Bangladesh methane gas plumes cause alarm, as country found to be major emitter

Satellites have detected some of the highest methane emissions in the world in Bangladesh, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change

While the source is unclear, the methane is likely to originate from a combination of rice paddy fields, landfills, leaky natural gas pipelines and coal stockpiles

Bloomberg
Published: 8 Apr, 2021

Bangladeshi children sit on garbage piled up by the river Buriganga in Dhaka. Methane from landfill sites and other sources in Bangladesh is drawing the attention of scientists, as the country’s low elevation and high population density make it vulnerable to extreme weather events and rising oceans. Photo: AP

One of the countries most vulnerable to climate change has also been revealed as a major contributor of methane, a greenhouse gas that is about 80 times more potent in its first two decades in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

The 12 highest methane emission rates detected this year by Kayrros SAS have occurred over Bangladesh, according to the Paris-based company, one of several that specialise in analysing satellite observations to locate leaks. “It has the strongest sustained emissions we’ve seen to date where we can’t clearly identify the source,” said Stephane Germain, president of GHGSat Inc, which also picked up the plumes.

Bluefield Technologies, which analysed European Space Agency data to identify a large methane plume in Florida in May, also detected the concentrations over Bangladesh. “Our analysis shows that Bangladesh has some of the highest methane emissions in the world that can be detected by satellites,” said Yotam Ariel, the company’s founder.

Scientists are just beginning to pinpoint the biggest sources of methane. Observations from space can be seasonal due to cloud cover, precipitation and varying light intensity. Satellites can also have difficulty tracking offshore emissions and releases in higher latitudes such as the Arctic, where Russia has extensive oil and gas operations. Because of these limitations existing data is not yet globally comprehensive.



But the emissions over Bangladesh are drawing attention. Its low elevation and high population density make it particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and rising oceans. The country chairs the Climate Vulnerable Forum, whose 48 members represent 1.2 billion people most threatened by climate change.

“We’re aware of the problems,” said Bangladesh’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin. The bulk of the methane likely came from rice paddies, he said. When farmers flood their fields, bacteria in the waterlogged soil can produce large quantities of the gas.

“The other source is the landfill gas,” Uddin said, released when garbage breaks down. “We’re working to take mitigation measures.”

Domesticated livestock, leaks from the oil and gas industry, landfills and coal mining are just some of the human activities that result in methane emissions, according to the Global Methane Initiative. At least a quarter of today’s global warming is caused by man-made methane emissions, the Environmental Defense Fund estimates.

Methane concentrations in Bangladesh likely originate from a combination of sources including paddy fields, landfills, leaky natural gas pipelines and coal stockpiles, according to Kayrros. The company uses data from the ESA’s Sentinel-5P and Sentinel-2 satellites. It ran a dispersion simulation that takes into account atmospheric conditions such as wind, that can move methane plumes away from their source.

Nearly one-third of Bangladesh under water as monsoon floods affect millions of people

Methane is a particular concern for those working to slow the pace of climate change. The gas is odourless and colourless, making leaks extremely difficult to detect. Halting accidental emissions from energy infrastructure is some of the lowest-hanging fruit because companies stand to benefit from cleaning up operations. They are losing a product that could have been sold and risk reputational damage as investors such as BlackRock demand higher standards.


“The methane concentrations we see over Bangladesh are a signal and deserve more study,” said Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the EDF, which plans to launch its own satellite to track methane emissions next year. “It will require more work to make reliable quantitative estimates of emissions and determine sources.”

Deadly heatwaves will become more common in South Asia due to climate change
26 Mar 2021



The ability to attribute leaks to individual operators is getting closer as more satellites are launched that offer greater precision and more frequent coverage. GHGSat in February said it tracked methane leaks from at least eight natural gas pipelines and unlit flares in Central Turkmenistan that released as much as 10,000kg per hour.

EDF’s PermianMap project, which combines data from satellites and other ground-based observations to attribute and aggregate emissions by operator in one of the world’s most active fossil fuel basins, is a sign of the transparency to come.

“The ability to attribute methane emissions at an asset level is here now,” said GHGSat’s Germain. “The challenge is to increase the frequency of the observations with more satellites.”

