The Strange Case of the Cyclops Sheep

In 1953, a spate of one-eyed sheep baffled farmers and scientists alike. Almost 60 years later, in 2012, the result of the investigation gave us a new skin cancer treatment. Tien Nguyen connected the seemingly unrelated dots from one event to the other in this TED-Ed lesson. If cyclops sheep isn't weird enough, the story include hedgehog genes and a protein called smoothened. But it will all make sense as you watch it. And you'll gain more appreciation for all those lab people who spend years trying to isolate one protein and will never get credit for curing cancer. (via Laughing Squid)