Chicken embryo study reveals how modern feathers evolved from dinosaurs
Feathers are important for birds today, enabling flight, warmth, and communication.
Feathers are important for birds today, enabling flight, warmth, and communication.
Now, researchers from the University of Geneva have traced the origin of feathers.
Scientists believe feathers evolved from simple structures called proto-feathers, found in some dinosaurs. Early feathers were simple, straw-like tubes, unlike modern branched feathers.
The key to understanding their origin is found in embryonic development and a molecular signaling pathway called Sonic Hedgehog (Shh).
Inhibiting Shh gene
Feathers are complex skin structures, and their evolutionary beginnings are still a subject of scientific debate.
Scientific evidence points to feathers evolving from simple, tubular proto-feathers in some dinosaurs roughly 200 million years ago. There’s ongoing debate about whether these proto-feathers existed even earlier, around 240 million years ago, in the shared ancestor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Proto-feathers were simple cylindrical filaments that represent the initial stage in feather evolution. These primitive structures lacked advanced features such as barbs, barbules, and follicles.
Nevertheless, these feathers were a key evolutionary step, initially serving for warmth and display. Over millions of years, natural selection refined these structures, leading to the complex feathers that enabled flight.
Formation of normal plumage
Researchers disrupted the Shh signaling pathway in chicken embryos nine days into development, which is when feathers begin to form.
This led to the development of simple, proto-feather-like buds.
Surprisingly, the embryos partially recovered after the 14th day despite initially disrupting feather development by blocking the Shh pathway. Even though chicks hatched with bald patches, their bodies reactivated dormant follicles, resulting in the development of normal plumage.
Researchers used light sheet fluorescence microscopy, a laser-based imaging technique, to observe feather development in chicken embryos.
‘‘Our experiments show that while a transient disturbance in the development of foot scales can permanently turn them into feathers, it is much harder to permanently disrupt feather development itself,’’ concluded Milinkovitch. froMichel Milinkovitch’
‘‘Clearly, over the course of evolution, the network of interacting genes has become extremely robust, ensuring the proper development offeathers even under substantial genetic or environmental perturbations. The big challenge now is to understand how genetic interactions evolve to allow for the emergence of morphological novelties such as proto-feathers,” Milinkovitch added in the press release.
This research highlights the Sonic Hedgehog gene’s importance in both feather evolution and species-specific feather variations.
Aviation accounts for 2-3 percent of global carbon emissions, significantly contributing to the changing climate. The sector has, however, proven difficult to electrification since the energy density of batteries isn’t anywhere close to fossil fuels. Synthetic or e-fuels are better suited as stand-in fuel as the aviation sector continues to grow but allow emissions to be reined under control.
“Synthetic fuels that are produced by means of power-to-liquid processes with CO2 from the atmosphere or biogenic sources, water, and green electricity are particularly suitable,” said Roland Dittmeyer, a professor at KIT’s Institute for Microprocess Engineering (IMVT) in a press release.
Co-electrolysis to produce syncrude
The production of syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen, is a critical step in making synthetic fuels. A lot of approaches are used in this process. In collaboration with its industrial partner Sunfire, the KIT lab uses co-electrolysis to produce syngas.
The approach is highly efficient since it can convert water vapor and CO2 directly into syngas in a single step. This helps eliminate steps like separate hydrogen production used in syngas production through other approaches.
“Up to 85 percent of the electrical energy used for this process can be recovered as chemical energy in the syngas,” said Hubertus Richter, a senior engineer at Sunfire, in the press release.
“In addition, we could demonstrate with this coupling that our co-electrolysis method features a very high plant availability and reliability and has the potential to produce syngas with the desired quality at any time.”
To convert syngas into fuel, it is compressed into a microstructure reactor and converted into long-chain hydrocarbons using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Also known as syncrude, these hydrocarbons can produce kerosene to burn in jet engines or other chemical products.
