Latest news with #UniversityofLyon
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bacteria Living on Your Skin May Help Protect You From The Sun, Study Says
The bacteria that live on your skin could be playing a role in protecting you from the sun's harmful UV rays, scientists have discovered. In response to solar ultraviolet radiation, our skin cells produce a molecule that, it turns out, is gobbled up by some species of bacteria that live on our skin. In doing so, they eliminate this substance, which is associated with some of the harmful effects that come with repeated sun exposure. "We have known for a long time that UV radiation modulates immune responses directed against environmental antigens on the surface of the skin and, more recently, that the skin microbiome also plays a role in regulating these responses," says lead author VijayKumar Patra, a biotechnologist from the University of Lyon. "What intrigued us was the idea that certain microbes could be actively involved in or even interfere with UV effects." The researchers specifically tested in vitro bacteria, as well as those found on the skin of mice, for their responses to UVB, the kind of radiation that leads to sunburn. They found certain species of bacteria, commonly found on the surface of humans and rodents alike, can break down a molecule that appears to be involved in skin cancer. That molecule, cis-urocanic acid, is produced when another molecule in the outermost layer of skin – trans-urocanic acid – is hit with ultraviolet rays. Previous studies have found cis-urocanic acid suppresses our skin cells' immune systems by binding to serotonin receptors. There are concerns that this, along with the molecule's ability to kick-start oxidative DNA damage, contributes to the development of skin cancer. Somewhat paradoxically, researchers have also found that if cis-urocanic acid is injected into a skin tumor, it can actually have the opposite effect, acidifying the tumor's normally neutral core and killing those cells. Basically, cis-urocanic acid isn't always a villain, but if it builds up around healthy cells, it can be bad news. That's where the bacteria come in. The researchers found common skin bacteria like Staphylococcus epidermidis can actually digest cis-urocanic acid using an enzyme called urocanase. This suggests our skin's microbiome may be regulating the way UV exposure affects our bodies long-term. "This is the first time we have demonstrated a direct metabolic link between UV radiation, a host-derived molecule, and bacterial behavior that affects immune function," says skin immunologist Marc Vocanson, from the International Center for Research in Infectiology in France. "As interest grows in both microbiome research and personalized medicine, understanding these microbe-host interactions could reshape the way we think about sun protection, immune diseases, skin cancer, or even treatments like phototherapy." When UVB sunscreens were first invented in 1928, by Australian chemist Milton Blake, very little was known about the microbiome, a term which was only coined in 2001. These bacteria obviously can't handle the job of sun protection all on their own – which is why people still get skin cancer when they ignore the sun safety measures recommended by health experts – but now that we know what these microbes are doing, we might be able to find ways to use this to improve skincare. "These findings open the door to microbiome-aware sun protection, where we not only protect the skin from UV radiation, but also consider how resident microbes can alter the immune landscape after exposure," says photodermatologist Peter Wolf, from the Medical University of Graz, Austria. He thinks treatments applied directly to the skin may one day be used to enhance or minimize the cis-urocanic acid metabolisms of these microbes to achieve desired outcomes in clinical treatment. This could be useful, for instance, during phototherapy, in which ultraviolet light is used to treat conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and vitamin B deficiency. Removing the bacteria prior to these treatments could enhance their effects. In the other direction, products that encourage the growth of S. epidermidis, or contain the urocanase enzymes, could potentially help protect the skin's immune system, which may reduce the chances of skin cancer. Of course, because these findings are based on test-tube experiments and the skin and microbiomes of mice, all these human applications are still speculative. Far more research is needed before any burgeoning 'urocanase-enriched sunscreen' products can earn the scientific seal of approval. This research was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Do Eyes Really See The World Upside Down? Here's The Science. Your Heart Begins to Suffer After Just 3 Nights of Bad Sleep Experimental Therapy Suppresses Immune Reaction to Gluten in Mice
