How tardigrades bear dehydration

A new mechanism explains how water bears survive in some extreme conditions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

 

VIDEO: HERE YOU CAN SEE CAHS PROTEINS FORMING GEL-LIKE FILAMENTS AS A HUMAN CULTURED CELL UNDERGOES DEHYDRATION. view more 

CREDIT: ©2022 A TANAKA AND T KUNIEDA.

Some species of tardigrades, or water bears as the tiny aquatic creatures are also known, can survive in different environments often hostile or even fatal to most forms of life. For the first time, researchers describe a new mechanism that explains how some tardigrades can endure extreme dehydration without dying. They explored proteins that form a gel during cellular dehydration. This gel stiffens to support and protect the cells from mechanical stress that would otherwise kill them. These proteins have also been shown to work in insect cells and even show limited functionality in human cultured cells.

Tardigrades often draw attention to themselves, despite being so tiny. Their uncanny ability to survive in situations that would kill most organisms has captured the public’s imagination. One could easily imagine that by decoding their secrets, we could apply the knowledge to ourselves to make humans more resilient to extreme temperatures, pressures, and even dehydration. This is just science fiction for now, but nevertheless, researchers, also captivated by the microscopic creatures, seek to understand the mechanisms responsible for their robustness, as this could bring other benefits too.

“Although water is essential to all life we know of, some tardigrades can live without it potentially for decades. The trick is in how their cells deal with this stress during the process of dehydration,” said Associate Professor Takekazu Kunieda from the University of Tokyo’s Department of Biological Sciences. “It’s thought that as water leaves a cell, some kind of protein must help the cell maintain physical strength to avoid collapsing in on itself. After testing several different kinds, we have found that cytoplasmic-abundant heat soluble (CAHS) proteins, unique to tardigrades, are responsible for protecting their cells against dehydration.”

Recent research into CAHS proteins reveals that they can sense when the cell encapsulating them becomes dehydrated, and that’s when they kick into action. CAHS proteins form gel-like filaments as they dry out. These form networks that support the shape of the cell as it loses its water. The process is reversible, so as the tardigrade cells become rehydrated, the filaments recede at a rate that doesn’t cause undue stress on the cell. Interestingly though, the proteins exhibited the same kind of action even when isolated from tardigrade cells.

“Trying to see how CAHS proteins behaved in insect and human cells presented some interesting challenges,” said lead author Akihiro Tanaka, a graduate student in the lab. “For one thing, in order to visualize the proteins, we needed to stain them so they show up under our microscopes. However, the typical staining method requires solutions containing water, which obviously confounds any experiment where water concentration is a factor one seeks to control for. So we turned to a methanol-based solution to get around this problem.”

Research on mechanisms related to dry preservation of cells or organisms could have many future applications. Kunieda and his team hope that through this new knowledge, researchers might find ways to improve the preservation of cell materials and biomolecules in a dry state. This could extend the shelf life of materials used for research, medicines with short expiry dates, or maybe even whole organs needed for transplants.

“Everything about tardigrades is fascinating. The extreme range of environments some species can survive leads us to explore never-before-seen mechanisms and structures. For a biologist, this field is a gold mine,” said Kunieda. “I’ll never forget New Year’s Day 2019, when I received an email from Tomomi Nakano, another author of the paper. She had been working late trying to see the condensation of CAHS proteins and observed the first CAHS filament networks in human cultured cells. I was astonished at seeing such clearly defined microscopic images of these. It was the first time I had seen such a thing. It was a very happy new year indeed!”

Knowing how to isolate and activate these special proteins, though, is just the beginning. Kunieda and his team plan to sift through more than 300 other kinds of proteins, some of which likely play a role in the incredible life-preserving ability of these tiny water bears.

CAPTION

Here is a tardigrade captured by an electron microscope. Despite their minuscule size, they contain a bounty of biological secrets.

CREDIT

©2022 S Tanaka, H Sagara, T Kunieda.

CAPTION

Scanning electron microscope image of the dehydrated tardigrade, Ramazzottius varieornatus.

