Strange science 😦

[Mr Greene]

On an unrelated note, Maggie Aderin–Pocock holds a doctorate. I find it a travesty that the silly chivalry title 'Dame' apparently takes precedence over 'Doctor' in Britain.

Would you expect doctor or senator to take precedence in the US?

[Fake Messiah]

Humans May Be Able to Grow New Teeth Within Just 4 Years

This development follows years of study around a particularly antibody named Uterine sensitization–associated gene-1 (USAG-1), which has been shown to inhibit the growth of teeth in ferrets and mice. Back in 2021, scientists from the Kyoto University—who will also be involved in future human trials—discovered a monoclonal antibody (a technique usually used in fighting cancer) that disrupted the interaction between USAG-1 and molecules known as bone morphogenetic protein, or BMP.

“We knew that suppressing USAG-1 benefits tooth growth. What we did not know was whether it would be enough,” Kyoto University’s Katsu Takahashi, a co-author of the study, said in a press statement at the time. “Ferrets are diphyodont animals with similar dental patterns to humans.”

Now, scientists will see just how similar, because humans are undergoing a similar trial. Lasting 11 months, this study focuses on 30 males between the ages of 30 and 64—each missing at least one tooth. The drug will be administered intravenously to prove its effectiveness and safety, and luckily, no side effects have been reported in previous animal studies.

If all goes well, Kitano Hospital will administer the treatment to patients between the ages of 2 to 7 who are missing at least four teeth, with the end goal of having a tooth-regrowing medicine available by the year 2030. While these treatments are currently focused on patients with congenital tooth deficiency, Takahashi hopes the treatment will be available for anyone who’s lost a tooth.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science...-timeline/

[Paleophyte]

[Fake Messiah]

Scientists reveal octopuses could rule the world building underwater cities

Professor Tim Coulson could easily imagine octopuses squirming on land wearing breathing gear, rifle in hand (tentacle?) to hunt deer and sheep.

As much as this sounds like a cheesy sci-fi movie, this is what the University of Oxford biologist has suggested could be in Earth’s future.

But on one condition – humanity is extinct.

In much the same way that the dinosaurs’ dying off paved the way for us, our own vanishing act could pave the way for another species.

Coulson doubts it will be primates who will inherit the Earth. ‘My money is on octopus, they’re going to be the next civilisation builders,’ Coulson says.

An octopus society could use tidal power as an energy source, farming crustaceans and looking up and dreaming of what life is like on land.

‘They could make reverse scuba gear,’ Coulson says.

‘They’d need to create robots to help them move around. You never know, they could be hunting deer.

‘I’m not quite sure how they’d cook it underwater…. maybe a thermal vent.’

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/cou...r-AA1T169D

[Paleophyte]

The moral of this story is that you shouldn't be getting your science from MSN. Cephalopods have been around for half a billion years, and octopi for most of that, but in all that time they've never once evolved anything sparkier than what we see today in tidal pools. They're limited by a tragic trick of biology that ensures their programmed death once they mate. They don't live long enough to get smart and can't pass it on to the next generation easily. I honestly wish that they could evolve sentience, they're amazing and wondrous creatures, but they're so very limited by that cruel trick of fate.

[Fireball]

The moral of this story is that you shouldn't be getting your science from MSN. Cephalopods have been around for half a billion years, and octopi for most of that, but in all that time they've never once evolved anything sparkier than what we see today in tidal pools. They're limited by a tragic trick of biology that ensures their programmed death once they mate. They don't live long enough to get smart and can't pass it on to the next generation easily. I honestly wish that they could evolve sentience, they're amazing and wondrous creatures, but they're so very limited by that cruel trick of fate.

I remember an old Ted Sturgeon(?) story where the otters ascended after H. Sap's decline. If global warming succeeds in running away, I'm still betting on H. Sap. There hasn't evolved a much more vicious creature with the mental tool kit.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

^Maybe it's time for humans to start planning our replacement. With the advances in gene technology, AI, and quantum computing, we could create our own successor species.



Boru

[Fake Messiah]

The idea of octopus evolving and taking over the world is not that new. I remember watching a speculative documentary series "The Future Is Wild" (2002) about how animals would evolve in the future if humans disappeared.

The last episode features something like squids taking over the world some 200 million years in the future.

[Paleophyte]

It isn't new, but it isn't right either. The cephalopods are at the limit of what you can do with their biology.

[Paleophyte]

The moral of this story is that you shouldn't be getting your science from MSN. Cephalopods have been around for half a billion years, and octopi for most of that, but in all that time they've never once evolved anything sparkier than what we see today in tidal pools. They're limited by a tragic trick of biology that ensures their programmed death once they mate. They don't live long enough to get smart and can't pass it on to the next generation easily. I honestly wish that they could evolve sentience, they're amazing and wondrous creatures, but they're so very limited by that cruel trick of fate.

I remember an old Ted Sturgeon(?) story where the otters ascended after H. Sap's decline. If global warming succeeds in running away, I'm still betting on H. Sap. There hasn't evolved a much more vicious creature with the mental tool kit.

One of the interesting things that we're seeing is other creatures becoming smarter in response to us. Raccoons were pretty bright to begin with, but when they moved from the woods to the urban jungle they started getting even sparkier. The same is true for just about every animal that we interact with so long as we don't deliberately breed them to be dumber and less threatening. We are becoming a selection pressure for animals that are smart enough to survive us.