Euronews
21-04-2025
- Science
- Euronews
3,400-year-old Egyptian town with links to King Tutankhamun unearthed near Alexandria
ADVERTISEMENT A French team of archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery - the ruins of a 3,400-year-old Egyptian town near the modern-day city of Alexandria, that was possibly built by the legendary King Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten. Detailed in a new study published in Antiquity , the mud-brick ruins are believed to date back to Egypt's 18th Dynasty (circa 1550–1292 BCE), a period known for its wealth, power, and dramatic shifts in religious ideology. The site, known as Kom el-Nugus, lies 27 miles west of Alexandria, perched on a rocky ledge between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariout. Although excavations began in 2013, it was long assumed that the area had only been settled during the Hellenistic period, when the Greeks arrived around 332 BCE. 'The discovery of New Kingdom remains at the site was a great surprise,' lead archaeologist Sylvain Dhennin of the University of Lyon and the French National Centre for Scientific Research told the New Scientist . 'This discovery completely revises the history of Egypt's western frontier in the New Kingdom.' The ancient settlement likely dates back to Egypt's 18th Dynasty (around 1550–1292 BCE). Credit: Cambridge University Press A stone block featuring Ra-Horakhty, the god of the rising sun, from the temple of Ramesses II. Credit: Cambridge Core Among the most noteworthy finds found during the excavation were amphora jar fragments stamped with the name Merytaton, who was believed to the eldest daughter of revolutionary pharaoh Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti - and thus making her the sister or half-sister of Tutankhamun. The markings indicate the settlement could have been a wine production facility that may have been dedicated to her, suggesting that royal branding and product endorsements existed in ancient Egypt. "The presence of this stamp probably indicates the production of wine belonging to a royal estate" study author Sylvain Dhennin, an archaeologist with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science . "The vineyards on the margins of Egypt were probably protected by the military and formed part of a pioneering front to occupy this region towards the desert." Other discoveries include fragments of a stele bearing the cartouches of Pharaoh Seti II (r. 1203–1197 BCE), and architectural remnants linked to a temple honouring Ramesses II - a ruler often speculated to be the pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. While the full scale of the settlement remains unknown, the presence of a meticulously designed street, cleverly sloped to drain water and protect buildings from erosion, points to a town of significant size and sophistication. Related Archaeologists unearth 3,200-year-old tomb linked to ancient Egypt's military elite The Bashiri mystery: A 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy that no archaeologist dares to open Other recent ancient Egyptian discoveries The discovery of the settlement adds to a series of major Egyptian archaeological finds this year. Just last month, archaeologists unearthed the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II - the first pharaonic burial site found since Tutankhamun's in 1922. Discovered by a joint British-Egyptian team led by Dr Piers Litherland, the tomb was hidden away in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor. The exterior of Thutmose II's tomb, discovered in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Amel Eweida/New Kingdom Research Foundation Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Court of Antiquities, said in a statement that the discovery was 'one of the most significant archeological breakthroughs in recent years.' Days later, the same team announced they may have located a second tomb belonging to Thutmose II, buried 23 metres beneath a carefully disguised mound of rubble, limestone, ash, and mud plaster. Litherland believes the tomb could contain the pharaoh's mummified remains and grave goods. 'The best candidate for what is hidden underneath this enormously expensive, in terms of effort, pile is the second tomb of Thutmose II,' he told The Observer. And earlier this year, a French-Swiss archaeological team in Egypt made another remarkable discovery - the tomb of a high-ranking wizard-doctor who served the pharaohs some 4,000 years ago. Inscriptions identify the tomb's owner as Tetinebefou, a celebrated doctor during the reign of King Pepi II (circa 2305–2118 BC).
