Unsolved Mysteries Research Articles

Effects of flight altitude on the lift generation of monarch butterflies: from sea level to overwintering mountain

Aerodynamic efficiency behind the annual migration of monarch butterflies, the longest among insects, is an unsolved mystery. Monarchs migrate 4000 km at high-altitudes to their overwintering mountains in Central Mexico. The air is thinner at higher altitudes, yielding reduced aerodynamic drag and enhanced range. However, the lift is also expected to reduce in lower density conditions. To investigate the ability of monarchs to produce sufficient lift to fly in thinner air, we measured the climbing motion of freely flying monarchs in high-altitude conditions. An optical method was used to track the flapping wing and body motions inside a large pressure chamber. The air density inside the chamber was reduced to recreate the higher altitude densities. The lift coefficient generated by monarchs increased from 1.7 at the sea-level to 9.4 at 3000 m. The correlation between this increase and the flapping amplitude and frequency was insignificant. However, it strongly correlated to the effective angle of attack, which measures the wing to body velocity ratio. These results support the hypothesis that monarchs produce sufficiently high lift coefficients at high altitudes despite a lower dynamic pressure.

The Role of a Part of Speech in the System of Toponym Formation

Each place name has its own history. The name of a mountain or any other object of the environment, whether it is a small spring, a piece of land, a water area or even a desert, is of great importance and contains an unsolved mystery. The article is devoted to the issue of the formation of toponyms as a valuable cultural heritage, which, being a kind of" language of the earth", often provide more for solving the problems of historical phenomena than the monuments of material culture, the evidence of ancient and medieval authors. The study of the historical, geographical and linguistic meaning of a place name allows you to get acquainted with the life of the people living in this area. Each geographical name is historical, and its meaning is extensive. They deal with different information depending on the phenomena and changes of time: different wars, folk customs, traditions, relations between peoples and a rich historical past. The appellatives that are part of toponyms determine the natural features of the object (terrain, plants, soil, etc.), and there are also names made up of ethnonyms and antrotoponyms. The names in this group fully convey the ethnogenesis of the region. Geo objects on earth are also named for their distinctive features, qualitative, and quantitative properties. What matters to us is what parts of speech are used when creating these names. The article discusses the most common toponyms, which are created using nouns, and also provides their structural models. Nouns and adjectives play a more active role in toponymy than other parts of speech. Nouns actively participate in the formation of toponyms, forming new words. In this regard, the composition of toponyms is also diverse. Toponymic names contain word-forming suffixes, all types of words in various ways. Derived suffixes in the formation of toponymic names and their activity are also considered.

Reproductive ecology of the African baobab: Floral features differ among individuals with different fruit production

The long observed disparity in fruit production among individual trees of the iconic African baobab, Adansonia digitata L. presents a potential challenge for the supply of fruit and seeds for food, medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Moreover, this disparity presents an unsolved mystery with ecological as well as economic implications. African baobabs are hermaphrodites where flowers have both male and female reproductive organs within the same flower. Here we evaluate the reproductive features, pollen-pistil interactions, and pollinator-attractant traits from South African baobabs to investigate whether trees with different fruit production levels have different floral features. We show that morphological traits highlight functional sex differences that match with average fruit production data of our sampled trees. Trees that produce more fruit comprised more functionally female flowers, whereas more functionally male flowers were characteristic of trees that did not produce many fruits. This difference may signify a shift in sex allocation in African baobabs, which suggests that baobabs might be functionally, or cryptically, dioecious. Collectively our data suggest that maintaining both tree types within a landscape is paramount for long-term sustainable harvesting of baobab fruit and seeds.

The Lady Be Good: A Case Study in Radio Frequency Direction Finders

Over the past several years, we have contributed articles to TPT that focus on a forensics-style reexamination of significant historical events. The purpose of these articles is to afford students the opportunity to apply basic principles of physics to unsolved mysteries and potentially settle the historical debate. We assembled the lessons learned and best practices of our activities into a formalized pedagogy for teaching topics in physics, engineering, problem solving, critical thinking, and ethics.

