Author: Matt Kristoffersen

Friday’s Elk, July 1, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

A number of people just signed up this week for Friday’s Elk–I’m guessing after seeing a link to it in my Reddit Ask-Me-Anything session on Tuesday. Welcome!

Just so you know, I use this email to keep interested folks up to date with my writing and talks. And, taking a page from science writer Ed Yong (who puts out a superb email newsletter), I’m going to start sharing the science-related things I’m consuming–articles, podcasts, etc.–that I consider particularly link-worthy. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, July 1, 2017” →

Understanding the Genetics Revolution

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

Aspen Institute, June 25, 2017

Link

What is CRISPR and why is it important for the average American to know about it?

CRISPR is a technology for rewriting DNA. Scientists discovered a natural version of CRISPR in bacteria, which use it to attack viruses by garbling their genes. They then tinkered with the molecules until they could make changes to the DNA in just about any organism, be it a fly, a tomato, or a human. Genetic engineering is nothing new — scientists started making controlled changes to DNA in the 1970s — but until now, the technology has been crude. CRISPR, on the other hand, is quick, versatile, fairly precise, and cheap.

Continue reading “Understanding the Genetics Revolution” →

Friday’s Elk, June 9, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

It’s been a big news week–and not just when it comes to politics.

In yesterday’s New York Times, I reported on the discovery of the oldest known fossils of our species. Their discovery represents a huge jump back in time. Before now, the oldest known fossils of Homo sapiens were 195,000 years old. The new ones are over 300,000 years old. Aside from breaking records, the fossils also tell us new things about how our species evolved. A picture of one of the fossils made the front page of the paper, making for quite a contrast with news about Comey’s testimony, terrorism in Tehran, and all the rest of our species’s current concerns. You can read the online ​version of my story here.

Here are a couple other pieces I’ve written since my last email. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, June 9, 2017” →

Friday’s Elk, April 27, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

A few days ago I reached the end of my manuscript for my upcoming book about heredity, which I’ve tentatively called She Has Her Mother’s Laugh. Of course, I’m not quite done: there are still a few [Fill in really complicated stuff here] markers that I’m going to have to attend to. Nevertheless, it is a huge relief to type those three letters. In future emails, I’ll send updates on the book: the cover, the official publication date next year, talks, reviews, Instagrams of uses as doorstops and paperweights, etc.

Since the last Friday’s Elk, I’ve written a few columns for the New York Times: Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, April 27, 2017” →

Friday’s Elk, March 25, 2017

Posted on by Matt Kristoffersen

The other day I used Post-it notes to organize my ideas for the last chapter of my book about heredity. On the one hand, getting to this point feels good: Last chapter! Lots of ideas! On the other hand, you readers probably won’t be happy with a pile of Post-it notes at the end of my book. So…I’m busy.

Since the last Friday’s Elk, I’ve published a couple columns for the New York Times. Recently, a group of scientists published a review about the emerging science of making embryo-like…things. They’re not eggs fertilized by sperm. They’re reprogrammed stem cells that, when combined with each other, start to develop embryo-like features. We can learn a lot from them. But how far should we let them go? Here’s my look at the ethics of this brave new world. Continue reading “Friday’s Elk, March 25, 2017” →