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Public Release: 8-May-2008
Feedstock makes a difference in feeding distiller's grains
When it comes to using distiller's grains in finishing rations of High Plains cattle, a Texas AgriLife Research scientist says the type of grain used makes all the difference.
Dr. Jim MacDonald, AgriLife Research beef nutritionist at Amarillo, said there's been some skepticism about using distiller's grains in this region. Distiller's grains are a by-product of ethanol processing that can be used for animal feed.
Contact: Dr. Jim MacDonald
jcmacdonald@ag.tamu.edu
806-677-5600
Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications
Public Release: 8-May-2008
Fungal Genetics and Biology
Bread mold may hold secret to eliminating disease-causing genes
A University of Missouri scientist, along with a collaborative research team, has examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). The finding could have implications for higher organisms and may lead to precise "targeting" of unwanted genes, such as those from the HIV virus.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Bryan E. Jones
jonesbry@missouri.edu
573-882-9144
University of Missouri-Columbia
Public Release: 8-May-2008
Current Biology
What's bugging locusts?
Since ancient times, locust plagues have been viewed as one of the most spectacular events in nature. In seemingly spontaneous fashion, as many as 10 billion critters can suddenly swarm the air and carpet the ground, blazing destructive paths that bring starvation and economic ruin.
What makes them do it?
In a word, cannibalism.
Princeton University, Royal Society of London, Australian Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Contact: Kitta MacPherson
kittamac@princeton.edu
609-258-5729
Princeton University
Public Release: 8-May-2008
Newest GREET model updates environmental impacts
The newest version of the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy use in Transportation model from the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory will provide researchers with even more tools to evaluate and compare the environmental impacts of new transportation fuels and advanced vehicle technologies.
US Department of Energy
Contact: Brock Cooper
bcooper@anl.gov
630-252-5565
DOE/Argonne National Laboratory
Public Release: 8-May-2008
Nature
Model successfully predicts large river system fish diversity
While scientists have developed methods to predict aspects of fish diversity in specific river locations, a model to understand what factors may drive a comprehensive suite of fish biodiversity patterns in a large and complex system of rivers has been elusive.
Now a group of researchers reports success using a so-called "neutral model" to study fish diversity in the sprawling Mississippi-Missouri River System.
James S. McDonnell Foundation
Contact: Ellen Ternes
eternes@umd.edu
301-405-4627
University of Maryland
Public Release: 8-May-2008
Agronomy Journal
Keeping yields, profits and water quality high
Researchers investigated whether yield, weed suppression, and profit characteristics of low-external-input farming systems could match or exceed those of conventional farming systems. Yields and profits were similar or higher in the LEI systems as in the conventional system, and lower herbicide inputs did not lead to increased weed problems. The results suggest that large reductions in agrichemical use can be compatible with high crop yields and profits.
USDA National Research Initiative, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University
Contact: Sara Uttech
suttech@agronomy.org
608-268-4948
American Society of Agronomy
Public Release: 8-May-2008
PLoS Pathogens
Tomato stands firm in face of fungus
Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. The story of how the plant beat the pathogen, and what it means for combating other plant diseases, is published May 9 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Mary Kohut
mkohut@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Platypus genome decoded
The curious discovery of the duck-billed, egg-laying, otter-footed, beaver-tailed, venomous platypus in Australia in 1798 convinced British scientists that it must be a hoax. Sketches of its appearance were thought to be impossible.
Contact: Bobbie Mixon
bmixon@nsf.gov
703-292-8485
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 7-May-2008
HortScience
Alternatives to ozone-depleting pesticide studied
In 2000, the widely used pesticide methy bromide was classified as an ozone-depleting substance, and in 2005 MB was banned in the United States and all European Union countries. In response to the need for safe and effective alternatives to methyl bromide, researchers at the Instituto Tecnologico Agrario de Castilla y Leon in Valladolid, Spain, undertook a 3-year project to study new methods of weed control in strawberry nurseries.
Contact: Michael W. Neff
mwneff@ashs.org
703-836-4606
American Society for Horticultural Science
Public Release: 7-May-2008
HortScience
Silicon's effect on sunflowers studied
As the popularity of sunflowers grows among commercial growers and everyday gardeners, scientists are looking for new supplements and growing methods to enhance production and quality of this celebrated annual.
Contact: Michael W. Neff
mwneff@ashs.org
703-836-4606
American Society for Horticultural Science
Public Release: 7-May-2008
HortTechnology
Over the back fence: gardeners get advice from neighbors, friends
Staff at University of Minnesota Extension have published results of a survey that concludes that the majority of backyard gardeners get their planting and plant information informally -- most often from friends, neighbors and local garden centers.
Contact: Michael W. Neff
mwneff@ashs.org
703-836-4606
American Society for Horticultural Science
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Ponds found to take up carbon like world's oceans
Research led by Iowa State University limnologist John Downing finds that ponds around the globe could absorb as much carbon as the world's oceans.
Contact: John Downing
downing@iastate.edu
Iowa State University
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Nature
Rainfall and river networks prove accurate predictors of fish biodiversity
Princeton researchers have invented a method for turning simple data about rainfall and river networks into accurate assessments of fish biodiversity, allowing better prediction of the effects of climate change and the ecological impact of man-made structures like dams.
