Aurora magazine

Climate change is changing us in many ways, perhaps even in terms of fertility. The proof is an international study that analyzed how we are adapting to the changing planet. The climate is changing our economy, food and even the number of children we do. Does the phenomenon have only social or even biological reasons?

The study was published in Environmental Research Letters. Inside, the authors analyze various fertility issues: infant mortality, longevity, gender gap. They used a quantitative model combined with economic and demographic data. To make the study more reliable, they took as an example two existing countries and their economies: Colombia and Switzerland. In particular, they focused on how climate change changed their demographics.

The model prepared by the team follows some individuals from childhood to adulthood, all in a disarranging ecosystem. In the model, we see how climate change affects agriculture, with disastrous results especially in the poorest countries. Parents must therefore decide how to manage declining resources in order to survive and guarantee a decent life for their children. Based on the decisions taken, the future of the offspring changes.

The results of the analysis have been disheartening from all points of view. According to scientists, the gradual decline in resources could cause a decline both in the upbringing of children in their numbers. This means that there will be fewer and fewer children and that there will probably be more and more differences between rich and poor countries.

Source: phys.org

Eating nuts in pregnancy makes the child smarter. This was stated by a study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), which found a link between dried fruit and neural development. The researchers involved over 2200 mothers with their children. During the first trimester, the women completed a questionnaire regarding daily habits and nutrition. One of the questions also concerned the amount of nuts eaten each day. After giving birth, the researchers analyzed children's development.

The children did tests at 18 months, 5 years and 8 years. They cross the data and a correlation emerged between the nuts eaten during pregnancy and the child's intelligence. Women who had eaten lots of nuts during the first trimester had children with better test results. Babies have been shown to have better memory and higher cognitive functions.

The umpteenth proof of how much nutrition during pregnancy is decisive for fetal development. Not just nuts, though. Peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios and pine nuts have proved equally beneficial in the long run. It is probably largely due to folic acid, of which these foods are rich. Dried fruit is also rich in omega-3 and omega-6, other substances beneficial for neural tissues, particularly for the frontal areas of the brain.

This could explain why the children in question have a better memory than average. How many nuts should you eat to get these benefits? According to the study, 30 grams of dried fruit would be enough 3 times a week. We are just below the quantities recommended by nutritionists around the world.

Source: isglobal.org/en

About 80% of children with autism spectrum disorders suffer from insomnia. Why has always been a mystery, just like the very cause of the disorders. A new study by Washington State University may have found the cause of these sleep disorders. If confirmed, they could develop new treatments to alleviate this problem. There is a link between sleep disorders and severity of autism spectrum disorders.

Scientists think that by solving the former they could at least alleviate the latter. In fact, children who sleep well have fewer problems in terms of communication and social interaction. For this reason, the authors of the study looked for the genetic causes of insomnia in those suffering from autism. Sleep problems in these patients appear to be linked to a mutation in the SHANK3 gene.

The gene regulates the sleep-wake cycle and, when absent or altered, causes insomnia. The researchers then analyzed data from some patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome. The disease is linked to autism and many patients lack the SHANK3 gene. These find it hard to fall asleep and tend to wake up during the night. To confirm the discovery, the researchers compared guinea pigs with the mutation and guinea pigs without the mutation.

The mice in the first group took much longer than the average to fall asleep. Moreover, they slept worse. Now they will have to understand the molecular mechanism behind the problem, so as to develop an effective therapy.

Source: wsu.edu

A team of researchers from San Diego applied a machine learning algorithm to genetic screening. The goal was to speed up and improve the diagnosis of some rare genetic diseases. In this way it will be easier to intervene quickly, especially in the case of babies in intensive care.

The study was conducted in collaboration with Illumina. Dr. Kingsmore's team used genetic sequencing on infants and children in intensive care. All patients were in severe condition, requiring immediate intervention. To intervene in the right way, however, a diagnosis as precise as possible was needed. So here comes the algorithm. The new technology reduces the need for human intervention in the analysis of genetic data. This reduces the time and cost of the intervention, giving reliable results over 19 hours. All from a simple blood sample, which contains all the genetic material necessary for total sequencing.

The key components of the technology come from Illumina, a company specializing in prenatal screening tests and genetic tests. These work with machine learning systems, which learn how to interpret the data available to them better and better. To make this possible, the researchers entered data from the medical literature into the system.

The algorithm evaluates them and compares them with the data obtained from sequencing, providing the possible answers. It takes about 5 minutes. The new algorithm does not replace human experts, but simplifies the work. Widely applied, it could save the lives of thousands of children with genetic diseases.

Source: radygenomics.org