Latest news with #CellReports
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
South Korean Haenyeo Divers' Extreme Lifestyle Is Shaping Their Genetics
Often likened to mermaids in media reports and popular culture, South Korea's famed Haenyeo ('sea women') spend much of the day underwater, diving without scuba gear to collect abalone, octopus, kelp and other prized seafood. Admired both culturally and scientifically, they have been plunging into the frigid waters of Jeju Island since as early as 503 C.E. Now, for the first time, a study has found both genetic adaptations and training effects that are unique to these women and could explain how the Haenyeo withstand the intense physical stresses that come with continuous diving. The findings, published in Cell Reports, zero in on specific genetic features of the Haenyeo that allow the bodies of these divers to more efficiently control blood pressure, for example. The researchers hope closer investigations into such genetic traits could inform future approaches to certain disorders or illnesses in the general population. 'The Haenyeo are really like superhumans,' says Melissa A. Ilardo, senior author of the study and an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Utah. 'You cannot watch the Haenyeo dive and not think these women have superpowers.' [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] It's easy to see the Haenyeo as enigmatic. For centuries, they have conspicuously maintained their own culture and style. They sport unique broad-rimmed sun visors and tattooed eyebrows, and their skin is tanned and weathered by a lifetime of wind and saltwater. After Haenyeo divers age past their diving years, they still stick close to the sea and work along the shoreline, often tying a cushion to their backside to rest on as they lay kelp out to dry. They have kept their tradition afloat through Japan's decades-long occupation of the Korean Peninsula, massacres under dictatorships and relentless industrial development. And the new study suggests that there might even be a ring of scientific truth to 'superpower' analogy. 'Given that [the Haenyeo] have this unique culture, unique language—all these things that are so different—it seems obvious that there would be some genetic differences,' Ilardo says. 'But that wasn't something that had ever been investigated.' Ilardo, who studies genetics of medically resilient humans around the world at her aptly named Superhuman Lab, had previously examined the physiology of a diving people called the Bajau in Southeast Asia. Her team found the Bajau had an extra large spleens that could store additional oxygenated blood for lengthy dives. 'If one group of divers had evolved to dive, then maybe others have as well,' Ilardo says. The Haenyeo—with their long diving history—stood out to the crew at the Superhuman Lab as another population that could have developed diving advantages. 'What's interesting about studying populations who have lived in a particular environment for many, many generations is that if there's been a selective pressure in that environment, you can look at their genomes and start to pull out regions that appear to be essential for their survival,' explains Tatum Simonson, a geneticist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the new study. Those essential genetic irregularities are 'probably linked to some aspect of physiology that has been beneficial over time in that environment.' For the new study on the Haenyeo, the Superhuman Lab collaborated with physiologists from South Korea to simulate the effects of submersion on the divers themselves, compared with non-Haenyeo Jeju residents and mainland South Koreans. Participants laid on their stomach with their head over a bowl of cold water, periodically plunging their face under while the researchers measured how their reflexive submersion responses changed their heart rate and blood pressure. The participants were all from the same country, yet they showed striking differences in these changes. Ilardo thinks that could be a direct result of natural selection. For example, 'sleep apnea—which is kind of like unintentional diving in your sleep [in that it reduces oxygen availability]—increases the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy,' she explains, adding that these can include preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication that can dangerously raise blood pressure). The Haenyeo are known to continue diving while pregnant, she notes. 'If diving is increasing [a Haenyeo diver's] risk of preeclampsia, that could take out an entire generation,' Ilardo says. But the Haenyeo aren't known to have a particularly high risk of hypertensive pregnancy disorders, and they have obviously birthed many generations of babies. Ilardo's research suggests it's likely that a gene allowing for better regulation of blood pressure has been passed down through the years. Interestingly, the team found that all Jeju residents—even those without a Haenyeo family member—had a similar genetic variation that suppressed a reflexive blood pressure increase when diving. This suggests that the variation may have naturally spread throughout the island. It would also support Jeju's surprisingly low stroke death rate, which is around 24.3 per 100,000 for not just the Haenyeo but all of the island's residents—lower than the mainland city of Seoul's rate of 25.7 per 100,000 and the U.S.'s rate of 37 per 100,000. But Ilardo notes that some physiological differences, such as heartbeat changes, were unique to the Haenyeo. During the face-dunking experiment, Haenyeo participants' heart rates slowed by 50 percent more, on average, compared with nondiver Jeju residents. This helps their bodies manage oxygen circulation through their bodies during a long dive, letting them 'spend that resource as frugally as possible,' Ilardo says. She adds that this acquired trait could also develop in nondiver individuals who are not from Jeju Island. While the study did not test participants' cold tolerance, that is something the Superhuman Lab is planning to investigate in future work with the Haenyeo. Researchers can learn vital lessons about human evolution from such unique adaptations, says Ben Trumble, an Arizona State University biologist who specializes in human biology and was not involved in the new study. Cataloging the lifestyle and genes of special populations such as the Haenyeo could inform research into areas such as precision medicine, which requires a specialized understanding of how certain genetic variations translate into physiological traits, Trumble explains. 'We're absolutely allowed to plagiarize from natural selection' in approaching health care, he says. 'How natural selection solves a particular problem with a particular gene can give us clues for developing new drugs to treat some of the problems that people have in our society today.' Studies such as Ilardo's take the 'first step' toward medical applications, Trumble says, although he and Simonson believe any actual drugs that could emerge from such research will probably take longer to develop. In any case, Ilardo says, being able to pinpoint the genetic cause behind certain populations' remarkable abilities could offer remarkable solutions in medical genetics. 'I was just blown away by how amazing [the Haenyeo] are, how strong they are and how they balance that with this kindness and sensitivity and femininity,' Ilardo says. 'I think by focusing on what makes the population special and unique..., it brings a health focus instead of a disease focus [to medical genetics research]. And it's certainly a much more fun way to do the science.'