James S. McDonnell Foundation
Contact: Teresa Riordan
triordan@princeton.edu
609-258-9754
Princeton University, Engineering School
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Nature
Duck-billed platypus genome sequence published
The first analysis of the genome sequence of the duck-billed platypus was published today by an international team of scientists, revealing clues about how genomes were organized during the early evolution of mammals. The research was supported in part by the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute
Contact: Geoff Spencer
spencerg@mail.nih.gov
301-402-0911
NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Nature
First analysis of platypus genome may impact disease prevention
LSU's Mark Batzer, along with an international consortium of scientists led by Wes Warren at Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo., has proven that platypus looks aren't only skin-deep -- their DNA is an equally cobbled-together array of bird, reptile and mammalian lineages.
NSF, NIH
Contact: Mark Batzer
mbatzer@lsu.edu
225-578-7102
Louisiana State University
Public Release: 7-May-2008
Nature
Biodiversity -- it's in the water
What if hydrology is more important for predicting biodiversity than biology?
Research published in the May 8 issue of the journal Nature challenges current thinking about biodiversity, and opens up new avenues for predicting how climate change or human activity may affect biodiversity patterns.
James S. McDonnell Foundation
Contact: Mary Parlange
mary.parlange@epfl.ch
41-216-937-022
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Public Release: 6-May-2008
Soil Science Society of America Journal
Finding the real potential of no-till farming for sequestering carbon
Researchers investigated the potential of no-tillage agricultural soils for increasing the soil organic carbon pool. The results of the study revealed that no till farming impacts on soil carbon sequestration depended on soil type and sampling depth, with greater sequestration evident only in surface (0-10 cm) no till soils.
US Department of Energy
Contact: Sara Uttech
suttech@soils.org
608-268-4948
Soil Science Society of America
Public Release: 6-May-2008
Screw worm outbreak in Yemen
An outbreak of the insidious "screw worm" fly in Yemen, is threatening livelihoods, in a country where rearing livestock is a traditional way of life. In recent weeks, a Ministerial delegation was at the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, to turn to the international community for emergency assistance to fight the deadly pest.
Contact: Press Office
press@iaea.org
43-126-002-1273
International Atomic Energy Agency
Public Release: 6-May-2008
Geography Journal
Expert predicts 'Monsoon Britain'
Prepare for more floods -- in ways we are not used to -- that's the message from experts at Durham University who have studied rainfall and river flow patterns over 250 years. Last summer was the second wettest on record and experts say we must prepare for worse to come.
Willis Research Network: Rural Economy and Land Use Program
Contact: Alex Thomas
media.relations@durham.ac.uk
01-913-346-075
Durham University
Public Release: 6-May-2008
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Arable land can have a negative impact on air quality
Fallow agricultural land and steppe-formation processes are evidently capable of having a much greater effect on global air quality than was previously assumed. This is the conclusion drawn by researchers after examining a dust cloud that formed over parched fields in southern Ukraine and led to extremely high concentrations of particulate matter in Central Europe. On March 24, 2007, the dust cloud spread across Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic to Germany.
Umweltbundesamt, Saechsisches Landesamt fuer Umwelt und Geologie, European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions
Contact: Tilo Arnhold
presse@ufz.de
49-341-235-1635
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 5-May-2008
ESA contributes to ocean carbon cycle research
The Earth's oceans play a vital role in the carbon cycle, making it imperative that we understand marine biological activity enough to predict how our planet will react to the extra 25,000 million tons of carbon dioxide humans are pumping into the atmosphere annually.
Contact: Mariangela D'Acunto
mariangela.dacunto@esa.int
39-069-418-0856
European Space Agency
Public Release: 5-May-2008
Functional Ecology
Ecologists tease out private lives of plants and their pollinators
The quality of pollen a plant produces is closely tied to its sexual habits, ecologists have discovered. As well as helping explain the evolution of such intimate relationships between plants and pollinators, the study -- one of the first of its kind and published online in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology -- also helps explain the recent dramatic decline in certain bumblebee species found in the shrinking areas of species-rich chalk grasslands and hay meadows across Northern Europe.
Contact: Becky Allen
beckyallen@ntlworld.com
44-012-235-70016
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 5-May-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Trouble in paradise: Warming a greater danger to tropical species
The Arctic has become a poster child for the negative effects of climate change, but new research from the University of Washington shows that species living in the tropics likely face the greatest peril in a warmer world.
National Science Foundation, University of Washington Program on Climate Change
Contact: Vince Stricherz
vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 5-May-2008
Current Biology
Fungi have a hand in depleted uranium's environmental fate
Fungi may have an important role to play in the fate of potentially dangerous depleted uranium left in the environment after recent war campaigns, according to a new report in the May 6 issue of Current Biology, a publication of Cell Press. The researchers found evidence that fungi can "lock" depleted uranium into a mineral form that may be less likely to find its way into plants, animals, or the water supply.
MOD/NERC DU Program, CCLRC Daresbury SRS, Scottish Executive Environmental and Rural Affairs Department
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 5-May-2008
American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- April 30, 2008
The American Chemical Society's News Service Weekly PressPac contains reports from 36 major peer-reviewed journals on chemistry, health, medicine, energy, environment, food, nanotechnology and other hot topics.
Contact: Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
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