Although genetically modified foods appeared recently, human beings have been altering unintentional plant genomes for millennia. Agriculture appeared around 10,000 years ago, and since then farmers have been responsible for manipulating a wide variety of crops. The sophisticated techniques used today were not employed during these processes but ultimately they involved genome modification. What if current vegetables and fruits never had any human intervention over the course of agriculture history how would they actually look like and taste? 

Viruses are non-living particles containing genetic information in the form of DNA or RNA. They are fascinating because they are not considered a form of life even though they evolve in the same way all living organisms do. Viruses are so-called obligate pathogens because they cannot multiply unless they infect and hijack the cellular machinery in living organisms. 

We're happy to announce the Journal of Sketching Science is now open for submission! The Journal of Sketching Science will focus on working with researchers to produce and share non-technical illustrated articles of published scientific papers (Sketch my paper), science research centers (Sketch my research center), research laboratories (Sketch my lab) and, people doing science (Sketch my research).  Sketching Science papers aim to increase the visibility and impact of your research through the spread of accurate and attractive illustrations via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram that will reach hundreds of thousands of people. Papers and images will be freely available to readers around the world an directly in their timeline. 

IntroductionDNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is an essential molecule that can be found in every cell of every organism. DNA carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms and some viruses. Most DNA molecules consist of two strands coiled around each other to form a double helix (like a spiral staircase) \cite{glass}\cite{dna}\cite{wikipedia}.Currently, DNA isolation it is a routine procedure in molecular biology and forensic analyses. This process extracts DNA molecules from samples like cells or tissues using a combination of physical and chemical methods \cite{Dahm2008}. Nowadays, there are many different commercial kits used for DNA extraction that several laboratories use \cite{Yoshikawa2011}. Every one of our cells contains DNA and extracting it seems like a job for an experienced scientist. But following the next instructions, you would be able to isolate your own DNA using basic kitchen supplies  \cite{glass}\cite{dna}. Materials and methodsTo extract your own DNA you need a clean shot glass, your saliva, some milliliters of dish soap, a pinch of table salt, pineapple juice (or contact-lens cleaning solution), ice-cold 120 proof alcohol (like high-proof rum), a drinking straw and a toothpick. First, you have to spit a lot to fill the shot glass 1/4 full. Add a couple of drops of soap into to the saliva to break (lyse) your cells and mix gently. Now that the cells are broken you need to get rid of other components like proteins. To this end, add a tiny splash of pineapple juice that contains proteases. Proteases break down the proteins and clean the solution. Add a pinch of salt to the saliva solution and mix gently for a minute. Then, carefully add a layer of the overproof rum to fill up the shot glass, which should sit on top of the mixture. To prevent it from mixing too much, add the alcohol gradually using a straw as depicted in figure 1. In this step, the DNA aggregates and clumps together. You should see some cloudy, snot-like white stuff. Finally, use a toothpick to spool up the cloudy DNA that has formed in the shot glass. If you follow the instructions carefully you will isolate your own DNA in just a couple of minutes. 

