Earth

Fire influences global warming more than previously thought

Fire's potent and pervasive effects on ecosystems and on many Earth processes, including climate change, have been underestimated, according to a new report.

"We've estimated that deforestation due to burning by humans is contributing about one-fifth of the human-caused greenhouse effect -- and that percentage could become larger," said co-author Thomas W. Swetnam of The University of Arizona in Tucson.

"It's very clear that fire is a primary catalyst of global climate change," said Swetnam, director of UA's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research.

Cattle genome sequencing milestone promises health benefits, researcher says

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The landmark sequencing of the domestic cattle genome, reported today in the journal Science, could lead to important new findings about health and nutrition, a participating Michigan State University researcher said.

Theresa Casey, a research assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, joined 300 colleagues around the world in a six-year project to complete, annotate and analyze the bovine genome sequence.

Greenland's 'good news' methane finding

Ice core research has revealed that a vast, potential source of the potent greenhouse gas, methane, is more stable in a warming world than previously thought.

Based on international research published today in Science, the finding includes Australian contributions from CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

Wetlands likely source of methane from ancient warming event

An expansion of wetlands and not a large-scale melting of frozen methane deposits is the likely cause of a spike in atmospheric methane gas that took place some 11,600 years ago, according to an international research team led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Bovine genome provides clues to possible new developments

Scientists from Texas AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) are part of a consortium of researchers who have developed an annotated sequence of the cattle genome which could lead to better disease resistance and higher quality meat for consumers, the researchers say. Their work was led by the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center and published in two reports that appear today in the journal "Science."

More African-Americans die from causes that can be prevented or treated

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New cow genome sequence released

Scientists from the University of Maryland have published their assembly of the domestic cow (Bos taurus), an important new resource for the genetics community. The new version of the cow genome improves considerably on other assemblies, in terms of both completeness and accuracy. The article describing their research is freely available in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Biology.

New study argues for CT colonography as primary colon cancer screening test

CT colonography allows radiologists to predict, with a high degree of confidence, whether or not a polyp needs to be evaluated through colonoscopy or removed through polypectomy, according to a study performed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, WI.

Excluding the lateral view in chest radiograph screenings decreases radiation exposure by 67 percent

For the patient with a positive PPD test, which usually indicates prior exposure to tuberculosis, the guidelines recommend a chest x-ray that typically includes a frontal and lateral view. The lateral view, which accounts for 2/3 of the total radiation dose during screening, is not necessary, according to a study performed at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA.

Double-action power stations: Energy and hydrogen

Gas power plants could be cheaply retrofitted to generate hydrogen as well as power, chemists say in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal.

A catalyst would convert methane into hydrogen gas and combustible coke, allowing the power station to produce hydrogen alongside electricity.

Gadi Rothenberg and colleagues at the University of Amsterdam and at IRCE Lyon report in Green Chemistry that the catalyst could be cheaply installed into existing plants.

Plants could override climate change effects on wildfires

BOZEMAN -- Scientists predict that global climate change will make many regions around the world warmer and drier, a factor which, taken by itself, would seem to increase the risk of wildfires.

But a new study led by a Montana State University researcher shows that changes in the types of vegetation covering an area play a major role in determining how often that area is burned by fires and could even counteract the effects of changes in temperature and moisture.

Earth

Fire influences global warming more than previously thought

Cattle genome sequencing milestone promises health benefits, researcher says

Greenland's 'good news' methane finding

Wetlands likely source of methane from ancient warming event

Bovine genome provides clues to possible new developments

More African-Americans die from causes that can be prevented or treated

New cow genome sequence released

New study argues for CT colonography as primary colon cancer screening test

Excluding the lateral view in chest radiograph screenings decreases radiation exposure by 67 percent

Double-action power stations: Energy and hydrogen

Plants could override climate change effects on wildfires

Genes influence impulsive behavior, preceding the development of alcoholism

Genetics can mediate vulnerability to alcohol's effects during pregnancy

Adolescent binge drinking may compromise the brain's white matter, necessary for information relay

Developmental drug helps protect against radiation damage