Birds Beats | Martian Breath | Human Pigney

I’ve been working on something special for you. For now, I can only refer you to next week’s issue 😎 …but still read this one!

Trust me, you don’t want to miss out.

-Steve

Get the weekly email that explains science in sweatpants. Stay smart for free.

Birdy Beats

Don’t be surprised if you see a bird at your next rock concert. Cockatoos make their own sticks and play a mean drum solo.

• Males drop a beat to impress females

• Custom instruments are built during the performance

• Sometimes paired w/seed pods (maracas)

Individual cockatoos have their own style in both rhythm and tool type. A rare example of nonhuman animals using creativity and tools to attract a mate. Plus they have mohawks🤘

do NOT eat the drumsticks

Martian Breath

A brave little toaster-sized device created breathable air on Mars. Perseverance’s MOXIE recently completed its oxygen experiment.

• MOXIE = Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment

• Air was compressed, electrolyzed, and recombined into oxygen

• Maxed out at 12g of oxygen per hour

In other words, MOXIE could support a small dog’s breathing. Satisfied with the results, NASA is working on ways to store oxygen on the red planet. Still no word on how Martian air tastes…

Next up: 2 doggos so they don't get lonely

Human Pigney

Human-pig chimeras are among us. Scientists grew humanized kidneys from genetically altered embryos.

• Single cell pig embryos edited with CRISPR/Cas9

• Transferred to 13 surrogate sows

• 5 early extracted kidneys were 50-60% human

This proof of concept is still a long way from matching 100% of 70 unique kidney cell types. While ethically challenging, the study aims to support those on organ transplant wait lists (100k+ in the US alone). Can we just do lab-grown kidneys?

Oink oink

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “What type of backpack do you prefer?”

Though I’m a big fan of shoulder straps, I do see the appeal of a bag you can ride down hills.

st3v on site

DJ Birb

DJ Birb bringing the beats on the ones and cockatoos. st3v got a sneak beak of the new album dropping soon.

Forward to a friend!

Get the weekly email that explains science in sweatpants. Stay smart for free.

Missed last week’s science in sweatpants?

Catch-up here: 🔬Beetle Backpack | Nature Detective | Zombie Coral

I'd love to hear from you!

Reply to this email or reach out on Twitter @_steveburgess. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!