Teseo, il golden retriever addestrato sotto la guida di Paolo Audisio del Dipartimento di Biologia e biotecnologie C. Darwin della Sapienza, si è rivelato uno strumento funzionale per scovare le larve di Osmoderma eremita, una specie classificata, all’interno del progetto europeo Mipp (Monitoraggio di insetti con la partecipazione pubblica), come "prossima alla minaccia" e ormai rara in gran parte dei paesi europei. L'obiettivo principale del progetto – iniziato alla fine del 2012 e terminato il 30 settembre 2017 – è stato quello di sviluppare metodi standard e non invasivi per il monitoraggio di alcune specie di coleotteri saproxilici, fra i quali appunto Osmoderma eremita. Tra i beneficiari associati del progetto, la Sapienza ha seguito l’addestramento di Osmodog, un cane da ricerca per la conservazione, che individua le larve di Osmoderma eremita nel loro habitat, cioè all’interno di cavità di vecchi e grandi alberi (querce, castagni, salici, faggi, pioppi ecc.), una nicchia ecologica molto ristretta e in costante riduzione.
Will we be able to use zinc oxide nanoparticles as fertilizers?
Researchers from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) and National Institute for Agricultural Research and Experimentation (INIA) have studied the effects of using zinc oxide nanoparticles on agriculture. A research carried out at School of Agricultural, Food and Biosystems Engineering (ETSIAAB) from UPM in collaboration with researchers from Ecotoxicology group of INIA, has studied how zinc oxide nanoparticles affect tomato and bean plants. The effects found depended on the type of crop, exposure time, and especially soil pH. The results, which have been published in Science of the Total Environment journal, suggest that the use of these nanoparticles does not pose a toxicity risk for these crops and this would allow us to use their good fertilizing properties as a source of zinc micronutrient. The deliberate application of nanoparticles in agriculture, although incipient, is promising. Due to their small size, the nanoparticles have different properties from the same material in their regular size. Essentially, they have a high specific area and a high surface energy that produce changes in its physicochemical, optical and electrical properties, as well as a high reactivity.
The fight against antimicrobial resistance: the One Health approach is vital
The emergence of antibiotic-resistant microbial strains risks severely limiting yields in animal production chains in the coming decades, exacerbating the existing poverty in numerous countries. Experts from CIRAD and their partners analysed the policies implemented in Southeast Asia and identified a series of actions required to fight effectively against antimicrobial resistance, in line with the One Health approach. Their conclusions have been published in the prestigious journal BMJ.
Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to health and to the economy
Antibiotics are regularly used in livestock or fish production, to fight disease, boost productivity or prevent contamination of the food chain. This almost blanket use has led to the development, in both humans and animals, of resistant microbial strains against which conventional antibiotics no longer have any effect. In September 2016, the United Nations recognized that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance on a global scale was a threat to health and human development. In particular, recent projections estimated that by 2050 global livestock production would fall by 3% to 8% each year, resulting in substantial economic losses, particularly in the world's poorest countries.
Study finds that skipping breakfast does not lead to overeating later in the day
Girls who skipped breakfast as part of a study into energy intake and physical activity were found to consume 350 fewer calories *(kcals) a day. Most adults need around 2,000 kcal a day Researchers looked at the eating and physical activity habits of 40 teenage girls over three days and how the omission of breakfast affected their daily energy intake. They found that the girls ate, on average, an extra 115 calories, when they missed breakfast compared with days when they ate a **standard breakfast provided by the researchers. However, they also calculated that the breakfast provided to the girls contained 468 calories, so the net intake for total calories consumed in one day was -353 calories when they skipped breakfast. Dr Keith Tolfrey, of Loughborough University, who co-authored the paper, Effect of breakfast omission and consumption on energy intake and physical activity in adolescent girls, said that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight or obese, but our research showed that eating breakfast increased total energy intake in girls over the short term.
EU leads the way with ambitious action for cleaner and safer seas
At the ongoing EU-hosted Our Ocean conference in Malta (5-6 October), the European Union has committed to 36 tangible actions to foster healthier, cleaner, safer and more secure seas. Amounting to over €550 million and involving activities worldwide, the announcements underline the EU's determination to improve the situation of the seas and send a positive signal of encouragement to the rest of the world – governments and private sector alike - to step up and tackle the growing ocean challenges, from plastic pollution and protecting marine life to the impact of climate change and criminal activities at sea.
The EU's 36 commitments are described in detail below.
Maritime security is the basis for global trade and prosperity, but it is under threat - from natural disasters to piracy, trafficking and armed conflict. To make our oceans safer and more secure the European Union announced:
- €37.5 million to ensure maritime security and counter piracy along the south-eastern African coastline and in the Indian Ocean. The funds are to be implemented by four regional organisations (IGAD, COMESA, EAC and IOC) in cooperation with UNODC, INTERPOL and FAO. The programme supports alternative livelihood initiatives in the coastal pirate areas of Somalia, investigation capacities at national and regional level, prison reforms, prosecution and judicial capacity, disruption of illegal financial flows, combating money laundering, and various other maritime tasks, in addition to a regional mechanism for the coordination and exchange of maritime information.
