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A28 SCIENCE
Thursday 12 sepTember 2019

In this Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 file photo, a researcher works at
the Avantea laboratory inseminating eggs from the last two
remaining female of northern white rhinos with frozen sperm
from two rhino bulls of the same species, in Cremona, Italy.
Associated Press
Scientists succeed

in creating northern

white rhino embryos In this Feb. 20, 2014 file photo, a liquid nicotine solution is poured into a vaping device at a store
in New York.
Associated Press
By GIADA ZAMPANO and The ultimate goal is to cre-
ANDREA FOA ate a herd of at least five What we know so far about
Associated Press animals that could be re-
CREMONA, Italy (AP) — turned to their natural hab- the U.S. vaping illness outbreak
Scientists announced itat in Africa. That could
Wednesday they have take decades. By CARLA K. JOHNSON Doctors believe this isn’t can damage the lungs,
succeeded in creating Decades of poaching AP Medical Writer caused by a germ. Instead, airways and blood vessels,
two embryos of the near- have taken a heavy toll U.S. health officials are in- they suspect chemical ex- but more research is need-
extinct northern white rhino on the northern white rhino vestigating what might be posure. And vape juice ed to better understand
as part of an international and other rhino species. causing hundreds of serious contains many possible how human bodies react
effort to save the species, The animals are killed for breathing illnesses in peo- culprits. to them.
which is down to just two their horns, which have ple who use e-cigarettes Immune cells containing Much less is known about
animals worldwide, both of long been used as carving and other vaping devices. oily droplets have been the contents of THC oils
them female. material and prized in tra- They have identified about found in the lungs of some and how those chemicals
The embryos, created in ditional Chinese medicine 450 possible cases in 33 patients. These large cells, behave when heated.
the lab with eggs taken for their supposed healing states, including six deaths. called macrophages, are “I wouldn’t rule anything
from the females and properties. A look at what we know so the cleanup crew of the out at this point because
frozen sperm from dead The last male northern far about the outbreak as immune system. University we know so little,” said Dr.
males, are now stored in white rhino was a 45-year- the investigation continues: of Utah doctors think this David Christiani of Harvard
liquid nitrogen, to be trans- old named Sudan, who WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? could be a marker for vap- T.H. Chan School of Public
ferred into a surrogate gained fame in 2017 when Patients are coming into ing injury. They wrote up Health.
mother — a southern white he was listed as “The Most hospitals with cough, chest their findings about six pa- IS THIS BRAND NEW?
rhino — in the near future. Eligible Bachelor in the pain, shortness of breath, tients in the New England There have been occa-
“Today we achieved an World” on the Tinder dating fatigue and vomiting. Journal of Medicine. sional reports of similar ill-
important milestone on a app as part of fundraising HOW SERIOUS ARE THESE WHAT ELSE IS IN VAPE LIQ- nesses, including one from
rocky road which allows us effort. Sudan, named for ILLNESSES? UIDS? 2000 that was tied to inhal-
to plan the future steps in the country where he was Many of the reports involve Most e-cigarettes contain ing homemade marijuana-
the rescue program of the born in the wild, was euth- severe, life-threatening ill- colorless, flavorless chemi- infused oil vapor. The large
northern white rhino,” said anized in 2018 because of nesses in previously healthy cals such as propylene number of cases is new and
Thomas Hildebrandt of the age-related ills. people. glycol and vegetable glyc- alarming to public health
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and The creation of the embry- Many patients received ox- erin, which create an inhal- officials.
Wildlife Research in Ger- os was achieved at Cre- ygen. Some needed to be able vapor when heated. WHO IS INVESTIGATING
many. mona’s Avantea Labora- put on breathing machines The chemicals are consid- AND WHAT ARE THEY DO-
The institute is part of an tories. Cesare Galli and his before they recovered. An- ered safe as food additives ING?
international consortium team extracted five imma- tibiotics didn’t work, and but their long-term effects State and federal health
of scientists and conserva- ture egg cells from each it’s not clear yet whether when inhaled have not officials are testing prod-
tionists that has been plan- of the remaining females, steroid drugs helped. been studied. ucts and analyzing cases
ning and developing the Najin and Fatu, who live at WHAT VAPING PRODUCTS Researchers have found for clues.
procedure for years. a conservancy in Kenya.q ARE INVOLVED? cancer-causing chemi- New York is issuing subpoe-
No single device, ingredi- cals in e-cigarette vapor, nas to three companies
ent or additive has been such as formaldehyde. that sell vaping additives
identified. Most of the pa- However, it’s not yet clear made from vitamin E ac-
tients say they vaped prod- whether those chemicals etate. The state wants to
ucts containing THC, the are present in high enough know more about the in-
high-producing ingredient amounts to cause harm. gredients, the quality of the
in marijuana. Others say E-cigarette vapor contains raw materials, any safety
they vaped only nicotine tiny particles that carry fla- testing performed, sales
and others say they vaped vorings. of the products during the
both THC and nicotine. Some early-stage laborato- past three years and what
IS THERE A COMMON ry and animal studies sug- other additives the compa-
THREAD? gest these flavor particles nies sell.q