Scientists examining the stomach contents of invasive lionfish caught on the inner barrier reef of Belize have discovered that nearly half of the diet of […]

The post In Belize, Critically endangered wrasse now favorite food of invasive lionfish appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

An international team of researchers from the United States and Germany have discovered a key missing link in the evolutionary history of turtles. The new […]

The post Key Link in Turtle Evolution discovered appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Researchers have uncovered a fossil sea urchin that pushes back a fork in its family tree by 10 million years, according to a new study. […]

The post Newly discovered sea urchin fossil is oldest of its kind appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New fossils found in Northeastern China have revealed a remarkable evolutionary coincidence: an extinct group of insects known as Kalligrammatid lacewings (Order Neuroptera) share an […]

The post Remarkable butterfly look-alike lived 50 million years before butterflies appeared appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Pop quiz! Name the first five dinosaurs that come to mind. Chances are good that one you named was Tyrannosaurs rex, a popular favorite perhaps best […]

The post New horse-sized tyrannosaur with big brain reveals how “T. rex” became top predator appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A team of scientists including a Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) research associate announced the discovery of a new species of pale-gold colored frog from […]

The post New golden frog species discovered in Colombia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Bald from snout to tail with baggy wrinkled skin and beady eyes, eastern African naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are subterranean mammals long credited with […]

The post Rare cancer cells discovered in naked mole rats appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Nocturnal, solitary and fiercely territorial the adult Egyptian pigmy shrew—one of the smallest mammals on earth—weighs just 7 grams. French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire first […]

The post Sacred shrew mummies reveal species distribution in ancient Egypt appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Zoo’s red panda habitat on Asia Trail reopened to the public Tuesday, May 10. Tusa and Asa explored their new home which has […]

The post Red pandas come back to Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

For the first time, an egg laid by a female brown kiwi at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Va., hatched May 10. […]

The post Endangered Kiwi Chick Hatches appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Meet Scorpaenodes barrybrowni is a scorpionfish species newly discovered by Smithsonian scientists using a manned submersible in the deep-reef waters of the Caribbean island of Curaçao. It […]

The post New bright orange-red scorpionfish discovered deep in Caribbean appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A fossil that has been in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History since it was discovered in 1951 is today helping […]

The post New Species of Extinct River Dolphin Discovered in Smithsonian Collection appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

An extraordinary arrangement of bristles, wrinkles and wart-like bumps cover the cold skin of Sphaerephesia amphorata, a new deep-sea worm described and named by researchers […]

The post Bizarre new marine worms covered in bristles, wrinkles & bumps appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A one-cubic-foot approach to studying biodiversity as showcased in the new Biocube exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has led to the […]

The post New parasitic crab species discovered during Smithsonian Biocube work in Solomon Islands appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Hundreds of experiments have shown biodiversity fosters healthier, more productive ecosystems. But many experts doubted whether these experiments would hold up in the real world. […]

The post In the wild, biodiversity’s power surpasses what experiments predict appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Cats are notoriously fickle—purring in your lap one second, then swiping you with an indignant claw the next. One thing is certain however when it […]

The post Eons before viral kitten videos, ancient Egyptians adored cats appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Three former scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park–Ellen Lamirande, Don Nichols, and Allan Pessier–were honored at the sixth annual Golden Goose Award ceremony at […]

The post Zoo scientists honored at Golden Goose appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Today’s cutting-edge laboratories rely on ultra-cold refrigeration to keep delicate cells like sperm viable for use in the future. But a new technique using microwaves […]

The post What does candied, microwaved sperm have to do with saving endangered species? appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In 1854, a curious-looking spider was found preserved in 50 million-year-old amber. With an elongated neck-like structure and long mouthparts that protruded from the “head” […]

The post These newly discovered pelican spiders will make you want to visit Madagascar appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Poaching wasn’t the largest conservation concern for Asian elephants, an endangered species, until satellite tracking stunned researchers. Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) […]

