How Some Invasive Plants Gain a Foothold?University of California, Riverside genetics Professor Norman Ellstrand led a team of scientists whose findings suggest that harnessing the sexual requirements of some plants can help control the establishment of invasive species.
Using the California wild radish as their model, Ellstrand and graduate student Caroline Ridley at the UCR Department of Botany and Plant Sciences co-authored the research study titled Population size and........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 1/9/2007 8:15:25 PM)
Strong, Clear Guidelines for Marine AquacultureCongress should enact legislation to ensure that strong environmental standards are in place to regulate the siting and conduct of offshore marine aquaculture, as per an independent panel of leaders from scientific, policymaking, business, and conservation institutions. At the same time, the Marine Aquaculture Task Force suggests that the federal government should provide funding and incentives for research, development, and deployment of........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 1/9/2007 5:04:02 AM)
Ground Spider DiversityNone of Takesha Henderson's discoveries are named Charlotte, but they are weaving a new chapter in Texas entomology. Her graduate studies at Texas A&M University have led to the discovery of 25 new spiders in Brazos County and one species found for the first time in Texas.
In research sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Henderson, who is earning a master's degree, has been studying ground spider diversity, distribution and........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/31/2006 7:51:54 PM)
Sex Ends As Seasons ShiftA hormone implicated in the onset of human puberty also appears to control reproductive activity in seasonally breeding rodents, report Indiana University Bloomington and University of California at Berkeley researchers in the March 2007 issue of Endocrinology. The paper is now accessible online via the journal's rapid electronic publication service.
The scientists present evidence that kisspeptin, a recently discovered neuropeptide encoded........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/28/2006 8:44:20 PM)
Biggest Fish Catch In 24 YearsFive tons of marbled Antarctic cod (Notothenia rossii), now that was surely a big surprise to researchers and crew on board of Polarstern, alike considering that prior and subsequent hauls barely ever reaped such plentiful harvests.
Their shimmering silver and dark blue bodies, which can grow up to 70 cm, were piled on the aft deck of the research vessel maintained by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
In........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/26/2006 6:04:56 PM)
Beaked Whales ObservedOn the 17th of December, Meike Scheidat & Linn Lehnert, the whale watchers on board of Polarstern, made a remarkable cetaceans sighting: Four Arnoux's Beaked Whales (Berardius arnuxii), observed from the helicopter.
The Arnoux's Beaked Whales is one of the least known species of the Beaked Whales family (Ziphidae), itself poorly known in general. Arnoux's is one of the biggest species amongst beaked whales. The ones observed were probably 9........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/23/2006 10:56:45 AM)
Tadpoles Fly To Puerto RicoWhile a number of of New York's snow birds head south to Puerto Rico for time in the sun, a recent batch of first-time fliers--born and raised in the city--are heading down for a different reason: to save their own species. And tadpoles generally do not fly, unless they are part of a reintroduction program to save the Puerto Rican crested toad, as per the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which has joined an ongoing effort to save the........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/20/2006 7:01:13 PM)
Are Nanoparticles Viable Living Forms?Scientists at Mayo Clinic have successfully isolated nanoparticles from human kidney stones in cell cultures and have isolated proteins, RNA and DNA that appear to be linked to nanoparticles. The findings, which appear in the recent issue of the Journal of Investigative Medicine, are significant because it is one step closer in solving the mystery of whether nanoparticles are viable living forms that can lead to disease -- in this case, kidney........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/20/2006 4:23:08 AM)
How To Avoid A BatCurrent understanding of the co-evolution of bats and moths has been thrown into question following new research reported today in Current Biology.
Dr James Windmill from the University of Bristol, UK, has shown how the Yellow Underwing moth changes its sensitivity to a bat's calls when the moth is being chased. And in case there is another attack, the moth's ear remain tuned in for several minutes after the calls stop.
