Latest news with #PurdueUniversity
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
These 5 tiny pests are creating big trouble for Indiana's environment
A few of Indiana's tiniest transplants — invasive worms, moths and beetles from overseas — have made massive changes to Indiana's ecosystems over the past several decades. Some of the creepy-crawlies currently wreaking havoc on North American ecosystems have been in the United States for over a century, lurking out of sight. But others, like spotted lanternflies, are newer threats, and they're sweeping through Midwestern forests, fields and gardens with a fury. In Indiana, some tree species have almost disappeared, vineyards are under threat and even urban gardeners are starting to see the health of their soil decline. Without natural predators, the pests are difficult to stop. But it is possible to slow them down. Scientists are quarantining infected forests, disrupting mating seasons and encouraging Hoosiers to learn how the creatures spread. Here's what you need to know about how five tiny pests are causing chaos in Indiana. At first glance, an Asian jumping worm looks like any other slimy earthworm — they're slender, squishy, and probably squirming around in your garden beds. But while most worms burrow deep into soil and poop out nutrients across the layers, Asian jumping worms stay close to the surface. Their castings, which look like used coffee grounds, is easily washed away by rainfall, and it's almost impossible to grow native plants, fruits or veggies in the low-nutrient dirt left behind. The worms were brought to North America from eastern Asia over 100 years ago, but they've only recently become a major threat. Over the last decade, their populations exploded and began to spread rapidly across the Midwest. Now, Asian jumping worms have been reported across multiple cities and counties in Indiana, including Indianapolis and Bloomington. 'We're finding them kind of everywhere,' said Robert Bruner, an entomologist at Purdue University. 'People are sitting up and paying attention a lot now because their damage to the soil structure is really hard to fix.' Stopping their spread is tricky, too. Bruner theorizes the worms and their eggs are being moved through contaminated soil, mulch and compost. His advice to gardeners: Stop sharing soil with your neighbors, leave new bags of fresh dirt to dry in the sun for a few days, which can kill worm eggs, and report any sightings of Asian jumping worms you find. Ash trees used to line the streets of Indiana cities by the tens of thousands. Their huge canopies and leafy cover provided ample shade for Hoosiers far and wide. But now, most of these native trees are dead. The tiny emerald ash borer is to blame, according to entomologists. The bright green wood beetles hail from Eastern Asia, and were first found in Indiana in 2004. They've since spread to every county in the state. Emerald ash borers can kill a healthy ash within six years of first contact. After burrowing just underneath the bark, the beetles feast on tree tissue, which eventually disrupts an ash's ability to internally transport water and nutrients. Despite killing most of their primary food source, emerald ash borers persist. The beetles survive in pockets across Indiana and neighboring states, feeding on the remaining ash living in backyards and forest groves. 'Emerald ash borer is a constant concern because there are still ash trees and people are still trying to preserve them,' said Bruner. He thinks the beetles have become a permanent part of the Indiana landscape. Because dying ash trees can crash to the ground and endanger their surroundings, city officials and residents have removed dead and dying trees by the thousands. But some ash trees in parks and backyards have been preserved through recurring pesticide applications, a process that can sometimes save Hoosier homeowners money in the long run compared to the hefty cost of tree removal and replacement. Spongy moths are the one of the most dangerous defoliators in the United States, meaning they can and will chew through as much foliage as they find. In 2021, the moths defoliated over nine million acres of forest across the country according to Purdue University. An amateur entomologist brought spongy moth specimens to Boston from Europe in the late 1860s — the moths escaped, obviously — and the creatures have been chewing their way through New England and further west ever since. But it isn't exactly the fuzzy, winged insect that is destroying forests. Rather, it's the larval stage of the moth's life cycle posing the threat: Caterpillars need to eat. As they prepare to metamorphose, spongy moth caterpillars devour the leaf tissue from over 300 species of trees and shrubs: preferably oaks, but tamarack, white birch, pine and spruce, too. Usually, trees can survive their first defoliation. But when their leaves are shredded up and eaten away year after year, trees quickly lose their ability to fend off disease and store energy over the winter, leading to death. In Indiana, the spongy moth outlook is 'pretty bad,' according to Bruner. Roughly three quarters of Indiana's 4.4 million acres of forested land is at risk, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The moths pose such a serious threat to Indiana's ecosystems that the DNR puts counties with large infestations into quarantine to prevent further spread. In some areas, the DNR is even spraying pheromones to