kevin jiang

i write about science and health for @torontostar.

send me things: [email protected]

[addison raetheon @ITARviolation]

is everyone just in a mass psychosis now or what

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@Nataliesalt @IndyCar @ontario_indy Hi @Nataliesalt! I'm a reporter covering this for the Toronto Star - would you be open to a quick chat about how you feel about this change? Please shoot me a DM or email at [email protected], thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@ThatsSoEZSports @IndyCar @IndyCarOnFOX @ontario_indy Hi @ThatsSoEZSports! I'm a reporter covering this for the Toronto Star - would you be open to a quick chat about how you feel about this change? Please shoot me a DM or email at [email protected], thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@BertAndDomes @LetsTalkHockey9 Hey Jeff, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star, looking to hear from people stuck without power after the storm. Mind shooting me a DM or email if interested?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@LetsTalkHockey9 Hey there, I'm a reporter with the Toronto Star looking to chat with people swept up in the power outages. If interested, mind shooting me a DM or email when you have time?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@glott77 Hey Kevin, I'm a reporter with the Toronto Star looking to chat with people swept up in the power outages. If interested, mind shooting me a DM or email when you have time?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

Have you been dropped or otherwise penalized by your family doctor after visiting a walk-in in Ontario? We'd love to hear from you for a story for @TorontoStar.

Please shoot me a DM or email at [email protected] if interested, thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@_DanielleLeGrow @MikePMoffatt Hi @_DanielleLeGrow I'm sorry this happened to you -- I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star writing about this policy. Do you mind sending me a DM when you have the time?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@MikePMoffatt Hi @MikePMoffatt, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star writing about this policy in Ontario. Do you mind sending me a DM when you have the time?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@adyyhere Hi Ady, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star reporting on the rain and flooding. Could you shoot me a DM when you have the time? Many thanks.

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@SupLSaindonPRPS @Peel_Paramedics @MississaugaFES @BramptonFireES @regionofpeel @weathernetwork @CP24 @CityNewsTO @CTVToronto Hi Lawrence, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star covering the rain and flooding - could you shoot me a DM when you have the time? Many thanks.

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@ryanleopold_can Hi Ryan, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star covering the rain/flooding. Could you shoot me a DM when you have the time?

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@tjfarncombe Hi Travis, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star - mind DMing me when you have time? We'd love to hear from you about this incident, many thanks.

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@AC1DPHA5E Hey @AC1DPHA5E I'm a reporter covering this incident -- can you shoot me a DM when you can? Thank you!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@livingbyyyz Hey @livingbyyyz I'm reporting on this for the Toronto Star -- do you mind shooting me a DM when you can? Thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@shanermurph Hi @shanermurph I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star looking into this. Can you shoot me a DM when you can? Thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@RE_MarketWatch @WINNERS Hey, I'm a reporter for the Toronto Star interested in this, do you mind shooting me a DM when you have a chance? Thanks!

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@Pioldes hey @Pioldes! i'm writing a quick thing on this for @TorontoStar, do you mind shooting me a DM when you're free? thanks a ton

[Veera Rajagopal  @doctorveera]

A mind-blowing paper has come out today in @Nature

In 2016, JC Venter Institute scientists trimmed a bacterial genome to its barest minimum required for life to synthesize what they called a "minimal genome" (https://t.co/Rk8oZJ0bUj).

Today, a group of scientists from Indiana University reports how that minimal genome evolved over 2000 generations in comparison to the non-minimal genome.

The authors found that even when you reduce a bacterial genome to its absolute minimum where every nucleotide matters, the genome undergoes mutational events generation after generation as much as the non-minimal genome. One simply cannot stop the evolution.

Just over 300 days of evolution (equivalent to 40,000 years in humans) the minimal cell has gained everything it lacked in fitness on day one in comparison to the non-minimal cell.

When comparing the evolved traits between the minimal and non-minimal cells, the scientists found something striking. The evolutionary process increased the cell size of non-minimal cells but not that of the minimal cell. But that is not the striking part.

The scientists were able to identify the key mutation that resulted in cell size evolution. And it turned out that the mutation that helped the non-minimal cells to grow bigger is the same that helped the minimal cells to stay smaller. Growing bigger had a survival advantage for non-minimal cells and not growing bigger had a survival advantage for minimal cells. So, the mutation had a context-dependent effect. This just demonstrates that the evolutionary effects on traits have no absolute direction. All that matter is what is beneficial for the organism's survival.

The conclusion of the paper is metaphorically a quote from the Jurassic Park movie:

“Listen, if there’s one thing the history of evolution has taught us is that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new territories, and it crashes through barriers painfully, maybe even dangerously, but . . . life finds a way". (https://t.co/UlxRlb86CT)

https://t.co/zA9OAqSoAu

[kevin jiang @kjiangreports]

@MikeReissWriter Hi @MikeReissWriter, I'm a reporter covering the lost sub. Could you shoot me a DM when you have the chance? Many thanks.