It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Study shows some species are susceptible to broad range of viruses
A study of fruit flies shows some species are highly susceptible to a wide range of viruses.
In the study – by the University of Exeter – 35 fruit fly species were exposed to 11 different viruses of diverse types.
As expected, fly species that were less affected by a certain virus also tended to respond well to related viruses.
But the findings also show “positive correlations in susceptibility” to viruses in general. In other words, fly species that were resistant to one virus were generally resistant to others – including very different types of virus.
“Large-scale tests like this help us understand how pathogens shift to new host species, with findings broadly applicable to other animals – including humans,” said Dr Ryan Imrie, now at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.
“These flies shared a common ancestor 50 million years ago, giving them equivalent diversity to mammals, and so we are asking questions over the evolutionary distances which host shifts typically occur.
“Lots of people are trying to predict the next pandemic.
“It’s impossible to test every virus, so we need to try and understand general rules about how viruses behave in new hosts.”
Professor Ben Longdon, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, added: “Information about new viruses can partly be inferred from their relatedness to existing viruses.
“However, a small number of mutations can change that – giving new viruses very different properties than their close relatives.
“Studies like this can help reveal the fundamental processes behind this.”
Susceptibility in the study was measured by “viral load” – how much a virus had replicated and persisted two days into an infection.
Explaining why some fly species might be generally poor at resisting viruses, Dr Longdon said: “Immunity is very costly, so the highly susceptible species in our study may be ones that evolved in an environment with relatively few viruses, or species that viruses are particularly well able to hijack and successfully infect.
“We found no negative correlations (where high resistance to one virus came with low resistance to another).
“This could suggest that, as fruit fly immune systems have evolved in response to infection, they have not resulted in ‘trade-offs’ where increased resistance to one virus has decreased resistance to others.”
The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society.
The paper, published in the journal Evolution Letters, is entitled: “Positive correlations in susceptibility to a diverse panel of viruses across Drosophilidae host species.”
Positive correlations in susceptibility to a diverse panel of viruses across Drosophilidae host species
Article Publication Date
6-Feb-2025
How life's building blocks took shape on early Earth: the limits of membraneless polyester protocell formation
New research reveals polyester microdroplets, proposed as model membraneless protocells, formed under a wide range of prebiotic conditions, suggesting these molecules were more widespread than previously thought
Polyester microdroplets, possible precursors to life, were formed from alpha-hydroxy acids (αHAs) in early Earth-like conditions even at low reaction volume, low reactant concentrations, and/or high NaCl or KCl concentrations.
Credit: Associate Professor Tony Z. Jia from Institute of Science Tokyo
One leading theory on the origins of life on Earth proposes that simple chemical molecules gradually became more complex, ultimately forming protocells—primitive, non-living structures that were precursors of modern cells. A promising candidate for protocells is polyester microdroplets, which form through the simple polymerisation of alpha-hydroxy acids (αHAs), compounds believed to have accumulated on early Earth possibly formed by lightning strikes or delivered via meteorites, into protocells, followed by simple rehydration in aqueous medium. A recent study from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at Institute of Science Tokyo provides new evidence supporting the formation of polyester microdroplets under a wider range of realistic prebiotic conditions than previously thought.
Led by PhD student Mahendran Sithamparam of the Space Science Center (ANGKASA), Institute of Climate Change, National University of Malaysia as the first author and co-supervised by ELSI's Specially Appointed Associate Professor Tony Z. Jia and ANGKASA Research Scientist Kuhan Chandru, the study explored the formation of these microdroplets under conditions more reflective of early Earth. The team found that polyester microdroplets could form even in salt-rich environments, at low αHA concentrations, and in small reaction volumes. This expands on previous research, which primarily considered their formation at high concentrations or in larger bodies of water such as coastal areas of lakes or hot springs. The findings suggest instead that polyester protocells were likely more widespread than previously thought, potentially forming in confined spaces like rock pores or even in high-salt environments such as briny pools or oceanic environments.
In 2019, the research team discovered that polyester microdroplets could form through a simple dehydration process. When gently heated to 80°C, phenyllactic acid (PA), a type of αHA, transitioned into a gel-like substance that subsequently formed membraneless droplets when rehydrated. In their latest study, the researchers investigated whether these microdroplets could form under more dilute or lower volume conditions, similar to those expected on prebiotic Earth. "Earlier laboratory tests often used high initial concentrations and volumes of αHAs in the hundreds-of-millimolar or microliter range, respectively, which may not reflect the conditions on prebiotic Earth, where such conditions were unlikely; this is why we needed to push the limits of the polymerisation droplet assembly processes to see whether assembly of such protocells would have actually been viable on early Earth," explains Jia.
