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Publications in Natural Sciences by NOMIS researchers

An agenda for research and action toward diverse and just futures for life on Earth

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

August 1, 2021

Decades of research and policy interventions on biodiversity have insufficiently addressed the dual issues of biodiversity degradation and social justice. New approaches are therefore needed. We devised a research and action agenda that calls for a collective task of revisiting biodiversity toward the goal of sustaining diverse and just futures for life on Earth. Revisiting biodiversity involves critically reflecting on past and present research, policy, and practice concerning biodiversity to inspire creative thinking about the future. The agenda was developed through a 2-year dialogue process that involved close to 300 experts from diverse disciplines and locations. This process was informed by social science insights that show biodiversity research and action is underpinned by choices about how problems are conceptualized. Recognizing knowledge, action, and ethics as inseparable, we synthesized a set of principles that help navigate the task of revisiting biodiversity. The agenda articulates 4 thematic areas for future research. First, researchers need to revisit biodiversity narratives by challenging conceptualizations that exclude diversity and entrench the separation of humans, cultures, economies, and societies from nature. Second, researchers should focus on the relationships between the Anthropocene, biodiversity, and culture by considering humanity and biodiversity as tied together in specific contexts. Third, researchers should focus on nature and economies by better accounting for the interacting structures of economic and financial systems as core drivers of biodiversity loss. Finally, researchers should enable transformative biodiversity research and action by reconfiguring relationships between human and nonhuman communities in and through science, policy, and practice. Revisiting biodiversity necessitates a renewed focus on dialogue among biodiversity communities and beyond that critically reflects on the past to channel research and action toward fostering just and diverse futures for human and nonhuman life on Earth.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1111/cobi.13671

Interleukin‐17 and th17 lymphocytes directly impair motoneuron survival of wildtype and fus‐als mutant human ipscs

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

August 1, 2021

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease leading to the degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). Neuroinflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of ALS; however, interactions of specific immune cell types and MNs are not well studied. We recently found a shift toward T helper (Th)1/Th17 cell‐mediated, pro‐inflammatory immune responses in the peripheral immune system of ALS patients, which positively correlated with disease severity and progression. Whether Th17 cells or their central mediator, Interleukin‐17 (IL‐17), directly affects human motor neuron survival is currently unknown. Here, we evaluated the contribution of Th17 cells and IL‐17 on MN degeneration using the co‐culture of iPSC‐derived MNs of fused in sarcoma (FUS)‐ALS patients and isogenic controls with Th17 lymphocytes derived from ALS patients, healthy controls, and multiple sclerosis (MS) patients (positive control). Only Th17 cells from MS patients induced severe MN degeneration in FUS‐ALS as well as in wildtype MNs. Their main effector, IL‐17A, yielded in a dose‐dependent decline of the viability and neurite length of MNs. Surprisingly, IL‐17F did not influence MNs. Importantly, neutralizing IL‐17A and anti‐IL‐17 receptor A treatment re-verted all effects of IL‐17A. Our results offer compelling evidence that Th17 cells and IL‐17A do directly contribute to MN degeneration.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical Physics

DOI
10.3390/ijms22158042

Computational and neurocognitive approaches to the political brain: Key insights and future avenues for political neuroscience

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 12, 2021

Although the study of political behaviour has been traditionally restricted to the social sciences, new advances in political neuroscience and computational cognitive science highlight that the biological sciences can offer crucial insights into the roots of ideological thought and action. Echoing the dazzling diversity of human ideologies, this theme issue seeks to reflect the multiplicity of theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding the nature of the political brain. Cutting-edge research along three thematic strands is presented, including (i) computational approaches that zoom in on fine-grained mechanisms underlying political behaviour, (ii) neurocognitive perspectives that harness neuroimaging and psychophysiological techniques to study ideological processes, and (iii) behavioural studies and policy-minded analyses of such understandings across cultures and across ideological domains. Synthesizing these findings together, the issue elucidates core questions regarding the nature of uncertainty in political cognition, the mechanisms of social influence and the cognitive structure of ideological beliefs. This offers key directions for future biologically grounded research as well as a guiding map for citizens, psychologists and policymakers traversing the uneven landscape of modern polarization, misinformation, intolerance and dogmatism. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The political brain: neurocognitive and computational mechanisms’.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Evolutionary Biology

DOI
10.1098/rstb.2020.0130

Challenges and Recommendations for Equitable Use of Aerial Tools for Mangrove Research

