video bwCMM

[00:00:03][music] >> The climate crisis could fuel further [music] pandemics.

[00:00:10]As the Earth's climate continues to warm, scientists [music] predict that wild animals will be forced to shift their habitats.

[00:00:19]They will [music] likely migrate into regions with large human populations, >> [music] >> drastically increasing the risk of zoonotic viruses being transmitted to humans.

[00:00:31]This could lead to another [music] pandemic.

[00:00:34]In their work, the scientists conducted the [music] first comprehensive assessment of how climate change will affect the global [music] set of mammalian viruses.

[00:00:45]The analysis focuses on the migrations that species will undertake as they travel to different regions of the world in search [music] of new habitats.

[00:00:56]Because these migrations represent [music] the first encounters between different species, scientists predict that thousands [music] of viruses could be passed on to each other.

[00:01:08]New research [music] conducted by an international team of scientists led [music] by scientists from Georgetown University on the link between climate change and virus [music] transmission has been published in the journal Nature.

[00:01:24]According to the authors, animal [music] migrations create greater opportunities for viruses like Ebola [music] and coronaviruses to emerge in new areas.

[00:01:36]This makes them [music] more difficult to track and facilitates the viruses transition to humans.

[00:01:44]Similar threats [music] are associated with the wildlife trade, says the study's lead [music] author, Dr. Colin Carlson, assistant professor at the Center [music] for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University Medical Center.

[00:02:01]Collecting animals [music] outside their natural habitat creates opportunities for disease development. [music] This was similar to what happened with SARS, which spread from bats to civets and then from civets to humans. [music] However, the wildlife trade itself is no longer unique.

[00:02:22]In the era [music] of climate change, such processes will occur in nature almost everywhere, explains [music] Carlson.

[00:02:31]Worryingly, animal habitats will shift into areas [music] occupied by human settlements, creating new hotspots where threats could [music] spread.

[00:02:42]Many of these processes may already be occurring in the world today, [music] and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions may not [music] prevent their development and interdependence.

[00:02:55]Another [music] important finding is the impact that rising temperatures will have on bats, which are responsible for most [music] of the transmission of new viruses to humans.

[00:03:07]Their ability to fly allows [music] them to travel long distances and carry the largest number of pathogens.

[00:03:14]The greatest threat is predicted for Southeast Asia, >> [music] >> known for its bat diversity.

[00:03:21]At every stage, the simulations surprised us.

[00:03:26]We spent years double-checking the results >> [music] >> using new data and assumptions.

[00:03:32]Yet the models always led us to these [music] conclusions.

[00:03:37]It's a truly astonishing example of how accurately we can predict the future if we try, [music] Carlson says.

[00:03:45]Viruses are beginning to jump between species at an unprecedented rate.

[00:03:51]>> [music] >> The impact on conservation and human health could be staggering. [music] This mechanism provides another clue as to how climate change is increasing threats to human and animal [music] health, says study co-author Dr. Gregory Albery of the Department [music] of Biology at Georgetown University College of Arts and Sciences. [music] It's not known exactly how these new viruses might affect the species they infect.

[00:04:22]However, [music] it's likely that many of them will pose new threats to wildlife conservation and contribute [music] to the emergence of new disease outbreaks in humans, Albery [singing] emphasizes.

[00:04:36]>> [music] >> Research suggests that climate change will become the biggest risk factor [music] for the emergence of new diseases.

[00:04:44]According to the researchers, animal migration poses [music] a greater threat than more established issues, such as deforestation, the wildlife trade, [music] and industrial agriculture.

[00:04:57]The authors argue that [music] the solution lies in combining wildlife disease surveillance with real-time studies of environmental changes.

[00:05:06][music] When the Brazilian fruit bat reaches the Appalachians, we need to find out what viruses are accompanying it, Carson [music] says.

[00:05:17]Trying to detect these migrations in real [music] time is the only way to prevent the spread of new viruses and a possible pandemic, he explains.

[00:05:29]The COVID-19 [music] pandemic, as well as the earlier spread of SARS, Ebola, and Zika, [music] demonstrate the dramatic impacts that viruses can have when they jump from animals to humans.

[00:05:43]To predict how this happens, we need to understand how [music] pathogens spread among animals, says Sam Scheiner, program director at the US National Science Foundation, NSF, which funded the research.

[00:05:59]This research [music] demonstrates how animal movements and interactions caused [music] by climate warming can increase the number of viruses transmitted between species, explains Scheiner.

