You have requested to receive a Daily Digest e-mail from National Science Foundation Update.
Message: 1
From: National Science Foundation Update <nsf-update@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:56:06 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: West African Droughts are the Norm, not an Anomaly
West African Droughts are the Norm, not an Anomaly
A new study of lake sediments in Ghana suggests that severe droughts lasting several decades, even centuries, were the norm in West Africa over the past 3,000 years.
The earlier dry spells dwarfed the well-documented drought that plagued West Africa in the late-20th century, and as the planet warms, the study's authors believe the region's rainfall patterns will have an even greater impact.
The team of geoscientists and climate scientists, led by Jonathan Overpeck of ...
This is an NSF News item.
Message: 2
From: National Science Foundation Update <nsf-update@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:59:00 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Unusual Antarctic Microbes Live Life on a Previously Unsuspected Edge
Unusual Antarctic Microbes Live Life on a Previously Unsuspected Edge
An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but buried under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support unusual microbial life in a place where cold, darkness and lack of oxygen would previously have led scientists to believe nothing could survive, according to newly published research.
After sampling and analyzing the outflow from below the Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the otherwise ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys of ...
This is an NSF News item.
Message: 3
From: National Science Foundation Update <nsf-update@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:00:34 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Shedding Some Light on Parkinson's Treatment
Shedding Some Light on Parkinson's Treatment
A research team lead by Karl Deisseroth in the bioengineering department at Stanford University has developed a technique to systematically characterize disease circuits in the brain. By precisely controlling individual components of the circuit implicated in Parkinson's disease, the team has identified a specific group of cells as direct targets of deep brain stimulation (DBS), a Parkinson's treatment.
Termed optogenetics, the NSF-funded technology uses light-activated proteins, ...
This is an NSF News item.
Message: 4
From: National Science Foundation Update <nsf-update@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:57:57 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Scientists Discover New Chemical Reaction for DNA Production in Bacteria and Viruses
Scientists Discover New Chemical Reaction for DNA Production in Bacteria and Viruses
A team of researchers has discovered a new chemical reaction for producing one of the four nucleotides, or building blocks, needed to build DNA. The reaction includes an unusual first step, or mechanism, and unlike other known reactions that produce the DNA building block, uses an enzyme that speeds up, or catalyzes, the reaction without bonding to any of the compounds, or substrates, in the reaction.
The chemical reaction discovered by the researchers uses an enzyme called ...
This is an NSF News item.
Message: 5
From: National Science Foundation Update <nsf-update@xxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:53:35 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: NSF and People's Republic of China Extend China's Participation in East Asian Pacific Summer Institute Program
During a visit to the National Science Foundation (NSF), Liu Yandong, state councilor for science, technology, education, sport and culture for the People's Republic of China met with U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Arden L. Bement, Jr., to sign a formal agreement to renew the U.S.-China Cooperative Arrangement for NSF's Summer Institute in China Program.
This agreement enables the continuation of China's participation in NSF's East Asian Pacific Institute (EAPSI) ...
This is an NSF News item.
This e-mail update was generated automatically based on your subscription to the categories listed for each item. Some updates may belong to more than one category, resulting in duplicate notices.
You can adjust your National Science Foundation Update subscriptions or delivery preference at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You can also change your e-mail address, or stop subscriptions on this page. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the National Science Foundation updates, please contact support@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
National Science Foundation · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111
