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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for June 7, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Study provides a new framework for understanding the energetics of ionic liquids- Bayesian statistics theorem holds its own - but use with caution
- Comet Lovejoy's wiggle offers glimpse of Sun's variable coronal magnetism (w/ video)
- Whispering light hears liquids talk: Scientists build first-ever bridge between optomechanics and microfluidics
- OLED brings out the shine
- Making sense of patterns in the Twitterverse
- Researchers replicate supershear earthquakes in the lab
- Is Big Data turning government into 'Big Brother'? (Update)
- BlackBerry Q10 smartphone boasts rare physical keyboard
- Computer simulations shed light on how immune cells identify foreign antigens
- PD-like sleep and motor problems observed in alpha-synuclein mutant mice
- Mars rover Opportunity trekking toward more layers
- Unborn babies 'practise' facial expressions in the womb
- The floodwaters of Mars
- Stranded orcas hold critical clues for scientists
Space & Earth news
Greenhouse gas emissions still an issue
The amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities is cause for concern as evidence of major climate change begins to mount. A European research team spanning 15 countries is tackling this challenge by improving our understanding of the problem.
Climate change in the Arctic affecting health in parts of Europe
Climate change in the Arctic is more evident than in most parts of the world, with global warming moving at a rate of almost twice the global average. But this also has an effect on some parts of Europe, which is being investigated by the project ArcRisk ('Arctic Health Risks and Impacts on Health in the Arctic and Europe Owing to Climate-Induced Changes in Contaminant Cycling'). This project is being highlighted to mark World Environment Day.
NASA image: Fires in northern Saskatchewan
NASA's Aqua satellite collected this natural-color image with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS, instrument on June 05, 2013. Actively burning areas, detected by MODIS's thermal bands, are outlined in red. All three fires noted here are more than 100 hectares in size (>247 acres).
Antarctic science documentary is also a teaching tool for aspiring film students
An unusual Rutgers University program that involves undergraduates in making documentary films about science has released a three-minute trailer for a project that was filmed in the ice and beneath the frigid waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. The film project was supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.
First woman in space ready for 'one-way flight to Mars'
Russia's Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space, said on Friday she was ready to score another coup and fly to Mars, even if it would be just a one-way trip.
Measuring carbon in soil takes a leap forward
A breakthrough in the agricultural sector's ability to measure soil carbon storage could provide a major boost to their participation in a carbon economy.
Climate in the Peruvian Andes: From early humans to modern challenges
(Phys.org) —Twice humans have witnessed the wasting of snow and ice from Peru's tallest volcano, Nevado Coropuna—In the waning of the last ice age, some 12,000 years ago, and today, as industrial carbon dioxide in the air raises temperatures again. As in the past, Coropuna's retreating glaciers figure prominently in the lives of people below.
Researcher makes case for restoring wetlands on agricultural lands
(Phys.org) —New research by an Indiana University scientist reveals the value of restoring wetlands and riparian habitat on agricultural lands. The study is among the first to demonstrate the water quality benefits of converting farmland back to natural habitats.
NASA's Orion spacecraft proves sound under pressure
(Phys.org) —After a month of being poked, prodded and pressurized in ways that mimicked the stresses of spaceflight, NASA's Orion crew module successfully passed its static loads tests on Wednesday.
NASA to study how pollution, storms and climate mix
(Phys.org) —NASA aircraft will take to the skies over the southern United States this summer to investigate how air pollution and natural emissions, which are pushed high into the atmosphere by large storms, affect atmospheric composition and climate.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Andrea cover half the East Coast
As Tropical Storm Andrea continued pushing up the east coast of the United States on Friday, June 7, NOAA's GOES-East satellite captured an image that showed its extensive cloud cover. By early afternoon on June 7, Andrea was centered over North Carolina, but its cloud cover blanketed half of the east coast.
Infrared photosynthesis: A potential power source for alien life in sunless places
Photosynthesis—the harvesting of sunlight to produce energy—is the ultimate driver of virtually all life on the surface of our planet. Most photosynthetic creatures rely on optical light, the kind we see, to energize their biological machinery. Yet some can make use of lower-energy (and invisible to our eyes) infrared light. And in the case of one kind of bacteria—discovered years ago, deep underwater near a hydrothermal vent—this light need not even come from the Sun.
The floodwaters of Mars
(Phys.org) —Dramatic flood events carved this impressive channel system on Mars covering 1.55 million square kilometres, shown here in a stunning new mosaic from ESA's Mars Express.
