Is human oversight to AI systems still possible?

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems across diverse domains raises critical questions about the feasibility of meaningful human oversight, particularly in high-stakes domains such as new biotechnology. As AI systems grow increasingly complex, opaque, and autonomous, ensuring responsible use becomes a formidable challenge. During our editorial work for the special issue "Artificial Intelligence for Life Sciences", we placed increasing emphasis on the topic of "human oversight".

Evidence For Decoupled Water Potential Between Myco- And Photobionts During Desiccation In The Tripartite Lichen Peltigera britannica.

In lichens, accurate description of thallus water status is required to understand growth and photosynthesis dynamics. A recent model suggested that myco- and photobiont layers could have a different water energy status (i.e.

Stable and Promiscuous Galactose Oxidases Engineered by Directed Evolution, Atomistic Design, and Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction.

Galactose oxidase (GOase) is a versatile biocatalyst with a wide range of potential applications, ranging from synthetic chemistry to bioelectrochemical devices. Previous GOase engineering by directed evolution generated the M-RQW mutant, with unprecedented new-to-nature oxidation activity at the C6-OH group of glucose, and a mutational backbone that helped to unlock its promiscuity toward other molecules, including secondary alcohols. In the current study, we have used the M-RQW mutant as a starting point to engineer a set of GOases that are very thermostable and that are easily produced at high titers in yeast, enzymes with latent activities applicable to sustainable chemistry.

Fertilizer Addition Modifies Utilization of Different P Sources in Upland Rice on Strongly P-fixing Andosols.

Aims: High Phosphorus (P) efficiencies such as internal P utilization efficiency (PUE) and P acquisition efficiency (PAE) are crucial for upland rice production, particularly on highly P-fixing soils like Andosols. While the effect of root traits associated with high PAE in upland rice has been studied intensively, less attention has been given to the origin of P (native soil-P versus fertilizer-P) taken up by plants when evaluating differences in P efficiency. Here we aim to evaluate the efficiency of different upland rice genotypes to acquire native soil-P and fertilizer-P.

Differential microRNA expression patterns between TallyHo/JngJ mice and non-diabetic Swiss Webster Random/Jackson mice.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases the susceptibility of bone fragility. The underlying mechanisms have, however, remained largely unknown. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short single-stranded non-coding RNA molecules with utility as biomarkers due to their easy accessibility and stability in bodily fluids.

Elucidation of the late steps in the glycan-dependent ERAD of soluble misfolded glycoproteins.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) utilizes ER-associated degradation (ERAD), a highly conserved eukaryotic pathway, to eliminate misfolded or unassembled proteins and maintain protein homeostasis in cells. The clearance of misfolded glycoproteins involves several distinct steps, including the recognition of a specific glycan signal, retrotranslocation to the cytosol, and subsequent degradation of the misfolded protein by the ubiquitin proteasome system. Confocal microscopy was used to track the fate of a well-characterized ERAD substrate via a self-complementing split fluorescent protein assay.

Di-[trioctyl-(8-phenyloctyl)-phosphonium] pamoate: synthesis and characterization of a novel, highly hydrophobic ionic liquid for the extraction of scandium, thorium and uranium.

We synthesized and characterized a novel, task-specific ionic liquid for metal extraction with considerably reduced leaching behavior compared to similar, phosphonium-based ionic liquids. The synthesis involves the design of the novel compound [TOPP][PAM] featuring both a highly hydrophobic cation and a functional anion. The characterization of the novel ionic liquid confirmed the formation of the desired structure and sufficient purity.

Ontogeny shapes individual dietary specialization in female European brown bears (Ursus arctos).

Individual dietary specialization, where individuals occupy a subset of a population's wider dietary niche, is a key factor determining a species resilience against environmental change. However, the ontogeny of individual specialization, as well as associated underlying social learning, genetic, and environmental drivers, remain poorly understood. Using a multigenerational dataset of female European brown bears (Ursus arctos) followed since birth, we discerned the relative contributions of environmental similarity, genetic heritability, maternal effects, and offspring social learning from the mother to individual specialization.

An industrial-grade Nicotiana benthamiana line for the production of glycoproteins carrying fucose-free galactosylated N-glycans.

β1,4-galactosylation is a typical human N-glycan formation with functional impact on proteins, particularly known for IgGs. Therefore, the expression of recombinant proteins with controlled galactosylation is an important quality parameter in the biotech industry. Here we describe the establishment of a plant-based expression platform for the manufacturing of recombinant proteins carrying β1,4-galactosylated N-glycans.

Transcriptional memory drives accelerated re-activation of several biosynthetic gene clusters in Aspergillus nidulans.

Organisms are repeatedly exposed to fluctuating environmental and nutritional conditions. Transcriptional memory has been shown to be a mechanism to cope with these fluctuations because it increases the speed and the magnitude of the cellular response to a certain re-occurring condition and therefore optimizes adaptation and fitness in a given environment. We found that genes coding for sterigmatocystin (ST) production in Aspergillus nidulans are activated stronger when cells are repeatedly exposed to nutrient starvation, compared to cells that experience this condition for the first time.