confuse and disrupt mating between male and female moths, said Bruner. Right now, the moths are largely sequestered to northern Indiana, but past sightings further south, like in the Hoosier National Forest, have entomologists on high alert. Armed with piercing-sucking mouthparts and a penchant for hitchhiking, invasive spotted lanternflies found their way from the East Coast to Indiana by 2021. Every year, the bugs travel a little further into the state, jeopardizing forests, vineyards and orchards. The creatures aren't technically flies. Rather they're planthoppers, which are more closely related to cicadas and aphids. And they're destructive. By piercing into a plant's vascular tissue, spotted lanternflies suck up sap to get nutrients. Then, they excrete oodles of honeydew — a sugary, watery mess — over everything nearby, which attracts other pests and allows sooty mold to grow. Spotted lanternflies can also destroy agricultural crops. In Indiana, scientists are worried about the vineyards strewn across the state. When thousands of spotted lanternflies swarm feed on grapevines, they can weaken the plants, reduce yield and kill them off entirely. They also attack black walnut and maple trees, which could impact the local maple syrup and timber industries, said Bruner. The planthopper's path of spread across the United States has closely followed railways, and Bruner expects to see them spread even further south this year. Hoosiers can report spotted lanternfly sightings to the DNR by submitting information through the agency's online portal. Asian longhorn beetles aren't a current threat to Indiana's ecosystems, but they're still keeping some entomologists up at night. In the late 1990s, the beetles were found in Indianapolis and Porter County, according to previous reporting from IndyStar, and the threat was immediately eradicated, said Bruner. But Asian longhorn beetles still exist in Ohio forests, albeit quarantined, and Bruner is encouraging Hoosiers to stay on high alert in case the beetle finds its way back to Indiana. 'They're one of the nastiest ones,' he said. 'If you see one, it means it's already too late.' Asian longhorn beetles bore deep into tree trunks and gouge out large holes, creating chambers inside trees where young beetles feast and grow. They have a slight preference for maple trees but are happy to munch through most hardwoods, like elms, willows, birches and sycamores. As they emerge from trees, they leave behind small, perfectly circular holes — about the size of a No. 2 pencil. Dying trees are left carved up and hollowed out, lacking access to internal water or nutrients. "Trees can't survive that level of damage," said Bruner. 'Typically, you have to eradicate all the trees within that area just to guarantee they don't spread.' The DNR encourages residents not to move firewood, which can easily spread pests like the Asian longhorn beetle, and report potential sightings to (866) 663-9684. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Axios
a day ago
- Science
- Axios
Purdue's plan to find Amelia Earhart's plane
A research team supported by Purdue University is spending its summer preparing for a fall expedition to bring Amelia Earhart's long-lost aircraft home. Why it matters: The disappearance of the iconic Boilermaker and her plane, the Electra, on July 2, 1937, remains one of the aviation world's most captivating mysteries. But this team says it may have cracked the code. Driving the news: On the 88th anniversary of Earhart's disappearance, Purdue Research Foundation (PRF) and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) announced a joint effort to recover the Electra from Nikumaroro Island in the South Pacific. The operation will confirm whether a visual anomaly seen in satellite imagery in the island's lagoon is actually the remains of the aircraft. Nikumaroro is approximately halfway between Australia and Hawaii. What they're saying:"What we have here is maybe the greatest opportunity ever to finally close the case," Richard Pettigrew, ALI's executive director, said in a statement. "With such a great amount of very strong evidence, we feel we have no choice but to move forward and hopefully return with proof." Flashback: Purdue president Edward Elliott recruited Earhart to work at Purdue in 1935 after growing concerned that women enrolled at the university were not completing their studies. Earhart lived in the then-new women's residence hall, served as a counselor and advised Purdue's aeronautical engineering department. Earhart planned to give the Electra to Purdue for further scientific research after piloting it to set a record for the longest-distance flight, but she never returned. Zoom in: The team is working on "a vast amount of circumstantial evidence" collected over the past 40 years that supports the idea that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, did not crash at sea as originally believed. Instead, they think the pair landed and ultimately perished on the uninhabited island. Among the evidence is a 2017 analysis of human bones discovered on the island in 1940 that determined Earhart's bone lengths were more similar to the discovered remains than 99% of individuals, supporting the conclusion that they belong to her. What's next: The expedition is slated to embark from Majuro in the Marshall Islands on Nov. 5, spend five days on Nikumaroro inspecting what they believe are pieces of the plane, and return to port on Nov. 21.
