Monthly Archives: June 2022

A robot that automates a common technique for animal cloning has been used to produce a litter of cloned pigs in China with a much higher success rate than human scientists.

The challenge: China is both the worlds biggest producer of pork and its largest consumer, so having ideal breeding stock animals that birthe large litters of quick-growing piglets is important for the nations economy and food security.

However, in 2018 and 2019, an epidemic of deadly African swine fever wiped out almost 50% of Chinas pig population. As a result, many farmers have had to import breeding pigs, and China is now eager for its pork industry to become almost entirely self-sufficient.

Manual animal cloning is a tedious, time-consuming process with a 10% success rate.

The idea: Instead of importing pigs, Chinese farmers could clone them, turning one strong breeder into a herd. The most common method for animal cloning is somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).

First, a scientist removes the nucleus from an animals egg cell, which is then replaced with a nucleus taken from a regular body (or somatic) cell of the animal being cloned. The embryo with the transplanted nucleus is then implanted in a surrogate to develop like any other.

But this is a tedious, time-consuming process conducted under a microscope, and it only has a 10% success rate.

Robotic animal cloning: Researchers at Nankai University have now built a robot that can autonomously perform SCNT cloning. In March 2022, embryos created entirely by the system were used to produce a litter of seven cloned pigs, birthed by a surrogate mother.

Each step of the cloning process was automated, and no human operation was involved, researcher Liu Yaowei told the South China Morning Post.

Our AI-powered system reduces the cell damage caused by human hands.

The fact that such a tricky, complex process as animal cloning can be automated is remarkable enough, but the system is also far better at the process than human scientists, with a success rate of 27.5%.

Our AI-powered system can calculate the strain within a cell and direct the robot to use minimal force to complete the cloning process, which reduces the cell damage caused by human hands, Liu said.

Looking ahead: A peer-reviewed paper detailing the teams work will soon be published in the journal of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Liu told the South China Morning Post.

The groups immediate hope is that their tech could help Chinas pork industry become self-sufficient but it could have implications far beyond the nations pig farms.

If the cost of robotic animal cloning isnt prohibitive, cloning could be useful for researching new drugs, climate-proofing the food supply, protecting endangered species, or even (more speculatively) resurrecting extinct ones.

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Chinese robot clones pigs with no human help - Freethink

image:On the left, the high cloning efficiency buffalo fetal fibroblasts (BFFs) displayed high H3K9 acetylation, low H3K9 methylation companying with low heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) expression, and robust glycolysis metabolism. On the right are low cloning efficiency BFFs, which chromatin state and metabolic characteristics are the opposite of the cells with high cloning efficiency. Regulating the metabolic pathway of buffalo fibroblasts with low cloning efficiency to glycolysis, the chromatin state of the cells can be shift to a chromatin state with high cloning efficiency. view more

Credit: Science China Press

Individual variation in fertility, growth and behavior characteristics is a common phenomenon observed in mammals. Among these individual variations, fertility variation attracts more people attention as it concerns with animal reproduction and species continuation. Fertility variation mainly displays as semen variation in fertilization ability and cell variation in efficiency of nuclear transfer (cloning). The individual variation in semen fertilization ability is easy to be understood as it can be linked to the sperm motility variation. However, the individual variation in somatic cell cloning efficiency is hardly to be linked with the visual phenotype of cells. Therefore, Prof. Deshun Shis group from State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, is concentrating on this scientific question and a series of deep investigation was performed. They found that buffalo fetal fibroblasts (BFFs) from different individuals differed in their cloning efficiency, chromatin status, epigenetic modifications and glycolytic metabolism. BFFs with high cloning efficiency displayed robust energy metabolism, looser chromatin structure, low expression of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) and high acetylation of H3K9. More regions enriched with H3K9ac were found in BFFs with high cloning efficiency and these differential H3K9ac modification sites were mainly located in the region near to the upstream of genes related to the glycolytic metabolism by ChIP-sequencing analysis. Stronger enrichment signals, especially in critical genes related to glycolysis was also found in BFFs with high cloning efficiency by ATAC-seq profiling. Treatment of low cloning efficiency BFFs with PS48 (an inducer of glycolytic metabolic pathway) could result in a decrease in apoptosis rate, histone deacetylase activity and HP1 expression, increase in the intracellular lactate production, H3K9 acetylation and cloning efficiency. They well linked somatic cell cloning efficiency, chromatin openness, histone acetylation and glycolysis together, and confirmed that the individual variation in somatic cell cloning efficiency can be regulated by altering glycolytic metabolism. Not only their works will enhance the understanding of somatic cell reprogramming mechanism, but also provide a new route to improving the cloning efficiency. These works will be published in Science China-Life Sciences recently.

