A Robot Helps Listen In on Brain Cell Chatter

Posted on by

By Gary Stix| August 23, 2012 |

Share Email Print

Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann received the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1991 for their development of the patch-clamp technique, which records currents coursing through single ion channels in cells. For neuroscientists, one form of this technique has become the gold standard for probing information about the goings-on inside a cell. It can not only track electrical activity but determine cell shape (through the use of dyes) and even determine which genes have switched on.

The manual manipulation of the micropipette used for recording requires such delicate handling that only a small number of laboratories actually use the technique to study the living brain. A robot is now rushing to the rescue of legions of befuddled graduate students.

A collaboration between researchers at the laboratory of Ed Boyden at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and that of Craig Forest at the Georgia Institute of Technology has devised an automated method for placing the pipette and making recordings that will make this research method more commonplace.

The two labs published on their work in the May 6 Nature Methods. (Scientific American is part of the Nature Publishing Group.) The new technique may save graduate students the several months of toil that it takes to learn the techniqueand it may help with the ongoing efforts to classify the multitude of cell types in the brain. Automated whole patch clamping will also be deployed in studying brain diseases like Parkinsons and epilepsy. Boyden and Forests group has created a video that takes you step-by-step into the lab to see how this new technique works. Watch here.

Image Source: The Boyden Lab

More

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

Read the original post:
A Robot Helps Listen In on Brain Cell Chatter

Research and Markets: Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set. Edition No. 5

Posted on by

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/z9fnc8/physiology_of_the) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set. Edition No. 5" to their offering.

The gastrointestinal system is responsible for the breakdown and absorption of various foods and liquids needed to sustain life. Other diseases and disorders treated by clinicians in this area include: food allergies, constipation, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, gallstones, gastritis, GERD, hemorrhoids, IBS, lactose intolerance, pancreatic, appendicitis, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, peptic ulcer, stomach ulcer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer and liver transplants. Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, 5/e covers the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of the GI Tract while linking the clinical disease or disorder, bridging the gap between clinical and laboratory medicine.

The new edition is a highly referenced and useful resource for gastroenterologists, physiologists, internists, professional researchers, and instructors teaching courses for clinical and research students.

Key Topics Covered:

VOLUME I

Section I: Basic Cell Physiology, Genetics, and Growth of the GI Tract Section II: Neurogastroenterology Section III: Host Defense Mechanisms

VOLUME II

Section IV: Physiology of Secretion Section V: Digestion and Absorption Section VI: Consequences of Disregulated Physiology

Authors

Read the original here:
Research and Markets: Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract, Two Volume Set. Edition No. 5

Pas de développement sans une bonne nutrition, selon des spécialistes

Posted on by

Thursday, 23 August 2012 17:00

La responsable du Bureau de la Cellule rgionale de lutte contre la malnutrition de Saint-Louis, Aminata Ndoye, a relev mercredi Saly (Mbour), limportance de la nutrition, soulignant qu il ne peut y avoir de dveloppement sans une bonne nutrition .

Mme Ndoye sexprimait l'ouverture d'une session de formation de formateurs sur le leadership local.

Jusqu' samedi, les acteurs rgionaux qui s'activent dans l'accompagnement des communauts de base s'initient aux concepts du leadership local orient vers la nutrition, avec comme objectif de faciliter aux collectivits locales l'adoption d'outils lis la promotion de la nutrition dans leur mthode de gouvernance.

Cette session regroupe des acteurs issus des agences rgionales de dveloppement, des services du dveloppement communautaire, de l'appui au dveloppement local, de la survie de l'enfance et de la nutrition issus des rgions de Kolda, de Kaffrine, de Tambacounda, de Saint-Louis et de Matam.

On ne s'en rend pas compte, mais s'il n'y a pas une bonne nutrition, on ne peut prtendre avoir un bon dveloppement local. Et pour qu'il y ait une bonne nutrition, il faut qu'il y ait la plateforme, c'est--dire l'agriculture, l'eau, la disponibilit des aliments, des structures de prise en charge et leur accessibilit , a indiqu Mme Ndoye.