!['My mental health has always been my biggest demon' [WATCH]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fassets%2FNST-Logo%402x.png%3Fid%3Db37a17055cb1ffea01f5&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
'My mental health has always been my biggest demon' [WATCH]
KUALA LUMPUR: Do top Malaysian athletes suffer mental health issues. Yes, they do. Away from the spotlight, their inner demons lurk, taking a psychological toll on them. Swimmer Phee Jinq En, who competed in two Olympics, shed light on the issue in an exclusive interview with Timesport. She was on course for her third Olympics (Paris, last year) after competing in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 in Tokyo — until a rule change ended her dream. As Malaysia's No. 1 female swimmer, Jinq En was widely expected to qualify via a universality slot. However, the International Olympic Committee revised its criteria, ruling that athletes who had competed at two previous Olympics were no longer eligible for a wild card. "I felt like the rule was directly targeted at me. I'm sure a lot of athletes were affected," said Jinq En. "It felt unfair when you've worked for three years to stay on top, only to have it taken away." The 28-year-old admitted that the blow left her reeling. "To maintain your No. 1 spot for three years, and then watch someone else go. I think people can understand my anger and disappointment. But to be honest, it's no one's fault." Unable to face the Olympic disappointment, she shut herself out during the Paris Games. "I went to Thailand. I just needed to get away. I didn't watch TV for two weeks. I didn't want to see what was going on," she said. But the Paris heartbreak was only one chapter in Jinq En's long battle with depression — one that has played out quietly behind the medals and podium finishes. A four-time SEA Games gold medallist and holder of three national records, the former student of Purdue University, United States, has been open about her struggles with mental health. It was during her time in the US that Jinq En first came to terms with her condition — after friends and coaches urged her to seek professional help. In an earlier Timesport report, former National Sports Institute sports psychologist Muhammad Deen said mental health challenges were becoming more serious among athletes in Malaysia and beyond due to the constant demands on their bodies and minds. "My mental health has always been my biggest demon," said Jinq En. "One of my friends said, 'You need to see a therapist. We can only help so much'. At that time, I was in denial. But my coach forced me to see a therapist." Therapy helped her gain clarity and focus to compete at the highest level. National Sports Institute chief executive officer Dr. P. Vellapandian told Timesport earlier that national athletes should not hesitate to seek help for mental health issues and there is no stigma in seeking professional support. Dr. Vellapandian said mental health issues — including performance-related pressure, anxiety, depression or burnout — are becoming common in elite athletes. Dr. Vellapandian also said he was ready to personally help Lee Zii Jia if the shuttler needs psychological support. There were concerns about the Olympic bronze medallist's mental health after Zii Jia shared a cryptic social media post recently, and which led to the National Sports Council contacting his management team. However, Zii Jia's team responded by saying he was fine. Jinq En said: "As athletes, our emotions run extremely high or really low. Therapy gave me ways to understand myself better." She now turns to drawing and journaling to manage her mental health. "Drawing became an outlet to cope with challenges, and journaling helped me express frustrations instead of keeping them inside," she added. Jinq En, who hails from Subang Jaya, is also using her experience to raise mental health awareness, especially among young athletes. "Conversations about mental health in Malaysia are still just surface-level, but I think my generation and the younger ones are more open to talking about it," she said. "The older generation still sees mental health as taboo — like you just need to tough it out." Jinq En credits social media for helping to shift the conversation. "These days, we can choose the content we consume. I use my platform to promote mental health, and I see a lot of others doing the same. It shows athletes it's okay to talk about this. "But it's a double-edged sword. I've received hate comments. Every athlete in Malaysia has. But I've learnt to ignore them. I'm trying to live my best life, and if that bothers someone, it's their problem." Despite the Olympic setback, Jinq En is focused on what matters most — healing, growing, and using her voice to make a difference.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Immune cells' fat blocks brain's ability to clean Alzheimer's plaques
