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Blades and Clades: Why Some Grasses Got Better Photosynthesis

By Guest PostDecember 25, 2012Scienceagriculture, anatomical difference, anatomical traits, ancestral state reconstruction, atmospheric co2, bep clade, blades, bundle sheath cells, c3, c4, c4 evolution, cellular anatomy, clades, david chatelet, dry condition, erika edwards, evolutionary time scale, evolutionary tree, genetic data, grasses, laura garrison, lineage, mesophyll cells, pacmad clade, pascal antoine christin, photosynthesis, physiology

Two groups — clades — of grasses that once had a common ancestry diverged. The PACMAD clade was predisposed to evolve a more efficient “C4” means of photosynthesis than grasses in the BEP clade. In a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a Brown-led team pinpoints the anatomical differences between the clades that led to the PACMAD’s tendency toward C4.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Even on the evolutionary time scale of tens of millions of years there is such a thing as being in the right shape at the right time. An anatomical difference in the ability to seize the moment, according to a study led by Brown University biologists, explains why more species in one broad group, or clade, of grasses evolved a more efficient means of photosynthesis than species in another clade. (more…)

Study Reveals New Factor that could Limit the Life of Hybrid and Electric Car Batteries

By Guest PostDecember 25, 2012Science, Technologyautomotive industry, battery electrodes, battery life, bharat bhushan, car batteries, cathode, current collector, electric car batteries, electrical system, electrodes, electron transfer, factor, giorgio rizzoni, gregory downing, hybrid, hybrid electric cars, life, limit, lithium ion batteries, ndp, neutron depth profiling, ohio state university, set of particles, sheet of copper, shrikant nagpure, suresh babu, yann guezennec

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study of the batteries commonly used in hybrid and electric-only cars has revealed an unexpected factor that could limit the performance of batteries currently on the road.

Researchers led by Ohio State University engineers examined used car batteries and discovered that over time lithium accumulates beyond the battery electrodes – in the “current collector,” a sheet of copper which facilitates electron transfer between the electrodes and the car’s electrical system. (more…)

Chronic Worriers at Higher Risk for PTSD

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Healthanalyzing data, catastrophe, chronic anxiety, habitually anxious, michigan state university, naomi breslau, neuroticism, neuroticism scale, post traumatic, psychiatric experts, ptsd, retrospective study, risk, risk factor, stress disorder, trait, traumatic events, worry constantly

People who worry constantly are at greater risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to new Michigan State University research published in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Many people experience traumatic events such as the death of a loved one, being assaulted or witnessing violence, but only a small minority develop PTSD, said study author Naomi Breslau, a professor of epidemiology at MSU. (more…)

Django Unchained (2012)

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Entertainmentbounty hunter, brittle brothers, broomhilda, brutal history, calvin candie, candyland, django, german, independence, infamous plantation, king schultz, sacrifice, slave, slave trade, solidarity, stephen, survival

Synopsis

Django is a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles — dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South’s most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda, the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz’s search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie, the proprietor of “Candyland,” an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen, Candie’s trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival… (more…)

5 Crazy Makeup Trends That Stirred Fashion World in 2012

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Healthfashion experts, fashion trends, healthy skin, makeup rituals, makeup trends, skin care

Fashion travels quickly from ramp to street. It is no longer confined to ramp or backstage, but has gone beyond with increase in affordability. Fashion experts believe that globalization has brought a shift in fashion from being region specific to cosmopolitan. (more…)

Yale Senior Shines Light on the ‘French Anne Frank’

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Politicsfrench anne frank, french jewish woman, helene berr, resistance in lyon

The story of Hélène Berr, a young French Jewish woman who chronicled her life in Paris during the German occupation and died in a concentration camp, had a certain poignancy for Yale senior Zoe Egelman. (more…)

Birdsong Bluster may Dupe Strange Females, But It Won’t Fool Partners

By Guest PostDecember 24, 2012Natureaustralia, bettencourt schueller foundation, birdsong, cheat, energy, evolution, mate, morgan david, most popular finch, patterns, sasha dall, song rate, university of exeter, unknown female, zebra finches

Male birds use their song to dupe females they have just met by pretending they are in excellent physical condition.

Just as some men try to cast themselves in a better light when they approach would-be dates, so male birds in poor condition seek to portray that they are fitter than they really are. But males do not even try to deceive their long-term partners, who are able to establish the true condition of the male by their song.

Researchers at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall Campus studied zebra finches to establish how trustworthy birdsong was in providing honest signals about the male’s value as a mate. Singing is a test of the condition of birds because it uses a lot of energy. Fit and healthy birds are thought to be able to sustain a high song rate for longer, making them more attractive to females. (more…)

Public Obsession with Obesity May be More Dangerous than Obesity Itself, UCLA Author Says

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2012Culture, Healthabigail saguy, body mass, cervical cancer, civil rights, confirmation bias, diabetes, genetic factors, neighborhood limitations, obesity, obesity epidemic, obesity task force, poor nutrition, social factors, socioeconomic status, sociologist, stress, third factor, ucla, us population

Much has been made about who or what is to blame for the “obesity epidemic” and what can or should be done to stem the tide of rising body mass among the U.S. population.

A new book by a UCLA sociologist turns these concerns on their head by asking two questions. First, how and why has fatness been medicalized as “obesity” in the first place? Second, what are the social costs of this particular way of discussing body size? (more…)

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