Random unitaries in extremely low depth - Science | AAAS

The oceans are in trouble. Rising temperatures due to climate change not only raise sea levels but also put enormous stress on coral reefs. When waters get too warm, healthy coral will expel the helpful algae living inside them. The coral then becomes drained of color, severely weakened, and vulnerable to disease. In other words, "bleached coral" is dying coral. The loss of coral and coral reefs devastates vast amounts of ocean wildlife, and humans too. So finding ways to stop, slow, or reverse coral bleaching is of major interest to scientists. And the latest breakthrough was completely unintentional. Lab studying coral encounters a "happy accident"Steve Palumbi is a professor of marine sciences at Stanford and an ocean researcher. One of his major research areas is coral, and his work recently led him to notice something pretty strange in his lab. According to Science Alert, Palumbi had collected various samples from the same coral colony when two of the samples "fell" into each other inside their tank. One was bleached, or dying, and the other was completely healthy.

Get ready to geek out with these fascinating bits of trivia.

Mitochondria are the tiny powerpacks that supply most of the energy our cells need. Their ability to generate this energy relies on a distinctive architecture: two membranes, one tucked inside the other, separated by a narrow gap called the intermembrane space (IMS). This tiny space helps sustain the chemistry of energy production, making its organization critical to how these cellular powerpacks function. Now, a new study led by a University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine investigator reports a potentially transformative discovery: the volume of the IMS is genetically controlled and adjustable. By controlling where this space expands or narrows within each mitochondrion, cells can actively shape the internal architecture of their powerpacks and tune how they function.