Camera trap study reveals a “vital sanctuary” for wildlife and endangered species in Cambodia’s Central Cardamom Mountains

108 species detected including Sunda pangolin, Asian elephant and Dhole, Cambodia’s last apex predators

Conservation International

 

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Camera trap footage released by Conservation International of the Endangered (IUCN Red List) Asian Elephant in the Central Cardamom Mountain Landscape of Cambodia in 2024.

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Credit: @Conservation International

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (October 30, 2024) – The first-ever camera trap study of the Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape has recorded 108 species, 23 of which are listed at risk (Vulnerable or above) on the IUCN Red List, underscoring the significance of the region as a global stronghold for biodiversity and rare and threatened species.  

Editors please note: Use these links to access camera trap footage and the full report.   

The report, released today by the Cambodian Ministry of Environment (MoE), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Conservation International and partners, documents 65 bird species, 38 mammal species, and five reptile species including the Endangered dhole (Cuon alpinus), one of the last remaining predators in Cambodia, and its abundant prey base including wild pig (Sus scrofa), and northern red muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis).  

The study detected other rare and elusive species including Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulasa), marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), and Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus).  

With over 95% of its forests intact, the Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape remains one of the country's least deforested areas. Recognized as one of the Global 200 ecoregions, this landscape is home to nearly 4,000 Chourng and Por Indigenous peoples, supports more than 500 species, stores a significant volume of carbon and provides a critical watershed for over 30,000 people downstream, sustaining agriculture and fisheries, including the Tonle Sap Lake, one of the world’s largest inland fisheries. 

The Central Cardamom Mountains face threats from illegal logging, forest clearing for agriculture, poaching, and the unsustainable overuse of natural resources such as wood collection for charcoal, overfishing, and sand dredging. 

Conservation International’s Research Lead, THAUNG Ret, said, “This survey confirms the Central Cardamoms as a globally significant biodiversity hotspot and conservation priority. While the 108 species recorded by the camera traps are impressive, they represent just a fraction of the animals present. These cameras couldn’t capture insects, canopy habitat birds, aquatic species like amphibians and fish. Extensive research is needed to truly understand the species richness and adequately conserve this treasure trove of biodiversity."  

His Excellency Dr. EANG Sophalleth, Minister of Environment emphasized the importance of the habitat conservation collaboration in protecting this habitat stating, “The survey’s result reaffirm that Cambodian forests are not just a landscape, but a vital sanctuary for our planet’s diverse species. It reflects the positive result of the efforts that the Ministry of Environment has been putting through the Circular Strategy on Environment which focus on biodiversity protection and habitat restoration.”  

H.E. Minister continued, “This also underlines the importance of our collaborative efforts, which are crucial to the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC)’s Pentagon Strategies and our commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Protecting our biodiversity is not just an obligation as it is a testament to our dedication to sustainable development and environmental stewardship.” 

The survey is the result of a collaboration between the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Legacy Landscapes Fund (LLF), Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), Conservation International, Indigenous People and Local Communities, and other partners. It has engaged and enhanced stakeholders' understanding of the invaluable ecological services provided by the Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape, including robust biodiversity support, climate change mitigation, freshwater provision, and sustainable livelihood.  

OUM Sony, Country Director of Conservation International Cambodia, stated, "The study establishes a critical baseline for future wildlife population monitoring, and also highlights the critical conservation needs of the area.  Conservation International actively engages with all stakeholders to develop long-term and effective conservation strategies in the Central Cardamoms and in its supported landscapes. Our approach focuses on fostering nature-positive livelihoods, forging public-private partnerships, and utilizing blended financing tools to drive meaningful climate and conservation outcomes.” 

In total, 147 camera traps were deployed which captured 55,000 videos and 22,200 images. The systematic deployment of traps provides a comprehensive dataset from February to December 2023.   

USAID Mission Director Kerry PELZMAN said, “USAID’s investment in the Central Cardamom Mountains reflects our commitment to biodiversity conservation in Cambodia and recognizes the critical role of natural systems in achieving development goals. USAID is proud to support programs that both protect Cambodia’s natural resources and endangered species and also empower indigenous people and local communities to enhance their livelihoods to thrive with nature.” 

