[[{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/230994","site":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":230994,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/230994","url":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/ultrasounds-show-what-zika-is-doing-to-brains-in-womb","path_alias":"ultrasounds-show-what-zika-is-doing-to-brains-in-womb","label":"Ultrasounds Show What Zika Is Doing To Brains In The Womb","content":" CDC Microcephaly Microcephaly is typically rare neurological condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head. Doctors are getting a better look at the workings of zika and microcephaly as it ravages infected fetuses and infants thanks to brain scans and ultrasounds. A New York Times story showed that better imaging and deeper monitoring of affected babies and mothers is painting a better picture of exactly how the disease impedes brain development. Until now many of the understandings of the disease's functions were very general. Of course better understanding of the disease may lead to better treatment and even vaccines and cures. But not all the news is good news: The images, published Tuesday in the journal Radiology, also suggest a grim possibility: Because some of the damage was seen in brain areas that continue to develop after birth, it may be that babies born without obvious impairment will experience problems as they grow. New York Times [H\/T The New York Times] ","teaser":" CDC Microcephaly Microcephaly is typically rare neurological condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head. Doctors are getting a better look at the workings of zika and microcephaly as it ravages infected fetuses and infants thanks to brain scans and ultrasounds. A New York Times","ss_name":"gcwhittaker","tos_name":"gcwhittaker","ss_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","tos_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","is_uid":1333,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2016-08-24T18:19:00Z","ds_changed":"2016-08-24T18:20:06Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2016-08-24T18:20:06Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
Doctors are getting a better look at the workings of zika and microcephaly as it ravages infected fetuses and infants thanks to brain scans and ultrasounds.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Health<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2016-08-24T18:20:07.514Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_gallery_items":["0"],"sm_field_image":["http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/small_4x3\/public\/microcephalu.jpg?itok=rAGFsreS&fc=50,50"],"sm_field_gallery_display":["gallery_none"],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"sm_field_customhtml_display":["customhtml_none"],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"tid":[212430,62,219690,219691,219693,201993,222489,221463,215671],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["health"],"tm_vid_2_names":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Health Science zika zika virus microcephaly brain scans ultrasounds microposts"],"spell":["Ultrasounds Show What Zika Is Doing To Brains In The Womb"," CDC Microcephaly Microcephaly is typically rare neurological condition in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head. Doctors are getting a better look at the workings of zika and microcephaly as it ravages infected fetuses and infants thanks to brain scans and ultrasounds. A New York Times story showed that better imaging and deeper monitoring of affected babies and mothers is painting a better picture of exactly how the disease impedes brain development. Until now many of the understandings of the disease's functions were very general. Of course better understanding of the disease may lead to better treatment and even vaccines and cures. But not all the news is good news: The images, published Tuesday in the journal Radiology, also suggest a grim possibility: Because some of the damage was seen in brain areas that continue to develop after birth, it may be that babies born without obvious impairment will experience problems as they grow. New York Times [H\/T The New York Times] ","Health Science zika zika virus microcephaly brain scans ultrasounds microposts","G. Clay Whittaker","
Doctors are getting a better look at the workings of zika and microcephaly as it ravages infected fetuses and infants thanks to brain scans and ultrasounds.<\/div>","
Health<\/a><\/div>"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[215671],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["Zika-afflicted babies could experience more problems as they grow\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[212430,62,219690,219691,219693,201993,222489,221463],"im_vid_2":[215671],"sm_vid_Authors":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"im_vid_1":[212430,62,219690,219691,219693,201993,222489,221463],"sm_field_video_display":["video_none"],"sm_vid_Tags":["Health","Science","zika","zika virus","microcephaly","brain scans","ultrasounds","microposts"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/230990","site":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":230990,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/230990","url":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/joseph-gordon-levitt-made-short-film-with-edward-snowden","path_alias":"joseph-gordon-levitt-made-short-film-with-edward-snowden","label":"Why Joseph Gordon-Levitt Made A Short Film With Edward Snowden","content":" Snowden\/YouTube\/Open Road Films Snowden movie trailer screenshot Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the most famous whistleblower in modern history. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden collaborated on a short video project about issues of technology and democracy. Gordon-Levitt directed the three-minute piece, appropriately titled, Are You There Democracy? It's Me, The Internet. And in keeping with Snowden's personality, it was released for free on the internet. Take a look: Wonder how many more of these collaborations we can expect. Gordon-Levitt already played Snowden in a film. Maybe they're working together on a modern sequel to Brick? That'd be cool. One thing's for sure: if they were, there'd be zero chance of plot detail leaks. I'll see myself out. [H\/T Vulture] ","teaser":" Snowden\/YouTube\/Open Road Films Snowden movie trailer screenshot Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the most famous whistleblower in modern history. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden collaborated on a short video project about issues of","ss_name":"gcwhittaker","tos_name":"gcwhittaker","ss_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","tos_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","is_uid":1333,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2016-08-24T18:00:08Z","ds_changed":"2016-08-24T18:12:56Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2016-08-24T18:12:56Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden collaborated on a short video project about issues of technology and democracy. Gordon-Levitt…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Entertainment<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2016-08-24T18:12:58.16Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_gallery_items":["0"],"sm_field_image":["http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/small_4x3\/public\/images\/2016\/04\/snowden-movie-trailer-ss.jpg?itok=jsEXV17j&fc=50,50"],"sm_field_gallery_display":["gallery_none"],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"sm_field_customhtml_display":["customhtml_none"],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"tid":[203964,210174,217660,223312,221463,215671],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["entertainment"],"tm_vid_2_names":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Entertainment snowden Movie joseph gordon-levitt microposts"],"spell":["Why Joseph Gordon-Levitt Made A Short Film With Edward Snowden"," Snowden\/YouTube\/Open Road Films Snowden movie trailer screenshot Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the most famous whistleblower in modern history. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden collaborated on a short video project about issues of technology and democracy. Gordon-Levitt directed the three-minute piece, appropriately titled, Are You There Democracy? It's Me, The Internet. And in keeping with Snowden's personality, it was released for free on the internet. Take a look: Wonder how many more of these collaborations we can expect. Gordon-Levitt already played Snowden in a film. Maybe they're working together on a modern sequel to Brick? That'd be cool. One thing's for sure: if they were, there'd be zero chance of plot detail leaks. I'll see myself out. [H\/T Vulture] ","Entertainment snowden Movie joseph gordon-levitt microposts","G. Clay Whittaker","
Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and infamous whistleblower Edward Snowden collaborated on a short video project about issues of technology and democracy. Gordon-Levitt…<\/div>","
Entertainment<\/a><\/div>"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[215671],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["To take on technology and democracy\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[203964,210174,217660,223312,221463],"im_vid_2":[215671],"sm_vid_Authors":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"im_vid_1":[203964,210174,217660,223312,221463],"sm_field_video_display":["video_none"],"sm_vid_Tags":["Entertainment","snowden","Movie","joseph gordon-levitt","microposts"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/230989","site":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":230989,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/230989","url":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/china-rover-illustration-for-2020-mission","path_alias":"china-rover-illustration-for-2020-mission","label":"Another Volunteer Joins Mars' Robot Takeover ","content":" SASTIND\/Xinhua China's Mars rover and probe will have six wheels, carry 13 payloads and weigh 200kg (440 pounds). China's unveiled illustrations of its Mars probe and rover, following earlier announcements of its