Limb Regeneration, Natural Design and Reconsidering Asbestos: What I’m Reading This Week

This week’s inspirational quote in my planner comes from Alexander Pope: “’Tis but a part we see, and not a whole.”

That rings true, especially because there are some things I am muddling through lately. Just as I imagine you are.

I recently read some advice from a mom reminded their distraught child that they are a human, not a robot. They weren’t designed to sustain such a level of performance.

As strange as that sounds, it’s all too easy to forget that because of the high expectations we put on ourselves and others.

Regardless of what you’re dealing with, I hope you can find ways to rest, recharge and give grace. Until next time, stay safe, be well and be kind!

Limb Regeneration

A few weeks ago, I went to the zoo. Walking through the amphibian exhibit, I saw girls huddled and bouncing in front of one tank. Their dad explained this was the reason they went to the zoo: to see the axolotls.

Axolotls are Mexican salamanders with distinctive mane-like ears and a bit of a derpy grin. They fall into that so-goofy-they’re-cute category, alongside penguins and golden retrievers. Axolotls have the unusual ability to regrow limbs, something that has long fascinated—and puzzled—scientists. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications offers clues to this fascinating phenomenon.

Senior study author James Monaghan, professor of biology and director of the Institute for Chemical Imaging of Living Systems at Northeastern University, explained to CNN that through the process of dedifferentiation, the axolotl generates new limbs in response to an injury. Human cells don’t dedifferentiate and instead scar over, but what if they could be instructed to instead heal thyself?

“This question is super interesting when it comes to gene therapy because maybe we don’t need to add genes or remove genes to induce regeneration in humans — we can just turn on the appropriate genes at the right time or turn off the appropriate genes at the right time,” Monaghan said to CNN.

I encourage you to read the full story here because it’s yet another example of the amazing things capable in nature.

Natural Design

I’ve been curious about sustainable and regenerative building supplies for the better part of the decade. Think bamboo flooring, hemp “wood,” insulation made from old blue jeans and so forth.

Amid all this excitement, I forgot about the thatched roofs, untreated timbers, soils and mud walls that our ancestors lived in.

In an effort reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry and as a response to a changing climate, some researchers are turning toward biodesign, the field of using living organisms and biological principles in design and engineering.

I find it endlessly fascinating, especially when considering the possibilities for microbes and mycelium. (Side note: If you haven’t Fantastic Fungi, please do so immediately.)

In this short profile from CNN of biodesign research, they explore the possibility of walls that can heal, adapt and grow. One comments on how architecture has become increasingly separate from nature. He ponders whether the past century has really served us well, or if we need to return to living more one with nature.

This four-minute video has sparked a whole host of thoughts—many of them contradictory, in the best possible way. Perhaps that’s the point: to ask ourselves if we are trying to tame nature, learn from it, grow with it or wage some other physical or internal battle with our environment.

Prepare to be inspired by watching the video here.

Reconsidering Asbestos

I’m actively trying to remove some asbestos tiles and black mastic in my basement. By this, I mean I have hired a company that is E.P.A. certified to safely remove these materials from my home.

I feel like years of hearing about the harmful health effects of asbestos have instilled a collective sense of urgency in ridding our surroundings of the once common material. I was admittedly surprised to see the Trump administration was reconsidering a ban on the last type of asbestos still used in the U.S., chrysotile or white asbestos. However, the decision is far from final; the process is expected to take about two-and-a-half years, according to a recent filing with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

For anyone who is in one of the fields where white asbestoses is still imported for use (e.g., roofing, textiles and automotive) this will be something to keep a close eye on.

Read a recap of asbestos in the U.S., along with this latest development, here.