CREDIT

(c)2022 Tanaka S, Sagara H, Kunieda T

VIDEO Transition to dehydrated state and recovery by rehydration of the tardigrade, Ramazzottius varieornatus. CREDIT (c)2022 Hashimoto T, Kunieda T

VIDEO Young tardigrades walking on an agar-coated plate. CREDIT c)2022 Kunieda T

Journal article: Akihiro Tanaka, Tomomi Nakano, Kento Watanabe, Kazutoshi Masuda, Gen Honda, Shuichi Kamata, Reitaro Yasui, Hiroko Kozuka-Hata, Chiho Watanabe, Takumi Chinen, Daiju Kitagawa, Satoshi Sawai, Masaaki Oyama, Miho Yanagisawa, Takekazu Kunieda. “Stress-dependent cell stiffening by tardigrade tolerance proteins that reversibly form a filamentous network and gel”, PLOS Biology. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001780

Funding: This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS; https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/) KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP16H01632, JP16H02951, JP18H04969, JP20H04332, JP20K20580, JP21H05279 (to TK); JP21J11385 (to AT); and JP21H05871 (to MY). MY received the funding from KOSE Cosmetology Research Foundation

Useful links:
Department of Biological Sciences
http://www.bs.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/about_us/faculties/biology.html

Graduate School of Science
https://www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
https://www.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/eng_site/info/academics/grad/

About the University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo is Japan's leading university and one of the world's top research universities. The vast research output of some 6,000 researchers is published in the world's top journals across the arts and sciences. Our vibrant student body of around 15,000 undergraduate and 15,000 graduate students includes over 4,000 international students. Find out more at www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/ or follow us on Twitter at @UTokyo_News_en.

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JOURNAL

PLoS Biology

DOI

10.1371/journal.pbio.3001780 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Human tissue samples

ARTICLE TITLE

Stress-dependent cell stiffening by tardigrade tolerance proteins that reversibly form a filamentous network and gel

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Sep-2022

Orphanhood and Caregiver Loss Among Children Based on New Global Excess COVID-19 Death Estimates

Susan Hillis, PhD¹; Joel-Pascal Ntwali N’konzi, MSc²; William Msemburi, PhD³; et alLucie Cluver, PhD⁴; Andrés Villaveces, MD, PhD⁵; Seth Flaxman, PhD⁶; H. Juliette T. Unwin, PhD⁷

 Research Letter

September 6, 2022

JAMA Pediatr. Published online September 6, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3157

The availability of new excess mortality data enables us to update global minimum estimates of COVID-19 orphanhood and caregiver death among children.^1-4 Consequences for children can be devastating, including institutionalization, abuse, traumatic grief, mental health problems, adolescent pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, and chronic and infectious diseases.^4,5 Global totals and country comparisons were previously hampered by inconsistencies in COVID-19 testing and incomplete death reporting. The new orphanhood estimates derived here based on excess deaths provide a comprehensive measure of COVID-19’s long-term impact on orphanhood and caregiver loss.

Methods

Using previous methodology for combining age-specific death and fertility rates,⁴ we use Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER) reporting guideline for this epidemiologic modeling study to update COVID-19 estimates of parent and caregiver loss. We computed excess mortality-derived estimates for bereft children in every country, using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), The Economist, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).^1-3,6 We replaced COVID-19 deaths in previous logistic models with excess deaths (except when excess deaths were negative) to generate composite deaths for January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2021, and for January 1, 2020, through May 1, 2022 (eMethods in the Supplement; Table). We used bootstrapping to calculate uncertainty around estimates from fertility and death data. We present regional and national estimates using WHO-based mortality methods.

Results

Using WHO excess mortality (more conservative than findings from IHME and The Economist), we estimate that 10 500 000 children lost parents or caregivers (Table), and 7 500 000 children experienced COVID-19–associated orphanhood through May 1, 2022. Greater numbers affected by orphanhood by primary and/or secondary caregiver loss were found in the Africa (24.3% [95% credible interval [CI], 19.3%-27.6%]) and Southeast Asia (40.6% [95% CI, 35.3%-46.2%]) WHO regions, compared with the Americas (14.0% [95% CI, 12.6%-15.8%]), Eastern Mediterranean (14.6% [95% CI, 12.9%-16.2%]), European (4.7% [95% CI, 4.4%-5.3%]) and Western Pacific (1.8% [95% CI, 1.7%-1.9%]) regions through May 1, 2022 (Figure A). Similarly, variation in estimates arises at national levels, with India (3 490 000 [95% CI, 2 430 000-4 730 000]), Indonesia (660 000 [95% CI, 390 000-1 020 000]), Egypt (450 000 [95% CI, 360 000-540 000]), Nigeria (430 000 [95% CI, 40 000-900 000]), and Pakistan (410 000 [95% CI, 80 000-770 000]) worst affected through May 1, 2022 (Figure B). Among the WHO regions most affected, countries with the highest numbers of bereaved children in Southeast Asia included Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nepal and in Africa included Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Our updated Orphanhood Calculator⁶ provides these new numbers for every country.

