Thursday, January 04, 2024

Unraveling the mysteries of the Mongolian Arc: exploring a monumental 405-kilometer wall system in Eastern Mongolia

THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM

Drone Photo of Khaltaryn Balgas — IMAGE:
DRONE PHOTO OF KHALTARYN BALGAS
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CREDIT: AUTHORS

New study sheds light on the previously overlooked Mongolian Arc—a monumental wall system in eastern Mongolia spanning 405 kilometers. This discovery not only reveals the significance of this ancient architectural marvel but also prompts crucial questions about the motives, functionality, and broader implications of such colossal constructions. Their findings contribute to a larger multidisciplinary project exploring historical wall systems and their socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts, marking a pivotal milestone in understanding ancient civilizations and their enduring legacies.

[Jerusalem, Israel] Prof. Gideon Shelach-Lavi from Hebrew University and Prof. Amartuvshin Chunag from the National University of Mongolia, and their team unveil a new discovery in their latest research published in the Journal of Field Archaeology. Their paper, "Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia," sheds light on a monumental wall system that has remained largely overlooked in existing academic discourse.

The "Mongolian Arc," spanning 405 kilometers in eastern Mongolia, comprises an earthen wall, a trench, and 34 accompanying structures. Constructed between the 11th and 13th centuries a.d., this intricate system has emerged as a pivotal yet understudied facet of historical architectural marvels.

The research, conducted through a collaborative effort, involved a comprehensive approach combining remote sensing data collection, archaeological field surveys, and analysis through geographic information systems (GIS). Professors Shelach-Lavi and Amartuvshin's team also delved into ancient written sources to offer a preliminary interpretation of the design and potential functions of the Mongolian Arc.

"Understanding the significance of the Mongolian Arc unlocks profound insights into medieval wall systems, raising pertinent questions about the motives, functionality, and enduring consequences of such colossal constructions," remarked Prof. Gideon Shelach-Lavi.

This study is part of a larger multidisciplinary project, funded by a generous research fund from the European Research Council (ERC) addressing the construction of extensive walls and structures in northern China and eastern Mongolia during the 11th–13th centuries a.d. The findings not only contribute to unraveling historical mysteries but also offer a framework for exploring the broader socio-political, economic, and environmental impacts of such endeavors.

The published paper marks a pivotal milestone in the ongoing investigation, sparking renewed interest and further inquiry into ancient architectural wonders and their societal implications.

JOURNAL

Journal of Field Archaeology

DOI

10.1080/00934690.2023.2295198

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Unraveling the Mongolian Arc: a Field Survey and Spatial Investigation of a Previously Unexplored Wall System in Eastern Mongolia

Some sea cucumbers like it hot

The genome of a sea cucumber, collected at a depth of 2400 m during a submarine trip to a hydrothermal vent, sheds light on genetic features that help marine animals to survive in extreme conditions

Peer-Reviewed Publication

GIGASCIENCE

Unlikely Environment for a Sea Cucumber — IMAGE:
THE SAMPLING SITE FOR THE SEA CUCUMBER *WAS* AT THE KAIREI VENT FIELD AT THE BOTTOM OF INDIAN OCEAN. THE INSET SHOWS A PHOTO OF SAMPLING AT A DEPTH OF 2,428 M OF THE SEA CUCUMBER *CHIRIDOTA HEHEVA* USED FOR GENOME SEQUENCING.
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CREDIT: PU Y, ZHOU Y, LIU J, ZHANG H. A HIGH-QUALITY CHROMOSOMAL GENOME ASSEMBLY OF THE SEA CUCUMBER CHIRIDOTA HEHEVA AND ITS HYDROTHERMAL ADAPTATION. GIGASCIENCE 2023 GIAD107 HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.1093/GIGASCIENCE/GIAD107

Hydrothermal vents are an unlikely environment for animals to flourish, characterized by rapid changes in temperature and a challenging chemistry: acidic pH, rich in sulfur and methane. Not to mention the high hydrostatic pressure and the darkness of the deep sea. A team of scientists at the Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (China) have now sequenced the full genome of a particularly unusual inhabitant of the hydrothermal vent environment: the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva. The research has been published in the Open Science journal GigaScience.

