Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Erik Volz, Verity Hill, John T. McCrone, Anna Price, David Jorgensen, Aine O'Toole, Joel Southgate, Robert Johnson, Ben Jackson, Fabricia F. Nascimento, Sara M. Rey, Samuel M. Nicholls, Rachel M. Colquhoun, Ana da Silva Filipe, James Shepherd, David J. Pascall, Rajiv Shah, Natasha Jesudason, Kathy Li, Ruth Jarrett, Nicole Pacchiarini, Matthew Bull, Lily Geidelberg, Igor Siveroni, Ian Goodfellow, Nicholas J. Loman, Oliver G. Pybus, David L. Robertson, Emma C. Thomson, Andrew Rambaut, Thomas R. Connor
Summary: The study suggests a positive selection for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G in the UK, but no evidence of differences in COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity in patients infected with this variant. 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients compared to 614D.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Miguel Ferrer
Summary: Conservation Biology was established as a tool for managing biodiversity and ecosystems, but the lack of consensus among researchers on which species and spaces to protect and how to preserve ecosystem services is affecting its effectiveness. Environmental thinking, influenced by schools of thought like land ethics and deep ecology, has caused a separation between humans and nature. Overcoming this dichotomy is essential for protecting human-nature habitats.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alex H. Nishida, Howard Ochman
Summary: The gut bacteria in wild great apes and humans show different patterns in captive environments. The gut microbiomes of captive great apes converge towards human-specific bacterial strains.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kirsty Graham, Catherine Hobaiter
Summary: In the comparative study of human and nonhuman communication, ape gesturing provided the first demonstrations of flexible, intentional communication outside human language. We tested human recognition and understanding of 10 frequently used ape gestures and found that humans may retain an understanding of ape gestural communication, drawing deep evolutionary continuity between their communication and our own.
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Yulia Anita, Esty Octiana Sari, Akiko Nakagawa-izumi, S. Evelyn, Hiroshi Ohi
Summary: This study shows that natural deoxylapachol from teak wood can be used as a promising cooking catalyst in the pulp and paper industry. It enhances the delignification rate, reduces lignin content, and retains carbohydrates in the pulp.
Article
Biology
Ayla Sevim-Erol, D. R. Begun, C. Sonmez Sozer, S. Mayda, L. W. van den Hoek Ostende, R. M. G. Martin, M. Cihat Alcicek
Summary: Based on the analysis of fossil apes from the eastern Mediterranean, they are considered as the relatives of humans and early humans, or the ancestors of humans and orangutans, rather than closer relatives to orangutans. The study of a newly identified genus, Anadoluvius, from the site of Corakyerler in central Anatolia, suggests that Mediterranean fossil apes are diverse and part of the first known radiation of early hominines. It is possible that hominines originated in Eurasia during the late Miocene or dispersed into Eurasia from an unknown African ancestor.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Xinyu Yang, Tilo Burghardt, Majid Mirmehdi
Summary: We propose a novel end-to-end curriculum learning approach that utilizes large volumes of unlabelled data to improve supervised species detectors on sparsely labelled animal datasets. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method in finding great apes in challenging real-world jungle environments using camera trap footage. Our approach dynamically adjusts learning parameters over time and incorporates pseudo-labelling with curriculum learning policies to gradually improve detection quality and avoid learning collapse. Our method outperforms state-of-the-art systems on the Extended PanAfrican Dataset and other animal datasets, particularly in ecological applications with smaller labelled ratios. Additionally, our approach achieves competitive benchmarks for generic object detection in MS-COCO and PASCAL-VOC, indicating its wider applicability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER VISION
(2023)
Article
Biology
Catherine Hobaiter, Kirsty E. Graham, Richard W. Byrne
Summary: This article examines the similarities between ape gestures and human language, considering flexibility and ambiguity, first- and second-order intentionality, and usage in interactive exchanges. While gestures may have ambiguous meanings, situational and interpersonal context can resolve this ambiguity. The article also proposes methods to establish cases of second-order intentional use and whether gestures share the back-and-forth interaction property.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Meysam Omidvar, Mohammad Reza Malayeri, Farshad Farshchi Tabrizi, Mohammad Mahdi Doroodmand
Summary: Fat, oil, and grease deposits are the main cause of sewer blockage, leading to environmental issues, health hazards, and increased costs for municipalities. This study investigates the impact of used cooking oils on deposit formation and explores the differences in chemical structure and properties between fresh and used oils.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
Jay Odenbaugh
Summary: Richmond Campbell and Victor Kumar's A Better Ape presents a convincing account of the evolution of the moral mind. In my commentary, I raise questions and objections regarding their views on units of selection, emotions, intrinsic motivation of moral norms, and the nature of moral progress.
BIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Peter Newell, Freddie Daley
Summary: There is a puzzle regarding the electrification of cooking, as policy objectives for clean cooking and increased electrification often do not integrate. This leads to a lack of progress in meeting cooking needs through electrification. Political economy analysis can shed light on this neglect and provide insights into pathways for greater electrification.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lu Huang, Shuqi Liu, Yong Wang, He Li, Jinnuo Cao, Xinqi Liu
Summary: This study investigated the effect of grilling and frying as well as the addition of konjac glucomannan (KGM) on the characteristics of cubic fat substitutes (CFS). The results showed that grilling increased yellowness, lightness, and cooking yield, while KGM modified the distribution and migration of internal water. The addition of KGM improved the texture and taste of CFS, and the TBARS value was lower in CFS than in pork backfat.
LWT-FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Vedran Kasalica, Veit Schwammle, Magnus Palmblad, Jon Ison, Anna-Lena Lamprecht
Summary: The bio.tools registry serves as a main catalogue for computational tools in the life sciences, housing over 17,000 tools. The metadata schema includes semantic annotations that enable the automated composition of tools into workflows. While the mixed quality of semantic annotations may lead to unintended combinations, additional control mechanisms can guide the exploration towards more meaningful workflows.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Studies
Houjian Li, Xuan Leng, Jiayu Hu, Andi Cao, Lili Guo
Summary: This paper explains the intrinsic causes of household energy poverty in China from the perspective of the relative status of men and women based on Confucian culture. The study matches two micro databases, China Family Panel Studies and Chinese General Social Survey, with prefecture-level Confucian culture data, and identifies the effect of Confucian culture on energy poverty using an instrumental variable method. The results show that stronger Confucian culture is associated with a higher probability of households falling into energy poverty. The analysis suggests that the association between Confucian culture and household energy poverty is stronger in lower income levels and rural areas. This study provides valuable insights into the factors influencing energy poverty and offers policy implications.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Food Science & Technology
Jonathan David Blutinger, Christen Cupples Cooper, Shravan Karthik, Alissa Tsai, Noa Samarelli, Erika Storvick, Gabriel Seymour, Elise Liu, Yoran Meijers, Hod Lipson
Summary: With the advancement of digital technologies, laser cooking and 3D food printing provide nutritious and cost-effective cooking opportunities. Food printing uses additive manufacturing to create 3D shapes from edible food inks, while laser cooking utilizes high-energy targeted light for precise heating. These technologies enable chefs to easily control the nutrient content of meals and may lead to healthier and more customized options.
NPJ SCIENCE OF FOOD
(2023)