Various plant communities developed along the Usumacinta River, adjacent streams and lagoons which are all considered part of the wetlands region. The wetlands are characterized for the presence of water, which plays a fundamental role in the development of the soil, and the ecological and structural functions of the system. The vegetation on the borders of the river and streams are known as riverine plant communities, whereas vegetation floating in the bodies of water is known as hydrophytic vegetation  \citep{j2006}. Three types of plant species in the wetlands could be distinguished: a) Strictly aquatic: plants that complete their life cycle either totally submerged, partially emerging, or floating on the surface; b) Subaquatic: plants that complete most of their life cycle on the border of the water, in water-saturated soils and can tolerate temporary dry seasons with minor humidity; and c) Drought tolerant: plants which complete most of their life cycle in dry areas, but support being partially submerged during rainy periods. The last category includes trees, bushes, climbers, and some palms \citep{2015}.The aquatic and border vegetation are physically and biologically connected and are of ecological importance, providing  complex habitats and resources for a high variety of other aquatic organisms  \citep{j2006}. The knowledge of the aquatic and subaquatic vegetation in Mexico is fragmentary. In particular for the Usumacinta River (the most important river of Mexico) where watershed has been only partially studied. In this study, we revised and created the knowledge available on the plant communities,  the riparian and aquatic plant species along the Usumacinta River watershed, and supplemented this knowledge with data collected in the study area. The data of floristic inventory of the Usumacinta river watershed was integrated with data provided by the National System of Information on Biodiversity of the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of the Biodiversity (SNIB-CONABIO), literature, herbaria samples of UAC, ENCB, UJAT, Ecosur-SCLC and MEXU, and field data.We registered 212 families and 3,501 species; the families with most species were those of legumes (342), followed by orchids (295), the composite family (214), and grasses (195) \citep{delgado2018}. Such numbers of plant species is a good indication of the great diversity and floristic richness of aquatic and border plants in the Usumacinta River watershed. We registered 36 families and 148 aquatic and subaquatic plant species, numbers which confirm the importance of the Usumacinta watershed for these species groups.The borders of the Usumacinta River are threatened by human activity. The villages’ are planting ornamental and fruit trees, both native as introduced species. However, it is still possible to find original plant communities either in the lagoons, or along the Usumacinta river; for example, shrublands of muco (Dalbergia brownei or D. glabra) \citep{santiago2005}. The most common tree species registered are typical of riverine forest communities, such as: Bucida buceras (pucté), Inga vera (jinicuil), Haematoxylum campechianum (tinto), Pithecellobium lanceolatum (tucuy) and Salix  humboldtiana (sauce), all of which are still present in border-forested fragments along the Usumacinta, San Pedro and Palisade rivers \citep{e1963} \cite{santiago2005}. The border vegetation near the coast is dominated by mangroves, such as Rhizophora mangle (red mangle), associated with Laguncularia racemosa (white mangle), Avicennia germinans (mangle prieto) and Conocarpus erectus (botoncillo) \cite{j2006}.We registered five species which had value and/or use: Annona glabra (anona) which is edible, Crescentia cujete (jícaro) which is ornamental, Guatteria anomala (palo de zope) which is used as food of turtles and parakeets, Sagittaria lancifolia (tule), and Vallisneria americana (sargazo) which is also known to be in the diet of turtles. This work highlights the importance of the riverine and aquatic vegetation for human communities, besides the service of food, nesting sites, refuge and rest for the regional fauna.This diversity of plants is integrated in plant communities which stabilizes the silt, oxygenates the water, provides refuge and material for nest sites, are habitats for different species of fauna, and provides  multiple ecosystem services which depend partly on the population that lives in the region \citep{a2010}. The villagers depend on the hydrological functions because fishing is an important source of economic income, and a local food source. Many of people that live in the watershed recognize the importance of the plants as a source of food for the aquatic fauna. As such, the management and conservation of the wetlands is of great importance.Diversidad de Plantas en Humedales de la Cuenca del río Usumacinta, México

The Mayan peasant families that inhabit the Petenes Biosphere Reserve (RBLP), combine both activities for self-sufficiency (i.e. milpa, family gardens, hunting) and commercial activities (i.e. beekeeping, livestock, handicrafts) which develop throughout the year. These are part of a Pluriactivity strategy based on the use of resources \citep{alarcn2008}. The main objective of this peasant strategy is to guarantee family self-sufficiency through the production of food from the milpa and secondly, to produce surplus food for sale. In this context, the meliponiculture, or breeding of the native stingless bee (ko'olel kaab bee, Melipona beecheii) in the RBLP, is primarily an activity that complements the income of families for the purchase of goods that they do not produce. Although the ko'olel kaab honey is highly valued in the market, the bee's breeding is at risk of disappearing in the Yucatan Peninsula \citep{colli2005}. The decline of the meliponiculture by the Mayan peasants began with the introduction of the European bee (Apis mellifera), at the beginning of the last century. Initially,  this species was introduced into the Yucatan peninsula by entrepreneurs for the commercial production of honey, and later adopted by the Mayan peasants. The substitution of the ko'olel kaab bee for the European one was due to the higher honey yield per hive of the latter species, even though each type of honey has different physical, chemical, microbiological, and organoleptic characteristics. Other factors associated with the decline of meliponiculture are: deforestation and forest fragmentation, the expansion of agriculture and livestock, the arrival of the African bee, the abandonment of the field due to lack of employment and income alternatives, and finally, the poor handling and reproduction of bees \citep{gonzlez2001}. 

The Mexican seas are inhabited by 111 species of sharks \citep{2015}, which represents  21.8% of those recorded worldwide \citep{s2016}. This is possible due to the great diversity of coastal and oceanic habitats on both coasts of the country. Of those species, at least 33 are of commercial interest (\citep{federacin2010} and \citep{federacin2018}) and are fished for the consumption of their meat and fins. The meat has great acceptance in the national market, whilst fins are exported to the Asian market.In Mexico there are official records of shark catches since the late 1930's. In the 1970's,  shark fishing increased exponentially due to the national demand for meat  and the international demand for fins, reaching 35,000 tons per year by the 1990's \citep{a1998}. After a decrease in catches in the last decade, with less than 30,000 tons per year in the current decade, catches gradually increased to 42,704 tons in 2017 \citep{sagarpa2017}.

