Evolution of new species requires few genetic changes
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Kevin Jiang kevin.jiang@uchospitals.edu 773-795-5227 University of Chicago Medical Center
Only a few genetic changes are needed to spur the evolution of new specieseven if the original populations are still in contact and exchanging genes. Once started, however, evolutionary divergence evolves rapidly, ultimately leading to fully genetically isolated species, report scientists from the University of Chicago in the Oct 31 Cell Reports.
"Speciation is one of the most fundamental evolutionary processes, but there are still aspects that we do not fully understand, such as how the genome changes as one species splits into two," said Marcus Kronforst, Ph.D., Neubauer Family assistant professor of ecology and evolution, and lead author of the study.
To reveal genetic differences critical for speciation, Kronforst and his team analyzed the genomes of two closely related butterfly species, Heliconius cydno and H. pachinus, which only recently diverged. Occupying similar ecological habitats and able to interbreed, these butterfly species still undergo a small amount of genetic exchange.
The researchers found that this regular gene flow mutes genetic variants unimportant to speciationallowing them to identify key genetic areas affected by natural selection. The butterfly species, they discovered, differed in only 12 small regions of their genomes, while remaining mostly identical throughout the rest. Eight of these coded for wing color patterning, a trait important for mating and avoiding predation, and under intense selection pressure, while the other four remain undescribed.
"These 12 spots appear to only function well in the environment their species occupies, and so are prevented from moving between gene pools, even though other parts of the genomes are swapped back and forth," Kronforst said.
The team also compared the genomes of these two groups to a third species, still closely related but further removed on an evolutionary time scale. Here, they found hundreds of genomic changes, indicating that the rate of genetic divergence accelerated rapidly after the initial changes took hold.
"Our work suggests that a few advantageous mutations are enough to cause a 'tug-of-war' between natural selection and gene flow, which can lead to rapidly diverging genomes," Kronforst said.
Kronforst and his team plan to characterize the remaining four divergent genome areas to look for functions important to speciation. They also are studying why species more commonly arise in tropical areas.
"It is possible that this type of speciation, in which natural selection pushes populations apart, has been important in the evolution of other organisms. It remains to be seen whether it is a common process though," Kronforst said.
###
The paper, "Hybridization reveals the evolving genomic architecture of speciation," was supported by the National Science Foundation. Additional authors include Matthew Hansen, Nicholas Crawford, Jason Gallant, Wei Zhang, Rob J. Kulathinal, Durrell Kapan and Sean Mullen.
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Evolution of new species requires few genetic changes
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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]
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Contact: Kevin Jiang kevin.jiang@uchospitals.edu 773-795-5227 University of Chicago Medical Center
Only a few genetic changes are needed to spur the evolution of new specieseven if the original populations are still in contact and exchanging genes. Once started, however, evolutionary divergence evolves rapidly, ultimately leading to fully genetically isolated species, report scientists from the University of Chicago in the Oct 31 Cell Reports.
"Speciation is one of the most fundamental evolutionary processes, but there are still aspects that we do not fully understand, such as how the genome changes as one species splits into two," said Marcus Kronforst, Ph.D., Neubauer Family assistant professor of ecology and evolution, and lead author of the study.
To reveal genetic differences critical for speciation, Kronforst and his team analyzed the genomes of two closely related butterfly species, Heliconius cydno and H. pachinus, which only recently diverged. Occupying similar ecological habitats and able to interbreed, these butterfly species still undergo a small amount of genetic exchange.
The researchers found that this regular gene flow mutes genetic variants unimportant to speciationallowing them to identify key genetic areas affected by natural selection. The butterfly species, they discovered, differed in only 12 small regions of their genomes, while remaining mostly identical throughout the rest. Eight of these coded for wing color patterning, a trait important for mating and avoiding predation, and under intense selection pressure, while the other four remain undescribed.
"These 12 spots appear to only function well in the environment their species occupies, and so are prevented from moving between gene pools, even though other parts of the genomes are swapped back and forth," Kronforst said.
The team also compared the genomes of these two groups to a third species, still closely related but further removed on an evolutionary time scale. Here, they found hundreds of genomic changes, indicating that the rate of genetic divergence accelerated rapidly after the initial changes took hold.
