A letter to the journal Nature issued an interesting complaint. The Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine went to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello this year. Fire and Mello, researchers who study the nematode C. elegans, won the prize for discovering the mechanisms of RNAi - a method of gene regulation in...

Bizarre Beasts, Past and Present - Exhibit at the The National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC depicts real animals with somewhat bizarre features. The artist, Gary Staab, created life size sculptures of these creatures. The bird shown at left was seven feet tall. The Birds and the Bees (and Bats)...

Smallest genome yet sequenced - Researchers have sequenced the genome of Carsonella ruddii, a bacterium which resides within specialized cells of an insect. Because the Carsonella genome is believed to be too small to contain all the genes necessary for life, researchers believe they are witnessing the...

Free Darwin - Thanks to a project at Cambridge University, the public may access all of Darwin’s works online for free. It’s a work in progress; only 50% of his works are online at the moment. Cambridge is also looking for assistance in this project. Of course, Darwin is best known for...

Some farmers in the midwest are adjusting their practices to adapt for global warming, for example using no-till farming methods to reduce greenhouse emissions. Of particular interest, there is a reference in this article to DuPont’s advances in developing crops that can tolerate hot, dry weather....

Short article about why tree leaves turn colors, particularly the vibrant reds seen in maple trees in autumn. Unlike the yellow and orange colors, which arise from carotenoids and are present year-round, the red pigments result from a build up of anthocyanins produced in response to stress. Guess students...

In the spirit of the Halloween season, there is (somewhat sensationalized, but fun) news of a mouse eaten by a pitcher plant (Nepenthes truncata) in France. Also, pumpkin and palm seed oil are being used in Africa as a cheaper, alternative biofuel to power communication networks. Eating walnuts may...

Space lettuce - Horticulturist Dr. Fred Davies at Texas A&M, in collaboration with NASA’s “Salad Bowl” program, discusses his progress in creating sustainable food options for astronauts and future space colonists. More information here, including the Dr. Davies’ webpage. Insects...

Can weeds “sniff” out their prey? Recent study from Penn State published in Science suggests that the parasitic strangleweed can detect chemicals produced by its preferred host, the tomato plant. The strangleweed may use these airborne chemicals as a targeting cue to grow towards the host...