For the past 15,000 years, a glacier on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau of China has hosted a party for some unusual guests: an ensemble of frozen viruses, many of them unknown to modern science.

Scientists recently broke up this party after taking a look at two ice cores from this Tibetan glacier, revealing the existence of 28 never-before-seen virus groups.

Investigating these mysterious viruses could help scientists on two fronts: For one, these stowaways can teach researchers which viruses thrived in different climates and environments over time, the researchers wrote in a paper posted on the bioRxiv database on Jan. 7.

“However, in a worst-case scenario, this ice melt [from climate change] could release pathogens into the environment,” the researchers wrote in the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. If this happens, it’s best to know as much about these viruses as possible, the researchers wrote.

Studying ancient glacial microbes can be challenging. That’s because it’s extremely easy to contaminate ice core samples with modern-day bacteria. So, the researchers created a new protocol for ultraclean microbial and viral sampling.

In this case, the two ice core samples from the Guliya ice cap on the Tibetan Plateau were collected in 1992 and 2015. However, at those times, there weren’t any special measures taken to avoid microbial contamination during the core drilling, handling or transport.

In other words, the exterior of these ice cores was contaminated. But the insides were still pristine, the researchers wrote in the study. To access the inner part of the cores, the researchers set up shop in a cold room — the thermometer was set at 23 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 5 degrees Celsius) — and used a sterilized band saw to cut away 0.2 inches (0.5 centimeters) of ice from the outer layer. Then, the researchers washed the ice cores with ethanol to melt another 0.2 inches of ice. Finally, they washed the next 0.2 inches away with sterile water.

After all of this work (shaving off about 0.6 inches, or 1.5 cm of ice), the researchers reached an uncontaminated layer that they could study. This method held up even during tests in which the researchers covered the outer layer of the ice with other bacteria and viruses.

The experiment revealed 33 groups of virus genuses (also known as genera) in the ice cores. Of these, 28 were previously unknown to science, the researchers said. “The microbes differed significantly across the two ice cores,” the researchers wrote in the study, “presumably representing the very different climate conditions at the time of deposition.”

It’s no surprise that the glacier held these mysterious viruses for so long, researchers said.

“We are very far from sampling the entire diversity of viruses on Earth,” Chantal Abergel, a researcher in environmental virology at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, who wasn’t involved with the study, told Vice.

As human-made climate change melts glaciers the world over, these viral archives could be lost, the researchers noted. Research into ancient viruses “provides a first window into viral genomes and their ecology from glacier ice,” the researchers wrote in the study, “and emphasizes their likely impact on abundant microbial groups [today].”

It might not come as a shock to learn that stress can turn your hair gray, but a team of Harvard scientists recently discovered the surprising reason why.

Scientists have long understood that gray hair is the result of the natural aging process, certain pigment/follicle disorders, and stress. But until now, we’ve never known exactly what role stress plays in causing gray hair. Previous theories have insisted that stress somehow accelerates the aging process or triggers an autoimmune response.

But, as it turns out, the specific type of stress associated with the brain’s fight-or-flight response is the culprit behind graying. When we experience this type of stress it causes a sympathetic nerve response that activates the stem cells responsible for coloring our hair. Basically: we use up the limited supply of hair dye in our cellular make-up if we get too scared.

According to the Harvard team’s research paper:

Our study demonstrates that neuronal activity that is induced by acute stress can drive a rapid and permanent loss of somatic stem cells, and illustrates an example in which the maintenance of somatic stem cells is directly influenced by the overall physiological state of the organism.

How’d they figure this all out? Well, that part’s actually a bit gruesome. They put laboratory mice under three different types of stress: physical restraint, physical pain, and psychological distress. Each stressor caused the mice to develop gray/white hair.