Scientific American
2 days ago
- Science
- Scientific American
These ‘Real-Life Mermaid' Divers Have Remarkable Underwater Abilities—and Genetics
Often likened to mermaids in media reports and popular culture, South Korea's famed Haenyeo ('sea women') spend much of the day underwater, diving without scuba gear to collect abalone, octopus, kelp and other prized seafood. Admired both culturally and scientifically, they have been plunging into the frigid waters of Jeju Island since as early as 503 C.E. Now, for the first time, a study has found both genetic adaptations and training effects that are unique to these women and could explain how the Haenyeo withstand the intense physical stresses that come with continuous diving. The findings, published in Cell Reports, zero in on specific genetic features of the Haenyeo that allow the bodies of these divers to more efficiently control blood pressure, for example. The researchers hope closer investigations into such genetic traits could inform future approaches to certain disorders or illnesses in the general population. 'The Haenyeo are really like superhumans,' says Melissa A. Ilardo, senior author of the study and an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Utah. 'You cannot watch the Haenyeo dive and not think these women have superpowers.' On supporting science journalism subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. It's easy to see the Haenyeo as enigmatic. For centuries, they have conspicuously maintained their own culture and style. They sport unique broad-rimmed sun visors and tattooed eyebrows, and their skin is tanned and weathered by a lifetime of wind and saltwater. After Haenyeo divers age past their diving years, they still stick close to the sea and work along the shoreline, often tying a cushion to their backside to rest on as they lay kelp out to dry. They have kept their tradition afloat through Japan's decades-long occupation of the Korean Peninsula, massacres under dictatorships and relentless industrial development. And the new study suggests that there might even be a ring of scientific truth to 'superpower' analogy. 'Given that [the Haenyeo ] have this unique culture, unique language—all these things that are so different—it seems obvious that there would be some genetic differences,' Ilardo says. 'But that wasn't something that had ever been investigated.' Ilardo, who studies genetics of medically resilient humans around the world at her aptly named Superhuman Lab, had previously examined the physiology of a diving people called the Bajau in Southeast Asia. Her team found the Bajau had an extra large spleens that could store additional oxygenated blood for lengthy dives. 'If one group of divers had evolved to dive, then maybe others have as well,' Ilardo says. The Haenyeo —with their long diving history—stood out to the crew at the Superhuman Lab as another population that could have developed diving advantages. 'What's interesting about studying populations who have lived in a particular environment for many, many generations is that if there's been a selective pressure in that environment, you can look at their genomes and start to pull out regions that appear to be essential for their survival,' explains Tatum Simonson, a geneticist at the University of California, San Diego, who was not involved in the new study. Those essential genetic irregularities are 'probably linked to some aspect of physiology that has been beneficial over time in that environment.' For the new study on the Haenyeo, the Superhuman Lab collaborated with physiologists from South Korea to simulate the effects of submersion on the divers themselves, compared with non- Haenyeo Jeju residents and mainland South Koreans. Participants laid on their stomach with their head over a bowl of cold water, periodically plunging their face under while the researchers measured how their reflexive submersion responses changed their heart rate and blood pressure. The participants were all from the same country, yet they showed striking differences in these changes. Ilardo thinks that could be a direct result of natural selection. For example, 'sleep apnea—which is kind of like unintentional diving in your sleep [in that it reduces oxygen availability]—increases the risk of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy,' she explains, adding that these can include preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication that can dangerously raise blood pressure). The Haenyeo are known to continue diving while pregnant, she notes. 'If diving is increasing [a Haenyeo diver's] risk of preeclampsia, that could take out an entire generation,' Ilardo says. But the Haenyeo aren't known to have a particularly high risk of hypertensive pregnancy disorders, and they have obviously birthed many generations of babies. Ilardo's research suggests it's likely that a gene allowing for better regulation of blood pressure has been passed down through the years. Interestingly, the team found that all Jeju residents—even those without a Haenyeo family member—had a similar genetic variation that suppressed a reflexive blood pressure increase when diving. This suggests that the variation may have naturally spread throughout the island. It would also support Jeju's surprisingly low stroke death rate, which is around 24.3 per 100,000 for not just the Haenyeo but all of the island's residents—lower than the mainland city of