Dr. Jennifer Doudna first made her name uncovering the basic structure and function of the first ribozyme, a type of catalytic ribonucleic acid (RNA) that helps catalyse chemical reactions. This work helped lay the foundation for her later helping to pioneer CRISPR-Cas 9, a tool that has provided the means to edit genes on an unprecedented scale and at minimal cost. In addition to her scientific contributions to CRISPR, Doudna is known for spearheading the public debate to consider the ethical implications of using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit human embryos.
Daily Archives: April 22, 2021
Morning News Podcast: India’s Covid-19 Surge, Chad President’s Death
Mass gatherings and in-person voting continue, even as new case numbers smash records and fatalities spiral in public view. We ask how a seeming pandemic success has turned so suddenly tragic.
Chad’s president of three decades has been killed; that has implications for regional violence far beyond the country’s borders. And a deep dive on the international sea-cucumber trade.
Views: ‘Water Castles In Raesfeld, Germany’ (Video)
Raesfeld is a municipality in the district of Borken in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km south of Borken and 30 km east of the Dutch border.
A water castle is a castle whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle studies, mainly German Burgenkunde, but is sometimes used in English-language popular science books and websites, and is mentioned in other more academic works. When stately homes were built in such a location, or a Wasserburg was later rebuilt as a residential manor, the German term becomes Wasserschloss, lit. “water palace/manor”.
Classics: ‘1967 Volkswagen 21-Window MicroBus’
One of the most notable variants of the T1 Type 2 is the Samba. Samba is the name given the 21 and 23 window versions of the Type 2. The 23 window Samba was built until 1963 and the 21 window Samba was built from 1964 until 1967. These variants were considered to be the top of the line versions of the T1 Type 2 and were fitted with a cloth sunroof. It is very common to find Type 2s that have been converted to 21 or 23 window variants, yet only cars built until 1967 are considered to be original.