Discussion

COVID-19–associated orphanhood and caregiver death has left an estimated 10.5 million children bereaved of their parents and caregivers. While billions of dollars are invested in preventing COVID-19–associated deaths, little is being done to care for children left behind. However, billions of dollars invested in supporting AIDS-orphaned children showcase successful solutions ready for replication.⁴ Only 2 countries, Peru and the US, have made national commitments to address COVID-19–associated orphanhood. At the 2nd Global COVID-19 Summit (May 12, 2022), President Biden emphasized the urgency of caring for the millions of children orphaned. Urgently needed pandemic responses can combine equitable vaccination with life-changing programs for bereaved children. An important limitation is that modeling estimates cannot measure actual numbers of children affected by caregiver death; future pandemic surveillance should include such children. Given the magnitude and lifelong consequences of orphanhood, integration into every national pandemic response plan of timely care for these children will help mitigate lasting adverse consequences. Evidence highlights 3 essential components: (1) prevent death of caregivers by accelerating vaccines, containment, and treatment; (2) prepare families to provide safe and nurturing alternative care; and (3) protect orphaned children through economic support, violence prevention, parenting support, and ensuring school access. Effective, caring action to protect children from immediate and long-term harms of COVID-19 is an investment in the future and a public health imperative.

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Article Information

Accepted for Publication: June 28, 2022.

Published Online: September 6, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3157

Corresponding Authors: Joel-Pascal Ntwali N’konzi, MSc, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, KN 3 Rd, Kigali, Rwanda (joelpascal.ntwali@aims.ac.rw); Susan Hillis, PhD, University of Oxford, 32 Wellington Square, OX1 1NF, Oxford, United Kingdom (susanhillis12@gmail.com).

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2022 Hillis S et al. JAMA Pediatrics.

Author Contributions: Dr Unwin and Mr Ntwali N’konzi had full access to all of the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Hillis, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Msemburi, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Drafting of the manuscript: Hillis, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Msemburi, Villaveces, Flaxman, Unwin.

Statistical analysis: Hillis, Ntwali N’konzi, Flaxman, Unwin.

Obtained funding: Flaxman.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Hillis, Msemburi, Villaveces.

Supervision: Unwin.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Cluver reports grants from UK Research and Innovation, Oak Foundation, and Wellspring Philanthropic Fund during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Funding/Support: We acknowledge the following sources of funding support: UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund (L.C. and J.-P.N.N.), Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (L.C.), Oak Foundation (L.C.), and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (S.F.). Dr Unwin acknowledges funding from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis (grant MR/R015600/1), jointly funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), under the MRC/FCDO concordant agreement and is also part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union and acknowledges funding by Community Jameel. Dr Cluver thanks an anonymous family foundation for their support for the University of Oxford.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or of the World Health Organization.

Additional Contributions: We acknowledge Jon Wakefield, PhD, University of Washington, with permission, for his help with accessing data and comments on the manuscript. Dr Wakefield did not receive compensation.

References

1.

Wong H. Estimation of total mortality due to COVID-19. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Published October 15, 2021. Accessed June 24, 2021. https://www.healthdata.org/special-analysis/estimation-excess-mortality-due-covid-19-and-scalars-reported-covid-19-deaths

2.

Tracking covid-19 excess deaths across countries. The Economist. Published October 20, 2021. Accessed April 24, 2022. https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-tracker

3.

World Health Organization. 14.9 Million excess deaths associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 [press release]. World Health Organization. May 5, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021

4.

Unwin  HJT, Hillis  S, Cluver  L,  et al.  Global, regional, and national minimum estimates of children affected by COVID-19-associated orphanhood and caregiver death, by age and family circumstance up to Oct 31, 2021: an updated modelling study.   Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2022;6(4):249-259. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00005-0PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref

5.