To simulate these more realistic conditions, the researchers reduced the concentration and volume of PA in synthesis and subsequent droplet formation studies. They found that polyesters could be synthesised and droplets could form with as little as 500 µL of 1 mM PA or 5 µL of 500 mM PA. This suggests that polyester microdroplets could have naturally emerged both in confined spaces, such as rock pores, or dilute environments, such as those following flooding or precipitation.
To further test real-world conditions, the team simulated reactions in salinities resembling those in the ancient ocean. They introduced 1M NaCl, KCl, and MgCl2 to the PA reactants, finding that polyester synthesis and microdroplet assembly could proceed in NaCl and KCl but not in MgCl2. This suggests that polyester microdroplets would have been more likely to form in water bodies with specific salt compositions, such as those high in NaCl and KCl but low in MgCl2, favourable to αHA polymerisation and subsequent polyester microdroplet assembly. "The conclusions of this study clearly show that polyester protocells were likely more common on early Earth than previously thought and also informs the next generation of laboratory studies of the system," says Chandru. "Thus, a wide range of primitive environments—including oceanic, freshwater, briny, and confined spaces like rock pores—could have ultimately supported the formation of these protocells both on Earth or elsewhere."
This research was made possible through the ELSI Visitor Program, which fosters international collaboration involving ELSI researchers; this program supported Sithamparam on two separate visits to ELSI in 2023, as well as a visit during summer 2023 to ELSI for graduate student Ming-Jing He (National Central University) to complete experiments for her master's thesis. All experiments were conducted at ELSI, and the findings are featured in the ACS Bio & Med Chem Au Special Issue, 2024 Rising Stars in Biological, Medicinal, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, of which Jia is an awardee.
Reference
Mahendran Sithamparam1, Rehana Afrin2, Navaniswaran Tharumen1, Ming-Jing He3, Chen Chen4, Ruiqin Yi5, Po-Hsiang Wang3,6, Tony Z. Jia2,7*, and Kuhan Chandru1,8,9*, Probing the Limits of Reactant Concentration and Volume in Primitive Polyphenyllactate Synthesis and Microdroplet Assembly Processes, ACS Bio & Med Chem Au, DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.4c00082
Space Science Center (ANGKASA), Institute of Climate Change, National University of Malaysia, Selangor 43650, Malaysia
Earth-Life Science Institute, Institute of Future Science, Institute of Science Tokyo, 2-12-1-IE-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Rd., Zhongli District, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Biofunctional Catalyst Research Team, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), 2-1 Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry and CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Graduate Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Central University, No. 300, Zhongda Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City 320, Taiwan
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, 600 first Ave, Floor 1, Seattle, Washington 98104, United States
Polymer Research Center (PORCE), Faculty of Science and Technology, National University of Malaysia, Selangor 43600 Malaysia
Institute of Physical Chemistry, CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45141 Essen, Germany
More information
Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) was established on October 1, 2024, following the merger between Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), with the mission of "Advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society."
The Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) is one of Japan's ambitious World Premiere International research centers, whose aim is to achieve progress in broadly inter-disciplinary scientific areas by inspiring the world's greatest minds to come to Japan and collaborate on the most challenging scientific problems. ELSI's primary aim is to address the origin and co-evolution of the Earth and life.
The World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Polyester gels are typically synthesised in test tubes through simple heating of alpha-hydroxy acids (αHAs); these gels are then rehydrated in aqueous media to generate microdroplets.
Credit
Associate Professor Tony Z. Jia from Institute of Science Tokyo
Could 2025 be the year marine protection efforts get a “glow up”? According to a team of conservation-minded researchers, including Octavio Aburto of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the moment has arrived.
In a new study published Feb. 6 in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, Aburto and a multinational team of marine scientists and economists unveil a comprehensive framework for Marine Prosperity Areas, or MPpAs. With a focus on prosperity—the condition of being successful or thriving—this science-informed effort aligns human well-being with the restoration of designated marine and coastal environments.
Marine Prosperity Areas mark a more holistic approach to marine conservation, with a framework that seeks to use targeted financial investments to enhance human prosperity during periods of active ecological restoration. To fully realize the vision for Marine Prosperity Areas, the study authors are calling on governments, non-governmental organizations, and local stakeholders to champion MPpAs as a cornerstone of global conservation efforts, committing to the investments and partnerships necessary to build a sustainable future.