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
3,400-year-old Egyptian town with links to King Tutankhamun unearthed near Alexandria
A French team of archaeologists have made a remarkable discovery - the ruins of a 3,400-year-old Egyptian town near the modern-day city of Alexandria, that was possibly built by the legendary King Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten. Detailed in a new study published in Antiquity, the mud-brick ruins are believed to date back to Egypt's 18th Dynasty (circa 1550–1292 BCE), a period known for its wealth, power, and dramatic shifts in religious ideology. The site, known as Kom el-Nugus, lies 27 miles west of Alexandria, perched on a rocky ledge between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariout. Although excavations began in 2013, it was long assumed that the area had only been settled during the Hellenistic period, when the Greeks arrived around 332 BCE. 'The discovery of New Kingdom remains at the site was a great surprise,' lead archaeologist Sylvain Dhennin of the University of Lyon and the French National Centre for Scientific Research told the New Scientist. 'This discovery completely revises the history of Egypt's western frontier in the New Kingdom.' Among the most noteworthy finds found during the excavation were amphora jar fragments stamped with the name Merytaton, who was believed to the eldest daughter of revolutionary pharaoh Akhenaten and his queen, Nefertiti - and thus making her the sister or half-sister of Tutankhamun. The markings indicate the settlement could have been a wine production facility that may have been dedicated to her, suggesting that royal branding and product endorsements existed in ancient Egypt. "The presence of this stamp probably indicates the production of wine belonging to a royal estate" study author Sylvain Dhennin, an archaeologist with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science. "The vineyards on the margins of Egypt were probably protected by the military and formed part of a pioneering front to occupy this region towards the desert." Other discoveries include fragments of a stele bearing the cartouches of Pharaoh Seti II (r. 1203–1197 BCE), and architectural remnants linked to a temple honouring Ramesses II - a ruler often speculated to be the pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. While the full scale of the settlement remains unknown, the presence of a meticulously designed street, cleverly sloped to drain water and protect buildings from erosion, points to a town of significant size and sophistication. Related Archaeologists unearth 3,200-year-old tomb linked to ancient Egypt's military elite The Bashiri mystery: A 2,300-year-old Egyptian mummy that no archaeologist dares to open The discovery of the settlement adds to a series of major Egyptian archaeological finds this year. Just last month, archaeologists unearthed the tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II - the first pharaonic burial site found since Tutankhamun's in 1922. Discovered by a joint British-Egyptian team led by Dr Piers Litherland, the tomb was hidden away in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis, near Luxor. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Court of Antiquities, said in a statement that the discovery was 'one of the most significant archeological breakthroughs in recent years.' Days later, the same team announced they may have located a second tomb belonging to Thutmose II, buried 23 metres beneath a carefully disguised mound of rubble, limestone, ash, and mud plaster. Litherland believes the tomb could contain the pharaoh's mummified remains and grave goods. 'The best candidate for what is hidden underneath this enormously expensive, in terms of effort, pile is the second tomb of Thutmose II,' he told The Observer. And earlier this year, a French-Swiss archaeological team in Egypt made another remarkable discovery - the tomb of a high-ranking wizard-doctor who served the pharaohs some 4,000 years ago. Inscriptions identify the tomb's owner as Tetinebefou, a celebrated doctor during the reign of King Pepi II (circa 2305–2118 BC).
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeologists Dug Under an Ancient Greek City—and Found a 3,500-Year-Old Egyptian Settlement
An entire ancient Egyptian settlement from the New Kingdom, also known as the Golden Age of Egypt, surfaced from beneath Greek ruins at the site of Kom el-Nugus near Alexandria Among the artifacts found were the remains of a temple and pottery including an amphora and a grape crusher that indicate the settlement had something to do with the production of wine. Continuing excavations in the upcoming months may reveal more about the settlement, whose name is still unknown. On an Egyptian desert rock ridge west of Alexandria and between the Mediterranean sea and Lake Mariout is Kom el-Nugus, an archaeological site named for a mound roughly in the shape of a horseshoe, or kom, in the midst of ancient ruins surrounded by fig orchards. The kom appeared unassuming. Most relics found there until now were from a long-abandoned Greek necropolis and lakeside town from the time of Alexander the Great. What emerged when archaeologists dug deeper was a whole other city, one that was already ancient when Alexander arrived in Egypt. It turned out that a 3,500-year-old settlement from Egypt's New Kingdom had been lying beneath the Hellenistic ruins for thousands of years. The New Kingdom was the height of Egypt's splendor in antiquity. It gave birth to legendary 18th and 19th Dynasty pharaohs such as Tutankhamun (nobody wanted to speak of his heretic father Akhenaten), Seti I and Rameses II. It is thought to have been built over around 332 B.C., when the Egyptians willingly allowed Alexander's forces in to liberate them from oppressive Persian rule, and was occupied by Greeks for several hundred years. 