昨日のノーベル医学生理学賞に続き、今日はノーベル物理学賞の受賞者が発表されました。2020年ノーベル物理学賞はRoger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghezの3氏に授与されます。
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2020 was divided, one half awarded to Roger Penrose “for the discovery that black hole formationis a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity“, the other half jointly to Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy.” (https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2020/summary/)
Permafrost samples (1–2 g) were placed into Petri dishes with the Prescott–James medium and cultivated at 20°C for several weeks [4]. The clonal cultures of nematodes were obtained from the enrichment culture.
the first data demonstrating the capability of multicellular organisms for longterm cryobiosis in permafrost deposits of the Arctic.
the first viable multicellular organisms, namely, soil nematodes, have been isolated from permafrost deposits.
our data demonstrate the ability of multicellular organisms to survive long-term (tens of thousands of years) cryobiosis under the conditions of natural cryoconservation.
Viable Nematodes from Late Pleistocene Permafrost of the Kolyma River Lowland. Shatilovich et al., 2018. Doklady Biological Sciences, 2018, Vol. 480, pp. 100–102.
Viable Nematodes from Late Pleistocene Permafrost of the Kolyma River Lowland. Shatilovich et al., 2018. Doklady Biological Sciences, 2018, Vol. 480, pp. 100–102.
Worms frozen in permafrost for up to 42,000 years come back to life (By The Siberian Times reporter 26 July 2018)
FROZEN IN TIME Siberian worms spring back to life after 42,000 years lying dormant in permafrost rising hopes of a cryogenics breakthrough Scientists in Russia coax ancient worms back to life after being frozen since the time of the woolly mammoth (By Will Stewart 27th July 2018, 12:06 am Updated: 27th July 2018, 12:13 am)
Cryptobiosis/ Cryobiosisに関する論文
Moss survival through in situ cryptobiosis after six centuries of glacier burial. Cannone et al., Sci Rep. 2017; 7: 4438. Published online 2017 Jun 30. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04848-6
Recovery and reproduction of an Antarctic tardigrade retrieved from a moss sample frozen for over 30 years. Tsujimoto et al., Cryobiology Volume 72, Issue 1, February 2016, Pages 78-81
Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, is a radioactive decay-based method for determining the age of organic remains that lived within the past 50,000 years.
Most carbon-14 is created from nitrogen-14 in the earth’s upper atmosphere as a consequence of cosmic ray bombardment. It is one of several similarly formed cosmogenic nuclides. Newly formed carbon-14 atoms oxidize to carbon dioxide and become thoroughly mixed with the other atmospheric gases, through atmospheric dynamics. Upon reaching the earth’s surface, a small percentage of carbon-14 containing carbon dioxide is taken up by plants and then incorporation into plant biomolecules via photosynthesis. It becomes incorporated into the biomolecules of heterotrophic organisms (animals) via the food chain.
The radiocarbon dating method is based on the fact that plant and animal tissue levels of carbon-14 remain relatively constant during life, but taper off at a predictable rate in surviving remains. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years. Typically, traces of radiocarbon can be detected in organic remains up to 50,000 years old. (Radiocarbon dating The University of Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory )
言葉
永久凍土 permafrost
更新世 Pleistocene
放射性炭素年代測定 radiocarbon dating
参考
Online Developmental Biology: Introduction to C. elegans
MPS II (Hunter syndrome) is a progressive disorder that primarily affects males and is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the iduronate-2-sulfatase (IDS) enzyme which is also required for the degradation of GAGs. Children with MPS II begin showing symptoms of developmental delay by age 2 – 3 years. Depending on the severity of the mutation and degree of residual enzyme activity, affected individuals may experience delayed development and develop enlarged internal organs, cardiovascular disorders, stunted growth, skeletal abnormalities and hearing loss. (About MPSI and MPI IIsangamo.com)
AP Exclusive: US Scientists Try 1st Gene Editing in the Body (VOA NEWS November 15, 2017 11:14 AM Associated Press)
A human has been injected with gene editing tools to cure his disabling disease. Here’s what you need to know （By Jocelyn Kaiser Science News Nov. 15, 2017 , 6:01 PM）
For the First Time, Gene Editing Is Taking Place Inside the Human Body (MIT Technology Review)
US scientists try 1st gene editing in the body (SciPol November 15, 2017)
