RSID: <<2022-12-09T00:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

Welcome to program 282 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:36 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  2:44 MFSK32: Britain could be Chardonnay champions by 2050
  7:09 MFSK64: Switch to farming led to domestication of cats*
12:50 MFSK64: This week's images*
28:42 MFSK32: Closing announcements

* with image(s)

 

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From Phys.org:

Wine forecast: Britain could be Chardonnay champions by 2050

by University of Reading
December 5, 2022

The impact of climate change by 2050 may mean that UK-grown
Chardonnay grapes will be ripe enough to produce high quality
still wines, in most years.

Following their model of the effect of variation in weather on
Chablis wine quality, in France, researchers at the University of
Reading have turned their attention to Chardonnay still wine
production in the UK. Their work is published in OENO One.

Alex Biss, a Ph.D. student who led the project, said, "There are
some great sparkling wines produced from Chardonnay grapes
already in the UK, but the grapes used in sparkling wines don't
need as much ripening as for still wines. A good Chardonnay
vintage is not attained reliably in Britain at present, but
climate change looks set to change that in the not too distant
future."

The research model, developed by Biss and professor of crop
science, Richard Ellis, considered three aspects of weather that
affect the quality of Chardonnay still wine: mean temperature
between April and September, mean minimum temperature in
September ("cool night index"), and total rainfall between June
and September. The model identified 20 to 25% of UK land may be
suitable by 2050. This compares to the current situation of only
2% of UK land.

Biss said, "UK temperatures and rainfall in favorable regions
will be aligned to produce consistently good Chardonnay wine by
the middle of the century in most years."

"There are of course unknowns. Just because a region has a
suitable climate, it doesn't mean that it has the right sort of
land for growing vines. But the fact remains that climate change
will very likely bring a further expansion of viticulture in the
UK."

Areas most likely to have the best conditions for producing
high-quality still Chardonnay wine reliably by 2050 include South
East England, East of England, and Central England.

The RCP 4.5 pathway was selected to provide climate projections.
This is an intermediate greenhouse gas emissions scenario in
which climate policies can limit global temperature rise to
between 2 °C and 3 °C by 2100. Under this scenario, emissions
continue to rise until around 2040, and then decline.

Biss said, "We are not celebrating global warming, which for so
many is already causing major challenges to food production,
public health, and more. Rather, it's something that we must
monitor and respond to by changing what we grow, and where. The
immediate implication of our findings is that UK viticulturalists
establishing new vines, in the areas above, should consider
planting dual-purpose Chardonnay clones suitable for both
sparkling and still wine production."

https://phys.org/news/2022-12-wine-britain-chardonnay-champions.html

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From Futurity.org

Switch to farming led to the first domestication of cats

Posted by Brian Consiglio
University of Missouri
December 5th, 2022

          Cat genes reveal how invention of agriculture bonded cats
          with people in ancient Mesopotamia, leading to worldwide
          feline migration with humans, researchers report.

Nearly 10,000 years ago, humans settling in the Fertile Crescent,
the areas of the Middle East surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers, made the first switch from hunter-gatherers to farmers.

They developed close bonds with the rodent-eating cats that
conveniently served as ancient pest-control in society's first
civilizations.

The researchers' new study finds this lifestyle transition for
humans was the catalyst that sparked the world's first
domestication of cats, and as humans began to travel the world,
they brought their new feline friends along with them.

Leslie A. Lyons, a feline geneticist and Gilbreath-McLorn,
professor of comparative medicine in the University of Missouri
College of Veterinary Medicine, collected and analyzed DNA from
cats in and around the Fertile Crescent area, as well as
throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, comparing nearly 200
different genetic markers.

"One of the DNA main markers we studied were microsatellites,
which mutate very quickly and give us clues about recent cat
populations and breed developments over the past few hundred
years," Lyons says. "Another key DNA marker we examined were
single nucleotide polymorphisms, which are single-based changes
all throughout the genome that give us clues about their ancient
history several thousands of years ago. By studying and comparing
both markers, we can start to piece together the evolutionary
story of cats."