[00:06:13]>> [music] >> Scientists have adapted stomach to produce insulin.

[00:06:18]Stem cells derived [music] from human stomach tissue can be reprogrammed into insulin-secreting cells similar to those in the [music] pancreas, known as beta cells.

[00:06:31]Scientists [music] have shown in experiments that transplanting small groups of these cells [music] reverse diabetes symptoms in mice.

[00:06:40]Insulin [music] is a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.

[00:06:46]Without it, blood glucose levels become too high, [music] leading to diabetes and its numerous complications.

[00:06:55]High glucose levels are [music] caused by a malfunction of the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin.

[00:07:01][music] In type 1 diabetes, beta cells [music] are destroyed by the immune system.

[00:07:09]As a result, the ability to produce insulin is lost.

[00:07:14]In type [music] 2 diabetes, tissue sensitivity to insulin is reduced.

[00:07:21]This causes the body to demand [music] increased insulin production, which exceeds the capacity of the beta cells.

[00:07:29]As [music] a result, beta cells do not function properly and insulin levels in the body decrease, although insulin is still produced. [music] Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

[00:07:46]In a study published in Nature Cell Biology, [music] scientists from Weill Cornell Medicine in the US have shown that human stomach stem cells can be directly transformed [music] into cells similar to pancreatic beta cells with strikingly high efficiency.

[00:08:04]Scientists [music] have successfully harvested stomach stem cells and modified them to produce insulin in [music] response to elevated blood sugar levels.

[00:08:15]Normally, insulin secretion is handled by the beta cells [music] of the pancreas.

[00:08:22]However, in people with diabetes, these cells are either damaged or die completely, which, of course, impacts the body's [music] overall health.

[00:08:33]Interestingly, at the embryonic stage, cells from both the pancreas [music] and stomach are adjacent. So, certain possibilities were to be expected.

[00:08:44]Moreover, >> [music] >> the stomach has its own cells capable of secreting hormones.

[00:08:50]Hence, the idea [music] to study stomach cells to find a potential therapy for diabetes.

[00:08:57]Furthermore, by collecting [music] these cells from a diabetic, the risk of rejection of the resulting structures could be eliminated.

[00:09:06]>> [music] >> While this all sounds promising in theory, for years scientists have been unable to reprogram stomach stem cells to [music] secrete insulin in response to rising blood sugar levels.

[00:09:21]>> [music] >> They achieved this by activating three proteins responsible for gene expression. [music] In further studies, the cells began to demonstrate [music] glucose sensitivity, confirming that the researchers were on the right track.

[00:09:37]But, does this [music] solution actually work?

[00:09:41]The researchers decided to test [music] this by implanting the modified cells into rodents suffering from a mouse model of diabetes.

[00:09:51]Above all, they functioned [music] remarkably stably throughout the entire observation period.

[00:09:58]And most [music] importantly, they were able to not only halt the progression of diabetes, [music] but also reverse its effects.

[00:10:07]It's probably [music] undeniable that this could represent a huge opportunity for diabetics.

[00:10:14]However, >> [music] >> several challenges will still need to be addressed.

[00:10:19]First and foremost, >> [music] >> the researchers emphasized the fact that there are significant differences between human and mouse stomach tissues [music] that must be taken into account.

[00:10:30][singing] Furthermore, >> [music] >> it will be necessary to ensure that the new insulin-secreting tissues themselves become more resistant to immune [music] system attacks.

[00:10:42]This is a proof-of-concept study and gives us a solid [music] foundation to work on therapies for type 1 and type 2 [music] diabetes based on patients' own cells.

[00:10:54]Said study [music] co-author Dr. >> [singing] >> Joe Dubrov of Cornell Medicine.

[00:10:59]AlphaStar's [music] artificial intelligence defeated 99.8% of players in StarCraft II.

[00:11:07]>> [music] >> The artificial intelligence known as AlphaStar, created by Google-affiliated [music] company DeepMind, outperformed 99.8% of [music] human players in the real-time strategy game StarCraft II.

[00:11:23]>> [music] >> AlphaStar advanced to the rank of Grandmaster, placing [music] it among the very top players.

[00:11:30]In recent years, machine learning experts have demonstrated that [music] AI algorithms can dominate games that represent more traditional tests of human skill.

[00:11:42]>> [music] >> Duels between algorithms and masters of their disciplines in various logic and strategy games have been ongoing [music] for years.

