Verba Scientiae

verba scientiae
1 | 31 JULY 2021
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge,
where is the knowledge we have lost in information"
T. S. Eliot
NEWS
I. Operation Olivia
II. COVID-19 and
Neanderthal Genomes
Hatchling olive ridleys © Roderic B. Mast
The Indian coast guard pressed into
service an aircraft under
"Operation Olivia" last month to
protect the Olive Ridley turtles
(Lepidochelys olivacea) which are
listed as vulnerable under the
IUCN’s Red list. This endeavor forms
a part of an annual operation that
aids nesting in the arribadas located
along the Odisha coast.
shutterstock - Roni Setiawan
Evolutionary biologists have shown
that a haplotype on chromosome 12,
which is associated with a ∼22%
reduction in relative risk of becoming
severely ill with COVID-19 is inherited
from Neanderthals. Surprisingly, an
earlier study had hinted that the
major genetic risk factor associated
with becoming severely ill with
COVID-19 is also inherited from the
Neanderthals.

III. A new rival : H10N3
Chinese scientists have isolated a strain of
H10N3 influenza virus from a patient in
Jiangsu province of eastern China, the first
case of interspecies transmission of an
avian H10N3 influenza virus to humans.
COMIC
by Kamakshi
IV. Mystery of The Positron Excess
According to a recent study, cosmic
rays while propagating through the
Milky Way galaxy interact with matter
producing other cosmic rays,
primarily electrons and the
antimatter positrons, responsible for
the “positron excess” i.e., the
unusual behavior of positrons
between 10 and 300 GeV.
ARTICLE ABSTRACTS
The AHEAD system uses an accelerated
evolution workflow for antibody
engineering via orthogonal DNA
replication in yeast cells that further
combines autonomous gene
diversification with protein display
technology.
READ MORE : click here
I. Full speed AHEAD

II. Stress, suPAR and ageing
Inflammation is thought to serve as the key
link between stressful life events and its
effects on the health of an individual. In a
long term study, suPAR[soluble urokinasetype
plasminogen activator receptor ]
emerged as a biomarker of systemic
chronic inflammation.
suPAR is product of uPAR cleavage and is
released into blood, urine & CSF. suPAR
levels reflect the activation status of the
immune system within the body
Elevated suPAR levels were observed in
adults[age 45] who had experienced
stressful life events during the age of 38-44
as well as those that had ACE(adverse
childhood experiences).
READ MORE : click here
III. RNA knots of strength:
a molecular shield
Unfolding a Zika virus xrRNA
(exoribonuclease-resistant
RNAs) with optical tweezers
revealed that it was the most
mechanically stable RNA yet
observed with unusual knot like
structures. The knot is formed
by threading the 5′ end into a
three-helix junction before
pseudoknot interactions closed
a ring around it, mediated in
part by mechanical stressors
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41
589-021-00829-z
Pheugopedius euophrys [plain tailed wrens]
pairs sing in such synchronization, it seems
as if a single bird is the source.
Recent research reveals that inhibitions
driven by auditory feedback from the partner
along with the premotor activity used by each
individual leads to such duets.
It also suggests that when individuals interact
in shared behavior, they act as a single entity,
essentially "linking their brains together".
READ MORE
Question quests
1: A virulent beauty
XY is the folding of X to create arbitrary nanoscale two- and three-dimensional shapes. It
involves folding of a single long strand of viral X aided by multiple smaller "staple" strands.
These shorter strands bind the longer in various places forming a pre-defined two- and three
- dimensional shape.
This technique has progressed past an art form and has applications in drug delivery systems,
circuitry in plasmonic devices etc. Identify the technique.

EVENTS
“Going with the flow is the easiest
and the hardest thing to do.”
Ms. Ajeeta Longjam | 6 July 2021 | Synapse & IQAC MH
The session saw the participation of over a hundred
students. An MH alumna, Ms. Longjam recounted her
journey from her Manipur hometown to her Delhi college
life. Her experiences in the civil services helped her
understand the problems at the grassroot level and how
circumstances aren't always as we want them to be.
She highlighted the importance of one’s hobbies and need
to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The session
inspired the students to stay motivated, face challenges
bravely and keep working hard.
a pretty farewell
with the
prettiest people
The Mad Titan
How often have you looked at the stars and wondered if there was someone like you millions
of light years away on a planet like yours thinking about the same thing as you? Even when
scientists look for life beyond earth, they look at objects with environments similar to those on
earth – the ones which we know are definitely conducive to life. However, we often forget that
life outside earth might be considerably different from what we imagine it to be. Saturn’s
largest moon, Titan brings to light these possibilities. It has an atmosphere dominated by
nitrogen, a complex carbon cycle involving methane clouds and photolytically produced
hydrocarbons which precipitate on to the surface and have probably formed an ~800m thick
layer of organic liquids and solids on to the surface.
Scientists speculate that the moon’s cold surface and methane based meteorological cycle
could support exotic life forms that use liquid methane as a solvent instead of water, the elixir
of terrestrial life, and may extract energy from the reaction of hydrogen with acetylene and
ethane. Environment such as Titan’s could be an interesting place to search for life unlike life as
we know it.
by Kritika

Further readings and references
Positron excess
Cosmic rays propagating through Milky Way interact with
matter producing excess antimatter counterpart of
electron
https://www.vox.com/thehighlight/2019/7/16/17690740/cosmic-rays-universetheory-science
Neanderthal Genes
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/neanderthalgenes-may-influence-covid-19-severity#Neanderthalgene-offers-protection
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2026309118
Influenza strain
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.06.021
an amazing site for visualizing viruses and many more:
https://visual-science.com/projects/influenza/illustration
Olive Ridley turtles -
https://www.seaturtlestatus.org/oliveridley
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/
operation-olivia-to-the-rescue-of-oliveridleys/article34799480.ece
Neural duets -
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2018188118
Editors:
Kamakshi Kritika
Co-Editors:
Damayanti Sruti
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