Month: February 2021

Shortly before his death, Alan Turing published a provocative paper outlining his theory for how complex, irregular patterns emerge in nature—his version of how the leopard got its spots. These so-called Turing patterns have been observed in physics and chemistry, and there is growing evidence that they also occur in biological systems. Now a team of Spanish scientists has managed to tweak E. coli in the laboratory so that the colonies exhibit branching Turing patterns, according to a recent paper published in the journal Synthetic Biology.

"By using synthetic biology, we have a unique opportunity to interrogate biological structures and their generative potential," said co-author Ricard Solé of Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain, who is also an external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. "Are the observed mechanisms found in nature to create patterns the only solutions to generate them, or are there alternatives?" (Synthetic biology typically involves stitching together stretches of DNA—which can be found in other organisms, and be entirely novel—and inserting into an organism's genome.)

In synthetic biology, scientists typically stitch together long stretches of DNA and insert them into an organism's genome. These synthesized pieces of DNA could be genes that are found in other organisms or they could be entirely novel.

Enlarge / Young children go back to kindergarten following COVID-19 lockdown. (credit: Getty | TPG)

In our cushy COVID bubbles, our immune systems may be getting soft.

Physical distancing, lockdowns, masking, and spirited sanitizing all mean we are coming into contact with fewer garden-variety germs than normal. This year’s flu season was basically cancelled.

While that may seem like a welcome reprieve from seasonal ailments and pesky sniffles, experts fear that our immune systems may be losing their defensive edge in the lull. And with the usual microscopic suspects lying in wait for our return to some sense of normalcy, it could mean that nasty bursts of common colds and flu-like illnesses are in our post-COVID futures—ones that may not be avoidable even if we carry on with some of our COVID precautions.

Enlarge / "What are you looking at?" The Asian Giant Hornet, aka a "murder hornet," is not to be trifled with. (credit: Gary Alpert)

In November 2019, a beekeeper in Blaine, Washington, named Ted McFall was horrified to discover thousands of tiny mutilated bodies littering the ground: an entire colony of his honeybees had been brutally decapitated. The culprit: the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), a species native to southeast Asia and parts of the Russian far East. Somehow, these so-called "murder hornets" had found their way to the Pacific Northwest, where they posing a dire ecological threat to North American honeybee populations.

The story of the quest to track and eradicate the hornets before their numbers became overwhelming is the subject of a new documentary: Attack of the Murder Hornets, now streaming on Discovery+. Featuring genuine suspense, a colorful cast of characters crossing socioeconomic lines, and a tone that draws on classic horror and science fiction movies, it's one of the best nature documentaries you're likely to see this year.

Asian giant hornets are what's known as apex predators, sporting enormous mandibles, the better to rip the heads off their prey and remove the tasty thoraxes (which include muscles that power the bee's wings for flying and movement). A single hornet can decapitate 20 bees in one minute, and just a handful can wipe out 30,000 bees in 90 minutes. The hornet has a venomous, extremely painful sting—and its stinger is long enough to puncture traditional beekeeping suits. Conrad Berube, a beekeeper and entomologist who had the misfortune to be stung seven times while exterminating a murder hornet nest, told The New York Times, "It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh." And while Japanese honeybees, for example, have evolved defenses against the murder hornet, North American honeybees have not, as the slaughter of McFall's colony aptly demonstrated.

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

Today's Dealmaster is headlined by a good discount on Eufy's Indoor Cam 2K, which is down to $30 at Amazon when you clip the $4 on-page coupon. That's $10 off the indoor security camera's typical street price online and just $2 above the lowest price we've tracked to date. A two-pack of cameras is also on sale for $60.

We recommended the Indoor Cam 2K in our ultimate holiday gift guide last December for offering crisp 2K-resolution video that stays clearer than most 1080p cameras in this price range during the day or night, as well as multiple video recording options and a companion app that's easy to grok on both mobile devices and the Web. Its 125-degree field of view isn't the widest we've seen, and the hardware itself doesn't feel premium, but the device still supplies a number of features found in more expensive competitors. And while Eufy itself isn't a major name, we'll note that it's the smart home sister brand for Anker, a better-known manufacturer of accessories we've tested and recommended in the past.

The device lets you record video locally through a microSD card or NAS, while a cloud recording service offers 30 days of storage for a relatively reasonable $3 per month or $30 per year. There's a built-in siren, a mic and speaker to issue alerts in real time, and an 8X digital zoom for getting a closer look at images. You can integrate the device with both Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant. The app can send notifications when it detects different motions or sound, including specific alerts for crying children. It's largely accurate at deciphering what is or isn't worth pinging your phone, but you can also customize the sensitivity of the motion detection and set specific activity zones for the camera to watch out for (e.g., a couch you don't want the dog to jump on).