E-Crop – An IoT Device for Smart Farming

ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram launched an IoT-based precision agriculture technology called ‘e-crop’ in Thiruvananthapuram. The precision agriculture technology was transferred successfully by signing the Technology Licensing agreement with M/s. Tech Visit IT Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai which was facilitated by Agrinnovate India Limited, New Delhi. Dr. G. Byju, Director, ICAR-CTCRI, Thiruvananthapuram, exchanged the Technology License Agreement with officials Shri. Bharat Patni, Director, M/s. Tech Visit IT Pvt. Ltd. Dr. Praveen Malik, CEO, AgIn, said that e-crop has a high potential market in the smart farming sector and can help the farmer to reap higher profits, than conventional farming. While exchanging the TLA, Dr. G. Byju, emphasized that licensing e-crop – a climate-focused and high-value technology on World Environment Day marks a significant milestone in the history of ICAR-CTCRI. Dr. V.S. Santhosh Mithra, Principal Scientist and inventor of the technology explained the key features of this “farmer-friendly” technology. Institute Technology Management Unit of ICAR-CTCRI managed the licensing process through M/S Agrinnovate India Private Limited, New Delhi. This technology helped farmers manage scarce natural resources by accurately measuring soil moisture, temperature and nutrient content, along with weather parameters. The system’s crop growth models provide timely advice on irrigating crops, applying fertilizers and identifying pest and disease incidence. This eco-friendly alternative to regenerative agriculture maximizes input efficiency and reduces wastage. The technology also holds a significant share in India’s $886.21 million market. About 120 scientists and staff of ICAR-CTCRI participated in the function.

Chinese Scientists Achieve First Healthy <italic>Rhesus</italic> Monkey Clone

A milestone has been reached in the field of primate cloning. Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have announced the successful birth of Zhong Zhong (meaning “Middle Middle”), the first healthy clone of a Rhesus macaque monkey. This breakthrough represents a significant leap forward in our ability to understand primate biology and holds immense potential for advancements in medical research.

Previously, attempts at primate cloning met with limited success. Dolly the sheep, famously cloned in 1996, sparked excitement about the possibilities of this technology. However, replicating the feat in primates proved to be a substantial challenge. The new research overcomes these hurdles, offering a refined technique for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the same method used for Dolly. In SCNT, the nucleus of an egg cell is replaced with genetic material from a donor cell, essentially creating a genetic twin.

The key innovation in this research lies in the type of donor cell used. Previous attempts relied on adult skin cells, resulting in complications during development. The Chinese team employed a specific type of placental cell, leading to a significant improvement in the health and development of the cloned embryo. Zhong Zhong, born in 2020, serves as a testament to the success of this approach.

The implications of this breakthrough are far-reaching. Rhesus macaques are widely used in biomedical research due to their close genetic similarity to humans. The ability to create healthy clones opens doors to a multitude of possibilities. Scientists can now study the development of complex diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s in genetically identical animals, providing valuable insights into disease progression and potential therapies. Additionally, creating clones with specific genetic modifications could allow researchers to model the effects of different genes on disease susceptibility or drug response.

The potential for organ transplantation is another exciting avenue. Creating organs compatible with a specific recipient through cloning could revolutionize transplantation medicine. However, significant technical hurdles remain before this becomes a reality.

Ethical considerations surrounding animal cloning remain a crucial discussion point. Issues of animal welfare and the potential unintended consequences of manipulating genetic information must be carefully evaluated. Open communication and collaboration between scientists, ethicists and policymakers are essential to ensure this technology is used responsibly and ethically.

The successful cloning of Zhong Zhong marks a pivotal moment in primate biology research. This achievement opens doors for a deeper understanding of primate health and disease, with the potential to revolutionize medical research and treatment in the years to come. As scientists move forward, the ethical implications surrounding this technology must be addressed to ensure its responsible and beneficial application.

IVF Spark of Hope: Scientists Attempt to Save Northern White Rhino from Brink

A glimmer of hope has emerged for the critically endangered northern white rhino. Scientists achieved it successfully using in vitro fertilization (IVF) to create a white rhino embryo. While the surrogate mother carrying the embryo sadly passed away from an unrelated illness, the very existence of a viable embryo offers a potential lifeline to this species on the brink of extinction.

The northern white rhino is a tragic conservation story. With only two females remaining, Najin and Fatu, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, natural reproduction is no longer an option. This breakthrough by the BioRescue project, an international consortium dedicated to saving endangered species, demonstrates the feasibility of assisted reproduction techniques in rhinos.

