A sharp rise in visitors to the Galápagos Islands and the accompanying economic development are threatening the islands’ fragile ecosystem.  Since 1990, the number of visitors to the islands has more than tripled.  Non-native plants brought to the islands now outnumber native species.

Called a “living museum” by UNESCO, the Galápagos are where Charles Darwin made historic observations key to the theory of evolution.

A report from the Charles Darwin Foundation on the health of the Galápagos can be found here.

Original Article

Researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute report they are nearing their goal to create an organism whose genome has been chemically synthesized from scratch.

The first step, completed in June 2007, was to figure out how to transplant a genome from one bacterium to another. Now, researchers have chemically synthesized an entire bacterial genome (contained on a single circular chromosome of over half a million chemical letters) starting with just the A’s, T’s, C’s and G’s of the genetic alphabet.  In the final step, the researchers plan to insert the artificial genome into a bacterium, and “boot up” the cell.  The institute’s leader, Craig Venter, predicts this final step may be accomplished by the end of 2008.

While this emerging field, known as synthetic genomics, holds great promise for developing biologically-based fuels and pharmaceuticals, there are concerns about biosafety and possible impact on our environment.  A report discussing these issues can be found on the Venter Institute’s website.

You can also listen to an audio interview with Craig Venter, courtesy of NPR.

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Scientific American features an interesting article on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator being built 100 meters underground near Geneva, Switzerland.

When complete, the particle accelerator will enable physicists to study sub-atomic particles, explore new forms of matter, and test theories about our universe and the fundamental physical laws of nature. You can learn more about the United States’ involvement in this international project at this beautiful website.

How does a particle accelerator work? From the LHC website: “Inside the accelerator, two beams of particles travel at close to the speed of light with very high energies before colliding with one another. The beams travel in opposite directions in separate beam pipes – two tubes kept at ultrahigh vacuum. They are guided around the accelerator ring by a strong magnetic field, achieved using superconducting electromagnets. These are built from coils of special electric cable that operates in a superconducting state, efficiently conducting electricity without resistance or loss of energy. This requires chilling the magnets to about ‑271°C – a temperature colder than outer space! For this reason, much of the accelerator is connected to a distribution system of liquid helium, which cools the magnets, as well as to other supply services.”

Closer to home, Fermi National Laboratories operates a particle accelerator in Batavia, IL. The Fermilabs website has information on tours and outreach events.

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A biotechnology company in San Diego has produced the world’s first cloned human embryos, as reported in the Feb 1 issue of the journal Stem Cells.  Their results are an important step towards creating “personalized” stem cell lines for use in medical therapies.  Cloning technology allows researchers to derive stem cell lines that are genetically identical to the recipient, thereby avoiding problems of immunorejection often seen in organ and tissue transplants.

Original Article

For the first time, NASA’s Messenger spacecraft has sent back never-before-seen pictures of Mercury. The photographs reveal the “back half” of Mercury, which was not photographed during a 1970s mission to the planet.

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A research group from the University of Minnesota reports in Nature Medicine that they have grown a bioartificial heart using cells from a newborn rat and the “scaffolding” of a rat cadaver heart.  Although this work is still many years away from the clinic, it clearly boosts the prospects of repairing and possibly even regenerating complex organs using cell-based therapies.

An interview with Dr. Doris A. Taylor, the head of the Minnesota research group, and video of the beating heart, can be found here.

In a commentary for APM’s Marketplace, Dr. Stefan Kertesz questions the current process of approving new drugs, especially when researchers who set health care guidelines also have financial interests in pharmaceutical companies. He cites the timing  of the National Cholesterol Education Panel’s announcement on recommended cholesterol levels and the drug Vytorin’s release to illustrate the need for reform. 

Original Article

Every two years, the National Science Board analyzes the health of the United States science and technology enterprise. In addition to measuring a variety of economic indicators, the board examines the effectiveness of science and math education at all levels, from K-12 to adults. This report is an important tool for policymakers and the public alike because of state-based, national, and international scope. 

The news for 2008 is mixed. While the US still maintains a strong economic advantage versus other countries, this lead is weakening. In 2002 the US trade balance in advanced technology products shifted from surplus to deficit. Our economy is increasingly becoming reliant on foreign workers, particularly those from southeast Asia, where economic growth is robust. 

Federal investment in academic research is expected to decline for the third year in a row, the first time this has happened since 1982. 

On the education front, the US continues to lag behind other countries in science and math education. Education is obviously an important element of a country’s ability to sustain a robust science and technology enterprise. 

On the good side, a 2006 study revealed that nearly 90% of Americans support government funding for research. In fact 41% of those polled feel the government does not spend enough on basic research. 

A very user-friendly version of the report can be found here: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/digest08/nsb0802.pdf

The Food and Drug Administration has determined that meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring is safe to consume, following a seven year study. Congress and some consumer groups are pushing for more testing, while smaller companies who are using the technology welcome the news.

Much attention has been given to biofuels derived from renewable plant sources, like corn.  A new study from the USDA, though, suggests that there is great potential in growing plain old grass.  Switchgrass, a perennial grass native to North America, may yield as much as 5 times the energy required to plant, cultivate, and process it into fuel (ethanol).  This number looks pretty impressive compared to corn, which is estimated to yield only 25% more energy.  Researchers pointed out, though, that a direct comparison of energy yield between the two energy sources is not quite apples to apples – as explained in this second article.