Read the original:
Pas de développement sans une bonne nutrition, selon des spécialistes

Botaneco Partners with Multinational Nutrition Company and signs new Supply Agreement

Posted on by

QUEBEC , Aug. 23, 2012 /CNW/ - Botaneco Corp. ("Botaneco") (BOT.V), a leading natural specialty ingredients company providing key ingredients to the food and personal care industries, today announces that it has partnered with a multi-billion dollar international nutrition company. Under the terms of a twelve-month partnership, Natunola Health Inc., a subsidiary of Botaneco, will work with this new partner to process and deliver approximately 1,000,000 pounds of flax per year.

The unique technology employed yields a functional flax ingredient that allows our partner to claim a combination of the patent-pending functional properties of the flax together with an excellent concentration of Omega-3 oil. This, together with the ingredient's extended shelf life stability, allows for a competitive marketing advantage over other flax ingredients, especially as Omega-3 oil has well publicized health benefits and is considered an essential nutrient.

"Botaneco has significant capabilities to extract high value, sustainable, and stable ingredients from all parts of the seed, offering significant competitive advantages." stated Michelle Scarborough , CEO of Botaneco. "Working with this new partner provides an opportunity to expand that capability and meet the ever increasing market opportunities for flax in food and nutritional segments of the global market. We are delighted to partner with this international nutrition company and look forward to further developing our relationship with them."

The total dollar amount of the business is in excess of CDN $1,000,000 and both parties agree to negotiate a new term 60 days before the twelve-month period concludes.

Processing will occur at Natunola's 40,000 square foot plant in Winchester, Ontario with the ability to expand the facility should demand for this unique proprietary flax product increase.

About Botaneco Corp.

Botaneco Corp is a world leader in the development of natural specialty ingredients and technologies that meet tomorrow's needs, today. The Company's true expertise is turning Mother Nature's energy source, the Seed, into high value proprietary ingredients sold into food and personal care products worldwide. Headquartered in Calgary , Alberta, the company operates two state of the art manufacturing sites in Alberta and Ontario with a robust research and development capability. The Company has developed, patented and commercialized a suite of technologies, and has over 200 customers today. The company has been awarded the Canadian Agri-Food Award of Excellence for its flaxseed technology marketed in the natural food industry. Botaneco holds patents for its Hydresia Oleosome, Vegetable Oil Gel, Whey Protein and Flaxseed De-hulling technology.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Botaneco Corp.

Read more:
Botaneco Partners with Multinational Nutrition Company and signs new Supply Agreement

August 2012 tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology

Posted on by

Public release date: 23-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Boost for Efforts to Prevent Microbial Stowaways on Interplanetary Spacecraft

Efforts to expunge micro-organisms from spacecraft assembly cleanrooms, and the spacecraft themselves, inadvertently select for the organisms that are often the most fit to survive long journeys in space. This has the risk of thwarting the goal of avoiding contaminating other celestial bodies, as well as samples brought back to earth, according to Myron La Duc of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology, and his collaborators. Their research is published in the August issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Mars, the Jovian moon, Europa, and a few other denizens of our solar system may harbor life, and might be capable of supporting some terrestrial microbes. Contaminating planets or moons that already support extraterrestrial lifea possibility on Mars, the big Jovian moon, Europa, and the tiny Saturnian moon, Enceladuscould interfere with efforts to understand that life, and its origins. For example, life on all of these orbs may have a common originlikely on Earth or Marsand contamination of samples could confound efforts to determine which planet was the source of life, and how life arose. For these reasons, sterilization processing of spacecraft bound for such planetary bodies is a very high priority for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Species of bacteria have long been considered capable of surviving space travel, but examples of a fungal species that is capable of such survival have only recently been demonstrated, according to the report. Additionally, due to their extraordinary ability to withstand various extreme environments, some archaea "have been proposed as being capable of tolerating the Martian environment," the investigators write. "In light of this, the breadth of current spacecraft-associated microbial diversity assessments must expand to include eukaryotes and archaea."

Because of this, better methods are needed for determining microbial populations on surfaces that have a very low density of individual microbes. In this study, the researchers became the first to take the microbial census using so-called pyrosequencing studies. Pyrosequencing is a recent method of sequencing DNA from entire microbial communities that is much faster and simpler than other methods, and extremely thorough.