Preserving biodiversity is difficult for many reasons. Biodiversity is complex and changing, and also includes all hierarchical levels ranging from genes to ecosystems. Furthermore, it is complicated to include all the ecological and evolutionary processes in which biodiversity participates, making it unmanageable to conserve it all. However, we need to know the basic aspects of biodiversity such as: where it is, and what it is doing in those spaces. Simultaneously, the work of conservation biologists is to identify which of the "apocalypse riders", or man-made factors, are affecting biodiversity at different points in time and space, and suggest actions to counteract or diminish their effects. The riders of the apocalypse are the loss of habitats, fragmentation, illegal hunting/trafficking, pollution, climate change, and dispersion of alien invasive species. 

Forest recovery in degraded landscapes is key to mitigating climate change. Reforestation efforts have been successful in temperate environments, partly due to the limited number of tree species found in those ecosystems (i.e.contrast is, Therefore, up to five species). In contrast, tropical forest reforestation is to date, practically impossible due to the huge biological diversity they harbour. The Maya forest in Campeche, Mexico is estimated to contain 300 to 600 tree species. Hence, each species has a low density within a highly diverse matrix.  Biological diversity of trees is maintained by a very complex network of interactions that scientists are starting to understand. One such interaction is related to how trees choose their partners. Yes, they do that. DNA progeny tests indicate that tropical trees are very promiscuous. In a single season, a Tabebuia rosea understand.  (maculís in Mayan) tree can mate with hundreds of other individuals. Due to the low density in population, pollen (and pollinators) must find a way to connect with other individuals diluted among many other species. Moreover, some individuals are more liked by the community. How do we determine this? DNA from certain individuals is more frequently found in seeds from several trees in a region. Knowing this, what would happen if this particularly "attractive" individual was eliminated? We have to consider these "attractive" individuals as a priority for conservation. However, the "attractive" trees do not necessarily fit the timber industry's parameters. Commercial foresters look for tall, straight trees to produce first-class table cuts. Classic silviculture procedures are totally anthropocentric, ignoring trees mating preferences. As a consequence, tree breeding is complicated as trees may not mate with man-selected individuals, lowering seed production. When a commercially selected plantation is established near a natural forest, the "attractive" individual in the landscape may be overwhelmed by the huge amounts of pollen produced by plantations, contributing to loss of genetic diversity. Fortunately, for the maculís in Campeche, Mexico, foresters seed source was as diverse as the natural populations. DNA from "attractive" individuals was found in the same frequency both in plantations and in natural populations \citep{m2016}. An educated propagation protocol for methods that avoid the risk of loosing "attractive" individuals (or their genes), must be based on the development of an Ideotype. This is an ideal imaginary tree which meets timber industry quality parameters, agronomic traits, and considers the species mating system. A tree that meets industrial, agronomic and biological expectations would, for instance be: straight, tall, fast-growing, pest-resistant, drought-tolerant (to face climate change), "attractive" for other trees, and so on. With knowledge of this desired ideotype, we can look into natural populations which are closer to the ideotype. Employing ideotype-based selection enables us to identify several elite maculis trees in the Maya forest \cite{Sol_s_Guill_n_2017}.  Seed or vegetative collection of materials must be performed to capture genetic diversity, representing at least 90% of the natural genetic diversity of close natural populations. Once the germplasm (i.e. a collection of seeds or parts of the trees) has been sampled, it could be propagated vegetatively. Once plants, we are able to use them for buds and cuttings. In the lab, this ability can be turbo-powered by techniques of tissue culture called micropropagation and somatic embryogenesis. Both tools use plant growth regulators which are added to a nutrient-rich medium, acting as artificial soil. These conditions are optimal and can change the inner programming of tree tissues, switching them to a highly proliferative path, resulting in multiple sprouts from a single piece of tissue. In our group, we focused on another tropical tree: Cedrela odorata (or cigar box Spanish red cedar), another native tree from Mesoamérica. Starting from twigs or seeds from adult trees that had been previously selected with the help of the ideotype, a process for the clonal propagation for this species was established \cite{Pe_a_Ram_rez_2010} \cite{Pe_a_Ram_rez_2010a}. With this tool, thousands or millions of trees can be produced, propagating not only trees but genetic diversity and clones that are able to fit industry quality parameters.  A surprising advantage of using tissue culture, is the ability to induce a rejuvenation process in the tissues. Remember Dolly the sheep? Dolly was a cloned sheep borns old, who carried markers in her DNA (i.e. epigenetic markers) that instruct the body to adopt the age of the donor sheep. Epigenetic markers in the DNA of trees also limit adult tree propagation. Frequently, it is hard to establish twigs that have come from mature trees as individual plants or derived trees, did not develop as a young tree; they remain "vintage". Epigenetic markers are naturally reset from adult to young at the moment of fecundation (i.e.this grown, proliferated tree native to Meso américa : cedar). with born "old", carrying instructed Often "adult" "young" Reserve the plants.  when pollination occurs for trees), but it is also feasible to reset the program employing plant tissue culture combined with grafting mature tissues over young ones. Subsequent rounds of grafting eliminate epigenetic markers linked to adult behaviour such as flowering, or lateral instead of vertical growth. By taking advantage of this technology, we were able to colones and propagate mature elite trees from the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, in the Maya forest, inducing juvenile traits on derived plantlets. We are currently focused on refining our protocols for scaled-up production of plants. When a planter ventures into silviculture, plant material is paramount as trees are a long-term investment. It is beneficial to have superior quality material derived (i.e. cloned) from strictly selected donor trees with juvenile traits, for fast growth and genetic diversity. This will contribute not only to the economic return, but increasing the resilience of plantations to adverse environmental conditions as a consequence of climate change. Successful plantations will satisfy the market demand, reducing the pressure on natural forests.

