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KNOW A SCIENTIST

PROF. DR. HARALD ZUR HAUSEN, Honorary Professor of the University of Heidelberg, Germany, has been awarded the   Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2008 for his discovery on   human papilloma viruses causing   cervical cancer. Prof. Hausen’s   success is based on his investigations   of how cervical cancer is triggered by   virus infections. His research made it   possible to develop a vaccine against   the third most frequent kind of cancer   affecting women. In the early 1980s his research group isolated the virus types HPV 16 and HPV 18 for the first time. The vaccine was recently approved in Germany and is an outstanding example of successful technology transfer from basic research. Prof. Hausen received half of the Nobel Prize, the other half going to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of the HI Virus that causes AIDS.


Scientists Discover Thriving Colonies of Microbes in Ocean 'Plastisphere‘

Scientists have discovered a diverse multitude of microbes colonizing and thriving on flecks of plastic that have polluted the oceans -- a vast new human-made flotilla of microbial communities that they have dubbed the "plastisphere.“ In a study recently published online in Environmental Science & Technology, the scientists say the plastisphere represents a novel ecological habitat in the ocean and raises a host of questions. The collaborative team of scientists analyzed marine plastic debris in the North Atlantic Ocean using Scanning Electron Microscopy and gene sequencing techniques, they found at least 1000 different types of bacterial cells on the plastic samples, including many individual species yet to be identified. They included plants, algae, bacteria and animals which are autotroph, hetrotroph and symbionts forming complex communities with the explosion of plastics in the oceans in the last 60 years. The scientists also found evidence that microbes may play a role in degrading plastics. The plastic debris also represents a new mode of transportation, acting as rafts that can convey harmful microbes, including disease-causing pathogens and harmful algal species. One plastic sampled they analyzed was dominated by members of the genus Vibrio, which includes bacteria that cause cholera and gastrointestinal maladies.

The project was funded by a National Science Foundation Collaborative grant, a NSF TUES grant, and a Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health Pilot award.

Suctorian ciliate covered with symbiotic bacteria, along with diatoms, and filaments on weathered and cracked microplastic debris.

(Image Credit: Image courtesy of Erik Zettler, Sea Education Association)

Source: www.Sciencedaily.com


Beautiful but Hiding Unpleasant Surprise: Three New Species of Fetid Fungi from New Zealand

       With the help of phylogenetic analysis, scientists describe three new fungus species from New Zealand. The new species belong to the widespread genus Gymnopus, part of the Omphalotaceae family, the most famous representative of which, the Shiitake mushroom, is the favorite of many. The study was published in the open access journal Mycokeys.

        Gymnopus imbricatus, G. ceraceicola and G. hakaroa can be recognized by their strong, unpleasant odor when  crushed. The smell produced by these  species is most commonly described as rotting cabbage or garlic. The species grow in colonies of just a few up to an impressive display of hundreds of fruitbodies on dead tree trunks or on the lower trunk parts of still living trees. Another characteristic is the presence of a waxy layer from which the fruitbodies emerge, which is usually colored in green due to the algae commonly living in the substance. Phylogenetic studies indicate that some of these fungi represent ancient southern hemisphere lineages,whereas as others originate from the dispersal of northern hemisphere species followed by local radiation."This paper is a small contribution to filling the gap in the knowledge of New Zealand and Southern  hemisphere species and their origins – there is still a long way to go," said the lead author of the study, Dr Jerry Cooper.

This image shows the beautiful fruit bodies of the newly described Gymnopus imbricatus (Scale bar: 1 mm)

(Image Credit: Dr. Jerry Cooper

Source: www.Sciencedaily.com

ENVIS CENTRE Newsletter Vol.11,Issue 2 Apr - Jun 2013
 
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