In their desire to get close to nature by building lakeside cottages and homes in the woods, Americans may very well be hastening the decline of many native bird species that breed in forest habitats.
The development boom in the nation’s rural areas is putting increasing pressure on forest ecosystems, and the resulting decline in native vegetation and the increase in human activity – ranging from all-terrain vehicle use to predatory pets roaming the woods – is putting more and
Rusty crayfish, an invasive species now crawling across the rocky bottoms of lakes and streams throughout the United States and Canada, may not always have a stronghold once they enter these bodies of water.
The findings, part of an ongoing study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, suggest that the type of interaction among rusty crayfish, fish and aquatic plants may tip the scale, favoring either the invader or native species. This knowledge, the researchers note, may lead to
While a rapidly changing climate may alter the composition of northern Wisconsin’s forests, disturbances such as logging also will play a critical role in how these sylvan ecosystems change over time.
Details will be presented on Friday, Aug. 6, at the annual Ecological Society of America conference in Portland, Ore.
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers used a computer-modeling program to project 200 years of change in a forest in northwestern Wisconsin under t
Road density in northern Wisconsin has doubled during the last 60 years, but forest managers have a time window to fight the non-native plants that often come with construction and overwhelm native plant life, according to new research discussed on Thursday, Aug. 5, at the annual Ecological Society of America conference in Portland, Ore.
“Roads disturb the soil, open the forest canopy and allow more light to reach the ground,” explains Todd Hawbaker, a University of Wisconsin-Madison forest
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), the use of electrodes to heat and destroy abnormal tissue, is a promising technique to safely and effectively treat patients with inoperable lung tumors, say researchers from the IRCCS Hospital of Oncology in Bari, Italy.
In a study that focused on 18 patients with lung tumors ineligible for surgery, forty nodules were treated by lung RFA. Upon regular follow-up, no relapse was detected in 94% of the patients.
According to Cosmo Gadaleta, MD,
Hotspots in two areas of a gene that encodes a specific signaling enzyme, or kinase, are vulnerable to a variety of mutations found in five types of brain cancers, according to a report published in the August 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research.
Mutations in the gene PIK3CA occur spontaneously as part of the brain tumor development rather than being passed genetically between generations, said Hai Yan, M.D., Ph.D., the senior scientist of the studies conducted by a collaborativ
Buffelgrass snatches water away from nearby palo verde trees, ultimately killing them.
Scientists thought deep-rooted plants such as desert trees did not compete with grasses for water. Now researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson report that buffelgrass, an invasive non-native species, grabs water before foothill palo verde trees can.
The situation does not bode well for the trees, said J. Alex Eilts, a doctoral candidate in UA’s department of ecology and evol
As ants roam around on a plant, they can help their leafy companion by killing any herbivores they find. Ants often do just that, because many ants need meat in their diets.
Some species of ants are more aggressive than others, and many plants don’t have any choice about which species visit.
Researchers report for the first time that when plants supply ants with nectar, it boosts the ants’ desire for meat, potentially making them better bodyguards for the plant.
Using fire to control the introduced Lehmann lovegrass won’t work, researchers report.
The finding is bad news for land managers seeking a way to control the introduced grass. Fire was thought to be one way to restore native grasses and prevent further spread of the non-native species.
Regardless of the time of year Lehmann lovegrass was burned, the grass grew back and, in some cases, increased in amount, report ecologists from the University of Arizona in Tucson. “We h
A prototype microscope that uses neutrons instead of light to “see” magnified images has been demonstrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Neutron microscopes might eventually offer certain advantages over optical, X-ray and electron imaging techniques such as better contrast for biological samples.
Described in the July 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters, the imaging process involves hitting a sample with an intense neutron beam. The neutrons tha
OHSU researchers publish new findings, recommendations for clinicians
Every minute of every day, Bill McClellan hears an incessant hissing or ringing noise that fluctuates between a faint low-pitched static to a piercing high-pitched ring.
If he manages to fall asleep amid the cacophony, he awakens a few hours later to the same intolerable din. His resulting sleep deprivation makes it difficult to concentrate and his attention span is short. He can’t stand to drive because
A significant breakthrough in the development of the highly prized semiconductor gallium nitride as a building block for nanotechnology has been achieved by a team of scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California at Berkeley.
For the first time ever, the researchers have been able control the direction in which a gallium nitride nanowire grows. Growth direction is critical to determining the
Carbohydrate microarray technology shows strength in exploring novel immunologic targets
Researchers in New York City and Guangzhou, China applied the rapidly-developing carbohydrate microarray technology to study an inactivated SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) vaccine and discovered autoimmunogenic activity of this newly identified human viral pathogen.
Using glycan microarrays, the researchers characterized the carbohydrate binding activity of SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies e
Isolated soy protein added to the diets of 14 men, all military veterans under treatment for advanced stages of type 2 diabetes, significantly lowered unwanted proteins in their urine and slightly raised desired HDL cholesterol levels in their blood, researchers say.
The two improved areas are linked to kidney disease and coronary heart disease, respectively, in patients with type 2 diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 18 million Americans have diabetes, with more than 9
A hormone that is important in the control of blood pressure may also inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells, say scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, writing in the new issue of the journal Carcinogenesis.
Patricia E. Gallagher, Ph.D., and E. Ann Tallant, Ph.D., said the hormone, called angiotensin-(1-7), “may represent a novel chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive treatment for lung cancer.”
Their studies found that angiotensin-(1-7) significantly
The Free-Electron Laser (FEL), supported by the Office of Naval Research and located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, achieved 10 kilowatts of infrared laser light in late July, making it the most powerful tunable laser in the world. The recently upgraded laser’s new capabilities will enhance defense and manufacturing technologies, and support advanced studies of chemistry, physics, biology, and more.
“No other laser can provide the same be
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