Thomas  T, Tan  M, Ahmed  Y, Grigorenko  EL.  A Systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide.   Ann Behav Med. 2020;54(11):853-866. doi:10.1093/abm/kaaa022PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref

6.

Global Orphanhood estimates real time calculator. Imperial College London. Published February 14, 2022. Accessed May 6, 2022. https://imperialcollegelondon.github.io/orphanhood_calculator/#/country/Global

THIRD WORLD U$A

Women with disabilities more likely to report poor diet, food insecurity

CDC data reveal health disparities in diet quality and access to food

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Women with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to rate their diet as poor and are more likely to experience food insecurity compared to women without disabilities, according to a new study led by researchers at the NYU School of Global Public Health. The findings are published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Nearly one in five U.S. women ages 18 to 44 reports having at least one disability related to hearing, vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, or independent living. However, there has been limited research on the diets of women with disabilities.

“Eating a nutritious diet is central to preventing many chronic diseases. For women of reproductive age, a healthy diet can also support good outcomes during and after pregnancy,” said Andrea Deierlein, associate professor of public health nutrition at NYU School of Global Public Health and the study’s lead author. “But a healthy diet requires access to healthy foods and the resources or ability to prepare them, and women with disabilities may face obstacles due to medical conditions or physical limitations.”

To better understand the diets of women with disabilities, the researchers analyzed data from the 2013 through 2018 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 3,579 women, ages 18 to 44, were asked about their food intake on a given day (which was calculated into diet quality scores) and other diet-related factors, including food security and participation in food assistance programs.

Women were also asked if they have a disability, which was defined as serious difficulty hearing, seeing, concentrating, walking, dressing, and/or running errands due to physical, mental, or emotional conditions. Sixteen percent of respondents reported having a disability and six percent reported having two or more types of disabilities.

There were few differences in women’s diet quality scores by their disability status, with the exception that women with two or more types of disabilities had slightly lower diet quality scores related to their intake of fruit and protein-rich foods like meat, nuts, and seafood.

Compared to women without disabilities, women with disabilities were more likely to rate their diet as poor and report their food security as low or very low. They were also more likely to consume frozen foods and participate in food assistance programs.

Women with disabilities were also less likely to be the main person in their households responsible for meal planning, preparing, and food shopping.

The researchers note that more studies are needed—particularly research that examines the intersection of disability status and social determinants of health like neighborhood food environment, housing conditions, and social support that affect food storage and preparation—to identify potential areas for intervention among all individuals with disabilities.

“Learning more about the diets of women with disabilities will help us to better assess this population’s diet quality and nutrient intake, identify barriers to improving diet, and develop tailored nutrition programs and policies, with the goal of reducing health disparities,” said Deierlein.

Additional authors include Jacqueline Litvak of NYU School of Global Public Health and Cheryl R. Stein of NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The research was funded by the New York University Research Challenge Fund Program.

About the NYU School of Global Public Health

At the NYU School of Global Public Health (NYU GPH), we are preparing the next generation of public health pioneers with the critical thinking skills, acumen, and entrepreneurial approaches necessary to reinvent the public health paradigm. Devoted to employing a nontraditional, interdisciplinary model, NYU GPH aims to improve health worldwide through a unique blend of global public health studies, research, and practice. The School is located in the heart of New York City and extends to NYU's global network on six continents. Innovation is at the core of our ambitious approach, thinking and teaching. For more, visit: publichealth.nyu.edu

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JOURNAL

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

DOI

10.1016/j.jand.2022.07.010 

ARTICLE TITLE

Dietary Quality and Diet-Related Factors Among Female Adults of Reproductive Age With and Without Disabilities Participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 2013-2018

Discovery of new types of microfossils may answer an age-old scientific question

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TOHOKU UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: A MASSIVE OUTCROP OF STROMATOLITIC CHERT FROM THE GUNFLINT FORMATION. view more 

CREDIT: SASAKI ET AL.

Scientists have long pondered how and when the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes occurred. A collaborative research team from Tohoku University and the University of Tokyo may have provided some answers after discovering new types of microfossils dating 1.9 billion years.

Details of their findings were published in the journal Precambrian Research on August 19, 2022.

