Eleanor Wachtel spoke with the Scottish author about her novels, Autumn and Winter, in 2018.

YouTuber Jake Paul and boxing heavyweight legend Mike Tyson are finally set to battle in their much-anticipated match at AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Friday night.

The post ‘I’m a Natural-Born Killer’: Mike Tyson Highlights the Difference Between Him and YouTuber Jake Paul appeared first on Breitbart.

Take a ‘virtual visit’ to a nature reserve named after one of Bermuda’s National Heroes with the video, photos and 360° panoramas below providing a visual journey of the Gladys Morrell Nature Reserve in Sandys. When announcing her as a National Hero back in 2015, the Government said, “Many will remember Gladys Morrell as one […]

NATURAL STUPIDITY skynet would never stand a chance

Queen Elizabeth wore a neon green outfit to her 90th birthday party. What could go wrong? Oh right, the internet...

How Organic Placement is Affected Some people seem to be hell-bent on believing that it matters. There is no problem with believing it does have a direct effect on organic placement, but the fact of the matter is; it does not. Although you are entitled to believe what you want to believe, but knowing whether […]

This End of Project Report describes an innovative Transition to Work Programme for young people with autistic spectrum diagnoses and is the result of a pilot programme developed by Lothian Autistic Society (LAS) and Scottish Outdoor Education Centres (SOEC) and made possible through funding from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The pilot had the twin aims of developing employability skills and exploring the therapeutic value of the outdoors. 

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Smith. Bag found in Japan. 

Photo by NASA Natural disasters don’t just ravage landscapes—they also expose and deepen systemic inequalities. Recent hurricanes, Milton and Helene, tore through Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, destroying homes, businesses, and the lives built across generations. While governments rush to repair infrastructure and restore housing, they often overlook the people most impacted in the long term—especially […]

The post Natural Disasters Aren’t Gender Neutral – Hurricanes Milton and Helene Prove It appeared first on Feminist Majority Foundation.

Soapbox is a company dedicated to providing meticulously-crafted personal care products that focus on the health of humans and the environment. [...]

A new elevated wooden boardwalk in Fyresdal, Norway invites visitors to embrace a simultaneous expression of exceptional design and environmental sustainability. Traversing the natural landscape, the six-feet wide boardwalk gracefully snakes from the forest floor, skirting the picturesque Lake Fyresvatn. It ascends amidst the lofty treetops, culminating at the majestic summit of Klokkarhamaren, all while protecting the environment against unnecessary harm. [...]

Today's architecture is no longer about creating the best space just for humans, though of course that has to be a factor. It's also about preserving and living in harmony with the natural world. But being harmonious with nature presents a unique set of challenges. The Hidden Garden House by RAD+ar (Research Artistic Design + Architecture) is a showcase of creative and innovative solutions for just such a challenge.[...]

The post Russian Nature: Beautiful and Diverse appeared first on English Russia.

The post Rare Natural Phenomenon Observed in Saint Petersburg appeared first on English Russia.

I blogged here before about things disappearing in my house — kitchen utensils, corkscrews, keys, etc. (See “Pixie Problems, or Working Things Out with the ‘Cousins’ (1)” and Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.) Things have been better since then. … Continue reading →

Check out some of NOVA’s best nature documentaries available for streaming.

With 23 short essays on creatures ranging from the wombat to the spider, Katherine Rundell's new book is essential reading for anyone whose wonder could use a jumpstart.

“This bill makes American liquefied natural gas accessible and cost-effective to regional allies."

The post Florida Lawmakers Want Accessible Liquefied Natural gas appeared first on Shark Tank.

By Ireland Owens President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that she proposed to President-elect Donald Trump the idea that the U.S. could supply more natural gas to Europe to decrease the bloc’s reliance on Russia, according to Barron’s. The EU chief said the topic of tapping U.S. liquefied natural gas […]

The post With Trump Returning To Power, Europe Chief Weighs Idea Of Buying More Natural Gas From US Instead Of Russia appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

By David Blackmon In the wake of the election of President Donald Trump to serve a second term in office, along with presumptive Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, many are now asking about what the future will hold for the oddly named Inflation Reduction Act. Trump made it repeatedly clear on the campaign […]

The post Biden’s Signature Climate ‘Boondoggle’ Might Be On Chopping Block After Trump Win appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

The TV presenter says the previous Tory administration was "reckless" to scale back climate policy.

Representatives of 196 countries have been meeting in Cali, Colombia, as part of the COP biodiversity summit.

