thescientist--2020-08-06--DNA Could Thwart Trade of the World’s Most Trafficked Mammal

Growing to more than 1.5 meters and weighing in at up to 75 pounds , pangolins aren ’ t meager creatures .
They are solitary , insect-eating mammals that come in a range of sizes , yet all are wrapped in a distinctive armor of sharp , brownish scales .
Sometimes referred to as “ scaly anteaters ” due to their diet and appearance , pangolins have recently attracted global attention for their potential role in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .
The source of SARS-CoV-2 , the virus that causes COVID-19 , remains unclear , but scientists suspect the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via an intermediate host .
That intermediate host may have been the pangolin , some studies suggest .
The possible role of pangolins in the new coronavirus outbreak has recently piqued the interest of scientists around the world .
But many researchers have been studying pangolins for years , for another reason : the scaly creatures are the most trafficked mammals in the world .
Pangolins are found in Africa and Asia .
They are hunted for their pinecone-like scales , which are used in many traditional medicines , and for their meat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in parts of Asia and sold at bushmeat markets in Africa—a trade that has threatened the animals ’ existence .
Of the eight pangolin species that exist , three are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) as critically endangered , and the rest are categorized as either endangered or vulnerable .
Despite a ban placed on the international trade of pangolins in 2017 at the United Nation ’ s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES ) , illegal trade networks continue to thrive .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dwindled from overhunting , the trafficking networks extended to Africa .
“ The scale [ of the trade ] has become much more extensive , much more long distance , compared to 20 years ago , ” says Shu-Jin Luo , a conservation biologist at the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences in China .
To trace the trafficking networks , Philippe Gaubert , at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Toulouse , France , is leading PANGO-GO ( Pangolins going extinct ) , a five-year project that aims to apply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ origins of illegally traded pangolins .
“ We are trying to design tools that can be used by institutions , scientists , and NGOs ” to help trace and mitigate the trade , Gaubert says .
These DNA-based tools , he explains , should help answer three key questions about pangolin scales and body parts seized by authorities : the number of animals that contributed to the seized materials , which species are present , and where they come from .
To develop such a toolkit , Gaubert and his colleagues are studying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bushmeat markets in Africa—where the scientists gather samples and interview sellers about the source of their supplies—and collections of specimens at natural history museums .
According to Gaubert , gathering live samples is difficult because the pangolin ’ s solitary nature makes the animals difficult to find in the wild .
On top of that , many countries restrict the exportation of samples , even for research purposes .
In Africa , Gaubert ’ s team is currently focused on the white-bellied pangolin , a small , tree-dwelling species that ’ s listed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , Gaubert and his colleagues identified unique genetic signatures using mitochondrial DNA for six lineages of white-bellied pangolins from six different regions in Africa .
Tapping this reference database , Huarong Zhang , a conservation geneticist at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong , and colleagues found that scales from the white-bellied pangolin , which made up more than 80 percent of 30 samples seized in Hong Kong , could be traced back to all six regions in Africa .
“ We were surprised because the shipments mostly come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
“ From our data , it looks like it ’ s from a wider range of areas , so that suggests that poaching is quite widespread.
” While the genetic markers the team used to trace the origins of the pangolins were reliable , Zhang notes that one of the limitations of currently available tools is that they are only able to identify the broad region where the animals are from .
To pinpoint the source at a country- or population-level , higher-resolution markers are likely necessary , he says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ tools that use identifying markers that are more specific .
For a study published this May in Molecular Biology Reports , his group genotyped 37 samples from a market in the coastal city of Douala , Cameroon , and identified 20 short , distinct sequences of DNA known as microsatellite loci .
The researchers then used the markers to identify individual white-bellied pangolins and assess the potential geographic origin of the samples .
According to the team ’ s preliminary analysis , the samples came from several different populations within the Ebo forest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The team is also working on developing genomic tools based on single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs ) .
The researchers eventually want to compare the efficiency and the cost of these different approaches , Gaubert says , noting that this tradeoff will be important for choosing the best tool for a given situation , considering factors such as budget and the number of samples being assessed .
In the African countries where Gaubert ’ s team conducts research , the illegal pangolin trade rages on .
There have been some signs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as global lockdowns keep poachers at home and as pangolins ’ link to the coronavirus stoke fears that consuming the animals may be harmful .
But that slowdown probably won ’ t be long-lived ; the trade is slowly picking back up , Gaubert says .
His team recently launched a project in Ivory Coast , Benin , and Cameroon to screen pangolins sold at bushmeat markets for coronavirus and to survey how COVID-19 has changed consumers ’ views of pangolins .
Regardless of public opinion on the animals , determining whether pangolins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more research .
“ More studies should be done not only on pangolins but also other illegally-traded [ animals ] , ” Luo says .
Regardless of which animal passed the coronavirus to humans , the potential for such transmission is one important reason to stop all wildlife poaching and trade , she explains .
“ Moving wildlife from their natural habitat and increasing the human-to-wildlife contact just provides millions of chances for [ such viruses ] to emerge .
”

The possible role of pangolins in the new coronavirus outbreak has recently piqued the interest of scientists around the world. But many researchers have been studying pangolins for years, for another reason: the scaly creatures are the...
Growing to more than 1.5 meters and weighing in at up to 75 pounds, pangolins aren’t meager creatures. They are solitary, insect-eating mammals that come in a range of sizes, yet all are wrapped in a distinctive armor of sharp, brownish scales. Sometimes referred to as “scaly anteaters” due to their diet and appearance, pangolins have recently attracted global attention for their potential role in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The source of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remains unclear , but scientists suspect the coronavirus originated in bats and passed to people via an intermediate host. That intermediate host may have been the pangolin, some studies suggest.
Pangolins are found in Africa and Asia. They are hunted for their pinecone-like scales, which are used in many traditional medicines, and for their meat, which is eaten as a delicacy in parts of Asia and sold at bushmeat markets in Africa—a trade that has threatened the animals’ existence. Of the eight pangolin species that exist, three are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered, and the rest are categorized as either endangered or vulnerable.
Despite a ban placed on the international trade of pangolins in 2017 at the United Nation’s Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), illegal trade networks continue to thrive. In addition, as Asian pangolin numbers dwindled from overhunting, the trafficking networks extended to Africa. “The scale [of the trade] has become much more extensive, much more long distance, compared to 20 years ago,” says Shu-Jin Luo, a conservation biologist at the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences in China.
To trace the trafficking networks, Philippe Gaubert, at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Toulouse, France, is leading PANGO-GO (Pangolins going extinct), a five-year project that aims to apply genomics to help identify and track the origins of illegally traded pangolins. “We are trying to design tools that can be used by institutions, scientists, and NGOs” to help trace and mitigate the trade, Gaubert says. These DNA-based tools, he explains, should help answer three key questions about pangolin scales and body parts seized by authorities: the number of animals that contributed to the seized materials, which species are present, and where they come from.
See “Tracking Pangolin Traffic Networks”
To develop such a toolkit, Gaubert and his colleagues are studying samples from two types of sources: bushmeat markets in Africa—where the scientists gather samples and interview sellers about the source of their supplies—and collections of specimens at natural history museums. According to Gaubert, gathering live samples is difficult because the pangolin’s solitary nature makes the animals difficult to find in the wild. On top of that, many countries restrict the exportation of samples, even for research purposes.
In Africa, Gaubert’s team is currently focused on the white-bellied pangolin, a small, tree-dwelling species that’s listed as endangered by the IUCN. In 2016, Gaubert and his colleagues identified unique genetic signatures using mitochondrial DNA for six lineages of white-bellied pangolins from six different regions in Africa. Tapping this reference database, Huarong Zhang, a conservation geneticist at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong, and colleagues found that scales from the white-bellied pangolin, which made up more than 80 percent of 30 samples seized in Hong Kong, could be traced back to all six regions in Africa.
Pangolin scales Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden
“We were surprised because the shipments mostly come from Nigeria or Cameroon,” Zhang says. “From our data, it looks like it’s from a wider range of areas, so that suggests that poaching is quite widespread.” While the genetic markers the team used to trace the origins of the pangolins were reliable, Zhang notes that one of the limitations of currently available tools is that they are only able to identify the broad region where the animals are from. To pinpoint the source at a country- or population-level, higher-resolution markers are likely necessary, he says.
Gaubert’s team is working on tools that use identifying markers that are more specific. For a study published this May in Molecular Biology Reports, his group genotyped 37 samples from a market in the coastal city of Douala, Cameroon, and identified 20 short, distinct sequences of DNA known as microsatellite loci. The researchers then used the markers to identify individual white-bellied pangolins and assess the potential geographic origin of the samples. According to the team’s preliminary analysis, the samples came from several different populations within the Ebo forest, which lies just outside of Douala.
The team is also working on developing genomic tools based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The researchers eventually want to compare the efficiency and the cost of these different approaches, Gaubert says, noting that this tradeoff will be important for choosing the best tool for a given situation, considering factors such as budget and the number of samples being assessed.
In the African countries where Gaubert’s team conducts research, the illegal pangolin trade rages on. There have been some signs of its slowing due to COVID-19, especially as global lockdowns keep poachers at home and as pangolins’ link to the coronavirus stoke fears that consuming the animals may be harmful. But that slowdown probably won’t be long-lived; the trade is slowly picking back up, Gaubert says. His team recently launched a project in Ivory Coast, Benin, and Cameroon to screen pangolins sold at bushmeat markets for coronavirus and to survey how COVID-19 has changed consumers’ views of pangolins.
Regardless of public opinion on the animals, determining whether pangolins were an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2 requires more research. “More studies should be done not only on pangolins but also other illegally-traded [animals],” Luo says. Regardless of which animal passed the coronavirus to humans, the potential for such transmission is one important reason to stop all wildlife poaching and trade, she explains. “Moving wildlife from their natural habitat and increasing the human-to-wildlife contact just provides millions of chances for [such viruses] to emerge.”


