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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…)

Youth Cybercrime Linked to Friends’ Influence

By Guest PostJune 26, 2011Culture, Generaladam bossler, american journal of criminal justice, computer hacking, criminologist, cyber-trespassing, cybercrime, david may, digital piracy, eastern kentucky university, georgia southern university, juvenile cybercrime, michigan state university, online and offline, online bullying, online bullying and harassment, online pornography, peer influence, scientific survey, sexual messages, thomas holt, youth cybercrime

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Peer influence and low self-control appear to be the major factors fueling juvenile cybercrime such as computer hacking and online bullying, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University criminologist.

Thomas Holt, assistant professor of criminal justice, said the findings reinforce the need for parents to be more aware of their children’s friends and Internet activities.

“It’s important to know what your kids are doing when they’re online and who they are associating with both online and offline,” Holt said. (more…)

Prejudice Linked to Women’s Menstrual Cycle

By Guest PostJune 24, 2011Healthcarlos david navarrete, carlos navarrete, evolutionary psychologist, fertile, human history, male invaders, male strangers, mcdonald and navarrete, melissa mcdonald, menstrual cycle, michigan state university, psychological system, racial and social groups, reproductive choice, risk of sexual coercion, suggesting prejudice, women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Women’s bias against male strangers increases when women are fertile, suggesting prejudice may be partly fueled by genetics, according to a study by Michigan State University psychology researchers.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, appears online in Psychological Science, a major research journal.

“Our findings suggest that women’s prejudice, at least in part, may be a byproduct of their biology,” said Melissa McDonald, a doctoral student and lead author on the paper. (more…)

There’s More to Shopping Than Just Buying Stuff

By Guest PostJune 3, 2011Cultureaustralia, concept of socializing and shopping, deakin university, hunters, lone browsers, michigan state university, patricia huddleston, post world war, shopping, stella minahan, therapeutic, therapy, why women go shopping, women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — For women, shopping is more than just buying stuff. For some it can be therapeutic, for others a time to socialize, or for some a challenge to find the right product at the right price.

Michigan State University’s Patricia Huddleston is co-author of a new book, “Consumer Behavior: Women and Shopping,” which looks at the reasons why women go shopping, as well as provides a history of how shopping has evolved over the years. (more…)

Spurring Sweet Success

By Guest PostJune 1, 2011Environmentcrop health, diseases, farmers, farming, michigan, michigan state university, michigan sugar beet advancement program, michigan sugar co, nematodes, parasitic worms, paul pfenninger, plants, poindexter, roots, sugar beet, sugar beet industry, sugar quality, sweet partnership, tillage practices

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Thanks to Michigan State University, a sweet partnership has helped resurrect Michigan’s $444 million sugar beet industry.

In 1996 the industry was in peril. Yields hit an all-time low due to pest, disease and production issues that greatly reduced crop health. Farmers were looking to get out of sugar beet farming and switch to more profitable crops. Industry representatives reached out to MSU to help solve the problem. (more…)

New Study Suggests Link Between Estrogen, Blood Pressure

By Guest PostMay 28, 2011Healthanti oxidant resveratrol, blood pressure, brain, carrie northcutt, chronic exposure, effects of menopause, estrogen only hrt, hannah garver, heart failure, high blood pressure, hormone, huawei zhao, hypertension, joseph haywood, long term exposure to estrogen, madhan subramanian, michigan state university, mohankumar, p s mohankumar, priya balasubramanian, rostral ventrolateral medulla, stress in the body, superoxide, women

EAST LANSING, Mich. — While recent studies have shown long-term exposure to estrogen can be a danger to women – overturning physicians’ long-held beliefs that the hormone was good for their patients’ hearts – the process by which estrogen induces high blood pressure was unclear.

In a new study, Michigan State University researchers found long-term estrogen exposure generates excessive levels of the compound superoxide, which causes stress in the body. The buildup of this compound occurs in an area of the brain that is crucial to regulating blood pressure, suggesting that the estrogen-induced buildup causes increased blood pressure. (more…)

Virtual Workout Partners Spur Better Results

By Guest PostMay 23, 2011Science, Technologyabdominal muscles, deborah feltz, department of kinesiology, eye toy camera, health games research, health video games, kohler effect, lack of motivation, michigan state university, motivation, playstation 2, robert wood johnson foundation, same sex virtual partner, virtual partner

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Can’t find anyone to exercise with? Don’t despair: New research from Michigan State University reveals working out with a virtual partner improves motivation during exercise.

The study led by Deborah Feltz, chairperson of MSU’s Department of Kinesiology, is the first to investigate the Kohler effect on motivation in health video games; that phenomenon explains why inferior team members perform better in a group than they would by themselves. (more…)

Solar Cells more Efficient than Photosynthesis – for Now

By Guest PostMay 16, 2011Sciencebiofuels industry, carbon-based molecules, chemical bonds, critical since, david Kramer, ecosystem, environmental impact, g.l.kohuth, genetic engineering, michigan state university, new paper in science, organism, photosynthesis, photosynthesis of plants for biofuel, plants are less efficient than solar cells, solar cells, species of cyanobacteria, sun’s energy, washington university

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In a head-to-head battle of harvesting the sun’s energy, solar cells beat plants, according to a new paper in Science. But scientists think they can even up the playing field, says Michigan State University researcher David Kramer.

Plants are less efficient at capturing the energy in sunlight than solar cells mostly because they have too much evolutionary baggage. Plants have to power a living thing, whereas solar cells only have to send electricity down a wire. This is a big difference because if photosynthesis makes a mistake, it makes toxic byproducts that kill the organism. Photosynthesis has to be conservative to avoid killing the organisms it powers. (more…)

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