My father, the birder, is often excited to share his sightings with me — especially so this summer when he got back from a long-planned trip to South Africa. 153 species! I love how he finds joy and peace by connecting with the world through observing birds, interacting with fellow birders, and telling tales of his birding adventures. In so many wonderful ways, Dad’s daily routines and way of life are linked to nature and the birds he loves.

Heterotrimeric G-proteins are signaling switches broadly divided into four families based on the sequence and functional similarity of their Gα subunits: Gs, Gi/o, Gq/11, and G12/13. Artificial mutations that activate Gα subunits of each of these families have long been known to induce oncogenic transformation in experimental systems. With the advent of next-generation sequencing, activating hotspot mutations in Gs, Gi/o, or Gq/11 proteins have also been identified in patient tumor samples. In contrast, patient tumor-associated G12/13 mutations characterized to date lead to inactivation rather than activation. By using bioinformatic pathway analysis and signaling assays, here we identified cancer-associated hotspot mutations in Arg-200 of Gα13 (encoded by GNA13) as potent activators of oncogenic signaling. First, we found that components of a G12/13-dependent signaling cascade that culminates in activation of the Hippo pathway effectors YAP and TAZ is frequently altered in bladder cancer. Up-regulation of this signaling cascade correlates with increased YAP/TAZ activation transcriptional signatures in this cancer type. Among the G12/13 pathway alterations were mutations in Arg-200 of Gα13, which we validated to promote YAP/TAZ-dependent (TEAD) and MRTF-A/B-dependent (SRE.L) transcriptional activity. We further showed that this mechanism relies on the same RhoGEF-RhoGTPase cascade components that are up-regulated in bladder cancers. Moreover, Gα13 Arg-200 mutants induced oncogenic transformation in vitro as determined by focus formation assays. In summary, our findings on Gα13 mutants establish that naturally occurring hotspot mutations in Gα subunits of any of the four families of heterotrimeric G-proteins are putative cancer drivers.

Christian Tagwerker
Apr 1, 2006; 5:737-748
Research

Sir David Attenborough and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit awarded Chatham House Prize 2019 for ocean advocacy News Release sysadmin 18 November 2019

The 2019 Chatham House Prize is awarded to Sir David Attenborough and Julian Hector, head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, for the galvanizing impact of the Blue Planet II series on tackling ocean plastic pollution.

Time: 10:00 AM, Location: E1.012 (Hearing Room)

Managing natural resources

Research analyzing options for the sustainable management of natural resources and how to use them in a way that enhances the resilience of ecosystems.

Areas of focus include examining what is the future for fossil fuels and other extractive industries (especially coal, oil and natural gas), forest governance in light of continued illegal logging and deforestation, and ocean governance.

Natural resources are vital for the future sustainability of major industries such as agriculture, mining, tourism, fisheries and forestry. Research is carried out in areas such as land use planning, water management, biodiversity conservation, and the scientific and technical understanding of resources governance.

Chorismate mutase (CM), an essential enzyme at the branch-point of the shikimate pathway, is required for the biosynthesis of phenylalanine and tyrosine in bacteria, archaea, plants, and fungi. MtCM, the CM from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has less than 1% of the catalytic efficiency of a typical natural CM and requires complex formation with 3-deoxy-d-arabino-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase for high activity. To explore the full potential of MtCM for catalyzing its native reaction, we applied diverse iterative cycles of mutagenesis and selection, thereby raising kcat/Km 270-fold to 5 × 105 m−1s−1, which is even higher than for the complex. Moreover, the evolutionarily optimized autonomous MtCM, which had 11 of its 90 amino acids exchanged, was stabilized compared with its progenitor, as indicated by a 9 °C increase in melting temperature. The 1.5 Å crystal structure of the top-evolved MtCM variant reveals the molecular underpinnings of this activity boost. Some acquired residues (e.g. Pro52 and Asp55) are conserved in naturally efficient CMs, but most of them lie beyond the active site. Our evolutionary trajectories reached a plateau at the level of the best natural enzymes, suggesting that we have exhausted the potential of MtCM. Taken together, these findings show that the scaffold of MtCM, which naturally evolved for mediocrity to enable inter-enzyme allosteric regulation of the shikimate pathway, is inherently capable of high activity.

