October 19, 2023: Evidence of the largest solar storm ever, a new database of unknown genes and how to motivate more people to get COVID vaccines. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Scientists analyzed tree rings in a buried forest at the edge of riverbeds in the French Alps and discovered traces of the largest solar energetic particle event ever recorded. The tree samples revealed an excess of radiocarbon dated to 14,300 years ago. To confirm the timing, the team examined beryllium 10 (another marker of extreme solar activity) in Greenland ice cores. They found that both carbon 14 and beryllium 10 shot up at the same time.
Why this is interesting: The event seemed to have happened in one of the sun's regular quiet periods, as opposed to near its "maximum" of activity (as I mentioned in a previous newsletter this week, we are currently approaching the solar maximum, estimated to ramp up in 2025). Such a solar event happening today would be devastating for global communications and electronics systems (satellites going down, powergrids melting, the works).
How it works: It's not easy to find evidence of past solar particle events because there are few traces of them in materials that can be accurately dated. But the events do leave signs in tree rings and ice cores: When charged particles from the sun enter the atmosphere, they interact with molecules to produce spikes in the radioactive carbon isotope carbon 14. Because it decays at a known steady rate, this isotope is used to date organic materials. Trees with unusual spikes in carbon 14 can indicate solar energetic particle events. | | | For the past decade, geneticists have been working on a database of lesser-known and studied human genes, ranking them by how much is known about each one. They call this catalog the "unknome" (a play on "genome." Classic cell biologist humor). The team went a step further and identified which genes appear in various other species' DNA.
Why this matters: Only about 20 percent of human coding genes are well studied, leaving the function of the other 80 percent (about 16,000 genes, along with the proteins they make) largely a mystery. Researchers can search the unstudied genes database to find genes that exist only in invertebrates, for example, or those that are predicted to be involved in the cell membrane, thus targeting their research.
What the experts say: When genes are conserved among multiple species, it suggests that they play "an essential role in the organism," says Avi Ma'ayan, a bioinformatician at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. The new database makes this kind of insight possible. | | | • Weight-loss drugs are showing striking results in decreasing body size. But investigators have just begun looking into side effects, including pancreatitis, gastrointestinal problems and muscle mass loss, among others. | 4 min read | | | • Virtual power plants, which are aggregations of electricity producers, consumers and storers, give the electrical grid much needed flexibility. | 4 min read | | | • A new study predicts an increase in the number of simultaneous megafires—fires with a final burned area of 1,000 acres or more--across the entire Western U.S. | 2 min read | | | Firefighters conduct a controlled burn to defend houses against flames from the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire, as it continued to spread towards the town of Upper Lake, California on August 1, 2018. Credit: Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images | | | • About 35–40 percent of the vaccine-eligible population are called "passive positives," that is, people who have gotten a shot or two in the past, but don't feel motivated for various reasons to get the latest vaccine. The same tactics used for years to convince people to become organ donors may also work to get this population vaccinated, write Benjamin Rosenberg, Jason Siegel and Katelyn Jetelina, who are psychology researchers and an epidemiologist, respectively. | 4 min read | | | Not only have we studied a fraction of the total genes in the human genetic code. We're now finding out that likely a substantial portion of non-protein-coding genes actually influence whether other genes get turned on or not, depending on environmental factors. For example, trauma experienced by parents can be passed down genetically to their kids (so can health risks associated with toxins like DDT!). And some immune cells acquire epigenetic markers that speed responses to certain health threats. We are still at the beginning of our genetic understanding. | If you have any feedback, suggestions, or spot any errors while reading these newsletters, please let me know! Email: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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