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)
Wednesday, January 03, 2024
Chicken whisperers: humans crack the clucking code
A University of Queensland-led study has found humans can tell if chickens are excited or displeased, just by the sound of their clucks.
Professor Joerg Henning from UQ’s School of Veterinary Science said researchers investigated whether humans could correctly identify the context of calls or clucking sounds made by domestic chickens, the most commonly farmed species in the world.
“In this study, we used recordings of chickens vocalising in all different scenarios from a previous experiment,” Professor Henning said.
“Two calls were produced in anticipation of a reward, which we called the ‘food’ call and the ‘fast cluck’.
“Two other call types were produced in non-reward contexts, such as food being withheld, which we called the ‘whine’ and ‘gakel’ calls.”
The researchers played the audio files back to test whether humans could tell in which context the chicken sounds were made, and whether various demographics and levels of experience with chickens affected their correct identification.
“We found 69 per cent of all participants could correctly tell if a chicken sounded excited or displeased,” Professor Henning said.
“This is a remarkable result and further strengthens evidence that humans have the ability to perceive the emotional context of vocalisations made by different species.”
Professor Henning said the ability to detect emotional information from vocalisation could improve the welfare of farmed chickens.
“A substantial proportion of participants being able to successfully recognise calls produced in reward-related contexts is significant,” he said.
“It provides confidence that people involved in chicken husbandry can identify the emotional state of the birds they look after, even if they don’t have prior experience.
“Our hope is that in future research, specific acoustic cues that predict how humans rate arousal in chicken calls could be identified, and these results could potentially be used in artificially intelligent based detection systems to monitor vocalisations in chickens.
“This would allow for the development of automated assessments of compromised or good welfare states within poultry management systems.
“Ultimately this could enhance the management of farmed chickens to improve their welfare, while helping conscientious consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.”
Humans can identify reward-related call types of chickens
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
3-Jan-2024
Diversity of bioluminescent beetles in Brazilian savanna has declined sharply in 30 years
Surveys conducted in the Cerrado since the 1990s show falling biodiversity as the agricultural frontier advances in the vicinity of Emas National Park. Species with biotechnological potential are dwindling and even disappearing
FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO
IMAGE:
LUMINOUS TERMITE MOUND IN EMAS NATIONAL PARK, GOIÁS STATE: LARVAE OF CLICK BEETLE PYREARINUS TERMITILLUMINANS PRODUCE A SPECTACLE NOW CONFINED TO THE PARK, AN ISLAND IN AN OCEAN OF MONOCULTURE
At night in the Cerrado, Brazil’s savanna and second-largest biome, larvae of the click beetle Pyrearinus termitilluminans, which live in termite mounds, display green lanterns to capture prey attracted by the bright light.
In more than 30 years of expeditions with his students to Emas National Park and farms around the conservation unit in Goiás state to collect specimens, the phenomenon has never been so rare, said Vadim Viviani, a professor at the Federal University of São Carlos’s Science and Technology for Sustainability Center (CCTS-UFSCar) in Sorocaba, São Paulo state.
“In the 1990s, we would see many of these termite mounds full of fireflies and other bioluminescent insects, even in areas of pasture. Now, sugarcane is grown in most of the areas and we hardly see any,” he noted.
The dearth was one of the main findings of a study supported by FAPESP via its Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use (BIOTA-FAPESP), as reported in an article by Viviani and collaborators published in Annals of the Entomological Society of America.
The penultimate author of the article, Etelvino Bechara, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Institute of Chemistry (IQ-USP), was Viviani’s master’s and PhD thesis advisor in the 1990s and is also supported by FAPESP.
The other co-authors are Cleide Costa, a researcher at the University of São Paulo’s Museum of Zoology (MZ-USP), and Simone P. Rosa, an entomologist at the Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI) in Minas Gerais state. Both are authorities on the taxonomy of the click beetle superfamily Elateroidea.
The survey recorded 51 species, most of which are fireflies (Lampyridae). The rest are click beetles (Elateridae), which have two lanterns on their back, and railroad worms, also known as glow worms (Phengodidae), which can produce light of different colors at the same time.
In Goiás, besides the specimens collected in Emas National Park in the municipality of Mineiros, and nearby farms, the researchers cataloged specimens in Perolândia and Campinorte. In Mato Grosso state, the survey covered Chapada dos Guimarães National Park and three towns (Alto Garças, Novo Santo Antônio and Rio Manso). In Costa Rica, a town in Mato Grosso do Sul state, they visited two farms and Sucuriú Falls Municipal Park. Emas National Park was the most productive site, providing 35 species.