BILL NELSON SOUNDTRACK FOR JEAN COCTEAU'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

 

 Alien raindrops surprisingly like rain on Earth

AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION

Research News

 

IMAGE: AN INFOGRAPHIC COMPARING THE PROJECTED SIZE OF RAINDROPS ON DIFFERENT PLANETS. PLEASE NOTE TITAN AND PRESENT-DAY MARS ARE TOO COLD FOR LIQUID WATER RAINDROPS. view more 

CREDIT: IMAGE CREDIT: AGU

WASHINGTON--Raindrops on other planets and moons are close to the size of raindrops on Earth despite having different chemical compositions and falling through vastly different atmospheres, a new study finds. The results suggest raindrops falling from clouds are surprisingly similar across a wide range of planetary conditions, which could help scientists better understand the climates and precipitation cycles of other worlds, according to the researchers.

Raindrops on Earth are made of water, but other worlds in our solar system have precipitation made of more unusual stuff. On Venus, it rains sulfuric acid; on Jupiter, it rains helium and mushy ammonia hailstones. On Mars, it snows carbon dioxide, or dry ice. On Saturn's moon Titan, it rains methane, or liquified natural gas. And on Neptune, scientists suspect it rains pure carbon in the form of diamonds. It could even rain iron or quartz on some planets if the conditions were right.

A new study looking at the physics of how liquid droplets behave while they fall from clouds finds only droplets in clouds within a limited size range - between about a tenth of a millimeter to several millimeters in radius - can reach the surface of rocky planets as rain. This is a fairly narrow size range, given that raindrops increase about a million times in volume during their formation inside a cloud.

The results also show the maximum size of liquid droplets that fall as rain is similar across varying planetary conditions. Different types of liquid droplets would max out around half to six times the size of water rain on Earth, depending on the strength of the planet's gravitational pull (the stronger the gravitational pull, the smaller the raindrop). Find an infographic comparing the size of raindrops on Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Titan here.

"There's a fairly small range of stable sizes that these different composition raindrops can have; they're all fundamentally limited to be around the same maximum size," said Kaitlyn Loftus, a planetary scientist at Harvard University and lead author of the new study in AGU's Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, which publishes research on the formation and evolution of the planets, moons and objects of our solar system and beyond.

Rain on other worlds

In the new study, Loftus and colleague Robin Wordsworth used math and physics principles to model how liquid water droplets fall through planetary atmospheres. They wanted to determine the possible size ranges for droplets falling from a cloud to a planetary surface. Raindrops that are too big break up into smaller ones, while raindrops that are too small evaporate before they hit the ground.

They first determined the possible size ranges for water raindrops on rocky planets like Earth and Mars, given atmospheric conditions like temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, distance from the cloud to the ground and the strength of the planet's gravitational pull.

They found raindrops with a radius smaller than about a tenth of a millimeter evaporate before they ever reach the surface, and raindrops larger than several millimeters in radius break up into smaller droplets as they fall.

They then looked at how water raindrops would fall on much bigger planets like Jupiter and Saturn that have vastly different atmospheres. Comparing modern Earth, ancient Mars and these bigger planets, they found raindrops move water through air similarly, even though what constitutes "air" varies widely among the planets.

Even when different liquids make up raindrops, these alien raindrops are not so different from familiar water raindrops, according to the researchers' calculations. For example, the largest methane raindrops on Titan would be about twice the size of water rain on Earth. Loftus isn't certain why the maximum raindrop size is so uniform, but she suspects it may be due to how a droplet's surface tension relates to its density.

The findings will help scientists better simulate the conditions on other planets, as precipitation is a key component in a planet's climate and nutrient cycles, Loftus said. Modeling what precipitation might look like on a distant world could also help researchers interpret observations of exoplanetary atmospheres made by space telescopes, said Tristan Guillot, a planetary scientist at the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur in Nice, France, who was not connected to the new study.

"Now with instruments like [the James Webb Space Telescope], which hopefully will soon be launched, we will have the capability to detect really fine spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres, including ones that are quite cooler than ones we're usually able to characterize, in which clouds and rain will occur," Guillot said. "So these kinds of tools as they are developed will be very useful and important to interpret those spectra."

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AGU (http://www.agu.org) supports 130,000 enthusiasts to experts worldwide in Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, we advance discovery and solution science that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, unbiased and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C. and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.

Notes for Journalists

This research study will be freely available for 30 days. Download a PDF copy of the paper here. Neither the paper nor this press release is under embargo.

Download multimedia accompanying this release from AGU's newsroom.

Paper title: "The physics of falling raindrops in diverse planetary atmospheres"

Authors:

• Kaitlyn Loftus, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Robin D. Wordsworth, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Exploring comet thermal history: 

Burnt-out comet covered with talcum powder

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF NATURAL SCIENCES

Research News

 

IMAGE: BY OBSERVING A COMET IN THERMAL INFRARED WAVELENGTHS, THE SAME WAVELENGTHS USED BY NONCONTACT THERMOMETERS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE NOT ONLY ITS CURRENT TEMPERATURE, BUT ALSO THE SURFACE COMPOSITION... view more 

CREDIT: KYOTO SANGYO UNIVERSITY

The world's first ground-based observations of the bare nucleus of a comet nearing the end of its active life revealed that the nucleus has a diameter of 800 meters and is covered with large grains of phyllosilicate; on Earth large grains of phyllosilicate are commonly available as talcum powder. This discovery provides clues to piece together the history of how this comet evolved into its current burnt-out state.

Comet nuclei are difficult to observe because when they enter the inner Solar System, where they are easy to observe from Earth, they heat up and release gas and dust which form a coma obscuring the nuclei. When Comet P/2016 BA14 (PANSTARRS) was discovered in January 2016 it was first mistaken for an asteroid, but subsequent observations revealed weak cometary activity. It is believed that after many trips through the inner Solar System, this comet has burnt off almost all of its ice and is now nearing the end of its cometary life.

On March 22, 2016, this comet passed within 3.6 million kilometers of Earth, only 9 times farther than the Moon. A team of astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) and Koyama Astronomical Observatory of Kyoto Sangyo University used this unique opportunity to observe the comet with the Subaru Telescope about 30 hours before its closest approach to Earth. They successfully observed the nucleus with minimal interference from dust grains in the coma. Previously, the surface composition of a cometary nucleus has only been observed by a few "in-situ" observations by space missions.

Because the team observed thermal infrared radiation, the same region of the infrared used by contactless thermometers, they were able to find evidence that the nucleus is 800 meters in diameter and covered with organic molecules and large grains of phyllosilicate. This is the first time hydrous silicate minerals such as talc have been found in a comet. Comparison with laboratory measurements of various minerals revealed that the hydrous silicate minerals on the surface of P/2016 BA14 have been heated to more than about 330 degrees Celsius in the past. Since the surface temperature of P/2016 BA14 cannot reach higher than about 130 degrees Celsius in its current orbit, the comet may have been in an orbit closer to the Sun in the past.

The next question is whether comets are covered with talcum powder from the start or if it develops over time as they burn out. "This result provides us a precious clue to study the evolution of comets." comments Dr. Takafumi Ootsubo, the lead author of this research, "We believe that further observations of the comet nuclei will enable us to learn more about the evolution of comets."

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The target of this research, P/2016 BA14, is a potential backup target for the Comet Interceptor mission, a comet exploration mission being carried out by the ESA and JAXA.

Are you using antihistamines properly?

Antihistamines can be helpful during spring allergy season and as COVID vaccines roll out, for which rashes are common

MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

Research News

 

IMAGE: DEREK CHU, CLINICAL SCHOLAR, MEDICINE view more 

CREDIT: MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

Hamilton, ON (April 6, 2021) - If you are one of the millions of people worldwide suffering from allergies, you may take an antihistamine pill to ward off hives, sneezing and watery eyes.

But you may be taking your medications incorrectly, says Derek Chu, a McMaster University allergy expert and clinical scholar.

"People need to rethink what they stock in their home cabinets as allergy medicines, what hospitals keep on formulary, and what policymakers recommend. The message needs to get out. This publication is on time for the spring allergy season and as COVID vaccines roll out, for which rashes are common and antihistamines can be helpful," said Chu.

Co-author Gordon Sussman, professor of medicine at University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine, agrees.

"There are new modern second generation antihistamines that are potent, specific, fast acting and of proven safety which everyone should be using to treat allergic rhinitis and hives," he said.

This team's study is published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), and list five facts to know:

1. Antihistamines are among the most commonly and incorrectly used medicines worldwide.
Antihistamines are best used to relieve symptoms of hay fever and outbreaks of hives, but not for asthma, eczema, coughs or insomnia.