The Mechanical Basis of Memory – the MeshCODE Theory

One of the major unsolved mysteries of biological science concerns the question of where and in what form information is stored in the brain. I propose that memory is stored in the brain in a mechanically encoded binary format written into the conformations of proteins found in the cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesions that organise each and every synapse. The MeshCODE framework outlined here represents a unifying theory of data storage in animals, providing read-write storage of both dynamic and persistent information in a binary format. Mechanosensitive proteins that contain force-dependent switches can store information persistently, which can be written or updated using small changes in mechanical force. These mechanosensitive proteins, such as talin, scaffold each synapse, creating a meshwork of switches that together form a code, the so-called MeshCODE. Large signalling complexes assemble on these scaffolds as a function of the switch patterns and these complexes would both stabilise the patterns and coordinate synaptic regulators to dynamically tune synaptic activity. Synaptic transmission and action potential spike trains would operate the cytoskeletal machinery to write and update the synaptic MeshCODEs, thereby propagating this coding throughout the organism. Based on established biophysical principles, such a mechanical basis for memory would provide a physical location for data storage in the brain, with the binary patterns, encoded in the information-storing mechanosensitive molecules in the synaptic scaffolds, and the complexes that form on them, representing the physical location of engrams. Furthermore, the conversion and storage of sensory and temporal inputs into a binary format would constitute an addressable read-write memory system, supporting the view of the mind as an organic supercomputer.

THE ITALIAN-STYLE AL FRESCO PAINTING THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST IN I. S. TURGENEV’S FATHERS AND CHILDREN

The article focuses on the unsolved mystery of the novel by I. S. Turgenev Fathers and Children — the Italian-style al fresco painting The Resurrection of Christ, located above the entrance to the church at the entrance to the Odintsova estate. None of the researchers and commentators of Turgenev’s novel were puzzled by the question: what does “Italian-style” mean in the Easter image? Meanwhile, Turgenev directly points out that, instead of the gateway Orthodox icon, there is a religious painting The Resurrection of Christ (al fresco painting) in the church, where both the sacrament itself and the outsider witness (“a swarthy warrior in a spiked helmet in the foreground”) are presented. In the Orthodox Easter iconography, however, an outside figure is an unacceptable detail, and the sacrament of the Resurrection as the highest sacred reality in accordance with the spirit and letter of the Gospel was not depicted. The Easter sacrament was replaced by the scene of the Descent into Hell, but such an icon was still called Resurrection. Meanwhile, canonically, the procession of Christ is captured, when the Savior does not descend into hell, but rises from there on the icon of the Resurrection of Christ/Descent into Hell: he leads Adam and other biblical heroes out of the underworld by “grabbing of the wrist.” In this way, the Resurrection of Christ begins with the salvation of man, with co-resurrection. In the value and semantic space of the novel, the Orthodox icon of the Resurrection of Christ/Descent into Hell is concealed behind the “Italian” fresco-veil. If Turgenev knows the “Italian” semantics of the Resurrection, then it is quite natural that the author is more familiar with the semantics of the Orthodox icon from liturgical recollection and makes it covertly actual. The behind-the-scenes presence of the icon of the Resurrection of Christ/Descent into Hell and everything that is liturgically and theologically associated with it and experienced transubs the structure of Fathers and Children. The Easter hierotopy of the novel, outlined by the Orthodox icon and supported by the prayerful hopes of the finale 1) creates a very special, breathtaking and enlightening value space, correlated with eternity, the infinity of the spiritual, which affirms, elevating all present to endless life through participation; 2) sets up the supertext dimension, gives rise to the motive of transcendental hope: “You will not leave my soul in hell”; 3) and also strengthens the Russian word as the Christocentric foundation of Russian culture.

