Scientists find that people use emojis to hide, as well as show, their feelings

Scientists studying emoji use in Japan found that the images were used to soften the impact of negative expressions as well as to express positive feelings 😈😈😈😱😻

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FRONTIERS

Have you ever received an unwanted gift and still said ‘thank you’? This choice to hide a negative emotion is a display rule — one of many which define socially appropriate responses to emotions. Although display rules can promote interpersonal harmony, they can also have negative consequences for the person choosing to change how they express emotions. As more social interaction goes online, scientists are investigating how emojis are used to reflect our emotions in different contexts. Are there display rules that apply to emojis, and how do those affect people’s wellbeing?

“As online socializing becomes more prevalent, people have become accustomed to embellishing their expressions and scrutinizing the appropriateness of their communication,” said Moyu Liu of the University of Tokyo, who investigated this question in a study published in Frontiers in Psychology. “However, I realized that this may lead us to lose touch with our authentic emotions.”

Emojis and emotions

Liu recruited 1,289 participants, all users of the most-downloaded emoji keyboard in Japan, Simeji, to investigate how emojis were used to express or mask emotions. Previous research had established that people use emojis as functional equivalents of facial expressions, but not the relationships between emotions expressed and experienced. This is when display rules can prove problematic: if the dissonance between the emotions that you experience and the emotions that you can express is too great, emotional exhaustion can develop, although members of different cultures experience this differently.

Display rules impact more on negative emotions, which it is usually considered less appropriate to express. It is also often more acceptable to express emotions to someone who is closer to you, and it can be more acceptable for a particular gender to express particular emotions. It can also be considered more acceptable to express negative emotions in more individualist societies.

Wearing your heart on your screen

The participants in Liu’s study provided demographic data, answered questions about their subjective wellbeing, and rated how often they use emojis. They were given messages with varying social contexts, responded to them as they would normally, and rated the intensity of the expression of their emotions.

Liu found that people chose to express more emotions with emojis in private contexts or with close friends. Respondents expressed least emotion towards higher-status individuals. Intense expressions of emotion came with matching emojis, unless people felt the need to mask their true emotions: for instance, using smiling emojis to mask negative emotions. Negative emojis were used only where negative feelings were very strongly felt. Expressing emotions with emojis was associated with higher subjective wellbeing compared to masking emotions.

“With online socializing becoming ever more prevalent, it is important to consider whether it is causing us to become more detached from our true emotions,” said Liu. “Do people require a ‘shelter’ to express their genuine emotions, and is it possible to break free from pretense and share our true selves in online settings?”

Liu emphasized that the study should be expanded in the future. The Simeji keyboard is extremely popular among young women, which skewed the sample towards women and generation Z. However, this also reflected the gender imbalance in use of emojis in general and the Simeji keyboard in particular. A broader pool of participants would provide a fuller picture of the display rules around emojis.

“First, the highly gender-imbalanced sample may have led to stronger results. Future research should explore potential gender differences in emoji display rules and examine the structural issues surrounding the formation of these emotion cultures,” cautioned Liu. “Second, Japanese culture's emphasis on interpersonal harmony and concealment of negative emotions may have influenced the results.”

“I would welcome the opportunity to expand this study and investigate the display rules for emojis across different genders and cultures,” added Liu. “Collaboration with scholars from diverse cultural backgrounds would be invaluable in this endeavor, and I am open to any contact.”

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Psychology

DOI

10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1035742 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Are you really smiling? Display rules for emojis and the relationship between emotion management and psychological well-being

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Mar-2023

Archaeological study of 24 ancient Mexican cities reveals that collective forms of governance, infrastructural investments, and collaboration all help societies last longer

Peer-Reviewed Publication

FIELD MUSEUM

 

IMAGE: THE SHARED CENTRAL PLAZA OF MONTE ALBAN, A CITY THAT LASTED FOR MORE THAN 1,300 YEARS. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY LINDA M. NICHOLAS

Some cities only last a century or two, while others last for a thousand years or more. Often, there aren’t clear records left behind to explain why. Instead, archaeologists piece together clues from the cities’ remains to search for patterns that help account for why certain places retained their importance longer than others. In a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, researchers examined 24 ancient cities in what’s now Mexico and found that the cities that lasted the longest showed indications of collective forms of governance, infrastructural investments, and cooperation between households.