Dr Windmill said:........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 9:30:08 PM)
Flexibility In Flight Behaviour In Marine IguanasWho of us has not dreamt of living on an island? Apparently, island life has certain advantages. This is also true for the marine iguanas. For millions of years they have lived without natural predators. In the course of evolution they have become excessively tame. Hundreds of reptiles doze, spread-eagled, on black lava rocks, soaking up the sun - behaviour that would be unthinkable in an environment with predators, where reptiles are........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 9:26:06 PM)
Discoveries Of New Species In Borneo's RainforestsResearchers have discovered at least 52 new species of animals and plants this past year on the island of Borneo. The discoveries, described in a new WWF report, include 30 unique fish species, two tree frog species, 16 ginger species, three tree species and one large-leafed plant species.
"The more we look the more we find," said Stuart Chapman, WWF International Coordinator of the Heart of Borneo Program. "These discoveries reaffirm........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 9:09:28 PM)
Logging, Mineral Exploitation Could Erase Two-thirds of Congo BasinDo you know, the Congo Basin loses some 3.7 million acres a year to agriculture, logging, road development, oil exploitation and mining? Yes, this is what the WWF's Central African regional office (CARPO) said in a recent report.
And, if logging and mineral exploitation continues at the current rates in the world's second largest tropical forest - after the Amazon forests - two-thirds of it could disappear within just 50 years! - the........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/17/2006 8:03:28 PM)
Ebola-Outbreak Kills 5000 GorillasSince reports of ape die-offs first circulated widely in 2003, sceptics have doubted how large these die-offs were and whether Ebola was even the cause. The new study, led by Magdalena Bermejo of the University of Barcelona, allays these doubts because it was conducted in a closely monitored gorilla population where genetic tests confirmed Ebola as the cause of death. Bermejo and his colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/15/2006 5:10:06 AM)
Stem Cells have Help to Renew ThemselvesStem cells are not fixed as to their potential development (pluripotent). Thus, stem cells from embryos may one day be able to help to manage or cure a number of different diseases. Initially, however, researchers want to keep large numbers of pluripotent cells in the laboratory which then differentiate into specialised cells. This is the only way they will acquire a sufficient quantity of specialised cells which might be used for therapeutic........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/15/2006 5:01:01 AM)
Oysters Can Take Heat And Heavy MetalsPollution is bad for the sea life and so is global warming, but aquatic organisms can be resilient. However, even organisms tough enough to survive one major onslaught may find that a double whammy is more than their molecular biology can take.
A new study has observed that even relatively low levels of heavy metal pollution can interfere with the metabolic processes of oysters, and that the effects of the pollution become especially notable........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 6:56:50 PM)
Squid-inspired Design For Underwater VehiclesInspired by the sleek and efficient propulsion of squid, jellyfish and other cephalopods, a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher has designed a new generation of compact vortex generators that could make it easier for researchers to maneuver and dock underwater vehicles at low speeds and with greater precision.
In addition, the technology - seemingly inspired by the plots of two classic sci-fi films - may soon allow doctors to guide........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 5:03:49 AM)
'ZIP Code' Spurs Cargo Transport in NeuronsFor the first time, researchers have identified a peptide that can spur cargo transport in nerve cells, a discovery that could help scientists better understand nerve cell function and test possible therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Elaine Bearer, a professor at Brown Medical School, led the research, which was conducted at the MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) in Woods Hole, Mass., where Bearer was a Dart Scholar and is a Whitman........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/12/2006 4:48:15 AM)
Plant One Tree And Save The EarthCan planting a tree stop the sea level from rising, the ice caps from melting and hurricanes from intensifying?
A new study says that it depends on where the trees are planted. It cautions that new forests in mid- to high-latitude locations could actually create a net warming. It also confirms the notion that planting more trees in tropical rainforests could help slow global warming worldwide.
In the first study to investigate the........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/11/2006 9:35:58 PM)
Upsetting Notions about Honey BeesGenetic research, based on information from the recently released honey bee genome, has toppled some long-held beliefs about the honey bee that colonized Europe and the U.S.
According to research published recently in Science, an international professional journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the four most common subspecies of honey bee originated in Africa and entered Europe in two separate........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/11/2006 9:22:05 PM)
Amazing Forms Of LifeI was reading the news about deep-sea creatures found in the Atlantic Ocean, and thought I might share some of this with you. The report speaks about mysterious creatures that are found in the deep sea. In one place the researchers found Atlantic shrimp, which was living around a vent that was releasing water heated to 765 degree Fahrenheit!