Mechanisms of slab avalanche release and impact in the Dyatlov Pass incident in 1959

The Dyatlov Pass incident is an intriguing unsolved mystery from the last century. In February 1959, a group of nine experienced Russian mountaineers perished during a difficult expedition in the northern Urals. A snow avalanche hypothesis was proposed, among other theories, but was found to be inconsistent with the evidence of a lower-than-usual slope angle, scarcity of avalanche signs, uncertainties about the trigger mechanism, and abnormal injuries of the victims. The challenge of explaining these observations has led us to a physical mechanism for a slab avalanche caused by progressive wind-blown snow accumulation on the slope above the hikers’ tent. Here we show how a combination of irregular topography, a cut made in the slope to install the tent and the subsequent deposition of snow induced by strong katabatic winds contributed after a suitable time to the slab release, which caused severe non-fatal injuries, in agreement with the autopsy results.

SIX2 and SIX3 coordinately regulate functional maturity and fate of human pancreatic β cells.

The physiological functions of many vital tissues and organs continue to mature after birth, but the genetic mechanisms governing this postnatal maturation remain an unsolved mystery. Human pancreatic β cells produce and secrete insulin in response to physiological cues like glucose, and these hallmark functions improve in the years after birth. This coincides with expression of the transcription factors SIX2 and SIX3, whose functions in native human β cells remain unknown. Here, we show that shRNA-mediated SIX2 or SIX3 suppression in human pancreatic adult islets impairs insulin secretion. However, transcriptome studies revealed that SIX2 and SIX3 regulate distinct targets. Loss of SIX2 markedly impaired expression of genes governing β-cell insulin processing and output, glucose sensing, and electrophysiology, while SIX3 loss led to inappropriate expression of genes normally expressed in fetal β cells, adult α cells, and other non-β cells. Chromatin accessibility studies identified genes directly regulated by SIX2. Moreover, β cells from diabetic humans with impaired insulin secretion also had reduced SIX2 transcript levels. Revealing how SIX2 and SIX3 govern functional maturation and maintain developmental fate in native human β cells should advance β-cell replacement and other therapeutic strategies for diabetes.

Deuterium Solid State NMR Studies of Intact Bacteria Treated With Antimicrobial Peptides.

Solid state NMR has been tremendously useful in characterizing the structure and dynamics of model membranes composed of simple lipid mixtures. Model lipid studies employing solid state NMR have included important work revealing how membrane bilayer structure and dynamics are affected by molecules such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). However, solid state NMR need not be applied only to model membranes, but can also be used with living, intact cells. NMR of whole cells holds promise for helping resolve some unsolved mysteries about how bacteria interact with AMPs. This mini-review will focus on recent studies using 2H NMR to study how treatment with AMPs affect membranes in intact bacteria.

New Discovery and Significance of Microbialites of the Middle Ordovician Majiagou Formation in Liujiang Basin, Hebei, China

The concept, classification, genesis, and significance of microbialites have been constantly improving for over a century, but they are still hot spots in the field of geology because of the strong attractions and many unsolved mysteries such as the mechanism of the microbial deposition process, the microbial induced sedimentary structures, and so on. At the same time doubt and confusion arises among students and beginners because of the mysteries. Generally, any findings of various stromatolites, oncolites, and thrombolites are all classified under microbialites. Moreover, microbialites have also been discovered from the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation in Liujiang Basin, Hebei, China. As an important geological practice base for thousands of students and beginners every year, in order to enhance the interest in geosciences the further research of the microbialites found in Liujiang Basin is necessary. In this study, the classification scheme of microbialites has been summarized. On this basis, the study shows that the main microbialites in the study area are microbial carbonate rocks, which include wavy, columnar, conical-shaped stromatolite carbonate rocks and oncolite carbonate rocks. The variety, macroscopic characteristics, and clear internal features of microbialite carbonate rocks are all have considerable significance in judging hydrodynamic conditions, sedimentary environment, paleogeographic characteristics, and biological evolution. And the evolutionary process of different kinds of microbialites has been discussed. However, the roles of microbialites in the formation mechanism and ecological significance are still need further study. With the new discovery of microbialites from the middle Ordovician Majiagou formation in Liujiang Basin, a new window of study microbialites has been opened for everyone. More findings and detailed characteristics of microbialites in this area are urgently needed during geological practice.

