Remote sheep population resists genetic drift
...rents. This finding challenges the widely accepted theory of genetic drift, which states the genetic diversity of an inbred population will decrease over time. "What is amazing is that models of genetic drift predict the genetic diversity of these animals should have been lost over time, but we've found t...Despite their heft, many dinosaurs had surprisingly tiny genomes
...continues in modern birds. "Our work debunks the theory that the small, repeat-poor genomes typical of birds may have co-evolved with flight as a means of conserving energy," says Edwards, professor of organismic and evolutionary biology in Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Alexander Agassiz Prof...CMU researcher publishes anole lizard findings
...veloped some of the same dewlap characteristics a theory called ecomorph convergence. Other studies have fo...d to exhibit dewlaps that differ from each other a theory called species recognition. Again, Nicholson found very little or no correlation. One remaining th...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...es as the basis for functional brain imaging. The theory goes that glia cells siphon activity-generated extracellular potassium ions to glial endfeet abutting small blood vessels, leading to vessel relaxation. Not so, say Metea et al. in this weeks Journal . In a rat retina preparation, light stimulation ...Largest physics meeting of the year, in Denver
...ttention, the anniversary of the highly successful theory of low-temperature superconductivity is also impor...d share a Nobel prize for their efforts -- the BCS theory explains superconductivity as arising from the pairing of electrons through the mediation of subtle ...How eating less might make you live longer
...gy by cellular structures called mitochondria. One theory for h ow caloric restriction slows aging is that it lowers free-radical production by inducing the formation of efficient mitochondria. Civitarese and colleagues enrolled 36 healthy overweight but non-obese young people into their study. A third of...Computer-designed molecule to clean up fluorocarbons?
...the research team applied basic quantum mechanical theory of electron structures in molecules, together with the example of a known molecule that binds to and extracts chlorine ions, to calculate the make-up and geometry of the critical "active site" in the enzyme that does the work. They then designed in s...CSIRO imagery shows Outer Great Barrier Reef at risk from river plumes
...hows for the first time visual confirmation of the theory that sediment plumes travel to the outer reef, and beyond. The remotely sensed images, taken from February 9 to 13 this year, challenge conventional thought that sediment travelling from our river systems into the GBR is captured by the longshore c...Early Europeans unable to stomach milk
...oking at ancient DNA." This study challenges the theory that certain groups of Europeans were lactose tolerant and that this inborn ability led the community to pursue dairy farming. Instead, they actually evolved their tolerance of milk within the last 8000 years due to exposure to milk. Dr Thomas sai...What is wrong with intelligent design?
...lf a test of ID. Proponents of ID must construct a theory that makes its own predictions in order for the theory to be testable. To contend that evolutionary processes cannot produce "irreducibly complex" adaptati...Nanotech leaders explore paths from research lab to marketplace
...cs in such areas as atomic-scale materials design, theory and experiment, bio- and molecular electronics and photonics, high frequency electronics, fabrication of nanodevices, magnetic materials and spintronics, materials and processes for integrated and subwave optoelectronics, nanoCMOS, new materials for ...'Ten Commandments' could improve fisheries management
...system-based management is a powerful idea that in theory could help ensure sustainable catches - but too often there's a gap in translating broad concepts into specific action in the oceans that successfully meets these larger goals. To address that, Mark Hixon, a professor of zoology at Oregon State Uni......t two days of the conference. It will cover basic theory and techniques used in this type of diving and include classroom, pool, and open-water work. Bob Weisman, Florida International University's diving safety officer, will lead the Boating Workshop that covers some of the basic concerns in administeri...UCSB study on sibling detection mechanism highlighted in Nature
... victims of incest and those who commit it. "The theory gives a means of identifying who might be at risk," said Tooby. "Siblings who have lived separately for long periods of time have not been exposed to the cues the brain uses to determine who is a sibling. This may offer an explanation as to why someo......ach has been to apply the neutral model, a body of theory trying to explain community patterns by modeling s... also demonstrates parallels in the development of theory in ecology and in evolution....FSU researchers determine a critical factor in workings of proteins
... pair of Florida State University researchers' new theory has been proven to accurately predict the association rate for proteins. Their theory is outlined in the February issue of the scientific journal Structure. "A protein can have multipl...Physicist S. James Gates, Jr. receives AAAS award
...e in elementary particle physics and quantum field theory in 1977, also from MIT. Gates has held teaching appointments at MIT, Harvard, the California Institute of Technology and Howard University in addition to the University of Maryland. He has served as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, th...AAAS honors defenders of evolution with Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award
...well-established scientific basis for evolutionary theory and why "intelligent design" fails to meet science...science classrooms under the guise of an alternate theory of natural phenomena. Scott, an anthropologist by training, has argued forcefully that evolution is ...DNA gives new perspectives to understand the mysteries of nature
...sed to amplify DNA from each sample, one should in theory be able to localize each of the million sequences produced in each run, to its original sample or specimen. By making it possible to process amplification products from multiple samples or specimens in the same run, the team could make use of the mac...Cold climate produced by algae contributed to onset of multicellular life
...on from the Public Library of Science (PLoS). The theory invokes cold, ice-containing climates as a key precursor for multicellular life. If the model turns out to be correct, one can assume that complex life might exist also around stars which are more massive and short-lived than the Sun. Since remote se...