Tech
Sperm From Older Men Have More Genetic Mutations
Human semen not only accumulates genetic mutations with age; as the percentage of sperm carrying potentially serious mutations increases, so does the risk of developing diseases in offspring.
This is according to a new study by researchers at the Sanger Institute and King’s College London. The team sequenced semen samples from individuals between the ages of 24 and 75, using very high-precision technologies, and found that the male germ line (the line of cells that produce sperm) is subject to a combination of mutation and positive selection.
The scientists used a duplex sequencing technique called NanoSeq, which can detect rare mutations with a very low margin of error. This allowed them to analyze 81 sperm samples from 57 donors. The results showed that a man’s sperm adds an average of 1.67 new mutations every year.
But the most striking aspect of the study is not limited to the mere accumulation of mutations with age. The authors discovered that the male germ line is subject to positive selection. That is, certain mutations offer an advantage to cells that produce sperm and expand. They identified that many of these mutations are in genes related to developmental disorders or a predisposition to childhood cancer.
“We expected to find evidence that selection influences mutations in sperm,” said Matthew Neville, coauthor of the study published this month in the journal Nature. “What surprised us was how much the number of sperm carrying mutations associated with serious diseases increases.”
What Does This Mean for Children of Older Fathers?
The researchers estimated that about 3 to 5 percent of sperm from middle-aged and older men carry some potentially pathogenic mutation in the exome (the coding part of the genome). That represents a higher risk than previous estimates. In more concrete numbers, the estimated fraction for men in their thirties was close to 2 percent, while it reached about 4.5 percent for men in their seventies.
From the evolutionary and clinical perspective, the implications are significant. Evolutionarily, it shows that the male germ line is not simply a “machine” that accumulates errors: There is a dynamic process of mutation and selection that can modify the genetic “quality” of the sperm with the age of the father.
On the clinical side, however, it raises questions about reproductive planning, genetic counseling, and the additional risks associated with an older father. The authors argue that although the percentages remain modest, the the accumulation is not only linear but also has a selection component that favors mutations with the potential to spread.
Tech
This Unique Air Fryer Cooks Your Food in Heat-Proof Glass—It’s on Sale Right Now
Want to be the hero of your next Super Bowl party? Check out the Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer, an intriguing twist on the air fryer that’s a perfect option for air frying your favorite frozen snacks at your next potluck—it’ll help you win the day by frying up a batch of wings at your buddy’s house. It’s currently marked down as low as $150 on Amazon, depending on your color preference.
Basically, every other air fryer works by circulating hot air through a purpose-built, egg-like basket. But the genius of the Crispi is that its glass fryer tray doubles as a serving tray and a sealable fryer dish. The heating element and fan live in a hat-like unit with clamps that attach to heat-shock-resistant borosilicate glass frying baskets with ceramic-coated trays inside. While the actual “fry” setting can be a little intense, the “bake” setting works perfectly for softer foods like veggies. Either way, the results spoke for themselves in our testing, with crispy fries and nuggets even outside in freezing temperatures.
Our reviewer Matthew Korfhage found the “recrisp” setting particularly useful for bringing leftover pizza slices and noodle dishes back to life. That makes it a great choice for office lunchtimes, where you can leave the Crispi itself in a drawer at your desk and ferry leftovers from home. You only have to wash a normal glass dish, rather than the entire fry basket like most options, so this would also work well for dorms or even camping, if there’s an outlet nearby.
Of course, you’ll have to make a few compromises in order to take your precious air-fried snacks with you on the go. While the glass container does a surprisingly good job of insulating the food during cooking, the temperature range isn’t quite as exact as some of our other favorite air fryers.
You’ll also have to be a little bit flexible on your aesthetic choices. While the pastel-hued Cherry Crush, Frosted Lilac, and Ginger Snap colors are marked down to the lower $150 price, the less pronounced Sage, Stone, and Cyberspace Gray are slightly higher at $160, but still under the usual $180 price tag. There’s also a Racing Green Bundle that includes all three sizes of glass crisping tray for $190, if you think you’ll end up buying them anyway.
Tech
All-Clad Is the Expensive Gold Standard. The Factory Seconds Sale Makes It More Affordable
All-Clad Deals used to be difficult to find, but thankfully, the Factory Seconds Sale has come back around for a little while. These sales tend to only last for a few days—this one expires at midnight tomorrow, January 21—though they sometimes are extended. In any case, these sales offer a reliable way to score a solid deal on All-Clad kitchenware, which is normally very expensive. We love and swear by All-Clad, as do many professional chefs.
Factory Seconds are products with minor imperfections that still perform as intended. Sometimes an item is “second quality,” meaning it might have some blemishes or dents. Sometimes an item just has packaging damage. Every product page lists the exact reason for the “Factory Seconds” designation, as well as its warranty; most items are backed by All-Clad’s lifetime warranty. Note that you’ll need to enter your email to access the sale, and flat-rate shipping adds $10. Orders ship in 10 to 15 business days. We’ve highlighted our favorite deals below.
Make sure to check out our related buying guides, including the Best Chef’s Knives, Best Meal Kit Subscriptions, and Best Coffee Makers.
Best All-Clad Factory Seconds Deals
We include this pan at every possible opportunity when it’s on sale because it’s such a solid kitchen companion. Many WIRED Reviews team members have it in their kitchens. The shape allows you to make a pan sauce or sear up some steaks. The high walls prevent grease splatter, and you can use it like a wok or Dutch oven in addition to a regular ol’ pan. It’s dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup.
