Betsy Smeed » News

Wallabies and bats harbor ‘fossil’ genes from the most deadly family of human viruses

Betsy — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:59:07 +0000

From Physorg.com, marsupials, bats, rodents and tenrecs harbor the genes for Filoviruses, such as Ebola and Marburg virus. This shows the power of examining genomes to discover not only shared ancestry but common infection and incorporation of virus into genomes.

Abstract

Can bacteria make you smarter?

Betsy — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:01:57 +0000

From Physorg.com, Mycobacterium vaccae(a soil bacteria) was fed to mice and the mice were tested in maze runs to see if it increased learning ability. The increase in learning was only temporary, however.

They had a throw-away line about kids going outside to help with mood and learning. The implication being that outdoor activity is good for kids. But let’s get back to reality. Ingesting the bacteria lead to noticeable improvements. I think a second study should be undertaken to study farmer/gardeners/landscapers to see if there is any improvement. Especially to see a relationship between just being outdoors and actual contact with the soil.

Also something implicit with this study. That when humans started farming, we must have felt the benefits from M. vaccae. This is when we see a “great leap forward” with regard to engineering monuments, writing and the like.

The deep-sea crab that eats trees

Betsy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:34:46 +0000

From BBC, a study that looks at wood falls(trees and other vegetable matter that settle on the ocean floor) and what creatures eat them. And there is a crab that eats from these wood falls. Connected to this is the worms that eat whale bone. As humans explore more and more of the ocean, the different sources of energy used is incredible. Then there is the florescent coral that heals itself.

What I don’t get…

Betsy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:29:57 +0000

From the Financial Times, that a scientist that is working on LHC would even do anything to throw away the dream job. This is the kind of job that I’m sure people would kill to get.

For me, it’s been frustrating that I’ve been unable to get and keep a job even closely related to my field. Right now I’m unemployed and wondering if I’ll ever get a job in my field and that any skills that I had are of no use because biology lab procedures are evolving at such a rapid pace that I’m completely useless. Sorry this has become a “poor me” mope.

Tits Osbourn Bats

Betsy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:31:53 +0000

Sorry for the crazy headline. From BBC News, in a Hungarian cave, great tits hunt and eat pipistrelle bats. Including eating off the head of the bats. See video and graphic pic by following the link.

Walking bats

Betsy — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:32:30 +0000

From Biology News Net, a look at the fossil relative of the New Zealand’s lesser short-tailed bat shows that walking isn’t due to a dearth of predators and competition. Interesting fact the male lesser short-tailed bats have singing contests.

Abstract

New Microbe Strain Makes More Electricity, Faster

Betsy — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:08:49 +0000

From Science daily, a new strain of Geobactor, the darling of electricity producers, has been discovered. Using selective pressure, a team from University of Massachusetts Amherst has evolved a strain that forms a thinner biofilm.

Abstract

Scientists Find a Microbe Haven at Ocean’s Surface

Betsy — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:59:44 +0000

From the New York Times, a cool finding about a microlayer of microbes at the oceans’ surface. These microbes form an oily biofilm which maybe involved with gas exchange in the ocean.

How the turtle’s shell developed

Betsy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:39:43 +0000

From BBC News, A look at the embryonic development of turtles, mice and chickens show that the ribs of the turtle migrate upward to form the turtle’s shell.

Cool Stars Have Different Mix of Chemicals

Betsy — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:33:31 +0000

From the NASA Spitzer news page, A look at the chemicals around smaller and cooler stars than the sun show that they do not have hydrogen cyanide, but acetylene. The speculation is that ultraviolet light is involved in the creation of HCN. Also small stars have extreme magnetic bursts that can be disruptive for life. So the implications for life on planets around these stars seems to be less likely than sun-like stars.