In The News
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.
read entire article
Also:
FirstScience (London, Nov. 2)
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (New Rochelle, N.Y., Nov. 2)
PhysOrg (Douglas, Isle of Man, Nov. 2)
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."
read entire article
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.
read entire article
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)
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.
read entire article
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.
read entire article
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.
read entire article
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.
read entire article
Circadian Rhythm
Science News (Washington, D.C., Oct. 8) -- Martha Gillette, a professor of cell and structural biology at Illinois, says the extreme behavior exhibited by a population of neurons in the hypothalamus, the “master clock” that regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, as reported in a University of Manchester study is “very shocking.”
read entire article
