| Antimatter detector to catch last shuttle to space By FRANK JORDANS 2010-08-25T20:48:49ZGENEVA (AP) -- A $2 billion machine that will jump-start the search for antimatter and other phenomena was loaded onto a massive U.S. Air Force plane Wednesday for the final leg of its journey on Earth before it catches the last scheduled shuttle flight into space.... hosted.ap.org |
G Force High performance plane used to simulate effects of land speed record attempt bbc.co.uk |
Chimps' future prompts debate over NM primate lab By TIM KORTE 2010-09-22T18:17:05ZALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A decision to move 186 chimpanzees from a southern New Mexico facility to Texas is pitting government officials and scientists against a coalition of elected officials and animal rights advocates, including New Mexico's governor and also famed primate researcher Dr. Jane Goodall.... hosted.ap.org |
On Guadalcanal, Studying Evolution An expedition to the mountains of Guadalcanal seeks to understand how new species evolve. feeds.nytimes.com |
Notorious malaria mosquito strains evolving New research finds two malaria mosquito strains could become immune to effects to control themTwo strains of Africa's most notorious malaria mosquito are evolving into new species, research has shown.The discovery has implications for combating malaria, since it means the insects could become immune to control strategies.Scientists studying the mosquito anopheles gambiae, which is chiefly responsible for spreading malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, found two strains were rapidly diverging in their genetic make-up, despite appearing physically identical.Dr Maria Lawniczak, a member of the team from Imperial College London, said: "From our new studies, we can see that mosquitoes are evolving more quickly than we thought and that unfortunately, strategies that might work against one strain of mosquito might not be effective against another. It's important to identify and monitor these hidden genetic changes in mosquitoes if we are to succeed in bringing malaria under control by targeting mosquitoes." Genetic differences between the two strains, known as M and S, were scattered throughout the insects' DNA, said the researchers, writing in the journal Science.The changes had occurred in areas likely to affect development, feeding behaviour, and reproduction.A further study comparing the two strains showed they seemed to be evolving differently.This was thought to be in response to different environmental factors such as larval habitats, infectious agents and predators.Co-author Professor George Christophides, also from Imperial College, said: "Malaria is a deadly disease that affects millions of people across the world and amongst children in Africa, it causes one in every five deaths. We know that the best way to reduce the number of people who contract malaria is to control the mosquitoes that carry the disease. Our studies help us to understand the makeup of the mosquitoes that transmit malaria, so that we can find new ways of preventing them from infecting people."MalariaBiologyImperial College Londonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |