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Perfecting the Meat of the Potato

By Guest PostJuly 11, 2011Scienceagronomic traits, Antarctica, biochemistry and molecular biology, blueprint, chromosomal positions, current issue of nature, elusive genome, genome and its tuber, genome of the potato, michigan state university, nongrain food crop, plant biology, plant's tuber, potatogenome, potato’s genetic, robin buell, solanaceae, the mysterious potato

EAST LANSING, Mich. — By honing in on the mysterious potato genome and its tuber – its edible portion – researchers are unveiling the secrets of the world’s most-important nongrain food crop.

Robin Buell, Michigan State University plant biologist, is part of an international research team that is mapping the genome of the potato. In the current issue of Nature, the team revealed that it accomplished its goal, thus quickly closing the gap on improving the food source’s elusive genome. (more…)

The Universe may have been Born Spinning, according to New Findings on the Symmetry of the Cosmos

By Guest PostJuly 10, 2011Sciencespiral galaxies, symmetric universe, symmetry of cosmos, universe

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Physicists and astronomers have long believed that the universe has mirror symmetry, like a basketball. But recent findings from the University of Michigan suggest that the shape of the Big Bang might be more complicated than previously thought, and that the early universe spun on an axis. (more…)

When Viruses Infect Bacteria

By Guest PostJuly 9, 2011Sciencebacterial dna, bacteriophages, coevolution of a virus and its host, flu virus, human hosts, in vitro, microfluidic technology, national science foundation, phages, plant hosts, prophage, rob phillips, termite, termite hindgut, tobacco mosaic virus, viral dna, virus bacterium interactions, viruses, viruses infecting bacteria

*Looking in vivo at virus-bacterium associations sets stage for better understanding of such interactions in human health*

Viruses are the most abundant parasites on Earth. Well known viruses, such as the flu virus, attack human hosts, while viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus infect plant hosts.

More common, but less understood, are cases of viruses infecting bacteria known as bacteriophages, or phages. In part, this is due to the difficulty of culturing bacteria and viruses that have been cut off from their usual biological surroundings in a process called in vitro. (more…)

Cassini Captures Images and Sounds of Saturn Storm

By Guest PostJuly 7, 2011Scienceandrew ingersoll, austrian academy of sciences, california institute of technology, cassini, cassini spacecraft, cloud, earth, georg fischer, graz, hemispheres, iowa city, journal nature, jupiter, NASA, northern hemisphere, pasadena, pictures from cassini, saturn storm, saturn storm watch, solar illumination, storm alley, university of iowa, weather on saturn

PASADENA, Calif. — Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft now have the first-ever, up-close details of a Saturn storm that is eight times the surface area of Earth.

On Dec. 5, 2010, Cassini first detected the storm that has been raging ever since. It appears approximately 35 degrees north latitude of Saturn. Pictures from Cassini’s imaging cameras show the storm wrapping around the entire planet covering approximately 2 billion square miles (4 billion square kilometers). (more…)

New Study Documents First Cookiecutter Shark Attack on A Live Human

By Guest PostJuly 6, 2011Sciencecookiecutter shark, cookiecutter shark attack, daytime swimmers, demon whale biters, first bite, shark attack file, shark bites, warm summer waters

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new study co-authored by University of Florida researchers provides details on the first cookiecutter shark attack on a live human, a concern as warm summer waters attract more people to the ocean. (more…)

WHOI Study Sheds Light on Tunicate Evolution

By Guest PostJuly 4, 2011Scienceascidians, complex life cycles, doliolids, free-swimming types of tunicates, gelatinous, genetically sequencing 40 new specimens of thaliaceans, govindarajan, journal of plankton research, northeastern university, ocean ecosystems, phylum of animals, planktonic, pyrosomes, salps, sea squirts, study of tunicate evolution, surface to the deep sea, thaliaceans, transfer of organic matter, woods hole oceanographic institution (whoi)

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers have filled an important gap in the study of tunicate evolution by genetically sequencing 40 new specimens of thaliaceans, gelatinous, free-swimming types of tunicates. Their study was featured on the cover of the June issue of the Journal of Plankton Research.

Tunicates are a phylum of animals closely related to vertebrates, with a firm, rubbery outer covering called a tunic, from which the name derives. (more…)

Sun and Planets Constructed Differently, Analysis from Nasa Mission Suggests

By Guest PostJuly 3, 2011Sciencebernard marty, centre national de la recherche scientifique, dugway, earth, gaseous nebula, genesis mission, george jarzebinski, heavy elements, isotopes, isotopic composition of oxygen, kevin mckeegan, martian, megasims, NASA, neutrons, o 16, oxygen and nitrogen, oxygen atoms, oxygen on mars, Paris, planets, protons, rocky planet, roger wiens, secondary ion mass spectrometer, solar material, solar system, solar wind, sun, utah, utah test and training range, veronika heber

The sun and the solar system’s rocky inner planets, including the Earth, may have formed differently than previously thought, according to UCLA scientists and colleagues analyzing samples returned by NASA’s Genesis mission.

The data from Genesis, which collected material from the solar wind blowing from the sun, reveal differences between the sun and planets with regard to oxygen and nitrogen, two of the most abundant elements in our solar system, the researchers report in two studies in the June 24 issue of the journal Science. And although the differences are slight, the research could help determine how our solar system evolved. (more…)

Berkeley Scientists Pioneer Nanoscale Nuclear Materials Testing Capability

By Guest PostJuly 2, 2011Environment, Scienceandrew minor, berkeley lab, clean energy future, compression tests of copper specimens, crystal structure, daniel kiener, dislocations, electricity, emission free sources, fukushima disaster, irradiated materials, Japan, lifetime of a nuclear reactor, macroscale materials strength properties, medical industry, nanoscale testing technique, national center for electron microscopy, ncem, nuclear materials, nuclear plants, nuclear power, operation and safety, peter hosemann, power generation, production of radioisotopes, renewable, safer nuclear technologies, stress tests, stuart maloy, sub nanoscale resolution, Technology, united states

Nuclear power is a major component of our nation’s long-term clean-energy future, but the technology has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of Japan’s recent Fukushima disaster. Indeed, many nations have called for checks and “stress tests” to ensure nuclear plants are operating safely.

In the United States, about 20 percent of our electricity and almost 70 percent of the electricity from emission-free sources, including renewable technologies and hydroelectric power plants, is supplied by nuclear power. Along with power generation, many of the world’s nuclear facilities are used for research, materials testing, or the production of radioisotopes for the medical industry. The service life of structural and functional material components in these facilities is therefore crucial for ensuring reliable operation and safety. (more…)

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