Remarkable advance in protein engineering wherein Huddy et al.

A study describes an approach using designed building blocks that are far more regular in geometry than natural proteins to construct modular multicomponent protein assemblies.

Engineering the tunability of protein assembly in response to pH changes within a narrow range is challenging. Here the authors report the de novo computational design of pH-responsive protein filaments that exhibit rapid, precise, tunable and reversible assembly and disassembly triggered by small pH changes.

Congratulations to Yang (Claire) Zeng and her team for their work on DoriVac, a DNA origami vaccine which utilizes precisely spaced CpG oligonucleotides to enhance immunological responses against chosen antigens.

The spacing of ligands presented to cells can have a huge impact on cellular responses. DNA origami is used to block structures to control the distribution of Toll-like receptor ligands and optimize presentation in the activation of dendritic cells in cancer immunotherapy.

Bumblebees can learn how to open a two-step puzzle box by observing another trained bee, indicating that these insects can use social learning to acquire a behaviour too complex to otherwise be learnt through individual trial and error.

Multiresolution computational simulations generate all-atom models of a complete packaged virus particle.

Link to paper: Megaphragma is a tiny parasitoid wasp that shows complex behaviors despite its miniscule size.

Chua et al. map the compound eye and the lamina of micro-wasp Megaphragma viggianii in the same specimen with a few-nanometer resolution. The stereotyped cartridge connectome is similar to but simpler than that in larger insects. Dorsal rim specialization in photoreceptor morphology is reflected in the differences in downstream cartridge connectomes.

An interesting exploration of the importance of oceanic microorganisms to biogeochemical processes, how existing computational climate models do not adequately capture the complexity introduced by these microbes, and suggestions for future directions in climate modeling that better incorporate the…

Microorganisms are the engines that drive most marine processes. Ocean modelling must evolve to take their biological complexity into account.

During my pursuits, I’ve come across an increasing number of exciting nontraditional routes for funding scientific research. The efforts of Adam Marblestone and Benjamin Reinhardt have been particularly instrumental in stimulating this ecosystem, but many other great people have contributed as well. These new funding routes are a welcome relief since many of the most innovative and far-reaching projects are not especially suited for receiving governmental NIH, NSF, etc. funding. If you would like to find a more comprehensive list of such alternative funding sources, you should check out https://arbesman.net/overedge/. My own list (below) consists of funding sources that stand out to me as particularly promising. I hope you find this useful and feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

PDF version

Amaranthe Foundation https://amaranth.foundation/bottlenecks-of-aging “We outline initiatives which, if executed, could meaningfully accelerate the advancement of aging science and other life-extending technologies. The resulting document is a philanthropic menu, for which Amaranth is seeking both talent to execute on and co-funders. If you are a founder, researcher, or philanthropist interested in executing or co-sponsoring one or several of the projects or proposals below, please reach out to us”

An excellent and inspiring writeup of the story of Dyno Therapeutics, one of the most exciting startups in the gene therapy world.

How AI can accelerate gene therapy.

An amazing graph theoretic analysis of the C. elegans neuropeptide connectome!

Neuromodulation by peptides is essential for brain function. By comprehensively mapping neuropeptide signaling in the nematode C. elegans, Ripoll-Sánchez et al. define a dense wireless network whose organization differs in important ways from wired brain circuits. This network is a prototype for understanding neuropeptide signaling networks in larger brains.