Science China Life Sciences

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Individual variation in buffalo somatic cell cloning efficiency is related to glycolytic metabolism and chromatin structure - EurekAlert

I am aware that a forest lies at the periphery of our immediate consciousness. It just looks a little different from the forests that we are used to, Sejal Mehta says, in her book, Superpowers on the Shore (May 2022; Penguin Random House India).

Mehta, a science communicator, is talking about the intertidal zone, the ever-shifting space along an ocean where the tide gushes in and out and where eccentric creatures live out their lives, some of them tinier than a fingernail. In her first pop science book for adults (she has previously written a series of wildlife-themed books for children), Mehta describes a world inhabited by creatures that could easily be the product of an active imagination. There are gender fluid clownfish; flatworms that engage in penis wars; mantis shrimp that smash their prey much like the Hulk might; sea anemones that can clone themselves; and cephalopods such as octopi and squid that come sheathed in invisibility cloaks.

In this small world are also big achievers. The cone snail produces one of the deadliest venoms in the world; certain limpets teeth, composed of chitin and goethite (an iron-based mineral), are among the strongest naturally occurring materials known to mankind.

Mehta was introduced to the world of intertidal zones four years ago, when she attended a shore walk with the citizen-science group Marine Life of Mumbai (MLoM). This group has been documenting the vast array of marine species that live in Mumbais intertidal zones.

Mehta fell in love with this world. Shed spent almost two decades writing about lush forests and river systems for publications such as Lonely Planet and Nature inFocus. Here was a multi-episode National Geographic-worthy documentary playing out right on her doorstep.

Turning the tide

Mehta, 43, who lives in Mumbai and is now a member of MLoM too, says the idea of superpowers took root very quickly. As we spoke about particular creatures, I would compare them with superheroes, or ninja assassins. Id put them down with a special mention of their arsenals.

Mehta has met most of the creatures featured in her book, which is divided into three broad sections. The first contains detailed descriptions of creatures and their special powers, under chapter titles such as Power of Invisibility (decorator crab, cephalopods), Power of Creation (squids, turtles), Assassins of the Intertidal (the cone snail, bobbit worm), and Defence Against the Dark Arts (Portuguese man o war, pufferfish).

A second section, presented as passages interspersed between the chapters, is a fictional narrative of life in the tidepools, from the point of view of the homely hermit crab (the creature who is most relatable to us, because they are such strugglers, laughs Mehta). The third section is a series of application letters from various creatures, to the democratic people of the marine realm, asking for membership to the shore superhero team.

Its an unusual approach, even for a work of pop science. But it succeeds in making this almost-alien world accessible to the reader, despite the necessary jargon that appears from time to time. Its an easy read. But it wasnt an easy book to write, she says. Sometimes a single sentence involved referring to multiple scientific papers. The research was very challenging, she says.

Superpowers on the Shore also contains illustrations of some of the creatures, drawn by visual science communicator Jessica Luis, who has worked on MLoM shore guides and on marine mammal identification charts in the past. Her background in marine ecology helped, as did her own past encounters with many of the creatures on the list, she says.

We decided that the illustrations didnt have to be entirely realistic, but had to offer a sense of the creatures worlds, and their unique powers and behaviours. The illustrations focus on shapes and movement, and are all in black-and-white.

