%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FScience360NewsServicePictureOfTheDay%2F%7E3%2FWXHADYhGwWQ%2Fvampire-bat&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Vampire bat
Full Text:
This is a vampire bat, named for its meals of blood. Scientists are discovering new links between vampire bats and rabies. Rabies will likely reach the Pacific Coast of Peru -- where the virus currently does not occur -- within four years. Researchers reported that the vector-borne virus, which is moving at a rate of 10 miles per year, is likely being carried by infected male vampire bats, and could arrive at the Peruvian coast by June 2020. Additional analyses showed that male bats, which leave their colonies upon reaching maturity, are using Andes Mountain corridors to carry the virus westward.
Image credit: D. Streicker
science
1473929650000
astronomy
%feed http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/15/science/pluto-moon-charon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Why Pluto's Moon Charon Wears a Red Cap The dwarf planet releases gases that cause its moon Charon's atmosphere to fill with rust-colored organic macromolecules. astronomy
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgo.theregister.com%2Ffeed%2Fwww.theregister.co.uk%2F2016%2F09%2F15%2Fbake_off_new_duo_poll%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Great British Great Bake off gets new judge
Madeira cake, Madeira cake, Madeira cake!
Long weekends cooped up in a cramped sweaty workplace, grappling with unstable materials, your work critiqued by an harsh and judgemental boss.…
general
1473928433000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2F2016%2Fsep%2F15%2Fspain-could-be-first-eu-country-with-national-park-listed-as-in-danger&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Spain could be first EU country with national park listed as 'in danger'
Doñana wetlands in Andalusia is home to thousands of species but has lost most of its natural water due to industry and faces ‘danger' listing by Unesco
A Spanish wetland home to 2,000 species of wildlife including around 6 million migratory birds is on track to join a Unesco world heritage danger list, according to a new report.
Doñana is an Andalusian reserve of sand dunes, shallow streams and lagoons, stretching for 540 square kilometres (209 square miles) where flamingoes feed and wild horses and Iberian lynx still roam.
%feed http://twitter.com/mariettawa/status/776320569017065472 CITES= oxymoron! If a species is ENDANGERED why the trade? https://t.co/Ei7zruLZnN https://t.co/Ei7zruLZnN
1473924026000
twitter
%feed http://twitter.com/mariettawa/status/776319191318159360 CITES= heaven for trophy hunters&traders. If a species is ENDANGERED you should not touch it! Reform or get lost! https://t.co/iu7aaJ16rb https://t.co/iu7aaJ16rb
1473923660000
gaia
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fbunny-mcdiarmid%2Fwill-this-be-the-decade-o_b_12021302.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Will this be the decade of ocean protection?
I am attending the Our Ocean, One Future conference organized by the US State Department under the leadership of US Secretary of State, John Kerry. A number of major announcements are anticipated as States are expected to come to the table with specific ocean initiatives and achievements to share with their peers and the world.
Only a few days ago, some of the world's largest carbon emitters, including the United States China and Brazil, announced they will formally join the Paris Agreement, bringing the crucial climate deal a step closer to commencement. This should trigger far more ambitious action for the climate both nationally and internationally; action that will have a direct impact on the future of our oceans.
According to an IUCN's (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) report on ocean warming published last week at the World Conservation Congress, we have only seen a small fraction of the likely impacts of ocean warming on key marine and coastal organisms and ecosystems. And while the cost of the ocean crisis is being felt by those people in coastal nations and communities who rely on the oceans for food and their livelihoods, the impacts are starting to become evident on a global scale.
Many of us have seen the heartbreaking images of beautiful coral reefs turning white and dying after temperature driven bleaching episodes. What is less well known is that in addition to urgent action on climate change and ocean acidification, protecting coral reefs from other stressors, such as overfishing, destructive fishing and pollution, can have a huge effect on their ability to cope with increasing ocean temperatures.
Creating large scale networks of ocean sanctuaries - "no-take" havens for marine life - increases ocean resilience against the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification, protects vital ecosystems and supports food security by rebuilding fish stocks. Ocean sanctuaries can also help to preserve important carbon sinks.
Greenpeace has supported the scientific community's call for a global network of ocean sanctuaries covering 40% of the oceans. At one time this target was seen as too ambitious, but today more and more scientists and governments are calling for at least 30% of the ocean to be set aside as no-take areas. Just last week, a resolution at the IUCN World Conservation Congress called for governments to protect at least 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. This was adopted by a landslide vote.
