Studying the relationship between plants and the insects that feed on them is an arduous task, as it must be done through direct observation. It can take years for a researcher to fully understand the diets of a community of herbivorous insects in a tropical rain forest. Now, five Smithsonian scientists are paving a fast track using the DNA found inside the insects' stomachs, potentially turning years of research into months. This method will help scientists understand the ecology and evolution of plant-herbivore interactions more efficiently. Their findings are published in the journalPLOS ONE.
Plants and insects comprise about 50 percent of all known species on Earth, forming the critical foundation of biodiversity in most terrestrial ecosystems. This study focused on 20 species of rolled leaf beetles in Costa Rica and 33 species of flowering plants in the order Zingiberales that the beetles eat and lay eggs on almost exclusively.
Using specialized DNA extraction methods the scientists obtained a mix of DNA both from the actual insect and from the insect's stomach contents. They used DNA markers specific to animals to obtain DNA barcodes for each insect species and markers specific to plants to identify the plant species in each insect's diet.
"What makes this study unique is that we developed DNA extraction techniques and full DNA barcode libraries that allowed us to identify host plants to the species level," said Carlos Garc?a-Robledo, a post-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian and lead author of the study. "Another unique feature of this study is that we invested several years in the field identifying the diets of insect herbivores using direct observations. This baseline data allowed us for the first time to test the accuracy of DNA barcodes to identify insect diets."
Matched against the data gathered from prior direct observation, the information derived from this DNA stomach-content study was nearly identical, yet had taken only fraction of the time and effort.
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Smithsonian: http://www.si.edu
Thanks to Smithsonian for this article.
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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Eight suicide bombers attacked a police headquarters in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Tuesday, killing five officers and wounding four others, a security official said.
An insurgent in a bomb-laden car detonated his vehicle in front of the Jalalabad Police Quick Reaction Force to start the attack, and another seven attackers wearing bomb vests then stormed the compound, police said. Three of those attackers blew themselves up inside the compound and the other four were shot by police during a gunfight that lasted more than an hour.
Nangarhar provincial police chief Mohammad Sharif Amin said some of the attackers were wearing uniforms resembling those worn by the U.S.-led NATO coalition.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack.
Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Kabul.
The attack occurred on the second day of a visit to Kabul by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Insurgents have in recent months been carrying out complex attacks involving car bombs and gunmen in bomb vests against government and police buildings around the country.
The attacks are expected to intensify as the traditional spring fighting season gets underway. Heavy snow and bad weather conditions usually put a damper on fighting during the harsh Afghan winter.
On March 14, the Afghan intelligence service seized a massive truck bomb packed with eight tons of explosives on the eastern outskirts of Kabul. They also killed five suspected suicide bombers and arrested two others during a raid to seize the truck.
The truck was apparently meant to carry out an attack on a NATO facility in the capital. According to Afghan intelligence, the truck bomb bore the hallmarks of the Haqqani network, which is known for conducting spectacular attacks.
Affiliated with the Taliban, the network is run by the Haqqani family and is based across the border in Pakistan.
In an important step toward the creation of "bio-batteries," a new study reveals how bacteria produce electricity when proteins in their cell membranes come into contact with a mineral surface.
Scientists have known for some time that a family of marine bacteria known as Shewanella oneidensis, found in deep ocean sediments and soil, can create electrical currents when exposed to heavy metals like iron and manganese.
In a study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers show that these proteins can ferry electrons across a membrane at a rate fast enough to produce the energy the bacteria need to survive.
Just as humans breathe oxygen and use it to generate energy, Shewanella bacteria can use minerals like iron oxide for respiration, study co-author Liang Shi, a microbiologist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., told LiveScience. The bacteria are known to produce a current by shuttling electrons across their cell membranes, "but how this electron transfer from bacteria to mineral occurs is not well understood," Shi said.
There are two main possibilities for how it happens: The membrane proteins might transfer electrons directly to the mineral surface, or the proteins might use other molecules to help them carry electrons across the cell membrane.
To show how membrane proteins in these bacteria produce an electric current, researchers created a bubblelike structure of fatty molecules studded with these proteins, which mimicked the bacteria's cell membrane. It's much easier to study these bubbles than real bacterial cells, which are crowded with other structures, Shi said. The experiments were also run in an oxygen-free environment, since oxygen can interfere with the chemical reactions.
The bubbles contained an electron donor on the inside, and were exposed to an iron-containing mineral on the outside. The researchers measured the speed of the electrical current that developed across the membrane.
The speed of this current was very fast ? fast enough to suggest the bacteria use this mechanism to create their electrical currents in nature.
"Our research shows that these proteins can directly 'touch' the mineral surface and produce an electric current, meaning that it is possible for the bacteria to lie on the surface of a metal or mineral and conduct electricity through their cell membranes," study leader Tom Clarke, a biologist at the University of East Anglia, U.K., said in a statement.
Understanding how these bacteria function could enable scientists to develop bio-batteries that could store energy for sensors in remote environments, for example. Conversely, the reverse process ? putting electricity into the bacteria ? could be used to make the bacteria manufacture useful materials.
