassland bird species and prairie dogs.

Today, this ecosystem—stretching from Canada to Mexico—is one of the most endangered in the world, with widespread declines in native wildlife, including the near extirpation of wolves and grizzly bears, more than 95% decline in bison and prairie dog populations and a 50% decline in grassland bird species.

After looking at ecological, political and social factors, climate change, and land use throughout the central and western United States, CSU researchers have mapped a blueprint that identifies the best landscapes for black-tailed prairie dog conservation. Conserving this habitat benefits other grassland species that depend on the prairie dog for food and habitat.

Published in Diversity and Distributions in January, this research and accompanying maps aim to guide state, regional and national conservation initiatives, supporting the goal to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 by identifying priority conservation areas for the most effective use of limited resources.

This research was led by Ana Davidson, a CSU research scientist at the Colorado Natural Heritage Program and joint faculty member in the Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Department.

As part of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Western Grasslands Initiative, Davidson and other researchers, including CNHP colleague Michael Menefee, collaborated with scientists and state biologists to identify the most intact and connected grasslands with the highest long-term stability and viability in the face of climate and land use change.

Coyotes and badgers rely on the prairie dog for food, as depicted with this hunting pair prowling around a black-tailed prairie dog colony. 

Credit: Noelle Guernsey/Colorado State University

They also considered the political and social landscapes that exist within these areas, such as available funding for conservation and social attitudes, to understand whether a community could and would support prairie dog habitat conservation.

"Grasslands are declining significantly because they are the primary biome that humans rely on for agriculture, so there is a lot of potential for conflict with livestock production and loss of habitat to cropland," Davidson said.

The results of this research are found in a publicly available interactive map that outlines BTPD geographic range in parts of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, and identifies the top 10% and top 30% of areas that have the highest conservation potential for the prairie dog ecosystem.

Davidson's "Homes on the Range" core research team—comprised of scientists from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Humane Society of the United States, Prairie Dog Coalition, WAFWA and United States Department of Agricultural Research Services—is already putting their research into action.

The team is applying for large grants to help implement conservation in the priority regions and working to build on existing relationships with local ranchers, land trusts, agency biologists and managers, and conservation groups.

Davidson stated that this effort is not a "one-size-fits-all approach," and the goal is to support the unique needs of different communities. The needs of a rural community in Wyoming may differ from those of a community in southeastern Colorado, which may further differ from the needs of tribal communities in South Dakota, for example.

A black-tailed prairie dog colony in Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming. 

Credit: Ana Davidson/Colorado State University

Lindsey Sterling-Krank, co-author and expert in conflict resolution with the Humane Society of the United States, added, "We want to work together with communities to address local needs that can support both prairie dog ecosystem conservation and co-existence with human activities."

According to Davidson, this research and the maps they have generated will also help inform State Wildlife Action Plans as well as other large-scale grassland conservation efforts like the Central Grasslands Roadmap and The North American Grasslands Conservation Act.

"Initiatives such as the Homes on the Range project are making significant progress toward the ambitious goals of conserving the lands and waters upon which all life depends—collectively, at the global scale," said co-author Fernanda Thiesen Brum, spatial prioritization scientist on The Nature Conservancy's Global Science Team.

Prairie dogs: Keystone species of the grasslands

The depletion of grasslands is attributed to the detrimental farming practices of the late 1800s, and as grasslands have suffered, so has the prairie dog ecosystem. The early 1990s saw a massive government-led campaign to eradicate the prairie dog, which can compete for forage with domestic livestock.

Later, a non-native disease from Asia—the "plague"—contributed to the continual widespread declines in their populations. This loss has resulted in the cascading decline in species that rely on prairie dogs for survival.

Prairie dog colonies are often called "towns" because they support many animals in addition to their own species. Their vast underground infrastructures provide homes and shelter for wildlife such as burrowing owls.

Prairie dogs serve as prey for predators like the endangered black-footed ferret, hawks and eagles; improve soil quality through aeration and organic matter; and create open grassland habitat by maintaining dense, short-statured grasses that attract birds like mountain plovers.

Once a prairie dog colony is established, floral cover increases, and other species flock to these grassland oases for feeding, foraging, pollinating and nesting.

"This prairie dog recovery effort is really about the ecosystem," said Davidson. "If we focus on prairie dogs, we get a big bang for our buck. We know we can reintroduce prairie dogs or protect them and see the ecosystem revitalized—foxes, eagles and rabbits will return to an area buzzing with birds and insects."

Davidson noted that compared to other ecosystems, like the redwood forest, the Central Grasslands often get overlooked. "Grasslands are understudied, underfunded and underappreciated, and they have an important story to be told," said Davidson.

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Lean Red Meat: Scientists Uncover Surprising Secret to a Healthy Gut and Heart

By National Pork Board, Jan. 29, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/lean-red-meat-scientists-uncover-surprising-secret-to-a-healthy-gut-and-heart/

A Purdue University study found that incorporating lean red meat into a consistent, healthy diet can improve gut microbiota diversity and cardiovascular health. While intermittent healthy eating offers temporary benefits, maintaining a balanced diet over time yields more sustainable and stable outcomes.
Lean red meat in a balanced diet benefits gut and heart health. Consistency is key for lasting results.

A recent study conducted by scientists at Purdue University highlights that adhering to a consistent dietary pattern that includes lean red meat may help promote gut microbiota balance and support cardiovascular health.

Balanced Diets with Lean Red Meat Support Gut and Heart Health

Researchers in the study examined the impact of adopting and then periodically discontinuing a healthy U.S.-style dietary pattern, which included three ounces of lean red meat (beef and pork) daily. This process, referred to as “dietary pattern cycling,” was tested in healthy young adults.

The study aimed to determine how cycling on and off this balanced diet over three controlled cycles influences health markers, with a particular focus on gut microbiota diversity and cardiovascular health indicators.

Mediterranean stuffed peppers.

“Each time participants adopted the healthy dietary pattern, their gut microbiota shifted to a beneficial composition, and cardiovascular markers, such as LDL cholesterol, showed improvement and were consistently linked with the changes in the gut bacteria,” explains Wayne Campbell, PhD, professor in the department of nutrition science at Purdue University and lead investigator on the study.

These results may also suggest that the gut microbiota may play a significant role in how diet influences cardiovascular health and underscore that lean red meats, when eaten as part of a balanced, healthy diet, may not adversely impact gut or heart health.

Consistency in Dietary Patterns Yields the Most Sustainable Health Benefits

The study highlights two important takeaways: intermittent healthy eating can offer benefits each time it’s resumed, but maintaining a balanced diet over time may yield more stable outcomes.

Returning to a habitual or “usual” diet that was unrestricted from the healthy U.S.-style dietary pattern effectively reversed beneficial microbiota changes and cardiovascular improvements within a few weeks. Notably, while the healthy dietary pattern improved serum lipid profiles quickly—within just three weeks—maintaining it consistently would likely be necessary to sustain these benefits.

“It’s better to consistently consume a healthy diet to support long-term health outcomes,” suggests Dr. Campbell. Dr. Campbell explains that this is true especially if you already enjoy lean red meat daily as part of a healthy balanced diet.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting recommendations for consuming a balanced, healthy dietary pattern, that may include lean red meats, for long-term health benefits.

The study was funded by the National Pork Board, the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

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Fire-hardened house offers lessons on rebuilding Los Angeles

JAN. 29, 2025, by R. FONSEGRIVES

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-hardened-house-lessons-rebuilding-los.html

Michael Kovac's home, which is constructed with fire-resistant materials, survived the Los Angeles fires unscathed.

The house that Michael Kovac built is the only one on his street still standing after a huge fire raced through his Los Angeles neighborhood.

Now this architect says the city needs to learn from homes like his as it begins to rebuild.

"I think we always knew a fire was coming here," he said of the ridgeline in Pacific Palisades where his house sits.

Kovac and his wife, Karina Maher, who describe themselves as "avid environmentalists," designed and constructed their home with that risk in mind.

The walls are covered with non-flammable cement fiber siding, the windows are insulated to have the highest degree of protection against heat, the vents are covered in metal mesh and the fireproof roof is topped with soil and vegetation.

Instead of a lawn, the garden is designed as a "defensive space," where a bed of volcanic rocks is dotted with agave, dwarf olive trees and mother-in-law's cushions—a striking spherical cactus.

All of it is protected by a sprinkler system that can spray fire retardant to slow the spread of flames.

"If most of the houses were built to something closer to this standard, I think the fire could have been contained," Kovac told AFP of the blaze that erupted on January 7.

Like many in Los Angeles, the 62-year-old was astounded by just how destructive the wind-driven fires were, with two major blazes razing around 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and leveling thousands of buildings.

Non-flammable cement fiber sidings helped prevent embers from taking root on Kovac's house.

Materials

As the city gradually turns its attention towards the long, slow process of rebuilding, Kovac hopes it will do so with fire resiliance in mind.

Many houses in the western United States have timber frames, and a wholesale switch to something less vulnerable like brick is unlikely, as availability and cost are key drivers in construction choices.

But even if the frame stays the same, hardening its cover doesn't have to break the bank, says Kovac.

"The choice to use, say, a cement siding instead of a wood siding, that's almost a cost neutral thing," he said.

Footage from his home's security cameras shows red-hot embers spraying all over the property—the same embers that allowed the fire to take hold of so many homes on his street.

But not Kovac's.

"At that point you have to dismiss too much of it being luck. I mean, when it's enveloped by embers and surrounded by flames... it's down to the material choices and the systems to protect the house," he said.

The rest of Kovac's neighborhood was not so fortunate, with street after street leveled in the fire.

Maher, a doctor who specializes in the effects of climate change on human health, says the fire was an obvious consequence of the way we are messing with our planet.

"We know the solutions to slow it down, but we also know the solutions to adapt, and that's what we all need to do," she said.

The devastation wrought by the fires was awful, says Yana Valachovic, a specialist in fire-resistant construction at the University of California, but it now presents an opportunity.

Protecting a home from the ember showers that set so many houses ablaze is among the most pressing considerations, she said.

That means hardening or stopping any ingress points, like vents.

Other important considerations are using tempered glass—which is heat-resistant—and rethinking the way a garden is laid out.

"Fire adaptation doesn't require a huge investment, it just requires us living a little differently," Valachovic said.

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'Super pod' of 1,500 dolphins captured on drone video as they cavort off California's coast

JAN. 28, 2025, by H. Golden

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-super-pod-dolphins-captured-drone.html

This image provided by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch shows a cluster of dolphins across Carmel Bay on the central coast of California on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. 

Credit: Evan Brodsky/Monterey Bay Whale Watch via AP

A miles-long cluster of dolphins has been filmed leaping and gliding across Carmel Bay off the central coast of California, forming an unusual "super pod" of more than 1,500 of the marine creatures.

"They were on the horizon I feel like as far as I could see," said Captain Evan Brodsky, with the Monterey Bay Whale Watch, who captured drone footage of Friday's huge gathering of Risso's dolphins.

The sighting was rare: Risso's dolphins typically travel in groups of only 10 to 30 animals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

From a 20-foot (about 6-meter) inflatable boat, Brodsky and a small team out searching for Gray whales watched mesmerized as the dolphins jumped out of the bay, peeking around as they leaped in the air. This type of dolphin with its stocky body and bulbous head can weigh as much as 1,100 pounds (about 499 kilograms) and reach up to 13 feet (3.9 meters) long.

Colleen Talty, a marine biologist on the trip to track the annual migration of Gray whales headed to breeding lagoons off Mexico's Baja California coast, called it "pretty amazing" to see more than 1,500 dolphins cavorting all around their boat.

Some, she said, were even swimming at the front of the vessel and using the waves to propel them forward, a technique known as bow riding.

This image provided by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch shows a cluster of dolphins across Carmel Bay on the central coast of California on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. 

Credit: Evan Brodsky/Monterey Bay Whale Watch via AP



"They were just having a great time. So they were breaching everywhere ... tail slapping, coming right over to the boat. They looked like they were having a big party," she said.

The large mix of adult and juvenile dolphins was likely the result of several pods coming together and swimming south, she said.

Although this is not the first time they've seen this large of a group, it's not a common occurrence, Talty said.

The Monterey coastline is a particularly ideal location to spot the dolphins because they prefer extremely deep water. The area's underwater submarine canyon means they may swim much closer to shore than elsewhere along the California coast, said Talty.

The team didn't initially grasp the sheer size of the super pod that appeared Friday morning, thinking there were only several hundred dolphins.

This image provided by the Monterey Bay Whale Watch shows a cluster of dolphins across Carmel Bay on the central coast of California on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. 

Credit: Evan Brodsky/Monterey Bay Whale Watch via AP



"Once we put the drone up, I was just blown away … I kept saying, 'Look at my screen. Look at my screen. Look how many there are,'" said Brodsky. "It just blows my mind every time. It never gets old."