The researchers say the diversity of these beetles in remnants of the Cerrado and farms neighboring the park has declined sharply over the last three decades, concurrently with the substitution of soybean and sugarcane plantations for pasture, as well as a reduction in the Cerrado overall, and more specifically in dense dry forest areas within the Cerrado known as cerradão.
The occurrence of luminous termite mounds in Chapada dos Guimarães National Park is reported for the first time in this article. Many mounds full of firefly larvae are found in Emas National Park and neighboring areas. Previous research by the same group reported the phenomenon of bioluminescence in the Amazon Rainforest (readmore at: agencia.fapesp.br/23640).
Railroad worms are disappearing
Pesticides and artificial lighting are also enemies of bioluminescent beetles. Bright light produced by humans prevents them from being located by mates and reproducing. In particular, the researchers noted the absence of railroad worm larvae in recent expeditions. These insects can emit red and green light at the same time and have significant biotechnological potential (readmore at: agencia.fapesp.br/31481).
“The decline in this family [Phengodidae] was especially evident. Adult males are no longer attracted to light traps on farms surrounded by sugarcane since 2010. Furthermore, the increasing levels of artificial light coming from nearby urban centers at night may threaten several bioluminescent species inside Emas National Park. The problem merits special attention and further studies,” Viviani said.
Extinction of bioluminescent species is not only a loss to biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided by these animals but also represents lost technological and economic opportunities.
Bioluminescence – production and emission of cold visible light by living beings – is useful to many analytical processes deployed in scientific research, medicine, industry and environmental management. Cold light means less than 20% of the light generates thermal radiation (i.e. heat).
Bioluminescence derives from oxidation of luciferin, a compound present in these insects and other animals as well as some fungi. The oxidation process is catalyzed by enzymes known as luciferases.
Over the years, the group led by Viviani has isolated and cloned the largest number of luciferases of any group globally. The luciferases are from different insects, including flies that produce blue light (readmore at: agencia.fapesp.br/34061 and agencia.fapesp.br/29066).
Luminescent beetles produce colors such as green, yellow, orange and red. Their luciferases are used to mark cells and proteins, for example (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/36427 and agencia.fapesp.br/20609).
Viviani is currently coordinating a project supported by FAPESP to develop bioluminescent reagents for immunoassays, environmental analysis and bioimaging. The reagents will be based on luciferases from Brazilian species. Most of these materials are currently imported.
“It’s important to grasp the fact that the Cerrado isn’t just scrub or bush. It’s a repository of water in the soil, a source of evaporation that generates rain, and also an immense store of exclusive species. We can learn a tremendous amount from all that treasure,” Viviani said.
About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.
EXAMPLE OF WOUND CARE PERFORMED WITH METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS COLLECTED FROM THE GLAND OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDING CARE. THE INFECTED ANT IS MARKED IN WHITE. WE FIRST OBSERVE WOUND CARE BY THE NURSING ANT, FOLLOWED BY THE COLLECTION OF METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS USING THE FORELEGS TO REACH THE GLAND AND MOUTH AND FINALLY APPLICATION OF METAPLEURAL GLAND SECRETIONS ON THE WOUND.
The Matabele ants (Megaponera analis), which are widespread south of the Sahara, have a narrow diet: They only eat termites. Their hunting expeditions are dangerous because termite soldiers defend their conspecifics – and use their powerful mandibles to do so. It is therefore common for the ants to be injured while hunting.
If the wounds become infected, there is a significant survival risk. However, Matabele ants have developed a sophisticated healthcare system: they can distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds and treat the latter efficiently with antibiotics they produce themselves. This is reported by a team led by Dr Erik Frank from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Professor Laurent Keller from the University of Lausanne in the journal Nature Communications.
Treatment Drastically Reduces Mortality
"Chemical analyses in cooperation with JMU Professor Thomas Schmitt have shown that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant cuticle changes as a result of a wound infection," says Erik Frank. It is precisely this change that the ants are able to recognise and thus diagnose the infection status of injured nestmates.
For treatment, they then apply antimicrobial compounds and proteins to the infected wounds. They take these antibiotics from the metapleural gland, which is located on the side of their thorax. Its secretion contains 112 components, half of which have an antimicrobial or wound-healing effect. And the therapy is highly effective: the mortality rate of infected individuals is reduced by 90 per cent, as the research group discovered.
Analysis of Ant Antibiotics is Planned
"With the exception of humans, I know of no other living creature that can carry out such sophisticated medical wound treatments," says Erik Frank. Laurent Keller also adds that these findings “have medical implications because the primary pathogen in ant’s wounds, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is also a leading cause of infection in humans, with several strains being resistant to antibiotics”.
