In The News
Genomics
e! Science News (Quebec City, Nov. 19) -- A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the U. of I. allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. “Our statistical approach is more widely applicable than other approaches, and is especially useful for investigating gene regulatory networks with relatively little prior characterization,” said Saurabh Sinha, a professor of computer science and an affiliate of the university’s Institute for Genomic Biology.
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Also:
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (New Rochelle, N.Y., Nov. 19)
PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, Nov. 19)
R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., Nov. 19)
RedOrbit (Dallas, Nov. 19)
Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., Nov. 19)
Genome Web Daily News (New York City, Nov. 19)
Climate Bill and Farming
AgWeb (Philadelphia, Nov. 18) -- Congress is considering a climate bill that would set the nation’s first-ever mandatory limits on heat-trapping gases in an effort to curb global warming. U. of I. agricultural economist Madhu Khanna, an expert on environmental policy, discusses the potential consequences for the nation’s farmers.
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Entomology
Islam Online (Doha, Qatar, Nov. 13) -- Scientists have been working since 2006 to explain colony collapse disorder, the mysterious disappearance of bees. Now, a new study carried out by scientists from the U. of I. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that several viruses may act together.
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Papaya Evolution
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Nov. 2) -- U. of I. plant biology professor Ray Ming co-led an international team that produced the first draft of the papaya genome in 2008. The draft, which sequenced more than 90 percent of the papaya’s genes, offered new insights into the unusual sexual evolution of the papaya that will allow growers to produce more commercially viable fruit with fewer costs.
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Also:
FirstScience (London, Nov. 2)
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (New Rochelle, N.Y., Nov. 2)
PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, Nov. 2)
Los Angeles Times (from the Chicago Tribune, Nov. 8)
Chicago Tribune (Nov. 8)
Toronto Life (Nov. 7)
Genetically Modified Crops
The New York Times (Nov. 2) -- European nations have relied for years on protein imports, such as the ground meal of soybeans from the United States, to sustain their cattle and pig farms. While this complex chain of trade has worked reasonably well, it has started to be threatened by a microscopic foe: the dust of genetically modified crops. "It's a real concern to the industry because once the cat's out of the bag, it's hard to put it back in,” says Bryan Endres, an agricultural and consumer economics professor at the U. of I. “Once these (crops) are in the commodity system, it's hard to resegregate them out."
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Also:
Scoop (Wellington, New Zealand, Nov. 5)
Pig Genome
The New York Times (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2) -- An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig. “The pig is the ideal animal to look at lifestyle and health issues in the United States,” said Larry Schook, a biomedical science professor at the U. of I. who led the DNA sequencing project.
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Also:
ABC News (from The Associated Press; New York City, Nov. 2)
CBS News (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2)
Chicago Tribune (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2)
MSNBC (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2)
Time (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2)
U.S. News & World Report (from The Associated Press, Nov. 2)
The New York Times (front page, Science Times, Nov. 10)
Bacterial Research
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Oct. 30) -- U. of I. physics professors Yann Chemla and Ido Golding have come up with a new way to watch bacteria as they swim, which is expected to eventually help trap E. coli bacteria and modify the microbes’ environment without hindering the way they move.
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Amphetamines
U.S. News & World Report (from HealthDay News, Oct. 22) -- A U. of I. study with laboratory rats suggests that exposure to amphetamines during teen years when the brain is continuing to develop has long-lasting, negative consequences. "Our findings reveal that adolescents are particularly sensitive to the adverse effects of amphetamine on cognitive function and that these effects can persist well after drug use is discontinued," said Joshua Gulley, a U. of I. psychology professor who led the study.
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Also:
All Headline News (Oct. 22)
PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, Oct. 22)
RedOrbit (Dallas, Oct. 22)
Science Centric (Sofia, Bulgaria, Oct. 22)
Science Codex (San Jose, Calif., Oct. 22)
Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., Oct. 22)
Sindh Today (from Asian News International; Mumbai, India, Oct. 22)
Thaindian News (from Asian News International; Bangkok, Oct. 22)
KTVN-Channel 2 (from HealthDay News; CBS; Reno, Nevada, Oct. 22)
WFIE-Channel 14 (from HealthDay News; NBC; Evansville, Ind., Oct. 22)
WMBF-Channel 32 (from HealthDay News; NBC; Myrtle Beach, S.C., Oct. 22)
USA Today online (Oct. 23)
DNA
Science Daily (Chevy Chase, Md., Oct. 21) -- Researchers led by U. of I. physics professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Taekjip Ha report that a single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), once thought to be a static player among the many molecules that interact with DNA, actually moves back and forth along single-stranded DNA, gradually allowing other proteins to repair, recombine or replicate the strands.
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Also:
e! Science News (Quebec City, Oct. 21)
Innovations Report (Bad Homburg, Germany, Oct. 22)
In Sciences (Basel, Switzerland, Oct. 21)
PhysOrg.com (Douglas, Isle of Man, Oct. 21)
R&D Magazine (Rockaway, N.J., Oct. 22)
RedOrbit (Dallas, Oct. 21)
Science Centric (Sofia, Bulgaria, Oct. 22)
Scientist Live (London, Oct. 22)
United Press International (Oct. 22)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (from HealthDay News, Oct. 22)
Austin American-Statesman (from HealthDay News; Texas, Oct. 22)
The Money Times (from United Press International; Mumbai, India, Oct. 22)
Times of the Internet (from United Press International; Cleveland, Oct. 22)
U.S. News & World Report (from United Press International, Oct. 22)
Naval Orangeworm
Western Farm Press (New York City, Oct. 21) -- Research led by U. of I. entomology professor May Berenbaum has demonstrated that naval orangeworm larvae can tolerate high concentrations of aflatoxin and is offering key insights to larvae management in almond groves.
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