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Male contraceptive shows promise in mice
Male contraceptive shows promise in mice
Plus: YouTuber builds a bike with two half wheels, and it functions just as well as the original.
Feb 15, 2023
Think of contraception methods… Most of them are for women, right? There are only two options for males: vasectomy and condoms.
But now, scientists identified a compound named TDI-11861 and successfully tested it in mice. The compound can serve as a non-hormonal and reversible contraceptive for males and cease birth control from being a burden on women's shoulders.
Before that, would you ride a bike with two half wheels? It may sound dangerous, but a YouTuber has already tried it. Let’s check our video of the day to see what happens.
Good morning. This is Mert, an editor at IE.
This is The Blueprint. Let's dive in.
Last Sunday, Blueprint subscribers heard from ChatGPT experts on why Google really does need to watch its back. Don't miss out — subscribe to IE+ today to receive exclusive interviews, features, and much more.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
The experiment may be too complex to try at home, but it sure is fun to watch.
MUST READ
Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCM) have successfully tested a compound in mice that can serve as a non-hormonal and reversible contraceptive for males and revolutionize family planning.
For men, there are currently only two methods of contraception available; vasectomy and condoms.
"Men require more options, especially on-demand and readily reversible ones, so they can more actively participate in family planning. Enriching the contraceptive landscape will also benefit females, who have more options right now, but most of them are based on hormones and suffer from heavy side effects," lead researcher Melanie Balbach tells Interesting Engineering.
READ MORE
SCIENCE
Researchers analyzed the brain activity of F16 fighter pilots to learn how they adapt to altered gravity levels and rapidly process conflicting sensory information, which can be similar to those experienced by astronauts.
The team used MRI scans to conclude that pilots with considerable flight experience "showed specific brain connectivity patterns in areas related to processing sensorimotor information. They also showed differences in brain connectivity compared with non-pilots," according to a press release.
Researchers hope that the results could help to develop advanced training modules for pilots or astronauts using the data acquired regarding the effects of space flight on the brain.
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CULTURE
On February 3, a Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment triggered a huge fire, and emergency responders feared a massive explosion would release poisonous gases. And so, toxic chemicals from five of the derailed tanker cars were diverted into a trench and burnt off.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a full list of the toxic chemicals that were released.
The EPA detailed a list of toxic chemicals in a letter sent by Jason El-Zein, an emergency response manager at the EPA, to Matt Gernand, deputy general counsel for the Norfolk Southern Railway Company. These chemicals were found to have contaminated air, soil, or water surrounding the crash site.
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INNOVATION
Just a day after Microsoft unveiled its "New Bing" search engine last week, Stanford University student Kevin Liu got the conversational chatbot to reveal its governing statements. This happened twice in the same week.
Governing statements are part of the initial prompt of a service that provides the rules for the tool's interaction with its users. It is here that a company can direct an AI chatbot like ChatGPT not to provide content that might be copyrighted or prove offensive to specific groups of people.
READ MORE
MAIL & MUSINGS
ChatGPT and its rivals are becoming increasingly intelligent.
Do you think AI will change the way you work in the next few years? (Poll closes February 16)
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Following the news that the public needs to wisen up to the risks of nuclear winter, we asked if you knew about nuclear winter before this. 72 percent say they knew, while only 6 percent say they had never heard about it.
72%
Yes, of course
17%
I knew something, but not enough
6%
No, I’d never heard about it
5%
I just knew it by name
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction writer.
THINGS WE LOVE
AND ANOTHER THING
Scientists compared NASA's SLS to a bowl of cereal — here's why.
A bat-inspired framework to equip robots with sound-based localization and mapping capabilities. (TechXplore)
Ex-NASA Space Shuttle astronaut has a plan to get humans to Mars fast.
A lost language translated from ancient tablets reveals names of gods in stunning find. (Vice)
Why the ESA's world-first Biomass satellite is 'very timely' for understanding Earth's climate.
NASA's "evolved structures" radically reduce weight – and waiting. (New Atlas)
The Moon keeps drifting away from Earth. Will it ever leave?
Prepared by Mert Erdemir
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