SciPak

Flowering Activity Reveals Role for R-Loop

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:01:28 -0400

Researchers have gained insight into how one member of a category of mysterious molecule called long-noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is regulated. Long-noncoding RNA, once thought to have little use, is now being shown to play a part in gene expression — but how lncRNA itself is regulated has left researchers perplexed.

Read more about this research from the 3 May issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Andrew Davis. Click the image for more information.]

Agile Flight for a Tiny, Winged Robot

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:01:28 -0400

A flying robot the size of a house-fly is providing researchers with a new way to study the flight dynamics of nature’s smallest fliers. Flies are capable of extremely unique and agile flight maneuvers that, for example, allow them to quickly avoid flyswatters and tactfully land on flowers that are blowing in the wind. For this reason, their aerial prowess has been difficult to reproduce in the laboratory. But, Kevin Ma and colleagues have designed a tiny robot with flapping wings that can hover in place and perform controlled flight maneuvers.

Watch a video of the robots and read more about this research from the 3 May issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Kevin Ma, Pakpong Chirarattananon. Click the image for more information.]

© 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.

Reporter in North Korea Investigates Fight against Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:01:37 -0400

Last month, International News Editor for the journal Science, Richard Stone, traveled to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to observe progress at the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NTRL), the only facility in the country capable of detecting strains of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. The article about Stone’s observations of the TB epidemic in North Korea appears in the 26 April issue of the journal Science, which is published by AAAS.

The Mitochondria Cleanup Crew Just Got Bigger

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:02:19 -0400

Damaged mitochondria need to be eliminated or serious health issues result, and a new study describes a previously unknown part of this elimination process. As the main energy source of cells, mitochondria are essential — but when these tiny power plants go bad, they become toxic, and cells have a special way of eliminating them.

Read more about this research from the 26 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Gerald Dorn. Click the image for more information.]

Europas kjøttmeisbestand trosser spådommer, forblir stabil

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:01:44 -0400

Fire tiår med data om europeiske kjøttmeis viser at bestanden av fuglen har holdt seg ganske stabil, selv om larver, fuglenes primære matkilde, har dukket opp tidligere hvert år som følge av klimaendringer. Disse funnene er viktige fordi mange planter og dyrs livssyklus, inkludert hendelser som parring, blomstring og migrasjon er sterkt påvirket av sesongmessige og mellomårlige endringer. Mange forskere har trodd at tidligere blomstring eller tidligere ankomsttider for en art kunne være en katastrofe for andre arter som er avhengig av den. Thomas Reed og kollegene viser imidlertid at selv om stadig varmere vårer i Nederland har ført til et misforhold mellom kjøttmeisenes årlige hekketid og høysesongen for larver i regionen, har fuglenes befolkningsvekst forblitt upåvirket.

Denne forskningen var i utgaven av Science for 26. april.

[Image courtesy of Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). Click the image for more information.]

Europe’s Great Tits Defy Predictions, Remain Stable

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:01:44 -0400

Four decades of data on European great tits show that populations of the bird have remained fairly stable, even though caterpillars—the birds’ primary food source—have been appearing earlier each year in response to climate change. These findings are important because the life cycles of many plants and animals, including events such as breeding, flowering and migration, are strongly influenced by seasonal and inter-annual changes, and many researchers have believed that earlier flowering dates or arrival times for one species could spell doom for another species that relies upon it. Thomas Reed and colleagues, however, show that even though increasingly warm springs in the Netherlands have led to a mismatch between the great tits’ annual breeding time and the seasonal peak of caterpillars in the region, the birds’ population growth has remained unaffected.

This research appeared in the 26 April issue of Science.

[Image courtesy of Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW). Click the image for more information.]

Probing and Proving Theories of Gravitation

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:01:36 -0400

Observations of a massive neutron star in a compact stellar binary in outer space confirm general relativity theory in a previously untested regime, a new study reports. General relativity (GR), proposed by Albert Einstein, has been tested outside of Earth before, but it has not been tested in the strong field of such a massive neutron star (or other, even stronger gravitational fields). Thus, scientists haven’t known whether this theory applies in such extreme environments. Now, new research by John Antoniadis and colleagues tests this theory in a strong-field setting.

Read more about this research from the 26 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of European Southern Observatory / J. Antoniadis (MPIfR). Click the image for more information.]

guardian: The Starman falls to earth. Canadian astronaut Chris...

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:06:27 -0400

guardian:

The Starman falls to earth. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, whose David Bowie cover captured the imagination of Earthlings yesterday, landed safely Tuesday on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Photograph: Mikhail Metzel/AFP/Getty Images

古代マヤ文明には複数の集団との文化交流があった

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:31:38 -0400

マヤ文明の起源に関してはこれまでに、2つの優勢な説があった。1つは現在のメキシコ南部、グアテマラ、ベリーズにあたる地域でほぼ独自に発展したという説。もう1つはマヤ文明より古いオルメカ文明の文化的影響を大きく受けたという説である。今回、ともにアリゾナ大学（米国、ツーソン）の研究者であるTakeshi Inomata（猪俣健）、Daniela Triadan夫妻が率いる米国や日本の研究者から成る発掘調査チームは、これらの2説ではマヤ文明の起源を十分に説明できないことを明らかにした。セイバルの広場群やピラミッド群と、グアテマラの古代マヤ遺跡はおそらく、紀元前約1,000年～700年に南部メソアメリカで起こっていた広範な文化的交流から生じたと彼らは提唱している。

（Science 4月26日号に掲載）

[Reconstruction: Daniela Triadan; Photo: Takeshi Inomata. Click for caption information.]

Anyone wishing to use the cover of Science must contact AAAS to request permission to do so.

