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Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Environmental Science & Technology
Biofuel carbon footprint not as big as feared, Michigan State University research says
Some researchers have blasted biofuels' potential to increase greenhouse gas emissions, calling into question the environmental benefits of making fuel from plant material. But a new analysis by Michigan State University scientists says these dire predictions are based on a set of assumptions that may not be correct.
Contact: Bruce Dale
bdale@egr.msu.edu
517-353-6777
Michigan State University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Science
A fantastic voyage brought to life
Tel Aviv University scientists develop a medical "mini-submarine" to blast diseased cells in the body.
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Discovery of methane reveals Mars is not a dead planet
A team of NASA and university scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either biologically or geologically active.
NASA
Contact: Dwayne Brown
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov
202-358-1726
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
High-tech solutions ease inaugural challenges
Transportation and security officials on Inauguration Day will have a centralized, consolidated stream of traffic information and other data displayed on a single screen using software developed by the University of Maryland. The Regional Integrated Transportation Information System gives officials a single real-time view far more comprehensive than previously available. The idea is to enhance officials' ability to monitor vehicular traffic, accidents, incidents, response plans, air space, weather conditions and more.
Contact: Lee Tune
ltune@umd.edu
301-405-4679
University of Maryland
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
The Science Coalition applauds House economic stimulus package proposal
The Science Coalition applauds the House for recognizing the vital need to include research funding in the economic stimulus and recovery efforts. Funding for targeted federal research programs will have the immediate impact of creating jobs and stimulating economic activity in communities across the country. This is an example that we hope the Senate will eventually follow.
Contact: Ashley Prime
aprime@qga.com
202-429-4002
The Science Coalition
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences
Now you see it, now you don't: MBL scientists unraveling the mystery of camouflage
Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, has discovered three broad classes of camouflage body patterns. This study of cephalopod camouflage has implications for analyzing camouflage tactics throughout the animal kingdom.
Sholley Foundation, National Geographic Society, US Office of Naval Research
Contact: Diana Kenney
dkenney@mbl.edu
508-289-7139
Marine Biological Laboratory
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Cancer Research
Scripps Florida scientists find novel use for old compound in cancer treatment
Scientists from the Scripps Florida campus of the Scripps Research Institute have found a potentially beneficial use for a once-abandoned compound in the prevention and treatment of neuroblastoma, one of the most devastating cancers among young children.
National Institutes of Health, State of Florida
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Scripps research team develops new technique to tap full potential of antibody libraries
Antibodies are the attack dogs of the immune system, fighting off bacterial and other invaders. Massive libraries of synthetic antibodies that mimic this natural response, for instance to attack proteins critical to a particular cancer, are also available, but current techniques have allowed scientists to screen these antibodies for effectiveness against only a very limited number of disease-causing agents.
Scripps Research Institute, Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, Pfizer, Inc.
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research Institute
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Genetics
Why domestic animals changed coat
A new study on pigs, published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, reveals that the prime explanation for the bewildering diversity in coat color among our pigs, dogs and other domestic animals, is that humans have actively changed the coat color of domestic animals by cherry-picking and actively selecting for rare mutations. This process that has been going on for thousands of years.
Contact: Leif Andersson
leif.andersson@imbim.uu.se
46-184-714-904
Uppsala University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Current Biology
DREAM: 1 gene regulates pain, learning and memory
The DREAM-gene which is crucial in regulating pain perception seems to also influence learning and memory. This is the result of studies carried out by researchers in Seville, Spain, and Vienna, Austria. The new findings could help explain the mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and yield a potential new therapeutic target.
Junta de Andalucia, Direccion General de Investigacion Ciencia y Tecnica, FPU fellowship program, Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austrian Ministry of Science
Contact: Dr. Heidemarie Hurtl
hurtl@imp.ac.at
43-179-730-3625
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
International Journal of Health Geographics
Global warming linked to European viral epidemic
An epidemic of the viral disease nephropathia epidemica has been linked to increases in the vole population caused by hotter summers, milder winters and increased seedcrop production by broadleaf trees. Research published in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Health Geographics links outbreaks of this rodent-borne disease to known effects of global warming.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-707-94804
BioMed Central
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Biologist enhances use of bioinformatic tools and achieves precision in genetic annotation
Jose Luis Lavin Trueba, a graduate in biology and biochemistry from the University of Salamanca, Spain, and currently collaborator in the Genetic and Microbiology Research Group at the Public University of Navarre, has enhanced the use of bioinformatic tools for the identification and annotation of certain fungal and bacterial genes.
Contact: Oihane Lakar
oihane@elhuyar.com
0034-943-363-040
Elhuyar Fundazioa
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Genetics
Humans are reason for why domestic animals have strange and varied coat colours
Study proves humans have actively changed the coats of domestic animals by cherry-picking rare genetic mutations, causing variations such as different colors, bands and spots, according to a new study.
