Brain Rules | Honey Hunters | Re-insulinated

Welcome to 2024! To celebrate, here’s a list of my top 2,024 scientific names for things:

Kidding, though the animal featured in story #2, aka Indicator indicator, would certainly make the list!

-Steve

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

Brain Rules

Our brains are more organized than they feel. Researchers discovered a mathematical rule that explains and predicts neuron distribution in mammalian minds.

• Outer neurons follow lognormal distribution

• Aka statistical distribution of logarithmic values from a related normal distribution

• Observed in humans, mice, macaques, and other mammals

This understanding could teach us how information is stored and retrieved. Which may lead to improved treatment for brain-related conditions and injuries. If only our brain came with a graphing calculator.

Mental Math

Honey Hunters

When it comes to finding honey, humans and birds are like two bees in a pod. African Greater Honeyguide birds respond to calls from their human honey-hunting companions.

• Companions: Hadza (Tanzania) and Yao (Mozambique) tribes

• Hadza people call guides with bird-like whistling 

• While Yao calls are more recognizably human

Honeyguides accustomed to working with one tribe won’t respond to the same calls that normally work for the other. Suggesting that this cooperation is culturally based versus an evolutionary trait. Winnie the Pooh has entered the chat.

“Rumbly in my tumbly” bird call

Re-insulinated

We may soon have a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D). Researchers developed a way for damaged cells to generate insulin using FDA-approved cancer drugs.

• T1D causes the immune system to destroy pancreatic beta-cells that create insulin

• GSK126 and tazemetostat inhibitors target EZH2

• EZH2 = critical enzyme for gene expression regulation and stem cell differentiation

Treatment reprogrammed pancreatic cells to begin producing insulin within 48 hours. Further research will investigate a preclinical model and could one day free people with T1D from multiple daily insulin injections.

More details in Nature (journal)

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Which grown-computer would you rather have?”

The OG home-grown battery can’t compete with mushroom’s PR manager. I hear they’re a pretty fungi.

st3v on site

Supply Chain

In-between serving customers, st3v occasionally plays tour guide for visiting honey enthusiasts.

New to the casualSTEM?

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

Missed last week’s science in sweatpants?

Catch-up here: 🔬Mushroom OS | Beetle Butts | Tumor Eraser

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!