Earth-Shattering, Groundbreaking News
The San Andreas Fault is primed for a major earthquake, reveals new research published in the June 22 issue of the journal Nature. Fault areas typically allow for some gradual "slippage," or relative movement of the two plates forming the fault. However, the San Andreas Fault has been locked in place without slippage for the past 300 years, and it has accumulated about seven meters of slip "deficit." If this tension is released in one event, the researchers report, it could cause a quake as severe as the one that devastated San Francisco in 1906.
Work began last week on a "doomsday vault" that will store samples of millions of important plant seeds from around the world. The vault site is about 1,000 miles from the North Pole, deep inside a permafrost-covered Norwegian mountain. While other gene banks around the world could be destroyed by natural or manmade disasters, the new vault will withstand most threats. The vault is scheduled to open in September of 2007.
The United States is not prepared to deal with another major disaster, be it terrorism or a hurricane, concluded a report published last Friday by the Department of Homeland Security. The report cited evacuation planning and command structure as two areas in need of significant improvements. New Orleans is still vulnerable to hurricanes, the report stated, as the levees are unequipped to survive another Category Five storm.
Avian flu has broken out in the poultry farms of the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, China's Ministry of Agriculture announced last week. The area has been quarantined, allowing veterinarians to begin disinfection and culling. In China's the southern region of Guandong, Chinese officials recently reported the country's nineteenth case of human-contracted bird flu.
Advertisement
Advances with Embryos and Stem Cells
Scientists have successfully transferred pancreatic tissue from pig embryos to lab mice with non-functional pancreases. Past research has shown that embryonic pig cells can only be transferred to another animal during a specific window of time in the development of the embryo: Cells transferred before the window opens are non-functional and possibly cancerous, while those taken too late are rejected as foreign. The success indicates that transplanted embryonic pig tissue could allow diabetic humans to produce insulin and regulate their own blood sugar.
A recent advance in embryo screening could make the technology available to a wider audience. The new procedure, called pre-implantation genetic haplotyping, locates chromosomal markers of possible disorders instead of pinpointing individual mutations linked to defects. This strategy allows for greater accuracy, shorter turnaround time and a longer list of detectable disorders.
Research out of Oklahoma City has revealed that adult stem cells in bone marrow, previously thought to be relatively inert, actually play an active role in the functioning of the body's immune system. These marrow stem cells possess receptors capable of identifying bacteria and viruses. Upon detecting a hostile invader, the stem cells mobilize the immune system to fight off the infection. The discovery could help scientists gain a greater understanding of how immunosuppressive treatments affect the body.
Scientists Rally for Science
Sixty-seven national science academies from around the world have signed a statement saying that evidence for evolution is being "concealed, denied, or confused" in some classrooms. The statement lists scientific facts that are key to understanding the origin and development of life on Earth, such as dating the formation of the planet to 4.5 billion years ago. The academies encourage educators to teach children about the methods and discoveries of science and to omit hypotheses that cannot be tested or fail when tested. The statement follows recent debate on whether intelligent design may be taught in public schools.