Further findings in the study pointed up the value of pyrosequencing in demonstrating where vigilance in sterilizing equipment is needed. Of most import, certain archaeal sequences, notably from the ammonia-oxidizing genus, Nitrososphaeraceae of the recently proposed phylum, Thaumarchaeota, appeared in ground support equipment samples, both before and after cleaning. Archaea of this phylum can survive on ammonia or urea, or other inorganic chemicals, enhancing their ability to survive extreme conditions, according to the report, so prevention of their transfer to the spacecraft is key.

"Methanobacteriaceae sequences were also observed in the spacecraft hardware samples," the researchers write. "This is particularly relevant for astrobiological issues, since members of this family have been reported to be obligate anaerobic, hydrogenotrophic, and methanogenic organisms and capable of utilizing carbon dioxide as their sole carbon source." The challenge for the JPL's spacecraft team is to ensure that the DNA sequences only arise from dead Methanobacteriaceae, and not from live ones.

(M.T. La Duc, P. Vaishampayan, H.R. Nilsson, T. Torok, and K. Venkateswaran, 2012. Pyrosequencing-derived bacterial, archaeal, and fungal diversity of spacecraft hardware destined for Mars. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78:5912-5922.)

See more here:
August 2012 tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology

Last Call for Submissions to the Center for Productive Longevity's Later-Life Story Contest

Posted on by

BOULDER, CO--(Marketwire -08/23/12)- With the deadline of August 31 quickly approaching, people 50 and older are encouraged to submit their story to the Center for Productive Longevity's (CPL) Later-Life Story Contest as soon as possible. The contest has two categories: (1) Entrepreneurship Success Stories and (2) Inspirational Life Stories, with one winner in each category who will receive $1,000 and a specially designed display trophy. CPL has selected a panel of three independent judges who will choose one winner in each category, and their selections will be announced on October 1, 2012.

"We have received a number of fascinating entries and are excited to share these stories with people of all ages," says William Zinke, 85, founder and president of Center for Productive Longevity. "However, we know that there are more people out there who are moving the needle, making a difference, inspiring others and bringing new businesses to life. We want to hear from you, too!"

With 30 years added to longevity in the 20th century, people are leading active and fulfilled lives into their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. The goal of this contest is to demonstrate that older people in America can continue to lead successful and inspirational lives. Once the contest deadline has passed, CPL will select a variety of entrepreneur success stories to post on its website, highlighting the stories of the two winners.

Entries should be under 1,200 words and are easy to submit. Visit http://www.ctrpl.org/laterlifestorycontest to complete a submission form. Entrants must be 50 and older and be willing to have their story posted on the CPL website for viewing and for possible publication. Stories may also be sent to James Hooks at jhooks@ctrpl.org.

For more information on CPL and the Later-Life Story Contest for older entrepreneurs, visit http://www.ctrpl.org or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

CPL is also currently working on the finishing touches for the next meetings in its "Spotlight on Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Baby Boomers" series. The meetings are designed to contribute to a national momentum for new-business creation, which enables Baby Boomers to remain productively engaged and also facilitates national economic growth.

The meetings, designed for people 50 and older, are being held at Babson College in Wellesley, MA on September 14, Northwestern University/Kellogg School of Management in Chicago on October 11, and the University of Denver on November 15. To register and view preliminary agendas, visit http://www.ctrpl.org/entrepreneurship-meeting/overview.

About the Center for Productive LongevityThe mission of CPL is to stimulate the substantially increased engagement of people 55 and older in productive activities, paid and volunteer, where they are qualified and ready to continue adding value. Visit ctrpl.org for more information. Follow us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CTRPL.

Read more:
Last Call for Submissions to the Center for Productive Longevity's Later-Life Story Contest

OU awarded $9.7 million to fund molecular biology research

Posted on by

OU awarded $9.7 million to fund molecular biology research

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $9.7 million grant funding to OUs research in molecular biology.

Oklahoma Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, or COBRE, gives grants to institutions doing biomedical research in order to strengthen their infrastructure, according to the website.

Ann West, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry and the project director for the grant, said many opportunities are now open because of the money.

One of the things these funds will allow us to do is upgrade some very sophisticated instrumentation in our core facility, West said. Our current [X-ray machine in Stephenson Life Science's Research Center] is about 12 years old now.

There are plans to build another facility, West said.

