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Ghost sharks grow forehead teeth to help them have sex
Male “ghost sharks” — eerie deep-sea fish known as chimaeras that are related to sharks and rays — have a strange rod jutting from their foreheads, studded with sharp, retractable teeth. New research reveals these are not merely lookalikes, but real rows of teeth that grow outside the mouth. What’s more, the toothy appendage is likely used for mating. Found only in males, the forehead rod — called a tenaculum — is the ghost sharks’ only source of distinct teeth, and it seems to be used to grasp females in much the same way sharks use their toothy mouths in mating. “If these strange chimaeras are sticking teeth on the front of their head, it makes you think about the dynamism of tooth development more generally,” said Gareth Fraser, Ph.D., a professor of biology at the University of Florida and senior author of the study. “If chimaeras can make a set of teeth outside the mouth, where else might we find teeth?” The team, including scientists from the University of Washington and the University of Chicago, studied both fossils and living specimens to solve the mystery. A 315-million-year-old fossil showed the tenaculum attached to the upper jaw, bearing teeth incredibly similar to those in the mouth. Modern chimaeras collected from Puget Sound revealed the same tooth-growing process on the head, seen in modern-day shark jaws. And genetic testing confirmed they expressed the same tooth-specific genes as oral teeth. “What we found is that the teeth on this strange appendage look very much like rows of shark teeth. The ability to make teeth transferred onto that appendage, likely from the mouth,” Fraser said. “Over time, the tenaculum shortened but retained the ability to make oral teeth on this forehead appendage.” Fraser collaborated with Washington’s Karly Cohen, Ph.D., and Michael Coates, Ph.D., from Chicago on the study, which was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As experts in shark evolution and anatomy, the scientists were intrigued by these tooth-filled rods sprouting from the ghost shark foreheads. The central mystery: Is the tenaculum covered in true teeth related to oral teeth or more similar to the tooth-like scales plastering the skin of sharks and some ghost sharks? CT scans of the fossils and modern chimaeras gave the scientists unprecedented, detailed insights into the development of the tenaculum teeth, which looked remarkably similar to the teeth of today’s sharks. The nail in the coffin came from genetic evidence. The tenaculum teeth express genes found only in true teeth, never in shark skin denticles. "What I think is very neat about this project is that it provides a beautiful example of evolutionary tinkering or ‘bricolage,’” said Coates, a professor of biology at the University of Chicago. “We have a combination of experimental data with paleontological evidence to show how these fishes co-opted a preexisting program for manufacturing teeth to make a new device that is essential for reproduction." Cohen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs and first author of the paper, said scientists had never spotted teeth outside the mouth in this way before. “The tenaculum is a developmental relic, not a bizarre one-off, and the first clear example of a toothed structure outside the jaw,” she said. The bizarre path from a mouth full of teeth to forehead teeth used for mating demonstrates the impressive flexibility of evolution, the researchers say, always ready to repurpose structures for strange and unexpected new uses. “There are still plenty of surprises down in the ocean depths that we have yet to uncover,” Fraser said.
One year after his pioneering flight aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, University of Florida space biologist Rob Ferl, Ph.D., is still processing what it meant — not just for his career, but for science itself. “What stands out the most is just the overwhelming gratitude,” Ferl said. “It was such an amazing opportunity for a scientist to go to space and actually do science.” Ferl, a professor in UF’s Horticultural Sciences Department, Director of the Astraeus Space Institute, and Assistant Vice President of Research, became one of the first space biologists to fly alongside his own experiment — a moment that marked a new era in researcher-led missions. His suborbital journey provided a rare opportunity to study how terrestrial biology responds to the very first moments of spaceflight. “For decades, space biology has relied on professional astronauts to carry out experiments designed by scientists on Earth,” Ferl explained. “But to truly understand how biology works in space, I believe you - as the scientist - have to be there. You have to feel the environment.” This September, Ferl and longtime collaborator Anna-Lisa Paul, Ph.D., will be back at Blue Origin’s West Texas launch site, continuing their work with a new series of plant experiments. Ferl and Paul, who directs UF’s Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research and is a professor in Horticultural Sciences, are tracking fluorescently tagged genes in Arabidopsis plants to study how gene expression changes during the rapid shift from Earth’s gravity to the microgravity of spaceflight and back again. It’s a full-circle moment for Ferl, who remains deeply engaged in the same questions that sent him to space a year ago. Unpacking the Transition from Earth to Space Ferl’s experiment focused on the early metabolic responses of plants during the critical transition from Earth’s gravity to the weightlessness of space. “The scientific community has accumulated plenty of data comparing biology in