plan to land on the trendiest planet for bots. The craft will include an orbiter, a landing capsule, and a rover. China is aiming for a summer of 2020 launch on a Long March 5 carrier rocket from the Wenchang space launch center in south China\u2019s Hainan province, according to state media. After its seven month journey, it'll land near the equator and get to work poking around on the red planet. Four solar panels will keep the rover operational for around three Martian months. "The challenges we face are unprecedented," mission head Zhang Rongqia said at a press conference. But China's still catching up to the other space powers, following Europe, Russia and India to Martian orbit. Europe's ExoMars is hurtling through space right now, and will beat it to the surface by four years. The U.S. has had wheels in the dirt there since 1997. They're making up for lost time with big lunar plans and a new space station in the works. The unveiling also kicked off a public competition to name the rover and design its logo. When China's No Name gets to Mars, will it find a world inhabited by robots to call home? With Curiosity up there getting smarter and Schiaparelli hunting for signs of life, this could become the grandest Battle Bots arena ever. ","teaser":" SASTIND\/Xinhua China's Mars rover and probe will have six wheels, carry 13 payloads and weigh 200kg (440 pounds). China's unveiled illustrations of its Mars probe and rover, following earlier announcements of its plan to land on the trendiest planet for bots. The craft will include an","ss_name":"samcole","tos_name":"samcole","ss_name_formatted":"samcole","tos_name_formatted":"samcole","is_uid":1442,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2016-08-24T17:58:20Z","ds_changed":"2016-08-24T18:06:52Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2016-08-24T18:06:52Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
China's unveiled illustrations of its Mars probe and rover, following earlier announcements of its plan to land on the trendiest planet for bots.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Space<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2016-08-24T18:06:53.68Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_gallery_items":["0"],"sm_field_image":["http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/small_4x3\/public\/images\/2016\/08\/china-reveals-2020-mars-missions-rover-and-probe.jpg?itok=lfgTxTIj&fc=50,50"],"sm_field_gallery_display":["gallery_none"],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"sm_field_customhtml_display":["customhtml_none"],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"tid":[67,214798,212416,63,206932,204103,200386,215960,222574],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["space"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Samantha Cole"],"tm_vid_1_names":["china Rover Space Technology Mars exomars nasa Curiosity"],"spell":["Another Volunteer Joins Mars' Robot Takeover "," SASTIND\/Xinhua China's Mars rover and probe will have six wheels, carry 13 payloads and weigh 200kg (440 pounds). China's unveiled illustrations of its Mars probe and rover, following earlier announcements of its plan to land on the trendiest planet for bots. The craft will include an orbiter, a landing capsule, and a rover. China is aiming for a summer of 2020 launch on a Long March 5 carrier rocket from the Wenchang space launch center in south China\u2019s Hainan province, according to state media. After its seven month journey, it'll land near the equator and get to work poking around on the red planet. Four solar panels will keep the rover operational for around three Martian months. "The challenges we face are unprecedented," mission head Zhang Rongqia said at a press conference. But China's still catching up to the other space powers, following Europe, Russia and India to Martian orbit. Europe's ExoMars is hurtling through space right now, and will beat it to the surface by four years. The U.S. has had wheels in the dirt there since 1997. They're making up for lost time with big lunar plans and a new space station in the works. The unveiling also kicked off a public competition to name the rover and design its logo. When China's No Name gets to Mars, will it find a world inhabited by robots to call home? With Curiosity up there getting smarter and Schiaparelli hunting for signs of life, this could become the grandest Battle Bots arena ever. ","china Rover Space Technology Mars exomars nasa Curiosity","Samantha Cole","
China's unveiled illustrations of its Mars probe and rover, following earlier announcements of its plan to land on the trendiest planet for bots.<\/div>","
