A new, enormous landmass, hidden and untouched for over 34 million years, has just been unveiled by scientists.
To put it in perspective, this discovery predates modern humans by about 170 times. It’s estimated to be larger than Belgium, but human-induced climate change could potentially expose it.
Stewart Jamieson, a glaciologist from the UK’s Durham University, remarked, “What is exciting is that it’s been hiding there in plain sight.” This hidden landscape was unveiled using radio waves sent to bounce off the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
These radio signals were analyzed using “radio-echo sounding,” and satellites were employed to create images of what this hidden land might look like.
As scientists dug deeper into their research, they estimated that this land covers about 32,000 square kilometers. They believe it might have been a home to forests, diverse animals, and a thriving ecosystem.
The mystery of how this massive landmass ended up under the Antarctic ice sheet remains unsolved. However, scientists believe that it will be a “long way off” before this land sees the light of day again.
During the time it was exposed, Earth was at least 3-7°C warmer, and even with natural climate change (0.2°C every 11 years or so), it will take a millennium or more for this land to be exposed to the atmosphere once more.
The James Webb Telescope has been providing us with crucial information regarding our solar system, other galaxies and our universe. Not long ago, the telescope found six galaxies that could possibly be older than the universe, that is, older than the big bang, which is when scientists believe our galactic story began.
These “universe breakers,” have already left astronomers and scientists puzzled – and therefore many of them have started to question if the universe is as old as we deem it to be. An article published by the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, claims that the universe might be almost double its current estimated age – 26.7 billion years old. What proof do they have to claim this?
Measuring the age of the universe?
The redshift phenomena – put in simple words, the rate of expansion of the universe, is what scientists and astronomers use to understand and estimate the age of the universe.
When red light travels, its wavelengths are much longer than violet/blue light waves. Longer wavelengths indicate that light is reaching us from a place in space that is almost impossible to reach, it’s very far away. This is how scientists measure how far away things are in this cosmos. It is also how the James Webb Telescope (JWT) was able to identify those six galaxies.
The galaxies founded by JWT were almost 13.5 billion years old – when the universe was just a baby. The likelihood of celestial objects to exist when the universe was in its earliest stages is almost impossible.
Not to mention, these galaxies seem to be far too advanced to have existed in the universes’ early stages.
Other than these galaxies, there is Methuselah. This star appears to either be older than the universe itself, or has existed since the early stages of the universe.
Though the findings of the universe being almost 27 billion years old seem convincing, only few research papers and genuine proofs have been submitted by university scientists and space research organisations.
Donanemab, “seen as a turning point in dementia fight,” as per a report from the BBC, is a drug that has slowed cognitive decline of the symptoms of dementia/Alzheimer’s by 35% (as per data presented July 17 at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam).
This antibody can temporarily put a hold to the effects of the disease on the patient. “The rationale behind Donanemab is that targeting deposited plaque itself is necessary to clear existing amyloid burden from the brain, rather than merely prevent deposition of new plaques or growth of existing plaques.” (Source: https://www.alzforum.org/therapeutics/donanemab)
Donanemab is primarily targeted towards patients in the early stages of the disease, and has shown significant results depicting an optimistic future in finding a cure/cures for the disease.
Before continuing, it should be known that though the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia diseases are similar, their causes are usually different. Generally, all diseases that contribute to memory loss are due to nerve cell damage and plaque build up, and Alzheimer’s disease is no different.
It is caused due to the abnormal or excess build up of protein in and around brain cells, and all diseases that come under dementia are due to nerve cell damage. Amyloid is one such protein that is most commonly present in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Dementia is somewhat of an umbrella term, and includes various diseases and conditions that contribute to memory loss and odd behavior, Alzheimer’s disease being one, Parkinson’s disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) among others.
Denenomab specifically targets the Amyloid protein, and is therefore subjected for Alzheimer’s disease, not other dementia diseases.
Previously, the FDA (food and drug administration) gave approval to another drug, Lecanemab, another drug whose main goal is to slow down cognitive decline as well. Both of these drugs aim to remove amyloid plaque from the brain, which is presumed to be the cause of the disease in the first place.
In a nutshell, the main purpose of Donanemab is to clear amyloid plaque present in the brain, which is usually present in Alzheimer disease patients.
It should be noted that these drugs do have side effects, some concerning, such as internal brain bleeding and/or swelling, and even four deaths – three of whom were tested in the Donanemab group. Though the probability of such risks are rare, intensive research and development is still required until they can officially be licensed as drugs.
It should also be understood that the drug doesn’t stop cognitive decline, it is just that it slows or delays the symptoms of cognitive decline, and that the known symptoms are bound to be visible in patients over an extended period of time.
