January 28, 2006, 6:00 PM CT

Biomass To Reduce Fossil Fuel Dependence

Using plants rather than oil or coal to produce fuels and chemicals could play an essential role in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels, as per a group of researchers from the UK and the USA writing today in the journal Science.

The researchers from Imperial College London, Georgia Tech and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have evaluated the scientific and technological potential of a future based on renewable plant matter and biological material such as trees, grasses, agricultural crops, known as biomass. Their conclusions form the basis of a strategic alliance between the three institutions, the AtlantIC Alliance.

Today's paper describes the scientific challenges of creating a facility to process all the components of biomass. Such a facility would make a range of fuels, foods, chemicals, animal feeds, materials, heat and power in proportions that would give maximum value with minimum waste.

The researchers think that efficient refining of biomass will be vital for producing renewable products with reduced carbon emissions. Biofuels and biomaterials are derived from plants which take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. Their net contribution to the addition of greenhouse gases can be very small if minimal non-renewable energy is used when processing them into useful material or energy products.........

Posted by: Erica      Permalink


January 25, 2006, 9:41 PM CT

Ability To Capture Large Prey

Animal behaviorist Sean O'Donnell was having an afternoon cup of coffee when a giant earthworm exploded out of the leaf litter covering the jungle floor in an Ecuadorean nature preserve. The worm, later measured at nearly 16 inches long, was pursued by a column of hundreds of raiding army ants that quickly paralyzed or killed it.

That sighting, and another involving what turned out to be the same species of army ant feeding on the carcass of a snake, has led O'Donnell of the University of Washington and several colleagues to offer a new theory on the origin of cooperative hunting behavior in army ants, which are among the most socially complex animals known.

Writing in the current issue of the journal Biotropica, O'Donnell and biologists Michael Kaspari of the University of Oklahoma and John Lattke of Universidad Central de Venezuela, propose that mass cooperative food foraging, a key element in the behavior of army ants, may have begun as a way to subdue large prey.

The species that O'Donnell observed is called Cheliomyrmex andicola and it lives mainly underground in New World tropical rainforests. It had been previously identified, but little was known about its behavior or prey until the two chance encounters at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, an ecological preserve in eastern Ecuador.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink


January 24, 2006, 4:44 PM CT

Bacterial Genome Sequenced From Ancient Salterns

Tourists in Spain often stop to ogle the country's a number of saltwater lagoons, used to produce salt since Roman times. Scientists, too, admire these saltern crystallizers-and even more so, the microbes that manage to survive in such briny environs. Now, reporting in the November 28-December 2 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research and collaborators reveal the genome of one bacterium at home in the salty Spanish ponds.

The bacterium is Salinibacter ruber , a bright red, rod-shaped organism. Several years ago, researchers first isolated S. ruber from saltern crystallizer ponds in Alicante and Mallorca , Spain. Eventhough extreme-loving microbes called archaea were known to eke out life in the ponds, researchers were surprised to discover ordinary bacteria also thriving in such a physically demanding environment, at salt concentrations up to 30 percent. How could these microbes-which normally prefer milder environments-thrive in such high salt?

To find out, TIGR scientists Emmanuel Mongodin and Karen Nelson, working with Canadian and Spanish colleagues, set out to sequence S. ruber 's genome. In doing so, the researchers discovered evidence that the resourceful bacterium independently evolved some salt-surviving biochemistry. More surprising, S. ruber apparently also borrowed some genes from neighboring archaeal species, in an unusual example of cross-domain lateral gene transfer.........

Posted by: Ashley      Permalink


January 24, 2006, 4:19 PM CT

How Do Boxers Differ From Poodles?

As any dog lover knows, no two breeds are identical. Some dogs are perfect for sloppy kisses. Others make fierce guardians. Still others resemble tiny, fluffy toys. Now, two new studies by researchers at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and collaborators reveal the genomic differences beneath such canine characteristics.