The post Poachers are killing endangered Asian elephants for their skin and meat, not their tusks appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Animal species can become endangered, but what about languages? Around 80 percent of the world’s population speaks just 20 percent of its 7,000 languages. That […]

The post Why languages become endangered, and how we can keep them alive appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Ninety Limosa harlequin frogs (Atelopus limosus) bred in human care are braving the elements of the wild after Smithsonian scientists sent them out into the […]

The post Panama: First release of endangered frogs appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Five new species of snail-eating snake, from a group of snakes affectionately known to scientists as “goo-eaters,” have been discovered by a team working in […]

The post Newly discovered snakes use curved teeth to pry snails from their shells appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

l-Hydroxyproline (l-Hyp) is a nonstandard amino acid that is present in certain proteins, in some antibiotics and in the cell-wall components of plants. l-Hyp is the product of the post-translational modification of protein prolines by prolyl hydroxylase enzymes, and the isomers trans-3-hydroxy-l-proline (T3LHyp) and trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline (T4LHyp) are major components of mammalian collagen. T4LHyp follows two distinct degradation pathways in bacteria and mammals, while T3LHyp is metabolized by a two-step metabolic pathway that is conserved in bacteria and mammals, which involves a T3LHyp dehydratase and a Δ1-pyrroline-2-carboxylate (Pyr2C) reductase. In order to shed light on the structure and catalysis of the enzyme involved in the second step of the T3LHyp degradation pathway, the crystal structure of Pyr2C reductase from the archaeon Thermococcus litoralis DSM 5473 complexed with NADH and l-proline is presented. The model allows the mapping of the residues involved in cofactor and product binding and represents a valid model for rationalizing the catalysis of Pyr2C reductases.

Aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) are NADPH/NADP+-dependent oxidoreductase enzymes that metabolize an aldehyde/ketone to the corresponding alcohol. AKR4C14 from rice exhibits a much higher efficiency in metabolizing malondialdehyde (MDA) than do the Arabidopsis enzymes AKR4C8 and AKR4C9, despite sharing greater than 60% amino-acid sequence identity. This study confirms the role of rice AKR4C14 in the detoxification of methylglyoxal and MDA, and demonstrates that the endogenous contents of both aldehydes in transgenic Arabidopsis ectopically expressing AKR4C14 are significantly lower than their levels in the wild type. The apo structure of indica rice AKR4C14 was also determined in the absence of the cofactor, revealing the stabilized open conformation. This is the first crystal structure in AKR subfamily 4C from rice to be observed in the apo form (without bound NADP+). The refined AKR4C14 structure reveals a stabilized open conformation of loop B, suggesting the initial phase prior to cofactor binding. Based on the X-ray crystal structure, the substrate- and cofactor-binding pockets of AKR4C14 are formed by loops A, B, C and β1α1. Moreover, the residues Ser211 and Asn220 on loop B are proposed as the hinge residues that are responsible for conformational alteration while the cofactor binds. The open conformation of loop B is proposed to involve Phe216 pointing out from the cofactor-binding site and the opening of the safety belt. Structural comparison with other AKRs in subfamily 4C emphasizes the role of the substrate-channel wall, consisting of Trp24, Trp115, Tyr206, Phe216, Leu291 and Phe295, in substrate discrimination. In particular, Leu291 could contribute greatly to substrate selectivity, explaining the preference of AKR4C14 for its straight-chain aldehyde substrate.

