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Science News for September 21, 2008


Climate change, human activity and wildfires

A new study by the University of Oregon suggests that climate change has been the main driver of global biomass burning for the past two millennia. Human activities such as land clearance and fire suppression during the industrial era also contributed to a significant decline in wildfires worldwide between 1870 and 1970.

SourceUniversity of Oregon·JournalNature Geoscience·DateSep 21, 2008

Primordial fish had rudimentary fingers

Researchers at Uppsala University used medical x-rays to find rudimentary fingers in the fins of Panderichthys, a transitional animal between fish and tetrapods. This discovery indicates that fingers evolved earlier than previously thought, contradicting the long-held theory that they emerged in tetrapods.

SourceUppsala University·JournalNature·DateSep 21, 2008

Cancer-causing gut bacteria exposed

A team of scientists has discovered that a molecule produced by a common gut bacterium activates signaling pathways associated with cancer cells. The research, published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, sheds light on the way gut bacteria can cause colon cancer.

SourceMicrobiology Society·JournalJournal of Medical Microbiology·DateSep 21, 2008