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Biochemistry

Penn State researchers awarded $2.86M to develop a new oral antibiotic to treat multidrug-resistant gonorrhea – Outbreak News Today

Up to $2.86Mhas been awardedto a research team including Penn State scientists to develop a new oral antibiotic to treat multidrug-resistant gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria that have developed resistance to all but one existing antibiotic. The research team includes Penn State Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Kenneth Keiler, the U.S.-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companyMicrobiotix, as well as researchers from Emory University and the Uniformed Services University.

The funds are awarded by the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator,CARB-X, a non-profit partnership dedicated to accelerating early stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising global threat of drug-resistant bacteria. If the project successfully achieves certain development milestones, the team will be eligible for an additional $16 million in funding from CARB-X.

Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a growing global health problem that can cause serious and sometimes fatal health issues in men and woman and that has the possibility of increasing the risk of contracting or giving HIV, said Erin Duffy, chief of research and development at CARB-X, which is based at Boston University School of Law. Neisseria gonorrhoeae has developed resistance to the effects of antibiotics, and in some cases, there is only one drug to which the bacteria are susceptible.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 78 million people a year are infected with gonorrhea; roughly 1.14 million of those infections occur in the U.S., of which an estimated 550,000 involve drug-resistant bacteria. Drug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae is identified by the WHO as a priority pathogen, and classified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an urgent public health threat that requires aggressive action.

This project features a novel approach to creating a new antibiotic and is in the early stages of development, said Duffy. If successful and approved for use in patients, it could represent tremendous progress in the treatment of gonorrhea and help curb the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.

The research team will optimize and develop a series of compounds into a novel antibiotic that targets and inhibits an essential pathway for the bacteria to grow and replicatethe trans-translation pathway. This pathway rescues ribosomes that become trapped because of errors in protein synthesis.

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Because the trans-translation pathway is not found in animals, inhibiting the pathway should have a specific effect on bacteria and not host cells, said Keiler. This specificity makes inhibition of the trans-translation an attractive strategy for creating novel antibacterial agents.

Keiler discovered the trans-translation system as a graduate student, and his lab has studied the pathway over the last two decades. They have studied the biochemistry of the pathway and identified and characterized lead compounds for potential future drugs.

This grant is the culmination of a lab-to-clinic odyssey that started about 16 years ago with a seed grant from what is now the Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and seed funding from the Eberly College of Science, said Keiler.

For this grant, Keilers lab will conduct biochemical experiments to test the activity of new compounds and microbiological characterization of the drugs, while Microbiotix and other collaborators will focus on drug formulation, animal studies, and, if successful, Phase I clinical trials in humans.

Proposed as a single dose oral therapy, this innovative program has great potential, not only to address the urgent threat posed by multidrug-resistant N. gonorrhoeae, but also to address other sexually-transmitted infection (STI) pathogens commonly found as coinfections, said Terry Bowlin, president & CEO of Microbiotix.

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Penn State researchers awarded $2.86M to develop a new oral antibiotic to treat multidrug-resistant gonorrhea - Outbreak News Today

Biochemistry

Removing belly fat before it sticks to you – Science Codex

Triglycerides, those fats that seem to be the bane of any diet, remain a mystery for many researchers. Plenty of them are in Big Macs, deep pan pizza and the like, but some are a necessity to fuel the body for daily activities.

Researchers Mark Castleberry, a doctoral student, and professor Sean Davidson, both in the UC College of Medicine, have found a way to produce in the laboratory a human protein produced in the liver known as Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA 5). It plays an important role in metabolizing and clearing excess levels of triglycerides from the bloodstream.

Their findings are available in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Journal of Lipid Research online. Castleberry, who is studying in the UC Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, is the paper's first author.

"We are really interested in understanding triglycerides because hypertriglyceridemia -- too much fat in your blood -- is a big factor leading to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and other health concerns," explains Davidson, who holds appointments in UC's departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology. "When you have a lot of fat that is hanging around in your circulation it's important to clear as much of it out as soon as possible."