Organisms found at hydrothermal vents are among the most unique life forms on the planet, as they evolved special adaptations to survive and procreate under these harsh conditions. For example, many microbes employ special metabolic functions to deal with the abundance of sulfur and iron, and to withstand the enormous heat near the vent. In addition to microbes, there are even multicellular and higher order organisms that have adapted to the hydrothermal vent conditions, including various species of worms, snails, crabs and shrimp.

In 2019, a Chinese deep sea expedition with the manned research submarine “Shenhaiyongshi” collected a specimen of the sea cucumber C. hehevae at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, at the Kairei vent field at a depth of 2,428 meters. The water around the Kairei vent is particularly enriched in dissolved iron, adding to the harsh conditions of high hydrostatic pressure, darkness and fluctuating temperatures.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms, and as such related to sea urchins and sea stars - a group of animals with highly unusual body plans. They are found on sea floors all over the world, where they devour detritus and use their tentacle to explore the sediment. While other high-quality genomes of sea cucumbers are available, the work now presented in GigaScience is the first genome of a sea cucumber specimen collected at a hydrothermal vent.

Initial comparative genome analyses indicate that several gene families are expanded in this sea cucumber, meaning that the species has a higher repertoire of specific sets of genes than related species. These expanded and unique genes are involved in DNA repair and iron metabolism, among other processes - a first indication that the adaptations to the harsh, iron-rich environment are reflected in the species’ genome. The genomic data will provide a valuable resource for further studies on both, sea cucumbers and the unique vent fauna.

JOURNAL

GigaScience

DOI

10.1093/gigascience/giad107

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

ARTICLE TITLE

A high-quality chromosomal genome assembly of the sea cucumber Chiridota heheva and its hydrothermal adaptation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jan-2024

Study: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to language delays in children

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, NEWS BUREAU

Researcher portrait Susan Schantz — IMAGE:
A NEW STUDY LINKS ACETAMINOPHEN USE IN PREGNANCY TO MODEST BUT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN THE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT OF OFFSPRING, SAYS ILLINOIS KIDS DEVELOPMENT STUDY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR SUSAN SCHANTZ, A U. OF I. PROFESSOR EMERITA OF COMPARATIVE BIOSCIENCES.
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CREDIT: PHOTO BY FRED ZWICKY

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Acetaminophen is considered the safest over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer available during pregnancy. Studies have shown that 50%-65% of women in North America and Europe take acetaminophen during pregnancy. A new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explored the relationship between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and language outcomes in early childhood. It found that increasing acetaminophen use was associated with language delays.

The findings are reported in the journal Pediatric Research.

Earlier studies have found associations between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and poorer child communication skills. But those studies used measures of language development that were less precise than the methods applied in the current study, said Megan Woodbury, who led the research as a graduate student with U. of I. comparative biosciences professor emerita Susan Schantz. The work was conducted as part of the Illinois Kids Development Study, which explores how environmental exposures in pregnancy and childhood influence child development. Schantz is the IKIDS principal investigator. Woodbury is now a postdoctoral researcher at Northeastern University in Boston.

“The previous studies had only asked pregnant people at most once a trimester about their acetaminophen use,” Woodbury said. “But with IKIDS, we talked to our participants every four to six weeks during pregnancy and then within 24 hours of the kid’s birth, so we had six time points during pregnancy.”

The language analyses involved 298 2-year-old children who had been followed prenatally, 254 of whom returned for further study at age 3.

For the 2-year-olds, the researchers turned to the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, which asks a parent to report on the child’s vocabulary, language complexity and the average length of the child’s longest three utterances.

“We wanted to collect data at that age because it’s the period called ‘word explosion,’ when kids are just adding words every day to their vocabulary,” Schantz said.

The vocabulary measure asked parents to select words their child had used from a list of 680 words.

The parents assessed their child again at 3 years, comparing their language skills to those of their peers.