Towards just transition in Africa: Green financing for nature-based solutions and rural resilience 21 July 2022 — 9:30AM TO 1:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 30 June 2022 Libreville and online

This hybrid event in Libreville explores just transition policy and green financing for nature-based solutions, with a particular focus on the integration of job creation priorities in conservation and rural resilience.

Global climate policies towards a ‘just transition’ under the Paris Agreement should align with and support African states’ national sustainable development priorities – in particular, the need for decent and fair job creation, as well as resilient and sustainable land, environment, and ecosystem management policies.

Achieving green growth requires innovative and more accessible financing models, especially as wealthy nations’ financial pledges have fallen short. Ahead of the ‘African COP27’ set to take place in Egypt in November 2022, there is a need for transformational strategic thinking and context-specific action from African governments, civil society, businesses and financiers, in their green financing demands and national implementation plans.

Preservation of biodiversity and nature is not only critical in the global fight against climate change but is also vital for conservation-based economic development. Natural capital stocks, such as terrestrial and marine ecosystems and biodiversity, produce benefits that support societal and individual well-being and economic prosperity, such as clean air, fresh water, regulation of water flows and pollination of crops – while also acting as important carbon sinks. Financing environmental protection must go beyond compensation and contribute to creating fair social and economic conditions for incentivizing conservation.

At this hybrid event in Libreville, participants will discuss green financing for nature-based solutions, particularly the integration of plans for job creation in conservation and rural resilience within just transition planning.

This event is part of a series on Towards Just Transition: Connecting Green Financing and Sustainable Job Creation in Africa, supported by the Chatham House Sustainability Accelerator.

This event will be held in French and English with simultaneous interpretation.

This event will also be broadcast live on the Chatham House Africa Programme’s Facebook page.

A natural climate change priority for Africa Expert comment LJefferson 28 September 2022

Nature-based solutions can protect African nations’ shared natural endowment and meet the needs of their people.

Africa’s principal climate change negotiators have long understood the important contribution of ‘nature-based solutions’ (NBS) in delivering land (and sea) based options as part of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Limiting temperature rises to only 1.5°C by 2050 will demand finding innovative ways to protect Africa’s vast natural endowment that also meets the equally acute needs of its people. Nature-based solutions may do both.

The urgency for Africa cannot be overstated. At a Chatham House conference in Libreville, the Gabonese minister for the environment highlighted that if global warming surges by 2.5° or 3°C the impact would be at least 6°C for Africa. Decision-makers on the continent and across the world need to understand that ‘business as usual’ cannot be an option given the potential for loss of life, conflict and chaos.

Adaption, mitigation, or both?

Although adaptation to climate change has hitherto tended to be the continent’s main concern, there has also been growing recognition of the ways that Africa’s natural environments, from forests and grasslands, to peatlands and coastal and marine ecosystems, all also mitigate its impacts by sequestering carbon. The Congo Basin alone is said to store upwards of 4 per cent of global emissions annually.

These environments are under increasing pressure. Deforestation is a sad reality, caused mostly by unsustainable and extensive agricultural practices focused on cash crops for export more than food production to feed local populations. And arguing that African states and peoples should slow the development of their economies and infrastructure in response to a crisis born of the already-industrialized world does not find a responsive audience in a continent hungry for jobs and opportunity.

Nature-based solutions offer an answer to this conundrum. There is growing evidence that natural habitats both help avoid losses from climate change-related disasters and can drive economic growth. There is thus potential for NBS to tackle both adaptation and mitigation challenges at relatively low cost.

NBS – the rocky road from commitment to policy

It was logical therefore for Africa and like-minded countries to work to integrate NBS more strongly into the climate change agenda at COP26. The final Glasgow Climate Pact duly emphasized the importance of protecting ecosystems. The Global Forest Finance Pledge signed in the margins was also significant. African focus, with COP 27 in Egypt soon to take place, is now on domestic implementation and delivery of these pledges. The new African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development strategy (2022-2032) sets out many of the challenges and opportunities.

Choosing the right development pathway is tough, requiring political will and inclusive governance. Besides the challenge of securing alternative national revenue if a country moves away from fossil-intensive fuels – particularly acute for Africa’s resource-producing states – there is a dizzying array of policy decisions to be taken. African governments need to choose the most appropriate renewable energy sources, secure alternative livelihoods and continue to meet basic needs of the most vulnerable in the context of radical restructuring.  

Towards African solutions

There can be no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions – it is sadly still necessary to underline the enormous geographic, cultural and political diversity of the continent – but African experts have begun to draw together some emerging common themes from work already underway.  

