Evaluating Temperature Changes of Brain Tissue Due to Induced Heating of Cell Phone Waves

Electromagnetic fields disrupt the pollination service by honeybees

We assessed the effect that electromagnetic field (EMF) exerts on honeybees' pollination efficiency using field and laboratory experiments. First, we measured levels of gene and protein expression in metabolic pathways involved in stress and behavioral responses elicited by EMF. Second, we assessed the effect of EMF on honeybee behavior and seed production by the honeybee-pollinated California poppy and, lastly, by measuring the consequences of pollination failure on plants' community richness and abundance. EMF exposure exerted strong physiological stress on honeybees as shown by the enhanced expression of heat-shock proteins and genes involved in antioxidant activity and affected the expression levels of behavior-related genes. Moreover, California poppy individuals growing near EMF received fewer honeybee visits and produced fewer seeds than plants growing far from EMF. Last, we found a hump-shaped relationship between EMF and plant species richness and plant abundance. Our study provides conclusive evidence of detrimental impacts of EMF on honeybee's pollination behavior, leading to negative effects on plant community.

Deciphering the Biological Mechanisms Underlying the Genome-Wide Associations between Computerized Device Use and Psychiatric Disorders

Computerized device use (CDU) is societally ubiquitous but its effects on mental health are unknown. We performed genetic correlation, Mendelian randomization, and latent causal variable analyses to identify shared genetic mechanisms between psychiatric disorders (Psychiatric Genomics Consortium; 14,477 < N < 150,064) and CDU (UK Biobank; N = 361,194 individuals). Using linkage disequilibrium score regression, we detected strong genetic correlations between "weekly usage of mobile phone in last 3 months" (PhoneUse) vs. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; rg = 0.425, p = 4.59 × 10-29) and "plays computer games" (CompGaming) vs. schizophrenia (SCZ; rg = -0.271, p = 7.16 × 10-26). Focusing on these correlations, we used two sample MRs to detect the causal relationships between trait pairs by treating single nucleotide polymorphisms as non-modifiable risk factors underlying both phenotypes. Significant bidirectional associations were detected (PhoneUse→ADHD β = 0.132, p = 1.89 × 10-4 and ADHD→PhoneUse β = 0.084, p = 2.86 × 10-10; CompGaming→SCZ β = -0.02, p = 6.46 × 10-25 and CompGaming→SCZ β = -0.194, p = 0.005) and the latent causal variable analyses did not support a causal relationship independent of the genetic correlations between these traits. This suggests that molecular pathways contribute to the genetic overlap between these traits. Dopamine transport enrichment (Gene Ontology:0015872, pSCZvsCompGaming = 2.74 × 10-10) and DRD2 association (pSCZ = 7.94 × 10-8; pCompGaming = 3.98 × 10-25) were detected in SCZ and CompGaming and support their negative correlative relationship. FOXP2 was significantly associated with ADHD (p = 9.32 × 10-7) and PhoneUse (p = 9.00 × 10-11) with effect directions concordant with their positive genetic correlation. Our study demonstrates that epidemiological associations between psychiatric disorders and CDUs are due, in part, to the molecular mechanisms shared between them rather than a causal relationship. Our findings imply that biological mechanisms underlying CDU contribute to the psychiatric phenotype manifestation.