Science

3 Posts

Return of the Dire Wolf

Relying on deft genetic engineering and ancient, preserved DNA, Colossal scientists deciphered the dire wolf genome, rewrote the genetic code of the common gray wolf to match it, and, using domestic dogs as surrogate mothers, brought Romulus, Remus, and their sister, 2-month-old Khaleesi, into the world during three separate births last fall and this winter—effectively for the first time de-extincting a line of beasts whose live gene pool long ago vanished.

From this interesting cover story in Time about how Colossal has de-extincted The Dire Wolf.

The NYtimes also did a piece.

(Of course, they haven't really recreated the Dire Wolf. Sill interesting.)

In somewhat unrelated news, I've been reading Magic Pill, a book about Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs. There's a little bit of trivia that I found fascinating. When the scientists were stumped because they couldn't get the GLP-1 in the drug to last more than a few hours after injection, they discovered that the Monitor Lizard's GLP-1 could sustain... but they couldn't get their hands on a Monitor Lizard as there's no legal market for them. One of the scientists managed to convince a rogue zookeeper to sell him one for $250. ("You understand I'm going to euthanize this animal, right?" "Do you have the $250 or not?") Without that illegal transaction, there might not have been any Ozempic.

People who lack the empathy to care about animals at all — I encountered many when I was a vegetarian — I've often been surprised that their selfishness does not translate to "maybe we shouldn't let them go extinct because we can use them!"


CSPI's Chemical Cuisine Database

The Center for Science in the Public's Interest (CSPI) offers up a Chemical Cuisine database rates additives — used to preserve foods or affect their taste, texture, or appearance — from ‘safe' to 'avoid.'

A direct link to the ratings is here. You can make a bookmark and save it on your phone's desktop. Come across an ingredient on a package and you want to know if it's safe? Check the database.


New Achilles Heel Exposed In Antibiotioc Resistance

Finally, some good news:

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a vulnerability in drug-resistant bacteria: zinc—or a lack thereof. Depriving bacteria of certain nutrients can cause important physiological changes, rendering them vulnerable to antibiotics, including those they once resisted. This new study revealed that zinc plays a vital role in how some of the most dangerous bacteria resist antibiotics. It opens the door to new clinical utility for old drugs, while also cementing nutrient stress as a viable path to new treatment options for drug-resistant bacteria.

Full article: New Achilles Heel Exposed In Antibiotioc Resistance.


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