[00:11:52]It began with the defeat of chess champion [music] Garry Kasprov [singing] in 1997.

[00:11:59]Top poker players [music] have also failed to cope with AI.

[00:12:04]Masters of Go have also fallen.

[00:12:07]Now, another [music] frontier is being broken.

[00:12:12]AI has found itself among the elite players of StarCraft [music] II.

[00:12:17]StarCraft II is a hugely popular real-time strategy game set in a science-fiction world. [music] Players manage resources, build infrastructure, and amass massive armies to defeat their opponents.

[00:12:33]>> [music] >> Players must balance short-term and long-term gains.

[00:12:39]Professionals play [music] at breakneck speeds, performing over 300 actions per minute.

[00:12:46]A description of the research [music] on AlphaStar was published in the journal Nature.

[00:12:52]>> [music] >> The machine learning techniques underpinning DeepMind's AI rely on artificial neural networks that [music] learn to recognize patterns from large data sets rather than being [music] given specific instructions.

[00:13:07]Using AI to create a sequence [music] of complex predictions could be useful in real-world applications, such as climate modeling or [music] autonomous driving.

[00:13:19]Ever since computers cracked Go, chess, and poker, StarCraft [music] has emerged as the next great challenge.

[00:13:28]The game's complexity [music] is significantly greater than chess because players control [music] hundreds of units.

[00:13:36]The game is also more complex than Go [music] because there are 1,026 possible choices for each [music] move.

[00:13:44]Furthermore, players have less information about their opponents than in [music] poker, said David Silver of DeepMind, co-founder of AlphaStar.

[00:13:55]AlphaStar's first clashes with professional StarCraft players took place in December 2018. [music] In a series of test matches in the lab, the algorithms [music] defeated two top-tier players.

[00:14:10]However, this demonstration wasn't a fair fight. [music] The algorithms possessed superhuman speed and precision, and they also had full map [music] visibility.

[00:14:22]Before the research team released AlphaStar from the lab onto the European StarCraft [music] II servers, they limited the AI's reflexes to human levels to make the games more fair.

[00:14:36]They also leveled the playing field by removing AlphaStar's map [music] view.

[00:14:42]In July, players received a notification that they could consent [music] to a potential battle with the AI.

[00:14:50]To extract [music] reliable data from the experiment, DeepMind scientists masked AlphaStar's identity.

[00:14:58]In StarCraft [music] II, players can compete as one of three races, each with distinct [music] characteristics.

[00:15:07]DeepMind created three versions of AlphaStar, each specializing [music] in one of these races.

[00:15:15]The algorithms were trained [music] on recordings of nearly a million games played by human players.

[00:15:22]The three versions [music] then played each other and other AIs, which acted as [music] sparring partners.

[00:15:29]Training continued for 44 days with thousands [music] of games played.

[00:15:35]AlphaStar's algorithms honed their skills by playing [music] independently.

[00:15:41]They then competed against each other and other AIs.

[00:15:46]>> [music] >> Finally, they were allowed [singing] to compete against human players in online competitions.

[00:15:53]All three [music] versions quickly rose to the top league, reaching Grandmaster level. [music] The AI outperformed 99.8% of human players.

[00:16:05]>> [music] >> DeepMind representatives admitted that there are still around 100 people [music] on European servers who can beat AlphaStar.

[00:16:15]Water vapor discovered in Europa's thin atmosphere.

[00:16:20]Observations using the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed the persistent presence [music] of water vapor on Jupiter's icy moon Europa.

[00:16:30]Interestingly, the analysis [music] revealed that water vapor in the thin atmosphere is present only [music] on one side of the moon.

[00:16:40]Europa, one of [music] Jupiter's [singing] 79 moons, is Jupiter's fourth largest moon and the sixth largest moon in the solar system.

[00:16:50]It is an icy ball larger [music] than the dwarf planet Pluto, but slightly smaller than Earth's moon.

[00:16:57]Europa's [music] surface experiences frigid conditions with an average temperature of minus 170° C.

[00:17:07]However, [music] astronomers suspect that Europa harbors a vast ocean beneath its icy crust, perhaps holding twice as much water as Earth's oceans.

[00:17:19]Thanks to the temperature emanating from the moon's interior, the oceans may provide conditions conducive to complex chemical reactions.

[00:17:29]Some [music] researchers speculate that microbial life may exist there.

[00:17:35]Now, a team of scientists has discovered evidence of persistent water vapor in Europa's thin atmosphere.