CHEM Samphorn, a member of the local Tatai community who participated in the deployment of the camera traps said, “I am thrilled to be able to join the team in conserving wildlife in my homeland. I am always excited to see those animals and working together with the [Conservation International] team to safeguard them is a great incentive. I am hoping that my children and the next generation will be able to still see them the way I did.” 

The species monitoring project, part of Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape Program, was largely funded by USAID through USAID Morodok Baitang, with additional co-financing from Conservation International, the Legacy Landscapes Fund and the Procter & Gamble Company and leadership provided by the Ministry of Environment. 

 

About The Study:  

The camera trap survey detected 108 species in total. A total of 147 camera traps were deployed. The survey team consisted of Conservation International biodiversity experts, rangers from the Provincial Department of Environment, Ministry of the Environment, and local communities within the landscape, who were equipped with extensive training on how to deploy camera traps and collect metadata using the digital platform, KoboCollect. 

Suggested Citation: Thaung et al. (2024), Species monitoring using camera traps at the Central Cardamom Mountains Landscape. Technical Report. Conservation International Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

Report: Species Monitoring Report 

Photos and video available here. Please ensure  all images are credited as per the agreement:  http://ci.tandemvault.com/lightboxes/jhNavmqPu?t=3s9POOzMp  

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About Conservation International:  Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together. Go to Conservation.org for more, and follow our work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.  

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Subject of Research

Animals

Article Publication Date

30-Oct-2024

 

When science speaks in extremes

Polarizing scientific information can be harmful. A study published in JCOM tries to identify it

Sissa Medialab

 

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March for Science, Washington, DC, 22 April 2017

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:March_for_Science,_Washington,_DC_%2834052400162%29.jpg

 

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Credit: Becker1999 from Grove City, OH https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:March_for_Science,_Washington,_DC_%2834052400162%29.jpg

“Vaccines are 100% safe, and anyone who doubts this is ignorant”: Have you ever come across messages like this during the pandemic crisis a few years ago? If you often feel that certain public debates—such as those on vaccines or the climate crisis—boil down to a black-and-white clash between two sides demanding, with harsh tones, unquestioning allegiance to their view, you're not entirely wrong. We are rightly accustomed to being warned about pseudoscientific misinformation and fake news, and much research has been devoted to identifying the characteristics of such messages in order to debunk them. Yet, even those "on the side of science" sometimes use a form of polarized communication that doesn't align with a genuinely scientific approach, which should foster critical thinking and the ability to evolve over time. A certain type of scientific message, like the example above, often amplifies these forms of polarization by reinforcing extreme viewpoints, deepening divisions between different audience segments. Therefore, it is important to recognize not only scientific misinformation but also polarized scientific information.

A new study just published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) elucidated, based on available scientific literature, the characteristics of polarized scientific digital messages, proposing a system of codification for identifying and characterizing polarized discourses in science communication digital messages.

 

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“Polarized messages in online science communication often present extreme views about a specific scientific topic, which can stir strong emotions, reinforce group loyalty, and deepen divisions in society," explains Thiago Cruvinel, professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and coordinator of the research. “These polarized views can affect various social aspects. For example, to make people feel certain and comfortable, a one-sided message might use terms related to conflict or separation, even when talking about well-known scientific topics like climate change caused by humans.”

As Cruvinel explains, simplifying and polarizing scientific information is not always the best approach, as it can limit critical thinking. Presenting scientific agreement as unquestionable may unite supporters but push away skeptics, making the issue even more divisive. When one dominant view takes over, it can hold back scientific progress by discouraging people from challenging existing ideas, which is a key part of advancing science. Cruvinel and his colleagues' work mapped the scientific literature that examined the syntactic and lexical features of polarized messages in online science communication, as well as studies measuring the effects of these messages on readers' opinions, which also involved more specialized audiences like journalists, scientists, and health professionals. This scoping reviewmapped the available literature, identifying ten studies that allowed Cruvinel and his colleagues to develop a system to identify polarized scientific messages.

“Our codification system is grounded in a framework that encompasses 20 distinct codes, categorized into four key dimensions: sideness, criticism, emphasis, and discordance," explains Cruvinel. “This structured approach enables a nuanced analysis of the underlying elements contributing to polarization within scientific discourse.”