Are Matabele ants really unique in this respect? The Würzburg researcher now wants to explore wound care behaviours in other ant species and other social animals. He also wants to identify and analyse the antibiotics used by Matabele ants in cooperation with chemistry research groups. This may lead to the discovery of new antibiotics that could also be used in humans.
Matabele Ants in a Netflix Documentary
A few years ago, Erik Frank's research into the African ants that care for their injured nestmates sparked the interest of a film production company. The company was commissioned by Netflix to find exciting stories for the eight-part nature documentary "Life on Our Planet", which focuses on the evolution of life over the past 500 million years.
After six years of work, the series can now be seen on Netflix. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and the English version is narrated by actor Morgan Freeman. The series has been translated into German and numerous other languages. The Matabele ants appear in the fifth episode, which is called "In the Shadow of Giants" and lasts 51 minutes.
The sequence about Erik Frank's ants was filmed in April 2021 at the Comoé research station of the University of Würzburg in Côte d'Ivoire. "It took three weeks, the effort was enormous," says the JMU researcher. The film was shot in the ants' natural habitat, but also in artificial nests in the research station's laboratory. And Erik Frank's expertise was in constant demand during this time.
A Matabele ant tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites.
On the left a fresh injury, on the right the condition one hour after treatment. The wound surface appears to be sealed.
Erik Frank (right) and former Bachelor student Florens Fischer are investigating the behaviour of Matabele ants in artificial nests under laboratory conditions.
CREDIT
Erik Frank / University of Wuerzburg
Autobiographical book by Erik Frank
The paperback edition of Erik Frank's "Une Histoire de Fourmis" (A History of Ants), previously only available in French, has been on the market since October 2023. In this autobiographical story, the author describes his research, his experiences at the Comoé research station and his time as a doctoral student at the University of Würzburg. In France, the book was one of the six works nominated as the best books for science communication in 2022. Website of the publisher https://www.cnrseditions.fr/catalogue/societe/une-histoire-de-fourmis/
Perceived time has a significant impact on the actual time it takes to heal physical wounds, according to new research by Harvard psychologists Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer.
Their study, published late last month in Nature Scientific Reports, challenges conventional beliefs about psychological influences on physical health. The findings suggest a broader range of psychological influences than is currently appreciated.
To complete their study, the authors used a standardized procedure to mildly wound volunteer subjects. Perceived time was then manipulated in the lab, with each study participant completing three experimental conditions: Slow Time (0.5x real time), Normal Time (1x real time), and Fast Time (2x real time).
Wounds were documented as healing faster when participants believed more time had passed. Likewise, the healing process proved slower when less time was perceived to have gone by. Actual time elapsed was the same under all three conditions.
Further research is underway to better understand the underlying mechanisms and broader implications of these findings. In the meanwhile, the study makes a compelling case for more fully incorporating the idea of mind-body “unity” into subsequent inquiries on mind-body health effects. In particular, researchers are urged to consider a broader range of psychological influences on physical health.
Psychological influences on physical health are typically understood in terms of influences on emotion (e.g., stress, inflammation, and immune function) and behavior (e.g., beliefs that promote healthy actions). This research suggests abstract beliefs about how our bodies work also directly shape physical health.
CREDIT: MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR TERRESTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY/GEISEL
Synthetic biology offers the opportunity to build biochemical pathways for the capture and conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2). Researchers at the Max-Planck-Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology have developed a synthetic biochemical cycle that directly converts CO2 into the central building block Acetyl-CoA. The researchers were able to implement each of the three cycle modules in the bacterium E.coli, which represents a major step towards realizing synthetic CO2 fixing pathways within the context of living cells.
Developing new ways for the capture and conversion of CO2 is key to tackle the climate emergency. Synthetic biology opens avenues for designing new-to-nature CO2-fixation pathways that capture CO2 more efficiently than those developed by nature. However, realizing those new-to-nature pathways in different in vitro and in vivo systems is still a fundamental challenge. Now, researchers in Tobias Erb's group have designed and constructed a new synthetic CO2-fixation pathway, the so-called THETA cycle. It contains several central metabolites as intermediates, and with the central building block, acetyl-CoA, as its output. This characteristic makes it possible to be divided into modules and integrated into the central metabolism of E. coli.
The entire THETA cycle involves 17 biocatalysts, and was designed around the two fastest CO2-fixing enzymes known to date: crotonyl-CoA carboxylase/reductase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase. The researchers found these powerful biocatalysts in bacteria. Although each of the carboxylases can capture CO2 more than 10 times faster than RubisCO, the CO2-fixing enzyme in chloroplasts, evolution itself has not brought these capable enzymes together in natural photosynthesis.