[00:17:43]Previous reports of water vapor on Europa were related to plume activity.

[00:17:50]Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope in 2013 and newly analyzed data [music] from the Galileo spacecraft in 2018 confirmed that the plumes of water vapor are spewing plumes [music] of water vapor into space.

[00:18:07]The new observations of the persistent presence [music] of water vapor in Europa's thin atmosphere have been published in Geophysical Research Letters.

[00:18:18]>> [music] >> This discovery is the result of a new analysis of archival images taken by [music] the Hubble Space Telescope between 1999 and 2015.

[00:18:31]Using [music] a technique developed by Lorenz Roth of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, >> [music] >> which recently led to the discovery of water vapor in the atmosphere [music] of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, researchers found evidence of the persistent presence of water vapor on Europa.

[00:18:49]The time scale [music] of the analyzed images suggests a long-term presence of water vapor.

[00:18:56]Previously, Europa's thin atmosphere was thought to consist [music] solely of oxygen, but detailed analysis of archival data recorded by the Space Telescope [music] Imaging Spectrograph, STIS, on the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that water vapor hovers just above Europa's surface. [music] However, this water vapor is not evenly distributed across the [music] entire surface, but is present only on one half of the moon, the one facing away from the moon's orbital [music] direction.

[00:19:30]The reason for this asymmetry is not [music] entirely clear.

[00:19:34]Observing water vapor on Ganymede and on the backside of Europa [music] allows us to better understand the atmospheres of the icy moons, Roth said.

[00:19:45]However, [music] detecting stable water on Europa is somewhat more surprising than on Ganymede [music] because Europa's surface temperatures are lower than those on Ganymede, he added.

[00:19:58]Scientists [music] explain the presence of water vapor on the surface of Europa >> [music] >> and Ganymede by the sublimation of water ice, i.e., the transition of ice directly from the solid state [music] to water vapor, bypassing the liquid phase.

[00:20:15]Scientists [music] will soon have the opportunity to learn more about Europa and other icy [music] moons in the solar system.

[00:20:24]The Europa Clipper mission is scheduled to launch this year and will conduct an in-depth study [music] of the icy moon.

[00:20:33]The spacecraft will carry nine scientific instruments, including cameras and spectrometers [music] for high-resolution imaging of the lunar surface, a magnetometer to measure the strength [music] and direction of the magnetic field, and an ice-penetrating radar to determine [music] the thickness of the icy crust above the ocean.

[00:20:54]During its mission, the spacecraft will make 40 to 45 flybys [music] of Europa, examining the moon's icy crust and subsurface ocean, providing data [music] essential for assessing Europa's environment.

[00:21:10]But this isn't the only mission [music] heading to Europa.

[00:21:14]The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons [music] Explorer, JUICE, launched in 2022 and will study the atmosphere and magnetosphere [music] of Jupiter and three of its moons, Europa, Callisto, [music] and Ganymede.

[00:21:31]The satellite will cover a distance of 600 million kilometers and enter Jupiter's orbit in 2029. [music] JUICE will conduct observations for at least three years.

[00:21:53]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Ooh.

[00:23:05]Ooh.

[00:23:07]Ooh.

[00:23:10]Ooh.

[00:23:12]Ooh.

[00:23:15]Ooh.

[00:23:17]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:23:20]Ooh.

[00:23:23]Ooh.

[00:23:25]Ooh.

[00:23:28]Ooh.

[00:23:30]Ooh.

[00:23:33]Ooh.

[00:23:35]Ooh.

[00:23:38]Ooh.

[00:23:39]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:23:43]Ooh.

[00:23:45]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:23:48]Ooh.

[00:23:51]Ooh.

[00:23:53]Ooh. [music] Ooh.

[00:23:58]Ooh.

[00:24:01]Ooh.

[00:24:02]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:24:06]Ooh.

[00:24:09]Ooh.

[00:24:11]Ooh.

[00:24:14]Ooh.

[00:24:15]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:24:19]Ooh.

[00:24:21]Ooh.

[00:24:24]Ooh.

[00:24:27]Ooh.

[00:24:29]Ooh.

[00:24:31]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:24:34]Ooh.

[00:24:37]Ooh.

[00:24:39]Ooh.

[00:24:42]Ooh.

[00:24:43]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:24:47]Ooh.

[00:24:50]Ooh.

[00:24:52]Ooh.

[00:24:54]>> [music] >> Ooh.

[00:24:57]Ooh.

[00:25:06]>> [music] >> Hey.