In the recent issue of Genome Research -a special issue devoted to dog genomes-TIGR scientists Ewen Kirkness and Wei Wang compared the genome sequences of two dogs, a standard poodle and a boxer. Finding key genetic differences between the two dogs, the scientists went on to compare those telltale genetic variations in the genomes from nine additional dog breeds--beagle, Labrador retriever, German shepherd, Italian greyhound, English shepherd, Bedlington terrier, Portuguese water dog, Alaskan malamute, and rottweiler--and five genomes of wild canids (four types of wolves and a coyote).

"This work demonstrates a significant amount of variation that you can see between individual dogs at the genomic level," says Kirkness, lead investigator of the project, funded by TIGR. "That variation can now be exploited to study the differences between dogs, their diseases, development and behaviors." More broadly, Kirkness adds, the comparisons illustrate evolutionary influences that can shape mammalian genomes.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink


January 24, 2006, 3:46 PM CT

Sequence Three Fungus Genomes

From garden compost to forest greenery, the mold Aspergillus fumigatus lurks across much of the world. And so does its impact. The most common mold causing infection, A. fumigatus triggers allergic reactions, asthma attacks--and even deadly infections among people with weakened immune systems.

Now, in the December 22 issue of the journal Nature, researchers at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) and their collaborators report the mold's sequenced genome. The genome could lead scientists to A. fumigatus genes with the potential to generate better diagnostics and therapy for fungal infection. "This genome sequence is going to be central for developing tools for effectively managing A. fumigatus infections as they become more prevalent in the aging population," predicts first author William Nierman, a microbiologist at TIGR.

Nierman co-authored two additional Aspergillus genome papers in the same issue of Nature. One describes a genome project on Aspergillus oryzae, a nonpathogenic food industry workhorse that has produced sake (rice wine), miso (soybean paste), and shoyu (soy sauce) for 2,000 years. The third paper reports the genome sequence of model organism Aspergillus nidulans and compares the organism to A. oryzae and A. fumigatus. The work was carried out collaboratively at several institutions in the U.S., U.K., Spain, Japan, France, Brazil, Austria, Switzerland, and Gera number of. David Denning of the University of Manchester coordinated the projects.........

Posted by: Ashley      Permalink


January 23, 2006, 9:19 PM CT

citrus greening can be managed

Canker topped the list of worries for the Florida citrus industry until citrus greening - described as the world's most serious citrus disease - was found in groves last year.

"In the long term, the industry can live with and manage the canker problem, but citrus greening is a fatal disease that's an even larger threat to the state's signature crop," said Harold Browning, director of the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. "In other areas of the world where greening is a problem, it has never been successfully eradicated".

The disease, which slowly weakens and kills all types of citrus trees, causes fruit to become lopsided and taste bitter, making it unusable. Fruit does not develop the desired color, hence the greening name. There is no known cure for the disease, which is on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's select list of threats to plants and wildlife regulated by the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act. Greening does not harm people.

Browning said the fatal bacterial disease is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), a tiny insect that is now widely distributed throughout Florida, and the disease has been found in more than 440 locations in 11 counties. Browning said it's not practical to eradicate citrus greening, but the spread of the disease can be slowed with an effective integrated pest management program (IPM) that includes limited use of systemic insecticides and beneficial insects that attack the psyllid.........

Posted by: Erica      Permalink


January 23, 2006, 6:46 PM CT

Relationship between ants and bacteria

Ants that tend and harvest gardens of fungus have a secret weapon against the parasites that invade their crops: antibiotic-producing bacteria that the insects harbor on their bodies.

Writing today in the journal Science, an international team led by UW-Madison bacteriologist Cameron Currie illustrates the intricate and ancient nature of this mutualistic relationship. The scientists found that the ants house the bacteria in specialized, highly adapted cavities and nourish them with glandular secretions-an indication that the ants, bacteria, fungus and parasites have likely been evolving together for tens of millions of years.

"Every ant species [that we have examined] has different, highly modified structures to support different types of bacteria," says Currie. "This indicates the ants have rapidly adapted to maintain the bacteria. It also indicates that the co-evolution between the bacteria and the ants, as well as the fungus and parasites, has been occurring since very early on, apparently for tens of millions of years."

Furthermore, Currie says, the fact that the species have coexisted for so long means there might be a mechanism in place to decrease the rate of antibiotic resistance - which could help address a significant problem facing modern medicine. "We can learn a lot about our own use of antibiotics from this system," he says.........

