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Why Do Organisms Build Tissues They Seemingly Never Use?

By Guest PostAugust 12, 2012Sciencebeacon center, charles ofria, computational evolution, computer program, cornell university, Environment, evolution, evolutionary reason, jeff clune, michigan state university, mutate, mutation, organism, richard lenski, robert pennock, skyscraper, tissue

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Why, after millions of years of evolution, do organisms build structures that seemingly serve no purpose?

A study conducted at Michigan State University and published in the current issue of The American Naturalist investigates the evolutionary reasons why organisms go through developmental stages that appear unnecessary.

“Many animals build tissues and structures they don’t appear to use, and then they disappear,” said Jeff Clune, lead author and former doctoral student at MSU’s BEACON Center of Evolution in Action. “It’s comparable to building a roller coaster, razing it and building a skyscraper on the same ground. Why not just skip ahead to building the skyscraper?” (more…)

Mars Panorama: Next Best Thing to Being There

By Guest PostJuly 7, 2012Sciencearizona state university, cornell university, endeavour crater, greeley haven, jim bell, mars exploration rover, mars odyssey orbiter, mars panorama, mars pathfinder, martian winter, NASA, opportunity, pancam, ron greeley, steve squyres

PASADENA, Calif. — From fresh rover tracks to an impact crater blasted billions of years ago, a newly completed view from the panoramic camera (Pancam) on NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the ruddy terrain around the outcrop where the long-lived explorer spent its most recent Martian winter.

This scene recorded from the mast-mounted color camera includes the rover’s own solar arrays and deck in the foreground, providing a sense of sitting on top of the rover and taking in the view. Its release this week coincides with two milestones: Opportunity completing its 3,000th Martian day on July 2, and NASA continuing past 15 years of robotic presence at Mars. Mars Pathfinder landed July 4, 1997. NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor orbiter reached the planet while Pathfinder was still active, and Global Surveyor overlapped the active missions of the Mars Odyssey orbiter and Opportunity, both still in service. (more…)

Engineered Microvessels Provide a 3-D Test Bed for Human Diseases

By Guest PostMay 31, 2012Science3 d test bed, abraham stroock, abundant protein, bioengineering, blood clots, bloodstream, cancer, chemical factor, collagen, cornell university, disease, endothelial cells, honeycomb, human, human blood vessels, human cancer, human cell, jose lopez, mechanical, mice and monkeys, michael craven, model, petri dish, samuel totorica, shear stress, tumor progression, university of washington, ying zheng

Mice and monkeys don’t develop diseases in the same way that humans do. Nevertheless, after medical researchers have studied human cells in a Petri dish, they have little choice but to move on to study mice and primates.

University of Washington bioengineers have developed the first structure to grow small human blood vessels, creating a 3-D test bed that offers a better way to study disease, test drugs and perhaps someday grow human tissues for transplant.

The findings are published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (more…)

Conflict Levels Don’t Change Much Over Course of Marriage

By Guest PostAugust 21, 2011Cultureclaire kamp dush, conflict, cornell university, couples, demographic questions, institute for the social sciences, jeff grabmeier, kamp dush, life long marriage, marital happiness, marriages, miles taylor, ohio state university, psychologists, spouse, telephone surveys, validator marriages

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Think about how much you fight and argue with your spouse today. A new study suggests that your current level of conflict probably won’t change much for the remainder of your marriage.

That may be good news for the 16 percent of couples who report little conflict or even the 60 percent who have only moderate levels of conflict. But it’s not such happy news for the 22 percent of couples who say they fight and argue with each other a lot.

The study followed nearly 1,000 couples over 20 years, from 1980 to 2000. (more…)

Having a Strong Community Protects Adolescents From Risky Health Behaviors

By Guest PostFebruary 6, 2011Cultureadolescents, cornell university, gary w. evans, health behavior, health problems, rachel kutcher, social capital, social cohesiveness

Children who grow up in poverty have health problems as adults. But a new study finds that poor adolescents who live in communities with more social cohesiveness and control get some measure of protection; they’re less likely to smoke and be obese as adolescents. (more…)

Tag Archives: cornell university

Why Do Organisms Build Tissues They Seemingly Never Use?

Mars Panorama: Next Best Thing to Being There

Engineered Microvessels Provide a 3-D Test Bed for Human Diseases

Conflict Levels Don’t Change Much Over Course of Marriage

Having a Strong Community Protects Adolescents From Risky Health Behaviors