The human immune system has always been evolving and it is still evolving, but lifespan continues to increase with each generation. In addition, lifestyles and ecologic natures can really differ and influence immune responses. A malaria parasite has infected Africans for millions of years and a resistant DNA evolved to fight it. However, it made modern Africans prone to developing certain cardiovascular diseases — later in life! Likewise, today, people with remainders of Neanderthal DNA can be more resistant against HIV-1 and ‘staph’ infections but are also more likely to develop allergies, asthma, and hay fever. To quote molecular scientist Jorge Dominguez-Andres, “the benefit we obtain on one hand also makes us more sensitive to new diseases on the other hand.” Humans co-evolved with immune-related diseases, but there was a timing error. In the ancient past, people’s lifespans were much shorter, and so some of the diseases that could appear in the second half of life were not so relevant, but they are relevant to us because we live much longer now.
SNEAK PEEK
1. Iron formations
Ancient iron formations were once dissolved in seawater. How did the iron go from that state to banded iron formations? The “rust” that formed in the seawater and sank to the ocean bed was green — an iron-based mineral that is rare on Earth today. Who found this?
Ans: Dr. Itay Halevy (Weizmann Institute of Science)
2. A blood-red alert
Blood used in research isn’t necessarily pure. Traces of cough medicine, an anti-anxiety drug and caffeine were found in a study of 18 batches of supposedly pure human blood serum, pooled from multiple donors. Who reported it and what’s a special finding in the study?
Ans: Luying Chen / Caffeine is literally in our blood!
3. The startle response
A sudden vibration in the surroundings, will startle and freeze you. In flies, the initial freeze is caused by a rapid release of the chemical serotonin in the nervous system. Who noted that, from flies to fish to people, the response is there in every animal studied to date?
Ans: Columbia University biochemist Richard Mann
4. Object recognition
Experience with objects alters the brain circuitry related to recognition. If you hold an object while blindfolded, you may recognise it by touch if you have seen it before. Who claimed that this ability can help therapies for people with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease?
Ans: University of Guelph psychologist Boyer Winters
5. They aren’t violent
Most people with mental illness are not violent and most violence is not caused by them, but “you would never know that by looking at media coverage of incidents”. Who made this statement after analysing stories published in top-tier media outlets over a 20-year period?
Ans: Emma E. “Beth” McGinty (Johns Hopkins University)
6. Ochre in ancient art
Ochre is one of the oldest materials used for over 200,000 years in ancient rock art worldwide. The artists harvested an aquatic iron-rich bacteria and heated them to a temperature range of about 750-850 degrees C to make it vivid red. Who unearthed the mystery?
Ans: Brandi MacDonald (University of Missouri)
7. A seismic venture
Fiber-optic cables (probably more than 10 million kilometers in all, on both land and under the sea) constitute an enormous global network. Who plans to use them as sensitive measures of Earth’s movement, especially in regions that don’t have costly ground stations?
Ans: UC Berkeley student Nathaniel J. Lindsey
8. Barley into carbon
It’s said that breweries in the EU throw out around 3.4 million tons of unspent grain every year, weighing the equivalent of 500,000 elephants. Who has been able to create enough activated carbon to spread across 100 football pitches by using just 1kg of the grain?
Ans: Dr. Ahmed Osman (Queen’s University Belfast)
9. Skiers’ body activity
A study of 197,684 skiers shows that physical activity doesn’t affect the molecular processes that cause Alzheimer’s disease (such as the accumulation of the amyloid protein). However, it does reduces the risk of vascular damage to the brain. Who conducted the study?
Ans: Neurologist Oskar Hansson (Lund University).
QUIZ No. 932
1. Tilting the head downward will change the way the face is perceived. Who found it?
– Lisa Feldman Barrett
– Z. Witkower with J. Tracy
– Richard Herrnstein
1. Z. Witkower with J. Tracy
2. Who proposed that people are likely to blink more often when they are on the move?
– Dr. Barbara Händel
– Heinz Ludwig Ansbacher
– Stephen F. Blinkhorn
2. Dr. Barbara Händel
3. Who observed that babies in the womb can detect light before they can see images?
– Marla Feller
– Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt
– William Richard Gowers
3. Marla Feller
4. Who launched the Blue Plaque Rebellion in 2017 to campaign for women in sports?
– Anna Sofia Kessel
– Eldora M. Bolyard Nuzum
– María Laura Santillan
4. Anna Sofia Kessel
5. Which Playboy model developed the fragrance named Child that “drives men wild”?
– Lauren Michelle Hill
– Mercedes Alicia McNab
– Susie Diane Owens
5. Susie Diane Owens