The sooner we change the way we treat our Blue Planet the greater chance we have to safeguard key habitats and species, along with the livelihoods of the millions of people who depend on healthy oceans. There is much the governments attending the Our Ocean, One Future conference must do to kick-start this change.
Last week, U.S. President Obama announced the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea sanctuary around Hawaii, now the largest no-take area in the world. A number of other countries including the UK, France and Palau have taken similar initiatives. However, only 2.1% of the world's oceans are under some form of protection - and far less than 1% of the high seas is protected. This is far below existing global targets, and sensitive and pristine marine environments such as the High Arctic and the Ross Sea are currently left open for business.
We will never achieve the protection levels science tells us are needed if the high seas, which cover two thirds of the ocean, are left unprotected. We will never secure a sustainable future for all if governments and corporations simply continue exploiting the ocean to meet short term economic interests.
"There are no more natural ocean sanctuaries. It is up to us to create them," said Oscar- winning actor, writer and activist Emma Thompson. Her plea was delivered from the Arctic where she joined Greenpeace Canada and the Inuit community of Clyde River in pushing back against destructive seismic blasting (prospecting for oil and gas) in their home, to the nations represented at the plenary. Outside the conference room it reached more than four million people online who have united their voices for ocean protection.
Since 2014 the US has become a more constructive player in the UN negotiations. Today the need to take action is no less urgent and we are asking the US and other leaders currently gathered in Washington DC to show strong leadership in moving 'our ocean', including waters beyond national boundaries, to the top of the global political agenda.
We need bold political action now to avoid tipping points that will cause ecological, economic and humanitarian devastation.
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
1473917675000
general
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ozy.com%2Frising-stars%2Fswedens-beloved-syrian-comic%2F71564&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Sweden's Beloved Syrian Comic This Syrian YouTube star and refugee is taking to Sweden's airwaves. general
1473915850000
astronomy
%feed http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/sept-14-1966-view-from-gemini-xi-850-miles-above-the-earth Sept. 14, 1966 - View From Gemini XI, 850 Miles Above the Earth The western half of Australia, looking west, as seen from the Gemini XI spacecraft, 850 miles above the Earth on Sept. 14, 1966. Reaching this record-shattering altitude was a highlight of a demanding, three-day mission for Gemini XI command pilot Charles "Pete" Conrad and pilot Dick Gordon. astronomy
Rare fragile tree snail (Samoana fragilis) on dead coconut leaf.
gaia
1473911237000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2FPpDgzSVzT8U%2Fus-facing-medical-isotope-shortage-when-production-ceases-in-canada&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 US facing medical-isotope shortage when production ceases in Canada Ailing NRU reactor will stop making molybdenum-99 in October science
1473911233000
science
%feed http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPhysicsWorld%2F%7E3%2FiEmwGSX2xKg%2Fwhy-should-scientists-communicate-their-work-to-the-public&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8 Why should scientists communicate their work to the public? Quantum physicist Andrea Morello on the responsibility of scientists to share the findings of their research science
1473910969000
design
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/london-design-festival-preview-london-design-fair/ London Design Festival preview: London Design Fair
It has also taken on an additional 3,500m2 space on the third floor of the Old Truman Brewery in east London, and will continue to run alongside London Design Festival as one of its design destinations.
One of several large trade shows to be found at London Design Festival, what is now London Design Fair will host the work of hundreds of product and furniture designers, with big brands and small outfits displaying side-by-side at the same venue. There are also some special projects and launches to be found…
Installations
Kit Miles and Moooi Carpets have designed the entrance to the foyer of the Old Truman Brewery this year, which will feature a colourful 150m2 carpet.
The carpet design is based on the “interplay of shadows and light”, and inspired by both Mediterranean and London architecture, according to the designers.
Tent London
At 10 at Tent, ten now-established designers will show the pieces they originally debuted at Tent London, alongside their latest collections.
“This is a chance to take a moment and appreciate how far we've all come. Both the designers and the fair itself we've grown up together,' says London Design Fair founder and director, Jimmy MacDonald.
For another of this year's most promising new installations, the fair was invited to propose a project by the trade commission of the Trentino region of Italy. The result is Trentino Collaborations, which matches four British designers with Trentino-based manufacturers to create new retail products.
Max Lamb is working with a quarry company to produce granite furniture, Sebastian Cox is using a weaving technique from Trentino, Lucy Kurrein is designing leather upholstery and Giles Miller is making his first foray into natural stone tiles.
Guest country pavilion
This year, India has been selected to host the first annual guest country pavilion. Co-curated by MacDonald, alongside London-based consultancy Tiipoi's founder, Spandana Gopal, This is India is designed to showcase a “renewed but intimate perspective on established and emerging design practices from India today”, according to the event organisers.
On the lineup are textile designers Leah Singh, Injiri and Safomasi, as well as industrial studio and manufacturers, Taama.
Look out for exhibition designer, Kangan Arora's installation too, featuring more than 500 hand-painted terracotta pots stacked into various colonnades and towers.
Other countries
100% Norway will be returning to the London Design Fair for its 13th edition, curated by Max Fraser. It will include projects from a number of Norwegian designers, including Anderssen & Voll, Andreas Bergsaker and Vera & Kyte.
Other confirmed countries showing this year are China, Scotland Craft & Design, Swedish Design Pavilion, Nordic Design Collective, Portugal, Galicia and the Crafts Council of Italy.
London Design Fair takes place in the Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL from 22-25 September. For more information, head here.
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/natural-history-museum-google-launch-virtual-gallery-app-website/ Natural History Museum and Google launch virtual gallery app
The Natural History Museum has worked with Google to create an online visitor experience allowing people to virtually walk round galleries and see exhibits.
The new online platform is available at g.co/naturalhistory and uses Google indoor street view to enable virtual visitors to “walk through” galleries such as Hintze Hall, the Treasures gallery, Dinosaurs and others.
The project has been brought to life by the Google Cultural institute, a sub-organisation of Google which has so far created online archival resources for more than 1000 museums worldwide.
Nine virtual exhibitions and 300,000 specimens
Amit Sood, director of the Google Cultural Institute, says: “Technology can be used not only to make museums' treasures accessible to people around the world, but also to create new experiences for museum-goers.”
The National History Museum platform contains nine virtual exhibitions, and more than 300,000 digital specimens such as the first T-Rex fossil ever found, a narwhal's skull and visuals of extinct mammoths.
High resolution images and 360° video
It also includes an interactive timeline spanning natural history, and more than 80 million living creatures.
The street view uses gigapixel technology which allows for high resolution photography and video, and also incorporates Google Cardboard and YouTube 360 to provide viewers with virtual reality and 360° video experiences.
The platform also has a learning resource for teachers and students: Google Expeditions uses 360° panorama and 3D images to create interactive imagery, with annotations and descriptions for educational use.
The new online exhibition < g.co/naturalhistory > can be viewed for free on the web, and through the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app available on iOS and Android.
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/looking-forward-seeing-london-design-festival/ What are you most looking forward to seeing at London Design Festival? Jay Osgerby, co-founder, Barber and Osgerby
“The London Design Festival has grown so much in its international importance; it is now one of the most important design events globally.
This year I am happy that my own area, south east London is represented with South East Makers club where I'm particularly looking forward to Ben Chatfield's talk on Saturday 24 September.
Tord Boontje, our neighbour on Charlotte Road and also at home in Brockley has organised Electro Craft. Made up of new and existing work, this show is about the craft of electronics and electronics made as craft.”
Katie Treggiden, design journalist
“19 Greek Street was the highlight of my London Design Festival last year, so I am really looking forward to this year's exhibition. In the midst of what can feel like a tsunami of consumerism, a gallery that champions the role of art and design to create a more ethical and sustainable future is a breath of fresh air.
From 24 September until 1 October 2016, this Soho townhouse will host “a multisensory experience [that] explores our connection with nature, with ourselves and our surroundings.” Events include design, art, books, tea, meditation and talks. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
Sam Bompas, co-founder, Bompas & Parr (photo Charlie Surbey)
“LDF is a brilliant goad to exploring London, in particular seeing familiar spaces in a fresh guise. The one project currently on my list is the RIBA Regent Street Windows where artists, designers and visionaries transform the windows of iconic Regent Street shops.
It's not a part of London I'd regularly visit, but the promise of Design Haus Liberty's elegantly dangling light installations at Kate Spade is more than enough to get me there.
Their beads of light have the curious effect of being so sensual and luxurious that the formal architecture of Regent Street now provokes an erotic response!”
