Light-sensitive Protein Found In Many Marine Bacteria:
New light has been shed on proteorhodopsin, the light-sensitive protein found in many marine bacteria. Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley have demonstrated that when the ability to respire oxygen is impaired, bacterium equipped with proteorhodopsin will switch to solar power to carry out vital life processes.
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The Last Wild Hunt: Deep-sea Fisheries Scrape Bottom Of The Sea:
An international team of leading fisheries economists, biologists, and ecologists is calling for the abolition of government fuel subsidies that keep deep-sea fishing vessels moving to deeper waters. The group made its call Feb. 18 at a press conference at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting (AAAS).
Is Biodiversity The Future Of Farming?:
Industrial agriculture faces painful challenges: the end of cheap energy, depleted water resources, impaired ecosystem services, and unstable climates. Scientists searching for alternatives to the highly specialized, energy intensive industrial system might profitably look to the biological synergies inherent in multi-species systems, according to an article in the March-April 2007 issue of Agronomy Journal.
Hunting Martian Fossils Best Bet For Locating Mars Life, Says Researcher:
Hunting for traces of life on Mars calls for two radically different strategies, says Arizona State University professor Jack Farmer. Of the two, he says, with today's exploration technology we can most easily look for evidence for past life, preserved as fossil "biosignatures" in old rocks.
Studies Of Population Genetics, Evolution Are An Exercise In Bad Taste:
Scientific studies of why foods such as Brussels sprouts and stout beer are horribly bitter-tasting to some people but palatable to others are shedding light on a number of questions, from the mechanisms of natural selection to understanding how our genes affect our dietary habits.
New Bird, Bat Species Revealed By Extensive DNA Barcode Studies:
At unprecedented levels of difficulty involving highly biodiverse and continent-sized landscapes, scientists have successfully tested their ability to identify and DNA "barcode" entire assemblages of species -- the prelude to a genetic portrait of all animal life on Earth. Revealing their results in the UK journal Molecular Ecology Notes, they report having assembled a genetic portrait of birdlife in the U.S. and Canada, and announce the startling discovery of 15 new genetically distinct species, nearly indistinguishable to human eyes and ears and consequently overlooked in centuries of bird studies.
Europeans' Understanding Of Science, Evolution, More Advanced Than Americans:
When it comes to scientific literacy, Americans aren't nearly as evolved as they may think. In fact, only about 40 percent of American adults accept the basic idea of evolution, a figure much lower than any European country. Participating 8:30 a.m. PST Friday in an American Association for the Advancement of Science symposium, titled "Anti-Evolution in Europe: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid, or Not?," Michigan State University's Jon Miller argued that religion plays a major role in how Americans view evolution.
Americans Believe Global Warming Is Real, Want Action, But Not As A Priority:
Most Americans believe global warming is real but a moderate and distant risk. While they strongly support policies like investing in renewable energy, higher fuel economy standards and international treaties, they strongly oppose carbon taxes on energy sources that put carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
How Do We Stop Genocide When We Begin To Lose Interest After The First Victim?:
Follow your intuition and act? When it comes to genocide, forget it. It doesn't work, says a University of Oregon psychologist. The large numbers of reported deaths represent dry statistics that fail to spark emotion and feeling and thus fail to motivate actions. Even going from one to two victims, feeling and meaning begin to fade, he said.
Numbers Are Just Numbers, But How You Grasp Them Fills In Details:
Quickly now, which is a higher risk that you will get a disease: 1 in 100; 1 in 1,000; or 1 in 10? Choosing the correct answer depends on a person's numeracy -- the ability to grasp and use math and probability concepts, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The scenario was part of a series of experiments with University of Oregon students. In this case, 96 percent correctly chose 1 in 10, a 10 percent chance. However, that response came from a more-educated, college-going crowd. The numbers of correct answers fell significantly when put before less educated and older Americans, said Ellen Peters, a UO courtesy professor of psychology and senior research scientist with Decision Research, a non-profit research institute in Eugene, Ore.
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