2. First-generation antihistamines are associated with substantial and sometimes fatal side effects.
Antihistamines with diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine or hydroxyzine are first-generation antihistamines that can cause drowsiness and affect cognitive functions such as school performance. Overdosing can cause death and they are potentially dangerous for both young and older people.

3. Newer antihistamines are safer, as affordable and as effective as first-generation antihistamines.
Later-generation antihistamines are proven to be more effective and last longer with less side-effects like drowsiness.

4. Antihistamines should not be used instead of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis.
Oral drugs can be used together with epinephrine injections to treat anaphylactic reactions, but they are not a substitute.

5. Most antihistamines are safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Medical research has shown that antihistamines at standard doses do not harm fetuses during pregnancy and may be used during breastfeeding. They are also safe for children to use.

###

No external funding was received for this CMAJ article.

Editors: The paper is available post-embargo at http://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201959

New wasp species discovered in Norway

A brand new species of parasitic cuckoo wasp was discovered based on its clever use of pheromones

NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Research News

 

IMAGE: THERE ARE A TOTAL OF OVER 2,500 DESCRIBED GOLDEN WASP SPECIES, WITH 40 RECORDED IN NORWAY. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: ARNSTEIN STAVERLØKK, NINA, CC BY3.

Cuckoo wasps - also called emerald wasps - are some of the most beautiful insects we have, with colourful exteriors that shine like jewels. However, these beauties have also created a lot of headaches.

"Normally we distinguish insects from each other by their appearance, but cuckoo wasps are so similar to each other that it makes it difficult," says Frode Ødegaard.

Ødegaard is an insect researcher at the NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) University Museum and belongs to the European research group that has now described thia recent contribution to species diversity. The new species is very rare, and is only a single specimen has been found on the Lista peninsula in Agder county in Norway.

For more than 200 years, insect researchers have struggled to sort cuckoo wasps into the right "species boxes," and to determine which characteristics are variations within a species and which are species-specific differences.

In the last 10 years, DNA barcoding has brought about a major breakthrough by making it possible to distinguish different species of cuckoo wasps from each other by looking at the differences in their genetic material.

"But it's not always that easy, either. In this case, we had two cuckoo wasps with microscopic differences in appearance and very small differences in DNA," Ødegaard says.

"The next step was to look at the language of each of the wasps to find out if they belonged to different species," he says.

Insects communicate with each other through pheromones - in other words, they have a chemical language. Very closely related species often have completely different languages to prevent them from interbreeding.

The cuckoo wasp is an insect with above-average linguistic abilities. They are parasites, which means that they behave like cuckoos and lay their eggs in the nests of other bees and wasps. The larvae grow quickly and hatch before the host's eggs. Then they eat the eggs, the larvae and the food supply that the host has arranged in the nest.

"When you live as a parasite, it's important not to be discovered, and therefore the cuckoo wasp has also learned the language of its host," says Ødegaard.

By conducting an ever-so-small language study, the researchers were able to discover that the two almost identical cuckoo wasps did indeed belong to different species. They use different hosts - and that means that they also speak completely different languages.

"The evolutionary development associated with sponging off another species happens very fast. That's why you can have two species that are really similar genetically but still belong to different species," says Ødegaard.

When a new species is described it has to be given a name, and Frode Ødegaard had the good fortune to receive the honour of naming the newcomer.

"A naming competition was announced among researchers in Europe who work with cuckoo wasps, and then the proposals that came in were voted on. It turned out my proposal actually got the most votes!" Ødegaard says.

"As mentioned, the new wasp is very similar to another species called Chrysis brevitarsis, so the new species was named Chrysis parabrevitarsis, which means 'the one standing next to brevitarsis'."

Ødegaard was also responsible for giving the species its slightly simpler Norwegian name of sporegullveps. He makes no secret of the fact that he found it great to be able to name a new species.

"In a way, you place yourself in the perspective of eternity, because that species will always have that name. There's something very fundamental about it."

The only known specimen of this cuckoo wasp has been captured and pinned in an insect collection. So it may seem both morally reprehensible and unnecessary that this one lone individual was stuck onto a needle.

"Even with today's advanced methods, using live animals for studies like this isn't possible, but collecting individual specimens fortunately has no impact on the population," Ødegaard says.

"The insects have enormous reproductive potential, and the size and quality of the habitats are what determine the viability of the population, not whether any specimens are eaten by birds or collected by an insect researcher."