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive brain disorder and a form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behaviour. As symptoms become more severe, the disease can seriously affect a person's ability to perform tasks that would otherwise be deemed routine, like brushing teeth, making a meal or even recognising family members. For many years, the leading theory has been that Alzheimer's is caused when two harmful proteins called amyloid-beta and tau accumulate in the brain. This pile-up sets off a chain of events, eventually damaging nerve cells and leading to memory loss, confusion, and mood changes. This destruction doesn't happen overnight. It begins years, even decades before symptoms appear. In 2021, an estimated 57 million people worldwide were affected by dementia, with Alzheimer's contributing to 60-70% of the cases. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer's but there are treatments that can slow symptoms and improve quality of life. It isn't surprising that in the ongoing search for answers, scientists are increasingly turning their attention from neurons to their lesser-known but equally critical neighbours: microglia, the brain's resident immune cells. In a new study published in Immunity, researchers led by Gaurav Chopra at Purdue University have uncovered how fat metabolism in microglia may be a key driver of disease progression. 'This study is pretty interesting and part of a growing body of studies indicating the role of fat metabolism problems in cells around amyloid plaques,' Indian Institute of Science professor Deepak Nair said. The lipid link In healthy brains, microglia serve as surveillance cells, clearing away waste products and toxic proteins like amyloid-beta (Aβ), the sticky molecule that forms the hallmark plaques in Alzheimer's. This clean-up process helps protect neurons from damage. But in Alzheimer's patients this mechanism fails. 'The big question was: how and why are microglia no longer able to eat up or clear these plaques?' said Priya Prakash, a co-lead author of the paper. 'This isn't a new observation. Dr. Alzheimer himself noted fat vacuoles in glial cells over a century ago, but their functional significance has remained unclear until now.' The study identified DGAT2, an enzyme that converts free fatty acids into triacylglycerols (TAGs), the main component of lipid droplets, as a key player. In both mouse models and post-mortem human brain samples from patients with late-stage Alzheimer's, the researchers found that microglia near amyloid plaques have high DGAT2 expression and are bloated with lipid droplets, particularly in the hippocampus, the region responsible for memory. 'We see that the proximity of microglia to plaques correlates with lipid droplet size. The closer they are, the fatter they get,' Prakash noted. What causes the lipid overload? According to the study, Aβ exposure triggers a metabolic chain reaction. Microglia start converting free fatty acids into fats stored inside lipid droplets. Over time, this lipid build-up disrupts their ability to engulf and digest more Aβ, setting up a vicious cycle: more plaques lead to more fat, which leads to more dysfunction. The research team used advanced imaging, lipidomic analysis, and metabolomics to track how microglia's lipid profiles changed over time in response to Aβ exposure. Initially, microglia accumulated toxic free fatty acids. Later, with the help of the DGAT2 enzyme, they converted these fatty acids into triacylglycerols and stored them in lipid droplets. To test whether this lipid build-up could be reversed, the researchers used genetically engineered mice that mimicked human Alzheimer's, known as 5xFAD mice. Two methods were used to reduce DGAT2 activity: a pharmacological inhibitor, currently in clinical trials for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and a custom-designed PROTAC-like degrader that targets DGAT2 specifically in microglia. 'When we blocked DGAT2, we saw reduced fat accumulation in microglia and restoration of their ability to clear amyloid plaques. Even a one-week treatment in aged mice with heavy pathology drastically reduced the plaque burden by over 50% and significantly reduced neuronal damage markers,' Prakash said. However, Prof. Nair cautioned that the animal model used in this study is an accelerated Alzheimer's disease model that relies on Aβ pathology, so the findings may not be equally applicable to all forms or stages of the disease. A fat-filled puzzle Lipid droplets are not inherently bad. In fact, they help cells survive stress by safely storing excess fat. But in microglia that are chronically exposed to Aβ, this once-protective response turns harmful. The study's authors suggested that microglia sacrifice their protective immune function in exchange for lipid safety and that this trade-off may be a key step in Alzheimer's progression. The study also uncovered a notable sex-based difference: female mice accumulated more lipid droplets in their microglia and showed more severe microglial impairment than males. This echoed real-world data that show women face a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's. Because DGAT2 is expressed in many cell types throughout the body, targeting it systemically could lead to unwanted side effects. The team's microglia-specific degrader represents an early but promising step towards cell-selective therapy. 'This is a beautiful proof of concept,' Prof. Nair said. 'We've had over 100 drugs in clinical trials for Alzheimer's in the past 20 years, and very few have succeeded. The disease is complex in its origin — it's not caused by one thing.' While the amyloid cascade hypothesis has dominated the field for decades, more recent theories incorporate inflammation, tau protein tangles, metabolic dysfunction, and now, lipid metabolism. 'In brain diseases, homeostasis slowly breaks down until the system is overwhelmed,' Prof. Nair said. 'If we can control just three or four critical pathways, lipid metabolism being one of them, it might be enough to slow down that collapse. 'And slowing down matters. A five-year delay in Alzheimer's onset would significantly reduce the socioeconomic burden of the disease.' Manjeera Gowravaram has a PhD in RNA biochemistry and works as a freelance science writer.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Business news: Merrillville job fair, Purdue Northwest dean's list, new hospital leadership