“For years, my colleagues and I have investigated why and how certain cities maintain their importance or collapse,” says Gary Feinman, the study’s lead author and MacArthur Curator of Anthropology at the Field Museum in Chicago.

In previous studies, Feinman and his colleagues cast a wide net in terms of the cities they looked at, ranging across Mesoamerica over thousands of years. They found a broad pattern of societies with good governance that fostered the well-being of their people lasting longer than ones with autocratic leaders and big disparities in wealth. This new study tightens the focus on cities from similar places and times: all 24 of the cities analyzed were in the western half of Mesoamerica and were founded between 1000 and 300 BCE.

To a non-archaeologist, looking at ancient ruins and trying to extrapolate what its government was like might seem like an impossible task. But remnants of the cities’ buildings, ground plans, plazas, and monuments contain clues.

“We looked at public architecture, we looked at the nature of the economy and what sustained the cities. We looked at the signs of rulership, whether they seem to be heavily personalized or not,” said Feinman. Art and architecture celebrating larger-than-life rulers point to more autocratic or despotic societies, whereas the depiction of leaders in groups, often masked, is more indicative of shared power arrangements.

Feinman and his co-authors, David Carballo of Boston University, Linda Nicholas of the Field Museum, and Stephen Kowalewski of the University of Georgia, found that among the 24 ancient cities they analyzed, the ones with more collective forms of governance tended to remain in power longer than the autocratically ruled cities, sometimes by a thousand years. However, even among places that likely had good governance, some cities outlasted others.

To get at why these similarly governed cities fared differently, the researchers examined other aspects of their makeup including infrastructure and indications of household interdependence. “We looked for evidence of path dependence, which basically means the actions or investments that people make that later end up constraining or fostering how they respond to subsequent hazards or challenges,” says Feinman.

Early efforts to construct dense, interconnected residential spaces and the construction of large, central, open plazas were two of the factors that the authors found contributed to greater sustainability and importance of the early cities.

To examine sustainability in the past, most research looks for correlations between specific climatic or environmental events and the human responses. This approach may make sense, but it is hard to know whether the timing is reliable. Such studies often emphasize a correlation between environmental crisis and collapse without also considering how other cities successfully navigated the challenges and continued as major population centers.

The authors use a different tack. Knowing residents faced hazards, including drought, earthquakes, periodic hurricanes/heavy rains, challenges from competing centers and groups, they examined the durational history of the 24 centers and what factors fostered their sustainability. The finding that governance had an important role in sustainability shows that “responses to crises and disasters are to a degree political,” says Linda Nicholas, an adjunct curator at the Field Museum and co-author of the study.

The cities that lasted the longest had a combination of infrastructural investments and collective governance. It’s a lesson still relevant today. “You cannot evaluate responses to catastrophes like earthquakes, or threats like climatic change, without considering governance,” says Feinman. “The past is an incredible resource to understand how to address contemporary issues.”

  

Aerial image of Monte Alban

CREDIT

Photo by Linda M. Nicholas

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

DOI

10.3389/fevo.2023.1076740 

ARTICLE TITLE

Sustainability and duration of early central places in prehispanic Mesoamerica

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Mar-2023

Speeding up extreme fast charging capability in lithium-ion batteries

Researchers show that inherent lithium ions in bioderived borate polymer enhance 'extreme fast charging' capability in graphite anodes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

JAPAN ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE IN LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES, A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS FROM JAPAN ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SYNTHESIZED A LITHIUM BORATE-TYPE AQUEOUS POLYELECTROLYTE BINDER FOR GRAPHITE ANODES. THEIR NEW BINDER HELPED IMPROVE LI-ION DIFFUSION AND LOWER IMPEDANCE COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL BATTERIES. view more 

CREDIT: NORIYOSHI MATSUMI FROM JAIST.

Ishikawa, Japan -- Current society is transitioning en masse from fossil fuels to renewable resources and electric batteries. Despite the urgency to switch to greener methods, core challenges related to efficiency and sustainability pose a hurdle to overcome. For instance, the mass market adoption of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries for use in electric vehicles is being hindered by their slow charging speeds. “Extreme” fast charging (wherein 80% of the battery is charged within 10 min), high energy density, and cycle life are the “holy grail” of features that the automobile industry seeks out in batteries.

