science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τρίτη 13 Μαΐου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Duplication of the gene OTX2 induces highly prevalent facial anomaly
A new quantum memory: Sensitive measurements to detect signals from an individual ion in a crystal
Lessons from a Dead Sea fungus on how to grow crops in high-salinity environments

Duplication of the gene OTX2 induces highly prevalent facial anomaly

Posted: 13 May 2014 07:08 AM PDT

Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a genetic cause of a facial disorder known as hemifacial microsomia (HFM). The researchers find that duplication of the gene OTX2 induces HFM, the second-most common facial anomaly after cleft lip and palate.

HFM affects approximately one in 3,500 births. While some cases appear to run in families, no gene had been found to be causative. That is until Whitehead Fellow Yaniv Erlich and his lab set out to do just that. Their work is described in this week’s issue of the journal PLOS ONE.

A new quantum memory: Sensitive measurements to detect signals from an individual ion in a crystal

Posted: 13 May 2014 06:51 AM PDT

A promising material is lining itself up as a candidate for a quantum memory. A team at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Erlangen is the first to succeed in performing high-resolution spectroscopy and microscopy on individual rare earth ions in a crystal. With the aid of ingenious laser and microscopy technology they determined the position of triply charged positive praseodymium atoms (Pr3+) in an yttrium orthosilicate to within a few nanometres and investigated their weak interaction with light.

Lessons from a Dead Sea fungus on how to grow crops in high-salinity environments

Posted: 12 May 2014 08:09 AM PDT

The Dead Sea, with its’ highly hypersaline habitat, is one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth for supporting life. Yet a few hardy life forms manage to survive there. One of these is the fungus Eurotium rubrum (Eurotiomycetes). Better understanding of this species could not only advance our understanding of how organisms evolve to adapt to high-stress conditions but also help to improve crop salt tolerance. This cause has been advanced by the results of a paper on adaptive strategies of E.