פרסומים

Innovations, such as symbolic artifacts, are a product of cognitive abilities but also of cultural context. Factors that may determine the emergence and retention of an innovation include the population's pre-existing cultural repertoire, exposure to relevant ways of thinking, and the invention's utility. Thus, we suggest that the production of symbolic artifacts is not guaranteed even in cognitively advanced societies.

The electoral success of right-wing populist parties is often attributed to disaffection among certain voters. But while economic explanations for this disaffection are theoretically clear and quantifiable, explanations centered on cultural factors offer vaguer accounts that are harder to evaluate empirically. We address this problem by theoretically distinguishing between five different “storylines” about the cultural origins of populism, and then test them using extensive data from Europe and the United States. Our analysis indicates that concerns about ethno-cultural change induced by immigration are central to understanding the populist vote; so, but to a lesser extent, is rural resentment and status anxiety. In contrast, explanations centered on communal disintegration or an intergenerational values divide are pertinent in only specific cases. The analysis helps disentangle the cultural forces associated with the rise of populism and highlights the heterogeneous coalitions that form the populist base across different countries.

Cathepsin K (CTSK), a proteolytic enzyme that degrades the extracellular matrix, is recognized as a significant therapeutic target for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Due to adverse effects, no clinically approved drugs exist for CTSK. In order to develop safer therapeutics, highly selective CTSK inhibitors are required to elucidate the origins of side effects. Here, we developed various hybrid inhibitors by combining peptide sequences with small organic molecules. An acyloxymethyl ketone electrophile was incorporated as a bioisostere of the glycine–glycine cleavage site and inverse peptide sequences to enhance prime site interactions, as seen in the crystal structure. Additionally, a diphenyl group was incorporated to improve nonprime site interactions, culminating in highly selective and potent irreversible CTSK inhibitors with negligible off-target binding by closely related cathepsins. These novel inhibitors were also designed to attach to targeting moieties, further reducing off-target effects in vivo. Our findings demonstrate that these highly selective inhibitors are nontoxic, effectively inhibit bone resorption by human osteoclasts, block CTSK activity in cells and their nuclei, and inhibit activity in human lung cancer tissue. This study highlights significant advancements in designing CTSK inhibitors with potential clinical applications for lung cancer and osteoclast-related conditions.

This study explores the utilization of digital light processing (DLP) printing to fabricate complex structures using native gelatin as the sole structural component for applications in biological implants. Unlike approaches relying on synthetic materials or chemically modified biopolymers, this research harnesses the inherent properties of gelatin to create biocompatible structures. The printing process is based on a crosslinking mechanism using a di-tyrosine formation initiated by visible light irradiation. Formulations containing gelatin were found to be printable at the maximum documented concentration of 30 wt%, thus allowing the fabrication of overhanging objects and open embedded. Cell adhesion and growth onto and within the gelatin-based 3D constructs were evaluated by examining two implant fabrication techniques: (1) cell seeding onto the printed scaffold and (2) printing compositions that contain cells (cell-laden). The preliminary biological experiments indicate that both the cell-seeding and cell-laden strategies enable making 3D cultures of chondrocytes within the gelatin constructs. The mechanical properties of the gelatin scaffolds have a compressive modulus akin to soft tissues, thus enabling the growth and proliferation of cells, and later degrade as the cells differentiate and form a grown cartilage. This study underscores the potential of utilizing non-modified protein-only bioinks in DLP printing to produce intricate 3D objects with high fidelity, paving the way for advancements in regenerative tissue engineering.

How social complexity evolved remains a long-standing enigma. In most animal groups, social complexity is typically classified into a few discrete classes. This approach is oversimplified and constrains our inference of social evolution to a narrow trajectory consisting of transitions between classes. Such categorical classifications also limit quantitative studies on the molecular and environmental drivers of social complexity. The recent accumulation of relevant quantitative data has set the stage to overcome these limitations. Here, we propose a data-driven, high-dimensional approach for studying the full diversity of social phenotypes. We curated and analyzed a comprehensive dataset encompassing 17 social traits across 80 species and studied the evolution of social complexity in bees. We found that honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees underwent a major evolutionary transition ∼80 mya, inconsistent with the stepwise progression of the social ladder conceptual framework. This major evolutionary transition was followed by a phase of substantial phenotypic diversification of social complexity. Other bee lineages display a continuum of social complexity, ranging from solitary to simple societies, but do not reach the levels of social complexity seen in honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees. Bee evolution, therefore, provides a remarkable demonstration of a macroevolutionary process in which a major transition removed biological constraints and opened novel evolutionary opportunities, driving the exploration of the landscape of social phenotypes. Our approach can be extended to incorporate additional data types and readily applied to illuminate the evolution of social complexity in other animal groups.

How social complexity evolved remains a long-standing enigma. In most animal groups, social complexity is typically classified into a few discrete classes. This approach is oversimplified and constrains our inference of social evolution to a narrow trajectory consisting of transitions between classes. Such categorical classifications also limit quantitative studies on the molecular and environmental drivers of social complexity. The recent accumulation of relevant quantitative data has set the stage to overcome these limitations. Here, we propose a data-driven, high-dimensional approach for studying the full diversity of social phenotypes. We curated and analyzed a comprehensive dataset encompassing 17 social traits across 80 species and studied the evolution of social complexity in bees. We found that honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees underwent a major evolutionary transition \~80 mya, inconsistent with the stepwise progression of the social ladder conceptual framework. This major evolutionary transition was followed by a phase of substantial phenotypic diversification of social complexity. Other bee lineages display a continuum of social complexity, ranging from solitary to simple societies, but do not reach the levels of social complexity seen in honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees. Bee evolution, therefore, provides a remarkable demonstration of a macroevolutionary process in which a major transition removed biological constraints and opened novel evolutionary opportunities, driving the exploration of the landscape of social phenotypes. Our approach can be extended to incorporate additional data types and readily applied to illuminate the evolution of social complexity in other animal groups.

