If you’ve been trying to convince yourself to exercise more lately, consider the recent case of a woman in the Czech Republic who went out for a walk one day and accidentally found a treasure trove of more than 2,150 silver coins dating from more than 900 years ago.It’s a discovery that “can be compared to winning a million in the jackpot,” said Filip Velímský, an archaeologist from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, in a statement translated from the original Czech. The stash of silver coins represents “a huge amount,” he explained, “unimaginable for an ordinary person and at the same time unaffordable.”So why would such a bounty be hidden away for 900 years? Experts at the Czech Silver Museum and the Prague Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic have a few theories: it may have originally been meant for soldiers’ wages, they suggest, or even been some kind of war loot. It certainly would make sense: Prague may now be a tourist hotspot known for its unrivaled beauty and beer, but things haven’t always been so halcyon in the Czech capital. Indeed, go back a millennium or so, to the period when the coins were minted, and you’ll find yourself in the turbulent era of the house of Pemysl – and yes, we know how Game of Thrones that name sounds, but seriously: between the years 999, when Boleslav “the Pious” died, and the end of the 12th century, when Otakar I formally established Bohemia as a kingdom, Prague was basically the epicenter of a near-constant nation-level family squabble. “[It] was probably placed [there] during the first quarter of the 12th century, at a time of internal political instability,” Velímský explained. “At that time, there were disputes in the country between the members of the Pemysl dynasty about the princely throne of Prague.”Originally, the cache was stored in a ceramic pot – but after nine centuries of land use, including plowing, only the base was left intact. The treasure itself, though, represents the largest collection of early medieval coins yet found in the region, comprising mintages of at least three 11th and 12th-century monarchs. Stick 'em in some coke, that'll shine 'em right up.Image credit: ARCHEOLOGICKÝ ÚSTAV AV RThe coins are now being processed, ready to hopefully be displayed to the public by summer 2025. And there’s a lot of work to do: “museum staff will […] register all parts of the find in the collection,” explained Lenka Mazaová, director of the Czech Silver Museum in Kutná Hora, as well as having “to also ensure the cleaning of individual coins and possible restoration interventions, their photography for publication and promotional purposes […] including the preparation of a detailed catalogue.”That’s not all. With more detailed analysis of the coins, the experts should hopefully be able to work out not only who minted them, but where they did it. That’s because the silver that was used to forge the coins can be traced, via the elements also found in the alloy, to the precise location where it was originally mined – which is why the coins have a round of X-ray imaging and spectral analysis in their future, to determine their specific composition.And while it’s no coincidence there’s a silver museum in the area – during medieval times, this region was responsible for about one third of all the silver production in Europe, thanks to rich natural deposits of the metal – Mazaová suspects a non-local origin: “the coins were most likely minted in the Prague mint from silver that was imported to Bohemia at the time,” she said.Whatever the outcome, though, experts are agreed that the discovery is “one of the greatest finds of the last decade”, per the statement. And the best part for the lucky rambler who discovered them? She should see about 10 percent of the value as a reward – not a bad take for a random hike across a field.