Bio-batteries are already being developed, Shi said, though not as part of this research. The next question is how these electron-shuttling proteins fit into the whole system, not just within the lab bubbles, he said.
Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on LiveScience.com.
Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ganetespib shows potency against ALK-positive lung cancer and overcomes crizotinib resistancePublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA A drug that indirectly impairs the function of several cancer-driving proteins, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), may be an effective new treatment for patients with ALK--positive non-small cell lung cancer.
The drug, ganetespib, may also be effective for treating patients who have become resistant to the only FDA-approved targeted therapy for this disease, crizotinib, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Lung cancer, a leading cause of death, is no longer thought of as a single disease, but rather as a group of diseases, each with a distinct genetic profile," according to David Proia, Ph.D., associate director of cancer biology at Synta Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the company that funded the research. "This realization has paved the way for the design of new treatments tailored to the specific biological characteristics of a patient's tumor.
"For example, patients with lung cancer caused by alterations in the ALK protein typically respond well to crizotinib, which blocks that activity of the modified ALK and consequently kills off the cancer cells," said Proia. "However, as is the case for many cancer drugs, most patients treated with crizotinib eventually become resistant to the drug."
Proia and colleagues investigated ganetespib as an alternative treatment for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ganetespib targets heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a chaperone for many different proteins, including ALK, to ensure proper functioning. When Hsp90 is blocked, ALK can no longer work properly and is destroyed by the cell. Once ALK is lost, the cancer cells die and the tumors shrink.
Ganetespib had 30 times greater potency than crizotinib against a cultured ALK-positive NSCLC cell line, resulting in the complete loss of ALK protein expression. In addition, the drug was active against ALK-positive lung cancer cell lines that had become resistant to the effects of crizotinib.
The researchers then compared ganetespib and crizotinib in mice xenografted with human ALK-positive NSCLC cancer cells. Ganetespib displayed greater antitumor activity and prolonged animal survival as compared to crizotinib. It was also shown that ganetespib had meaningful activity in a patient with ALK-driven NSCLC who had responded to, and then progressed, following crizotinib therapy.
"Ganetespib therapy represents a new option for treating ALK-dependent lung cancer in sequence with direct ALK inhibitors and/or for treating patients who relapse following direct ALK inhibitor therapy," said Proia.
###
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ganetespib shows potency against ALK-positive lung cancer and overcomes crizotinib resistancePublic release date: 26-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jeremy Moore jeremy.moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research
PHILADELPHIA A drug that indirectly impairs the function of several cancer-driving proteins, including anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), may be an effective new treatment for patients with ALK--positive non-small cell lung cancer.
The drug, ganetespib, may also be effective for treating patients who have become resistant to the only FDA-approved targeted therapy for this disease, crizotinib, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Lung cancer, a leading cause of death, is no longer thought of as a single disease, but rather as a group of diseases, each with a distinct genetic profile," according to David Proia, Ph.D., associate director of cancer biology at Synta Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the company that funded the research. "This realization has paved the way for the design of new treatments tailored to the specific biological characteristics of a patient's tumor.
"For example, patients with lung cancer caused by alterations in the ALK protein typically respond well to crizotinib, which blocks that activity of the modified ALK and consequently kills off the cancer cells," said Proia. "However, as is the case for many cancer drugs, most patients treated with crizotinib eventually become resistant to the drug."
Proia and colleagues investigated ganetespib as an alternative treatment for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ganetespib targets heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a chaperone for many different proteins, including ALK, to ensure proper functioning. When Hsp90 is blocked, ALK can no longer work properly and is destroyed by the cell. Once ALK is lost, the cancer cells die and the tumors shrink.
Ganetespib had 30 times greater potency than crizotinib against a cultured ALK-positive NSCLC cell line, resulting in the complete loss of ALK protein expression. In addition, the drug was active against ALK-positive lung cancer cell lines that had become resistant to the effects of crizotinib.
The researchers then compared ganetespib and crizotinib in mice xenografted with human ALK-positive NSCLC cancer cells. Ganetespib displayed greater antitumor activity and prolonged animal survival as compared to crizotinib. It was also shown that ganetespib had meaningful activity in a patient with ALK-driven NSCLC who had responded to, and then progressed, following crizotinib therapy.
"Ganetespib therapy represents a new option for treating ALK-dependent lung cancer in sequence with direct ALK inhibitors and/or for treating patients who relapse following direct ALK inhibitor therapy," said Proia.
###
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
President Obama today unilaterally designated five new national monuments, sparking criticism from at least one Republican who is questioning the timing and cost of the decision.
Obama used his executive authority under the Antiquities Act to create Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico; First State National Monument in Delaware; Harriet TubmanUnderground Railroad National Monument in Maryland; Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument in Ohio; and San Juan Islands National Monument in Washington state.
"These sites honor the pioneering heroes, spectacular landscapes and rich history that have shaped our extraordinary country," Obama said in a written statement. "By designating these national monuments today, we will ensure they will continue to inspire and be enjoyed by generations of Americans to come."