The procedure involved harvesting eggs from the remaining females and fertilizing them with sperm collected from deceased northern white rhino males. The resulting embryos were then implanted into a southern white rhino, a closely related subspecies. While the first attempt ended tragically, the success of embryo creation paves the way for future attempts.

The BioRescue team is optimistic. They plan to refine the IVF process and implant embryos into southern white rhino surrogates again, aiming to eventually bring northern white rhino calves back into the world. This achievement not only offers hope for the northern white rhino but also sets a precedent for assisted reproduction in other critically endangered rhinos facing similar challenges.

However, significant hurdles remain. The long-term success of IVF in rhinos requires further research and refinement. Additionally, ensuring the genetic diversity of future generations through the use of multiple sperm donors will be crucial for the long-term viability of a revived northern white rhino population.

Despite the challenges, this scientific feat offers a ray of hope. With continued research and collaboration, the combined efforts of scientists, conservationists and veterinarians could rewrite the story for the northern white rhino, bringing this magnificent species back from the brink.

Brain Cells Rehearse the Future During Sleep

We all have experienced a strange feeling of familiarity with a completely new situation. This phenomenon, known as déjà vu, has long puzzled scientists. A recent study sheds new light on brain activity during sleep, suggesting that neurons might not only replay past experiences but also rehearse potential future events.

Researchers focused on rats navigating a maze for the first time. By monitoring brain wave patterns, particularly “sharp wave ripples” associated with memory consolidation, they observed activity in the hippocampus, the brain’s memory center. Interestingly, these ripples didn’t just replay the maze journey after the fact, but also seemed to anticipate the upcoming turns and pathways even before the rats physically experienced them.

“It turns out some neurons end up doing something else,” explained Dr. Daniel Kemere, a co-author of the study. “They activate in a sequence that suggests they’re replaying not just the past experience, but also a potential future experience.”

This “preplay” activity could be the brain’s way of consolidating new memories and preparing for future encounters. Imagine practicing a presentation in your head before actually delivering it – this neural rehearsal might be happening during sleep for spatial tasks as well.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Matthew Walker from Michigan University, emphasizes the importance of this discovery. “This is the first time we’ve seen evidence for the brain actively generating future events during sleep. It suggests sleep may not just be about consolidating the past, but also about preparing for the future.”

While further research is needed to fully understand the implications, this finding could have significant applications. Improved understanding of how the brain rehearses future experiences could inform training methods for complex skills or even rehabilitation strategies for individuals with memory impairments.

This discovery adds a fascinating new layer to our understanding of sleep and its role in learning and memory. It seems our brains might not simply be resting during those nighttime hours – they could be actively preparing us for what lies ahead.

Blurring the Lines: Living Bioelectronics Offer New Hope for Wound Healing

Imagine a future where medical devices seamlessly integrate with the body, not just monitoring health but actively promoting healing. This vision inches closer to reality with the development of “living bioelectronics.” Researchers at the University of Chicago have created a prototype device that combines living cells, a biocompatible gel and electronic sensors, offering a ground-breaking approach to wound healing and diagnostics.

The brainchild of Professor Bozhi Tian’s lab, this living bioelectronic patch is a marvel of bioengineering. A thin, flexible electronic circuit embedded with sensors sits atop a gel base made of tapioca starch and gelatin, mimicking the natural composition of human tissue. The final key ingredient? Live S. epidermidis bacteria, commonly found on healthy skin and known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Early tests on mice with a condition similar to psoriasis yielded promising results. The living bioelectronic patch continuously monitored the wound and delivered real-time data on inflammation levels. More importantly, the patch’s presence seemed to promote healing, with a significant reduction in symptoms observed in a week-long study.

“We’re excited because it combines multiple functionalities,” explained Dr. Jiuyun Shi, a lead researcher on the project. “It can sense the biological signals, it can deliver therapeutic agents and it can potentially improve tissue regeneration.”

This research represents a significant leap forward in biocompatible technology. Traditional electronic implants often suffer from rejection by the body, requiring rigid materials that can irritate surrounding tissues. Living bioelectronics, on the other hand, offer a more natural approach. The soft, flexible design and the incorporation of live cells minimize the risk of rejection, potentially leading to longer-lasting and more comfortable implants.

