Science Society

In a world where fungal pathogens wreak havoc on global food production, understanding their arsenal is of paramount importance. Enter the mysterious realm of Magnaporthe oryzae, a notorious fungal attacker, with Dr. Krasileva, our esteemed guest for today's episode.

Dive deep as we navigate the vast universe of the fungal pathogen's secreted proteins. Dr. Krasileva unravels her team's ambitious efforts to predict the structures of a whopping 1,854 proteins. Harnessing the power of machine learning and the revolutionary TrRosetta, they're able to map out the intricate designs of these proteins, laying bare potential effectors and virulence factors.

But this journey isn't just about numbers and predictions. As Dr. Krasileva artfully illustrates, structure-based clustering reveals hidden secrets about these proteins, uncovering relationships and parallels that go beyond mere sequences. Through her narrative, we uncover intriguing evolutionary tales, such as the fascinating evolution of ADP-ribose transferases.

Beyond the impressive science, there's a vital underlying message: the importance of computational structural genomics in the fight against phytopathogens. With pathogens constantly evolving and posing new threats, having a deep understanding of their molecular machinery is crucial for developing effective counter-strategies.

Whether you're a seasoned researcher, an aspiring biologist, or simply someone fascinated by the complex interplay of pathogens and their hosts, this episode with Dr. Krasileva promises a captivating journey. Uncover the hidden stories within Magnaporthe oryzae and explore how cutting-edge computational techniques are changing the game in the battle against fungal foes.

https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-03-21-0071-R

This episode delves deep into the fascinating world of brain responses to traumatic stress with esteemed expert, Dr. Daniela Kaufer. Earning her B.Sc. from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Kaufer has passionately navigated her academic journey, culminating in her role as Principal Investigator at UC Berkeley. Beyond her remarkable academic pursuits, she finds solace in reading, yoga, meditation, and spending quality time in nature with her family.

Dr. Kaufer provides insights from her recent captivating study, which explored the biological variance in reactions to traumatic stress. While reactions differ significantly across individuals, the mechanisms underlying these variations remain elusive. The study shines light on the often-overlooked role of oligodendrocytes and myelin in this context, hinting at their potential involvement in the traumatic-stress-induced alterations in the adult brain.

The research took a comprehensive approach, integrating both rat models and human subjects - specifically trauma-exposed US veterans. Through a multimodal study, they unearthed a region-specific correlation between oligodendrocyte cell density, myelin basic protein (MBP), and stress-induced behaviors. For instance, they found a direct connection between stress-induced avoidance and the hippocampal dentate gyrus' oligodendrocytes and MBP.

Further validating their findings, the team identified similar patterns in trauma-exposed veterans, where magnetic resonance imaging revealed a direct association between hippocampal and amygdala myelin and symptom profiles.

Join us as Dr. Kaufer unpacks these groundbreaking revelations and introduces us to a novel mechanism that might underpin the varied sensitivity levels individuals showcase towards traumatic stress. Discover the intricate dance of brain plasticity, traumatic experiences, and the astonishing ways they intertwine to shape individual reactions.

Traumatic Stress, Oligodendrocytes, Myelin, Behavioral Variation, Hippocampal Dentate Gyrus, Anxiety, Fear Learning, US Veterans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Brain Plasticity.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41398-021-01745-5

Synthetic biology and bioengineering provide the opportunity to create novel embodied cognitive systems (otherwise known as minds) in a very wide variety of chimeric architectures combining evolved and designed material and software. These advances are disrupting familiar concepts in the philosophy of mind, and require new ways of thinking about and comparing truly diverse intelligences, whose composition and origin are not like any of the available natural model species. In this Perspective, I introduce TAME - Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere - a framework for understanding and manipulating cognition in unconventional substrates. TAME formalizes a non-binary (continuous), empirically-based approach to strongly embodied agency. When applied to regenerating/developmental systems, TAME suggests a perspective on morphogenesis as an example of basal cognition. The deep symmetry between problem-solving in anatomical, physiological, transcriptional, and 3D (traditional behavioral) spaces drives specific hypotheses by which cognitive capacities can scale during evolution. An important medium exploited by evolution for joining active subunits into greater agents is developmental bioelectricity, implemented by pre-neural use of ion channels and gap junctions to scale cell-level feedback loops into anatomical homeostasis. This architecture of multi-scale competency of biological systems has important implications for plasticity of bodies and minds, greatly potentiating evolvability. Considering classical and recent data from the perspectives of computational science, evolutionary biology, and basal cognition, reveals a rich research program with many implications for cognitive science, evolutionary biology, regenerative medicine, and artificial intelligence. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/t6e8p

Individuals are constantly exposed to microbial organisms that may or may not colonize their gut microbiome, and newborn individuals assemble their microbiomes through a number of these acquisition events. Since microbiome composition has been shown to influence host physiology, a mechanistic understanding of community assembly has potentially therapeutic applications. In this paper we study microbiome acquisition in a highly controlled setting using germ-free fruit flies inoculated with specific bacterial species at known abundances. Our approach revealed that acquisition events are stochastic, and the colonization odds of different species in different contexts encode ecological information about interactions. These findings have consequences for microbiome-based therapies like fecal microbiota transplantation that attempt to modify a person’s gut microbiome by deliberately introducing foreign microbes. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2115877119

Delve into the innovative world of brain imaging with Dr. Field as we discuss the latest breakthroughs in noninvasive optical brain imaging tools. The traditional TD-fNIRS system, a benchmark in optical brain imaging, has seen limited adoption due to its complex design and high costs. Dr. Field introduces us to the Kernel Flow, a game-changer that promises to democratize access to high-quality brain imaging.

Kernel Flow's brilliance lies in its compactness and modularity, retaining the precision of traditional systems. Dr. Field and his team have ingeniously miniaturized various components, from laser drivers to specialized detectors, resulting in a device that can easily be worn and offers whole-head coverage.

Our discussion traverses the intricate development journey of Kernel Flow, from the conceptual phase to testing its efficacy using standardized tissue and optical phantom protocols. Not only does Dr. Field showcase the system's comparable performance to its benchtop counterparts, but he also shares intriguing results from human brain studies.

But the Kernel Flow's story doesn't end there. Dr. Field offers a glimpse into the future, hinting at expanded studies across diverse demographics to ensure the tool's adaptability and effectiveness.

Join us on this enlightening journey with Dr. Field as we explore the future of noninvasive brain imaging. Whether you're a neuroscience enthusiast, a medical professional, or just someone curious about the marvels of modern science, this episode offers a riveting peek into the next frontier of brain research.

DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.27.7.074710

In a groundbreaking episode, Dr. Dumke and his colleagues challenge the boundaries separating quantum mechanics and biological systems, two realms often seen as incompatible. Taking center stage is the tardigrade—a microscopic marvel known for its resilience against harsh conditions. Dr. Dumke's team leverages the tardigrade's unique ability to enter cryptobiosis, unveiling its potential to couple with a superconducting quantum bit and even achieve a state of entanglement. As the narrative unfolds, listeners will be captivated by the tale of this tiny creature's journey through extreme temperatures and pressures, culminating in its revival after a record-breaking stint in a quantum environment. Join us for a dive into a realm where the lines between life and quantum physics blur, challenging our understanding of both domains. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2112.07978