Science News
clock | December 14, 2007On Fridays I look at the new stuff published on PLoS community journals, i.e., PLoS Pathogens, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Genetics and Computational Biology. Here are my picks for this week:
The Per2 Negative Feedback Loop Sets the Period in the Mammalian Circadian Clock Mechanism:
Network models of biological systems are appearing at an increasing rate. By encapsulating mechanistic detail of chemical and physical processes, mathematical models can successfully simulate and predict emergent network properties. However, methods are needed for analyzing the role played by individual…
clock | December 14, 2007Blind Humans Lacking Rods And Cones Retain Normal Responses To Non-visual Effects Of Light:
In addition to allowing us to see, the mammalian eye also detects light for a number of "non-visual" phenomena. A prime example of this is the timing of the sleep/wake cycle, which is synchronized by the effects of light on the circadian pacemaker in the hypothalamus. Researchers have identified two totally blind humans whose non-visual responses to light remain intact, suggesting that visual and non-visual responses to light are functionally distinct. Indeed, this separation was suggested by earlier…
clock | December 12, 2007Massive Dinosaur Discovered In Antarctica Sheds Light On Life, Distribution Of Sauropodomorphs:
A new genus and species of dinosaur from the Early Jurassic has been discovered in Antarctica. The massive plant-eating primitive sauropodomorph is called Glacialisaurus hammeri and lived about 190 million years ago.
Aging In Salmon Depends On Choosy Bears:
According to George Bernard Shaw: "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." But how fast does that aging occur once started? In the case of populations of salmon in Alaska studied by Stephanie Carlson and…
clock | December 11, 2007There are 30 new articles published in PLoS ONE today. My personal picks:
Genetic Impact of a Severe El Nino Event on Galápagos Marine Iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus):
El Nino is an ocean-atmosphere phenomenon occurring in the Pacific Basin which is responsible for extreme climate variation in the Southern hemisphere. In this study, the authors investigated whether a severe El Nino event affected the genetic make-up of Galapagos marine iguanas. No strong influence of El Nino on genetic diversity in the iguana populations was uncovered; however, the data suggest that future studies of this…
clock | December 11, 2007Researchers Can Read Thoughts To Decipher What A Person Is Actually Seeing:
Following ground-breaking research showing that neurons in the human brain respond in an abstract manner to particular individuals or objects, University of Leicester researchers have now discovered that, from the firing of this type of neuron, they can tell what a person is actually seeing.
Are Humans Evolving Faster? Findings Suggest We Are Becoming More Different, Not Alike:
Researchers have discovered genetic evidence that human evolution is speeding up -- and has not halted or proceeded at a constant rate, as had…
clock | December 10, 2007On Monday nights, it is time to see what is new in PLoS Medicine and PLoS Biology:
Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk:
Meat consumption in relation to cancer risk has been reported in over a hundred epidemiological studies from many countries with diverse diets. The association between meat intake and cancer risk has been evaluated by looking both at broad groupings of total meat intake, and also at finer categorizations, particularly intakes of red meat, which includes beef, lamb, pork, and veal, and also more specifically processed meats, which includes meats preserved by salting, smoking, or…
clock | December 10, 2007Generosity May Be Genetically Programmed:
Are those inclined towards generosity genetically programmed to behave that way? A team of researchers, including Dr. Ariel Knafo of the Psychology Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believes that this could very well be the case.
Like Humans, Monkey See, Monkey Plan, Monkey Do:
How many times a day do you grab objects such as a pencil or a cup? We perform these tasks without thinking, however the motor planning necessary to grasp an object is quite complex. The way human adults grasp objects is typically influenced more by their…
clock | December 9, 2007Young Chimps Top Adult Humans In Numerical Memory:
Young chimpanzees have an "extraordinary" ability to remember numerals that is superior to that of human adults, researchers report.
Artificial Jellyfish, Explosives Sensor Among Projects Being Developed At Undersea Technology Center:
Artificial jellyfish, explosives sensors and seabed batteries are among the diverse research projects under way just nine months after the creation of a Center of Excellence in Undersea Technology in collaboration with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Rhode Island.
Heads Or Tails? Scientists Identify Gene…
clock | December 7, 2007Each week, there are new articles published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Pathogens, Computational Biology and Genetics. Check them out. Today's pick:
The Role of Carcinine in Signaling at the Drosophila Photoreceptor Synapse:
During signaling in the nervous system, individual nerve cells transfer information to one another by a complex process called synaptic transmission. This communication involves the release of a specific neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft, which then triggers signaling in the downstream neuron by binding to and activating specific cell surface receptors.…
clock | December 7, 2007Humans Appear Hardwired To Learn By 'Over-Imitation':
Children learn by imitating adults--so much so that they will rethink how an object works if they observe an adult taking unnecessary steps when using that object, according to a new Yale study.
Subliminal Smells Bias Perception About A Person's Likeability:
Anyone who has bonded with a puppy madly sniffing with affection gets an idea of how scents, most not apparent to humans, are critical to a dog's appreciation of her two-legged friends. Now new research from Northwestern University suggests that humans also pick up infinitesimal scents…
clock | December 6, 2007Fighting Diseases Of Aging By Wasting Energy, Rather Than Dieting -- Works For Mice:
By making the skeletal muscles of mice use energy less efficiently, researchers report that they have delayed the animals' deaths and their development of age-related diseases, including vascular disease, obesity, and one form of cancer. Those health benefits, driven by an increased metabolic rate, appear to come without any direct influence on the aging process itself, according to the researchers.