In a first, scientists edit genes inside a man’s body to try to cure a disease. What’s next? (By Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post November 16 at 7:00 AM)
The First Man to Have His Genes Edited Inside His Body (By Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic Nov 15, 2017)
In a Major First, Scientists Edit DNA Within the Human Body (Kristen V. Brown GIZMODO)
Experimental new technique aims to edit man’s DNA inside his own body (
by Alessandra Potenza THE VERGE Nov 15, 2017, 3:33pm EST)
Scientists Have Tried First-Ever Gene Editing Directly Inside a Patient’s Body (PETER DOCKRILL Science Alert 16 NOV 2017
Method of the Year 2011: Gene-editing nucleases – by Nature Video
Shino Suzuki, Shun’ichi Ishii, Tatsuhiko Hoshino, Amanda Rietze, Aaron Tenney, Penny L Morrill, Fumio Inagaki, J Gijs Kuenen and Kenneth H Nealson
Water from The Cedars springs that discharge from serpentinized ultramafic rocks feature highly basic (pH=~12), highly reducing (Eh<−550 mV) conditions with low ionic concentrations. These conditions make the springs exceptionally challenging for life. Here, we report the metagenomic data and recovered draft genomes from two different springs, GPS1 and BS5. GPS1, which was fed solely by a deep groundwater source within the serpentinizing system, was dominated by several bacterial taxa from the phyla OD1 (‘Parcubacteria’) and Chloroflexi. Members of the GPS1 community had, for the most part, the smallest genomes reported for their respective taxa, and encoded only archaeal (A-type) ATP synthases or no ATP synthases at all. Furthermore, none of the members encoded respiration-related genes and some of the members also did not encode key biosynthesis-related genes. In contrast, BS5, fed by shallow water, appears to have a community driven by hydrogen metabolism and was dominated by a diverse group of Proteobacteria similar to those seen in many terrestrial serpentinization sites. Our findings indicated that the harsh ultrabasic geological setting supported unexpectedly diverse microbial metabolic strategies and that the deep-water-fed springs supported a community that was remarkable in its unusual metagenomic and genomic constitution.
「学習時の記憶情報は前頭前皮質にもすでに存在したのです。この実験結果は、記憶が徐々に転送されるという従来の学説に反するものです。」と北村博士は述べた。(原文：“Already the prefrontal cortex contained the specific memory information,” Kitamura says. “This is contrary to the standard theory of memory consolidation, which says that you gradually transfer the memories. The memory is already there.”)（参考：MITニュース）
Neuroscientists identify brain circuit necessary for memory formation New findings challenge standard model of memory consolidation. ( MIT News April 6, 2017 Anne Trafton):”When we visit a friend or go to the beach, our brain stores a short-term memory of the experience in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. Those memories are later “consolidated” — that is, transferred to another part of the brain for longer-term storage.”
Ingredients for lasting memories (RIKEN April 7, 2017):”Published in Science magazine, the study proves the existence of long-lasting engram cells in the frontal part of the brain and shows how connections with other brain regions allow these cells to mature as new memories become permanent. “
Rules of memory ‘beautifully’ rewritten (BBC 7 April 2017 By James Gallagher):”The US and Japanese team found that the brain “doubles up” by simultaneously making two memories of events. One is for the here-and-now and the other for a lifetime, they found. It had been thought that all memories start as a short-term memory and are then slowly converted into a long-term one.”
Ball-rolling bees reveal complex learning (EurekAlert! Public Release: 23-Feb-2017 Queen Mary University of London) Bumblebees can be trained to score goals using a mini-ball, revealing unprecedented learning abilities, according to scientists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Their study, published in the journal Science, suggests that species whose lifestyle demands advanced learning abilities could learn entirely new behaviours if there is ecological pressure. Project supervisor and co-author Professor Lars Chittka from QMUL’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, said: “Our study puts the final nail in the coffin of the idea that small brains constrain insects to have limited behavioural flexibility and only simple learning abilities.” Previous research has shown that bumblebees could solve a range of cognitive tasks, but these have so far resembled tasks similar to the bees’ natural foraging routines, such as pulling strings to obtain food. This study examines bees’ behavioral flexibility to carry out tasks that are not naturally encountered by the insects.