thescientist--2020-08-06--Tracking Pangolin Traffic Networks

Tracking Pangolin Traffic Networks

Covered in distinctive armor of sharp , pinecone-like scales , pangolins look like reptiles , but they are mammals .
@ @ @ @ @ and sell the mammals for their scales , which are used in traditional medicines , @ @ @ @ @ sometimes served as a delicacy in Asia .
As a result , pangolins are the @ @ @ @ @ world .
All eight species are labeled critically endangered , endangered , or vulnerable by @ @ @ @ @ of Nature .
See “ DNA Could Thwart Trade of the World ’ s Most @ @ @ @ @ a scientist and his colleagues share photos from their work to mitigate the pangolin trade @ @ @ @ @ Some of the images are graphic .

ABOVE: Temmincks ground pangolin (Manis temminckii)
© ISTOCK.COM, ECOPIC
Covered in distinctive armor of sharp, pinecone-like scales, pangolins look like reptiles, but they are mammals. Hunters track, kill, and sell the mammals for their scales, which are used in traditional medicines, and for their meat, sometimes served as a delicacy in Asia. As a result, pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. All eight species are labeled critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Here, a scientist and his colleagues share photos from their work to mitigate the pangolin trade in Africa. Warning: Some of the images are graphic.
A white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) sold alive in Benin Philippe Gaubert
A black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) sold at a bushmeat market in Cameroon Flobert Njiokou


thescientist--2020-08-06--In COVID-19–Hit Africa, Agricultural Research Feels the Pinch

ABOVE : Researcher Oluwaseyi Shorinola grows wheat under constant light in order to speed the breeding process .
OLUWASEYI SHORINOLA It is strangely quiet at the National Crops Resources Research Institute in Namulonge , Uganda .
Seventy percent of its 400 staff members have not reported for work since the country instituted a lockdown in March due to a partial furlough and government policies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ We have to work harder to implement our work plans to minimize the disruption of COVID-19 while adhering to the Ministry of Health guidelines and standard operating procedures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s director .
The limited staffing has affected harvesting and planting activities , especially for cereals and pulses ( beans , lentils , and other seeds that grow in pods ) .
Although Uganda ’ s lockdown measures have been among the strictest in Africa , NaCRRI is far from alone .
Other agricultural research institutes in Africa are also finding their work curtailed by the pandemic , with potential near-term consequences for farmers in the region .
As one of Uganda ’ s 16 agricultural research institutes under the National Agricultural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legumes , maize , rice , horticultural crops , and oil palm varieties adapted to the country ’ s climate , as well as pesticides and herbicides .
It also offers quality control testing of consumer products related to agriculture .
During the pandemic , it has suspended some research activities , such as stakeholder surveys , and its trainings and tours .
Planting season begins in March in Uganda , and some of the institute ’ s planned field experiments have either started late or aren ’ t being monitored as closely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reduced labor , says Asea .
To stop COVID-19 ’ s spread , Uganda initially banned both private and public transport , so organizations had to provide means of travel for their essential workers .
Although those restrictions have eased , many organizatons , including NaCCRI , are still providing transportation for staff members .
A nightly curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. continues .
“ Moving staff to and from work is now expensive , while curfew restrictions have forced staff to work fewer hours , ” says Asea .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forced to stop their research altogether , he adds ; only the seven students who live at the institute have been able to continue .
According to Asea , the changes “ might disrupt timelines for near-release technologies such as new crop varieties for cassava , maize , and rice.
” Even as NaCCRI continues to offer limited quality control services for consumer products such as packed flour , milk , and soil , this work faces challenges , says Asea .
In addition to the limitations posed by staffing shortages , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard to access laboratory consumables .
Reagents are getting depleted with no foreseeable opportunity to restock.
” On a positive note , he says , “ the extra desk time created by the pandemic has also enabled scientists to engage more in scientific writing of journal articles and proposals.
” And some laboratory work has continued .
For instance , the nutrition and bioanalytical lab has maintained experiments on samples that were already collected in the field before the shutdown that are aimed at developing new crop strains including cassava , sweet potato @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such as maize flour , rice , and beans .
In neighboring Tanzania , COVID-19 came during the rainy season .
The resulting lockdown imposed by the government left researchers at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture ( IITA ) , a nonprofit based in the capital city of Dar es Salaam , counting their losses .
“ Unfortunately , the rain did not wait for COVID-19 , so we missed critical data that we were supposed to collect on our experiments , ” says Victor Manyong , IITA director for Eastern Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In addition to overseeing local farmers , IITA maintains nine of its own research fields stationed across the country .
The organization develops crops to improve yields , processes agriculture products to increase shelf life , and finds novel solutions to pests and diseases .
But this year , “ we could not go to the rural areas to see the farmers who are growing the crops , ” which include cassava , maize , soya bean , cowpea , yam , banana , and plantain , he says .
“ Neither could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urban areas to know exactly what was happening with agricultural sales.
” Due to Tanzania ’ s lockdown and closure of universities , more than two dozen students from local universities who planned to come to IITA for hands-on experience could not travel to rural areas of the country to conduct their research , says Manyong .
The students are now expected in September .
Nine of the students who ’ d planned to visit IITA this spring wanted to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment to ward off a toxic fungus that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for applying it to this year ’ s crop .
IITA had also planned to conduct training in aquaculture in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo , but the pandemic has stopped or delayed delivery of the cages it needed and of a huge quantity of imported fish feed , which was expired by the time it arrived .
All told , Manyong says , it ’ s too soon to know the value of all that IITA has lost to the pandemic , but he expects it will be in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affected by the confluence of the pandemic and growing season is Oluwaseyi Shorinola , a crop scientist based at the International Livestock Research Institute ( ILRI ) in Nairobi , Kenya , who has been working to increase the protein content in wheat varieties grown in Kenya and Ethiopia .
His goal , he says , is to enable East African nations to grow more high-quality wheat and reduce their dependence on imported grain .
Working in the laboratory during the lockdown , he managed to finish crossing the best lines of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ size , protein content , and disease resistance .
But pandemic restrictions have contributed to delays in testing his improved lines in the field during the main growing season , pushing that fieldwork to early next year , he says .
That will mean he ’ ll need to apply for an extension to the fellowship from The Royal Society FLAIR that ’ s supporting the work , he adds .
Ansori Maré , a plant scientist at the University of the Free State in South Africa , is another researcher encountering delays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been working to develop new disease-resistant varieties , but due to South Africa ’ s lockdown , her laboratory and greenhouse work has completely stopped .
With no crossed seeds to test , “ planting the next season will be later this year , or we will lose a complete season and data collection , ” she says .
Such delays , she notes , also affect the students in the plant sciences department negatively , slowing the research projects needed to complete their postgraduate studies .
Since June 1 , researchers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to laboratories and the greenhouses again , although under strict rules and regulations aimed at minimizing infection risk .
“ At this stage , no unreplaceable losses were experienced , except time , ” Maré says .
Chinyere Ekine , a statistical geneticist at ILRI in Nairobi , is working to improve milk yields in Africa using genetics and crossbreeding of cattle .
“ To do genetic improvements , we would need to measure traits over time , and keep a pedigree of the animals to know who the sire and dam are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pick out the best sire and dam with an average higher breeding value for the traits of interest so the next generation will be better than their parents ’ previous generation on average , ” she explains .
To that end , ILRI hires workers known as enumerators to collect data on traits from smallholder farmers in rural Ethiopia , Kenya , and Tanzania .
They also encourage smallholder farmers to learn the importance of consistently collecting their own data for making informed decisions in the future such as which animals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the value of a farmer ’ s herd in order to help secure loans .
Ekine ’ s team uses genetic information from animal hair that the enumerators collect along with other data to identify the best bulls for use in breeding via artificial insemination .
According to Ekine , enumerators used to reach the farmers once a month , but when COVID-19 struck in mid-March , people were not allowed to go out to rural communities .
In addition to the official lockdown , there were fears that the virus could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people could not risk losing their livelihoods .
The flow of data from the enumerators has significantly slowed as a result , she says .
“ You need to collect data on milk , on growth , in a sequence .
You need to follow the animal , ” Ekine explains .
“ When you have missed this data , it ’ s an analysis lost.
” To keep going , Ekine ’ s team gave farmers cell phone credit to help collect data on their phones , an additional cost that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially and was not as effective as the enumerators ’ data collection , she says .
The challenges mean it will take longer to produce improvements in cattle , and smallholders will have less-robust information to use for breeding decisions .
“ What you can not measure , you can not improve , ” says Ekine .
Shorinola worries that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural research could ultimately extend beyond the disruptions he and others have experienced .
“ Although this has not happened yet , we anticipate that funders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new COVID-19 priorities , neglecting important agriculture research , ” he says .
He adds that while developing a vaccine against COVID-19 is very important , problems that affect food security such as locusts and a fungus known as wheat rust have not gone away during the pandemic .
To the contrary , he says , “ lockdown has exposed the vulnerability of our agriculture systems .
”