- €4 million of investment in its satellite monitoring programme (Copernicus) in 2017 to support EU agencies and EU Member States in monitoring oil pollution and large-scale commercial fisheries (including the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) in the Northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the North Sea, the Black Sea, the Pacific Ocean and around the Canary Islands. Copernicus will also introduce new services to support law enforcement and navigation safety in ice-infested areas.
- continued support for maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, including through the Gulf of Guinea Inter-Regional Network and the launch of two new programmes: the SWAIMS programme (Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security), worth €29 million, and the programme to improving port security in West and Central Africa, worth €8.5 million.
- €1 million in 2017 to support the upgrading of the ICT systems of EU maritime authorities and facilitate cooperation between them. Furthermore, the European Union announced that it will contribute €80,000 to facilitate cooperation between coastguard authorities in Europe.
- the launch of a prototype surveillance tool in September 2017 which detects ships to reveal the extent of human activities at sea. The 'Search for Unidentified Maritime Objects' tool, or 'SUMO' for short, is a piece of software that automatically analyses data from radar imaging satellites to find vessels as small as 1 metre long, even in cloudy conditions or at night. The SUMO tool is open source, to promote uptake by users and developers and facilitate international cooperation on mapping of ship routes, monitoring shipping intensity, identifying polluting ships, monitoring fishing activities, countering piracy and smuggling, and controlling maritime borders.
Solar: Rapid Roll "T"
Rapid Roll is a new patented technology for off-grid portable power – a high capacity solar power plant with a rollable tow-out solar field deployable in 2 minutes.
The key innovation which enables this step-change improvement in the power capacity and speed of deployment of commercial-scale solar is the creation of a flexible, rollable solar PV array as a single piece “mat” with built-in structural support and power-transmission cabling embedded throughout. This mat can therefore be permanently wired in to our innovative spooling mechanism – which means that all you have to do is unroll and switch on! No cable connections or system commissioning is required on-site as it is all permanently built in to the system.
The female brain reacts more strongly to prosocial behavior than the male brain
Behavioral Experiments show that women are more generous than men. Now, researchers at the UZH have been able to demonstrate that female and male brains process prosocial and selfish behavior differently. For women, prosocial behavior triggers a stronger reward signal, while male reward systems respond more strongly to selfish behavior. Behavioral experiments have shown that when women share a sum of money more generously than men. To gain a more in-depth understanding of this behavior, neuroscientists from the Department of Economics looked at the areas of the brain that are active when decisions of this kind are made. They are the first to demonstrate that the brains of men and women respond differently to prosocial and selfish behavior.
Disabilità intellettive: un possibile approccio
Le disabilità intellettive sono spesso causate da difetti genetici. Un recente studio dell’Istituto di neuroscienze del Cnr di Milano, ha dimostrato che negli affetti dalla mutazione del gene TM4SF2, l’azione di una particolare molecola è in grado di migliorare l’attività cerebrale, favorendo il corretto transito cellulare del neurotrasmettitore glutammato. Il lavoro pubblicato su Cerebral Cortex
I disordini dello sviluppo intellettivo si manifestano durante i primi anni di vita, provocando deficit cognitivi nell’ambito della socializzazione e delle capacità pratiche. Le cause più frequenti legate all’insorgenza di queste patologie sono i disturbi genetici, tra cui, le mutazioni di geni localizzati sul cromosoma X, come quelle che riguardano il gene TM4SF2. Questo gene reca l’informazione necessaria per la produzione della proteina TSPAN7, in assenza della quale vengono alterati numerosi processi cellulari, provocando squilibri intellettivi nella popolazione degli affetti.
Birds reveal the importance of good neighbours for health and ageing
Birds who live next door to family members or to other birds they know well are physically healthier and age more slowly, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The research, conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the universities of Leeds (UK) and Groningen (the Netherlands), is published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Much like humans, many wild animals ‘own’ a private piece of land, or territory, that they rigorously defend against intruders. Having good neighbours that respect the territory boundaries means less work and stress for territory owners – but are some neighbours better than others? Good neighbours come in two varieties. Firstly, when neighbours are extended family members, they share genes and therefore refrain from fighting over space or intruding into each other’s territories. Second, if neighbours know each other well, they should keep the peace and cooperate with each other in order to prevent new neighbours, with whom they must resettle all the rules regarding territory boundaries, from moving into the neighbourhood.
Eternal witch-hunt for the fat body
Eriksen Camilla Bruun. Foto: Syddansk Universitet
“The fat body carries a secret that has to be revealed at all costs; it is a living symptom that something has ‘gone wrong’,” says Camilla Bruun Eriksen. She has studied the representation of fat bodies in popular culture. The year 2004 is perhaps a point of departure. This year, the first season of Biggest Loser was broadcasted in the U.S. The programme shows a group of overweight people compete with each other over who will have the biggest weight loss within a couple of months. The following year, a Nordic version of the show, Slankekrigen,premiered on TVNorge with participants from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Since then, the concept has continued with new seasons of Biggest Loser, and a constant flow of other reality shows revolving around weight loss.
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