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Fun fact: I don’t have a spleen
Funner fact: One of today’s stories maaay change that…
—Steve
P.S. I’m experimenting with different send times to figure out what’s best for everyone. We’ll be sticking with Saturday mornings (ET) and may even do something wild, like 7:04!
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Turns out coral like long walks on near the beach, too. Time-lapse videos confirm mushroom corals’ plodding expeditions are intentional.
Inflate and deflate edges of their bodies to hop
Similar to jellyfish propulsion
Average speed = 8.7 inches per day
Mushroom corals venture out from their colonial cousins for more favorable conditions as they age. Their migration was first proposed in the 90s, but today's high-res video capabilities confirmed the biomechanics. Along with a LOT of patience.
Quick! (vote)Which underwater hitchhiker would you pick up? |
Check out last week’s results in “Unnatural Selection” below
Bespoke drug testing is here. Scientists developed a faster way to create organoids for RNA treatment tests.
Organoid = tiny tissue structures grown from patient cells
Can predict drug effectiveness for specific patients
New method saves up to ~1 year of growth time
Over 300 patients have been tested, focusing on RNA-based approaches for rare diseases. Treatments still have to undergo animal testing for safety, but further studies could reduce approval timelines. And maybe help me regrow a spleen!
Oysters have joined the battle against drug-resistant infections. Researchers found antimicrobial proteins in Sydney rock oyster’s hemolymph.
Hemolymph = mollusk and insect version of blood
Oyster proteins disrupt bacteria biofilm formation
Allowing the immune system/antibiotics to work
Testing showed improved antibiotic effectiveness by 2-32x. Fortunately, and crucially, it’s not toxic to human cells, opening the door for future oyster-based therapies. Or an excuse for a pricey appetizer.
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Clickables
🦖 If T. Rex never went extinct (xkcd)
☄️ Doorbell camera catches sneaky meteorite explosion
🌌 10 years to create this mind-blowing Andromeda pic
👻 Don’t miss this ghost island before it disappears…again
Unnatural Selection
Last week: “What are octopuses better at?”
Do we wrestle 8 arms at once? Or face a gauntlet of tentacles?
Make sure you vote up top for next week’s “Unnatural Selection”!
st3v on site
Jumping Coral
Despite 24/7 camera monitoring, st3v insisted on manually tracking mushroom coral movements. A sentence that made even less sense a week ago!
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