Friday's Elk, March 29, 2018

Chilean Scientists Protest the "Ata" Study
Last week, I reported on a study by American scientists on a mysterious, tiny mummy from Chile that some claimed was an alien. The study demonstrated it belonged to a stillborn Chilean girl. In response, the Chilean scientific community has spoken out against the research, contending that the mummy was illegally removed from its grave and then exported illegally out of the country. Some of them are even calling for the study to be retracted. And the Chilean government is stepping in to investigate.

Here's my update, which appeared in Thursday's New York Times. I also highly recommend a commentary published on Sunday by Chilean biologist Cristina Doridor, which provides important historical context about where the mummy was found. (The photo above, of the ghost town where the mummy was found, comes from that piece.)

This blowback reminds me of other incidents, some of which I've reported on. Geneticists these days are eager to use their newly developed tools to sequence as much DNA as they can, in order to better understand human history. But their work comes at the end of a long--and often ugly--history of troublesome relationships between Western scientists and communities of minorities and indigenous people. Here's a piece I wrote about the controversy that arose when scientists sequenced Henrietta Lacks's genome without even contacting her family first. And here's a story about the long-running conflict over "Kennewick Man," an 8500-year-old fossil found in Washington State.
 
The Frogs Are Vanishing (But A Few Are Coming Back)
For some two decades, a deadly fungus has been spreading around the world and wiping out frogs. Many species may already be extinct, with more that may be doomed. But scientists have also found that in recent years a few species seem to be coming back. Here's my column on recent research on the mystery of their rebound.
 
Viruses Infect TV Tonight
I got interviewed for a three-part series about viruses, "Invisible Killers." It's premiering tonight on the Discovery Channel and the Science Channel. Here's a preview where I talk about the kinky sex life of influenza (and why their viral orgy kills so many of us).
 
Two Months Till Publication! (And a Goodreads Giveaway)
Two months left before She Has Her Mother's Laugh comes out! (The photo is from a party I had to spread the word recently.) As part of the run-up, Goodreads is giving away 20 copies. If you get the book and like it, please tell your friends. Tell strangers! And if you don't get it, pre-order it. You'll be doing me a big favor, because pre-orders play an important part in bringing attention to a book when it finally comes out.

If you'd like to hear me talk about the book, you can check out my talks page. I'm only starting to add events there, and more will be falling into place in the weeks to come. I'll post an updated schedule in a future email newsletter.

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Best wishes, Carl