Scaling up production
INERATEC, a spin-off from KIT, is commercializing this approach to producing synthetic fuel. It has been tested in real-world conditions to produce over 26 gallons (100 liters) of kerosene a day.
In the future, the researchers also plan to use heat released as vapor during the synthesis process, further increasing its efficiency. Along with its partners, KIT has built the Kopernikus P2X project facility, which is gearing up to produce nearly 80 gallons (300 L) of kerosene a day, eventually scaling up production to a tonne a day in the project’s next phase.
To tackle the challenge of battery waste, the team has chosen a more sustainable approach that goes beyond simply extracting raw materials. Instead, they carefully assess each unit to determine which parts can be reused and which must be recycled.
Smarter solutions for used EV batteries
According to the expert team, used EV batteries may hold far greater value than initially expected. That’s why they aim to ensure a large share of their components are given a second life, either as parts in batteries needing service and repair, or repurposed for energy storage systems with a lifespan of up to 15 additional years.
Jon Emil Furuseth, High Energy Batteries country manager at Stena Recycling, stresses that the approach goes beyond just breaking down the batteries into new materials and minerals, and offers much greater overall benefit.
By combining their expertise in reuse and recycling, the two companies are working to commercialize a system that enables the safe localization, transport, dismantling, repair, and reuse of EV batteries, thus giving them a second life in new applications.
Partially funded by Enova – a state enterprise under the Ministry of Climate and Environment supporting Norway’s low-emission transition – the new Ausenfjellet facility, is key in enabling circular solutions.
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera (Spanish: [xoaˈkin aɾtʃiˈβaldo ɣusˈman loˈeɾa]; born 4 April 1957), commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 34,000 people, and was considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison.
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Chicken embryo study reveals how modern feathers evolved from dinosaurs
Feathers are important for birds today, enabling flight, warmth, and communication.
Feathers are important for birds today, enabling flight, warmth, and communication.
Now, researchers from the University of Geneva have traced the origin of feathers.
Scientists believe feathers evolved from simple structures called proto-feathers, found in some dinosaurs. Early feathers were simple, straw-like tubes, unlike modern branched feathers.
The key to understanding their origin is found in embryonic development and a molecular signaling pathway called Sonic Hedgehog (Shh).
!summarize #snowwhite #boxoffice #rachelzegler #hollywood #movie #disney
Inhibiting Shh gene
Feathers are complex skin structures, and their evolutionary beginnings are still a subject of scientific debate.
Scientific evidence points to feathers evolving from simple, tubular proto-feathers in some dinosaurs roughly 200 million years ago. There’s ongoing debate about whether these proto-feathers existed even earlier, around 240 million years ago, in the shared ancestor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
Proto-feathers were simple cylindrical filaments that represent the initial stage in feather evolution. These primitive structures lacked advanced features such as barbs, barbules, and follicles.
Nevertheless, these feathers were a key evolutionary step, initially serving for warmth and display. Over millions of years, natural selection refined these structures, leading to the complex feathers that enabled flight.
!summarize #birds #aviation #history #industry #engineering
Formation of normal plumage
Researchers disrupted the Shh signaling pathway in chicken embryos nine days into development, which is when feathers begin to form.
This led to the development of simple, proto-feather-like buds.
Surprisingly, the embryos partially recovered after the 14th day despite initially disrupting feather development by blocking the Shh pathway. Even though chicks hatched with bald patches, their bodies reactivated dormant follicles, resulting in the development of normal plumage.
Researchers used light sheet fluorescence microscopy, a laser-based imaging technique, to observe feather development in chicken embryos.
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‘‘Our experiments show that while a transient disturbance in the development of foot scales can permanently turn them into feathers, it is much harder to permanently disrupt feather development itself,’’ concluded Milinkovitch. froMichel Milinkovitch’
‘‘Clearly, over the course of evolution, the network of interacting genes has become extremely robust, ensuring the proper development offeathers even under substantial genetic or environmental perturbations. The big challenge now is to understand how genetic interactions evolve to allow for the emergence of morphological novelties such as proto-feathers,” Milinkovitch added in the press release.