Imke K. Mandemaker, Di Zhou, Serena T. Bruens, Dick H. Dekkers, Pernette J. Verschure, Raghu R. Edupuganti, Eran Meshorer, Jeroen A. Demmers, and Jurgen A. Marteijn

Many chromatin remodeling and modifying proteins are involved in the DNA damage response by stimulating repair or inducing DNA damage signaling. Interestingly, here we identified that down regulation of the H1-interacting protein SET results in increased resistance to a wide variety of DNA damaging agents. We found that this increased resistance is not the result of an inhibitory effect of SET on DNA repair, but rather the consequence of a suppressed apoptotic response to DNA damage. We further provide evidence that the histone chaperone SET is responsible for the eviction of H1 from chromatin. Knock down of H1 in SET-depleted cells resulted in re-sensitization of cells to DNA damage, suggesting that the increased DNA damage resistance in SET-depleted cells is the result of enhanced retention of H1 on chromatin. Finally, clonogenic survival assays show that SET and p53 are epistatic in attenuating DNA damage-induced cell death. Altogether, our data show a role for SET in the DNA damage response as a regulator of cell survival following genotoxic stress.

Liza Botros MD., Manon C. A. Pronk PhD., Jenny Juschten MD., John Liddle, Sofia K. S. H. Morsing, Jaap D. van Buul PhD., Robert H. Bates, Pieter R. Tuinman MD. PhD., Jan S. M. van Bezu, Stephan Huveneers PhD., Harm Jan Bogaard MD. PhD., Victor W. M. van Hinsbergh PhD., Peter L. Hordijk PhD., and Jurjan Aman MD. PhD.

Aims: Endothelial barrier dysfunction leads to edema and vascular leak, carrying high morbidity and mortality. Previously, Abl kinase inhibition was shown to protect against vascular leak. Using the distinct inhibitory profiles of clinically available Abl kinase inhibitors, we aimed to provide a mechanistic basis for novel treatment strategies against vascular leakage syndromes.

Methods & Results: Bosutinib most potently protected against inflammation-induced endothelial barrier disruption. In vivo, bosutinib prevented LPS-induced alveolar protein extravasation in an acute lung injury mice model. Mechanistically, Mitogen-activated Protein 4 Kinase 4 (MAP4K4) was identified as important novel mediator of endothelial permeability, which signals via ezrin, radixin and moesin proteins to increase turnover of integrin-based focal adhesions. The combined inhibition of MAP4K4 and Arg by bosutinib preserved adherens junction integrity and reduced turnover of focal adhesions, which synergistically act to stabilize the endothelial barrier during inflammation.

Conclusion: MAP4K4 was identified as important regulator of endothelial barrier integrity, increasing focal adhesion turnover and disruption of cell-cell junctions during inflammation. Inhibiting both Arg and MAP4K4, the clinically available drug bosutinib may form a viable strategy against vascular leakage syndromes.

Xian Hu, Salma Jalal, Michael Sheetz, Oddmund Bakke, and Felix Margadant

Despite progress made in confocal microscopy, even fast systems still have insufficient temporal resolution for detailed live cell volume imaging, such as tracking rapid movement of membrane vesicles in three-dimensional space. Depending on the shortfall, this may result in undersampling and/or motion artifacts that ultimately limit the quality of the imaging data. By sacrificing detailed information in the Z-direction, we propose a new imaging modality that involves capturing fast "projections" from the field of depth which shortens imaging time by approximately an order of magnitude as compared to standard volumetric confocal imaging. With faster imaging, radiation exposure to the sample is reduced, resulting in less fluorophore photobleaching and potential photodamage. The implementation minimally requires two synchronized control signals that drive a piezo stage and trigger the camera exposure. The device generating the signals has been tested on spinning disk confocals and instant structured-illumination-microscopy (iSIM) microscopes. Our calibration images show that the approach provides highly repeatable and stable imaging conditions that enable photometric measurements of the acquired data, in both standard live imaging and super-resolution modes.