orbit with that on Earth,” he said. “But we’ve known almost nothing about what happens in those first few minutes as organisms enter space and are exposed to microgravity.” Initial results from the flight reveal intense metabolic changes in the early moments of spaceflight. These changes are distinct from, but connected to, the long-term adaptations seen in orbit. Early Findings, Future Impact While the data from Ferl’s experiment are still on the way to being published, the findings are already shaping the direction of ongoing research. The work contributes to a growing understanding of how terrestrial life, from plants to humans, shares fundamental pathways in responding to the space environment. “This has real implications for the future of space missions,” Ferl noted. “As we send more people and more biology into space in support of exploration, we need a comprehensive understanding of how living systems adapt — right from the start.” Ferl and his team will return to Blue Origin’s launch site in Texas in September to continue their research, sending an uncrewed payload of plants into suborbital space. The flight carries no humans—but it does carry an automated experiment designed to advance their understanding of plant biology in space. It’s part of a broader effort to refine what Ferl calls “researcher-tended missions.” A New Course for UF Space Science The mission has not only shaped the trajectory of Ferl’s research, it has also energized Astraeus and the university’s space biology efforts. “This is about building a new kind of science culture,” Ferl said. “One where the scientists are embedded in every part of the mission, from experiment design to the moment of launch.” As the one-year anniversary of his flight approaches, Ferl remains focused on pushing the boundaries of what science in space can be. But he hasn’t forgotten the magnitude of the moment. “Even a year later,” he said, “the most powerful thing I feel is just: thank you. Thank you for the chance to go, to see it for myself, and to bring that knowledge back to Earth.”
Assisted by sniffer dogs and DNA sequencing, researchers discover three new truffle species
University of Florida biologists studying fungal evolution and ecology have discovered three new truffle species, including one capable of commanding hundreds of dollars per pound within culinary circles. “Our paper confirms what a lot of people had suspected for a long time, which is that the North American truffle species is genetically very distinct from its European relatives.” —Benjamin Lemmond, study co-author and a former UF student The researchers describe their discoveries in a Persoonia. Their work shakes up the Morchellaceae truffle family tree, with key insights related to perhaps the most commercially valuable truffle in North America, the Oregon black truffle. Gourmet chefs, who sometimes grate the odoriferous truffle over dishes or infuse butter with it, have been known to pay as much as $800 per pound for the delicacy. For decades, the Oregon black truffle has been known scientifically as Leucangium carthusianum. It was originally found in Europe and later found in the Pacific Northwest, from California to British Columbia. However, recent genetic testing and field analysis by researchers from UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) revealed the North American variety is a distinct species. Scientists are giving this newly recognized species a name honoring the Cascadia region in which it is found: Leucangium cascadiense. “Our paper confirms what a lot of people had suspected for a long time, which is that the North American truffle species is genetically very distinct from its European relatives,” said study co-author Benjamin Lemmond, a former UF student. Lemmond, now a postdoctoral associate at the University of California at Berkeley, began his research into the truffles as a first-year doctoral student studying under professor Matthew Smith of the UF/IFAS plant pathology department. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lemmond couldn’t access the campus greenhouse where he was conducting an experiment, so Smith secured hundreds of dried truffle specimens from Oregon State University for him to study. The stash included slivers of the Oregon black truffle, a dark-colored, potato-shaped species with tiny, pyramid-shaped warts. When pandemic restrictions relaxed, Lemmond and Smith conducted genetic testing of the Oregon State specimens and others borrowed from Polish, Greek, Italian, French and Japanese collections. Their tests indicated Oregon black truffles from North America had at one point diverged from their European counterparts on the Morchellaceae evolutionary tree, according to the study. They also established the existence of another distinct and very rare species, Imaia kuwohiensis, a pale-colored truffle with dark warts, which is native to threatened spruce-fir habitats in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Their name for the truffle comes from the Cherokee word for the Great Smoky Mountains’ highest peak, Kuwohi. Field tests followed. The researchers wanted to understand the origin of Oregon black truffles’ energy. “Understanding the fundamental, basic biology and life cycle of this truffle is really important,” Lemmond said. “It’s a very valuable commodity, and this knowledge might help us to cultivate the truffle in the future. It also supports long-term conservation and management.” Most gourmet truffles are mycorrhizal, meaning they obtain energy from trees, Lemmond said. It had long been suspected that Oregon black truffles obtain energy through a symbiotic relationship with young Douglas fir trees, but no one had conclusively proven it. Lemmond