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San Francisco, 4:26 PM
Sun Nov 8
11 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #genes more →

    Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers

    Being Lazy Isn't Your Fault — It's Genetic!
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of GodofMonkeys GodofMonkeys
    10/28/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    I love that I live in a world with naked mole rats. I love being able to say that I really live in a world with naked mole rats. Mostly I love typing "naked mole rats". #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    GodofMonkeys was starred GodofMonkeys was unstarred
    Image of Dr Emilio Lizardo Dr Emilio Lizardo
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    Wow, this was in my morning ASCO briefing. It's kinda wierd when my professional life intersects this closely with io9. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Dr Emilio Lizardo was starred Dr Emilio Lizardo was unstarred
    Image of RandomFrequentFlierDent RandomFrequentFlierDent
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    All this time we feared the moleman. Little did we know we would become the moleman. Or you know . . . molewoman as the case may be. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    RandomFrequentFlierDent was starred RandomFrequentFlierDent was unstarred
    Image of Eridani Eridani
    10/27/09

    @RandomFrequentFlierDent: I, for one, welcome our moleperson overlords. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    RandomFrequentFlierDent promoted this comment Eridani was starred Eridani was unstarred
    Image of RandomFrequentFlierDent RandomFrequentFlierDent
    10/28/09

    @Eridani: And I, for one, plan on being your moleperson overlord.

    Muwahaha! #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    RandomFrequentFlierDent was starred RandomFrequentFlierDent was unstarred
    Image of Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. Tomb: R.O.A.C.H.
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    I have always wonder how the scientists react when finding out something they have been studying for years. Do they look at there partners and say "Look I found it".. Or do they party hard? #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. was starred Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of Bootknife-Jackson Bootknife-Jackson
    10/27/09

    @Tomb: R.O.A.C.H.: they party sensibly with girly cocktails and awkward jokes that have no punchline. sometimes they go hog wild and put up streamers in the lab #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Bootknife-Jackson was starred Bootknife-Jackson was unstarred
    Image of Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. Tomb: R.O.A.C.H.
    10/27/09

    @Bootknife-Jackson: Is this a proven fact? #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. was starred Tomb: R.O.A.C.H. was unstarred
    Image of Roklimber Roklimber
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    I think it's creepy to have naked researchers molesting a rat. Oh, wait. I read it wrong. It's the rat that's naked. Even worse...

    Nonetheless, I find it difficult to believe that any animal is impervious to pain. Pain is a natural defense mechanism. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Roklimber was starred Roklimber was unstarred
    Image of Bootknife-Jackson Bootknife-Jackson
    10/27/09

    @Roklimber: there are some people who have malfunctioning pain receptors as well. i bet some of our more scientifically inclined io9ers could elaborate on that #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Bootknife-Jackson was starred Bootknife-Jackson was unstarred
    Image of Roklimber Roklimber
    10/27/09

    @Bootknife-Jackson: Malfunctioning, yes, but I'm pretty sure that any animal which does not feel pain would not survive long enough to pass its "ability" to its progeny. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Roklimber was starred Roklimber was unstarred
    Image of Bootknife-Jackson Bootknife-Jackson
    10/27/09

    @Roklimber: yeah it is an odd trait to have developed, and makes me curious as to what external factor could have lead them to develop it in the first place... #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Bootknife-Jackson was starred Bootknife-Jackson was unstarred
    Image of Roklimber Roklimber
    10/27/09

    @Bootknife-Jackson: A quick search revealed that they seem to be impervious to *specific* kinds of pain, namely, the burning sensation that certain mild acids and certain alkaloids (like chili pepper) produce on the skin. That's more reasonable. From the article here, it seemed that they're impervious to all kinds of pain, which I could not believe. The truth is, as I expected, that they're not.