"APOA5 is highly involved in how fast triglycerides get taken out of your circulation," says Davidson, who has a doctorate in biochemistry. "The more APOA5 you have the faster the triglyceride is removed. Everybody agrees it is an important protein but scientists don't know much about its structure or how it does what it does. If we could figure out how it works we could come up with a drug that uses the same mechanism or trigger it to work better."

The work demonstrates UC's commitment to research as described in its strategic direction called Next Lives Here.

Castleberry says researchers inserted a human gene coded by DNA into bacteria genetically engineered to produce human proteins. Once those proteins were produced they were removed from the host and purified for use in studies at the lab bench and in mouse models.

"We can quickly make a much greater amount of this protein using bacterial production than if we tried to isolate it from blood in humans," explains Castleberry. "The mice in this study were basically fed a large bowl of fat and triglycerides."

"We could analyze their blood after we fed them and observe the level of fat change as they digested the meal," said Castleberry. "We were able to give our protein to the mice that had that fatty meal and rapidly clear the triglycerides that would have accumulated in their blood."

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Removing belly fat before it sticks to you - Science Codex

Biochemistry

Removing Belly Fat Before It Sticks to You: University Researchers Produce Fat-Busting Proteins – SciTechDaily

We are really interested in understanding triglycerides because hypertriglyceridemia too much fat in your blood is a big factor leading to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and other health concerns, explains Davidson, who holds appointments in UCs departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology. When you have a lot of fat that is hanging around in your circulation its important to clear as much of it out as soon as possible.

APOA5 is highly involved in how fast triglycerides get taken out of your circulation, says Davidson, who has a doctorate in biochemistry. The more APOA5 you have the faster the triglyceride is removed. Everybody agrees it is an important protein but scientists dont know much about its structure or how it does what it does. If we could figure out how it works we could come up with a drug that uses the same mechanism or trigger it to work better.

UC Professor Sean Davidson is shown with Mark Castleberry in a College of Medicine laboratory. Credit: Colleen Kelley/University of Cincinnati

The work demonstrates UCs commitment to research as described in its strategic direction called Next Lives Here.

Castleberry says researchers inserted a human gene coded by DNA into bacteria genetically engineered to produce human proteins. Once those proteins were produced they were removed from the host and purified for use in studies at the lab bench and in mouse models.

We can quickly make a much greater amount of this protein using bacterial production than if we tried to isolate it from blood in humans, explains Castleberry. The mice in this study were basically fed a large bowl of fat and triglycerides.

We could analyze their blood after we fed them and observe the level of fat change as they digested the meal, said Castleberry. We were able to give our protein to the mice that had that fatty meal and rapidly clear the triglycerides that would have accumulated in their blood.

Other co-authors of this study were Xenia Davis; Thomas Thompson, a professor in UCs Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, and Patrick Tso and Min Liu, both professors in UCs Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Reference: Functional recombinant apolipoprotein A5 that is stable at high concentrations at physiological pH by Mark Castleberry, Xenia Davis, Min Liu, Thomas B. Thompson, Patrick Tso and W. Sean Davidson, 12 December 2019, Journal of Lipid Research.DOI: 10.1194/jlr.D119000103PDF

The research was supported by a National Institutes of Healths Heart, Lung and Blood Institute which funded a predoctoral fellowship for Castleberry.

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Removing Belly Fat Before It Sticks to You: University Researchers Produce Fat-Busting Proteins - SciTechDaily

Biochemistry

Tel Aviv University joins volunteer initiative to improve detection of novel coronavirus in Israel – The Medical News

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.Mar 22 2020

Israeli hospitals and universities, including Tel Aviv University, have joined forces to build an enormous student volunteer base to expand and improve the detection of people infected with novel coronavirus all over Israel. In addition, TAU, together with the Weizmann Institute of Science and other institutes in Israel, has recruited over 600 doctoral students to volunteer their time and assist overburdened hospitals process coronavirus tests in laboratories.

The medical student initiative was launched by researchers and doctors at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Hadassah Medical Center and Shamir Medical Center, together with the co-chairs of the Medical Students Association, which represents medical students at Israel's five universities.