Colour is one of the first things that strikes you when you see most marine creatures the Portuguese man o wars blue and purple, the glow of bioluminescence, bright green zoanthids, sea slugs in every possible hue, pink-striped porcelain crabs. The black-and-white, one hopes, will leads to an Aha! moment for readers who then get to meet these creatures in all their colourful glory, Luis says.

But you dont have to start with the intertidal pools or the book. Theres magic all around, Mehta says. You can look at your window sill or the path you run on Ive come to realise that every living thing around me, even the spiders in my house, are creatures with superpowers. Some, I just dont know about yet.

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Invisibility, cloning, Hulk-like strength: Meet superheroes of the shore - Hindustan Times

An all-female species of grasshopper in Australia that ditched reproductive sex in favour of self-cloning is doing just fine, thank you very much.

Scientists at the University of Melbourne did a deep dive on the overall well-being of the Warramaba virgo, a type of grasshopper that's been reproducing asexually for 250,000 years, in a phenomenon known as parthenogenesis.

The findings, they say, challenge our ideas about the advantages of sexual reproduction, which is widely viewed as a way of diversifying the gene pool and safeguarding against parasites, mutations and bad genes.

"So we were thinking, well, you know, would these parthenogens be loaded with parasites and sick with mutations?" biosciences professor Michael Kearney told As It Happens guest host Tom Harrington. "So we went to look at how well they're doing, basically. And we found they're doing really well. No problems."

The study by Kearney and his colleagues was published in the journal Science.

Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which an embryo develops without fertilization from sperm. It is extremely rare in the animal kingdom, though not unheard of. Kearney estimates it occurs in about one in 1,000 species.

Most species that do it are bugs or reptiles, though it has also been observed in some fish and amphibians. Mammals can't do it at all. On rare occasions, birds can adopt this technique when the females don't have access to males, though it tends to result in short-lived and unhealthy offspring.

But W. virgo has got it down to a science.

"It's evolved a way of getting rid of the males. It's actually tweaked its meiosis, which is the way the sex cells are produced, so that it it actually doubles the chromosomes," Kearney said. "It basically means perfect cloning. So they are able to just produce eggs that are all female, that are identical to themselves, with no males necessary."

And they really are identical, he said. A genetic examination of the population suggests they've all evolved from a single female, about quarter of a million years ago.

That female, Kearney said, was the product of hybridization, or cross-mating, between two similar grasshopper species. "It's like a horse and a donkey crossing to make a mule," he said.

But while a mule has advantages in strength and endurance over its predecessors, Kearney says these female grasshoppers don't seem to be any better or worse off than the species they came from.

The researchers examined 14 traits to measure their physical fitness, including how many eggs they lay, how long they take to mature, their heat tolerance and their resistance to water loss. Overall, the all-female grasshoppers squared up evenly against the other two species.

"There was no super power, but neither was there any evidence of a loss of fitness because of mutations or disease. So they were just somewhere in the middle, nothing particularly special," he said.

Dan Johnson, an environmental scientist at the University of Lethbridge and president of the Entomological Society of Alberta, says the study's findings are interesting, but not surprising.

"There are many species of insects that have gone for a long, long time [without sexual reproduction] and they're perfectly healthy," he said.

After all, he says, insects have been around for millions of years, predating even dinosaurs. As a result, they display an incredible diversity when it comes to their mating habits.

There are mites, for example, that can lay unfertilized eggs, which then become male offspring that can then mate with their mother. There are also grasshoppers in the Canadian Prairies that engage in group sex, with one female and up to seven males.

There may even be grasshoppers in Alberta that are parthenogenetic, just like W. virgo. Johnson says he and his colleagues have never seen a male three-lined shieldback in the province.

"But the weird thing is in B.C., males and females are all over the place. If you went out and collected 500, you probably have half and half male and female. But here in Alberta, only females," he said. "So we're wondering what's going on. At least I am."

So why do the Australian grasshoppers do it this way? Scientists don't know for sure. But there are some pretty big advantages to asexual reproduction.

