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POPSDress Rehearsal for Mars Fernando Rull Pérez from the Centro de Astrobiologia in Madrid is an expert in hunting for signs of life using spectroscopic techniques, and he has been conducting studies in the Rio Tinto region.
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POPSBiochemists Manipulate Fruit Flavor Enzymes "Genetic engineering/modification (GM) of green leaf volatile production holds significant potential towards formulating environmentally friendly pest-control strategies. It also has important implications for manipulating food flavor," said Raman, the senior author. "For example, the aroma of virgin olive oil stems from the volatiles synthesized by olives. By modifying the activity of enzymes that generate these substances, it may be possible to alter the flavor of the resulting oils." According to Raman, "Our work shows how you can convert one enzyme to another and, more importantly, provides the needed information for modifying the GLV production in plants." The scientists made 3-D images of the enzymes, which allowed them to make a small, but specific, genetic change in AOS, leading to the generation of HPL.
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POPSDolphins walk on water in the wild Dolphins have even been witnessed leaping above the water surface performing acrobatic figures such as the Spinner Dolphin — famous for its acrobatic displays in which they will spin longitudinally along their axis as they leap through the air — which has perplexed scientists as to the purpose for the behavior.
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POPSScientists Say We Can See Sound Recordings from 49 neurons responsible for the earliest stages of visual processing, researchers found activation that mirrored the behavior. That is, when the sound was played, the neurons reacted as if there had been a stronger light, at a speed that can only be explained by a direct connection between the ear and eye brain regions, said researcher Ye Wang of the University of Texas in Houston. The study presents the first evidence that a sensory cell can process an alternative sensation, said head researcher Pascal Barone of the Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, who discovered a contender for the anatomical connection in 2002.
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POPSCheney Aide getting Global Warming Portfolio at Energy? "The result: One of the most ardent opponents of government regulation within the government would be put in a key decision-making position where global warming policies are set. Said Jason K. Burnett, who as a deputy associate administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency tangled with Hutto over global warming until leaving the government: "I can't think of a case where Chase advocated more environmental or health protections." As for placing Hutto in the Energy Department at this late date, the Post, quoting Francesca Grifo of the Union of Concerned Scientists, notes: "In coming months, Hutto could make policy decisions that the next administration would find difficult to reverse quickly.""
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POPSComputers and education Do we need another research centre to find obvious answers? Only when schools are prepared to embrace the information Age/Knowledge Economy paradigm and look afresh at what 'education' is, will we advance. 21st Century tools do not sit comfortably in 19th century institutions, run by unimaginative, autocratic 20th century bureaucrats.