Adam M. Session, Yoshinobu Uno, Taejoon Kwon, Jarrod A. Chapman, Atsushi Toyoda, Shuji Takahashi, Akimasa Fukui, Akira Hikosaka, Atsushi Suzuki, Mariko Kondo, Simon J. van Heeringen, Ian Quigley, Sven Heinz, Hajime Ogino, Haruki Ochi, Uffe Hellsten, Jessica B. Lyons, Oleg Simakov, Nicholas Putnam, Jonathan Stites, Yoko Kuroki, Toshiaki Tanaka, Tatsuo Michiue, Minoru Watanabe, Ozren Bogdanovic, Ryan Lister, Georgios Georgiou, Sarita S. Paranjpe, Ila van Kruijsbergen, Shengquiang Shu, Joseph Carlson, Tsutomu Kinoshita, Yuko Ohta, Shuuji Mawaribuchi, Jerry Jenkins, Jane Grimwood, Jeremy Schmutz, Therese Mitros, Sahar V. Mozaffari, Yutaka Suzuki, Yoshikazu Haramoto, Takamasa S. Yamamoto, Chiyo Takagi, Rebecca Heald, Kelly Miller, Christian Haudenschild, Jacob Kitzman, Takuya Nakayama, Yumi Izutsu, Jacques Robert, Joshua Fortriede, Kevin Burns, Vaneet Lotay, Kamran Karimi, Yuuri Yasuoka, Darwin S. Dichmann, Martin F. Flajnik, Douglas W. Houston, Jay Shendure, Louis DuPasquier, Peter D. Vize, Aaron M. Zorn, Michihiko Ito, Edward M. Marcotte, John B. Wallingford, Yuzuru Ito, Makoto Asashima, Naoto Ueno, Yoichi Matsuda, Gert Jan C. Veenstra, Asao Fujiyama, Richard M. Harland, Masanori Taira & Daniel S. Rokhsar. Genome evolution in the allotetraploid frog Xenopus laevis.Nature 538,336–343(20 October 2016)doi:10.1038/nature19840
“We have studied the genetic relationships of all giraffe subspecies from across the continent. We found, that there are not only one, but at least four genetically highly distinct groups of giraffe, which apparently do not mate with each other in the wild. This we found looking at multiple nuclear genes considered to be representative of the entire genome” says Professor Axel Janke, researcher at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research and Professor at the Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. “Consequently, giraffe should be recognized as four distinct species despite their similar appearance.” (EurekAlert! 8-Sep-2016)
Andrew R. Gehrke, Igor Schneider, Elisa de la Calle-Mustienes, Juan J. Tena, Carlos Gomez-Marin, Mayuri Chandran, Tetsuya Nakamura, Ingo Braasch, John H. Postlethwait, José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta, and Neil H. Shubin. Deep conservation of wrist and digit enhancers in fish.PNAS U.S.A. January 20, 2015
vol. 112 no. 3
Video shows how to incubate an egg without the shell A class of high school students in Japan have used a plastic cup and cling film to incubate and “hatch” a chicken egg without the shell. (CNET June 7, 201611:53 PM PDT by Michelle Starr)
Froggy Style: New Sex Position Discovered Among Frogs and Toads
参考
Willaert B, Suyesh R, Garg S, Giri VB, Bee MA, Biju SD. (2016) A unique mating strategy without physical contact during fertilization in Bombay Night Frogs (Nyctibatrachus humayuni) with the description of a new form of amplexus and female call.PeerJ4:e2117https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2117
(LIGO Scientific Collaboration and Virgo Collaboration) Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger. Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 061102 – Published 11 February 2016. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102)
CONCLUSION
The LIGO detectors have observed gravitational waves from the merger of two stellar-mass black holes. The detected waveform matches the predictions of general relativity for the inspiral and merger of a pair of black holes and the ringdown of the resulting single black hole. These observations demonstrate the existence of binary stellar-mass black hole systems. This is the first direct detection of gravitational waves and the first observation of a binary black hole merger. (DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.061102)
Gravitational Waves Discovered Proving Einstein’s Theory (Sequence Media Group)
Search for Gravitational Waves by LIGO Scientific Collaboration, Particle Physics at the Year of 250th Anniversary of Moscow University (page 152) :””In the last few years a number of long-baseline, laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors have begun operation. These include the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors located in Hanford, Washington and 3000 km away, in Livingston, Louisiana. It is the joint Caltech-MIT project supported by the USA National Science Foundation.””