'Towards the interior, the curious shape of the kom has long puzzled visitors, and the steep inward slope from the top of the hill to the centre has defied easy explanation,' Sylvain Dhennin of the University of Lyon in France, who led the team of archeologists in unearthing the lost settlement, said in a study recently published in Antiquity. In the middle of the Kom are the remains of a Hellenistic monument that is probably a temple, carved out of calcarenite, a type of limestone. Hardly anything is left except its crumbling foundations. Dhennin thinks the proportions of the building, along with some telltale inscriptions, set it apart as a temple. Parts of it were eventually plundered. Some New Kingdom artifacts that have surfaced at the kom hint at the splendor of what was also known as Egypt's Golden Age. An amphora stamped with the name Meritaten dated back to the 18th Dynasty, from 1550 to 1292 B.C., since Meritaten Tasherit or Meritaten the Younger is known to be the eldest daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Wine was often stored in amphoras, and a grape crusher discovered at the site suggests that the ancient settlement had something to do with the production of wine. Dhennin thinks the stamp with Meritaten's name means that the wine belonged to a royal estate. The name Meritaten translates to 'she who is beloved of the Aten.' The Aten was the sun disk that Akhenaten demanded all of Egypt worship when he ascended the throne. Ushering in an era of monotheism, he did away with the Egyptian pantheon, fueling political and religious upheaval. After Akhenaten's death, his subjects tried to erase every possible statue, carving, and other vestige of him that remained, and his mummified body has never been found. Tutankhamun (named Tutankhaten at birth) then took the throne and restored the pantheon. There were also some fragments of what were once stone monuments scattered on the Hellenistic levels, including blocks from one of the many temples dedicated by Rameses II, with one of them depicting Ra-Horakhty, 'Horus of the two horizons.' Ra-Horakhty is one of the many forms of the sun god Ra. In this iteration, he has the falcon head of Horus, another god of the sun who crossed the vast expanse of sky every day. This carving must have been intended to show him during the daytime since his right eye was believed to be the sun, while left eye was the moon. More artifacts found at Kom el-Nugus include pieces of chapels from the 19th and 20th dynasties, otherwise known as the Ramesside period. There was also piece of a stele carved with the cartouches of Seti II and a pit containing five miniature ceramic bowls. The buildings of the settlement were made of mud bricks, with two groups of them lined up on either side of a street that headed slightly southward and featured a water-collecting system to keep the buildings dry so they wouldn't collapse. This road was found to have been rebuilt at some point. 'The restructuring of the buildings—in stages that appear to have taken place in quick succession—raises the possibility that this was a seasonal or intermittent settlement, as in the case of temporary military garrisons,' Dhennin said in the same study. More excavations will be carried out during the coming months. The artifacts and remnants of buildings that emerge may not be a glittering golden hoard like the scene that greeted Howard Carter when he broke the seal to Tutankhamun's tomb, but they will still be treasures. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Sharjah 24
14-02-2025
- General
- Sharjah 24
Al Bait Al Gharbi documents Emirati architecture
Details of the book's content The book is divided into four chapters, offering an in-depth look at the architectural and cultural significance of the Western House. The first chapter discusses the layout of the house, including its planning, floors, entrance, courtyard, rooms, porticoes, barjeel, and more. The second chapter highlights the architectural elements such as walls, wooden doors, windows, arches, columns, and decorative features. Restoration and raw materials The third chapter covers the restoration and maintenance techniques of the Western House, while the fourth chapter details the raw materials used in its construction, including sea stone, coral, plaster, and wood. The book provides a comprehensive view of the house with vibrant images showcasing its various facilities and architectural features. Dr Abdul Sattar Al Azzawi's legacy Dr Abdul Sattar Al Azzawi, born in 1935 in Baghdad, Iraq, was an expert in Arab-Islamic architecture. He earned a Ph.D. in the field from the University of Lyon in France and worked as a curator, researcher, and heritage consultant. Dr Al Azzawi made lasting contributions to heritage preservation in Sharjah and beyond, working as a restoration expert at the Sharjah Institute for Heritage from 1990 to 2020. He passed away in June 2020 at the age of 85.