In a statement released Friday, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., criticized Obama for "unilaterally ordering the National Park Service to spend scarce dollars" while the nation faces harsh budget cuts as a result of the sequester.
"The Obama administration not only sees the sequester as an opportunity to make automatic spending reductions as painful as possible on the American people, it's also a good time for the president to dictate under a century-old law that the government spend money it doesn't have on property it doesn't even own," he said in the statement, which was recirculated today by House Speaker John Boehner's office.
"Over one hundred years ago the Antiquities Act was passed to allow a president to act when there was an emergency need to prevent destruction of a precious place - yet President Obama is acting on simple whim as no imminent threat of destruction or harm is posed at any of these five locations," Hastings added.
In response, the White House said the designations will have a positive, stimulative impact on the local economies and are an important way to commemorate the country's history.
"It's my understanding ? that a lot of the land for these new national monuments was either land that was already owned by the federal government or it was donated," Deputy White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters. "And in terms of the immediate costs, in terms of the management of the land, I think they're pretty minimal in the early stages."
According to a 2006 National Parks and Conservation Association study circulated by the White House, each federal dollar invested in national parks generates at least four dollars of economic value to the public.
It's not too often that a pair of Chinese smartphones shows up in our office, but we try to take advantage of the opportunity whenever it comes around. Thanks to Oppo Style, a trade company that sells Oppo devices directly, we have two 16GB Find 5 handsets ready for the taking! As a refresher, the phone offers a 5-inch 1080p display, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 13MP rear camera, 2,500mAh battery, Android 4.1.2 and 2GB RAM, to name a few. The 16GB version normally retails for $499 in the US, while the 32GB goes for $569, so it's definitely worth taking a few seconds to enter. Good luck!
Note: Please enter using the widget below, as comments are no longer valid methods of entry. The widget only requires your name and email address so we know how to get in touch with you if you win (your information is not given out to third parties), but you will have an option to receive an additional entry by following us on Twitter if you so desire.
Oklahoma is often the center of controversy with its conservative legislature, governor and legislation, but it's also a state that "gets it right" on less highly publicized issues.
This City Is Going on a Diet
A case in point is Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett's challenge for the city to collectively lose 1 million pounds, issued in January 2008. This City is Going on a Diet is the no-nonsense name of Cornett's program, and the 1 million pound weight-loss mark was celebrated in conjunction with the January 2012 opening of the Oklahoma City Zoo's new Elephant Pavilion.
Oklahoma City was among some of the heaviest cities in the nation, with a high obesity rate of its citizenry, but has now become a city that is home to some of the fittest people in the United States, according to NBCNews.com .
Cornett's proactive approach, adopted by many Oklahoma City's residents, not only reduced the "bulge" associated with the city, but has likely lead to improved overall health and self-image of man of those who took up the weight-loss challenge.
Oklahoma's Medicaid Program Receives Thumbs Up from Oklahoma Policy Institute
The Oklahoma Policy Institute reported that SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program, is among the best-run such programs throughout the country . The state's Medicaid costs are "well below" the national average and the state's 34,000-plus available SoonerCare providers are paid fairly and competitively -- payment rates that are some of the best in the nation.
Additionally, 91 percent of SoonerCare recipients rated their satisfaction with the program as above average.
Slower Parole Rate for Prison Inmates Since Fallin Took Office
News that is either positive or negative depending which side of the bars you are on, is that the parole rate of prison inmates has slowed since Gov. Mary Fallin took office reported NewsOK.com . Fallin has been in office two years; last year she approved parole for fewer than 500 inmates.
Comparing Fallin's parole approval rate with her predecessor, Brad Henry revealed that Henry approved parole for more than 2,000 inmates in 2004. At present, Fallin's parole approval rate is 47 percent versus Henry's parole approval rate of 80 percent.
A spokesperson for Fallin explained that the state's Pardon and Parole Board has stated that fewer inmates are coming up for review for parole in recent years, partially attributable to more of them earning credits while in prison and receiving early discharges and partially due to the GPS-type program initiated in 2011 that allows certain low-risk inmates to be allowed early release but wearing an ankle monitor at all times.
Oklahoma County Inmate Deaths Due to Inadequate Medical Care
Seven people who were arrested but had not yet had their day in court died in the Oklahoma County Jail between May 28, 2007, and Jan. 1, 2009, according to NewsOK.com , citing Oklahoma Health Department records. Underlying medical conditions such as sepsis, seizures and heart problems were among the reasons cited for the deaths.
Investigators found that in each of the seven cases, the jail's former medical contractor failed to provide medical equipment, prescriptions, supplies or document medical encounters.
One of these prisoners was Charles Holdstock, age 63, repeatedly asked for his pacemaker to be checked. A physician's assistant who wished to remain anonymous explained the he or she tried scheduling an appointment for Holdstock with an off-site cardiologist, but the request was never carried through. Holdstock's three daughters have taken the issue to court.
Correctional Healthcare Management of Oklahoma, the jail contractor at the time of the seven deaths, has been sued by the county for breach of contract, fraud and unjust enrichment. Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel provided assurances that the current medical contract to the jail have made "significant changes."
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Public release date: 26-Mar-2013
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