Power behind primordial soup discovered

Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
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Contact: Richard Mellor
r.d.mellor@leeds.ac.uk
44-011-334-34031
University of Leeds

Researchers at the University of Leeds may have solved a key puzzle about how objects from space could have kindled life on Earth.

While it is generally accepted that some important ingredients for life came from meteorites bombarding the early Earth, scientists have not been able to explain how that inanimate rock transformed into the building blocks of life.

This new study shows how a chemical, similar to one now found in all living cells and vital for generating the energy that makes something alive, could have been created when meteorites containing phosphorus minerals landed in hot, acidic pools of liquids around volcanoes, which were likely to have been common across the early Earth.

"The mystery of how living organisms sprung out of lifeless rock has long puzzled scientists, but we think that the unusual phosphorus chemicals we found could be a precursor to the batteries that now power all life on Earth. But the fact that it developed simply, in conditions similar to the early Earth, suggests this could be the missing link between geology and biology," said Dr Terry Kee, from the University's School of Chemistry, who led the research.

All life on Earth is powered by a process called chemiosmosis, where the chemical adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the rechargeable chemical 'battery' for life, is both broken down and re-formed during respiration to release energy used to drive the reactions of life, or metabolism. The complex enzymes required for both the creation and break down of ATP are unlikely to have existed on the Earth during the period when life first developed. This led scientists to look for a more basic chemical with similar properties to ATP, but that does not require enzymes to transfer energy.

Phosphorus is the key element in ATP, and other fundamental building blocks of life like DNA, but the form it commonly takes on Earth, phosphorus (V), is largely insoluble in water and has a low chemical reactivity. The early Earth, however, was regularly bombarded by meteorites and interstellar dust rich in exotic minerals, including the far more reactive form of phosphorus, the iron-nickel-phosphorus mineral schreibersite.

The scientists simulated the impact of such a meteorite with the hot, volcanically-active, early Earth by placing samples of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite, an iron meteorite which fell in Siberia in 1947, in acid taken from the Hveradalur geothermal area in Iceland. The rock was left to react with the acidic fluid in test tubes incubated by the surrounding hot spring for four days, followed by a further 30 days at room temperature.

In their analysis of the resulting solution the scientists found the compound pyrophosphite, a molecular 'cousin' of pyrophosphate the part of ATP responsible for energy transfer. The scientists believe this compound could have acted as an earlier form of ATP in what they have dubbed 'chemical life'.

"Chemical life would have been the intermediary step between inorganic rock and the very first living biological cell. You could think of chemical life as a machine a robot, for example, is capable of moving and reacting to surroundings, but it is not alive. With the aid of these primitive batteries, chemicals became organised in such a way as to be capable of more complex behaviour and would have eventually developed into the living biological structures we see today," said Dr Terry Kee.

The team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL-Caltech) working on the Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in August last year, has recently reported the presence of phosphorus on the Red Planet.

"If Curiosity has found phosphorus in one of the forms we produced in Iceland, this may indicate that conditions on Mars were at one point suitable for the development of life in much the same way we now believe it developed on Earth," added Dr Kee.

The team at Leeds are now working with colleagues at JPL-Caltech to understand how these early batteries and the 'chemical life' they became part of might have developed into biological life. As part of this work they will be using facilities in the University of Leeds' Faculty of Engineering, currently used to test new fuel cells, to build a 'geological fuel cell' using minerals and gases common on the early Earth. Researchers will apply different chemicals to its surface and monitor the reactions take place and the chemical products which develop.

The team also hope to travel to Disko Island in Greenland which is home to the Earth's only naturally-occurring source of schreibersite, the mineral found in the Sikhote-Alin meteorite. Here, they hope to repeat their experiments and show that the same chemicals develop in an entirely Earth-originated setting.

###

The paper Hydrothermal modification of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite under low pH geothermal environments. A plausibly prebiotic route to activated phosphorus on the early Earth was published online by the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta on 15th March 2013.

The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, Science and Technology Facilities Council and the UK Space Agency.

