Brainless Jelly | Kevlar Webs | Parasitic Coolness

I’m moving this weekend and excited to decide what to keep vs. leave behind.

Guaranteed keeper - banana-patterned camp shirt.

Programming note: We launched a referral program last week! Claim your awesome sunglasses at the end of this email.

-Steve

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Brainless Jelly

Don’t tell your brain, but it may not be vital. Researchers observed Caribbean box jellyfish learning without a brain.

• Jelly = roughly the size of a fingernail

• Only ~4k neurons (humans have ~86 billion)

• Neurons clustered in 4 separate sensory structures

Jellyfish learning was measured by collision avoidance in a test tank mimicking their natural habitat. Further research will study how memory works without a brain in hopes of uncovering treatment for dementia. Yeah, but can they play Pink Floyd?

No brainer

Kevlar Webs

We’re one step closer to web-slinging mass production. Scientists engineered silkworms to spin durable spider silk stronger than bulletproof vests.

• Genes edited using CRISPR-Cas9

• Silkworm DNA + spider-silk protein (MiSp) = spider-silkworms

• New threads are 6x stronger than Kevlar

Farming silk from spiders hasn’t worked since they prefer homicide over collaboration. Genetically modified silkworms promise to enhance materials from performance fabrics to medical equipment. And possibly bring another hero to the Spiderverse.

When you thwip, I thwip, we thwip

Parasitic Coolness

For some ants, being cool is a death sentence. Those infected with lancet liver fluke parasites climb to their death as they cool down.

• Travels from snails to ants to grazing mammals

• Attaches to ant brain for movement control

• Drops in temp. trigger mind control to seek high ground

Ants atop grass are more likely to be eaten, bringing the parasite to mammalian livers for reproduction. Researchers are studying which chemicals enable such fine parasitic control. No (known) correlation w/ pumpkin flavors emerging in fall.

Next up: do cows prefer grass with ants on top?

Unnatural Selection

Last week: “What would you focus on when building your nest?”

Looks like we’re bulking up! But I’m curious, what would an offensive-minded nest look like?

st3v on site

PB & Jellyfish

Today, Caribbean box jellyfish learn about dad-jokes.

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