PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

With biodiversity under threat, scientists suggest the need for a new biorepository—on the moon

2024-07-31
(Press-News.org) With numerous species facing extinction, an international team of researchers has proposed an innovative solution to protect the planet's biodiversity: a lunar biorepository. This concept, detailed in a recent article in the journal BioScience, is aimed at creating a passive, long-lasting storage facility for cryopreserved samples of Earth's most at-risk animal species.

Led by Dr. Mary Hagedorn of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, the team envisions taking advantage of the Moon's naturally cold temperatures, particularly in permanently shadowed regions near the poles, where temperatures remain consistently below –196 degrees Celsius. Such conditions are ideal for long-term storage of biological samples without the need for human intervention or power supplies, two factors that could threaten the resilience of Earth-based repositories. Other key advantages of a lunar facility include protection from Earth-based natural disasters, climate change, and geopolitical conflicts.

An initial focus in the development of a lunar biorepository would be on cryopreserving animal skin samples with fibroblast cells. The author team has already begun developing protocols using the Starry Goby (Asterropteryx semipunctata) as an exemplar species, with other species to follow. The authors also plan to "leverage the continental-scale sampling that is currently underway at the U S National Science Foundation’s National 190 Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)" as a source for future fibroblast cell development.

Challenges to be addressed include developing robust packaging for space transport, mitigating radiation effects, and establishing the complex international governance frameworks for the repository, and the authors for broad collaboration among nations, agencies, and international stakeholders to realize this decades-long program. Next steps include expanding partnerships, particularly with space research agencies, and conducting further testing on Earth and aboard the International Space Station.

Despite the challenges to be overcome, the authors highlight that the need for action is acute: "Because of myriad anthropogenic drivers, a high proportion of species and ecosystems face destabilization and extinction threats that are accelerating faster than our ability to save these species in their natural environment."

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Strong El Nino makes European winters easier to forecast

2024-07-31
Heavy rain and flooding in Brazil in November could tell forecasters whether December, January and February in Britain will be cold and dry or mild and wet.    This is because forecasting European winter weather patterns months in advance is made simpler during years of strong El Niño or La Niña events in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a new study has found.   A strong El Nino or La Nina in the Pacific Ocean can bring big changes in temperatures, wind patterns and rainfall patterns to South America. When ...

MD Anderson and collaborators to launch project studying T cells on International Space Station

MD Anderson and collaborators to launch project studying T cells on International Space Station
2024-07-31
HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and collaborators are initiating a research project that will send T cells to the International Space Station (ISS) to study the effects of prolonged microgravity on cell differentiation, activation, memory and exhaustion. These results will be further analyzed on Earth to uncover signaling pathways and identify potential immune targets that can improve treatment strategies for patients with cancer and other diseases. To accomplish this work, MD Anderson researchers ...

Chameleon testbed secures $12 million in funding for phase 4: Expanding frontiers in computer science research

2024-07-31
Chameleon, led by Senior Scientist Kate Keahey from Argonne National Laboratory, has been a cornerstone of CS research and education for nearly a decade. The platform has served over 10,000 users, contributing to more than 700 research publications. Chameleon has now secured an additional $12 million in funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to roll out its next four-year phase. With this new funding, Chameleon will continue to innovate and support its growing community, enabling groundbreaking discoveries in CS systems research. ABOUT CHAMELEON: A PLATFORM FOR INNOVATION Chameleon is a large-scale, deeply reconfigurable experimental ...

For bigger muscles push close to failure, for strength, maybe not

For bigger muscles push close to failure, for strength, maybe not
2024-07-31
When performing resistance training such as lifting weights, there’s a lot of interest in how close you push yourself to failure – the point where you can’t do another rep – and how it affects your results. While research has looked at this concept in different ways, to date, no meta-analysis has explored the pattern (i.e., linear or non-linear) of how the distance from failure (measured by repetitions in reserve) affects changes in muscle strength and size. As such, it’s ...

Improving Alzheimer’s disease imaging — with fluorescent sensors

Improving Alzheimer’s disease imaging — with fluorescent sensors
2024-07-31
Neurotransmitter levels in the brain can indicate brain health and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. However, the protective blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes delivering fluorescent sensors that can detect these small molecules to the brain difficult. Now, researchers in ACS Central Science demonstrate a way of packaging these sensors for easy passage across the BBB in mice, allowing for improved brain imaging. With further development, the technology could help advance Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment. It is common for neurotransmitter levels ...

Most blood thinner dosing problems happen after initial prescription

2024-07-31
Millions of Americans take anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners. These medications work to prevent blood clots that cause heart attack and stroke.  More than two-thirds of those people take a type of blood thinner called a direct oral anticoagulant. DOACs, such as rivaroxaban (brand name Xarelto) and apixaban (brand name Eliquis), are under- or over-prescribed in up to one in eight patents. These prescribing issues can have life threatening consequences, and they most often occur after a provider writes the initial prescription, according to a study led by Michigan Medicine.  “Direct oral anticoagulants may be viewed ...

AI boosts the power of EEGs, enabling neurologists to quickly, precisely pinpoint signs of dementia

AI boosts the power of EEGs, enabling neurologists to quickly, precisely pinpoint signs of dementia
2024-07-31
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) tests more quickly and precisely, enabling neurologists to find early signs of dementia among data that typically go unexamined. The century-old EEG, during which a dozen or more electrodes are stuck to the scalp to monitor brain activity, is often used to detect epilepsy. Its results are interpreted by neurologists and other experts trained to spot patterns among the test's squiggly waves. In new research published in Brain Communications, scientists at the Mayo Clinic Neurology AI Program (NAIP) demonstrate ...

AI predicts male infertility risk with blood test, no semen needed

AI predicts male infertility risk with blood test, no semen needed
2024-07-31
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study (2017), about half of all infertility is due to men. Semen analysis is considered essential for diagnosis of male infertility, but is not readily available at medical institutions other than those specializing in infertility treatment, and there is a high threshold for receiving it.   In this study, a group led by Associate Professor Hideyuki Kobayashi of the Department of Urology, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan developed an AI model that can predict the risk ...

Researchers pioneer new approach to enhance all-solid-state lithium batteries

Researchers pioneer new approach to enhance all-solid-state lithium batteries
2024-07-31
Researchers at the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from leading international institutions, have introduced an innovative cathode homogenization strategy for all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASLBs). This new approach, detailed in their recent publication in Nature Energy on July 31, significantly improves the cycle life and energy density of ASLBs, representing an important advancement in energy storage technology. Current ASLBs face challenges due to heterogeneous composite cathodes, which require ...

Surprising finding in glioblastomas:

2024-07-31
Glioblastomas are highly aggressive, usually incurable brain tumors. If all therapeutic options are exhausted, patients have an average life expectancy of less than two years. Now researchers from the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) at the West German Tumor Center Essen have made a surprising discovery: in the vicinity of glioblastomas, they found islands of highly potent immune cells in the neighboring bone marrow of the skull, which play a central role in defending against cancer. The new data may open up prospects ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Long-term anticoagulation discontinuation after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

Fractional flow reserve–guided complete vs culprit-only revascularization in non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease

Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023

Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure

Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine

High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role

Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59

[Press-News.org] With biodiversity under threat, scientists suggest the need for a new biorepository—on the moon