Gizmorama!

Good Morning,

Find out what time you will be able to see the International
Space Station above your city by checking out the link in the
second article. Don’t miss the opportunity this Saturday;
the 4th!

Until Tomorrow,
Erin

Study may improve genetic counseling

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - U.S. scientists studying how some human
DNA mutations are involved in inherited diseases say their
findings may affect the way genetic counseling is offered.
Pennsylvania State University researchers said their study
has shed light on the processes that lead to human DNA muta-
tions implicated in such diseases as tuberous sclerosis and
neurofibromatosis type 1. The scientists, led by Associate
Professors Kateryna Makova and Francesca Chiaromonte, exam-
ined mutations in which small fragments of DNA are either
added or subtracted from the genome. They said they found
patterns in the DNA sequences immediately surrounding those
mutations. Chiaromonte said the study is the first to detect
patterns in the DNA sequences adjacent to insertions and
deletions of DNA fragments at the genome-wide scale. “We
were surprised to find that the patterns … are unique because
scientists previously have lumped the two types of mutations
together,” graduate student Erika Kvikstad said. “What’s
striking is that most insertions and deletions are thought
to occur by replication errors and, while this is a primary
source generating the mutations, we discovered that recombi-
nation also is very important.” The scientists said that if
it’s know that certain diseases are more likely to be caused
by recombination than by replication errors, physicians can
provide better advice to couples who want to have children.
The research is detailed in the July issue of the journal
Genome Research.

NASA hypes July 4 ISS sighting chances

WASHINGTON - The U.S. space agency says there will be some
long International Space Station sighting opportunities dur-
ing the upcoming Fourth of July weekend. “As America celeb-
rates its 233rd birthday … there will be an extra light in
the sky along with the fireworks,” NASA said. “Across the
country, Americans will be treated to spectacular views of
the International Space Station as it orbits 220 miles above
Earth. “Many locations will have unusually long sighting
opportunities of as much as five minutes, weather permitting,
as the station flies almost directly overhead.” The space
station is the largest spacecraft ever built and the most
reflective, the space agency said. The ISS appears as a
solid, glowing light, slowly crossing the predawn or evening
sky. Scientists say a good set of binoculars can enhance the
viewing experience, even revealing some detail of the stat-
ion’s structure. “The station circles Earth every 90 min-
utes,” NASA said. “It is 357 feet long, about the length
of a football field including the end zones, and 45 feet
tall. Its reflective solar arrays are 240 feet wide, a wing-
span greater than that of a jumbo jet, and have a total sur-
face area of more than 38,000 square feet.” Sighting dates
and times for specific U.S. cities are available at
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/skywatch.cgi?country=United+States.

Plants may protect themselves with metals

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A U.S. biologist says the accumulation
of metals in plants may be a strategy to protect the plants
from predators such as prairie dogs. Postdoctoral researcher
John Freeman of Colorado State University and colleagues said
certain plant species growing on soils with high metal con-
tent, such as arsenic, copper, selenium or lead, accumulate
large quantities of metals in their leaves and stems. The pur-
pose of that hyperaccumulation isn’t fully known, but Freeman
said it might increase a plant’s ability to defend itself
against bacteria, viruses and animals. The study focused on
selenium hyperaccumulation in Stanleya pinnata (prince’s
plume), a wildflower related to mustard plants. The researcher
said just because a selenium overdose is toxic to animals
doesn’t mean the presence of high levels in leaves deters
animals from eating the plants. Few studies have looked at
whether metal hyperaccumulation acts as a deterrent. The sci-
entists grew two varieties of S. pinnata in soils pre-treated
with low or high levels of selenium, The plants were then
planted in prairie dog towns. The scientists found plants with
high levels of selenium in their leaves were not as popular
with prairie dogs as those with low levels of the metal. The
researchers hypothesize prairie dogs or other similar small
mammals have influenced the evolution of plant selenium hyper-
accumulation. The study is reported in the American Journal
of Botany.