Saturday Quotes: Spike in E-bike Accidents; Epigenetics in Memory Formation; Komodo Dragons Are Now Scarier

This week, we reported on new epigenetic discoveries about memory formation and a dramatic increase in head injuries related to micromobility. So there’s a lot of head-related science at the forefront these days. There’s new discoveries about an increasingly terrifying and awe-inspiring apex predator, and the future of coffee is looking a little brighter: The best part about waking up is climate-resistant cultivars in your cup.

Neurons untangled

“Your genes are not your destiny.” That’s a simple way of saying that just because your dad developed a hammertoe in his forties doesn’t mean you will too. One of the main reasons why genes aren’t the sole determinant of how offspring develop is the epigenome, the set of chemical modifications to DNA that modulate gene expression.

This is a new field of genetics, so there are vast unmapped territories to explore, and a team of researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne are currently studying neuronal nuclei to understand how epigenetics influences memory formation.

Previous studies have focused on neuronal plasticity, but have not considered the state of the neuronal cell nucleus. The study found that, in fact, the epigenetic state of a neuron is a determinant of its role in memory encoding. When a neuron is “epigenetically open,” its DNA is untangled and loose; it is considered “epigenetically closed” when the DNA is compact.

The researchers reported that open neurons are more likely to be recruited into a new memory trace, as evidenced by spikes in electrical activity observed during periods of learning. They believe their findings could have immediate application in Alzheimer’s disease research, as well as in studies of other cognitive disorders characterized by aberrant epigenetic mechanisms.

Resistant drink

Climate change is happening. We can’t avoid it. We have to embrace it. That means we’re going to have to adapt our coffee-drinking habits, our waterways, our infrastructure, and our disaster insurance policies, because production of the world’s most popular coffee cultivar, Coffea arabica, is expected to decline by 80% by 2050 due to climate change.

Arabica coffee has a distinctive flavor profile that most coffee drinkers enjoy and that will be difficult, if not impossible, to replace, but growers have a potential solution that is, at the very least, better than nothing: a shift from arabica production to robusta cultivars.

A team of French and Brazilian researchers investigated the potential of Robusta to complement and possibly replace Arabica coffee, growing it in alternative climates and at high altitudes to test its resilience. According to their study, Robusta is more sustainable because it can be produced with less water and fertilizer; Robusta beans are high quality and have good flavor; and Robusta has the ability to adapt to new production systems.

Komodo Dragons: The Heaviest Metal Species on the Planet

Evoking Iron Maiden album covers and enemies from Id Software’s DOOM series, researchers report that Komodo dragons, native to Indonesia, have iron-coated teeth to kill their prey more efficiently.

Although other species have similar teeth, researchers say Komodos express this deeply amplified characteristic more than any other animal. Think you have a problem with tartar? My friend, Komodos have teeth that can rust. Paired with a venomous bite, these skull-top predators can take down prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals as large as water buffalo.

The researchers analyzed samples of Komodo teeth using chemical and structural imaging to reveal iron-enriched orange coatings on the serrations and tips. They think iron sequestration was likely a feature of some ancient species of ziphodont dinosaurs, but fossilization can’t preserve iron coatings. Has anyone ever examined Komodo bones to see if they were made of carbon fiber or something else?

Electric bikes are causing more and more concussions

The natural helmet, the skull, is not suited to some human activities, such as jumping a motorcycle over the Snake River Canyon, and requires an additional artificial skull made from a compressible material or Kevlar or something else. Skull mismatch is a growing problem, say UC San Francisco researchers, who report that as micromobility explodes in the United States with the adoption of small electric vehicles, traffic accidents involving e-scooters and e-bikes are increasing along with it.

Emergency departments across the country are reporting more injuries and hospitalizations related to micromobility due to a number of factors, including the lack of head protection. Electric vehicle riders are also more likely to suffer internal injuries compared to traditional bike and scooter riders. E-bike injuries doubled each year between 2017 and 2022, while e-scooter injuries increased by 45%.

“This increase in accidents has not only driven a demographic shift, but also underscores the urgent need for additional safety measures. The use of micromobility vehicles has undeniable health and environmental benefits, but structural changes must be made to promote safe driving,” says researcher Adrian Fernandez, chief resident physician in the UCSF Department of Urology.

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