THC vapor reveals the first direct indication of thermal nociception in lobsters.
29-JUN-2021 — This lobster tale begins a few years ago when the proprietor of a northeastern seafood restaurant publicly asserted that exposing lobsters to a little cannabis prior to cooking produced notable changes in their behavior and a less dramatic scene in the kitchen for all concerned, which was the Maine thing. […]
They obtained live lobsters (Homarus americanus) from a supermarket and exposed the crustaceans to up to 60 minutes of vaporized Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)… then measured THC levels in the animals’ tissues and looked for behavioral changes, including thermal nociception, the perception of heat or cold.
The issue of whether lobsters feel pain when dropped into a cooking pot of boiling water is long-simmering. Though live cooking of lobsters has been banned in Switzerland (2018) and New Zealand (1999), based on that presumption, most scientists say empirical evidence that crustaceans are sensitive or can even detect temperature changes is far from clear. […]
[Michael A.] Taffe, Ph D, said the results were mixed. The primary finding was that Maine lobsters are capable of absorbing vaporized THC into their bodies by gill respiration, based on tissue samples. They also exhibited less locomotor activity, similarly to THC-exposed rodents. Responses to different water temperatures varied: the warmer the water, the more rapidly the lobsters moved their claws, tail or antennae away from the liquid, but THC exposure had very minimal effect on detection of a hot water stimulus in the study.
“This is the first direct evidence of thermal nociception in lobsters,” said Taffe. […]
Psilocybin produced new neural connections in a mouse study that resulted in connections being repaired that were lost due to depression:
5-JUL-2021 — In a new study, Yale researchers show that a single dose of psilocybin given to mice prompted an immediate and long-lasting increase in connections between neurons. The findings are published July 5 in the journal Neuron.
“We not only saw a 10% increase in the number of neuronal connections, but also they were on average about 10% larger, so the connections were stronger as well,” said Yale’s Alex Kwan, associate professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience and senior author of the paper.
Previous laboratory experiments had shown promise that psilocybin, as well as the anesthetic ketamine, can decrease depression. The new Yale research found that these compounds increase the density of dendritic spines, small protrusions found on nerve cells which aid in the transmission of information between neurons. Chronic stress and depression are known to reduce the number of these neuronal connections.
Using a laser-scanning microscope, Kwan and first author Ling-Xiao Shao, a postdoctoral associate in the Yale School of Medicine, imaged dendritic spines in high resolution and tracked them for multiple days in living mice. They found increases in the number of dendritic spines and in their size within 24 hours of administration of psilocybin. These changes were still present a month later. Also, mice subjected to stress showed behavioral improvements and increased neurotransmitter activity after being given psilocybin. […]
It may be the novel psychological effects of psilocybin itself that spurs the growth of neuronal connections, Kwan said. […]
Drought and heat resistance in plants such as marijuana is achieved using an alga protein and pulses of light:
9 Jul 2021 — Plants have microscopically small pores on the surface of their leaves, the stomata. With their help, they regulate the influx of carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. They also use the stomata to prevent the loss of too much water and withering away during drought.
The stomatal pores are surrounded by two guard cells. If the internal pressure of these cells drops, they slacken and close the pore. If the pressure rises, the cells move apart and the pore widens.
The stomatal movements are thus regulated by the guard cells. Signaling pathways in these cells are so complex that it is difficult for humans to intervene with them directly. However, researchers … in Bavaria, Germany, nevertheless found a way to control the movements of stomata remotely – using light pulses. […]
The group used a light-sensitive protein from the alga Guillardia theta as a light switch, namely the anion channel ACR1 from the group of channelrhodopsins. In response to light pulses, the switch ensures that chloride flows out of the guard cells and potassium follows. The guard cells lose internal pressure, slacken and the pore closes within 15 minutes. “The light pulse is like a remote control for the movement of the stomata,” says Hedrich…The exposure to light had almost completely prevented the transpiration of the plants.
With this knowledge, it is now possible to cultivate plants with an increased number of anion channels in the guard cells. Plants equipped in this way should close their stomata more quickly in response to approaching heat waves and thus be better able to cope with periods of drought. […]
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$500,000 seems like a lot of money to spend for lead water pipes.
THC vapor reveals the first direct indication of thermal nociception in lobsters.
Psilocybin produced new neural connections in a mouse study that resulted in connections being repaired that were lost due to depression:
AAAS Public Science News Release: Psychedelic spurs growth of neural connections lost in depression
Neuron: Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo; Ling-Xiao Shao, Clara Liao, Ian Gregg, Pasha A. Davoudian, Neil K. Savalia, Kristina Delagarza, Alex C. Kwan.
Drought and heat resistance in plants such as marijuana is achieved using an alga protein and pulses of light: