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  January 15, 2003: Highlights

Organic Electronics and Photonics

Composite material consisting of seminconducting polymers in a mesoporous silica host
Ken Dial, who is a professor of vertebrate morphology and a licensed commercial pilot, holds an adult chukar partridge in his flight lab at the University of Montana
Photo Credit: K.P. Dial, University of Montana

New Study Suggests Missing Link that Explains How Dinosaurs Learned to Fly
Two-legged dinosaurs may have used their forelimbs as wing-like structures to propel themselves rapidly up steep inclines long before they took to the skies, reports a University of Montana researcher in the January 17 issue of the journal Science. The new theory adds a middle step that may link two current and opposing explanations for how reptiles evolved into flying birds. According to Kenneth Dial, author of the report, the transition from ground travel to flight may have required a "ramp-up" phase in which rapid movement of the animal's front appendages actually forced its body downward to gain more foot traction as it made its way up increasingly vertical slopes.
More... (posted January 17, 2003)

Capital

Commerce Secretary, President's Science Advisor to Keynote Conference on Economic and Social Implications of Information Technology
Despite the bursting of the dot-com bubble, information technology continues to enable deep and important changes in business, commerce, technology, science and knowledge production, community and society. Most of these changes are not visible on the surface, or they have been obscured by myth and hype. The Transforming Enterprise conference will look "beyond the bubble" and examine what's still happening, what's new, and what's coming. The conference is supported by NSF's Digital Society and Technologies program and hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
More... (posted January 21, 2003)

Composite material consisting of seminconducting polymers in a mesoporous silica host
A composite material consisting of seminconducting polymers (orange) in a mesoporous silica host. The yellow glows represent the migration of energy through the material.
Image Credit: Dan Schwartz, D.I.S.C.; Benjamin J. Schwartz and Sarah Tolbert, UCLA; NSF

NSF Workshop Highlights Future of Organic Electronics and Photonics
Organic electronics and photonics -- the field of research that yielded LEDs -- now shows promise for wearable computers and artificial nerves. No longer the target of solely experimental research, electronic and photonic components crafted from organic chemicals now drive major markets. Organic electronics and photonics applications in development may have a broader impact, serving as flexible electronics, biologically compatible devices, solid-state lighting, chemical sensors and devices yet to be conceived. At a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation, experts from both industry and universities will discuss the future of this field.
More... (posted January 15, 2003)

Researcher and merchant at a roadside stand
Dr. Liu talks with a merchant at a roadside stand in the Wolong Nature Reserve. These stands -- sort of a "7-11" of rural China -- spring up rapidly as the area's tourism increases. All are signs of increased human impact in the biodiversity hotspot.
Photo Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University

Researchers Tie Worldwide Biodiversity Threats to Growth in Households
Scientists from Michigan State (MSU) and Stanford universities, in a fresh look at world population dynamics, have revealed evidence that increased numbers of households, even where populations are declining, are having a vast impact on the world's biodiversity and environment. Reduction in household size has led to a rapid rise in household numbers around the world and has posed serious challenges to biodiversity conservation, write Jianguo (Jack) Liu of MSU and Stanford colleagues Gretchen C. Daily, Paul R. Ehrlich and Gary W. Luck in the Jan. 12 advance online publication of the journal Nature. "Personal freedom and social choice may come at a huge environmental cost," says Liu, lead author for the Nature article. Liu studied the loss of panda habitat in China under a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant from NSF.
More... (posted January 15, 2003)

Complex Environmental Systems report cover

NSF Advisory Committee on Environmental Research and Education Releases New Report
NSF released recommendations for the next decade of environmental research and education programs on January 13 in a report entitled Complex Environmental Systems: Synthesis for Earth, Life, and Society in the 21st Century. Prepared by NSF's Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education, the report concludes that NSF is uniquely suited to carry out fundamental, complex environmental systems across broad areas because it funds all fields of science and engineering. In addition to science and engineering, that support includes the social sciences, as well as crossing disciplinary and organizational boundaries and integrating new knowledge in education. Environmental programs need to be expanded, according to the report, in the social sciences, cyberinfrastructure, observing systems, and education.
More... (posted January 15, 2003)

hands holding plant

Scientists Find First Active 'Jumping Genes' in Rice
University of Georgia researchers studying rice genomes under an NSF Plant Genome Research Program award have identified the species' first active DNA transposons, or "jumping genes." The research is published in the Jan. 9 edition of the journal Nature. In collaboration with researchers from Cornell, Washington University and Japan, geneticist Susan Wessler also discovered the first active "miniature inverted-repeat transposable element," or "MITE," of any organism. The discovery of active transposons in rice provides startling new insights into how genomes change and what role transposons may play in the process. Active DNA transposons can move new copies of DNA to different places in the genome.
More... (posted January 15, 2003)

 

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