Although Uganda’s lockdown measures have been among the strictest in Africa, NaCRRI is far from alone. Other agricultural research institutes in Africa are also finding their...
“We have to work harder to implement our work plans to minimize the disruption of COVID-19 while adhering to the Ministry of Health guidelines and standard operating procedures,” says Godfrey Asea , NaCRRI’s director. The limited staffing has affected harvesting and planting activities, especially for cereals and pulses (beans, lentils, and other seeds that grow in pods).
It is strangely quiet at the National Crops Resources Research Institute in Namulonge, Uganda. Seventy percent of its 400 staff members have not reported for work since the country instituted a lockdown in March due to a partial furlough and government policies brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research slows down
As one of Uganda’s 16 agricultural research institutes under the National Agricultural Research Organisation, NaCCRI specializes in developing legumes, maize, rice, horticultural crops, and oil palm varieties adapted to the country’s climate, as well as pesticides and herbicides. It also offers quality control testing of consumer products related to agriculture. During the pandemic, it has suspended some research activities, such as stakeholder surveys, and its trainings and tours.
Planting season begins in March in Uganda, and some of the institute’s planned field experiments have either started late or aren’t being monitored as closely as usual due to disrupted working hours and reduced labor, says Asea.
To stop COVID-19’s spread, Uganda initially banned both private and public transport, so organizations had to provide means of travel for their essential workers. Although those restrictions have eased, many organizatons, including NaCCRI, are still providing transportation for staff members. A nightly curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. continues. “Moving staff to and from work is now expensive, while curfew restrictions have forced staff to work fewer hours,” says Asea. Sixteen of its graduate students have been forced to stop their research altogether, he adds; only the seven students who live at the institute have been able to continue. According to Asea, the changes “might disrupt timelines for near-release technologies such as new crop varieties for cassava, maize, and rice.”
Even as NaCCRI continues to offer limited quality control services for consumer products such as packed flour, milk, and soil, this work faces challenges, says Asea. In addition to the limitations posed by staffing shortages, “the lockdown on business has made it hard to access laboratory consumables. Reagents are getting depleted with no foreseeable opportunity to restock.”
On a positive note, he says, “the extra desk time created by the pandemic has also enabled scientists to engage more in scientific writing of journal articles and proposals.” And some laboratory work has continued. For instance, the nutrition and bioanalytical lab has maintained experiments on samples that were already collected in the field before the shutdown that are aimed at developing new crop strains including cassava, sweet potato, and sorghum, and food products such as maize flour, rice, and beans.
Scientists cut off from farms
In neighboring Tanzania, COVID-19 came during the rainy season. The resulting lockdown imposed by the government left researchers at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), a nonprofit based in the capital city of Dar es Salaam, counting their losses.
“Unfortunately, the rain did not wait for COVID-19, so we missed critical data that we were supposed to collect on our experiments,” says Victor Manyong, IITA director for Eastern Africa and agribusiness head for Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to overseeing local farmers, IITA maintains nine of its own research fields stationed across the country. The organization develops crops to improve yields, processes agriculture products to increase shelf life, and finds novel solutions to pests and diseases. But this year, “we could not go to the rural areas to see the farmers who are growing the crops,” which include cassava, maize, soya bean, cowpea, yam, banana, and plantain, he says. “Neither could we meet with the consumers in the urban areas to know exactly what was happening with agricultural sales.”
An IITA researcher collects soil for analysis from a banana research field in Arusha, Tanzania. IITA
Due to Tanzania’s lockdown and closure of universities, more than two dozen students from local universities who planned to come to IITA for hands-on experience could not travel to rural areas of the country to conduct their research, says Manyong. The students are now expected in September. Nine of the students who’d planned to visit IITA this spring wanted to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment to ward off a toxic fungus that affects maize. They missed the window for applying it to this year’s crop.
IITA had also planned to conduct training in aquaculture in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo, but the pandemic has stopped or delayed delivery of the cages it needed and of a huge quantity of imported fish feed, which was expired by the time it arrived. All told, Manyong says, it’s too soon to know the value of all that IITA has lost to the pandemic, but he expects it will be in the millions of dollars.
Another researcher affected by the confluence of the pandemic and growing season is Oluwaseyi Shorinola, a crop scientist based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, who has been working to increase the protein content in wheat varieties grown in Kenya and Ethiopia. His goal, he says, is to enable East African nations to grow more high-quality wheat and reduce their dependence on imported grain.
Working in the laboratory during the lockdown, he managed to finish crossing the best lines of these local grains to optimize them for grain size, protein content, and disease resistance. But pandemic restrictions have contributed to delays in testing his improved lines in the field during the main growing season, pushing that fieldwork to early next year, he says. That will mean he’ll need to apply for an extension to the fellowship from The Royal Society FLAIR that’s supporting the work, he adds.
Ansori Maré, a plant scientist at the University of the Free State in South Africa, is another researcher encountering delays with her wheat-breeding experiments. She has been working to develop new disease-resistant varieties, but due to South Africa’s lockdown, her laboratory and greenhouse work has completely stopped. With no crossed seeds to test, “planting the next season will be later this year, or we will lose a complete season and data collection,” she says. Such delays, she notes, also affect the students in the plant sciences department negatively, slowing the research projects needed to complete their postgraduate studies.
Since June 1, researchers at Maré’s university now have access to laboratories and the greenhouses again, although under strict rules and regulations aimed at minimizing infection risk. “At this stage, no unreplaceable losses were experienced, except time,” Maré says.
Difficulties collecting animal data
Chinyere Ekine, a statistical geneticist at ILRI in Nairobi, is working to improve milk yields in Africa using genetics and crossbreeding of cattle. “To do genetic improvements, we would need to measure traits over time, and keep a pedigree of the animals to know who the sire and dam are. Then you can crunch the numbers and pick out the best sire and dam with an average higher breeding value for the traits of interest so the next generation will be better than their parents’ previous generation on average,” she explains.
To that end, ILRI hires workers known as enumerators to collect data on traits from smallholder farmers in rural Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. They also encourage smallholder farmers to learn the importance of consistently collecting their own data for making informed decisions in the future such as which animals to keep or sell, and for determining the value of a farmer’s herd in order to help secure loans. Ekine’s team uses genetic information from animal hair that the enumerators collect along with other data to identify the best bulls for use in breeding via artificial insemination.
According to Ekine, enumerators used to reach the farmers once a month, but when COVID-19 struck in mid-March, people were not allowed to go out to rural communities. In addition to the official lockdown, there were fears that the virus could be transmitted from humans to farm animals, and people could not risk losing their livelihoods. The flow of data from the enumerators has significantly slowed as a result, she says.
“You need to collect data on milk, on growth, in a sequence. You need to follow the animal,” Ekine explains. “When you have missed this data, it’s an analysis lost.” To keep going, Ekine’s team gave farmers cell phone credit to help collect data on their phones, an additional cost that had not been part of the project initially and was not as effective as the enumerators’ data collection, she says. The challenges mean it will take longer to produce improvements in cattle, and smallholders will have less-robust information to use for breeding decisions. “What you cannot measure, you cannot improve,” says Ekine.
Shorinola worries that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural research could ultimately extend beyond the disruptions he and others have experienced. “Although this has not happened yet, we anticipate that funders might want to divert their resources to new COVID-19 priorities, neglecting important agriculture research,” he says.
He adds that while developing a vaccine against COVID-19 is very important, problems that affect food security such as locusts and a fungus known as wheat rust have not gone away during the pandemic. To the contrary, he says, “lockdown has exposed the vulnerability of our agriculture systems.”


thescientist--2020-08-06--Horizon Discovery introduces single cell RNAseq-linked CRISPR screening service

