How short can genes get?

20 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Form, Genetics

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Static thumb frame of Animation of the structure of a section of DNA. The bases lie horizontally between the two spiraling strands. (Image credit: Wikipedia)A team of scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark reported a remarkable discovery in this month’s issue of the journal Genes & Development.  Genetic regulation is a complex and intricate affair carefully orchestrated by an array of proteins and other factors.  While the basics are well understood, the researchers discovered that the length of the gene itself may also have a role, adding another twist to the already complex and intricate story of genetic regulation.

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Ice Age on Mars: how it started and ended

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Astronomy, Climate, Complex systems

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An illustration of what Mars might have looked like during an ice age between 2.1 million and 400,000 years ago, when Mars' axial tilt is believed to have been much larger than today. This illustration was prepared for the cover of the December 18 2003 issue of the journal Nature. (Image credit: Wikipedia)One of the great things about working at a university is the opportunity to go to talks and learn about all kinds of interesting subjects from experts. As a biologist, I don’t usually hear much about Mars and astrogeology in my daily life, but I had the pleasure and privilege of attending a talk by Professor Victor Baker earlier this week. During his visit to Helsinki, Professor Baker lectured about the geological history of water on Mars. Though this is well outside my area of expertise, I hope to share some of the amazing things I learned, starting with a story about the recent ice age on Mars and the astonishing mechanism behind it.

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Found while foraging (October 13, 2012)

13 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Foraging

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I realized today that I’ve collected quite a few links, so it must be time for another Foraging post.  Lots of great photos this time, as well as a few important articles about sexism and, of course, some great science writing!  I hope you find something you like….have a great weekend, everyone! Continue reading →

Of moss and micro-arthropods

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Arthropods, Plants

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Springtail (Folsomia candida) in patch of moss (Ceratodon purpureus). Photo by Rocky Cookus, Portland State UniversityMosses were among the first plants to colonize land over 400 million years ago, but they never really left the water behind. Unlike seed plants, mosses (as well as ferns and liverworts) don’t enclose their sperm in pollen but release it directly. Since their unprotected sperm is vulnerable to drying out, these plants can only reproduce if there’s a watery film through which the sperm can swim. However, recent research has started to uncover a more complicated story behind the sex life of mosses. Mounting evidence suggests that mosses recruit micro-arthropods like springtails and mites to carry their sperm in the same way that flowering plants attract and reward insect pollinators.
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Blond Melanesians: what else are we missing?

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in Evolution, Genetics, Humans

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English: Blond Vanuatu boyOn the Solomon Islands in the south-eastern Pacific, it’s not uncommon to come across Melanesian children with dark skin and remarkably blond hair. While most people might take this unusual trait as a sign of European ancestry, Sean Myles wasn’t convinced. Curious to understand how the darkest skinned people outside of Africa could also have the highest frequency of blond hair outside of Europe, he led a team of scientists to unravel the genetics behind this mystery. The striking results of their research should serve as a note of caution about what we’re learning from the rapidly growing field from human genomics.
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Words of science: nychthemeron

30 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in Language, Words of Science

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Like many other fields, science has its own style of communication full of specific jargon and guided by unwritten rules.  Most of the posts on this blog focus on breaching this barrier to the public’s understanding and appreciation of science.  In this series, I’d like to take another approach by highlighting scientific words which have escaped the confines of jargon to reach a broader appeal because of their sound or their evocative power as metaphors.  Today’s uncommon but useful word is nychthemeron. [Previous words: petrichor, alluvium]
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