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The colonization of land by fungi had a significant impact on the terrestrial ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles on Earth surface systems. Although fungi may have diverged ~1500–900 million years ago (Ma) or even as early as 2400 Ma, it is uncertain when fungi first colonized the land. Here we report pyritized fungus-like microfossils preserved in the basal Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation (~635 Ma) in South China. These micro-organisms colonized and were preserved in cryptic karstic cavities formed via meteoric water dissolution related to deglacial isostatic rebound after the terminal Cryogenian snowball Earth event. They are interpreted as eukaryotes and probable fungi, thus providing direct fossil evidence for the colonization of land by fungi and offering a key constraint on fungal terrestrialization. Fungi may have evolved up to 2.4 billion years ago, but it is unclear when they first colonized land. Here Gan and colleagues report filamentous Ediacaran microfossils from South China that may represent early terrestrial fungi.

This study explores the identification, characterization, and biological evaluation of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides derived from enzymatic hydrolysates of crucian carp swim bladders. Following sequential purification by size-exclusion and reversed-phase chromatography, two bioactive peptides—Hyp-Gly-Ala-Arg (Hyp-GAR) and Gly-Ala-Hyp-Gly-Ala-Arg (GA-Hyp-GAR)—were identified using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap–Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry. The synthetic peptides demonstrated potent ACE-inhibitory activity in vitro, with IC₅₀ values of 12.2 μM (Hyp-GAR) and 4.00 μM (GA-Hyp-GAR). Molecular docking and enzyme kinetics confirmed competitive inhibition through key interactions with ACE active site residues and zinc coordination. In vivo antihypertensive activity was evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats, revealing that GA-Hyp-GAR significantly reduced systolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner. At a dose of 36 mg/kg, GA-Hyp-GAR reduced systolic blood pressure by 60 mmHg—an effect comparable in magnitude and timing to that of captopril. Mechanistically, GA-Hyp-GAR modulated levels of angiotensin II, bradykinin, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and nitric oxide. A 90-day subchronic oral toxicity study in mice indicated no significant hematological, biochemical, or histopathological alterations, supporting the peptide’s safety profile. These findings suggest that GA-Hyp-GAR is a promising natural ACE inhibitor with potential application in functional foods or as a nutraceutical for hypertension management.

Hypoxia preconditioned plasma (HPP) is generated by cultivating blood under hypoxic conditions, allowing blood cells to naturally regulate the production of growth factors in response to hypoxia, which seems ideal for diabetic wound treatment. This study aims to verify the efficacy and underlying mechanism of HPP on diabetic wound healing. The concentrations of angiogenesis-related factors (VEGF, PDGF, EGF, IGF, TSP1, PF4) measured by ELISA were significantly increased in HPP. In vitro, HPP promoted the proliferation and migration of HUVECs and HSF, and enhanced the tube formation of HUVECs. In vivo, HPP promotes wound angiogenesis and collagen deposition, significantly accelerating diabetic wound healing (84 ± 10% vs. 65 ± 20%, p  < 0.01). Furthermore, western blot and qPCR results showed that both in cells and wounds, the expression of pro-angiogenic factors, as well as p-AKT, was increased in HPP. These findings suggest that HPP benefits diabetic wound healing and may represent a promising therapeutic approach for diabetic wound healing.

Storage temperature is considered one of the most important factors that affect the microbial spoilage of fresh meat. Chilling and superchilling are the most popular storage techniques on the market, but during transportation, the temperature may reach 10 °C and may even reach room temperature during local retail storage. In the present study, we stored fresh pork meat at different temperatures, −2 °C, 4 °C, 10 °C, and 25 °C. The composition and functional potential of fresh or spoiled meat resident microbes were analyzed based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The microbial composition exhibited high similarity between pork meat stored at −2 °C and 4 °C, with Pseudomonads and Brochothrix being the dominant taxa. Acinetobacter sp., Myroides sp., and Kurthia sp. were markers for spoiled pork meat stored at 25 °C. Both psychrophilic and mesophilic bacteria were observed to grow under a storage temperature of 10 °C, but the overall composition and functional potential based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were found to be similar to that of meat stored at room temperature. Our results broaden the knowledge of possible microbial changes in pork meat during storage, transportation, or retail.

As a natural potential resource, Tamarix ramosissima has been widely used as barbecue skewers for a good taste and unique flavor. The polyphenolics in the branch bark play a key role in the quality improvement. The purposes of the present work were to explore the polyphenolic composition of T. ramosissima bark extract and assess their potential antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Hispidulin and cirsimaritin from T. ramosissima bark extract were first identified in the Tamarix genus reported with UPLC-MS analysis. Isorhamnetin (36.91 μg/mg extract), hispidulin (28.79 μg/mg extract) and cirsimaritin (13.35 μg/mg extract) are rich in the bark extract. The extract exhibited promising antioxidant activity with IC50 values of 117.05 μg/mL for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 151.57 μg/mL for hydroxyl radical scavenging activities, as well as excellent reducing power with an EC50 of 93.77 μg/mL. The bark extract showed appreciable antibacterial properties against foodborne pathogens. Listeria monocytogenes was the most sensitive microorganism with the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 5 mg/mL and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) value of 10 mg/mL followed by S. castellani and S. aureus among the tested bacteria. The T. ramosissima bark extract showed significantly stronger inhibitory activity against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacteria. Nevertheless, this extract failed to show any activity against tested fungi. Overall, these results suggested that T. ramosissima shows potential in improving food quality due to its highly efficacious antioxidant and antibacterial properties.