Horizon Discovery Group plc ( LSE : HZD ) ( `` Horizon '' , `` the Company '' , or `` the Group '' ) , a global leader in the application of gene editing and gene modulation for cell line engineering , today announced the addition of single cell RNAseq-linked pooled CRISPR screening to its CRISPR screening services portfolio .
The platform offers high-quality screening data and biological insight to address critical gaps in target identification and validation .
This launch is the result of a collaboration , announced in 2018 , to develop and apply this novel research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the development of future therapeutics .
The biological insight gained from Horizon ’ s single cell RNAseq-linked CRISPR screening platform could help researchers to gain further understanding into complex biological models and speed up the time from discovery to validation by integrating the effect of gene editing with complex gene expression mapping .
Horizon ’ s pooled format screens offer researchers access to highly robust whole-genome level analyses that yield quality data outputs .
Currently , it can be challenging to adequately multiplex the data from these screens to evaluate complex biological phenomena @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Coupling pooled CRISPR screening to single cell RNAseq allows the impact of CRISPR-based gene modification to be examined on a global transcriptomic scale at single cell resolution .
This could enable scientists to address critical gaps in target identification and validation as they work to develop new and more effective therapeutics .
“ Pooled CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens have become a linchpin in drug target identification and validation .
The development of our single cell RNAseq-linked pooled CRISPR screening service provides a substantial advance to Horizon ’ s screening capabilities , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Horizon Discovery .
“ Our continuing development of cutting-edge services , including CRISPR screens in primary human immune cells , means we can offer our customers unparalleled insights into the biology that will help to underpin future drug and cell-based therapeutics .
”

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thescientist--2020-08-05--Risk of Extinction Is Greatest for Large Herbivores: Study

Contrary to the established idea that large predators are particularly at risk of extinction , a study of more than 24,000 species of birds , mammals , and reptiles reveals that herbivores , especially the big-bodied varieties , live a more perilous existence .
The report appears today ( August 5 ) in Science Advances .
“ This paper raises our attention that herbivores , who play a fundamental role in nutrient cycling , forest regeneration , and other key ecosystem services , are extremely vulnerable to human activities , ” ecologist Mauro Galetti of the University of Miami who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an email to The Scientist .
There is a sobering number of animal species that have been driven to extinction , or close to it , by human activities such as hunting and habitat destruction .
A generally held view in the field of conservation biology is that top predators , such as tigers and polar bears , might be particularly at risk , says ecologist Trisha Atwood of Utah State University who led the work .
Indeed , Atwood herself works on such predators but , she says , she came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notion was flimsy .
There were a few papers on sharks or specific terrestrial predators , she explains , and “ everybody just took those papers as gospel .
.
.
and bought into the idea that it was predators [ that were at risk ] .
” But a broad analysis of the types of land animals most under threat was lacking .
“ That really motivated us ” to investigate , she says .
The team gathered data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The organization lists species that have recently disappeared and has made risk assessments for all living species of birds and mammals and for 70 percent of living reptiles .
The IUCN also has risk assessments for fish , amphibian , and insect species , but for these the lists are far from complete , says Atwood , so the team excluded this data from their study .
To see whether predators really were the terrestrial animals most at risk of extinction , the team compared the proportions of living herbivore , omnivore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at risk by the IUCN with the labels “ vulnerable , ” “ endangered , ” or “ critically endangered.
” To their surprise , it was the herbivores , with approximately 25 percent of species at risk , that came out on top—approximately 8 percent higher than the proportion of omnivores , and 10 percent higher than predators .
“ We were quite shocked when we got the results back , ” says Atwood .
But , no matter how they dissected the data—breaking them down by taxonomic group ( birds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or habitat—herbivores , in almost all cases , were the most vulnerable .
Even when the team looked at historical extinctions from the last 500 years listed by the IUCN and from the late Pleistocene documented in the literature they found herbivores were more likely to have disappeared than were omnivores or predators .
Atwood and colleagues went on to investigate drivers of extinction that might explain herbivores ’ particular susceptibility .
They found that body size positively correlated with extinction risk for all mammals and birds regardless of trophic group , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reptiles .
Although “ we know that herbivores overall tend to be larger bodied , ” says Atwood , “ that didn ’ t explain everything.
” So , the team also looked at the effects of human activities , including hunting , habitat alteration , and pollution , using species-specific anthropogenic-threat data from the IUCN .
For the most part , they were unable to make statistically strong links .
“ I ’ m going to be honest with you .
We were kinda stumped , ” says Atwood .
The inability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not let us off the hook , ” says ecologist Dave Hodgson of the University of Exeter who did not take part in the study , explaining that a likely explanation is that human influences are so multifarious and interwoven that the effects of individual ones are impossible to detect .
The study may not ultimately explain why herbivores are vulnerable , but , says Hodgson , “ the thrill of the paper is that it is claiming to overturn some fairly classically presumed truths : that it ’ s the predators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the most threatened.
” By challenging this preconception , he adds , “ it hopefully will provoke people to study herbivore extinction more deeply.
” T.B .
Atwood et al.
, “ Herbivores at the highest risk of extinction among mammals , birds , and reptiles , ” Sci Adv , 6 : eabb8458 , 2020 .

There is a sobering number of animal species that have been driven to extinction, or close to it, by human activities such as hunting and habitat destruction. A generally held view in the field of conservation biology is that top predators, such as tigers and polar...
“This paper raises our attention that herbivores, who play a fundamental role in nutrient cycling, forest regeneration, and other key ecosystem services, are extremely vulnerable to human activities,” ecologist Mauro Galetti of the University of Miami who was not involved in the research writes in an email to The Scientist.
Contrary to the established idea that large predators are particularly at risk of extinction, a study of more than 24,000 species of birds, mammals, and reptiles reveals that herbivores, especially the big-bodied varieties, live a more perilous existence. The report appears today (August 5) in Science Advances .
There were a few papers on sharks or specific terrestrial predators, she explains, and “everybody just took those papers as gospel . . . and bought into the idea that it was predators [that were at risk].” But a broad analysis of the types of land animals most under threat was lacking. “That really motivated us” to investigate, she says.
The thrill of the paper is that it is claiming to overturn some fairly classically presumed truths: that it’s the predators of this world—the sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed creatures—that are the most threatened. —Dave Hodgson, University of Exeter
The team gathered data from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on species extinction risk. The organization lists species that have recently disappeared and has made risk assessments for all living species of birds and mammals and for 70 percent of living reptiles. The IUCN also has risk assessments for fish, amphibian, and insect species, but for these the lists are far from complete, says Atwood, so the team excluded this data from their study.
To see whether predators really were the terrestrial animals most at risk of extinction, the team compared the proportions of living herbivore, omnivore, and predator species that were deemed at risk by the IUCN with the labels “vulnerable,” “endangered,” or “critically endangered.” To their surprise, it was the herbivores, with approximately 25 percent of species at risk, that came out on top—approximately 8 percent higher than the proportion of omnivores, and 10 percent higher than predators.
“We were quite shocked when we got the results back,” says Atwood. But, no matter how they dissected the data—breaking them down by taxonomic group (birds, mammals, reptiles), geographical area, or habitat—herbivores, in almost all cases, were the most vulnerable.
Even when the team looked at historical extinctions from the last 500 years listed by the IUCN and from the late Pleistocene documented in the literature they found herbivores were more likely to have disappeared than were omnivores or predators.
Atwood and colleagues went on to investigate drivers of extinction that might explain herbivores’ particular susceptibility. They found that body size positively correlated with extinction risk for all mammals and birds regardless of trophic group, as well as for herbivorous and omnivorous reptiles. Although “we know that herbivores overall tend to be larger bodied,” says Atwood, “that didn’t explain everything.” So, the team also looked at the effects of human activities, including hunting, habitat alteration, and pollution, using species-specific anthropogenic-threat data from the IUCN. For the most part, they were unable to make statistically strong links. “I’m going to be honest with you. We were kinda stumped,” says Atwood.
The inability to find particular human-caused correlates “certainly does not let us off the hook,” says ecologist Dave Hodgson of the University of Exeter who did not take part in the study, explaining that a likely explanation is that human influences are so multifarious and interwoven that the effects of individual ones are impossible to detect.
The study may not ultimately explain why herbivores are vulnerable, but, says Hodgson, “the thrill of the paper is that it is claiming to overturn some fairly classically presumed truths: that it’s the predators of this world—the sharp-toothed, sharp-clawed creatures—that are the most threatened.” By challenging this preconception, he adds, “it hopefully will provoke people to study herbivore extinction more deeply.”
T.B. Atwood et al., “Herbivores at the highest risk of extinction among mammals, birds, and reptiles,” Sci Adv, 6:eabb8458, 2020.


thescientist--2020-08-05--New Study Bumps Global Emperor Penguin Numbers by 10 Percent

