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Small changes to the non-coding genome can alter whether a mouse embryo (pictured here at 9.5 days old) develops male or female sex organs.Credit: Sinclair Stammers/SPL
A single DNA tweak in a non-coding region of the X chromosome called enhancer 13 (En13) can trigger ‘sex reversal’ in female mouse embryos. Researchers found that a modification to En13 caused female mice to develop male genitals and small testes, but En13 had to be altered on both copies of the X chromosome for the change to occur. The team suggests that En13, which is also present in people, is a site where a ‘battle of the sexes’ plays out.
Reference: Nature Communications paper
NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission is also a success for the European Space Agency (ESA) — the propulsion and life-support systems in the Orion spacecraft were built by European aerospace company Airbus on behalf of ESA. Airbus has already produced similar modules for the upcoming Artemis III and IV missions, which researchers hope is a sign that NASA will continue to collaborate internationally. The ESA is also considering certification of its own rocket for human spaceflight, but has no immediate plans to develop a launcher with enough power to travel to the Moon independently, says Didier Schmitt, head of the ESA’s future preparation team.
A set of genetic variants could help to explain why obesity drugs are more effective or cause more severe side effects in some people than others. Researchers found that people carrying one or two copies of a specific variant in the gene encoding the receptor for glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) — the hormone that many obesity drugs mimic — lost more weight during treatment than those with none. They also found two gene variants near the gene encoding the GLP-1 receptor that were linked to a higher chance of the drugs causing nausea and vomiting.
Evidence is growing that pesticides might disrupt the gut microbiome — and could be linked to the global rise of type 2 diabetes. A study in southern India found a surprisingly high prevalence of the disease (16%) in people who lived in the countryside, despite a lack of risk factors such as obesity. And the same team found that, in mice, a popular agricultural insecticide called chlorpyrifos seemed to depress populations of helpful bacteria in favour of potentially harmful ones, and the mice developed diabetes. “It’s not one single mechanism. It’s a network of biological effects that can ultimately disrupt communication along the gut–brain axis,” says neuroscientist John Cryan — but it’s a huge challenge to prove that pesticides are definitely the cause of harm in humans.
Reference: Diabetic Medicine paper & Environmental Science and Pollution Research paper
Features & opinion
Later this year, a clinical trial is set to put ‘partial reprogramming’, — an experimental treatment that uses targeted protein expression to reverse cellular ageing — to the test in people for the first time. If found to be safe, it could reshape the very concept of ageing, say some experts. The treatment could eventually rejuvenate entire organs, or even the whole human body, they say. But risks loom large: wind the clock back too far and a cell could lose the ability to function, or become cancerous.
Twenty years ago, medievalist Tim Stinson cracked open a 600-year-old manuscript, caught a whiff of “a vaguely animal smell”, then launched the field of biocodicology. The science combines molecular biology with the study of books as material objects. Researchers extract biological clues from parchment that reveal evidence of animal husbandry, medical and ritual practices as well as climate change, floods and epidemics — proving that an ancient DNA snippet is worth more than a thousand words.
Threats to astronomy are intensifying, argues an editorial in Nature Astronomy — but “we are not powerless in the face of them and can collectively act to preserve our field”. The editorial points to the impact of vast satellite megaconstellations on observation and proposed drastic cuts to NASA’s astrophysics funding, and urges scientists to take advantage of the resources marshalled by professional societies to remind policymakers of their vocation’s value to scientists, science and the world at large.
Today I think I’ve found my dream job listing: a real-life Pokémon professor. The Pokémon Company is recruiting scientists with experience in animal and plant ecology to inform the immersive environments they create in their games. Unfortunately, I have neither a PhD nor any experience in ecology, both of which are required to apply. Not to worry — being a Nature Briefing editor is already a dream.
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