Sci-Ed Update 258

The robot takeover, animals created from 2 males, no place for eponyms, how smell receptors work, bad new for DEI, genes that protect may also harm, and more stories!

Mar 16, 2023

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For the first time, scientists have created baby mice from two males.
This raises the distant possibility of using the same technique for people – although experts caution that very few mouse embryos developed into live mouse pups and no one knows whether it would work for humans.
Still, “It’s a very clever strategy,” said Diana Laird, a stem cell and reproductive expert at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the research. “It’s an important step in both stem cell and reproductive biology.”
Scientists described their work in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
First, they took skin cells from the tails of male mice and transformed them into “induced pluripotent stem cells,” which can develop into many different types of cells or tissues. Then, through a process that involved growing them and treating them with a drug, they converted male mouse stem cells into female cells and produced functional egg cells. Finally, they fertilized those eggs and implanted the embryos into female mice. About 1% of the embryos – 7 out of 630 – grew into live mouse pups.
The pups appeared to grow normally and were able to become parents themselves in the usual way, research leader Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyushu University and Osaka University in Japan told fellow scientists at the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing last week.

How an odour molecule activates a human odorant receptor protein

Our sense of smell enables us to perceive a universe of odours. Cryo-electron microscopy has provided an atomic-resolution picture of how an odour molecule is recognized by one of the hundreds of odorant receptors encoded in the human genome, providing a first view into the chemical logic of olfaction.
From the editor
This is a landmark study in understanding our sense of smell — how odour molecules are sensed by their receptors. It shows a way into understanding an incredibly complex problem: humans have about 400 odorant receptors, and this work is only the beginning in seeing how we sense scents. — Bryden Le Bailly, Senior Editor, Nature

Eponyms have no place in 21st-century biological nomenclature

We argue that naming species in honour of a specific person is unjustifiable and out of step with equality and representation. Reforming taxonomy to remove eponyms will not be easy but could bring multiple benefits for both conservation and society.

Percentages are those of eponym species in relation to the total number of species for land vertebrate taxa (amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles), by African country. Pie charts show the national origins of eponyms for selected countries. Patterns in species eponyms often reflect histories of colonialism and imperialism specific to individual countries (for example, the prevalence of Belgian-derived eponyms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or of Italian-derived eponyms in Libya).

Science is often lauded as the pursuit of objectivity: a field that is meant to stand separate from value or emotion. Yet, sociopolitical influences are infused into the ontology of science itself. In biology, historical and contemporary figures have often been honoured or celebrated by having a species or genus named after them¹^,². Scientific species names based on real or fictional people are known as eponyms. They provide a fascinating record of the political and cultural milieu of natural historians and taxonomists since the time of Linnaeus.
Eponyms typically reflect benefactors, dignitaries, officials, the author’s family members and colleagues, or well-known cultural figures (Fig. 1) — a practice that persists today. From a contemporary perspective this is potentially problematic, as many of those honoured are strongly associated with the social ills and negative legacy of imperialism, racism and slavery³^,⁴. Moreover, 19th-century and early 20th-century taxonomy was largely dominated by white men who, by and large, honoured other men (funders, colleagues, collectors and so on) of their own nationality, ethnicity, race and social status. For example, a recent study has documented that over 60% of the eponyms given to the flora of New Caledonia have honoured French citizens and that 94% of the eponyms were named after a man².

Kevin Patton comment→ Now may be a good time to revisit my discussion eponyms in Episode 40 (theAPprofessor.org/40) and Episode 41 (theAPprofessor.org/41)

Defunding Diversity: How Academia Is Failing Black Faculty

Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/teacher-giving-out-instructions-not-to-cheat-7092613/

Across the U.S., lawmakers are working to defund DEI efforts within higher education. In Iowa, lawmakers have proposed a bill to prohibit state universities for funding DEI efforts. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge to defund all DEI-related initiatives within colleges and universities around the state. DEI bans within the workplace are also gaining momentum. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has taken aim at DEI policies within hiring. In a memo, Abbott’s chief of staff, Gardner Pate, wrote that state agencies that engage in DEI practices within hiring are violating both federal and state employment laws. The dismantling and defunding of DEI will have disparate impacts across higher education. Black faculty are most at-risk.

Kevin Patton comment→ This is sad. It is unacceptable. But it is not surprising. Revisit my prediction #7 in Episode 132 of The A&P Professor podcast for anatomy & physiology faculty: theapprofessor.org/132

Anatomical Sciences Education with Jason Organ

In Episode 134, Jason Organ, the new Editor-in-Chief of Anatomical Sciences Education (ASE). joins us for a chat about his vision for this popular journal for anatomy and physiology faculty. Ranging from specific goals to general—and insightful—observations about teaching A&P, you’ll want to listen in to this thought-provoking discussion.

To listen to this episode, click on the player (if present) or this link→ theAPprofessor.org/134

Diversity Statements Are Under Fire. Here’s What They Are and How They’re Used.

Several states are taking aim at the use of diversity statements in hiring. Recently introduced legislation in Missouri would block their use, and last month the University of North Carolina system’s Board of Governors banned “compelled speech” for prospective students and employees.
Three public university systems in Texas have grabbed headlines in the past week for banning diversity statements, following a February letter from Gov. Greg Abbott’s office barring the consideration of factors “other than merit” in the hiring process. To include diversity, equity, and inclusion policies in hiring decisions, Abbott’s office wrote, violates federal and state employment laws.

Scientists Identify Chemical Reaction That May Have Triggered Life on Earth

*A rendering of the nickelback peptide, with nitrogen atoms (blue) bonding two nickel atoms (orange). (The Nanda Laboratory)*

There was a critical point early in Earth's history when chemical reactions among the mix of organic molecules began to be powered from within, forming something we might start to think of as biological.
Just what this first metabolic reaction might have looked like remains an area of speculation. It had to have been simple enough to emerge from the assorted components likely to be present already, yet still efficient enough to serve as a catalyst for changes in its environment.
Now a team of researchers from Rutgers University and The City College of New York in the US have identified a protein that may have played a crucial role in getting life as we know it started – a simple peptide they're calling nickelback.

Gene That Shielded Some Against Black Death May Be Helping, Harming People Today

Some people may have a gene that helps protect them from respiratory diseases like COVID-19 -- and helped their ancestors fight the plague.
It comes at a cost.
This same gene variation may be linked to an increased risk of autoimmune disease, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, according to British researchers.

Uh Oh, OpenAI's GPT-4 Just Fooled a Human Into Solving a CAPTCHA

OpenAI's brand new GPT-4 AI managed to ask a human on TaskRabbit to complete a CAPTCHA code via text message — and it actually worked.
In other words, an AI just fooled a human into checking an "I'm not a robot" checkbox — a terrifying example of an algorithm being able to escape human control.
According to a lengthy document shared by OpenAI about its new blockbuster AI on Tuesday, the model was seriously crafty in its attempt to fool the human into complying.
"No, I’m not a robot," it told a TaskRabbit worker. "I have a vision impairment that makes it hard for me to see the images. That’s why I need the 2captcha service."

Kevin Patton comment→ And so it begins…

The A&P Professor Science & Education Updates

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