Plant seeds represent a special biological system: They remain in a dormant state with a significantly reduced metabolism and are thus able to withstand harsh environmental conditions for extended periods. The water content ...
Biotechnology
Dec 2, 2011
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Sharing food has widely been considered by scholars as a defining characteristic of human behavior. But a new study by Iowa State University anthropology professor Jill Pruetz now reports that chimpanzees from her Fongoli ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 1, 2011
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Astronomers have tracked down the first gamma-ray pulsar in a globular cluster of stars. It is around 27,000 light years away and thus also holds the distance record in this class of objects. Moreover, its high luminosity ...
Astronomy
Nov 3, 2011
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Pulsars are the lighthouses of the universe. These compact and fast-rotating neutron stars flash many times per second in the radio or gamma-ray band. Pure gamma-ray pulsars are extremely difficult to find despite their high ...
Astronomy
Nov 3, 2011
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Centromeres are specialised regions of the genome, which can be identified under the microscope as the primary constriction in X-shaped chromosomes. The cell skeleton, which distributes the chromosomes to the two daughter ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 3, 2011
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Climate change affects people both globally and regionally. Pankaj Kumar, for example, who works at the Climate Service Center and the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, is investigating the interplay of dry ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 26, 2011
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Microbes are omnipresent on earth. They are found as free-living microorganisms as well as in communities with other higher organisms. Thanks to modern biological techniques we are now able to address the complex communities ...
Biochemistry
Sep 1, 2011
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Eutrophication harms the environment in many ways. Unexpectedly, nitrogen fertilizer may also be positive for the environment. And even acidic soils, promoting the destruction of forests, can have a positive effect. Researchers ...
Environment
Aug 19, 2011
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As the gatekeepers of ion flow through cell membranes, ion channels are of key interest in numerous cellular processes. Now, a new study describes an innovative new computational model that realistically simulates the complex ...
Other
Aug 16, 2011
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Danger looms from out of space: asteroids and comets are a threat to our planet. The history of Earth has always been punctuated by cosmic catastrophes. Several studies have claimed to have found periodic variations, with ...
Space Exploration
Aug 1, 2011
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