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Why are There so Many Species of Beetles and So few Crocodiles?

By Guest PostAugust 29, 2012Nature, Scienceadaptive zone, alligators, beetles, biodiversity, bird, cichlid fish, crocodile, daniel rabosky, diversity tree, ecological limits, eukaryote, evolutionary biology, evolutionary detectives, factor, fish, fungi, graham slater, life, lizard, mammal, michael alfaro, multi cellular, new zealand, planet, puzzle, reptile, snake, species, species diversity, species richness, theoretical model, tree of life, tuatara

Answer may be ‘adaptive zones’ that limit species number, life scientists report

There are more than 400,000 species of beetles and only two species of the tuatara, a reptile cousin of snakes and lizards that lives in New Zealand. Crocodiles and alligators, while nearly 250 million years old, have diversified into only 23 species. Why evolution has produced “winners” — including mammals and many species of birds and fish — and “losers” is a major question in evolutionary biology.

Scientists have often posited that because some animal and plant lineages are much older than others, they have had more time to produce new species (the dearth of crocodiles notwithstanding). This idea — that time is an important predictor of species number — underlies many theoretical models used by biologists. However, it fails to explain species numbers across all multi-cellular life on the planet, a team of life scientists reports Aug. 28 in the online journal PLoS Biology, a publication of the Public Library of Science. (more…)

Plants Unpack Winter Coats When Days Get Shorter

By Guest PostAugust 29, 2012Sciencecbf, cold response pathway, crepeat binding, crop productivity, factor, freezing, freezing temperature, frost protection, gene, mechanism, michael thomashow, plant, potential tool, sunlight

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Mechanisms that protect plants from freezing are placed in storage during the summer and wisely unpacked when days get shorter.

In the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Michael Thomashow, University Distinguished Professor of molecular genetics, demonstrates how the CBF (C-repeat binding factor) cold response pathway is inactive during warmer months when days are long, and how it’s triggered by waning sunlight to prepare plants for freezing temperatures. (more…)

Sticks and Stones: “That’s so gay” Negatively affects Gay Students

By Guest PostAugust 29, 2012Healthnegative health symptoms, sexual minorities, sexual orientation

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—People may believe words are not harmful, but the phrase “that’s so gay” can have negative consequences for gay, lesbian or bisexual students, a new University of Michigan study indicated. (more…)

Nutrition Tied to Improved Sperm DNA Quality in Older Men

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Healthdna damage, dna strand damage, intake of micronutrients, sperm dna, sperm dna fragmentation, sperm dna quality

Berkeley Lab study links healthy micronutrient intake with reduced DNA fragmentation

A new study led by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that a healthy intake of micronutrients is strongly associated with improved sperm DNA quality in older men. In younger men, however, a higher intake of micronutrients didn’t improve their sperm DNA. (more…)

Parents and Readers Beware of Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Culture, Generalabnormal, adolescents, breaking bad, emotional development, friday night lights, gender roles, genre, glee, harry potter, heterosexual relationship, homophobia, hunger games, infection, julie passanante elman, literature, medical dramas, negative stereotype, racism, realm, romantic relationship, sexual attractiveness, sexuality, taboo, teen, teen sick lit, twilight, university of missouri

Newly described teen literature genre propagates negative portrayals of the sick and disabled

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A newly defined genre of literature, “teen sick-lit,” features tear-jerking stories of ill adolescents developing romantic relationships. Although “teen sick-lit” tends to adhere to negative stereotypes of the ill and traditional gender roles, it also explores the taboo realm of sexuality, sickness and youth, says the University of Missouri researcher who named the genre in a recent study. Readers and their parents should be aware of how the presentation of disease and disability in these stories can instill prejudices and enforce societal norms in young adults, notes the researcher.

“Teen sick-lit depicts its chronically ill protagonists, who are usually white middle-class females, merely as vehicles for well people’s emotional development rather than as self-actualized women with their own experiences, perspectives, and emotional needs,” said Julie Passanante Elman, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Science. “As the popularity of fiction aimed at young adults, such as the Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, continues to grow, it is important for readers and parents to note the ethical subtexts of the books. Similarly, the proliferation of sick or disabled characters on such television shows as “Glee,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Breaking Bad” doesn’t always equate to positive portrayals of those characters.” (more…)

Behind Closed Doors

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Scienceabscisic acid, amutha sampath kumar, arabidopsis thaliana, bacillus subtilis, beneficial, bug, carbon dioxide, deborah powell, delphis f levia, disease, foliar pathogen, harsh bais, infection, jeffrey l caplan, kirk j czymmek, leaf pore, microscopic pore, mineral, oxygen, pathogen, plant immunity, pseudomonas syringae, pstdc3000, rhizobacteria, roots signal, salicylic acid, soil bacteria, stomata, tomato dc3000, university of delaware, venkatachalam lakshmanan, water

UD researchers show how beneficial soil bacteria can boost plant immunity

With the help of beneficial bacteria, plants can slam the door when disease pathogens come knocking, University of Delaware researchers have discovered.

A scientific team under the leadership of Harsh Bais, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences in UD’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, found that when pathogens attempt to invade a plant through the tiny open pores in its leaves, a surprising ally comes to the rescue. Soil bacteria at the plant’s roots signal the leaf pores to close, thwarting infection. (more…)

Remembering Neil Armstrong, 1930–2012

By Guest PostAugust 27, 2012Scienceamerican astronaut, apollo 1, buzz aldrin, cincinnati, coronary arteries, david scott, first person, gemini 8 mission, jimmy carter, korean war, michael collins, moon, NASA, navy officer, neil armstrong, ohio, richard nixon, united states, walk

Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. He began his NASA career in Ohio.

After serving as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1955. His first assignment was with the NACA Lewis Research Center (now NASA Glenn) in Cleveland. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

As a research pilot at NASA’s Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15. He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders. (more…)

Better Monitoring of Food Quantity Makes Self-Control Easier

By Guest PostAugust 27, 2012Healthamerica, carlson school, consumption, eat less, food quantity, joseph redden, kelly haws, mechanism, minneapolis, monitoring, obesity problem, satiation, self control, st paul, twin cities, university of minnesota

UMN study shows eating less is about reduced desire as well as willpower

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL — New research from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management suggests learning how to stop enjoying unhealthy food sooner may play a pivotal role in combating America’s obesity problem. The research, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, explores how satiation, defined as the drop in liking during repeated consumption, can be a positive mechanism when it lowers the desire for unhealthy foods.

“When people talk about self-control, they really imply that self-control is willpower and that some people have it and others don’t when facing a tempting treat,” says Joseph Redden, an assistant professor of marketing at the Carlson School and lead author of the ‘Healthy Satiation: The Role of Decreasing Desire in Effective Self-Control.’ “In reality, nearly everyone likes these treats. Some people just stop enjoying them faster and for them it’s easier to say no.” (more…)

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