I held off on the April edition of Friday’s Elk for a couple late-breaking pieces I’ve been working on. Here they are, plus some interesting reading from other writers if you’re looking for something to feed your mind. And be sure to check out the new entries in my speaking schedule at the end of this email. (Even more talks to come!)
An Astronaut, Down to His Molecules
Today, I had a full-page story about an exceptional piece of science: the NASA Twins Study. During Scott Kelly’s 340 days aboard the International Space Station, scientists monitored practically every aspect of his existence, from the expression of his genes to his microbiome to his performance on cognition tests. It’s a vast, data-rich profile of a person, made all the more compelling by the fact that scientists compared his results to tests on his twin brother Mark. Some researchers looked at the results and saw a dire warning about any dreams of going to Mars. But how much can we ever know about human biology from a single person? Would ten astronauts studied so carefully give some clearer answers?
Meet Homo luzonensis
This week researchers announced the discovery of a new species of our genus in a cave in the Philippines. About 50,000 years ago, a tiny human-like species lived on the island of Luzon. It’s the second case of island “Hobbits”–are there more for scientists to dig up?
The Lost History of the Biosphere
In Arizona, there’s a remarkable sealed building called Biosphere 2. What’s even more remarkable is that eight people lived inside of it for two years in the early 1990s, trying to grow their own food and drink recirculated water. I’ve been fascinated by Biosphere 2 ever since it was first built. In the Sunday Review, I took a look at its turbulent history, which included dead hummingbirds, triumphant cockroaches, and a cameo by Steve Bannon.
Klotho: The Ethics of Enhancement
For years, scientists have been puzzling over a protein made in our brains known as Klotho (named for one of the Greek fates who measures the thread of life). It appears to shield the brain from some of the devastation Alzheimer’s, and it seems to enhance learning and memory in healthy brains. Now there are two companies trying to create Klotho-based treatments, and bioethicists are grappling with the prospect of a double-edged drug. Here’s my feature in the Times.
As If the Frog Plague Could Be Any Worse
For years, one of the biggest, scariest stories on the conservation biology beat has been the relentless spread of a frog-killing fungus around the world. Now, it turns out that this catastrophe is actually far worse than scientists previously estimated. I take a look at the first global survey of the damage done.
The Deep History of a Place
The ancient DNA revolution is enriching our understanding of history. The latest demonstration of this is a pair of new studies on genetic material extracted from skeletons found in Spain and Portugal, dating back as far as 11,000 years. They show how Iberia has been a crossroads since the Ice Ages, a place where people from different regions–even different continents–come together and mix their genes. This figure, taking from the original paper, does an excellent job of communicating the complexity of one place’s history.
Why Would an Animal Trade One Body for Another?
Metamorphosis is a marvel that any child can appreciate by watching a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis or a tadpole turn into a frog. But why should they have all the fun? I wrote about the scientific paradox posed by the evolution of metamorphosis, and about the ideas scientists are exploring to understand how it came to be so common in the animal kingdom.
On my recent trip to Australia, I talked with Radio National about She Has Her Mother’s Laugh.
And on DNA Today I talked about how you can be more closely related to some of your full siblings than others (genetically speaking)..
‘As Native Americans, We Are in a Constant State of Mourning’ By Chip Colwell, New York Times
The absurdly high cost of insulin, explained. Julia Belluz, Vox.
Domestic cats (Felis catus) discriminate their names from other words Saito et al, Scientific Reports
Last time CO2 levels were this high, there were trees at the South Pole. Damian Carrington, The Guardian
The remarkable impact of bivalent HPV vaccine in Scotland. Julia Brotherton, BMJ
There was actually a study to determine if red wolves are wolves. The answer could have doomed them. Darryl Fears, Washington Post.
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong.Fred Schulte and Erika Fry, Kaiser Health News
DeepMind and Google: the battle to control artificial intelligence. Hal Hodson, 1843 Magazine
Goop Is Making a Killing Off Women Who Want More Than a Doctor’s Advice. Riley Griffin, Bloomberg
The Fertility Doctor’s Secret, by Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic
Antibiotics set to flood Florida’s troubled orange orchards. Maryn McKenna, Nature
After Two Decades, a Fishy Genetic Mystery Has Been Solved. Ed Yong, The Atlantic
Climate change making storms like Idai more severe, say experts. Matthew Taylor, The Guardian.
An Elusive Whale Is Found All Around the World, by Karen Weintraub, The New York Times
In blow to climate, coal plants emitted more than ever in 2018. By Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis, Washington Post
EPA Science Panel Considering Guidelines That Upend Basic Air Pollution Science. Rebecca Hersher, NPR
YouTube Executives Ignored Warnings, Letting Toxic Videos Run Rampant. By Mark Bergen, Bloomberg
NEW–> May 2, 2019 Genspace, New York. DNA Day talk. Details to come
NEW–> May 16, 2019 Ames, Iowa. Genome Writer’s Guild
May 25-26, 2019 Copenhagen: Bloom Festival
NEW–> June 23, 2019 Providence, RI. Society for the Study of Evolution. Vice Presidential Symposium: Politics, the Public, and Science: Navigating the New Reality”
NEW–> July 2, 2019 Lausanne, Switzerland. World Conference of Science Journalists
NEW–> July 13, 2019 New York. Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism Keynote Address
NEW–> August 31, 2019 Decatur, GA. Decatur Book Festival.
NEW–> November 21, 2019 Paris. TimeWorld 2019
My newest book is She Has Her Mother’s Laugh. If you’ve read it and liked it, please rate/review it on your favorite book site, such as Goodreads or Amazon. Thanks!
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Best wishes, Carl
Originally published April 12, 2019. Copyright 2019 Carl Zimmer.