Childhood predictors of adults’ belief in god, gods, and spiritual forces across 22 countries

Data availability: All analyses were pre-registered with COS prior to data access, with only slight subsequent modification in the regression analyses due to multicollinearity (https://osf.io/mgv6k); all code to reproduce analyses are openly available in an online repository as described in Johnson, B. R. et al. "The Global Flourishing Study" https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/3JTZ8 (2024). The data are publicly available through the Center for Open Science (https://www.cos.io/gfs).Supplementary Information is available online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-98796-1#Sec16 .The Global Flourishing Study – Wave I collection is available online at: https://www.nature.com/collections/eaeicjffaf .Religion is an integral part of everyday life for billions of people, yet little is known about the developmental antecedents of religious belief outside of Western cultures. Using data from over 200,000 individuals across 22 countries, we evaluate several childhood predictors of belief in God, gods, and spiritual forces (Belief in God) in adulthood. We hypothesized that these childhood experiences, personal attributes, and familial or social circumstances would have meaningful and varied associations with Belief in God as adults, with the strength of these associations differing by country, reflecting diverse cultural influences. Most candidate predictors (e.g., parental marital status, childhood socioeconomic status, abuse, being an outsider, and immigration) were associated with Belief in God in some countries but with substantial variation. However, when pooled across countries, only childhood religious service attendance, birth cohort, and gender were significant predictors. Yet there was important variation even for these predictors, and no predictor had a consistent association across all countries. Though this cross-sectional design is limited in allowing causal inference, results provide insights into early-life experiences that might contribute to adults’ Belief in God. The heterogeneity of results highlights the importance of considering any childhood predictor within its social and cultural context.John Templeton Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, Fetzer Institute, David & Carol Myers Foundation, Paul Foster Family Foundation, Well-Being for Planet Earth, Well Being Trust

A One Pot, One Step, Precision Cloning Method with High Throughput Capability

Current cloning technologies based on site-specific recombination are efficient, simple to use, and flexible, but have the drawback of leaving recombination site sequences in the final construct, adding an extra 8 to 13 amino acids to the expressed protein. We have devised a simple and rapid subcloning strategy to transfer any DNA fragment of interest from an entry clone into an expression vector, without this shortcoming. The strategy is based on the use of type IIs restriction enzymes, which cut outside of their recognition sequence. With proper design of the cleavage sites, two fragments cut by type IIs restriction enzymes can be ligated into a product lacking the original restriction site. Based on this property, a cloning strategy called ‘Golden Gate’ cloning was devised that allows to obtain in one tube and one step close to one hundred percent correct recombinant plasmids after just a 5 minute restriction-ligation. This method is therefore as efficient as currently used recombination-based cloning technologies but yields recombinant plasmids that do not contain unwanted sequences in the final construct, thus providing precision for this fundamental process of genetic manipulation

The experience of thalassemic adults with their treatment

This study, based on medical anthropology and oral reports, analyzes the meanings attributed by thalassemic adults to their experiences with the treatment. Interviews were used to collect data, which were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Eleven young adults, six of whom were men, at different ages, with different educational levels and occupations participated in the study. The meanings are discussed through the theme "the lives of patients with thalassemia in relation to their treatment". This core meaning highlights the difference made in their identity by having the disease trait, the recognition of the importance of adhering to their treatment, the difficulties in maintaining their social functions, the patients' irregular treatment adherence and their justifications for non-adherence to their treatment. Thalassemic patients conform to their condition and employ a normalization strategy to control the disease and justify irregular treatment adherence.El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los sentidos dados por los talasémicos adultos a su experiencia con el tratamiento, con base en la antropología médica y en el método del relato oral. Para la recolección de datos usamos entrevistas y seguimos el análisis temático inductivo. Participaron once adultos jóvenes, seis del sexo masculino; con edades, niveles educacionales y profesiones, distintas. Los sentidos da la experiencia son presentados por el tema "La vida del portador de talasemia con el tratamiento". El tema destaca la identidad de ser diferente por: el trazo de la enfermedad, el reconocimiento de la importancia de la adhesión al tratamiento, las dificultades en mantener sus funciones sociales y los episodios de irregularidad en la terapia y sus justificaciones. Aprendimos que los portadores están resignados con su condición y emplean la estrategia de normalización para el control de la enfermedad y para justificar la irregularidad en el tratamiento.O objetivo neste estudo foi analisar os sentidos dados pelos talassêmicos adultos à sua experiência em relação ao tratamento, com base na antropologia médica e no método do relato oral. Para a coleta de dados, usaram-se entrevistas e seguiu-se a análise temática indutiva. Participaram onze adultos jovens, seis do sexo masculino; com idades, níveis educacionais e profissões distintas. Os sentidos são apresentados pelo tema "a vida do portador de talassemia com o tratamento". O tema destacou a identidade de diferença pelo traço da doença, o reconhecimento da importância da adesão ao tratamento, as dificuldades em manterem suas funções sociais, os episódios de irregularidade na terapia e suas justificativas. Apreendeu-se que os portadores estão resignados com sua condição, empregam a estratégia de normalização para o controle da doença e justificaram a irregularidade no tratamento