According to Cruvinel, an important contribution of this study is that this coding system can serve as a valuable tool for science researchers and journalists, supporting the systematic identification of polarized materials within the realm of science communication.

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Journal

Journal of Science Communication

Method of Research

Meta-analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Characterization of polarized scientific digital messages: a scoping review

Article Publication Date

28-Oct-2024

 

Teens who made history with Pythagoras’ theorem discovery publish their first academic paper with new proofs

In their peer-reviewed work, Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson present five new ways of proving Pythagoras’ Theorem via trigonometry. They also detail a new method for finding proofs that yield at least five more

Taylor & Francis Group

 

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Ne’Kiya Jackson (left) and Calcea Johnson (right).

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Credit: Photo credit: Calcea Johnson

In 2022, U.S. high school students Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson astonished teachers when they discovered a new way to prove Pythagoras’ theorem using trigonometry after entering a competition at their local high school. As a result, both students were awarded keys to the city of New Orleans, and even received personal praise from Michelle Obama.

Today they become published authors of a new peer-reviewed paper detailing their discoveries, published in the journal American Mathematical Monthly.

Pythagoras’ famous 2,000-year-old theorem, summarized neatly as a2 + b2 = c2, means that you can work out the length of any side of a right-angled triangle as long as you know the length of the other two sides. Essentially, the square of the longest side (the hypotenuse) is equal to the squares of the two shorter sides added together.

Many mathematicians over the years have proved the theorem using algebra and geometry. Yet proving it using trigonometry was long thought impossible, as the fundamental formulae of trigonometry are based upon the assumption that the Pythagorean Theorem is true – an example of circular reasoning.

Nevertheless, both Johnson and Jackson managed to solve the math problem independently of each other and prove Pythagoras’ theory without resorting to circular reasoning — a feat that has only been managed twice previously by professional mathematicians.

Johnson and Jackson then collaborated to share their work at a regional meeting of the American Mathematical Society in Atlanta in March 2023. Encouraged by their reception, Jackson and Johnson then decided to submit their discoveries for final peer review and publication. Their study outlines five new ways of proving the theorem using trigonometry, and a method that reveals five more proofs, totaling ten proofs altogether. Only one of these proofs was previously presented at the conference, meaning that nine are totally new.

“I was pretty surprised to be published” says Ne’Kiya Jackson. “I didn’t think it would go this far”.

“To have a paper published at such a young age — it's really mind blowing,” agrees Calcea Johnson.

“It’s very exciting for me, because I know when I was growing up, STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] wasn't really a cool thing. So the fact that all these people actually are interested in STEM and mathematics really warms my heart and makes me really excited for how far STEM has come.”

In the paper, the authors argue that one of the reasons that trigonometry causes such confusion and anxiety for high school students is that two completely different versions of trigonometry exist and are defined using the same terms. This means that trying to make sense of trigonometry can be like trying to make sense of a picture where two different images have been printed on top of each other.

Jackson and Johnson argue that by separating the two versions, and focusing on just one of them, a large collection of new proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem can be found.

Jackson currently studies at Xavier University of Louisiana and is pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy, while Johnson is studying environmental engineering at Louisiana State University’s Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College.

“I am very proud that we are both able to be such a positive influence in showing that young women and women of color can do these things, and to let other young women know that they are able to do whatever they want to do. So that makes me very proud to be able to be in that position,” says Johnson.

Commenting on Johnson and Jackson’s achievements, Della Dumbaugh, editor-in-chief of American Mathematical Monthly, says, “The Monthly is honored and delighted to publish the work of these two students on its pages.

“Their results call attention to the promise of the fresh perspective of students on the field. They also highlight the important role of teachers and schools in advancing the next generation of mathematicians.

“Even more, this work echoes the spirit of Benjamin Finkel when he founded the Monthly in 1894 to feature mathematics within reach of teachers and students of mathematics.”

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Journal

American Mathematical Monthly

DOI

10.1080/00029890.2024.2370240 

Article Title

Five or Ten New Proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem

Article Publication Date

28-Oct-2024

 

New machine learning model can identify fake news sources more reliably

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, October 28, 2024 – Fake news is a perennial problem but really begins to ramp up in election season as conspiracy theories and misinformation by bad actors aim to manipulate voters. As the US election comes down to the wire in one of the closest races yet, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have developed a method to help fact-checkers keep up with the increasing volumes of misinformation on social media.

