The Daily Valet. - 1/17/24, Wednesday
✔️ This Is One Cute Carbon Copy
Wednesday, January 17th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I won't mind a clone, but then again, I always wanted a twin brother growing up.
Today’s Big Story
Monkey Clone
A new method could pave the way for Medical research and highlights the limits of cloning
Meet Retro, a cloned rhesus monkey who was born on July 16, 2020. He is now more than three years old and is “doing well and growing strong,” according to Falong Lu, one of the authors of a study published in the journal Nature Communications Tuesday that describes how Retro came to be. This little cutie is only the second species of primate that scientists have been able to clone successfully. The same team of researchers announced in 2018 that they had made two identical cloned cynomolgus monkeys (a type of macaque), which are still alive today.Dr. Falong Lu from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences said rhesus monkeys can aid in medical research, due to their genetic similarity to humans. BBC News reports that previous attempts to clone a rhesus have either not led to births or the offspring have died a few hours later.But successfully creating clones of these monkeys “can help us to obtain non-human primate models with identical genetic backgrounds and genotypes [to each other] in a short time,” study co-author Qiang Sun, a primate neuroscientist said. This would help researchers filter out any effects of genetic variation between models when testing drugs, for example.The first mammal to be cloned — Dolly the sheep — was created in 1996 using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT, where scientists essentially reconstruct an unfertilized egg by fusing a somatic cell nucleus (not from a sperm or egg) with an egg in which the nucleus has been removed. The Chinese team, based in Shanghai and Beijing, used a modified version of SCNT in their work and tweaked the technique further. During hundreds of failed cloning attempts, they realized that, in the early cloned embryos, the outer membrane that forms the placenta did not develop properly. Their workaround involved putting cloned inner cells into a non-cloned embryo, and that allowed the clone to develop normally.The team said that although the success rate of producing viable and healthy clones is low—less than 1% in this case—it pushes forward the understanding of primate cloning. Naturally, this leads to the question: If we're cloning primates, are we closer to actually replicating ... humans? But experts now say these fears “are entirely unfounded” and the efficiency of the cloning process still remains low.
FYI:
Scientists have cloned many mammalian species, including pigs, cows, horses and dogs, but the process has been hit or miss.
The Ups and Downs of Davos
While the world’s geopolitical situation continues to ooze gloom, Financial and Political leaders meet to look forward
The world's five richest men have seen their fortunes more than double since 2020, while over the same period, five billion people have become poorer, according to new research published by Oxfam. The report was released on Monday, the first day of the annual World Economic Forum summit in Davos—a prominent gathering of billionaires. It stipulates that the net worth of the world's five richest individuals, all men, has shot up from $405 billion to $869 billion since 2020. To put that in perspective, Fobes estimated the rate is equivalent to about $14 million per hour.You might be wondering, what exactly is this World Economic Forum that gets talked about at the start of every year? And why is Davos, as it is commonly known, so significant? The forum was founded in 1971 in a bid to foster global cooperation on political, social and economic issues. The aim of the international not-for-profit organization, which is now headquartered near Geneva, was to bring together the public and private sectors to brainstorm solutions to these global problems, something which remains one of its founding principles and speaks to its mission statement: “Committed to improving the state of the world.”Under the motto “Rebuilding Trust”, the 54th annual meeting kicked off on Monday. But the ongoing fallout from the pandemic as well as from new conflicts around the globe may make it difficult to rebuild trust in institutions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy came out swinging against Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, while urging political and business leaders facing war fatigue in the West to enforce sanctions, help rebuild his country and advance the peace process. Meanwhile, Chinese Premier Li Qiang focused on pitching the country as a place to invest, noting that “we are opening wide our embrace.”
Dig Deeper:
Is Davos still worthwhile? The Financial Times says fear of missing out still makes the Alpine resort the ultimate networking opportunity.
