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What “Pine” Cones Reveal About the Evolution of Flowers

By Guest PostDecember 15, 20101 commentScienceafrica, angiosperms, arabidopsis, australia, avocado flowers, bees, bottlebrush, california poppy, conifers, cycads, doug soltis, floral organ, flowering plants, flowers, genetic fossils, genetic origin, gymnosperms, pine cone, pineapple lily, plant life, pollination agents, seed bearing plants, tepals, zamia, zamia furfuracea

*Research genetically traces flowers to a single common ancestor*

From southern Africa’s pineapple lily to Western Australia’s swamp bottlebrush, flowering plants are everywhere. Also called angiosperms, they make up 90 percent of all land-based, plant life.

New research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides new insights into their genetic origin, an evolutionary innovation that quickly gave rise to many diverse flowering plants more than 130 million years ago. Moreover, a flower with genetic programming similar to a water lily may have started it all. (more…)

Invisible Invasive Species Altering Ecosystems

By Guest PostDecember 10, 2010Environmentair temperatures, asian carp, australia, blue green algae, brackish diatom, climate change, cyanobacteria, dramatic fashion, ecology, ecosystems, elena litchman, european lakes, global change, great lakes, gypsy moths, invasive microbes, invasive species, lake michigan, macroorganism, malaria, microbial invaders, nitrogen fixing rhizobium, nonpathogenic microbes, north american, pathogenic parasitic fungus, portugal, scientific research, subtropical, temperate latitudes, tropical, zebra mussels

Elena Litchman, associate professor of ecology, who works at MSU's Kellogg Biological Station. Image credit: Michigan State University

EAST LANSING, Mich. — While Asian carp, gypsy moths and zebra mussels hog invasive-species headlines, many invisible invaders are altering ecosystems and flourishing outside of the limelight.

A study by Elena Litchman, Michigan State University associate professor of ecology, sheds light on why invasive microbial invaders shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.

“Invasive microbes have many of the same traits as their larger, ‘macro’ counterparts and have the potential to significantly impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,” said Litchman, whose research appears in the December issue of Ecology Letters. “Global change can exacerbate microbial invasions, so they will likely increase in the future.” (more…)

In Australia, Men Watch Twice the Amount of Online Video as Women

By Guest PostDecember 6, 2010Technologyamy weinberger, australia, australians, Comscore, comscore video metrix, content on the web, dailymotion, Facebook, females, Google, internet population, males, Microsoft, new zealand, online video, vevo, video online, video properties, YouTube

*Australians Watched Nearly 3 Hours of Online Video per Viewer at YouTube.com in October*

Sydney, Australia, December 6 , 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its October 2010 rankings of the top video properties in Australia based on data from its comScore Video Metrix service. The report found that nearly 80 percent of Australia’s Internet population viewed video online in October, with an average viewer watching nearly 8 hours of video during the month. The report also revealed that male online video viewers in Australia spend nearly double the amount of time viewing video compared to women. (more…)

Rare Earth Elements in U.S. Not So Rare

By Guest PostNovember 18, 2010Economy, Environment, Scienceaustralia, bear lodge mountains, bokan mountain, China, department of defense, deposits, geochemical properties, marcia mcnutt, mountain pass, rare earth elements, ree, united states

*Significant Deposits Found in 14 States*

Rare Earth Elements. Image credit: USGS

Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey.

This estimate of domestic rare earth deposits is part of a larger report that includes a review of global sources for REE, information on known deposits that might provide domestic sources of REE in the future, and geologic information crucial for studies of the availability of REE to U.S. industry.

The report describes significant deposits of REE in 14 states, with the largest known REE deposits at Mountain Pass, Calif.; Bokan Mountain, Alaska; and the Bear Lodge Mountains, Wyo. The Mountain Pass mine produced REE until it closed in 2002. Additional states with known REE deposits include Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina. (more…)

comScore Veteran Amy Weinberger Appointed Vice President for Australia and New Zealand

By Guest PostNovember 12, 2010Technologyadobe, Amazon, amy weinberger, asia-pacific, australia, cisco, Comscore, digital media, fox interactive media, global technology, jupiter media metrix, new zealand, san francisco, sydney, will hodgman

*comScore Continues Emphasis on Expansion in Asia Pac*

Sydney, Australia, November 12, 2010 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced the appointment of Amy Weinberger as vice president for Australia and New Zealand. Ms. Weinberger brings nearly 12 years of digital research industry experience to her new role, including 8 years of experience with comScore in its San Francisco office where she was responsible for developing relationships and delivering value to some of the leading global technology brands. Ms. Weinberger will be responsible for new and existing business in Australia and New Zealand and will be based in Sydney. (more…)

Scenes from Windows Phone 7 Launch in Europe Australia, and New Zealand

By Guest PostOctober 21, 2010Technologyandrew willett, asia-pacific, australia, belgium, berlin, Europe, france, Germany, hong kong, ireland, italy, jourdan templeton, london, new zealand, orange shop oxford street, singapore, spain, uk, windows phone 7, windows phone blog post

*Consumers line up to be among the first to own new handsets.*

REDMOND, Wash. – Oct. 21, 2010 – The much-awaited launch of Windows Phone 7 has begun, with the first handsets going on sale yesterday in New Zealand, followed shortly in countries throughout Europe and Asia Pacific, including Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, Spain and the U.K. (more…)

Witchweed Should Haunt Crops no Longer, say U of T Researchers

By Guest PostSeptember 12, 2010Environmentacres of crops, africa, arabidopsis, arable land, asia, australia, parasitic plant, peter mccourt, striga, striga seed, striga-crop interaction, strigolactone, sub-saharan africa, university of toronto, witchweed

Each year, thousands of acres of crops are planted throughout Africa, Asia and Australia only to be laid to waste by a parasitic plant called Striga, also known as witchweed. It is one of the largest challenges to food security in Africa, and a team of scientists led by researchers from the University of Toronto have discovered chemicals and genes that may break Striga’s stranglehold.

(more…)

4 Out of 5 Internet Users in Australia Viewed Online Video in July

By Guest PostSeptember 9, 20101 commentTechnologyadconion video network, amy weinberger, australia, Comscore, comscore video metrix, Facebook, Google, internet, Microsoft, new zealand, spotxchange, top video properties, YouTube

*Australians Watched an Average of 7 Hours of Online Video Per Viewer during Month*

Sydney, Australia, September 9, 2010 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its July 2010 rankings of the top video properties in Australia based on data from its comScore Video Metrix service. The report found that 81 percent of Australia’s Internet population viewed video online in July, with an average viewer watching more than 7 hours of video during the month.

(more…)

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