Su Ming Sun, Amandine Batte, Mireille Tittel-Elmer, Sophie van der Horst, Tibor van Welsem, Gordon Bean, Trey Ideker, Fred van Leeuwen, and Haico van Attikum

Eukaryotic chromosomes are replicated in interphase and the two newly duplicated sister chromatids are held together by the cohesin complex and several cohesin auxiliary factors. Sister chromatid cohesion is essential for accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis, yet has also been implicated in other processes, including DNA damage repair, transcription and DNA replication. To assess how cohesin and associated factors functionally interconnect and coordinate with other cellular processes, we systematically mapped genetic interactions of 17 cohesin genes centered on quantitative growth measurements of >52,000 gene pairs in budding yeast. Integration of synthetic genetic interactions unveiled a cohesin functional map that constitutes 373 genetic interactions, revealing novel functional connections with post-replication repair, microtubule organization and protein folding. Accordingly, we show that the microtubule-associated protein Irc15 and the prefoldin complex members Gim3, Gim4 and Yke2 are new factors involved in sister chromatid cohesion. Our genetic interaction map thus provides a unique resource for further identification and functional interrogation of cohesin proteins. Since mutations in cohesin proteins have been associated with cohesinopathies and cancer, it may also identify cohesin interactions relevant in disease etiology.

The Hope Diamond’s red glow has long been considered a unique property of that stone. Most blue diamonds produce a bluish-white phosphorescence if exposed to ultraviolet light. The few other diamonds known to emit red phosphorescence were commonly assumed to have been from the even larger original stone from which the Hope was cut.

The post Bombarded with ultraviolet light, the blue Hope diamond glows red appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Formed some 250,000 years ago when the Nile River pushed through a low channel near Wadi Tushka, it flooded the eastern Sahara, creating a lake that at its highest level covered more than 42,000 square miles.

The post Ancient megalake discovered beneath Sahara Desert appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The new island visible in the satellite photograph is the top of a giant shield volcano located on the rift axis in the Red Sea where the continental plates of Africa and Arabia are pulling apart.

The post A hot new island has just surfaced in the Red Sea. What’s going on? Smithsonian scientists explain. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Antarctica is home to fewer insect species than anywhere else on earth. But it wasn’t always that way. A geologist digging in bluffs on Antarctica’s […]

The post One cold bug: Fossil beetle discovered in Antarctica appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

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In a 24-hour-period between July 9 and 10, 2009 a clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski's horse, and a red panda cub were all born at Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

The post A clouded leopard cub, a Przewalski’s horse and a red panda cub were all recently born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post “How Soil Savvy are You?, is featured in the exhibition “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil,” from the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post How do we know if dinosaurs cared for their young? Smithsonian curator Matthew Carrano reveals the fossil evidence. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post The Space Shuttle Discovery, mounted atop a 747 jet, is delivered to the Smithsonian on April 17, 2012 appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian Libraries offer a vast amount of resources to the general public. This video gives you a peek into the amazing world of discovery […]

The post Video: A peek into the amazing world offered by Smithsonian Libraries appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Marine biologist Tuck Hines and a local Chesapeake crabber narrate the fall of the blue crab, and what may be the start of a recovery. […]

The post Blue crabs: Top predator in peril appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

When two red panda babies are born in critical condition at Smithsonian’s National Zoo, caretakers make the crucial decision to raise them by hand.

The post Raising red pandas by hand at the National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Seven red panda cubs were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute! The cubs were born to mothers Nutmeg, Regan and Leo Mei. Keepers are […]

The post Red Panda Cubs Born at Conservation Biology Institute appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Five critically endangered Cuban crocodiles hatched at the National Zoo’s Reptile Discovery Center between July 29 and Aug. 7. The eggs were laid by Dorothy, […]

The post Five Critically endangered Cuban crocodiles hatched at National Zoo appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In an excerpt from “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Nov. 1 2016, Scott Pelley follows National Museum of African American History and Culture director Lonnie Burch […]

The post Slave Ship Artifacts Recovered appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

No divers were in danger when two large squid (species Taningia danae) began acting aggressively toward a robot submersible operated deep in the Pacific from NOAA’s […]