The team led by Dr. Nir Grinberg and Prof. Rami Puzis found that tracking fake news sources, rather than individual articles or posts, with their approach can significantly lower the burden on fact-checkers and produce reliable results over time.

"The problem today with the proliferation of fake news is that fact checkers are overwhelmed. They cannot fact-check everything, but the breadth of their coverage amidst a sea of social media content and user flags is unclear. Moreover, we know little about how successful fact-checkers are in getting to the most important content to fact-check. That prompted us to develop a machine learning approach that can help fact-checkers direct their attention better and boost their productivity," explains Dr. Grinberg.

Their findings were published recently in Proceedings of the 30th ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3637528.3671539).

Fake news sources tend to appear and disappear quite quickly over the years, so maintaining lists of sites is very cost and labor intensive. Their system considers the flow of information on social media and the audience's “appetite” for falsehoods, which locates more sites and is more robust over time.

The researchers’ audience-based models outperformed the more common approach of looking at who’s sharing misinformation by large margins: 33% when looking at historical data, and 69% when looking at sources as they emerge over time.

The authors also show that their approach can maintain the same level of accuracy in identifying fake news sources while requiring less than a quarter of the fact-checking costs.

The system needs more training in real world scenarios, and it should never replace human fact checkers, but "it can greatly expand the coverage of today's fact checkers," says Dr. Grinberg, a member of the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering. Prof. Puzis is a member of the same department.

And while Grinberg and his team demonstrated that this approach can help fact-checkers in their mission to ensure the integrity of our elections, the big unknown here is whether social media platforms will pick up the gauntlet here, or at least, provide the necessary means in data and access for others to combat misinformation.

The research team in this study also included: Maor Reuben of the Department of Software and Information Systems Engineering at BGU and independent researcher Lisa Friedland.

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DOI

10.1145/3637528.3671539 

Method of Research

Computational simulation/modeling

Article Title

Leveraging Exposure Networks for Detecting Fake News Sources

 

Princeton study adds clarity to cropland abandonment discourse in biodiversity conservation

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

The clearing of forests, grasslands, and other natural ecosystems to grow more crops is one of the most widespread threats to terrestrial biodiversity and continues to degrade ecosystems across the globe.  However, changes in agricultural land use are not unidirectional: Substantial areas of cropland have also been abandoned in recent decades, especially as the agricultural labor supply continues to shrink from rural outmigration, urbanization,  and geopolitical conflicts.  

The impact of cropland abandonment on biodiversity has been widely debated.  In some cases, abandoned croplands can offer opportunities to restore ecosystems, recover biodiversity, and sequester carbon.  However, according to previous work, this largely relies on abandoned cropland being mostly undisturbed for multiple decades - a less common scenario as these lands are frequently recultivated due to the increasing demand for agricultural products.  Furthermore, variation in the spatial distribution and longevity of abandonment can substantially affect biodiversity outcomes and can be especially disruptive to species with narrow habitat preferences and requirements.  

For these reasons, whether or not abandonment is a meaningful conservation opportunity has remained a controversial question among environmentalists.  According to a newly-released study led by Princeton researchers, the answer to this question depends not only on the distinct preferences of individual species, but also upon the rate of land recultivation and ongoing habitat loss.  

In their study, Dr. Christopher Crawford, Prof. David Wilcove, and their team use high-resolution annual land-cover maps of 11 sites across four continents to assess the biodiversity consequences of cropland abandonment for the years 1987-2017.  Annual maps of the vegetation at these sites were then combined with range maps and habitat preferences for over 1,300 species of birds and mammals to calculate changes in habitat area available for each species as a result of cropland abandonment.  

“Without detailed abandonment maps for broad areas over long time periods, it has been really difficult to get a comprehensive picture of how abandonment was affecting biodiversity,” explains lead author Christopher Crawford, a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the United States Department of Agriculture. “By leveraging our cutting-edge abandonment maps and looking at entire communities of mammals and birds, with all of their unique preferences, we’ve been able to understand abandonment’s impacts on biodiversity in a more nuanced and detailed way than ever before.”