Researchers replicate supershear earthquakes in the lab
(Phys.org) —A team of geology researchers working in France has for the first time recreated the conditions in a lab that lead to a phenomenon known as a supershear earthquake. In their paper published in the journal Science, the researchers describe how they found that compressing granite under certain conditions caused ruptures to propagate faster than shear waves leading to an observable supershear event.
Mars rover Opportunity trekking toward more layers
(Phys.org) —Approaching its 10th anniversary of leaving Earth, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is on the move again, trekking to a new study area still many weeks away.
Radar movies highlight asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon
(Phys.org) —Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have released a second, longer, more refined movie clip of asteroid 1998 QE2 and its moon. The 55 individual images used in the movie were generated from data collected at Goldstone on June 1, 2013.
Comet Lovejoy's wiggle offers glimpse of Sun's variable coronal magnetism (w/ video)
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers studying comet Lovejoy has discovered that as the ball of ice passed through the sun's corona in December 2011, its tail wiggled in a way that allowed them to better understand coronal magnetism. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team says observations of Lovejoy's close call with the sun have helped them improve models used to describe the irregular nature of coronal magnetism.
Technology news
Rights watchdog urges Singapore to drop Internet rules
Human Rights Watch urged Singapore to drop new licencing rules for news websites, saying the "onerous" regulations would limit access to independent media.
Japan and France to tighten nuclear, defense ties
Japan and France agreed Friday to deepen their cooperation on nuclear technology and to discuss joint development of military equipment, vowing to raise the tenor of their partnership.
Bill to legalize web poker introduced in Congress
Gamblers who prefer their laptops to blackjack tables could be getting a boost from Washington.
Quality control in the manufacturing cycle
Even the minutest deviations are detected: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF have created the "Wheelinspector", an in-line compatible system for 100 percent inspection of vehicle wheels without contact.
TiVo settles with Cisco, Motorola and Time Warner (Update)
TiVo has settled patent disputes with Cisco, Motorola Mobility and Time Warner Cable, averting a trial that was to begin next week.
Military vehicle seating: Keeping American soldiers safe
(Phys.org) —Transportation crashes have accounted for two-thirds of U.S. noncombat military deaths since 2000—a trend University of Michigan researchers are hoping to help reverse.
A beautiful wasteland for 'The Last of Us'
It's just after lunch. Naughty Dog has recently completed work on its latest video game, and the developer's dimly lit office space in Santa Monica is less populated than usual. The quiet is so eerie that it feels like at any moment a zombie could surprisingly spring up from one of the dozens of empty cubicles or lunge out from behind a trophy case.
Obama defends phone data collection program
President Barack Obama defended sweeping secret surveillance into U.S. phone records and foreigners' Internet use, declaring them a necessary defense against terrorism, and assuring Americans, "Nobody is listening to your telephone calls."
'People power' could be key to cutting workplace energy costs
(Phys.org) —maginative new ways of empowering factory employees to cut energy use have been devised and successfully trialled by a consortium of UK universities and businesses.
Team's solar-powered wheelchair wins World Cerebral Palsy Day competition
A student team at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science won first place in the 2012 World Cerebral Palsy Day "Change My World in One Minute" competition for its design of a solar-powered wheelchair with retractable panels.
US declassifies phone program details after uproar (Update 3)
The disclosure of the U.S. government's massive collection of Americans' phone records and foreigners' internet use has ignited a fierce uproar, prompting the top U.S. intelligence official to declassify key details about a secret surveillance program in a rare move meant to head off a gathering storm of protest.
Paper: UK government getting US spy agency's data (Update)
The U.K. has been secretly gathering communications data from American Internet giants with the help of fellow spooks at the U.S. National Security Agency, the Guardian newspaper reported Friday, a demonstration of the international scope of America's top-secret espionage program.
But wait, there's more: A US spying Q&A
Wait, there's more? Yes, this was the week that America's intelligence secrets spilled out: Classified court orders. Top secret Power Point slides. Something called PRISM. It's pretty important stuff, once you've made sense of it.
Photos: Where your online data get stored
Internet companies such as Apple, Facebook and Google have vast amounts of data on you.
Google chief calls Internet spying threat to freedoms
Google chief Larry Page on Friday branded Internet spying a threat to freedoms and called for governments to be more revealing about what they try to find out about people's online activities.
