Futurity.org » Michigan State University

Carnivorous plant trims its tiny genome

Charlotte Hsu-Buffalo — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:08:13 +0000

U. BUFFALO (US) — A carnivorous plant is slowly deleting noncoding or “junk” DNA from its genome, report researchers.

Genes make up about 2 percent of the human genome. The rest consists of noncoding DNA, and scientists have spent years puzzling over why this material exists in such voluminous quantities.

The new study offers an unexpected insight: the large majority of noncoding DNA, which is abundant in many living things, may not actually be needed for complex life, according to research set to appear in Nature.

Vaccinate mosquitoes to stop malaria?

Layne Cameron-Michigan State — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:37:42 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Mosquitoes are deadly and efficient disease transmitters, but they also can be equally good at spreading a cure for diseases they transmit, such as malaria, new research suggests.

A study in the current issue of Science shows that the transmission of malaria via mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia in the insects. In a sense, Wolbachia would act as a vaccine of sorts for mosquitoes that would protect them from malaria parasites.

Sexual harassment may trigger men to purge

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:57:00 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Men who report being sexually harassed are significantly more likely than women to engage in “purging compensatory behaviors,” new research suggests.

The study is one of the first to examine the effects of sexual harassment on body image and eating behaviors in both women and men.

Social games may treat infant autism

Andrea Estrada-UCSB — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:14:24 +0000

UC SANTA BARBARA (US) — A brief intervention conducted with babies only four to twelve weeks old shows promise for treating symptoms of autism, according to researchers.

Most infants respond to a game of peek-a-boo with smiles at the very least, and, for those who find the activity particularly entertaining, gales of laughter.

Binge eating may be based in biology

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:04:49 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Female rats are much more likely to binge eat than male rats are, according to new research that provides some of the strongest evidence yet that biology plays a role in eating disorders.

The study, published online in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, is the first to establish sex differences in rates of binge eating in animals and has implications for humans.

Binge eating is one of the core symptoms of most eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa and the binge/purge subtype of anorexia nervosa, and females are four to 10 times more likely than males to have an eating disorder.

Politics still split US on climate change

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:32:55 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — US residents who believe in the scientific consensus on global warming are more likely to support government action to curb emissions, regardless of political party. But, there’s still a divide.

A political split remains on the existence of climate change despite the fact that the vast majority of scientists believe it is real, says Aaron M. McCright, associate professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Sociology at Michigan State University.

The study, in the journal Climatic Change, is one of the first to examine the influence of political orientation on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action to reduce emissions.

With a posse, threats seem less scary

Andy Henion-Michigan State — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:58:07 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Like hyenas, humans perceive threats as closer than they really are. But mix in others from their group, and that misperception disappears.

In other words, there’s safety in numbers. The research, which appears online in Social Psychological and Personality Science, provides the first evidence that people’s visual biases change when surrounded by members of their own group.

College athletes learn to lose ‘dumb jock’ label

Andy McGlashen-Michigan State — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:19:23 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — College coaches who emphasize players’ academic abilities may be the best defense against negative typecasting of student athletes.

Researchers found that student-athletes were significantly more likely to be confident in the classroom if they believed their coaches expected high academic performance, not just good enough grades to be eligible for sports.

“Coaches spend a lot of time with their players, and they can play such an important role to build academic confidence in student-athletes,” says lead author Deborah Feltz, professor at Michigan State University.

Stressed moms make baby squirrels grow faster

Layne Cameron-Michigan State — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:32:17 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — When the woods get crowded, pregnant squirrels improve their offspring’s odds of survival by ramping up hormones that help their babies grow.

A study showed for the first time how females use social cues to correctly prepare their offspring for life outside the nest. The results, published in Science, confirm that red squirrel mothers boost stress hormone production during pregnancy, which increases the size and the chances of survival of their pups.

“Natural selection favors faster-growing offspring, and female red squirrels react accordingly to increase their pups’ chances of survival,” says Ben Dantzer, formerly with Michigan State University’s zoology department and now at the University of Cambridge.

Safety-net clinics lag in hypertension care

Andy McGlashen-Michigan State — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:14:22 +0000

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Public clinics fall behind other health care providers in controlling the blood pressure of low-income patients, a new analysis suggests.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications including heart disease and stroke, and is especially common and dangerous for patients with diabetes.