Maintaining the ‘status quo’ in agricultural practices is no longer an option. Emphasis on sustainable agriculture is urgently needed andthat includes the elaboration of a ‘new deal’ between nature and people.  

Conservation also needs to be reframed as an economic opportunity, particularly in the elaboration and development of ecosystem services that deliver the true value of Africa’s forests, and that involve, value and reward local communities, respecting their rights and livelihoods.

Regional cooperation is likewise key, including on the management of forest, wildlife and water resources – Africa’s ecosystems do not respect arbitrary political boundaries, and accomplishing the dual feat of protecting cross-border systems at the same time as realizing their economic potential will demand effective collaboration, as well as training, education and communication at all levels.

The imperative of finance

A further imperative will be securing sufficient developed country financing – whether that be to secure value for net sequestration and effective forest management or for models of context-appropriate ‘smarter’ sustainable rural conservation and ecosystem resilience.

Sean A Burnap
Dec 7, 2020; 0:RA120.002305v1-mcp.RA120.002305
Research

Tirsa L. E. van Westering
Dec 1, 2020; 19:2047-2067
Research

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of energy metabolism that phosphorylates a wide range of proteins to maintain cellular homeostasis. AMPK consists of three subunits: α, β, and γ. AMPKα and β are encoded by two genes, the γ subunit by three genes, all of which are expressed in a tissue-specific manner. It is not fully understood, whether individual isoforms have different functions. Using RNA-Seq technology, we provide evidence that the loss of AMPKβ1 and AMPKβ2 lead to different gene expression profiles in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), indicating isoform-specific function. The knockout of AMPKβ2 was associated with a higher number of differentially regulated genes than the deletion of AMPKβ1, suggesting that AMPKβ2 has a more comprehensive impact on the transcriptome. Bioinformatics analysis identified cell differentiation as one biological function being specifically associated with AMPKβ2. Correspondingly, the two isoforms differentially affected lineage decision toward a cardiac cell fate. Although the lack of PRKAB1 impacted differentiation into cardiomyocytes only at late stages of cardiac maturation, the availability of PRKAB2 was indispensable for mesoderm specification as shown by gene expression analysis and histochemical staining for cardiac lineage markers such as cTnT, GATA4, and NKX2.5. Ultimately, the lack of AMPKβ1 impairs, whereas deficiency of AMPKβ2 abrogates differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Finally, we demonstrate that AMPK affects cellular physiology by engaging in the regulation of hiPSC transcription in an isoform-specific manner, providing the basis for further investigations elucidating the role of dedicated AMPK subunits in the modulation of gene expression.

Astrid M. Moerman
Dec 23, 2020; 0:jlr.RA120000974v1-jlr.RA120000974
Research Articles

Carotid atherosclerosis is a risk factor for ischemic stroke, one of the main causes of mortality and disability worldwide. The disease is characterized by plaques, heterogeneous deposits of lipids and necrotic debris in the vascular wall, which grow gradually and may remain asymptomatic for decades. However, at some point a plaque can evolve to a high-risk plaque phenotype, which may trigger a cerebrovascular event. Lipids play a key role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis, but the nature of their involvement is not fully understood. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging, we visualized the distribution of approximately 200 different lipid signals, originating of > 90 uniquely assigned species, in 106 tissue sections of 12 human carotid atherosclerotic plaques. We performed unsupervised classification of the mass spectrometry dataset, as well as a histology-directed multivariate analysis. These data allowed us to extract the spatial lipid patterns associated with morphological plaque features in advanced plaques from a symptomatic population, revealing spatial lipid patterns in atherosclerosis and their relation to histological tissue type. The abundances of sphingomyelin and oxidized cholesteryl ester species were elevated specifically in necrotic intima areas, while diacylglycerols and triacylglycerols were spatially correlated to areas containing the coagulation protein fibrin. These results demonstrate a clear co-localization between plaque features and specific lipid classes, as well as individual lipid species in high-risk atherosclerotic plaques.

Using a simple, environment friendly proteome extraction (TOP), we were able to optimize the analysis of clinical samples. Using our TOP method we analyzed a clinical cohort of microsatellite stable (MSS) and unstable (MSI-H) colorectal carcinoma (CRC). We identified a tumor cell specific, STAT1-centered, immune signature expressed by the MSI-H tumor cells. We then showed that long, but not short, exposure to Interferon- induces a similar signature in vitro. We identified 10 different temporal protein expression patterns, classifying the Interferon- protein temporal regulation in CRC. Our data sheds light on the changes that tumor cells undergo under long-term immunological pressure in vivo, the importance of STAT proteins in specific biological scenarios. The data generated could help find novel clinical biomarkers and therapeutic approaches.

