New Delhi: Scientists are learning to develop new medical strategies for therapeutics and vaccines from a worm species. A study published 6 December in the journal Science Immunology by Swiss scientists observes the behaviour of helminths or parasitic worms to understand how they evade the immune responses of their hosts.
Helminths have a specific enzyme called helminth glutamate dehydrogenase (HeGDH) which redirects the host’s immune cells so that instead of attacking the parasite, the cells start suppressing immune responses such as inflammation.
In other words, the enzyme helps the parasite evade the host’s immune system and survive in the host.
Through this study, scientists have finally figured out how the worm makes that happen, and the effects this can have on our own therapeutics.
The epigenetic (relating to changes in the characteristics of an organism from altered gene expression but not DNA interference) process through which helminths are able to manage this immune evasion can be used to treat helminth infections in humans, the study said. But also, any process that reduces inflammation is helpful in therapies addressing asthma and other allergies that lead to inflammation. Read more.
Over 9,000 species went extinct in Australia in 236 years
In a new study published by Cambridge University Press, Australian scientists found that Australia has lost over 9,000 species of insects, butterflies, spiders, and worms due to extinction since 1788. More importantly, they predict that between 40 and 140 species can go extinct this year too.
The study, published Monday in the journal Cambridge Prisms: Extinction, is an analysis of species and biodiversity decline after European colonisation of the continent. While the Australian government has officially recognised only 10 species as extinct, the scientists reveal how the number is much higher when one takes into account the hundreds of ‘undiscovered species’ lost because of rapid habitat loss.
The researchers took five different estimates of endemic Australian invertebrate species at the time Europeans first came to the region, and then applied advanced modelling techniques by calculating the average extinction rate based on existing records.
The main goal of the study was to stress the importance of conservation and research for biodiversity preservation, especially in a period of rapid climate change. Read more.
Two cyclones colliding in Indian ocean
An April 2021 event in which Cyclone Seroja and Super Typhoon Odette—two tropical cyclones—collided in the Indian Ocean is the focus of a new study. This seemingly normal event led to some pretty surprising incidents, two German scientists have found. They used satellite data and Argo floats, which are instruments that measure the temperature, salinity and currents of the world’s oceans. The results were published by Stockholm University Press 6 December in the journal Tellus A: Dynamic Meteorology and Oceanography.
The study found that when two cyclones collide, they lead to a massive upswelling of water, which means that extremely cold water from a depth of about 200 metres is brought up to the ocean surface at a very high speed. Upswelling is a common phenomenon generally associated with cyclones in the ocean. But in this case, the level at which upswelling occurred was surprising.
Also, the cyclones interacted with each other. At first, one tried to suppress the other and, eventually, the collision altered their courses.
The reason this study is important, according to the authors, is because global warming has already been proven to be a factor that will increase tropical cyclones, both in numbers and intensity. If we are able to understand how they behave in such situations, it will help us better understand and model these extreme weather events. Read more.
AI predictions for climate change & global warming
US scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse five different climate models and predict when the world will breach the 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming limit set by the Paris Agreement. The machine learning model predicted that by 2040 or before, most of the world would be 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
But the study also says that by 2060, most of the world will even surpass the three degrees Celsius mark of global warming. These analyses on a regional level also showed how places like South Asia would probably breach two degrees Celsius warming above pre-industrial levels by 2040.
It is a predictive climate model, drawing on the data and the uncertainty of existing models by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other sources. However, the authors do ring an alarm bell for how these numbers can affect policy making, especially in regions where the thresholds are expected to be crossed much sooner. Read more.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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