Today, we marvel at the behavior of killer whales, explore the promise of a new center for the treatment of rare diseases and celebrate four mathematicians under 40. Plus: the most read science article this week and a quiz! Orcas attack, fish explodes
Ocean sunfish are the largest bony fish in the world. Their impressive size and thick skin usually deter predators. But off the coast of Baja California, a group of orcas has adopted a brutal way of hunting them: With an unusual maneuver, the killer whales pulverize the giants. One scientist who observed the strategy said the orcas tossed around a sunfish “like a Frisbee” before making it “explode.” ‘Too rare to care’?
Without fail, David Liu of the Broad Institute gets at least 20 messages every week from desperate parents. Their child, they’ll explain, has an ultrarare and devastating disorder caused by a mutant gene. Can he help them develop a gene therapy? Dr. Liu, a gene-editing researcher, answers honestly: Although the science is there, the system for developing treatments for rare diseases is just not economically feasible. The catchphrase, said Dr. Wendy Chung of Boston Children’s Hospital, is “too rare to care.” A new initiative between the Broad Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital and the Jackson Laboratory is hoping to change that mentality. On Tuesday, they announced the start of a nonprofit, the Center for Therapeutic Genetics, to develop gene therapy treatments that can be used and reused in disease after disease. Young mathematicians
Four mathematicians whose work covers areas like algebraic geometry and partial differential equations are the latest recipients of the Fields Medals, awards that are given out every four years to the brightest young researchers in the field. This year’s recipients, announced on Thursday during the International Congress of Mathematics in Philadelphia, solved cutting-edge problems, including one that seemed like a simple puzzle of geometry and another that derived a fundamental equation that describes the motion of gases.
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One more thingTEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE This quiz question is inspired by the newly released movie “The Odyssey.” To answer it, we interviewed 10 experts in antiquity, botany and ancient drugs. What’s your guess? Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.) In Homer’s epic, Odysseus’ men eat something so powerful that they forget about home. What plant could the lotus-eaters have been eating? Ziziphus lotus, often referred to as a jujube. Nymphaea caerulea, or blue lotus. Thanks for joining us this week! Let us know how we’re doing at sciencenewsletter@nytimes.com.
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