According to the study, most bird (62.7%) and mammal species (77.7%) gain habitat due to crop abandonment, but even more (74.2% and 86.3%, relatively) would have benefited if recultivation of the land had not occurred.  Moreover, despite these gains from abandonment, 32.3% of birds and 27.8% of mammals still experienced net habitat loss when accounting for the ongoing losses of natural ecosystems to create new cropland that often occurs before or alongside abandonment.  

“These findings are somewhat surprising but make perfect sense,” says co-author He Yin, an assistant professor of Geography at Kent State.  “In our previous research, we noted that abandoned fields were frequently recultivated. This study helps us understand the extent to which recultivation may impact conservation efforts when abandonment is used as a strategy.”

The authors also explored ecological factors associated with species’ responses to cropland abandonment.  They found that a species’ habitat preference (i.e., habitats that a species can occupy and that are suitable to meet its needs) had a significant effect on responses to abandonment.  For example, the ability to occupy forest, grassland, or savanna habitats increased the odds of a species gaining habitat from abandonment, while the ability to occupy arable (i.e., cultivated) land  was the strongest predictor that a species would lose habitat following abandonment. While not entirely surprising on their own, the authors note that these findings are encouraging from a conservation perspective: grassland species had the strongest association with gaining habitat gains following abandonment, despite long-standing concerns about how these species would fare following the loss of farmland. 

“Ultimately, the answer to the question if abandoned fields benefit biodiversity conservation depends on the population trends of all the species in a given area, and how much habitat is available to them elsewhere,” says co-author Volker Radeloff, a professor in the SILVIS lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Broad-brush statements about the conservation value of abandoned fields are bound to be wrong.  What is required are species-specific analyses, like the ones we conducted.”

Though the study found overall positive outcomes from cropland abandonment, the authors stress that these benefits are dampened by frequent recultivation and continued cropland expansion.  Co-author David Wilcove explains the role policymakers will have to play to unlock abandonment’s full conservation potential. 

“With millions of people around the world leaving rural areas to move to cities, we might expect the resulting land abandonment to provide great opportunities to restore ecosystems and biodiversity,” explains Wilcove, a professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.  “It can, but the benefits to nature won’t be realized if the abandoned cropland is recultivated. An important challenge for policymakers is to provide the right financial or social incentives so that abandoned, marginal croplands can regrow into natural ecosystems. At the same time, policymakers must ensure that the lands that stay in crop production produce enough food to feed a growing population.”

 

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The paper, “Biodiversity consequences of cropland abandonment,” was co-authored by Christopher L. Crawford (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University), R. Alex Wiebe (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University), He Yin (Department of Geography, Kent State University), Volker C. Radeloff (SILVIS Lab, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin - Madison), and David Wilcove (Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University).  The paper appeared in Nature Sustainability on October 28th, 2024.  This research was supported by the High Meadows Foundation (DSW) and the NASA Land Cover and Land Use Change Program.  

 

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Journal

Nature Sustainability

DOI

10.1038/s41893-024-01452-1 

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Biodiversity consequences of cropland abandonment

Article Publication Date

28-Oct-2024

 

Co-culture system for sustainable cultured meat production

Researchers use photosynthetic microorganisms to create a self-purifying, nutrient-circulating system for eco-friendly cultured meat production

Waseda University

 

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Researchers have developed a system where liver cells and photosynthetic microorganisms can be grown together to create a low-cost, environmentally friendly medium to grow muscle cells without the use of animal serum.

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Credit: Dr. Tatsuya Shimizu from Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Japan

There is a pressing need for environmentally friendly meat production technologies to tackle the increasing global food demand. Cultured meat production is one such technology that is attracting a lot of attention as an alternative to conventional meat production. First developed in 2012, cultured meat is simply meat that is produced by growing or culturing muscle cells from animals in a laboratory.

Typically, cultured meat production requires serum (or the liquid part of the blood) from animals, which is essential for the growth of muscle cells in the culture medium since serum includes abundant proteins that promote muscle cell growth. The use of animal serum poses significant challenges due to multiple reasons such as high costs, risk of contamination, and ethical concerns. Hence, there is a need for culture methods that allow muscle cells to grow without the use of serum.