Gene Implicated In Human Language Affects Song Learning In Songbirds:
Do special "human" genes provide the…
evolgen | December 5, 2007There are two recent genetics related posts on other blogs that evolgen readers might find interesting:
First, check out Query Gene (via ScienceRoll). This web-ap allows you to couple a nucleotide blast search with a Google search for a term related to your blast query. Here is how the creators describe it:
Query Gene is a web-based program that searches for information about genetic sequences on the web. It is distinctive because it is not limited to a single database, but instead captures genetic information on the entire Internet using Google. Query Gene works by taking a gene sequence in…
clock | December 4, 2007Tuesday night - time to see what's new in PLoS ONE - 28 new papers:
Reporting Science and Conflicts of Interest in the Lay Press:
Forthright reporting of financial ties and conflicts of interest of researchers is associated with public trust in and esteem for the scientific enterprise. We searched Lexis/Nexis Academic News for the top news stories in science published in 2004 and 2005. We conducted a content analysis of 1152 newspaper stories. Funders of the research were identified in 38% of stories, financial ties of the researchers were reported in 11% of stories, and 5% reported financial…
clock | December 3, 2007I thought the name sounded familiar when I checked the newest papers published in PLoS Biology today - yup, that's him, my SciBling and friend Alex Palazzo:
The Signal Sequence Coding Region Promotes Nuclear Export of mRNA by Alexander F. Palazzo, Michael Springer, Yoko Shibata, Chung-Sheng Lee, Anusha P. Dias and Tom A. Rapoport:
In eukaryotic cells, precursors of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are synthesized and processed in the nucleus. During processing, noncoding introns are spliced out, and a cap and poly-adenosine sequence are added to the beginning and end of the transcript, respectively.…
clock | December 3, 2007In Promiscuous Antelopes, The 'Battle Of The Sexes' Gets Flipped:
In some promiscuous species, sexual conflict runs in reverse, reveals a new study. Among African topi antelopes, females are the ones who aggressively pursue their mates, while males play hard to get.
(which Kate explained a few days ago - is ScienceDaily that slow?)
Dinosaur Mummy Found With Fossilized Skin And Soft Tissues:
The amazing discovery of one of the finest and rarest dinosaur specimens ever unearthed -- a partially intact dino mummy found in the Hell Creek Formation Badlands of North Dakota was made by 16-year-old…
clock | December 2, 2007All-Nighters Equal Lower Grades:
With end-of-semester finals looming, here's an exam question: Will pulling an all-nighter actually help you score well? To the dismay of college students everywhere, the correct answer is "no."
Morning Jolt Of Caffeine Might Mask Serious Sleep Problems:
With the holiday season's hustle and bustle in full swing, most of us will race to our favorite coffee shop to get that caffeine boost to make it through the day. However, that daily jolt that we crave might be the reason we need the caffeine in the first place.
Insufficient Sleep Raises Risk Of Diabetes, Study…
clock | November 30, 2007Let's see what is new in PLoS Pathogens, PLoS Genetics, PLoS Computational Biology and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases:
A new installment in the "Ten Simple Rules" series: Ten Simple Rules for Graduate Students
Choosing to go to graduate school is a major life decision. Whether you have already made that decision or are about to, now it is time to consider how best to be a successful graduate student. Here are some thoughts from someone who holds these memories fresh in her mind (JG) and from someone who has had a whole career to reflect back on the decisions made in graduate school, both…
clock | November 30, 2007Ocean Fertilization 'Fix' For Global Warming Discredited By New Research:
Scientists have revealed an important discovery that raises doubts concerning the viability of plans to fertilize the ocean to solve global warming, a projected $100 billion venture.
Separating The Therapeutic Benefits Of Cannabis From Its Mood-altering Side-effects:
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London, have discovered a new way to separate the therapeutic benefits of cannabis from its mood-altering side-effects.
Human Genome Has Four Times More Imprinted Genes Than Previously Identified:
Scientists at Duke…
j7uy5 | November 29, 2007For years, universities have struggled to find ways to move
esoteric technologies from the lab to the commercial sector.
Now, scientists at UC Merced have begun to grapple with
another problem: how to move technology from the toy shop into the lab.
Chemical & Engineering News has a
href="http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i49/8549news2.html">cute
little article explaining how a new professor began using
Shrinky Dinks to make molds for microfluidic devices.
Apparently, the usual photolithography rigs are expensive,
and take time to set up. But it turns out that it is possible
to…
clock | November 28, 2007Gene Study Supports Single Main Migration Across Bering Strait:
Did a relatively small number of people from Siberia who trekked across a Bering Strait land bridge some 12,000 years ago give rise to the native peoples of North and South America?
Greg Laden and Jake Young comment.
Dogs Can Classify Complex Photos In Categories Like Humans Do:
Like us, our canine friends are able to form abstract concepts. Friederike Range and colleagues from the University of Vienna in Austria have shown for the first time that dogs can classify complex color photographs and place them into categories in the…