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

April 9, 2021

As the use of aerial tools such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mangrove monitoring gains in popularity, understanding who leads this research and where is critical for expanding efficient monitoring methods and achieving international commitments to sustainable development, technology transfer and reduced inequality. Between 2000 and 2019, mangrove research using aerial tools was largely conducted in and led by institutions in higher income countries, despite High-income countries accounting for only 9% of global mangrove coverage. Of studies where the country of the lead institution differed from that of the study site, only 38% of the studies included local co-authors. These results echo historical patterns of research conducted by researchers from higher income countries on biodiversity concentrated in lower income countries, frequently with limited involvement of local scientists—known as “helicopter research.” The disconnect between where mangroves are located and where aerial research is conducted may result from barriers such as government restrictions, limited financial and technical resources, language barriers hindering UAV deployment, or hampered findability of local research. Our findings suggest that expertise for aerial surveys currently lies in “High-income, Annex II” and “Upper-middle-income, Non-Annex” countries, and both groups could invest time and resources in building local, long-term technological capacity in Upper-middle, Lower-middle and Low-income countries. We identify strategic partnerships to expand aerial tools for mangrove research that also address commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and potential international collaborations under the framework proposed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Marine Biology & Hydrobiology

DOI
10.3389/fmars.2021.643784

Engaging with the science and politics of biodiversity futures: A literature review

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

March 1, 2021

Future global environmental change will have a significant impact on biodiversity through the intersecting forces of climate change, urbanization, human population growth, overexploitation, and pollution. This presents a fundamental challenge to conservation approaches, which seek to conserve past or current assemblages of species or ecosystems in situ. This review canvases diverse approaches to biodiversity futures, including social science scholarship on the Anthropocene and futures thinking alongside models and scenarios from the biophysical science community. It argues that charting biodiversity futures requires processes that must include broad sections of academia and the conservation community to ask what desirable futures look like, and for whom. These efforts confront political and philosophical questions about levels of acceptable loss, and how trade-offs can be made in ways that address the injustices in the distribution of costs and benefits across and within human and non-human life forms. As such, this review proposes that charting biodiversity futures is inherently normative and political. Drawing on diverse scholarship united under a banner of ‘futures thinking’ this review presents an array of methods, approaches and concepts that provide a foundation from which to consider research and decision-making that enables action in the context of contested and uncertain biodiversity futures.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1017/S037689292000048X

The als-associated fus (P525l) variant does not directly interfere with microtubule-dependent kinesin-1 motility

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

March 1, 2021

Deficient intracellular transport is a common pathological hallmark of many neuro-degenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mutations in the fused-in-sarcoma (FUS) gene are one of the most common genetic causes for familial ALS. Motor neurons carrying a mutation in the nuclear localization sequence of FUS (P525L) show impaired axonal transport of several organelles, suggesting that mislocalized cytoplasmic FUS might directly interfere with the transport machinery. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effect of FUS on kinesin-1 motility in vitro. Using a modified microtubule gliding motility assay on surfaces coated with kinesin-1 motor proteins, we showed that neither recombinant wildtype and P525L FUS variants nor lysates from isogenic ALS-patient-specific iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons expressing those FUS variants significantly affected gliding velocities. We hence conclude that during ALS pathogenesis the initial negative effect of FUS (P525L) on axonal transport is an indirect nature and requires additional factors or mechanisms.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical Physics

DOI
10.3390/ijms22052422

Four steps for the Earth: mainstreaming the post-2020 global biodiversity framework

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

January 22, 2021

The upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting, and adoption of the new Global Biodiversity Framework, represent an opportunity to transform humanity’s relationship with nature. Restoring nature while meeting human needs requires a bold vision, including mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in society. We present a framework that could support this: the Mitigation and Conservation Hierarchy. This places the Mitigation Hierarchy for mitigating and compensating the biodiversity impacts of developments (1, avoid; 2, minimize; 3, restore; and 4, offset, toward a target such as “no net loss” of biodiversity) within a broader framing encompassing all conservation actions. We illustrate its application by national governments, sub-national levels (specifically the city of London, a fishery, and Indigenous groups), companies, and individuals. The Mitigation and Conservation Hierarchy supports the choice of actions to conserve and restore nature, and evaluation of the effectiveness of those actions, across sectors and scales. It can guide actions toward a sustainable future for people and nature, supporting the CBD’s vision. The adoption of the new Global Biodiversity Framework requires mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation into society. The Mitigation and Conservation Hierarchy places the Mitigation Hierarchy (1, avoid; 2, minimize; 3, restore; and 4, offset biodiversity impacts) within a broader framing encompassing all conservation actions. We illustrate its application by national governments, sub-national levels, companies, and individuals. This integrated framework supports the choice of actions to conserve and restore nature, and evaluation of their effectiveness, across sectors and scales.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1016/j.oneear.2020.12.011

What do we know about poverty in North Korea?

