Hunting for Nessie’s DNA
The emerging field of environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, will soon determine once and for all if there is any truth to the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. In the past, scientists have used sonar, satellite tracking, and underwater photography to search for any evidence of the long-necked reptilian beast purportedly dwelling in the murky waters of Scotland’s Loch Ness. Nothing has been found to substantiate the hazy photos and anecdotal reports that helped create the Nessie myth. In coming weeks, an international team of researchers will scour the lake for tiny bits of DNA left behind in the skin, scales, feathers, urine, saliva, feces, and other bodily secretions of any creatures that have ever touched the water. If the fabled “Nessie” exists now or ever did occupy the waters of Loch Ness, its telltale genetic signature is still there. This DNA can be sequenced and compared with large databases that contain the genetic code of hundreds of thousands of different organisms. “I’m going into this thinking it’s unlikely there is a monster,” lead researcher Neil Gemmell tells The Guardian, “but I want to test that hypothesis.” As a bonus, scientists will learn more about new invasive species in the lake and get a detailed snapshot of its entire ecosystem.
cancer more accurately than experienced dermatologists, new research shows. Scientists in the United States, Germany, and France taught a machine learning system known as a deeplearning convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify skin cancer, by showing it more than 100,000 images of malignant melanomas and harmless moles. When pitted against the skills and experience of 58 dermatologists from 17 different countries, the machine came out on top. The CNN correctly identified 95 percent of melanomas out of a total of 300 images. In a similar test, the doctors picked up 87 percent of melanomas. The humans’ accuracy improved slightly once they were given additional photos and patient information, but even doctors with many years of experience were still bested by the CNN, which missed fewer melanomas and misdiagnosed fewer benign moles, reports ScienceDaily.com. It’s still too early to use AI in standard clinical practice, doctors who reviewed the study said, but sooner rather than later, machines will be making diagnoses.
meant to be active: to walk, run, crouch to sit, and use our leg muscles to lift things,” study author Raffaella Adami tells MedicalNewsToday.com. For the study, researchers immobilized the hind legs of a group of mice for 28 days, then examined a specific area of their brains known as the subventricular zone. They found the neural stem cell activity of the mice had plummeted by 70 percent. Declines in oxygen levels associated with reduced physical activity also altered the rodents’ metabolism. These findings may explain why the health of people who are bedridden often deteriorates rapidly.