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/book-designing-life/ Book: Designing Your Life
Bill Burnett and Dave Evans introduced the Designing for Life course to Standford University in the US 15 years ago. Those that enrolled were younger students, mid-career professionals and retirees, who were all taught to “think like a designer.”
The basic idea is to encourage people to design a career and a life that is “meaningful, joyful and fulfilling” to help them reduce anxieties and reach clear goals.
The course has now been translated into a new book…
Choosing Happiness
Designing a career and a life requires not only that you have lots of options and good alternatives; it also requires the ability to make good choices and live into those choices with confidence, which means you accept them and don't second-guess yourself. Regardless of where you've started, what stage of life and career you are in, how great or dire you perceive your circumstances to be, we would bet our last dollar that there is one goal you all have in this life you are designing:
Happiness
Who doesn't want to be happy? We want to be happy, and we want our students to be happy, and we want you to be happy.
In life design, being happy means you choose happiness.
Choosing happiness doesn't mean you should click your heels together three times while wishing to go to your happy place. The secret to happiness in life design isn't making the right choice; it's learning to choose well.
You can do all the work of life design ideating and prototyping and taking action all leading to some really cool alternative life design plans, but this doesn't guarantee you will be happy and get what you want. Maybe you'll end up happy and getting what you want, and maybe you won't. We say “maybe” because being happy and getting what you want are not about future risks and unknowns or whether you picked the right alternatives; it's about how you choose and how you live your choices once they're made.
All of your hard work can be undone by poor choosing. Not so much by making the wrong choice (that's a risk, but, frankly, not a big one, and usually one you can recover from) as by thinking wrongly about your choosing. Adopting a good, healthy, smart life design choosing process is critical to a happy outcome. Many people are using a choosing model that cuts themselves off from their most important insights and actually prevents them from being happy with their choices after they've been made. We see it all the time, and studies agree: many people guarantee an unhappy outcome by how they approach this all-important design step of choosing.
On the flip side, choosing well almost guarantees a happy and life-giving outcome, while setting you up for more options and a better future.
The Life Design Choosing Process
In life design, the choosing process has four steps. First you gather and create some options, then you narrow down your list to your top alternatives, then finally you choose, and then, last but not least, you… agonise over that choice. Agonise over whether you've done the right thing. In fact, we encourage you to spend countless hours, days, months, or even decades agonising.
Just kidding. People can waste years agonising over the choices they've made, but agonising is a time suck. Of course we don't want you to agonise, and that is not the fourth step in the life design choosing process.
The fourth step in the process is to let go of our unnecessary options and move on, embracing our choice fully so that we can get the most from it.
We need to understand each of these choosing steps to appreciate the important difference between good choosing, which results in reliably happy outcomes and more future prospects, and bad choosing, which preconditions us for an unhappy experience.
Designing Your Life: Build a Life That Works for You, by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans is published by Penguin Random House on 15 September and is priced £14.99
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/london-design-festival-2016-5-must-see-exhibitions/ London Design Festival 2016 5 must-see exhibitions
A Smile in the Mind, by The Partners
Futurecity, an initiative to regenerate urban spaces through art and culture, has curated an exhibition looking at the use of wit in design and branding.
Created by The Partners, and based on an updated version of Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart's celebrated graphic design book, A Smile in the Mind, the exhibition will explore how wit powers creative thinking among some of the world's biggest brands.
It is set to include original works from designers and artists including Noma Bar, Robert Brownjohn and Dominic Wilcox.
A Smile in the Mind will be go on display at The Gallery at Foyles, 107 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DT. For more information, head here.
25 Years of Editions, by Sebastian Bergne
Industrial designer Sebastian Bergne will be opening the doors of his Battersea studio to the public for this year's festival, showcasing some of his most famous designs from over the last 25 years in the place they were first created.
Highlights include the relaunched ring soap and lamp shade, as well as new products such as the Drop jug and Cubit beer glass.
25 Years of Editions will run Mon-Fri at 2 Ingate Place, SW8 3NS during LDF. For more information, head here.
Toilet Break, by Dirty Furniture and The Shit Museum
Independent design magazine, Dirty Furniture and Italy-based The Shit Museum have teamed up to create an event exploring the potential of arguably our most primordial activity: poo.
Toilet Break features two exhibitions, including one called On the Go, featuring a new commission by Lukas Franciszkiewicz of London-Tokyo design studio Takram.
There will also be a series of talks, including one that will discuss whether gender-neutral toilets are the answer.
