Tag: reproduce

Police in Colombia are hard at work training bomb-sniffing rats

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At a Colombian National Police base in the outskirts of Bogota, the nation’s capital, a new recruit is being trained.

This new recruit is unlike any other. It stands on four legs, has white hair all over its body and weighs slightly less than a pound. Its name is Rattus Norvegicus — but it’s more commonly known as a lab rat.

During a recent training session, trainers set the white rat on a patch of grass where they had hidden an explosive device underground. It took the rat less than a minute to find it. The rodent was showered with praise. Its trainers also gave it its favorite reward, a treat.

Though safer than a decade ago, Colombia is a country where landmines and car bombs are still a threat. Earlier this month, six people were killed by a car bomb targeting a police station in the town of Villa Rica in the southern province of El Cauca. The day before the February 2 bombing, nine people were killed and 70 were injured by another explosion in the neighboring province of Narino…

In the past, Colombian police used bomb-sniffing dogs; but the dogs’ weight would often trigger the explosives. That’s not a problem for lab rats that weigh slightly less than a pound.

And according to the trainers, their sense of smell is just as good as a dog’s…

Ramirez says that the only disadvantage he can think of about using rats is their short life span.

“These animals live only three to four years, which is a relatively short period of time from a human perspective. On the other hand, they’re very prolific. They reproduce themselves exponentially in a very short time,” Ramirez said.

So far, the rats have been trained to detect seven different kinds of explosives including ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, gunpowder and TNT…

Mendez also says the rats are much more cost-effective than their canine counterparts. “With the money it takes to feed a dog per day, you can feed seven rats for seven days,” Mendez said.

The money-savings alone is enough roll this project along. Nothing makes a bean-counter bureaucrat happier than saving a whole lot of 9’s. Having obedient rats instead of lovable dogs would be a plus, as well.

Identifying the Gatekeeper for tomato pollination

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Tomato plants use similar biochemical mechanisms to reject pollen from their own flowers as well as pollen from foreign but related plant species, thus guarding against both inbreeding and cross-species hybridization, report plant scientists at the University of California, Davis.

The researchers identified a tomato pollen gene that encodes a protein that is very similar to a protein thought to function in preventing self-pollination in petunias. The tomato gene also was shown to play a role in blocking cross-species fertilization, suggesting that similar biochemical mechanisms underlie the rejection of a plant’s own pollen as well as foreign pollen from another species…

“Flowering plants have several types of reproductive barriers to prevent accidental hybridization between species in nature,” Roger Chetelat said. “We have identified one piece of this puzzle, a gene that helps control whether or not tomato pollen is recognized and rejected by flowers of related wild species…

In plants, as well as animals, breeding between closely related individuals is generally considered detrimental because it leads to the expression of harmful mutations and leaves subsequent generations genetically ill equipped to deal with environmental changes or diseases.

And crossbreeding with individuals from different species can be equally detrimental because it frequently results in hybrid offspring that cannot reproduce…

Their findings suggest that the Cullin1 protein is part of a biochemical gatekeeper: An active form of the protein is required for pollen to fertilize plants of another species, if that species is capable of rejecting its own pollen.

Since this research opens another door to preventing some of the events feared by opponents of genetically modified plants, no doubt this and following research will be denied and ignored by purists that fear – even more – success that might offer access to sound nutrition at lower costs.

Farming for profit, providing easier access to sufficient nutritious food to people around the world – without living up to the bible of some organic prophet – is still considered a sin by some. Do I eat organic? Of course. It makes good sense. Do I eat conventional? Of course. It makes good sense – often.

Chetelat and Wentao Li are members of the multicenter Interspecific Reproductive Barriers in Tomato research group…More information about the research group is available here. Their haiku is a kick, too.

NHTSA and factory investigators clear Balloon Boy Prius

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Technicians who tested a Toyota Prius after its owner claimed its gas pedal stuck were unable to recreate the same condition, according to a draft congressional memo obtained…by CNN.

In addition, owner Jim Sikes’ claim that the car kept going even though he slammed on the brake while his gas pedal was stuck to the floor does “not appear to be feasibly possible,” said the draft, obtained from sources familiar with the investigation.

The memo, written for members of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, summarizes the observations of a representative present at the testing of the Prius, as well as another car “allegedly involved in sudden unintended acceleration events.”

Contacted by CNN, Sikes declined to comment but said he stands by his story. He said his attorney will be making a statement on his behalf…

Eventually, a California Highway Patrol officer caught up to Sikes and used the patrol car’s public address system to instruct Sikes to apply the brakes and the emergency brake at the same time. That tactic worked, and he was able to stop the car…

Sikes said he’d been afraid to shift into neutral at 90mph because he was afraid the car would flip over!

Technicians from Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took Sikes’ Prius on a test drive and attempted to duplicate the same experience, the memo said, but were unsuccessful. A congressional staffer and another Toyota technician tested another Prius.

“Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor, the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down,” the memo said. “NHTSA and Toyota field representatives reported the same results with the 2008 Prius owned by Mr. Sikes.”

“These findings certainly raise new questions surrounding the veracity of the sequence of events that has been reported by Mr. Sikes,” said Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, and ranking member on the committee.

I can’t testify with any accuracy about Mr. Sikes’ truthfulness. BUT – he’s a bankrupt realtor $700,000 in debt including months of payments on his leased Prius. Which I imagine Toyota has threatened to repo.

The bankruptcy statement isn’t clear on how much he makes from his AdultSwingLife website.