# s-pnei: how social status alters immune function in macaques

<< Americans differ in life expectancy by more than a decade. Glaring health inequalities across the socioeconomic spectrum are often attributed to access to medical care and differences in habits such as smoking, exercise and diet. But a new study in rhesus monkeys shows that the chronic stress of life at the bottom can alter the immune system even in the absence of other risk factors. The research confirms previous animal studies suggesting that social status affects the way genes turn on and off within immune cells >>

Upward mobility boosts immunity in monkeys. Nov. 24, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-upward-mobility-boosts-immunity-monkeys.html

AA << combined genomics with a social status manipulation in female rhesus macaques to investigate how status alters immune function >>

AA << identify specific transcription factor signaling pathways that explain these differences, including low-status–associated polarization of the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway toward a proinflammatory response >>

Noah Snyder-Mackler, Joaquin Sanz et al. Social status alters immune regulation and response to infection in macaques. Science  25 Nov 2016: Vol. 354, Issue 6315, pp. 1041-1045 DOI: 10.1126/science.aah3580

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6315/1041

# s-ecol: largely irreversible changes in the Arctic: 19 regime shifts to complex (chaotic?) transitions

<< Chapter 3 of the report examines 19 documented or potential  regime  shifts  in  the  Arctic  –  from  a  shift  to  sea- ice- free summers, to collapse of different Arctic fisheries, to the transformation of landscapes: from bogs to peatlands, or from tundra to boreal forest or to steppe >>

Arctic Council (2016). Arctic Resilience Report. M. Carson and G. Peterson (eds). Stockholm Environment Institute and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm.

https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/handle/11374/1838

https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/bitstream/handle/11374/1838/ARR_full_report_low-res_161114b.pdf

# s-evol: more grey on their backs to camouflage (Meliphagidae and Acanthizidae songbirds)

<< Tropical birds are well known for their colorful appearance: vibrantly colored macaws, parakeets and parrots are widely considered to be the quintessential birds of this region. >>

<< But do birds evolve to become more colorful when they move to the tropics? >>

<<  "The pattern is really clear" Friedman [Nicholas Friedman]  reports, "birds living in the desert tend to be more grey on their backs, while birds living in the forest have evolved to be more of a dark green - we think they are evolving these colors to match their background." >>

<< This would be an example of natural selection, in this case more camouflaged organisms can survive and pass on their genes.
"These results help to explain the origins of the diversity of life, how species end up evolving different characteristics over time" >>

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. New research provides insight into plumage evolution. Nov. 4, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-insight-plumage-evolution.html

Friedman NR, Remes V. Ecogeographical gradients in plumage coloration among Australasian songbird clades. Global Ecol. Biogeogr. 2016  doi:10.1111/geb.12522 Publ.  Sept. 25, 2016.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.12522/abstract

# s-evol: smarter dinosaurs

<< Dinosaurs have a fearsome reputation for their hunting abilities but less so when it comes to their intelligence. >>

<< But the recent discovery of the first recorded fossilised brain tissue could help challenge that image >>

Alex Liu. First Dinosaur Brain Fossil Suggests They May Have Been Smarter Than We Thought. Oct 28, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/10/28/first-dinosaur-brain-fossil-suggests-they-may-have-been-smarter-than-we-thought/

https://theconversation.com/first-dinosaur-brain-fossil-suggests-they-may-have-been-smarter-than-we-thought-67715

Martin D. Brasier,  David B. Norman, et al. Remarkable preservation of brain tissues in an Early Cretaceous iguanodontian dinosaur. Geological Society, London, Special Publications(2016); SP448.3

http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP448.3

http://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/early/2016/11/01/SP448.3

# s-acad: after POTUS race: Scientists reactions, by Nature.com

<< Trump victory generates shock, disbelief and fear of funding cuts. >>

<< Some foreign researchers working in the United States started thinking about leaving the country. >>

<< Around the world, researchers expressed sympathy and wondered how the election results might upset US research. >>

<< Other researchers said they were scared that a Trump presidency might reduce funding for science. >>

<< Some researchers expressed concern over the future of climate science. >>

<< And some scientists had more existential worries. >>

Lauren Morello. How scientists reacted to the US election results.  09 Nov2016

http://www.nature.com/news/how-scientists-reacted-to-the-us-election-results-1.20965

more:

<< It is time for scientists and politicians alike to constructively engage with core issues — from climate change and energy independence to social inequality. >>

Reality must trump rhetoric after US election shock. 16 Nov. 2016

http://www.nature.com/news/reality-must-trump-rhetoric-after-us-election-shock-1.20980

more:

Tim Wallace. The Two Americas of 2016. Nov.16, 2016.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/16/us/politics/the-two-americas-of-2016.html

# n-soc: you can not explain the inequality without

<< “A lot of research has focused on the role of markets in rising inequality, but they are missing a major cause,” Jacobs [David Jacobs] said. “You can’t explain income inequality without looking at political factors.” >>

Jeff Grabmeier. New evidence that politics, not economics, drives inequality. Oct. 26, 2016

https://news.osu.edu/news/2016/10/26/inequality-politics/

David Jacobs and Jonathan C. Dirlam. Politics and Economic Stratification: Power Resources and Income Inequality in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 2016; Vol. 122, Number 2, Sept. 2016.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/687744

# s-gst-evol: tiny tweaks to modulate hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)

<< Millions of years ago, some plants in the mustard family made the switch from simple leaves to complex leaves through two tiny tweaks to a single gene. One tweak to a small enhancer sequence gave the gene a new domain of expression in the leaf. Paradoxically, the other tweak sub-optimised its function in this new domain. But together, these changes gave rise to fit plants with complex leaves. >>

P. Huijser. A small piece of DNA with a large effect on leaf shape. Nov. 17, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-11-small-piece-dna-large-effect.html

Francesco Vuolo, Remco A. Mentink et al. Coupled enhancer and coding sequence evolution of a homeobox gene shaped leaf diversity. Genes & Development (2016). Nov.16, 2016, doi: 10.1101/gad.290684.116

http://m.genesdev.cshlp.org/content/early/2016/11/16/gad.290684.116