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

December 1, 2020

Reliable quantitative information on the North Korean economy is extremely scarce. In particular, reliable income per capita and poverty figures for the country are not available. In this contribution, we provide for the first time estimates of absolute poverty rates in North Korean subnational regions based on the combination of innovative remote-sensed night-time light intensity data (monthly information for built areas) with estimated income distributions. Our results, which are robust to the use of different methods to approximate the income distribution in the country, indicate that the share of persons living in extreme poverty in North Korea may be larger than previously thought. We estimate a poverty rate for the country of around 60% in 2018 and a high volatility in the dynamics of income at the national level in North Korea for the period 2012–2018. Income per capita estimates tend to decline significantly from 2012 to 2015 and present a recovery since 2016. The subnational estimates of income and poverty reveal a change in relative dynamics since the second half of the 2012–2018 period. The first part of the period is dominated by divergent dynamics in income across regions, while the second half reveals convergence in regional income.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Sciences

DOI
10.1057/s41599-020-0417-4

Converting microwave and telecom photons with a silicon photonic nanomechanical interface

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

December 1, 2020

Practical quantum networks require low-loss and noise-resilient optical interconnects as well as non-Gaussian resources for entanglement distillation and distributed quantum computation. The latter could be provided by superconducting circuits but existing solutions to interface the microwave and optical domains lack either scalability or efficiency, and in most cases the conversion noise is not known. In this work we utilize the unique opportunities of silicon photonics, cavity optomechanics and superconducting circuits to demonstrate a fully integrated, coherent transducer interfacing the microwave X and the telecom S bands with a total (internal) bidirectional transduction efficiency of 1.2% (135%) at millikelvin temperatures. The coupling relies solely on the radiation pressure interaction mediated by the femtometer-scale motion of two silicon nanobeams reaching a Vπ as low as 16 μV for sub-nanowatt pump powers. Without the associated optomechanical gain, we achieve a total (internal) pure conversion efficiency of up to 0.019% (1.6%), relevant for future noise-free operation on this qubit-compatible platform.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Optics

DOI
10.1038/s41467-020-18269-z

Biodiversity narratives: Stories of the evolving conservation landscape

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

December 1, 2020

Narratives shape human understanding and underscore policy, practice and action. From individuals to multilateral institutions, humans act based on collective stories. As such, narratives have important implications for revisiting biodiversity. There have been growing calls for a ‘new narrative’ to underpin efforts to address biodiversity decline that, for example, foreground optimism, a more people-centred narrative or technological advances. This review presents some of the main contemporary narratives from within the biodiversity space to reflect on their underpinning categories, myths and causal assumptions. It begins by reviewing various interpretations of narrative, which range from critical views where narrative is a heuristic for understanding structures of domination, to advocacy approaches where it is a tool for reimagining ontologies and transitioning to sustainable futures. The work reveals how the conservation space is flush with narratives. As such, efforts to search for a ‘new narrative’ for conservation can be usefully informed by social science scholarship on narratives and related constructs and should reflect critically on the power of narrative to entrench old ways of thought and practice and, alternatively, make space for new ones. Importantly, the transformative potential of narrative may not lie in superficial changes in messaging, but in using narrative to bring multiple ways of knowing into productive dialogue to revisit biodiversity and foster critical reflection.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1017/S0376892920000387

Surpassing the Resistance Quantum with a Geometric Superinductor

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

October 29, 2020

Superinductors have a characteristic impedance exceeding the resistance quantum RQ≈6.45kω, which leads to a suppression of ground-state charge fluctuations. Applications include the realization of hardware-protected qubits for fault-tolerant quantum computing, improved coupling to small-dipole-moment objects, and the definition of a new quantum-metrology standard for the ampere. In this work, we refute the widespread notion that superinductors can only be implemented based on kinetic inductance, i.e., using disordered superconductors or Josephson-junction arrays. We present the modeling, fabrication, and characterization of 104 planar aluminum-coil resonators with a characteristic impedance up to 30.9 kω at 5.6 GHz and a capacitance down to ≤1 fF, with low loss and a power handling reaching 108 intracavity photons. Geometric superinductors are free of uncontrolled tunneling events and offer high reproducibility, linearity, and the ability to couple magnetically – properties that significantly broaden the scope of future quantum circuits.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Applied Physics