In order to enable the fast-charging ability in batteries, researchers have long attempted to enhance the mass transfer of electrolytes and charge transfer in electrodes, with extensive research carried out on the former compared to the latter. Now, a study by a team of researchers, led by Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), showcases a new approach to facilitate fast charging using a binder material which promotes Li-ion intercalation of active material. The binder material leads to improved diffusion of desolvated Li ions across the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) and within the anode material and yields high conductivity, low impedance, and good stability.

The team comprised Former Senior Lecturer Rajashekar Badam, Postdoctoral Research Fellow Anusha Pradhan, Former Graduate Student Ryoya Miyairi, and Doctoral Course Student Noriyuki Takamori from JAIST. Their findings have been published in the journal ACS Materials Letters.

“Our current strategy of using a bio-derived lithium borate polymer as aqueous polyelectrolyte binder to enhance charge transfer within electrodes such as graphite anodes exhibits fast charging capability,” state corresponding authors Profs. Matsumi and Badam of JAIST.

While most research on batteries is focused on the design of active materials and improved mass transfer of electrolytes, the current study provides a different approach via the design of specific binder material which promotes lithium-ion intercalation of the active material. “The binder material includes highly dissociable lithium borate, which improves lithium-ion diffusion in the anode matrices. Further, this binder can form an organoboron SEI, which shows very low interfacial resistance when compared with ordinary battery cells,” explains Prof. Matsumi.

The role of boron compounds (such as the tetracordinate boron in the binder and the boron-rich SEI) is to aid in the desolvation of Li+ ions by decreasing the activation energy of desolvation of Li+ from the solvent sheath at the SEI. Also, with high diffusion and low impedance, the overpotential related to charge transfer at the interface is reduced. “This is one of the important determining factors for extreme fast charging,” explains Dr. Anusha Pradhan of JAIST, who is the first author of the paper.

Generally, when charging surpasses rate of intercalation, Li plating occurs on graphite electrodes. It is an undesired process leading to reduced battery life and limiting fast charge capability. In this study, the improved diffusion of ions across the SEI and within the electrodes limits the concentration polarization of Li+ ions - leading to the absence of plating on graphite.

In their study, not only do the researchers present a novel strategy for extremely high-rate chargeable batteries and reduced interfacial resistance, but they also used a biopolymer derived from caffeic acid. A plant-based organic compound, caffeic acid is a sustainable and environmentally safe source of material. Thus, while the market for these batteries grows tremendously, the use of bio-based resources in these batteries will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Highlighting the key abilities of the structure used in this study, Prof. Matsumi adds, “In future studies, our binder can also be combined with high-rate chargeable active materials to enable further synergistic effect in enhancing performance.”

With increasing research into battery performance, one can soon look forward to greener options in the way we use energy, especially in the transportation sector. “Through the high-rate chargeable battery technology, people will enjoy electric vehicles and convenient mobile devices. As the use of renewable resources will maintain availability of products for long, irrespective of availability of fossil resources and influences by high social situations,” concludes Prof. Matsumi.

 

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Reference

Title of original paper:	Extreme Fast Charging Capability in Graphite Anode via a Lithium Borate Type Biobased Polymer as Aqueous Polyelectrolyte Binder
Author:	Anusha Pradhan, Rajashekar Badam*, Ryoya Miyairi, Noriyuki Takamori and Noriyoshi Matsumi*
Journal:	ACS Materials Letters
DOI:	10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c00999

 

 

About Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

Founded in 1990 in Ishikawa prefecture, the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) was the first independent national graduate school in Japan. Now, after 30 years of steady progress, JAIST has become one of Japan’s top-ranking universities. JAIST counts with multiple satellite campuses and strives to foster capable leaders with a state-of-the-art education system where diversity is key; about 40% of its alumni are international students. The university has a unique style of graduate education based on a carefully designed coursework-oriented curriculum to ensure that its students have a solid foundation on which to carry out cutting-edge research. JAIST also works closely both with local and overseas communities by promoting industry–academia collaborative research.  

 

About Professor Noriyoshi Matsumi from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Noriyoshi Matsumi is a Professor in the School of Materials Science, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST). He is also the Dean of the School of Transdisciplinary Science, JAIST. He obtained his doctoral degree in engineering from Kyoto University in 2000, and worked as an assistant professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, and associate professor at Nagoya University in 2006. From 2010, he has been working at JAIST.

His research interests include the creation of energy related materials, lithium-ion secondary batteries, metal-air batteries, electrocatalysis (oxygen reduction, photo-electrochemical water splitting), solid polymer electrolytes, ionic liquids, and organoboron compounds/materials. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Polymer Bulletin (Springer).

