University of Hawaii
cwilcox | April 16, 2009Cheetahs are unfortunate examples of how genetics can be devastating. After a population bottleneck 10,000 years ago source, cheetahs have become so closely related that it's said you can use skin grafts from any two individuals without rejection. To put that in perspective, your own immediate family is probably too genetically distinct to do that for you. But cheetahs look like they're in great shape compared to Hawaiian Monk Seals, new research from the University of Hawaii has found.
Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) were known to the native Hawaiians as Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or…
cwilcox | September 25, 2008Scientists tend to get a bad rap. We're stereotyped to be workaholic, out-of-touch geeks who think a labcoat is fashionable and would rather spend a day in the lab than at the mall. O.K., some of it is true (dude, labcoats are TOTALLY sexy), but not all of us have no sense of fun or adventure. Just ask the chemists from the University of Hawaii who have decided that there is nothing wrong with mixing business and pleasure.
Robert Liu and his colleagues study the chemistry of Vitamin A, carotenoids, and other polyenes. These chemicals, for those without a degree in chemistry, are pigment…