DOI
10.1103/PhysRevApplied.14.044055

Optimised biomolecular extraction for metagenomic analysis of microbial biofilms from high-mountain streams

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

October 27, 2020

Glacier-fed streams (GFS) are harsh ecosystems dominated by microbial life organized in benthic biofilms, yet the biodiversity and ecosystem functions provided by these communities remain under-appreciated. To better understand the microbial processes and communities contributing to GFS ecosystems, it is necessary to leverage high throughput sequencing. Low biomass and high inorganic particle load in GFS sediment samples may affect nucleic acid extraction efficiency using extraction methods tailored to other extreme environments such as deep-sea sediments. Here, we benchmarked the utility and efficacy of four extraction protocols, including an up-scaled phenolchloroform protocol. We found that established protocols for comparable sample types consistently failed to yield sufficient high-quality DNA, delineating the extreme character of GFS. The methods differed in the success of downstream applications such as library preparation and sequencing. An adapted phenol-chloroform-based extraction method resulted in higher yields and better recovered the expected taxonomic profile and abundance of reconstructed genomes when compared to commercially-available methods. Affordable and straight-forward, this method consistently recapitulated the abundance and genomes of a mock community, including eukaryotes. Moreover, by increasing the amount of input sediment, the protocol is readily adjustable to the microbial load of the processed samples without compromising protocol efficiency. Our study provides a first systematic and extensive analysis of the different options for extraction of nucleic acids from glacier-fed streams for high-throughput sequencing applications, which may be applied to other extreme environments.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.7717/peerj.9973

Genome wide analysis points towards subtype-specific diseases in different genetic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

September 2, 2020

Amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethally progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disease marked by apparent death of motor neurons present in the spinal cord, brain stem and motor cortex. While more and more gene mutants being established for genetic ALS, the vast majority suffer from sporadic ALS (>90%). It has been challenging, thus, to model sporadic ALS which is one reason why the underlying pathophysiology remains elusive and has stalled the development of therapeutic strategies of this progressive motor neuron disease. To further unravel these pathological signaling pathways, human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSCs)-derived motor neurons (MNs) from FUS-and SOD1 ALS patients and healthy controls were systematically compared to independent published datasets. Here through this study we created a gene profile of ALS by analyzing the DEGs, the Kyoto encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, the interactome and the transcription factor profiles (TF) that would identify altered molecular/functional signatures and their interactions at both transcriptional (mRNAs) and translational levels (hub proteins and TFs). Our findings suggest that FUS and SOD1 may develop from dysregulation in several unique pathways and herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was among the topmost predominant cellular pathways connected to FUS and not to SOD1. In contrast, SOD1 is mainly characterized by alterations in the metabolic pathways and alterations in the neuroactive-ligand–receptor interactions. This suggests that different genetic ALS forms are singular diseases rather than part of a common spectrum. This is important for patient stratification clearly pointing towards the need for individualized medicine approaches in ALS.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical Physics

DOI
10.3390/ijms21186938

100 Opportunities for More Inclusive Ocean Research: Cross-Disciplinary Research Questions for Sustainable Ocean Governance and Management

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

August 6, 2020

In order to inform decision making and policy, research to address sustainability challenges requires cross-disciplinary approaches that are co-created with a wide and inclusive diversity of disciplines and stakeholders. As the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development approaches, it is therefore timely to take stock of the global range of cross-disciplinary questions to inform the development of policies to restore and sustain ocean health. We synthesized questions from major science and policy horizon scanning exercises, identifying 89 questions with relevance for ocean policy and governance. We then scanned the broad ocean science literature to examine issues potentially missed in the horizon scans and supplemented the horizon scan outcome with 11 additional questions. This resulted in an unprioritized list of 100 general questions that would require a cross-disciplinary approach to inform policy. The questions fell into broad categories including: coastal and marine environmental change, managing ocean activities, governance for sustainable oceans, ocean value, and technological and socio-economic innovation. Each question can be customized by ecosystem, region, scale, and socio-political context, and is intended to inspire discussions of salient cross-disciplinary research directions to direct scientific research that will inform policies. Governance and management responses to these questions will best be informed by drawing upon a diversity of natural and social sciences, local and traditional knowledge, and engagement of different sectors and stakeholders.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Marine Biology & Hydrobiology

DOI
10.3389/fmars.2020.00576

Applications of magnetotactic bacteria and magnetosome for cancer treatment: A review emphasizing on practical and mechanistic aspects

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

August 1, 2020

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs), called magnetosomes, with large sizes leading to a ferrimagnetic behavior and a stable magnetic moment at physiological temperature, a chain structure that prevents NP aggregation and promotes uniform NP distribution, and a mineral core of magnetite/maghemite composition, which can be stabilized by an organic coating. Such properties can favor magnetosome administration to humans under certain optimized non-toxic conditions of fabrication. In this review, I describe the fabrication methods, physico-chemical properties, and the anti-tumor activity of different types of MTB/magnetosome preparations, highlighting the bio-compatibility and excellent anti-tumor activity of purified non-pyrogenic magnetosome minerals stabilized by a synthetic chemical compound.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Chemistry, Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry

DOI
10.1016/j.drudis.2020.06.010

Illicit Drivers of Land Use Change: Narcotrafficking and Forest Loss in Central America

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 1, 2020

Illegal activity, such as deforestation for illicit crops for cocaine production, has been inferred as a cause of land change. Nonetheless, illicit activity is often overlooked or difficult to incorporate into causal inference models of land change. Evidence continues to build that narcotrafficking plays an important, yet often unreported, role in forest loss. This study presents a novel strategy to meet the challenge of estimating the causal effect of illicit activity in land change using consolidated news media reports to estimate the relationship between drug trafficking and accelerated forest loss in Central America. Drug trafficking organizations engage in illegal land transactions, money laundering, and territorial control that can manifest as forest conversion to agriculture or pasture land uses. Longitudinal data on 50 sub-national units over a period of 16 years (2001-2016) are used in fixed effects regressions to estimate the role of narcotrafficking in forest loss. Two narcotrafficking activity proxies were developed as explanatory variables of forest loss: i) an “official” proxy from drug seizures data within 14 sub-national units; and, ii) an “unofficial” proxy developed from georeferenced news media accounts of narcotrafficking events. The effect of narcotrafficking was systematically compared to the other well-known causes of forest loss, such as rural population growth and other conventional drivers. Both proxies indicate narcotrafficking is a statistically significant (p<0.01) contributor to forest loss in the region, particularly in Nicaragua (p<0.05, official proxy), Honduras (p<0.05, media proxy), and Guatemala (p<0.05, media proxy). Narcotrafficking variables explain an additional 5% (media proxy) and 9% (official proxy) of variance of forest loss not captured by conventional models. This study showed the ability of news media data to capture the signal of illicit activity in land use changes such as forest loss. The methods employed here could be used to estimate the causal effect of illicit activities in other land and environmental systems. Our results suggest that current drug policy, which concentrates drug trafficking in remote areas of very high cultural and environmental value, has helped to accelerate the loss of Central America's remaining forests.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Sciences

DOI
10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102092

The impacts of cocaine-trafficking on conservation governance in Central America

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

July 1, 2020

This research is motivated by the compelling finding that the illicit cocaine trade is responsible for extensive patterns of deforestation in Central America. This pattern is most pronounced in the region’s large protected areas. We wanted to know how cocaine trafficking affects conservation governance in Central America’s protected areas, and whether deforestation is a result of impacts on governance. To answer this question, we interviewed conservation stakeholders from key institutions at various levels in three drug-trafficking hotspots: Peten, Guatemala, Northeastern Honduras, and the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. We found that, in order to establish and maintain drug transit operations, drug-trafficking organizations compete with and undermine conservation governance actors and institutions. Drug trafficking impacts conservation governance in three ways: 1) it undermines long standing conservation coalitions; 2) it fuels booms in extractive activities inside protected lands; and 3) it erodes the territorial control that conservation institutions exert, exploiting strict “fortress” conservation governance models. Participatory governance models that provide locals with strong expectations of land tenure and/or institutional support for local decision-making may offer resistance to the impacts on governance institutions that we documented.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Environmental Sciences

