BBC Focus 02.2020

DISCOVERIES

STRESS REALLY DOES TURN

YOUR HAIR GREY

Prematurely greying hair has long been

considered a physical e￿ect of su￿ering from

stress. Now, researchers at Harvard University

have found the first scientific evidence explaining

exactly why this is: stress triggers nerves that are

partofthefight-or-￿ightresponse,whichinturn

causedamagetothepigment-regeneratingstem

cellsinhairfollicles.

NorthernwhiterhinosNajinandFatu

arethelastoftheirkind.Astheyareboth

femaleandhavenomalestomatewith,

theirspeciesis consideredfunctionally

extinct.However,thingsmaybeaboutto

change,thankstotheBioRescueresearch

project,whichinvolvesaninternational

groupofresearchersfromLeibnizInstitute

forZooandWildlifeResearch,Avantea

Laboratory,DvurKrálovéZoo,OlPejeta

ConservancyandtheKenyaWildlife

Service.Theteamsuccessfullyharvested

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inseminatedthemusingfrozensperm

takenfromnowdeceasedmalestocreate

viablenorthernwhiterhinoembryos

forthesecondtime,repeatinga similar

successfuloperationcarriedoutin

August2019.

Theanimalswereplacedundergeneral

anaestheticat theirhomeinOlPejeta

ConservancyinKenya,beforenine

immatureeggcells– threefromNajin

andsixfromFatu– wereharvestedfrom

theanimals’ovariesusinga probeguided

byultrasound.Theeggcellswerethen

transportedtotheAvanteaLaboratoryin

Italy,wheretheywereincubatedusinga

cutting-edgedesktopincubatordonated

bypharmaceuticalcompanyMerck.After

beingfertilised,oneoftheeggsfromFatu

developedintoa viableembryoandis

nowstoredinliquidnitrogenalongwith

VJG VYQ GODT[QUHTQOVJGTUV RTQEGFWTG

“Ourrepeatedsuccessingeneratinga

thirdembryofromFatudemonstratesthat

theBioRescueprogrammeis ontheright

track,”saidProfThomasHildebrandt,

fromLeibnizInstituteforZooandWildlife

Research.“Now,theteamwillmakeevery

efforttoachievethesameresultforthe

30-year-oldNajinbeforeit is toolatefor

her.Wearestronglycommittedtoour

plantotransfera northernwhiteembryo

intoa surrogatemotherin 2020 toensure

thesurvivalofthenorthernwhiterhino.”

Thenextstepis toselecta suitable

surrogatefromthegroupofsouthern

whiterhinosat OlPejetaConservancy.

Despitethefactthatmoreresearchis

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attemptforthiscrucial,neverbefore

achievedstep,maybeundertakenin2020.

New hope for

endangered rhinos

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ZOOLOGY

Northernwhiterhinoembryosarereadytoimplantintoa surrogate

mothertotryandsavethesubspeciesfromextinction

“Wearestrongly

committedtoour

plantotransfera

northernwhite

embryo intoa

surrogatemother”

2008 2012 2016

AMI VITALE X5, CESARE GALLI/AVANTEA, GET T Y IMAGES X2, US GOVERNMENT/WHITE HOUSE X

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