Your level of social anxiety may be related to this gene | Expo Daily

Your level of social anxiety may be related to this gene

Social networks reflect interactions between individuals and are important for humans and other animal species. An individual's position in a social network is determined by how many connections they have and to whom they are connected. This effect has been found to be heritable in many species, however, the genetic contributions that influence social network structure are still poorly understood.

Recently, a study published in Nature Communications described a gene in fruit flies that regulates social network structure. This gene may determine the level of centrality of fruit flies in their social networks, that is, "betweenness centrality." They named the gene "Kevin Bacon degree" (dokb) after an online game, in which all the social connections of celebrities can be traced back to the actor Kevin Bacon. They found that lowering the expression of dokb can reduce the betweenness centrality of fruit flies, and a specific copy of this gene can be exchanged between different strains of fruit flies, which will affect the betweenness centrality of the group.

Image source: pexels

The steamed buns were moldy, so I peeled them and steamed them before eating.

Will it work?

Steamed buns are the staple food of many people in northern China. However, many people, especially the older generation, always think that "if the steamed buns are moldy, just peel them and fry them and you can still eat them"; some people even peel the moldy buns and expose them to the sun, thinking that "it's fine if they dry, and it won't hurt you to eat them."

But it is really not recommended to eat moldy steamed buns! Moldy steamed buns will grow molds such as Aspergillus flavus, green mold, and Aspergillus niger. These molds will secrete corresponding toxic substances. After eating, mild symptoms of gastrointestinal discomfort such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and diarrhea may occur. If the intake is large, more serious food poisoning reactions may occur, such as dizziness, headache, coma, etc., and may even lead to death.

When we see mold on a certain part of the steamed bread, it often means that the mold spores produced by the moldy part (mold spore sac) have already existed on the whole food. Moreover, the toxins produced by mold are often odorless and colorless, and it is difficult for us to distinguish them with our naked eyes and nose. Therefore, as long as the food is moldy, those parts where the mold spots cannot be seen are likely to have mold distribution.

Although high temperature can theoretically kill molds or inactivate the toxins they produce, some molds and toxins are very insensitive to high temperatures. For example, aflatoxin is very heat-resistant and usually needs to reach 280°C to be destroyed. Ordinary steaming and exposure to the sun cannot reach the destruction temperature at all.

Image source: veer gallery

In order to “grow vegetables” as soon as possible!

Chang'e 6 heads to the far side of the moon to dig soil

On May 3, 2024, at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in China, the Long March 5 carrier rocket successfully sent China's Chang'e 6 probe on its journey to the moon! The Chang'e 6 complex weighs 8.2 tons and is the most complex and heaviest probe in the history of human unmanned lunar exploration. It consists of four major parts: an orbiter, a returner, a lander, and an ascender. The core mission of the Chang'e 6 probe is to collect lunar soil samples from the back of the moon and bring them back to Earth , which will be an unprecedented great achievement in human spaceflight. The Chang'e 6 probe must achieve a series of difficult operations such as braking the complex around the moon, soft landing on the moon, collecting lunar soil samples, rendezvous and docking over the moon, returning to Earth and landing. Its orbiter, lander, and ascender all need to carry independent but complex propulsion systems with different functions. The entire probe has five separation planes, which means multiple separations and dockings, and most of the actions must be carried out near the moon or even behind the moon. The difficulty of implementation is far greater than previous missions. It can be said that it is the most difficult unmanned lunar exploration for humans. China's manned lunar landing project is also advancing rapidly, with the overall goal of landing Chinese people on the moon before 2030. At present, various systems are being developed and constructed as planned, and major flight products such as the heavy-duty lunar launch vehicle, Mengzhou manned spacecraft, Lanyue lunar lander, and lunar suit have completed the development of schemes, and are in full swing of prototype product production and various tests.

Image source: People's Daily

Why is the lavender purple of the Paris Olympic track so noble?

There are less than 100 days until the 33rd Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, France. This Olympics has a special feature: the stadium hosting the track and field competition will use a purple track, reminiscent of the lavender in Provence.

Purple is not rare in nature, but it was once extremely difficult for humans to obtain purple pigments or dyes. The earliest history of human use of purple pigments can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, but it was not until around 1500 BC that the Phoenicians discovered that the mucus secreted by snails could be made into purple dye. However, it took about 10,000 snails to produce about 1 gram of dye, and only kings and nobles could afford it, making purple a symbol of nobility.

Ancient China also tried to conquer purple. The "Chinese purple" or "Han purple" on the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shihuang was a synthetic pigment. As time went on, humans gradually mastered more techniques for making purple pigments. In the 19th century, German scientists extracted ammonium violurate from guano mines discovered in Peru, which was an important purple dye at the time. However, this dye easily faded, prompting scientists to seek more stable purple pigments.

In 1856, British scientist William Perkin accidentally discovered aniline purple when he was trying to synthesize quinine. This was the world's first synthetic dye . It was not only cheap but also not easy to fade. Since then, purple has entered thousands of households.

Is the sun's aging process irreversible?

In the night sky, there is a star called Arcturus, which is between 6 billion and 8 billion years old. Now, the hydrogen fuel in its core is exhausted, and it begins to expand and cool, becoming a red giant. About 5 billion years later, the sun will also face the same "fate".

The content is compiled from China Science Expo Weibo, Science Rumors, Science Academy, Global Science, Bring Science Home, CCTV Documentary Weibo

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