Deformed Frogs Form When Parasites and Pesticides Combine

JOSEPH KIESECKER
Pennsylvania State University
Ecology of Infectious Diseases
Date: Jul 08, 2002

Deformities in Pennsylvania wood frogs are linked to a parasite infection combined with a weakened immune system caused by pesticide exposure, according to a study to be published in the 9 July issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research, supported by a grant from the Ecology of Infectious Diseases Program, and jointly administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), includes the first experimental studies of amphibian deformities conducted in ponds where the animals live. The discoveries, which show the effect of environmental stress on disease outbreaks, may help to explain how disease affects the distribution, growth, development, and survival of frogs. More...

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In Evolution Game, Survival Doesn't Equal Success

DAVID JABLONSKI
University of Chicago
Geology and Paleontology
Date: Jun 10, 2002

A significant number of organisms that survived the five greatest mass extinctions in Earth's history subsequently failed to achieve evolutionary success. More...

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Photosynthetic Bacteria Discovered in Yellowstone Hot Springs

DONNA BEDARD
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Metabolic Biochemistry
Date: May 28, 2002

Researchers have found green sulfur bacteria in two of Yellowstone National Park's hot springs. The bacteria thrive at a temperature of about 43°-52° C (110°-125° F), growing in the complete absence of air - requiring only light, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide to survive.More...

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Researchers Compare Anthrax Genomes

TIMOTHY READ AND CLAIRE FRASER
Institute for Genomic Research and Northern Arizona University
Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division
Date: May 09, 2002

In a pioneering use of genomics as a tool for the forensic analysis of microbes, scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) in Rockville, Md., and at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff have found new genetic markers that distinguish the Bacillus anthracis isolate that was used in last fall's bioterror attack in Boca Raton, Florida, from closely related anthrax strains. More...

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Researchers Discover Clues to Whale Evolution

HANS THEWISSEN
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Geology & Paleontology
Date: May 08, 2002

A team of international scientists, including Hans Thewissen, an anatomist and paleontologist at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM), has discovered that the inner ear of whales evolved much more quickly than expected, allowing the animals to become fully aquatic early in their evolution. More ...

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Researchers Project Future Shrinking Bioversity of Mexican Species

TOWNSEND PETERSON
University of Kansas Natural History Museum
Ecosystem Studies
Date: Apr 10, 2002

The effect of Earth's changing climate -- due to warming from so-called greenhouse gases and other factors -- on natural ecosystems may be felt by species most at risk for reduced range or even extinction. A team of researchers supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and affiliated with the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and other institutions has reported on the first analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on species in an entire country, Mexico. The team's paper is published in this week's Nature. More ...

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NSF to Support Study of Environmental Warming in the Arctic

JAMES H. MORISON
University of Washington
Polar Science Center
Date: Feb 07, 2002

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced today it will back a study of environmental changes in the Arctic that indicate a marked warming of the atmosphere. In fiscal 2002, NSF designated $30 million to be allocated over five years for the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) project. More...

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