Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in Songliao Basin:progress in Earth Science researcha

The Songke No.2 well (eastern hole)(referred to as Well SK-2),one of the "two wells and four holes"of the Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in the Songliao Basin,is in Anda City, Heilongjiang Province,and was officially completed on May 26,2018.Tlie scientific goals of Well SK-2 cover four aspects:paleoclimate research,resource and energy exploration,primary geological research, and development of deep earth exploration techniques.Since the official commencement of drilling in 2014,the Well SK-2 scientific drilling engineering team has organized and implemented drilling for coring,in situ logging,chemical analysis of core elements,and deep structural exploration around the well.Currently,the following preliminary scientific research progress has been made:4334.81 m in situ core data has been obtained;the centimeter-level high-resolution characterization of the most complete and continuous Cretaceous continental strata ever unearthed has been completed,and the standard profile of continental strata has been initially established;the unconventional natural gas resources and basin-type hot dry rocks in the deep Songliao Basin were found to have good prospects for exploration and development;the climatic evolutionary history of the Cretaceous continental strata was rebuilt for the first time,covering hundreds of thousands to millions of years,and the major events of Cretaceous climate fluctuations have been discovered;all these reveal strong evidence for the subduction and aggregation of paleo-ocean plates,providing a theoretical basis for the re-recognition of the genesis of the Songliao Basin and for deep earth oil and gas exploration.The implementation of the Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Engineering Project in the Songliao Basin is of great significance for exploring the mysteries of the Earth and solving major problems such as those related to the deep energy environment.It is a solid step along the road of "going deep into the Earth".

The Anterior Insula and its Projection to the Prelimbic Cortex are Involved in the Regulation of 5-HT-Induced Itch

Itch is an unpleasant sensation that urges people and animals to scratch.Neuroimaging studies on itch have yielded extensive correlations with diverse cortical and subcortical regions,including the insular lobe.However,the role and functional specificity of the insular cortex(IC)and its subdivisions in itch mediation remains unclear.Here,we demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and fiber photometry tests,that neurons in both the anterior insular cortex(AIC)and the posterior insular cortex(PIC)are activated during acute itch processes.Pharmacogenetic experiments revealed that nonselective inhibition of global AIC neurons,or selective inhibition of the activity of glutaminergic neurons in the AIC,reduced the scratching behaviors induced by intradermal injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT),but not those induced by compound 48/80.However,both nonselective inhibition of global PIC neurons and selective inhibition of glutaminergic neurons in the PIC failed to affect the itching-scratching behaviors induced by either 5-HT or compound 48/80.In addition,pharmacogenetic inhibition of AIC glutaminergic neurons effectively blocked itch-associated conditioned place aversion behavior,and inhibition of AIC glutaminergic neurons projecting to the prelimbic cortex significantly suppressed 5-HT-evoked scratching.These findings provide preliminary evidence that the AIC is involved,at least partially via aversive emotion mediation,in the regulation of 5-HT-,but not compound 48/80-induced itch.