High-resolution satellite imagery has documented the existence of 61 Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica , increasing the known number of colonies in the region by 20 percent .
The findings , published yesterday ( August 4 ) in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation , relied on streaks of the penguins ’ rusty red guano captured in images of sea ice taken from space .
While the bump in numbers is welcome news to conservationists , the findings come with the caveat that these new colonies , and indeed the species itself , are susceptible to climate change .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exciting discovery , ” Peter Fretwell , a geospatial analyst with the British Antarctic Survey ( BAS ) who led the research , tells The Guardian .
“ Whilst this is good news , the colonies are small , ” meaning they only increase the global population by 5–10 percent , amounting to roughly 278,500 breeding pairs worldwide .
These smaller colonies , consisting of a few hundred birds each , remained hidden prior to the advent of more powerful remote imaging technology .
Satellites couldn ’ t see them , and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ teams .
Three of the newly identified colonies had been initially reported by planes throughout the 1960s and 1980s , The Guardian reports , but the NASA Landsat satellites used at the time , with a resolution of 30 meters , could only confirm the presence of large colonies .
The European Space Agency launched its two 10-meter-resolution Sentinel-2 satellites in 2015 , allowing Fretwell and his colleagues to “ see things in much greater detail , and pick out much smaller things , ” he tells Science News .
The team targeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for possible colonies in the gaps between existing ones .
Of the 11 new colonies the team observed , eight had never been seen before and three were a confirmation of those previous sightings .
Two of the new colonies came as a surprise to researchers due to their location .
Emperor penguins are the only species to breed away from land , choosing to nest on temporary “ fast ice ” that forms over water and crowds the margins of continents or icebergs , according to BBC News .
But two of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far out at sea , an entirely new breeding habitat as far as scientists know .
The newly found breeding sites , the authors warn , are in areas where models have predicted Emperor penguins will decline because of climate change .
A previous study suggested that without interventions such as those put forth by the Paris Climate Agreement , that decline could top 80 percent by the year 2100 .
“ This story comes with a strong caveat because the newly discovered sites are not in what we call the refugia—areas with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea , ” Fretwell tells BBC News .
“ They are all in more northerly , vulnerable locations that will likely lose their sea-ice.
” In a press release , Phil Trathan , the head of conservation biology at the BAS and a coauthor on the study , says these smaller fringe colonies may therefore represent “ canaries in the coalmine ” for studying the effects of climate change on Emperor penguins .
“ We need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region @ @

“The [new colonies] are an exciting discovery,” Peter Fretwell, a geospatial analyst with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) who led the research, tells The Guardian . “Whilst this is good news, the colonies are small,” meaning they only increase the global population by 5–10 percent, amounting to roughly 278,500 breeding pairs worldwide.
The findings, published yesterday (August 4) in Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation , relied on streaks of the penguins’ rusty red guano captured in images of sea ice taken from space. While the bump in numbers is welcome news to conservationists, the findings come with the caveat that these new colonies, and indeed the species itself, are susceptible to climate change.
High-resolution satellite imagery has documented the existence of 61 Emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, increasing the known number of colonies in the region by 20 percent.
These smaller colonies, consisting of a few hundred birds each, remained hidden prior to the advent of more powerful remote imaging technology. Satellites couldn’t see them, and they are often remote and inaccessible to ground teams. Three of the newly identified colonies had been initially reported by planes throughout the 1960s and 1980s, The Guardian reports, but the NASA Landsat satellites used at the time, with a resolution of 30 meters, could only confirm the presence of large colonies.
The European Space Agency launched its two 10-meter-resolution Sentinel-2 satellites in 2015, allowing Fretwell and his colleagues to “see things in much greater detail, and pick out much smaller things,” he tells Science News. The team targeted the margins of the continent, looking for possible colonies in the gaps between existing ones. Of the 11 new colonies the team observed, eight had never been seen before and three were a confirmation of those previous sightings.
Two of the new colonies came as a surprise to researchers due to their location. Emperor penguins are the only species to breed away from land, choosing to nest on temporary “fast ice” that forms over water and crowds the margins of continents or icebergs, according to BBC News. But two of the colonies were anchored against grounded icebergs far out at sea, an entirely new breeding habitat as far as scientists know.
The newly found breeding sites, the authors warn, are in areas where models have predicted Emperor penguins will decline because of climate change. A previous study suggested that without interventions such as those put forth by the Paris Climate Agreement, that decline could top 80 percent by the year 2100.
“This story comes with a strong caveat because the newly discovered sites are not in what we call the refugia—areas with stable sea-ice, such as in the Weddell Sea and the Ross Sea,” Fretwell tells BBC News. “They are all in more northerly, vulnerable locations that will likely lose their sea-ice.”
In a press release, Phil Trathan, the head of conservation biology at the BAS and a coauthor on the study, says these smaller fringe colonies may therefore represent “canaries in the coalmine” for studying the effects of climate change on Emperor penguins. “We need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region.”


thescientist--2020-08-05--Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 with qPCR

Diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 with qPCR

SARS-CoV-2 has put unprecedented pressure on medical professionals , public health organizations , and the general public .
The accurate and timely diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is paramount to controlling the spread of this virus .
This , in turn , relies on the establishment of well-validated testing and detection measures to ensure rapid result dissemination without sacrificing sensitivity and specificity .
This virtual symposium , brought to you by The Scientist , will explore the limitations and challenges of current SARS-CoV-2 qPCR-based testing approaches , their root causes , and what can be learned for the future .
11:00 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by RT-qPCR Stephen Bustin , PhD qPCR data needs to be validated in a standardized manner .
In this talk , Dr. Bustin will address qPCR sensitivity , specificity , and efficiency , as well as comment on data robustness and how to best analyze qPCR-derived data for SARS-CoV-2 testing .
11:40 AM – Current standards and validations for SARS-CoV-2 testing Jim Huggett , PhD SARS-CoV-2 arrived in the different regions of the world at different times and in differing magnitudes .
As such , SARS-CoV-2 testing responses have been somewhat varied .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ QA/QC standards for qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 testing , discuss the limitations and challenges that have been encountered with regard to testing validation and standardization , and explore the root causes for these issues .
12:20 PM – Learning from a pandemic : How do we do it better ?
Mikael Kubista , PhD SARS-CoV-2 may be unparalleled in impact , but it is far from the first—or last—pandemic to afflict the world .
Here , Dr. Kubista will discuss the lessons to be learned from the preparations and responses to SARS-CoV-2 made by various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the world , as well as the necessary preparations for future waves of SARS-CoV-2 and for future pandemics .
Bustin , Huggett , and Kubista will be joined by colleagues Jo Vandesompele and Michael Pfaffl in an open question and answer session where they will address questions posed by the audience .
Stephen A. Bustin , PhD Professor of Molecular Medicine Faculty of Health , Education , Medicine and Social Care Anglia Ruskin University Jim F. Huggett , PhD Senior Lecturer , Analytical Microbiology School of Biosciences and Medicine University of Surrey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Biotechnology Czech Academy of Sciences Founder and Chairman of the Board TATAA Biocenter Jo Vandesompele , PhD Professor Department of Biomolecular Medicine Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Ghent University Michael W. Pfaffl , PhD Professor of Molecular Physiology Animal Physiology & Immunology School of Life Sciences Technical University of Munich

qPCR data needs to be validated in a standardized manner. In this talk, Dr. Bustin will address qPCR sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency, as well as comment on data robustness and how...
SARS-CoV-2 has put unprecedented pressure on medical professionals, public health organizations, and the general public. The accurate and timely diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection is paramount to controlling the spread of this virus. This, in turn, relies on the establishment of well-validated testing and detection measures to ensure rapid result dissemination without sacrificing sensitivity and specificity. This virtual symposium, brought to you by The Scientist, will explore the limitations and challenges of current SARS-CoV-2 qPCR-based testing approaches, their root causes, and what can be learned for the future.
11:40 AM – Current standards and validations for SARS-CoV-2 testing
Jim Huggett, PhD
SARS-CoV-2 arrived in the different regions of the world at different times and in differing magnitudes. As such, SARS-CoV-2 testing responses have been somewhat varied. Dr. Huggett will speak on the current QA/QC standards for qPCR-based SARS-CoV-2 testing, discuss the limitations and challenges that have been encountered with regard to testing validation and standardization, and explore the root causes for these issues.
12:20 PM – Learning from a pandemic: How do we do it better?
Mikael Kubista, PhD
SARS-CoV-2 may be unparalleled in impact, but it is far from the first—or last—pandemic to afflict the world. Here, Dr. Kubista will discuss the lessons to be learned from the preparations and responses to SARS-CoV-2 made by various nations, governments, and health entities across the world, as well as the necessary preparations for future waves of SARS-CoV-2 and for future pandemics.
1:00 PM – Open Panel Q&A Session
Bustin, Huggett, and Kubista will be joined by colleagues Jo Vandesompele and Michael Pfaffl in an open question and answer session where they will address questions posed by the audience.
Register Now
Meet the speakers:
Stephen A. Bustin, PhD
Professor of Molecular Medicine
Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care
Anglia Ruskin University
Jim F. Huggett, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Analytical Microbiology
School of Biosciences and Medicine
University of Surrey
Mikael Kubista, PhD
Head, Institute of Biotechnology
Czech Academy of Sciences
Founder and Chairman of the Board
TATAA Biocenter
Jo Vandesompele, PhD
Professor
Department of Biomolecular Medicine
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Ghent University
Michael W. Pfaffl, PhD
Professor of Molecular Physiology
Animal Physiology & Immunology
School of Life Sciences
Technical University of Munich
Symposium sponsors


thescientist--2020-08-04--MeTooSTEM Leader Admits to Faking Twitter Account

BethAnn McLaughlin , the controversial founder of the advocacy group MeTooSTEM , has confirmed that she fabricated an entire persona whom she used for years to communicate through Twitter .
In an apology issued through her lawyers to The New York Times , McLaughlin admitted to “ full responsibility for my involvement in creating the @ sciencing_bi Twitter account .
My actions are inexcusable .
I apologize without reservation to all the people I hurt.
” She added that she will be stepping away from leadership of MeTooSTEM , “ to ensure that it isn ’ t unfairly criticized for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be seeking mental health counseling .
The anonymous account , @ Sciencing_Bi , first began tweeting in 2016 , and over the years claimed to be a queer indigenous woman , a survivor of sexual harassment , and an anthropologist affiliated with Arizona State University ( ASU ) .
Through her seemingly candid stories about her own experiences , @ Sciencing_Bi built up a loyal following , including McLaughlin , who frequently acted as a go-between to help preserve @ Sciencing_Bi ’ s anonymity .
But after McLaughlin announced @ Sciencing_Bi ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , people began trying to identify her , and her story began to fall apart .
Scientists who had considered @ Sciencing_Bi an online friend turned from mourning her death to accusing McLaughlin of inventing her outright .
“ Creating a fake pseudonymous account and pretending various marginalized identities is wrong .
It ’ s evil , ” tweeted Jacquelyn Gill , a paleoecologist at the University of Maine who had been friendly with @ Sciencing_Bi .
@ Sciencing_Bi had earlier claimed to be one of several women harassed by former Harvard University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and frequently used Twitter to interact with other survivors .
When reports about him began to surface in the press , an anonymous complainant against Urton tells Buzzfeed News , @ Sciencing_Bi “ claimed she also had a title IX at Harvard against Urton and contacted me with a sob story about how much she suffered , while at the same time encouraging me to reach out to BethAnn.
” Leveraging a traumatic event to gain clout among survivors , the complainant added , “ is beyond messed up.
” In April , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitalized for COVID-19 , and she laid the blame at the feet of her supposed employer .
“ ASU kept teachers , staff and students on campus until April .
That ’ s well after we knew this was a killer disease .
Many got covid .
Including me , ” she shared in a May 23 tweet .
She continued to tweet from her sickbed , Heavy reports , sharing details about salary cuts ASU had levied during her illness .
Despite a period of recovery following the hospitalization , McLaughlin posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 31 ) from complications related to COVID-19 .
Her followers reacted with stunned disbelief that quickly morphed into anger directed at ASU for forcing teachers to work in unsafe conditions .
The incident comes at a time when schools worldwide are considering opening for in-person classes in the fall , and when indigenous communities in the US are being disproportionately affected by the virus .
See “ Study : Test College Students for Coronavirus Every Two Days ” It was during a subsequent memorial , held over Zoom by McLaughlin , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to Science .
Only a handful of people attended the service , and it quickly became clear that only McLaughlin claimed to have ever met the woman in person .
A reverse image search of @ Sciencing_Bi ’ s posts showed that many images were stock photos , and McLaughlin later admitted that the only image purporting to show a small part of @ Science_Bi ’ s face in profile was actually a picture of McLaughlin ’ s daughter , Gizmodo reports .
As more people began reaching out to ASU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify any faculty members who had died .
In a widely reported email statement released early this week , ASU spokesperson Gerardo Gonzales called the incident a likely hoax .
“ We looked into this over the weekend and were unable to verify any connection with the university .
We were in touch with several deans and faculty members and no one was able to identify the account or who might be behind it , ” Gonzales says .
In addition , he shared that ASU had transitioned to remote learning as early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any salary cuts during the pandemic .
Twitter suspended both the @ Sciencing_Bi account and McLaughlin ’ s own account , @ McLNeuro , by early Monday morning , telling Buzzfeed “ we ’ re aware of this activity and have suspended these accounts for violating our spam and platform manipulation policies.
” McLaughlin had initially denied running the @ Sciencing_Bi account .
In response to an email from a reporter at The Arizona Republic asking after the identity of @ Sciencing_Bi , Mclaughlin responded , “ To the extent that I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounts not associated with their names , I try to do that in good faith assuming they are authentic.
” Yet she had previously tweeted about sharing a bed with @ Sciencing_Bi .
Responding to similar questions sent by email from Buzzfeed , McLaughlin simply replied , “ I ’ m not going to dox anyone , ” referring to the practice of publishing identifying information on the internet .
McLaughlin , a neuroscientist , has become a polarizing figure in academia .
She established the sexual assault advocacy group MeTooSTEM in 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University the following year after being denied tenure ( despite a petition pushed by @ Sciencing_Bi urging her promotion ) .
However , fellow members of the organization ’ s leadership team began to resign over what they claimed was bullying behavior towards women of color and survivors of sexual assault , Buzzfeed reported in February .
People who interacted with @ Sciencing_Bi on Twitter or through private messages are now reacting with anger , horrified by what they say is blatant racism : a white woman impersonating a queer member of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Anna Fore Waymack , a PhD candidate at Cornell University , says her actions amount to “ digital redface , ” Inside Higher Ed reports .
“ This faking being Native has a long history of being tied to the actual theft of resources and land , ” Kim TallBear , a professor in native studies at the University of Alberta in Canada , tells BuzzFeed .
“ The fact that this woman thought she could get away with this tells you how little she understands about the actual state of affairs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” @ Science_Bi had once solicited Venmo donations using McLaughlin ’ s personal account , supposedly in order to protect her anonymity , according to Heavy , while Gizomodo reports that she also claimed to have received support from MeTooSTEM , although whether that support was financial remains unknown .
Some observers worry about what McLaughlin ’ s actions will mean for MeTooSTEM and the broader practice of women sharing their experiences anonymously through social media moving forward .
“ The need to end rape culture everywhere , including in STEM , remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence and gendered discrimination will continue , ” Chanda Prescod-Weinstein , a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire , tells Inside Higher Ed .
“ BethAnn didn ’ t start that movement , and no single person owns it .
”