traveled to the Pacific Northwest and worked with specially trained sniffer dogs capable of detecting truffles buried as deep as 10 inches beneath soil and leaf litter. With the dogs’ help, he unearthed Oregon black truffles nestled among Douglas fir stands. He used fluorescent stain that bonded with the fungal tissue, coloring it green to show where the truffle fungus grew between the cells of the tree root tissue. “The truffle fungi surround the whole root, but the fungus is healthy, and the plant is healthy,” Smith said. “The two trade nutrients back and forth.” DNA sequencing of the roots subsequently proved the truffles rely on the trees as their main source of carbon, according to the study. As the researchers conducted genome sequencing of the Oregon black truffle, they learned of a peculiar find reported by a citizen scientist on iNaturalist, an online science data network: a Leucangium truffle growing among Eastern hemlock trees in Oneida County, New York. It was the first time anyone had ever reported a Leucangium species in the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, Lemmond said. Lemmond contacted Purdue University, which was preserving the specimen, and requested a sample. The truffle’s physical characteristics, including its dense external hairs and lack of warts, distinguished it from other Leucangium species. DNA analysis confirmed significant variation, too. The researchers named the new truffle species Leucangium oneidaense to recognize the county where it was unearthed. A few years later, just before the researchers submitted their study for publication, someone found a second Leucangium oneidaense specimen growing in Massachusetts, Lemmond said. “It was great timing, and it suggests to me that there are still a lot of undiscovered truffles out there, waiting to be found,” he said.
What "Super Agers" Are Teaching Us About Growing Older
When I think about aging well, I don't see a number on a birthday cake. I see capacity. The ability to think clearly. To move with confidence. To stay curious. To laugh easily. To remember where I put my keys. (Okay, that last one is still aspirational.) That's why I teach 4 fitness classes a week and pay close attention to how I fuel my body. Not because I'm chasing youth, but because I've learned, both personally and professionally, that the way we move, eat, sleep, and cope influences how we feel... and how we show up for the people we care about. I don't want to live forever. I just want to live well while I'm here. Like many Boomers, I've been interested in the growing research on longevity. And let's be honest: Boomers have never been good at accepting "no" for an answer. Why would we start now, just because it's mortality asking? We're the generation that refused to compromise. Retirement? Optional. Slowing down? Negotiable. Death? We'd like to speak to the manager. This leads us to a fascinating group of scientists known as "Super Agers." Who Are Super Agers, Really? In research terms, Super Agers are adults over 80 whose cognitive abilities, especially memory, perform at levels expected of people in their 50s or 60s (Rogalski et al., 2013). But here's what I love most: they aren't superhuman. They're not top athletes. They're not biohackers living on kale foam and cold plunges at dawn. (Though if that's your thing, carry on.). They're everyday people who never disconnected from life. A striking Canadian example is Morry Kernerman, a Toronto violinist who kept on learning, hiking, and performing well into the ripe age of 101. His story embodies the spirit of Super Aging: it's not about dodging age, it's about refusing to stop living. In a CBC interview, Maury Kernerman doesn't sound like someone "trying to live longer." He talks like someone who's still interested in living, fascinated by the world, hungry for learning, and unwilling to stand still just because he might do something imperfectly. He also admits something that matters to a lot of readers: he wasn't always an exercise person. He started taking it seriously later in life and describes it as a "rear guard action" that hasn't stopped aging, but has helped him keep his capacity. One of the most poignant lessons: when we're afraid of doing the wrong thing, afraid of failing or being embarrassed, we stop. And standing still is what really costs us. Haven't you heard? Sitting is the new Smoking!! What the Science Is Showing Us Canadian and U.S. researchers, at Western University and Northwestern University, are discovering something significant. Not a pill. Not a quick fix. A system. Angela Roberts (Western University) explained that the Canadian arm of the research isn't relying only on lab snapshots. Participants are sent home with wearable devices so researchers can monitor real-world activity patterns continuously (24 hours a day) over multi-week periods (CBC News, 2024 - https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/superager-centenarians-brain-second-opinion-9.7049411). That design matters because it turns "healthy aging" from a vague concept into measurable behaviours: how much movement you get, how intense it is, how consistent it is, and how it fits into the rhythm of normal life. Super Agers typically stay active, remain mentally sharp, maintain close relationships, handle stress effectively, sleep well, and keep a generally positive attitude (Rogalski et al., 2013 - https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_00300; Sun et al., 2016 - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1492-16.2016) Their brains display thicker cortical areas linked to attention and memory, experience slower atrophy rates, have fewer Alzheimer's markers, and show stronger neuronal connections (Gefen et al., 2015 - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2998-14.2015; Harrison et al., 2012 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617712000847) A Data Point Worth Remembering When It Comes to Longevity From the wearables, the research study observed that many 80-year-olds in the study, both "super agers" and the control group, were averaging about 25 to 30 minutes of exercise a day (roughly aligned with Canadian movement guidelines). The difference wasn't that super agers moved a little more. The study showed that they got about 30% more of the kind of movement that raises heart rate, what researchers call moderate-to-vigorous physical activity In plain language: it's not just steps. It's getting your engine up into that slightly breathy zone on purpose, most days. There's no single longevity switch. It's a belt-and-suspenders approach: multiple protective habits working together over decades. Let's Talk About Weight (Without Losing Our Minds) People often ask: Should Super Agers be skinny? Or a little plump? The research answer is surprisingly dull (and comforting): Neither. Super Agers come in all sizes. There is no evidence that they share a specific body weight or BMI. What matters much more than the scale is stability, strength, and body composition (Stenholm et al., 2008). Obesity Shows Up Consistently in the Research Midlife obesity is associated with an increased risk of dementia later in life. Several large studies indicate that obesity (BMI ≥30) during midlife raises dementia risk by 33 to 91% compared to individuals of normal weight (Kivipelto et al., 2005; Qizilbash et al., 2015) However, in older age, unintentional weight loss often signals frailty or illness. Weight loss in later life is linked to faster cognitive decline and higher risk of death (Diehr et al., 2008) Being underweight increases the risk of death. Studies consistently indicate that underweight older adults (BMI <20) have 2 to 3 times the all-cause mortality risk compared to those with a normal weight, with one study reporting a 34% higher risk of dementia (Diehr et al., 2008). A slightly higher BMI in later life may actually be protective, especially if muscle mass is maintained. The "obesity paradox" demonstrates that overweight and mild obesity in older adults (ages 65+) are often linked to a lower risk of mortality, particularly from non-cardiovascular diseases (Natale et al., 2023). So, the prescription is clear: avoid extremes. Not so skinny you could use a Cheerio as a hula hoop, and not so plump that tying your shoes feels like a full-contact sport. Here's What Truly Matters: Muscle Mass Strength defends the brain, maintains balance, boosts metabolism, and offers resilience during illness or stress (Peterson & Gordon, 2011) "Skinny-fat", low muscle, higher fat, is actually worse for aging than carrying a bit more weight with muscle beneath (Prado et al., 2012). Super Aging isn't about shrinking yourself. It's about supporting the structure you live in. Sleep: The Quiet Superpower If movement is the main act, sleep is the stage crew ensuring the entire show runs smoothly. Sleep isn't just one thing. It's a cycle (Walker, 2017). The Stages of Sleep (a quick, non-boring tour) Light sleep: The warm-up. Easy to wake from. Necessary, but not enough by itself. Deep sleep: The body's main repair mode. This is where physical repair occurs: muscle recovery, immune support, hormone regulation (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015) (Walker, 2017). REM sleep: The brain's spa. Memory consolidation, emotional regulation, creativity, and learning all occur here (Scullin & Bliwise, 2015) (Walker, 2017). Missing deep sleep leaves your body feeling exhausted. Missing REM causes your brain to become fragile and foggy (Mander et al., 2017). Super Agers tend to guard their sleep, though not perfectly, deliberately (Mander et al., 2016). Consistent bedtimes, morning sunlight, daily activity, and relaxing evenings appear repeatedly. For some people, slow-release melatonin or magnesium can help improve sleep maintenance (Ferracioli-Oda et al., 2013). However, the greatest benefits often come from simple routines: consistency, darkness, cooler rooms, and avoiding phone use at 10 p.m. Sleep isn't a luxury. It's essential brain maintenance (Mander et al., 2017). Stress: The Real Villain Chronic stress is like kryptonite for cognitive health (McEwen & Sapolsky, 1995). The main source of stress is not accepting what is. We argue with reality, and we lose every time. We revisit conversations. We resist change. We attempt to control others. Super Agers appear more accepting, not resignation, but realism (Sun et al., 2016) Here are some practical strategies to consider: Let them. (Thank you, Mel Robbins.) People will be people. You don't need to manage them. Save your energy for what truly matters. And remember: what people think of you... is none of your business. Calm isn't passive. Calm is protective. Gratitude also plays a role. Many Super Agers exhibit a distinct emotional tone: more grateful, less gripeful (Hill & Allemand, 2011) Life wasn't simpler; they simply didn't let bitterness steer the way. Relationships and Quality of Life: The Real Gold Standard Super Agers don't have more friends; they have deeper ones. Strong relationships are linked to better emotional regulation and preserved brain regions. (Cacioppo & Cacioppo, 2014) (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010) And this isn't about extending life. It's about quality of life: cognitive, physical, and emotional well-being. Because no one wants a farewell-to-life party where nobody shows up because you've been miserable, bitter, or exhausting to be around (thank