For more information

Dr Terry Kee is available for interview.
Contact Richard Mellor, Communications, University of Leeds
T: +44 (0)113 3434031
E: r.d.mellor@leeds.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's eighth biggest research powerhouse. The University is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. http://www.leeds.ac.uk

2. David E. Bryant, David Greenfield, Richard D. Walshaw, Benjamin R.G. Johnson, Barry Herschy, Caroline Smith, Matthew A. Pasek, Richard Telford, Ian Scowen, Tasnim Munshi, Howell G.M. Edwards, Claire R. Cousins, Ian A. Crawford, Terence P. Kee, Hydrothermal modification of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite under low pH geothermal environments. A plausibly prebiotic route to activated phosphorus on the early Earth, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 109, 15 May 2013, Pages 90-112, ISSN 0016-7037, 10.1016/j.gca.2012.12.043. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703713000161)

3. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk

4. The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security. The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar. STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:

• in the UK; ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and OFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd.
• overseas; telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii

It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Follow us on Twitter @STFC_Matters http://www.stfc.ac.uk

5. The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the Will of the first Viscount Leverhulme. It is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing funds of some 60 million every year. For further information about the schemes that the Leverhulme Trust fund visit their website at http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk / http://www.twitter.com/LeverhulmeTrust

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 4-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Richard Mellor
r.d.mellor@leeds.ac.uk
44-011-334-34031
University of Leeds

Researchers at the University of Leeds may have solved a key puzzle about how objects from space could have kindled life on Earth.

While it is generally accepted that some important ingredients for life came from meteorites bombarding the early Earth, scientists have not been able to explain how that inanimate rock transformed into the building blocks of life.

This new study shows how a chemical, similar to one now found in all living cells and vital for generating the energy that makes something alive, could have been created when meteorites containing phosphorus minerals landed in hot, acidic pools of liquids around volcanoes, which were likely to have been common across the early Earth.

"The mystery of how living organisms sprung out of lifeless rock has long puzzled scientists, but we think that the unusual phosphorus chemicals we found could be a precursor to the batteries that now power all life on Earth. But the fact that it developed simply, in conditions similar to the early Earth, suggests this could be the missing link between geology and biology," said Dr Terry Kee, from the University's School of Chemistry, who led the research.

All life on Earth is powered by a process called chemiosmosis, where the chemical adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the rechargeable chemical 'battery' for life, is both broken down and re-formed during respiration to release energy used to drive the reactions of life, or metabolism. The complex enzymes required for both the creation and break down of ATP are unlikely to have existed on the Earth during the period when life first developed. This led scientists to look for a more basic chemical with similar properties to ATP, but that does not require enzymes to transfer energy.

Phosphorus is the key element in ATP, and other fundamental building blocks of life like DNA, but the form it commonly takes on Earth, phosphorus (V), is largely insoluble in water and has a low chemical reactivity. The early Earth, however, was regularly bombarded by meteorites and interstellar dust rich in exotic minerals, including the far more reactive form of phosphorus, the iron-nickel-phosphorus mineral schreibersite.

The scientists simulated the impact of such a meteorite with the hot, volcanically-active, early Earth by placing samples of the Sikhote-Alin meteorite, an iron meteorite which fell in Siberia in 1947, in acid taken from the Hveradalur geothermal area in Iceland. The rock was left to react with the acidic fluid in test tubes incubated by the surrounding hot spring for four days, followed by a further 30 days at room temperature.

In their analysis of the resulting solution the scientists found the compound pyrophosphite, a molecular 'cousin' of pyrophosphate the part of ATP responsible for energy transfer. The scientists believe this compound could have acted as an earlier form of ATP in what they have dubbed 'chemical life'.

"Chemical life would have been the intermediary step between inorganic rock and the very first living biological cell. You could think of chemical life as a machine a robot, for example, is capable of moving and reacting to surroundings, but it is not alive. With the aid of these primitive batteries, chemicals became organised in such a way as to be capable of more complex behaviour and would have eventually developed into the living biological structures we see today," said Dr Terry Kee.

The team from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL-Caltech) working on the Curiosity rover, which landed on Mars in August last year, has recently reported the presence of phosphorus on the Red Planet.