The potential applications of this technology extend far beyond wound healing. Imagine bioelectronic patches that monitor blood sugar levels in diabetics or deliver targeted pain relief. This research paves the way for a new generation of medical devices that work in harmony with the body, offering a more holistic and personalized approach to healthcare. While further research is needed to refine the technology and explore its full potential, living bioelectronics offer a glimpse into a future where technology seamlessly blends with biology to improve our health and well-being.

Dark Matter Mystery Deepens: Could Exotic Black Holes Hold the Key?

Dark matter, the invisible substance estimated to comprise 85% of all matter in the universe, remains one of science’s greatest enigmas. However, a recent study by MIT physicists proposes a captivating link between dark matter and a new breed of black holes – “primordial black holes” formed in the universe’s first fraction of a second.

“For fifty years, scientists have explored the possibility that dark matter could be black holes,” explains Professor David Kaiser, co-author of the study. “Our research focuses on a specific type: black holes born in the very early universe, much smaller than the stellar black holes we typically observe.”

These “primordial” black holes, theorized to be incredibly dense and harboring an exotic property called “color charge,” could offer a novel explanation for dark matter’s elusive nature. Color charge, a fundamental force in quantum chromodynamics (QCD), is typically only observed in quarks and gluons, the building blocks of protons and neutrons.

The MIT team proposes that these primordial black holes, formed amidst the quark-gluon soup of the early universe, might have swallowed these color-charged particles. If a significant population of such black holes exists, their immense gravity and unique properties could contribute to the invisible influence attributed to dark matter.

“The key here is the color charge,” says Dr. Elba Alonso-Monsalve, the study’s lead author. “By understanding how much color charge gets trapped in these primordial black holes, we can potentially calculate their abundance and see if it aligns with the amount of dark matter we infer from astronomical observations.”

This research opens exciting new avenues for dark matter exploration. While further theoretical work and advanced astronomical observations are needed to validate this connection, it presents a fresh perspective on this cosmic mystery. The possibility of primordial black holes contributing to dark matter could lead to new strategies for detecting them, potentially involving the unique signature of their color charge.

“If we can demonstrate a link between these exotic black holes and dark matter,” concludes Prof. Kaiser, “it would be a major breakthrough in our understanding of the universe’s composition and evolution.” The quest to unravel the nature of dark matter continues and this research on exotic black holes offers a compelling new thread to follow in this cosmic whodunit.

Avian Flu Jumps the Species Barrier: Elephant Seals Infected in Argentina

In a worrying development, scientists have documented the first confirmed case of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) jumping from birds to mammals. The victim? Thousands of elephant seals in Argentina. Researchers at the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, collaborating with Argentine colleagues, identified HPAI H5N1 as the culprit behind a mass die-off that devastated elephant seal pups on the Valdés Peninsula in 2023.

“This is the first multinational transmission of HPAI viruses in mammals ever observed globally,” says Dr. marinho dos Santos, a lead author of the study. The outbreak resulted in a staggering mortality rate, with nearly all pups born that season succumbing to the virus. Adult seals were also affected, with significant population declines observed.

The virus likely originated from infected wild birds, with terns found near the seal colonies also testing positive. However, the high mortality rate in seals suggests a potential adaptation of the virus for efficient transmission among mammals. This raises concerns about the possibility of spillover events to humans or livestock populations.

“While the current HPAI strain appears low-risk for humans, this event highlights the potential for these viruses to evolve and adapt to new hosts,” cautions Dr. Christine Wibble, another researcher involved in the study.

The unprecedented scale of the outbreak in elephant seals underscores the need for heightened surveillance. Monitoring HPAI strains in both birds and mammals, particularly those with close contact points, will be crucial in preventing further cross-species transmission events. Understanding how the virus adapted to thrive in elephant seals could also provide valuable insights for developing preventative measures.

The research team emphasizes the importance of international collaboration in combating this evolving threat. Sharing data and expertise across borders will be essential for mitigating future outbreaks and protecting both wildlife populations and human health. With the specter of zoonotic diseases looming large, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the interconnectedness of our world and the need for proactive measures to safeguard animal and human health.

Nanotechnology: A giant leap towards the new age agriculture

In a recent scientific hustle, scientists highlight some of the best-known strategies for improving agriculture with nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is an umbrella term for the study and design of microscopically small things. How small? A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, or about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Using nanotechnology, drugs can now be delivered where they’re most needed. But these insights have yet to be applied to plant science on a large scale.

