From Volcanoes to Potential Disease Cures: Incredible Science!

Did Volcanoes create ice at the moon’s poles?

A new theory suggests that ancient volcanic eruptions created ice at the moon’s poles. It is believed that these eruptions produced atmospheres of water vapor, and this water vapor eventually became ice.

Let’s look at what would need to happen for this theory to hold true:

Lunar volcanic eruptions were happening around every 22,000 years at their peak: 2 to 4 billion years ago. Using samples of ancient lunar magma, Andrew Wilcoski and his colleagues determined that around a third of the gas from the volcanoes is made of H2O, and with all the eruptions, more than 20 quadrillion kilograms of water vapor would have been released. This vapor would become ice at the frigid poles or have gone off into space elsewhere. To become ice in the frigid poles, the water vapor would need to condense to ice at a much faster speed than the time it would take for the vapor to go into space.  

Wilcoski’s team employed a computer simulation to study these rates. They concurred that close to 40 percent of the water vapor would have turned into ice. They predict that the ice still intact extends hundreds of meters. In future years, scientists hope to be able to test the ice cores for more concrete evidence of where it may have come from.

A. Wilcoski, P.O. Hayne and M.E. Landis. Polar ice accumulation from volcanically induced transient atmospheres on the moon. The Planetary Science Journal. Vol. 3, May 2022, p. 99. doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ac649c.

New Technology Rivals CRISPR

CRISPR is a type of technology scientists use to edit genes. It works by altering actual DNA and has been used to treat certain genetic diseases. However, CRISPR causes permanent results and can lead to mutations, and thus is sometimes seen as unethical. Researchers have been looking into alternative gene technologies that don’t affect DNA, and they may have found just that.

Instead of editing DNA, epigenome (chemical modifications of DNA that can change gene expression) editing may be able to treat the same diseases in a much safer way. This type of epigenome editing does not have to be permanent and is less likely to cause unwanted mutations.

Epigenome editing works by using the exact same enzymes (biological catalyst which speeds up chemical reactions) that the cells utilize to switch their genes on and off. Just as CRISPR uses a protein called Cas9, in epigenome editing, parts of the enzymes are attached to a gene-editing protein. This editing is much easier to look at multiple genes and is better for diseases where you don’t want to turn a gene entirely on or off. Epigenome editing is definitely still in the works and countless scientists are testing it. It will take time for this type of gene editing to affect the world, but it will have a great impact.

J. Kaiser. Better than CRISPR? Another way to fix gene problems may be safer and more versatile. Science. June 1, 2022. https://www.science.org/content/article/better-crispr-another-way-fix-gene-problems-may-be-safer-and-more-versatile.

Restoring the Minds in Mice with Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease destroys the memory and other cognitive functions and affects over 3 million people annually. Over the years, most Alzheimer’s research has been focused on decreasing the amount of beta-amyloid plaque (a protein that clumps together between neurons to disturb cell function) in the brain. A new approach, however, views the loss of synaptic connections (different electrical and chemical links between neurons) as a main cause for the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Recent studies have looked at how to stop the loss of synaptic connections. A group of researchers at Yale University led by Stephen Strittmatter studied the role of mGluR5 (metabotropic glutamate receptor 5), which controls the glutamate (a neurotransmitter greatly involved in memory and cognitive function) in this synaptic loss.

In the study, mice were fed a drug called Silent Allosteric Modulation. This drug does not actually meddle with glutamate, but it reinstates pre-alzheimer gene function in the mice tested. This is a fantastic step towards finding a cure to Alzheimer’s in humans!

B. Connolly. Experimental drug reverses synaptic loss in mouse models of Alzheimer’s. YaleNews. June 1, 2022. https://news.yale.edu/2022/06/01/experimental-drug-reverses-synaptic-loss-mouse-models-alzheimers?utm_source=YaleToday&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=YT_YaleToday-Public_6-8-2022.