Differences in Sexes, Microbes, Australian Animals
Genes can behave differently in males than they do in females, a study out of UCLA has found. The researchers examined thousands of genes from four different regions of the body that acted differently in the different sexes. Although the genes coded for the same proteins in both sexes, the quantity of protein produced by each gene differed. Prior to this study, scientists had found sex differences in about 1,000 genes in the liver and 60 genes in the brain—the UCLA study uncovered roughly 10 times that number.
The US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) has plans to sequence the DNA of organisms that can help produce biofuels such as ethanol. The genetic sequencing of organisms like switchgrass, cotton and microbes that can break down plants into biofuels will allow the DOE JGI to manipulate their genes and improve their biofuel-production capabilities.
Last week, scientists announced they had unearthed the remains of 20 previously unknown extinct Australian animals. The newly discovered species include a saber-toothed kangaroo, an 800-pound duck, and a marsupial lion. These fossils were part of an enormous cache, containing the remains of as many as 500 extinct organisms. The creatures range from 24 to 500 million years old.
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Bush Pushes for Science
Last week, President Bush urged the Senate to approve increased funding for research in areas such as nanotechnology, supercomputing and alternative energy sources. The bill comes as part of Bush's "American Competitiveness Initiative," which he says will help the US stay competitive in the global economy. If passed, the bill would increase National Science Foundation funding by about $334 million.
The National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation have announced the most recent round of grants and fellowships distributed through their joint program, Documenting Endangered Languages. The latest round of funding will support the preservation of more than 60 languages, and it focuses on Arctic languages as part of the International Polar Year initiative. Experts estimate that about half of the 7,000 currently spoken languages are endangered.
A Chinese goose farmer who reported avian flu outbreaks in his area was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on charges of blackmail and fraud. The grounds for arrest are unclear, as the reported outbreaks were confirmed. The Chinese government also began an investigation into the death of a 24-year-old man in 2003, which at the time was attributed to SARS. Officials now believe the man could have been China's first avian flu death, since the man was never exposed to SARS. Spain's first case of avian flu has been found in a wild bird in the northern province of Alava. Meanwhile, Romania's culling program, which resulted in the slaughter of nearly one million birds in May, appears to have been successful: In May, 18 counties reported avian flu outbreaks, but by June 30, that number was reduced to four.
Failure and Success in Space
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) suffered a setback on Monday when a rocket carrying the largest satellite the nation has ever produced exploded seconds after lift-off. ISRO officials said they remain confident in the program despite the failure, and they mentioned that other nations' space programs faced similar learning curve experiences in their early days. The rocket was intended to carry a communications satellite that would have boosted television services for the next decade.