Families are widely recognized as crucial agents in the transmission of wealth, contributing to the perpetuation of inequality and limiting mobility across income levels. To address the economic dynamics behind this phenomenon, classical economists have explored potential solutions through government tax-transfer systems. One such proposal, advanced by Eugenio Rignano, suggests imposing higher taxes on inheritances passed down through multiple generations within a family. To analyze this idea, a model is developed that incorporates both altruistic and accidental bequests, with altruistic bequests playing a crucial role in wealth transmission. The model considers the potential disincentives that inheritance taxation might create for savings intended for altruistic bequests, as well as the benefits of taxing accidental bequests. The novelty of the model lies in its characterization of optimal inheritance taxes when there is an interaction between parents' educational decisions for their children and the transmission of wealth. Simulations suggest that adopting Rignano's proposed tax scheme enhances social welfare compared to the commonly used proportional inheritance tax. These findings suggest that Rignano's tax scheme warrants further research and policy discussion

Book review

Book review

Nano‐patterned magnetic materials have opened new venues for the investigation of strongly correlated phenomena including artificial spin‐ice systems, geometric frustration, and magnetic monopoles, for technologically important applications such as reconfigurable ferromagnetism. With the advent of atomically thin 2D van der Waals (vdW) magnets, a pertinent question is whether such compounds could make their way into this realm where interactions can be tailored so that unconventional states of matter can be assessed. Here, it is shown that square islands of CrGeTe 3 vdW ferromagnets distributed in a grid manifest antiferromagnetic correlations, essential to enable frustration resulting in an artificial spin‐ice. By using a combination of SQUID‐on‐tip microscopy, focused ion beam lithography, and atomistic spin dynamic simulations, it is shown that a square array of CGT island as small as 150 × 150 × 60 nm 3 have tunable dipole–dipole interactions, which can be precisely controlled by their lateral spacing. There is a crossover between non‐interacting islands and significant inter‐island anticorrelation depending on how they are spatially distributed allowing the creation of complex magnetic patterns not observable at the isolated flakes. These findings suggest that the cross‐talk between the nano‐patterned magnets can be explored in the generation of even more complex spin configurations where exotic interactions may be manipulated in an unprecedented way.

How can we build trust, especially in polarized societies? We propose that exposure to broad financial markets—where individuals place their assets in the hands of large groups of unfamiliar agents who nonetheless have the incentive and ability to promote their interests—can contribute to generalized trust. In a randomized controlled trial, we encourage Israelis to hold or trade stocks for up to seven weeks. We find that participation in financial markets increases the probability of expressing generalized trust by about 6 percentage points, equivalent to a quarter of the control group mean. The effects seem to be driven by political partisans along the left–right spectrum in Israel, and are robust to negative price changes. Thus, trust is not only a cause but can also be an effect of participation in financial markets.

Background
The ongoing Hamas-Israel war has put the civilian population in Gaza at risk of severe food and nutrition insecurity. Our goal was to provide objective, verifiable data to ascertain amounts and nutritional content of food supplied to Gaza through Israeli border crossings from January to July 2024. We aimed to assess their compliance with Sphere international humanitarian standards for food security and nutrition maintenance in crisis affected populations.

Methods
We obtained the registry of all food supplied to Gaza via air drops and land crossings from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) from January to July 2024. This registry itemizes daily food shipments, their items and estimated weights. Food items in shipments were categorized, quantified, assessed and summed for energy (kcal), protein (g), fat (g), iron (mg) content, based on food labels and composition tables. We then calculated supply per capita per day supplied to the the Gaza Strip, according to the most recent population census of Gaza. Finally, we compared it to the Sphere standards for population food security.

Results
Adjusting for projected food losses, a net total of 478,229 metric tons of food was supplied to Gaza over the seven consecutively studied months. The average amount of energy available per person per day was 3,004 kcal, with 98 g of protein (13% of energy), 61 g of fat (18% of energy), and 23 mg of iron. Except for February, when entries dropped from January, there was a steady increase in the tonnage, energy, macronutrients and iron content of donated foods supplied to Gaza registered by COGAT. The amounts of energy, protein, and fat, but not dietary iron, in food crossing the border into Gaza consistently exceeded Sphere standards after making conservative adjustment for high food loss and the age distribution of the Gazan population.

Conclusions
This study assessed food deliveries by type, amount and nutrient composition, supplied to Gaza from January to July 2024. We found that, except in February, food crossing the borders into Gaza exceeded per capita minimal requirements for humanitarian aid. While reliable data do not exist for critical dimensions of food access and consumption across Gaza, these estimates suggest that adequate amounts of nutritious food were being transported into the Gaza Strip during most of the 1st half of 2024. We propose that with increased cooperation of all partners and shared efforts to overcome barriers, communication and data sharing, the UN Food Security Cluster, COGAT and humanitarian assistance agencies can develop a comprehensive, continually updated database to gauge food availability, access, nutritional value, and gaps to address, especially in the areas most disrupted by conflict in Gaza. This will also help ensure that food donations supplied to Gaza reach populations in greatest need.