The analysis linked acetaminophen use in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy to modest but significant delays in early language development.

“We found that increased use of acetaminophen – especially during the third trimester – was associated with smaller vocabulary scores and shorter ‘mean length of utterance’ at two years,” Woodbury said.

“At age three, greater acetaminophen use during the third trimester was related to parents ranking their kids as lower than their peers on their language abilities,” Schantz said. “That outcome was seen primarily in male children.”

The most dramatic finding was that each use of acetaminophen in the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with an almost two-word reduction in vocabulary in the 2-year-olds.

“This suggests that if a pregnant person took acetaminophen 13 times – or once per week – during the third trimester of that pregnancy, their child might express 26 fewer words at age 2 than other children that age,” Woodbury said.

Fetal brain development occurs throughout pregnancy, but the second and third trimesters are especially critical times, Schantz said.

“Hearing is developing in the second trimester, but language development is already starting in the third trimester before the baby is even born,” she said.

“It’s thought that acetaminophen exerts its analgesic effect through the endocannabinoid system, which is also very important for fetal development,” Woodbury said.

The findings need to be tested in larger studies, the researchers said. Until then, people should not be afraid to take acetaminophen for fever or serious pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Conditions like a very high fever can be dangerous and using a drug like acetaminophen will likely help.

“There aren’t other options for people to take when they really need them,” Schantz said. “But perhaps people should use more caution when turning to the drug to treat minor aches and pains.”

This work was supported by the Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Center funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program.

Editor’s notes:

To reach Susan Schantz, email schantz@illinois.edu.

To reach Megan Woodbury, email m.woodbury@northeastern.edu.

The paper “Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children” is available online or from the U. of I. News Bureau.

DOI: 10.1038/s41390-023-02924-4

JOURNAL

Pediatric Research

DOI

10.1038/s41390-023-02924-4

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children

Unlocking sustainable water treatment: the potential of piezoelectric-activated persulfate

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CHINESE SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

a, Traditional activation method of PS-AOPs technology. b, Mechanism of piezoelectric/PS-AOPs. c, Annual number of publications concerning piezoelectric/PS-AOPs. — IMAGE:
A, TRADITIONAL ACTIVATION METHOD OF PS-AOPS TECHNOLOGY. B, MECHANISM OF PIEZOELECTRIC/PS-AOPS. C, ANNUAL NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS CONCERNING PIEZOELECTRIC/PS-AOPS.
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CREDIT: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY

As cities grow bigger and faster, water pollution is becoming a serious problem. We need good ways to clean the water. Traditional cleaning methods, Persulfate (PS)- Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), are good at treating the bad stuff in the water, but they require a lot of energy and chemicals, like special light and metals ions. This is costly and environmentally harmful. It's urgent to find better and more eco-friendly ways to clean it.

In a recent study published in Volume 18 of the journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, scientists from Jinan University discuss a new, eco-friendly way to clean water. They've discovered a method called "piezoelectric activation of PS." This technique uses special materials that create piezoelectricity when they are squeezed or pressed, thereby cleaning the water. What's really cool is that this squeezing can come from natural things like wind, ocean waves, or river currents. So, it doesn't need extra energy, making it a very green and efficient way to make water safe.

The research on piezoelectric/PS-AOPs is about finding new ways to clean water using a special process. This process uses materials that can generate the piezoelectricity when they are pressed or squeezed. This piezoelectricity is then used to activate a chemical called persulfate, which helps break down harmful substances in the water. Scientists are working with different materials like BaTiO₃, ZnO, and MoS₂ to make this process better. They face challenges like not getting enough energy from the materials and slow movement of electrons, but they're improving the materials to solve these problems. They're also exploring using natural forces like wind and water flow to power this process, which is a sustainable and eco-friendly approach. This new technology could do more than just clean water; it could also turn the bad substances in the water into useful things. This makes it a really promising way to clean water in environmental remediation. As research goes on, this method could become a major way to treat water and control pollution, using renewable energy and being kind to the environment. Dr. Mingshan Zhu, a leading researcher in the field, emphasized the significance of this development: "Piezoelectric activation of persulfate represents a paradigm shift in water treatment technology. It not only addresses the efficiency and environmental concerns associated with traditional methods but also opens up new pathways for using renewable energy sources."