An underwater peak in the Coral Sea was home to a type of shrimp thought to have gone extinct 50........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/10/2006 5:46:35 PM)
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Forest Fires Release MercuryForest fires release more mercury into the atmosphere than previously recognized, a multidisciplinary research project at the University of Michigan suggests.
The study, which has implications for forest management and global mercury pollution, was published online today (Jan. 9) in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles.
Doctoral student Abir Biswas, the paper's lead author, came up with the idea for the project when he was a student........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 1/9/2007 9:06:07 PM)
New sucker-footed bat in MadagascarResearchers have discovered a new species of bat that has large flat adhesive organs, or suckers, attached to its thumbs and hind feet. This is a remarkable find because the new bat belongs to a Family of bats endemic to Madagascar--and one that was previously considered to include only one rare species. The new species, Myzopoda schliemanni, occurs only in the dry western forests of Madagascar, while the previously known species, Myzopoda........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 1/7/2007 9:28:22 PM)
Rapid, Low-Cost DNA TestingProfessor Lewis Rothberg of the University of Rochester Chemistry Department received a NYSTAR grant in August 2006 to continue working on a recent discovery by Huixiang Li, a research associate in his group: how to rapidly test DNA to improve our health and make sure we're drinking clean water and eating uncontaminated food. In fact, his new method can be used to help forensics labs identify criminals, test ponds and pools before children swim........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 1/7/2007 9:21:21 PM)
Intelligent Software SolutionsTransinsight GmbH is a software company focused on the life sciences that provides products and solutions for knowledge-based technologies. Their flagship product, GoPubMed, a well established biomedical search engine, will be extended towards biomedical image search and knowledge-based image recognition. Particularly particle tracking imagery produced by high throughput microscopy will be a focus in the upcoming years.
"The extraordinary........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/28/2006 9:12:11 PM)
Dust Needed for Brazilian rainforesMore than half of the dust needed for fertilizing the Brazilian rainforest is supplied by a valley in northern Chad, as per an international research team headed by Dr. Ilan Koren of the Institute's Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Department. As per a research findings published recently in Environmental Research Letters, the researchers have explained how the Bodele valley's unique features might be responsible for making it such a........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/28/2006 8:31:16 PM)
How Does A Zebrafish Grow A New Tail?This interesting article I was reading today illustrates how amazingly zebra fish regains its tail after losing one. Apparently a zebrafish tail grows back within a matter of one week. It not only can replace the tail, but also can replace a number of other body parts. Amazing!
A tail fin, for example, has a number of different types of cells and is a very intricate structure. It is the fish version of an arm or leg.
The question of how........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/26/2006 5:56:52 PM)
Giraffe: Winning by a neckWhenever I go to a zoo, I stand in front of the giraffes and watch with awe and respect at these wonderful creatures. I always consider them to be an extreme example of natural selection. I read this article and thought it would be worth mentioning in our blog.
The giraffe's elongated neck has long been used in textbooks as an illustration of evolution by natural selection, but this common example has received very little experimental........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/23/2006 9:00:01 AM)
Climate Change And Endangered Naked CarpForthcoming in the January/February 2007 issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, a groundbreaking study reveals an unanticipated way freshwater fish may respond to water diversion and climate change. Endangered naked carp migrate annually between freshwater rivers, where they spawn, and a lake in Western China, where they feed and grow. However, Lake Qinghai is drying up and becoming increasingly more saline--leading to surprising........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/20/2006 5:09:24 AM)
Language of the Nerve CellsUC San Diego biologists have shown that the chemical language with which neurons communicate depends on the pattern of electrical activity in the developing nervous system. The findings suggest that modification of nerve activity could have potential as a treatment for a wide range of brain disorders.
In the study, published this week in the early on-line edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the biologists........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/20/2006 4:16:39 AM)
Top 10 Myths About EvolutionThough the United States is the world leader in science and technology, a number of of its citizens display a shocking ignorance regarding basic scientific facts. Recent surveys have revealed that only about half of Americans realize that humans have never lived side by side with dinosaurs, and about the same number reject the idea that humans developed from earlier species of animals. This lack of knowledge in the face of overwhelming........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 9:19:27 PM)
Biological Clock For Smell In MiceBiologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered a large biological clock in the smelling center of mice brains and have revealed that the sense of smell for mice is stronger at night, peaking in evening hours and waning during day light hours.