Wests research focuses on molecular structures of macromolecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. The research then can be applied to developing new drugs, treatments and better understanding of diseases, such as cancer.

Were interested in what is the shape of those molecules, what are their three-dimensional structures, because then we can glean something about how they function, she said.

Project funds also will go to junior investigators who are just getting started in their career and need funding to get their projects off the ground.

Dr. Blaine Mooers, who works in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, is someone who is benefiting from the grant. The grant will allow Mooers and his team to create more copies of RNA, and he will benefit from the access to the new X-ray machine in Norman, thanks to funds going to Wests team.

Read more:
OU awarded $9.7 million to fund molecular biology research

Mark McFadden: Make candidates take biology lessons

Posted on by

Dear Editor: Here's a suggestion that would make elections a little less painful. All candidates for public office should be required to have compulsory biology lessons. It might be an antidote, in one modest but important area, for substituting wishful thinking for actual facts.

Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin's fantasy is horrifying, but it's useful to recall that earlier this summer, South Dakota was defending a law requiring doctors to tell women that, if they get an abortion, their risk of suicide goes up. In fact, there is no causal relationship between abortion and depression. It's crucial to understand that Akin's delusion is not a solo act.

I know that some would argue that having politicians actually understand biology might lead to a slippery slope where they were required to also understand basic physics, math or even civics. But as a voter, that's a risk I'm willing to take.

Mark McFadden

Madison

See original here:
Mark McFadden: Make candidates take biology lessons

Research and Markets: Synthetic Biology Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Share And Forecast, 2012 – 2018

Posted on by

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/swfdjt/synthetic_biology) has announced the addition of the "Synthetic Biology Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Share And Forecast, 2012 - 2018" report to their offering.

The global market for synthetic biology is estimated to grow to $4.5 billion over the year 2015 owing to the developments in fields like biomedicine, biopharmaceutical synthesis, energy and environment, biosecurity, sustainable chemical segment, and biomaterials. Significant investments by major companies and emergence of new players in the market are also expected to boost the growth of this industry.

Synthetic biology is the fastest growing segment of the biotechnology field having number of applications. Synthetic biology provides significant number of near future commercial opportunities. Despite its emerging status, the list of applications is continuously growing. Some of these major applications include chemicals, enzymes, synthetic genes and other DNA parts, pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and chassis microorganisms among others.

Current developments in technologies like DNA synthesis and sequencing, specialty media, and bioinformatics, and the need for renewable feedstock are driving the market for synthetic biology. Rapid developments in this field are creating unique market opportunities and contributing to the growth of this field.

Synthetic biology is gaining tremendous recognition as a transformative technology as it has the ability to address food storage and security issues as well as handle other threats like climate change, energy shortage, and water deficits.

This report highlights the industry with the following points:

- Definition, estimates & forecast of synthetic biology product market from 2010 to 2017

- Analysis of product segments for synthetic biology product market with historical data and forecast

- Trends and forecast for four geographic markets, namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the RoW regions based on segments of synthetic biology product market

The rest is here:
Research and Markets: Synthetic Biology Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Share And Forecast, 2012 - 2018

In the lab: Manipulating molecules for better health

Posted on by

Alireza "Ray" Rezaie spends his days in a lab manipulating molecules to make some of their functions work better while turning off others that can cause unwanted side effects.

His work could one day help prevent and treat health conditions ranging from heart disease to blood poisoning.

In July, the National Institutes of Health awarded Rezaie, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at St. Louis University, a four-year, $1.52 million grant to study how antithrombin, the key blood-clotting inhibitor produced by the liver, can be improved to prevent premature death from heart disease.

Two years ago, the NIH gave him $1.5 million to study activated Protein C. In its activated form it helps regulate inflammation, blood clotting and cell death. It also helps maintain the permeability of blood vessel walls.

Rezaie has been studying ways to ramp up activated Protein C's ability to prevent organ failure while reducing its anti-clotting activity, to prevent hemorrhaging.

The antithrombin study is still in its infancy, but Rezaie recently discovered that it also blocks inflammation in the blood vessel wall, which can lead to heart disease and acute sepsis. The later is a violent, life-threatening reaction to blood infections.