"Our work suggests that a few advantageous mutations are enough to cause a 'tug-of-war' between natural selection and gene flow, which can lead to rapidly diverging genomes," Kronforst said.
Kronforst and his team plan to characterize the remaining four divergent genome areas to look for functions important to speciation. They also are studying why species more commonly arise in tropical areas.
"It is possible that this type of speciation, in which natural selection pushes populations apart, has been important in the evolution of other organisms. It remains to be seen whether it is a common process though," Kronforst said.
###
The paper, "Hybridization reveals the evolving genomic architecture of speciation," was supported by the National Science Foundation. Additional authors include Matthew Hansen, Nicholas Crawford, Jason Gallant, Wei Zhang, Rob J. Kulathinal, Durrell Kapan and Sean Mullen.
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Scientists capture most detailed picture yet of key AIDS protein
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mika Ono mikaono@scripps.edu 858-784-2052 Scripps Research Institute
The finding represents a scientific feat as well as progress toward an HIV vaccine
LA JOLLA, CAOctober 31, 2013Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Weill Cornell Medical College have determined the first atomic-level structure of the tripartite HIV envelope proteinlong considered one of the most difficult targets in structural biology and of great value for medical science.
The new findings provide the most detailed picture yet of the AIDS-causing viruss complex envelope, including sites that future vaccines will try to mimic to elicit a protective immune response.
Most of the prior structural studies of this envelope complex focused on individual subunits; but weve needed the structure of the full complex to properly define the sites of vulnerability that could be targeted, for example with a vaccine, said Ian A. Wilson, the Hansen Professor of Structural Biology at TSRI, and a senior author of the new research with biologists Andrew Ward and Bridget Carragher of TSRI and John Moore of Weill Cornell.
The findings are published in two papers in Science Express, the early online edition of the journal Science, on October 31, 2013.
A Difficult Target
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, currently infects about 34 million people globally, 10 percent of whom are children, according to World Health Organization estimates. Although antiviral drugs are now used to manage many HIV infections, especially in developed countries, scientists have long sought a vaccine that can prevent new infections and perhaps ultimately eradicate the virus from the human population.
However, none of the HIV vaccines tested so far has come close to providing adequate protection. This failure is due largely to the challenges posed by HIVs envelope protein, known to virologists as Env.
Envs structure is so complex and delicate that scientists have had great difficulty obtaining the protein in a form that is suitable for the atomic-resolution imaging necessary to understand it.
It tends to fall apart, for example, even when its on the surface of the virus, so to study it we have to engineer it to be more stable, said Ward, who is an assistant professor in TSRIs Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology.
Illuminating Infection
In the current work the Weill Cornell-TSRI team was able to engineer a version of the Env trimer (three-component structure) that has the stability and other properties needed for atomic-resolution imaging, yet retains virtually all the structures found on native Env.
Using cutting-edge imaging methods, electron microscopy (spearheaded by graduate student Dmitry Lyumkis) and X-ray crystallography (led by Jean-Philippe Julien, a senior research associate in the Wilson lab), the team was then able to look at the new Env trimer. The X-ray crystallography study was the first ever of an Env trimer, and both methods resolved the trimer structure to a finer level of detail than has been reported before.
The data illuminated the complex process by which the Env trimer assembles and later undergoes radical shape changes during infection and clarified how it compares to envelope proteins on other dangerous viruses, such as flu and Ebola.
It has been a privilege for us to work with the Scripps team on this project, said Moore on behalf of the Weill Cornell group. Now we all need to harness this new knowledge to design and test next-generation trimers and see if we can induce the broadly active neutralizing antibodies an effective vaccine is going to need.
###
Other contributors to the studies, Cryo-EM structure of a fully glycosylated soluble cleaved HIV-1 envelope trimer, and Crystal structure of a soluble cleaved HIV-1 envelope trimer, included TSRIs Natalia de Val, Devin Sok, Robyn L. Stanfield and Marc C. Deller; and Weill Medical Colleges Rogier W. Sanders (also at Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam), Albert Cupo and Per-Johan Klasse. In addition to Wilson, Ward and Carragher, senior participants at TSRI included Clinton S. Potter and Dennis Burton.
