Meowdicine | Butterfly Buzz | Flower Smog

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• Synthesizing research papers into nutrition plans

• Formatting unstructured data

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Meowdicine

Cat parasites could be the key to crossing our blood-brain barrier (BBB). Toxoplasma gondii naturally nestles in brains en route to…cat poop.

• T. gondii = brain parasite that only reproduces in cats

• Influences hosts, including humans, through neuronal proteins

• Engineered versions can deliver targeted drugs

Leveraging T. gondii to cross our BBB is a major step towards treating neurological conditions. Further research will optimize drug delivery and broaden treatment application. Purrrfect!

Meow that’s science

Butterfly Buzz

If you’ve ever shocked yourself on a doorknob, congrats, you’re a butterfly! Or at least you’ve experienced the static electricity they use to pollinate flowers.

• Butterfly and moth wings produce static electricity

• The static attracts pollen without landing

• Creating mini-pollination clouds to be blown around

Static electricity usage varied across the 11 species studied and correlated with ecological factors such as habitat and day vs. night fliers. Learning more about our fluttery friends could improve farming methods and agricultural yields. Maybe we should grow plants on rugs?

ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ઇଓ

Flower Smog

Air pollution is changing insects’ flower maps. Researchers studied polluted air’s impact on insect visits to mustard plants and flowers.

• Mustard plants: 70% fewer visits

• Flowers: 90% fewer visits

• Polluted air alters flower scents and metabolic processes

Pollinators struggle to remember new scents and get lost in changing olfactory landscapes. Better understanding how air pollution affects 1 of every 3 bites of food we eat will help us go green. I knew my allergies felt dirtier.

Breath of fresh air?

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Unnatural Selection

Last week: “Which is your favorite sea mammal?”

PR suggestion: Rebrand as “dolfuns” for whaley great polling results.

st3v on site

Olfactory Map

The bees already loved st3v’s coffee, but now they get to rediscover their favorite flowers! (Routes drawn in pencil for easy updating and reuse)

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