He's moved from the petri dish stage of the study to looking at its effects in mice. It could be years before a drug is developed for clinical trials and even longer before FDA approval.

Nevertheless, Rezaie is excited about the promising findings.

"What's interesting is antithrombin is involved in normal circulation to prevent clot formation," he says. "After a clot is formed, at the site of a cut or bruise, antithrombin is the molecule that comes and stops the clotting. You have to stop it at one point when it's finished."

Patients with coronary artery disease, embolisms, strokes and heart attacks are typically treated with blood thinners such as Heparin and Coumadin, which inhibit antithrombin and put patients at risk of hemorrhaging. Rezaie's antithrombin could potentially be used in lieu of those drugs.

Originally posted here:
In the lab: Manipulating molecules for better health

Tribune Readers’ Views for Thursday, Aug. 23

Posted on by

Oak Hill High staff is commended

I would like to commend the staff at Oak Hill High School for the excellent education you provided our children. Our son returned to Marshall University as a senior and graduate with a biochemistry degree, then will move on to graduate or medical school. Our daughter moved in on Aug. 22 with 25 credit hours achieved through the hard work and dedication of those professionals at Oak Hill High School. She will begin her journey towards receiving her biochemistry degree and becoming a pediatric oncologist.

I am writing this article not only to commend educators who strive to make a difference, but also to help young people realize that dreams are not impossible. Sometimes they are hard to achieve because of the dedication and hard work that is needed to accomplish the goal, but if its worth the effort to make Gods world a better place, then do it.

My question to all of the wonderful students I have been blessed by is simply this: Why did God create you and what is your purpose in life? If you cant answer this question, then our world has no future.

Cathy Broughman

Oak Hill

Avoid buying puppies from roadside peddlers

If you have been to the Fayette Town Center more than a few times, you have surely seen people in the median selling pure-bred or designer breed puppies from their vehicles with a handmade sign. I would like to encourage readers not to walk, but run away from these people.

The plaza tried to solve the problem with signage, but the signs soon disappeared and the puppy peddlers returned. A puppy mill or a backyard breeder is an extremely common business that often operates underground, and right here in Fayette County.

The operator chooses a breed of the current fad (often a toy breed) and forces dogs of that breed or breeds to reproduce at an unhealthy frequency in deplorable conditions. The mothers do not receive adequate care, socialization, recreation or affection in order to keep operating costs at a minimum. Some spend most of their lives in a cage the size of your dishwasher.

Continued here:
Tribune Readers’ Views for Thursday, Aug. 23

Histone-modifying proteins, not histones, remain associated with DNA through replication

Posted on by

Public release date: 23-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Steve Graff stephen.graff@jefferson.edu 215-955-5291 Thomas Jefferson University

PHILADELPHIAIt's widely accepted that molecular mechanisms mediating epigenetics include DNA methylation and histone modifications, but a team from Thomas Jefferson University has evidence to the contrary regarding the role of histone modifications.

A study of Drosophila embryos from Jefferson's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology published ahead of print in Cell August 23 found that parental methylated histones are not transferred to daughter DNA. Rather, after DNA replication, new nucleosomes are assembled from newly synthesized unmodified histones.

"Essentially, all histones are going away during DNA replication and new histones, which are not modified, are coming in," said Alexander M. Mazo, Ph.D., professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Jefferson, and a member of Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center. "In other words, what we found is that histone modifying proteins are hiding on the way over replicating DNA, instead of histones 'jumping' over as currently thought."

"What this paper tells us," he continues, "is that these histone modifying proteins somehow are able to withstand the passage of the DNA replication machinery. They remained seated on their responsive binding sites, and in all likelihood they will re-establish histone modification and finalize the chromatin structure that allows either activation or repression of the target gene."

The team suggests that since it appears these histone modifying proteinsthe Trithorax-group (TrxG), which maintain gene expression, and the Polycomb-group (PcG), which plays a role in epigenetic silencing of genesre-establish the histone code on newly assembled unmethylated histones, they may act as epigenetic marks.

Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetic marks have become an important focus in recent years because they are thought to have the potential to explain mechanisms of aging, human development, and the origins of diseases, like cancer, heart disease, and mental illness.

According to widely-accepted models applied today, the tails of methylated histones turn genes in DNA "on" or "off" by loosening or tightening nucleosome structure, thus changing the accessibility of transcription factors and other proteins to DNA.