The volunteer base is geared at scaling up Israel's capacity to conduct tests and produce critical coronavirus infection results more quickly. Accordingly, over 1,000 medical student volunteers from all over the country are helping Magen David Adom, Israel's National Pre-Hospital Medical and Blood Emergency Services Organization (MDA), collect test samples from people in communities across the country.

Dozens of volunteers have already joined MDA medics in collecting test samples this week, and some have even started to carry out the tests themselves."

Prof. Carmit Levy of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine

This week, five doctoral students underwent coronavirus testing training, led by Prof. Ohad Gal-Mor of TAU's Sackler School of Medicine and the head of the Sheba Infectious Diseases Research Laboratory.

"It is inspiring to see students from all of the higher education institutions in the country enlisted bravely and resolutely to establish new laboratories and to assist existing laboratories in their efforts against the coronavirus," Prof. Levy adds.

The doctoral student volunteer mission was the brainchild of TAU, the Technion, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University, Ariel University and many medical centers, including Sheba, Shamir, Hadassah, Soroka, Wolfson, and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Several HMOs are also taking part in this effort in full coordination with the Ministry of Health.

"The level of collaboration between faculty, physicians, health professionals and medical and graduate students at the universities, hospitals, HMOs, MDA, and Ministry of Health, is unprecedented in Israel," concludes Prof. Karen Avraham, Vice Dean of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine. "This will set the stage for years to come for how much we can accomplish when working together so selflessly."

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Tel Aviv University joins volunteer initiative to improve detection of novel coronavirus in Israel - The Medical News

Biochemistry

Coronavirus outbreak: Panjab University teachers looking for virtual options to overcome academic s… – Hindustan Times

With classes suspended at Panjab University (PU) amid rising cases of coronavirus in the city, teachers are switching to virtual platforms to make up for the academic setback.

PU has suspended classes and directed teachers not to come to work. The non-teaching staff has also been directed to work from home.

Tejinder Pal Singh, professor at University Business School (UBS), said, I taught at least 27 students online on Saturday. It is the need of the hour as this is an important period to complete the syllabus. Many teachers are facing problems as they are not aware of online applications. So, I have decided to make videos to make them learn ways to take classes online.

The ministry of human resource development has directed teachers to develop online content in the wake of suspension of classes.

PU vice-chancellor Raj Kumar had told Hindustan Times earlier that the varsity had no plans to start online classes officially, but, if a teacher wants to do so, they would be allowed.

Rajat Sandhir, professor at the department of biochemistry, said, I am developing online content for topics that were to be covered during this time and sharing it with students. I am also checking manuscripts to be submitted for publications and thesis of students that are to be submitted soon. We are focusing on written work which students are compiling and sharing via e-mails. E-content is also being prepared, said VR Sinha, professor at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

With classes suspended at Panjab University (PU) amid rising cases of coronavirus in the city, teachers are switching to virtual platforms to make up for the academic setback.(HT)

SOFTWARE AVAILABLE AT VARSITY

Guldip Singh, system administrator at the department of computer science, said, An e-learning and collaboration software, Virtual Learning Environment, is already available with us. Through this, teachers can upload content and students can keep track of their syllabus. We are ready to provide training to teachers on ways to use it.

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Coronavirus outbreak: Panjab University teachers looking for virtual options to overcome academic s... - Hindustan Times

