Recipes for new drugs in DNA of ancient microbes?

+ debunking Dunning-Kruger + watching a star swallow a planet US Edition - Today's top story: Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics [View in browser]( US Edition | 10 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose new greenhouse gas emissions standards for existing power plants this week, and [one of the technologies getting attention is hydrogen]( as a power source. Hannes van der Watt, an energy scholar at the University of North Dakota, explains how hydrogen – the most abundant element in the universe – can be an ingredient for industry, a greener fuel for ships and potentially a way for natural gas electricity plants to keep operating under tougher emissions standards. Frequent readers of this newsletter are likely aware of the burgeoning field of ancient DNA research. Scientists are becoming adept at sequencing DNA from people and other organisms that lived thousands of years ago. But an interesting study published last week took things a step further. A team of anthropologists, archaeogeneticists and biochemists sequenced billions of ancient DNA fragments from the microbes that lived in the tartar of a human’s tooth tens of thousands of years ago and then [recreated the natural compounds encoded in bacterial genes](. They hope their technique will let scientists hunt in archaeological samples for new – but old – antimicrobial compounds that can help modern medicine. And let me point you to three recent stories on our site that made me smile. A biologist penned what amounts to an ode to webbing clothes moths – click in to see [why she loves the sweater-ruining pests]( that I personally want to annihilate. An environmental humanities scholar wondered about the [internal motivations and experiences of a “vagrant” Steller’s sea eagle]( that’s exploring places thousands of miles away from home. And a mechanical engineer weighed in on the Transportation Security Administration’s refusal to allow an airplane passenger to have more than [3.4 ounces of peanut butter in his carryon bag]( – the physics fits with the TSA’s ruling. Maggie Villiger Senior Science + Technology Editor Ancient DNA preserved in the tooth tartar of human fossils encodes microbial metabolites that could be the next antibiotic. Werner/Siemens Foundation [Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics]( Christina Warinner, Harvard University; Alexander Hübner, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Pierre Stallforth, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs. Hydrogen has potential, but it faces some big challenges, including a lack of pipeline infrastructure. Petmal/iStock/Getty Images Pluss plus [What is hydrogen, and can it really become a climate solution?]( Hannes van der Watt, University of North Dakota Hydrogen is getting a lot of attention as the EPA prepares to propose new greenhouse gas emissions rules for existing U.S. power plants. Tineola bisselliella can survive on as little as a hairball and some vitamin B. Olaf Leillinger/Wikimedia Commons [Clothes moths: Why I admire these persistent, destructive, difficult-to-eradicate and dull-looking pests]( Isabel Novick, Boston University An appreciation for the moths that chomp holes in your clothes. They eat the inedible, occupy the uninhabitable and overcome every evolutionary obstacle in their way. [Vagrant, machine or pioneer? How we think about a roving eagle offers insights into human attitudes toward nature]( Adriana Craciun, Boston University A Steller’s sea eagle, native to the Asian Arctic, has traveled across North America since 2021. A scholar questions whether the bird is lost – and how well humans really understand animals’ actions. [I unintentionally created a biased AI algorithm 25 years ago – tech companies are still making the same mistake]( John MacCormick, Dickinson College One researcher’s experience from a quarter-century ago shows why bias in AI remains a problem – and why the solution isn’t a simple technical fix. [FDA’s approval of the world’s first vaccine against RSV will offer a new tool in an old fight – 4 questions answered]( Annette Regan, University of San Francisco The newly approved RSV vaccine could be rolled out by fall 2023, in time for the typical winter surge in RSV infections. [Peanut butter is a liquid – the physics of this and other unexpected fluids]( Ted Heindel, Iowa State University A mechanical engineer explains why you need to go with the flow. The TSA pronouncement that peanut butter is a liquid is scientifically sound. [Obesity in children is rising dramatically, and it comes with major – and sometimes lifelong – health consequences]( Christine Nguyen, University of Southern California The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released new obesity management guidelines in order to help address the growing obesity crisis in children. [Disinfectants and cleaning products harboring toxic chemicals are widely used despite lack of screening for potential health hazards]( Courtney Carignan, Michigan State University Quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as QACs or quats, are commonly used antimicrobials also found in many household products. Soap and water may be a safer bet when cleaning surfaces. - [Astronomers just saw a star eat a planet – an astrophysicist on the team explains the first-of-its-kind discovery]( Morgan MacLeod, Harvard University Stars begin to expand when they run out of fuel and can become thousands of times larger, consuming any planets in the way. For the first time, astronomers have witnessed one such event. - [Many people are tired of grappling with long COVID – here are some evidence-based ways to counter it]( Kyle B. Enfield, University of Virginia There’s no one-size-fits-all approach for long COVID treatment, but exercise focusing on breathing and pacing yourself throughout the day often helps. - [Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses – it’s a routine and essential tool in all biology research]( Seema Lakdawala, University of Pittsburgh; Anice Lowen, Emory University From cancer immunotherapy and antibiotics to GMO crops and pandemic surveillance, gain of function is a cornerstone of basic research. - [Debunking the Dunning-Kruger effect – the least skilled people know how much they don’t know, but everyone thinks they are better than average]( Eric C. Gaze, Bowdoin College The idea that the least skilled are the most unaware of their incompetency is pervasive in science and pop culture. But a new analysis of the data shows that the Dunning-Kruger effect may not be true. - [Memories may be stored in the membranes of your neurons]( John Katsaras, University of Tennessee; Charles Patrick Collier, University of Tennessee; Dima Bolmatov, University of Tennessee Pinpointing where memories are stored in the brain and how they are transmitted could provide new targets to treat neurological diseases and serve as models for neuromorphic computing. - Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly emails: [Politics Weekly]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Economy & Business]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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