Toilet Break will take place at the Basement, 1 North Terrace, SW3 2BA from 17-25 September. For more information, head here.
Silhouettes and Shadows, by Photofusion and Rockarchive
Photo by Fernando Aceves
Photography collective Rockarchive is collaborating with Brixton-based photo studio and gallery, Photofusion in an exhibition dedicated to the memory of one of the area's most famous residents: the late David Bowie.
As a visual celebration of Bowie's life and career, visitors can expect prints and images by music photographers including Ray Stevenson, Fernando Aceves, Mark Mawston and Steve Rapport, some of which are being shown in the UK for the first time.
Silhouettes and Shadows is running From 17-25 September at 17a Electric Lane, SW9 8LA. For more information, head here.
Below Stairs, by Sir John Soane's Museum
Coinciding with the Sir John Soane's Museum's seven-year restoration project, this year's festival will see the Regency kitchens open to the public for the first time
In a nod to the original use of the kitchens by Sir John Soane's servants, Below Stairs will showcase new or recent work from the likes of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Jasper Morrison, Martino Gamper, and Paul Cocksedge in the reinstated space.
Each of the designers has been selected for their association with culinary and domestic design; Barber & Osgerby has designed ranges of tableware, day-to-day objects and a number of dining tables, while Martino Gamper considers himself part-chef, and part-designer.
Below Stairs will run from 13 September 2016 4 March 2017 at the Sir John Soane's Museum, 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2A 3BP. For more information, head here.
Be sure to check out these other exhibitions as well:
%feed https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/12-18-september-2016/just-eat-reveals-rebrand/ Just Eat reveals colourful rebrand
Online food delivery service Just Eat has rebranded, with the aim of adding “discovery” and “excitement” to the company.
The relaunch includes a new logo, app and marketing campaign, an updated website, and a new Chatbot function that can be used with Facebook Messenger.
New spectrum of colours
The new visual identity aims to add a “burst of colour” to the brand, says Michael Zur-Szpiro, co-founder at venturethree.
It sees the old version of the logo italicised, and the clicking cursor icon has been removed from the centre of the “A” in “Eat”.
The red colour is retained, but used for the logotype itself, rather than the background.
A spectrum of colours has also been added underneath the logo, which will be used across delivery bikes, the website and the app. Delivery scooters will also carry lit-up delivery boxes.
Chatbot interacts with customers
The new Chatbot aims to “bring food discovery to life by engaging with customers to coach and inspire their food choices”, says Venturethree.
The feature will offer customers a selection of different restaurants they haven't previously ordered from, or help them order their regular choice.
An advertising campaign created by studio Karmarama accompanies the rebrand.
The new branding is being applied to online platforms, packaging, marketing material and to delivery staff apparel.
The new brand will be rolled out globally over the next 12 months.
%feed http://insider.si.edu/2016/09/gorillas-arent-tricked-faux-sugary-fruit-thanks-mutation/ Gorillas Aren't Tricked By a Faux Sugary Fruit Thanks to a Mutation
“Adult male western lowland gorilla named ‘Makumba' studied in the Primate Habituation Programme of WWF, eats ripe indoya fruit (“Trichoscypha acuminata”) in the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas of Central African Republic.” (Photo by Christopher Whittier)
During the course of a year, a western gorilla in the Lossi Forest of Northern Congo stuffs its face with a profusion of fruit, including figs, mulberries, and the sour-sweet monkey fruit. It's a win-win situation for both animal and plant. The gorilla gets the energy from the sugar, and the plant gets its seeds dispersed—either dropped or ahm, dropped.
But there's one fruit you won't catch a western gorilla eating: Pentadiplantra brazzeana, a bean-sized berry that resembles a red plum, nicknamed l'oubli, meaning forgetfulness, because, as the story goes, the fruit tastes so sweet that in seeking it out, children may forget their mothers. So why don't these gorillas ingest what—judging by their sweetness—seem to be sugar-filled energy bombs?
New research suggests an answer: Because of two genetic mutations, both western gorillas and the closely related eastern gorillas don't taste the P. brazzeana fruit as sweet. The research was reported in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
It has been known since 1994 that the sweet component of P. brazzeana isn't sugar at all, but rather a sweet-tasting protein known as brazzein. It seems the plant has evolved to entice animals to eat its fruit, which packs the sweetness of a much larger, sugary fruit through only a bit of protein, while the gorillas appear to have evolved to not fall for the trick.