NSA seeks recruits via Twitter
The National Security Agency (NSA) is looking for a few good cybersnoops. This week's furor over top-secret collection of phone records and online data isn't deterring the US government's electronic intelligence-gathering service from placing help-wanted posts on its @NSACareers Twitter feed.
Glitch-hit US nuclear plant shut down for good
A California nuclear power plant shut down last year after a radiation leak will be permanently closed, its owners said Friday.
Apple clashes with Amazon in e-book case
Apple attorneys in the US antitrust case on e-books went on the offensive, attacking the credibility of government witnesses and seeking to debunk key elements of the government's case.
New reports allege vast US Internet spying sweep
US spies are secretly tapping into servers of nine Internet giants including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google in a vast anti-terror sweep targeting foreigners, explosive reports said Thursday.
Innovative solar cell structure stores and supplies energy simultaneously
(Phys.org) —The potential energy available via solar power might seem limitless on a sunny summer day, but all that energy has to be stored for it to be truly useful. If you see a solar panel on a rooftop, in a large-scale array, or even on a parking meter, a bulky battery or supercapacitor is hidden just out of sight, receiving energy from the panel through power lines.
OLED brings out the shine
Screens made of organic light diodes promise unfathomable possibilities. Yet high production costs often prevent their widespread use. A new kind of production saves not only costs, but also improves the radiance of the OLED.
Making sense of patterns in the Twitterverse
If you think keeping up with what's happening via Twitter, Facebook and other social media is like drinking from a fire hose, multiply that by 7 billion – and you'll have a sense of what Court Corley wakes up to every morning.
Is Big Data turning government into 'Big Brother'? (Update)
With every phone call they make and every Web excursion they take, people are leaving a digital trail of revealing data that can be tracked by profit-seeking companies and terrorist-hunting government officials.
Medicine & Health news
Living on the margins drives HIV epidemic in Europe and central Asia, new report says
Social and structural factors – such as poverty, marginalisation and stigma – and not just individual behaviours are shaping the HIV epidemic in Europe and central Asia. This is the main conclusion of a new report released today (Friday 7 June) by the World Bank Group, WHO/Europe and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The study systematically reviews evidence on HIV vulnerability and response in all countries of the WHO European Region.
Twin research comes of age
Thanks to thousands of volunteer twins, scientists have discovered over 400 novel genes associated with over 30 diseases over the last two decades, marking a golden era in genetic discovery.
Household crowding key cause of hospital admissions, research finds
One in 10 admissions to hospital in New Zealand to treat infectious diseases such as pneumonia, meningococcal disease and tuberculosis are the direct result of household crowding a new study has found. For Māori and Pacific Island peoples, the figure jumps to one in five.
Children of same sex attracted parents score high on health and wellbeing
Australian children of same-sex couples fared better on average than families from the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion, but continue to be subject to discrimination, interim findings of a University of Melbourne led study has found.
Detection of apple juices and cereals which exceed permitted levels of mycotoxins
Researchers from the University of Granada (Spain) have analysed the presence of patulin, a type of toxin produced by fungi, in several commercial apple juices. The results show that more than 50% of the samples analysed exceed the maximum limits laid down by law. They have also discovered a sample of rice with more mycotoxins than permitted. For their part, researchers from the University of Valencia have also found these harmful substances in beers, cereals and products made from them, such as gofio flour.
Cedars-Sinai opens first-of-its-kind trial in western US for metastatic carcinoid cancer patients
Working to improve treatment and survivorship outcomes, the Cedars-Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute has opened a Phase III clinical trial of targeted radiation for patients with intestinal carcinoid cancer that has spread beyond the intestine. Cedars-Sinai is the only facility in the western U.S. offering this clinical trial.
Weight loss drug Belviq gets overdue US launch
Arena Pharmaceuticals says its weight loss drug Belviq will be available to U.S. patients beginning next week, nearly a year after the drug was officially approved by federal regulators.
Royalty Pharma raises offer to buy drugmaker Elan (Update)
Shares of Elan Corp. PLC jumped Friday after Royalty Pharma once again raised its offer to buy the Irish drugmaker in an increasingly bitter takeover fight.
The protein profile of restless leg syndrome
A protein profile of people with restless leg syndrome (RLS), identifies factors behind disrupted sleep, cardiovascular dysfunction and pain finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS. The research gives insights into the disorder, and could be useful in the development of new treatments.