 

Funding information

This work was supported by the Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) Technologies for Smart Bio-Industry and Agriculture, Japan.

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JOURNAL

ACS Materials Letters

DOI

10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c00999 

ARTICLE TITLE

Extreme Fast Charging Capability in Graphite Anode via a Lithium Borate Type Biobased Polymer as Aqueous Polyelectrolyte Binder

High downward surface solar radiation conducive to ozone pollution more frequent under global warming

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

 

IMAGE: HIGH DOWNWARD SURFACE SOLAR RADIATION CONDUCIVE TO OZONE POLLUTION MORE FREQUENT UNDER GLOBAL WARMING view more 

CREDIT: ©SCIENCE CHINA PRESS

Elevated near-surface ozone pollutes many parts of the world, exerting consequential impacts on human health in ozone-prone regions, including southeastern China, the southeastern United States, and Europe. Key meteorological conditions, such as downward surface shortwave radiation, intensify ozone pollution, yet how these meteorological conditions or associated mechanisms respond to global warming remains unknown.

“Taking advantage of 5-year-long daily observations in China over the 2015-2019 period, we first identify an extraordinary ozone increase in fall 2019 over the broad eastern China, with the highest intensity in the Pearl River Delta, China,” said Miss Wenbin Kou, PhD student at Ocean University of China.

“The primary mechanism lies in that stronger downward surface solar radiation induces extra biogenic emissions that could trigger several folds of increase in long-lasting ozone events,” said Dr. Yang Gao, professor at Ocean University of China.

“World Health Organization global air quality guidelines released in 2021 have added a standard for peak-season ozone, which strengthened the ozone standard,” said Dr. Huiwang Gao, professor at Ocean University of China. “Our analysis shows that the substantial ozone increase in fall 2019 is a crucial element contributing to an exceedance to Target 1 peak-season ozone standard of the World Health Organization”.

A previous study (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.160256311) attributed an abnormally ozone increase in fall 2010 in the southeastern United States to an increase in isoprene emissions due to an increased vapor pressure deficit,” said Dr. Steven Davis, professor at University of California, Ivine. “Based on the observed data, our reassessment indicates that substantially high ozone anomalies in fall 2010 in the southeastern U.S. are linked to a strikingly higher-than-normal downward surface solar radiation, likely another key meteorological condition that helps trigger an increase in biogenic emissions.”

 “Our high-resolution community earth system model simulates improved spatial distribution of surface solar radiation globally relative to multi-model ensemble of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 and 6,” said Dr. Shaoqing Zhang, professor at Ocean University of China.

“Our daily meteorological index measuring conducive conditions for occurrences of ozone pollution indicates that such conducive conditions are projected to occur more frequently in future over the major regions prone to ozone pollution over the world in both fall and summer,” said Dr. Wenju Cai, chief research scientist at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research.

 “Our result points to a potentially large ozone enhancement triggered by a future increase in downward solar radiation and the associated enhancement of biogenic emissions in a warming climate”, said Dr. Lixin Wu, professor at Ocean University of China. “High ozone pollution in ozone-prone regions is likely to occur more often under greenhouse warming.”

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JOURNAL

Science Bulletin

DOI

10.1016/j.scib.2023.01.022 

Putting out “the fire in the brain”

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITÄT LEIPZIG

 

IMAGE: STRUCTURE OF THE FUSION CONSTRUCT THAT IS USED AGAINST AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALITIS. DOMAINS OF THE NMDA RECEPTOR ARE STAINED IN BLUE AND YELLOW. view more 

CREDIT: STEFAN HALLERMANN, LEIPZIG UNIVERSITY

In autoimmune encephalitis, a rare but serious and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the central nervous system, the body’s own defences are directed against the central nervous system. This disease was first identified in 2007, and the most common type is Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis. In this autoimmune disease, a protein that plays an important role in signal transmission in the brain is disrupted: the NMDA-type glutamate receptor, or NMDA receptor for short. Researchers from Braunschweig, Jena, Leipzig and Berlin have developed a new potential treatment for this disease.

In anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, antibodies interfere with signal transmission in the brain. The receptors which the neurotransmitters glutamate and glycine bind to are internalised by the cells through antibody binding. This causes reduced signal transmission to neurons in the central nervous system. Those affected experience a wide variety of symptoms from epileptic seizures and psychoses such as hallucinations to loss of consciousness and coma. Patients describe the disease symptoms to be like a “fire in the brain” that they can’t control. The interdisciplinary DFG research unit SYNABS, consisting of researchers from several locations, is dedicated to the study of this disease.