This roaster is a staple in my kitchen during the colder months of the year. It’s safe to use in the oven and under the broiler at up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, and it has enough room for roasting meats or vegetables in large portions (it can hold up to a 20-pound turkey). You can also transfer it to the stovetop to whip up a quick sauce with the roasted drippings. The manufacturer recommends hand-washing.
This hard-anodized nonstick pan is versatile enough to make just about anything. Eggs, vegetables, a pan sauce, and stir-fries are all contenders. It’s made with a PTFE coating. Make sure not to get it too hot, and use nonstick-safe tools and hand-wash it to preserve that coating for as long as you can.
This nonstick pot has a PTFE coating and therefore should be hand-washed. It can be used to simmer, stew, or steam thanks to its tall sides and included lid. It also comes with a steamer basket for all of your vegetable and/or dumpling needs. The pieces nest together for easier storage.
So technically, this thing isn’t a spatula, but in my house that’s what we’d call it. Whether you’re Team Turner or not, nonstick-safe tools can be difficult to come by and they’re crucial to keep around if you’re cooking on nonstick cookware. I like having backups so I don’t have to constantly do dishes. This turner is heat-safe up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and will come in handy for everything from eggs to grilled cheese sandwiches.
The exact reasoning for this being a Factory Seconds item isn’t listed, but a good cast-iron skillet is indispensable for every home chef. It has two pour spouts for easier siphoning or serving, and the finish is resistant to scratches and stains. The skillet is oven-safe up to 650 degrees Fahrenheit.
What Are All-Clad Factory Seconds?
The Factory Seconds Event is run by Home and Cook Sales, an authorized reseller for All-Clad and several other cookware brands. The items featured in the sale (usually) have minor imperfections, like a scuff on the pan, a misaligned name stamp, or simply a dented box. Every product on the website lists the nature of the imperfection in the title (e.g., packaging damage). You’ll need to enter an email address to access the sale.
While the blemishes vary, the merchant says all of the cookware will perform as intended. Should any issue arise, nearly every All-Clad Factory Seconds product is backed by All-Clad’s limited lifetime warranty. (Electric items have a slightly different warranty; check individual product pages for details.) We’ve used more than a dozen Factory Seconds pots, pans, and accessories, and they’ve all worked exactly as advertised. Just remember that all sales are final, and note that you’ll have to pay $10 for shipping. It’s also worth noting that the “before” prices are based on buying the items new, but we still think it offers a good indication of how much you’re saving versus the value you’re getting.
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Tech
‘Veronika’ Is the First Cow Known to Use a Tool
Justice for Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson: A team of scientists has observed, for the first time, a cow using a tool in a flexible manner. The ingenuity of “Veronika,” as the animal is called, shows that cattle possess enough intelligence to manipulate elements of their environment and solve challenges they would otherwise be unable to overcome.
Veronika is a pet cow in Austria. Her owners don’t use her for meat or milk production. Nor was she trained to do tricks; on the contrary, for the past 10 years she has developed the ability to find branches in the grass, choose one, hold it with her mouth, and scratch herself with it to relieve skin irritation.
Until now, only chimpanzees had convincingly demonstrated the ability to employ tools to improve their living conditions. Recent studies also point to whales as the only marine animals capable of using complex tools. This European cow is about to join that exclusive group of ingenious animals.
Videos of Veronika circulating online caught the attention of veterinary researchers in Vienna. They visited the farm, conducted behavioral tests, and carried out controlled trials. “In repeated sessions, they verified that her decisions were consistent and functionally appropriate,” a press release stated.
Veronika’s abilities go beyond simply using a point to scratch herself, explain the authors of the study published in Current Biology. In the tests, the cow was offered different textures and objects, and she adapted according to her needs. Sometimes she chose soft bristles and other times a stiffer point. The researchers say she used different parts of the same tool for specific purposes and even modified her technique depending on the type of object or the area of her body she wanted to scratch.
Although they consider using a tool to relieve irritation “less complex” compared to, for example, using a sharp rock to access seeds, the specialists greatly value Veronika’s ability. For now, she demonstrates that she can decide which part of the tool is most useful to her. The finding suggests that we have underestimated the cognitive capacity of cattle, according to the authors.
Why Is Veronika So Skilled?
The team acknowledges that it’s still too early to say that all cows can use tools with the same skill as Veronika. For now, the researchers are trying to determine how this cow developed an awareness of her surroundings.
Researchers believe her particular circumstances played a role. Veronika has lived for 10 years in a complex, open environment filled with manipulable objects—a very different experience from that of cattle raised for milk and meat production. These conditions fostered exploratory and innovative behavior, they say. They are now searching for more videos of cattle using tools to gather further evidence about their cognitive abilities.
“Until now, tool use was considered a select club, almost exclusively for primates (especially great apes, but also macaques and capuchins), some birds like corvids and parrots, and marine mammals like dolphins. Finding it in a cow is a fascinating example of convergent evolution: intelligence arises as a response to similar problems, regardless of how different the animal’s ‘design’ may be,” said Miquel Llorente, director of the Department of Psychology at the University of Girona, who was not involved in the study, in a statement to the Science Media Centre Spain.
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