He adds that the collected insects are absolutely crucial for researchers to be able to map and describe their diversity and thus take care of viable populations for posterity.

###

You can read more about how Frode combines his role of mass murderer and conservation biologist in his blog (in Norwegian): http://www.beetlebee.me/

Reference: Frode Ødegaard et al: Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profile Analyses Help Clarify the Species Identity of Dry-Mounted Cuckoo Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae), Including Type Material, and Reveal Evidence for a Cryptic Species Insect Systematics and Diversity, Volume 5, Issue 1, January 2021, 3, https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixab002

Careful fieldwork pays off (IMAGE)

CAPTION

When a new species is described, it has to be given a name, and Frode Ødegaard (pictured) was lucky enough to name the new wasp species.

CREDIT

Photo: Jake Bryant

Rising Sika deer populations linked to bovine TB infections

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN

Research News

 

IMAGE: NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS IRELAND'S INCREASING POPULATIONS OF SIKA DEER MAY BE LINKED TO LOCAL OUTBREAKS OF TB INFECTION IN CATTLE. ALTHOUGH TB INFECTION RATES HAVE DECREASED IN GENERAL IN RECENT... view more 

CREDIT: BENJAMIN LECOMTE

New research suggests Ireland's increasing populations of Sika deer may be linked to local outbreaks of TB infection in cattle.

Although TB infection rates have decreased in general in recent decades, county-level data shows a correlation between higher Sika numbers and higher local TB infections - with County Wicklow a particular hotspot.

The research, conducted by researchers from Trinity College Dublin and the National Parks and Wildlife Service and supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has major implications for controlling TB. It has just been published in the journal, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

First author of the journal article, Dr David Kelly, from Trinity's School of Natural Sciences, said:

"Irish farmers have been aware of the effects of bovine TB for well over 70 years. Its incidence has steadily diminished in Ireland, from 3% in 1960 to 0.3% some 50 years later. In the mid-1980s it became clear European badgers were a TB wildlife host. Since then, badger populations have been controlled around farms with TB outbreaks whenever those outbreaks cannot be linked to cattle.

In recent years, however, it has become clear that controlling TB in badger populations cannot rely on culling alone. Along with this change in thinking, there has been a steady shift away from culling and towards badger vaccination. Unfortunately, while the management of one TB wildlife host has made great advances, another wildlife TB host has appeared on the radar: deer."

The number of deer in Ireland has been rising steadily during the 21st century, and studies in Europe and the USA have shown that deer, at higher densities, can sustain TB in their herds. Indeed, recent research has identified Sika deer in County Wicklow as one such maintenance host of TB.

The researchers behind the current study used county-level population densities (taken between 2000 and 2018) to track the three known maintenance hosts of TB in Ireland: cattle, badgers, and Sika deer.

They then considered how variations in local densities compared with the variation in bovine TB infection across the country (and also at county-level).

Dr Kelly said:

"Our analyses show that while there have been general reductions in TB infection, there is a correlation between increasing Sika deer density and higher local TB infection. This pattern has emerged in recent years and has major implications for TB control within Ireland.

"Now, when attempting to manage TB in wildlife, Sika deer will need to be considered as well as badgers. Our analyses suggest Sika deer are currently of greatest concern in County Wicklow but if numbers continue to rise in other counties they may also pose problems elsewhere."

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LSU Health New Orleans study discovers source of Zika neurodevelopmental defects

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

Research News

 

New Orleans, LA - A study led by Edward Wojcik, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, identified how microcephaly (abnormally small heads) and blindness may develop in Zika-infected fetuses, as well as a new way to potentially prevent these neurodevelopmental defects. The results are published online in iScience, available here.

The mechanism by which Zika virus disrupts neuronal development and results in congenital Zika syndrome was unknown. Because of similarities between Zika syndrome and a recognized congenital genetic disease (Kinesin-5) known to cause microcephaly and retinopathies in developing infants, the research team studied both, looking for similarities. They discovered a direct link, the first molecular and cellular evidence supporting a direct connection between the two.

"We had a hunch that the microcephaly and blindness that results from Kinesin-5 genetic disease could be linked to Zika infection, and the hunch paid off," notes Dr. Wojcik. "Our experiments identify a molecular motor as a target for degradation by an encoded Zika virus protein (Zika protease). The molecular motor is Kinesin-5, and it is required for cell division in humans. Our data identify Kinesin-5 as a target for the virus and links the infection to microcephaly."