“Conservation often demands sacrifices today for benefits decades in the future—an unrealistic expectation for communities facing immediate socio-economic pressures,” said Aburto, lead author of the study and professor of marine biology at Scripps Oceanography. “Our model for Marine Prosperity Areas addresses this challenge, outlining how human prosperity can be improved while we wait for ecological recovery. By strategically aligning recovery efforts, it is possible for both people and ecosystems to thrive.”
If implemented, Marine Prosperity Areas have the power to be a leading tool for achieving global conservation targets, said the authors. This includes the "30 by 30" target set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, an international commitment to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
The new framework builds upon several decades of research on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), fisheries, and coastal habitats in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, and throughout the Gulf of California—one of the world’s most important marine hotspots. The authors recognized the need to transform the existing model for implementing marine protections because, despite decades of efforts, there has been no unifying framework. The new model employs strategic financial investments and tailored community partnerships to align the realms of ecological conservation, economic growth, environmental responsibility, and social policy—ultimately benefiting both people and the planet.
For example, in marine areas with great natural beauty, seed funding could promote ecotourism by supporting community-based diving or snorkeling enterprises. In other areas, small grants could help locals establish sustainable aquaculture initiatives or fund technological efforts to create artificial reefs for environmental restoration. Overall, the focus is on nurturing opportunities for community members to diversify their livelihoods, sustainably manage natural resources, and drive economic growth.
“The concept of Marine Prosperity Areas can help us to bridge the gap between environmental and social outcomes,” said study co-author Alfredo Giron, a Scripps Oceanography alumnus now serving as head of the World Economic Forum's Ocean Action Agenda and Friends of Ocean Action. “It gives us the opportunity to understand that nature and people are inextricably linked and as such, a marine management plan has to pursue outcomes for both.”
The authors identified three distinct phases—called “Pillars on Intervention”—that characterize the establishment of a Marine Prosperity Area:
Community Engagement and Co-Design: The primary focus is to mobilize the community and actively engage all relevant stakeholders in collaboratively defining prosperity and envisioning pathways to achieve it. This phase prioritizes the co-design of sustainable strategies for using marine resources and aligns with the aspirations of the local community, fostering a sense of inclusion.
Capacity Building, Governance, and Infrastructure:The goal of this stage is to establish the essential building blocks for the Marine Prosperity Area. This includes investing in community capacity to design and implement the MPpA, developing a governance system with legal and statutory frameworks to oversee it, integrating conflict resolution mechanisms, and creating the infrastructure for enforcement.
Monitoring, Enforcement, and Co-Management: This stage forms the basis for the implementation of a collaborative and adaptive management framework. Effective enforcement and monitoring activities are integral, providing scientific data to continuously inform management decisions, and allowing stakeholders to enhance all dimensions of prosperity.
The prosperity-centric framework is an ambitious plan with a long-term vision, said the authors. It leverages a suite of “tried-and-true” community-based intervention and investment strategies to strengthen and expand access to environmental science, social goods and services, and the financial perks of the blue economy.
“This concept offers a roadmap for inclusive and impactful conservation, where both communities and nature can thrive, provided that investment and proactive participation are prioritized,” said study co-author Catalina Lopez, director of the Gulf of California Marine Program, Institute of the Americas.
The authors looked to several marine protection case studies as a guiding light, such as the establishment of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park in 1995. Located in Baja California Sur, Mexico, this small “no-take” marine reserve was once depleted by decades of overfishing and pollution. A collaborative conservation effort led by scientists, the Mexican government, and the Cabo Pulmo community—including local fishermen—has allowed local fish populations to replenish and recover, benefiting both the ocean environment and the economy.
In addition to Cabo Pulmo, marine protection successes in Mexico’s La Paz and Santa Maria Bay helped shape the design of the new framework. All three efforts benefited from strong community involvement and sustainable funding, with seed money or small grants being essential to their success.
Not all marine protection efforts have been as successful, though. In some cases, the community was not able to be fully on board due to financial challenges as they awaited the long road to ecosystem recovery. The new framework seeks to remedy this challenge by proactively funding efforts to support human prosperity, rather than passively relying on ecosystem recovery to catalyze social change and economic growth.
It also seeks to accommodate the interests and needs of a wide range of stakeholders, including economic sectors dependent on extractive and non-extractive uses of the marine environment, as well as Indigenous peoples, local communities and other underserved groups.