This exciting method is transforming the way we purify water. It's environmentally friendly, energy-efficient, and highly effective at combating water pollution. Representing a significant leap towards a cleaner and healthier planet, this technique doesn't just enhance water cleanliness; it plays a substantial role in environmental protection. It's a comprehensive approach to making our world a better place.

###

References

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100329

Original Source URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2023.100329

Funding information

The National Science Foundation of China (22322604 and 22006052); The Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2020B1515020038); The Pearl River Talent Recruitment Program of Guangdong Province (2019QN01L148).

About Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (ISSN 2666-4984) is an international, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal published by Elsevier. The journal publishes significant views and research across the full spectrum of ecology and environmental sciences, such as climate change, sustainability, biodiversity conservation, environment & health, green catalysis/processing for pollution control, and AI-driven environmental engineering. The latest impact factor of ESE is 12.6, according to the Journal Citation ReportTM 2022.

JOURNAL

Environmental Science and Ecotechnology

DOI

10.1016/j.ese.2023.100329

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Piezoelectricity activates persulfate for water treatment: A perspective

Case Western Reserve researchers land $1.125 million National Science Foundation grant to advance safer, faster and less expensive medical-imaging technology

Grant and Award Announcement

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

Shuo Li — IMAGE:
SHUO LI
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CREDIT: CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

CLEVELAND—Diagnosing cancer today involves using chemical “contrast agents” to improve the accuracy of medical imaging processes such as X-rays as well as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

But those agents can be expensive, take more time to use and pose potential health concerns.

With a new four-year, $1.125 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers at Case Western Reserve University hope to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) alternative that generates virtual contrast-enhanced images without chemical agents.

Their goal: a safer, quicker and cheaper process using non-contrast images only.

“With this grant, our multidisciplinary team aims to improve the medical-imaging process for clinical staff and patients,” said project leader Shuo Li, an associate professor at the university’s Case School of Engineering (CSE). “Virtual contrast-enhanced imaging could save time and money while continuing to provide the best care to patients.”

Vipin Chaudhary, the Kevin J. Kranzusch Professor and chair of computer and data sciences at CSE; Leonardo Kayat Bittencourt, an associate professor at the School of Medicine and vice chair of innovation in radiology at UH Cleveland Medical Center; and Sree Harsha Tirumani, an associate professor at the School of Medicine and vice chair for clinical research in radiology at UH Cleveland; are co-leading the project. Li, Kayat and Tirumani are all members of the Case Center for Imaging Research.

The challenge

While the use of chemical contrast materials is the gold standard for diagnosing many diseases, increasing numbers of patients, associated costs and potential side effects pose significant challenges. While uncommon, risks to patients include allergic reactions and other short-term adverse reactions.

A new non-chemical imaging technique could reduce such risks while also saving time and money. Such a technique could also help alleviate burdens of potential supply chain issues, such as the global shortage of iodinated contrast media in 2022.

The project

The project leverages the engineering and medical strengths of the research team to develop this new, virtual way of providing valuable diagnostic information to the clinician and patient, but without chemical contrast agents.

The researchers will investigate a new category of image features to inform development and validation of new models for use with MRI scans. Leveraging key technical strengths of AI, the researchers are developing a technique called an AI contrast agent.

The grant is funded through the NSF Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science, an interagency program to support advances in computer and information science, engineering, mathematics, statistics, behavioral and cognitive research for biomedical and public health.

MRI images of brain
CREDIT
Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is one of the country's leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.

