New Delhi: How did humans develop the ability to speak and create languages? Every species makes sounds, but humans are unique because they can speak in complex languages and learn multiple languages, too. Scientists in the US now propose that one particular protein in the gene NOVA1 could be responsible for homo sapiens being able to communicate like they do.
They noticed that the NOVA1 gene is present in all mammals and is useful for neural development. But unlike other mammals and even ancient humans, the NOVA1 gene in modern humans has one different protein variant, called the I197V.
This variant, when transplanted into mice by scientists, made no difference to neural development, but did change their vocalisation. The mice were observed as talking differently to the females, and there were speech pattern changes noticed in baby mice, too.
There needs to be more research done to fully confirm if it is this I197V variant in the NOVA1 gene that is responsible for the human ability to construct and speak languages. The next step for the US scientists would be to see if the variant has any effect on language development and disorders in humans.
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Climate change could mean lesser chocolate for you
There is both bad and good news for chocolate lovers. The bad news is that in the wake of climate change, cocoa production across the world is under threat. The good news is that scientists have solutions in place.
Cocoa, a plant that sustains a $100 billion chocolate industry annually, is a major cash crop, but its production in Brazil, Ghana and Indonesia is depleting day by day. Scientists from the University of Oxford conducted a study in these countries to understand the reason for lower cocoa production. They found that it is largely threatened by extreme weather events, rising temperatures and lower pollination rates.
However, they also provided solutions, such as increasing natural pollination through insects like midges and thrips, preserving the soil organic matter and practicing climate-resilient agriculture. These small steps could lead to long-term safety for the world’s beloved chocolates.
The supermassive black hole in the middle of Milky Way
A new paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters talks about how the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A in the middle of the Milky Way is constantly emitting flares of light.
This is the first time ever that we’ve gotten the longest and most detailed view of the black hole using the James Webb Space Telescope, and what the scientists have observed is quite literally out of this world.
While large black holes are usually expected to emit flares, this is the first that has been seen of a black hole that has constant activity. Some of these infrared flares of light are very bright, while the others are a bit moderate, but they’re constantly being emitted with no end and no real pattern in sight either.
Through these observations, scientists hope to uncover more information about the void that is at the centre of the universe. The next goal for them will be to observe Sagittarius A continually for 24 hours.
Pesticides leading to global biodiversity crisis
For the first time ever, a study has documented the effects of pesticides on fungi, microbes, plants, insects, fish, and all other kinds of living beings in water and soil. The study published in Nature Communications analysed 1,700 lab and field samples to understand exactly how pesticides affect the environment of a place.
They found that pesticides of all kinds—insecticides, herbicides, fungicides—affect the growth, reproduction, cellular growth and metabolism of 800 different species. These are all the non-target species of the pesticides, meaning that these effects are unintentional.
This makes pesticides all the more dangerous. Authors of the study warn against current pesticide usage in industrialised agriculture, saying that the harm it causes to the ecosystem might be irreversible after a point.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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