Seoul's rate of 25.7 per 100,000 and the U.S.'s rate of 37 per 100,000. But Ilardo notes that some physiological differences, such as heartbeat changes, were unique to the Haenyeo. During the face-dunking experiment, Haenyeo participants' heart rates slowed by 50 percent more, on average, compared with nondiver Jeju residents. This helps their bodies manage oxygen circulation through their bodies during a long dive, letting them 'spend that resource as frugally as possible,' Ilardo says. She adds that this acquired trait could also develop in nondiver individuals who are not from Jeju Island. While the study did not test participants' cold tolerance, that is something the Superhuman Lab is planning to investigate in future work with the Haenyeo. Researchers can learn vital lessons about human evolution from such unique adaptations, says Ben Trumble, an Arizona State University biologist who specializes in human biology and was not involved in the new study. Cataloging the lifestyle and genes of special populations such as the Haenyeo could inform research into areas such as precision medicine, which requires a specialized understanding of how certain genetic variations translate into physiological traits, Trumble explains. 'We're absolutely allowed to plagiarize from natural selection' in approaching health care, he says. 'How natural selection solves a particular problem with a particular gene can give us clues for developing new drugs to treat some of the problems that people have in our society today.' Studies such as Ilardo's take the 'first step' toward medical applications, Trumble says, although he and Simonson believe any actual drugs that could emerge from such research will probably take longer to develop. In any case, Ilardo says, being able to pinpoint the genetic cause behind certain populations' remarkable abilities could offer remarkable solutions in medical genetics. 'I was just blown away by how amazing [the Haenyeo ] are, how strong they are and how they balance that with this kindness and sensitivity and femininity,' Ilardo says. 'I think by focusing on what makes the population special and unique..., it brings a health focus instead of a disease focus [to medical genetics research]. And it's certainly a much more fun way to do the science.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital superbug can feed on medical plastic, first-of-its-kind study reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A superbug that commonly causes infections in hospitals can feed on plastic used for medical interventions, potentially making it even more dangerous, a world-first study has found. The bug is a bacteria species called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is commonly found in hospital environments and can cause potentially deadly infections in the lungs, urinary tract and blood. Now, scientists have analyzed a strain of this bacteria from a hospital patient's wound, which revealed a surprising trick that could enable it to persist on surfaces and in patients for longer — its ability to break down the biodegradable plastics used in stints, sutures and implants. The researchers published their findings May 7 in the journal Cell Reports. "It means we need to reconsider how pathogens exist in the hospital environment," study lead author Ronan McCarthy, a professor in biomedical sciences at Brunel University of London, said in a statement. "Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria. Pathogens with this ability could survive for longer in the hospital environment. It also means that any medical device or treatment that contains plastic could be susceptible to degradation by bacteria." The team's laboratory study raises the need for further research to better understand how this plastic-eating ability affects the bug in realistic hospital environments, in which specific cleaning protocols are in place to help prevent exposing patients and medical instruments to bacteria. P. aeruginosa is thought to have rapidly evolved over the last 200 years to infect humans as they began living in densely populated areas, especially among those with weakened lungs due to air pollution. Related: Dangerous 'superbugs' are a growing threat, and antibiotics can't stop their rise. What can? Since then, many strains of the bug have acquired resistance to a wide variety of antibiotics. These resistant microbes can contaminate catheters and ventilation devices, making P. aeruginosa a common cause of hospital-acquired infections, especially among vulnerable patients. P. aeruginosa is tied to roughly 559,000 deaths per year globally, the majority of which are associated with antimicrobial resistance. Yet how the bacteria can thrive in ostensibly sterile hospital environments has remained unclear. To investigate, the researchers took a swab from a patient's wound in a British hospital and analyzed it, which revealed the bug can make an enzyme named Pap1. This enzyme is able to break down the plastic polycaprolactone (PCL) — commonly used in sutures, wound dressings, surgical meshes and other medical equipment — and release the plastic's carbon, which P. aeruginosa can then feed on. To test whether this enzyme is really responsible for breaking down plastic, the scientists inserted the gene that codes for Pap1 into Escherichia coli bacteria, and found that when that bacteria expressed the enzyme, it too was able to break down PCL. The team