The researchers observed that Zika protease cuts Kinesin-5 during cell division, disrupting the process and causing a loss of function. They also suggest a way to prevent it.

The Zika protease can degrade only a target protein it can reach. Since the protease is part of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, only target proteins that come in direct contact with the ER can be degraded. In this way, the protease acts in a spatially restricted manner in the cell; target proteins are degraded only in certain regions of the cell volume and not in others. So, the research team proposes a drug that would affect only the Zika protease instead of drugs that would affect all target proteins in a cell.

"We predict and hope that potential drugs that inhibit Zika protease may be effective in preventing microcephaly and blindness from developing within Zika-infected fetuses," Dr. Wojcik concludes.

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The LSU Health New Orleans research team also included Liqiong Liu, Micquel Downs, and Jesse Guidry.

The research was supported by funds from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health and LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's flagship health sciences university, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine with branch campuses in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research in a number of areas in a worldwide arena, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO, or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system

Competing for high status speeds up aging in male baboons

Study suggests that high social status contributes to accelerated aging in baboons, despite its other advantages

ELIFE

Research News

 

IMAGE: MALE BABOONS IN AMBOSELI NATIONAL PARK, KENYA, ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL COMPETITION FOR HIGH RANK, DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL COSTS OF ATTAINING HIGH STATUS view more 

CREDIT: BETH ARCHIE (CC BY 4.0)

Battling other male baboons to achieve high social status comes with physiological costs that accelerate aging, according to study published today in eLife.

The findings suggest that current life circumstances may be more important contributors to premature aging than early life hardship, at least in baboons.

Chemical changes to DNA, also called epigenetic changes, can be used as a kind of 'clock' to measure aging. While these epigenetic changes usually correspond with age, they can also be used to detect signs of premature aging.

"Environmental stressors can make the clock tick faster, so that some individuals appear biologically older than their actual age and experience a higher risk of age-related disease," explains co-first author Jordan Anderson, a PhD student in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, US. "We sought to answer what social or early life experiences contribute to accelerated aging in baboons."

The team measured aging in 245 wild baboons from a well-studied population in Kenya using the epigenetic clock and other methods. They found that the epigenetic clock was a good predictor of chronological age overall. But contrary to what they expected, early life adversity was not a good predictor of accelerated aging in the animals.

Instead, they found that the highest-ranking males showed signs of accelerated aging. Higher body mass index, which is associated with having more lean muscle mass in baboons, was also associated with accelerated aging, likely because of the physical demands of maintaining high status. The team was also able to show that the epigenetic clock sped up as the animals climbed the social ladder and slowed down as they moved down it.

"Our results argue that achieving high rank for male baboons - the best predictor of reproductive success in these animals - imposes costs that are consistent with a 'live fast, die young,' life history strategy," says co-first author Rachel Johnston, Postdoctoral Associate in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University.

"While the findings reveal how social pressures can influence aging for males, we don't see the same effect of rank in female baboons, who are born into their social rank rather than having to fight for it," adds senior author Jenny Tung, Associate Professor in the Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology and Biology at Duke University, and a Faculty Associate of the Duke University Population Research Institute.

"Our results have important implications for research on the social determinants of health in humans and other animals because they show that 'high status' can mean very different things in different contexts. They also highlight the importance of examining the effects of both early life and current life environments on biological aging," Tung concludes.

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This study will be published as part of 'Evolutionary Medicine: A Special Issue' from eLife. For more information, visit https://elifesciences.org/inside-elife/bb34a238/special-issue-call-for-papers-in-evolutionary-medicine.

About eLife

eLife is a non-profit organisation created by funders and led by researchers. Our mission is to accelerate discovery by operating a platform for research communication that encourages and recognises the most responsible behaviours. We aim to publish work of the highest standards and importance in all areas of biology and medicine, including Evolutionary Biology, and Genetics and Genomics, while exploring creative new ways to improve how research is assessed and published. eLife receives financial support and strategic guidance from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Max Planck Society and Wellcome. Learn more at https://elifesciences.org/about.

To read the latest Evolutionary Biology research published in eLife, visit https://elifesciences.org/subjects/evolutionary-biology.

And for the latest in Genetics and Genomics, see https://elifesciences.org/subjects/genetics-genomics.