you, BR). Strong body. Clear mind. Warm relationships. A sense of humour that endures gravity. That's the win. 3 Practical Takeaways to Steal this Week If you want the super-ager approach without turning your life into a science experiment, here are three low-drama moves: Add intensity, not just activity. Keep your regular walk, but pick one segment to walk faster, take a hill, or add short brisk bursts. Your heart rate is the clue. Keep a learning thread running. Music, audiobooks, a class, a museum habit, a book club, anything that keeps your mind taxed in a good way and makes you feel curious again. Make "don't stand still" a rule. If you're avoiding something because you might look silly (a dance class, a new hobby, a new friend group), that's exactly the place to lean in, gently, but on purpose. Super Agers aren't chasing youth. (No one needs to see me in low-rise jeans again.) They're cultivating engagement. (Do you want to dance?) They move. They learn. They sleep well. They stay positive. They accept what is. They remain connected. They rely on the belt and suspenders. And most importantly, they don't wait for permission to live life to the fullest at any age. Yes, biology will win eventually. None of us gets out of this alive. But the real victory isn't in defeating what we can't control. It's in mastering what we can, for as long as we can, and living fully right up until biology takes its final bow. Don't Retire...ReWire! Sue Want more of this? Subscribe for weekly doses of retirement reality—no golf-cart clichés, no sunset stock photos, just straight talk about staying Hip, Fit & Financially Free.
A future in pharmacy, made possible by support and mentorship
A freshman chemistry major from Hinesville, Georgia, Geovanii Pacheco already has his sights set on a career in pharmacy. His ambition is rooted not just in a love for science, but in personal experience. Growing up, his family spent countless hours navigating prescriptions and insurance coverage for his older brother, Devin, who has autism. During those moments, one pharmacist consistently stood out. This was someone who advocated for his family, helped them through paperwork and made sure Devin got the medication he needed. “It really resonated with me,” Pacheco said. “As a pharmacist, I’d like to embody what she did for us, for others as well.” That goal brought Pacheco to Georgia Southern University where he is now supported by the National Science Foundation’s S-STEM Scholarship Program Award. This is a nearly $2 million grant designed to support Pell-eligible students pursuing degrees in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics, physics or sustainability science. For Pacheco, the program has been nothing short of life-changing. “I can say that I’m not going to college with any financial stress,” he said. “I have no money coming out-of-pocket.” Administered through Georgia Southern’s College of Science and Mathematics, the federally funded program provides last-dollar scholarships that cover remaining costs after Pell Grants and other aid are applied. In addition to financial support, the program pairs students with dedicated faculty mentors and offers structured programming aimed at retention, professional development and long-term success. Sara Gremillion, Ph.D., professor of biology and principal investigator on the grant, said the goal is to ensure that students don’t just enroll in college, but that they also thrive once they arrive. “They may not have a strong expectation about what to expect in college,” said Gremillion. “This program not only removes financial barriers, but it also surrounds students with the support they need to navigate college and plan for their future.” Pacheco has felt that impact from day one. Thanks to the program, he moved into his residence hall a week early to attend a one-week Basebamp program to jump start his college experience. There, he met fellow scholarship recipients and connected with his faculty mentor before classes even began. His mentor, Shainaz Landge, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, has helped connect Pacheco with opportunities from joining the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society to learning about upcoming pre-pharmacy organizations and undergraduate research. “Students such as Geovanii serve as prime examples of the fulfillment derived from mentorship and teaching,” said Landge. “Their growth and engagement highlight the critical role that effective mentorship plays in fostering both academic development.” That blend of mentorship and financial support is exactly what the grant was designed to provide. Over five years, the program will serve dozens of students in eligible majors such as chemistry, biology, biomedical science, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, sustainability science and geoscience. Each student receives individualized scholarship support, up to $15,000 per year, based on need, along with a faculty mentor who stays with them throughout their undergraduate journey. For Pacheco and his family, the scholarship brought immediate relief. He vividly remembers opening the acceptance email with his mother and scrolling down to see the financial aid details. “She was tickled, let me tell you,” he said. “It lifted so much stress off her shoulders. It was life-changing.” Applications to be part of the next cohort of COSM S-STEM Scholars are open until Feb. 1, 2026. Eligibility requirements, necessary documentation and other information can be found at this webpage. Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or the National Science Foundation’s S-STEM Scholarship Program Award? Simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.
