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Moss spores survive 9 months outside International Space Station

Mosses thrive in the most extreme environments on Earth, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the sands of Death Valley, the Antarctic tundra to the lava fields of active volcanoes. Inspired by moss’s resilience, researchers sent moss sporophytes—reproductive structures that encase spores—to the most extreme environment yet: space.

Their results, published in the journal iScience on November 20, show that more than 80% of the spores survived nine months outside of the International Space Station (ISS) and made it back to Earth still capable of reproducing, demonstrating for the first time that an early land plant can survive long-term exposure to the elements of space.

“Most living organisms, including humans, cannot survive even briefly in the vacuum of space,” says lead author Tomomichi Fujita of Hokkaido University. “However, the moss spores retained their vitality after nine months of direct exposure. This provides striking evidence that the life that has evolved on Earth possesses, at the cellular level, intrinsic mechanisms to endure the conditions of space.”

Underwriting Superintelligence: AIUC’s Insurance, Standards & Audits to Accelerate AI Adoption

Rune Kvist and Rajiv Dattani, co-founders of the AI Underwriting Company, reveal their innovative strategy for unlocking enterprise AI adoption. They detail how certifying and insuring AI agents, through rigorous technical standards, periodic audits, and insurance, builds crucial \.

Thousands of Amazon employees send open letter to CEO Andy Jassy; say: We’re the workers who develop, train, and use AI, so we have … — The Times of India

Thousands of Amazon employees have signed an open letter issuing some dire warnings about the company’s move toward AI. The letter, signed by more than 1,000 workers (and counting) calls out Amazon for pushing its AI investments at the expense of the climate and its human workforce. The letter’s supporters come from a wide array of roles at the company, including many software engineers, and even employees focused on building AI systems. “We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth,” the letter’s authors wrote. It adds, “We’re the workers who develop, train, and use AI, so we have a responsibility to intervene.”

Over a thousand Amazon employees have penned an open letter, warning that the company’s rapid AI development is jeopardizing its climate commitments and human workforce. They argue the pursuit of AI dominance is leading to increased emissions, water scarcity, and job displacement, urging leadership to prioritize ethical AI and environmental responsibility.

Astrocytic Sox9 overexpression in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models promotes Aβ plaque phagocytosis and preserves cognitive function

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a natural mechanism that clears existing amyloid plaques in the brains of mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease and preserves cognitive function. The mechanism involves recruiting brain cells known as astrocytes, star shaped cells in the brain, to remove the toxic amyloid plaques that build up in many Alzheimer’s disease brains. Increasing the production of Sox9, a key protein that regulates astrocyte functions during aging, triggered the astrocytes’ ability to remove amyloid plaques. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggests a potential astrocyte-based therapeutic approach to ameliorate cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disease.

“Astrocytes perform diverse tasks that are essential for normal brain function, including facilitating brain communications and memory storage. As the brain ages, astrocytes show profound functional alterations; however, the role these alterations play in aging and neurodegeneration is not yet understood,” said first author Dr. Dong-Joo Choi, who was at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and the Department of Neurosurgery at Baylor while he was working on this project. Choi currently is an assistant professor at the Center for Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology, Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Astrocytes are associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. We found that the transcription factor Sox9 functions to enhance astrocytic phagocytosis of Aβ plaques via MEGF10, and this clearance of plaques is associated with the preservation of cognitive function in mouse models.

Mini lung organoids made in bulk could help test personalized cancer treatments

A team of scientists have developed a simple method for automated manufacturing of lung organoids which could revolutionize the development of treatments for lung disease. These organoids, miniature structures containing the cells that real lungs do, could be used to test early-stage experimental drugs more effectively, without needing to use animal material.

In the future, patients could even have personalized organoids grown from their own tissue to try out potential treatments in advance.

“The best result for now—quite simply—is that it works,” said Professor Diana Klein of University of Duisburg-Essen, first author of the article in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology.

Opposite Effects of mRNA-Based and Adenovirus-Vectored SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines on Regulatory T Cells: A Pilot Study

New-generation mRNA and adenovirus vectored vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein are endowed with immunogenic, inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. Recently, BioNTech developed a noninflammatory tolerogenic mRNA vaccine (MOGm1Ψ) that induces in mice robust expansion of antigen-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. The Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is identical to MOGm1Ψ except for the lipid carrier, which differs for containing lipid nanoparticles rather than lipoplex. Here we report that vaccination with BNT162b2 led to an increase in the frequency and absolute count of CD4posCD25highCD127low putative Treg cells; in sharp contrast, vaccination with the adenovirus-vectored ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine led to a significant decrease of CD4posCD25high cells.

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