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GNR: Good News Roundup 3-12-2025 [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-12
Good morning, Gnusies!
Welcome to another second Wednesday of the month on this, the 12th of March, 2025.
So pour yourself your beverage of choice, and partake of today’s offerings of Good News.
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Progress is being made in the fight against infectious disease (although some might argue about superlatives used here):
Epigenetic Science Reveals Potential Method for Stopping Malaria’s Resistance to Medications Plasmodium falciparum, aka malaria, remains the most deadly infectious disease faced by man, a position it has maintained for thousands of years as it causes hundreds of thousands of deaths annually. ~~~ Now though, a multinational team has uncovered a feature in the epigentics of the malaria parasite that controls for a suite of genes. Called a chromatin remodeler, with the abbreviation PfSnf2L, the team believes it could lead to a whole new class of antimalarial medication. ~~~ Professor Markus Meißner from LMU Munich and Professor of Biochemistry Gernot Längst from the University of Regensburg led the study team, which found how PfSnf2L is essential for P. falciparum to dynamically adjust gene expression. “The unique sequence and functional properties of PfSnf2L led to the identification of a highly specific inhibitor that only kills Plasmodium falciparum,” explains Längst. “This inhibitor represents a new class of antimalarials, potentially targeting all life cycle stages,” adds Professor Meißner.
Yet another reason to like mushrooms:
Ingredient Found in All Mushrooms Can Reprogram Immune Cells to Fight Deadly Flu Infections A component found in all fungi may provide a shield that prevents flu-related lung damage, according to a new Canadian study. The preclinical trial uncovered how beta-glucan—which is found in all mushrooms, and also yeast, oats, and barley—can ‘reprogram’ immune cells to prevent lung inflammation. A team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, demonstrated that administering the compound to mice before their exposure to influenza, reduced lung damage, improve lung function and lowered the risk of illness and death. The scientists led by Professor Maziar Divangahi discovered that a unique structure of this component can boost defenses against pathogens. While most research focuses on stopping the virus from replicating, this study explored how to regulate the body’s immunity to infection, a concept known as “disease tolerance.” The researchers discovered that beta-glucan significantly enhanced flu survival rates by modulating immune responses and preventing severe lung inflammation, a common cause of fatality.
From the “The Kids are All Right” files:
10-Year-old Paramedic Teaches Adults Lifesaving Skills and CPR as ‘The Mini Medic’ Jack Dawson was just two-years-old when it became obvious he was interested in becoming a paramedic. His grandfather owns a first response company in Staffordshire, England, and Jack would ride along in his ambulances with the flashing blue lights. By age three, he would start “randomly performing CPR on his teddies, pumping the bear’s chest”. … Jack teaches both children and adults how to perform CPR and use defibrillators, while also patrolling his town centre and checking that the public defibrillators’ pads and batteries are up to date and fit for use. (Watch a demonstration at the end of the article…) “His motto was ‘if I can save a life, then you can’,” says [his mother] Danielle. ~~~ He does step-by-step walkthroughs on how to perform CPR with practice dummies laid on the floor, informing people about the dangers—including “looking into patients airways before pumping, in case of vomit or blood”. He gives tutorials on how to operate defibrillators which are used to revive someone from sudden cardiac arrest.
Removing invasive species is difficult. The results of successful projects, however, can be surprisingly effective.
Galápagos Rail Rediscovered After 190 Years Following Island Restoration A bird seen and recorded by Charles Darwin on his visit to Floreana island in 1835 has been observed in the wild there for the first time in 190 years. ~~~ Just two years ago, several organizations began work on the large-scale Floreana Island Restoration Project. By removing invasive species that devastated native wildlife for generations, the local environment once again became a haven for species to recover and thrive. The Galápagos rail, a land-bird endemic to the archipelago, has been severely impacted by these invasive species. It dwells on the ground, is extremely vulnerable to predators, and relies on dense, lush vegetation to hide in. But despite these dangers, the rail has proved to be a resilient and resourceful little bird. The rails, locally known as Pachays, have been quick to return to restored islands. In 2018, six years after the conservation nonprofit Island Conservation successfully removed invasive species from nearby Pinzón Island, the Rails were among the first locally-extinct animals to reappear—along with other species such as the cactus finch. It hasn’t been long since the Floreana Island Restoration Project began, but the rails have already repopulated it.
Humpback Whales Are Singing More: Number of Songs Has Doubled as Food Sources Became More Abundant The number of whale songs detected is associated with shifting food sources, according to the California scientists—and the number of days humpbacks have been singing has nearly doubled. When monitoring baleen whale songs in the Pacific Ocean, researchers found year-to-year variations corollated with changes in the availability of the species they forage on. In vast oceans, monitoring populations of large marine animals can be a “major challenge” for ecologists, explained Dr. John Ryan, a biological oceanographer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California (MBARI). ~~~ “The amount of humpback whale song continually increased, with their songs being detected on 34% of days at the beginning of the study and rising to 76% of days after six years,” said Dr. Ryan. “These increases consistently tracked improved foraging conditions for humpback whales across all study years—large increases in krill abundance, followed by large increases in anchovy abundance.” ~~~ “The results suggest that an understanding of the relationship between whale song detection and food availability may help researchers to interpret future hydrophone data, both for scientific research and whale management efforts”, which could better protect endangered species.
That’s it for me today, folks!
And now, the weather. (I remain someone not named Cecil Baldwin.)
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