Two rising cancer researchers from ChristianaCare’s Cawley Center for Translational Cancer Research were recognized for outstanding scientific contributions at the University of Delaware’s Annual Biology Research Day Conference on January 30, 2026. The awards highlight the strength and impact of colorectal cancer research underway at the Cawley Center. Anh Nguyen, a third year Ph.D. student, received the conference’s first place poster award for his project, “FGF19/FGFR4 Axis: A Key Driver in Tumor Growth and Treatment Resistance in Colorectal Cancer.” His research explores a signaling pathway that may lead to new strategies for targeting treatment resistant disease. Molly Lausten, a fifth year Ph.D. student, earned third place for her presentation, “Investigating the role of miR 27a 3p in the WNT signaling pathway and chemoresistance in colorectal cancer stem cells.” Her work examines a key microRNA that may influence resistance to therapy, a major challenge in treating aggressive tumors. “These awards reflect far more than individual excellence,” said Bruce M. Boman, M.D., Ph.D., MSPH, FACP, senior scientist and director of Cancer Genetics at the Cawley Center. “They show the power of rigorous, curiosity driven science to move the field forward. Molly and Anh are tackling some of the hardest questions in colorectal cancer, and their success speaks to the innovative environment we are building at ChristianaCare. I could not be more proud of their achievement and their commitment to improving outcomes for patients.”
The AI Journal: UF and other research universities will fuel AI. Here’s why
In the global AI race between small and major competitors, established companies versus new players, and ubiquitous versus niche uses, the next giant leap isn’t about faster chips or improved algorithms. Where AI agents have already vacuumed up so much of the information on the internet, the next great uncertainty is where they’ll find the next trove of big data. The answer is not in Silicon Valley. It’s all across the nation at our major research universities, which are key to maintaining global competitiveness against China. To teach an AI system to “think” requires it to draw on massive amounts of data to build models. At a recent conference, Ilya Sutskever, the former chief scientist at OpenAI — the creator of ChatGPT — called data the “fossil fuel of AI.” Just as we will use up fossil fuels because they are not renewable, he said we are running out of new data to mine to keep fueling the gains in AI. However, so much of this thinking assumes AI was created by private Silicon Valley start-ups and the like. AI’s history is actually deeply rooted in U.S. universities dating back to the 1940s, when early research laid the groundwork for the algorithms and tools used today. While the computing power to use those tools was created only recently, the foundation was laid after World War II, not in the private sector but at our universities. Contrary to a “fossil fuel problem,” I believe AI has its own renewable fuel source: the data and expertise generated from our comprehensive public academic institutions. In fact, at the major AI conferences driving the field, most papers come from academic institutions. Our AI systems learn about our world only from the data we offer them. Current AI models like ChatGPT are scraping information from some academic journal articles in open-access repositories, but there are enormous troves of untapped academic data that could be used to make all these models more meaningful. A way past data scarcity is to develop new AI methods that leverage all of our knowledge in all of its forms. Our research institutions have the varied expertise in all aspects of our society to do this. Here’s just one example: We are creating the next generation of “digital twin” technology. Digital twins are virtual recreations of places or systems in our world. Using AI, we can develop digital twins that gather all of our data and knowledge about a system — whether a city, a community or even a person — in one place and allow users to ask “what if” questions. The University of Florida, for example, is building a digital twin for the city of Jacksonville, which contains the profile of each building, elevation data throughout the city and even septic tank locations. The twin also embeds detailed state-of-the-art waterflow models. In that virtual world, we can test all sorts of ideas for improving Jacksonville’s hurricane evacuation planning and water quality before implementing them in the actual city. As we continue to layer more data into the twin — real-time traffic information, scans of road conditions and more — our ability to deploy city resources will be more informed and driven by real-time actionable data and modeling. Using an AI system backed by this digital twin, city leaders could ask, “How would a new road in downtown Jacksonville impact evacuation times? How would the added road modify water runoff?” and so on. The possibilities for this emerging area of AI are endless. We could create digital twins of humans to layer human biology knowledge with personalized medical histories and imaging scans to understand how individuals may respond to particular treatments. Universities are also acquiring increasingly powerful supercomputers that are supercharging their innovations, such as the University of Florida’s HiPerGator, recently acquired from NVIDIA, which is being used for problems across all disciplines. Oregon State University and the University of Missouri, for example, are using their own access to supercomputers to advance marine science discoveries and improve elder care. In short, to see the next big leap in AI, don’t immediately look to Silicon Valley. Start scanning the horizon for those research universities that have the computing horsepower and the unique ability to continually renew the data and knowledge that will supercharge the next big thing in AI. Read more...
