I managed to post three videos since my last update.
A vlog about burning Iron: https://youtu.be/46YlW8qjp_c
Burning Iron Attempt 2: pure-ish oxygen: https://youtu.be/SURy8xRsRp4
A video essay about robotics and automation: https://youtu.be/TisXw8zS5r0
The slightly expanded essay is below for your reading pleasure.
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I posted two videos over on PeterAllenWrites, both are about Antibody Drug Conjugates. In the papers I talk about, the idea is to attach a very toxic drug to an antibody. The antibody can carry the drug into specific, targeted cells. In these papers, the targets were senescent cells, the half-dead cells that cause some of the symptoms of aging. If we could remove these cells specifically, we could reverse aging to some degree.
The first paper (Poblocka et al) showed that antibodies with these drugs could kill senescent cells in a dish (Video 1). The second one (Takaya et al) showed that they could kill senescent cells in a mouse (Video 2). That represents a lot of progress between 2021 and 2023. But mice are not people. We still have a long way to go.
This post is available in video format, too!
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Why do I have to learn about DNA? Why is that required knowledge? I had a student – a graduate student, no less – ask me this, years ago. “Why do I have to learn THAT?” he said. Let’s talk about why learning about DNA (and science in general) is important. Let’s talk about Kevin.
This post is also a video! Check it out on YouTube.
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This post also appears on my youtube channel for long-form essays. Here’s the link.
Today, we’re diving into the world of longevity research – examining the supplements Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) and Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN). There’s buzz about them on the internet and in the scientific literature. I see ads, I see sponsored studies. The big question is: are these pills worth the money – will they buy a human a few extra youthful years – or is it just an unregulated supplement cash grab? It all comes down to making hard choices with incomplete information. Like our mouse friend in the comic.
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I’ve been making comics with the new generative AI Art software. I put up a video all about it on my new channel for long form video essays. You can check out the whole video on the topic over at PeterAllenWrites (link). I do have concerns about the ethics of AI-generated content, but I can also see the value of AI art for science communication. As an example, I made this comic about the scientific method, as performed in real life.
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Dr. Peter B Allen - Lab Blog 
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