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Science News for July 20, 2014


Fecal transplants let packrats eat poison

Researchers found that bacteria in the gut, rather than liver enzymes, are crucial for allowing herbivores to feed on toxic plants. Fecal transplants with microbes from creosote-eaters enabled woodrats to eat toxic creosote bushes, confirming their importance in adapting to new diets.

SourceUniversity of Utah·JournalEcology Letters·DateJul 20, 2014

Speedy computation enables scientists to reconstruct an animal's development cell by cell

Researchers at Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus have created a computational method to rapidly track cell movements in data-rich images. This enables the automation of reconstructing an animal's developmental building plan cell by cell, with potential applications in understanding how the nervous system forms.

SourceHoward Hughes Medical Institute·JournalNature Methods·DateJul 20, 2014

A noble gas cage

A new porous material called CC3 effectively traps radioactive krypton and xenon gases from nuclear fuel, using less energy than conventional methods. The material's selectivity is higher than other experimental materials, making it a promising solution for removing unwanted elements.

SourceDOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory·JournalNature Materials·DateJul 20, 2014

CU, Old Dominion team finds sea level rise in western tropical Pacific anthropogenic

A new study led by Old Dominion University and the University of Colorado Boulder found sea levels are rising in the tropical Pacific off the coasts of the Philippines and northeastern Australia. The research team estimated that areas near these regions are being raised by about 1 centimeter per year due to anthropogenic warming.

SourceUniversity of Colorado at Boulder·JournalNature Climate Change·DateJul 20, 2014