Biomarker identification may lead to new noninvasive test for colorectal cancer detection
The average 5-year survival for colorectal cancer (CRC) is less than 10% if metastasis occurs, but can reach 90% if detected early. A new non-invasive test has been developed that measures methylation of the SDC2 gene in tissues and blood sera. This test detected 87% of all stages of colorectal cancer cases (sensitivity) without significant difference between early and advanced stages, while correctly identifying 95% of disease-free patients (specificity). The results are published in the July issue of The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Non-invasive first trimester blood test reliably detects Down's syndrome
New research has found that routine screening using a non-invasive test that analyzes fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood can accurately detect Down's syndrome and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester. Published early online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the results suggest that the test is superior to currently available screening strategies and could reshape standards in prenatal testing.
Study shows medical devices complicate complex conditions in kids
As modern medical advances help more children with complex conditions live longer, a new study shows a significant number suffer from complications caused by medical devices that are also necessary for their survival.
For cancer survivors, diet distresses while exercise inspires
While some cancer survivors feel distressed about diet and body weight, exercise helps them feel they are taking back control of their health, Cornell researchers report in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (May/June issue).
How to keep fresh fruits and veggies from going AWOL
Keeping fruits and vegetables fresh while shipping them halfway around the planet presents logistical challenges that even the U.S. military can't solve.
Gene discovery to help parents to avoid fatal baby disease
(Medical Xpress)—One of the genes which causes a muscle disease so severe that newborn babies rarely survive beyond a few days has been discovered by an international team of scientists, coordinated by The University of Western Australia affiliate, the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR).
Father's age affects offspring
(Medical Xpress)—In a new paper, USC Dornsife molecular and computational biologists Norman Arnheim and Peter Calabrese and their team found that the longer a man waits to have children, the greater the chance of having a child with Noonan syndrome.
Genome sequencing reveals mucosal melanoma's bullseye
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists may have found a molecular 'bullseye' for a rare form of melanoma, opening up opportunities for new targeted treatment, according to new research being published in the Journal of Pathology today (Friday).
Cancer's many faces examined in new study
(Medical Xpress)—This year, according to the American Cancer Society, some 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. Some of these patients will succumb to the disease, while others survive and live healthy lives for decades.
New research findings on onset of uterine fibroids provide potential for novel treatments
Uterine leiomyomata, or fibroids, are benign tumours that nevertheless affect the health of millions of women. They may cause, for instance, pain, bleeding and infertility. Fibroids are also the most common reason for a hysterectomy; for example, some 8,000 hysterectomies are made in Finland each year.
Researchers use signals from natural movements to identify brain regions
Whether we run to catch a bus or reach for a pen: Activities that involve the use of muscles are related to very specific areas in the brain. Traditionally, their exact location has only been determined through electrical stimulation or unnatural, experimental tasks. A team of scientists in Freiburg has now succeeded for the first time in mapping the brain's surface using measurements of everyday movements.
Promising results in minimally invasive brain surgery for epilepsy
(Medical Xpress)—A new minimally invasive laser-based tool for epilepsy surgery offers a quicker recuperation time for patients than major surgery, Mayo Clinic researchers report. The research is ongoing, but preliminary results were recently presented at the American Academy of Neurology.
Re-analysis of diabetes drug finds no higher heart attack risk
A re-analysis of the data from a pivotal study of rosiglitazone found no increased risk of cardiovascular events associated with the controversial diabetes drug, according to researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI).
Breastfeeding can reduce maternal breast cancer and heart disease, and save $17 billion in societal costs, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Mothers who breastfeed are at significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer, hypertension and suffering heart attacks than women who do not, according to researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The study findings, published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology, estimate that suboptimal breastfeeding currently results in $859 million in health care costs and over $17.4 billion in societal costs from maternal deaths before the age of 70.
Mandatory flu vaccination of healthcare personnel does not lead to worker exodus
Mandatory influenza (flu) vaccination, as a condition of employment, did not lead to excessive voluntary termination, according to a four-year analysis of vaccination rates at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL.
Three out of 20 scopes used to examine GI tracts and colons improperly cleaned
Three out of 20 flexible gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopes used for screening were found to harbor unacceptable levels of "bio dirt" – cells and matter from a patient's body that could pose potential infection risk—according to a study of endoscopes used at five hospitals across the U.S.
For Alzheimer's caregivers, a much-needed break
(HealthDay)—Day care centers for people with Alzheimer's disease can give their spouses and other family caregivers a much needed source of stress relief, a new study suggests.