The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (HIVRAD P01 AI82362, CHAVI-ID UM1 AI100663, R01 AI36082, R01 AI084817, R37 AI36082, R01 AI33292), the US NIH NIGMS Biomedical Research Technology Program (GM103310) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Consortium and Center.
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Scientists capture most detailed picture yet of key AIDS protein
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
31-Oct-2013
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Contact: Mika Ono mikaono@scripps.edu 858-784-2052 Scripps Research Institute
The finding represents a scientific feat as well as progress toward an HIV vaccine
LA JOLLA, CAOctober 31, 2013Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Weill Cornell Medical College have determined the first atomic-level structure of the tripartite HIV envelope proteinlong considered one of the most difficult targets in structural biology and of great value for medical science.
The new findings provide the most detailed picture yet of the AIDS-causing viruss complex envelope, including sites that future vaccines will try to mimic to elicit a protective immune response.
Most of the prior structural studies of this envelope complex focused on individual subunits; but weve needed the structure of the full complex to properly define the sites of vulnerability that could be targeted, for example with a vaccine, said Ian A. Wilson, the Hansen Professor of Structural Biology at TSRI, and a senior author of the new research with biologists Andrew Ward and Bridget Carragher of TSRI and John Moore of Weill Cornell.
The findings are published in two papers in Science Express, the early online edition of the journal Science, on October 31, 2013.
A Difficult Target
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, currently infects about 34 million people globally, 10 percent of whom are children, according to World Health Organization estimates. Although antiviral drugs are now used to manage many HIV infections, especially in developed countries, scientists have long sought a vaccine that can prevent new infections and perhaps ultimately eradicate the virus from the human population.
However, none of the HIV vaccines tested so far has come close to providing adequate protection. This failure is due largely to the challenges posed by HIVs envelope protein, known to virologists as Env.
Envs structure is so complex and delicate that scientists have had great difficulty obtaining the protein in a form that is suitable for the atomic-resolution imaging necessary to understand it.
It tends to fall apart, for example, even when its on the surface of the virus, so to study it we have to engineer it to be more stable, said Ward, who is an assistant professor in TSRIs Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology.
Illuminating Infection
In the current work the Weill Cornell-TSRI team was able to engineer a version of the Env trimer (three-component structure) that has the stability and other properties needed for atomic-resolution imaging, yet retains virtually all the structures found on native Env.
Using cutting-edge imaging methods, electron microscopy (spearheaded by graduate student Dmitry Lyumkis) and X-ray crystallography (led by Jean-Philippe Julien, a senior research associate in the Wilson lab), the team was then able to look at the new Env trimer. The X-ray crystallography study was the first ever of an Env trimer, and both methods resolved the trimer structure to a finer level of detail than has been reported before.
The data illuminated the complex process by which the Env trimer assembles and later undergoes radical shape changes during infection and clarified how it compares to envelope proteins on other dangerous viruses, such as flu and Ebola.
It has been a privilege for us to work with the Scripps team on this project, said Moore on behalf of the Weill Cornell group. Now we all need to harness this new knowledge to design and test next-generation trimers and see if we can induce the broadly active neutralizing antibodies an effective vaccine is going to need.
###
Other contributors to the studies, Cryo-EM structure of a fully glycosylated soluble cleaved HIV-1 envelope trimer, and Crystal structure of a soluble cleaved HIV-1 envelope trimer, included TSRIs Natalia de Val, Devin Sok, Robyn L. Stanfield and Marc C. Deller; and Weill Medical Colleges Rogier W. Sanders (also at Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam), Albert Cupo and Per-Johan Klasse. In addition to Wilson, Ward and Carragher, senior participants at TSRI included Clinton S. Potter and Dennis Burton.