Lyons adds that while horses and cattle have seen various
domestication events caused by humans in different parts of the
world at various times, her analysis of feline genetics in the
study strongly supports the theory that cats were likely first
domesticated only in the Fertile Crescent before migrating with
humans all over the world.

After feline genes are passed down to kittens throughout
generations, the genetic makeup of cats in western Europe, for
example, is now far different from cats in southeast Asia, a
process known as "isolation by distance."

"We can actually refer to cats as semi-domesticated, because if
we turned them loose into the wild, they would likely still hunt
vermin and be able to survive and mate on their own due to their
natural behaviors," Lyons says.

"Unlike dogs and other domesticated animals, we haven't really
changed the behaviors of cats that much during the domestication
process, so cats once again prove to be a special animal," Lyons
says.

Lyons, who has researched feline genetics for more than 30 years,
says studies like this also support her broader research goal of
using cats as a biomedical model to study genetic diseases that
impact both cats and people, such as polycystic kidney disease,
blindness, and dwarfism.

"Comparative genetics and precision medicine play key roles in
the 'One Health' concept, which means anything we can do to study
the causes of genetic diseases in cats or how to treat their
ailments can be useful for one day treating humans with the same
diseases," Lyons says.

"I am building genetic tools, genetic resources that ultimately
help improve cat health. When building these tools, it is
important to get a representative sample and understand the
genetic diversity of cats worldwide so that our genetic toolbox
can be useful to help cats all over the globe, not just in one
specific region."

Throughout her career, Lyons has worked with cat breeders and
research collaborators to develop comprehensive feline DNA
databases that the scientific community can benefit from,
including cat genome sequencing from felines all around the
world.

In a 2021 study, Lyons and colleagues found that the cat's
genomic structure is more similar to humans than nearly any other
non-primate mammal.

"Our efforts have helped stop the migration and passing-down of
inherited genetic diseases around the world, and one example is
polycystic kidney disease, as 38% of Persian cats had this
disease when we first launched our genetic test for it back in
2004," Lyons says. "Now that percentage has gone down
significantly thanks to our efforts, and our overall goal is to
eradicate genetic diseases from cats down the road."

Currently, the only viable treatment for polycystic kidney
disease has unhealthy side effects, including liver failure.
Lyons is currently working with researchers at the University of
California at Santa Barbara to develop a diet-based treatment
trial for those suffering from the disease.

"If those trials are successful, we might be able to have humans
try it as a more natural, healthier alternative to taking a drug
that may cause liver failure or other health issues," Lyons says.
"Our efforts will continue to help, and it feels good to be a
part of it."

The research appears in Heredity.

https://www.futurity.org/cats-domestication-genes-2840272/
 

Image: The Egyptian Mau is one of the oldest breeds of
domesticated cats ...

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This week's images ...
 

Our propagation indicator is a red circle and a green circle ...

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Christmas lights on South Molton street in central London,
December 3. https://bit.ly/3HlcnTF ...

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This year's Christmas tree at the US Capitol came from North
Carolina. https://bit.ly/3PaDSBe

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Dew forms on sweet William flowers in Delhi.
https://bit.ly/3Pcqlcq ...

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The sun sets through fog in the South Downs National Park, near
Petersfield, England. https://reut.rs/3Y5tL4L ...

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Light art installation at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool,
December 1. https://reut.rs/3Y5tL4L ...

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A late-season rose in Georgetown, Washington DC, December 6.
https://wapo.st/3BHtefZ ...

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A red crossbill at Jones Beach State Park, New York.
https://bit.ly/3PdjS0E ...

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Our painting of the week is a poinsettia by Judy Brock.
https://bit.ly/3Bj0euy ...

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RSID: <<2022-12-09T00:58Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>

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I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
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Dan Hicks, of His Hot Licks, The Acoustic Warriors, etc,
was born Daniel Ivan Hicks, December 9, 1941.

He died in 2016.

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