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cloned sheep, cattle-driving maps & the disease of gigantism

November 3, 2016 By meerasub Leave a Comment

2016-10-01iph-402

I had grand hopes of frequently blogging while on the Knight Science Journalism fellowship. Alas… With a nod to Harper’s Findings, I was able to manage this instead:

Telomeres, the mysterious ends of chromosomes whose lengths can reveal age, seemed to know that Dolly the cloned sheep, was older than she was. Massachusetts’ city kids thrive in charter schools more than suburban kids. Second Chance, the cloned replica of the beloved gentle Brahman bull Chance, was just like his original, except for that he had a tendency to maul his owners. If you wanted to drive your cattle from Texas to Fort Yuma, California, you would consult the map my great-great grandfather drafted in 1870. Jardin de Lorixa, a comprehensive 14-volume herbal detailing the plants of Bengal in the 18th Century, sat unstudied for over two centuries. After embracing Western models of big development, Jawaharlal Nehru had a belated change of heart, wondering if India was suffering from a “disease of gigantism.” Of the planet’s coastal poor, 27% are Indian.  When a Boston clock maker wanted to make a model of the solar system in 1776, the Grand Orrery, he called on Paul Revere to cast the bronze elements. (But the orrery in this photo was prettier.) #KnightKnowHow @KSJatMIT @SophiaRoosth @JPAL_Global #clone #botany #India @sunilamrith #JamesDelbourgo

Filed Under: Knight Science Journalism, peregrinations Tagged With: #KnightKnowHow, biotechnology, botany, Cambridge, development, family, genetic engineering, india, Knight Science Journalism, maps, Texas

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