“One of the greatest challenges in its successful implementation will be ensuring sustained support for this vision throughout all stages,” said study co-author Valentina Platzgummer, coordinator of the Conservation Leadership Program and researcher at the Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación, A.C. “It will be crucial to maintain a long-term commitment from all stakeholders, both in terms of funds and support, to navigate the complexities and ensure the framework's goals are achieved.”
The authors emphasized that there’s already a “strong desire” from many individuals and organizations to contribute to and support initiatives like Marine Prosperity Areas. This collective sense of partnership will be crucial to the long-term success of any conservation effort.
“This eagerness to collaborate is essential and I am confident that with organized and focused efforts, we can achieve the systemic change needed to protect and sustain our oceans,” said study co-author Rocío Abud Mirabent, director of Fundación Coppel, an organization that works with partners to improve the lives of people in Mexico.
As a whole, the proposed Marine Prosperity Area framework offers a hopeful vision where thriving ecosystems and prosperous communities can co-exist, restoring the bond between people and the sea. The framework is also highly adaptable, said the authors, making it well-suited for global implementation.
“This vision is not only achievable but essential for our collective well-being in the face of growing environmental and social challenges,” they wrote.
Additional co-authors of the study are Erica Ferrer of UC Santa Cruz, América Ávalos Galindo and Claudia Núñez Sañudo of Fundación Coppel in Mexico, Fabio Favoretto of Scripps Oceanography, Isabel Mendoza Camacho of SUCEDE Sociedad en Acción Sinaloa in Mexico, Marisol Plascencia de La Cruz of Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación in Mexico, and Alejandro Robles of NOS Noroeste Sustentable in Mexico.
Funding for individual research team members came from the Mary Jameson Foundation, the Baum Foundation, the UC Santa Cruz Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship program, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Researchers reveal polarized global landscape and 'systematically neglected' SDG targets affecting nations' trajectories toward sustainable development, while leaving behind hundreds of millions of people.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) constitute the leading global framework for achieving human progress, economic prosperity, and planetary health.
This framework emphasizes issues such as public health, education for all, gender equality, zero hunger, adoption of clean and renewable energy, and biodiversity conservation. Yet, despite this comprehensive agenda, questions remain about how different nations navigate their own paths toward these goals.
A recent study, published in Nature Communications provides insights into the trajectories of 166 countries as they have worked toward the SDGs over the past two decades.
By applying network analysis and the Product Space methodology, commonly used in the field of complexity economics, the researchers constructed the "SDG Space of Nations". The elaborate model shows that countries do not simply march in lockstep toward sustainable development; instead, they cluster into distinctive groups, each with its own strengths and specializations, sometimes quite unexpected.
These clusters bring to light both the immense complexity and the subtle regularities that characterize the global pursuit of the SDGs.
The data also suggest that national priorities shift over time; as the overall socioeconomic condition improves, countries change course and pursue different objectives, reflecting evolving policy priorities and development goals.
"We sought to understand the distinct pathways, patterns, and preferences nations have followed in pursuing sustainable development", says Dr Asaf Tzachor from Reichman University's School of Sustainability, one of the study's leading authors, "in the process, we found shifting national priorities over the past 20 years, as well as areas of chronic neglect, where action is urgently needed. Using network analysis, we further identified each country's comparative advantages and disadvantages across the main pillars of sustainable development".
One significant finding of this research is the presence of "orphaned" SDG indicators — those that remain neglected by certain groups of countries. These gaps, primarily related to environmental quality, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, or the impacts of malnutrition, represent urgent areas where targeted action is needed.
For instance, nations like Ethiopia and India need to focus on basic sanitation and biodiversity, respectively. Meanwhile, countries like China and the United States face challenges related to greenhouse gas emissions, and malnutrition (especially, overnutrition).
By examining each country's comparative advantages and disadvantages through the lens of network analysis, the study provides a detailed understanding of what holds countries back and where they might redouble their efforts to achieve balanced, inclusive progress.
"Understanding these disparities is crucial for country and global progress", say Dr Tzachor. "By identifying where countries are underperforming, we can tailor development policies to address these gaps effectively."
The study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive review of the SDG framework as the 2030 deadline approaches. It calls for international cooperation to ensure that no area – and no community – is left behind in the pursuit of sustainable development.
About the Study
The research was conducted by an international team of experts in sustainable development. It provides a high-resolution tool to understand and evaluate the progress and disparities of countries toward achieving the SDGs.