Built-In Backup System Helps Muscles Counteract Fatigue
When you're running up stairs or out on a jog, your muscles eventually start to feel heavy and weak. That's fatigue setting in, a sign that the muscles’ energy reserves are becoming depleted. But a team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) biology professor Doug Swank, Ph.D., have discovered something surprising: certain muscle fibers have a built-in backup system that fights back against fatigue, potentially helping us keep going when we'd otherwise have to stop. The secret lies in a phenomenon called "stretch activation": when a muscle is stretched just before it contracts, it can produce a short burst of extra force. Stretch activation has been studied extensively in the context of insect flight muscle and heart muscle contraction in mammals, but its effects have long been assumed to be physiologically irrelevant for the big skeletal muscles we use for day-to-day activities like walking around. The new study, published in the Journal of General Physiology, shows that assumption was wrong, at least when it comes to certain fast-twitch muscle fibers used to produce quick, powerful movements. “For decades, stretch activation in skeletal muscle was considered physiologically insignificant because it contributes a relatively small amount of force under normal conditions," Swank said. "But we realized no one had tested what happens during fatigue, when the chemical environment inside muscle fibers changes significantly." The researchers tested individual muscle fibers from mice under three conditions: normal, early fatigue (with chemical changes that mimic the state of tired muscles), and severe fatigue. They found that while the fibers' normal force production dropped dramatically as expected, in certain fibers the stretch-activated force stayed the same or even increased. In the most fatigued state, stretch activation contributed up to 30% of the total force these fast-twitch fibers were generating. “What was dismissed as too small to matter may actually be an important fatigue-fighting mechanism that's been hiding in plain sight,” Swank said. The effect was specific to fast-twitch fibers, which are used to generate rapid, powerful movements like sprinting and jumping. Slow-twitch fibers, which are used during endurance tasks like long-distance running or cycling, are more fatigue-resistant to begin with, and showed almost no stretch activation response. Understanding how muscles naturally combat fatigue could eventually inform strategies for improving strength and endurance, whether for athletes, people with muscular disorders, or patients recovering from injury. Swank and his colleagues are following up on their findings by conducting more detailed explorations of how stretch activation contributes to force generation in both low-intensity and high-intensity exercise. The research is funded by a five-year, $2.7 million National Institutes of Health grant to Professor Swank.
Ape Ancestors and Neanderthals Likely Kissed, New Analysis Finds
Kissing occurs in a variety of animals but presents an evolutionary puzzle: it appears to carry high risks, such as disease transmission, while offering no obvious reproductive or survival advantage. Despite kissing carrying cultural and emotional significance in many human societies, up to now researchers have paid little attention to its evolutionary history. In the new study, “A comparative approach to the evolution of kissing,” published this week in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, the researchers carried out the first attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary history of kissing using a cross-species approach based on the primate family tree. The results indicate that kissing is an ancient trait in the large apes, evolving in the ancestor to that group 21.5 – 16.9 million years ago. Kissing was retained over the course of evolution and is still present in most of the large apes. The team also found that our extinct human relatives, Neanderthals, were likely to have engaged in kissing too. This finding, together with previous studies showing that humans and Neanderthals shared oral microbes (via saliva transfer) and genetic material (via interbreeding), strongly suggests that humans and Neanderthals kissed one another. “While kissing may seem like an ordinary or universal behavior, it is only documented in 46% of human cultures,” said Catherine Talbot, co-author and assistant professor in the College of Psychology at Florida Tech. “The social norms and context vary widely across societies, raising the question of whether kissing is an evolved behavior or cultural invention. This is the first step in addressing that question.” Matilda Brindle, lead author and evolutionary biologist at Oxford’s Department of Biology, said: “This is the first time anyone has taken a broad evolutionary lens to examine kissing. Our findings add to a growing body of work highlighting the remarkable diversity of sexual behaviors exhibited by our primate cousins.” To run the analyses, the team first defined what constitutes a kiss. This was challenging because many mouth-to-mouth behaviours look like kissing. Since the researchers were exploring kissing across different species, the definition also needed to be applicable to a wide range of animals. They therefore defined kissing as non-aggressive, mouth-to-mouth contact that did not involve food transfer. Having established this definition, the researchers collected data from the literature on which modern primate species have been