AmaPuyt

02/09/2021

Black-legged ferret Elizabeth Ann, a clone of an animal that died more than 30 years ago, was born two months ago. This is the first successful clone of an endangered species in the United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the birth of Elizabeth Ann on December 10, 2020, was a "bold step forward" in efforts to increase genetic diversity and resistance to diseases of black-footed ferrets that were once considered extinct. This species has been listed as endangered since 1967 and is the only indigenous species in North America. The lack of genetic diversity could make the species more susceptible to disease and genetic abnormalities, which could reduce the chances of successful reproduction, the researchers explained.Willa is the ferret from which Elizabeth Ann was cloned, one of the last wild animals to be found and caught in 1981. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, Willa has no living offspring, but in 1988 her genes and tissue samples were stored at the Zoo Global cryobank in San Diego.

Genetic cloning is a new tool that can help preserve endangered and endangered species.

It will be recalled that Przewalski's horse, which died 40 years ago, was cloned in the United States last September. The born foal was named Kurt.

31/08/2021

A Spanish researcher analyzed data on ultraviolet radiation on Mars and concluded that it can provide shelter in the caves of the planet. He proposes to send astronauts there as in favorable conditions for life, as well as to look for Martian microorganisms there, because the radiation there is enough for the life of at least terrestrial phototrophs. The results of modeling radiation transfer on Mars have been published in the journal Icarus. The gas shell of Mars is much less pleasant than Earth's, even if we do not take into account that it consists almost entirely of carbon dioxide. First, it is much thinner - more than two hundred times the Earth's atmosphere. Secondly, due to the weakness of the magnetic field, it continues to lose its mass under the action of the solar wind. All this causes extremely weak protection from ionizing and ultraviolet radiation and allows it to reach the surface of Mars, which already worsens the living conditions on it. Thus, microorganisms on Earth, on the contrary, are helped by solar radiation and phototrophs actively use them for photosynthesis. However, its levels on Mars are much higher and do not have energy, but a destructive effect. Therefore, astronomers have long paid attention to the bowels of the planet, where, firstly, there may be much more susceptible conditions to the dried surface, and secondly, protection from radiation.

31/08/2021

31/08/2021

31/08/2021