Scientific interest: the status of the clownfish and the mystery of the origin of lightning

For the first time, Russian scientists have created a reliable model of lightning generation at an altitude of 6 thousand and 9 thousand meters. They arise from "germs", which then turn into a giant electrical channel. European researchers have found that clownfish can shrink in size with significant changes in water temperature, and the degree of reduction depends on the social status of the fish. A study by an international team of experts has shown that the use of perfumes and lotions for the skin leads to a change in the chemical composition of the air inhaled by humans. Read about the most interesting scientific achievements over the past week in the Izvestia collection.

Diagnosis of diabetes complications using light

Optical technologies are being created in the Russian Federation that make it possible to assess the likelihood of developing complications in diabetes using a simple portable device, instantly determine the boundaries of cancerous tumors, treat malignancies with virtually no side effects, combat psoriasis, and even simulate geological processes. Valery Tuchin, the world's most cited biophotonics scientist, told Izvestia about this in an exclusive interview. The conversation with the specialist took place as part of the Challenge Award roadshow in Saratov, which was awarded to the researcher in the Scientist of the Year nomination.

Photo: Foundation for the Development of scientific and cultural relations "Challenge"

— With the help of light, it is possible to determine the complications of diabetes and the boundaries of cancerous tumors. Right now we are very concerned about the problem of diabetes. This disease is well diagnosed, but almost all patients develop complications. We have set ourselves the task to monitor the condition of a sick body using non-invasive optical methods. We study tissue glycation, the process by which proteins and lipids attach glucose molecules. We measure the diffusion rate as a marker of the degree of tissue glycation," the scientist told Izvestia.

The accuracy of diagnosis of heart failure

Doctors of the Department of Hospital Therapy No. 1 at Sechenov University, together with scientists from the Center for Biopharmaceutical Technologies and Metabolic Analysis at the First Moscow State Medical University, have developed a new method for diagnosing chronic heart failure (CHF) by analyzing the metabolic profile. This is a comprehensive analysis that provides information about the metabolic state of the body. We are talking about unique chemical "fingerprints" specific to the processes occurring in living cells.

Photo: Sechenov University Press Service

"In search of more reliable diagnostic solutions, we tried to use an alternative method for detecting heart failure — metabolic profiling, that is, the analysis of metabolites — products of metabolism occurring in the body," explained Maria Kozhevnikova, professor of the department, to Izvestia. — Our study has confirmed that using metabolic profiling, it is indeed possible to determine whether a patient has CHF or not. Moreover, this method has a high sensitivity and specificity.

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The lightning generation model

IPF RAS specialists have created a model describing how lightning forms in thunderclouds. Scientists have described the process of lightning nucleation at two of the most typical heights for this — 6 and 9 km. This is a plasma structure, the temperature of which increases due to polarization currents that flow through certain channels in the electric field of the cloud. As a result, it turns into a huge channel that an observer sees during a thunderstorm.

A three—dimensional numerical model of the lightning initiation process includes data on altitude above sea level, the intensity of the cloud's electric field, and the frequency of new streamers - short-lived cold discharges. Using mathematical modeling, scientists have shown the process of transition from unstable streamer systems to hot self-sustaining lightning.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Konstantin Kokoshkin

— Even in weak electric fields typical of thunderclouds, streamer channels can merge into extended conductive clusters. When such a cluster reaches a critical length of several tens of meters, it becomes a lightning embryo, a structure capable of independent further development due to a high degree of polarization," said Artyom Sysoev, a researcher at the Laboratory of Nonlinear Physics of Natural Processes at the IPF RAS.

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Clownfish can shrink in size

A group of European scientists has discovered during a study of anemone clownfish that these organisms are able to shrink in size depending on environmental conditions. This is how they react to heat stress — a significant change in water temperature.

The scientists measured the length of 134 wild clownfish and tracked the water temperature for five lunar months. It turned out that the reduction in size is determined by the social rank and size of the individual. And those of them that decrease more often and in coordination with their breeding partner have a higher survival rate with temperature changes.

Photo: Global Look Press/Cristian Umili

Clownfish are social animals that live in groups with a hierarchical structure. The dominant position in the group is occupied by the female, followed by the dominant male and other males, whose position in the pack is determined by their size.

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Lotions and perfumes can change the composition of the air around a person.

An international team of scientists has discovered that cosmetics applied to the skin can change the chemical composition of the so-called human oxidation field. This field is interconnected with the air content that people breathe. However, scientists have not yet been able to find out whether such an influence is harmful or useful.

To assess the effect of cosmetics on the air, scientists conducted experiments in which four volunteers sprayed popular commercial perfumes on the back of their hands, while others applied an odorless body lotion to any exposed skin areas. After applying any of the products, each group of volunteers sat in a chamber where they were exposed to ozone concentrations of up to 40 parts per billion for two to four hours, said chemist from the University of California, Manabu Shiraiwa.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Eduard Kornienko

Scientists coined the term "human oxidation field" in 2022. The study showed that when the oils on the skin are exposed to ozone, they can generate highly reactive molecules called hydroxyl radicals. These compounds, in turn, can split other gases in the air around us, creating an oxidation field.