“There are studies predicting we will need to increase food production by up to 60% in 2050 relative to 2020 levels. Right now, we are trying to do that through inefficient agrochemical delivery,” said Juan Pablo Giraldo, UCR associate professor and paper co-corresponding author.

“Half of all the fertilizer applied on farms is lost in the environment and pollutes the groundwater. In the case of commonly used pesticides, it’s even worse. Only 5% reach their intended targets. The rest ends up contaminating the environment. There is a lot of room for improvement,” Giraldo said.

Currently, agriculture accounts for up to 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This, in addition to a range of other factors from extreme weather events to rampant crop pests and rapidly degrading soil, underlines the need for new agricultural practices and technologies.

In their review, the researchers highlight specific approaches borrowed from nanomedicine that could be used to deliver pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to specific biological targets.

“We are pioneering targeted delivery technologies based on coating nanomaterials with sugars or peptides that recognize specific proteins on plant cells and organelles,” Giraldo said. “This allows us to take the existing molecular machinery of the plant and guide desired chemicals to where the plant needs it, for example the plant vasculature, organelles, or sites of plant pathogen infections.”

Doing this could make plants more resilient to disease and harmful environmental factors like extreme heat or high salt content in soil. This type of delivery would also be a much greener approach, with fewer off-target effects in the environment.

Another strategy discussed in the paper is using artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a “digital twin.” Medical researchers use computational models or “digital patients” to simulate how medicines interact with and move within the body. Plant researchers can do the same to design nanocarrier molecules that deliver nutrients or other agrochemicals to plant organs where they’re most needed.

“It’s like J.A.R.V.I.S. (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) from the film Iron Man. Essentially an artificial intelligence guide to help design nanoparticles with controlled delivery properties for agriculture,” Giraldo said. “We can follow up these twin simulations with real-life plant experiments for feedback on the models.”

“Nano-enabled precision delivery of active agents in plants will transform agriculture, but there are critical technical challenges that we must first overcome to realize the full range of its benefits,” said Greg Lowry, Carnegie Mellon engineering professor and co-corresponding author of the review paper. “I’m optimistic about the future of Plant Nanobiotechnology approaches and the beneficial impacts it will have on our ability to sustainably produce food.”

A protein that enables smell—and stops cell death

While smell plays a considerable role in the social interactions of humans — for instance, signaling fear or generating closeness — for ants, it is vitally important. Researchers from New York University and the University of Florida found that a key protein named Orco, essential for the function of olfactory cells, is also critical for the cells’ survival in ants.

Their study showed that mutating the orco gene in Harpegnathos saltator jumping ants dramatically decreased the number of olfactory neurons, suggesting that Orco is necessary for the development and life of these cells. The findings, published in Science Advances, offer insights into the cellular and molecular basis of how animals socialize.

“Understanding how the nervous system develops is among the most pressing challenges in modern neuroscience,” said Bogdan Sieriebriennikov, a postdoctoral fellow in NYU’s Department of Biology and the study’s first author.

Sensing smell and mutant ants: Ants have evolved approximately 400 smell receptors — a number closer to humans than most other insects — thanks to their use of pheromone communication.

“Ants, like humans, are highly social and display cooperative social behavior and thus provide an ideal system to study sensory-mediated social behavior,” explained Hua Yan, assistant professor of biology at the University of Florida and the study’s senior author. “Expanded odorant receptor genes allow ants to ‘talk’ to each other in a large society with hundreds, thousands, or up to a million individuals.”

Even for humans, who rely on other senses for communication, smell is essential. “Loss of function of odorant receptor neurons leads to deficits in olfactory sensing and is often associated with social isolation, neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and social disorders such as autism,” added Yan. To better understand how ants’ sense of smell influences their social interactions, NYU researchers previously created the first genetically engineered ants by using CRISPR to edit the orco gene. These “mutant” ants, lacking the Orco protein, experienced changes to their smell organs and had difficulty interacting.

“We found that the antennae — which are the ‘nose’ of the ant — had very few cells. They were almost empty, suggesting that the cells that sense smell were absent from the mutant ants,” said Yan.

Neuron survival depends on Orco: In their new study in Science Advances, the researchers used single-nucleus gene expression profiling of ant antennae and fluorescence microscopy to analyze olfactory cell development. It emerged that mutant insects lacking Orco lose most of their olfactory neurons before adulthood.