The absence of the dystrophin protein in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) results in myofiber fragility and a plethora of downstream secondary pathologies. Although a variety of experimental therapies are in development, achieving effective treatments for DMD remains exceptionally challenging, not least because the pathological consequences of dystrophin loss are incompletely understood. Here we have performed proteome profiling in tibialis anterior muscles from two murine DMD models (mdx and mdx52) at three ages (8, 16, and 80 weeks of age), all n = 3. High-resolution isoelectric focusing liquid chromatography-tandem MS (HiRIEF-LC–MS/MS) was used to quantify the expression of 4974 proteins across all 27 samples. The two dystrophic models were found to be highly similar, whereas multiple proteins were differentially expressed relative to WT (C57BL/6) controls at each age. Furthermore, 1795 proteins were differentially expressed when samples were pooled across ages and dystrophic strains. These included numerous proteins associated with the extracellular matrix and muscle function that have not been reported previously. Pathway analysis revealed multiple perturbed pathways and predicted upstream regulators, which together are indicative of cross-talk between inflammatory, metabolic, and muscle growth pathways (e.g. TNF, INF, NF-B, SIRT1, AMPK, PGC-1α, PPARs, ILK, and AKT/PI3K). Upregulation of CAV3, MVP and PAK1 protein expression was validated in dystrophic muscle by Western blot. Furthermore, MVP was upregulated during, but not required for, the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts suggesting that this protein may affect muscle regeneration. This study provides novel insights into mutation-independent proteomic signatures characteristic of the dystrophic phenotype and its progression with aging.

En fonction de leurs causes, les douleurs du côté droit peuvent se manifester de différentes manières. Les symptômes de ces douleurs peuvent également varier d’une personne à une autre. Certaines personnes décrivent les douleurs du côté comme des sensations de crampes, de brûlures ou de piqûres. D’autres en revanche parlent de douleurs sourdes ou lancinantes qui irradient […]

L’article Douleurs côté droit sous les côtes : comment les soulager naturellement est apparu en premier sur Ortho Doc France.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) arises as the consequence of progressive changes from normal epithelial cells through polyp to tumor, and thus is an useful model for studying metabolic shift. In the present study, we studied the metabolomic profiles using high analyte specific gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to attain a systems-level view of the shift in metabolism in cells progressing along the path to CRC. Colonic tissues including tumor, polyps and adjacent matched normal mucosa from 26 patients with sporadic CRC from freshly isolated resections were used for this study. The metabolic profiles were obtained using GC/MS and LC/MS/MS. Our data suggest there was a distinct profile change of a wide range of metabolites from mucosa to tumor tissues. Various amino acids and lipids in the polyps and tumors were elevated, suggesting higher energy needs for increased cellular proliferation. In contrast, significant depletion of glucose and inositol in polyps revealed that glycolysis may be critical in early tumorigenesis. In addition, the accumulation of hypoxanthine and xanthine, and the decrease of uric acid concentration, suggest that the purine biosynthesis pathway could have been substituted by the salvage pathway in CRC. Further, there was a step-wise reduction of deoxycholic acid concentration from mucosa to tumors. It appears that to gain a growth advantage, cancer cells may adopt alternate metabolic pathways in tumorigenesis and this flexibility allows them to adapt and thrive in harsh environment.

The choice for adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer (CRC) is controversial as many patients are cured by surgery alone and it is difficult to identify patients with high-risk of recurrence of the disease. There is a need for better stratification of this group of patients. Mass spectrometry imaging could identify patients at risk. We report here the N-glycosylation signatures of the different cell populations in a group of stage II CRC tissue samples. The cancer cells, compared to normal epithelial cells, have increased levels of sialylation and high-mannose glycans, as well as decreased levels of fucosylation and highly branched N-glycans. When looking at the interface between cancer and its microenvironment, it seems that the cancer N-glycosylation signature spreads into the surrounding stroma at the invasive front of the tumor. This finding was more outspoken in patients with a worse outcome within this sample group.