observed kissing, focusing on the group of monkeys and apes that evolved in Africa, Europe and Asia. This included chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans, all of which have been observed kissing. They then ran a phylogenetic analysis, treating kissing as a ‘trait’ and mapping this to the family tree of primates. They used a statistical approach (called Bayesian modelling) to simulate different evolution scenarios along the branches of the tree, to estimate the probability that different ancestors also engaged in kissing. The model was run 10 million times to give robust statistical estimates. Stuart West, co-author and professor of evolutionary biology at Oxford, said, “By integrating evolutionary biology with behavioral data, we’re able to make informed inferences about traits that don’t fossilise – like kissing. This lets us study social behaviour in both modern and extinct species.” While the researchers caution that existing data are limited – particularly outside the large apes – the study offers a framework for future work and provides a way for primatologists to record kissing behaviors in nonhuman animals using a consistent definition.
Proteins, often called the building blocks of life, play a central role in drug development. When scientists develop new treatments, they must understand how drugs interact with proteins involved in disease mechanisms and with proteins in the human body that influence drug response. Scientists commonly use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) 3D imaging data to study proteins. While recent advances have enabled higher-resolution images that are easier to analyze, medium-resolution images—which are more difficult to interpret—are still the most common for larger protein complexes. Salim Sazzed, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the computer science department of Georgia Southern University’s Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing, has been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation grant of about $175,000 to lead a groundbreaking project to develop novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for determining protein secondary structures from medium-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) images. Improved modeling from medium-resolution images will help researchers study more proteins efficiently, giving new insights into diseases and potentially guiding the development of new treatments and future drugs. At its core, this research will combine biology and machine learning to study protein structures. The multidisciplinary approach and potential impacts on public health are what most excite Sazzed. “The impetus behind this research is the positive impact on public health and possibly contributing to the biomedical workforce,” he said. “Seeing biology and computer science combine for that kind of impact is incredibly moving.” As the Principal Investigator (PI) for the project, Sazzed will use his expertise in deep learning computer models to focus on a major challenge in structural biology: identifying the two main secondary structures of proteins—the alpha helix and the beta sheet. These structures are critical for a protein’s overall shape and function, but in medium-resolution cryo-EM images they often appear indistinct or lack clear detail, making them particularly difficult to analyze. Sazzed’s research will focus on two main goals. First, he will quantify the variability of alpha helices and beta sheets in medium-resolution images, comparing them to idealized structures. Second, by integrating this structural variability with the image data in a deep learning model, he will aim to generate more precise and accurate representations of protein secondary structures. “When we feed this information into a deep learning model along with the image data, the model should be able to determine protein secondary structures more precisely,” Sazzed elaborated. Sazzed believes students will greatly benefit from this multi-disciplinary approach. In addition to a Ph.D. student, several undergraduate students will be directly engaged in the research. A full-day workshop will also be organized, allowing Georgia Southern students from diverse disciplines to participate. This initiative will build on Georgia Southern’s strong tradition of involving undergraduates in research and will support the University’s recent focus on biomedical and health sciences. “There are many different knowledge areas coming together in this work,” Sazzed said. “It involves computer science, biology, chemistry, and even public health. I look forward to students following the research and exploring these different fields themselves.” Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering & Computing Interim Associate Dean of Research, Masoud Davari, Ph.D., echoes this sentiment and emphasizes its importance to the University’s research profile. “Sazzed’s interdisciplinary research, which bridges the gap between biology and computer science, will foster multidisciplinary research in our college—as it is cutting-edge and potentially groundbreaking in drug development to impact people’s lives nationally and globally,” Davari said. “It’s also well aligned with the college’s strategic research plan—as we make the move to R1 status to be aligned with ‘Soaring to R1,’ which is among the transformational initiatives for the University.” Looking to know more about Georgia Southern University or connect with Salim Sazzed — simply contact Georgia Southern's Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.