Genetics

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex – Science Magazine

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

By Katrina L. Grasby, Neda Jahanshad, Jodie N. Painter, Luca Colodro-Conde, Janita Bralten, Derrek P. Hibar, Penelope A. Lind, Fabrizio Pizzagalli, Christopher R. K. Ching, Mary Agnes B. McMahon, Natalia Shatokhina, Leo C. P. Zsembik, Sophia I. Thomopoulos, Alyssa H. Zhu, Lachlan T. Strike, Ingrid Agartz, Saud Alhusaini, Marcio A. A. Almeida, Dag Alns, Inge K. Amlien, Micael Andersson, Tyler Ard, Nicola J. Armstrong, Allison Ashley-Koch, Joshua R. Atkins, Manon Bernard, Rachel M. Brouwer, Elizabeth E. L. Buimer, Robin Blow, Christian Brger, Dara M. Cannon, Mallar Chakravarty, Qiang Chen, Joshua W. Cheung, Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne, Anders M. Dale, Shareefa Dalvie, Tnia K. de Araujo, Greig I. de Zubicaray, Sonja M. C. de Zwarte, Anouk den Braber, Nhat Trung Doan, Katharina Dohm, Stefan Ehrlich, Hannah-Ruth Engelbrecht, Susanne Erk, Chun Chieh Fan, Iryna O. Fedko, Sonya F. Foley, Judith M. Ford, Masaki Fukunaga, Melanie E. Garrett, Tian Ge, Sudheer Giddaluru, Aaron L. Goldman, Melissa J. Green, Nynke A. Groenewold, Dominik Grotegerd, Tiril P. Gurholt, Boris A. Gutman, Narelle K. Hansell, Mathew A. Harris, Marc B. Harrison, Courtney C. Haswell, Michael Hauser, Stefan Herms, Dirk J. Heslenfeld, New Fei Ho, David Hoehn, Per Hoffmann, Laurena Holleran, Martine Hoogman, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Masashi Ikeda, Deborah Janowitz, Iris E. Jansen, Tianye Jia, Christiane Jockwitz, Ryota Kanai, Sherif Karama, Dalia Kasperaviciute, Tobias Kaufmann, Sinead Kelly, Masataka Kikuchi, Marieke Klein, Michael Knapp, Annchen R. Knodt, Bernd Krmer, Max Lam, Thomas M. Lancaster, Phil H. Lee, Tristram A. Lett, Lindsay B. Lewis, Iscia Lopes-Cendes, Michelle Luciano, Fabio Macciardi, Andre F. Marquand, Samuel R. Mathias, Tracy R. Melzer, Yuri Milaneschi, Nazanin Mirza-Schreiber, Jose C. V. Moreira, Thomas W. Mhleisen, Bertram Mller-Myhsok, Pablo Najt, Soichiro Nakahara, Kwangsik Nho, Loes M. Olde Loohuis, Dimitri Papadopoulos Orfanos, John F. Pearson, Toni L. Pitcher, Benno Ptz, Yann Quid, Anjanibhargavi Ragothaman, Faisal M. Rashid, William R. Reay, Ronny Redlich, Cline S. Reinbold, Jonathan Repple, Genevive Richard, Brandalyn C. Riedel, Shannon L. Risacher, Cristiane S. Rocha, Nina Roth Mota, Lauren Salminen, Arvin Saremi, Andrew J. Saykin, Fenja Schlag, Lianne Schmaal, Peter R. Schofield, Rodrigo Secolin, Chin Yang Shapland, Li Shen, Jean Shin, Elena Shumskaya, Ida E. Snderby, Emma Sprooten, Katherine E. Tansey, Alexander Teumer, Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Diana Tordesillas-Gutirrez, Jessica A. Turner, Anne Uhlmann, Costanza Ludovica Vallerga, Dennis van der Meer, Marjolein M. J. van Donkelaar, Liza van Eijk, Theo G. M. van Erp, Neeltje E. M. van Haren, Daan van Rooij, Marie-Jos van Tol, Jan H. Veldink, Ellen Verhoef, Esther Walton, Mingyuan Wang, Yunpeng Wang, Joanna M. Wardlaw, Wei Wen, Lars T. Westlye, Christopher D. Whelan, Stephanie H. Witt, Katharina Wittfeld, Christiane Wolf, Thomas Wolfers, Jing Qin Wu, Clarissa L. Yasuda, Dario Zaremba, Zuo Zhang, Marcel P. Zwiers, Eric Artiges, Amelia A. Assareh, Rosa Ayesa-Arriola, Aysenil Belger, Christine L. Brandt, Gregory G. Brown, Sven Cichon, Joanne E. Curran, Gareth E. Davies, Franziska Degenhardt, Michelle F. Dennis, Bruno Dietsche, Srdjan Djurovic, Colin P. Doherty, Ryan Espiritu, Daniel Garijo, Yolanda Gil, Penny A. Gowland, Robert C. Green, Alexander N. Husler, Walter Heindel, Beng-Choon Ho, Wolfgang U. Hoffmann, Florian Holsboer, Georg Homuth, Norbert Hosten, Clifford R. Jack Jr., MiHyun Jang, Andreas Jansen, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Knut Kolskr, Sanne Koops, Axel Krug, Kelvin O. Lim, Jurjen J. Luykx, Daniel H. Mathalon, Karen A. Mather, Venkata S. Mattay, Sarah Matthews, Jaqueline Mayoral Van Son, Sarah C. McEwen, Ingrid Melle, Derek W. Morris, Bryon A. Mueller, Matthias Nauck, Jan E. Nordvik, Markus M. Nthen, Daniel S. OLeary, Nils Opel, Marie-Laure Paillre Martinot, G. Bruce Pike, Adrian Preda, Erin B. Quinlan, Paul E. Rasser, Varun Ratnakar, Simone Reppermund, Vidar M. Steen, Paul A. Tooney, Fbio R. Torres, Dick J. Veltman, James T. Voyvodic, Robert Whelan, Tonya White, Hidenaga Yamamori, Hieab H. H. Adams, Joshua C. Bis, Stephanie Debette, Charles Decarli, Myriam Fornage, Vilmundur Gudnason, Edith Hofer, M. Arfan Ikram, Lenore Launer, W. T. Longstreth, Oscar L. Lopez, Bernard Mazoyer, Thomas H. Mosley, Gennady V. Roshchupkin, Claudia L. Satizabal, Reinhold Schmidt, Sudha Seshadri, Qiong Yang, Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, CHARGE Consortium, EPIGEN Consortium, IMAGEN Consortium, SYS Consortium, Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative, Marina K. M. Alvim, David Ames, Tim J. Anderson, Ole A. Andreassen, Alejandro Arias-Vasquez, Mark E. Bastin, Bernhard T. Baune, Jean C. Beckham, John Blangero, Dorret I. Boomsma, Henry Brodaty, Han G. Brunner, Randy L. Buckner, Jan K. Buitelaar, Juan R. Bustillo, Wiepke Cahn, Murray J. Cairns, Vince Calhoun, Vaughan J. Carr, Xavier Caseras, Svenja Caspers, Gianpiero L. Cavalleri, Fernando Cendes, Aiden Corvin, Benedicto Crespo-Facorro, John C. Dalrymple-Alford, Udo Dannlowski, Eco J. C. de Geus, Ian J. Deary, Norman Delanty, Chantal Depondt, Sylvane Desrivires, Gary Donohoe, Thomas Espeseth, Guilln Fernndez, Simon E. Fisher, Herta Flor, Andreas J. Forstner, Clyde Francks, Barbara Franke, David C. Glahn, Randy L. Gollub, Hans J. Grabe, Oliver Gruber, Asta K. Hberg, Ahmad R. Hariri, Catharina A. Hartman, Ryota Hashimoto, Andreas Heinz, Frans A. Henskens, Manon H. J. Hillegers, Pieter J. Hoekstra, Avram J. Holmes, L. Elliot Hong, William D. Hopkins, Hilleke E. Hulshoff Pol, Terry L. Jernigan, Erik G. Jnsson, Ren S. Kahn, Martin A. Kennedy, Tilo T. J. Kircher, Peter Kochunov, John B. J. Kwok, Stephanie Le Hellard, Carmel M. Loughland, Nicholas G. Martin, Jean-Luc Martinot, Colm McDonald, Katie L. McMahon, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Patricia T. Michie, Rajendra A. Morey, Bryan Mowry, Lars Nyberg, Jaap Oosterlaan, Roel A. Ophoff, Christos Pantelis, Tomas Paus, Zdenka Pausova, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Tinca J. C. Polderman, Danielle Posthuma, Marcella Rietschel, Joshua L. Roffman, Laura M. Rowland, Perminder S. Sachdev, Philipp G. Smann, Ulrich Schall, Gunter Schumann, Rodney J. Scott, Kang Sim, Sanjay M. Sisodiya, Jordan W. Smoller, Iris E. Sommer, Beate St Pourcain, Dan J. Stein, Arthur W. Toga, Julian N. Trollor, Nic J. A. Van der Wee, Dennis van t Ent, Henry Vlzke, Henrik Walter, Bernd Weber, Daniel R. Weinberger, Margaret J. Wright, Juan Zhou, Jason L. Stein, Paul M. Thompson, Sarah E. Medland, Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis Consortium (ENIGMA)Genetics working group

