Friday, 22 July 2011
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Paternity testing helps fill in family tree for Puget Sound's killer whales: Inbreeding could reduce
Scientists using DNA testing to fill in a missing link in the lives of killer whales that seasonally visit Washington's Puget Sound, have discovered that some of the progeny they studied were the result of matings within the same social subgroups, or pods, that are part of the overall population. -
Robots to check inside the innards of nuclear reactors
Scientists have develop robots equipped with cameras that can navigate the underground pipes of a nuclear reactor to check for corrosion by propelling themselves with internal networks of valves and pumps. -
Gardening in the brain: Cells called microglia prune the connections between neurons, shaping how th
Gardeners know that some trees require regular pruning: some of their branches have to be cut so that others can grow stronger. The same is true of the developing brain: cells called microglia prune the connections between neurons, shaping how the brain is wired, scientists have discovered. The findings could one day help understand neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. -
Hemlock trees saved from woolly adelgid with 'forest fungus factory'
Hemlock woolly adelgid has devastated hemlock forests from Georgia to Maine. Now a scientist has developed a treatment called a "fungal microfactory." In infested trees, a sprayed-on fungus mixture brought down populations of adelgid, while in adjacent control trees, that were not treated, the pest population tripled. This approach, using low-cost sweet whey as a growth medium, seems likely to provide cost-effective, long-term protection for hemlock trees.