Space<\/a><\/div>"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[222574],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["This rover is made in China\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[67,214798,212416,63,206932,204103,200386,215960],"im_vid_2":[222574],"sm_vid_Authors":["Samantha Cole"],"im_vid_1":[67,214798,212416,63,206932,204103,200386,215960],"sm_field_video_display":["video_none"],"sm_vid_Tags":["china","Rover","Space","Technology","Mars","exomars","nasa","Curiosity"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/230991","site":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":230991,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/230991","url":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/chinese-news-outlet-covered-olympics-with-robot-reporter","path_alias":"chinese-news-outlet-covered-olympics-with-robot-reporter","label":"Robot Reporter Covered The Olympics For A Chinese News Outlet","content":" Wikimedia Commons Michael Phelps and Australia's Eamon Sullivan at the 2008 Olympics. There are plenty of bots working today to produce basic, numbers-driven reports on sports and finance results, but the Olympics showed that one robo-reporter can be quite prolific. A single Chinese bot named Xiaomingbot produced 450 stories about results from the games. It's important to note, as Quartz does, that for most people writing was not great. In fact it was downright robotic. There's a joke to be made here about sports writing in general. But rather than go there, let's just focus on the fact that while AI processors are fully capable of making sense of numbers, they're not great at commentating on the sports. So don't worry fellow journalists, we've still got a place at the table for a few more years. [H\/T Quartz] ","teaser":" Wikimedia Commons Michael Phelps and Australia's Eamon Sullivan at the 2008 Olympics. There are plenty of bots working today to produce basic, numbers-driven reports on sports and finance results, but the Olympics showed that one robo-reporter can be quite prolific. A single Chinese bot named","ss_name":"gcwhittaker","tos_name":"gcwhittaker","ss_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","tos_name_formatted":"gcwhittaker","is_uid":1333,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2016-08-24T17:56:18Z","ds_changed":"2016-08-24T17:56:18Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2016-08-24T17:56:18Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
A single bot produced 450 stories about results from the Olympic games.<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Technology<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2016-08-24T17:56:20.383Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_gallery_items":["0"],"sm_field_image":["http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/small_4x3\/public\/images\/2016\/08\/michael-phelps-lzr.jpg?itok=POI_QFX6&fc=50,50"],"sm_field_gallery_display":["gallery_none"],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"sm_field_customhtml_display":["customhtml_none"],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"tid":[63,208120,222322,206799,221463,200191,215671],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["technology"],"tm_vid_2_names":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"tm_vid_1_names":["Technology Olympics olympics 2016 machine learning microposts AI"],"spell":["Robot Reporter Covered The Olympics For A Chinese News Outlet"," Wikimedia Commons Michael Phelps and Australia's Eamon Sullivan at the 2008 Olympics. There are plenty of bots working today to produce basic, numbers-driven reports on sports and finance results, but the Olympics showed that one robo-reporter can be quite prolific. A single Chinese bot named Xiaomingbot produced 450 stories about results from the games. It's important to note, as Quartz does, that for most people writing was not great. In fact it was downright robotic. There's a joke to be made here about sports writing in general. But rather than go there, let's just focus on the fact that while AI processors are fully capable of making sense of numbers, they're not great at commentating on the sports. So don't worry fellow journalists, we've still got a place at the table for a few more years. [H\/T Quartz] ","Technology Olympics olympics 2016 machine learning microposts AI","G. Clay Whittaker","
A single bot produced 450 stories about results from the Olympic games.<\/div>","
Technology<\/a><\/div>"],"bm_field_feed_builder_exclusion":[false],"im_field_author":[215671],"bm_field_display_social":[true],"bm_in_nps":[false],"sm_field_sponsor_label":[""],"sm_field_subtitle":["[Insert condescending joke about sportswriters here]\n"],"bm_field_display_author_bio":[true],"im_field_tags":[63,208120,222322,206799,221463,200191],"im_vid_2":[215671],"sm_vid_Authors":["G. Clay Whittaker"],"im_vid_1":[63,208120,222322,206799,221463,200191],"sm_field_video_display":["video_none"],"sm_vid_Tags":["Technology","Olympics","olympics 2016","machine learning","microposts","AI"]},{"id":"phhg4e\/node\/230988","site":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/","hash":"phhg4e","entity_id":230988,"entity_type":"node","bundle":"basic_content","bundle_name":"Basic content","ss_language":"und","path":"node\/230988","url":"http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/cultivated-carp-reverse-evolve-their-scales-back","path_alias":"cultivated-carp-reverse-evolve-their-scales-back","label":"Cultivated Carp 'Reverse Evolve,' Grow Scales Back ","content":" Courtesy of L Church (CC BY 2.0) Hungry, hungry carp-O The dense protective layer of scales covering the body of the common carp makes the fish a