Science20 Mar 2020

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The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex - Science Magazine

Genetics

A new book captures how genetics fills in the story of lifes evolution – Science News

Some Assembly RequiredNeil ShubinPantheon, $26.95

When descendants of ancient fish firsthauled themselves onto dry land, they didnt do so with lungs evolvedspecifically for that reason. The need to breathe air ultimately led to achange in the function of an organ the fish already had. Likewise, when birdstook to the air millions of years later, they did so using feathers that may haveoriginally evolved as insulation or as a way to attract mates.

In SomeAssembly Required, Neil Shubin, a paleontologist, explores these and othergreat evolutionary innovations, as well as the invisible genetic changes thatmade them possible. The book is an impressive chronicle of what geneticresearch over the last few decades has done to complement the story ofevolution, a tale once told through fossils, anatomy and physiology alone.

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Forinstance, studies show that the genes fish need to build swim bladders theorgan that helps control buoyancy are the same ones lungfish and humans useto build lungs. Such repurposing, of both genes and anatomical features, is arecurrent theme in the tree of life, Shubin notes.

In somecases, genetic mutations trigger the production of new proteins, which caneither serve new functions or perform old tasks more efficiently and, in turn,enhance the survival of the organism. In other cases, mutations cause genes tobe switched on or off earlier or later in development and at different placesin an embryo. These changes can alter the development of skulls, fins, limbsand other anatomical features, and sometimes result in totally new features.

Many ofthese tweaks may arise when genes duplicate themselves, a process that allowsone copy of a gene to retain its original function but frees up the additionalcopy to change and gain a new purpose. For instance, research suggests that thegene NOTCH2NL, which originated via duplication of a more primitive geneand is found in humans but not monkeys, triggers the growth of brain cells wheninserted into the DNA of lab mice. The gene probably contributes to humans bigbrain, scientists have proposed.

Viralinfections have also led to evolutionary changes in the host, Shubin pointsout. Syncytin, a protein that plays a vital role in the placenta of mammals, isa viral protein that lost its ability to infect other cells. At some point inthe evolution of mammals, the protein was incorporated into its hosts geneticcode and put to work, creating intercellular pathways that enable nutrients andother substances to flow between mothers and embryos.

By taking a historical perspective and recounting the gradual accumulation of knowledge about genes and their effects, Shubin transforms a complicated topic into a smooth and fascinating read.

Buy Some Assembly Required from Amazon.com.Science Newsis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Please see ourFAQfor more details.

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A new book captures how genetics fills in the story of lifes evolution - Science News

Human Behavior

Netflix’s 100 Humans: Who Is the Hilarious Human #28? – Screen Rant

Netflix is taking reality TV by storm with viral hits. First the reality competitionseries The Circle, then they won hearts with Love is Blind and now they give us a reality documentary-series, 100 Humans. As with most shows there is always a crowd favorite.This time around it's Human #28.

Now that the producers at Netflix has shown us that love is indeed blind, they have another social experiment to explore. In 100 Humans, a hundred random humans from various backgrounds and demographics are participants ininteractive experiments. They are used to prove or debunk popular trends and identify patterns in human behavior. Those involved in the experiments are respectively referred to as Human and their designated number to hide their identities. Topics they examinerange from the age old question of is the toilet paper supposed to be over or under to trying to prove if women really talk more than men. Hosts Alie Ward, Sammie Obeid andZainab Johnson, who all come from a background in entertainment, keep the experiments on track and add a little comedic flair to keep the show entertaining. Seeing the participants endure the various social psychological experiments is another level of entertainment. One particular participant who kept viewers wanting more is lovable Human #28.