"If Curiosity has found phosphorus in one of the forms we produced in Iceland, this may indicate that conditions on Mars were at one point suitable for the development of life in much the same way we now believe it developed on Earth," added Dr Kee.

The team at Leeds are now working with colleagues at JPL-Caltech to understand how these early batteries and the 'chemical life' they became part of might have developed into biological life. As part of this work they will be using facilities in the University of Leeds' Faculty of Engineering, currently used to test new fuel cells, to build a 'geological fuel cell' using minerals and gases common on the early Earth. Researchers will apply different chemicals to its surface and monitor the reactions take place and the chemical products which develop.

The team also hope to travel to Disko Island in Greenland which is home to the Earth's only naturally-occurring source of schreibersite, the mineral found in the Sikhote-Alin meteorite. Here, they hope to repeat their experiments and show that the same chemicals develop in an entirely Earth-originated setting.

###

The paper Hydrothermal modification of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite under low pH geothermal environments. A plausibly prebiotic route to activated phosphorus on the early Earth was published online by the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta on 15th March 2013.

The research was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, Science and Technology Facilities Council and the UK Space Agency.

For more information

Dr Terry Kee is available for interview.
Contact Richard Mellor, Communications, University of Leeds
T: +44 (0)113 3434031
E: r.d.mellor@leeds.ac.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise showed the University of Leeds to be the UK's eighth biggest research powerhouse. The University is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. http://www.leeds.ac.uk

2. David E. Bryant, David Greenfield, Richard D. Walshaw, Benjamin R.G. Johnson, Barry Herschy, Caroline Smith, Matthew A. Pasek, Richard Telford, Ian Scowen, Tasnim Munshi, Howell G.M. Edwards, Claire R. Cousins, Ian A. Crawford, Terence P. Kee, Hydrothermal modification of the Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite under low pH geothermal environments. A plausibly prebiotic route to activated phosphorus on the early Earth, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Volume 109, 15 May 2013, Pages 90-112, ISSN 0016-7037, 10.1016/j.gca.2012.12.043. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016703713000161)

3. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk

4. The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security. The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar. STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:

• in the UK; ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and OFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd.
• overseas; telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii

It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO). STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Follow us on Twitter @STFC_Matters http://www.stfc.ac.uk

5. The Leverhulme Trust was established in 1925 under the Will of the first Viscount Leverhulme. It is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing funds of some 60 million every year. For further information about the schemes that the Leverhulme Trust fund visit their website at http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk / http://www.twitter.com/LeverhulmeTrust

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uol-pbp040413.php

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Choosing less a form of protection, says new study on decision-making

Apr. 3, 2013 ? Imagine you have a choice to make. In one scenario, you'd get $8 and somebody else -- a stranger -- would get $8 too. In the other, you'd get $10; the stranger would get $12.

Economists typically assume you'd go for the $10/$12 option because of the belief that people try to maximize their own gains. Choosing the other scenario would just be irrational.

But new research conducted in collaboration with a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management shows that if a person is feeling threatened, or concerned with their status, they are more likely to choose the option that gives them less. And although this choice might seem irrational from an economic perspective, this choice satisfies an important psychological need.

People who do this, "have a reason for their behaviour, and that reason is to protect themselves from low status," described as a low position or rank in relation to others, says Prof. Geoffrey Leonardelli, who co-wrote the paper with Vanessa Bohns from the University of Waterloo and Jun Gu from Australia's Monash University.

Through a series of experiments, the researchers found that people who showed a systematic preference for "relative outcomes" (economic payoffs which gave them the same as or more than others) had a focus on security and sought to protect themselves from being assigned to a lower position or rank. But those who looked for "absolute" outcomes (overall value) had a "growth" focus, one that goes after maximum positive results.

Jun Gu, the lead author of the research, noted that "People with a security focus also tend to walk away from economic deals that suggest they have low status, even if walking away means earning less money than they could have."

In one experiment, participants were offered $1 but were also told that the party making the offer would get $9. Even though they would have pocketed an additional $1, some 48% of those with a security focus rejected the offer, whereas only 17% of those with a growth focus turned the offer down.