Talty described one particularly memorable moment Friday in which she stood at the front of the boat and looked down to see several dolphins turning on their sides and staring straight back at her.

As the dolphins continued to interact with the boat, the team drove straight ahead, making sure to stay out of their way.

"You don't want to make any abrasive maneuvers and potentially injure an animal. That's of course the last thing you ever want to do," Brodsky said. "So we just cruise along with them. It was an incredible experience."

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Global wildlife trade is an enormous market, and US imports billions of animals from nearly 30,000 species

JAN.28,2025, by M.Tlusty,A.C. Hughes,A. Rhyne, The Conversation

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-global-wildlife-enormous-imports-billions.html

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

When people think of wildlife trade, they often picture smugglers sneaking in rare and endangered species from far-off countries. Yet most wildlife trade is actually legal, and the United States is one of the world's biggest wildlife importers.

New research that we and a team of colleagues published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that, over the last 22 years, people in the U.S. legally imported nearly 2.85 billion individual animals representing almost 30,000 species.

Some of these wild animals become pets, such as reptiles, spiders, clownfish, chimpanzees and even tigers. Thousands end up in zoos and aquariums, where many species on display come directly from the wild.

Medical research uses macaque monkeys and imports up to 39,000 of them every year. The fashion trade imports around 1 million to 2 million crocodile skins every year. Hunting trophies are also included in wildlife.

The largest number of imported species are birds—4,985 different species are imported each year, led by Muscovy ducks, with over 6 million imported. Reptiles are next, with 3,048 species, led by iguanas and royal pythons. These largely become pets.

Not all wildlife are wild

We found that just over half of the animals imported into the U.S. come from the wild.

Capturing wildlife to sell to exporters can be an important income source for rural communities around the world, especially in Africa. However, wild imported species can also spread diseases or parasites or become invasive. In fact, these risks are so worrying that many imported animals are classed as "injurious wildlife" due to their potential role in transmitting diseases to native species.

Captive breeding has played an increasingly dominant role in recent years as a way to limit the impact on wild populations and to try to reduce disease spread.

However over half the individual animals from most groups of species, such as amphibians or mammals, still come from the wild, and there is no data on the impact of the wildlife trade on most wild populations.

Trade may pose a particular risk when species are already rare or have small ranges. Where studies have been done, the wild populations of traded species decreased by an average of 62% across the periods monitored.

Sustainable wildlife trade is possible, but it relies on careful monitoring to balance wild harvest and captive breeding.

Data is thin in many ways

For most species in the wildlife trade, there is still a lot that remains unknown, including even the number of species traded.

With so many species and shipments, wildlife inspectors are overwhelmed. Trade data may not include the full species name for groups like butterflies or fish. The values in many customs databases are reported by companies but never verified.

In our study, we relied on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Law Enforcement Management Information System, a wildlife import-export data collection system. However, few countries collate and release data in such a standardized way; meaning that for the majority of species legally traded around the world there is no available data.

For example, millions of Tokay geckos are imported as pets and for medicine, and are often reported to be bred in captivity. However, investigators cannot confirm that they weren't actually caught in the wild.

Why tracking the wildlife trade is important

Biodiversity has a great number of economic and ecological benefits. There are also risks to importing wildlife. Understanding the many species and number of animals entering the country, and whether they were once wild or farmed, is important, because imported wildlife can cause health and ecological problems.

Wildlife can spread diseases to humans and to other animals. Wild-caught monkeys imported for medical research may carry diseases, including ones of particular risk to humans. Those with diseases are more likely to be wild than captive-bred.

Species that aren't native to the U.S. may also escape or be released into the wild. Invasive species can cause billions of dollars in damage by consuming and outcompeting native wildlife and spreading diseases.

We believe better data on the wildlife trade could be used to set management goals, such as harvest quotas or no-take policies for those species in their country of origin.

What's next

The researchers involved in this study come from institutes around the world and are all interested in improving data systems for wildlife trade.

Some of us focus on how e-commerce platforms such as Etsy and Instagram have become hotspots of wildlife trade and can be challenging to monitor without automation. Esty announced in 2024 that it would remove listings of endangered or threatened species. Others build tools to help wildlife inspectors process the large number of shipments in real time. Many of us examine the problems imported species cause when they become invasive.