Related: Listen to Your Heart: Everything We Know About the Bachelor Spinoff

Over a course of eight episodes, viewers get to know some of the humans involved, mostly basic information of hometown and occupation. There were even some familiar faces,like Emmy winner Ryan Zamo and YouTube star Avalon Warren. While some stood out more than others, none stood out quite like Human #28, Tyanta Snow, better known as Ty (via Instagram). Ty made quite the impression with his hilarious honesty, boisterous personality and admirable ability to burst into song at any given moment. The special education teacher from Pasadena, California, is also an actor and according to his IMDb page has been on several reality television shows as well as gameshows. His Instagram bio also indicates he's a gospel singer, which explains the ease of his musical talent.

Ty often used his gift of music to help him get through challenging experiments. He used it as a distraction during an experiment that required him to refrain from using the bathroom for five hours, then played a round of Jenga before he could go. Some of these felt quite brutal. It should be mentioned it was an experiment he prompted to be examined. In his most memorable moment of the season, he created a song to teach the game of Tic-Tac-Toe, which eventually went viral and probablychanged how the old school game is introduced at a time of boredom. It may have increased the use of the game.

Season 1 of 100 Humans may be over, but after the success of this season, Human #28 is bound to grace our television screens again. Until then, there's always Tic-tac-toe, tic-tac-toe Love to play the game, tic-tac-toe.

Next: Where to Follow All of the Love Is Blind Couples on Instagram

100 Humansseason 1 is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Source:Instagram,IMDb

Where Ahsoka Is During The Mandalorian (According To Current Star Wars Canon)

Brian Goodrum is a writer who specializes in content and creative writing. Now working as a writer for Valnet, Inc, covering Reality TV for Screen Rant, she can combine her love for entertainment and writing. She is fueled by all things art and tea related and looks forward to sharing her work.

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Netflix's 100 Humans: Who Is the Hilarious Human #28? - Screen Rant

Human Behavior

Why people are panic and bulk-buying during the coronavirus pandemic – Insider – INSIDER

A trip to the supermarket ends the same way for many people around the world right now trying to pick up anything you can among rows and rows of empty shelves.

While shops have not closed in most places, people have been panic buying items in bulk so they are prepared if their country does go into complete lockdown. Grocery chains and governments have advised against this bulk-buying, but this hasn't stopped people rushing to queue up and buy tons of things like toilet paper and diapers to store in their homes.

Panic buying behavior occurs when the brain's survival mode overrides any rational decision making, according to Dr. Ali Fenwick, human behavior expert at Nyenrode Business University.

He said there are four main reasons why people feel the need to stock up in this way.

An uncertain or threatening situation means the more primitive part of the brain can take over, and it's main objective is to keep you alive. This suppresses or distorts rational thinking, so even though governments are promising there will be no disruption to food supply, many don't listen.

Most people have never lived through something like this current health crisis, so they would rather buy more food than they usually would than risk going hungry.

Scarcity of products leads people to perceive them as more valuable, meaning they are more willing to pay a premium price. It can even make us buy things we don't even want because we think they are suddenly worth more.

This can explain why people are scrambling for toilet paper and stealing it out of other people's baskets even though they have plenty at home.

Fenwick explained that the fact other people are filling their houses with things they don't need can bring about the urge for you to do the same.

Everything feels quite uncertain right now, with social isolation and countries closing their borders, which can lead us to follow what other people are doing, even if it's not right at all.

In uncertain times, it's nice to feel like you have control over something. When looking at the apocalyptic sight of an emply aisle, buying up anything you can helps provide that control, because you know if the worst comes to the worst you can feed your family.

"In summary, bulk buying is caused by various psychological and environmental cues which throw rational thinking out of the window," said Fenwick. "When in survival mode, we let mainly our emotions drive decisions and are more susceptible to social influences. So, we will rush out and buy more because we believe others are doing the same."

