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Rice with spice
Last words past and present at newscientist.com/lastword
THE LAST WORD It’s a steel Why is stainless steel, er, stainless? (Continued)
n In an answer in The Last Word (7 January), a writer suggested that stainless steel is a misnomer because it can be stained. My late colleague Don McCallum maintained it is so-called because it stains less than other steel. Bruce Denness Whitwell, Isle of Wight, UK
Cloning to the rescue Having cloned sheep and who knows what else, wouldn’t it be a good idea for scientists to begin cloning the world’s endangered species? Is there any reason not to? (Continued)
n As part of the team involved in cloning Dolly the sheep, I want to comment on the answer about using the technique for endangered species (The Last Word, 17 June). It would be lovely to be able to clone them, but there are a number of problems that make this more or less a non-starter at the moment. The first is getting access to rare or endangered animals. There are some in zoos, but others are almost impossible to reach in the wild.
“Zoos are unhappy with removing semi-wild animals and transferring embryos into them” The writers of answers that are published in the magazine will receive a cheque for £25 (or US$ equivalent). Answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a daytime telephone number and an email address if you have one. New Scientist retains total editorial control over the published content. New Scientist Ltd reserves all rights to reuse all question and answer material that has been
also be possible to clone animals As your correspondent stated, that are found dead, as long as large numbers of embryos have to be created, so oocytes (a type of samples can be collected quite cell found in ovaries) at the correct soon after they expire. These measures could increase the stage of development may be needed, but where will those come from? Oocytes from closely “Wildcats have been cloned, but this is because they are related species could be the answer. But for practical purposes related to domestic cats and can hybridise with them” these would have to be domestic species, because the oocytes we genetic diversity of some species would use mostly come from by raising the number of animals discarded ovaries, which contain available to breed. immature oocytes. Cost is an issue too, but in This highlights another future the use of stem cells to problem – that we don’t know make oocytes might offer a much about suitable cell culture solution. There is also the conditions for many of these species, so we would have to guess prospect of using another species as a surrogate, or even an artificial about those and how to mature womb, to keep fetuses alive. the oocytes. We are in the realms of science Then, once we have the cloned fiction here, but at the time embryo, what do we do with it? Zoos would be unhappy removing Dolly was born it was considered semi-wild animals from show and impossible to clone an adult animal… So watch this space. trying to transfer embryos into William A. Ritchie FRSB them, and large numbers of Aberlour, Moray, UK animals would be required for this project. A variety of wildcats have been cloned, but this is because they This week’s are closely related to domestic cats and can sometimes hybridise questions HEATED DEBATE with them. So the oocytes are In your article about housework available from these animals, (“Germ warfare”, 14 January), but this is an exception. you said that after washing As for problems with dishes we should “rinse with eliminating genetic diversity, plenty of water, preferably hot”. there is a silver lining here, at Why hot? Wouldn’t it save money least for some species. DNA if they were rinsed with the cold from animals that fail to breed – water that comes directly from because they are too old, or the mains? are not kept in the correct Iain Sharp environment – could be brought Newcastle upon Tyne, UK into the breeding pool. It may
submitted by readers in any medium or in any format and at any time in the future. Send questions and answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, 110 High Holborn, London WC1V 6EU, UK, by email to [email protected] or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/lastword (please include a postal address in order to receive payment for answers). Unanswered questions can also be found at this URL.
STRAY CAT STRUT
In countries where there are lots of stray cats and dogs, many are in poor condition, especially compared with the truly wild animals that live in the same places. Why is this? The battle for survival must be incredibly tough for all these animals. Is it because feral domesticated animals can somehow live on in poor health through their association with humans, whereas nature would ruthlessly pick off any weaklings in the wild animal population? Alison George London, UK RICE WITH SPICE
An earlier question in The Last Word gave warnings about eating leftover rice. I have seen this advice before, saying it is not safe to keep cooked rice for more than a short time, even in the fridge. Yet supermarkets sell a lot of chilled meals that include rice and these can have “use by” dates up to a week away. What is different about the cooked rice in these meals? Deborah Moore Bath, Somerset, UK INSIDE OR OUT?