A team led by Erik Herzog, Ph.D., Washington University associate professor of Biology in Arts & Sciences, discovered the clock in the olfactory bulb, the brain center that aids the........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 9:15:14 PM)
Frankincense Trees Overexploited For Christmas ScentCurrent rates of tapping frankincense - which as per the Bible was given to the baby Jesus by the three wise men at Christmas and which will feature in thousands of Nativity plays in coming days - are endangering the fragrant resin's sustained production, ecologists have warned. Writing in the recent issue of Journal of Applied Ecology, ecologists from the Netherlands and Eritrea say that over tapping the trees results in them producing fewer,........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/18/2006 4:54:49 AM)
Bell Pepper, with Loads of Taste and Medicinal ValuesBell pepper is of three basic types - red, green, yellow and a number of more. Each has its own taste and medicinal value, plus the delicacy of being delicious too. Bell pepper is most usually known as the capsicum as it is derived from the capsicum plant. Bell pepper contains a recessive gene which eliminates the capsaicin in the fruit.
Capsaicin:
The chemical compound capsaicin (8- methyl- N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) which is the........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/17/2006 8:00:10 PM)
Identification of carbon dioxide receptors in insectsMosquitoes don't mind morning breath. They use the carbon dioxide people exhale as a way to identify a potential food source. But when they bite, they can pass on many dangerous infectious diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, and West Nile encephalitis. Now, reporting in today's advance online publication in Nature, Leslie Vosshall's laboratory at Rockefeller University has identified the two molecular receptors in fruit flies that help........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 8:00:17 PM)
Tigers Can Maintain High NumbersA landmark study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says tigers living in one of India's best-run national parks lose nearly a quarter of their population each year from poaching and natural mortality, yet their numbers remain stable due to a combination of high reproductive rates and abundant prey. The study, which appears in the journal Ecology, underscores the need of maintaining protected areas with........Go to the Animal-science-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 7:19:16 PM)
Soil Nutrition And Carbon SequestrationUSDA Forest Service (FS) researchers from the FS Southern Research Station (SRS) unit in Research Triangle Park, NC, along with colleagues from Duke University, published two papers in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) that provide a more precise understanding of how forests respond to increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the major greenhouse gas driving climate change.
Building on........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 6:27:19 PM)
Lightning Fires Help Preserve Oak ForestsOak forests may be approaching extinction but lightning fires may play a vital role in their regeneration, as per Case Western Reserve University biologists.
Paul Drewa, assistant professor in Case's biology department, and graduate student Sheryl Petersen, suspect that these kinds of fires may provide a natural mechanism to deter encroachment of shade tolerant hardwoods, particularly red maples that are crowding out oaks and other plants on........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/13/2006 4:36:37 AM)
Agricultural Production In Great LakesThe Netherlands Government is launching a project to promote peace and environmental stability by improving soil health, intensifying farm production, and increasing trade in one of the world's poorest areas: the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa.
The highest population density in Africa is in the Great Lakes Region: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, western Tanzania, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"The Great Lakes region........Go to the Plant-science-blog (Added on 12/11/2006 9:42:36 PM)
Finding Mind-body Connection With Fruit Fly SexMale fruit flies are smaller and darker than female flies. The hair-like bristles on their forelegs are shorter, thicker. Their sexual equipment, of course, is different, too.
"Doublesex" is the gene largely responsible for these body differences. Doublesex, new research shows, is responsible for behavior differences as well. The finding, made by Brown University biologists, debunks the notion that sexual mind and sexual body are built by........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/11/2006 4:47:39 AM)
Structure of DNA-Doctoring Protein ComplexMore than half of the human genome is made up of bits of mobile DNA, which can travel inside the body and insert genes into the chromosomes of target cells. This DNA doctoring not only shapes species over time, it also spreads antibiotic resistance and is used by bacteria that spread Lyme disease and by viruses associated with certain forms of cancer.
Last year in Nature, researchers working in the Brown University lab of Arthur Landy and........Go to the Biology-blog (Added on 12/11/2006 4:42:44 AM)
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