"Imagine you've got a species that has half males, half females, and it switches over to having all females. That means that the reproductive rate doubles because there are twice as many individuals having babies," Kearney said. "So it is a massive advantage, in fact, to parthenogenesis, at least in the short term."

What's more, sexual reproduction has its disadvantages.

"Finding a mate takes time and energy and comes with an increased risk of predation," Ary Hoffman, a co-author of the study, said in a press release. "If we can do away with males and still have viable offspring and the species thrives, then why do we bother with sex at all?"

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview with Michael Kearney produced by Aloysius Wong.

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These grasshoppers haven't had sex in 250,000 years, and they're thriving - CBC.ca

Crystal Dynamics has been tight-lipped about Lady Thor, Marvels Avengers next playable hero. However, the studio revealed that shell be in the game by the end of the month, saying she will arrive in late June. A more specific date was not given nor were any pictures of the hero in action.

Crystal elaborated on this on its June update post. She will be fully voiced (although the actor hasnt been confirmed) and have her own gear, abilities, emotes, takedowns, nameplates, Hero Challenge Card, and a new chain of Heroic missions, all with cosmetics and lore items that describe how this Lady Thor came to the games world. She will even have Jane-specific remixes of some of Thors takedowns and emotes.

RELATED: Marvels Avengers Celebrates Ms. Marvel With Free Nameplates, Discounted Super Suits

The post then dove into some of Lady Thors abilities and once again stated that she will naturally echo the Odinsons. Crystal then named two her Intrinsic and Overcharge abilities All-Mothers Blessing and God Tempest, respectively but didnt go into detail on how they work. However, her Ultimate, the All-Weapon, will draw from the comics as she smites enemies with Undrjarn andMjlnir. Undrjarn was created from the shards ofMjlnir and was allegedly found in a recent datamine. Her other attacks are a mix of new and familiar moves.

There will be a deep dive of her moves in an upcoming gameplay video, trailer, live stream, and dev blog. But, again, Crystal did not provide concrete dates.

RELATED:Marvels Avengers Gives Thor a Cosmic Comic Suit

The post also briefly touched on whats in store beyond the next update. The studio is adding to games narrative through hero and villain-centric content. There will be a Warzone that will touch on what happened toM.O.D.O.K. after his Kree Sentinel was defeated. There will also be the Cloning Lab mode, endgame content that will reward players with powerful and exotic gear. Crystal did redesign Cloning Lab after it no longer met its standards and overarching villain-centric directive, but it said it believes these new changes will make for a much more satisfying and meaningful Omega Level Threat experience.

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Marvel's Avengers' Lady Thor Is Slated to Release Soon - ComingSoon.net

One of the thefts occurred between May 25 and June 1, when the plates were stolen from the vehicle whilst it was parked on Cornmore.

The second theftoccurred between 12pm and 1.30pm on June 2, when the plates were stolen from the vehicle whilst it was parked on New Road.

Police are now appealing for information and arekeen to hear from anyone who may have any information or that may have been in the area around the time of the incident and heard or seen anything suspicious.

A spokesman said: "We are also encouraging the community to call us on 101 if they see anyone acting suspiciously around a vehicle."

Number plate theft is often linked to cloned plate, or cloned vehicle, related crime.

READ MORE:Linda Johns missing from her home in Evesham

According to AutoTrader, number plate cloning, also known as car cloning or vehicle identity theft, is when someone copies a cars registration number and assigns it to another car.

Criminals often choose a vehicle with a clean history to replicate on their car.

Often, criminalsreplicate the number plate of a similar make, model and colour to make it difficult for the police to identify themand instead wrongly fine the actual owner of the car plates.

If you have information, you canlet the police know using the online Tell Us About form on http://www.westmercia.police.uk, quoting incident reference 00310_I_01062022 for the Cornmore theft and 00411_I_02062022 for the New Road theft.

READ MORE:Two Carrera bikes stolen from Queen Elizabeth Drive in Pershore

If you arent comfortable contacting the police directly, you can pass on information anonymously to the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

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Number plates stolen from cars in Cornmore and New Road - Evesham Journal