CAPTION

Teeth-baring, glaring confrontations are a normal part of being the boss male baboon. A new study shows that the guys at the top will age faster as a result of constantly having to defend their higher status.

CREDIT

Courtney L. Fitzpatrick

Being top baboon costs males their longevity

Struggle for dominance leaves a mark on genes and speeds up aging

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Research News

IMAGE: MALE BABOONS MAINTAIN THEIR PECKING ORDER IN THE TROOP WITH PHYSICAL DISPLAYS OF AGGRESSION. A NEW STUDY SHOWS THAT THE GUYS AT THE TOP WILL AGE FASTER AS A RESULT... view more 

CREDIT: ELIZABETH ARCHIE

DURHAM, N.C. -- Some guys have it all: the muscle, the power, the high social status, the accelerated aging.

But wait. Faster aging? Who wants that? For male baboons, it's the price they pay to be at the top.

New research appearing April 6 in eLife by Jenny Tung, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology and biology at Duke University, and her colleagues shows that male baboons that climb the social ladder age faster than males with lower social standing. If a male drops in social status, his estimated rate of aging drops as well.

Using blood samples from 245 wild baboons in the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya, the team analyzed chemical modifications to DNA known as DNA methylation marks.

"These marks change with age in a clock-like fashion," Tung said. "However, environmental stressors can make the clock tick faster." This would make an individual appear older than they really are, and, research in humans suggests, can put them at a higher risk of aging-related disease.

Since this cohort of baboons is one of the most intensively studied wild mammal populations in the world, the researchers already knew not only each baboon's age, but also the environment in which they grew up, their exposure to early life adversity, and a great deal about their adult environment, especially the aspects that predict how long they live and how many offspring they leave behind.

"We used DNA methylation to compare the baboons known ages to their 'biological ages,'" said Jordan Anderson, a graduate student in the Tung lab who co-led the work. These methylation markers are found across the genome, so the team first needed to measure a large number of these sites - about 400,000 of them - and then, through statistical methods and models, whittle the number of sites down to about 500 that best predicted age.

Interestingly, for males, early life adversity didn't affect how fast their biological clocks tick.

Adult social status was the strongest factor that affected aging. "Male baboons who compete successfully for high social status appear to age faster," Tung said. "We repeatedly sampled some of these males and were able to show that the clock can speed up or slow down as males move up or down the social ladder."

This is contrary to what we see in humans. Typically, high social status in humans predicts better health, not worse. The most wealthy and powerful humans have access to and can afford the best houses, schools, healthcare and more. Those who live in poverty and have lower socioeconomic status are at increased risk and have higher rates of disease, cancer and all-cause mortality.

Male baboons, though, have to fight for their social status. Because of this, it's common to see male-male competition on a regular basis, where baboon observers can see a clear winner and a clear loser.

To maintain their social status, males at the top regularly have to hold their ground and defend themselves physically. Because of this, male baboons at the top tend to have more muscle mass and better body condition than lower ranking baboons. But as their physicality starts to diminish with age, a new, younger, stronger male may overcome them for the top spot.

High ranking males also spend a lot of time mate-guarding females. Around ovulation, they follow females closely and ward off other males. Mate-guarding constrains a male's other activities, and Tung and her team think it is likely to be energetically costly -- perhaps helping to explain their accelerated aging result.

So why do these males work so hard to achieve a high stress social status? It's simple: to have offspring.

"If male baboons are going to have babies, they need to achieve high rank," Tung said. "They will have very little chance to leave offspring if they don't achieve high rank, which creates a powerful evolutionary motivation."

This study highlights one way that the social environment can influence aging. "Our research shows that the manner in which social status is attained and maintained is crucial to understanding its consequences," Tung said.

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This research was supported by the US National Science Foundation and the US National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institute of Advanced Research, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and the Center for Population Health and Aging. (2018264636, IOS1456832, R01AG053308, R01AG053330, R01HD088558, P01AG031719, F32HD095616, 2016-IDG-1013, P30AG034424)

CITATION: "High Social Status Males Experience Accelerated Epigenetic Aging in Wild Baboons," Jordan A. Anderson, Rachel A. Johnston, Amanda J. Lea, Fernando A. Campos, Tawni N. Voyles, Mercy Y. Akinyi, Susan C. Alberts, Elizabeth A. Archie, Jenny Tung. eLife, April 6, 2021. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.661