In the age of machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data, it's possible to better understand the wildlife trade. Consumers can help by buying less, and making informed decisions.

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Nvidia loses $500 bn in value as Chinese AI firm jolts tech shares

January 27, 2025

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-01-nasdaq-slumps-chinese-ai-upstart.html

New Chinese AI app DeepSeek is upending investor assumptions about the level of investments needed in the sector.

US chip-maker Nvidia led a rout in tech stocks Monday after the emergence of a low-cost Chinese generative AI model that could threaten US dominance in the fast-growing industry.

The chatbot developed by DeepSeek, a startup based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has apparently shown the ability to match the capacity of US AI pace-setters for a fraction of the investments made by American companies.

Shares in Nvidia, whose semiconductors power the AI industry, fell more than 15 percent in midday deals on Wall Street, erasing more than $500 billion of its market value.

The tech-rich Nasdaq index fell more than three percent.

AI players Microsoft and Google parent Alphabet were firmly in the red while Meta bucked the trend to trade in the green.

DeepSeek, whose chatbot became the top-rated free application on Apple's US App Store, said it spent only $5.6 million developing its model—peanuts when compared with the billions US tech giants have poured into AI.

US "tech dominance is being challenged by China," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB.

"The focus is now on whether China can do it better, quicker and more cost effectively than the US, and if they could win the AI race," she said.

US venture capitalist Marc Andreessen has described DeepSeek's emergence as a "Sputnik moment"—when the Soviet Union shocked Washington with its 1957 launch of a satellite into orbit.

As DeepSeek rattled markets, the startup on Monday said it was limiting the registration of new users due to "large-scale malicious attacks" on its services.

Meta and Microsoft are among the tech giants scheduled to report earnings later this week, offering opportunity for comment on the emergence of the Chinese company.

Shares in another US chip-maker, Broadcom, fell 16 percent while Dutch firm ASML, which makes the machines used to build semiconductors, saw its stock tumble 6.7 percent.

"Investors have been forced to reconsider the outlook for capital expenditure and valuations given the threat of discount Chinese AI models," David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.

"These appear to be as good, if not better, than US versions."

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Rural communities in Québec are embracing 'mushroom tourism' to boost local economies

JAN. 27, 2025, by A. Cloutier, P. Coulombe, V. Marc-Antoine, The Conversation
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-rural-communities-qubec-embracing-mushroom.html

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Mycotourism, or mushroom tourism, is becoming increasingly popular as travelers seek out more nature-focused experiences. This unique tourism niche combines guided mushroom foraging with culinary traditions and rural culture to offer travelers an experience distinct from more traditional forms of tourism.

Mycotourism has significant economic and environmental potential to boost local economies, particularly in rural areas, while also fostering a deeper connection between visitors and nature. When it is practiced sustainably, it can also help conserve local ecosystems and cultural traditions by sharing traditional mushroom harvesting methods and ecological knowledge with the public.

The growing popularity of mycotourism reflects a larger shift toward forest-related and gastronomy tourism. Forest-related tourism includes activities like foraging and product harvesting as travelers seek closer connections to nature, while gastronomy tourism involves travelers seeking out culinary experiences.

Rural tourism, too, has seen growing interest in recent years. United Nations Tourism designated 2020 as the "Year of Tourism and Rural Development" and mycotourism aligns with this focus, as it is tied closely to rural economies, often involving small, seasonal businesses that face seasonal and visibility challenges.

In response to this trend, the Québec government has revealed a 2024–2029 strategy to establish the province as a premier culinary destination with a promising future. As mycotourism grows, it aligns with Québec's broader culinary and tourism goals.

Mycotourism: A brief overview

While mushroom foraging has long been practiced informally in many parts of the world, it's now evolving into a formalized tourism industry, led by local experts to ensure safety. Countries such as Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Scotland and South Africa are current pioneers in this market.

Spain, where mycotourism originated, leads the way with its well-established "micoturismo" industry, especially in the Castilla y León region.

In Canada, Québec has become a hotspot for mycotourism thanks to its rich natural landscapes, including vast forests and diverse ecosystems. The province has seen increased demand from both local and international visitors.

The Québec regions of Kamouraska and Mauricie, in particular, have emerged as leaders in North American mycotourism. This surge, which was boosted by the COVID-19 pandemic, has positioned these regions as key destinations for mushroom enthusiasts.

