Biology subjects

Palacios, O.

Publications and source records attributed to Palacios, O..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A supervised digital game intervention supports language and communication in young children.

The role of digital media in early childhood development remains highly debated, particularly regarding its impact on language acquisition. While excessive or unsupervised screen exposure has been linked to poorer outcomes, less is known about whether structured and interactive uses of technology can support learning. Building on previous research, we evaluated a brief, educator-supervised tablet-based intervention in 246 children aged 2-5 years from low- to middle-socioeconomic backgrounds attending public early education centers. Using a pre-post design with matched study and control groups, children completed 4-8 short training sessions (15 minutes each) involving interactive word-image associations spanning multiple linguistic categories. Preschoolers additionally engaged in prompted vocalization. Across age groups (2-3, 3-4, and 4-5 years), children in the intervention showed greater gains in language comprehension than controls, including receptive language in toddlers ({beta} = 0.49, p = 0.009), vocabulary and morphology in younger preschoolers ({beta} = 0.59-0.68, all p < 0.05), and grammar comprehension in older preschoolers ({beta} = 0.30, p = 0.038). These effects were consistent after accounting for child and parental characteristics. Together, these findings suggest that the developmental impact of digital media depends less on exposure itself than on how it is used. When embedded in structured, socially guided interactions, even brief tablet-based activities may support early language development

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2025

THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF METALLOTHIONEINS IN HORSESHOE CRABS, SCORPIONS, SPIDERS AND OTHER CHELICERATE SPECIES.

Metallothioneins (MTs) are a heterogenous family of proteins involved in metal homeostasis and detoxification, playing a crucial role in the adaptation of organisms to varying conditions of metal bioavailability across ecosystems. Despite their significance, MT characterization across animal groups remains uneven. While MTs have been extensively studied in vertebrates and gastropods, their presence and function in many arthropods, particularly within the Chelicerata subphylum, remain largely unexplored. Chelicerates, comprising thousands of species of spiders, scorpions and ticks, are a highly diverse group of animals inhabiting a wide range of environments. Identifying and characterizing their MTs is therefore essential for understanding how they manage metal availability of diverse habitats. In this study, we have identified over 400 chelicerate MTs, classifying them into three distinct types -types 1, 2, and 3- each exhibiting significant structural and phylogenetic differences. Our findings have revealed that most chelicerate MTs are bidomain proteins, with notable exceptions of monodomain forms and larger variants. Evolutionary analysis suggests that type 1 MTs represent the ancestral form, while types 2 and 3 likely emerged during the evolution of spiders. These results pave the way of a deeper understanding of the metal homeostasis and detoxification in chelicerates, laying the groundwork for future studies on the origin, evolution and functional diversification of MTs in arthropods and other metazoan lineages.

evolutionary biology↗