The Gunflint Formation traverses the northern part of Minnesota into Ontario, along the northwestern shores of Lake Superior. The first bacterial microfossils were discovered there in 1954, with Gunflint microfossils now recognized as a 'benchmark' in the field of life evolution.

Yet, since the 1970s, little research on the diversity of Gunflint microfossils has been conducted, and no conclusive evidence of eukaryotic microfossils has been reported.

Seeking to reassess the microfossils, the research team carried out a geological survey of the Gunflint Formation and collected microfossil-containing rocks. After investigating the microfossils' three-dimensional shape and size distribution, they unearthed five types of microfossils: colonial, ellipsoidal, intracellular inclusion-bearing (ICI), spinous and tail-bearing types.

"The newly found ones are more functional," said the leader of the team Kohei Sasaki, a research fellow at Tohoku University. "The ellipsoidal microfossils resemble modern cyanobacteria, which evolved to improve their tolerance to harsh environments; whereas chemical analysis showed that the ICI microfossils were packed with nutrients."

This evidences that the microorganisms evolved to store nutrients that could weather environmental stress.

Meanwhile, the spinous and tail-bearing types demonstrated features advantageous for motility and nutrient transfer among cells, a typical morphological feature of eukaryotes.

"Although the size of cells is prokaryote by definition, they had already developed eukaryotic functions," added Sasaki. This indicates that prokaryotes may have begun diversifying their functions and preparing for evolution before the emergence of eukaryotes 1.8 - 1.6 billion years ago.

The team speculates that the unique environment at the time facilitated the divergent expansion of microbial forms. The collision of land masses accelerated oxidative weathering from the fresh continent to the ocean. This increased the nutrient supplies and raised seawater temperatures, making the marine environment unstable.

"Under such conditions, microorganisms probably diversified their morphology as a survival strategy, paving the way for eukaryotes to evolve," continued Sasaki.

Sasaki and his team's landmark discovery will help scientists pinpoint the timing and factors that ushered in the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes, providing not only geological significance, but aiding the fields of life sciences and evolutionary biology as well.

CAPTION

Common types of Gunflint microfossils, with white scale bars at a scale of 0.01mm.

CREDIT

Sasaki et al.

CAPTION

Images of the newly discovered microfossils, with white scale bars at a scale of 0.01mm.

CREDIT

Sasaki et al.

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JOURNAL

Precambrian Research

DOI

10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106798 

ARTICLE TITLE

Evolutionary Diversification of Paleoproterozoic Prokaryotes: New Microfossil Records in 1.88 Ga Gunflint Formation

Fervent fans keep faith with heroes even after ‘immoral acts’, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

The more that people express admiration for a public figure, the more likely they are to forgive and defend them after a “moral violation”, according to a new study analysing the posts from 36,464 YouTube followers of a famous online prankster.

The findings suggest that we “resist updating our beliefs” about those we publicly support – even when they commit acts that might appall us, say researchers. 

Psychologists from Cambridge University investigated fan reactions to online celebrity Logan Paul’s videos before and after a notorious incident in which he filmed the dead body of a man in Japan’s Aokigahara forest – tragically known as a ‘suicide site’ – and shared it with his followers.

In the video, Paul and friends make highly inappropriate jokes. At the time, the final day of 2017, he had over 15 million YouTube subscribers. The “suicide forest scandal” led to a major backlash against Paul and indeed YouTube, despite a public apology from him 48 hours later.

In a study published in the journal Social Psychological Bulletin, researchers used language-processing algorithms to assess the level of “moral emotions” – from anger and disgust to adoration – displayed in comments by some of Paul’s army of YouTube followers over the course of the scandal.

The psychologists deployed a “concept dictionary” – lists of words associated with, for example, notions of love or forgiveness – to scan user commentary on seven Logan Paul videos prior to the scandal, and posts from those same followers on his apology video in the wake of the scandal.

The researchers say that this approach allowed them to account for specific slang in their sentiment analyses, such as “logang4life”: a phrase used by Paul’s more devoted fans to demonstrate commitment.

“Imagine a celebrity or a politician you greatly admire does something you consider deeply immoral and repugnant. Would you stand by them?” said lead author Simon Karg, who conducted the work while at the Cambridge Body, Mind and Behaviour Laboratory.

“We can see that people often keep holding on to a positive character evaluation even when the admired person commits a severe transgression. The more important the person has been to us, the less likely we are willing to change our favourable opinion,” Karg said.