Uber Is Cutting Off Drizly
You might remember that it bought the app for $1.1 billion three years ago
Get in your Drizly booze orders while you can. The app will officially shut down at the end of March, Uber told the Associated Press. That means orders are open until then, Drizly said in details posted on X. Uber bought the alcohol delivery service three years ago for $1.1 billion and it was poised to integrate with Uber Eats, but now it'll just close.Drizly was always a bit of an odd match for Uber, in that it didn't hire or contract its own delivery workers. Instead, Drizly provided backend tech that let local liquor stores provide their own deliveries. Axios reports, however, that the bigger issue might have been cybersecurity. Drizly in 2020 confirmed a hack that exposed information on around 2.5 million customers. Besides, Uber Eats will still be available as an alternative.And maybe that's the problem. A moderate success story once COVID hit, Drizly's usefulness to the everyday consumer has eroded with all the delivery platforms available to us today. InsideHook asks, “You want alcohol now? There's Saucey. Want alcohol now and maybe a sandwich and mixers from other stores? Hello, Uber Eats and Delivery.com.” Looking for something special/rare or don't need the booze right away? Take your pick between The Whisky Exchange, Sip Tequila, Total Wine, ReserveBar, Flaviar, Frootbat and more. And much like the restaurant world and delivery options, there's a good chance the liquor store you like has its own app or website (or, obviously, phone), and it's probably cheaper to contact them directly.
FYI:
At the height of the pandemic, major meal delivery services grew 162% compared to the previous year, according to Bloomberg.
Lamborghini Sold More Cars Than Ever
The Italian supercar maker sold 10,112 Vehicles globally in 2023
For the big boys (Chevy, Toyota, BMW, etc.), selling 10,000 cars in a year does not count as a big achievement. But for those that sit at the top of the luxury segment—you know, the ones selling sports cars for a little less than the average home price in America—it represents a significant milestone. Lamborghini just confirmed it broke 10,000 sales for the first time last year, delivering a total of 10,112 cars worldwide. And according to Car and Driver, it's the first time in the brand's 60 year history it has broken into five figures.The United States proved to be the biggest market, with a very exact 3,000 cars coming here, and another 357 going to Canada. Lamborghini has in recent years expanded its output, relying on solid demand from wealthy car lovers. And Autoblog points out that it's now catching up to rival Ferrari, which will release 2023 data later this year, but shipped more than 13,200 cars in 2022.Unsurprisingly the Urus SUV was the best-selling model, with just over 6,000 sales over 12 months as 3,962 new examples of the Huracan found homes. There were also 63 Lambo builds that shipped out with a V12, including the final dozen Aventadors and some other limited-run stuff. But if they're all starting to feel a little too popular, you might want to stick with Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce, which remain rarer choices.
Meanwhile:
A man in Texas is in jail after authorities say he stole a Lamborghini, then hid the supercar in his own garage.
In Other News
It has the ability to lift half-million children out of poverty.
Have you heard about ...
Become a Planner
When it comes to planning, choose paper over plastic
When it comes to the start of a new year, our own Brett F. Braley-Palko looks at it as both a literal and a figurative blank page: “This is, of course, because of my undying commitment to using a physical planner. While I have tried (and really tried!) to go digital, there is just something about scribbling down my daily tasks that makes it feel more concrete. Every time I scratch off something on my to-do list, it feels that much more real than simply swiping left or right on a phone screen.”He makes the case for why you should consider writing things down—by hand, in a paper planner. It not only helps you keep track and remember things, but at the end of the week, the month and the year, you've got a really cool (and rewarding) record of what you've accomplished. And what's still left to do.
Read:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A long overcoat
Want to see the difference between a man and boy? Look at his choice of overcoat. Winter is hitting hard and I see grown guys shuffling down the sidewalk in nothing more than a hoodie with a fleece thrown over it. You almost feel bad for them. Almost. But then I notice a man in a long overcoat—collar turned up and chin nestled into a cozy scarf—standing strongly despite the arctic chill in the air. This is a man who understands that dressing for the occasion provides you with a sense of comfort and confidence. The right overcoat for 2024 isn't just some outerwear you throw on when the forecast includes windchill. These longer coats will be something of a wardrobe staple.
Get It:
Double-breasted overcoat, $998 by Todd Snyder
Morning Motto
Go for it!
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