Advances in cameras, new strategies for detection make it possible
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Astronomers at The Ohio State University have calculated the odds that, sometime during the next 50 years, a supernova occurring in our home galaxy will be visible from Earth.
The good news: they’ve calculated the odds to be nearly 100 percent that such a supernova would be visible to telescopes in the form of infrared radiation. (more…)
The first dynamic regulatory system that prevents the build-up of toxic metabolites in engineered microbes has been reported by a team of researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). The JBEI researchers used their system to double the production in Escherichia coli (E. coli) of amorphadiene, a precursor to the premier antimalarial drug artemisinin.
Using genome-wide transcriptional analysis, the JBEI researchers identified native regions of DNA – called “promoters” – in E. coli that respond to toxic metabolites by promoting the expression of protective genes. They then developed a system based on these promoters for regulating artificial metabolic pathways engineered into the E.coli to enable the bacterium to produce amorphadiene. (more…)
WWF begrüßt starkes Zeichen der USA im Kampf gegen Elefantenwilderei
Im Kampf gegen die Elefantenwilderei in Afrika setzen die USA ein starkes Zeichen. Gestern Abend sind sechs Tonnen vom US-Zoll beschlagnahmter Elfenbeinprodukte vernichtet worden. Der WWF begrüßt diese Aktion gegen den illegalen Elfenbeinhandel aufgrund seiner symbolische Wirkung: „Die Wildereikrise in Afrika verschärft sich immer mehr. Etwa jede Viertelstunde wird ein Elefant für sein Elfenbein getötet. Nur wenn wir die Absatzmärkte schließen und die Nachfrage eindämmen, wird die Wilderei aufhören, “ sagte Volker Homes, Leiter Artenschutz beim WWF Deutschland. (more…)
Research by the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester has found that people experiencing depressive episodes display increased brain activity when they think about themselves.
Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain imaging technologies, scientists found that people experiencing a depressive episode process information about themselves in the brain differently to people who are not depressed.
Researchers scanned the brains of people in major depressive episodes and those that weren’t whilst they chose positive, negative and neutral adjectives to describe either themselves or the British Queen – a figure significantly removed from their daily lives but one that all participants were familiar with. (more…)
A national study led by a Michigan State University economist suggests Catholic schools are not superior to public schools after all.
Math scores for Catholic students dropped between kindergarten and eighth grade, while math scores for public school students increased slightly. In addition, Catholic students saw no significant increase in reading scores or better behavioral outcomes between kindergarten and eighth grade. (more…)
Wolves likely were domesticated by European hunter–gatherers more than 18,000 years ago and gradually evolved into dogs that became household pets, UCLA life scientists report.
“We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them,” said Robert Wayne, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in UCLA’s College of Letters and Science and senior author of the research. “This brings the genetic record into agreement with the archaeological record. Europe is where the oldest dogs are found.” (more…)
Am 19. November wird in Nepal eine Verfassungsgebende Versammlung gewählt. Dem Land steht eine schwierige Zeit bevor.
Die maoistische Rebellion und der Bürgerkrieg in Nepal zwischen 1995 und 2006 mit über 16‘000 Toten fanden in den internationalen Medien grossen Widerhall. Der darauf folgende brüchige Friede mit dem Übergang von der absoluten Monarchie zur republikanischen Demokratie bewirkte dagegen weniger Aufmerksamkeit. Jetzt steht die Nation am Fusse des Himalaya erneut vor einer wichtigen Entscheidung. (more…)
Did you ever wonder what science is doing to help us age more comfortably, in better health, doing the things we care about, for a longer span of time? (more…)
