Plastron (left) and carapace (right) of the new turtle species Dortoka vremiri from the Late Cretaceous of the Hateg Basin (Romania). Photo: Zoltan Csiki-Sava

Palaeobiologists from the University of Tübingen have described a previously unknown turtle species that lived in what is now Romania some 70 million years ago. The reptile, measuring 19 cm in length, has no close relatives now but is a member of the larger group of side-necked turtles that are today found mostly in the southern hemisphere. Its closest relative is recorded in more recent fossils dating to about 57 million years ago, also from Romania. This indicates the evolutionary lineage survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, which killed off at least 75 percent of all life forms, including the non-avian dinosaurs. University of Tübingen biogeologist Dr. Márton Rabi headed the research team, whose description of the species has been published in the latest Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The species is named Dortoka vremiri, after Mátyás Vremir, a key researcher into Cretaceous vertebrate faunas who passed away in 2020.

Scarsa qualità dell’aria e particolarità fisico - geografiche del territorio che non ne favoriscono la circolazione, eccessiva cementificazione, grande pressione antropica ed elevata concentrazione di attività economiche e produttive: sono le caratteristiche dell’Italia del Nord che hanno portato quest’area a subire i tassi di mortalità da COVID peggiori. In Friuli Venezia Giulia va aggiunta anche l’elevata età media degli abitanti che ha rappresentato un elemento di criticità ulteriore.

Sono i risultati di uno studio multidisciplinare condotto dalle Università di Trieste, Basilicata, Cagliari, Sassari e l’Aquila che ha evidenziato, sotto forma di indicatori di pericolosità sanitaria, gli elementi di vulnerabilità geografica-ambientale ricavando un’originale ‘Geografia della pericolosità da Covid-19’.

Lo studio è pubblicato nella prestigiosa rivista Environmental Research di Elsevier.

Nicotinamide riboside (NR) is amember of the vitamin B3 family, which can be found in foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, and milk. It is also used as a nutritional supplement to boost cellular levels of NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).

NAD is an essential metabolic factor, which is vital to a multitude of cellular processes, including energy metabolism, DNA damage repair, and control of gene expression. Increased cellular NAD levels have been linked to a longer and healthier life in animals and have been shown to protect neuronal cells against various forms of stress. The study shows for the first time that the NAD levels of the human brain can be increased by ingesting NR.