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Estimating Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Age Based on an Epigenetic DNA Methylation Clock
We developed a robust epigenetic clock to estimate age from two wild polar bear subpopulations using blood samples. There was a correlation between epigenetic (DNAm) and chronological age throughout the polar bear lifespan. Polar bears in the wild have a lifespan of approximately 25 years (Rode and Stirling 2018), thus the clock estimates age to ±3% of the polar bear lifespan, although we caution that age estimates may be less accurate for older individuals. Advantages to this method include obtaining more accurate age estimates compared to cementum annuli-derived ages and leveraging samples likely already routinely collected (e.g., blood, tissue) during capture, as opposed to pulling teeth. Further, archived samples or previously extracted DNA may be used for DNAm analysis, extending the value of existing samples and saving money on DNA extraction costs. Our results complement other polar bear clocks (Newediuk et al. 2024, 2025) and provide additional support for the use of DNAm methods to estimate the age of wild mammals (De Paoli-Iseppi et al. 2017).
Our DNAm method estimates polar bear age with a MAE of 0.75 years. In contrast, accuracy of cementum annuli for aging polar bears to within 1 year of actual age has ranged from 32% to 75% (Calvert and Ramsay 1998 ; Christensen-Dalsgaard et al. 2010 ; Hensel and Sorensen 1980). Cementum annuli age estimates are less accurate when made by less experienced observers (Christensen-Dalsgaard et al. 2010 ; Hensel and Sorensen 1980 ; McLaughlin et al. 1990) and can vary between laboratories by 10 years (Christensen-Dalsgaard et al. 2010). For example, in one lab, multiple female polar bears were aged at ~10 years, while a second laboratory aged them at 20 years old (Christensen-Dalsgaard et al. 2010). Our method removes these sources of error. We do, however, acknowledge a potential source of technical error, given that all but three of the tooth-aged samples were run on one plate, and the majority of our known age samples were run on another plate.
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Leaves 8 Dead, 32 Sick Across Gulf Coast States
Health officials are sending a warning to residents in Gulf Coast states after eight people are dead from the flesh-eating bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus.
On Thursday, July 31, the Louisiana Department of Heath confirmed 17 cases of the flesh-eating bacteria this year, all of which resulted in hospitalizations. Additionally four cases resulted in death. About 75% of those cases were due to wound infection via seawater.
Additionally, the Florida Department of Health confirmed 13 cases and four deaths from Vibrio this year. Both Mississippi and Alabama have also reported single cases, neither fatal.
AI tools identify promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for energy storage
Researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have used artificial intelligence to tackle a critical problem facing the future of energy storage: finding affordable, sustainable alternatives to lithium-ion batteries.
In research published in Cell Reports Physical Science, the NJIT team led by Professor Dibakar Datta successfully applied generative AI techniques to rapidly discover new porous materials capable of revolutionizing multivalent-ion batteries. These batteries, using abundant elements like magnesium, calcium, aluminum and zinc, offer a promising, cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which face global supply challenges and sustainability issues.
Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, which rely on lithium ions that carry just a single positive charge, multivalent-ion batteries use elements whose ions carry two or even three positive charges. This means multivalent-ion batteries can potentially store significantly more energy, making them highly attractive for future energy storage solutions.
First-Ever Penis and Scrotum Transplant Makes History at Johns Hopkins
Surgeons at The Johns Hopkins Hospital have performed the world’s first total penis and scrotum transplant.
The patient suffered a devastating injury several years ago from an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan. He is now recovering at the hospital after the 14-hour procedure in late March, which repaired his abdominal wall, gave him a new scrotum and attached a donor penis.
“We are optimistic he will regain near-normal urinary and sexual functions,” said W. P. Andrew Lee, director of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Improved slime mold algorithm boosts efficiency in e-commerce cloud data migration
As e-commerce platforms grow ever more reliant on cloud computing, efficiency and sustainability have come to the fore as urgent pressures on development. A study published in the International Journal of Reasoning-based Intelligent Systems has introduced an innovative approach to the problem based on a slime mold algorithm (SMA). The work could improve both performance and energy efficiency for e-commerce systems.
At the core of the work is the development of BOSMA—the Balanced Optimization Slime Mold Algorithm. The SMA is a heuristic optimization technique inspired by the natural behavior of slime molds.
Slime molds are useful models for algorithms because they excel at finding efficient paths through complex environments and adapting to changing conditions. Moreover, they do so without any central control system. They can explore their surroundings by sending out multiple tendrils, pseudopodia, in different directions, adjusting their shape and connections in response to feedback such as nutrient availability or obstacles.
Terminal renal failure as a contributor to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T elevations: insights from patients undergoing renal transplantation
Background False cardiac troponin (cTn) elevations from non-cardiac causes are a major concern. We aimed to assess terminal renal failure as a possible non-cardiac cause of elevated high-sensitivity cTnT (hs-cTnT) concentrations using renal transplantation as an in vivo model of rapid restoration of renal function.
Methods We analysed consecutive patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing renal transplantation at a single centre. Patients with perioperative myocardial infarction or injury were excluded. Changes in hs-cTnT and creatinine were measured pretransplant and at four post-transplant intervals (day 1, days 2–5 and days 14–180). A decrease of ≥25% in hs-cTnT within 24 hours post-transplant was deemed evidence of renal clearance recovery.
Results Among 45 patients (median age 67 years, 31% women), the median pretransplant plasma creatinine concentration was 608 μmol/L (IQR 482–830), and fell to 425 μmol/L (IQR 337–619) on day 1289 μmol/L (IQR 201–492) on days 2–5 and 126 μmol/L (IQR 103–191) on days 14–180 (p0.001, p0.001 and p=0.003, respectively). The median pretransplant hs-cTnT concentration was 48 ng/L (IQR 34–70). It fell to 26 ng/L (IQR 15–38; geometric mean of relative change 36%) on day 1 (p0.001) and then remained constant on days 2–5 (26 ng/L (IQR 18–35)) and days 14–180 (25 ng/L (IQR 20–30), p=ns).
Hiding secret codes in light can protect against fake videos
Fact-checkers may have a new tool in the fight against misinformation.
A team of Cornell researchers has developed a way to “watermark” light in videos, which they can use to detect if video is fake or has been manipulated.
The idea is to hide information in nearly-invisible fluctuations of lighting at important events and locations, such as interviews and press conferences or even entire buildings, like the United Nations Headquarters. These fluctuations are designed to go unnoticed by humans, but are recorded as a hidden watermark in any video captured under the special lighting, which could be programmed into computer screens, photography lamps and built-in lighting. Each watermarked light source has a secret code that can be used to check for the corresponding watermark in the video and reveal any malicious editing.