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” →

Fire May Be the Only Remedy for a Plague Killing Deer and Elk

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The New York Times, June 26, 2017

Link

Mark D. Zabel wants to set some fires.

Dr. Zabel and his colleagues are developing plans to burn plots of National Park Service land in Arkansas and Colorado. If the experiments turn out as the researchers hope, they will spare some elk and deer a gruesome death.

Across a growing swath of North America, these animals are dying from a mysterious disorder called chronic wasting disease. It’s caused not by a virus or bacterium, but a deformed protein called a prion.

Continue reading “Fire May Be the Only Remedy for a Plague Killing Deer and Elk” →

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” →

Scientists Discover a Key to a Longer Life in Male DNA

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The New York Times, June 16, 2017

Link

A common genetic mutation is linked to an increase in life span of about 10 years among men, researchers reported on Friday.

The mutation, described in the journal Science Advances, did not seem to have any effect on women. Still, it joins a short list of gene variants shown to influence human longevity.

By studying these genes, scientists may be able to design drugs to mimic their effects and slow aging. But the search for them has been slow and hard.

Continue reading “Scientists Discover a Key to a Longer Life in Male DNA” →

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” →