Biology

Lactobacillus acidophilus

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An article published in the journal “General Psychiatry” reports the results of a research on the positive effects of the regulation of gut microbiota in alleviating anxiety problems. A team of researchers from the Shanghai Mental Health Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine examined 21 studies that involved a total of 1,503 people and found that in most cases there were improvements thanks to interventions to regulate gut microbiota, in some cases based on the addition of probiotic supplements and in other cases with even better results with adjustments to the daily diet.

A spontaneous use of excavating tools observed in a group of chimpanzees

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An article published in the journal “PLOS ONE” reports the observation of the spontaneous use of tools to dig food buried in the ground in the zoo by a group of chimpanzees on the island where there’s the Kristiansand Zoo, in Norway. A team of researchers led by Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar of the University of Oslo observed the kind of actions taken by chimpanzees that never had the chance to observe them.

A study of coelacanth skulls offers clues to the evolution of vertebrates

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An article published in the journal “Nature” reports the results of a study of the skull of Latimeria chalumnae, one of the two species of coelacanth existing today. A team of researchers led by Hugo Dutel of the British University of Bristol subjected several specimens to very sophisticated tests to create reconstructions of their skulls and brains from the fetal state to the adult state. The aim is to study these fish considered a living fossil to better understand the evolution of the skull in vertebrates and also the reason why the coelacanth brain occupies only 1% of the cranial cavity.

Medusavirus is a giant virus with strange characteristics even for that type of organism

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An article published in the “Journal of Virology” reports the discovery of a new giant virus that was called Medusavirus. A team of researchers discovered it in northern Japan’s hot springs, where it reproduces by infecting amoebae of the species Acanthamoeba castellanii. The peculiarity of Medusavirus is that it results in the formation of cysts in the infected amoebae, which leads to the growth of a protective covering.

Novosphingobium aromaticivorans (Image GLBRC)

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An article published in the journal “Green Chemistry” describes the possibility of using bacteria of the species Novosphingobium aromaticivorans to produce a plastic material starting from wood processing waste following some genetic modifications. A team of researchers worked on this bacterium, which in nature can already digest many parts of lignin, improving its ability to produce a substance known as PDC on which bioplastic materials are already based upon but with production difficulties that could be overcome using these bacteria.