Isolating and maintaining the appropriate stem cell for large scale cell culture is essential in tissue engineering or food production. For bovine satellite cells an optimized isolation and purification protocol is lacking and there is also no detailed understanding on the factors that maintain stemness of these cells. Here, we set up a fluorescence-activated cell sorting strategy to enrich bovine satellite cells. We found that p38-MAPK signalling is activated and PAX7 expression is gradually lost during satellite cell proliferation. The p38 inhibitor (SB203580) treatment maintained PAX7 expression but inhibited the fusion of satellite cells in a concentration-dependent way in short-term incubation. The mechanism of p38 inhibition was confirmed by inhibiting canonical p38 signalling, i.e. HSP27. Long-term culture with an appropriate concentration of p38i enhanced the proliferation and PAX7 expression, while the differentiation capacity recovered and was enhanced compared to vehicle control. These studies indicate that bovine satellite cells maintenance depends on cell purity and p38 MAPK signalling. Inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling is a promising strategy to facilitate large scale cell expansion of primary cells for tissue engineering and cultured meat purposes.

This study investigates how scanning speed influences the electrochemical performance and discharge behavior of aluminum–air (Al–air) batteries with CeO2/Al6061 anodes fabricated through selective laser melting (SLM). Al–air batteries, celebrated for their exceptional energy density and eco-friendliness, encounter hurdles in their widespread application due to anode self-corrosion and the formation of passivation films. To address these challenges, this study integrates CeO2-reinforcing phases into Al6061 alloys and leverages SLM technology to enhance anode performance. A comprehensive analysis was conducted on the effects of varying scanning speeds (800, 900, 1000, 1100, and 1200 mm/s) on the surface morphology, density, self-corrosion rate, electrochemical performance, and discharge behavior of the anodes. The findings reveal that a scanning speed of 1000 mm/s produces anodes with optimal density, minimal self-corrosion, and outstanding electrochemical and discharge performance. Specifically, this scanning speed leads to a high discharge voltage of 1.575 V and an anode utilization rate of 72.2%, which can be attributed to the complete melting of the powder and the formation of a uniform microstructure. These insights offer valuable guidance for the development of high-performance Al–air batteries, promising extended lifespans and enhanced efficiency.

Long-term consumption of red meat has been considered a potential risk to gut health, but this is based on clinic investigations, excessive intake of fat, heme and some injurious compounds formed during cooking or additions to processed meat products. Whether intake of red meat protein affects gut bacteria and the health of the host remains unclear. In this work, we compared the composition of gut bacteria in the caecum, by sequencing the V4-V5 region of 16S ribosomal RNA gene, obtained from rats fed with proteins from red meat (beef and pork), white meat (chicken and fish) and other sources (casein and soy). The results showed significant differences in profiles of gut bacteria between the six diet groups. Rats fed with meat proteins had a similar overall structure of caecal bacterial communities separated from those fed non-meat proteins. The beneficial genus Lactobacillus was higher in the white meat than in the red meat or non-meat protein groups. Also, rats fed with meat proteins and casein had significantly lower levels of lipopolysaccharide-binding proteins, suggesting that the intake of meat proteins may maintain a more balanced composition of gut bacteria, thereby reducing the antigen load and inflammatory response in the host.

To investigate the effects of heat stress on broiler metabolism, we assigned 144 broilers to normal control (NC), heat stress (HS) or pair-fed (PF) groups and then monitored the effects using growth performance, carcass characteristics, biochemical assays and GC-MS-based metabolomics. The up-regulation of cloacal temperature confirmed that our experiment was successful in inducing chronic heat stress. The average daily gain and average daily feed intake of the HS group were significantly lower than those of the NC group, by 28·76 and 18·42 %, respectively (P<0·001), whereas the feed:gain ratio was significantly higher, by 14·49 % (P=0·003), and heat stress also increased leg proportion (P=0·027) and intramuscular fat proportion (P<0·001) and decreased breast proportion (P=0·009). When comparing the HS and NC groups and HS and PF groups, our metabolomics approach identified seventy-eight and thirty-four metabolites, respectively, with significantly different levels (variable importance in the projection values >1 and P<0·05). The greater feed:gain ratio of the HS group was significantly positively correlated with the leg, abdominal fat, subcutaneous fat and intramuscular fat proportions and levels of some free amino acids (proline, l-cysteine, methionine and threonine) but was negatively correlated with breast proportion and levels of some NEFA (stearic acid, arachidonic acid, palmitic acid and oleic acid). These findings indicated that the heat-stressed broilers were in negative energy balance and unable to effectively mobilise fat, thereby resulting in protein decomposition, which subsequently affected growth performance and carcass characteristics.

Dune migration is one of the main processes in arid lands’ geomorphology and is important for the design of windbreaks and sand fixation projects and for the monitoring of desertification dynamics. We conducted long-term continuous positioning monitoring of barchan dunes using RTK equipment and wind regime monitoring in the Sanlongsha dune field, which is located in the northern part of China’s Kumtagh Desert. We analyzed the wind energy environment of the study area, the migration characteristics of different positions in the barchan dune, and dune shape changes during different periods. We found that (1) comparing the differences in migration distance and direction measured at six positions in the barchan, there existed variations in barchan migration across these positions. (2) The shape changes at the left horn, right horn, and windward slope of barchans were larger than at the center of the leeward toe and brink, so the estimates based on measurements at these four positions had a weaker fit with the resultant drift potential (RDP) and a greater difference from the resultant drift direction (RDD). (3) The shape of the leeward slope on the barchan did not change much during dune migration, so the center of the leeward toe and brink measurements were closer to the actual dune migration distance and direction. Thus, we recommend using the center of the leeward toe or brink as the optimal measurement points to monitor barchan dune migration. This study will provide a reference for the more accurate measurement of barchan dune migration.