The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (HIVRAD P01 AI82362, CHAVI-ID UM1 AI100663, R01 AI36082, R01 AI084817, R37 AI36082, R01 AI33292), the US NIH NIGMS Biomedical Research Technology Program (GM103310) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative Neutralizing Antibody Consortium and Center.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Email providers Silent Circle and Lavabit are proposing a new email standard that would make it harder for governments to snoop. Strictly speaking, Darkmail, as the proposed standard is called, would keep individuals and governments from spying on email metadata. Traditional email can never be fully secured, as the standard requires some metadata to be unencrypted. The Darkmail Alliance, which right now consists only of Lavabit and Silent Circle, aims to get Darkmail off the ground, according to the Guardian:
The Darkmail Alliance aims to fix many of the problems affecting the old standard. "The existing email architecture is 40 years old, and it's what allows the world's surveillance community, hackers and other data mining companies, to get [users'] data," Janke told the Guardian.
Darkmail would be as compatible with the current email standard as possible. Unencrypted messages could be sent and received between a Darkmail user and, for instance, a Gmail user. When two Darkmail users are sending messages back and forth, however, the email is encrypted, then routed between the two accounts without passing through a central server.
Both Lavabit and Silent Circle shut down their services rather than in the face of government intrusion earlier this year.
Would you use Darkmail to keep governments out of your email?
Obamacare can't seem to catch a break. A month in and its problems continue to pile up.
First, it was the disastrous unveiling of Healthcare.gov, which was supposed to help Americans buy health insurance coverage, but instead, gave those who tried to navigate it either a splitting headache or rapidly rising blood pressure.
Nike Snowboarding made this little edit of legendary skateboarder and artist Natas Kaupas. He talks about creativity, passion, enjoyment, all leading towards his delivery as art director for Nike's recent video release, Never Not.
Be sure to check out Never Not Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven't already.
Good news, folks. A bunch of you have asked us if you can purchase a Nexus 5 from Google Play and activate it on Sprint. We've just heard back from Sprint, and the answer is in the affirmative.
Repeat: Yes, you can purchase a Nexus 5 from Google Play and activate it on Sprint.
We may compare Panasonic to the character of Michael Myers way too often, but this Halloween the analogy is particularly relevant given news the company is officially killing plasma TV production. Manufacturing of plasma panels will end in December this year, earlier than the most recent rumor ...
CAIRO (Reuters) - Supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi called on Thursday for daily protests in the four days before his trial on November 4, raising the danger of more violence in a crisis that has already cost hundreds of lives.
Mursi, who was ousted by the army on July 3 after mass demonstrations against his rule, is due to appear in court on Monday along with 14 other senior Muslim Brotherhood figures on charges of inciting violence.
The trial could further inflame tensions between the Brotherhood and the army-backed interim government as it struggles to restore stability in the most populous Arab state.
"The Alliance calls on all proud, free Egyptians to gather in the squares in protest against these trials... starting on Friday," the Brotherhood and its allies said in a statement.
It urged crowds to move on Monday to a police institute near Cairo's Tora prison, where the trial is expected to take place.
The charges relate to the deaths of about a dozen people in clashes outside the presidential palace in December after Mursi enraged his opponents with a decree expanding his powers.
Mursi has been held in a secret location in the four months since his overthrow. In that time Islamist militants have staged almost daily attacks in the Sinai Peninsula. Supporters and opponents of the Brotherhood have often clashed in the streets.
Backers of Mursi, Egypt's first freely elected president, say his removal was a coup, reversing the gains of the popular uprising which toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
The army says it was responding to the will of the people.
Security officials accuse Brotherhood leaders of inciting violence and terrorism. Hundreds of the Brotherhood's members have been killed and many of its leaders have been jailed in one of the toughest security crackdowns in the movement's history.
A court order has banned the Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and best organized Islamist movement, and seized its funds.
The Brotherhood denies any links with violent activity.
(Reporting by Asma Alsharif; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Lyon)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, file photo, specialist Frank Masiello works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes are little changed in early trading on Wall Street as investors pore over a mixed bag of earnings from U.S. companies.
Avon Products, Kraft Foods and MetLife fell after their profits missed Wall Street's forecasts. Time Warner Cable and Expedia rose after beating expectations.
The Dow Jones industrial average was flat at 15,619 after the first few minutes of trading Thursday.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up two points, or 0.1 percent, at 1,765. The Nasdaq composite was up a point at 3,932.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.53 percent from 2.54 percent.
The S&P 500 index is on track to have its best month since July. It's up nearly 5 percent for October.
FILE - In a Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, Lady Gaga arrives for a presentation of her upcoming new album "Artpop" at a fan event at the Berghain club in Berlin. Dick Clark productions announced Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will perform at the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - In a Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013 file photo, Lady Gaga arrives for a presentation of her upcoming new album "Artpop" at a fan event at the Berghain club in Berlin. Dick Clark productions announced Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 that Lady Gaga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will perform at the American Music Awards on Nov. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Hold your applause: Lady Gaga will perform at the American Music Awards next month.
Dick clark productions announced Thursday that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kendrick Lamar and Luke Bryan will also hit the stage for the Nov. 24 awards show in Los Angeles.
Previously announced performers include Miley Cyrus, One Direction, Imagine Dragons and Florida Georgia Line.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead with six nominations, including artist, new artist and single of the year for "Thrift Shop." Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake have five nominations each, while Robin Thicke, Rihanna and Florida Georgia Line have four each. Bruno Mars and Imagine Dragons are both up for three awards.
The AMAs will air on ABC from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Thousands of anti-austerity protesters clogged the Greek capital's streets to demonstrate against government plans to introduce a new property tax as bailout lenders prepare to conduct another inspection next week.
The anger is being felt across Greek society, with retirees, disabled groups, shipyard workers and high school teachers among those expected to take part in Thursday's protests.
Parliament is due to vote next week on proposals to replace an emergency property tax included on electricity bills with a permanent levy, breaking a pledge made last year by the conservative-led coalition government. More than 50 conservative lawmakers are demanding changes to proposals, arguing they unfairly burden their rural constituents.
The government is also planning new cuts to state benefits and the public workforce.
Space dogs and quantum fields: Winners of AIP's 2013 Science Communication Awards announced
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi jbardi@aip.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Authors Tom Siegfried and Jeffrey Bennett honored
Washington, D.C., Oct. 30, 2013 The American Institute of Physics (AIP) has named a journalist and a children's book author as winners of the 2013 AIP Science Communications Awards for their works on the discovery of the Higgs boson and a dog's imaginary trip to the Moon.
Tom Siegfried will receive the prize in the science writing category for his essay "Nature's Secrets Foretold," published in Science News magazine. Jeffrey Bennett will receive the award in the writing for children category for his book Max Goes to the Moon.
The selection committees praised Siegfried's article for its skillful and engaging writing, which made a complex topic accessible to a general audience, and Bennett's book for its delightful blend of fact and fiction.
"Bennett's imaginative storytelling and Siegfried's elegant descriptions of complex concepts make these two pieces as engaging they are informative," said Catherine O'Riordan, AIP vice president for Physics Resources. "Their efforts provide readers with context for important discoveries and fundamental scientific concepts, and AIP is pleased to recognize their work."
Each winner will receive a $3,000 check, an inscribed Windsor chair, and a certificate of recognition from AIP. The awards will be presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) 2014 winter meeting in National Harbor, Md.
Celebrating Math's Power to Predict
For decades, physicists thought they knew why nature's basic particles possess mass. There had to be a field permeating all of space that impeded changes in a particle's motion, creating inertia, the hallmark of mass. Such a field, properly energized, would reveal itself by the appearance of a particle called the Higgs boson. Its discovery at the Large Hadron Collider was a landmark in physics history, but the implications went far beyond explaining the origin of mass.
In his essay "Nature's Secrets Foretold," published in Science News magazine, Siegfried seeks to provide a broader perspective for this recent discovery: first, that the Higgs field, by conferring mass on particles, made all the complexities of nature possible, from atoms and molecules to people and planets; and second, that the Higgs discovery was a validation of the idea that humans can use mathematical ingenuity to discern nature's deepest secrets. Formulations developed by Peter Higgs and other scientists foresaw the existence of something that, in order to be proven, required the construction of a multibillion-dollar machine.
Tom Siegfried is a freelance writer and editor who currently writes the Context blog at http://www.sciencenews.org. From 2007 to 2012 he was the editor in chief of Science News, and previously he was the science editor of The Dallas Morning News. In addition to Science News, his work has appeared in Science, Nature, Astronomy, New Scientist, and Smithsonian. He is the author of three books: The Bit and the Pendulum, (Wiley, 2000); Strange Matters (National Academy of Sciences' Joseph Henry Press, 2002); and A Beautiful Math (2006, Joseph Henry Press).
Tom was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and grew up in nearby Avon. He earned an undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University with majors in journalism, chemistry and history, and has an MA with a major in journalism and a minor in physics from the University of Texas at Austin.
His awards include the American Geophysical Union's Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism, the Science in Society Award from the National Association of Science Writers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science-Westinghouse Award, and the American Chemical Society's James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public. He is currently on the board of directors and serves as treasurer for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW).
Moon's Best Friend
Max Goes to the Moon tells the story of a dog (Max) and a young girl who join in the first human trip to the Moon since the Apollo era. Like all of his books, said author Jeffrey Bennett, it is designed to provide education, through scientifically accurate content; perspective, by helping readers learn to see themselves and our planet in a new light; and inspiration, by encouraging children to dream of how they can help make the world a better place and perhaps travel to space themselves someday.
Max Goes to the Moon has been made into a planetarium show and was read from orbit by astronaut Alvin Drew during the final mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. It is now set for launch to the International Space Station, where it and Bennett's four other children's books (Max Goes to Mars, Max Goes to Jupiter, Max Goes to the Space Station, and The Wizard Who Saved the World) will be the first five books read in the new "Story Time From Space" program. Max Goes to the Moon is available in both English and Spanish (Max viaja a la luna).
Jeffrey Bennett holds a BA in biophysics from the University of California, San Diego, and an MS and PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His extensive experience in research and education includes teaching at every level from preschool through graduate school, proposing and helping to develop the Voyage Scale Model Solar System on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and serving two years as a visiting senior scientist at NASA Headquarters. He is the lead author of best-selling college textbooks in astronomy, astrobiology, mathematics, and statistics, and of several books for the general public including Math for Life (Big Kid Science, 2014), and the forthcoming What is Relativity? (Columbia University Press, 2014). His personal web site is http://www.jeffreybennett.com.
###
About the AIP Science Communication Awards
The AIP Science Communication Awards aim to promote effective science communication in print and new media in order to improve the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and allied science fields. The awards are presented at venues that best highlight the science covered in the publications.
For more information, contact Jason Socrates Bardi or visit the AIP website.
About AIP
The American Institute of Physics is an organization of scientific societies in the physical sciences, representing scientists, engineers, and educators. AIP offers information, services, and expertise in physics education and student programs, science communication, government relations, career services for science and engineering professionals, statistical research in physics employment and education, industrial outreach, and the history of physics and allied fields. AIP publishes the flagship magazine, Physics Today, and is home to the Society of Physics Students and the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. AIP owns AIP Publishing LLC, a scholarly publisher in the physical and related sciences. http://www.aip.org
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Space dogs and quantum fields: Winners of AIP's 2013 Science Communication Awards announced
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
30-Oct-2013
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Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi jbardi@aip.org 301-209-3091 American Institute of Physics
Authors Tom Siegfried and Jeffrey Bennett honored
Washington, D.C., Oct. 30, 2013 The American Institute of Physics (AIP) has named a journalist and a children's book author as winners of the 2013 AIP Science Communications Awards for their works on the discovery of the Higgs boson and a dog's imaginary trip to the Moon.
Tom Siegfried will receive the prize in the science writing category for his essay "Nature's Secrets Foretold," published in Science News magazine. Jeffrey Bennett will receive the award in the writing for children category for his book Max Goes to the Moon.
The selection committees praised Siegfried's article for its skillful and engaging writing, which made a complex topic accessible to a general audience, and Bennett's book for its delightful blend of fact and fiction.
"Bennett's imaginative storytelling and Siegfried's elegant descriptions of complex concepts make these two pieces as engaging they are informative," said Catherine O'Riordan, AIP vice president for Physics Resources. "Their efforts provide readers with context for important discoveries and fundamental scientific concepts, and AIP is pleased to recognize their work."
Each winner will receive a $3,000 check, an inscribed Windsor chair, and a certificate of recognition from AIP. The awards will be presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) 2014 winter meeting in National Harbor, Md.