The THETA cycle converts two CO2 molecules into one acetyl-CoA in one cycle. Acetyl-CoA is a central metabolite in almost all cellular metabolism and serves as the building block for a wide array of vital biomolecules, including biofuels, biomaterials, and pharmaceuticals, making it a compound of great interest in biotechnological applications. Upon constructing the cycle in test tubes, the researchers could confirm its functionality. Then the training began: through rational and machine learning-guided optimization over several rounds of experiments, the team was able to improve the acetyl-CoA yield by a factor of 100. In order to test its in vivo feasibility, incorporation into the living cell should be carried out step by step. To this end, the researchers divided the THETA cycle into three modules, each of which was successfully implemented into the bacterium E. coli. The functionality of these modules was verified through growth-coupled selection and/or isotopic labelling.
"What is special about this cycle is that it contains several intermediates that serve as central metabolites in the bacterium's metabolism. This overlap offers the opportunity to develop a modular approach for its implementation.” explains Shanshan Luo, lead author of the study. “We were able to demonstrate the functionality of the three individual modules in E. coli. However, we have not yet succeeded in closing the entire cycle so that E. coli can grow completely with CO2," she adds. Closing the THETA cycle is still a major challenge, as all of the 17 reactions need to be synchronized with the natural metabolism of E. coli, which naturally involves hundreds to thousands of reactions. However, demonstrating the whole cycle in vivo is not the only goal, the researcher emphasizes. "Our cycle has the potential to become a versatile platform for producing valuable compounds directly from CO2 through extending its output molecule, acetyl-CoA." says Shanshan Luo.
“Bringing parts of the THETA cycle into living cells is an important proof-of-principle for synthetic biology”, adds Tobias Erb. “Such modular implementation of this cycle in E. coli paves the way to the realization of highly complex, orthogonal new-to-nature CO2-fixation pathways in cell factories. We are learning to completely reprogram the cellular metabolism to create a synthetic autotrophic operating system for the cell."
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines recently approved for people 60 and older would dramatically reduce the disease’s significant burden of illness and death in the United States if they were widely adopted like annual influenza vaccines, a new study has found.
A high level of RSV vaccination would not only potentially reduce millions of dollars in annual outpatient and hospitalization costs but would also produce an economy of scale with individual shots being delivered at a relatively modest cost of between $117 and $245 per dose, the study said.
The vaccines are currently covered by most private insurers without a patient copay because they are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Some Medicare beneficiaries can also obtain the shots at no cost, but only if they are enrolled in Part D of the program, which deals with drug benefits.
“RSV causes substantial morbidity and mortality among the elderly in the U.S. and globally, but this is the first time that RSV vaccines have been available,” said senior author Alison Galvani, the Burnett and Stender Families Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) at the Yale School of Public Health. “We wanted to understand the potential impact of RSV vaccination in terms of averting illness, medical costs, hospitalizations, and deaths.”
RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes mild cold-like symptoms in most people, who usually recover in one or two weeks. But older adults and infants are more likely to develop serious RSV, which can be life-threatening. The current study looked only at the potential impact and cost of RSV vaccines for older adults.
Two RSV vaccines, Arexy and Abrysvo, were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year. RSV disease causes an estimated 60,000 to160,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths annually in adults 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of Dec. 1, just 14.8% of people 60 or older in the U.S. said they had obtained an RSV vaccine, CDC records show.
In conducting their study, the researchers created a model for RSV outcomes based on characteristics of the U.S. population 60 or older. Measured outcomes included the annual incidence of cases per 100,000 people requiring outpatient, inpatient, and intensive care, and the death rate for hospitalized patients. The researchers then calculated the medical care costs for these outcomes and lost productivity.
The researchers analyzed how these outcomes would be reduced if 66% of adults 60 and older received an RSV vaccine. That is the typical influenza vaccination coverage for adults 65 years or older in the U.S.
“It would be great if we could achieve even higher levels,” said Galvani, who also serves as the director of Yale’s Center for Infectious Disease Modeling and Analysis. “But if we can achieve that for flu, it makes sense that would be feasible for RSV vaccination as well.”
For comparison, the researchers also analyzed the impact of 100% RSV vaccination coverage. In each scenario, they factored in the efficacy of the vaccine at preventing the need for medical care and death. They looked at the impact of these levels of RSV vaccination over one year and then over two years.
They found that 66% vaccination coverage in the first year reduced outpatient care by 41.4% to 53.6%, hospitalizations by 57.6% to 60.5%, and RSV-related deaths by 58.5% to 60.4%.