Cambridge social psychologist Prof Simone Schnall, the study’s senior author, said: “People often use celebrities in the construction of their social identity. A threat to the standing of a public figure can be perceived by fans as a threat to their own self-identity – something we may feel compelled to defend.”

Previous studies on how people judge moral character have been limited by small participant groups, often lab-based, as well as hypothetical scenarios. By scraping and analysing YouTube comments, the Cambridge team were able to investigate thousands of reactions to a “real life” scandal of moral transgression.

Overall, 77% of the YouTube users who had left comments on a Logan Paul video before the scandal continued to support him afterwards, with only 16% expressing anger, and 4% disgust, after Paul mocked the suicide victim.

Psychologists were able to examine the link between pre-scandal attitudes and post-scandal messages of support among individual social media users.

YouTube users who commented often and positively on Logan Paul videos prior to the scandal were 12% more likely to continue to voice support for him once he had publicly disgraced himself.

Those who posted positively using Logan Paul fan language – an expression of “social identity” – were 10% more likely to back Paul after the Aokigahara forest video. 

Online behavior predicted fan reactions beyond merely support for Logan Paul. For each one of his videos a user had commented on, their likelihood to display “adoration” for Paul after the scandal increased by 4%.

Conversely, each pre-scandal Logan Paul video commented on by a YouTube user left them 5% less likely to express anger, and 9% less likely to express disgust, at his transgressive behaviour in Japan. 

“High levels of online approval only led to the entrenchment of support when fans were suddenly faced with extremely negative information about their hero,” said Karg, who is now at Aarhus University. 

“There are numerous examples of celebrities and politicians acting in less than ideal ways without much backlash from devoted partisans. It seems that fervent supporters will readily excuse deplorable actions by their heroes. The question is whether anything can break this spell of commitment,” Karg said.

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JOURNAL

Social Psychological Bulletin

DOI

10.32872/spb.8283 

ARTICLE TITLE

Followers Forever: Prior Commitment Predicts Post-Scandal Support of a Social Media Celebrity

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-Sep-2022

Shining light on why plastics turn yellow

Peer-Reviewed Publication

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

If you own a retro gaming console or have an old roll of packing tape, you’ve seen how plastics turn yellow as they age. Though the cause of this color change has long been attributed to the formation of molecules that act as dyes — the actual chemical changes that take place remained unexplained. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Polymer Materials have identified surface-based chiral nanostructures as the potential culprit.

Understanding how and why polymers degrade with age is key to designing alternatives that can avoid these pathways, allowing plastic products to have a longer lifespan. For one of the most commonly used plastics, polyethylene, it’s long been suggested that ultraviolet (UV) light — the same light that gives us sunburns — initiates reactions in the backbone of the polymer’s structure that cause the yellow color change. However, though chemical changes to polyethylene’s polymeric backbone have been observed after exposure to UV light, those new structures cannot account for polyethylene’s yellowing. One emerging way to intentionally modify the color and the ways that plastics interact with light is to create nano-sized “supramolecular” structures on their surfaces that impact plastics’ properties in a controllable way. Inspired by these surface-based technologies, Margaret M. Elmer-Dixon, Melissa A. Maurer-Jones and colleagues wanted to see if such nanostructures formed unintentionally by UV light could be the cause of polyethylene yellowing.

The researchers first investigated if potential structures formed on yellowed polyethylene films’ surfaces interacted with circularly polarized light, a type of light whose waves travel with a right- or left-handed rotation. The amount of circularly polarized light absorbed by the film in these experiments changed depending on the film’s orientation, suggesting that the yellowed plastic contains new chemical structures that are chiral, that is, they are directional and aren’t identical to their mirror images. Additional experiments showed that most of the degradation during film yellowing occurred on the surface of the films. The team concluded that chiral chemical structures on the surfaces of the polyethylene films are formed during exposure to UV light and are a potential cause for the yellow color of old plastics. They say that these insights could help researchers design plastic products that last longer before becoming unsightly or unusable.  

The authors acknowledge funding from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, the University of Minnesota McKnight Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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JOURNAL

ACS Applied Polymer Materials

DOI

10.1021/acsapm.2c00877 

ARTICLE TITLE

Could superficial chiral nanostructures be the reason polyethylene yellows as it ages?