Lixisenatide non-inferior to exenatide for diabetes
(HealthDay)—In adults with type 2 diabetes not adequately controlled with metformin, lixisenatide once daily offers diabetes control similar to that of exenatide twice daily, with some added benefits, according to a study published online May 22 in Diabetes Care.
CDC: Multistate hepatitis A virus outbreak reported
(HealthDay)—A multistate outbreak of hepatitis A illnesses, possibly linked to a frozen berry and pomegranate mix, has been identified, according to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diabetes drug shows promise in treatment of neurodegenerative disease
A drug used to control Type II diabetes can help repair the spinal cords of mice suffering from the inherited disease adrenoleukodystrophy which, untreated, leads eventually to a paralysis, a vegetative state and death. This is an important step along the road to the development of a therapy for the human disease for which current treatment options are scarce and only partially effective, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear tomorrow (Sunday). The research is published simultaneously on line in the journal Brain.
Health of entire families at risk through under-use of genetic testing
A new study of the use of genetic testing for cancer-causing mutations in affected families in France has found that its take-up is very low. Professor Pascal Pujol, Head of the Cancer Genetics Department, Montpellier University Hospital, Montpellier, France will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics tomorrow (Sunday) that analysis of data from the French National Cancer Institute covering the years 2003 to 2011 showed that, although there had been a steady increase in tests performed for the breast and ovarian cancer-causing mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2, this was not the case with the MMR mutation, implicated in Lynch syndrome (a form of colorectal cancer). Only a third of relatives of individuals with either mutation underwent genetic testing themselves.
Walking device helps people get back in step
Carl Simmons regularly used to run 5K races. Now the 76-year-old stroke survivor just wants to be able to keep up with his wife on a walk. Through help from Seattle-based Cadence Biomedical's walking device, Simmons is hopeful.
Doctor says, 'I think we're going to cure Alzheimer's disease, and we're not far away from it'
Alzheimer's disease is on the rise, but researchers like Dr. Michael Devous expect the numbers to shift into reverse. "I think we're going to cure Alzheimer's disease, and we're not far away from it," said Devous, a professor and director of the NeuroImaging Core for the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Doctors differ on prostate screening
Prostate screening tests detect prostate cancer early, but questions about whether the tests do more harm than good have made them one of the most hotly debated areas of medicine.
Computer games may help forensic psychiatry patients
Brain-training computer games may help restore memory and competency to forensic psychiatry patients in state mental hospitals, researchers say.
Clinical sequencing technology identifies new targets in diverse cancers
Novel abnormalities in the FGFR gene, called FGFR fusions, were identified in a spectrum of cancers, and preliminary results with cancer cells harboring FGFR fusions suggested that some patients with these cancers may benefit from treatment with FGFR inhibitor drugs, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Vegetable oil IS good for you, researcher says
A typical American consumes approximately 3 or more tablespoons of vegetable oil each day. Vegetable oils, like those from soy, corn and canola, are a significant source of calories and are rich in linoleic acid (LA), which is an essential nutrient. Since the 1970s, researchers have known that LA helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, and for decades, scientists have known that consuming LA can help lower the risk of heart disease. However, some experts have been claiming recently that Americans might be getting too much of a good thing. A new study from the University of Missouri contradicts that claim.
WHO raises MERS virus death toll to 31
The World Health Organization on Friday formally raised the global death toll from the SARS-like virus MERS to 31, after a new fatality in hard-hit Saudi Arabia.
Gene variant may provide novel therapy for several cancer types
(Medical Xpress)—A novel gene variant found in human and animal tissue may be a promising treatment for cancer, including breast and brain cancer, according to scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The variant, called PTEN-long, may contribute to a cell's healthy function and also suppress tumor cell development. This landmark study is published in the June 6, 2013 issue of the journal Science.
Unborn babies 'practise' facial expressions in the womb
(Medical Xpress)—Unborn babies 'practise' facial expressions of pain in the womb, according to a study published today.
PD-like sleep and motor problems observed in alpha-synuclein mutant mice
The presence of Lewy bodies in nerve cells, formed by intracellular deposits of the protein α-synuclein, is a characteristic pathologic feature of Parkinson's Disease (PD). In the quest for an animal model of PD that mimics motor and non-motor symptoms of human PD, scientists have developed strains of mice that overexpress α-synuclein. By studying a strain of mice bred to overexpress α-synuclein via the Thy-1 promoter, scientists have found these mice develop many of the age-related progressive motor symptoms of PD and demonstrate changes in sleep and anxiety. Their results are published in the latest issue of Journal of Parkinson's Disease.