“Pentadiplandra brazzeana,”or oubli fruit.
“From an evolutionary standpoint, if the gorillas were eating a lot of the fruit but not obtaining the caloric benefit from it, it would give them a disadvantage over time because they wouldn't be getting the nutrition that they need. So by not eating it and eating other things, they're benefiting from [the mutations],” says Kristin Saltonstall, a co-author of the study from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
The researchers, including co-authors Brenda Bradley from George Washington University and her graduate student Elaine Guevara from GWU and Yale University, happened upon these findings while conducting a survey of variation in taste receptors for 57 primates and other animals. By looking at a particular protein called T1R3 found in taste buds and essential for tasting sweetness, the researchers saw that the T1R3 of many old world monkeys and apes is composed of the same amino acids, the protein's building blocks. These animals also are known to taste brazzein as sweet.
But since mice, who don't taste brazzein as sweet, have been shown in a 2004 study by a team at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to have two different amino acids in key spots along the protein, Bradley and her team took note when they saw that western gorillas also have two different amino acids in the same spots. Eastern gorillas, who share ancestry with western gorillas 25-30 million years back, have the same swapped-out amino acids as western gorillas.
“You see these multiple mutations in gorillas, and they just happen to be (I'm using air quotes here) at those sites that would prevent them from being deceived. I think this is really interesting,” Bradley says.
Adult male western lowland gorilla ‘Makumba' eats ripe indoya fruit (“Trichoscypha acuminata”) in the Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas of Central African Republic. (Photo by Christopher Whittier)
Paulo Guimarães Jr., a coevolution researcher who was not involved in this study, is fascinated by this “molecular evidence of potential coevolution,” he writes in an email. He has a few misgivings, though. “I missed some experimental manipulation exploring if and how gorillas avoid brazzein-rich fruits. Also, it is not clear to me why the ‘taster' phenotype was fixed in old world monkeys,” he continues.
Another way to think about the latter point is to ask, why haven't other old world monkeys and apes developed mutations in the same amino acids as eastern and western gorillas have? There certainly has been plenty of time—35 million years—for this to have happened.
“That's a question, perhaps, of historical contingency. Mutation is a random process. So it might be that mutations haven't happened,” Bradley says. Or it could be possible, she continues, that these other species get some benefit from the fruit, and so there wouldn't be strong selection for this particular mutation.
To say for sure, though, that the mutations indicate coevolutionary adaptations in response to brazzein's trickery, more work needs to be done on the natural ecology of flowering plants and their interaction with animal seed dispersers.
“We're not proving absolutely that it's an adaptation—it's really hard to prove that any trait is an adaptation that evolved via natural selection. The best we can do at this stage is say that it's a really interesting coincidence and something worth following up on,” Bradley says.
%feed http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond/~3/MqgHMETuzxs/the-new-cancer-detector-nasa-space-technology-used-to-analyze-galaxies.html "The New Cancer Detector" --NASA Space Technology Used to Analyze Galaxies
NGC 3718, NGC 3729 and other galaxies shown above have been analyzed using machine learning algorithms that can be "taught" to recognize astrophysical similarities. The same technology is now being applied to cancer images, as well. Every day, NASA spacecraft beam down hundreds of petabytes of data, all of which has to be codified, stored and distributed to scientists across the globe. Increasingly, artificial intelligence is helping to "read" this data as well, highlighting similarities between datasets that scientists might miss.
For the past 15 years, the big data techniques pioneered by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have been revolutionizing biomedical research. On Sept. 6, 2016, JPL and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, renewed a research partnership through 2021, extending the development of data science that originated in space exploration and is now supporting new cancer discoveries.
The NCI-supported Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) is a consortium of biomedical investigators who share anonymized data on cancer biomarkers, chemical or genetic signatures related to specific cancers. Their goal is to pool all their research data into a single, searchable network, with the goal of translating their collective work into techniques for early diagnosis of cancer or cancer risk.
In the time they've worked together, JPL and EDRN's efforts have led to the discovery of six new Food and Drug Administration-approved cancer biomarkers and nine biomarkers approved for use in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments labs. The FDA has approved each of these biomarkers for use in cancer research and diagnosis. These agency-approved biomarkers have been used in more than 1 million patient diagnostic tests worldwide.
