Fossilized skin reveals coevolution with feathers and metabolism in feathered dinosaurs and early birds

Feathers are remarkable evolutionary innovations that are associated with complex adaptations of the skin in modern birds. Fossilised feathers in non-avian dinosaurs and basal birds provide insights into feather evolution, but how associated integumentary adaptations evolved is unclear. Here we report the discovery of fossil skin, preserved with remarkable nanoscale fidelity, in three non-avian maniraptoran dinosaurs and a basal bird from the Cretaceous Jehol biota (China). The skin comprises patches of desquamating epidermal corneocytes that preserve a cytoskeletal array of helically coiled α-keratin tonofibrils. This structure confirms that basal birds and non-avian dinosaurs shed small epidermal flakes as in modern mammals and birds, but structural differences imply that these Cretaceous taxa had lower body heat production than modern birds. Feathered epidermis acquired many, but not all, anatomically modern attributes close to the base of the Maniraptora by the Middle Jurassic

Unique caudal plumage of Jeholornis and complex tail evolution in early birds

The Early Cretaceous bird Jeholornis was previously only known to have a distally restricted ornamental frond of tail feathers. We describe a previously unrecognized fan-shaped tract of feathers situated dorsal to the proximal caudal vertebrae. The position and morphology of these feathers is reminiscent of the specialized upper tail coverts observed in males of some sexually dimorphic neornithines. As in the neornithine tail, the unique “two-tail” plumage in Jeholornis probably evolved as the result of complex interactions between natural and sexual selective pressures and served both aerodynamic and ornamental functions. We suggest that the proximal fan would have helped to streamline the body and reduce drag whereas the distal frond was primarily ornamental. Jeholornis reveals that tail evolution was complex and not a simple progression from frond to fan.Fil: O'Connor, Jingmai. Chinese Academy Of Sciences. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; República de ChinaFil: Wang, Xiaoli. Linyi University; ChinaFil: Sullivan, Corwin. Chinese Academy Of Sciences. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; República de ChinaFil: Zheng, Xiaoting. Linyi University; China. Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature; ChinaFil: Tubaro, Pablo Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Zhang, Xiaomei. Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature; ChinaFil: Zhou, Zhonghe. Chinese Academy Of Sciences. Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; República de Chin

IKKα inactivation promotes Kras-initiated lung adenocarcinoma development through disrupting major redox regulatory pathways.

Lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are two distinct and predominant types of human lung cancer. IκB kinase α (IKKα) has been shown to suppress lung SCC development, but its role in ADC is unknown. We found inactivating mutations and homologous or hemizygous deletions in the CHUK locus, which encodes IKKα, in human lung ADCs. The CHUK deletions significantly reduced the survival time of patients with lung ADCs harboring KRAS mutations. In mice, lung-specific Ikkα ablation (IkkαΔLu ) induces spontaneous ADCs and promotes KrasG12D-initiated ADC development, accompanied by increased cell proliferation, decreased cell senescence, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. IKKα deletion up-regulates NOX2 and down-regulates NRF2, leading to ROS accumulation and blockade of cell senescence induction, which together accelerate ADC development. Pharmacologic inhibition of NADPH oxidase or ROS impairs KrasG12D-mediated ADC development in IkkαΔLu mice. Therefore, IKKα modulates lung ADC development by controlling redox regulatory pathways. This study demonstrates that IKKα functions as a suppressor of lung ADC in human and mice through a unique mechanism that regulates tumor cell-associated ROS metabolism

The Philosophical Inspiration of Arendt’s View of Labor on Digital Labor

While introducing Hannah Arendt’s attitude towards labor in her works, Christian Fuchs’ concept of digital labor is introduced, and Arendt’s view of labor is summarized for contemporary labor The critique of the state, the hidden words behind Arendt’s labor thesis, tell people to reflect on the current materialistic and consumer-oriented policy guidance, and to be alert to the hidden danger of laborers who are hidden behind the digital labor under high-tech. At the same time, it expresses as a political philosopher, I have the relentless pursuit of the sublime human nature and the insufficient thoroughness of Marx’s thought of overcoming alienated labor. On the basis of acknowledging Marx’s labor ontology and labor alienation, drawing on Arendt’s labor research results can guide people to pursue a more liberal and ideal world order

The Tianxia System: A Transcendence to the Liberal International Order

The post-World War II Liberal International Order (LIO) promoted democracy, human rights, free trade, and a rules-based system. Yet it has been dominated by powerful countries, leading to limited representation and economic inequality in developing countries. In contrast, the Tianxia system is more inclusive. This study aims to make broader recommendations for addressing the confusion of the international system and the absence of global governance in the context of Sino-US competition. Using the method of comparative analysis, the Tianxia system and LIO are evaluated. The research shows that the Tianxia system surpasses the LIO to varying degrees in theory and practical experience, but it faces implementation challenges. This highlights the difficulty of a single country promoting the establishment of a world system. Therefore, the establishment of the Tianxia system is still incomplete, and more global forces are needed to jointly overcome the crisis of global governance

Response of riparian vegetation to water-table changes in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Xinjiang Uygur, China

The lower reaches of Tarim River in the Xinjiang Uygur region of western China had been dried out for more than 30 years before water began to be diverted from Konqi (Peacock) River via a 927-km-long channel in year 2000, aimed at improving the riparian ecological systems. Since then, eight intermittent water deliveries have been carried out. To evaluate the response of riparian vegetation to these operations, the groundwater regime and vegetation changes have been monitored along the 350-km-long stem of the river using a network of 40 dug wells at nine transects across the river and 30 vegetation plots at key sites. Results show that the water table rose remarkably, i.e. from a depth of 9.87m before the water delivery to 3.16m after the third water delivery. The lateral distance of affected water table extended to 1,050m from the riverbank after the fourth water delivery. The riparian vegetation has changed in composition, type, distribution, and growing behavior. This shows that the water deliveries have had significant effects on restoration of riparian ecosystems