Businesses will have more time to register as vendors for Merrillville's upcoming job fair, according to a release. Employers have until Tuesday to secure their vendor space for the job fair that's scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 30 at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center, 6600 Broadway in Merrillville. Interested businesses can visit for more information and to register, the release said. The Purdue University Northwest 2025 spring semester Dean's List recognizes 1,746 undergraduate students for their academic achievements. Qualifying students sustained an overall grade point average of at least 3.5 and a semester grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Students from 19 different states and international students from 34 different countries were recognized on the PNW 2025 spring semester Dean's List. For a full listing of recognized students, visit Franciscan Alliance recently welcomed several new leaders to key roles in its healthcare ministry following recent retirements, according to a release. The Mishawaka-based nonprofit Catholic healthcare ministry appointed the following four experienced healthcare professionals to senior vice president, vice president and chief medical officer positions: Dr. Gerald Maloney, chief medical officer Michael Englehart, senior vice president for Franciscan Physician Network/Specialty Physicians of Illinois LLC and Franciscan Post-Acute Services Dr. Joseph Schnecker, chief medical information officer Tim Murphy, vice president of strategy Maloney is taking on the Franciscan CMO position following decades at Geisenger Health in Danville, Pennsylvania, where he spent the last 19 years as a physician executive and his last eight as chief medical officer. Englehart assumes the senior vice president for Franciscan Physician Network/Specialty Physicians of Illinois LLC and Franciscan Post-Acute Services role after more than two decades in healthcare. Schnecker is taking on the position of Franciscan's CMIO from his current role as Franciscan's medical director of information services, which he has held since 2019. Murphy is assuming the role of vice president of strategy following his role as Franciscan's COO/CFO for Franciscan Physician Network, Specialty Physicians of Illinois LLC and Franciscan Post-Acute Services. Valparaiso Parks Department Recreation Superintendent Madison Bell recently achieved the National Parks and Recreation Association's Certified Park and Recreation Professional certification, a release said. The Certified Park and Recreation Professional certification is the national standard for all parks and recreation professionals who want to be at the forefront of their profession, the release said. Valparaiso University will launch its new major in religious studies, a program that encourages students to explore and engage with religion as a lived, cross-cultural and comparative discipline, according to a release. One of the primary goals of Valpo's religious studies program is to spark curiosity about global religious practices and equip students with the knowledge and experience to connect with their neighbors, both nearby and around the world, the release said. The religious studies program will work with other faith-based organizations on campus, including the University's Division of Calling and Spiritual Life and its Christian Formation and Leadership Program, the release said. Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Superior Construction Co. is expected to close U.S. 12 under Indiana 249 beginning on or after Monday, according to a release. U.S. 12 will first be closed in the eastbound direction for approximately three days, the release said. Traffic going eastbound on U.S. 12 will be diverted to southbound Ind. 249 and can use the official detour of U.S. 20 and Indiana 149. Traffic will have access to eastbound U.S. 12 from northbound Ind. 249. U.S. 12 will then be closed in the westbound direction for approximately three days on or after July 17, the release said. The official detour will follow Ind. 149 and U.S. 20. Westbound U.S. 12 will have access to northbound Ind. 249 (Port of Indiana) but not southbound Ind. 249. Dr. Jeremy Luedtke, a general surgeon, recently returned to Northwest Medical Group, according to a release. Luedkte practiced at the Northwest Medical Group in LaPorte for several years before relocating to Wisconsin and has now returned to the organization, the release said. He is accepting new patients at the Northwest Medical Group – General Surgery office located in the Medical Plaza at 85 E. U.S. 6, Suite 240, in Valparaiso. After completing his surgical critical care fellowship at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Luedtke served as a general surgeon and critical care physician at Prevea Allouez Health Center in Wisconsin, general and robotic surgeon at Northwest Health – La Porte, St. Clair Hospital in Wisconsin and general minimally invasive robotic surgeon, critical care intensivist and endoscopist at Surgical Associates of Neenah. Call 219-983-6240.