The Eco-Epidemiology of Pacific Coast Tick Fever in California

Rickettsia philipii (type strain “Rickettsia 364D”), the etiologic agent of Pacific Coast tick fever (PCTF), is transmitted to people by the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis. Following the first confirmed human case of PCTF in 2008, 13 additional human cases have been reported in California, more than half of which were pediatric cases. The most common features of PCTF are the presence of at least one necrotic lesion known as an eschar (100%), fever (85%), and headache (79%); four case-patients required hospitalization and four had multiple eschars. Findings presented here implicate the nymphal or larval stages of D. occidentalis as the primary vectors of R. philipii to people. Peak transmission risk from ticks to people occurs in late summer. Rickettsia philipii DNA was detected in D. occidentalis ticks from 15 of 37 California counties. Similarly, non-pathogenic Rickettsia rhipicephali DNA was detected in D. occidentalis in 29 of 38 counties with an average prevalence of 12.0% in adult ticks. In total, 5,601 ticks tested from 2009 through 2015 yielded an overall R. philipii infection prevalence of 2.1% in adults, 0.9% in nymphs and a minimum infection prevalence of 0.4% in larval pools. Although most human cases of PCTF have been reported from northern California, acarological surveillance suggests that R. philipii may occur throughout the distribution range of D. occidentalis

No Evidence for a Trade-Off between Reproductive Investment and Immunity in a Rodent

Life history theory assumes there are trade-offs between competing functions such as reproduction and immunity. Although well studied in birds, studies of the trade-offs between reproduction and immunity in small mammals are scarce. Here we examined whether reduced immunity is a consequence of reproductive effort in lactating Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii). Specifically, we tested the effects of lactation on immune function (Experiment I). The results showed that food intake and resting metabolic rate (RMR) were higher in lactating voles (6≤ litter size ≤8) than that in non-reproductive voles. Contrary to our expectation, lactating voles also had higher levels of serum total Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) IgG and no change in phytohemagglutinin (PHA) response and anti-KLH Immunoglobulin M (IgM) compared with non-reproductive voles, suggesting improved rather than reduced immune function. To further test the effect of differences in reproductive investment on immunity, we compared the responses between natural large (n≥8) and small litter size (n≤6) (Experiment II) and manipulated large (11–13) and small litter size (2–3) (Experiment III). During peak lactation, acquired immunity (PHA response, anti-KLH IgG and anti-KLH IgM) was not significantly different between voles raising large or small litters in both experiments, despite the measured difference in reproductive investment (greater litter size, litter mass, RMR and food intake in the voles raising larger litters). Total IgG was higher in voles with natural large litter size than those with natural small litter size, but decreased in the enlarged litter size group compared with control and reduced group. Our results showed that immune function is not suppressed to compensate the high energy demands during lactation in Brandt's voles and contrasting the situation in birds, is unlikely to be an important aspect mediating the trade-off between reproduction and survival

STAT Is an Essential Activator of the Zygotic Genome in the Early Drosophila Embryo

In many organisms, transcription of the zygotic genome begins during the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), which is characterized by a dramatic increase in global transcriptional activities and coincides with embryonic stem cell differentiation. In Drosophila, it has been shown that maternal morphogen gradients and ubiquitously distributed general transcription factors may cooperate to upregulate zygotic genes that are essential for pattern formation in the early embryo. Here, we show that Drosophila STAT (STAT92E) functions as a general transcription factor that, together with the transcription factor Zelda, induces transcription of a large number of early-transcribed zygotic genes during the MZT. STAT92E is present in the early embryo as a maternal product and is active around the MZT. DNA–binding motifs for STAT and Zelda are highly enriched in promoters of early zygotic genes but not in housekeeping genes. Loss of Stat92E in the early embryo, similarly to loss of zelda, preferentially down-regulates early zygotic genes important for pattern formation. We further show that STAT92E and Zelda synergistically regulate transcription. We conclude that STAT92E, in conjunction with Zelda, plays an important role in transcription of the zygotic genome at the onset of embryonic development

BMP signaling components in embryonic transcriptomes of the hover fly Episyrphus balteatus (Syrphidae)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In animals, signaling of Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) is essential for dorsoventral (DV) patterning of the embryo, but how BMP signaling evolved with changes in embryonic DV differentiation is largely unclear. Based on the extensive knowledge of BMP signaling in <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it>, the morphological diversity of extraembryonic tissues in different fly species provides a comparative system to address this question. The closest relatives of <it>D. melanogaster </it>with clearly distinct DV differentiation are hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae). The syrphid <it>Episyrphus balteatus </it>is a commercial bio-agent against aphids and has been established as a model organism for developmental studies and chemical ecology. The dorsal blastoderm of <it>E. balteatus </it>gives rise to two extraembryonic tissues (serosa and amnion), whereas in <it>D. melanogaster</it>, the dorsal blastoderm differentiates into a single extraembryonic epithelium (amnioserosa). Recent studies indicate that several BMP signaling components of <it>D. melanogaster</it>, including the BMP ligand Screw (Scw) and other extracellular regulators, evolved in the dipteran lineage through gene duplication and functional divergence. These findings raise the question of whether the complement of BMP signaling components changed with the origin of the amnioserosa.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To search for BMP signaling components in <it>E. balteatus</it>, we generated and analyzed transcriptomes of freshly laid eggs (0-30 minutes) and late blastoderm to early germband extension stages (3-6 hours) using Roche/454 sequencing. We identified putative <it>E. balteatus </it>orthologues of 43% of all annotated <it>D. melanogaster </it>genes, including the genes of all BMP ligands and other BMP signaling components.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The diversification of several BMP signaling components in the dipteran linage of <it>D. melanogaster </it>preceded the origin of the amnioserosa.</p> <p>[Transcriptome sequence data from this study have been deposited at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRP005289); individually assembled sequences have been deposited at GenBank (<ext-link ext-link-id="JN006969" ext-link-type="gen">JN006969</ext-link>-<ext-link ext-link-id="JN006986" ext-link-type="gen">JN006986</ext-link>).]</p