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New scientific field looks at the big picture

By Guest PostFebruary 15, 2014Sciencebig data, big picture, carol fergus, data intensive science, data mining experts, dave schimel, environmental problems, field of ecology, geographic information system, john wingfield, macrosystems ecology, michigan state university, new scientific field, nsf, pang ning tan, patricia soranno, statistical modeling, tools

Big data is changing the field of ecology. The shift is dramatic enough to warrant the creation of an entirely new field: macrosystems ecology. (more…)

Weapons tied to repeat domestic abuse

By Guest PostFebruary 5, 2014Generalamy bonomi, britton trabert, domestic abuse, initial abuse incident, journal, mary kernic, melissa anderson, michigan state university, poor urban neighborhoods, united states, university of washington, victoria holt, violence against women, weapons

Women are up to 83 percent more likely to experience repeat abuse by their male partners if a weapon is used in the initial abuse incident, according to a new study that has implications for victims, counselors and police.

Michigan State University researcher Amy Bonomi and colleagues studied the domestic abuse police reports of nearly 6,000 couples in Seattle during a two-year period. An estimated one in four women in the United States experience domestic violence at least once in their lifetime. (more…)

Great Lakes evaporation study dispels misconceptions, points to need for expanded monitoring program

By Guest PostJanuary 22, 2014Environmentandrew suyker, ann arbor, arctic blast, christopher spence, climate change, climate variability, environmental consulting firm, evaporation study, glisa, granite island, great lakes, great lakes evaporation, great lakes ice, high evaporation rate, impact, indicator, john anderton, john lenters, lake michigan, lake superior, lake water balance, light station, limnotech, michigan state university, peter blanken, solar radiation, stannard rock light, university of michigan, water level, weather station, white shoal light

ANN ARBOR — The recent Arctic blast that gripped much of the nation will likely contribute to a healthy rise in Great Lakes water levels in 2014, new research shows. But the processes responsible for that welcome outcome are not as simple and straightforward as you might think.

Yes, extreme winter cold increases ice cover on the Great Lakes, which in turn reduces evaporation by preventing water vapor from escaping into the air. But this simplistic view of winter ice as a mere “cap” on Great Lakes evaporation is giving way to a more nuanced conception, one that considers the complex interplay among evaporation, ice cover and water temperature at different times of year. (more…)

Kids have skewed view of gender segregation

By Guest PostJanuary 11, 2014Sciencechild development, elise cappella, formation of friendships, gender segregation, jennifer watling neal, journal, kids, michigan state university, psychology, same gender, scholar, skewed view, zachary p neal

Children believe the world is far more segregated by gender than it actually is, implies a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar.

Jennifer Watling Neal and colleagues examined classroom friendships in five U.S. elementary schools. Their findings, published in the journal Child Development, found boys and girls had no problems being friends together but for some reason had a perception that only boys played with boys and girls played with girls. (more…)

Saving the Great Plains water supply

By Guest PostJanuary 1, 2014Environmentanthony kendall, bruno basso, david hyndman, disaster, environmental impact, environmental integrity, evaporation, gps, great plains, groundwater, high plains aquifer, irrigation system, michigan state university, mitigate, ogallala aquifer, saving, south dakota, texas, united states, water drawdown, water supply

Significant portions of the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the largest bodies of water in the United States, are at risk of drying up if it continues to be drained at its current rate.

In the current issue of Earth’s Future, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, Michigan State University scientists are proposing alternatives that will halt and hopefully reverse the unsustainable use of water drawdown in the aquifer. The body of water, also known as the High Plains Aquifer, spans from Texas to South Dakota and drives much of the region’s economy. (more…)

Genetic flaw in males triggers onset of liver cancer, diabetes

By Guest PostDecember 30, 2013Healthchin lee wu, common risk factor, diabetes, diseases, genetic flaw, glucose intolerance, hepatocellular carcinoma, hua xiao, liver cancer, males, mark williams, michigan state university, ncoa5 gene, onset, shenglan gao, therapeutic options, type 2 diabetes

Michigan State University researchers have uncovered a genetic deficiency in males that can trigger the development of one of the most common types of liver cancer and forms of diabetes.

The research, published in the online issue of Cancer Cell, found that when the NCOA5 gene, present in both men and women, was altered in male mice to a deficient level, a spontaneous reaction occurred producing cells that can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer found to be two-to-four times more prevalent in men than women. (more…)

Hard rock life

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2013Scienceamerican geophysical union, bigelow laboratories, biofuel, biotechnology research, breakthrough, caribbean ocean, dco, earth, geomicrobiologist, hard rock life, hardened rock, hydrothermal vent, julie huber, matthew schrenk, merja itavaara, michigan state university, microbial denizen, phenomena, ramunas stepanauskas, South Africa, underground in california, vtt finland

Scientists are digging deep into the Earth’s surface collecting census data on the microbial denizens of the hardened rocks. What they’re finding is that, even miles deep and halfway across the globe, many of these communities are somehow quite similar.

The results, which were presented at the American Geophysical Union conference Dec. 8, suggest that these communities may be connected, said Matthew Schrenk, Michigan State University geomicrobiologist. (more…)

High-fat diet during puberty speeds up breast cancer development

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2013Healthadult women, aggressive in nature, basal like, breast cancer development, cell growth, disease, environmental risk factors, experimental model, high fat diet, immune cell, mark aupperlee, michigan state university, precancerous lesions, preclinical model, puberty, research project, richard schwartz, risk of cancer, sandra haslam, tumor

New findings show that eating a high-fat diet beginning at puberty speeds up the development of breast cancer and may actually increase the risk of cancer similar to a type often found in younger adult women.

The research comes from the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program at Michigan State University and is published in the current online issue of Breast Cancer Research. (more…)

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