Biology news
Holistic approach to managing Mediterranean streams
Lack of accurate information and changing habitats are just two of the challenges facing European researchers in their efforts to improve the environmental management of Mediterranean streams.
Using salmon genome to adapt fish to warmer water
Researchers are studying precociously mature dwarf males for ways to selectively breed farmed salmon that better withstand higher ocean temperatures.
Recirculation technology improves smolt welfare
New knowledge is making land-based smolt production more efficient and improving fish welfare in the process. Recirculation technology is solving the problem of access to an adequate supply of fresh water for additional fry production.
Nematodes encapsulated to better battle corn pests
Each spring, the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera) awakens from its winter slumber to wreak havoc on corn crops across the United States. The pest emerges in larval form, hatching from small white eggs deposited beneath the soil and causing significant feeding damage to the grain crop's roots. The toll on U.S. farmers: an estimated $1-2 billion annually in yield losses and chemical control.
Very berry study aims to improve wine quality
A gene expression study of grapevine berries grown in different Italian vineyards has highlighted genes that help buffer the plants against environmental change and may explain the different quality performances of grapevine when grown in different "terroirs". The research, reported in the open access journal Genome Biology, could be used to help identify and breed grapevine varieties better suited to climate change and improve berry and wine quality.
New study links speciation and size evolution across all ray-finned fishes
A comprehensive new study of more than 7,000 species of fish documents for the first time correlation on a grand scale between the rapidity of the origin of the species and the rate of morphological change.
Oh brother, where art thou? Sticklebacks prefer to be with relatives
Many animals are able to discriminate between related and unrelated individuals but how they do so has proven remarkably difficult to understand. Joachim Frommen and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have investigated the issue using the three-spined stickleback and its shoaling preferences as a model system. It turns out that the fish prefer kin to unrelated conspecifics, regardless of how familiar they are with individual shoal members. The results indicate that level of familiarity does not affect the stickleback's ability to recognize kin. Recognition based on phenotype matching or innate recognition thus seems to be the overruling mechanism when it comes to choosing members of a peer group.
By boosting cloning efficiency, scientists unlock the potential to 'mass-produce' valuable animal strains
Long before humans understood the principles of genes and heritability, they were already shaping animal evolution through selective breeding. The various domesticated species we cultivate today are the product of a centuries-long project of gradual selection and mating to generate strains with optimized physical and behavioral characteristics.
Drought, river fragmentation forcing endangered fish out of water, biologist finds
(Phys.org) —A Kansas State University researcher is discovering that the North American drought has caused dramatic changes in native fish communities.
Crystal structure reveals light regulation in cyanobacteria
Light is crucial for photosynthetic organisms, but one can have too much of a good thing. Excess light can harm organisms when the amount of energy absorbed exceeds the rate of carbon fixation.
Magpies take decisions faster when humans look at them
Researchers from the Seoul National University found that wild birds appear to "think faster" when humans, and possibly predators in general, are directly looking at them.
Fears for African rhinos in China forest
In a tropical Chinese rainforest, seven savannah-dwelling African rhinos are said to be awaiting release into the wild—raising fears for their welfare in a country with a booming rhino horn trade.
Plan lifts Lower 48 wolf protections (Update)
The Obama administration is proposing to end recovery efforts for gray wolves across most of the U.S. and return management to the states.
Pantry pests trade immunity for sex
(Phys.org) —When presented with a bevy of beauties, male meal moths - the scourge of many a household pantry - will prefer to invest in sex over self-preservation, according to researchers.
Tissue in trouble calls in reinforcements to restore health
Northwestern University scientists are the first to discover a cellular process used by animals when a tissue is stressed and in molecular trouble from the expression of misfolded and damaged proteins: The tissue at risk attends to the trouble itself but also wisely calls out for help.
Stranded orcas hold critical clues for scientists
(Phys.org) —The development of a standardized killer-whale necropsy system has boosted the collection of complete data from killer-whale strandings from 2 percent to about 33 percent, according to a recent study from a team of scientists, including a University of California, Davis wildlife veterinarian.
Large-scale biodiversity is vital to maintain ecosystem health
(Phys.org) —Over the years ecologists have shown how biological diversity benefits the health of small, natural communities. New analysis by ecologists at UC Santa Cruz demonstrates that even higher levels of biological diversity are necessary to maintain ecosystem health in larger landscapes over long periods of time.
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