Posted by: Kelly      Permalink


January 20, 2006, 3:21 PM CT

Increased Competition For Pollen

The decline of birds, bees and other pollinators in the world's most diverse ecosystems may be putting plants in those areas at risk, according to new research. The finding raises concern that more may have to be done to protect Earth's most biologically rich areas, scientists say in an article appearing in the Jan. 17 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The analysis shows that ecosystems with the largest number of different species, including the jungles of South America and Southeast Asia and the rich shrubland of South Africa, have bigger deficits in pollination compared to the less-diverse ecosystems of North America, Europe and Australia.

"The global pattern we observed suggests that plants in species-rich regions exhibit a greater reduction in fruit production due to insufficient pollination than plant species in regions of lower biodiversity," said Susan Mazer, a co-author of the article and a biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Typically typically she and her colleagues believe such biodiversity "hotspots" are characterized by stronger competition among plant species for pollinators, such that many plant species simply don't receive enough pollen to achieve maximum fruit and seed production.

"Many plants rely on insects and other pollen vectors to reproduce," said Jana Vamosi, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Calgary and co-author of the paper. "We've found that in areas where there is a lot of competition between individuals and between species, many plants aren't getting enough pollen to successfully reproduce. If plants can't survive, neither can animals. These biodiversity hotspots are important because they are where we most often find new sources of drugs and other important substances. They are also the areas where habitat is being destroyed the fastest".........

Posted by: Erica      Permalink


January 18, 2006, 9:54 PM CT

Narrowing gap between Human and Chimpanzee

A team of scientists has proposed new limits on the time when the most recent common ancestor of humans and their closest ape relatives -- the chimpanzees -- lived. Researchers at Arizona State and Penn State Universities have placed the time of this split between 5 and 7 million years ago -- a sharper focus than that given by the prior collection of molecular and fossil studies, which have placed the divergence anywhere from 3 to 13 million years ago.

The researchers analyzed the largest data set yet of genes that code for proteins and also used an improved computational approach that they developed, which takes into account more of the variability -- or statistical error--in the data than any other prior study. Gene studies are needed to address this problem because the interpretation of the earliest fossils of humans at the ape/human boundary are controversial and because almost no fossils of chimpanzees have been discovered. "No study before has taken into account all of the error involved in estimating time with the molecular-clock method," said Sudhir Kumar, lead author on the report, which was published early online in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The team describes its new statistical technique as a "multifactor bootstrap-resampling approach".........

Posted by: Jaison      Permalink


January 18, 2006, 9:50 PM CT

Sequence DNA of Woolly Mammoth

A team of genome scientists at Penn State University and experts in ancient DNA at McMaster University in Canada has obtained the first genomic sequences from a woolly mammoth, a mammal that roamed grassy plains of the Northern Hemisphere until it became extinct about 10,000 years ago. The team's research on bones preserved in Siberian permafrost will be published on 22 December 2005 by the journal Science on the Science Express website. The project also involved paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History (USA) and scientists from Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Gera number of.

"We demonstrated that 50 percent of the total DNA extracted from the bone was mammoth," says Stephan C. Schuster, associate professor at Penn State's Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics. "This allowed us to compare hereditary information from the cell's nucelus of today's African elephants with the one from this ancient species".

The project became possible through the discovery of exceptionally well preserved remains of a mammoth skeleton in the permafrost soil of northern Siberia, in combination with a novel high-throughput sequencing technique that could cope with the heavily fragmented DNA retrieved from the organism's mandible, its jaw bone. "The bone material used in this study is approximately 28,000 years old, as was shown by beta carbon dating analysis," said Hendrik N. Poinar, associate professor of anthropology at McMaster University. "This was a surprising finding, as it demonstrated that the analyzed material was frozen for more than 10,000 years before the maximum of the last ice age." The research team used a comparative computational approach to demonstrate that an unprecedented large percentage of the bone DNA was indeed mammoth DNA, while the remaining genetic material was shown to belong to microorganisms and plants living the tundra soil.........

Posted by: Jaison      Permalink