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- Three new primate species verified in Borneo, Philippines
Scientists have found that there are four species of slow loris living in Borneo and the Philippines, not one as previously thought. A team of researchers studied the mask-like facial markings of the small primates -- which are nocturnal and have a toxic bite -- to verify the distinctions between the species. Slow lorises often end up illegally in pet shops with their poison-bearing teeth removed. The discovery means that three additions will be made to the threatened species list, lead researcher Anna Nekaris said. BBC
(12/13)
    
| Science in the News
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- 10-year survey of Panamanian arthropods leads to global estimate
A 10-year survey of arthropods in Panamanian rain forests used to create a global estimate of arthropod species was published Thursday in the journal Science. Entomologists found 129,494 specimens in 12 tennis court-sized rain forest plots, leading them to estimate that there are 6 million arthropods worldwide. Nature
(12/13)
- Zinc could help thwart jellyfish venom
A zinc mixture used to treat common colds could help fight the deadly sting of the Australian box jellyfish, according to a study. Australian researchers believe the jellyfish venom causes pores to open in red blood cells, unleashing a wave of potassium into the blood that causes the heart to stop beating. Mice injected with the venom died in minutes, but those given zinc gluconate after the venom injection stayed alive for more than 12 hours because the zinc blocked pore assembly in the animals' red blood cells. Science News
(12/13)
- Genes aren't the only key to cancer cures, study finds
A report on tumorigenic cancer cells -- cells that generate tumors -- suggests that non-genetic factors could play a much more significant role in the growth or diminution of tumors than previously thought. A research team injected cells from human tumors into genetically similar mice and found that the tumors still affected the mice in a variety of ways. "There's a huge ... belief that if we sequence more tumors and identify more mutations ... that we are going to be able to effect more cancer cures," cancer biologist John Dick said. "We should not be putting our eggs exclusively in the genetics basket," he added. The Scientist online
(12/13)
- Twin spacecraft will crash into the moon -- on purpose
NASA's Ebb and Flow, a pair of small spacecraft that have been orbiting the moon since the start of 2012, will crash into a predetermined spot near the moon's north pole Monday. "We are not expecting a big flash or a big explosion," said Maria Zuber, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist heading the mission, which scientists plan to end deliberately. Ebb and Flow's surveys of the moon have created the most advanced gravity maps of the moon to date, as well as revealed that its crust is thinner than previously believed. The Christian Science Monitor/The Associated Press
(12/13)
- Researchers find unusual sea floor volcano off Mexico
Researchers found a strange volcano at the bottom of the Gulf of California with explosive deposits that could pose a threat to residents on both sides of the Gulf. Most undersea volcanoes ooze large amounts of basalt, a lava rock with a low silica content, but this volcano is rich in rhyolite lava, which has a high silica content. "To find this [lava rock] along a midocean ridge is a total surprise," said researcher Jennifer Paduan of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. "...There's definitely explosive deposits there, and that is of extreme concern, given that the ridge is so close to land and the tsunami potential of a big explosion there." Our Amazing Planet
(12/13)
- Volcanologist finds remains of Antarctic explorer's camp
A Cambridge volcanologist in Antarctica has found what he thinks are the remains of a campsite made by Englishman Robert Falcon Scott a century ago, when Scott was racing Norwegian Roald Amundsen to the South Pole. While working on Mount Erebus, Earth's southernmost volcano, Clive Oppenheimer recently found a circle of stones that closely resembles photos of Scott's camp taken during the 1912 journey. Scott lost the race and died with his team on the journey back. Our Amazing Planet
(12/13)
- Researchers eye poultry-released ammonia for algae production
Researchers at Iowa State University are looking into using ammonia from poultry farms to grow algae for biofuel and other applications. The researchers are designing a bioreactor that would extract ammonia from gases generated in poultry operations. "Algae can serve as a feedstock for biorenewable energy or [an additive] for animal feed. It's a win-win situation; you kill two birds with one stone," said Honwei Xin, an agricultural and biosystems engineering professor at ISU. DomesticFuel.com
(12/13)
| Funding Watch
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- "Fiscal cliff" puts innovation at stake
The National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Science Foundation face hundreds of millions of dollars in budget cuts if Congress fails to agree on a budget that avoids automatic 8.2% cuts scheduled for Jan. 2. The results include thousands of jobs lost, slower FDA approval of drugs, lower reimbursements to drugmakers and doctors leading to further retraction in venture capital, and an overall slowing of biomedical innovation, experts say. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
(12/12)
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- Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 launched at global math meeting
Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013 -- an initiative to get mathematicians more interested in applying their research to global problems and toward helping educate policymakers -- launched last week in Toronto at a Canadian Mathematical Society meeting. Amit Apte and Sreekar Vadlamani, mathematicians from a research center in India, said many "university programs are quite theoretical," and do not help students link theory with real world application. SciDev.net
(12/13)
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