Dodo Resurrections | No Mo Glauco | Ain't-Arctica

Sub-zero temperature days are some of my favorites. You see, I enjoy cold coffee and despise ice cubes. Normally this is “weird”, but on frigid days, baristas call it “genius!”

What’s your seasonal genius?

-Steve

Get the coolest STEM news in 5 minutes every Saturday, Join The Convo!

Dodo II

Latest comeback tour coming to an aviary near you: Dodo. The bird joins fellow extinct animals, mammoths and thylacines, as part of Colossal's mission to create a real-life Jurassic Park.

• Dodo = flightless bird that went extinct within 100 yrs. of discovery

• Lack of fear raises concerns about its survivability

• Potential first surrogate parents: Nicobar pigeons

All Colossal's planned resurrections involve cloning, which has proven more complicated for birds than mammals. If successful, dodo 2.0 will pave the way for the company's goals of full ecosystem restoration. What came first: Dodo or the egg?

or was it the pigeon?

No Mo Glauco

A contact lens, but it monitors and treats glaucoma. Scientists created the wireless (thank goodness) lens to enhance treatment beyond current eye drops.

• Glaucoma = Increased pressure (IOP) > damages optic nerve > blindness

• Special eye-drops reduce pressure, but require manual dose changes

• This lens contains a monitoring chip & medication delivery

Testing on rabbits accurately managed dosage and reduced IOP. Similar methods may one day enable wearable treatment for other conditions. Ok...as long as they stop before x-ray vision.

Can you read this?

Ain't-Arctica

It's too warm in Antarctica. Mechanics for the arctic's only EV, "Venturi Antarctica", had to upgrade parts due to temperatures increasing more than expected during its decade of development.

• Venturi Antarctica drives scientists around without contaminating samples

• Designed for winter temps as low as -58 °F, but summers are hitting 14 °F

• They even added better ventilation because the interior was too hot (!)

The EV is more of a tank than a Tesla, extra moving parts (and weight) can lead to issues. While most of us don't drive research vehicles we, too, may need to upgrade as temperatures rise. For me, I'm shopping for Duck Boats.

"Snow way" - the mechanics, probably

Clickables

• Scientists are dying to turn the ocean pink

• Blind unicorns found in China

• Watch a jumping spider play with a lizard

• Rainbow clouds form in the Arctic

• Robot’s fall, too: Boston Dynamic’s blooper reel

st3v on site

Resurrection

If Colossal is looking for recommendations on their next resurrection, st3v has an idea...

Forward to a friend!

Did someone forward this to you? Join The Convo!

Missed last week’s Convo?

Catch-up here: 💬 Spidey Butts | Anti-Agene | Blood Clot Beats

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!