Now, a research team led by Professor Tatsuya Shimizu from Tokyo Women’s Medical University, along with Ph.D. student Shanga Chu and Professor Toru Asahi from Waseda University, Professor Yuji Haraguchi from Tokyo Women's Medical University, and Professor Tomohisa Hasunuma from Kobe University, have developed a new system for culturing muscle cells without serum by using photosynthetic microorganisms. Their findings were published in Scientific Reports on August 23, 2024.

Normally, animal serum provides proteins called growth factors that are essential for the growth of muscle cells. However, rat liver cells are also known to secrete these growth factors. The researchers discovered that the medium remaining after culturing these liver cells (or the supernatant) contains growth factors, and can support muscle cell growth without the use of serum. “Although more growth factor-secreting cells and longer cultivation produce larger amount of growth factors, the downside is that the cells also produce waste products like lactate and ammonia into the medium at the same time, which eventually hinders muscle cell growth,” explains Shimizu.

Hence, waste removal is crucial to improve the performance of this culture supernatant as an alternative to animal serum. To resolve this, the researchers had developed L-lactate assimilating cyanobacteria (photosynthetic microorganisms) with lactate to pyruvate converting genes, which  were capable of taking in harmful waste metabolites, such as lactate and ammonia and converting them into nutrients for animal cells (rat liver cells and muscle cells), such as pyruvate and amino acids.

In this study, the research group proposed a new system in which the growth-factor secreting rat liver cells would be co-cultured or cultured together with the modified cyanobacteria, and the supernatant from this co-culture could then be used to promote muscle cell growth without serum. They found that co-culturing cyanobacteria with the rat liver cells resulted in a 30% reduction of lactate and over 90% reduction of ammonia. Additionally, the nutrients produced by the cyanobacteria were able to reduce the nutrient depletion by rat liver cells, resulting in an abundance of nutrients like glucose and pyruvate in the co-culture supernatant compared to the supernatant collected from where rat liver cells were grown alone.

When this co-culture supernatant was used to cultivate muscle cells, they found that the growth rate of muscle cells was three times higher than the growth seen when only rat liver cells were used. This demonstrates that co-culturing cyanobacteria significantly enhances the performance of the culture supernatant as a serum alternative and optimizes cell culture through waste upcycling.

“Our study provides a novel low cost, sustainable cell culture system with broad applicability in various fields involving cellular agriculture, such as cultured meat production, fermentation, bio-pharmaceutical production, and regenerative medicine. Further, as a technology for producing meat without killing animals, culturing animal cells with photosynthetic microorganisms could help address not only future food security challenges, but also ethical concerns and issues related to climate change,” concludes Shimizu.

 

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Reference

Authors: Shanga Chu1,2, Yuji Haraguchi2, Toru Asahi1,3,4, Yuichi Kato5,6, Akihiko Kondo5,6,7, Tomohisa Hasunuma5,6,7 & Tatsuya Shimizu2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70377-8

Affiliations:

1Department of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University

2Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women’s Medical University

3Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Waseda University

4Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University

5Engineering Biology Research Center, Kobe University

6Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University

7Research Center for Sustainable Resource Science, RIKEN

 

About Waseda University

Located in the heart of Tokyo, Waseda University is a leading private research university that has long been dedicated to academic excellence, innovative research, and civic engagement at both the local and global levels since 1882. The University has produced many changemakers in its history, including nine prime ministers and many leaders in business, science and technology, literature, sports, and film. Waseda has strong collaborations with overseas research institutions and is committed to advancing cutting-edge research and developing leaders who can contribute to the resolution of complex, global social issues. The University has set a target of achieving a zero-carbon campus by 2032, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
To learn more about Waseda University, visit https://www.waseda.jp/top/en  

About Ms. Shanga Chu from Waseda University

Ms. Shanga Chu is currently a Ph.D. student at the School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University. She graduated from the Department of Applied Science and Engineering at the School of Engineering, Hokkaido University in March 2022. Her research work includes spontaneous nutrient cycling culture system by co-culturing microalgae and animal cells.

Funding information

This work was supported by the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Cross-ministerial Moonshot Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research and Development Program, “Technologies for Smart Bio-industry and Agriculture” (funding agency: Bio-oriented Technology Research Advancement Institution).

