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Biologists Show How Eye's Neurons Switch Functions During Metamorphosis

21:47 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers report that the photoreceptors in an insect's eye can change their traditional functions during metamorphosis. The researchers found that when photoreceptors responsible for detecting the color green die off during metamorphosis a second class of photoreceptors -- those responsible for detecting the color blue -- then fill the role of detecting the color green. These rare switches, the authors speculate, are likely the result of changing life patterns.

Estimation Of Isolation Times In The Drosophila Simulans Complex

21:45 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

The Drosophila simulans species complex continues to serve as an important model system for the study of new species formation. The complex is comprised of the cosmopolitan species, D. simulans, and two island endemics, D. mauritiana and D. sechellia. A substantial amount of effort has gone into reconstructing the natural history of the complex, in part to infer the context in which functional divergence among the species has arisen. Researchers now provide evidence that both island species were isolated at about the same time, estimated at ~250,000 years ago.

Closing The Gap Between Fish And Land Animals

21:45 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

New exquisitely preserved fossils from Latvia cast light on a key event in our own evolutionary history, when our ancestors left the water and ventured onto land. Scientists have reconstructed parts of the animal and explain the transformation in the new issue of Nature.

Food Scientists Confirm Commercial Product Effectively Kills Bacteria In Vegetable Washwater

21:43 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

Research conducted by food science faculty at the University of Idaho and Washington State University indicate that a commercially available fruit and vegetable wash, when used in a food-manufacturing setting, can dramatically decrease the number of disease-causing organisms in produce-processing washwater. That could reduce by manyfold the potential for cross-contamination within the water by such "gram-negative" bacteria as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.

Researchers Peer Into Water In Carbon Nanotubes

21:43 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers have identified a signature for water inside single-walled carbon nanotubes, helping them understand how water is structured and how it moves within these tiny channels.

Evidence Of Massive Asteroid Impact On Mars Supported By Computer Simulations

21:41 25-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

The dramatic differences between the northern and southern hemispheres of Mars have puzzled scientists for 30 years. One of the proposed explanations -- a massive asteroid impact -- now has strong support from computer simulations carried out by two groups of researchers.