The number of amateur mycology circles and their members has also risen sharply in the province, reflecting a growing interest in wild mushrooms.

However, despite its growth, mycotourism remains relatively unfamiliar to many Canadians. It signals an untapped opportunity for the tourism industry in the country.

Overcoming industry challenges

The mycotourism sector faces several challenges, including fragmented initiatives, which presents challenges in areas like promotion, infrastructure and knowledge sharing.

There is a need for better co-ordination among mycotourism stakeholders. In Québec, these stakeholders include regional tourism associations, sectoral tourism associations like Terroir et Saveurs du Québec.

Establishing a unified platform or network for mycotourism stakeholders could facilitate the exchange of best practices, improve promotion and support its sustainable growth.

By closely monitoring new initiatives, researchers, entrepreneurs and tourism professionals can better understand the challenges and opportunities in this field.

This collaborative approach would identify potential partners for future collaborations, highlight resources and tools and ensure the development of this industry respects all the stakeholders, including Indigenous communities.
Our mushroom tourism research

Our recent research study sheds light on the growth of the mycotourism industry in Québec. Through an in-depth environmental scan, we identified 57 providers across the province, with the majority concentrated in Mauricie and Bas-Saint-Laurent, including the region of Kamouraska.

We found that most mycotourism businesses in Québec are micro or very small enterprises, which means collaboration and networking are both essential for supporting their growth and sustainability.

The activities offered by these providers fell into five main categories:Events and learning: Includes festivals, conferences, training sessions and courses.
Culinary experiences: Features culinary workshops and tasting sessions.
Guided tours and hosting: Encompasses guided tours and group hosting events.
Nature exploration and foraging: Includes guided, self-picking foraging expeditions.
Accommodations with mushroom picking: Lodging experiences that allow guests to participate in mushroom picking during their stay.

In addition, our study identified four types of enterprises in the sector. These ranged from solo ventures specializing in niche activities, to versatile solo ventures with a diverse range and experiences and services, to slightly larger businesses focusing on targeted services.

It's clear that Québec's mycotourism sector is dynamic, with businesses continually developing new and innovative offerings. The wide range of experiences offered are designed to attract new segments of tourists interested in agritourism, gastronomy or other unique accommodations.
Unlocking mycotourism potential

As mycotourism continues to grow, it is crucial for small-scale initiatives in this sector to gain stronger support and recognition from tourism authorities, regional organizations and government agencies.

Without this support, these businesses may struggle to overcome challenges like limited visibility, fragmented efforts and insufficient resources. If these challenges are not addressed, it could hinder the growth of the sector and its ability to contribute to local economies and rural development.

With its vast forests, rich biodiversity and developing agritourism and gastronomy sectors, Canada is well-positioned to establish itself as a top destination for mushroom enthusiasts. But to fully realize its full potential, Canada must create an environment that promotes innovation, collaboration and investment in mycotourism.

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The Revolutionary Material Blurring Solid and Liquid Lines – “A New Type of Matter”

BY C. ELLER, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECH., JAN. 26, 2025

https://scitechdaily.com/the-revolutionary-material-blurring-solid-and-liquid-lines-a-new-type-of-matter/

Three polycatenated architected materials printed out in three different materials: nylon, TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), and steel. 

Credit: Wenjie Zhou

Caltech researchers have developed PAMs, a novel material that blends the properties of solids and liquids, making them highly adaptable for diverse applications.

These materials are inspired by chain mail but take structural complexity to new levels, thanks to advanced 3D printing.

Discovering a New Type of Material

Researchers at Caltech, led by Professor Chiara Daraio, have developed an intriguing new type of material that behaves like both a solid and a liquid, depending on the type of stress applied. This innovative material, called PAM (short for polycatenated architected materials), could have a wide range of applications, including protective gear like helmets, biomedical devices, and robotics.

While PAMs don’t occur naturally, their concept is inspired by ancient chain mail, which consists of small metal rings linked together to create flexible armor. However, PAMs take this idea to the next level. Instead of simple interlocking rings, they are made up of complex, interconnected shapes arranged in three-dimensional patterns with nearly limitless configurations. These unique structures, created using 3D printing technology by Daraio and her team, demonstrate properties that are unlike any other known materials.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4RBffl8Spc

Researchers at Caltech have created a fascinating new type of matter, neither granular nor crystalline, that responds to some stresses as a fluid would and to others like a solid. The new material, known as PAM (for polycatenated architected materials) could have uses in areas ranging from helmets and other protective gear to biomedical devices and robotics. 

