Circadian pacemaker coupling by multi-peptidergic neurons in the cockroach Leucophaea maderae

Lesion and transplantation studies in the cockroach, Leucophaea maderae, have located its bilaterally symmetric circadian pacemakers necessary for driving circadian locomotor activity rhythms to the accessory medulla of the optic lobes. The accessory medulla comprises a network of peptidergic neurons, including pigment-dispersing factor (PDF)-expressing presumptive circadian pacemaker cells. At least three of the PDF-expressing neurons directly connect the two accessory medullae, apparently as a circadian coupling pathway. Here, the PDF-expressing circadian coupling pathways were examined for peptide colocalization by tracer experiments and double-label immunohistochemistry with antisera against PDF, FMRFamide, and Asn13-orcokinin. A fourth group of contralaterally projecting medulla neurons was identified, additional to the three known groups. Group one of the contralaterally projecting medulla neurons contained up to four PDF-expressing cells. Of these, three medium-sized PDF-immunoreactive neurons coexpressed FMRFamide and Asn13-orcokinin immunoreactivity. However, the contralaterally projecting largest PDF neuron showed no further peptide colocalization, as was also the case for the other large PDF-expressing medulla cells, allowing the easy identification of this cell group. Although two-thirds of all PDF-expressing medulla neurons coexpressed FMRFamide and orcokinin immunoreactivity in their somata, colocalization of PDF and FMRFamide immunoreactivity was observed in only a few termination sites. Colocalization of PDF and orcokinin immunoreactivity was never observed in any of the terminals or optic commissures. We suggest that circadian pacemaker cells employ axonal peptide sorting to phase-control physiological processes at specific times of the day

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors.

Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmen-tal change

Biological Earth observation with animal sensors

Space-based tracking technology using low-cost miniature tags is now delivering data on fine-scale animal movement at near-global scale. Linked with remotely sensed environmental data, this offers a biological lens on habitat integrity and connectivity for conservation and human health; a global network of animal sentinels of environmen-tal change

The future of scientific leadership is interdisciplinary: The 2019 CAS Future Leaders share their vision

For the last decade, the CAS Future Leaders program has gathered early-career scientists from across the globe based on their outstanding accomplishments in the field of chemistry to provide support to participants in cultivating their own voices and futures in scientific leadership. The goal of the program has been to empower early-career scientists like us to begin to shape our own future leadership roles, from learning to convey effective speech by developing our own research stories to growing to be better mentors for the next generation of future leaders. In 2019, to honor the 10th anniversary of the program, the CAS Future Leaders program encompassed essential leadership skills divided into five topics, namely, storytelling, insights, strategies, perspectives, and impact, some of which were new to the program this year. However, what was not new to the program was an emphasis on the potential global impact that this program could make. To do this, the program brought together in this cohort 29 post-docs and graduate students, from 16 countries. A staple of this program is not only the breadth of countries that are represented but also the many facets of chemistry that are represented as demonstrated later in the article. One reason for this is that a leader in the sciences will need to be open to innovations across discipline and geographical boundaries, something that we explored a lot during our time together