LIGO Physicist Kip Thorne speaks to RT on gravitational waves discovery (RT)
「重力波を初観測」米中心の国際研究チーム 発表(NHK NEWS WEB 2月12日):”アメリカを中心とした国際研究チームは、１１日、宇宙空間にできた「ゆがみ」が波となって伝わる現象、いわゆる「重力波」を初めて直接観測することに成功したと発表しました。重力波の観測は、ノーベル賞に値する成果とも言われ、日本の専門家も「天文学の飛躍的な発展につながる」と述べて高く評価しています。…”
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1993 (nobelprize.org) :”The Nobel Prize in Physics 1993 was awarded jointly to Russell A. Hulse and Joseph H. Taylor Jr. “for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation””
Long-term survival has been one of the most studied of the extraordinary physiological characteristics of cryptobiosis in micrometazoans such as nematodes, tardigrades and rotifers. In the available studies of long-term survival of micrometazoans, instances of survival have been the primary observation, and recovery conditions of animals or subsequent reproduction are generally not reported. We therefore documented recovery conditions and reproduction immediately following revival of tardigrades retrieved from a frozen moss sample collected in Antarctica in 1983 and stored at −20 °C for 30.5 years. We recorded recovery of two individuals and development of a separate egg of the Antarctic tardigrade, Acutuncus antarcticus, providing the longest records of survival for tardigrades as animals or eggs. One of the two resuscitated individuals and the hatchling successfully reproduced repeatedly after their recovery from long-term cryptobiosis. This considerable extension of the known length of long-term survival of tardigrades recorded in our study is interpreted as being associated with the minimum oxidative damage likely to have resulted from storage under stable frozen conditions. The long recovery times of the revived tardigrades observed is suggestive of the requirement for repair of damage accrued over 30 years of cryptobiosis. Further more detailed studies will improve understanding of mechanisms and conditions underlying the long-term survival of cryptobiotic organisms. (Tsujimoto et al., Cryobiology doi:10.1016/j.cryobiol.2015.12.003)
Repetitive patterns in rapid optical variations in the nearby black hole binary V404 Cygni （＊再生に際してBGMの音量に注意）
著者：木邑真理子, 磯貝桂介, 加藤太一, 上田佳宏 （京都大学）, 中平聡志 （JAXA）, 志達めぐみ （理研）, 榎戸輝揚, 堀貴郁, 野上大作 （京都大学）, Colin Littlefield （Wesleyan University、アメリカ）, 石岡涼子, Ying-Tung Chen, Sun-Kun King, Chih-Yi Wen, Shiang-Yu Wang, Matthew J. Lehner, Megan E. Schwamb, Jen-Hung Wang, Zhi-Wei Zhang （Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica、台湾）, Charles Alcock （Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics、アメリカ）, Tim Axelrod （University of Arizona、アメリカ）, Federica B. Bianco （New York University、アメリカ）, Yong-Ik Byun （Yonsei University、韓国）, Wen-Ping Chen （National Central University、台湾）, Kem H. Cook （Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica、台湾）, Dae-Won Kim （Max Planck Institute、ドイツ）, Typhoon Lee （Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica、台湾）, Stuart L. Marshall （Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology （KIPAC）, Stanford University、アメリカ）, Elena P. Pavlenko, Oksana I. Antonyuk, Kirill A. Antonyuk, Nikolai V. Pit, Aleksei A. Sosnovskij, Julia