further confirmed the enzyme's plastic-eating role when they deleted the gene that codes for it in a P. aeruginosa variant, finding that the microbe was no longer able to dissolve the plastic. RELATED STORIES —How fast can antibiotic resistance evolve? —AI could identify the next superbug-fighting drug —Scientists have found a secret 'switch' that lets bacteria resist antibiotics — and it's been evading lab tests for decades The bug's plastic-chewing power doesn't just seem to be granting it a food source: It is also making it more dangerously resistant to treatment. This is because the bacteria uses plastic fragments to form hardier biofilms — structures with protective coatings that shield superbugs from antibiotics — the researchers found. The scientists also identified similar enzymes in other bacteria, meaning that other widely used medical plastics could be providing sustenance and improved resilience to additional superbugs, possibly contributing to hospital-acquired infections. To follow up on this, the researchers have called for urgent research on the prevalence of the plastic-eating enzymes among other pathogens, and for experts to reconsider the plastics they use in medical settings, and the ways that they monitor hospital environments. "Plastic is everywhere in modern medicine, and it turns out some pathogens have adapted to degrade it," McCarthy said. "We need to understand the impact this has on patient safety." This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Hospital superbug ‘eating' medical plastics, devices & implants: Study
Representative photo NEW DELHI: Pseudomonas aeruginosa , a bacteria known for causing 10%-30% of hospital-acquired infections in India, has been shown to break down plastic used in sutures, stents, wound dressings and implants. The 'world-first discovery' published in the journal Cell Reports challenges the widely held belief that pathogens cannot degrade medical plastics. It also means any medical device or treatment that contains plastic could be susceptible to degradation by bacteria, the study said. Professor Ronan McCarthy, who led the study, said, 'It means we need to reconsider how pathogens exist in the hospital environment.' Plastics, including plastic surfaces, could potentially be food for these bacteria. Pathogens with this ability could survive for longer in the hospital environment, he added. McCarthy and his team isolated the enzyme Pap1 from a strain of pseudomonas aeruginosa that was originally sampled from a patient's wound. Tested in a lab, the enzyme degraded 78% of a plastic sample in just seven days. Crucially, the bacteria could also use plastic as its only carbon source — effectively eating it. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is among a bacteria group responsible for most hospital infections that can resist antibiotics.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Haenyeo divers reveal DNA secrets of endurance and low blood pressure: study says
Listen to article A study published in Cell Reports has revealed that the women of Jeju Island, South Korea, known as Haenyeo, may hold key genetic insights that could lead to breakthroughs in human biology, particularly in the treatment of blood pressure disorders. The Haenyeo, who dive deep into the cold sea without oxygen tanks, have long defied human endurance limits in their centuries-old tradition of harvesting seafood. The research, led by geneticist Melissa Ilardo from the University of Utah, focused on the genetic adaptations of the Haenyeo divers compared to local non-diving women and women from mainland Korea. The study found that Haenyeo women are more than four times as likely to carry a genetic variant associated with lower blood pressure spikes, a trait that may have evolved to protect women during pregnancy. 'They dive throughout winter, sometimes in snow, and until the 1980s they did this in cotton clothes with no protection,' said Ilardo. This adaptation, the study suggests, may help them endure the cold and physiological stress of free diving at great depths. The research also revealed that Haenyeo divers exhibit more efficient oxygen conservation, with heart rates dropping significantly during cold-water tests. This response was more pronounced than in non-diving women, highlighting the Haenyeo's ability to handle extreme conditions. Ilardo's team had previously found similar adaptations in the Bajau divers of Indonesia, who evolved large spleens to support underwater endurance. While the Haenyeo divers also showed signs of enlarged spleens, the size difference was not statistically significant when other factors were accounted for. Ben Trumble, an evolutionary scientist at Arizona State University, commented on the potential medical implications of the findings. "That gene reduced blood pressure by over 10% — that's remarkable," he said, suggesting it could be a promising target for drug development. Despite the scientific breakthroughs, the Haenyeo culture, once integral to life on Jeju Island, is in decline. The average age of a Haenyeo diver is now around 70, and fewer young women are taking up the practice. There are concerns that this could be the last generation of Haenyeo divers. Nevertheless, the study's findings underscore the unique biological traits of these women, whose centuries-old practice could offer a wealth of knowledge. As Ilardo stated, 'What they do is unique and worth celebrating.'
