Alga borrows genes to beat the heat, acid and toxic metals

Such genetic theft from bacteria and archaea is unusual

By Tina Hesman Saey

Web edition: March 7, 2013

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Sulfur (yellow) that coats this rock from the found in the Reykjanes region near Reykjavik, Iceland, doesn?t stop a red alga called Galdieria sulphuraria (green) from growing. The alga borrowed most of the genes it needs to withstand toxic metals from bacteria.

Credit: Image courtesy of Christine Oesterhelt

Life is hard in hot volcanic pools laden with salt, acid, sulfur and toxic metals, but a red alga called Galdieria sulphuraria thrives in such environments with a little genetic help from some microbial buddies. The alga borrowed at least 5 percent of its genes from bacteria and archaea that live in extreme conditions, Gerald Sch?nknecht of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and his colleagues report in the March 8 Science.

That amount of borrowing is unusual among eukaryotes, organisms that store DNA in a nucleus. Eukaryotes tend to evolve new capabilities by copying old genes, with mutations gradually altering the function of redundant copies. By contrast, bacteria and archaea routinely swap genes among themselves, picking up new abilities along the way.

In its ancient past, G. sulphuraria snagged genes from bacteria and archaea that now help it cope with heat, salt and toxic metals, the researchers found by comparing the alga?s genetic makeup with those of other species.

Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/348782/title/Alga_borrows_genes_to_beat_the_heat_acid_and_toxic_metals

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Industrial chemicals found in food samples

Mar. 6, 2013 ? Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have discovered phthalates, industrial chemicals, in common foods purchased in the United States. Phthalates can be found in a variety of products and food packaging material, child-care articles and medical devices.

"Although it's not completely understood how phthalates get into our food, packaging may be a contributor to the levels of the toxin in food," said lead investigator Arnold Schecter, M.D., M.P.H., professor of environmental health at The University of Texas School of Public Health Dallas Regional campus, part of UTHealth.

The study is published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives. Schecter believes this is the first study to compile an analysis of phthalates in foods found in the United States. National Institutes of Health researcher Linda Birnbaum, Ph.D., is the senior author on the study publication.

"It's unfortunate that we have these toxic chemicals in our bodies," said Schecter. "However, this is not a cause for alarm because the amount of phthalates found in the food falls below what the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. But it is cause for concern because these toxins and others previous reported by this group do not belong in our food or our bodies."

Phthalates are synthetic compounds that are used as a plasticizers and in personal care products such a shampoo, soap, perfumes and other common household products. According to Schecter, exposure to phthalates has been reported to be associated with harmful effects including reproductive changes such as damage in sperm, premature breast development in girls and premature birth.

A sample of 72 commonly consumed foods including pizza, meats and beverages from supermarkets in Albany, N.Y., were purchased and tested for the presence of phthalates. Researchers detected some level of phthalate in every food product they sampled, Schecter said.

Schecter believes further research is necessary to fully characterize phthalates in U.S. foods.

The study was funded by the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation.

In other studies, Schecter and his colleagues have found bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), a widely-used flame retardant, in foods. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), another kind of flame retardant, was found in butter and its paper wrapping, which led to butter contamination.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

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. Schecter A, Lorber M, Guo Y, Wu Q, Yun SH, Kannan K, Hommel M, Imran N, Hynan LS, Cheng D, Colacino JA, Birnbaum LS. Phthalate Concentrations and Dietary Exposure from Food Purchased in New York State. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2013 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1206367

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/top_news/top_science/~3/1n3ZDWEjtt4/130307124701.htm

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French speaking/writing person - PeoplePerHour.com

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Source: http://www.peopleperhour.com/job/french-speaking-writing-person-224381

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Cable questions emphasis on austerity

LONDON (Reuters) - The business secretary questioned the coalition government's focus on debt cutting on Wednesday in the most explicit terms he has used so far, saying it may be time to borrow to invest in infrastructure.

Vince Cable's intervention, in an article for the New Statesman magazine, potentially puts the Lib Dem at odds with his Conservative coalition partner and Chancellor George Osborne, who has championed deficit reduction.

The opposition Labour party, who say austerity policies are damaging the economy, said Cable was "seeing sense".

Osborne will present his annual budget statement on March 20 under heavy pressure to revive an economy that risks sinking into its third recession in four years.

Nonetheless, most economists do not expect him to approve any significant extra investment, because the government is already two years behind on its original plan to largely eliminate Britain's budget deficit by the next election in 2015.

Cable said the higher interest rates that extra borrowing might bring would be justified by improvements to growth.

He asked whether "the balance of risks" had changed since the two parties formed their governing alliance in 2010, at the height of fears about sovereign default and at a time when the budget deficit exceeded 11 percent of gross domestic product.

The "question is whether the government ... should borrow more, at current very low interest rates, in order to finance more capital spending," he said.