"After the founding of EDRN in 2000, the network needed expertise to take data from multiple studies on cancer biomarkers and create a single, searchable network of research findings for scientists," said Sudhir Srivastava, chief of NCI's Cancer Biomarkers Research Group and head of EDRN. JPL had decades of experience doing similar work for NASA, where spacecraft transmit hundreds of petabytes of data to be coded, stored and distributed to scientists across the globe.
Dan Crichton, the head of JPL's Center for Data Science and Technology, a joint initiative with Caltech in Pasadena, California, helped establish a JPL-based informatics center dedicated to supporting EDRN's big data efforts. In the renewed partnership, JPL is expanding its data science efforts to research and applying technologies for additional NCI-funded programs. Those programs include EDRN, the Consortium for Molecular and Cellular Characterization of Screen-Detected Lesions, and the Informatics Technology for Cancer Research initiative.
"From a NASA standpoint, there are significant opportunities to develop new data science capabilities that can support both the mission of exploring space and cancer research using common methodological approaches," Crichton said. "We have a great opportunity to perfect those techniques and grow JPL's data science technologies, while serving our nation.
Crichton said JPL has led the way when it comes to taking data from raw observations to scientific conclusions. One example: JPL often deals with measurements from a variety of sensors -- say, cameras and mass spectrometers. Both can be used to study a star, planet or similar target object. But it takes special software to recognize that readings from very different instruments relate to one another.
There's a similar problem in cancer research, where readings from different biomedical tests or instruments require correlation with one another. For that to happen, data have to be standardized, and algorithms must be "taught" to know what they're looking for.
Since the time of its founding, EDRN's major challenge has been access. Research centers all over the United States had large numbers of biomarker specimens, but each had its own way of labeling, storing and sharing their datasets. Ten sites may have high-quality specimens for study, but if their common data elements -- age of patient, cancer type and other characteristics - aren't listed uniformly, they can't be studied as a whole.
"We didn't know if they were early-stage or late-stage specimens, or if any level of treatment had been tried," Srivastava said. "And JPL told us, 'We do this type of thing all the time! That's how we manage our Planetary Data System.'"
As the network has developed, it has added members from dozens of institutions, including Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine; Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital; Stanford's NIST Genome-Scale Measurements Group; University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center; and numerous others.
Christos Patriotis, program director at NCI's Cancer Biomarkers Research Group, said the network's members now include international researchers from the U.K., China, Japan, Australia, Israel and Chile.
"The more we expand, the more data we integrate," Patriotis said. "Instead of being silos, now our partners can integrate their findings. Each system can speak to the others."
As JPL and NCI's collaboration advances, next steps include image recognition technology, such as helping EDRN archive images of cancer specimens. Those images could be analyzed by computer vision, which is currently used to spot similarities in star clusters and other astrophysics research.
In the near future, Crichton said, machine learning algorithms could compare a CT scan with an archive of similar images, searching for early signs of cancer based on a patient's age, ethnic background and other demographics.
"As we develop more automated methods for detecting and classifying features in images, we see great opportunities for enhancing data discovery," Crichton said. "We have examples where algorithms for detection of features in astronomy images have been transferred to biology and vice-versa."
The Daily Galaxy via http://edrn.cancer.gov
Image credit: Catalina Sky Survey, U of Arizona, and Catalina Realtime Transient Survey, Caltech.
astronomy
1473907479000
astronomy
%feed http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/29571274742/ Asteroid Redirect Mission Update
Dr. Holdren (left), Administrator Bolden (center) and Dr. Michele Gates (right) discuss the ARM mission during a live NASA TV briefing. Behind them is a mockup of robotic capture module for the Asteroid Redirect Mission.
More info: Asteroid Redirect Mission Update On Sept. 14, 2016, NASA provided an update on the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) and how it contributes to the agency's journey to Mars and protection of Earth. The presentation took place in the Robotic Operations Center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Dr. John P. Holdren, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and NASA's ARM Program Director, Dr. Michele Gates discussed the latest update regarding the mission. They explained the mission's scientific and technological benefits and how ARM will demonstrate technology for defending Earth from potentially hazardous asteroids. The briefing aired live on NASA TV and the agency's website. For more information about ARM go to www.nasa.gov/arm.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA's mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA's accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency's mission.