Previous research by Prof. Leonardelli and his collaborators has shown that, in negotiations, those with a growth focus tend to set higher goals, are more aggressive in their negotiating, and ultimately attain better gains for all those involved.

"People with a growth focus appear to more easily move back and forth between cooperation and competition," because they have no special fears or concerns about their own security, says Prof. Leonardelli.

If governments want to pursue economic policies that promote growth, the study's findings suggest people first need to feel secure enough to support and participate in those policies, says Prof. Leonardelli.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. Jun Gu, Vanessa K. Bohns, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli. Regulatory focus and interdependent economic decision-making. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2012; DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2012.11.008

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/DAJilWoVV0c/130403112744.htm

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Texas prosecutor steps into job after predecessor gunned down

By Chris Francescani

KAUFMAN, Texas (Reuters) - Brandi Fernandez slipped into the Kaufman County Courthouse in her first full day as interim district attorney on Tuesday, taking over a job that authorities believe got her predecessor and one of her colleagues killed.

Praised as a smart, tough litigator and a fierce advocate for child victims of crime, Fernandez declined to address reporters and remained under close protection inside the courthouse throughout the day. A police cruiser was parked outside her single-family home surrounded by trees on Monday and Tuesday.

Atop her agenda was investigating the targeted killings of former District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife on Saturday and Assistant District Attorney Mark Hasse on January 31.

As first assistant district attorney under McLelland, Fernandez, 42, was named to the interim job on Monday, after having worked in the office for nearly a decade.

Just before stepping into the job, Fernandez exuded calm, a colleague said.

"She's not the kind to appear rattled or look that way even if she is," said attorney Scott Gray, 35, a former Sherman County prosecutor whose wife was once Fernandez's trial partner. "She's very calm and collected. Don't think I've ever heard her raise her voice or seem disheveled."

Authorities believe the McLellands' killer intended to send a message. Mike and Cynthia McLelland each suffered multiple gunshot wounds at their home, and sheriff's deputies found cartridge casings next to their bodies, according to an affidavit reviewed by Reuters on Tuesday.

The McLelland killings came just two months after McLelland vowed to capture the killer of Hasse, who was shot dead near the town square.

The twin homicides have rocked mostly rural Kaufman County on the eastern outskirts of Dallas, and several law enforcement officials have called them a direct attack on the criminal justice system.

ARYAN BROTHERHOOD SPECULATION

Authorities have yet to identify any suspects while people in Kaufman speculate it was the work of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a white supremacist prison gang that had been the target of 34 indictments stemming from a task force that included Kaufman County prosecutors.

The racketeering charges accused the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas of exerting control over prison populations and neighborhoods through intimidation and violence and involvement in three murders, multiple attempted murders, kidnappings, assaults, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine.

A Houston-based federal prosecutor was withdrawing from his role in the multiagency task force that brought the racketeering case against the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Texas said on Tuesday.

The spokeswoman would not elaborate on Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman's reasoning for withdrawing, saying only that the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Texas would continue to prosecute the case.

CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN

Fernandez, who received her law degree from Texas Tech University in 1996, will hold the interim job 21 days unless Republican Governor Rick Perry appoints a replacement to fill out the rest of McLelland's term before then.

It was unknown whether Fernandez, who registered as a Republican in Kaufman County in 2005, was under consideration for the more formal appointment that would last until coming up for election in 2014.

"If you're a victim of a criminal act, and it involves a child, the last person you want to talk to is Ms. Fernandez. She's a real strong opponent of crimes against children," Gray said.

"She's tried murder cases, drug cases, pretty much anything you can think of, but what's near and dear to her heart is prosecuting crimes against children," Gray said.

Criminal defense attorney Eric Smenner, who has known Fernandez eight years and defended cases she prosecuted, said she was always well-prepared at trial.

"I've tried a lot of cases in 16 years and of all the prosecutors in Kaufman she is among the top, an excellent prosecutor," Smenner said.

Bobby Aga, 68, an insurance agent and longtime Kaufman resident who observed Fernandez while serving on a grand jury, called her sharp and insightful. "She really knows how to get to the core of a thing."