We all have an album with old photos, a collection of newer digital images and in the future surely we will have many others in more innovative formats. When comparing old photos with recent ones, we can observe how people, society and the environment change over time. Something similar happens with our experiences. We have old images of crucial moments in our history that we store in our album of memories, and we dream of how we want the future to be. From here on, let's imagine that taking a photo at a certain moment in time is similar to collecting information of society and environment for a baseline study.       Years ago, we began to be distant spectators of the relationship between two critical economic activities: fisheries and oil extraction. These two activities take place in the Gulf of Mexico, which includes the coasts of the state of Tabasco. The interaction between both activities is certainly not a voluntary one, but somewhat circumstantial. This fortuitous relationship between fisheries and oil extraction was originated due to the natural wealth specifically concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico. Through the interaction between these two activities, certain concerns have arisen as to how we can maintain the sustainability of oil extraction and fisheries. To observe the evolution and interaction of such economic activities, we interviewed fishers to obtain valuable historical information stored in their memories and experiences. All fishers recognize that one of the main protagonists implicated in oil extraction has always been the Mexican government, under the name of Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). However, law reforms in 2013 allowed private companies to open new areas of exploitation in the Gulf of Mexico \cite{espinoza-tenorio2019}. The recollected images or historical information gave us an insight as to how different actors modified fisheries and oil extraction. On the other hand, the most recent information collected were similar to "panoramic digital photos" showing all actors that coexist on the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. Historical and current information were like old and new "photos" taken with the highest possible resolution to observe in detail how both activities modify the landscape. From this information or "photos" we obtained, we could extract relevant data to improve the sustainability of both coastal activities. 

Plants, animals and humans are adapted to Earth's rotationFor many years we have known that living organisms, including humans, have an internal biological clock that helps them anticipate and adapt to the regular rhythm of the day.  For example, the mimosa plant opens its leaves towards the sun during the daytime and closes them at dusk; and dogs sleep at night and remain pretty active during the daytime. The circadian rhythm – from the Latin words circa meaning "around" and dies meaning "day" – explains how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is synchronized with oscillations of day and night caused by Earth's rotations \cite{release}.These circadian rhythms are ancient and highly conserved throughout evolution. Circadian rhythms have been observed in unicellular organisms, including fungi, as well as plants, insects, rodents, and humans. This suggests that the ability to optimize behavior according to the amount of light in our environment has been incredibly important for the success of organisms \cite{ibez}... so important, that a group of scientists was recently awarded a Nobel Prize for discovering more about how this all works.