The post Rare squid “T. danae” captured in new video appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Elastic has created some of the most intriguing title sequences in recent television history. Directed by Patrick Clair (Australian b. 1982), the opening credits for […]

The post Elastic – Opening Credits: True Detective appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

“Red Bird” from Dan Zanes and Friends’ album ‘Lead Belly, Baby’ featuring Ashley Phillips and Shareef Swindell, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. To learn more click here: […]

The post Kids’ video: “Red Bird” – Dan Zanes & Friends appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A Guam rail chick hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Jan. 16, 2018. The chick hatched in an incubator and will be hand-raised by […]

The post Endangered Guam rail chick hatches appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The state's online registration for Covered California has been up for a couple of weeks, and reaction has been mixed.

Steve Julian: Business analyst, Mark Lacter, what's your take on how well Californians are getting into the Affordable Care Act?

Mark Lacter: It's hard to get a good read, Steve, because it's hard to measure the success of what is really a new marketplace.  If you're basing it on the number of unique visitors coming to the Covered California website, well, then the program clearly has attracted lots of interest - they had almost a million visitors during the first week of eligibility.  But, maybe a better measure would be the number of people whose applications actually have been received by the insurance companies that are going to handle the claims.  If that's your measuring stick, then the numbers have been far smaller so far.  Now, it's worth pointing out that California - and particularly L.A. County - have a higher percentage of households without insurance than other parts of the nation, and so you'd expect there to be lots of interest.

Julian: So the question, then, is how many folks turn into actual policyholders paying actual premiums each month.

Lacter: The truth is nobody knows, which is why state officials want to sign up as many people as possible in the early going when the program is getting so much attention.  This is especially true for younger and healthier people who are needed to help offset the cost of caring for older and sicker people.

Julian: And, that's also why any computer glitch can be such a headache...

Lacter: That's right.  Covered California did run into problems in the early going, but everybody agrees that things are going much better than the federal website, which is the default site used by folks in states that don't have their own program to oversee the health care laws.  That federal site has been an utter disaster.  So, by comparison, California is ahead of the game.

Julian: It's a work in progress, even here.

Lacter: Very much so.  The California website still doesn't have a way for enrollees to find out which doctors and hospitals are included in each health plan.  And, that's a big deal because  insurance companies are limiting the options available as a way of keeping premiums low.  So, it's possible that the doctor you had been using for your individual insurance plan will not be on the list of doctors that can be used for one of the cheaper plans.  Of course, for someone who doesn't have any health coverage, none of that is likely to matter.

Julian: And then, there's the continued threat of a U.S. default...

Lacter: You know, Steve, this is like watching the beginning of a bad traffic accident in slow motion - and we're all pretty helpless to do anything about it.  And, so are the financial markets, which are moving back and forth not based on what's going on with the economy or with any industry, but on the latest press conference out of Washington.  One thing we do know is that if the nation does go into quote-unquote default - and we're not even sure what that might mean - but if Wall Street and somehow declares this a major crisis, it's going to be bad.

Julian: Who gets hit?

Lacter: It'll impact anyone who has a retirement account, any business wanting to borrow money, and potentially it's going to impact the budgeting of the state.  You know, one of the things we were reminded of during the Great Recession was how reliant California has been on higher-income individuals who make a lot of their money through the stock market and other investments.  So, when those folks do well - as they have been over the last year - the state coffers will do well.  And when they don't, as was the case in 2008 and 2009, the state takes a huge hit because there's not enough tax dollars coming in.  Gov. Brown and others have tried to lessen the reliance on those top tiers - so far without success.

Julian: And the state's budget situation is so much better than it was a year or two ago.

Lacter: That's the real pity.  And, even if the House and Senate reach a temporary agreement on the debt ceiling, it's just a matter of weeks or months before another deadline crops up - and more uncertainty for the financial markets.  I guess Chick Hearn would have called this nervous time.

Mark Lacter writes for Los Angeles Magazine and pens the business blog at LA Observed.com.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

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