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First Harmful Algal Bloom Species Genome Sequenced

By Guest PostFebruary 27, 2011Environmentaureococcus anophagefferens, blooms, brown tides, christopher gobbler, chronic, coastal ecosystems, don anderson, eastern united states, ecogenomic approach, economic losses, ecosystems, excess nutrients, fertilizer runoff, genome sequencing, habs, harmful algal bloom, long island, louie wurch, marine phytoplankton, microscopic phytoplankton, ny, organic matter, photosynthetic microalga, poison humans, pollutants, sea grass beds, shellfisheries, sonya dyhrman, South Africa, toxin

*Brown Tide Culprit Uniquely Suited to Thrive in Environmentally Impacted Estuaries*

The microscopic phytoplankton Aureococcus anophagefferens, which causes devastating brown tides, may be tiny but it’s a fierce competitor.

In the first genome sequencing of a harmful algal bloom species, researchers found that Aureococcus’ unique gene complement allows it to outcompete other marine phytoplankton and thrive in human-modified ecosystems, which could help explain the global increases in harmful algal blooms (HABs). (more…)

UF Study Traces Global Red Imported Fire Ant Invasions to Southern U.S.

By Guest PostFebruary 27, 2011Environmentagricultural losses, fire ant invasions, fire ants, global trade, imported fire ant, invasive species, origins of ants

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Red imported fire ant invasions around the globe in recent years can now be traced to the southern U.S., where the nuisance insect gained a foothold in the 1930s, new University of Florida research has found. (more…)

People With Low Self-Esteem Show More Signs of Prejudice

By Guest PostFebruary 26, 20111 commentCulturearguments, automatic reactions, better control, difference, iat, implicit association test, implicit prejudice, jeffrey sherman, negative evaluations, people, prejudice, sherman and allen, stereotype, subtle, thomas allen

When people are feeling badly about themselves, they’re more likely to show bias against people who are different. A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, examines how that works.

“This is one of the oldest accounts of why people stereotype and have prejudice: It makes us feel better about ourselves,” says Jeffrey Sherman of the University of California, Davis, who wrote the study with Thomas Allen. “When we feel bad about ourselves, we can denigrate other people, and that makes us feel better about ourselves.” (more…)

Before the Explosion – Volcano’s Warning Tremors Explained

By Guest PostFebruary 26, 2011Environmentexplosive volcanoes, forecasting an eruption, magma wagging, pyroclastic flows, tremors, warning tremors

No matter their size or shape, explosive volcanoes produce tremors at similar frequencies for minutes, days or weeks before they erupt. In the Feb. 24 issue of the journal Nature, researchers at Yale University and the University of British Columbia describe a model that explains this strange phenomenon — and may help forecast deadly eruptions. (more…)

Developmental Genes Have More Than One Way to Stop

By Guest PostFebruary 26, 2011Sciencegene activity, gene regulation, genetic level, healthy genes, molecular switch

EAST LANSING, Mich. — There’s more than one way to silence gene activity, according to a Michigan State University researcher. (more…)

WaterWheel Will Bring Clean Water to a Thirsty World

By Guest PostFebruary 25, 20111 commentEnvironmentclean water, colm fay, cynthia koenig, dow sustainability innovation student challenge, India, rajasthan, rolling water barrel, waterwheel, wello, wheel, world

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Cynthia Koenig knows that by reinventing the wheel she could change the world. In a few months, she hopes to make a difference in India.

Koenig, a graduate student at the University of Michigan, created the WaterWheel, a 20-gallon rolling water barrel and Wello, the business that distributes it in developing countries, where clean water is scarce. (more…)

A Second Pathway for Antidepressants: Berkeley Lab Reports New Fluorescent Assay Reveals TREK1 Mechanism

By Guest PostFebruary 25, 2011Scienceantidepressant drugs, berkeley lab, c terminal, cell based fluorescent assay, cytoplasm, ehud isacoff, flow of electrical current, fluorescent protein, fluoxetine, gfp, green fluorescent protein, guillaume sandoz, high speed transistors, human brain, ion channels, membrane, molecular gates, neurons, pharmacological agents, plasma membrane, protein, prozac, sarah bell, transmembrane proteins, trek1, trek1 potassium channel

Using a unique and relatively simple cell-based fluorescent assay they developed, scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC), Berkeley have identified a means by which fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, suppresses the activity of the TREK1 potassium channel. TREK1 activity has been implicated in mood regulation and could be an important target for fluoxetine and other antidepressant drugs. (more…)

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