For the first time, scientific evidence supports the discussion for the first 100% Chilean breed, the Chilean Terrier. This breed is popularly known as the rat-hunting dog or Condorito´s Dog.  Despite being recognised as breed a few years ago, research conducted in December 2016 provided information about its genetic variability. This raised a problem among breeders and “dog lovers”. The Chilean Terrier is known for its hysteric personality, being both grumpy and nervous, although breeders and owners describe them as loving, easy going, and very adaptable. The Terrier, specifically the Fox Terrier, is of English origin and came to Chile during the time of the Colony when Spanish immigrants brought certain dog breeds with them. It wasn't long before these European canines started to cross with Creole dogs. This mixture became what is now scientifically recognised as the first Chilean dog, the Chilean Terrier.  Dr Paola Mujica who researches in Silvoagropecuarian and Veterinary Sciences at the University of Chile, never imagined when she started her research eight years ago that she would identify the first canine breed from Chile. “Until that moment [the Chilean terrier] was considered a mixture, and it was not recognised as a breed by the Kennel Club Chile (KCC), an organisation that keeps an official genealogical record, registering dogs of pure breed in Chile. On the other hand, I discovered that in 2007 the Chilean National terrier club formed and this body establishes how a Chilean terrier should be, defining a standard and its pedigree”. It was at that moment Paola decided to undertake this research, conducted at the Favet-Inbiogen laboratory. “Firstly we met with the president of the Kennel Club to convince them of the importance of the research. They were so motivated by our proposal that they allowed me to go to the exhibitions and registry sessions to take samples; that was the only way I could access dogs from all over the country”. After the standards which the canine population must abide by were established, the selection of certain traits began.  The trait needed to be something which threatened its variability, and would effect a long-term characteristic which these dogs could have acquired during their development, until at least 200 years ago. “The main aims of my doctoral work were to determine the impact of the recent selection on the Chilean Terrier, to preserve the variability of this new national breed, and contribute to its right to be internationally recognised”, she added. Paola managed to characterise and determine the structure and genetic variability of this breed, taking representative samples of 24 founding dogs; those for whom there was no record, or whose parents not registered. This analysis was conducted through genotyping of SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms), using a platform which can identify variants of 1.700 markers described in this species. This work was published on the University of Chile website: \citep{2011} Determination of genetic variability in the Chilean Terrier using microsatellites. “Indeed it is a different population from the Americans or Europeans, although the Chilean terrier does appear physically similar to dogs such as the Rat terrier in the US or the Jack Russel in the UK. These are dogs which could be confused with the Chilean Terrier. The information generated in this study provided important records about the recent evolutive history of this breed, contributing to the correct management of the population”, added Paola.

What is Influenza? Influenza is a seasonal upper respiratory infection that commonly causes fever, chills, a cough, and fatigue. The infection is common during the winter months with the pattern and severity of the disease among populations changing from year to year. Influenza infection can be severe or life threatening in certain populations with weakened immune systems, and it is therefore recommended to be immunized \cite{cdc}.

Imagine you could see how our cells work at the molecular level? Kind of taking a tour around the cell and see how each of the machines that compose the factory called cell are in synchrony. Sounds like science fiction but in fact, there have been several efforts to understand how these tiny little machines, called proteins, work. 

Various age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s, are associated with the same basic disorder: the loss of nerve cells capacity to fold their proteins correctly, which causes protein aggregations that form "clumps" that end up generating the cell death (Figure 1). To better understand protein folding let's visualize folded proteins as a folded paper plane when both have a correct 3D conformation they can accomplish their respective functions, catalyze a reaction, in the case of some proteins or fly in the case of the plane. Incorrect folding cause that proteins lose their normal functions and cause protein aggregations that form "clumps" that end up generating the cell death. Analogously, a paper plane incorrectly folded would not be able to fly and would form a paper ball with other defective paper planes. With this example is easier to understand the conformation or shapes that some proteins acquire (Figure 1). 

Social networks have made it easy for people to access scientific discoveries. However, social networks have also facilitated the proliferation of pseudoscience, scientific skepticism and conspiracy theories. We believe that scientists, as active users of social networks, should contribute to the digital information flow by sharing their knowledge and discoveries openly and in a way that the public can understand.As founders of Sketching Science (SkS), a popular blog that reflects the daily life of scientists in a funny and empathic way, we have found that using illustrations can be effective in scientific outreach. With hundreds of thousands of followers on different social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) SkS has grown considerably since it was first launched. Today, we are happy to take our next step and introduce a new publication, the Journal of Sketching Science (JSS).

Intimate AssociationWhere climatic conditions are harsh or disturbances  reduce common plant coverage, biological soil crusts (BSCs) are established. These BSCs are groups of photosynthetic organisms like algae, mosses and lichens,  that live within and on top of soil surfaces and co-occur with bacteria and fungi. As a skin, BSCs cover up to 12% of the Earth’s land surface from deserts to polar environments \cite{Rodriguez_Caballero_2018}. With their root- and rope-like structures, and by the excretion of sugar-containing glue-like substances, BSCs bind soil particles and stabilise surfaces against erosion. BSCs are therefore considered to be ecosystem engineers (Figure 1). 

The good, the bad and the ugly (bacteria)