The researchers then began troubleshooting to see what was actually causing the grayness. Suspecting adrenal glands were the cause, they ran the tests again on mice with theirs removed. Those mice still experienced graying, so they tried again with other hormonal processes inhibited. Eventually, the researchers discerned that a sympathetic nervous response was causing the stem cell overload responsible for the gray hairs. Once they blocked that response, the mice stopped going gray.

A pair of researchers not involved with the study opined that the appearance of gray hair in animals who’ve experienced fight-or-flight stressors could indicate an evolutionary advantage:

It is fascinating to consider what possible evolutionary advantage might be conferred by stress-induced graying. Because grey hair is most often linked to age, it could be associated with experience, leadership and trust… Perhaps an animal that has endured enough stress to ‘earn’ grey hair has a higher place in the social order than would ordinarily be conferred by that individual’s age.

Scientists have discovered a new cell in the immune system that can kill many types of cancer, which they hope could one day be used to create a “one size fits all” treatment for the disease.

In mice experiments and in lab dishes, the team showed that a new type of what are known as T-cells could detect a range of cancerous cells, while differentiating them from healthy cells.

A T-cell is a type of white blood cell in the immune system, which both helps to fight off infections as well as cancers. These new T-cells and their special receptors can home in on and kill lung, skin, leukemia, colon, breast, prostate, bone, kidney, cervical, and ovarian cancers. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Immunology.

The team believes the receptors on the T-cells are able to detect cancer through their interaction with a molecule called MR1, which is present on the surface of all human cells. The researchers believe MR1 may be signaling the compromised metabolism of the cell to the T-cell receptors.

Study co-author Garry Dolton told BBC News: “We are the first to describe a T-cell that finds MR1 in cancer cells—that hasn’t been done before, this is the first of its kind.”

Lead author of the study, professor Andrew Sewell of the Division of Infection and Immunity at Cardiff University, U.K., told Newsweek the team identified the cell after examining samples from a blood bank.

“We were looking for something else! All the best scientific discoveries are made by mistake,” said Sewell.

Sewell told The Telegraph: “This was a serendipitous finding, nobody knew this cell existed. Our finding raises the prospect of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ cancer treatment, a single type of T-cell that could be capable of destroying many different types of cancers across the population. Previously nobody believed this could be possible.”

The immune cell may be “quite rare, or it could be that lots of people have this receptor but for some reason it is not activated. We just don’t know yet,” he said.

Scientists hope the finding is an important step forward for what is known as immunotherapy to treat cancers. In recent years there have been leaps forward in using the body’s immune system to attack the disease, such as with what is known as CAR-T therapy, explained Astero Klampatsa, team leader in cancer immunotherapy at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, who did not work on the study.

But “CAR-T cells have to be engineered for each patient individually, to take into account the fact that each person’s immune cells have their own molecular ‘signature’—making the therapy very expensive and laboursome,” Klampatsa said in a statement. What’s more, CAR-T cells can be used to treat cancers like leukaemia, but not for solid tumours.

Experts not involved in the study have hailed the finding as “very exciting,” but stressed the research is in its early stages and it isn’t yet clear if it can be used in patients.

Daniel Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, said: “In general, we are in the midst of a medical revolution harnessing the power of the immune system to tackle cancer. But not everyone responds to the current therapies and there can be harmful side-effects.”

He welcomed the team’s “exciting discovery,” but added, “We still need to understand exactly how it recognises and kills cancer cells, while not responding to normal healthy cells. At the moment, this is very basic research and not close to actual medicines for patients.

“But in the long term, the hope is that this type of immune cell could be the basis of new immune therapies, either by infusing these cells directly into patients or by unleashing their capacity to act. There is no question that is a very exciting discovery, both for advancing our basic knowledge about the immune system and for the possibility of future new medicines,” said Davis.

Dr. Alasdair Rankin, director of research and policy at the blood cancer charity Bloodwise, said: “While CAR-T therapy has been one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in blood cancer treatment in recent years—offering the last chance of a cure in many cases—its use has been limited to a small number of cancer types, it is very expensive and not everyone will respond.

