February 2021 Highlights in Science

Scientists do some awesome things. What new things did we learn in February 2021? That don’t have to do with COVID?

Ferrets, Ferrets: A black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann is the first native, endangered species in North America to be cloned. This technology could someday be used to resurrect extinct species, like the passenger pigeon or woolly mammoth. Not dinosaurs. Please don’t resurrect dinosaurs. It won’t end well.

Pandas Aren’t Good Umbrellas: Pandas are famous as endangered species whose habitats need protecting. Scientists have often thought that by publicizing and protecting panda habitats, they would also be helping other species within the same habitat. However, scientists have recently discovered that other species, such as Asiatic black bears and musk deer, are dying off in protected panda habitats. While this is a disappointing realization, it might encourage scientists to look at ecosystems as a whole when planning conservation efforts, so more species can be helped.

Scientists Find Old DNA: Scientists broke the record for the oldest DNA sample ever found. They were able to extract and sequence DNA from a million-year old mammoth tooth trapped in permafrost. The DNA is estimated to be between 1 and 1.65 million years old. This shattered the previous record for oldest DNA sample, held by a scientist that sequenced the genome of a 560,000-780,000-year-old horse leg bone in 2013.

If you missed my last post, the Mars rover Perseverance touched down last week.

If you see any interesting science articles in March, send them my way! Share them below or email me at robinsatty@stemsmartconsulting.com.