This research highlights the Sonic Hedgehog gene’s importance in both feather evolution and species-specific feather variations.
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#sobihor #nazi !summarize #ww2 #deaths
Aviation accounts for 2-3 percent of global carbon emissions, significantly contributing to the changing climate. The sector has, however, proven difficult to electrification since the energy density of batteries isn’t anywhere close to fossil fuels. Synthetic or e-fuels are better suited as stand-in fuel as the aviation sector continues to grow but allow emissions to be reined under control.
“Synthetic fuels that are produced by means of power-to-liquid processes with CO2 from the atmosphere or biogenic sources, water, and green electricity are particularly suitable,” said Roland Dittmeyer, a professor at KIT’s Institute for Microprocess Engineering (IMVT) in a press release.
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Co-electrolysis to produce syncrude
The production of syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen, is a critical step in making synthetic fuels. A lot of approaches are used in this process. In collaboration with its industrial partner Sunfire, the KIT lab uses co-electrolysis to produce syngas.
The approach is highly efficient since it can convert water vapor and CO2 directly into syngas in a single step. This helps eliminate steps like separate hydrogen production used in syngas production through other approaches.
“Up to 85 percent of the electrical energy used for this process can be recovered as chemical energy in the syngas,” said Hubertus Richter, a senior engineer at Sunfire, in the press release.
“In addition, we could demonstrate with this coupling that our co-electrolysis method features a very high plant availability and reliability and has the potential to produce syngas with the desired quality at any time.”
!summarize #mafia #lasvegas #gambling #organizedcrime #history
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To convert syngas into fuel, it is compressed into a microstructure reactor and converted into long-chain hydrocarbons using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Also known as syncrude, these hydrocarbons can produce kerosene to burn in jet engines or other chemical products.
Scaling up production
INERATEC, a spin-off from KIT, is commercializing this approach to producing synthetic fuel. It has been tested in real-world conditions to produce over 26 gallons (100 liters) of kerosene a day.
In the future, the researchers also plan to use heat released as vapor during the synthesis process, further increasing its efficiency. Along with its partners, KIT has built the Kopernikus P2X project facility, which is gearing up to produce nearly 80 gallons (300 L) of kerosene a day, eventually scaling up production to a tonne a day in the project’s next phase.
To tackle the challenge of battery waste, the team has chosen a more sustainable approach that goes beyond simply extracting raw materials. Instead, they carefully assess each unit to determine which parts can be reused and which must be recycled.
Smarter solutions for used EV batteries
According to the expert team, used EV batteries may hold far greater value than initially expected. That’s why they aim to ensure a large share of their components are given a second life, either as parts in batteries needing service and repair, or repurposed for energy storage systems with a lifespan of up to 15 additional years.
Jon Emil Furuseth, High Energy Batteries country manager at Stena Recycling, stresses that the approach goes beyond just breaking down the batteries into new materials and minerals, and offers much greater overall benefit.
!summarize #snowwhite #movie #disney #review #hollywood #rachelzegler
!summarize #ev #battery #recycling
By combining their expertise in reuse and recycling, the two companies are working to commercialize a system that enables the safe localization, transport, dismantling, repair, and reuse of EV batteries, thus giving them a second life in new applications.
Partially funded by Enova – a state enterprise under the Ministry of Climate and Environment supporting Norway’s low-emission transition – the new Ausenfjellet facility, is key in enabling circular solutions.
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Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera (Spanish: [xoaˈkin aɾtʃiˈβaldo ɣusˈman loˈeɾa]; born 4 April 1957), commonly known as "El Chapo", is a Mexican former drug lord and a former leader within the Sinaloa Cartel. Guzmán is believed to be responsible for the deaths of over 34,000 people, and was considered to be the most powerful drug trafficker in the world until he was extradited to the United States and sentenced to life in prison.
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