DOI
10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102098

Information arms race explains plant-herbivore chemical communication in ecological communities

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

June 19, 2020

Plants emit an extraordinary diversity of chemicals that provide information about their identity and mediate their interactions with insects. However, most studies of this have focused on a few model species in controlled environments, limiting our capacity to understand plant-insect chemical communication in ecological communities. Here, by integrating information theory with ecological and evolutionary theories, we show that a stable information structure of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can emerge from a conflicting information process between plants and herbivores. We corroborate this information “arms race” theory with field data recording plant-VOC associations and plant-herbivore interactions in a tropical dry forest. We reveal that plant VOC redundancy and herbivore specialization can be explained by a conflicting information transfer. Information-based communication approaches can increase our understanding of species interactions across trophic levels.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1126/science.aba2965

Human spinal motor neurons are particularly vulnerable to cerebrospinal fluid of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 2, 2020

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common and devastating motor neuron (MN) disease. Its pathophysiological cascade is still enigmatic. More than 90% of ALS patients suffer from sporadic ALS, which makes it specifically demanding to generate appropriate model systems. One interesting aspect considering the seeding, spreading and further disease development of ALS is the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We therefore asked whether CSF from sporadic ALS patients is capable of causing disease typical changes in human patient-derived spinal MN cultures and thus could represent a novel model system for sporadic ALS. By using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MNs from healthy controls and monogenetic forms of ALS we could demonstrate a harmful effect of ALS-CSF on healthy donor-derived human MNs. Golgi fragmentation—a typical finding in lower organism models and human postmortem tissue—was induced solely by addition of ALS-CSF, but not control-CSF. No other neurodegenerative hallmarks—including pathological protein aggregation—were found, underpinning Golgi fragmentation as early event in the neurodegenerative cascade. Of note, these changes occurred predominantly in MNs, the cell type primarily affected in ALS. We thus present a novel way to model early features of sporadic ALS.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Chemical Physics

DOI
10.3390/ijms21103564

Collective communication and behaviour in response to uncertain ‘Danger’ in network experiments

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2020

In emergencies, social coordination is especially challenging. People connected with each other may respond better or worse to an uncertain danger than isolated individuals. We performed experiments involving a novel scenario simulating an unpredictable situation faced by a group in which 2480 subjects in 108 groups had to both communicate information and decide whether to ‘evacuate’. We manipulated the permissible sorts of interpersonal communication and varied group topology and size. Compared to groups of isolated individuals, we find that communication networks suppress necessary evacuations because of the spontaneous and diffuse emergence of false reassurance; yet, communication networks also restrain unnecessary evacuations in situations without disasters. At the individual level, subjects have thresholds for responding to social information that are sensitive to the negativity, but not the actual accuracy, of the signals being transmitted. Social networks can function poorly as pathways for inconvenient truths that people would rather ignore.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics, Applied Mathematics

DOI
10.1098/rspa.2019.0685

Nature and People in the Andes, East African Mountains, European Alps, and Hindu Kush Himalaya: Current Research and Future Directions

NOMIS Researcher(s)

Published in

May 1, 2020

Mountains are facing growing environmental, social, and economic challenges. Accordingly, effective policies and management approaches are needed to safeguard their inhabitants, their ecosystems, their biodiversity, and the livelihoods they support. The formulation and implementation of such policies and approaches requires a thorough understanding of, and extensive knowledge about, the interactions between nature and people particular to mountain social-ecological systems. Here, we applied the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services to assess and compare the contents of 631 abstracts on the interactions among biodiversity, ecosystem services, human wellbeing, and drivers of change, and formulate a set of research recommendations. Our comparative assessment of literature pertained to the Andes, the East African mountains, the European Alps, and the Hindu Kush Himalaya. It revealed interesting differences between mountain systems, in particular in the relative importance given in the literature to individual drivers of change and to the ecosystem services delivered along elevational gradients. Based on our analysis and with reference to alternative conceptual frameworks of mountain social-ecological systems, we propose future research directions and options. In particular, we recommend improving biodiversity information, generating spatially explicit knowledge on ecosystem services, integrating knowledge and action along elevational gradients, generating knowledge on interacting effects of global change drivers, delivering knowledge that is relevant for transformative action toward sustainable mountain development, and using comprehensive concepts and codesigned approaches to effectively address knowledge gaps.

Research field(s)
Natural Sciences, Biology, Ecology

DOI
10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-19-00075.1

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