Ancient Maya Swapped Culture With Multiple Groups

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:31:34 -0400

Until now, two theories have dominated the debate concerning the origin of the Maya civilization: one suggesting that the Maya developed almost entirely on their own in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize, and another suggesting that the older Olmec civilization was the Maya’s dominant cultural influence. Takeshi Inomata and Daniela Triadan, a husband-and-wife team from the University of Arizona in Tucson, along with colleagues from the U.S. and Japan, however, found that neither of these theories could tell the full story of the Maya. According to the researchers, the plazas and pyramids at Ceibal, an ancient Maya site in Guatemala, probably arose from broad cultural exchanges that took place across southern Mesoamerica from about 1,000 to 700 BCE.

This research appeared in the 26 April issue of Science.

[Reconstruction: Daniela Triadan; Photo: Takeshi Inomata. Click for caption information.]

Anyone wishing to use the cover of Science must contact AAAS to request permission to do so.

mothernaturenetwork: 10 of the cutest endangered species

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:36:16 -0400

mothernaturenetwork:

10 of the cutest endangered species

Whales Get Feeding Tips From Their Friends

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:01:30 -0400

Humpback whales pick up feeding techniques from other whales, a new study reports. The findings offer evidence that behaviors are spread through cultural transmission in animals other than humans and non-human primates.

Read more about this research from the 26 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Jennifer Allen/Whale Center of New England. Click the image for more information.]

Eating Like Locals: Social Learning & Culture in Monkeys

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:01:37 -0400

Most travelers want to eat what the locals are eating. New research now shows that wild vervet monkeys will also “eat what the locals are eating,” and switch food preferences when joining a new group or culture. The findings offer evidence that social learning – learning from others rather than through individual trial and error – is a more powerful force for shaping wild animal behavior than previously thought.

Read more about this research from the 26 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Erica van de Waal. Click the image for more information.]

© 2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.

Light Switches Brain Signaling

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:01:00 -0400

A new study explains why long days, with plenty of light, are stressful for rats, causing the neurons in the brains of these nocturnal creatures to produce less of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Typically, specific neurotransmitters are released by specific neurons, though the ability of neurons to switch the transmitters they release in certain conditions has been known. Now, a new study shows that this “neurotransmitter switching” underlies the stress response of adult rats to prolonged light.

Read more about this research from the 26 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Davide Dulcis and Pouya Jamshidi. Click the image for more information.]

Grand Challenges in Science Education

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:01:45 -0400

The 21st-century scientific workforce needs new skills and knowledge to keep pace with ever-changing technology. Larger, more diverse student populations clamor for access to knowledge. All global citizens, whether in a doctor’s office or polling booth, must be better informed. All of these needs call for expanded, improved science education. In this special issue, we have invited experts to discuss the most important challenges facing science education. See the special section beginning on page 290. Images: Thinkstock

Anyone wishing to use the cover of Science must contact AAAS to request permission to do so.

Exclusive Breastfeeding Curbs HIV in Breast Milk HIV-infected...

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:43:30 -0400

Exclusive Breastfeeding Curbs HIV in Breast Milk

HIV-infected women who want to breastfeed should do so exclusively (no feeding with other fluids or foods) for the first six months of a baby’s life, a new study of HIV-infected mothers in Zambia suggests. Women who chose long-term exclusive breastfeeding may have the lowest risk of transmitting the virus to their babies through breast milk, the findings show. In this podcast, author Louise Kuhn discusses how breastfeeding affects levels of HIV in the breast milk of infected mothers.

Read more about this research from the 17 April issue of Science Translational Medicine here.

Where Has All the Charcoal Gone?

Fri, 03 May 2013 16:01:33 -0400

A new study helps to explain why scientists have not found expected levels of biochar (a type of charcoal) in the world’s soils. Biochar — which is generated from the burning of biomass such as wood and plants, and then deposited in soil — is important because its absorptive properties help it remove carbon from the atmosphere (which can in turn help to mitigate climate change). The burning of biomass generates tens to hundreds of millions of tons of biochar annually, about half of which was thought to be preserved for millennia in soils and river sediment. Using a novel process, Rudolf Jaffé and colleagues help explain why the expected levels of biochar haven’t been found in soils and rivers.

Read more about this research from the 19 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Dr. Stefan Doerr. Click the image for more information.]

First Antarctic Freeze Brought New Plankton

Thu, 02 May 2013 16:01:53 -0400

About 34 million years ago, as ice was covering the surface of Antarctica, plankton in the Southern Ocean was undergoing an abrupt and dramatic reorganization, researchers say. Alexander Houben and colleagues used records of fossilized cysts, which were left behind by microorganisms called dinoflagellates, to study the ecosystems that surrounded Antarctica during its transition to a continent-wide glacier.

Read more about this research from the 19 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Annick Fehr, Kevin Welsh and Trevor Williams. Click the image for more information.]

Mental Maps in Bats and Rats

Wed, 01 May 2013 16:01:29 -0400

Land-dwelling mammals build mental maps to help them navigate using different neural processes than mammals that fly, new research shows.

Read more about this research from the 19 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of Organization for Bat Conservation and Steve Gettle Photography. Click the image for more information.]

History Lessons Needed to Keep Fish Stocks Afloat

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:01:31 -0400

A new study suggests why the recovery of overexploited fish populations has been slower and less certain than researchers have expected. According to Philipp Neubauer and colleagues, who analyzed data on global fish stocks, the costs of overfishing have been greater than models have predicted and many depleted fish populations won’t be able to recover from their current status.

Read more about this research from the 19 April issue of Science here.

[Image courtesy of John Manderson. Click the image for more information.]