Cafe Body

You are browsing the archives of 2009 September.

It’s been cultivated for at least 7,000 years and spread from South America to grow on every continent except Antarctica. Now the humble potato has had its genome sequenced. “The potato is the most important vegetable worldwide,” said Robin Buell, an MSU associate professor of plant biology. She was part of the consortium that released the first draft sequence of the potato genome.

It’s been cultivated for at least 7,000 years and spread from South America to grow on every continent except Antarctica. Now the humble potato has had its genome sequenced. “The potato is the most important vegetable worldwide,” said Robin Buell, an MSU associate professor of plant biology. She was part of the consortium that released the first draft sequence of the potato genome.

Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference. Researchers examined women enrolled in the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism Study and analyzed data from 559 Caucasian women living in Tecumseh, Mich.

Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference. Researchers examined women enrolled in the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism Study and analyzed data from 559 Caucasian women living in Tecumseh, Mich.

The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) published findings from the Department of Health’s School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme for Spring 2009. The second report for the school year 2008/9 found that the fruit and vegetables supplied to schools met legal standards with regard to pesticide residues levels and that the presence of residues would be unlikely to have any effect on those who ate the food.

The Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) published findings from the Department of Health’s School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme for Spring 2009. The second report for the school year 2008/9 found that the fruit and vegetables supplied to schools met legal standards with regard to pesticide residues levels and that the presence of residues would be unlikely to have any effect on those who ate the food.

Urban Malnutrition Increases In CAR “The global financial crisis has led to an alarming rate of urban malnutrition in the south of the Central African Republic, where diamond mines have closed as demand for the gems falls, the medical relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Urban Malnutrition Increases In CAR “The global financial crisis has led to an alarming rate of urban malnutrition in the south of the Central African Republic, where diamond mines have closed as demand for the gems falls, the medical relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, African heads of state formed a 20-member African Leaders Malaria Alliance with the goal of eliminating deaths from malaria by 2015, the

On the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, African heads of state formed a 20-member African Leaders Malaria Alliance with the goal of eliminating deaths from malaria by 2015, the

The Endocrine Society announced its support for Representative Carolyn McCarthy’s (D-NY) Food Marketing in Schools Assessment Act (H.R 3625). The bill, which was first introduced in July 2007, calls for an in-depth study of the nutritional value of foods and drinks marketed in middle and high schools, as well as the vehicles advertisers use to reach young consumers in our nation’s schools.

The Endocrine Society announced its support for Representative Carolyn McCarthy’s (D-NY) Food Marketing in Schools Assessment Act (H.R 3625). The bill, which was first introduced in July 2007, calls for an in-depth study of the nutritional value of foods and drinks marketed in middle and high schools, as well as the vehicles advertisers use to reach young consumers in our nation’s schools.

Aptly named for its location behind a ball field in New York City’s Central Park, Umpire Rock may offer a useful vantage point for calling balls and strikes. For scientists, however, it has served as a speed gun for calculating the trajectory and timing of an ancient glacier that once played an active role in global climate change. [More]

Aptly named for its location behind a ball field in New York City’s Central Park, Umpire Rock may offer a useful vantage point for calling balls and strikes. For scientists, however, it has served as a speed gun for calculating the trajectory and timing of an ancient glacier that once played an active role in global climate change. [More]

For decades the cell nucleus has been a black box of biology–scientists have understood little about its structure or the way it operates. But thanks in part to new visualization technologies, biologists have recently begun probing the architecture of the nucleus in real time. And they are discovering that this architecture appears to change as we age or fall ill or as our needs shift. In fact, the structure of nuclear components–chromosomes, RNA, protein complexes and other small bodies–could be as biologically important as the components themselves.

For decades the cell nucleus has been a black box of biology–scientists have understood little about its structure or the way it operates. But thanks in part to new visualization technologies, biologists have recently begun probing the architecture of the nucleus in real time. And they are discovering that this architecture appears to change as we age or fall ill or as our needs shift. In fact, the structure of nuclear components–chromosomes, RNA, protein complexes and other small bodies–could be as biologically important as the components themselves.

We face a real crisis in science education in America. Representative Bart Gordon of Tennessee, chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology, has warned that countries such as China and India will trample the U.S. economy in the near future without major improvements in teaching. Indeed, our schools are falling behind. In the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)–a respected measure of achievement around the globe–the average science score of U.S. 15-year-olds dropped below that of teens in 28 out of 57 participating countries. (In math, U.S. students fared even worse, lagging behind their peers in 34 nations.)

We face a real crisis in science education in America. Representative Bart Gordon of Tennessee, chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology, has warned that countries such as China and India will trample the U.S. economy in the near future without major improvements in teaching. Indeed, our schools are falling behind. In the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)–a respected measure of achievement around the globe–the average science score of U.S. 15-year-olds dropped below that of teens in 28 out of 57 participating countries. (In math, U.S. students fared even worse, lagging behind their peers in 34 nations.)

"Small is beautiful" has for decades been a mantra for environmentalists committed to building ecologically sound communities, economies and agriculture.

But does the phrase apply to nuclear power plants?

[More]

"Small is beautiful" has for decades been a mantra for environmentalists committed to building ecologically sound communities, economies and agriculture.

But does the phrase apply to nuclear power plants?

[More]