March 21, 2023

taco cat BLOOP a car, a man, a maraca BLOOP aibohphobia BLOOP

March 21, 2023/ Nakisa

CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats.” They’re segments of DNA containing short repetitions of base sequences that are palindromic, and each repetition is followed by short segments of spacer DNA (BLOOP).

When bacteria weren’t busy dying of viruses, they incorporated the DNA from viruses into their own genome, a technique otherwise known as acquired immunity (kinda like how vaccines work on us except… with DNA instead of antibodies). They can even scavenge DNA from their environment, so that’d be like, if you had a dog you’d scavenge their DNA and incorporate it into yours i.e. growing a tail or having super hearing and severe but enthusiastic ADHA. The CRISPR system was a method of prokaryotic immune systems that gathers genetic elements and provides a form of acquired immunity. CRISPR spacers recognize and cut these exogenous genetic elements in a manner like RNA interference and are found in approximately 90% of sequenced single-celled microorganisms and 40% of sequenced bacteria.

So all these bacteria and single-celled idiots can cut into a cell’s genome at any desired location and allow existing genes to be removed and/or add new ones.

There’s only one logical step next in using the CRISPR/Cas9 system for genome editing…

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been used to create monkeys with targeted mutations to prevent HIV infection in human cells (although one study showed that the HIV virus developed mutations at the sights Cas9 targeted, rendering the method ineffective at eliminating the virus completely). There was one study where CRISPR was used to cut 5 to 62 genes at once in a pig. They successfully eliminated the Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus infection from the pig to human cells in culture. And the best part? The CRISPR/Cas9 system is cheap costing roughly $75 per snip.

March 10, 2020

All aboard the Nope Rocket to Planet F-that

March 10, 2020/ Nakisa

The tarantula hawk is a spider wasp which hunts tarantulas, and if you don’t know what a spider wasp is just know the species are affectionately called “horse killers” in Brazil. The Tarantula hawk can grow up to 5cm in length and have bluish, redish bodies. Their sting is considered the second most painful sting in the world only surpassed by the bullet ant.

The female fuck-that hawk stings and paralyzes the tarantula, then drags it to hell where a single egg is laid on the spider’s abdomen. The spider hawk then seals the entrance to the underworld leaving the tarantula living, still paralyzed, waiting for its slow tortuous death. When the wasp larva hatches it creates a small hole in the spider’s abdomen, enters it and feeds like a starved, vicious hell hound, being very careful not to consume the spider’s organs so as to keep the spider alive for as long as possible. After several weeks, WEEKS where the wasp is slowly eating at the still living spider, the larva pupates and becomes an adult. When the wasp becomes an adult it emerges from the fiery depths of all things horrifying to live out the rest of its life among those that have souls. We, as humans, might not have to worry about these insects from our nightmares: they’re nectarivorous and sometimes when they eat fermented fruit they become so drunk flight becomes hilariously difficult.

Researchers say tarantula hawks are relatively docile (yeah f-ing right) and rarely sting without provocation. If they do sting though, it’s about 3 minutes of “… immediate, excruciating pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except, perhaps, scream.”

Spongebob has it right: