The Dailies

< July 21, 2017 >

Word of the Day

Cahoots (n., kuh-HOOTS)

Covertly collaborating together with someone. A wink here, a nudge there, a passing of a note, a couple hundred under the table...it's a slippery slope.

Gif of the Day

TagsParks and RecreationAndy DwyerLife goalsNailed itIdk whateverBelow the Mendoza line?

Link of the Day

In praise of the liver, the brain of the lower part of the body

The New York Times has a fascinating article about all the functions that the liver does. As we've learned more about the liver, we've come to see that it's a pretty incredible organ:

In one recent study, researchers were astonished to discover that the liver grows and shrinks by up to 40 percent every 24 hours, while the organs around it barely budge.

Others have found that signals from the liver may help dictate our dietary choices, particularly our cravings for sweets, like a ripe peach or a tall glass of Newman’s Own Virgin Limeade — which our local supermarket chain has, to our personal devastation, suddenly stopped selling, so please, liver, get a grip.

Scientists have also discovered that hepatocytes, the metabolically active cells that constitute 80 percent of the liver, possess traits not seen in any other normal cells of the body. For example, whereas most cells have two sets of chromosomes — two sets of genetic instructions on how a cell should behave — hepatocytes can enfold and deftly manipulate up to eight sets of chromosomes, and all without falling apart or turning cancerous.

That sort of composed chromosomal excess, said Dr. Markus Grompe, who studies the phenomenon at Oregon Health and Science University, is “superunique,” and most likely helps account for the liver’s regenerative prowess.

Go read the whole thing.

TagsWritingThe human bodyLiverFearful, wonderfulSo you knowLiverprints?

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