(Editing by Daniel Trotta and Eric Walsh)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-prosecutor-steps-job-predecessor-gunned-down-000652109.html

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Watch: Young Tech Wiz Dead After Wisdom Teeth Surgery

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Mark Lipinski came to the oral surgeon's office here on March 21 there is wisdom teeth removed. He never went home the paramedics report quotes doctor Stephen Paul is saying the patient began to wake up and -- -- during the procedure and was given Pro -- -- He gave him Propofol. Which is ironically about the same thing that killed Michael Jackson Lipinski stop breathing CPR was initiated and 911 call when the medics. Did that first most basic thing which was -- as their way they found. Bloody -- three days later mark Lipinski was pronounced -- Tony Kaiser is a close family friend speaking to us by phone from Pittsburgh it's. All too much to get the mind around that -- 24 year old goes on for. General procedures and and -- on the stretcher and never replied it's it's just unfathomable and even more so -- for what this young man he was. Just it's wonderful wonderful -- Lewinsky's family and friends want answers I really pray to god that there -- element investigation of the -- -- doctor Paul wouldn't speak to me but his attorney issued a statement reading in part. Immediate measures were undertaken to revive the patient as soon as the patient began to the compensate the reason for the -- An autopsy is pending. Steve Fiorina ten news.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/young-tech-wiz-dead-wisdom-teeth-surgery-18869690

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Can synthetic biology save wildlife? From re-creating extinct species to the risk of genetically modified super-species

Apr. 2, 2013 ? What effects will the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology have on the conservation of nature? The ecological and ethical challenges stemming from this question will require a new and continuing dialogue between members of the synthetic biology and biodiversity conservation communities, according to authors of a new paper.

According to the paper, the field of synthetic biology -- a discipline that utilizes chemically synthesized DNA to create organisms that address human needs -- is developing rapidly, with billions of dollars being invested annually. Many extol the virtues of synthetic biology as providing potential solutions to human health problems, food security, and energy needs. Advocates also see in synthetic biology tools for combating climate change and water deficits. Critics warn that genetically modified organisms could pose a danger to native species and natural ecosystems. The paper's authors assert that, in any scenario, a dialogue on how to use and restrict synthetic biology methods and products must be initiated for the benefit of the world's societies and decision makers.

The authors of the essay -- published in the online journal PLOS Biology -- include: Kent Redford of the Wildlife Conservation Society and Archipelago Consulting; Bill Adams of the University of Cambridge; and Georgina M. Mace of University College London (UCL).

"At present, the synthetic biology and conservation communities are largely strangers to one another, even though they both share many of the same concerns and goals," said Kent Redford, lead author of the article. "An open discussion between the two communities is needed to help identify areas of collaboration on a topic that will likely change the relationship of humans with the natural world."

The authors of the paper, along with other scientists and conservationists, will discuss the potential implications that synthetic biology may have on the natural world and conservation at the Synthetic Biology and Conservation Conference, convening at Clare College in Cambridge, England, on April 9-11.

John Robinson, WCS Chief Conservation Officer, said: "Synthetic biology is an extremely important and burgeoning field, but its consequences to biodiversity and conservation are currently poorly understood. By bringing together the best thinkers in these two disciplines we hope to gain a better understanding on synthetic biology's opportunities -- and potential impacts -- to conservation."

Co-author Bill Adams of the University of Cambridge, said: "Our strategies for conserving ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity, formulated over the past century, are profoundly challenged by synthetic biology. The implications of this emerging field must be incorporated into conservation theory and practice if efforts to save biodiversity are to be effective."

The authors explain the need for new strategies in the conservation community to cope with the challenges of synthetic biology. They highlight five emerging issues requiring discussions and policy decisions by conservation scientists and practitioners. They include:

• The possibilities of recreating extinct species.
• How synthetic organisms will interact with existing species.
• Our current definition of what "natural" is.
• Using synthetic biology to produce natural services for humans (e.g. carbon sequestration, pollution control).
• The use of synthetic life for private benefits, as in the applications for industrial processes, agriculture, and aquaculture; how will a balance be struck between private risk and gain vs. public benefit and safety?

