# s-phyto: they may selectively kill part of the self

<< Plants adopt different strategies to survive the changing temperatures of their natural environments. This is most evident in temperate regions where forest trees shed their leaves to conserve energy during the cold season. In a new study, a team of plant biologists found that some plants may selectively kill part of their roots to survive under cold weather conditions >>

Plants sacrifice “daughters” to survive chilly weather. 23 June 2017

http://news.nus.edu.sg/press-releases/plants-sacrifice-survive-chilly-weather

Jing Han Hong, Maria Savina, et al. A Sacrifice-for-Survival Mechanism Protects Root Stem Cell Niche from Chilling Stress. Cell 2017; doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.002 Publ. June 22, 2017

http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(17)30643-8

FonT: una sorta di "Novacula Occami" ...

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasoio_di_Occam

# s-evol: Burmese python, mechanisms underlying post-feeding regenerations

<< A research team at the University of Texas at Arlington (..)  has been exploring the genomes of snakes and lizards to answer critical questions about these creatures' evolutionary history >>

<< For instance, how did they develop venom?

How do they regenerate their organs?

And how do evolutionarily-derived variations in genes lead to variations in how organisms look and function? >>

Aaron Dubrow. How Pythons Regenerate their Organs and Other Secrets of the Snake Genome. Publ. June 22, 2017

https://www.tacc.utexas.edu/-/how-pythons-regenerate-their-organs-and-other-secrets-of-the-snake-genome

Audra L. Andrew, Blair W. Perry, et al. Growth and stress response mechanisms underlying post-feeding regenerative organ growth in the Burmese python. BMC Genomics 2017 18:338 doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-3743-1 Publ. 2 May 2017

https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-017-3743-1

# s-gst: coupled solitons jiggle like molecules

<< The first direct observations of how "molecules of light" can vibrate have been made by >> AA << who have characterized the motions of soliton laser pulses that interact with each other in an optical fibre >>

Hamish Johnston. 'Molecules' of light wiggle and jiggle. Jun 19, 2017.

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/2017/jun/19/molecules-of-light-wiggle-and-jiggle

AA << map the internal motion of a soliton pair molecule [..] revealing different categories of internal pulsations, including vibrationlike and phase drifting dynamics >>

AA results << agree well with numerical predictions and bring insights to the analogy between self-organized states of lights and states of the matter >>

Katarzyna Krupa, K. Nithyanandan, et al. Real-Time Observation of Internal Motion within Ultrafast Dissipative Optical Soliton Molecules. Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 243901 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.243901 Publ. 13 June 2017.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.243901

# e-bot: mimicking the structure of the "powdery alligator-flag" (Thalia dealbata)

<< Versatile, light-weight materials that are both strong and resilient are crucial for the development of flexible electronics, such as bendable tablets and wearable sensors. Aerogels are good candidates for such applications, but until now, it's been difficult to make them with both properties. Now, researchers report in ACS Nano that mimicking the structure of the "powdery alligator-flag" plant [Thalia dealbata] has enabled them to make a graphene-based aerogel that meets these needs. >>

Plant inspiration could lead to flexible electronics. June 21, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-06-flexible-electronics.html

Miao Yang, Nifang Zhao, et al. Biomimetic Architectured Graphene Aerogel with Exceptional Strength and Resilience. ACS Nano
doi: 10.1021/acsnano.7b01815 Publ. June 21, 2017

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.7b01815

# s-behav: inequity aversion in wolves and dogs

<< inequity aversion was present already in the common—probably cooperative—ancestor of wolves and dogs and thus support the hypothesis of a close link of cooperation and inequity aversion >>

Jennifer L. Essler, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, et al.  Domestication Does Not Explain the Presence of Inequity Aversion in Dogs. Current Biology, Volume 27, Issue 12, 1861 - 1865.e3 Publ. June 8, 2017 doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.061

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)30627-9

Sensitivity to inequity is in wolves’ and dogs’ blood. 08.06.2017

http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/infoservice/presseinformation/press-releases-2017/sensitivity-to-inequity-is-in-wolves-and-dogs-blood/

# s-behav: individuality among Amazon mollies

<< Genetically identical Amazon mollies raised individually and under identical environmental conditions, nevertheless develop different personality types. Additionally, increasing the opportunity for social interactions early in life appears to have no influence of the magnitude of personality variation. >>

AA << team used the Amazon molly, a livebearing Poecilid species. These animals are natural clones, meaning all the offspring of one mother have exactly the same genetic material. >>

Same genes, same environment, different personality: Is  individuality unavoidable? May  17,  2017

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170517132941.htm

David Bierbach, Kate  L.  Laskowski, Max  Wolf. Behavioural  individuality  in  clonal  fish arises  despite  near-identical  rearing conditions. Nature Comm. 8, Article  number:  15361  (2017)  doi :10.1038/ncomms15361 Publ. 17  May  2017

https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms15361

# s-brain: all rely on one central function: emulation

<< Our brain's fronto-parietal network is responsible for a range of highly diverse functions, from planning and executing movements to mental rotation, and from spatial attention to working memory. But how can a single network participate in such a wide variety of functions? >>

[AA]  << have recently put forward an original hypothesis — all these cognitive functions rely on one central function: emulation. This function creates an abstract dynamic 'image' of movements, thereby enabling the brain to strengthen its motor skills and construct a precise and lasting representation of them. >>

Acting and thinking — are they the same for our brain?

http://www.unige.ch/communication/communiques/en/2017/cdp120617/

Radek Ptak, Armin Schnider, Julia Fellrath. The Dorsal Frontoparietal Network: A Core System for Emulated Action. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Publ. June 01, 2017. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.05.002

http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(17)30100-6