“The cells appear to be made normally and they start developing — growing, changing shape and switching on certain genes they will need later, such as odorant receptors,” noted Sieriebriennikov. “Once the developing cells turn on the odorant receptors, very soon they start dying in massive amounts.”

This neuronal death may be because of stress. As the odorant receptors in the mutant ants cannot form a complex with Orco to travel to the cell membrane, the newly made receptors clog the organelles, leading to stress and death.

Such neuronal death may also show patterns particular to social insects. “So far, these unique processes have not been found in solitary insects and may provide important evidence of evolution of neural development to adapt to the expansion of odorant receptor genes,” said Kayli Sieber, a doctoral candidate at the University of Florida and the co-first author of the study.

Interestingly, some odorant receptors survived even without Orco. The cells in which they were present also expressed other types of receptors, suggesting that the activity they facilitate is essential for neuronal development.

“Some neurons must periodically ‘fire’ to develop properly. Without Orco, smell cells did not ‘fire’ and complete their development, leading to their death,” said Sieriebriennikov. The researchers also found that some odorant receptors are present in non-smell cells, such as mechanosensory neurons that detect motion and glia, which wrap around neurons and help them function. This may be due to imperfect regulation of genes, which causes odorant receptors to be accidentally activated by nearby genomic regions that are normally regulating other genes in other cells. Alternatively, the receptors may have a new function in these cells, like the odorant receptors found in the glia of C. elegans worms or human sperm.

“Turning on odorant receptor genes in the cells that are not smell-sensing could be totally useless for the organism — but then again, evolution tends to make use of such mistakes to give existing genes new function, so perhaps there is some exciting new role of odorant receptors in non-smell cells that we will discover in the future,” noted Sieriebriennikov.

“Our findings enhance our understanding of social insects’ sensory systems, including olfactory neural development that establishes a framework for social communication,” said Yan.

Scientists map networks regulating gene function in the human brain

A consortium of researchers has produced the largest and most advanced multidimensional maps of gene regulation networks in the brains of people with and without mental disorders. These maps detail the many regulatory elements that coordinate the brain’s biological pathways and cellular functions. The research, supported the National Institutes of Health (NIH), used postmortem brain tissue from over 2,500 donors to map gene regulation networks across different stages of brain development and multiple brain-related disorders.

“These groundbreaking findings advance our understanding of where, how and when genetic risk contributes to mental disorders such as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression,” said Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., director of NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). “Moreover, the critical resources, shared freely,willhelp researchers pinpoint genetic variants that are likely to play a causal role in mental illnesses and identify potential molecular targets for new therapeutics.”

The research report findings along several key themes:

Population-level analyses that link genetic variants, regulatory elements and different molecular forms of expressed genes to regulatory networks at the cellular level, in both the developing brain and adult brain

Single-cell-level maps of the prefrontal cortex from individuals diagnosed with mental disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders

Experimental analyses validating the function of regulatory elements and genetic variants associated with quantitative trait loci (segments of DNA that are linked with observable traits)

The analyses expand on previous findings, exploring multiple cortical and subcortical regions of the human brain. These brain areas play key roles in a range of essential processes, including decision-making, memory, learning, emotion, reward processing and motor control. Approximately 2% of the human genome is composed of genes that code for proteins. The remaining 98% includes DNA segments that help regulate the activity of those genes. To better understand how brain structure and function contribute to mental disorders, researchers in the NIMH-funded PsychENCODE Consortium are using standardized methods and data analysis approaches to build a comprehensive picture of these regulatory elements in the human brain.

In addition to these discoveries, the papers also highlight new methods and tools to help researchers analyze and explore the wealth of data produced by this effort. These resources include a web-based platform offering interactive visualization data from diverse brain cell types in individuals with and without mental disorders, known as PsychSCREEN. Together, these methods and tools provide a comprehensive, integrated data resource for the broader research community.

The papers focus on the second phase of findings from the PsychENCODE Consortium. This effort aims to advance our understanding of how gene regulation impacts brain function and dysfunction.

“These PsychENCODE Consortium findings shed new light on how gene risk maps onto brain function across developmental stages, brain regions and disorders,” said Jonathan Pevsner, Ph.D., chief of the NIMH Genomics Research Branch. “The work lays a strong foundation for ongoing efforts to characterize regulatory pathways across disorders, elucidate the role of epigenetic mechanisms and increase the ancestral diversity represented in studies.”

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