“The development of a ‘one size fits all’ type of immunotherapy, which could target different types of cancer cell and does not need to be manufactured for each individual patient, is an exciting prospect.

Rankin added: “It is still early days and we are a while off from confirming whether this approach will definitely work in patients. If it can be achieved, it could deliver new and kinder treatment options for people living with cancer, who often experience debilitating side effects as a result of their treatment.”

Klampatsa said: “The new findings are at a very early stage, but they’re an exciting step in the right direction, and brings us one step closer to ‘off-the-shelf’ cell-based immunotherapy.”

And then there were nine. Students across the US, ranging from kindergarten to high school, submitted more than 28,000 potential names for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover. A panel of 4,700 volunteer judges whittled that list down to 155 semifinalists.Now, there are nine names left standing in the contest. And your vote in an online poll, which is open now through January 27, could help name the next generation of rover that will roam across Mars after it launches this summer. The finalists include:

• Endurance, (Kindergarten to 4th grade, by Oliver Jacobs of Virginia)
• Tenacity, (Kindergarten to 4th grade, by Eamon Reilly of Pennsylvania)
• Promise, (Kindergarten to 4th grade, by Amira Shanshiry of Massachusetts)
• Perseverance, (5th to 8th grade, by Alexander Mather of Virginia)
• Vision, (5th to 8th grade, by Hadley Green of Mississippi)
• Clarity, (5th to 8th grade, by Nora Benitez of California)
• Ingenuity, (9th to 12th grade, by Vaneeza Rupani of Alabama)
• Fortitude, (9th to 12th grade, by Anthony Yoon of Oklahoma)
• Courage, (9th to 12th grade, by Tori Gray of Louisiana)

“Thousands of students have shared their ideas for a name that will do our rover and the team proud,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division in Washington. “Thousands more volunteered time to be part of the judging process. Now it is the public’s opportunity to become involved and express their excitement for their favorites of the final nine.”Once the poll closes, each contestant will present their name to a panel that includes Glaze; NASA rover driver Nick Wiltsie; NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins; and Clara Ma, who named the Curiosity rover when she was a sixth-grade student in 2009.

The winning name and the student who created it will be announced on March 15. The student will also get the chance to watch the rover launch in July from Cape Canaveral.The rover will join a growing family of NASA missions currently operating on and around Mars, including the Curiosity rover, the InSight stationary lander and the Mars orbiters.

When the rover lands on the Red Planet in February 2021, it will touch down in Jezero Crater, the site of a lake that existed 3.5 billion years ago. The next generation rover will build on the goals of previous robotic explorers by collecting the first samples of Mars, which would be returned to Earth at a later date.The 2020 rover’s work will begin in areas of Jezero Crater, where it will search for signs of ancient life, including mineral deposits and perhaps even microscopic fossils. If 2020 samples these sites, the intriguing soil will be stored in metal tubes, and the data it collects may be able to help scientists know if they’ve found a biosignature on Mars.But the new rover will also be on a mission to lay the groundwork for future human exploration by testing out instruments that will use ground-penetrating radar for the first time, study weather science and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.

DETROIT — Two different air bag glitches have forced Toyota and Honda to recall over 6 million vehicles worldwide, and both problems present different dangers to motorists.

The Toyota TM, +1.67% recall affects about 3.4 million vehicles globally and is being done because the air bags may not inflate in a crash. The cars have air bag control computers made by ZF-TRW that are vulnerable to electrical interference and may not signal the bags to inflate.

The problem could affect as many as 12.3 million vehicles in the U.S. made by six companies. It’s possible that as many as eight people were killed when air bags didn’t inflate. U.S. safety regulators are investigating.

Honda’s HMC, -0.68% recall covers about 2.7 million vehicles in the U.S. and Canada with Takata air bag inflators. But they’re a different version than the ones blamed for 25 deaths worldwide. Still, it’s possible the air bags could blow apart a metal canister and hurl shrapnel at drivers and passengers.