The anonymous account, @Sciencing_Bi, first began tweeting in 2016, and over the years claimed to be a queer indigenous woman, a survivor of sexual harassment, and an anthropologist affiliated with Arizona State University (ASU). Through her seemingly candid stories about her own experiences, @Sciencing_Bi built up...
In an apology issued through her lawyers to The New York Times , McLaughlin admitted to “full responsibility for my involvement in creating the @sciencing_bi Twitter account. My actions are inexcusable. I apologize without reservation to all the people I hurt.” She added that she will be stepping away from leadership of MeTooSTEM, “to ensure that it isn’t unfairly criticized for my actions,” and that she will be seeking mental health counseling.
BethAnn McLaughlin, the controversial founder of the advocacy group MeTooSTEM, has confirmed that she fabricated an entire persona whom she used for years to communicate through Twitter.
But after McLaughlin announced @Sciencing_Bi’s death from COVID-19 several days ago, people began trying to identify her, and her story began to fall apart. Scientists who had considered @Sciencing_Bi an online friend turned from mourning her death to accusing McLaughlin of inventing her outright. “Creating a fake pseudonymous account and pretending various marginalized identities is wrong. It’s evil,” tweeted Jacquelyn Gill, a paleoecologist at the University of Maine who had been friendly with @Sciencing_Bi.
@Sciencing_Bi had earlier claimed to be one of several women harassed by former Harvard University archaeologist Gary Urton, Science reports, and frequently used Twitter to interact with other survivors. When reports about him began to surface in the press, an anonymous complainant against Urton tells Buzzfeed News, @Sciencing_Bi “claimed she also had a title IX at Harvard against Urton and contacted me with a sob story about how much she suffered, while at the same time encouraging me to reach out to BethAnn.” Leveraging a traumatic event to gain clout among survivors, the complainant added, “is beyond messed up.”
In April, @Sciencing_Bi shared that she had been hospitalized for COVID-19, and she laid the blame at the feet of her supposed employer. “ASU kept teachers, staff and students on campus until April. That’s well after we knew this was a killer disease. Many got covid. Including me,” she shared in a May 23 tweet. She continued to tweet from her sickbed, Heavy reports, sharing details about salary cuts ASU had levied during her illness.
Despite a period of recovery following the hospitalization, McLaughlin posted news of her death last Friday (July 31) from complications related to COVID-19. Her followers reacted with stunned disbelief that quickly morphed into anger directed at ASU for forcing teachers to work in unsafe conditions. The incident comes at a time when schools worldwide are considering opening for in-person classes in the fall, and when indigenous communities in the US are being disproportionately affected by the virus.
It was during a subsequent memorial, held over Zoom by McLaughlin, that @Sciencing_Bi story began to come apart, according to Science. Only a handful of people attended the service, and it quickly became clear that only McLaughlin claimed to have ever met the woman in person. A reverse image search of @Sciencing_Bi’s posts showed that many images were stock photos, and McLaughlin later admitted that the only image purporting to show a small part of @Science_Bi’s face in profile was actually a picture of McLaughlin’s daughter, Gizmodo reports.
As more people began reaching out to ASU for accountability, the university could not identify any faculty members who had died. In a widely reported email statement released early this week, ASU spokesperson Gerardo Gonzales called the incident a likely hoax. “We looked into this over the weekend and were unable to verify any connection with the university. We were in touch with several deans and faculty members and no one was able to identify the account or who might be behind it,” Gonzales says. In addition, he shared that ASU had transitioned to remote learning as early as March and had not carried out any salary cuts during the pandemic.
Twitter suspended both the @Sciencing_Bi account and McLaughlin’s own account, @McLNeuro, by early Monday morning, telling Buzzfeed , “we’re aware of this activity and have suspended these accounts for violating our spam and platform manipulation policies.”
McLaughlin had initially denied running the @Sciencing_Bi account. In response to an email from a reporter at The Arizona Republic asking after the identity of @Sciencing_Bi, Mclaughlin responded, “To the extent that I have people engage with me on Twitter using accounts not associated with their names, I try to do that in good faith assuming they are authentic.” Yet she had previously tweeted about sharing a bed with @Sciencing_Bi. Responding to similar questions sent by email from Buzzfeed, McLaughlin simply replied, “I’m not going to dox anyone,” referring to the practice of publishing identifying information on the internet.
McLaughlin, a neuroscientist, has become a polarizing figure in academia. She established the sexual assault advocacy group MeTooSTEM in 2018, and left her position at Vanderbilt University the following year after being denied tenure (despite a petition pushed by @Sciencing_Bi urging her promotion). However, fellow members of the organization’s leadership team began to resign over what they claimed was bullying behavior towards women of color and survivors of sexual assault, Buzzfeed reported in February.
People who interacted with @Sciencing_Bi on Twitter or through private messages are now reacting with anger, horrified by what they say is blatant racism: a white woman impersonating a queer member of the Hopi tribe and then killing her off. Anna Fore Waymack, a PhD candidate at Cornell University, says her actions amount to “digital redface,” Inside Higher Ed reports.
“This faking being Native has a long history of being tied to the actual theft of resources and land,” Kim TallBear, a professor in native studies at the University of Alberta in Canada, tells BuzzFeed. “The fact that this woman thought she could get away with this tells you how little she understands about the actual state of affairs for Native people in the United States.”
@Science_Bi had once solicited Venmo donations using McLaughlin’s personal account, supposedly in order to protect her anonymity, according to Heavy, while Gizomodo reports that she also claimed to have received support from MeTooSTEM, although whether that support was financial remains unknown.
Some observers worry about what McLaughlin’s actions will mean for MeTooSTEM and the broader practice of women sharing their experiences anonymously through social media moving forward. “The need to end rape culture everywhere, including in STEM, remains, and the struggle to end sexual violence and gendered discrimination will continue,” Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, tells Inside Higher Ed. “BethAnn didn’t start that movement, and no single person owns it.”


thescientist--2020-08-04--Does the Common Cold Protect You from COVID-19?

In labs all over the world lately , scientists working on COVID-19 have stumbled on an intriguing sort of finding again and again .
They ’ ve found that blood samples from healthy people who were never exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus contain reactive immune cells and targeted antibodies that could , perhaps , help stave off COVID-19 .
These people may—it is still just a hypothesis—possess some degree of pre-existing immunity .
If correct , it ’ s even possible that this immunity has saved thousands from the worst manifestations of this terrible disease .
Some of the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cells , the white blood cells that destroy infected cells in the body or help other parts of the immune system target an invading pathogen .
In one study originally published as a preprint on medRxiv April 22 , a group of scientists in Germany reported an intriguing result .
Out of 68 healthy donors who had been tested for prior exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and who were found to be negative , 24 of them had a small number of T cells in their blood that reacted when exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 spike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the virus ’ s exterior surface .
The study , which was later published in Nature July 29 , explains that the cells in question produced proteins on their surfaces , an indication of an immune response .
If that is indeed what ’ s going on here , one possible explanation would be that the healthy donors had been infected by another coronavirus relatively recently , perhaps one that causes a common cold , says coauthor Andreas Thiel , an immunologist at the Charité hospital , part of Universitätsmedizin Berlin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and SARS , human coronaviruses have been known for decades to cause what are usually much milder infections .
The specific viruses that cause these illnesses are found all around the world .
“ Although these viruses are not very similar [ to SARS-CoV-2 ] , the low degree of similarity is of course sufficient that the immune system , at least partly , is cross-reacting , which is a very normal thing , ” he says .
An earlier study in Nature on July 15 from Singapore reported that 23 patients who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years ago and a further 37 individuals who had never been found to have had SARS or COVID-19 possessed CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ killer T cells that reacted to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid ( N ) protein .
Lead author Nina Le Bert , an immunologist at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore , says that her paper chimes with Thiel ’ s work and a few other studies that have also found SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cells in blood from people who never had COVID-19 , or who were sampled before the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ August 4 ) also found SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cells in pre-pandemic blood samples from 25 healthy individuals .
In this case , the authors also mapped 142 specific points on the SARS-CoV-2 virus called epitopes associated with this activity .
This allowed them to show , in subsequent experiments , that the T cells also reacted when exposed to epitopes on common cold coronaviruses that were similar to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes , supporting the idea that previous exposure to these common viruses might leave our immune systems primed to respond to the novel coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really is protective against COVID-19 is tricky , Le Bert says .
“ You would need to study people before and after getting infected.
” See “ SARS-CoV-2-Reactive T Cells Found in Patients with Severe COVID-19 ” Le Bert adds that having some degree of immunity also does not mean that people definitely won ’ t get infected in the first place .
They may still experience mild symptoms , for example , as their immune system fends off the virus .
Thiel points out that reactive T cells could even produce the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harms the patient , for example , when someone experiences excessive inflammation or an inability to clear the virus .
“ Maybe particularly in the old people , having such cross-reactive T cells could be bad , ” he suggests .
Pre-existing immunity might not be limited to T cells .
A preprint published on medRxiv July 23 reports that SARS-CoV-2–reactive antibodies were found in blood samples taken from people in the UK between 2018 and early 2020 , before COVID-19 became widespread in the country .
Not only did the authors find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never had COVID-19 have IgG antibodies reactive with certain SARS-CoV-2 proteins , but further tests showed that these antibodies had a neutralizing effect on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein , which suggests that they might be able to restrict infection by the virus .
One of the most striking findings was that these antibodies were far more prevalent in children between the ages of 1 and 16 years old .
In fact , 60 percent of children had neutralizing IgG antibodies—an order of magnitude greater than the proportion of adults who were found to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beale , an immunologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London , remarked on Twitter that this particular result was completely unexpected— “ a kind of bombshell , ” as he put it .
In their preprint , the authors write that kids are generally more frequently exposed to other coronaviruses , such as those that cause common colds .
This could explain the prevalence of those IgG antibodies in their blood .
It is notable that , while Beale ’ s team detected IgG neutralizing antibodies in some of their subjects , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study by Thiel and his colleagues were found to have reactive IgG antibodies , though they did have reactive T cells .
The presence of neutralizing antibodies does not guarantee that these children are immune to COVID-19 but it does offer one possible explanation as to why children , generally speaking , experience milder symptoms when they catch the disease .
The findings are “ really interesting , ” says Sheena Cruickshank , an immunologist at the University of Manchester in the UK , via email .
She notes that , in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is protective against SARS-CoV-2 , IgA , was not detected in the healthy individuals unexposed to the new coronavirus .
That might mean any pre-existing immunity is limited .
The other big caveat is that immunity to common cold viruses is not thought to be very long-lasting for people , regardless of age , so it is debatable how durable a protective effect would be , she adds .
In Le Bert ’ s study , patients appeared to have retained reactive T cells for nearly two decades .
She and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has potentially significant implications : that immunity acquired through , say , a vaccine could last for many months or years .

