Scientists

The so-called 'dark transcriptome' consists of non-coding RNA, i.e. RNA that does not provide instructions for building proteins. A study published in the journal Science Signaling used long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and modified them to attenuate acute inflammation in mice and human cells. The authors are confident that this could open up a new field of therapeutic development.

A new study conducted over 25 years with data from 2,766 older women, who were in good cognitive health at the start, shows that high blood levels of the p-tau217 protein were strongly associated with future mild cognitive impairment and dementia. In its press release, the University of California (United States), where the authors work, stated that ‘a new blood biomarker can predict a woman's risk of developing dementia up to 25 years before symptoms appear.’ The study is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

Global biodiversity is threatened by human impact, which has already led to the extinction of hundreds of species. However, the known tree of life continues to expand with the discovery of numerous clades (groups of organisms that share a common ancestor and all its descendants), according to a international study pubished in PNAS. According to their estimates, made between 2015 and 2020, more than 700 new genera, more than 20 new families, and more than three new orders are described each year, all based on newly discovered species. According to the authors, many new clades remain undiscovered, and describing them before they become extinct should be a priority for research and conservation.

A clinical trial (COSMOS) involving 958 healthy adults with an average age of 70 tested the ability of a multivitamin supplement, together with cocoa extract, to slow ageing. The results, published in Nature Medicine, show that the supplement slightly slowed two of the five biological markers of ageing measured after two years of daily use. The two markers affected were PCPhenoAge and PCGrimAge, whose rate of increase was reduced by 2.6 months and 1.4 months respectively. The slowing effect was greater among participants who initially showed more accelerated ageing. Cocoa showed no effect.

The adoption of policies promoting physical activity has increased over the last two decades, but there is limited evidence that these policies are being implemented, and physical inactivity has remained high during this period, says an article published in Nature Health. The study is based on an analysis of documents from 200 countries and interviews with 46 experts, including one from the ISGlobal research institute in Barcelona.

How much homework do teachers assign? If children spend more time doing homework, do they get better grades? What should homework be like in order to be useful? There are conflicting opinions on this subject, as well as a great deal of academic research. In this article, we present evidence to unravel some of the controversies –with a focus on primary education, which is usually completed between the ages of six and twelve.

Forest disturbances in Europe—including fires, insect pest outbreaks, and windstorms—could double by the end of the 21st century compared with the 2001–2020 period if emissions are not reduced. In the case of wildfires, the annual area burned could nearly triple. The Mediterranean region ranks among the most vulnerable, and almost 90% of Mediterranean forests could be affected by increased fires and pest outbreaks under higher warming scenarios. The findings are published in a study in the journal Science involving Spanish research centers such as CREAF, the CTFC and the University of Girona.

CAR-T cells, T lymphocytes modified in the laboratory to attack tumor cells, have shown promise against certain types of cancer. Now, a US team has followed the same concept and introduced artificial receptors into astrocytes, a type of nerve cell, with the aim of reducing the amyloid plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. The experiments, conducted in mice, showed a significant reduction in amyloid, although no changes in the animals' behavior were observed. The results are published in Science. 

Two articles published in the journal Scientific Reports explore the survival capacity of microorganisms and plants in imitations of lunar and Martian soils. In the first, the team succeeded in cultivating chickpea plants in a lunar soil simulant — lunar regolith — treated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and worm compost. In the second article, microbial growth was investigated in a Martian soil simulant with different water proportions and under pressure and temperature conditions similar to those on Earth. At a water level comparable to that on Mars, an atmospheric humidity of 34 %, microbial mass increased, although it fell back to zero after 60 days. “These findings extend the known physicochemical limits of life in solid substrates and provide new insight into the potential habitability of hyper-arid extraterrestrial environments,” the authors say.

Researchers have reviewed nearly 400 scientific articles related to sea level rise and associated risks and concluded that most studies may have underestimated global sea level rise by an average of 0.3 meters. In some areas of the Global South, these levels could be up to 1 meter higher than previously thought. According to the authors, a reassessment of the methodology used to characterize the impact of sea level rise is necessary, as this could have implications for policy, climate finance, and coastal adaptation plans. The study is published in Nature.