Co-author Georgina M. Mace of the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, UCL, said: "The discussion between conservation and synthetic biology is a necessary one. We need to have a clear-eyed examination of the issues and decisions that could alter life on Earth."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Kent H. Redford, William Adams, Georgina M. Mace. Synthetic Biology and Conservation of Nature: Wicked Problems and Wicked Solutions. PLoS Biology, 2013; 11 (4): e1001530 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001530

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/EaGD56y-tUM/130402182502.htm

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CBS: No regrets on Ware injury coverage

NEW YORK (AP) ? The chairman of CBS Sports had no regrets about banning further replays of Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware's gruesome broken leg and says if anyone wants to watch it on the Internet, that's fine with him.

CBS aired two quick replays Sunday from a wide enough distance for viewers to see the leg land awkwardly, but not any blood or bone. It hasn't been shown since on CBS.

"In today's world, if you want to see a piece of video instantaneously that you just saw on television, there are a million ways to do that," Sean McManus said Monday. "I've seen statistics on the millions of views this piece of footage has had on YouTube and I have no problem with that."

Ware was injured after attempting to block a shot in the Cardinals' regional final victory over Duke. The sight of his tibia bone protruding from his skin left coach Rick Pitino and his teammates in tears. Ware was operated on later Sunday and is expected to watch Louisville's Final Four appearance Saturday from the bench in Atlanta.

The network received praise for restraint, although McManus said he knew people would say CBS should have shown it more because the network was in a position to document history.

Several postings of CBS' coverage were quickly available with a search for Ware's name Monday afternoon.

"If people want to go watch the footage for whatever reason, they have a right to do so," McManus said. "I just didn't think we had any obligation to be the facilitator of putting that footage back on the screen. We documented it, we described it and we showed it, and I think that was enough."

It's considerably different from when Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann broke his leg during a Monday Night Football game in 1985. It was equally horrific, with bone jutting through skin. Back then, about the only way a viewer could see it again is if a television producer decided to show the replay, said Jeff Billings, a sports media professor at the University of Alabama.

Aside from the availability of footage online now, many viewers have DVRs that enabled them to replay the incident as much as they wanted, Billings said.

"Current technology makes it a whole lot easier for them to take the high road," he said.

CBS concentrated on the methods it had to tell the story that others did not have ? access to players and coaches and pictures of their reactions, he said.

The unedited video was hard to find on national news outlets within 24 hours, when it was still a fresh news story. CNN aired the sequence, but blurred out Ware's leg so the break was not visible. Fox News Channel and MSNBC did not show the video, representatives said.

ABC's "Good Morning America" showed footage, again with the leg blurred. NBC's "Today" show and the CBS morning news program did not show it.

At ESPN, executives set specific guidelines: Producers had discretion to use it on their own programs but they were to only show it once, not air it in slow motion and warn viewers in advance. Through Monday afternoon, spokesman Josh Krulewitz said he did not believe the network had shown it.

McManus said CBS producers had not discussed whether the footage will be seen again; opportunities may come if Ware shows up at the Final Four this weekend. But he said he didn't see any reason why it should be.

"I just think that it's not necessary," he said. "It's not journalistically important that we do that now because we told the story. I think we'll move on from that footage."

Decisions like the one made by McManus and his producers are made by broadcasters globally.

In Britain, sports broadcasters often self-censor footage they feel might distress viewers.

Often an incident, such as a dangerous tackle in football, will be frozen at the point of contact to judge a referee's decision but no further footage will be shown.

Sky Sports, which is operated by BSkyB, chose not to show replays in 2008 after then-Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva's left leg was broken following a tackle by Martin Taylor during a Premier League match at Birmingham.

During an FA Cup match being broadcast globally in March 2012, then-Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch at Tottenham.

ESPN's British channel, which was broadcasting the match live, showed no close-ups as Muamba, who survived, received treatment on the turf, instead it focused on the reaction of other players or wide shots of the stadium.

___

AP Sports Writer Rob Harris contributed to this report from London.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cbs-no-regrets-ware-injury-coverage-013201574--spt.html

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Why Do Americans Hate Their Government? (Powerlineblog)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/296060119?client_source=feed&format=rss

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