Increasing vaccination coverage to 100% reduced outpatient care by 62.9% to 81.2%, hospitalizations by 87.4% to 91.7%, and deaths by 87.6% to 91.3%.
Based on these numbers, the maximum cost-effective price per dose for one season at 66% coverage was $118 to $127. The difference was small — $1 to $3 — for 100% coverage.
With the annual cost savings achieved from vaccination, a program where 66% of adults 60 and older are vaccinated for RSV would cost the U.S. health care system $6.4 to $7.1 billion for one season, and $9.7 to $10.7 billion at 100% vaccination, the researchers found.
The vaccines are intended to protect people over two RSV seasons, as clinical trials for the vaccine showed efficacy for that time. But the researchers felt that until real-world efficacy data are available, a one-season analysis was more appropriate.
“Within the next year or two years, as these vaccines are rolled out, we will get a lot of data on effectiveness and better analysis,” said Seyed Moghadas, the paper’s first author and professor of applied mathematics and computational epidemiology at York University. “This new data will help us better inform vaccination strategies for improved impact against RSV disease.”
If real-world data show strong efficacy over two seasons, Arexvy could be cost effective up to $235 per dose and Abrysvo up to $245 per dose, the researchers found.
These are important issues to understand, Galvani said. Some private insurers have not decided if they will cover the vaccines, and whether Medicare does depends on the plan, she said. People 60 to 64 are not eligible for Medicare and may not have health coverage, she added.
“Accessibility and cost are definitely concerns in the American health care system,” she said. “We hope that our results will inform decision-makers about the health and economic benefits of vaccination, as our results demonstrate the importance of making these vaccines accessible to everyone over 60 years to realize their full benefit.”
After the last embers of a campfire dim, the musky smell of smoke remains. Whiffs of that distinct smokey smell may serve as a pleasant reminder of the evening prior, but in the wake of a wildfire, that smell comes with ongoing health risks.
Wildfire smoke is certainly more pervasive than a small campfire, and the remnants can linger for days, weeks and months inside homes and businesses. New research from Portland State’s Elliott Gall, associate professor in Mechanical and Materials Engineering, examined how long harmful chemicals found in wildfire smoke can persist and the most effective ways to remove them with everyday household cleaners.
Wildfires create compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are formed in the combustion process at high temperatures. These compounds are highly toxic.
“They are associated with a wide variety of long-term adverse health consequences like cancer, potential complications in pregnancy and lung disease,” Gall said. “So if these compounds are depositing or sticking onto surfaces, there are different routes of exposure people should be aware of. By now, most people in Portland are probably thinking about how to clean their air during a wildfire smoke event, but they might not be thinking about other routes of exposure after the air clears.”
Public messaging is fairly consistent on what to do during a fire to reduce exposure to smoke — close windows and doors, run an air purifier and consider wearing a mask — but messaging is limited about what to do post-wildfire. Gall’s study published in Environmental Science & Technology looked at the accumulation and retention of PAHs over a period of four months on three different indoor materials: glass, cotton and air filters.
“We looked at a limited number of materials and we intentionally included some that are common in indoor environments,” Gall said.
Initial findings showed that levels of PAHs remained elevated for weeks after exposure. After materials were loaded with PAHs from wildfire smoke, it took 37 days for PAHs to decrease by 74% for air filters, 81% for cotton and 88% for glass. That reduction is significant but it takes time and means increased health risks from elongated exposure. However, laundering cotton materials just one time after exposure to smoke reduced PAHs on the material by 80%. Using a commercial glass cleaner on glass materials like windows and cups reduced PAHs between 60% and 70%.
Unlike glass and cotton, air filters can’t be cleaned and need to be replaced after an extreme smoke event.
“Even if there’s potentially some more life in them, over time PAHs can partition off the filter and be emitted back into your space,” Gall said. “While it may be a slow process, our study shows partitioning of PAHs from filters and other materials loaded with smoke may result in concentrations of concern in air. And while that partitioning is occurring, dermal contact and ingestion of PAHs from the materials may be important. One example might be holding and drinking from a glass that was exposed to wildfire smoke.”
Gall said it was important to consider the effect of cleaning solutions available to the average person. Although the findings also open the door to additional questions. How do materials like drywall or ceramic respond to cleaning, for example? What if an individual has access to a washer but not a dryer, would PAHs still be reduced to non-toxic levels?
The good news is that although toxic compounds after a wildfire can long outlast the palpable smoke, simple household cleaning techniques are effective in significantly reducing exposure. Gall said future studies on this subject will focus on additional surfaces common indoors and cleaning techniques to reduce PAHs, as well as work to understand the extent of possible health impacts from exposure.
