Botanist finds mysterious plant in NM

Little green men are no strangers to Roswell, but now one New Mexico botanist says a little green plant has an out-of-this world connection to New Mexico.

David Salman said he was on a seed hunting trip near Roswell when he noticed a faint glow coming from what appeared to be a meteor crater.

He said it turned out the light was coming from a small patch of carnivorous cacti.

Salman said he found a cactus that eats bugs, glows and probably came to earth on a meteor.

He says he scooped up some samples to see if someone could identify them, so far no one has been able to.

via Botanist finds mysterious plant in NM | Roswell N.M. | KRQE News 13.

300 Chinese Cows Genetically Modified To Produce Human-like Milk

The reason that Chinese researchers have introduced human genes into cows is to enable them to produce an adequate substitute for human breast milk, since baby formula doesn’t offer the same benefits. That said, there’s no reason you couldn’t drink it, and according to the researchers, “the milk tastes stronger than normal milk,” whatever that means.

To get the human bits into the cows, Holstein dairy cow embryos had their DNA modified using cloning techniques. The clones were implanted into surrogates, and so far about 300 of these “humanized” cows have been created. Their milk boasts a much higher nutritional content, 20% more fat, and a variety of proteins that boost immune systems in human babies. …

via Uh-Oh: Cows Genetically Modified With People DNA To Produce More Human-like Milk – Geekologie.

4.5-Billion-Year-Old Antarctic Meteorite Yields New Mineral

A meteorite discovered in Antarctica in 1969 has just divulged a modern secret: a new mineral, now called Wassonite.

The new mineral found in the 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite was tiny — less than one-hundredth as wide as a human hair. Still, that was enough to excite the researchers who announced the discovery Tuesday (April 5).

“Wassonite is a mineral formed from only two elements, sulfur and titanium, yet it possesses a unique crystal structure that has not been previously observed in nature,” NASA space scientist Keiko Nakamura-Messenger said in a statement. …

When meteors hit the ground they are called meteorites. Most are fragments of asteroids (space rocks that travel through the solar system), and others are mere cosmic dust shed by comets. Rare meteorites are impact debris from the surfaces of the moon and Mars.

“Meteorites, and the minerals within them, are windows to the formation of our solar system,” said co-discoverer Lindsay Keller, space scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Through these kinds of studies we can learn about the conditions that existed and the processes that were occurring then.”

via 4.5-Billion-Year-Old Antarctic Meteorite Yields New Mineral | NASA Research | Meteorites & Early Solar System | LiveScience.

Stem cells coaxed into forming partial eyeball

Mouse stem cells have been coaxed into forming a partial eyeball, and the method may one day lead to retina transplants.

Yoshiki Sasai at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, and colleagues encouraged embryonic stem cells to develop into retinal cells, and then grew them alongside a protein matrix to promote the formation of tissue.

Over 12 days, the retinal cells formed a vesicle which subsequently transformed into a cup-like structure. Within this “optic cup”, six major types of retinal cells were identified. They had spontaneously arranged themselves into six different layers, mimicking those seen in the adult retina.

While it is not yet possible to generate a fully formed eye – including a lens, sclera and cornea – Sasai says it may be feasible to use human stem cells with minor modifications to generate retinal tissues large enough for human transplantation in the next few years.

“The retina is severely impaired in genetic diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. This replacement therapy would become practical once human retina tissue is available by our method,” says Sasai.

via Stem cells coaxed into forming partial eyeball – life – 06 April 2011 – New Scientist.

85 year old man crosses Atlantic on raft to raise water awareness

A grandfather from London and his three-man crew have successfully crossed the Atlantic on a raft made of pipes after 66 days at sea.

Anthony Smith, 85, wanted to complete the 2,800-mile (4,596km) voyage to highlight the fact a billion people worldwide live without clean water.

The former BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter hopes to have raised £50,000 for the charity WaterAid.

They set sail from the Canary Islands and reached the Caribbean on Wednesday.

Mr Smith recruited the team of “mature and intrepid gentlemen” – aged between 56 and 61 – by placing an advert in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

It read: “Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveller requires 3 crew.

“Must be OAP. Serious adventurers only.”

The 85-year-old was a science correspondent and presenter on the BBC programme, which was axed in 2003 after 40 years.

Speaking ahead of the trip Mr Smith said: “Water strikes at the very heart of need.

“To voyage almost 3,000 miles upon the salty kind will make us intensely aware of places in the world that are without adequate supplies.”

Their vessel, named the An-Tiki, was constructed out of 12m (39ft) lengths of pipe.

It was powered by a 400-square-foot sail and steered using twin rudders and oars, travelling at an average speed of four knots. …

via BBC News – Presenter, 85, crosses Atlantic on raft for WaterAid.

Fourteen die after eating toxic sardines in Madagascar

At least 14 people have died in Madagascar after eating toxic sardines.Officials say more than 120 people remain seriously ill after the incident in the south-western town of Toliara.The government sent its condolences to the victims’ families, promising to foot the medical bills of those being treated in hospital.Samples of the sardines have been sent for analysis. In previous incidents, researchers said the contaminated sardines had eaten poisonous seaweed.They say seaweed has proliferated among Madagascar’s coral reefs as global warming changes the sea conditions.

via BBC News – Fourteen die after eating toxic sardines in Madagascar.