In 2022, after two decades, it was finally possible to fully decipher the human genome. Photo: Spanish Association of Genetics.
Cesar Paz-y-Miño. Ecuadorian Academy of Medicine and Genomics Lab.
The most important achievement in genetics It is the latest annotation of the human genome. It means that it is known for sure, all the chemical letters of life. There were problems with certain portions of the genome that were overlapping and indecipherable, but it is now fully understood.
After 21 years of work, were organized appropriately, without punctuation or spaces. The 8% missing; 2 million new variants identified. exactly exist 3 117 275 501 chemical letters of life and just over 20,000 genes.
1% produces proteins functional and more than 50% are sequences repeated. Curiously, not everything is said: it is expected that there will be more clarifications and new versions most sophisticated of the human genome.
covid and monkeypox
Living with the covid-19 pandemic, the most striking news in biomedicine was the appearance of monkeypox, caused by a Orthopoxvirus named mpox(Monkeypoxvirus) related to the smallpox virus. spread from west africa and has been presented in more than 100 countries.
The lethality reaches 1% of those affected. The population born after 1983 without the smallpox vaccine is the most prone. The vaccine Smallpox provides 80% cross-immunity with the monkey virus, perhaps for this reason a pandemic has not occurred, although there is the possibility of new mutations of this virus and its more aggressive spread.
Regarding covid-19, the deployment of new variants, more contagious and less lethal. However, the most striking are its sequels or the post-covid.
There are many studies on the effects in the short, medium and long term. It is known about the increased damage in unvaccinated persons and in persons who have repeat infections.
These findings strengthen the recommendation for vaccination of at least two doses and boosters up to a fourth dose, which would protect better before hospitalizations and the risk of death.
In the long term, it includes symptoms similar to those of parkinson y Alzheimer’s and brain aging. An interesting and controversial experiment succeeded in implanting cells human neurons in mouse brains.
Connections were made interneuronales that respond to sensory stimuli. The goal is to understand the development and possible therapy of diseases cerebral human. Along the same path, it was possible, for the first time, to transplant a heart of pork genetically modified human.
environmental weakness
Efforts to stop or mitigate the climate change with all its effects have managed to reduce a 14% emissions from CO2. It is not enough if the goal is to reduce to 43% until the 2030. Even the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has reached a record of 420 parts per million for the first time in 4 million years of Earth history. I know blame of this increase to fossil fuels.
The Earth Deal COP27 was a failure. The problem with climate change is that its effects are already being felt, so the increase in temperature of 1.5 degrees Celsius and melting of glaciers (in the Arctic up to 4 times more than expected), change in tidal dynamics, storms, extreme temperatures, etc.
Although the HIM drives reductions in emissions, the most industrialized countries such as EU. y ChinaThey haven’t changed their behavior. As if that were not enough, climate change is compromising the survival of species: 21% reptiles, 41% amphibians, 25% mammals and 14% birds. We have about 1,500 threatened species from the year 1500.
Advances in Astronomy
In Astronomy the findings have been fascinating. The observations with the JWST telescope of new galaxies as far away as 700 light years, the Carina nebula at 7.6 thousand light years, the vision of a black hole in the center of our galaxy at 27 thousand light years and 4 million times bigger than our sun.
In addition, there is the successful Double Asteroid Redirection Test aimed at deflecting an asteroid that could impact Earth.
Some latest news: the discovery of the first dinosaur fossil associated with the day the meteorite collided, forming the crater Chicxulub (Mexico) and caused the disappearance of these giants.
The oldest microorganism reported with viability dates back to 830 million of years. Chemicals similar to the ADN and RNA in some meteorites from space. And prebiotic molecules were observed in the center of the Milky Wayquestions that would clarify the material origin of life.