My French granny says it is more hygienic to poo in a big hole in the garden, like she did when she was growing up, than it is to go inside. Is this true? She also said that in olden days, people collected pee and used it to make plants grow better. Could we do this now? Eloïse Staffen-Bold (aged 8) Salzburg, Austria
THE LAST WORD It’s a steel Why is stainless steel, er, stainless? (Continued)
n In an answer in The Last Word (7 January), a writer suggested that stainless steel is a misnomer because it can be stained. My late colleague Don McCallum maintained it is so-called because it stains less than other steel. Bruce Denness Whitwell, Isle of Wight, UK
Cloning to the rescue Having cloned sheep and who knows what else, wouldn’t it be a good idea for scientists to begin cloning the world’s endangered species? Is there any reason not to? (Continued)
n As part of the team involved in cloning Dolly the sheep, I want to comment on the answer about using the technique for endangered species (The Last Word, 17 June). It would be lovely to be able to clone them, but there are a number of problems that make this more or less a non-starter at the moment. The first is getting access to rare or endangered animals. There are some in zoos, but others are almost impossible to reach in the wild.
“Zoos are unhappy with removing semi-wild animals and transferring embryos into them” The writers of answers that are published in the magazine will receive a cheque for £25 (or US$ equivalent). Answers should be concise. We reserve the right to edit items for clarity and style. Please include a daytime telephone number and an email address if you have one. New Scientist retains total editorial control over the published content. New Scientist Ltd reserves all rights to reuse all question and answer material that has been
also be possible to clone animals As your correspondent stated, that are found dead, as long as large numbers of embryos have to be created, so oocytes (a type of samples can be collected quite cell found in ovaries) at the correct soon after they expire. These measures could increase the stage of development may be needed, but where will those come from? Oocytes from closely “Wildcats have been cloned, but this is because they are related species could be the answer. But for practical purposes related to domestic cats and can hybridise with them” these would have to be domestic species, because the oocytes we genetic diversity of some species would use mostly come from by raising the number of animals discarded ovaries, which contain available to breed. immature oocytes. Cost is an issue too, but in This highlights another future the use of stem cells to problem – that we don’t know make oocytes might offer a much about suitable cell culture solution. There is also the conditions for many of these species, so we would have to guess prospect of using another species as a surrogate, or even an artificial about those and how to mature womb, to keep fetuses alive. the oocytes. We are in the realms of science Then, once we have the cloned fiction here, but at the time embryo, what do we do with it? Zoos would be unhappy removing Dolly was born it was considered semi-wild animals from show and impossible to clone an adult animal… So watch this space. trying to transfer embryos into William A. Ritchie FRSB them, and large numbers of Aberlour, Moray, UK animals would be required for this project. A variety of wildcats have been cloned, but this is because they This week’s are closely related to domestic cats and can sometimes hybridise questions HEATED DEBATE with them. So the oocytes are In your article about housework available from these animals, (“Germ warfare”, 14 January), but this is an exception. you said that after washing As for problems with dishes we should “rinse with eliminating genetic diversity, plenty of water, preferably hot”. there is a silver lining here, at Why hot? Wouldn’t it save money least for some species. DNA if they were rinsed with the cold from animals that fail to breed – water that comes directly from because they are too old, or the mains? are not kept in the correct Iain Sharp environment – could be brought Newcastle upon Tyne, UK into the breeding pool. It may
submitted by readers in any medium or in any format and at any time in the future. Send questions and answers to The Last Word, New Scientist, 110 High Holborn, London WC1V 6EU, UK, by email to [email protected] or visit www.newscientist.com/topic/lastword (please include a postal address in order to receive payment for answers). Unanswered questions can also be found at this URL.
STRAY CAT STRUT
In countries where there are lots of stray cats and dogs, many are in poor condition, especially compared with the truly wild animals that live in the same places. Why is this? The battle for survival must be incredibly tough for all these animals. Is it because feral domesticated animals can somehow live on in poor health through their association with humans, whereas nature would ruthlessly pick off any weaklings in the wild animal population? Alison George London, UK RICE WITH SPICE
An earlier question in The Last Word gave warnings about eating leftover rice. I have seen this advice before, saying it is not safe to keep cooked rice for more than a short time, even in the fridge. Yet supermarkets sell a lot of chilled meals that include rice and these can have “use by” dates up to a week away. What is different about the cooked rice in these meals? Deborah Moore Bath, Somerset, UK INSIDE OR OUT?
My French granny says it is more hygienic to poo in a big hole in the garden, like she did when she was growing up, than it is to go inside. Is this true? She also said that in olden days, people collected pee and used it to make plants grow better. Could we do this now? Eloïse Staffen-Bold (aged 8) Salzburg, Austria