Space cannabis and fighting cancer with 'pharaohs' curse fungus'
Things I Saw This Week — Friday, June 27
Fashion
What’s old is new again: The bandage dress is back.
Some 15 years after its last renaissance, the bandage dress, that item of clothing invented in the mid-1980s that makes the wearer look as if she has been sucked into a tube, shrink-wrapped and excreted back into the world, is once again resurgent — just as it is every time the twin forces of body culture and economic gloom combine. And with it comes the debate about whether the dress is ultimately about objectification or self-empowerment.
Film
A roundup:
“‘Dystopian dream’: What it was like to live in the ‘Home Alone’ house in Winnetka”
“San Fernando music shop featured in 1992 ‘Wayne’s World’ closes after nearly 78 years”
Food (and Drink!)
This week, food and drink is more so drink-related.
A guide to Las Vegas’ best lobby bars, including one that I have visited (and have a funny story about), the Vesper Bar at the Cosmopolitan. It’s straight out of a James Bond movie.
From Punch: Eighteen regional American cocktail recipes.
The story goes something like this: Fifty years ago, Jerome Adams, originally from Georgia, got a job at Detroit’s Bayview Yacht Club as a dishwasher, quickly graduating to porter before landing a spot behind the nautical mahogany bar overlooking the freighters in the Detroit River. This is where, on a slow afternoon in February 1968—an undeniably odd time to break out a blender—Adams served the first Hummer, a whirred-up combination of white rum, Kahlúa, vanilla ice cream and a couple of ice cubes. It is now, without contest, Michigan’s state drink.
Housing
Campos Eliseos has long been inhabited by lower-income residents, with pockets of drug activity and vacant or under-utilized buildings. Past efforts have failed to transform the area and locals remain skeptical about whether this new push will bring valuable real estate investments to the region or just drive out other existing residents.
…
Favela do Moinho, Sao Paulo’s only slum in a central neighborhood, is located between train lines in a walled area with only one entrance and exit, making evacuation difficult in emergencies, according to the government. But the favela is also conveniently located close to train and bus stations, public hospitals and schools.
Music
Architectural Digest takes us on a 20-minute tour of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts series’ set.
A look into country songwriter Ashley Gorley’s methods. Gorley has co-written 83 No. 1 hits. And the Songwriters Hall of Fame said he was “the most commercially successful songwriter of all time.”
A ’90s MTV-addicted kid who grew up on pop, rock and rap, Gorley ranked Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis among his songwriting heroes. His affinity for R&B informed his own writing, along with first-hand knowledge of growing up in the South. A fluid freestyler, he brought hip-hop rhythms and rhymes to the familiar country narratives of pickup trucks, broken hearts and throwing back an ice-cold beer. This mix of elements proved irresistible to younger listeners over the last decade — and led to a resurgence of popularity for country, with superstars from Morgan Wallen to Jelly Roll (both of whom write with Gorley) now selling out arenas and stadiums.
The article breaks down his process on several songs.
Science
The so-called “pharaoh’s curse fungus” could be used to fight cancer.
A deadly fungus linked to deaths in archaeologists excavating ancient tombs has been turned into a new cancer-fighting compound. A team at the University of Pennsylvania modified some of the chemicals in the toxic crop fungus Aspergillus flavus, aka the “pharaohs’ curse” fungus, and created a new compound that kills leukemia cells. The findings are detailed in a study published June 23 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology and are an important step towards discovering new fungal medicines for cancer.
“Fungi gave us penicillin,” said Sherry Gao, a study co-author and UPenn chemical and biomolecular engineer, said in a statement. “These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found.”
Here’s why scientists are sending cannabis (seeds) into space:
Best known for producing the cannabinoids THC and CBD, Cannabis Sativa L. contains hundreds of different compounds, many of which are still being discovered and the effects of which we don’t fully understand. What we do know is that it is a resilient plant, coping well with stressors such as UV light and radiation (such as gamma rays), which are used to aid in its cultivation here on Earth. It has also grown in climates from the highlands of Tibet to the jungles of Southeast Asia and the deserts of Afghanistan and can be raised in controlled conditions.
Gary Yates, a plant researcher and head of cultivation at Hilltop Leaf, a medical cannabis manufacturing facility in the UK, agrees that the versatility of cannabis makes it a “leading contender” for a space crop. “Its hardiness makes it perfect for an extreme environment,” he tells WIRED. “It has shown great resilience and can grow in unexpected places. It doesn’t demand too much water, is known to thrive in low-nutrient soil, and has demonstrated phytoremediation potential, for removing toxins and heavy metals from the ground.”