Celebrating Math's Power to Predict
For decades, physicists thought they knew why nature's basic particles possess mass. There had to be a field permeating all of space that impeded changes in a particle's motion, creating inertia, the hallmark of mass. Such a field, properly energized, would reveal itself by the appearance of a particle called the Higgs boson. Its discovery at the Large Hadron Collider was a landmark in physics history, but the implications went far beyond explaining the origin of mass.
In his essay "Nature's Secrets Foretold," published in Science News magazine, Siegfried seeks to provide a broader perspective for this recent discovery: first, that the Higgs field, by conferring mass on particles, made all the complexities of nature possible, from atoms and molecules to people and planets; and second, that the Higgs discovery was a validation of the idea that humans can use mathematical ingenuity to discern nature's deepest secrets. Formulations developed by Peter Higgs and other scientists foresaw the existence of something that, in order to be proven, required the construction of a multibillion-dollar machine.
Tom Siegfried is a freelance writer and editor who currently writes the Context blog at http://www.sciencenews.org. From 2007 to 2012 he was the editor in chief of Science News, and previously he was the science editor of The Dallas Morning News. In addition to Science News, his work has appeared in Science, Nature, Astronomy, New Scientist, and Smithsonian. He is the author of three books: The Bit and the Pendulum, (Wiley, 2000); Strange Matters (National Academy of Sciences' Joseph Henry Press, 2002); and A Beautiful Math (2006, Joseph Henry Press).
Tom was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and grew up in nearby Avon. He earned an undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University with majors in journalism, chemistry and history, and has an MA with a major in journalism and a minor in physics from the University of Texas at Austin.
His awards include the American Geophysical Union's Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism, the Science in Society Award from the National Association of Science Writers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science-Westinghouse Award, and the American Chemical Society's James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public. He is currently on the board of directors and serves as treasurer for the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW).
Moon's Best Friend
Max Goes to the Moon tells the story of a dog (Max) and a young girl who join in the first human trip to the Moon since the Apollo era. Like all of his books, said author Jeffrey Bennett, it is designed to provide education, through scientifically accurate content; perspective, by helping readers learn to see themselves and our planet in a new light; and inspiration, by encouraging children to dream of how they can help make the world a better place and perhaps travel to space themselves someday.
Max Goes to the Moon has been made into a planetarium show and was read from orbit by astronaut Alvin Drew during the final mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. It is now set for launch to the International Space Station, where it and Bennett's four other children's books (Max Goes to Mars, Max Goes to Jupiter, Max Goes to the Space Station, and The Wizard Who Saved the World) will be the first five books read in the new "Story Time From Space" program. Max Goes to the Moon is available in both English and Spanish (Max viaja a la luna).
Jeffrey Bennett holds a BA in biophysics from the University of California, San Diego, and an MS and PhD in astrophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His extensive experience in research and education includes teaching at every level from preschool through graduate school, proposing and helping to develop the Voyage Scale Model Solar System on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and serving two years as a visiting senior scientist at NASA Headquarters. He is the lead author of best-selling college textbooks in astronomy, astrobiology, mathematics, and statistics, and of several books for the general public including Math for Life (Big Kid Science, 2014), and the forthcoming What is Relativity? (Columbia University Press, 2014). His personal web site is http://www.jeffreybennett.com.
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About the AIP Science Communication Awards
The AIP Science Communication Awards aim to promote effective science communication in print and new media in order to improve the general public's appreciation of physics, astronomy, and allied science fields. The awards are presented at venues that best highlight the science covered in the publications.
For more information, contact Jason Socrates Bardi or visit the AIP website.
About AIP
The American Institute of Physics is an organization of scientific societies in the physical sciences, representing scientists, engineers, and educators. AIP offers information, services, and expertise in physics education and student programs, science communication, government relations, career services for science and engineering professionals, statistical research in physics employment and education, industrial outreach, and the history of physics and allied fields. AIP publishes the flagship magazine, Physics Today, and is home to the Society of Physics Students and the Niels Bohr Library and Archives. AIP owns AIP Publishing LLC, a scholarly publisher in the physical and related sciences. http://www.aip.org
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