Curio Cabinet

There’s a new tissue in town…sort of. Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have rediscovered a largely forgotten type of skeletal tissue, and their findings have massive potential in the field of regenerative medicine. Most cartilage in the body is held together and keeps its shape thanks to an extracellular matrix, a network of molecules and cells that provide rigidity and structure. Then there are adipocyte fat cells, which are soft and fluctuate in size based on water and food availability. Cartilage forms connections between bones, and the same kind of cartilage was thought to provide the structure for our noses, ears, and other soft, flexible body parts. However, researchers have now discovered that there is another type of skeletal tissue, called lipocartilage, which doesn’t rely on an extracellular matrix. Instead, it’s filled with lipochondrocytes, which are similar to adipocyte fat cells but don’t change size or shape over time, regardless of food availability. They’re soft, yet can maintain their shape under pressure, like resilient bubbles.
 
The existence of lipochondrocytes was actually first discovered in 1854 by Dr. Franz von Leydig, who noticed the presence of fat in the cartilage of rats’ ears. Just like with Von Leydig’s rats, lipocartilage is found in human ears and noses, allowing them to maintain their shape while remaining highly flexible. Von Leydig’s discovery, however, was largely unexplored by the wider medical community until scientists at UC Irvine began their own research into the subject. The discovery of lipocartilage could change the way that surgery on cartilage works in the future. Currently, the best option to replace and repair damaged cartilage is to harvest donor tissue from the ribs. In the future, lipochondrocytes could be used to grow custom-made cartilage, which might even be 3D printed into specific shapes. All this because someone decided to take a closer look at rats’ ears!

 
[Image description: A diagram of the skeletal system with individual bones named.] Credit & copyright: LadyofHats (Mariana Ruiz Villarreal), Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, LadyofHats. This applies worldwide.

Even legends come and go, but dreams never really die. In the 1960s, acting legend Marlon Brando purchased an atoll, a ring shaped island surrounding a lagoon, in the South Pacific with the hopes that it would one day become a “university of the sea” for scientists. Now, researchers are honoring the late actor’s ambitions. Located around 30 miles north of Tahiti, Tetiaroa is an atoll consisting of 12 coral islets (also known as a motus) around a lagoon. In his autobiography, Brando wrote, “The lagoon was… infused with more shades of blue than I thought possible: turquoise, deep blue, light blue, indigo blue, cobalt blue, royal blue, robin’s egg blue, aquamarine.” But for Brando, Tetiaroa was more than just a tranquil tropical getaway. The actor saw its potential as a haven for marine research, a potential that is now being realized thanks to the Tetiaroa Society, a nonprofit focused on education and conservation of the atoll. Back in 2014, the Tetiaroa Society opened the Ecostation, a research facility for visiting scientists. Not long after, they built 35 private villas for visitors of all kinds, including students from nearby communities who are given a chance to learn about their Polynesian heritage. The resort provides around 70 percent of the funding for the Tetiaroa Society, which allows them to make use of the atoll’s relatively pristine state to study the effects of climate change, microplastics, and shoreline erosion. The islets of the atoll are home to green sea turtle nesting sites, which scientists keep a close eye on to see how environmental problems affect them. Unfortunately, the atoll has its share of unwanted intruders in the form of mosquitoes and other invasive species, but its isolated nature is allowing scientists to research better ways to eradicate them. That kind of vigorous research must take atoll!

 
[Image description: The surface of water.] Credit & copyright: Matt Hardy, Pexels

Don’t you just lava good eruption? Researchers at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport have predicted the eruption of an underwater volcano this year, something that can normally only be done a few hours in advance. While the word “volcano” mainly conjures up images of towering mountains spewing lava, most volcanoes are actually on the ocean floor. There are approximately 4,000 volcanoes per million square kilometers in the Pacific Ocean alone, and there’s almost always an eruption going on somewhere. Knowing when those eruptions will occur is nearly impossible, except when it comes to the Axial Seamount, one of the most closely-monitored volcanoes in the ocean. The Axial Seamount is located around 300 miles off the coast of Oregon, and one of its eruptions was successfully predicted back in 2011. It erupted again just a few years later, in 2015, and it just so happened that the second eruption came a few months after researchers began monitoring it. William Chadwick and his colleagues took the data from the 2015 eruption and continued to monitor Axial’s surface, which has now grown to around 95 percent of its pre-2015 eruption size as a result of magma buildup. Chadwick and his team believe that the next eruption is imminent. Thankfully, an eruption wouldn't pose any threat to those on land, but studying underwater volcanoes and learning to forecast them early might one day lead to a similar system for terrestrial volcanoes. That would be quite a relief, since volcanos on land can wreak havoc on nearby wildlife and people. Imagine a forecast that calls for a light shower of flaming rocks and chance of pyroclastic blast.

[Image description: The surface of water.] Credit & copyright: Matt Hardy, Pexels
 

It’s official: the bald eagle is now the national bird of the United States. Of course, you could be forgiven for thinking that it had always been the national bird. It’s been used as an American symbol since not long after the singing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, it first appeared on our national seal in 1782. A new bill recently signed into law on Christmas Eve made it official, though. The bald eagle is certainly worthy of national attention, and not just because of the way its striking white head contrasts with its brown body. Bald eagles are tenacious predators that have fought their way back from the brink of extinction.
 
Bald eagles inhabit a large swatch of North America, including parts of the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. They prefer areas with large bodies of freshwater surrounded by old-growth trees, which are tall enough for nesting. Bald eagles prefer their nests far off the ground, at heights between 50 and 125 feet. Like the trees and lakes they live by, bald eagles themselves are quite large; males can weigh up to 14 pounds with wingspans of up to eight feet. The hooked talons on their feet can be between three to four inches long, and are used for hunting their favorite prey: fish like herring, flounder, and salmon.
 
Like all birds, bald eagles originally descended from reptiles. Their ancestors were a group of birds called kites, from which the first eagles descended around 36 million years ago. As large as bald eagles are, their size is nothing compared to some of their extinct ancestors. For example, the Haast's eagle, famed for being the largest eagle to ever live, could weigh as much as 40 pounds and had a wingspan of around 10 feet.
 
Today, bald eagles living in more northerly areas tend to be larger than those in the south, since packing on weight helps shield the birds’ bodies from cold temperatures. Regardless of where they live, however, bald eagles lead unique lives, especially when it comes to their relationships. These birds of prey mate for life, and their courtship rituals are a sight to behold. When two bald eagles decide to enter a relationship, they announce their intention by performing acrobatic midair feats together, including a display known as a “cartwheel” or “death spiral” where the two eagles freefall while clutching talons. After mating, both parents tend to the chicks, which usually number between one and three.
 
That’s not to say that life for bald eagles is all love and roses. While grown eagles don’t have many predators themselves, their population has been adversely affected by human interference over the years. In the mid-1900s, they were hunted to near extinction, and in 1973 they were declared endangered. Their numbers have improved since then, but they remain susceptible to environmental dangers like lead poisoning. A recent study of thousands of bald eagles found that around 50 percent suffered from chronic lead poisoning, a result of them eating spent ammunition or leftover fishing tackle alongside their prey. Here’s hoping people will think harder about where they’re leaving lead now that this majestic bird is officially a national symbol.

 
[Image description: A close-up photo of a bald eagle’s face.] Credit & copyright: Adrian Pingstone (User:Arpingstone), Wikimedia Commons. This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Arpingstone. This applies worldwide.