Social amoebae travel with a posse
Some social amoebae farm the bacteria they eat. Now a collaboration of scientists at Washington University in St.
Louis and Harvard University has taken a closer look at one lineage, or
clone, of D. discoideum farmer. This farmer carries not one but two strains of bacteria. One strain
is the “seed corn” for a crop of edible bacteria, and the other strain
is a weapon that produces defensive chemicals. The edible bacteria, the scientists found, evolved from the toxic one.
Energy efficiency analysis goes high-tech in I-CARES project
A team of researchers, led by Arye Nehorai, PhD, the
Eugene and Martha Lohman Professor of Electrical Engineering and chair
of the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems
Engineering, has received a one-year grant from Washington University’s
International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy & Sustainability
(I-CARES) to take an interdisciplinary, “human-centered” approach to
making buildings more energy efficient.
A chance to explore the hottest research topic in St. Louis
The International Society of Photosynthesis
Research, meeting this August in St. Louis, is offering an afternoon of
talks and demonstrations about the original “green” chemistry invented
by bacteria and plants and its relevance to our energy future. Intended for teachers, students and the public, “Photosynthesis in
our Lives” will take place from 3- 5 p.m. the afternoon of Sunday,
August 11, 2013 in the Parkview room at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch. RSVP to: http://parc.wustl.edu/outreachRSVP by August 7, 2013.
d’Avignon wins 2013 American Chemical Society Award
Washington University in St. Louis chemist D. André
d’Avignon, who manages the university’s high-resolution nuclear magnetic
resonance facility, has been named the winner of the 2013 Saint Louis
Award. The Saint Louis Award, administered by the St. Louis section of the American Chemical
Society, is given to an individual who has made outstanding
contributions to the profession of chemistry and demonstrated the potential
to further the advancement of the chemical profession.
How rice twice became a crop and twice became a weed — and what it means for the future
With the help of modern genetic technology and the
resources of the International Rice GeneBank, which contains more than
112,000 different types of rice, evolutionary biologist Kenneth Olsen has been able to look back in time at the double domestication of rice (in Asia and in Africa) and its double “de-domestication” to form two weedy strains. Olsen predicts the introduction of pesticide-resistant rice will drive ever faster adaptation in weedy rice.
Discovery of stone monument at El Perú-Waka’ adds new chapter to ancient Maya history
Archaeologists tunneling beneath the main temple of the ancient Maya city of El Perú-Waka’ in northern Guatemala have discovered an intricately carved stone monument with hieroglyphic text detailing the exploits of a little-known sixth-century princess whose progeny prevailed in a bloody, back-and-forth struggle between two of the civilization’s most powerful royal dynasties, Guatemalan cultural officials announced July 16.
DNA study reveals clues to human, ape evolution
New research provides one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses yet of the genetic diversity of endangered great apes living in the wild, revealing new clues to the evolution of apes and humans.
Engineering’s Williams to study climate trends in St. Louis and southeastern U.S.
Brent Williams, PhD, of the School of Engineering & Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis,
has received a nearly $300,000 Early Career grant from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring his expertise in
measuring particles in the atmosphere to a national study of the climate
trend in the southeastern United States as well as the St. Louis
area.
The Swiss Army knife of salamanders
WUSTL biologist Alan Templeton and colleagues in Israel and Germany received $2 million to look at the shifting patterns of gene expression, called
the transcriptome, in two remarkably versatile species of fire salamander, one native to Israel and the other to Germany. The work may explain why this genus of salamanders is able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats when most salamander species live in one.
Master’s degree in cyber security management launches
Each year, about 431 million adults worldwide are
victims of cybercrime, costing $388 billion based on time and monetary
loss. The problem is so severe that President Barack Obama recently
said, “cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national
security challenges we face as a nation.” To address this growing
need, the Washington University in St. Louis School of Engineering &
Applied Science, partnering with WUSTL’s Olin Business School, is
launching a master’s degree in cyber security management in Fall 2013 to
provide area professionals and full-time students with the skills
needed to prepare for and stop cyber attacks in their workplace.
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