Boosting solar cell performance with a transparent spectral converter

The protective material transforms harmful ultraviolet photons into visible light, increasing the conversion efficiency of photovoltaic devices

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SPIE--INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICS AND PHOTONICS

Applying a transparent Pr3+/Eu3+-doped glass-ceramic layer on top of a photovoltaic cell simultaneously protects it from damaging UV light and converts that UV radiation to visible light, thereby enhancing the light-to-energy conversion efficiency. — IMAGE:
APPLYING A TRANSPARENT PR3+/EU3+-DOPED GLASS-CERAMIC LAYER ON TOP OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL SIMULTANEOUSLY PROTECTS IT FROM DAMAGING UV LIGHT AND CONVERTS THAT UV RADIATION TO VISIBLE LIGHT, THEREBY ENHANCING THE LIGHT-TO-ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCY.
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CREDIT: JOURNAL OF PHOTONICS FOR ENERGY.

Over the past decade, photovoltaic cells (PCs) have garnered much attention worldwide as promising sources of renewable energy. However, PCs still have not achieved light-to-electricity conversion efficiencies high enough to gain widespread adoption, and scientists are on the lookout for new materials and designs with better performance.

Two of the most actively studied types of PCs are perovskite PCs and amorphous-silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) PCs, each with their own set of limitations. Perovskite PCs suffer from two major setbacks: first, even though solar radiation covers wavelengths that go from near-infrared all the way up to ultraviolet (UV) light, perovskite PCs use only a small portion of this spectrum, leading to low energy conversion efficiency. Second, they are vulnerable to photo-degradation from exposure to high-intensity UV light. In contrast, a-SiC:H PCs cannot effectively harvest UV light owing to a mismatch between the spectral profile of sunlight and the spectral response of a-SiC:H materials.

But what if these problems could be solved simply by applying a special transparent layer on top of the PC? In a recent study published in the Journal of Photonics for Energy, a research team including Dr. Pei Song from Shanghai University of Engineering Science, China, developed a novel solar spectral converter using a GdPO4 glass-ceramic (GC) material doped with praseodymium (Pr) and europium (Eu) ions. This technology could lead to notable boosts in performance and applicability in solar cells.

The main purpose of GdPO4-GC:Eu3+/Pr3+ is to absorb UV photons from solar radiation and re-emit them as visible light. This is possible thanks to the efficient energy transfer that happens between the ions in the material. When a UV photon hits a Pr3+ ion, it generates an excited electronic state. This accumulated energy has a high chance of being transferred to a Gd3+ ion, which releases some of it before transferring the rest to an Eu3+ ion. As a result, excited electronic states in the Eu3+ ion undergo a down transition to lower energy states, emitting visible light.

Several experiments confirmed that the Gd3+ ions act as bridges between Pr3+ and Eu3+ ions in these energy transitions. Thus, a thin transparent GdPO4-GC:Eu3+/Pr3+ layer applied onto a PC not only shields it from UV photons but also feeds it additional light. Additionally, this protective effect helps prevent photo-degradation in perovskite PCs. Meanwhile, in both perovskite and a-SiC:H PCs, the spectral conversion layer helps the overall system use energy from solar radiation more efficiently by making it “sensitive” to UV photons, which would otherwise be wasted.

Notably, the proposed GdPO4-GC:Eu3+/Pr3+ material is straightforward to synthesize via a conventional melting quenching process. Moreover, since the material is also remarkably stable, it appears promising as a protective layer for space-borne PCs, such as those used in space stations. “Nowadays, expanding space stations require more power support and need high-performance PCs. By covering the top side of a PC with the proposed spectral conversion material and using appropriate encapsulation and sealing technology, we can ensure very low humidity levels and efficient UV recycling,” explains Song. “In addition, GC materials have a hard texture, so they can protect PCs from being hit by tiny floating debris in space.”

More studies will be needed to further improve the efficiency of PCs using doped GC materials as spectral converters. The researchers note that future work could focus on improving cost-effectiveness by adjusting doping concentrations and optimizing the thickness of the protective layer. “With potential applications in both terrestrial and space PCs, the development of spectral downshifting Pr3+/Eu3+ co-doped glass-ceramics might open up new avenues to achieve better performance in photovoltaic devices,” concludes Song.