"Such a strategy does not undermine the central objective of reducing the structural deficit, and may assist it by reviving growth," Cable added.

Because British sovereign borrowing has a long maturity, the risk of a debt spiral where refinancing becomes impossible was relatively low, he said.

"The effect on our fiscal situation of higher interest rates is in fact nowhere near as bad as having weak growth," he said.

Cable and other Liberal Democrat ministers have been pushing for more capital spending, particularly in house building.

"Such a programme would ... target two significant bottlenecks to growth, infrastructure and housing," Cable said.

(Reporting by Tim Castle; editing by David Milliken/Ruth Pitchford)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cable-questions-emphasis-austerity-193642809--business.html

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Netanyahu gets 2 more weeks to form coalition

JERUSALEM (AP) ? Israeli President Shimon Peres on Saturday granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu another two weeks to form a governing coalition, after Netanyahu failed to build a broad coalition including ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.

In a televised address, Netanyahu told Peres that he has yet to build a coalition because some parties wish to "boycott" an entire Israeli demographic. It was a reference to the nationalist Jewish Home and centrist Yesh Atid parties, which have refused to join his coalition if it includes the ultra-Orthodox.

If Netanyahu fails to reach a government in two weeks, political newcomer Yair Lapid who heads Yesh Atid, Israel's second largest party, could be offered the chance to form the coalition, or new elections could be held.

Jewish Home and Yesh Atid are keen to end a controversial system of military draft exemptions given to ultra-Orthodox seminary students, who are allowed to study Jewish texts in lieu of military service. The two parties have been unwilling to sit in a government with ultra-Orthodox factions that don't want to see an end to the exemptions that date to the founding of the country.

But Netanyahu is keen on including ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition because they have been loyal political partners in the past and their numbers add stability to his governing coalition.

Netanyahu said he believes the parties will come to an understanding about the draft exemptions, and that ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis will eventually accept them. He took a jab at the pro-settler Jewish Home party, saying that those who refused to align with specific sectors of Israeli society are acting like those around the world who wage boycotts against settlement activities.

"Who should understand this more than anyone is the settler population in Judea and Samaria, which experience boycotts on a daily basis," said Netanyahu.

He urged parties to join him to build a wide coalition that would unite the nation, saying that throughout history Jews have "undergone many tragedies because of baseless hate and brotherly strife."

Netanyahu has been struggling to form a coalition since January elections. His Likud-Yisrael Beitenu bloc won 31 seats in the 120-seat parliament, far short of the 61-seat majority he needs.

Last week, Netanyahu added his first coalition partner, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, to serve as justice minister in his government as well as chief negotiator handling peace efforts with the Palestinians. But that appointment upset the Jewish Home party, which opposes negotiations with the Palestinians and has indicated that it does not want the dovish Livni to handle the peace process if it joins Netanyahu's coalition.

It will be virtually impossible for Netanyahu to form a government without support of the Yesh Atid and Jewish Home parties. For now, those parties are maintaining a common front, signaling that Netanyahu has to make a choice between them and the ultra-Orthodox.

Israeli analysts believe Netanyahu will, in fact, succeed in building a coalition, likely without the ultra-Orthodox.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-gets-2-more-weeks-form-coalition-184414815.html

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Kerry says US releasing millions in aid to Egypt

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday, March 3, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Egypt's president Sunday, wrapping up a visit to the deeply divided country with an appeal for unity and reform. The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday, March 3, 2013. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Egypt's president Sunday, wrapping up a visit to the deeply divided country with an appeal for unity and reform. The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry waves goodbye as he leaves Cairo, Egypt en route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Kerry met with Egypt's president Sunday, wrapping up a visit to the deeply divided country with an appeal for unity and reform. The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, left, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi take their seats at the starts of their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Kerry met with Egypt's president Sunday, wrapping up a visit to the deeply divided country with an appeal for unity and reform. The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Kerry met with Egypt's president Sunday, wrapping up a visit to the deeply divided country with an appeal for unity and reform. The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, walks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, on arrival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Saudi Arabia is the seventh leg of Kerry's first official overseas trip. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

CAIRO (AP) ? U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country's "future as a democracy."

Yet Kerry also served notice that the Obama administration will keep close watch on how Morsi, who came to power in June as Egypt's first freely elected president, honors his commitment and that additional U.S. assistance would depend on it.

"The path to that future has clearly been difficult and much work remains," Kerry said in a statement after wrapping up two days of meetings in Egypt, a deeply divided country in the wake of the revolution that ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt is trying to meet conditions to close on a $4.8 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund. An agreement would unlock more of the $1 billion in U.S. assistance promised by President Barack Obama last year and set to begin flowing with Kerry's announcement.

"The United States can and wants to do more," Kerry said. "Reaching an agreement with the IMF will require further effort on the part of the Egyptian government and broad support for reform by all Egyptians. When Egypt takes the difficult steps to strengthen its economy and build political unity and justice, we will work with our Congress at home on additional support."