    [www.livescience.com]
    [news.nationalgeographic.com]
    [www.mdc-berlin.de]

    "makes me curious as to what external factor could have lead them to develop it in the first place"

    The last article above provides some clues to that question. The article is in English, despite being from a German site.
     Reply
    Edited by Roklimber at 10/27/09 5:35 PM Roklimber was starred Roklimber was unstarred
    Image of Chip Skylark of Space Chip Skylark of Space
    10/28/09

    @Roklimber: I thought maybe being a group mind thing, that the Queen was constantly going 'ouch', 'ouch', as she ate her Mole Rat bonbons back in the Mole Rate Palace throne room, and her minions ran into the walls of their burrows, just to piss her off. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Chip Skylark of Space was starred Chip Skylark of Space was unstarred
    Image of Bootknife-Jackson Bootknife-Jackson
    10/28/09

    @Roklimber: most excellent! you sir, get the gold medal in research, and the silver medal in breakin' my heart! ....wait... #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Bootknife-Jackson was starred Bootknife-Jackson was unstarred
    Image of Elizabeth Weinbloom Elizabeth Weinbloom
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    The picture book Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, by Mo Willems, is one of the best non-classic picture books I've ever read. If anyone's looking for a gift for a three-year-old... #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Elizabeth Weinbloom was starred Elizabeth Weinbloom was unstarred
    Image of Bill-Lee Bill-Lee
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    They feel no pain. They have a hive mind. They are immune to cancer. So basically they are in the same family tree that leads to the Borg. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Bill-Lee was starred Bill-Lee was unstarred
    Image of lightninglouie lightninglouie
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    I for one welcome our naked mole rat overlords. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    lightninglouie was starred lightninglouie was unstarred
    Image of fuchikoma fuchikoma
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    HeLa cells also avoid defects by their use of telomerase. The cells themselves came from a very old cancerous sample, but they continue to reproduce viably so long as they have nourishment. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    fuchikoma was starred fuchikoma was unstarred
    Image of gd01skorpius gd01skorpius
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    Maybe if we all get naked we can cure cancer!
    *strips*
    Aaah... #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    gd01skorpius was starred gd01skorpius was unstarred
    Image of J_Frank_Parnell J_Frank_Parnell
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    Ron Stoppable approves of this article. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    J_Frank_Parnell was starred J_Frank_Parnell was unstarred
    Image of Ruthless, If you let me Ruthless, If you let me
    10/27/09

    @J_Frank_Parnell: Ron Stoppable is who I have been trying to think of since Lauren posted this. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me was starred Ruthless, If you let me was unstarred
    Image of Mary Ratliff Mary Ratliff
    10/27/09

    @J_Frank_Parnell: A-Booyah. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    Mary Ratliff was starred Mary Ratliff was unstarred
    Image of everything42 everything42
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    They're NAKED! And they're MOLE RATS!

    [www.youtube.com]
     Reply
    ThisDudeRufus promoted this comment everything42 was starred everything42 was unstarred
    Image of AvenueOfTheStrongest AvenueOfTheStrongest
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    I bet it turns out that sunlight causes cancer. Then humanity will have to choose between a fleeting existence on the garden-like surface, or an eternity of life in subterranean darkness. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    ThisDudeRufus promoted this comment AvenueOfTheStrongest was starred AvenueOfTheStrongest was unstarred
    Image of ThisDudeRufus ThisDudeRufus
    10/27/09

    @AvenueOfTheStrongest: I bet half choose to live on the surface, and the other half move below ground. Then the ones in the underdark begin breeding the ground dwellers like cattle.

    And start calling themselves Morlocks. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    ThisDudeRufus was starred ThisDudeRufus was unstarred
    Image of bookwench bookwench
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    This is why you protect even the ugly, unloved, obscure species. #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    bookwench was starred bookwench was unstarred
    Image of ManchuCandidate ManchuCandidate
    10/27/09

    In reply to Naked Mole Rats Have Anti-Cancer Superpowers
    Hans Moleman approves! #nakedmolerat
     Reply
    ManchuCandidate was starred ManchuCandidate was unstarred
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