A new article in the peer-reviewed journal Nucleic Acid Therapeutics describes the characterization of antibodies targeting antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) phosphorothioate and 2’-methoxyehtyl modifications for intracellular trafficking and biodistribution studies.

A new paper led by Dartmouth and University of St Andrews researchers coins the word “scrumping” to describe the fondness African apes have for eating ripe fruit from the forest floor. Though recent research has identified this behavior as a possible driver in the evolution of humans’ ability to metabolize alcohol, it has not been studied separately. They propose scrumping — which describes the act of gathering windfallen apples — to distinguish this behavior for future study, including understanding how much ethanol apes consume through “scrumped” fruit.

New research from the University of St Andrews and Dartmouth College examines the crucial, but until now, overlooked, role of ‘scrumped’ fruit in the lives of great apes and the origins of human feasting. This pioneering study is the first to tackle the mystery of why humans are so astoundingly good at metabolising alcohol. The findings show that feeding on fermented fruits gathered from the forest floor is an important behaviour in the lives of African apes, and one that explains why they, and we, evolved the ability to digest alcohol efficiently. 

Four new species of tarantulas have been discovered in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, and they have been placed in a newly established genus named Satyrex. They are highly unusual due to their male sexual organs, which are the longest known among all tarantulas. In the largest species, these appendages are almost four times longer than the front part of the body. These tarantulas are also highly aggressive and produce a loud hissing sound when threatened. The study was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.