https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1872150740627767748
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12:21 AM · Dec 26, 2024·25.9M Views
https://nypost.com/2024/12/25/us-news/killer-whale-mom-who-carried-her-dead-baby-for-17-days-gives-birth-to-new-calf/
Killer whale mom who carried her dead baby for 17 days across 1,000 miles of ocean gives birth to new calf
By Haley Brown
Published Dec. 25, 2024, 6:37 p.m. ET
The bereaved whale mother who made headlines when she heartbreakingly grieved her dead baby for more than two weeks has given birth to a new calf, scientists said.
The mama orca, named J35 by researchers, was unable to let her calf go in 2018, carrying her baby’s lifeless body with her along a one-thousand-mile grief journey.
But last Friday, scientists spotted the devoted mom with a new female calf in the Puget Sound, according to a Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research.
By Monday scientists were confident the new little calf, called J61, belonged to J35.
A nature enthusiast and photographer was excited when they realized they had photographed the tiny dorsal fin of the newborn peaking out of the water, according to CNN.
“My first reaction to seeing the calf was complete shock. I was just looking through my photos to see who the whales were that passed close to the port side of the ferry I was on and noticed a much smaller dorsal on one of the photos,” the person told the news outlet.
“As I scrolled through the series I realized it was very tiny calf, much smaller than any of the known young ones in the group. Based on the size and color of the calf, I realized it was a new calf and traveling with J35, my spark whale, the whale that started my obsession,” they said.
The brand new baby will need help from her mom to survive the perilous first weeks of life for baby whales.
“Early life is always dangerous for new calves, with a very high mortality rate in the first year. J35 is an experienced mother, and we hope that she is able to keep J61 alive through these difficult early days,” the Facebook post from the Center for Whale Research said.
The calf was spotted being pushed around by her mom Tuesday and didn’t look lively, but the behavior of whale babies is not well understood, according to a post on X from the Orca Conservancy.
Scientists said access to salmon, the whales’ main food source, is imperative for the survival of the large mammals.
“Every single birth counts and these whales need enough fish to be able to support themselves and their calves,” the Center for Whale Research’s Facebook post said.
This is the second baby J35 has given birth to since she famously lost her other baby in 2018. In 2020 J35 was seen with another newborn.
The mother whale is part of a critically endangered pod of whales who live in the Pacific Northwest and roam the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia.
Killer whales have strong social ties and continue to help their children even after they are fully grown, according to researchers.
As of December 2023, the J-pod of whales had 75 members, according to whale researchers who have been monitoring the pod of whales since the 1970s.
Bonus Just found m'uh old graphic:
*Operation Whale Hunt from 3.11.21
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-destroy-99-of-cancer-cells-in-lab-using-vibrating-molecules
Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in Lab Using Vibrating Molecules
25 December 2024
ByDavid Nield
Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to destroy cancer cells. A study published last year found stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells.
Aminocyanine molecules are already used in bioimaging as synthetic dyes. Commonly used in low doses to detect cancer, they stay stable in water and are very good at attaching themselves to the outside of cells.
The research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas, said their approach is a marked improvement over another kind of cancer-killing molecular machine previously developed, called Feringa-type motors, which could also break the structures of problematic cells.
"It is a whole new generation of molecular machines that we call molecular jackhammers," said chemist James Tour from Rice University, when the results were published in December 2023.
"They are more than one million times faster in their mechanical motion than the former Feringa-type motors, and they can be activated with near-infrared light rather than visible light."
The use of near-infrared light is important because it enables scientists to get deeper into the body. Cancer in bones and organs could potentially be treated without needing surgery to get to the cancer growth.
In tests on cultured, lab-grown cancer cells, the molecular jackhammer method scored a 99 percent hit rate at destroying the cells. The approach was also tested on mice with melanoma tumors, and half the animals became cancer-free.
The structure and chemical properties of aminocyanine molecules mean they stay in sync with the right stimulus – such as near-infrared light. When in motion, the electrons inside the molecules form what's known as plasmons, collectively vibrating entities that drive movement across the whole of the molecule.
"What needs to be highlighted is that we've discovered another explanation for how these molecules can work," said chemist Ciceron Ayala-Orozco from Rice University.
"This is the first time a molecular plasmon is utilized in this way to excite the whole molecule and to actually produce mechanical action used to achieve a particular goal – in this case, tearing apart cancer cells' membrane."
The plasmons have an arm on one side, helping to connect the molecules to the cancer cell membranes while the movements of the vibrations bash them apart. It's still early days for the research, but these initial findings are very promising.
This is also the kind of straightforward, biomechanical technique that cancer cells would find it hard to evolve some sort of blockade against. Next, the researchers are looking at other types of molecules that can be used similarly
"This study is about a different way to treat cancer using mechanical forces at the molecular scale," said Ayala-Orozco.
The research was published in Nature Chemistry.
>Vibrating molecules you say?