Cynthia L. Atwood, Science Correspondent
Yale University Office of Public Affairs
433 Temple St. New Haven, CT 06520-2118
Phone: (203) 432-1326
Fax: (203) 432-7459
[email protected]
Yale University Science News Tips, September 1997
A quarterly publication for the news media
Electronic News Releases: Yale science news releases are posted on the World Wide Web at http://www.yale.edu/opa. Send electronic news release requests to [email protected].
1. Discovery Could Restore Full Usefulness of Front-line Antibiotics
Yale biologists for the first time have succeeded in preventing the expression of genes that make bacteria resistant to two widely used antibiotics, thereby restoring the bacteria's sensitivity to the antibiotics in laboratory cultures. If successful in animal and human studies, the method could help avert a worldwide health crisis in treating widespread diseases such as tuberculosis, meningitis and pneumonia, which are becoming increasingly drug resistant. "Although the path from our experiments to a practical therapeutic tool may be a very long and costly one, this method could restore the full usefulness of today's front-line antibiotics, thus bypassing the tremendous expense of developing new antibiotics," said Nobel laureate Sidney Altman. His team crafted synthetic genes coding for strings of RNA and introduced them into E. coli bacteria via small circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 94, No. 15: 8468-8472, Au! g. 5, 1997). News release.
2. Sonar Robot that Mimics Bats and Dolphins Rivals Camera Vision
A robot inspired by the ability of bats and dolphins to use echoes for locating prey is causing robotics experts to reevaluate the relative merits of sound waves versus camera vision for exploring new environments. The sonar device, designed by electrical engineer Roman Kuc, is so sensitive that it can tell whether a tossed coin has come up heads or tails. The robot's "mouth," an electrostatic transducer similar to those used in autofocus cameras, emits sound waves that are received by two rotating transducer "ears," thus exploiting the important biological principle of sensor mobility. Sonar could prove better than camera vision for identifying authorized customers at an automated teller machine, detecting assembly-line production flaws, or helping someone who is paralyzed interact with a computer. (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 102, No. 2: 689-696, August 1997, cover article). News release.
3. One-Meter Telescope High in the Andes Gets New Lease on Life
Yale's telescope high in the Andes Mountains has received a new lease on life, thanks to a consortium that includes Ohio State University, the University of Lisbon in Portugal, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO). The consortium will provide upgrades and operational expenses that will enable the telescope, with its one-meter mirror, to play a significant research role well into the 21st century. Located at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in La Serena, Chile, the telescope had been operated since 1973 by NOAO, but recently lost its funding. OSU will build a sophisticated new detector system, Lisbon will provide most of the operational costs, and Yale and NOAO will refurbish the telescope by March 1998. Ten percent of the viewing time will be shared with the general astronomical community for studies of gamma-ray bursts, supernovas, comets and quasars. News release.
4. Peabody Museum Brings Science to Life in New Haven Public Schools
Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History has received a four-year, $350,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) to work with the New Haven Public Schools with the goal of strengthening scientific literacy in the city. The grant will build upon the Peabody's long-standing tradition of community outreach and education, and will fund activities on the theme of biological diversity in 12 schools. Under the new program, a mobile Action Lab will be constructed that will visit schools with hands-on exhibits, dissecting microscopes and a library. In addition, selected 3rd-5th grade teachers will participate as fellows in a summer institute, workshops and seminars to develop teaching units on biological diversity. Museum visits for schoolchildren and their families, and after-school learning programs will be sponsored in an effort to make a substantial and lasting impact on science education in New Haven. News release.
5. U.S.-Japan Study Advocates Global Environmental Trade Group
Trade and environment experts from the U.S. and Japan recently met to formulate recommendations for better environmental management by international groups such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Recommendations included formation of a global environmental organization to work with WTO, a move advocated by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and several other world leaders at the recent U.N. General Assembly Special Session "Earth Summit + Five Years." Other tips focused on better analysis of subsidies for agriculture, fishing, energy and forestry; better mechanisms for mediating environmental disputes between nations; recognizing the value of input from business and environmental groups; and moving toward effective and efficient reduction of greenhouse gases. (Joint report, Yale's Global Environment & Trade Study and Tokyo's Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute. June 27, 1997.) News release.
6. Six Yale Professional Schools Join in Center for AIDS Research
Yale has received a $10.8-million grant from NIMH and NIDA to support a Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Drawing upon Yale's expertise in public health, the social sciences, policy analysis and legal and ethical issues, the Center will conduct research aimed at preventing HIV infection and reducing the harmful consequences of AIDS in vulnerable and underserved populations. Initially, projects will focus on preventing AIDS in adolescents, women and drug users -- populations in which HIV infections are still increasing at an alarming rate. Research will include how best to frame HIV-prevention messages for low-income women; a study of teen pregnancy and risks of sexually transmitted diseases; and understanding and using social networks of injection drug users to prevent HIV infection. News release.
7. Yale Predicts How High-speed Network Will Boost Science Research
Imagine, if you will, transmitting 30 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica over a high-speed computer network in under a second. Imagine next how such mind-boggling speed would enhance scientific research. That's what Yale did recently to win a $350,000 National Science Foundation grant to be among the first 64 institutions to connect to the very high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS), a nationwide telecommunications network that is between 100 and 1,000 times faster than today's Internet. Yale cited a number of collaborations that will benefit, including imaging the visual cortex; linking to the Visible Human Project for teaching physicians detailed anatomy; high-energy particle physics experiments with laboratories around the world; remote observations from the Yale campus of stars and galaxies with the new WIYN telescope in Arizona; archiving very large data files of reactions to turbulence; and nationwide collaborations in the visual and performing arts.
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