“It is our goal to better understand the disease mechanisms and to develop new and target-specific therapeutic approaches using modern biotechnology,” said the group’s spokesperson, Professor Christian Geis from Jena University Hospital. With their translational research approach, the group has been able to discover a potential therapeutic agent. The molecule consists of a part of an NMDA receptor and a fragment of a human antibody. The pathogenic antibodies then bind to this fusion construct rather than to the NMDA receptors.

“To investigate whether the newly developed molecule can neutralise the antibodies, we used biochemical and microscopic methods on cultured nerve cells from mice and humans,” said Toni Kirmann, a doctoral researcher who is part of the SYNABS consortium in the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University. “We plan to try to apply this therapeutic approach to other forms of autoimmune encephalitis. In the long term, we hope that basic neuroscience research will help improve treatment options in neurology and psychiatry,” said Professor Stefan Hallermann of the Carl Ludwig Institute of Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University.

In this project, the TU Braunschweig developed the fusion construct and analysed it biochemically. The partners at Jena University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine at Leipzig University initiated the DFG research unit and have analysed neurons and conducted in vivo studies. The partners at Charité and Freie Universität in Berlin have identified the affected autoimmune antibodies in patients.

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JOURNAL

Brain

DOI

10.1093/brain/awac497 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Cells

ARTICLE TITLE

NMDA-receptor-Fc-fusion constructs neutralize anti-NMDA receptor antibodies

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

3-Mar-2023

The dual face of photoreceptors during seed germination

Peer-Reviewed Publication

GREGOR MENDEL INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR PLANT BIOLOGY

 

IMAGE: AETHIONEMA ARABICUM. © ZSUZSANNA MÉRAI / GMI. view more 

CREDIT: © ZSUZSANNA MÉRAI / GMI

Seed germination depends on light in many plants. But not always: Aethionema arabicum, a plant adapted to challenging environmental conditions, does it its own way. Here, the phytochromes, the receptors for red and far-red light, play an unexpected role in seed germination and time this process to the optimal season. These findings, now published in “Plant Physiology”, are a compelling example of the evolutionary rewiring of signaling modules that help plants adapt to their habitats. The study was led by researchers at the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

 

While some plant seeds require light to germinate, other seeds are insensitive to or even inhibited by light. Most insights into light’s role during seed germination stem from studies using the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, where light is required to initiate germination. In contrast, light is a strong inhibitor of germination in other plants, but the molecular basis of this effect has remained largely unknown. A team of researchers, led by Dr. Zsuzsanna Mérai at the Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), now used the plant Aethionema arabicum (Brassicaceae) to investigate the molecular mechanism of light-inhibited seed germination.

Aethionema arabicum originates from open and dry habitats where seed germination on the surface during bright, long, and hot days would reduce the chances of seedling survival. Light inhibition of germination is interpreted as a trait to restrict germination to cooler seasons or to seeds located underground.

In their study, Mérai and her colleagues demonstrated that phytochromes, the light receptors for red and far-red wavelengths, play a dual role in the response to light in Aethionema; they can stimulate but also inhibit germination. By measuring the light intensity and duration through phytochromes, the seeds acquire information about the day length and by that, about the season.

A Cypriot variant helps in understanding light inhibition

Mérai and her colleagues use seeds of one Aethionema variant originating from Cyprus (CYP) that do not germinate upon exposure to white light. In its natural habitat, the CYP variant only germinates in early spring when days are relatively short, and temperatures are cool. This allows the plant to complete its life cycle before the dry summer season. Mérai sought to investigate the mechanism of light inhibition in Aethionema CYP by creating a collection of mutagenized seeds which they screened for mutants that could germinate also in white light, in contrast to the original line. Now, the researchers characterized one mutant at the molecular level. They called it “koy-1”, after Koyash, the god of the sun in Turkic mythology. They demonstrated that its mutation affected HEME OXYGENASE 1, a key gene required for the biosynthesis of chromophores, the light-detecting molecules of phytochromes. This mutation limits the amount of the chromophore protein and is responsible for the altered light responsiveness of koy-1.

