Paleobotanist identifies what could be the worlds first flower

Paleobotanists have identified a 125 million- to 130 million-year-old freshwater plant Montsechia vidalii from Spain as one of earliest flowering plants on Earth. "A 'first flower' is technically a myth, like the 'first human,'" said Dilcher, an internationally recognized expert on angiosperm anatomy and morphology. The conclusions are based upon careful analyses of more than 1,000 fossilized remains of Montsechia, whose stems and leaf structures were coaxed from stone by applying hydrochloric acid on a drop-by-drop basis. The plant's cuticles the protective film covering the leaves that reveals their shape were also carefully bleached using a mixture of nitric acid and potassium chlorate. Examination of the specimens was conducted under a stereomicroscope, light microscope and scanning electron microscope.

Ref: David L. Dilcherd et al. 2015, PNAS.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1509241112

The "Drinkable book" can save lives

According to the World Health Organization, 3.4 million people die each year due to health issues stemming from unsanitary water. The drinkable book contains nanoparticles of silver that can kill waterborne bacteria and purify up to 100 litres of water.  It is a sturdy sheet of paper loaded with silver and copper nanoparticles that kill dangerous microbes living in dirty water. In trials, the paper successfully removed more than 99% of bacteria.

Source: Theresa Dankovich, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

G-9 iron-rich banana variety

There has been growing demand for Grand Naine banana (G-9 variety) in foreign countries. The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) has taken up research on developing a genetically modified banana variety rich in iron content. A. P. Karuppiah, state president of the Tamil Nadu Banana Growers Federation, had brought the variety from his native farm in Theni district. He said the monthly export from Theni stood at 1,500 tonnes and it was widely exported to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran. Its color and prolonged shelf-life has been a major reason for attraction. The branch weighing 86 kg had 236 bananas, each measuring 27 cm long. He said, scientific cultivation, adaoptation of drip irrigation and proper fruit care would fetch a profit of at least Rs. 2 lakh an acre. He added, efforts were on to increase the shelf-life for which research was on by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Canadian University.

Source: NRCB, Podhavur village, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India, 2015.

What your DNA says about you?

Source: Positive Bioscience

Scientists engineered baker's yeast to synthesize Opioids

Fig. Stanford team members, from the left are: postdoctoral researcher Isis Trenchard, associate professor of bioengineering Christina Smolke, chemistry graduate student Stephanie Galanie and research associate Kate Thodey. (Rod Searcey)

Scientists have engineered simple baker's yeast to synthesize pain killer component like hydrocodone without the help of poppies from sugar. Their smolke yeast contains 23 engineered genes from plants, bacteria and rats is capable of making a direct conversion from sugar to hydrocodone, as well as from sugar to thebaine, a precursor of opioid compounds that would essentially take the place of poppies in the production of pain medication. Engineered smolke yeast can produce hydrocodone in just three to five days. Bioengineered yeast is already used to produce the anti-malarial drug artemisinin. 

Ref: Stephanie Galanie et al., 2015, Science.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aac9373

What Are We Eating?

Genetically Modified corn has been engineered in a laboratory to produce pesticides in its own tissue. GMO Corn is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Insecticide, but is sold unlabeled. Unlike the strict safety evaluations required for the approval of new drugs, the safety of genetically engineered foods for human consumption is not adequately tested. The World Health Organization’s ultra-cautious International Agency for Research on Cancer recently classified 2,4-D as a “possible human carcinogen” and glyphosate as a “probable human carcinogen.” Both herbicides were linked to increases in malignant tumors at multiple sites in animals. Glyphosate was also linked to an increased incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans.

Action Alert! 

All GMO foods should be labeled

Ref: Philip J. Landrigan et al. 2015, NEJM

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Diabetic women at 34 percent higher risk of heart attack than men

Diabetic women are at a 34 per cent higher risk of heart attack and other related complications than diabetic men as they age. With respect to acute heart attack (acute myocardial infarction or AMI), diabetic women are more disadvantaged compared to diabetic men, with a gender driven “risk window” for women which mostly opens around menopausal age (45 years onwards). Authors pooled data from all Tuscan hospitals over the period 2005 to 2012 and a dataset containing the registry of all known diabetic patients from Tuscany. The effect of diabetes was separately measured in men and in women across this entire eight year period. After adjustments for several factors, the hazard ratio was found to be significantly higher in women than in men hospitalised for acute heart attack 2.63 times increased risk for women compared to 1.96 times for men giving a relative increased risk of 34 percent in women.

Source: Giuseppe Seghieri, 2015, Regional Health Agency, Florence, Italy.