Bioscription Biotechnology also allows more simple comparisons between modified plants for better production of a specific molecule or protein and those deficient of it, thus helping to understand the biochemistry involved more directly. In this study to be publi Read more ... shed in October in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the model organism Arabidopsis is used to compare the function of salicylic acid (SA) within the plant in regard to tolerance against the heavy metal cadmium. Prior studies have suggested that decreasing the amount of SA within the plant enhances its tolerance to cadmium. To test this, researchers used a transgenic line made to express SA strongly and compared it to a SA-deficient mutant line. They found that a reduced amount of SA resulted in decreased tolerance of cadmium, the exact opposite result of what was expected. The SA-deficient mutants also had slowed iron uptake and less chlorophyll, along with less overall growth and the buildup of more oxidative stress. When compared to a wild-type line that did produce SA, exposure to cadmium caused the plant to increase SA production. After further study, they determined that it was the connection between SA and metabolic production of glutathione (GSH) and cycling of it through said metabolic pathways of the plant that was the cause for proper tolerance or lack thereof. With the mutant plants not being able to produce SA, they were also unable to properly cycle GSH throughout the necessary pathways, lowering their tolerance to cadmium. From this research, a new part of the biochemical defense and processing system of plants like Arabidopsis against heavy metal poisoning is understood, along with the prior research being corrected on the true cause for the loss of tolerance. If it wasn't for the production of deficient mutants and strongly expressing transgenic lines, it may have taken far longer to understand the connection. Endogenous salicylic acid is required for promoting cadmium tolerance of Arabidopsis by modulating glutathione metabolisms http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27209521 Photo CC: Arabidopsis mutants by Daniel Ocampo Daza https://www.flickr.com/photos/egosumdaniel/298797265/

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Endangered dolphin dies in Argentina after beach-goers pass it around for photos An endangered dolphin was killed after beach-goers reportedly pulled it from the water in order to take photos with it. The Franciscan dolphin died last week at the Santa Teresita resort in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after a scrum of people were...

Tiny Dolphin Dies On Beach As Tourists Pass It Around For Selfies Selfies just hit a new low. News reports from the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina have said that a small dolphin has died at the resort Santa Teresita after beach go-ers removed it from the water to pet and pose for photographs with it. The image Read more ... s showing dozens of people swarming the tiny dolph…

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Artist Teresita Fernández Transforms New York’s Madison Square Park

NYPD Beat the Shit Out of a Brooklyn Street Vendor, Then Lied About It In September of last year, a gang of New York police officers issued an MMA-grade beatdown on Jonathan Daza, a Sunset Park food vendor, which was recorded by a bystander and uploaded to Facebook. Five months and a handful of NYPD lies later, Daza has Read more ... finally been cleared of wrongdoing.

Los custodios de Nisman se contradijeron en sus declaraciones ante la Justicia | Alberto Nisman,... Armando Niz y Luis Miño son los agentes que estaban a cargo de la custodia del fiscal el domingo 18 de enero. El blog Relaciones Internacionales de la periodista Teresita Dussart difundió qué dijeron los oficiales