Cyborg Soil unearths the complex microbial web of hidden cities
It is enough to take a handful of soil to discover the enormous number of microorganisms that a small sample can contain. Until now the study of these organisms was done by invading their land and habitat, and destroying the delicate earth structures where they resided. The new model developed called Cyborg Soil, half artificial and half natural, is built with microengineered chips that are buried in nature for the time necessary to see the microbial cities emerge. These chips act as a kind of window into the subsoil.
The research reveals the damp, dark cities where microbes reside in the soil. Labyrinths with small roads, bridges, skyscrapers and rivers navigated by microorganisms on a mission to find food or avoid being someone else’s food. The material from which the chips are made allow them to interact with the medium where they are inserted and become part of it without destroying it.
One of the goals of the study was to determine why and how microbial cities are designed. This can be achieved by observing how minerals in the soil made their way into the microchips themselves creating soil parts in these artificial structures. The resulting patterns of minerals in the soil looked like a river bed from our macro world.
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A super glue made from snake venom can stop bleeding in seconds
Despite the fear and aversion that poisonous animals inspire in humans, scientists now find useful properties in these powerful substances. Studies were recently done on the effect of bee venom on breast cancer. Other research shed light on a possible treatment for diabetes with platypus venom. Now a team of scientists has developed a “super glue” that can stop bleeding, from a poison, in less than a minute.
Researchers have created a bioadhesive gel from the venom of the mapanare (Bothrops atrox). This viper from the tropical lands of South America feeds on birds, reptiles and small mammals. Its venom is very powerful and causes the blood of its victims to clot. Its action is fast and particularly lethal.
The researchers extracted the reptilase (or batroxobin) responsible for coagulation, to bind it to the formula of its adhesive, which until then had not effectively fulfilled its function in the presence of blood, obtaining excellent results. Despite the advantages of synthetic adhesives, which are very easy to handle, their degradation is potentially toxic. On the other hand, these natural bioadhesives are very effective and have great biocompatibility.
New research uncovers the incredible influence of forests on human mental health
In a study involving 3,568 London students, children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 15, it was shown that those who spent more time in contact with forests showed greater mental health and cognitive performance during their adolescence. Surprisingly, lake, river, or grassland environments don’t seem to have the same impact.
It is not the first time that this connection has been found between wooded or wooded environments and the mental state of human beings. The findings contribute to understanding natural environments as protective factors for mental health.
Mice seem to be dreaming of the life that awaits them even before they can open their eyes
A new study points to the possibility that mice dream of the future as newborns, a behavior not expected even in human babies. Some images taken of the brains of baby mice, before opening their eyes, just at the moment of birth, indicated waves of retinal activity. The patterns shown in the brain images were very similar to those shown by the brains of mice with their eyes open and in motion, interacting with the environment.
Michael Crair, a neuroscientist at Yale University, explains that this early, dream-like activity has an evolutionary sense. It is what allows the animal to prepare in advance for the environmental threats that it may face. According to Crair, brain circuits organize themselves when they are born, the first lessons are already done. It is like dreaming of something that you are going to see without even having opened your eyes.
A surprising discovery that paves the way in understanding the phenomenon of sleepwalking
New research studying sleepwalking and its biological mysteries found that people’s levels of flight and fight responses while sleepwalking were lower than those found in deep sleepers. Sleepwalking affects 4% of adults, depriving them of adequate rest necessary for good health and, at times, putting them at serious risk.
Researchers from the University of Montreal and the Sacred Heart Hospital in Montreal, Canada, conducted a series of experiments with sleepwalking and non-sleepwalking adults. Although the causes of sleepwalking are still unclear, it has been determined that sleepwalkers can normally experience the processes related to deep sleep and arousal, even if they are not experiencing the episode.
Compared to other healthy adults, the autonomic nervous system of these people favors their parasympathetic activity during sleep. The results were surprising, as it was thought that sleepwalkers in deep sleep would show higher levels of fight-and-flight response, and that this would predispose them to be at higher risk for an episode. This finding paves the way for further research and understanding of the biological processes related to sleepwalking.