The loss of keratin 77 in murine skin is functionally compensated by keratin 1.

Keratins, the intermediate filament-forming proteins of the epithelial cells, are mainly expressed in keratinocytes, preserving the structural integrity and cohesion of the epidermis. There are multiple inherited skin conditions arising from mutations in the encoding genes of specific keratins, highlighting their significance in skin health. Furthermore, the aberrant expression of keratins is evidenced in certain skin diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and skin cancer.

Operator-independent assessment of bread spoilage profiles caused by Bacillaceae reveals a high degree of inter- and intraspecies heterogeneity.

Ropy bread spoilage caused by aerobic spore-forming bacteria (ASF) is characterized by discoloration, sticky and stringy crumb degradation, and a fruity odor due to the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Previous studies employing model experiments have demonstrated strain-specific spoilage potential. However, to gain a deeper understanding, it is essential to study rope spoilage within baked bread.

Multi-objective optimization of cable-road layouts in smart forestry.

Current cable-road layouts for timber harvesting in steep terrain are often based on either manual planning or automated layouts generated from low-resolution GIS data, limiting potential benefits and informed decision-making. In this paper, we present a novel approach to improve cable-road design using multi-objective optimization based on realistic cable-road representations. We systematically compare the effectiveness of single-objective and multi-objective optimization methods for generating layouts using these representations.

Keeping the Distance: Activity Control in Solid-Supported Sucrose Phosphorylase by a Rigid α-Helical Linker of Tunable Spacer Length.

Enzyme immobilization into carrier materials has broad importance in biotechnology, yet understanding the catalysis of enzymes bound to solid surfaces remains challenging. Here, we explore surface effects on the catalysis of sucrose phosphorylase through a fusion protein approach. We immobilize the enzyme via a structurally rigid α-helical linker [EAK] of tunable spacer length due to the variable number of pentapeptide repeats used ( = 6, 14, 19).

Provider Identified Access Barriers to Delivering Acupuncture to Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury and Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Self-Report Survey.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical practice guidelines for pain management and rehabilitation support the use of nonpharmacologic complementary and integrative health (CIH) modalities, such as acupuncture for remediating pain. Barriers to delivering CIH modalities, such as acupuncture warrant examination. The objective of this study is to explore provider perspectives on challenges to accessing acupuncture treatment for chronic pain in persons with TBI and describe differences across health care settings.

Enzyme Benchmarking with Polyethylene Furanoate Soluble Scaffolds for Directed Evolution of PEFases.

Plastic waste is a major threat in our industrialized world and is driving research into bioplastics. The success of biobased polyethylene furanoate (PEF) as a viable alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of fossil origin will depend on designing effective enzymes to break it down, aiding its recycling. Here, a panel of fungal and bacterial cutinases were functionally expressed in a tandem yeast expression system based on and .

Prolonged cultivation enhances the stimulatory activity of hiPSC mesenchymal progenitor-derived conditioned medium.

Background: Human induced pluripotent stem cells represent a scalable source of youthful tissue progenitors and secretomes for regenerative therapies. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential of conditioned medium (CM) from hiPSC-mesenchymal progenitors (hiPSC-MPs) to stimulate osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). We also investigated whether prolonged cultivation or osteogenic pre-differentiation of hiPSC-MPs could enhance the stimulatory activity of CM.

Synergistic effects of NiPtCo/TiWO hybrid electrocatalysts for accelerating formic acid electro-oxidation performance.

We herein report the fabrication strategy of a robust catalyst for the formic acid electro-oxidation reaction (FAOR) combining the advantages of a TiO-related support and the synergistic effects of NiPtCo alloy. With the predominant dehydrogenation pathway, the NiPtCo/TiWO catalyst shows remarkable FAOR mass activity and specific activity of 0.45 A mg and 1.

Provoked Seizure Triggered By Electrolyte Imbalance And Substance Use: A Case Report.

This case report explores the diagnostic challenges in evaluating first-time seizures by highlighting the importance of differentiating between provoked and unprovoked seizures. The patient, a 65-year-old female, experienced her first seizure during a yoga retreat in Costa Rica, influenced by a perfect storm of overlapping factors such as traveler's diarrhea, alcohol consumption, and THC use. Comprehensive evaluation and laboratory assessments revealed an elevated hematocrit and borderline magnesium deficiency.

Reprogramming of flagellin receptor responses with surrogate ligands.

Receptor kinase (RK) families process information from small molecules, short peptides, or glycan ligands to regulate core cellular pathways in plants. To date, whether individual plant RKs are capable of processing signals from distinct types of ligands remains largely unexplored. Addressing this requires the discovery of structurally unrelated ligands that engage the same receptor.