Let us hope that solar energy will grow to become not only an eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuels but also the energy source of the future!

For details, see the original article by Song, Zhang, and Zhu, “Ultraviolet-wavelength driven solar spectral converter for photovoltaic cell application,” J. Photon. Energy 14(1) 015501 (2023), doi 10.1117/1.JPE.14.015501.

JOURNAL

Journal of Photonics for Energy

DOI

10.1117/1.JPE.14.015501

ARTICLE TITLE

Ultraviolet-wavelength driven solar spectral converter for photovoltaic cell application

Midbrain awakens gift of gab in chatty midshipman fish

Peer-Reviewed Publication

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

ITHACA, N.Y. – For talkative midshipman fish – sometimes called the “California singing fish” – the midbrain plays a robust role in initiating and patterning of sounds used in vocal communication.

The midbrain in these fish, it turns out, may serve as a useful model for how mammals and other vertebrates, including humans, control vocal expressions, according to Cornell University behavioral research published in Nature Communications.

Midshipman fish phrasing takes the form of grunts, growls and hums whenever the males seek mates or fend off foes, said senior author Andrew Bass, professor of neurobiology and behavior. To the human ear, the hum might sound like a single note on a French horn or a foghorn.

Science has known that mammals and other vertebrates emit sound and vocalize to communicate behaviors, but the midbrain responsible for initiating acoustic features – like patterned hums in these fish or the formation of cogent sentences in humans – had largely gone unexplored.

Researchers found that midbrain periaqueductal gray neurons in the fish are activated in distinct patterns by the males during courtship calls, foraging and nest guarding duty.

The group confirmed that the periaqueductal gray neurons evoke output to the muscles that manage sound and the vocal features of courtship, as well as show patterning other kinds of calls.

Communication signals patterned by the midbrain “have frequency and amplitude components, and the fish string together sounds in different ways,” Bass said. “Maybe those sounds mean aggression or serve as a mating function – like you’re trying to attract a mate to a nest, which male midshipman do with their hum.”

The human brain is in the shape of a helmet and the midbrain sits at the top of brain’s “stem”. Fish brains are shaped more like a tube – making them a more accessible model to study experimentally, Bass said. “Our findings now show that fish and mammals share functionally comparable periaqueductal gray nodes that can influence the acoustic structure of social context-specific vocal signals,” he said.

Bass noted that for humans, this research provides clues to what happens if the human midbrain gets damaged. He suggested that this research may help us understand how a malfunctioning human midbrain may render a person uncommunicative or mute.

“It’s only been in the past few years, where the midbrain has gotten more attention from neuroscientists studying social communication,” said Bass. “It is a major node connected to your cortex, basal ganglia, amygdala and hypothalamus. In this way it acts as a gateway for these sources of executive functions to reach other brain regions more directly activating muscles that underlie behavioral actions.”

Said Bass: “The midbrain is an amazing part of the brain because it points to how essential it is – if you are a vertebrate – to have the ability to produce sound communication signals. Period.”

The National Science Foundation funded this research.

For additional information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-023-43794-y

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

Thursday, January 04, 2024

Unraveling the mysteries of the Mongolian Arc: exploring a monumental 405-kilometer wall system in Eastern Mongolia

JOURNAL

DOI

METHOD OF RESEARCH

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

ARTICLE TITLE

Some sea cucumbers like it hot

JOURNAL

DOI

METHOD OF RESEARCH

ARTICLE TITLE

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

Study: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy linked to language delays in children

JOURNAL

DOI

METHOD OF RESEARCH

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

ARTICLE TITLE

Unlocking sustainable water treatment: the potential of piezoelectric-activated persulfate

JOURNAL

DOI

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

ARTICLE TITLE

Case Western Reserve researchers land $1.125 million National Science Foundation grant to advance safer, faster and less expensive medical-imaging technology

CREDIT

Boosting solar cell performance with a transparent spectral converter

JOURNAL

DOI

ARTICLE TITLE

Midbrain awakens gift of gab in chatty midshipman fish

JOURNAL

DOI

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