Read more:

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Logan Paul shared a TikTok poking fun at how people around the world are panic-buying toilet paper

Bidet sales are soaring as the coronavirus causes toilet paper panic-buying frenzies around the world

An Australian family accidentally ordered $3,264 worth of toilet paper when they bought 48 boxes instead of 48 rolls

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Why people are panic and bulk-buying during the coronavirus pandemic - Insider - INSIDER

Human Behavior

Coronavirus and the changing dynamics of social spaces in Pakistan – Daily Times

According to World Health Organization (WHO), there has to be distance of at least 1 meter which needs to be maintained between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. This caution is prescribed in the light of the fact that social contact can increase the susceptibility of catching the virus. Hence, any form of social contact, most critically physical proximity, is being consciously restricted by the governments of the countries where the number of cases as well as death rates are increasing due to coronavirus. For instance, in China cell-phone tracking system is being made operational to monitor peoples mobility especially to restrict the mobility of those who have confirmed infections. In Italy, as an immediate response to the outbreak, travelling restrictions are being imposed, in

addition to curbing social mobility by shutting down schools, restaurants and bars. The UK Government is also actively functioning to stop all non-essential contact with other people.

These measures which are being referred to as the need of the hour have received flake in political and academic discourses due to their stringent and anti-social stance toward human behavior and interactions. But the fact of the matter is that the relevance of these strict measures cannot be ignored if the susceptibility of the virus is to be minimized.

Especially, in a country like Pakistan where the number of identified infected cases has been reported the highest as compared to other South Asian countries, the relevance of such measures become even more important. Adding to this grave situation is the shortage of precautionary masks and hand sanitizers in the medical stores of the country. With such dearth of physical infrastructure in the health care, paucity of Human Resource trained in knowledge related to the virus and virus-control, and state-apparatus determined to restrict social mobility by curbing social spaces, will human behavior actually change in a country like Pakistan? We are not able to respond with an absolute Yes to this question. There can be many reasons attributable to our ambiguity in finding a deterministic response to this question. First of all, huge economic costs are being borne by the most infected regions as a result of shutting down and locking-down because people are refraining from physical contacts and confining themselves to their spaces of domesticity the immediate result of which is the sharp decline in the demand of goods and services. To what extent this global phenomenon is contextual to Pakistans reality, especially when we consider countrys informal economy, is questionable. If a poor persons survival is singularly contingent on per-day labor (for example of a child working in automobile mechanics/shop, a khokha owner, a daily-wage worker or a domestic helper), will he/she be caring for coronavirus even when the demand for his/her goods and services is low? Secondly, the country has culturally and historically been bifurcated into urban and rural domains where awareness and literacy rates in the former are greater than the latter. Moreover, the social ties and social capital are more grounded in the rural than urban areas of Pakistan due to which maintaining social distancing in the rural areas seems to be a bigger challenge than it is for urban areas in Pakistan. In the light of this assertion, do we need an interventionist policy of social distancing specified for rural/urban divide in Pakistan? Thirdly, our social values and codes of hospitality are so strong that these have become part of our cognitive systems and cultural norms. We still see people shaking hands with each other around us. We still see people hugging each other because they want to respond to the gesture of physical proximity with same warmth. Also, we still see people being reticent to cover their faces with masks despite catching cold, or not caring much for their mouth or nose droplets dropping over other peoples bodies when they cough or sneeze. Why? Because, they simply dont care as we heard one sick man saying Allah maalikhai (Allah is our caretaker). Putting these contextual realities in place, social distancing seems implausible in Pakistan. Having said this, we observe shrinking of social functioning as a response to which social behavior is altering in the physical spaces around. It gives a lesser sense of belonging when your colleagues and even close relatives for that matter do not encourage or respond to physical proximities such as hand shaking, hugging or kissing. The recent studies of cognitive anthropology being conducted in the west are also highlighting that social distancing is causing social isolation which can cause depression and other psychological disorders among people. Such studies can be relevant for a country like Pakistan where Social groups are closely-knit and culturally-tied to each other. In a nutshell, coronavirus and the institutional response to it is necessary but as to what extent it will be efficacious for a complex country like Pakistan is a question to ponder over.

The authors are assistant professor and lecturer at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) respectively.

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Coronavirus and the changing dynamics of social spaces in Pakistan - Daily Times