As per JAMA, “Donanemab significantly slowed Alzheimer disease progression, based on the iADRS (Integrated Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale) score.”
This new drug could possibly open doors to finding a temporary cure for the disease, and make it long lasting instead of permanent – similar to diabetes or asthma.
References:
John R. Sims, MD. “Trial of Donanemab in Early Symptomatic Alzheimer Disease.” JAMA, JAMA Network, 17 July 2023, jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2807533.
MC, Irizarry, et al. “Donanemab.” ALZFORUM, www.alzforum.org/therapeutics/donanemab.
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval for Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-grants-accelerated-approval-alzheimers-disease-treatment
What the world once considered to be something out of a sci-fi movie might just become reality. Alef Aeronautics, an automotive aviation company, has been working on this flying car for the past 7-8 years and has without a doubt left not only the world of flight and travel but also the general public in awe. This electric vehicle is expected to hit the American skyline in the year 2025, and preorders begin at a whopping $300,000 (USD).
As per a report from Times Now, the company has already started accepting pre-orders and money deposits for the vehicle, but the vehicle itself will only be delivered by 2025. The design is urban, futuristic, and the car itself is sustainable. CEO Jim Dukhonvy backs this claim, as he says “We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.”
Not only is this a huge step towards technological advancements, but also is an insight to the future. As several sources report, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved and certified this yet-to-be automobile. With a vertical take-off stance, “Model A,” can currently carry 2 people and travel about 200 miles.
Alef’s newest development and the approval of the FAA is only the stepping stone to a more sustainable and safer future.
Almost all infectious and deadly viruses are caused due to their RNA coding. Researchers from established research universities, such as NYU and Columbia, alongside the New York Genome Center, have researched and discovered a new type of CRISPR technology that targets this RNA and might just prevent the spread of deadly diseases and infections.
A new study from Nature Biotechnology has shown that the development of major gene editing tools like CRISPR will serve to be beneficial at an even larger scale. CRISPR, in a nutshell, is a gene editing piece of technology that can be used to switch gene expression on and off. Up until now, it was only known that CRISPR, with the help of the enzyme Cas9, could only edit DNA. With the recent discovery of Cas13, RNA editing might just become possible as well.
RNA is a second type of genetic material present within our cells and body, which plays an essential role in various biological roles such as regulation, expression, coding, and even decoding genes. It plays a significant role in biological processes such as protein synthesis, and these proteins are necessary to carry out various processes.
RNA viruses
RNA viruses usually exist in 2 types – single-stranded RNA (ssRNA), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). RNA viruses are notoriously famous for causing the most common and the most well-known infections – examples being the common cold, influenza, Dengue, hepatitis, Ebola, and even COVID-19. These dangerous and possibly life-threatening viruses only have RNA as their genetic material. So, how can/might AI and CRISPR technology, using the enzyme Cas13 help fight against these nuisances?
Role of CRISPR-Cas13
RNA targeting CRISPRs have various applications – from editing and blocking genes to finding out possible drugs to cure said pathogenic disease/infection. As a report from NYU states, “Researchers at NYU and the New York Genome Center created a platform for RNA-targeting CRISPR screens using Cas13 to better understand RNA regulation and to identify the function of non-coding RNAs. Because RNA is the main genetic material in viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and flu,” the applications of CRISPR-Cas13 can promise us cures and newer ways to treat severe viral infections.
“Similar to DNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas9, we anticipate that RNA-targeting CRISPRs such as Cas13 will have an outsized impact in molecular biology and biomedical applications in the coming years,” said Neville Sanjana, associate professor of biology at NYU, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Learn more about CRISPR, Cas9, and Cas13 here.
Role of AI
Artificial intelligence is becoming more and more reliant as days pass by. So much so, that it can be used to precisely target RNA coding, especially in the given case scenario. TIGER (Targeted Inhibition of Gene Expression via guide RNA design), was trained on the data from the CRISPR screens. Comparing the predictions generated by the model and laboratory tests in human cells, TIGER was able to predict both on-target and off-target activity, outperforming previous models developed for Cas13
With the assistance of AI with an RNA-targeting CRISPR screen, TIGER’s predictions might just initiate new and more developed methods of RNA-targeting therapies. In a nutshell, AI will be able to “sieve” out undesired off-target CRISPR activity, making it a more precise and reliable method.
Wessels, HH., Stirn, A., Méndez-Mancilla, A. et al. Prediction of on-target and off-target activity of CRISPR–Cas13d guide RNAs using deep learning. Nat Biotechnol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-01830-8