"People believe that everything gets worked off of DNA during the replication process and that these methylated histones act as epigenetic marks, since they are believed to rapidly jump from parental to daughter DNA" said Dr. Mazo. "But there is no experimental evidence to back this up."

Read this article:
Histone-modifying proteins, not histones, remain associated with DNA through replication

R. Duncan Luce dies at 87; UC Irvine mathematical psychologist

Posted on by

R. Duncan Luce, a UC Irvine mathematical psychologist who received the National Medal of Science in 2005 for his pioneering scholarship in behavioral sciences, died Aug. 11 at his home in Irvine after a brief illness, the university announced. He was 87.

In 1988, Luce founded and became director of UC Irvine's Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences. He was later named distinguished research professor in cognitive sciences and economics.

His work, according to the university, combined formal math models with psychological experiments to try to understand and predict human behavior, including how individuals and groups make decisions. His studies of decision making and game theory have been applied to the fields of economics, social sciences, psychology and other disciplines.

Luce explained that in his studies he assigned numerical values to psychological experiences and sensory events to allow researchers to accurately measure and compare the occurrences to one another.

For example, light perception can be described in varying degrees from dim to brilliant, with each stage receiving its own numerical figure. Other human experiences could be treated similarly.

"When you can represent these numerically, then you can start writing equations and using the kind of mathematics the physical sciences have generated," Luce said in a 1989 interview with the Orange County Register.

Robert Duncan Luce was born May 16, 1925, in Scranton, Pa., and majored in aeronautical engineering while enrolled in the Navy's accelerated V-12 training program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After World War II, he returned to MIT and switched to mathematics for his doctorate.

"I remember telling my parents I decided to go to graduate school in mathematics," Luce said in the 1989 interview. "My father shook his head and reminded me of the PhDs who were selling apples on the street during the Depression. He thought it was very ill-advised and not a good way to make money. Later on, things turned out reasonably well and he changed his view."

Luce did research at MIT, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton before joining UC Irvine's social sciences department in 1972. A few years later he left for Harvard University, where he became chairman of the psychology department. Irvine lured him back in 1988.

Among his academic publications are "Individual Choice Behavior," widely used as a college textbook, and "Games and Decisions," a 1957 study of game theory written with Howard Raiffa.

Read more from the original source:
R. Duncan Luce dies at 87; UC Irvine mathematical psychologist

Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools

Posted on by

Its an old party tricksucking helium from balloons so you can sing like a Wizard of Oz munchkin. When gibbons inhale this non-toxic gas, researchers can detect much more sophisticated impersonations. It turns out that gibbon vocalization techniques mirror those of highly trained soprano opera singers.

Weve shown how the gibbons distinctive song uses the same vocal mechanics as soprano singers, revealing a fundamental similarity with humans, explains Takeshi Nishimura, an associate professor with the Primate Research Institute at Japans Kyoto University.

Scientists had previously believed that human speech was possible, in part, due to suspected evolutionary changes in the larynx, tongue, and vocal tract. But Nishimuras new findings suggest that humans may not have vocal anatomy and ability as unique as previously thought.

Listen to a gibbon call:

And to a gibbon on helium:

We share voice-box physiology with gibbons, and likely other primates, but we also share the way we manipulate sound, Nishimura explains. With both humans and gibbons, the origin of the soundthe larynxis independent from the vocal tools (or training) used to tailor audible messages.

(Related: Humming Fish Reveal Ancient Origin of Vocalization.)

Nishimura and his colleagues studied a young female white-handed gibbon at the Fukuchiyama City Zoo in Kyoto, where they exposed her to helium-rich air. Helium, which shifts gibbon sounds to a resonance that is easier to assess with acoustic equipment, is common in animal vocalization research.

This graceful primate normally makes intense, pure-toneor single-frequencycalls that can travel more than a mile through dense tropical forests in their native Southeast Asia.

It was probably the need to communicate with distant neighbors in such bustling habitats that produced the unique gibbon song. Such ecological and social requirements forced gibbons, using a soprano technique, to produce their pure-tone and loud voices, Nishimura said.

Read the original:
Gibbons and Opera Singers Use the Same Voice Tools