pain to eat. But centuries ago, clever European monks managed to breed this quality out, creating a cultivated variety with few to no scales. They called it the mirror carp due to its smooth sides. In 1912, mirror carp were brought to Madagascar for fish farming. With no native carp varieties to compete with, the mirror carp spread, living in the wild across the island. Then a strange thing began to happen. The mirror carp began growing scales again. According to a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it took just forty generations for the carp to re-evolve \u2014 or devolve \u2014 their scales. The pressures of natural selection, the authors write, allowed the so called "wild type" trait of scales to return to the species. Research findings came by way of analyzing both the DNA and scales of about 700 captured carp specimens. Scales are like armor, providing protection from parasites and predators. Carp with more scales probably survived at a higher rate, causing the rapid evolution of the beneficial trait. Interestingly, the researchers found that the now scaled fish still carried the original scale-free mutation. This suggests that this time around, the re-scaling involved different genes. [H\/T Phys.org] ","teaser":" Courtesy of L Church (CC BY 2.0) Hungry, hungry carp-O The dense protective layer of scales covering the body of the common carp makes the fish a pain to eat. But centuries ago, clever European monks managed to breed this quality out, creating a cultivated variety with few to no scales. They called","ss_name":"Coby McDonald","tos_name":"Coby McDonald","ss_name_formatted":"Coby McDonald","tos_name_formatted":"Coby McDonald","is_uid":1419,"bs_status":true,"bs_sticky":false,"bs_promote":true,"is_tnid":0,"bs_translate":false,"ds_created":"2016-08-24T17:42:42Z","ds_changed":"2016-08-24T17:50:50Z","ds_last_comment_or_change":"2016-08-24T17:50:50Z","bs_field_sponsored":false,"bs_field_display_social":true,"bs_field_custom_page":false,"bs_field_feed_builder_exclusion":false,"bs_field_display_author_bio":true,"bs_field_display_bottom_recirc":true,"bs_use_sir_trevor_body":true,"bs_field_flag_gallery":false,"bs_field_flag_video":false,"bs_field_display_off_ramp":true,"bs_in_nps":false,"ts_bonnier_summary":"
About 100 years ago, carp bred by European monks to be scale-less were introduced to Madagascar as a food source. Just forty generations later, most of those carp have…<\/div>","ts_bonnier_eyebrow":"
Animals<\/a><\/div>","timestamp":"2016-08-24T17:50:51.922Z","bm_field_display_off_ramp":[true],"sm_field_gallery_items":["0"],"sm_field_image":["http:\/\/www.popsci.com\/sites\/popsci.com\/files\/styles\/small_4x3\/public\/images\/2016\/08\/carp.jpg?itok=RJYZiWOJ&fc=50,50"],"sm_field_gallery_display":["gallery_none"],"bm_field_sponsored":[false],"sm_field_customhtml_display":["customhtml_none"],"bm_field_flag_gallery":[false],"bm_field_flag_video":[false],"bm_field_custom_page":[false],"bm_field_display_bottom_recirc":[true],"bm_use_sir_trevor_body":[true],"tid":[200293,200305,202031,200391,215270,200297,221704,209668,206813,204814,204818,200200,222273],"sm_field_layout_standard":["right-sidebar"],"sm_field_primary_channel":["animals"],"tm_vid_2_names":["Coby McDonald"],"tm_vid_1_names":["EVOLUTION genetics breeding NATURAL SELECTION mutation fish Carp scales madagascar genes genetic mutation Animals"],"spell":["Cultivated Carp 'Reverse Evolve,' Grow Scales Back "," Courtesy of L Church (CC BY 2.0) Hungry, hungry carp-O The dense protective layer of scales covering the body of the common carp makes the fish a pain to eat. But centuries ago, clever European monks managed to breed this quality out, creating a cultivated variety with few to no scales. They called it the mirror carp due to its smooth sides. In 1912, mirror carp were brought to Madagascar for fish farming. With no native carp varieties to compete with, the mirror carp spread, living in the wild across the island. Then a strange thing began to happen. The mirror carp began growing scales again. According to a paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, it took just forty generations for the carp to re-evolve \u2014 or devolve \u2014 their scales. The pressures of natural selection, the authors write, allowed the so called "wild type" trait of scales to return to the species. Research findings came by way of analyzing both the DNA and scales of about 700 captured carp specimens. Scales are like armor, providing protection from parasites and predators. Carp with more scales probably survived at a higher rate, causing the rapid evolution of the beneficial trait. Interestingly, the researchers found that the now scaled fish still carried the original scale-free mutation. This suggests that this time around, the re-scaling involved different genes. [H\/T Phys.org] ","EVOLUTION genetics breeding NATURAL SELECTION mutation fish Carp scales madagascar genes genetic mutation Animals","Coby McDonald","
About 100 years ago, carp bred by European monks to be scale-less were introduced to Madagascar as a food source. Just forty generations later, most of those carp have…<\/div>","
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