# gene: newtic1 to regenerate limbs

<< The newt, a group of urodele amphibians, has outstanding ability to repeatedly regenerate various body parts >>

<< In this animal, when the limb is amputated, a cell mass named the blastema appears on the stump and eventually gives rise to a new functional limb >>

AA << identified an orphan gene Newtic1, whose transcripts significantly increased in the blastema. Newtic1 was expressed in a subset of erythrocytes that formed a novel clump (EryC) >>

<< When the limb was amputated, EryCs were newly generated in the stump and accumulated into a distal portion of the growing blastema. >>

Roman M. Casco-Robles, Akihiko Watanabe, et al. Novel erythrocyte clumps revealed by an orphan gene Newtic1 in circulating blood and regenerating limbs of the adult newt. Scientific Reports. 8 (7455). May 10, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-25867-x

Novel gene in red blood cells may help adult newts regenerate limbs. University of Tsukuba. Jun 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-gene-red-blood-cells-adult.html

Also

# gene: the ability of the newt to safely regenerate parts of itself. Dic 30, 2017

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/12/gene-ability-of-newt-to-safely.html

# geo: low frequency sounds that resemble the shape of the tornillo seismic waves

AA << characterize and interpret a new type of infrasound signal originating from the summit of Volcán Cotopaxi (Ecuador) >>

<< This infrasound waveform is a slowly decaying sinusoid with exceptional low‐frequency (..) and high quality factor (..) and resembles the shape of tornillo seismic waveforms. >>

Johnson JB,  Ruiz MC, et al. Infrasound Tornillos Produced by Volcán Cotopaxi's Deep Crater. Geophysical Research Letters. doi: 10.1029/2018GL077766. Jun 13,  2018.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018GL077766

Volcano music could help scientists monitor eruptions. American Geophysical Union. Jun 15, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-volcano-music-scientists-eruptions.html

# archeol: on the ancient turquoise

<< turquoise used by the Aztecs and Mixtecs likely derives from Mesoamerican sources and was not acquired through long-distance exchange with the Southwest >>

Alyson M. Thibodeau, Leonardo Lopez Lujan, et al. Was Aztec and Mixtec turquoise mined in the American Southwest?  Science Advances. Jun 13,  2018; 4 (6), eaas9370. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aas9370

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/6/eaas9370

<< This work revises our understanding of these relatively rare objects and provides a new perspective on the availability of turquoise, which was a highly valued luxury resource in ancient Mesoamerica >>

<< These findings potentially re-shape our understanding of both the nature and extent of long-distance contacts between Mesoamerican and Southwestern societies (..) I hope this inspires people to be skeptical of claims >> Alyson Thibodeau.

New research unveils true origin of ancient turquoise. Dickinson College. Jun 13, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-unveils-true-ancient-turquoise.html

# gst: Sustainability, Die-off, Collapse, Oscillation: 4 classes of traject. to depict interactions of a resource-intensive tech species with its host planet.

AA << have used the formalism of dynamical systems theory to explore a highly simplified model for the interaction of a resource-intensive technological species with its host planet. >>

AA << find four distinct classes of trajectories (..)

Sustainability: For these classes, stable equilibria (..) exist which can be approached monotonically. The population rises smoothly to a steady-state value. The planetary environment is monotonically perturbed from its initial value e0 and reaches a new steady state that can support a large population.

Die-off: For these classes, stable equilibria (..) exist which cannot be approached monotonically. The population overshoots the environment's carrying capacity, reaches a peak, and is forced to decline as the environment reaches its new steady state.

Collapse: For these classes, stable equilibria with nonzero population do not exist. In these cases the population experiences a rapid decline after reaching its peak value. It is noteworthy that collapse can occur even though the population has begun leveling off due to the civilization's switching from high-impact to low-impact energy modalities.

Oscillation: In this class, a stable limit cycle exists rather than an equilibrium. The population and the planetary environment cycle between high and low values. >>

Frank A, Carroll-Nellenback Jonathan, et al. The Anthropocene Generalized: Evolution of Exo-Civilizations and Their Planetary Feedback. Astrobiology. 18 (5), May 1, 2018. doi: 10.1089/ast.2017.1671.

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ast.2017.1671

Alien apocalypse: Can any civilization make it through climate change? University of Rochester. Jun 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-alien-apocalypse-civilization-climate.html

# brain: understanding of zero even among honey bees

AA << trained individual honey bees to the numerical concepts of "greater than" or "less than" using stimuli containing one to six elemental features. Bees could subsequently extrapolate the concept of less than to order zero numerosity at the lower end of the numerical continuum. Bees demonstrated an understanding that parallels animals such as the African grey parrot, nonhuman primates, and even preschool children. >>

Scarlett R Howard, Aurore Avargues-Weber, et al. Numerical Ordering of Zero in Honey Bees. Science, 360 (6393), 1124-1126. 2018 Jun 8. doi: 10.1126/science.aar4975.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pubmed/29880690-numerical-ordering-of-zero-in-honey-bees/

FonT

questa news la devo a mia moglie Tamara, anche lei pulsatile nomade di labirinti ...

 

# ai: open source AI projects

<< The Linux Foundation has published a free ebook by Ibrahim Haddad examining popular open source AI projects, including Acumos AI, Apache Spark, Caffe, TensorFlow, and others. >>

<< "It is increasingly common to see AI as open source projects,” Haddad said. And, “as with any technology where talent premiums are high, the network effects of open source are very strong.” >>

Amber Ankerholz. Free Ebook Offers Insight on 16 Open Source AI Projects. May 22, 2018.

https://www.linuxfoundation.org/blog/free-ebook-offers-insight-on-16-open-source-ai-projects/   

# drugs: the sweet side of a snake venom (B. jararaca)

AA << report on the sweet side of snake venom toxins >>

<< most proteins in lancehead venom are modified with glycans, which can affect the proteins' folding, stability and binding >>

<< Glycans containing sialic acid may help in venom solubility and increase toxin half-life >>

<< Sialic acid on a toxic enzyme may also bind to host proteins called siglecs [sialic acid-binding Ig superfamily  lectins], pulling the enzyme closer to target cells for greater effect >>

How just drops of viper venom pack a deadly punch. Am Soc for Biochem and Molec Biol. Jun 1, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-viper-venom-deadly.html

Debora Andrade-Silva, David Ashline, et al. Structures of N-Glycans of Bothrops venoms revealed as molecular signatures that contribute to venom phenotype in viperid snakes. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. doi: 10.1074/mcp.RA118.000748 mcp.RA118.000748. May 1, 2018.

http://m.mcponline.org/content/early/2018/04/30/mcp.RA118.000748