MI weekly selection #439
Genetically edited pig kidney transplanted into patient
The genetically altered kidney of a pig was transplanted into a brain-dead patient exhibiting signs of kidney dysfunction at New York University Langone Health with the consent of the patient’s family. The genes of the pig were edited to remove a molecule that can trigger immediate rejection.
Amber-encased crab dates back 100M years
A tiny, well-preserved crab that dates back roughly 100 million years to the time of dinosaurs has been found encased in amber with all its features visible. “The specimen is spectacular, it is one of a kind. It’s absolutely complete and is not missing a single hair on the body, which is remarkable,” said Javier Luque, lead author of the study on the find in Science Advances.
Massive collision altered one planet’s atmosphere
A spectacular collision between two planets in a newly formed system about 95 light-years away left one of the planets with little to no atmosphere. Astronomers say the strange composition of dust surrounding star HD 172555 is evidence of a massive collision that resulted in an unusual amount of carbon monoxide and silica in the dust.
Did climate change push woolly mammoths to extinction?
Scientists say it’s more likely that climate change drove woolly mammoths to extinction than being hunted by humans. Models propose that rapid changes to climate altered vegetation and ecosystems that failed to sustain the enormous creatures.
Electron quadruplet fuels questions about state of matter
Researchers have observed a new state of matter for the first time after witnessing four electrons teaming up. The new foursome breaks the rule of time-reversal symmetry, according to study author Egor Babaev, who says his team’s “experiments open up a number of new questions, revealing a number of other unusual properties associated with its reaction to thermal gradients, magnetic fields, and ultrasound that still have to be better understood.”