![]("https://media.science360.gov/files/pic-day/1ea716ad-f6e2-475b-a712-4d01b92ad11b-largeImage.jpg")
![]("http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Science360NewsServicePictureOfTheDay/~4/WXHADYhGwWQ")
!["Flutter"]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8268/29401851380_f31f727457_m.jpg")
!["2016-09-15-1473917084-7443976-GPNorwegianSeaandCoastline.jpg"]("http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2016-09-15-1473917084-7443976-GPNorwegianSeaandCoastline.jpg")
!["Snail]("http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8273/29688666425_45eaac2e3e_m.jpg")
!["unknown5"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14173844%2FUnknown5.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["moooi-carpets-marketing-image-953x500"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14173841%2FMoooi-carpets-marketing-image-953x500-953x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["This-is-India-landscape1-540x358"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14173842%2FThis-is-India-landscape1-753x500-753x500.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["rhomaleosaurus-news"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14155754%2Frhomaleosaurus-news.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["jayosgerby2"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14152451%2Fjayosgerby2.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Katie]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fd3atsf3fgek2rw.cloudfront.net%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2FKatie_profile_pic_400px.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Sam]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F06%2F08171023%2Fcredit-Charlie-Surbey-Sam-bompass-final-387x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["9781784740245-1"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14150019%2F9781784740245-1.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["dyl-1"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14150023%2FDYL-1.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["dyl-2"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14150024%2FDYL-2.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["DYL]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14150025%2FDYL-3.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["designing-your-life-back-cover"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14150021%2FDesigning-your-life-back-cover.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["smileinthemind"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14094929%2Fsmileinthemind.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["screen-shot-2016-09-14-at-09-21-29"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14094925%2FScreen-Shot-2016-09-14-at-09.21.29-898x500.png&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["02_ps_theshitmuseum_producthenrikblomqvist_lr"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14094920%2F02_PS_THESHITMUSEUM_PRODUCT%25C2%25A9HenrikBlomqvist_LR-749x500.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Photo]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14094927%2Fsilhouettes_and_shadows_photofusion_-_fernando_aceves_0.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["johnsoanes"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F14094922%2Fjohnsoanes.jpeg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Just]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180108%2FJust-Eat-scooters.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Just]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180058%2FJust-Eat-taxi.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Just]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180113%2FJust-Eat-IPHONE_AND_TABLET_HOMEPAGE.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["Just]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180100%2FJust-Eat-taxi-and-scooter.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["just-eat-desktop_and_tablet_homepage"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180122%2FJust-Eat-DESKTOP_AND_TABLET_HOMEPAGE.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["just-eat-driver-scooter"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180119%2FJust-Eat-driver-scooter.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["just-eat-android_homepage_2"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180129%2FJust-Eat-ANDROID_HOMEPAGE_2.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["just-eat-android_homepage_1-cropped"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180134%2FJust-Eat-ANDROID_HOMEPAGE_1-cropped.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
!["just-eat-desktop_and_phone_homepage"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3-eu-central-1.amazonaws.com%2Fcentaur-wp%2Fdesignweek%2Fprod%2Fcontent%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2F13180137%2FJust-Eat-DESKTOP_AND_PHONE_HOMEPAGE.jpg&width=540&mix=22833-design")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F66.media.tumblr.com%2Fdd2388b83ad8e52fed83365d855321b9%2Ftumblr_odgp36Zh6k1r6ivyno1_500.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["Makumba"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FWhittier20150521001-5-630x420.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["oubli"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2Fpentadiplandra-brazzeana-oublie-berry-780687-630x504.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
!["Makumba"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.si.edu%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2FWhittier20150521001-630x420.jpg&width=540&mix=42dfe-culture")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2F67.media.tumblr.com%2Fdf4815ed343ed01b6f7cb0aada727ca3%2Ftumblr_odid5wGTsF1rlkdy0o1_500.gif&width=540&mix=219b9-gifs")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F236x%2Ffd%2Fee%2F00%2Ffdee00f23e4d63e50ccca580524f226d.jpg&width=540&mix=9f897-pin-images")
!["Cancer20160914"]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailygalaxy.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341bf7f753ef01b8d21cf476970c-800wi&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy" "\"Cancer20160914\"")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Eff%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%3Fd%3DyIl2AUoC8zA&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
![]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FTheDailyGalaxyNewsFromPlanetEarthBeyond%2F%7E4%2FMqgHMETuzxs&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
!["Asteroid]("http://chimpfeedr.com/img/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm9.staticflickr.com%2F8127%2F29571274742_08c91ea2e8_m.jpg&width=540&mix=d4e49-astronomy")