Both recalls were announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, Toyota said the computer may not have adequate protection against electrical noise that can happen in crashes, such as when the vehicle runs under a different vehicle. The problem can cause incomplete opening of the air bags, or they may not open at all. Devices that prepare seat belts for a collision also may not work.

In most cases Toyota dealers will install a noise filter between the air bag control computer and a wiring harness. But in some vehicles dealers will inspect the computer to determine if it needs the filter. Owners will be notified by mid-March.

The recall covers certain 2011-2019 Corollas, the 2011 to 2013 Matrix, the 2012 through 2018 Avalon and the 2013 to 2018 Avalon Hybrid in the U.S.

Toyota wouldn’t say if it will offer loaner cars to people who fear their air bags might not protect them. A spokeswoman suggested that owners call its customer hotline to discuss their issue at (800) 333-4331.

In March of 2017, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began investigating problems with ZF-TRW air bag computers. The probe was expanded in April of last year to 12.3 million vehicles made by Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Fiat Chrysler from the 2010 through 2019 model years.

Toyota joins Hyundai, Kia and Fiat Chrysler in issuing recalls for the problem. Four deaths that may have been caused by the problem were reported in Hyundai-Kia vehicles and three in Fiat Chrysler automobiles. The investigation was upgraded after investigators found two serious crashes involving 2018 and 2019 Toyota Corollas in which the air bags did not inflate. One person was killed. Toyota said it’s cooperating in the probe, which is continuing.

NHTSA is evaluation how susceptible the air bag control units are to electrical signals as well as other factors that could stop air bags from inflating. In documents, the agency said that it didn’t find any other cases of electrical interference in Hyundai, Kia or Fiat Chrysler vehicles that used the ZF-TRW system but were not recalled.

The Honda recall, also announced Friday, covers certain Honda and Acura vehicles from the 1996 to 2003 model years. Honda vehicles included are the 1998 to 2000 Accord Coupe and Sedan, the 1996 to 2000 Civic coupe and sedan, the 1997 to 2001 CR-V, the 1998 to 2001 Odyssey and the 1997 and 1998 EV Plus.

Acura vehicles covered are the 1997 and 1998 2.2CL, the 1997 to 1999 3.0CL, the 1998 and 1999 2.3CL, the 2001 and 2002 3.2CL, the 2001 and 2002 MDX, the 1998 to 2003 3.5RL, and the 1999 to 2001 3.2TL.

A team of physicists from McMaster University has developed a process to modify red blood cells so they can be used to distribute drugs throughout the body, which could specifically target infections or treat catastrophic diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s.

The modified red blood cells are designed to circulate in the body for several weeks at a time, seeking out specific targets including bacteria, tumors or organs.

The technology, described in the online edition of the journal Advanced Biosystems, solves a major problem with current drug delivery methods that use synthetic molecules and cannot reach specific targets or are rejected by the body.

“We call these super-human red blood cells. We think that they could work as the perfect stealth drug carriers which can outsmart our immune system,” explains Maikel Rheinstädter, a senior advisor on the study and professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster.

The researchers have developed a method to open up the red blood cell, modify its outer cell wall, and replace its contents with a drug molecule, which would then be injected back into the body.

The hybrid appears and behaves as a normal red blood cell, but has a sticky surface which can attach itself to bacteria, for example, open up and release antibiotics exactly where they are needed.

“We have combined synthetic material with biological material and created a new structure, which has never been done before in this way,” says Sebastian Himbert, lead author and a graduate student in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at McMaster.

“The entire process is very efficient and can be completed in one day in the lab,” he says.

Researchers believe this targeted delivery method could help to minimize dosages and therefore, potential side effects. This is particularly important for very potent drugs used in cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and the treatment of infections of potentially resistant bacteria.