Avoiding Virus Dangers in ‘Domesticating’ Wild Plants for Biofuel Use
In our ongoing quest for alternative energy sources, researchers are looking more to plants that grow in the wild for use in biofuels, plants such as switchgrass. (more…)
Technology
Immigration among Latin American Countries Fails to Improve Income
New study challenges theory of upward mobility in developing nations
Donald Bogue, professor emeritus in sociology and a distinguished scholar of demography, has found that unlike immigrants to the United States, immigrants between nations in Latin America frequently do not improve their lives by moving. (more…)
Facial Research
Structure of face may help predict expression of prejudice, researchers report
The structure of a man’s face may indicate his tendency to express racially prejudiced beliefs, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Studies have shown that facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is associated with testosterone-related behaviors, which some researchers have linked with aggression. But psychological scientist Eric Hehman of Dartmouth College and colleagues at the University of Delaware speculated that these behaviors may have more to do with social dominance than outright aggression. Hehman conducted the research while he was a graduate student at UD. (more…)
Brown Researchers Build Robotic Bat Wing
The strong, flapping flight of bats offers great possibilities for the design of small aircraft, among other applications. By building a robotic bat wing, Brown researchers have uncovered flight secrets of real bats: the function of ligaments, the elasticity of skin, the structural support of musculature, skeletal flexibility, upstroke, downstroke. (more…)
A Humanitarian and A Scholar
U alum Lesa Nord talks about her Fulbright Scholar experience
Lesa Nord was one of two U students on the Twin Cities campus to receive a highly competitive Fulbright Scholarship this year to the United Kingdom, where she is completing an interdisciplinary degree in humanitarianism and conflict response at the University of Manchester.
Nord began her college education at North Hennepin Community College before transferring to the U and receiving a bachelor of individualized studies with high distinction from the College of Liberal Arts. Along the way she has become a certified Emergency Medical Technician, and she’s already served as a volunteer interpreter and technician on medical mission trips in developing countries. (more…)
Researchers Coat Spinal Polymer Implants with Bioactive Film to Improve Bonding with Bone
Researchers from North Carolina State University have for the first time successfully coated polymer implants with a bioactive film. The discovery should improve the success rate of such implants – which are often used in spinal surgeries.
The polymer used in these implants, called PEEK, does not bond well with bone or other tissues in the body. This can result in the implant rubbing against surrounding tissues, which can lead to medical complications and the need for additional surgeries. (more…)
Building Healthy Bones Takes Guts
In what could be an early step toward new treatments for people with osteoporosis, scientists at Michigan State University report that a natural probiotic supplement can help male mice produce healthier bones.
Interestingly, the same can’t be said for female mice, the researchers report in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.
“We know that inflammation in the gut can cause bone loss, though it’s unclear exactly why,” said lead author Laura McCabe, a professor in MSU’s departments of Physiology and Radiology. “The neat thing we found is that a probiotic can enhance bone density.” (more…)
Mussels Cramped by Environmental Factors
The fibrous threads helping mussels stay anchored – in spite of waves that sometimes pound the shore with a force equivalent to a jet liner flying at 600 miles per hour – are more prone to snap when ocean temperatures climb higher than normal.
Emily Carrington, a University of Washington professor of biology, reported Saturday (Feb. 16) that the fibrous threads she calls “nature’s bungee cords” become 60 percent weaker in water that was 15 degrees F (7 C) above typical summer temperatures where the mussels were from. She spoke at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston. (more…)