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- Secrets and knowledge: the secret of ancient mummies and pig heart transplantation
Secrets and knowledge: the secret of ancient mummies and pig heart transplantation
A new study has found that the bubonic plague entered North Africa thousands of years earlier than it devastated Europe in the Middle Ages. And American and French researchers have published an analysis of the condition of the second patient who received a genetically modified pig heart and lived with it for about six weeks. And in Russia they have created sensors to detect toxins in food and drinks. About this, as well as about superpower flares on the Sun and the comet, which can be seen from Earth with the naked eye, read in the material "Izvestia".
In 2025 will be especially powerful flares on the Sun
The peak of the current 11-year cycle of solar activity was passed in 2024, but the decline may be the most powerful flares. About this "Izvestia" told the Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Irkutsk State University and senior researcher at the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS Sergey Yazev.
He explained that the 11-year cycles can differ in the time of occurrence of both smaller and larger. At the same time, the current cycle is ahead of the current cycle.
Sergei Yazev noted that the flares themselves do not threaten people, but sometimes because of them there is a so-called coronal ejection, when the electromagnetic forces on the Sun push a large number of charged particles (plasma) into space.
If the ejection is directed towards the Earth, then two days later the charged particles collide with the Earth's magnetic shell, which provokes its perturbation. It manifests itself on Earth in the form of geomagnetic storms.
In the Russian Federation created sensors to search for toxins in products
Scientists at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) have developed colorimetric sensors capable of recognizing different substances, including useful or toxic, in food products, drinks, biological fluids, as well as surface and underground water.
"The principle of operation of the colorimetric system developed at TPU is simple. Each sensor has an internal structure that allows it to change color when in contact with the target substance. The smartphone receives a digital image of the sensor, then by its color and intensity interprets the result in the form of substance recognition and determination of its concentration," the university said in a statement.
The detection system can be linked to a smartphone and with the help of a neural network to conduct an initial chemical analysis. The whole procedure takes from a few seconds to a minute. Sensors can detect both the substance and its concentration in the object of analysis.
Comet ATLAS can be seen from Earth
The comet ATLAS, discovered in 2024, will pass close to the Sun on January 13. If it survives the approach, it will become visible to the inhabitants of the Earth even without binoculars.
Astronomers believe that the comet may reach the brightness of Venus, so that it can be seen with the naked eye. For observations should look for it in the constellation of Sagittarius. The best conditions for this will be for residents of the Southern Hemisphere, but under favorable circumstances, it can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the coming days should clarify its possible brilliance and visibility conditions. Difficulty in observation is precisely in its proximity to the Sun: the light from him during sunrise or sunset can prevent you from seeing the comet, astronomers note.
Analysis of the second transplantation of the heart of a pig to a living person
American and French researchers have published an analysis of the condition of the second patient who received a genetically modified pig heart and lived with it for about six weeks. The transplant was performed on 58-year-old Lawrence Fossett with heart failure due to ischemic cardiomyopathy, and ended in organ failure.
The pig heart with 10 gene modifications initially worked well but later developed diastolic dysfunction, ventricular wall thickening and loss of systolic function. Extracorporeal oxygenation was started on day 31, and on day 40 the patient opted for palliative care.
Histology revealed endothelial damage with edema and fibrosis without significant immune cell infiltration. Rejection was associated with antibodies, but no porcine cytomegalovirus replication was detected. The scientists concluded that new strategies to combat antibody-dependent rejection are needed for successful xenotransplantation.
DNA of bubonic plague pathogen found on Egyptian mummy
Scientists have discovered the first confirmed case of plague infection outside of Eurasia in a mummy from ancient Egypt about 3,290 years old. The research found that the man likely suffered from severe symptoms before his death.
Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The disease was particularly rampant in the 14th century, killing millions of Europeans. However, new evidence points to the presence of the disease in northern regions of Africa as far back as the Bronze Age. Analysis of the mummy's bone tissue revealed DNA from the deadly bacterium.
The researchers noted that this is the first recorded genome of Y. pestis outside of Eurasia. Earlier findings of fleas and medical texts describing symptoms have also pointed to possible outbreaks along the Nile. Although the exact extent of plague in ancient Egypt is not yet known, the fresh data opens new horizons for the study of the history of this dangerous infection.