V. Babina, Aleksei V. Baklanov （Crimean Astrophysical Observatory、クリミア）, Alexei S. Pozanenko, Elena D. Mazaeva （Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences、ロシア）, Sergei E. Schmalz （Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics、ドイツ）, Inna V. Reva （Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute、カザフスタン）, Sergei P. Belan （Crimean Astrophysical Observatory、クリミア）, Raguli Ya. Inasaridze （Ilia State University、アメリカ）, Namkhai Tungalag （Mongolian Academy of Sciences、モンゴル）, Alina A. Volnova, Igor E. Molotov （Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences、ロシア）, Enrique de Miguel （Universidad de Huelva、スペイン）, 笠井潔 （スイス）, William L. Stein （アメリカ）, Pavol A. Dubovsky （Vihorlat Observatory、スロバキア）, 清田誠一郎 （千葉）, Ian Miller （イギリス）, Michael Richmond （Rochester Institute of Technology、アメリカ）, William Goff （ギリシャ）, Maksim V. Andreev （Russian Academy of Sciences、ロシア）, 高橋弘允 （広島大学）, 小路口直冬, 杉浦裕紀, 竹田奈央, 山田英史, 松本桂 （大阪教育大学）, Nick James （イギリス）, Roger D. Pickard （The British Astronomical Association, Variable Star Section （BAA VSS）、イギリス）, Tam?s Tordai （Hungarian Astronomical Association、ハンガリー）, 前田豊 （長崎）, Javier Ruiz （Observatorio de Cantabria、スペイン）, 宮下敦 （成蹊気象観測所、東京）, Lewis M. Cook （Center for Backyard Astrophysics、アメリカ）, 今田明 （京都大学） & 植村誠 （広島大学）（プレスリリース 平成28年1月7日 京大、JAXA、RIKEN、広島大学）
Astronomers Say Black Holes Can Be Spotted Using Home-Use Telescope
新元素113命名権獲得へ近づく （日本化学会 2012年9月27日）:”理化学研究所（野依良治理事長）は26日、新たに3個目の113番元素同位体の合成に成功した、と発表した。理化学研究所の仁科加速器研究センターの森田浩介准主任研究員らのグループが合成、崩壊経路を確認、27日の日本物理学会英文誌「Journal of Physical Society of Japan」オンラインに掲載される。野依理事長は「理研ではこれまでにも2個の113元素の同位体を合成しているが、今回の成果は従来の2個とは異なる崩壊経路を辿り、既知核に到達したことを確認した。これは新元素発見の証拠を一段と盤石とする成果で、元素命名権の獲得に大きく近づいた。周期表には多くの元素が載っているが、これまでに日本が命名した元素はない。命名権を取得し、周期表に日本発の元素をぜひ載せたい」と述べている。”
Element 113 Uncovered by Japanese Scientists: “Ununtrium”
新発見の113番元素 (理化学研究所 2004年9月28日):”今回、合成された原子核は1個です。この原子核は合成されるや否や、連続した4回のアルファ崩壊とそれに引き続く自発核分裂によって崩壊しました。この一連の崩壊の寿命および崩壊エネルギーなどから、原子番号113 (質量数278の278113)の原子核が初めて合成されたと結論付けられました。 今後、複数合成して再現性を確かめるなどして、今回のデータを補強すれば、将来、113番元素の命名権があたえられる可能性があります。その場合、周期表に歴史的な成果として、明確に足跡を残すことになります。… 113番元素については、今年2月にロシアの研究所が、「115番新元素の原子核（質量数、288と287）の初合成に成功し、その崩壊連鎖上の原子核として原子番号113、質量数284と283の原子核も発見した」と発表していますが、崩壊連鎖が既知の原子核まで到達していないため、現在はこれら115番、113番元素の命名権を獲得するに至っていません。ロシアのフレロフ核反応研究所のグループでは、実験データを積み重ね、より確かなものにしようとする努力が払われています。ただすべての崩壊の連鎖が未知の自発核分裂で終わっており、純粋実験的に原子番号Zと質量数Aを決めることができないのが現状です。元素に命名権を与える、国際純粋応用物理学連合(IUPAP; International Union of Pure and Applied Physics）と国際純正応用化学連合（IUPAC;International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry）の合同ワーキンググループの報告によれば実験結果はかなり確実であるとしながらも既知核への連結がないことをもって、いまだ命名権を与えるに至っていないと報告しています。”
Ununtrium – Video Learning – WizScience.com (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtbHCb0WB8g): “The first report of ununtrium was in August 2003, when it was identified as an alpha decay product of element 115, ununpentium. These results were published on February 1, 2004, by a team composed of Russian scientists at Dubna , and American scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory”
（進化の過程で遺伝子重複が生じた時期（ピンクの星印）。図は東京大学プレスリリースより）
(Xenopus laevisの18本の染色体が近縁2種由来であること示すペア Uno et al., 2013 Heredity Fig.1より) 
(