Some of the first hints of pre-existing immunity came via T cells, the white blood cells that destroy infected cells in the body or help other parts of the immune system target an invading pathogen. In one study originally published as a preprint on medRxiv April 22, a group of scientists in Germany reported an intriguing result.
These people may—it is still just a hypothesis—possess some degree of pre-existing immunity. If correct, it’s even possible that this immunity has saved thousands from the worst manifestations of this terrible disease.
In labs all over the world lately, scientists working on COVID-19 have stumbled on an intriguing sort of finding again and again. They’ve found that blood samples from healthy people who were never exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus contain reactive immune cells and targeted antibodies that could, perhaps, help stave off COVID-19.
If that is indeed what’s going on here, one possible explanation would be that the healthy donors had been infected by another coronavirus relatively recently, perhaps one that causes a common cold, says coauthor Andreas Thiel, an immunologist at the Charité hospital, part of Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Besides more serious diseases such as COVID-19 and SARS, human coronaviruses have been known for decades to cause what are usually much milder infections. The specific viruses that cause these illnesses are found all around the world.
Immunity to common cold viruses is not thought to be very long-lasting for people, regardless of age, so it is debatable how durable a protective effect would be.
“Although these viruses are not very similar [to SARS-CoV-2], the low degree of similarity is of course sufficient that the immune system, at least partly, is cross-reacting, which is a very normal thing,” he says.
An earlier study in Nature on July 15 from Singapore reported that 23 patients who had caught the original SARS virus 17 years ago and a further 37 individuals who had never been found to have had SARS or COVID-19 possessed CD4+ helper T cells and CD8+ killer T cells that reacted to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein.
Lead author Nina Le Bert, an immunologist at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, says that her paper chimes with Thiel’s work and a few other studies that have also found SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cells in blood from people who never had COVID-19, or who were sampled before the pandemic.
A study in Science today (August 4) also found SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cells in pre-pandemic blood samples from 25 healthy individuals. In this case, the authors also mapped 142 specific points on the SARS-CoV-2 virus called epitopes associated with this activity.
This allowed them to show, in subsequent experiments, that the T cells also reacted when exposed to epitopes on common cold coronaviruses that were similar to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes, supporting the idea that previous exposure to these common viruses might leave our immune systems primed to respond to the novel coronavirus.
Determining whether the T cell activity really is protective against COVID-19 is tricky, Le Bert says. “You would need to study people before and after getting infected.”
Le Bert adds that having some degree of immunity also does not mean that people definitely won’t get infected in the first place. They may still experience mild symptoms, for example, as their immune system fends off the virus.
Thiel points out that reactive T cells could even produce the opposite result—a detrimental immune response that ultimately harms the patient, for example, when someone experiences excessive inflammation or an inability to clear the virus. “Maybe particularly in the old people, having such cross-reactive T cells could be bad,” he suggests.
Pre-existing immunity might not be limited to T cells. A preprint published on medRxiv July 23 reports that SARS-CoV-2–reactive antibodies were found in blood samples taken from people in the UK between 2018 and early 2020, before COVID-19 became widespread in the country.
Not only did the authors find that 15 out of 262 people who never had COVID-19 have IgG antibodies reactive with certain SARS-CoV-2 proteins, but further tests showed that these antibodies had a neutralizing effect on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which suggests that they might be able to restrict infection by the virus.
One of the most striking findings was that these antibodies were far more prevalent in children between the ages of 1 and 16 years old. In fact, 60 percent of children had neutralizing IgG antibodies—an order of magnitude greater than the proportion of adults who were found to have the same antibodies. Coauthor Rupert Beale, an immunologist at the Francis Crick Institute in London, remarked on Twitter that this particular result was completely unexpected—“a kind of bombshell,” as he put it.
In their preprint, the authors write that kids are generally more frequently exposed to other coronaviruses, such as those that cause common colds. This could explain the prevalence of those IgG antibodies in their blood.
It is notable that, while Beale’s team detected IgG neutralizing antibodies in some of their subjects, none of the healthy donors in the study by Thiel and his colleagues were found to have reactive IgG antibodies, though they did have reactive T cells.
The presence of neutralizing antibodies does not guarantee that these children are immune to COVID-19 but it does offer one possible explanation as to why children, generally speaking, experience milder symptoms when they catch the disease.
The findings are “really interesting,” says Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester in the UK, via email. She notes that, in the study, a different type of antibody that is protective against SARS-CoV-2, IgA, was not detected in the healthy individuals unexposed to the new coronavirus. That might mean any pre-existing immunity is limited. The other big caveat is that immunity to common cold viruses is not thought to be very long-lasting for people, regardless of age, so it is debatable how durable a protective effect would be, she adds.
In Le Bert’s study, patients appeared to have retained reactive T cells for nearly two decades. She and her colleagues write in their report that this has potentially significant implications: that immunity acquired through, say, a vaccine could last for many months or years.


thescientist--2020-08-04--UV Disinfection in the Age of SARS-CoV-2

UV radiation disinfects and decontaminates by modulating the bonds within biological molecules .
Different UV wavelengths have varying effects on @ @ @ @ @ the most effective wavelengths for specific microorganisms and macromolecules of interest can help optimize disinfection @ @ @ @ @ this white paper from Phoseon Technology to learn about • The difference between disinfection and @ @ @ @ @ wavelengths in the laboratory • How UV LEDs can inactivate the SARS-CoV-2 virus

UV radiation disinfects and decontaminates by modulating the bonds within biological molecules. Different UV wavelengths have varying effects on these bonds, so determining the most effective wavelengths for specific microorganisms and macromolecules of interest can help optimize disinfection and decontamination efficacy.
Download this white paper from Phoseon Technology to learn about


thescientist--2020-08-04--A Multi-omics Approach to Overcome Solid Tumor Drug Resistance

Cancer cells constantly evolve in response to acute and chronic stimuli .
Drug resistance is one product of this evolution @ @ @ @ @ drug-resistant states when exposed to pharmacological treatments .
How cancer cells reach drug resistance remains @ @ @ @ @ the California Institute of Technology implemented a multi-omics approach for characterizing drug resistance mechanisms using @ @ @ @ @ Download this research summary to find out how James Heath 's team used predictive single-cell @ @ @ @ @ to investigate changing cellular states in melanoma cells for the development of improved targeted therapies @

Cancer cells constantly evolve in response to acute and chronic stimuli. Drug resistance is one product of this evolution, as cells quickly adopt drug-resistant states when exposed to pharmacological treatments. How cancer cells reach drug resistance remains unclear, so researchers from the California Institute of Technology implemented a multi-omics approach for characterizing drug resistance mechanisms using IsoPlexis’ single-cell proteomics.
Download this research summary to find out how James Heath's team used predictive single-cell functional proteomic and metabolic assays to investigate changing cellular states in melanoma cells for the development of improved targeted therapies.


thescientist--2020-08-04--DNASTAR Releases Lasergene 17.1 Software

In response to customer requests , DNASTAR has expanded MegAlignTM Pro , the multiple sequence alignment program , to include sequence editing capabilities such as trimming and reverse complement , as well as expanded phylogenetic analysis options .
The software now offers an easy-to-use interface for creating Maximum Likelihood trees and bootstrapping calculations .
For users working with sequencing data , Lasergene 17.1 includes many new enhancements for Sanger , Next Generation , and long read sequencing technologies .
This release expands on the new SeqMan® Ultra application , which was launched earlier this year , to include support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single project .
DNASTAR has also added new workflows to support de novo genome assembly with PacBio and Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing data , with or without Illumina correction .
Other enhancements include a new viral-host integration workflow that automates the precise locating of prophage and retrovirus insertion sites in a host genome during alignment .
The software also includes new capabilities for batch cloning , expanding on the ever-popular SeqBuilder Pro application for cloning and plasmid map creation and saving users time when cloning multiple fragments or working with multiple vector sequences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and genomics features in Lasergene 17.1 highlights DNASTAR ’ s commitment to serving researchers working in a wide range of fields and with diverse technologies .
DNASTAR Marketing Manager Katie Maxfield said , “ with Lasergene 17.1 , we wanted to address customer requests for automation and enhanced sequence analysis , while at the same time , meet the needs of a changing sequencing market .
This release continues our legacy of helping molecular biology researchers tackle their most pressing sequence analysis needs with elegant , scalable and easy-to-use software .
”

In response to customer requests, DNASTAR has expanded MegAlignTM Pro, the multiple sequence alignment program, to include sequence editing capabilities such as trimming and reverse complement, as well as expanded phylogenetic analysis options. The software now offers an easy-to-use interface for creating Maximum Likelihood trees and bootstrapping calculations.
For users working with sequencing data, Lasergene 17.1 includes many new enhancements for Sanger, Next Generation, and long read sequencing technologies. This release expands on the new SeqMan® Ultra application, which was launched earlier this year, to include support for multiple sample analysis and visualization in a single project. DNASTAR has also added new workflows to support de novo genome assembly with PacBio and Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing data, with or without Illumina correction.
Other enhancements include a new viral-host integration workflow that automates the precise locating of prophage and retrovirus insertion sites in a host genome during alignment. The software also...