News Articles

The genome of the loblolly pine is truly massive, aound seven times bigger than the human genome, making it the largest genome sequenced to date and the most complete conifer genome sequence ever published.
The achievement, described in GENETICS and Genome Biology, marks the first big test of a new analysis method that can speed up genome assembly by compressing the raw sequence data 100-fold.
Loblolly pine is the most commercially important tree species in the United States and the source of most American paper products. The tree is also being developed as a feedstock for biofuel. The genome sequence will help scientists breed improved varieties and understand the evolution and diversity of plants.

Rutting stags and clawing bears are but two examples of male animals fighting over a mate, but research in New Phytologist has uncovered the first evidence of similar male struggles leading to the evolution of weaponry in plants.
The team, led by Dr. Andrea Cocucci from the Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biologia Vegetal of Argentina, studied a species of milkweed (Apocynaceae), found in tropical climates. While plants do not mate like animals, but rather reproduce via pollinators such as insects or birds, competition between individuals to exploit those pollinators can result in confrontation between the plants.

Infections caused by a concerning type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise in U.S. children, according to a new study published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and available online. Although still uncommon, the bacteria are increasingly found in children of all ages, especially those 1-5 years old, raising concerns about dwindling treatment options.

If people need to reduce salt intake, relying on them to do it is less effective than teaching them how to flavor food with spices and herbs, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology&Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014.
In the first phase of the study, 55 volunteers ate a low-sodium diet for four weeks. Researchers provided all foods and calorie-containing drinks. Salt is the main source of sodium in food.
In the second phase, half of the study volunteers participated in a 20-week behavioral intervention aimed at reducing their sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day by using spices and herbs. The other half reduced sodium on their own.

Scientists have discovered a new, persistent structure in one of two radiation belts surrounding Earth  - high-energy electrons in the inner Van Allen radiation belt display a persistent pattern that resembles slanted zebra stripes.
Surprisingly, this structure made of high-energy electrons is produced by the slow rotation of Earth, previously considered incapable of affecting the motion of radiation belt particles, which have velocities approaching the speed of light.

Genetic analysis of ancient poop found off the coast of Mexico suggests bighorn sheep may be native to Tiburón Island, the largest island in the Gulf of California and Mexico.
Bighorn sheep were not thought to inhabit Tiburón Island prior to their introduction in 1975 but scientists discovered fossilized dung in the mountains of Tiburón Island that challenges that assumption. Scientists compared the pellet-shaped poop to fecal pellets of other large mammals and extracted DNA to sequence and determine the origin.

An ancient stick insect species,
Cretophasmomima melanogramma from in Inner Mongolia at the Jehol locality, may have mimicked plant leaves for defense as far back as 126 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, according to a new study.

In the television show "Cosmos", the writers and host Neil deGrasse Tyson implied that the atmosphere on Venus was due to a runaway greenhouse gas effect. They also said Giordano Bruno was a martyr for astronomy and that Saturn was the 'jewel' of the solar system.
The only one of those partially correct is that Earth has a variety of factors that make our built-in atmospheric carbon dioxide regulator work where the one on Venus does not – including geologic cycles that churn up the planet's rocky surface. We also have gravity that keeps hydrogen from escaping into space after solar radiation breaks them, as happens on Venus.

A member of a mysterious dinosaur group has been discovered  in North and South Dakota, from roughly 66 million-year-old rocks of the Hell Creek Formation, which is already celebrated for its abundant fossils of famous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops.

Golfers would rather they not hit a rock with their titanium alloy golf clubs anyway, but now they have a more compelling reason than the cost of buying a new one; they can create sparks that are more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit which can ignite dry foliage.
So if you really want to golf during the drought, you now have one more thing to overthink while playing. 
In a Fire and Materials, the authors say Orange County, California, fire investigators asked U.C. Irvine to determine whether such clubs could have caused blazes at Shady Canyon Golf Course in Irvine and Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo a few years ago.

Verbal interactions between parents and children create a social feedback loop important for language development, according to research forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. That loop appears to be experienced less frequently and is diminished in strength in interactions with autistic children.

Patients with terminal forms of leukemia and lymphoma who have run out of treatment options could still aid science -  a Phase 1 trial into a new class of BTK (Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase) inhibiting drugs at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.
If it works, the new drug will improve a patients' life expectancy and quality of life by putting an end to chemotherapy with no side effects.