Utility of TIVA in COVID-19 Era

An unsolved mystery, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has taken the world by surprise, is clearly, as evidenced last few months, procoagulation and thrombotic in etiology. It is a collision of coagulation, inflammatory, and complementary pathways. There are multiple reports and publications that this COVID-19 pandemic is associated with both arterial and venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, with marked increase in clots in extracorporeal circuits as well.[1]

Revisiting Unsolved Mysteries: A Journey Into Bulk and Surface Characteristics of Samarium Hexaboride Using Transport Measurements

Revisiting Unsolved Mysteries: A Journey Into Bulk and Surface Characteristics of Samarium Hexaboride Using Transport Measurements

A Progress on the Application of Tetrodotoxin

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a blocker of sodium channels, exists in the pufferfish, amphibians, and octopus, and originated in endosymbiont-vibrio. Researches have confirmed that TTX affected the action potential through the regulation of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and the ingestion of TTX inhibits the nerve signal’s transmission, showing symptoms like rapid weakening and paralysis of the muscles. Recent research shows that TTX’s medical value as the analgesic is mainly focused. The comparison on efficacy among placebo, TTX, and opioids manifests that TTX is healthy and effective in treating neuropathic pain. Moreover, since the drug is synthesized by TTX, it can block specific neurons to alleviate the pain on different parts of the body accurately. Currently speaking, TTX has been widely used as medicine for the alleviation of cancer pain. The mechanism, symptoms, application, and treatment are thoroughly discussed to popularize TTX and pass the “torch” to the new generation because there is still a long way to go—the unsolved mysteries of TTX awaiting humans.

LncRNA PVT1 Promotes Metastasis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through EZH2-Mediated Activation of Hippo/NOTCH1 Signaling Pathways.

Objective:Although growing evidences have showed that long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) plays a critical role in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there are still many unsolved mysteries remains to be deeply elucidated. This study aimed to find a new underlying mechanism of PVT1 in regulating the tumorigenesis and development of NSCLC.Materials and Methods:In this experimental study, Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRTPCR) was used to profile the expression of PVT1 in NSCLC tissues and cells. The effects of PVT1 on cell growth, migration and invasion were detected by colony formation assay, Matrigel-free transwell and Matrigel transwell assays, respectively. Changes of the key protein expression in Hippo and NOTCH signaling pathways, as well as epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, were analyzed using western blot. Interaction of PVT1 with enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) was verified by RNA pull-down, and their binding to the downstream targets was detected by Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays.Results:These results showed that PVT1 was up-regulated in NSCLC tissue and cell lines, promoting NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Knockdown of PVT1 inhibited the expression of Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) and NOTCH1 signaling activation. Further, we have confirmed that PVT1 regulated expression of YAP1 through EZH2-mediated miR-497 promoter methylation resulting in the inhibition of miR-497 transcription and its target YAP1 upregulation, and finally NOTCH signaling pathway was activated, which promoted EMT and invasion and metastasis.Conclusion:These results suggested that lncRNA PVT1 promotes NSCLC metastasis through EZH2-mediated activation of Hippo/NOTCH1 signaling pathways. This study provides a new opportunity to advance our understanding in the potential mechanism of NSCLC development.

The unsolved mystery of hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide: A potent cholinergic regulator

Cholinergic efferent networks located from the medial septal nucleus to the hippocampus play a pivotal role in learning and memory outcomes by generating regular theta rhythms that enhance information retention. Hippocampal cholinergic neurostimulating peptide (HCNP), derived from the N-terminus of HCNP precursor protein (HCNP-pp), promotes the synthesis of acetylcholine in the medial septal nuclei. HCNP-pp deletion significantly reduced theta power in CA1 possibly due to lower levels of choline acetyltransferase-positive axons in CA1 stratum oriens, suggesting cholinergic disruptions in the septo-hippocampal system. This review also explores HCNP as a potent cholinergic regulator in the septo-hippocampal network while also examining the limitations of our understanding of the neurostimulating peptide.