We have previously shown that multimers of plasma pentraxin-3 (PTX3) were predictive of survival in patients with sepsis. To characterize the release kinetics and cellular source of plasma protein changes in sepsis, serial samples were obtained from healthy volunteers (n=10, 3 time-points) injected with low-dose endotoxin (LPS) and analyzed using data-independent acquisition (DIA) MS. The human plasma proteome response was compared to an LPS-induced endotoxemia model in mice. Proteomic analysis of human plasma revealed a rapid neutrophil degranulation signature, followed by a rise in acute phase proteins. Changes in circulating PTX3 correlated with increases in neutrophil-derived proteins following LPS injection. Time course analysis of the plasma proteome in mice showed a time-dependent increase in multimeric PTX3, alongside increases in neutrophil-derived myeloperoxidase (MPO) upon LPS treatment. The mechanisms of oxidation-induced multimerisation of PTX3 were explored in two genetic mouse models: MPO global knock-out mice and LysM CreNox2KO mice, in which NADPH oxidase 2 (Nox2) is only deficient in myeloid cells. Nox2 is the enzyme responsible for the oxidative burst in neutrophils. Increases in plasma multimeric PTX3 were not significantly different between wildtype and MPO or LysM CreNox2KO knock-out mice. Thus, PTX3 may already be stored and released in a multimeric form. Through in vivo neutrophil depletion and multiplexed vascular proteomics, PTX3 multimer deposition within the aorta was confirmed to be neutrophil-dependent. Proteomic analysis of aortas from LPS-injected mice returned PTX3 as the most upregulated protein, where multimeric PTX3 was deposited as early as 2 h post-LPS along with other neutrophil-derived proteins. In conclusion, the rise in multimeric PTX3 upon LPS injection correlates with neutrophil-related protein changes in plasma and in aortas. MPO and myeloid Nox2 are not required for the multimerisation of PTX3; instead, neutrophil extravasation is responsible for the LPS-induced deposition of multimeric PTX3 in the aorta.

DNA polymerase from bacteriophage T7 undergoes large, substrate-induced conformational changes that are thought to account for high replication fidelity, but prior studies were adversely affected by mutations required to construct a Cys-lite variant needed for site-specific fluorescence labeling. Here we have optimized the direct incorporation of a fluorescent un-natural amino acid, (7-hydroxy-4-coumarin-yl)-ethylglycine, using orthogonal amber suppression machinery in Escherichia coli. MS methods verify that the unnatural amino acid is only incorporated at one position with minimal background. We show that the single fluorophore provides a signal to detect nucleotide-induced conformational changes through equilibrium and stopped-flow kinetic measurements of correct nucleotide binding and incorporation. Pre-steady-state chemical quench methods show that the kinetics and fidelity of DNA replication catalyzed by the labeled enzyme are largely unaffected by the unnatural amino acid. These advances enable rigorous analysis to establish the kinetic and mechanistic basis for high-fidelity DNA replication.

Faithful replication of the mitochondrial genome is carried out by a set of key nuclear-encoded proteins. DNA polymerase γ is a core component of the mtDNA replisome and the only replicative DNA polymerase localized to mitochondria. The asynchronous mechanism of mtDNA replication predicts that the replication machinery encounters dsDNA and unique physical barriers such as structured genes, G-quadruplexes, and other obstacles. In vitro experiments here provide evidence that the polymerase γ heterotrimer is well-adapted to efficiently synthesize DNA, despite the presence of many naturally occurring roadblocks. However, we identified a specific G-quadruplex–forming sequence at the heavy-strand promoter (HSP1) that has the potential to cause significant stalling of mtDNA replication. Furthermore, this structured region of DNA corresponds to the break site for a large (3,895 bp) deletion observed in mitochondrial disease patients. The presence of this deletion in humans correlates with UV exposure, and we have found that efficiency of polymerase γ DNA synthesis is reduced after this quadruplex is exposed to UV in vitro.

In a universe not unlike ours, a tech-environmentalist group claims to have created an AI that is the direct “voice of the earth,” a computer connected via electrodes to the mycelium network under an ancient forest named S.A.N (Sentient Advocate of Nature). The film imagines what nature thinks of human impact on the planet, as a renowned reporter conducts a world-first interview with S.A.N.

Governors in several natural resource-dependent states said recently they will have to continue to cut public education funding because prices for oil and coal have not rebounded.

Idaho officials asked a U.S. Supreme Court justice to block an injunction that allows a group backing an education ballot initiative to collect electronic signatures because of COVID-19.

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked an injunction that had allowed a group backing an Idaho education spending measure to collect electronic signatures because of the coronavirus pandemic.