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Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-70377-8 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Cells

Article Title

A serum‑free culture medium production system by co‑culture combining growth factor‑secreting cells and L-lactate‑assimilating cyanobacteria for sustainable cultured meat pro

Arctic whales research collaboration is signed by Heriot-Watt University and HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions)

Project will study where and how often whales encounter vessels in the high Arctic

Heriot-Watt University

 

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MS Fram (Merchant Ship Fram), an HX passenger ship, at Eqip Sermia, a glacier in Greenland.

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Credit: Yuri Choufour

Pioneering research to protect and conserve Arctic whale populations is to begin under a new five-year collaboration between Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions), a world leader in travel exploration.

The partners have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), beginning in 2024, to research challenges facing marine life in the high Arctic – the most northern part of the Arctic region and one of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.

The agreement will see Heriot-Watt University and HX work together on the Whales & Arctic Vessels Project (WAVE), a collaboration driven by the urgent need to better understand how often and where whales are encountering vessels in the high Arctic, and how whales are responding to these interactions – an area of research that remains largely unexplored.

“We have very little understanding about how frequently Arctic whales are encountering vessels in the high Arctic and how they may be impacted by these interactions,” explained project lead Dr Lauren McWhinnie, an Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society.

“We know in other areas of the world that whales can be affected by vessels in a variety of ways, from exposure to underwater noise to being physically stuck or disturbed. As vessel activity increases in the Arctic, it's important that we work with industry, policy makers and communities to ensure that the maritime sector is operating in a responsible and sustainable manner and is not placing any further pressure on these animals whose habitat is significantly changing due to climate change.”

Heriot-Watt University is the first UK university to partner with HX in a project of this scale. The collaboration will see the two organisations jointly publish findings, delivering impact reports and scientific results that will further the understanding of the pressures on Arctic whale populations and contribute to global conservation efforts.

The partnership will harness HX’s extensive expedition network and will benefit vastly from the company’s ability to engage both guest passengers and the wider public in this important environmental research. Heriot-Watt’s researchers will benefit from access to multiple vessels within the fleet, enabling scientists to conduct multi-year data collection in areas rarely surveyed. Passengers aboard HX ships on planned commercial voyages will also have the opportunity to participate in citizen science programmes, both contributing valuable data and allowing them to see how their contributions can make a difference.

Dr Verena Meraldi, Chief Scientist for HX, said the research would help improve our understanding of the pressures on Arctic whales and enrich the knowledge and experience HX can provide to its guests.

“As Chief Scientist for HX, I have the honour of working alongside various scientists across different disciplines to get a deeper understanding of the processes governing our planet, and the impact we (as humans) are having on it,” Dr Meraldi said. “Conveying this to our guests and getting them involved in projects such as WAVE is exactly the kind of project we look to support. We hope by supporting this project we will support further knowledge and understanding of Arctic whales, and also enrich the journeys and mindset of our guests. This MoU represents a vital collaboration between academia and industry, aiming to advance the scientific understanding of Arctic ecosystems, while making a tangible contribution to whale conservation in the region.”

The collaboration aims to promote global awareness and support the conservation of Arctic whale species, while gathering critical data to inform and support evidence-based management strategies. WAVE also seeks to foster academic growth in marine sciences by supporting and developing the next generation of researchers.

With increasing vessel activity being documented in the Arctic, it is crucial for academia to work alongside industry partners, policymakers, and local communities to ensure that both future and current use of this marine space takes place in a responsible and sustainable manner, the scientists say. This is particularly important given the significant changes to the habitat of Arctic whales, caused by climate driven sea ice reductions, and the need to avoid adding further pressures on these vulnerable species.

Dr McWhinnie said: “When we are working to conserve whales, we are so often on the back foot – reacting to deal with a problem that is already having a documented impact. What’s incredibly exciting about this research is that we are being more proactive, trying to make sure an impact doesn’t occur, and learning from lessons we’ve seen arise elsewhere. As a researcher this is a truly fantastic opportunity to bring about a positive change, and I’m incredibly excited to work with our partners, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, to ensure that future vessels visiting the Arctic will have a minimal impact on these incredible animals.””

An orca whale in the Denmark Strait, between Greenland and Iceland in the Arctic Ocean.

Beluga whales, which are known for their white colour, in the Bellot Strait in Nunavut, Canada

Credit

Yuri Choufour