Developing a theoretical evolutionary framework to solve the mystery of parturition initiation.

Eutherian mammals have characteristic lengths of gestation that are key for reproductive success, but relatively little is known about the processes that determine the timing of parturition, the process of birth, and how they are coordinated with fetal developmental programs. This issue remains one of biology's great unsolved mysteries and has significant clinical relevance because preterm birth is the leading cause of infant and under 5 year old child mortality worldwide. Here, we consider the evolutionary influences and potential signaling mechanisms that maintain or end pregnancy in eutherian mammals and use this knowledge to formulate general theoretical evolutionary models. These models can be tested through evolutionary species comparisons, studies of experimental manipulation of gestation period and birth timing, and human clinical studies. Understanding how gestation time and parturition are determined will shed light on this fundamental biological process and improve human health through the development of therapies to prevent preterm birth.

Resistance of High-Tc Superconductors: Review Article

"The origin of resistance and its relation to the superconducting mechanism remain a profound, unsolved mystery. Currently, model parameters used to fit normal state properties are specific and vary arbitrarily from one doping. This short review illustrates the electrical resistivity of ceramic high temperature superconductors copper oxides. The article gives a summary of the prevailing arguments of researchers to relate the material to ceramic HTS compounds. Keywords: superconductivity, HTC ceramic compounds, resistivity. "

Unsolved mysteries and controversies of mitochondria in the heart – A virtual special issue in JMCC: Part IV

Five years ago, JMCC published a special issue that reviewed a number of exciting advancements in basic and translational research of mitochondrial biology [1]. It seemed that, with these breakthrough discoveries, many mysteries surrounding mitochondrial function and regulation were solved or could be solved by now. Undoubtedly, tremendous progress has been made during the past few years from widespread cutting-edge investigations on this research area; nevertheless, mysteries and controversies remain in several critical questions.

Find and fuse: Unsolved mysteries in sperm-egg recognition.

Sexual reproduction is such a successful way of creating progeny with subtle genetic variations that the vast majority of eukaryotic species use it. In mammals, it involves the formation of highly specialised cells: the sperm in males and the egg in females, each carrying the genetic inheritance of an individual. The interaction of sperm and egg culminates with the fusion of their cell membranes, triggering the molecular events that result in the formation of a new genetically distinct organism. Although we have a good cellular description of fertilisation in mammals, many of the molecules involved remain unknown, and especially the identity and role of cell surface proteins that are responsible for sperm–egg recognition, binding, and fusion. Here, we will highlight and discuss these gaps in our knowledge and how the role of some recently discovered sperm cell surface and secreted proteins contribute to our understanding of this fundamental process.

Calibration Techniques for Studying Venus and Mars Atmospheres

The European Space Agency Venus Express mission (VEX) was sent to Venus in 2005 to unveil the unsolved mysteries regarding its atmosphere, the plasma environment and its temperatures. Radio occultation experiments performed by VeRa radio science instrument probed the planet’s atmosphere by studying the frequency shift on the radio signal sent by the spacecraft to Earth-based ground stations. This study carries out the calibration of the radio frequencies within a radio occultation experiment in order to correct the main sources of error as: thermal noise, spacecraft clock, spacecraft trajectory, and plasma noise. Any uncalibrated effects will bias the retrieval of atmospheric properties. A comparison of the occultation experiments between Venus and Mars is presented, both from the engineering and scientific point of view, through the analysis of Venus Express and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) occultations data, highlighting stronger calibrations required for VEX, the extreme, hostile, thick Venus’ atmosphere, and a friendly, thin Mars’ atmosphere. This investigation analyzes Venus Express data recorded by the NASA Deep Space Network in 2014, and the results are compatible to previous studies of Venus atmosphere with VEX between 2006 and 2009.