Credit: Wenjie Zhou and Peter Holderness/Caltech

From Molecular to Macro Scale

Wenjie Zhou, postdoctoral scholar research associate in mechanical and civil engineering, has been working on these types of materials for two years in Daraio’s lab. “I was a chemist, and I wanted to make these structures at a molecular scale, but that proved too challenging. In order to get answers to the questions I had about how these structures behave, I decided to join Chiara’s group and study PAMs at a larger scale.”

The PAMs that Daraio’s group created and studied were first modeled on a computer and were designed to replicate lattice structures found in crystalline substances but with the crystal’s fixed particles replaced by entangled rings or cages with multiple sides.

This PAM, in its granular state, takes the shape of a drop of water or honey. 

Credit: Wenjie Zhou



How PAMs Respond to Stress

These lattices were then printed out three-dimensionally using a variety of materials, including acrylic polymers, nylon, and metals. Once the PAMs could be held in the palm of one’s hand—most of the prototypes are 5-centimeter (2-inch) cubes or spheres with a 5-centimeter diameter—they were exposed to various types of physical stress. “We started with compression,” Zhou explains, “compressing the objects a bit harder each time. Then we tried a simple shear, a lateral force, like what you would apply if you were trying to tear the material apart. Finally, we did rheology tests, seeing how the materials responded to twisting, first slowly and then more quickly and strongly.”

In some scenarios, these PAMs behaved like liquids. “Imagine applying a shear stress to water,” Zhou says. “There would be zero resistance. Because PAMs have all these coordinated degrees of freedom, with the rings and cages they are composed of sliding against one another as the links of a chain would, many have very little shear resistance.” But when these structures are compressed, they may become fully rigid, behaving like solids.

This image shows how a PAM looks in its fluid or granular state, conforming to the shape of the vessel in which it is held. 

Credit: Wenjie Zhou
PAMs: A New Type of Matter



This dynamism makes PAMs unique. “PAMs are really a new type of matter,” Daraio says. “We all have a clear distinction in mind when we think of solid materials and granular matter. Solid materials are often described as crystalline lattices. This is what you see in the classic ball-and-stick models of atomic, chemical, or larger crystalline structures. It is these materials that have formed our conventional understanding of solid matter. The other class of materials is granular, as we see in substances like rice, flour, or ground coffee. These materials are made up of discrete particles, free to move and slide relative to one another.”

PAMs defy this binary classification. “With PAMs, the individual particles are linked as they are in crystalline structures, and yet, because these particles are free to move relative to one another, they flow, they slide on top of each other, and they change their relative positions, more like grains of sand,” Daraio explains. “PAMs can be very different from one another. You can print them in squishy materials or hard ones. You can change the shape of each particle, and you can change the lattice that you use to connect these particles. Each of these parameters affects the behavior of the resulting material. But all of them show a characteristic transition between fluid and solid-like behavior. This transition may happen under different circumstances, but it always happens.”

A Bright Future for PAMs

“Architected materials have been a significant subfield in material science and engineering for the past 20 to 30 years,” Daraio says. “But as hybrids between granular materials and elastic deformable materials, PAMs are exciting and new. We have theories to describe granular matter and theories to describe elastic deformable matter, but nothing that captures these in-between materials. It’s a fascinating frontier that promises to redefine what materials are and how they behave.”

At this point, potential uses for PAMs are largely speculative but nevertheless intriguing, Daraio says: “These materials have unique energy-absorption properties. Because each element can slide and rotate and reorganize relative to each other, they can dissipate energy very efficiently,” making them better candidates for use in helmets or other forms of protective gear than the currently used foams. This property makes them similarly attractive for use in packaging or in any environment where cushioning or stabilization is required.

Experiments with microscale PAMs have shown that they will expand or contract in response to applied electrical charges as well as physical forces, suggesting possible uses in biomedical devices or soft robotics.

Co-author Liuchi Li (PhD ’20), now assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University, is enthusiastic about the future of PAMs: “We can envision incorporating advanced artificial intelligence techniques to accelerate the exploration of this vast design space. We are only scratching the surface of what is possible.”

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