Kerry cited Egypt's "extreme needs" and Morsi's "assurances that he plans to complete the IMF process" when he told the president that the U.S. would provide $190 million of a long-term $450 million pledge "in a good-faith effort to spur reform and help the Egyptian people at this difficult time." The release of the rest of the $450 million and the other $550 million tranche of the $1 billion that Obama announced will be tied to successful reforms, officials said.

Separately, the top U.S. diplomat announced $60 million for a new fund for "direct support of key engines of democratic change," including Egypt's entrepreneurs and its young people. Kerry held out the prospect of U.S. assistance to this fund climbing to $300 million over time.

Recapping his meetings with political figures, business leaders and representatives of outside groups, Kerry said he heard of their "deep concern about the political course of their country, the need to strengthen human rights protections, justice and the rule of law, and their fundamental anxiety about the economic future of Egypt."

Those issues came up in "a very candid and constructive manner" during Kerry's talks with Morsi.

"It is clear that more hard work and compromise will be required to restore unity, political stability and economic health to Egypt," Kerry said.

Syria and Iran were topics of discussion, according to officials.

With parliamentary elections in April approaching and liberal and secular opponents of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood saying they will boycott, Kerry called the vote "a particularly critical step" in Egypt's democratic transition.

Violent clashes between protesters and security forces have created an environment of insecurity, complicating Egyptian efforts to secure vital international aid.

Officials in the Egyptian presidency said Kerry stressed the need for consensus with the opposition in order to restore confidence in Egypt that it can ride out the crisis. Morsi was reported to have expressed the importance of Egypt's relationship with United States, which is based on "mutual respect," and focused on the importance of the democratic process in building a strong and stable nation.

Kerry made clear that in all his meetings, he conveyed the message that Egyptians who rose up and overthrew Mubarak "did not risk their lives to see that opportunity for a brighter future squandered."

On Saturday, he told the country's bickering politicians that they must overcome differences to get Egypt's faltering economy back on track and maintain its leadership role in the volatile Middle East.

The U.S. is deeply concerned that continued instability in Egypt will have broader consequences in a region already rocked by unrest.

U.S. officials said Kerry planned to stress the importance of upholding Egypt's peace agreement with Israel, cracking down on weapons smuggling to extremists in the Gaza Strip and policing the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula while continuing to play a positive role in Syria's civil war.

The impact of Kerry's message of unity to the opposition coalition seemingly was blunted when only six of the 11 guests invited by the U.S. Embassy turned up for a Saturday session with him and three of those six said they still intended to boycott the April parliamentary election, according to participants.

Kerry said that the U.S. would not pick sides in Egypt, and he appealed to all sides to come together around human rights, freedom and speech and religious tolerance.

In an apparent nod to the current stalemate in Washington over the U.S. federal budget, Kerry acknowledged after meeting Foreign Minister Kamel Amr that compromise is difficult yet imperative.

"I say with both humility and with a great deal of respect that getting there requires a genuine give-and-take among Egypt's political leaders and civil society groups just as we are continuing to struggle with that in our own country," he said. 'There must be a willingness on all sides to make meaningful compromises on the issues that matter most to all of the Egyptian people."

The opposition accuses Morsi and the Brotherhood of following in the footsteps of Mubarak, failing to carry out reforms and trying to install a more religiously conservative system.

Morsi's administration and the Brotherhood say their foes, who have trailed significantly behind Islamists in all elections since the uprising against Mubarak, are running away from the challenge of the ballot box and are trying to overturn democratic gains.

After meeting Morsi and his defense and intelligence chiefs on Sunday, Kerry flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and planned later stops in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, where his focus is expected to be the crisis in Syria and Iran.

Kerry is set to return to Washington on Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy contributed to this report.

___

Online:

State Department: http://www.state.gov/secretary/travel/2013/205086.htm

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-03-Kerry/id-6984e3c5d2b04a998acfba1bcf74be57

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Reader Who Bought Huge Arsenal Of Guns Online - Business Insider

Recently we posted a set of Uzi pictures that a reader sent us. The reader bought the weapon at a gun show, and as far as we know followed all state and federal laws.

The response from other readers was explosive. At least one commenter claimed he was writing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to complain.

Well, we have now heard from the gun-buyer again.

He says his IP address is now blocked from visiting gun and ammunition websites from his phone and home computers.

He has had no visits by law enforcement.

But he thinks the government has found him and is now blocking him.

The government does not centrally control the Internet, so this seems unlikely. But assuming the reader remains unable to access weapons sites, it will be interesting to figure out what is really going on. Most likely, if anyone is "blocking" the reader, it's his Internet Service Provider. (But even that would raise some interesting questions ... )

Here's a screenshot from his phone.?

Robert Johnson

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-buyer-ip-address-blocked-2013-3

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