Three Things to Think About
First, I want to say welcome to all of the new subscribers to The Preamble. I am so happy to have you here.
Last week, I shared three stories you might have missed and asked what you thought. So many of you loved it, so I’m doing it again. Let me know in the comments below what you think!
Transplant Trials Approved
There’s new hope for tens of thousands of people on the kidney transplant list.
This week, the FDA approved two companies for clinical trials that will allow genetically modified pig kidneys to be transplanted into patients with kidney failure.
One of the biotechnology companies, United Therapeutics, said it will start its trial with six patients who have end-stage renal disease but could expand to more than 50 patients. The second company, eGenesis, said it will start with three patients.
Patients waiting for kidneys have the longest wait times in the US for organ transplantation.
Rick Slayman (in the center in the photo above) is one of a few patients living with a xenotransplanted kidney grown in a pig.
Jimmy Carter Honored
Jimmy Carter just won his fourth Grammy.
Before he passed away in December, Carter was nominated in the audiobook category for recordings of some of his final Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church: Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration.
On Sunday, he won a Grammy in the Best Audiobook, Narration & Storytelling Recording category. He beat out Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, George Clinton and Guy Oldfield.
Bald Eagles Bounce Back
American bald eagles have made a comeback. The raptor was on the endangered species list for many decades because of the chemical insecticide DDT, which had disastrous effects on the eagle population.
In 2007, the eagles were delisted from the endangered species list following the ban of DDT in the 1970s.
Maia Edwards, director of science of the American Bald Eagle Foundation, said the bald eagle's rebound has been “one of the few conservation success stories of animals that almost went extinct on our continent.”
In December, President Biden signed a law officially naming the bald eagle the national bird.
And listen, if the world is a lot for you, just pop on the livestream of my favorite nesting pair: Jackie and Shadow, who live in California. They are incubating three eggs as we speak.
I’ll be speaking at the Dole Institute in Kansas this Thursday, Feb 6 at 7pm! Tickets are free, but you’ll have to reserve them in advance. Click here secure your tickets — and yes, I’ll be happy to sign a book for you!
An interesting, calming way to start the day. Nothing to ramp up the blood pressure. Thank you.
We still need to handle Bald Eagles with care. On the east coast, some are struggling due to overfishing of menhaden (fish that eagles typically feed their young). When there aren’t enough menhaden, hatchlings don’t mature and eventually die.
I have a Bald Eagle nest in my backyard and count it a privilege to maintain a healthy ecosystem for their benefit.