The dual role of phytochromes enables environmental adaptation

The koy-1 mutant allowed Mérai and her colleagues to uncover further mechanistic details. “By varying light intensity, wavelength, and duration, we were able to dissect complex light response patterns linked to phytochromes in Aethionema,” says Mérai. “The low residual amount of functional phytochromes in koy-1 allowed us to unravel a surprising dual role in Aethionema seed germination.” Their experiments demonstrated that high light intensity and duration strongly inhibited germination, whereas short exposure favored germination. These two opposite responses to light result from different proportions between two key hormones: the germination-inhibitory abscisic acid (ABA) versus the germination-inducing gibberellic acid (GA). “We already knew that light exposure in Arabidopsis resulted in high GA and low ABA levels. Now, we also know that Aethionema CYP responds similarly under very limited light. However, with increasing irradiance, the hormone levels go literally upside down, resulting in germination inhibition,” says Mérai. “The opposite responses to light intensity and duration have a genetic basis and are an adaptation to the plants’ natural environment, allowing Aethionema CYP to germinate in early spring, but not later.”

Evolution works with rewiring modules

By unraveling that the same molecular players could mediate diametrically opposed effects, the team documents how evolution may have “rewired” existing modules to respond adequately to environmental requirements. With such combinatorial variations, documented in multiple organisms, evolution can attain “quick” changes without the need for new players to evolve from scratch. “Our findings pave the way for a better understanding of molecular processes in nature and biodiversity by studying non-model organisms and non-crop plants. The scientific knowledge gained from Arabidopsis is essential, but not always representative of all plants. Here, we demonstrate that we could even uncover completely opposite molecular mechanisms in nature,” concludes Mérai, whose work establishes Aethionema as a new model for studying the effects of light on seed germination.

 

Original publication:

Mérai Z. et al. “Phytochromes mediate germination inhibition under red, far-red, and white light in Aethionema arabicum”. Plant Physiology, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad138

About GMI:

The Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) conducts cutting-edge research in molecular plant biology. The institute is owned and funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). Research topics include basic mechanisms of epigenetics, cell biology, plant-pathogen interactions, developmental biology, and population genetics. GMI is located at the Vienna BioCenter, one of the leading life science sites in Europe. https://www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/

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JOURNAL

PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

DOI

10.1093/plphys/kiad138 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Phytochromes mediate germination inhibition under red, far-red, and white light in Aethionema arabicum

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Mar-2023

Additive to make slurry more climate-friendly

Study by the University of Bonn confirms reduction of the greenhouse gas methane by 99 percent

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BONN

 

IMAGE: PIG FARMING PRODUCES A LOT OF EXCREMENT, WHICH IS STORED AS SLURRY. METHANE IS RELEASED FROM THIS THROUGH DECOMPOSITION PROCESSES. view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO: VERONIKA OVERMEYER / UNIVERSITY OF BONN

Greenhouse gases act like a layer of window glass in the atmosphere: They prevent heat from being radiated from the Earth's surface into space. Methane does that 28 times as effectively as carbon dioxide - it is (to stay in the picture) a kind of invisible double glazing.

Over the past 200 years, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled. This is mainly due to human meat consumption: For one thing, cows and other ruminants produce methane during digestion. Another important source is the excrement of the animals. "One-third of the world's man-made methane comes from livestock," explains Felix Holtkamp, who is completing his doctorate at the INRES Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation at the University of Bonn. "It's estimated that up to 50 percent of it originates from fermentation processes in the slurry."

Researchers around the globe are therefore looking for ways to suppress these processes. Holtkamp, his scientific supervisor Dr. Manfred Trimborn from the Institute for Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn, and Dr. Joachim Clemens from the fertilizer manufacturer SF-Soepenberg GmbH have now presented a promising solution to the problem. "We combined slurry from a farm in the lab with calcium cyanamide, a chemical that has been used as a fertilizer in agriculture for more than 100 years," Holtkamp says. "This brought methane production to an almost complete halt."

Emissions fell by 99 percent

Overall, emissions fell by 99 percent. This effect started barely an hour after the addition and persisted until the end of the experiment half a year later. The long effectiveness is important, because slurry is not simply discarded. Rather, it is stored until the beginning of the following growing season and then spread on the fields as a valuable fertilizer. Months of storage are therefore quite common.

During this time, the slurry is transformed by bacteria and fungi: They break down undigested organic material into smaller and smaller molecules. Methane is produced at the end of these processes. "Calcium cyanamide breaks this chain of chemical transformations, and does so simultaneously at different points, as we were able to see in the chemical analysis of the slurry treated accordingly," Holtkamp explains. "The substance suppresses the microbial degradation of short-chain fatty acids, an intermediate in the chain, and their conversion to methane. Exactly how this happens is still unknown."

