A Blog Around The Clock

Red Is For Hummingbirds, Yellow For Moths:

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that the future of red and yellow varieties of a San Diego wildflower may depend on the fates of two different animals. They report in the current issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology that monkeyflowers have two different animal pollinators. The red form, common along the coast, is strongly preferred by hummingbirds, while yellow monkeyflowers, found east of I-15, are favored by hawkmoths.

Study Suggests Earlier Crop Plantings Could Curb Future Yields:

In an ongoing bid to grow more corn, farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt are planting seeds much earlier today than they did 30 years ago, a new study has found. Earlier plantings — which mean longer growing seasons — have likely contributed to the increasing corn yields of recent decades. But a terrestrial ecologist at the UW-Madison’s Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment warns the trend can only continue for so long.

Hearts Or Tails? Genetics Of Multi-chambered Heart Evolution:

A new paper in the October 1 issue of G&D elucidates the genetics of heart formation in the sea squirt, and lends surprising new insight into the genetic changes that may have driven the evolution of the multi-chambered vertebrate heart.

Alaska Study Offers Strategies To Mitigate Climate Warming:

Using Interior Alaska’s boreal forests as a case study, a team of scientists led by University of Alaska Fairbanks ecologist F. Stuart Chapin III recently offered four policy strategies for sustaining people and the environment as both face a dramatically warming climate.

Hail To The Hornworts: New Plant Family Tree Sheds Light On Evolution Of Life Cycles:

In the history of life on earth, one intriguing mystery is how plants made the transition from water to land and then went on to diversify into the array of vegetation we see today, from simple mosses and liverworts to towering redwoods.

‘Failed’ Experiment Yields A Biocontrol Agent That Doesn’t Trigger Antibiotic Resistance:

A failed experiment turned out to be anything but for bacteriologist Marcin Filutowicz. As he was puzzling out why what should have been a routine procedure wouldn’t work, he made a discovery that led to the creation of a new biological tool for destroying bacterial pathogens — one that doesn’t appear to trigger antibiotic resistance.

Fossils Pinpoint Tropics As Earth’s Most Fruitful Biodiversity Spawning Ground:

A team of scientists has completed a study that explains why the tropics are so much richer in biodiversity than higher latitudes. And they say that their work highlights the importance of preserving those species against extinction.

Model Homes Offer National Indoor Air Quality Impact Results:

Engineers at NIST have developed a database of U.S. residential housing to help conduct nationwide analyses of ventilation, air cleaning or moisture control strategies to reduce indoor air pollution. The new database of over 200 residential dwellings, representing 80 percent of the United States housing stock, can be combined with a computer simulation technique to determine the impacts of indoor air quality interventions.

Animals Resistant To Drunken Behavior Offer Clues To Alcoholism’s Roots:

Animals with a remarkable ability to hold their liquor may point the way toward the genetic underpinnings of alcohol addiction, two separate research teams reported in the October 6, 2006 issue of the journal Cell. Earlier studies have shown that people with a greater tolerance for alcohol have a greater risk of becoming alcoholics, according to the researchers.

What about natural species differences?
Home, Home On The Range: How Much Space Does An Animal Really Need?:

Instead of wandering around aimlessly, most animals tend to stay in a certain area — known as their home range. Understanding an animal’s home range has been a central focus of ecological research since Darwin’s time. But while explaining why different sized species need different amounts of space is relatively easy, a study from the October issue of the American Naturalist tackles a much more complex question: What determines differences in home range size among individu als of one species?

Consuming Cola May Up Osteoporosis Risk For Older Women, Study Suggests:

In an epidemiological study, researchers analyzed dietary questionnaires and bone mineral density measurements of more than 2,500 people in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study and found that cola consumption was associated with lower bone mineral density at three different hip sites of older women.

Revere has more…
Mathematical Simulation May Help Ease Airport Congestion:

Researchers at Purdue University have created a mathematical simulation that could be used in a new national strategy to ease airport congestion and improve the overall transportation system.

Live Oak Trees Struggle For Survival In Growth Areas:

The majestic live oak is losing its battle for survival to suburban sprawl and the encroachment of taller trees, a new University of Florida study finds. An icon in American history and literature, broad-crowned live oaks thrive in open savannas but are dying off as they are crowded and overshadowed by the encroachment of taller trees, said Francis Putz, a UF botanist and the study’s co-author.

Short Episodes Of Manic Symptoms May Indicate Bipolar Disorder In Some Youth:

Not all children with bipolar disorder may be getting properly identified because they fall just short of meeting diagnostic criteria for the disorder — criteria that is based on adult experiences — finds a study that examines the characteristics of children and adolescents who have symptoms of mania. The findings are from the first study of its kind to delineate the types of symptoms seen in children with bipolar spectrum disorders.

Williams Syndrome, The Brain And Music:

Children with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, just love music and will spend hours listening to or making music. A study by a multi-institutional collaboration of scientists, published in a forthcoming issue of NeuroImage, identified structural abnormalities in a certain brain area of people afflicted with Williams syndrome. This might explain their heightened interest in music and, in some cases, savant-like musical skill.