Around 8% of human DNA is made up of genetic sequences acquired from ancient viruses. These sequences, known as human endogenous retroviruses (or Hervs), date back hundreds of thousands to millions of years – with some even predating the emergence of Homo sapiens.Our latest research suggests that some ancient viral DNA sequences in the human genome play a role in susceptibility to psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder.Hervs represent the remnants of these infections with ancient retroviruses. Retroviruses are viruses that insert a copy of their genetic material into the DNA of the cells they infect. Retroviruses probably infected us on multiple occasions during our evolutionary past. When these infections occurred in sperm or egg cells that generated offspring, the genetic material from these retroviruses was passed on to subsequent generations, becoming a permanent part of our lineage.Initially, scientists considered Hervs to be “junk DNA” – parts of our genome with no discernible function. But as our understanding of the human genome has advanced, it’s become evident that this so-called junk DNA is responsible for more functions than originally hypothesised.First, researchers found that Hervs can regulate the expression of other human genes. A genetic feature is said to be “expressed” if its DNA segment is used to produce RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecules. These RNA molecules can then serve as intermediaries leading to the production of specific proteins, or help to regulate other parts of the genome.Initial research suggested that Hervs regulate the expression of neighbouring genes with important biological functions. One example of this is a Herv that regulates the expression of a gene involved in modifying connections between brain cells.Hervs have also been found to produce RNAs and even proteins in blood and brain samples. These molecules have the potential to exert a wide range of functions, as they can travel across cellular compartments to execute different roles.Scientists have also found evidence suggesting certain human genes are derived from Hervs. This indicates there were instances during evolution where Hervs were co-opted for specialised biological functions. For example, the human genes syncytins 1 and 2, which are derived from Hervs, play pivotal roles in placental development.HERVs in psychiatric disordersConsidering the abundance of Hervs in the genome and their potentially numerous functions, we wanted to better understand whether genetic susceptibility to certain psychiatric disorders was associated with differences in Herv expression.In our study, we profiled Herv expression in nearly 800 autopsy brain samples. This helped us identify DNA variations that influenced Herv expression in the brain.We then cross-referenced this information with findings from large genetic studies which had compared genetic differences between tens of thousands of people – both with and without mental health conditions. These studies identified variations in DNA associated with different psychiatric conditions.We found that the expression of four Hervs was linked with genetic susceptibility to major psychiatric disorders. The expression of two of these Hervs was associated with schizophrenia, one Herv with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and one with depression. These results suggest that Hervs may be playing a more important role in the brain than initially thought.There are many genes involved in psychiatric disorders – and Hervs are only a part of this puzzle. Although the precise impact of these Hervs on brain cells and on a person’s susceptibility to certain psychiatric disorders requires further research, our study is the first to show that genetic susceptibility for a psychiatric disorder also acts through these ancient viral DNA sequences.It’s still too early to determine the practical applications of our findings – and whether they might be used to develop new treatments. But we’re optimistic about this line of research. By linking Herv expression in the brain with psychiatric disorders, our research recognises the importance of these mysterious sequences in the human genome, which have been ignored for years.Rodrigo Duarte, Research Fellow, King's College London; Douglas Nixon, Professor of Immunology in Medicine, Cornell University, and Timothy Powell, Senior lecturer, King's College LondonThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

We’ve all heard of the many benefits of interacting with animals as therapy, but what about the animals themselves? Does that interspecies solidarity go both ways? Well, according to a recent study, the answer is yes … if you’re a cow.“Bovine-assisted therapy may not only be an effective treatment model that benefits human participants,” confirmed Katherine Compitus, Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University and one half of the research team behind the paper, in a statement. “[It] appears to be enriching to the cattle participants as well,” she explained, “as shown by their proximity to and continuous interactions with humans.”Now, we know what you’re thinking: how do you measure the happiness of a cow? And the answer is, “using a surprisingly lengthy and deeply researched standardized metric.” The Human-Animal Interaction Scale (HAIS) is a 24-item self-report instrument designed to assess interaction with a therapy animal, albeit usually ones like dogs or cats rather than 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of Holstein steer. The HAIS is holistic, measuring the experience from both species’ perspectives. The first part of the HAIS records how the human experienced the animal therapy session, with 10 questions on positive interactions and two about negative ones. It’s the second half that’s interesting, though, since that’s the bit that measures how the animals feel about it.Well, to be more accurate, the second half measures how the humans think the animals feel about it – for obvious reasons, it’s difficult to interview a cow. But despite their kind of barely sentient reputation, cows “are not just simple herd animals, but instead show evidence for complex cognitive and social behaviors, as well as rich emotional lives,” explains one 2017 paper cited in the study, and it’s actually not too difficult to pick out happiness among the range of bovine emotion.“Cattle that are uncomfortable with a human presence […] show an increase in stress signals such as vocalizations when involved in therapy work,” the study notes, “while cattle that enjoy human company will have reduced stress signals.” A happy cow, it explains, may lie down – something they do only when they feel safe – or start to lick or smell its human therapee, since “cows are known to engage in [social grooming] and the licking behavior may indicate familiarity or a desire to establish a rapport.”And that’s exactly what the researchers saw: after 45 minutes of contact with humans, the therapy cows were almost universally happy to accept food, hugs, and pets from the participants, and often licked and smelled their new bipedal pals. With just one caveat.Turns out, cows prefer women. “The steers showed a strong preference or interactions with women compared to men,” Compitus said. “In turn, the women reported stronger attachment behaviors towards the steers.”But whether that’s because of some womanly allure or just some male shyness is currently not known, she added. “It is unclear without further testing whether the animals sought out the attention of women in general,” Compitus explained, “or if the women were more likely to initiate the actions when compared to the men participants.”Nevertheless, the study has revealed that bovine-assisted therapy – so far, a barely researched part of an already under-researched area – is effective and beneficial, not only for the humans involved, but for the cows themselves. “Animal-assisted therapy […] has been studied with a variety of populations and conditions, from treating substance abuse to autism, often with positive results,” the paper notes. “However, to date there has been little research addressing the therapeutic benefits of animal-assisted interventions with farm animals.” “This [study] is exciting,” it adds, “in that it opens up a new area on whether some therapies may be initially stronger based upon gender and not procedure.”The study is published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions.

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