But the substance has other advantages as well: It enriches the slurry with nitrogen and thus improves its fertilizing effect. It also prevents the formation of so-called floating layers - these are deposits of organic matter that form a solid crust on the slurry and hinder gas exchange. This crust usually needs to be regularly broken up and stirred in.

The process also has advantages for the animals themselves: They are often kept on so-called slatted floors. Their excrement falls through openings in the floor into a large container. Microbial conversion allows the fecal-urine mixture to foam up over time and rise back up through the gaps. "The animals are then standing in their own excrement," Holtkamp says. "Calcium cyanamide stops this foaming." The costs are also manageable - they are around 0.3 to 0.5 cents per liter of milk for cattle farming.

Slurry "purity law" currently prevents use

It is still unclear how the method affects the release of ammonia from the slurry. Ammonia is a toxic gas that, while not harmful to the climate itself, can be converted to dangerous greenhouse gases. "We have initial indications that the amount of ammonia is also reduced in the long term," says Dr. Manfred Trimborn of the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn. "We can't say for sure at this point, though."

In Germany, an environmental law currently prevents the addition of calcium cyanamide: A strict purity requirement applies to conventionally stored slurry at present.

Participating institutions:

In addition to the University of Bonn, SF-Soepenberg GmbH in Hünxe was involved in the study.

In his doctoral thesis, Felix Holtkamp from the University of Bonn investigated processes that can be used to reduce methane emissions from slurry.

CREDIT

Photo: Felix Holtkamp / University of Bonn

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JOURNAL

Waste Management

DOI

10.1016/j.wasman.2023.02.018 

ARTICLE TITLE

Calcium cyanamide reduces methane and other trace gases during long-term storage of dairy cattle and fattening pig slurry

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Mar-2023

When ‘good genes’ go bad: how sexual conflict can cause population collapse

Peer-Reviewed Publication

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

Males of a species evolving traits for sexual conflict can cause problems for females, and, ultimately, the whole population.

A new model by Imperial College London and University of Lausanne researchers, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows how so-called ‘good genes’ can sometimes cause a population to collapse.

Males of any species may compete for females, either by fighting other males for access or impressing females to win their approval. In both cases, males expressing the most competitive traits – such as the best ornaments, like peacock feathers, or the best weapons, like big body size – access more females.

To have the best traits the males must be in good condition, for example to be in better shape or carry less disease. Over time, as better-condition males mate with more females, the prevalence of ‘good genes’ increases throughout the population of the animal, leading to the population as a whole to improve in condition.

However, it can also backfire. Traits than improve a male’s competitive prowess can also damage females. For example, some insect males have evolved penises that tear the females’ insides, and in many species, including mammals, males have evolved to harass females to induce mating. These behaviours reduce female fecundity or may even kill them.

The team’s model tested theories of sexual competition where males harm females, and compared the results with data for various population experiments. Previous experiments have shown conflicting accounts as to whether sexual selection is positive or negative for the population as a whole. The new model provides an explanation for why some experiments show male condition improving, without female fitness or population viability improving alongside.

First author Dr Ewan Flintham, from Imperial College London and the University of Lausanne, said: “Where males evolve selfish traits that help them individually win, they can actually end up causing the population to crash – it’s a form of evolutionary suicide. Even when females evolve to counter male harm and prevent population collapse, the population still decreases significantly, reducing its viability.”

Sexual interactions like these are an important component of understanding population demographics and conservation. For example, where there are more males, sexual competition intensifies, meaning harm towards females is more likely. This is also true in human-managed populations, for example domestic carp, where males and females must be isolated during spawning season.

Dr Flintham completed the research as part of the Centre for Doctoral Training in Quantitative and Modelling Skills in Ecology and Evolution at Imperial. His project supervisor and study co-author Professor Vincent Savolainen, Director of the Georgina Mace Centre for the Living Planet at Imperial, said: “Male harm evolved in nature as something that was supposed to be good, but is detrimental to females and the whole population. Questions like how and why this happens can only be answered with quantitative methods – data and mathematical models – which can be just as important as field studies.”

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JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2211668120 

ARTICLE TITLE

Male harm offsets the demographic benefits of good genes

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

2-Mar-2023