European Commission, European Molecular Biology Organization, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
Contact: Dr. Greger Larson
greger.larson@durham.ac.uk
44-191-334-1574
Durham University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Pathogens
Possible new hope for crops battling parasitic infection
Scientists from Ghent University and VIB (the Flemisch Institute for Biotechnology) have demonstrated how nematodes, also known as roundworms, manipulate the transport of the plant hormone auxin in order to force the plant to produce food for them. Their findings, published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens, could open up new possibilities for the development of nematode-resistant plants.
Contact: Wim Grunewald
Wim.Grunewald@UGent.be
329-264-5967
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Genetics
Scientists present the largest-to-date genetic snapshot of Iceland 1000 years ago
Scientists at deCODE genetics have completed the largest study of ancient DNA from a single population ever undertaken. Analyzing mitochondrial DNA, which is passed from mother to offspring, from 68 skeletal remains, the study provides a detailed look at how a contemporary population differs from that of its ancestors. The study is published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.
Contact: Edward Farmer
edward.farmer@decode.is
354-570-2819
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Science
UBC researcher gives first-ever estimate of worldwide fish biomass and impact on climate change
Are there really plenty of fish in the sea? University of British Columbia fisheries researcher Villy Christensen gives the first-ever estimate of total fish biomass in our oceans: Two billion tons.
Contact: Brian Lin
brian.lin@ubc.ca
604-822-2234
University of British Columbia
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Pathogens
Researchers find essential proteins for critical stage of malaria
Researchers have identified the molecular components that enable the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium to infect the salivary glands of the Anopheles mosquito -- a critical stage for spreading malaria to humans. The findings are published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Tim Parsons
tmparson@jhsph.edu
410-955-7619
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PloS Pathogens
Combating infection of crops by nematodes is soon to improve
Scientists from Ghent University and VIB have succeeded in showing how nematodes are able to manipulate the transport of the plant hormone auxin in order to force the plant to produce food for them. This advancement in knowledge about this process opens new possibilities for the development of nematode-resistant plants.
Ghent University, Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology
Contact: Evy Vierstraete
info@vib.be
329-244-6611
VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Science
New genetic model predicts plant flowering in different environments
A Brown University-led team has created a model that precisely charts the genetic and environmental signals that guide the life cycle of a scientifically important plant species. The model could help scientists better understand how plants will respond to climate change. The paper is published in the online edition of Science.
National Science Foundation, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Contact: Richard Lewis
Richard_Lewis@Brown.edu
401-863-3766
Brown University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Computational Biology
A novel explanation for a floral genetic mystery
Scientists at the University of Jena, Germany have put forth a novel explanation of the evolutionary driving force behind a genetic switching circuit that regulates flower development and survival. The hypothesis, based around the obligatory pairing of certain molecules, is published Jan. 16 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology.
Contact: Dr. Peter Dittrich
dittrich@minet.uni-jena.de
49-364-194-6460
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Clinical Cancer Research
DNA repair patterns may predict risk of pancreatic cancer
Genetic variations in DNA repair patterns may increase risk of pancreatic cancer by as much as threefold or decrease it by as much as 77 percent, depending on the genes involved, according to a report published in the Jan. 15, 2009, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Contact: Jeremy Moore
Jeremy.moore@aacr.org
267-646-0557
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Science
Fish guts explain marine carbon cycle mystery
Research reveals the major influence of fish on maintaining the delicate pH balance of our oceans, vital for the health of coral reefs and other marine life. The discovery, made by a team of scientists from the UK, US and Canada, could help solve a mystery that has puzzled marine chemists for decades. Published in Science, the study provides new insights into the marine carbon cycle, which is undergoing rapid change as a result of global CO2 emissions.
Contact: Sarah Hoyle
s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk
01-392-262-062
University of Exeter
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Molecular Cell
Mutant host cell protein sequesters critical HIV-1 element
Scientists have identified a new way to inhibit a molecule that is critical for HIV pathogenesis. The research, published by Cell Press in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, presents a target for development of antiretroviral therapeutics that are likely to complement existing therapies and provide additional protection from HIV and AIDS.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
Current Biology
Strategic farming practices could help mitigate global warming
Researchers say that strategic farming practices might be part of the solution for curbing global warming. According to calculations reported online on Jan. 15 in Current Biology, by planting crop varieties that better reflect sunlight back out to space, summertime temperatures could be reduced by more than one degree Celsius throughout much of central North America and mid-latitude Eurasia.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 15-Jan-2009
PLoS Genetics
Study of human tissue reveals potential colon cancer biomarker
University of Cincinnati scientists have identified a new biomarker that could help predict a person's risk of developing colon cancer and how aggressive it may become.
National Institutes of Health, US Army
Contact: Amanda J. Harper
amanda.harper@uc.edu
513-558-4657
University of Cincinnati
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